Remain Firm in the Unity of Christ's Body through the Enduring Bond of Love

From St. Fulgentius of Ruspe in the Office of Readings for today:

"The spiritual building up of the body of Christ is achieved through love. As Saint Peter says: Like living stones you are built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And there can be no more effective way to pray for this spiritual growth than for the Church, itself Christ’s body, to make the offering of his body and blood in the sacramental form of bread and wine. For the cup we drink is a participation in the blood of Christ, and the bread we break is a participation in the body of Christ. Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, since we all share the same bread. And so we pray that, by the same grace which made the Church Christ’s body, all its members may remain firm in the unity of that body through the enduring bond of love.

"We are right to pray that this may be brought about in us through the gift of the one Spirit of the Father and the Son. The holy Trinity, the one true God, is of its nature unity, equality and love, and by one divine activity sanctifies its adopted sons. That is why Scripture says that God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit he has given us. The Holy Spirit, who is the one Spirit of the Father and the Son, produces in those to whom he gives the grace of divine adoption the same effect as he produced among those whom the Acts of the Apostles describes as having received the Holy Spirit. We are told that the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, because the one Spirit of the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is one God, had created a single heart and soul in all those who believed.

"This is why Saint Paul in his exhortation to the Ephesians says that this spiritual unity in the bond of peace must be carefully preserved. I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, he writes, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, with all humility and meekness and with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit.

"God makes the Church itself a sacrifice pleasing in his sight by preserving within it the love which his Holy Spirit has poured out. Thus the grace of that spiritual love is always available to us, enabling us continually to offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to him for ever."

Comforter of the Afflicted and the Refuge of Sinners

Venerable Fulton Sheen+, The Mystical Body of Christ

Our Lord did not make His earthly life one prolonged transfiguration. In those few, brief moments He did reveal the glory which was really His, but at all other times He appealed through the humanity which was like unto ours. His fatigue at Jacob's well, His tears over Jerusalem, His agony in the garden, His sufferings on the Cross - all the "weakness" of His human nature - have won more souls to Him than the blazing garments and the Heavenly Voice of Thabor.

In like manner, if the life of the Church had been one triumphant, blazing transfiguration on a mountain top, apart from the woes and ills of man, she would never have been the Comforter of the Afflicted and the Refuge of Sinners. She has been called, like her Divine Head, to be a redemptress, lifting men from the shadows of sin to the tabernacles of grace where Saints are made. She is not a far-off, abstract ideal, but a Mother; and though she has been stained with dust in her long journey through the centuries, though some of her children have left her and saddened her soul, yet there is joy in her heart because of the children she has nourished; there is gladness in her eyes because of the faith she has preserved; there is understanding in her soul for she has known the frailty of our flesh, and how to nourish us back to life. And in these qualities one divines the reason why Our Blessed Lord chose, not a sinless man like John, but a weak, frail, fallen man like Peter as His first vicar, in order that, through his weakness, he and the Church of which he is the head might sympathize with the weakness of his brethren, be their Apostle of Mercy and, in the truest sense of the term, the Vicar of the Saviour and Redeemer of the world who came not to save the just, but the sinner.

The Abiding Presence of the Centuries

This. From +Venerable Fulton Sheen, The Mystical Body of Christ:

When therefore we in this twentieth century wish to know about Christ, about His early Church, about history, we go not only to the written records, but to the living Church which began with Christ. That Church, or that Mystical Person who has been living all these centuries and is the basis of our faith, says to us:

"I live with Christ. I saw His Mother and I know her to be a Virgin and the loveliest and purest of all women in heaven or on earth; I saw Christ at Caesarea-Philippi, when, after changing Simon's name to Rock, He told him he was the rock upon which the Church would be built and that it would endure unto the consummation of the world. I saw Christ hanging on a cross and I saw Him rise from His tomb; I saw Magdalene rush to His feet; I saw the angels clad in white beside the great stone; I was in the Cenacle room when doubting Thomas put fingers into His hands; I was on Olivet when He ascended into heaven and promised to send His Spirit to the apostles to make them the foundation of His new Mystical Body on earth. I was at the stoning of Stephen, saw Saul hold the garments of those who slew him, and later I heard Saul, as Paul, preach Christ and Him crucified; I witnessed the beheading of Peter and Paul in Rome, and with my very eyes saw tens of thousands of martyrs crimson the sands with their blood, rather than deny the faith Peter and Paul had preached unto them; I was living when Boniface was sent to Germany, when Augustine when to England, Cyril and Methodius to the Poles, and Patrick to Ireland; at the beginning of the ninth century I recall seeing Charlemagne crowned as king in matters temporal as Peter's vicar was recognized as supreme in matters spiritual; in the thirteenth century I saw the great stones cry out in tribute to me, and burst into Gothic Cathedrals; in the shadows of those same walls I saw great Cathedrals of thought arise in the prose of Aquinas and Bonaventure, and in the poetry of Dante; in the sixteenth century I saw my children softened by the spirit of the world leave the Father's house and reform the faith instead of reforming discipline which would have brought them back again into my embrace; in the last century and at the beginning of this I heard the world say it could not accept me because I was behind the times. I am not behind the times, I am only behind the scenes. I have adapted myself to every form of government the world has ever known; I have lived with Caesars and kings, tyrants and dictators, parliaments and presidents, monarchies and republics. I have welcomed every advance of science, and were it not for me the great records of the pagan world would not have been preserved. It is true I have not changed my doctrine, but that is because the ‘doctrine is not mine but His who sent Me.’ I change my garments which belong to time, but not my Spirit which belongs to eternity. In the course of my long life I have seen so many modern ideas become unmodern, that I know I shall live to chant a requiem over the modern ideas of this day, as I chanted it over the modern ideas of the last century. I celebrated the nineteen-hundredth anniversary of the death of my Redeemer and yet I am no older now than then, for my Spirit is Eternal, and the Eternal never ages. I am the abiding Personage of the centuries. I am the contemporary of all civilizations. I am never out of date, because the dateless; never out of time, because the timeless. I have four great marks: I am One, because I have the same Soul I had in the beginning; I am Holy, because that Soul is the Spirit of Holiness; I am Catholic, because that Spirit pervades every living cell of my Body; I am Apostolic, because my origin is identical with Nazareth, Galilee and Jerusalem. I shall grow weak when my members become rich and cease to pray, but I shall never die. I shall be persecuted as I am persecuted now in Mexico and Russia; I shall be crucified as I was on Calvary, but I shall rise again, and finally when time shall be no more, and I shall have grown to my full stature, then shall I be taken into heaven as the bride of my Head, Christ, where the celestial nuptials shall be celebrated, and God shall be all in all, because His Spirit is Love and Love is Heaven."

The Church Loves us as a Mother

"Think of what a good mother does.  A good mother sets high standards for her children, standards of behavior, standards of cleanliness, standards of respect, standards of work.  And she expects her children to meet them, and that's love.  And that's the way the Church loves you, as a mother, setting those expectations, setting those standards.

"Where is mercy? Mercy is not to lower a standard. Mercy is to love you and help you when you have earnestly tried, and failed, to live the standard. The Church always could be and always should be more merciful in that way, to reach out, to seek out, like a shepherd, those who struggle to live that standard, and to love them in their struggle."

Homily from Fr. Andrew, Good Shepherd Sunday

Listen to all here. 

Prayer to St. Joseph for the Church Militant

 

O GLORIOUS St. Joseph, chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus, the chaste spouse of Mary ever Virgin and the head of the Holy Family, and then appointed by the Vicar of Christ to be the Heavenly patron and defender of the Church founded by Jesus, most confidently do I implore at this moment thy powerful aid for all the Church Militant on earth. Do thou shield with thy truly paternal love especially the Supreme Pontiff and all the bishops and priests who are in union with the Holy See of Peter. Be the defender of all who labor for souls amidst the trials and tribulations of this life, and cause all the peoples of the earth to submit themselves in a docile spirit to that Church which is the ark of salvation for all men.

Be pleased also, dear St. Joseph, to accept this dedication of myself which I now make unto thee. I dedicate myself wholly to thee, that thou mayest ever be my father, my patron and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me great purity of heart and a fervent devotion to the interior life. Grant that, following thine example, I may direct all my actions to the greater glory of God, in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary and in union with thee. Finally, pray for me that I may be a partaker in the peace and joy which were thine at the hour of thy holy death. Amen.

"The humble and hidden presence of the Lord in Mary, in the Church and in each soul, radiates light and hope to the world."

Hope does not disappoint.  It has been an amazing week, with ups and downs, but through it all, the Holy Spirit so evident and working in mysterious ways in each of our lives and in the life of the Church at large.  I want to share with you one of the most beautiful teachings of our new Pope Francis, given in 2008, as His Eminence Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, SJ, at the 49th International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec (source The Sacred Page, translation from Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam).  My heart is filled with gratitude for our new Papa, a humble, holy, and wise man.  Let us pray for him together.  You will want to read the entire catechesis, but here are a few of my favorite exerpts, showing both the Eucharistic and Marian heart of our new Pope Francis (emphasis from Michael Barber at The Sacred Page).

First, Mary as a Model of the Covenant, and how she helps us live the Eucharistic Mystery:

Desire and self-offering are the two anticipatory attitudes that convert the Church and also each faithful soul into “new wineskins.” By desire and self-offering we become, like Mary, vessels suitable for the Word to take on flesh within us. The humble and hidden presence of the Lord in Mary, in the Church and in each soul, radiates light and hope to the world. John Paul expresses this beautifully, speaking of the Visitation:

“‘And blessed art thou that hast believed’ (Lk 1:45): Mary has anticipated, in the mystery of the Incarnation, the Eucharistic faith of the Church. When, in the Visitation, she carries within her the Word made flesh, she becomes, in a way, a ‘tabernacle’ – the first ‘tabernacle’ in history – where the Son of God, still invisible to the eyes of men, is offered for the adoration by Elizabeth, as ‘radiating’ light through the eyes and the voice of Mary.”

Mary, therefore, is a model of the Covenant, between the Lord and His bride the Church, between God and each man. Model of a Covenant that is company of Love, confident and fruitful abandonment and fullness of hope that irradiates joy. All of these virtues become music in the Magnificat of which John Paul II gives us a beautiful Eucharistic vision:

“In the Magnificat, after all, is present the eschatological tension of the Eucharist. Each time the Son of God is presented under the ‘poverty’ of the sacramental species, bread and wine, the world has within it the germ of the new history, in which ‘He hath put down the mighty from their seat’ and ‘hath exalted the humble.’ (cf. Lk 1:52). Mary sings of the ‘new heaven’ and the ‘new earth’ that are anticipated in the Eucharist and, in a certain sense, allows a glimpse into its programmed ‘design.’ Given that the Magnificat expresses the spirituality of Mary, nothing helps us live better the Eucharistic Mystery than this spirituality. The Eucharist has been given to us for our life, as that of Mary’s, all one Magnificat!” 

And, the great personal joy of receiving the Eucharist as Mary receives:

Throughout this catechesis, as we contemplate in Mary the mystery of the Covenant, it has been gradually revealed to us the riches of the Eucharist and of the Church. In our Mother all becomes concrete and “possible.” In her school the ineffable mysteries of God are given a maternal face and tone and they become comprehensible to the faith filled with Love which, as God’s faithful people, we profess to Mary. The conclusions to be drawn for the personal spiritual life, I believe, each of us must select from among those in which one finds the greatest joy, as Saint Ignatius asserted in the Spiritual Exercises. Uniting the Eucharist and the sacramental communion with Mary is something that we do intuitively, and deepening our understanding of this is something which does us all good.

For this we might ask the Grace of receiving Communion as Mary received the Word and allow it to take on flesh anew in me; the grace to receive the Eucharist from the hands of the Church using ours as a paten (meaning “manger”), aware it is our Lady who places it there and entrusts us with same; the grace of singing with Mary the Magnificat in that moment of silence that follows Communion; the grace of anticipating in the Eucharist all that will be our day or week, with all the good and positive offered jointly with the bread, and all that suffering and passion offered jointly with the wine; the grace of believing and placing with Love all our hope in that premise and token of salvation we already have in each Eucharist, to later conform our life in the image of that which we receive. Thus, each of may derive benefit from that upon which we have meditated.

And, finally, on going forth to be light of the world and salt of the earth:

It is the incommensurable, unreturnable nature of the gift that has been transmitted to us which compels the Lord to sanctify the Church in an indefectible manner, as He did with His Mother, in such a way that it is assured this gift can be both received and transmitted “for the life of the world.” the mystery of the Covenant that makes the Church all-holy is a mystery of [both] service and of Life.  It should never cease to amaze us this definite aperture to the Trinitarian life itself is given and is poured forth not just for some but for the life of the world. This is the case even if not all know it or take advantage of the fruit of the incomprehensible Liberty of the Uno and Triune God whose self-giving is total and for all.

In uniting to Christ, instead of sealing itself off, the People of the new Covenant are converted into a “sacrament” for all humanity, sign and instrument of salvation, in a work of Christ, into a light of the world and salt of the earth (cf. Mt 5:13-16), for the redemption of all. The mission of the Church continues that of Christ: “As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.” (Jn 20:21). Therefore, the Church receives the spiritual strength necessary to accomplish its mission of perpetuating in the Eucharist the sacrifice of the Cross and being in communion with the body and the blood of Christ. So, the Eucharist is the source and, at the same time, the summit of all evangelization, given that its objective is the communion of men with Christ and, in Him, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit.

 

H/T Father Andrew for posting the article on twitter.

Cross posted at Community of Catholic Bloggers

Advent Jesse Tree Day 3: Mother of All Living

For she is an aura of the might of God

and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty;

therefore nought that is sullied enters into her.

 

For she is the refulgence of eternal light,

the spotless mirror of the power of God,

the image of His goodness.

 

And she, who is one, can do all things,

and renews everything while herself perduring;

And passing into holy souls from age to age,

she produces friends of God and prophets.

 

For there is nought God loves, be it not

one who dwells with Wisdom.

 

For she is fairer than the sun,

and surpasses every constellation of the stars.

 

Compared to light she takes precedence;

for that; indeed, night supplants,

but wickedness prevails not over Wisdom.

 

~Wisdom 7: 25-30

 

Mary, I give you my will. Conform it to the will of your Son. In the Most Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.

+JMJ+

 

Jesse Tree Advent Day 3:  Mother of All Living (Mary)

From Genesis: The Lord God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Genesis 3:14a, 15, 20

From Luke:  In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth… And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you! … And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”… And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.  Luke 1: 25, 28, 31, 38

From John: When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.  John 19: 26-27

From Revelation: And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus.  Revelation 12: 1-2, 17a

Advent Jesse Tree Day 2: The Fall

Do you trust God or do you trust the serpent?

 

Lord, draw us closer to Your Sacred Heart, so that it is Your voice we hear.  Dispel all the lies that we believe so that only Your truth remains. In Your Holy Name, Amen.

 

+JMJ+

Advent Jesse Tree Day 2:  The Fall (represented by apple and serpent)
 

From Genesis:

But God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate.  But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”  ~Genesis 3: 3-6, 9-11

 From First Corinthians:

For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.  ~1 Corinthians 15: 21-22

From Romans:                                

Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned. ….Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.  But the free gift is not like the trespass.  For if many through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. ~Romans 5: 12, 14-15

Advent Jesse Tree Day 1: In the beginning

Advent is one of the most beautiful times of the Church year, a time to examine and prepare our hearts for the coming of our Lord Jesus, both in His Nativity and in His glorious return at the end of the present world.  We ask God to prepare us, and we say, Come Lord Jesus!

God's promises to His beloved people are throughout His Word.  He is faithful, and we can trust Him and His Fatherly promises.  He is our Shepherd, and we are His people.  One of the ways that God has drawn me to Him is in studying the Old Testament and seeing the beauty of His plan for His people and for us, His children.  He loves us and draws us close to His heart throughout our lives.  May we call to our Shepherd in our brokenness, listen, hear His voice, and know His presence.  He comes to find us when we are lost, and in the darkness, we hear His voice calling us closer to Him.  Come, Lord Jesus, find us, heal us, and prepare us to receive You ever more.

+ JMJ+

Jesse Tree Day 1:  In the beginning (represented by planet Earth ornament)

 

From Genesis 1:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and the darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1: 1-3, 27, 31

From John 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. John 1: 1-5, 14

Refreshment for Our Souls (originally posted 11/8/11)

Originally posted 11/8/11:

One of the many things I love about our Catholic faith is the beauty of the liturgical year and various liturgical seasons and special monthly devotions providing a prayerful rhythm for our daily lives. November is a month we especially remember our beloved dead. This past week was the first time I had ever offered special prayers during the first week of November for our beloved souls in purgatory. Our Lord revealed to St. Gertrude:

"I accept with highest pleasure what is offered to Me for the poor souls, for I long inexpressibly to have near Me those for whom I paid so great a price. By the prayers of thy loving soul, I am induced to free a prisoner from purgatory as often as thou dost move thy tongue to utter a word of prayer!"

Four centuries before devotion of Our Lord's Most Sacred Heart was given to the world, Our Lord revealed to St. Gertrude His adorable Heart,

"at one time as a treasury in which all riches are contained; at another time as a harp which is played upon by the Holy Spirit, the sweetness of whose tones ravished the Blessed Trinity and all the heavenly court. Once it was represented to her as a fountain, the delicious and plentiful waters of which refresh the souls in purgatory, strengthen and enrich the just on earth, and fill the blessed in heaven with inebriating delights."

I love the way He revealed His Sacred Heart to St. Gertrude, with the imagery of the fountain providing for the Church Suffering, Church Militant, and Church Triumphant. We are all one Body and what a beautiful gift we have to offer prayers through Christ for one another. It was a blessing to be able to pray with you, and with Our Lady, in a special way last week for indulgences for our beloved souls.


UPDATE: Remember Me is a beautiful remembrance book available for purchase here. Here is a description from the website:

Remember Me is a family heirloom that is sure to be used again and again. It serves as a constant reminder to pray for loved ones who have gone before you. It is our hope that Remember Me will become a focal point of prayer for you and your family each and every month. As you use it, you will be filled with comfort and special memories — so that the souls of our faithful departed will live on and never be forgotten.

Word on Fire: Prayer for the New Evangelization

I really like this prayer from Word on Fire, Fr. Barron's ministry, a prayer for the new evangelization:

Lord Jesus Christ, You have given Your Chruch the mission to proclaim the Gospel to all the nations.

May our efforts to fulfill this mission be guided by the Holy Spirit so that we might be a leaven of new life, salt of the earth and a light of the world - worthy missionaries and faithful to You.

Make us valiant witnesses to the Faith of the Church, and inspire us to speak the truth with love.

Help us to communicate to others the joy that we have recieved.

Permit us to be united, but not closed; humble, but not fearful; simple, but not naive, thoughtful, but not overbearing; contemporary, but not superficial; respectful of others, but boldly Your disciples.

May we bear into the world the hope of God, Who is Christ the Lord, Who rose from the dead and lives and reigns with Father and Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!
St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, pray for us!
St. Peter and St. Paul, pray for us!
St. Therese, Patroness of Missionairies, pray for us!
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

Restless Heart From Ignatius Press Films

This looks really good:

"Fasting detaches you from this world, prayer reattaches you to the next world"

I trust in You Jesus. 

We have been given an amazing opportunity to witness to the hope that we have been given in Jesus Christ. Our hope is in Him, not in men, not in princes.  He gives Himself completely to us in the Sacraments, and thanks be to God, we still can receive Him without fear in our country.  Hope in Jesus Christ is our anchor and He will not abandon us during this current storm, even if things get decidedly worse.  It is going to take a lot of trust on our part, and He will give us fortitude and courage to speak when we need to, take action when called for, and to stand firm in silence when necessary.

Each one of us has been born at this time for a particular reason.  In our ordinary lives, we are called to love in an extraordinary way.  There is a lot going on in our world and country, and it is very discouraging at times.  But God has not abandoned us.  We may be chastised a bit, but we trust in His Love for us and in His Divine Providence.  He gives and He takes away.  In all, is His Grace.  In this time, I can choose to become overwhelmed with the things of the world or I can choose to place all my trust in Him.  Trusting in Him does not mean complacency or ignoring what is going on around me.  There is a battle going on, and we must remain engaged.  Trusting in Him means giving myself completely to Him in relationship as His beloved daughter and knowing He will call me to action where I am needed in the battle.  The only way to remain grounded in Him right now is through prayer and fasting.  As Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said,

"Fasting detaches you from this world, prayer reattaches you to the next world."  

It takes discernment to hear what God is telling us, and with too much indulgence (non only food, but information and material goods) comes fog, but with fasting comes clarity.  May we discern where God wants us to be in this battle, equipped with all the virtues, especially the theological and cardinal:  faith, hope, love, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.

Lord, have mercy on us as we place our trust in You.  Mary, our Mother, watch over us.  I give you my will, conform it to the will of Your Son.  Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.  Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.  St. Joseph, pray for us.  Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.  In Your Most Holy Name, Amen.

Must Read: A Heart on Fire: Catholic Witness and the Next America

Archbishop Charles Chaput's newly released Heart on Fire:  Catholic Witness and the Next America is a must read!  I highly recommend reading this, regardless of your beliefs.  It is a fantastic perspective on what is happening in our American public square right now.

The best part is that it is available electronically for just 99 cents!  Find it here or here.  Download it and read it!  It is only 19 pages long.

Why I Love the Catholic Church

This video is awesome.  Jesus, you are the reason why I love the Catholic Church.  Mary, you are the reason why I love Jesus, and Jesus, you are the reason why I love Mary.

Thanks Father for making this video:




Check out more inspirational videos at Spirit Juice Studios

"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair." ~ G.K. Chesterton

Okay.... I broke down and watched the video "Why I hate religion, but I love Jesus" or whatever it's called.  There are all kinds of rebuttals out there and commentary which I didn't read, but I did see this from Bad Catholic, and I love it.  And I especially love Marc's banner for Bad Catholic that has a quote from G.K. Chesterton:

"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair." 

~G.K. Chesterton

YES!

Read all Marc had to say about the video at Bad Catholic.  Here's my favorite part ( and I emphasized my most especially favorite part in bold :)  ).

But in all seriousness, the last part of the video is awesome. It’s a darn good explanation of how Christ died for our sins, how we are saved not by our own merits, but by his Grace. I’m not sure why it goes against Christ to be a religion that teaches exactly what our man is teaching in this video.

“Because I believe that when Jesus said ‘It is Finished’, he meant it.” When Jesus said it is finished he died, and yes, without a doubt, his sacrifice was found acceptable to God. It truly is finished — nothing can take away the fact that we have been redeemed. But we can choose to reject this redemption. That’s why after the Resurrection, Christ appeared to Peter — upon whom he had said he would build His Church — and told him “feed my lambs.” Christ knew we would need instruction, guidance and example. Jesus established a Church to proclaim to the end’s of the earth that “It is Finished.” He established a religion to make known his salvation. I reject the video’s message, not simply because it wades in the shallows of theology, forever fearing to plunge into the depths of what Christ actually did here on Earth, but because it is lonely. It is a call to figure out the mysteries of God on one’s own, with nothing but a book one must deny was given to him by religion. No, this is silly. God gave us a Church to aid us on the journey, so that we might be one. To love Jesus and hate religion is equivalent to calling upon a doctor and smashing all his instruments when he arrives.

Well, that's about it..... I'm about 80 pages behind on a book that I have to have read by tomorrow for a book club I'm in.  No more youtube videos for me.  Pray I can get it read without falling asleep!!!

A.M.D.G.

Here is a good response to the video Why I love Jesus, but hate religion.  I actually haven't watched that video, but this one is good!  And considering my daughter, who is 10, just encountered some anticatholicism yesterday, it is timely for us. 

What happened  in a nutshell:  One of her friends told her, "A lot of people think Catholicism is messed up."  and "Why do Catholics add books to the Bible?"  and "I believe you only need to confess your sins directly to God."  All in the middle of an art class!  I'm proud of my daughter's response to this and that she held her ground and also told me about it even though she knew it probably meant she was not going to get to go on a playdate with her yesterday afternoon.  Although she did not have enough knowledge to talk about the ins and outs of the history of the Septuagint and the Canon of Scripture in the Catholic Church with her friend, she did have a great response about confession.  She told her friend that when she goes to confession she actually" is confessing directly to God, and that the priest acts in the person of Christ."  Pretty good for a 10 year old defending her faith to another 10 year old.   

I was torn about whether to let her go play with her friend anyway yesterday afternoon, but decided to have one-on-one time with her instead, so we went to our local coffee shop and had a wonderful talk! She is still friends with her, and I had a wonderful discussion with her friend's mother which made me realize how many misunderstandings and inaccuracies there are out there about our Catholic faith.  There are definite differences, but how will people know what we REALLY believe and where it came from if we are not willing to share it?  I am glad that her friend asked her questions and for my daughter's courage.... this is where her strong will is beneficial.  May we as parents help guide her to follow Christ and His Truth and to help her to grow in courage to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ with love and generosity.

Her mom apologized and was very gracious.  It was something that could have ended badly but ended up being a wonderful place to begin a dialogue.

Here's the video I was talking about before:



HT GNW_Paul on Plurk for the video

Wyoming Catholic College

Truth with Zeal

The Holy Spirit gives us joy. And He is joy. Joy is the gift in which all the other gifts are included. It is the expression of happiness, of being in harmony with ourselves, that which can only come from being in harmony with God and with his creation. It belongs to the nature of joy to be radiant; it must communicate itself. The missionary spirit of the Church is none other than the impulse to communicate the joy which has been given. ~Pope Benedict XVI, Christmas Address to the Roman Curia, 2008

Wondering where the new evangelization is? Here in our little midwest town, we are witnessing the new evangelization through an amazing group of Catholic missionaries, known as the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).

Here in our town, Christ has brought the Catholic faith alive for college students across campus and across our community through the efforts of the FOCUS missionaries here. There are between 60 - 80 college students who attend daily Mass at the Newman Center. These students are reverent and love tradition. They are on fire for their faith and are are an inspiration to people in our family and families across the community. The FOCUS missionaries and their student disciples are living the sacramental life without fear and bringing the light of Christ to the darkness of our times.

At our university campus, we have four FOCUS missionaries (two women and two men) who have given their lives radically to Christ and His Holy Church. They disciple students to lead Bible studies and various community activities that evangelize to the Truth of Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church. We are currently supporting two FOCUS missionary families in the United States by giving on a monthly basis, specifically for these two families. There are hundreds of FOCUS missionaries across the country (and now internationally!) that raise their own money for support of their mission work. If you are interested in finding a missionary to support with a one-time or an ongoing gift, go check them out at FOCUSonline.org. This has been the best investment we have ever made, both for the growth we have experienced in our own faith and for the fruit we have seen by Christ's work through FOCUS.

If you have any questions, or would like to know the names of some specific missionaries we know personally that you can support, send me an email at intheirhearts@gmail.com

Refreshment for Our Souls

One of the many things I love about our Catholic faith is the beauty of the liturgical year and various liturgical seasons and special monthly devotions providing a prayerful rhythm for our daily lives. November is a month we especially remember our beloved dead. This past week was the first time I had ever offered special prayers during the first week of November for our beloved souls in purgatory. Our Lord revealed to St. Gertrude:

"I accept with highest pleasure what is offered to Me for the poor souls, for I long inexpressibly to have near Me those for whom I paid so great a price. By the prayers of thy loving soul, I am induced to free a prisoner from purgatory as often as thou dost move thy tongue to utter a word of prayer!"

Four centuries before devotion of Our Lord's Most Sacred Heart was given to the world, Our Lord revealed to St. Gertrude His adorable Heart,

"at one time as a treasury in which all riches are contained; at another time as a harp which is played upon by the Holy Spirit, the sweetness of whose tones ravished the Blessed Trinity and all the heavenly court. Once it was represented to her as a fountain, the delicious and plentiful waters of which refresh the souls in purgatory, strengthen and enrich the just on earth, and fill the blessed in heaven with inebriating delights."

I love the way He revealed His Sacred Heart to St. Gertrude, with the imagery of the fountain providing for the Church Suffering, Church Militant, and Church Triumphant. We are all one Body and what a beautiful gift we have to offer prayers through Christ for one another. It was a blessing to be able to pray with you, and with Our Lady, in a special way last week for indulgences for our beloved souls.


UPDATE: Remember Me is a beautiful remembrance book available for purchase here. Here is a description from the website:

Remember Me is a family heirloom that is sure to be used again and again. It serves as a constant reminder to pray for loved ones who have gone before you. It is our hope that Remember Me will become a focal point of prayer for you and your family each and every month. As you use it, you will be filled with comfort and special memories — so that the souls of our faithful departed will live on and never be forgotten.