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Give Glory to God!
7th Week of
Easter -
Use your white candle!
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May 2, 2008 is an important day!
It is the first day of the Pentecost
Novena and it 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! |
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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
If your parish is celebrating the solemnity of the
Ascension of our Lord this Sunday, the Responsorial Psalm is
Psalm 47,
a joyful song which proclaims Yahweh as a royal king. The crown of
thorns and proclamation of Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, at
the crucifixion has taken on a triumphant meaning!
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 seventh gift is Wisdom
Wisdom is the beginning and the culmination of all the gifts of the
Holy Spirit. It is knowledge combined with experiences of the Holy
Spirit, and produces, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, a special "taste"
for God. (Read
more) |
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Celebrate All Year Long!
(Click here to learn more) |
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Saints to Celebrate
Use your white
candle all week to celebrate the last week of Easter.
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Thursday, May 10
continue to use a white candle for the memorial of
Blessed Damien of Moloka'i (1840- 1889)
He was a Belgian priest
who moved to Hawaii to care for people stricken with leprosy.
Although Damien did contract leprosy and die from its
complications, he educated the world about this disease and the
need for care and compassion for its sufferers. A statue of St.
Damien represents the state of Hawaii in the U.S. Capitol. Today leprosy is
called Hansen's disease and is treatable.
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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Next Sunday is Pentecost, the birthday of our
Church. To help prepare for Pentecost, please join the centuries old
Novena to the Holy Spirit which
begins on Friday, May 2, 2008 .
To receive daily e-mail reminders for participation in the
Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit,
please respond via e-mail at
admin@cominghomecatholic.com
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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)
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Readings for the 7th Sunday of
Easter |
| Acts
1:12-14 |
1 Peter
4:13-16 |
John
17:1-11a |
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Readings for the Solemnity of
the Ascension of the Lord |
| Acts 1:1-11 |
Ephesians 1:17-23 |
Matthew
28:16-20 |
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Please note: In many dioceses of the United States the
solemnity of the Ascension has been transferred from Ascension
Thursday to the 7th Sunday of Easter. We've included both sets of
readings - they're too wonderful to miss!
Give Glory to God!
7th Week of Easter
In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles the
Ascension has just taken place. The Apostles return to Jerusalem and
spend the next nine days in prayer until Pentecost - the first
Pentecost Novena! This is our
last week with the first letter of Peter. He again reassures us to
be steadfast in our prayer and persevere in behaving as Jesus taught
us. The Gospel is Jesus'
prayer for His followers. At the end we hear the most incredible
message - Jesus has been glorified in His followers! Jesus is fully
aware that choosing to be counter-cultural is a difficult decision,
and committing to that life on a daily basis takes willpower and
determination. Therefore He prays for all of us. With that kind of
support, we can all revel in the good news of our salvation!
Solemnity of the Ascension:
Between Easter and the Ascension the readings told
us of the times Jesus appeared to His followers. Even after the
Resurrection they had doubts and did not fully understand the meaning of all that
had happened. For forty days following the Resurrection Jesus taught
His followers the meaning of the Old Testament (Hebrew)
Scriptures, and about the Kingdom of God. Finally it was time for
Him to reach His complete glory, the glory with His Father. He had
to leave our world so the complete Trinity could be revealed, and we
could all be witnesses to the Truth.
The first reading from Luke's Acts of the Apostles
shows us that Jesus' followers were still focused on an earthly
kingdom. Jesus gently instructs them that the Kingdom of God is far
different, and far greater, than anything they can imagine.
Paul's letter to the Ephesians
reiterates the message of the Ascension. Jesus' earthly mission is
complete. God shared in our humanity to show us His divinity. We can
all be with Him now.
In the conclusion of Matthew's gospel
Jesus commissions the Apostles to evangelize all nations in the name
of the Trinity. That commission extends to all Christians. We may
not be able to go to all nations, but we can each behave like Christ
in our own homes, our workplaces, our schools, and anywhere else we
come in contact with fellow human beings. That may sound like a lot
of pressure, but never forget - Jesus is with us always!
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Daily Dose of Scripture (our
picks of the week)
Lectionary
readings for the 7th Week of Easter:
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First Reading |
Gospel |
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| Monday |
Acts 19:1-8 |
Jn 16:29-33 |
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| Tuesday |
Acts 20:17-27 |
Jn 17:1-11a |
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| Wednesday |
Acts 20:28-38 |
Jn 17:11b-19 |
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| Thursday |
Acts 22:30, 23:6-11 |
Jn 17:20-26 |
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| Friday |
Acts 25:13b-21 |
Jn 21:15-19 |
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| Saturday |
Acts 28:16-20, 30-31 |
Jn 21:20-25 |
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- Acts 28:16-20, 30-31
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.
We're finishing Acts of the Apostles this week. The book ends
on a high note - Paul arrives in Rome, preaches to the Jewish elders
as a witness of the Kingdom of God, and explains that their rejection
of the Kingdom led to the salvation of the Gentiles. Paul spends his
time, without hindrance, teaching about Jesus. At that time it was
understood that "all roads lead to Rome." Luke's rendition of Paul's
journeys have shown the spread of Christianity throughout the known
world. Paul has come full circle. He travels to the center of the
world, Rome. His job is complete. Hopefully we, too, can achieve our
ultimate destiny.
- Jn 16:29-33
The disciples believe Jesus came from God, but their faith is
still immature. When Jesus is tried and crucified, they are gone. Yet
Jesus understands that, even in His ultimate suffering, He is never
alone. God the Father is always with Him. Once again Jesus gives His
friends peace.
Jesus' assurances are so concise, yet unceasingly reassuring. He
recognizes His disciples' weaknesses. Even in their weaknesses, He
grants them peace. He knows they will continue to grow in their faith
and become ever stronger witnesses of His message.
We, too, can be comforted by these words. We can see our own foolish
choices, our own failings in faith. God is always with us, even when
we try to run away. We can continue to grow. Jesus loves us through it
all.
Open that Catechism!
We are called to glorify Jesus. That includes working
within society for the common good. Read about the responsibility of
each individual toward the common good in paragraphs
#1905-1912 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
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