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My Prayer Box
for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
from 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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The
Origin of Our Traditions |
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Are Catholics Practices and Beliefs Based on
the Bible? |
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Absolutely! Just read on. |
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As you know
Protestants allege that their sole rule of faith,
or the criterion regarding what is to be believed,
is the Bible. By this fundamental belief of
Protestantism, a Protestant denies that there is
any other source of religious authority or divine
Revelation to humanity.
The Catholics, on the other hand, hold that the
immediate or direct rule of faith is the teaching
of the Church. The Church in turn takes her
teaching from divine Revelation, both the written
Word, called Sacred Scripture, and the oral or
unwritten Word, known as "Tradition." Tradition
with capital "T," is part of the divine
Revelation, while tradition, with lower-case "t,"
refers to Church traditions, which have developed
in the church later and are not part of the
Deposit of Faith.
An example of
what is part of Tradition is infant Baptism,
while an example of a Church tradition is the
Church’s calendar of feast days of Saints.
Anything that is part of Tradition is part of
divine Revelation and unchangeable, while church
traditions are changeable by the Church.
It has
been a charge by Protestants that Catholics are
promoting "unbiblical" or "novel" doctrines based
on Tradition, foreign to the Bible. But this is
not true.
All
Catholic beliefs can be found in the Bible either
plainly or by an indirect indication. A quick
example is that the Bible teaches that there IS
God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The Bible also says that God the Father, God the
Son, and the Holy Spirit form the Holy Trinity.
Nowhere in the Bible can you find the word Trinity
and yet ALL CHRISTIANS, Catholics AND Protestants
alike, believe in the Holy Trinity.
Rejecting Tradition for the Bible Alone (or Sola
Scriptura) is not taught anywhere in the Bible. In
the Second Letter of St. Paul to the
Thessalonians, Scripture points out to an
authoritative Church and tradition: "Therefore,
brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions
which you have learned, either by word or by
epistle" (2 Thess 2:15).
This is the clearest Biblical support for oral
tradition. This passage is significant in that it
shows the existence of living tradition within the
Apostolic teaching; that believers are firmly
grounded in Faith by adhering to these traditions;
and that these traditions are both written and
oral.
There are more... |
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For
the rest of the article,
please click here. |
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Our
Faith: What you might want to know |
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Man's Freedom and the Morality of Human Acts
as Found
in the Catechism of the Catholic Church |
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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! |
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1. |
True freedom
is:
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The ability
to do as one wishes. |
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The right
to do as one should. |
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Nonexistent, since man's actions are
predetermined by genetic and cultural
forces. |
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is not a
Christian concept, since obedience to
God's commands limits our freedom in
return for eternal life. |
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e. |
a and d.
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2. |
True or
false:
Anytime a person commits a seriously wrong
act, one may judge that that person is in a
state of mortal sin.
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3. |
A man, 85 years
old, is in the hospital suffering from cancer.
The pain is excruciating. The doctor is giving
him painkillers to ease his suffering, but the
dosage must be increased in order to continue
to relieve his pain. The doctor knows that the
increased dosage is necessary if the pain is
to continue to be relieved, but that it also
may be lethal to the man, even though neither
the patient nor the doctor desires his death.
With the patient's consent the doctor gives
the dosage and the patient dies. Was this
action morally allowable according to Catholic
moral theology?
Why or why not?
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True
or false:
Whether an act is morally right or wrong
depends solely on the intention of the person
doing the action. If a person has an good
intention in doing an act, then the act is
morally right. |
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5. |
True or
false:
The passions (the emotions of love, hatred,
joy, sadness, anger, fear, daring, desire,
dislike, despair, hope) are neither morally
good nor bad in themselves. |
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6. |
True or
false:
It is a more perfect act if a person, in order
to do a good act, must overcome feelings of
disgust toward doing the right thing than to
do the same act with a willingness, ease and
joy in doing it. |
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7. |
Sin
is: |
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An offense
against reason, truth, and right
conscience. |
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A failure
in genuine love for God and neighbor
caused by a perverse attachment to certain
goods. |
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An offense
against God. |
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The love of
oneself even to contempt of God. |
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All of the
above. |
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8. |
True or
false:
Mortal sin is a sin specifically against God,
while venial sin is a sin against another
person. |
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9. |
What are the
three elements
required for an act to be considered a mortal
sin?
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10. |
Venial sins:
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weaken
charity in the soul, but does not destroy
it. |
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merit
eternal punishment. |
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can dispose
us little by little to commit mortal sin. |
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is a
disorder affection for created goods. |
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a, c and d. |
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f. |
a and d. |
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g. |
b and c. |
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To
learn more about Our Faith, please
click here. |
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Twenty-ninth
Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 19,
2008
Repay
to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.
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First Reading from the Book of Isaiah |
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Is 45:1, 4-6 |
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Thus says
the LORD to his anointed, Cyrus, whose
right hand I grasp, subduing nations
before him, and making kings run in his
service, opening doors before him and
leaving the gates unbarred:
For the sake of Jacob, my servant, of
Israel, my chosen one, I have called you
by your name, giving you a title, though
you knew me not.
I am the
LORD and there is no other, there is no
God besides me.
It is I
who arm you, though you know me not, so
that toward the rising and the setting of
the sun people may know that there is none
besides me.
I am the
LORD, there is no other. |
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Responsorial From the Book of Psalms |
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Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4,
5, 6 |
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R. Give the Lord
glory and honor.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of
naught,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Worship the LORD, in holy attire;
tremble before him, all the earth;
say among the nations: The LORD is king,
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor. |
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Second Reading from
the Letter to the Thessalonians |
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1 Thes 1:1-5b |
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Paul, Silvanus, and
Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God
the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to
God always for all of you, remembering you in our
prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of
faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of
our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God, how
you were chosen.
For our gospel
did not come to you in word alone, but also in
power and in the Holy Spirit and with much
conviction. |
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Reading From the Gospel of Matthew |
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Mt 22:15-21 |
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The Pharisees
went off and plotted how they might entrap
Jesus in speech. They sent their disciples to
him, with the Herodians, saying,
"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you teach the way of God in
accordance with the truth. And you are not
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concerned with anyone's
opinion, for you do not regard a person's
status. Tell us, then, what is
your opinion:
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar
or not?"
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Knowing their
malice, Jesus said,
"Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show
me the coin that pays the census tax."
Then they
handed him the Roman coin.
He said to them, "Whose image is this and
whose inscription?"
They
replied, "Caesar's."
At that he
said to them,
"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God." |
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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)
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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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by
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.
