Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 

         The three tools to truly change this Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  And, if there is one thing we can never do enough of, it is pray.
 
         Prayer needs not be only time in church, on our knees, or at specific times.  Prayer needs to become a way of life.  We must strive to be constantly united to Jesus Christ in our way of living, that we “pray always.”  How wonderful it would be if praying became as natural as breathing.
 
         I was at a profession of a dear friend of mine some years ago, when she united herself formally to a Carmelite convent.  She pointed out to me that some of the nuns that ‘never break prayer.’  Even if they talk to you or do some task they keep themselves fully united to their Lord in constant prayer, with heart and mind raised to Him.  I soon experienced what she was pointing out to me as I spoke with one of the Carmelites.
 
         While the average Catholic is not called to this specifically, you and I are called to strive to pray constantly by uniting whatever we think, say, or do to Jesus Christ, the REAL person who loves us more than others do and more than we love ourselves.  That is the challenge and joy of the Good News!
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
 
Father Robert

P.S.  This coming Sunday is the First Sunday of Lent.  The readings can be found at:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022623.cfm

On January 1, 2021, the Bible in a Year Podcast published its first episode. 
The format was simple. Every day, listeners would hear a few, preselected excerpts from the Bible. Then the host, Father Mike Schmitz, offers a prayer and a short reflection on them. The average length of an episode is about twenty minutes.
In hindsight, it seems like a no-brainer that it would be popular. But at the time, no one really expected the podcast to be such an immediate hit. Within days, it jumped to the top of the charts, surpassing in popularity podcasts from The New York Times, National Public Radio, and other massively established mainstream organizations. 
And that success continued. Although the podcast relinquished its top spot by January 18, 2021, it was back on top by the beginning of January 2022. 
By the end of last year, the podcast had over 142 million downloads, which equated to about 3.3 billion minutes of listening worldwide.
This week on the CNA Newsroom podcast, we’ll bring you just a tiny sampling of the thousands of lives touched by God’s word, thanks to the Bible in a Year.

by Fr. Edward Looney - ​

Throughout Lent, many people deepen their prayer life with spiritual practices and devotions.
Some choose to pray the rosary daily. Others pray the Stations of the Cross. Some might even sing the Stabat Mater along the way.
Mary is an excellent companion during the Lenten season, especially her messages and apparitions.
Prayer, penance, and almsgiving are the three pillars of the Lenten season. In Our Lady’s approved apparitions, she directs us to these pillars and encourages us to live them.
In the village of Beauraing in Belgium, Our Lady appeared to five children. She told the children to “pray, pray very much, pray always.”
In other apparitions, Our Lady told the seers for what or who they should pray.
In Fatima, she requested they pray the rosary for peace in the world. In Champion, Wisconsin, she requested they offer their holy communion for the conversion of sinners.
Not only did Our Lady tell us who or what to pray for, she requested different methods of prayer. Mary encourages us to become more prayerful, as well as intercessors for others.
Our Lenten observance also emphasizes penance. Our Lady also requested this in her apparitions.To St. Bernadette in Lourdes she said, “penance, penance, penance.”
At Fatima, she told the three children to offer their small sacrifices out of love for God and the Immaculate in reparation for sin and the conversion of sinners.
We fast and make acts of self-denial throughout Lent. Be sure to offer these sacrifices to God as a prayer. As you do so, Mary will accompany you on your Lenten journey, for she encouraged us to do penances.
The third element of Lent is almsgiving in our care and support for the poor.In Mary’s Magnificat, she prays that God “casts down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly.” Mary has a special place in her prayer and heart for the poor.
The visionaries in Our Lady’s apparitions came from poor families. St. Bernadette’s family was incredibly poor. In Lourdes, the sick and those poor in health come and pray for healing.
In 1933 when Mary appeared to Mariette Beco in Banneux, Belgium, she told the child she was the “Virgin of the Poor.”
During this season of almsgiving, we journey with a woman who identifies with the poor, and allow those who are poor financially, physically, spiritually, or emotionally, to turn to her motherly intercession.
Throughout your Lenten journey, consider doing so in prayer with the Blessed Virgin. And if you’d like, listen to Mary’s words from her approved apparitions and allow them to guide your life, not only during Lent, but for the rest of your life.

Madrid, Spain, Mar 6 (EWTN News/CNA) -After an anti-clerical childhood and adolescence, filled with hatred for the Church, Fr. Juan José Martínez says he discovered “that God exists and wants me as his priest.”

“Sunday mornings I would peer out of the balcony of my house, and when the people were going by on their way to Mass, I would spit on them. I told them that the Church was a sect that wanted their money,” explained the priest, who ministers in the Diocese of Almeria, Spain.


Fr. Juan José's parents were not believers, and he had received no religious formation, but he said they did not raise him to be intolerant. In fact, he says he does not know where he got all those ideas, because the perception he had of the Church and God was that of a “multinational corporation with branches in every neighborhood to extract money, like a sect.”


“I was absolutely anticlerical, I was the first student in my school and the town of Carboneras, Almeria Province, to never be taught Religion because when I was 8 or 9, I chose the alternative course which was Ethics. In the following years, I went on convincing my friends to quit Religion classes and to take Ethics with me. In the end, my whole class ended up being taught Ethics and none of them Religion.”


But what he never imagined is that the end of his journey would be to help his friends to come back to the Church. Fr. Juan José remembers quite well that the first day he went into a Catholic church, “I went to make fun of those who had invited me.”


“It was in January 1995, some friends from class invited me to a Catholic Charismatic Renewal prayer group at the parish. Obviously I told them I wasn't planning on going because I didn't want them to brainwash me. For a whole month they persisted. I finally gave in – it was a Thursday in February 1995 when I went into a Catholic church for the first time.”




A golden box


A lot of his friends were there, and he was surprised because “they were all looking at a golden box at the back of the church. I didn't know what it was, but I thought it was where the parish priest kept the money.”


That golden box was the Tabernacle.


Fr. Juan José says that he came to make fun of them because “I thought they were crazy. Inside, I was laughing at them a lot, but I was polite and concealed it.  But I decided to come back the following Thursday to laugh at them some more.”


And so one Thursday after another, Fr. Juan José was letting go of his prejudices against the Church and religion.


“The pastor seemed to me to be a very wise man who was helping the people,” he told CNA. And little by little, the love of God was penetrating his heart: “I was 15 years old and I started to sing at Mass, which meant I would attend Mass on Saturdays. I liked being in front of the tabernacle and little by little, I realized that God existed and loved me. I felt the love of God. The Charismatic Renewal group, which I had come to make fun of, helped me a lot.”
“My eyes were being opened and I saw that God was not a legend or story for the weak, but that he existed and that he was supporting and guiding me. I experienced that he loved me so much that he wanted me for himself and was calling me,” he recalled.




“I am yours for whatever you need”


Fr. Juan José had been baptized and made his First Communion because of his grandparents' wishes, but he did not have a relationship with God after that. “I made my Confirmation as I was right in the midst of the process of conversion, and it was a genuine gift. That day I told the Lord, 'I am yours for whatever you need.' My mother came but my father did not. It was a unique moment in my life to receive the Holy Spirit and to put my trust in the Lord.”
For months, the young Juan José was resisting the call to the priesthood. “I told the Lord that I didn't want any hassles and to quit talking to me. Until I had to make a decision and it was to follow him, becoming a priest.”


One Saturday afternoon when he was 17, Fr. Juan José told his father he wanted to go to the seminary. His father beat him and said that “he would be a priest over his dead body.”
“They did not understand that I would want to be a priest. In fact, my father offered to pay for me to go to college in the United States but (he told me) he would never pay for the seminary.”


In such a difficult moment, Fr.  Juan José recalled that all he could think of was the prayer of Saint Teresa of Avila: “Let nothing disturb you, nothing frighten you. All you need is God” and when his father stopped rebuking him, the young man gave him a hug and said to him, “I knew you were going to react like that, but I also knew that one day you'd understand.”


“Welcome”
In fact, his father went so far as to threaten to report the pastor to the police if kept helping his son discern his vocation. “My father was trying everything, but the Lord is stronger,” he said.


To obey his father, Fr. Juan José could not start the seminary, and so he began to study teaching at the University of Almeria. For years he was patient, and continued to be faithful to his vocation to the priesthood. Until one day in May 1999, as he recalled, his mother told him that she had spoken to his father and that finally he would let him enter the seminary. “I began to cry and cry. I remember when I told the pastor about it he said “welcome” and gave me a great big hug.”


In September 2000, he finally entered the seminary.


In 2006, Fr.Juan José was ordained in the Almeria cathedral and his father even attended the ceremony. “In no way did he want me to become a priest, but he saw that I was happy and even though he was totally anticlerical, he decided that the happiness of his son came before his ideology and if I was happy, even though he didn't understand it, he would have to accept it. “


In fact, he recalled that two years ago, “before dying, my father received the Anointing of the Sick. And it was I who administered it to him.”


“When somebody tells me he doesn't believe in God, I always tell him that neither did I believe in Him, but I was mistaken, because I have discovered the genuine happiness that Jesus has given to me. If you're not completely happy, ask the Lord to help you, because only He will give you the happiness that your heart needs.”

​

(Vatican City, Feb 17 (EWTN News/CNA) - As homeless men and women line up under the massive arms of Saint Peter's colonnade waiting to take advantage of the Vatican's newly-christened showers and barbershop, volunteers who assist them say they are deeply moved by their encounter with a population often rejected by society.

“Initially when they offered me this (job) I thought I would find myself confronted with grouchy, perhaps mean people,” said volunteer barber Danielle Mancuso.

“Instead, I discovered a truly tremendous humanity.”

“You see these poor people out in the middle of the street, discarded. Then, you speak to them, and they're human,” he said, recounting his first day.

Officially inaugurated on Feb. 16, the facilities provide the opportunity for homeless individuals to have their hair cut each Monday – a day when barber shops in Italy are traditionally closed – by volunteer barbers. Meanwhile, the shower services will be offered daily, with the exception of Wednesday due to the large crowds which attend the weekly general audience.

“I cut my hair, took a shower, beard, everything. It's wonderful!” 51-year-old Gregorio from Poland, who's been living in Rome for 13 years, told EWTN News.

Construction began in November on new showers and bathrooms under the colonnades of St. Peter’s Square.

Many barbers have volunteered with enthusiasm, including two barbers from the national Italian organization that transports the sick to Lourdes, France and other international shrines (UNITALSI). Other volunteers are finishing their final year in barber school.

“It's been a great lesson for me,” said Andrea Valeriano, an UNITALSI volunteer. “Everyone has waited (their turn) calmly. And I've seen a lot solidarity among them.”

Papal almoner Archbishop Konrad Krajewski spearheaded the reconstruction of St. Peter's square bathrooms to include the shower and barbershop facilities, which have witnessed a substantial response since their opening.

The Polish bishop is charged with the dual responsibility of carrying out acts of charity for the poor and raising the money to fund them. When the archbishop was appointed, Pope Francis urged him not to stay at his desk but rather to be an active worker for the benefit of the poor.

Vatican Insider reported that Archbishop Krajewski received his inspiration for the showers after taking a homeless man to dinner in order to celebrate his birthday. The man, who turned 50, told the archbishop that finding food in the city is easy, but staying clean was not.
 

“Prayer to Jesus is answered by him already during his ministry, through signs that anticipate the power of his death and Resurrection: Jesus hears the prayer of faith, expressed in words (the leper, Jairus, the Canaanite woman, the good thief) or in silence (the bearers of the paralytic, the woman with a hemorrhage who touches his clothes, the tears and ointment of the sinful woman). The urgent request of the blind men, "Have mercy on us, Son of David" or "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" has-been renewed in the traditional prayer to Jesus known as the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!" Healing infirmities or forgiving sins, Jesus always responds to a prayer offered in faith: "Your faith has made you well; go in peace."
St. Augustine wonderfully summarizes the three dimensions of Jesus' prayer: "He prays for us as our priest, prays in us as our Head, and is prayed to by us as our God. Therefore let us acknowledge our voice in him and his in us."
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2616

​

A bit of humor…
 -I saw an ad for burial plots, and thought to myself this is the last thing I need.  
-Just burned 2,000 calories. That's the last time I leave brownies in the oven while I nap.  
-I'm great at multitasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at once. 



For My Next Impression…I’m now in high school, so when I ran into my third-grade teacher, I doubted she would remember me.
“Hi, Miss Jones,” I said.
“Hi, Eddie,” she replied.
“So you do remember me?” I asked.
“Sure. You don’t always leave a good impression, but it is a lasting one.”


They Still Fit
I don’t want to brag or make anybody jealous or anything, but 
I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school.




Drunk Driving
A man is driving down to New York to see a show, and he's stopped in Connecticut for speeding. The state trooper smells alcohol on his breath, sees an empty wine bottle on the floor, and asks, "Sir, have you been drinking?"
The man replies, "Just water."
The trooper asks, "Then, why do I smell wine?"
The man looks down at the bottle and exclaims, "Good Lord, Jesus has done it again, just like at the Wedding Feast of Cana!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
After a church service on Sunday morning, a young boy suddenly announced to his mother,
"Mom, I've decided to become a minister when I grow up."
"That's okay with us, but what made you decide that?"
"Well," said the little boy, "I have to go to church on Sunday anyway,
And I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell, than to sit and listen."
 
The Sunday School Teacher asks,
"Now, Johnny, tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating?"
"No ma'am," little Johnny replies, I don't have to.
My mom is a good cook."
 

​

“In the battle of prayer, we must face in ourselves and around us erroneous notions of prayer.  Some people view prayer as a simple psychological activity, others as an effort of concentration to reach a mental void.  Still others reduce prayer to ritual words and postures.  Many Christians unconsciously regard prayer as an occupation that is incompatible with all the other things they have to do: they "don't have the time."  Those who seek God by prayer are quickly discouraged because they do not know that prayer comes also from the Holy Spirit and not from themselves alone.”                -Catechism of the Catholic Church #2726


+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
First Sunday in Lent  - Sunday, February 26th , 2023

The First Reading - Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7
The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Reflection
In the Christian tradition, this threefold love of the world—Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, and Pride of Life—is known as the threefold concupiscence, and lines up roughly with the sins of (physical) lust, avarice (greed), and pride.
We see this threefold pattern at work when Eve gives in to temptation: The woman saw that the tree was (1) good for food, (2) pleasing to the eyes, and (3) desirable for gaining wisdom. “Good for food”—this is physical lust.  “Pleasing to the eye”—this is avarice, the desire to have more, to possess things for their beauty or value.  “Desirable for gaining wisdom”—this is pride, because the purpose for gaining wisdom is to make herself equal to God.  As the serpent says, “You will be like God” (RSV). Although Eve is the one tempted into sin according to the narrative, the biblical and post-biblical tradition often attributes the Fall just as much, or even primarily, to Adam, probably because he was considered “head of the family,” and was also the guardian of the garden who should have kept the serpent out in the first place.
Adults - Which of the categories of concupiscence do you struggle with the most?
Teens -What was Adam’s failure?
Kids - Is there a sin you need to work on stopping during Lent?

Responsorial- Psalm 51: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17
R.Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Reflection
-The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 51, the most famous psalm of penitence in the psalter, written by David after his sin with Bathsheba.  What is an example you have see of God’s mercy at work?

The Second Reading- Romans 5:12-19
Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned— for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one, the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many. And the gift is not like the result of the one who sinned. For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation; but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal. For if, by the transgression of the one, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous.
Reflection - This passage illustrates what was said above about Adam being attributed primary responsibility in the Fall.  Be that as it may, the Church is calling our attention to the parallel between the Fall and Christ’s victory over temptation. St. Paul’s words in this passage remind us of how dependent we are on Christ for our Lenten observances to have any spiritual effect.  By themselves, practices like fasting and almsgiving do not necessarily affect our souls.  There are plenty of people, for example, who have experienced hunger and yet have remained bitter or selfish; likewise many have given away money, or had it taken away, without experiencing spiritual transformation.  Our Lenten efforts are not effective by themselves.  They are only effective when we unite our small, token efforts with the work of Jesus.  His redemption infuses our humble efforts with meaning, value, and effectiveness.  -What does it mean that our suffering has value?

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 4:1-11
At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.  He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.  The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.”  He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”  Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.  For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”  Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”  Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”  At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan!  It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”  Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
Reflection
The temptations follow the pattern of the threefold concupiscence mentioned above. In each of these cases, Jesus opposes the temptation by quoted from Scripture, specifically the Book of Deuteronomy. We as Christians are called to overcome, as Jesus did, the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eyes, and Pride. Our traditional Lenten disciplines (Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving) are intended to help us in this.  Fasting mortifies Lust of the Flesh.  Almsgiving mortifies Lust of the Eyes (greed, avarice).  And prayer mortifies Pride, by acknowledging our dependence on God (“give us our daily bread ...”; Matt 6:11) and submitting our will to His (“Thy will be done ...”; Matt 6:10).  Let’s unite our efforts to Jesus powerful work of redemption by faith, and let his Spirit work in us this Lent through the means our Lenten disciplines.
Adults - How can your Lenten discipline work against the sin you struggle with?
Teens - How can your Lenten disciplines help you combat sin and grow closer to Christ?
Kids - What does it mean that God gives us our daily bread?

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK!  - Our basic temptations in life are the same: bodily comforts and pleasure, the empty esteem of our fellowman, wealth and power.  There are millions of men and women on earth today—many of them nominal Christians—who have given in to these temptations and, are wasting their lives chasing after these unattainable shadows.  But even should they manage to catch up with some of them, they soon find out that they are empty baubles. They will have to leave them so very soon.  Today, let each one of us look into his heart and honestly examine his reaction to these temptations. Do we imitate our Savior and leader, and say "begone Satan"?  Our purpose in life is not to collect its treasures, its honors or its pleasures.  We are here for a few short years, to merit the unending life which Christ has won for us.  Would we be so foolish as to swap our inheritance for a mere mess of pottage (see Gen. 25:29-34)?  Lent is a golden opportunity to review our past and make sensible resolutions for our future.  -Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
​

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
       Once we are able to be in a silent outside, the inside must be recollected, composed.  Why?  So that we can hear Jesus speak to us, so that we can hear the miracles that happen at Mass, so that we can be transformed outside and inside by Jesus Christ who was Himself silent.
 
 Interior silence is very difficult, but we must make the effort.  In silence we will find new energy and true unity. The energy of God will be ours to do all things well.  We will find the true unity of our thoughts with His thoughts, the unity of our prayers with His prayers, the unity of our actions with His actions, and the unity of our life with His life."
-St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
 
      Silence in the Mass, from the 'calling to mind our sins' to 'Let us pray' to the intimate silence after Holy Communion when it is Jesus and I in the midst of His Family, the Church, silence in the Mass is where you and I must enter into from NOW on.
 
      Go to the upper room of your heart where you can recollect yourself in silence, then enter the silent parts of the Mass and be transformed for earthly service and heaven forever!
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert

P.S.  This coming Sunday is 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time.  The readings can be found at:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021923.cfm
​

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Catholic Good News 2-18-2023-SILENCE-Silent Moments in the MassInboxFather RobertFeb 18, 2023, 7:35 PM
to me
In this e-weekly:
-"Visions of God to Akiane Kramarik"-a MUST SEE Video in (Helpful Hints for Life.)
-Life Teen: Catholic Youth website (below the laptop)
-Safe Haven "Baby Box" Saves Infant from Infanticide (Diocesan News and Beyond)
  -***LENT BEGINS THIS ASH WEDNESDAY - Lenten Regulations at the very end of E-weekly*** (www.MassTimes.org)
 
  
Silence at Mass as chalice with Precious Blood is offered (St. Padre Pio)
 
Catholic Good News
Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
 
SILENCE-Silent Moments in the Mass
"Teach me, and I will be quiet."  Job 6:24
 
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
       Once we are able to be in a silent outside, the inside must be recollected, composed.  Why?  So that we can hear Jesus speak to us, so that we can hear the miracles that happen at Mass, so that we can be transformed outside and inside by Jesus Christ who was Himself silent.
 
 Interior silence is very difficult, but we must make the effort.  In silence we will find new energy and true unity. The energy of God will be ours to do all things well.  We will find the true unity of our thoughts with His thoughts, the unity of our prayers with His prayers, the unity of our actions with His actions, and the unity of our life with His life."
-St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
 
      Silence in the Mass, from the 'calling to mind our sins' to 'Let us pray' to the intimate silence after Holy Communion when it is Jesus and I in the midst of His Family, the Church, silence in the Mass is where you and I must enter into from NOW on.
 
      Go to the upper room of your heart where you can recollect yourself in silence, then enter the silent parts of the Mass and be transformed for earthly service and heaven forever!
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert



P.S.  This coming Sunday is 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time.  The readings can be found at:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021923.cfm



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

Homilies on Silent Moments at the Mass are found below:

Listen

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Best Parish Practices


START A MEN'S GROUP (Faith Sharing, Encouragement, Challenge)

Men and fatherhood is under attack today.  Being men of faith and good example to others is critical for ourselves and others.  Bring together a group of men in your parish or church to learn more about Christ, support one another, and help them to be the best version of themselves to their loved ones and one another.

BENEFITS:

Parishes are only as strong as their families and their marriages.  Strengthening one part strengthens all.  And men who know how to follow Christ, love those around them, and are strengthened in faith are tremendous blessings to their homes, parishes, and the world.

HOW?

Ask your Parish Priest for guidance and permission, especially if this will be held on parish grounds.  Gather two or more men once a week or as often as you are able or would like.  You might have food or drink for the gathering which allows fellowship and sharing a meal (have one participant provide it each week, or buy from local restaurant and ask for donations).  And then go to:

http://www.crossingthegoal.com
​

​Crossing the Goal
www.crossingthegoal.com
Crossing the Goal An Introduction Crossing the Goal is a non-profit ministry whose mission is to call, equip and empower Catholic men to become and stay spiritually fit in their faith through the utilization of Spiritual Fitness Workouts.

​And let 4 Catholic men who have been in sports and lived their faith to this day share their story in free video or audio format as the basis of the group.  Print off free booklets from under the Resources tab: 'Workout Group Questions'.  Video, audio clips are broken into 5 sections which can lead your group and men present into discussion.  Questions are also in workbooks if you need them.  Witness of the Catholic men in the clips are inspiring, and great jumping off places for men to discuss who gather in the group.  You can do one of their series; take a break for a month or two, and start another series, or go from series to series.  ALL FREE!

GOD AND THE MEN OF YOUR PARISH NEED YOU TO DO THIS TODAY!

A Kentucky baby was discovered safe and healthy inside a specially-designed Safe Haven Baby Box last week in Bowling Green, just two months after a local fire station installed it.
WBKO reports first responders at the Bowling Green Fire Department rescued the baby on Feb. 9 less than two minutes after the mother surrendered her child. Local authorities said the newborn was healthy.
Kentucky law protects newborns from infanticide by providing struggling mothers who cannot care for their babies themselves the opportunity to legally and safely give their children to authorities. Once surrendered, the babies are taken to the hospital for medical care and later placed for adoption.
According to the fire department, they installed the baby box in December, and the baby was the first to be surrendered there.
Monica Kelsey, founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, thanked the baby’s parents for trying to do what’s best for their child during a press conference last week, Breitbart reports.
“Thank you for doing what you felt you could for the life of this child,” Kelsey said. “This baby is healthy. This baby is beautiful. This baby is perfect. And the Department of Child Services is now looking for a forever home for this family… If this parent is out there and they want the resources of counseling or medical care, it is available for you at no cost.”
SUPPORT LIFENEWS! If you want to help fight abortion, please donate to LifeNews.com!
Kentucky has 16 baby boxes across the state, according to WNKY.
To-date, Kelsey’s organization has helped install more than 130 baby boxes in communities across the country. Kelsey said each box is temperature controlled and has an alarm that alerts authorities as soon as a baby is placed inside. She said they cost about $200 to $300 per year to maintain.
All 50 states have safe haven laws that allow mothers to safely surrender their newborns to authorities, often at a police station, fire department or hospital, without questions or repercussions as long as the infant is unharmed. Typically, laws allow safe surrender within a certain time limit, such as up to 30 days after the baby’s birth.
According to Centers for Disease Control research, “Since 1999, when Texas became the first state to implement Safe Haven Laws, an estimated 4,100 infants have been safely surrendered nationwide.”
LifeNews Note: File photo.

By CNA Staff
Hartford, Conn.

The Knights of Columbus announced Friday it is giving $1 million for Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion. More than 50,000 have already entered Poland alone.
The world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization has also begun a Ukraine Solidarity Fund, which will match funds donated up to another $500,000, for a total of $2 million.
“The situation in Ukraine is dire and worsening. The people of Ukraine and our brother Knights in that nation need our help,” Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly wrote Feb. 25 to Knights, encouraging donations and prayer.
Kelly also said in a video message to the 1,800 Knights of Columbus in Ukraine that “In this time of intense danger, know that your brother Knights of Columbus around the world are praying for you, your families and all the people of Ukraine. We ask that our Lord protect you and your loved ones and restore peace in your land. We ask that he give you strength and courage to persevere.”
Ukraine has a population of more than 41 million, and it is believed more than 5 million may become refugees.
The country is expecting men between 18 and 60 to remain to repel the invading forces, and most of those fleeing are women and children.
Russian forces are assaulting Kyiv and other cities. A missile struck an apartment building in the capital.
The Ukrainian government has said that nearly 200 of its people have been killed since Russia invaded Feb. 24.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that “We are defending the country, the land of our future children. Kyiv and key cities around the capital are controlled by our army.”
"I'm here. We won't lay down our arms. We will defend our state," he said in a video from Kyiv.
The Knights of Columbus said its refugee fund “will be used to provide shelter, food, medical supplies, clothing and religious goods, as well as other humanitarian needs as identified, both directly in Ukraine and through refugee sites in Poland.”
It added that it will collaborate “with both the Latin and Greek Catholic Churches in Ukraine, with dioceses and K of C councils in Poland, and with international humanitarian aid agencies to address needs quickly and effectively.”
If funds should outlast the immediate need, the organization said that “consideration will be given to assist widows and orphans of brother Knights killed as a result of military action, and for assistance in resettlement and rebuilding for communities displaced by conflict and war.”​

The story of the “Family von Trapp” has enchanted people of all faiths since it was put to music by Rodgers and Hammerstein in the Broadway and Hollywood hit musical The Sound of Music, and although the popular portrayal of Fraulein Maria and all those children has taken on fairy-tale status across the world, it has a solid foundation in reality.
Around the Year With the von Trapp Family — published in 1955 and now reprinted for a new generation of Catholic families — confirms what the musical portrays: Maria really was a postulant at a Benedictine convent in Salzburg, Austria, and she really did become governess in the employ of World War I Navy veteran and widower Georg von Trapp. Maria and Georg really did fall in love, get married, and sing with the family at festivals all over Europe, and they really did flee Austria after the Nazi takeover.
The musical ended there, and the credits rolled — but the real-life story of the von Trapps was far from over. As Maria relates in her memoirs, by 1939, Maria and Georg had had two children of their own and had another on the way. Just as war was breaking out all over the Continent, the von Trapps emigrated to America, where they continued to perform as a family. In 1942 they purchased an old farm in Stowe, Vermont.
For more than 20 years, they delighted audiences all over the world with their music. The old farm in Stowe has been converted into a world-class resort that is still operating to this day, with some of Maria and Georg’s grandchildren at the helm.
Meg Marlett, a home-schooling mother from Livermore, California, had heard of Maria’s second memoir years ago but never found a copy of her own because it was out of print.

However, when the new edition of Around the Year with the von Trapp Family came out, she snapped it up immediately. Even though she and her husband, Mark, are seasoned parents — they have eight children and four grandchildren — Maria’s book provides much-needed inspiration for the “home stretch” of their parenting journey.
“The book is beautifully laid out,” Marlett said.
But what she appreciates most is the theme of family unity that runs like an unbreakable cord through the entire book.
“We segregate by age so much in the world, and even in the Church. Maria’s main point, though, is to integrate the whole family into all the traditions and activities, so that all ages can celebrate the high times and low times together.”
As their youngest children enter their late teens, the Marletts are determined to continue providing the same rich and solidly Catholic upbringing as their older children enjoyed. Mrs. von Trapp offers plenty of inspiration.
The book begins with Advent, Christmas and the winter feasts, including a charming pre-Lenten season called Carnival. Lent, Holy Week and the Easter season follow. The great swath of Ordinary Time that comes after Easter gets its own lovely chapter entitled, “The Green Meadow,” so named for green liturgical vestments and for the single summer feasts that are “like isolated peaks towering above the green meadow.”
With a tone of gentle and joyful nostalgia, full of hope that many of the old traditions will be revived, Maria teaches the reader about Christkindl, the joys of feasting and fasting (“high tide and low tide”), and ways to commemorate important family days (like baptismal anniversaries). She provides handy lists of saints for various occasions, and in the chapter on celebrating the sacraments, she gives one of the best explications of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit (from the prophet Isaiah) that I’ve ever read.

But she also writes with candor and concern about the shocking differences between Austria and America, which serve as stand-ins for the Old World and the New World — or, even more broadly, for Christendom and secularism. A chapter called “The Land Without a Sunday” is particularly timely.
She writes that “the Christian Sunday is threatened more and more both from without and from within — from without, through the systematic efforts of the enemies of Christianity, and from within through the mediocrity and superficiality of the Christians themselves who are making of Sunday merely a day of rest, relaxing from work only by seeking entertainment.”
She then quotes Pope Pius XII’s encyclical Mediator Dei: “The results of the struggle between belief and unbelief will depend to a great extent on the use that each of the opposing fronts will make of Sunday.”


But Maria doesn’t merely lament. She’s practical and positive. To combat a pernicious secular problem, she writes, “There is no use in just talking against it. Something better has to be substituted.”
And for that, Maria’s book is full of ideas. Even though it was published more than a decade before Vatican II, modern Catholic parents will still gain much wisdom and practical help from this book. The new 2018 edition is a keepsake-quality, hardcover book featuring illustrations by Georg and Maria’s daughter Rosemary.
Naturally, a book about the musical von Trapps will include music, and this book is filled with seasonal songs, many with lines for harmonizing with the melody. Some of the songs include piano staves, but it would have been much improved and accessible to more families if all the songs had been arranged for piano and included guitar chords.
Another minor fault of the book is that numerous pre-Vatican II references received no editorial comment to provide context for the benefit of modern readers. Some of the recipes also should have been updated if present-day Catholics are expected to use them.
Nevertheless, with the combination of practical “how-to” advice and inspiring, relevant essays, this book is a welcome addition to every Catholic family library. Parents searching for a way to build a distinctive Catholic family culture that is intentionally different from the culture “out there” will find this book especially helpful. Parish priests would also benefit from this book because they could use it to reinstate worthy traditions and practices from the past, such as having a special service on Candlemas Day and giving every family a blessed candle, or ceremoniously veiling an “Alleluia” plaque at the beginning of Lent. It also makes an excellent wedding present or gift for a young family at their first child’s baptism.
Lent is here, so picking up this book now will give you time to peruse it and make some plans for “The Great Fast.” As Maria exhorts her readers, “Let us not be so soft anymore!”
Maria also writes, “When Hitler’s troops invaded Austria in 1938, my husband and I felt bound by conscience to save our children from yielding to the religion and philosophy of this neo-paganism. … Only the Church throws light onto the gloomy prospects of modern man — Holy Mother Church — for she belongs, herself, to a realm that has its past and present in time, but its future in the World Without End. ... With every passing year, I [realize] more deeply how joyful our religion is. The more one penetrates into what it means to be Catholic, the fuller life becomes.”
Joe and Joannie Kuefler live in suburban Boston with their eight children, ranging in age from 4 to 25.
Joannie advises Catholic parents to study Maria’s book (and books like it) to gain whatever inspiration they can, but “choose what will work for your family and your own family culture.”
“The whole of Western civilization is suffering from Modernism and secularism,” Joannie told the Register, “but books like Maria von Trapp’s help reassure us that a lot of the worldly seasonal practices actually come from Catholicism. It’s a simple matter to add meaning and richness to them by explaining the religious significance to children.”
Clare Walker writes from
Westmont, Illinoi
READ
The book is available online via sophiainstitute.com or by calling (800) 888-9344.




Fruits of Family Traditions
A little goes a long way in family life, as the von Trapps can attest. When parents deliberately incorporate Catholic traditions and practices into their daily life, even small ones, they often “stick,” staying with our children into their adulthood.
For example, Kat Millard, a 2009 college graduate, vividly remembers her parents’ emphasis on daily prayer. “Every morning the family gathered around the table to pray with Dad before he left for work and before the school day started. Then, in the evening, we read aloud together and then prayed, either the Rosary or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.” She and her husband, John, now try to make prayer a cornerstone of their day with their four children in their home in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
And Andrew Kelly, an actor from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, remembers family travel, Catholic-style: “Saying a quick prayer for passing emergency vehicles is a fairly ingrained behavior for me,” he said.
Brothers Noah and Josh Billing, both college students in Illinois, have strong memories of many Catholic family traditions growing up, such as going on retreats and to daily Mass as a family, kneeling down and praying at the Christmas crèche before opening presents, and making dinner together a priority. At these family dinners, the conversation often turned to the Catholic faith, which had a big impact on both of them. Their friend Jake Bartley, also an Illinois college student, had a similar experience of dialogue with his parents about the faith and about life: “Open discussion about faith and morals was encouraged and fostered in my family.”
— Clare Walker



Love is the heart of doctrine on family, Pope Francis saysBy Elise Harris
Vatican City, Jul 16, 2018 / 12:32 pm (EWTN News/CNA)

 
  In a message to Antillean youth, Pope Francis said love is the core of the Church's doctrine on the family, which is something every young person is responsible for carrying forward.

To understand what this love means, the pope urged young people to both read and study chapter four of his 2016 post-synodal apostolic exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia, which is dedicated to “Love in Marriage.”

“I tell you that the core of Amoris Laetitia was chapter four. How to live love. How to live love in the family,” he said, and told youth to read and talk about the chapter with each other, because “there is a lot of strength here to continue going forward” and to transform family life.

Love “has its own strength. And love never ends,” he said, explaining that if they learn how to truly love as God taught, “you will be transforming something that is for all of eternity.”

Pope Francis sent a video message to participants in the youth assembly of the Antilles Bishops Conference, which is taking place in the Archdiocese of Saint-Pierre and Fort-de-France, in Martinique, from July 10-23.

In his message, the pope asked youth whether they were really living as young people, or if they had become “aged youth,” because “if you are aged young people you are not going to do anything. You have to be youth who are young, with all the strength that youth has to transform.”

He said young people should not be “settled” in life, because being “settled” means one is at a standstill and “things don't go forward.”

“You have to un-stall what has been stalled and start to fight,” the pope said. “You want to transform, you want to carry forward and you have made your own the directives of the post-synodal exhortation on the family in order to carry the family forward and transform the family of the Caribbean,” he said.

In order to promote and carry the family forward, one must understand both the present and the past, Pope Francis said.

“You are preparing to transform something that has been given to you by your elders. You have received the history of yesterday, the traditions of yesterday,” he said, adding that people “cannot do anything in the present nor the future if you are not rooted in the past, in your history, in your culture, in your family; if you do not have roots that are well grounded.”

To this end, he told youth to spend time with their grandparents and other elderly people, and to take what they learn and “carry it forward.”
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"The Christian tradition comprises three major expressions of the life of prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplative prayer. They have in common the recollection of the heart."  -Catechism of the Catholic Church #2721




 

A bit of humor.
Some Thoughts: 
- When I asked if you'd like to go out on a date sometime, I meant with me.  
- Why, yes, I am dressed for the weather. I am wearing a house. 
- My diet always starts on a Monday morning and ends at the donuts somebody brings into the office later that morning.  
- I hate when I'm singing along to the Beatles and they mess up the lyrics.


Pastor's Business Card:
 
A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners.  At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door.  
 
Therefore, he took out his business card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door.
 
When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned.  Added to it was this cryptic message, "Genesis 3:10."
 
Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter.  Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door and knock."  Genesis 3:10 reads, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked."
 ​

A PRAYER IN A COUNTRY CEMETERY
 
DEAR Lord, here lie in their last rest, the boys and girls, the men and women that worked on the land.  They knew the meaning of hard work.  They knew the joy and peace that is the product of labor.  Now we trust they know the peace and happiness of everlasting life with You.
 
They watched the sun rise often, winter and summer, over these hills and fields.  They worked hard by its light, and turned willingly to their rest at its setting.  Now they walk in the light of a Sun that knows no setting.  Lord, if they are still in the waiting room of heaven--in purgatory--bring them speedily to the light of Your peace and the happiness of Your presence.
 
These men and women all their lives long labored to supply the food and drink necessary to sustain human life.  Now, or soon, they enjoy in all its fullness the life that You, Lord, came down to earth to give men, and to give more abundantly.
 
Dear Lord, bless us who labor now in the fields and hills where these dear dead have worked.  Grant that we may remember them with charity and kindness, walking reverently in the ways that they have left behind them.  Grant, too, that we may finally meet these men and women, these boys and girls, in the eternal mansions that You are even now preparing for us.  Amen.
 ​

"Contemplative prayer is the simple expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love. It achieves real union with the prayer of Christ to the extent that it makes us share in his mystery."
 -Catechism of the Catholic Church #2724

​+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, February 19th, 2023

The First Reading - Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18
The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. “You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen, do not incur sin because of him. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”
Reflection
We are called to the holiness of God. That is the extraordinary claim made in both the First Reading and Gospel this Sunday. Notice that in this first reading, God lets us know that part of holiness is how we treat one another.
Adults - What is the biggest thing that is standing between you and holiness?
Teens -Do you ever lead others into sin? How can you be sure to curb that behavior?
Kids - How are you a good example to others?

Responsorial- Psalm 103: 1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13
R.The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.  
Reflection: God does not deal with us as we deserve, as we sing in this week’s Psalm. He loves us with a Father’s love. He saves us from ruin. He forgives our transgressions. Where have you seen God’s mercy at work?

The Second Reading- 1 Corinthians 3:16-23
Brothers and sisters: Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy. Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written: God catches the wise in their own ruses, and again: The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you, Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.
Reflection - We have been bought with the price of the blood of God’s only Son (see 1 Corinthians 6:20). We belong to Christ now, as St. Paul says in this week’s Epistle. By our baptism, we have been made temples of His Holy Spirit.  
-How does becoming a fool make you wise?

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 5:38-48
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand over your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Reflection
How is it possible that we can be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect? Jesus explains that we must be imitators of God as His beloved children (Ephesians 5:1–2). As God does, we must love without limit—with a love that does not distinguish between friend and foe, overcoming evil with good (see Romans 12:21).
Jesus Himself, in His Passion and death, gave us the perfect example of the love that we are called to.
He offered no resistance to the evil—even though He could have commanded twelve legions of angels to fight alongside Him. He offered His face to be struck and spit upon. He allowed His garments to be stripped from Him. He marched as His enemies compelled Him to the Place of the Skull. On the cross He prayed for those who persecuted Him (see Matthew 26:53–54, 67; 27:28, 32; Luke 23:34). In all this He showed Himself to be the perfect Son of God. By His grace, and through our imitation of Him, He promises that we too can become children of our heavenly Father.
Adults - Do you pray for those who persecute you? How do you think doing so might change you?
Teens - How can you more imitate the love of Christ?
Kids - What example does Jesus set for you?

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK!  - Life for many, if not for most people, has many dark, gloomy and despairing moments. The man or woman who is moved by true Christian charity can bring a beam of sunshine, a ray of hope, into the lives of these people. Fr. Faber in a booklet on kindness has a poem which we could all learn and practice with great profit for ourselves and for a neighbor in need of kindness. He says:
"It was but a sunny smile, And little it cost in the giving,
But it scattered the night like the morning light
And made the day worth living.
It was but a kindly word, A word that was lightly spoken,
et not in vain for it chilled the pain
Of a heart that was nearly broken.
It was but a helping hand, And it seemed of little availing,
But its clasp was warm, it saved from harm
A brother whose strength was failing."
Try the sunny smile of true love, the kindly word of Christian encouragement, the helping hand of true charity, and not only will you brighten the darkness and lighten the load of your brother but you will be imitating in your own small way the perfect Father of love who is in heaven.  -Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lenten Regulations for Catholics
(from Church Law and US Bishops)
Lent
The Christian faithful are to do penance through prayer, fasting, abstinence and by exercising works of piety and charity.   All Fridays through the year, and especially during Lent, are penitential days. (“Piety” is the moral virtue by which a person is disposed to render to God the worship and service He deserves.)
 
Abstinence from meat:
All who 14 years of age or older are to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, on all Fridays during Lent and on Good Friday.  (On other Fridays of the years, Catholics may substitute a work of penance or charity (i.e. extra prayers said for those in need; visiting or assisting the sick, poor, or needy; etc.) or abstain from meat.
 
Fasting:

All those who are 18 years of age and older, until their 59th birthday, are to fast on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 22) and Good Friday (April 7).   Only one full meatless meal is allowed on days of fast.   Light sustenance on two other occasions, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to one's needs.   But together, these two occasions are not to equal a full meal.   Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids, including milk and fruit juices, are allowed.


The obligation does not apply to those whose health or ability to work would be seriously affected (i.e. pregnant/nursing, chronically ill/diabetic, the sick, etc.).   People in doubt about fast or abstinence should consult a parish priest.   The obligation does not apply to military personnel in deployed or hostile environments in which they have no control over meals.
To conscientiously disregard or purposely fail to observe the regulations of fasting and abstinence is seriously sinful (that is, an area of mortal sin).
 
CONFESSION/PENANCE/RECONCILIATION:
Catholics are bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year (Canon 989).  Lent is an appropriate time to fulfill this obligation.
 
EASTER DUTY: After having received their First Holy Communion, all the faithful (all Catholics) are bound by the obligation of receiving Holy Communion at least once a year. This precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season, unless for a good reason it is fulfilled at another time during the year. This obligation may be fulfilled between Feb. 25 (First Sunday in Lent) and June 4 (Most Holy Trinity Sunday).


Additional Items for the Lenten Season


No alleluia. The Alleluia is not sung or said during the Lenten liturgies.


No Gloria, except on particular solemnities. The Gloria is not sung or said during Lent except on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph (March 19, transferred to March 20 in 2023) and the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25).


Color. Violet is the color of the season. Rose may be used on the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday).


No Decorations. In order to help emphasize the penitential character of the Lenten season (with the exception of Laetare Sunday), the altar and sanctuary should not be decorated with flowers.


No Instrumental Music. Musical instruments should only be used to support the assembly’s singing, except on Laetare Sunday (fourth Sunday of Lent), Solemnities, and Feasts.

​Saint Valentine of Rome
saints.sqpn.com
CatholicSaints.Info profile of Saint Valentine of Rome

By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome, Italy, Feb 11, 2023 / 03:42 am

The Vatican’s charity office has invited around 2,000 poor and marginalized people to a circus performance in Rome on Saturday.

“Making it possible to participate in this performance is a way to give a few hours of contentment to those who are confronted with a hard life and need help to nurture hope,” Pope Francis’ almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, said this week in an announcement about the initiative.

The Vatican said volunteers, including sisters from the Missionaries of Charity, will accompany the circus guests, some of whom are homeless and either living on the streets or in a shelter.
​
Prisoners, refugees, and families with children from Ukraine, Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan were also invited, together with several families living in some of Rome’s illegally occupied apartment buildings.

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, dressed in a yellow vest, brings a disabled man to receive the vaccine against COVID-19 in the Vatican on March 31, 2021. Credit: Vatican Media.A circus performance, Krajewski said, paraphrasing Pope Francis, “puts us in contact with the beauty that always lifts us up, and makes us look beyond ... it is a way to go to the Lord.”

“The show also reminds us that, behind this art and beauty, there are hours and hours of training, sacrifices, in order to reach the finish line,” the cardinal said. “The circus performers are confirmation that perseverance can make the impossible possible.”

The big top of the Rony Roller Circus is located about 3.5 miles west of the Vatican. The show, which has received glowing reviews, includes musical performances, clowns, trapeze artists, animal tamers, and jugglers.

One online reviewer called the performance “a shining example” of “the greatest show on earth,” and “an event not to be missed.”
​
The Vatican also organized a day at the circus for some of Rome’s poor and homeless population in 2016 and 2018.

A bit of humor...
​
 Some Thoughts: -The road to success is always under construction  
-Moses was leading his people through the desert for 40 years. It seems, even in Biblical times men avoided asking the way.


The wise old Mother Superior was dying. The nuns gathered around her bed, trying to make her comfortable. They gave her some warm milk to drink, but she refused it. Then one nun took the glass back to the kitchen. Remembering a bottle of whiskey received as a gift the previous Christmas, she opened it and poured a generous amount into the warm milk.
Back at Mother Superior's bed, she held the glass to her lips. Mother drank a little, then a little more, and then before they knew it, she had drunk the whole glass down to the last drop. "Mother, Mother" the nuns cried, "Give us some wisdom before you die!" She raised herself up in bed with a pious look on her face and pointing out the window, she said, "Don't sell that cow!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DID NOAH FISH?
  A Sunday school teacher asked, 'Johnny, do you think Noah did 
A lot of fishing when he was on the  Ark  ?'
 
'No,' replied Johnny. 'How could he, with just two worms.'
____________________________________________________
LOT 'S WIFE
 The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, 
'My Mommy looked back once while she was driving,' he announced 
Triumphantly, 'and she turned into a telephone pole!'
​

Dear Saint Valentine, glorious martyr, teach us to love unselfishly and to find great joy in giving.
Enable all true lovers to bring out the best in each other in God and in God, each other. Amen.




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One can sin against God's love in various ways:
- indifference neglects or refuses to reflect on divine charity;
it fails to consider its prevenient goodness and denies its power.
- ingratitude fails or refuses to acknowledge divine charity and to return him love for love.
- lukewarmness is hesitation or negligence in responding to divine love;
it can imply refusal to give oneself over to the prompting of charity.
- acedia or spiritual sloth goes so far as to refuse the joy that comes from God and to be repelled by divine goodness.
- hatred of God comes from pride. It is contrary to love of God, whose goodness it denies,
and whom it presumes to curse as the one who forbids sins and inflicts punishments. 
-Catechism of the Catholic Church #2094
 
 


+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, February 12th, 2023

The First Reading – Sirach 15:15-20
If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.  Immense is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power, and all-seeing.  The eyes of God are on those who fear him; he understands man’s every deed.  No one does he command to act unjustly, to none does he give license to sin.
Reflection
God never asks more of us than we are capable of with His grace. That is the message of this week’s First Reading. It is up to us to choose life over death, to choose the waters of eternal life over the fires of ungodliness and sin.
Adults - How do you discern between right and wrong choices? How do you determine God’s will for you?
Teens -What are some areas of your life that you often have to work hard to choose the good?
Kids - How does God help us know right from wrong?

Responsorial- Psalm 119: 1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
R.Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
You have commanded that your precepts
be diligently kept.
Oh, that I might be firm in the ways
of keeping your statutes!
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Be good to your servant, that I may live
and keep your words.
Open my eyes, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Reflection
-As we do in this week’s Psalm, let us always pray that we grow in being better able to live His Gospel, and to seek the Father with all our heart. As you begin to consider what your Lenten observances will be, pray about what you can do for Lent that will help you live the Gospel better.

The Second Reading- 1 Corinthians 2:6-10
Brothers and sisters: We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  But as it is written: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him, this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.  For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
Reflection - The wisdom of the Gospel surpasses all the wisdom of this age that is passing away, St. Paul tells us in the Epistle. The revelation of this wisdom fulfills God’s plan from before all ages. Let us trust in this wisdom, and live by His kingdom law.   -How do you seek the wisdom of God?

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 5:17-37
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny. “You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. “It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife -  unless the marriage is unlawful - causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. “Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,' and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”
Reflection
Jesus tells us in the Gospel this week that He has come not to abolish but to “fulfill” the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets. His Gospel reveals the deeper meaning and purpose of the Ten Commandments and the moral Law of the Old Testament. But His Gospel also transcends the Law. He demands a morality far greater than that accomplished by the most pious of Jews, the scribes and Pharisees. Outward observance of the Law is not enough. It is not enough that we do not murder, commit adultery, divorce, or lie. The law of the new covenant is a law that God writes on the heart (see Jeremiah 31:31–34). The heart is the seat of our motivations, the place from which our words and actions proceed (see Matthew 6:21; 15:18–20). Jesus this week calls us to train our hearts, to master our passions and emotions. And Jesus demands the full obedience of our hearts (see Romans 6:17). He calls us to love God with all our hearts, and to do His will from the heart (see Matthew 22:37; Ephesians 6:6).
Adults - What does Jesus mean when He says He has come to fulfill the Law?
Teens - What does it mean that God has written the moral law on our hearts?
Kids - What helps you make the right choice?

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK!  - Just as our love for God is proved by our true love for our neighbor, so the last seven of the commandments impose on us obligations regarding our neighbor. It is only by fulfilling these seven that we can fulfill the first three which govern our relations with God.  This truth is expressed by our Lord in the words: It you are offering your gift at the altar, and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there . . . first be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift. - — Excerpted from The Sunday Readings Cycle A, Fr. Kevin O' Sullivan, O.F.M.
​

THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION 
265. What place does Confirmation have in the divine plan of salvation? (Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC 1285-1288, 1315)  
a) there is nothing connected with it in the Old Testament  
b) Old Testament prophets announced the Spirit on the Messiah  
c) the Holy Spirit was just for the Apostles  
d) none of the above  
 
266. Why is this sacrament called Chrismation or Confirmation? (CCC 1289)  
a) because it is an anointing with chrism  
b) because it is the confirming of baptismal grace  
c) because it is strengthens baptismal grace  
d) all of the above  


267. What is the essential rite of Confirmation? (CCC 1290-1301, 1318, 1320-1321)  
a) choosing a Confirmation name  
b) having the perfect sponsor  
c) “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”  
d) speaking in tongues while being prayed over  

​

By Zelda Caldwell
Washington D.C., Feb 5, 2023 / 05:00 am
The French documentary film “Lourdes” will be shown in 700 theaters in the U.S., for a special two-day screening, on Feb. 8 (in French with English subtitles) and Feb. 9 (in Spanish with English subtitles).
The film presents a unique and affecting view of the Catholic pilgrimage site as seen through the eyes of several of the sick pilgrims and their caregivers.
A surprise hit in France among critics and audiences, the award-winning documentary follows several sick and disabled pilgrims who travel to Lourdes in search of consolation, if not miracles, at the Marian shrine in the French Pyrenees. It was there on Feb. 11, 1858, that 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous witnessed the first of 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
The filmmakers received unprecedented access to the sacred site from the Catholic Church. The sick and disabled pilgrims are seen praying at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, worshipping at the grotto where the visions took place, being immersed in the baths, and perhaps most affectingly, being cared for and assisted by volunteers or “hospitaliers.”
The U.S. tour follows the film's debut in France, where in 2020 it was nominated for best documentary at the Cesar Awards. Tickets for the Feb. 8 and 9 showings can be purchased online at Fathom Events or at participating theater box offices. 
As many as 6 million people visit Lourdes each year to pray and to touch, bathe in and drink from the spring water that flows under the grotto where the apparitions of the Virgin first took place. More than 7,000 cures have been attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, with 70 officially recognized by the Catholic Church. A 15-minute long “bonus” film following the presentation of the movie, distributed by Spain’s Bosco Films, features a Catholic physician discussing the miraculous cures attributed to Lourdes.
The movie “Lourdes,” however, is not exactly a movie about miracles. Audiences eager to be blown away by visible proof of the existence of a loving God who answers prayers may at first be disappointed when they realize it is not that kind of movie. What follows are miracles of a different sort: the gift of faith that makes possible peace and even joy through suffering, and the exercise of loving one’s neighbor in charity and compassion.
“Lourdes” is not always easy to watch – not only because it’s uncomfortable to see suffering at such close range, but because the unfamiliarity with that feeling is an indication that one tends to go through life avoiding being exposed to it.
A despondent teenage girl has come on an annual pilgrimage with her unemployed father to bathe in Lourdes’ spring water. Her father hopes to cure her of the cysts forming in her arm, but she prays before the statue of the Virgin Mary for relief from the kids who bully her at school.
A mother and father travel by bus with their 40-year-old son who can’t stand or feed himself, as his mother confesses that she still blames herself for the accident that changed their lives forever.
A father and his son, who himself is sick, seek healing for a terminally ill younger brother suffering from a painful skin condition. The faith of the two is palpable as is that of the boys' mother who manages to radiate joy as she sees them off.
A man afflicted in the last stages of ALS explains that he is grateful for the gift of peace he feels he has been given.
A group of prostitutes from Paris makes a solemn annual “Magdalena” pilgrimage to Lourdes in the company of a Catholic priest who gently counsels one to consider giving up his way of life.
Another man communicates by pointing to letters on a sheet of paper. The wry, intelligent look on his face seems to invite people to engage in conversation with him. We later learn that he has attempted suicide twice.
The inspiration for the movie came from its writer, veteran journalist Sixtine Léon-Dufour, who first went to Lourdes as a volunteer, very reluctantly, on the occasion of her mother-in-law’s 70th birthday. Once there, she was profoundly moved by the work, bathing, dressing, feeding, and talking to the pilgrims, and now returns with her family every year.
When she is volunteering at Lourdes, she told CNA that she is struck by the faith of the pilgrims, who, she said, come for consolation more than for a cure.
“What they all say is that when you go to the grotto and you spend some time praying — or not — at the feet of this statue of the Virgin Mary, you find peace, a real peace,” she said.

While Léon-Dufour is Catholic, the film’s directors, Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai, are non-believers, she said.
In the months they spent interviewing people to feature in the movie, she said, the directors would always ask the same question: “You’re very Catholic, you pray a lot. Tell me, you are absolutely looking for a miracle, right?”
“And each time all the people you saw in the documentary, they said, ‘No, no!”
“No matter how hard I tried to explain that people come to Lourdes not especially looking for a miracle they would not understand that it was much more about faith and being together to find some comfort,” she said.
And despite the directors’ initial confusion and purported lack of faith, they managed to capture traces of the divine in the interactions between the sick and the volunteers who assist them. The word “miracle,” comes from the Latin miraculum or “thing of wonder,’ which perfectly describes these encounters.
The film shows the sick and disabled pilgrims light up when they are with others who treat them with love and respect. Volunteer nurses are seen engaging with their charges, talking to them, and drawing them out. For some pilgrims, it is clear that just being touched or held as they are bathed and dressed delights them.
For other sick pilgrims, it is the conversation that brings them joy. A sad-looking woman in her nineties appears completely transformed after talking with a young volunteer who engages with her as she would a friend. At first quiet and guarded, the encounter leaves the woman smiling, telling stories, and even singing.

​A volunteer at Lourdes pilgrims sharing a laugh with a pilgrim. Bosco FilmsThe young faith-filled boy who is at Lourdes to pray for his sick brother seems to know what these pilgrims need. He makes a habit of reaching out to hold the hands of those who seem barricaded in their wheelchairs, eliciting shy smiles on their faces.
When a disabled woman begins to thrash and cry and it’s explained to the group of volunteers with her that she is sad to be leaving Lourdes, the young women soon have tears rolling down their cheeks.
Léon-Dufour told CNA that she thinks the sick and disabled find Lourdes a respite from what can be a cruel world.
“To be able to be in that place without any judgment from society because you are surrounded by disabled people, sick people. The poor, ‘the invisibles’ are on the front stage, which doesn't happen in our real lives. Here in Lourdes, you don't have any judgment. So I think that the first cure you can get is that you don't have ‘funny eyes’ on you.”
“And oh, all the people you will find on your way! Either they're as sick as you or as poor as you. Either. They're here just to help you,” she said.
The volunteers, many of whom are college students, usually stay for one week and receive training upon arriving at one of the welcome centers. The film shows a group of new volunteers being instructed on how to bathe their patients, how often to change their urinary incontinence pads, and the importance of drying them off completely. Many of the female volunteers wear nurses’ uniforms, complete with starched caps, a tradition that dates back to the 19th century, Léon-Dufour said.
“It was a matter of hygiene, and it was also because you used to have a lot of people, and especially women, from the French aristocracy [volunteering]. They didn't want to have any difference, between the, let's say the farmer and the aristocrats, so we kept these uniforms,” she said.
Lourdes, she said, is one of “the rarest places in the world,” because the volunteer nurses continue to come from all walks of life as do the pilgrims, she said.
“You have to give the showers, you have to dress the people, you have to entertain them, etc. And so, it's one of the places in the world where you will see a very successful CEO giving a shower to, let’s say, a maid. And it's great sometimes to have this kind of reminder, you know?” she said.
In making a movie about Lourdes, Léon-Dufour hoped to share with others something she discovered as a reluctant volunteer years ago.
“It's about giving back. Of course, you can give back everywhere — you can give back when you see a homeless person or whatever, but I think that you receive so much joy spending one week [at Lourdes],” she said. “I can assure you that that is very, very rewarding. The thing is that you keep going back because you receive much more.”
Cut and paste this like to watch trailer:

• https://youtu.be/yMDJMLcxUUk 

By Francesca Pollio
Denver, Colo., Feb 3
Seventh graders CeCe and Abby start off each month by waking up early to say the rosary with their fellow classmates.
“We think it is important to be part of Lions for Life to pray for mothers who are thinking about aborting their babies,” they told CNA. “We hope our prayers will help them decide to choose life."
They, along with more than 300 other students, attend St. Thomas More Catholic School in Centennial, Colorado, a Denver suburb. The mission of the grade school is to “bring the whole person to Jesus Christ” and “prepare students to serve the Church and community now and in the future” through a quality education. It also offers students the opportunity to take part in several groups, programs, and extracurricular activities. 
One of these groups is the Lions for Life. Open to students from all grades, the prayer group meets once a month before school starts to pray the rosary for the protection of babies in the womb and for an end to abortion. Kira Weiland, a sixth and seventh grade social studies teacher, runs the group. 
Weiland explained that she inherited the group in 2015 from a former teacher who started the program more than 10 years ago. 
The students meet on the first Thursday of the month at 7:10 a.m., before classes begin. The students say it’s time well spent.
Jonathan, a seventh grader in the group, told CNA that “Getting up extra early to join prayer at Lions for Life is a worthy cause because we honor God with our prayers."
Weiland expressed that this is part of what makes running the group so rewarding. 
“The fact that they are willing to get up early, come in and pray for babies in the world and that they care deeply about that enough to come early. It's really that the rewarding part — is seeing them living out their faith,” she said. 
Weiland explained how they prayed the special rosary.
“Each mystery has a specific prayer for it that has to do with praying for respect for all life,” she described. “We'll go through and pray those specific prayers and then I have the kids lead it so it's really their ownership of it.”
“It’s really, really sweet to watch,” Weiland said. “We'll have the little kids and then all the big kids, and big kids lead the rosary … probably third through eighth will volunteer to lead the rosary.”
Other teachers emphasized their support for the group.
“The prayers of children through the intercession of Mary, the mother of all, are some of the most powerful weapons in the fight for the unborn,” expressed middle school teacher Katherine Abar. 
With the life issue a debated topic, Weiland addressed the importance of instilling a respect for life from a young age.
“I think the earlier you start creating that love for neighbor, the longer lasting it is going to be and the more impactful they're going to be in going out into serving the world because they're going to say, ‘No, this is something that I know to be true from a young age,’” Weiland said. 
She continued, “And when they're little, I think they get it the most — how precious the child is because they're children. And I think that's the beauty of the large range of our group now is because they get to see, ‘Oh, this little kindergartener is praying the rosary. We should be excited about that and pray with them.’” 

Daughter of Charity Sister André Randon just turned 116.
She is the oldest person in Europe and the second-oldest person in the world. 117-year-old Japanese woman Kane Tanaka is the only person to surpass her in age.
Born Lucile Randon on Feb. 11, 1904, Sr. André converted to Catholicism at age 19. At age 25, she began caring for elderly and orphans at a French hospital. She later entered the Daughters of Charity at age 40.
Although she joined the convent late in life, her vocation has lasted for 76 years! 
Sr. André moved in 2009 to Sainte-Catherine Labouré retirement home in Toulon, France, where she spent her 116th birthday with family and friends.

Sister André Randon, Vatican NewsAdditionally, for her 115th birthday, Pope Francis sent her a personal letter, along with a blessed Rosary.
Sr. Andre’s SecretHer secret recipe for happiness?
“Pray and drink a cup of chocolate every day.”
She also said her “daily happiness is being able to go and pray.”
Although blind and in a wheelchair, Sr. André never loses her sense of humor and always asks for prayers, saying that she “hopes God won’t be too slow to let her wait any longer…”





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http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/despite-grave-problems-the-lord-will-never-abandon-his-church

Despite Grave Problems, the Lord Will Never Abandon His Church - ncregister.com
THE EDITORS What to Expect From the Vatican Summit? CARDINAL WILFRID NAPIER Love, Care and Justice Must Be Paramount: MARIE COLLINS Plea for Commitment and Transparency
www.ncregister.com

A Prayer for Silence

​
Lady, Queen of Heaven,
pray me into solitude and silence and unity,
that all my ways may be immaculate in God.
Let me be content with whatever darkness surrounds me,
finding Him always by me, in His mercy.
Let me keep silence in this world,
except in so far as God wills and in the way he wills it.
Amen.


 -Thomas Merton
 ​

Homily from Ash Wednesday


 
[SILENT PAUSE FOR ABOUT 15-20 SECONDS]
 
In the eternal silences of the Trinity God spoke one Word and He had nothing more to  say.
 
Silence…it can be a scary place.  Whether it's in an elevator with someone else you're wondering if you need to say something to break the silence, or you're at the stoplight and you have time before it changes, the silence of a car trip, or whether it's at Mass at some point before or after, there is silence in our lives. 
 
However, most of us are uncomfortable with silence.  We think we have to fill it say with some words, turn on the radio, or think of something to occupy the time as if it is wasted in silence.  Even the short silence that I had before this I heard somebody whispering I saw people looking around.  We don't know what to do with silence, but it is to the silence that we must go to during this Lenten season.  We must find that which is to be found therein, more importantly Who is to be found in the silence.
 
In the silence in the eternal silences of the Trinity God spoke one Word and He had nothing more to say.
 
That one Word is Jesus…Jesus…Jesus.  He who spends Himself in silence…The silence of the Eucharist…The silence of the 40 days in the desert.  The silence of the one who does not speak in the Sacred Scriptures, who is silent until someone speaks them in a word of proclamation.
 
Silence is where you and I must go these 40 days.  Silence must be the place that we strive to penetrate.  It will take courage; it will take faith, but if we do, dear brothers and sisters, we will find Jesus; we will find conversion; we will leave our selfish selves to become the generous givers to God and neighbor and then we will no longer fear the silence, (or any one or anything.)
 
 
"Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. . . He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow Adam in his bonds and Eve, captive with him - He who is both their God and the son of Eve. . . "I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. . . I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead."   -Catechism of the Catholic Church #635






+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, February 5th, 2023
The First Reading- Isaiah 58:7-10
Thus says the LORD: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.
        Reflection   By the time the prophet Isaiah composed this oracle, the ancient Jubilee Year was a dead letter, a sacred “blue law.”  No longer were servants and property released every fifty years, to be returned to their ancestral owners.  No longer was every family and clan in Israel excused of their debts and re-united on their own familial property at least once in a lifetime.  Nonetheless, the ideals of the Jubilee Year, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, seem to be inspiring the prophet as he speaks to Israel on behalf of God.  Although the ancient laws of justice and mercy were no longer enforced, the people could still practice the principles of justice and mercy in their own lives: care for the poor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and attending to the needs of their own family members.  These actions will draw the presence of God, described as “light,” down to his people, and remove the darkness and “gloom” (=sadness) of the community.
Adults – Justice and mercy are something we as Christians are called to. How do you practice justice and mercy in your life?
 Teens – What is the relationship between justice and mercy?
 Kids – Why does God want us to practice mercy?
Responsorial- Psalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
His justice shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
Reflection -This psalm praises the just man who is generous with his goods, giving to the poor: in other words, the kind of man who takes the prophetic exhortation of the First Reading to heart.  As in the First Reading, there is “light” for those who put mercy and justice into practice.  By being a blessing to others, they come to experience blessing themselves.    
Lent is coming quickly. Have you considered what type of almsgiving you will practice for Lent?
The Second Reading- 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 -
When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of Spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
 Reflection
St. Paul was not a trained Greek orator, but the Greeks placed high value on the art of rhetoric, especially in ancient and wealthy seats of Greek culture like the city of Corinth.  In this passage, the Apostle defends himself against those who ridiculed him and his message because his Greek was common and his thought shaped by Jewish rather than Hellenic standards of argument. St. Paul points out that the power of the Good News of Jesus is not dependent on rhetoric or literary devices, but on reality.  The Holy Spirit has the power to transform lives, to forgive sins, to heal sickness of body and soul, to lead us into eternal life with God.  These are realities, facts, not word-pictures or theatrical oratory.
-Moses, when called by God told Him he was “slow of speech and tongue,” and here we see St. Paul being judged for speech as well. Both of them were great giants of the faith. Is there something you struggle with that keeps you from proclaiming the faith? Talk to God about how to overcome it!
The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth.
 But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.  You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.  Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”
R Reflection
In this passage about the disciples as “salt” and “light,” Jesus makes generous use of Temple imagery that goes unnoticed by most contemporary readers. The image of “salt” is related to the Temple, because the priests made heavy use of salt, sprinkled on the sacrifices and elsewhere as a symbol of purity and as a seasoning and preservative for the sacrificial meat intended for human consumption.  Apparently it was also used in covenant rituals, because the Chronicler speaks of the kingdom of the LORD being given to the House of David by a “covenant of salt” (2 Chr 13:5; see also Num 18:19).  So salt is rich in ideas of purity, preservation, covenant fidelity, proper worship, and savor. “Salt that loses its savor” would be salt from which any true sodium has leached out, leaving behind only other minerals and impurities, fit only to be used for traction on roads. “Light” was also associated with the Temple, for on the basis of prophecies like Zech 14:7-8, the Jews believed that in the end times the Temple would be the source of continual (24-7) light for the people of Israel.  This belief was enacted each year at the great Temple feast, the Festival of Tabernacles, during which the Temple courts were lit up twenty-four hours a day by huge menorah that had to be lit by young men on ladders.  Jewish tradition describes “no shadow being in Jerusalem” during these ancient celebrations.  It was during or just after this Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2) that Jesus taught his disciples, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). For each of us at Mass this weekend, we need to consider how we may let the light of our own personal good deeds shine before others as a witness to the Gospel, inspiring people to “glorify the Father,” that is, come to worship the true God.  This text, in other words, is calling us to “lifestyle evangelism.”  Is my own life a radical enough expression of God’s love that my co-workers and neighbors can notice something about me, something that gives them joy and hope?
 Adults – What are some concrete examples of how you can be salt and light to another person?
 Teens – How often do you credit God for the gifts you have to share with others? This can be a powerful form of evangelization!
 Kids – What do you think it means to bring light to others?
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK!  - Let us be salt and light, by our smiles, kindness, and courage!


THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION  
265. What place does Confirmation have in the divine plan of salvation? b) Old Testament prophets announced the Spirit on the Messiah  
In the Old Testament the prophets announced that the Spirit of the Lord would rest on the awaited Messiah and on the entire messianic people. The whole life and mission of Jesus were carried out in total communion with the Holy Spirit. The apostles received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and proclaimed “the great works of God” (Acts 2:11). They gave the gift of the same Spirit to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands. Down through the centuries, the Church has continued to live by the Spirit and to impart him to her children.  
 
266. Why is this sacrament called Chrismation or Confirmation? d) all of the above  
It is called Chrismation (in the Eastern Churches: Anointing with holy myron or chrism) because the essential rite of the sacrament is anointing with chrism. It is called Confirmation because it confirms and strengthens baptismal grace.  
 
267. What is the essential rite of Confirmation? c) “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”  
The essential rite of Confirmation is the anointing with Sacred Chrism (oil mixed with balsam and consecrated by the bishop), which is done by the laying on of the hand of the minister who pronounces the sacramental words proper to the rite. In the West this anointing is done on the forehead of the baptized with the words, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”. In the Eastern Churches of the Byzantine rite this anointing is also done on other parts of the body with the words, “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit”. 

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