DEVOTION TO THE HOLY EUCHARIST

PRAYER

INTRODUCTION

 The Church has historically noted the month of April for increased devotion to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. At the Last Supper, Jesus gave us His greatest gift, His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity to share at every Mass, every day, everywhere in the world!

O Sacrament Most Holy,

O Sacrament Divine,

All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine Amen

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

1323 At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed,

SCRIPTURE

The word of God is so powerful that whatever he commands is carried out. When he says, “Let there be light” Genesis 1:3, at creation, light suddenly appears. At his word, the sun, moon, and stars are brought into existence. The power of that divine word is also in Jesus.

 When Jesus took bread and said, “This is my body”, and took wine and said, “This is my blood” Matthew 26:26-28. These sacred words bring about what he says. Jesus is truly present body and blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist.

 When receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is not possible, the next best thing is to visit him in Church where he resides calling to us to come stay with me.

HOLY HOUR
of Eucharistic Adoration

Christ is present in the Most Blessed Sacrament to manifest his great love for us.  Christ, the God-Man, is truly present in his divinity as well as his humanity, body and soul before me. This Holy Hour may be broken down into 15 minute segments with different types of prayers, Adoration, Thanksgiving, Petition, and Contrition.

ADORATION

Think of the marvel of this great reality: Christ, the God-Man, is truly present in his divinity as well as his humanity, body and soul. Consider who he is as God…the Creator; God-Man: our Redeemer, our Savior, our Lord and King.  Push your thoughts to search out the meaning of these truths and let your soul rest in the wonder of his loving presence here— Be quiet and listen, as God speaks to your heart.

PRAYER OF ADORATION

Lord, thank you for this hour of Eucharistic devotion. I adore you as the infinite and Holy One of God. You and the Father are one and you promised that one day we will be one in You. May Your Holy Spirit be with me. Send Him constantly… I thank you for this precious gift of faith. Amen.

THANKSGIVING

The next 15 minutes may be devoted to THANKSGIVING.   Let words of thanksgiving rise up in your soul, or just simply give thanks to God for his presence here in such a remarkable way. Read or recall one of your favorite Scripture passages.  Imagine you are present and hear it direct from Jesus, what do you say to Jesus?   Take time to recall and thank God for other special blessings. Thank him for his love for you, for his unfailing help in trials and difficulties. Do you really believe God loves you? Think about it till you can really say that in sincerity and heartfelt conviction: that God does love you!

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

 Thank you, Father, for having created me. Thank you for my family. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness. Thank you for friends, for health and for grace. May I live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to me. Everything I receive is pure gift. Help me to be a grateful giver to others.

PETITION

Dedicate the next 15 minutes to PETITION. First of all, ask Jesus here present in the Holy Eucharist for the grace he wants most for you: the great blessing of redemption and eternal salvation….for you, for each member of your family, your friends, people of you neighborhood and parish, for all mankind.

Pray for conversions. Pray for particular people, those who are away from the Church and the Sacraments. Pray for the sick and lonely, the discouraged, our youth, the unborn, our country, its leaders.

Pray for vocations to complete the work of Christ.  Pray for the grace to know the will of God always in my own life. Pray for peace, God’s peace God’s wholeness in the hearts of all that we all be one!

PRAYER OF PETITION

O my God, give yourself to me. Behold I love you…if my love is too weak a thing, grant me to love you more strongly. I cannot measure my love, but let my soul hasten to your embrace… This I know that it is not good for me when you are not with me.  Everything in this world that is not you is mere rubbish. Amen.

CONTRITION

Dedicate the last 15 minutes of the Holy Hour to CONTRITION. A look into one’s own conscience first, for where we sin and where we need to ask for pardon and mercy…A look into the conscience of the world at large…the demeaning of others, insults and injuries inflicted around the globe, sins against life and the world we live in…are we good stewards of our planet…do we welcome the stranger…feed the hungry…care for the sick….. treat others as we wish to be treated…

PRAYER OF CONTRITION

 O Lord, forgive me my sins; the sins of my youth, the sins of my age, the sins of my soul, the sins of my body… the sins that I know, the sins I have concealed so long and which are now hidden from my memory. I am truly sorry for every sin, mortal and venial. I know my sins have wounded Thy tender Heart; O my Savior, let me be freed from the bonds of evil… O my Jesus, forget and forgive what I have been.. Amen.

I am reminded how much need I am of God’s mercy. So often I have walked away from God but He never gave up, sought me, and called me back into His embrace.  

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

APRIL 16, 2023

PRAISE THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD;

HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER

PSALM 136:1

 

HOLY SATURDAY

HOLY WEEK

INTRODUCTION

Jesus did not go to sleep from Good Friday until Easter Sunday.  He has a mission from the Father to announce his victory over sin and death to those in the abode of the dead, Sheol in Hebrew, Hades in Greek and Hell in English.

According to Church Tradition, after dying on Good Friday, Jesus descended to the depths of the dead to preach His message to them, liberating all holy men and women held captive in past centuries Jesus did not descend into hell to save those who already have chosen damnation,

The People in the abode of the dead are deprived of the vision of God. The experiences of those in the abode of the dead are different, some await the bosom of Abraham and some await damnation eternal separation from God.  Catechism of the Catholic Church #631-637

 There is an Ancient Homily from 2nd Century for Holy Saturday which is copied below.  The writer of this ancient homily pondered the moment when God died in the Flesh—when Jesus’ soul left His body and descended into the netherworld to rescue Adam, Eve, and all the souls of the just who have been waiting for thousands of years, shut out from heaven because the Messiah had not yet come.

I suggest a slow read, stopping often to ponder and pray in thanksgiving for such a great and good God that will go to any depths to rescue us.

 THE LORD’S DESCENT INTO HELL

ANCIENT HOMILY FOR HOLY SATURDAY

“What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.

Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam’s son.

The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: ‘My Lord be with you all.’ And Christ in reply says to Adam: And with your spirit.

And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light. I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.

I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.

For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.

Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.

‘See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back.

See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.

`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side.

My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you.

But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven.

I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life.

I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.

“The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages.”

 

 

LETTER OF JAMES CHAPTER THREE

CATHOLIC LETTERS, SCRIPTURE

SAINT JAMES APOSTLE

BISHOP OF JERUSALEM. AND EVANGELIST

 TAMING THE TONGUE 3:1-12

….we all fall short in many respects. If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body also.   If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide their whole bodies.

It is the same with ships: even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination wishes. In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions….

For every kind of beast, bird, reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God.

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  This need not be so, my brothers.  Does a spring gush forth from the same opening both pure and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a grapevine, figs? Neither can salt water yield fresh.

REFLECTION

 In this Scripture passage, James reminds us of the damage we can do with speech. The tongue can and is likely to do grave damage to other human beings, (made in the likeness and image of God) in gossip, curses, judgments, and name calling etc.

All of these deadly evils begin in the heart. “Harden not your hearts,” Hebrews 3:8

 God makes a New Covenant in our hearts. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people Jerimiah 31:33

 For I will pour out water on the thirsty land….I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants; Isaiah 44:3

…whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water (Spirit) springing up to eternal life.” John 4:14

….Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity…hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness…I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5:15-23

 TRUE WISDOM. 3:13-18

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  Wisdom of this kind does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.

REFLECTION

 True wisdom is seeking to be image of God.  Jesus’s commands, Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.  Matthew 5:48.

God our Father, Abba Father, make us whole again.  Overcome our inclination to evil (sin) Make us fresh again, remove the debris in our hearts, let us be wise in our choices and discern with the aid of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name we pray!

 

LETTER OF JAMES CHAPTER TWO

CATHOLIC LETTERS

SAINT JAMES APOSTLE

BISHOP OF JERUSALEM. AND EVANGELIST

 INTRODUCTION

James wrote to a very partial age, filled with prejudice and hatred based on class, ethnicity, nationality, and religious background. In the ancient world people were routinely and permanently categorized because they were Jew or Gentile, slave or free, rich or poor…..

A significant aspect of the work of Jesus was to break down these walls that divided humanity, and to bring forth one new race of mankind in Him Ephesians 2:14-15

The unity and openness of the early church was shocking to the ancient world. But this unity didn’t come automatically. As this command from James shows, the apostles had to teach the early church to never hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ… with partiality.

 MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGMENT JAMES 2:1-13

My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

For if a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?*

Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor* in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?  But you dishonored the poor person….

 However, if you fulfill the royal* law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

For whoever keeps the whole law, but falls short in one particular, has become guilty in respect to all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not kill.”  Even if you do not commit adultery but kill, you have become a transgressor of the law…For the judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

REFLECTION

 James’ use of the term partiality reminds us of the caution not to judge others, Judge not lest you be judged!  Matthew 7:1

How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite,* remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. Matt. 7:4-5

We should not choose on appearances. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart 1 Samuel 16:7 God looks at the heart and so should we.

We should recognize all our brothers and sisters who are all made in the same image and likeness of God as we are. God is one God but three persons in love with each other in the Most Holy Trinity.  We are made to love and be loved.

When we assume that the rich man is more important to God or more blessed by God, we put too much value in material riches. When God came to earth he came to a little known part of this earth, born in poverty.

QUESTION TO PONDER

Why did God choose to come into this world in poverty?

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

 THE MERCY WE SHOW TO OTHERS WILL BE EXTENDED

TO US AGAIN ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.

 FAITH AND WORKS. JAMES 2:14-26

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?   If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?  So also faith if it does not have works, is dead.

Indeed someone may say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works.

 Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God….  For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

REFLECTION

By Faith we mean our complete submission of intellect and will to God.  If we really believe something we will follow through and act upon it. God cannot and will not deceive. There is a difference in believing in a God and believing God.

I could say I believe in God and Jesus as my Lord and Savior and not be saved because I chose my way of doing things over God’s will. “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven Matt.7:21

The faith that saves is never alone. Works must accompany a genuine faith, because genuine faith is always connected with conversion, becoming a new creation in Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17

 God is beyond anything we can say about him or think about him. God is always more. God in his love for us and his desire for relationship has revealed himself in His Creation and Divine revelation thru Scripture.  God is mystery.  We will never understand the Most Holy Trinity fully. In our faith journey, doubts will come and go.  A million doubts do not mean a denial of faith in God who is truthful, trustworthy, and beyond deceit.

 “LORD I BELIEVE; HELP MY UNBELIEF.” MARK 9:24

 

 

 

CATHOLIC LETTERS OF NEW TESTAMENT

2 Comments / CATHOLIC LETTERS

LETTER OF JAMES CHAPTER ONE

JAMES THE LESSER

 INTRODUCTION

This letter, which was accepted as canonical from the second century onward, is attributed to James, the son of Cleophas and of Mary, the Blessed Virgin’s sister or cousin.

To distinguish him from the other James, the son of Zebedee Matt. 10:2-4, this James is called “the less” and, also, “the brother (cousin) of the Lord” James the younger” here has also been translated “James the less”

From the Book of Acts we know that James enjoyed great authority in the church of Jerusalem Acts 15:13-19.

Paul also describes him as one of the pillars of the Church and gives him a prominent place among those to whom our Lord appeared after his Resurrection. 1 Cor. 15:7

James the apostle (the less) was, then, bishop of Jerusalem until his death in the year 62. He wrote his letter around the year 60. In it he shows himself to be steeped in the Old Testament and in the teachings of Jesus deriving from the Sermon on the Mount.

EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER ONE

PERSEVERANCE IN TRIAL

 VERSES 1-4

James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings. Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing* of your faith produces perseverance….. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

 VERSES 12-13

Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him.*No one experiencing temptation should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.

REFLECTION

 James speaks of himself as a slave to God.  The word slave today has many bad connotations. James means he is committed to God’s will.  How committed are we?

Sometimes we fail. Our will, wishes, desires will get the best of us. God tempts no one. Satan tempts God tries.. God will never tempt us to evil but sometimes He allows it as a test of our faith as in the case of Job (Book of Job)

A faith untested is not much of a faith, God wants us to choose freely to love him and serve him

God respects our free will and will never force us to choose Him…..An enormous responsibility on our part… we must pray that we choose God’s will every day and avoid anything that would separate us even for a moment.  Our intention is to live all eternity with God why not start now!

DOERS OF THE WORD.

 VERSES 19-25

Know this, my dear brothers….Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror.  He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like.  But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does.

REFLECTION

Peers into the perfect law. The perfect law refers to the Old Testament Mosaic law and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Faith Without Works Is Dead.  James 2:14 At the time of Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther proclaimed Faith alone can save you so he left Epistle of James out of his bible. Luther was wrong then and still wrong today. Only doing the will of Father can save me. Moved by grace, we submit our intellect and will to God.

We need faith and works.  What good is it to say I believe in Jesus Lord and Savior then act like we don’t?  There is a difference in believing in a God and believing God.

A belief in a God is faith of intellect but does not bring about change or conversion. I can still acknowledge the Lord and not be saved by going about my merry way like the old Frank Sinatra tune “I did it my way!”

We are reminded by the words of Jesus, Himself, “not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father” Matthew 7:21.

 

 

 

MARCH FOR LIFE POST ROE V WADE

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

CHOOSE LIFE

“I have today set before you, life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life that you and your descendants may live.” 

DEUTERONOMY 30:15

The earliest Christians used as their “moral guide of behavior” the admonition God made to his chosen people, through Moses, His Prophet, I am offering you, life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live… Deuteronomy 30:19.

INTRODUCTION

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court legalized abortion throughout the United States in its companion decisions Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. Since that time, millions of children have lost their lives, and millions of women and families have been wounded by abortion.

In all the Dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion. 

When is abortion permitted?  NEVER! Not when it is inconvenient…not when the child in the womb is the wrong sex….not when child created by God is a result of rape or incest…not when child in womb may be born with some handicap….DELIBERATE ABORTION IS NEVER PERMITTED.    NOTE: In an attempt to save a mother’s life, the life of the child in her womb may be lost in unintended consequences.

 CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 2270  Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.

Today, many consider pregnancy a disease to be preemptively attacked. Some politicians aggressively defend the right to abortion. Just because it is legal does not make it RIGHT!

Women claim it is their body and free to do what they want.  “My Body, My Choice,” betrays a tragic misunderstanding of what is taking place inside the womb.

The DNA of the child that determines sex, facial features, physique, and the color of the skin, hair, and eyes is different from the Mother’s. Every cell of the baby in the womb is genetically distinct from every cell in the mother’s body.  The gift of life is God’s choice not a woman’s!

On June 24, 2022, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned  Roe v. Wade. While God, in His mercy, ended the nearly fifty-year nationwide regime of abortion on demand, right now state and federal laws, in many instances, are still hostile to pre-born children.

The landscape has changed, but our mission to create a culture of love and life where abortion is unthinkable remains the same. At this year’s march, we will take the time to celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision and acknowledge all that went into our 50 years of work toward ending Roe in the courts.

We must now wage war in Congress, in our statehouses and in our communities. Through our continued advocacy and witness at the national level, we plan to hold the line protecting life-saving policies such as the Hyde Amendment

We must not only care for the unborn but also the already born who may be so adversely affected by an unplanned pregnancy that in her pain and despair may consider killing the life of the baby growing inside her womb.  It so refreshing when I encounter a newly pregnant woman proclaim proudly, “I am having a baby!”

Thousands of pregnancy resource centers and hundreds of maternity homes exist across the country giving women an alternative to abortion and letting them know that they are not alone.

These centers and homes provide everything a mother might need, including housing, financial assistance, education, counseling, clothing, diapers, child care and more.

These organizations rely heavily on us — both in terms of volunteer hours as well as donations — and it is up to us to be a beacon of hope for them and the women they serve.

If we have learned anything from the recent Dobbs decision, it is that we can accomplish anything we set our mind to. With a lot of hard work, courage and prayer, we will build a world where every life is valued and loved and abortion is unthinkable!

MARCH FOR LIFE

 EPILOGUE

At every stage and in every circumstance, we are held in existence by God’s love. The presence of an illness, disability, or other challenging situation never diminishes the value of a human life. God does not call us to perfection of appearance or abilities, but to perfection in love.

 Christ came that we “might have life and have it more abundantly” John 10:10 May our culture experience the power of God’s transforming love, that all eyes may be opened to the incredible beauty of every human life.

“Children truly are the family’s greatest treasure and most precious good. Everyone must be helped to become aware of the intrinsic evil of the crime of abortion. In attacking human life in its very first stages, it is also an aggression against society itself. Politicians and legislators, therefore, as servants of the common good, are duty bound to defend the fundamental right to life, the fruit of God’s love.” Pope Benedict XVI

PRAYER FOR RESPECT FOR EVERY HUMAN LIFE

Heavenly Father, thank you
for the precious gift of life.

Help us to cherish and protect
this gift, even in the midst of fear,
pain, and suffering.

Give us love for all people,
especially the most vulnerable,
and help us bear witness to the
truth that every life is worth living.

Grant us the humility to accept
help when we are in need,
and teach us to be merciful to all.

Through our words and actions,
may others encounter the
outstretched hands
of Your mercy.

We ask this through
Christ, our Lord. Amen.

 

 

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY DECEMBER 30, 2022

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH

REFLECTION

As I look at this picture of the Holy Family, many themes come to mind. Love and faithfulness stand out…  Mary’s words of obedience to God’s messenger, “Be it done to me according to thy word,” without understanding the consequences of her fiat.  Her submission to God’s will says so much about the trust Mary had in a benevolent God that only wishes us well.

Mary conceives a Son by the Power of the Holy Spirit….the Son Mary conceived was no ordinary Son but the Son of God…Mary will bring God to the world… the Word Incarnate…God will dwell once again among His people…The Garden is refreshed with a NEW ADAM…

Joseph had his own qualms to deal with when his wife to be became pregnant and not by him.  Joseph was already a righteous man in relationship with God and did not want to do anything to embarrass or jeopardize his spouse to be so he was going to separate quietly.

Then God intervened, “behold, the angel of the Lord* appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” Matthew 1:20

Because of the love of Mary and Joseph, the Christ child in the picture is able to hold out his arms and embrace the whole world in blessing.  A child lives what he experiences.  A loving family attached to God their creator and source can only spread the love and embrace of God the Father to others.

At one point Jesus got separated from Mary and Joseph and when found teaching in the temple he willingly left His Father’s house and went back to his earthly home in Nazereth.  “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.  And Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man” Luke 2:49-51

 Jesus went home with His earthly parents and was obedient to them…He obeyed the Father’s will in honoring Mary and Joseph….How am I honoring God in my daily duties…

Not much is known about Jesus’ child hood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood in his home town of Nazareth.  We do know the Holy Family were all devout Jews honoring and worshiping God according to Jewish practices, especially holy days like Passover, Feast of Tabernacles, and Pentecost.

Mary and Joseph would have provided for their family in traditional roles of feeding and caring for their child.  In his human nature Jesus would be learning and not taking any “divine” short cuts as he assisted his earthly foster father, Joseph, in his carpentry trade.

Loving parents, loving child, the core of God’s plan for salvation of mankind, imaging the relationship of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

 In the cultural change taking place in the present-day, models are often presented which conflict with the Christian vision of the family. Christianity proclaims that God created humanity as male and female, and blessed them to form one flesh and transmit life Gen 1: 27-28; 2, 24

 The mystery of life’s creation on earth fills us with wonder and delight. The family, founded on the marriage of a man and a woman, is splendid to behold and irreplaceable in an interpersonal loving relationship which transmits life. The act of generation, must be understood in light of the parents’ responsibility and commitment to the care and Christian upbringing of their children, who are the most precious fruit of conjugal love

According to our faith, the difference between the sexes bears in itself the image and likeness of God  Genesis 1:26-27. “This tells us that it is not man alone who is the image of God or woman alone who is the image of God, but man and woman as a couple who are the image of God.

 To families with homosexual members, the Church reiterates that every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his/her dignity, while carefully avoiding “every sign of unjust discrimination”…Regarding proposals to place unions of homosexual persons on the same level as marriage, “there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family”.

Marriage is a gift and a promise of God. The witness of couples, who faithfully live their marriage, highlights the value of this indissoluble union and awakens the desire to constantly renew their commitment to fidelity.

PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY

Heavenly father, you have given us a model of life

in the Holy family of Nazareth

Help us, O Loving Father to make our family another Nazareth

where love, peace, and joy reign

May it be deeply contemplative, intensely Eucharistic,

and vibrant with joy.

Holy Family Pray for us.

 St. Terese Kolkata

IN JESUS’ NAME WE PRAY

 

 

 

 

DISCIPLESHIP COME FOLLOW ME

CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

TO HAVE LIFE WE MUST GIVE IT AWAY 

Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,  but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 16:24-25

There are many calls to discipleship throughout Scripture.  I will cite just a few examples because of the circumstances of the call, the manner of the call, and the reaction of the one called.

CALL OF MATTHEW

The first one is the call of Levi, the tax collector whose name was later changed to Matthew.  When you encounter the Lord your name is often changed, .Simon/Peter.

And he saw tax collector and said follow me. Matthew points at himself with the expression-Who me?  Leaving everything behind, he got up and followed HIM

Do we ever ask God if He got the wrong person, Who Me! OR DO WE FOLLOW ANYWAY?

BLIND BARTIMAEUS

As Jesus was leaving Jericho, he came across a blind beggar named Bartimaeus.  The beggar when he heard who was passing by kept calling out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.”

Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see. Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:50-52

Why did Jesus ask the beggar what he wanted from him? In prayer, Are we specific in telling God what we want?  Do we persevere in that prayer?

ZACCHAEUS

 Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.

 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”

And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.  Jesus said to him,

“Today salvationc has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:1-10

 DO WE CHANGE WHEN WE ENCOUNTER JESUS?  HOW SO? ARE WE LOOKING FOR CHANGE WHEN WE ARE LOOKING FOR JESUS?

We are all familiar with these kinds of stories in the Gospels where once confronted by Jesus that person gets a sense of healing, physically/spiritually…a movement towards wholeness… THEY leave whatever state they were in…. to follow Jesus down the road…along the WAY. We may stumble along the way but Jesus is there to pick us up if we only ask,

As followers,(imitators of Christ) we share with others as Jesus did.-love our enemies, forgive that we may be forgiven, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, be merciful that mercy will be shown you…  The only thing we take with us when we die, is what we have given away….so leave that suitcase behind…

JESUS’ DISCIPLES BEARING GIFTS FOR OTHERS

One teaching of Jesus I always had trouble with was giving my life away that I might have life.  It’s my life, isn’t it?  Don’t I have the right to live it as I want?  I do have free will, after all. The choice is mine. What about my choices?  Choices have consequences.

There is both an Ego drama and a Theo drama being played out.  One is my plan (Ego drama) the other is God’s plan for bringing me into excellent existence.  Life is a gift from God.  God has a plan and purpose for my existence.

Do I stick with God or do I separate myself with sin. Uh-Oh, No sins allowed in heaven. Be holy as I am holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16  Well, I better begin now to become what God envisioned when he breathed life into my soul and body if I want to end up there for all eternity.

 To have Heaven and a share in Divine life I must set aside this world, its pomp, transient glories, and passing pleasures. I must help the needy and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

CATHOLIC ESCHATOLOGY END TIMES

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

  “I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness…. I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.  John 12:46-47

 Welcome to Catholic Eschatology- the theology concerned with end times, death, judgment, heaven, hell. the Second Coming of Christ, The Resurrection of the Dead, and the Final Judgment.

During the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass, after the consecration the people are invited to acclaim the Mystery of Faith. (Mysterium Fidei ) This simple acclamation proclaims the belief in the resurrection of the Lord. We acknowledge His death and we also proclaim our faith that He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.

 This month of November when we remember the Saints in Heaven and the Holy Souls in Purgatory is a good time to reflect on our own end times. Life on earth will come to an end for all of us.  We know not when, nor how, but God does.  “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Matt. 25:13

We are reminded throughout Scriptures to be ready to welcome Jesus at all times.  We know from Scripture there will be a final end time but our end time may come first. Our short lives on earth are a sowing time.

St. Paul writes “What is sown is perishable, but what is raised is imperishable; what is sown is contemptible but what is raised is glorious; what is sown is weak, but what is raised is powerful; what is sown is a natural body, and what is raised is a spiritual body” 1 Cor. 15:42

Let us not be like the foolish virgins who missed the bridegroom through lack of preparation and when they approached the wedding feast the door was shut as they cried out, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you. Matt.11

Let us not be the rich fool with a rich harvest either, I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry! But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong then? Luke 12:18-20

 After we die, according to Church teaching (Magisterium), each person faces a Particular Judgment before God.  Death puts an end to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either immediate entrance into the blessedness of heaven or through a purification in purgatory or immediate and everlasting damnation. Catechism of the Catholic Church #1022.

 THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT

The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each person will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. i.e the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, “Amen, I say today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42.

Those who die in the grace and friendship with God and who are perfectly purified from sin will see God face to face as He really is and live with Christ forever.  This perfect life with the Blessed Trinity, Mary, and all the saints is called heaven, a state of supreme and definitive happiness forever.

To die in grave sin, without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love, means remaining separate from God for all eternity.  This place is called hell. God respects our free will and will not force us into beatitude and life eternal.

 RESURRECTION OF THE BODY

Jesus came to dress our perishable nature with imperishability and our mortal nature with immortality 1 Corinthians 15:53.

The resurrection of all the dead, the just and unjust, will occur just before the Last Judgment. This will be “the hour when all who are in the tombs will hear the Son of man’s voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” CCC 1038

In the resurrection we will have spiritual bodies. Our natural bodies came from Adam, our spiritual bodies come from Christ.  “as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man [Adam], so we shall bear the likeness of the heavenly one [Christ]” 1 Corinthians 15:49   

LAST JUDGMENT

Christ will come “in his glory, and all the angels with him. . . . Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” CCC 1038

The Last Judgment will come when Christ returns in glory. Only the Father knows the day and the hour. In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man’s relationship with God will be laid bare. The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life.

Then, through his Son Jesus Christ, God will pronounce the final word on all history. We shall know the ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and understand the marvelous ways by which his Providence led everything towards its final end. The Last Judgment will reveal that God’s justice triumphs over all the injustices committed by his creatures and that God’s love is stronger than death.

NEW CREATION NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH

At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. After the universal judgment, the righteous will reign forever with Christ, glorified in body and soul. The universe itself will be renewed: Sacred Scripture calls this mysterious renewal, which will transform humanity and the world, “new heavens and a new earth.”

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away.” Revelation 21:1 “It will be the definitive realization of God’s plan to bring under a single head “all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth.” CCC 1043

 PRAYER

Heavenly Father, now we walk by faith and not by sight, but one day we hope to see you face to face, we pray our bodies will rise in glory on the last day through the merits of your only begotten Son, Jesus, who goes before us to prepare a place in His heavenly Mansion, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen

ABORTION IS MURDER CHOOSE LIFE

1 Comment / CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

CHOOSE LIFE

 “I have today set before you, life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I am giving you today…you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you…If, however, your heart turns away and you do not obey…and bow down to other gods and serve them, I tell you today that you will certainly perish…

 I have set before you, life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life that you and your descendants may live.” DEUTERONOMY 30:15

 BACKGROUND

 October is Respect Life Month, a time for Catholics to reflect more deeply on the God-given dignity of all human life. All lives are Sacred and gift from our Creator. I repeat, ALL LIVES!

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

 2270 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.

2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.

 COMMENTARY

When is abortion permitted?  NEVER! Not when a child is inconvenient…. not when the child in the womb is the wrong sex….not when child created by God is a result of rape or incest…not when child in womb may be born with some handicap….DELIBERATE ABORTION IS NEVER PERMITTED.  The end never justifies an immoral means. KILLING INNOCENT LIFE IS NEVER PERMISSABLE!

NOTE: In an attempt to save a mother’s life, the life of the child in her womb may be lost in unintended consequences of saving the mother’s life.

Today, those who support abortion on demand use words to draw sympathy and support. There are many euphemisms.  Some will call it Women’s Reproductive Rights. Where does the right come from?  I know it isn’t God.  Nor is women’s right to an Abortion in the Constitution of the United States. A person does not have a right to something just because they think they do.  Think about that one and the chaos in the world that would follow.

Calling Abortion, a woman’s health issue is like calling euthanasia, death with dignity or calling same-sex marriage, marriage equality. All of it is shameful marketing to develop sympathy for deeply flawed practices.

Women claim it is their body and free to do what they want.  Nonsense, the slogan, “My Body, My Choice,” betrays a tragic misunderstanding of what is taking place inside the womb.

Check out on internet the growth of the baby in the womb.  By 12 weeks the baby has eyes, ears, hands, feet, toes, functioning brain and other organs apart from their mother’s.

At no point in pregnancy is the developing embryo or fetus simply a part of the mother’s body. Every cell of the baby in the womb is genetically distinct from every cell in the mother’s body. Human embryos did not originate only from the woman. The baby would not exist without the man’s seed.

Often the blood type of the baby is different from the mother’s and half the children are born male, a different sex than their mother. If a pregnant woman is killed, the murderer is charged with two homicides.  It is illegal to execute a pregnant woman on death row because the fetus living inside her is a distinct human being who cannot be executed for the crimes of the mother.

Today, many consider pregnancy a disease to be preemptively attacked like a flu vaccine.   Some politicians aggressively defend the right to abortion.

Just because it is legal does not make it RIGHT!   Today, like so many things, just because you say it over and over again, doesn’t make it true.

The Holocaust of Germany authorized by the Nazi Government in power was a horrific ethnic cleaning of more than 6 million Jews.  Over 60 million unborn babies in the US, alone, since Roe V Wade have been slaughtered due to Legal abortion of the United States Government

If a government, on its own authority, can authorize citizens to take the life of a child legally, all sorts of excesses are possible. Who has the right to live?

Stay tuned as those who favor thinning out the masses come up with new ideas for thinning the herd and who shall live and who shall die!

PRAYER CELEBRATING SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE

God, you are the Lord and Creator of Life. You have blessed men and women with the privilege of bringing new life into the world.

You have imparted in our hearts the desire to nurture and protect life at all its stages. I accept these gifts as a sacred trust.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Grant me the wisdom and courage to speak out and defend human life, made in Your image and likeness from conception to natural death.  Amen