Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 09-02-05

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 09-02-05 | New American Bible

[Salvation]

September 2, 2005
Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Psalm: Friday 38

Reading I
Col 1:15-20

Brothers and sisters:
Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.
For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;
all things were created through him and for him.
He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the Body, the Church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he himself might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile all things for him,
making peace by the Blood of his cross
through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5

R. (2b) Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
For he is good,
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Gospel
Lk 5:33-39

The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,
and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;
but yours eat and drink.”
Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast
while the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
then they will fast in those days.”
And he also told them a parable.
“No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one.
Otherwise, he will tear the new
and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins,
and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.
Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.
And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,
for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

[Salvation]

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

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Alleluia Ping!

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Alleluia Ping List.

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Help the people in the aftermat of Katrina by donating to Catholic Charities!

Catholic Charities

September 2, 2005
Hurricane Katrina: Catholic Charities Respond

As the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina continues to take its toll along the Gulf Coast, Catholic Charities agencies from around the affected region are actively responding to those in need. Catholic Charities agencies are working to meet the immediate needs of refugees, as well as planning for the process of providing assistance for long-term recovery efforts. Catholic Charities agencies in the impacted area also continue to assess the extent of the damage and work with other relief organizations to respond.

How To Donate:

Contribute Now Online

Mail Checks To:
Catholic Charities USA
2005 Hurricane Relief Fund
PO Box 25168
Alexandria, VA 22313-9788Call:
(800) 919-9338

Federal ID number: 53-0196620

In addition to providing emergency services to refugees, Catholic Charities agencies will provide assistance that will help hurricane victims and communities recover in the long-term. While Katrina's damage is still being evaluated, based on past disasters, the long-term services that Catholic Charities may provide include temporary and permanent housing, mental health counseling, direct assistance beyond food and water to get people back into their homes, job placement counseling, and medical and prescription drug assistance.

Snapshot of Local Catholic Charities at Work:

• Catholic Community Services of Baton Rouge has implemented its disaster response plan. They have trained volunteers in place in parishes that will be providing emergency assistance to those in need, and have begun refugee assistance efforts.
• Because of the conditions in New Orleans, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans had to evacuate. Staff is operating out of the offices of Catholic Community Services of Baton Rouge to coordinate response efforts.
• Teams from the Catholic Charities agencies in Florida and the Florida Catholic Conference are already providing advice and guidance to agencies in the impacted areas. These teams will be going to Mississippi and Louisiana next week to start proving technical assistance on the frontlines.
• Catholic Charities in Memphis is just one of the local Catholic Charities agencies working with other groups in the community to assist the thousands of people who have come to Memphis for refuge. The agency is currently working on making housing arrangements in one of its facilities for families to stay as long as needed. They anticipate providing housing, clothing, food, counseling for 100 to 150 people.
• Recovery work is underway in Dade County, FA, where Katrina caused extensive flooding when it struck there last week. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami has already distributed a large load of baby items, food, and other supplies to victims. Other aid that they will be providing includes assistance with food, shelter, rent, medicine, utilities, and mental health counseling.

Agencies Impacted

Catholic Charities of Miami

Catholic Charities of New Orleans

Catholic Community Services of Baton Rouge

Catholic Social Services of Houma-Thibodaux

Catholic Social and Community Services of Biloxi, MS

Catholic Charities of Jackson, MS

Catholic Social Services of Mobile, AL

Catholic Charities USA: Providing Help. Creating Hope

To help communities recover from the damage brought on by Hurricane Katrina, Catholic Charities USA is collecting financial donations that will fund local agencies' emergency and long-term disaster recovery efforts. Catholic Charities is working hard to raise the money that will be needed over the next three to five years to rebuild these communities and help people get back on their feet, emotionally and financially.

How you can help:

Unfortunately, Catholic Charities USA is unable to accept contributions of food, clothing, blankets and other relief supplies. Monetary donations will be used to provide for the emergency relief and long-term recovery of Katrina's victims.

About the Disaster Response Office

Catholic Charities USA, which has been commissioned by the U.S. Catholic Bishops to represent the Catholic community in times of domestic disaster, responds with emergency and long-term assistance as needed. Its Disaster Response Office connects the Church's social service agencies and disaster planning offices across the nation.

For Catholic Charities Agencies:

• Emergency Funding Request Form
• Disaster Response Office

[Salvation]

Also most parishes will have a second collection this Sunday for those affected by Katrina.

[Salvation]

Oops!

aftermat
aftermath

[Salvation]

"The best, the surest , and the most effective way of establishing everlasting peace on the face of the earth is through the great power of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament." -- Pope John Paul II

"Could you not watch one hour?" -- Mark 14:37

 
Pope Benedict XVI during the Corpus Christi procession

[Salvation]

Firist Friday Ping!

Ancient Roman Catholic ritual making a comeback in Minnesota

Adoration for Vocations to be Promoted Worldwide

New Plenary Indulgence to Mark Year of the Eucharist

POPE GRANTS PLENARY INDULGENCE FOR YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST

2.2 Million hours of prayer, and counting

In The Presence Of The Lord

The Adoration of the Name of Jesus (El Greco)

Adoration Tally Presented to Pope by Vocation.com

Eucharistic Adoration or Abortion?

Bishop Calls for Perpetual Adoration of Eucharist

What I learned From a Muslim about Eucharistic Adoration

PERPETUAL ADORATION

The Gaze [Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament]

[Salvation]

Make that
First Friday Ping!

[Salvation]

From: Colossians 1:15-20


Hymn in Praise of Christ as Head of All Creation

---

[15] He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of
all creation; [16] for in him all things were created, in heaven and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
principalities or authorities--all things were created through him and
for him. [17] He is before all things, and in him all things hold
together. [18] He is the head of the body, the church, he is the
beginning; the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be
preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to
dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things.

---

Commentary:


15-20. Now we come to a very beautiful hymn in praise of Christ's
sublime dignity as God and as man. This was a truth deserving emphasis
in view of the danger to the faith which the false apostles' teaching
represented (cf. note on vv. 7-8). However, quite apart from the
particular situation in Colossae, the sublime teaching contained in
this canticle holds good for all times; it is one of the most important
Christological texts in St Paul's writings.


The real protagonist of this passage is the Son of God made man, whose
two natures, divine and human, are always linked in the divine person
of the Word. However, at some points St Paul stresses his divinity (vv.
16, 17, 18b and 19) and at others his humanity (vv. 15, 18a, 18c and
20). The underlying theme of the hymn is Christ's total pre-eminence
over all creation.


We can distinguish two stanzas in the hymn. In the first (vv. 15-17)
Christ's dominion is stated to embrace the entire cosmos, stemming as
it does from his action as Creator: "in him all things were created"
(v. 16). This same statement is made in the prologue to the fourth
Gospel (cf. Jn 1:3), and it is implied in the Book of Genesis, which
tells us that creation was effected by God's word (cf. Gen 1:3, 6, 9,
etc.). Since Christ is the Word of God, he is above all things, and
therefore St Paul stresses that all angels--irrespective of their
hierarchy or order--come under his sway.


Christ's pre-eminence over natural creation is followed by his primacy
in the economy of supernatural salvation, a second creation worked by
God through grace. The second stanza (vv. 18-20) refers to this further
primacy of Christ: by his death on the cross, Christ has restored peace
and has reconciled all things--the world and mankind--to God. Jews and
Gentiles both are called to form part of one body, the Church, of which
Christ is the head; and all the celestial powers are subject to his
authority.


This passage is, then, a sublime canticle celebrating Christ, the head
by virtue of his surpassing excellence and his salvific action. "The
Son of God and of the Blessed Virgin", Pius XII teaches, "must be
called the head of the Church for the special reason of his
preeminence. For the head holds the highest place. But none holds a
higher place than Christ as God for he is the Word of the Eternal
Father and is therefore justly called 'the first-born of all creation'.
None holds a higher place than Christ as man, for he, born of the
immaculate Virgin, is the true and natural Son of God, and by reason of
his miraculous and glorious resurrection by which he triumphed over
death he is 'the first-born from the dead'. And none stands higher than
he who, being the 'one mediator between God and man' (1 Tim 2:5),
admirably unites earth with heaven; who, exalted on the Cross as on his
throne of mercy, has drawn all things to himself" ("Mystici Corporis",
15).


15. By the unaided use of reason man can work out that God exists, but
he could never, on his own, have grasped the essence of God: in this
sense God is said to be invisible (cf. St Thomas, "Commentary on Col,
ad loc."). This is why it is said in St John's Gospel that "no one has
ever seen God" (Jn 1:18).


In Sacred Scripture we are told that man was created "in the image of
God" (Gen 1:26). However, only the second person of the Blessed
Trinity, the Son, is the perfect image and likeness of the Father. "The
image [likeness] of a thing may be found in something else in two ways;
in one way it is found in something of the same specific nature--as the
image of the king is found in his son; in another way it is found in
something of a different nature, as the king's image on the coin. In
the first sense the Son is the image of the Father; in the second sense
man is called the image of God; and therefore in order to express the
imperfect character of the divine image in man, man is not simply
called 'the image' but is referred to as being 'according to the
image', whereby is expressed a certain movement or tendency to
perfection. But it cannot be said that the Son of God is 'according to
the image', because he is the perfect image of the Father" ("Summa
Theologiae", I, q. 35, a. 2 ad 3). And so, "for something to be truly
an image, it has to proceed from another as similar to it in species,
or at least in some aspect of the species" ("Summa Theologiae", I, q.
35, a. 1, c.) To say that the Son is "image of the invisible God" means
that the Father and the Son are one-in-substance--that is, both possess
the same divine nature--, with the nuance that the Son proceeds from
the Father. It also conveys the fact that they are two distinct
persons, for no one is the image of himself.


The supreme revelation of God is that effected by the Son of God
through his Incarnation. He is the only one who can say, "He who has
seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:9). His sacred humanity, therefore,
reflects the perfections of God, which he possesses by virtue of the
hypostatic union--the union of divine nature and human nature which
occurs in his person, which is divine. The second Person of the
Trinity restored man to his original dignity. The image of God,
imperfect though it be, which there is in every man and woman, was
blurred by Adam's sin; but it was restored in Christ: God's true
self-image takes on a nature the same as ours, and thanks to the
redemption wrought by his death, we obtain forgiveness of sins (v. 14).


Jesus Christ is the "first-born of all creation" by virtue of the
hypostatic union. He is, of course, prior to all creation, for he
proceeds eternally from the Father by generation. This the Church has
always believed, and it proclaims it in the Creed: "born of the Father
before time began ..., begotten, not made, of one being
[consubstantial] with the Father" ("Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed").


In Jewish culture, the first-born was first in honor and in law. When
the Apostle calls Jesus "the first-born of all creation", he is
referring to the fact that Christ has pre-eminence and headship over
all created things, because not only does he pre-date them but they
were all created "through him" and "for him" (v. 16).


16-17. Jesus Christ is God; this is why he has pre-eminence over all
created things. The relationships between Christ and creation are
spelled out by three prepositions. "In him all things were created": in
Christ: he is their source, their center and their model or exemplary
cause. "All things were created through him and for him": through him,
in other words, God the Father, through God the Son, creates all
things; and for him, because he is the last end, the purpose or goal of
everything.


St Paul goes on to say that "in him all things hold together"; "the Son
of God has not only created everything: he conserves everything in
being; thus, if his sovereign will were to cease to operate for even an
instant, everything would return into the nothingness from which he
drew everything that exists" (Chrysostom, "Hom. on Col, ad loc.").


All created things, then, continue in existence because they share,
albeit in a limited way, in Christ's infinite fullness of existence or
perfection. His dominion extends not only over celestial things but
also over all material things, however insignificant they may seem: it
embraces everything in heaven and in the physical universe.


The sacred text also points to Christ's supremacy over invisible
creation, that is, over the angels and celestial hierarchies (cf. Heb
1:5). If St Paul stresses this fact, it is to expose the errors of
those who were depicting Jesus as a creature intermediary between
corporeal beings and spiritual created beings, and, therefore, lower
than the angels.


18. "He is the head of the body, the church": this image shows the
relationship of Christ with the Church, to which he sends his grace in
abundance, bearing life to all its members. 'The head," St Augustine
says, "is our very Savior, who suffered under Pontius Pilate and now,
after rising from the dead, is seated at the right hand of the Father.
And his body is the Church [...] For the whole Church, made up of the
assembly of the faithful--for all the faithful are Christ's
members--has Christ, as its head, who rules his body from on high"
("Enarrationes in Psalmos", 56, 1).


St Paul unequivocally teaches that the Church is a body. "Now if the
Church is a body it must be something one and undivided, according to
the statement of St Paul: 'We, though many, are one body in Christ'
(Rom 12:5). And not only must it be one and undivided, it must also be
something concrete and visible, as our Predecessor of happy memory, Leo
XIII, says in his Encyclical "Satis Cognitum": 'By the very fact of
being a body the Church is visible.' It is therefore an aberration from
divine truth to represent the Church as something intangible and
invisible, as a mere 'pneumatic' entity joining together by an
invisible link a number of communities of Christians in spite of their
difference in faith.


"But a body requires a number of members so connected that they help
one another. And, in fact, as in our mortal organism when one member
suffers the others suffer with it, and the healthy members come to the
assistance of those who are ailing, so in the Church individual members
do not live only for themselves but also help one another, alleviating
their suffering and helping to build up the entire body" (Pius XII,
"Mystici Corporis", 7).


"He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead": this can be said
because he was the first man to rise from the dead, never again to die
(cf. 1 Cor 15:20; Rev 1:5), and also because thanks to him it enabled
men to experience resurrection in glory (cf. 1 Cor 15:22; Rom 8:11),
because they are justified through him (cf. Rom 4:25).


So, just as the previous verses looked to Christ's pre-eminent role in
creations the hymn now focuses on his primacy in a new creation--the
rebirth of mankind, and all creation in its train, in the supernatural
order of grace and glory. Christ rose from the dead to enable us also
to walk in newness of life (cf. Rom 6:4). Therefore, in every way Jesus
Christ is "pre-eminent."


19. The word "pleroma" translated here as "fullness", has two meanings
in Greek: one, an active meaning, describes something that "fills" or
"completes"; for example, a ship's full load can be referred to as its
pleroma. The other meaning is passive, "that which is filled" or "that
which is complete", so that a ship can be said to be "pleroma" when it
is fully loaded. In this passage St Paul is using the word in both
senses: Christ is the fullness (passive sense) of the Godhead (cf. Col
2:9), because he is full of all the perfections of the divine essence;
and he is the fullness (active sense), because he fills the Church and
all creation.


St John Chrysostom suggests that "the word 'fullness' is to be taken to
mean the divinity of Jesus Christ [...]. This term has been chosen the
better to show that the very essence of the godhead resides in Jesus
Christ" ("Hom. on Col, ad loc.").


Since Christ possesses the divine nature, he also possesses the
fullness of the supernatural gifts, for himself and for all mankind.
Hence St Thomas' comment that pleroma "reveals the dignity of the head
in so far as it has the fullness of all grace" (Commentary on Col, ad
loc.). In this sense, Christ is the fullness of the Church, for as its
head he vivifies his body with all kinds of unmerited gifts. Finally,
the entire created universe can be termed the "fullness" ("pleroma") of
Christ, because everything that exists in heaven and on earth has been
created and is maintained in existence by him (cf. vv. 16-17); they are
ever-present to him and are ruled by him (cf. Is 6:3; Ps 139:8; Wis
1:7; etc.). Thus, the world, which was created good (cf. Gen 1:31)
tends towards its fulfillment insofar as it clearly reflects the imprint
God gave it at the start of creation.


20. Since Christ is pre-eminent over all creation, the Father chose to
reconcile all things to himself through him. Sin had cut man off from
God, rupturing the perfect order which originally reigned in the
created world. By shedding his blood on the cross, Christ obtained
peace for us; nothing in the universe falls outside the scope of his
peace-giving influence. He who in the beginning created all things in
heaven and on earth has reestablished peace throughout creation.


This reconciliation of all things, ushered in by Christ, is fostered by
the Holy Spirit who enables the Church to continue the process of
reconciliation. However, we will not attain the fullness of this
reconciliation until we reach heaven, when the entire created universe,
along with mankind, will be perfectly renewed in Christ (cf. "Lumen
Gentium", 48).


"The history of salvation--the salvation of the whole of humanity, as
well as of every human being of whatever period--is the wonderful
history of a reconciliation; the reconciliation whereby God, as Father,
in the Blood and the Cross of his Son made man, reconciles the world to
himself and thus brings into being a new family of those who have been
reconciled.


"Reconciliation becomes necessary because there has been the break of
sin from which derive all the other forms of break within man and about
him. Reconciliation therefore, in order to be complete, necessarily
requires liberation from sin, which is to be rejected in its deepest
roots. Thus a close internal link unites "conversion" and
"reconciliation". It is impossible to split these two realities or to
speak of one and say nothing of the other (John Paul II, "Reconciliatio
Et Paenitentia", 13).


Jesus Christ also counts on the cooperation of every individual
Christian to apply his work of redemption and peace to all creation.
The founder of Opus Dei says, in this connection: "We must love the
world and work and all human things. For the world is good. Adam's sin
destroyed the divine balance of creation; but God the Father sent his
only Son to reestablish peace, so that we his children by adoption,
might free creation from disorder and reconcile all things to God"
("Christ Is Passing By", 112).

---

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

[Salvation]

From: Luke 5:33-39


A Discussion on Fasting

---

[33] And they (the scribes and the Pharisees) said to Him (Jesus), "The
disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples
of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink." [34] And Jesus said to
them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is
with them? [35] The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away
from them, and then they will fast in those days." [36] He told them a
parable also: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon
an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from
the new will not match the old. [37] And no one puts new wine into old
wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be
spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. [38] But new wine must be put
into fresh wineskins. [39] And no one after drinking old wine desires
new; for he says, `The old is good.'"

---

Commentary:


33-35. In the Old Testament God established certain days as days of
fasting--the main one being the "day of atonement" (Numbers 29:7; Acts
27:9). Fasting implied total or partial abstinence from food or
drink. Moses and Elijah fasted (Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8) and our
Lord Himself fasted in the desert for forty days before beginning His
public ministry. In the present passage Jesus gives a deeper meaning
to the word "fasting"--the deprivation of His physical presence which
His Apostles would experience after His death. All through His public
life Jesus is trying to prepare His disciples for the final parting.
At first the Apostles were not very robust and Christ's physical
presence did them more good than the practice of fasting.


Christians should sometimes abstain from food. "Fast and abstain from
flesh meat when Holy Mother Church so ordains" ("St. Pius X Catechism",
495). That is the purpose of the fourth commandment of the Church, but
it has a deeper meaning, as St. Leo the Great tells us: "The merit of
our fasts does not consist only in abstinence from food; there is no
use depriving the body of nourishment if the soul does not cut itself
off from iniquity and if the tongue does not cease to speak evil"
("Sermo IV in Quadragesima").

---

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

[Salvation]

Friday, September 2, 2005
Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Colossians 1:15-20 Psalm 100:2-5 Luke 5:33-39 "Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven." -- St Ephraem

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Collect: Father, in your plan for our salvation you provide shepherds for your people. Fill your Church with the spirit of courage and love. Raise up worthy ministers for your altars and ardent but gentle servants of the Gospel. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Activities: » Religion in the Home for Elementary School: September » Religion in the Home for Preschool: September Prayers: » September Devotion: Our Lady of Sorrows

September 02, 2005 Friday of the Twenty-Second Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Stephen of Hungary, king and confessor “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good’” (Luke 5:36-39). Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar today was the feast of St. Stephen of Hungary. This feast is now celebrated on August 16. Meditation - Mary at the Foot of the Cross Our Lord had arrived at the goal of His earthly mission and was about to accomplish the reconciliation of man with God. In this, the great, the decisive moment of mankind's history, Mary stood erect at the side of her Son's Cross. She was renewing the offering she first made at the presentation in the Temple. She was offering to the Father, as ransom for the world, the blessed fruit of her womb. Jesus would expire in a few moments; then the sacrifice would be completed, the salvation of man accomplished. "This is thy mother." Jesus gave Mary to us as our mother in the realm of grace. When He told John she was his mother he was addressing also us, giving us His mother at the moment of His death. His words to her, "Woman, this is thy son," engendered in her heart a most intimate motherly love for us, who are the brothers and sisters of Christ through grace. Surely at that moment, as once in Nazareth, Mary pronounced a fiat (be it done), and thus, by a consent prompted by love for us she granted the last wish of her Son. It was in this hour of her deepest sorrow that she became our Mother. We are the children of her sorrows, given to her to replace Jesus, so that she might extend her love of Him to us. "Joseph of Arimathea took His body down from the Cross." Catholic piety has imagined Joseph as laying the sacred Body into the arms of Mary as she sat near the Cross. It was a moment of fresh sorrow for the loving Mother. We attempt to enter into the depths of her sorrow, for we recognize in the "Pieta" an expression of the intimate communion of hearts between Jesus and Mary. Formerly she had carried Him beneath her warm heart, then in her arms-that child so dear, so lovely. And now she had Him in her arms again, no longer a child, but the powerful conqueror of sin and Satan, the Redeemer of mankind-dead. At that moment, the entire treasure of redemption lay in her hands. Never had she been so rich before: rich for us, for she had just been bequeathed to us as our mother. She had given her all; now, at the foot of the Cross, she had gained all by her participation in the sufferings of Christ. With sympathetic, grateful hearts, we look on her: "This is thy mother." Excerpted from Saints of the Missal by Rt. Rev. Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

[Ciexyz]

Faith-sharing bump.

[Ciexyz]

Ping for the update on the Catholic Charities Fund.

[anonymoussierra]

Thank you"Salvation"!!!!!!!

[anonymoussierra]

---

"A Prayer for the Victims of Hurricane Katrina

O God, we remember when the disciples of Jesus were terrified after a long night on a turbulent sea. When they cried to you for help, you stilled the sea and brought them to safety. We ask now that you comfort and still the hearts of those suffering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. We pray for those who have been displaced and who now must return to homes destroyed or damaged by the storm. We pray for those whose lives were lost and for those who now must grieve the loss of a loved one. We pray for those who are attempting to offer help and relief to victims. While we wonder why such devastation can occur, where lives and property can seem held so capriciously in the hand of what is uncontrollable, we know, O God, that you count every hair on our head and that our names are written on the palm of your hand. Let your loving grace wash over those who must now face damaged lives, homes, and possessions. Hold them close to yourself until they are sure of the security of your loving embrace. Calm their hearts and still their souls, O Lord. We ask this for the sake of your love. AMEN.

Renée Miller


Ten Ways to Help

1. Pray for victims and their families, that they will find their fears calmed, that they will be given hope in their loss, and that they will be given the strength to begin anew.

2. Listen to the local news to find out about relief efforts in your area and how you might participate.

3. Set aside some portion of your income to help those in need.
In addition to the Red Cross, many religious organizations are arranging relief efforts and accepting donations.

4. Offer hospitality to displaced persons and families.

5. Offer to care for the pets of those who have been displaced.

6. Write a letter of hope and encouragement to victims and send it to your local politicians, and to your local newspaper editor.

7. Smile at every person you meet. They may not be a victim, but they may have family or friends who are victims.

8. Go to the Red Cross and offer your services as a volunteer.

9. Set up a prayer vigil at your church, synagogue, or mosque for victims and/or their families and friends.

10. Pray for those who have died, and for their families and friends who grieve."

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http://www.explorefaith.org/prayer/katrina.html

BE STRONG ALL GREAT PERSONS BE STRONG GOOD G-D WILL HELP YOU ALL!!!!!

[sergey1973]

Thanks anonymoussierra ! Not to brag, but I did my small part too. I've donated to the Red Cross. I also plan on donating blood in the next few months. Hopefully, there will be a blood drive in my company.

This calamity is terrible in Louisiana (esp. New Orleans), Mississipi and Alabama, but the country will pull through. Certainly there should be inquiries to all the delays in aid and initial gross inefficiency of the response to this catastrophy. Also a complete break down of law and order in New Orleans really added to the devastation. However, goodness and efficiency eventually triumph. National Guard troops right now in New Orleans putting things in order. Thanks again, anonymoussierra !

[Ciexyz]

Prayers offered up. Thanks for posting that lovely prayer!

[anonymoussierra]

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"In prayer for my dear sisters brothers of your great nation."

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thank you all

http://www2.postcards.org/go2/candles?5858001

[Smartass]

Homily of the Day

Title:	Making Do vs. Jesus' Vision for You
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Friday, September 2, 2005

Colossians 1:15-20 / Lk 5:33-39

Making do is a skill that life forces us to learn. Sometimes it's sheer economic necessity: there's no money. Sometimes other factors intervene to force us to make do with what we've got, in business, in friendships, in our very bodies. Making do is a useful skill that can save us from disaster or from a sense of total hopelessness, but sometimes it can be a curse. Because sometimes it can cause us to expect, and to settle for, far too little.

Nowhere does this happen more often than at the very core of our lives: the ways we've adapted to the world, our ways of thinking about ourselves and relating to others, all those daily little habits and limits we've come to take for granted. They may be stupid and even unpleasant, but we make do. We get used to the "ragged old coat," and even under pressure, the most we're willing to do is "sew on a couple of elbow patches."

Jesus is warning us about just that kind of making do at the core of our lives. It will lead to no good. What He offers instead is the chance to "put on a whole new coat," to walk away from those old ways of thinking and seeing and acting which don't serve us well, and to get a new life, which He will show us.

There's always a risk in giving up something you HAVE in exchange for something you can't quite see yet. It's rather like the man on the trapeze, letting go of one swing in the hope that he can reach the next. There IS a risk, but do you really want to spend the rest of your life just making do? That's not what God wants for you! He wants your life to be a masterpiece.