All posts for the month February, 2013
Mass in thanksgiving for the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI and for the election of a new Pope
Posted by 1catholicsalmon on February 25, 2013
https://1catholicsalmon.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/mass-in-thanksgiving-for-the-pontificate-of-pope-benedict-xvi-and-for-the-election-of-a-new-pope/
An invitation to young Catholics.
Herewith detail (as copied from the Zenit of the Pope’s message to the Catholic youth on his visit to the UK in 2010:-
“In these few moments that we are together, I wish to speak to you from my own heart, and I ask you to open your hearts to what I have to say,” Benedict XVI said.
He stated: “I ask each of you, first and foremost, to look into your own heart.
“Think of all the love that your heart was made to receive, and all the love it is meant to give. After all, we were made for love.”
“Every day we should thank God for the love we have already known,” the Pope asserted, “for the love that has made us who we are, the love that has shown us what is truly important in life.”
He continued, “We need to thank the Lord for the love we have received from our families, our friends, our teachers, and all those people in our lives who have helped us to realize how precious we are, in their eyes and in the eyes of God.”
Enduring
“We were also made to give love,” the Pontiff affirmed, “to make it the inspiration for all we do and the most enduring thing in our lives.”
“Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the great Missionary of Charity, reminded us that giving love, pure and generous love, is the fruit of a daily decision,” he noted.
“Every day we have to choose to love,” the Holy Father urged, “and this requires help, the help that comes from Christ, from prayer and from the wisdom found in his word, and from the grace which he bestows on us in the sacraments of his Church.”
“I ask you to look into your hearts each day to find the source of all true love,” he said. “Jesus is always there, quietly waiting for us to be still with him and to hear his voice.”
Benedict XVI said: “Deep within your heart, he is calling you to spend time with him in prayer.
“But this kind of prayer, real prayer, requires discipline; it requires making time for moments of silence every day. Often it means waiting for the Lord to speak.”
“Even amid the “busy-ness” and the stress of our daily lives,” he acknowledged, “we need to make space for silence, because it is in silence that we find God, and in silence that we discover our true self.”
Posted by 1catholicsalmon on February 25, 2013
https://1catholicsalmon.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/an-invitation-to-young-catholics/
All possible questions answered here about the ins and outs of the Papacy…
There is so much information swirling around the net at the moment about Pope Benedict’s resignation and all that will follow over the next few days and weeks.
Just in case you haven’t seen these yet, let me recommend one or two useful links. I won’t even try to summarise the articles – you can dip in yourselves.
The Catholic Truth Society has very generously put online a pdf version of one of its booklets, Conclave: Step by Step through the Papal Interregnum, by Mgr Charles Burns. There is far more information here than you are ever going to need.
John Allen gives a quick course in ‘Conclave 101‘. Why not keep an eye on Allen’s articles and updates here. You can also sign up for NCR email alerts on the right-hand sidebar, and then select Allen’s articles in the NCR preferences.
The America website has…
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Posted by 1catholicsalmon on February 25, 2013
https://1catholicsalmon.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/2256/
The Holy Father speaks of Holiness.
Posted by 1catholicsalmon on February 22, 2013
https://1catholicsalmon.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/the-holy-father-speaks-of-holiness/
Quote from John Bosco.
Posted by 1catholicsalmon on February 21, 2013
https://1catholicsalmon.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/quote-from-john-bosco/
Short, sharp, and to the point. New Evangelisation at its best.
I viewed this over at Biltrix and thought it so valuable that it had to be shared at 1catholicsalmon.
Posted by 1catholicsalmon on February 20, 2013
https://1catholicsalmon.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/short-sharp-and-to-the-point-new-evangelisation-at-its-best/
‘Become a Christian ever anew’
Posted by 1catholicsalmon on February 20, 2013
https://1catholicsalmon.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/become-a-christian-ever-anew/
‘…all of us are called on to play our part…”
I came across this article in the latest FAITH magazine. It spoke so clearly to me and resounded with my personal sentiments.
(Bold type is my emphasis)
”An Invitation to Evangelise
FAITH Magazine January-February 2013
Not all of us are called to preach publicly, but all of us are called on to play our part in spreading the Gospel – the “Good News” that Jesus Christ is God with us, that he died to reconcile us to the Father, and that he is risen from the dead and has poured out the Holy Spirit on his chosen ones.
There are many ways we can do this and many different words and examples we can use to get this message across to the world around us. First of all, as fellow believers we remind each other of the good news by talking about our faith together, by encouraging each other to grow in knowledge of our faith and by praying together.
Sometimes we may need to explain some point of the Church’s teaching to a fellow Catholic or clear up a misunderstanding. This can happen in casual conversation through ordinary friendships or in a formal setting like a school governors group, and so on. To “counsel the doubtful” is one of the spiritual works of mercy.
I had been bothered of late, by the lack of basic knowledge of the Faith during open discussions with Catholics. The Holy Father in his wisdom certainly understood the need for a Year of Faith. Honestly, when I attended the inauguration of the Year of Faith last year, I was taken aback by the thought (call it naiveté/ lack of awareness , at it’s best) that Catholics need to be evangelised, brought back into the Fold. This was the catalyst that lit the fuse in me to do ‘my bit.’
During prayer groups and casual gatherings, I do not have all the answers, but when someone who is a ‘practising’ Catholic states that,’maybe the devil and God ‘both live in our souls’, I have had to dig deep in order not to blurt out ‘NO OF COURSE NOT!’, and to carefully formulate pertinent questions and statements that could otherwise be misconstrued as critique – in order to change a train of thought an hopefully get the train back on track. I have also noticed that sometimes this kind of speak is tolerated as a ‘person’s right to voice an opinion’. If we do not speak up for about the Faith and what the Church teaches, people are going to think it’s fine to talk gibberish because whatever is said will be accepted as ‘opinion’. The Good News is not a relative issue. It’s factual and true. There is no room for emotion or feelings, and ‘I think… ‘
For someone who needs a little time to ponder over things in order to formulate a response, I sometimes feel frustrated at not being able to have a full, quick and pertinent retort on the spot. I do my best knowing that I could’ve probably answered more fully. My middle-aged grey matter is also to blame for this I might add. For this reason I’ve made an inquiry to join a workshop given by Catholic Voices , a group that was formed around the time the Holy Father visited England three years ago. Their website is most definitely worth a visit.)
The article goes on to say…
We may be called on to catechise others in the Church, such as children and young people or adults seeking full communion with Christ. This is both an honour and a duty. We are co-workers of the apostles (bishops and priests) in this work, but as lay Catholics we are all equipped and commissioned to speak for Jesus Christ because of our baptism and confirmation.We should always be alert to situations where a Christian influence can be brought to bear on the world around us. (Like when someone makes casual remarks about the Mass, that may just be off the mark.)
Of course it is best not to do this in a sanctimonious or “churchy” way. But if we have built genuine relationships of trust and respect, and offered honest friendship to those around us, then with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will find the right words to say when the opportunity arises.
It may be a matter of dropping a thought provoking comment into a conversation which helps people to see beyond the secular view. (In order to do this, we need to be up to date with the news around us.) Or it may be that we quietly invite someone to a spiritual event (It might be an invitation to come to Mass, to come back to Sacraments of the Church or to some other Catholic devotion, to talk with a priest or spiritual advisor, to read a book, to listen to a lecture, to assist in some ministry, to pray together or to attend a parish social event) or gathering introducing them to the Catholic community – and ultimately introducing them to Jesus Christ.
There may also be times when we are called on to speak up in public or private situations where misunderstandings or misconceptions about the Catholic faith are being repeated. (It can be a little trickier of course, when the comments are made within a group of strangers,but I think it’s can be even more so within a family setting. This is why I’m leaning toward some professional apologetics teaching, so that I may in future be confidently prepared to answer questions of the day regarding Christianity and the Church.) We may have to bear witness to human moral principles, ( I do believe this to be the most important one of all. Our actions show what we’re all about.We can tell others how the Holy Spirit has worked in our lives. We can also share our faith through actions that demonstrate the ways in which we try to live authentically the Gospel Message.) which are being undermined in politics, writing to the press or lobbying parliament.
We have to use our skills and influence in the world to protect the common good and promote an authentic Christian society.”
I want to be a true disciples of Christ. Evangelisation today is needed more than ever!
Posted by 1catholicsalmon on February 19, 2013
https://1catholicsalmon.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/all-of-us-are-called-on-to-play-our-part/
Buy your ticket now! not to be missed – a ‘DAY OF FAITH’, organised by the FAITH MOVEMENT.
The FAITH MOVEMENT invites you to:-
a DAY OF FAITH
at St Patrick’s Church, Soho Square, London W1D 4NR
June 18th 2013, starts 11 am
Special guest speakers:
Rt Rev Philip Egan, Bishop of Portsmouth 3pm
George Weigel, Papal biographer 7.30pm
Tickets : £20.00 , includes lunch and supper.
Daytime only: £10.00 includes lunch.
Evening only: £10.00 includes supper.
Book your place now! Send cheque payable to FAITH/KEYWAY to: St Peter’s Church, Bishop’s Rise, Hatfield, Herts AL10 9HN. Please give your name, postal address and email and enclose a addressed envelope .
Programme for the day:
11 am Arrival. Coffee and pastries.
11.25 Introduction and welcome
11.30 Speaker: THE YEAR OF FAITH: TEACHING AND CELEBRATING THE FAITH
12.30 Break. Opportunity for confession
12.45 MASS In St Patrick’s Church.
1.15pm Buffet Lunch
2.30pm ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT in St Patrick’s Church.
3.OO pm GUEST SPEAKER: Rt Rev Philip Egan, Bishop of Portsmouth THE YEAR OF FAITH: CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
4.00pm Tea
4.30pm Benediction in St Patrick’s Church
Break. (Optional History Walk around the local area, led by Joanna Bogle)
6.30pm Drinks and Buffet
7.30pm Guest speaker: GEORGE WEIGEL: THE YEAR OF FAITH: OUR EVANGELICAL MOMENT
Posted by 1catholicsalmon on February 18, 2013
https://1catholicsalmon.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/buy-your-ticket-now-not-to-be-missed-a-day-of-faith-organised-by-the-faith-movement/
I use the Confession app because it reminds me about whether or not I’ve been working on not repeating sins previously confessed.
Lent is a good time to go to confession. So…. How long’s it been since you’ve been to confession?
Oh wait! I’m not supposed to ask that question. Never mind. Here, watch this video…
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Posted by 1catholicsalmon on February 17, 2013
https://1catholicsalmon.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/2221/