In this e-weekly:
- Sunday Readings with Reflection and Questions (at end of e-mail)
- When There is a Problem, "We just pray." Lebanese Teen Started Charity to get Medical Care to the Poor (Diocesan News and Beyond)
- Pope and Cardinals Speak About Kneeling (Catholic Websites of the Week under laptop)
- Sunday Readings with Reflection and Questions (at end of e-mail)
- When There is a Problem, "We just pray." Lebanese Teen Started Charity to get Medical Care to the Poor (Diocesan News and Beyond)
- Pope and Cardinals Speak About Kneeling (Catholic Websites of the Week under laptop)
Catholic Good News
Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
Kneeling
After withdrawing about a stone's throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying,
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done."
-Luke 22:41-42
Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
Kneeling
After withdrawing about a stone's throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying,
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done."
-Luke 22:41-42
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
When one is at the Holy Mass, they kneel from the conclusion of the Holy, Holy, Holy to the conclusion of the Great Amen and after the Lamb of God. This has been given by the Pope and received by the U.S. Bishops in the 2007 directives for the Mass (IGRM [GIRM] #43).
Why do we do this and why do we sometimes kneel when we privately pray? Let Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI explain it:
“Kneeling does not come from any culture — it comes from the Bible and its knowledge of God. The central importance of kneeling in the Bible can be seen in a very concrete way. The word proskynein alone occurs fifty-nine times in the New Testament, twenty-four of which are in the Apocalypse, the book of the heavenly Liturgy, which is presented to the Church as the standard for her own Liturgy.” - The Spirit of the Liturgy
So kneeling comes to us from God by way of revelation in the Sacred Scripures (Holy Bible). But why is it so important? The Pope Emeritus continues:
“The two aspects are united in the one word, because in a very profound way they belong together. When kneeling becomes merely external, a merely physical act, it becomes meaningless. On the other hand, when someone tries to take worship back into the purely spiritual realm and refuses to give it embodied form, the act of worship evaporates, for what is purely spiritual is inappropriate to the nature of man. Worship is one of those fundamental acts that affect the whole man. That is why bending the knee before the presence of the living God is something we cannot abandon.” - The Spirit of the Liturgy
So he highlights that for worship to be real it must be on our hearts spiritually AND reflected in our bodies physically, in this case, by kneeling.
Jesus Himself prayed kneeling before His Father:
After withdrawing about a stone's throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done." -Luke 22:41-42
May these truths and realities make our next time of prayer on our knees more real and more life-changing!
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
P.S. This Sunday is the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time. The readings can be found at: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101622.cfm
When one is at the Holy Mass, they kneel from the conclusion of the Holy, Holy, Holy to the conclusion of the Great Amen and after the Lamb of God. This has been given by the Pope and received by the U.S. Bishops in the 2007 directives for the Mass (IGRM [GIRM] #43).
Why do we do this and why do we sometimes kneel when we privately pray? Let Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI explain it:
“Kneeling does not come from any culture — it comes from the Bible and its knowledge of God. The central importance of kneeling in the Bible can be seen in a very concrete way. The word proskynein alone occurs fifty-nine times in the New Testament, twenty-four of which are in the Apocalypse, the book of the heavenly Liturgy, which is presented to the Church as the standard for her own Liturgy.” - The Spirit of the Liturgy
So kneeling comes to us from God by way of revelation in the Sacred Scripures (Holy Bible). But why is it so important? The Pope Emeritus continues:
“The two aspects are united in the one word, because in a very profound way they belong together. When kneeling becomes merely external, a merely physical act, it becomes meaningless. On the other hand, when someone tries to take worship back into the purely spiritual realm and refuses to give it embodied form, the act of worship evaporates, for what is purely spiritual is inappropriate to the nature of man. Worship is one of those fundamental acts that affect the whole man. That is why bending the knee before the presence of the living God is something we cannot abandon.” - The Spirit of the Liturgy
So he highlights that for worship to be real it must be on our hearts spiritually AND reflected in our bodies physically, in this case, by kneeling.
Jesus Himself prayed kneeling before His Father:
After withdrawing about a stone's throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done." -Luke 22:41-42
May these truths and realities make our next time of prayer on our knees more real and more life-changing!
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
P.S. This Sunday is the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time. The readings can be found at: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101622.cfm
P.S.S. More than a few are trying to change this authentic develop in the history of the Church. The Pope warns:
There are groups, of no small influence, who are trying to talk us out of kneeling. "It doesn't suit our culture", they say (which culture?) "It's not right for a grown man to do this — he should face God on his feet". Or again: "It's not appropriate for redeemed man — he has been set free by Christ and doesn't need to kneel any more". - The Spirit of the Liturgy
Do not receive false talk or thinking as St. Paul warns. If interested check out the website section (below) for more foundation of kneeling from history and Church documents.
582. Why can we dare to draw near to God in full confidence? (Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC 2777-2778, 2797)
a) because Jesus brings us to the Father
b) because of the beauty of our prayer
c) we cannot because the distance between God and us, the creature, is infinite
d) we cannot because we do not have the power or authority to do so
583. How is it possible to address God as “Father”? (CCC 2779-2785, 2789, 2798-2800)
a) because Jesus reveals the Father to us
b) because the Holy Spirit makes Him known to us
c) because it awakens in us the desire to act as His children
d) all of the above
584. Why do we say “our” Father? (CCC 2786-2790, 2801)
a) because He is our own possession
b) because it expresses a totally new relationship with God
c) because we can have God any way we want Him
d) none of the above
a) because Jesus brings us to the Father
b) because of the beauty of our prayer
c) we cannot because the distance between God and us, the creature, is infinite
d) we cannot because we do not have the power or authority to do so
583. How is it possible to address God as “Father”? (CCC 2779-2785, 2789, 2798-2800)
a) because Jesus reveals the Father to us
b) because the Holy Spirit makes Him known to us
c) because it awakens in us the desire to act as His children
d) all of the above
584. Why do we say “our” Father? (CCC 2786-2790, 2801)
a) because He is our own possession
b) because it expresses a totally new relationship with God
c) because we can have God any way we want Him
d) none of the above
Catholic Term of the Week
Kneeling (from Middle English knelen “knee”)
- to fall or rest on both knees
Kneeling (from Middle English knelen “knee”)
- to fall or rest on both knees
“Helpful Hints of Life”
1-800-FREE-411 (1-800-373-3411)
This is truly FREE directory assistance. Call this number, listen to a short ad, and then via automated system you can get almost any listed phone number anywhere in US for FREE.
No one, whether shepherd or wise man, can approach God here below except by kneeling before the manger at Bethlehem and adoring him hidden in the weakness of a new-born child. -Catechism of the Catholic Church #563
1-800-FREE-411 (1-800-373-3411)
This is truly FREE directory assistance. Call this number, listen to a short ad, and then via automated system you can get almost any listed phone number anywhere in US for FREE.
No one, whether shepherd or wise man, can approach God here below except by kneeling before the manger at Bethlehem and adoring him hidden in the weakness of a new-born child. -Catechism of the Catholic Church #563
Some Articles and Church References for Kneeling
The Theology Of Kneeling - More from Pope Benedict XVI
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4607&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=724494
Stand Up For Kneeling
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=2785&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=724494
"Why don't they want us to kneel at Mass?"
https://adoremus.org/?s=Kneeling -Reference for kneeling from the Holy Bible and more
The Theology Of Kneeling - More from Pope Benedict XVI
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4607&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=724494
Stand Up For Kneeling
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=2785&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=724494
"Why don't they want us to kneel at Mass?"
https://adoremus.org/?s=Kneeling -Reference for kneeling from the Holy Bible and more
Best Parish Practices
OFFER RESOURCES FOR THE DAILY MASS READINGS/MEDITATION AT CHURCH
Parish can purchase and offer booklets of meditations on Daily Mass Readings.
BENEFITS:
You can get quality Catholic resources in the hands of parishioners assisting and helping them to pray and take time everyday to meditate on the Sacred Scriptures.
HOW:
Talk to your Parish Priest and ask if some quality resources offering meditations or Daily Readings with meditations can be purchased and offered near the bulletins for people to partake of. Some concrete resources are Word Among Us, Magnificat, etc. If that is not possible, a donor might be sought or come forward who could help the parish offer it.
OFFER RESOURCES FOR THE DAILY MASS READINGS/MEDITATION AT CHURCH
Parish can purchase and offer booklets of meditations on Daily Mass Readings.
BENEFITS:
You can get quality Catholic resources in the hands of parishioners assisting and helping them to pray and take time everyday to meditate on the Sacred Scriptures.
HOW:
Talk to your Parish Priest and ask if some quality resources offering meditations or Daily Readings with meditations can be purchased and offered near the bulletins for people to partake of. Some concrete resources are Word Among Us, Magnificat, etc. If that is not possible, a donor might be sought or come forward who could help the parish offer it.
Diocesan News AND BEYOND
Twenty-one-year-old Helena Andraos only remembers one thing from her 10-day coma: waking up.
At 19, she was nearly killed in the devastating explosion that rocked the coastal port of Beirut, Lebanon, just over two years ago. Knocked unconscious by the blast while in her home, Andraos was left with a black eye the size of a baseball, shattered glass implanted in her skull, a fractured knee, and abrasions all over her body.
At 19, she was nearly killed in the devastating explosion that rocked the coastal port of Beirut, Lebanon, just over two years ago. Knocked unconscious by the blast while in her home, Andraos was left with a black eye the size of a baseball, shattered glass implanted in her skull, a fractured knee, and abrasions all over her body.
Helena Andraos when she woke up from her coma. Helena AndraosAlthough she woke up from her coma, the fight for her life had only just begun. She had to pay thousands of dollars for follow-up head surgery to preserve her life.
But that amount of money is out of reach for most Lebanese, including Andraos, as an ongoing economic crisis has crippled the Middle Eastern country.
Andraos got the money she needed for her surgery in fewer than two weeks thanks to the hard work of another 19-year-old woman, Marina Khawand from Beirut. Khawand, now 21, could not afford to personally donate any money to Andraos. All Khawand had was a willing heart.
But that willing heart accomplished huge feats, as Andraos became one of the thousands of ill or injured Lebanese who benefited from Khawand’s missionary work following the blast.
Khawand’s mission of aiding the sick and poor during the ongoing fiscal disaster turned into a nongovernmental organization in Lebanon that has since served 18,000 people in the country. She says that her work is just beginning.
‘I had faith’Khawand’s Beirut-based NGO, which she called Medonations, aims to provide free, equal, and fair medical assistance to all vulnerable Lebanese patients living in the country, she said.
Khawand says common over-the-counter medicines like Tylenol are hard to come by in the country, even if one can afford it, because of supply chain problems.
So, the main service Medonations provides is securing medicine for Lebanese patients who are otherwise unable to afford or obtain them. But her services are flexible depending on what is needed most at the moment.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Medonations provided oxygen machines to COVID-19 patients. In September, Khawand distributed solar panel backpacks to schoolchildren that provided power for cell phones and flashlights in order to keep a continual charge while the country suffers major power supply problems.
She has also raised money for surgery, as in Andraos’s case.
Khawand raises the funds and resources through calls for help on social media. She says the response of individuals all over the world has been overwhelming.
Khawand’s mission of helping her people began on Aug. 4, 2020, the day of the Beirut blast.
“After the blast, I just went down the streets. I didn’t have any resources to help. I just went down, cleaning down the homes, asking people how we can help them, and trying to rescue some of the citizens that were severely injured,” Khawand said.
It was soon after the blast that Khawand heard about Andraos’ situation.
After Andraos woke up from her coma, she needed $7,000 to pay for surgery on her skull. It would cost another $1,000 for physical therapy following the surgery.
“I had faith that we would be able to raise the money,” Khawand told CNA. The money was raised in a week and a half through a flier on Instagram. Now, Andraos, completely recovered from her surgery, is one of the volunteers that helps Khawand serve. They’ve also become close friends.
But that amount of money is out of reach for most Lebanese, including Andraos, as an ongoing economic crisis has crippled the Middle Eastern country.
Andraos got the money she needed for her surgery in fewer than two weeks thanks to the hard work of another 19-year-old woman, Marina Khawand from Beirut. Khawand, now 21, could not afford to personally donate any money to Andraos. All Khawand had was a willing heart.
But that willing heart accomplished huge feats, as Andraos became one of the thousands of ill or injured Lebanese who benefited from Khawand’s missionary work following the blast.
Khawand’s mission of aiding the sick and poor during the ongoing fiscal disaster turned into a nongovernmental organization in Lebanon that has since served 18,000 people in the country. She says that her work is just beginning.
‘I had faith’Khawand’s Beirut-based NGO, which she called Medonations, aims to provide free, equal, and fair medical assistance to all vulnerable Lebanese patients living in the country, she said.
Khawand says common over-the-counter medicines like Tylenol are hard to come by in the country, even if one can afford it, because of supply chain problems.
So, the main service Medonations provides is securing medicine for Lebanese patients who are otherwise unable to afford or obtain them. But her services are flexible depending on what is needed most at the moment.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Medonations provided oxygen machines to COVID-19 patients. In September, Khawand distributed solar panel backpacks to schoolchildren that provided power for cell phones and flashlights in order to keep a continual charge while the country suffers major power supply problems.
She has also raised money for surgery, as in Andraos’s case.
Khawand raises the funds and resources through calls for help on social media. She says the response of individuals all over the world has been overwhelming.
Khawand’s mission of helping her people began on Aug. 4, 2020, the day of the Beirut blast.
“After the blast, I just went down the streets. I didn’t have any resources to help. I just went down, cleaning down the homes, asking people how we can help them, and trying to rescue some of the citizens that were severely injured,” Khawand said.
It was soon after the blast that Khawand heard about Andraos’ situation.
After Andraos woke up from her coma, she needed $7,000 to pay for surgery on her skull. It would cost another $1,000 for physical therapy following the surgery.
“I had faith that we would be able to raise the money,” Khawand told CNA. The money was raised in a week and a half through a flier on Instagram. Now, Andraos, completely recovered from her surgery, is one of the volunteers that helps Khawand serve. They’ve also become close friends.
Marina Khawand and Helena Andraos became good friends after Khawand helped raise $7,000 for Andraos's head surgery. Marina Khawand“Marina is incredible. I don’t know how at 19 she started doing Medonations and how she’s still managing it with her university studies,” Andraos said.
In addition to her friendship with Andraos, Khawand maintains strong relationships between the families that she serves on a monthly basis, she said.
“Many of the families have invited us to their houses for some coffee, lunch, dinner, and some have come to visit us in our offices as well,” she said. “We volunteer our work and it’s not a job for us.”
Andraos, now with a brand new plate in her head from her surgery, said that volunteering with Medonations has been the “best experience in my life” because of the smiles of people she has helped.
Medonations is run completely by volunteers. Not even Khawand takes a salary for her work, which she takes on along with her law degree studies at Sagesse University in Forn El Chebbak — just outside of Beirut.
But it’s all worth it because she knows this is what God is calling her to do, she said.
“Seeing all this suffering, more than a hundred patients per day, it’s not in your hands, it’s all in God’s hands,” Khawand said. “So every single time we see a problem, we just pray.”
Pope Francis beatified 15-year-old Carlo Acutis on Sat., Oct. 10, 2020 in Assisi, Italy.
Born on May 3, 1991, Bl. Carlo is best known for his incredible computer programming skills and his website dedicated to Eucharistic miracles. The Italian teen also deeply loved the Eucharist and Our Lady. He prayed the Rosary and went to Mass every day.
Bl. Carlo died of leukemia on Oct. 12, 2006. He offered his sufferings for “the pains of the Pope and the Church.” His tomb remains on display in Assisi, due to the vast number of pilgrims visiting before and following his beatification.
He is also the first millennial to be named “blessed.”
Born on May 3, 1991, Bl. Carlo is best known for his incredible computer programming skills and his website dedicated to Eucharistic miracles. The Italian teen also deeply loved the Eucharist and Our Lady. He prayed the Rosary and went to Mass every day.
Bl. Carlo died of leukemia on Oct. 12, 2006. He offered his sufferings for “the pains of the Pope and the Church.” His tomb remains on display in Assisi, due to the vast number of pilgrims visiting before and following his beatification.
He is also the first millennial to be named “blessed.”
Here’s 15 quotes from this new blessed to inspire you in your daily living:
1) “The Eucharist is the highway to heaven.”
2) “Our soul is like a hot air balloon. If by chance there is a mortal sin, the soul falls to the ground. Confession is like the fire underneath the balloon enabling the soul to rise again. . . It is important to go to confession often.”
3) “Continuously ask your guardian angel for help. Your guardian angel has to become your best friend.”
4) “All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies.”
5) “I am happy to die because I lived my life without wasting even a minute of it on anything unpleasing to God.”
6) “The Virgin Mary is the only woman in my life.”
7) “I offer all the suffering I will have to suffer for the Lord, for the Pope, and the Church.”
8) “Do not be afraid because with the Incarnation of Jesus, death becomes life, and there’s no need to escape: in eternal life, something extraordinary awaits us.”
9) “The more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on this earth we will have a foretaste of heaven”.
10) “When we face the sun we get a tan… but when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist we become saints.”
11) “By standing before the Eucharistic Christ, we become holy.”
12) “Our goal must be infinite, not the finite. The infinite is our homeland. Heaven has been waiting for us forever.”
13) “Sadness is looking at ourselves, happiness is looking towards God.”
14) “The only thing we have to ask God for, in prayer, is the desire to be holy.”
15) “What does it matter if you can win a thousand battles if you cannot win against your own corrupt passions? It doesn’t matter. The real battle is with ourselves.”
Bl. Carlo Acutis, pray for us!
1) “The Eucharist is the highway to heaven.”
2) “Our soul is like a hot air balloon. If by chance there is a mortal sin, the soul falls to the ground. Confession is like the fire underneath the balloon enabling the soul to rise again. . . It is important to go to confession often.”
3) “Continuously ask your guardian angel for help. Your guardian angel has to become your best friend.”
4) “All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies.”
5) “I am happy to die because I lived my life without wasting even a minute of it on anything unpleasing to God.”
6) “The Virgin Mary is the only woman in my life.”
7) “I offer all the suffering I will have to suffer for the Lord, for the Pope, and the Church.”
8) “Do not be afraid because with the Incarnation of Jesus, death becomes life, and there’s no need to escape: in eternal life, something extraordinary awaits us.”
9) “The more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on this earth we will have a foretaste of heaven”.
10) “When we face the sun we get a tan… but when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist we become saints.”
11) “By standing before the Eucharistic Christ, we become holy.”
12) “Our goal must be infinite, not the finite. The infinite is our homeland. Heaven has been waiting for us forever.”
13) “Sadness is looking at ourselves, happiness is looking towards God.”
14) “The only thing we have to ask God for, in prayer, is the desire to be holy.”
15) “What does it matter if you can win a thousand battles if you cannot win against your own corrupt passions? It doesn’t matter. The real battle is with ourselves.”
Bl. Carlo Acutis, pray for us!
The Saint and the Synod – Pope St. John Paul II’s Legacy Still Seen in Church TeachingBy Angela AmbrogettiVatican City, Oct 22 / 04:55 pm (EWTN News/CNA) - Though it has been more than 10 years since the death of Pope John Paul II, the saint’s impact can still be seen in those working to uphold Church teaching at the Synod on the Family, said his former secretary.
“The teaching of the magisterium of the Church and of John Paul II is always current,” said Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki of Lviv.
He told CNA that the words and writings of St. John Paul II are being frequently invoked by bishops at the synod who are defending the Church’s teachings on marriage.
Responding to calls for the Church to permit the divorced-and-remarried to receive Communion, he said, “many bishops have recalled the great teaching of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI which they expressed clearly, that it would be against the doctrine of the Church, against the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sacrament of Penance, against grace.”
Archbishop Mokrzycki, who is the president of the Ukrainian Bishops Conference, is among the synod fathers gathered in Rome for the Oct. 4-25 Synod on the Family, which gathers bishops from around the world to discuss issues relating to families in the Church today.
But many remember Archbishop Mokrzycki for another role – one of John Paul II’s two personal secretaries during the last nine years of his life.
Archbishop Mokrzycki spoke to CNA’s sister agency, ACI Stampa Oct. 22, the feast day of St. John Paul II. He discussed the Pope’s legacy, relevance to the synod, and what it was like to live beside a saint. The full transcript of the interview is below:
Q: Your Excellency, today – Oct. 22, the feast of St. John Paul II – is a special day for you personally and for the universal Church. It might be difficult for you to explain how you feel, but maybe we can try?
It is a great joy for us, and I don't only mean the Polish people, but for the entire Church, to think about the day of the election of John Paul II, who after his election won over the whole world, particularly the Italians, because he said those beautiful and famous words: “I don't know if I can explain myself well in your – in our – Italian language. If I make a mistake, correct me.” And from then on, all the children of Italy when they met him said: you asked us to correct you, so say it right!
It was a special day for the entire Church, and we saw it for the entirety of his long pontificate, he was an extraordinary man.
Q: What was it like to live with a saint? Was it more joy, or work?
Both – joy and fatigue, because John Paul II was a very strong man with himself and with others. We worked a lot and made others work a lot. And this is also why we saw that his pontificate was very interesting and very rich.
Q: What has he taught you as a bishop and as a pastor that is useful for your mission today?
The Holy Father was not only the head of the universal Church, not only the head of the Vatican State, but was above all a pastor, the bishop of the diocese of Rome, and he underlined this a lot during his pontificate. He wanted to visit all the parishes of the diocese. And at the end when we saw that he had so much fatigue and couldn’t visit the parishes anymore, about 20 parishes remained and he wanted to meet them just them same, and so he invited all the parishes that he still hadn’t visited to the Paul VI Hall. And we saw that the Romans were very grateful for this great gesture of love, because they saw that the Pope didn’t neglect them, he didn’t forget them, and even if he couldn’t go, he invited them to his house. And so also for me.
He was a great pastor. I was able to learn from him a vision of pastoral life, of concern for all levels, of love for one’s neighbor, of charity and of bringing people to salvation. The great ones, the poor, the little ones; I saw how with great love he embraced each and every one.
Q: Of the magisterium of John Paul II, a large part was dedicated to the family. Right now you are busy with the synod on the family. How does this magisterium enter into the synodal debate?
During the pontificate of John Paul II, above all in the years in which I was with him, the Pope didn’t speak a lot about his family. He sometimes spoke about his father, sometimes about his sister that he lost as a child and his brother who was a doctor that died young. But he made it visible that around him was a great family of friends, a great family of the Church. And then I saw that in the years I was with him many families came to find him from different parts of the world: from Poland, from Italy, from the United States. He had the capacity of maintaining contact with many people, with many families and not only Christians. Also and above all with many Jewish families. And in this I saw the importance of contact with the family, and as the Pope he underlined the role of the family in the life of the Church and in the life of society.
From the beginning of his pontificate, he placed a lot of focus on the great role of the family. He dedicated a cycle of catechesis in the Wednesday audiences to the passage in Genesis which says: male and female I created them. And then there is the apostolic letter to the family, Familiaris Consortio. He was very committed in the development of this theme and was close to the family, to emphasize the great importance of the family in daily life, and the necessity of being close to the family in order to live better the vocation of each one. Because every person has a vocation, to be a religious sister, a priest, a doctor. But to be a family is a great beauty, but also a committed vocation that requires responsibility, and is also difficult to live. Because of this, John Paul II wanted to help this vocation to grow.
Q: Now 10 years after John Paul II’s death, what is his legacy today?
The teaching of the magisterium of the Church and of John Paul II is always current. Of course society has changed a bit, because culture changes, circumstances change. Also during this synod the bishops have brought different problems and family difficulties. Some wanted to be a little bit “progressive” and offer Communion to the divorced-and-remarried, but many bishops have recalled the great teaching of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI which they expressed clearly, that it would be against the doctrine of the Church, against the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sacrament of Penance, against grace. Certainly the teaching of John Paul II was perhaps very demanding, but real. If we want our faith to have value, we must bear some sort of difficulty, because only then are we faithful to the teaching of Jesus Christ.
Q: What does your diocese bring to the synod?
For me, it was a great experience, because I was able to hear testimonies and the vision of life and of the Church throughout the world on the different continents. But I want to say above all that we bishops are very close to families, we want to help people grow in the vocation of being in a marriage, a family. And we know that this vocation is very beautiful, very important, but we also want to help families realize their vocation and their commitment.
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Elderly Priests, Sisters are 'true shrines of holiness,' Pope Says
VATICAN CITY, October 18 (CNA/EWTN News) .- During his daily Mass homily Pope Francis reflected on various biblical figures who experienced difficulty in their old age, and encouraged those present not to forget the elderly.
The Pope directed his reflections to those gathered in the Santa Marta guesthouse of the Vatican on Oct. 18 for his daily Mass, centering his thoughts upon the latter lives of Moses, John the Baptist and Saint Paul.
These three figures, he noted, remind him of "the shrines of holiness which are the nursing homes of elderly priests and religious sisters."
Pope Francis recalled the excitement and enthusiasm displayed by all three men in their youth, and contrasted it to isolation and pain they suffered at the end of their lives, stressing that although none of them were spared suffering in their old age, the Lord never abandoned them.
Noting that the apostle Paul "has a joyful and enthusiastic beginning," the Pope recalled that he experienced a decline in the latter years of his life, and both Moses and John the Baptist shared a similar experience.
"Moses, when young," stressed the pontiff, was "the courageous leader of the People of God who fought against his enemies" in order to save his people, however at the end of his life "he is alone on Mount Nebo, looking at the promised land" but is unable to enter it.
Saint John the Baptist, noted the Pope, in his later life was tormented by anguish, and "finished under the power of a weak, corrupt and drunken ruler who in turn was under the power of an adulteress' jealousy and the capricious wishes of a dancer."
Turning his thoughts back to Saint Paul, Pope Francis stressed that the apostle endured a similar experience, speaking in his letters of those who abandoned him and rejected his teachings.
However, the Pope clarified that although Paul wrote about his great sufferings, he also wrote that "the Lord was close to him and gave him the strength to complete his mission of announcing the Gospel."
Pope Francis concluded his reflections by stressing that the situations of the three biblical characters in their old age reminded him of those elderly priests and religious sisters in nursing homes.
Referring to them as a "shrine of holiness," he urged the guests present not to forget the elderly, and to visit them, because "bearing the burden of solitude, these priests and sisters are waiting for the Lord to knock at the door of their hearts."
In the liturgy of the New Covenant every liturgical action, especially the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments, is an encounter between Christ and the Church. The liturgical assembly derives its unity from the "communion of the Holy Spirit" who gathers the children of God into the one Body of Christ. This assembly transcends racial, cultural, social - indeed, all human affinities. -Catechism of the Catholic Church #1097
“The teaching of the magisterium of the Church and of John Paul II is always current,” said Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki of Lviv.
He told CNA that the words and writings of St. John Paul II are being frequently invoked by bishops at the synod who are defending the Church’s teachings on marriage.
Responding to calls for the Church to permit the divorced-and-remarried to receive Communion, he said, “many bishops have recalled the great teaching of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI which they expressed clearly, that it would be against the doctrine of the Church, against the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sacrament of Penance, against grace.”
Archbishop Mokrzycki, who is the president of the Ukrainian Bishops Conference, is among the synod fathers gathered in Rome for the Oct. 4-25 Synod on the Family, which gathers bishops from around the world to discuss issues relating to families in the Church today.
But many remember Archbishop Mokrzycki for another role – one of John Paul II’s two personal secretaries during the last nine years of his life.
Archbishop Mokrzycki spoke to CNA’s sister agency, ACI Stampa Oct. 22, the feast day of St. John Paul II. He discussed the Pope’s legacy, relevance to the synod, and what it was like to live beside a saint. The full transcript of the interview is below:
Q: Your Excellency, today – Oct. 22, the feast of St. John Paul II – is a special day for you personally and for the universal Church. It might be difficult for you to explain how you feel, but maybe we can try?
It is a great joy for us, and I don't only mean the Polish people, but for the entire Church, to think about the day of the election of John Paul II, who after his election won over the whole world, particularly the Italians, because he said those beautiful and famous words: “I don't know if I can explain myself well in your – in our – Italian language. If I make a mistake, correct me.” And from then on, all the children of Italy when they met him said: you asked us to correct you, so say it right!
It was a special day for the entire Church, and we saw it for the entirety of his long pontificate, he was an extraordinary man.
Q: What was it like to live with a saint? Was it more joy, or work?
Both – joy and fatigue, because John Paul II was a very strong man with himself and with others. We worked a lot and made others work a lot. And this is also why we saw that his pontificate was very interesting and very rich.
Q: What has he taught you as a bishop and as a pastor that is useful for your mission today?
The Holy Father was not only the head of the universal Church, not only the head of the Vatican State, but was above all a pastor, the bishop of the diocese of Rome, and he underlined this a lot during his pontificate. He wanted to visit all the parishes of the diocese. And at the end when we saw that he had so much fatigue and couldn’t visit the parishes anymore, about 20 parishes remained and he wanted to meet them just them same, and so he invited all the parishes that he still hadn’t visited to the Paul VI Hall. And we saw that the Romans were very grateful for this great gesture of love, because they saw that the Pope didn’t neglect them, he didn’t forget them, and even if he couldn’t go, he invited them to his house. And so also for me.
He was a great pastor. I was able to learn from him a vision of pastoral life, of concern for all levels, of love for one’s neighbor, of charity and of bringing people to salvation. The great ones, the poor, the little ones; I saw how with great love he embraced each and every one.
Q: Of the magisterium of John Paul II, a large part was dedicated to the family. Right now you are busy with the synod on the family. How does this magisterium enter into the synodal debate?
During the pontificate of John Paul II, above all in the years in which I was with him, the Pope didn’t speak a lot about his family. He sometimes spoke about his father, sometimes about his sister that he lost as a child and his brother who was a doctor that died young. But he made it visible that around him was a great family of friends, a great family of the Church. And then I saw that in the years I was with him many families came to find him from different parts of the world: from Poland, from Italy, from the United States. He had the capacity of maintaining contact with many people, with many families and not only Christians. Also and above all with many Jewish families. And in this I saw the importance of contact with the family, and as the Pope he underlined the role of the family in the life of the Church and in the life of society.
From the beginning of his pontificate, he placed a lot of focus on the great role of the family. He dedicated a cycle of catechesis in the Wednesday audiences to the passage in Genesis which says: male and female I created them. And then there is the apostolic letter to the family, Familiaris Consortio. He was very committed in the development of this theme and was close to the family, to emphasize the great importance of the family in daily life, and the necessity of being close to the family in order to live better the vocation of each one. Because every person has a vocation, to be a religious sister, a priest, a doctor. But to be a family is a great beauty, but also a committed vocation that requires responsibility, and is also difficult to live. Because of this, John Paul II wanted to help this vocation to grow.
Q: Now 10 years after John Paul II’s death, what is his legacy today?
The teaching of the magisterium of the Church and of John Paul II is always current. Of course society has changed a bit, because culture changes, circumstances change. Also during this synod the bishops have brought different problems and family difficulties. Some wanted to be a little bit “progressive” and offer Communion to the divorced-and-remarried, but many bishops have recalled the great teaching of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI which they expressed clearly, that it would be against the doctrine of the Church, against the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sacrament of Penance, against grace. Certainly the teaching of John Paul II was perhaps very demanding, but real. If we want our faith to have value, we must bear some sort of difficulty, because only then are we faithful to the teaching of Jesus Christ.
Q: What does your diocese bring to the synod?
For me, it was a great experience, because I was able to hear testimonies and the vision of life and of the Church throughout the world on the different continents. But I want to say above all that we bishops are very close to families, we want to help people grow in the vocation of being in a marriage, a family. And we know that this vocation is very beautiful, very important, but we also want to help families realize their vocation and their commitment.
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Elderly Priests, Sisters are 'true shrines of holiness,' Pope Says
VATICAN CITY, October 18 (CNA/EWTN News) .- During his daily Mass homily Pope Francis reflected on various biblical figures who experienced difficulty in their old age, and encouraged those present not to forget the elderly.
The Pope directed his reflections to those gathered in the Santa Marta guesthouse of the Vatican on Oct. 18 for his daily Mass, centering his thoughts upon the latter lives of Moses, John the Baptist and Saint Paul.
These three figures, he noted, remind him of "the shrines of holiness which are the nursing homes of elderly priests and religious sisters."
Pope Francis recalled the excitement and enthusiasm displayed by all three men in their youth, and contrasted it to isolation and pain they suffered at the end of their lives, stressing that although none of them were spared suffering in their old age, the Lord never abandoned them.
Noting that the apostle Paul "has a joyful and enthusiastic beginning," the Pope recalled that he experienced a decline in the latter years of his life, and both Moses and John the Baptist shared a similar experience.
"Moses, when young," stressed the pontiff, was "the courageous leader of the People of God who fought against his enemies" in order to save his people, however at the end of his life "he is alone on Mount Nebo, looking at the promised land" but is unable to enter it.
Saint John the Baptist, noted the Pope, in his later life was tormented by anguish, and "finished under the power of a weak, corrupt and drunken ruler who in turn was under the power of an adulteress' jealousy and the capricious wishes of a dancer."
Turning his thoughts back to Saint Paul, Pope Francis stressed that the apostle endured a similar experience, speaking in his letters of those who abandoned him and rejected his teachings.
However, the Pope clarified that although Paul wrote about his great sufferings, he also wrote that "the Lord was close to him and gave him the strength to complete his mission of announcing the Gospel."
Pope Francis concluded his reflections by stressing that the situations of the three biblical characters in their old age reminded him of those elderly priests and religious sisters in nursing homes.
Referring to them as a "shrine of holiness," he urged the guests present not to forget the elderly, and to visit them, because "bearing the burden of solitude, these priests and sisters are waiting for the Lord to knock at the door of their hearts."
In the liturgy of the New Covenant every liturgical action, especially the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments, is an encounter between Christ and the Church. The liturgical assembly derives its unity from the "communion of the Holy Spirit" who gathers the children of God into the one Body of Christ. This assembly transcends racial, cultural, social - indeed, all human affinities. -Catechism of the Catholic Church #1097
A bit of humor…
Teacher: "Why are you praying in class little Johnny?” Little Johnny: “My mom taught me to always pray before going to sleep."
Little Johnny, why does your little sister cry? Because I helped her. But that is a good thing! What did you help her with? I helped her eat her gummy bears.
Pronunciation
Wife: “Oh the weather is lovely today. Shall we go out for a quick jog?“ - Husband: “Hahaha, I love the way you pronounce ‘Shall we go out and have a cake’!”
Optimist: The glass is half full. Pessimist: The glass is half empty. Mother: Why didn’t you use a coaster!
Friendly Competition…
My girlfriend and I often laugh about how competitive we are. But I laugh more.
Dating a Hoarder
I used to date a hoarder, and she broke up with me. That stings extra hard—I’m like the one thing she can get rid of.
A Teacher Tries
There was a teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put his boots on. He asked for help and she could see why. With her pulling and him pushing, the boots still didn't want to go on.
When the second boot was finally on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost whimpered when the little boy said, "Teacher, they're on the wrong feet." She looked, and sure enough, they were. It wasn't any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on -- this time on the right feet.
He then announced, "These aren't my boots." She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, "Why didn't you say so?" like she wanted to. Once again, she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off.
He then said, "They're my brother's boots. My Mom made me wear them." The teacher didn't know if she should laugh or cry. She mustered up the grace to wrestle the boots on his feet again.
She said, "Now, where are your mittens?" He said, "I stuffed them in the toes of my boots."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jesus and Satan were having an argument as to who was the better programmer. This went on for a few hours until they agreed to hold a contest with God the Father as the judge. They sat at their computers and began. They typed furiously for several hours, lines of code streaming up on the screen. Seconds before the end of the competition, a bolt of lightning struck, taking out the electricity. Moments later, the power was restored, and God the Father announced that the contest was over. He asked Satan to show what he had come up with. Satan was visibly upset and cried, "I have nothing. I lost it all when the power went out." "Very well, then," God the Father said, "Let us see if Jesus did any better." Jesus entered a command and the screen came to life in vivid display, the voice of an angelic choir poured forth from the speakers. Satan was astonished. "But how? I lost everything, yet Jesus' program was intact. How did he do it?" God chuckled, "Jesus saves!"
________________________________
TIME TO PRAY
A pastor asked a little boy if he said his prayers every night. 'Yes, sir.' the boy replied.
'And, do you always say them in the morning, too?' the pastor asked..
'No sir,' the boy replied. 'I ain't scared in the daytime.'
________________________________
WHY GO TO CHURCH?
One Sunday morning, a mother went in to wake her son and tell him it was time to get ready for church,
to which he replied, "I'm not going."
"Why not?" she asked.
I'll give you two good reasons," he said. "(1), I'm tired, and (2), I don't fell like it."
His mother replied, "I'll give you two good reasons why you SHOULD go to church:
(1) You're 59 years old, and (2) you're the pastor!"
Teacher: "Why are you praying in class little Johnny?” Little Johnny: “My mom taught me to always pray before going to sleep."
Little Johnny, why does your little sister cry? Because I helped her. But that is a good thing! What did you help her with? I helped her eat her gummy bears.
Pronunciation
Wife: “Oh the weather is lovely today. Shall we go out for a quick jog?“ - Husband: “Hahaha, I love the way you pronounce ‘Shall we go out and have a cake’!”
Optimist: The glass is half full. Pessimist: The glass is half empty. Mother: Why didn’t you use a coaster!
Friendly Competition…
My girlfriend and I often laugh about how competitive we are. But I laugh more.
Dating a Hoarder
I used to date a hoarder, and she broke up with me. That stings extra hard—I’m like the one thing she can get rid of.
A Teacher Tries
There was a teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put his boots on. He asked for help and she could see why. With her pulling and him pushing, the boots still didn't want to go on.
When the second boot was finally on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost whimpered when the little boy said, "Teacher, they're on the wrong feet." She looked, and sure enough, they were. It wasn't any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on -- this time on the right feet.
He then announced, "These aren't my boots." She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, "Why didn't you say so?" like she wanted to. Once again, she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off.
He then said, "They're my brother's boots. My Mom made me wear them." The teacher didn't know if she should laugh or cry. She mustered up the grace to wrestle the boots on his feet again.
She said, "Now, where are your mittens?" He said, "I stuffed them in the toes of my boots."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jesus and Satan were having an argument as to who was the better programmer. This went on for a few hours until they agreed to hold a contest with God the Father as the judge. They sat at their computers and began. They typed furiously for several hours, lines of code streaming up on the screen. Seconds before the end of the competition, a bolt of lightning struck, taking out the electricity. Moments later, the power was restored, and God the Father announced that the contest was over. He asked Satan to show what he had come up with. Satan was visibly upset and cried, "I have nothing. I lost it all when the power went out." "Very well, then," God the Father said, "Let us see if Jesus did any better." Jesus entered a command and the screen came to life in vivid display, the voice of an angelic choir poured forth from the speakers. Satan was astonished. "But how? I lost everything, yet Jesus' program was intact. How did he do it?" God chuckled, "Jesus saves!"
________________________________
TIME TO PRAY
A pastor asked a little boy if he said his prayers every night. 'Yes, sir.' the boy replied.
'And, do you always say them in the morning, too?' the pastor asked..
'No sir,' the boy replied. 'I ain't scared in the daytime.'
________________________________
WHY GO TO CHURCH?
One Sunday morning, a mother went in to wake her son and tell him it was time to get ready for church,
to which he replied, "I'm not going."
"Why not?" she asked.
I'll give you two good reasons," he said. "(1), I'm tired, and (2), I don't fell like it."
His mother replied, "I'll give you two good reasons why you SHOULD go to church:
(1) You're 59 years old, and (2) you're the pastor!"
Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all because they offend You, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.
The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.
-Catechism of the Catholic Church #1377
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all because they offend You, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.
The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.
-Catechism of the Catholic Church #1377
+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, October 16th, 2022
The First Reading- Exodus 17:8-13
In those days, Amalek came and waged war against Israel. Moses, therefore, said to Joshua, "Pick out certain men, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." So Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. Moses' hands, however, grew tired; so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset. And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Reflection
We should recall the context here. After the ten plagues and the Passover, Israel has left Egypt a few weeks ago, crossed the Red Sea, and now entered into the Sinai Peninsula, a vast, rocky, mountainous desert. Amalek was a nation of nomads that controlled the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula. The Amalekites are not happy to have the Israelites moving through the outskirts of the their territory, and they sent bands of scouts to trail them. Now on their way to Mount Sinai, the Israelites are attacked outright by the bulk of the Amalekite forces, and they are forced to respond, despite the fact that they are not military men but former slaves, and have few if any proper weapons. The young man Joshua goes out to lead those forces the Israelites could muster, while Moses goes to the mountain top to beseech God in prayer. The moral sense of this text is a good example of the complementarity of prayer and action, of ora et labora (pray and work). The people fight and pray: both are necessary, for the same reason that faith and works operate together. How curious that Moses’ prayers are necessary! Why doesn’t God just send victory without them? Surely he could! Yet this is the mystery of God’s will: that he chooses to incorporate our participation in the fulfillment of his plans (See Thomas, Summa Q. 83). He ordains to grant victory to Israel through Moses’ intercession. Prayer is a cooperation with God’s will for us.
Adults - Do you offer your work up as a prayer?
Teens - Do you make time for both work and prayer in your life?
Kids - Think of one chore you don’t enjoy doing. Offer that chore up as a prayer while you are doing it!
Responsorial- Psalm 121: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Reflection
-Appropriately, the Lectionary follows the account of the life-or-death spiritual battle against Amalek with a spiritual warfare psalm, an ancient prayer that the people of Israel once took on their lips to invoke the protection of their God, the LORD, against the curses and evils of a violent pagan world.
Do you ask God’s protection throughout the day?
The Second Reading- 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2
Beloved: Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
Reflection
We could always do a better job of meditation on Scripture. To do so requires us not necessarily to add more things to our schedule, but just to pay more attention to the rhythm of prayer handed to us in the Church’s liturgy. There is plenty of Scripture in the Liturgy of the Hours and the Lectionary. Let’s be more attentive when we read it or hear it proclaimed. Do you take time to read Scripture every day? Try to start that habit this week!
The Holy Gospel according to Luke 18:1-8
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Reflection
As is his custom, Jesus uses an earthly, every-day-life example to teach spiritual lessons. Israelites were well-familiar with government corruption and local officials who looked out only for themselves. They could probably think of examples of civic judges, appointed by the Romans or some other authority, who had cared nothing for the widows, orphans, poor, and sick in their cities. Yet this persistent widow prevails over the unjust judge in Jesus parable. The judge concedes, lest “she finally come and strike me.” This last line is probably a mistranslation: the Greek verb rendered “strike me” is better translated “wear me out.” The judge is not worried about the old woman coming and hitting him with her cane, but just in become exhausted by her constant asking. The message is simple: if evil authorities concede to persistence, how much more a loving Father! So let us not give up persevering in prayer.
Adults - Is it easy for you to persevere in prayer? Do you get discouraged? How can you fight that discouragement?
Teens - What are you struggling with in your life that you can consistently take to God in prayer?
Kids - Think of something your struggling with, or that someone that you love is struggling with. Pray about that every day this week!
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! –“Our divine Lord teaches us, in this parable, the need for perseverance in prayer. This perseverance develops our trust and confidence in God. It helps us to become humble and to realize how weak we are when left to ourselves. It keeps us close to God, as we learn how dependent we are on His generosity. If we only would realize that God is perhaps never closer to us than when we think He is forgetting us! The trials of life, spiritual or temporal, which He allows us to suffer are not obstacles to our spiritual progress but rather stepping-stones without which we could not cross the rivers of life at all.” — Excerpted from The Sunday Readings Cycle C, Fr. Kevin O' Sullivan, O.F.M.
582. Why can we dare to draw near to God in full confidence? a) because Jesus brings us to the Father: Because Jesus, our Redeemer, brings us into the Father’s presence and his Spirit makes us his children. We are thus able to pray the Our Father with simple and filial trust, with joyful assurance and humble boldness, with the certainty of being loved and heard.
583. How is it possible to address God as “Father”? d) all of the above:We can invoke the “Father” because the Son of God made man has revealed him to us and because his Spirit makes him known to us. The invocation, Father, lets us enter into his mystery with an ever new sense of wonder and awakens in us the desire to act as his children. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are therefore aware of our being sons of the Father in the Son.
584. Why do we say “our” Father? b) because it expresses a totally new relationship with God: “Our” expresses a totally new relationship with God. When we pray to the Father, we adore and glorify him with the Son and the Holy Spirit. In Christ we are “his” people and he is “our” God now and for eternity. In fact, we also say “our” Father because the Church of Christ is the communion of a multitude of brothers and sisters who have but “one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32).
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, October 16th, 2022
The First Reading- Exodus 17:8-13
In those days, Amalek came and waged war against Israel. Moses, therefore, said to Joshua, "Pick out certain men, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." So Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. Moses' hands, however, grew tired; so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset. And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Reflection
We should recall the context here. After the ten plagues and the Passover, Israel has left Egypt a few weeks ago, crossed the Red Sea, and now entered into the Sinai Peninsula, a vast, rocky, mountainous desert. Amalek was a nation of nomads that controlled the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula. The Amalekites are not happy to have the Israelites moving through the outskirts of the their territory, and they sent bands of scouts to trail them. Now on their way to Mount Sinai, the Israelites are attacked outright by the bulk of the Amalekite forces, and they are forced to respond, despite the fact that they are not military men but former slaves, and have few if any proper weapons. The young man Joshua goes out to lead those forces the Israelites could muster, while Moses goes to the mountain top to beseech God in prayer. The moral sense of this text is a good example of the complementarity of prayer and action, of ora et labora (pray and work). The people fight and pray: both are necessary, for the same reason that faith and works operate together. How curious that Moses’ prayers are necessary! Why doesn’t God just send victory without them? Surely he could! Yet this is the mystery of God’s will: that he chooses to incorporate our participation in the fulfillment of his plans (See Thomas, Summa Q. 83). He ordains to grant victory to Israel through Moses’ intercession. Prayer is a cooperation with God’s will for us.
Adults - Do you offer your work up as a prayer?
Teens - Do you make time for both work and prayer in your life?
Kids - Think of one chore you don’t enjoy doing. Offer that chore up as a prayer while you are doing it!
Responsorial- Psalm 121: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Reflection
-Appropriately, the Lectionary follows the account of the life-or-death spiritual battle against Amalek with a spiritual warfare psalm, an ancient prayer that the people of Israel once took on their lips to invoke the protection of their God, the LORD, against the curses and evils of a violent pagan world.
Do you ask God’s protection throughout the day?
The Second Reading- 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2
Beloved: Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
Reflection
We could always do a better job of meditation on Scripture. To do so requires us not necessarily to add more things to our schedule, but just to pay more attention to the rhythm of prayer handed to us in the Church’s liturgy. There is plenty of Scripture in the Liturgy of the Hours and the Lectionary. Let’s be more attentive when we read it or hear it proclaimed. Do you take time to read Scripture every day? Try to start that habit this week!
The Holy Gospel according to Luke 18:1-8
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Reflection
As is his custom, Jesus uses an earthly, every-day-life example to teach spiritual lessons. Israelites were well-familiar with government corruption and local officials who looked out only for themselves. They could probably think of examples of civic judges, appointed by the Romans or some other authority, who had cared nothing for the widows, orphans, poor, and sick in their cities. Yet this persistent widow prevails over the unjust judge in Jesus parable. The judge concedes, lest “she finally come and strike me.” This last line is probably a mistranslation: the Greek verb rendered “strike me” is better translated “wear me out.” The judge is not worried about the old woman coming and hitting him with her cane, but just in become exhausted by her constant asking. The message is simple: if evil authorities concede to persistence, how much more a loving Father! So let us not give up persevering in prayer.
Adults - Is it easy for you to persevere in prayer? Do you get discouraged? How can you fight that discouragement?
Teens - What are you struggling with in your life that you can consistently take to God in prayer?
Kids - Think of something your struggling with, or that someone that you love is struggling with. Pray about that every day this week!
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! –“Our divine Lord teaches us, in this parable, the need for perseverance in prayer. This perseverance develops our trust and confidence in God. It helps us to become humble and to realize how weak we are when left to ourselves. It keeps us close to God, as we learn how dependent we are on His generosity. If we only would realize that God is perhaps never closer to us than when we think He is forgetting us! The trials of life, spiritual or temporal, which He allows us to suffer are not obstacles to our spiritual progress but rather stepping-stones without which we could not cross the rivers of life at all.” — Excerpted from The Sunday Readings Cycle C, Fr. Kevin O' Sullivan, O.F.M.
582. Why can we dare to draw near to God in full confidence? a) because Jesus brings us to the Father: Because Jesus, our Redeemer, brings us into the Father’s presence and his Spirit makes us his children. We are thus able to pray the Our Father with simple and filial trust, with joyful assurance and humble boldness, with the certainty of being loved and heard.
583. How is it possible to address God as “Father”? d) all of the above:We can invoke the “Father” because the Son of God made man has revealed him to us and because his Spirit makes him known to us. The invocation, Father, lets us enter into his mystery with an ever new sense of wonder and awakens in us the desire to act as his children. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are therefore aware of our being sons of the Father in the Son.
584. Why do we say “our” Father? b) because it expresses a totally new relationship with God: “Our” expresses a totally new relationship with God. When we pray to the Father, we adore and glorify him with the Son and the Holy Spirit. In Christ we are “his” people and he is “our” God now and for eternity. In fact, we also say “our” Father because the Church of Christ is the communion of a multitude of brothers and sisters who have but “one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32).
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