"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."

In our Readings for this Sunday, March 4, 2012 - the 2nd Sunday in Lent - we are presented with accounts of two extraordinary events. First we have the story of the Sacrifice of Isaac and, in the Gospel, the story of the Transfiguration. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

"This is my beloved Son."

The past week's Gospel readings from mark were questions about the identity of Jesus. In this Sunday’s readings, Mark provides the answer. Jesus is the ”Father’s Son, the Beloved."

Matthew in his account (17:1-13) tells us the apostles did what we would do. Fr. James Gilhooley relates to us how the apostles fell on their faces in fear. They experienced a thunderous power followed so quickly by the warmth and love of small light. Fr. John Foley, S. J. explains that the Transfiguration the apostles witnessed the true contrast between God’s transcendent greatness—too much for human eyes—and Jesus’ quiet love. He is our glimpse of the awe filled intensity of God-the-infinite through our tiny, finite eyes. Jesus is God as one of us.

Fr. Ron Rolheiser says there's a divine fire within each of us. If we link ourselves to it properly and connect it to the other world, it becomes godly energy, the source of all that's wonderful in life. Fr. Phil Bloom tells us the same thing. Each of us has within a glory, not an absolute glory, but the potential for glory. We can only realize that potential by taking two steps - first, following the commandments and second, facing that we need outside help. That only through the passion of Jesus can we realize our glorious potential - the resurrection.

As the apostles looked at Christ's majesty, they caught a glimpse at what their own future state would be - a condition we hopefully will share. There is much to look forward to after our death.

"Listen to Him."

Holiness is the best defense. Father Cusick reminds us that the strength of a holy life is possessing and living Christ's own life, the Resurrection and the Life which is victorious over every power.

When we realize that the words, "Listen to him," are directed to each one of us, we must take very seriously the implications of such a command from God. Fr. Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B. says this surely must mean that we too are expected to "visit" this mountain of the Transfiguration, where we can be "illuminated" by the sure knowledge that, when all is said and done, the most important thing that we can do in this life is to "die," as Jesus did, because we love and care for others.

We come to church to worship God before whom the angels are advised to veil their faces. This is the same God at whose sight Peter and his fellow apostles broke out into a cold sweat. Unfortunately, too many of us bring a laid-back air to worship. Think of the chattering so many adults indulge in. It is we who teach children how to behave in church. Think too of the way we dress coming into the presence of the King of kings. Some of us resemble "unmade beds."

Lent and Abraham's Covenant of Faith

Everyone knows that Lent is about sacrifice. So it’s fitting that the first reading in the second Sunday of Lent recounts one of the most famous sacrifices of all time. Abraham manifested a living faith in God, a quality of faith that the world had never seen before. Abraham is asked by God to sacrifice his own son. What a Sacrifice!

Isaac was a very special son to Abraham, and yet he was called upon by God to make a sacrifice of His son. Each of us has an Isaac in us. Fr. John J Ludvik says everyone has something or someone dear and precious, without which or whom life appears devoid of meaning, and joy is unattainable. God never asks of us anything that He’s not willing to do Himself. Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio rightly reminds us that God also gave up His only Son for us.

We must always remember, Fr. Joseph Pellegrino points out, that that the covenant God made with Abraham he also makes with us if we, like Abraham, do everything we can to cultivate a living faith. This Sunday’s readings therefore allows us to get clearer on the connection between Abraham’s Sacrifice, God’s, and what we should give up for Lent.

And as Lent gets going, most of us start thinking of what we should give up. Chocolate? Starbucks? American Idol? It would be good to reflect on our personal sacrifices for God by trying Abraham's own sacrifice on for size.

Spiritual Exercises for Lent

Until Saturday, Benedict XVI and the members of the Roman Curia are gathering in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel of the apostolic palace to follow the three daily meditations offered by Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. And the central theme of the Lenten spiritual exercises under way in the Vatican is Communion with God. He said, "The Pope's appeal, to us, is profoundly real. When one is in Africa and one sees the poverty, the misery, the wars, all the chaos that exists, one cannot fail to think of this. That is why we accepted without doubt the Pope's Message: because it fits our reality."

Sandro Magister also repoosrt from Rome the the instructions of Benedict XVI for traversing the desert of the world and overcoming the temptations of power and success. He said the Pope offers a message, a catechesis, a twofold "lectio divina." The Lent of the Church according to teh pope is either supremacy or the Cross. The question is will he be heeded?

From New York, we bring you a pice about Timothy Cardinal Dolan. The new cardinal of New York gave a stemwinder of a homily Saturday night and it’s just too good not to share. In the homily, the good cardinal says, "I asked Jesus to help me fight the same temptations he did.” Looking for something to kickstart your Lent? Take 20 minutes and watch one of the greatest preachers in the American church.

Just Pray

The Transfiguration has often been considered a parable of prayer. Fr. Alex McAllister SDS tells us that prayer is a response to the invitation of God to come up the mountain to be with him for a while, in other words to leave our ordinary cares and concerns in order to spend time alone with him. Our response is to place ourselves quietly in the presence of God so that we can spend time apart with him.

I hate to tell you this, but you’re going to have to pray today. Simcha Fisher says any Lenten penance you’re doing—any fasting, any sacrifice, any alsmgiving, any good works —these are all very well. But if you’re not praying regularly, it’s like calling someone your best friend and then—well, not talking to him. And we share a littel prayer that's one of the favorites of a Canossian sister who calls herself Sister Lisa. It's the one prayer that her fellow Sisters around the world pray each morning, asking for the intercession of Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows. Chekc it out. It could become your favotite as well.

Bible, Returning Catholics & More

Do you realize that if it had not been for the Catholics of the 1500s, there would be no King James Bible? A new Vatican exhibit explains the Church connection to the 400-year-old book of Scripture. Many of the original Bibles that formed the basis of the King James Bible came from Catholic priests. Very few changes were made. The ancient writings that the King James writers actually mimicked and copied were by Catholic priests. The Vatican exhibition hopes to show that all Christians can share the King James Bible in common.

We also share this report that the Church’s catechism for young people has is now the top selling Catholic book in the world. The latest figures show that Youcat has sold 1.7 million copies worldwide. It’s been a great success in nearly every country where it has been published.

Meanwhile Msgr. Charles Pope looks at how the Catholic faith sets down deep roots that, for many never go away, even if they leave for many years. There’s just something about being a Catholic. Saying wood already touched by fire is not hard to light, he notes many do return. And even for those who have yet to return, they still surface from time to time and their Catholic roots stir within them.

Life Lessons

Dr. Scott Hahn had a recent ordeal with emergency surgery. And it taught him a few things. It was the first time he'd ever heard his death spoken of as being potentially imminent. And soon he would experience a string of other “firsts” including his first reception of the Anointing of the Sick.

As an enlisted member of the Army, and now an Officer, Mike Inscho has gone through what was essentially two separate stints at basic training. He said during the training, it was difficult to see the lifelong lessons being drilled into you. Now, however, years after finishing, it’s easier to put a finger on those lessons and apply them to everyday life. He shares them with us - 4 Basic Life Lessons from Basic Training.

While Simcha Fisher reflects on her latest, and most difficult, pregnancy. In the process she figured out a thing or two about life in general. Maybe other people don’t have to be pregnant to figure these things out, but she did! Here’s what she learned: Eight Lessons of Pregnancy that Everyone—Yes, Everyone!—Can Use.

Ponder this, if Jesus was on Facebook would you add Him as your friend? Msgr. Charles Pope lamenst that with all the communicating we do today, how likely is it that God can get a message through? It led him to ponder, what if the Lord WERE on Facebook? If you're on Facebook, you must read this.

Finally, check out this list of five things you buy that don’t actually work the way you think. We've learned to be skeptical of product packaging and not always trust the claims it makes, but our hopefulness sometimes gets the best of us. Here are five products you've likely used, or maybe even purchase regularly, that don't yield the results you may expect.

Another eventful week in our Catholic World. Have a great and blessed new week.

Keep the Faith. Peace.

Wally Arida
Publisher & Editor in chief

BURNING QUESTION: Is Jesus truly present at Holy Eucharist?
FEATURED BLOG: Church Works of Mercy and Federal Funding
PASTORAL HISPANA: Jesus en la transfiguracion nos invita a escuchar a Dios


Post a comment.
Follow us on Twitter
Click Here to receive a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to this weekly email
--

"Repent, and believe in the gospel."

In this Sunday's Readings, February 26, 2012, we hear the story of the flood and Noah’s ark. Also, the Lenten season begins, for Jesus, as He is driven out into the desert by the spirit. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Escaping the Flood

Fr. John J. Ludvik tells us that finding God in situations like Noah encountered is harder than trying to read the last line on a eye chart. Yet Noah, leaning over the deck railing of his ship persevered and came to see what his eyes were straining to behold: a distance shore and, with it, the hand of God guiding the Ark to the safety of dry land.

The rainbow—this most beautiful and transient of all things—is as we have heard, a reminder of God’s covenant. It is a sign of the close bond He established with us after the great flood. We may do enough things to provoke God’s anger, Fr. Alex McAllister SDS points out to us. But in this great covenant God says that he will be merciful to us. Although we have sinned he will hold back his anger; instead he will love us all the more.

Escaping to the Desert

In Sunday’s gospel account we find Jesus right after His baptism by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. But instead of immediately embarking on His public ministry, Jesus puts himself in a place where time doesn’t matter. He goes out into the desert for forty days and forty nights, there to come to terms with who He is and what His life is to be all about, and what sort of Messiah His Father has called Him to be. This was for Him, explains Fr. Charles Irvin, a time full of great significance. He was "driven out into the desert by the spirit."

Fr. Orlando, Sapuay, MS suggests that we also should retreat to our own desert as a "great escape." But unlike Jesus who was temopted by teh devil, ours wouldn't be a source of "temptation". It would be a place where we might have the opportunity to reflect on all the love in our life - a God who constantly takes us to his heart and cares so much for us. And God's loving presence embodied in family and friends who are ready to be there for us, but sometimes never given the opportunity to be so because of the "crazed madness".

And so, as we begin Lent and relate the forty days the Lord spent in the desert to the forty days of Lent, Fr. Joseph Pellegrino counsels that we also can relate tests that we have had or may still have in our lives.

A Focus on Baptism

The Readings also focus on Baptism. In the First Reading, By Fr. Phil Bloom reminds us that we remember the covenant God made with Noah – a covenant that God continues in the voice of conscience. And in the Second Reading, St. Paul tells us that Noah prefigures baptism because he and his family "were saved through water." During Lent we look forward to the baptism of our elect - and the renewal of our own baptism. Like our ancestors we often do not listen to that voice; we give in to temptations. Jesus has a concrete plan of repentance that includes prayer, fasting and financial sacrifice. Repent, and believe in the gospel.

And we challenge you with our burning question for the week: Why do Catholics baptize infants?

A Focus on Prayer

The life-implication of Mark's gospel is that we must pray as Jesus prayed if we hope to love God as he did with an undivided heart when our time of trial is upon us. Fr. Campion P. Gavaler, OSB reminds us that our task then is to sustain private prayer as a habit in our lives, even if we have neither the insight nor the courage to see and address all the double-standards and moral blind spots in our lives.

We need to pray regularly. Fr. Ron Rolheiser tells us that if we sustain genuine prayer in our lives, eventually sincerity will weed out insincerity, selflessness will weed out selfishness, and grace will weed out sin. 

And so, Fr. John Foley, S. J. suggests, what about letting each Lenten day partake of certain retreat practices? For instance, what about setting aside a little time daily to let your insides settle down for a while, to create space within you to welcome God. Maybe set up a special place in your house or elsewhere just to pray. And why not take some time to read in advance the Gospel from the upcoming Sunday Mass? Sit down, read it slowly, and let the scene described take place within your mind and heart.

Celebrating Lent

John Cardinal O’Connor gives us a Lenten homily on Scrupulosity. He explains that those of us caught up in scrupulosity honestly believe that forgiveness is impossible for us; God himself can not forgive us despite the crucifixion of his Son. Scrupulosity always involves fear: fear of dying without being able to get to confession, fear of not being forgiven by Almighty God, fear of going to hell. It's like having a little sharp stone in one's shoe. This - a sharp little stone - by the way is what the Latin word scrupulus really means.

And so the Catholic blogger that goes by the name of The Anchoress proposes we start Lent by going back to the Sacrament of Confession. If it has been a long time since you’ve been to Confession, she presents an  an article that features two videos that can helpfully explain the process. And then Marcellino D'Ambrosio lists "40 Ways to Get the Most out of Lent." This, of course, is not an exhaustive list of Lenten ideas. But it’s a start!

Last year, at the Vatican, Pope Benedict celebrated Mass on Ash Wednesday at the Basilica of Santa Sabina, marking the start of Lent and the ancient tradition of the station churches in Rome. And following the station church tradition, the faithful this year also make their way to a different church each of the 40 days of Lent for Mass and the singing of the litany of the saints. The tradition started as early as the third century to honor the martyrs of Rome. Similar to the 15 meditations of the Stations of the Cross, the 40 designated station churches offer time for mediation on the lives of the martyrs and prayers of intercession to these Roman saints.

Yay! It's Lent!

Lent is a beautiful time the Church gives us every year to hope again in hard times and to turn our mourning into dancing. Fr. Peter deSousa explains. Mike Gormley agrees. he says Lent is the happiest of all seasons in the Church calendar and the most joyful of all times in life. Say what? Let's allow him to explain.

Meanwhile Msgr. Charles Pope tells us that on Lenten Sundays, rejoicing in the Lord must be our strength. Although Lent is a time of penance, ne reminds us that nevertheless Sunday remains a day of Joy. The Sundays of Lent are not numbered among the forty days of Lent. Between Ash Wednesday are 46 days. The extra six days are the Sundays of Lent.

Developing a Spiritual Wellness Program

Have you ever heard of something called a wellness program? Maurice Blumberg says the idea behind it is to develop a lifestyle that will keep you healthy and make you less vulnerable to illnesses that require a doctor’s attention. The same applies to our spiritual lives. Judith Costello explains that spiritual fitness is a process of tuning into the silence of the heart in order to connect with God. It’s not easy. But that step of finding some quiet time is only opening the door of the gym. It’s the very basic first step. Lots of people open the door, but seem to change their minds and shut it again!

And if you're among those who are suffering this Lenten season, Mark Henderson offers five simple things a day you can do to stay sane. Simple activities such as gardening or mending a bicycle can protect mental health and help people to lead more fulfilled and productive lives, a panel of scientists has found.

More on the Sin of Artificial Contraception

Jennifer Fulwiler reports that a couple of weeks ago, her parish priest gave a homily about contraception. There were over a thousand people packed into the building, and a slight but noticeable tension developed as he inched closer and closer to the subject. The question of how the people will react to a discussion about this most controversial Church teacing was unexpectedly answered when, as Fr. Jonathan returned to his chair at the side of the altar, the pews erupted in spontaneous, thunderous applause.

If there are priests out there wondering whether to take on this topic from the pulpit, consider that your congregation might already be telling you, "Father, We're Ready for that Homily on Contraception Now."

Candy, Lent & Elvis

We go to Hollywwod to close this week's edition. First we give you everyone's favorite Catholic comedian, Judy McDonald, who shares a few timely thoughts for this Lenten season. Dreaming of candy, she asks, what are you giving up for Lent?

And expect a real nun wearing a habit to strut across the stage at this year's Oscar Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26. Mother Dolores Hart, O.S.B., a former actress turned cloistered nun, will attend her first Academy Awards show since 1959 to show support for “God is the Bigger Elvis,” an Oscar-nominated documentary about her and her abbey. Mother Dolores, 73, was an award-winning actress who performed in two Elvis Presley movies. In 1963, she was about to sign a seven-figure contract and was engaged to a Los Angeles businessman when she decided to join the Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Conn, where she is now prioress. Here's a related story we ran on her a few years back.

For years, i've been telling you all that Catholicism is becoming mainstream. With the positive support the Church is getting from all corners in response to the HHS mandate, this highly visible Catholic display on Oscars nighty should make for an interesting evening in Hollywood. Catch the show this Sunday.

Another eventful week in our Catholic World. Have a great and blessed new week.

Keep the Faith. Peace.

Wally Arida
Publisher & Editor in chief
BURNING QUESTION: Why do Catholics baptize babies?
FEATURED BLOG: Father, We're Ready for that Homily on Contraception Now
PASTORAL HISPANA: Jesus nos invita a ir al desierto con El


Post a comment.
Follow us on Twitter
Click Here to receive a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to this weekly email
--