Blog - Still Roman Catholic After All These Years

DOES GOD EXIST TODAY?

Of course God exists! God is eternal, no beginning no end! I don’t know when it became so trendy or popular to dismiss God but so it seems in this atheistic leaning world.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth— and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters Genesis 1:1-2

In the New Testament, when travelling through Athens, St. Paul remarked that the people were very much into worshipping many gods (temples to Apollo, Poseidon, and Aphrodite) and even had placed an altar to an Unknown god who Paul announced to them is the Christian God.

“Men of Athens I perceive that you are in every way religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” The unknown God of the Greeks is he in whom “we live and move and have our being, the God who made the world and everything in it.” Acts 17:22-32

Throughout history, dependent mankind, noting their limits, attempted to create gods to meet their needs, like a harvest god for crops and fertility god for children.

Mankind makes something out of something that already exists. For example, a chair, the carpenter, uses tools and material to fashion a chair, the cook is dependent on the grocery store or on the ingredients from her garden… Unlike us, God needs nothing. God creates out of nothing.

Man pretends he is god by clinging to the addictions of money, pleasure, and power. These are futile and will fail us always. “our hearts are restless until they rest in God.” St. Augustine

Some people argue against the existence of God because of all the evil in this world. They argue, if a God exists He would never allow such evil to happen. God never wills sin but He also respects our free will…our choice, not His!

Sin spreads; Sin has consequences.. Some will say I am not hurting anybody when I commit this sin or another. How so? You are at least hurting yourself and those closest to you.

When you sin it makes it easier to choose sin the next time…That wasn’t so bad and who did I hurt. You hurt yourself by feeding your selfishness… by choosing your will over God’s will.

Sometimes, the evil, God allows brings a greater good, like conversion, reconciliation and forgiveness. What some perceived as the humiliating, shameful death of Jesus became our lifeline to eternity….the greatest good ever!

Who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:6.

As we prepare for Advent, a season of waiting on the Lord, we reflect on our need for God more than ever in this world. In that first Christmas the Christ child was placed in a manger because there was no room in the Inn.

Is there room in our hearts for the Christ child today?

HE WHO SEES ME SEES THE FATHER

CONCLUSION

Some say faith is less reliable than science. I say what about the daily leaps of faith each day such as when you flush the toilet it won’t overflow.. that you won’t fall and break your leg on the way to your car…there is a road to take you to your destination…that your destination exists…that the bridge you cross will not collapse under you…that your family will still be there when you return…and so forth

How is faith in God any less reasonable than the daily leaps of faith we make?. When people dismiss or ignore God’s existence they ignore His graces and dismiss His support for times of stress, grief, despair…they reject the inspiration to pray for others in need, especially loved ones who may have taken a wrong turn on their journey “home.”

CLOSING PRAYER FROM PSALM 145

I will extol you, my God and king;

I will bless your name forever and ever.

Great is the LORD and worthy of much praise,

whose grandeur is beyond understanding.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in mercy.

The LORD is trustworthy in all his words,

and loving in all his works.

LORD is just in all his ways,

merciful in all his works.

My mouth will speak the praises

of the LORD

and will bless his holy name

forever and ever!

NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

National Eucharistic Revival is a three year program sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

The first year of the Revival June 19, 2022–June 11, 2023 invited bishops, priests, and diocesan staff to respond to the Lord’s personal invitation. The second year June 11, 2023 – July 17, 2024 is about fostering Eucharistic devotion at the parish level.

Our world is hurting. We are beset with scandal, division, disease, doubt. In the midst of these roaring waves, Jesus is present, reminding us that he is more powerful than the storm. Jesus Christ desires to heal, renew, and unify the Church and the world through the celebration of the Eucharist.

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

1324 The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”…For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself”

1364 When the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she commemorates Christ’s Passover… the sacrifice Christ offered once for all on the cross remains ever present. “As often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which ‘Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed’ is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried out.”

1367 The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: “The victim is one and the same…the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and offered in an un-bloody manner . . .

PLEASE NOTE THE ACCIDENTS REMAIN…those things that appeal to our senses, touch, sight, taste, etc remain. The “substance” of the Eucharist is changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus and remains in “real presence” as long as the “accidents” remain.

THE HOLY EUCHARIST IN SCRIPTURE

JESUS TOOK BREAD AND BLESSED IT

“And as they were eating He took bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them and said, ‘Take, this is my body.’ And He took a cup and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them and they drank all of it and He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the New Covenant which is poured out for many. Mark 14:22-26

St. Paul writes to the Corinthians,”….the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this,,,,For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. I Corinthians 11:23-27

DEVOTION TO THE HOLY EUCHARIST

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine,
All praise and all thanksgiving
be every moment Thine
Amen

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.

In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.” “This presence is called ‘real’ CCC 1374

A Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament may be broken down into 15 minute segments with different types of prayers, Adoration, Thanksgiving, Petition, and Contrition.

Copied below are examples of prayers that may be said for each 15 minute segment.

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.

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.
!
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.

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.

REFLECTION

It takes time to kindle a living, loving relationship and a relationship with Jesus Christ is no exception. That’s why the National Eucharistic Revival allows three years for discernment, encounter, and grassroots response on the diocesan, parish, and individual levels.

Just as we need to nourish our physical bodies in order to have strength; to work; and to live well, so too we need to eat in the House of the Lord to have spiritual strength.

What are we doing to increase and enhance our relationship with the REAL PRESENCE of Jesus in the Eucharist?

Where the Eucharist is so is God. The Eucharist is God’s gift of love to us. Our worthy reception is our gift of love and sacrifice to God. Are we worthily returning God’s gift of love…giving God my all…what am I holding back that keeps God at arm’s length?

TASTE AND SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD
PSALM 34:8

RESPECT LIFE MONTH

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING

CHOOSE LIFE

“I have today set before you, life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God…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…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 HUMAN LIVES!

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 2270-71 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception… 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… The end never justifies the means. KILLING INNOCENT LIFE IS NEVER PERMISSABLE!

PLEASE 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. Some will call it Women’s Reproductive Rights. Where does the right come from? I know it isn’t God. A person does not have a right to something just because they say they do.
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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’s claim, “My Body, My Choice,” betrays a tragic misunderstanding of what is taking place inside 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.

A HUMAN PERSON DEVELOPING IN THE WOMB

There are many who call themselves Catholic who ignore the teaching of the Church. For example in a recent Pew Research Poll nearly 48% of those identifying themselves as Catholic say abortion should be legal in all or most cases despite the Catholic Church’s strong opposition.

We must shout from the rooftop “that all life is sacred.” In our own waters of Baptism – we have been initiated, called, and commissioned to be other Christs in the world.

We must in our charity do more than call to end abortion. . Poverty is often a factor in choosing abortion, material poverty as well as spiritual poverty.

The Lord calls on all of us to be present in support in the lives of women and families who might be tempted to consider abortion. Prayer support and material support are essential marks of a Christian.

The Catholic Church is one of the leading backers of a national pregnancy aid network Maternity homes and crisis pregnancy resource centers – offering everything from housing support to free diapers.

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

I HAVE CALLED YOU BY NAME YOU ARE MINE
ISAIAH 43:1

TYPOLOGY THE PROMISE OF A SAVIOR

SCRIPTURE

JESUS CHRIST LORD AND SAVIOR

When reading the Bible, you may have noticed some people and events seem familiar like you have already read something similar. Well, that is true if you read from both the Old Testament and the New Testament and there is a name for this experience

The Old Testament is fully unveiled in the New Testament. In the New Testament the Old is perfectly fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ The technical name for seeing the New Testament in the Old Testament is called typology. Typology is the study of the Bible as a unified whole with Christ at the center.

I will now share with you a few of the types found in the Old Testament

ADAM

Jesus is the New Adam giving us life rather than death. Early Christian writers spoke of Jesus as the New Adam. They took this from what Paul said concerning Christ;

The first Adam was disobedient which resulted in original sin and death. Jesus was obedient which resulted in salvation and life. Just as through one person sin entered the world, and the many died…, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person, Jesus Christ, overflow for the many… Romans 5:8

ABRAHAM

The LORD said to Abram: Go forth* from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing Genesis 12:1-2

Abraham was a type of Christ in that he was the prototypical stranger and foreigner. Like the Redeemer, He functionally “had nowhere to lay his head.” Abraham was to be the Father of many nations. Jesus came to call all nations, the everlasting Father of all,

ISAAC

Sometime afterward, God put Abraham to the test and said Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. And there offer him up as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you Genesis 22:1-2

Isaac was a type of Christ in that he was the promised “son of Abraham.” The promises of God were given directly to Abraham with respect to His son . Just as Isaac’s birth was the result of the supernatural power of God so too was it true of Jesus. Isaac carried the wood on his back for the sacrifice as Jesus carried his cross.

MELCHIZEDEK

“Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words: Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand.”

Genesis 14:18-19

“The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent: ‘You are a priest forever'”-in the order of – Melchizedek …. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners…He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself. Hebrews 7:17-22

Melchizedek offers bread and wine to Abraham

MOSES

Moses’ mission was to free Israel from slavery to Egypt. Jesus delivers us from the slavery of sin.

Then the LORD said to Moses: Come up to me on the mountain and, while you are there, I will give you the stone tablets on which I have written the commandments intended for their instruction. Genesis 24:12

Moses receives Ten Commandments

In the New Testament Jesus explains the Ten Commandments more fully in the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down…, He began to teach them, saying: The Beatitudes*… Matthew 5:1-2

JONAH

The story of Jonah and the whale from the Old Testament prefigures Christ’s burial, the stomach of the whale as Christ’s tomb: Jonah was freed from the whale after three days, so did Christ rise from his tomb after three days.

“This is the word of the LORD that came to Jonah, “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it; their wickedness has come up before me.” Jonah 2:11

Jonah tried to run away from his mission, “But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah; and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. On the third day Jonah was “resurrected” from the belly of the fish. After Jesus’ death He was placed in a tomb

“Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it (in) clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed.” Matthew 27:60

On the third day Jesus rose from the dead.

“After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.….. Then the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.” Matthew 28:1-10

DAVID

David was a shepherd from Bethlehem who was chosen by God to be the King of Israel. David was a mighty warrior King. Jesus is the mighty warrior King. David was a shepherd/King who ruled over God’s people in faithfulness. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and the King of Kings who rules over God’s people in perfect covenantal faithfulness.

PRAYER TO JESUS LORD AND SAVIOR

Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross to rescue me from sin and death and to restore me to the Father.

I choose now to turn from my sins, my self-centeredness, and every part of my life that does not please you. I choose you. Please forgive me. Live in me. Love through me.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

YOUR HOMEWORK IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO IT FIND OTHER EXAMPLES OF TYPOLOGY IN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS.

FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

1 Comment / CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

CHRIST VICTORIOUS

WE ADORE YOU O CHRIST, AND WE BLESS YOU

BECAUSE BY YOUR HOLY CROSS YOU HAVE REDEEMED THE WORLD!

EXHALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS SEPTEMBER 14

BACKGROUND

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Triumph of the Cross), is celebrated every year on September 14 and recalls two historical events: the finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena, mother of the emperor Constantine, and the dedication of churches built by Constantine (335) on the site of the Holy Sepulcher and Mount Calvary.

After the death and resurrection of Christ, both the Jewish and Roman authorities in Jerusalem made efforts to obscure the Holy Sepulcher, Christ’s tomb, in a garden near the site of His crucifixion. The earth was mounded up over the site, and pagan temples were built on top of it.

According to tradition, Saint Helena, Mother of Emperor, Constantine, nearing the end of her life, decided under divine inspiration to travel to Jerusalem in 326 to excavate the Holy Sepulcher in an attempt to locate the True Cross.

In celebration of the discovery of the Holy Cross, Constantine ordered the construction of churches at the site of the Holy Sepulcher and on Mount Calvary. Those churches were dedicated on September 13 and 14, 335, and shortly thereafter the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross began to be celebrated on September 14.

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW ME

MATTHEW 16:24

COMMENTARY.

St. Paul says in First Corinthians “WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED” 1 Corinthians 1;23.

I used to have a problem when gazing upon the cross because like so many, all I saw was suffering and death. Then my perspective changed The Cross is a sign of contradiction. I saw the love of Christ with His open arms embracing the whole world.

For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19

The cross designed as an instrument of torture, designed to disgrace and dismiss the worst of criminals, became the life-giving tree that reversed Adam’s Original Sin. Genesis 3:6 The Cross is not a symbol, principally, of agonizing suffering, but of the mind-blowing love God has for us.

The cross reminds us of many things: atonement, forgiveness, love, mercy, redemption, and salvation. Christians display the cross in their homes. They wear it on their person. They make the sign of the cross before prayer and on entering Church with the waters of Baptism.

With the sign of the cross we remind ourselves and witness to others that we have set ourselves apart from worldly rule and pledge our very selves to God’s reign, the kingdom in heaven.

God will not abandon us nor did He abandon His Son on the cross. With the words, “It is finished,” John 19:30 Jesus acknowledged that He has remained faithful to the Father’s will and trusts that all will be well.

On Easter, Jesus is raised in glory and sits today and forever at right hand of the Father in heaven, preparing a place for us.

REFLECTION

Christianity without the Cross is meaningless. Only by uniting ourselves to Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross can we enter into eternal life. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” Luke 9:23

When we participate in the Mass, the Cross is there, too. The “un-bloody sacrifice” offered on the altar is the re-presentation of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross.

When we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion we do not simply unite ourselves to Christ; we nail ourselves to the Cross, dying with Christ so we might rise with Him in glory.

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” John 20:19

When we can no longer help ourselves because we have become paralyzed with fear and overcome by darkness, Trust in Jesus!

When we have reached that stage in our life where we can no longer open the door to let light and life in, God can still come through our locked doors to heal our paralysis, and breathe peace among us.

Let us join the prophet Isaiah 53:5 in proclaiming that Jesus, our Savior and Lord, “was pierced for our offences, crushed for our sins; and upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole. By his stripes we were healed”

O HAPPY FAULT THAT EARNED FOR US SO GREAT,

SO GLORIOUS A REDEEMER!

PRAYER TO JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED.

My good and dear Jesus, I kneel before you, asking you with great fervor, to instill in me true sorrow and repentance for my sins and a firm resolve to amend my life while contemplating your five wounds, remembering the words of the Psalmist, “They have pierced my hands and my feet, I can count all my bones.”Psalm 22:17-18

OUR LADY OF SORROWS

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS, MARY MOTHER OF GOD

WHY, WHY. WHY. SUFFERING????

FIRST REFLECTION

I suggest to you that it is because God loves that He gives us the gift of suffering. Pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world, You see, we are like blocks of stone out of which the Sculptor carves the form of man. The blows of his chisel which hurts us so much are what makes us perfect.

C. S, Lewis

OUR LADY OF SORROWS PRAY FOR US

The month of September is dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Mary. September is a month when we reflect on suffering as a way to salvation and intimacy with Jesus. This devotion dates back to the 12th century, when it made its appearance in monastic circles under the influence of St. Anselm and St. Bernard.

The feast day is celebrated on September 15, the day following the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The title, Our Lady of Sorrows, given to our Blessed Mother, focuses on her intense suffering and grief during the passion and death of our Lord. Traditionally, this suffering was not limited to the passion and death event; but it comprised the seven sorrows (Dolors) of Mary, foretold by the Priest, Simeon in the temple Luke 2:34-35

“This child [Jesus] is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare.” Luke 2:34-35

MEDITATIONS

SEVEN SORROWS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

PROPHECY OF SIMEON

Mary, when I hear bad news, help me to trust in Jesus

Luke 2:34

FLIGHT INTO EGYPT

Mary, when things are unsettled and I am unsure of the future

help me trust in Jesus

Matthew 2:14

LOSS OF THE CHILD JESUS

IN THE TEMPLE

Mary, when I suffer losses, help me to trust in Jesus

Luke 2:46

MARY MEETS JESUS

ON THE WAY TO CALVARY

Mary, I know it broke your heart to see your Son suffering.

When someone I love is suffering, help me trust in Jesus

Luke 23:27-28

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

With Mother Mary, We adore you O Christ

By your holy cross you have redeemed the world

John 19:24-27

MARY RECEIVES JESUS

Mary, you received Jesus into your loving arms,

Help us to say yes to Jesus and receive Him with love into our hearts

Mark 15 43-46

JESUS IS PLACED IN THE TOMB

The tomb will not hold Jesus. Mary, help us to persevere to the end

that we might join you and your resurrected Son in heaven for ever and ever!

John 19:38-42

LAST REFLECTION

“I’m not sure God wants us to be happy. I think he wants us to love, and be loved. But we are like children, thinking our toys will make us happy and the whole world is our nursery. Something must drive us out of that nursery and into the lives of others, and that something is suffering.”

C. S. Lewis

SAINT MOTHER TERESA OF KOLKATA

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

FEAST DAY SEPTEMBER 5

INTRODUCTION

Saints are not only intercessors but also models for us. Mother Teresa is one of my favorite saints. Years ago she inspired our whole family, teenage girls included, to spend time in the poorest of poor nations, Haiti, to work with the poor and dying. We have never been the same since. We are all called to service at our Baptisms. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25

BACKGROUND

Born in Skopje (North Macedonia) in 1910, MOTHER TERESA joined the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin in 1928 and was sent to India, where she began her novitiate. She taught at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta from 1931 to 1948, until leaving the Loreto order to begin the Missionaries of Charity.

In 1946, Mother Teresa had a mystical encounter with Christ on a train to Darjeeling September 26, 1946 in which He asked her to take her love for Him a large step further. He asked her to leave the convent of Loreto and begin an order which would serve the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta.

During the time of her mystical experiences leading to the founding of the new order, she experienced deep spiritual union and the sensible awareness of God’s Presence in her life.

Here is a small sample of Jesus’ words to Mother Teresa: “My little one – come – carry Me into the holes of the poor. – Come be My light – I cannot go alone – they don’t know Me – in your love for Me – they will see Me, know Me, want Me…. For them I long –Wilt thou refuse?”

During her lifelong service to the poorest of the poor, Mother Teresa became an icon of compassion to people of all religions; her extraordinary contributions to the care of the sick, the dying, and the thousands of discarded has been recognized and acclaimed throughout the world.

MEDITATION

PONDER THE GOOD NEWS SHARED BY MOTHER TERESA

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Each person is Jesus in disguise. I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy. I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.

It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.

INSPIRATIONAL POEM

BY Kent M. Keith as “Paradoxical Commandments

PROMOTED BY MOTHER TERESA

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.

Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.

Do Good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.

Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway.

REFLECTION

Wherever we are, with whatever talents and relationships God has entrusted us, we are called not to do what Mother Teresa did, but to love as she loved in the Calcutta of our own life.

Made in the very image and likeness of God, We on earth, are God’s love, God’s compassion, God’s will, God’s smile, God’s tears. We must show the presence of God in this world until He comes again at the end of time.

At the hour of our death when we come face-to-face with God, we are going to be judged on love; not how much we have done, but how much love we put into the doing.

Mother Teresa’s 1979 Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

Lord, make me a channel of Thy peace that, where there is hatred, I may bring love; that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness; that, where there is discord, I may bring harmony; that, where there is error, I may bring truth;

that, where there is doubt, I may bring faith; that, where there is despair, I may bring hope; that, where there are shadows, I may bring light; that, where there is sadness, I may bring joy.

Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted, to love than to be loved; for it is by forgetting self that one finds; it is forgiving that one is forgiven; it is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.

MOTHER TERESA PRAY FOR US

1 JOHN CHAPTER 4:7-23 GOD IS LOVE

CATHOLIC LETTERS

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.,,

GOD IS LOVE

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. Love is brought to perfection in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and He in us, that He has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, remains in God..

JOHN 3:16 GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the Day of Judgment because as He is, so are we in this world.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because He first loved us.

If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God^* whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

“Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SAVED?

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

JESUS SEEKS US

God wills the salvation of all. We are created for life not death, Jesus is our Savior, nobody else has the power. It is through the Mercy of God and his only begotten Son that we are saved! But God respects our free will given as gift by God. We can reject salvation! Is it all on Jesus or do I have to do something too?

“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 of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. For, just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” James 2:14-26

If you watch any of the Sunday Services on television you are likely to hear a lot of testimonials to being saved. “I am saved, Praise Jesus!” Yes, Jesus is our Savior. He laid down his life for us that we might have life. What does it mean to say Jesus saved me? Is it any more than fire insurance from Hell and I can do anything I want? I think not!

Many Non Catholic Christians believe that they are saved by making one single act of faith at a single point in time in their lives. Nowhere does Scripture say such a thing. As Catholics, we believe that salvation is a life-long process which begins with our Baptism.

MATTHEW 19:22

A rich young man once asked Jesus what he must do to be saved. Jesus did not say, “I am your Savior, love me and go on your way. No, he told the young man to keep all the commandments given in the Torah (first five books of the bible) and to detach himself from his possessions and come follow Him…Be like me…share my space…live like me…

God’s love for us is a “covenantal love.” He gives himself to us, God so loved the world as to give us His only begotten Son. John 3:16 The Law and Old Testament covenants are fulfilled in Christ. At the Last Supper, Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” John 13:34

The difference between covenant and contract is profound. It’s so profound that we could almost say that it’s the difference between prostitution (contract) and marriage (covenant). Or between owning a slave (contract) and having a son (covenant.)

When people enter into a covenant, they say: “I am yours and you are mine.” In a contract, you exchange something you have – a skill, a piece of property, money. In a covenant you exchange your very being, you give your very self to another person.

Ques. how do we show our love for God and Jesus? Ans. By loving our neighbor! “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me.” Matthew 25:40

No one saves himself. Only by the mercy of God are we saved. We read an example of this in St. Paul’s letter to the Romans 7:18. Paul laments that he does what he doesn’t want to do and isn’t able to do what he knows he should do. While Paul holds the law of God in his mind the law of sin in his flesh overwhelms him. .

Grace is a gift from God to us, a sinner, earned for us by our Savior, Jesus Christ. “What is impossible for human beings is possible for God.” Luke 18:27 Grace is a share in divine life right now, here on earth and promise of eternal life. “Where sin increased, grace abounds all the more.” Romans 5:20

The more humanity retreats from God the more God comes after them. The intent of grace is to aid us to conform more to Jesus. Let me cite the example of Zacchaeus the tax collector who climbed a tree to better see Jesus. Luke 19:1-10

ZACHAEUS COME DOWN

I MUST STAY IN YOUR HOUSE TODAY LUKE 19:1-10

Jesus dines with tax collector and public sinner, Zacchaeus. to change him. Jesus succeeds in his mission. The tax collector pledges to make amends for his wrong doing. Jesus’s announcement of salvation follows Zacchaeus’s pledge to set right the things he has done wrong. “

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.” Salvation is not simply about confession, it also involves transformation and restitution.

LET ME SEE JESUS!

LET ME HEAR JESUS!

LET ME KNOW JESUS!

Without God’s help we could never be saved. We are saved by “amazing grace,” before, during and afterwards. No one can come to Jesus, follow Jesus, conform to Jesus unless, “the Father draws him to me.” John 6:44

Sharing in the life of the Triune God occurs even in this life. Jesus explains that the Father and the Son will dwell with the believer even in this life: “. . . “We will come to him and make our home with him” John 14:23

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Prayer of St. Benedict

Gracious and holy Father,
grant us the intellect to understand you,
reason to discern you, diligence to seek you,
wisdom to find you, a spirit to know you,
a heart to meditate upon you.

May our ears hear you, may our eyes behold you,
and may our tongues proclaim you.
Give us grace that our way of life may be pleasing to you,
that we may have the patience to wait for you
and the perseverance to look for you.

Grant us a perfect end–your holy presence,
a blessed resurrection and life everlasting.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

FEAST OF TRANSFIGURATION

1 Comment / CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

FEAST OF TRANSFIGURATION AUGUST 6

THIS IS MY BELOVED SON WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

…. a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,^* then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision^* to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”… Matthew 17:1-13

INTRODUCTION

On August 6th, we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. In this extraordinary event, found in the Synoptic Gospels and the 2nd Letter of St. Peter, Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John. .

In Caesarea Philippi, (six days before Transfiguration on Mount Tabor) Jesus asks them: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds that Jesus is “The Messiah, the Son of the living God” Mtatthew 16:16. Jesus acknowledges that Peter’s response could only be prompted by the Father and designates Peter as the leader of the Church. “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,” Matthew 16:18

Next, Jesus astounds those present, saying he will soon go to Jerusalem where he will be killed and then rise on the third day. His followers couldn’t grasp that such events could possibly happen if he was truly the Messiah. In fact, Peter argues, “No such thing could ever happen to you.” Jesus offers a stern response: “Get behind me, Satan!(def. adversary) You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” Mathewt 16:22-23.

A GLIMPSE OF GLORY

BOOK OF DANIEL CHAPTER 7:12

Daniel had a dream or four beasts which represented the four kingdoms that oppressed the Jews, Babylon, Egypt, Persia, and Rome these all wpold be replaced by the kingdom of God when the promised Mesiah arrives

…the Ancient of Days took his throne. His clothing was white as snow, the hair on his head like pure wool… I saw coming with the clouds of heaven^c One like a son of man.^* When he reached the Ancient of Days…He received dominion, splendor, and kingship; all nations, peoples and tongues will serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away

REFLECTION

On a mountain, for a brief time, the splendor of Christ’s eternal divinity is revealed. The apostles witness how Jesus will appear in heaven and we too, as followers of Christ, will share in his glory. His passion was not the end, so too our suffering, our death. is not the end.

Both before and after the Transfiguration, Jesus told the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and die at the hands of the elders, saying, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 17:22-23.

You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” Matt 16:22

Do we look at things in this world the way God does or are we caught up in trends and what is popular?

The three disciples who saw the glorified Lord were given a vision meant to strengthen them for the difficult days ahead when Jesus would be arrested and crucified.

It is a foretaste of the glory that will be theirs in the Kingdom of God. This moment, forever embedded in their minds, will help them to endure the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus.

Let us reflect back on the times in which we have caught a subtle glimpse of the glory of our Lord. Perhaps while reading Scripture where we have encountered the majesty of God. Or perhaps moments that occurred at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or in our adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Holy Hour.

Let the Glory of God wash over us and fill us with fortitude to endure present difficulties in order to share in that Glory one day. Jesus is the light of the world. Let him enlighten us so we can radiate to the world as St Paul says in Galatians, I no longer live but Christ lives in me Galatians 2:19-20

Do not light your lamp and put it under a bushel Matthew 5:15 A popular traditional gospel song may say it best…. This little light of mine

This little light o’ mine, I’m goin’ let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Everywhere I go, I’m goin’ let it shine…

CONCLUSION

JESUS WELCOMES US INTO HIS GLORY

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…. a holy city, a New Jerusalem, coming down from God…, I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God..He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain… REVELATION 21:1-4