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My Prayer Box
for Feast of the
Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
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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Why
We do what We Do |
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Anointing of the Sick With Holy Oil
And the Use of Incense |
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James 5:13-15
, gave the Roman Catholic Church Council of
Trent, Session 14 authority to declare that
this anointing of the sick is a sacrament
"instituted by Christ and promulgated by
blessed James the apostle." The results of the
prayer and anointing are physical health and
forgiveness of sins.
"Is
anyone among you suffering? He should pray.
Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing
praise.
Is
anyone among you sick? He should summon the
presbyters of the church, and they should
pray over him and anoint (him) with oil in
the name of the Lord, and the prayer of
faith will save the sick person, and the
Lord will raise him up. If he has committed
any sins, he will be forgiven."
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The
presbyters are those with authority in the
church and who can pray over the person and
anoint with oil. Oil was used for medicinal
purposes in the ancient world
(Luke 10:34)
"He
approached the victim, poured oil and wine
over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he
lifted him up on his own animal, took him to
an inn and cared for him."
In
fact in
Romans 15:30-32
Paul implored for prayers in his behalf:
"I
urge you, (brothers,) by our Lord Jesus
Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to
join me in the struggle by your prayers to
God on my behalf, that I may be delivered
from the disobedient in Judea, and that my
ministry for Jerusalem may be acceptable to
the holy ones, so that I may come to you
with joy by the will of God and be refreshed
together with you."
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To
read
the whole article,
please click here. |
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River of Mercy
by Archbishop of Denver Charles J.
Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
A
pastoral letter to the people of God of
northern Colorado on conscience,
reconciliation and the Great Jubilee,
written
December 2, 1998 |
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The
Most Rev. Charles Chaput
is the Archbishop of the
Catholic Archdiocese of Denver Colorado, USA. |
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I. MAKE
STRAIGHT THE WAY |
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“Christianity is the
religion of the coming of God, of his breaking
through into human history and life . . .” — Karol
Wojtyla, Advent homily, 1974 |
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Dear brothers and sisters in
the Lord, |
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1. |
The season of Advent,
which begins this week and which opens the
Church’s liturgical year, has a threefold
meaning for Christians. It invites us to
reflect on the past, as we follow the history
of salvation
from humanity’s creation and fall, through
God’s covenant with the Chosen People, to the
birth of Jesus the Messiah. It encourages us
to prepare in the present, as we ready
ourselves to encounter
Jesus in the sacraments and receive the Christ
Child at Christmas. And it calls us to look to
the future, in anticipation of the Lord’s
Second Coming at the end of time.
It’s a season of
prayer, hope
and self-examination. It’s also a time of
great joy. As Karol Wojtyla preached even
before his election as pope, “Let us go with
joy to meet Christ: This describes the
atmosphere of the mystery of the
Incarnation and of Christmas, and also that of
the period of waiting for him, which the
Church enters
on the First Sunday of Advent.” |
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This “Advent joy” has
marked every moment of John Paul II’s
pontificate. From his very first encyclical,
Redeemer of Man (Redemptor Hominis), and
repeatedly in the years since, he has urged us
to “be not afraid.” He has encouraged us to
live the period leading up to the Great
Jubilee 2000 as a new Advent, “. . .[f]or
Advent prepares us to meet the One who was,
who is and who is to come.”
It is this Advent
spirit which separates Catholics fundamentally
from the fear which seems to grip so much of
the world as we approach the new millennium.
It is this Advent spirit which the Holy Father
invites each of us to welcome into our lives. |
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And yet, how do we do that?
How do we lay claim to a joy
that seems so often contradicted by the
sorrows and confusions of daily life?
The answer
is, we can’t lay claim to this joy — not without a
radical conversion of heart. This is only possible
through faith in Jesus Christ. But because of
Christ’s
coming, it is within our grasp.
Therefore, what I
want to suggest is that today, right now, is
exactly
the “acceptable time” to receive the joy of the
Great Jubilee. The way is open, and the moment is
at
hand. But the cost of passage is conversion, a
change in the direction of our lives at their
root. We
need to see with new eyes, illumined by a new
light.
We need to turn away from our selfishness,
our
pride, our distractions and false freedoms, and
toward the real freedom, the freedom only found in
Jesus Christ. Advent 1998 brings us to the
threshold of a new millennium. The Holy Father
describes
it as a “threshold of hope.”
The liturgical year
we begin (1999) — designated by John Paul II as
the
year of reconciliation with the Father, bearing
fruit in the virtue of charity or love — is God’s
invitation
to the conversion we need, and the final step
toward the Jubilee. So let us turn to what
crossing
that threshold requires. |
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more... |
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To read
the entire Pastoral Letter,
please click here. |
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Our
Faith: What you might want to 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! |
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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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c. |
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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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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a. |
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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This awesome graphic is from
twoheartsdesign.com |
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The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus
Christ the King
November 23,
2008
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First Reading
from the Prophet Ezekiel |
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Ez 34:11-12, 15-17 |
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Thus says the Lord
GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my
sheep.
As a shepherd
tends his flock when he finds himself
among his scattered sheep, so will I tend
my sheep.
I will rescue
them from every place where they were
scattered when it was cloudy and dark.
I myself will
pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the
Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will
destroy,
shepherding them rightly.
As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD, I
will judge between one sheep and another,
between rams and goats. |
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Responsorial From the Book of Psalms |
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Ps 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6 |
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R. The Lord is my
shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I
shall want.
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I
shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I
shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I
shall want. |
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First Reading
from the Letter to the Corinthians |
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1 Cor 15:20-26, 28 |
Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead, the
firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came
through man, the resurrection of the dead came
also through man.
For just as in Adam
all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought
to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to
Christ;
then comes the end, when he hands over the
kingdom to his God and Father, when he has
destroyed every sovereignty and every
authority and power.
For he must reign
until he has put all his enemies under his
feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
When everything is
subjected to him, then the Son himself will
also be subjected to the one who subjected
everything to him, so that God may be all in
all. |
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Reading From the
Gospel of Matthew |
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Mt 25:31-46 |
Jesus said to his
disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and
all the angels with him, he will sit upon his
glorious throne, and all the nations will be
assembled before him.
And he will separate
them one from another, as a shepherd separates
the sheep from the goats.
He will place the
sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will
say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world. |
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For I was hungry and
you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous
will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we
see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and
give you drink?
When did we see you a
stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe
you?
When did we see you
ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say
to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one
of the least brothers of mine, you did for
me.’
Then he will say to
those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed, into the
eternal fire prepared for the devil and his
angels.
For I was hungry and
you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for
me.’
Then they will answer
and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them,
'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least
ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life."
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Suggested Readings |
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intersection of
morality, reason, and politics. This isn’t
just a book for Catholics, but for anyone who
cares about the state of America’s soul —and
how that concern might shape the 2008
elections.”
—John
L. Allen Jr., NCR and CNN senior Vatican
correspondent, Amazon |
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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 is already the
subject of much fanfare. |
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"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 |
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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
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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. |
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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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