Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
      The  crucifix, that is, a cross with the body of our Lord upon it is the core Christian image.  Some Christians say that Christ should not be portrayed upon the cross, since He is risen from the dead.  Yet, for us who as St. Paul says, "make up for what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ (Col. 1:13)," the crucifix urges us on because it is the love of Christ (II Cor. 5:14) made visible.
 
     The cross itself only has meaning and value because Jesus Christ, God made man, hung upon it.  Crucifixion, a horrible means of execution and an ignominious death, has been transformed to be a means of life-giving love because sin and death died upon it.  Jesus went forward to rise from the dead and to raise all who believe in Him.
 
     But the further power of the crucifix is that it gives hope to us who suffer.  It shows that good can be brought out of evil, especially the evil that strikes us or strikes those we love.  It shows that suffering has value when it is united to God who suffered.  Indeed, Christianity is the only religion that believes that God became human and that He suffered and died for humanity!
 
     So if you do not have a crucifix in your house, get one!  Indeed, every room should have one.  And if you have a crucifix in your house, office, classroom, church, or elsewhere, look often upon it to be reminded of the love that God has for YOU and indeed all the world AND what you too can do through and for Jesus!
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
 
Father Robert
P.S.  This coming Sunday is Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time.  The readings can be found at: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/083020.cfm

P.S.S. At the end of e-weekly is the Sunday Readings with commentary and reflection questions.
​

Catholic Term
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The Dynamic Catholic Institute was founded by writer Matthew Kelly to do its part in the rejuvenation of Catholicism in the English-speaking world. Ten years ago Kelly published his book Rediscovering Catholicism, and it is the mission of the Institute to place a copy of this book in the hands of every Catholic in the United States. Recently the Institute sent me four copies so I could see about letting CatholicCulture.org users know about it.
 
I've reviewed the book. It is a basic presentation of the value, riches and beauty of Catholicism-all about why taking the Faith seriously should matter. After introducing the life-changing nature of Christ's mission and that of His Church, the book focuses in particular on Kelly's "Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality": Reconciliation, Contemplation, The Mass, the Bible, Fasting, Spiritual Reading and the Rosary. Rediscovering Catholicism is not for those who are already deeply committed and deeply knowledgeable; it is a deliberately breezy treatment designed primarily to get the lukewarm or indifferent excited about being Catholic, or perhaps those who, while not exactly lukewarm, are engaged in only a sort of secularized social Catholicism because they have been badly formed.
 
The book is available in single copies for the cost of shipping and handling ($5.95), and at $2.00 per copy for bulk distribution (with free shipping): Rediscovering Catholicism. It is well worth considering, but be warned: Though it is an easy read, it is over 300 pages long, so you have to ask yourself whether your intended recipients will actually read it.
 
For those with shorter attention spans, Catholic Answers' Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth, developed originally for distribution at World Youth Days, is a 32-page booklet which provides a more succinct and classically-apologetical introduction to Catholicism. It's available for $1.00 plus shipping, or in bulk for as little as 50 cents. Either text could be just the thing to jump-start the nascent Catholics you hold dear.
 

http://www.dynamiccatholic.com/index.php

PRAY AND FAST FOR YOUR PARISH AND THE CHURCH
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“After Jesus and the disciples had gone back home and were alone, they asked him, "Why couldn't we force out that demon? He replied ‘This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.’"
-Mark 9:28-29


BENEFITS?
Praying is doing something!  And fasting is the greatest spiritual weapon you can bring to bear on spiritual evils and to assist right and good things in the physical order.
These are our top two weapons employed in spiritual warfare.  At a time when many evils are being uncovered in our beloved Church, we can turn to these tried and true methods of interceding for the victims of abuse and for the Church as a whole.  Suggestions on ways to pray and fast are below. 
*Note: When fasting we give up a good, and are taught to offer the discomfort up for the intention we are praying for.  To “offer something up” means that we are making a choice to not let our discomfort be wasted.  Christ suffered to redeem us, and when He did, He changed the nature of suffering to make it possible for all human suffering to be united with His own in order to play a part in the redemption of the human race.  How do we offer our challenges for a certain intention?  We tell God, "I offer this up to You for….. or, Lord, please use this for….(the victims of abuse, the universal Church, etc.)”


HOW?
Ways To Pray                                                                      Ways To Fast
-Pray a Daily Rosary, even just once decade.                        -Give up dessert
-Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet                                             -Give up your morning coffee
-Go to Adoration                                                                    -Eat only bread and water for the day          
-Attend a Daily Mass                                                              -Fast from Social Media for a day or a week
-Pray the Morning Offering                                                   -Fast from television
-Pray the Saint Michael Prayer                                              -Fast from any creature comfort that you enjoy
(http://www.catholicallyear.com/2018/08/sexual-abuse-sackcloth-and-ashes.html
) #sackclothandashes





​

by NEWS DESK   |   August 28, 2021  |  in US NEWS

“The spiritual state of the Newman Center is amazing. There is so much good happening there for so many,” Fr. Kyle Doustou, pastor of The Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord and priest at the Newman Center, told CNA on Aug. 27. The Newman Center is one of the churches in the parish’s cluster. 
The physical state of the building, however, falls short of amazing. In addition to the structural problems inherent to a building dedicated in 1969, the center is “impossible to heat efficiently,” and is liturgically problematic as the building’s chapel is open to the rest of the Newman Center, Fr. Doustou said. 
“With our new plans, the structure will be rebuilt to handle the Maine winters, reconfigured so that we have more space for all of our formation programs, and we will have a separate chapel with beautiful stained glass windows, statues, etc.,” Fr. Doustou explained. 
In addition to Mass, adoration, and other sacraments, the Newman Center is a place to “pray, study, play, and serve,” and is the closest Catholic church to the University of Maine’s campus. Fr. Doustou told CNA that the renovations will be key in establishing the church’s identity and helping with the mission of evangelization. 
According to the Diocese of Portland’s website, the planned renovations include a “quiet, beautiful narthex where one can transition into the presence of God;” different entrances for the chapel and for the main hall, a separate chapel “featuring a new sacristy, tabernacle, altar, ambo, and main crucifix,” a steeple with a bell, a Marian garden, and spaces for students to have meetings and foster community.
“The building is essential. We’re right on College Avenue, right in the midst of all the frat houses, right in the the midst of all the traffic and energy,” Fr. Doustou said.


​

Shortly before the premiere of Fatima, several cast members shared with the Register some experiences and thoughts about the film, which debuted Friday in theaters and on demand.
“I really like that it’s releasing at this point of the year because of the coronavirus and everything. It just brings faith to people’s hearts, and it’s really inspiring. It brings hope to the world at this time,” said 14-year-old Stephanie Gil, who plays young Lucia. Gil was 12 during the movie’s filming.
“I think that the main message of the film is to have hope and faith in general, and in yourself; and to believe in what you believe and not let anyone tell you otherwise. It’s just: Be strong and fight for what you believe.”
Gil said younger audiences will also like the film because they will feel they can relate to the seers, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, because they were 10, 8 and 7 during the 1917 apparitions, and going through that situation at their young age “is amazing, something really admirable for me. I want them [young people] to take out [as a message] how you should never give up. … In the film, Lucia is so devoted to her faith, and that’s what keeps her going.”
Gil said this role was “life-changing. I will never forget filming this film because it’s so special and close to my heart.”
Actor Goran Višnjić shared how he portrayed Arturo de Oliveira Santos, the atheist, unbelieving mayor, whose wife was a believer and churchgoer. “In Portugal at the time, the Church was really on the outskirts of society; the new government was against it. They were trying to portray the Church as superstitious people. [Yet] the core of the people was supporting the Church, and people were churchgoers. I was trying to find a kind of balance between those two things. And I was trying to portray him as a guy between a rock and a hard place.”
Višnjić believes Fatima will appeal to everybody, Catholic or not. “If it is really an honestly good and positive message, we can all recognize it. … The thought is important; the message is important. So this movie doesn’t matter who’s going to be watching it — Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists or whatever — but the message of the film is beautiful. It’s love each other. Don’t make war. The message is pure, positive and beautiful.”
A Catholic himself, Višnjić went to Fatima while filming in Portugal. “You feel you’re in an amazing, special place. You feel a calm; I don’t want to say divinity. But it does feel very special, very different,” he said of his pilgrimage experience. “The whole process … was a bit special; it wasn’t like shooting any other film.”
Portraying Jacinta, 9-year-old Alejandra Howard makes quite an impression in Fatima, her first film.
She enjoyed playing the young saint “because we were very close to where it actually happened, and I heard all about Jacinta. I was on the internet learning about her,” Howard related. “I think it was easy for me.” The best part about playing Jacinta, Howard said, was having something in common with St. Jacinta. “I am kind of courageous, and she was courageous.”
For her part, Howard said the filming deepened her own faith. “I was already a believer of God. But I think after doing this movie I was more of a believer now than before.”
She encourages young moviegoers to see the film because “it’s a really interesting story, a true story that happened a hundred years ago, and [you] get a really good feeling of it.”
Lucia Moniz, who is not Catholic, portrays Lucia’s mother, Maria dos Santos. She shared how she “was very moved by the script, very moved by the way it was filmed. This film talked about an important issue, which is real lives and how this event affects people who believe and people who don’t believe. The most important thing I felt with this film and the message is that, beyond believing or not, the power of love is so important.”

​

Moniz brings that out on screen in her love for her daughter, despite her refusal to believe Lucia sees the Blessed Virgin Mary. “I always wanted to make sure of that even though this character doesn’t act right in most of this story in her reaction in not believing her [daughter], it’s not a question of how much she loves her daughter. It’s sometimes humans don’t know what to do, and they don’t know how to act.”
Joaquim de Almeida, who plays Father Ferreira, explained why this is such an important film. “There was the time of the pandemic then; the Spanish Flu was going on — so many parallels to what’s happening today. In Portugal in 1917, people in the country were very poor, and they were in need of hope, and belief and faith, and this was something that even if it was repressed in the beginning by the republican government, it ended with many people being attracted on Oct. 13 — 70,000 people were there” to see the “Miracle of the Sun.”

​

De Almeida believes people “should look at it and be upbeat about faith and believing and hoping. It expresses a good lesson for the kids. If you believe in something, don’t say you lied. If you believe it’s true, say it’s true. The kids had so much pressure to say it was a lie. They said, ‘No. We saw it.’”
Whether viewers are “a believer or nonbeliever,” he thinks the film can touch all open hearts. “It’s appealing because it’s based on facts. A lot of believers come to Fatima every year, but it’s not just that. It’s the story in itself, and the comparison, the parallels to today. Most of all, it’s important that we have hope.”
Joseph Pronechen is a Register staff writer.

WATCH
FatimatheMovie.com

A group of lay Catholic women have written an open letter to Pope Francis, demanding that he answer the questions raised by the recent allegations in the letter from former U.S. nuncio  Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. 



In the opening of their letter, the women recall a quote from Pope Francis on the role of women in the Church: “You have said that you seek ‘a more incisive female presence in the Church,’ and that ‘women are capable of seeing things with a different angle from [men], with a different eye. Women are able to pose questions that we men are not able to understand.’” 

“We write to you, Holy Father, to pose questions that need answers,” the letter notes. 
Specifically, they are seeking answers to the questions raised in Vigano’s recent letter, which accused Pope Francis and other members of the Church hierarchy for covering up sexual abuse allegations against former cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

The women’s questions for Pope Francis include if or when he was made aware of any sanctions allegedly placed on then-cardinal Theodore McCarrick by Pope Benedict XVI, and whether he brought McCarrick back into public ministry despite knowing about these sanctions and accusations. 

Asked these questions by journalists on his return flight from the recent World Meeting of Families in Ireland, Pope Francis responded by saying he “will not say a single word on this” and instead encouraged journalists to study the statement themselves and draw their own conclusions. 

“To your hurting flock, Pope Francis, your words are inadequate,” the signers of the letter say, addressing the Pope’s response. “They sting, reminiscent of the clericalism you so recently condemned. We need leadership, truth, and transparency. We, your flock, deserve your answers now.”

“Please do not turn from us,” they ask in the letter. 

“You’ve committed yourself to changing clerical ways in the Church. That a cardinal would prey on seminarians is abhorrent. We need to know we can trust you to be honest with us about what happened. The victims who have suffered so greatly need to know they can trust you. Families, who will be the source of the Church’s renewal, need to know we can trust you, and thus trust the Church.”

The women who have signed the letter serve in a variety of positions and vocations within the Church, in both private and public life. They describe themselves as “deeply committed to our faith and profoundly grateful for Church teachings, the Sacraments, and the many good bishops and priests who have blessed our lives.” 

They are “wives, mothers, single women, consecrated women, and religious sisters. We are the mothers and sisters of your priests, seminarians, future priests and religious. We are the Church’s lay leaders, and the mothers of the next generation. We are professors in your seminaries, and leaders in Catholic chanceries and institutions. We are theologians, evangelists, missionaries and founders of Catholic apostolates.” 


“In short, we are the Church, every bit as much as the cardinals and bishops around you,” they say. 

The letter is signed, “With love for Christ and the Church.” 
Some prominent signers of the letter include Mary Rice Hasson, the Kate O'Beirne Fellow in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center; Professor Janet E. Smith, the Father Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary; Leah Darrow, a Catholic speaker, author and evangelist; Ashley McGuire, a senior fellow at The Catholic Association; Kathryn Jean Lopez with the National Review Institute; and Obianuju Ekeocha, the founder and president of Culture of Life Africa.

Other signers include professors and faculty from Catholic institutions including Notre Dame, The Catholic University of America, and the University of St. Thomas, as well as women who are mothers of seminarians, homeschooling mothers, business owners, philosophers and psychologists. 

The letter, dated August 30, 2018, is described as the personal initiative of the original signatories and was not organized or sponsored by any group or organization. It had 5,300 signatures as of press time. (As of Saturday evening, Sept. 1, 2018, there are 25,820 signatures.

Delivering his address to pilgrims and visitors, gathered under the hot sun for the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, the pontiff stressed the importance of teaching children how to show love for God through prayer.

"It is beautiful when mothers teach their little children to blow a kiss to Jesus or to Our Lady. What tenderness there is in this!" he said.

"In that moment the child's heart is transformed into a place of prayer. And this is a gift of the Holy Spirit."

However, in off-the-cuff remarks, the Pope lamented how there are children who are not taught the most basic prayers by there parents, a phenomena he said he has witnessed in the city.

"There are children who have not learned how to make the Sign of the Cross!" he said. "You, mother, father! Teach your children how to pray, how to make the Sign of the Cross!"

Children should learn prayer with "the same spontaneity" as when they learn to say "daddy" and "mommy," so that it stays with them forever, the Pope added.

The Pope's August 26 address was the latest in a series of catechesis dedicated to the family. Since late year, the pontiff has been centering his Wednesday catecheses on this theme as part of the lead-up to the World Meeting of Families in September, as well as October's Synod of Bishops on the Family.

In his catechesis, delivered in Italian, the Holy Father observed how many Christians know they need prayer, but do not have the time.

"Their regret is sincere, certainly, because the human heart always seeks prayer, even without knowing it; and if it does not find it, it does not have peace."

It is for this reason that Christians must cultivate a love for God, he said.

While it is good to believe in God, to have hope in him to help at difficult times, and to be grateful to him, Pope Francis asked whether or not we also love him.

He cited the scripture passage from Deuteronomy, repeated by Christ in Matthew's Gospel, in which we are called to love God with all our heart, our soul, and strength.

"(This) formula uses the intense language of love, poured into God," the Pope said.

Pope Francis acknowledged that we are able see God as the one who gives us life and from whom even death cannot separate us, the "great Being" and "Judge" who made all things and controls every act, the Pope said. However, these concepts only find their full significance "when God is the love of our loves."

"God could have simply made us know him as the supreme Being, given his commandments, and awaited the results."

This he has done, but also "infinitely more," the Pope said, adding in off-the-cuff remarks: "He accompanies us on the path of life. He protects us. He loves us."

Pope Francis acknowledged how there is little time available in family life. However, by finding time to pray, we "give time back to God." In so doing, we escape the obsession with not having enough time, rediscover "peace in the important things," and "discover the joy in unexpected gifts."

Encouraging the faithful to read the Gospel every day, as he has done on numerous occasions, the Holy Father said this is a particularly important practice for families.

"The Gospel, read and meditated on in the family, is like good bread which nourishes the hearts of everyone," he said.

Pope Francis concluded: "In the family of prayer, in strong moments and in difficult periods, may we be entrusted to one another, in order that everyone of us in the family may be protected by God's love."


"The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes:

He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows." -St. Gregory of Nyssa

Catechism of the Catholic Church #2015
 ​

A bit of humor.
  
-Why do monkeys carry their babies on their backs?  It would be a bit hard dragging a buggy all the way up the trees.  
-Doctor says to the patient: “Your coughing sounds much better.” The patient replies: “And no wonder. I spent a lot of time practicing.”  
-I have a very good feeling about my job interview today. The manager said they were looking for somebody responsible.  “You’ve found your man,” I responded, “whenever there was a problem in my last job, they always said that I was responsible!”  

Some Thoughts:
-A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
-Did you know that dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish?
-Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
-By the time a man realizes that his father was right, he has a son who thinks he’s wrong.
-A TV can insult your intelligence, but nothing rubs it in like a computer.
-A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…

From the Mouths of Infants and Babes:
-A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
 
-After the church service a little boy told the pastor, "When I grow up, I'm going to give you some money." "Well, thank you," the pastor replied, "but why?" "Because my daddy says you're one of the poorest preachers we've ever had."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A pastor, known for his lengthy sermons, noticed a man get up and leave during the middle of his message. 

The man returned just before the conclusion of the service. 

Afterwards the pastor asked the man where he had gone. 

"I went to get a haircut," was the reply. 

"But," said the pastor, "why didn't you do that before the service?" 

"Because," the gentleman said, "I didn't need one then."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Cop With a Collar 
A young clergyman, fresh out of seminary, thought it would help him better understand the fears and temptations his future congregations faced if he first took a job as a policeman for several months. He passed the physical examination; then came the oral exam to test his ability to act quickly and wisely in an emergency.  Among other questions he was asked, "What would you do to disperse a frenzied crowd?" 
He thought for a moment and then said, "I would take up a collection."
 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Substitute
The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building. Therefore, he was annoyed to find that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute. The substitute wanted to know what to play. 

"Here's a copy of the service," he said impatiently. "But, you'll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances." 
During the service, the minister paused and said, 

"Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected and we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up." 
At that moment, the substitute organist played, 

"The Star Spangled Banner." 
And that is how the substitute became the regular organist!

​

+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, August 29th, 2021

The First Reading- Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8  
Moses said to the people: "Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.  In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin upon you, you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.  Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, 'This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.'  For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?  Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?"
Reflection 
Moses told the people to keep the law that God had given them because it’s full of wisdom and will help them live close to God, but if that closeness with God isn’t the result of our living, something’s wrong.  Our goal should always be closer communion with God.  Our lives and our works should be properly ordered in the Lord.
Adults - Do we take the time to not only know the teachings of the Church, but to consider how they improve our lives, even when they are hard?
Teens -What part of Church teaching do you most easily see the wisdom in?
Kids - What is wisdom? 

Responsorial- Psalm 15: 2-3, 3-4, 4-5 
R.The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Whoever walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
by whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Reflection 
-Consider what it means to slander with your tongue.  How can we fight against this in our own lives?

The Second Reading- James 1:17-18, 21B-22, 27
Dearest brothers and sisters: All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.  He willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.  Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.  Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.  Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Reflection
James reminds us, too, that the law of God needs to be followed — he tells us to be “doers of the word and not hearers only.”  But he also reminds us that religion that is “pure and undefiled before God” means caring for the “orphans and widows” — the vulnerable people in society.  If our religion makes us so focused on laws that we ignore the needs of the poorest, most at-risk people (the Jewish Scriptures always mention specifically the widows and orphans), then we’re not acting out of love for God.
In what way might you be acting as a ‘hearer’ and not a ‘doer’?  In prayer?  In the teachings of the Church?  Meditate this week on how you can live your faith even more fully.

The Holy Gospel according to Mark 1: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. — For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders.  And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves.  And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. —  So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, "Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?" He responded, "Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.  You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."  He summoned the crowd again and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand.  Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.  "From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.  All these evils come from within and they defile."
Reflection
Mark’s telling of the Gospel story is very telling about who his audience is —he explains in detail the customs of the Jewish people because he’s talking to pagan converts who aren’t familiar with them. This would be important to them because they never had any kosher laws, and no restrictions on what they might eat or how they might eat it.  The bigger point is Jesus’ criticism of people who follow rules so carefully but don’t attend to their spiritual life — their relationship with God.  This is the theme in all of the readings.  Our spiritual life has to be about our relationship with God and guided by Him, not for show.
Adults - Do I balance well the precepts of the faith and the command to love?
Teens  -Have you ever met anyone who was very “religious” but didn’t seem to care about anyone? What was your impression of their belief in God?  
Kids -Why are rules important? 

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – “Christ condemned the Pharisees by word and deed. He was merciful, kind and understanding to all sinners. He forgave sin and promised forgiveness to all who would repent of their past misdeeds. Not only that: for he left to his followers for all time his sacrament of mercy and forgiveness, by means of which they could have their sins forgiven by his minister, acting in his name. Should we ever forget all he has done for us and disobey in a serious way any of his commandments, let us remember that we are not excluded from his company as the sinners were excluded by the Pharisees: we have banged the door on ourselves but he has given us the key with which to reopen it. Let us never be so foolish as to fail to use that key.”  --Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
​

CATHOLIC QUESTIONS AND CATHOLIC ANSWERS


CHAPTER TWO:  The Tradition of Prayer
557. What is the importance of Tradition in regard to prayer? d) all of the above
In the Church it is through living Sacred Tradition that the Holy Spirit teaches the children of God how to pray.  In fact prayer cannot be reduced to the spontaneous outpouring of an interior impulse; rather it implies contemplation, study and a grasp of the spiritual realities one experiences.  In other words, it is not simply by accident, but something we choose and keep responding to.  And in Matthew 15:1-9, Jesus condemns false human, earthly tradition, not Sacred Tradition, which He Himself gave us.


AT THE WELLSPRINGS OF PRAYER
558. What are the sources of Christian prayer? d) all of the above
They are: the Word of God which gives us “the surpassing knowledge” of Christ (Philippians3:8); the Liturgy of the Church that proclaims, makes present and communicates the mystery of salvation; the theological virtues; and everyday situations because in them we can encounter God.  “I love you, Lord, and the only grace I ask is to love you eternally. … My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love you, I want my heart to repeat it to you as often as I draw breath.” (The Curé of Ars, Saint John Mary Vianney)


THE WAY OF PRAYER
559. In the Church are there different ways of praying? a) Yes
In the Church there are various ways of praying that are tied to different historical, social and cultural contexts. The Magisterium of the Church has the task of discerning the fidelity of these ways of praying to the tradition of apostolic faith. It is for pastors and catechists to explain their meaning which is always related to Jesus Christ.


560. What is the way of our prayer? a) Christ because prayer is directed to God our Father
The way of our prayer is Christ because prayer is directed to God our Father but reaches him only if we pray – at least implicitly – in the name of Jesus.  His humanity is in effect the only way by which the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray to our Father. Therefore liturgical prayers conclude with the formula: “Through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
​

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
​
      This month nearly 2 million children begin Catholic School.  Many of us may have attended a Catholic school in our time.  Many remember the dear nuns, or a wonderful lay teacher who gave fully of themselves, bringing his or her uniqueness to the classroom. 
 
"Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."  Matthew 13:52 
 
        Regardless of who taught us and how we were educated, Catholic Schools have a value that is not found elsewhere because what they teach concerns God and heaven, our true home.  
 
Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 4:8
 
     Solid Catholic Schools and the education and formation they provide are needed now more than ever.  Yet these blessed institutions do not happen by accident.  They occur when the Father's blessing touches the honest, hard work of men and women of faith who love the Faith and children.
 
.do not be too hard on your children so they will become angry.  Instruct them in their growing years with Christian teaching. -Ephesians 6:4  
 
      As millions of children continue to experience the blessings of Catholic Schools this month, let us give thanks to God for these schools, pray for them to bear fruit, and do all we can to support (as those who have went before us have supported) that which has brought so many blessings to this earth.
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
 
P.S.  This coming Sunday is the Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time.  >> Readings

​P.S.S.  Sunday Readings with reflection available at the end of e-weekly.

550. What are the essential forms of Christian prayer? (Catechism of the Catholic Church-CCC 2643-2644)
a) blessing and adoration
b) petition and intercession
c) thanksgiving and praise
d) all of the above


551. What is “blessing”? (CCC 2626-2627; 2645 )
a) a control over something
b) man’s response to God’s gifts
c) a multiplication of items
d) none of the above


552. How can adoration be defined? (CCC 2628)
Human Beings acknowledging that they belong to God.
a) True   b) False


553. What are the different forms of the prayer of petition? (CCC 2629-2633; 2646)
a) those made to oneself
b) the prayer must include the acknowledgment of the angels
c) the worship of God
d) the first thing to ask for is the coming of the Kingdom


554. In what does the prayer of intercession consist? (CCC 2634-2636; 2647)
It must extend even to one’s enemies.
a) True  b) False


555. When is thanksgiving given to God? (CCC 2637-2638; 2648 )
a) unceasingly
b) above all in celebrating the Holy Eucharist (Holy Mass)
c) every event in life is a reason
d) all of the above


556. What is the prayer of praise? (CCC 2639-2643; 2649)
That which recognizes the creature is more important that the Creator.
a) True   b) False

​

Catholic School (from Late Latin catholicus, from Greek katholikos "universal, general"+ from Latin schola, from Greek scholē  "discussion, lecture, school")
 - an institution under the supervision of the Church whose corporate policy is to train the students in the Gospel message of salvation as taught by the teaching authority of the Catholic Church given to her by Jesus Christ and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit
 
In the words of the Second Vatican Council, "It is the special function of the Catholic school to develop in the school community an atmosphere animated by a spirit of liberty and charity based on the Gospel.  It enables young people, while developing their own personality, to grow at the same time in that new life which has been given them at baptism.  Finally it so orients the whole of human culture to the message of salvation that the knowledge which the pupils acquire of the world, of life and of men is illumined by faith.  Thus, the Catholic school, taking into consideration as it should the conditions of an age of progress, prepares its pupils to contribute effectively to the welfare of the world of men and to work for the extension of the kingdom of God" (Declaration on Christian Education, 8).
 ​

What you need to know about prayer in Public Schools: For Students- Every student has the constitutional right to pray in public schools at any time or place as long as it is not disruptive and does not interfere with classroom instruction.
 
For Teachers: Students can initiate prayer individually and in groups, in the public schools, however a teacher or administrator generally cannot.
 
What you need to know about the silent reflection and student prayer act in Illinois:
1-It's just a moment of silence.
2-It includes all religious and non-religious perspectives.
3- It is consistent with the U.S. Constitution.
 
"THE SUPREME COURT has held that students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse door. The law enacted in Illinois comports with the Constitution, allowing for a daily routine of silent prayer or reflection in the classroom that does not endorse religion, yet accommodates free expression," was stated by Andy Norman of the Mauck & Baker law firm in Chicago, a Christian Legal Society.
 
In a very special way, parents share in the office of sanctifying "by leading a conjugal life in the Christian spirit and by seeing to the Christian education of their children."
-Catechism of the Catholic Church 2226

​

Institute of School and Parish Development
 
http://www.ispd.com/



Bring People, Process, and Ministry to build the Kingdom of God.  ISPD is your Catholic School Enrollment Solution for maintaining and/or increasing the quantity, quality, or diversity of your elementary or secondary Catholic school enrollment.  These are the words with which they describe themselves.  This site is excellent in that it takes a holistic, yet practical approach to the needs of Catholic Schools and Parishes today, and yet does not veer from the Gospel when it comes to meeting these needs with true charity and love of neighbor.
 
"The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents."
-Catechism of the Catholic Church 2226



​

Matt Simpson during a Team USA goalball practice. Credit: U.S. Association of Blind Athletes.Goalball is a way to change perceptions, Simpson said.
“We talk about sports, and the Paralympics, as an opportunity to educate. As frustrated as I might get by someone who has just wildly incorrect preconceptions, it's still an opportunity to educate,” Simpson said.
To win gold in Tokyo, Simpson will need to rely on his teammates, and he’ll need also to trust in his own abilities, and the skills he’s worked on for for years. And for kids who experience disabilities, Simpson said, sports can be a way to learn to compete in a world that will include serious challenges. 
He mentions that there are nearly 65,000 school-aged children in America who experience blindness or serious vision impairment.
“And, you know, most of them are not being given opportunities even for recreation with their peers, much less competitive sports. And you want to talk about a population that needs to learn hard lessons, that needs to learn, you know, no matter how inclusive a society would want to be, we live in in a world that is created for the sighted — that's not wrong, that's just reality. And we need to learn how to win and how to lose, and how to compete on something of a level playing field. And how to work everyday at being the best.” 
Simpson said that for disabled people, “it’s often easy to feel like one deserves less—a lesser family, lesser career, lesser outcome in anything—because you are disabled.”
Partially through sports, he said, the Lord has shown him those perceptions aren’t reality.
“God has continued to open these doors and bless me in amazing ways,” he reflected.
Goalball has been part of that — an “incredible blessing in a way that I really didn’t think possible.”
Share
Simpson hopes his team’s play in Tokyo might inspire other people with disabilities, especially kids with disabilities, to take up sports and believe in their potential.
But his first goal is to come home with a gold medal.
Because of the pandemic, the Paralympic tournament will be unpredictable, he said. The national team has not played in most of the international tournaments it usually plays to warm up for the Paralympic Games, and it’s not clear how much training other teams have been able to do.
Ten teams have qualified for Tokyo. And Simpson told The Pillar that “there’s six teams that could win and it wouldn't be surprising to anyone.”
“But I’m extremely optimistic,” he said, citing the development of younger players and time for the team to coalesce.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” he added, “but we’ll see.”

​

After defeating pagan warriors in a fight for his crown, Pope Sylvester II granted the “Sacred Crown” to King Stephen of Hungary. On Christmas Day in the year 1000, the future patron saint became the King of Hungary.
King Stephen then dedicated his country to Christian principles. According to St. John Paul II, the king did not consider his crown an honor, “but a service.”
Pope St. John Paul II’s words describing this epic moment in history:“At the dawn of the millennium, the figure of King St. Stephen stands out.
“He founded the State on the firm rock of Christian values, and for this reason wanted to receive the royal crown from the hands of my Predecessor, Pope Sylvester II. Thus the Hungarian nation was founded in deep unity with the Chair of Peter and bound by close ties to other European countries, which shared the same Christian culture.
“This culture was the vital sap flowing through the fibres of the developing plant, which assured its growth and vigor, and prepared the extraordinary flourishing that was to come.”
St. Stephen held a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He built many churches in her honor.
On the day of his death in 1038, King St. Stephen dedicated his country to the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Solemnity of the Assumption. He requested that the state and Church leaders “protect and spread the Catholic faith.”
He dedicated one of his final prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary:“To thee, O Queen of heaven, and to thy guardianship, I commend the holy Church, all the bishops and the clergy, the whole kingdom, its rulers and inhabitants; but before all, I commend my soul to thy care.”
Ambassador of Hungary to the Holy See Eduard Habsburg brought attention to the Aug. 20th celebration in a post accompanied by a photo of Our Lady with St. Stephen.
Here’s the photo below:
​

Hungary’s “birthday”, the 20th of August, then King Stephen offering the crown he received from the Pope to Our Lady who is, henceforth, queen of Hungary,” said Habsburg.
St. Stephen’s Day falls every year on Aug. 20. Hungary considers this day a public holiday, or the “birthday” of Hungary, “celebrating the foundation of the Hungarian state more than 1000 years ago.” It is comparable to July 4 in the United States.

​

It was a cold December day in Nebraska, and Ashley Stevens was riding in a car with four other women.

It was the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the women and the rest of their FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) team was headed to a retreat center near Gretna, Neb. when a large truck smashed into their car on Highway 6 near the Platte River, several miles east of Lincoln. 

While the other women had minor injuries - a broken shoulder, whiplash, cuts and bruises - Ashley was life-flighted to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha in critical condition. 

She had sustained major head trauma, and had significant swelling and bleeding in her brain. 

Brad Stevens, Ashley's fiancé of just a few weeks, got the call from Nikki Shasserre, a staff member at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Newman Center, who had hosted an engagement party for the couple three weeks prior. 

Get to the hospital now, Ashley's in critical condition. 

Father Robert Matya, the chaplain for the UNL Newman Center, had been on his way to the same retreat and was able to be with the women at the scene, praying with them and comforting them. He then rushed to the hospital to be with Brad, a former student he'd known for years, and was with him to receive the grim diagnosis. 

"I remember very distinctly arriving at the hospital, and Brad and I went in to sit down with the doctor, who told us that he didn't think it was going to be possible that Ashley would survive at that point," Fr. Matya recalled. "He was just trying to be honest with us." 

That was around 10 in the morning. By 3 p.m., Ashley was heading to surgery. Father stayed with Brad and Ashley in the ICU that night. 

From the very first moment, Father said, the way Brad handled the situation was remarkable. 

"What was beautiful about watching Brad in that experience was that he was just unwavering from the first moment on, in terms of being at her side. There was never a question of his dedication to her throughout the whole experience, and that was the case not only on that day of the accident but throughout the entire process of her rehabilitation," he said. 

"There was never any question (of Brad's faithfulness)," Fr. Matya added.  

Brad's faith in God had been what initially attracted Ashley to him. They were both working at Resident Assistants in the Husker Village dorms, and during the long walks patrolling the halls on duty nights, she would pepper him with all of her questions about Catholicism. A devout Protestant, Ashley was amazed at how well Brad could defend and explain his faith using scripture. She became "like a little sponge," she said, soaking up knowledge about the Catholic Church.  

A few years after they became friends, and in the early phases of their dating relationship, Ashley became Catholic after taking classes at the Newman Center and developing strong friendships there. 

The day of the accident, dozens of friends from the Newman Center and beyond had arrived at UNMC, offering meals and prayers and whatever support they could. Word spread quickly, and more prayers and support started pouring in from UNL students and the Catholic community around the state - and even the world. 

Ashley, who said she does not remember "literally a single day" of the entire month she spent at UNMC, said she has only heard and read of the tremendous outpouring of love that occurred within those first days and weeks. 

"I was submerged in prayer," she said. "From holy hours at the Newman Center, across the country, there people I didn't even know were surrounding me with prayer that I'm so thankful for." 

"It's amazing seeing God's love through so many instruments you know when you're quite literally helpless." 

Slowly, Ashley started making improvements, though for a long time it was uncertain exactly how healed she could be. She had a stroke while at UNMC, and it was uncertain for a while whether she'd ever be able to walk, or hold a job, or take care of future children. 

"I can't even imagine Brad, just three weeks after getting engaged, and my parents just sitting by, not knowing if I'm going to make it and if I did, what would be the end result? How much of Ashley would they get back, would he get back?" she said. 

Even the tiniest glimpses of hope, however, made Brad "just giddy excited," Ashley said. 

"Even if I was just able to squeeze his hand or open my eyes and look at him, or just try to smile, anything gave him glimpses of hope that I was going to make it," she said. 

A gratitude journal Brad kept at the time proves his incredible hope. In an entry dated Dec. 13, one day after the accident, Brad responded to the prompts in his journal: 

Today I feel: "Great, it was starting out to be a good day, until Nikki Shasserre called and told me the news. After that a mix of scared, sad, mad, happy." 

Spiritually I: "Am overwhelmed by the huge support you have received from all over the country. I feel consoled during a moment of great trial." 

Magical moments (comfort, peace, and love): "You opened your eye and looked at me!! That was huge. I was so thankful to know I had communicated with you and was able to show my love for you and show you I'm there for you." 

It was Brad's faithfulness that kept Ashley going in the hard months of recovery and therapy to come. 

After UNMC, Ashley was flown down to Atlanta to continue her treatment - it was closer to her parents, who live in Knoxville, Tenn., and was highly recommended for brain trauma recovery. 
Brad kept his job as an aide to a state senator in Nebraska, but flew down to Atlanta every Thursday through Sunday to be with his fiancé. 

"That was beautiful to me and exactly what I needed to hear to keep fighting and to keep doing frustrating therapies," Ashley said. For a while, even the basics were extremely difficult. She had to re-learn how to write, eat, walk, do long division - but Brad's visits kept her looking forward to the weekends. 

"I remember seeing him every Thursday and just being giddy, when you're going through something so life-altering, being able to cling to normalcy is exactly what you need," she said. 

But May 16th, the day they had originally planned for their wedding, was harder than most. Brad flew down to be with Ashley, and they went to a church to pray. 

"I'm not a crier, I'm just not, but that day we went to the chapel and I just broke down, and I walked out of the church and he came after me and he said 'What's wrong? I'm still here, we're still going to get married,'" Ashley recalled. 

She told Brad about all the doubts she had - doubts, she thinks now, that came from Satan. 

"We didn't have our wedding rescheduled, I didn't know when or if I would go back to work, I still wasn't approved to drive, and I just kept thinking: Am I worth it?"

"I remember he took my hands and said, 'Ashley, I still love you, I love you just as much as when I asked you to marry me, I'm going to marry you, and it's not going to be today, but it will be as soon as it makes sense, as soon as you get back and we get in our rhythm, it will be then.'"

And it was. The next week, Ashley found out her release date. She entered a driving program, and was 
approved to start working again part-time. As the improvements kept coming, Ashley and Brad started re-looking at wedding dates. 

They settled on Dec. 12 - exactly a year after the accident. 

"It was Ashley's idea," Brad said. "She wanted to conquer a sad day and remember it with joy, or in her words 'kick the accident in the face.'" 

"I think some people question like why would you want to do that, so many hard memories will be evoked on that day, why would you want to have the happiest day of your life kind of conflict with that?" Ashley said. "To me, that was the point." 

It was a cold December day in Nebraska again. There had been a blizzard the day before Dec. 12, 2009, the day of Ashley and Brad Stevens' wedding. 

"I guess you should expect (a blizzard) in December in Nebraska," Ashley joked. Nonetheless, friends and family from all over the country were able to make it. 

"It was just a party," Ashley said. And the FOCUS team - half of whom had been in the car with Ashley - were in the choir loft. They sang and played Bethany Dillan's "Let Your Light Shine Down", which the team had listened to together, per Ashley's request, at a meeting a week before the accident. 

The truck driver was there too. 

"Seeing the church surrounded by people that had stood by our sides whether its prayers, meals, visits, and just having a party, it was a way of saying I'm still here, that God healed us, healed me, and performed a miracle," Ashley said. 

The Stevens have now been married for almost 6 years, with two beautiful little girls. They travel in between Tennessee and Nebraska often, so the girls can get to know both sets of grandparents. 
They still have their ups and downs, like any couple, but in large part because of the accident, Ashley never doubts that Brad is in it for the long haul. 

"Marriage is hard," Ashley said, "but it's part of the cost, and when you sign the marriage license you know that. The vow, 'in good and in bad, in sickness and in health,' obviously Brad's already lived the in sickness and in health vow out before we even walked down the aisle." 

"The best advice we can offer for marriage prep is to take a step back, and evaluate your relationship," 
Brad said. "And (if) there's not much about God, there's not much about how the relationship has challenged you to be better, change habits or to find joy in sacrifice, then there's a disconnect." 

There are reminders of the accident - Ashley permanently lost hearing in her right ear, she suffered nerve injuries and lost partial control of her right hand. But at the end of the day goodness prevailed, 

Ashley said, which is why she is working on a book telling her story. 

"God gives us all different gifts," Ashley said. "And I don't have the gift of musical ability, or anything artistic, at times I don't have the gift of extraversion, but I do have the gift of a cool story. And I have the gumption to share it." 

"God gives us all a story for a reason, he doesn't give us a story to keep it to ourselves, he gives us a story to share,     

"The point (of the story) is that God always wins," she said. "And that may not look like the win that has always played out in your head, but he's faithful, and he works miracles in our lives, and we can't forget all he's done in our life." 

These days, the Stevens are looking forward to settling in Nebraska as their oldest starts school. As for Brad, he's thankful that after everything, they're able to have a normal life.

"Ashley is a rock star and I thank God for her and the family we have together." As those first responsible for the education of their children, parents have the right to choose a school for them which corresponds to their own convictions. This right is fundamental. As far as possible parents have the duty of choosing schools that will best help them in their task as Christian educators. Public authorities have the duty of guaranteeing this parental right and of ensuring the concrete conditions for its exercise. 
-Catechism of the Catholic Church 2229
 ​

A bit of humor.






-Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?  A. Samson, he brought the house down.  (destroyed the pillars that dropped the roof on his enemies)  
-What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no lived in Eden? A. Your mother ate us out of house and home.  
-Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible? A. Moses, he broke all 10 Commandments at once. (when he smashed the tablets at the wickedness of God’s people)


A Spanish magician says he will disappear on the count of 3. He says "uno, dos..." poof. He disappeared without a tres.
Two men meet on opposite sides of a river. One shouts to the other "I need you to help me get to the other side!"  The other guy replies, "You are on the other side!"



For our daughters 6th birthday we bought her a fish. We couldn’t help laughing when on the way she announced “the fish’s name is Sparingly.” “How do you know?” I asked. “Look” she responded “it says “feed sparingly 3 times daily.”



Husband brings the child home from kindergarten and asks his wife, "He’s been crying the whole way home. Isn’t he sick or something?" "No," replies the wife, "he was just trying to tell you he isn’t our Frankie."

Some Observations:
-If you start to think I talk too much, just tell me. We’ll talk about it.
-That moment when you check your time on your phone and have to check again 10 seconds later because you weren't paying attention the first time.
-That awkward moment when your friend says they are not hungry but ends up eating half of your food when you just order for yourself.



TEACHER:    Now, Simon , tell me, do you say prayers before eating? 
SIMON:         No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook. 

 


A boy with a monkey on his shoulder was walking down the road when he passed a policeman who said, "Now, now young lad, I think you had better take that monkey the zoo." The next day, the boy was walking down the road with the monkey on his shoulder again, when he passed the same policeman. The policeman said, "Hey there, I thought I told you to take that monkey to the zoo!" The boy answered, "I did! Today I'm taking him to the cinema."





If College Students Wrote The Bible 

The Last Supper would have been eaten the next morning -- cold. 

The Ten Commandments would actually be only five -- double-spaced and written in a large font. 

A new edition would be published every two years in order to limit reselling. 

Forbidden fruit would have been eaten because it wasn't cafeteria food.
​Paul's letter to the Romans would become Paul's email to abuse@romans.gov. 

Reason Cain killed Abel: they were roommates. 

Reason why Moses and followers walked in the desert for 40 years: they didn't want to ask directions and look like freshmen. 

Instead of God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh, he would have put it off until the night before to get it done




One Sunday morning, a priest wakes up and decides to go golfing. He calls the retired priest and says that he feels very sick, and won't be able to go to offer the Mass.
Way up in heaven, Saint Peter sees all this and asks God, ''Are you really going to let him get away with this?''
''I'll take care of it,'' says God.
The priest drives about five to six hours away, so he doesn't bump into anyone he knows. The golf course is empty when he gets there. So he takes his first swing, drives the ball 495 yards away and gets a hole in one.
Saint Peter watches in disbelief and asks, '' Why did you let him do that?''
To this God says, ''Who's he going to tell?''

Prayer to Saint Thomas Aquinas for Catholic Schools
​
(Saint Thomas is the patron of Catholic Schools)
 
Saint Thomas Aquinas, you are called by Holy Mother Church, the Angel of the Schools. Your wisdom, gathered through long meditation from the source of all wisdom, the most Holy Trinity, has long been a shining light in the Catholic Church. Ignorance of the things of God is a darkness now enveloping the minds of many of our countrymen. In this darkness, we need an angel like you who will protect, foster, and nourish the schools we have, and guide and strengthen us in establishing and building newer and more adequate schools for the instruction of our children in the ways of Christ. Help and bless the generous sisters, brothers, priests, lay men and women who labor so unselfishly in the classroom to spread the knowledge of Christ. Inspire our Catholic men and women to be most generous in the support of the schools we have. Grant to parents the wise generosity they need in all areas, but especially to give their child back to God when that child wishes to follow a priestly or religious vocation. Help us, Saint Thomas, Angel of the Schools, to understand what you taught, and to follow your example. Amen.
 
​

+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, August 22nd, 2021

The First Reading- Joshua 24:1-2A, 15-17, 18B  
Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning their elders, their leaders, their judges, and their officers.  When they stood in ranks before God, Joshua addressed all the people: "If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling.  As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."  But the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD for the service of other gods.  For it was the LORD, our God, who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of slavery.  He performed those great miracles before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among the peoples through whom we passed.  Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."
Reflection 
After Moses’ death, Joshua was the one who led the Hebrew people to the Promised Land. He addresses them at Shechem — a city designated as a place of asylum for lawbreakers — specifically murderers. In that place of mercy, Joshua asks the people if they are ready to turn away from their idols and serve only God. As they became this new nation, they had to be wholly committed to their identity in God.
Adults - Spend some time this week reflecting on the everyday miracles that God has worked in your life recently.  
Teens -Is there an area of your life where you are keeping God at arm's length?
Kids - What does it mean to love God above all else?

Responsorial- Psalm 34: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
The LORD has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Many are the troubles of the just one,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him;
he watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Reflection 
-Study a Eucharistic Miracle this week.

The Second Reading- Ephesians 5:21-32
Brothers and sisters: Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body.  As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.  So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.  For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.  This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church.
Reflection
This passage from Ephesians is pretty well known… wives be subordinate, husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church. What is sometimes missed in this, as couples look at each other snickering, is the serious vocation that marriage really is. Wives never act alone — everything they do affects the family, so there needs to be agreement between husbands and wives on decisions that will be made. Husbands are told that they should love their wives so much that they’d be willing to give up their lives for them. When you stop living for just yourself, and become “one body” with another, it’s serious stuff. You really have to be wholly committed to your identity in God to become the “little church” that marriage calls us to. 
Do you see marriage as a vocation? How easy is it to live up to Paul’s description of what a husband or wife should be?

The Holy Gospel according to John 6: 60-69
Many of Jesus' disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father." As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."
Reflection
Our Gospel wraps up the Bread of Life Discourse, five weeks in the making! When challenged about what Jesus means by eating His Flesh and drinking his Blood, He doesn’t back down. People leave. He lets them go. God won’t force us to become what He made us for; we have to respond freely. Jesus asks the Apostles if they will go, too. They say, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” By recognizing Jesus for who He is, they were able to be wholly committed to their faith, even when what Jesus said was confusing and seemed a little unbelievable.
Adults - How well do you understand the Real Presence in the Eucharist? How can you grow in your understanding?
Teens  -Where do you think you would have stood in today’s Gospel? Would you have been able to accept what Jesus said, or would you have walked away?
Kids - Have you received your First Communion yet?
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – “We have the proofs of Christ's divinity which Peter and the Apostles later got. We have also the faith of two thousand years of the Christians whose belief in the Blessed Eucharist as a sacrifice and sacrament was at the very center of their Christian lives. We have also the noble example of many martyrs who gladly gave their lives in defense of this truth. Our faith may never be put to such an extreme test, but should it be, God grant that we will not be found wanting.”  Let us live the fullness of each moment in Jesus!  --Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
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550. What are the essential forms of Christian prayer? d) all of the above
They are blessing and adoration, the prayer of petition and intercession, thanksgiving and praise. The Eucharist contains and expresses all the forms of prayer.




551. What is “blessing”? d) none of the above
The prayer of blessing is man’s response to God’s gifts: we bless the Almighty who first blesses us and fills us with his gifts.




552. How can adoration be defined? a) True
Adoration is the humble acknowledgement by human beings that they are creatures of the thrice-holy Creator.




553. What are the different forms of the prayer of petition? d) the first thing to ask for is the coming of the Kingdom
It can be a petition for pardon or also a humble and trusting petition for all our needs either spiritual or material. The first thing to ask for, however, is the coming of the Kingdom.




554. In what does the prayer of intercession consist? a) True
Intercession consists in asking on behalf of another. It conforms us and unites us to the prayer of Jesus who intercedes with the Father for all, especially sinners. Intercession must extend even to one’s enemies.




555. When is thanksgiving given to God? d) all of the above
The Church gives thanks to God unceasingly, above all in celebrating the Eucharist in which Christ allows her to participate in his own thanksgiving to the Father. For the Christian every event becomes a reason for giving thanks.




556. What is the prayer of praise? b) False
Praise is that form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God. It is a completely disinterested prayer: it sings God’s praise for his own sake and gives him glory simply because he is.




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Back to School, Back to Truth, Back to Prayer

“For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
​
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." (John 18:37-38)
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546. How did the Virgin Mary pray? (Catechism of the Catholic Church-CCC 2617, 2618, 2622, 2674, 2679)


a. she prayed to herself
b. by faith and the offering of her whole being 
c. only on her knees
d. none of the above


547. Is there a prayer of Mary in the Gospel? (CCC 2619)
a. No, only prayers of Jesus
b. Yes, the Hail Mary (Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord…)
c. Yes, the Magnificat (My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…)
d. No, Mary always prays silently in the Gospels


PRAYER IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH
548. How did the first Christian community in Jerusalem pray? (CCC 2623-2624)
a. they were educated in the life of prayer by the Holy Spirit
b. by dedicating themselves to the teachings of the apostles
c. by the “Breaking of the Bread” (the Mass)
d. all of the above


549. How does the Holy Spirit intervene in the Church’s prayer? (CCC 2623, 2625)
a. by uniting us to Jesus
b. Jesus is the only way to pray 
c. the Holy Spirit is the only one who prays in the Church
d. by possessing us and making us pray

Catholic Term
truth (from Old English trEowth “fidelity”)
- conformity of mind and reality
[Namely, it is the conformity of our mind to the greatest reality which is God; in Jesus, Incarnate Truth.]

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“Helpful Hints of Life”
 
Saving on Gas and being More Safe on the Road
1)  Accelerate slowing; do not drive aggressively (save average of 33%)
2) Lower speeds (save average 12%) [Speed Limit or 5 less]
3) Use cruise control (save average 7%)
4) Remove excess weight (can save up to 2%)
5) Do not let your car idle for long.  It only takes 10 seconds worth of gas to re-start it.
from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/FEG/driveHabits.shtml

 
  
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In Jesus Christ, the whole of God's truth has been made manifest. "Full of grace and truth," he came as the "light of the world," he is the Truth. "Whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." The disciple of Jesus continues in his word so as to know "the truth [that] will make you free" and that sanctifies. To follow Jesus is to live in "the Spirit of truth," whom the Father sends in his name and who leads "into all the truth." To his disciples Jesus teaches the unconditional love of truth: "Let what you say be simply 'Yes or No.'"  -Catechism of the Catholic Church #2466

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Catholic Biblical Apologetics

www.catholicapologetics.org

Apologetics without apology!

What does the Roman Catholic Church teach about ...? ... and why?
This website surveys the origin and development of Roman Catholic Christianity from the period of the apostolic church, through the post-apostolic church and into the conciliar movement. Principal attention is paid to the biblical basis of both doctrine and dogma as well as the role of paradosis (i.e. handing on the truth) in the history of the Church. Particular attention is also paid to the hierarchical founding and succession of leadership throughout the centuries.
 
[For those traveling this summer and needing to get to the Holy Mass.]
MASS TIMES AND CATHOLIC CHURCHES throughout the US
http://www.MassTimes.org

Eighty years ago St. Maximilian Kolbe died in Auschwitz on August 14 after volunteering to take the place of a father in the concentration camp’s starvation bunker. 
Today devotion to the saint continues to spread, including as an intercessor for the family, according to a theologian in Rome.
Fr. Kolbe, a Franciscan priest and missionary, was sent to Auschwitz in 1941. After a Polish prisoner tried to escape the camp on July 29, the SS security forces selected 10 prisoners to starve to death as a lesson for the entire camp.
One of the prisoners chosen was Franciszek Gajowniczek, who asked for mercy. He mentioned that he had a wife and children. Fr. Kolbe offered to die in his place.
"Fr. Kolbe told the commandant, 'I want to go instead of the man who was selected. He has a wife and family. I am alone. I am a Catholic priest,'" Gajowniczek told the NY Times in 1995.
In an interview with ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian language sister news agency, Fr. Raffaele Di Muro, said this act of sacrifice is one of the reasons why Kolbe is considered a patron saint of families today.
“What has always struck me the most about Father Kolbe's sacrifice - both as a scholar of his life and personally as a religious - is that he feels internally, deeply, the pain of this father of a family,” Di Muro said in the interview on Aug. 14.
“Kolbe senses in his heart the sadness that Francis Gajowniczek feels in having to lose his family. … The cries of this father tear the heart of Kolbe who immediately thinks of the other pain that would have been there if Francesco had died: the suffering of his own family.”
Di Muro is the dean of the Pontifical University of St. Bonaventure in Rome. He holds the Kolbe Chair in Theology, named for the saint who earned his doctorate in theology at the university in 1919.
The theologian highlighted that Kolbe visited many families on his mission to Japan, as well as in his ministry in Europe.
“For him, all families represented a reflection of the Holy Family,” he said.
“There are many documents that attest to the baptisms that Kolbe himself celebrated,” he added.
In the starvation cell in Auschwitz, Kolbe is reported to have led other prisoners in prayer as they died one by one. Though Kolbe was held without food or water for two weeks, he did not die of starvation. Instead, camp guards killed him with an injection of carbolic acid on Aug. 14, 1941.
He was canonized a saint on Oct. 10, 1982 by Pope John Paul II, who declared Kolbe a “martyr of charity.”
Di Muro said that Kolbe’s intercession is needed for the many difficult situations facing families today.
“Kolbe would work to ensure that hope in marriage, in the family, is not extinguished,” he said.
“Let us place all families of the world under the mantle of Mary, under the intercession of Maximilian Kolbe.’

​

Pointing to how Peter begins to sink when walking toward Jesus on the water in the day's Gospel reading, Francis noted that the same thing can happen to us when we put our trust in false securities.

“When we do not cling to the Word of the Lord, but consult horoscopes and fortune tellers, we begin to sink,” the Pope said Aug. 13.

The episode, he said, serves as a reminder “that faith in the Lord and in his word does not open a path where everything is calm and easy; it does not take us away from the storms of life.”

Rather, “faith gives us the security of a presence that pushes us to overcome the existential storms, the certainty of a hand that grabs us in order to help us in difficulties, showing the way even when it's dark.”

“Faith, then, is not an escape from life's problems, but it supports on the journey and gives it meaning.”

Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for his weekly Angelus address, focusing on the day's Gospel reading from Matthew, in which Jesus walks on water in the midst of a storm, and beckons Peter to come to him. Peter initially begins to walk toward Jesus, but starts to sink out of fear when he sees the waves, and cries out for Jesus to rescue him. 

This episode, Francis said, has a lot of symbolism for both individuals, and for the Church as a whole.

The boat can represent the life of each person, but also the life of the Church, he said, explaining that the wind signifies the “difficulties and trials” each will face. 

Peter's cry of “Lord, command me to come to you,” and then his plea “Lord, save me!” represent both our desire feel close to the Lord, and “the fear and anguish which accompany us in the most difficult moments of our lives and our communities, marked by internal fragility and external difficulty,”  Francis said.

In the moment when he looked at the wind and the waves and began to fear, Peter wasn't founded on the Word of God, “which was like an outstretched rope to cling to in front of the hostile and turbulent waters.”

The same thing happens to us when we put our faith in trivial, worldly securities, rather than in the Lord, he said. 

Pope Francis said the passage is “a stupendous image” of the reality of the Church throughout the ages: “a ship which, along the crossing, must counter winds and storms which threaten to overwhelm it.”

What saves the ship is not the courage and quality of it's men, he said, but rather, “the guarantee against a shipwreck is faith in Christ and in his word.”

“On this ship we are safe, despite our miseries and weaknesses, above all when we get on our knees and adore the Lord” as the disciples did, who, after Jesus calmed the storm, prostrated themselves and said “truly you are the Son of God!”

To drive the point home, Francis had the crowd repeat the phrase, listening as they shouted “truly you are the Son of God” three times.

Francis closed his address asking that the Virgin Mary intercede in helping all to “stay firm in the faith in order to resist the storms of life, to stay on the boat of the Church, eschewing the temptation to go on amusing, yet insecure boats of ideologies, fashions and slogans.”

He then led pilgrims in praying the traditional Marian prayer and greeted various groups of youth from around Italy before asking for prayer and giving his blessing.
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Man tends by nature toward the truth. He is obliged to honor and bear witness to it: "It is in accordance with their dignity that all men, because they are persons . . . are both impelled by their nature and bound by a moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth. They are also bound to adhere to the truth once they come to know it and direct their whole lives in accordance with the demands of truth."  -Catechism of the Catholic Church #2467

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A bit of humor…

Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married?  Ruthless.  
Q. What do call pastors in Germany?  German Shepherds  
Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?  Pharaoh’s daughter.  She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.

On the first day of school, the teacher asked a student, "What are your parents' names?" The student replied, "My father's name is Laughing and my mother's name is Smiling." The teacher said, "Are you kidding?" The student said, "No, Kidding is my brother. I am Joking."

​Some Thoughts:
-I dreamt I was forced to eat a giant marshmallow. When I woke up, my pillow was gone.
-Why is women’s soccer so rare?---It’s quite hard to find enough women willing to wear the same outfit.
-I saw a poster today, somebody was asking “Have you seen my cat?” So I called the number and said that I didn’t. I like to help where I can.
-My neighbors are listening to great music. Whether they like it or not.


Fun at the Office…
Bring in some dry ice and make it look like your coworker’s computer is smoking.

Busted
"Do you believe in life after death?" the boss asked one of his employees.
"Yes, sir," the new employee replied.
"Well, then, that makes everything just fine," the boss went on. "After you left early yesterday to go to your grandmother's funeral, she stopped in to see you!”


"Somebody has said there are only two kinds of people in the world. There are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."


“The difficult thing with quotes on the internet is verifying them”  – Abraham Lincoln (I think)

Martin Takes the Bait?
Martin arrived at Sunday school late.  Miss Walter, his teacher, knew that Martin was usually very punctual so she asked him if anything was wrong. 
 
Martin replied no, that he had been going fishing but his dad told him that he needed to go to church.
Miss Walter was very impressed and asked the lad if his dad had explained to him why it was more important to go to church than to go fishing?
Martin replied, 'Yes he did. Dad said he didn't have enough bait for both of us.'

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God our Father, we celebrate the feast of St. Bernard who dedicated his life to seeking the truth in all things.  He was fearless in his support of the truth.  In our world today, it is so difficult to seek the truth and to remain firm in the truth.  As we reflect on the life of this great man, may we become more aware of how important it is to seek the truth, to remain faithful to the truth that lives in us and to be fearless in support of the truth.  We ask for the grace to follow the example of St. Bernard and live by the truth.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
 ​

+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Sunday, August 15th, 2021

The First Reading- Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab  
God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.  A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.  She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.  Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.  Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth.  Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.  She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.  Her child was caught up to God and his throne.  The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God.  Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”
Reflection 
The first thing we notice is that the reading is prefaced with the announcement that “God’s Temple was opened … and the ark of the covenant was visible in the Temple …”  But then, without missing a beat, the author proceeds to describe a “woman clothed with the sun” in the very place we were expecting a description of the ark itself.  Why is this? Because the woman is the ark. This woman, then, is the mother of the Messiah: Mary of Nazareth.  Some say, “No, she is only a symbol of Israel (or the Church),” but these interpretations will not work.  Israel did precede Christ and could be thought of as Christ’s “mother,” but Israel was not whisked away and spared from the onslaught of the beast the way this woman was.  Likewise, the woman cannot be the Church, because Jesus gives birth to the Church, not the Church to Jesus.  No, just as the dragon is an individual, Satan, who also represents a group (the powers in league with him), and just as the child is an individual, Jesus, who also represents a group (the Church), so the woman is an individual, Mary, who also represents a group (the faithful remnant of the people of Israel, who received the Messiah).
Adults - Are you familiar with typology and how it is used in Scripture? Ask someone to explain it to you, or research it on solid Catholic sources, like Catholic Answers.
Teens - Why do you think it’s important to study Scripture under the guidance of the Church, with reliable Catholic sources, instead of trying to interpret it for yourself?
Kids - Mary is a spiritual mother to you too! Ask her to pray for you!

Responsorial- Psalm 45: 10, 11, 12, 16 
R.The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir.
R.The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father’s house.
R.The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
So shall the king desire your beauty;
for he is your lord.
R.The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
 they enter the palace of the king.
R.The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
Reflection 
Psalm 45 is the “Royal Wedding Psalm,” and it is unlike any other psalm in the Psalter; in fact, it is closer in style and diction to the Song of Songs than to any other Psalm.  Psalm 45 is a minstrel’s song sung addressed to the bridegroom king and the princess-bride in Solomon’s court.  Two royal women show up in the Psalm: the “queen” who “stands are your right hand, arrayed in gold.”  This is the Queen Mother, who is a type of Mary as the Mother of Jesus, King of the Universe.  The other royal woman is the princess-bride. It is to her that all but the first verse of our responsorial are addressed.  Lines like “Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear, forget your people and your father’s house” are addressed to the foreign-born princess who is about to become the wife of Solomon and thus take an elite place in ancient Near Eastern society.  She, too, is a type of the Blessed Mother, who is the “spouse of the Spirit,” bound in a complex nuptial relationship with God.  
-Did you know that in the Davidic Kingdom, the queen has always been the mother of the king, not his wife?

The Second Reading- 1Corinthians 15:20-27
Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man.  For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the first-fruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power.  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for “he subjected everything under his feet.”
Reflection
The Blessed Mother and the truths about her are the beautiful feminine complement to all the truths about Christ that are expressed in this passage. If Jesus Christ is the sun, then his Mother is the moon, perfectly reflecting the truth and doctrine of his person and mission.  If Christ is the first-fruits from the dead, the Blessed Mother in her assumption are the “second-fruits,” if you will. We are living in an interim, where a battle is going on, in which Christ is destroying “every sovereignty and every authority and power” and putting “all his enemies under his feet.”  This is spiritual warfare, and it goes on in the interim period, which is why we speak of the “Church militant.”  The last enemy is death, but for his Mother, Jesus neutralized this enemy in advance, in the extraordinary grace of the assumption. Paul quotes Ps 8:6, which says of the Son of Man, “you put all things under his feet.”  There may also be an echo here of Ps 110:1: “Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies a footstool.”  Both of these Psalms are speaking of the royal son of David, to whom God promised universal dominion.  Mary shares in that dominion as the Mother of the King.  So we see that the theme of the royal Davidic covenant unites all the Readings.   How does the Assumption of Mary give you hope for the future?

The Holy Gospel according to Luke 1:39-56
Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and  Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “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?  For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”  And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.  From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name.  He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.  He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit.  He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.  He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.  He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.”  Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Reflection
 We have at least two typological themes operating in this Gospel.  The first is the Ark of the Covenant.  When Luke speaks of Mary “going up into the hill country of Judah” and of John the Baptist “leaping” in Elizabeth’s womb, he is using language and images from the famous account of David’s bringing the Ark up into Jerusalem, recounted in 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 15. David brings the Ark up into the hill country of Judah, to Jerusalem, and he “leaps” and dances before the Ark wearing a linen ephod, a priestly garment.  In this interesting typological relationship, both David and John the Baptist are cast in the role of priestly figures leaping and celebrating before the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant, the seat of God’s presence.  Just as we saw in our First Reading from Revelation, Mary is cast in the role of the New Ark. Elizabeth, although much older and of a higher social caste in Judean society, shows deference to her younger, poorer cousin: “Why is this granted to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?”  Elizabeth treats Mary like a Queen, namely, like the Queen Mother, and uses a term for the Queen Mother: “Mother of my Lord.”  We modern readers are not sensitive to these subtleties, because we don’t live in a royalty. In ancient times, the mother of the king or emperor had enormous influence (as perusal of the histories of the times will show), and her position was often formalized with titles and honors, as it was in the ancient Kingdom of David. The fact that Mary would bear the Messiah, Son of David, Lord of Lord and King of Kings, necessarily made her and makes her the Queen of Creation, over all that her son rules.  Yet there is no competition between Mother and Son because, as an example to all her subjects, she is completely deferential to God’s Word, which is her Son.   
Adults - Had you ever seen the connections between Mary and the Ark? How does it change your view of her?
Teens - Why do you think it’s important to learn about the culture of Jesus’s time and the history of the Jewish people in order to understand Scripture correctly?
Kids - Did you know that Mary is queen of the universe because her Son is king?

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – In an age of sensuality and materialism the Assumption points out the dignity and destiny of our human body, extols the dignity of womanhood, and turns our eyes to the true life beyond the grave. At Mass today ask Mary for the grace to keep your mind fixed on things above and to aspire continually to be united with her and to be brought to the glory of the Resurrection.  And let us live life this week in that truth!
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546. How did the Virgin Mary pray?  b. by faith and the offering of her whole being
Mary’s prayer was characterized by faith and by the generous offering of her whole being to God. The Mother of Jesus is also the new Eve, the “Mother of all the living”. She prays to Jesus for the needs of all people.




547. Is there a prayer of Mary in the Gospel? (CCC 2619) c. Yes, the Magnificat (My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…)
Along with the prayer of Mary at Cana in Galilee, the Gospel gives us the Magnificat (Luke1:46-55) which is the song both of the Mother of God and of the Church, the joyous thanksgiving that rises from the hearts of the poor because their hope is met by the fulfillment of the divine promises.


PRAYER IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH
548. How did the first Christian community in Jerusalem pray? d. all of the above
At the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles it is written that in the first community of Jerusalem, educated in the life of prayer by the Holy Spirit, the faithful “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42).




549. How does the Holy Spirit intervene in the Church’s prayer? a. by uniting us to Jesus
The Holy Spirit, the interior Master of Christian prayer, forms the Church in the life of prayer and allows her to enter ever more deeply into contemplation of and union with the unfathomable mystery of Christ. The forms of prayer expressed in the apostolic and canonical writings remain normative (the standard) for Christian prayer.

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Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
        Mental Prayer is a treasure of the Church that has sadly laid in the storehouse, away from most Christians today. Members of the Church in every age have offered mental prayer to be happy, to strength them for this world, and to bring them to heaven.  I offer it now to you for the same reasons.  Please find the 'how to offer mental prayer,' below.  It is simple, but it takes time and practice.
 
         Finally, this week's e-weekly is a little different.  I have taken out some of the parts and give focus to Mental Prayer and at the end of the e-weekly, there is a re-posting of an e-weekly on Angels.
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
 
P.S.  This coming Sunday is the Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time.  >>> Readings 

P.S.S.  Readings with questions for self or family reflection found at the end of e-weekly.

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1) PREPARATION (1-2 minutes)
a) Find a quiet place (in front of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament if possible)
b) Prepare body and soul for Meditation (take deep breathes, close your eyes, try to quiet your heart)
c) Offer vocal prayers of faith, humility, and help
"O my God, I love you, and I believe all You have said because You are the infallible truth."
"Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. I am sorry for having offended You."
"Come Holy Spirit, Come Holy Spirit, COME HOLY SPIRIT"
 
During this time, you prepare for meditation.  You try to come to a place where you body and soul can be quiet or at least at rest. Then you try to unwind.  Take several deep breaths.  Perhaps stretch your neck or move around slightly.  You as a person, body and soul, have to be aware of a distinct transition from daily events of life to a moment of union with God.  Finally, begin to enter mental prayer by praying vocally.  You may use the above prayers, an Our Father, or in your own words, pray simply and humbly.
 
2) MEDITATION (8-? Minutes)
            a) Close your eyes and open your heart (Fill mind and heart with thoughts of God and His goodness)
 
Here is where you enter mental prayer.  To assist you, you may need the Holy Bible, some religious book, a vivid memory of some event, or something that will engage your imagination, heart, and soul turning it toward God (i.e. a religious picture).  You enter into this by reading the passage, or closing your eyes and thinking of the details of the image or memory.  Do not force it.  You might ask yourself questions to assist you, but ultimately it is a time of walking with the Lord.  If your mind wanders off or worries, say a short inward prayer, and come back to the passage or image.  You may receive some insights, or God may give you some feelings or inspirations.  You may speak to Him inwardly.  This is not about action; it is about You and Him.
 
Possible passages of the Holy Bible.  Read slowly only until your mind latches onto something, then close your eyes and go with it.

1. Matthew chapters 5-7 (The Sermon on the Mount)
2. Matthew 13:1-24 (The parable of the sower)
3. Matthew 13:44-50 (Parables: hidden treasure, pearl of great price)
4. Matthew 18:1-6 (Becoming like children)
5. Matthew 18:21-35 (The unforgiving servant)
6. Matthew 19:16-30 (The rich young man)
7. Mark 1:14-15 (The proclamation of the Kingdom)
8. Mark 1:40-45 (The healing of the leper)
9. Mark 5:24-34 (The healing of the woman with the hemorrhage)
10. Luke 1:46-55 (The Magnificat)
11. Luke 15:1-10 (Parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin)
12. Luke 15:11-32 (The prodigal son)
13. Luke 17:5-10 (Faith; attitude of service)
14. John 1:1-18
15. John 2:1-11 (Wedding at Cana)
16. John 3:14-21
17. John 8:23-32 ("The truth will make you free")
18. John 15:1-11 (The vine & branches)
19. John 15:12-17 ("Love one another")

Some images you might dwell on:
-being at the birth of Jesus in the manager (i.e. shepherds, Mary and Joseph, wise men, camels, sheep)
-standing at Calvary (i.e. seeing all pass by, Mary beholding her son, Jesus breathing His last)
-image yourself as a very small child in the arms of the Blessed Virgin Mary, (i.e. asleep, hugging her)
-image Jesus looking face to face at you (i.e. study His face, look into His eyes, is He happy, sad, etc.?)
-a moment in church, when someone blessed you, when God felt near
 
3) CONCLUSION (1-2 mintues)
            a) Thank God (for the time spent and for any thoughts or inspirations)
                        "Thank you Jesus for.!"  Offer a Hail Mary or Glory Be
            b) Make a resolution (cling to what you have been given or resolve to avoid some sin or bad habit)
 
This is when the time of mental prayer is brought to an end.  Examine the time.  Thank God for the good.  Ask pardon and help for the bad.  Perhaps write down some insights or cling to them.  Resolve to do better or to avoid some sin or bad habit for the rest of the day.
 
THIS is what will bring you more fully to Jesus and change you, your life, and your world for the better!
10 Minutes a Day!  Either you will give up a bad habit, or you will give up Mental Prayer.

 ​

542. When did Jesus pray? (Catechism of the Catholic Church-CCC 2600-2604, 2620)
a. all his life was a prayer
b. Being God, He did not need to pray 
c. Since He taught others to pray, they prayed to Him
d. none of the above


543. How did Jesus pray during his passion?(CCC 2605-2606, 2620)
a. in His great agony, He was not able to pray
b. He united all of creation and all prayers and intercession to the Father
c. He thought only of His resurrection
d. all of the above


544. How does Jesus teach us to pray? (CCC 2608-2614, 2621)
a. by the Our Father
b. by His disposition and content 
c. with purity of heart and boldness of faith
d. all of the above


545. What is the primary reason our prayer is effective? (CCC 2615-2616)
a. it is offered in faith
b. it reaches the Father 
c. it is united to the prayer of Jesus
d. we are a good person

​

Catholic Terms
 
Term Review
prayer (from Latin precārius "obtained by entreaty")  [entreaty = earnest request, appeal, beg]
-the raising of one's mind and heart to God
 
Mental Prayer (from Greek menos "spirit" = "obtain by entreaty with spirit")
(also from Late Latin  mentalis, from Latin  ment-, mens "mind,")
-one's own prayer offered interiorly with mind, heart, soul, and strength
 [In mental prayer the three powers of the soul are engaged: the memory, which offers the mind material for meditation; the intellect, which ponders or directly perceives the meaning of some religious truth and its implications for practice; and the will, which freely expresses its sentiments of faith, trust, and love, and (as needed) makes good resolutions based on what the memory and intellect have made known to the will. Mental Prayer is a form of meditation consisting in the application of the various faculties of the soul, memory, imagination, intellect, and will, to the consideration of some mystery, principle, truth, or fact, with a view to exciting proper spiritual emotions and resolving on some act or course of action regarded as God's will and as a means of union with Him.]

​

POPE FRANCIS REVEALS TOP 10 SECRETS TO HAPPINESS

By Carol Glatz - Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Slowing down, being generous and fighting for peace are part of Pope Francis' secret recipe for happiness.

In an interview published in part in the Argentine weekly "Viva" July 27, the pope listed his Top 10 tips for bringing greater joy to one's life:

1. "Live and let live." Everyone should be guided by this principle, he said, which has a similar expression in Rome with the saying, "Move forward and let others do the same."

Pope Francis greets the crowd as he arrives to lead a general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican last month. (CNS/Paul Haring)

2. "Be giving of yourself to others." People need to be open and generous toward others, he said, because "if you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid."

3. "Proceed calmly" in life. The pope, who used to teach high school literature, used an image from an Argentine novel by Ricardo Guiraldes, in which the protagonist -- gaucho Don Segundo Sombra -- looks back on how he lived his life.

"He says that in his youth he was a stream full of rocks that he carried with him; as an adult, a rushing river; and in old age, he was still moving, but slowly, like a pool" of water, the pope said. He said he likes this latter image of a pool of water -- to have "the ability to move with kindness and humility, a calmness in life."

4. "A healthy sense of leisure." The pleasures of art, literature and playing together with children have been lost, he said.

"Consumerism has brought us anxiety" and stress, causing people to lose a "healthy culture of leisure." Their time is "swallowed up" so people can't share it with anyone.

Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children; work schedules make it "complicated, but you must do it," he said.

Families must also turn off the TV when they sit down to eat because, even though television is useful for keeping up with the news, having it on during mealtime "doesn't let you communicate" with each other, the pope said.

5. Sundays should be holidays. Workers should have Sundays off because "Sunday is for family," he said.

6. Find innovative ways to create dignified jobs for young people. "We need to be creative with young people. If they have no opportunities they will get into drugs" and be more vulnerable to suicide, he said.

"It's not enough to give them food," he said. "Dignity is given to you when you can bring food home" from one's own labor.

7. Respect and take care of nature. Environmental degradation "is one of the biggest challenges we have," he said. "I think a question that we're not asking ourselves is: 'Isn't humanity committing suicide with this indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature?'"

8. Stop being negative. "Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. That means, 'I feel so low that instead of picking myself up I have to cut others down,'" the pope said. "Letting go of negative things quickly is healthy."

9. Don't proselytize; respect others' beliefs. "We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes: 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you,' No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity. The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing," the pope said.

10. Work for peace. "We are living in a time of many wars," he said, and "the call for peace must be shouted. Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive" and dynamic.

Pope Francis also talked about the importance of helping immigrants, praising Sweden's generosity in opening its doors to so many people, while noting anti-immigration policies show the rest of Europe "is afraid."

He also fondly recalled the woman who helped his mother with the housework when he was growing up in Buenos Aires.

Concepcion Maria Minuto was a Sicilian immigrant, a widow and mother of two boys, who went three times a week to help the pope's mother do laundry, since in those days it was all done by hand.

He said this hard-working, dignified woman made a big impression on the 10-year-old future pope, as she would talk to him about World War II in Italy and how they farmed in Sicily.

"She was as clever as a fox, she had every penny accounted for, she wouldn't be cheated. She had many great qualities," he said.

Even though his family lost touch with her when they moved, the then-Jesuit Father Jorge Bergoglio later sought her out and visited her for the last 10 years of her life.

"A few days before she died, she took this small medal out of her pocket, gave it to me and said: 'I want you to have it!' So every night, when I take it off and kiss it, and every morning when I put it back on, this woman comes to my mind."

"She died happy, with a smile on her face and with the dignity of someone who worked. For that reason I am very sympathetic toward housecleaners and domestic workers, whose rights, all of them, should be recognized" and protected, he said. "They must never be exploited or mistreated."

Pope Francis' concern was underlined in his @Pontifex Twitter feed just a few days later, July 29, with the message: "May we be always more grateful for the help of domestic workers and caregivers; theirs is a precious service." 

SHE LEFT WITH the clothes on her back, a long blue dress and a pair of shoes she'd never wear again. It was June 8, 1991, a Saturday morning, and Shelly Pennefather was starting a new life. She posed for a group photo in front of her parents' tidy brick home in northern Virginia, and her family scrunched in around her and smiled.
All six of her brothers and sisters were there -- Little Therese, in braided pigtails; older brother Dick, tall and athletic with Kennedyesque looks. When Shelly came to her decision, she insisted on telling each of them separately.
Dick had the loosest lips in the family, so she'd told him last. Therese, 12 years old and the baby of the family, took the news particularly hard. She put on a brave face in front of Shelly, then cried all night.
They crammed a lot of memories into those last days of spring, dancing and laughing, knowing they would never do it together again. Shelly went horseback riding with Therese and took the family to fancy restaurants with cloth napkins, picking up all the tabs.
Twenty-five years old and not far removed from her All-America days at Villanova, Pennefather was in her prime. She had legions of friends and a contract offer for $200,000 to play basketball in Japan that would have made her one of the richest players in women's basketball.
And children -- she was so good with children. She had talked about having lots of them with John Heisler, a friend she'd known most of her life. Heisler nearly proposed to her twice, but something inside stopped him, and he never bought a ring.
"When she walked into the room," Heisler said, "the whole room came alive.
"She had a cheerfulness and a confidence that everything was going to be OK. That there was nothing to fear."
That Saturday morning in 1991, Pennefather drove her Mazda 323 to the Monastery of the Poor Clares in Alexandria, Virginia. She loved to drive. Fifteen cloistered nuns waited for her in two lines, their smiles radiant.
She turned to her family.
"I love you all," she said.
The door closed, and Shelly Pennefather was gone.
"The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings." -- J.M. Barrie, "The Little White Bird."
IT'S BEEN 28 YEARS since Pennefather left home to become Sister Rose Marie of the Queen of Angels, and I'm standing outside the family's house in Manassas, Virginia, on a warm June day, searching for answers.
I spent eight years in Catholic schools, with lessons in history from Sister Agnes Marie and kindness from Sister Rosetta. We knew that on Sundays, if you're breathing, you'd better be at Mass.
They are cut off from society. Sister Rose Marie will never leave the monastery, unless there's a medical emergency. She'll never call or email or text anyone, either. The rules seem so arbitrarily harsh. She gets two family visits per year, but converses through a see-through screen. She can write letters to her friends, but only if they write to her first. And once every 25 years, she can hug her family.But I cannot grasp what Pennefather -- now Sister Rose Marie -- has chosen to do. The Poor Clares are one of the strictest religious orders in the world. They sleep on straw mattresses, in full habit, and wake up every night at 12:30 a.m. to pray, never resting more than four hours at a time. They are barefoot 23 hours of the day, except for the one hour in which they walk around the courtyard in sandals.
That's why we are here in early June 2019, to witness the 25-year anniversary of her solemn profession and the renewal of her vows.
The Poor Clare nuns enter this radical way of life because they believe that their prayers for humanity will help the suffering, and that their sacrifice will lead to the salvation of the world.
But why would someone with so much to offer the world lock herself away and hide her talents? Who, staring at a professional contract that would be worth the equivalent of about $400,000 today, would subject herself to such strict isolation and sacrifice? Imagine Kansas legend Danny Manning quitting basketball to become a monk.
Perhaps the best person to answer this is the woman who stood next to Shelly in that goodbye photo in front of the house, who wrapped her arm around her daughter and smiled while her heart must have wanted to stop.
Mary Jane Pennefather is the matriarch of the family, a 78-year-old who mows her own lawn and rises every morning to walk to church. When Shelly entered the monastery all those years ago, she left behind a note. Mary Jane is the strongest person Therese knows, but when she read the letter, she broke down and cried.
Mary Jane was a cheerleader once, but is steeped in a generation of Catholics who did not believe in drawing attention to themselves. She opens the door to her home and leads me to a room full of religious statues and images, which the family calls the Blessed Mother room. Her husband, Mike, died in this room. He had skin cancer, which had spread too far when doctors found it, but he went quickly, which Mary Jane considers a blessing. Sister Rose Marie couldn't go to her father's funeral back in 1998. She was in the monastery. But she wrote a letter that they read out loud, and her brother Dick says it was probably the most touching part of the service.
Surely, Mike Pennefather had hoped to hold his daughter again on her silver jubilee. But Mary Jane would be there. The week leading up to the Mass was stressful. How do you prepare to hug your daughter for the last time?
NUNS ARE BY no means an anomaly in today's society. The 2018 Official Catholic Directory lists 45,100 sisters in the United States. But cloistered nuns, with all of their combined orders, account for only a fraction of that number. The Poor Clare Colettines, according to the directory, have about 160 sisters in this country.
There were hints, all along, that Pennefather was different.
In sixth grade, a teacher asked the class an ordinary question: What do you want to be when you grow up?
The teacher wasn't prepared for Shelly's answer.
"I'm going to be a saint," she said.
The whole class laughed, assuming she was joking. Pennefather liked to regale her friends with jokes and magic tricks.
Her childhood might have inadvertently prepared her for life as a cloistered nun. Mike Pennefather was an Air Force colonel, taking the family to Germany and Hawaii and New York, so she'd already seen a lot of the world by her 20s.
Her mom was -- and is -- about as anti-technology as a person can be in 2019. Mary Jane doesn't own a cell phone, she could go on for hours about how cell phones are destroying the human experience, and a few decades ago, she was saying pretty much the same thing about television.
Children of the '70s often have stories of their forays into alcohol or drugs; the Pennefathers' illicit pursuits centered mostly on the forbidden television. They'd wait until Mary Jane was gone, pull it out of the closet, rig up a coat hanger for an antenna, and stand in just the right spot to get reception.
"I think my sister watched 'Fantasy Island' and got caught and got in trouble," Therese said. "You had to invent your own entertainment, and we did all kinds of stupid stuff.
"I absolutely wouldn't trade any of it."
The Air Force gave the Pennefathers new playgrounds every few years, and assured that they would almost always be safe. Want to play kick the can at 11 o'clock at night? No problem. Leave the base lights on and go ahead and invite 20 other Air Force brats.
Mary Jane might have seemed strict, but Mike was actually more intimidating. He was a bear of a man with a loud voice and a physics degree. Mike Pennefather did not tolerate foolishness. He taught all seven of his children how to shoot a basketball, and when he had finished with that, he taught other people's children how to do it, too.
The Pennefathers had six children in eight years, and Shelly was born between two brothers, two basketball playmates. The elbows and charges she took made her unstoppable when she finally played against girls.
At nighttime, Mary Jane would gather the whole family together to pray the rosary. It didn't matter if it was midnight; she waited until everyone was home.
The rosary is considered one of the most powerful symbols in Catholicism. Each of the 59 beads represents a prayer. The Hail Mary is said 53 times during the rosary. The repetition is intended to bring spiritual contemplation and peace.
At the Pennefather house, after the last prayer was said, each child gave Mary Jane and Mike a kiss goodnight.
COACH HARRY PERRETTA also prayed the rosary every day, a practice that came in handy in his pursuit to lure Pennefather to Villanova. If Pennefather played today, her recruitment might have been as big as that of Breanna Stewart or Elena Delle Donne.
Pennefather went 70-0 in her first three years of high school at Bishop Machebeuf in Denver and won three state championships. When her dad was transferred to upstate New York her senior season, nothing changed. Utica's Notre Dame High went undefeated, too.
Pennefather had no interest in the recruiting process. She hated the attention that it brought, and didn't like talking on the phone. So it was hard for any coach to get a read on her. Perretta talked to her about his devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary, and they connected. She committed to Villanova, the oldest Catholic university in Pennsylvania.
Their bond was tested early. Her freshman year, they clashed constantly. "She was a very lazy basketball player at first," Perretta said. "She didn't work hard on the court when she came here."
He said it wasn't necessarily her fault; she was so good in high school that she probably didn't know what playing hard meant. But he had to get through to her. He yelled at her and kicked her out of the gym, and nothing seemed to work. In her sophomore season, Pennefather considered transferring.
She'd leave campus on weekends, seeking solace at teammate Lisa Gedaka's house in New Jersey. Gedaka, a freshman, would go back a lot because she was homesick.
"I always remember hearing about how she was searching," Gedaka said. "Was this the right place to go? What is the meaning? Why is she here? And I remember saying to her once, 'Shelly, did you ever think that maybe this is God's will that you should be with us here at Villanova? This is where you're meant to be.'"
Somehow, some way, Pennefather and Perretta finally clicked. "God gave you this gift," Perretta told her. "You're not really using it to the fullest extent."
From there, she didn't hold anything back. There was one game, junior year, when she was so overcome with menstrual cramps that they were almost debilitating. As the team left for the gym, Perretta told her to just stay at the hotel.
A couple of minutes before tipoff, Pennefather emerged from the locker room, in agony, with her sneakers still untied. "I'm going to try to play," she told him. She mustered enough strength to tie her shoes when the horn sounded. There was no time for any warm-up. She made all nine of her shots in the first half.
The Wildcats' teams in the mid-to-late 1980s were lucky. They were a collection of people who knew, when they were freshmen, that they'd stay friends forever. They demanded the best of each other.
It was a different time, before NCAA-regulated practice schedules and transfer portals. "We could say stuff to each other," said former Wildcats point guard Lynn Tighe. "If somebody was being a pain in the butt, I had no trouble telling them, and if I was a pain in the butt, I was told about it. We were open to each other, and nonsense didn't fester."
Pennefather was roommates with Tighe, and you can imagine her glee when she found out her point guard had a small television. Pennefather had one movie she would watch constantly on the VCR. "The Sound of Music." She subjected everyone to it, belting out Julie Andrews songs on the team bus.
"I wouldn't say she had a good voice," Tighe said. "But it wasn't bad. She knew every word to every one of them."
But Pennefather did have the most beautiful shooting touch in all of women's basketball. She scored 2,408 points, breaking Villanova's all-time record for women and men. She did it without the benefit of the 3-point shot, and the record still stands today.
In 1987, she won the Wade Trophy, given to the best women's college basketball player. She eventually threw away all of her trophies -- "I don't think she cared about them at all," said her sister, Therese -- but spared one, the Wade Trophy. She gave it to Perretta.
The WNBA did not exist when Pennefather graduated from Villanova, but women's professional basketball overseas offered good money. She signed with the Nippon Express in Japan, the place where her whole life would change.
The pace in Japan was much slower -- the Express played just 14 games in the span of four months -- and it jolted Pennefather. Away from her college teammates and the daily chaos of her large family, she felt homesick and alone in a faraway city. Her team started 0-5. If they finished at the bottom of the division, she would need to stay in Japan for another two months to play a series of round-robin games.
She desperately wanted to go home, and vowed that if her team could finish in the top six, allowing her to go home rather than stay those two months, she would spend that time doing volunteer work.
The Express turned their season around and finished third. Pennefather returned to the U.S. and fulfilled her promise by working in a soup kitchen at the Missionary Sisters of Charity in Norristown, Pennsylvania. In a convent full of tiny nuns, the 6-foot-1 basketball player stood out.
She felt even more out of place that next season in Japan. She did everything she could to keep busy, reading books, learning Japanese, teaching English. But Pennefather still felt a deep emptiness.
"She was forced to go into solitude," said John Heisler, her childhood friend. "There was nobody else, just her and God."
REST CAN BE FOUND AT:  https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/27297631?fbclid=IwAR1u3kCsLymPBXDJOjiLs6Bo0cEsFj9_cfQSVMuD_BX6b70U7jMqGuXb6t4

A bit of humor.
- A man is reading his newspaper and says to his wife: “Michelle, look. Here is an article about how women use about twice as many words per day as men do.”  The wife responds: “That’s because we have to tell you everything twice”  
- My son Luke loves that we chose Star Wars characters as an inspiration when naming our kids. His sister Chewbacca und his brother Boba Fett are less amused.


Some Alternate USA State Slogans
Michigan: First Line Of Defense From The Canadians
Minnesota: 10,000 Lakes ... And 10,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes
North Dakota: We Really Are One Of The 50 States!
Oklahoma: Like The Play, Only No Singing
Rhode Island: We're Not REALLY An Island
South Dakota: Closer Than North Dakota


– Little Johnny, why does your little sister cry?
– Because I helped her. 
– But that is a good thing! What did you help her with?
– I helped her eat the last of her gummy bears.

Little Johnny asks the teacher, “Mrs Roberts, can I be punished for something I haven’t done?” Mrs Roberts is shocked, “Of course not, Johnny, that would be very unfair!” Little Johnny is relieved, “OK Mrs Roberts, sorry, I haven’t done my homework.”

 

SOME THOUGHTS
-The first time I got a universal remote control I thought to myself, “This changes everything”. 
-I recently decided to sell my vacuum cleaner as all it was doing was gathering dust.
-You can never lose a homing pigeon – if your homing pigeon doesn’t come back what you’ve lost is a pigeon.
-Don’t you hate it when someone answers their own questions? I do.
-As I watched the dog chasing his tail I thought “Dogs are easily amused”, then I realized I was watching the dog chasing his tail.
-Where there’s a will, there’s a relative.
-I woke up this morning and forgot which side the sun rises from, then it dawned on me. 


Christian One Liners (Part I)

Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses 
started out as a basket case.

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Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.

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Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.

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The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.

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People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.
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Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.

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Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

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If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.

 

Plaster From Above
The crumbling, old church building needed remodeling, so the preacher made an impassioned appeal, looking directly at the richest man in town. At the end of the message, the rich man stood up and announced, "Pastor, I will contribute $1,000." Just then, plaster fell from the ceiling and struck the rich man on the shoulder. He promptly stood again and shouted, "Pastor, I will increase my donation to $5,000." Before he could sit back down, plaster fell on him again, and again he virtually screamed, "Pastor, I will double my last pledge." He sat down, and a larger chunk of plaster fell hitting him on the head. He stood once more and hollered, "Pastor, I will give $20,000!" This prompted a deacon to shout, "Hit him again, Lord! Hit him again!"

All About Angels
      On September 29, the Church honors and calls upon the archangels Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.  On October 2, the Church will honor and call upon Guardian Angels.  Let's here it for angels!  Yeah!!!
      There are almost 300 references to angels in the Sacred Scriptures, but what are they, what do they do, and what does the Church through which Christ speaks say about them?
      An angel is a pure spirit being with no body.  They were created 'before' humanity.  They were given a choice at the moment of their creation to serve God or not serve God.  Fallen angels, devils, chose not to serve God and were separated forever with no possibility of change because their choice is forever.
      They are depicted with wings because all they do is 'instantaneous.'  Every human person at the moment of their conception is assigned a guardian angel.  "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels  always see the face of my Father in heaven."  -Matthew 18:10-11
      When we die, we do NOT become angels.  Our soul goes either to Heaven, Purgatory, or Hell and waits to be reunited with our bodies at the Last Judgment when our bodies will be resurrected.
 
[Below is straight from the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding angels:]
 
Who are they? 
329 St. Augustine says: "'Angel' is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is 'spirit'; if you seek the name of their office, it is 'angel': from what they are, 'spirit', from what they do, 'angel.'"188 With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they "always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven" they are the "mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word".189 
330 As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness.190 

Christ "with all his angels" 
331 Christ is the center of the angelic world. They are his angels: "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him. . "191 They belong to him because they were created through and for him: "for in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities - all things were created through him and for him."192 They belong to him still more because he has made them messengers of his saving plan: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?"193 
332 Angels have been present since creation and throughout the history of salvation, announcing this salvation from afar or near and serving the accomplishment of the divine plan: they closed the earthly paradise; protected Lot; saved Hagar and her child; stayed Abraham's hand; communicated the law by their ministry; led the People of God; announced births and callings; and assisted the prophets, just to cite a few examples.194 Finally, the angel Gabriel announced the birth of the Precursor and that of Jesus himself.195 
333 From the Incarnation to the Ascension, the life of the Word incarnate is surrounded by the adoration and service of angels. When God "brings the firstborn into the world, he says: 'Let all God's angels worship him.'"196 Their song of praise at the birth of Christ has not ceased resounding in the Church's praise: "Glory to God in the highest!"197 They protect Jesus in his infancy, serve him in the desert, strengthen him in his agony in the garden, when he could have been saved by them from the hands of his enemies as Israel had been.198 Again, it is the angels who "evangelize" by proclaiming the Good News of Christ's Incarnation and Resurrection.199 They will be present at Christ's return, which they will announce, to serve at his judgement.200 

The angels in the life of the Church 
334 In the meantime, the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.201 
335 In her liturgy, the Church joins with the angels to adore the thrice-holy God. She invokes their assistance (in the funeral liturgy's In Paradisum deducant te angeli. . .["May the angels lead you into Paradise. . ."]). Moreover, in the "Cherubic Hymn" of the Byzantine Liturgy, she celebrates the memory of certain angels more particularly (St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the guardian angels). 
336 From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.202 "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life."203 Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God. 

188 St. Augustine, En. in Ps. 103,1,15: PL 37,1348.
189 Mt 18:10; Ps 103:20.
190 Cf. Pius XII, Humani generis: DS 3891; Lk 20:36; Dan 10:9-12.
191 Mt 25:31.
192 Col 1:16.
193 Heb 1:14.
194 Cf. Job 38:7 (where angels are called "sons of God"); Gen 3:24; 19; 21:17; 22:11; Acts 7:53; Ex 23:20-23; Judg 13; 6:11-24; Isa 6:6; 1 Kings 19:5.
195 Cf. Lk 1:11,26.
196 Heb 1:6.
197 Lk 2:14.
198 Cf. Mt 1:20; 2:13,19; 4:11; 26:53; Mk 1:13; Lk 22:43; 2 Macc 10:29-30; 11:8.
199 Cf. Lk 2:8-14; Mk 16:5-7.
200 Cf. Acts 1:10-11; Mt 13:41; 24:31; Lk 12:8-9.
201 Cf. Acts 5:18-20; 8:26-29; 10:3-8; 12:6-11; 27:23-25.
202 Cf. Mt 18:10; Lk 16:22; Ps 34:7; 91:10-13; Job 33:23-24; Zech 1:12; Tob 12:12.
203 St. Basil, Adv. Eunomium III, I: PG 29,656B. 


+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, August 8th, 2021

The First Reading- 1 Kings 19:4-8  
Elijah went a day's journey into the desert, until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.  He prayed for death saying: "This is enough, O LORD!  Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers."  He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree, but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.  Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water.   After he ate and drank, he lay down again, but the angel of the LORD came back a second time, touched him, and ordered, "Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!"  He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.
Reflection 
Fearing the threat of Jezebel, Elijah flees to the wilderness. The number 40 in Scripture is a number of testing, but also of preparation for a special task. Elijah’s  forty day and forty night journey is a type (or foreshadowing) of the forty days Christ would spend in the desert at the beginning of His public ministry. Likewise, the miraculous feeding by the angel foreshadows out own miraculous feeding by Christ in the Eucharist.
Adults - Ask God to fortify you and help you through the struggles you may face this week, particularly through the reception of the Eucharist.
Teens - Try to get through the week without murmuring (grumbling or complaining). Make a “murmur jar” and put acts of charity or kindness on slips of paper in the jar. If someone murmurs, they get a slip to counteract their grumbles with an act of charity.
Kids - Do you ever get frustrated and want to give up on things? What makes you frustrated? What helps you to get past it?

Responsorial- Psalm 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
Let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
And delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy.
And your faces may not blush with shame.
When the afflicted man called out, the LORD heard,
And from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Reflection 
This Psalm of praise also offers us instruction. The Lord is rightly to be given credit for the blessings that He offers us, but in addition to this we are called to repent when we have done wrong. We don’t want to only acknowledge the Lord, we want to build a real and thriving relationship with Him, which means involving Him in all parts of our lives, allowing Him to helps us, and praising Him always.
-How has God been there for you in times of distress?

The Second Reading- Ephesians 4:30-5:2
Brothers and sisters: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.   All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice.  And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.  So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.
Reflection
You were sealed for the day of redemption, quite literally, by the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Remaining faith to our Baptismal promises gives us hope in everlasting life. Saint Paul also reminds us that we are called to forgive others as Christ forgave us - we ask in the Lord’s prayer for the Lord to forgive us according to the measure with which we forgive others. Holiness consists in putting into practice everything that Christ taught, as we are reminded in the verses of this reading. We are called to be imitators of Christ. 
Paul reminds us that holiness consists in putting into practice everything Christ taught.  Strive to learn more about a teaching of the Church this week.

The Holy Gospel according to John 6: 41-51
The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?  Do we not know his father and mother?  Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves.  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.  It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.  Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.   Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.  I am the bread of life.  Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
Reflection
In this Sunday’s Gospel, the Jews clearly think they have Jesus figured out.  They know His father and His mother, and are sure of His origin.  Jesus clearly corrects them and explains that He is the way to eternal life.  He teaches that only He can reveal God because He is the only one who truly knows Him. His use of the future tense in “the Bread that I will give” points to the Institution of the Eucharist, and His reference of “for the life of the world” teaches that through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection He redeems all of humanity.   
Adults - Do you ever get frustrated? Do you ever murmur? How does your prayer life and the Eucharist help you to deal with your frustrations?
Teens - In the Jewish Scriptures, the Hebrews murmured (grumbled or complained) their way through the desert, and now people are murmuring at Jesus when he tells them that he is the bread of life. Do you ever murmur? Does it accomplish anything? What could be an alternate response to things that make you unhappy?
Kids - How does Jesus use bread to feed us today?

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – “Today, we must thank God from the bottom of our hearts for giving us the Christian faith. This faith means that "God out of the abundance of his love, speaks to men as friends and lives among them so that he may invite and take them into fellowship with himself," as Vatican II puts it. He did not put us on earth and leave us on our own with nowhere to go except to the grave. He sent his beloved Son on earth. He made us heirs to heaven and left to us, in his Church, all the instruction and aids we need to reach our inheritance. The unbelievers and free-thinkers may feel that they are free to do what they will here on earth, but we know that we have been given the freedom of the children of God for all eternity, if only we live according to the faith given us.  (Let us live that faith to the full at each moment!)  --Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.  
Ego Sum Panis Vitae - I am the Bread of Life

CATHOLIC QUESTIONS AND CATHOLIC ANSWERS

542. When did Jesus pray? a. all his life was a prayer
The Gospel often shows Jesus at prayer. We see him draw apart to pray in solitude, even at night. He prays before the decisive moments of his mission or that of his apostles. In fact, all his life is a prayer because he is in a constant communion of love with the Father.


543. How did Jesus pray during his passion? b. He united all of creation and all prayers and intercession to the Father
The prayer of Jesus during his agony in the garden of Gethsemani and his last words on the cross reveal the depth of his filial prayer. Jesus brings to completion the loving plan of the Father and takes upon himself all the anguish of humanity and all the petitions and intercessions of the history of salvation. He presents them to the Father who accepts them and answers them beyond all hope by raising his Son from the dead.


544. How does Jesus teach us to pray? d. all of the above
Jesus teaches us to pray not only with the Our Father but also when he prays. In this way he teaches us, in addition to the content, the dispositions necessary for every true prayer: purity of heart that seeks the Kingdom and forgives one’s enemies, bold and filial faith that goes beyond what we feel and understand, and watchfulness that protects the disciple from temptation.


545. Why is our prayer efficacious? c. it is united to the prayer of Jesus
Our prayer is efficacious because it is united in faith with the prayer of Jesus. In him Christian prayer becomes a communion of love with the Father. In this way we can present our petitions to God and be heard: “Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).


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