"Epic :120" Catholics Come Home

Divine Intimacy - Part Four of a Series

Easter Sunday to the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity

All the following links come from Catholic-Pages.

In this fourth part of the series, I will provide links to some of the readings for the book Divine Intimacy, by Father Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., available from Aquinas and More.  The focus of these meditations will be on one of the following; The Life of prayer: Vocal and Mental Prayer, Development of Contemplative Prayer, Liturgical Prayer - Our Blessed Lady: Her Privileges and Virtues - The Holy Spirit and His Action in Us.

Briefly, this book is a goldmine of inspirational thoughts and spiritual meditations from those who lived heroic virtue, to help the soul enter more deeply into the treasures of the Truth of the Faith; so that ones thinking and acting might become transformed and unity or Divine Intimacy might be achieved.

140) The Resurrection of the Lord - Easter Sunday

141) Stay with Us - Easter Monday

142) Whom Seek You?

143) The Living Water

144) God Invites All Souls

145) Our Preparation

146) Prayer

147) The Paschal Harvest - Low Sunday

148) Vocal Prayer

149) Meditative Reading

150) Meditation

151) Intimate Converses With God

152) Prayer of Recollection

153) Aridity

154) The Good Shepherd - Second Sunday After Easter

155) Aridity and Progress

156) Energetic Resolve

157) Aridity and Contemplation

158) Loving Attention to God

159) Practical Conduct

160)  The Life of Prayer

161) God's Pilgrims - Third Sunday after Easter

162) Practice of the Presence of God

163) The Spirit of Faith

164) Liturgical Prayer

165) Holy Mass

166) Participating in Holy Mass

167) The Divine Office

168) The Great Promise - Fourth Sunday after Easter

169) Mary Our Guide and Model

170) The Handmaid of the Lord

171) Spouse of the Holy Spirit

172) The Mother of God

173) Our Mother

174) The Marian Life

175) Efficacious Prayer - Fifth Sunday after Easter

176) Mary's Humility

177) Mary's Faith

178) Mary's Hope

179) The Ascension of Our Lord - Forty Days after Easter

180) The Growth of Charity in Mary

181) Mary and Fraternal Charity

182) Waiting - Sunday after Ascension

183) Mary's Prayer

184) Mary's Apostolate

185) Mary Our Mediatrix

186) The Holy Spirit

187) The Spirit of Christ

188) Sweet Guest of the Soul

189) The Descent of the Holy Spirit - Pentecost Sunday

190) The Action of the Holy Spirit

191) The Initiatives of the Holy Spirit

192) Our Cooperation

193) Conformity with Christ through the Action of the Holy Spirit

194) The Way of the Cross

195) The Gifts of the Spirit

196) Feast of the Most Holy Trinity - First Sunday after Pentecost

197) The Virtues and the Gifts

198) The Holy Spirit and Prayer

199) The Holy Spirit and Activity

Divine Mercy Celebration in Indianapolis

Our Lord's words to St. Faustina regarding His image

 

Our Lord speaks:
"Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world." "I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not parish. I promise victory over its enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death, I Myself will defend it as My own glory." (Diary of St. Faustina, #47 & #48)

"I am the King of Mercy . . . I desire that this image be displayed in public on the first Sunday after Easter. That Sunday is the Feast of Mercy." (Diary of St. Faustina #88)

"I want this image . . . to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy." (Diary of St. Faustina #49) 

Divine Mercy Sunday will be celebrated today by Monsignor Joseph F. Schaedel, V.G. at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Indianapolis. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be from 2:00-3:00 P.M. with the Divine Mercy Celebration and recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet following.

A Memorial - Mervin S. Arthur Jr. - Sammy, my brother-in-law

What can I say about Sam?  Sam was such a good guy; not holy mind you...certainly far from a devout Catholic.  Although Sam was baptised, raised and confirmed Catholic, he quickly fell for the lies of secular society once he was away from home.

Sam was born February 25, 1941; he was 10 years older than my husband Kevin.  He was such a tease to his younger brother and when he was 16 years old he entered the Navy in 1957 where he remained for 20 years. Sam was a 1st class petty officer, he served on nuclear subs where he was in charge of the mess hall. He married his first wife Dee in 1967 and they had a daughter Monica. Unfortunately this marriage did not last and he married his second wife Shelby shortly before leaving the Navy. Sam's second marriage suffered a similar fate and he found himself a single father to 2 boys Bryan and Adam while Shelby was a single mother to his second daughter Aimee.

After leaving the Navy Sam had a few jobs in the food industry before hiring on at Carrier Corporation.  Finally he left Carrier to care for his aging and ill parents. Dorothy my mother-in-law passed away in May of 2001 and Mervin my father-in-law passed away that same year in December.  Sam was there for them both through thick and thin.

Sam was very proud of his Navy service. Sam loved to bowl and golf, he loved to fish and camp and he loved his kids and grandkids. He loved his brother and he loved me, he loved his dogs and he especially loved his kids and grandkids and.....he loved his friends.

Sam got pnuemonia this past December. He was hospitalized with pulmonary embolism and on January 15 he was diagnosed with end stage lung cancer. I called my priest Father Glenn right away, I knew he did not have much time...he hadn't been to Mass in probably 35 years or more. He was positive, he was going to do chemo to gain a few extra months...but he was too weak.  The cancer devastated his body.  Father came right away, he saw him several times. Sam finally made a good confession, recieved absolution and the sacrament of the sick.

The last 4 days were very sad, each day he declined and became more weak than the day before. Kevin and I were with him most of the time those last 4 days, Father came to see him and blessed him.  He turned to me and said, "you know I've anointed him and given him absolution, he's good to go," indicating to me he was in a state of grace and ready to meet Jesus.

Sam is one of those people Kevin and I have been holding up in daily prayer for years.  We were so worried he would die in a state of mortal sin....and God is so good and merciful, he took this horrible disease of cancer and turned it into the situation that would lead Sam to reversion.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

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Mervin S. "Sam" Arthur Jr. 68, Avon, passed away on Feb. 8, 2010. He was born on Feb. 25, 1941 in Indianapolis to the Late Mervin S. Sr. and Dorothy Carlsen Arthur. He retired from the U.S. Navy after 20 years of service after retirement he worked for Carrier Corp. and Western Bowl. Calling hours will be Thursday Feb. 11, 2010 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Hall-Baker Funeral Home Plainfield. Funeral services will be on Friday Feb. 12, 2010 at 11 a.m. in the funeral home with Father Glenn O' Conner officiating. Burial will follow in Maple Hill Cemetery Plainfield. Survivors include his children, Monica Arthur, Aimee Arthur, Bryan Arthur, and Adam Arthur; brother, Kevin Arthur; 4 grandchildren. Online condolences cam be made to the Arthur family at: bakerfuneralservice.com
 

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Sam's Song

I don't particularly like the video portion of this youtube music video, but this was Sam's Song....you'd have to know his special type of humor to understand, but it fits...take my word for it.

Vatican researcher discovers Jesus death certificate on Holy Shroud

Archbishops of Indianapolis and New Orleans make Super Bowl bet

Indianapolis, Ind., Feb 2, 2010 / 06:13 pm 

(CNA).- Archbishop Daniel Buechlein of Indianapolis and Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans have made a friendly bet on the upcoming 44th Super Bowl this Sunday between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints.

Archbishop Buechlein revealed in an email provided to CNA that, “Archbishop Aymond and I have made a wager on the Saints vs. Colts Superbowl.”

“He receives Southern Indiana pork chops if the Saints win. I receive Gumbo if the Colts win,” he wrote.

Archbishop Buechlein also has a reward planned for his flock, according to the archdiocesan newspaper The Criterion.

The Indianapolis archbishop has declared Monday, February 8, 2010, the day after the Colts play in the Super Bowl, as an official day off for all archdiocesan Catholic schools in the area.

In granting the day off, Archbishop Buechlein praised the Colts for being “strong examples of positive role models and community involvement” and offered the team his gratitude and support.

The Colts have a 14 and 2 win-loss record, while the Saints come into the championship game with a 13 and 3 win-loss record. This Sunday's Super Bowl will start at 6:25 p.m. Eastern Time on CBS.

Counting on a Colts Win This Sunday!

Here is a picture of our own Archbishop Daniel Buechlein riding in the side-car of the motorcycle that led our Indianapolis Colts into Lucas Oil Stadium for their AFC Championship Victory over the New York Jets.

 

The driver is Mr. Forrest Lucas, the gentleman who contributed so much to make Lucas Oil Stadium a reality for Indianapolis .  Archbishop Buechlein rode with Mr. Lucas to show his support for the Indianapolis Colts “as strong examples of positive role models and community involvement.”

 

Archbishop Buechlein has declared Super Bowl Monday, February 8, 2010, as an official day off for all archdiocesan Catholic Schools and the Archbishop O’Meara Catholic Center .

You Shall Love Your Neighbor As Yourself: A Reflection On The Culture Of Death

++JMJ++

By Patricia Arthur, RN, MSGL

I have long been aware the Culture of Death we find ourselves surrounded by is much deeper and far more insidious than may appear on the surface to the average person.  It is not difficult to identify the evil that defends and supports the murder of innocent pre-born children.  It is also not difficult to identify the evil that defends and supports the so-called right to die or assisted suicide policy being pushed upon us by a segment of society which has no courage or strength to endure life's struggles with the blessing of faith and trust in Divine Providence and with dignity.

What may not be so apparent to most is the fact that any lack of respect for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ is at the very center of this diabolic culture we find ourselves in today.

With a little bit of reflection one can consider Matthew 22:36-39...

          "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your mind and strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5).  “This is the greatest and first commandment.  The second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’   (Leviticus 19:18).

...And discover, it does not take much more than a little common sense and the use of reason to be cognizant of this reality.  Our Lord is clearly comparing our love for Him with our love for His children.

As Christians we should be well aware every single command is an expression of these two commandments.  When we read the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) we see that the first three are about loving God and the other seven are about loving our neighbor.  If  we were to read every line of the Bible, we would be able to put each command in column A (love of God) or column B (love of neighbor).  So these two commandments are without question the root of them all.

These two commandments are precisely the ones Christians of our day, as in the past keep breaking.  For some it seems, if they observe these commandments at all; it is not an act of divine worship but rather of self-promotion.  For some it seems, rather than observance of the law leading to love of neighbor, it leads to the scorn of those neighbors who fail to live up to the standards of some.

Jesus did not say to just love;  he said we must love the Lord with our WHOLE heart and soul and with ALL our mind and strength; and Jesus says the second commandment is like the first.  That’s because the kind of wholehearted love Jesus is talking about is charity (agape), which means loving God for his own sake and all others for His sake, and doing so not by human strength, but with the divine love that is poured into our heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). When we love others with charity, we love God through them.  Our every loving act towards them becomes an expression of our love for God.

Let us also reflect on Matthew 25:31-46 for a moment:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.  Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

What we notice in the reading of the sheep and the goats is not that the goats "go off to eternal punishment" for anything that they did; but rather, "'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' In other words the goats go off to eternal punishment for....omission....for failing to do what they ought.

From the very beginning of Genesis to the very end of Revelation, we see the story of a family; the universal family of God.  We see the consequences of sin and the rewards of faithful, humble, obedience to the Will of God.

We can also see from these two readings from the Gospel of Matthew, that love does not just happen.  In fact, love is a decision.  Love is a decision to do the morally correct thing, it is a decision to do what we ought, it is a decision to be obedient to the Will of God.

Rather than go into any major acts of love at this point I'd like to just mention healthy communication and relationships; which is in fact an expression of Christian charity and therefore an expression (or omission; as the case may be) of our love for God.

Before we begin looking at healthy communication and relationships; lets look at some hindrances to healthy communication and relationships:

• Indifference to the others problems, interests or needs.
• Moodiness, grouchiness or; bad attitude.
• Lack of courtesy, politeness; or consideration.
• Feelings of superiority, insecurity; or jealousy.
• Lack of planning, sincerity; or commitment.
• Sense of being used, taking advantage of; or using the other.
• Being impatient, taken for granted; or taking the other for granted.
• Not treating the other with proper respect.
• Insults, rudeness, sarcasm or; criticism.
• Ridiculing, belittling, shunning; or ignoring.
• Not listening; or not hearing what the other is saying.
• Not giving to the other, the benefit of the doubt.
• Being influenced by the opinion, thoughts, views; or feelings of another.
• Pre-judging the others intentions, or meaning or; jumping to conclusions.
• Accusing the other, bringing up old stuff, blaming; or bearing false witness.
• Needing to be right, refusing to listen, cutting the other off, hanging up.
• Not returning calls, e-mails, or letters.
• Having a position of being offensive or defensive.
• Pacifying, giving false assurance, telling the other what you think they want to hear.
• Abruptly changing the subject; or minimizing the feelings of the other.
• Contradictory words versus body language.

So just exactly what are some of the components of healthy communication?

Communication is both verbal (or written) and non-verbal, it is both seen and heard.  Communication is an exchange of ideas and information, thoughts and feelings, opinions and facts depending on the situation.  To have a healthy relationship and thus communicate in a healthy manner requires an intellectual and emotional comittment; as well as the position of mutual trust, well-being, honesty, openness, empathy, respect, acceptance and of being genuine.  The genuine person is reliable, responsible, committed, helpful, spontaneous, non-defensive, consistent and willing to share openly.

The most important aspect of healthy communication is to make a decision to listen with the heart.  To listen with the heart means:

          I will make room in my heart beyond my feelings and beyond what I understand with my head. Listening with the heart means; I will be 'other-centered'.  I put my own thoughts and feelings aside and try to take in the thoughts and feelings of the other.  I go beyond the words to meet the real person who is trying to say something to me.

Some elements of listening with the heart:

• A decision to listen.
• An attitude of openness to listening.
• The whole person is present listening.
• The other, knows they are being listened to.
• Clarifications and responses are given.
• Listening is for the sake of the other.

Without a decision to do the morally correct thing, to do what we ought, and to be obedient to the Will of God; in our relationships with our husbands or wives, children or parents and all the other "neighbors" God puts in our lives, we risk being goats and being sent off to eternal punishment.

In conclusion, if we were more attentive to the commandments of our Lord. if we concerned ourselves with not offending Him in the little things, we would never have gotten to the point of allowing over 50 million pre-born children to be ripped from their mothers wombs or allowing adults to be deprived of food and hydration simply because they had lost value in the eyes of secular society.

May God have mercy on us and our country.

What is Truth?

What Is Truth?
by Marcus C. Grodi

I am a former Protestant minister. Like so many others who have trodden the path that leads to Rome by way of that country known as Protestantism, I never imagined I would one day convert to Catholicism.

By temperament and training I’m more of a pastor than a scholar, so the story of my conversion to the Catholic Church may lack the technical details in which theologians traffic and in which some readers delight. But I hope I will accurately explain why I did what I did, and why I believe with all my heart that all Protestants should do likewise.

I won’t dwell on the details of my early years, except to say that I was raised by two loving parents in a nominally Protestant home, and I went through most of the experiences that make up the childhood and adolescence of the typical American baby-boomer. I was taught to love Jesus and go to church on Sunday. I also managed to blunder into most of the dumb mistakes that other kids in my generation made. But after a season of teenage rebellion, when I was twenty years old, I experienced a radical re-conversion to Jesus Christ.

I turned away from the lures of the world and became serious about prayer and Bible study.

As a young adult, I made a recommitment to Christ, accepting him as my Lord and Savior, praying that he would help me fulfill the mission in life he had chosen for me.

The more I sought through prayer and study to follow Jesus and confirm my life to his will, the more I felt an aching sense of longing to devote my life entirely to serving him. Gradually, the way dawn’s first faint rays peek over a dark horizon, the conviction that the Lord was calling me to be a minister began to grow.

That conviction grew steadily stronger while I was in college and then afterwards during my job as an engineer. Eventually I couldn’t ignore the call. I was convinced the Lord wanted me to become a minister, so I quit my job and enrolled in Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in suburban Boston. I acquired a master of divinity degree and was shortly thereafter ordained to the Protestant ministry....more

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Consecrated for Battle as a Missionary Servant of the Gospel of Life

To begin my talk let me say I am a convert, having been received into the fullness of Christianity at the Easter Vigil of 1985 at St Michael the Archangel Church. I have always had the understanding, even while a Methodist youth, that Mary or the Virgin Mary as I commonly referred to her, had a very special place in Christianity and in each of our lives. However; if you had asked me then, I would not have been able to verbalize just exactly what that meant.

As I look back on my life, I realize that Mary has taken my hand and led me most of my life even though quite frequently I went kicking and screaming….if at all. As an example, I recall sitting at my kitchen table in approximately 1975, with an old broken rosary in my hand, fumbling through a pamphlet on how to pray the rosary, that I probably picked up at St Michael’s, only to give up in frustration because I knew no one that could help me.

Another example, not quite so obvious, but still I feel the hand of Our Lady was at work…around the same time a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses came to my door. After hearing them out, I said, “I’m sorry, I’m not interested, I’m Catholic”, thinking that would make them go away…but it didn’t, so I finally had to just shut the door in their face. They did however, say to me that I needed to know the truth; and while I knew they did not have the truth, I realized, I did need to know what the truth was. About the same time Pat Robertson of the 700 Club said basically the same thing, so I began to consume the New Testament. After about 5 times of reading through, only being able to understand bits and pieces of it and not being able to make any kind of cohesive sense out of any of it, the passage “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the Hell shall not prevail against it” hit me up side the head like a 2x4 and I instantaneously knew the Catholic Church was truly the Church established by Jesus Christ.

You’d think I would have immediately gone to my local Catholic Church and inquired about becoming Catholic. Not so, it took another 8-10 years and 3 attempts at Instructions before finally entering the Church. I tell you these things because, I see in all of this the hands of the Blessed Virgin and the battle that rages around us both seen and unseen.

When thinking about what it means to me to be consecrated to Our Lady under the title of the Immaculate Conception as a Missionary Servant of the Gospel of Life, I consider three passages of scripture. The first is Gen 3:15, which says “Then the LORD God said to the serpent: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” The second passage is Rev 21:1 which tells us “A great sign appeared in the sky; a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” And finally Rev. 12:17 says, “Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus.”

From these passages it is very clear we are at war. We can see the spiritual and physical dimensions of this battle of the culture of life versus the culture of death from the beginning of creation.

As a consecrated daughter of “the woman” the Immaculate One, I put on her Mantle and in doing so take on a larger portion of the battle and share more intimately with Her and the Cross of Christ. While listening always to the Blessed Mother as she whispers to me “Do whatever he tells you,” I recognize the foundation of my consecration as a missionary is spiritual; which nourishes me to fulfill the demands of the physical aspect of the battle raging in our midst.

I listen to my Mother as she says “Do whatever He tells you” and I listen to Jesus as He says "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” It is only in an intimate loving relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ through prayer, frequent participation in the celebration of Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, reception of the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Confession and all that our rich Catholic tradition contains—that we have a solid foundation upon which to defeat the evil of the culture of death.

Then nourished with the Sacraments and once again listening to my Mother say “Do whatever He tells you” I hear Jesus as He says “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” and the door opens for me to actively commit to a life of service…

Another aspect of this life of service is being ever vigilant in developing the missionary virtues that make me most effective in announcing the coming of the kingdom of God…especially through actions and when necessary through words. They also help me to confront the culture of death and the challenges it presents.

This means since Our Lady is the model par excellence of living a life of virtue, I must follow her example as she teaches me to practice SIMPLICITY. I must speak the truth in its fullness, but always with love to those around me who suffer from the very choices they make which contradict God’s law and will. I must do everything for the love of God alone letting no one or no thing come first. I must strive to be unattached to comforts and possessions, understanding they have no place in the kingdom of God and any attachment to such things will lead me away from God and His plan for my life and the love I am to give and the service I am to do for His people.

I must ask Our Lady to teach me to be HUMBLE and obedient; to understand that I am a mere speck and everything good that I have and everything good that I do or ever will do is from God. At the same time I need to understand as long as I remain in God’s grace and strive to know Him, love Him and serve Him daily, He will lead me where He wants me to be. I must also avoid the noise and distraction of this world and seek silence, because it is only in quiet meditation and reflection that God’s voice can be heard.

I must ask Our Lady to show me the way of MEEKNESS gentleness and serenity toward those who approach me. I must ask for a portion of the strength she showed during Our Lords Passion in suffering quietly with forgiveness, in all instances of persecution, rejection and mocking; offering it all to the Father.

In following Our Lady’s example of MORTIFICATION I must remember she did not understand everything that was going on in her life, things did not always look very good, but she remained faithful, humble and obedient to the will of God. In the same way I must ask Mary to help me when I am confused and disappointed with the way the things in this world seem to be going. I must ask for strength to stay on course, not to be discouraged, but to continue on in the good fight. To keep upper most in my mind “the offspring of Mary win the battle”.

I must also look to Our Lady to teach me how to be ZEALOUS for the things of God and the souls of His children. I must ask for the strength to be willing to go anywhere and do anything for Christ and His Church.

It is very clear to me, Mary is my Mother and she has been “raising” me so to speak in the spiritual life. Without Our Blessed Lady, I would never have come to know and love Jesus and desire to serve Him as I do. She has lifted me up out of the gutter and has led me to, and in many instances pulled me along, to all that is good and true. Without Our Lady I would never have known the many good, faithful and holy people that I know. And, without Our Lady, I would not be here today sharing these thoughts with you.

Finally I’d like to say, while my Catholic faith is the most precious gift God has given me, the fact He has chosen me to share in this privileged calling to serve Him in this very special way by being consecrated to His Mother under the title of the Immaculate Conception as a Missionary Servant of the Gospel of Life, is so indescribably awesome, I really cannot put to words. The only thing I can really say to describe my feelings for Our Lady is to say; I love Her, I honor Her and I venerate Her, She is my Mother and my Queen. She is the General of an army and is adorned in battle array. I have been called to join Her army, and thank God I have been given the grace to say “yes”.

It is Not About Party Affiliation

I have recently had two e-mail discussions concerning the upcoming election and I would like to share my part of the discussion.

This election is not and never has been about party affiliation. There are many issues being bandied about but the fact we need to recognize is; our "elected public servants" need to understand the difference between "serving the people" and "killing the people". Currently our country legally kills 1 pre-born person every 20 seconds.  Many of us need to WAKE UP!  Our Triune God who is the very essence of Love and Justice, will not allow those who turn their head, look the other way and do nothing to defend or speak up for the defenseless unborn, to go unpunished! 

1) The Catholic Church has a God given right and duty to teach faith and morals. The Church is not telling anyone how to vote, but it is telling everyone how to remain in communion with Jesus Christ.

2) While economy, health care and the Iraq issue etc. are real and we can disagree upon how to best deal with them....currently they are really a very clever diversion to the fundamental right to life.

The problem we now have of legalized abortion, began with Margaret Sanger and her program of eugenics...getting rid of the "human weeds," (Margaret Sanger), through Planned Parenthood; then we have Kinsey and his perverted sex study; then we have the sexual revolution of the 60's and in 1968 we have Pope Paul VI courageously warning the world if Humanae Vitae were not taken seriously, everything we see now ...abortion (the ultimate child abuse), degradation of women, family breakdown, violence toward women and children, sexual perversion of every kind...would become rampant.

The fact that anyone demonstrates by casting his or her vote, in favor of not only abortion by any means through all 9 months of pregnancy, but also votes that a baby surviving an abortion has no right to life, disqualifies him or her from receiving the support of anyone of good will. This history of a pro-abortion, anti-life stand constitutes a major flaw in the character of this person and disqualifies him or her from playing any role in making decisions that will ultimately affect the lives of families, since this person has already demonstrated they have no problem with the killing of the most innocent and defenseless of family members.

While voting is one extremely important way to help bring about an end to abortion, the pro-life cause is truly quite complex and is about respecting the dignity and sanctity of every human life from the moment of conception to natural death. It is also about education; of teaching chastity, modesty of dress, morals, family unity and values;  helping struggling men, women and children in a variety of ways; respecting ones parents and caring for them physically, emotionally and spiritually as they enter their last days here on earth; bringing healing back to the lives of hurting people, helping our country to return to wholesomeness and showing others the peace and joy found in knowing,loving and serving Jesus Christ.

Ultimately the only way any of the issues being discussed in this election will be rightly affected will be when enough people are on their knees and in communion with Jesus Christ.

For this reason people (particularly Catholics) need to put away their relativistic ideas and opinions and take heed to the moral teaching of Jesus Christ through His Church.

“The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child — a direct killing of the innocent child — murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?”
— Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

View the PDF link below for a detailed explanation of what I have very briefly and inadequately covered.

Let's continue praying for one another and the election.

http://alumni.belmontabbeycollege.edu/votersguide

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Knowing, Loving and Serving Jesus Christ

Stewardship Talk, October 11 & 12, 2008

Knowing, Loving and Serving Jesus Christ
Patricia Arthur, October 10, 2008

 

What I would like to convey in this talk is that stewardship is really all about knowing, loving, and serving Jesus Christ.

As I was preparing for this talk I ran across a document called An Invitation to Help Change the World.  I found that the “Invitation to Stewardship”, is an invitation from Christ.  It is a call to everyone, everywhere to renew the face of the Earth. This is a call to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking of gratitude and responsibility.  Stewardship is not simply making donations or taking care of the building and grounds.  Although it is that, it is much, much deeper, very profound and the rewards are far greater than the sacrifice. It is a spirituality—a way of life—made up of the following four parts:

• Receiving the gifts of God with gratitude
• Cultivating them responsibly
• Sharing them lovingly in justice with others, and
• Standing before the Lord in a spirit of accountability

It is up to us to determine how we will live out this stewardship way of life.

We should think of God's gifts in broader terms, not simply the material goods or security we may enjoy…but the broader gifts of God are:

• Our faith, hope, love, and joy
• Our family love and relationships with others
• Our time, intelligence, talents, and skills
• Our imagination, compassion and  vision; and
• Creation in all its splendor

Our Catholic tradition teaches us at all times in our lives, we have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to share what we have been given.

Stewardship begins with remembering our Baptism, when we became followers of Jesus Christ. Everyone has a calling, which is another way of saying that our walk with God is personal.

I realized it is not by accident that our Archdiocese is having the Parish Vocation Cross Initiative at this particular time. We are all encouraged to consider responding generously to God's call to a priestly or religious vocation, as well as to the sacred single or sacred married life.

As Catholic stewards we are also called to take care of the world around us:

• We are called to work as partners with God in the redemption of the world.
• We are called to respect human life and dignity.
• We are called to protect the natural environment.
• We are called to share our gifts of time, talent, and treasure with others, and,
• We are called to communicate our enthusiasm.

When we spend time in prayer and reflection upon Scripture we can recognize our gifts from God. Then we will discover how best to use those gifts for the benefit of others—and of course, invite others to discern and share their gifts, also.

It is an incredible challenge to live in imitation of the life of Christ. We all face obstacles, opportunities, and challenges, living in a fast-paced society with many responsibilities.

Nourished by the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Confession along with our rich Catholic tradition—the door opens for us to actively commit to a life of gratitude and responsibility; to thank God for his endless gifts, and then to decide what we can do to help the world. When we accept God’s call to stewardship we can expect, that He who is the giver off all gifts will not be outdone in generosity.  Through the gift of His grace we can expect to be rewarded by:

• Making a difference in people's lives
• Becoming an active member of a fulfilling Catholic community
• Discovering talents inside us, waiting to be used
• Letting go of our worries and setting realistic goals in our spiritual, family and work life and,
• Experiencing the amazing increase in God's presence that comes with a partnership with the Lord

The call to stewardship that I have felt in my own life is a commitment to giving honor and glory to God through pro-life and pro-family ministries and it is a serious business, because life is a serious enterprise that has supernatural and eternal consequences. It is a commitment to respond to the evil of the culture of death that dominates our modern society.

The foundation of all pro-life work is spending time with Jesus in prayer; especially in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  To solidly establish our Gabriel Project Ministry at St Ann’s and St Joseph’s Parishes we began a monthly day of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, specifically for the Gabriel Project and for an end to abortion and sins committed against life.

The help and support the Gabriel Project offers to women experiencing a difficult pregnancy, provides an opportunity for many of these women to “choose life” for their babies.   Without our emotional, spiritual and material support; many of these women may feel as if they have “no choice” but to seek the services of one of the abortion facilities in the city.  Gabriel Angel volunteers show love and compassion to these women and their babies, whose own families may have abandoned them or may be encouraging them to seek an abortion.

Not long ago we had a weekend to sign-up for 40 Days for Life which is a focused pro-life effort that consists of: 40 days of prayer and fasting, peaceful vigil, and community outreach.  While all aspects of 40 Days for Life are crucial in our effort to end abortion, the most visible component in our community is the peaceful prayer vigil outside the Planned Parenthood facility located at 86^th and Georgetown Road.

While Father Glenn and I were at the abortion site Friday, I turned to see a car leaving the facility.  A young man….really a boy, was driving and the girl sitting in the passenger seat was obviously sobbing hysterically.  I could see her arms and upper body sort of flinging around and tears came to my eyes as I shared her pain. 

No talk on Pro-Life would be complete without acknowledging the enormous amount of work that Sister Diane Carollo, S.G.L. does on the Archdiocesan level through the Office for Pro-Life Ministry.  She has a roster of about 50 active volunteers, but needs many, many more to continue her work and add additional programs to the Pro-Life ministry.

The Pro-Life Office is committed to promoting the Gospel of Life in its fullness.  Through evangelization and education contemporary life issues are addressed.  The topics of abortion, embryonic stem cell research, reproductive cloning, capital punishment, euthanasia and end of life issues, are included routinely in communications with individuals, parishes and groups.   Respect Life packets are distributed throughout the archdiocese thereby encouraging year-round education and evangelization in the local parishes.

The Pro-Life Office also conducts outreach to mothers and their infants referred to us for material assistance by social service agencies, hospitals and clinics throughout the city.  Annually, Birthline volunteers serve thousands of poor women and babies by providing material resources.

Another aspect of the Birthline ministry involves outreach to abortion-minded women on the crisis hotline.  Telephone volunteers communicate to pregnant women that human life is sacred, and that the life of the unborn child is precious in God’s sight.  Hundreds of expecting women have been presented with life-giving options on the Birthline hotline in the past six years.

Another significant pastoral outreach of the Pro-Life Office is to women and men suffering from the aftermath of abortion.  Trained volunteers serve as facilitators, spiritual companions, retreat directors and support personnel for Rachel’s Companions, Rachel’s Vineyard Retreats and Rachel’s Network.  These post-abortion ministries focus on reconciliation, healing and peace, in our Catholic tradition.

The Pro-Life Office promotes and schedules the Mass for the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants apostolate which is celebrated at St. Michael’s, the third Saturday of each month. This month on October 18^th Father Glenn will be the celebrant.

In January of each year, hundreds of youth from the archdiocese participate in the Rally and

March for Life in Washington, D.C., on the anniversary of Roe Vs. Wade. In the nation’s capital, our youth join tens of thousands of other young people from across the country to peacefullyand prayerfully protest legalized abortion.

Pro-Life seems to be my passion in life, what is yours?  We can all do something…we can all do more.  There are many, many ways we can each give of ourselves and our time.  There are many ministries through which we can serve God by giving of ourselves, whether it be the Prayer Chain, Monthly Adoration, Track Work, Working at the Festival….wherever God’s call leads us.  All we need to do is look around or open our Church Directory to see a list of things to choose from.  We need also to recognize that giving with equal measure of our time and our talent is really just another aspect of the Legacy for Our Mission, it is another part of what we are going to leave for Our Children and the Future.

I’d like to end with a couple of quotes.  Mother Theresa said, “Jesus made it very clear. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me. “

 And finally Mother Angelica says, “We are all called to be great saints…don’t miss the opportunity.”

 

References used:  An Invitation to Help Change the World, Msgr. William P. Fay, General Secretary, USCCB, (November 12, 2003).

 

 

 

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