Anti-abortion groups to buy ads on Google

Religious groups had accused the search giant of breaching equality laws by banning ads which criticized abortion

From Times Online - September 17, 2008 - by Dan Sabbagh

Christian and other religious groups opposed to abortion were allowed to advertise on Google for the first time from today, after the search engine capitulated in the face of a legal challenge.

Google had banned pro-life religious groups from buying adverts against search terms such as “abortion” and “abortion help” but was forced to abandon its policy after it was accused of breaching equalities legislation.

The challenge was brought by the Christian Institute, a cross-denominational pressure group, who said that Google’s change of heart was an acknowledgement of the rights of everybody to hold an opinion on the subject.

Mike Judge from the Christian Institute said: “Google were taking adverts from pro-abortion groups, and our view is that was a free speech issue. What we want to do is set out the acts in a pretty factual and pretty sensible way”.

Google had been taken to court by the Christian Institute earlier in the year, arguing that its policy was in breach of the Equalities Act of 2006. Initially, Google said it would fight in the courts, but changed its mind over the summer. Its new policy applies globally.

Acknowledging that the issue of abortion was “an emotive subject”, Google said that it reconsidered its policy following the Christian Institute’s challenge, and said it would be “creating a level playing field and enabling religious associations to place ads on abortion in a factual way”.

However, it was unclear how Google would define the introduction of factual advertising, in an area where anti-abortion groups have been willing to use graphic images of aborted fetuses in an effort to make their point. The Christian Institute, taking a broader interpretation, said that Google’s new policy also amounted to allowing “campaigning ads”.

A spokesman for Marie Stopes International, which runs abortion treatment clinics, said the organisation was supportive of Google’s decision because both sides in the abortion debate should “be given equal opportunity to set out their arguments” but worried about the possibility of distortion.

u“Where we draw the line when people use dodgy research or dodgy arguments to further their case — for example where people show images of 24 week old aborted foetuses and say they are in fact 12 weeks old”.

Mr Judge said that the Christian Institute — which took out its first Google adverts yesterday — were “not a group of headbangers, and would set out its position in a pretty factual, pretty sensible way”. Its advert links to a series of briefing papers and news articles about the topic.

Dolls and Trucks - Gender Matters Raising Children - September 11, 2008

Thank you Kris for a great teaching/sharing on the topic of gender differences between boys and girls.

If you missed this night, the outline for Kris' teaching is below.

Angelus Prayer

On September 14, Pope Benedict XVI mentions the importance of the Angelus Prayer, ..."when the first hours of the day are already beginning to weigh us down with fatigue, our availability and our generosity are renewed by the contemplation of Mary's 'yes'. This clear and unreserved 'yes'."

The Angelus Prayer is available here.  This was taken from the Fish Eaters web site.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

V  The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.

R  And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

All  Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and in the hour of our death.

V  Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

R  Be it done unto me according to thy word.

All  Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and in the hour of our death.

V  And the Word was made Flesh.

R  And dwelt among us.

All  Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and in the hour of our death.

V  Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.

R  That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

V  Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that, we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an Angel, may by His Passion and Cross, be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord.

All  Amen.

Mary’s ‘yes’ helps renew our commitment to our vocations, Pope says

Full article here.

Paris, Sep 14, 2008 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- After celebrating Mass in Lourdes on Sunday morning, Pope Benedict spoke about the importance of the Angelus prayer. Addressing an audience of more than 100,000 people, the Holy Father encouraged them to contemplate the “yes” of Mary, and learn from her example how to fulfill their own vocations.  
Benedict XVI began his remarks by nothing that every day, thanks to the Angelus prayer, "when the first hours of the day are already beginning to weigh us down with fatigue, our availability and our generosity are renewed by the contemplation of Mary's 'yes'. This clear and unreserved 'yes'."

"While sin divides, separating us from one another," he continued, "Mary's purity makes her infinitely close to our hearts, attentive to each of us and desirous of our true good. You see it here in Lourdes, as in all Marian shrines; immense crowds come thronging to Mary's feet to entrust to her their most intimate thoughts, their most heartfelt wishes."

The faithful who bring their petitions to Mary find that her “maternal love disarms all pride; it renders man capable of seeing himself as he is, and it inspires in him the desire to be converted so as to give glory to God," Benedict expounded.
Stating that Mary teaches men and women to approach the Lord "in truth and simplicity," Pope Benedict noted, "Thanks to her, we discover that the Christian faith is not a burden: it is like a wing which enables us to fly higher, so as to take refuge in God's embrace." He continued, "In Mary, the Church can already contemplate what she is called to become. Every believer can contemplate, here and now, the perfect fulfillment of his or her own
vocation."
The Holy Father also asked that his audience be always thankful for the Lord's "plan of salvation" revealed "through the mystery of Mary." He noted that this mystery "is revealed to us through the words of Jesus himself that his Mother is our Mother."
Pope Benedict concluded by invoking the help of Mary: "Monstra Te esse Matrem. Show yourself a Mother for us all, O Mary! And give us Christ, the hope of the world! Amen."
After the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted English-speakers present: "I pray that your participation in our pilgrimage here to Lourdes, in this anniversary year of the apparitions, will renew your relationship with Mary Mother of the Church and assist you to come to understand more fully her trust in God and her love of the Son. I extend my greetings to the members of your families at home: may our immaculate Mother continue to protect us all offering consolation especially to the sick and the suffering!"

Following the Angelus, the Holy Father traveled to the St. Joseph Hermitage where he lunched with bishops from the Midi-Pyrenees region.

Copyright @ CNA
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com)

Mary allows ‘love stronger than death’ to bring hope to the world, Holy Father preaches

Full Article here.

Lourdes, Sep 14, 2008 / 02:18 pm (CNA).- More than 100,000 pilgrims gathered in Lourdes on Sunday morning for the final Mass of the celebrations surrounding the 150^th anniversary of the apparitions at Lourdes. “There is a love in this world that is stronger than death,” than our sins and our imperfections, the Pope proclaimed as he led the celebration of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

The final Mass, which was held on the meadow adjacent to the Shrine of Lourdes, commenced shortly after Pope Benedict made his way through the crowd in his popemobile.

"On this day when the Church's liturgy celebrates the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross", he said in his homily, "the Gospel you have just heard reminds us of the meaning of this great mystery: ... The Son of God became vulnerable, assuming the condition of a slave, obedient even to death, death on a cross. By His Cross we are saved.

"The instrument of torture, which on Good Friday manifested God's judgment on the world, has become a source of life, pardon, mercy, a sign of reconciliation and peace,” the Pope stated. ... The Church invites us ... to give thanks to God because from a tree which brought death, life has burst out anew."

"It is significant," he observed, "that during the first apparition to Bernadette Mary begins the encounter with the sign of the Cross," this is "an initiation into the mysteries of the faith that Bernadette receives from Mary. The sign of the Cross is a kind of synthesis of our faith, ... it tells us that there is a love in this world that is stronger than death. ... The power of love is stronger than the evil which threatens us. It is this mystery of the universality of God's love for men that Mary came to reveal here, in Lourdes."

"The Church has received the mission of showing all people this loving face of God, manifested in Jesus Christ. ... It is He Who will make us free to love as He loves us, and to build a reconciled world. For on this Cross, Jesus took upon Himself the weight of all the sufferings and injustices of our humanity. He bore the humiliation and the discrimination, the torture suffered in many parts of the world by so many of our brothers and sisters for love of Christ."

The celebration of the anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady in Lourdes, said the Holy Father, "urges us to embark upon a journey of faith and conversion. Today, Mary comes to meet us, so as to show us the way towards a renewal of life for our communities and for each one of us."

"Jesus, born of Mary, is the Son of God, the sole Savior of all people, living and acting in His Church and in the world. The Church is sent everywhere in the world to proclaim this unique message and to invite people to receive it through an authentic conversion of heart. This mission, entrusted by Jesus to His disciples, receives here, on the occasion of this Jubilee, a breath of new life."

Following the Jubilee Way in the footsteps of Bernadette, "we are reminded of the heart of the message of Lourdes. Bernadette is the eldest daughter of a very poor family, with neither knowledge nor power, and in poor health. Mary chose her to transmit her message of conversion, prayer and penance, which fully accord with words of Jesus: 'What you have hidden from the wise and understanding, you have revealed to babes'. ... It is therefore a genuine catechesis that is being proposed to us in this way, under Mary's gaze."

When the "beautiful lady" revealed her name to Bernadette - "I am the Immaculate Conception" - she disclosed "the extraordinary grace that she has received from God. ... Mary is the woman from this earth who gave herself totally to God, and who received the privilege of giving human life to His eternal Son."

"She is beauty transfigured, the image of the new humanity. By presenting herself in this way, in utter dependence upon God, Mary expresses in reality an attitude of total freedom, based upon the full recognition of her true dignity.

"This privilege," the Pope added, "concerns us too, for it discloses to us our own dignity as men and women, admittedly marked by sin, but saved in hope, a hope which allows us to face our daily life."

"The primary purpose of the shrine at Lourdes is to be a place of encounter with God in prayer and a place of service to our brothers and sisters, notably through the welcome given to the sick, the poor and all who suffer. In this place, Mary comes to us as a mother. ... Through the light which streams from her face, God's mercy is made manifest. ... Mary comes to remind us that prayer ... must have a central place in our Christian lives. Prayer is indispensable if we are to receive Christ's power."

Benedict XVI then went on to note that "the presence of young people at Lourdes is also an important element. ... When Mary received the angel's visit, she was a young girl from Nazareth leading the simple and courageous life typical of the women of her village. And if God's gaze focused particularly upon her, trusting in her, Mary wants to tell you once more that not one of you is indifferent in God's eyes. ... Mary was ... conscious of her frailty in the face of God's omnipotence. Nevertheless, she said 'yes', without hesitating. And thanks to her yes, salvation came into the world, thereby changing the history of mankind."

"Mary's message is a message of hope for all men and women of our day, whatever their country of origin," the Holy Father concluded. "I like to invoke Mary as the 'star of hope' ... who enlightens us and gives direction to our journey. Through her 'yes,' through the generous gift of herself, she has opened up to God the gates of our world and our history. And she invites us to live ... in invincible hope, refusing to believe those who claim that we are trapped in the fatal power of destiny."

Copyright @ CNA
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com)

Men becoming priests at mid-life

Full article here.

Men becoming priests at mid-life

Father Michael Bies stands outside the entrance to St. Marys Catholic Church in Pontiac. The Pantagraph/STEVE SMEDLEY

Saturday, September 13, 2008 9:54 PM CDT

By Bob Holliday
bholliday@pantagraph.com

BLOOMINGTON -- In what he calls his past life, the Rev. Geoffrey Horton worked at a Bloomington-Normal insurance company, coached a women’s softball team, owned a home and invested in a 401K.
Although life was good, Horton, 43, felt something was missing. In May, he found his calling as a newly ordained Roman Catholic priest.
“I became a priest for the only reason anyone should ever become a priest, because I felt that’s what God was asking of me,” said Horton, currently assigned at a church in Peoria.
The Rev. Michael Bies heard the same call, but before he did, he worked 20 years as a machinist in his native Chicago and even considered marriage. Ordained about four years ago, Bies, 52, is associate pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Pontiac.
The two Central Illinois men aren’t alone in making such monumental mid-life career changes.
Paul Sullins, a professor at the Catholic University of America, said the average age at ordination has risen by 10 to 15 years since the 1970s — part of a national trend toward increased education and later-life commitments.
“An increasing proportion of priests today are entering their second or third careers,” said Sullins, adding the trend may help relieve the shortage of priests in the U.S.
Monsignor Paul Showalter, vicar general of the Peoria Diocese, agreed. Showalter said, in general, the trend toward older priests is beneficial.
It all comes down to “when they get the calling,” he said.
Horton and Bies both agreed their life experience can help them be better priests.
Bies, for instance, can identify first-hand with parishioners who are out of work
because he was without a job several times as a machinist.
Horton, likewise, hopes his experience in the corporate world gives him more empathy for parishioners stressed out by everyday business life.
Horton is unique in another way, having been an Episcopalian until he was 36.
The switch in religions together with his mid-life career switch doesn’t bother Horton’s mother, Johanna Horton of Jacksonville. “It seems right,” she said, adding her son has always had deep religious feelings.
However, there can be aspects of the mid-life switch that aren’t easy.
Hardest for Bies was giving up some of his independence. As a priest, he’s bound to his parish and that “takes a bit of getting used to,” he said.
Knowing that “God is using you to bring solace and peace,” helps him cope, he said.
The celibacy requirement is actually a gift, said Bies, because it “frees you up to see all people as part of your family.”
Bies has adapted to the St. Mary’s family well, said Monsignor Thomas Mack, the pastor there.
“People like him a lot. I’m not sure if it’s his maturity or just that he’s a nice guy,” said Mack, 57, who came to the priesthood the more traditional way: He was ordained in his mid-20s.
“It all comes down to when you get the call,” said Mack, agreeing that priests ordained later in life bring with them a maturity that helps them better relate to people.
John Steffen, 36, who worked this summer with Bies and Mack at St. Mary’s, may become another mid-life priest.
Steffen has four more years of seminary in Ohio and hopes his background in teaching and law will help him. He taught English for five years at Streator Township High School and worked at the Pontiac law firm of Caughey, Legner and Freehill.
He converted to Catholicism from Apostolic Christian as an adult. His new religion, he said, struck a chord he couldn’t ignore.
He, too, thinks older priests, because of their life experience, may have more to offer.
It’s that maturity that leads Horton to realize there’s no going back.
“It (being a priest) is not just your job, it’s your personal identity,” said Horton, who surprised at least one former co-worker by his mid-life switch.
“That switch (from actuarial work to priesthood) is like a 180-degree turn,” said Lisa Mullen, who played on the softball team Horton coached at Country Financial.

Copyright © 2008, Pantagraph Publishing Co. All rights reserved.

REFLECTION: On Labor Day, Human Work Made New - Catholic Online

By Deacon Keith A. Fournier
8/31/2008

Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

In the United States we celebrate the first Monday of September as Labor Day. It is a day to reflect and relax.The Catholic Church proclaims the dignity, meaning and redemptive value of all human work.
"Work is for man, not man for work. Everyone should be able to draw from work the means of providing for his life and that of his family, and of serving the human community. The primordial value of labor stems from man himself, its author and beneficiary. By means of his labor man participates in the work of creation. Work united to Christ can be redemptive."

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (Catholic Online) - During the last years of his service to the Church and the world, the late, beloved Servant of God John Paul II addressed an assembly of the leaders of the “Catholic Action” movement in Italy on the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. He used an extraordinary term, referring to what he called the “gospel of work”. I wrote an article on this address years ago. Sadly, I heard from some Protestant Christians who misunderstood the theme, thinking that the Holy Father was speaking of “works”. Nothing could have been more inaccurate. Rather, he was proclaiming a deeper meaning of the effects of grace on the entirety of our human experience; that in and through Jesus Christ, all human work has been transformed.
In proclaiming this gospel of work, John Paul developed a theme that is rooted in the Sacred Scriptures, expounded upon at length in the Christian Tradition and is desperately needed in this age. In 1981 he authored an Encyclical letter entitled “On Human Work” which beautifully presented this Christian vision of the dignity and meaning of human work. We live in an age that has all but lost this Christian vision of the meaning of work. This is not a new problem. It is a part of a larger social and individual malady, a bad fruit of the rupture of human integrity and solidarity wrought by sin.

• Full article here.
• Teaching by Vinny, February 15, 2008 - Take This Job and Shove It! - Catholic Teachings on Work

Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics

PDF Version is here.

From the voter's guide...

"How this Voter's Guide Helps You

If you take your Catholic faith seriously then this voter's guide is for you.  It will help you cast your vote in an informed manner consistent with Catholic moral teaching and fundamental human rights.  This guide will help you tell the difference between candidates' positions that are morally acceptable and ones that are so contrary to fundamental moral principle that they are inconsistent with public service.

...

As the Holy See has pointed out: "Democracy must be based on the true and solid foundation of non-negotiable ethical principles, which are the underpinning of life in society" (CPL 3)."

Pelosi Continues to Roil Bishops

Find original text and attributes at, The Crossroads Initiative.

September 4th, 2008 by Catholic League

On August 24, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Tom Brokaw on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the Catholic Church has not been able to decide when life begins; she was quickly criticized by many bishops and lay Catholics (including the Catholic League) for misrepresenting the Church’s teaching. No source of criticism was more important than that of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Three days later, Pelosi’s office issued a statement acknowledging that the Church teaches that life begins at conception. However, it also said that St. Augustine offered a different perspective and opined that “many Catholics do not ascribe to that [the Church’s] view.”

Yesterday, the USCCB issued another statement (see below): it is a two-page reply that offered a historical account of the Catholic Church’s teaching on abortion. The release makes it clear that the Church has always been unequivocally opposed to abortion. The new statement was written to “help end confusion caused by recent misrepresentations of Catholic Church teaching on abortion,” a process that was “prompted by misleading remarks by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue weighed in as follows:

“Nancy Pelosi continues to give currency to the idea that the Church’s teaching on abortion has evolved over time, and that in any case there is more than one legitimate Catholic position on this subject. She is twice wrong. It is precisely because of people like Morton Kondracke of the Fox News Channel, Anthony Stevens-Arroyo of the Newsweek-Washington Post ‘On Faith’ blog site, and anti-Catholic groups such as Catholics for Choice, that the confusion continues to rage. All of them defend Pelosi’s ignorant remarks.

“Nineteen Catholic members of the House have publicly asked Pelosi to ‘correct the public record’ on this issue. Her steadfast refusal to do so is keeping this matter alive. One wonders what it will take to get her to retract her comments before more damage is done to the Catholic Church, to her and to the Democratic Party.”

---

Respect for Unborn Human Life: The Church’s Constant TeachingFact sheet by the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities. Click here to print as a PDF.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” (No. 2271).

In response to those who say this teaching has changed or is of recent origin, here are the facts:

• From earliest times, Christians sharply distinguished themselves from surrounding pagan cultures by rejecting abortion and infanticide. The earliest widely used documents of Christian teaching and practice after the New Testament in the 1st and 2nd centuries, the Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) and Letter of Barnabas, condemned both practices, as did early regional and particular Church councils.
• To be sure, knowledge of human embryology was very limited until recent times. Many Christian thinkers accepted the biological theories of their time, based on the writings of Aristotle (4th century BC) and other philosophers. Aristotle assumed a process was needed over time to turn the matter from a woman’s womb into a being that could receive a specifically human form or soul. The active formative power for this process was thought to come entirely from the man – the existence of the human ovum (egg), like so much of basic biology, was unknown.
• However, such mistaken biological theories never changed the Church’s common conviction that abortion is gravely wrong at every stage. At the very least, early abortion was seen as attacking a being with a human destiny, being prepared by God to receive an immortal soul (cf. Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you”).
• In the 5th century AD this rejection of abortion at every stage was affirmed by the great bishop-theologian St. Augustine. He knew of theories about the human soul not being present until some weeks into pregnancy. Because he used the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, he also thought the ancient Israelites had imposed a more severe penalty for accidentally causing a miscarriage if the fetus was “fully formed” (Exodus 21: 22-23), language not found in any known Hebrew version of this passage. But he also held that human knowledge of biology was very limited, and he wisely warned against misusing such theories to risk committing homicide. He added that God has the power to make up all human deficiencies or lack of development in the Resurrection, so we cannot assume that the earliest aborted children will be excluded from enjoying eternal life with God.
• In the 13th century, St. Thomas Aquinas made extensive use of Aristotle’s thought, including his theory that the rational human soul is not present in the first few weeks of pregnancy. But he also rejected abortion as gravely wrong at every stage, observing that it is a sin “against nature” to reject God’s gift of a new life.
• During these centuries, theories derived from Aristotle and others influenced the grading of penalties for abortion in Church law. Some canonical penalties were more severe for a direct abortion after the stage when the human soul was thought to be present. However, abortion at all stages continued to be seen as a grave moral evil.
• From the 13th to 19th centuries, some theologians speculated about rare and difficult cases where they thought an abortion before “formation” or “ensoulment” might be morally justified. But these theories were discussed and then always rejected, as the Church refined and reaffirmed its understanding of abortion as an intrinsically evil act that can never be morally right.
• In 1827, with the discovery of the human ovum, the mistaken biology of Aristotle was discredited. Scientists increasingly understood that the union of sperm and egg at conception produces a new living being that is distinct from both mother and father. Modern genetics demonstrated that this individual is, at the outset, distinctively human, with the inherent and active potential to mature into a human fetus, infant, child and adult. From 1869 onward the obsolete distinction between the “ensouled” and “unensouled” fetus was permanently removed from canon law on abortion.
• Secular laws against abortion were being reformed at the same time and in the same way, based on secular medical experts’ realization that “no other doctrine appears to be consonant with reason or physiology but that which admits the embryo to possess vitality from the very moment of conception” (American Medical Association, Report on Criminal Abortion, 1871).
• Thus modern science has not changed the Church’s constant teaching against abortion, but has underscored how important and reasonable it is, by confirming that the life of each individual of the human species begins with the earliest embryo.
• Given the scientific fact that a human life begins at conception, the only moral norm needed to understand the Church’s opposition to abortion is the principle that each and every human life has inherent dignity, and thus must be treated with the respect due to a human person. This is the foundation for the Church’s social doctrine, including its teachings on war, the use of capital punishment, euthanasia, health care, poverty and immigration. Conversely, to claim that some live human beings do not deserve respect or should not be treated as “persons” (based on changeable factors such as age, condition, location, or lack of mental or physical abilities) is to deny the very idea of inherent human rights. Such a claim undermines respect for the lives of many vulnerable people before and after birth.

For more information: Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on Procured Abortion (1974), nos. 6-7; John R. Connery, S.J., Abortion: The Development of the Roman Catholic Perspective (1977); Germain Grisez, Abortion: The Myths, the Realities, and the Arguments (1970), Chapter IV; U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, On Embryonic Stem Cell Research (2008); Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (1995), nos. 61-2.

Downloadable PDF provided by The Crossroads Initiative -- download here.

Catholic Charismatic Movement - August 28th, 2008

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a movement within the Catholic Church emphasizing the release of more of the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit in a continuing and New Pentecost for all Catholics; the aim is to have the Renewal become part of the experience of all Catholics and not simply remain the experience of just one group or segment of Catholics. Worship is characterized by vibrant Masses, as well as prayer meetings featuring prophecy and sometimes glossolalia, or "speaking in tongues." This movement is based on the belief that certain charisms (a Greek word for gifts), bestowed by the Holy Spirit, such as the abilities to speak in tongues and to heal (which Christians generally believe existed somehow in the early Church as described in the Bible) should still be practiced today.

Download the full teaching below:

Bishops: Democratic VP Nominee Should Refrain from Communion

On Monday morning in Denver, where the Democratic National Convention is underway, Archbishop Charles Chaput told the Associated Press that because of support for abortion, Biden should refrain from taking Communion.

Catholic News Agency (www.catholicnewsagency.com)

DENVER (CNA) - The selection of Sen. Joseph Biden as Barack Obama’s running mate is drawing a chorus of disapproval from Catholic intellectual and pro-life leaders because of Biden’s longstanding support for abortion. Most recently, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver has said that Biden should refrain from Communion.

Over the weekend, CNA spoke with several prominent Catholics regarding Biden’s nomination for the Democratic vice-presidential slot. The well-known Catholic intellectual and author George Weigel explained to CNA that Obama’s choice was expected. “Barack Obama is a pro-abortion radical, so there's nothing surprising about his choosing a pro-abortion running mate,” said Weigel.

According to Weigel, an Obama-Biden ticket is “deeply disturbing” because “neither Senator Obama nor Senator Biden seems to have taken Catholic arguments about the first principles of justice seriously.”

“The Church's pro-life position is not ‘sectarian;’ it can be engaged by anyone willing to work through a serious philosophical argument,” Weigel asserted. “Neither Obama nor Biden seems willing to do that -- which casts a rather large shadow over their claims to be the ticket of thoughtfulness and intellectual seriousness.”

Weigel predicts that the choice of Biden will present the public with the sight of "‘Catholics for Obama’ tying themselves into even tighter theological pretzels, as they try to justify a vote for what seems likely to be the most radically pro-abortion ticket in American history.”

Complete story here.

Bishops Ask Catholics To Pray Election Novena

WASHINGTON—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) invites U.S. Catholics to pray before the November election a novena for life, justice, and peace called Novena for Faithful Citizenship. It is a podcast and available for download.

Joan Rosenhauer, Associate Director for the USCCB’s Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, said that the special novena is part of “the bishops’ campaign to help Catholics develop well-formed consciences for addressing political and social questions.” The bishops issued their statement on forming consciences for faithful citizenship in November 2007.

Helen Osman, USCCB Secretary of Communications, expressed hope that the novena could help “Catholics enter into prayerful reflection as they prepare to vote.” Seventy-one percent of all visitors to the USCCB’s web site download the free podcasts of the daily NAB readings. These same visitors are encouraged to use the novena podcast for prayer. Osman said that the USCCB wants to support Catholics as they weigh pre-election issues and that “providing a prayer resource on the Web can help us focus on our common values and identity as Catholics.” The novena emphasizes the dignity of life, justice, and peace.

The Novena for Faithful Citizenship runs for nine days and can be used consecutively, one day each week, for nine days prior to the election, or “in any way that works best for a community or individual,” said Rosenhauer.

The novena will be available for download until the election and it can be downloaded online at http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/resources/podcasts.

For other Faithful Citizenship resources and materials visit www.faithfulcitizenship.org.

Bishops respond to House Speaker Pelosi’s misrepresentation of Church teaching against abortion

WASHINGTON--Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, have issued the following statement:

In the course of a “Meet the Press” interview on abortion and other public issues on August 24, 2008, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi misrepresented the history and nature of the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church against abortion.

The Church has always taught that human life deserves respect from its very beginning and that procured abortion is a grave moral evil. In the Middle Ages, uninformed and inadequate theories about embryology led some theologians to speculate that specifically human life capable of receiving an immortal soul may not exist until a few weeks into pregnancy. While in canon law these theories led to a distinction in penalties between very early and later abortions, the Church’s moral teaching never justified or permitted abortion at any stage of development.

These mistaken biological theories became obsolete over 150 years ago when scientists discovered that a new human individual comes into being from the union of sperm and egg at fertilization. In keeping with this modern understanding, the Church has long taught that from the time of conception (fertilization), each member of the human species must be given the full respect due to a human person, beginning with respect for the fundamental right to life.

More information on the Church's teaching on this issue can be found in our brochure "The Catholic Church is a Pro-Life Church".

Download the brochure:

MMJ Calendar Aug/Sep/Oct/Nov/Dec 2008

Date	Topic	Presenter
Aug 14	Trust and Integrity	Joe
Aug 28	Speaking in Tongues, Kissing Snakes - Understanding Charismatic Christianity	Greg
Sep 11	Dolls and Trucks - Gender Matters Raising Children	Kris
Sep 25	Go To Hell? - Does it really exist and can I go there?	Tony
Oct 9	Barbarian or Wimp? - Becoming a Hero	Vince
Oct 23	How Should I Vote? - The Bishops Speak	Jack
Nov 6	Personal Demons - Removing the Thorn	Rob
Nov 20	Are You Really Happy? The Tru Secret	Tony
Dec 4	Natural Family Planning (NFP) - "What's it all about?"	Mike
Dec 20	MMJ Christmas Party	Tony

Understanding Sacrifice -- The Stations of the Cross - March 14, 2008

Overview

• The Stations of the Cross, also called Via Crucis, Via Dolorosa or the Way of the Cross, is a Catholic devotion to the Passion of Christ consisting of prayers and meditations on fourteen events (“stations”) experienced by Christ on His way to the crucifixion and burial.
• The Way of the Cross is not a work of profound scholarly knowledge. It is essentially a devotional exercise, a means which men and women can use to make contact with God, to adore Him, to thank Him, to increase their love for Him.
• Devotion to the sufferings of Christ, is particularly recommended for all who wish to live "upon the model of that charity which Christ showed to us when he gave himself up on our behalf" (Eph 6,2).

Download the full teaching below:

Take This Job and Shove It! -- Catholic Teachings on Work - February 15, 2008

2427 Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing the earth, both with and for one another.210 Hence work is a duty: "If any one will not work, let him not eat."211 Work honors the Creator's gifts and the talents received from him. It can also be redemptive. By enduring the hardship of work212 in union with Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work. He shows himself to be a disciple of Christ by carrying the cross, daily, in the work he is called to accomplish.213 Work can be a means of sanctification and a way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ.B

Question: Have you ever thought that your work can actually be redemptive? Do you agree that simply by working you are helping continue the work started by Christ to save the world?

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Building Spiritual Toughness Part 1 - July 6, 2007

Prudence – guides one to do the right thing, at the right time, and in the right way. It directs all other cardinal virtues: justice, temperance, and courage. It is synonymous with wisdom. It is the virtue that allows us to put our true priorities in action (i.e. God, others, self).

Justice – the habit and disposition to give others what is rightly theirs (charity is giving others what is rightfully our own). The most important area of justice is known as the virtue of religion – giving that which is owed to God. Therefore going to Mass on Sundays is a matter of Justice. Work is another area where we practice the virtue of Justice. Family is another area that is governed by the virtue of Justice. Justice demands that I give mercy to others.

Download the full teaching below:

Islam - Why Are They So Angry? - May 25, 2007

Origin

• Islam means obedience
• Established through the prophet Muhammad, who lived from 570-632 A.D. in present-day Saudi Arabia
• Missionary tradition spread it deep into the Middle East, Spain and France, Turkey and North Africa

Download the full teaching below:

How You Doin? -- A Look at Prayer - March 16, 2007

Prayer as God's gift

2559 "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God."2 But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart?3 He who humbles himself will be exalted;4 humility is the foundation of prayer, Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought,"5 are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God."6

Prayer as covenant

2562 Where does prayer come from? Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times). According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain.

Download the full teaching below:

Suffering -- What's the Point - September 15, 2006

References:

1. Apostolic Letter SALVIFICI DOLORIS, “On The Christian Meaning of Human Suffering” by Pope John Paul II, 11 February 1984 written for the Holy Year of the Redemption (1984).
2. “Does Suffering Make Sense” by Russell Shaw
   

Questions to think about: Why does man suffer? Didn‟t Jesus come to abolish suffering? If so, why does it still exist? If there is a loving God, why would he allow children to suffer? What is the good that comes out of suffering?

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Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius - June 9, 2006

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius – four steps

Challenge

Evaluate how well you are living your life according to the purpose for which God created you.
Who is Ignatius? … Who am I? … Do I rejoice in who I am? … How meaningful is my life? … How real is God for me? … What is God’s plan for me? … How open am I to God’s plan for me? … How aware am I of sin’s presence in my life? … that I will be held accountable for my life? … How does the thought of death impact the way I live? … How conscious am I of God’s forgiveness of me? … How grateful am I for God’s forgiveness of me?

Decision

Get to know Jesus more intimately, follow him more lovingly, and serve him more ardently in building up God’s kingdom on earth.

Why did Jesus live among us? … embrace the lifestyle he did? … submit to Baptism and temptation? … How did Jesus differ from other leaders? … How free am I to follow Jesus? … What did Jesus teach about how I should live? … How closely do I want to journey with Jesus? … How ready am I to love as Jesus loved? … pray as Jesus prayed? … serve as Jesus served? … decide to journey with Jesus?

Download the full teaching below:

Will Catholics be Left Behind - February 17, 2006

Objective: to gain an understanding of the Catholic Church’s theology in regards to the end of the world and address some of the misconceptions behind the theology of the popular “Left Behind” books.

Important Definitions es·cha·tol·o·gy (ĕs'kə-tŏl'ə-jē) n.

1. The branch of theology that is concerned with the end of the world or of humankind.
2. A belief or a doctrine concerning the ultimate or final things, such as death, the destiny of humanity, the Second Coming, or the Last Judgment.

[Greek eskhatos, last + –LOGY.]

End Times Primer

First, to answer the question posed above: NO!!! Secondly there is no such thing as a secret rapture! More to come….

It’s important to know that prophesy about the end of the world has abounded both in the Old and New Testaments. Most importantly Jesus talked about the end of the world and how it related to his coming again. Understanding the end times is key in how the Church leads it’s people (the body of Christ) in current times.

Download the full teaching below:

May/June/July/August/September MMJ Calendar

Date	Topic	Presenter
May 30	Same Sex Marriage -- A Cause for Christian Confusion	Jack
June 13	Get With The Program! -- Achieving Spiritual Excellence	Tony
June 20 *	Speaking In Tongues, Kissing Snakes -- Understanding Charismatic Christianity	Greg
July 18	Personal Demons - Removing the Thorn	Phil
August 1	Natural Family Planning (NFP) - "What's it all about?"	Mike
August 15	"Where You At?" - Determining Your Spirituality	Tony
August 29	"Dolls and Trucks" - Gender Matters Raising Children	Kris
September 12	Faith, Hope, Love.  Building Theological Virtue	Rob
September 26	Barbarian or Wimp? -- Becoming a Hero	Vince

Open Coffee and Donuts - Retreat Follow-up

Gentlemen –  There will be a follow-up Silent Retreat breakfast meeting at my house from 8:30-10:00AM on May 31^st.  It is highly recommended that you attend and bring your Program of Life.  We will be seeking your feedback on the retreat, as well as, providing guidance and tips for keeping the retreat going in your hearts and lives.  This will include discussing related organizations such as the Men Meeting Jesus (MMJ),  the Regnum Christi Movement, and the Legionaries of Christ (order of priests that lead the retreats) that are available to help with your spiritual progress throughout the coming year.  There will be many “veterans” there to help give you much positive guidance.

Please let me know if you plan on attending.

In Christ,

Tony

NOTE! You do not have to have attended a Silent Retreat in the past to attend the breakfast.  It is open to all men interested in methods and programs to keep their faith walk inspired.

‘Jesus came into the world to bring the sheep back,’ says the Holy Father

May 4th - Message to over 100 thousand people in St. Peter's Square and to all of us...

‘Jesus came into the world to bring the sheep back,’ says the Holy Father - Catholic News Agency

"...The Pope spoke about the Ascension of Jesus who, he said, "came into the world to bring man to God, not as a philosopher or a master of wisdom - but really, as pastor who wants to bring the sheep back."

"God in man, man in God: This is not merely a theoretical truth, but is real. So the Christian hope, founded in Christ, is not an illusion but, as stated in the Letter to the Hebrews' is the "anchor of our lives' (cf Heb 6:19), an anchor that penetrates Heaven where Christ has gone before us."

The Pope then turned his thoughts to Mary, whose presence in our midst he said, is part of the "solid anchoring" for our existence..."

No Time??? Come Find It This Friday

Gents – ask yourself, how in control of your time and your life are you?  Are YOU in the rat race???  Do you like it?  Many of the men I talk to are wiped out, overwhelmed, and out of control of their time.  Seems too much to do and too little time – especially for God.  Well let me give you a piece of advice once given to me – give God your best time, not your leftovers.  How many times have you heard that preached?  I can tell you that all of us can be doing better.  Well here is your opportunity to get back on track and live a life in the RIGHT ORDER.  Vince is going to give a very comprehensive teaching on how to put First Things First.  Yes, it’s time management on steroids and if you listen and apply these techniques, your life WILL change dramatically.

Come to MMJ this Friday, May 9^th from 7-9PM at my house and learn how to be the commander of your time and your life.  

Turnout is shaping up to be pretty strong, so please let me know ASAP so I can plan the free pizza!

In Christ,

Tony

7th Annual - Angels Among Us, Golf Tournament

Dear Friends,

It is time to make plans to join us on June 3^rd, 2008 for the 7^th Annual Angels Among Us Golf Tournament.  Thank you for your participation in years past.  This year we are excited to announce a new location for the golf and for the dinner.  The golf will be played at The Orchard Golf Club in Clarkesville, GA and the dinner will be enjoyed at Covecrest in Tiger, GA. 

Please view the attached brochure and flyer for more details.  We hope to see you again on June 3^rd.  Please call myself or Christina if you have any questions.

Peace in Him,

Chris

ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT

A few years ago on June 4th, a foursome got together for a round of golf. One of the players’ son died on this day in 1994.  Rather than mourn the loss, they decided to celebrate the son’s life. A couple of
years later, others who had also experienced the loss of a child joined the group. The idea was born to honor these “angels” with an annual Angels Among Us golf outing. This tournament is a memorial
of all our “angels” - those sons and daughters who have already been taken to heaven. In the name of the “angels”, all tournament  proceeds benefit Life Teen Covecrest. ministry committed to leading all teens and their families closer to Christ.

 

Downloads:

Help! No Time!!! Next MMJ May 9th!

Gents – are you rushing around everyday trying to get it all done?  Trying to balance wife, kids, work, hobbies…GOD?  Does your spiritual life get relegated to the time scraps at the end of the day, week, or even month???  How do you respond when someone starts talking about prayer, going to Mass, bible study, or helping with a volunteer project?  Do you say “Are you kidding me??? I can barely keep up with the wife, kids and work let alone prayer, Mass and ministry!!!”.  

Do you find yourself frequently overwhelmed?  Always crunched for time and always in a hurry?  Do you continue to make excuses for your lack of ability to pray or go to church?   Well God never intended for us to live this way.  He desires us to live life to the fullest and live it abundantly and in peace.  If your life is not like this, it is very likely because you have things UPSIDE DOWN.  Trying to live a life that places God last after all the other “important” things in your life is done is akin to “pushing a rope”.  God must be first and all other things will fall in place. 

Sounds great, you say, but “HOW???”…  Well, come to the next MMJ for the answer.  Vince will be leading a teaching on the methods he has employed over the past several years from Stephen Covey’s highly successful book “The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People”.  Not only with this get your spiritual life ordered correctly, but it will overflow into all aspects of your life.  Your wife, kids, and even your boss will notice a difference. 

As men of God we are called to be effective, not disorganized and overwhelmed.  Come to the next MMJ and turn things around.

Please confirm you plan on making this life changing MMJ meeting.

In Christ,

Tony

Farewell, Papa!

From USCCB.ORG

The Holy Father heads home to the Vatican. After a week full of lasting impressions, he leaves us with encouragement, inspiration, challenges and hope.

Catch up on all the events of the papal visit with video, photos, stories and more on www.uspapalvisit.org.

MMJ Teaching - "What Really Matters" -- Leaving a Legacy for Your Children

Ever wonder what people will say about you after you are gone?  What legacy will you leave behind?  Will it be about the next big project or promotion at work that will soon be forgotten or will it be happy, confident children that will help change the world? 

If you don’t have kids, what kind of legacy will you leave for your family and friends? 

Leaving a legacy is largely about how you spend your time and the choice you make – in short, what kind of physical, spiritual and emotional investments are you making that really make a difference?

Download the teaching below:

President Bush on Pope Benedict XVI

Gents – I am not here to give you a political speech, but I came across a very compelling interview by EWTN with President George Bush.  Say what you like about the President, but it’s save to say he is a big fan of the Pope.  I suggest you read the entire interview if you have time, but the excerpt below is quite noteworthy.

In Christ,

Tony

---

EWTN Interview with President George Bush

Zenit has the complete transcript of Raymond Arroyo's interview with President George Bush. There's much of interest there, but here's the opening and closing...

Q Mr. President, this is the first head of state, Pope Benedict the XVI, you will ever greet on a tarmac. I was stunned to learn this. Why are you going and greeting him at an airstrip? Usually the heads of states come here.

THE PRESIDENT: Because he is a really important figure in a lot of ways. One, he speaks for millions. Two, he doesn't come as a politician; he comes as a man of faith. And, three, that I so subscribe to his notion that there are -- there's right and wrong in life, that moral relativism has a danger of undermining the capacity to have more hopeful and free societies, that I want to honor his convictions, as well.

------------

       Q    Mr. President, final question.

       THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, sir.

       Q    You said, famously, when you looked into Vladimir  Putin's eyes you saw his soul.

   THE  PRESIDENT:  Yes.

     Q    When you look into Benedict XVI's eyes what do you see?

       THE PRESIDENT:  God.

     Q    Good way to end the interview.

       THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, sir.

     Q    Thank you, sir.  My pleasure.

Great Summer Programs for Dads and Sons

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May/June/July/August MMJ Calendar

Date	Topic	Presenter
May 9	"Outta Time!" - Breaking the Urgency Habit	Vince
May 23	Same Sex Marriage - A Cause for Christian Confusion	Jack
June 6	"Get With the Program!" - Achieving Spiritual Excellence	Tony
June 20	Speaking in Tongues, Kissing Snakes - Understanding Charismatic Christianity	Greg
June 27	Personal Demons - Removing the Thorn	Phil
July 18	Natural Family Planning (NFP) - "What's it all about?"	Mike
August 1	"Where You At?" - Determining Your Spirituality	Tony
August 15	"dolls and Trucks" - Gender Matters Raising Children	Kris
August 29	Faith, Hope, Love.  Building Theological Virtue	Vince

MMJ Teaching - Fourth Cup. A Christian Understanding of Passover

From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God's covenant promise to the Jews is extended to include peoples of the whole world. This teaching provides insight into the parallels of the Old Testament Passover with sacrificial lambs and the New Testament Passover in the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper.

Download the teaching below:

What's Your Preoccupation?

Found this article about a survey of children and how the survey results indicate that materialistic society is "damaging" to children.

Materialistic society is 'damaging' children: poll

Well, what's my preoccupation?  Am I preoccupied with rest?  Am I preoccupied with isolating myself from my family, spouse, children?  How does what I do reflect on my children?  What example of preoccupation do I set for my family?  Where is Christ and His Church among my other "obligations"?

I tend to get a bit jaded by surveys because a passionate college professor trained me to question survey motives and procedures for gathering the data.  Needless to say, no matter the manner in which this survey was conducted or who they selected -- it certainly provides an important reminder for us to constantly evaluate not only our priorities, but also our behaviors.

One of my Dad's favorite expressions is "listen to what people say, but watch what they do."  What are you saying?  What are you doing?

Upcoming MMJ Meeting - The Fourth Cup

Gents – MMJ is on for this Friday at my house from 7-9PM.  The topic is “The Fourth Cup – Understanding The Christian Passover” and is being led by Greg.  This is a fascinating topic about how Jesus takes the Passover of the Jews and brings it to its ultimate conclusion by inserting himself.  You will have a better understanding of why Jesus is called the “Lamb of God” – which honestly took me until my mid-30’s before I know what the heck that meant.  This is an awesome teaching that will make your Holy Week and Easter much more meaningful, so don’t miss it!

If you haven’t already, please let me know if you are coming.  Looks like momentum is building for another awesome turnout, so let’s break another record! 

In Christ,

Tony

Nightly Retreat with Fr. Todd

Men – if you are interested the next Night of Formation Retreat is Monday, March 10^th, 6:30-8:30PM at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Roswell.  The evening starts with Mass and then Father gives two talks.  I encourage you to attend.  Please let me know if you are interested as several men from MMJ usually go each month.

In Christ,

Tony

P.S.  Mark your calendars as they are the 2^nd Monday of every month, same place and time.  There is also a similar on at Holy Spirit on the 3^rd Monday of every month.

Record Attendance at MMJ

Gents – we broke another attendance record at our last MMJ meeting, February 15^th with 21 men in attendance!  And even with the sell-out crowd Vinny came through with an awesome look at the Church’s position on work.  Overall the evening was an outstanding success.

Won’t you join us for our next MMJ on Friday, February 29^th?  The excellent teaching topics continue to roll in.  Greg will be leading us in a look at the Christian Passover based on Scott Hahn’s teaching of the “4^th cup”.  This will be another very informative and interesting night so please join us!

Let me know if you plan on attending so I can plan for the pizza and more chairs!  Let’s break another record gents!

2008 Feb/Mar/Apr/May/Jun Calendar

Date	Topic	Presenter
Feb. 15	Take This Job and @$%! -- A Christian Look at Work	Vince
Feb. 29	The Fourth Cup -- Understanding the Christian Passover	Greg
Mar. 14	Understanding Sacrifice -- The Stations of the Cross	Phil
Mar. 28	What Really Matters -- Leaving a Legacy for Your Children	Kris
Apr. 11	Me, a Saint? -- Understanding Our Call to Holiness	Mike
Apr. 25	Homosexuality -- A Cause for Christian Confusion	Jack
May 9	Faith, Hope, Love.  Building Theological Virtue	Vince
May 23	HELP! -- Conquering Addiction	Rob
Jun. 6	Get with the Program -- Achieving Spiritual Excellence	Tony
Jun. 20	Personal Demons -- Removing the Thorn	TBD

Saint of the Day - Our Lady of Lourdes - February 11th is the 150th Anniversary

Excerpt from American Catholic - Saint of the Day

On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus. A little more than three years later, on February 11, 1858, a young lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous. This began a series of visions. During the apparition on March 25, the lady identified herself with the words: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

Bernadette was a sickly child of poor parents. Their practice of the Catholic faith was scarcely more than lukewarm. Bernadette could pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Creed. She also knew the prayer of the Miraculous Medal: “O Mary conceived without sin.”

Full Article: Our Lady of Lourdes - Saint of the Day - American Catholic

Day by Day Through Lent: Fasting From Our Clutter - Catholic Update January©2008

This is another great resource for maintaining your focus through Lent.  The author of this "Catholic Update", Susan K. Rowland, provides very short -- pointed reflections of the daily readings through every day of Lent.

Here are the reflections from Ash Wednesday through this first Sunday of Lent. 

Find the link at the bottom of this post for the full text.

ASH WEDNESDAY
GETTING READY TO CLEAR MY CLUTTER

Jl 2:12-18; 2 Cor 5:20—6:2; Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 Today’s readings give me basic instructions for the next 40 days. As a first step to clearing my heart and mind of clutter, I arrange a quiet prayer corner in which to talk to God. I find a suitable place in my home and stock it with a Bible, a notebook, pens (and this Update!). Today, and every day this Lent, I will spend time with God, reading over the Scriptures for the day, listening to what God is saying to me, and writing down what I hear.

THURSDAY: WHAT AM I GAINING—AND LOSING?

Dt 30:15-20; Lk 9:22-25 This culture urges me to do so much. In what ways is the rush and busy-ness of my life not truly necessary, but an effort to win the approval of others—in other words, to “gain the whole world”?

FRIDAY: REACH OUT TO OTHERS

Is 58:1-9a; Mt 9:14-15 Before I can reach out to those in need, I must be able to reach out. I talk to God today about areas of life where I neglect myself and compromise my health. Am I eating the wrong foods? Not getting enough sleep? Constantly stressed? Any of these habits will make me less able to serve God and God’s people.

SATURDAY: BE KIND TO MYSELF

Is 58:9b-14; Lk 5:27-32 The tax collector Levi’s change of heart came about because Jesus showed him kindness and friendship. I talk to God about any changes I should make in my self care in order to do as Jesus did. I ask for God’s help in making these changes in order to be able to do God’s will.

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT: CLEARING MY SURROUNDINGS OF CLUTTER

Mt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12-15; Lk 4:1-13 I do not live “by bread alone.” If the only meaning of life was food, clothes or work, how meaningless it would be. Lent is a wonderful time to remind myself that God’s presence is what gives life meaning. I begin Lent by starting a “give away” box and praying about what I have that could be used by someone in need.

Full text here:

Day by Day Through Lent: Fasting From Our Clutter - Catholic Update January©2008

Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent 2008

"Chris made Himself poor for you" (2 Cor 8,9)

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

1. Each year, Lent offers us a providential opportunity to deepen the meaning and value of our Christian lives, and it stimulates us to rediscover the mercy of God so that we, in turn, become more merciful toward our brothers and sisters. In the Lenten period, the Church makes it her duty to propose some specific tasks that accompany the faithful concretely in this process of interior renewal: these are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. For this year’s Lenten Message, I wish to spend some time reflecting on the practice of almsgiving, which represents a specific way to assist those in need and, at the same time, an exercise in self-denial to free us from attachment to worldly goods. The force of attraction to material riches and just how categorical our decision must be not to make of them an idol, Jesus confirms in a resolute way: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Lk 16,13). Almsgiving helps us to overcome this constant temptation, teaching us to respond to our neighbor’s needs and to share with others whatever we possess through divine goodness. This is the aim of the special collections in favor of the poor, which are promoted during Lent in many parts of the world. In this way, inward cleansing is accompanied by a gesture of ecclesial communion, mirroring what already took place in the early Church. In his Letters, Saint Paul speaks of this in regard to the collection for the Jerusalem community (cf. 2 Cor 8-9; Rm 15, 25-27).

Full text here Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent 2008

Pope: Lent is a Great Spiritual retreat lasting Forty days

February 6, 2008

"The call to conversion is, then, an encouragement to return to the arms of God the tender and merciful Father." Pope Benedict XVI

VATICAN CITY (VIS) - In this morning's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope dedicated his catechesis to the subject of Lent, which begins today with the rite of the imposition of the ashes and which, he observed, "is like a great spiritual retreat lasting 40 days".
"Today, as every year, we recommence the Lenten journey, stimulated by a more intense spirit of prayer and reflection, of penance and fasting", he said.
Lent, Benedict XVI continued, "helps us to rediscover the gift of faith we received at Baptism and encourages us to approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation, placing our commitment to inner conversion under the protection of divine mercy".

For the complete article -- Catholic Online - Lent

YouTube - Father Greg Friedman - What Are Catholics Doing for Lent?

 

What Are Catholics Doing for Lent?

Lenten Resources at MMJ

Fellas,

 

Make this the most meaningful and memorable Lent to date.  In order to help do this, please find in the right side bar a list of resources about Lent.

 

This list includes meditations, prayers, information, family activities, and Papal speeches regarding Lent.

 

If you know of other resources not on this list, please comment back to this blog post.

 

Where's the Beef? MMJ Teaching on Lent

Lent is the great timeout during the Super Bowl of Life:

A period of 40 days, excluding Sundays, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday when Christians reflect on Jesus' temptations in the desert. We are called to participate in the Lenten season through prayer, fasting, and alms giving.

According to Ted Olson, author of "The Beginning of Lent," lent is a time of "self-examination and patience demonstrated by self-denial." It is a season for reflection, which is supposed to imitate Jesus' withdrawal into the wilderness for 40 days.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "540... "For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sinning" [Heb 4:15]. By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert." Pasted from <http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/lent.htm>

Download the full teaching