A Daily Gospel Reading

I'd like to make this blog more open to conversation like a forum, so would anyone care to participate in a reading of the Gospel? I will post the Gospel (if not daily at least a few times a week) and I'll post a commentary on the text. This will help us correct error in interpretation draw upon the Word of God, who is the person of Jesus Christ, during the day.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Priest chanting the Last Gospel at a Tridentine Mass

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Rediscover the Angelus Prayer

The word "Angelus" comes from the Latin "Angelus Domini" meaning "Angel of the Lord". This is a prayer of the Church said three times a day at 6 AM, Noon, and 6 PM. The present-day form of the Angelus traces back to 1560 and is a prayer composed of a short sentence followed by a response and then followed by a Hail Mary. It is an excellent prayer reminding all of Christ's Incarnation the gift of Himself - born to come, to die, and to save. The Church also blesses this devotion with indulgences.

The Angelus is prayed three times daily and is said year long except during Easter Time (From Easter Sunday until the end of the Octave of Pentecost) when the Regina Coeli is prayed. Traditionally, the Angelus is prayed while kneeling except on Sundays and Holy Days when it is prayed standing with a genuflecting (bowing on one knee) during the statement: "And dwelt among us".

If you are praying in a Group the leader saying the "V" parts and you say the "R" part, but if you are praying alone you will pray all parts.

The Prayer:

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,
R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary…

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord,
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word. Hail Mary…

V. And the Word was made flesh,
R. And dwelt among us. Hail Mary…

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

V. Let us pray.

R. Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His passion and cross, be brought to the glory of His Resurrection; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Let Us Unite Ourselves With Christ

In the agony of the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ knew that He was to be mocked, tortured, beaten, deprived of friendship, and killed; yet His love remained. And in His agony, knowing His coming brutal death, He cried out in prayer. Read the 17th Chapter of the Gospel of John.

Let us pray with this prayer I found in a Catholic prayer book:

God our Father, it is your purpose to bring the whole of creation into unity with you. Give us the grace to further this aim and to live out your truth on earth. Bring all your people closer to one another and unite us in the sharing of your good news. Come, Holy Spirit, and help us to join into one community of believers. Amen

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Cardinal Clemens August von Galen

The process of sainthood is such: Servant of God - Venerable - Blessed - Saint (Read Roman Catholic sections) If you are unfamiliar with devotion to saints then please read further on the subject.

I just finished watching an EWTN special for the Beatification Mass of Cardinal Clemens August von Galen this evening. First, if you are unaware for the process of being declared a saint, someone in Heaven, then please read the Wikipedia article on sainthood.

Today I watched the Beatification Mass celebrated by Cardinal Saraiva Martins celebrated at Saint Peter's Basilica for the Beatification of Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen (1878 - 1946). And although Pope Benedict XVI did not celebrate the Mass since a beatification is more of a regional celebration than a declaration of sainthood, the Holy Father did arrive near the end to bless the crowd and speak. Although not spoken by Our Holy Father, I found these words spoken on the Eucharist very refreshing and brilliant. It was said that in receiving the Eucharist one's "...Heart becomes the throne of the Son of God." Is your heart worthy? After this life we will be seeing our God with our own eyes, touching Him with our own hands, but our you worthy? If not then seek His mercy in the Sacrament of Confession, the delight of souls where every single soul, by the power of God, is washed clean from sin. Thanks be to God for His immeasurable gift - His only Son, eternally begotten of the Father!

Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen was a huge critic of the Nazi regime. He lived the Truth in the midst of the darkness of World War II.

If you have information relevant to the canonization of Blessed Clemens, please contact:

Domkapitular Martin Hülskamp
Horsteberg 18, 48143
Münster, Germany

Image Source: Photo believed to be in the Public Domain

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Earthquake Victims

After seeing the US devestated by hurricanes, the world is again struck by a natural disaster in Asia with a 7.6 magnitude earthquake with a death toll near 20,000 now! Please start praying for these people. Let's start a Rosary network for these people praying our Rosary and leaving them in Mary's arms that she might take them to Christ, the Divine Healer, the Only Truth. Last Thurday was the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, a day commemorating a Christian naval victory attributed to the continuous prayer of the Rosary. With Mary's intercession in mind, let us walk together to Christ that we might not just save these people physically but in mind, body, and spirit. Let us pray completely for them that Christ might heal them and reign in their hearts.

Christ-Haunted, a reader of this site and a blogger, posted about the site, AsiaNews.it for more information to keep up on the subject. And if you can give monetary aid please do so through Catholic Charities (This link is for Catholic Charities USA).

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Catholic Tuner

This website, Catholic Tuner, looks like a good find with Holy Family Radio, Ave Maria Radio, Relevant Radio, EWTN, and more. And best of all, it's completely free to listen to it.

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What Goes Up Must Come Down

Image Source: Bartolomé Estéban Murillo. The Blessed Giles Levitating before Pope Gregory IX, about 1645-46 Oil on canvas, 65 1/2 x 73 1/4 in. (166.3 x 186.0 cm.)


"No man can attain to the knowledge of God but by humility. The way to mount high is to descend. "– Blessed Giles of Assisi

I just found this quotation today and wanted to share it with everyone before I will be going to Mass.

After all, we are all unworthy servants. We all sin and some are worse than others, but those truly repentant and loving are certainly in Christ's eternal heart. God knows we can't do anything by ourselves so He saves us continuously again. Some say they don't "see" God, they just can't say yes or no. And I tell you then to open your heart see the joy of the world, the complexity of the universe, the miracle of life, the joy of the Catholic faith, and the greatest source of all beauty - the Holy Eucharist. Why don't you get out of your house and look at the world and see it isn't something anyone on earth could possibly imagine. Sir Issac Newton in the preface to "Principia" translates as such, "...to lay forth the laws of nature with such clarity that no thinking man may deny the existence of God"

"Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are" (CCC 159)

Above all it comes down to the fact that God made science and therefore is still outside of it. His beauty and majesty can not be reached by a microscope or a telescope or by sitting in life waiting around. The greatest thing is that Christ died for everyone one of us and wants to know us all in such a personal way and the ONLY way to do this is the pray. Start out slow with vocal prayers and eventually move on. Throughout this whole life Christ is the source of Mercy. Come to Him as St. Faustina taught us to pray, "Jesus, I trust in you."

Remember our Lord's teachings in the Gospel, all that humble themselves will be exulted and all that exult themselves will be humbled. Do you think Christ is only in a book? No! He is in His Church preserved from the time of Our Lord's Resurrection of His teachings. The Holy Spirit is guiding us, but then again, we must humble ourselves. None of us are worthy of any grace of God, rather it is only through His mercy that we are healed.

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Calling All Apologists

I know that several of my readers are very good at apologetics (defending the Catholic faith), so I'm posting this hear to see if anyone wants to participate in a discussion on the faith. I am a member of the Catholic Community Forum. In the debate boards I have recently engaged in a few discussions on the Catholic Church's teachings.

If anyone here wants to help respond and defend the Church just join the Catholic Community Forum (My username there is Moneybags), and visit these two discussions. You don't have to join to just read the posts.

1. Indulgences
2. Blessed Virgin Mary

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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We find Him in our hearts

"We need no wings to go in search of Him, but have only to look upon Him present within us."-- Saint Teresa of Avila

We don't need to search any further for Christ than first within us as it was through His divine will that He gave us light - a spark of His divine love. As Pope Benedict XVI said, "Each of us is the result of a thought of God," and before anything else we must find a personal relationship with Christ. We don't have to search for Christ over the Internet, in a book, or anything first. In reality, we must find Him first within us and respond by loving Him. Only if we love Him may we receive His Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist the source of the greatest graces.

I said it before and will say it as much as necessary - our faith is completely on love because we will be judged on only one thing - how much did we love (St. John of the Cross). Every single day we are to love and give as much as possible. I know someone that even took in Hurricane Katrina evacuees. God knows how much you can give of time, talent, and treasure. Give what you can from each area and do it with love.

As Saint Teresa of Avila said, we don't have to make life more complex. Trust in God and find Him within yourself, in the Catholic Church and love Him "who humbled Himself to death even death on a cross."

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Choose Life License Plates

The "Choose Life" license plate that originated in Florida in 1999 has been approved in 13 states to date. Already, more than 60,000 motorists have raised over $5 million dollars to fund pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes by using these license plates.

On March 9, 2006, Choose Life License Plates succeeded in New York when an appelate court dismissed a lawsuit by pro-abortion groups seeking to stop them.

In Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, Tennessee, South Dakota, Montana, and now New York, Choose Life plates are onsale. These plates promote adoption and have certainly saved thousands of unborn lives. South Carolina's law was ruled unconstitutional. Most states donate the proceeds to adoption groups, but Alabama, Hawaii, Maryland and Montana donate some of the funds collected to pro-life organizations.

Updates:

• In June 2006, Indiana has approved Choose Life Plates
• New Jersey lawsuit against Choose Life Plates thrown out
• In November 2006, Georgia has approved Choose Life Plates
• In January 2007, Illinois has approved Choose Life Plates
• In Februrary 2007, Pennsylvania now sells Choose Life Plates

Unfortunately, Hawaii and Montana also have license plates supporting abortion.

If you live in the US and your state does not yet have Choose Life plates then please select your state and see what you can do to help. You may just need to sign a petition.

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