Pompeii

The majority of popular sports deal with the same general principle: one must hit the target with a ball and, as a result, a score is recorded. 
We see this principle in basketball with the ball through the hoop, hockey with the puck into the back of the net, golf with the ball in the hole, baseball with the ball crossing over home plate, soccer with the ball into the goal, bowling with the ball hitting the pins, tennis with the ball bouncing in a specific part of the court, etc. 
Could it be mere coincidence that the majority of sports follow this same underlying principle? Or, could it speak of something more fundamental to our human nature?
Human beings love excellence, consistency, and the bullseye. We have a deep admiration for accuracy, precision, and perfection. Interestingly, the Biblical narrative reflects this aspect of our humanity in how it presents sin. 
The word “sin” in Hebrew [hhatah] means “off the mark.” The word “sin” is an archery term which implies a lack of accuracy, precision, and perfection. Sin, therefore, is a privation of excellence. It is being off target, off the mark. The target, of course, is to do good and to avoid evil. We sin when we miss the mark of doing good and, instead, are off the mark in doing evil. 
Now, our popular sports reflect an appreciation of this principle. The star athletes and the championship teams display excellence in hitting their respective marks. On the contrary, players and teams who fail to hit the mark are not rewarded. In fact, we get rather frustrated when an excellent golfer hits a double bogey, a baseball player strikes out, and a basketball star misses an easy basket. Simply put, we instinctively are turned away from that which is “off the mark.” We desire to do good and to avoid evil because we are fundamentally made in the image and likeness of God. 
St. Paul knew this when he wrote to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24). Paul then adds, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever (1 Corinthians 9:25). Paul is indicating that the general principle which undergirds sports is a reflection of something deep within our human nature. Paul also writes, “Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air” (1 Corinthians 9:26). In other words, Paul explains that the Christian demand is to cross the finish line as opposed to aimlessly running and to hit the target as opposed to aimlessly punching thin air. 
So, what is this short reflection on sports trying to accomplish? Sports reflect something profoundly true concerning our human nature: we desire to do good and to avoid evil. We award, and rightfully so, those who hit the target with precision and accuracy. Likewise, we do not award those who are off the mark. Thus, sports are a reflection of a much greater, more important challenge – “run in such a way as to get the prize” as Paul says. Our goal is to hit the target - eternal life. 
 

Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.

The majority of popular sports deal with the same general principle: one must hit the target with a ball and, as a result, a score is recorded. 
We see this principle in basketball with the ball through the hoop, hockey with the puck into the back of the net, golf with the ball in the hole, baseball with the ball crossing over home plate, soccer with the ball into the goal, bowling with the ball hitting the pins, tennis with the ball bouncing in a specific part of the court, etc. 
Could it be mere coincidence that the majority of sports follow this same underlying principle? Or, could it speak of something more fundamental to our human nature?
Human beings love excellence, consistency, and the bullseye. We have a deep admiration for accuracy, precision, and perfection. Interestingly, the Biblical narrative reflects this aspect of our humanity in how it presents sin. 
The word “sin” in Hebrew [hhatah] means “off the mark.” The word “sin” is an archery term which implies a lack of accuracy, precision, and perfection. Sin, therefore, is a privation of excellence. It is being off target, off the mark. The target, of course, is to do good and to avoid evil. We sin when we miss the mark of doing good and, instead, are off the mark in doing evil. 
Now, our popular sports reflect an appreciation of this principle. The star athletes and the championship teams display excellence in hitting their respective marks. On the contrary, players and teams who fail to hit the mark are not rewarded. In fact, we get rather frustrated when an excellent golfer hits a double bogey, a baseball player strikes out, and a basketball star misses an easy basket. Simply put, we instinctively are turned away from that which is “off the mark.” We desire to do good and to avoid evil because we are fundamentally made in the image and likeness of God. 
St. Paul knew this when he wrote to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24). Paul then adds, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever (1 Corinthians 9:25). Paul is indicating that the general principle which undergirds sports is a reflection of something deep within our human nature. Paul also writes, “Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air” (1 Corinthians 9:26). In other words, Paul explains that the Christian demand is to cross the finish line as opposed to aimlessly running and to hit the target as opposed to aimlessly punching thin air. 
So, what is this short reflection on sports trying to accomplish? Sports reflect something profoundly true concerning our human nature: we desire to do good and to avoid evil. We award, and rightfully so, those who hit the target with precision and accuracy. Likewise, we do not award those who are off the mark. Thus, sports are a reflection of a much greater, more important challenge – “run in such a way as to get the prize” as Paul says. Our goal is to hit the target - eternal life. 
 

Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.

Whoa whoa whoa

That face you make when you see a chance of snow in the 7 day forecast. > Exceptional Eye Photos

No explanation needed!

No explanation needed!

Fr. Ben Daghir will be posting articles on GoDuBois every Monday at 9am
Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies. 

Thank You Fr. Ben!
 

I apologize once again for being on the quiet side,….I thought our summer would be full of fun in the sun…instead we were side tracked by Gastroparesis 
well I guess the only way to start is from the beginning…
In April Faith got transitioned from infant formula to toddler formula..a more nutritious formula that has higher calories and would benefit Faiths growth
In May she began to gag..we thought it was from a uti (urinary tract infection)
Then she had a cold and another uti at the end of May…we thought the gagging was from this but would improve once she felt better, 
….we were wrong…it got worse
By June it was a lot of gagging and then vomiting once a week that increased as the weeks went by, 
By July it was daily…daily vomiting 
By august it was with every feeding 
In the mean time we were trying to figure out what the cause could be, adjusting meds, stopping meds, trying new meds, spacing out her feedings, tried smaller feedings more frequently, changing formulas…we tried and tried
I have not scrubbed my rugs so much in my life.
Our life was literally, feeding, vomiting and cleaning..
Then we hit another road block….she started getting constipated
My little Jenga tower was falling apart 😞
A few weeks ago Faith had a test done called a Gastric Emptying Test
Come to find out Faiths digestive system is sluggish, she has Gastroparesis or..a lazy tummy…her stomach doesn’t empty food as fast as it should so when we were doing the feedings the formula was just piling on top of one another or sitting in her tummy too long to the point her tummy couldn’t hold it and would eject it…rather forcefully I might add, she looked like a busted fire hydrant when the vomiting would occur…
We finally got medicines to help improve her digestion as well as help her constipation, which was also stemming from the Gastroparesis.
So prayers that the medicines help her digest and the vomiting resolves 
The medicine for the constipation is already working…very well lol

This sums up the emotions I go through in a day in 10 seconds 🙃🙂
p3af4ov4qv.mp4  
 

... "I believe that there's a reasonable chance that [84% increased risk of cardiac-related death] is actually an UNDERESTIMATE of the risk."

Twitter Blocks Surgeon General for Sharing Vax Study
 
Young Males Have Highest Risk of Heart Damage From Pfizer, Moderna Vaccines, Large Study Confirms
Young males are more likely to report heart damage following vaccination with an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, and the damage is more likely to be reported after the second dose, according to researchers who reviewed the scientific literature and vaccine injury databases in the U.K., EU and U.S.
By 
Julie Comber, Ph.D.
Article: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/young-males-heart-risk-pfizer-moderna-vaccines/

Kash Patel says John Durham has exposed the FBI’s ‘disinformation campaign

BREAKING: Tulsi Gabbard announces she's leaving Democratic Party 
I didn't hear where she is going to?  
 

It is very easy to see the brokenness of our world and say, “things are much worse now than ever before.” Our news headlines show that there are evils, pains, tragedies, wars, attacks, conflicts, natural disasters, depression, addiction, catastrophes, heartaches, and much more.
 It can often seem like every news headline brings awful news. It’s easy to ask: “What happened to the good in this world?” and “Where did the goodness go?”
As a Roman Catholic priest, I hear many peoples’ concerns through various pastoral ministries. There are many people who feel like things are much worse now than ever before. The following approach is what I often share with people who find themselves questioning our present times.   
Our nightly television news and daily newspapers may have headlines which describe horrific evils, but I would like to add that the Bible doesn’t shy away from humanity’s brokenness either. Genesis, the first book of the Bible, has no problem describing how out of whack, how disordered, and how evil our world has become as a result of sin. Adam and Eve grasped for the forbidden fruit. Since then, there has been division, decay, and death. This original sin gets passed on from generation to generation. Adam and Eve’s son, Cain, kills his brother Abel. God then asks Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” Like his fallen parents, Cain doesn’t speak to God honestly and transparently. Instead, the effects of original sin have overwhelmed him. Cain arrogantly responds to God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Sadly, this question has been repeated again and again.   
Are things far worse now than before? Let’s just briefly look at the last 100 years when individuals and regimes have arrogantly asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Josef Mengele and the Nazi regime. The groups behind the genocides in Bosnia, Rwanda, Cambodia, Germany, Nanking, Russia, and Turkey. Mao Zedong. Joseph Stalin. Pol Pat. Terrorist attacks. World Wars in which 75 million people died as a result of World War II and another 35 million died during World War I. 
I think we should be careful to say, “the world is far worse now than it used to be.”
St. Augustine ran into this hopeless and pessimistic view over 1,600 years ago. He wrote, “You hear people complaining about the present day and age because, they claim, things were so much better in former times. I wonder what would happen if they could be taken back to the days of their ancestors. Would we still hear them complaining? You may think past ages were good, but it is only because you are not living in them.”
St. Augustine is dead right. We need, therefore, to change our pessimistic view. We need to know that sin, evil, and death have been around for quite some time now. We also need to know that there is a light shining in the darkness. God is active and present in our fallen world. 
There have been Catholic saints in every generation. In the midst of sin, destruction, war, hardship, concentration camps, slavery, unjust political systems, plagues and much more; saints have emerged from the rubble of a fallen and broken humanity. The saints model to us how to overcome the difficulties, the tragedies, the hardships, the sufferings, the evils, and the disasters of our fallen world. 
When someone only sees the evils of our world, it means that they have lost sight of Christ who is active and pouring Himself out for others. I recommend for us to look to the saints in the midst of the brokenness of our world. It is in the saints that we see grace prevail. It is in the saints that we see a light shining in the darkness. It is in the saints that we see Christ alive and well. Maybe there is breaking news. Maybe Léon Bloy was right, “The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.”

Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies. 
 

Just another... "This CAN NOT be REAL!!" 

Who in the hell would bring their kids to see this CRAP?

 

Just one more "THIS CAN NOT BE REAL" video from your FAKE President.
They must not of found that new writer because they are starting to play re-runs already. 
Joe Biden tries to shake hands with nobody again…
 

Biden reads "End of quote. Repeat the line" off Teleprompter

> Look at the Peanut Gallery in the back trying to hold in their laughs. (I see those smirks )
I  hope everyone is enjoying the movie! 


This is an everyday comedy script for Biden. I really don't think this can go on much longer... I think they are looking for a new writer.
Remember this all started in his basement just before he got those 81 million FAKE votes. 

Proudly sponsored by John Fetterman.