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Catholic Good News 3-4-2023-Lent: Prayer, FASTING, and Almsgiving

3/4/2023

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In this e-weekly:

- e5 Men  (Catholic Website Classic of the Week)
- Time is like a River (Helpful Hints for Life)
- →→HALLOW←← - Must-Check-Out Incredible Catholic Prayer app; Load below, learn more under news article  (after P.S. section, right below)

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Catholic Good News

Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
 
Prayer, FASTING, and Almsgiving

“"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they

disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting.

I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”  (Matthew 6:16)
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

         The three tools to truly change this Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  Fasting must often be added to prayer.
 
When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, "Why could we not drive it (the demon) out?"
He said to them, "This kind can only come out through prayer and fasting."  Mark 9:28-29
 
         Food is the most primordial drives of the human being.  If food is not available to someone, all other desires will be subordinated to it.  So when one struggles with the sometimes disordered desires and passions of the human person, ordering the desire for food is one of the best places to start to gain strength to order the rest.  We must master our passions or they master us.
 
         Namely, fasting on bread and water at least once a week (a Wednesday or Friday is the best day) has been the practice along with prayer that have made saints and given countless people mastery over unruly passions (i.e. vices, bad habits, etc.).  One can also fast by not eating in-between meals or saying no to sweets.  Try this ‘hammer of the spiritual life’ and you will not be disappointed!
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
 
Father Robert

P.S.  This coming Sunday is the Second Sunday of Lent.  The readings can be found at:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030523.cfm

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Hallow is a prayer app that offers guided meditation sessions to help us grow in our faith & spiritual lives and find peace in God. 
“I grew up Catholic, but fell away from my faith and became fascinated with secular meditation. Something, though, was always missing. It felt like I was being pulled towards something spiritual, something more. So I started asking everyone if there was any sort of intersection between meditation and faith, and what I found changed my life.” -Alex Jones, Founder of Hallow 


The Hallow app offers many ways to deepen your prayer life, such as:  
-Pray with the reading from the daily Gospel each morning in just 5, 10, or 15 minutes (you choose the length) 
-Fall asleep with Bible sleep stories from Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jonathan Roumie, or various Scripture readings by guest readers.  
-Meditate with the daily Rosary or many other prayers on your way to work, with your morning coffee, or as you go about your day 
-Try praying with music, hearing the Bible in a Year podcast, and much, much more!  


Some features include: 
-Listen on the way to work, on a plane, in the morning, or at night with downloadable offline sessions and customized lengths anywhere from 1, 5, 10, 15, 30, or 60 minute options! 
-Personalize your prayer experience. Choose your guide, length, background music like Gregorian chant, set your favorites, journal, and create your own personal prayer plan.  

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Try Hallow Premium free for three months! 


Go to this link to set up an account on the Hallow website or use the codes below: 
https://hallow.com/share/AR6RCL 


After you have setup your account, download the app by searching for “Hallow Catholic” in the App Store or Google Play, sign in using the account you just created, and start praying!  
Scan here to set up account                                    Scan here for app on Android                                  Scan here for app on iPhone ​ 
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fasting
- to abstain from food for a time
[From the first century Christians have observed fasting days of precept, notably during the season of Lent in commemoration of Christ's passion and death. In the early Church there was less formal precept and therefore greater variety of custom, but in general fasting was much more severe than in the modern Church.  In the East and West the faithful abstained on fasting days from wine as well as from flesh-meat, both being permitted only in cases of weak health. The ancient custom in the Latin Church of celebrating Mass in the evening during Lent was partly due to the fact that in many places the first meal was not taken before sunset.]

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“Helpful Hints of Life”
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Time is like a river.  Enter Into Every Moment

  You cannot touch the water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again. Enjoy every moment of life. As a Bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Nova Scotia back country.

  As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions.

  I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play.

  The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man. And as I played "Amazing Grace", the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head was hung low, my heart was full.

  As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen nothing like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."

  Apparently I'm still lost....it's a man thing.
 
 
“The New Law practices the acts of religion: almsgiving, prayer and fasting, directing them to the "Father who sees in secret," in contrast with the desire to "be seen by men." Its prayer is the Our Father.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church #1969

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e5 Men
 
http://www.e5men.org/
e5 Men
www.e5men.org

HUSBANDS FASTING FOR THEIR WIVES. The e5 Man fasts for his bride as a way to imitate Jesus as described by Saint Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5 (for ...
Based on Ephesians chapter 5 these are Christian men (mostly Catholic) who are fasting for their loved ones, mainly their wives.  They, like Christ, are laying down their lives by fasting for those they love and want to help get to heaven.  I can personally testify to the power of doing this.  I have also met the founder of this site and united action. Women may also sign up to have men fast for them to spiritual help them.  Just do it!

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Hallow Meditation App is All Catholic
The purpose of the app is “to let God hallow our lives, and to help others do the same.”
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Alex Jones is co-creator of the Hallow meditation app. (photo: Photo provided)
Susan Brinkmann Blogs January 2ndMove over, Headspace. There’s a new meditation app in town – and this one is 100% Catholic.
Debuting under the appropriate name of Hallow, this new app features 200 sessions of prayer in various categories of Christian prayer such as vocal prayer, mental prayer, Lectio Divina, contemplative prayer, the Examen, spiritual writing/journaling, Taizé and chant.
The app, suitable for iOS and Android, offers a choice of five-, 10- and 15-minute session and a male or female voice option. “Pray lists” offer themed content such as meditations on humility, which involves praying through the litany of humility. There are meditations based on the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, and a “Daily Prayer” section that is based on the readings of the day.
“Hallow is a resource for all Christians who want to build a deeper relationship with God,” said the app’s co-creator, Alex Jones. “But if you look at the contents and teachings, we don’t want there to be any question that it’s Catholic.”
Jones, 25, from Palo Alto, is an engineering graduate from Notre Dame who was raised Catholic but ventured into a period of agnosticism after high school. His return to the faith came in stages, beginning toward the end of college when he began to intellectually re-engage with the faith. He credits good friends who were well-versed in theology and a philosophy course for “cracking open the door” of his heart and helping him to see that Jesus Christ was “maybe not just all myths and legends.”
He began using Headspace to pray but found the eastern style of meditation to be too focused on himself and not grounded enough in the faith. It was then that he realized the Church has been practicing meditation for thousands of years, which led to him exploring the Ignatian and other methods or Catholic prayer.
“The first time I tried Lectio Divina it brought tears to my eyes,” Jones said.
One day in prayer, the idea came to him – if Headspace and Calm can be so successful in teaching eastern meditation techniques to people, why can’t a Christian-based app do the same?
“The ideas was so obvious. It was like God hitting me over the head with it,” Jones recalled.
The first thing he did was call his friend, Erich Kerekes, 25, a fellow Notre Dame graduate with a degree in computer science. The two worked together at a consulting firm after graduation and often talked about how to make the faith a priority in their lives in spite of the hectic, secular lives they were living. They discussed the idea of a Christian prayer app and it took off from there.
They now have a team of six people with backgrounds ranging from theology to technology startups.
One member of their team, Alessandro DiSanto, who serves as the head of finance and strategic partnerships, grew up in a parish in Pennsylvania where the current bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, started out. The DiSantos were good friends with Bishop Rhoades and didn’t hesitate to contact him for help with their new idea. He was hugely supportive and is now one of their biggest fans.
“Hallow is an excellent resource for people searching for deeper spiritual lives, especially for the younger generation of Catholics today,” the bishop said. “It helps make it clear that a relationship with God is and can be extremely personal and can be a great source of peace, joy and strength.”
The team reached out to many people for help on the project, including Women of Grace’s New Age division, where they received help formulating authentic Catholic prayer sessions.
Others, such Lisa Hendey, founder of CatholicMom.com, have nothing but praise for the new app.
“In a world so filled with noise, confusion, and need, Hallow provides a greatly needed respite and a wonderful array of gifts to more deeply connect with the Divine,” Hendey said.
Mike St. Pierre, executive director of Catholic Campus Ministry Association, says this new app is “for anyone who feels they’ve been praying the same way for years, Hallow can completely renew the way that you interact with God on a daily basis.”
The app begins with a free trial and then starts at $8.99 per month for full access to the content. For each subscription purchased, the team pledges to give another away. Their goal is to provide Hallow for free to organizations in need, (e.g., faith immersion programs, retreats, Christian nonprofits).
The name of the app, Hallow, which means “to make holy” sums up precisely what this project aims to do, Jones says.
“To let God hallow our lives, and to help others do the same.”


What's the Point of Fasting, Anyway?
Washington D.C., Feb 23 (EWTN News/CNA)



God commanded it, Jesus practiced it, Church Fathers have preached the importance of it – fasting is a powerful and fundamental part of the Christian life.

But for many Catholics today, it's more of an afterthought: something we grudgingly do on Good Friday, perhaps on Ash Wednesday if remember it. Would we fast more, especially during Lent, if we understood how helpful it is for our lives?

The answer to this, say both saints of the past and experts today, is a resounding “yes.”

“Let us take for our standard and for our example those that have run the race, and have won,” said Deacon Sabatino Carnazzo, founding executive director of the Institute of Catholic Culture and a deacon at Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Mclean, Va., of the saints. 

“And...those that have run the race and won have been men and women of prayer and fasting.”

So what, in essence, is fasting?

It's “the deprivation of the good, in order to make a decision for a greater good,” explained Deacon Carnazzo. It is most commonly associated with abstention from food, although it can also take the form of giving up other goods like comforts and entertainment.

The current fasting obligation for Latin Catholics in the United States is this: all over the age of 14 must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays in Lent. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, adults age 18 to 59 must fast – eating no more than one full meal and two smaller meals that together do not add up in quantity to the full meal.

Catholics, “if possible,” can continue the Good Friday fast through Holy Saturday until the Easter Vigil, the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference adds.

Other Fridays throughout the year (aside from Friday within the Octave of Easter) “are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church,” according to Canon Law 1250. Catholics once abstained from meat on all Fridays, but the U.S. bishops received permission from the Holy See for Catholics to substitute another sacrifice or perform an act of charity instead.

Eastern Rite Catholics, meanwhile, follow the fasting laws of their own particular church.  

In their 1966 “Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence,” the National Conference of Catholic Bishops exhorted the faithful, on other days of Lent where fasting is not required, to “participation in daily Mass and a self-imposed observance of fasting.”

Aside from the stipulations, though, what's the point of fasting?

“The whole purpose of fasting is to put the created order and our spiritual life in a proper balance,” Deacon Carnazzo said. 

As “bodily creatures in a post-fallen state,” it's easy to let our “lower passions” for physical goods supersede our higher intellect, he explained. We take good things for granted and reach for them whenever we feel like it, “without thinking, without reference to the One Who gives us the food, and without reference to the question of whether it’s good for us or not,” he added.

Thus, fasting helps “make more room for God in our life,” Monsignor Charles Pope, pastor of Holy Comforter/St. Cyprian Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. said. 

“And the Lord said at the well, with the (Samaritan) woman, He said that 'everyone that drinks from this well is going to be thirsty again. Why don't you let me go to work in your life and I’ll give you a fountain welling up to Eternal Life.'”

While fasting can take many forms, is abstaining from food especially important?  

“The reason why 2000 years of Christianity has said food (for fasting), because food's like air. It's like water, it's the most fundamental,” Deacon Carnazzo said. “And that's where the Church says 'stop right here, this fundamental level, and gain control there.' It's like the first step in the spiritual life.”

What the Bible says about it

Yet why is fasting so important in the life of the Church? And what are the roots of the practice in Scripture?

The very first fast was ordered by God to Adam in the Garden of Eden, Deacon Carnazzo noted, when God instructed Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17).

This divine prohibition was not because the tree was bad, the deacon clarified. It was “made good” like all creation, but its fruit was meant to be eaten “in the right time and the right way.” In the same way, we abstain from created goods so we may enjoy them “in the right time and the right way.”

Fasting is also good because it is submission to God, he said. By fasting from the fruit of the tree, Adam and Eve would have become partakers in the Divine Nature through their obedience to God. Instead, they tried to take this knowledge of good and evil for themselves and ate the fruit, disobeying God and bringing Original Sin, death, and illness upon mankind.

At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus abstained from food and water for 40 days and nights in the desert and thus “reversed what happened in the Garden of Eden,” Deacon Carnazzo explained. Like Adam and Eve, Christ was tempted by the devil but instead remained obedient to God the Father, reversing the disobedience of Adam and Eve and restoring our humanity.

Following the example of Jesus, Catholics are called to fast, said Fr. Lew. And the Church Fathers preached the importance of fasting.

Why fasting is so powerful

“The fast is the weapon of protection against demons,” taught St. Basil the Great. “Our Guardian Angels more really stay with those who have cleansed our souls through fasting.”

Why is fasting so powerful? “By setting aside this (created) realm where the devil works, we put ourselves into communion with another realm where the devil does not work, he cannot touch us,” Deacon Carnazzo explained. 

It better disposes us for prayer, noted Monsignor Pope. Because we feel greater hunger or thirst when we fast from food and water, “it reminds us of our frailty and helps us be more humble,” he said. “Without humility, prayer and then our experience of God really can't be unlocked.”

Thus, the practice is “clearly linked by St. Thomas Aquinas, writing within the Tradition, to chastity, to purity, and to clarity of mind,” noted Fr. Lew.

“You can kind of postulate from that that our modern-day struggles with the virtue of chastity, and perhaps a lack of clarity in theological knowledge, might be linked to an abandonment of fasting as well.”

A brief history of fasting

The current fasting obligations were set in the 1983 Code of Canon Law, but in previous centuries, the common fasts among Catholics were stricter and more regularly observed.  

Catholics abstained from meat on all Fridays of the year, Easter Friday excluded. During Lent, they had to fast – one meatless meal and two smaller meatless meals – on all days excluding Sunday, the day of the Resurrection. They abstained from meat on Fridays and Saturdays in Lent – the days of Christ's death and lying in the tomb – but were allowed meat during the main meal on the other Lenten weekdays.

The obligations extended to other days of the liturgical year. Catholics fasted and abstained on the vigils of Christmas and Pentecost Sunday, and on Ember Days – the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of St. Lucy on Dec. 13, after Ash Wednesday, after Pentecost Sunday, and after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in September – corresponding with the four seasons.

In centuries past, the Lenten abstention was more austere. Catholics gave up not only meat but also animal products like milk and butter, as well as oil and even fish at times.

Why are today's obligations in the Latin Rite so minimal? The Church is setting clear boundaries outside of which one cannot be considered to be practicing the Christian life, Deacon Carnazzo explained. That is why intentionally violating the Lenten obligations is a mortal sin.

But should Catholics perform more than the minimum penance that is demanded? Yes, said Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P., who is currently studying for a Pontifical License in Sacred Theology at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C.

The minimum may be “what is due to God out of justice,” he explained, but we are “called not only to be just to God,” but also “to love God and to love our neighbor.” Charity, he added, “would call us to do more than just the minimum that is applied to us by the Code of Canon Law today, I think.”

In Jeremiah 31: 31-33, God promises to write His law upon our hearts, Deacon Carnazzo noted. We must go beyond following a set of rules and love God with our hearts, and this involves doing more than what we are obliged to do, he added.

Be wary of your motivation

However, Fr. Lew noted, fasting “must be stirred up by charity.” A Catholic should not fast out of dieting or pride, but out of love of God.  

“It’s always dangerous in the spiritual life to compare yourself to other people,” he said, citing the Gospel of John where Jesus instructed St. Peter not to be concerned about the mission of St. John the Apostle but rather to “follow Me.” (John 21: 20-23).

In like manner, we should be focused on God during Lent and not on the sacrifices of others, he said.  

“We will often fail, I think. And that’s not a bad thing. Because if we do fail, this is the opportunity to realize our utter dependence on God and His grace, to seek His mercy and forgiveness, and to seek His strength so that we can grow in virtue and do better,” he added.

And by realizing our weakness and dependence on God, we can “discover anew the depths of God’s mercy for us” and can be more merciful to others, he added.

Giving up good things may seem onerous and burdensome, but can – and should – a Catholic fast with joy?

“It’s referred to in the preface of Lent as a joyful season,” Fr. Lew said. “And it’s the joy of deepening our relationship with Christ, and therefore coming closer to Him. It’s the joy of loving Him more, and the more we love God the closer we draw to Him.”

“Lent is all about the Cross, and eventually the resurrection,” said Deacon Carnazzo. If we “make an authentic, real sacrifice for Christ” during Lent, “we can come to that day of the crucifixion and say 'Yes Lord, I willingly with you accept the cross. And when we do that, then we will behold the third day of resurrection.'
”


Pope Francis Goes to Confession
Vatican City,  (EWTN News/CNA)
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At the end of his annual Lenten penitential service on Friday, Pope Francis was the first to go to the sacrament of confession, afterward hearing the confessions of seven laypeople, three men and four women, in attendance.

Instead of giving a homily during the service, which he has done in years past, Pope Francis led people in a lengthy silence following the readings in order to reflect and pray prior to receiving the sacrament of confession.
Earlier on March 17, Francis spoke with participants of the Apostolic Penitentiary’s annual course on the internal forum about the importance of confessors being available to people and spiritually well-formed.
In his speech, the Pope said that to be a good confessor, a priest must be a man of prayer, a man who is attentive to the Holy Spirit and knows how to discern well, and who also is a good evangelizer.
Held in St. Peter's Basilica, the penitential service usually takes place on the fourth Friday of Lent, in anticipation of the “24 Hours for the Lord” initiative held yearly on the fourth Friday and Saturday of Lent.
This year, however, the Pope's penitential service was moved to the week prior, March 17. In addition to going to confession and hearing the confessions of seven others, the service included prayers, songs and readings from Scripture.
Afterward, almost 100 priest and bishops were available to hear the confessions of those in attendance.
Led by Pope Francis, “24 Hours for the Lord” is a worldwide initiative which points to confession as a primary way to experience God's merciful embrace. It was launched in 2014 under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
Taking place on Mar. 24-25, this year's theme is “I Desire Mercy” (Mt. 9:13). The theme is taken from the verse in Matthew which says: “Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
Starting in the evening on March 24, churches throughout Rome will remain open for 24 hours to give pilgrims the opportunity to go to confession and take part in Eucharistic Adoration.
While parishes in Rome will be open overnight, churches elsewhere in the world are invited to participate as well, adapting the initiative to suit their local situations and needs.
Additional information on the “24 Hours for the Lord” can be found at the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization's website, www.novaevangelizatio.va.

This Priest from Oklahoma was a Martyr – Here's His Powerful StoryBy Mary Rezac
 Oklahoma City, Okla., Feb 18 (EWTN News/CNA) - “Padre, they've come for you.”

Those were some of the last words heard by Father Stanley Francis, spoken by someone staying at the mission in Guatemala who had been led, at gunpoint, to where “Padre Francisco” was sleeping.

It was 1:30 in the morning on July 28, 1981, and Guatemala was in the throes of a decades-long civil war. The three ski-masked men who broke into the rectory were Ladinos, the non-indigenous men who had been fighting the native people and rural poor of the country since the 60s. They were known for their kidnappings, and wanted to turn Father Stanley into one of “the missing.”

But Father Stanley refused. Not wanting to endanger the others at the parish mission, he struggled but did not call for help. Fifteen minutes and two gunshots later, Father Stanley was dead and the men fled the mission grounds.

“How a 46-year-old priest from a small German farming community in Oklahoma came to live and die in this remote, ancient Guatemalan village is a story full of wonder and God’s providence,” writes Maria Scaperlanda in her biography of Father Stanley, “The Shepherd Who Didn’t Run.”

The five-foot-ten, strawberry-blonde-bearded missionary priest was from the unassuming town of Okarche, Okla., where the parish, school and farm were the pillars of community life. He went to the same school his whole life and lived with his family until he left for seminary.

Surrounded by good priests and a vibrant parish life, Stanley felt God calling him to the priesthood from a young age. But despite a strong calling, Stanley would struggle in the seminary, failing several classes and out of two seminaries before finally finishing.

Hearing of Stanely’s struggles, Sister Clarissa Tenbrick, his 5th grade teacher, wrote him to offer encouragement, reminding him that the patron Saint of all priests, St. John Vianney, also struggled in seminary.

“Both of them were simple men who knew they had a call to the priesthood and then had somebody empower them so that they could complete their studies and be priests,” Scaperlanda told CNA. “And they brought a goodness, simplicity and generous heart with them in (everything) they did.”

When Stanley was still in seminary, Pope St. John XXIII asked the Churches of North America to send assistance and establish missions in Central America. Soon after, the diocese of Oklahoma City and the diocese of Tulsa established a mission in Santiago Atitlan in Guatemala, a poor rural community of mostly indigenous people.

A few years after he was ordained, Fr. Stanley accepted an invitation to join the mission team, where he would spend the next 13 years of his life.

When he arrived to the mission, the Tz'utujil Mayan Indians in the village had no native equivalent for Stanley, so they took to calling him Padre Francisco, after his baptismal name of Francis.

The work ethic Fr. Stanley learned on his family’s farm would serve him well in this new place. As a mission priest, he was called on not just to say Mass, but to fix the broken truck or work the fields. He built a farmers' co-op, a school, a hospital, and the first Catholic radio station, which was used for catechesis to the even more remote villages.

“What I think is tremendous is how God doesn't waste any details,” Scaperlanda said. “That same love for the land and the small town where everybody helps each other, all those things that he learned in Okarche is exactly what he needed when he arrived in Santiago.”

The beloved Padre Francisco was also known for his kindness, selflessness, joy and attentive presence among his parishioners. Dozens of pictures show giggling children running after Padre Francisco and grabbing his hands, Scaperlanda said.

“It was Father Stanley’s natural disposition to share the labor with them, to break bread with them, and celebrate life with them, that made the community in Guatemala say of Father Stanley, ‘he was our priest,’” she said.

Over the years, the violence of the Guatemalan civil war inched closer to the once-peaceful village. Disappearances, killings and danger soon became a part of daily life, but Fr. Stanley remained steadfast and supportive of his people.

In 1980-1981, the violence escalated to an almost unbearable point. Fr. Stanley was constantly seeing friends and parishioners abducted or killed. In a letter to Oklahoma Catholics during what would be his last Christmas, the priest relayed to the people back home the dangers his mission parish faced daily.

“The reality is that we are in danger. But we don’t know when or what form the government will use to further repress the Church…. Given the situation, I am not ready to leave here just yet… But if it is my destiny that I should give my life here, then so be it.... I don’t want to desert these people, and that is what will be said, even after all these years. There is still a lot of good that can be done under the circumstances.”

He ended the letter with what would become his signature quote:

“The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger. Pray for us that we may be a sign of the love of Christ for our people, that our presence among them will fortify them to endure these sufferings in preparation for the coming of the Kingdom.”

In January 1981, in immediate danger and his name on a death list, Fr. Stanley did return to Oklahoma for a few months. But as Easter approached, he wanted to spend Holy Week with his people in Guatemala.

“Father Stanley could not abandon his people,” Scaperlanda said. “He made a point of returning to his Guatemala parish in time to celebrate Holy Week with his parishioners that year – and ultimately was killed for living out his Catholic faith.”    

Scaperlanda, who has worked on Fr. Stanley’s cause for canonization, said the priest is a great witness and example, particularly in the Year of Mercy.

“Father Stanley Rother is truly a saint of mercy,” she said. “He fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless, visited the sick, comforted the afflicted, bore wrongs patiently, buried the dead – all of it.”

His life is also a great example of ordinary people being called to do extraordinary things for God, she said.

“(W)hat impacted me the most about Father Stanley’s life was how ordinary it was!” she said.  

“I love how simply Oklahoma City’s Archbishop Paul Coakley states it: ‘We need the witness of holy men and women who remind us that we are all called to holiness – and that holy men and women come from ordinary places like Okarche, Oklahoma,’” she said.  

“Although the details are different, I believe the call is the same – and the challenge is also the same. Like Father Stanley, each of us is called to say ‘yes’ to God with our whole heart. We are all asked to see the Other standing before us as a child of God, to treat them with respect and a generous heart,” she added.

“We are called to holiness – whether we live in Okarche, Oklahoma, or New York City or Guatemala City.”

In June 2015, the Theological Commission of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints voted to recognize Fr. Stanley Rother as a martyr. The next step will be for his cause to go before a panel of cardinals and archbishops of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints.





“The fourth precept ("You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church") ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart.
The fifth precept ("You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church") means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability.
The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his own abilities.."
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2043


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A Bit of Humor...
Honor Among ThievesA mother complained to the schoolteacher, that other students in class were stealing her daughter’s pencils.
“It’s not the money—it’s the principle,” she insisted. “My husband took those pencils from work.”
Ivy League MusicA month after Donald MacDonald started at Harvard, his mother called from Scotland. "And how are the American students, Donald?" she asked.
"They’re so noisy," he complained. "One neighbor endlessly bangs his head against the wall, while another screams all night."
"How do you put up with it?"
"I just ignore them and play my bagpipes."

Kids in Church 2
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
  A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23.  She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter.  Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm.  After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.  On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous.  When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, 'The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know.'
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A father was at the beach with his children when the four-year old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore, where a seagull lay dead in the sand.  "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked. "He died and went to Heaven," the dad replied.  The boy thought a moment and then said, "Did God throw him back down?"
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At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings.  Little Johnny, a child in the kindergarten class, seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs.  Later in the week his mother noticed him lying as though he were ill, and said. "Johnny what is the matter?"  Little Johnny responded, "I have a pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife....!"

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A Prayer to Say While Fasting


O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, make this time of prayer and fasting
truly fruitful in my life that I may hunger for only you. Amen.

  ‘The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in many and various ways. Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others. Alongside the radical purification brought about by Baptism or martyrdom they cite as means of obtaining forgiveness of sins: effort at reconciliation with one's neighbor, tears of repentance, concern for the salvation of one's neighbor, the intercession of the saints, and the practice of charity ‘which covers a multitude of sins’”
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Catechism of the Catholic Church #1434


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+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
Second Sunday in Lent – Sunday, March 5th, 2023

The First Reading - Genesis 12:1-4a
The LORD said to Abram: “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.  “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.  All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.”  Abram went as the LORD directed him.
Reflection
In this way Abram is called to begin a journey of faith, which lead him from Chaldea (modern Iraq) to the Canaan (modern Israel).  Journeying by faith will become a motif throughout salvation history.  Generations later, Abram’s descendants the Israelites will journey by faith into the wilderness in the hopes of arriving at the same Promised Land to which Abram himself journeyed, in an event we call the Exodus.  Generations later still, the people of Judah will be forced to journey to Babylon, where they will struggle to keep faith for seventy years, before being allowed to journey back to that same Promised Land.  As Lent is still young, we continue to hear God’s call on our own lives to begin a spiritual journey with him over these forty days, to a destination we don’t know, but God will show us.
Adults - Do you feel like you are fully entering into Lent? What can help you truly make this a time of transformation?
Teens -What can most help you build your relationship with the Lord this Lent?
Kids - How are you working to grow closer to Jesus this Lent?

Responsorial- Psalm 33: 4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Reflection
These verses are meant to encourage us on our journey of faith, both the journey that is Lent, and the larger faith journey of our lives: “Lord, let your mercy be upon us, as we place our trust in you.”  As you might guess, the Hebrew word translated as “mercy” here (from Ps 33:22) is actually hesed, one of the most common and theologically rich terms in the Psalter.  Hesed, often translated “mercy” or “steadfast love,” actually has a more technical meaning: covenant fidelity, the kind of unwavering love and faithfulness that covenant partners were to show toward one another.  So in this Psalm, we call on God to continue his covenant faithfulness to us, since, through Jesus the Son of Abraham (Matt 1:1), we are heirs of the covenantal promises given to Abraham so long ago.  Our focus on the mercy and love of God continues. What does the phrase “the fidelity of God” mean to you?
The Second Reading- 2 Timothy 1:8b-10
Beloved: Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God. He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Reflection - St. Paul begins this passage by calling us to “bear our share of hardship.”  Lent should be a time of hardship, to a certain extent.  The Church leaves each one of the faithful a great deal of discretion in terms of what mortifications to take on during Lent.  It is up to each one of us to challenge ourselves.  However, it should be a real challenge.  Giving up a few small treats that we hardly notice is really not sufficient.  We should set ourselves some goals that stretch us out of our comfort zone. We should wake up in the morning and know it’s Lent.  -What can you undertake this Lent to challenge yourself a bit more?

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 17:1-9
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Reflection
As the Fathers long recognized, the Transfiguration is a foretaste or glimpse of the glory of Christ in his resurrected state.  The sight of his glory is given to Peter, James, and John to encourage them to persevere through the difficult times that lay in front of them before they witness Christ’s resurrection.  For us now hearing this Gospel proclaimed at Mass, it is meant to encourage us to persevere not only in Lenten mortification and asceticism until we sacramentally experience Christ’s triumph at Easter, but more broadly in embracing the sufferings of the Christian life until our lowly bodies become like his glorious body (Phil 3:21).
Adults - How would you have responded if you were in the position of the Apostles, seeing Christ transfigured before you?
Teens - Look up the meaning behind the appearance of Moses and Elijah. Why were they there?
Kids - How do you think the Apostles felt in this story? Why did Jesus transfigure before them?


LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK!  - Christ has asked us to follow him, carrying our daily cross, and the end of our journey is not Calvary but resurrection, the entrance to a life of glory with our risen Savior. The Christian who grasps his cross closely and willingly, knowing its value for his real life, will find it becomes lighter and often not a burden but a pleasure. The man who tries to shuffle off his cross, and who curses and rebels against him who sent it, will find it doubles its weight and loses all the value it was intended to have for his true welfare.  Let the thought of the Transfiguration encourage each one of us today, to do the little God demands of us, so that when we pass out of this life we may be assured of seeing Christ in his glory, ready to welcome us into his everlasting, glorious kingdom. — Excerpted from The Sunday Readings Cycle A, Fr. Kevin O' Sullivan, O.F.M.
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Catholic Good News 2-25-2023-Lent: PRAYER, Fasting, and Almsgiving

2/25/2023

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In this e-weekly:
- The Rosary Foundation  (Catholic Website of the Week)
- How the 'Bible in a Year' Podcast Changed the World (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- Helpful Hints Submitted by Wives--Husbands Please Read  (Helpful Hints for Life)

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Catholic Good News

Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
 
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PRAYER, Fasting, and Almsgiving

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,

believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

(Mark 11:24)
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

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Readings and reflections at end of e-mail.

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Catholic Term of the Week
prayer (from Latin precaria, “obtain by pleading or earnestly requesting”)
- the elevation of the mind and heart to God (in praise of his glory; a petition made to God for some desired good, or in thanksgiving for a good received, or in intercession for others before God)

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 “Helpful Hints of Life”
Helpful Hints Submitted by Wives
(Husbands, please take a look)
 
Not listed in any particular order

1) Be my best friend.
2) I need to know you call my name in your prayers
3) Hold me when I cry
4) Show and tell me that you love me often, and leave no doubt about it in my mind.
5) Show me your approval when I make a decision that is good.
6) Talk to me about what's important to you and to me.
7) Listen to me and don't treat me like I am stupid and don't know anything.
8) I need intimacy, and not just sexually.  Anyone can have relations, but it takes a REAL man to be intimate.
9) Make me feel wanted and trusted in the things I can do for you.
10) Don't try to make me like your mother.
11) Remember that I am your "Help Mate".  I am not someone to be stomped on and just used for your "whims".
12) Understand that I like to have our family near and want all relationships to be what God intended.
13) Comfort and hold me.
14) Be a one woman man.
15) Take the spiritual lead in giving me (and our children) direction and guidance.
16) Ask me for my help - it is good to be regarded as a helper and useful.
17) Make appropriate adjustments to your lifestyle and preferences as a married / family man.
18) Treat me with love and respect in the company of others.
19) Show appreciation and affirmation.
20) Tell me you love me often, even if you think I should already know this.
21) Show affection for no "reason" at all.
22) Make me feel as though I am still desirable.
23) Be devoted to caring, giving protection, and affirming your love.
24) Encourage me to realize my goals, and don't put me down for trying something new.  Try to understand how I feel and listen to me when I try to tell you something that is important to us or that is hurting us.
 
“Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes effort.  The great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle.  Against whom?  Against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn man away from prayer, away from union with God. We pray as we live, because we live as we pray. If we do not want to act habitually according to the Spirit of Christ, neither can we pray habitually in his name. The "spiritual battle" of the Christian's new life is inseparable from the battle of prayer.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2725
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The Rosary Foundation
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http://www.erosary.com
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The Rosary Foundation is a charitable organization that is dedicated to promoting the benefits gained through recitation of the rosary. Its mission is to enlighten the world about the special graces available to all those who pray the rosary.

The Rosary Foundation organizes and manages several Rosary Awareness campaigns in an effort to promote the use of the rosary. Its members promote the rosary through search engine marketing and online media advertising; they promote prayer offline via word-of-mouth; they also promote prayer for several nonprofit charity organizations.
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How "The Bible in a Year" Podcast Changed the World
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Father Mike Schmitz is the host of the podcast "the Bible in a Year," produced by Ascension. / Courtesy of Ascension
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By Jonah McKeown, Kate Olivera
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.
The Spiritual Power of Our Lady’s Apparitions: How Mary’s Messages Can Guide You This Lent
by Fr. Edward Looney - ​
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Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain / ChurchPOP
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.



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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.”

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(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

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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!"

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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."
 

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The Morning Offering
 

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.
“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.
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Catholic Good News 2-18-2023-SILENCE-Silent Moments in the Mass

2/18/2023

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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)

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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
​

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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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Catholic Term
recollected (from Latin recolligere, recollēct-, "to gather up, to collect")
 - calm and composed state of the mind and body to receive God

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"Helpful Hints of Life"
 
Listen to God

Visions of God to Akiane Kramarik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6HLg2XUFOg

Akiane on The Katie Couric Show
www.youtube.com
Website: https://www.akiane.com/store/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/akianeart/ 
​Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akianeart/

"The most important thing in this world is faith, because without faith, you cannot communicate with God.  And it is just so beautiful up there (heaven)."-Akiane
 
This is a spotlight of a 18-year old girl who has been drawing from age 4 and been a self-taught painter since age 6.  Her mother was an atheist and never spoke of God, but Akiane has communicated visions from God and turned them into paintings and even music now.  (5 minutes)
 
Her official website tells more about her life, has her art work and more:
http://www.akiane.com
 
Her Art:
http://www.akiane.com/store/
 
"Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we "gather up:" the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us. We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to hand ourselves over to him as an offering to be purified and transformed." 
-Catechism of the Catholic Church #2711

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Life Teen: For Catholic Youth
http://www.lifeteen.com/
​LifeTeen.com for Catholic Youth | Leading Teens Closer to ...
lifeteen.com
Camp Hidden Lake. Hidden Lake is home to an incredible Catholic community, gorgeous views, welcoming meeting spaces and so much more. Dedicated to leading teens closer to Christ, we hope you'll be welcomed home to Hidden Lake soon.

Life Teen is a movement within the Catholic Church, Life Teen leads teenagers and their families into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church.

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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!
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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.
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Columbus Aims to Raise $2 Million for Ukrainian Refugees
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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.”​
A Few of Our Favorite (Traditional) Things: Lessons From the Von Trapp Family
Singing Catholics offer insights in reprinted book.
​
Clare Walker
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."
 ​
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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.

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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.
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Catholic Good News 2-11-2023-Saint Valentine

2/11/2023

0 Comments

 
In this e-weekly:

- Love Poured Out in Marriage and in Priesthood: True Story of Two Brothers (Helpful Hints for Life)
- Vatican Invites Poor to a Day at the Circus (Diocesan News and Beyond)
-  The Domestic Church: Families Become What You Are (Catholic Website of the Week under laptop)

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Saint Valentine secretly performing Marriage when forbidden by government
Catholic Good News

Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor

Saint Valentine

"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19
 Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
         While there are several theories as to the origin of Valentine's Day, there were at least three saints in Church history that had this name.  Though very little is known about them, what follows is the most known story of one of them.
 
          Saint Valentine was a Bishop who lived during the time of the Emperor Claudius II (268A.D. - 270A.D.).  When he would not submit to pagan worship of false gods and tried to help Christians in jail, he himself was thrown in prison.  It was also reported that Claudius II had outlawed Marriage seeking to get more men drafted for the military.  St. Valentine secretly Married young Christian couples and was ultimately arrested. 
 
          When brought to prison he prayed that the God of Light would make the prison a place of illumination.  The jailer moved by his prayer asked Valentine to pray for his daughter who was blind.  The daughter's sight was restored and the jailer's household was converted to the Faith.  Nevertheless, the emperor had him put to death on February 14, 280 A.D.  Valentine, who had become a friend of the family and the daughter who had been blind, left a note for them signed at the end, From your Valentine.
 
         On the day when love and gifts are given and received, let us not forget that its goodness has its origin is the good God.  Let us thank God for Saint Valentine and St. Valentine's Day!
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
 
P.S.  For more on Saint Valentine visit: http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-valentine-of-rome/

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

P.S.S  This coming Sunday is the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time.  The readings can be found at: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021223.cfm
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Catholic Term of the Week
 
Saint Valentine

- name of a Roman Christian who according to tradition was martyred during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Claudius II
 
"The family finds in the plan of God the Creator and Redeemer not only its identity, what it is, but also its mission, what it can and should do."
-Pope St. John Paul II

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"Helpful Hints of Life"
 

Love Poured Out in Marriage and in Priesthood
By Titus and Colleen Nixon


My brother Michael and I have always been close, but it wasn't until the last 10 years that we have become best friends. This true brotherhood has had an immeasurable impact on us, as our journey towards Christian maturity has been a shared experience. It was early on in this journey, in the fall of 2004, when Mike introduced me to the Theology of The Body (TOB). It was also at this time that my bother decided that God was calling him to enter the seminary to further discern a vocation to the priesthood. He always told me that I would find myself by diving deeply into these rich teachings and, if my vocation was to a life of marriage, that God would be forming a woman with a similar love for the truth of our sexuality revealed through Theology of The Body (TOB).
 
At around this very same time, a young musician in Nashville was also discovering TOB for the first time. For the next five years, Colleen McCarron and I would independently develop a love for this dynamic teaching from our late Holy Father, as we would continue to mature into the man and woman God had created us to be. It was not until the summer of 2008, when Colleen came home to Tallahassee for the summer, that we would really get to know each other and develop what we now know is a lifelong friendship. Colleen had decided to give the Lord a year of her life as a “dating-fast,” meaning she would not date for an entire 12 month period in order to discern God's direction in her life more clearly. The “dating-fast” started only two months prior to her coming home that summer and what would seem like terrible timing for any guy meeting an incredible woman, instead provided an incredible opportunity for us to grow in a purely brother and sister type of friendship. Through bike rides, basketball, and many casual conversations, we realized what a profound unity we had in our love of Theology of the Body, and the truth it revealed about our bodies! Once the summer ended, and Colleen and I went our separate ways, we decided God was calling us to write letters as our only source of communication, at least until the dating-fast had consummated. This time provided an incredible period of purification and sacrifice. By the time the dating-fast had ended, it was clear not only that God was calling us to date, but also that we were called to lay down our lives for one another in marriage.
 
I always knew that the woman God would call me to marry would also find an incredible brother in Michael. The neat thing about Colleen and my relationship was that we also continued to develop a deep love for Michael and his vocation to the priesthood, as he continued his journey towards ordination. Michael continued to encourage us in our pursuit of the truth contained within the TOB. He attended both TOB I and II with the Theology of the Body Institute, and often prayed that we, too, would have an opportunity to attend. God opened the doors for us in March of 2010, and Colleen and I attended the TOB I course, with Colleen also serving as the music minister for the week.
 
The Lord knew that this would be perfect timing for us, as our wedding date was just a few short months away. It was during this week that the Lord showed us the depth of the reality that we were first brother and sister, before husband and wife. This reality had begun when we first met, through our initial friendship, and continued to mature into our spousal union. What a beautiful reality this is! Through this truth, God unveiled the reason why we were so closely united to my brother Michael, who was about to be ordained a Priest, hence being also a Father to us! We shared, through our marriage, in the reality of his priestly Fatherhood. Woah!
 
It was also at the TOB I course that we were led to choose the readings for our wedding Mass. We clearly felt God calling us to have the Passion narrative, as told in the Gospel of John, proclaimed as our Gospel. Father Michael, ordained just 21 days before the wedding, was the celebrant of our wedding Mass. What a glorious day this was!
 
An excerpt from Father Michael's Homily:

Our gospel today is what this is all about. This is the first wedding I've been to that the Passion narrative of Jesus' death was the gospel reading. But it is so incredibly fitting that we hear about the love poured out for us, what it actually cost Jesus. And we recognize that it cost Him everything. He did it not out of constraint, not out of obligation, but because He loves us. And Tai and Colleen, you are showing us that love. We weren't at the crucifixion; we weren't at that moment, but as we celebrate this marriage we have a glimpse, we have a taste. We have a taste of that moment when Jesus Christ poured Himself out completely for the one He loved, for the moment on the cross was the consummation of our marriage with God.

 
On June 26th of 2010, our wedding mass was a beautiful witness to the transforming power of the Theology of the Body. As Colleen and I gazed into the eternity of one another's eyes, we vowed to enter into the mystery of Matrimony. Just above us stood our priest and brother, a man also transformed by the good news of the Gospel proclaimed through the TOB. Through our different vocations, we can see in each other the truth of this teaching lived out every day.
 
Titus and Colleen Nixon live in Jacksonville, Florida and are expecting their first child this Spring. Titus works for Fraternus, a Catholic organization mentoring boys into virtuous Catholic men (http://www.fraternus.net/). Colleen is a professional musician. You can preview some of Colleen's music at http://www.colleennixon.com/ and http://www.mysteriumonline.com/.


"God who created man out of love also calls him to love the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For man is created in the image and likeness of God who is himself love. Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man. It is good, very good, in the Creator's eyes. And this love which God blesses is intended to be fruitful and to be realized in the common work of watching over creation: "And God blessed them, and God said to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.'" -Catechism of the Catholic Church #1604

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The Domestic Church
Families become what you are!
 
http://www.domestic-church.com/

 
"The family finds in the plan of God the Creator and Redeemer not only its identity, what it is, but also its mission, what it can and should do." With John Paul the Great's words as inspiration, Domestic-Church.Com hopes to promote a Catholic culture of the home that will aid each family to become "what you are!"  
Finally, a website for you and your family!

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Best Parish Practices


CONNECT PERSONS WITH PEOPLE OR MINISTRY
Most people want to belong and have a purpose.  This is no different even in the Church.  People are more likely to live the Faith and assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass if they know they are needed and wanted.  (As appropriate and safe during a pandemic.)

BENEFITS:
People take on purpose, meaning, and identity by belonging to say, the choir, or being a reader, or working funeral dinners.  Service gets done, and people are united in living and giving.


HOW?
So try to connect each person with a group of people or a certain ministry.  Ask and invite persons to join us a group or to head up or do a certain work or ministry.  Have the groups in your parish reach out to individuals.  Invite youth to head up a certain item, or do a certain needed duty each week.

Diocesan News AND BEYOND

Vatican Invites Rome Poor to a Day at the Circus
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Rony Roller Circus. | Paolo Macorig via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
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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.
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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.
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by ChurchPOP Editor - Feb 7, 2020
This is so cool!
Two Dominican seminarians studying at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland began OPChant, a YouTube Channel that teaches Gregorian Chant in the Dominican tradition.
Brothers Stefan Ansinger, O.P. and Brother Alexandre Frezzato, O.P., sing each chant and provide a copy of the score, as well as the Latin words, in each video description. The friars also use chants according to the liturgical calendar, uploading a new video every week.
OPChant had less than 200 subscribers as of Jan. 25, 2020. As of this writing, the channel generated more than 10,000 subscribers! It is the only channel of its kind on the internet, and it’s absolutely beautiful!
https://youtu.be/mRK2qFA4CJQ
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God's love is "everlasting": "For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you." Through Jeremiah, God declares to his people, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." 
-Catechism of the Catholic Church #220

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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!"
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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!'

​

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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.
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