catholic family faith

Open That Bible!

When was the last time you cracked the binding of your family Bible?  I have to admit that our family Bible doesn't get opened much anymore.  Oh, my personal Bible is opened every day, but since my daughters graduated from high school, my family hasn't read the Scriptures together.  (We hear them at Sunday Mass, but we're often at different Masses.)

My own experience makes me wonder about how many other families read the Bible on a regular basis.  Here is my challenge for your family/household:  Crack open your Bible at least weekly.  Whether it's your big family Bible (you know, the one you and your husband received at your wedding or the one you received when your first child was baptized), your personal Bible, or even if you have to go out and buy a new Bible, put it on your kitchen table and open it up at least once a week.  (I'll do a separate posting on suggestions for purchasing Bibles.)

Here are some tips for reading the Scriptures together as a family:

• Don't let your fear of not knowing what's what keep you from opening your Bible.  Start with the Table of Contents; there you will find a listing of the books of the Old Testament and the New Testament.  Together count the number of books of the Old Testament, then the number of books of the New Testament.  Notice the breakout of the books of the Old Testament:  The Pentateuch, the Historical Books, the Wisdom Books, the Prophetic Books.  Look at the breakout of the books of the New Teevelation.stament:  The Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the New Testament Letters or Epistles, the Catholic letters (if you have a Catholic Bible), the Book of Revelation.
• Decide what to read.  You have choices!  You can simply open your Bible and begin reading where your eye lands first.  You can begin with a specific book; what book are you curious about?  You can follow along with the Church's Lectionary, the Sunday or daily readings.  (Click on the USCCB Readings and Psalms for the Month icon on the left menu.) 
• A word about chapter and verse notations...Bible passages are noted with the name of the book, the number of the chapter, and the number of the verse(s).  For example, if you see something like "Mt 13:1-23," the "Mt" is the initials for the book (in this case, Matthew), the "13" before the colon is the chapter number, and the "1-23" is the verses of the passage; so you would open your Bible to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, verses 1-23.  (If you are unsure about the initials of the book noted, Google the passage or go to www.biblegateway.com and search the initials to find the book it is referencing.)
• Read the passage reflectively.  Read the passage through slowly one time.  Let family members just listen to the words and sit quietly with them for a moment.  Then read the passage slowly again.  Invite family members to speak one word or phrase that stood out for them; just the word or phrase.  Read the passage slowly a third time.  Invite family members to dialogue about what they hear from this passage.  This is a process of Lectio Divina, Divine Reading.  It is a wonderful way to hear what God is speaking to you through the passage.

Remember that there is no wrong way to read the Bible!  No matter what you read or how you read it, if you just read a passage and reflect on it, you will be hearing God's Word. 

This week, begin making time at least one time per week to read your Bible.  I promise you that it will unite your family with one another and with God.

If you have Bible reading practices that have worked with your family, share your thoughts in "Comments."

 

The Sacred Heart of Jesus & The Immaculate Heart of Mary

Yesterday, July 1, was the Solemn Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Today, July 2, is the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Two feasts celebrating tremendous LOVE.

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost.  The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary falls on the Saturday following the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus had been practiced as a private devotion since the Middle Ages, especially among the Benedictines, Cistercians, Franciscans, Dominicans and Carthusians.  In the 17th century, Margaret Mary Alacoque claimed to have had visions of Jesus Christ.  Through her visions, Saint Margaret Mary promoted the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  The Church, in its typical sceptical fashion, did not immediately embrace the revelations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  It wasn't until Pope Leo XIII at the end of the 19th century that the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was officially instituted in the Church.

In his encyclical Annum Sacrum (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_25051899_annum-sacrum_en.html), Pope Leo XIII decreed that the entire human race be consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11, 1899.  Pope Pius X decreed that this consecration of the human race be renewed each year.   Pope Leo XIII also established that June be the month devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and encouraged the entire Church to practice the devotion of the Nine First Fridays.  Since that time, Catholics around the world have gone to daily Mass on the First Fridays of the month.

It doesn't happen often that the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus falls on July 1st.  This occurs only when Easter is the latest that it can be, at the end of April, which did happen in 2011.

Even though yesterday, July 1, was the offical Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, I would suggest that individuals and households pray the Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Download Litany_SacredHeartofJesus.pdf (58.7K)

The devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary refers to the interior life of Mary, her joys, sorrows, and virtues, and her devoted love of God and complete self-giving to her son, Jesus.  Devotion to Mary's heart and her example of selfless love have been practiced since the first century Church.  The alliance of the devotions of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus officially began in the 17th century with Saint Jean Eudes, prior to the visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.

For more on the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, visit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Heart and http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07163a.htm

For more on the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, visit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immaculate_Heart_of_Mary and http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07168a.htm

keeping current from children's ministry

I just receive the July/August 2011 children's ministry magazine.  One of the magazine's featured articles is "keeping current."  Here are some interesting tidbits of information...

• Grade point averages of kids who attend church regularly are 14.4% higher than the GPA of kids who don't.
• 70% of kids ages 5 to 9 have a TV in their bedroom.  Of those kids, 32% are already overweight or at risk for becoming overweight.
• 7.5 million kids under the age of 13 actively use Facebook, according to a recent survey conducted by Consumer Reports.

children's ministry magazine is a wonderful resource!  If you are a parent or catechist and would like to see more articles from children's ministry, check out

http://www.childrensministry.com/

Fruit of the Spirit - Patience

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23, NAB)  

21st century American culture promotes instant gratification:  If you want it, you need it NOW!  To live as a person filled with the Spirit, is to be counter-cultural.  If your focus is on God, nothing else will be as important and so, you will be able to nurture the fruit of PATIENCE.

So often I hear people say that they just need more patience.  "I need more patience...when dealing with my children; when dealing with my co-workers; when dealing with my spouse..."  Patience seems to be a sought-after virtue. 

I have to admit that I'm having a bit of a difficult time coming up with ideas for practicing and cultivating patience.  Here are a couple, but if you have others, please share them by offering a comment.

• Practice the art of waiting.  Be deliberately counter-cultural.  As you're shopping, when you find something in the store, don't give in to the culture's "got-to-have-it-now" mentality.  Gaze at it for a few moments, then walk away.  When you get home and over the next couple of days, pray to God for insight as to whether you should really have that item.  If you find that you aren't thinking about the item, you're probably able to live without it so you really don't need it.  (This will also help keep your finances and clutter under control!)
• Take a step back.  The practice of counting to 10 really does work.  If you feel yourself getting frustrated with your children, spouse, co-workers, or friends, close your eyes, take a deep breath and count to 10 or even better, pray a short prayer (Glory Be, Hail Mary, Jesus help me...) 

What other techniques do you practice to cultivate PATIENCE?

Fruit of the Spirit - Peace

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23, NAB)  

Our world is full of unrest...war, violence, abuse, crime, serious family dysfunction.  It seems that for every act of good and peace, there are more acts of violence and unrest.  How can we even begin to work for peace?

We begin to work for peace one act at a time.  We begin with ourselves.

Remember, the Spirit of peace already dwells within you.  So how can you nurture that Spirit to produce and grow the fruit of peace?

• Recognize and accept your weaknesses.  One of the primary causes of unrest within ourselves is our need to be perfect.  No human being is perfect, with the exception of Christ Jesus.  No matter how hard you try, you will never attain perfection on your own.  You will only attain perfection when you are purified when you meet the Creator and Author of Life in heaven.  So give yourself a break.  If something isn't turning out the way you had hoped, ask yourself what the Holy Spirit might be saying to you.  You cannot control everything.  As you work and work to attain perfection, you are likely inhibiting the Spirit of Creativity and Surprise to move in your life.  As you recognize your weaknesses and realize that it really is okay to make mistakes, you will feel more peace in your soul. 
• Give yourself permission to slow down and be quiet.  Our culture drills it into us that we need to keep moving:  Work to make money to buy things; get your kids involved in lots of activities so that they will succeed in life; idleness is bad.  God, on the other hand, gave us the Sabbath.  God so recognized our need for rest that God told Moses, "You must tell the Israelites: 'Take care to keep my sabbaths, for that is to be the token between you and me throughout the generations, to show that it is I, the Lord, who make you holy'" (Exodus 31:13).  Our bodies need to rest in order to function.  Our souls need to rest in order to cultivate peace within.  Make time to just be, without doing.  This may be very difficult at first, but just keep trying.
• Forgive yourself.  One of the most difficult lines of the Lord's Prayer is "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."  The "those" that we need to forgive includes ourselves.  It seems that it is more difficult to forgive ourselves than it is to forgive others.  God loved you into being and so God will do everything God possibly can do to keep you close, including forgiving for any and every sin you will ever commit.  God's mercy is beyond human understanding.  Each and every day, accept God's mercy.  At the end of each day, tell yourself, "I forgive you."

As you cultivate the fruit of peace in your own life, it will flow over into your relationships with others.  And as you cultivate peace in your relationships, it will flow out into the world.

Fruit of the Spirit - Joy

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23, NAB)

Do you know anyone who always seems to be happy?  They never get over-anxious or carried away with negativity.  They always seem to be calm.  They see the bright side of every situation.

These people do exist.  Some call them optimists.  We should call them Christians. 

As Christians, people created in the image of God, baptized in water and the Holy Spirit, we are called to live and express JOY.

Joy grows deeper than happiness.  Happiness comes from outside of us and is fleeting.  We are happy when good things happen to us, but when we're faced with trials, happiness eludes us.  Joy, on the other hand, comes from within.  Joy is rooted in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  When we recognize the Spirit within us, joy bubbles up and flows out from us.  Joy is more than expression, it is an attitude.

So how do we nurture JOY to blossom and grow in our lives?

• One of the best things you can do to nurture joy in your life is to count your blessings.  Everyone needs an "attitude of gratitude."  Try this practice:  At the end of each day, name three blessings you received from God that day.  Three is a good number because it is the number for the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, Spirit.  Name three ways you experienced, felt, or were gifted by the Trinity.  How did the Father bless you?  How did you feel the Son with you?  How were you empowered by the Holy Spirit?  What three blessings, or gifts, did you experience sometime during the day.
• Tell God "Thank you!"  As you recognize your gifts and blessings, express your gratitude to God.  As you vocalize your thankfulness, you will be drawn deeper and deeper into the Joy of the Holy Spirit.
• As you experience struggles or feel negativity, ask the Holy Spirit to enfold you, to wrap you in the warmth of God's love.  As you do this, you will begin to experience your trials not as negative issues to be dealt with, but as opportunities to call on God.  The more you call out to God, the more you will feel God's presence within you, and the more joyful you will become.  When you recognize God holding and empowering you, you will naturally feel the Joy of the Spirit bubbling up within you.

Yes, these actions are simple, but practiced regularly, they will nurture fruit of JOY in your heart, which will in turn be reflected in your attitude and life.

Fruit of the Spirit - Love

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23, NAB)

A fruit is something that blossoms and grows as a result or consequence of an action or effort.  When a plant is nurtured and pruned, it develops fruit.  As we recognize the presence of God, the Holy Spirit, in our hearts and lives and nurture that presence, it grows and develops the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

So what can we do to nurture our souls to allow the fruit of LOVE to blossom and grow in our lives?

• Look to the Scriptures.  The word "love" appears in the Bible (New American Standard version) 484 times.  Suggestion:  Go to www.biblegateway.com, click on "Topical Index" on the menu, type in "love," and click on "Search Topic."  Read and reflect on the Scripture passages noted.  What do these passages tell you about God's love for you?  What do they say about your love for God and others?  What challenges do they present for you - prunings, if you will - to better grow the fruit of love in your life?
• Reflect on St. Paul's exhortation on love:  1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.  How do you live this exhortation in your life?
• Examine your relationships.  How do express your love for your family?  How do you relate to your co-workers?  How do you live friendship?  Love is a communal action.  Amazingly, love grows as you express it outward to others.
• Pray the Great Commandment every day.  The Jewish people pray the Great Shema, which we call the Great Commandment, when the rise each morning before they do anything else.  Make it a habit of praying this prayer each morning:  "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27, NASB)
• Make sacrifices for others throughout the day.  As you encounter challenges and difficulties, offer them up for your prayer intentions.  If you're having a bad day, pray "Lord, I offer up this day for the intention of..."  Make a deliberate fast for a special intention.  (Fasting isn't just for Lent.)  Offering up our sacrifices for our prayer intentions moves our focus from ourselves to God and others.  Love grows in our hearts when our focus moves from ourselves to God and others.

What other ways might you be able to develop and grow the fruit of Love in your life?  Allow the Spirit of Creativity to inspire you to nurture and prune your life to grow Love.

Pentecost is OUR Feast

The feast of Pentecost is one of my favorite feasts of the year.  I love the images of the "noise like a strong driving wind" and the "tongues as of fire" (Acts 2:2, 3, NAB).  I can see in my mind's eye the apostles gathered together with the wind swirling around them and then the Light of the Spirit descending upon them, filling them with Awe in the Lord, Wisdom and Understanding, Courage and Fortitude, Counsel and Knowledge. 

I can imagine the apostles, filled with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, going out from where they were to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.  They travelled to "Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene...[and] Rome" (Acts 2:9-10, NAB), and people listened to them.  Filled with the Holy Spirit, they went forth courageously and spoke with wisdom.  They were able to share the Good News not because of anything that they did, but because they were empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to exemplify the Fruits of their empowerment.  They lived lives of love, joy, and peace.  They addressed people with patience, kindness, generosity, and gentleness.  They carried out their mission with faithfulness and self-control.

Pentecost is not just a celebration of the apostles, though.  Pentecost is our feast.  We have been filled with the Holy Spirit.  We have been blessed with the Gifts of Awe, Wisdom, Understanding, Courage, Fortitude, Counsel and Knowledge.  Now it is up to us to accept those gifts and to let the Spirit fill us and empower us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

If we accept the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we will live in love, joy and peace.  We will deal with people with patience, kindness, generosity, and gentleness.  We will be faithful to God's will and will have self-control to stay directed toward God rather than toward worldly pleasures.

Each day this week, I invite you to reflect on each of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.  Reflect on how your acceptance of the Gifts of the Spirit has exemplified the Fruits in your life.  Which Fruits do you easily see in yourself?  Which Fruits might be below the surface?  What can you do to better welcome the Spirit into your life so that those Fruits might be better exemplified in your life?

Join me, beginning tomorrow, in examining each of the Fruits of the Spirit, with examples of how we can better welcome the Spirit into our lives so that we might experience those Fruits in our lives.

Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 9 (June 11, 2011)

Send the Power to Reconcile

Pray the Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.  Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. 

O God, who did instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in the Spirit's consolation.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Pray:

Thou on those who evermore, Thee confess and Thee adore, in Thy sevenfold gifts descend; give them comfort when they die; give them life with Thee on high; give them joys which never end!

Father, through Jesus, your Son, you sent the Paraclete to be at our side, to reconcile all creation to you.  Grant that we may be forever open to Jesus’ invitation to “Receive the Holy Spirit!”  Open our hearts to accept your forgiveness for our sins and to offer that same forgiveness to those who we feel have offended us.  For merciful forgiveness is the essence of your love revealed in your Son.  Come, O Divine Spirit, fill our hearts with your heavenly fruits:  Your charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control, that we may, by faithful submission to your inspiration, merit to be united eternally with you in the love of the Father and the Son.  Amen.

Pray the Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Christ Jesus, before ascending into heaven, you promised to send your Holy Spirit to your disciples.  Grant us this same gift that our lives may reflect your grace and love.

Grant us the Spirit of Awe in the Lord, that we may be filled with a loving reverence toward you.

Grant us the Spirit of Piety, that we may find peace and fulfillment in the service of God while serving others.

Grant us the Spirit of Fortitude, that we may bear our cross with you and, with courage, overcome the obstacles that draw us away from you.

Grant us the Spirit of Knowledge, that we may know you and know ourselves and grow in holiness.

Grant us the Spirit of Understanding, to enlighten our minds with the light of your truth.

Grant us the Spirit of Counsel, that we may choose the surest way of doing your will, seeking first the kingdom.

Grant us the Spirit of Wisdom, that we may aspire to the things that last forever.

Teach us to be your faithful disciples and animate us in every way with your Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 8 (June 10, 2011)

Gifted Through the Spirit

Pray the Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.  Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. 

O God, who did instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in the Spirit's consolation.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Pray:

Bend the stubborn heart and will; melt the frozen, warm the chill; guide the steps that go astray!

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Wisdom, strengthen our faith, increase our hope, perfect our charity.  O God, enlighten us each day, in the silence of our hearts, to discern the voice of your Spirit, to do what you ask of us, and to understand the gifts you freely give us.  Amen.

Pray the Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Christ Jesus, before ascending into heaven, you promised to send your Holy Spirit to your disciples.  Grant us this same gift that our lives may reflect your grace and love.

Grant us the Spirit of Awe in the Lord, that we may be filled with a loving reverence toward you.

Grant us the Spirit of Piety, that we may find peace and fulfillment in the service of God while serving others.

Grant us the Spirit of Fortitude, that we may bear our cross with you and, with courage, overcome the obstacles that draw us away from you.

Grant us the Spirit of Knowledge, that we may know you and know ourselves and grow in holiness.

Grant us the Spirit of Understanding, to enlighten our minds with the light of your truth.

Grant us the Spirit of Counsel, that we may choose the surest way of doing your will, seeking first the kingdom.

Grant us the Spirit of Wisdom, that we may aspire to the things that last forever.

Teach us to be your faithful disciples and animate us in every way with your Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.