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Third Week of
Ordinary Time -
use your
green candle!
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Please visit our new
Coming Home Catholic Blog We'd
like to invite you to some Catholic discussion.
This week we'll start with
"The Sacrament of Reconciliation"
(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. |
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Start with the
Basics
(Click
here to learn more) |
| Prayer of the Week Since we're
preparing for the Rosary devotion, we thought we'd review the
Apostles' Creed. It is a radical, and potentially offense, statement
of our beliefs! Why offensive? Because in our
modern world proclaiming a statement of faith, rather than of
science, can result in scorn and contempt from others. It takes a
brave soul to sincerely proclaim this prayer. (Click
here if you feel ready!) We included our strategy for
memorizing the Apostles' Creed.
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| Living Our Faith
This week we'll continue reviewing the Precepts of the Catholic
Church. These are the minimum activities expected of every
practicing Catholic. Don't worry, they're very easy, and they will continually
nourish your faith. (Click
here to see all five precepts)
The second precept is: You shall confess your sins at least
once a year.
How do you feel about the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
- It is a gift from God which I participate in frequently
- It is just another thing to feel guilty about not doing
- It's scary to think about it, but I feel better after getting
it done
- I always thought it was optional!
(Click
here for an activity which promotes
the second precept of the Catholic Church)
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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 some amazing men.
- Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday use your
green candle for Ordinary Time
- Wednesday, January 24 use a white candle for the
memorial of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers. St.
Francis lived during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when
the Protestant Reformation was in full bloom. His writings
promoted meekness and humility, and encouraged his readers to live
devout, spiritual lives.
- Thursday, January 25 use a white candle for the
feast of the conversion of St. Paul. We've heard it said
that if it were not for St. Paul, Jesus' message may not have been
spread. Paul (originally called Saul) was a persecutor of
Christians; while on the road to Damascus he was blinded by a
light, and heard the voice of Jesus tell him to stop his
persecuting. At first the followers of Christ were suspicious of
Paul, but they eventually realized that his transformation was
sincere. The rest is history.
- Friday, January 26 use a white candle for the memorial
of Sts. Timothy and Titus. Both Timothy and Titus were
disciples of Paul. His letters to them, instructing them how to be
shepherds to their flock, are included in the New Testament.
Timothy is the patron saint of stomach disorders. Paul wrote to
him, "Stop drinking only water, but have a little wine for the
sake of your stomach and your frequent illness." (1 Timothy 5:23)
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| 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.
Our family prays the Rosary once per week. Each time we meditate
on one series of events (mysteries) in the lives of Jesus and His
mother, Mary. There are a total of four mysteries of the Rosary, so
we complete the entire set each month.
This week we'll concentrate on the Joyful mysteries. Gather your
family, rosaries, an
instruction
guide*, and enjoy! When our children were too young to sit still
for 20 minutes, we gave them some paper and crayons, told them the
stories of each mystery, and encouraged them to draw pictures of
the event while we recited the prayers. Their pictures were
amazingly insightful, and added a depth to our prayers that we did
not expect. (Click here
for a review of the Joyful mysteries)
*This instruction guide to praying
the rosary is simple and limited to one page. There are many
in-depth guides available at your local religious store and online.
We've tried many different rosary reflections, and each has provided
a unique insight on which to meditate. |
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Keep Building that Faith!! (click
here to learn more) |
Start the Week off Right
(prepare for the Sunday Scriptures)
| Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 |
1 Cor 12:12-30 |
Lk 1:1-4, 4:14-21 |
Our readings for this Sunday celebrate liturgy and the assembly. The Old Testament
book of Nehemiah (and its complement, the book of Ezra) tell of the
religious reformer (Ezra) and the laymen (Nehemiah) who sought to
rebuild Jerusalem after it had been destroyed by the Babylonians.
Although the story occurred about 450
years before the birth of Jesus, we can certainly recognize the format
of the liturgy. Many participants are actually moved to tears upon
hearing God's Word, yet Ezra and Nehemiah encourage them to rejoice,
celebrate, and share with the entire community. This is exactly how we
should feel at the end of every Mass!
We continue
Paul's first letter to the Corinthians in which the people are assembled
to hear his words of encouragement to their developing community. He
reminds them that every person's talents are needed to be the Body of
Christ. If one person's talents are not given, or are not appreciated by
the community, the whole becomes divided. We are the Body of Christ, so
each of us must accept responsibility for the community
and embrace the dignity inherent in each individual.
Luke assures us his writings have been thoroughly investigated so we
can understand they are the Truth. He relates the story of Jesus
proclaiming the words of the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue, then
bluntly stating the Scriptures are fulfilled today. This occurred at the
beginning of His ministry; it's no wonder the leaders were appalled. How
would we feel if someone announced he was Jesus coming back to earth?
Are we open to Jesus coming into our lives, or our we hard-hearted with
influences of modern culture? Do we know enough about our faith to
recognize the Second Coming? Would we be appalled and refuse to listen?
It's disconcerting when we consider how frequently we do close our mind
to the teachings of Jesus. After all, Jesus is still the complete
fulfillment of God's promises, each and every day.
| Daily Dose of Scripture (our
picks of the week) |
- Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19
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.
Our pick for last week focused on Hope. This week our reading focuses
on the theological virtue of Faith. The first sentence of the letter
sums it up beautifully: "Faith is the realization of what is hoped
for, and evidence of things not seen." The patriarchs of the Old
Testament show us the confident, unyielding faith that can inspire us.
Faith is a gift which we are free to accept or disregard. Once we
accept it, we are called to live it and profess it. We teach our
children, we discuss faith among family and friends, we make choices
throughout our day at work, at home, and in social settings which
reflect our faith. We choose TV shows, movies, books, and other forms
of entertainment. Do our choices reflect the faith of the Old
Testament patriarchs? Is it the faith of the Good Samaritan? Is it the
faith of the Pharisees? Is it the faith of someone who is ignoring
Jesus and His Church? Is it a little bit of each?
- Mk 3:22-30
We're continuing the fast and furious Gospel of Mark. This week
we'll finish chapters 3 and 4. Our pick of the
week goes right back to our second precept of the Catholic Church -
confession and forgiveness of sins. When sin is repented, confessed,
and forgiven, Satan is expelled. Our journey to God progresses, and
our community grows ever stronger.
If you have not participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a
while, why not give it a try. Catholics have this wonderful Sacrament
of healing which gives us grace and peace. In case you do not realize
how lucky we are, consider the words of author Somerset Maugham:
| I have done certain things in my life that I
am unable to entirely forget: if I had been fortunate enough to be
a Catholic, I could have delivered myself of them at confession
and after performing the penance imposed, received absolution and
put them out of my mind forever. |
Open that Catechism!
There is a wealth of information in our catechism about sin, penance,
and forgiveness. We suggest starting with the basics of confessing sins,
paragraphs #1455-1456 in the
Catechism of the Catholic Church.
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