Virtue Club Assignment - Seed of a Journey

My son was working on small project for his Virtues Club meeting for tomorrow (First Friday).
We were reviewing a prayer he chose to share as part of his assignment. This particular prayer was one by St. Anthony of Padua, who is an important patron saint for us!
It is a beautiful, simple and straightforward prayer to The Holy Spirit. I wanted to make sure he understood all the words completely so we started to review . . . .

I do so LOVE how the simplest of things, when done for God, lead to greater understanding and joy.  The adventure of discovering deeper meaning in words and then our catechism is a journey I absolutely relish.

Here is the prayer (w/ links & footnotes) that was the seed of our journey. Come with us!

O God, send forth your Holy Spirit 

into my heart that I may perceive*1,

into my mind that I may remember and

into my soul that I may meditate*2. 

Inspire me to speak with piety, holiness, tenderness and mercy. 

Teach, guide and direct my thoughts and senses from beginning to end. 

May your grace ever help and correct me, and may I be strengthened now with wisdom*3 from on high, for the sake of your infinite*4 mercy. 

Amen

*1 perceive- understand
Why understand in our hearts? Because
1) To love God with all of our hearts is the best way to know him.
2) Knowing God in our hearts makes sense in the light of love.  We can never know (understand) God intellectually.*1
 St. Anthony asks the Holy Spirit to come into his mind so that he may remember.

*2 meditate - (NOT the Eastern religious definition of meditation)
 Old Testament Hebrew - haga: sigh, murmur, meditate / Greek from the Hebrew: melite / Latin root: ponder 
Catholic meditative prayer can be traced back to a 12th century Carthusian monk, GuigoII*2

*3 wisdom - From the Baltimore Catechism - 

Q. 707. Why do we receive the gift of Wisdom?
A. We receive the gift of Wisdom to give us a relish for the things of God, and to direct our whole life and all our actions to His honor and glory.

*4 infinite = never ending

____________________________________________________________________________________

More for me! (My son is now fast asleep)

• *1  St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 died @49)  Feast Day - Jan 28

•  On the feast of St. Nicholas in 1273, as he said Mass, he received a revelation which so overwhelmed him that he never again wrote or dictated.  He put aside his chief work, the Summa Theologica (Summary of Theology - his final and most famous work which deals with the whole of Catholic theology).  It was still incomplete.  He said, 

"The end of my labors is come.  All that I have written seems to me so much straw after the things that have been revealed to me."

• What Pope Benedict said in reference to St Thomas Aquinas - June 2010 (key words: faith, reason, democracy, dignity)

• What St. Thomas Aquinas said that I need to remember - "It matters little whether a syllable be long or short, but it matters much to practice humility and obedience."

And, as the clock ticks past midnight . . . . I checked in on the saint quote of the day. What do you think I found? Yep, a wonderful wink from God in the form of serendipity. God is so good!

God's universal providence works through secondary causes . . . The world of pure spirits stretches between the Divine Nature and the world of human beings; because Divine Wisdom has ordained that the higher should look after the lower, Angels execute the Divine plan for human salvation: they are our Guardians, who free us when hindered and help to bring us home.

-- Saint Thomas Aquinas

*2 About Guigo II:
Surnamed "angelic" he was the 9th prior of the monastery. He is considered the first writer in the western tradition to consider stages of prayer as a ladder which leads to a closer mystic communion with God.
His most famous book The Ladder of Monks is subtitled "a letter on the contemplative life" and is considered the first description of methodical prayer in the western mystical tradition.
Guigo named the four steps of this "ladder" of Lectio Divina prayer with the Latin terms  

1. lectio -- first you read, which leads to thinking about (i.e. meditate on / ponder) the significance of the text
2. meditatio -- think about (i.e. meditate on / ponder) the significance of the text
3. oratio -- respond in prayer
4. contemplatio - prayer then points to the gift of quiet stillness in the presence of God, called contemplation

Graphic: A Carthusian enters the Grand Chartreuse,     Here you find Selections from The Ladder of Monks
The Belles Heures of John Duke of Berry, 1408 fol 97.


*Grace (Catholic.org)

Actual Grace
Explains the concept of actual grace, which is defined in the article as "a supernatural help of God for salutary acts granted in consideration of the merits of Christ."

Sanctifying Grace
Describes the nature and characteristics of sanctifying grace; also treats of "justification", which is the preparation for sanctifying grace.

Controversies on Grace
Discusses the various grace-related controversies in history, with a focus on the heresies of the Reformers and the Jansenists. Outlines the various Catholic solutions -- including Thomism, Augustinianism, Molinism, Congruism, and Syncretism.

Supernatural Adoption
Presents one of the most sublime of mysteries -- the gracious divinization of man, which enables him to partake of the inner life of the Most Blessed Trinity. 

SOURCES & RESOURCES

Other prayers to the Holy Spirit

Subject of study in Virtue Club - 7 Gifts of The Holy Spirit

Graphic source
Selections from The Ladder of Monks
Selections from Ladder of Monks - Private Prayer Notebook

Dearborn, Michigan

http://www.answeringmuslims.com/
On June 18th, 2010, David Wood, Nabeel Qureshi, Negeen Mayel, and Paul Rezkalla were arrested while having a peaceful discussion at the Dearborn Arab Festival. This is a video of David and Nabeel discussing their reasons for showing up at the festival.





Acts17.net
http://www.AnsweringMuslims.com/
Chief of Police: 313-943-2235
Mayor's Office: 313-943-2300
Mayor's Email: mayor@ci.dearborn.mi.us
Dearborn Police and Mayor John C. O'Reilly have accused us of screaming at Muslims, harassing them, and inciting a riot. What will they say in response to video proof that they are wrong?

October 3rd, 2010 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen Here!  Life By Faith
 
Readings:
Habakkuk 1:2-3;2:2-4
Psalm 95:1-2,6-9
2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14
Luke 17:5-10

---

Because of his faith, the just man shall live. We hear in today’s First Reading the original prophetic line made so central by St. Paul (see Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).
We are to live by faith in Christ who loved us and gave himself on the Cross for us (see Galatians 2:20).

The world, though, can seem to us as seventh-century Judah seemed to Habakkuk - in the control of God’s enemies. The strife and discord we face in our own lives can sometimes cause us to wonder, as the prophet does, why God doesn’t seem to hear or intervene when we cry for help.

We can’t let our hearts be hardened by the trials we undergo. As today’s Psalm reminds us: Israel forgot His mighty works, lost faith in the sound words of His promise. They tested God in the desert, demanding a sign.

But God didn’t redeem Israel from Egypt only to let them die in the desert. And He didn’t ransom us from futility only to abandon us in our trials. He is our God and we are the people He shepherds always - though at times His mercy and justice seem long delayed.

If we call on the Lord, as the Apostles do in today’s Gospel, He will increase our faith, will stir to a flame the Holy Spirit who has dwelt within us since Baptism.

Where there is no faith, there is no prayer. Who would pray for something he did not believe in?

So when the blessed apostle exhorts us to pray he begins by declaring: Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; but to show that faith is the source of prayer and the stream will not flow if its springs are dried up, he continues: But how can people call on him in whom they do not believe?

We must believe, then, in order to pray; and we must ask God that the faith enabling us to pray may not fail. Faith gives rise to prayer, and this prayer obtains an increase of faith. Faith, I say, gives rise to prayer, and is in turn strengthened by prayer. It was to guard against their faith failing in times of temptation that the Lord told his disciples: Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. *1

As Paul tells us in today’s Epistle, the Lord will always give us the love and self-control we need to bear our share of hardship for the Gospel - with a strength that can come from God alone.
Our task is to continue doing what He has commanded - to love and to build up His kingdom - trusting that His vision still presses on to its fulfillment.

For His vision still has its time. One day, though we are but “unprofitable servants,” we will be invited to eat and drink at our Master’s table. It is that day we anticipate with each celebration of the Eucharist.



Yours in Christ,



Scott Hahn, Ph.D.

SOURCES & FOOTNOTES
*1 Center for Liturgy
Scott Hahn

The Power of Faith -Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 3, 2010

Reading 1 Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4  Reflection

The prophet Habakkuk expresses the same question we have all asked at one time or another:
Why do bad things happen to good people? Habakkuk pleads with God for an explanation. Even God's faithful ones have been trampled on by their enemies. Why doesn't God help them? God answers the prophet with a vision that will be fulfilled in the future. The violent ones will, by their sinfulness, bring about their own defeat. The just ones, by their fidelity to God, will enjoy lasting happiness.

The meaning of the word translated as “faith” here (‘emunah) is steadfast loyalty, holding on in obedience to YHWH’s law, even when it apparently pays no dividends. This word becomes very important for the New Testament. *1

God does not give explanations for evil and suffering. But God does promise eternal life to those who trust and remain faithful.

---

Reading 2 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14 Reflection

To preach the Christian faith at a time of terrible persecution requires great courage. Loyalty (faithfulness) to the gospel always involves a certain amount of hardship for any disciple. Anyone who teaches or preaches the faith must also be true to the tradition handed down by Jesus through the apostles. Timothy is reminded that the Holy Spirit will help him to remain on the right track.

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.

---

Gospel Luke 17:5-10  also see: Matthew 17:20 :-) Reflection

The two examples that Jesus gives in this gospel are very important.
#1)  You know how the apostles ask Jesus to, "Increase our faith"?  I find it very interesting that (in Luke) this comes right after Jesus tells them, 

"If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, 'I am sorry,' you should forgive him."

Jesus then puts it into perspective, doesn't he?

"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to (this) mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." 

FAITH IS POWERFUL

#2)  The story about the servant tells us that as Jesus' disciples we should be grateful to God. When we do God's will, we should not expect to receive special recognition. We have, after all, done no more than "what we were obliged to do." And, I think  it follows that we will not know true happiness unless we are obedient to the will of God and do "what we are obliged to do."
If we are truly & humbly obedient we should NOT expecting special treatment or reward for our faithfulness. We obey out of love - our love helps us obey - we increase our faithfulness.

Come Holy Spirit.

Fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your spirit and they shall be created. 

And you will renew the face of the earth.

Lord by the light of your Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful.

In that same spirit help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in his consolation.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Proclaiming Faith Activities for kids (& the young at heart)

Remember . . . .  "Suffer the little children to come unto me; and forbid them not. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Matthew 19:14 and Luke 18:16-17  *2

To live God's word is the duty of every Christian. But people cannot answer the call of duty if they are not sure what God's word says. Imagine that you are making a CD of messages from Jesus.
Christians can call in and receive a different message each day of the week. Complete these messages:

Sunday "Love the Lord your God with all your _____________." Need help?  (See Luke 10:27) 

Monday "Ask and you will ________________." (Matthew 7:7)

Tuesday "Repent, and believe in the ___________." (Mark 1:15) 


Wednesday "I give you a new commandment: __________________." (John 13:34)

Thursday "You cannot serve __________________________." (Luke 16:13)


Friday "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God _____________." (Matthew 22:21)

Saturday "Go into the whole world and _____________________________." (Mark 16:15) 

Reading I: Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 
Responsorial Psalm: 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9  If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Reading II: 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14 
Gospel: Luke 17:5-10


SOURCES & RESOURCES:
See the CCC for help in understanding "suffering." Especially helpful: Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 1, Article 1, Paragraph 7, SubSection 3, Heading 3 and Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 2, Heading 3  
Sadlier We Believe; 5th Grade 
Sadlier We Believe; Liturgical Year Page
Sadlier We Believe; Source Page (choose pick a grade, pick type of visitor (student), advanced (resources) ~~> This week's
liturgy)
The Searchable CCC on-line (Thank you to the Knights of Columbus!) 
*1 Reginald H Fuller - The Scripture in Depth   
*2 Yes, I know I mixed the King James with our NAB -- I just love the  King James wording! 
PrepareForMass 
Graphic - Habakkuk and the Angel - Gian Lorenzo Bernini 
More about Habakkuk: A copy of chapters 1 and 2 (of 3) is included in the Habakkuk Commentary, found among the Dead Sea
Scrolls.



 

Martin Luther's Belief in the Immaculate Conception of Mary

Here are some surprising words. It seems that Martin Luther, that once Augustinian priest turned Revolutionary, upheld belief in the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception Think of that for a moment -- this was even before it was declared a dogmatic doctrine in 1854 by Pope Pius IX.

The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception holds that Mary was preserved from original sin at her conception and from all sin during her life - that she was conceived, lived, and died without any taint of sin.

The eminent Lutheran scholar Arthur Carl Piepkorn (1907-73) has also confirmed that Luther believed in the Immaculate Conception even as a Protestant. Here is Martin Luther in his own words:

"It is a sweet and pious belief that the infusion of Mary’s soul was effected without original sin; so that in the very infusion of her soul she was also purified from original sin and adorned with God’s gifts, receiving a pure soul infused by God; thus from the first moment she began to live she was free from all sin" 

- Martin Luther's Sermon "On the Day of the Conception of the Mother of God," 1527.

"She is full of grace, proclaimed to be entirely without sin—something exceedingly great. For God’s grace fills her with everything good and makes her devoid of all evil. 

- Martin Luther's Little Prayer Book, 1522.

Both quotations derive from Luther's writings after his break from Rome.

Far be it from me to approve of Luther.
I only list these quotes to show how far Protestantism has come from it's quasi-Catholic origin. If only Lutherans would return to this single doctrine of their founder; how quickly our Lady would turn them into true Catholics!

Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us!


SOURCE:
Canterbury Tales
This post was written by Taylor Marshall of Canterbury Tales. 
Please visit Canterbury Tales  -- it is an amazing website!

No copyright infringement intended. All posts are fully cited for source and author. I have provided links back to the original source whenever possible. This information is for my personal, Faith Formation, Confirmation class, OCIC and homeschool referencing.
I am so very grateful to the authors, website and blog owners for sharing this information, commentary, and knowledge.

Great Adventure Notes - September 23, 2010

To view ALL Great Adventure entries go to: 
http://catholicnotebook.blogspot.com/search/label/Great%20Adventure


Yes, I am doing the Great Adventure Bible Study again! I learn something new every time -- I remember things that were tucked away somewhere deep in my brain! Most importantly,  I fall more deeply in love with Scripture.


I will be recording some notes, questions and answers, definitions, important references and resources here for class use. Let the fun begin!

Definitions:

Typology (in Scripture): the doctrine or study of types or prefigurative symbols.

Prefigure: to show or represent beforehand by a figure or type; foreshadow.

Foreshadow: to represent, indicate, or typify beforehand

Christocentric: Christ-centered, Concentrating on Christ.

Deuterocanonical:   The 7 books that Protestants took out of the Bible
It should be noted that protocanonical and deuterocanonical are modern terms, not having been used before the sixteenth century. *1

Mnemonics help you recall facts and remember things with minimal effort.  Mnemonics are highly efficient as learning or memorizing strategy!
The multi-colored beaded bracelet used in the Great Adventure Bible Study is an example of a mnemonic (pronounced: new-mon-ic) device.

Important Quote

"Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ." St. Jerome 

General Notes

Where does Scripture fit into Catholicism? 

It is meant to be lived in on a daily basis.

The Word of God comes to us in Scripture and Tradition.  the Jews posess written and oral word -- Moses as an example. We carry on with this as Jesus did (and Paul did).

The Bible is the inspired word of God -- in Hebrew the definition for inspired is "God breathed."

Inspired by God means that the Holy Spirit is the principal author. 

66 in Protestant Bible (They took out 7 that they call the Apocrypha)

73 Books in our Bible (Those 7 books are called the Deuterocanonical)

We have maintained these since the Councils of Rome, Hippo and Cathage  (etc.)

Council of Rome (382)

The Church decided upon a canon of 46 Old Testament books and 27 in the New Testament.

Council of Hippo (393)

Local North African Church council in union with and under the authority of the Bishop of Rome approved a list of OT and NT canon (same as later approved by the Council of Trent 1546)

Council of Carthage (397)

Local North African Church council in union with and under the authority of the Bishop of Rome approved a list of OT and NT canon (same as later approved by the Council of Trent 1546)

Note: At the Council of Rome in 382, the Church decided upon a canon of 46 Old Testament books and 27 in the New Testament. This decision was ratified by the councils at Hippo (393), Carthage (397, 419), II Nicea (787), Florence (1442), and Trent (1546).

We Catholics are people of The Word -- The Living Word -- Jesus Christ.
The word in fullness is Scripture and Tradition. . . . what was passed on to us by the Apostles

The CCC
has 4 pillars (look at the order - important)

1. Creed (lion's share of the CCC-largest part)
2. Sacraments and Liturgy
3. Moral Law (10 Commandments)
4. Prayer

1. Creed: Salvation History - the big picture - our story
2. Sacraments and Liturgy - that how you get into the story and means of grace to STAY in the story
3. Moral Law - your personal script. How to conduct yourself.
4. Prayer - Christianity is not a solitary spirit. How God finds us.


The Bible
Poetic literature
Prophetic literature
Historical literature
Epistles literature
Apocryphal literature
Gospel literature

It is Important to Know Your Story
Do you know where you came from?

Where you are?

Where you are going?

Why and how?

 . . . . example -young girls flocking to the movie, The Titanic. Going more than once. Because it was the story and they didn't have a story.

Salvation History is our story!

GOOD TO KNOW THE NARRATIVE - Many have lost the narrative thread. 

. . . . . the funny example of trying to read Gone with the Wind without the storyline

What Great Adventure Bible Study Does

It simplifies. We take the big picture and reduce it to 12 periods of salvation history. These 12 time periods can be easily memorized (use any of the mnemonics: colors, names of time periods, bracelet, bookmark, fold-out timeline, chart on pg 39).

The Organization of the Time Line (from top to bottom):

The 12 Period's names

Supplemental Books 

Narrative Books 

God's Family Plan: Covenant Periods 

Northern Countries

The Land of Canaan (50 miles west to east & 150 miles north to south)

Southern & Egypt

World Power
Secular History

SOURCES & more resources: 
Defending the Deuterocanonical - an article by Jason Evert
*1 - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03267a.htm 
Catholic Apologetics Notebook -  
http://www.catholicapologetics.org/ap010100.htm 

No Can Do!

"We are living in an era where people believe in Christ, but not in his Church.

They want the king, but not the kingdom; they want to believe without belonging; they want the faith, but not the faithful.

But for the committed Catholic, the answer to that is, 'no can do.'

Jesus and the Church are one."

-- Archbishop Timothy Dolan

Gianna Jesen & Melissa Ohden - Abortion Survivors

They live among us but they weren't meant to.
Of the one billion unborn babies killed since society decided abortion was a better choice than supporting women in pregnancy, a handful survive to speak beyond the womb.


Melissa Ohden is another abortion survivor and listening to her is spooky.
"We know there are far more of us - people like us," Melissa told a small gathering in Canberra last week.
Sometime in the fifth month of pregnancy, a doctor injected a toxic saline solution into her 19-year-old mother's amniotic fluid.
Five days later she was delivered and a nurse left her beside the bed.
Upon hearing grunting noises from the 3lb 'corpse', doctors were alerted and her life was saved.
Her medical records explain her existence this way: "Saline abortion that was unsuccessful".

Melissa has met around 10 other survivors and says because of the 'failure rate' saline abortions have been ditched for more effective methods.
Chillingly, she told of meeting a man who showed her his partially crushed skull from a failed late term abortion attempt.
"For some women out there to have a choice would mean that I would never have a choice."

Melissa was adopted into a loving family and had a happy and normal childhood, unaware of the circumstances of her birth until her older sister became pregnant in grade 11.
In a bid to encourage her to choose life, Melissa's adoptive parents told their grade 11 daughter of Melissa's birth.
In the process, the teenaged Melissa found out.
"To say that it was devastating would be an understatement," she says with raw emotion and tears welling in her eyes despite the fact she has told her story many times.

In adulthood Melissa attempted to track down her biological parents.
She wrote to her birth mother's parents. "We have been waiting," her grandfather wrote back.
This was the man who marched his 19-year-old daughter to the abortion clinic saying 'you will do this'.
She has never heard from her mother.
A letter of forgiveness to her birth father was not answered. He died in January 2008 and her letter was found in the top drawer of his desk.
"When I saw his picture next to the obituary in the local newspaper, it was me staring back at me," Melissa says.
She made contact with her father's father and her grandfather is now her biggest fan, encouraging her to tell her story.
"If they (her grandparents) had ever been told about me they would have adopted me. They are grieving the loss of the choice they never got. Abortion hurts families."

Today Melissa is the proud mother of two-year-old Olivia (pictured with her).
She has just completed an Australian speaking tour organised by Life Network Australia.

• Around 90,000 abortions occur each year in Australia which is 1 for every 3 live births.
• In Victoria, the 2007 annual report of the Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity revealed that 52 of 181 late-term babies who were aborted survived and were left to die. ACL has presented this information to politicians on more than one occasion. No action has been taken - yet.
• Visit http://www.notbornyet.com/

SOURCE: Melissa Ohden @ProLife Blogs

More . . . . Gianna Jesen


There is Tolerance for Everything but Christianity . . . 

Below is a link to a video you SHOULD NOT watch unless you believe that abortion is ok.
I recently "lost" a friend on FaceBook because she said I was calling her a Baby Killer. My comments simply and clearly indicated that abortion is murder.
Looking back, I think she must have had an abortion at some time and was/is suffering greatly, using denial and rationalization to help her cope.
After looking at this video (which I keep here only so that I can find it again) I am outraged at our culture's "tolerance". The silent holocaust continues. Pray, Speak Out, and Vote to change this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MuLQuG8dYc&feature=fvw

Priestly Garb

Why do priests wear black clothes and a Roman collar? 
Allison over at YIM Catholic shares this question and the answers (both student guesses and the answer the parish catechetical leader offered).  Great post!

First, the answers that the students and parents give:
One parent suggested priests were in mourning over Christ's death. A child said maybe priests wore black clothes because don't show dirt as easily. Another thought priests were depressed. Obviously, we were all stumped.

The parish catechetical leader's answer? 
The black represents penance for humanity's sinful condition and that little white square the hope of salvation. I had never considered clerical garb in this way. I found her explanation comforting: we're all sinners on journeys, traveling with hope to our destinies.

I did a little research on clerical collars and discovered for most of the Church's history, priests did not wear special collars of any sort. At the end of the 16th Century, priests started wearing white collars, following the fashion of the day. The collar didn't start out having any special spiritual meaning. Today that collar is a signal to all that a priest is ready to administer sacraments - including Anointing of the Sick - at all times. By wearing these collars, Catholic priests offer visible symbols to the world that Christ is among us.

The Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests, prepared by the
Congregation for the Clergy and approved by Pope John Paul II on January 31, 1994, lists 23 reasons why priests should wear Roman collars.
Reason #23 includes a point all of us - lay, consecrated and religious - should take to heart.

"Your life is not your own; you belong to God in a special way,
you are sent out to serve him with your life. When we wake each
morning, we should turn our thoughts to our loving God, and ask for
the grace to serve him well that day. "

Ladies Who Lunch . . . . and People Who Don't

Given this week's readings, last week's guest priest from Africa and my own inner turmoil about what I should be DOING to help people  . . . . my lunch today with my friend, Bridget, left me reeling.

While we were eating lunch why did I bring up this week's reading? I don't remember how we got to that. We were talking about how good the Panera Bread Bakery-Cafe meal was, how her son liked his new school, how our homeschooling was going, the new Chevy she was test driving, my home business . . . . .
Suddenly we were talking about -- in essence -- John 15:12 and  Matthew 25:31-46  and James 2:8,14-17.  

I think it went kind of like this ---
I asked Bridget about her neighbor who has a wonderful blog that I peek in on now and again . . . hadn't been there in awhile (obviously). It turns out that the woman (Kristen) recently traveled to Africa and came back . . . well . . . changed. She saw her lifestyle in a new and uncomfortable light. Let me interject that this woman is a frugal lady. She has a frugal family. I would not consider her wealthy.

Read this entry in her blog, The Question I was Afraid to Ask,  and then read, Today I Went to Hell. Then come back . . . . . please.

If you have time, read all about her trip to Africa and her family's endeavor called Mercy House.

btw) Kristen and Bridget are the women who told me about Katie, a 19 year old who moved to Uganda and has adopted 14 orphans. She is in her early 20s. Here is a recent entry from her blog, Kisses from Katie. Here is the story of Grace, her 12th child. Scroll down the "Merry Christmas" message :-)

 

These are some of the random thoughts bouncing around in my head:
What we have and desire to have can separate us from God and our neighbor.
and
I think there are many saints among us and I don't see them because I am too wrapped up in my fears and "busyness" and my pride. I would not be surprised if this Katie was one of those saints.
and
Each of us in some way will be judged by the mercy we show to the poor.
and
It is easy to develop an indifference to the suffering  --- it is wrong --- it is a trap of Satan.
and
So, what do I do next?  I guess publish this post then go pray and listen (repeat) . . . . .

September 26, 2010 - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen Here!

Readings:
Amos 6:1, 4-7
Psalm 146:7-10
1 Timothy 6:11-16
Luke 16:19-31

---

A Great Chasm

The rich and powerful are visited with woe and exile in today’s Liturgy - not for their wealth but for their refusal to share it; not for their power but for their indifference to the suffering at their door.
The complacent leaders in today’s First Reading feast on fine foods and wines, reveling while the house of Joseph, the kingdom of Israel (see Amos 5:6), collapses around them.
The rich man in today’s Gospel also lives like a king - dressed in royal purple and fine linen (see 1 Maccabees 8:14).

The rich man symbolizes Israel’s failure to keep the Old Covenant, to heed the commandments of Moses and the prophets. This is the sin of the rulers in today’s First Reading. Born to the nation God favored first, they could claim Abraham as their father. But for their failure to give - their inheritance is taken away.
The rulers are exiled from their homeland. The rich man is punished with an exile far greater - eternity with a “great chasm” fixed between himself and God.

In this world, the rich and powerful make a name for themselves (see Genesis 11:4) and dine sumptuously, while the poor remain anonymous, refused an invitation to their feasts.
But notice that the Lord today knows Lazarus by name, and Joseph in his sufferings - while the leaders and the rich man have no name.

Today’s Liturgy is a call to repentance - to heed the warning of One who was raised from the dead. To lay hold of the eternal life He promises, we must pursue righteousness, keep the commandment of love, as Paul exhorts in today’s Epistle.

“The Lord loves the just,” we sing in today’s Psalm.
And in this Eucharist we have a foretaste of the love that will be ours in the next life - when He will raise the lowly to the heavenly banquet with Abraham and the prophets (see Luke 13:28), where we too will rest our heads on the bosom of our Lord (see John 13:23).

Who is the Rich Man?

Very few of us can be numbered among the rich and the powerful who have the power to exploit the poor.  So how are we to apply to our own lives the readings for the 25th and 26th Sundays in Ordinary Time (Cycle C), which are so preoccupied with questions of social justice, wealth and poverty?

These readings remind us that the law of love (see John 15:12; Romans 13:8) means that each of us in some way will be judged by the mercy we show to the poor.


As the rich man learns in the parable of Lazarus - the distance between ourselves and God in the next life may be the distance we put between ourselves and the poor in this life (see Matthew 25:31-46; James 2:8,14-17). 

But we also need to hear these readings in context of the Gospel message in recent months. Recall that among the stories we’ve heard is that of the teacher who wanted to know, “Who is my neighbor?” (see Luke 10:25-37) and of the rich fool who tried to store up earthly treasures (see Luke 12:13-21). 

We may not be “rich men” or exploiters of the poor, but each of us should take to heart the persistent message of the Liturgy - that what we have and desire to have can separate us from God and our neighbor; that our possessions can come to possess us; that true riches are to be found in sharing what we have with the poor; and that this will gain us what we truly desire - the inheritance of treasure in heaven.



Yours in Christ,



Scott Hahn, Ph.D.

Who Gives Us Our Rights?

H/T: Joseph Hebert (keep 'em coming, Joseph!)

On September 17, President Obama spoke to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute 33rd Annual Award Gala.
During his speech - reading from a teleprompter - he quoted from the Declaration of Independence.

Here is what he said: "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, endowed with certain unalienable rights, life and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In quoting this document which I have heard junior high school students successfully memorize and recite, he left out the reference to "Our Creator."

Obama earned a law degree from an Ivy League university and married an equally educated lady. It is highly unlikely that he is unaware that our nation's1st great document written by Thomas Jefferson, the main framer of the Constitution, refers to God as the source of human rights. This document implies that government is not the source of our rights, and therefore government is invalid if it neglects its duty before God to protect our rights.

This one line from the Declaration of Independence is important to the debate between those who believe that humans inherit certain basic rights as a feature of the free will and capacity for reason with which God endowed each individual versus the socialist presumption that humans are merely clever animals who come together communally to invent rights through social contract. Under the 1st model, God is source of human rights. Under the 2nd system, government giveth and government taketh away.

This was not a verbal gaff by a highly educated lawyer reading from a teleprompter before a friendly audience. It was an indication of this man's basic beliefs.

It's really important that people understand where our rights come from according to the Founding Fathers. They never claimed to "give" us any rights.
The Constitution doesn't "give" us rights any more than the TV Guide "gives" us TV shows. . . . . .

If we are tricked into believing that the government gives us our rights, then we will let the government invent new "rights" (abortion, gay marriage, lifelong welfare. . . . ) and take away other rights (bearing arms, private property, public expression of faith. . . . ).

Government is not God.

 




SOURCE:
My dear friend and FB pal - Joseph Hebert. He keeps me on my toes, that's for sure!

Why Am I Catholic?

My friend, Katerina, created this video --- I love it!
Please Kat in your prayers.  She and her husband are expecting their first baby in early October. They are living in Indiana where her husband is completing his studies for his PhD in Philosophy.

12 Tips for Praying the Family Rosary daily (Attention Catholic Dads)

SOURCE: Canterbury Tales 

Posted by Taylor Marshall 

See also: Save your Family; Pray the Rosary

The Family Rosary is one of those bedrock devotions for the family recommended by the saints and spiritual masters. The Blessed Virgin Mary herself asked all Christians to pray the "one third {i.e. 5 decades} of the Holy Rosary daily" in her message at Fatima.

The Popes have also attached a "plenary indulgence"  to those who pray 5 decades of the Rosary "as a family" (when the other usual conditions are met*). This plenary indulgence cannot be obtained by private recitation - only in the context of a "family" recitation. This stipulation demonstrates that the Catholic Church privileges praying the Rosary as a family. The reason for this is that the Rosary is the "rose garden" of sanctify for children. As the Holy Spirit teaches us: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

Saint Louis de Montfort gives us another eight more reasons for praying the Rosary daily:

1. It gradually gives us a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ.
2. It purifies our souls, washing away sin.
3. It gives us victory over all our enemies
4. It makes it easy for us to practice virtue
5. It sets us on fire with love of Our Blessed Lord
6. It enriches us with graces and merits
7. It supplies us with what is needed to pay all our debts to God and to our fellow men, and finally, it obtains all kinds of graces for us from Almighty God
8. It gives us the knowledge of Jesus Christ and the science of salvation through our meditations on His life, death, Passion and glory.

Okay, are you convinced? The family Rosary is the most powerful tool you have for edifying your family in grace.

So how do you get a bunch of children under the age of reason (or above the age of reason) to pray 5 decades of the Rosary every day? How can they sit still for 15 minutes? Is it possible?

Here are some tips on how to maintain the daily family Rosary. My wife and I have five children ages 8, 6, 6 (twins), 4, and 2. We pray five decades every night - though there are exceptions. We're not perfect, but we try.

Twelve Tips for Praying the Family Rosary Daily

1. Prayer using alternation (The father/leader prays first half of Our Father and everyone else prays second half - same goes for Hail Mary and Glory be).
2. Pray the Rosary after dinner but right before bed - this means homework needs to be finished before dinner. Homework kills the Rosary if you don't stay on top of it. You'll also need to say goodbye to watching prime time television - since this is the ideal window of praying together as a family.
3. Pray the Holy Rosary always at the same place at the exact same time. Devotions become strong - even invincible - by constant custom and habit.
4. Pray the Rosary in a special room and set up a little altar with a Bible on it, candles, a statue or image, holy water, or a relic.
5. Dim the lights and the candles when you begin. If you let the little ones light the candles - they will love it. Kids love fire. Make this a "special time" different from other times. We even burn incense on our domestic altar on feast days. (You can do this easily by placing a little metal screen over a votive candle and then by placing a few grains of incense on the screen. It's fast and easy. This way you don't have use charcoal.)
6. Maybe begin with a hymn or Bible reading to slow things down and set the tone.
7. The father sets the example. I recommend that the father kneel for the whole Rosary. This communicates importance and solemnity to the Rosary. Children attach importance to what dad does, e.g. mowing lawn, going to work, driving the "dad car," etc.
8. Make it a rule that which ever child prays all the responses and volunteers to lead a mystery (10 beads) gets to stay up 10 minutes more than everyone that night - at our house this means you get to watch baseball or have a book read to you. This may be the most important tip. Kids under 7 or 8 need this sort of incentive. If you tell a 6 year old, pray the Rosary so that you receive grace and sanctity - they don't get it. If you say, pray the Rosary so that you can stay up and read a book with me - they'll hit their knees and become like angels.
9. The one who gets to stay up also gets to blow out the candle at the end. This gives another incentive to pray the prayers - especially for the younger ones. For some reason, blowing out the candle is a really big deal to younger children. You'd be amazed how a four year old will try to stay still if he can only place a grain of incense on a flame or blow out a candle. Again, kids love fire.
10. End with invoking everyone's patron saint (your children's names, confirmation names, and other patrons). E.g. "Saint Thomas: pray for us. Saint Jude: pray for us. Saint Anne: pray for us." Always finish with St Joseph and then Holy Mary Mother of God. Then say "Sacred Heart of Jesus: have mercy on us," three times. If you're shooting for the plenary indulgence, make sure to pray an Our Father and Hail Mary for the Pope.
11. If family Rosary is new, start with one decade for a week. Then go to three for a week. Then go to five decades on the third week.

If you do this, then you'll be producing saints for the future. If you're an older reader and your children are grown up - please pray for all the younger parents so that they can persevere in this. It's not easy at first - and we newer parents need all the help we can get!

ad Jesum per Mariam,
Taylor

* The other usual conditions for receiving a plenary indulgence (full remission of temporal punishment - the kind remitted in purgatory) is to receive Holy Communion on that day, receive the sacrament of Penance within "about 20 days," prayer for the Pope, and full detachment from all sins.

Our Lady of Sorrows

Today the Church commemorates Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows. Over the centuries, many Christians have meditated upon the Seven Sorrows of Mary described in the gospels.

Her 1st Sorrow was when she and Joseph brought the 8-day old Jesus to the Temple at Jerusalem for his circumcision (Lk 2:34). Circumcision for the Jews is a sign of their covenant with God, and the spilling of baby Jesus' blood in this Temple foreshadowed the eventual death sentence he would receive there, thus sealing the New Covenant in his blood.

At the Temple, Mary was confronted by the prophet Simeon. He told her that Jesus would be the promised light to both the Israelites and the Gentiles, but that Christ would also be rejected and that Mary herself would be pierced by a sword of sorrow. This is why in Christian art, Mary's heart is shown wounded by a sword or swords.

Her 2nd Sorrow came when an angel warmed Joseph to flee to Egypt with Mary and baby Jesus (Mt 2:13). The evil King Herod wished to destroy the child, and was willing to slaughter thousands of children in order to do so. For a man who was supposed to protect the people to show such hatred for innocent human life must have broken Mary's heart. This sorrow reminds us that it is the duty of families and leaders to protect innocent human life. It also reminds us to show compassion to families who are forced to come to our land seeking safety.

Mary's 3rd Sorrow came when she and Joseph lost the 12 year old Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:43). Twenty-one years later, Mary would again lose Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem during the Feast of the Passover, where the religious leaders would once again question him, this time condemning him to die. We must use our voices to speak for anyone who is wrongly condemned to die. We must offer comfort to mothers who lose their children due to illness, crime, poverty, or war.

Mary's experienced a 4th great sorrow years later, when she followed her Son out of Jerusalem as he carried his cross to the hill of Calvary (Lk 23:26). Here Mary shows the same courage and obedience as Abraham, who was also willing to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac on a wooden altar atop a hill.

Mary's greatest sorrow, the fifth, was seeing her son die (Jn. 19:25). His hands had healed so many, even raising the dead back to life. Now his healing hands were held back by nails. The face that she once washed clean was covered in blood, the hair that she once combed now tangled in a crown of thorns. This image alone should make us feel disgust for violence and revulsion for anything that disrespects innocent life. When we see Mary weeping, this should make us want to wipe away her tears by our efforts to obey her son.

Mary's 6th Sorrow was when her son's lifeless body was taken down and given to her (Mt. 27:57). Along with the other female disciples, it was Mary's duty to clean the body and prepare it for burial. She suffered to bring him into our world, to raise him, and now he dies to pay for our sins. This should drive us to repent, to show deep respect to our mothers and to all women.

Mary's last sorrow came when she buried her son. Just as she brought him into the world in a stable that was once a cave, Jesus is now buried in a cavern carved into a rocky hill. As a baby, he was placed in a borrowed cradle. Now he lies in a borrowed tomb. As an infant, he was wrapped in blankets, and he is now buried in a simple white shroud. This last sorrow calls us to respect the dignity of each and every human life no matter how poor, no matter how that life begins or ends.

Mary's heroic strength through these sorrows prepared her heart for the joy of Christ's resurrection days later. We are called to imitate her, bravely accepting suffering, showing kindness to others who suffer. Like Mary, we can find joy and hope in knowing that Jesus has conquered suffering and death. His victory is our peace

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The pieta is any image of the Virgin Mother holding the body of her crucified Son. Like other depictions of Mary, artists through the ages have presented this theme in their own style. I have selected a wide range of Pieta images by different artists each one worthy of appreciation and prayerful contemplation. Enjoy . . .

William-Randolphe Bouguereau's Pieta
http://www.illusionsgallery.com/Pieta-L.jpg

http://www.daily-word-of-life.com/DailyWord/OL_Sorrows.jpg

Michelangelo's Pieta (unique angles)
http://mindyourmaker.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/michelangelo-7.jpg  (second graphic on post)

http://saintpetersbasilica.org/Altars/Pieta/Pieta-rightview.jpg

Michelangelo's later version
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/michelangelo-sculptures-43.jpg

El Greco's Pieta (graphic at top of post)
http://jssgallery.org/other_artists/el_greco/pieta.htm

From an ancient Eastern Icon of the Pieta
http://web.mit.edu/ocf/www/images/off_cross.gif

Modern photography and film
http://www.virginmary.nl/pieta/abramovic_marina_la%20pieta_2004.jpg

http://www.parvis.ch/stella_maris/images/la_passion_mariesang_christ.jpg

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SOURCE and Hat Tip: Joseph Hebert