A Few Biblical Puzzlers

by Steve Ray on January 30, 2018

moses-tabletsOn the Serious Side
What biblical saint died twice and was buried twice?
Who was the first man who broke all Ten Commandments?
What biblical character killed one quarter of the population?
What prophet anointed two kings who lived simultaneously?
Explain this riddle: Born once, die twice; born twice; die once?

On the Lighter Side
Who was the smartest female financier in the Bible?
Who was the smartest male financier in the Bible?
What biblical character had no parents?


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Janet and I have been to China. We attended Mass there and talked to people about the situation for believers. It is a sad situation and the real believers and the priests loyal to Rome are underground. There is also a political “church” which is loyal to and controlled by the Communists in Beijing.

This article from The Catholic Thing is an excellent summary of what’s going on with Christianity in China and questions “What in the World Is the Vatican Doing?

The article starting with paragraph 2:

“…Which is what makes it so disturbing that last week reports surfaced that the Vatican asked two underground Chinese bishops, loyal to Rome, to step aside in order to allow two bishops of the Patriotic Church, submissive to the Communist regime, to take their places. That news drove the heroic 86-year-old former Cardinal of Hong Kong Joseph Zen to go to Rome without an appointment, stand outside the Casa Santa Marta, and ask to be allowed to present a letter from the underground believers – who are willing to resist despite personal costs – to Pope Francis. Reliable sources say the pope received the letter and promised to read it.

Cardinal Zen has been energetic in warning about the unreliability of agreements with the Communists. Asia News, a publication of the Vatican, itself reacted to last week’s news with a warning about substituting “illegitimate” bishops for “legitimate” ones. The ChiComs (as we used to call them during the Cold War) are smart and shrewd. They know how to manipulate Western values, in this case, “unifying” the churches, i.e., the religious inclination to think we can fix all problems with dialogue, building bridges, diplomatic arrangements.

Meanwhile, China continues to cut crosses off church buildings, close some, dynamite still others. The New York Times reported just two weeks ago that China had destroyed the Golden Lampstand church – with 60,000 worshippers the largest evangelical community in the country. The reason: the large, conspicuous edifice had been “secretly” constructed, had failed to get official building permits, etc. These are the usual fig leaves of tyrannical regimes all over the world when they attack religion. I’ve heard top Chinese leaders blame local authorities for “excesses and errors,” but these seem to recur with a suspect regularity that no one seems to take steps to stop.”

For the rest of the article click HERE.

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Lots of biblical sites covered on our first full day here in Jordan. We started with Mass way up in the mountains of Gilead in northern Jordan. The church is called Our Lady of the Mountain Church and one of my good friends, a Jordanian priest named Fr. Imad Twal celebrated the Mass for us today. His excellent homily is HERE.

Then to Mar Elias  which is the birthplace of the Prophet Elijah. I explained the life story of this prophet and it was rather fun for us since Janet and I had just finished filming the life of this great prophet  in the summer and I just finished writing the study guide for the movie which will be released in spring of 2018.

A great lunch while watching the authentic making of bread here in Jordan and then to the ancient city of Jerash which is actually mentioned in the Bible. Magnificent ruins, some of the best Roman ruins in the world.

The Jabbok River isone of my favorite places to take our groups in Jordan. No other pilgrim groups or tourists go there but it is a marvelous biblical site and I tell the whole story which you can see on a separate video HERE. Learn about Jacob the swindler and how he wrestled with God.

Then, back to Amman and our beautiful hotel for a couple of hours of free time for resting and then a good dinner and to bed and ready to drive to Petra tomorrow. Enjoy!

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Can You Spot the Errors?

January 29, 2018

This is a typical non-Catholic Creed. It was forwarded by a Catholic asking if they could/should agree with this creed in order to get a new job. What do you think of this creed and could you sign onto it? If you think there are errors, what are they?  

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Arrival in Amman Jordan, the Biblical Pilgrimage Begins…

January 28, 2018

Our pilgrims have arrived. There are 34 in this group. Last year we had 24 so the momentum is increasing. This is a beautiful country, very free and Christians are able to celebrate their faith freely. Jordan is also full of biblical sites and beautiful churches. We will share them all with you through video […]

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What is “Organized Religion”?

January 28, 2018

Hey Steve: while I was on a business trip I had a good conversation with my friends, one who is agnostic and the other an Evangelical.  Both of them agreed they didn’t believe in “organized religion”.  From your Protestant background is there a specific meaning to that term or is it just another way to […]

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A Look at the World’s 50 Most Anti-Christian Countries

January 27, 2018

Washington D.C., Jan 15, 2018 / 11:55 am (CNA/EWTN News). There are more than 215 million persecuted Christians worldwide according to the 2018 World Watch List, Open Doors USA’s annual ranking of the 50 worst countries for violence and persecution against Christians. The report found that one in twelve Christians worldwide are victims of violent persecution. […]

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Final Judgment based on “Faith Alone’?

January 26, 2018

Is “Faith Alone” the Basis for the Final Judgment? Dear Baptist Friend Jerry : I had no intention of writing you again this soon but after having dinner with your brother — and seeing a copy of the silly Protestant booklet you gave him entitled Studies In Contrasts: The Doctrine of Salvation (by Herb Vander […]

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Two Favorite Quotes this Week

January 25, 2018

“My prayer is that when I die, all of hell rejoices that I am out of the fight.” – C.S. Lewis. “Our faith is not on the pope, it is on Christ who is the foundation of the church.” Cardinal Francis Arinze

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Etiquette at Mass: Reasonable Do’s and Don’ts for Polite and Proper Worship

January 25, 2018

20 Things TO DO And NOT DO at Mass. These are not rules that will get you banished from the Church, but things that are mostly common sense — polite conduct to enhance our worship and that of those around us. 1. Fast before Mass. It is required that one fasts for at least 1 […]

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Did the Church Ever Support Slavery?

January 25, 2018

By Steve Weidenkopf   September 18, 2017 Many years ago I attended a conference organized by a national Catholic organization on the topics of marriage and human sexuality. One of the speakers was a professor from Creighton University who, in the middle of his talk on contraception, launched into a long tangent about how the Church had […]

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On 3 Radio Shows Thursday for Conversion of St. Paul

January 24, 2018

The conversion of St. Paul’s feast day is Thursday. I have been there – to the very location in Damascus several times. I wept when I was there. I’ll be on three radio shows on Thursday describing the importance of his conversion, the impact it made on St. Paul, the impact it had on me […]

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All Pilgrimages are NOT created equal!

January 23, 2018

An interesting letter I received from a woman yesterday inquiring about our pilgrimages, especially to the Holy Land. She said a priest she works with told her, “One of the priests I used to work with at school traveled to Israel a few years ago with _____________  [I am leaving travel company’s name out]. “He told […]

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Questions I Answered for Non-Catholics on Catholic Answers Live

January 23, 2018

On Friday we took to the phone to answer questions from non-Catholics. We had some great calls and responses. One in particular in which I defended the priesthood and seminarians against a charge that most were homosexuals. The Church Militant’s videos were referred to as reason this caller was not willing to become Catholic. Hope […]

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The Mid-air Marriage Gets Muddier

January 21, 2018

Written by Dr. Ed Peters, Canon Lawyer Popes on planes aren’t supposed to be a setting from which to draw fodder for canon law essay exams, but as far back as Pope Benedict XVI, such flights have occasioned more than their fair share of papal words or actions carrying canonical implications but undertaken with little […]

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Major Conference Planned on Divisions in Church, Papal Infallibility

January 21, 2018

National Catholic Register, Major Conference Planned on Divisions in Church, Papal Infallibility Edward Pentin The international meeting in Rome, one of the last wishes of the late Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, is due to take place in April. One of the late Cardinal Carlo Caffarra’s last wishes — to have an international conference to examine ways to […]

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