Christ The Center of Your Life

Culture and Secularism

2011-09-17T14:06:00.003-04:00

It seems like alot of secularism and materialism has crept into our American society. Here is a section from the SFO monthy ongoing formation project, the Monthy Dossier August edition. The section that I am pulling out is about our service in culture and hits home on some of the problems that we face in our culture today. The Church and state would do well to work together but rather in todays culture we are seeing alot of intentional ways to leave God out of the public and the schools. Although the paraphraph is about some of the challenges to the develpment of Christian culture it can go hand in hand with secularism as well.

Culture must represent a privileged area for the presence and commitment of the Church and individual Christians. The Second Vatican Council sees the separation of Christian faith and daily life as one of the most serious erros of our day (Guadium et Spes,43). Without a metaphysical perspective, the loss of a longing for God in self-serving narcissism and the varied means found in a consumeristic lifestyle; the primacy given to technology and scientific research as ends in themselves; the emphasis placed on appearance, the quest for an image, commmunication techniques; all of these phenomena must be understood in their cultural aspects and placed in relation to the central issue of the human person, of integral human growth, of the human capacity to communicate and relate with other people, and of the constant human search for an answer to the great questions that run throughout life. It must be kept in mind that "culture is that through which man, as man becomes more man, 'is' more, has more access to 'being'" [John Paul II address to UNESCO (2Junde 1980)].

Vainglory and Pride

2010-09-24T15:59:00.005-04:00

St.Padre Pio says that vainglory is a tough sin to overcome because there is no opposite virtue that can defeat it because there is no opposite virtue for it. Vainglory can be found in the religious because it feeds on the more good works you do and how excellent you are for doing it. Simpleness and humilty may be the best response but even humility can be done with vainglory. Below is a very good link writen by St.John Climacus on vainglory, pride and more.

http://www.catholicapologetics.info/catholicteaching/vice/vainglory.htm

Balance in our lives by Thomas Stobie SFO

2010-03-02T21:52:00.003-05:00

Here is a good meditation about balancing our lives by Thomas Stobie, SFO. This writing for some is easier said than done. No matter what part of our lives whether it be work, play, or prayer is inseparable from God and God's presence. I find true that if our leisure, work, or prayer is overdone and out of balance (but especially with work and our work driven society) we start to become angry, irratable and uncharitable. Pray that we have the prudence and temperance so that we may joyfully live our lives in balance and in God's presence.

Meditation on Living our Lives in Balance

We are all called to live our lives in a balance of work, relaxation, and prayer. Our work can be to support ourselves, raise our children, take care of our physical body, learn new skills, care for our loved ones, or serve others. Our relaxation varies significantly and is necessary for our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. Whereas we are called to lived our lives constantly in prayer, it is useful to devote special times for dedicated prayer and meditation and this is good for our spiritual well-beings. Within an area, a balance is also needed, so that a particular item does not became stale or boring, and so that we can live to the fullness of our humanity, letting all aspects of ourselves grow and prosper.

We need to avoid overdoing things. About they only thing we can not overdo is loving God and our neighbor. Everything else we can overdo and spend too much on it to our and our families' harm. We must come to realize what is sufficient in our work without the endless pursuit of perfection. Striving for perfection is not a bad thing, unless we overdo the effect and end up hurting ourselves and those around us.

In loving God and in loving our neighbor, we can always love more, but at times loving our neighbor and God means taking care of ourselves, getting the rest and relaxation that we require and satisfying our spiritual needs.

In our works, we need to strive for a balance among our different works. We can find more works to do than we have time for and if we apply ourselves on one particular work doing the same thing for extended periods of time, we can find the quality of work decreasing. We to mix our works so that they allow different aspects ourselves to get involve and provide a variety (freshness) to the things we do.

Depending on our work, our needs for relaxation will vary. Balancing the different areas for relaxation helps us to restore our energies in a healthy manner, physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually.

We can overdo dedicated prayer causing us to neglect or poorly perform our works and not get enough rest to rejuvenate ourselves. We all pray on how much dedicated prayer and mediation that God wants us to perform and to follow the guidance we receive, periodically checking to see if the amount needs to be changed. One factor to consider in dedicated prayer and mediation is to prayerfully examine what benefits are you receiving from it. It is important to note that some benefits of prayer are not seen by the individual and that during periods of spiritual dryness you may not observe any benefits from prayer.

There are times in our lives where we find ourselves out of balance. Some of those times it is possible to change and regain the balance in our lives. At other times, our responsibilities and limitations might force us to live more out of balance then we would like. We need to recognize what we can affect and what cannot. Striving to change what we have no control over causes much stress and pushes us further out of balance.

The exact balance for each person will vary by person and needs to be prayed upon and explored by each person to determine what is appropriate for them.

Prayer for Balance in our Lives

O Harmonious God, who in perfect Unity of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, love us infinitely,

We thank You for all the help You have given us in living our lives in balance, those people You have put in our lives who helps us maintain our balance, and for being with us in our work, relaxation, and prayer.

We ask you to show us the proper balance in our lives and in each area of our lives, to keep us from overdoing anything, and properly care of ourselves and those for whom we are responsible.

We ask you to guide us in our work, that our work may be the best we can do without overdoing it, and reflect well on Your glory. We ask You to help us balance our works that we will find them invigorating and meaningful.

We ask you to guide us in our rest and relaxation, that our rest and relaxation may keep healthy in mind and body and that our rest and relaxation may always be oriented towards You and Your will.

We ask you to guide us in our prayer, that our prayer may satisfy our spiritual needs and be fulfilling. We ask you to help select the forms of prayer and meditation that we need when we need it and allow ourselves to change forms when we need to.

We also ask you to help those around us live in a healthy balance as well.

Amen.

The gift of counsel and the Virgin Mary

2009-12-15T23:45:00.002-05:00

I took this from St.Bonaventures writing on counsel which is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Counsel is the gift that destroys avarice and introduces mercy. I hope all have a Christ centered Christmas and and Blessed new year!

"3. The price of anyone is the glorious Virgin, and why? Because She brought forth, payed off and posseses our price for the world. A certain converso [conversus] was in the religion of the Cistercians [monachorum alborum]; he had a good will towards the glorious Virgin, every day he recited [persolvit] for Her a psalter of one hundred and fifty Ave Maria's; but he was stiff necked [durae cervicis]. On a certain day he became infirm and was carried to the abbey of the grange. On a certain night, when all were at Matins, he alone remained in the infirmary; and it seemed to him, that certain ones were carrying him into the greatest fore-court [aulam], in which he saw Christ and the Apostles and the assemblage [coetum] of the angels; and demons presented him to Christ. And he who was carrying him, said: "Thou art a just judge; that one is ours". The Blessed Virgin said: "He is Mine, because he served Me". A grave dispute broke out [facta est]. The enemy said: "Thou art a just judge, a non-acceptor of persons; I want, that you judge according to the truth". And Christ said: "Let us see whose he is". And all his defects written on the paper were place on one side of the balance, and on the other side of the balance were placed the good things, which he had done. And the side, in which his defects were, was bent down to the earth. And then the enemy said: "See, Lord, that that one is ours: I ask for justice". And then the Blessed Virgin said to Christ: "Thou art My Son; the blood, which Thou doest have, Thou hast from Me; I ask that Thou give Me one drop". And Christ said: "I cannot deny this to You". And then the Blessed Virgin placed the drop of Blood together with his merits; and immediately that side of the balance bend down to the earth. And the enemy said: "It is not good to fight with Thee". Nevertheless, because the Lord did not want to let the evil, which he had done, go unpunished; He gave the demons power over his body; and then they beat him most atrociously, so that there scarcely remained in him any member, which was not entirely beaten. And the Judge said: "It is sufficient". When the brothers returned from Matins, they found him as if dead. The abbot questioned and caused it to be inquired, who did this. No one was found, who knew anything concerning this. Afterwards he spoke and asked his abbot and confessed to him; and assumed by noble compunction, he migrated to the Lord, and that was his punishment in place of [pro] purgatory."

Luminous Rosary Meditations

2009-06-11T23:34:00.002-04:00

Today is me and my wife's 4th anniversay. I am such a blessed man to have such a wonderfull person in my life for 14 years. Yes, I have known my wife since I was 16 and stayed friends with her through the years. When I was praying the Rosary today I decided to meditate on the luminious mysteries in light of marriage. This is what I asked our Blessed Mother for while praying the five mysteries.

Wedding at Cana - I meditated on Jesus miracle at Cana and prayed to Mary that we as a married couple continue to give each other our selves and to do the little miracles of every day married life.

Jesus Baptism - I meditated Jesus baptism and our children and prayed that Mary intercede for us that we continue to raise our children devoutly in the faith.

Proclamation of the Kingdom - I meditated on Jesus proclaiming the kingdom and prayed to Mary that we as a married couple and family continue to evangelize to others by word and example.

Transfiguration - I meditated on Jesus transfiguration and that our love as a married couple last forever into eternity and heaven.

Institution of the Eucharist - I prayed to Mary that we continue to grow as a family through the Eucharist.

St.Bonaventure on Mystical Prayer

2009-05-22T00:05:00.002-04:00

This is taken from "Journey to the Mind of God," a book written by St. Bonaventure which talks much about Franciscan contemplative prayer. This section below is a good summary of contemplative prayer. The Carmelites are masters in contemplative prayer as we see in the writings of St.Teresa of Avila and St.John of the cross. The Franciscan view of contemplative prayer is love of Christ and the following of His commandments.

"Christ is both the way and the door. Christ is the staircase and the vehicle, like the throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant, and the mystery hidden from the ages. A man should turn his full attention to this throne of mercy, and should gaze at him hanging on the cross, full of faith, hope and charity, devoted, full of wonder and joy, marked by gratitude, and open to praise and jubilation. Then such a man will make with Christ a pasch, that is, a passing-over. Through the branches of the cross he will pass over the Red Sea, leaving Egypt and entering the desert. There he will taste the hidden manna, and rest with Christ in the sepulchre, as if he were dead to things outside. He will experience, as much as is possible for one who is still living, what was promised to the thief who hung beside Christ: Today you will be with me in paradise.
For this passover to be perfect, we must suspend all the operations of the mind and we must transform the peak of our affections, directing them to God alone. This is a sacred mystical experience. It cannot be comprehended by anyone unless he surrenders himself to it; nor can he surrender himself to it unless he longs for it; nor can he long for it unless the Holy Spirit, whom Christ sent into the world, should come and inflame his innermost soul. Hence the Apostle says that this mystical wisdom is revealed by the Holy Spirit.

If you ask how such things can occur, seek the answer in God’s grace, not in doctrine; in the longing of the will, not in the understanding; in the sighs of prayer, not in research; seek the bridegroom not the teacher; God and not man; darkness not daylight; and look not to the light but rather to the raging fire that carries the soul to God with intense fervour and glowing love. The fir is God, and the furnace is in Jerusalem, fired by Christ in the ardour of his loving passion. Only he understood this who said: My soul chose hanging and my bones death. Anyone who cherishes this kind of death can see God, for it is certainly true that: No man can look upon me and live.

Let us die, then, and enter into the darkness, silencing our anxieties, our passions and all the fantasies of our imagination. Let us pass over with the crucified Christ from this world to the Father, so that, when the Father has shown himself to us, we can say with Philip: It is enough. We may hear with Paul: My grace is sufficient for you; and we can rejoice with David, saying: My flesh and my heart fail me, but God is the strength of my heart and my heritage for ever. Blessed be the Lord for ever, and let all the people say: Amen. Amen!

St.Bonaventure

Words Expressing Franciscan Life

2009-04-21T23:52:00.003-04:00

I am in the orientation phase of becoming part of the Secular Franciscan Order. This orientation phase is three months followed by about 6 months of an inquiry phase and then candidacy which is 18 to 36 months. So there is atleast three years before becoming a professed member of the SFO. I have always had a great love for Francis even when I was young because I knew of his love for animanls and nature. This love for him grew as I met some of his brothers(the Franciscans) at St.Peters Church in downtown Chicago. Just to examine one of these simple brothers and how they live their lives was a great inspiration to me. Getting to know some of them was an even greater blessing. After reading a little on Francis and going to some SFO meetings I want to make a list of words that describe to me of what being a Franciscan is all about. Here is my list:

Humility
Poverty
Chastity
Brotherhood
Penance
Prayer
Service
Obedience
Contemplation
Evangelizing
Love for Creation
Catious of Study
Piety
Setting by Example
Preaching
Simple People

There are so many more. If you know of any please leave me a note below.

God's Divine Mercy

2008-10-27T22:59:00.003-05:00

God's mercy is so rich that although we make so many mistakes and sin so much God's loving hand continues to bring us back into his arms where all happiness is found. It is good to meditate on God's mercy throughout the day remembering how much he loves us, how His crucifixtion is such a great imprint on our hearts of His love for us. Sin cost God so much but God overcame sin so that his mercy may be contstantly flowing through our hearts. To remember God's mercy it is good to try to say a chaplet of divine mercy at 3pm every day in memory of St.Faustina. It only takes about 15 minutes and can be said at the depths of your heart while at work or play. When our heart is soft from the love of God then can we truly have a soft heart for ourselves and all those around us. Trusting in God's love is so important if we are to advance in holiness. Our relationship with Him is illuminated when we look at God as our loving father and surrender complete trust in Him. Glory be to God forever!

How to recite Chaplet of Divine Mercy:

http://www.praydivinemercy.com/

Spiritual Work of Mercy - Instruct the Ignorant

2008-09-17T23:03:00.002-04:00

One of the seven spiritual works of mercy is to "instruct the ignorant." A work of mercy whether it be spiritual or corporal is giving mercy to someone who does not understand or does not have the phyical needs with no fault of their own. An example would be missing mass on Sunday. For instance someone in your family may not understand that missing mass is a serious sin. God may give you the opportunity to instruct this person that missing mass is something serious and you may want to invite that person to mass with you. To instruct the ignorant is not to go and find fault and to condemn people. It is more an opportunity to correct someone with love so that they may be closer to God. Love should be the basis for everything we do. How hard it is to do things for the sake of God. We go about doing our day to day activities and we do accomplish good acts of love but for whose sake are we doing these things? Are we instructing the ignorant because we want to show them how much we know? Are we helping someone in need because we may get something out of it? We should pray for the perfect love, that is, to do good acts for the love of God alone.

John Paul II, Prayer and the Fight Against Abortion.

2008-08-25T23:53:00.005-04:00

Prayer is so very important in this fight against abortion. We can pray to the great saints that have stood up against abortion and one of the best is John Paul II who was so active in the protection of the innocent children in the womb. I pray that when he gets cannonized that God may grant him the patron saint against abortion among many other things. We can also take our prayers to Mary who is the Queen of Heaven, that she may tell her only Son so that the evil of abortion may come to an end. We can pray to St.Thomas More and St.Joan of Arc that our leaders stand up for the Gospel of Life and integrate laws that stand up for life from conception to natural death. And we can also pray that we have influence in stopping abortion by helping those that cannot help themselves such as the poor so as to educate them about their alternatives and let them know that God loves them and their children. Also, I hope and pray that the woman and men that have had abortions may be healed with God's love and hope. Below is an important sector from "The Gospel of Life," by John Paul II.

Faced with the progressive weakening in individual consciences and in society of the sense of the absolute and grave moral illicitness of the direct taking of all innocent human life, especially at its beginning and at its end, the Church's Magisterium has spoken out with increasing frequency in defence of the sacredness and inviolability of human life. The Papal Magisterium, particularly insistent in this regard, has always been seconded by that of the Bishops, with numerous and comprehensive doctrinal and pastoral documents issued either by Episcopal Conferences or by individual Bishops. The Second Vatican Council also addressed the matter forcefully, in a brief but incisive passage.

Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral. This doctrine, based upon that unwritten law which man, in the light of reason, finds in his own heart (cf. Rom 2:14-15), is reaffirmed by Sacred Scripture, transmitted by the Tradition of the Church and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium.

The deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of his life is always morally evil and can never be licit either as an end in itself or as a means to a good end. It is in fact a grave act of disobedience to the moral law, and indeed to God himself, the author and guarantor of that law; it contradicts the fundamental virtues of justice and charity. "Nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying.

Furthermore, no one is permitted to ask for this act of killing, either for himself or herself or for another person entrusted to his or her care, nor can he or she consent to it, either explicitly or implicitly. Nor can any authority legitimately recommend or permit such an action".52
As far as the right to life is concerned, every innocent human being is absolutely equal to all others. This equality is the basis of all authentic social relationships which, to be truly such, can only be founded on truth and justice, recognizing and protecting every man and woman as a person and not as an object to be used. Before the moral norm which prohibits the direct taking of the life of an innocent human being "there are no privileges or exceptions for anyone. It makes no difference whether one is the master of the world or the 'poorest of the poor' on the face of the earth. Before the demands of morality we are all absolutely equal".

A Good Balance

2008-08-09T02:21:00.003-04:00

I thought this article below was very good because it concerns allot of what modern day America deals with. There is a need to be balanced in our lives. God should occupy our time everyday such as prayer, quiet time with Him and other spiritual exercises. If we have a family we should spend a good amount time with them, wife and children. We should work an amount that does not go overboard and hurt our relationships with God and family. Also we should have time for leisure in that leisure doesn't rank in over importance but gives you what you need to relax and enjoy life. All these things need to be balanced so that your not a leisure hound and your not a workaholic. This is hard to do in a day where so many demands have to be met. I believe it is important to take the time out throughout the day to pray in silence and listen to what God is calling you to do.

This article talks about Sloth in America
http://www.cufblog.org/?p=286

People are led into error concerning abortion.

2008-07-31T12:23:00.005-04:00

Below is a section written by John Paul II in 1991 to the bishops concerning abortion and euthanasia. He talks about how easily people can be led into error concerning abortion especially when government contributes to it. How true that is today which is seventeen years after this document was written. The full article is here - http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_jp02ab.htm

"However serious and disturbing the phenomenon of the widespread destruction of so many human lives, either in the womb or in old age, no less serious and disturbing is the blunting of the moral sensitivity of people's consciences. Laws and civil ordinances not only reflect this confusion but they also contribute to it. When legislative bodies enact laws that authorize putting innocent people to death and states allow their resources and structures to be used for these crimes, individual consciences, oft en poorly formed, are all the more easily led into error. In order to break this vicious circle, it seems more urgent than ever that we should forcefully reaffirm our common teaching, based on sacred Scripture and tradition, with regard to the inviolability of innocent human life.

The centenary of the encyclical Rerum Novarum which the Church is celebrating this year suggests an analogy to which I would like to draw everyone's attention. Just as a century ago it was the working classes which were oppressed in their fundamental rights, and the Church courageously came to their defense by proclaiming the sacrosanct rights of that worker as person, so now, when another category of persons is being oppressed in the fundamental right to life, the Church feels in duty bound to speak out with the same courage on behalf of those who have no voice. Hers is always the evangelical cry in defense of the world's poor, those who are threatened and despised and whose human rights are violated.

The Church intends not only to reaffirm the right to life -- the violation of which is an offense against the human person and against God the Creator and Father, the loving source of all life -- but she also intends to devote herself ever more fully to concrete defense and promotion of this right." - John Paul II

Spirtual Pride Examination

2008-07-23T23:22:00.002-04:00

Here is something I pulled from a chat concerning spiritual pride that has given me a great deal of help along my spiritual journey. Remember pride is something you can have even when you do good things. When rooting out the seven deadly sins I'm sure all of us come up against this vicious sin of pride. I know that alot of the questions below in all the catagories I am guilty of during a day. We should try to pray to God that he help us rid of these things so we may become more united to him. Below is something I pulled from a great conversation concerning pride found here:http://forum.catholic.org/viewtopic.php?p=434967&sid=8aa8b9ed772df22b014fccf3e2b946f4

Here is the examination:

Pride is an excessive love of self. In thought, or word, or act it is a neglect of the fact that we depend on God. What we have, physically, mentally, or spiritually, we have received from God. True, we can increase the gifts of God, but even such an increase depends on Him. In other words, our talents and the use of them depend on God. Therefore, we should use God’s gift for His glory, giving Him credit; we should not take the credit for what we have or what we do.

Pride, then, places one in opposition to God, since it makes one work for one’s own glory Pride is a complete or partial forgetfulness of God.

Pride also places a false regard on the opinion of others. We have reason to desire a good reputation and we should seek to preserve it, nay, strive to make it more and more secure. But our motive should not be the good opinion of others. The good opinion of God should be our thought. How do we stand before Him? What does He think of us? What we do should be for Him?

Pride of Authority

Pride of authority, or pride of superiority, is one form of excessive self-love. It expresses itself in thought or word or deed in a domineering, over-positive way. How overbearing it can be, how haughty, what a “bully,” how “bossy,” how prone to rule things! How critical it can be. How argumentative and unreasonably argumentative it can be. There is no sweet reasonableness about it or in its methods; it is given to angry feelings, to angry thoughts, to angry speech, to angry acts.

Pride of authority is manifested by an overbearing attitude:

Have I a superior attitude in thinking, or speaking or acting?
Am I snobbish?
Have I offensive, haughty ways of acting or carrying myself?
Do I hold myself above others?
Do I demand recognition?
Do I use the word “I” so much as to make it offensive?
Do I desire to be always first?
Do I seek advice?
Am I ready to accept advice?
Am I in any sense a “bully”?
Am I inclined to be “bossy”?
Am I prone to belittle persons, or places, or things?
What have I done to correct this attitude?

Pride of authority is manifested by a critical attitude:

Am I prone to be critical of persons, places and things?
Am I uncharitable?
Do I speak ill of others?
Have I lied about others?
Do I make known the faults of others?
Am I ready to speak about the faults of others?
Do I find fault easily?
Do I seek to place the blame on others, excusing myself?
Am I jealous?
Am I envious, wishing evil to another, rejoicing at his failures?
Am I quick to see the faults of others?
Do I ridicule others?
Am I inclined to make fun of others?
Do I listen to others who speak in a fault-finding way?
Do I refuse to see the good in others?
Do I carry small dislikes or even more or less serious ones?
Is there anyone to whom I refuse to speak?
Is there anyone to whom I have not spoken for a long time?
What have I done to correct this critical attitude?

Pride of authority is manifested by an argumentative attitude:

Am I prone to argue?
Am I positive and offensive in my arguments?
Have I a superior, “a know-it-all attitude” in arguments?
Is it my notion that others are usually or always wrong?
Do I refuse to give consideration to what they state?
Am I stubborn in my own defense?
Is it hard for me to yield a point?
Do I try to see both sides of a question?
Do I argue in my own defense, even when I know I am wrong?
Do I insist on having the last word?
Do I argue with anger, with personal animus, with uncharitableness?
Do I carry grudges or ill-feeling on account of my arguments?
Have I tried to argue reasonably and without a raised tone?
What have I done to correct this argumentative attitude?

Pride of authority is manifested by an angry attitude:

Do I easily grow angry?
Have I an irritable disposition?
Do I lose my temper rather easily?
Does loss of temper make me sullen, unkind, uncharitable, critical?
Do I speak angrily?
Do I act angrily?
Do I try to control angry feelings?
Do I get angry because of opposition?
Am I so set on winning games that I get angry when losing?
Can I take part in a friendly argument without losing meekness?
Doses a spiritual correction make me angry?
Do my mistakes make me angry?
Does a correction of any kind make me angry?
Is it a particular person, or place, or thing that arouses my temper?
What have I done to correct faults or sins against meekness?

Pride of Timidity

Pride of timidity is self-love manifested by shyness, backwardness, cowardice.Pride of timidity is self-love protecting self through the hiding of weaknesses from fear of ridicule. Now it must not be thought that the quiet person is necessarily humble. A fine reserve is praiseworthy, but timidity is carrying reserve to excess.

Pride of timidity is usually the predominant fault of those who have weaknesses and who seek to hide such weaknesses from rear of ridicule.

Timidity, being a lack of confidence in self, brings irresolution.

Do I think timidly?
Do I speak timidly?
Do I act timidly?
Have I shy eyes?
Have I a shy manner?
Have I a timid disposition?
Am I easily embarrassed?
Am I self-conscious?
Do I recognize my weaknesses as they really are?
Do I exaggerate them?
Do I try to hide them?
Am I dreadfully afraid that others may see them?
Do I fear ridicule because of them?
Am I shy about doing things in public?
Am I shy about reciting, speaking, reading in public?
Am I backward about serving in public?
Do I try to get out of things?
Do I compare my talents to those of others?
Do I seek to make full use of such talent as I have?
Do I understand that God has given me what I have?
Do I try to develop them?
Do I bury my physical, mental, or spiritual talents?
Am I so afraid of mistakes as not to try at all, or weakly?
Am I open and frank to my confessor, my spiritual director?
Am I frank to my superior?
Does human respect enter into my daily life?
Do I wonder what others may say or think?
Am I afraid to be pious? Obedient? Charitable? Humble? Mortified?
Am I afraid to be studious?
Do I stay with the crowd -- be it right or wrong?
Does shyness lead me into deliberate wrong?
Am I timid about playing games for fear I may do poorly, or even lose?
If I am not first, do I try to be second, or third, etc?
Am I afraid to correct others?
Am I loyal to the Church, to principle?
Because of my timidity, do I carry grudges or ill-feeling?
What have I done to correct pride of timidity?
Do I keep my resolutions?

Pride of Sensitiveness

Pride of sensitiveness is brought about by self-love being wounded. The sensitive person is quickly hurt. In fact, it may be said, he prepares himself to be wounded. Ordinarily he imagines things, he misjudges, he misinterprets, he exaggerates he is suspicious and distrustful. His memory is prone to cling to what has happened to him in an adverse way; he remembers who and what have hurt him. He is ready to see a slight and to feel it. He plans revenge. He is unforgiving, carrying ill-feeling for short or long periods of time and in the same mood refusing to speak or speaking coldly to the one who is the object of his bitterness.

Am I sensitive?
Am I easily wounded?
Do I think that others are always trying to hurt my feelings?
Am I suspicious, distrustful?
Do I misjudge, misinterpret others?
Am I ready to accuse others of being unjust, unfair to me?
Do I accuse others of being deliberately unkind to me?
Do I imagine things?
Do I imagine that others are wilfully hurting me?
Do I allow innocent fun at my expense?
Do I laugh at my foibles? Mistakes?
Do I think that others do not like me?
Do I think that I am unwelcome in the company of others?
Am I unforgiving?
Do I carry grudges?
Do I refuse to speak to others?
Am I moody?
Do I brood about things?
Am I hard to get along with?
Am I critical, unkind, deliberately uncharitable?
Have I a true consideration for others?
Do I act towards others as I want them to act toward me?
What have I done to correct pride of sensitiveness?
Am I willing to accept advice, correction, help?

Pride of Complacency (Vanity)

Pride of complacency is commonly called pride of vanity. It is self-love demanding self-esteem or the esteem of others. One suffering from this type of pride is anxious to be well thought of in regard to things spiritual, mental, or physical, so he thinks or speaks or acts vainly. It is perhaps true that vanity in regard to mental talents, or the use of them, is more common than vanity in regard to spiritual affairs.

Am I vain in thoughts concerning spiritual affairs?
Am I vain in words in regard to spiritual affairs?
Am I vain in acts in regard to spiritual affairs?
Am I subject to vainglory?
Do I seek the esteem of others in regard to spiritual affairs?
Am I vain about my piety in public prayers?
Am I vain about my charity?
Am I vain about my mortifications of the senses, especially taste?
Am I vain about any bodily mortification?
Am I vain about my avoidance of sin and imperfections?
Have I an exalted opinion of my goodness?
Do I act piously or seek strange devotions?
Has my piety made me odd?
Does my piety give offense to others?
Do I love to speak about my goodness?
Do I compare my goodness to that of others?
Do I criticize the spiritual life of others?
Do I find fault with the way others practice virtue?
Am I prone to notice faults and to speak about them?
Do I misjudge others?
What effort have I made to be humble?
Do I realize that spiritual gifts come from God?
Do I understand that the use of spiritual gifts depends on God?

Pride of vanity is manifested thus in regard to mental affairs:

Am I vain in thoughts, words or acts concerning mental affairs?
Do I have distractions of vainglory?
Do I daydream in a heroic way?
Do I seek the esteem of others in regard to mental affairs?
Am I vain about me memory?
Am I vain about my imagination?
Am I vain about my powers of reasoning?
Am I vain about my powers of understanding?
Do I seek to show my knowledge?
Do I ask questions for the purpose of showing my ability?
Have I a conceited way of explaining things to others?
Is vanity my motive for studying?
Do I seek praise?
Do I speak about my mental ability?
Do I speak vainly about how much I study?
Am I anxious to surpass others?
Do I realize that mental ability comes from God?
Do I realize that the use of mental ability depends on God?

Pride of vanity is manifested thus in regard to external affairs:

Am I vain in conduct?
Am I vain about my looks?
Am I vain in the way I walk or speak?
Is my manner vain?
Do the very tones of my voice reveal vanity?
Am I vain about my health or strength?
Am I vain in the display of my talents?
Do I seek praise?
Do I give God credit for His gifts and for the use of them?_____________________________________________________________________

Prayer changes pride to humility. Too often it is thought that the gaining of a virtue depends on human effort alone. Grace is necessary to acquire virtue and grace comes through prayer. Surely we understand that God is willing to help us, for He wants us to be humble. Pray for humility, then, as though all depended on prayer; labour for humility, then, as though all depended on human effort alone.

Meditating on humility will help us acquire it. Pride has been punished; the examples are so many that they need not be mentioned. Moreover, pride has been condemned and humility extolled; Our Lord on different occasions praised the latter and censured the former. Humility was the virtue that stood out in the life of our Lord and the virtue that the Saints had in a marked degree.

To acquire any virtue, pray. Life is a warfare, a battle. The greatest battles have been fought, not on fields reddened with blood, but in the soul, where the battle is intensified by the powerful forces of good and evil striving for the priceless gift of God -- the human soul. The history of the soul shows records of success and failure, for souls generation after generation have been fighting battle that is constant, that death alone ends, and which is vitally important; a battle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of darkness, against the wickedness of the arch-fiend who holds at high command the very elements of daily life to wage the deadly conflict. The prayerful man can move mountains; the prayerful man can do all things. No one denies that the battle may sometimes be hard, but only the coward succumbs; and it should be remembered that any virtue can be had if we pray for it, and the harder we pray, the sooner I will come.-

excerpts from Particular Examen by James F. McElhone, C.S.C.

Psalm 22 & God's love for you!

2008-07-06T23:15:00.002-04:00

It is the 28th week of my on-line Creighton Ignation Spiritual Excercise retreat and I am at a point where we are to meditate on the Lord's passion. In this retreat we are told this week to meditate on The Stations of the Cross and also review Psalm 22 (below) which shows alot of what Jesus went through with his agony, humiliation, torture and prayer for help. I have the online retreat linked under "prayer" to the right and it is always a good idea to get a priest to guide you and to talk to during the weekly excercises. God's love for us is so great as we see in his passion and death. He also blesses us with such great priests to help us on our journey to eternal life if only we would consult in them. I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July! God Bless! Matt

"My God, my God, why have you deserted me?"

My God, my God, why have you deserted me? Why are you so far away? Won't you listen to my groans and come to my rescue? I cry out day and night, but you don't answer, and I can never rest.

Yet you are the holy God, ruling from your throne and praised by Israel. Our ancestors trusted you, and you rescued them. When they cried out for help, you saved them, and you did not let them down when they depended on you.

But I am merely a worm, far less than human, and I am hated and rejected by people everywhere. Everyone who sees me makes fun and sneers. They shake their heads, and say, "Trust the Lord! If you are his favorite, let him protect you and keep you safe."

You, Lord, brought me safely through birth, and you protected me when I was a baby at my mother's breast. From the day I was born, I have been in your care, and from the time of my birth, you have been my God.

Don't stay far off when I am in trouble with no one to help me. Enemies are all around like a herd of wild bulls. Powerful bulls from Bashan are everywhere. My enemies are like lions roaring and attacking with jaws open wide.

I have no more strength than a few drops of water. All my bones are out of joint; my heart is like melted wax. My strength has dried up like a broken clay pot. and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You, God, have left me to die in the dirt.

Brutal enemies attack me like a pack of dogs, tearing at my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones, and my enemies just stare and sneer at me. They took my clothes and gambled for them.

Don't stay far away, Lord! My strength comes from you, so hurry and help. Rescue me from enemy swords and save me from those dogs. Don't let lions eat me.

You rescued me from the horns of wild bulls, and when your people meet, I will praise you, Lord.
All who worship the Lord, now praise him! You belong to Jacob's family and to the people of Israel, so fear and honor the Lord! The Lord doesn't hate or despise the helpless in all of their troubles. When I cried out, he listened and did not turn away.

When your people meet, you will fill my heart with your praises, Lord, and everyone will see me keep my promises to you. The poor will eat and be full, and all who worship you will be thankful and live in hope.

Everyone on this earth will remember you, Lord. People all over the world will turn and worship you, because you are in control, the ruler of all nations.

All who are rich and have more than enough will bow down to you, Lord. Even those who are dying and almost in the grave will come and bow down. In the future, everyone will worship and learn about you, our Lord. People not yet born will be told, "The Lord has saved us!"

Psalm 22

A glimpse of heaven.

2008-06-10T00:54:00.002-04:00

I think the most peacefull time you can have on earth is the moments after you have recieved communion. It is like heaven on earth. Everyone in silence praying in deep love of God and neighbor all at the same time. It reminds me of what heaven will be like; everyone praying and worshiping God, giving thanks, loving. On a personal level, there you are as close as you can be to Christ after recieving him. How much our hearts are in love with Jesus and then with great joy we wish we can carry him out for all the world to see. Holy gracious Jesus I love you. I love all of your people so much. I am sorry for my sins. Please grant me the grace to be so ever close to you all the moments of my life. Thank you, Lord.

Catholic Orders

2008-04-13T20:10:00.004-04:00

Along my process of discerning what God wants me to do in this time in my life I came across a great answer. Here is a question and answer I pulled from ewtn's question and answer forum. I thought this question was answered so well. If you have anything else you would like to add or ask on this subject please write back! Matt

Franciscan, Caramelites, etc.Question from on 01-03-2003:

Are these orders "denominations" within the Catholic church. Do they have differnt teachings from each other (e.g. do Caramelites teach different Catholic doctrine than Franciscans et al.?)

Answer by David Gregson on 02-05-2003:

Religious orders are not like Protestant denominations. They don't differ on fundamentals of the Faith. Rather, they are all subject to Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, as interpreted by the Magisterium, which is the teaching authority of the Holy Father in communion with his Bishops. Franciscans and Dominicans, for example, may disagree on matters left open to opinion, but not on fundamentals.

Religious orders are bodies of Catholic men or women that were formed at different times in history not to propose some new faith, but to exemplify some particular virtue (while living the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience common to all orders). They differ in their work--some focus on education, some on evangelization, some on charitable work, some on prayer and contemplation. Each order, in its own way, works for the salvation of the world, and contributes its own particular gifts to the Church as a whole. "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one" (1 Cor 12:4-6). "For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, though many are one body in Christ..." (Rm 12:4).

Below is a great link from a section from "The Sinners Guide" by Venerable Louis of Granada, OP - http://www.catholictreasury.info/books/sinners_guide/sg48.php

We unite to Jesus

2008-03-14T06:54:00.003-05:00

Many people did not like Jesus when he was on earth and did not like his teachings. We see in John's Gospel people throw rocks at Jesus so we can see in a way that Jesus was picked on. I'm sure the opponents said things like, "I'm tired of this guy preaching this nonsense." When we look deep into our heart and find Jesus there with us and look to him and unite our lives to his we can see that we too are sometimes the ones picked on. They may say "What is this guy doing, preaching Jesus and His Church and this and that." But when we look into our heart and see Jesus there and see our life like his life we can rejoice we great assuring confidence that in Jesus the people will hopefully see that what we do has a greater outcome than anything the world can give. That outcome is Jesus in his passion, death and resurrection and hopefully in our struggles and resurrection. Then all the why's may get answered. God Bless you all this Lenten season.

A deeper examination before confession.

2008-03-01T23:00:00.004-05:00

Here is a very helpfull section from St.Francis DeSales great work "Introduction to a Devout Life." This chapter is on confession and helps to really dive into yourself and your sins and break them down so you may better rid of them. This chapter is very helpfull before confession. I hope you all have a great day! God Bless!

CHAPTER XIX. On Confession.

OUR Saviour has bequeathed the Sacrament of Penitence and Confession to His Church in order that therein we may be cleansed from all our sins, however and whenever we may have been soiled thereby. Therefore, my child, never allow your heart to abide heavy with sin, seeing that there is so sure and safe a remedy at hand. If the lioness has been in the neighbourhood of other beasts she hastens to wash away their scent, lest it should be displeasing to her lord; and so the soul which has ever so little consented to sin, ought to abhor itself and make haste to seek purification, out of respect to His Divine Gaze Who beholds it always. Why should we die a spiritual death when there is a sovereign remedy available?

Make your confession humbly and devoutly every week, and always, if you can, before communicating, even although your conscience is not burdened with mortal sin; for in confession you do not only receive absolution for your venial sins, but you also receive great strength to help you in avoiding them henceforth, clearer light to discover your failings, and abundant grace to make up whatever loss you have incurred through those faults. You exercise the graces of humility, obedience, simplicity and love, and by this one act of confession you practise more virtue than in any other.

Be sure always to entertain a hearty sorrow for the sins you confess, however small they are; as also a stedfast resolution to correct them in future. Some people go on confessing venial sins out of mere habit, and conventionally, without making any effort to correct them, thereby losing a great deal of spiritual good. Supposing that you confess having said something untrue, although without evil consequences, or some careless words, or excessive amusement;—repent, and make a firm resolution of amendment: it is a mere abuse to confess any sin whatever, be it mortal or venial, without intending to put it altogether away, that being the express object of confession.

Beware of unmeaning self-accusations, made out of a mere routine, such as, “I have not loved God as much as I ought; I have not prayed with as much devotion as I ought; I

have not loved my neighbour as I ought; I have not received the Sacraments with sufficient reverence;” and the like. Such things as these are altogether useless in setting the state of 113 your conscience before your Confessor, inasmuch as all the Saints in Paradise and all men living would say the same. But examine closely what special reason you have for accusing yourself thus, and when you have discovered it, accuse yourself simply and plainly of your fault. For instance, when confessing that you have not loved your neighbour as you ought, it may be that what you mean is, that having seen some one in great want whom you could have succoured, you have failed to do so. Well then, accuse yourself of that special omission: say, “Having come across a person in need, I did not help him as I might have done,” either through negligence, or hardness, or indifference, according as the case may be. So again, do not accuse yourself of not having prayed to God with sufficient devotion; but if you have given way to voluntary distractions, or if you have neglected the proper circumstances of devout prayer—whether place, time, or attitude—say so plainly, just as it is, and do not deal in generalities, which, so to say, blow neither hot nor cold.

Again, do not be satisfied with mentioning the bare fact of your venial sins, but accuse yourself of the motive cause which led to them. For instance, do not be content with saying that you told an untruth which injured no one; but say whether it was out of vanity, in order to 114 win praise or avoid blame, out of heedlessness, or from obstinacy. If you have exceeded in society, say whether it was from the love of talking, or gambling for the sake of money, and so on. Say whether you continued long to commit the fault in question, as the importance of a fault depends greatly upon its continuance: e.g., there is a wide difference between a passing act of vanity which is over in a quarter of an hour, and one which fills the heart for one or more days. So you must mention the fact, the motive and the duration of your faults. It is true that we are not bound to be so precise in confessing venial sins, or even, technically speaking, to confess them at all; but all who aim at purifying their souls in order to attain a really devout life, will be careful to show all their spiritual maladies, however slight, to their spiritual physician, in order to be healed.

Do not spare yourself in telling whatever is necessary to explain the nature of your fault, as, for instance, the reason why you lost your temper, or why you encouraged another in wrong-doing. Thus, some one whom I dislike says a chance word in joke, I take it ill, and put myself in a passion. If one I like had said a stronger thing I should not have taken it amiss; so in confession, I ought to say that I lost my temper with a person, not because of the words 115 spoken so much as because I disliked the speaker; and if in order to explain yourself clearly it is necessary to particularize the words, it is well to do so; because accusing one’s self thus simply one discovers not merely one’s actual sins, but one’s bad habits, inclinations and ways, and the other roots of sin, by which means one’s spiritual Father acquires a fuller knowledge of the heart he is dealing with, and knows better what remedies to apply. But you must always avoid exposing any one who has borne any part in your sin as far as possible. Keep watch over a variety of sins, which are apt to spring up and flourish, often insensibly, in the conscience, so that you may confess them and put them away; and with this view read Chapters VI., XXVII., XXVIII., XXIX., XXXV. and XXXVI. of Part III., and Chapter VII. of Part IV., attentively.

Do not lightly change your Confessor, but having chosen him, be regular in giving account of your conscience to him at the appointed seasons, telling him your faults simply and frankly, and from time to time—say every month or every two months, show him the general state of your inclinations, although there be nothing wrong in them; as, for instance, whether you are depressed and anxious, or cheerful, desirous of advancement, or money, and the like.

A great online retreat by Crieghton University

2008-02-22T00:22:00.003-05:00

I am participating in an online Ignation Spiritual Excercises retreat held by Creighton University. This retreat is so beneficial because it helps focus on growing spiritually by weekly meditations. This is a thirty four week online retreat (I'm on week 8 =)) and is good for people that cannot or do not have the time to spend at a retreat where they would have to go away for a week or more. As when dealing with the Spiritual Excersices of St.Ignatious it is always good to have an priest you can talk to throughout this online retreat even if it is once a month. If you are going to do the retreat I would look into finding a good priest especially one that deals with the Exercises. I've learned something that we cannot always take information from the internet and use it as always absolutely the truth. In my blog I always want to confirm that whatever site or writing that I post is in my intention to be in 100% unity with the Holy Roman Catholic Church. I have posted things before that have may have been posting dealing with things that have a pre-vatican II style and while they may not 100% dangerous they may not serve as the best example. I have links to EWTN and to Relevant Radio and such which I believe are good ways to evangelize all people to some of what the Catholic Church is all about. For instance, someone may be scrolling the channels and see the Rosary being said on EWTN which may spark an interest in Christ and His Church. Or possibly bring someone who is fallen away back by Grace of Our Lady, Mary and her precious rosary. Are all things on TV and on the internet in 100 %percent in complete conformity with the Church today? I would like to believe but it may not be the case so my advice is that if you find something questioning take it with a grain of salt or ask someone such as a priest in your parish the questions to answers you do not understand.

Below is the link to the Crieghton University Online Retreat -
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/cmo-retreat.html

Also if you have a chance read "Introduction to the Devout Life" by St.Francis DeSales.
God made a great servant in St.Francis and he and his inspirational words are a great token to any person looking to further their love of God. God Bless!

"Memory and Identity" by JPII

2008-02-02T01:41:00.000-05:00

In John Paul II's book Memory and Identity he shares the relationship with the Church and politics and how it has evolved in history. He talks about democracy, the relationship between Church and state, freedom and much more concerning global politics. This book is a very good one because JPII talks about the mistakes in our past political life as people but also talks about the positive things that have erupted which then we can take both the good and the bad to learn from to make a better world. In my blogs I have plenty of writings of the saints and paragraphs from books because I try to put on my blog the things that have helped me grow in faith, hope, and love and hopefully they will help you as well. If there is anything good that anyone has gotten out of this website be sure it was not of my doing but of God's. I'm not that intelligent, as you can see my own writings are rare, but I pray that somehow the Holy Spirit may get through to your heart so you may be transformed into the image of Christ and grow in fervant love for God. I pray that when I write (as St.Teresa of Avila writes in Interior Castle) that it is not me writing but the Holy Spirit who may write for me. Below are two paragraphs from Memory and Identity that are very important in todays society and need to be understood with more clarity.

P119 from Memory and Identity concerning the relationship between Church and state.

The constitution Gauium et Spes has this to say:

"The political community and the Church are autonomous and independent of each other in their own fileds. Nevertheless, both are devoted to the personal vocation of man, though under different titles. This service will redound the more effectively to the welfare of all insofar as both institutions practice better cooperation according to the local and prevailing situation. For man's horizons are not bounded only by the temporal order; living on the level of human history he preserves the intergrity of this eternal destiny."

John Paul II talks about Modern democracy and the good things that democracy brings but he also warns of the questions democracy brings as well as we can see below.

P 135 from Memory and Identity concerning modern democracy.

"From this perspective, as we enter a new century and a new millennium, we must question certain legislative choices made by the parliaments of today's democratic regimes. The most immediate example concerns abortion laws. When the parliament authorizes the termination of pregnancy, agreeing to the illimination of the unborn child, it commits a grave abuse against an innocent human being utterly unable to defend itself. Parliaments which approve and promulgate such laws must be aware that they are exceeding their proper competence andplacing themselves in open conflict with God's law and the law of nature."

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship

2008-01-16T00:45:00.000-05:00

Attached is the recent document released by our Catholic bishops named "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship:A Call to Political Responsibility from the Bishops of the United States." It is a good guide for all people (lay people, politicians, Christians and non Christians) to review because it deals with the rights and dignity of the human person. All people hope for a better world where we see the cease of violence, the compassion for those that are poor and need help, and the recognition for all people to be treated justly and most of all to be loved. You see, in everyone, in every person, there rests Jesus Christ. If we were to look at each other and see the person of Jesus we would want to show the utmost love and care for the person. If we were to look into the womb of the mother we will see Jesus and we will take care of that small child from conception to natural death. If we were to look at our enemy's we will see Jesus and we will not launch any harmful attack against that beautiful person but instead a look of love. If we were to look at the poor, those who are starving we will see Jesus and we will give a helping hand and say a prayer. If we were to look at the sick, those with AIDS and cancer and other diseases we will see Jesus and we will comfort them with Christlike love. God is in everyone and that cannot be denied, but it is up to us too see God in everyone so we cannot deny them love. Pray that God can let us see in everyone his Blessed Son and as he was pleased with Him, when our judgement comes, beg him to be pleased with us.

http://www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship/

TREATISE ON THE LOVE OF GOD - ST.FRANCIS DE SALES

2007-11-15T23:59:00.000-05:00

I pulled a chapter from the treatise On The Love of God by St.Francis de Sales who is a doctor of the Church. This treatise which I only skimmed through is a brilliant one and hopefully I will find time to read it in its entirety. The highlight of this chapter is St.Francis comments that love governs the will and to kill selflove so that it does not take over our lives. This treatise along with St.Thomas Aquinas brilliant Summa Theologica on love (and perfection) and St.John of the Cross' Dark Night of the Soul are great writings to help us increase in the love of God. It is always good to pray so that God may increase our love for him and for one another and that he may help us shine with love the light of Christ.

Book I Chapter 4

Ch 4. That love rules over all the affections, and passions, and even governs the will, although the will has also a dominion over it.

Love being the first complacency which we take in good, as we shall presently show, it of course precedes desire; and indeed what other thing do we desire, but that which we love? It precedes delectation, for how could we rejoice in the enjoyment of a thing if we loved it not? It precedes hope, for we hope only for the good which we love: it precedes hatred, for we hate not evil, except for the love we have for good: nor is evil evil but because it is contrary to good. And, Theotimus, it is the same with all the other passions and affections; for they all proceed from love, as from their source and root.

For which cause the other passions and affections, are good or bad, vicious or virtuous, according as the love whence they proceed is good or bad; for love so spreads over them her own qualities, that they seem to be no other than this same love.

S. Augustine reducing all these passions and affections to four, as did also Boetius, Cicero, Virgil, with the greatest part of the ancients:-" Love," says he, "tending to the possession of what it loves, is termed concupiscence or desire; having and possessing it it is called joy; flying that which is contrary to it, it is named fear; but if this really seizes it and it feels it, love is named grief, and consequently these passions are evil if the love be evil, good if it be good. The citizens of the heavenly city fear, desire, grieve, love, and because their love is just, all their affections are also just. Christian doctrine subjects the reason to God that he may guide and help it, and subjects all these passions to the spirit, that it may bridle and moderate them and so convert them to the service of justice and virtue. The right will is good love, the bad will is evil love;"(1) that is to say, in a word, Theotimus, love has such dominion over the will as to make it exactly such as it is itself.

The wife ordinarily changes her condition into that of her husband, becoming noble if he be noble, queen if he be king, duchess if he be duke. The will also changes her condition according to the love she espouses; if this be carnal she becomes carnal, if this be spiritual she is spiritual, and all the affections of desire, joy, hope, fear, grief, as children born of the marriage between love and the will, consequently receive their qualities from love. In short, Theotimus, the will is only moved by her affections, amongst which love, as the primum mobile and first affection, gives motion to all the rest, and causes all the other motions of the soul.

But it does not follow hence that the will does not also rule over love, seeing that the will only loves while willing to love, and that of many loves which present themselves she can apply herself to which she pleases, otherwise there would be no love either forbidden or commanded.

She is then mistress over her loves as a maiden over her suitors, amongst whom she may make election of which she pleases. But as after marriage she loses her liberty and of mistress becomes subject to her husband's power, remaining taken by him whom she took, so the will which at her own pleasure made election of love, after she has chosen one remains subject to it.

And as the wife is always subject to the husband whom she has chosen as long as he lives, and if he die regains her former liberty to marry another, so while a love lives in the will it reigns there, and the will is subject to its movements, but if this love die she can afterwards take another.

And again there is a liberty in the will which the wife has not, and it is that the will can reject her love at her pleasure, by applying her understanding to motives which make it displeasing, and by taking a resolution to change the object.

For thus, to make divine love live and reign in us, we kill selflove, and if we cannot entirely annihilate it at least we weaken it in such a way that though it lives yet it does not reign in us. As, on the contrary, in forsaking divine love we may adhere to that of creatures, which is the infamous adultery with which the Divine lover so often reproaches sinners.

ALL SAINTS DAY - Holy Day of Obligation

2007-11-01T08:43:00.000-05:00

Happy All Saints Day! Today is the day when we celebrate all of the Saints who are so important in our lives. Tomorrow is All Souls day where we celebrate all the souls that have departed and that we hope to see again someday. God Bless!

Mass Readings, taken from Jeruselam Bible, for the solemnity of ALL SAINTS. http://www.universalis.com/mass.htm

First Reading - Apocalypse 7:2 - 14

Second Reading - 1 John 3:1 - 3

Gospel - Matthew 5:1 - 12

A great reading from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

2007-10-28T23:32:00.000-05:00

2365 Fidelity expresses constancy in keeping one's given word. God is faithful. The Sacrament of Matrimony enables man and woman to enter into Christ's fidelity for his Church. Through conjugal chastity, they bear witness to this mystery before the world.

St. John Chrysostom suggests that young husbands should say to their wives: I have taken you in my arms, and I love you, and I prefer you to my life itself. For the present life is nothing, and my most ardent dream is to spend it with you in such a way that we may be assured of not being separated in the life reserved for us.... I place your love above all things, and nothing would be more bitter or painful to me than to be of a different mind than you.

Prayer to St.Alphonsus M. De Liguori

2007-10-05T02:33:00.000-04:00

O my Glorious and well-beloved patron, Saint Alphonsus, thou who didst toil and suffer so abundantly to assure to men the fruits of the Redemption, behold the miseries of my poor soul and have pity on me. By thy powerful intercession with Jesus and Mary, obtain for me true repentance for my sins together with their pardon and remission, a deep hatred of sin and strength evermore to resist all temptations. Share with me, I pray, at least a spark of that fire of love wherewith they heart did ever burn; and grant that, following thy example, I may make the will of God the only rule of my life. Obtain for me likewise a fervent and lasting love of Jesus, and a tender and childlike devotion to Mary, together with the grace to pray without ceasing and to persevere in the service of God even to the end of my life, that so I may finally be united with thee in praising God and most holy Mary through all eternity. Amen

Happy Feast Day!

2007-10-05T02:20:00.000-04:00

I know this is a day late but happy feast day for our beloved St.Francis of Assisi! The mass was outstanding today at St.Peters. Fr.Bob did a great job setting it all up - the Church was beautifull, the music/choir was outstanding - we could really feel the presence of St.Francis. God Bless You all and have a nice day1

St.Patrick - Morning Prayer

2007-09-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

I found this prayer in the great liturgy book at St.Peters Church.If possible, I will try to read it everyday especially the prayer to Christ at the bottom.

St.Patrick - Morning Pryer - It can also be called the "breastplate"prayer or "the deers cry".

I bind to myself todayThe strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:I believe the Trinity in the UnityThe Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself todayThe virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.

I bind to myself todayThe virtue of the love of seraphim,In the obedience of angels,In the hope of resurrection unto reward,In prayers of Patriarchs,In predictions of Prophets,In preaching of Apostles,In faith of Confessors,In purity of holy Virgins,In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself todayThe power of Heaven,The light of the sun,The brightness of the moon,The splendour of fire,The flashing of lightning,The swiftness of wind,The depth of sea,The stability of earth,The compactness of rocks.

I bind to myself todayGod's Power to guide me,God's Might to uphold me,God's Wisdom to teach me,God's Eye to watch over me,God's Ear to hear me,God's Word to give me speech,God's Hand to guide me,God's Way to lie before me,God's Shield to shelter me,God's Host to secure me, Against the snares of demons, Against the seductions of vices, Against the lusts of nature, Against everyone who meditates injury to me, Whether far or near, Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtuesAgainst every hostile merciless powerWhich may assail my body and my soul,Against the incantations of false prophets,Against the black laws of heathenism,Against the false laws of heresy,Against the deceits of idolatry,Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me todayAgainst every poison, against burning,Against drowning, against death-wound,That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ within me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ at my right,
Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort, [i.e., at home]
Christ in the chariot seat, [i.e., travelling by land]
Christ in the poop. [i.e., travelling by water]
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself todayThe strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,I believe the Trinity in the UnityThe Creator of the Universe.

Don't just talk about it - do it.

2007-09-04T00:41:00.000-04:00

I believe becoming a saint is not something you talk about or just something you think about but striving for holiness and sainthood is something you do. Actions speak louder than words. I John 3:18 says, "Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth."

A Little something for the soul.

2007-08-06T23:42:00.000-04:00

I would like to share with you a few passages from a great book I rented from the library. This book is called "Lessons for Living," by John Paul II. It is a short read full of great spiritual insight. Here are two of one hundred great passages from this inspiring book.

Christ the teacher -

Christ's words, His parables, and His arguments are never seperable from his life and his very being. The whole of Christ's life was a continual teaching. His silences, His miracles, His gestures, His prayer, His love for people, His special affection for the little and the poor, His acceptance for the total Sacrifice on the cross for the redemtion of the world, and his resurrection are the actualization of his Word and the fufillment of revelation. Hence for Christians the crucifix is one of the most sublime and popular images of Christ the Teacher.

Lasting Peace -

Lasting peace is marked by mutual acceptance and a capacity to forgive from the heart. We all need to be forgiven by others, so we all must be ready to forgive. Asking for and granting forgiveness is something profoundly worthy of humanity, sometimes it is the only way out of situations marked by age-old and violent hatred.

Here is a little thought from St. Therese of Lisieux -

When the enemy troubles me, I behave like a soldier. Knowing that it is cowardly to fight a duel, I turn my back upon the enemy. Then I turn to my Jesus and tell him that I am ready to shed every drop of my blood to confess that heaven really exists.

Liturgy of the Hours

2007-07-23T22:17:00.000-04:00

A great way to hear God speak is to read the Liturgy of the Hours. It is good to get away, if possible, morning, evening, and night to read the prayer of the Church. You can find this prayer online @ http://universalis.com/-800/today.htm - This you can also download for those that do not always have the internet.

Today I came across this great reading in Vespers - God Bless You!

Short reading
1 Thessalonians 3:12 - 13 ©
May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.

The Power of Prayer

2007-07-02T01:08:00.000-04:00

Below is just a little on prayer. Sometimes we can have dry moments in prayer and want to give up but we should press on, no matter what the situation God wills, for persevering in prayer is important to our sanctity and our relationship with God.

From the Catechism
2725 Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes effort. The great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle. Against whom? Against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn man away from prayer, away from union with God. We pray as we live, because we live as we pray. If we do not want to act habitually according to the Spirit of Christ, neither can we pray habitually in his name. The "spiritual battle" of the Christian's new life is inseparable from the battle of prayer.

A small piece from St.Alphonsus Ligouri - Ch. 1 On the Necessity of Prayer -

Besides, prayer is the most necessary weapon of defense against the attacks of our enemies; he that does not wield it, says St Thomas, is lost. The holy doctor did not hesitate to assert, that Adam fell, because when tempted, he did not call for aid from above. ‘He sinned, because he had not recourse to the divine assistance.’ St Gelasius made a similar assertion with regard to the fall of the rebel angels: ‘Receiving the grace of God in vain, they could not persevere, because they did not pray.’-- Epis. 5. Ad Ep. In Picaeno. Con. Pelag. St Charles Borromeo, in one of his pastoral letters (Act. Eccl. Med. Pag. 1005,) observes, that among all the means of salvation recommended by Jesus Christ in his gospel, prayer has obtained the first place. By prayer he wished the true religion to be distinguished from the religion of all false sects; for he has in a special manner, called his church the house of prayer. ‘my house shall be called the house of prayer!--Matt. 21:13. St Charles concludes this letter by saying, that to prayer ma be traced ‘the beginning, the progress, and the perfection of all virtues.’ Thus, in the darkness, miseries and dangers by which we are surrounded we can have no ground of hope but in raising our eyes to God, and imploring by humble prayer, his merciful protection. ‘But as we know not what to do, (said king Josaphat,) we can only turn our eyes to thee.’--2 Par. 20:12. Holy David not having any other means of escaping the devouring grasp of his enemies, than continually to beseech the Lord to deliver him from their snares, constantly poured forth his supplications for divine aid. ‘My eyes,’ said he ‘are ever towards the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of snare. Look thou upon me, and have mercy on me; for I am alone and poor.’--Psalm 24:15, 16. And again, ‘I cried unto thee, save me, that I may keep thy commandments.’--Psalm 118:146. As if he said, turn your eyes, O Lord, toward me; have mercy upon me and save me, for of myself I can do nothing, and except you, there is no one who can deliver me.

St.Ignatuis

2007-06-28T02:12:00.000-04:00

I want to start an at home retreat with St.Ignatuis' "Spiritual Exercises." I know there is a book where you can do the Spiritual Exercises at home although it is recommended that the best way is to go to a retreat led by a priest. Also it seems like a spiritual director, especially a Jesuit, is recommended even if your doing the retreat at home. It will be hard to get away for a weekend retreat right now so the "at home" book and spiritual director will hopefully do. Sometime in the future I will want to do an Ignatius retreat. After reading alot about the saints - St.Benedict, St.Francis, St.Augustine, St.Thomas Aquinas, St.Francis Xavier, etc. - it seems to me that out of all the saints that I have read I can relate to St.Ignatius the best. Truly I relate to them all and I love all the saints and I love to take their writings to heart and try do what they do. But after reading "My Life With The Saints," by Martin, a Jesuit, and especially his part on St.Ignatuis, I saw a little of myself in Ignatius. Now hopefully I will learn more about this great Saint and put his way of life into practice along with the other Saints. This all having the master goal which is to become closer to Christ and with Gods grace try to replicate him in this life and the life to come. God Bless!

Spiritual Exercises - Forum
http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=83905&highlight=ignatius

The Saints and St.Benedict on Humility

2007-06-13T00:49:00.000-04:00

The Saints are such and important part of our faith. To get to know these Saints we can, of course, pray to them but we can also read their writings and their prayers. I assure you that if you stop and read the story of these Saints, how they lived, and what they taught you will gain wisdom of Christ. Pray to the Saints as your friends always giving honor and love to them. If you have a family pray to a specific Saint to watch over a family member and guide them on their journey. Pray that Mary and the Saints guide our beloved priests, deacons and bishops. Remember as the Catechism states that we are always in communion with the Saints.
(1475 In the communion of saints, "a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things." In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin.)

Remember that you always have friends in high places and that no matter no matter the situation - you have the Saints and Mary who will listen to your longing prayer and pray for you. Their prayer is strong as thunder for they are close to Jesus Christ and our Eternal Father in heaven. God Bless You All!

RULE OF ST.BENEDICT
CHAPTER VII - Of Humility

Brethren, the Holy Scripture crieth to us saying: "Every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" (Lk 14:11; 18:14). Since, therefore, it saith this, it showeth us that every exaltation is a kind of pride. The Prophet declareth that he guardeth himself against this, saying: "Lord, my heart is not puffed up; nor are my eyes haughty. Neither have I walked in great matters nor in wonderful things above me" (Ps 130[131]:1). What then? "If I was not humbly minded, but exalted my soul; as a child that is weaned is towards his mother so shalt Thou reward my soul" (Ps 130[131]:2).
Hence, brethren, if we wish to reach the greatest height of humility, and speedily to arrive at that heavenly exaltation to which ascent is made in the present life by humility, then, mounting by our actions, we must erect the ladder which appeared to Jacob in his dream, by means of which angels were shown to him ascending and descending (cf Gen 28:12). Without a doubt, we understand this ascending and descending to be nothing else but that we descend by pride and ascend by humility. The erected ladder, however, is our life in the present world, which, if the heart is humble, is by the Lord lifted up to heaven. For we say that our body and our soul are the two sides of this ladder; and into these sides the divine calling hath inserted various degrees of humility or discipline which we must mount.

The first degree of humility, then, is that a man always have the fear of God before his eyes (cf Ps 35[36]:2), shunning all forgetfulness and that he be ever mindful of all that God hath commanded, that he always considereth in his mind how those who despise God will burn in hell for their sins, and that life everlasting is prepared for those who fear God. And whilst he guardeth himself evermore against sin and vices of thought, word, deed, and self-will, let him also hasten to cut off the desires of the flesh.
Let a man consider that God always seeth him from Heaven, that the eye of God beholdeth his works everywhere, and that the angels report them to Him every hour. The Prophet telleth us this when he showeth God thus ever present in our thoughts, saying: "The searcher of hearts and reins is God" (Ps 7:10). And again: "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men" (Ps 93[94]:11) And he saith: "Thou hast understood my thoughts afar off" (Ps 138[139]:3). And: "The thoughts of man shall give praise to Thee" (Ps 75[76]:11). Therefore, in order that he may always be on his guard against evil thoughts, let the humble brother always say in his heart: "Then I shall be spotless before Him, if I shall keep myself from iniquity" (Ps 17[18]:24).
We are thus forbidden to do our own will, since the Scripture saith to us: "And turn away from thy evil will" (Sir 18:30). And thus, too, we ask God in prayer that His will may be done in us (cf Mt 6:10). We are, therefore, rightly taught not to do our own will, when we guard against what Scripture saith: "There are ways that to men seem right, the end whereof plungeth into the depths of hell" (Prov 16:25). And also when we are filled with dread at what is said of the negligent: "They are corrupted and become abominable in their pleasure" (Ps 13[14]:1). But as regards desires of the flesh, let us believe that God is thus ever present to us, since the Prophet saith to the Lord: "Before Thee is all my desire" (Ps 37[38]:10).
We must, therefore, guard thus against evil desires, because death hath his station near the entrance of pleasure. Whence the Scripture commandeth, saying: "Go no after thy lusts" (Sir 18:30). If, therefore, the eyes of the Lord observe the good and the bad (cf Prov 15:3) and the Lord always looketh down from heaven on the children of men, to see whether there be anyone that understandeth or seeketh God (cf Ps 13[14]:2); and if our actions are reported to the Lord day and night by the angels who are appointed to watch over us daily, we must ever be on our guard, brethren, as the Prophet saith in the psalm, that God may at no time see us "gone aside to evil and become unprofitable" (Ps 13[14]:3), and having spared us in the present time, because He is kind and waiteth for us to be changed for the better, say to us in the future: "These things thou hast done and I was silent" (Ps 49[50]:21).

The second degree of humility is, when a man loveth not his own will, nor is pleased to fulfill his own desires but by his deeds carrieth our that word of the Lord which saith: "I came not to do My own will but the will of Him that sent Me" (Jn 6:38). It is likewise said: "Self-will hath its punishment, but necessity winneth the crown."

The third degree of humility is, that for the love of God a man subject himself to a Superior in all obedience, imitating the Lord, of whom the Apostle saith: "He became obedient unto death" (Phil 2:8).

The fourth degree of humility is, that, if hard and distasteful things are commanded, nay, even though injuries are inflicted, he accept them with patience and even temper, and not grow weary or give up, but hold out, as the Scripture saith: "He that shall persevere unto the end shall be saved" (Mt 10:22). And again: "Let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord" (Ps 26[27]:14). And showing that a faithful man ought even to bear every disagreeable thing for the Lord, it saith in the person of the suffering: "For Thy sake we suffer death all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter" (Rom 8:36; Ps 43[44]:22). And secure in the hope of the divine reward, they go on joyfully, saying: "But in all these things we overcome because of Him that hath loved us" (Rom 8:37). And likewise in another place the Scripture saith: "Thou, O God, hast proved us; Thou hast tried us by fire as silver is tried; Thou hast brought us into a net, Thou hast laid afflictions on our back" (Ps 65[66]:10-11). And to show us that we ought to be under a Superior, it continueth, saying: "Thou hast set men over our heads" (Ps 65[66]:12). And fulfilling the command of the Lord by patience also in adversities and injuries, when struck on the one cheek they turn also the other; the despoiler of their coat they give their cloak also; and when forced to go one mile they go two (cf Mt 5:39-41); with the Apostle Paul they bear with false brethren and "bless those who curse them" (2 Cor 11:26; 1 Cor 4:12).

The fifth degree of humility is, when one hideth from his Abbot none of the evil thoughts which rise in his heart or the evils committed by him in secret, but humbly confesseth them. Concerning this the Scripture exhorts us, saying: "Reveal thy way to the Lord and trust in Him" (Ps 36[37]:5). And it saith further: "Confess to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever" (Ps 105[106]:1; Ps 117[118]:1). And the Prophet likewise saith: "I have acknowledged my sin to Thee and my injustice I have not concealed. I said I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord; and Thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sins" (Ps 31[32]:5).

The sixth degree of humility is, when a monk is content with the meanest and worst of everything, and in all that is enjoined him holdeth himself as a bad and worthless workman, saying with the Prophet: "I am brought to nothing and I knew it not; I am become as a beast before Thee, and I am always with Thee" (Ps 72[73]:22-23).

The seventh degree of humility is, when, not only with his tongue he declareth, but also in his inmost soul believeth, that he is the lowest and vilest of men, humbling himself and saying with the Prophet: "But I am a worm and no man, the reproach of men and the outcast of the people" (Ps 21[22]:7). "I have been exalted and humbled and confounded" (Ps 87[88]:16). And also: "It is good for me that Thou hast humbled me, that I may learn Thy commandments" (Ps 118[119]:71,73).

The eighth degree of humility is, when a monk doeth nothing but what is sanctioned by the common rule of the monastery and the example of his elders.

The ninth degree of humility is, when a monk withholdeth his tongue from speaking, and keeping silence doth not speak until he is asked; for the Scripture showeth that "in a multitude of words there shall not want sin" (Prov 10:19); and that "a man full of tongue is not established in the earth" (Ps 139[140]:12).

The tenth degree of humility is, when a monk is not easily moved and quick for laughter, for it is written: "The fool exalteth his voice in laughter" (Sir 21:23).

The eleventh degree of humility is, that, when a monk speaketh, he speak gently and without laughter, humbly and with gravity, with few and sensible words, and that he be not loud of voice, as it is written: "The wise man is known by the fewness of his words."

The twelfth degree of humility is, when a monk is not only humble of heart, but always letteth it appear also in his whole exterior to all that see him; namely, at the Work of God, in the garden, on a journey, in the field, or wherever he may be, sitting, walking, or standing, let him always have his head bowed down, his eyes fixed on the ground, ever holding himself guilty of his sins, thinking that he is already standing before the dread judgment seat of God, and always saying to himself in his heart what the publican in the Gospel said, with his eyes fixed on the ground: "Lord, I am a sinner and not worthy to lift up mine eyes to heaven" (Lk 18:13); and again with the Prophet: "I am bowed down and humbled exceedingly" (Ps 37[38]:7-9; Ps 118[119]:107).

Having, therefore, ascended all these degrees of humility, the monk will presently arrive at that love of God, which being perfect, casteth out fear (1 Jn 4:18). In virtue of this love all things which at first he observed not without fear, he will now begin to keep without any effort, and as it were, naturally by force of habit, no longer from the fear of hell, but from the love of Christ, from the very habit of good and the pleasure in virtue. May the Lord be pleased to manifest all this by His Holy Spirit in His laborer now cleansed from vice and sin.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen

2007-06-04T00:26:00.000-04:00

Below is a writing from Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. I pulled this from http://www.archbishopsheencause.org/index.html. Please pray for Archbishop Fulton Sheen for Canonization. He was an American inspiration in the 50's with his TV show "Life is Worth Living," and has many books and works that build up the Church and the people of God. God Bless!

TREASURED THOUGHTS FROM THE WRITINGS OF ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN

God’s Choice: Freedom to do Good or Evil

“The choice before God in creating the world lay between creating a purely mechanical universe, peopled by mere automatons, or creating a spiritual universe in which there would be a choice of good and evil. What was the condition then of such a universe? He had to endow us with the power to say yes and no and to be captains of our own fate and destiny. Morality implies responsibility and duty, but these can exist only on the condition of freedom. Stones have no morals because they are not free. We do not condemn ice because it is melted by heat. Praise and blame can be bestowed only on those who are masters of their own will. It is only because you have the possibility of saying no, that there’s so much charm in your character when you say “yes.” Take the quality of freedom away from anyone and it is no more possible for him to be virtuous than it is for the blade of grass which he treads beneath his feet to be virtuous. Take freedom away from life, and there would be no more reason to honor the fortitude of martyrs than there would be to honor the flames which kindle their stakes. Is it therefore any impeachment of God that He chose not to reign over an empire of chemicals? If God has deliberately chosen a kind of empire to be ruled by freedom rather than by force, and if we find that His subjects are able to act against His will, as stars and atoms cannot, does this not prove that He has given to those human beings the chance of breaking allegiance so that there might be meaning and purpose in that allegiance when they freely choose it? Here we have a mere suggestion about the possibility of evil.”
(excerpt from “Through the Year with Fulton Sheen ”)

Reflection on the Archbishop’s words:
The Archbishop’s meditation focuses on the word, “freedom.” Freedom is the foundation for doing good and doing evil in life. Many people ask the question, “Why does God permit evil to occur in the world? Why doesn’t He stop people from doing wrong, for example, the murderer from killing someone, the thief from robbing others, the abortionist from taking the lives of unborn children?” We can answer these questions in the light of the Archbishop’s teaching by simply stating that God would have to take free will away from every human being. He could easily do this by programming each person like a computer (the Archbishop referred to such people as automatons). Then we would all be programmed to do good, and no evil would exist in the world. It’s as simple as that! But, we must remember that there will be no love in a world where there is no freedom. The reason is that the same freedom required to do something by a loving choice is the same freedom required to refuse to love anyone else but one’s self. In calling this bestowal of freedom on each human being as “God’s choice,” the Archbishop is implying that God is risking being unloved by so many in order that He may be freely and lovingly chosen by others of His own creatures whom He has endowed with reason and free will.

Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFRVice-Postulator of the Cause

St.Augustine - Faith, Hope and Love

2007-05-22T01:02:00.000-04:00

Below is two great pieces from St.Augustines Handbook on Faith, Hope and Love. You can view the whole handbook here - http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1302.htm. St. Augustine covers a multitude of topics including Monstrous Births (Chapter 87), Grace-Faith and Works, and Almsgiving. The two chapters that caught my eye and my heart are listed below. I hope they may be of great help to you on your journey to eternal life.

Chapter 118. The Four Stages of the Christian's Life, and the Four Corresponding Stages of the Church's History.

When, sunk in the darkest depths of ignorance, man lives according to the flesh undisturbed by any struggle of reason or conscience, this is his first state. Afterwards, when through the law has come the knowledge of sin, and the Spirit of God has not yet interposed His aid, man, striving to live according to the law, is thwarted in his efforts and falls into conscious sin, and so, being overcome of sin, becomes its slave ("-->for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage"-->13-1319-->); and thus the effect produced by the knowledge of the commandment is this, that sin works in man all manner of concupiscence, and he is involved in the additional guilt of willful transgression, and that is fulfilled which is written: "-->The, law entered that the offense might abound."-->13-1320--> This is man's second state. But if God has regard to him, and inspires him with faith in God's help, and the Spirit of God begins to work in him, then the mightier power of love strives against the power of the flesh; and although there is still in the man's own nature a power that fights against him (for his disease is not completely cured), yet he lives the life of the just by faith, and lives in righteousness so far as he does not yield to evil lust, but conquers it by the love of holiness. This is the third state of a man of good hope; and he who by steadfast piety advances in this course, shall attain at last to peace, that peace which, after this life is over, shall be perfected in the repose of the spirit, and finally in the resurrection of the body. Of these four different stages the first is before the law, the second is under the law, the third is under grace, and the fourth is in full and perfect peace. Thus, too, has the history of God's people been ordered according to His pleasure who disposes all things in number, and measure, and weight.13-1321--> For the church existed at first before the law; then under the law, which was given by Moses; then under grace, which was first made manifest in the coming of the Mediator. Not, indeed, that this grace was absent previously, but, in harmony with the arrangements of the time, it was veiled and hidden. For none, even of the just men of old, could find salvation apart from the faith of Christ; nor unless He had been known to them could their ministry have been used to convey prophecies concerning Him to us, some more plain, and some more obscure.

Chapter 121. Love is the End of All the Commandments, and God Himself is Love.

All the commandments of God, then, are embraced in love, of which the apostle says: "-->Now the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned."-->13-1324--> Thus the end of every commandment is charity, that is, every commandment has love for its aim. But whatever is done either through fear of 276 -->punishment or from some other carnal motive, and has not for its principle that love which the Spirit of God sheds abroad in the heart, is not done as it ought to be done, however it may appear to men. For this love embraces both the love of God and the love of our neighbor, and "-->on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets,"-->13-1325--> we may add the Gospel and the apostles. For it is from these that we hear this voice: The end of the commandment is charity, and God is love.13-1326--> Wherefore, all God's commandments, one of which is, "-->You shall not commit adultery,"-->13-1327--> and all those precepts which are not commandments but special counsels, one of which is, "-->It is good for a man not to touch a woman,"-->13-1328--> are rightly carried out only when the motive principle of action is the love of God, and the love of our neighbor in God. And this applies both to the present and the future life. We love God now by faith, then we shall love Him through sight. Now we love even our neighbor by faith; for we who are ourselves mortal know not the hearts of mortal men. But in the future life, the Lord "-->both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise of God;"-->13-1329--> for every man shall love and praise in his neighbor the virtue which, that it may not be hid, the Lord Himself shall bring to light. Moreover, lust diminishes as love grows, till the latter grows to such a height that it can grow no higher here. For "-->greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."-->13-1330--> Who then can tell how great love shall be in the future world, when there shall be no lust for it to restrain and conquer? for that will be the perfection of health when there shall be no struggle with death.

St.Ignatius - Rules for Thinking with the Church

2007-05-15T01:08:00.000-04:00

I pulled this from New Advent.com in their Church Fathers section. New Advent (http://www.newadvent.org) is an online Catholic Encyclopedia with so much great information. There you can look at the "Summa Theologica" which is a great masterpiece by St.Thomas Aquinas and many other great writings. I hope you all have a blessed day!

Rules for Thinking with the Church
Ignatius has various sets of guidelines, some of which are very, very good, viable and strong and some that need further reflection in the light of 450 years of history. Some rules for Thinking With the Church are directly aimed at Erasmus and the Reformation.
They could have "Erasmus" stamped right on them. They are very specific for a specific time in history and even a specific man. Nevertheless, it is important to bring people through the Rules for Thinking With the Church [352-370]. Directors should not skip these rules, notes, and suggestion. They are part of the retreat, as are the Rules for Eating, the Rules for the Distribution of Alms, and the Notes Concerning Scruples. Have them think out these issues in time of consolation. Have them make their theological position clear.
There is a distinction between thinking with the church and thinking with some particular churchman. In the Spanish the Rules for Thinking With the Church are really para sentir coninglesia, "to sentir with the church," is not so much to not think with the church but it is more properly to feel with the church: having a bonding, to experience a loyalty and fondness for the Church. Ignatius means have a fraternal attitude, think nicely of it like your family. The Church is your family. The church stretches through many centuries. It is more than its modern form. It is Augustine and Hillary. It is the Eastern Fathers. It is Thomas Aquinas, John of the Cross and Ignatius. It is Gertrude, Teresa, and Mary. It is not simply the local bishop.
This "thinking" contains the notion of thinking and feeling and being with the church in spirit, being attentively affectionate. Originally, the phrase is, Para haber sentidos verdaderos: "to have good feelings for the Church" It has been translated, unfortunately "thinking with the Church."
Rule [353] is the general principle that guides all of the Rules for Thinking with the Church. [352-370] It is followed by Rules 2-9 [354-361], which are guides for general, loyal Catholic life. Rules 10-12 [362-364] talk about how to relate to superiors. All of this is written in the context of what to do in the public forum while thinking with the Church. Rules 13-18 [365-370 ] address how to speak of complex truths and controversial doctrines in public. Notice the emphasis here is on the public.
[353] - 1 General Principle
2 - 9 Rules for a general, loyal Catholic life
10 - 12 Guidelines for relating to superiors in the public forum
13 - 18 How to speak of complex and controversial truths in public In rules 13 - 18 Ignatius treats of each of these complex and controversial truths which are in the following areas:
What to do about obedience [365]
What to do with predestination [366 & 367]
What to say about the interrelationship of faith and charity and good works. [368]
How to speak about religious freedom [369]
How to speak about the balance of fear and love in the spiritual life [370] We have many of those same concerns today, and we have some others. The guide to how to deal with any of those issues is found in [353] again which is the key to influencing how one thinks with the Church. In [353] Ignatius speaks about obedience to the Church. It is his expression of the deep sense of honor and loyalty he feels for the Church.
Obedience for Ignatius always has several elements to it:
It presupposes that the person is listening, really listening to the word of God. (Remember obedience comes from the Greek word, hypacuo: I really hear you) He is presupposing that the people involved are really listening to the word of God.
It presupposes that they are praying and that they are reflecting on the matters that are before them.
He is presupposing that there is an opportunity for constructive representation about the issues at hand. With those three areas in mind Ignatius says,
Be obedient - really listen to the Word of God.
Love the Church.
Be aware of the defects of the Church. Do not be blind to them.
Try to avoid hasty criticism in public.
Work in some positive manner so that these difficulties can be resolved. Remember "Thinking with the Church" is not just thinking in the sense of an intellectual activity. It is a translation of the Spanish word sentir, getting my head and my heart and my faith together. It is feeling with, a being with the Church in a stance of fond fidelity.
I am indebted to George Ganss from whom I took this outline. The following are his comments about Thinking with the Church,

What then can we say about the spirit of Ignatius' 18 Rules for Thinking with the Church? The trend of his thought is not that of giving theological or apologetic arguments to refute the allumbrados or the heretics or the doubtfully loyal Catholics of his day. Rather he is offering directives or suggestions whereby his retreatant, a lover of Christ and of the Church, will prayerfully think through for himself or herself a strategy for the days and the years ahead. That is, that with the help of God's grace, the retreatant will establish a habitual attitude by which that retreatant can guide himself or herself and others to live and work in loving loyalty to the Church, Christ's Spouse and our Mother, even amid the undesirable examples or doctrinal obscurities or errors which are sometimes stumbling blocks in the retreatant's own way.

Fr.Robbert Barron Audio Sermon - St.Pauls Message

2007-05-11T00:19:00.000-04:00

Here is a great audio sermon by Father Robert Barron about this weeks past readings. It's fifteen minutes long. You can find all of his sermons in audio at wordonfire.org. God Bless you all and have a nice day!

6th Sunday of Easter - Pauls Basic Message Part II
http://wordonfire.org/real_audio_files/331.mp3

Love & The Rule of St.Augustine - Forgiving and Pardoning

2007-05-09T01:18:00.000-04:00

I would like to focus a little on St. Augustine and his teachings. In his teachings he talks about the love for one another is love for God. Last Sundays mass readings also dealth with the topic of love. One of our great parish priests, Fr. James talked about how loving one another is not as simple as it sounds. How many times throughout the day do we not love one another even with the little things such as being patient with our spouses and children. We should ask Jesus to help us with these little things and we should ask Mary and St.Joseph, the Holy Family, to pray for us and help us become better parents, spouses and friends with all.

Here is what the Catechism says:

Jesus said to his disciples: "Love one another even as I have loved you."

2196 In response to the question about the first of the commandments, Jesus says: "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

The apostle St. Paul reminds us of this: "He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

Also, If you get a chance skim through Pope Benedicts first encyclical "God is Love." - Below
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html

The Rule of St.Augustine -
Chapter VI
Asking Pardon and Forgiving Offenses

1.Your should either avoid quarrels altogether or else put an end to them as quickly as possible; otherwise, anger may grow into hatred, making a plank out of a splinter, and turn the soul into a murderer. For so you read: Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer (1 Jn 3:15).
2. Whoever has injured another by open insult, or by abusive or even incriminating language, must remember to repair the injury as quickly as possible by an apology, and he who suffered the injury must also forgive, without further wrangling. But if they have offended one another, they must forgive one another's trespasses for the sake of your prayers which should be recited with greater sincerity each time you repeat them. Although a brother is often tempted to anger, yet prompt to ask pardon from one he admits to having offended, such a one is better than another who, though less given to anger, finds it too hard to ask forgiveness. But a brother who is never willing to ask pardon, or does not do so from his heart, has no reason to be in the monastery, even if he is not expelled. You must then avoid being too harsh in your words, and should they escape your lips, let those same lips not be ashamed to heal the wounds they have caused.
3. But whenever the good of discipline requires you to speak harshly in correcting your subjects, then, even if you think you have been unduly harsh in your language, you are not required to ask forgiveness lest, by practicing too great humility toward those who should be your subjects, the authority to rule is undermined. But you should still ask forgiveness from the Lord of all who knows with what deep affection you love even those whom you might happen to correct with undue severity. Besides, you are to love another with a spiritual rather than an earthly love.

The Trap of Lust

2007-05-03T23:46:00.000-04:00

There is a great writing about Lust by St. John Vianney below. This horrible sin is the quickest of sins to commit because it can happen with one quick look. St. Augustine says the danger is not in looking but in wanting someone to like you or starring into someones eyes with lust as you walk by them. The devil loves to devour one with lust. Lust reduces the person to a body only without a soul to match. Pornography (or porno vision as JPII would call it) is such deadly thing to look at even once because it stays in the mind for a long time. I would suggest to never look at pornography once so to keep your mind pure. Stay far from the temptation and pressure from others to watch this terrible sin. Pornography and lust can destroy the young pure mind and hurt the family. It is important for families and fathers to stay free from this evil so it may not work its corruption and addiction so the domestic church can stand strong. Christopher West states that we should offer our weakness to Christ and through Christ we may be set free. He states that by offering it to Christ that we may not "want" lust anymore. The Catechism states in 2530: the struggle against carnal lust involves purifying the heart and practicing temperance." We should take the passions of this world, the passion of lust and turn that into a passion for Christ, chastity, abstinence until marriage and all that is good and pure.

St.John Vianney on Lust

Lust is the love of the pleasures that are contrary to purity.

No sins, my children, ruin and destroy a soul so quickly as this shameful sin; it snatches us out of the hands of the good God and hurls us like a stone into an abyss of mire and corruption. Once plunged in this mire, we cannot get out, we make a deeper hole in it every day, we sink lower and lower. Then we lose the faith, we laugh at the truths of religion, we no longer see Heaven, we do not fear Hell. O my children! how much are they to be pitied who give way to this passion! How wretched they are! Their soul, which was so beautiful, which attracted the eyes of the good God, over which He leant as one leans over a perfumed rose, has become like a rotten carcass, of which the pestilential door rises even to His throne. . . .

See, my children! Jesus Christ endured patiently, among His Apostles, men who were proud, ambitious, greedy--even one who betrayed Him; but He could not bear the least stain of impurity in any of them; it is of all vices that which He has most in abhorrence: "My Spirit does not dwell in you," the Lord says, "if you are nothing but flesh and corruption. " God gives up the impure to all the wicked inclinations of his heart. He lets him wallow, like the vile swine, in the mire, and does not even let him smell its offensive exhalations. . . . The immodest man is odious to everyone, and is not aware of it. God has set the mark of ignominy on his forehead, and he is not ashamed; he has a face of brass and a heart of bronze; it is in vain you talk to him of honour, of virtue; he is full of arrogance and pride. The eternal truths, death, judgment, Paradise, Hell-nothing terrifies him, nothing can move him. So, my children, of all sins, that of impurity is the most difficult to eradicate. Other sins forge for us chains of iron, but this one makes them of bull's hide, which can be neither broken nor rent; it is a fire, a furnace, which consumes even to the most advanced old age. See those two infamous old men who attempted the purity of the chaste Susannah; they had kept the fire of their youth even till they were decrepit. When the body is worn out with debauchery, when they can no longer satisfy their passions, they supply the place of it, oh, sham! by infamous desires and memories.

With one foot in the grave, they still speak the language of passion, till their last breath; they die as they have lived, impenitent; for what penance can be done by the impure, what sacrifice can be imposed on himself at his death, who during his life has always given way to his passions? Can one at the last moment expect a good confession, a good Communion, from him who has concealed one of these shameful sins, perhaps, from his earliest youth--who has heaped sacrilege on sacrilege? Will the tongue, which has been silent up to this day, be unloosed at the last moment? No, no, my children; God has abandoned him; many sheets of lead already weigh upon him; he will add another, and it will be the last . . .

Pride by St.John Vianney

2007-04-27T00:24:00.000-04:00

Catechism on Pride by St.John Vianney

Pride is that accursed sin which drove the angels out of paradise, and hurled them into Hell. This sin began with the world. See, my children, we sin by pride in many ways. A person may be proud in his clothes, in his language, in his gestures, even in his manner of walking. Some persons, when they are in the streets, walk along proudly, and seem to say to the people they meet, "Look how tall, how upright I am, how well I walk!" Others, when they have done any good action, are never tired of talking of it; and if they fail in anything, they are miserable because they think people will have a bad opinion of them . . . others are sorry to be seen with the poor, if they meet with anybody of consequence; they are always seeking the company of the rich. . . if by chance, they are noticed by the great people of the world, they boast and are vain of it. Others take pride in speaking. If they go to see rich people, they consider what they are going to say, they study fine language; and if they make a mistake of a word, they are very much vexed, because they are afraid of being laughed at. But, my children, with a humble person it is not so. . . whether he is laughed at or esteemed, or praised, or blamed, whether he is honoured or despised, whether people pay attention to him or pass him by, it is all the same to him.

My children, there are again people who give great alms, that they may be well thought of -that will not do These people will reap no fruit from their good works. On the contrary, their alms will turn into sins. We put pride into everything like salt. We like to see that our good works are known. If our virtues are seen, we are pleased; if our faults are perceived, we are sad. I remark that in a great many people; if one says anything to them, it disturbs them, it annoys them. The saints were not like that -- they were vexed if their virtues were known, and pleased that their imperfections should be seen. A proud person thinks everything he does is well done; he wants to domineer over all those who have to do with him; he is always right, he always thinks his own opinion better than that of others. That will not do! A humble and well-taught person, if he is asked his opinion, gives it at once, and then lets others speak. Whether they are right, or whether they are wrong, he says nothing more.

When Saint Aloysius Gonzaga was a student, he never sought to excuse himself when he was reproached with anything; he said what he thought, and troubled himself no further about what others might think; if he was wrong, he was wrong; if he was right, he said to himself, "I have certainly been wrong some other time. " My children, the saints were so completely dead to themselves, that they cared very little whether others agreed with them. People in the world say, "Oh, the saints were simpletons!" Yes, they were simpletons in worldly things; but in the things of God they were very wise. They understood nothing about worldly matters, to be sure, because they thought them of so little importance, that they paid no attention to them.

St.Francis - Prayer for Peace

2007-04-23T01:07:00.000-04:00

I dedicate this prayer to the victims of Virginia Tech and all around the world where there is war and violence and hatred. I pray that we may see peace on earth in this generation and the generations to come.

St Francis of Assisi -

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where the is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St.Alphonsus Liguori - Maxims for Attaining Perfection

2007-04-16T01:48:00.000-04:00

I was listening to Fr.Larry Richards on relevantradio the other day and he was talking about wisdom. This is how he explained eternal life to the classes he taught. He would make a dot on the chalkboard and say divide this little dot by a billion, then take the original dot again and divide by a billion again. What is left of the original dot is our life here on earth. Our life is just so short compared to eternal life which is forever. He also said how such a short life is so important because in this little dot of our life will determine whether we go to heaven or hell. Each of our actions either brings us closer to God or farther away from him. This he called wisdom.

Below is an absolute great work by Alphonsus Liguori. May God Bless each and every one of you this day and forever and may the peace of Jesus Christ remain with you for eternity.

Maxims for Attaining Perfection
by Saint Alphonsus Liguori

1. To desire ardently to increase in the love of Jesus Christ.
2. Often to make acts of love towards Jesus Christ. Immediately on waking, and before going to sleep, to make an act of love, seeking always to unite your own will to the will of Jesus Christ.
3. Often to meditate on his Passion.
4. Always to ask Jesus Christ for his love.
5. To communicate often, and many times in the day to make spiritual Communions.
6. Often to visit the Most Holy Sacrament.
7. Every morning to receive from the hands of Jesus Christ himself your own cross.
8. To desire Paradise and death, in order to be able to love Jesus Christ perfectly and for all eternity.
9. Often to speak of the love of Jesus Christ.
10. To accept contradictions for the sake of Jesus Christ.
11. To rejoice in the happiness of God.
12. To do that which is most pleasing to Jesus Christ, and not to refuse him anything that is agreeable to him.
13. To desire and to endeavor that all should love Jesus Christ.
14. To pray always for sinners and for the souls in purgatory.
15. To drive from your heart every affection that does not belong to Jesus Christ.
16. Always to have recourse to the most holy Mary, that she may obtain for us the love of Jesus Christ.
17. To honor Mary in order to please Jesus Christ.
18. To seek to please Jesus Christ in all your actions,
19. To offer yourself to Jesus Christ to suffer any pain for his love.
20 To be always determined to die rather than commit a willful venial sin.
27. To suffer crosses patiently, saying, "Thus it pleases Jesus Christ."
22. To renounce your own pleasures for the love of Jesus Christ.
23. To pray as much as possible.
24. To practice all the mortifications that obedience permits.
25. To do all your spiritual exercises as if it were for the last time.
26. To persevere in good works in the time of aridity.
27. Not to do nor yet to leave undone anything through human respect.
28. Not to complain in sickness.
29. To love solitude, to be able to converse alone with Jesus Christ.
30. To drive away melancholy [i.e. gloom].
37. Often to recommend yourself to those persons who love Jesus Christ.
32. In temptation, to have recourse to Jesus crucified, and to Mary in her sorrows.
33. To trust entirely in the Passion of Jesus Christ.
34. After committing a fault, not to be discouraged, but to repent and resolve to amend.
35. To do good to those who do evil.
36. To speak well of all, and to excuse the intention when you cannot defend the action.
37. To help your neighbor as much as you can.
38. Neither to say nor to do anything that might vex him. And if you have been wanting in charity, to ask his pardon and speak kindly to him.
39. Always to speak with mildness and in a low tone.
40. To offer to Jesus Christ all the contempt and persecution that you meet with.
41. To look upon [religious] Superiors as the representatives of Jesus Christ.
42. To obey without answering and without repugnance, and not to seek your own satisfaction in anything.
43. To like the lowest employment.
44. To like the poorest things.
45. Not to speak either good or evil of yourself.
46. To humble yourself even towards inferiors.
47. Not to excuse yourself when you are reproved.
48. Not to defend yourself when found fault with.
49. To be silent when you are disquieted [i.e. upset].
50. Always to renew your determination of becoming a saint, saying, "My Jesus, I desire to be all Yours, and You must be all mine."

St. Alphonsus Liguori - Prayer to Mary

2007-04-16T01:20:00.000-04:00

Visit to the Blessed Virgin Mary

O most holy, Immaculate Virgin and my Mother Mary, to Thee who are the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the Advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners, I, who am the most miserable of all sinners, have recourse today. I venerate Thee, O great Queen, and I thank Thee for all the graces Thou hast conferred on me until now, especially for having delivered me from hell, which I have so often deserved. I love Thee, O Most amiable Lady, and because of the love I bear Thee, I promise to serve Thee always and do all in my power to make Thee loved by others. I place in Thee all my hopes; I confide my salvation to Thy care. Accept me as Thy servant, and shelter me under Thy mantle, O Mother of Mercy. And since You are so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or obtain for me the strength to triumph over them until my death.

Of Thee I ask a perfect love of Jesus Christ. From Thee I hope to die a good death. O Mary, my Mother, for the love You bear to God, I beg You to help me always, but especially at the last moment of my life. Leave me not, I beseech Thee, until Thou seest me safe in Heaven, blessing Thee and singing Thy mercies for all eternity. Amen. So I hope. So may it be.

— St. Alphonsus Liguori

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01334a.htm
http://www.catholic-forum.com/Saints/sainta09.htm

History of Holy Week

2007-03-31T02:48:00.000-04:00

I pulled this from catholic.org. May God bless you all this Holy Week and Easter!

Interview With Father Juan Flores Arcas
ROME, APRIL 10, 2006 (Zenit) - The roots of the liturgical observance of Holy Week go back to the second century. In this interview, Benedictine Father Juan Javier Flores Arcas, president of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of Rome, explains the history of Holy Week.

Q: Has Holy Week been observed as such since the beginning of Christianity?

Father Flores: The most ancient original core of Holy Week is the Easter Vigil, of which there were traces already in the second century of the Christian era. It was always a night of vigil, in remembrance and expectation of Jesus Christ's resurrection. To it was soon added the reception of the sacraments of Christian initiation: baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist, so that it became in turn the great sacramental night of the Church. Subsequently, the Easter Vigil was extended in time and transformed into the triduum of the Lord's passion, death and resurrection, which St. Augustine already mentioned as a very generalized celebration. This triduum added to the existing vigil other important moments of the celebration, specifically, the memorial of the Lord's death on Good Friday, and Holy Thursday. The latter involved no fewer than three very different Eucharistic celebrations. According to the various sources of different liturgies, a Mass was celebrated to reconcile sinners, a Chrism Mass and a Mass in the evening to commemorate the institution of the Eucharist. In the present-day liturgy, the Easter triduum begins on Holy Thursday evening with the Mass of the Lord's Supper and is united to the first day of the triduum which is, in itself, Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord. The second day is Holy Saturday of the Lord's burial, a day of silence, fasting and expectation. There is no Eucharist that day, as a sign of expectation. The Church pauses before the crucified Lord's sepulcher and awaits his resurrection. With the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night, the third day of the Easter triduum begins: Sunday of the Lord's resurrection.

Q: Why is it said that the Easter Vigil is the most important day of the year?

Father Flores: Sunday of the Resurrection is the most important day of the liturgical year. Its center is precisely the Easter Vigil, on Holy Saturday night to Sunday of the Resurrection, but it belongs integrally to Sunday. It is the most important celebration of the year, the center of the whole liturgical cycle. It is the great sacramental night of the Church. It was so for centuries and, thanks to the liturgical reform promoted by the Second Vatican Council, it is so once again. Christians renew their baptismal promises while they see new Christians being incorporated in their ranks. It is the origin of every liturgical celebration and all culminate in it. Because of this, the importance given to Holy Thursday over the last centuries has now been transferred, with the recent renewal of the liturgical books, to the Easter Vigil, also translated in the way of celebrating.

Q: Must the Chrism Mass take place on Holy Thursday, or can it vary?

Father Flores: The Chrism Mass is very ancient in the whole Church. In it, the bishop consecrates the three oils needed for the administration of the sacraments: the holy chrism, the oil of the catechumens and the oil of the sick. Liturgical sources tell us of their importance and antiquity. It acquired special importance in Rome and was full of symbols. Today, every bishop blesses and consecrates the three types of oils in his cathedral church on Holy Thursday morning -- the traditional place and moment in the Roman liturgy as early as the fifth-sixth centuries -- or another close date, according to pastoral convenience. In the liturgy that ensued after Vatican II, a significant rite was added in this Chrism Mass: the renewal of priestly promises. However, it is very important that the center of the celebration be precisely the consecration of the three oils -- which are used for the administration of the sacraments -- and not the renewal of priestly promises.

Q: How did the adoration of the cross on Good Friday arise?

Father Flores: Adoration of the cross was a peculiar rite of the Church of Jerusalem, as it had among its most precious relics the cross on which Christ was crucified. On Good Friday a very popular and deeply felt ceremony took place: adoration of the cross. Fourth-century accounts of it are very moving. St. Cyril of Jerusalem recounts them with a profusion of details. At a given moment, this rite passed to Rome that, for its part, celebrated the Lord's passion with a reading of the passion according to Saint John and the well-known solemn prayers of Good Friday. To this was then added the adoration of the cross, which has been kept until today, but it is not the most important rite of Good Friday. Liturgical action continues to be centered on the Liturgy of the Word, whose culminating moment is the reading of the passion of the Lord, the account, memorial and actualization of the redemption with which the celebration acquires all its force.

Suicide

2007-03-24T00:27:00.000-04:00

I am troubled to see the many out there that are hurt and broken to the point of hurting themselves. I pray that these people find the face of Jesus Christ who is the supreme gift giver and answer to all problems. Please know that we are made in the image of Christ so it is not only we that we hurt but Christ as well. Our bodies and our lives are not our own, nor is our family or our children. Accept everything as a gift from God and do His will. God Bless

What the Catechism Says -

Suicide

2280 Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.

2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.

2282 If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal. Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.
Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.

2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.1

Catholic Schools - St.Elizabeth Ann Seton

2007-03-21T01:22:00.000-04:00

This is a letter (below) from the American Bishops in 1972 concerning Catholic Schools. I was very grateful to be part of a Catholic high school which was monumental in shaping who I am today. The faith based classes were something never to forget and the peer ministry program along with other Catholic practices (mass, interpreting scripture, the sacraments etc.) were an integral part of the shaping of my character and those around me. I have my parents to thank for enrolling me in such a great faith based environment. We ask Elizabeth Ann Seton to pray for us for she was the first American born saint and played a big part in the formation of Catholic Schools. These were her words:

"What was the first rule of our dear Savior's life? You know if was to do his Father's will. Well, then, the first purpose of our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will. We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty."

Here is a prayer she wrote:
"Lord Jesus, Who was born for us in a stable, lived for us a life of pain and sorrow, and died for us upon a cross; say for us in the hour of death, Father, forgive, and to Your Mother, Behold your child. Say to us, This day you shall be with Me in paradise. Dear Savior, leave us not, forsake us not. We thirst for You, Fountain of Living Water. Our days pass quickly along, soon all will be consummated for us. To Your hands we commend our spirits, now and forever. Amen. "
http://www.emmitsburg.net/setonshrine/index.htm
http://www.emmitsburg.net/setonshrine/bio.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13739a.htm

American Bishops - 1972
"Education is one of the most important ways by which the Church fulfills its commitment to the dignity of the person and building of community. Community is central to education ministry, both as a necessary condition and an ardently desired goal. The educational efforts of the Church, therefore, must be directed to forming persons-in-community; for the education of the individual Christian is important not only to his solitary destiny, but also to the destinies of the many communities in which he lives.
Catholic schools afford the fullest and best opportunity to realize the threefold purpose of Christian education among children and young people. A school has a greater claim on the time and loyalty of the student and his family. It makes accessible to students participation in the liturgy and the sacraments, which are powerful forces for the development of personal sanctity and for the building of community. It provides a more favorable pedagogical and psychological environment for teaching Christian faith. Only in such a school can they experience learning and living fully integrated in the light of faith."

St.John Vianney on Frequent Communion

2007-03-14T00:25:00.000-04:00

In this time of lent I thought this would be fruitfull for you to read. If you did not know St.John Vianney is patron saint of diocesan priests. God Bless

CHAPTER 13 :Catechism on Frequent Communion

MY CHILDREN, all beings in creation require to be fed, that they may live; for this purpose God has made trees and plants grow; it is a well-served table, to which all animals come and take the food which suits each one. But the soul also must be fed. Where, then, is its food? My brethren, the food of the soul is God. Ah! what a beautiful thought! The soul can feed on nothing but God. Only God can suffice for it; only God can fill it; only God can satiate its hunger; it absolutely requires its God! There is in all houses a place where the provisions of the family are kept; it is the store-room. The church is the home of souls; it is the house belonging to us, who are Christians. Well, in this house there is a store-room. Do you see the tabernacle? If the souls of Christians were asked, "What is that?" your souls would answer, "It is the store-room. "
There is nothing so great, my children, as the Eucharist! Put all the good works in the world against one good Communion; they will be like a grain of dust beside a mountain. Make a prayer when you have the good God in your heart; the good God will not be able to refuse you anything, if you offer Him His Son, and the merits of His holy death and Passion. My children, if we understood the value of Holy Communion, we should avoid the least faults, that we might have the happiness of making it oftener. We should keep our souls always pure in the eyes of God. My children, I suppose that you have been to confession today, and you will watch over yourselves; you will be happy in the thought that tomorrow you will have the joy of receiving the good God into your heart. Neither can you offend the good God tomorrow; your soul will be all embalmed with the precious Blood of Our Lord. Oh, beautiful life!
O my children, how beautiful will a soul be in eternity that has worthily and often received the good God! The Body of Our Lord will shine through our body, His adorable Blood through our blood; our soul will be united to the Soul of Our Lord during all eternity. There it will enjoy pure and perfect happiness. My children, when the soul of a Christian who has received Our Lord enters paradise, it augments the joy of Heaven. The Angels and the Queen of Angels come to meet it, because they recognize the Son of God in that soul. Then will that soul be rewarded for the pains and sacrifices it will have endured in its life on earth. My children, we know when a soul has worthily received the Sacrament of the Eucharist, it is so drowned in love, so penetrated and changed, that it is no longer to be recognised in its words or its actions. . . . It is humble, it is gentle, it is mortified, charitable, and modest; it is at peace with everyone. It is a soul capable of the greatest sacrifices; in short, you would not know it again.
Go, then, to Communion, my children; go to Jesus with love and confidence; go and live upon Him, in order to live for Him! Do not say that you have too much to do. Has not the Divine Saviour said, "Come to Me, all you that labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you"? Can you resist an invitation so full of love and tenderness? Do not say that you are not worthy of it. It is true, you are not worthy of it; but you are in need of it. If Our Lord had regarded our worthiness, He would never have instituted His beautiful Sacrament of love: for no one in the world is worthy of it, neither the saints, nor the angels, nor the archangels, nor the Blessed Virgin; but He had in view our needs, and we are all in need of it. Do not say that you are sinners, that you are too miserable, and for that reason you do not dare to approach it. I would as soon hear you say that you are very ill, and therefore you will not take any remedy, nor send for the physician.
All the prayers of the Mass are a preparation for Communion; and all the life of a Christian ought to be a preparation for that great action. We ought to labor to deserve to receive Our Lord every day. How humbled we ought to feel when we see others going to the holy table, and we remain motionless in our place! How happy is a guardian angel who leads a beautiful soul to the holy table! In the primitive Church they communicated every day. When Christians had grown cold, they substituted blessed bread for the Body of Our Lord; this is both a consolation and a humiliation. It is indeed blessed bread; but it is not the Body and Blood of Our Lord!
There are some who make a spiritual communion every day with blessed bread. If we are deprived of Sacramental Communion, let us replace it, as far as we can, by spiritual communion, which we can make every moment; for we ought to have always a burning desire to receive the good God. Communion is to the soul like blowing a fire that is beginning to go out, but that has still plenty of hot embers; we blow, and the fire burns again. After the reception of the Sacraments, when we feel ourselves slacken in the love of God, let us have recourse at once to spiritual communion. When we cannot come to church, let us turn towards the tabernacle: a wall cannot separate us from the good God; let us say five Patres and five Aves to make a spiritual communion. We can receive the good God only once a day; a soul on fire with love supplies for this by the desire to receive Him every moment. O man, how great thou art! fed with the Body and Blood of a God! Oh, how sweet a life is this life of union with the good God! It is Heaven upon earth; there are no more troubles, no more crosses! When you have the happiness of having received the good God, you feel a joy, a sweetness in your heart for some moments. Pure souls feel it always, and in this union consists their strength and their happiness

The fight for life continues.

2007-02-27T00:30:00.000-05:00

This is an important time in the fight against the ruthless attacks against life. We must make sure we put on the armor of Christ and teach in kindness when defending life unless we become like the ignorant and act with anger which will get no resolve. There is a growing epidemic not only at the abortion clinics but also at the hospitals where the horror of euthenasia is permissible and recommended. God gives us life and only God may take it from us for life is a gift even when we are at our weakest. Look at Jesus. Beaten, scourged, battered and bruised he took on the sufferings of the world so that we may follow him and not look down on suffering but look at suffering as a way to bring us closer to Him. As Pope Benedict has said, death does not have the final word. The lenten season is a time we prepare ourselves for Easter where heaven is the great feast, as the Catechism states, (1024) "Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness."

Another epidemic is the use of aborted fetal cell lines used in vaccinations. It is sad not only to see the poor children hurt in their mothers womb but also manipulated for ones profit.

The fight against life must start within ones self. If we take a look at ourself, at our gift of existance we will see that we were once concieved, we now breathe, and we will age not by any act of our own but by the Grace of the Living God. If the "culture of death" were to take its toll directly on us we would not have been in existance - then, now, or in the future. I hope and pray that abortion may end in this country and that we may set the example for other countries to end this breakdown of life. God Bless.
St.Clare, Pray for us.
St.Anthony, Pray for us.
St.Francis, Pray for us.
St.Catherine of Sweden, Pray for us.

Here is part of an mass e-mail sent t me by Father Frank Pavone .

"Risk"

An 11-year old girl who is a supporter of Priests for Life sent me the following email very recently: "My mother and I are taking a bus and will be coming to the March for Life. My teacher said that I will receive zeroes on any work that I miss and it can't be made up. I told her missing a day at school in order to stand up for life is more important and I'm willing to suffer the consequences."That’s what the pro-life movement needs most – people who say, “I’m willing to suffer the consequences.” The children living and growing in the womb right now endure a great risk without having chosen it. They live in a place that has become more dangerous than any battlefield or terrorist target, and their lives hang in the balance at every moment. They did not choose this risk; someone else chose it for them.We who defend these children have to choose to accept a share in that risk. That is solidarity. We bear willingly the risk that they bear unwillingly. Many ask what they need to do to stop abortion. But most know the answer already. They see the next step they can take, but are just trying to muster up the courage to do it. Risk is involved, and there’s no way around it. We’re afraid to speak and to act. Perhaps it’s because our pastor is not supportive, or we might get in trouble at our job; perhaps it’s because family and friends may not like our pro-life stance, or because it may lose business or votes; perhaps we fear it will impact our health. We make a continuous calculus in our minds and hearts, and often end up in paralyzed inaction.We are always told of reasons why we can’t speak up against abortion. If we speak in Church, we’re told it’s too political; if we speak in the political arena, we’re told it’s too religious. If we speak in the media we’re told it’s too disturbing; in the educational realm, it’s too disruptive. On the public streets, it’s too distressing for children; in the business world it’s too controversial, in the family it’s too divisive, and in social settings it’s just impolite. So if abortion is wrong, where do we go to say so?The answer is that we have to stop looking for a risk-free place to fight abortion, and speak up in all those arenas! There is a calculus in the heavens that says, “Greater love than this nobody has, than to lay down his life for his friends.” If we want to protect the unborn, then let’s be willing to give our lives for them. Let’s stop counting the cost for ourselves if we speak up and start counting the cost for them if we are silent. The pro-life movement does not need a lot of people; it needs people who are willing to take a lot of risk.
This column an be found online at www.priestsforlife.org/columns/columns2007/07-02-26risk.htm
Comments on this column? Email us at mail@priestsforlife.org, Priests for Life, PO Box 141172, Staten Island, NY 10314; Tel: 888-PFL-3448, 718-980-4400; Fax: 718-980-6515; web: www.priestsforlife.org

Fetal Cell Lines - http://www.cogforlife.org/

St.Pius X - Priestly Sanctity from Haerent Animo

2007-02-16T02:03:00.000-05:00

This is one of four parts that St.Pius X wrote to the Catholic Clergy on Priestly Sanctity in 1908. This writing is not only good for priests to read but is good for everyone else as well as we all strive for holiness. God Bless

I. The Obligation of Priestly Sanctity
Therefore, beloved sons, we will begin this exhortation by stimulating you to that sanctity of life which the dignity of your office demands.
Anyone who exercises the priestly ministry exercises it not for himself alone, but for others. For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in the things that pertain to God.(10) Christ himself taught that lesson when he compared the priest to salt and to light, in order to show the nature of the priestly ministry. The priest then is the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Everyone knows that he fulfills this function chiefly by the teaching of christian truth; and who can be unaware that this ministry of teaching is practically useless if the priest fails to confirm by the example of his life the truths which he teaches? Those who hear him might say, insultingly it is true, but not without justification: They profess that they know God but in their works they deny him;(11) they will refuse to accept his teaching and will derive no benefit from the light of the priest.
Christ himself, the model of priests, taught first by the example of his deeds and then by his words: Jesus began to do and then to teach.(12)
Likewise, a priest who neglects his own sanctification can never be the salt of the earth; what is corrupt and contaminated is utterly incapable of preserving from corruption; where sanctity is lacking, there corruption will inevitably find its way. Hence Christ, continuing this comparison, calls such priests salt that has lost its savor, which is good for nothing any more, but to be cast out and to be trodden on by men.(13)
These truths are all the more evident inasmuch as we exercise the priestly ministry not in our own name, but in the name of Jesus Christ. The Apostle said: Let man so consider us as the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries of God;(14) for Christ, therefore, we are ambassadors.(15) This is the reason that Christ has numbered us not among his servants but as his friends. I will not now call you servants; . . . but I have called you friends, because all things whatsoever I have heard from my Father I have made known to you; . . . I have chosen you and appointed you that you should go and bring forth fruit.(16)
We have, therefore, to take the place of Christ: the mission which he has given to us we must fulfill with that same purpose that he intended. True friendship consists in unity of mind and will, identity of likes and dislikes; therefore, as friends of Jesus Christ, we are bound to have that mind in us which was in Jesus Christ who is holy, innocent, undefiled.(17) As his envoys, we must win the minds of men for his doctrine and his law by first observing them ourselves; sharing as we do in his power to deliver souls from the bondage of sin, we must strive by every means to avoid becoming entangled in these toils of sin.
But it is particularly as the ministers of Jesus Christ in the great sacrifice which is constantly renewed with abiding power for the salvation of the world, that we have the duty of conforming our minds to that spirit in which he offered himself as an unspotted victim to God on the altar of the Cross. In the Old Law, though victims were only shadowy figures and symbols, sanctity of a high degree was demanded of the priest; what then of us, now that the victim is Christ himself? "How pure should not he be who shares in this sacrifice! More resplendent than the sun must be the hand that divides this Flesh, the mouth that is filled with spiritual fire, the tongue that is reddened by this Blood!"(18)
Saint Charles Borromeo gave apt expression to this thought when, in his discourses to the clergy, he declared: "If we would only bear in mind, dearly beloved brethren, the exalted character of the things that the Lord God has placed in our hands, what unbounded influence would not this have in impelling us to lead lives worthy of ecclesiastics! Has not the Lord placed everything in my hand, when he put there his only-begotten Son, coeternal and coequal with himself? In my hand he has placed all his treasures, his sacraments, his graces; he has placed there souls, than whom nothing can be dearer to him; in his love he has preferred them to himself, and redeemed them by his Blood; he has placed heaven in my hand, and it is in my power to open and close it to others . . . How, then, can I be so ungrateful for such condescension and love as to sin against him, to offend his honor, to pollute this body which is his? How can I come to defile this high dignity, this life consecrated to his service?"
It is well to speak at greater length on this holiness of life, which is the object of the unfailing solicitude of the Church. This is the purpose for which seminaries have been founded; within their walls young men who hope to be priests are trained in letters and other branches of learning, but even more important is the training in piety which they also receive there from their tender years. And then, when the Church gradually and at long intervals promotes candidates to Orders, like a watchful parent she never fails to exhort them to sanctity.
It is a source of joy to recall her words on these occasions.
When we were first enrolled in the army of the Church, she sought from us the formal declaration: The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: it is thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me.(19) St. Jerome tells us that with these words "the cleric is reminded that one who is the portion of the Lord, or who has the Lord as his portion, must show himself to be such a one as possesses the Lord and is possessed by him."(20)
How solemnly the Church addresses those who are about to be promoted sub-deacons! "You must consider repeatedly and with all attention the office which of your own volition you seek to-day . . . if you receive this Order, you cannot afterwards revoke your decision, you must remain always in the service of God and, with his help, observe chastity." And finally: "If up to now you have been negligent in relation to the Church, henceforth you must be diligent; if hitherto you have been somnolent, henceforth you must be vigilant . . . if up to now your life has been unseemly, henceforth you must be chaste; . . . Consider the ministry which is entrusted to you!" For those who are about to be raised to the diaconate, the Church prays to God through the mouth of the bishop: "May they have in abundance the pattern of every virtue, authority that is unassuming, constancy in chastity, the purity of innocence, and the observance of spiritual discipline. May thy commands shine forth through their conduct, and may the people find a saintly model in their exemplary chastity."
The admonition addressed to those who are about to be ordained priests is even more moving: "It is with great fear that one must approach this high dignity, and care must be taken that those chosen for it are recommended by heavenly wisdom, blameless life and sustained observance of justice . . . Let the fragrance of your life be a joy to the Church of Christ, so that by your preaching and example you may build up the house, that is, the family of God." Above all the Church stresses the solemn words: Imitate that which you handle, an injunction which fully agrees with the command of St. Paul: That we may present every man perfect in Jesus Christ.(21)
Since this is the mind of the Church on the life of a priest, one cannot be surprised at the complete unanimity of the Fathers and Doctors on this matter; it might indeed be thought that they are guilty of exaggeration, but a careful examination will lead to the conclusion that they taught nothing that was not entirely true and correct. Their teaching can be summarized thus: there should be as much difference between the priest and any other upright man as there is between heaven and earth; consequently, the priest must see to it that his life is free not merely from grave faults but even from the slightest faults.(22) The Council of Trent made the teaching of these venerable men its own when it warned clerics to avoid" even venial faults which in their case would be very grave."(23) These faults are grave, not in themselves, but in relation to the one who commits them; for to him, even more than to the sacred edifice, are applicable the words: Holiness becometh thy house.(23)a

http://www.saint-mike.org/Library/Papal_Library/PiusX/Apostolic_Exhortation/Haerent_Animo.html#I.%20The%20Obligation%20of%20Priestly%20Sanctity

John Paull II on Sports

2007-01-14T02:24:00.000-05:00

Here is a homily given by John Paul II on sports that I pulled from the Vatican's website. This was given in October of 2000 and is titled "Jubilee of Sports People." The holmily stresses how sports can bring poeple together and how sports is related to every Christian.

1. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it!" (1 Cor 9: 24).

In Corinth, where Paul had brought the message of the Gospel, there was a very important stadium where the "Isthmian Games" were held. It was appropriate, then, for Paul to refer to athletic contests in order to spur the Christians of that city to push themselves to the utmost in the "race" of life. In the stadium races, he says, everyone runs, even if only one is the winner: you too run.... With this metaphor of healthy athletic competition, he highlights the value of life, comparing it to a race not only for an earthly, passing goal, but for an eternal one. A race in which not just one person, but everyone can be a winner.

Today we are listening to these words of the Apostle as we gather in Rome's Olympic Stadium, which once again is transformed into a great open-air church, as it was for the international Jubilee for the world of sport in 1984, the Holy Year of the Redemption. Then, as today, it is Christ, the only Redeemer of man, who welcomes us and illumines our way with his word of salvation. I offer a warm greeting to all of you, dear athletes and sportsmen and women from every corner of the world, who are celebrating your Jubilee! My heartfelt "thanks" to the international and Italian authorities of sport institutions, and to everyone who helped to organize this extraordinary meeting with the world of sport and its various dimensions.
I thank Mr Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee, Mr Giovanni Petrucci, President of the Italian National Olympic Committee, and Mr Giovanni Rossi, a gold-medal winner at Sydney and Atlanta, for their addresses to me, expressing the sentiments of you all, dear athletes. As I look at all of you gathered in such orderly fashion in this stadium, many memories of sporting experiences in my life come to mind. Dear friends, thank you for your presence and thank you especially for the enthusiastic way you are observing this Jubilee event.

2. With this celebration the world of sport is joining in a great chorus, as it were, to express through prayer, song, play and movement a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. It is a fitting occasion to give thanks to God for the gift of sport, in which the human person exercises his body, intellect and will, recognizing these abilities as so many gifts of his Creator.
Playing sports has become very important today, since it can encourage young people to develop important values such as loyalty, perseverance, friendship, sharing and solidarity. Precisely for this reason, in recent years it has continued to grow even more as one of the characteristic phenomena of the modern era, almost a "sign of the times" capable of interpreting humanity's new needs and new expectations. Sports have spread to every corner of the world, transcending differences between cultures and nations.

Because of the global dimensions this activity has assumed, those involved in sports throughout the world have a great responsibility. They are called to make sports an opportunity for meeting and dialogue, over and above every barrier of language, race or culture. Sports, in fact, can make an effective contribution to peaceful understanding between peoples and to establishing the new civilization of love.

3. The Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 invites each and every person to engage seriously in reflection and conversion. Can the world of sport excuse itself from this providential spiritual dynamism? No! On the contrary, the importance of sports today invites those who participate in them to take this opportunity for an examination of conscience. It is important to identify and promote the many positive aspects of sport, but it is only right also to recognize the various transgressions to which it can succumb.

The educational and spiritual potential of sport must make believers and people of good will united and determined in challenging every distorted aspect that can intrude, recognizing it as a phenomenon opposed to the full development of the individual and to his enjoyment of life. Every care must be taken to protect the human body from any attack on its integrity, from any exploitation and from any idolatry. There must be a willingness to ask forgiveness for whatever has been done, or not done, in the world of sport that is in contrast to the commitments made at the last Jubilee. They will be reaffirmed in the "Sport Manifesto", which will be presented in a few moments. May this examination offer everyone - managers, technicians and athletes - an opportunity to find new creative and motivating zeal, so that sport, without losing its true nature, can answer the needs of our time: sport that protects the weak and excludes no one, that frees young people from the snares of apathy and indifference, and arouses a healthy sense of competition in them; sport that is a factor of emancipation for poorer countries and helps to eradicate intolerance and build a more fraternal and united world; sport which contributes to the love of life, teaches sacrifice, respect and responsibility, leading to the full development of every human person.

4. "Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing" (Ps 125: 5). The responsorial psalm reminded us that persevering effort is needed to succeed in life. Anyone who plays sports knows this very well: it is only at the cost of strenuous training that significant results are achieved. The athlete, therefore, agrees with the Psalmist when he says that the effort spent in sowing finds its reward in the joy of the harvest: "Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves" (Ps 125: 6).

At the recent Olympic Games in Sydney we admired the feats of the great athletes, who sacrificed themselves for years, day after day, to achieve those results. This is the logic of sport, especially Olympic sports; it is also the logic of life: without sacrifices, important results are not obtained, or even genuine satisfaction.

Once again the Apostle Paul has reminded us of this: "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable" (1 Cor 9: 25). Every Christian is called to become a strong athlete of Christ, that is, a faithful and courageous witness to his Gospel. But to succeed in this, he must persevere in prayer, be trained in virtue and follow the divine Master in everything.

He, in fact, is God's true athlete: Christ is the "more powerful" Man (cf. Mk 1: 7), who for our sake confronted and defeated the "opponent", Satan, by the power of the Holy Spirit, thus inaugurating the kingdom of God. He teaches us that, to enter into glory, we must undergo suffering (cf. Lk 24: 26,46); he has gone before us on this path, so that we might follow in his footsteps. May the Great Jubilee help us to be strengthened and fortified to face the challenges that await us at this dawn of the third millennium.

5. "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Mk 10: 47).
These are the words of the blind man of Jericho in the Gospel episode proclaimed a few moments ago. They can also become our words: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!".
O Christ, we fix our gaze on you, who offer every person the fullness of life. Lord, you heal and strengthen those who, trusting in you, accept your will.
Today, during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, athletes throughout the world are gathered here in spirit, above all to renew their faith in you, man's only Saviour.
And those, like the athlete, who are at the peak of their strength recognize that without you, O Christ, they are inwardly like the blind man, incapable, that is, of seeing the full truth, of understanding the deep meaning of life, especially when faced with the darkness of evil and death.

Even the greatest champion finds himself defenceless before the fundamental questions of life and needs your light to overcome the demanding challenges that a human being is called to face.
Lord Jesus Christ, help these athletes to be your friends and witnesses to your love. Help them to put the same effort into personal asceticism that they do into sports; help them to achieve a harmonious and cohesive unity of body and soul.
May they be sound models to imitate for all who admire them. Help them always to be athletes of the spirit, to win your inestimable prize: an imperishable crown that lasts forever. Amen!

Litany of St.Clare

2006-12-28T00:48:00.000-05:00

Litany of St. Clare

Lord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy

Lord, have mercy

Christ, hear us;

Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven; have mercy on us!

God, the son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us!

God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us!

Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us!

Holy Mary, Queen of Virgins, R:..pray for us

St. Clare chosen of Christ...R..

St. Clare, lover of chastity...R

St. Clare, vessel of holiness...R

St. Clare, prayerful daughter of St. Francis...R

St. Clare, morning light...R

St. Clare, Mother and Foundress of thePoor Clares…R
St. Clare, humble follower of Christ…R

St. Clare, faithful imitator of St. Francis…R

St. Clare, humble servant of the servants of Christ…R

St. Clare, brilliant light of holiness…R

St. Clare, wonderful helper in need...R

St. Clare, full of joy…R

St. Clare, poor with the poor…R

St. Clare rich in merit and grace…R

St. Clare, loving spouse of the Crucified…R

St. Clare, seraphic adorer of the Blessed Sacrament…R

St. Clare, mighty protector of Assisi…R

St. Clare, mirror of patience in suffering…R

St. Clare, comforter of the ill and infirm…R

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world....have mercy on us

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world....graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world.....have mercy on us

Pray for us , St. Clare....that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY

O God, who inspired St. Clare of Assisi to shine her light on the Gospel and live a life of uncompromising fidelity, grant that through her merits and intercession, we may walk in the path of righteousness in this life so as to enjoy the life that will never end. We ask this through Christ our Lord....AMEN

The Poor Clares

2006-12-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love the Franciscan order and the Poor Clares. This was pulled from EWTN's website.

(POOR LADIES, SISTERS OF ST. CLARE)
The Second Order of St. Francis. The subject will be treated here under the following heads:
I. Beginnings at San Damiano;
II. Rule of Ugolino;
III. Definitive Rule of St. Clare;
IV Spread of the Order;
V. Colettine Reform;
VI. In England and America;
VII. Mode of Life;
VIII. Saints and Blessed of the Order;
IX. Present Status.

I. In the great Franciscan movement of the thirteenth century an important part was played by this order of religious women, which had its beginning in the convent of San Damiano, Assisi. When St. Clare (q. v.) in 1212, following the advice of St. Francis (q. v.), withdrew to San Damiano, she was soon surrounded by a number of ladies attracted by the holiness of her life. Among the first to join her were several immediate relatives, including her sister Agnes, her mother, aunt, and niece. Thus was formed the nucleus of the new order. Here St. Clare became the counsellor of St. Francis and after his death remained the supreme exponent of the Franciscan ideal of poverty. "This ideal was the exaltation of the beggar's estate into a condition of spiritual liberty, wherein man would live in conscious dependence upon the providence of God and the good will of his fellowmen" (Cuthbert, "The Life and Legend of the Lady St. Clare", p. 4). At the outset St. Clare received from St. Francis a "formula vitæ" for the growing community. This was not a formal rule, but simply a direction to practise the counsels of the Gospel (Seraphicæ legislationis textus originales, p. 62). "Vivere secundum perfectionem sancti Evangelii" was the keynote of St. Francis's message. On behalf of the sisters, St. Clare petitioned Innocent III for the "privilege" of absolute poverty, not merely for the individual members but for the community as a whole. Highly pleased with the unusual request he granted it, says the saint's biographer, with his own hand "cum hilaritate magna" ("Röm. Quartalschrift", 1902, p. 97; see, however, Robinson, "Life of St. Clare", note 114);

II. In 1217 an event occurred which proved to be of first importance in the development of the new community. In that year Ugolino, Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia, was sent to Tuscany as Apostolic delegate; he formed a warm attachment for St. Francis, and soon became the confidant and adviser of the seraphic doctor in all things relating to the second Order ("Analecta Franciscana", III, p. 686). Concerning the manner of life of the religious who gathered in various places imitating the example of the community at San Damiano we have only the account given by Jacques de Vitry in 1216 and the letters of Ugolino to Honorius III in 1218. The former speaks of women who dwell in hospices in community life and support themselves by their own labour. Ugolino writes that many women have renounced the world and desired to establish monasteries where they would live in total poverty with no possessions except their houses. For this purpose estates were often donated, but the administration of these presented difficulties. The pope decided that Ugolino should accept these estates in the name of the Church and that the houses established thereon should be immediately subject to the pope. About 1219 Ugolino drew up a rule for these groups of women, taking the Rule of St. Benedict as a ground work, with severe regulations having, however, no distinctively Franciscan element in them. His first foundation was the monastery of Monticello near Florence (1219). This rule was soon adopted by the monasteries at Perugia, Siena, Gattajola, and elsewhere. There is no evidence that it was ever accepted at San Damiano. It is noteworthy that it does not raise the question of the ownership of property by the various monasteries. This was a point on which St. Francis and Ugolino did not agree. The subsequent modifications which this rule underwent at the hands of Innocent IV in 1247, and of Urban IV in 1263, resulted in the triumph of Ugolino's view, while St. Francis's ideal of utter poverty found expression in a definitive rule, the confirmation of which St. Clare secured in 1253. The opening words of Ugolino's Rule, "Regulam beatissimi Benedicti vobis tradimus observandam", have been taken to indicate that the Poor Clares were an offshoot of the Benedictines. This conclusion, however, is unwarranted. The Lateran Council, a few years earlier, had decreed that new orders should adopt a rule already approved. The new order was not bound to the observance of the older rule, except in regard to the three customary vows. This was Ugolino's intention in drawing up the rule, and it is confirmed by a letter of Innocent IV to Agnes of Bohemia, in which he explains the meaning of the words in question (Sbarales, I, p. 315).
After the death of St. Francis (1226) and the elevation of Ugolino to the papal chair as Gregory IX (1227), certain changes were introduced in the practical direction of conventual life. The pope offered to bestow possessions on the convent of San Damiano over which St. Clare presided. She firmly refused the offer and petitioned to be permitted to continue in the spirit of St. Francis. In response to this request, Gregory granted her (17 September, 1228) the "privilege of most high poverty", namely," ut recipere possessiones a nullo compelli possitis". The convents of Perugia and Florence followed the example of San Damiano. Other convents, however, gladly availed themselves of the possessions which the pope offered them, "propter eventus temporum et pericula sæculorum". Thus were laid the foundation of the two observances which obtain among the daughters of St. Clare. The plea of Agnes of Bohemia for a new rule was rejected by Gregory IX in 1238, and again by Innocent IV in 1243. In 1247 Innocent IV, to secure unity of observance and peace of conscience for the sisters, modified the original rule in two points. In place of the reference to the Rule of St. Benedict he inserted a reference to the Rule of St. Francis, which, in the meantime, had been approved, and he embodied in the rule regulations covering certain changes already introduced in various convents by his predecessor or by himself. Thus, the direction of the communities of the order was placed in the hands of the general and provincial of the Franciscans. The sisters were directed to recite the Divine Office according to the custom of the Friars Minor. The regulations concerning silence and abstinence were modified. The length of novitiate was fixed at one year. The most notable change is to be found in the express permission granted to every convent to hold possessions, for the administration of which a prudent procurator was to be secured by each house. In the year 1263 the original rule underwent a final modification at the hands of Urban IV. On 18 October of that year the sovereign pontiff issued the rule which is in the most general observance among the Poor Clares and which has given the name "Urbanist" to a large division of the order. It is noteworthy that in Urban's Rule the new community received for the first time the official title of "Order of St. Clare". In a few particulars the new regulations were less severe than in the rule of 1247. For instance, the abbess was empowered to dispense with the obligation of silence during certain hours of the day at her good pleasure. The sections of the rule are arranged in a new order and are divided into twenty-six chapters. For the most part the very words of the previous rule are employed. One important change must be noted. Innocent IV had left the Second Order in charge of the general and provincial of the Friars Minor. Urban IV withdrew from these officials practically all their authority over the Second Order and bestowed it on the cardinal protector.

III. Meanwhile, St. Clare had secured from innocent IV the confirmation of a new rule differing widely from the original rule drawn up by Ugolino, and modified by his successors on the papal throne. For forty years she had been the living rule from which the community at San Damiano had imbibed the spirit of St. Francis. A few days before her death she placed the convent under a rule which embodied that spirit more perfectly than did Ugolino's Rule. The Bull "Solet annuere", 9 August, 1253, confirming St. Clare's Rule, was directed to the Sisters of San Damiano alone. The new rule was soon adopted by other convents and forms the basis of the second grand division of the Poor Clares. It is an adaptation of the Franciscan Rule to the needs of the Second Order. Its twelve chapters correspond substantially to those of the Franciscan Rule, and in large sections there is a verbal agreement between the two rules. In a few instances it borrows regulations from the original rule and from the modified form of that rule published by Innocent IV. The most important characteristic of St. Clare's Rule is its express declaration that the sisters are to possess no property, either as individuals or as a community. In this regulation the new rule clearly breathes the spirit of the seraphic founder. It is improbable, however, that St. Francis was the author of it or that it was approved by Gregory IX, as is sometimes asserted. With the data obtainable no categorical answer can be given to the question of authorship, though the compiler may well have been St. Clare herself (Lemmens in "Röm. Quartalschr.", I, page 118). The original Bull of Innocent IV confirming the Rule of St. Clare was discovered in 1893 in a mantle of the saint which had been preserved, among other relics, at the monastery of St. Clare at Assisi (Robinson, "Inventarium documentorum", 1908).

IV. While the rule was undergoing these various modifications, the order was rapidly spreading throughout Europe. At San Damiano, St. Clare's sister, Agnes, and her aunt, Buona Guelfuccio (in religion Sister Pacifica), played a large part in its early development. In 1318 permission was obtained from the Bishop of Perugia for the establishment of a monastery in that city. The following year Agnes founded at Florence a community which became the centre of numerous new foundations, namely, those at Venice, Mantua, and Padua. Monasteries of the order were soon to be found at Todi, Volterra, Foligno, and Beziers. St. Clare's niece, Agnes, introduced the new order into Spain. The cities of Barcelona and Burgos became thriving communities. The first foundation in Belgium was effected at Bruges by Sister Ermentrude, who, after the death of St. Clare, displayed great zeal in spreading the order through Belgium and northern France. The earliest community in France, however, was planted at Reims in 1229 at the request of the archbishop of that see. The monasteries at Montpelier, Cahors, Bordeaux, Metz, and Besançon sprang from the house at Reims; and that of Marseilles was founded from Assisi in 1254. The Royal Abbey at Longchamp, which enjoyed the patronage of Bl. Isabel, daughter of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile, is usually though with some question counted as a branch of the Poor Clares. (See article ISABEL OF FRANCE.) Among the earliest foundations in Germany was that of Strasburg, where Innocent IV's revision of the rule was accepted in 1255. In Bohemia the order had an illustrious patroness, Princess Agnes (Blessed Agnes of Prague), a cousin of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Agnes was but one of the ladies of high rank who, attracted to the new order, put aside the vanities of their social position to embrace a life of poverty and seclusion from the world.

V. For a century after the death of St. Clare comparatively few of the convents had adopted the Rule of 1253. Most of them had availed themselves of the permission to hold property in the name of the community. Moreover, in the fourteenth century the order suffered very much during the Great Western Schism, which was responsible for the general decline of discipline (Manuale Historiæ Ordinis Fratrum Minorum, p. 586). At the beginning of the fifteenth century, however, the spirit of utter poverty was revived through the instrumentality of St. Colette (died 1447) who instituted the most vigorous reform the Second Order has ever experienced. Her desire to restore or introduce the practice of absolute poverty was put on a fair way to realization when, in 1406, Benedict XIII appointed her reformer of the whole order and gave her the office of Abbess General over all convents she should establish or reform. In 1412 St. Colette established a monastery at Besançon. Before her death (1447) she had founded 17 new monasteries, to which, in addition to the Rule of St. Clare, she gave constitutions and regulations of her own. These Constitutions of St. Colette were confirmed by Pius II (Seraphicæ Legislationis Textus Originales, 99-175). After the death of St. Colette her reform continued to spread and by the end of the fifteenth century reformed convents were to be found throughout France, Flanders, Brabant, Savoy, Spain, and Portugal. The number of sisters at that time exceeded 35,000 and they were everywhere commended by the austerity of their lives (Pidoux, "Sainte Colette", p.158). From the year 1517 the spiritual direction of the Poor Clares, the Colettines not excepted, was given to the Observants. This was a return to the condition existing before the year 1263, at which time the Friars Minor, under the leadership of St. Bonaventure, at the General Chapter of Pisa sought to resign the spiritual care of the Second Order (Archivum Franciscanum Historicum, October, 1910, 664-79). The first quarter of the sixteenth century witnessed a widespread revival of the Urbanist Rule. Towards the end of the same century, though the religious wars had destroyed many monasteries, there were about six hundred houses in existence. Subsequently the order experienced a rapid growth and the external development of the Poor Clares appears to have reached its culmination about 1630 in 925 monasteries with 34,000 sisters under the direction of the minister general. If we can credit contemporary chroniclers, there were still more sisters under the direction of the bishops, making the entire number about 70,000. After the opening years of the eighteenth century the order declined and the French Revolution and the subsequent policy of secularization almost totally destroyed it, except in Spain, where the monasteries were undisturbed.

VI. In 1807 a Poor Clare community of the Urbanist Observance, fleeing from the terrors of the French Revolution, took refuge in England and founded a monastery at Scorton Hall in Yorkshire. They were the first of their order to establish themselves in that country since the religious changes of the sixteenth century. Fifty years after their arrival they removed to their present home, the Monastery of St. Clare at Darlington, also in Yorkshire. Refugees from the French Revolution likewise found their way to America. In 1801 a community, presided over by Abbess Marie de La Marche, purchased property in Georgetown, D. C., and opened a school for their support. Their efforts met with little success and they returned to Europe. The suppression of the religious in Italy was the occasion of the first permanent settlement of the Poor Clares in the United States. In August, 1875, two sisters by blood as well as in religion, Maria Maddelena, and Maria Costanza Bentivoglio, from the celebrated Monastery of San Lorenzo-in-Panisperma, came to America by direction of Pius IX in response to a petition presented by Mother Ignatius Hayes of the Third Order Regulars of St. Francis. After vainly seeking to found convents in New York, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia, they went to New Orleans but soon removed to Cleveland, Ohio, where they were joined by a community of German Poor Clares to whom they relinquished the convent. The new German community remained in Cleveland and have since founded another convent in Chicago; they follow the reform of St. Colette. Meanwhile the Italian sisters found a permanent home in Omaha, thanks to the munificence of Mr. John Creighton. On 14 July, 1882, the canonical enclosure was established in the new monastery. From the monastery of St.Clare in Omaha have sprung directly, or indirectly, the foundations of the order at New Orleans; Evansville, Ind.; Boston; and Bordentown, N. J.

VII. The daily life of the Poor Clares is occupied with both work and prayer. It is a life of penance and contemplation. The rule says that the sisters shall fast at all times except on the Feast of the Nativity. The constitutions explain that meat may not be used even on Christmas. The "great silence" is from Compline until after the conventual Mass. During the day there is one hour of recreation except on Friday. Meals are taken in silence. The Divine Office is recited, not sung. The Franciscan breviary is used. The habit is a loose fitting garment of gray frieze; the cord is of linen rope about one-half inch in thickness having four knots representing the four vows; the sandals are of cloth.

VIII. Among the saints of the order may be mentioned: the founder, Clare of Assisi (died 1253); Agnes of Assisi (died 1253); Collette of Corbie (died 1447); Catharine of Bologna (died 1463); Veronica Giuliani (died 1727). Holzapfel enumerates seventeen Blessed of the order (Manuale, 638), of whom the following are the more important: Agnes of Bohemia (died 1280); Isabel of France (died 1270); Margaret Colonna (died 1284); Cunegundis of Hungary (died 1292); Antonia of Florence (died 1472).

IX. According to the census of the Poor Clares, taken in October, 1909, the following is the present status of the order: Italy, Houses 108, Members 1816; Sardinia, H. 3, M. 40; Corsica, H. 1, M. 24; Palestine, H. 2, M. 54; Tyrol, H. 1, M. 50; Dalmatia, H. 1, M. 15; Prussia, H. 4, M. 126; Bavaria, H. 3, M. 100; Holland, H. 4, M. 112; Belgium, H. 39, M. 870; Ireland, H. 9, M. 178; England, H. 11, M. 129; France, H. 31, M. 760; Spain, H. 247, M. 5543; Portugal, H. 3, M. 40 (now dispersed); Peru, H. 1, M. 34; Columbia, H. 5, M. 136; Ecuador, H. 5, M. 155; Bolivia, H. 2, M. 36; Argentina, H. 1, M. 36; Brazil, H. 2, M. 3(?); Mexico, H. 14, M. 204; Canada, H. 1, M. 20; United States, H. 7, M. 125; total H. 505, M. 10,586.

St.Clare's First Letter to Blessed Agnus of Prague

2006-11-30T03:22:00.000-05:00

I know I havent been able to write alot of my own thoughts lately but hopefully you enjoy the posts anyway. God Bless!

The First Letter to Blessed Agnes of Prague

To the esteemed and most holy virgin, the Lady Agnes, daughter of the most excellent and illustrious King of Bohemia: Clare, an unworthy servant of Jesus Christ and useless handmaid of the Cloistered Ladies of the Monastery of San Damiano, her subject and servant in all things, presents herself totally with a special reverent [prayer] that she attain the glory of everlasting happiness.
As I hear of the fame of Your holy conduct and irreproachable life, which is known not only to me but to the entire world as well, I greatly rejoice and exult in the Lord. I am not alone in rejoicing at such great news, but [I am joined by] all who serve and seek to serve Jesus Christ. For, though You, more than others, could have enjoyed the magnificence and honor and dignity of the world, and could have been married to the illustrious Caesar with splendor befitting You and His Excellency, You have rejected all these things and have chosen with Your whole heart and soul a life of holy poverty and destitution. Thus You took a spouse of a more noble lineage, Who will keep Your virginity ever unspotted and unsullied, the Lord Jesus Christ:
When You have loved [Him], You shall be chaste; when You have touched [Him], You shall become pure; when You have accepted [Him], You shall be a virgin.
Whose power is stronger,
Whose generosity is more abundant,
Whose appearance more beautiful,
Whose love more tender,
Whose courtesy more gracious.
In Whose embrace You are already caught up;
Who has adorned Your breast with precious stones
And has placed priceless pearls in Your ears
and has surrounded You with sparkling gems
as though blossoms of springtime
and placed on Your head a golden crown
as a sign [to all] of Your holiness.
Therefore, most beloved sister, or should I say, Lady worthy of great respect: because You are the spouse and the mother and the sister of my Lord Jesus Christ, and have been adorned resplendently with the sign of inviolable virginity and most holy poverty: Be strengthened in the holy service which You have undertaken out of an ardent desire for the Poor Crucified, Who for the sake of all of us took upon Himself the Passion of the Cross and delivered us from the power of the Prince of Darkness to whom we were enslaved because of the disobedience of our first parents, and so reconciled us to God the Father.
O blessed poverty,
who bestows eternal riches on those who love and
embrace her!
O holy poverty,
to those who possess and desire you
God promises the kingdom of heaven
and offers, indeed, eternal glory and blessed life!
O God-centered poverty,
whom the Lord Jesus Christ
Who ruled and now rules heaven and earth,
Who spoke and things were made,
condescended to embrace before all else!

The foxes have dens, He says, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man, Christ, has nowhere to lay His head, but bowing His head gave up His spirit.

If so great and good a Lord, then, on coming into the Virgin's womb, chose to appear despised, needy, and poor in this world, so that people who were in utter poverty and want and in absolute need of heavenly nourishment might become rich in Him by possessing the kingdom of heaven, then rejoice and be glad! Be filled with a remarkable happiness and a spiritual joy! Contempt of the world has pleased You more than [its] honors, poverty more than earthly riches, and You have sought to store up greater treasures in heaven rather than on earth, where rust does not consume nor moth destroy nor thieves break in and steal. Your reward, then, is very great in heaven! And You have truly merited to be called a sister, spouse, and mother of the Son of the Father of the Most High and of the glorious Virgin.

You know, I am sure, that the kingdom of heaven is promised and given by the Lord only to the poor: for he who loves temporal things loses the fruit of love. Such a person cannot serve God and Mammon, for either the one is loved and the other is hated, or the one is served and the other despised.

You also know that one who is clothed cannot fight with another who is naked, because he is more quickly thrown who gives his adversary a chance to get hold of him; and that one who lives in the glory of earth cannot rule with Christ in heaven.

Again, [you know] that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, you have cast aside Your garments, that is, earthly riches, so that You might not be overcome by the one fighting against You, [and] that You might enter the kingdom of heaven through the straight path and narrow gate.

What a great laudable exchange:
to leave the things of time for those of eternity,
to choose the things of heaven for the goods of earth,
to receive the hundred-fold in place of one,
and to possess a blessed and eternal life.

Because of this I have resolved, as best I can, to beg Your excellency and Your holiness by my humble prayers in the mercy of Christ, to be strengthened in His holy service, and to progress from good to better, from virtue to virtue, so that He Whom You serve with the total desire of Your soul may bestow on You the reward for which You long.

I also beg You in the Lord, as much as I can, to include in Your holy prayers me, Your servant, though unworthy, and the other sisters with me in the monastery, who are all devoted to You, so that by their help we may merit the mercy of Jesus Christ, and together with You may merit to enjoy the everlasting vision.

Farewell in the Lord. And pray for me.
Clare of Assisi

Church Fathers: Of The Good of Marriage - St.Augustine of Hippo

2006-11-26T00:53:00.000-05:00

Here is a great writing by St.Augustine of Hippo titled "Of The Good of Marriage" I put it as a link because it is a little long. I think it is important to read the introduction so we can see why St.Augustine wrote about marriage.

"Of The Good of Marriage" - http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1309.htm

Church Fathers: Ignatius - Epistle to Romans

2006-11-18T11:16:00.000-05:00

I have decided to start a series of posts titled "Church Fathers" where I will post writings of the early Church Fathers. The early Church Fathers were the early teachers of the faith as they instructed in the teachings of the Apostles. There are many books about the early Church Fathers and recently there was a speaker on relevant radio, author Mike Aquilina, who recently wrote a book, "The Fathers of The Church." His website is http://fathersofthechurch.com/. I have not recently read a book about the Fathers but it is something I want to persue in the future.

Ignatius - The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans

CHAPTER I.--AS A PRISONER, I HOPE TO SEE YOU.
Through prayer to God I have obtained the privilege of seeing your most worthy faces, and have even been granted more than I requested; for I hope as a prisoner in Christ Jesus to salute you, if indeed it be the will of God that I be thought worthy of attaining unto the end. For the beginning has been well ordered, if I may obtain grace to cling to my lot without hindrance unto the end. For I am afraid of your love, lest it should do me an injury. For it is easy for you to accomplish what you please; but it is difficult for me to attain to God, if ye spare me. But it is difficult for me to attain to God, if ye do not spare me, under the pretence of carnal affection.

CHAPTER II.--DO NOT SAVE ME FROM MARTYRDOM.
For it is not my desire to act towards you as a man-pleaser, but as pleasing God, even as also ye please Him. For neither shall I ever have such [another] opportunity of attaining to God; nor will ye, if ye shall now be silent, ever be entitled to the honour of a better work. For if ye are silent concerning me, I shall become God's; but if you show your love to my flesh, I shall again have to run my race. Pray, then, do not seek to confer any greater favour upon me than that I be sacrificed to God while the altar is still prepared; that, being gathered together in love, ye may sing praise to the Father, through Christ Jesus, that God has deemed me, the bishop of Syria, worthy to be sent for from the east unto the west. It is good to set from the world unto God, that I may rise again to Him.

CHAPTER III.--PRAY RATHER THAT I MAY ATTAIN' TO MARTYRDOM.
Ye have never envied anyone; ye have taught others. Now I desire that those things may be confirmed [by your conduct], which in your instructions ye enjoin [on others]. Only request in my behalf both inward and outward strength, that I may not only speak, but [truly] will, so that I may not merely be called a Christian, but really found to be one. For if I be truly found [a Christian], I may also be called one, and be then deemed faithful, when I shall no longer appear to the world. Nothing visible is eternal. "For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. The Christian is not the result of persuasion, but of power. When he is hated by the world, he is beloved of God. For says [the Scripture], "If ye were of this world, the world would love its own; but now ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it: continue in fellowship with me."

CHAPTER IV.--ALLOW ME TO FALL A PREY TO THE WILD BEASTS.
I write to all the Churches, and impress on them all, that I shall willingly die for God, unless ye hinder me. I beseech of you not to show an unseasonable goodwill towards me. Suffer me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God. I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of God. Rather entice the wild beasts, that they may become my tomb, and may leave nothing of my body; so that when I have fallen asleep [in death], I may not be found troublesome to any one. Then shall I be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world shall not see so much as my body. Entreat the Lord for me, that by these instruments I may be found a sacrifice to God. I do not, as Peter and Paul, issue commandments unto you. They were apostles of Jesus Christ, but I am the very least [of believers]: they were free, as the servants of God; while I am, even until now, a servant. But when I suffer, I shall be the freedman of Jesus Christ, and shall rise again emancipated in Him. And now, being in bonds for Him, I learn not to desire anything worldly or vain.

CHAPTER V.--I DESIRE TO DIE.
From Syria even unto Rome I fight with beasts, both by land and sea, both by night and day, being bound to ten leopards, I mean a band of soldiers, who, even when they receive benefits, show themselves all the worse. But I am the more instructed by their injuries [to act as a disciple of Christ]; "yet am I not thereby justified." May I enjoy the wild beasts that are prepared for me; and I pray that they may be found eager to rush upon me, which also I will entice to devour me speedily, and not deal with me as with some, whom, out of fear, they have not touched. But if they be unwilling to assail me, I will compel them to do so. Pardon me [in this] I know what is for my benefit. Now I begin to be a disciple. And let no one, of things visible or invisible, envy me that I should attain to Jesus Christ. Let fire and the cross; let the crowds of wild beasts; let tearings, breakings, and dislocations of bones; let cutting off of members; let shatterings of the whole body; and let all the dreadful torments of the devil come upon me: only let me attain to Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER VI.--BY DEATH I SHALL ATTAIN TRUE LIFE.
All the pleasures of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, shall profit me nothing. It is better for me to die in behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth. "For what shall a man be profited, if he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?" Him I seek, who died for us: Him I desire, who rose again for our sake. This is the gain which is laid up for me. Pardon me, brethren: do not hinder me from living, do not wish to keep me in a state of death; and while I desire to belong to God, do not ye give me over to the world. Suffer me to obtain pure light: when I have gone thither, I shall indeed be a man of God. Permit me to be an imitator of the passion of my God. If any one has Him within himself, let him consider what I desire, and let him have sympathy with me, as knowing how I am straitened.

CHAPTER VII.--REASON OF DESIRING TO DIE.
The prince of this world would fain carry me away, and corrupt my disposition towards God. Let none of you, therefore, who are [in Rome] help him; rather be ye on my side, that is, on the side of God. Do not speak of Jesus Christ, and yet set your desires on the world. Let not envy find a dwelling-place among you; nor even should I, when present with you, exhort you to it, be ye persuaded to listen to me, but rather give credit to those things which I now write to you. For though I am alive while I write to you, yet I am eager to die. My love has been crucified, and there is no fire in me desiring to be fed; but there is within me a water that liveth and speaketh, saying to me inwardly, Come to the Father. I have no delight in corruptible food, nor in the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, the heavenly bread, the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became afterwards of the seed of David and Abraham; and I desire the drink of God, namely His blood, which is incorruptible love and eternal life.

CHAPTER VIII.--BE YE FAVOURABLE TO ME.
I no longer wish to live after the manner of men, and my desire shall be fulfilled if ye consent. Be ye willing, then, that ye also may have your desires fulfilled. I entreat you in this brief letter; do ye give credit to me. Jesus Christ will reveal these things to you, [so that ye shall know] that I speak truly. He is the mouth altogether free from falsehood, by which the Father has truly spoken. Pray ye for me, that I may attain [the object of my desire]. I have not written to you according to the flesh, but according to the will of God. If I shall suffer, ye have wished [well] to me; but if I am rejected, ye have hated me.

CHAPTER IX.--PRAY FOR THE CHURCH IN SYRIA.
Remember in your prayers the Church in Syria, which now has God for its shepherd, instead of me. Jesus Christ alone will oversee it, and your love [will also regard it]. But as for me, I am ashamed to be counted one of them; for indeed I am not worthy, as being the very last of them, and one born out of due time. But I have obtained mercy to be somebody, if I shall attain to God. My spirit salutes you, and the love of the Churches that have received me in the name of Jesus Christ, and not as a mere passer-by. For even those Churches which were not near to me in the way, I mean according to the flesh, have gone before me, city by city, [to meet me.]

CHAPTER X.--CONCLUSION.
Now I write these things to you from Smyrna by the Ephesians, who are deservedly most happy. There is also with me, along with many others, Crocus, one dearly beloved by me. As to those who have gone before me from Syria to Rome for the glory of God, I believe that you are acquainted with them; to whom, [then,] do ye make known that I am at hand. For they are all worthy, both of God and of you; and it is becoming that you should refresh them in all things. I have written these things unto you, on the day before the ninth of the Kalends of September (that is, on the twenty-third day of August). Fare ye well to the end, in the patience of Jesus Christ. Amen.

St.Frances Xavier Cabrini (Nov13)

2006-11-11T10:42:00.000-05:00

Monday Nov. 13th is the feast day of St.Frances Xavier Cabrini who was the first American citizen canonized a saint. Her story is very remarkable as she founded an order in many parts of the world, The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart.

Click below for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Story. This is from EWTN's site -

http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/CABRINI.HTM

Vote for life on Nov. 7th!

2006-11-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

http://www.illinoisrighttolife.org/index.html

http://www.ifrl-pac.com/elections/2006/GeneralElection/

http://priestsforlife.org/

Great Quotes

2006-11-05T01:33:00.000-05:00

"It is not enough for us to say: "I love God," but I also have to love my neighbor. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don't love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live?"---Mother Teresa

When freedom does not have a purpose, when it does not wish to know anything about the rule of law engraved in the hearts of men and women, when it does not listen to the voice of conscience, it turns against humanity and society. Pope John Paul II

"If you love Jesus, love the Church. Do not be discouraged by the sins and failings of some of her members," - John Paul II

Abortion hurts women.

2006-11-03T03:11:00.000-05:00

Since it is the feast of all souls I hope we pray for all souls including all the little ones that have died do to abortion, miscarriage and even embryonic stem cell research. When I look at the bigger picture, I always pray that God sends angels to watch over these little ones, that God keeps them safe in heaven for heaven is a place where life is respected and loved.

In America, we have been told that a women's right to chose is a good thing when in all reality abortion hurts women 100 times more than it helps women. Even Roe (Roe v Wade) is a born again Christian and is pro-life. If that doesnt tell you something I don't know what will. Study's have shown that women that have abortions could feel the effects years down the line. We should be compassionate to those who have had abortions and informing and prayerfull to those who are contemplating abortion. I believe a major way to stop abortion is for ALL people to stand up for women, for the little ones, and for God, and support life in all stages. Women should stand up for their child in the womb and be willing to give their own life for that child. At one point slavery was allowed in this country even though most at the time knew it was wrong. Now slavery is not allowed and hopefully never will be.. That is how abortion should end and end forever. People have to know that abortion and manipulating (of human stem cells and cloning) is unethical and immoral because it is written in their souls. People should look into their souls and ask God, "Is this what you want me to do, to kill this baby, or do I trust you more to know that this has happened for a reason - a reason that has a good ending." May God bless you all now and forever.

Here are some links that are good reads.

Walk Through an Abortion Clinic (could be graphic)
http://www.ewtn.com/library/PROLIFE/ABCLIN.TXT

Letter from a women that had an abortion.
http://www.ewtn.com/library/PROLIFE/ABORDOLR.TXT

Post Abortion Syndrom-
http://www.ewtn.com/library/PROLENC/ENCYC045.HTM

Site for healing after an abortion.
http://rachelsvineyard.org/

Democrats for life -
http://www.democratsforlife.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

If in Illinois - what pro-lifers to support. They have this in all states - check here :http://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/ search moneybags blog - keyword vote

Illinois -
http://www.ifrl-pac.com/elections/2006/GeneralElection/

Supporting Life is #1 issue when voting

2006-10-29T02:32:00.000-05:00

I write this to all people, all Christians, all politicians and human beings. Voting is not something that should be taken lightly, especially in this time when life is being destroyed every day. The children, that have not yet taken a breath, must be protected. Human life starts at conception for when the Holy Spirit concieves, as Jesus himself was concieved, a person is formed. I urge you brothers and sisters, people of all faiths and ways of life, to look to your creator and remember how he formed you. You were once an embryo. You were once 12 weeks in the womb with Christ by your side as he is now. Know that God loves you and holds a place for those that do his will. Is it his will that the works of abortion, euthenasia, human cloning and embryonic stem cell research are even being debated? Could it be that Christ, when in the garden, cried blood for all sins including those that hurt the innocent? Do not be afraid, those of Democratic parties, to give up what is a lie, and fight for the truth. The killing of life, whether now or in the future, hurts women, men, children, family's, country's and the world. Jesus Mother, our blessed Mother, loves you as well and needs your help. May Jesus Christ bless you all now and forever, Amen!

"The common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights--for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture--is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination."
-- Pope John Paul II,

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, Archbishop of the diocese of St. Louis, has instructed voters in the following words:

"Among the many "social conditions" which the Catholic must take into account in voting, the above serious moral issues [abortion, euthanasia, cloning, embryonic stem cell research, same-sex marriage] must be given the first consideration (n.29).

"In considering "the sum total of social conditions," there is, however, a certain order of priority, which must be followed. Conditions upon which other conditions depend must receive our first consideration. The first consideration must be given to the protection of human life itself, without which it makes no sense to consider other social conditions. "The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation[7] [n.20].... Within the considerations for the protection of human life, the protection of the life of the innocent and defenseless, and of the weak and the burdened must have primacy of place.[n.22]" [8]
---Archbishop Raymond Burke

"America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts -- a child -- as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters"
And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign." ("Notable and Quotable," Wall Street Journal, 2/25/94, p. A14)

"Please don't kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted, and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child, and be loved by the child. From our children's home in Calcutta alone, we have saved over 3,000 children from abortions. These children have brought such love and joy to their adopting parents, and have grown up so full of love and joy!"

---Mother Teresa.....

Mother Teresa Prayer

2006-10-28T22:47:00.000-04:00

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

Catholic Manhood

2006-10-21T10:40:00.000-04:00

I pulled this from Ewtn's document library. I thought it was a good read.

CATHOLIC MANHOOD: LIKE A GOOD PIZZA
Bill Dodds

New Covenant Family File columnist Bill Dodds and his wife, Monica, are the authors of The Joy of Marriage (Meadowbrook Press).

Being a Catholic man is like eating a pizza. It's possible to list the ingredients — the crust, the sauce, the toppings and so on — but the taste is a blend. One item may dominate a bite (more pepperoni than green pepper, more mushroom than garlic), but it's seldom a single flavor.

In the same way, while it's possible to list the areas of a Catholic man's life, at most times there is a blending there, too. One relationship spills over into another, flavors another. A lesson learned in one, a grace received in one, is applied — or ignored — in another.

But in each relationship there is the potential for holiness. There are opportunities for the Catholic man to discover and do God's will.

As son

What does it mean for a Catholic man to be an adult son? It's reaching an age of maturity — of wisdom that comes from living — to give thanks for his parents and to attempt to repay them for their many gifts and sacrifices. And, in some cases, to accept and, if necessary, to rise above their mistakes or shortcomings.

This is a fluid relationship. At times, an adult son wants the same feeling of comfort and safety that he sought as a child. At others, he prefers to stand proudly alone so his parents can clearly see what he has accomplished. Their opinion, their admiration, still mean a great deal to him.

He realizes how important it has been to hear "I love you" as he comes to understand how it is equally important for him to say it — to say it now, because time is passing more and more quickly.

Often, just as his parents taught him about life as he was growing up, they begin to teach him about death as they grow frail. They help him see beyond the grave to what lies ahead: eternity with an all-loving God.

That new — or clearer — vision encourages him to "parent" his parents in their final years and to strengthen the bonds between himself and his siblings. It helps him sort out what is important and what is chaff in his own life.

As husband

It wouldn't be surprising to learn that the typical husband has no recollection of what colors the flowers were at his wedding. But that's all right, because a Catholic husband is a co-celebrant — along with his wife — not in the sacrament of "wedding," but in the sacrament of marriage.

A wedding and reception last a few hours. A marriage is for life.

Modern society warns couples to "Watch out! Don't fall into the trap of giving more than you get." The Church teaches that marriage is for giving, that it is for openness to love and to life.

That means a Catholic husband doesn't point a finger and say, "This is mine. This is yours." He opens his arms wide and says, "This is ours. What I have is ours. What I am is ours. What will come is ours."

What comes is the fulfillment of the promises made during the wedding ceremony. What comes are good times and bad, sickness and health. What comes is a love that remains despite those bad times, despite that sickness. What comes is a love that — like "gold tested in a fire" — can grow stronger and more precious because of those obstacles.

As the years go by, a Catholic man realizes his wife knows him better than anyone else ever has, has seen him at his absolute worst, and still loves him, believes in him and wants only the best for him.

Being a partner in marriage like that makes it easier for him to imagine, to believe in, God's great love for him.

As father

It's difficult to think of God, to pray to God, the same way after becoming a father. Even the word — the title — itself is heavy with meaning

A Catholic man turns his heart and mind to his Creator and calls Him Father. And now there are other human beings who use the same term to refer to him, to call to him, to ask for his help.

Fatherhood teaches a Catholic man about sacrifice in a way that marriage alone can't. Giving up and going without are inseparable from being a dad. Sometimes they're what make it so difficult to be a father. Other times they're what makes it such a rich blessing.

It seems safe to say that there is no task, no obligation, no calling that a Catholic man has that can make him feel so ill-prepared, so inadequate, so dependent on God's help to have any hope of . . . if not meeting with booming success, at least surviving without causing too much damage to those he loves.

And all the while, a Catholic dad knows his kids are watching. They may not always be listening to what he says, but they never fail to see what he does. And so if he wants his sons and daughters to be people of prayer, he must be a man of prayer. If he wants them to make the Mass a central part of their lives, he must make it a central part of his life.

It's a seemingly endless list: To show love; to admit mistakes; to ask forgiveness; to value honesty; to work hard; to laugh easily. . . .

There are times when he does these things only because he wants his children to do them. But even so, he can't help but become better at doing them, and those acts, those beliefs, can't help but become more ingrained in who he is.

As worker

Part of being a Catholic man is not just answering the call to married, single or religious life; it's answering what Mother Teresa has referred to as "the call within the call."

As a married man . . . as a single man . . . as a priest . . . a Catholic man needs to listen, to pray, to test the waters, to take "leaps of faith" to discover that unique role God has prepared for him, and the unique role for which God has prepared him.

In whatever profession, craft or trade he finds himself, a Catholic man has a set of criteria to measure success that often differs from those around him.

The definition of success Christ taught (Mt 25:14-46), the one the Church teaches, doesn't have to do with income, with fame or with power. The one who dies with the most toys doesn't win.

The truly successful man is the one who has taken the talent, that gift, however large or small it may be that God has given him, and has used it to the best of his ability.

The truly successful man is the one who has fed Jesus — the "least" among us — when He was hungry, who helped Him find shelter when He was homeless, took care of Him when He was sick, visited Him when He was in prison.

The truly successful man serves Christ by serving others, at home, at work and in the community.

There are other categories, of course, a great jumble of categories: the Catholic man as friend, as citizen, as grandparent, as parishioner. And so on.

Through the sacraments, through prayer, through Scripture, through the example of the holy men and women we call saints, through tradition, the Church is present in that great jumble.

God is present there. Always. Permeating — saturating — a Catholic man's life like the smell of incense fills a church when . . . No.

Like the smell of freshly baked pizza fills a family kitchen. A room — the heart of any home — crowded with people. Crowded with love. Crowded with God's blessings.

Taken from:The June 1996 issue of New Covenant magazine.

War of Passions

2006-10-14T10:12:00.000-04:00

Below is a 15 minute sermon by Fr. Robert Barron called ""The Warfare Within, The Warfare Without." This sermon is very good because it talks about how to difuse our daily sporadic passions of this world and to recieve the wisdom and peace of Christ. I hope you enjoy this sermon and remember you can listen to all of Fr. Robert Barron's sermons at http://wordonfire.org/. God Bless and have a nice day!

Fr.Robert Barron's sermon:http://wordonfire.org/real_audio_files/298.mp3

Examination of Conscience - Confession

2006-10-06T23:37:00.000-04:00

The sacrament of reconciliation is a great treasure and should be thought of and sought out often in the mind of Catholics. In the link below Archbishop Bruno Forte states, "reconciliation is the source of new life." I believe confession heals the soul and is an encounter with Jesus himself. Sometimes we are afraid of the confessional and shy away from regular confession, but remember that the priest and our Lord have heard it all before. Before confession it is a good idea to ask the Holy Spirit to help you and spend some quite prayer time reflecting on your soul and what you will confess. May God bless you and keep you!

This segment below was pulled from "why go to confession" I recommend reading the full article here -http://www.ewtn.com/library/BISHOPS/zfortecon.HTM It was written by Archbishop Bruno Forte

For the Examination of Conscience by Archbishop Bruno Forte

If possible, prepare yourself for confession with regularity, not allowing too much time to pass. Prepare your confession in a climate of prayer, responding to these questions under the gaze of God, seeing him as the one you can go to for help to progress more quickly along the path of the Lord.

1. "You shall not have other gods besides me" (Deuteronomy 5:7). "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). Do I love God like this? Do I give him the first place in my life? Do I eagerly reject all idols that could get between him and me, be it money, pleasure, superstition, or power? Do I listen with faith to his Word? Do I persevere in prayer?

2. "You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain" (Deuteronomy 5:11). Do I respect the holy name of God? Do I abuse him in my references to him, offending him, or making use of him, instead of serving him? Do I bless God in each one of my actions? Do I surrender myself without reserve to his will for me, trusting entirely in him? Do I entrust myself with humility and confidence to the guidance and teaching of the pastors which the Lord has given to his Church? Do I make an effort to go deeper in and strengthen my life of faith?

3. "Take care to keep holy the Sabbath day as the Lord, your God, commanded you" (Deuteronomy 5: 12-15). Do I make Sunday the center of my week, beginning with the most important moment, the celebration of the Eucharist? Do I use it, and the other days consecrated to the Lord, to praise and give thanks to God, to entrust myself to him and take rest in him? Do I participate faithfully and actively in the liturgy, preparing myself beforehand with prayer, and making the effort to obtain its fruits during the entire week? Do I sanctify the holy day with some act of love toward the needy?

4. "Honor your father and your mother" (Deuteronomy 5:16). Do I love and respect those who have given me life? Do I make the effort to understand and help them, above all in their weaknesses and limits?

5. "Thou shalt not kill" (Deuteronomy 5:17). Do I make the effort to respect and promote life in all of its stages and aspects? Do I do everything in my power to promote the good of the others? Have I done evil to someone with the explicit intention of doing it? "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39). How do I live charity toward my neighbor? Am I attentive and available, above all with the poorest and weakest? Do I love myself, knowing how to accept my limits under the gaze of God?

6. "You shall not commit impure acts" (cf. Deuteronomy 5:18). "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife" (Deuteronomy 5:21). Am I chaste in thoughts and actions? Do I make the effort to love with gratitude, free of the temptation to possess or be jealous? Do I always respect the dignity of the human person? Do I treat my body and the bodies of others as a temple of the Holy Spirit?

7. "You shall not steal" (Deuteronomy 5:19). "You shall not desire your neighbor's goods" (Deuteronomy 5:21). Do I respect the goods of creation? Am I honest in my work and in my relations with my neighbor? Do I respect the fruit of others' labor? Am I envious of the goods of the others? Do I make an effort to make others happy, or do I only think of myself?

8. "You shall not bear dishonest witness against your neighbor" (Deuteronomy 5:20). Am I sincere and loyal in each word and action? Do I always speak only the truth? Do I try to give confidence and act in a way that inspires confidence in the others?

9. Do I make an effort to follow the example of Christ in my life of surrender to God and my neighbor? Do I try to be like him: humble, poor and chaste? 10. Do I faithfully find the Lord in the sacraments, in fellowship, and in service to the poor? Do I live with hope in eternal life, seeing each thing under the light of God, always trusting in his promises? ZE06022105

A little more about confession:

CCC 1458 Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father's mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful:

Whoever confesses his sins . . . is already working with God. God indicts your sins; if you also indict them, you are joined with God. Man and sinner are, so to speak, two realities: when you hear "man" - this is what God has made; when you hear "sinner" - this is what man himself has made. Destroy what you have made, so that God may save what he has made .... When you begin to abhor what you have made, it is then that your good works are beginning, since you are accusing yourself of your evil works. the beginning of good works is the confession of evil works. You do the truth and come to the light. (St. Augustine)

St. Francis of Assisi (Oct 4th)

2006-10-04T01:40:00.000-04:00

Today is the feast day of one of my favorite saints, St. Francis of Assisi who is our patron saint of animals. Most parishes have pet blessings this week so it would be a great idea to get little Toto out to your parish! God bless, have a nice day!

Here is a letter written by St. Francis to St.Clare

Written to Clare from Assisi
THE FORM OF LIFE GIVEN TO SAINT CLARE
Because you have by divine inspiration made yourselves daughters and handmaids of the Most High and Highest King, the Heavenly Father, and have espoused yourselves to the Holy Spirit by choosing to live according to the perfection of the Holy Gospel: I want and promise that I and my Friars will always exercise a diligent care and special solicitude concerning yourselves just as for them.
ST. FRANCIS' LAST WILL WRITTEN FOR ST CLARE
I, Friar Francis, the tiny one [parvulus], want to follow the life and poverty of Our Most High Lord Jesus Christ and of His Most Holy Mother and to persevere in this even to the end; and I beg you, my ladies, and I give you counsel, that you live in this most holy life and poverty always. And guard yourselves very much, lest by the doctrine or counsel of anyone you retreat from this in any manner forever.

Here is one of many prayers by St.Francis -

Salutation to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Hail, holy Lady, most holy Queen,Mary, Mother of God, ever Virgin.You were chosen by the Most High Father in heaven,consecrated by Him, with His most Holy Beloved Son and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.On you descended and still remainsall the fullness of grace and every good.Hail, His Palace.Hail His Tabernacle.Hail His Robe.Hail His Handmaid.Hail, His Mother.and Hail, all holy Virtues, who, by graceand inspiration of the Holy Spirit,are poured into the hearts of the faithfulso that from their faithless state,they may be made faithful servants of God through you.

The prayer and letter were pulled from this site, a great site honoring this awesome saint -http://www.sanfrancescoassisi.org/index.php?lang=eng

"The Psychology of Work" by Archbishop Sheen

2006-10-01T03:21:00.000-04:00

The Psychology of Work

Very few people in this age do the kind of work they like to do. Instead of choosing their jobs freely, they are forced by economic necessity to work at tasks that fail to satisfy them. Many of them say, “I ought to be doing something bigger,” or “This job of mine is only important because I get paid.” Such an attitude lies at the bottom of much unfinished and badly executed work. Those who choose their work because it fulfills a purpose they approve are the only ones who grow in stature by working. They alone can properly say, at the end of it, “It is finished!”

This sense of vocation is sadly lacking nowadays. The blame should not be placed on the complexity of our economic system, but on a collapse of our spiritual values. Any work, viewed in its proper perspective, can be used to ennoble us; but a necessary prelude to seeing this is to understand the philosophy of labor.

Every task we undertake has two aspects – our purpose, which makes us think it worth doing, and the work itself, regarded apart from its end–purpose. We play tennis to get exercise; but we play the game as well as possible, just for the joy of doing the thing well. The man or woman who argued that he or she could get as much exercise by sloppy technique on the courts would have missed an understanding of the second aspect of all activity: the accomplishment of the task in accordance with its own standards of excellence. In the same way, someone working in an automobile factory may have, as his primary purpose, the earning of wages; but the purpose of the work itself is the excellent completion of the task. A worker should be aware of the second purpose at all times – as the artist is aware of the aim of beauty in his or her painting and the housekeeper is aware of the need for neatness when cleaning.

Today the first aspect of working has become paramount, and we tend to ignore the second, so that many workers lead half-lives in their laboring hours. They are like gardeners, ordered to grow cabbage to give them sauerkraut juice, but indifferent as to whether their plots are weeded properly or their cabbages are healthy vegetables. This is a mistaken attitude. God Himself worked when He made the world and then, viewing it, He called it “good.”

Legitimate pride in doing work well relieves it of much of its drudgery. Some people, who have held to this craftsman’s standard, get a thrill from any job they do. They know the satisfaction of “a job well done” whether they are engaged in caning a chair or cleaning a horse’s stall or carving a statue for a cathedral. Their honor and their self-respect are heightened by the discipline of careful work. They have retained the old attitude of the Middle Ages, when work was a sacred event, a ceremony, a source of spiritual merit. Labor was not then undertaken merely for the sake of economic gain, but was chosen through an inner compulsion, through a desire to project the creative power of God through our own human effort.

(excerpt from “Way to Happiness”)

Reflection on the Archbishop’s words:

In his meditation, the Archbishop hits on a very obvious fact in life: many people are working at jobs they don’t like to do. Surveys have been conducted that confirm a high level of unhappiness among many workers. The Archbishop points out that one of the most obvious reasons for this is because economic necessity forces people to work at jobs that do not give them a sense of satisfaction. He concludes that this lack of enthusiasm and of recognition of any importance to their work leads to that work being done poorly and often never completed. Someone once had a little sign in the place where he worked which sums up this point perfectly: “For those of you who don’t believe that the dead can come back to life, you ought to be here at quitting time!”

The Archbishop points out that the common negative attitude toward one’s job is a result of the collapse of our spiritual values. As he puts it in his meditation, “Any work, viewed in its proper perspective, can be used to ennoble us.” Some people see no purpose to work because they are simply lazy. The famous remark of Mark Twain expresses this fact: “I love work! I can watch it being done all day long!” The Archbishop says that the key to finding satisfaction in our work is to not approach it primarily for the earning of wages but to work at it in such a way as to accomplish the task in accordance with its own standards of excellence. In other words, in whatever kind of task we do, we must seek to accomplish that task in a worthy manner. This is an expression of our own self–respect. A person can throw a meal together because he or she and others have to eat. That will probably not produce much satisfaction for the harried cook. On the other hand, even a person with less culinary talent may take up the challenge with the help of a cookbook or two and prepare a surprisingly delicious meal. The ultimate result will be a sense a satisfaction along with recognition of “a job well done” by those who had enjoyed the meal.

We have certainly lost the attitude of the Middle Ages, where work was looked upon as “a sacred event, a ceremony, a source of spiritual merit.” Work is essential to our well being and overall happiness as human beings. After all, when God created our first parents, He placed them in the garden with the task of taking care of it. When we are willing to do our best at the task at hand and not simply tolerate it as an unavoidable burden, the drudgery will be taken out of it. Through work, we can develop the creative talents and abilities that God has given to us. Work also helps us to relieve tension, while at the same time, helping us to develop and express our creative talents and abilities. It greatly depends on the attitude we take to the task. Let us remember that even God Himself worked in creating the world and still remains at work in sustaining it. He has not carried His work out begrudgingly but does so to show us His immense love. Let us learn from Him and carry out our own work ultimately as an expression of our love for Him and others.

Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFRVice-Postulator of the Cause

Quotations from Archbishop Sheen

2006-09-29T03:18:00.000-04:00

Quotations From Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Please continue to pray for Bishop Sheen's canonization. His book "Life of Christ" is a phenominal book about our Lord. God Bless!

"If you don't behave as you believe, you will end by believing as you behave."

"Bye now, and God love you!" - Sheen's traditional closing to the program.

"Too many people get credit for being good, when they are only being passive. They are too often praised for being broadminded when they are so broadminded they can never make up their minds about anything." -Seven Words to the Cross, page 93.

"The danger today is in believing there are no sick people, there is only a sick society." -Life Is Worth Living(Second Series), page 186

"Communism is the final logic of the dehumanization of man." -Life Is Worth Living(Second Series), page 122

"Some will not look on suffering because it creates responsibility." -Those Mysterious Priests, page 66

"The principle of democracy is a recognition of the sovereign, inalienable rights of man as a gift from God, the Source of law." -Whence Come Wars, page 60

“There are not a hundred people in America who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions of people who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church— which is, of course, quite a different thing.” -foreward to Radio Replies Vol. 1, page ix

A Prayer for Peace

2006-09-22T09:55:00.000-04:00

I bought this prayer card yesterday and I thought I would share it with you especially with what the pope and the world is going through right now. I hope one day we may see peace on earth, that we all may live together in love as one, so that our children and their children and the generations to come may see a better day. I hope you all have a good Friday and may the Lord Jesus Christ bless you all!

Prayer For Peace:

Almighty and Eternal Father, God of wisdom and mercy, whose power exceeds all force of arms and whose protection is the strong defense of all who trust in Thee, enlighten and direct, we beseech Thee, those who bear the heavy responsibility of government throughout the world in these days of stress and trial. Grant them the strength to stand firm; for what is right and the skill to dispel the fears that foment discord. Inspire them to be mindful of the horrors of atomic war for victor and vanquished alike, to seek conciliation in truth and patience, to see in every man a brother, that the people of all nations may, in our day, enjoy the blessings of a just and lasting peace.

Conscious of our own unworthiness, we inplore Thy mercy on a sinful world, in the name of Thy Divine Son, the prince of peace, and through the intercession of His blessed mother and all the saints.
Queen of All Saints, pray for us.
Queen of the Holy Rosary, Pray for us.
Queen of Peace, pray for us.

St. Joseph Covenant Keepers

2006-09-19T02:02:00.000-04:00

I though this was a very good reading to strengthen the Christian family -

ST. JOSEPH COVENANT KEEPERS
Steve Wood
The LORD was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Has not the one God made and sustained us for the spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring. So take heed to yourselves, and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth. For I hate divorce, says the LORD God of Israel. (Malachi 2:14-16)

SAINT JOSEPH'S COVENANT KEEPERS is an informal international network of Christian men, under the patronage of St. Joseph, dedicated to strengthening the family as expressed in the eight commitments listed below. The primary mission of Saint Joseph's Covenant Keepers is to men who are fathers of children still living at home. Participation, however, is open to Christian men of all ages, callings, and states in life who are in agreement with and willing to promote the eight commitments of Saint Joseph's Covenant Keepers. (Obviously, several areas of the eight commitments will not apply to single men. Yet, we still ask for their willingness to promote these commitments in families.)

Organizational sponsorship for Saint Joseph's Covenant Keepers is provided by the Family Life Center International, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. We expressly do not want Saint Joseph's Covenant Keepers to be a top-heavy organization that becomes a focus and activity center for men. Our explicit desire is for men to focus on their own families. As Pope John Paul II said, "The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family." We believe that the family is vastly superior to any organization in its ability to renew both the Church and society. Therefore, any activities in small men's groups, parish organizations, or regional and national rallies will be for the purpose of equipping and encouraging men for more effective service within their families.

As St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers, we are not concerned with just our own families. We will also strive for a Christ-like concern for the spiritual and material welfare of other families in our community, in our parish, and throughout the world.

EIGHT COMMITMENTS
These eight commitments are not easy to follow, just as following Christ in any area of life takes one down the narrow road. The broad way appears easy. In reality, it only serves to lure the unsuspecting down the path of heartache and overwhelming hardship. Watered-down attempts to prop up contemporary family life are doomed in the face of modern pressures against marriage and the family. The solution to the family's needs of our day begins with a call to husbands and fathers to follow the high calling of Christian fatherhood.

1. Following St. Joseph — the loving leader and head of the Holy Family
St. Joseph, after the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the greatest of all saints in heaven. His greatness in God's plan stems from being the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and from being the father of Jesus Christ in the fullest sense, except for physical generation. As Catholic men, we will seek his intercession, along with that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to fulfill our calling of leading our families to be like the Holy Family. As husbands and fathers, we commit ourselves to being loving leaders and heads of our families following the examples of St. Joseph in serving the Holy Family and Christ's humble service to the Church, His mystical bride. We will neither irresponsibly abandon our leadership role within our families, nor abuse our leadership role through sinful domination and domestic tyranny. Along with the affirmation of the headship of husbands and fathers in a family, we simultaneously affirm the perfect and complete equality between husbands and wives.

2. Loving our wives all our lives
As covenant keepers, we believe that a lawful Christian marriage is indissoluble. We believe that the sacrament of marriage is a lifelong covenant bond made possible by the abundant graces available in the New Covenant. We do not believe that marriage is a breakable contract. The indissolubility of the marriage covenant is the foundation for marriage and for the future of the family. As fathers, we realize that the greatest gift we can ever give our children is faithfulness to our marriage vows. We believe that a willful divorce from a lawful marriage is covenant-breaking in the most profound sense. If problems arise within our marriages we will seek help to heal our marriages and not seek divorce. We will help others to do the same. We will also take steps to keep our marriages strong even when serious marital problems are absent.
To help maintain lifelong covenant faithfulness to our wives, we will avoid occasions that may lead to the sin of adultery.

3. Affirming Christ's Lordship over our families
As the leaders of our families, we will explicitly acknowledge the social kingship of Christ over our families. Towards this end we will have a home enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that we renew annually. We believe that the enthronement of the Sacred Heart deepens family life by bringing about a greater love between the Heart of Jesus and the hearts of parents and children. To invite Christ's loving Lordship and presence in our family we will seek to have daily family prayer and Scriptures read aloud in the home. At least weekly on the Lord's Day, our family will worship together and receive Christ in the Eucharist, the ultimate source of our family life and unity.

4. Turning our hearts toward our children
It is common for modern fathers to have their hearts drawn to the pursuit of wealth, personal pleasures, and pastimes. As St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers, we will turn our hearts toward our children. This turning of heart, mind, and priorities will be especially reflected in the time we devote to our children. We realize that, for our children, love is a four-letter word spelled "t-i-m-e." Since time is money in the modern world, we need to value our children more than money and make them a higher priority.

5. Educating our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord
Parents are the first and primary educators of their children. Fathers are particularly singled out in Scripture for the religious education and training of their children (Genesis 18:19; Psalm 78; Ephesians 6:4). This high privilege and duty of fathers teaching the faith to their children will result in a faith that will persevere through adolescent questionings, peer pressure, and university life.

6. Protecting our families
As fathers, we will protect our families from physical, spiritual, and moral harm. We will take personal responsibility, and an active role to preserve our children's chastity. We will protect them from everything that disturbs or destroys the fragile nature of our children's sexual latency, innocence, and purity.

7. Providing for our families
As fathers, we will assume the primary responsibility for the financial provision of our families. We will seek to learn and to apply Christian principles of financial stewardship within our families. Whenever possible, we will seek to provide the maximum opportunity for our wives to nurture our children at home.

8. Building our marriages and families on the Rock
As St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers, we will seek to build our homes on the Rock by following the teachings of the successors of St. Peter. We will seek to learn and to live by the historically rooted Church teachings on marriage, family, and human sexuality.

This includes the Church's teaching on birth control. Those who practice the Church's teaching have a divorce rate of less than 5%. Those who are following the Creator's plan for marriage are discovering a powerful strengthening of their marriages. Conversely, a skyrocketing divorce rate has closely paralleled disregard for Church teaching on birth control.

St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers have a rare opportunity at this historical crossroads to literally change the world and the Church by bringing change to the family. The indissolubility of the marriage bond is the irreplaceable foundation for covenant keeping in family life. Christian charity for the welfare of families demands that we resist the alluring temptation to sidestep this truth. Like Malachi, we need to be faithful messengers of lifelong covenant keeping.

Reprinted by permission from the newsletter of St. Joseph's Covenant KeepersAvailable from the Family Life CenterP.O. Box 6060Port Charlotte, FL 33949 Which also has a catalog of pro-life resources

Catholic Resources

2006-09-17T00:57:00.000-04:00

If you have been wanting to study the bible there is a good online course directed by Dr.Scott Hahn where you can study the bible at your own pace and is absolutely free. The site is http://www.salvationhistory.com/

If your looking for an online bible go to http://www.biblegateway.com/. There it will give you many bibles to choose from. The Catholic version I own and recommend is the New American Standard Bible.

If your looking for the Catechism online look no futher than http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm where you can search and read the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Catholic radio is a good way to learn more about the Catholic faith. Here are three vary good sites.
1)Relevant Radio - http://www.relevantradio.com/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?&pid=534&srcid=534
2)Ave Maria Radio - http://www.avemariaradio.net/
3)EWTN Radio - http://ewtn.com/radio/index.asp
4)Vatican Radio - http://www.vaticanradio.org/inglese/enindex.html

Also, John Martignoni from http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/ sated in his newsletter this: "Just wanted to let you know that I've recently added 2-3 books to the "Recommended Reading" page on my website. The one, though, that I tell all Catholics is a "must have" is the "Navarre Bible: New Testament and Commentary." The one I have on the website is the "compact" version. The full version comes in a series of volumes...about a dozen or so. I actually recommend the full version, but it's much more expensive. So, if you can't afford to get the individual volumes, at least get the compact version. It has commentary from the early Church Fathers, Saints and Doctors of the Church, and from modern theologians who actually believe and teach what the Church believes and teaches. It is a wonderful resource which will help anyone and everyone get more out of Scripture. I quite often have folks email me or call me on my radio show and say, "What does this verse mean...?" I usually just open up the Navarre Bible and Commentary and give them what it says in there about that verse. They also have a 7-volume Old Testament set - I don't think they have a "compact" version for the O.T. out yet. I recommend that as well, but get the N.T. commentary first."

A Writing from St. John of the Cross

2006-09-15T10:17:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry I haven't been writing lately. I have been with you all in heart but I have been extremely busy lately with work and family things so posting has been difficult. God willing, I hope to put up some good posts in the next few days. God Bless you all!

Here is a great writing by St. John of the Cross -

I NO LONGER LIVE WITHIN MYSELF AND I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT GOD FOR IF I HAVE NEITHER HIM NOR MYSELF WHAT WILL LIFE BE? IT WILL BE A THOUSAND DEATHS LONGING FOR MY TRUE LIFE AND DYING BECAUSE I DO NOT DIE. THIS LIFE THAT I LIVEIS NO LIFE AT ALL,AND SO I DIE CONTINUALLY UNTIL I LIVE WITH YOU;HEAR ME, MY GOD I DO NOT DESIRE THIS LIFE,I AM DYING BECAUSE I DO NOT DIE.WHEN I AM NOT WITH YOU WHAT LIFE CAN I HAVE EXCEPT TO ENDURETHE BITTEREST DEATH KNOWN?I PITY MYSELF FOR I GO ON AND ON LIVING DYING BECAUSE I DO NOT DIE. AND IF I REJOICE, LORD IN THE HOPE OF SEEING YOU, YET SEEING I CAN LOSE YOU DOUBLES MY SORROW. LIVING IN SUCH FEAR AND HOPING AS I HOPE,I DIE BECAUSE I DO NOT DIE.LIFT ME FROM THIS DEATH,MY GOD, AND GIVE ME LIFE;DO NOT HOLD ME BOUND WITH THESE SO STRONG BONDS;SEE HOW I LONG TO SEE YOU;I AM SO WHOLLY MISERABLE THAT I DIE BECAUSE I DO NOT DIE.

Taken from the Magnificat on 12/14, St John's feast day.

Excerpt from John Paul II Encyclical Redemptor Hominis

2006-09-09T23:55:00.000-04:00

This writing was pulled from http://conservation.catholic.org/pope_john_paul_ii.htm

What is Modern Man Afraid of?
The man of today seems ever to be under threat from what he produces, that is to say from the result of the work of his hands and, even more so, of the work of his intellect and the tendencies of his will. All too soon, and often in an unforeseeable way, what this manifold activity of man yields is not only subjected to "alienation", in the sense that it is simply taken away from the person who produces it, but rather it turns against man himself, at least in part, through the indirect consequences of its effects returning on himself. It is or can be directed against him. This seems to make up the main chapter of the drama of present-day human existence in its broadest and universal dimension. Man therefore lives increasingly in fear. He is afraid that what he produces - not all of it, of course, or even most of it, but part of it and precisely that part that contains a special share of his genius and initiative - can radically turn against himself; he is afraid that it can become the means and instrument for an unimaginable self-destruction, compared with which all the cataclysms and catastrophes of history known to us seem to fade away. This gives rise to a question: Why is it that the power given to man from the beginning by which he was to subdue the earth turns against himself, producing an understandable state of disquiet, of conscious or unconscious fear and of menace, which in various ways is being communicated to the whole of the present-day human family and is manifesting itself under various aspects?
This state of menace for man from what he produces shows itself in various directions and various degrees of intensity. We seem to be increasingly aware of the fact that the exploitation of the earth, the planet on which we are living, demands rational and honest planning. At the same time, exploitation of the earth not only for industrial but also for military purposes and the uncontrolled development of technology outside the framework of a long-range authentically humanistic plan often bring with them a threat to man's natural environment, alienate him in his relations with nature, and remove him from nature. Man often seems to see no other meaning in his natural environment than what serves for immediate use and consumption. Yet it was the Creator's will that man should communicate with nature as an intelligent and noble "master" and "guardian", and not as a heedless "exploiter" and "destroyer"....
If therefore our time, the time of our generation, the time that is approaching the end of the second millennium of the Christian era, shows itself a time of great progress, it is also seen as a time of threat in many forms for man. The Church must speak of this threat to all people of good will and must always carry on a dialogue with them about it. Man's situation in the modern world seems indeed to be far removed from the objective demands of the moral order, from the requirements of justice, and even more of social love. We are dealing here only with that which found expression in the Creator's first message to man at the moment in which he was giving him the earth, to "subdue" it. This first message was confirmed by Christ the Lord in the mystery of the Redemption. This is expressed by the Second Vatican Council in these beautiful chapters of its teaching that concern man's "kingship"; that is to say his call to share in the kingly function - the munus regale - of Christ himself. The essential meaning of this "kingship" and "dominion" of man over the visible world, which the Creator himself gave man for his task, consists in the priority of ethics over technology, in the primacy of the person over things, and in the superiority of spirit over matter....

--Excerpts from the Encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, from the beginning of Pope John Paul II's Papal Ministry, 1979.

St. Clare's Letter to Ermentrude

2006-09-07T03:25:00.000-04:00

After viewing such great blogs that "ACATHOLICLIFE" has posted such as the St. John Vianney blogs I decided that I will try to regularly post writings of the saints and different homilies and sermons from the current time. Today's writing will be that of St. Clare and her letter to Ermentrude of Bruges. Hopefully these posts will enlighted and educate you about Jesus Christ and our Catholic faith.

This was pulled from http://www.franciscanfriarstor.com/

Clare's letter to Ermentrude of Bruges
To Ermentrude, dearest sister, Clare of Assisi, humble handmaid of Jesus Christ, greetings and peace. I know that you, o dearest sister, have fled the filth of the world, with the help of God's grace; for which I rejoice and give thanks with you and again rejoice that you tread the paths of virtue strenuously with your daughters. Be faithful, dearest, to him to whom you are promised until death, and you will be crowned by him with the laurel of life.
This labor of ours is brief, but the reward is eternal; let the noises of the fleeting world and its shadow not confound you; let the empty specters of the deceiving world not drive you mad; shut your ears to the whispers of hell and, strong, break down its attempts [against you]; willingly bear adverse evils and let provident goods not puff you up; for the one requires faith, the other demands it; what you promised God, faithfully render, and he will repay you.
O dearest, look on heaven that invites us, and bear the cross and follow Christ who preceded us; indeed, after various and many tribulations we shall enter through him into his glory. Love with your whole heart God and Jesus, his son, crucified for our sins, and never let his memory escape your mind; make yourself mediate continually on the mysteries of the cross and the anguish of the mother standing beneath the cross.
Pray and be always vigilant. And the work that you began well, finish and the ministry you assumed, fulfil in holy poverty and sincere humility. Do not fear, daughter, God is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works, he will pour out his blessing on you and your daughters; and he will be your helper and your best consoler; he is our redeemer and our eternal reward.
Let us pray God for each other, for in bearing each other's burden of charity we shall fulfil the law of Christ.Amen

The Law and Love

2006-09-04T03:27:00.000-04:00

Below is a 15 minute sermon by Fr. Robert Barron concerning this Sunday's readings that have to due with the law. I will reflect more on this subject soon but for now here is a great sermon on the law.

http://wordonfire.org/real_audio_files/295.mp3

Abortion IS A CRIME!

2006-09-02T17:49:00.000-04:00

About two weeks ago I wrote to the Chicago Sun Times crime writer Frank Main about an article in the paper titled, "does abortion cut the crime rate." The article talked about the book "Freakonomics," where the author Levitt argued that abortion cut the crime rate. We know this is not true because abortion is a crime in itself. I heard today on relevant radio the top three countries with the most abortions. The amount of abortions is staggering and considering America's approval of the destructive Plan B contraception it doesnt look to be getting any better. I'm not sure if my letter which was sent to the letters editor ever got published in the paper, but I thought I would atleast share it with you. Thank you and God Bless You All.

This writing is concerning the article "does abortion cut or increase the crime rate?"
If you consider abortion a crime in itself, the murdering of the innocent, then abortion could affect the crime rate in an enormous way. Abortion is a crime - one of the worst crimes to hit America and the world since the world existed. The US Constitution says direct killing of a person is murder and is a crime. So why is it not a crime to kill the poor unborn children? They are people at conception, at fertilization, they are human beings. Why couldnt one of those human beings that Levitt says could have increased the crime rate have grown up a hero to stop crime in a world where anything is possible especially with God? Why not take the chance and let the children have life because a rose can grow from concrete? Its not fair to you and me and to society that we continue to murder the innocent because of statistical whims and something called "choice."

Does abortion support womens rights? No, not at all! It is just the exact opposite. After having an abortion studies have shown that down the line the women suffer. They suffer way more than they would if they had a child, a child, a child ! Children are good, they are gifts from God and they need to be respected from the moment of conception to death. Would not the women who did not have the abortion have a better chance to be a better mom in the future than the women who had an abortion. Would this not lower the crime rate as well?

America puts on the front of "a choice" where there should be no choice at all. "A choice," sounds nice but is only a decoy to what later turns out a disaster. If I wanted to kill a person walking down the street would it be a choice? Not a chance, I would go to jail. So where is there justice of killing someone that is the most innocent and defenceless of all people?

We would be better off if we put funds into teaching abstinence untill marriage instead of giving out contraception at schools. I believe a better day is yet to come, where abstinence untill marriage is sought out like a prize possession. I hope and pray abortion ends in America and abroad.

Thank you for reading this and thank you for writing your article which hopefully will give rise of others to see the truth.

healing after an abortion - rachelsvineyard.com
priestsforlife.com my blog -
christthecenterofyourlife.blogspot.com

Guardian Angels

2006-08-29T17:37:00.000-04:00

If you believe it or not everyone on earth has been assigned by God a guardain angel. It is a doctrine of the Catholic faith. It is amazing how we are not alone although sometimes we feel as we are. We should be not distressed because we have a messenger by our side. Although I don't know the name of my guardian angel I pray and conversate to my helper daily. Sometimes we say "my guardian angel was watching over me." For some that statement may not be taken literally but in a world where anything is possible with God, so it is possible for your angel to watch over you and literally help you. Below is a section I took from Catholic Online regarding guardian angels. You can see the full article by clicking here - http://www.catholic.org/saints/angel.php

Who are our Guardian Angels?No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your tent, for to His Angels God has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways. Upon their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.Psalm 91: 10-12 A heavenly spirit assigned by God to watch over each of us during our lives. The doctrine of angels is part of the Church's tradition. The role of the guardian angel is both to guide us to good thoughts, works and words, and to preserve us from evil. Since the 17th century the Church has celebrated a feast honoring them in October throughout the Universal Church. Since the last calendar revision this feast is Oct 2. He has charged His angels with the ministry of watching and safeguarding every one of His creatures that behold not His face. Kingdoms have their angels assigned to them, and men have their angels; these latter it is to whom religion designates the Holy Guardian Angels. Our Lord says in the Gospel, "Beware lest ye scandalize any of these little ones, for their angels in heaven see the face of My Father." The existence of Guardian Angels, is, hence a dogma of the Christian faith: this being so, what ought not our respect be for that sure and holy intelligence that is ever present at our side; and how great our solicitude be, lest, by any act of ours, we offend those eyes which are ever bent upon us in all our ways!

God is such a great God that he has given angels to watch over us in this lifetime. Will we ever meet our guardian angel? I don't know. But I do know that I have a love for the angels and saints. God created us a Holy family. This family consists of the Jesus at the center with Mary, the angels, the saints, and all our loved ones, departed or here with us, all of which we can intercede with. It is absolutely amazing that anytime, anyplace we can call on these family members. I love family and glory be to God for making it the way he did!

Plan B could cause an abortion.

2006-08-25T00:14:00.000-04:00

As Catholics we know that ALL CONTRACEPTION is sinful. Today was a negative day in the fight against abortion and contraception. Today the FDA approved the plan B morning after pill. The plan B pill can cause an abortion and adds more fuel to the culture of death. Let us all say a prayer to our Blessed Virgin Mother that some how, some way, this decision by the FDA gets revoked in the near future. God Bless you all.

Judie Brown on plan B
Please cut and paste this -
http://www.ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=451658&Forums=0&Experts=0&Days=2005
&Author=&Keyword=plan+b&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record
_bookmark=3&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=

Todays announcement according to Catholic World News
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=46060

Here is a press release about plan B by the Catholic Medical Association before plan B was approved over the counter. http://www.cathmed.org/pressreleases/ec.htm

Fr. Barron and Detachment

2006-08-23T01:25:00.000-04:00

Here is a sermon by Fr. Robert Barren, the host of http://wordonfire.org/. When I had a chance to hear Fr. Barron this past March he talked about detachment and how the saints were attached to Christ and detached from the things of the world. I believe detachment an important factor in the Christian life. Click below for the 15 minute sermon named "blessed detachment." Please feel free to leave any comments if you wish. God Bless!

Blessed Detachment - click below and then press play -http://wordonfire.org/real_audio_files/162.mp3

Silence in Prayer

2006-08-19T17:40:00.000-04:00

I believe daily silence in prayer is very benificial. We all like to say our prayers to God, make our requests and so on, but do we take time out, maybe 15 minutes or so and stay silent and let Jesus talk to us? I was listening to Mother Angelica Live on EWTN and caller asked Mother the question, "when I pray what happens when i dont know what to say to God and there is a quiet moment?" Mother replied "that is when God is the closest to you." I believe it so for it is one thing to talk and another to listen. May The Lord teach us new ways of prayer so to strengthen our relationship with him and may God bless you all and keep you close to him.

For more on prayer here is something good to read -
http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p4s1c3a1.htm

In Vitro and the Church

2006-08-16T01:50:00.000-04:00

I wanted to address the issue of what the Church teaches about in-vitro fertilization. I understand that there are some couples with fertilization problems and my prayers are with them. I pray that God may bless them with a child in a natural way and that they may learn the evils of in-vitro fertilization. All of those who were born through in-vitro are gifts from God, there is no doubt about that. Our God can bring the most beautifull good out of evil. Here are some good sites that I hope will educate us more about the sanctity of the human person. May God Bless you all!

Good Article about In-Vitro
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/medical_ethics/me0041.html

Go to the vatican site and do a search - "DONUM VITAE" - make sure to click "English"
http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0141/__ or click below http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDFHUMAN.HTM

What the Catechism says - 2378 is my favorite verse.
http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/reproductive-technologies.html

My Saint of the year - St. Francis Xavier

2006-08-12T18:12:00.000-04:00

I had the privilege to come a across a great tradition that we will hold in our family every year. It is the tradition of picking a saint (or rather a saint picking you) that occurs once a year particularly at the beginning of the year. For more on the "saint of the year" and how it all works please visit http://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2005/12/i-have-special-saint-for-this-year.html. The Saint that chose me this year was St.Francis Xavier who's prayer line was to "pray for children." I pray to St. Francis every day, especially to help end abortion, and my relationship with him has strengthened. My wife chose the Archangel Gabriel and it just so happens we will be blessed with another child in December. I think this is a great, easy activity that every family can do. Here is more about my saint of the year: St.Francis Xavier -

Born in the Castle of Xavier near Sanguesa, in Navarre, 7 April, 1506; died on the Island of Sancian near the coast of China, 2 December, 1552. In 1525, having completed a preliminary course of studies in his own country, Francis Xavier went to Paris, where he entered the collège de Sainte-Barbe. Here he met the Savoyard, Pierre Favre, and a warm personal friendship sprang up between them. It was at this same college that St. Ignatius Loyola, who was already planning the foundation of the Society of Jesus, resided for a time as a guest in 1529. He soon won the confidence of the two young men; first Favre and later Xavier offered themselves with him in the formation of the Society. Four others, Lainez, Salmerón, Rodríguez, and Bobadilla, having joined them, the seven made the famous vow of Montmartre, 15 Aug., 1534.
After completing his studies in Paris and filling the post of teacher there for some time, Xavier left the city with his companions 15 November, 1536, and turned his steps to Venice, where he displayed zeal and charity in attending the sick in the hospitals. On 24 June, 1537, he received Holy orders with St. Ignatius. The following year he went to Rome, and after doing apostolic work there for some months, during the spring of 1539 he took part in the conferences which St. Ignatius held with his companions to prepare for the definitive foundation of the Society of Jesus. The order was approved verbally 3 September, and before the written approbation was secured, which was not until a year later, Xavier was appointed, at the earnest solicitation of the John III, King of Portugal, to evangelize the people of the East Indies. He left Rome 16 March, 1540, and reached Lisbon about June. Here he remained nine months, giving many admirable examples of apostolic zeal.
On 7 April, 1541, he embarked in a sailing vessel for India, and after a tedious and dangerous voyage landed at Goa, 6 May, 1542. The first five months he spent in preaching and ministering to the sick in the hospitals. He would go through the streets ringing a little bell and inviting the children to hear the word of God. When he had gathered a number, he would take them to a certain church and would there explain the catechism to them. About October, 1542, he started for the pearl fisheries of the extreme southern coast of the peninsula, desirous of restoring Christanity which, although introduced years before, had almost disappeared on account of the lack of priests. He devoted almost three years to the work of preaching to the people of Western India, converting many, and reaching in his journeys even the Island of Ceylon. Many were the difficulties and hardships which Xavier had to encounter at this time, sometimes on account of the cruel persecutions which some of the petty kings of the country carried on against the neophytes, and again because the Portuguese soldiers, far from seconding the work of the saint, retarded it by their bad example and vicious habits.
In the spring of 1545 Xavier started for Malacca. He laboured there for the last months of that year, and although he reaped an abundant spiritual harvest, he was not able to root out certain abuses, and was conscious that many sinners had resisted his efforts to bring them back to God. About January, 1546, Xavier left Malacca and went to Molucca Islands, where the Portuguese had some settlements, and for a year and a half he preached the Gospel to the inhabitants of Amboyna, Ternate, Baranura, and other lesser islands which it has been difficult to identify. It is claimed by some that during this expedition he landed on the island of Mindanao, and for this reason St. Francis Xavier has been called the first Apostle of the Philippines. But although this statement is made by some writers of the seventeenth century, and in the Bull of canonization issued in 1623, it is said that he preached the Gospel in Mindanao, up to the present time it has not been proved absolutely that St. Francis Xavier ever landed in the Philippines.
By July, 1547, he was again in Malacca. Here he met a Japanese called Anger (Han-Sir), from whom he obtained much information about Japan. His zeal was at once aroused by the idea of introducing Christanity into Japan, but for the time being the affairs of the Society demanded his presence at goa, whither he went, taking Anger with him. During the six years that Xavier had been working among the infidels, other Jesuit missionaries had arrived at Goa, sent from Europe by St. Ignatius; moreover some who had been born in the country had been received into the Society. In 1548 Xavier sent these missionaries to the principal centres of India, where he had established missions, so that the work might be preserved and continued. He also established a novitiate and house of studies, and having received into the Society Father Cosme de Torres, a spanish priest whom he had met in the Maluccas, he started with him and Brother Juan Fernandez for Japan towards the end of June, 1549. The Japanese Anger, who had been baptized at Goa and given the name of Pablo de Santa Fe, accompanied them.
They landed at the city of Kagoshima in Japan, 15 Aug., 1549. The entire first year was devoted to learning the Japanese language and translating into Japanese, with the help of Pablo de Santa Fe, the principal articles of faith and short treatises which were to be employed in preaching and catechizing. When he was able to express himself, Xavier began preaching and made some converts, but these aroused the ill will of the bonzes, who had him banished from the city. Leaving Kagoshima about August, 1550, he penetrated to the centre of Japan, and preached the Gospel in some of the cities of southern Japan. Towards the end of that year he reached Meaco, then the principal city of Japan, but he was unable to make any headway here because of the dissensions the rending the country. He retraced his steps to the centre of Japan, and during 1551 preached in some important cities, forming the nucleus of several Christian communities, which in time increased with extraordinary rapidity.
After working about two years and a half in Japan he left this mission in charge of Father Cosme de Torres and Brother Juan Fernandez, and returned to Goa, arriving there at the beginning of 1552. Here domestic troubles awaited him. Certain disagreements between the superior who had been left in charge of the missions, and the rector of the college, had to be adjusted. This, however, being arranged, Xavier turned his thoughts to China, and began to plan an expedition there. During his stay in Japan he had heard much of the Celestial Empire, and though he probably had not formed a proper estimate of his extent and greatness, he nevertheless understood how wide a field it afforded for the spread of the light of the Gospel. With the help of friends he arranged a commission or embassy the Sovereign of China, obtained from the Viceroy of India the appointment of ambassador, and in April, 1552, he left Goa. At Malacca the party encountered difficulties because the influential Portuguese disapproved of the expedition, but Xavier knew how to overcome this opposition, and in the autumn he arrived in a Portuguese vessel at the small island of Sancian near the coast of China. While planning the best means for reaching the mainland, he was taken ill, and as the movement of the vessel seemed to aggravate his condition, he was removed to the land, where a rude hut had been built to shelter him. In these wretched surroundings he breathed his last.
It is truly a matter of wonder that one man in the short space of ten years (6 May, 1542 - 2 December, 1552) could have visited so many countries, traversed so many seas, preached the Gospel to so many nations, and converted so many infidels. The incomparable apostolic zeal which animated him, and the stupendous miracles which God wrought through him, explain this marvel, which has no equal elsewhere. The list of the principal miracles may be found in the Bull of canonization. St. Francis Xavier is considered the greatest missionary since the time of the Apostles, and the zeal he displayed, the wonderful miracles he performed, and the great number of souls he brought to the light of true Faith, entitle him to this distinction. He was canonized with St. Ignatius in 1622, although on account of the death of Gregory XV, the Bull of canonization was not published until the following year.
The body of the saint is still enshrined at Goa in the church which formerly belonged to the Society. In 1614 by order of Claudius Acquaviva, General of the Society of Jesus, the right arm was severed at the elbow and conveyed to Rome, where the present altar was erected to receive it in the church of the Gesu.

Confession - St. John Vianney

2006-08-09T13:56:00.000-04:00

I took this article from "A Catholics Life" blog. I feel confession is so important as St. John Vianney says in this Catechism. This is an absolutely terrific reading, I hope you like it.

"Catechism on Confession" by St. John Vianney
My children, as soon as ever you have a little spot upon your soul, you must do like a person who has a fine globe of glass, which he keeps very carefully. If this globe has a little dust on it, he wipes it with a sponge the moment he perceives it, and there is the globe clear and brilliant. In the same way, as soon as you perceive a little stain on your soul, take some holy water with respect, do one of those good works to which the remission of venial sins is attached -an alms, a genuflection to the Blessed Sacrament, hearing a Mass. My children, it is like a person who has a slight illness; he need not go and see a doctor, he may cure himself without. If he has a headache, he need only go to bed; if he is hungry, he has only to eat. But if it is a serious illness, if it is a dangerous wound, he must have the doctor; after the doctor come the remedies. In the same way, when we have fallen into any grievous sin, we must have recourse to the doctor, that is the priest; and to the remedy, that is confession.My children, we cannot comprehend the goodness of God towards us in instituting this great Sacrament of Penance. If we had had a favour to ask of Our Lord, we should never have thought of asking Him that. But He foresaw our frailty and our inconstancy in well-doing, and His love induced Him to do what we should not have dared to ask. If one said to those poor lost souls that have been so long in Hell, "We are going to place a priest at the gate of Hell: all those who wish to confess have only to go out, " do you think, my children, that a single one would remain? The most guilty would not be afraid of telling their sins, nor even of telling them before all the world. Oh, how soon Hell would be a desert, and how Heaven would be peopled! Well, we have the time and the means, which those poor lost souls have not. And I am quite sure that those wretched ones say in Hell, "O accursed priest! if I had never known you, I should not be so guilty!"It is a beautiful thought, my children, that we have a Sacrament which heals the wounds of our soul! But we must receive it with good dispositions. Otherwise we make new wounds upon the old ones. What would you say of a man covered with wounds who is advised to go to the hospital to show himself to the surgeon? The surgeon cures him by giving him remedies. But, behold! this man takes his knife, gives himself great blows with it and makes himself worse than he was before. Well, that is what you often do after leaving the confessional.My children, some people make bad confessions without taking any notice of it. These persons say, "I do not know what is the matter with me:' . . . They are tormented, and they do not know why. They have not that agility which makes one go straight to the good God; they have something heavy and weary about them which fatigues them. My children, that is because of sins that remain, often even venial sins, for which one has some affection. There are some people who, indeed, tell everything, but they have no repentance; and they go at once to Holy Communion. Thus the Blood of Our Lord is profaned! They go to the Holy Table with a sort of weariness. They say, "Yet, I accused myself of all my sins. . . I do not know what is the matter with me. " There is an unworthy Communion, and they were hardly aware of it!My children, some people again profane the Sacraments in another manner. They have concealed mortal sins for ten years, for twenty years. They are always uneasy; their sin is always present to their mind; they are always thinking of confessing it, and always putting it off; it is a Hell. When these people feel this, they will ask to make a general confession, and they will tell their sins as if they had just committed them: they will not confess that they have hidden them during ten years -- twenty years. That is a bad confession! They ought to say, besides, that they had given up the practice of their religion, that they no longer felt the pleasure they had formerly in serving the good God.My children, we run the risk again of profaning the Sacrament if we seize the moment when there is a noise round the confessional to tell the sins quickly which give us most pain. We quiet ourselves by saying, "I accused myself properly; so much the worse if the confessor did not hear. " So much the worse for you who acted cunningly! At other times we speak quickly, profiting by the moment when the priest is not very attentive to get over the great sins. Take a house which has been for a long time very dirty and neglected -- it is in vain to sweep out, there will always be a nasty smell. It is the same with our soul after confession; it requires tears to purify it. My children, we must ask earnestly for repentance. After confession, we must plant a thorn in our heart, and never lose sight of our sins. We must do as the angel did to Saint Francis of Assisi; he fixed in him five darts, which never came out again.Read more on St. John Vianney

Prayer Intentions

2006-08-08T19:28:00.000-04:00

Here is a list of prayer intentions, if you have someone that needs prayer please post a reply.

For my Aunt Janie who has been diagnosed with brain cancer.
For my Aunt Vickie who is battling cancer as well.
For all the sick, especially the little children, we pray for them that God may heal them spiritually and physically.
For all pregnant women including my wife that they may have healthy full term pregnancies.
For peace in the middle east.
For Cardinal Francis George, that he may have a speedy recovery.
That abortion may end here in America and the world.
All people discerning a call to the priesthood or religious life especially Matt (moneybags.)
For all those wanting to learn more about the Catholic Faith that they remain steadfast in their journey towards the truth.

Thank you God for everything, we ask all this in Christ our Lord, Amen.

Abortion again - Abstinance Effective

2006-08-05T01:21:00.000-04:00

I am writing this because I just cannot express enough how important it is to end abortion in America and abroad. It is one of the worst crimes if not the worst crime in human history. How can abortion be legal if it is illegal to murder a person? Abortion is the most unconstitutional thing yet how and why do people support abortion? Why havent any celebrities (except Patricia Heaton http://www.feministsforlife.org/) stepped out against abortion? I recommend picking up "voting with a clear concience" by Fr.Frank Pavone http://priestsforlife.org/ to better understand how to vote in the upcoming elections. Once again I feel it is so important to teach kids the importance of abstinance untill marriage. Abstinance needs to be respected with the youth and not made fun of. Giving away condoms and birth controll at schools and teaching these things is sending the wrong message to kids. Over 50% of abortions happen when contraception is misused. I hope and pray that this country and the world may hold onto abstinance like child holds onto his teddy bear that we may see a time where abortion and contraception are no longer existent. God Bless!

Abstinance Works - http://cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=37806

Daily Bible Search - Heaven

2006-07-30T00:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I heard a great homily by Father Larry Richards which was titled, "How to read the Bible." One part of his talk he stated an excercise he does every day where he first prays and then listens to God by taking a firm grip on the Bible, opens the bible to a random verse, writes the verse down and puts it in his shirt pocket, the pocket close to his heart. Father Larry talked alot more in this homily that I'm not going to get into but I really liked the idea Father Larry had so I decided to do it myself. Today I opened the Bible and came across a verse that said something like what God has in heaven no human hands have made. And it just got me thinking how great heaven must be. I once heard a homily where the priest said heaven is like the dessert after a terrific meal. But everyday do we really stop and think what greatness God has in store for us? In heaven there is no sin so it has to be an unimaginable. The CCC states refering to the Our Father - 2802 "Who art in heaven" does not refer to a place but to God's majesty and his presence in the hearts of the just. Heaven, the Father's house, is the true homeland toward which we are heading and to which, already, we belong. The CCC also states 1025 To live in heaven is "to be with Christ." The elect live "in Christ," but they retain, or rather find, their true identity, their own name. For life is to be with Christ; where Christ is, there is life, there is the kingdom." Wow what great verses. To live in heaven is to be with Christ. Amen and God Bless you all!

PS - Father Larry is on Relevant Radio weekdays at 7pm.

I love grandparents.

2006-07-28T01:16:00.000-04:00

Just Tuesday it was the feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne who were Mary's parents and Jesus grandparents. I love grandparents. I believe they are such an essential part of the family and should never be left out of the family circle. Most of my grandparents have passed away so today I would like to say a prayer to them and all grandparents with us or departed, that God may continue to bless them and keep them close to Him. Here is a great writing that I think you may enjoy.

Beatitudes For The Aged
by Ester Mary Walker

Blessed are they Who understand My faltering step And palsied hand.
Blessed are they Who know today My ears must strain To catch what they say.
Blessed are they Who seem to know My eyes are dim and my wits are slow.
Blessed are they That looked away When coffee spilled At the table today.
Blessed are they With a cheery smile Who stop to chat For a little while.
Blessed are they Who never say,"You've told me that story Twice today."
Blessed are they Who know the ways To bring back memories Of yesterdays.
Blessed are they Who make it knownThat I'm loved, respected,And not alone.
Blessed are they Who know I'm at a loss To find the strength To carry the cross.
Blessed are they Who ease the days On my journey Home In loving ways.

Pray to St. Catherine of Sweden to end abortion.

2006-07-23T23:06:00.000-04:00

St. Catherine of Sweden is our patron saint against abortion and miscarriage. I hope that she is prayed upon each day as we ask her to pray for us that abortion ends and that expecting mothers may have healthy children. We love you St. Catherine of Sweden and we thank you for all that you have done and continue to do. For more on St. Catherine check out - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03448a.htm
God Bless, have a nice day - Matt

St.Mary Magdalene

2006-07-22T23:52:00.000-04:00

Today feast day of St. Mary Magdalene. Here is a prayer from ewtn's site honoring this great saint:

PRAYER TO SAINT MARY MAGDALENE
Saint Mary Magdalene,woman of many sins, who by conversion became the beloved of Jesus,thank you for your witnessthat Jesus forgives through the miracle of love.
You, who already possess eternal happinessin His glorious presence,please intercede for me, so that some dayI may share in the same everlasting joy.
Amen.

Also you can find out more about St. Mary Magdalene @ one of my favorite bloggers -http://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/ or learn more about the truth about Mary Magdalene in the Da Vinci Code -http://www.catholic.com/library/cracking_da_vinci_code.asp

Thanks have a nice day, God Bless - Matt

Love

2006-07-21T01:43:00.000-04:00

Earlier today when I was driving to the store I heard a homily by Fr.Larry Richards on Relevant Radio where he said how important it is to love. He asked his audience to ask family members "Am I a loving person?" He stated that in heaven you must be a loving person, and with God perfecting us for heaven, I believe it is so true.

When I am at work, on my breaks of course, I sometimes go to St.Peter's Church, a gorgeous Franciscan Church in the Downtown Chicago area. On my way out of the church I usually pick up a bulletin which usually has great article or two on Scripture and Church Teachings. The bulletin that really caught my attention was one about love. One of the Priests there, sorry I will put on his name when I get a chance, wrote this article about love. He said we should do things in love. What caught my attention was when he gave an examlpe of putting in a full day of work to make your boss happy because you want to love your boss. Do we really think of things like this at work? Or do we just do the job because its our duty and we get paid for it or do we do it for love? Do we help clean the house because its our duty or our because our wives said so, or do we do it becuase we love our wives, and we love God and want to take care of what God has given us?

Fr. Corapi had an interesting take on love when he explained to a couple getting married what true love is, not just feelings of love. He said true love is wanting what is best for the beloved. He said if you want whats best for the beloved you want them to go to heaven. You want heaven for them. I couldnt say it any better. God Bless you all!

Evils of Contraception

2006-07-19T09:44:00.000-04:00

With this new contraception stick that is coming out on the market in America soon I figured this would be a good time to address the evils of contraception. It is quite clear that contraception and abortion are linked together since they are both against life. One way to help halt abortion is to teach about the evils of contraception. It needs to be taught that the "morning after pill" is a contraceptive method that can cause a chemical abortion after fertilization. What many people don't understand is that life starts at conception. With this in mind it is key that we support the smallest and defenceless individuals no matter one day or three weeks after conception.

Teaching abstinace untill marriage and chastity in place of contraception are keys to ending "the culture of death." Also, contraception hurts the married couple. The Catechism states (2370) that when contracepting the husband and wife are not totally, and I stress "totally" giving one self to the other. The use of natural family planning in line with The Church is offered to the married couple. I hope and pray that one day the contraceptive mentallity will be absent from this country and abroad so that we and our children may be able to live more free, for freedom is not to choose whatever we want, but to choose to do what is good. God Bless You All! - Matt

Prayer for aborted babies.

2006-07-18T10:03:00.000-04:00

I think it is so important to pray not only to end abortion but also for the aborted babies. Abortion is one of the worst tragedies of our time. I hope and pray and have confidence that abortion will come to an end in America and abroad.

Prayer for Aborted Babies:
Heavenly Father, Thou hast given us the gift of freedom to love and to follow in Thy ways and commands. Some parents choose to abuse this freedom by destroying the gift of life which Thou hast given to their offspring. Please forgive those who destroy human life by aborting their unborn babies. Give these unborn children the opportunity to enjoy Thee for all eternity, if it according to Thy ordinance. Assist me in being one in solidarity with Thy little ones by taking to heart the words of Thy Son, "whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me." (Mt. 25:40) Therefore, allow me today, Father, to adopt spiritually an unborn child and to offer my prayers, works, joys and sufferings for that little one, so that child will be able to be born and live for Thy greater honor and glory. We pray this in Jesus' name, in union with the Holy Spirit one God forever and ever. Amen.

Why "Christ The Center of Your Life?"

2006-07-17T00:59:00.000-04:00

I'd like to explain in this blog why I chose "Christ The Center of Your Life" as the title of my Catholic blog. A few months back, during the lenten season, I had a chance to listen to a talk at my own parish given by Father Robert Barron titled "Christ The Center of Your Life." In this talk Father Barron gave very vivid explinations of cathedrals that he visited. He talked about a Cathedral in France, I believe it was the Notre Dame Cathedral (above), where there is a beautifull stained glass work where Christ is at the center cirlce and there are all these numerous little cirlce pictures surrounding Christ. That is exactly what our lives are all about. No matter what is on the outside of that circle: your dreams, your fears, family, your finances, your ups, your downs and even your very own life -is all centered around the person of Jesus Christ. He is the master, he is the center, he is God. No matter rich or poor, working your way up, or if your on the bottom, there is one steadypoint and that is Christ the King. But remember that it isnt only Christ teachings, for if he was just a teacher he would not be a savior. It is the person of Jesus Christ that is first and foremost and that gives happiness and comfort that nothing of the world can give. In Father Barron's talk he went on to explain thats what the Saints had, they had Christ, they had this illumination to them, this glow. And thats what all of us are called to be - Saints so that we may illuminate the world as replicas of Christ. This is what we as Catholics evangelize. We evangelize the person of Jesus Christ to others. May Jesus bless you all from head to toe! Matt

What to expect on my Blogs.

2006-07-15T23:08:00.000-04:00

Christ The Center of Your Life will be a Catholic Blog discussing Jesus Christ and the Catholic Faith. I will try my best to post blogs of the Catholic faith that range anywhere from "Abortion and why it is hurting America," to "Why Catholics pray to Saints." I will post a list of good Catholic websites and a list of other bloggers that you may like. If there is some way to get a prayer list on this site I would like to do that as well. Well I hope you enjoy this site and as always I hope The Lord Jesus Christ may bless you from head to toe! Take Care, Matt