Form Your Own Prayer Group

Let us follow in his footsteps, driving out vice by virtue, pride by humility, impatience by patience, injustice by justice, impurity by perfect chastity and continence, ,vainglory by God’s honor and glory—so that whatever we do and accomplish may be for the gory, praise, honor and spread of our Jesus’ name.     Saint Catherine of Siena, 1375

Form Your Own Prayer Group 

 

In 1992, I when I heard of a men’s prayer group in Chicago which had been meeting weekly at 7:30 AM, I thought no-way would I do that. Then I realized four of us fellows were regularly meeting at 7:30 for our Friday tennis game.  As two in the group had serious health problems and the third was facing a career crisis, I suggested we form a prayer group to pray for one another.

         

 They agree to give it a try, and each was to check with his priest or minister to get ideas how to do this (two of us were Catholic, one Episcopalian and the other Methodist).  When we next met, as we had received no advice from the religious, we decided to fly by the seat of our pants.

 

 Our procedure was to start by holding hands and saying the Lord’s Prayer. Then we read Jesus’ statement that if two or more are gathered in his name, he is there also, followed by one of the brief spiritual messages we began accumulating. Next, we went over the list of people on our Special Intentions List for whom we were praying, and each member reported on the condition of the persons he was responsible for. We then held hands, closed our eyes and prayed for those on the list. After that, we read a chapter from the New Testament, beginning with Matthew. As each had different Bibles, this was interesting because if one was puzzled by a passage, the others would read their version and we would discuss. We would end by joining hands and praying again for everyone on our Special Intentions List.

 

 Now, eighteen years later, we are still meeting with the same format; however, now we meet monthly because one member has moved to the beach and has a three-hour drive to meet. We have five members, as two of the original group have died and three new ones added. Currently, we have 49 on our Special Intentions List and 814 on the Deo Gratias List (for whom we also still pray) of those who have experienced healing or have graduated to the Higher Life.

 

 The requirement for adding someone to the Special Intentions List is that this person receives a letter from the group, telling of being in our prayers and asking him or her to pray for the others listed.  We also have several friends, whom we call correspondents, who often give names of those we are to pray for.   

 

Now let me know how this grabs you.  Why don’t you consider forming your own Prayer Group? Let me know if I can help.

joyfulcatholic@comcast.net

 

Interesting saying

 I’ve become very suspicious of certainty. First comes understanding the value of doubt. For me, that’s how we get through the world

                       William Kentridge, South African artist and film producer

 

 

 

 

 

God arranges the events that touch us, which are independent of our will, and which unfold themselves in time.  He acts also upon our will, because he is more intimate with us than we ourselves, and because is the author of our free will.

Raissa Maritain, who died in 1960 and was the Russian wife of philosopher Jacqus Maritain

 

 

 

 

And what are a few of your favorite sayings?  joyfulcatholic@comcast.net

 

News flashes

-        I found it ironic that in the January issue of The Catholic World Report the State of Israel has a full page encouraging Catholic to visit “where the miracles of Jesus happened!”  Then on page 10 is this account of Israel’s new restrictions on visiting priests: The government of Israel is restricting visas for Catholic priests, forcing clerics to renew their visas every year and refusing visas from African and Asian countries. The new restrictions on priests point toward the likelihood of greater tension between the Church and the Israeli government.

(My comment: Hey, Israel, you are pleading for our tourist dollars while you kick us in the ass.  What gives?)

 

-        In Lima, Peru, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipiani is attempting to restore a sense of reverence for the Eucharist by requiring one to kneel before receiving Communion. (My comment: We in North American do the opposite—we lessen a sense of reverence for the Eucharist by adding distractions, like Communion hymns, announcements, etc. Dear Lord, will we ever learn?!)

 

 

 

Joyful experiences

      -  Last night as my wife, Eva, and I were walking in the bitter cold toward a restaurant in Bethesda, MD, we saw on the sidewalk an attractive couple in their mid-twenties, selling cupcakes for the Clinton Haiti fund. When I gave a contribution, the young man assured me every penny would go to Haiti.

 

-  Tuesday was a special occasion when I took my blind friend, Paul Rice, for our usual monthly lunch. We hadn’t met since September because Paul, who is also partially deaf, a widower and scrapping through on his Social Security and small pension in a cheap retirement facility, has spent the past three months in hospitals, nursing homes and rehab centers. During the meal, Paul (a good Baptist) said, “2009 was one of the best years of my life. God was so good to me because he let me survive my quadruple heart operation, control my diabetes and curb my gout and intestinal problems.  I am so blessed!”

(And what joyful experience do you want to share?)

      joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

 Examples from martyrs

On November 29, 1791, when the Jacobin judge told priest Blessed Jean Gallot that, to be faithful to the new French Republic, he must not profess any religion. He replied, “I shall always be a Catholic.”  Two months later, he was beheaded with thirteen fellow priests.

(Today, if someone asked you if you are a Joyful Catholic, how would you answer?)

 

 

Quiz

  The winner of a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics, who clocked in at 10:32AM on January 26, is Jose Gonzales in Albuquerque.

1. After the tax collector, Levi, son of Alphaeus, became a disciple, his name was Matthew

2.     In 313 Constantine, Emperor Rome legalized Christianity.   

3.     The Swiss Guards been serving the Popes for over 500 years

 

Communiqués received

 Regarding your last issue, if I work up thinking I died last night, I would be so depressed I would go back to sleep.

                                                          Edward Higgens, Alton, IL

 In regard to your article I died last night, I had rather think that each day is the first day in the rest of my life.

                                                          Irene Burnstein, Baton Rouge

                            

(My comment – You can’t win’em all. But still let me hear from you via joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

Other recommended Catholic Blogs

        The Deacon’s Desk (article about a deacon’s rescue in Haiti)

        The Archdiocese of Denver(article by George Weigel, complaining

                   about the “Johnny-One-Note” pro-life Catholics)

 

Chuckle time

   Signs noticed:

   (outside the village of New Cuyana)

                   population             562

                   ft. above sea level 2150

                   established           1951

                   total                      4663

 

(in a hallway)

          If you need help

(1) press red button

(2) yell

 

My favorite religious priest, layperson or organization

The special honoree this week is 7-year-old Jonathan Slack of Orland Park, Ill.  Before the Christmas holidays he saw a destitute woman on a street in Chicago and was moved to tears. He wrote a letter to those in his neighborhood, requesting help for the homeless. Ten days later, he received four truckloads of good and toys which he delivered to the Su Casa Catholic Worker Homeless Center in Chicago.

And let me know about your favorite Catholic priest, layperson or organization that is making a difference.  Share this with our many Joyful Catholic members.

joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

Special Intentions List

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky,

 Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, Donald Whitcomb,

Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor, Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan, Joseph Normile, Jim Quimby, Russell Edwards, Mary Darwish, Lizzy Balchin

As you note, because of miraculous healings, several names have been added to our Deo Gratias list.

 

         

 

 

I died last night!

 

Death should never be seen as a thing far off.  It makes sense, then, to keep asking, “Am I living in such a way as to enter into eternal life with God.

St. Thomas More

 

 

 I died last night 

 

This is a thought that merits thought because one day when you are in your next existence, looking back over your shoulder, this will be a fact. In the meantime, it can be a jolting meditation for the first thing in the morning.  When you find it’s not true and you realize you still have time to live, what do you think about? For me, it sharpens my focus on what I intend to be and to do.

 

I like to call on the Holy Spirit to increase my appreciation of the multitude of gifts bestowed on me, beginning with my conception when my name was called at the gene pool and two compatible cells responded.  My thanks can focus on my family, friends, possessions and my overall physical and mental wellbeing. I often ask for a fresh awareness with awe of the mysteries of each day, ranging from our sun, 93 million miles away, to the veins on a leaf.

 

Then I like to tune into Jesus, our God-man, Man-God, and ask what He wants me to do with the rest of my life.  I trust that He knows best.

 

Many years ago, the lead song in a musical I wrote was “One Day Closer.”  The lyrics began with “I wake in the morning thrilled with the thought that I’m one day closer to Paradise” and ends with “I’ll go when He calls for me, for I have a place in Paradise. Every day it’s clearer I’m one day nearer to Paradise!”

 

Now let me know how this thought grabs you. joyfulcatholic@comcast.net

 

Interesting quotes

A good funeral is one that gets the dead where they need to go and the living where they need to be.

 

 

 Thomas Lynch Poet and undertaker in Milford, MI

 

 

Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me.

                                                          Emily Dickinson

 

And from this song by Jacques Brel, the noted Belgium singer, who died in 1978.

 

 

 

After my last supper I want everyone to leave

And finish their feast elsewhere than under my roof.

After my last supper I want them to install me

Seated alone like a king, greeting his vestal virgins.

In my pipe I’ll burn my childhood memories,

My unfulfilled dreams, the remains of my hope.

And I will only keep to clothe my soul

The idea of a rosebush and a woman’s first name.

Then I will look at the summit of my hill

Which dances, which changes and finally becomes dark.

And in the midst of the scent of flowers which will soon wither

I know that I’ll be afraid, one last time.

 

 

 

 

Admired sayings 

 

 “It takes three spaghetti dinners to get to know someone.”

   My barber-philosopher, Tony Campanaro

 

When asked about the decrease in number of Christians, Mike Huckabee replied, “I would obviously like to see an increase, but if that decrease is reflective of authenticity, I’d rather see 75% authentic Christians that 90% in which half of those don’t really mean it.” 

 

 

 

 

And what are a few of your favorite sayings?  joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)  

 

 

 

News flashes 

The Church in tight straits…

  

In these difficult financial times, realize the pressure on the Church to meet the cries for help. For example, 70% of Catholic agencies have had an increased demand for food stamps, 85% increase for rent and mortgage assistance and 42% increased request for counseling.

Ah, communications!

 

During a December wedding ceremony in Maryland, the new husband interrupted the priest by pulling out his phone and sending a Twitter and Facebook update “Gotta go, time to kiss my bride.” (Comment, I hope the bride prevented him from taking this device on their wedding night)

From the London Telegraph

 

 

 

 

Writer Oliver Marre introduced his new evidence that Shakespeare was a secret Catholic.

  

         

 

 The Evolution of God, by Robert Wright, is an ambitious account of man’s materialistic and innate searching for a “god”.  I would have found it more appealing if the subject had been a spiritual study of how God has made Himself known to man.  Also, the book would be more readable if its 587 pages were edited down to 200 pages. 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiz

 

 The first to send the right answers to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net will receive a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics.

 

1. After the tax collector, Levi, son of Alphaeus, became a disciple, what was his name?   

2.     In what year did Constantine, Emperor Rome legalize Christianity?    

3.     How many years have the Swiss Guards been serving the Popes?

Over 300, 400, 500, 600 years?  

 

Communiqués received

 

 

     I think Bishop Andrew Sample goofed when he cancelled the scheduled talk of Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, retired auxiliary of the Detroit archdiocese.  He didn’t want his parishioners to hear the views of a Church leader who speaks his mind about being anti-war, and one who has sympathy for same-sex marriages and women in the church. Shame on you, Bishop Sample!

                                                          Edward Higgens,

 

 

 

 

 

Alton, IL

 

In your “Crank Up For Your Day” blog, I enjoyed hearing from someone else who remembers having to swing your own prop.  I also was the first woman to fly “the Ercoupe” plane. Ah, those were the days!

                                                Dorothy Warren, Kensington, MD

                            

        (And let me hear from you readers via joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

 

Chuckle time

  

 There is the story of a woman who had a near-death experience during an operation in a London hospital.  She saw herself in Heaven and heard a voice telling her she would survive the surgery and live for another twenty-five years.  She did recover and was so elated by the prospect of long life that, while still in the hospital, she had a tummy-tuck, face lift, additional hair implanted and lippo-suction. 

Six weeks later, when she left the hospital looking like a teenager, she was struck and killed by a truck.  In Heaven when she questioned what had happened, an apologetic voice said, “I bloody well didn’t recognize you.”

 

 

My favorite religious layperson

 

    The special honoree this week is 7-year-old Jonathan Slack of Orland Park, Ill.  Before the Christmas holidays he saw a destitute woman on a street in Chicago and was moved to tears. He wrote a letter to those in his neighborhood, requesting help for the homeless. Ten days later, he received four truckloads of good and toys which he delivered to the Su Casa Catholic Worker Homeless Center in Chicago.

And let me know about your favorite Catholic priest, layperson or organization that is making a difference.  Share this with our many Joyful Catholic members.

joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

Special Intentions List

 

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky, 

 Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, Donald Whitcomb, 

Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor, Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan, Joseph Normile, Jim Quimby, Russell Edwards, Mary Darwish.

As you note, because of miraculous healings, several names have been added to our Deo Gratias list.

 

         

 

 

Crank Up For Your Day

Favorite quote for the New Year 

 Father Lorenzo Scupoli, an Italian priest who died in 1610. 

          “When you see in other people either goodness, or wisdom, or truth, or some other virtue, say to your God: “O inexhaustible treasure-house of all virtue! How great is my joy to see and to know that every good thing comes from you alone.  I thank you, my God for this and every other good thing you do to my neighbor.” 

Crank up for your day 

  

When I learned to fly, planes didn’t have automatic starters.  If you didn’t have a buddy to swing the prop, the procedure was to climb into the cockpit and clamp on the brake, push the throttle slightly open and turn on the switch. Then outside, I had to start the propeller turning with a strong swing, remembering to lean backward to prevent falling into the blades once they started spinning. Next, I would scurry back inside the plane and prepare to take off.  One poor fellow in my group forgot first to clamp on the brake. After he got the propeller spinning, he had to hit the ground fast as the plane surged forward and took off airborne, pilot less. 

 

Though my flying days were many years ago, I often think of this procedure when I am cranking up for a new day.  First, it’s good to clamp the brake to clear my mind of muddling thoughts (How am I going to do all the things I need to do today?  I sure did goof up yesterday, etc.). If I don’t take time to start with a short meditation, my day might take off leaving me grounded. 

Then I throttle my appreciation of my mental and physical gifts that make it possible for me to be and to act.  Turning on the switch is acknowledging that there is a hidden power which makes all things possible. Thank you for my being a joyful Catholic! 

Swinging the prop is my commitment to soar. And sometimes, perhaps in spite of a wobbling takeoff, I’m soon in the air, heading towards today’s many goals.  It works, so give it a try! 

  

Now, tell me how you start your day. joyfulcatholic@comcast.net) 

 Admired sayings

 

By Joseph Cao, the Republican U. S. Congressman from New Orleans, when asked if he voted on the health care reform bill out of personal conviction, not politics: 

Correct! I spent six years in the Society of Jesus, training to be a priest. I always adhere to what I call “the politics of the Gospel.” You have to take care of the poor, take care of the widows, visit the sick, and help those who cannot help themselves. 

(And what is your opinion?  joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)  

  

 

News flashes 

(Church in crisis) 

-   Because of low enrollment, 14 schools in the greater Washington, DC, region have a questionable future. 

-   The cartoon on page 77 in the Dec. 22 & 28 New Yorker magazine indicates that artist, Yual Noth, has read chapter “Communion, ho-hum” in Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics. It shows a man receiving the cup from a priest, and rather than saying “I am receiving the blood of Christ,” he says, “I’m getting red fruits, earth tones and oak, Amen.” 

-   The UK equality minister Harriet Harman (whom I am told is nicknamed “The British Bitch”) is submitting a bill to ban the Catholic Church from insisting its priests be celibate single men. If her bill becomes law, the Church and its leaders who refuse candidates for the priesthood who are women, gays, lesbian, or married, would be subject to imprisonment, unlimited fines and having Church assets seized. (My comment:  Henry VIII, he ain’t dead!) 

  

(Let me have your thoughts about Ms. Harman. joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)  

  

 Recommended reading 

-         This should be required reading for every parish priest: 

“Parish Revival” in December 21-28 issue of America magazine by Father Bruce Cecil, pastor of Our Lady of Soledad Parish in Coachella, CA. 

-         www.zenit.com (daily news from the Vatican) 

  

Quiz 

The winner of a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics, who clocked in at 10:25AM on December 21, is Mabel Erickson in Buffalo, NY 

1.     Before Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, his name was Saul. 

2.     The only saint canonized by Christ was the good thief. “Today, you shall be with me in Paradise.” 

3.     Michelangelo was a youngster of 24 when he carved La Pieta. 

  

Communiqués received 

-         Regarding your Tiger Woods account, I resent your putting me in  the same category with that man! (Abigail, Cincinnati, OH) 

-         When you reminded me that we joyful Catholics are all billionaires, I remembered this statement from St. Ignatius of Loyola, “Lord Jesus Christ, your love and your grace are wealth enough for me.”  (Eric Thompson, Sacramento, CA) 

 -   (from Dr. David Pinault, the writer of “Hidden Prayer in Yeman”, which, in our last issue, I recommended you read.) “The reason I write popular-format essays is precisely for the purpose of reaching the largest possible audience. And I feel very strongly that the situation in Yemen is one that warrants attention.  So I thank you for helping to publicize this.”
  

        (And let me hear from you readers via joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)  

  

  

Chuckle time 

-         The favorite hymn of retail merchants in December is “Oh, What a friend we have in Jesus.” 

-         Actual news that qualified as humor: 

Rev. Al Sharpton blasted Tiger Woods, not for immorality, but for racial prejudice.  His quote: “Why is it that a man who calls himself black can’t bring himself to cheat on his wife with a black woman? What does it say to young black girls everywhere when you pass them over?  Shame on you, Tiger Woods. What would your daddy say?” 

  

My favorite religious person 

As a joyful Catholic, Sister Joan Carusillo, CSC, has been a special person in my life for many years.  She has the quality I sensed when I met Mother Teresa of Calcutta, because by being forgetful of self, Sister Joan always radiates a deep love and concern for others.  With her associate, Sister Lorraine Ryan, Sister Joan is now working diligently in The Women’s Circle in Boynton Beach, FL.  The purpose of this not-for-profit organization is to provide free services for low-income women in education, job preparation and support groups.  Donations are welcomed to support this splendid work, and the Women’s Circle address is 145 N.E. 4^th Avenue, Boynton Beach, FL 33435.    (561) 364-9501   (561) 364-9501 . (I’m sending my donation today!) 

And let me know about your favorite Catholic organization that is making a difference.  Share this info with your many other joyful catholic members. 

joyfulcatholic@comcast.net) 

  

Special Intentions List 

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name. 

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky, 

Rebecca Matthews, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, 

Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor, Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan, Joseph Normile, Jim Quimby. 

 

You, Me and Tiger Woods

A Favorite quote

The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

                                                                                                Psalm 126

You, Me and Tiger Woods

 

The three of us have three things in common.

(1)   When you and I count our blessings, we also are billionaires.  Valuating your inventory can start with $.50 for each of the cells in your body, $1 for each of the million cones and rods in each eye, $5 for each muscle, $35 for each bone, $50,000 for each limb, etc., etc., etc.  And then you can start putting a price on each beloved family member and friend.

(2)   You, Tiger and I are unique. There is not another person on the planet that is exactly like each of us. And, of utmost important, we are considered equally very special by God.

(3)   As with Tiger, wherever we go, we are in the spotlight.  At all times, we are being observed.  By what we do and say, we are required to play well our roles as Joyful Catholics.  If we don’t, the reputation of the Church is in jeopardy. 

 

  And what are your thoughts?  www.joyfulcatholic@comcast.net

 

Admired saying 

My child, you must strive diligently to be inwardly free, to have mastery over yourselves everywhere, in every external act and occupation, that all things be subject to you and not you to them, that you be the master and director of your actions.

                                                Father Thomas A. Kempis, 1471

 

I like this, when I think of the Muslims in Switzerland — and elsewhere.- Political and religious figures must speak out forcefully against discrimination intolerance—which they do not often do enough. And this is a two-way street: leaders in the Muslim world must reach out to the West, just as much as they expect the West to understand Islam.

 

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, president of Indonesia

 

  

News flashes

(Church in crisis)

 

* The Wilmington diocese has become the seventh diocese to declare bankruptcy.

* A study shows that since 1960, the number of those in religious life has decreased 63%, and today 75% of these men and 90% of the women are over 60 years of age.

 

 Ah, those hard-nosed Catholics

The aged Massachusetts deacon, Jack Sullivan, who is enjoying notoriety for having received a healing after praying to Cardinal Newman, first said he and his wife were most impressed about their private meeting with Cherie Blair. Later, when he found she was not 100% pro-life, he changed his tune and denounced her.

 

He reminds me of the Hindu in Calcutta who for two years enjoyed French fries at the local McDonald’s food chain. Then when he learned they used a bit of cow lard in the cooking, he went home and puked up for three days.

 

Let me have your thoughts about Deacon Sullivan’s act. joyfulcatholic@comcast.net

  

Haiku time (Send me yours: joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

Since no one has submitted one this week, try this ditty:

 

                   Woman looking for a Catholic Church

 

                   The bus driver, who was tied up in traffic congestion, 

  Answered her with this frank suggestion:

                   Lady, dear lady in pancake hat,

                   Who don’t know there the hell you’re at,

                   In your frank and confusing state of condurkle

                   You’d better get off at Dupont Circle.

 

 Recommended Reading

  

*       “Hidden Prayer in Yemen” by David Pinault in the December 7 issue of America. www.america@americamagazine.org  

-         “The 400^th Anniversary of a Spiritual Classic:

*

 St. Francis de Sales’s Introduction to the Devout Life” by Joseph F. Chorpenning. OFS in the winter 2009 issue of Spiritual Life.

www.spiritual-life.org

*      www.zenit.com (daily news from the Vatican)

 

         

Quiz

(The first to send the right answers to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net will receive a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics)

1.     Before Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, what was his name?

 

 

2.     Who was the only saint canonized by Christ?

 

3.     How old was Michelangelo when he carved La Pieta?  

24?

44?

64?

 

Communiqués received

*   I goofed when I quoted Jeff Ziegler from Ellenboro, NC, a writer with The Catholic World Report, with a saying actually made by Pope Benedict. To compensate, in a future blog I’ll credit the Pope with one of Jeff’s sayings.)

*       A note from Bishop Nickless in Sioux City, thanking me for my praise of his “Pastoral Letter on the Future of the Church.”

*         I was the quiz winner of a copy of your Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics.  I enjoyed it so much that I passed it on to my parish priest. Especially, I liked “Iggy’s Sure Thing.” That’s what I call folksy theology!

                                                          Luella Margaretta,

 *    You are right about Muskovy ducks being dangerous. I know because I used to raise them, and with their razor-sharp feet they can tear the hell out of a log.

          Elmer Kincaid, El Paso, TX

 Let me hear from you via joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

 

Chuckle time

  In the Christmas story, if instead of three Wise Men, there had been three Jewish women:

1.     They would have arrived in time to help Mary deliver the baby, because they would have asked directions.

2.     They would have driven out the animals and cleaned up the stable.

3.     Instead of gold, frankincense and myrrh, they would have brought practical gifts of prepared food, blankets and diapers.

4.     Upon leaving, their conversation would have been:

“Did you notice that sandals Mary was wearing?”

“Their donkey has seen better days.”

“The baby doesn’t look like Joseph.”

 

 

My favorite priest

(Submit your favorite priest to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

As there is no current recommendation (shame on you!), I submit a very special layperson: George Thatcher in Gulfport, MS. With an impressive past career in banking and civic service, since 1997 George has confirmed his sense of awareness and awe by writing a daily newspaper column (3,744 in all) about his walks on the beach. Each article is a gem with the flavor of Henry Thoreau’s acknowledgment of the wonders of nature.  He serves as a wake-up call of all of us to appreciate the world around us.

As a prominent member of the Episcopal Church, George converted to Catholicism at age eighty and is a daily communicant. 

          Here is one of his writings:

          There are important lessons to be learned from the behavior of trees. Along the beach road most limbs are now leafless — leaves, nuts and flowers blown off by tempestuous winds.  Immediately after the hurricane the trees look as if it were mid-winter. Now green sprouts appear — a second springtime!  Think of the trees, too, during the hurricane — how they bend with each gust, complying mostly but not breaking.  Two lessons for us: Be resilient, bend with the wind, and then after the storm begin a new life.

 

Special Intentions List

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky,

Rebecca Matthews, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis,

Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor, Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan, Joseph Normile, Jim Quimby.

Don’t Fight With a Duck!

Favorite Quote

The Church involves a tension between the human and the divine. It does so because it stems from the Incarnation, which is the primary tension involving the fully divine in the person of Jesus
Rev. William P. Clark, O.M.I.  

Don’t Fight With a Duck! 

When I returned home from a week’s stay in my place in Florida, I wanted to tell friends my torn-up left hand was from a fight with an alligator.  But the embarrassing truth is that I had a losing round with a duck. (“A what!?” is the response I get when I tell of this event.)

 The last day of my visit, I went over to meet a new neighbor who had recently moved in next door. As I was walking on the lawn, I was shocked to realize something had grabbed hold of the back of my left leg and wouldn’t let go. I turned around and found that a large Muscovy* duck had attacked me.

 As I tried to kick it off, I slowly fell on the ground. At age 72 (At 80 I started counting backward and will be 71 next year), my balance ain’t what it used to be. The man-eating duck keep biting me, and when I got up, I grabbed it by the neck and it became limp.  I started taking the critter down to dump in the lake when it suddenly became a violent flapping volcano. In a flash, it reached up with its webbed foot and took off the top of my left hand. I released it and the damned duck waddled off, claiming victory.

  Mary, the new neighbor, heard the commotion and came to my rescue. Inside her house, she used her entire supply of band aides to stop the bleeding.  She is a 6’2” blonde with a heart in proportion to her size.  After her first aid treatment, she came back with me to meet my wife and began our new lifetime friendship.

  That night before getting to sleep, as a joyful Catholic, I used my “thank You!” mantra to recount this event and its aftermath. First was receiving the treasure of our new friend Mary. If the duck had attacked my wife instead of me, we would be looking forward to a Christmas meal of roasted duck instead of turkey.  At the medical clinic I met many splendid young and dedicated people, especially the efficient doctor, who looked like he had just finished high school.  While he was stitching up my hand and I was lying, saying it didn’t hurt, I thought of what real pain must be like. I remembered that, as I was doing, Christ had stretched out His hand, but He did this to get a spike pounded through His wrist.  And He did this for you and me — Wow! Thank You, Christ.

 Another benefit is that it has made an amusing story for the wonderful people I visit in the nursing homes I visit. All-in-all, I’m glad it happened because it woke me up to the wonders and benefit of being a joyful Catholic. Amen!

*Muscovites are a South American duck species which reach over 20 pounds and can take two people to restrain. Their feet have strong sharp claws. (You betta believe it!)

 Admired saying

 The Christian faith is this: encounter with Christ, the living Person who gives life a new horizon and thereby a definitive direction.

                                Jeff Ziegler, in The Catholic World Report

 

News flashes

– (Church in crisis) Detroit archdiocese is losing $42,000 a day and laying off 1/3 of staff.  The Catholic World Report

–(for Catholics who have nothing better to do) Michelle Obama is criticized for having worn a black veil when she met Pope Benedict XVI. U.S.Catholic, Org. 

– Be aware of the dissenters, calling themselves “the American Catholic Council” who are trying “to create a new Church”. The Catholic World Report

 Haiku time

(Submitted by Susan Keller in Omaha, Nebraska) 

Rejoice!

When God became Man

This renewed all creation.

Yes, God became man! 

(send me yours: joyfulcatholic@comcast.net 

Recommended reading

-         “More ‘Access’ Means Less Care” in November issue of

The Catholic World Report  www.catholicworldreport.org  

-         http://www.zenit.com/  (daily news from the Vatican)         

Last Week’s Quiz Results

The first winner of a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics, who clocked in at 3:32 PM on November 26, is Jim Beckingham in Tucson, AZ.

 1.     What were the names of the two future disciples whom Jesus found casting their nets into the sea, and he told them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”?

Simon and his brother Andrew

2.     Who was the saint, born in Assisi in 1193, who established an order of women devoted to the poor?

Saint Claire

3.     The Vatican Library originated in which time?

(a)  13^th Century

(b)  <15^th Century>

(c)   17^th  Century

Chuckle time

 Internal Revenue Agent: Father Kincaid, is it true that your parishioner, John Jones donated $10,000 to your church last year?”

  Father Kincaid: He will.

My favorite priest

(Submit your favorite priest to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

          As there is no current recommendation (shame on you!), I submit a very special person: Brian Burnie, an English self-made millionaire who sold his 16 million pound country hotel and gave the proceeds to cancer charities. He said, “We live in a me, me, me society, and it has always been important for me to think of others. My ambition is to die penniless.  We came into the world with nothing and we should leave with nothing.”     

London Telegraph  5/20/2009

 

Special Intentions List

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky,

Rebecca Matthews, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis,

Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor,

Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan.

Note that Susan McGahee has now entered Eternal Paradise. We still keep her in our prayers.

 

The Cana Happening

A Favorite Quote

For if true friendship is exchanged between God and us, between human
beings and angels, between human beings and human beings, true friendship is love. Blessed Simon Fidati of Cascia
An Augustinian friar 1348

 

The Cana Happening

It is understandable that, in 2002, when Church Fathers added the five additional Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary they included the Cana Wedding Party.  This was an event of spiritual importance.  For me, it provokes many thoughts.

          First, I think it important to know that Mary and Jesus were invited as guests to this prominent social event in their town.  They accepted, and I bet Mary was one of the most liked persons there. Like Mary, my own mother was popular at parties merely because, forgetful of self, she was genuinely interested in others and made them feel they were of value. At a cocktail party, I usually couldn’t see her because she was surrounded by other guests.

 I am also certain that Jesus was having a good time taking part in the joyful event. When Mary wanted to get his attention, I picture him across the room, laughing at jokes with his friends.  What great company he must have been!

It is interesting that Mary noticed the wine had run out. At that moment, she could have called Jesus and said, “The party is winding down, so let’s go home.”

Although others must also have known of the wine problem, Mary was the one who acted out of compassion for the parents of the wedding pair and for their guests.  This thought sparks my daily reminder that I should be aware of the concerns of others.   

I am fascinated by what Mary did next. She merely made Jesus aware of the problem.  With faith, she knew he would know how to solve it. She didn’t tell him what to do and how to do it. With my weak faith, when I make a prayer request, I make known the goal with a suggested blueprint of how to get there.

By inviting Jesus to perform a miracle that would keep the wine flowing, Mary was doing much more than saving a social event. She was catapulting Jesus into his ministry — of removing his Man mask to expose his Divine Nature. From that moment on, he would be acknowledged not merely as a village carpenter but a miracle worker with divine power.

As joyful Catholics, we should always enjoy the Cana Happening.  Like Mary, let us be aware of the needs of others.  And let us invite Jesus to work within us in demonstrating our concern and love for others.  

Admired saying

In other words, given what’s actually on offer in today’s religious market place, Catholicism often seems a balanced, moderate, and sophisticated option. For the record, this is how most people on the planet right now actually see the Catholic Church, in light of what else they see around them. That realization ought to have consequences not only for our missionary and pastoral strategies, but also for our own attitudes about the church.

          John Allen in National Catholic Reports (www.catholicreport.org) 

Hurrah for Bishop Michael Sheehan of Santa Fe for criticizing his fellow bishops who objected to President Obama’s commencement address at Notre Dame last May. He also said that withholding Holy Communion from pro-abortion politicians is a hysterical reaction.

 I have long been an admirer of this outstanding Church leader, who’s motto is “Be happily and uncomplicatedly Catholics!”

 

 Haiku time

(Submitted by Eric Thompson, Cleveland, OH) 

Like a weaning babe

In my Mother Mary’s lap

I bask in her love.

 

(send me yours: joyfulcatholic@comcast.net 

Recommended reading

 www.zenit.com (daily news from the Vatican)

In the November 16 issue of America, Maryann Cusimano Love has her splendid article, “A Surge in Clarity”, about our losing war in Afghanistan.

 

 

Quiz

(The first to send the right answers to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net will receive a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics) 

1.     What were the names of the two future disciples whom Jesus found casting their nets into the sea, and he told them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”?

2.     Who was the saint, born in Assisi in 1193, who established an order of women devoted to the poor?

3.     The Vatican Library originated in which time?

(a)  13^th Century

(b)  15^th Century

(c)   17^th  Century

Chuckle Time

Parishioner: Father Smyth, I will better enjoy your homilies because I am wearing a new expensive hearing device, and I can hear like a teenager.

Father Smyth: Your new hearing aid — what kind is it?Parishioner (looking at his wrist): It’s two-thirty. 

 

My favorite priest

(Submit your favorite priest to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)      

Special Intentions List

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky, 

Rebecca Matthews, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, 

Susan McGahee, Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor,

Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan.

Pray with a Broad Brush

Open letter to Bishop Thomas Tobin 

If you had been the priest instructing me during my conversion to the Church, which happened before you were born, I would still be a Protestant. At that time I learned that being a Catholic was committing oneself to Christ and his teachings. It meant devoting one’s life to love of God and love of all others. Joining the Church would entitle me to receive the Eucharist and benefit from the other Sacraments.

          In your letter to Congressman Patrick Kennedy, you imply that when one becomes a Catholic, this person relinquishes freedom of thought and action. As demanded by the four most prominent dictators of the last century, all must conform to the dictates of authority.  Back then, citizens who did not commit to ordered thinking, talking and acting were considered traitors. Your requirement for membership in the Church calls for mandated conscience. And in your opinion, Catholic laypeople should be like robots, which nod in unison when Church leaders press the button. I have never studied theology, but I doubt if that is what Christ had in mind when he initiated the Church.

          You would like for Catholics to act as do pawn Congresspersons who vote as instructed by their Party, regarding of what they think of the merits of pending legislature. Although this is effective in cramming through legislation, I don’t think it should have a role in our Catholic religion.

          I pray for you.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, the whole group of   disciples joyfully began to praise God at the top of their voices for the miracles they had seen.

                                                                                      Luke 19:37 

 

Pray with a Broad Brush 

Never underestimate the effectiveness of your prayer.  In this world of unseen magical mystery, no one knows by what means one’s thoughts can affect another person.  But it can and often does. So, recognize this fact and put it to good use.  In my six-man prayer group which has been meeting for over a dozen years, we have had so many healings for those on our Special Intentions List that we refer to it as our Miracle List.

          One summer, I was at a “Salvador Dali Happening” in a town in the Costa Brava region of Spain. The event was staged in the large market center where a string of bed sheets had been strung from wires.  When the great maestro appeared with his perfected waxed moustache, he took hoses filled with different colored waters and playfully sprayed designs on the hanging sheets and also splattered some of us in the crowd. Then he laughed and shouted, “Now you can tell your grandchildren you were painted by Dali!”

          That day, rather than painting on a small canvas, this artist created large patterns on the sheets.  In the same way, I find it invigorating to expand a secret prayer for many people. It can be done anywhere.  Often when I am on a plane or bus, I will pray for all the passengers.  While waiting in a crowded bustling airport, I might pray for everyone there.  I can imagine an anxious soul seated at the other end of the building, suddenly getting a tingle of comfort from my prayer, never knowing where it came from. This makes me feel like a generous and anonymous billionaire.

          So throughout the day, test your power of prayer by using it generously for all within your area of being. Be aware of your prayer-power and don’t be stingy.  Also, realize that out-going prayers have a boomerang effect.

          In 1550, Blosius the Venerable, abbot of a Benediction abbey in Liessies, France, wrote, “Each man, without any exception whatever, must sincerely love as himself all others spiritually, desiring for them the grace of God and everlasting happiness. He should look upon all as bothers and sisters, called to the same happiness as himself.”

Admired sayings

“A church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.”

                                      Abigail “Dear Abby” Van Buren

Haiku time

          A joyful Catholic

          gives joy and love to all, so

          joyful Catholic be!

(Send me yours: joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

Current news

          In response to an atheist appealing to a Florida judge for an Atheist Holy Day, the judge told his attorney, “The calendar says April 1 is April Fools Day. Psalm 14.1 states, ‘The fool says in his heart, there is no God.’ Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1 is his day. Court is adjourned!”

Joyful Catholic Quiz

The first winner of a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics, who clocked in at 8:40AM on November 10^th, is Luella Margarita in Key West, FL.

1.     Saint Luke died by hanging in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the non-believers.

2.     At the Vatican, Saint Peter’s Basilica was built in the 16^th century as a replacement of the original structure.

3.     Saint Jane Frances de Chantal is the saint who was married, had seven children; she established the order of Visitation nuns and eight-five monasteries before her death in 1641.

Chuckle time

Elderly parishioner: Oh, Father Moran, you have had such an interesting life, you should write your autobiography.  

Father Moran: As a matter of fact, I have been recording my life story. But I am so busy, it probably will be published postmortem.

Elderly parishioner: Well, the sooner the better.

My favorite priest

 Father John Mericantante,

Pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pahokee, Florida.

Pahokee is a small agricultural community on the shores of Lake Okeechobee in central Florida.  The earth is rich and black, and from December to June it brings forth wonderful crops of vegetables and sugar cane. Later in the year an occasional September hurricane or a freeze in January/February can destroy those wonderful crops.  The people doing the back-breaking work to raise these crops are mostly poor migrants who came from Central and Latin America and are trying to eke out a meager living for themselves and their families.  The majority of them are Catholics. 

Father John was sent to St. Mary’s 10 years ago, without speaking Spanish, and he has submerged himself totally in their culture and needs, helping in every way possible.  For example, the water in Pahokee is very often not drinkable and he shares the clean water from the rectory’s filtering system with whoever needed it.  He has assisted in completing paperwork, obtaining housing etc. for his parishioners whenever asked. 

St. Mary’s Church is tiny and behind it there are two small wooden sheds, one for food and one for clothing and appliances.  People from other communities, members of the Knights of Columbus and unaffiliated private citizens bring the above-mentioned items to St. Mary’s.  Some are given away, some are sold at very low prices and any “profits” are then used to pay such things as electric bills for the needy.  When we bring a van full of items, Father helps unload the bags and boxes.  He has also arranged to have a clinic on the premises where doctors give their time without charge to give medical aid to the poor people in the area.  

He was recently offered a transfer to another parish but he chose to remain in Pahokee with the community that needs him so much.  In the midst of all this poverty a very special thing occurred last year: an anonymous donor gave $750,000 to St. Mary’s Church so that a new, larger Church can be built.  Hopefully, there will be a ground-breaking soon.  Fr. John is a very special person and a very special priest.

Submitted by Anita and Bob Kehlhofer in Atlantis, Florida

(Submit your favorite priest to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

Special Intentions

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky,

Rebecca Matthews, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis,

Susan McGahee, Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor,

Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan

Hurrah for Bishop Nickless !

Once more will he fill your mouth with laughter and you lips with rejoicing.  

                                                          Job 8;21

Hurrah for Bishop Nickless !

For years I have protested the post Vatican II degrading of the spiritual value of the Eucharist during a busy Mass. Every Catholic bishop and many priests have been exposed to Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics with my chapters, “Communion, ho-hum” and “The New Mass, a la Show Biz.”  My response from Catholic leaders was as effective as a whisper to the deaf. Seven Episcopal ministers sent praise and not a peep from these Catholic leaders. I assume they either think I’m a fool or they just don’t give a damn. I fear the latter is true.

          Now, like a white knight on a magnificent stallion, Bishop R. Walker Nickless, Bishop of Sioux City, has come to the rescue of our Church in crisis. His “Pastoral Letter on the Future of the Church in the Diocese of Sioux City” should be spoon fed to every Church leader in America. It will be appreciated and acknowledged as one of the most effective Church writings of this century. The following are excerpts from this magnificent document 

          We need serious reflection and evaluation on the current state and direction, challenges and opportunities for faith and ministry in our Lord Jesus Christ in our Diocese.

          (After Vatican II) sometimes we set out to convert the world, but we were converted by it. We have sometimes lost sight of who we are and what we believe, and therefore have little to offer the world that so desperately needs the Gospel.

          “The ‘hermeneutic of discontinuity’…has wrecked havoc on the Church, systematically dismantling the Catholic Faith to please the world, watering down what is distinctively Catholic, and ironically becoming completely irrelevant and impotent for the mission of the Church in the world.  The Church that seeks simply what works or is “useful” in the end become useless.

          We must renew our reverence, love, admiration and devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament

          It is imperative that we recover this wonder, awe, reverence and love for the liturgy and the Eucharist.

          The Council’s goal in reforming liturgy was, of course, to facilitate the “fully active and conscious participation” of the faithful…Yet active participation does not preclude the active passivity of silence, stillness and listening: indeed, it demands it.

          Conscious participation calls for the entire community to be properly instructed in the mysteries of the liturgy, lest the experience of workshop degenerate into a form of ritualism.

          I exhort all communities of the diocese to explore ways of making the Eucharist more central in our lives through periods of Exposition, Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and Eucharist Processions.

          Devotion to the Blessed Mother, such an important part of our tradition and spirituality, also leads to a deeper appreciation and love of the Blessed Sacrament.

          The first two pastoral priorities, renewal in Eucharistic Spirituality and Catechesis will foster faithful family that is the foundation of the Church ad the society.

Thank you, God, for this splendid Church leader!

Current news

Early this fall, Father Timothy Keeney introduced his unique “Bluegrass Mass” at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Bristol, VA.  He wrote Bluegrass songs for the congregation to sing for the entrance, including the Gloria, Sanctus, alleluia, Memorial Acclamation, the Amen, and especial singing during communion. He said, “You really need to do this. The people here need something Catholic that is part of the experience that goes on in our town. Everyone seemed to have big smiles on their faces as they left church.”

          A reporter stated that during the service, the congregation tapped feet in time with the music. And a jolly time was had by all.

 Recommended Reading

“An Emmaus Walk with Teresian Wisdom” by Sr. Mary C. Carroll, SSSF, in the fall issue of Spiritual Life.  Sister May Carroll is Associate Director of Pastoral Formation at Sacred Heart School of Theology, Hales Corner, Wisconsin. 

Joyful Catholic Quiz

(The first to send the right answers will receive a gift copy of

Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics) 

1.    How did Saint Luke die? 

2.    At the Vatican, Saint Peter’s Basilica:

(a)             was built soon after Saint Peter’s death,

(b)            was order to be built by Emperor Constantine

in 324 A.D.,

(c)             was built in the 16thCentury as a replacement of the original structure.

 3.    Who was the saint who was married, had seven children, established the order of Visitation nuns and established eighty-five monasteries before her death in 1641? 

Chuckle Time

Instead of wearing a religious metal around his neck saying, “I am a Catholic. In case of an accident, call a priest”, a priest has one made saying, “I am a Catholic priest. In case of an accident, call a doctor.”

Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian no more than standing in a garage makes you a car. 

Answer by five-year-old Gregory: “I only know names of two angels. Hark and Harold.”

My Favorite Priest

Brother Edward Adams, FSC, MA, ML

There is a joyful Catholic named Brother Ed Adams. He is always engaging people with joy in every environment he enters. He greets people with joy at church, in the library, at the malls, at the post office, at the car service center—in short, wherever he goes.

 People often ask him, “Why are you so joyful?”

  His reply is, “I’m so glad you asked. I am joyful because Jesus is in my heart, and I see him in every person I meet.”

  (Submitted by John Ceccotti, Bethesda, MD)

Brother Ed is a De La Salle Christian Brother, who was a high school teacher and administrator for 23 years. With a past of distinguished service in many branches of Catholic Faith, he is now Director of Inter-faith Activities at the Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum and a board director of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, DC

How Long, Oh, Lord, How Long?

How Long, Oh, Lord, How Long?

Joyful quote-   “No matter what activity you are engaged in, perform it with awareness and joy”

I realize the Church moves slowly and cautiously, but how long it is going to take it to correct some of the goofs of Vatican II?  Two generations have passed and the Church has its head in the sand regarding very serious problems created by Vatican II. 

          Through the centuries, the Mass was developed as a fitting vehicle for the deserved reverence and awe of the holy sacrament of the Eucharist.  The guts of Catholicism can be summed up in three words:  God became Man  The Mass service in which the reenactment of this event and of parishioners physically  receiving Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was one of deep reverence with a sense of awe at what was taking place.  The Eucharist and the act of Communion have limitless spiritual depth — an ocean in which man with his limited human mind can only wade.  But wade he should!.

During Vatican II, the key players used six Protestant leaders to advise them on means of modernizing and popularizing the Mass.  Unfortunately, they heeded their suggestions, and the baby went out with the wash. It was decided that superimposed music should be the most prominent factor in a busy Mass. Parishioners would be requested to sing more than a dozen times during an hour-long service, when every minute would be filled with sound or activity.  Silence and meditation were eliminated. Music would be written for the “Our Father” and the Gloria would be modified into a zippy song.  One music director suggested re-writing the Apostle’s Creed into folk music. To water down the awesome fact that the Church members were to receive the Body of Christ, they were asked to sing before and after receiving Communion, without a moment to realize the awesomeness of what was taking place.  The solemnity and mystique of the Mass were to be a thing of the past as the Church Fathers attempted to bring the Mass to the people rather than bringing the people to the Mass.  This misguided act was like painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa.

As a awake-up call, every clergyman (from bishops on down) should sit in

the back of a church and observe what now takes place during a busy Mass. 

He would find that during this sing-a-long service, only one out of twenty parishioners is singing. So, the hymns are a distracting solo performance. After forty years of trying to get Catholic to blast out hymns like the Protestants do, accept the fact that it ain’t going to happen. 

While sitting in the rear of the church, the clergy-person would also observe the ho-hum attitude of the parishioners going up to received Communion.  Monkey see and monkey do. With rare exception, each follows another in a disciplined manner to proceed to the front of the church to accept the wafer. Why not?  It’s a free entitlement and is included in the package of attending Mass.

          It would be an eye-opener if the observing clergy-person would ask parishioners what is to take place when they receive Communion. A minute number would reply, “I am going to take part in one of the most important acts of my life. Christ, who is both God and Man, has become the bread and wine. When I receive Communion, God is actually becoming one with me.”  Instead, because of the current watered-down concept of Communion, 92% of parishioners could reply that receiving Communion is like swallowing a spiritual vitamin pill. Why not take it — it can’t hurt and it might help.

        

  With these findings, the observing clergy-person might ask himself, “Could Vatican II changes in the Mass have caused the fact that today one out of ten Americans are now former Catholics?  Is it possible that the modernized Mass is a factor for the Church now being in crisis?” Only by first acknowledging facts with self-scrutiny can our religious leaders consider and take corrective action.

Pray that they do!

 

Current News

Big deal! The Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian group, has told its members that it is OK for them to pray for President Obama. Personally, I think it is the obligation for every American to pray each day for our President of the United States. For eight long, long, long years, each morning I even prayed for George W. Bush. 

Recommended Reading

For an inspiring account of a modern day saint, read “A Life Freely Given” on page 22 in the October 5^th issue of America 

Quiz Time

 

The winner is Inez Thomson, Bronx, NY, who chimed in at 8:41AM on October 18.

 

1.       The states with the highest number of church goers are Georgia and Mississippi. (Being a Southerner, I’m proud of this!)

And the states with the smallest number of church goers are New Hampshire and Vermont.

2.       The European political leader who didn’t follow his grandmother’s advice of “Do whatever you want, but don’t marry a Catholic” is

Tony Blair.

3.       There are over 10,000 saints, with 1,500 in the waiting room (and that doesn’t, but should, include 72% of you Joyful Catholic blog readers)

Chuckle Time

One morning, Father O’Reilly, an Irish priest recently assigned to the parish is a small Texas town, called the sheriff’s office to report there was a dead donkey on the church lawn. When he answered, the sheriff chuckled and said, “Well, you Catholics should know what to do. Just give the poor critter the last rite.”

“That I have done,” Father O’Reilly said, “and my second chore is to notify the next of kin.”

 

My favorite priest

For this issue, as there has been no submission for one’s favorite priest, I want to present one of my favorite Catholic laypersons.  He is Joe Difato, publisher of The Word Among Us, which for a decade has been one of my morning readings, and I strongly recommend this monthly publication.

         After many years of observing business and non-profit organizations, I found that greatness doesn’t seep upward.  Every outstanding operation has an outstanding person at the head. Joe Difato proves this is true. Being one who has had his faith tested by personal tragedy, he is an admirable Catholic. Today, he and his splendid editorial staff are making a strong impact on the future of our Church. In addition to their many subscribers who benefit from The Word Among Us, his organization makes this publication available each month to 48,000 prisoners and 15,500 military persons. You can contribute to help finance this splendid action via joe@wau.org.

          Thank you, Joe, for being such an outstanding example of a joyful Catholic!

Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist priest and author

Love without Provisos

I’m worn out by worries, night and day. Stop. Everything is secondary to God. Give in to reason. God didn’t make me in vain. I am turning my back upon this song. Now when the beloved mind has sung for me these things, I headed home, now laughing at this self-estrangement.

                        Saint Gregory Nazianzen (died 390)

 

Love without provisos

     Love is love and it comes in many flavors. As joyful Catholics, we know that this broad expanse includes the love of humans for fellow humans, for pets, possessions, geographic location, nationality, religion, etc.  “Love” is the only verb Jesus used in his advice to us — to love one another as He loves us, and to love God.  He didn’t add a “however” for those whom some might consider not qualified.  What instruction could be clearer?

With the Church in crisis, I’m getting tired of the flurry about same sex marriage.  Why should we spend so much time fighting pro-and-con about this?  I can name five other national problems of extreme importance that better merit our concern.  Is there a need for national dispute about legalizing a lifetime loving relationship between two people of the same sex? 

     No one is protesting the deteriorating importance of marriage between a woman and a man, yet 50% of marriages today end in divorce. If we want to raise a rumpus about social behavior, let’s do something about our annual record of 30,000 abused children and even greater number of battered spouses.

     Love in any form should be encouraged.  This includes love of husband and wife, parents and offspring, young and old, rich and poor, resident and alien, those of different religions and the intimate relationship between persons of the same sex. If one loves a person of the same sex, it is understandable for one to want legal and financial protection for the person he or she loves.  The hurdle they face in achieving these goals is the word “marriage.”

     We can solve the problem by changing our laws to have “Confirmed Relationship” be given the same legal rights as “Marriage.”  Then, by means of this innovative law, lovers of the same sex could have their relationship legalized and each receive the same social and legal benefits as if they were “married.” After executing a legal Confirmed Relationship document, same-sex couples could celebrate their togetherness with a Confirmed Relationship celebration. Let’s restrict “marriage” for a male and a female, and “confirmed relationship” for two of the same sex. And hopefully we’ll all live peacefully from then on.

(And what are your thoughts?) 

Admired saying

  Hans Urs van Balthasar, the Swiss theologian writes,    “Christianity is a joyful message. Its essential note must therefore incontestably be joy.  Christian joy retains such a particular burning, devouring element.”

 

 

Recommended reading

Via the New Advent blog and YouTube, enjoy Father Barron’s  talk on “The danger of turning religion into a toy.”  He’s an effective spokesman for our Church.  I like him.

 

 

Joyful Catholic Quiz

(The first to send the right answers will receive a gift copy of

Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics)

 

1.  In a 2006 Gallup survey, which states had the highest and the lowest number of church goers?

 2.  Who the European political leader who didn’t follow his grandmother’s advice of “Do whatever you want, but don’t marry a Catholic”?          

3.     Which is correct?  Our number of saints are:

(a)   over 1,000

(b)  over 5,000

(c)  over 10,000 

Chuckle time

Nine-year-old Michael wrote about angels:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“It’s not easy to become an angel. First, you die. Then you go to Heaven, and then there’s flight training to go through. And then you got to agree to wear those angel clothes.

 

My Favorite Priest

 

(Submit your recommendation for your favorite priest by clicking here)