Sunday, March 25, 2012

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of March 25, 2012


Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope. 


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) 




On Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Lent, B  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032512-fifth-sunday-of-lent.cfm) we read in the Gospel of John of Jesus’ discussion about doing the will of the Father and offering up himself for the life of the world.  We hear Jesus say that “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat.....Whoever serves me must follow me.”  Here Jesus calls each of us -- His disciples today -- to serve each other in love, even to the point of death.


In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org ,  we continue Jesus’ ministry of service.  As the organized means for the Church to serve others in need, Catholic Charities provides direct aid to families/persons in need while also advocating in the public realm, and convening others to do the same.  On many occasions, we have witnessed large and small transformations of persons, families and communities as they see hope again by the generous assistance provided by staff, volunteers and donors.  These persons may not know all the details, but many truly understand that the Church continues to care for each person, no matter who they are.  Catholic Charities continues to model Jesus’ love and witness of service.


Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011


Modern States became structured wholes over time and reinforced sovereignty within their own territory. But social, cultural and political conditions have gradually changed. Their interdependence has grown – so it has become natural to think of an international community that is integrated and increasingly ruled by a shared system – but a worse form of nationalism has lingered on, according to which the State feels it can achieve the good of its own citizens in a self-sufficient way.

Today all of this seems anachronistic and surreal, and all the nations, great or small, together with their governments, are called to go beyond the “state of nature” which would keep States in a never-ending struggle with one another. Globalization, despite some of its negative aspects, is unifying peoples more and prompting them to move towards a new “rule of law” on the supranational level, supported by a more intense and fruitful collaboration. With dynamics similar to those that put an end in the past to the “anarchical” struggle between rival clans and kingdoms with regard to the creation of national states, today humanity needs to be committed to the transition from a situation of archaic struggles between national entities, to a new model of a more cohesive, polyarchic international society that respects every people's identity within the multifaceted riches of a single humanity.
Such a passage, which is already timidly under way, would ensure the citizens of all countries – regardless of their size or power – peace and security, development, and free, stable and transparent markets. As John Paul II warns us, “Just as the time has finally come when in individual States a system of private vendetta and reprisal has given way to the rule of law, so too a similar step forward is now urgently needed in the international community.”




 


Some important date(s) this week:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx

See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.


Consider participating in Operation Rice Bowl,  http://ccdoy.org/social-action/operation-rice-bowl/  a Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services incorporating prayers, education, charity, and justice.

http://www.adoremus.org/NewABart/Annunc.jpg

MONDAY, MARCH 26. Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032612.cfm
The feast of the Annunciation, now recognized as a solemnity, goes back to the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now, as Luke 1:26-38 tells us, the decision is being realized. The God-Man embraces all humanity, indeed all creation, to bring it to God in one great act of love. Because human beings have rejected God, Jesus will accept a life of suffering and an agonizing death: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
Mary has an important role to play in God’s plan. From all eternity God destined her to be the mother of Jesus and closely related to him in the creation and redemption of the world. We could say that God’s decrees of creation and redemption are joined in the decree of Incarnation. Because Mary is God’s instrument in the Incarnation, she has a role to play with Jesus in creation and redemption. It is a God-given role. It is God’s grace from beginning to end. Mary becomes the eminent figure she is only by God’s grace. She is the empty space where God could act. Everything she is she owes to the Trinity.
She is the virgin-mother who fulfills Isaiah 7:14 in a way that Isaiah could not have imagined. She is united with her son in carrying out the will of God (Psalm 40:8-9; Hebrews 10:7-9; Luke 1:38).
Together with Jesus, the privileged and graced Mary is the link between heaven and earth. She is the human being who best, after Jesus, exemplifies the possibilities of human existence. She received into her lowliness the infinite love of God. She shows how an ordinary human being can reflect God in the ordinary circumstances of life. She exemplifies what the Church and every member of the Church is meant to become. She is the ultimate product of the creative and redemptive power of God. She manifests what the Incarnation is meant to accomplish for all of us.



SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

Read Bishop Murry’s Pastoral Letter on Poverty.  http://doy.org/files/Scroller/PastoralPoverty.pdf
  Ask yourself as you prepare for Lent: Who Is My Neighbor?  How can I help?  Lent offers a great time to reflect, pray, share one’s gifts and share your sacrifice.  See information above about Operation Rice Bowl for ideas. http://ccdoy.org/social-action/operation-rice-bowl/

Catholic Charities Regional Agency will present two workshops on Mortgage Modification and Awareness of Mortgage Scams.  These workshops will cover basic topics to help people learn to avoid foreclosure and learn of potential harmful scams.

These workshops are FREE, space is limited.  Call 330-744-3320 to reserve your spot!
All workshops will be held at Catholic Charities Regional Agency Office:
2401 Belmont Ave., Youngstown.
Dates and times of the workshops are:
March 28, 2012 from 5pm to 7pm and
March 31, 2012 from 10am to 12pm



 PAPAL INTENTIONS:   March 2012

General Intention: Contribution of Women. That the whole world may recognize the contribution of women to the development of society.

Missionary Intention: Persecuted Christians. That the Holy Spirit may grant perseverance to those who suffer discrimination, persecution, or death for the name of Christ, particularly in Asia.
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



Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889 
FACEBOOK GROUP https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catholic-Charities-Diocese-of-Youngstown/138817639487339
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use. 

See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.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/
 

Thursday, March 22, 2012

CARDINAL DOLAN, ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ URGE CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS TO BUILD CONSENSUS ON IMMIGRATION REFORM


 
Letter comes as pope visits Mexico, Cuba
Bishops cite state laws creating local divisions
U.S. bishops to file brief against Arizona law
 
WASHINGTON—Congressional leaders should “build consensus” toward reform of the nation’s immigration laws, said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, in a March 22 letter.
            “Passage of immigration reform is more important now than ever, as state laws and local enforcement initiatives are filling the policy vacuum left by Congress,” the bishops wrote in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Minority Leaders of both chambers. “This has created a patchwork of laws and policies throughout the country which has led to discord in our communities.”
            Cardinal Dolan and Archbishop Gomez expressed concern over the impact that state and local initiatives are having on immigrant families, which become separated because of these policies. 
            “Children are often the innocent victims of these policies, which leave them without parents and with less opportunity to live a full and productive life in their home country, the United States.”
            The letter came on the eve of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Mexico. Around 60 percent of undocumented immigrants in the United States are of Mexican origin.
            The letter also indicated that the USCCB will soon file an amicus brief supporting the “full authority” of the federal government to “enact and implement” laws governing immigration.
            Cardinal Dolan and Archbishop Gomez encouraged the leaders to address immigration reform as “soon as possible,” as new State laws will continue to “tear at the social fabric of our nation, until it is torn beyond repair.”
---

Sunday, March 18, 2012

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of March 18, 2012



Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope. 

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) 



http://bestfreechristian.com/clip_art_04/images/god-so-loved.gif


On Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent, B  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/031812-fourth-sunday-of-lent.cfm) we read in the Gospel of John of Jesus’ discourse with Nicodemus.  Jesus starts by reminding him that as Moses lifted the serpent in the desert, He will be lifted up by His Father.  Jesus reminds his readers that those who seek good search to be in the light.  Jesus further states that he is calling each of to do good works to be seen in the light for God’s glory.  St Paul reminds us, however, that it is not our works that save us, but that the great sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and by God’s grace.  Together, however, we are reminded that by God’s grace we are called to live out the works of love: love of God and love of neighbor.


In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org ,  we are the organized ministry of the Church to help each faithful disciple and parish communities to live out their good works of love.  Catholic Charities helps to organize the Church’s response to those in need.  We can be very proud, and bring to light, the work of Catholic Charities and its many volunteers and supporters.  Over the past year, over 40,000 persons were served in our Diocese.  Catholic Charities is so grateful for the tremendous support from the community, persons of good will, and the Church in living out the corporal works of mercy.  That is good news, spreading much light and hope, indeed.



Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011


Under the current uncertainties, in a society capable of mobilizing immense means but whose cultural and moral reflection is still inadequate with regard to their use in achieving the appropriate ends, we are invited to not give in and to build above all a meaningful future for the generations to come. We should not be afraid to propose new ideas, even if they might destabilize pre-existing balances of power that prevail over the weakest. They are a seed thrown to the ground that will sprout and hurry towards bearing fruit.

As Benedict XVI exhorts us, agents on all levels – social, political, economic, professional – are urgently needed who have the courage to serve and to promote the common good through an upright life. Only they will succeed in living and seeing beyond the appearances of things and perceiving the gap between existing reality and untried possibilities.

Paul VI emphasized the revolutionary power of “forward-looking imagination” that can perceive the possibilities inscribed in the present and guide people towards a new future. By freeing his imagination, man frees his existence. Through an effort of community imagination, it is possible to transform not only institutions but also lifestyles and encourage a better future for all peoples.


 


Some important date(s) this week:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx

See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.


Consider participating in Operation Rice Bowl,  http://ccdoy.org/social-action/operation-rice-bowl/  a Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services incorporating prayers, education, charity, and justice.


MONDAY, MARCH 19  Solemnity of St. Joseph.   The Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he was a “just” man. The quality meant a lot more than faithfulness in paying debts.
When the Bible speaks of God “justifying” someone, it means that God, the all-holy or “righteous” One, so transforms a person that the individual shares somehow in God’s own holiness, and hence it is really “right” for God to love him or her. In other words, God is not playing games, acting as if we were lovable when we are not.
By saying Joseph was “just,” the Bible means that he was one who was completely open to all that God wanted to do for him. He became holy by opening himself totally to God.
The rest we can easily surmise. Think of the kind of love with which he wooed and won Mary, and the depth of the love they shared during their marriage.
It is no contradiction of Joseph’s manly holiness that he decided to divorce Mary when she was found to be with child. The important words of the Bible are that he planned to do this “quietly” because he was “a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame” (Matthew 1:19).
The just man was simply, joyfully, wholeheartedly obedient to God—in marrying Mary, in naming Jesus, in shepherding the precious pair to Egypt, in bringing them to Nazareth, in the undetermined number of years of quiet faith and courage.



SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
Read Bishop Murry’s Pastoral Letter on Poverty.  http://doy.org/files/Scroller/PastoralPoverty.pdf
  Ask yourself as you prepare for Lent: Who Is My Neighbor?  How can I help?  Lent offers a great time to reflect, pray, share one’s gifts and share your sacrifice.  See information above about Operation Rice Bowl for ideas. http://ccdoy.org/social-action/operation-rice-bowl/


    




 PAPAL INTENTIONS:   March 2012

General Intention: Contribution of Women. That the whole world may recognize the contribution of women to the development of society.

Missionary Intention: Persecuted Christians. That the Holy Spirit may grant perseverance to those who suffer discrimination, persecution, or death for the name of Christ, particularly in Asia.

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



Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889 
FACEBOOK GROUP https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catholic-Charities-Diocese-of-Youngstown/138817639487339
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use. 

See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.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, March 11, 2012

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of March 11, 2012


Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope. 

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) 



http://auntiesbiblelessons.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/jesus-cleanses-temple.jpg

On Sunday (Third Sunday of Lent, B  http://usccb.org/bible/readings/031112.cfm  ) we read in the Gospel of John about Jesus’ turning over the marketplace tables in the Temple of Jerusalem.  We sense in this scene that Jesus does not approve of the economizing of his faith and the transactions that occur in a place built on a covenant of love.  God’s Temple was a sign of God’s covenant with His people based on love and fidelity.  Jesus sees that some have reduced His Father’s house to a place of business only.  Jesus reminds them all, especially his skeptics and enemies, that he can rebuild this Temple in three days.  All scoff at him at this suggestion.  But we also read about how more people came to believe in Him.  


In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org ,  we know that as a social welfare agency we see many persons and families coming for material aid.  Some may suggest that Catholic Charities is just another community based social service agency in town.  Catholic Charities remains rooted in the mission of the Church to bring abundant life to all.  As such a ministry, Catholic Charities aims to be a place of hospitality and love.  We do not see numbers or files; we work with persons made in God’s image.  That respect for each person’s inherent dignity makes all the difference in the world.  We are not just another community social service agency:  we are the Church engaged in the world.


Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011



It is sensible and realistic to allow the necessary time to build up broad consensuses, but the goal of the universal common good with its inescapable demands is waiting on the horizon. Moreover, it is hoped that those in universities and other institutions who educate tomorrow's leadership will work hard to prepare them for their responsibilities to discern the global public good and serve it in a constantly changing world. The gap between ethical training and technical preparation needs to be filled by highlighting in a particular way the inescapable synergy between the two levels of practical doing (praxis) and of boundless human striving (poièsis).

The same effort is required from all those who are in a position to enlighten world public opinion in order to help it to brave this new world, no longer with anxiety but in hope and solidarity.




Some important date(s) this week:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx

See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.


Consider participating in Operation Rice Bowl,   http://ccdoy.org/social-action/operation-rice-bowl/    a Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services incorporating prayers, education, charity, and justice.


THURSDAY, MARCH 15.   St. Louise de Marillac  (d. 1660).
Louise, born near Meux, France, lost her mother when she was still a child, her beloved father when she was but 15. Her desire to become a nun was discouraged by her confessor, and a marriage was arranged. One son was born of this union. But she soon found herself nursing her beloved husband through a long illness that finally led to his death.
Louise was fortunate to have a wise and sympathetic counselor, St. Francis de Sales, and then his friend, the Bishop of Belley, France. Both of these men were available to her only periodically. But from an interior illumination she understood that she was to undertake a great work under the guidance of another person she had not yet met. This was the holy priest M. Vincent, later to be known as St. Vincent de Paul.
At first he was reluctant to be her confessor, busy as he was with his "Confraternities of Charity." Members were aristocratic ladies of charity who were helping him nurse the poor and look after neglected children, a real need of the day. But the ladies were busy with many of their own concerns and duties. His work needed many more helpers, especially ones who were peasants themselves and therefore close to the poor and could win their hearts. He also needed someone who could teach them and organize them.
Only over a long period of time, as Vincent de Paul became more acquainted with Louise, did he come to realize that she was the answer to his prayers. She was intelligent, self-effacing and had physical strength and endurance that belied her continuing feeble health. The missions he sent her on eventually led to four simple young women joining her. Her rented home in Paris became the training center for those accepted for the service of the sick and poor. Growth was rapid and soon there was need of a so-called rule of life, which Louise herself, under the guidance of Vincent, drew up for the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (though he preferred "Daughters" of Charity).
He had always been slow and prudent in his dealings with Louise and the new group. He said that he had never had any idea of starting a new community, that it was God who did everything. "Your convent," he said, "will be the house of the sick; your cell, a hired room; your chapel, the parish church; your cloister, the streets of the city or the wards of the hospital." Their dress was to be that of the peasant women. It was not until years later that Vincent de Paul would finally permit four of the women to take annual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. It was still more years before the company would be formally approved by Rome and placed under the direction of Vincent's own congregation of priests.
Many of the young women were illiterate and it was with reluctance that the new community undertook the care of neglected children. Louise was busy helping wherever needed despite her poor health. She traveled throughout France, establishing her community members in hospitals, orphanages and other institutions. At her death on March 15, 1660, the congregation had more than 40 houses in France. Six months later St. Vincent de Paul followed her in death.
Louise de Marillac was canonized in 1934 and declared patroness of social workers in 1960.



SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
Read Bishop Murry’s Pastoral Letter on Poverty.  http://doy.org/files/Scroller/PastoralPoverty.pdf

  Ask yourself as you prepare for Lent: Who Is My Neighbor?  How can I help?  Lent offers a great time to reflect, pray, share one’s gifts and share your sacrifice.  See information above about Operation Rice Bowl for ideas. http://ccdoy.org/social-action/operation-rice-bowl/


    



 PAPAL INTENTIONS:   March 2012

General Intention: Contribution of Women. That the whole world may recognize the contribution of women to the development of society.

Missionary Intention: Persecuted Christians. That the Holy Spirit may grant perseverance to those who suffer discrimination, persecution, or death for the name of Christ, particularly in Asia.
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




Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889 
FACEBOOK GROUP https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catholic-Charities-Diocese-of-Youngstown/138817639487339
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use. 

See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.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/