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My Prayer Box
the
Newsletter of My Catholic Tradition
“You cannot strengthen the
weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the
wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You
cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You
cannot help men permanently by doing for them what
they could and should do for themselves.” -
Abraham Lincoln
To subscribe to the newsletter, please follow this
link. |
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Who
is |
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Daniel
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(From the Book of Daniel) |
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In the first
year that Darius of the Medes reigns over the
kingdom of the Chaldeans Daniel tries to
understand in the Scriptures the counting of
the years of which the LORD spoke to the
prophet Jeremiah: that for the ruins of
Jerusalem seventy years must be fulfilled.
He turns to the Lord God, pleading in earnest
prayer, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. He
prays to the LORD and begs the LORD for mercy
and forgiveness for this and his people’s
transgressions, the wisdom to understand the
prophesies of Jeremiah.
The LORD answers Daniel and tells him that
seventy weeks are decreed for his people and
for their holy city. Then transgression will
stop and sin will end, guilt will be expiated,
Everlasting justice will be introduced, vision
and prophecy ratified, and a most holy will be
anointed. From the utterance of the word that
Jerusalem was to be rebuilt Until one who is
anointed and a leader, there shall be seven
weeks. |
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During sixty-two
weeks it shall be rebuilt, with streets and
trenches, in time of affliction. After the
sixty-two weeks an anointed shall be cut down when
he does not possess the city. And the people of a
leader who will come shall destroy the sanctuary.
Then the end shall come like a torrent; until the
end there shall be war, the desolation that is
decreed.
For one week he shall make a firm compact with the
many. Half the week he shall abolish sacrifice and
oblation. On the temple wing shall be the horrible
abomination until the ruin that is decreed is
poured out upon the horror.
These are what the LORD said to Daniel. |
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To
be continued... |
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There’s an old
saying that the greatest gift a father can give
his children is to love their mother.
That’s the importance of a father: the witness he
gives through his love. I have many memories of my
own father. But above all, I remember his love for
my mother. I always believed in it, because it was
always there. My father taught me that fidelity
was not just possible, but a source of joy and
freedom, satisfaction and friendship. I might have
learned that without him, but not in the same way,
and not with the same intimacy. He also taught me
how to choose to love. Real, fatherly love is
entirely a free-will act of self-sacrifice. Lived
well, it gives us a window on God’s own
fatherhood.
Of course, God is wholly “other,” and neither male
nor female. But Scripture says, “I bow my knees
before the Father, from whom every family in
heaven and on earth is named” (Eph 3:14, 15). And
Jesus himself told us to call God “Father.” It’s
the language God chooses to reveal himself, and
it’s through a human father that the child best
learns how to integrate justice and mercy; how to
engage with the world; our purpose beyond the
family; the nobility of strength when it’s ruled
by love; and the creative fruitfulness of work. A
father’s love completes the family—and in that
communion of persons, the child gets the first
inkling of who God is, a Trinity of persons in a
community of love, much like the human family.
Looking out
from within the love of a family, we can see the
poverty of so much of today’s culture. If men are
simply predators, and if women really need men
only as a way of conceiving children, well … then
marriage is just a contract of mutual utility,
with the sexes using each other as a means to an
end. But people are vastly better than that. Our
motives and yearnings are higher than that.
What can we do to restore fathers to their place
in the family and in the culture, and through
that, to renew our language of God?
We certainly need a tax code that genuinely favors
families. We also need social welfare policies
that deliver help where it’s needed, without
encouraging families to breakup in the process.
But those are political issues, and they’re always
debatable. The real work is on the personal level,
and it’s both simpler and tougher.
We live in a curious time. We lionize books like
Tom Brokaw’s “The Greatest Generation.” We revere
the values which the generation of the 1940s
embodied—especially the fathers and brothers and
sons who fought in World War II. But how much of
it, I wonder, is just our nostalgia for a life we
have no intention of choosing ourselves … because
it would demand the hard work of conversion.
That’s the heart of the matter. The revolution
starts in the individual soul. When men and women
decide to live scriptural lives, sacramental
lives, then and only then, will the world begin to
change.
One of my favorite saints is St. Joseph, because
he was a man’s man—a man accustomed to labor,
sweat and the burden of supporting a family.
Scripture says, “Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain” (Ps 127:1). It’s
always struck me that God the Father put his only
Son into the care of a carpenter, a builder. And
Joseph, in his faith and obedience, allowed God to
use his own human talents to build the Living
Tabernacle. Joseph protected and taught, formed
and provided for, the Redeemer of the world.
Joseph was a living witness of the meaning of
manliness; the nobility of human labor; and the
dignity of married love. Surely, Jesus must have
admired and loved him with all his heart. So if we
hope to restore the identity of fathers in our
families and in our culture, if we hope to rebuild
the integrity of family life in our communities …
we should look first to Joseph.
We have no better model. |
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For the original
article of Most Rev. Charles Chaput,
please click here.
For more articles and address of the Most Rev.
Charles Chaput,
please click here. |
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So
you think you know -
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The
Celebration of the Liturgy
(Part 2) Father's Day 2008: a reflection |
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The Office of Catechism
of the United States Congress of Catholic Bishops
website puts our knowledge of the Catholic
Faith to a test!
This
is just a sample. |
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1. |
True or False.
In the liturgy it is not only the Father who
blesses us, but we who bless the Father. |
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2. |
Why is
Christ's work in the
liturgy sacramental?
Choose any combination of the following.
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His mystery
of salvation is made present there by the
power of his Holy Spirit. |
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His Body,
which is the Church, is like a sacrament
(sign and instrument) in which the Holy
Spirit dispenses the mystery of salvation. |
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c. |
Through her
liturgical actions the pilgrim Church
already participates, as by a foretaste,
in the heavenly liturgy. |
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d. |
In the
liturgy the other sacraments obtain their
origin and efficaciousness. |
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e. |
In the
liturgy, specifically in the Eucharistic
species, Christ is present purely in the
power of his Spirit. |
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3. |
What is the
mission of the
Holy Spirit in the
liturgy?
Choose any combination of the following. |
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To prepare
the assembly to encounter Christ |
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b. |
To recall
and manifest Christ to the faith of the
assembly |
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c. |
To make the
saving work of Christ present and active
by his transforming power |
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d. |
To make the
gift of communion bear fruit in the Church |
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e. |
To protect
the liturgy against rubrical deviations |
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4. |
What
is the definition of a
sacrament? |
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5. |
True or false.
It is only the ordained priesthood, not the common
priesthood of all believers, that is an essential
element in the sacraments and liturgy. |
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6. |
True or false.
The sacraments strengthen faith as well as express
it. |
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7. |
Which of the
following is
false?
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The
sacraments of the New Covenant are
necessary for salvation for all people. |
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b. |
Sacramental
grace is the grace of the Holy Spirit. |
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c. |
The fruit
of the sacramental life is that the Spirit
of adoption makes the faithful partakers. |
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d. |
The fruit
of the sacramental life is an increase in
the Church's charity and mission of
witness. in the divine nature. |
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e. |
None of the
above. |
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8. |
True or
false.
The liturgy is the work of Mary and all the
saints, as well as that of Jesus. |
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9. |
True or
false.
A distinction between the common priesthood of
all believers and the ordained priesthood is
that the ordained priest is ordained to
represent Christ as head of the body. |
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10. |
True or
false.
The signs and symbols of the human world
(language, gestures, actions) by which we
communicate, are ineffectual in a liturgical
context and are replaced by the actions of God
in the salvation of his people in history. |
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To
learn more about Our Faith, please
click here. |
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Thirteenth
Sunday in Ordinary Time :
SixteenthSunday in Ordinary Time
July 20,
2008
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my
Church, and the gates of the
netherworld shall not prevail against
it. Mat 16:18 |
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First Reading from the Book of Isaiah |
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Wis 12:13, 16-19 |
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There is no god
besides you who have the care of all, that you
need show you have not unjustly condemned.
For your might is
the source of justice; your mastery over all
things makes you lenient to all.
For you show
your might when the perfection of your power is
disbelieved; and in those who know you, you rebuke
temerity.
But though you
are master of might, you judge with clemency, and
with much lenience you govern us; for power,
whenever you will, attends you.
And you taught
your people, by these deeds, that those who are
just must be kind; and you gave your children good
ground for hope that you would permit repentance
for their sins. |
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Responsorial From the Book of Psalm12:13,
16-19
ms:
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Ps 86:5-6, 9-10,
15-16 |
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R. Lord, you are
good and forgiving.
You, O LORD, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O LORD,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.
R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.
You, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in kindness and fidelity.
Turn toward me, and have pity on me;
give your strength to your servant.
R. Lord, you are good and forgiving. |
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Second Reading from the Letter to the Romans |
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Rom 8:26-27
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Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for
we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the
Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible
groanings.
And the one who searches hearts knows what is the
intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for
the holy ones according to God’s will. |
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Reading From the Gospel of Matthew |
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Mt 13:24-43 or
13:24-30 |
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Jesus proposed
another parable to the crowds, saying:
“The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who
sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone
was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all
through the wheat, and then went off. When the
crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as
well. The slaves of the householder came to him
and said,
‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?’
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He answered, ‘An
enemy has done this.’
His slaves said
to him,
‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
He replied, ‘No,
if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the
wheat along with them. Let them grow together
until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to
the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie
them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat
into my barn.”’”
He proposed another parable to them.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that
a person took and sowed in a field. It is the
smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it
is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush,
and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its
branches.’”
He spoke to them another parable.
“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman
took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened.”
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in
parables.
He spoke to them
only in parables, to fulfill what had been said
through the prophet: I will open my mouth in
parables, I will announce what has lain hidden
from the foundation of the world.
Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the
house.
His disciples
approached him and said,
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the
field.”
He said in
reply,
“He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children
of the kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the
harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with
fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.” |
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or |
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Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds,
saying:
“The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man
who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then
went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds
appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and
said,
‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’
His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and
pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
“First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles
for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” |
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Suggested Readings |
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Happiness Is a Serious
Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual
by Dennis Prager.
In this unique blend of self-help and moral
philosophy, talk-radio host Dennis Prager
asserts that we're actually obligated to be
happy, because it makes us better people.
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Praying With Frederic Ozanam
(Companions for the Journey Series)
-
Paperback, by Ronald Cm Ramson (Author) |
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Praying With Louise De
Marillac (Companions for the Journey Series)
by Audrey Gibson (Author), Kieran Kneaves
(Author) |
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Praying with Vincent de
Paul (Companions for the Journey)
2004, by Thomas McKenna
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The Rise of Christianity:
How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Became
the Dominant Religious Force ....
(Paperback) by Rodney Stark
(Author)
From the Publisher
"... this account of Christianity's remarkable
growth within the Roman Empire |
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is already the subject of much fanfare. "Anyone
who has puzzled over Christianity's rise to
dominance... must read it," ...
Read the first page. |
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Living Liturgy:
Spirituality, Celebration, and Catechesis for
Sundays and Solemnities, Year A,
2008 (Paperback) by C.PP.S. Joyce Ann Zimmerman
(Author), Thomas A. Greisen (Author), S.N.D. de
N. Kathleen Harmon (Author), M.S. Thomas L.
Leclerc (Author) |
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"Perfect for home use or to prepare for weekly
liturgy . . . It includes help for the
celebration, ideas for catechesis on the
particular event, and ways to understand the
readings more deeply. Finally, it includes
sample questions from which priests, deacons,
lay groups, ministers and others can jump off
into deeper discussion." |
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Straight Answers, Answers
to 100 Questions about the Catholic Faith
by Ph.D Rev. William P.
Saunders (Author)
Review by: Reverend William G. Curlin Bishop of
Charlotte
Straight Answers offers Catholics a simple and
direct response to the many questions concerning
the Catholic Church. It spells out profound
truths in very |
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simple language for all who seek a better
understanding of their Faith. I highly recommend
it for Catholics, both young and old. |
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The Power of Intention:
Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way
From Amazon:
After years of spiritual study and reflection,
inspirational speaker and |
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bestselling
author Wayne Dyer has emerged a highly esteemed
teacher. His current message about tapping into
the power of intention may sound like good old
positive thinking: just stay focused on what you
want, rather than focusing on the lack of having
what you want. But the teaching here goes deeper
than just controlling thoughts (although he does
acknowledge that thought control is a
surprisingly challenging and significant
endeavor).
This book might
help readers land a better job, but it's more
relevant for those who are ready to detach from
an ego-driven life filled with quick fixes of
happiness and step into a more authentic,
joyful, and spiritually fulfilling life. His
core teachings speak to tapping into a universal
source of energy that can also be called the
"power of intention." |
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The Chariot of Israel:
Exploits of the Prophet of Elijah
THE CHARIOT OF ISRAEL: When Elijah was caught up
to heaven, his disciple Elisha cried out, "the
chariot of Israel, and its horsemen." Elisha was
referring not to the chariot but to the prophet.
This study of Elijah’s life will captivate you
as it walks you through a pivotal period in
Israel’s history, and illustrative maps will
give you a better picture of the physical
geography of this ancient land. |
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Read
more about the Liturgical Year |
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The Origins of the
Liturgical Year (Pueblo Books)
by Thomas J. Talley (Author) The Rev. Dr.
Thomas J. Talley, Professor of Liturgics
at the General Theological Seminary in New
York, is one of the leading liturgists in
the country. He gives us a fresh
examination of the complex history of the
Liturgical Year. |
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The Cultural World
of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday, Cycle C.
(Bestseller! the Cultural World of Jesus:
Sunday by Sunday)
by John J. Pilch (Author)
Reader
Review: The book by Pilch provides those
who not only fill the pulpits across this
country but also all interested in the
cultural world in which Jesus lived with a
lot of pertinent information that sheds
light on a lot of areas that have been
"muddled" in the past. Yes, I highly
recommend this book. - James Mauldin |
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Learn
more and read the Old Testament. |
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Preaching from the
Old Testament
by Elizabeth Achtemeier (Author) Reader
Review: The author of these thirty-two
short chapters begins and ends with the
assumption that problems we experience
with the Old Testament are our problem,
not the Bible's. This subordinating of the
Bible reader to the well-weathered book he
holds in his hand opens doors, not to
forced harmonisations of problematic
passages, but to fresh reappraisal of
difficult texts on their own terms. -
David A. Baer |
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The Navarre Bible:
Pentateuch (The Navarre Bible: Old
Testament)
This volume helps you make the first five
books of the Old Testament a vital part of
your spiritual reading and practical
growth in the Christian life. It contains
the full English and Latin texts of these
books, along with extensive and faithfully
Catholic commentaries. Like other volumes
in the world-renowned Navarre Bible
series, these commentaries draw on Church
documents, the exegesis of Fathers
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and Doctors of the Church, and the works of
contemporary spiritual writers — particularly
St. Josemaría Escrivá, who initiated the
Navarre Bible project. |
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Comments and Suggestions are Most Welcome.
If you have any comments or contributions,
please
use the form in this link.
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This
volume of commentary on the New English Bible text of the First Book of Kings
follows the pattern of the now well-established series on the Old and New
Testaments. The main divisions of the text are those provided by the New English
Bible itself, but these are further subdivided for the purposes of the
commentary, which is printed in short sections following the relevant portion of
the text.
