18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Is 55:1-3
Ps 148:8-9, 15-16, 17-18
Rm 8:35, 37-39
Mt 14:13-21

Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, with the “Sunday Soundbite” for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

My inner-city parish sponsors a soup kitchen, and the time I spend there is always a holy time. It’s holy because of the presence of Christ in both our guests who come for meals and in the volunteers and staff who serve them. The fact that this ministry revolves around food recalls for me the scene in today’s Gospel.

There, Jesus feeds a large crowd in a deserted place. When Matthew’s community heard this story, what connections would they have made? Perhaps they recalled the Hebrew Scriptures, where God fed the people of Israel in the desert. Perhaps those early Christians thought of their own situation, and of their obligation to feed those in need. And surely they imagined the heavenly banquet, at the end of time.

But I suspect this story also reminded them of their Sunday Eucharist. The language Matthew uses to describe what Jesus does—blessing, breaking and giving bread—recalls a similar description of the actions of Christ at the Last Supper.

For me, and for my parishioners—all those connections are present in our soup kitchen ministry: our link with our Scriptural tradition, our hope for the banquet feast of heaven, and especially the Eucharist. Our Sunday Mass nourishes us, prepares us, obliges us, even, to feed the hungry who wander in our urban desert, seeking nourishment and healing.

Scripture:

•Thus says the LORD: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! (Isaiah 55:1a)

•Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? (Isaiah 55:2a)

•Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! (Isaiah 55:1c)

•What will separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:35a)

•Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? (Romans 8:35b)

•No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

•Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” (Matthew 14:16)

Reflection:

We will be catholic—the accepting, welcoming church for everyone, not just an exclusive, elite few. There is a special pride that comes from being part of the exclusive, the elite, the prime.

But to be catholic means to find another joy: the pleasure of accepting and welcoming the poor, the blind, the stumbling, the crippled, the imperfect, the confused, the mistaken, and the different. It doesn’t mean that we lower our standards of authentic discipleship, rather that we raise our standards to Christ-like acceptance.

Then one day, when he was on his way home, he met a leper on the road. Francis had always feared lepers and was nauseated by even the sight of them. But when he saw this leper, he realized that he had been able to pray in the cave because God had drawn near to him for embracing those whom others had rejected and who he himself had previously found repulsive.

And so he jumped off his horse, went over to the leper and not only gave him money, but embraced him. And when the young Francis turned to leave, he looked back and there was no one on the road. Francis knew that once again he had embraced Christ; and because he had, he would continue to be able to hear Christ in prayer.

What We Are Called to Do:

It is not easy to distinguish between what we are called to do and doing what we want to do. Our many wants can easily distract us from our true action.…Whether we work in an office, travel the world, write books or make films, care for the poor, offer leadership, or fulfill unspectacular tasks, the question is not “What do I most want?” but “What is my vocation?”

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If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity.

- St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)

What Then?

That cause can never be lost nor stayed which takes the course of what God has made;and is not trusting in walls and towers,but slowly growing from seeds to flowers.

Each noble service that has been wrought was first conceived as a fruitful thought;each worthy cause with a future gloriousby quietly growing becomes victorious.

Thereby itself like a tree it shows:that high it reaches, as deep it grows;and when the storms are its branches shaking,it deeper root in the soil is taking.

Be then no more by a storm dismayed,for by it the full grown seeds are laid;and though the tree by its might it shatters,what then, if thousands of seeds it scatters?

Why are Catholic and Protestant Bibles different?

This question raises the issue of the biblical canon. Originally, a canon (from the Greek kanon) meant a rod or stick that one used to measure length, and hence a criterion or standard.

Catholics and Protestants accept the same 27 inspired books as making up the New Testament. But when we turn to the Old Testament, some significant differences emerge.

The decision finally determining the exact number of books accepted as inspired Scripture for Catholics was not made until the Council of Trent in 1546. The Council fathers accepted 46 Old Testament books, following what appeared to them as a firm tradition of the Church from ancient times. The leaders of the Protestant Reformation, on the other hand, rejected some books agreed upon at Trent.

The seven disputed books are: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch and 1 and 2 Maccabees. There are also some sections of Esther and Daniel not considered inspired Scriptures by Protestants. Protestants call these seven books the apocryphal books. Catholics, however, call these same disputed books deuterocanonical.

Fortunately, today, modern translations of the Bible are published in Catholic editions. These translations will include an imprimatur (assurance of a Catholic bishop that the text is in line with Catholic teaching) and the seven deuterocanonical books.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

The Eucharist:

Merciful Jesus, how can I thank you enough for the immense humility of your Eucharist? I give myself body, blood, soul and humanity to you, as you give me your body, blood, soul and divinity. You make me a living tabernacle; you receive even my flesh into your own dwelling place.

God Is Always Near:

Sin may separate us from God, but it does not stop God from coming close to us. The separation sin causes is, at it were, on our side; but God is always near for those who wish to close the separation—that is, to repent. That is why Jesus calls the sinner.

Resurrection:

If the Truth of the Resurrection touches our hearts deeply, then our lives will be totally transformed. This means that we will no longer fear death and suffering. Our consolation will give us a deep faith that will help us “to begin to see and live in eternity in the here and now!”

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No one of you should say, "Blessed are they who have deserved to receive Christ into their homes!" Do not grieve or complain that you were born in a time when you can no longer see God in the flesh. He did not in fact take this privilege from you. As he says, "Whatever you have done to the least of my brothers, you did to me."

- St. Augustine (from a sermon on Martha and Mary)

A gentle maiden having lodged a God in her womb, asks as its price, peace for the world, salvation for those who are lost, and life for the dead.

- St. Peter Chrysologus (406-450)

What was it like to be Jewish in first-century Palestine?

Judaism was not just one monolithic religion but was quite pluralistic. The three main sects within Judaism were the Sadducees, Pharisees and Essenes. All three groups had different interpretations of the Law.

The Sadducees, the priestly aristocracy, accepted the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, but rejected the authority of the Prophets and the Writings, the other divisions of the sacred Scriptures recognized at that time. They laid particular store by Temple worship, where the sacrificial system was seen as a means of atoning for sins both individual and communal. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead and seem to have felt that God gave out all rewards in this life.

The historian Josephus tells us that the Sadducees found their adherents primarily among the wealthy and not among the ordinary people.

The Essenes strongly disagreed with the Sadducees. They were strict observers of the Law, and they disapproved of Temple worship and no longer offered sacrifice, but practiced ritual bathing as a way to forgive sins. They were mostly celibate but had many adherents who were married and lived out in various towns. There were groups of them at Bethany (home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus). They had a community at Qumran and at Mount Zion (believed by many to be the place where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper). They used a different calendar than the other groups. Theirs had 364 days and they celebrated the Passover feast always on a Tuesday night. Documents found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran suggest that the Essenes were expecting two Messiahs, a priestly one and a prophet.

The Pharisees were the "separate ones," scrupulous observers of the Law. Their enthusiasm was such that they surrounded the basic laws of the Torah (613 of them) with still other laws in order to safeguard it. As much emphasis was put on oral law as on written. One could scarcely move without infringing on the law in some way or other. They were looking for a Messiah who would bring complete reform, politically and religiously.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Spirit of Fortitude and Vigilance:

Merciful Jesus, you willingly shared in the thick of humanity’s battle against the power of evil. You conquered its works forever by the victory of your Cross. Grant me the Spirit of fortitude and vigilance in the midst of life’s trials, that I may trust and know that your grace is enough for me.

Live – Responsibly:

We are all called to witness to God’s Truth and Love. This is not so “difficult” if our hearts allow God’s strength to sustain us and His Spirit to direct us. Our focus in witnessing should be, “How can we love God more.” To love God is to live responsibly and to witness powerfully.

Joy Unspeakable:


There is a life, though the world comprehends it not. It has a body without defect, want, misery, anger, or death. The Holy Spirit is its air and spirit, and it is filled with love and joy. This life has been from eternity, rising up and blossoming. It is not of this earth, but of another substance—eternal life.

To all you who are in the process of birth: may each of you be strengthened and bud in the life of God, and grow, and bear fruit on the Tree of Paradise—may each branch and twig shelter all the others, that this tree may become a great tree. Then shall we all be filled with joy unspeakable, and glory.

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To believe firmly and to keep silent is not possible.

- St. Pedro Poveda Castroverde (1874-1936)

Why is the Holy Spirit sometimes called the "Paraclete?"

Literally the Greek word parakletos means "one called alongside," particularly one called to help in a legal situation: a defense attorney. A forensic or courtroom atmosphere can be seen in words like "Advocate" and "Counsellor," also used to translate parakletos.

Actually there is a legal tone to some of what Jesus in John says about the Paraclete; yet the picture is more exactly that of a prosecuting attorney. Jesus is going to die on a cross—in the eyes of the world judged guilty and convicted. Yet after his death, the Paraclete will come and reverse the sentence by convicting the world and proving Jesus' innocence (16:8-11). He will show that Jesus did not sin; rather the world sinned by not believing in him. He is the one who is just or righteous, as shown by the fact that he is not in the grave but with the Father.

The judgment by his enemies in putting him to death did not defeat him; ironically it defeated his great adversary, the Satanic Prince of this world.

Sometimes those who are suffering or lonely need to call in someone to console and comfort them. This aspect of the Paraclete is caught by the translation "Comforter" or "Consoler". In the context of the Last Supper Jesus' disciples are sorrowful because he is departing; the promise that someone just like Jesus is coming to take his place is consoling.

Nevertheless, the Jesus of the Last Supper who prepares his disciples for the coming of the Spirit is also realistic. The world will hate the disciples who have received the Spirit of Truth (15:18~9) that the world cannot accept because it neither sees nor recognizes that Spirit (14:17).
Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Exalt the Cross:

We must exalt the Cross more than ever today in our homes, schools, universities, workplaces and recreational facilities, because the Cross speaks of fidelity unto death. It speaks of the extremity of God’s love, which is the love that we need to sustain our own love—in marriage, in the family, in the Church, in society. The Cross speaks of persevering patience, unconditional forgiveness, limitless compassion.

Life - Precious:

Our life has no value if there is no destination and no purpose. It is like having a bow and arrow without any target. Life is to be lived to the full. Only God’s love can fill our hearts with the joy and meaning that overflows into eternity. Value life. Live in God’s ways.

They Whose Souls Burn:

I look not only at tongue and speech;I look at the spirit and the inward feeling.I look into the heart to see whether it be lowly...

Enough of phrases and conceits and metaphors!I want burning, burning...

Light up a fire of love in thy soul,Burn all thought and expression away!
Moses, they that know the conventions are of one sort;They whose souls burn are of another.

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We do not have to talk very much in order to pray well. We know that God is there in His holy tabernacle; let us open our hearts to Him; let us rejoice in His Presence: This is the best prayer.

- St. John Vianney

Sts. Joachim and Ann

In the Scriptures, Matthew and Luke furnish a legal family history of Jesus, tracing ancestry to show that Jesus is the culmination of great promises. Not only is his mother’s family neglected, we also know nothing factual about them except that they existed. Even the names Joachim and Ann come from a legendary source written more than a century after Jesus died.

The heroism and holiness of these people, however, is inferred from the whole family atmosphere around Mary in the Scriptures. Whether we rely on the legends about Mary’s childhood or make guesses from the information in the Bible, we see in her a fulfillment of many generations of prayerful persons, herself steeped in the religious traditions of her people.

The strong character of Mary in making decisions, her continuous practice of prayer, her devotion to the laws of her faith, her steadiness at moments of crisis, and her devotion to her relatives—all indicate a close-knit, loving family that looked forward to the next generation even while retaining the best of the past.

Joachim and Ann—whether these are their real names or not—represent that entire quiet series of generations who faithfully perform their duties, practice their faith and establish an atmosphere for the coming of the Messiah, but remain obscure.

Comment:

This is the “feast of grandparents.” It reminds grandparents of their responsibility to establish a tone for generations to come: They must make the traditions live and offer them as a promise to little children. But the feast has a message for the younger generation as well. It reminds the young that older people’s greater perspective, depth of experience and appreciation of life’s profound rhythms are all part of a wisdom not to be taken lightly or ignored.

Quote:

“...[T]he family is the foundation of society. In it the various generations come together and help one another to grow wise and to harmonize personal rights with the other requirements of social life” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 52).

How do we know what's true in the Bible?

One way to safeguard against misunderstanding the intent of an author is to determine the kind of writing the author has chosen to use. Any piece of writing has a particular literary form: poetry, prose, fiction, essay, letter, historical account and so on. This is as true of the biblical books as of any piece of contemporary writing.

If we misunderstand an author's literary form, we will misunderstand what the author intends to say. In order to understand what we are reading, then, we have to make allowances for the form and change our expectations accordingly.

Now let's look at how literary form functions in the Bible. One of the inspired biblical authors—the author of the Book of Job—has written in the form of a debate. This literary form demands that you be as persuasive as possible on both sides of an issue. If you write on the side you agree with persuasively and the side you disagree with poorly, you have not written a good debate.
Now, if you did not know that the Book of Job is a debate, in which some of the characters argue persuasively for the point of view with which the author disagrees, you might read an isolated passage and conclude that the book teaches the opposite of what the author intended to teach. You might think that the friends are teaching a valid message about suffering.

If we look at the book as a whole, we discover that the author places the truth he is teaching not on the lips of Job's friends but on the lips of God.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Being Catholic:

Being Catholic…means engaging ourselves courageously, in mind, will and body, in the work of Christ. This work is to unite all things in Christ and so bring everything to the fullness for which it was created.

Truth - Faith:

The truth of God’s presence, love and compassion is all around us. Yet, often we do not “see” and “hear” Him daily. We need “eyes and ears of faith” to find Him in our daily experiences. Without faith in God our hearts will be too full of ourselves to “see” and “sense” Him.

Living in the Shadow:

To live with the conscious knowledge of the shadow of uncertainty, with the knowledge that disaster or tragedy could strike at any time; to be afraid and to know and acknowledge your fear, and still to live creatively and with unstinting love: that is to live with grace.

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Faith is the unshaken stance of the soul and is unmoved by any adversity. The believing person is not one who thinks God can do all things, but one who trusts that he will obtain everything. Faith is the agent of things unhoped for.

- St. John Climacus on the Feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne (First Century)

Where does the Bible come from?

We think of the Bible as one book—and a big, formidable book at that! Someone might approach it like a novel. But setting out to read the Bible is more like trying to get through all the books in your local library. In fact, the word bible literally means "little library." Our Bible has many different kinds of writings between its covers, including prayers, genealogies, histories, poetry, letters, short stories, love songs and so on.

The Bible contains the records of four thousand years of Judeo-Christian culture. Even before writing materials were invented, the many stories included in our Bible were handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. We call this "oral tradition."

As time passed, the ancient Israelites began to commit their community's stories to writing. The earliest written stories told about the deeds of the kings. The people also began to write down their songs (psalms) as far back as the tenth century B.C.E. (Before Common Era). But most stories were written down between the fifth and the third century B.C.E.

I can't think of a better time for you to begin reading the Bible than right now. Pick it up, dust it off if you have to, and turn to the Gospel of Mark. Once you've started, just keep going. The cover will soon lose its gloss, it may become tattered and you will learn the truth of another old saying: "Bibles that are falling apart usually belong to people who aren't."

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Come in Glory:

Merciful Jesus, help me to see how every choice of the good and every rejection of evil is an act of dying that will lead to resurrection. By such acts may our Church proclaim your death until you come in glory and draw to yourself all those who have longed for your coming.

Selfless - Service:

To serve God fully out of love is never easy. Our impure motives tend to look for attention and affirmation which distract us from our deep desires for genuine services. Never be discouraged; no one is perfect; try to focus on loving God in whatever you do, think and say.

Never Too Late:

It is never too late to give up our fears and prejudices. No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof. What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true today may turn out to be falsehood tomorrow, mere smoke of opinion, which some had trusted for a cloud that would sprinkle rain on their fields. What other people say you cannot do, you try and find that you can. Old deeds for old people, and new deeds for new.

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When it's God Who is speaking ... the proper way to behave is to imitate someone who has an irresistible curiosity and who listens at keyholes. You must listen to everything God says at the keyhole of your heart.

- St. John Vianney

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12
Ps 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130
Rm 8:28-30
Mt 13:44-52

Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, with the “Sunday Soundbite” for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Are you a collector? I’ve collected stamps from childhood, although I’ve never had enough money to do it seriously. And, I love books, and have a few small collections of titles by certain authors or on certain subjects. My Franciscan vow of poverty makes it difficult to have the kind of intense zeal for either of those two kinds of collecting—or any other—that matches the kind of intensity described by Jesus in today’s Gospel.

There, our Lord gives us two parables of the Kingdom: Someone who finds a treasure in a field, and sells all that he has to obtain the field—and the treasure; and a merchant searching for fine pearls, who finds the legendary pearl of great price, and, like the first discoverer, sells all that he has to buy the pearl.

I must confess that it isn’t lack of money that usually keeps me from being as intense about the Kingdom of God as Jesus proposes. Rather, it’s my humanness—sin, fear, self-doubt, laziness, distraction by other goals and treasures of a lesser value—all the substitutes I allow to preoccupy my efforts, when I should be as intense about the kingdom as the two characters in today’s Gospel parables.

How about you? What’s distracting you from the Kingdom? Let’s pray together for the conversion we need to give it our all!

Scripture:

•“…Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:9)

•We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

•When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. (Matthew 14:46)

Reflection:

•What gift would you give all to possess?

•Why is a heart (and not the mind) able to judge right from wrong?

•In all that you do, are you called to do the will of God?What does it profit you to give God one thing if He asks of you another? Consider what it is God wants, and then do it.

Remember Me!

Merciful Jesus, remember me! In remembering you I am remembered by you, so let the thought of you be ever on my mind and in my heart. Although the crime of sin hardens my heart to you, from the depths of my heart…let me remember you and the Father’s house.

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In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, always testify to the cure of your soul and not your cure from pain. Carry your pain in silence for the Glory of God. Listen and pray. Through the Rosary, you overcome your enemies and the wicked will leave you alone. Through confession and communion you protect your bodies. Through your love, work and prayers, you protect your souls -- so do not let anyone lead you astray.

- St. Sharbel of Makhalouf (1828-1898)

What's the big deal about physician-assisted suicide?

Physicians and other caregivers have the obligation to maintain life and to relieve pain. These two duties, however, may come into conflict when caring for someone who is dying.

Proponents of physician-assisted suicide at times argue that their initiatives are the only way to protect the dying from severe and intractable pain. It is true, too, that public opinion polls reveal that many people who favor assisted suicide do so because they do not want to endure a physically painful death. Quite understandably, people want to make the last steps in life without pain.

It is important to point out that the effective treatment of pain guarantees that no one will suffer a painful death. Health-care providers must make every effort to ensure that the available medications to eliminate or control pain are provided to a patient.

From a moral perspective, a physician may responsibly administer medications to control or alleviate pain even when doing so may hasten death. The physician’s intention is not to kill the patient but to relieve pain effectively with the medicines available.

"True compassion leads to sharing another's pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear." --Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life, 66*

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

A Disciple’s Prayer:

O Lord Jesus Christ, Savior and Redeemer, show me the real way to be your follower. Give me the wisdom and humility to learn from your words and from the church which you left after raising up disciples in your own name.

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True wisdom, then, consists in works, not in great talents, which the world admires; for the wise in the world's estimation ... are the foolish who set at naught the will of God and know not how to control their passions.

- St. Bridget of Sweden (1304-1373)

St. Mary Magdalene

Except for the mother of Jesus, few women are more honored in the Bible than Mary Magdalene. Yet she could well be the patron of the slandered, since there has been a persistent legend in the Church that she is the unnamed sinful woman who anointed the feet of Jesus in Luke 7:36-50.

Most Scripture scholars today point out that there is no scriptural basis for confusing the two women. Mary Magdalene, that is, “of Magdala,” was the one from whom Christ cast out “seven demons” (Luke 8:2)—an indication, at the worst, of extreme demonic possession or, possibly, severe illness.

Father W.J. Harrington, O.P., writing in the New Catholic Commentary, says that “seven demons” “does not mean that Mary had lived an immoral life—a conclusion reached only by means of a mistaken identification with the anonymous woman of Luke 7:36.” Father Edward Mally, S.J., writing in the Jerome Biblical Commentary, agrees that she “is not...the same as the sinner of Luke 7:37, despite the later Western romantic tradition about her.”

Mary Magdalene was one of the many “who were assisting them [Jesus and the Twelve] out of their means.” She was one of those who stood by the cross of Jesus with his mother. And, of all the “official” witnesses that might have been chosen for the first awareness of the Resurrection, she was the one to whom that privilege was given.

Comment:

Mary Magdalene has been smiling at her “mistaken identity” for almost 20 centuries. Yet she would no doubt insist that it makes no difference. We are all sinners in need of the saving power of God, whether our sins have been lurid or not. More importantly, we are all, with her, “unofficial” witnesses of the Resurrection.

How can the Holy Spirit's gifts influence my life?

1. Wisdom

Wisdom listens to people with more experience. Sometimes it weighs all the evidence and makes a different decision, but wisdom listens first.

2. Understanding

The gift of understanding helps you to really hear what another person is saying. Sometimes that's all that is needed.

3. Right Judgment (a.k.a. Counsel)

The gift of right judgment assists you to weigh all the alternatives and consequences, to consider all you have been taught by your parents and responsible adults, and to pray for guidance.

4. Courage

Acting on your judgments requires—you guessed it—courage. Are there any situations in school that are getting out of hand? Maybe you can exercise your gift of courage by organizing a group that tries to solve the problem.

5. Knowledge

A person demonstrating the gift of knowledge doesn't take things at face value, but looks for the reasons and the results. Such a person could also ask the Holy Spirit's help in dealing with the things that don't make sense right now.

6. Fear of the Lord (a.k.a. Awe and Wonder)

God inspires us with awe all the time. We are created in the divine image. That doesn't mean we look like God, but it means that we have a spiritual dimension, and we can ask that awesome Holy Spirit to fill us with all the gifts that we need to live according to God's will.

7. Piety (a.k.a. Reverence)

Reverence means respecting God and God's creation. People who neglect the gift of faith or reverence don't see God's hand work in creation.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Inherit the Earth:

Scripture says that the meek will inherit the earth. Such a promise strikes our ears as rather grandiose, like hyperbole or grand overstatement. It obviously does not mean the earth in which we live; it means the heavenly world. Our reward for meekness involves spiritual realms, blessings that will last forever.

Faith – Ordinary:

God is present in the ordinariness of our daily living. Thus, when you relate to your spouse, mother, children, stranger, you are also relating to God as He is present in all of them. Our love for God will grow deeper if we become more conscious of living this truth daily.

Worse Than No Christianity:

Discipleship means complete dedication. It demands everything - the whole heart, the whole mind, and the whole of life, including one's time, energy, and property - for the cause of love. Half-hearted Christianity is worse than no Christianity.

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We should reflect on Mary Magdalene's attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found, and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tell us: "Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved.

- Pope St. Gregory the Great (from an Easter Homily reflecting on Mary Magdalene)

Through the Tiniest Atom

If we become completely whole-hearted we will have love for all people and will seek in each person what is most holy, what God has inspired in him or her. And only then will there be no danger of softening or twisting our witness.

Why? Because the capacity of our faith will no longer be narrow. If we are not broadhearted, we have not yet grasped the meaning of faith. We must always be ready to be newly led in our faith, even through the tiniest atom of godliness we find in others.

It is that which leads us to the kingdom of God. We affirm that there is something of God in all people - something of the light. It may only gleam now, but it will eventually lead to complete illumination.

Why do Sunday Masses stress community so much?

We come on the Lord's Day to the table of the Eucharist because we have been through the waters of Baptism. Because we died to our old selves and became alive in Christ, we gather on Sunday, not as isolated persons, but as the Church, with its diversity of cultures, languages and races.

This is difficult for those accustomed to think of themselves as autonomous individuals--workers, tax-payers, citizens. But here, the liturgy is celebrated by the assembled Church. Cultivate, then, your deep awareness that it is not so many individuals who are standing here singing, but the Church.

It is not individuals who are coming forward to the table, but the Church. It is not even individuals who are going forth to live by the word they have listened to and the Body and Blood of Christ they have eaten and tasted. It is the Church going forth as a leaven in the midst of the world God loves.

We are here not to make our own prayer while each other person in the church at the same time makes his or her own prayer. We are baptized people standing with other baptized people. Our thanksgiving is in the Church’s thanksgiving. Our attention to God’s word is in the assembly’s attention. Our intercession is in the Church’s intercession. The mystery of our transfiguration in Christ is in the whole body of baptized people transfigured (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1136-1141).

At liturgy we never close out the larger world. The liturgy shows us gospel living and how to be in the world. Catholic morality, how we deal in justice and charity day by day with great and small matters, is to be encountered and uncovered from our active participation in the liturgy.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Gift of Reverence:

O Holy Spirit, give me your gift of reverence that I may always pass through life in a certain silent awe, knowing that you will have passed over the darkness and emptiness of the void and called it to life and that you call me to a more loving life in this world and to eternity in the next.

Jesus – Parables:

Jesus spoke in parables so that everyone could understand the Good News of Salvation clearly. God continues to reach out to us daily in so many ways and through so many people. Are we the ones, whom Jesus said, who have eyes that see, and ears that hear? Be in tuned and in touched with God always.

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God is love, and all his operations proceed from love. Once he wills to manifest that goodness by sharing his love outside himself, then the Incarnation becomes the supreme manifestation of his goodness and love and glory.

- Saint Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619)

Why do Catholics need to dialogue with the major world religions?

The immediate purpose of dialogue is not to convert them to Christianity but to begin to learn about them and the role that their faith plays in their lives, just as Christianity does in our own. The dawn of the new millennium is the ideal moment to call on the Holy Spirit to help us all come together in a common dialogue that highlights the ways in which we are alike rather than those in which we differ.

In exploring the five major religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity) in my course at Georgetown University, my purpose is not to view world religions through a Christian lens as such but to help my students look at followers of major religious traditions as persons of faith who are open to dialogue. Giving students the freedom to articulate their understandings while providing them with a foundation upon which to base their explorations usually results in not a diminishment, but a strengthening of their faith. They learn more about themselves and are better able to understand the role different religions have played and continue to play in the growth and development of the U.S.

The class is an effort to live up to the mandate of Vatican II to engage in interreligious dialogue that promotes greater harmony and understanding among the many peoples and nations of this rapidly shrinking world. Today, as we prepare to welcome a new millennium, dialogue also addresses the hopes outlined by Pope John Paul 11: "...The eve of the Year 2000 will provide a great opportunity, especially in view of the events of recent decades, for interreligious dialogue....ln this dialogue the Jews and Muslims ought to have a pre-eminent place" (The Coming Third Millennium).


Click here to read a full article on this topic.

If I were to die within a few hours, I would do nothing more than I do now. For now I am actually giving to God all that I have. I cannot give more unless God in his mercy bestows it on me.

- Venerable Gregroy Lopez (1542-1596)

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Pain and Suffering:

My Redeemer—your Redeemer—has the right to be called that because he suffered with us as well as for us. God could have saved us in some simpler, less terrible way than subjecting himself to the worst that human beings could do, but he wanted us to know how much he loved us when we are in pain and suffering.

Faith – Response:

The depth of our faith depends on our personal response to God’s daily invitation to love Him in return. If we allow God to enter more fully into our lives, then the challenges we face will never overwhelm us, regardless of how frequent or painful they may be.

Fed Up:

You are fed up with words, and I don't blame you. I am nauseated by them sometimes. I am also, to tell the truth, nauseated by ideals and with causes. This sounds like heresy, but I think you will understand what I mean.

It is so easy to get engrossed with ideas and slogans and myths that in the end one is left holding the bag, empty, with no trace of meaning left in it. And then the temptation is to yell louder than ever in order to make the meaning be there again by magic. Going through this kind of reaction helps you to guard against this. Your system is complaining of too much verbalizing, and it is right...

The big results are not in your hands or mine, but they suddenly happen, and we can share in them; but there is no point in building our lives on this personal satisfaction, which may be denied us and which after all is not that important.

Why do Catholics go to Mass on Sunday?

Sunday is a celebration of the living presence of the Risen Lord in the midst of his own people.
For this presence to be properly proclaimed and lived, it is not enough that the disciples of Christ pray individually and commemorate the death and Resurrection of Christ inwardly, in the secrecy of their hearts. Those who have received the grace of Baptism are not saved as individuals alone, but as members of the Mystical Body, having become part of the People of God.

It is important therefore that they come together to express fully the very identity of the Church, the ekklesia, the assembly called together by the Risen Lord who offered his life "to reunite the scattered children of God" (Jn 11:52). They have become "one" in Christ (cf. Gal 3:28) through the gift of the Spirit.

This ecclesial dimension intrinsic to the Eucharist is realized in every Eucharistic celebration. But it is expressed most especially on the day when the whole community comes together to commemorate the Lord's Resurrection.

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Let Me Welcome You:

Let me seek and find you, recognize and serve you in all who suffer. Give me the grace, O Savior of the world, to bring your presence even to your enemies and to persist faithfully in witnessing to them even when I find it painful to do so.

A prayer:

If I have committed sins in word, deed or thought because of the weakness of our nature, do not let your eyes discover them. You who have power on earth to forgive sins, forgive me so that I may be refreshed.

- St. Macrina (327?-379)

always be open:


may my heart always be open to little birds who are the secrets of living whatever they sing is better than to know and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry and fearless and thirsty and supple and even if it’s sunday may i be wrong for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefullyand love yourself so more than truly there’s never been quite such a fool who could fail pulling all the sky over him with one smile

How does the Eucharist help us become the Body of Christ?

We gather together in worship, not to "refuel" lives devoid of grace, but because we need to celebrate all the grace-filled moments of our lives, which are so easily overlooked or ignored. We gather at Eucharist to be challenged to deeper awareness of what God is doing in our lives, in this world, all week long.

We have to keep remembering to ask the questions: "Who is at the table? Who is around the table?" as well as the question, "Who is on the table?" The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes a moving passage in which St. Augustine relates the Body of Christ in the Eucharist (on the altar) to the Body of Christ that is the Church (at and around the altar).

Says Augustine at the turn of the fifth century: "If you are the body and members of Christ, then it is your sacrament which is placed on the table of the Lord; it is your sacrament that you receive. To that which you are, you respond: 'Amen' ('Yes, it is true!'), and by responding to it you assent to it. For you hear the words 'The Body of Christ,' and respond 'Amen.' Be then a member of the Body of Christ that your Amen may be true" (#1396).

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Live My Life for You:

O Lord Jesus Christ, give me the grace to become your true disciple. Let me see ever more clearly that faith in you is not simply conviction of my mind—but a call to live my life for you and with you.

In Grasping:

If what most people take for granted were really true—if all you needed to be happy was to grab everything and see everything and investigate every experience and then talk about it, I should have been a very happy person, a spiritual millionaire, from the cradle even until now…What a strange thing! In filling myself, I had emptied myself. In grasping things, I had lost everything. In devouring pleasures and joys, I had found distress and anguish and fear.

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The man who has come to know himself with the full awareness of his soul has sown in good ground. However, anyone who has not sown in this way cannot expect humility to flower within him. And anyone who has acquired knowledge of self has come to understand the fear [total respect and awe] of the Lord, and walking with the help of this fear, he has arrived at the doorway of love. For humility is the door to the kingdom, opening up to those who come near.

- St. John Cliamcus (579-649)

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Wis 12:13, 16-19
Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16
Rm 8:26-27
Mt 13:24-43

Hello, I'm Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

"Earthy" images and a practical message—that's today's Gospel. Jesus tells several parables, two of them dealing with gardening and one dealing with baking.

A gardener finds weeds in among his crop, and suspects the work of an enemy. The verdict: Wait until harvest to sort things out. The tiny mustard seed grows to become a great, sheltering tree. A woman makes bread, and uses just a little yeast to make the dough rise.

For the gardeners and bakers in the congregation today, proclaiming and understanding this Gospel may be easier than for us without a green thumb, who don't know their way around the kitchen. What would Jesus talk about if he were preaching in person today in your parish or mine?

Somehow, I think he'd look around the church, and imagine the world outside those walls. He'd consider the problems facing the parish, and the struggles of Christians to witness in a largely secular world, which nevertheless hungers for a message of hope. And then, he'd choose imagery that would fit the situation.

Lacking a personal appearance by Christ as guest preacher this Sunday, we must stay with the Gospel. Try to listen carefully, and find there the message of hope: That no matter what obstacles it faces, no matter how small the efforts of Christians seem, the Kingdom of God will flourish.

Scripture:

•And you taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; and you gave your children good ground for hope. (Wisdom 12:19)

•O LORD, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. (Psalm 86:5)

•The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, (Romans 8:27)

•He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.…” (Matthew 13:37,38)

Reflection:

•How is God known on Earth?

•How do you make God known on Earth?

•Think of a person who reveals God on Earth? Why does this person transmit God to others?

•Think of a Saint that you would like to be like? What is your first step?

Those who sincerely accept the Good News, through the power of this acceptance and of shared faith therefore gather together in Jesus’ name in order to seek together the kingdom, build it up and live it. They make up a community which is in its turn evangelizing. The command to the Twelve to go out and proclaim the Good News is also valid for all Christians, though in a different way.

It is precisely for this reason that Peter calls Christians “a people set apart to sing the praises of God,”[32] those marvelous things that each one was able to hear in his own language.[33] Moreover, the Good News of the kingdom which is coming and which has begun is meant for all people of all times. Those who have received the Good News and who have been gathered by it into the community of salvation can and must communicate and spread it.

Do Catholics take the Bible literally?

All Christians accept that the Bible is God’s inspired Word. That invests it with a reverence accorded to no other literature.

But Christians are split on just what this perspective means. Biblical fundamentalists interpret it to mean the Bible is inerrant, containing no errors whatsoever, whether scientific, historical or spiritual. Catholics and many Protestants, however, acknowledge that the Bible might contain errors in historical or scientific data, but not in matters of faith or spiritual teaching.

The former position promotes a literal interpretation of biblical passages. The latter recognizes that the literal sense does not apply in every age. The deeper meaning of the Bible—the spiritual teaching—is timeless.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Lift Me Up:

I am often cast down, defeated, and broken; often blind and insensitive even to those I love; often caught up foolishly in that which is passing away before my eyes. Spirit of truth, when this road is long and weary and I am fearful and tired, lift me up on your eagle wings so that I may not fail utterly those whom you have given me in this life to influence, to help and to support.

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I do not really know if it is a gain to exchange the crown of martrydom with two or three years of life in freedom. But I leave the good Lord to decide.

- Bl. Pavol Goidic (1888-1960)

Are saints superhuman?

Saints are saints on earth, in and through their humanness. They have all the limitations of human existence: personality problems, failures, mistakes, errors in judgment, even at times sins. They are further limited by their times and cultures. Saints are not perfect, but they show us that a wholehearted Christian life is possible.

It is possible to love God above all things and to center one's life on Jesus and the Kingdom he preached. It was possible for the saints, and it is possible for each one of us. A saint says, "Look at me. If I, with all my problems, can do it, with God's help, so can you."

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel:

O beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a pure virgin, assist us in our necessity! O Star of the Sea, help and protect us! Show us that you are our Mother!

- Saint Simon Stock

Hermits lived on Mount Carmel near the Fountain of Elijah (northern Israel) in the 12th century. They had a chapel dedicated to Our Lady. By the 13th century they became known as “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” They soon celebrated a special Mass and Office in honor of Mary. In 1726 it became a celebration of the universal Church under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. For centuries the Carmelites have seen themselves as specially related to Mary. Their great saints and theologians have promoted devotion to her and often championed the mystery of her Immaculate Conception.

St. Teresa of Avila called Carmel “the Order of the Virgin.” St. John of the Cross credited Mary with saving him from drowning as a child, leading him to Carmel and helping him escape from prison. St. Theresa of the Child Jesus believed that Mary cured her from illness. On her First Communion she dedicated her life to Mary. During the last days of her life she frequently spoke of Mary.

There is a tradition (which may not be historical) that Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock, a leader of the Carmelites, and gave him a scapular, telling him to promote devotion to it. The scapular is a modified version of Mary’s own garment. It symbolizes her special protection and calls the wearers to consecrate themselves to her in a special way. Obviously, no magic way of salvation is intended. Rather, the scapular is a reminder of the gospel call to prayer and penance—a call that Mary models in a splendid way.


Comment:

The Carmelites were known from early on as “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” The title suggests that they saw Mary not only as “mother,” but also as “sister.” The word “sister” is a reminder that Mary is very close to us. She is the daughter of God and therefore can help us be authentic daughters and sons of God. She also can help us grow in appreciation of being sisters and brothers to one another. She leads us to a new realization that all human beings belong to the family of God. When such a conviction grows, there is hope that the human race can find its way to peace.

Quote:

“The various forms of piety toward the Mother of God, which the Church has approved within the limits of sound and orthodox doctrine, according to the dispositions and understanding of the faithful, ensure that while the mother is honored, the Son through whom all things have their being (cf. Colossians 1:15–16) and in whom it has pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell (cf. Colossians 1:19) is rightly known, loved and glorified and his commandments are observed” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 66).

Reach Down, O Lord:

Jesus, Our Savior, knock down with your wounded hand at the closed doors of our hearts and call to us in the streets of life. Give us direction in the confusion and cares of this painful journey. Stay with us, O Lord, for evening comes and the shadows grow long.

St. Bonaventure (1221-1274)

"It is possible to contemplate God not only outside us and within us but also above us: outside, through vestiges of Him; within, through His image; and above, through the light that shines upon our mind."- St. Bonaventure (1218-1274)

Bonaventure, Franciscan, theologian, doctor of the Church, was both learned and holy. Because of the spirit that filled him and his writings, he was at first called the Devout Doctor; but in more recent centuries he has been known as the Seraphic Doctor after the “Seraphic Father” Francis because of the truly Franciscan spirit he possessed.

Born in Bagnoregio, a town in central Italy, he was cured of a serious illness as a boy through the prayers of Francis of Assisi. Later, he studied the liberal arts in Paris. Inspired by Francis and the example of the friars, especially of his master in theology, Alexander of Hales, he entered the Franciscan Order, and became in turn a teacher of theology in the university. Chosen as minister general of the Order in 1257, he was God’s instrument in bringing it back to a deeper love of the way of St. Francis, both through the life of Francis which he wrote at the behest of the brothers and through other works which defended the Order or explained its ideals and way of life.

Comment:

Bonaventure so united holiness and theological knowledge that he rose to the heights of mysticism while yet remaining a very active preacher and teacher, one beloved by all who met him. To know him was to love him; to read him is still for us today to meet a true Franciscan and a gentleman.

What is faith?

Faith in the broadest sense is our way of understanding God and God's action in human life. Just as our understanding of ourselves, our society and our world changes over time, so too does our understanding of God's presence and activity in human life. Faith does not grow in a vacuum but sprouts from the seedbed of our life experience.

It can be shaped by all kinds of personal experience: of parental love and correction, of teaching received in school or church, of answered and unanswered prayers, of unanticipated joys or heart-wrenching failures, of discussions and disagreements with friends or colleagues.
The experience, more than any other, that often signals a shift or change in faith is the experience of conflict or confusion.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

A Haven of Rest:

Because he is the God of peace, the Father provides this inner haven for each of us, a shelter that allows us to survive during difficult times, a place where we can receive the light of grace. If we are trying desperately to hold onto him, God will allow us to find this precious place of peace. He will hold out his hand.

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I am convinced that there is ten times more good than bad in a child, and about the bad, we can wait and see.

- Janusz Korczak


When a child walks down the road, a company of angels goes before him proclaiming, “Make way for the image of the Holy One.”

- Hasidic saying

It is possible to contemplate God not only outside us and within us but also above us: outside, through vestiges of Him; within, through His image; and above, through the light that shines upon our mind.

- St. Bonaventure (1218-1274)

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680)

I admire the virtues
which adorned your soul:
love of God and neighbor,
humility, obedience, patience,
purity and the spirit of sacrifice.
Help me to imitate
your example
in my state of life.
Kateri, Lily of the Mohawks,
pray for me.

The blood of martyrs is the seed of saints. Nine years after the Jesuits Isaac Jogues and John de Brébeuf were tortured to death by Huron and Iroquois Indians, a baby girl was born near the place of their martyrdom, Auriesville, New York. She was to be the first person born in North America to be beatified.

Her mother was a Christian Algonquin, taken captive by the Iroquois and given as wife to the chief of the Mohawk clan, the boldest and fiercest of the Five Nations. When she was four, Kateri lost her parents and little brother in a smallpox epidemic that left her disfigured and half blind.

She was adopted by an uncle, who succeeded her father as chief. He hated the coming of the Blackrobes (missionaries), but could do nothing to them because a peace treaty with the French required their presence in villages with Christian captives. She was moved by the words of three Blackrobes who lodged with her uncle, but fear of him kept her from seeking instruction. She refused to marry a Mohawk brave and at 19 finally got the courage to take the step of converting. She was baptized with the name Kateri (Catherine) on Easter Sunday.

Now she would be treated as a slave. Because she would not work on Sunday, she received no food that day. Her life in grace grew rapidly. She told a missionary that she often meditated on the great dignity of being baptized. She was powerfully moved by God’s love for human beings and saw the dignity of each of her people.

She was always in danger, for her conversion and holy life created great opposition. On the advice of a priest, she stole away one night and began a 200-mile walking journey to a Christian Indian village at Sault St. Louis, near Montreal.

For three years she grew in holiness under the direction of a priest and an older Iroquois woman, giving herself totally to God in long hours of prayer, in charity and in strenuous
penance. At 23 she took a vow of virginity, an unprecedented act for an Indian woman, whose future depended on being married. She found a place in the woods where she could pray an hour a day—and was accused of meeting a man there!

Her dedication to virginity was instinctive: She did not know about religious life for women until she visited Montreal. Inspired by this, she and two friends wanted to start a community, but the local priest dissuaded her. She humbly accepted an “ordinary” life. She practiced extremely severe fasting as penance for the conversion of her nation. She died the afternoon before Holy Thursday. Witnesses said that her emaciated face changed color and became like that of a healthy child. The lines of suffering, even the pockmarks, disappeared and the touch of a smile came upon her lips. She was beatified in 1980.

Comment:

We like to think that our proposed holiness is thwarted by our situation. If only we could have more solitude, less opposition, better health. Kateri repeats the example of the saints: Holiness thrives on the cross, anywhere. Yet she did have what Christians—all people—need: the support of a community. She had a good mother, helpful priests, Christian friends.

These were present in what we call primitive conditions, and blossomed in the age-old Christian triad of prayer, fasting and alms: union with God in Jesus and the Spirit, self-discipline and often suffering, and charity for her brothers and sisters.

Quote:

Kateri said: “I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love. The state of helpless poverty that may befall me if I do not marry does not frighten me. All I need is a little food and a few pieces of clothing.

With the work of my hands I shall always earn what is necessary and what is left over I’ll give to my relatives and to the poor. If I should become sick and unable to work, then I shall be like the Lord on the cross. He will have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.”

Annulments in the Catholic Church seem fishy to me. Can anyone convince me otherwise?

The Church seeks carefully to protect Jesus' teaching of the sacredness of marriage. Yet the Church also is obliged to provide justice for anyone whose marriage has failed—when it can be shown with moral certainty that the marriage lacked from its onset some essential element for a true sacramental bond. Pope Paul VI noted that delayed justice is injustice, and streamlined the annulment procedure.

During the 1970's and early 80's, special norms for the annulment procedure were in effect on a provisional basis. Many of these revisions have now been made part of the Code of Canon Law promulgated in 1983. The Church knows there is continued necessity for a just procedure in marriage cases. It also seeks to address the deep needs of those whose lives have been touched by divorce.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

A Mother's Plea

There have been streams of tears, innocent tears. There have been rivers of blood, innocent blood. Which cause has been served? Certainly not the cause of God or Allah, because God Almighty only gives life and is full of mercy.

How much blood must be spilled? How many tears shall we cry? How many mothers' hearts must be maimed? It's time to stop and think. We cannot live in fear because we are surrounded by hatred. Hatred begets only hatred. It is time to stop this vicious cycle of killing. We must all stand together, for our common humanity.

She lost her only son in the London bombings…

Prayer, the Breath of Life:

Prayer is the breathing of the spiritual life. No prayer, no life. Prayer is the way we speak to God, as well as the way he communicates with us.…We all need to pray, and pray better. A person who does not seek to grow in the life of prayer will, sooner or later, not pray at all.

Honor and Glory unto God:

In this day and age, when the pleasure-principle so dominates our society, and when people expend all kinds of time, effort and energy to remove the Cross from Christianity and to escape the sometimes harsh realities and responsibilities of mature Christian living, Kateri Tekakwitha stands as an heroic example of how to integrate the mystery of the Cross with the mystery of the Resurrection in a way that gives honor and glory to God and that ensures loving service to His people.

- Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, DD, of Albany, N.Y. (on the Canonization of St. Kareti Tekakwitha)

Why do Catholics say "Thanks be to God" at the end of Mass in response to, "The Mass is ended. Go in peace?"

We leave the assembly and the church building—but we carry something with us. A newly married couple leave their wedding ceremony but carry their marriage with them. And what happens in the days and years after the wedding gives deeper meaning to the symbols they have exchanged (for example, their rings) at the wedding.

The same is true of the Eucharist. What happens in our lives during the week gives deeper meaning to the ritual actions we have celebrated at Mass. As we carry daily our brokenness for love of the crucified, we find ever deeper meaning in the broken bread. As we pour out our lives in love for the homeless and the alienated, we find meaning in the cup poured out. It is only in relation to our daily lives that the full meaning of the ritual actions of the Mass becomes clear to us.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Be With Us in the Dark:

O Jesus, you who experienced and shared this devastated world with us, we trust you to be with us in the dark times. At moments, life can be beautiful and fulfilling; at others, it can be like a hell.…Hold onto my hand in the darkness. Come to me in the lonely night.

If Only:

Think what the world could look like if we took care of the poor even half as well as we do our bibles!

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Love is the fusion of two souls in one in order to bring about mutual perfection.

- St. Teresa of the Andies (1900-1920)

Only Then...

A rabbi asked his students, “When is it at dawn that one can tell the light from the darkness?”
One student replied, “When I can tell a goat from a donkey.”

“No,” answered the rabbi.

Another said, “When I can tell a palm tree from a fig.”

“No,” answered the rabbi again.

“Well, then what is the answer?” his students pressed him.

“Only when you look into the face of every man and every woman and see your brother and your sister,” said the rabbi. “Only then have you seen the light. All else is still darkness.”

How does the Holy Spirit lead us?

Commissioning. The traditional ending of the Mass is "Go, the Mass is ended." I was in a parish recently and, after the last blessing, the presider said: "And we say?" Then the entire congregation, with gusto and fiery enthusiasm, cried out: "The Mass is not ended. We are sent forth now to share the Good News with all we meet!" Though I'm sure that some liturgists and bishops would have some deep concerns here, the point is well made. The Mass really doesn't end. The Spirit sends us forth to make Jesus present and manifest at the shelter, in the workplace, at the kitchen table, in the marketplace. Our worship points to evangelization, and that work is done in and through the Holy Spirit.

Years ago I read a novel in which one of the characters said: "I must go where the suffering is!" Rephrasing this, "We must go where the brokenness is to bring God's unity and peace!" Both the "going" and the "unifying" are the work of God's Spirit. That same Spirit empowers us to overcome the fear and apathy that would make us stay at home or allow our liturgy to remain in-house. We are being commissioned daily to be servants of peace and unity, agents of God's love and joy, instruments of mercy and forgiveness.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

No one is a martyr for a conclusion; no one is a martyr for an opinion. It is faith that makes martyrs.

- Cardinal John Henry Newman

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Repentance:

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reprimanded those who refused to repent. Such attitudes are not uncommon today. What is more fearful is the loss of the sense of “sin” and thus, the clamour for the freedom to do what we want as preferred to our need for repentance and “Confession”.

Bring Us Home:

Bring us home, Father, after the contest of this life. Bring back the lost sheep and summon those who have struggled even haltingly along the way. Open before us the great vista of the Heavenly City so that at the end of our journey we may look up and see its light reflected in the sky ahead.

Isn't abortion basically a matter of personal freedom?

In recent years, a new dimension has been added to the Catholic Church's pro-life teaching. It is an analysis of the meaning of authentic or Christian freedom, as opposed to the false but seductive freedom promoted by advocates of legal abortion. Pope John Paul II’s encyclical The Gospel of Life addresses this in three major points.

First, freedom is never merely about the well-being of the individual. It is always also a relational matter. Freedom necessarily involves "solidarity,...openness to others and service of them." God "entrusts us to one another" to care for and serve each other. When people act as if freedom is just about "me," the results are predictable: The strong people exercising their "freedom" completely dominate the weak "who have no choice but to submit" (#19). Christian freedom turns this on its head, saying that there is no freedom in running away from responsibility for others, but only in accepting a special obligation to care for the weakest. The unborn, unseen, unheard, physically and legally powerless are among these.

Second, Christian freedom sees "an essential link" between freedom and truth. Jesus told us, "The truth will set you free" (Jn 8:32). Acting against truth hurts not only the victim, but also the actor. It is easy to see how when a culture embraces the idea that "freedom" means "me" and "my opinion," and leaves God out, abortion comes in with a vengeance. The powerless child is killed. The truth about the child's humanity is simply denied in the face of all of the evidence to the contrary. We become blind to God's image and likeness in the person of every single human being. Christian freedom, on the other hand, calls for a way of life in which the weakest are not merely spared, but are looked after with greater care.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

What's so bad about living together before marriage?

Living together before marriage is certainly becoming more popular: the U.S. Census shows a 164 percent increase in unmarried partners since 1980. But as cohabitation becomes more popular, its negative effects – especially on women – are becoming more apparent. Consider the following findings that research on cohabitation has discovered:

•Women who cohabit have a lower probability of marriage than women who do not.

•People who live together outside of marriage report poorer relationship quality and more fights or violence than their counterparts in marriages.

•The longer a couple lives together, the less likely it is that they will marry.

•People who live together before marriage are 50 to 100 percent more likely to divorce than people who don’t live together.

There are other startling statistics about the harmful effects of living together outside of marriage. From a Catholic perspective, sexuality is designed to unite partners and be open to new life. Without the commitment of marriage, sexual intercourse is fraught with potential problems: betrayal, breakups, crisis pregnancies and possibly abortion.

Although it takes courage to do one thing when the rest of society is doing another, the arguments against living together outside of marriage are powerful from both a Catholic and a sociological perspective.

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Why can't women become deacons or priests?

Pope John Paul II believes that it was determined by Christ himself that only males be ordained to the priesthood and that he, John Paul, has no power to deviate from what Jesus has determined.

The 1994 apostolic letter of John Paul II to all bishops in the Catholic Church, Priestly Ordination Reserved to Men Alone (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis) is basically an appeal to tradition and the consistent understanding of the Church. In that apostolic letter Pope John Paul II referred to the response of Pope Paul VI to the debate among Anglicans concerning the ordination of women.

Paul VI had said that it was inadmissible to ordain women because of the example of Christ in the Scriptures--he chose apostles from among men only. Paul VI appealed to the constant practice of the Church and said the teaching authority of the Church has consistently held the exclusion of women from the priesthood to be in accordance with God's plan for his Church.

Why isn’t the Church more accepting of homosexuality?

The Church’s position on homosexuality is often misunderstood. While most in the debate over homosexuality adopt a polarized position – favoring either complete approval of same-sex relationships, or opposition to any and all rights for homosexuals – Catholic teaching finds a middle ground. Its course is moral yet pastoral, true to the Church’s sexual moral tradition yet not inflexible or intolerant.

The Church distinguishes between homosexual orientation and same-sex genital activity. Since in most cases homosexuality is discerned or discovered, and not freely chosen, the Catholic Church teaches that it is not automatically a sin. The Church promotes respect and justice toward homosexual persons who discover their desires and inclinations toward same-sex sexual activity. Yet the Church has consistently taught that to act on these inclinations by engaging in homosexual genital acts is always morally wrong. Why so? Here the Church attempts to be true to the core premises of our Catholic sexual-ethics tradition, while at the same time fostering basic human dignity and pastoral care toward gay and lesbian persons.

This teaching has critics on both sides of the debate. We cannot address them in a short summary such as this, which must necessarily be limited in its scope. We encourage you to follow the link below to a more complete article on Catholic teaching regarding homosexuality.

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Why is the Church opposed to birth control?

The Church’s teaching on artificial contraception is only one part of its understanding of human sexuality. This teaching sees sexuality as both a wonderful gift and an awesome responsibility, a precious part of God’s plan that has potential for great abuse.

Because sexual intercourse is designed to unite two people in an act of vulnerability and intimacy, it is reserved for married couples. And because God shares with us the ability to create life through lovemaking, it is imbued with special responsibilities, one of which is to be open to the procreative possibility of intercourse.

The Church, however, has become more sensitive in recent decades to the needs of married couples to responsibly space the births of their children, and as far back as 1951 Pope Pius XII taught that couples could reasonably avoid procreation for the entire duration of their marriage. Catholic teaching requires that this spacing occur naturally, using the biological ebb and flow of the woman’s fertility cycle. Natural family planning is not only a way to avoid or achieve pregnancy; it is also a way for couples to become closer through the shared task of charting fertile and infertile periods. Many couples report a greater knowledge of each other and a greater respect for God’s plan after practicing natural family planning.

The U.S. bishops’ 1990 document Human Sexuality: A Catholic Perspective for Education and Lifelong Learning also counsels pastoral sensitivity for “those who feel confused or who have genuine doubts about the wisdom of this teaching”. While stressing that they must present the living tradition of the Church with clarity and conviction, they also strive for compassion and care “for all those who seek the truth with a sincere heart.”

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57 Cents

A little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was "too crowded.""I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.

Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found aplace for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings. Her parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump.

Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read: "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School."

For two years she had saved for this offering of love . When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough moneyfor the larger building.But the story does not end there...A newspaper learned of the story and published It.

It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands.When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents. Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00 - a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century).

Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300. And be sure to visit Temple University, where thousands of students are educated.Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of beautiful children, built so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history.

Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russel H. Conwell, author of the book, "Acres of Diamonds".This is a true story, which goes to show WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH 57 CENTS.