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.           Health Notes   Beat the Bloat You know sodium best as table salt, but salt and sodium are hidden in all kinds of products, including packaged foods, fast foods, frozen foods, canned foods, and condiments, to name a few. When you eat sodium, the excess sodium is deposited just beneath the skin where it attracts water, which is retained in your cells. This makes you look puffy and feel bloated. You don't have to make yourself crazy over this, because there is sodium in everything! But here are a few tips:       Read labels to check the sodium content of what you're eating. Replace processed foods with fresh. Avoid prepackaged and canned foods. Be wary of salt-laden condiments and use very little soy sauce, mustard, and table salt. Go easy on dairy, and avoid processed meat (hot dogs, jerky, bologna, corned beef), anything pickled (pickles, capers, sauerkraut), relish, ketchup, and butter. Here are some sodium-free substitutes you can use instead: garlic, lemon, olive oil, vinegar, pepper, basil, cayenne, chili powder, cilantro, cumin, curry, dill, garlic powder, ginger, lemon, lime, mint, onion powder, oregano, paprika, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme.       Go Veggies! Diuretic veggies will also help because they contain potassium, which can help prevent fluid retention and metabolic slowdown. Spinach, lettuce, all greens (mustard, collard, beet, dandelion), parsley, arugula, watercress, asparagus, and cucumber all have diuretic qualities. So eat up!               Who is   Daniel   (From the Book of Daniel)       In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a revelation comes to Daniel that a great war is coming. Mourning, Daniel refuses to eat or drink, nor does he anoint himself for three weeks. After this period of mourning, Daniels goes to the bank of the river Tigris and sees a man dressed in linen with a belt of fine gold around his waist. His body is like chrysolite, his face shines like lightning, his eyes are like fiery torches, his arms and feet look like burnished bronze, and his voice sounds like the roar of a multitude. Daniel alone sees this vision but nevertheless great fear seizes the men who are with him that   they flee and hide themselves. Left alone and seeing this great vision Daniel’s strength leaves him and he turns the color of death. When Daniel hears the sound of his voice he falls face forward fainting. But then a hand touches Daniel and raises him to his hands and knees. While Daniel is trembling before the man he gives Daniel his mission. He tells Daniel not to fear for he heard his prayers from the very moment that he made up his mind to acquire understanding and humble himself before God. He has come to make Daniel understand what shall happen to his people in the days to come; for there is yet a vision concerning those days. Faint of fear Daniel feels a man's hand touches his lips. Daniel’s mouth opens and he tells the man that he is in great fear. The man reassures Daniel once again not to fear for he is safe. The man tells Daniel to take courage and be strong. The man tells Daniel that Michael the protector of his people has come to help him.     To be continued...                World Youth Day 2008: First Catechesis Called to live in the Holy Spirit Delivered by the Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. Archbishop of Denver, Colorado USA, in Sydney Australia July 2008     Good morning, and congratulations for being here. All of you have been blessed. A lot of young Catholic men and women around the world would love to be here in Sydney today, and they can't be. So let's remember them by making the most of this great opportunity for conversion and renewal as faithful Christians. Our theme today is "Called to live in the Holy Spirit." Describing the Holy Spirit isn't easy. One of the great minds of early Christian history, St. Augustine, wanted to write a book explaining the Holy Trinity, the fundamental Christian belief that God is one God in three Divine Persons. There's a legend that one day Augustine was walking along the beach at Hippo, his diocese in North Africa. He was trying to figure out the mystery of the Trinity. And as he moved along, he saw a boy running back and forth from the surf, carrying water in a bucket and pouring it into a small hole in the sand. Augustine was curious. He asked the child what he was doing. The boy responded: "I'm pouring all that water" -- meaning the ocean - "into this hole." Augustine said: "That's impossible. The ocean is huge, and your hole in the sand is tiny." The boy responded: "Then how can you expect to put the mystery of the Holy Trinity into that little head of yours?" And then the boy disappeared. Augustine didn't stop thinking about the Trinity. In fact, he gave the Church her single most important Christian reflection on the Trinity, called De Trinitate, which is as profound and powerful today as it was 1,600 years ago. But Augustine did learn to be humble. He learned that no matter how hard he thought about mysteries like the Trinity, he would never fully understand them. The same is true for us. We'll always need faith to guide us in our lives. In all our searching for God, we need to remember what Pope John Paul the Great taught us: Our minds need to fly on two wings -- faith and reason. We need both. They're meant to go together. All of you will recall what we say every Sunday at Mass when we profess the Creed. The Creed is the summary of what we believe as Catholics. It's a public statement of our Christian faith. In the Creed, we use our first wing, the wing of faith. The Creed describes the Holy Spirit as "The Lord the giver of Life". Now let's use our reason. Let's think about those words: "The giver of Life!" What do we thirst for more than anything else in the world? Life. We want as much life as we can get. We want a long life, a happy life, a healthy life. Everything we hope for is somehow summarized in that powerful word, "life." In everyday slang we speak of "having a life." We all worry about "the meaning of life." We especially like to tell annoying people to "go get a life." We make big plans for our future. We spend huge energy and resources to "build a life." And yet the Church has been telling us all along that the Holy Spirit is none other than the "giver of life," a kind of fusion engine of love who runs the whole thing. So maybe we should pay a little more attention to Him.   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.       What you might want to know about our Faith The Sacrament of Confirmation   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. 1. Give chapter and verse, or the quote, for a biblical reference for what became known as the sacrament of Confirmation. 2. Which of the following is false about Confirmation? Pick any combination of the following. a. It perfects Baptismal grace b. It gives us the Holy Spirit c. It helps us bear witness to the faith in words and deeds d. It is the second plank of salvation e. Anyone can administer Confirmation to another in grave necessity 3. True or false. Since Confirmation gives the Holy Spirit to strengthen the believer in his witness to the world, the denial of one's faith requires a re-Confirmation to restore the Spirit of Witness. 4. True or false. The administration of Confirmation directly following infant Baptism, and immediately followed by the Eucharist, is illicit in the Catholic Church. 5. Why, in the Latin Church, does Confirmation not immediately follow Baptism? Pick any combination of the following. a. The Latin Church no longer considers Confirmation a sacrament of initiation. b. A desire for the confirm and to make his own free will choice. c. In order to emphasize the importance of baptismal entry into the faith of the Church. d. The Church wants the bishop to confirm, in order to signify the strengthening of the bond to the Church and its apostolic origins. e. The Church wants to administer this sacrament after the age of reason. 6. The one to receive the sacrament of Confirmation must: Pick any combination of the following. a. be confirmed only by the local Ordinary b. be in the state of grace c. have the intention of receiving the sacrament d. have received the sacrament of Reconciliation prior to confirmation e. be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ 7. Which of the following are the essential elements of the Roman rite of Confirmation? Pick any combination of the following. a. The words: "Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit." b. The laying on of the minister's hand. c. A symbolic slap on the cheek. d. The anointing of the forehead with sacred chrism. e. The reception of Holy Communion. 8. True or false. Because Baptism and Confirmation are not celebrated at the same time, the connection of Baptism to Confirmation is expressed by the renewal of baptismal vows. 9. Which of the following real or symbolic uses of oil parallel the symbolism of anointing in the rite of Confirmation? Pick any combination of the following. a. It is a sign of abundance and joy. b. It cleanses. c. It limbers the limbs of athletes and wrestlers. d. It heals, since it is soothing to bruises and wounds. e. It signifies beauty, health, and strength. 10. In Confirmation we are "sealed" with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. What is the symbolism of a "seal"? Choose any combination of the following. a. A symbol of a person b. A sign of maturity c. A sign of personal authority d. A sign of ownership of an object e. An authentication of a juridical act     To learn more about Our Faith, please click here.           Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time : SeventeenthSunday in Ordinary Time July 27, 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 First Reading from the First Book of Kings 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12   The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” Solomon answered: “O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king to succeed my father David; but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act. I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?” The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request. So God said to him: “Because you have asked for this— not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right— I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.”     Responsorial From the Book of Psalms Ps 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130 R. Lord, I love your commands. I have said, O LORD, that my part is to keep your words. The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces. R. Lord, I love your commands. Let your kindness comfort me according to your promise to your servants. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight. R. Lord, I love your commands. For I love your command more than gold, however fine. For in all your precepts I go forward; every false way I hate. R. Lord, I love your commands. Wonderful are your decrees; therefore I observe them. The revelation of your words sheds light, giving understanding to the simple. R. Lord, I love your commands.     Second Reading from the Letter to the Romans Rom 8:28-30       Brothers and sisters: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.           Reading From the Gospel of Matthew Mt 13:44-52 or 13:44-46 Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age.     The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. “Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.” And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”     or         Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”         Suggested Readings 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. Praying With Frederic Ozanam (Companions for the Journey Series) - Paperback, by Ronald Cm Ramson (Author) Praying With Louise De Marillac (Companions for the Journey Series) by Audrey Gibson (Author), Kieran Kneaves (Author) Praying with Vincent de Paul (Companions for the Journey) 2004, by Thomas McKenna     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 is already the subject of much fanfare. "Anyone who has puzzled over Christianity's rise to dominance... must read it," ... Read the first page.   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) "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."   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 simple language for all who seek a better understanding of their Faith. I highly recommend it for Catholics, both young and old.