October 1, 2009
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church
Today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!" (And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, "Hush, for today is holy, and you must not be saddened.") Nehemiah 8:10b-11
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.” Luke 10:2-3
Piety
St. Theresa’s Prayer
Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
Compassion on this world
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good
Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world
Yours are the hands
Yours are the feet
Yours are the eyes
You are His body
Christ has no body now on earth but yours
Study
Today is the feast day of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, also known as "Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus" and "The Little Flower." When Therese received her First Communion, she said "Ah, how sweet was the first kiss of Jesus! It was a kiss of love... I felt that I was loved."
St.Theresa had a desire to be a nun that started when she was only three. When she was ten years old, she begged to be received into the order of the Carmelites in Lisieux. She was admitted at age 16 and pronounced her holy vows within the year.
Thérèse is known for her "Little Way." In her quest for sanctity, she realized that it was not necessary to accomplish heroic acts in order to attain holiness and to express her love of God. She wrote: “Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love."
This "Little Way" also appeared in her approach to spirituality exemplified in this quote:
"Sometimes, when I read spiritual treatises, in which perfection is shown with a thousand obstacles in the way and a host of illusions round about it, my poor little mind soon grows weary, I close the learned book, which leaves my head splitting and my heart parched, and I take the Holy Scriptures. Then all seems luminous, a single word opens up infinite horizons to my soul, perfection seems easy; I see that it is enough to realize one's nothingness, and give oneself wholly, like a child, into the arms of the good God. Leaving to great souls, great minds, the fine books I cannot understand, I rejoice to be little because 'only children, and those who are like them, will be admitted to the heavenly banquet'."
On September 30, 1897 (112 years ago yesterday), at the youthful age of twenty-four, St.Theresa died of tuberculosis, with a loving glance at her crucifix. On her deathbed, she said, “Oh, I love Him! My God, I love You!” Then she breathed her last.
Only seventeen years later, when those born in the same year were just forty-one years old, the fame of her sanctity had so spread among the people that her cause was introduced at Rome. She was beatified on April 29, 1923, and canonized on May 17, 1925, an unusually rapid process for the Church. This is the equivalent of the Church canonizing today someone born in 1957. Consider the lifetimes of two modern-day spiritual giants whom we count among the cloud of witnesses. The late Mother Teresa of Calcutta was born in 1910. The late Pope John Paul II was born in 1920.
Many books have been written about this young saint. In one, Therese by Dorothy Day, she considers why this young nun was so loved by the world and her little spiritual practices were so important. Excerpts from that volume follow (italics added):
There has been so much discussion of the diminutive “little” which Therese used constantly that it is good to remember her words of explanation of August 6. “To be little…is…not to attribute to ourselves the virtues we practice, nor to believe ourselves capable of practicing virtue at all. It is rather to recognize the fact that God puts treasures of virtue into the hands of his little children to make use of them in time of need, but they remain always treasures of the good God. Finally, to be little means that we must never be discouraged over our faults, for children often fall but they are too small to harm themselves very much.”
It was the “worker,” the common man, who first spread her fame by word of mouth. It was the masses who first proclaimed her a saint. It was the “people.” What was there about her to make such an appeal? Perhaps because she was so much like the rest of us in her ordinariness. In her lifetime there are no miracles recounted; she was just good, good as the bread which the Normans baked in huge loaves. Good as the pale cider which takes the place of the wine of the rest of France, since Normandy is an apple country. “Small beer,” one might say. She compares to the great saints as cider compares with wine, others might complain. But it is the world itself which has canonized her, it is the common people who have taken her to their hearts. And now the theologians are writing endlessly to explain how big she was, and not little, how mature and strong she was, not childlike and dependent.
What did she do? She practiced the presence of God and she did all things – all the little things that make up our daily life and contact with others – for His honor and glory. She did not need much time to expound what she herself called her “little way.” She wrote her story and God did the rest. God and the people. God chose for the people to clamor for her canonization.
She speaks to our condition. Is the atom a little thing? And yet what havoc it has wrought. Is her little way a small contribution to the life of the spirit? It has all the power of the spirit of Christianity behind it. It is an explosive force that can transform our lives and the life of the world, once put into effect. In the homily he gave after the Gospel at the Mass of her canonization, Pope Pius XI said: “If the way of this spiritual childhood became general, who does not see how easily would be realized the reformation of human society…”
The seeds of this teaching are being spread, being broadcast to be watered by our blood perhaps, but with the promise of a harvest. God will give the increase.
From Therese by Dorothy Day contained in the collection Dorothy Day Selected Writings: By Little and By Little. Edited and with an Introduction by Robert Ellsberg. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books 1998.
Action
How can we use St. Therese’ “little way” to inspire our Fourth Day and use it to realize the change in people’s lives that are needed to save the world?
Although Christ and Therese have departed from this world, we remain behind as their hands to work in this world.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Favoring Hand of My God Was Upon Me
Piety
No a person must choose, for in this way God retains his honor while at the same time has a fatherly concern for humankind. Though God has lowered himself to being that which can be chosen, yet each person must on his part choose.
Study
The “favoring hand of God” is not passing out comfort. If you thought that was the case, the readings today will wake you up faster than a bucket of ice water dumped in your warm bed.
Nehemiah was an important official in the household of the king. However, he offered to give up his favored position in order to be given the “opportunity” to help rebuild
In the Good News, we encounter disciples who do not share the spirit of Nehemiah. They are not willing to let go of everything and follow Jesus. Jesus demands that they drop everything and follow him. Disciples have to be as willing as Nehemiah to give up their obligations and privileges and choose the path of God. What we hear from Jesus brings up the serious and unconditional nature of Christian discipleship. Even family ties and works of mercy like burying one's parents, cannot distract one no matter how briefly from proclaiming the
Following Jesus does not mean staying in the finest hotels, traveling first class, or eating at the best restaurants. Instead, Jesus is up front with the facts and the discomfort that we will share in this journey. “The Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” We will not even have the kind of creature comforts enjoyed by…well…creatures.
As Kierkegaard reminds us about the tyranny of this choice, “In the end, failure to decide prevents one from doing what is good. It keeps us from doing that great thing to which each of us is bound by virtue of the eternal.”
Action
Choose. Consider some of the choices that you are facing. Which choice will lead you down the path God is clearing? What do you need to do to make that your decision?
God’s True Child
By Beth De Cristofaro
One like a son of man…received dominion, glory, and kingship; nations and peoples of every language serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7: 13, 14)
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true child of
Piety
I thank you, Yahweh, with all my heart; I sing praise to you before the angels. I worship at your holy temple and praise your name because of your constant love and faithfulness. You will do everything you have promised me; Yahweh, your faith love endures forever. Complete the work that you have begun. (Psalm 138 from Psalms Anew)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Dwell Within
September 28, 2009
Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Thus says the LORD: I will return to Zion, and I will dwell within Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain. Zechariah 8:3
Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest." Luke 9:47-48
Piety
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vq2yZ7wdnI&feature=related
Refrain: Deep within, I will plant my law, not on stone, but in your heart.
Follow me; I will bring you back. You will be my own, and I will be your God.
1. I will give you a new heart, a new spirit within you, for I will be your strength.
2. See my face, and see your God, for I will be your hope.
3. Return to me, with all your heart, and I will bring you back.
("Deep Within," by David Haas)
Study
If one theme of Luke’s Gospel in this liturgical year is the proper behavioral response to hearing the word of God (“act on it”), then the other prominent theme is the rationale why that behavior is required. We must act on the Word because it dwells within us. To do otherwise is counter to our very nature.
On the historical level, Zechariah preaches about the return of the Jewish exiles to the Holy City and the rebuilding of the temple. However, on a higher level, we experience the Lord’s promise to dwell with each of us and what that requires of us.
It was a fabulous occurrence for God to dwell with and within humanity. It was as unlikely to happen in the traditions of ancient Judaism as would exalting a powerless child. Yet that is exactly what the Christmas story revealed in its Epiphany. Jesus extends that Epiphany today not to just the Child of God bit to every child of God.
The scriptures are getting across an important point about authenticity. Aside from the pride shown by the arguing disciples, Jesus points to a compelling example of humility. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest. Jesus by his very life shows us that he is not afraid to take on the posture of the least among us. First, though he is God, he takes on the frailest human existence in the womb of his mother. Then he takes on the posture of a criminal with no one to Advocate for his cause accepting the fate meted out by the court.
Today, he dwells in each of us through faith and through the sacraments. He becomes part of our whole being spiritually, intellectually and emotionally. With the Jesus-nature within us, we are compelled to act on that very essence. To deny it would be to deny Him and our selves (sin). To cultivate that essence is to make ourselves the baby in that manger, the criminal at that trial, the condemned man executed on that cross and the risen priest, prophet and king.
After Resurrection, that is when his Advocate takes center stage. In our humanity, we may think he most needed a lawyer/defender/advocate when he faced off with Herod and Pilate and the Pharisees in those final Good Friday hours. Instead, we have learned through His teaching that Jesus needed his Advocate to stand in for him against all the evil/temporal forces of the world when he was no longer here to lead us into battle himself.
So he encourages us to take on the same humble posture that he was never hesitant to put on. When we put on Christ in Baptism, we receive the child in [His] name, we receive the indwelling Jesus and we receive the one who sent Jesus into our midst. That is the path to greatness.
Action
Jesus does not discriminate and that is why as a Church we stand for social justice for all. Last week, a delegation of Catholic bishops met political leaders of both parties to advocate for policy issues that are consistent with Catholic Social Teaching.
According to a release by the USCCB, Archbishop José Gomez of San Antonio, Texas, led the September 17 delegation, representing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“We met with our political leaders of both parties to re-affirm the principles of Catholic social teaching about the dignity of all human beings from conception to natural death and the centrality of the common good. We offered these principles grounded in social ethics and our religious heritage as constructive guidelines for achieving a just and equitable resolution of the public policy debates around these key issues,” he said.
The topics raised by the bishops with legislators are:
Health Care and Immigration. The U.S. Bishops have for decades been in favor of health care reform that is truly universal and respects the life and dignity of all, including the poor and legal immigrants. Health care legislation must allow all legal immigrants, regardless of income level, to participate in any new health care system and oppose any ban that would prevent them from participating for five years. Such legislation must also support the inclusion of pregnant women and children, regardless of their legal status.
Just Immigration Reform. The U.S. Bishops support just immigration reform, which contains several core elements. This would include broad-based legalization through a program that provides an opportunity for “earned” permanent residency and a new worker program that includes a living wage. The U.S. Bishops support family-based immigration reform and a restoration of due process protections lost in the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. The U.S. Bishops also support addressing the root causes of migration and the inclusion of the DREAM Act and AgJOBS in reform legislation.
Hispanics and Poverty (Housing). The U.S. Bishops support a national housing policy that includes preservation and production of quality housing for low income families, the elderly and other vulnerable people. The U.S. Bishops also call for an end to abusive lending penalties and urge Congress to fund the National Housing Trust Fund, which will preserve or produce 1.5 million rental homes in the next ten years and 200,000 new housing choice vouchers annually for ten years.
Hispanics and Education. The U.S. Bishops encourage the federal government to promote programs that keep students in school, include Catholic students and teachers in federal education program, especially reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, reauthorize the D.C. Scholarship program to assist low income students in the District of Columbia to receive financial assistance to attend private schools, and support funding for students to attend community colleges where many Hispanic youth are educated.
Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Thus says the LORD: I will return to Zion, and I will dwell within Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain. Zechariah 8:3
Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest." Luke 9:47-48
Piety
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vq2yZ7wdnI&feature=related
Refrain: Deep within, I will plant my law, not on stone, but in your heart.
Follow me; I will bring you back. You will be my own, and I will be your God.
1. I will give you a new heart, a new spirit within you, for I will be your strength.
2. See my face, and see your God, for I will be your hope.
3. Return to me, with all your heart, and I will bring you back.
("Deep Within," by David Haas)
Study
If one theme of Luke’s Gospel in this liturgical year is the proper behavioral response to hearing the word of God (“act on it”), then the other prominent theme is the rationale why that behavior is required. We must act on the Word because it dwells within us. To do otherwise is counter to our very nature.
On the historical level, Zechariah preaches about the return of the Jewish exiles to the Holy City and the rebuilding of the temple. However, on a higher level, we experience the Lord’s promise to dwell with each of us and what that requires of us.
It was a fabulous occurrence for God to dwell with and within humanity. It was as unlikely to happen in the traditions of ancient Judaism as would exalting a powerless child. Yet that is exactly what the Christmas story revealed in its Epiphany. Jesus extends that Epiphany today not to just the Child of God bit to every child of God.
The scriptures are getting across an important point about authenticity. Aside from the pride shown by the arguing disciples, Jesus points to a compelling example of humility. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest. Jesus by his very life shows us that he is not afraid to take on the posture of the least among us. First, though he is God, he takes on the frailest human existence in the womb of his mother. Then he takes on the posture of a criminal with no one to Advocate for his cause accepting the fate meted out by the court.
Today, he dwells in each of us through faith and through the sacraments. He becomes part of our whole being spiritually, intellectually and emotionally. With the Jesus-nature within us, we are compelled to act on that very essence. To deny it would be to deny Him and our selves (sin). To cultivate that essence is to make ourselves the baby in that manger, the criminal at that trial, the condemned man executed on that cross and the risen priest, prophet and king.
After Resurrection, that is when his Advocate takes center stage. In our humanity, we may think he most needed a lawyer/defender/advocate when he faced off with Herod and Pilate and the Pharisees in those final Good Friday hours. Instead, we have learned through His teaching that Jesus needed his Advocate to stand in for him against all the evil/temporal forces of the world when he was no longer here to lead us into battle himself.
So he encourages us to take on the same humble posture that he was never hesitant to put on. When we put on Christ in Baptism, we receive the child in [His] name, we receive the indwelling Jesus and we receive the one who sent Jesus into our midst. That is the path to greatness.
Action
Jesus does not discriminate and that is why as a Church we stand for social justice for all. Last week, a delegation of Catholic bishops met political leaders of both parties to advocate for policy issues that are consistent with Catholic Social Teaching.
According to a release by the USCCB, Archbishop José Gomez of San Antonio, Texas, led the September 17 delegation, representing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“We met with our political leaders of both parties to re-affirm the principles of Catholic social teaching about the dignity of all human beings from conception to natural death and the centrality of the common good. We offered these principles grounded in social ethics and our religious heritage as constructive guidelines for achieving a just and equitable resolution of the public policy debates around these key issues,” he said.
The topics raised by the bishops with legislators are:
Health Care and Immigration. The U.S. Bishops have for decades been in favor of health care reform that is truly universal and respects the life and dignity of all, including the poor and legal immigrants. Health care legislation must allow all legal immigrants, regardless of income level, to participate in any new health care system and oppose any ban that would prevent them from participating for five years. Such legislation must also support the inclusion of pregnant women and children, regardless of their legal status.
Just Immigration Reform. The U.S. Bishops support just immigration reform, which contains several core elements. This would include broad-based legalization through a program that provides an opportunity for “earned” permanent residency and a new worker program that includes a living wage. The U.S. Bishops support family-based immigration reform and a restoration of due process protections lost in the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. The U.S. Bishops also support addressing the root causes of migration and the inclusion of the DREAM Act and AgJOBS in reform legislation.
Hispanics and Poverty (Housing). The U.S. Bishops support a national housing policy that includes preservation and production of quality housing for low income families, the elderly and other vulnerable people. The U.S. Bishops also call for an end to abusive lending penalties and urge Congress to fund the National Housing Trust Fund, which will preserve or produce 1.5 million rental homes in the next ten years and 200,000 new housing choice vouchers annually for ten years.
Hispanics and Education. The U.S. Bishops encourage the federal government to promote programs that keep students in school, include Catholic students and teachers in federal education program, especially reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, reauthorize the D.C. Scholarship program to assist low income students in the District of Columbia to receive financial assistance to attend private schools, and support funding for students to attend community colleges where many Hispanic youth are educated.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
For Whoever Is Not Against Us Is For Us
September 27, 2009
But Moses answered him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!" Numbers 11:29
Piety
Study
Action
Friday, September 25, 2009
Among You
September 26, 2009
Saturday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD. Zechariah 2:14
And all were astonished by the majesty of God. While they were all amazed at his every deed, he said to his disciples, "Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men." Luke 9:43-44
Piety
Father, help us to hear the word of the LORD so that we can proclaim it on distant coasts and in our own neighborhoods through how we live our lives. Brother Jesus, gather us together so we can care for others as you the shepherd cares for your flock. Holy Spirit, turn our mourning into joy, console and gladden us as we cope with our heart breaks. Amen.
Study
“I am the Alpha and the Omega.” Revelation 22:13
The first and the last. The beginning and the end.
In the totality of experience, the Lord amazes us that He will humble himself and actually come to dwell among us. Yet, with that prophecy fulfilled, so must the next fact also be manifest. That despite our amazement at the wonder of God, we will not only turn our backs on him but actually turn him over to his enemies who will execute him in the most humiliating and painful torture used in his time.
Jesus is roused from his holy dwelling and moves in with the tenants. The Lord’s descent from heaven to a painful hell is complete. The celebration of the Christmas night melts into the suffering of Good Friday when day becomes night.
The Jesus life-experience we witness commands our attention. Yet Jesus lives this way for a reason that is made perfectly evident in today’s Gospel. He needed to do something extraordinary to get our attention as we live through the ordinary. Pay attention to what I am telling you.
Repeatedly over the past few weeks, our readings have reminded us over and over and over and over again not to just listen to the word but also to put it into action. The shocking nature of the revelation made today is the headline of the story. The very people who were worshipping Jesus turned on him a few weeks later. Yet the revelation did not fit with their pre-conceived notion of what the Messiah would be so they rejected the teaching.
Jesus does not want us to stop reading and listening at the headline. Maybe that is why we have the rest of the Good News…to show us how to live. To wake us out of our slumber and put love into action.
Action
Despite the miracles of life and the many signs Jesus introduced into the world, he also existed side by side with suffering. The blind, the lame, the sick, the dead, and many more play prominent roles in Jesus’ public ministry until he experienced the most excruciating pain and suffering around.
We too exist in a world of contrasts. Just consider the homeless men and women living in the shadow of the White House or the Cathedral or the World Bank. Right next to symbols of power, success and authority, we can encounter people in their most vulnerable condition.
Look and listen this week as you go about your life experiences. Look for the contrasts in life that you would otherwise not notice. Listen “with the ear of your heart” to the word of God and see how it can apply to your life. Do this in order to better “pay attention” to what Jesus is telling us today about our life and times and the hurting people who live among us.
Saturday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD. Zechariah 2:14
And all were astonished by the majesty of God. While they were all amazed at his every deed, he said to his disciples, "Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men." Luke 9:43-44
Piety
Father, help us to hear the word of the LORD so that we can proclaim it on distant coasts and in our own neighborhoods through how we live our lives. Brother Jesus, gather us together so we can care for others as you the shepherd cares for your flock. Holy Spirit, turn our mourning into joy, console and gladden us as we cope with our heart breaks. Amen.
Study
“I am the Alpha and the Omega.” Revelation 22:13
The first and the last. The beginning and the end.
In the totality of experience, the Lord amazes us that He will humble himself and actually come to dwell among us. Yet, with that prophecy fulfilled, so must the next fact also be manifest. That despite our amazement at the wonder of God, we will not only turn our backs on him but actually turn him over to his enemies who will execute him in the most humiliating and painful torture used in his time.
Jesus is roused from his holy dwelling and moves in with the tenants. The Lord’s descent from heaven to a painful hell is complete. The celebration of the Christmas night melts into the suffering of Good Friday when day becomes night.
The Jesus life-experience we witness commands our attention. Yet Jesus lives this way for a reason that is made perfectly evident in today’s Gospel. He needed to do something extraordinary to get our attention as we live through the ordinary. Pay attention to what I am telling you.
Repeatedly over the past few weeks, our readings have reminded us over and over and over and over again not to just listen to the word but also to put it into action. The shocking nature of the revelation made today is the headline of the story. The very people who were worshipping Jesus turned on him a few weeks later. Yet the revelation did not fit with their pre-conceived notion of what the Messiah would be so they rejected the teaching.
Jesus does not want us to stop reading and listening at the headline. Maybe that is why we have the rest of the Good News…to show us how to live. To wake us out of our slumber and put love into action.
Action
Despite the miracles of life and the many signs Jesus introduced into the world, he also existed side by side with suffering. The blind, the lame, the sick, the dead, and many more play prominent roles in Jesus’ public ministry until he experienced the most excruciating pain and suffering around.
We too exist in a world of contrasts. Just consider the homeless men and women living in the shadow of the White House or the Cathedral or the World Bank. Right next to symbols of power, success and authority, we can encounter people in their most vulnerable condition.
Look and listen this week as you go about your life experiences. Look for the contrasts in life that you would otherwise not notice. Listen “with the ear of your heart” to the word of God and see how it can apply to your life. Do this in order to better “pay attention” to what Jesus is telling us today about our life and times and the hurting people who live among us.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
And How Do You See It Now?
September 25, 2009
Lord, help me to live in the now, not dwelling on who I have been or dreaming about who I will be tomorrow. Help me to be present, now, to do Your work on earth.
Study
Who are you? Is it who God wants you to be? Consider this during your prayer time today.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Consider Your Ways
September 24, 2009
(From www.crs.org)
As Catholics, we recognize that prayer is of the utmost importance, an invaluable contribution to helping the poor overseas. We invite you to join us in bringing to Our Lord the following intentions and thanks.
Disaster response: Natural disasters focus our attention on our brothers and sisters like few other events. Let us pray that many are spared these traumas during this season, and that God equips Catholic Relief Services with willing and able hearts and hands when disaster strikes.
Typhoon Morakot: Let us pray that the people of
Study
"Take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD, and work! For I am with you, says the LORD of hosts. This is the pact that I made with you when you came out of
So what would we do differently afterward? Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced more than 250,000 Catholics have signed up for the Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative, a renewed nationwide effort to address the root causes of global poverty through education and advocacy. In less than seven months, the program has reached one quarter of the goal to mobilize one million Catholics.
Launched in February 2009 on the heels of Pope Benedict XVI's 2009 World Day of Peace Message on "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace," Catholics Confront Global Poverty calls on Catholics to learn about and share the stories of those struggling to rise above extreme poverty, to pray for the poorest members of our human family and to advocate with policy makers on behalf of poor people worldwide.
"The global financial crisis is having a devastating impact on people here and the poor around the world, and the progress that has been made could be wiped out for decades to come," said Ken Hackett, CRS President. "In a world where an estimated 1.4 billion people live in extreme poverty, the message of the Church is clear. As Catholics, we are called to help our brothers and sisters in need."
With the release of his latest Encyclical Letter, Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI reiterated his plea for richer nations to stand with people living in poverty and take action, especially in light of the global financial crisis.
Are your ready to become a part of this initiative? Will you approach it with curiosity or with priority?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
A Stake in His Holy Place
September 23, 2009
Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
“And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the LORD, our God, who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and given us relief in our servitude. For slaves we are, but in our servitude our God has not abandoned us; rather, he has turned the good will of the kings of Persia toward us. Thus he has given us new life to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins, and has granted us a fence in Judah and Jerusalem.” Ezra 9:8-9
He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Luke 9:3-5
Piety
My God, I am too ashamed and confounded to raise my face to you, O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads and our guilt reaches up to heaven. From the time of our fathers even to this day great has been our guilt, and for our wicked deeds we have been delivered over, we and our kings and our priests, to the will of the kings of foreign lands, to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to disgrace, as is the case today. Ezra 9:6-7
Study
“Get your gear.” (Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, NCIS)
“Take nothing for the journey.” (Jesus of Nazareth)
Two opposites. If we are to fully rely on God (f.r.o.G.), then Jesus asks us to completely detach ourselves from our gear – our material possessions.
If we go away for a long weekend, the packing is intense. Two nights and we need to pack clean clothes and toiletries of course. Traveler’s checks or cash? Snacks on the road? Then, what will we read in the car? Is there a pool at the hotel? Then we need bathing suits and towels and sun block and goggles. Do we have internet access? Then the computer gets packed along with the power cord and Ethernet cable. Don’t forget the I-pod, mobile phone and digital camera. Each has a USB cord and power supply so the batteries don’t die. What have I left off?
You get the picture…what we do today is so far removed from what Jesus commissioned his disciples to do. Take nothing for the journey!
Like Ezra, we are slaves. Slaves to our jobs. Slaves to our possessions. Slaves to our diversions.
So Jesus came and “gave us a stake in his holy place.” Some Bible translations use the term “nail” or “peg” in this reference implying that God provides a space for us to hang up our possessions and free ourselves to open a space for Him in our lives. Ezra’s confession allows him to open a space in his heart for God who will free him from his servitude. Check your bags at heaven’s gate.
Action
What is anchoring you to your way of life? God is offering us a space free us from what ties us down. He offers us a peg in his cloak room to put away those things that occupy our hands, our minds and our hearts. Thus freed, we can then consider how to reuse that time in our lives better so God’s will “will be done.”
Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
“And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the LORD, our God, who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and given us relief in our servitude. For slaves we are, but in our servitude our God has not abandoned us; rather, he has turned the good will of the kings of Persia toward us. Thus he has given us new life to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins, and has granted us a fence in Judah and Jerusalem.” Ezra 9:8-9
He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Luke 9:3-5
Piety
My God, I am too ashamed and confounded to raise my face to you, O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads and our guilt reaches up to heaven. From the time of our fathers even to this day great has been our guilt, and for our wicked deeds we have been delivered over, we and our kings and our priests, to the will of the kings of foreign lands, to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to disgrace, as is the case today. Ezra 9:6-7
Study
“Get your gear.” (Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, NCIS)
“Take nothing for the journey.” (Jesus of Nazareth)
Two opposites. If we are to fully rely on God (f.r.o.G.), then Jesus asks us to completely detach ourselves from our gear – our material possessions.
If we go away for a long weekend, the packing is intense. Two nights and we need to pack clean clothes and toiletries of course. Traveler’s checks or cash? Snacks on the road? Then, what will we read in the car? Is there a pool at the hotel? Then we need bathing suits and towels and sun block and goggles. Do we have internet access? Then the computer gets packed along with the power cord and Ethernet cable. Don’t forget the I-pod, mobile phone and digital camera. Each has a USB cord and power supply so the batteries don’t die. What have I left off?
You get the picture…what we do today is so far removed from what Jesus commissioned his disciples to do. Take nothing for the journey!
Like Ezra, we are slaves. Slaves to our jobs. Slaves to our possessions. Slaves to our diversions.
So Jesus came and “gave us a stake in his holy place.” Some Bible translations use the term “nail” or “peg” in this reference implying that God provides a space for us to hang up our possessions and free ourselves to open a space for Him in our lives. Ezra’s confession allows him to open a space in his heart for God who will free him from his servitude. Check your bags at heaven’s gate.
Action
What is anchoring you to your way of life? God is offering us a space free us from what ties us down. He offers us a peg in his cloak room to put away those things that occupy our hands, our minds and our hearts. Thus freed, we can then consider how to reuse that time in our lives better so God’s will “will be done.”
Monday, September 21, 2009
Hear the Word and Act
September 22, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The One Hope of Your Call
September 21, 2009
Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist
Live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1b-3
Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. Matthew 9:12-13
Piety
Listen to the song “One Faith” by Michael Card and John Michael Talbot at this web address:
http://songza.fm/song/michael-card-john-michael-talbot-one-faith:a2r3-AgYguIi7fMI
Study
Twenty-five weeks into the liturgical calendar for ordinary time, we hold in our hands the Holy Invitation. This is the invitation that Jesus never stops sending. So whether we are in week one or week thirty-four, Jesus invites us daily.
Jesus of Nazareth requests the honor of your company at a dinner to be given in his honor. Come and you will see. All you must do is pick up your cross and follow him. RSVP in the way you live according to the Gospel.
Jesus did not invite Matthew or you or me to be Jewish or Catholic or Roman. He invited us to follow him. In this call, the hope for the unity of the Christian community resounds. Whether Catholic or Baptist, Presbyterian or Lutheran, Coptic or Greek Orthodox, we share in one baptism to the same friendship of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, in real life, everyone does not accept everyone else.
That fact is similar to the social judgments popular in Jesus’ day. When Jesus eats with tax collectors, the Pharisees wonder why he consorts with sinners. Jesus rejects their assumptions. There are many traditions that would have prevented Jesus from acting in certain ways. However, Jesus is not the Tradition. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light. His way can not be wrong.
Jesus did not come to call the self-righteous. He came to invite all of us to follow him with the Holy Invitation that he delivers today to Matthew.
Action
Rather than looking to exploit reasons to divide us into categories, Paul urges us to recognize the one hope of our call – Jesus Christ.
Are we capable of responding to Jesus' call to change our live and where we place our pursuit of happiness? Are we capable of responding in faith to the Holy Invitation contained in the Gospels?
Who are the “tax collectors” in your life? Why do you reject them? Are you willing to sit down with them? Are you willing to accept healing from the physician?
Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist
Live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1b-3
Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. Matthew 9:12-13
Piety
Listen to the song “One Faith” by Michael Card and John Michael Talbot at this web address:
http://songza.fm/song/michael-card-john-michael-talbot-one-faith:a2r3-AgYguIi7fMI
Study
Twenty-five weeks into the liturgical calendar for ordinary time, we hold in our hands the Holy Invitation. This is the invitation that Jesus never stops sending. So whether we are in week one or week thirty-four, Jesus invites us daily.
Jesus of Nazareth requests the honor of your company at a dinner to be given in his honor. Come and you will see. All you must do is pick up your cross and follow him. RSVP in the way you live according to the Gospel.
Jesus did not invite Matthew or you or me to be Jewish or Catholic or Roman. He invited us to follow him. In this call, the hope for the unity of the Christian community resounds. Whether Catholic or Baptist, Presbyterian or Lutheran, Coptic or Greek Orthodox, we share in one baptism to the same friendship of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, in real life, everyone does not accept everyone else.
That fact is similar to the social judgments popular in Jesus’ day. When Jesus eats with tax collectors, the Pharisees wonder why he consorts with sinners. Jesus rejects their assumptions. There are many traditions that would have prevented Jesus from acting in certain ways. However, Jesus is not the Tradition. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light. His way can not be wrong.
Jesus did not come to call the self-righteous. He came to invite all of us to follow him with the Holy Invitation that he delivers today to Matthew.
Action
Rather than looking to exploit reasons to divide us into categories, Paul urges us to recognize the one hope of our call – Jesus Christ.
Are we capable of responding to Jesus' call to change our live and where we place our pursuit of happiness? Are we capable of responding in faith to the Holy Invitation contained in the Gospels?
Who are the “tax collectors” in your life? Why do you reject them? Are you willing to sit down with them? Are you willing to accept healing from the physician?
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Fruit of Righteousness is Sown in Peace
Friday, September 18, 2009
Who Dwells in Unapproachable Light
September 19, 2009
Saturday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord. 1 Timothy 6:14
But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance. Luke 8:15
Piety
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; worship the LORD with cries of gladness; come before him with joyful song. Know that the LORD is God, our maker to whom we belong, whose people we are, God's well-tended flock. Enter the temple gates with praise, its courts with thanksgiving. Give thanks to God, bless his name; good indeed is the LORD, Whose love endures forever, whose faithfulness lasts through every age. (Psalm 100)
Study
We hear an echo of the same psalm (100) in today’s Mass which was prayed just two weeks ago. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Once again, we are the recipient’s of a Holy Invitation. Now that we the Holy Spirit has delivered the invitation, how will we submit our RSVP to the Lord? What seed will our response reflect?
Will we be like the seed that fell on the path and was trampled or eaten by the birds?
Will we be like the seed that fell on rocky ground and withered for lack of moisture?
Will we be like the seed that fell among thorns and was choked to death?
Or, will we accept this invitation to grow in the presence of the Lord like the seed that fell on good soil?
These seeds will become “those who hear the word of God and act on it.” (Luke 8:21). This same concept of listening and action is included in the conclusion of Timothy’s letter: Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life. 1 Timothy 17-19
Action
Listen, as St. Benedict says, with the ear of your heart. What invitation is the Lord delivering to you?
Today, Scripture continues to remind us that there is a big difference between idle listening and listening which impels us to act out the actions manifest in Jesus’ teaching.
How will you engage the invitation?
Saturday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord. 1 Timothy 6:14
But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance. Luke 8:15
Piety
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; worship the LORD with cries of gladness; come before him with joyful song. Know that the LORD is God, our maker to whom we belong, whose people we are, God's well-tended flock. Enter the temple gates with praise, its courts with thanksgiving. Give thanks to God, bless his name; good indeed is the LORD, Whose love endures forever, whose faithfulness lasts through every age. (Psalm 100)
Study
We hear an echo of the same psalm (100) in today’s Mass which was prayed just two weeks ago. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Once again, we are the recipient’s of a Holy Invitation. Now that we the Holy Spirit has delivered the invitation, how will we submit our RSVP to the Lord? What seed will our response reflect?
Will we be like the seed that fell on the path and was trampled or eaten by the birds?
Will we be like the seed that fell on rocky ground and withered for lack of moisture?
Will we be like the seed that fell among thorns and was choked to death?
Or, will we accept this invitation to grow in the presence of the Lord like the seed that fell on good soil?
These seeds will become “those who hear the word of God and act on it.” (Luke 8:21). This same concept of listening and action is included in the conclusion of Timothy’s letter: Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life. 1 Timothy 17-19
Action
Listen, as St. Benedict says, with the ear of your heart. What invitation is the Lord delivering to you?
Today, Scripture continues to remind us that there is a big difference between idle listening and listening which impels us to act out the actions manifest in Jesus’ teaching.
How will you engage the invitation?
Thursday, September 17, 2009
For the Love of Money Is the Root of All Evils
September 18, 2009
Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
By Melanie Rigney
For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. (1 Timothy 6:10)
Fear not when a man grows rich, when the wealth of his house becomes great. For when he dies, he shall take none of it; his wealth shall not follow him down. (Psalms 49:17-18)
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources. (Luke 8:1-3)
Piety
Lord, help me to be a good steward of the financial, emotional, physical, and spiritual wealth you have given me.
Study
Even in the first century, there was some overhead to carrying the Good News to the world: Food. Clothing. Shelter.
Today’s Gospel acknowledges some of those who provided for the ministry, including Joanna, the wife of Herod Antipas’s steward. There are differing views on where Joanna got her money, whether Chuza too converted or whether she received a settlement in a divorce. But there is no doubt she was a key member of Christ’s circle; she was among the women who found the empty tomb when she went to anoint Jesus’s body.
We know from Jesus’s other teachings that wealth is not a guarantee for salvation. But neither is poverty. Rather, the point, as today’s Psalm reading says, is that we will take none of our earthly wealth with us when we die.
Some of us are blessed with gifts or situations that lead to financial wealth. To use those gifts to ethically amass wealth is not sinful in and of itself; after all, Paul tells us today that it is “the love of money,” not money itself, that is the root of all evils. The issue is what we do with that wealth as we amass it.
In his World Day of Peace message last January 1, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the strong linkage between peace and poverty:
In today's globalized world, it is increasingly evident that peace can be built only if everyone is assured the possibility of reasonable growth: sooner or later, the distortions produced by unjust systems have to be paid for by everyone. It is utterly foolish to build a luxury home in the midst of desert or decay. Globalization on its own is incapable of building peace, and in many cases, it actually creates divisions and conflicts. If anything it points to a need: to be oriented towards a goal of profound solidarity that seeks the good of each and all. In this sense, globalization should be seen as a good opportunity to achieve something important in the fight against poverty, and to place at the disposal of justice and peace resources which were scarcely conceivable previously.
Let us all find ways to follow the example of Joanna, and use less of our wealth on toys and frills and diversions and channel more of it in support of causes and movements “towards a goal of profound solidarity that seeks the good of each and all.”
Action
Many of us are planning our 2010 charitable giving through the United Way, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) for federal employees, or other means. Consider upping your contribution enough that it pinches a little. If you’re looking for ideas on places to share your wealth, check out the CFC’s Catalog of Caring
Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
By Melanie Rigney
For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. (1 Timothy 6:10)
Fear not when a man grows rich, when the wealth of his house becomes great. For when he dies, he shall take none of it; his wealth shall not follow him down. (Psalms 49:17-18)
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources. (Luke 8:1-3)
Piety
Lord, help me to be a good steward of the financial, emotional, physical, and spiritual wealth you have given me.
Study
Even in the first century, there was some overhead to carrying the Good News to the world: Food. Clothing. Shelter.
Today’s Gospel acknowledges some of those who provided for the ministry, including Joanna, the wife of Herod Antipas’s steward. There are differing views on where Joanna got her money, whether Chuza too converted or whether she received a settlement in a divorce. But there is no doubt she was a key member of Christ’s circle; she was among the women who found the empty tomb when she went to anoint Jesus’s body.
We know from Jesus’s other teachings that wealth is not a guarantee for salvation. But neither is poverty. Rather, the point, as today’s Psalm reading says, is that we will take none of our earthly wealth with us when we die.
Some of us are blessed with gifts or situations that lead to financial wealth. To use those gifts to ethically amass wealth is not sinful in and of itself; after all, Paul tells us today that it is “the love of money,” not money itself, that is the root of all evils. The issue is what we do with that wealth as we amass it.
In his World Day of Peace message last January 1, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the strong linkage between peace and poverty:
In today's globalized world, it is increasingly evident that peace can be built only if everyone is assured the possibility of reasonable growth: sooner or later, the distortions produced by unjust systems have to be paid for by everyone. It is utterly foolish to build a luxury home in the midst of desert or decay. Globalization on its own is incapable of building peace, and in many cases, it actually creates divisions and conflicts. If anything it points to a need: to be oriented towards a goal of profound solidarity that seeks the good of each and all. In this sense, globalization should be seen as a good opportunity to achieve something important in the fight against poverty, and to place at the disposal of justice and peace resources which were scarcely conceivable previously.
Let us all find ways to follow the example of Joanna, and use less of our wealth on toys and frills and diversions and channel more of it in support of causes and movements “towards a goal of profound solidarity that seeks the good of each and all.”
Action
Many of us are planning our 2010 charitable giving through the United Way, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) for federal employees, or other means. Consider upping your contribution enough that it pinches a little. If you’re looking for ideas on places to share your wealth, check out the CFC’s Catalog of Caring
(http://www.cfcnca.org/files/cfcnca/docs/2009communications/catalog/FINALPROOF_CFCNCA_CL09.pdf) to learn about local, regional, and national causes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)