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Catholic Good News 7-30-2022-What is Mental Prayer?

7/30/2022

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In this e-weekly:
First Ever Multi-Season Series of Life of Jesus Changing Lives (Church News and More)
Mobile (Cell) Phone Etiquette (Helpful Hints for Life)
Homily on Mental Prayer is at end of e-mail
-***NEW FEATURE***  CATHOLIC QUESTIONS AND CATHOLIC ANSWERS is a new section of the e-weekly (see below) ***NEW FEATURE***
- BEST PARISH PRACTICE is also Back! (see below) ​

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Catholic Good News 

Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor

What is Mental Prayer?

"May my meditation give Him pleasure, as much as God gives me!"

Psalm 104:34
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
        Pray, Pray, PRAY.  Ok, so we know that we must pray, but how do we do it.  Is one way more effective than another?  How did the saints pray?  What gave them their 'power'?  "Mental prayer is the blessed furnace in which souls are inflamed with the love of God. All the saints have become saints by mental prayer" (St. Alphonsus de Liguori).


        Mental Prayer/Meditation (see term below) is the difference.  Mental Prayer/Meditation is interior prayer engaging the mind, heart, soul, and strength.  Vocal Prayer (see term below) is more exterior.  One can offer Vocal Prayer and perhaps remain in sin.  One who constantly offers Mental Prayer will either give up sin or give up Mental Prayer. 


        Next week, I will give you the steps to offer mental prayer.


Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
 
P.S.  A former Sunday's homily is in written form at the end of the e-weekly. 
​P.S.S.  This coming Sunday is the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time.  The readings can be found at:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/073122.cfm
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P.S.S.S.  Readings with questions for self or family reflection found at the end of e-weekly.

For the Holy Gospel and homily from a former Sunday on Mental Prayer click below (13 minutes): 
Listen Here

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​538. In the Old Testament, what relationship do the king and the temple have to prayer?  (Catechism of the Catholic Church-CCC 2578-2580, 2594)
a. God came to be with the people through the temple
b. The king only prayed for himself
c. God directed everyone to just pray in the temple
d. The king was the only one who prayed for his people


539. What is the role of prayer in the mission of the prophets? (CCC 2581-2584)
a. After prayer the prophets led the people
b. The primary job of the prophets was to continually offer sacrifice to God
c. By prayer they brought God’s message to the people and the people to God
d. The prophets were the ones who lived the exact life God wanted His people to live


540. What is the importance of the Psalms in prayer?(CCC 2579, 2585-2589, 2596-2597)
a. They are the crowning moment of prayer in the Old Testament
b. They are where the Word of God become the prayer of man
c. Christ prayed the Psalms and brought them to fulfillment
d. all of the above


PRAYER IS FULLY REVEALED AND REALIZED IN JESUS


541. From whom did Jesus learn how to pray?(CCC 2599, 2620)
a. He taught Himself
b. His mother and the Jewish Tradition 
c. the created world around Him
d. none of the above



(Answers at end.)

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Term Review
prayer (from Latin precārius "obtained by entreaty")  [entreaty = earnest request, appeal, beg]
-the raising of one's mind and heart to God
 
Vocal Prayer (from Latin vocalis, from voc-, vox "voice" = "obtain by entreaty with voice")
-set prayer offered exteriorly (by mouth) by an individual
 [The use of some set formulas a person employs using verbal expressions that are not, at the time, the immediate product of communication with God.]
 
Mental Prayer (from Greek menos "spirit" = "obtain by entreaty with spirit")
(also from Late Latin  mentalis, from Latin  ment-, mens "mind,")
-one's own prayer offered interiorly with mind, heart, soul, and strength
 [In mental prayer the three powers of the soul are engaged: the memory, which offers the mind material for meditation; the intellect, which ponders or directly perceives the meaning of some religious truth and its implications for practice; and the will, which freely expresses its sentiments of faith, trust, and love, and (as needed) makes good resolutions based on what the memory and intellect have made known to the will. Mental Prayer is a form of meditation consisting in the application of the various faculties of the soul, memory, imagination, intellect, and will, to the consideration of some mystery, principle, truth, or fact, with a view to exciting proper spiritual emotions and resolving on some act or course of action regarded as God's will and as a means of union with Him.]
 
Contemplative Prayer (Latin contemplatus, past participle of contemplari, from com- + templum space marked out for observation of signs from God = "awaiting a sign or gift from God after obtaining by entreaty")
-gift of 'prayer' from God given to the one who perseveres in prayer
 [Contemplative Prayer is a gift from God and cannot be acquired or forced.  It might be viewed as intimate communion with God.]


Helpful Hints For Life Communication -True communication starts inside.  We can all look at the same thing and see/hear something different.  Perceptions vary among people, and we often assume that other people perceive things exactly the way we do, which is often not the case.

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"Helpful Hints of Life"
 
Mobile (Cell) Phone Etiquette
Mobile phones are wonderful tools and can even save lives, but as Grandma used to say, all things in their proper order.  Here are some essentials:
 
1) Love the person you are with.  Do NOT answer a mobile phone while with someone OR do NOT put someone on hold unless necessity demands that you take that call.  In that case, try to tell the person, you might get a call when you are with them that you may have to take.
 
2) Leave your phone in the car or at home.  Do NOT take your phone with you when going to places of worship, public leisure or performances, or visiting others.  (Or for an emergency use sake, set the phone to silent.)
 
3) Be prudent when using mobile phone appropriately out of the house.  Be careful not to talk loud, get emotional, or reveal things that should be kept hidden while talking to someone else in public locations.  Give your time and attention to the one you are speaking to on the phone.  Make sure your ring tones are not too loud.
 
4)  Drive your car while you are driving.  If you need the ability to use your cell phone while in your vehicle, pick up a headset, ear bud, bluetooth, etc to leave your hands and eyes available for the road.  You can also find a safe place to pull off the road and use your cell phone.

"Helpful Hints of Life"
 
Mobile (Cell) Phone Etiquette
Mobile phones are wonderful tools and can even save lives, but as Grandma used to say, all things in their proper order.  Here are some essentials:
 
1) Love the person you are with.  Do NOT answer a mobile phone while with someone OR do NOT put someone on hold unless necessity demands that you take that call.  In that case, try to tell the person, you might get a call when you are with them that you may have to take.
 
2) Leave your phone in the car or at home.  Do NOT take your phone with you when going to places of worship, public leisure or performances, or visiting others.  (Or for an emergency use sake, set the phone to silent.)
 
3) Be prudent when using mobile phone appropriately out of the house.  Be careful not to talk loud, get emotional, or reveal things that should be kept hidden while talking to someone else in public locations.  Give your time and attention to the one you are speaking to on the phone.  Make sure your ring tones are not too loud.
 
4)  Drive your car while you are driving.  If you need the ability to use your cell phone while in your vehicle, pick up a headset, ear bud, bluetooth, etc to leave your hands and eyes available for the road.  You can also find a safe place to pull off the road and use your cell phone.
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Catholic Website of the Week

A Beginners Guide to Catholic Mental Prayer
http://www.beginningcatholic.com/christian-meditation.html
 
This is a practical guide to explain and assist you through the steps to this powerful means of union with God.
 
[For those traveling this summer and needing to get to the Holy Mass.]
MASS TIMES AND CATHOLIC CHURCHES throughout the US

http://www.masstimes.org/
​

When traveling this Summer maybe add some religion to your trip.  
Perhaps stop at a monastery or Cathedral you come across. 
There are many Catholic historical sites.
Or visit 
http://www.catholicshrines.net/  for a shrine near your vacation destination.

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Best Parish Practices


DONUT (FRESH FRUIT) FELLOWSHIP SUNDAY WITH PARISH GROUPS HOSTING


After Sunday Mass, host a time of fellowship (once a month or every week) that is run by the parish organizations that includes, donuts, fruit, breakfast bars or other food.  For Saturday night, maybe a soup supper can be hosted by 5-6 people supplying the soup, sandwiches.


BENEFITS:
People join in fellowship and get to know each other and grow from the food of the Eucharist (Holy Mass), by then sharing a meal together.  Parish organizations can get their name, their work, who they are and recruit members by speaking with those who come through the line.  Banners or information can be available on tables where people sit for people to take or pass on.


HOW?
Consult and ask if it is okay with your Parish Priest.  The Pastoral Council or a staff member might be able to schedule and coordinate groups to rotate doing the setup, serving and clean up.  The coordinating person can give written instructions and remind the organization's leader each time or hand them a schedule.  Organization leader then gets people at a monthly meeting.  Parish can pay for the donuts, fruit, food, or the organization can.  Cups, napkins, etc. can be supplied by the parish possibly bought in bulk and used each time Donut Fellowship Sunday is had.

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The Chosen, YouTube / The Chosen, Official Website
​
This is such a beautiful series!
The Chosen is the first-ever multi-season television show depicting the lives of Jesus and His apostles.
After the first episode launched, the series become the #1 media and film crowdfunding project of all time. More than 15,000 people invested over $10 million to fund this project.
​
Here’s the trailer below:
https://youtu.be/K1-FoFj8Jbo
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Click here if you cannot see the video above.
Director Dallas Jenkins told ChurchPOP that the idea stemmed from a short film he created about Jesus’ birth from the shepherds’ perspective. While filming this project for his church, the idea of a multi-season show came to mind.
“I think really digging into the characters, spending time with them, and getting to know them in a show, as opposed to a quick movie, is an interesting idea,” Jenkins told ChurchPOP.
“People started catching onto the vision, and that’s when they came up with the crowdfunding idea, and here we are.”
Jenkins worked in Hollywood for about 20 years. He presented the idea to some of his contacts, but could not receive the proper funding needed for the project.
However, the streaming video company VidAngel expressed interest, and moved forward with the show. It is now available through their website.
Jenkins said show’s response has been “overwhelming.” He said both kids and parents say they “watched each episode multiple times,” and he “didn’t necessarily think kids would get into the show.”
“Every day we get dozens of people saying it changed their lives or relationship with God—that they’re seeing Jesus in a whole new way,” Jenkins said.
“It’s really powerful seeing how the show’s impacted people’s relationship with God. And especially seeing that from kids is an incredible thing.”
Jenkins hopes the show will run for at least six seasons, with eight episodes each. The first four episodes are now available, and episode one is available for free on YouTube.
The complete Second Season has been released, all free.  The Third Season will be out this year, 2022.

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19th-Century Italian Teen to be Canonized During Youth SynodBy Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Jul 19  (EWTN News/CNA)
Bl. Nunzio Sulprizio, who died at the age of 19 from bone cancer, will be declared a saint Oct. 14 during the Synod of Bishops on young people, faith, and vocational discernment, Pope Francis announced Thursday.

The pope announced the date of the young Italian’s canonization during an ordinary public consistory at the Vatican July 19. The canonization will take place alongside six others, including that of Bl. Oscar Romero and Bl. Pope Paul VI, who presided over Sulprizio’s beatification.

At the beatification Dec. 1, 1963, Paul VI said that Bl. Nunzio Sulprizio teaches us that “the period of youth should not be considered the age of free passions, of inevitable falls, of invincible crises, of decadent pessimism, of harmful selfishness. Rather, he will tell you how being young is a grace…”

“He will tell you that no other age than yours, young people, is as suitable for great ideals, for generous heroism, for the coherent demands of thought and action,” the pope continued. “He will teach you how you, young people, can regenerate the world in which Providence has called you to live, and how it is up to you first to consecrate yourselves for the salvation of a society that needs strong and fearless souls.”

Sulprizio said it was “God’s Providence” that cared for him during his short life, and would say, “Jesus endured so much for us and by his merits eternal life awaits us. If we suffer a little bit, we will taste the joy of paradise” and “Jesus suffered a lot for me. Why should I not suffer for him?”

Born in the Italian region of Abruzzo in 1817, Sulprizio learned the faith from a priest at the local school he attended and from his maternal grandmother.

He was orphaned before the age of six, and after the death of his grandmother three years later, went to live with an uncle, who took him on as an apprentice blacksmith, not permitting him to attend school anymore. 

His uncle also mistreated him, sending him on long errands, beating him, and withholding meals if he thought things were not done correctly or the boy needed discipline. The young Sulprizio would take consolation in Eucharistic adoration and in praying the rosary.

While still very young, he contracted an infection in one of his legs, causing intense and constant pain, with a puss-oozing sore. Due to a lack of proper medical care, the boy developed gangrene, and was sent to a hospital in Naples. There he would unite his pain with Christ’s suffering on the cross, also helping his fellow patients.

During this time, Sulprizio was introduced to a colonel who treated him like a son and helped pay for his medical treatments. While in the hospital, the young man was visited by a priest who prepared him for his first confession and Holy Communion. 

He also met St. Gaetano Errico, an Italian priest and founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who promised him he could enter the religious order when he was old enough.

Though he experienced periods of increasing health, Sulprizio contracted bone cancer. His leg was amputated, but it did not help, and he died from the illness shortly after his 19th birthday in 1836. One of the last things he told his friend, the colonel, was, “be cheerful. From heaven I will always be helping you.”

Besides Bl. Pope Paul VI and Bl. Oscar Romero, the other canonizations to take place Oct. 14 are Bl. Francesco Spinelli, a diocesan priest and founder of the Institute of the Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament; Bl. Vincenzo Romano, a diocesan priest from Torre de Greco in Italy; Bl. Maria Caterina Kasper, a German nun and founder of the Institute of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ; and Nazaria Ignazia of Saint Teresa of Jesus, founder of the Congregation of the Misioneras Cruzadas de la Iglesia Sisters.

My Sons the Seminarians
A father shares insights about how families can foster religious vocations
by Brendan Glasgow
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CNS photo/Paul Haring
It is a tremendous joy and blessing to have two sons attending St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C. Brendan Jr. entered the seminary as part of the new school's inaugural class in the fall of 2011. James followed him in the fall of 2014.
 
When Brendan entered, I knew I did not control his vocation and learned to simply let go. I asked the Holy Spirit and Mother Mary to guide him in his discernment and spiritual formation.
 
Since then, I have not experienced any anxiety about what the future holds for my two sons because God is so evidently with them. My wife, Beth, and I are incredibly joyful as we witness our sons' response to God's call. Their openness is truly inspiring. There was a time when I helped teach and guide them in their faith, but now I learn from them - a role reversal that has been both humbling and rewarding.
 
Some say there is a crisis of vocations, but I believe the real crisis is in responding to the call. With two of my boys on the path to priesthood, I am sometimes asked for my "secret." I respond that three persons are most responsible - the Holy Spirit, Mother Mary and my wife. Brendan and James were both homeschooled through high school, and my wife was their first and most important catechist. Her love and knowledge of the faith planted the seed, and her wisdom and devotion taught them how to live the faith daily by word and deed. In addition, I cannot overemphasize the importance of family prayer for fostering vocations, whether to the priesthood, religious life or marriage. 
 
About 20 years ago, I first heard the family described as a "domestic church." This spoke deeply to me and changed how I viewed family life. While I am my sons' biological father, their creator and spiritual father is the Lord. My role is to pass on the faith to them by instruction and example. When Brendan first told us that he was applying to seminary, my spirit rejoiced. His heavenly Father knew better than I what he should do with his life, and my expectations for him were no longer relevant.
 
For James, the path was less direct. He entered The Catholic University of America as a physics major, switched to math, and then decided to enter seminary at the end of his junior year while spending a semester in Ireland. While we were aware that he was considering the priesthood, God led James to that decision in his own time, and that fact also brought us much joy.
 
One thing that has helped to foster our sons' vocations has been to invite priests and religious into the home. My wife has done this exceptionally well. Her invitations and hospitality to priests and religious sisters resulted in the boys seeing them as ordinary men and women who opened their lives to God's grace. They didn't view priests as distant figures on the altar with whom they had no connection; rather, they learned what life as a priest was like, and the extraordinary impact that one man can have on the parish community and beyond.
 
In the seminary, Brendan and James receive wonderful human and spiritual formation and a solid academic education. They are taught by dedicated priests who inspire them by example, and they share their lives with brother seminarians who are also a source of grace, fellowship and wisdom.
 
I encourage parents who may be unsure or anxious about how to respond to a child's interest in the priesthood or religious life to remain confident that the Lord knows what their vocation should be. He will lead them if you prepare and encourage them to respond to the call. Remember what Mary said to the servants at Cana: "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2:5).
 
BRENDAN GLASGOW lives in Olney, Md., where he is a member of Father Peter Paul Maher Council 6793. He and his wife, Beth, are the parents of seven children.


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A bit of humor.
-An angry man comes to his neighbor: “Is that your cat that in my garden, digging out my carrots?” The neighbor replies: “Of course. Do you think I would have time for that?”
-Two friends are walking in a park when they’re suddenly stopped by a mugger with a gun. “Give me all your money!” demands the mugger.  Both get out their wallets, but one of the friends slaps his forehead, “I totally forgot, Joe, I still owe you 150 dollars! Here you are!”




Deep Thoughts
-If you got into a taxi and he started driving backwards, would the driver end up owing you money? 
-Why is it called a tv set if you only get one? 
-Why is abbreviation such a long word?
-Why is a carrot more orange than an orange?



I marked the spot - Two friends rented a boat and fished in a lake every day. One day they caught 30 fish. One guy said to his friend, "Mark this spot so that we can come back here again tomorrow."  The next day, when they were driving to rent the boat, the same guy asked his friend, "Did you mark that spot?"   His friend replied, "Yeah, I put a big 'X' on the bottom of the boat."   The first one said, "Oh my goodness! What if we don't get that same boat today!?!?"


A Child's Point of View!
The story of Adam and Eve was being carefully explained in the children's Sunday School class. Following the story, the children were asked to draw some picture that would illustrate the story. Little Bobby drew a picture of a car with three people in it. In the front seat was a man and in the back seat, a man and a woman. The teacher was at a loss to understand how this illustrated the lesson of Adam and Eve. Little Bobby was prompt with his explanation. "Why, this is God driving Adam and Eve out of the garden!"
 
Falling Off The Horse 
The old time pastor was galloping down the road, rushing to get to church on time. Suddenly his horse stumbled and pitched him to the ground. In the dirt with a broken leg, the pastor called out, "All you saints in Heaven, help me get up on my horse! 
Then, with superhuman effort, he leaped onto the horse's back and fell off the other side. 
Once again on the ground, he called to Heaven, "All right, just half of you this time!"

 
Whose Calling?
The Pastor had just put up his "Shut OFF all Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices" sign in the back of church during the week.  At Mass, a cell phone rings in the assembly.  The embarrassed person does not reach to shut it off not wanting to draw attention to himself. 
The priest finally says out loud, "That better be God calling!"




How to Deal With The Issue
A friend of mine recently sought counsel for an issue in his life, and came back to me with this funny report...
"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start.
So far today, I have finished 2 bags of chips and a chocolate cake.
I feel better already." 

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Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!



+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, July 31st, 2022
The First Reading- Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities!   All things are vanity!  Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and yet to another who has not labored over it, he must leave property.  This also is vanity and a great misfortune.  For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun?  All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest.  This also is vanity.
Reflection
We must take care to guard against the folly that befell the Israelites, that led them to quarrel and test God’s goodness at Meribah and Massah.  We can harden our hearts in ways more subtle but no less ruinous.  We can put our trust in possessions, squabble over earthly inheritances, kid ourselves that what we have we deserve, store up treasures and think they’ll afford us security and rest.  All this is “vanity of vanities,” a false and deadly way of living, as this week’s First Reading tells us.
Adults - What do you think the writer means by “vanity?”
Teens - Is it hard for you to let your mind rest, even at night? Do you take those things to God in prayer?
Kids - What do you do when you are worried, anxious, or restless?
Responsorial- Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14&17
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
 are as yesterday, now that it is past,
 or as a watch of the night.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
 the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Teach us to number our days aright,
 that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
 Have pity on your servants!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
 that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
 prosper the work of our hands for us!
 Prosper the work of our hands!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Reflection
-Psalm 90 is the only Psalm attributed to Moses. Moses teaches Israel that all the efforts of this life are so brief from the perspective of eternity.  Only in God is anything found that is lasting.  Knowing that we can do nothing of lasting value in our own power, we turn to the Eternal God and ask him to “establish the works of our hands for us,” that is, to empower us to accomplish something of lasting value in this life. What gifts and talents has God blessed you with? How can you use them to bring Christ to the world?
The Second Reading- Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11
Brothers and sisters: If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.  Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.  Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.  Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.
Reflection
St. Paul calls us to “seek what is above,” not “what is on earth.”  The seeking of “what is on earth”—namely, wealth, physical pleasure, and pride—is at the root of all the sins that St. Paul describes as “earthly”: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed, lying. The Christian life requires a transcendent vision that sees beyond and above all these temporal goals.  What does it mean to “store up treasures in Heaven?” How do you do this?
The Holy Gospel according to Luke 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”  He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”  Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”  Then he told them a parable.  “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.  He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’  And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.  There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’  But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’  Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”
Reflection
Jesus gives us a warning in this week’s Gospel.  The rich man’s anxiety and toil expose his lack of faith in God’s care and provision.  That’s why Paul calls greed “idolatry” in the Epistle this week.  Mistaking having for being, possession for existence, we forget that God is the giver of all that we have.  We exalt the things we can make or buy over our Maker (see Romans 1:25).  Jesus calls the rich man a “fool”—a word used in the Old Testament for someone who rebels against God or has forgotten Him (see Psalm 14:1).  We should treasure most the new life we have been given in Christ and seek what is above, the promised inheritance of heaven.
Adults - How, in our culture, is money viewed as an idol? How is the way we view money similar to the Israelites worshiping the golden calf? How can we fight against this part of our culture?
Teens  - Research and choose a charity to support, or tithe a little to your local Church to help others and as a reminder that we are blessed with good gifts in order to both care or ourselves and others. 
Kids - How do you help those in need?
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! –“No man will be excluded from heaven because he lawfully possessed some of this world's wealth. But a man will exclude himself from eternal happiness if he lets this world's wealth possess him to the exclusion of God.  The fate of the rich man in the parable need not, and should not, be mine. I still have time to stop building larger grain-bins and barns, and to turn my attention instead to collecting some treasure for heaven.”  —Fr. Kevin O' Sullivan, O.F.M.







Homily Introducting to Mental Prayer
 
First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers,
petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone,
for kings and for all in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life
in all devotion and dignity. -Second 
Reading

 
Where is the quiet and tranquil life?  Are we offer prayer and supplications?
 
It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray,
lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument. -Second 
Reading

 
Men, MEN, you are the ones in the family that are to say, 'its time to pray,' or 'let's get ready for Mass.'  Men, it is your job, not your wife or children to say.  Men are to be the leaders of prayer in the family!
 
Pray together, stay together
Couples, do you pray together.  If not, why not
 
God at the center  Who is at the center of your life?
 
Pray simply and humbly
 
My dad recently said to me, "Only strong families are going to make it today."  You know there might have been a time when we could go through the motions of life, do the minimum be Catholic in name only and get by, but those times are past.  Only strong families, and only strong prayer is going to make it today.
"The Eucharist . . . is the greatest gift in the order of grace and of sacrament that the divine Spouse has offered and unceasingly offers to His spouse" (John Paul II, Dominicae Cenae 121. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the source and summit of the whole Christian life and contains the entire wealth of the Church (cf. Lumen Gentium, 11, Presbyterorum Ordinis, 5). Yet it is possible for one to attend Mass and 'get nothing out of it.' Why is this?  
I don't get anything out of Mass.  Why do I have to go to Church?
People pray Rosary, attend Mass often, do good works, but still struggle with vice, addiction, habitual sin, no change.  Prayer does not seem to be enough.  What is needed?  MENTAL PRAYER
 
The reason: people do not know how to meditate; they do not know how to engage in mental prayer.
 
"Mental prayer is the blessed furnace in which souls are inflamed with the love of God. All the saints have become saints by mental prayer" (St. Alphonsus de Liguori).
 
Vocal Prayer - External intention and direction to God
Mental Prayer - What we give to God
Contemplative Prayer - What God gives us
 
The Church's Canon Law says that "Priests . . . are to be conscientious in devoting time regularly to mental prayer" (Canon 276, §2). Holy Mother Church also teaches lay people to travel the way of mental prayer in the Second Vatican Council's decree on the laity: "Only by the light of faith and by meditation on the Word of God can one always and everywhere recognize God in Whom 'we live, and move, and have our being' (Acts 17:28), seek His will in every event, see Christ in everyone" (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 4).
 
What is Mental Prayer?
-Keep attention on God
-Heart, mind, soul, and strength on God
-Engage mind in imagination to paint more real picture
-Attention is kept
-Meditation
 
[Meditation is a form of mental prayer consisting in the application of the various faculties of the soul, memory, imagination, intellect, and will, to the consideration of some mystery, principle, truth, or fact, with a view to exciting proper spiritual emotions and resolving on some act or course of action regarded as God's will and as a means of union with Him.]
 
The function of mental prayer then, is to study the features of the life of Jesus and to beg the Holy Spirit to fashion our lives according to this resplendent pattern. 
 
Keeping constantly in mind who you are and whom you are addressing.
 
Prayer Mental Prayer everyday
10 Minutes in the classroom of silence.
Either your will give up vice or sin, or you will give up Mental Prayer






CATHOLIC QUESTIONS AND CATHOLIC ANSWERS

538. In the Old Testament, what relationship do the king and the temple have to prayer?  a. God came to be with the people through the temple
-The prayer of the People of God developed in the shadow of the dwelling place of God – the Ark of the Covenant, then the Temple – under the guidance of their shepherds. Among them there was David, the King “after God’s own heart,” the shepherd who prayed for his people. His prayer was a model for the prayer of the people because it involved clinging to the divine promise and a trust filled with love for the One who is the only King and Lord.




539. What is the role of prayer in the mission of the prophets?  c. By prayer they brought God’s message to the people and the people to God
-The prophets drew from prayer the light and strength to exhort the people to faith and to conversion of heart. They entered into great intimacy with God and interceded for their brothers and sisters to whom they proclaimed what they had seen and heard from the Lord. Elijah was the father of the prophets, of those who sought the face of God. On Mount Carmel he achieved the return of the people to the faith, thanks to the intervention of God to whom he prayed: “Answer me, O Lord, answer me!” (1 Kings 18:37).




540. What is the importance of the Psalms in prayer?  d. all of the above
The Psalms are the summit of prayer in the Old Testament: the Word of God become the prayer of man. Inseparably both personal and communal, and inspired by the Holy Spirit, this prayer sings of God’s marvelous deeds in creation and in the history of salvation. Christ prayed the Psalms and brought them to fulfillment. Thus they remain an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church suited to people of every condition and time.




PRAYER IS FULLY REVEALED AND REALIZED IN JESUS


541. From whom did Jesus learn how to pray?  b. His mother and the Jewish Tradition
Jesus, with his human heart, learned how to pray from his mother and from the Jewish tradition. But his prayer sprang from a more secret source because he is the eternal Son of God who in his holy humanity offers his perfect filial prayer to his Father.



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Catholic Good News 7-23-2022-Act of Faith, Act of Hope, Act of Love

7/23/2022

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In this e-weekly:
-  Defending the Bride  (Catholic Website of the week-by the laptop computer)
- 'The Joy of Knowing Jesus,' The Holy Witness of Michelle Duppong  (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- Recycling (Helpful Hints for Life)
-***NEW FEATURE***  CATHOLIC QUESTIONS AND CATHOLIC ANSWERS is a new section of the e-weekly (see below) ***NEW FEATURE***

BEST PARISH PRACTICES is also back!

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Catholic Good News

Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor 


Act of Faith, Act of Hope, Act of Love

“So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

I Corinthians 13:13
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
        At home, my family still prays before and after every meal.  After breakfast, mom or dad always add the Act of Faith, Act of Hope, and Act of Love prayers along with other morning prayers.  They do this because they were taught this in their youth, and because it has helped to keep them faithful to God and one another their whole life long.
 
        I have searched for these prayers as mom and dad were taught them, but I have not found them.  So finally I asked my dad to write them down because they are so simple, yet so profound.  And these 3 are virtues are known as the very important theological virtues.
 
        I did this so that I might add them to my daily prayers and pass them on you.  We all need more faith, hope, and love in our lives, our marriages, our families, our communities, and our world.  May this begin with you and with me!
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
 
P.S.  These prayers are found in the prayer section below.

P.S.S.  This coming Sunday is the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time.  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072422.cfm

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

From a past Sunday homily click below (15 minutes): 

​>> Listen
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534. What is prayer?  (Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC, 2558-2565, 2590)
a) the raising of one’s mind and heart to God
b) the petition of good things from him in accord with his will
c) the personal and living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is infinitely good
d) All of the above.


535. Why is there a universal call to prayer? (CCC 2566-2567)
a) only because every one needs prayer
b) prayer changes God
c) God draws every person to the mysterious encounter known as prayer
d) prayer is magic and by it I get what I want


THE REVELATION OF PRAYER IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
536. How is Abraham a model of prayer? (CCC 2570-2573, 2592)
a) his prayer was spoken the loudest
b) he walked in the presence of God, heard and obeyed him
c) he gave 1/10 of everything to the king-priest Melchizedek
d) he is the father of many nations


537. How did Moses pray? (CCC 2574-2577, 2593)
a) in a way like Jesus would pray
b) he lingered in conversation with him often and at length
c) face to face, like a man with his friend
d) all of the above

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Catholic Terms
act of faith
-a voluntarily expressed assent of the mind to some truth revealed by God.
 [The assent may be purely internal, or it may be vocalized, as in the recitation of the Apostle's Creed, or it may be implied, as in genuflecting before the Blessed Sacrament. It must always be assisted by divine grace.]


act of hope
-a voluntarily expressed trust in God's goodness, based on faith, whereby a person declares his confidence that what God promised He will also fulfill
 [As a supernatural act, it can be made only with the help of divine grace.]


act of love
-a deliberately expressed love of God, based on divine faith
 [The act may be either perfect or imperfect, depending on whether the motive is God's goodness in himself or in relation to the person who benefited or hopes to benefit from his love of God.]

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“Helpful Hints of Life”
 
Recycle
Even the Pope talks about preserving this beautiful creation that God has given us, by being prudent stewards of it.  This includes reducing, reusing, and recycling.  Very likely a local school or group is collecting papers, cans, and more where they get money and you do not have to pay for the trash to take it.  Recycling saves money, resources, and more.​

"Leaving an inhabitable planet to future generations is, first and foremost, up to us." (n. 160)  -Pope Francis, Laudato Si

Communication

True communication starts inside.  We can all look at the same thing and see/hear something different.  Perceptions vary among people, and we often assume that other people perceive things exactly the way we do, which is often not the case. 



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Catholic Website of the Week

Defending the Bride

http://www.defendingthebride.com/


This is a small website dedicated to explaining and defending the truths that God has revealed through the Bride of Christ, the Catholic Church. The site includes free printable one page pamphlets and a free PowerPoint presentation on the Hail Mary. There is an especially nice section featuring pictures and text that demonstrate why the location of Caesarea Philippi was so important as the place where Jesus promised to build His Church on Peter.


[For those traveling this summer and needing to get to the Holy Mass.]
MASS TIMES AND CATHOLIC CHURCHES throughout the US
www.MassTimes.org


When traveling this Summer maybe add some religion to your trip.  Perhaps stop at a monastery or Cathedral you come across.  There are many Catholic historical sites.  Or visit http://www.catholicshrines.net/  for a shrine near your vacation destination.


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Best Parish Practices


START A HOSPITALITY GROUP FOR YOUR RCIA PROGRAM


[RCIA-Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the process by which non-Catholics join the Church, which usually begins in the Fall]  Get to know people wanting to get to know the Church before they officially join and witness to them with your kindness and your faith story by being a part of group that brings food and drink to the RCIA class and then shares how you became Catholic or grew up Catholic.


BENEFITS:
People joining RCIA may not be sure about joining the Church or even know much about the Church, but everyone wants and needs to be received and treated kindly ("love is patient, love is kind" -St. Paul).  So being part of a group that brings refreshments or food and drink to RCIA class can touch them by 'breaking bread' with them and affirming that you are glad they are there and want them to be a part of your parish.  And if some of your committee, one by one, can share their faith journey, that can confirm the RCIA candidates in theirs, and they get to know members of the Church with whom they will worship and serve one day if they ultimately join the Church.  ALSO, small groups that people know and can grow with are central to helping us walk 'two-by-two' toward heaven.


HOW?
Consult and ask if it is okay with your Parish Priest and the person in charge of RCIA.  Look for another person or group of people who would be willing on occasion to make or purchase food and drink and bring them to the RCIA meeting (perhaps once a month or every two weeks).  And then hopefully one of your group, or perhaps the head of different ministries of your parish, can share a brief version of their faith journey as a cradle Catholic or as a convert themselves.  The sharing does not have to be spectacular or stunning, it just has to be real and heart-felt.  This can go a long way to helping RCIA candidates into the Church, and making them a part of your parish family for years to come.

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‘The Joy of Knowing Jesus’: The Holy Witness of Michelle Duppong
As her cause for canonization gets underway, family and friends recall her evangelization efforts and acceptance of God’s will.
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Bismarck Bishop David Kagan has announced the diocesan investigation that could lead to Michelle Duppong’s beatification and canonization. (photo: Courtesy of the Duppong family)
Patti Maguire Armstrong Features July 23, 2022
During treatment for a cancer that never relented, a hospital staff member asked 31-year-old Michelle Duppong from Haymarsh, North Dakota, what her perfect day would look like. She thought but a moment before her soft blue eyes it up. “Four-wheeling at our farm in the pastures and picnicking in the hills.”
“She could have mentioned so many amazing things that she’s done, but the simplicity of her answer touched our heart,” her mother, Mary Ann Duppong, explained to the Register. “She chose our farm at Haymarsh for her perfect day. That is why we know she is happy to have her burial spot in the cemetery overlooking St. Clement’s and our farm.” 
It was upon learning of an impromptu pilgrimage to Michelle’s gravesite that Mary Ann and her husband, Ken, first heard that a cause of canonization would open for their daughter, who died from cancer on Dec. 25, 2015, a year after her diagnosis. Michelle had been serving as the director of adult faith formation for the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, and before that had worked as a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) missionary for six years at four colleges.
Msgr. James Shea, president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, called Mary Ann the evening of June 15 to let her know that an impromptu pilgrimage was headed to the cemetery to visit Michelle’s gravesite. Earlier that day, during the annual commissioning Mass celebrated at the University of Mary for new FOCUS missionaries, Bismarck Bishop David Kagan had announced the plan to open a diocesan investigation that could lead to Michelle’s beatification and canonization, and Msgr. Shea spontaneously invited everyone to join him in pilgrimage to St. Clement’s cemetery, 60 miles from Bismarck, to visit Michelle’s grave. Around 500 people, including five priests, prayed the Rosary there that night and took turns privately praying for Michelle’s intercession.
Msgr. Shea explained to the Register that he had always appreciated Michelle’s enthusiasm for evangelization. Her last year in FOCUS was as part of the 2012 inaugural team at the University of Mary to mentor students in the faith. 
“Michele was very zealous but eminently practical, not idealistic,” he said. “She had an unwavering faith in the power of God and the intercession of the Blessed Mother to bring souls to Jesus. This was her main concern.”
Since her death, Msgr. Shea said he has often prayed privately to Michelle, asking help “for those who come to the University of Mary — those with faith, for it to deepen, and those who come without faith to gain it.
“One of the great lessons that Michelle’s life imparts upon us,” he told the Register, “was the beautiful way that she entered into the suffering of Jesus. How beautiful to have the example of someone who accepted, with serenity, both the joys and suffering of her life. Michelle never forgot about the power of redemptive suffering.”
 
‘Joyful Faith’“Michelle’s holiness of life and love for God certainly touched us here in the Diocese of Bismarck, at the University of Mary, and throughout FOCUS, but hers is a witness which should also be shared with the universal Church,” Bishop Kagan said during his announcement. He had hired Michelle as the diocesan director of faith formation, and she had worked with him in creating the “Thirst Conferences” that continue to this day, bringing in national Catholic speakers to inspire the faithful. 
Not long after Bishop Kagan had celebrated Michelle’s funeral Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck, he began receiving notes and letters from people about Michelle’s influence in their lives. “What inspired me about Michelle and prompted me to take this first step were her two most obvious virtues: her joyful faith and her unconditional acceptance of God’s will for her,” Bishop Kagan told the Register. “As time goes on and our investigation progresses, that will be even more evident to all.”
Her main desire, Bishop Kagan said, was to share the joy of knowing Jesus. “Our Church, and especially our culture, needs models of everyday holiness — just as Michelle has shown us,” he said. “Especially our young men and women, married or single, need Michelle’s example of faith, hope and charity. They need to know and see that real virtue is something for them, and it is never outdated.”
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Family and friends of Michelle Duppong recall her strong faith. Here, she is shown on the occasion of her first Communion. | Courtesy of the Duppong family

  FOCUS MissionaryCurtis Martin, founder and CEO of FOCUS, explained: “When Michelle and her sister Renae were in FOCUS, we all knew one another. It was founded in 1998, and Michelle joined in 2006, when we had about 150 missionaries. Today, there are 900.”
Michelle stood out, he said, because she was always building up others and never complained. “She was gracious, even when things were difficult,” Martin said. “Michelle had learned how to suffer and never got distracted by it. The spectacular secret is that while Jesus left us in awe with his miracles and wowed us with his words, the salvation he won for us came through suffering. “
Now that Michelle is on the other side of the veil, Martin said that he and his family often pray for her intercession, and he asks Michelle to teach him how to suffer. “She did that beautifully,” he said. “I really believe that Jesus Christ is asking this generation to be heroes, and you cannot be a hero without suffering.”
A friend of Michelle’s, former FOCUS missionary Rebekah Martin, lives near Napoleon, North Dakota, with her husband, Lucas, and their five children. Rebekah and Michelle were roommates at North Dakota State University from 2002 to 2006 and worked together in FOCUS at the University of South Dakota for the 2009-2010 school year.
Looking back, Rebekah said it makes perfect sense that Michelle would be considered for sainthood. “She was bold in sharing her faith,” Rebekah said. “I remember, for her first assignment in speech class, she gave a speech defending the priesthood against the attacks that were happening during that time over the scandals, saying that the vast majority of the priesthood was without accusation.”
But Michelle knew how to have fun, too, according to Rebekah. “She laughed easily, was quick with a joke, and had a knack for finding humor in the ordinary. My favorite memories are of her laughing so hard, trying to say something, but not being able to get the words out. She was so full of life!”
Rebekah described Michelle as a humble leader. “As a FOCUS team director, she cared first for the needs of her teammates. She wanted us to thrive. She encouraged her teammates to offer up mortifications, to intentionally offer up sufferings and inconveniences for the souls we were trying to reach. Michelle realized, even then, at least to some extent, the value of suffering united with Jesus.” 
Rebekah noted that Michelle was always concerned for others. “I have an example of this. In September, we attended her benefit ball. My birthday had been a couple days before. She saw me and said in her sweet voice, ‘Beka! How was your birthday?’ I was just so touched that after all she had been through at that point, and though she was visibly tired, she remembered my birthday and chose to focus on me and how I was doing.”
 
Faith FoundationMary Ann said Michelle grew up working hard on the family farm. “That exposure to yard and garden work is probably why Michelle and two other daughters — three out of our six children — were horticulture majors,” she said. When there were extra vegetables, Michelle and her sisters sold them in town after Saturday morning Mass. 
Although Michelle was valedictorian and president of her senior class, Mary Ann said that she was not particularly engaged in a social life with her peers and was always happy to go along with her family to occasional Catholic conferences that included speakers, Mass and adoration — much like the “Thirst Conferences” Michelle was later to help plan. Mary Ann pointed out that Michelle enjoyed sharing her Jan. 25 birthday with the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, the great evangelizer, as evangelizing was a mission she also lived. 
 
Faithful Perseverance Through PainIt was in the fall of 2014 that Michelle began experiencing sharp pains in her abdomen. “Ovarian cysts” was the diagnosis. “Nothing serious, and they might even dissolve on their own,” she was told.
By mid-December, Michelle was in agony. After a second ultrasound, out-patient surgery was scheduled for Dec. 29 to remove the cysts. But the surgeon was shocked when she opened Michelle up. Her abdomen was full of cancer. It was Stage 4. “Michelle, there isn’t anything we can do,” she was told by two doctors who recommended she go home for hospice care. 
“How long does she have?” Mary Ann asked, horrified.
“Two months,” was the answer. 
Thus began Michelle’s yearlong journey, fighting for her life while accepting God’s will every step of the way. Her sister Renae, who had a degree in nursing, accompanied her in her suffering as her personal nurse.
Over those 12 months, there were surgeries and hospital stays, until Michelle was sent home when there was nothing more that could be done. “Michelle was not one to blame anyone for anything,” Mary Ann said. “Her attitude was, ‘If God wants me to go through this, I will go through this.’” 
When Michelle entered hospice care, a family doctor asked Mary Ann: If they had to do it over again, did they think it was worth putting Michelle through all the medical procedures and pain to gain another 10 months? 
“You have no idea of how many lives she touched that last year,” Mary Ann responded. “Not only was Michelle a great witness of her deep faith, but she also used that time to offer her suffering for others. There were over 230,000 hits on her CaringBridge site that year, including strangers from across the country. How do you measure the good from that?”
Mary Ann said one of her most precious gifts from Michelle is a relic medal from the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in New York. “Michelle said that she believed a time was coming when we, too, should be ready, if we would be asked by Our Lord, to suffer martyrdom to pass on the faith. She told me that we need to be brave by putting on the ‘Armor of Faith.’”
“She gave everything,” her father Ken said. “Her whole year of suffering, the pain was non-stop. But it wasn’t just that year. Her whole life was dedicated to whatever Jesus wanted.” 
Ken said it was typical for hospital staff to be drawn to Michelle. “She would be concerned about their problems, not hers,” Ken said. An example he gave was when someone was upset that her husband had left her. “Michelle told her, ‘Forgive him and pray for him because you might be the only one who can help him.’” The woman came back later with joy and shared that she had found peace. 
According to Ken, Michelle’s attitude was that we should do everything we can while on earth to make it to heaven. “Whatever she did, she always did her best,” her father recalled.
Family members took turns gathering around Michelle’s bed the evening of Dec. 25, singing, praying and expressing their love. She took her last breath at 11:23pm.
 
‘Running to Jesus’Her sister Lisa Gray, married to Brad and raising their seven children in Morehead, Minnesota, said: “When I saw her taking her last breath, I was so happy for her. I was so proud of her. I had the feeling of her running to Jesus. It was not just the tragedy-of-the-cancer story; people knew that Michelle was ‘marked.’ It was just part of her journey. I had a heart of knowledge that she was going to heaven on Christmas night.” 
Early the next morning, Lisa received a great consolation. “As I woke up, I heard her voice: ‘Leese, it’s beautiful.’ Her voice was radiant.”
As Bishop Kagan pointed out to the Register, conducting a diocesan inquiry into a person’s life, virtues and reputation of holiness is just the first step of a long process that will include looking for indications of her intercessory power after her death. It is uncertain how long this initial phase will last. “The Church is always very careful in all such matters,” he noted. 
“I think all that we do regarding the life and death of Michelle is very much worth our time and efforts,” Bishop Kagan explained. “Michelle was a fine, Catholic young lady devoted to Jesus and his Church. Her one desire was to share with others the joy of knowing Jesus and loving him every day.”
Toward the end of her own earthly journey, Michelle’s dear aunt, Jean Wanner, was dying of brain cancer. “They cried and held each other,” Mary Ann recalled. “Jean told her that sometimes she didn’t feel Jesus with her. Michelle told her, ‘Sometimes, I don’t feel him either. Tell Jesus how you feel. He wants to know everything. Just turn to him.’”
“That’s what Michelle did,” Mary Ann said. “She told Jesus everything.”
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The Benedictine sisters have prayed non-stop for 135 years at the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre in Paris. (interior photos, Sophie Lloyd; archive photograph, AHAP; exterior/dome photos, Stephanie LeBlanc/Unsplash)

‘We Never Leave the Lord Alone’: 135 Years of Eucharistic Adoration at Sacré-Coeur
Since Aug. 1, 1885, the chain of perpetual adoration of the Holy Sacrament at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Montmartre in Paris has continued uninterrupted, including during the 1944 bombing and the coronavirus crisis.
Solène TadiéPARIS — As the health crisis caused by the coronavirus epidemic immersed the whole country into a long period of lockdown March 17, Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Paris, which had to close its doors for the first time in its history, nonetheless remained an unflappable beacon of prayer in France.
Enthroned at the top of the emblematic butte Montmartre, the highest point of the city, the basilica is particularly prized by tourists and art lovers for the purity of its Roman-Byzantine architecture and its rounded shapes.
It is, after the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the second-most-visited monument of the City of Light.
But this high place of world tourism, as a “Sanctuary of Eucharistic Adoration and Divine Mercy,” is also one of the most important religious sites of France.
Day and night since Aug. 1, 1885, the Body of Christ in the Holy Sacrament has been exposed and adored inside the basilica (except for Good Friday), whatever the external conditions, even the most extreme. This is remarkable, as the history of France hasn’t exactly been calm since that time, including for the Catholic Church, which is also facing an unprecedented wave of secularization at every level of society.  
“The adoration hasn’t stopped even for a minute, including during the two world wars,” Sister Cécile-Marie, member of the Benedictine Sisters of the Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre and responsible for the nights of adoration at the basilica, told the Register. “Even during the 1944 bombing, when some fragments fell right next to the basilica, the adorers never left.”






Adoration in the Time of COVID-19
And the recent quarantine period was, of course, no exception. While, usually, many lay or religious people come from outside and take turns in perpetual adoration, this unprecedented situation necessitated the 14 nuns of the community to reorganize their daily life in order to keep honoring the special tradition of the sanctuary, which stayed closed to the public for more than two months, until May 31.  
“It was obvious to us that since we were not touched by the coronavirus, as long as we were still on our feet, we had to act and adapt quickly to this new situation,” Sister Cécile-Marie continued.
Each nun had to pray in adoration one hour twice a day to ensure a 24/7 presence, including during meals. “We never leave the Lord alone, and one cannot leave before the next person arrives, which could be pretty difficult at night when one of us didn’t wake up on time!” she said, adding that this has also been an opportunity for them to focus more on prayer and thus reconnect with the very essence of their rule of life.
However, she confessed, the lockdown also created a totally unusual sense of emptiness within the church, usually crowded with pilgrims and visitors. In her view, the most difficult thing to handle when the basilica suddenly emptied was the sight of all the candles slowly going out.
“It was a very sad vision, but, miraculously, we immediately started receiving requests of intentions of prayer from people via email; so, eventually, there were always at least one or two candles burning, and when they were about to extinguish, we would suddenly receive another request, which was so comforting.”
And the Benedictine community was quickly joined in prayer by a multitude of adorers who prayed with them remotely, following an online table for intentions of prayers.
“It was a beautiful experience: We were alone in the basilica, but we felt we were always connected with the adorers that were in spiritual communion from where they were,” Sister Cécile-Marie recalled. “We couldn’t help people by wearing white coats, but we fought the epidemic our own way: through prayer.”


A Place of Reparation
The construction of the basilica wasn’t even completed when perpetual adoration was initiated. The historical context in which the building project was born was particularly sensitive and painful for the French nation.
Indeed, the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War following the Siege of Paris in 1871 left a strong sense of hopelessness among the population and was often associated in the collective mind with a weakening of the faith as a consequence of the French Revolution.
It was then, as an act of reparation designed to instill hope in the nation’s heart, that two laymen, Alexandre Legentil and Hubert Rohault de Fleury, initiated and developed the ambitious project to build a church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with the support of a large network of friendships.




And the place chosen by the then-archbishop of Paris, Joseph-Hippolyte Guibert, for the construction owes nothing to chance: It was in Montmartre, which literally means “Mount of Martyrs,” that the first Christians of Paris, including St. Denis, were killed in hatred of the faith in the third century.
“The foundress of our community, Mother Adèle Garnier, heard about the project and received soon after a divine call to establish perpetual adoration in this new church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and she submitted this idea to the archbishop of Paris,” Sister Cécile-Marie said.
But the building process, started in 1875 and completed in 1914, was particularly arduous because of the sand sub-base, which made the site unstable. Therefore, divine assistance was sought through the creation of a provisory chapel so that people could pray and meditate even during the work. “Times of adoration of the Holy Sacrament were already organized there, and the first pilgrims came, giving the first financial contributions for the building site,” Sister Cécile-Marie continued.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux herself was among the first contributors to the basilica, which could only augur a glorious future for the site. During a visit to Paris on her way to Rome with her family and a group of pilgrims, on Nov. 6, 1887, young Thérèse attended Mass at Sacré-Cœur and decided to offer her gold bracelet for the basilica’s monstrance.
It wasn’t until 1919 that the building was finally consecrated by Archbishop Guibert, five years after the completion of the work, as ravages of the Great War forced him to postpone the ceremony.
One century later, as the basilica’s first jubilee coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit chose this emblematic place to conduct an extraordinary blessing ceremony of the French capital with the Holy Sacrament, on Holy Thursday, to seek God’s  protection for the city and its inhabitants.
“Sacred Heart of Jesus … from this basilica, day and night, your mercy shines on this city, France and on the world, in the sacrament of the Eucharist,” Archbishop Aupetit said in his prayer raised from the basilica’s portico. “Assist all those who are suffering the consequences of the pandemic and support those who, in so many ways, put themselves at the service of their brothers and sisters. Give health to the sick, strength to the medical staff, comfort to the families and salvation to all those who have died.”
Solène Tadié is the Register’s Rome-based Europe correspondent.

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MERCY MOMENTS

CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY - YEAR OF MERCY
Practical Suggestions for Practicing the Corporal Works of Mercy



(The Corporal Works of Mercy are kind acts by which we help our neighbors with their everyday material and physical needs.)


Feed the Hungry
-see to the proper nutrition of your loved ones,
-support and volunteer for food pantries, soup kitchens, and agencies that feed the hungry; 
-make a few sandwiches to hand out as you walk through areas 
where you might encounter people in need; 
-educate yourself about world hunger; 
-avoid wasting food; 
-share your meals with others. 



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A bit of humor…
Deep Thoughts
-5 out of 4 Americans are bad at Math.  
-If you got into a taxi and he started driving backwards, would the driver end up owing you money? 
-Why is it called a tv set if you only get one? 
-Why is abbreviation such a long word?
-Why is a carrot more orange than an orange?


A rushing tourist, out of breath, stops at a small country house where a grandpa is sitting on the porch and asks, “Excuse me, how can I get the fastest to the train station?” “No problem,” waves the grandpa, “let me just let the dog loose.”



I marked the spot
Two friends rented a boat and fished in a lake every day. One day they caught 30 fish. One guy said to his friend, 
"Mark this spot so that we can come back here again tomorrow." 
The next day, when they were driving to rent the boat, the same guy asked his friend, "Did you mark that spot?" 
His friend replied, "Yeah, I put a big 'X' on the bottom of the boat." 
The first one said, "Oh my goodness! What if we don't get that same boat today!?!?"





Grandparents and Grandchildren
  I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I
  decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color
  it was.  She would tell me, and always she was correct. But it was
  fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying
  sagely, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these
  yourself!"
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
  When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the
  lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky
  insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before
  I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use, Grandpa. The mosquitoes are
  coming after us with flashlights."
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
  A nursery school teacher was delivering a mini-van full of kids
  home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front
  seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started
  discussing the dog's duties. "They use him to keep crowds back,"
  said one youngster. "No," said another, "he's just for good luck." A
  third child brought the argument to a close: "No, they use the dogs
  to find the fire hydrant."




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Simple Acts




Act of Faith
O my God I believe all You have said because You are the infallible truth.


Act of Hope
O my God I hope for all You have promised because You are faithful.


Act of Love
O my God I love You above all things because You are good.

+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time -Sunday, July 24th, 2022

The First Reading- Genesis 18:20-32
In those days, the LORD said: "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out." While Abraham's visitors walked on farther toward Sodom, the LORD remained standing before Abraham.  Then Abraham drew nearer and said: "Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty? Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike! Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?" The LORD replied, "If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." Abraham spoke up again: "See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes! What if there are five less than fifty innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?" He answered, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there." But Abraham persisted, saying "What if only forty are found there?" He replied, "I will forbear doing it for the sake of the forty." Then Abraham said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?" He replied, "I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there." Still Abraham went on, "Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?" The LORD answered, "I will not destroy it, for the sake of the twenty." But he still persisted: "Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time. What if there are at least ten there?" He replied, "For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it."
Reflection
This Reading makes several presumptions about the nature of God and our relationship with him:
a.  It is possible for the righteous to intercede with God and influence the Divine will.
b.  God is fundamentally just, and justice includes not only mercy for the innocent but punishment for the wicked.
c.  If there is a conflict of the claims of justice and mercy, God prefers mercy.
d.  God is slow to punish the wicked, and does so only when fully justified.
These theological convictions, embedded in the narrative, have shaped both Jewish and Christian understandings of the nature of God, prayer, justice, and mercy throughout history.
Adults - Have you experienced God’s mercy in your life in a big way? In small ways?
Teens - What does it mean to you to be merciful as the Father is merciful?
Kids - Has anyone in your life been merciful to you?

Responsorial- Psalm 138: 1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
R.Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me;
against the anger of my enemies you raise your hand.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Reflection
-We pray always a prayer of thanksgiving, which is the literal meaning of Eucharist. We have realized the promise of this week’s Psalm: We worship in His holy temple, in the presence of angels, hallowing His name. Try to list three things each night this week that you are grateful for as you reflect on your day.

The Second Reading- Colossians 2:12-14
Brothers and sisters: You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And even when you were dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions;  obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims,which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.
Reflection
In this Reading, we see the mercy of God at work, even as it was in the First Reading.  God “errs” on the side of mercy (so to speak), when mercy and justice oppose.
 Do you err on the side of mercy in your dealings with others?

The Holy Gospel according to Luke 11:1-13
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test." And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.' I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
Reflection
The two paragraphs that follow the Lord’s prayer are meant to encourage us (1) to be persistent in prayer and (2) to trust in God’s generosity. One may ask, if God is so generous a Father, why does he insist on our persistence in prayer.  Why not give everything immediately?  Or better, why make us ask at all?  Why not give us everything we want and need without our asking?  God is a good parent, however, and the dialogue of prayer actually fosters relationship between God and his children, in which God permits the participation his children into his providential guidance of the universe.  God is a Father who encourages us to make our needs and desires known, always trusting in his goodness.
Adults - Do you dialogue with God throughout the day?
Teens  - Pray the Lord’s prayer slowly and intentionally each day this week, meditating on the meaning.
Kids - Do you talk to God the same way you talk to your parents and friends? Remember to tell Him all about your days!

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! –“The Our Father is certainly the most sublime formula possible and contains the whole essence of the most elevated mental prayer. However, Jesus gave it as a formula for vocal prayer: " When you pray, say. . . " (ibid. 11:2).  This is enough to make us understand the value and importance of vocal prayer, which is within the reach of everyone even children, the uneducated, the sick, the weary.... But we must realize that vocal prayer does not consist only in the repetition of a certain formula.  If this were true, we should have a recitation but not a prayer, for prayer always requires a movement, an elevation of the soul toward God. In this sense, Jesus instructed His disciples: "When thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret.... And when you are praying, speak not much as the heathens" (Mt 6:6-7).  It is interesting to note that in St. Matthew these prescriptions concerning the exterior and interior dispositions necessary for well-made prayer immediately precede the teaching of the Our Father.  Therefore, in order that our vocal prayer be real prayer, we must first recollect ourselves in the presence of God, approach Him, and make contact with Him.  Only when we have such dispositions will the words we pronounce with our lips express our interior devotion and be able to sustain and nourish it.  Unfortunately, inclined as we are to grasp the material part of things instead of the spiritual, it is only too easy in our vocal prayer to content ourselves with a mechanical recitation, without taking care to direct our heart to God; hence we should always be vigilant and alert. Vocal prayer made only by the lips dissipates and wearies the soul instead of recollecting it in God; it cannot be said that this is a means of uniting us more closely to Him.”  —Divine Intimacy Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D










 

CATHOLIC QUESTIONS AND CATHOLIC ANSWERS


534. What is prayer?  d. All of the above.
Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God, or the petition of good things from him in accord with his will. It is always the gift of God who comes to encounter man. Christian prayer is the personal and living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is infinitely good, with his Son Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit who dwells in their hearts.




535. Universal call to prayer  c. God draws every person to the mysterious encounter known as prayer
Because through creation God first calls every being from nothingness. Even after the Fall man continues to be capable of recognizing his Creator and retains a desire for the One who has called him into existence. All religions, and the whole history of salvation in particular, bear witness to this human desire for God. It is God first of all, however, who ceaselessly draws every person to the mysterious encounter known as prayer.




536. How is Abraham a model of prayer? b. he walked in the presence of God, heard and obeyed him
Abraham is a model of prayer because he walked in the presence of God, heard and obeyed him. His prayer was a battle of faith because he continued to believe in the fidelity of God even in times of trial. Besides, after having received in his own tent the visit of the Lord who confided his plan to him, Abraham dared to intercede for sinners with bold confidence.




537. How did Moses pray?  d. all of the above
The prayer of Moses was typical of contemplative prayer. God, who called to Moses from the burning bush, lingered in conversation with him often and at length, “face to face, like a man with his friend” (Exodus 33:11). In this intimacy with God, Moses attained the strength to intercede tenaciously for his people: his prayer thus prefigured the intercession of the one mediator, Christ Jesus.



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Catholic Good News 7-16-2022-"Behold the Lamb of God"

7/16/2022

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In this e-weekly:
- A Pentecostal, a Pope, and an IPhone for Christian Unity (Helpful Hints for Life)
- 12 Keys to Using the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
-  A Simple Prayer for Christian Unity (the praying hands at the very last)

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Catholic Good News

Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
 
Behold the Lamb of God

"Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center..."
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Revelation 5:6
Dear friends in Christ Jesus, 
       
Jesus is proclaimed as the Lamb of God by John the Baptist in the Holy Gospel:
 
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world . - John 1:29 

 

         These are also the words we hear right before we kneel down before the Holy Eucharist as the priest holds Him up, and proclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.  Blessed are those called to supper of the Lamb."
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     Do you and I ever consider that in his flesh, Jesus Christ ended sin and death by being slain and dying on the Cross, and then became food for our very body and soul that we might be transformed so that we might populate Heaven? 


Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
 
P.S. To learn more of why a Lamb, read the piece in Catholic Term. 
 

P.S.  This coming Sunday is the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time .  The readings can be found at:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071722.cfm

P.S.S.  At the end of E-weekly is this week's readings with reflections and questions for self or family.
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Lamb of God
- name given to Christ foreshadowed in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament
[A symbol of Christ. Rendered in many forms as early as the fourth century. Various aspects show the animal balancing a staff by its right front leg, with a wound in its chest pouring blood into a chalice, representing Christ's Blood in the Passion; the staff bearing a flag signifying Christ's victory in the Resurrection; the lamb resting or standing on a closed book with its seven sealed streamers symbolizing Christ as the judge. The lamb is the emblem of docility; "harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly, he never opened his mouth like the lamb that is led to the slaughter house" (Isaiah 53:7).  But the lamb triumphant is portrayed symbolically in the song ascribed to St. Ambrose, "Now at the Lamb's high royal feast," and St. John speaks of the wrath of the Lamb when the sixth seal is broken. As an emblem of St. John the Baptist, it is found in Chartres Cathedral on a banner that reads "Behold the Lamb of God," referring to Christ, "Who takes away the sins of the world." St. Agnes, the child virgin and martyr, is also symbolized by the lamb.] 

 
"Lord, I believe, help my unbelief ."
–prayer of Saint Augustine of Hippo

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​"Helpful Hints of Life"

Pray for Christian Unity

There is more that unites Christians than divides them.  Yet at times this is easy to forget.   Jesus prayed in John 17:

Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are. -John 17:11 
A Pentecostal, a Pope and an iPhone for Christian UnityPosted by Cindy Wooden 
VATICAN CITY — The search for Christian unity is an enterprise that has taken the time and energy of scholars and popes. Recently it got a helping hand from an iPhone and YouTube.
 
Those involved in ecumenism insist on the power of prayer to heal Christian divisions and on the importance of involving not only high-powered theologians, but Christians of every community and every walk of life. They need to meet each other, get to know each other, help each other and pray with and for each other.
 
Putting those sentiments into practice, Pope Francis agreed to record a message to a group of Pentecostals in the United States. His guest, a bishop from a Pentecostal Christian community, did the camera work with an iPhone.

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Screen grab of Pope Francis interview shown to a group of Pentecostals in the United States. (CNS photo)

 
The pope’s message can be seen here, it begins at about 31:35 after Bishop Tony Palmer delivers a speech to a Kenneth Copeland Ministries about the importance of Christian unity for preaching salvation in Christ to the world. The bishop, who also serves as international ecumenical officer for the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, a group that is not affiliated with the Anglican Communion, takes a much simpler view of the path full Christian unity than the pope and the mainline Christian churches do.
 
The translation used for the English subtitles on the video are not precise, but the pope’s sincerity is clear.
 
The video can be found at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ9Ssvs5cgY
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John the Baptist is "more than a prophet." In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his speaking through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah. He proclaims the imminence of the consolation of Israel; he is the "voice" of the Consoler who is coming. As the Spirit of truth will also do, John "came to bear witness to the light." In John's sight, the Spirit thus brings to completion the careful search of the prophets and fulfills the longing of the angels. "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God. . . . Behold, the Lamb of God."  -Catechism of the Catholic Church #719
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Catholic Society of Evangelists
https://catholicsoe.org/

Living and Sharing the fullness of the Faith.  A worldwide lay apostolate centered on love for Christ, consecrated to Mary, loyal to Peter's successor.  The world is in urgent need of discovering Jesus Christ and in being one with His Church. It is within Christ’s Catholic Church - "the pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Tim 3:15) - that the person comes to the fullness of his or her relationship with Jesus. You can be a powerful instrument in communicating this life transforming message.

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By CNA Staff
Denver Newsroom, Jul 15, 2022 / 20:00 pm
Pope Pius XII said, “The devotion to the Carmelite scapular has brought down on the world a copious rain of spiritual and temporal graces.”
On the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, July 16, here are 12 keys to explaining the Brown Scapular and its use:
1. It’s not an amulet.
It’s not a charm or an automatic guarantee of salvation, nor is it a dispensation from living the demands of the Christian life.
St. Claude de la Colombière said: “You ask, what if I would want to die with my sins? I answer you, then you will die in sin, but you will not die with your scapular.”
2. It was an article of clothing.
The word “scapular” comes from the Latin “scapulae,” which means “shoulders” and was originally an overlapping article of clothing worn over the shoulders by monks at work.
The Carmelites adopted it as a sign of special dedication to Our Lady, seeking to imitate her dedication to Christ and neighbor.
3. It’s a gift from the Virgin Mary.
According to tradition, the scapular, as it is now known, was given by the Virgin Mary herself to St. Simon Stock on July 16, 1251.
Mary told him: “It must be a sign and a privilege for you and for all Carmelites: Whoever dies wearing the scapular will not suffer eternal fire.” Later, the Church extended the use of the scapular to the laity.
4. It’s a mini habit.
The scapular is like a miniature Carmelite habit that all devotees can wear as a sign of their consecration to the Virgin Mary.
It consists of a string that is worn around the neck with two small pieces of brown cloth attached. One is placed on the chest and the other on the back, and it is usually worn underneath clothing.
5. It’s a service uniform.
St. Alphonsus Liguori, a doctor of the Church, said: “Just as men are proud that others wear their uniform, so Our Lady, Mother Mary, is pleased when her servants wear their scapular as proof that they have dedicated themselves to her service, and they are members of the family of the Mother of God.”
6. It has three meanings.
The scapular stands for the maternal love and protection of Mary, for belonging to Mary, and for the gentle yoke of Christ that she helps us to bear.
7. It is a sacramental.
The Brown Scapular is recognized by the Church as a sacramental — that is, a sign that helps us to live a holy life and to increase our devotion.
The scapular does not impart grace as the sacraments do, but it disposes the person wearing it to the love of the Lord and to repentance if it is received with devotion.
8. It can be given to a non-Catholic.
One day a dying old man was brought to St. Simon Stock Hospital in New York City. A nurse noticed he was wearing the Brown Scapular and called a priest. As prayers were said over him, the man regained consciousness and told the priest that he wasn’t Catholic but wore the scapular as a promise to his friends. The priest asked the man if he wanted to become Catholic, and before he died the man received Baptism and Anointing of the Sick.
9. It was seen in one of the Fatima apparitions.
Lucia, the visionary of Our Lady of Fatima, reported that in her last apparition (October 1917), Mary appeared with the Carmelite habit, the scapular in her hand, and said that her true children wear it with reverence.
Mary also asked that those who consecrate themselves to her wear it as a sign of that consecration.
10. The scapular has been discovered undamaged after burial.
Blessed Pope Gregory X was buried with his scapular and, 600 years later when his tomb was opened, the object was intact. Something similar happened with St. Alphonsus Liguori.
St. John Bosco and St. John Paul II also wore the scapular, and St. Peter Claver vested the scapular with those he converted.
11. There’s a preferred way to receive the scapular.
The imposition of the scapular should preferably be done in community, and in the ceremony the spiritual meaning and commitment to the Blessed Virgin should be clearly expressed.
The first scapular must be blessed by a priest and placed on the devotee while reciting the following prayer:
“Receive this blessed scapular and ask the Most Holy Virgin Mary, on her merits, that you may wear it without any stain of sin and that she guard you from all adversity and bring you unto everlasting life.”
12. Only the first scapular you receive needs to be blessed.
When the first scapular one receives is blessed, the devotee does not need to ask subsequent scapulars to be blessed. Those that are worn out, if they were blessed, should not be thrown away but should be burned or buried, as is suitable for sacramentals.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA

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Vatican Media / EWTN, YouTubeFifty years ago, Pope St. Paul VI watched Neil Armstrong become the first man to walk on the moon.
The pope looked at the moon from a telescope and watched the landing on television from the Vatican Astronomical Observatory.
He dedicated Psalm 8 to the astronauts, giving them a handwritten letter to leave on the moon. He also blessed them once they landed. He then congratulated President Richard Nixon via telegram for the successful landing.
Pope St. Paul VI sent this message to Apollo 11 astronauts:“Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to men of good will!
Christ, when coming among us from the abysses of the divinity, made this blessed voice resound in the firmament.
Today, we, His humble representative, echo and repeat it as a festive hymn on the part of our whole terrestrial globe, no longer the insurmountable boundary of human existence but the open threshold to the wide expanse of boundless space and new destinies.
Glory to God!
And honor to you, the architects of this great space undertaking! Honor to the men responsible to the scientists, the planners, the organizers, and the technicians who made it a reality!
Honor to all those who have made possible this most daring flight. Honor to all of you who in any way played a part.
Honor to you who, seated at your marvelous instruments, control the flight; to you whom inform the world of the enterprise and its time-table, which extends to the depths of the heavens the wise and bold dominion of man.
Honor, greetings and blessings!
Here, from His Observatory at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, Pope Paul the Sixth is speaking to you astronauts.
Honor, greetings and blessing to you, conquerors of the Moon, pale lamp of our nights and our dreams! Bring to her, with your living presence, the voice of the spirit, a hymn to God, our Creator and our Father.
We are close to you, with our good wishes and with our prayers. Together with the whole Catholic Church, Paul the Sixth salutes you.”


INSPIRED BY POPE FRANCES, CALIFORNIA LEGAL COUNSEL CLINIC OFFERS FREE SERVICES
Oakland, Calif., Jul 19 (EWTN News/CNA) - Free legal counsel and advice may sound too good to be true, but in the Diocese of Oakland, it’s a reality.


On June 7, the Pope Francis Legal Clinic opened in Oakland, California, on the property of the Cathedral of Christ the Light.
“So many people have legal problems because law is everywhere,” Tom Greerty, director and co-founder of the clinic, told EWTN News.


“What we try and do is relieve the hardships of people.”


Experienced lawyers volunteer their time to offer free legal consulting, reconciliation, and resolution services to any adult in the community. 


Greerty, who recently retired from his legal practice in Martinez, California, said the idea started while he was earning his master’s degree in theological studies from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley.
“My professor, Sister Marianne Farina, asked me to do a project which would be consistent with my job,” Greerty said.
That project became the Pope Francis Legal Clinic, and in less than two years, others helped to make his idea a reality.
Nico Herrera, another attorney in the diocese, helped co-found the clinic. The Order of Malta, which runs a health clinic on the cathedral grounds, made space available for the new endeavor with the help of Tony Sanchez Corea, a member of the board. Bishop Michael C. Barber embraced the idea and had the clinic’s name in mind.
“I want this to be called the Pope Francis Legal Clinic,” the bishop told Greerty.
“We agreed to that naturally,” Greerty said.
Bishop Barber had a desire for the clinic to be about mercy, not just the law.
“Mercy is ordinarily not about the law,” Greerty explained. “The law doesn’t think in terms of mercy. The law thinks in terms of justice.”
But Greerty said the bishop wanted him and other faithful lawyers to bring mercy and reconciliation to legal problems that Greerty said are “almost always a breakdown in human relations.”
The lawyers spend an hour with each client. They listen to the client’s story, go over the history of the client’s problem, and try to understand the “nature of the problem.”
“We try to honor the memory of Pope Francis, and what he is trying to do with the Year of Mercy, to try and help people in a merciful way with the law,” Greerty said.
He also noted that the idea could likely be replicated in other dioceses across the country. Many Catholic lawyers are retired or far enough along in their practices to have the time and resources to establish similar clinics, he said.
Bishop Barber blessed the clinic on June 4, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the clinic was consecrated to the Immaculate Heart as well.
Right now, the clinic is open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appointments are required.
According to Greerty, 10 lawyers have signed up to volunteer their services and more than 20 clients have already made appointments.
“I think we may be onto something,” he said.

 
POPE'S GENERAL AUDIENCE: 
"BE COURAGEOUS AND GO TO CONFESSION"


Vatican City, 19 February (VIS) – The Holy Father dedicated his catechesis at this Wednesday's general audience to the Sacrament of penance. After touring St. Peter's Square in an open car, greeting the thousands of faithful who applauded as he passed, the Pope explained that “the forgiveness of our sins is not something we can offer to ourselves; it is not the result of our efforts, but rather a gift from the Holy Spirit, which fills us from the wellspring of mercy and grace that surges endlessly from the open heart of Christ, crucified and risen again. … It reminds us that it is only by allowing ourselves to be reconciled through the Lord Jesus with the Father and with our brothers that we may truly be at peace”.

Pope Francis explained that the celebration of this Sacrament has transformed from its previously public nature to the private and reserved form of Confession. However, “this should not lead to the loss of the ecclesiastical matrix, which constitutes its living context. Indeed, the Christian community is the place in which the presence of the Spirit is felt, which renews hearts in God's love and brings all brothers together as one, in Jesus Christ”. He continued, “For this reason, it is not enough to ask for the Lord's forgiveness in our own minds and hearts, but rather it is also necessary to humbly and trustfully confess our sins to a minister of the Church”.

The Bishop of Rome emphasised that the priest does not only represent God, but rather the community as a whole, and that anyone who seeks to confess only to God should remember that our sins are also committed against our brothers and against the Church, which is why it is necessary to ask forgiveness from them too, and to be ashamed for what we have done. “Shame can be good”, he affirmed; “It is good for us to have a certain amount of shame, because to be ashamed can be healthy. When someone has no shame, in my country we describe them as “sin verguenza”, shameless. Shame can be good as it can make us humble, and the priest receives this confession with love and tenderness, and forgives in the name of God. Also from a human point of view, to unburden oneself, it is good to speak with a brother and to tell the priest those things which lie so heavily upon our hearts. And one feels unburdened before God, with the Church, and with a brother. Do not be afraid of Confession!”

The Pontiff went on to ask those present when they last confessed, and strongly urged them not to overlook Confession. “If a long time has passed, do not waste another day, go, the priest will be good. It is Jesus who is there, and Jesus is better than a priest, Jesus will receive you, he will receive you with love. Be courageous and go to Confession! … Every time we confess, God embraces us, God celebrates! Let us go ahead on this path. May God bless you!”

 
After agreeing to baptize him along with the sinners, John the Baptist looked at Jesus and pointed him out as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world". By doing so, he reveals that Jesus is at the same time the suffering Servant who silently allows himself to be led to the slaughter and who bears the sin of the multitudes, and also the Paschal Lamb, the symbol of Israel's redemption at the first Passover. Christ's whole life expresses his mission: "to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."  -Catechism of the Catholic Church #608
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A bit of humor…

Reaching the end of a job interview, the Human Resources Officer asks a young engineer fresh out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "And what starting salary are you looking for?" The engineer replies, "In the region of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package." The interviewer inquires, "Well, what would you say to a package of five weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50% of salary, and a company car leased every two years, say, a red Corvette?" The engineer sits up straight and says, "Wow! Are you kidding?" The interviewer replies, "Yeah, but you started it."
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Teacher: "If I gave you 2 cats and another 2 cats and another 2, how many would you have?"Johnny: "Seven."Teacher: "No, listen carefully... If I gave you two cats, and another two cats and another two, how many would you have?"Johnny: "Seven."Teacher: "Let me put it to you differently. If I gave you two apples, and another two apples and another two, how many would you have?"Johnny: "Six."Teacher: "Good. Now if I gave you two cats, and another two cats and another two, how many would you have?"Johnny: "Seven!"Teacher: "Johnny, where in the heck do you get seven from?!"Johnny: "Because I've already have a cat!" 


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42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
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A Joke for the Older  (and wiser?) Crowd 
 A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor's office. 

"Is it true," she wanted to know, 

"that the medication you prescribed has 

to be taken for the rest of my life?" 

"Yes, I'm afraid so," the doctor told her. 

There was a moment of silence before the senior lady replied, 

"I'm wondering, then, just how serious is my condition 

because this prescription is marked 'NO REFILLS'."
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For the Married on the topic of OFFSPRING 
         • Ah, children.  A woman knows all about her children.  She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
         • A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

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Prayer for Christian Unity


That we may be one Father as You and your Son are one. Amen.
 


Christ's death is both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of men, through "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world", and the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores man to communion with God by reconciling him to God through the "blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins".  –Catechism of the Catholic Church #613




+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, July 17th, 2022

The First Reading- Genesis 18:1-10A
The LORD appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot.  Looking up, Abraham saw three men standing nearby.  When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them; and bowing to the ground, he said: "Sir, if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on past your servant.  Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet, and then rest yourselves under the tree.  Now that you have come this close to your servant, let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves; and afterward you may go on your way."  The men replied, "Very well, do as you have said." Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah, "Quick, three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls."  He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.  Then Abraham got some curds and milk, as well as the steer that had been prepared, and set these before the three men; and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.  They asked Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?"  He replied, "There in the tent." One of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son."
Reflection
God wants to dwell with each of us personally, intimately—as the mysterious guests once visited Abraham’s tent, as Jesus once entered the home of Mary and Martha. By his hospitality in this week’s First Reading, Abraham shows us how we are to welcome the Lord into our lives. He serves his divine guests (see Hebrews 13:1) selflessly.
Adults - It is said that the three men who visited Abraham were the Trinity - the Lord Himself. Where have you seen the Lord show up unexpectedly in your life?
Teens - Do you see Jesus in the people you encounter each day?  
Kids - How can you love Jesus through your neighbor?

Responsorial- Psalm 15: 2-3, 3-4, 5
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
One who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
by whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
One who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Reflection
-As once He came to Abraham, Mary, and Martha, Christ now comes to each of us in Word and Sacrament. As we sing in this week’s Psalm: He will make His dwelling with those who keep His Word and practice justice (see also John 14:23). God is both just and merciful. What do those descriptions mean to you?

The Second Reading- Colossians 1:24-28
Brothers and sisters: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God's stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.  But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.  It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
Reflection
Jesus is the true Son promised today by Abraham’s visitors (see Matthew 1:1). In Him, God has made an everlasting covenant for all time, made us blessed descendants of Abraham (see Genesis 17:19, 21; Romans 4:16–17, 19–21). The Church now offers us this covenant, bringing to completion the word of God, the promise of His plan of salvation, what Paul calls “the mystery hidden for ages.”
 Are you familiar with the story of salvation history? If you are not, seek some Catholic  resources to learn our family story.

The Holy Gospel according to Luke 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.  She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.  Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?  Tell her to help me."  The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."
Reflection
The story of Martha and Mary is one of the most popular stories in the Gospels, and our familiarity can cause us to fail digging deep into its meaning. We must be clear on what exactly Jesus is rebuking Martha for. Jesus actually does not correct Martha for the fact that she is serving, which is a good thing in and of itself, but that her service is "distracting" her and that Martha is "anxious" about many things. Far from correcting Martha for serving rather than sitting at his feet and listening like her sister Mary, Jesus appears to be telling Martha not that she shouldn't be serving, but that the service should not "pull her away" or "distract" her from the most important thing -- being a disciple of Jesus -- especially if such service is making her "anxious."  This passage is a perfect example from the gospels to do some introspection on our own lives to discover if the service we are doing actually pulls us away from a prayer life that is supposed to order and animate the life of charity and service we give to others.
Adults - Do you offer your work up as a prayer? Do you know how to offer things you go through day to day as prayers?
Teens  - Are you familiar with making your work a prayer? If not, ask someone knowledgeable to teach you!
Kids - The next time you do a difficult job, ask Jesus to help you, and tell him you want to offer the difficulty for someone who needs prayer.

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! –“Martha has come to be, as it were, the symbol of the active life, and Mary that of the contemplative life.  However, for most Christians, called as they are to sanctify themselves in the middle of the world, action and contemplation cannot be regarded as two opposite ways of practicing the Christian faith: an active life forgetful of union with God is useless and barren; but an apparent life of prayer which shows no concern for apostolate and the sanctification of ordinary things also fails to please God.  The key lies in being able to combine these two lives, without either harming the other. Close union between action and contemplation can be achieved in very different ways, depending on the specific vocation each person is given by God.”  --The Navarre Bible - St. Luke
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Catholic Good News 7-9-2022-First Fridays

7/9/2022

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​​+JMJ+

In this e-weekly:- The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ("Helpful Hints of Life")
- Things You Will Probably Never Hear Catholics Say… (Smiling Cat Section)
- The Eucharistic Revival Starts (News Section)


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The Adorable and Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Catholic Good News

Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor


FIRST FRIDAYS
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"But one of the soldiers with a spear opened his side, 

and immediately there came out blood and water."  -John 19:34
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
      Friday, July 3rd marked the continuing of 9 consecutive FIRST FRIDAYS which our Lord asked through St. Margaret Mary that can be offered to His Sacred Heart for special graces and benefit to humanity, especially individuals.


12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour. –Jesus Christ
 
        The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  God's love has been enfleshed in the human heart of Jesus, which we call His Sacred Heart because from it gushed "immediately blood and water. (John 19:34)"   Holy Water in Baptism for the washing away of Original Sin and forgiveness of your sins and mine.  Precious Blood to be drunk to eternal life or for us to be drenched in the Sacrament of Confession for the return to Baptismal innocence after personal sin. 
 
        Look at the website sections for more on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Look to "Helpful Hints of Life" for Jesus 12 Promises to those who have Devotion to His Sacred Heart.  Receive Him, Who is only Love and Mercy, in the Sacraments of His Church!
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert

P.S.  This coming Sunday is 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time-Time ordered for Christian Living.  The readings can be found at:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071022.cfm
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P.S.S.  Sunday Readings with Reflections and Questions at end of e-mail
Homilies (second one contains the Gospel) from Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord is found below (7 minutes length): 


Listen

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Catholic Term
devotion  (Latin devotio "piety, zeal, devotion")
- act or disposition of the will to do promptly what concerns the worship and love of God
[Essential to devotion is readiness to do whatever gives honor to God, whether in public or private prayer (worship) or in doing the will of God (service).  A person who is thus disposed is said to be devoted.  His or her devotedness is ultimately rooted in a great love for God, which in spiritual theology is often called devotion.]

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"Helpful Hints of Life"

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The Twelve Promises of Jesus
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to those who honor His Sacred Heart
given to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.

2. I will give peace in their families.

3. I will console them in all their troubles.

4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.

5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.

6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.

9. I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.

10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.

12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive monthsthe grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour.
 
"Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his Passion, and gave himself up for each one of us: "The Son of God. . . loved me and gave himself for me." He has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, "is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that. . . love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings" without exception. -Catechism of the Catholic Church #478

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For those traveling this summer and needing to get to the Holy Mass.
MASS TIMES AND CATHOLIC CHURCHES throughout the US

http://www.masstimes.org/


Simply type in the town you will be in.  It also gives you the nearest church to you with the closest Mass Time.


https://thecatholictravelguide.com/
Great advice for Catholic travelers

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In Catholic theology, a person is justified by faith and works acting together, which comes solely from God’s divine grace. Faith alone never obtains the grace of justification (Council of Trent, chapter 8, canon 9).  Here and elsewhere, the Scriptures teach that justification is achieved only when “faith and works” act together.  Faith is faith and works are works (James 2:18). They are distinct (mind and action), and yet must act together in order to receive God’s unmerited gift of justification.  Further Reading: James 2
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Students take part in a Eucharistic procession led by St. John XXIII Catholic Parish across Colorado State University. (photo: Rachel Moore / Unsplash)Jonathan Liedl InterviewsJune 19, 2022Today, on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Catholic Church in the United States begins a three-year Eucharistic Revival. The Revival will culminate with a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July 2024, but so much of it will take place in the years before, in dioceses and parishes across the country.
The Revival comes at a time of particular fragmentation in the life of the Church and when multiple indicators suggest that Eucharistic belief and practice have been greatly diminished. Despite these factors, the Eucharistic Revival has been met with skepticism from some corners of the Church, with some expressing concern about the associated cost, while others question whether renewal around Eucharistic belief and practice is even needed.
Tim O’Malley is a sacramental theologian and the director of education at Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life. O’Malley, the author of Real Presence: What Does It Mean and Why Does It Matter and Becoming a Eucharistic People, serves on the Eucharistic Revival’s executive team. He spoke to the Register about why the Revival matters and what he hopes it can accomplish.
 
You were involved in the very early stages of envisioning the Eucharistic Revival. What were some key principles that shaped its development?
Our initial sense was, if you’re going to do something that’s renewing faith in the Eucharist, you don’t just want it to just be an online course in the “Doctrine of the Real Presence.” You need something more intense than that, and you really need something closely linked to a reclamation of the Church’s identity primarily as Eucharistic rather than bureaucratic, which, I think, is the great American heresy and temptation relative to the Church.
If the Revival is to be effective, it won’t just be like a program that the USCCB sends out for local units to use or develop. It has to be received at a local level. So, for instance, our Institute  [for Church Life] has focused on how to form what we’re calling a “Eucharistic culture” in the parish, which isn’t simply reducible to teaching the doctrine of the Real Presence, even if it involves that. 
 
There’s a conception out there that the Eucharistic Revival is in some way a response to political dynamics, namely a pro-abortion Catholic president being elected in November 2019, and that it’s politically motivated. When did the process actually begin?
The discussions started with Bishop Robert Barron, then the head of the USCCB’s committee for evangelization, and his own concern over how an August 2019 Pew report indicated that only 30% of U.S. Catholics believe in the Real Presence. That was the impetus toward revival. And then when Bishop Andrew Cozzens succeeded him as the committee head, he inherited and carried forward the project. So I must say, in my own conversations leading up to it, I don’t think we talked about politics, or at least politicians, even once. There’s no sense that that’s the origin of it.
 
You brought up the Pew study. Some have criticized its language as imprecise, and therefore what it says about Eucharistic belief among U.S. Catholics as not accurate. I know the Church Life Institute is working with the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate to conduct a more in-depth and accurate survey on Americans' Eucharistic beliefs and practices, and we’re looking forward to the results of that. But polls aside, in your work as a theologian, very much focused on the life and practice of the Church in America, does the reality on the ground support the need for a Eucharistic Revival?
I have no doubt that a renewal of the Church is needed. Whether the Pew report is accurate or not? I think that’s more of an intellectual question than a pastoral question. And bishops know that a renewal of the Church to Eucharistic devotion and worship is needed.
This is especially the case after COVID, where we have had a massive drop in attendance at the Eucharist. There’s a lot of people who left. There’s the weirdness of the online Mass that continues. So, yes, there’s a sense that we don’t really know what we’re doing at Mass.
I think the Church is in a sort of Eucharistic crisis. There is a fundamental fragmentation of communion in the Church. We see it among the bishops. We see it in how dioceses and parishes are responding to questions linked to the Latin Mass; or in responses to COVID, where people stood, and the kind of “fights” that happened. There’s a lot of fragmentation in the Church. There’s a lot of suspicion within the Church. There are problems, and we’re looking for people to scapegoat. 
And all we have are “pastoral strategies,” which tend to be reduced to strategic planning and business plans. And I’m not against any of those things, but it easily reduces the Church to a bureaucracy. What’s lost in all of this is the Church as communion — a communion that the Church doesn’t assemble according to herself. She didn’t make it. It comes as a gift from the side of Christ. And remembering the reason for the Church, this sort of Eucharistic mystery, the self-giving love of Christ poured out on the cross, the Blood of the Lamb, is probably not a bad thing right now, at a moment when we need healing. And so this is a moment for a missionary Eucharistic renewal of the Church.
 
You’re speaking of the Eucharist as something far more fundamental to the identity and reality of the Church than, say, a devotion to the Blessed Sacrament in the adoration chapel.
By describing the Eucharist as the “source and summit of our faith,” the Second Vatican Council was really reclaiming the Eucharist as the enactment of the deepest identity of the Church. And “People of God” isn’t some democratic credo, it’s a Eucharistic image. It’s the people convoked in the desert and fed with manna from above. They’ve become a people not through their own ingenuity, but through the sacrificial love of God poured out.
And, of course, when the Church is called the new People of God, this is what it means. It’s the convoking of all members of the world, not around an ideology or not around even a strategic plan, but around the Eucharistic love of Christ. 
The Eucharist is not just an isolated doctrine. It’s a doctrine really connected to the very existence of what the Church is in the first place.
 
Relatedly, some have seen the Eucharistic Revival as disconnected from our duty to address injustices in our society. Along the lines of what you were just talking about, how do you see being a Eucharistic people as actually connected to those kinds of social concerns?
Benedict XVI’s Sacrament of Charity was very clear that the Eucharist is not just an event where the pious faithful gathered together to prove themselves as pious and then depart and leave. He is so clear throughout his magisterium that the Eucharist transforms the concrete mode of human life so that it becomes an offering to the neighbor. Or, as he said in, God Is Love: a Eucharist that does not result in the concrete practice of charity is intrinsically fragmented.
Justice is linked much more closely to solidarity and the common good, but where do we, as Christians, learn solidarity? What does Jesus reveal about it? Well, it’s communion. God’s total communion with men and women is the first act of solidarity. This is celebrated in the Eucharistic mystery of the Church. 
And so the virtue we need to learn most of all is solidarity, as John Paul II noted, which isn’t like a big “I feel you, bro,” but a profound commitment to the flourishing of the neighbor out of the common good. And the Eucharist, of course, is the heart. We learn this profound act of solidarity in the Church through this Eucharistic rite, where we learn that our neighbor is, in fact, as St. Thomas notes, a member of this body of believers, this mixed bag in which we are united to one another. And your good is my good, and my good is your good. This is the foretaste of the Eucharistic life, and that’s the Eucharistic theology of the Church. That’s the res tantum or “final reality” that Eucharistic reality points towards.
And so the Church has to live out this mystery concretely in the parish. For example, if a parish says, we love adoration, but we don’t care about racism, then you’ve already misunderstood the Eucharistic mystery.
 
 So in that kind of case, we might be objectively receiving the Eucharist, but it’s not fully received.
It’s not received fruitfully, so it doesn’t bear fruit. So I think a Eucharistic Revival isn’t going to lead to a bunch of people just going to their parish and adoring Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and ending it there. The retreat the “Eucharistic Preachers” already had in urban Chicago, that’s a great example of being in communion with others. That’s my hope for the Revival.
 
In your book Becoming a Eucharistic People, you talk about four facets of Eucharistic parish culture: celebrating the liturgy with joyful reverence; formation that engages the mind, will and imagination; a rich life of popular piety and the vibrancy of the domestic Church; and the commitment to solidarity with our neighbor. How do you see the Eucharistic Revival as contributing to building up those different dimensions?
First of all, the Eucharistic Revival has to begin with the celebration of the liturgy itself. If people have a lack of Eucharistic faith, one of the reasons is because it’s not very clear that the Eucharist is very important to what we’re doing in the parish. It’s done poorly; it’s not well prayed. The music isn’t always very good; the architecture is kind of junky. Silence has been removed. There’s just not the sort of sense that this is real.
So part of the Revival’s focus is on the ars celebrandi, or the art of celebration. How does the priest actually experience renewal so that he can pray the Eucharistic Prayer well? It’s not just a question of having the right postures or gestures, but, actually, how do you have a spiritual disposition where you’re praying these words instead of announcing them like you’re at a baseball game? You have to have a profoundly deep life of prayer. 
For integral Eucharistic formation, our catechesis can’t just be giving information about the doctrine of Real Presence and what that means. It has to involve your memory and imagination. So what images are we initiating people into from Scripture? From the Tradition of the Church? Eucharistic catechesis has to involve a deeper understanding. People have to ask really big questions out of this mystery, and it has to change the way they live.
The Revival is creating resources to aid in this kind of deeper, imaginative formation, not just imparting a bunch of information. Our institute is developing a resource to help people do the same kind of spiritual reflection they’re doing with the Bible, but to do it with the Eucharistic Prayer. We’re setting it up so it engages as often as possible with imagery from Scripture, along with images of beautiful, famous altar pieces and Eucharistic sacred music. This forms the imagination and gives us new images by which to approach the Eucharistic mystery.
We also need to develop a popular Eucharistic Catholicism, so that the Mass isn’t the only Eucharistic experience we have. This is especially important in America, where it’s very easy to privatize our faith. Once Sunday is over, what do I do the rest of the week?
So, for example, we’re thinking a lot through processions. What does it mean to do a Eucharistic procession in a rural community around harvest time? What does it mean to do a Eucharistic procession through Santa Monica in Los Angeles? Or through parishes in St. Louis that have been fractured by racism? The procession has always been a way to sort of extend the Eucharistic mystery out into the rest of life.
We also want to help families to not just celebrate the Mass, but to celebrate the entire liturgical year as a family. Linked to that is work. How do you think about your work in light of a vocation to sanctify the world? One of the early 20th-century liturgical reformers, Josef Jungmann, emphasized the way that the liturgy was supposed to transform the life of the worker and the worker movements, because you come to recognize the link between what you’re doing at Mass and the work you’re doing as a carpenter or laborer; between the Church and the entire social order. This is something Virgil Michel, the founder of liturgical renewal in the U.S., realized when he visited Europe, and he began to communicate with people like Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton about how liturgical life was needed to renew the social order. 
I think we severed this link. It seems like, after the Second Vatican Council, we’ve been so focused on “What direction is the priest facing?” that we’ve forgotten this other part. If we can reunite them, it creates spaces of evangelization and renewal outside of just Sunday Mass at the parish. For example, the Catholic Worker community in Portland, Oregon, is thinking about the relationship between liturgy and communion. And they’re working with Notre Dame Federal Credit Union to develop ways of doing sustainable banking and business practices that arise from this commitment to Catholic life. We’re offering a course on it called “Economy and Communion.” 
 
Again, it seems like the Eucharistic practice and belief that you and the Revival are trying to promote has a kind of depth and breadth to it that goes beyond what we normally think about when we think about the Eucharist.
There’s a lot more to draw out here that has to be drawn out so that we don’t think of the liturgy as just something to excite people so they go out on mission, but that it’s actually our regular attendance at the Eucharist that inspires our economic practices and our social practices — and that a liturgy that is very reverent, what we might call “smells and bells,” is very closely linked to this social renewal.
 
You’ve already mentioned this, but religious practice in the U.S. tends to be very individualistic and privatized, and this can even affect how we relate to Christ in the Eucharist. How do you help people get to this kind of communal perspective you’re talking about?
One of the problems after the Second Vatican Council is that devotions, which are very personal and even emotive, got collapsed into the liturgy, which is supposed to be more sober and available for everyone to participate in. So we just add and add to the liturgy, because we lost a meaningful place in our lives for devotions.
Eucharistic adoration was revived after the Council, but the task is to integrate the two, Eucharistic liturgy and devotion, which still has not been done in a variety of contexts. The sacrifice of the Mass is the Church’s offering. Christ becomes present at the Mass not as an object, but as a Person who comes to offer that sacrifice and enable us to receive him, and thus offer the sacrifice of our lives in common. And Eucharistic adoration is an extension of the original gift, and it’s needed to extend that gift in all sorts of ways, but we still don’t know how to deal with the relationship between devotion and the formal liturgy of the Church.
 
What are you most looking forward to about the Revival?
It’s an interesting moment to think about charism in the Church. Rather than a top-down approach, where the bishops are saying, “This is the Eucharistic Revival; this has to be exactly like this,” if the Church is smart, it’s going to say, “This is the Eucharistic Revival: Go.” I think we could see a lot of new creative charism that could pop up out of this nationally.
 
People talk similarly about John Paul II’s visit to Denver for World Youth Day in 1993, that it was an event that generated a lot of new life in the Church. 
I think the Revival can do that as long as we don’t think about the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis alone as the event. Events are different today because of things like YouTube and how they can close that distance. Instead, I think of the Revival as a process of helping people reclaim charism through the Eucharist: Are you participating in the consecration of the world back to the Father, and what are your particular ways of doing it?
Because I’m one of the only academics working on the Revival at the national level, I’ve been encouraging universities to think about what they’re going to do intellectually around the Eucharist. For instance, Benedictine College’s 2023 “Symposium on Transforming Culture” will focus on the Eucharist.
 
What’s your message to Catholics who aren’t onboard with the Eucharistic Revival or don’t know why they should participate in it?
I can understand why there are those who would be suspicious. If you spend enough time in the Church, then you know that these regular sort of “years of renewal” seem to pop up every year, and you’re looking at the price tag and you’re like, “Could we not be spending our money on something better than this?” I’m open to suspicion, and we have to be careful that when people are suspicious, we don’t just shut them down right away. So I would say, ask questions, to your bishop, to your pastor: “What is this? Why are we doing it? What’s happening?”
But in the long run, I think this is essential because we are still in this moment of receiving the Second Vatican Council. And the key to that reception is whether or not we understand the Eucharistic identity and mission of the Church. If the Church is going to be more than a bureaucracy or a cultural institution that once upon a time was important but is now losing its vigor, it’s going to be through the Eucharist. It’s not going to be through a six-day strategic planning retreat. It’s going to be through this. And so that’s why I’m excited about the Eucharistic Revival.​


Polish President Entrusts Poland to Our Lady at Marian Shrine After Re-Election, Prays Evening Prayer
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Polish President Andrzej Duda visited the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland after winning the his second presidential term on July 13. The monastery contains a shrine and a miraculous image of Our Lady of Częstochowa.
The president participated in Evening Prayer and dedicated Poland to Our Lady.
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Did you know the Catholic Church started both the hospital and university systems?
In this week’s episode of The Catholic Talk Show, Ryan Scheel, Fr. Rich Pagano, and Ryan DellaCross discuss “7 Reasons the Dark Ages Weren’t Actually That Dark.”
In this portion of the podcast, the group explains the Catholic Church’s deep involvement in founding the hospital and university systems we know today.
Listen to the full story below:
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THIS 95-YEAR-OLD CATHOLIC COUPLE DIED IN EACH OTHER'S ARMS...

San Diego, Calif. (EWTN News/CNA) - Few love stories can say that they began at the age of eight. But for Jeanette and Alexander Toczko, they couldn't have imagined life any other way. 
 
What began as a childhood crush later bloomed into a deep, committed love – a love that would last throughout a war, five children, and seventy-five years of marriage.
“Their hearts beat as one from as long as I can remember,” said Aimee Toczko-Cushman, one of the couple's five children, according to the Daily Mail.
 
After meeting his future wife at the age of eight, Alexander Toczko married Jeanette in 1940 while he was enrolled in the U.S. Navy as a telegraph operator. Alexander was a devoted husband to his wife Jeanette, and as Catholics, he fondly carried a snapshot of Jeanette's First Holy Communion in his wallet. 
 
The Toczko's settled in San Diego, California in 1971 where Alexander and Jeanette worked together, establishing their own fashion photography and advertising firm. Alexander had a passion for golf and sketching, and the couple loved to travel with each other. 
 
They raised their five children in the San Diego area, and over the years became the proud grandparents of ten grandchildren.
 
This past June, the couple celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. Alexander, a WWII veteran, was 95 and Jeanette was 96. 
 
The couple's health had been declining over the months, especially after Alexander had taken a recent fall, breaking his hip. 
 
“He was going fast,” their son, Richard Toczko, remembered.
 
Hospice care was brought to Jeanette and Alexander's home, so that they could share their own bed and stay close to each other in their final moments.
 
Remarkably, the inseparable couple had a dying wish that they often told their children – they both wanted to pass away together, in each other's arms and in their own bed.
Alexander was the first to go on June 17. Once Jeanette had been informed that her husband had died, she said, “See this is what you wanted. You died in my arms and I love you. I love you, wait for me, I'll be there soon.”
 
Jeanette died only hours after her husband on June 18.
 
“Even the hospice nurse said it was the most incredible thing to see the two of them taking those last breaths together,” Aimee Toczko-Cushman said.
 
“They both entered the pearly gates holding hands,” reflected their son, Richard Toczko.
A funeral mass was held for Alexander and Jeanette on June 29, a ceremony which commemorated both their lives and their 75th wedding anniversary. They were buried at the Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego.


 

" 1. Be especially attentive "to the content and unity of the whole Scripture". Different as the books which compose it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God's plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his Passover.
The phrase "heart of Christ" can refer to Sacred Scripture, which makes known his heart, closed before the Passion, as the Scripture was obscure. But the Scripture has been opened since the Passion; since those who from then on have understood it, consider and discern in what way the prophecies must be interpreted."   -Catechism of the Catholic Church #112
 ​
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A bit of humor…

 Some Thoughts:
-“What's the name of your new dog?” “I don’t know. He won’t tell.”


-Daddy reads some bedtime stories to make little Jonny fall asleep.  Half an hour later mommy opens quietly the door and asks: “And, is he asleep?”  Little Jonny answers: “Yes, finally.”
50 Things You'll (probably) Never Hear Catholics Say

16)  Go ahead and ask me all your questions about Catholicism.  I feel pretty confident that I can answer all of them.


17)  There are too many people in the front pews at Mass.


18)  I had my conversion through Religious Ed.


19)  Birth Control or Natural Family Planning (NFP)?  I haven’t really heard any strong opinions one way or the other.


20)  Donuts after Mass AGAIN?!?!


21)  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, that 2600 page book? Yeah, it's a pretty quick read. Totally beach material.


22)  All that exorcism stuff doesn’t freak me out at all. 


23)  You're interested in celibacy, too?!!


24)  G.K. Chesterton… He was Anglican, right?


25)  I don't know who to pray to when I lose my stuff!


26)  I never really get distracted during the Rosary either.


27)  Latin Tridentine Mass and Novus Ordo are practically the same thing.


28)  I, too, have a devotion to St. Willibald.


29)  How ‘bout them Crusades?!


30)  Mary who?


31)  I just wish the Sisters of Life were more joyful.


32)  I’m not at all self-conscious after Ash Wednesday Mass.  Let’s go to the disco.


33)  What marriage controversy?


34)  I think St. Patrick would be proud of how we celebrate him.


35)  I miss Limbo.


 


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


Several days ago as I left a meeting at our church, I desperately gave myself a personal TSA pat down. 
I was looking for my keys.  They were not in my pockets.  A quick search in the meeting room revealed nothing.


Suddenly I realized, I must have left them in the car.  

Frantically, I headed for the parking lot.  My wife, Diane, has scolded me many times for leaving the keys in the ignition.  My theory is the ignition is the best place not to lose them.  Her theory is that the car will be stolen.  

As I burst through the doors of the church, I came to a terrifying conclusion.  Her theory was right. The parking lot was empty.

 
I immediately called the police, gave them my location, confessed that I had left my keys in the car and that it had been stolen.  

Then I made the most difficult call of all, “Honey,” I stammered.  I always call her “honey”in times like these.  “I left my keys in the car, and it has been stolen.”
 
There was a period of silence.  I thought the call had been dropped, but then I heard Diane’s voice. “Ken” she barked, “I dropped you off!” 

Now it was my turn to be silent.  Embarrassed, I said, “Well, can you please come and get me.”  

Diane retorted, “I will, as soon as I can convince this policeman I have not stolen your car!”
​


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Prayer to the Sacred Heart

0 Jesus!  divine Savior, from whose Heart comes forth this bitter complaint, "I looked for one that would comfort me, and I found none," graciously accept the feeble consolation we offer You, and aid us so powerfully by your grace, that we may, for the time to come, shun more and more all that can displease You, and prove ourselves in everything, and everywhere, and forever Your most faithful and devoted servants.  We ask it through Your Sacred Heart, O Lord, who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit  one God, world without end.  Amen. 
 



"Christ is the light of humanity; and it is, accordingly, the heart-felt desire of this sacred Council, being gathered together in the Holy Spirit, that, by proclaiming his Gospel to every creature, it may bring to all men that light of Christ which shines out visibly from the Church." These words open the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. By choosing this starting point, the Council demonstrates that the article of faith about the Church depends entirely on the articles concerning Christ Jesus. The Church has no other light than Christ's; according to a favorite image of the Church Fathers, the Church is like the moon, all its light reflected from the sun."  -Catechism of the Catholic Church #748




+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, July 10th, 2022

The First Reading- Deuteronomy 30: 10-14
Moses said to the people: "If only you would heed the voice of the LORD, your God, and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this book of the law, when you return to the LORD, your God, with all your heart and all your soul.  "For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you.  It is not up in the sky, that you should say, 'Who will go up in the sky to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?'  Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?'  No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out."
Reflection
Deuteronomy is of great importance in the Old Testament and is where we see Moses repeat the Ten Commandments for the second time. It is one of the top three most quoted books of the New Testament, including quotes by Jesus. It does us well to understand this final book of the Torah. The reading to day is one of Moses’s final speeches to the people of Israel. He speaks of the natural law that is written into human nature, and implores them to follow it. The Catechism (paragraph 1955) tells us that this law is expressed in the Ten Commandments, which we still adhere to today.
Adults - The Ten Commandments are still in force today, in the New Covenant.  Take some time and pray with them this week, with a good Catholic examen that walks through the meaning of each. 
Teens - The Ten Commandments go hand in hand with the Beatitudes. Take some time this week to read through both, and contemplate how they work together.  
Kids - Which commandment is hardest for you? Why do you think that is? Ask God to help you live it better!

Responsorial- Psalm 69: 14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37
R.Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
I pray to you, O LORD,
 for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
 with your constant help.
Answer me, O LORD, for bounteous is your kindness:
 in your great mercy turn toward me.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
I am afflicted and in pain;
 let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
 and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
 you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
 and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
For God will save Zion
 and rebuild the cities of Judah.
The descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
 and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
Reflection
-We are to love like the singer of this week’s Psalm—like those whose prayers have been answered, like those whose lives have been saved, who have known the time of His favor, have seen God in His great mercy turn toward us. This is the love that leads to eternal life, the love Jesus commands today of each of us—“Go and do likewise.” What prayers has God answered for you recently? What situations do you need to offer up to Him this week?

The Second Reading- Colossians 1: 15-20
Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  He is the head of the body, the church.  He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent.  For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.
Reflection
Jesus is “the image of the invisible God,” this week’s Epistle tells us. In Him, the love of God has come very near to us. By the “blood of His Cross”—by bearing His neighbors’ sufferings in His own body, being Himself stripped and beaten and left for dead—He saved us from bonds of sin, reconciled us to God and to one another. This is also a reminder to us that Jesus is the way, not just a way to the Father. While other religions, philosophies, etc may grasp some parts of the truth, Jesus is the whole truth that leads to eternal life.  Try to do an intentional Work of Mercy this week.

The Holy Gospel according to Luke 10:25-37
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"  Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"  He said in reply, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."  He replied to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."  But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.  They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.  A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.  Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.  But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight.  He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.  Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him.  The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him.  If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.'  Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."  Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." 
Reflection
We are to love God and our neighbor with all the strength of our being, as the scholar of the Law answers Jesus in this week’s Gospel. The scholar, however, wants to know where he can draw the line. That’s the motive behind his question: “Who is my neighbor?” In his compassion, the Samaritan in Jesus’ parable reveals the boundless mercy of God—who came down to us when we were fallen in sin, close to dead, unable to pick ourselves up.  Like the Samaritan, He pays the price for us, heals the wounds of sin, pours out on us the oil and wine of the sacraments, entrusts us to the care of His Church, until He comes back for us. Because His love has known no limits, ours cannot either. We are to love as we have been loved, to do for others what He has done for us—joining all things together in His Body, the Church. This is the love that leads to eternal life, the love Jesus commands today of each of us—“Go and do likewise.”
Adults - How do you combine justice and mercy in your life? How do you make sure you are living the way God asks, but also being merciful to those around you who believe differently than you? 
Teens  - Who do you know that needs the kind of love we see in the Good Samaritan?
Kids - Do a good deed for someone else as often as possible this week!
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! –“One way to express love for one's neighbor is to perform the "works of mercy," which get their name from the fact that they are not duties in justice. There are fourteen such works, seven spiritual and seven corporal. The spiritual are: To convert the sinner; To instruct the ignorant; To counsel the doubtful; To comfort the sorrowful; To bear wrongs patiently; To forgive injuries; To pray for the living and the dead. The corporal works are: To feed the hungry; To give drink to the thirsty; To clothe the naked; To shelter the homeless; To visit the sick; To visit the imprisoned; To bury the dead.” —Excerpted from The Navarre Bible—St. Luke

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