Cardinal Law is calling on all Catholics to pray a…

Cardinal Law is calling on all Catholics to pray a Novena during this period between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost, I will post the prayer for the next nine days, to make it easier for you to join in:

”Almighty and merciful God, by the power of the Holy Spirit you raised Jesus Christ, your Son, from death and filled him with new and abundant life.

”Then, in accordance with your loving plan, you sent the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at Pentecost, that by his mighty gifts they might be joined to the Risen Lord in his Body, the Church.

”By a fresh outpouring of the Spirit’s gifts give new life to the Church in the United States this Pentecost.

”We beg that the Spirit will bring healing to the victims of clergy sexual abuse and their families.

”We pray that the Spirit will warm the hearts of those whose faith has been weakened by this scandal.

”We ask that the Spirit will bestow mercy and repentance on the abusers.

”We earnestly desire that the Spirit will renew and reform the whole Church in the likeness of Christ.

”Fill every member of the Church with holiness so that, working together as the Body of Christ, we might be built up in faith, hope and love in order to proclaim the Gospel with joy.

”We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

I read this some years ago (in 1979). The book cla…

I read this some years ago (in 1979). The book claims to be from 1938 and if that could be proved, I think you would definitely have something to look at very seriously. Anyway I offer for your review:

The Confessions of a Communist Agent On The Attempt to Destroy the Roman Catholic Church from Within

I would say that at the time, I felt it was a creation of someone who didn’t like the changes in the church.

From another reader: The "Spirit of St. Francis…

From another reader:

The “Spirit of St. Francis” award that was to be awarded to Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman

by St. Francis hospital this Saturday has been rescinded. She is the State (NJ) Democratic Chair…endorsed and funded by Planned

Parenthood.She voted 2 times against Parental notification (a parent would have to be notified before their minor daughter went for an abortion…any adult can take a this girl for an abortion)

This campaign to rescind the award reached a national audience…People were outraged and every relevant office in the Diocese of Trenton received emails, letters and phone calls.

Please continue to pray and ask Our Lady of Victory to intercede in this “battle for the dignity, reverence and respect for Life”

Please pray for Bishop John Smith for courage in every situation….”We love him but we love our Church more”

A special thank-you to the “Annunciations” Web Page. He printed our request and received a national audience Check it out…Great!

Larry Cigniano “Catholics we vote” all the emails and especially… to Fr. Peter West “Priests for Life”.. ..as St. Francis was

told by Our Lord “rebuild my Church” they have been told “rebuild the culture of Life” no thank-you’s could ever be enough…we’ll send prayers.

Remember evil happens when a few good people do nothing! Archbishop Fulton Sheen used to say…”in the end God is not going to

ask us if we were successful…He’s going to ask us if we tried!”

Good to know that items posted here are having a positive effect elsewhere.

From a reader of this blog..and my new book: As…

From a reader of this blog..and my new book:

As a Catholic for six years now (former atheist, so I’m relatively new to the religion scene) – what’s a poor box? I’ve never seen one in our Church. We do have a large box for St. Vincent de Paul item donations. And we have approximately quarterly donation envelopes for the same charity. And we have various other diocesan appeals for charities. But the idea of a poor box intrigues me! I like the idea of emptying my pockets for the poor before leaving Church. I would feel very good about that, if that’s where the money would actually go.

By the way, thank you so much for your book on Archbishop Sheen! I am enjoying it immensely! Although it does cause me some distress – pondering your meditation questions is not an easy exercise. But the exercise is helping me learn and grow in my faith! Another distress is that the secluded life I lead prevents me from getting to Church as often as I would like. I live in the country, so getting to town more often than Sunday is a bit of a problem (and expense with gas prices these days). But the last time I came in, I made a point to go to our Adoration Chapel and pray the rosary and dwell in His Presence for awhile. I couldn’t stay a full hour, because my husband was babysitting our pre-schooler, and really needed to be working. And he is still a bitter non-practicing Catholic, and HATES it that I have converted my heart and soul to Jesus! So I have to be careful (and secretive sometimes) about what I do, and how I do it. I am having to temper my zeal – which is hard, because as one priest put it last Pentecost, “I have the flames of Pentecost in my heart and on my head!” The torment in my heart is suffering I lift up to our Lord for the whole world. So I apologize to you and all that I am not able at this time to make a daily hour, or even a weekly hour to the Adoration Chapel. YET!!!!

You and Amy are so blessed to be able to share your faith with each other. I can’t say that I am jealous (St. Benedict’s rule: don’t covet!), but I do pray that before I die, my husband will join me at the foot of the cross, God willing! (Appeals to Sts. Monica, Augustine and Jude!)

Poor boxes, see post below, are small boxes usually at the entrances of churches marked for the purpose of collecting money for St. Vincent de Paul Societies or the parish to help the poor. You have a clothing box, mention the idea of having a poor box to the pastor.

Thanks for your comments!

This is a continuation of the 73 Steps to Spiritua…

This is a continuation of the 73 Steps to Spiritual Communion with God. The previous are posted below among the other posts and last week’s archives. Here is the 22nd step:

(22) Not to give way to anger.

Whenever Christians think of anger, they usually think of Jesus cleaning house in the Temple. If Jesus got angry, then why is anger a bad thing, most reason? I could add a few more scenes from the Gospel. When Jesus’ disciples awaken him during a storm, he stills the storm and then reacts in anger–rebuking his disciples for their lack of faith (this should not be lost on anyone who has ever been awaken from a sound sleep–which obviously Jesus was enjoying and is a sign of his deep trust in God). When Jesus confronts the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the religious leaders of the time, he does not refrain from reacting angrily to what they say and do.

So it is obvious that anger has a place in the perfect human life of which Our Lord’s is an example. There are times when anger is the right reaction. When we see someone being abused or misled it is appropriate and even holy to be angry–as long as we do something about the anger. It should motivate us to act out in a righteous way.

But “to give way” to anger is another way of saying “to let it fester,” or “to let it take over”. We do nothing about it, but rather let it eat away at us. We allow it to grow into resentment and skepticism. This is neither healthy nor spiritual.

There is a certain school of spirituality that often counsels us to remain silent. Not to speak out but rather suffer silently. Of course, there is some truth to this and Our Lord’s example before Pontius Pilate is an example of when such a practice is right. But there are other times when such silence would be sinful, not spiritual.

The early Christians called their movement not Christianity but “the Way.” Jesus had given his followers a new path to walk. This path is a way of truthfulness and life. Reflecting on the previous step, “to prefer nothing to the love of Christ,” in this step we reject making “anger” the way.

Anger has a place in creation, it was created by God for a purpose, but it’s purpose is not to control us but to motivate us to act.

The imitation of Christ is the sure “way” to making sure that we do not give “way” to anger.

From the Tampa Tribune, another priest who once ta…

From the Tampa Tribune, another priest who once taught at the school where I once taught. Don’t know him, though:

Abuse Charges Against Jesuit Teacher `Credible’: From The Tampa Tribune