|
| |
|
Second Week of
Ordinary Time -
use your
green candle!
|
Please visit our new
Coming Home Catholic Blog We'd
like to invite you to some Catholic discussion.
This week we'll post the question,
"What is a sacramental marriage?"
(click here to see!)
To comment on the blog you'll need to register and be approved as a
user. We look forward to hearing from you! |
Please add Coming Home Catholic to your safe senders list. |
|
Start with the
Basics
(Click
here to learn more) |
| Catholic Basics We've gotten a
number of requests for more basic Catholic information, so here
goes! This week we'd like to review the Precepts of the Catholic
Church. These are the minimum activities expected of every
practicing Catholic. We'll go over one each week for the next five
weeks. Don't worry, they're very easy, and they will continually
nourish your faith. (Click
here to see all five precepts)
The first precept is to attend Mass on every Sunday and holy
day of obligation and to observe the Sabbath rest. (Click
here for a reflection of the first precept of the Catholic Church)
|
| |
| Living Our Faith
Charisms - these are the gifts the Holy Spirit gives to each one
of us. They are unlike the sacramental gifts which every person
receives. These are special gifts that we are to use to improve our
communities. Scriptures identify a number of charisms (see
Sunday's 2nd reading), but we do not really know how many there are.
Last week we asked you to reflect on your spiritual journey. This
week we are asking you to consider what gifts the Holy Spirit has
given to you that you can use to bring God to the world.
Our family has discerned that we have been given the gifts of
knowledge, teaching, and writing. We are trying to use these gifts
to build the faith of each other and, hopefully, to touch other
people who may need this message at this point in time.
There are a multitude of other gifts that can be shared with the
community. A wonderful woman has an incredible fashion sense. When
she shares this gift with others they feel a sense of encouragement,
hope and confidence that they never had before. A man has the gift
of administration. He can organize a successful event and every
single person involved benefits from the experience. A musician
brings us to a higher spiritual level with his inspiring
performance. These are examples of charisms that build the
community.
What gifts has the Holy Spirit given you? They may be voluntary
poverty, organization, celibacy, hospitality, you name it. You'll
know they're from the Holy Spirit if people tell you you've inspired
them and you have felt energized doing it. When you realize you have
received a gift from the Holy Spirit, embrace it, enjoy it, work at
it. It is gift that's intended to benefit the entire
community.
|
|
|
Celebrate All Year Long!
(Click here to learn more) |
| Saints to Celebrate
This is a week for green candles to
celebrate Ordinary Time and white
candles to remember a very organized saint.
- Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday use your
green candle for Ordinary Time
- Wednesday, January 17 use a white candle for the
memorial of St. Anthony, a monk known for his organizational
skills. He was one of the first monks to set up functional rules
for his monastery. They worked so well he is called the Patriarch
of Monks.
|
| Devotion of the Month
We thought it was time to include the Rosary in our list of
devotions. If praying the Rosary is not currently part of your
routine, please consider trying it. It is a meditation that can be
done alone or in a group and takes about 20 minutes to complete.
This week just look at you calendar and set aside a convenient
time next week to say the Rosary. Next week we'll give more specific
instructions about the prayers and mysteries of the Rosary. (Click
here for our "Getting Started" story)
|
|
|
Keep Building that Faith!! (click
here to learn more) |
Start the Week off Right
(prepare for the Sunday Scriptures)
| Is 62:1-5 |
1 Cor 12:4-11 |
Jn 2:1-11 |
We're back in Ordinary Time, but these readings remind us of the
preparations and celebrations we just completed. God came into our world
and became man because of His incredible love for us. Signs of His
divinity abound: last Sunday we celebrated Epiphany, in which even
Gentiles recognized the Prince of Peace; last Monday we celebrated the
Baptism of Our Lord, the beginning of Jesus' mission as signaled by a
dove and a voice from heaven; this Sunday of Ordinary Time Jesus
performs His first miracle, turning water into wine. John sums it up
pointedly at the end of the Gospel, "Jesus did this...and so revealed
His glory..."
Isaiah is speaking in the voice of God in the first reading. He
reveals the intimate love relationship between God and His people. God
wants His people to return His embrace and live in complete love.
Paul tells us in the letter to the Corinthians that each person has been
given special gifts which are to be used to build the unity and love of
the community. No gift is better than another gift; when they are all
accepted and used to help others, not compete with others, we will truly
be the Body of Christ.
John's writings are incredible. There is so much information packed
into a few paragraphs! Jesus is participating in the relatively ordinary
celebration of a wedding. His mother asks Him to arrange for more wine.
The fact that He obeys Mary, even though it is not yet His time,
supports our praying to Mary. He obviously listens when she intercedes
on the behalf of others.
Jesus performs His first miracle; by doing so He initiates the new
covenant between God and His people. Many people never realize what just
happened, but the disciples begin to open their minds to the
possibilities He offers.
| Daily Dose of Scripture (our
picks of the week) |
- Hebrews 6:10-20
For the next month the first
readings are from the letter to the Hebrews. We heard parts of this
letter during the last few Sundays of Ordinary Time last autumn. Now
we are reading the entire book.
Hope, one of the three theological virtues (Faith and Love are the
other two), is the topic of our reading this week. Whether it is the
winter doldrums, a dry time in our faith life, difficulty within our
community, or any other challenge that may arise, hope and
perseverance are the keys to happiness. The author of this letter
reminds us of Abraham who, despite the advanced age of both himself
and his wife, trusted fully in God and never gave up hope of having an
heir. In this world we can persevere knowing that our hope of ultimate
happiness is based on the promises made by God Himself.
- Mk 3:1-6
We're reading the fast and furious Gospel of Mark. This week
we'll go through the first half the third chapter. Our pick of the
week goes right back to our first precept of the Catholic Church -
keep holy the Sabbath. We do not have a set of laws to follow;
however, we do need to make sure that our activities do good, not
harm, to ourselves or others.
The question is, what is "doing harm?" Is it harmful to go shopping on
Sunday? Our friend is required to work on Sundays because that is a
big day for business. She'd rather be home with her family, but is not
given the choice at work, and is not currently in the position to
change jobs. Are there other things we take for granted that may be
harmful? Can we make a few simple changes and make them holy instead?
Open that Catechism!
In Sunday's readings we hear of a wedding feast, and the intimate
love God has for us, like a bridegroom for his bride. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the
characteristics of marital love in paragraph
#1643.
We hoped it would be fun and informative to open this topic up for
discussion on our new blog. We're starting with the question, "What is a
sacramental marriage?"
Please feel free to give us your comments.
|
|
If you enjoy this newsletter, please subscribe at
newsletter@cominghomecatholic.com.
We'd appreciate your passing this on to others who may benefit from the
information. Thank you! To cancel this
newsletter, please contact us at
unsubscribe@cominghomecatholic.com |
|
Please check out our web site at
www.cominghomecatholic.com
|
|
|
