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Catholic Cartoon Blog
I ran across this Catholic Cartoon Blog with some “Cartoons based on happenings in the Catholic Church, or in the world at large from a Catholic viewpoint.” — I added it to my blog roll.
Lots of comments and discussion about the Catholic Church and the world. Check it out.
CCD hs: St Ignatius + BAPTiSM + PRAY + ARRR + journaling (day 8)
In our high school Confirmation class, today was supposed to be a review of everything to day, but I couldn’t get my handouts run off in time, so I took the cue from the saint presented today and taught on next week’s topic, PRAYER.
St Ignatius of Loyola (16th century; feast day July 31) injured in battle at age 30. During recovery, he read the life of the saints & responded strongly to a personal call by God. He was convinced that God could be found in all things, and was guided by an inner peace (“consolation”) that comes from knowing one is doing the will of God. Developed the “Spiritual Exercises,” a practical guide to live a truly Christian life with prayer & especially devoted to the name of Christ (IHS). His companions were called the “Company of Jesus,” today called the “Society of Jesus,” or the Jesuits, one of the largest religious communities in the world. Besides the 3 vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, members take a 4th vow of obedience to the Pope.
Prayer of Self-Offering to God
— by St Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess, You have given me. I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your Will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough and will desire nothing more.
Sacrament of Marriage … purpose is …
- —Pro-create (open to children),
- —Educate (evangelize your Catholic children)
- —Holy Mate (get your spouse to heaven)
Types of prayers … B.A.P.T.i.S.M.
- BLESSING – invoke God’s power for a person, place or activity
- ADORATION – the “created” before the Creator
- PRAISE – glory God (for who He is)
- THANKSGIVING – gratitude (for what He does)
- i ASK for ME (petition) + OTHERS (intercession)
- SORRY – ask of forgiveness
- MEDITATION – tuning into God, reflection (through quiet prayer, Sacred Scripture, lectio divina, liturgy of the hours, Rosary, holy icons, imagery, books of daily devotion, lives of saints, works of spirituality, etc.)
The MASS includes ALL these types of prayer
CONTEMPLETIVE prayer — “silent love” — a deep awareness of God’s presence by being alone with God who we know loves us (“centering prayer” helps develop skills)
Steps in prayer … P.R.A.Y.
- PRAISE = God for who He is + thanksgiving
- REPENT = confess + rec forgiveness + change
- ASK = for others + me (see A.R.R.R.)
- YIELD = be open to God’s voice & His Will
[PRAYER] When your spending time in personal prayer with the Lord, here’s a good outline to follow . . . . A.R.R.R.
Personal Prayer … A.R.R.R.
- ACKNOWLEDGE –- How’s my life right now? Pay attention to your thought + feelings + desires (“the Big 3”).
- RELATE -– Tell God about ALL “3” honestly.
- RECEIVE -– Quiet your mind, focus on God, & listen to “the Big 3.” (Discern spirits)
- RESPOND -– do what you NEED to do
—When you have something to talk to the Lord about, process your “Big 3” with this model.
HOMEWORK:
(1) 3 prayer journals — letters to God, (2) Chapter 3 Quiz, (3) Chapter 17 Quiz
can laity replace priests?
While the lay faithful share in the “common priesthood,” they are not ordained ministers of Christ and His Church. “Hence,” the Pope cautioned, “it is important to avoid the secularization of clergy and the ‘clericalization’ of the laity.”
Check out the full article from the Catholic New Agency (CNA).
Pope + Lourdes + grotto = plenary indulgence
Since my home parish of St Bernadette Catholic Church has a grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, visiting and praying at the grotto between Feb 2-11, 2008 qualifies for a special Papal plenary indulgence to encourage renewed holiness, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the appearance of Mary to St Bernadette Soubirous near Lourdes, France.
An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment (in this world and in purgatory) due for sins committed. A plenary indulgence is the remission of all punishment. This is a tremendous gift from the Pope. To receive the indulgence, one should say the Our Father, Apostle’s Creed and the Hail Mary at the grotto along with a prayer for our Pope’s intentions and go to confession before Easter Sunday.
For more info & details, see article at Catholic News Service (CNS).
Thank you Jesus for your mercy and the Holy Catholic Church you have left us … with the treasury of your merits. May Our Lady continue to lead us to her Son, Jesus! Amen.
Communion & Liberation
COMMUNION & LIBERATION — this morning was a special presentation in St Raphael Chapel here at St John Vianney College Seminary. We had a keynote speaker, Christopher Bacich, leader of Communion and Liberation in the USA, introducing the latest book by founder Luigi Giussani called “Is It Possible to Live this Way?” The lay ecclesial movement, “CL” for short, is worldwide with an active presence here is South Florida. There are regular meetings nearby the seminary, that do small group spiritual readings (from Luigi Giussani’s books) and discuss their faith experiences together. Besides priests (like Fr Chris Marino, spiritual director here & pastor of Visitation Parish) and religious who belong to the movement, the movement has consecrated lay men and women who are committed to lifelong celibacy, known as the Memores Domini, who keep things going (one man lives down the street from the seminary).
The regular group meetings are called School of Community. [from flyers they handed out:] In it, participants learn to perceive the sense of the Mystery, upon which our life depends, and to live the Catholic faith through a companionship within everyday life. Community life is built through the School of Community, a weekly meeting open to everyone (no membership is needed) and held in places such as high schools, universities, parishes or workplaces with study and discussion about a text. The text (the same for all communities around the world) communicates the experiences of Father Giussani’s charism in a systematic form that helps us understand our lives and life of the Church and of the world. In South Florida, here are the current locations for meetings:
For High School students:
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Columbus High School (3000 SW 87th Ave., Miami, FL 33165), Classroom D16, Friday at 4:30pm. Contact Paolo Cazzoletti (paoloc90@hotmail.com).
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St Thomas Aquinas High School (2801 SW 12th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312). Contact Tommy (tmaranges@hotmail.com) or Simone (simone_brusa@hotmail.com).
For College Students & Professors:
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Miami locations to be announced, Friday at 7pm. Contact Luis A. Rivero (pater33@gmail.com).
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Ave Maria University. Contact Brendon Ford (Brendon.Ford@avemaria.edu) or Naomi Amsbery (naomi.ambsberry@avemaria.edu)
For Adults:
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Visitation Parish (19100 North Miami Avenue, Miami, FL 33169) in activity room, Tuesday at 7:30pm. Contact Elena Nunez (evnunez@bellsouth.net).
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NEW School of Community beginning in South West Miami. Location and time to be determined. Contact Eduardo & Martina Stadelmann (martina.stadelmann@gmx.net or 305-495-7597).
More info about Communion and Liberation on Wikipedia, CL USA website and CL international website. Apparently, Pope Benedict XVI has been a supporter of this movement back when he was Cardinal Ratzinger and has his own weekly meetings on Saturdays at the Vatican.
The event ended with a beautiful bi-lingual Mass with Archbishop Favalora, another great supporter of the CL movement, especially here in South Florida. — a great presentation by Fr Chris Marino and guest speaker Christopher Bacich (“Einstein of love”) 🙂
“holiness” in Rise … by John Paul II
With a bad rainstorm (drought-relief) today, I started re-reading John Paul II‘s book, “Rise, Let Us be on Our Way.” Although it mainly reflects on his journey to and through becoming a bishop, it is written for everyone. It’s a simple read with great personal insight and advice for all Christians. Here are some points I highlighted from the Ordination Liturgy parts of “Vocation” (section 1):
At a priestly ordination, the hands area anointed; at an episcopal [bishop] ordination the head is anointed. This signifies the call to new responsibilities: the bishop will have the task of guiding the Church, which will palce great demands on him. … The ring on the bishop’s finger signifies that he is married to the Church, the sign of fidelity … to protect the holy Church, bride of Christ. … The Book of Gospels is given to remind of a bishop’s calling, to not only serve, but he must be a teacher. … The miter is a reminder of his commitment to let the “light of holiness shine in him” like a “city on a hill” (Mt 5:14) to be “a living example to the flock” (1 Pet 5:3). … The crosier is a sign of the authority that enables the bishop to fulfill his duty to care for his flock.
Outside of the cool symbols, what really struck me was the personal call to holiness that ALL need to find.
The essential meaning of holiness is that it is always personal, and that each and every man is called to it. All members of the people of God are called, but each is called in a unique and unrepeatable manner. … A shepherd must watch, protect and lead every sheep to discover that holiness is not “some kind of extraordinary existence, possible only for a few ‘uncommon heroes’ of holiness. The ways of holiness are many, according to the vocation of each individual.” What a great potential of grace lies dormant in the vast numbers of the baptized!
— I can say no more.
SJVCS Seminary Life Album
July '09 -- hospital chaplains @ IPF
Easter '09 -- Miami SJVCS friends
the Son always finds a break in let the clouds
Feb '09 -- school vocation talks @ AMHS
Feb '09 -- cold breakfast with brothers (Matias, Fenly & Randy), now at SVDP and Imad (at SJVCS)
Superbowl '09 -- eating great @ SJVCS
Sept '08 -- Worklist Coordinators?
St Raphael Chapel mural @ SJVCS
Sept '08 -- retreats @ SJVCS
"It's not easy being green"
Catholic Kermit 
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