Twenty-seventh Sunday

Twenty-seventh Sunday

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 141

Reading 1

HB 1:2-3; 2:2-4

How long, O LORD? I cry for help

but you do not listen!

I cry out to you, "Violence!"

but you do not intervene.

Why do you let me see ruin;

why must I look at misery?

Destruction and violence are before me;

there is strife, and clamorous discord.

Then the LORD answered me and said:

Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets,

so that one can read it readily.

For the vision still has its time,

presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;

if it delays, wait for it,

it will surely come, it will not be late.

The rash one has no integrity;

but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;

let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us bow down in worship;

let us kneel before the LORD who made us.

For he is our God,

and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:

"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,

as in the day of Massah in the desert,

Where your fathers tempted me;

they tested me though they had seen my works."

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Reading 2

2 TM 1:6-8, 13-14

Beloved:

I remind you, to stir into flame

the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. 

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice

but rather of power and love and self-control. 

So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,

nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;

but bear your share of hardship for the gospel

with the strength that comes from God.

Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me,

in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 

Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit

that dwells within us.

Gospel

LK 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." 

The Lord replied,

"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,

you would say to this mulberry tree,

'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

"Who among you would say to your servant

who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,

'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? 

Would he not rather say to him,

'Prepare something for me to eat.

Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.

You may eat and drink when I am finished'? 

Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? 

So should it be with you.

When you have done all you have been commanded,

say, 'We are unprofitable servants;

we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

To be a Priest?

To be a Priest?

 I came across this video last night and it was like an answer to a prayer. It helped put some things into perspective and answered some other questions. Other questions did arise from watching the video while others subsided. I must say this by far is one of the best videos I have watched about discerning the Priesthood.  If there is anyone you know who is going through discernment I would suggest sending him the link. Even if you are not discerning, I think this video takes you into a very personal process and shows what goes through some men's minds as the call is discerned. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and may we all pray for an increase of Priests. 

Feast Of Gaurdian Angel

Feast Of Gaurdian Angel

     Today is the Feast/Memorial of Guardian Angels. I have included some information I came across as well as prayers to our Guardian Angels. I must admit that I forgot about my Guardian Angel. I took it more as a child and as I became an adult that Guardian Angel left my side or took more if a back seat role. I could not have been more wrong. Looking back I see where my guardian angel was there for me and i bet there are many many more that I didn't even realize. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and remember to pray and ask for your Guardian Angels protection.



Perhaps no aspect of Catholic piety is as comforting to parents as the belief that an angel protects their little ones from dangers real and imagined. Yet guardian angels are not only for children. Their role is to represent individuals before God, to watch over them always, to aid their prayer and to present their souls to God at death.

The concept of an angel assigned to guide and nurture each human being is a development of Catholic doctrine and piety based on Scripture but not directly drawn from it. Jesus' words in Matthew 18:10 best support the belief: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."

Devotion to the angels began to develop with the birth of the monastic tradition. St. Benedict (July 11) gave it impetus and Bernard of Clairvaux (August 20), the great 12th-century reformer, was such an eloquent spokesman for the guardian angels that angelic devotion assumed its current form in his day.

A feast in honor of the guardian angels was first observed in the 16th century. In 1615, Pope Paul V added it to the Roman calendar.

Prayers:

Angel of God, my Guardian dear, to whom His love commits me here, ever this day (or night) be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

 O most Faithful companion, 

appointed by God to be my guide and protector, 

and who art ever at my side, 

what thanks can I offer thee for thy faithfulness and 

love, 

and for all the benefits 

which thou hast conferred upon me? 

Thou watchest over me in sleep; 

thou consolest me when I am sad; 

thou liftest me up when I fall; 

thou avertest the dangers that threaten me; 

thou preparest me for the future; 

thou withdrawest me from evil 

and excitest me to good; 

thou exhortest me to penance when I yield to temptation; 

and reconcilest me to my offended God. 

Long since should I have been cast into hell, 

unless by thy prayers thou hadst averted from me the anger 

of God. 

Leave me not, then, I entreat thee; 

but still comfort me in adversity, 

restrain me in prosperity, 

defend me in danger, 

assist me in temptations, 

lest at any time I fall a victim to them. 

Offer to God my prayers and groanings, 

and all my religious exercises, 

and obtain for me the great gift of final perseverance, 

and the grace to die in the friendship of my Creator, 

and so to enter into life everlasting.

Amen.

Dear Angel at my side, 
my good and loyal friend, 
you have been with me since the moment I was born. 
You are my own personal guardian, 
given me by God as my guide and protector, 
and you will stay with me till I die. 
He who created you and me 
gave me to you as your particular charge. 
You assisted in great joy at my baptism, 
when I became part of the Mystical Body of Christ, 
and was made a member of the household of God 
and an heir of heaven. 
You saw the dangers that beset my path, 
and, if I sinned, 
it was in spite of you. 
You envied me when Christ came to me in Holy Communion. 
Even though you probably were there 
among the angels that adored Him 
the night that He was born, 
you have not been able to receive Him as I can. 
O, help me to appreciate these gifts! 
Help me to realize, as you do, 
with every fiber of my being, 
that to serve Christ is to be a King! 
Help me steadfastly to avoid evil 
and do good and always guard my soul from sin. 
Protect me as well from physical evils 
as I go about my daily work. 
You will be with me all my life, 
and at the hour of my death. 
Help me to face death bravely, patiently, 
with great love of God, 
knowing that it is only through death 
that I can come to Him in heaven! 
Then, come with me to my Judge, 
and when the hour of my salvation comes, 
take me home to my Father, God.

Amen 

Catholic

Catholic

    What does Catholic mean to you? Have you ever really sat down and thought about it? I feel that it is something we all need to do from time to time. To really ask ourselves the question of what it means and then ask yourself is that what I am portraying to the world. 

   We know that the word catholic means, “Universal”. For me there is one word that sums up what I believe and that is truth. There is nothing else out in the world that embodies the meaning of truth more then the Catholic faith. It is what I try, the best I can, to apply to my daily life. I do fall short at times but it is by the graces of the Catholic Faith that I am able to return and get back up and try again. Catholic is the essence of a Life that is unending and unyielding. It gives strength and raises our Mind, Heart and Soul to a higher elevation. It stirs the Holy Spirit within us. It keeps the path straight before us. It saves us from damnation. It lights the way. It offers us the peace that the world can not. It is love. It is caring. It is the breath of life. It is the turner of directions in life. It is an unstoppable force. It is strength. It is healing. It is life giving. It is uplifting. It is prayer. It is the embodiment of Jesus. It is God’s hand reaching out. It is the fire of the Holy Spirit. It is everything to me.

   I can go on and on about what Catholic means to me but the simplest answer for me is like I said and that is “Truth”. What does it mean to you? Remember what it means to you when life is hard and you find yourself wondering what it all means. I would even say write it all down and keep that list close by so you can read it and remember what it means. Cause, sometimes in life we all get off the path and need to remember what it is all about. I know for me now, it is what I hold on to. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and may we all remember what “Catholic” means to us. 

Canonization

Canonization

  The date for canonization of Blessed Pope John Paul ll and Blessed John XXlll has been set for April 27, 2014, Divine Mercy Sunday. This is a significant day because Pope John Paul ll declared that the second Sunday after Easter would be declared Divine Mercy Sunday after He canonized St. Faustina. 

   This is an exciting time in the church. Many people will be making a pilgrimage to see this historic event. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and may we all seek to be saints. 

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 138

Reading 1

AM 6:1A, 4-7

Thus says the LORD the God of hosts:

Woe to the complacent in Zion!

Lying upon beds of ivory,

stretched comfortably on their couches,

they eat lambs taken from the flock,

and calves from the stall!

Improvising to the music of the harp,

like David, they devise their own accompaniment.

They drink wine from bowls

and anoint themselves with the best oils;

yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!

Therefore, now they shall be the first to go into exile,

and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 146:7, 8-9, 9-10

R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

Blessed he who keeps faith forever,

secures justice for the oppressed,

gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets captives free.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

The LORD gives sight to the blind.

The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;

the LORD loves the just.

The LORD protects strangers.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

The fatherless and the widow he sustains,

but the way of the wicked he thwarts.

The LORD shall reign forever;

your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

Reading 2

1 TM 6:11-16

But you, man of God, pursue righteousness,

devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. 

Compete well for the faith. 

Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called

when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.

I charge you before God, who gives life to all things,

and before Christ Jesus,

who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession,

to keep the commandment without stain or reproach

until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ

that the blessed and only ruler

will make manifest at the proper time,

the King of kings and Lord of lords,

who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light,

and whom no human being has seen or can see. 

To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.

Gospel

LK 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees:

"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen

and dined sumptuously each day.

And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,

who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps

that fell from the rich man's table.

Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.

When the poor man died,

he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. 

The rich man also died and was buried,

and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,

he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off

and Lazarus at his side.

And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. 

Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,

for I am suffering torment in these flames.'

Abraham replied,

'My child, remember that you received

what was good during your lifetime 

while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;

but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.

Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established

to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go

from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’

He said, 'Then I beg you, father,

send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers,

so that he may warn them,

lest they too come to this place of torment.'

But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.

Let them listen to them.'

He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,

but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, 

neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

Meaning of Catholic

Meaning of Catholic

   I would like us to think what it means to us personally " What it means to be Catholic". For the next few days think about this question. Go to mass and think what it is and then on Sunday/Monday I will post my own thoughts on this. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and remember what it means to be Catholic.