Monday Night at the Movies
The Bells of St. Mary's
MAY 2 Monday of the Third Week of
Easter
2 When
you reach Babylon you will be there many years, a long time—seven generations; after that I
will bring you back from there in peace.
3 And
now in Babylon you will see gods of silver and gold and wood, carried shoulder
high, to cast fear upon the nations. 4 Take care that you yourselves do not
become like these foreigners and let not such FEAR possess you.
Do not let fear possess you! Sometimes people lose hope when they enter a strange land. John McCain highlights in his book Character is Destiny[1] the hopefulness of John Winthrop who left the security of his native country to face the dangers of an unknown world to create and shape the character of a new civilization in America. Is there still hope in this country He helped found? Only if we have hope!
John was a puritan and followed the idea that they are to be in the world but not of the world. They should not love earthly pleasures but neither should they shun the blessings of God. To be humble and grateful and give hope to others, by being faithful and encouraging in their own society. John believed men should strive to build a shining city on the hill by putting one’s duty to God and community before one’s own personal desires and to never despair.
He wrote and preached the sermon, “Model of Christian Charity” to give hope to others. He led always by example and never, never gave up hope.
Pride the mark of the Devil[2]
·
The Humble Catholic knows who he is. He knows
there is a God. He knows that God has given him the gift of life and the gift
of free will to use that life as he wills. He knows that the greatest use of
such free will is to surrender it, and wish only what He wills, even in times
that seem good and bad.
·
The Humble Catholic knows that he has sinned, that
he has spurned His gift in ways large and small. He knows too that the Son of
God died for his sins and offers him the Divine Mercy that can forgive all. He
knows that he can never presume that forgiveness in the slightest, but also
that to doubt the desire of the Lord to give him such mercy is to doubt the
unfathomable love of God, and that this is hurtful to Him.
·
The Humble Catholic knows that God is present with
us. He is not an abstract concept or an unfeeling creator of the cosmos. He is
Love. He is the Love that he can feel and share. He knows that his Lord is
present, body, blood, soul and divinity, in the Eucharist. He knows that
adoring such presence or receiving it at Holy Mass helps him to feel that love.
He knows also that he feels at home, that he feels an inner peace, when he
extends that love to others.
·
The Humble Catholic knows that all have good in
them. He knows that he cannot see the turmoil, the trouble or the questions
they may hold under the surface. He knows that they undergo many of the same
troubles and questions he has. He knows that they, like him, often concern
themselves with what may be wrong in them and overlook what is right. He knows
that they deserve to be reminded of the good in them and to be affirmed for
kindnesses that otherwise may go unnoticed.
·
The Humble Catholic knows that even though he
cannot understand the ways of God, it is good to spend time trying, asking,
praying. He knows that it is important not to neglect his God, but to trust in
Him, to offer Him his worries, his successes, his failures.
·
The Humble Catholic knows, in this age when man is
tempted to think highly of his own power, his own ability to understand some
things with science and his ability to control in some ways his physical
environment, that man is tempted to write his own laws of morality, to decide
who may make decisions for others and to decide rights based on principles of
pleasure. The Humble Catholic knows that, as Christ demonstrated, the greatest
principle is not to desire pleasure, but to desire giving, not
to matter most, but to matter least.
·
The Humble Catholic knows that His Church has stood
for these principles, steady and unshaking over the centuries. It still holds
fast to beliefs and views that may not meet the fancies of the day, but
honor the wisdom and caring of its Founder. The Church is deserving
of his unwavering gratitude and obedience. He knows that obedience to those who
have devoted their lives to serving it is not obedience to such persons, but to
the One they serve.
· The Humble Catholic knows that there are truths. He knows that there are ways that lead to an everlasting opportunity to praise the Lord and share in the joy of knowing Him. He knows that, rather than fear anything on this earth, all he has to do is reach out and ask, with an honest and sincere heart, to be accepted by Him. If he does this, he knows that he will receive more than he can begin to imagine.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
SECTION TWO I. THE CREEDS
CHAPTER TWO-I BELIEVE IN JESUS
CHRIST, THE ONLY SON OF GOD
The Good News: God has sent his Son
422 'But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born
of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that
we might receive adoption as sons.' This is 'the gospel of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God': God has visited his people. He has fulfilled the promise
he made to Abraham and his descendants. He acted far beyond all expectation -
he has sent his own 'beloved Son'.
423 We believe and confess that Jesus of Nazareth, born a Jew of a
daughter of Israel at Bethlehem at the time of King Herod the Great and the
emperor Caesar Augustus, a carpenter by trade, who died crucified in Jerusalem
under the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of the emperor Tiberius,
is the eternal Son of God made man. He 'came from God', 'descended from
heaven', and 'came in the flesh'. For 'the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of
the only Son from the Father. . . and from his fullness have we all received,
grace upon grace.'
424 Moved by the grace of
the Holy Spirit and drawn by the Father, we believe in Jesus and confess: 'You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' On the rock of this faith
confessed by St. Peter, Christ built his Church.
"To preach. . . the unsearchable riches of Christ"
425 The transmission of the Christian faith consists primarily in
proclaiming Jesus Christ in order to lead others to faith in him. From the beginning,
the first disciples burned with the desire to proclaim Christ: "We cannot
but speak of what we have seen and heard." It and they invite people
of every era to enter into the joy of their communion with Christ:
That
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word
of life - the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and
proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made
manifest to us - that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so
that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and
with his Son Jesus Christ. and we are writing this that our joy may be
complete.
At the heart of catechesis: Christ
426 "At the heart of catechesis we find, in essence, a Person, the
Person of Jesus of Nazareth, the only Son from the Father. . .who suffered and
died for us and who now, after rising, is living with us forever." To
catechize is "to reveal in the Person of Christ the whole of God's eternal
design reaching fulfilment in that Person. It is to seek to understand the
meaning of Christ's actions and words and of the signs worked by him." Catechesis
aims at putting "people . . . in communion . . . with Jesus Christ: only
he can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the
life of the Holy Trinity."
427 In catechesis "Christ, the Incarnate Word and Son of God, .
. . is taught - everything else is taught with reference to him - and it is
Christ alone who teaches - anyone else teaches to the extent that he is
Christ's spokesman, enabling Christ to teach with his lips. . . Every catechist
should be able to apply to himself the mysterious words of Jesus: 'My teaching
is not mine, but his who sent me.'"
428 Whoever is called "to teach Christ" must first seek
"the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus"; he must suffer
"the loss of all things. . ." in order to "gain Christ and be
found in him", and "to know him and the power of his resurrection,
and (to) share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible
(he) may attain the resurrection from the dead".
429 From this loving knowledge of Christ springs the desire to proclaim
him, to "evangelize", and to lead others to the "yes" of
faith in Jesus Christ. But at the same time the need to know this faith better
makes itself felt. To this end, following the order of the Creed, Jesus'
principal titles - "Christ", "Son of God", and
"Lord" (article 2) - will be presented. the Creed next confesses the
chief mysteries of his life - those of his Incarnation (article 3), Paschal
mystery (articles 4 and 5) and glorification (articles 6 and 7).
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Restoring
the Church
· Eat waffles
and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Manhood of
the Master-week 11 day 2
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Make reparations to the Holy Face
· Total
Consecration to Mary Day 5
· Novena to the
Holy Face Day 6
· Monday: Litany of
Humility
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