Kate Wicker: Catholic Carnival 157: Feast Before the Famine

Kate Wicker: Catholic Carnival 157: Feast Before the Famine








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A Catholic Mom in Hawaii: Mary, the Mother of God#links

A Catholic Mom in Hawaii: Mary, the Mother of God#links

After viewing this video, one has to wonder how anyone could have a problem honoring Mary, the Mother of God.

"Esther has this on her blog and it is simply wonderful and great viewing."

Religious Christian Tracts

Last week Candy and her children made Christian tracts.


Interestingly as I was reading about Saint Francis De Sales 1567-1622(whose feast day was last week) I discovered that he is credited with writing the first Christian tracts!

From Catholic Online

For three years, he trudged through the countryside, had doors slammed in his face and rocks thrown at him. In the bitter winters, his feet froze so badly they bled as he tramped through the snow. He slept in haylofts if he could, but once he slept in a tree to avoid wolves. He tied himself to a branch to keep from falling out and was so frozen the next morning he had to be cut down. And after three years, his cousin had left him alone and he had not made one convert.

Francis' unusual patience kept him working. No one would listen to him, no one would even open their door. So Francis found a way to get under the door. He wrote out his sermons, copied them by hand, and slipped them under the doors. This is the first record we have of religious tracts being used to communicate with people.

The parents wouldn't come to him out of fear. So Francis went to the children. When the parents saw how kind he was as he played with the children, they began to talk to him.

By the time, Francis left to go home he is said to have converted 40,000 people back to Catholicism.

So as it turns out, writing and distributing Christian tracts is a very "Catholic" thing to do!

Pro-Life Blogs

Pro-Life Blogs

I am interrupting our usual apologetics blog/Candyland reporting, to mention that Blogs For Life will be going strong today on this sad anniversary where abortion on demand became the law of the land. Some bloggers are live-blogging the March forLife

Check it out here and here.



I would like to take a moment here to mention that Candy spent a lot of bandwidth in the Fall with lies about Catholics worshiping the Devil, practicing Paganism, baby sacrifice and a lot of other nonsense. But the truth is that when it comes to the pro-life movement in this country, the Catholic Church has stood strong in supporting life from conception through old age! In fact the church finds life to be so sacred it even still opposes artificial contraception which perverts the loving union of the marital act - something that ALL CHRISTIAN CHURCHES held to before 1930. Without fail, the Catholic church has not wavered in that stand. I'd like to offer Candy a chance this week to acknowledge the pro-life record of the Catholic Church - but I won't hold my breath.

Homily from my parish, just wanted to share with our readers.

The Feast of the Holy Family
30 December 2007
Fr. Bob


Is your family holy?

Excuse me, but the question is not going to go away. Is your family holy?

I suspect, if you’re willing to take the question seriously, your mind immediately goes to the most recent moment you had trying to get your reluctant kids ready to come to this mass; you may think back to the fights you’ve had with your spouse about religious practice; or if you’re divorced, the pain of a broken home immediately makes the question unwelcome to even think about. For some of you who’ve raised your families, the question might provoke in you thoughts of your adult children who’ve left the practice of any religion in spite of your best efforts and even some nagging; and/or you catalogue the list of your adult grand kids who don’t practice anything – are sleeping around, living together without the benefit of marriage, or are divorced so often now you’ve lost count.

So if you let yourself go there, the question for some is swiftly dismissed – and maybe even with a little touch of cynicism – so you answer: Holy? Hardly. As if that summary judgment is the end of it. Question asked. Question answered. “So get on with it Fr. Bob. And don’t push us – life is hard enough without having to be ‘guilted’ by the priest.”

Yea. I know it is. That’s exactly why the question can’t go away. Precisely because life is hard; and precisely because family relationships are incredibly fragile things; that’s exactly why the question can’t go away. And because of a deep love for marriage and family life – I must not avoid putting it before you. “Is your family holy?” is not a question of guilt – but the only wake-up call to authentic happiness that you can have as husbands and wives and as families.

Is your family holy?

To get to the root of this question, one has to sift through the rubble of life caused by a heaping pile of bad personal decisions. Because in the end, to answer the question of whether or not your family is holy – is first and foremost an exercise of self-reflection and not finger pointing. If your first instinct in assessing the holiness of your marriage and family is to point to the failures and faults of others in the family – then you’ve already gotten to one of the roots of the problem: You. For the greatest thing you can contribute to the holiness of your marriage and family life is the unbridled, unrestrained, no-holds-barred, let-nothing-get-the-way, pursuit of your own personal holiness. And if you can’t first see how you’ve failed your marriage and family life; and if you’re not first committed to being the holiest husband, the holiest wife, the holiest mother, the holiest father, the holiest son or the holiest daughter – if that isn’t your first and most treasured priority in life, then the cynicism you have about your marriage and family life – or the bitterness you bear toward your parents or siblings is of your own making. You’re responsible for your own misery. And blame is merely cover for your spiritual laziness.

Having said that – it is true, nevertheless, that sin can strike us from behind through the sin of others. Terrible wounds can be inflicted upon us by the spiritually lazy in our homes. And hurt can really hurt when it’s those we mean to love most who hurt us. What then? What is the recourse for those in family life who want holiness but live with the unrepentant? Or what is the path for those who for real and legitimate concerns for their safety and well-being are separated from the unapologetic? Each story here is profoundly personal and each story must be reverenced for its uniqueness – but this can be said truly to all: Christ crucified bleeds for you. And that same redeeming blood washes over the unrepentant one in your life in the hope that one day their sin will be made clear and they will fall to their knees in horror at what they’ve done in sinning against love and return to the Father who will embrace them with mercy. But until that day – your only savior is Christ. In him alone is your consolation. It is enough for now that you join your sufferings to the Crucified Christ who was born to bring light to waiting hearts. You are not alone. And holiness is still possible. Holiness is still your calling, no matter how fractured things may seem to be. Holiness is yours, not by going around, not by going over and not in spite of this struggle – but by going through it. Just like Christ.

That first Christmas, that family was made holy not because things were perfect. For pete’s sake: They didn’t have money. They didn’t have a home that night. It was a barn. With sheep, and goats and all the smelliness they leave behind on the floor. Relatives gossiped about the pregnancy. And they fled from death threats. Good grief: perfection in this sense was not the issue. This family was holy, not because the external things were perfect in their life. It was holy because of the child they welcomed at the center of their universe. The Holy Family was holy because Christ was the center of their life; the center of their being. He was their everything. It was holy because they oriented everything to Him and they lived only for Him. And there is not one family represented here; not one person here who isn’t capable of that. Not one.

And so I ask again for love of you: Is your family holy?

This question will never go away. Thank God.

Happy Birthday Candy!

Today is Candy's 30th birthday!

Well, tomorrow is my birthday. Today is my last day of being in my 20s, and tomorrow I join the club of the third-decaders - I will be turning 30. :-)

She's actually joining the club of the fourth decaders, having just completed her third full decade. In the past Candy has been reluctant to share her exact age with the world. I'm not sure why. There is certainly nothing wrong with being young.

What Candy has is strength and conviction, two very admirable qualities in a young Christian woman. May the coming years add wisdom, insight and temperance to those gifts. Happy Birthday Candy.

Replacement Theology

Just what does the Catholic Church believe in regards to Replacement Theology? I only dug up two articles who attempt to answer the question.

Jimmy Akin at This Rock
David MacDonald

Worth reading and very relevant is Nostra Aetate:

As the sacred synod searches into the mystery of the Church, it remembers the bond that spiritually ties the people of the New Covenant to Abraham's stock.

Thus the Church of Christ acknowledges that, according to God's saving design, the beginnings of her faith and her election are found already among the Patriarchs, Moses and the prophets. She professes that all who believe in Christ-Abraham's sons according to faith (6)-are included in the same Patriarch's call, and likewise that the salvation of the Church is mysteriously foreshadowed by the chosen people's exodus from the land of bondage. The Church, therefore, cannot forget that she received the revelation of the Old Testament through the people with whom God in His inexpressible mercy concluded the Ancient Covenant. Nor can she forget that she draws sustenance from the root of that well-cultivated olive tree onto which have been grafted the wild shoots, the Gentiles.(7) Indeed, the Church believes that by His cross Christ, Our Peace, reconciled Jews and Gentiles. making both one in Himself.(8)

The Church keeps ever in mind the words of the Apostle about his kinsmen: "theirs is the sonship and the glory and the covenants and the law and the worship and the promises; theirs are the fathers and from them is the Christ according to the flesh" (Rom. 9:4-5), the Son of the Virgin Mary. She also recalls that the Apostles, the Church's main-stay and pillars, as well as most of the early disciples who proclaimed Christ's Gospel to the world, sprang from the Jewish people.

Catholic Persecution of the Jews

A non-Candy blog recently posted a link to an article from Restoration Ministries, which discusses how the Catholic Church was responsible for eradicating the "Hebraic roots" in Christianity.

This was put forth as a "really great article" especially suited for those who are "unfamiliar with historic accounts." Yet, when I looked up the historic accounts, I found a few errors. Here are a few points I would like to correct.

Up until as recently as the early 1960's a prayer that cursed the
Jews was read aloud by priests annually on Good Friday.

What exactly is this person's definition of cursing? It is a prayer
for conversion, not a curse. The prayer states:

"Let us pray also for the faithless Jews: that Almighty God may remove
the veil from their hearts [2 Corinthians 3:13-16]; so that they too
may acknowledge Jesus Christ our Lord. ('Amen' is not responded, nor
is said 'Let us pray', or 'Let us kneel', or 'Arise', but immediately
is said:) Almighty and eternal God, who dost not exclude from thy
mercy even the faithless Jews: hear our prayers, which we offer for
the blindness of that people; that acknowledging the light of thy
Truth, which is Christ, they may be delivered from their darkness.
Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with thee in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen."

Another problematic passage:

Convening the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, Pope Innocent III
reinstituted all the dreaded anti-Semitic laws that the Christianized
Roman Empire had formulated almost a millennium earlier. For example,

• Jews were ordered to separate from Christians; they could no longer
even live near one another.
• Jewish holy books were torched. Rabbinical schools were closed,
again reinforcing the Jewish home as the center for learning and
religious instruction.
• All Jews were required to wear a badge of distinction, a yellow
circle. (This would be the precursor of the yellow Star of David to be
worn by all Jews under Nazi tyranny.)

This is the only canon that seemed relevant to those charges from the
Fourth Lateran Council:

"In some provinces a difference in dress distinguishes the Jews or
Saracens from the Christians, but in certain others such a confusion
has grown up that they cannot be distinguished by any difference. Thus
it happens at times that through error Christians have relations with
the women of Jews or Saracens, and Jews and Saracens with Christian
women. Therefore, that they may not, under pretext of error of this
sort, excuse themselves in the future for the excesses of such
prohibited intercourse, we decree that such Jews and Saracens of both
sexes in every Christian province and at all times shall be marked off
in the eyes of the public from other peoples through the character of
their dress. Particularly, since it may be read in the writings of
Moses [Numbers 15:37-41], that this very law has been enjoined upon
them.

Moreover, during the last three days before Easter and especially on
Good Friday, they shall not go forth in public at all, for the reason
that some of them on these very days, as we hear, do not blush to go
forth better dressed and are not afraid to mock the Christians who
maintain the memory of the most holy Passion by wearing signs of
mourning.

This, however, we forbid most severely, that any one should presume at
all to break forth in insult to the Redeemer. And since we ought not
to ignore any insult to Him who blotted out our disgraceful deeds, we
command that such impudent fellows be checked by the secular princes
by imposing them proper punishment so that they shall not at all
presume to blaspheme Him who was crucified for us."

I see special dress, but no yellow circles, ghettos, or burning
holy books mentioned in the canons. It is possible that these things did happen, but you cannot say that they were legislated through the Fourth Lateran Council, because it isn't there.

Now, Christians and Jews share the same "Holy Books" because their scriptures are our Old Testament. This is a flag to me, because why would the Church forbid study of books that they consider canonical? The simple answer is that they didn't. I believe this article is referring to the Talmud, which is the Jewish oral Law in written form.

The Jewish Virtual Library gives an account of persecution of the Talmud, and it is successive, not all at one time or specifically related to the Forth Lateran Council. They list Pope Gregory IV as ordering the burning of the Talmud in 1239, and Pope Eugenius IV prohibited the study of the Talmud following the Council of Basle in the early 1430's.

The Talmud in particular was targeted because of some passages which
Christians felt related to the death of Jesus. It said that he was
stoned because he practiced sorcery and seduced Israel away from God.

You can read the passages here.

So, I don't think whoever wrote this really great article actually WAS
very familiar with historical accounts. Certainly, books have been written on the treatment of Jews in the Middle Ages. However, blaming everything on Pope Innocent and the Fourth Lateran council is, at best, an oversimplification.

apocryphal = false?

Candy wrote:
Other Cambridge Bibles have the apocrypha in it - apocrypha means "false."

When commentor Cris asked her about that, Candy stated:
From the note under the American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition at dictionary.com, under the definition for 'Apocrypha.'

"false; spurious: He told an apocryphal story about the sword, but the truth was later revealed."

From definition 3 of dictionary.com - Unabridged v 1.1, under the definition of 'apocryphal.'

How ingenious to directly quote "definition 3" from dictionary.com.

If you actually visit the site, you will find the second definition states:

2.Ecclesiastical.

a.	(initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the Apocrypha.

Or the American Heritage, which she mentioned first, states:

1. Apocryphal Bible Of or having to do with the Apocrypha.

As we are using the ecclesiastical and I daresay, biblical definition of Apocrypha, I think it safe to say that we should use those definitions.

But what is the root of apocryphal in the Biblical sense? Cris was correct. The Catholic Encyclopedia states:

Etymologically, the derivation of Apocrypha is very simple, being from the Greek apokryphos, hidden, and corresponding to the neuter plural of the adjective. The use of the singular, "Apocryphon", is both legitimate and convenient, when referring to a single work.

The original King James Bible included the Apocrypha, as you can read here.

The Jews celebrate Hannukah because it is written in the book of Maccabees, which is found in the Apocrypha. If it is considered a feast, then I would guess that Jews do not consider it a false story.

For more information on the books known as the Apocrypha, see this post on The Catholic Bible.

Catholic Carnival 155: Voices in the Wilderness at Deo Omnis Gloria

Catholic Carnival 155: Voices in the Wilderness at Deo Omnis Gloria

What is a Mortal Sin?

What is a Mortal Sin?

Jennifer Sr, this is a good description on what a Mortal sin is, I hope this is helpful, if not let one of us know.
Blessings!

Catholic Evangelization

As Tracy has written, many Catholics feel hesitant to evangelize. Our relationship with the Lord is very personal, as as such, it feels intrusive to discuss that relationship with others.

However, Catholics are very much called to evangelize. Does our evangelization look the same as that of a born again Christian, handing out tracts and reading through a Sinner's Prayer with a total stranger? Possibly, but probably not in most cases.

The Catholic Catechism #905 states: "Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, "that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life." For lay people, "this evangelization . . . acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world."

As Tracy wrote, as Catholic lay people, our primary evangelization takes place in the ordinary circumstances of the world.

In the Doctrinal Note on some Aspects of Evangelization which I referenced in the previous post, there is an elaboration on this idea.

" . . .evangelization is aimed at all of humanity. In any case, to evangelize does not mean simply to teach a doctrine, but to proclaim Jesus Christ by one’s words and actions, that is, to make oneself an instrument of his presence and action in the world."

We see here that words and actions are again mentioned as an important means of evangelization.

"Today, however, with ever-increasing frequency, questions are being raised about the legitimacy of presenting to others – so that they might in turn accept it – that which is held to be true for oneself. Often this is seen as an infringement of other people’s freedom."

However, we need to be wary of holding back from presenting the Gospel, because we feel it would be intrusive to others. How many times have we, as Catholics, held our tongue when speaking to an aquaintence because it was easier than saying something? We probably reasoned that our good example should be enough, and it isn't necessary to actually say something to them. Think of the many times that abortion or contraception come up in casual conversation. Are there times that we could make a comment that might get people thinking about the truth of these subjects?

Does this mean that we need to bluntly tell people that they are sinning, or act in some other offensive way?

"Evangelization also involves a sincere dialogue that seeks to understand the reasons and feelings of others. Indeed, the heart of another person can only be approached in freedom, in love and in dialogue, in such a manner that the word which is spoken is not simply offered, but also truly witnessed in the hearts of those to whom it is addressed. This requires taking into account the hopes, sufferings and concrete situations of those with whom one is in dialogue. Precisely in this way, people of good will open their hearts more freely and share their spiritual and religious experiences in all sincerity. This experience of sharing, a characteristic of true friendship, is a valuable occasion for witnessing and for Christian proclamation."

No, evangelization is a delicate art. In the same way that we shouldn't be afraid to speak up, so we also should be sensitive. We need to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and seek openings that might truly bear fruit. If we offend someone, they might close that door forever, but sometimes a gentle word at the right moment can be a powerful witness.

Christmas Is A Call To Share The Good News

Candy isn't the only one thinking about evangelization this time of year.

12/24/2007
VATICAN CITY (Zenit) - Benedict XVI says the Church's mission to evangelize is an answer to the Advent prayer "Come, Lord Jesus."

The Pope affirmed this today before praying the midday Angelus with thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square.

"The evangelizing mission of the Church is the answer to the cry 'Come, Lord Jesus,' which runs through the whole of salvation history and that continually goes up from the lips of believers," the Holy Father said. "'Come, Lord, to transform our hearts so that justice and peace are spread throughout the world.'"

Benedict XVI dedicated his reflection to a consideration of the Dec. 14 note from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on evangelization.

"The document proposes, in effect, to remind all Christians -- in a situation in which the reason for being itself of evangelization is often no longer clear -- that the welcoming itself of the glad tidings of the faith moves us to communicate the salvation received as a gift," he said. "In fact, the truth that saves life, that became flesh in Jesus, ignites in those who receive it a love of neighbor that moves our freedom to give as a gift that which has been freely received."

Heaven and earth

The Pontiff reflected on Christmas as an impetus to evangelize.

He said: "Being reached by the presence of God, who draws near to us at Christmas, is an inestimable gift, a gift that is capable of making us live in the universal embrace of the friends of God, in that network of friendship with Christ that binds heaven and earth, that directs human freedom toward its fulfillment and that, if lived in its truth, flourishes in a gratuitous love and a concern for the good of all men.

"Nothing is more beautiful, urgent and important than freely giving to men what we have freely received from God. Nothing can exempt or discharge us from this fascinating duty. The joy of Christmas of which we already have a foretaste, as we are filled with hope, moves us at the same time to proclaim to all the presence of God in our midst."

Benedict XVI concluded his meditation calling on Mary, "the incomparable model of evangelization" who "did not communicate an idea to the world but Jesus, the incarnate Word," to obtain the grace for the Church to proclaim Christ the savior.

"Every Christian and every community feels the joy of sharing with others the good news that God so loved the world to give his only begotten Son so that the world might be saved through him," he concluded. "This is the authentic meaning of Christmas, that we must always rediscover and live intensely."

Why Catholics Don't Often Witness

I came across an article by Fr. John C. Haughey, professor of theology at Loyola University in Chicago, who laments the Catholic unwillingness to talk about their personal relationship with Jesus. Whether it be a theology student or a theology professor, Catholics don't talk much about themselves and Christ. Instead, Catholics, even Catholic professors, talk about books: “these seasoned Catholic scholars could hardly be described as lacking a personal relationship with Christ. What is it about Catholicism that makes personal sharing about one’s relationship with Jesus less likely?” John Paul II has already answered this question. How many men and women begin a conversation by talking about their love for their spouse? Most married people, especially men, simply don't engage in that kind of conversation. We don't start a conversation with "Good heavens, I love my wife! And I just wanted to come before you to say that she's the best little woman in the world." Evangelicals emphasize the Lordship of Christ or the fact that Jesus is their friend. But you never hear them talk about Jesus as their lover. For Catholics, that is all there IS to talk about. We can talk about how we got married to our Spouse, Jesus Christ, in baptism. We can talk about how God grows in our marriage relationship from baptismal newlywed status to full maturity in Confirmation. We can talk about how He establishes His Son within our spiritual family through Holy Orders. We can talk about how we we cheated on our Spouse but repented and renewed our marriage vows in Reconciliation. We can talk about the Flesh of the Bridegroom entering the Flesh of the Bride at the Nuptial Feast in Eucharist and the Mass. We can talk about all the sweet nothings we whisper into our Lover's ear through sacramentals and the sacramental life. We can talk about how the Bridegroom takes us home to the Father's House after our honeymoon here on earth. But we don't. We don't talk about it much because spouses don't tend to talk about these things in public. Good spouses don't thrust their private married life on strangers. Married life is about intimacy. It is something that only our family sees, that only spouses really share and understand. I cannot speak for wives, but I can say this: two husbands may talk about this very quietly in the backyard over a beer when the rest of the family is otherwise occupied, but even then, they speak in hushed tones and indirect comments, and even those are kept to a bare minimum. This is the nature of married life. It is the entrance into the sanctuary. It is the holiness of the tabernacle. Men recognize this holiness by doing all that a man can do: he falls silent before it in order to witness to it the better, in order to see it more clearly. There is good Scriptural precedent for this. Mary, the first person to proclaim the full Gospel, did so in absolute silence, as her spouse, Joseph, silently stood guard over her and the Child. She and Joseph remained silent, leaving to the angels the task of telling the shepherds of the event. If Fr. Haughey had bothered to read John Paul II's Theology of the Body, or even bothered with one of the popular summaries (of which my Sex and the Sacred City is but one example), if he had spent some time absorbing this teaching and making it his own, he would know this. Evangelicals are the chipper young lads and lasses out on their first or second or twenty-first date, ready to talk about their relationship with anyone who has a ready ear. Like anyone who is not fully committed, they are not entirely sure of themselves, so they constantly bring forward their relationship for others to examine and advise them. "Is this the one?" they ask. "I really love her. I think she is the one. Is she? Am I doing the right thing? I think I am. I can't imagine being happier. What do you think? I think she's GREAT! Oh, if you only had the chance to meet her, if you only had the chance to know her like I do, you would think she is great too! She is you know. Don't you think so? Come with me, I'll introduce you. You'll really like her." How many times have we who are older had this conversation with an eager young adult? But Catholic life is different. Catholic life is about being married to Jesus. Not dating. Not friends. Married. And Fr. Haughey, that's a whole different level of conversation

More helpful links on the truth of what Catholics believe

Are Catholics Born Again?

Assurance of Salvation?

The Catholic Response to "Are You Saved?"

Appendix: A Personal Relationship With Christ

Scripture Catholic - SALVATION

Catholic Questions : the Bible alone?

Catholic Questions: Apologetics Backward (This Rock: October/November/December 2001)

Twenty One Reasons to Reject Sola Scriptura

Coming Home Network Home Page: the bible alone

Coming Home Network Home Page: sola scriptura

Jennifer Sr. I found these links that will help you understand about "the Bible alone" where it came from etc. I hope this helps.

Living Catholicism: Catholic Carnival 154: Our Culture: Faith, Media, Politics

Living Catholicism: Catholic Carnival 154: Our Culture: Faith, Media, Politics

What I’ve been up to lately

What I’ve been up to lately
This is the blog of Father Ott. I wanted to share it with the Candyland visitors because Father Ott is studying in Rome and the holy lands in preparation of becoming a scripture professor for our local seminary.

I think it is important to illustrate for Candy et al Catholics who are truly "digging" into the scriptures and studying!!








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More Catholic Bible Study

The Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy has recently launched a new website which is a comprehensive Bible resource. Not only can you access and search the entire Bible text, but also commentaries on the text by the Doctors of the Church, various Popes, and Councils. The Sunday readings offer homilies by the Church Fathers. Codes of Canon Law are available as well.

Even better, you can download the entire site, to study at your leisure!

Go ahead and stop by Biblia Clerus today.

One Year Bible Study - An Introduction

Another Scripture study resource

One Year Bible Study - An Introduction

Biblical Evidence for Catholicism

Biblical Evidence for Catholicism: "The same thing happens with Protestants, in their internal squabbles. This is one of the ongoing tragedies of Protestantism. Protestants can scream 'sola Scriptura' and perspicuity (clearness) of Scripture till kingdom come, but they can't agree on its teaching, and so they need authoritative interpretation and a guide: the Church, tradition, councils, popes, and apostolic succession." Dave Armstrong








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A Mother's Rule of Life- Chapter 3

The First P- Prayer

As I had posted previously a priest told Holly about the 5 P's or priorities of a married woman. The first and most serious is prayer. Without prayer our relationship with God suffers or becomes non-existent.
Holly was still lost and searching for something which she calls the "something search". I personally feel all people feel that need to fill their hearts with something and that something is God. If we try to fill it with anything else, money, power, popularity, drugs etc., we are left empty and most likely worse off than we were before we tried to fill the void. The only thing that brings true satisfaction, peace, joy or contentment is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. With this in mind prayer becomes the way we get to know God and mold our lives to his will. For Catholics pray takes on many forms.
We have Vocal Prayer:

-Catechism of the Catholic Church 2701
Vocal prayer is an essential element of the Christian life. To his disciples, drawn by their Master's silent prayer, Jesus teaches a vocal prayer, the Our Father. He not only prayed aloud the liturgical prayers of the synagogue but, as the Gospels show, he raised his voice to express his personal prayer, from exultant blessing of the Father to the agony of Gesthemani.

And

Contemplative Prayer :

-Catechism of the Catholic Church 2713
Contemplative prayer is the simplest expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gift, a grace; it can be accepted only in humility and poverty. Contemplative prayer is a covenant relationship established by God within our hearts. Contemplative prayer is a communion in which the Holy Trinity conforms man, the image of God, "to his likeness."

Prayer should be done even when our emotions do not "feel like it" for as her professor, Father Tom Daley, explained "...law precedes love. The laws that God imposes on us from the outside are meant to discipline us, to help our hearts grow into the laws of love which motivates us from within" So even when we do not feel like or we feel spiritually dry we still need to obey and pray. Holly has described obedience to God as being in two parts the first is to submit yourself to Him and the commands of His Church and by avoiding sin. The next step would be to obey "by practicing the virtues and striving to imitate Jesus consciously"

So as women trying to follow our rule we need to determine what we think is the minimum
amount of prayer and the forms they take and plug them into our daily schedule. I like to start the day with a Morning Offering and then some scripture study, followed by a Rosary at mid-day and an examination of conscience at the end of the day. I also pray throughout the day for the people in my life as I go about my daily tasks.

Here are some great quotes from the CCC about prayer:

-Catechism of the Catholic Church 2616
Prayer to Jesus is answered by him already during his ministry, through signs that anticipate the power of his death and Resurrection: Jesus hears the prayer of faith, expressed in words (the leper, Jairus, the Canaanite woman, the good thief) or in silence (the bearers of the paralytic, the woman with a hemorrhage who touches his clothes, the tears and ointment of the sinful woman). The urgent request of the blind men, "Have mercy on us, Son of David" or "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" has-been renewed in the traditional prayer to Jesus known as the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!" Healing infirmities or forgiving sins, Jesus always responds to a prayer offered in faith: "Your faith has made you well; go in peace."

- Catechism of the Catholic Church 2613
Three principal parables on prayer are transmitted to us by St. Luke:
- The first, "the importunate friend," invites us to urgent prayer: "Knock, and it will be opened to you." To the one who prays like this, the heavenly Father will "give whatever he needs," and above all the Holy Spirit who contains all gifts.
- The second, "the importunate widow," is centered on one of the qualities of prayer: it is necessary to pray always without ceasing and with the patience of faith. "And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
- The third parable, "the Pharisee and the tax collector," concerns the humility of the heart that prays. "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" The Church continues to make this prayer its own: Kyrie eleison!

-Catechism of the Catholic Church 2598
The drama of prayer is fully revealed to us in the Word who became flesh and dwells among us. To seek to understand his prayer through what his witnesses proclaim to us in the Gospel is to approach the holy Lord Jesus as Moses approached the burning bush: first to contemplate him in prayer, then to hear how he teaches us to pray, in order to know how he hears our prayer.

-Catechism of the Catholic Church 2559
"Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." 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? He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer, Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought," are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God."

Our whole life can be a prayer but to put prayer first in our lives we must set aside time each day, preferably first thing in the morning to pray and talk with God. You could make a Morning Offering , read Sacred Scripture, attend Mass, find time for Eucharistic Adoration, there is even a great magazine designed after the Liturgy of the Hours called MAGNIFICAT. There are so many ways to pray.

Holly had a lot of spiritual questions and even thought about being anything but Catholic, because she never felt close to God when she was a Catholic in her early years. She started to ask questions and seriously look for answers. She found that the Catholic Church had the answers to all her questions. She makes the statement " I could draw upon the writings and wisdom of the Church teaching and popes and saints throughout history and soon realized I would never exhaust the wisdom of Catholicism in my lifetime." We are so lucky as Catholics to have such a rich tradition to draw from such as:

The Imitation of Christ by à Kempis Thomas

Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila

The Way of Perfection by St. Teresa of Avila


INTRODUCTION TO A DEVOUT LIFE by St Francis de Sales

and many, many more.

Helpful links on justification alone and faith alone

Did Paul Teach By Justification Alone?

NOT BY FAITH ALONE (This Rock: October 1997)

James Akin (JUSTIFICATION: "BY FAITH ALONE"?)

Faith and Works

Why do Catholics do that?

Why do Catholics try to earn their own salvation, despite the fact that salvation can only come as a free gift from Jesus Christ?

Catholics fully recognize that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for their sins and thus ``opened the gates of Heaven,'' and that salvation is a free gift which no amount of human good deeds could ever earn. Catholics receive Christ's saving and sanctifying grace, and Christ Himself, into their souls when they are baptized. Yet they also know that Christ has established certain conditions for entry into eternal happiness in Heaven--for example, receiving His true Flesh and Blood (John 6:54) and keeping the commandments (Matt. 19:17). If a Christian refuses or neglects to obey Our Lord's commands in a grave matter (that is, if he commits a mortal sin), Our Lord will not remain dwelling in his soul; and if a Christian dies in that state, having driven his Lord from his soul by serious sin, he will not be saved. As St. Paul warned the Galatians with regard to certain sins: ``They who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God.'' (Gal. 5:21). It must be added that Christ will always forgive and return to a sinner who approaches Him with sincerity in the Sacrament of Penance.
Catholics follow St. Paul, who did not think that his salvation was guaranteed once and for all at the moment he first received Christ into his soul; for he wrote: ``I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway.'' (I Cor. 9:27). Also: ``With fear and trembling work out your salvation. For it is God who worketh in you...'' (Phil. 2:12-13). ``And unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required.'' (Luke 12:48). ``He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.'' (Matt. 10:22). Nevertheless, Catholics realize that even the fulfilling of Our Lord's requirements for salvation is impossible without the free gift of His grace.

Why do Catholics believe that good works are necessary for salvation! Does not Paul say in Romans 3:28 that faith alone justifies!

Catholics believe that faith and good works are both necessary for salvation, because such is the teaching of Jesus Christ. What Our Lord demands is ``faith that worketh by charity .'' (Gal. 5 :6). Read Matthew 25:31-46, which describes the Last Judgment as being based on works of charity. The first and greatest commandment, as given by Our Lord Himself, is to love the Lord God with all one's heart, mind, soul, and strength; and the second great commandment is to love one's neighbor as oneself. (Mark 12:30-31). When the rich young man asked Our Lord what he must do to gain eternal life, Our Lord answered: ``Keep the commandments.'' (Matt. 19:17). Thus, although faith is the beginning, it is not the complete fulfillment of the will of God. Nowhere in the Bible is it written that faith alone justifies. When St. Paul wrote, ``For we account a man to be justified by faith, without the works of the law,'' he was referring to works peculiar to the old Jewish Law, and he cited circumcision as an example.
The Catholic Church does not teach that purely human good works are meritorious for salvation; such works are not meritorious for salvation, according to her teaching. Only those good works performed when a person is in the state of grace--that is, as a branch drawing its spiritual life from the Vine which is Christ (John 15:4-6)--only these good deeds work toward our salvation, and they do so only by the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ. These good works, offered to God by a soul in the state of grace (i.e., free of mortal sin, with the Blessed Trinity dwelling in the soul), are thereby supernaturally meritorious because they share in the work and in the merits of Christ. Such supernatural good works will not only be rewarded by God, but are necessary for salvation.

St. Paul shows how the neglect of certain good works will send even a Christian believer to damnation: ``But if any man have not care of his own, and especially of those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.'' (1 Tim. 5:8). Our Lord tells us that if the Master (God) returns and finds His servant sinning, rather than performing works of obedience, He ``shall separate him, and shall appoint him his portion with unbelievers.'' (Luke 12:46).

Furthermore, Catholics know they will be rewarded in Heaven for their good works. Our Lord Himself said: ``For the Son of man . . . will render to every man according to his works.'' (Matt. 16:27). ``And whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.'' (Matt. 10:42). Catholics believe, following the Apostle Paul, that ``every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labor.'' (1 Cor. 3:8). ``For God is not unjust, that he should forget your work, and the love which you have shown in his name, you who have ministered, and do minister to the saints.'' (Heb. 6:10). ``I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord the just judge will render to me in that day: and not only to me, but to them also that love his coming.'' (2 Tim. 4:7-8).

Still, Catholics know that, strictly speaking, God never owes us anything. Even after obeying all God's commandments, we must still say: ``We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which we ought to do.'' (Luke 17:10). As St. Augustine (5th century) stated: ``All our good merits are wrought through grace, so that God, in crowning our merits, is crowning nothing but His gifts.''

Had St. Paul meant that faith ruled out the necessity of good works for salvation, he would not have written: ``. . . and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.'' (1 Cor. 13:2). If faith ruled out the necessity of good works for salvation, the Apostle James would not have written: ``Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only'? . . . For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead.'' (James 2:24-26). Or: ``What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him?'' (James 2:14). If faith ruled out the necessity of good works for salvation, the Apostle Peter would not have written: ``Wherefore, brethren, labor the more, that by good works you may make sure your calling and election. For doing these things, you shall not sin at any time. For so an entrance shall be ministered to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.'' (2 Peter 1:10-11). If faith ruled out the necessity of good works for salvation, the primitive Christian Fathers would not have advocated good works in such powerful words. Wrote St. Irenaeus, one of the most illustrious of the primitive Christian Fathers: ``For what is the use of knowing the truth in word, while defiling the body and accomplishing the works of evil? Or what real good at all can bodily holiness do. if truth be not in the soul? For these two, faith and good works, rejoice in each other's company, and agree together and fight side by side to set man in the Presence of God.

A New Year's Challenge/Opportunity

Read the bible in a year!

Here is a downloadable schedule to keep you on focus. You can do it at your own pace this this is definitely doable in one year. Also pleased note that this schedule includes ALL of the books of the bible.

Enjoy!

http://www.chnetwork.org/journals/readguide04.pdf

Happy New Year!

Blessings to everyone in 2008