Sunday, June 29, 2014

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of June 29, 2014


Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope. 


The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him. (Ps 34:5)




On Sunday, (The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/062914-day-mass.cfm ) we read from the Gospel of  Matthew wherein Jesus asks His closest friends, “who do you say that I am?”  Peter proclaims that He is the “Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus calls Peter a “rock.”   We hear in the first two readings how Peter’s faith will cause people to plot against him, and how Paul reflects on how he has given his life for the Lord.  In both cases, Peter and Paul rely on the power and grace of God to be their strength and guide.  So too, we are called to fashion our lives as followers of Jesus, proclaiming in our words, thoughts and deeds, who Jesus is: the Son of the living God.



Catholic Charities  (http://www.ccdoy.org) continues to provide the corporal works of mercy instituted by the early Church and Apostles as they created the office of deacons to help the widows, orphans and strangers as a sign of the love of God in our world.  As Saints Peter and Paul provide us an example of being a witness to the truth about our faith, we too witness to the love of God and the love of neighbor which Jesus modeled and taught us to do -- “go and do likewise.”


Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements



http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/images/year-of-faith-logo-montage.jpg







http://cmsimg.news-press.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A4&Date=20130315&Category=OPINION&ArtNo=303150023&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Editorial-Pope-Francis-unique-chance



Pope Francis: Evangelii Gaudium


http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.html


59. Today in many places we hear a call for greater security. But until exclusion and inequality in society and between peoples are reversed, it will be impossible to eliminate violence. The poor and the poorer peoples are accused of violence, yet without equal opportunities the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and eventually explode. When a society – whether local, national or global – is willing to leave a part of itself on the fringes, no political programmes or resources spent on law enforcement or surveillance systems can indefinitely guarantee tranquility. This is not the case simply because inequality provokes a violent reaction from those excluded from the system, but because the socioeconomic system is unjust at its root. Just as goodness tends to spread, the toleration of evil, which is injustice, tends to expand its baneful influence and quietly to undermine any political and social system, no matter how solid it may appear. If every action has its consequences, an evil embedded in the structures of a society has a constant potential for disintegration and death. It is evil crystallized in unjust social structures, which cannot be the basis of hope for a better future. We are far from the so-called “end of history”, since the conditions for a sustainable and peaceful development have not yet been adequately articulated and realized.







Some important date(s) this week:



See website http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.


FRIDAY, JULY 4.  St. Elizabeth of Portugal (1271-1336)

lizabeth is usually depicted in royal garb with a dove or an olive branch. At her birth in 1271, her father, Pedro III, future king of Aragon, was reconciled with his father, James, the reigning monarch. This proved to be a portent of things to come. Under the healthful influences surrounding her early years, she quickly learned self-discipline and acquired a taste for spirituality. Thus fortunately prepared, she was able to meet the challenge when, at the age of 12, she was given in marriage to Denis, king of Portugal. She was able to establish for herself a pattern of life conducive to growth in God’s love, not merely through her exercises of piety, including daily Mass, but also through her exercise of charity, by which she was able to befriend and help pilgrims, strangers, the sick, the poor—in a word, all those whose need came to her notice. At the same time she remained devoted to her husband, whose infidelity to her was a scandal to the kingdom.


He, too, was the object of many of her peace endeavors. She long sought peace for him with God, and was finally rewarded when he gave up his life of sin. She repeatedly sought and effected peace between the king and their rebellious son, Alfonso, who thought that he was passed over to favor the king’s illegitimate children. She acted as peacemaker in the struggle between Ferdinand, king of Aragon, and his cousin James, who claimed the crown. And finally from Coimbra, where she had retired as a Franciscan tertiary to the monastery of the Poor Clares after the death of her husband, she set out and was able to bring about a lasting peace between her son Alfonso, now king of Portugal, and his son-in-law, the king of Castile.


Stories:

Elizabeth was not well enough to undertake her final peacemaking journey, made all the more difficult by the oppressive heat of the season. She would not, however, permit herself to be dissuaded from it. She answered that there was no better way to give of her life and her health than by averting the miseries and destruction of war. By the time she had successfully brought about peace, she was so sick that death was imminent. After her death in 1336, her body was returned to the monastery at Coimbra for burial.


Comment:

The work of promoting peace is anything but a calm and quiet endeavor. It takes a clear mind, a steady spirit and a brave soul to intervene between people whose emotions are so aroused that they are ready to destroy one another. This is all the more true of a woman in the early 14th century. But Elizabeth had a deep and sincere love and sympathy for humankind, almost a total lack of concern for herself and an abiding confidence in God. These were the tools of her success.



For daily readings, visit USCCB Website (http://usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month)  





CHARITIES NEWSBYTES

Spring Storm Relief Fund     
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Youngstown, working in collaboration with Catholic Charities USA – the official domestic disaster agency of the US Catholic Bishops – is accepting donations to assist families and communities that have been impacted by the recent storms and tornadoes.  Visit http://ccdoy.org/locations/accepts-donations/ for more information or on line donations.


PAPAL INTENTIONS:  

June

  • Unemployed. That the unemployed may receive support and find the work they need to live in dignity.
  • Faith in Europe.  That Europe may rediscover its Christian roots through the witness of believers.

July

  • Sports. That sports may always be occasions of human fraternity and growth.
  • Lay Missionaries.  That the Holy Spirit may support the work of the laity who proclaim the Gospel in the poorest countries




Corporal Works of Mercy:  The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor

  1. Feed the hungry
  2. Give drink to the thirsty
  3. Clothe the naked
  4. Shelter the homeless
  5. Visit the sick
  6. Visit those in prison
  7. Bury the dead


VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.

MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.

GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.

KEY VALUE: Hospitality

WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20) 




Note: Please consider joining our

TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use. 

See our website at http://www.ccdoy.org for links to the our ministries and services.    
For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at:  http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com

Sunday, June 22, 2014

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of June 22, 2014


Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope. 



Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. (Ps 147:12)

On Sunday, (The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Corpus Christi:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/062214.cfm) we read from the Gospel of  John about Jesus’s discourse regarding to His presence as the “living bread that came down from heaven.”  Jesus, in light of the first reading Deuteronomy pertaining to Moses reminding Israel on how the LORD brought them out of captivity, proclaims that Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."  Today we celebrate the oneness shared in this breaking of bread and sharing of the cup, in that “loaf of bread is one,we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” (second reading, I Cor 10).




Sequence - Lauda Sion


Lo! the angel’s food is given
To the pilgrim who has striven;
see the children’s bread from heaven,
which on dogs may not be spent.

Truth the ancient types fulfilling,
Isaac bound, a victim willing,
Paschal lamb, its lifeblood spilling,
manna to the fathers sent.

Very bread, good shepherd, tend us,
Jesu, of your love befriend us,
You refresh us, you defend us,
Your eternal goodness send us
In the land of life to see.

You who all things can and know,
Who on earth such food bestow,
Grant us with your saints, though lowest,
Where the heav’nly feast you show,
Fellow heirs and guests to be. Amen. Alleluia.

Catholic Charities  (http://www.ccdoy.org) continues to be that “presence” in the world -- continuing the ministry and mission of Jesus -- to feed persons and to quench their thirsts.  Every day, Catholic Charities agencies around the US and the globe (Caritas) work to fight hunger, provide means for food security, and work to deliver safe, affordable potable water.  You can do many things to continue in that work:  1)  You can visit/connect with Catholic Relief Services (http://crs.org/how/) to see what work they are doing around the world in food security and water management and/or 2) visit our Diocese of Youngstown Catholic Charities (http://ccdoy.org/slider/but-you-can-help/)  page to explore how you can respond to summer time anti-hunger efforts.  Thanks for your support and continued prayers.


Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements



http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/images/year-of-faith-logo-montage.jpg







http://cmsimg.news-press.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A4&Date=20130315&Category=OPINION&ArtNo=303150023&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Editorial-Pope-Francis-unique-chance



Pope Francis: Evangelii Gaudium


http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.html


58. A financial reform open to such ethical considerations would require a vigorous change of approach on the part of political leaders. I urge them to face this challenge with determination and an eye to the future, while not ignoring, of course, the specifics of each case. Money must serve, not rule! The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but he is obliged in the name of Christ to remind all that the rich must help, respect and promote the poor. I exhort you to generous solidarity and to the return of economics and finance to an ethical approach which favours human beings.







Some important date(s) this week:



See website http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.

TUESDAY JUNE 24.  Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Jesus called John the greatest of all those who had preceded him: “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John....” But John would have agreed completely with what Jesus added: “[Y]et the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28).


John spent his time in the desert, an ascetic. He began to announce the coming of the Kingdom, and to call everyone to a fundamental reformation of life.
His purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus. His Baptism, he said, was for repentance. But One would come who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John is not worthy even to carry his sandals. His attitude toward Jesus was: “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30).
John was humbled to find among the crowd of sinners who came to be baptized the one whom he already knew to be the Messiah. “I need to be baptized by you” (Matthew 3:14b). But Jesus insisted, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15b). Jesus, true and humble human as well as eternal God, was eager to do what was required of any good Jew. John thus publicly entered the community of those awaiting the Messiah. But making himself part of that community, he made it truly messianic.
The greatness of John, his pivotal place in the history of salvation, is seen in the great emphasis Luke gives to the announcement of his birth and the event itself—both made prominently parallel to the same occurrences in the life of Jesus. John attracted countless people (“all Judea”) to the banks of the Jordan, and it occurred to some people that he might be the Messiah. But he constantly deferred to Jesus, even to sending away some of his followers to become the first disciples of Jesus.
Perhaps John’s idea of the coming of the Kingdom of God was not being perfectly fulfilled in the public ministry of Jesus. For whatever reason, he sent his disciples (when he was in prison) to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah. Jesus’ answer showed that the Messiah was to be a figure like that of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah (chapters 49 through 53). John himself would share in the pattern of messianic suffering, losing his life to the revenge of Herodias.


Comment:

John challenges us Christians to the fundamental attitude of Christianity—total dependence on the Father, in Christ. Except for the Mother of God, no one had a higher function in the unfolding of salvation. Yet the least in the kingdom, Jesus said, is greater than he, for the pure gift that the Father gives. The attractiveness as well as the austerity of John, his fierce courage in denouncing evil—all stem from his fundamental and total placing of his life within the will of God.

Quote:

"And this is not something which was only true once, long ago in the past. It is always true, because the repentance which he preached always remains the way into the kingdom which he announced. He is not a figure that we can forget now that Jesus, the true light, has appeared. John is always relevant because he calls for a preparation which all men need to make. Hence every year there are four weeks in the life of the Church in which it listens to the voice of the Baptist. These are the weeks of Advent" (A New Catechism).



For daily readings, visit USCCB Website (http://usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month)  





CHARITIES NEWSBYTES

Spring Storm Relief Fund     
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Youngstown, working in collaboration with Catholic Charities USA – the official domestic disaster agency of the US Catholic Bishops – is accepting donations to assist families and communities that have been impacted by the recent storms and tornadoes.  Visit http://ccdoy.org/locations/accepts-donations/ for more information or on line donations.


PAPAL INTENTIONS:  

June

  • Unemployed. That the unemployed may receive support and find the work they need to live in dignity.
  • Faith in Europe.  That Europe may rediscover its Christian roots through the witness of believers.



Corporal Works of Mercy:  The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor

  1. Feed the hungry
  2. Give drink to the thirsty
  3. Clothe the naked
  4. Shelter the homeless
  5. Visit the sick
  6. Visit those in prison
  7. Bury the dead


VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.

MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.

GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.

KEY VALUE: Hospitality

WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20) 




Note: Please consider joining our

TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use. 

See our website at http://www.ccdoy.org for links to the our ministries and services.    
For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at:  http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com

Sunday, June 15, 2014

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of June 15, 2014


Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope. 






Glory and praise for ever!  (DN 3:52b)


On Sunday, (The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity:  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/061514.cfm ) we read from the Gospel of  John that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” so that all might have eternal life.  We read from the Second Letter to the Corinthians that we are blessed by “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship  of the Holy Spirit.”  We hear from the first reading from Exodus that Moses “hears” God and implores God to be with his people…”come along in our company.”  We know that God -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- have visited us in the Incarnation, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus -- The Eternal Word.  God is with us -- Emmanuel.  Like the Corinthians, we too “rejoice” as we celebrate this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.



Catholic Charities  (http://www.ccdoy.org) is an expression of the continued presence of Jesus in the world through the work of the Church.   By welcoming each person into our agencies and programs, we too “rejoice” that each person is made in the Image and Likeness of God.  We see each person as that reflection.  As Moses -- and Abraham and Sarah -- and many others have welcomed God in our midst, we too open our doors to be that sign of love and compassion we are called to live.



Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements



http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/images/year-of-faith-logo-montage.jpg







http://cmsimg.news-press.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A4&Date=20130315&Category=OPINION&ArtNo=303150023&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Editorial-Pope-Francis-unique-chance



Pope Francis: Evangelii Gaudium


http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.html


57. Behind this attitude lurks a rejection of ethics and a rejection of God. Ethics has come to be viewed with a certain scornful derision. It is seen as counterproductive, too human, because it makes money and power relative. It is felt to be a threat, since it condemns the manipulation and debasement of the person. In effect, ethics leads to a God who calls for a committed response which is outside the categories of the marketplace. When these latter are absolutized, God can only be seen as uncontrollable, unmanageable, even dangerous, since he calls human beings to their full realization and to freedom from all forms of enslavement. Ethics – a non-ideological ethics – would make it possible to bring about balance and a more humane social order. With this in mind, I encourage financial experts and political leaders to ponder the words of one of the sages of antiquity: “Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs”.







Some important date(s) this week:



See website http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!


SATURDAY JUNE 21.   St. Aloysius Gonzaga  (1568-1591)

The Lord can make saints anywhere, even amid the brutality and license of Renaissance life. Florence was the “mother of piety” for Aloysius Gonzaga despite his exposure to a “society of fraud, dagger, poison and lust.” As a son of a princely family, he grew up in royal courts and army camps. His father wanted Aloysius to be a military hero.


At age seven he experienced a profound spiritual quickening. His prayers included the Office of Mary, the psalms and other devotions. At age nine he came from his hometown of Castiglione to Florence to be educated; by age 11 he was teaching catechism to poor children, fasting three days a week and practicing great austerities. When he was 13 years old he traveled with his parents and the Empress of Austria to Spain and acted as a page in the court of Philip II. The more Aloysius saw of court life, the more disillusioned he became, seeking relief in learning about the lives of saints.
A book about the experience of Jesuit missionaries in India suggested to him the idea of entering the Society of Jesus, and in Spain his decision became final. Now began a four-year contest with his father. Eminent churchmen and laypeople were pressed into service to persuade him to remain in his “normal” vocation. Finally he prevailed, was allowed to renounce his right to succession and was received into the Jesuit novitiate.
Like other seminarians, Aloysius was faced with a new kind of penance—that of accepting different ideas about the exact nature of penance. He was obliged to eat more, to take recreation with the other students. He was forbidden to pray except at stated times. He spent four years in the study of philosophy and had St. Robert Bellarmine (September 17) as his spiritual adviser.
In 1591, a plague struck Rome. The Jesuits opened a hospital of their own. The general himself and many other Jesuits rendered personal service. Because he nursed patients, washing them and making their beds, Aloysius caught the disease himself. A fever persisted after his recovery and he was so weak he could scarcely rise from bed. Yet, he maintained his great discipline of prayer, knowing that he would die within the octave of Corpus Christi, three months later, at the age of 23.



For daily readings, visit USCCB Website (http://usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month)  





CHARITIES NEWSBYTES

Spring Storm Relief Fund     
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Youngstown, working in collaboration with Catholic Charities USA – the official domestic disaster agency of the US Catholic Bishops – is accepting donations to assist families and communities that have been impacted by the recent storms and tornadoes.  Visit http://ccdoy.org/locations/accepts-donations/ for more information or on line donations.


PAPAL INTENTIONS:  

June

  • Unemployed. That the unemployed may receive support and find the work they need to live in dignity.
  • Faith in Europe.  That Europe may rediscover its Christian roots through the witness of believers.



Corporal Works of Mercy:  The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor

  1. Feed the hungry
  2. Give drink to the thirsty
  3. Clothe the naked
  4. Shelter the homeless
  5. Visit the sick
  6. Visit those in prison
  7. Bury the dead


VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.

MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.

GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.

KEY VALUE: Hospitality

WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20) 




Note: Please consider joining our

TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use. 

See our website at http://www.ccdoy.org for links to the our ministries and services.    
For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at:  http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com