40 Days for Life
began September 24, 2008!
It's not too late to join citizens throughout the United States and
Canada in this peaceful, community-based campaign to end abortion and
promote the dignity of life.
Click
here for more information.
There is a beautiful Litany of the Graces of
St. Paul in the June 2008 edition of "Magnificat" We thought
we'd like to contemplate each portion of the litany over several weeks
of this Jubilee Year dedicated to St. Paul. This week we consider
the final prayer:
"Loving Father, from time immemorial you designated
the apostle Paul to know your will, to look upon the Just One, and
to hear the sound of his voice. Paul's love for your Son was beyond
all telling. For Christ emptied himself and took the form of a
slave, obediently accepting even death on a cross, Paul followed
Jesus in this path of humility and total self-giving. Help me to
imitate Paul as Paul imitated Christ. May my life, in all that I
think, say, and do, proclaim to your eternal glory that Jesus Christ
is Lord."
Living Our Faith
What is the Difference
between a Sacrament and a Sacramental?
This question came from some friends this week, so
we thought we'd address it in our newsletter.
Sacrament:
The classic definition of a sacrament is: An efficacious sign of
grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which
divine life is dispensed to us through the Holy Spirit. We have
seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation,
Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders. For more on
sacraments, click here.
Sacramental: Sacramentals are instituted by the Church, not Christ. They can
be anything set apart as a sacred sign through which spiritual
effects are signified and obtained through the prayers of the
Church. In other words, a sacramental is something that reminds us
to focus on God. It may be a holy card, a crucifix, an Advent
Wreath, or the Stations of the Cross. According to the Catechism
of the Catholic Church, sacramentals include blessed meals,
objects, people, and places. Many blessings can be performed by lay
baptized Catholics. The closer any blessing is to a sacrament, the
more likely the blessing should be performed by a deacon, priest, or
bishop. Ask your priest who should perform a blessing to know for
sure.
Use your
green candle every day this week to celebrate Ordinary
Time.
Although our American liturgical calendar does not
include specific memorials or feasts this week, it is a perfect time
to recognize that there are saints among us. Pope Benedict XVI
canonized the following last week:
Gaetano Errico
Maria Bernarda Butler
Alphonsa of the Immaculate
Conception
Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran
A solemnity is a day of greatest
importance. The celebration starts the evening before the actual
solemnity. Easter is our most important solemnity. A feast is
the next most important day. It commemorates Mary, the apostles,
martyrs and other saints, and the events associated with them. Mass
readings often reflect the special feast day. A memorial is a
special day, but often an optional celebration. The scripture
readings for Mass may or may not be specially selected for the
memorial.
Devotion of the Month
Since 1972, October has been set
aside for prayer and pro-life activities. October is also
traditionally the month of Our Lady. We'll be saying the Rosary
these final weeks of this month in her honor. Please join us.
October: the Month of the Rosary
Some friends of ours pray the
Rosary daily, while others have never learned to pray the
Rosary. If someone you know does not know how to pray the rosary,
please take the time to invite him to pray along with you. It is a
beautiful, and simple, way to evangelize. (Click
here for an instruction sheet for this devotion)
Start the Week off Right
(prepare for the Sunday Scriptures)
Isaiah
45:1, 4-6
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b
Matthew
22:15-21
Religion and Politics
Over the past few weeks the Gospels have shown us how
Jesus used parables to try to teach chief priests and elders the errors
of their ways. This week we find them trying to trap Jesus into making
treasonous statements when they question Him about religion and politics. Some things never change!
The first reading is again from the
book of Isaiah. Cyrus was a pagan king who helped the Jewish people.
This showed the Jews two things. First, God can work His good
through anyone, even non-believers. Second, even Gentiles can come
to know the one, true God. As with all earthly kings, though, Cyrus
was not divine. There is only one God. Only He is divine.
The second reading from this week
until the end of our liturgical year will be from St. Paul's letter
to the Thessalonians. It is one of the oldest preserved Christian
writings, and has a message of both love and guidance. The week we
hear the love. Paul thanks God for the members of the Thessalonian
community. This week take a look around. How many people do you
truly love and appreciate?
This week in Matthew's Gospel we hear
the classic question - should we be forced to pay taxes - and Jesus'
classic response, "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God
what belongs to God." Jesus recognizes the authority of government
to rule people; however, as in the first reading, it is clear that divine
authority works with earthly authority. It is vital we always give to God what
belongs to God.
Daily Dose of Scripture (our
picks of the week)
Lectionary
readings for the 29th Week of Ordinary Time:
Monday
Eph 2:1-10
Lk 12:13-21
Tuesday
Eph 2:12-22
Lk 12:35-38
Wednesday
Eph 3:2-12
Lk 12:39-48
Thursday
Eph 3:14-21
Lk 12:49-53
Friday
Eph 4:1-6
Lk 12:54-59
Saturday
Eph 4:7-16
Lk 13:1-9
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.
Our daughter attends a local public high school (the closest Catholic
high school is 250 miles away!). She always wears a special cross
necklace, and always makes sure it is visible. Yesterday the chain
broke, but, fortunately, she did not lose the cross. We plan to get a
new chain, but she did not feel comfortable going to school without
showing some sign of her faith. She chose a bracelet with pictures of
holy sites on each section, and went contentedly off to school.
We could not help but marvel at her commitment to her faith at such a
young age, as well as her willingness to be a witness to her faith. Is
there anything in your lifestyle which shows Jesus is at the center? A
crucifix prominently displayed in your home? A shrine or an area for
prayer? Loving language and behaviors? St. Paul reminds us of the
importance of living our faith in every way.
Lk 12:39-48 We continue with the Gospel of Luke. Luke was probably a disciple of
St. Paul. He did not know Jesus personally, and probably did not know
much about Judaism. His message is targeted at Gentiles (non-Jews),
and stresses the dignity of women, the poor, the sick, the lowly.
So far it seems we've been focused on how disciples may suffer for their faith.
Our choice this week is a straightforward reminder that we have been given so much.
It is also a reminder that 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!
We've heard those who use sacramentals being called
superstitious. Read paragraph #2111 of
the Catechism of the Catholic Church
to find out what the Church has to say about superstition.
