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Evangelize - No Matter What!
6th Week of
Easter -
Use your white candle!
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May 2, 2008 is a First
Friday.
If you're joining us in the devotion of The Sacred Heart of Jesus on
First Fridays, don't forget to attend Mass! (Learn
more about First Fridays) |
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Please add Coming Home Catholic to your safe senders list.
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Start with the
Basics
(Click
here to learn more) |
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Prayer of the Week
The Responsorial Psalm this Sunday is Psalm 66,
a lovely hymn of victory, giving God praise and thanksgiving
for His wondrous deeds both past and present. This psalm was most
likely written by worshippers in the northern kingdom of Israel.
Click
here for Psalm 66 from the U.S. Bishops' web site.
Our family realized we've been
neglecting the Psalms. We hear the Responsorial Psalm at every Mass,
but still do not know much about these ancient prayers. We'll be studying more about the
psalms over the next few weeks. We'll let you know what we learn! |
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Living Our Faith
Just in time for Confirmation! We're reviewing the
gifts of the Holy Spirit during the Easter
season.
The sixth gift is Understanding We understand our natural world thanks to our five senses. We have
an inkling about the divine world thanks to the gift of
understanding. (Read
more) |
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Celebrate All Year Long!
(Click here to learn more) |
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Saints to Celebrate
IT is a busy week to celebrate
our saints! Use your white
candle Sunday through Friday to honor our saints as well as
to celebrate the season of Easter; use
your
red candle on
Monday and Saturday for our honored martyrs of the faith.
- Monday, April 28 use a red
and/or white candle for this dual memorial:
St. Peter Chanel was a 19th century priest and martyr, and St. Louis de
Montfort was an 18th century priest. St. Peter Chanel was a missionary to
the South Pacific island of Futuna. He was clubbed to death by the
island's king's warriors, but within 5 months of his death, the
island inhabitants converted to Catholicism. St. Louis was a
wonderful preacher, writer, and organizer. He converted many to
the Faith and promoted devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- Tuesday, April
29 use a white candle for the
memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, the 14th century virgin
and Doctor of the Church. St. Catherine was illiterate, so she
dictated many letters; the ones for which she may be best known
are those which pleaded for peace and unity of the Church during
the Western Schism. Catherine of Siena is the patron saint of
fire prevention.
- Wednesday, April 30
use a white
candle for the memorial of St. Pius V, the pope who had to
implement the Church reforms ordered by the Council of Trent in
the late 1500s following the Protestant Reformation. As if that
were not enough, he also had to help Europe organize a defense
against Islamic forces who were trying to take over Europe. In his
free time Pope Pius V served the poor, gave money from the papal
purse to the hungry, and promoted educating young people in the
Catholic faith.
- Thursday, May 1 use a white candle for the
solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. In most dioceses of
the United States this solemnity has been moved to next
Sunday. If the Ascension is celebrated next Sunday, remember that
Thursday is also a
National Day
of Prayer. It is a wonderful way to recognize this special day and recall the
days the followers of Jesus spent in prayer until the
promised Advocate arrived on Pentecost.
- Friday, May 2 use your white candle for the
memorial of St. Athanasius, the 4th century bishop who spent much of his life
in and out of exile fighting early Christian heresies. For his
dedication in spite of persecution he became a Doctor of the
Church. Also, please take a few moments to say a Happy Birthday
prayer for my lovely sister, Ann Marie!
- Saturday, May 3 use a red
candle for the feast of Sts. Philip and James.
Philip was one of the 12 Apostles, and we hear his practical
questions throughout the Gospels. Little is known of this St.
James, He was not the son of Zebedee,
who is known as James the Greater. According to tradition both
James and Philip were early Christian martyrs.
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.
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Devotion of the Month
Only two more weeks until Pentecost, the birthday of our
church. There is a centuries old
Novena to the Holy Spirit which
begins on Friday, May 2, 2008 to help prepare for Pentecost.
Print out our Novena calendar and practice the Prayer to the Holy
Spirit!
(Click here
for Novena calendar)
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Keep Building that Faith!!
(click
here to learn more) |
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Start the Week off Right
(prepare for the Sunday Scriptures)
| Acts
8:5-8, 14-17 |
1 Peter
3:15-18 |
John
14:15-21 |
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Evangelize - No Matter What!
Lately we have been struggling to remember that the Holy Spirit is
always with us. Our family is being inundated by nuisances - a rude
remark from an acquaintance, the common cold, errors on a credit
card statement, you name it. They are just a variety of unexpected
negative happenings that are not terrible, but do require some
energy to resolve. It is amazing how exhausting these nuisances can
be! Unfortunately we sometimes find ourselves getting frustrated and
impatient, but this week's readings remind us that we need to deal
with the annoyances, and even the injustices, patiently and with
understanding. That behavior will be a much better witness to Christ
than our first inclinations! It seems to be a tall order, but that
is how Jesus calls us to behave, and that is why He sent the Spirit
to give us strength.
The first reading from Acts of the Apostles shows how eagerly the
Apostles spread the Good News, and how the laying on of hands filled
the converts with the Holy Spirit. What a powerful reading for all
our family and friends who will be receiving the Sacrament of
Confirmation this spring. For what more can we ask than the gifts of witness and
evangelization? This is our
fifth week with the Letter of Peter, and this is an instructive
lesson in dealing with those pesky annoyances, as well as the grave
injustices. The Spirit is
present in each of us, to transform and glorify us, even when
dealing with the small stuff. We
must have hope, for earthly difficulties are temporary. It may be a
struggle to live righteously through them, but doing so will bring
us closer to God. Christ
promises us the Advocate to be with us and love us always. We are not orphans. We are never alone.
We can be at peace, even when the difficulties of life seem to zap
our energy. Now we have to live and share that truth. |
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Daily Dose of Scripture (our
picks of the week)
Lectionary
readings for the 6th Week of Easter:
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First Reading |
Gospel |
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| Monday |
Acts 16:11-15 |
Jn 15:26-16:4a |
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| Tuesday |
Acts 16:22-34 |
Jn 16:5-11 |
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| Wednesday |
Acts 17:15, 22-18:1 |
Jn 16:12-15 |
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| Thursday |
Acts 18:1-8 |
Jn 16:16-20 |
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| Friday |
Acts 18:9-18 |
Jn 16:20-23 |
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| Saturday |
1 Cor 15:1-8 |
Jn 14:6-14 |
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- Acts 16:22-34
We're reading most of the New Testament book, Acts of the Apostles,
during the seven weeks of the Easter season. This book is the second
volume of Luke's writings. Volume 1, of course, is the Gospel
according to Luke.
Paul and Silas are tortured for spreading the message of Christ. Even
in their suffering they continue to pray. Miraculously, they are
released when an earthquake destroys their prison. The prison guard,
astounded at the happenings, cares for the wounded Paul and Silas,
then asks them to baptize him and his entire household.
This reading hits home for our family.
We live in a region of the country which has very few Catholics. There
have been times when our children have experienced prejudice because
of their faith. They have been verbally attacked about the Blessed
Virgin Mary, in particular. It has been amazing to us, their parents.
They have responded with respect, quiet defense, and simple truth. In
every instance they have frustrated their attackers without becoming
attackers. It would not be too surprising if they, like Paul and
Silas, discovered a few converts in the midst of attacks! Adults,
including their parents, can learn so much by the example of their
powerful, child-like faith. They are living the Scriptures.
- John 16:12-15
Jesus admitted He had not told His disciples everything, but He
would send the Holy Spirit to be our constant guide to the truth. For
2000 years the Holy Spirit has led our Church to the Truth. At times
it may be difficult to understand the position of the Church,
especially on sensitive social issues. The Church has
been counter-cultural throughout its existence, yet it has survived
with its doctrine intact. As Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict
XVI, said in God and the World, the Church "is not there to
discover the most acceptable form of compromise, but to hold out to
people, without distortion, the whole magnitude of God's Word and his
will..."
We discuss the message in this reading with our children quite
frequently, whether we're deciding which movie to watch for
family night or discussing serious topics like abortion. Our
Church continues to teach Christ's message; it was difficult for
people to hear and understand 2000 years ago, it is difficult for
people to hear and understand today.
Nevertheless, frequently including
these teachings in our family discussions certainly helps making
decisions an easier process, even for our teenager (so far!). Doing
our best to live these values has brought an incredible peace to our
family life. In fact, the more counter-cultural we become, the more
peace we experience! Talk about positive feedback! It is wonderful to
be guided by the Holy Spirit through our Church!
Open that Catechism!
We hear a great deal about the Holy Spirit and the
laying on of hands this week. Check out paragraphs
#1293-1296 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for
details of the Sacrament of Confirmation, the sacrament in which we
receive the completeness of the Spirit.
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