Sts.
Peter & Paul Parish
Jesus, I Trust In You!
March 14, 2010
Fourth Sunday of Lent
(Joshua 5:9a, 10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)
Response:
“Taste and see that the Lord is good”
Focus:
Reconciled with God through Christ we are to work for reconciliation, healing and unity in the world.
As Christians, we are to live a life that fosters reconciliation and love. Through faith in Jesus and unity with Him in Baptism, we have been reconciled with God. We can share this gift with others by proclaiming the presence and power of God's reconciling love, and by being merciful and compassionate ourselves.
14 Marzec, 2010
Czwarta Niedziela Wielkiego Postu
(Joz 5,9a-12; 2Kor 5,17-21; Lk 15,1-3.11-32)
Refren:
“Skosztujcie wszyscy, jak dobry jest Pan Bog”
Wprowadzenie do Liturgii:
Jako dzieci marnotrawne stajemy przed Panem w te niedziele ktora w tradycji liturgicznej Kosciola jest nazywana „Laetare" - niedziela, radosci. Dzisiaj bowiem nasze serca wypelnia radosc, bo sryszymy, ze Bog jest milosiernym Ojcem, ktory przebacza grzechy, ze Jezus pojednal nas ze swoim Ojcem i ze bedziemy uczestnikami wiecznej radosci. Jej przedsmakiem na ziemi jest Eucharystia.
Holy Father's Prayer Intentions for March
General Intention: "That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equity, taking account of the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest;
Missionary Intention: "That the Churches of Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice in every part of that continent.
Pope John Paul II - “The Rosary is my favourite prayer”
On Oct. 16th, 2002 Pope John Paul II proclaimed in an apostolic letter “The Rosary of the Virgin Mary” a special year of dedication to the Rosary. The Holy Father asks that the Rosary be prayed particularly for the causes of world peace and the strengthening of family life.
The Pope also recommends the addition of the five “LUMINOUS MYSTERIES”. The new “mysteries of light” would be drawn from the life of Christ, and his public revelation of his divine nature and mission. John Paul II proposes that the luminous mysteries will be said on Thursdays.
JOYFUL MYSTERIES (Mondays & Saturdays):
1) the Annunciation; 2) the Visitation; 3) the Birth of Jesus; 4) the Presentation; 5) Finding the Child Jesus in the Temple.
LUMINOUS MYSTERIES (Thursdays):
1) the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan; 2) the wedding feast at Canna; 3) the announcement of the Kingdom; 4) the Transfiguration; 5) the institution of the Eucharist.
SORROWFUL MYSTERIES (Tuesdays & Fridays):
1) the Agony in the Garden; 2) the Scourging at the Pillar; 3) Crowning with Thorns; 4) Carrying of the Cross; 5) the Crucifixion.
GLORIOUS MYSTERIES (Wednesdays & Sundays):
1) the Resurrection; 2) the Ascension; 3) Decent of the Holy Spirit; 4) the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; 5) the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The full text of “Rosarium Virginis Mariae” is available on the Vatican web site, at: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae_en.html.
"Psalm 95: God, King and Judge of the Universe" was the theme of the catechesis of the Holy Father during the general audience which took place on Sept. 18, 2002 in the Paul VI Hall.
The Pope affirmed that Psalm 95 "exalts the Creator of all beings and the Saviour of peoples: 'the world is established, it shall never be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity'. ... Thus, we have the assurance that we have not been abandoned to the dark forces of chaos and chance but we are always in the hands of a merciful and just Sovereign".
The “O” Antiphons
Dear Padre,
What are the “O” Antiphons and what is their connection to Advent and Christmas?
The word itself, “antiphon,” is a Greek word meaning, “answering voice.” The antiphon is a verse, which is usually taken from Scripture, and recited before or after a psalm or canticle. The antiphons are used commonly when morning and evening office is recited. The “O” Antiphons are special. They are the distinguished titles applied to Christ. These titles are taken directly from the Old Testament. You are probably very familiar already with these “O” Antiphons, even though you might not realize it. We sing each of the “O” Antiphons in the advent song, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”
In the seven evenings before the vigil of Christmas, the Church sings these series of special “O” Antiphons at the Magnificat during Vespers, the evening prayer of the Church. It is hoped that these will provide a strong daily meditation for the days leading up to Christmas.
Here are the “O” antiphons that you can use for your personal reflection
as we approach Christmas.
“O Wisdom
From on High” 0 Lord, give me wisdom and teach me prudence in my life.
“O Adonai,
Leader of Israel” – Deliver me, Lord, with your outstretched arm.
“O Flower
of Jesse” – Root your love and goodness deep with me this day.
“O Key of
David” – Unlock the doors that keep me in darkness.
“O Radiant
Dawn” – Send your everlasting light to burn always within me.
“O King of
the Nations” – Heal what divides me from others and from you.
“O Emmanuel”
– Be with me Lord, dwell within me this day and always.
May the Christ Child be born
again within you this Christmas morn!
The Elder Right to Life
Dear Padre,
We Catholics push the right to life among the unborn, but are we neglecting the right to life for the elderly? Recently I was trying to find a nursing home for my mother. I was appalled at some of the poorly run and maintained nursing homes. The residents seemed to be isolated, languishing, and listless.
In theory, the Catholic Church emphasizes the "Seamless garment" approach to the right to life. This approach states that all life is to be valued, from the unborn to the elderly. In practice, the Church seems to place most of its energy and political clout with the unborn. But we have seen in the past years an attack on the value of the elderly, especially, those very sick or near death. Physician assisted suicide is a political hot potato in some states, and has already been legalized in some countries.
In the years ahead, we will be forced to focus our attention towards the elderly; the number of the elderly people will double within the next thirty years. Currently the American Medical Association has estimated that one in four older persons experiences some form of abuse. In the last ten years, the number of reports of elder abuse has increased by 128 percent. Some of this abuse takes the form of domestic abuse. Many of the elderly live with their families, and most of the families have not been trained in caring for an elderly parent. Many of the nursing care institutions in our country are understaffed, and the staffs are under trained. Families often do not complain about the poor institutional care or isolation of their ageing family member because of fear of retaliation by the nursing home owners or staff.
For the "seamless garment" right to life to become more of a reality, the local parish must become a springboard to help families care for their senior members, be trained in that care, and work with families in seeking out healthy institutional living conditions. The elderly are a gift to us. They should be valued as such!
Generation X
Dear Padre,
In a recent homily, our deacon was encouraging us to reach out to “Generation X.” I didn't know what that term meant. Who are they and why is there a need now to reach out to these people?
“Generation X” is the term that is used to describe the young adults of today, those who are in their 20’s and early 30’s. They are now entering professions, getting married, having their first children. This generation was raised in an era when there was a marked absence of parental guidance because of divorce (nearly 50%), a working single parent, or both parents working. Many of the families they were raised in were reconfigured with step- and foster parents and siblings. During their upbringing, there was an increase in drug use, AIDS, eating disorders, and suicides. They are a generation trying to make sense of their fractured lives. They stay away from organized religion, but do believe in God. Generation Xers are very steeped in the culture of body costuming, music, video, cyberspace, movies, and television.
This generation has been lost to the Church, and the Church is now trying to reach out and invite them back. The shape of the Church in the next fifty years will depend upon Generation X and how its members raise their children. There are great signs of hope. Generation X has a strong interest in teaching, meaningful work, and children-at-risk. They are very compassionate in that they turn out in droves to serve food to the poor, tutor inner-city children, clean up neighbourhoods, and build homes for the disadvantaged. The Church of the future, relying on Generation X, might be a Church more into social action than religious services.
In the end, every generation must choose to make its mark on building the
goodness of life and the body of Christ, the Church. Hopefully, Generation
X will soon line up and take its place.
Gossip
Dear Padre,
Please clarify for me what the Church considers as “gossip.” This question is prompted by a recent emphatic statement made in church, that “when you say anything about another who is not present, whether good or bad, this is gossip!”
Human beings have the great gift of speech. We continually talk to each other and talk about each other. Gossip, at its most basic level, is just idle talk, It is neither good or bad. But it is a tool we can use to build up another human being or tear that person down.
Ephesians 4:29 tells us to say only good things that people need to hear. In Colossians 3:12-13a, Paul tells us: “As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other…
Gossip becomes evil when we use our words to unjustly hurt the reputation of another, or to judge another person rashly. The two words that the Church uses to describe this evil side of gossip are “detraction” and “calumny.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that detraction is “without objectively valid reason, disclosing another’s faults and failings to persons who did not know them” (#2477). Calumny occurs when, “By remarks contrary to the truth,” we harm the reputation of others and give “occasion for false judgements concerning them” (#2477).
To judge whether your own gossip is good or evil, simply ask yourself: Do the words that I am saying help others or hurt others? Am I building them up or tearing them down? Hopefully, as a Christian, you are committed to the Gospel of love, and to using your words for the good of others (Phil 2:2-5).
The Message of Fatima
Dear Padre,
I heard that when Pope John Paul II beatified two of the shepherd children at Fatima, he finally revealed the third part of Fatima message. What was it and why did the pope wait so long.
You are right in saying that it was a very long wait. The messages of Fatima were originally given to three shepherd children in 1917! At the time of the pope's visit to Fatima (May 13, 2000), John Paul II was approaching his eightieth birthday. He wanted this visit to be his personal pilgrimage to Mary, to thank her for her protection during the years of his papacy. Pope John Paul II was convinced that the third prophetic vision given to the shepherd children by Mary foretold his own assassination attempt in 1981.
If you remember, the first two parts of the Fatima vision concerned the
war waged by atheist systems against the Church and Christians, and Mary
described the immense suffering that would be endured by witnesses to the
faith in the last century of the second millennium. The third part
of the vision revealed that a bishop, clothed in white, would fall to the
ground, apparently dead, under a burst of gunfire. Pope John Paul
II believes that Mary guided the assassin's bullet so it did not kill him
on that day. In fact the pope gave the bullet to the Fatima shrine,
and the bullet has been set in the crown of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.
Since all the events of the Fatima visions have been fulfilled, the pope
did not think that it was necessary to keep the secret any longer. Our
Lady insisted that her appearances in 1917 were a call for conversion and
penance. Pope John Paul II restated that this call to conversion
and penance is as valid today as it was in 1917. The pope said that
this call is a manifestation of Mary's maternal concern for the fate of
the human family, which is in need of conversion and forgiveness.
Marriage New and Old
Dear Padre,
Recently I attended a wedding ceremony. Much of the ceremony centred on personal choice and the love of one partner for another. I was thinking that marriages should be based on firmer foundations than just personal choice. Does the Church agree?
Dear Pro Strong Marriages,
For many centuries, marriage was understood as a financial and political alliance arranged by families. This practice of “arranging marriages” continues, in some cultures, even up to our present day. Actually, it was the canon law of the Catholic Church that first gave women and men a “legal right” to marry because of love. In the twelfth century, the Church proclaimed that two people were married when they exchanged their mutual consent, in the present moment, to marry. No one could be married “against his or her will.”
Today things are going in different directions. Married couples are
encouraged to look beyond their little garden of love and personal choice
and see marriage as a commitment to family, neighbourhood, church, and
society. The Coalition for Marriage, Family, and Couple Education
is spearheading a movement to promote marriage as an asset to society.
This means promoting marriage education in high school, mandatory pre marriage
counselling, and changes in the divorce policy. Most dioceses demand
that couples attend a pre marriage workshops. This workshop stresses
that the task of every Christian couple is to build their marriage on the
foundation of Christ. The love the couple has for each other must
eventually turn outward, toward creating a family, being a contributing
member of a church community, and actively caring for their relatives and
friends. As it says in the nuptial blessing: “Give this couple the
strength which comes from the Gospel so that they may be witnesses of Christ
to others.”
Uncomfortable
Dear Padre,
Why does the Church stress the sacrament of confession so much? I never liked going to confessions as a kid and like it even less now! What would the Church say to hard heads like myself?
Dear Uncomfortable,
Over the years, unlike you, I have enjoyed going to confession, or receiving the sacrament of reconciliation, and have gone frequently during my life. One thing I like about it is that I am able to receive forgiveness for my sins and feedback about my life from the priest. This feedback and forgiveness has given me courage to lead a better life. I have noticed that those who confess more frequently not only seem to be clearer on what is right and what is wrong in their lives, but are also able to actually live that vision.
The Church directs that we should confess at least once a year. This sacrament helps us, says the Catechism of the Catholic Church, to have “peace and serenity of conscience, the consolation of the Spirit and an increase of strength for the Christian battle” (CCC #1468). This means standing up for what is right and trusting in the Lord that we will be happy doing good as Jesus did.
Penance is also one of the seven sacraments. The sacraments are the pillars
that make up a healthy and holy Christian life. Deciding not to partake
of a sacrament is like deciding to take one of the main support beams out
of your home, and hoping that your home will still stand through the next
big storm. Saint Gerard, a Redemptorist brother, used to travel with the
mission preachers. He was a holy man and during the mission the people
would usually consult him before going to confession. You might pray to
Saint Gerard to give you a greater love for this sacrament.
The Christian Understanding of Life
We know as Christians that we are called into "New Life" through our baptism. Dying to sin and rising with Christ, we are set on the "way of Christ". This discipleship is achieved in the context of the community of faith. Christ was sent by the Father to establish the new people of God in which the fullness of life is made possible. Jesus says. "I have come that they may have life and have it in the fullness".
We are the new people of God, a community but the fulfilment requires the co-operation of believers and commitment of Christ. The community as a whole, as well as individual members must exert themselves, for we are all "on the way" to God's realm.
Our whole Christian life is expressed in how we relate to our self, to others and to the Creator of all. These activities can be put under three general headings: the preaching of faith by word and deed; the self offering in service of the neighbour; and the celebration of the togetherness of God and mankind.
Preaching faith by word and deed is a form of worship of God. The charitable service in the name of Christ is a form of the accomplishment of our duties toward the neighbour. Communal worship of supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings made for all people is very good in the sight of God. Each way of expressing our faith is important but Eucharist is the central activity of the Universal Church.
A priest tells of a friend who was heavy smoker. This gentleman decided to give up smoking because of high blood pressure and difficulties with his lungs, but immediately began to overeat. He put on some weight, then went back to smoking and became both a heavy smoker and an overeater.
One day the man and his wife were given the news that she was pregnant. They had been trying to have a child for years. The man once again decided he would quit smoking, so that he would be able to raise his child and not fear as much the consequence of dying young. He was able to give up both cigarettes and poor eating habits because he had someone to do those things for.
Love is the best motivator for our good actions.
Saint Basil taught the same lesson long before: “If we turn away from evil out of fear of punishment, we are in the position of slaves. If we pursue the enticement of wages, we resemble mercenaries. Finally if we obey for the sake of the good itself and out of love for him who commands, we are in the position of children”.
“If you only knew how Jesus loves you, how he always thinks of you and of your welfare, you could no longer live, no, you would die through the intensity of your love. If, then, you do not die of love, live for love…” (Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori)
None More Free
William E. Gladstone, a British politician of the second half of the 19th century, once invited some of his tenants and farm hands to a formal dinner at his home. For some of them, it was the first time they had seen such a fancy setting on a table. During the meal, one unfortunate fellow picked up is finger bowl, not knowing what it was for, and drank from it. Others laughed at him. Gladstone, to save the fellow embarrassment, picked up his finger bowl and drank from it (C.d., Tony Castle, More Quotes & Anecdotes, p. 352).
The way of Christ is to seek not one's own advantage, but the advantage of the poorest.
The great Roman philosopher and politician Cato the Elder (234-149 B.C.) made a habit of living simply. "…it was Cato’s practice to set out early on foot to the marketplace of the local town; there he would plead the law cases of all who required his services and later in the day return to his farm. Then he would set to work among his own labourers, wearing a sleeveless smock in winter and stripped to the waist in summer, and would sit down with them to eat the same bread and drink the same wine" (Plutarch, Makers of Rome, "Cato the Elder," #3).
Should we, who say we see Christ in the poor, do less? "No one is more powerful, no one is freer, than he who knows how to leave all things and think of himself as the least of all" (Thomas a Kempis, The imitation of Christ, Bk. II, Ch.11).
The Least We Can Do
A catechism class was discussing the lives of the saints. One young man remarked that he didn't want to be a saint because it was such hard work. He thought he could still get into heaven and just quietly sit in the back row.
This led the catechist conducting the class to tell a story:
“I once knew a man who only seemed to do the minimum. When he was young, this man did not graduate from high school because he did not want to study. He had an uncle who owned an auto body shop and the young man went to work for him. When his uncle was to retire, he wanted his nephew to take over. However, the young man did not want that kind of responsibility. When the uncle retired, the young man was out of job.
The young man managed to find another job and worked for less wages. He grew very fond of a young lady, but when she began to talk about marriage he broke off the relationship. He did not want to be bothered with the responsibilities of a family.
Eventually, this young man grew old. He went from one-low-paying job to another and never settled down with a family. In his old age, he had nothing and nobody.
The sad lesson that we learn from a life like that,” said the catechist, “is that we do not have much of a life if we seek only to give the minimum. Love means giving the maximum, whether it is to God or other people.”
MODEL OF UNITY
It is interesting that the English word devil is similar to the Greek word diabolos, which means “the one who throws things apart. The work of the devil has always been to create division, to destroy and to cast into confusion.
By contrast, wherever God’s Holy Spirit moves, there is new creation and unity. The feast of the Holy Trinity emphasizes the unity within God. The Holy Spirit of Love leads to creation, and us.
In every area of life, we are invited to share in the work of the Holy Spirit, to mirror God’s inner life of unity and love.
In our personal lives, we strive for integrity. We want to be whole persons, not saying one thing and acting in another way. Most of us, the goal of our lives and our fulfilment in heaven consist in our union with God.
In our family lives, we look for the warmth of mutual affection and love. The importance of our family in our growing cannot be emphasized too much. No church, no school, no government can reverse completely the effects of a dysfunctional family.
In our parish lives, we strive to be a truly Christian community. We recognize that each of us has a distinct role to play in the parish community, but that all the gifts God gives to us as individuals are meant to be used on behalf of the community.
Finally, our neighborhoods and our society are brought to greater unity as we strive to bring into them greater justice and peace.
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