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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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Health Notes |
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Mindless Eating |
Okay, you've
all heard the term "grazing" — you know,
picking at food throughout the day instead of
(or in addition to) eating 5-6 small meals.
This constant, indiscriminate eating —
especially when you're focused on another
task, such as talking on the phone or watching
TV — is the downfall of many a committed
dieter, but it doesn't have to be.
If you're piling on pounds because you eat
when you're distracted or bored, rather than
when you're actually hungry, try the following
tactics to break the habit.
To curb daytime
grazing: |
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Don't eat while
you're standing up, in the car, or on the go or
when you don't have time for a full, proper meal.
If you sit down at mealtime and pay attention to
every bite, you will be more relaxed, you'll
notice when you're satisfied so that you won't
overeat — and you'll actually enjoy your food!
Don't skip meals. I
mean it. You might think you're saving yourself
calories, but it will only leave you famished and
more likely to consume extra calories later on to
feel full.
To curb
nighttime grazing:
Why do most people graze at night? Because they're
bored. If you've been thinking about taking up
knitting, crossword puzzles, Ping-Pong, or some
other hobby that will keep your brain busy in the
evening, now is the time to do it.
Brush your teeth.
Food never seems quite as appealing when you have
that fresh, minty toothpaste taste in your mouth.
Try a cup of hot
tea; the warm liquid in your stomach can help you
feel satiated.
It's Not What's
in Your Stomach
When you are fulfilled — say you have a productive
job, joyful activities, and healthy relationships
— you're much less likely to mindlessly eat. If
you start taking charge of the external things in
your life, it will be easier to take charge of the
internal ones. Finding nonfood ways to fulfill
yourself will pay off for your body, but it will
also help you relax and become a happier human
being. When you take the time to look after
yourself, you tell the world that you're worth it,
and that you deserve the best life has to offer.
Once you project this kind of attitude, you can't
help turning it into reality. |
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From a Company
Newsletter |
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Who
is |
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Daniel: Visions of the End Times |
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(From the Book of Daniel) |
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The man dressed
in linen with a belt of fine gold around his
waist continues and tells Daniel that there
shall arise Michael, the great prince,
guardian of his people at the time of
unsurpassed distress since nations began.
At that time
his people shall escape, everyone who is found
written in the book. He said that many of
those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall
awake. Some shall live forever but for others
shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.
He continues that the wise shall shine
brightly like the splendor of the firmament,
And those who lead the many to justice shall
be like the stars forever.
The man dressed in linen tells Daniel to keep
secret the message and seal the book until the
end time. He warns that many shall fall away
and evil shall increase. |
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Daniel sees two
others, one standing on either bank of the river.
One of them asks the man clothed in linen how long
it shall be to the end of these appalling things.
The man clothed in linen lifts his right and left
hands to heaven. Daniel hears the man swear by him
who lives forever that it should be for a year,
two years, a half-year; and that, when the power
of the destroyer of the holy people is brought to
an end, all these things should end. |
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Daniel hears
this but does not understand. Daniel asks what
will follow this.
But the man tells Daniel to leave because the
words are to be kept secret and sealed until
the end time.
He says that many shall be refined, purified,
and tested, but the wicked shall prove wicked;
none of them shall have understanding, but the
wise shall have it. |
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From the time that
the daily sacrifice is abolished and the horrible
abomination is set up, there shall be one thousand
two hundred and ninety days.
He says that blessed is the man who has patience
and perseveres until the one thousand three
hundred and thirty-five days.
The man in white line orders Daniel to go, take
his rest, for he rises he shall rise for your
reward at the end of days. |
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To
be continued... |
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World Youth Day 2008:
Third Catechesis
Sent out into the world:
the Holy Spirit, the
principal agent of mission
Delivered by the
Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M.
Cap.
Archbishop of
Denver, Colorado USA, in Sydney Australia July
2008
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"You will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8) |
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I'd like to
start today with a question. How many of you
think of yourselves as a spiritual father or
spiritual mother? Or to put it another way, how
many of you can claim, by your actions, to have
knowingly brought someone closer to Jesus Christ
and the Church?
The reason I
ask is simple. By our baptism, we have received
the right and the obligation to preach the Good
News of Jesus Christ -- that's what the word
Gospel means, "good news" -- to every nation on
earth.
But here's the
problem: Some Catholics, even young people like
yourselves, live in a kind of a "Catholic
ghetto." It's a way of life that could be
commendable in terms of personal piety; but it's
shaped by an implicit acceptance that we
Catholics are a besieged minority -- that we
need to be well shielded to
"survive" the surrounding world. But that's the
opposite of what God calls us to be as
Christians. Let me explain.
At different
points in my life as a priest and bishop, I
thought that I'd heard every possible excuse
Christians have for not to bringing their faith
into the public square and not sharing it
enthusiastically with others. But over the
years, I've learned that human creativity, when
it comes to making up alibis, is endless.
First, there
are those Catholics who feel "almost ready" to
evangelize.. Almost, but not quite. They're
typically looking for the "ultimate" Catholic
training program and never stop preparing
themselves because they're never "quite there
yet." Sometimes they think they're being humble
because they
"admit" that they're "not ready."
I always
remind them about the passage in the first
chapter of the Book of Jeremiah; the one where
Jeremiah is called by God:
"Ah, Lord
God!" I said, "I know not how to speak; I am
too young." But the Lord answered me: Say not,
"I am too young." To whomever I send you, you
shall go; whatever I command you, you shall
speak. Have no fear before them, because I am
with you to deliver you, says the Lord... For
it is I this day who has made you a fortified
city, A pillar of iron, a wall of brass,
against the whole land."
So much for
God thinking that any of us is "too young" to
witness to Jesus Christ.
Then there are
those Catholics who claim that they're not
"people persons." They dislike religious
discussions and conversations, so they argue
that they can "evangelize" by just being good
anonymous Christians and honest workers. There's
nothing wrong with living like this. It may
indeed, at times, be
a good form of evangelization. But if so, what
do we do with this exhortation from St. Paul in
his Second Letter to Timothy, which is really
addressed to all baptized and confirmed
Christians:
"Proclaim
the word; be persistent whether it is
convenient or inconvenient; convince,
reprimand, encourage through all patience and
teaching. For the time will come when people
will not tolerate
sound doctrine but, following their own
desires and insatiable curiosity, will
accumulate teachers and will stop listening to
the truth and will be diverted to myths."
Doesn't this
describe exactly what's happening in our own
day? And isn't Paul's exhortation, therefore,
more urgent than ever?
I could go on
and on about the excuses we make for not
evangelizing. But let's go straight to the heart
of the matter: We are, all of us, called to be
Apostles. That's our vocation. That's our right
and our duty. In a sense, evangelizing is in our
Christian DNA from the moment we received the
Holy Spirit in our Baptism and our Confirmation.
We need to understand that those sacramental
moments were our own Pentecost. We've not only
been sent but, like the original Apostles, we're
empowered to preach the Good News, to become
Apostles ourselves. Don't forget this: We have
already had our own Pentecost.
The word
"Apostle", comes from the Greek apostolos which
means "one who is sent forth;" someone who is
entrusted with a mission. It has a stronger
sense than the word "messenger." It actually
means something closer to a "delegate." An
Apostle, therefore, is a delegate of Christ: not
someone who speaks about a particular doctrine
or delivers a message, but someone who gives
testimony of something he or she has
experienced.
The nature of
the Apostles' mission is powerfully explained in
Chapter 10 of the Gospel of Mathew. I urge you
to re-read that Gospel passage and make it the
basis of an honest examination of conscience.
But let me point out briefly what this chapter
tells us about what an Apostle should look like
today, which means what you and I should look
like.
First, the
Apostle is aware that his mission has been
entrusted to him by Jesus Himself. Each of you
has been summoned: "Then he summoned his twelve
disciples and gave them authority over unclean
spirits."
Second, the
Apostle is called to trust in God without
preconditions, and especially without placing
his trust in structures or methods. This is what
Jesus tells us: "Do not take gold or silver or
copper for your belts; no sack for the journey,
or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking
stick."
Of course,
good methods and structures can be helpful. What
Jesus tells us is that we should not place our
confidence primarily in them, but in the person
of Jesus Christ. Just think, for example, about
how effective Mother Teresa of Calcutta was in
her apostolate and about how many vocations her
congregation has attracted. All of this by
rejecting the power of material goods and
concentrating on and witnessing to the loving
face of Our Lord.
Third,
hardships and even persecution come with "the
territory" of being an Apostle: "Behold, I am
sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of people, for they will hand you
over to courts and scourge you in their
synagogues, and you will be led before governors
and kings for my sake as a witness before them
and the pagans."
We live in a world that sees suffering as a
curse to be avoided at any price. But remember
Jesus' warning that hardships, rejection and
persecution by the world can't be avoided. I'm
sometimes amazed at the discouragement I find in
otherwise motivated Catholics - and sometimes in
myself -- when real obstacles and challenges
make the Christian life difficult. These
sufferings are precisely God's sign that his
followers are doing the right thing. You and I
should feel encouraged, not defeated, by the
trials that inevitably come our way.
In his novel Lord of the World, the great
British author and convert Robert Hugh Benson
describes the Anti-Christ as someone who has
invented a new "painless" world religion and
even a new technique of prayer that takes only
minutes and very little effort. Benson's point
is clear: If faith is painless and quick, just
the way today's culture wants things to be, then
it cannot be genuinely Christian. It comes from
the devil.
Fourth, in this passage from Matthew, Jesus says
that He will not fail in being with us to
protect us:
"When they hand you over, do not worry about how
you are to speak or what you are to say... do
not be afraid of those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul... Are not two sparrows
sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls
to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So
do not be afraid; you are worth more than many
sparrows."
Never lose your focus on this truth: Jesus is
always there for you. After 38 years of ministry
as a priest, I can assure you that Jesus never
fails; He never fails.
Fifth: Jesus
calls us to be very vocal, brave and explicit
when we announce the Gospel; He also reminds
us that we can't betray or hide the Gospel's
radical demands: "What I say to you in the
darkness, speak in the light; what you hear
whispered, proclaim on the housetops . . .
Whoever loves father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever
loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy
of me; and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever
finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses
his life for my sake will find it."
Chapter 10 of the Gospel of Mathew, as I said
before, is a great start for a good examination
of conscience. It also shows us that the worst
enemy of the Apostle is fear. In fact, fear is
one of the most underrated but most lethal
dangers of our time, especially for your
generation.
Pope John Paul II's amazing ministry -- after
more than 25 years of papal leadership, many
encyclicals, hundreds of apostolic visits,
thousands of papal decisions and appointments,
and founding the very first World Youth Day --
can be summarized in the words with which he
opened his pontificate and which
became his unofficial motto: Be not afraid.
Pope John Paul was a visionary, chosen by the
Holy Spirit to respond to the particular
challenges of our day. And one of those great
challenges, all over our world, but especially
inside our Church and among our young people, is
a fear of offending the world. Young men and
women do not respond to God's call to the
priesthood, consecrated life or Christian
marriage because they're afraid of failure; they
do not get involved in a more committed,
generous and powerful proclamation of the Gospel
because they're afraid of being rejected by
their peers or being laughed at as "Jesus
freaks."
John Paul gave us the antidote to this
paralyzing disease: "Open wide the doors to
Christ!" To open wide our lives to Christ means
to let the Holy Spirit act in us, to bring us
the grace we need to be courageous. Just look at
the Bible's description of Pentecost. The
passage begins by telling us that the Apostles
were hiding "for fear of the Jews." It ends with
an outpouring of courage and joyful preaching,
understood in all imaginable languages. What a
transformation! And that transformation is
within our own reach, because we have already
received the Holy Spirit. It's only our fear
that prevents God from unleashing all his power
in our lives.
Being brave does not mean being blind to the
dangers we face, or ignoring the pain of being
mocked or attacked. Being "unafraid" does not
mean pretending not to fear. Being brave means
overcoming our fear with the strength of the
Holy Spirit, just as St. Paul and all the great
Christian missionaries did, because proclaiming
the truth of Jesus Christ is worth any cost.
During the opening of the Pauline Year, Pope
Benedict said that for St. Paul, "the truth [of
Jesus Christ] was too great to be sacrificed"
for worldly success or personal comfort. His
experience of Jesus was too great to ignore or
explain away. "The truth [Paul] had experienced
in the encounter with the Risen Christ [on the
road to Damascus] very much deserved the
struggle, the persecution, the suffering" that
came with proclaiming the Gospel.
What most deeply motivated Paul, the Holy Father
continued, "was the fact of being loved by Jesus
Christ and the desire to transmit to others this
love. Paul was someone capable of loving -- and
all his laboring and suffering is explained only
from this core."
Pay attention to this reflection Pope Benedict
made about St. Paul and suffering in our own
Christian life: "The call to become the teacher
[of] people is at the same time also
intrinsically a call to suffering in the
communion of Christ, who has redeemed us through
his Passion. In a world where falsehood is so
powerful, the truth is redeemed through
suffering. Whoever wants to avoid and keep away
suffering keeps away life itself and its
greatness; he cannot be a servant of the truth
and therefore a servant of the faith. There is
no love without suffering, without the suffering
of self-renunciation, transformation and
purification of the self by the real truth.
Wherever there is nothing worth suffering for,
life itself loses its value."
One of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit is
Courage, which we also call Fortitude. Courage
is near the heart of the Christian life. It's
because of the virtue of Courage that we're able
to be brave, to be "not afraid" just as John
Paul II was himself, and asked us to be.
Of course, Courage not only makes us "tough."
It's a virtue that also makes us consistent,
capable of long lasting efforts. And one of
those efforts you need to pursue is seeking out
faithful Catholic intellectual formation.
Today's challenges demand much more than good
intentions and a devout personal life. So let me
give you three words of wisdom Pope Benedict
himself shared with a group of young Catholics
during a recent visit to Northern Italy:
formation, formation, formation.
The Holy Father was talking to committed young
Catholics. He was assuming that they were
already pious, devout and morally straight - and
these qualities are vitally important. But
they're not enough.
Each of you
needs to cultivate a mature, faithful and
thorough knowledge of Catholic teaching to
respond to the many challenges you face today,
and to prepare yourselves for whatever the
future holds. You young Catholics will face
issues I can't even imagine.
I want to end with a brief reflection on John
Paul II's last words, spoken on his death bed:
"I have searched for you, and now you have come
to me, and I thank you." He was talking to the
multitude, especially young people, gathered
in St. Peter's Square at the news of his final
hours. At the very end of his life, after
traveling the world in search of all his flock,
especially his lost sheep, the flock was coming
to him. What an extraordinary way to meet the
end of your life. Reflect on the way you'd like
to greet your own death, so that you'll make the
right choices in living your own life honestly
and fully in the friendship of God.
I pray with all my heart that the Holy Spirit
will awaken and unleash in you his joy and
power, so that you may go out from this World
Youth Day renewed, strengthened and encouraged
to become apostles of Jesus Christ. Let's ask
this together in the name of our mother, the
Virgin Mary, the woman who was never afraid, the
woman who received the Holy Spirit at the
Annunciation and then received Him again at
Pentecost with the Apostles.
Dear Mother, make that miracle of God's power
and presence happen again -- now and always --
in the lives of our young people and in all of
us. God bless you.
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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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Our
Faith: What you might want to know about |
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The
Sacrament of the Eucharist II |
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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. |
Name the
book, chapter, and verse
from which this comes: "he who eats my flesh and
drinks my blood has eternal life ". |
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2. |
The
Eucharistic celebration
always includes:
Pick any combinatof ion the following:
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The singing
of a psalm of praise |
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The
proclamation of the Word of God |
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Thanksgiving to God |
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d. |
Consecration of the bread and wine |
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Reeception
of the Lord's body and blood. |
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3. |
True or false.
In the Mass it is Christ who boths offers the
sacrifice and is offered as the sacrifice. |
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4. |
True or false.
Because through our baptism we share in the
priestly, prophetic, and kingly ministry of
Christ, every believer can therefore validly
preside at the Eucharist. |
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5. |
The essential
signs of the Eucharist are the consecrated bread
and wine. Name at least
one Old or New Testament
event that prefigures, that prepares for, the
offering of bread and wine in the Eucharist.
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6. |
Which of
the following is
true
about the Eucharistic species?
Pick any combination of the following.
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Christ is
present symbolically. |
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Christ is
not present bodily, but is present in the
power of the Holy Spirit. |
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c. |
Christ is
present in his Body and Blood, soul and
divinity. |
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d. |
Christ is
bodily present along with the true bread
and wine. |
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Christ is
present really, truly and substantially. |
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7. |
True or false.
The Church no longer considers the Eucharist a
sacrifice, since that is a remnant from an earlier
concept of a vengeful, judgmental God. |
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8. |
Which of
the following is
true
regarding the Eucharist?
Pick any combination of the following.
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The Church
encourages the reception of Communion,
even in the state of mortal sin. |
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A Catholic
is obligated to receive Holy Communion
during both Advent and Lent. |
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The
Eucharist preserves us from future mortal
sins. |
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One is
required to be in a state of grace to
receive communion. |
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The
Eucharist wipes away venial sins. |
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9. |
True or
false.
Eucharistic adoration is still recommended as
a proper way to adore Christ. |
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Pick any
combination of the following. Participation in
the
Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass: |
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Identifies
us with his Heart. |
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Unites us
to the Church in heaven. |
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Sustains
our strength in our pilgrimage. |
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Gives us a
pledge of glory. |
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Makes us
long for eternal life. |
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To
learn more about Our Faith, please
click here. |
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Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August
10,
2008
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is
I; do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:27
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First Reading from the First Book of Kings |
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1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a |
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At
the mountain of God, Horeb, Elijah came to a cave
where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the
LORD; the LORD will be passing by.”
A
strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD—
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake— but the
LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire— but the LORD
was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his
cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the
cave. |
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Responsorial From the Book of Psalms |
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Ps 85:9, 10, 11-12,
13-14 |
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R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us
your salvation.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD — for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear
him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us
your salvation.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us
your salvation.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us
your salvation. |
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Second Reading from the Letter to the Romans |
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Rom 9:1-5 |
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Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my
conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing
me witness that I have great sorrow and constant
anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and
cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the
glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the
worship, and the promises; theirs the patriarchs,
and from them, according to the flesh, is the
Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever.
Amen. |
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Reading From the Gospel of Matthew |
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Mt 14:22-33 |
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After he had fed the people, Jesus made the
disciples get into a boat and precede him to
the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by
himself to pray. When it was evening he was
there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few
miles offshore, was being tossed about by the
waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night, he came
toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea
they were terrified. |
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“It
is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in
fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is
I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on
the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the
water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the
wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save
me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and
caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little
faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.” |
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Suggested Readings |
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