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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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For what it's worth inspiring stories like this
one should have a place in ones adventure in life.
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The
Pink Dress
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There was this little girl sitting by herself in
the park. Everyone passed by her and never stopped
to see why she looked so sad. Dressed in a worn
pink dress, barefoot and dirty, the girl just sat
and watched the people go by.
She never tried to speak. She never said a word.
Many people passed by her, but no one would stop.
The next day I decided to go back to the park in
curiosity to see If the little girl would still be
there. Yes, she was there, right in the very spot
where she was yesterday, and still with the same
sad look in her eyes.
Today I was to make my own move and walk over to
the little girl. For as we all know, a park full
of strange people is not a place for young
children to play alone.
As I got closer I could see the back of the little
girl's dress. It was grotesquely shaped. I figured
that was the reason people just passed by and made
no effort to speak to her.
Deformities are a low blow to our society and,
heaven forbid if you make a step toward assisting
someone who is different.
As I got closer, the little girl lowered her eyes
slightly to avoid my intent stare. As I approached
her, I could see the shape of her back more
clearly.
She was grotesquely shaped in a humped over form.
I smiled to let her know it was OK; I was there to
help, to talk.
I sat down beside her and opened with a simple,
"Hello."
The little girl acted shocked, and stammered a
"Hi"; after a long stare into my eyes.
I smiled and she shyly smiled back.
We talked until darkness fell and the park was
completely empty. I asked the girl why she was so
sad.
The little girl looked at me with a sad face said,
"Because, I'm different."
I immediately said, "That you are!" and smiled.
The little girl acted even sadder and said, "I
know."
"Little girl," I said, "You remind me of an angel,
sweet and innocent."
She looked at me and smiled, then slowly she got
to her feet and Said, "Really?"
"Yes, you're like a little Guardian Angel sent to
watch over all the people walking by."
She
nodded her head yes, and smiled.
With that she opened the back of her pink dress
and allowed her wings to spread, then she said "I
am."
"I'm your Guardian Angel," with a twinkle in her
eye.
I was speechless -- sure I was seeing things.
She said, "For once you thought of someone other
than yourself. My job here is done."
I got to my feet and said, "Wait, why did no one
stop to help an Angel?"
She looked at me, smiled, and said, "You're the
only one that could see me," and then she was
gone.
And with that, my life was changed dramatically.
So, when you think you're all you have, remember,
your angel is always watching over you.
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(Submitted through Daisy G.) |
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What
is
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the
Feast of Corpus Christi |
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Feast of the
Body of Christ |
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The Feast of
Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ was established
due to a petition by the Augustinian nun Juliana
of Mont Cornillon. The Feast celebrates the
miracle of transubstantiation, when the
consecrated bread becomes the Body of Christ. It
is celebrated on the Sunday after the Trinity
Sunday.
Juliana petitioned the Dominican Hugh of St-Cher,
Jacques Pantaléon (Archdeacon of Liège and later
Pope Urban IV) and Robert de Thorete, Bishop of
Liège. Bishop Robert convened a synod and ordered
the celebration of The Feast of the Body of
Christ. From there on the Feast spread worldwide.
Some Catholic
cultures around the world still celebrate the
Feast with the procession in which the Holy Host
is carried through the town, under a canopy.
Usually the canopy is embroidered with the
monstrance and the Cross.
Juliana of Mont
Carnillon later became a saint, as the founder of
the Feast of Corpus Christi. |
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MERCY, THE
ESSENCE OF CHRISTIANITY |
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VATICAN CITY,
17 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This afternoon, the Holy
Father began his pastoral visit to the
Italian cities of Savona and Genoa,
departing from Rome's Ciampino airport at
3.30 p.m. and landing at Christopher
Columbus airport in Genoa at 4.20 p.m. From
there he travelled by helicopter to Savona
and thence to the nearby shrine of Our Lady
of Mercy.
On his arrival at the shrine Benedict XVI
was greeted by the religious authorities. He
then entered the building, pausing in
adoration before the Blessed Sacrament and
praying before the image of the Virgin, at
whose feet he laid a golden rose in memory
of his visit. Subsequently he was taken in
an open-top car to Savona's Piazza del
Popolo where he celebrated Mass and
pronounced a homily.
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In his
remarks, the Pope commented on the day's
readings where, in a passage from Exodus, God
reveals His name to Moses. "The Lord, a God
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness",
said the Pope quoting the biblical text. "These
are human words", he added, "they tell us the
truth about God. They were true yesterday, they
are true today and they will be true always.
They cause us to see the face of the Invisible
with the eyes of the mind. They tells us the
name of the Ineffable. That name is Mercy,
Grace, Faithfulness".
He then recalled how the Virgin Mary had
appeared to a local peasant in the year 1536,
and how she is still venerated today with the
name of Virgin of Mercy. "This is the essence of
Christianity because it is the essence of God
Himself", he exclaimed. "God is One in that He
is entirely and solely Love, but precisely
because He is Love He is openness, acceptance,
dialogue. And in His relations with us, sinful
mankind, He is mercy, compassion, grace,
forgiveness. God created everything for
existence, and He always and exclusively wills
life".
"During the history of the Church, the Virgin
Mary has always invited her children to return
to God, to entrust themselves to Him in prayer,
to knock with trusting insistence at the door of
His merciful Heart. ... My visit to Savona on
the day of the Blessed Trinity is above all a
pilgrimage, through Mary, to the font of faith,
of hope and of love".
Benedict XVI then recalled the figure of his
predecessor Pius VII. "Two centuries on", he
said, "I have come to renew the recognition of
the Holy See and of the Church for the faith,
the love, and the courage with which your fellow
citizens supported the Pope during the exile
imposed upon him here by Napoleon Bonaparte".
"That dark page of European history has, by the
power of the Holy Spirit, become a rich source
of grace and education, even for our own time.
It teaches us the courage to face the challenges
of the world (materialism, relativism, laicism),
never giving way to compromise but ready to pay
in person in order to remain faithful to the
Lord and His Church".
Those events, and the apparition of the Virgin
at a tragic moment in the history of Savona,
"come together to transmit a message of hope to
the Christian generations of our own day. They
encourage us to have faith in the instruments of
Grace which the Lord places at our disposal in
all situations".
Among these "instruments of Grace", the Holy
Father highlighted "individual, family and
community prayer". In this context he also
recalled how "Sunday needs to be rediscovered in
its Christian roots, beginning with the
celebration of the Risen Lord", and how "the
Sacrament of Penance" represents a "fundamental
means of spiritual development".
"Works of charity are other indispensable means
of growth", he continued. "In the modern world,
which often makes beauty and physical efficiency
an ideal to be pursued in every possible way, we
are called as Christians to discover the face of
Jesus Christ, 'the most handsome of men', in the
suffering and the excluded".
In this context, the Holy Father then greeted
"prisoners and staff in the St. Augustine
penitentiary of Savona" and the sick people of
the city.
Turning to address members of the clergy, the
Pope invited them "to trust in the effectiveness
of your daily priestly service", and to "go out
and seek people, as the Lord Jesus did, ...
making your presence felt in all areas of work
and life". To religious he reiterated the fact
that "the world has need of your witness and
your prayer".
Finally, Pope Benedict called upon young people
"to put your youth at the service of God and
your fellows. ... Give this city the passion and
enthusiasm that derive from your living
experience of faith, an experience that does not
dampen the expectations of human life but exalts
them by sharing in Christ's own experience".
Following the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope
travelled by car to the port of Savona whence he
was taken by helicopter to Genoa where he spent
the night at the shrine of Our Lady of Guard.
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PV-ITALY/ARRIVAL
MASS/SAVONA VIS 080519 (860) |
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So
you think you know -
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The Mysteries of Christ’s Life |
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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.
It is through Christ’s words alone that he taught
his disciples. |
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2. |
True or false.
Jesus’ life is the model for those alone who
choose a religious vocation. |
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3. |
True or false.
The significance of Christ in the manger at
Bethlehem is that it is a sign of God’s humility
and our need for humility. |
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4. |
True or false.
By leaving his family to begin his ministry, Jesus
showed us that our true road to holiness lies in
the ministries of the Church. |
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5. |
True or false.
Jesus knew he would die when he went to Jerusalem. |
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6. |
True or false.
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem manifested the coming
of the Kingdom. |
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7. |
Which of the
following is/are
not true?
Choose none, any combination, or all. |
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a. |
The power
of the keys given to Peter signify
authority to govern the house of God.
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b. |
The Church
is a sign of God’s kingdom on earth. |
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The power
to "bind and loose" signifies the
authority to change the teachings and
moral commands of the Church. |
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d. |
Entrance
into the Kingdom of God requires works as
well as words. |
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e. |
Jesus
miracles are not to be taken as crudely
literal events, but are merely vivid
illustrations that, in Jesus, the Kingdom
is at hand. |
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8. |
True or false.
The Baptism of Jesus is connected with his
suffering and death. |
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9. |
Choose one.
Jesus’
victory
in the desert over the temptations of Satan: |
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a. |
Show that
the New Adam resisted the temptation the
first Adam did not. |
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b. |
Shows
Jesus’ faithfulness to God, as opposed to
Israel’s faithlessness in the desert. |
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c. |
Anticipates
his victory at the Passion. |
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d. |
a and b. |
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e. |
a, b, and
c. |
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10. |
Which of the
following is/are
false
concerning the Transfiguration? |
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The cloud
indicates the presence of the Father.
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b. |
Moses and
Isaiah, representing the Law and Prophets,
announce his upcoming sufferings. |
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c. |
It is the
sacrament of the second regeneration. |
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d. |
It gives us
a foretaste of Christ’s glorious coming. |
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e. |
The ascent
up the mountain prepares for the ascent to
Calvary. |
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To
learn more about Our Faith, please
click here. |
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Corpus Christi
May 25, 2008
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my
blood has eternal life, and I will
raise him on the last day. John 6:54 |
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First Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy |
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Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a |
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Moses said to the people:
"Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your
God, has directed all your journeying in the
desert, so as to test you by affliction and find
out whether or not it was your intention to keep
his commandments.
He
therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and
then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and
your fathers, in order to show you that not by
bread alone does one live, but by every word that
comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.
"Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you
out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible
desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions, its
parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty
rock and fed you in the desert with manna, a food
unknown to your fathers." |
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Responsorial From the Book o Psalms:
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Ps 147:12-13,
14-15, 19-20 |
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R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them.
Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia
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Second Reading from the Second Letter to the
Corinthians |
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1 Cor 10:16-17
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Brothers and sisters:
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a
participation in the blood of Christ?
The
bread that we break, is it not a participation in
the body of Christ?
Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many,
are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. |
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Reading From the Gospel of John |
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Jn 6:51-58 |
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Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the
bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of
the world."
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the
flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you
do not have life |
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within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life, and I will raise him on the last
day.
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true
drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life
because of the Father, so also the one who feeds
on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever." |
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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 th | | | | | | | | | |
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.
