In this e-weekly:
- Two special prayers to the Immaculate Heart (the praying hands at the very last)
- Pro-Life Atheist to Convert to Catholicism, "There is a God-shaped hole in my heart"
(Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- (New Series on COMMUNICATION) Devotion of the First Five Saturdays (Helpful Hints for Life)
- Two special prayers to the Immaculate Heart (the praying hands at the very last)
- Pro-Life Atheist to Convert to Catholicism, "There is a God-shaped hole in my heart"
(Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- (New Series on COMMUNICATION) Devotion of the First Five Saturdays (Helpful Hints for Life)
Catholic Good News
Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
The Immaculate Heart of Mary
“Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
… and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Luke 2:34, 35
Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
The Immaculate Heart of Mary
“Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
… and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Luke 2:34, 35
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
She that, “kept all things, reflecting on them in her heart (Luke 2:51),” is the source of Jesus' Sacred Heart. For if Mary did not first conceive Jesus in her Immaculate Heart, she would have never said yes to the Angel Gabriel and conceived Jesus Christ in her womb.
Mary has a heart that is for all men. She who received our Lord Jesus with unimaginable love in her heart and body, she who raised Him and treasured the moments she shared with Him, she who saw Him go forth from her side into a world that loved and despised Him, she whose heart was pierced when she saw Him so cruelly treated by men and pierced in His own Sacred Heart with a lance as He hung on the Cross, is the same woman and the same Immaculate Heart that loves you and I more than we can ever conceive. And that Heart is the one shelter we most desire to dwell in (whether we recognize it or not) for it there where Jesus and His Sacred Heart dwells!
Let us turn toward and love the Heart of Blessed Mary Immaculate because she was conceived without sin in the womb of her mother, St. Anne; sorrowful because she beheld the death of her beloved Son and beholds your sinfulness and mine, but this is your Heart and mine to dwell in forever because she loves and is completely united to Jesus Christ, and Jesus and Mary are our true comfort and our true strength!
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
P.S. This coming Sunday is the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time. The readings can be found at: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062523.cfm
P.S.S. At the end of E-weekly is this week's readings with reflections and questions for self or family.
She that, “kept all things, reflecting on them in her heart (Luke 2:51),” is the source of Jesus' Sacred Heart. For if Mary did not first conceive Jesus in her Immaculate Heart, she would have never said yes to the Angel Gabriel and conceived Jesus Christ in her womb.
Mary has a heart that is for all men. She who received our Lord Jesus with unimaginable love in her heart and body, she who raised Him and treasured the moments she shared with Him, she who saw Him go forth from her side into a world that loved and despised Him, she whose heart was pierced when she saw Him so cruelly treated by men and pierced in His own Sacred Heart with a lance as He hung on the Cross, is the same woman and the same Immaculate Heart that loves you and I more than we can ever conceive. And that Heart is the one shelter we most desire to dwell in (whether we recognize it or not) for it there where Jesus and His Sacred Heart dwells!
Let us turn toward and love the Heart of Blessed Mary Immaculate because she was conceived without sin in the womb of her mother, St. Anne; sorrowful because she beheld the death of her beloved Son and beholds your sinfulness and mine, but this is your Heart and mine to dwell in forever because she loves and is completely united to Jesus Christ, and Jesus and Mary are our true comfort and our true strength!
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
P.S. This coming Sunday is the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time. The readings can be found at: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062523.cfm
P.S.S. At the end of E-weekly is this week's readings with reflections and questions for self or family.
Catholic Term
Immaculate Heart (from Latin immaculatus; “without stain” + from Latin cord-, cor “heart”)
- the physical Heart of Mary which first received Jesus in faith and love and the heart that holds us being given to her from the Cross
[Just as devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is only a form of devotion to the adorable Person of Jesus, so also is devotion to the Holy Heart of Mary but a special form of devotion to Mary. In order that, properly speaking, there may be devotion to the Heart of Mary, the attention and the homage of the faithful must be directed to the physical heart itself. However, this in itself is not sufficient; the faithful must read therein all that the human heart of Mary suggests, all of which it is the expressive symbol and the living reminder: Mary's interior life, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for her God, her maternal love for her Divine Son, and her motherly and compassionate love for her sinful and struggling children here below. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute our devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the Heart of Mary merely as a part of her virginal body. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.]
Immaculate Heart (from Latin immaculatus; “without stain” + from Latin cord-, cor “heart”)
- the physical Heart of Mary which first received Jesus in faith and love and the heart that holds us being given to her from the Cross
[Just as devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is only a form of devotion to the adorable Person of Jesus, so also is devotion to the Holy Heart of Mary but a special form of devotion to Mary. In order that, properly speaking, there may be devotion to the Heart of Mary, the attention and the homage of the faithful must be directed to the physical heart itself. However, this in itself is not sufficient; the faithful must read therein all that the human heart of Mary suggests, all of which it is the expressive symbol and the living reminder: Mary's interior life, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for her God, her maternal love for her Divine Son, and her motherly and compassionate love for her sinful and struggling children here below. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute our devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the Heart of Mary merely as a part of her virginal body. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.]
“Helpful Hints of Life”
Communication
Communication in today’s world is expected to be brief, quick, “close the deal” communication. However, we as human beings need deep, heartfelt communication - the kind that causes us to take risks and let our guard down. This type of communication is difficult. We have all been wounded and have reasons to censor ourselves. But God has created us to be in communion with each other, and therefore in communication with each other.
Devotion of the Five First Saturdays
Given by Our Lady of Fatima and the Infant Jesus to Sister Lucia, a devotion to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin
in reparation for the 5 sins against her Heart.
The Virgin of Fatima speaks to the three children at Famita Portugal in 1918:
"You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace... I shall come to ask for... the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays..."
The devotion involves the following practices on five consecutive first Saturdays of the month, with the specific intention of making reparation for the five gravest offenses of man against the Blessed Virgin.
1. Go to Confession (within 8 days before or 8 days after the first Saturday)
2. Receive the Holy Eucharist
3. Pray five decades of the Rosary
4."Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on fifteen mysteries of the Rosary."
On December 10, 1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Lucy of Fatima, and by her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most Holy Virgin rested her hand on Lucy's shoulder, and as she did so, she showed her a Heart surrounded with thorns, which she was holding in her other hand. At the same time, the Child Jesus said:
"Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them."
Then the Most Holy Virgin said:
"Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me, and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes, while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."
“Mary's role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it. "This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to his death"; it is made manifest above all at the hour of his Passion:
Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, joining herself with his sacrifice in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim, born of her: to be given, by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these words: "Woman, behold your son." -Catechism of the Catholic Church #964
Communication
Communication in today’s world is expected to be brief, quick, “close the deal” communication. However, we as human beings need deep, heartfelt communication - the kind that causes us to take risks and let our guard down. This type of communication is difficult. We have all been wounded and have reasons to censor ourselves. But God has created us to be in communion with each other, and therefore in communication with each other.
Devotion of the Five First Saturdays
Given by Our Lady of Fatima and the Infant Jesus to Sister Lucia, a devotion to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin
in reparation for the 5 sins against her Heart.
The Virgin of Fatima speaks to the three children at Famita Portugal in 1918:
"You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace... I shall come to ask for... the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays..."
The devotion involves the following practices on five consecutive first Saturdays of the month, with the specific intention of making reparation for the five gravest offenses of man against the Blessed Virgin.
1. Go to Confession (within 8 days before or 8 days after the first Saturday)
2. Receive the Holy Eucharist
3. Pray five decades of the Rosary
4."Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on fifteen mysteries of the Rosary."
On December 10, 1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Lucy of Fatima, and by her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most Holy Virgin rested her hand on Lucy's shoulder, and as she did so, she showed her a Heart surrounded with thorns, which she was holding in her other hand. At the same time, the Child Jesus said:
"Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them."
Then the Most Holy Virgin said:
"Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me, and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes, while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."
“Mary's role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it. "This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to his death"; it is made manifest above all at the hour of his Passion:
Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, joining herself with his sacrifice in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim, born of her: to be given, by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these words: "Woman, behold your son." -Catechism of the Catholic Church #964
All About the Immaculate Heart of Mary
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07168a.htm
This is from the Catholic Encyclopedia on the Immaculate Heart of Mary
All Things Connected with the Immaculate Heart of Mary
https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/i/immaculate-heart-of-mary-index.php
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07168a.htm
This is from the Catholic Encyclopedia on the Immaculate Heart of Mary
All Things Connected with the Immaculate Heart of Mary
https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/i/immaculate-heart-of-mary-index.php
By Tina Dennelly
CNA Newsroom, Jun 24, 2023 / 09:00 am
Kristin Turner was an outspoken supporter of abortion who didn’t believe in God. She even used to speak at events on the topic “Why abortion is good for society.”
But now the 21-year-old activist is an ardent pro-life advocate who recently announced her intention to join the Catholic Church.
“There is a God-shaped hole in my heart,” she wrote on Twitter May 29. “I have tried to fill it with everything under the sun. But that’s not possible. I need him as much as he wants me.”
CNA Newsroom, Jun 24, 2023 / 09:00 am
Kristin Turner was an outspoken supporter of abortion who didn’t believe in God. She even used to speak at events on the topic “Why abortion is good for society.”
But now the 21-year-old activist is an ardent pro-life advocate who recently announced her intention to join the Catholic Church.
“There is a God-shaped hole in my heart,” she wrote on Twitter May 29. “I have tried to fill it with everything under the sun. But that’s not possible. I need him as much as he wants me.”
Turner said she came to her decision through “a lot of small things,” but her involvement in pro-life advocacy played a big part.
After suffering abuse by a high school teacher and thinking she had become pregnant by that abuse, she researched abortion further.
After that, Turner said, she “had to reconsider” her pro-abortion position.
“I realized this act of violence against me is parallel to the act of violence committed against an unborn child who is not seen as fully human, and whose body is not respected, and therefore can be violently violated,” Turner told Prudence Robertson in a recent interview on “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly.”
“And when that happened,” Turner said, “I knew I had to do something.”
However, she said, “as a feminist … and as somebody who’s progressive and still is progressive, I thought there wasn’t a place for me in the pro-life movement.”
She decided to speak up for life anyway, first starting a pro-life group on her college campus, then founding her own nonprofit, Take Feminism Back. According to its LinkedIn profile, the group “exists to assist pregnant and parenting people in need. We also work to promote progressive social change that includes all people from the womb to the tomb.”
Since 2021, Turner has worked as communications director for Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), an organization whose mission “is to achieve socio-political justice for the preborn by mobilizing anti-abortion activists for direct action and opposing elective abortion through a progressive lens,” according to its website.
Members have protested in front of abortion centers and marched in front of the Supreme Court. Turner and PAAU’s founder, Terrisa Bukovinac, were even incarcerated for four days in November 2022 after a “rescue” event at a Virginia women’s center.
The organization also uncovered potential illegal activity by a Washington, D.C., abortionist last year after discovering the bodies of 115 babies outside an abortion clinic.
It was through her pro-life work that Turner felt drawn to the Catholic Church.
“It was really through that work and seeing how fruitful an act of sacrifice could be and how transformational an act of sacrifice could be that drew me into the Church,” she said, “and just seeing the sacrifice of Jesus and what he was willing to do to humanize, to help save our lives.”
Turner also cited the number of Catholics involved in the pro-life movement who talked with her about the Church.
“There’s just many things that have brought me here, but the main one has been seeing how necessary it is to sacrifice for these unborn children,” she told Robertson.
Watch the full “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” interview with Turner below.
https://youtu.be/8bl9siOyofY?list=PL9CQlldupc59F7ZFZYqjf__SMFj-rfd-O
After suffering abuse by a high school teacher and thinking she had become pregnant by that abuse, she researched abortion further.
After that, Turner said, she “had to reconsider” her pro-abortion position.
“I realized this act of violence against me is parallel to the act of violence committed against an unborn child who is not seen as fully human, and whose body is not respected, and therefore can be violently violated,” Turner told Prudence Robertson in a recent interview on “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly.”
“And when that happened,” Turner said, “I knew I had to do something.”
However, she said, “as a feminist … and as somebody who’s progressive and still is progressive, I thought there wasn’t a place for me in the pro-life movement.”
She decided to speak up for life anyway, first starting a pro-life group on her college campus, then founding her own nonprofit, Take Feminism Back. According to its LinkedIn profile, the group “exists to assist pregnant and parenting people in need. We also work to promote progressive social change that includes all people from the womb to the tomb.”
Since 2021, Turner has worked as communications director for Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), an organization whose mission “is to achieve socio-political justice for the preborn by mobilizing anti-abortion activists for direct action and opposing elective abortion through a progressive lens,” according to its website.
Members have protested in front of abortion centers and marched in front of the Supreme Court. Turner and PAAU’s founder, Terrisa Bukovinac, were even incarcerated for four days in November 2022 after a “rescue” event at a Virginia women’s center.
The organization also uncovered potential illegal activity by a Washington, D.C., abortionist last year after discovering the bodies of 115 babies outside an abortion clinic.
It was through her pro-life work that Turner felt drawn to the Catholic Church.
“It was really through that work and seeing how fruitful an act of sacrifice could be and how transformational an act of sacrifice could be that drew me into the Church,” she said, “and just seeing the sacrifice of Jesus and what he was willing to do to humanize, to help save our lives.”
Turner also cited the number of Catholics involved in the pro-life movement who talked with her about the Church.
“There’s just many things that have brought me here, but the main one has been seeing how necessary it is to sacrifice for these unborn children,” she told Robertson.
Watch the full “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” interview with Turner below.
https://youtu.be/8bl9siOyofY?list=PL9CQlldupc59F7ZFZYqjf__SMFj-rfd-O
By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, Jun 19
Pope Francis met with deacons and their families Saturday at the Vatican and encouraged them to help their parishes to recognize Jesus in the poor.
“Deacons remind the Church that what Saint Thérèse discovered is true: the Church has a heart inflamed by love. Yes, a humble heart beating with service,” the pope said June 19.
“The generosity of a deacon, who gives of himself without seeking the front ranks, has about him the perfume of the Gospel. He tells of the greatness of God's humility in taking the first step … to meet even those who have turned their backs on him,” he said.
The pope welcomed deacons from the diocese of Rome to the Vatican’s Hall of Blessings, where he expressed to each of them the importance of their distinct ministry in the life of the Church.
“The decrease in the number of priests has led to a prevailing engagement of deacons to substitute them in tasks which, however important, do not constitute the specific nature of the diaconate. They are substitute tasks,” he said.
Pope Francis cited the dogmatic constitution, Lumen Gentium, which describes the diaconate a ministry in which “hands are imposed not unto the priesthood, but unto a ministry of service.”
He said: “The Council, after speaking of service to the People of God ‘in the diaconate of the liturgy, of the word and of charity”, emphasises that deacons are above all - above all - “dedicated to duties of charity and of administration (Lumen Gentium, 29).’”
“The phrase recalls the early centuries, when deacons looked after the needs of the faithful, especially the poor and the sick, in the name and on behalf of the bishop. We can also draw on the roots of the Church of Rome.”
The pope encouraged the deacons to follow Christ by embracing his “logic” of lowering oneself.
“We are all called to lower ourselves, because Jesus stooped to us, He made himself the servant of all. If there is one great person in the Church, it is the one who made him- or herself the smallest, and servant of all,” Pope Francis said.
“I expect you to be humble. It is sad to see a bishop and a priest showing off, but it is even sadder to see a deacon wanting to put himself at the centre of the world, or at the centre of the liturgy, or at the centre of the Church. Be humble. Let all the good you do be a secret between you and God. And so it will bear fruit,” he said.
Deacons can also serve the community through their witness as good spouses, fathers, and grandfathers.
“This will give hope and consolation to couples who are going through difficult times and who will find in your genuine simplicity an outstretched hand,” he said.
The pope added: “Doing everything with joy, without complaining; this is a testimony that is worth more than many sermons.”
Deacons can act as “sentinels” for their parish, he said, by helping “to help the Christian community to recognize Jesus in the poor and the distant, as He knocks on our doors through them.”
“Whatever the need, see the Lord. So you, too, recognize the Lord when, in so many of his little brothers and sisters, He asks to be fed, to be welcomed and loved. I would like this to be the profile of the deacons of Rome and of the whole world,” Pope Francis said.
The Miracle That’s Getting Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Beatifiedby ChurchPOP Editor - July 6, 2019
@jamesrgoodman, TwitterPraised be to God!
The Vatican announced that the Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified after the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved a miracle attributed to his intercession.
The Congregation approved the miracle on July 6. Official beatification dates have not yet been announced.
The MiracleCatholic News Agency reported that the miracle involves the “unexplained recovery of James Fulton Engstrom, a boy born apparently stillborn in September 2010 to Bonnie and Travis Engstrom of the Peoria-area town of Goodfield.
“He showed no signs of life as medical professionals tried to revive him. The child’s mother and father prayed to Archbishop Sheen to heal their son.”
Seven medical experts advising the Vatican Congregation unanimously approved the miracle. The archbishop needs one more approved miracle attributed to his intercession for his canonization.
Sheen’s cause for canonization was postponed for many years due to a legal battle over his burial place.
The remains were recently transferred to the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois (where Sheen also received his priestly ordination), allowing the cause to continue.
Archbishop Sheen was especially recognized for his work in radio and television.From 1930-1950, Sheen hosted The Catholic Hour on NBC night-time radio, which after 20 years, had a weekly listenership of four million viewers.
His show, “Life is Worth Living,” aired on DuMont Television Network (1952-55) and ABC (1955-57), reaching millions of viewers.
His show also won two Emmy Awards for “Most Outstanding Television Personality.”
His competitors for the 1952 award were Lucille Ball, Edward R. Murrow, Arthur Godfrey and Jimmy Durante.
Listen to one of Ven. Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s showsbelow:
https://youtu.be/tAW2I0pTlsw?list=RDtAW2I0pTlsw
His Mother Rejected an Abortion– Now, This Priest Helped Her Meet the Pope
By Elise Harris
http://www.ewtnnewsonline.com/images/Pope_Francis_Figueridos.jpg
By Elise Harris
http://www.ewtnnewsonline.com/images/Pope_Francis_Figueridos.jpg
Rome, Italy (EWTN News/CNA) - It was during the thalidomide sleeping pill craze that Sarah Figueiredo became pregnant with her fourth and last child, Anthony.
Developed after the Second World War and found not only to help with sleeplessness but also to alleviate morning sickness for expectant mothers, thalidomide was widely prescribed by doctors across the world to their pregnant patients as a safe drug to use.
Sarah, who was raising her young family in Nairobi at the time, was one of the expectant mothers prescribed the drug.
It wasn’t until 1961 that thalidomide was discovered to cause severe birth defects in babies born to mothers using it. Many of the children were born with a condition called “phocomelia,” which results in shortened, absent or flipper-like limbs. It was taken off the market in 1962.
When the doctors found out that Sarah’s unborn son would be among the children with this disability, they advised her to have an abortion. However, Sarah and her husband, both devout Catholics, refused. Sarah believed her son had “a special mission.”
According to her son – now Msgr. Anthony Figueiredo – what his parents told the doctors was that “if God has allowed us to conceive a child, that child will not be wasted. On the contrary, God will have a mission for that child, which they believe very strongly is that I would be a priest.”
Developed after the Second World War and found not only to help with sleeplessness but also to alleviate morning sickness for expectant mothers, thalidomide was widely prescribed by doctors across the world to their pregnant patients as a safe drug to use.
Sarah, who was raising her young family in Nairobi at the time, was one of the expectant mothers prescribed the drug.
It wasn’t until 1961 that thalidomide was discovered to cause severe birth defects in babies born to mothers using it. Many of the children were born with a condition called “phocomelia,” which results in shortened, absent or flipper-like limbs. It was taken off the market in 1962.
When the doctors found out that Sarah’s unborn son would be among the children with this disability, they advised her to have an abortion. However, Sarah and her husband, both devout Catholics, refused. Sarah believed her son had “a special mission.”
According to her son – now Msgr. Anthony Figueiredo – what his parents told the doctors was that “if God has allowed us to conceive a child, that child will not be wasted. On the contrary, God will have a mission for that child, which they believe very strongly is that I would be a priest.”
Despite his crippled arm, Msgr. Figueiredo was ordained in 1994 and has vast experience in missionary work and a hefty academic background in theology. He currently serves as a spiritual director to hundreds of seminarians studying at Rome’s Pontifical North American College, advises cardinals on their writing and speeches, and works closely with the Pope.
He has also met Mother Theresa and was able to work as a personal assistant to St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI for several years.
The priest largely credits his parents and their faith for encouraging his vocation, telling EWTN News that they “never discouraged me from being a priest.”
“With great sacrifice they sent all of us to Catholic schools and now with old age my mother is the happiest woman in the world, one would say, because she has a son who is a priest.”
Sarah, 84, told EWTN News that she and her husband had prayed that one of their three sons would become a priest, and that she knew this prayer would be answered in Tony, as she calls him, because “I dreamt that one day. I had a dream that one of my sons, the last one,” would be ordained. “I (knew) he had mission.”
While there are “a lot of blessings” in having a son who is a priest, one of the biggest came during a trip Sarah made to Rome to visit her son during the June 1-3 Jubilee for Priests.
Msgr. Figueiredo said he had been walking in the Vatican Gardens one day in April when he got a phone call from the Pope himself.
The Pope said that he knew the priest’s mother would be coming to Rome for the Jubilee of Priests, and wanted to meet her. Since he was busy throughout the three-day event, which concluded with a Mass June 3, Francis told Msgr. Figueiredo that “I would really like her to come to my home prior to that Mass.”
It was Pope Francis himself, then, who “completely organized everything,” and welcomed both the priest and his mother into his residence at the Vatican’s St. Martha Guesthouse the morning of June 3.
“It was very, very beautiful. He was just like an ordinary parish priest the way he made my mother welcome,” Msgr. Figueiredo said, recalling how Francis spoke about the number of children in their families and the biblical roots of some of their names.
One particularly touching moment for Msgr. Figueiredo was when the Pope told him that he recognized the priest’s mother from a photo he had given him.
“I gave him the photo three years ago,” Msgr. Figueiredo said, saying it’s “quite extraordinary that this Pope, who is probably the most photographed man in the world, remembers each person. It’s as if he has them in his heart.”
Pope Francis also administered the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to Sarah, who has suffered from two strokes in recent years and in 2010 was diagnosed with aggressive, stage 4 breast cancer, but today is cancer-free.
The Pope “took his time, there was no rush, and he was particularly compassionate,” the priest said, noting how when his mother attempted to stand up for the anointing, Francis told her sit down and himself got up.
“I think that’s amazing from a Pope. There’s really no sense of being in authority, he’s really a servant, a servant of the servants of God. We touched that that day in his residence.”
Sarah, who carried the chalice up to the altar during the Mass after their meeting, said to visit the Pope was “a gift from God…I felt very proud that God had chosen me to come to this special occasion.”
After bringing the chalice to the Pope, “he pressed my hand, and he recognized me and he held me tight,” she said, explaining that the experience is something “I will remember all my life and I thank God for that.”
She also thanked her son for helping give her the opportunity to meet the Pope and to receive his blessing. Giving advice to parents who are hoping for a religious vocation among their children, she counselled that “the more you pray the better it is.”
“We need more priests in this world,” she said, noting how she “always prayed” for her son’s vocation. Even at 84, Sarah continues to pray a daily rosary, keeping one under her pillow so that should she wake up during the night, she can pray a decade before going back to sleep.
Msgr. Figueiredo said that to celebrate the Jubilee of Priests alongside his mother “was an enormous sign to me that God is faithful,” especially when someone gives something of their life to him, whether it’s a parent, a child, a type of suffering, or a vocation.
In regards to the “special mission” his mother believed he had, the priest said for him, this mission has entailed showing a special compassion and solidarity with those who suffer.
“I truly believe what St. Paul said: that God’s power is made perfect in weakness,” he said, voicing his belief that priests “who particularly have a cross can show a certain kind of compassion and mercy to those who are suffering.”
While as a priest “I can preach until the cows come home,” people really start paying attention when they see “that you yourself suffer in your flesh…one immediately connects.”
For Msgr. Figueiredo, this is what Christ did on the Cross: “he suffered on the cross for us, and so when I am going through suffering myself I see that he’s gone there before me and has faith, believing that the Father will bring good even from tragedy.”
“That’s really helped me to stay close to the smell of the sheep, as Pope Francis exhorts us as priests and as every Christian,” he said.
" The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church."
"Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints."
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2177
He has also met Mother Theresa and was able to work as a personal assistant to St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI for several years.
The priest largely credits his parents and their faith for encouraging his vocation, telling EWTN News that they “never discouraged me from being a priest.”
“With great sacrifice they sent all of us to Catholic schools and now with old age my mother is the happiest woman in the world, one would say, because she has a son who is a priest.”
Sarah, 84, told EWTN News that she and her husband had prayed that one of their three sons would become a priest, and that she knew this prayer would be answered in Tony, as she calls him, because “I dreamt that one day. I had a dream that one of my sons, the last one,” would be ordained. “I (knew) he had mission.”
While there are “a lot of blessings” in having a son who is a priest, one of the biggest came during a trip Sarah made to Rome to visit her son during the June 1-3 Jubilee for Priests.
Msgr. Figueiredo said he had been walking in the Vatican Gardens one day in April when he got a phone call from the Pope himself.
The Pope said that he knew the priest’s mother would be coming to Rome for the Jubilee of Priests, and wanted to meet her. Since he was busy throughout the three-day event, which concluded with a Mass June 3, Francis told Msgr. Figueiredo that “I would really like her to come to my home prior to that Mass.”
It was Pope Francis himself, then, who “completely organized everything,” and welcomed both the priest and his mother into his residence at the Vatican’s St. Martha Guesthouse the morning of June 3.
“It was very, very beautiful. He was just like an ordinary parish priest the way he made my mother welcome,” Msgr. Figueiredo said, recalling how Francis spoke about the number of children in their families and the biblical roots of some of their names.
One particularly touching moment for Msgr. Figueiredo was when the Pope told him that he recognized the priest’s mother from a photo he had given him.
“I gave him the photo three years ago,” Msgr. Figueiredo said, saying it’s “quite extraordinary that this Pope, who is probably the most photographed man in the world, remembers each person. It’s as if he has them in his heart.”
Pope Francis also administered the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to Sarah, who has suffered from two strokes in recent years and in 2010 was diagnosed with aggressive, stage 4 breast cancer, but today is cancer-free.
The Pope “took his time, there was no rush, and he was particularly compassionate,” the priest said, noting how when his mother attempted to stand up for the anointing, Francis told her sit down and himself got up.
“I think that’s amazing from a Pope. There’s really no sense of being in authority, he’s really a servant, a servant of the servants of God. We touched that that day in his residence.”
Sarah, who carried the chalice up to the altar during the Mass after their meeting, said to visit the Pope was “a gift from God…I felt very proud that God had chosen me to come to this special occasion.”
After bringing the chalice to the Pope, “he pressed my hand, and he recognized me and he held me tight,” she said, explaining that the experience is something “I will remember all my life and I thank God for that.”
She also thanked her son for helping give her the opportunity to meet the Pope and to receive his blessing. Giving advice to parents who are hoping for a religious vocation among their children, she counselled that “the more you pray the better it is.”
“We need more priests in this world,” she said, noting how she “always prayed” for her son’s vocation. Even at 84, Sarah continues to pray a daily rosary, keeping one under her pillow so that should she wake up during the night, she can pray a decade before going back to sleep.
Msgr. Figueiredo said that to celebrate the Jubilee of Priests alongside his mother “was an enormous sign to me that God is faithful,” especially when someone gives something of their life to him, whether it’s a parent, a child, a type of suffering, or a vocation.
In regards to the “special mission” his mother believed he had, the priest said for him, this mission has entailed showing a special compassion and solidarity with those who suffer.
“I truly believe what St. Paul said: that God’s power is made perfect in weakness,” he said, voicing his belief that priests “who particularly have a cross can show a certain kind of compassion and mercy to those who are suffering.”
While as a priest “I can preach until the cows come home,” people really start paying attention when they see “that you yourself suffer in your flesh…one immediately connects.”
For Msgr. Figueiredo, this is what Christ did on the Cross: “he suffered on the cross for us, and so when I am going through suffering myself I see that he’s gone there before me and has faith, believing that the Father will bring good even from tragedy.”
“That’s really helped me to stay close to the smell of the sheep, as Pope Francis exhorts us as priests and as every Christian,” he said.
" The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church."
"Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints."
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2177
A bit of humor…
50 Things You'll (probably) Never Hear Catholics Say
1) Man, I wish this confession line were longer.
2) Is there really anything to do in Rome?
3) It's so nice that we are all on the same page about liturgy and music.
4) Discernment of life and one's vocation is just so easy!
5) I hope we learn a new version of the Gloria at this Sunday Mass.
6) Yesterday, while I was doing some Lectio on the Book of Revelation…
7) Your parents aren’t Catholic? I think a relic would be the perfect gift.
8) I don’t have any worries about the future of our medical system conflicting with my personal beliefs.
9) I’m really confident that I’m using this Breviary correctly.
10) Good thing we got to Mass with so much time to spare.
11) My prayer time is much more fruitful when I pray on my bed… lying down… with my eyes closed.
12) Being young and single really helps me blend in at Daily Mass.
13) Let's study Latin to see what it was like when our grandparents went to Mass.
14) I never people-watch during the communion line.
15) Pope Francis… yeah, I guess he’s okay.
50 Things You'll (probably) Never Hear Catholics Say
1) Man, I wish this confession line were longer.
2) Is there really anything to do in Rome?
3) It's so nice that we are all on the same page about liturgy and music.
4) Discernment of life and one's vocation is just so easy!
5) I hope we learn a new version of the Gloria at this Sunday Mass.
6) Yesterday, while I was doing some Lectio on the Book of Revelation…
7) Your parents aren’t Catholic? I think a relic would be the perfect gift.
8) I don’t have any worries about the future of our medical system conflicting with my personal beliefs.
9) I’m really confident that I’m using this Breviary correctly.
10) Good thing we got to Mass with so much time to spare.
11) My prayer time is much more fruitful when I pray on my bed… lying down… with my eyes closed.
12) Being young and single really helps me blend in at Daily Mass.
13) Let's study Latin to see what it was like when our grandparents went to Mass.
14) I never people-watch during the communion line.
15) Pope Francis… yeah, I guess he’s okay.
O Most Blessed Mother, heart of love, heart of mercy, ever listening, caring, consoling, hear our prayer. As your children, we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son. Receive with understanding and compassion the petitions we place before you today, especially ...(special intention).
We are comforted in knowing your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer. We trust to your gentle care and intercession, those whom we love and who are sick or lonely or hurting. Help all of us, Holy Mother, to bear our burdens in this life until we may share eternal life and peace with God forever.
Amen. (said for 9 days in a row)
SPECIAL PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Heavenly beauty and splendor of the Father,
You are the most valued Heavenly treasure.
New Eve, immaculate in soul, spirit and body,
Created of the godly seed by the Spirit of God,
You are the spiritual Mother of mankind.
Pure Virgin, full of grace then and now,
Your whole being was raised Heavenly in full glory,
To be elevated above all the hosts within the Kingdom of God.
O Heavenly Mother, Queen of Heaven and earth,
I recognize the glory of your highest title,
The Immaculate Heart of Mary!
Loving Mother, dispenser of endless blessings,
You who continuously intercedes on our behalf,
Please present my need before your loving Son Jesus.(In your own words, make your special request here. Do not just mention a word. Speak to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as you would speak to another person, begging your Heavenly Mother to plea to Jesus on your behalf, that you be granted this special request.)
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I know that you are now presenting my need before Jesus,
For you have never turned away those in dire need.
Mother dearest, I await your favorable answer,
Submitting myself to the Divine will of the Lord,
For all glories are His forever and ever.
[This is a weekly electronic newsletter from Father Robert. This will be sent out weekly. Please recommend this to individuals you think might be interested. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed, or if you wish to no longer receive this please e-mail: [email protected]]
“The finding of Jesus in the temple is the only event that breaks the silence of the Gospels about the hidden years of Jesus. Here Jesus lets us catch a glimpse of the mystery of his total consecration to a mission that flows from his divine sonship: "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's work?" Mary and Joseph did not understand these words, but they accepted them in faith. Mary "kept all these things in her heart" during the years Jesus remained hidden in the silence of an ordinary life.
Catechism of the Catholic Church #534
+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
12th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Sunday, June 25th, 2023
The First Reading - Jeremiah 20:10-13
Jeremiah said: “I hear the whisperings of many: ‘Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!’ All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. ‘Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him.’ But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. O LORD of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart, let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause. Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!”
Reflection
Jeremiah cries out in complaint to the LORD, that the prophetic ministry to which he was called has meant nothing but suffering for him. The people laugh, mock, reproach, and deride him whenever he speaks (20:7-8), yet if he remains silent he cannot contain the Word of God, which burns within him like fire. He suffers persecution, like David describes in the psalms (20:10-13), leading him to despair of life, and to curse his birth like Job (20:14-18; cf. Job 3:1-26). The passage ends however, with the prophet praising the Lord, and voicing his faith that God will assist him.
Adults - Is it easy for you to turn toward the Lord in times of suffering?
Teens - Do you turn to the Lord in times of persecution? How does your faith bring you comfort?
Kids - Say a special prayer of thanks to Jesus from coming to save us, and enduring all of the hard things that we may face so that we don’t have to face them alone.
Responsorial- Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother's children,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
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. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
“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.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!’‘
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Reflection
Psalm 69 gives voice and articulation to the pain of heart that believers throughout the ages experience as they suffer persecution for following the God of Israel. Particularly painful is the betrayal by close friends and family members: “I have become an outcast to my brothers,” the psalmist says. In the modern West, most Christian believers have had close family members reject their childhood faith, and many practicing Catholics are the only ones remaining from their nuclear family who continue to observe the faith. Psalm 69 gives divinely-authorized voice to this cry of pain, of being rejected or disdained even by one’s own family. Do you know someone whose family doesn’t support their faith? Reach out and extend your friendship!
The Second Reading- Romans 5:12-15
Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
Reflection - In this passage, St. Paul is going back to the Old Testament to show how the salvation in Christ was foreshadowed or typified in characters of human and Israelite history. Here, he focuses on Adam. Adam fell into sin, and lost the presence of the Holy Spirit which he enjoyed in the state of creation. This lack or void, which we call original sin, was transmitted to his descendants apart from any action on their part, just by the fact of their birth. This, St. Paul says, is a kind of inverse image of Christ, the Second Adam. Christ restores to us salvation and the Holy Spirit in a passive way, merely by the fact of our spiritual rebirth in Baptism. Baptism is not our action, it is God’s action in our lives, through which God infuses into us once more the Holy Spirit, lost by our first parents.
-Baptism causes a physical change in our souls, enabling us to live a life full of grace. Pray for the grace to persevere in your struggles and to rejoice in your blessings.
The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 10:26-33
Jesus said to the Twelve: “Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Reflection “Fear no one,” is the message of Jesus to us today. The truth will come out in the end. Those who are maligned and falsely accused, but struggle for the truth, will be vindicated. The worst that can happen to any believer in Jesus in this life is to die, and yet even death, for the follower of Christ, has been transformed to the entrance into eternal life. “All the hairs of your head are counted,” Jesus says, which does not mean that we will never be subject to harm and abuse. Rather, it means nothing happens to us that is not part of God’s ultimately loving plan for our lives. How can suffering be part of a loving plan? There are some truths about God and about love that can only be learned through suffering, and involuntary suffering at that. Accepted as from God, suffering can expand our heart and enable us to love more, to love like God.
Adults - Do some research this week on the Catholic teaching of redemptive suffering.
Teens - Offer your small annoyances this week in prayer for someone who is struggling.
Kids - How can you share the love of Jesus with someone who is sad?
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! - A large majority of today's teenagers, in most so-called Christian countries, have come to despise, or at least to neglect, the religion of their ancestors. In most cases the cause of this is that Christianity was never really put into practice in their own homes. There are cases of very black sheep coming out of very white Christian homes, but these are cases of weak personality—they prefer to follow the mob rather than try to force their way against it. On the whole, the decline of religion among today's youth is due to bad example from their elders. In today's gospel message, our Lord is asking each one of us to be a fearless apostle. We will be, if we live up to our religion at home and abroad. "Have no fear of men," He tells us, "don't mind what your fellowmen think of you, if you object to obscene language in your work-place. Don't fear what will be thought of you if you say your grace before and after meals in a public restaurant or hotel. Don't take that extra drink just because your companions at the party might ridicule your control ..." These acts and many others like them, may seem trivial to some but they are giving testimony to the faith that is in us. Those who scoff at such things at first, may begin later to look into their own hearts, and come to realize what it is to be a man of principle. Eventually they may become men of principle themselves. Let us remember our Lord's promise "Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven." -Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
We are comforted in knowing your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer. We trust to your gentle care and intercession, those whom we love and who are sick or lonely or hurting. Help all of us, Holy Mother, to bear our burdens in this life until we may share eternal life and peace with God forever.
Amen. (said for 9 days in a row)
SPECIAL PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Heavenly beauty and splendor of the Father,
You are the most valued Heavenly treasure.
New Eve, immaculate in soul, spirit and body,
Created of the godly seed by the Spirit of God,
You are the spiritual Mother of mankind.
Pure Virgin, full of grace then and now,
Your whole being was raised Heavenly in full glory,
To be elevated above all the hosts within the Kingdom of God.
O Heavenly Mother, Queen of Heaven and earth,
I recognize the glory of your highest title,
The Immaculate Heart of Mary!
Loving Mother, dispenser of endless blessings,
You who continuously intercedes on our behalf,
Please present my need before your loving Son Jesus.(In your own words, make your special request here. Do not just mention a word. Speak to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as you would speak to another person, begging your Heavenly Mother to plea to Jesus on your behalf, that you be granted this special request.)
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I know that you are now presenting my need before Jesus,
For you have never turned away those in dire need.
Mother dearest, I await your favorable answer,
Submitting myself to the Divine will of the Lord,
For all glories are His forever and ever.
[This is a weekly electronic newsletter from Father Robert. This will be sent out weekly. Please recommend this to individuals you think might be interested. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed, or if you wish to no longer receive this please e-mail: [email protected]]
“The finding of Jesus in the temple is the only event that breaks the silence of the Gospels about the hidden years of Jesus. Here Jesus lets us catch a glimpse of the mystery of his total consecration to a mission that flows from his divine sonship: "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's work?" Mary and Joseph did not understand these words, but they accepted them in faith. Mary "kept all these things in her heart" during the years Jesus remained hidden in the silence of an ordinary life.
Catechism of the Catholic Church #534
+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
12th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Sunday, June 25th, 2023
The First Reading - Jeremiah 20:10-13
Jeremiah said: “I hear the whisperings of many: ‘Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!’ All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. ‘Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him.’ But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. O LORD of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart, let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause. Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!”
Reflection
Jeremiah cries out in complaint to the LORD, that the prophetic ministry to which he was called has meant nothing but suffering for him. The people laugh, mock, reproach, and deride him whenever he speaks (20:7-8), yet if he remains silent he cannot contain the Word of God, which burns within him like fire. He suffers persecution, like David describes in the psalms (20:10-13), leading him to despair of life, and to curse his birth like Job (20:14-18; cf. Job 3:1-26). The passage ends however, with the prophet praising the Lord, and voicing his faith that God will assist him.
Adults - Is it easy for you to turn toward the Lord in times of suffering?
Teens - Do you turn to the Lord in times of persecution? How does your faith bring you comfort?
Kids - Say a special prayer of thanks to Jesus from coming to save us, and enduring all of the hard things that we may face so that we don’t have to face them alone.
Responsorial- Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother's children,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
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. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
“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.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!’‘
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Reflection
Psalm 69 gives voice and articulation to the pain of heart that believers throughout the ages experience as they suffer persecution for following the God of Israel. Particularly painful is the betrayal by close friends and family members: “I have become an outcast to my brothers,” the psalmist says. In the modern West, most Christian believers have had close family members reject their childhood faith, and many practicing Catholics are the only ones remaining from their nuclear family who continue to observe the faith. Psalm 69 gives divinely-authorized voice to this cry of pain, of being rejected or disdained even by one’s own family. Do you know someone whose family doesn’t support their faith? Reach out and extend your friendship!
The Second Reading- Romans 5:12-15
Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
Reflection - In this passage, St. Paul is going back to the Old Testament to show how the salvation in Christ was foreshadowed or typified in characters of human and Israelite history. Here, he focuses on Adam. Adam fell into sin, and lost the presence of the Holy Spirit which he enjoyed in the state of creation. This lack or void, which we call original sin, was transmitted to his descendants apart from any action on their part, just by the fact of their birth. This, St. Paul says, is a kind of inverse image of Christ, the Second Adam. Christ restores to us salvation and the Holy Spirit in a passive way, merely by the fact of our spiritual rebirth in Baptism. Baptism is not our action, it is God’s action in our lives, through which God infuses into us once more the Holy Spirit, lost by our first parents.
-Baptism causes a physical change in our souls, enabling us to live a life full of grace. Pray for the grace to persevere in your struggles and to rejoice in your blessings.
The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 10:26-33
Jesus said to the Twelve: “Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Reflection “Fear no one,” is the message of Jesus to us today. The truth will come out in the end. Those who are maligned and falsely accused, but struggle for the truth, will be vindicated. The worst that can happen to any believer in Jesus in this life is to die, and yet even death, for the follower of Christ, has been transformed to the entrance into eternal life. “All the hairs of your head are counted,” Jesus says, which does not mean that we will never be subject to harm and abuse. Rather, it means nothing happens to us that is not part of God’s ultimately loving plan for our lives. How can suffering be part of a loving plan? There are some truths about God and about love that can only be learned through suffering, and involuntary suffering at that. Accepted as from God, suffering can expand our heart and enable us to love more, to love like God.
Adults - Do some research this week on the Catholic teaching of redemptive suffering.
Teens - Offer your small annoyances this week in prayer for someone who is struggling.
Kids - How can you share the love of Jesus with someone who is sad?
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! - A large majority of today's teenagers, in most so-called Christian countries, have come to despise, or at least to neglect, the religion of their ancestors. In most cases the cause of this is that Christianity was never really put into practice in their own homes. There are cases of very black sheep coming out of very white Christian homes, but these are cases of weak personality—they prefer to follow the mob rather than try to force their way against it. On the whole, the decline of religion among today's youth is due to bad example from their elders. In today's gospel message, our Lord is asking each one of us to be a fearless apostle. We will be, if we live up to our religion at home and abroad. "Have no fear of men," He tells us, "don't mind what your fellowmen think of you, if you object to obscene language in your work-place. Don't fear what will be thought of you if you say your grace before and after meals in a public restaurant or hotel. Don't take that extra drink just because your companions at the party might ridicule your control ..." These acts and many others like them, may seem trivial to some but they are giving testimony to the faith that is in us. Those who scoff at such things at first, may begin later to look into their own hearts, and come to realize what it is to be a man of principle. Eventually they may become men of principle themselves. Let us remember our Lord's promise "Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven." -Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
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