|
| |
|
29th Week of Ordinary Time.
Keep using your
green candle! |
|
Start with the
Basics
(Click
here to learn more) |
Prayer of the Week
This is our last week with the
Liturgy of the Word. This always seems to be the time in
the Mass in which our children have to go to the bathroom. For many
years I never heard much of the homily, profession of faith, or
intercessions. Boy, was I missing out! (Learn
more) |
| Living Our Faith
Over the next few weeks we will review each of the seven themes of Catholic
social teaching. We'll start with the most important: Life and
dignity of the human person.
According to the US Council of Catholic Bishops, "...the
Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the
dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for
society. Our belief in the sanctity of human life and the inherent
dignity of the human person is the foundation of all the principles
of our social teaching."
Take a few minutes this week to read our article on stem cell
research This was approved by our pastor and included as an insert
in our Sunday parish bulletin. (Read
article)
|
|
|
Celebrate All Year Long!
(Click here to learn more) |
| Saints to Celebrate
This week we use a green candle almost all week long to celebrate Ordinary Time.
The only feast day is on Saturday. These nice, quiet weeks are the
perfect time to reflect on
- Saturday, October 28 use a red
candle for the feast of Saints Simon and Jude. St. Simon
was a Zealot, one of a group of rebellious Jews who can be
compared to modern-day terrorists. One would not expect him to
become an Apostle, but God won him over. St. Jude was a
relative of Jesus and is the patron saint of lost causes. Both
saints are a wonderful reminder that we should never give up hope.
A Little Catholic Trivia
Which Pope called together Vatican II? If you know the answer, please respond at
admin@cominghomecatholic.com. We'll give you the
answer in next week's newsletter.
Unfortunately, we do not have the budget to reward prizes, but just
getting the right answer is bound to be reward enough! Good luck!
Last week's trivia
answer:
On October 15, 2006 Pope Benedict XVI canonized Saint
Rafael Guizar Valencia, a bishop who was also a Knight of Columbus.
The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic men's organization started by
Father Michael J. McGivney in 1881; to this day these men have made
a commitment to defend family, faith, and country. |
| Devotion of the month
We're preparing for the end of our Church year, the Feast of Christ
the King, on November 26, 2006. To celebrate this past year and the
glory and kingship of Christ, we are going to learn the Christ the
King novena, and about novenas in general. We'd love for you to join
us! (Learn
novena basics) |
|
|
Keep Building that Faith!! (click
here to learn more) |
Start the Week off Right
(prepare for the Sunday Scriptures)
| Is 53:10-11 |
Heb 4:14-16 |
Mk 10:(35-)42-45 |
Last week the readings encouraged us to look within
ourselves and find what was keeping us away from making a commitment to
God. This week we are encouraged to completely give up ourselves and
serve others as disciples of Christ. It is important to constantly
remember that discipleship is a choice, and often not an easy choice. It
may involve suffering. For example, suffering may involve getting rid of
cable or satellite television. That will not only help avoid TV shows
which are too time consuming or morally objectionable, but will also
allow more time for sharing gifts to serve family and neighbors. It'll
save money, too! What good can be done with that?
This our third week with the letter to the Hebrews. It's
inspirational message reminds us that we Christians are so incredibly
fortunate - our God actually came to earth and walked with us, and
shared everything with us, including trials and temptations. He not only
showed us that we have the power to resist those temptations as He did,
He also sent the Spirit, our Advocate, to continue to walk with us and
help us resist temptations and remain faithful to our God. How lucky can
we get?!
| Daily Dose of Scripture (our
picks of the week) |
- Eph 2:1-10
We move from the letter to the Galatians to the letter to the
Ephesians. This letter may have been an encyclical
to many churches - the universal church. Although the letter seems to
be written by Paul during his first imprisonment (61-63 AD), scholars over the past century have speculated that it was actually
written by a disciple of Paul in the latter part of the 1st century.
Nevertheless, the message is still the same - we are responsible for carrying God's message to the world.
The language in our reading for this week is so powerful - Jesus takes
us from transgressions and sin to death, being raised up, and being seated in the
heavens. All we have to do is accept the conversion experience. Every day we commit anew. We share our commitment with our families and
friends. We show that our lifestyle is different because Jesus
is a central part of our lives.
Is there anything in your home which shows Jesus is the central part
of your life? A crucifix prominently displayed? A shrine or an area
for prayer? My son recently asked if he could make a prayer corner in
his room. Once I got over the shock I managed an encouraging, "Sure!"
We got a little box for the table. He made a crucifix out of pipe
cleaners (yes, a crucifix, complete with three ladies praying
at the foot of it), a prayer rug on which he painted pictures of our
pets (past and present), and a children's Bible. He has been praying
every morning before school! Yeh!
If you do not already have an area for prayer, why not give it a try.
The area may just be a space on your calendar to set aside that time,
or a simple box and a Bible, as we now have. No matter how you do it,
try to make God the center of your life -- right away!
- Lk 12:39-48
So far it seems we've been focused on how disciples may suffer for their faith.
This reading is a bit happier, as it reminds us that we have been given so much.
Of course, the gifts do carry responsibility. Those of us who have
received and accepted the gift of faith are expected to
do more. What can you do with your gifts this week?
Open that Catechism!
Did you realize prayer is yet another gift from God? Read about it in paragraphs #2559-2561 of
The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
|
|
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
|
|
|
