Taking Care of Others:

Let’s become rich by sharing in others’ poverty; be more fully clothed by sharing our clothing with those who are naked; become more sure of our own dwelling by taking care of those who currently have no place to live.

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Enjoy yourself as much as you like -- if only you keep from sin.

- Saint John Bosco (1815-1888)

Every education teaches a philosophy; if not by dogma then by suggestion, by implication, by atmosphere. Every part of that education has a connection with every other part. If it does not all combine to convey some general view of life, it is not education at all.

- G.K. Chesterton, The Common Man

something interesting from the email to share...enjoy ;)

FOR CATHOLICS & others...

This information is for Catholics - who have a sense of
humor & others who have equally good sense of humor plus wit to understand the content.

AMEN: The only part of a prayer that everyone knows.

BULLETIN: Your receipt for attending Mass.

CHOIR: A group of people whose singing allows the rest of the Parish to lip-sync.

HOLY WATER: A liquid whose chemical formula is H2OLY.

HYMN: A song of praise usually sung in a key three octaves higher than that of the congregation's range.

RECESSIONAL HYMN: The last song at Mass often sung a little more quietly, since most of the people have already left.

INCENSE: Holy Smoke!

JESUITS: An order of priests known for their ability to found colleges with good basketball teams.

JONNAH: The original "Jaws" story.

JUSTICE: When kids have kids of their own.

KYRIE ELEISON: The only Greek words that most Catholics can recognize besides gyros and baklava.

MAGI: The most famous trio to attend a baby shower.

MANGER: Where Mary gave birth to Jesus because Joseph wasn't covered by an HMO. (The Bible's way of showing us that holiday travel has always been rough.)

PEW: A medieval torture device still found in Catholic churches.

PROCESSION: The ceremonial formation at the beginning of Mass consisting of altar servers, the celebrant, and late parishioners looking for seats.

RECESSIONAL: The ceremonial procession at the conclusion of Mass led by parishioners trying to beat the crowd to the parking lot.

RELICS: People who have been going to Mass for so long, they actually know when to sit, kneel, and stand.

TEN COMMANDMENTS: The most important Top Ten list not given by David Letterman.

USHERS: The only people in the parish who don't know the seating capacity of a pew.

Friendship and Relationship With Him:

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that Christ’s birth was a personal act of love for each of us. Although we may believe that we are small and insignificant, God’s love raises us to a new significance. He invites us to a profound level of friendship and relationship with him.

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The highest degree of meekness consists in seeing, serving, honoring, and treating amiably, on occasion, those who are not to our taste, and who show themselves unfriendly, ungrateful, and troublesome to us.

- Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

An Invitation:

As soon as we agree to enter into dialogue with God, we see that it is both a gift and an invitation.…He invites us to travel with him, and he takes the path we take.

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Love is the only language everyone understands.

- Saint Joseph Freinademetz (1852-1908)

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

By universal consent Thomas Aquinas is the preeminent spokesman of the Catholic tradition of reason and of divine revelation. He is one of the great teachers of the medieval Catholic Church, honored with the titles Doctor of the Church and Angelic Doctor.

At five he was given to the Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino in his parents’ hopes that he would choose that way of life and later become abbot. In 1239 he was sent to Naples to complete his studies. It was here that he was first attracted to Aristotle’s philosophy.

By 1243, Thomas abandoned his family’s plans for him and joined the Dominicans, much to his mother’s dismay. On her order, Thomas was captured by his brother and kept at home for over a year.

Once free, he went to Paris and then to Cologne, where he finished his studies with Albert the Great. He held two professorships at Paris, lived at the court of Pope Urban IV, directed the Dominican schools at Rome and Viterbo, combated adversaries of the mendicants, as well as the Averroists, and argued with some Franciscans about Aristotelianism.

His greatest contribution to the Catholic Church is his writings. The unity, harmony and continuity of faith and reason, of revealed and natural human knowledge, pervades his writings. One might expect Thomas, as a man of the gospel, to be an ardent defender of revealed truth. But he was broad enough, deep enough, to see the whole natural order as coming from God the Creator, and to see reason as a divine gift to be highly cherished.

The Summa Theologiae, his last and, unfortunately, uncompleted work, deals with the whole of Catholic theology. He stopped work on it after celebrating Mass on December 6, 1273. When asked why he stopped writing, he replied, “I cannot go on.... All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.” He died March 7, 1274.

Comment:

We can look to Thomas Aquinas as a towering example of Catholicism in the sense of broadness, universality and inclusiveness. We should be determined anew to exercise the divine gift of reason in us, our power to know, learn and understand. At the same time we should thank God for the gift of his revelation, especially in Jesus Christ.

Quote:

“Hence we must say that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man needs divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act. But he does not need a new light added to his natural light, in order to know the truth in all things, but only in some that surpasses his natural knowledge” (Summa Theologiae, I-II, 109, 1).

Wellspring of Freedom:

The purest blending in harmony of the divine and the human is Christ. When we give him welcome in faith, we begin to be free because we are welcoming into the source of our being the personal wellspring of freedom.

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If according to times and needs you should be obliged to make fresh rules and change current things, do it with prudence and good advice.

- Saint Angela Merici (1474-1540)


Charity is the form, mover, mother and root of all the virtues.

- Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Jer 1:4-5, 17-19
Ps 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15, 17
1 Cor 12:31--13:13 or 13:4-13
Lk 4:21-30

A favorite Christian writer of mine, Frederick Buechner, once wrote that there’s no record of anyone inviting a prophet home to dinner more than once. Buechner’s quip was his way to define the role of the biblical prophets—certainly they were controversial figures!

Today we hear God choose Jeremiah for that role. God warns the prophet that his message to the kings and priests of Judah will be so challenging that he’ll meet with opposition. Biblical prophets weren’t out to make enemies, but felt impelled to speak the truth, God’s truth, with love. It just so happened that their message was often "tough love."

Jesus, in our Gospel today, is a prophet visiting his hometown. He anticipates resistance, stating clearly that no prophet is ever accepted in his native place. His words prove true as the people rise up to throw Jesus over a cliff!

Few of us are called to be prophets—but I suspect we can identify some contemporary figures who fit that role. Pope John Paul the Second has often challenged the Church and the secular world with his teaching of the Gospel, on a variety of subjects from abortion to capital punishment to social justice.

How do we accept the prophetic message we hear proclaimed each Sunday? And would we invite the bearer of that message home for Sunday dinner?

I’m Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for St. Anthony Messenger Press, on the Web at FranciscanRadio.org.

Scripture:

•Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. (Jeremiah 1:5)

•On you I depend from birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength. (Psalm 71:6)

•It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:7,8a)

•And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that flowed from his mouth. (Luke 4:22)

•…to hurl him down headlong. But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away. (Luke 4:30)

Reflection:

•Does Jesus have a different “world view"; from the townspeople who were so outraged at his words that they wanted to kill him?

•Can you look past the expectations (consciousness) of others— of the world—to find God?

•Is the love of a mother as a metaphor for of God’s love, beyond the ordinary expectations of the world?

•Why does Jesus leave? Where may he be found after he departs from the mob?

In brief, this form of consciousness assumes a totally different kind of self-awareness from that of the Cartesian thinking-self which is its own justification and its own center. Here the individual is aware of himself as a soon-to-be-dissolved in self-giving, in love, in “letting-go,” in ecstasy, in God—there are many ways of phrasing it. The self is not its own center and does not orbit around itself; it is centered on God, the one center of all, which is “everywhere and nowhere” in whom we are all encountered, from whom we all proceed. Thus from the very start this one consciousness is disposed to encounter “the other” with whom it is already united “in God.”

Open and Available to Grace:

God always wants to give himself. He is always present. But as his presence is essentially a free presence of grace, it is we who have to ask ourselves: are we open and available to grace?

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If according to times and needs you should be obliged to make fresh rules and change current things, do it with prudence and good advice.
- Saint Angela Merici (1474-1540)

Reaching the State of Grace:

In order to be raised up, one must be lowered, says the Gospel. In order to be caught up in loving grace we must hide in the crevice of Christ, our rock.

Trust in God:

In today’s Gospel Jesus asks us to trust Him totally and unconditionally. Do we dare to “burn our bridges” of humansecurity and comfort today to serve God’s Kingdom? God wants us to accept His challenge to live in His ways. Do we trust God enough to take up the challenge?

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Oh, how well I know that happiness is not found in the things around us. It is found in the secrecy of the soul.

- Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Conversion of St. Paul

Paul’s entire life can be explained in terms of one experience—his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus. In an instant, he saw that all the zeal of his dynamic personality was being wasted, like the strength of a boxer swinging wildly. Perhaps he had never seen Jesus, who was only a few years older. But he had acquired a zealot’s hatred of all Jesus stood for, as he began to harass the Church: “...entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment” (Acts 8:3b). Now he himself was “entered,” possessed, all his energy harnessed to one goal—being a slave of Christ in the ministry of reconciliation, an instrument to help others experience the one Savior.

One sentence determined his theology: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5b). Jesus was mysteriously identified with people—the loving group of people Saul had been running down like criminals. Jesus, he saw, was the mysterious fulfillment of all he had been blindly pursuing.

From then on, his only work was to “present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me” (Colossians 1:28b-29). “For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and [with] much conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5a).

Paul’s life became a tireless proclaiming and living out of the message of the cross: Christians die baptismally to sin and are buried with Christ; they are dead to all that is sinful and unredeemed in the world. They are made into a new creation, already sharing Christ’s victory and someday to rise from the dead like him. Through this risen Christ the Father pours out the Spirit on them, making them completely new.

So Paul’s great message to the world was: You are saved entirely by God, not by anything you can do. Saving faith is the gift of total, free, personal and loving commitment to Christ, a commitment that then bears fruit in more “works” than the Law could ever contemplate.

Comment:

Paul is undoubtedly hard to understand. His style often reflects the rabbinical style of argument of his day, and often his thought skips on mountaintops while we plod below. But perhaps our problems are accentuated by the fact that so many beautiful jewels have become part of the everyday coin in our Christian language (see quote, below).

Quote:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

Seeking God’s Joy:

If we live habitually turned toward the Father truly seeking his joy, we can live in a constant climate of joy, and the initial gift of grace matures into a response of thanksgiving.

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Remember that the Christian life is one of action, not of speech and daydreams. Let there be few words and many deeds, and let them be done well.

- Saint Vincent Pallotti (1798-1850)

St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Francis was destined by his father to be a lawyer so that the young man could eventually take his elder’s place as a senator from the province of Savoy in France. For this reason Francis was sent to Padua to study law. After receiving his doctorate, he returned home and, in due time, told his parents he wished to enter the priesthood. His father strongly opposed Francis in this, and only after much patient persuasiveness on the part of the gentle Francis did his father finally consent. Francis was ordained and elected provost of the Diocese of Geneva, then a center for Calvinists. Francis set out to convert them, especially in the district of Chablais. By preaching and distributing the little pamphlets he wrote to explain true Catholic doctrine, he had remarkable success.

At 35 he became bishop of Geneva. While administering his diocese he continued to preach, hear confessions and catechize the children. His gentle character was a great asset in winning souls. He practiced his own axiom, “A spoonful of honey attracts more flies than a barrelful of vinegar.”

Besides his two well-known books, the Introduction to the Devout Life and A Treatise on the Love of God, he wrote many pamphlets and carried on a vast correspondence. For his writings, he has been named patron of the Catholic Press. His writings, filled with his characteristic gentle spirit, are addressed to lay people. He wants to make them understand that they too are called to be saints. As he wrote in The Introduction to the Devout Life: “It is an error, or rather a heresy, to say devotion is incompatible with the life of a soldier, a tradesman, a prince, or a married woman.... It has happened that many have lost perfection in the desert who had preserved it in the world. ”

In spite of his busy and comparatively short life, he had time to collaborate with another saint, Jane Frances de Chantal, in the work of establishing the Sisters of the Visitation. These women were to practice the virtues exemplified in Mary’s visit to Elizabeth: humility, piety and mutual charity. They at first engaged to a limited degree in works of mercy for the poor and the sick. Today, while some communities conduct schools, others live a strictly contemplative life.

Comment:

Francis de Sales took seriously the words of Christ, “Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart.” As he said himself, it took him 20 years to conquer his quick temper, but no one ever suspected he had such a problem, so overflowing with good nature and kindness was his usual manner of acting. His perennial meekness and sunny disposition won for him the title of “Gentleman Saint.”

Quote:

Francis tells us: “The person who possesses Christian meekness is affectionate and tender towards everyone: he is disposed to forgive and excuse the frailties of others; the goodness of his heart appears in a sweet affability that influences his words and actions, presents every object to his view in the most charitable and pleasing light.”

God’s True Countenance:

Every stage of our spiritual journey reveals something more of God’s true countenance, and at this point we suddenly come face-to-face with the most astounding aspect of his tender love: we see that he is vulnerable. The cross lays bare the most hidden wounds of our nature, but it also lays bare the the human truth of God’s wound.

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In the royal galley of divine Love, there is no galley slave: All rowers are volunteers.

- Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

One concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion.
He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.

- Samuel Chadwick

Love Shows Up Sin:

Love is the original and ultimate harmony of all that exists. Sin is only a discordant note within the total orchestration. The more our lives are attuned to the harmony of love, the keener our perception of every discordant note.

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If we are able to enter the church day and night and implore God to hear our prayers, how careful we should be to hear and grant the petitions of our neighbor in need.

- Saint John the Almoner (550-616)

Strength of the Poor:

The poor man, being dispossessed of self, is flexible in the hands of God and available and dedicated to others. Generously and tirelessly he strives to overcome the obstacles to love, for God’s strength dwells in him.

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What is a faithful man to do in the chaos of events which seem to swallow him up? He must sustain himself calmly by Faith. Faith will make him adore the eternal plan of God. Faith will assure him that to those who love God all things work together for good.

- St. William Joseph Chaminade (1761-1850)

The Spirit and Our Hearts:

The heart is very closely linked to the spirit. The Spirit lives in the hearts of men. He becomes the life and movement, the breath of life and the inspiration of our hearts.

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The heart is rich when it is content, and it is always content when its desires are fixed on God. Nothing can bring greater happiness than doing God’s will for the love of God.

- St. Miguel Febres Cordero (1854-1910)

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15
1 Cor 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27
Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21

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

Each Sunday at Mass in my parish, I honor the Gospel book by holding it high before the assembly and carrying it slowly to the ambo, the place where I proclaim the Gospel.

In our first reading today, we witness a similar scene. Ezra the priest opens the scroll of God’s law and holds it high for all to see. The people acclaim God present in the Word of God, as they bow low to the ground.

The presence of God in the Word is one of three ways God is present at each Eucharist. We are most familiar with the divine presence in the consecrated bread and wine. God is also present in the gathered assembly. There we’re transformed by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ, described by Paul in today’s second reading.

But back to the first reading: Do we pay attention to God’s presence in the Word? Would it be easier if we were in that scene in today’s Gospel, to hear Jesus himself read the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth? Perhaps it’s tougher to accept God’s presence when it’s Jim or Mary or Father Bill doing the reading! But our respect for the Gospel book, our attentive listening, our openness to the Spirit are all crucial to full participation in the Eucharist.Let’s allow this Sunday’s readings to call us to a renewed response.

Scripture:

•…for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength! (Nehemiah 8:10)

•…The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart… (Psalm 19:9)

•…the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, (1 Corinthians 12:22)

•…to bring glad tidings to the poor… to proclaim liberty to captives…to let the oppressed go free, (Luke 4:18)

Reflection:

•Why are the weak more necessary than the strong in the body of Christ?

•What was Jesus’ mission?

•How is the parish the body of Christ?

•How do you participate in the body of Christ?

Because Jesus freely chose to bring good news to the poor and showed a special love for them, Francis wanted to imitate Christ and work with social outcasts and the poor, something he had never imagined himself doing. He had always possessed a generous spirit but struggled to identify with those in need. In fact, he admits in his final testament that the turning point in his conversion was his willingness to serve lepers. The change came when he left behind the security of his social structure and comfortable lifestyle to care for the lepers and the poor, to spend time with them and to eat with them. Living with the poor awakened to him the poverty and suffering of Christ.

Francis’ response to living the gospel challenges the typical social categories that define our lives and keep us isolated from each other. By living amoung the poor lepers and the sick, and by welcoming everyone whether friend or enemy, he prods us towards a wider understanding of community, one in which no one is excluded. He reminds us that God can be found in the poor, sick, lonely, unemployed and powerless because God is known in vulnerability. This image of the vulnerable poor God is the heart of Francis’ spirituality. This is what encourage him to seek out the weakest members of society.

Sustained by the Risen Christ:

The risen Christ is the leaven that makes the whole mass of humanity rise and expand in the joy of personal communion. Whenever two human beings break through into a true love and fellowship, it is because they are sustained by the risen Christ.

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Live in faith and hope, though it be in darkness, for in the darkness God protects the soul. Cast your cares upon God, for you are his and he will not forget you. Do not think he is leaving you alone.

- St. John of the Cross (1542-1591)

New Fruit of Eternal Life:

Jesus, risen from the dead, is the body of man that has fallen like a seed into the ground and now bears fruit of eternal life. The life that is love and has flooded with the sap of life the stem and branches of his spiritual being as well as the bark of his corporeal existence.

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Perfection is like that city in the Apocalypse [Revelation Chapter 21] with 12 gates that open toward every part of the world, as a sign that the men of every nation, every state and every age may pass through them. No condition, no age is an obstacle to a perfect life. Indeed, God is not concerned with external things... but the soul... and demands no more than what we are able to give.

- St. Joseph Sebastian Pelczar (1842-1924)

The Risen Christ:

The risen Christ ushers in the fullness of God, “all things to all men.” In him we can actually experience the union of everything human, of everything created, with the living God.

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The day you learn to surrender yourself totally to God, you will discover a new world, just as I am experiencing. You will enjoy a peace and a calm unknown, surpassing even the happiest days of your life.

- Blessed Jaime Hilario (1898-1937)

When We Forgive:

Forgiveness is the self-giving that reaches out beyond all barriers and limitations. It is the total gratuitousness that breaks down the resistance of a hard and narrow heart making it capable of opening out in welcome.

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Be wise, my soul, and trust in God alone, cling to him alone, and cast all your cares on him alone.

- St. Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)

The Bible:

The Bible is more than just a book; it is alive with the presence of God. It is a melody that echoes within our hearts, a poem that our daily lives re-create.

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The heart of God invites all to put it to the proof. The more he gives, the more he desires to give. He loves to see the trust which makes us persist in knocking unceasingly.

- Blessed Placie Riccardi (1844-1915)

Generosity, Love and Forgiveness :

In a world made gloomy by the false image of a vengeful God, good deeds are floodlights shining upon a new portrait of God. This image glistens with the hallowed hues of the human heart—generosity, love and forgiveness.

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The Lord challenges our faith to do something new, precisely when so many things are collapsing in the Church.

- St. Arnold Janssen (1837-1909)

Evidence of a New World:

Selfless service and sensitivity towards others are like fiery comets shooting across a dark sky, bringing to egocentric lives evidence of a world beyond their imagining.

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If we realized that all our work, absolutely all of it, is done in God’s presence, for nothing escapes his eyes, how carefully we would finish things and how differently we would react!
- St. Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Is 62:1-5
Ps 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10
1 Cor 12:4-11
Jn 2:1-11

In most cultures, a wedding is a big deal—and sometimes a source of anxiety. Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Like other priests, I've participated in wedding planning and have listened to brides and grooms—and their anxious parents—worry about making sure the celebration at church and the reception afterward express the joy and importance of the occasion. And I suspect many of them will no doubt identify with today's Gospel story, the wedding feast of Cana.

We all know the story about how the wine was running out, and how Jesus' mother took the problem to him. The miracle of the water become wine—and good wine at that—is a charming story, to be sure. But there's a deeper dimension.

The Gospel according to John is a story of revelation: In its opening words the Gospel tells us about the Word made Flesh. God has come among us in the person of Jesus Christ. The stories and sayings of Jesus which follow are written to allow us to encounter Jesus as the One come from God. Jesus is revealing his glory to those who would accept him.

And it's appropriate that the beginning of Jesus' signs, as John describes this event at Cana, happens in the very human setting of a wedding, a celebration of human life, joy, and the goodness of God's creation. To find God present, we need only to look for the signs of divinity which are present all around us.

I’m Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite," for St. Anthony Messenger Press, on the Web at FranciscanRadio.org

Scripture:

•For the LORD delights in you (Isaiah 62:4)

•So shall God rejoice in you (Isaiah 62:5)

•Tell his glory among the nations; (Psalm 96:3)

•To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given (1 Corinthians 12:7)

•and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him. (John 2:11)

•…the water that had become wine. (John 2:9)

Reflection:

•Why does the Lord delight in you?

•What gift do you have to share with others?

•How do you (and God) turn the ordinary into the extraordinary?

•Do you pray that God will make it possible to share your gifts with others?

Yes, God loves what is not yet. What has still to come to birth. What we love in a person is what already is: virtue, beauty, courage and hence our love is self-interested and fragile. God loving what is not yet and putting faith in us, continually begets us, since love is what begets. By giving us confidence, God helps us to be born, since love is what helps us emerge from our darkness and draws us to the light. And this is such a fine thing to do that God invites us to do the same. (Carlo Carretto)

God and Humans Dwell in Communion:

To receive the grace to be set free from the ego, forget oneself and seek to console, understand and love others is to embark on a journey to another world where God and humans dwell in communion.

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To those who wish to stand in God's grace, neither the guardianship of saints nor the defenses of angels are wanting.

- St. Hilary of Poitiers (315-368)

Seeds of Joy Amid Sadness:

Sowing seeds of joy amid our own or another’s sadness requires both prayer—a prayer of assurance and confidence that God is looking out for me—and action, more aptly a servant’s surrender and acceptance of consequences.

Our Faith:

In today’s Gospel, Jesus praised the paralytic for his deep faith. If Jesus were to look into our hearts today, would He find deep faith in us? What do you think are the different challenges that Jesus would pose to you about the way you live your Christian faith daily?

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Our Lady's love is like a stream that has its source in the Eternal Fountains, quenches the thirst of all, can never be drained, and ever flows back to its Source.

- Saint Margaret Bourgeoys (1620-1700)

Christian Joy:

Christian joy lies beyond the realm of feelings and emotions. It is a fundamental disposition and stance toward life. It is the knowledge that having prayed and surrendered, God hears the hopes and desires of my heart and will respond in a timely, appropriate way.

Compassion of Jesus:

In today’s Gospel, Jesus “felt sorry” for the sick man and cured him. Each time we are sick and in pain of any kind, Jesus too would “feel sorry” for us and would want to “cure us.” Open your heart, trust in Him more; His Compassion is infinite.

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Let us establish a permanent Spring season in our heart through ‘yes’ often repeated to all of God’s permissions and wills.

- St. Francisca Salesia (1844-1914)

The Hope of Others:

Peacemakers must become the hope of others. We must incarnate this emotion and virtue for others. The poor, the alienated and those who have no voice in society, must rely upon us for their dreams to become reality.

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Peace is an aspect of God's activity, made manifest both in the creation of an orderly and harmonious universe and also in the redemption of humanity that needs to be rescued from the disorder of sin. Creation and Redemption thus provide a key that helps us begin to understand the meaning of our life on earth.

- Pope Benedict XVI (World Day of Peace, January 1, 2007 #3)

First and Foremost:

Make a list of all the “stars” you follow looking for truth and guidance. In terms of time spent on each, compared to time given to prayer and Scripture, is Jesus first?

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I want to become a saint, cost what it may, living my life in accordance with the two cornerstones of Christianity: prayer and ascesis [self-discipline].

- Blessed Tommaso Reggio (1818-1901)

The Baptism of the Lord (C)

Is 42:1-4, 6-7 or Is 40:1-5, 9-11
Ps 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
Acts 10:34-38
Lk 3:15-16, 21-22

It's a cliché, but true, that to finish well depends on making a "good beginning." Hello, I’m Father Greg Friedman, and this is the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

A month or so ago we heard "the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God," proclaimed on the Second Sunday of Advent. Those words sound like a title—and, in a way, they are Mark's "title" for his Gospel. All that will follow—from Christ's Baptism to the announcement that he is risen—is, for Mark, the "beginning" of the Good News about Jesus. The continuation of the story is up to us who have received this Good News.

As the liturgical season of Christmas ends today, we begin to reflect on a weekly basis on what it means to live the Good News that Jesus Christ has been revealed as Son of God. Much of our reflection will come from Mark's Gospel.

Today he presents the dramatic scene in the waters of the Jordan River, as Jesus is baptized by John. The Spirit descends on Jesus, and a heavenly voice claims him: "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." From the Jordan, Jesus will begin a mission of healing and exorcism. Just as the Spirit hovered over the primeval waters at the dawn of Creation described in the Book of Genesis, so now the Spirit is at work in Jesus—and in each of us, become new creations in Christ through our own Baptisms.

I’m Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for St. Anthony Messenger Press, on the Web at FranciscanRadio.org.

Scripture:

•For the LORD delights in you (Isaiah 62:4)

•So shall God rejoice in you (Isaiah 62:5)

•Tell his glory among the nations; (Psalm 96:3)

•To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given (1 Corinthians 12:7)

•and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him. (John 2:11)

•…the water that had become wine. (John 2:9)

Reflection:

•Why does the Lord delight in you?

•What gift do you have to share with others?

•How do you (and God) turn the ordinary into the extraordinary?

•Do you pray that God will make it possible to share your gifts with others?

Yes, God loves what is not yet. What has still to come to birth. What we love in a person is what already is: virtue, beauty, courage and hence our love is self-interested and fragile. God loving what is not yet and putting faith in us, continually begets us, since love is what begets. By giving us confidence, God helps us to be born, since love is what helps us emerge from our darkness and draws us to the light. And this is such a fine thing to do that God invites us to do the same. (Carlo Carretto)

Discerning Voices:

In St. John’s Gospel (3:22-30) we read, “The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice.” Do we recognize the voice of Jesus speaking even in people we don’t like, or who are different from us?

Insecurity – Faith: If we want to be in the “limelight” and seek praises from others, then our good deeds will be tainted with ulterior motives. John the Baptist kept his focus on serving God fully. Our ulterior motives are often the result of our insecurities. Pray for the grace to serve others more genuinely.

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We therefore grossly deceive ourselves in not allotting more time to the study of divine truths. It is not enough barely to believe them, and let our thoughts now and then glance upon them: That knowledge which shows us heaven will not bring us to the possession of it, and will deserve punishments, not rewards, if it remain slight, weak, and superficial. By serious and frequent meditation it must be concocted, digested, and turned into the nourishment of our affections, before it can be powerful and operative enough to change them, and produce the necessary fruit in our lives.

- Saint Apollinaris (died c.175)

True Stars:

Through what “stars” does Jesus reveal himself, his desire, his invitations, to you? How can you know when you are experiencing Jesus?

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May the God of love and peace set your hearts at rest and speed you on your journey; may he meanwhile shelter you from disturbance by others in the hidden recesses of his love, until he brings you at last into that place of complete plenitude where you will repose for ever in the vision of peace, in the security of trust, and in the restful enjoyment of his riches.

- St. Raymond of Penyafort (1175-1275)

Epiphany (C)

Is 60:1-6
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Mt 2:1-12

If one phenomenon marks our modern world, it's instant communication. The message you're listening to is just one way we interact at the speed of light. Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, and this is the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Feast of the Epiphany.

I sat at a computer to write this short reflection, and then someone took it—via the Internet—to edit and prepare so that it might be heard on our Web site or over the radio waves. If you wish, you could download the very text I originally typed. I still marvel at all the ways we can communicate today.

Today's feast of the Epiphany of the Lord is a feast that celebrates communication. The Gospel we read today portrays Jesus, the Word Made Flesh, revealed to the nations, as the wise men arrive to pay him homage. Whatever the historical facts behind the story, the message of faith is that God is reaching out to us, communicating to us the Word Made Flesh. That's communication that has transformed human history.

God's revelation in Jesus has a power surpassing all our modern technological "miracles," because it speaks to our hearts. Are we listening? Are we open to the Word?

Let's become modern channels of God's communication to the world in this new year, using our gifts—whatever they may be—to pass on the message of the Good News, that Love is born in our midst. I’m Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for St. Anthony Messenger Press, on the Web at FranciscanRadio.org.

Scripture:

•Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, (Isaiah 60:5)

•For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. (Psalm 72:12)

•…the mystery was made known to me by revelation. (Ephesians 3:3a)

•…and on entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother. (Matthew 2:11)

Reflection:

•What was the basis of Herod’s actions?

•What was the basis of the Magi’s actions?

•What did the Magi encounter when they came upon a very ordinary situation—a mother with child?

•What do you encounter in the everyday world that is ordinary yet profound?

As adults in a busy world, we find it difficult to act from a heart center. We are too often tired, distracted, or goal oriented. We think too much, and our thoughts are the source of anxieties, guilt and fears. We allow ourselves to be pulled into the past, into the future, and into fantasy. Thoughts split our minds from our hearts.

Francis reminds us of our fundamental desire for wholeness. We yearn to integrate mind and heart. We begin by first getting in touch with our heart, in other words cultivating a desire for God’s love. In time we will be guided more and more by a deeper spiritual energy. We will experience the revelation of the spirit in the here and now—in these people, in these birds, this landscape.

Following the Light:

Lord, centuries of people before me have been drawn to your light. Some made tremendous sacrifices to hear you. Give me their faith, their hope, their love. Amen

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The same light which led the shepherds to the stable in Bethlehem shows the way, on the day of Epiphany, to the Magi who have come from the East to worship the King of the Jews, and it shines brightly for all men and women and for all people who long to meet God.

- Pope John Paul II the Great (January 6, 1999)

God’s Messengers:

God can speak through anything he chooses. The message of the Magi is, “Look for him in everything, listen for his voice.”

“Under the Fig Tree”:

Jesus saw Nathanael “under the fig tree.” This phrase implied the prayerfulness of Nathanael. He was also virtuous and truthful. How serious are you in giving yourself time to develop your prayer life? Does work commitment take away all your time including your time for prayer?

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Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

- St. John Nepomucene Neumann (1811-1860)

God’s Language:

The Magi were pagans from the mysterious and faraway “east.” Legend says they sought God through the study of the stars. So God spoke to them in the language of their own religion. He sent them a star. He does the same for us. He speaks to us through whatever signs, symbols, events, persons or experiences we are able to receive.

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We must pray literally without ceasing, I mean that prayer of the heart which is independent of time and place, which is rather a habit of lifting up the heart to God, as in a constant communication with him.

- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821)

Most Holy Name of Jesus

In a world of fiercely guarded corporate names and logos, it should be easy to understand this feast. The letters IHS are an abbreviation of Jesous, the Greek name for Jesus.

Although St. Paul might claim credit for promoting devotion to the Holy Name because Paul wrote in Philippians that God the Father gave Christ Jesus “that name that is above every name” (see 2:9), this devotion became popular because of 12th-century Cistercian monks and nuns but especially through the preaching of St. Bernardine of Siena, a 15th-century Franciscan.

Bernardine used devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus as a way of overcoming bitter and often bloody class struggles and family rivalries or vendettas in Italian city-states. The devotion grew, partly because of Franciscan and Dominican preachers. It spread even more widely after the Jesuits began promoting it in the 16th century.

In 1530, Pope Clement V approved an Office of the Holy Name for the Franciscans. In 1721, Pope Innocent XIII extended this feast to the entire Church.

Comment:

Jesus died and rose for the sake of all people. No one can trademark or copyright Jesus' name. Jesus is the Son of God and son of Mary. Everything that exists was created in and through the Son of God (see Colossians 1:15-20). The name of Jesus is debased if any Christian uses it as justification for berating non-Christians. Jesus reminds us that because we are all related to him we are, therefore, all related to one another.

Quote:

“Glorious name, gracious name, name of love and of power! Through you sins are forgiven, through you enemies are vanquished, through you the sick are freed from their illness, through you those suffering in trials are made strong and cheerful. You bring honor to those who believe, you teach those who preach, you give strength to the toiler, you sustain the weary” (St. Bernardine of Siena).

Hands of Mary:

The circle of a girl’s arms has changed the world, the round, sorrowful world, to a cradle for God. O Mother of God, be hands that are rocking the world to a kind of rhythm of love: that the incoherence of war and the chaos of unrest be soothed to a lullaby, and the round, sorrowful world, in your hands, the cradle of God.

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The Name of Jesus. Oh, how great is your Name. O Lord! It is the strength of my soul. When my strength fails, and darkness invades my soul, your Name is the sun whose rays give light and also warmth, and under their influence the soul becomes more beautiful and radiant, taking its splendor from your Name.

- St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)

Lead Me to Peace:

Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth. Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust. Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace. Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe, Peace, Peace, Peace.

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God accepts our desires as though they were of great value. He longs ardently for us to desire and love him. He accepts our petitions for benefits as though we were doing him a favor. His joy in giving is greater than ours in receiving. So let us not be apathetic in our asking, nor set too narrow bounds to our requests, nor ask for frivolous things unworthy of God's greatness.

- Saint Gregory Nazianzen (330-390)

The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the money that you keep locked away is the money of the poor; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.

- St. Basil the Great (329 - 379)

Mary, Mother of God

Mary’s divine motherhood broadens the Christmas spotlight. Mary has an important role to play in the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. She consents to God’s invitation conveyed by the angel (Luke 1:26-38). Elizabeth proclaims: “Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:42-43, emphasis added). Mary’s role as mother of God places her in a unique position in God’s redemptive plan.

Without naming Mary, Paul asserts that “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). Paul’s further statement that “God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out ‘Abba, Father!’“ helps us realize that Mary is mother to all the brothers and sisters of Jesus.

Some theologians also insist that Mary’s motherhood of Jesus is an important element in God’s creative plan. God’s “first” thought in creating was Jesus. Jesus, the incarnate Word, is the one who could give God perfect love and worship on behalf of all creation. As Jesus was “first” in God’s mind, Mary was “second” insofar as she was chosen from all eternity to be his mother.

The precise title “Mother of God” goes back at least to the third or fourth century. In the Greek form Theotokos (God-bearer), it became the touchstone of the Church’s teaching about the Incarnation. The Council of Ephesus in 431 insisted that the holy Fathers were right in calling the holy virgin Theotokos. At the end of this particular session, crowds of people marched through the street shouting: “Praised be the Theotokos!” The tradition reaches to our own day. In its chapter on Mary’s role in the Church, Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church calls Mary “Mother of God” 12 times.

Comment:

Other themes come together at today’s celebration. It is the Octave of Christmas: Our remembrance of Mary’s divine motherhood injects a further note of Christmas joy. It is a day of prayer for world peace: Mary is the mother of the Prince of Peace. It is the first day of a new year: Mary continues to bring new life to her children—who are also God’s children.

Quote:

“The Blessed Virgin was eternally predestined, in conjunction with the incarnation of the divine Word, to be the Mother of God. By decree of divine Providence, she served on earth as the loving mother of the divine Redeemer, an associate of unique nobility, and the Lord’s humble handmaid. She conceived, brought forth, and nourished Christ” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 61).

Peace for the Children of God:

O God, Help us to beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks, so that we may be able to live in peace and harmony, wiping away the tears from the eyes of those who are less fortunate than ourselves. And may we know war no more, as we strive to be what you want us to be: Your children.

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At the beginning of the year, we trust in your motherly "memory", O Mary! We set out on this special path of salvation history, which is kept alive in your heart as Mother of God. To you we entrust the days of the new year, the future of the Church, the future of humanity, the future of the entire universe. Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Peace, watch over us.

- Pope John Paul II the Great (January 1, 2000)

Mary, just as you helped Jesus grow in wisdom and grace, help us also to advance on the spiritual path which God has laid out for us.

—Images of Mary

May the good Lord guide us as we journey through this year of grace and appreciate everything that he wills for us.

May we be blessed with abundant graces and blessings to journey through the dark moments that we will have in this year.

May Mary, the Mother of God protect and pray for us constantly to help keep us on the right path to his Son and God the Almighty Father.

May All the Saints in heaven pray for us and help us in our hour of need.

May we never forget in our times of blessed happiness, joy , peace and love, we will not forget those who might not be so fortunate as us and extend our love to them as much as possible.

Happy New Year 2007 !!!!!!!

Happy 2nd Anniversary / Birthday to my bloggie !!!!!!!