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August 3, 2008 - Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Sunday
July 30, 2008

 

 
   
 

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

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  Health Notes
 

The Truth About Carbs

To eat or not to eat? With carbs, well, that is the question. Figuring out the role carbohydrates play in a healthy diet is confusing these days.

All carbs aren't created equal — some are good and some are bad. Let's take a closer look at "bad carbs" and why they got that rap.

"Bad" carbs are the ones that get broken down in the body very quickly, triggering insulin release

  and promoting fat storage. If a food is high in bad carbs, it ranks high on the glycemic load index (GLI), scoring 15 or higher.

Bad, or simple, carbs often come in the form of refined sugars and processed grains. In fact, the reason they break down so quickly in our bodies is that they have undergone chemical processes during manufacturing that are similar to the ones carried out by our digestive system, so in a way these carbs are partially digested before we even eat them. Pretty gross, huh?

Bad carbs are found in packaged foods such as white bread, pasta, crackers, baked goods, and other foods that are made with white flour and contain little or no fiber.

So, what's the verdict on simple carbs? Stay away! They can sabotage you and your weight-loss and fitness goals. Instead, stick with the "good" carbs...fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains.

 

  From a Company Newsletter
   
   
   
  Who is
 

Daniel

 

(From the Book of Daniel)

 
Now the man tells Daniel the meaning of the vision. He says that the three kings of Persia are yet to come; and a fourth shall acquire the greatest riches of all. Strengthened by his riches, he shall rouse all the kingdom of Greece. But a powerful king shall appear and rule with great might, doing as he pleases.

No sooner shall he appear than his kingdom shall be broken and divided in four directions under heaven; but not among his descendants or in keeping with his mighty rule, for his kingdom shall be torn to pieces and belong to others than they.

The king of the south shall grow strong, but one of his princes shall grow stronger still and govern a domain greater than his.

After some years they shall become allies: the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north in the interest of peace. But her bid for power shall fail: and her line shall not be

  recognized, and she shall be given up, together with those who brought her, her son and her husband.

But later a descendant of her line shall succeed to his rank, and shall come against the rampart and enter the stronghold of the king of the north, and conquer them. Even their gods, with their molten images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, he shall carry away as booty into Egypt. For years he shall have nothing to do with the king of the north.

Then the latter shall invade the land of the king of the south, and return to his own country.

But his sons shall prepare and assemble a great armed host, which shall advance like a flood, then withdraw. When it returns and surges around the stronghold, the king of the south, provoked, shall go out to fight against the king of the north, whose great host shall make a stand but shall be given into his hand and be carried off. In the pride of his heart, he shall lay low tens of thousands, but he shall not triumph.
   
 
For the king of the north shall raise another army, greater than before; after some years he shall attack with this large army and great resources.

In those times many shall resist the king of the south, and outlaws of his people shall rise up in fulfillment of vision, but they shall fail. When the king of the north comes, he shall set up siegeworks and take the fortified city by storm. The power of the south shall not withstand him, and not even his picked troops shall have the strength to resist.

He shall attack him and do as he pleases, with no one to withstand him. He shall stop in the glorious land, dealing destruction. He shall set himself to

  penetrate the entire strength of his kingdom. He shall conclude an agreement with him and give him a daughter in marriage in order to destroy the kingdom, but this shall not succeed in his favor.

He shall turn to the coastland and take many, but a leader shall put an end to his shameful conduct, so that he cannot renew it against him. He shall turn to the strongholds of his own land, but shall stumble and fall, to be found no more.

In his stead one shall arise who will send a tax collector through the glorious kingdom, but he shall soon be destroyed, though not in conflict or in battle.

There shall rise in his place a despicable person, to whom the royal insignia shall not be given. By stealth and fraud he shall seize the kingdom. Armed might shall be completely overwhelmed by him and crushed, and even the prince of the covenant. After allying with him, he shall treacherously rise to power with a small party.

By stealth he shall enter prosperous provinces and do that which his fathers or grandfathers never did; he shall distribute spoil, booty, and riches among them and devise plots against their strongholds; but only for a time.

He shall call on his strength and cleverness to meet the king of the south with a great army; the king of the south shall prepare for battle with a very large and strong army, but he shall not succeed because of the plots devised against him.
   
 
Even his table companions shall seek to destroy him, his army shall be overwhelmed, and many shall fall slain. The two kings, resolved on evil, shall sit at table together and exchange lies, but they shall have no success, because the appointed end is not yet.

He shall turn back toward his land with great riches, his mind set against the holy covenant; he shall arrange matters and return to his land.

At the time appointed he shall come again to the south, but this time it shall not be as before.

When ships of the Kittim confront him, he shall lose heart and retreat. Then he shall direct his rage and energy against the holy covenant; those who forsake it he shall once more single out.

Armed forces shall move at his command and defile the sanctuary stronghold, abolishing the daily sacrifice and setting up the horrible abomination. By his deceit he shall make some who were disloyal to the covenant apostatize; but those who remain loyal to their God shall take strong action.
  The nation's wise men shall instruct the many; though for a time they will become victims of the sword, of flames, exile, and plunder. When they fall, few people shall help them, but many shall join them out of treachery.

Of the wise men, some shall fall, so that the rest may be tested, refined, and purified, until the end time which is still appointed to come.

The king shall do as he pleases, exalting himself and making himself greater than any god; he shall utter dreadful blasphemies against the God of gods. He shall prosper only till divine wrath is ready, for what is determined must take place.

He shall have no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one in whom women delight; for no god shall he have regard, because he shall make himself greater than all.

Instead, he shall give glory to the god of strongholds; a god unknown to his fathers he shall glorify with gold, silver, precious stones, and other treasures.

To defend the strongholds he shall station a people of a foreign god. Whoever acknowledges him he shall provide with abundant honor; he shall make them rule over the many and distribute the land as a reward.

At the appointed time the king of the south shall come to grips with him, but the king of the north shall overwhelm him with chariots and horsemen and a great fleet, passing through the countries like a flood.

He shall enter the glorious land and many shall fall, except Edom, Moab, and the chief part of Ammon, which shall escape from his power. He shall extend his power over the countries, and not even the land of Egypt shall escape. He shall control the riches of gold and silver and all the treasures of Egypt; Libya and Ethiopia shall be in his train.

When news from the east and the north terrifies him, he shall set out with great fury to slay and to doom many. He shall pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the sea and the glorious holy mountain, but he shall come to his end with none to help him.
 
  To be continued...
   
   
   
 

 World Youth Day 2008:
Second 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
 

  "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body; and we were all given to drink of one Spirit" (I Cor 12:13)
   
 

How many of you have heard people from your own generation or older say something like this: "I believe in Jesus, but I don't need the Church." Or: "I'm a spiritual person, but I'm not religious."

Here's the problem with those statements: Without Jesus, there's no Church. It's that simple. And it's also true the other way around: Without the Church, there's no way we can have a lasting, personal relationship with the true Jesus Christ. The original Greek word for the Church is ekklesia, which means a gathering of those who are "called out" - called out of the darkness of the world by God for a new life in Jesus Christ. The whole reason for Jesus' incarnation was to bring salvation to all humanity, not just his contemporaries. So He had to form a community of believers that would preserve his mission and continue it for all the generations to come. This is why He founded the family of faith we call the Church. He then made sure that his Church would become God's people forever, by sending the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

No matter how flawed or sinful individual Catholics may be, the Holy Spirit dwells in the Church and guarantees that she will always remain the sacrament of Salvation. In other words, the Church is the only certain way by which all men and women can find the gift of salvation brought by Jesus.

Today, many people try to discredit the historical fact of Jesus in sensational ways. You know some of these efforts: the Da Vinci Code, the phony "gospel" of Judas, the bogus discovery of the "tomb" of Jesus. This has been going on for a long time. Years ago, when I was a seminarian, a book about the "lost years of Jesus" was popular. It claimed that Jesus was actually a guru who spent most of his youth in Tibet, learning from other spiritual masters. Like all the other theories, the book came, sparked some controversy, made some money for its author and then disappeared. And during your own lives as
Christians, you'll encounter theories of the same kind, with the same purpose: to disconnect Jesus Christ from his Church; to make us believe that Jesus was a very "wise man," or an "important teacher," or someone with a "great message," but not the Son of God, not our Savior, and certainly not the founder of a Church - especially not our Catholic Church.

This is nonsense, and not because "the Church says so," but because it's historical fact. Jesus repeatedly claimed that He was the only way to salvation, that He was the Son of God, that we had to eat his flesh and drink his blood to be saved, and that we had to follow Him and make disciples of all nations.

So it's false to say that Jesus was simply a "great master," or "a very wise man," or a "good leader." You can't be a "good man" or a "great master" and a liar at the same time, and Jesus quite openly claimed that He was the Son of God who came to save the world. He was either a complete fraud or He was the Son of God. Anything in between is just muddled thinking, inconsistent with Christ's message.

In fact, as a believer, I have more respect for someone who rejects Jesus as an impostor or lunatic, than for someone who conveniently rearranges the Christian faith to say that Christ was a "great ethical teacher."

Of course, Catholics believe Jesus was neither crazy nor an impostor, but truly the Son of God who came to save us and to be with us always. But how is that possible? How does Jesus Christ remain in our midst?

Can any one of you see Jesus physically, with your own eyes, right here and now? No. But when Christ promised to be with us always, He specifically referred to the Church. The Church is the way Jesus fulfills his promise to remain among us until the end of time. And because we belong to the family of believers that we call the Church, we claim the presence of Jesus among us right here, right now. Why? Because Jesus said that whenever two or more would be gathered in his name, He would be present among them. And in a while, also thanks to the mystery of the Church, we will ask the Holy Spirit to come to us at Mass and transform the bread and wine into the real body and blood of Christ.

  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.
 
   

Our Faith: What you might want to know about

The Sacrament of the Eucharist

 

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. Which of these statements regarding the Eucharist are true?
a. In the Eucharist we unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life
b. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life
c. All of the ministries and sacraments of the Church are bound up with the Eucharist
d. As the source of one's spiritual life, the Eucharist must be the first sacrament to be received
e. a, b and c
2. The Sacrament of the Eucharist is called the Lord's Supper because
a. of its connection with the supper which the Lord took with the disciples on the eve of the Passion
b. it anticipates the wedding feast of the Lamb in the heavenly Jerusalem
c. This was the Latin equivalent of the Jewish term, "Passover."
d. a, b and c
e. a and b
3. Which of these is not another name for the Eucharist?
a. The Heavenly Liturgy
b. The Breaking of the Bread
c. The Eucharistic Assembly
d. The Holy Sacrifice
e. Holy Communion
4. True or False: The Eucharist is also called Holy Mass because it concludes with the sending forth of the faithful to fulfill God's will in their lives.
5. True or False: Since the Catholic Church teaches that Christ is really present in the bread and wine, the sacrifice of the Eucharist is then a re-sacrifice of Christ on the altar
6. True or False: In the celebration of the Eucharist with the apostles and his commandment to them to celebrate it until His return, Jesus constitutes the apostles as priests of the New Testament.
7. True or False: The gospel of John has no counterpart of any kind to the Last Supper accounts of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
8. True or False: There is no instance in the New Testament of a Eucharistic meal aside from the accounts of the Last Supper. If you answered true, explain why this is so. If your answer is false, give examples.
9. True or False: In the Eucharist we raise ourselves above concern with the material order of creation in order to maintain a spiritual union with the Father.
10. We speak of the Eucharist as a memorial of Christ's sacrifice. In the sense that Sacred Scripture uses the term 'memorial' we mean that
a. we promise to conform our lives to Christ's as the events of his life are made present to us.
b. Christ's unique sacrifice is made real, present and sacramentally offered.
c. we remember what Christ has done for us.
d. we are to recreate visually the historical event as food for meditation.
e. a and b.
   
To learn more about Our Faith, please click here.
   
   
 

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. Matthew 14:19

 

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 3
, 2008

 

First Reading from the Book of Isaiah
Is 55:1-3
  Thus says the LORD:
All you who are thirsty, come to the water!

You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!

Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy?

Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare.

Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life.

I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.

 
 
Responsorial From the Book of Psalms
Ps 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
 
Second Reading from the Letter to the Romans
Rom 8:35, 37-39
   
  Brothers and sisters:
What will separate us from the love of Christ?

Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

   
 
 
 
Reading From the Gospel of Matthew
Mt 14:13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.

The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.

When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”

  Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”

But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”

Then he said,
“Bring them here to me, ”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.

They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over— twelve wicker baskets full.

Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

   
 
 

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.

 
The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way

From Amazon:
After years of spiritual study and reflection, inspirational speaker and 

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."

 
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.
 
   

The First Book of Kings (Cambridge Bible Commentaries on the Old Testament)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.
Canon Robinson suggests that the editors of I Kings compiled their history in order to teach the Hebrews that their existence as Israel, the covenant people of God, depended upon their continuing loyalty to their own religious traditions, and their refusal to exchange them for the very different traditions of the Canaanites among whom they lived.
   
 
   

I & II Samuel: A Commentary (Old Testament Library)
First sentence in the book:
""THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL contain that part of the history of Israel which describes the foundation of the State, running from the close of the period of the Judges to the establishment of the united kingdom."
 
 
Read more about the Liturgical Year
 

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.
 
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
 

Learn more and read the Old Testament.

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
 
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

and Doctors of the Church, and the works of contemporary spiritual writers — particularly St. Josemaría Escrivá, who initiated the Navarre Bible project.

 
  Comments and Suggestions are Most Welcome.

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Apologetics

Mary and the Saints

Mass and the Eucharist

A collection of articles based on published books explaining the reasons behind certain Catholic practices and traditions.
 
The blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, figures very strongly in Catholic life.
 
The Catholic Mass is a true sacrifice and the Eucharist a representation in an unbloody manner of the sacrifice of Christ.

Prayers

Novenas

The Rosary

Traditional Prayers:
Discover the origin of your favorite prayer. We might even have the original Latin version, too.
 
Novenas:
Learn how to say a novena in honor of your favorite Saint. 
 
You can learn how to say the Rosary.  The complete Rosary comes with the readings from the Gospel.

Archived Articles

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A collection of requests for prayers and spiritual assistance from readers.
 
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