Saturday, October 30, 2010

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of October 31, 2010

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 (31th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, http://www.usccb.org/nab/103110.shtml ) we read in the Gospel of Luke about Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus, the wealthy tax collector. Jesus invites himself to Zacchaeus' house to share a meal. There is grumbling by many: why would Jesus eat with such a notable sinner? Zacchaeus responds with "joy" and offers his possessions for the poor and will pay back those he hurt fourfold. This encounter brings on a major transformation, change of heart. A new life of discipleship begins. Maybe we need to review our own "grumblings" about "others" and rekindle our own relationship with the Lord.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too share the "joy" of being invited by the Lord to serve the poor in His name. In each encounter with those in need, many of whom we may think are "not worthy" of our aid, we are challenged to see the image of God in that person, and know that God loves each one of us unconditionally. We never know who will be touched by our compassion, welcome and response. As a ministry of the Church, we welcome each person -- rich or poor, "worthy" or "not worthy" in the world's eyes -- to be touched by God's presence and abundance.




Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate

"Much in fact depends on the underlying system of morality. On this subject the Church's social doctrine can make a specific contribution, since it is based on man's creation 'in the image of God' (Gen 1:27), a datum which gives rise to the inviolable dignity of the human person and the transcendent value of natural moral norms. When business ethics prescinds from these two pillars, it inevitably risks losing its distinctive nature and it falls prey to forms of exploitation; more specifically, it risks becoming subservient to existing economic and financial systems rather than correcting their dysfunctional aspects. Among other things, it risks being used to justify the financing of projects that are in reality unethical. The word 'ethical', then, should not be used to make ideological distinctions, as if to suggest that initiatives not formally so designated would not be ethical. Efforts are needed — and it is essential to say this — not only to create 'ethical' sectors or segments of the economy or the world of finance, but to ensure that the whole economy — the whole of finance — is ethical, not merely by virtue of an external label, but by its respect for requirements intrinsic to its very nature. The Church's social teaching is quite clear on the subject, recalling that the economy, in all its branches, constitutes a sector of human activity."(par. 45b)



http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm



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

MONDAY, November 1. Feast of All Saints The earliest certain observance of a feast in honor of all the saints is an early fourth-century commemoration of "all the martyrs." In the early seventh century, after successive waves of invaders plundered the catacombs, Pope Boniface IV gathered up some 28 wagonloads of bones and reinterred them beneath the Pantheon, a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods. The pope rededicated the shrine as a Christian church. According to Venerable Bede, the pope intended "that the memory of all the saints might in the future be honored in the place which had formerly been dedicated to the worship not of gods but of demons" (On the Calculation of Time).
But the rededication of the Pantheon, like the earlier commemoration of all the martyrs, occurred in May. Many Eastern Churches still honor all the saints in the spring, either during the Easter season or immediately after Pentecost.
How the Western Church came to celebrate this feast in November is a puzzle to historians. The Anglo-Saxon theologian Alcuin observed the feast on November 1 in 800, as did his friend Arno, Bishop of Salzburg. Rome finally adopted that date in the ninth century.

Tuesday, November 2. Feast of All Souls. The Church has encouraged prayer for the dead from the earliest times as an act of Christian charity. "If we had no care for the dead," Augustine noted, "we would not be in the habit of praying for them." Yet pre-Christian rites for the deceased retained such a strong hold on the superstitious imagination that a liturgical commemoration was not observed until the early Middle Ages, when monastic communities began to mark an annual day of prayer for the departed members.
In the middle of the 11th century, St. Odilo, abbot of Cluny (France), decreed that all Cluniac monasteries offer special prayers and sing the Office for the Dead on November 2, the day after the feast of All Saints. The custom spread from Cluny and was finally adopted throughout the Roman Church.
The theological underpinning of the feast is the acknowledgment of human frailty. Since few people achieve perfection in this life but, rather, go to the grave still scarred with traces of sinfulness, some period of purification seems necessary before a soul comes face-to-face with God. The Council of Trent affirmed this purgatory state and insisted that the prayers of the living can speed the process of purification.
Superstition easily clung to the observance. Medieval popular belief held that the souls in purgatory could appear on this day in the form of witches, toads or will-o’-the-wisps. Graveside food offerings supposedly eased the rest of the dead.
Observances of a more religious nature have survived. These include public processions or private visits to cemeteries and decorating graves with flowers and lights. This feast is observed with great fervor in Mexico.



Wednesday, November 3. St. Martin de Porres, (1579-1639)
"Father unknown" is the cold legal phrase sometimes used on baptismal records. "Half-breed" or "war souvenir" is the cruel name inflicted by those of "pure" blood. Like many others, Martin might have grown to be a bitter man, but he did not. It was said that even as a child he gave his heart and his goods to the poor and despised.
He was the illegitimate son of a freed woman of Panama, probably black but also possibly of Native American stock, and a Spanish grandee of Lima, Peru. Martin inherited the features and dark complexion of his mother. That irked his father, who finally acknowledged his son after eight years. After the birth of a sister, the father abandoned the family. Martin was reared in poverty, locked into a low level of Lima’s society.
When he was 12, his mother apprenticed him to a barber-surgeon. He learned how to cut hair and also how to draw blood (a standard medical treatment then), care for wounds and prepare and administer medicines.
After a few years in this medical apostolate, Martin applied to the Dominicans to be a "lay helper," not feeling himself worthy to be a religious brother. After nine years, the example of his prayer and penance, charity and humility led the community to request him to make full religious profession. Many of his nights were spent in prayer and penitential practices; his days were filled with nursing the sick and caring for the poor. It was particularly impressive that he treated all people regardless of their color, race or status. He was instrumental in founding an orphanage, took care of slaves brought from Africa and managed the daily alms of the priory with practicality as well as generosity. He became the procurator for both priory and city, whether it was a matter of "blankets, shirts, candles, candy, miracles or prayers!" When his priory was in debt, he said, "I am only a poor mulatto. Sell me. I am the property of the order. Sell me."
Side by side with his daily work in the kitchen, laundry and infirmary, Martin’s life reflected God’s extraordinary gifts: ecstasies that lifted him into the air, light filling the room where he prayed, bilocation, miraculous knowledge, instantaneous cures and a remarkable rapport with animals. His charity extended to beasts of the field and even to the vermin of the kitchen. He would excuse the raids of mice and rats on the grounds that they were underfed; he kept stray cats and dogs at his sister’s house.
He became a formidable fundraiser, obtaining thousands of dollars for dowries for poor girls so that they could marry or enter a convent.
Many of his fellow religious took him as their spiritual director, but he continued to call himself a "poor slave." He was a good friend of another Dominican saint of Peru, Rose of Lima (August 23).


Friday, November 5 Venerable Solanus Casey (1870-1957)
Barney Casey became one of Detroit’s best-known priests even though he was not allowed to preach formally or to hear confessions!
Barney came from a large family in Oak Grove, Wisconsin. At the age of 21, and after he had worked as a logger, a hospital orderly, a streetcar operator and a prison guard, he entered St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee—where he found the studies difficult. He left there and, in 1896, joined the Capuchins in Detroit, taking the name Solanus. His studies for the priesthood were again arduous.
On July 24, 1904, he was ordained, but because his knowledge of theology was judged to be weak, Father Solanus was not given permission to hear confessions or to preach. A Franciscan Capuchin who knew him well said this annoying restriction "brought forth in him a greatness and a holiness that might never have been realized in any other way." During his 14 years as porter and sacristan in Yonkers, New York, the people there recognized him as a fine speaker. "For, though he was forbidden to deliver doctrinal sermons," writes his biographer, James Derum, "he could give inspirational talks, or feverinos, as the Capuchins termed them" (18:96). His spiritual fire deeply impressed his listeners.
Father Solanus served at parishes in Manhattan and Harlem before returning to Detroit, where he was porter and sacristan for 20 years at St. Bonaventure Monastery. Every Wednesday afternoon he conducted well-attended services for the sick. A co-worker estimates that on the average day 150 to 200 people came to see Father Solanus in the front office. Most of them came to receive his blessing; 40 to 50 came for consultation. Many people considered him instrumental in cures and other blessings they received.
Father Solanus’ sense of God’s providence inspired many of his visitors. "Blessed be God in all his designs" was one of his favorite expressions.
The many friends of Father Solanus helped the Capuchins begin a soup kitchen during the Depression. Capuchins are still feeding the hungry there today.
In 1946 in failing health, he was transferred to the Capuchin novitiate in Huntington, Indiana, where he lived until 1956 when he was hospitalized in Detroit. He died on July 31, 1957. An estimated 20,000 people passed by his coffin before his burial in St. Bonaventure Church in Detroit.
At the funeral Mass, Father Gerald, the provincial, said: "His was a life of service and love for people like me and you. When he was not himself sick, he nevertheless suffered with and for you that were sick. When he was not physically hungry, he hungere with people like you. He had a divine love for people. He loved people for what he could do for them —and for God, through them."
In 1960 a Father Solanus Guild was formed in Detroit to aid Capuchin seminarians. By 1967 the guild had 5,000 members—many of them grateful recipients of his practical advice and his comforting assurance that God would not abandon them in their trials. He was declared Venerable in 1995.



SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.


FAIR TRADE: Christmas Time Gift Sharing
As the Christmas season for gift giving approaches, consider using your purchasing power to support social justice by buying fair traded goods. Visit Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade website for ideas and links to shopping.http://www.crsfairtrade.org/

Nothing is scarier than the threat of poverty. Many families in our diocese are struggling to put food on the table, pay their utility bills and make their monthly rent or mortgage payments. What can you do? Consider making a gift to your local Catholic Charities for emergency assistance. Visit our website at www.ccdoy.org for the location nearest you.



PAPAL INTENTIONS: NOVEMBER 2010

Drug Addicts and Victims of Every Form of Dependence
General: That victims of drugs or of other dependence may, thanks to the support of the Christian community, find in the power of our Saving God strength for a radical life-change.

The Continent-wide Mission in Latin America
Missionary: That the Churches of Latin America may move ahead with the continent-wide mission proposed by their bishops, making it part of the universal missionary task of the People of God.


Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead



Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
FACEBOOK FAN
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/

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Holy Father: MESSAGE FOR WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

OFFER REFUGES A HOPE FOR THE FUTURE



VATICAN CITY, 26 OCT 2010 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office this morning a press conference was held to present the Message of the Holy Father for the ninety-seventh World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which is due to be celebrated on 16 January 2011.



Participating in today's conference were Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, and Fr. Gabriele Bentoglio C.S., under secretary of the same dicastery.



Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio began: "The relations established between migrants (both individuals and groups) and their host society may be schematised in the following terms: (1) Assimilation or absorption, which translates into conformity to social mechanisms and leads to 'deculturalisation' or 'depersonalisation'. (2) Ghettoising, which implies closure, self-defence and resistance in the face of exclusion, rejection of the surrounding society, marginalisation and discrimination, all of which nourish mutual aggression and hostility. (3) Syncretism, or the 'melting pot', which finds expression in the fusion of various cultural models and the loss of specific cultural identity. (4) Cultural pluralism, which accompanies cultures and seems to arise as a reaction to the one-dimensional character of the local culture that tends to suborn cultural models to those of production and consumption".



To these classic models "we may add 'social integration' accompanied by 'cultural synthesis'", said the archbishop. "This leads, on the one hand, to a dynamic process (the reciprocity of the exchange) and, on the other, to a form of social integration which presupposes participation to create and transform social relationships. .. This is the only process that can lead to successful multiculturalism, and only this process allows groups of immigrants to create a 'new culture', the beneficiary of which will be society as a whole".



"In the context of this presentation, we should recall that the United Nations declared 2010 as the 'International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures', ... with the aim of reiterating the idea of the pluralism of humanity and the interaction between cultural diversity and inter-cultural dialogue. Thus, the Holy Father's Message also reinforces the international community's perception of the importance of dialogue and promotes the recognition of human rights for everyone, combating new forms of racism and discrimination".



For his part, Fr. Bentoglio affirmed that there are "currently fifteen million refugees" in the world, and that "the number of internally displaced persons, above all as relates to cases of violation of human rights, stands at around twenty-seven million".



"The challenge", he said, "consists in creating areas of tolerance, hope, healing and protection, and in ensuring that these dramas and tragedies - too often experienced in the past and in the present - never happen again". In this context, he highlighted how the objective is "to guarantee refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons are given the concrete possibility to develop their human potential".



The under secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples indicated that "welcome begins with empathy; that is, with the effort to understand the other's feelings and to understand how it feels to find oneself in an unknown world with different customs and traditions".



He then went on to highlight that the problem is not limited to Europe alone, pointing out that "South Africa accepted 220 thousand asylum seekers during the course of last year, almost the same number of people as that accepted by all twenty-seven member States of the European Union together".



The behaviour of countries, said Fr. Bentoglio, "is often dictated by fear of foreigners and, not infrequently, by veiled discrimination" thus "eluding their responsibility to welcome and support people who seek refuge and humanitarian protection".



"It seems certain that refugees and asylum seekers today suffer worse conditions than they did in the past, also in the host countries in the South of the planet". This "begs the question: what does it mean to live for years in an overcrowded camp with no hope of a better life, or to see no future for one's children? Thus, it often happens that people abandon the camp and move to urban conurbations in the hope of rebuilding a life for themselves, and that they do so without requesting the necessary authorisation and thus violate the law".



"It is necessary to offer some hope for the future", the under secretary of the dicastery concluded. "For her part, the Church is seeking to respond to this question, as her efforts and activities clearly show".

OP/ VIS 20101026 (760)



MESSAGE FOR WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES



VATICAN CITY, 26 OCT 2010 (VIS) - "One human family" is the theme chosen by the Holy Father for the ninety-seventh World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which is due to be celebrated on 16 January 2011.



Some extracts from the English-language translation of the Pope's Message are given below:



"The World Day of Migrants and Refugees offers the whole Church an opportunity to reflect on a theme linked to the growing phenomenon of migration, to pray that hearts may open to Christian welcome and to the effort to increase in the world justice and charity, pillars on which to build an authentic and lasting peace. 'As I have loved you, so you also should love one another', is the invitation that the Lord forcefully addresses to us and renews constantly: if the Father calls us to be beloved children in His dearly beloved Son, He also calls us to recognise each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.



"This profound link between all human beings is the origin of the theme that I have chosen for our reflection this year: 'One human family', one family of brothers and sisters in societies that are becoming ever more multiethnic and intercultural, where people of various religions are also urged to take part in dialogue, so that a serene and fruitful coexistence with respect for legitimate differences may be found".



"The road is the same, that of life, but the situations that we pass through on this route are different: many people have to face the difficult experience of migration in its various forms: ... In various cases the departure from their country is motivated by different forms of persecution, so that escape becomes necessary. Moreover, the phenomenon of globalisation itself, characteristic of our epoch, is not only a social and economic process, but also entails 'humanity itself [that] is becoming increasingly interconnected', crossing geographical and cultural boundaries. In this regard, the Church does not cease to recall that the deep sense of this epochal process and its fundamental ethical criterion are given by the unity of the human family and its development towards what is good. All, therefore, belong to one family, migrants and the local populations that welcome them, and all have the same right to enjoy the goods of the earth whose destination is universal, as the social doctrine of the Church teaches. It is here that solidarity and sharing are founded".



"This is also the perspective with which to look at the reality of migration. In fact, as the Servant of God Paul VI formerly noted, 'the weakening of brotherly ties between individuals and nations', is a profound cause of underdevelopment and - we may add - has a major impact on the migration phenomenon".



"Venerable John Paul II, on the occasion of this same Day celebrated in 2001, emphasised that '[the universal common good] includes the whole family of peoples, beyond every nationalistic egoism. The right to emigrate must be considered in this context. The Church recognises this right in every human person, in its dual aspect of the possibility to leave one's country and the possibility to enter another country to look for better conditions of life'.



"At the same time, States have the right to regulate migration flows and to defend their own frontiers, always guaranteeing the respect due to the dignity of each and every human person. Immigrants, moreover, have the duty to integrate into the host country, respecting its laws and its national identity".



"In this context, the presence of the Church, as the People of God journeying through history among all the other peoples, is a source of trust and hope. ... Through the action within her of the Holy Spirit, 'the effort to establish a universal brotherhood is not a hopeless one'. It is the Holy Eucharist in particular that constitutes, in the heart of the Church, an inexhaustible source of communion for the whole of humanity. It is thanks to this that the People of God includes 'every nation, race, people, and tongue', not with a sort of sacred power but with the superior service of charity".



"The situation of refugees and of the other forced migrants, who are an important part of the migration phenomenon, should be specifically considered in the light of the theme 'One human family'. ... Respect of their rights, as well as the legitimate concern for security and social coherence, foster a stable and harmonious coexistence. ... This means that those who are forced to leave their homes or their country will be helped to find a place where they may live in peace and safety, where they may work and take on the rights and duties that exist in the country that welcomes them, contributing to the common good and without forgetting the religious dimension of life.



"Lastly, I would like to address a special thought, again accompanied by prayer, to foreign and international students. ... They are also a socially important category in view of their return, as future leaders, to their countries of origin. They constitute cultural and economic 'bridges' between these countries and the host countries. ... This is the conviction that must support the commitment to foreign students and must accompany attention to their practical problems, such as financial difficulties or the hardship of feeling alone in facing a very different social and university context, as well as the difficulties of integration".



"The world of migrants is vast and diversified. It knows wonderful and promising experiences, as well as, unfortunately, so many others that are tragic and unworthy of the human being and of societies that claim to be civil. For the Church this reality constitutes an eloquent sign of our times which further highlights humanity's vocation to form one family, and, at the same time, the difficulties which, instead of uniting it, divide it and tear it apart. Let us not lose hope and let us together pray God, the Father of all, to help us ... to be men and women capable of brotherly relationships and, at the social, political and institutional levels, so that understanding and reciprocal esteem among peoples and cultures may increase"

MESS/ VIS 20101026 (1040)

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Holy See: Do we really want to eradicate poverty?

ZE10102207 - 2010-10-22
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-30736?l=english
HOLY SEE: DO WE REALLY WANT TO ERADICATE POVERTY?

Says It's an Obligation, Not an Act of Charity

NEW YORK, OCT. 22, 2010 (Zenit.org).- We have the means to end worldwide poverty, says the Holy See delegate to the United Nations, but the question is whether we have the will to accomplish it.

Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, permanent observer of the Holy See at the United Nations, stated this Thursday before the U.N. General Assembly in a meeting on eradication of poverty and other development issues.

"Whatever the form it takes, poverty is an insult to our common humanity that so many people around the world continue to suffer," the prelate said.

He noted that "poverty is a reality even in so-called affluent societies, and not just in economically poorer countries."

The archbishop observed: "Poverty profoundly affects the dignity of the human person. The human person deprived of the basic conditions to live decently, is humiliated, and must therefore be helped to recover."

"My delegation cannot ignore the moral implications of poverty," he stated.

"It affects mainly those who are not capable of a decent livelihood, especially the most affected being children, the disabled, the elderly, and women," Archbishop Chullikatt pointed out. "In fact, almost half of those living in absolute poverty today are children."

Crises

"Unfortunately," he noted, "the combined food, fuel, and financial crises since 2008 have slowed down, and even reversed, progress towards eradication of poverty in many developing countries around the world."

The prelate reported that "64 million more people are now estimated to be living in extreme poverty in 2010 while some 40 million more went hungry last year because of the food, fuel, and financial crises."

He continued: "By 2015, 1.2 million more children under five may die, 350,000 more students may not complete primary school, and some 100 million more people may remain without access to safe water.

"Now, more than ever, is the time to recommit efforts towards such poverty eradication."

The archbishop asserted that "eradication of poverty should not be considered as an act of charity but rather as an obligation of the international community."

"We have the means to bring to an end to poverty," he concluded. "Let us now demonstrate to the skeptics that we have the will to alleviate the suffering of those who go without the basic needs that everyone should have!"

--- --- ---

On the Net:

Full text: http://www.holyseemission.org/

Friday, October 22, 2010

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for week of October 24, 2010

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 (30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, http://www.usccb.org/nab/102410.shtml ) we read in the Gospel of Luke about Jesus' parable about the religious leader and the tax collector praying in the Temple. One thanked God for not being like others -- dishonest or like even a taxpayer; while the other, asked God for mercy for his failings. Jesus remarks that "the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted." We can all learn a lesson from this parable about our own attitudes of humility and openness to God's mercy. We also read in the first reading from Sirach that "The LORD is a God of justice, who knows no favorites. Though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed. The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint. The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens." We too must not be deaf to the call of those who are in need.


In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we are called to be that outreach to the weak, the oppressed, to the orphan and to the widow. Each day we encounter persons and families who are in great need. Our job is to provide help and create hope in their lives. We do this through the material assistance we can provide to help them get through some rough economic times; but we are also able to "hear" about their stories of struggle and offer them hope in God's promise to be a God of Justice. We too are further called upon not to just provide that immediate care, but also to organize and advocate for justice in social policy and in institutions. We do this partially through efforts funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. In our Diocese we have several groups who have such grants working to empower low income people and communities to work for justice: ACTION in Mahoning County; Immigrant Worker Project headquartered in Canton though serving the entire state; and The Beatitude House Cleaning Cooperative.




Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate

" Striving to meet the deepest moral needs of the person also has important and beneficial repercussions at the level of economics. The economy needs ethics in order to function correctly— not any ethics whatsoever, but an ethics which is people-centred. Today we hear much talk of ethics in the world of economy, finance and business. R esearch centres and seminars in business ethics are on the rise; the system of ethical certification is spreading throughout the developed world as part of the movement of ideas associated with the responsibilities of business towards society. Banks are proposing 'ethical' accounts and investment funds. 'Ethical financing' is being developed, especially through micro-credit and, more generally, micro-finance. These processes are praiseworthy and deserve much support. Their positive effects are also being felt in the less developed areas of the world. It would be advisable, however, to develop a sound criterion of discernment, since the adjective 'ethical' can be abused. When the word is used generically, it can lend itself to any number of interpretations, even to the point where it includes decisions and choices contrary to justice and authentic human welfare."(par. 45a)


http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm



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

SUNDAY October 24. St. Anthony Claret (1807-1870)
The "spiritual father of Cuba" was a missionary, religious founder, social reformer, queen’s chaplain, writer and publisher, archbishop and refugee. He was a Spaniard whose work took him to the Canary Islands, Cuba, Madrid, Paris and to the First Vatican Council.
In his spare time as weaver and designer in the textile mills of Barcelona, he learned Latin and printing: the future priest and publisher was preparing. Ordained at 28, he was prevented by ill health from entering religious life as a Carthusian or as a Jesuit, but went on to become one of Spain’s most popular preachers.
He spent 10 years giving popular missions and retreats, always placing great emphasis on the Eucharist and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Her rosary, it was said, was never out of his hand. At 42, beginning with five young priests, he founded a religious institute of missionaries, known today as the Claretians.
He was appointed to head the much-neglected archdiocese of Santiago in Cuba. He began its reform by almost ceaseless preaching and hearing of confessions, and suffered bitter opposition mainly for stamping out concubinage and giving instruction to black slaves. A hired assassin (whose release from prison Anthony had obtained) slashed open his face and wrist. Anthony succeeded in getting the would-be assassin’s death sentence commuted to a prison term. His solution for the misery of Cubans was family-owned farms producing a variety of foods for the family’s own needs and for the market. This invited the enmity of the vested interests who wanted everyone to work on a single cash crop—sugar. Besides all his religious writings are two books he wrote in Cuba: Reflections on Agricultureand Country Delights.
He was recalled to Spain for a job he did not relish—being chaplain for the queen. He went on three conditions: He would reside away from the palace, he would come only to hear the queen’s confession and instruct the children and he would be exempt from court functions. In the revolution of 1868, he fled with the queen’s party to Paris, where he preached to the Spanish colony.
All his life Anthony was interested in the Catholic press. He founded the Religious Publishing House, a major Catholic publishing venture in Spain, and wrote or published 200 books and pamphlets.
At Vatican I, where he was a staunch defender of the doctrine of infallibility, he won the admiration of his fellow bishops. Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore remarked of him, "There goes a true saint." At the age of 63, he died in exile near the border of Spain.




SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

FAIR TRADE: Christmas Time Gift Sharing
As the Christmas season for gift giving approaches, consider using your purchasing power to support social justice by buying fair traded goods. Visit Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade website for ideas and links to shopping.http://www.crsfairtrade.org/

October is Respect Life Month. The ministry of Catholic Charities recognizes the value of human life at all stages: from the pregnant mothers we serve through our First Step programs, to the families we serve in our emergency assistance programs; to the older adults who receive our senior support services. Catholic Charities is committed to providing quality, compassionate services that uphold and affirm the inherent dignity of all people as created by God.


PAPAL INTENTIONS: OCTOBER 2010

Catholic Universities
General: That Catholic Universities may more and more be places where, in the light of the Gospel, it is possible to experience the harmonious unity existing between faith and reason.

World Mission Day
Missionary: That the World Mission Day may afford an occasion for understanding that the task of proclaiming Christ is an absolutely necessary service to which the Church is called for the benefit of humanity.


Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead



Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
FACEBOOK FAN
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

Pope: Don't Let Extent of Poverty Discourage Efforts

Praises ATD 4th World; Remembers Plight of Haiti
By Anita S. Bourdin

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 21, 2010 ( Zenit.org ).- Benedict XVI is encouraging the members of an anti-poverty organization to resist discouragement before the magnitude of the needs, and to continue their efforts with generosity.

The Pope made this invitation in a message sent by his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to an official of the ATD Fourth World delegation.

The message came on the occasion of the Oct. 17 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, declared by the United Nations in 1992. The observance gives international weight to the date of Oct. 17, which is the day in 1987 when Father Joseph Wresinski, founder of ATD Fourth World, unveiled in the Trocadero Human Rights Plaza in Paris a commemorative stone in honor of the victims of extreme poverty.

The papal message assures that the Pope supports the international celebration and encouraged "all persons committed in the world in the struggle against the multiple forms of poverty."

Benedict XVI invited them "not to be discouraged given the magnitude of the needs and to continue with generosity their service to the poorest and weakest persons and families of society."

This year, the Holy Father mentioned specifically "the families, young people and children of Haiti."

"May all the victims of poverty and those by their side in the quest for a more just and fraternal world be assured of finding in the love of God a strength able to transform the world and men's hearts!" he added.



--- --- ---

On the Net:

ATD Fourth World: www.atd-fourthworld.org/en.html

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Holy See Calls for Culture of Peace

Stresses Role of Religions in Reconciliation Efforts
NEW YORK, OCT. 20, 2010 ( Zenit.org ).- The Holy See is urging the United Nations and all countries to work toward building a culture of peace.

Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, permanent observer of the Holy See at the United Nations, made this appeal in an address Monday.

The prelate urged states to foster "productive, sincere relationships, seeking out forgiveness and reconciliation, as well as being transparent in their dealings with others and being faithful to their word," a press release from the Holy See Mission to the United Nations reported.

He underlined the importance of religions in the effort to build a culture of peace, noting that this task "lies within their missions to serve the spiritual and transcendental dimension of human nature."

The archbishop affirmed that religions "contribute to the respect for human life and the observance of all human rights and fundamental freedoms."

"Religions promote reconciliation by impelling persons to move forward in a spirit of mutual cooperation," he added.

Archbishop Chullikatt appealed for peace, "which is not merely the absence of conflict but the harmonious coexistence of individual citizens within a society governed by justice."

He highlighted in particular the importance of interreligious relations, noting the work of the Holy See in the Joint Committee for Dialogue of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue as well as the Permanent Committee of the Al-Azhar for Dialogue among the Monotheistic Religions.

The archbishop urged his listeners to "engage cultures with full regard for the role of religion."

He warned against attempts to "advance principles at odds with the natural moral order, in particular, a reproductive health and sexual rights agenda which runs counter to respect for the right to life of the unborn child."

--- --- ---

On the Net:

For more information: http://www.holyseemission.org/

Sunday, October 17, 2010

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for week of October 17, 2010

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 (29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, http://www.usccb.org/nab/101710.shtml) we read in the Gospel of Luke about Jesus' parable of being persistent in our faith and in our prayer. The parable of the persistent woman demanding justice from the dishonest judge is a lesson for us: we need to constantly pray and be persistent in our faith, in good and bad times. In the second letter to Timothy, Paul writes that we as believers must always proclaim the Gospel "whether convenient or inconvenient." I also wonder that maybe the widow represents God's persistent call to us to transform our own lives and be faithful servants.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we are called to witness to the Good News "whether convenient or inconvenient." Many do not always agree with us: maybe we seem "too Catholic" to some as we hold our positions on abortion, euthanasia, marriage, immigration, poverty and solidarity. But we must remain faithful to our Catholic identity in all things we do and what we stand for. We too must be persistent in our prayer for justice and in our witness for human dignity, recognizing that each and every person is made in the image of God.


Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate

"Morally responsible openness to life represents a rich social and economic resource. Populous nations have been able to emerge from poverty thanks not least to the size of their population and the talents of their people. On the other hand, formerly prosperous nations are presently passing through a phase of uncertainty and in some cases decline, precisely because of their falling birth rates; this has become a crucial problem for highly affluent societies. The decline in births, falling at times beneath the so-called 'replacement level', also puts a strain on social welfare systems, increases their cost, eats into savings and hence the financial resources needed for investment, reduces the availability of qualified labourers, and narrows the 'brain pool' upon which nations can draw for their needs. Furthermore, smaller and at times miniscule families run the risk of impoverishing social relations, and failing to ensure effective forms of solidarity. These situations are symptomatic of scant confidence in the future and moral weariness. It is thus becoming a social and even economic necessity once more to hold up to future generations the beauty of marriage and the family, and the fact that these institutions correspond to the deepest needs and dignity of the person. In view of this, States are called to enact policies promoting the centrality and the integrity of the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman, the primary vital cell of society, and to assume responsibility for its economic and fiscal needs, while respecting its essentially relational character." (par. 44b)



http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm



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

WEDNESDAY, October 20 St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin (1888-1922)

If anyone knew rejection, ridicule and disappointment, it was today’s saint. But such trials only brought Maria Bertilla Boscardin closer to God and more determined to serve him.
Born in Italy in 1888, the young girl lived in fear of her father, a violent man prone to jealousy and drunkenness. Her schooling was limited so that she could spend more time helping at home and working in the fields. She showed few talents and was often the butt of jokes.
In 1904 she joined the Sisters of St. Dorothy and was assigned to work in the kitchen, bakery and laundry. After some time Maria received nurses’ training and began working in a hospital with children suffering from diphtheria. There the young nun seemed to find her true vocation: nursing very ill and disturbed children. Later, when the hospital was taken over by the military in World War I, Sister Maria Bertilla fearlessly cared for patients amidst the threat of constant air raids and bombings.
She died in 1922 after suffering for many years from a painful tumor. Some of the patients she had nursed many years before were present at her canonization in 1961.



SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

FAIR TRADE: Christmas Time Gift Sharing
As the Christmas season for gift giving approaches, consider using your purchasing power to support social justice by buying fair traded goods. Visit Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade website for ideas and links to shopping.http://www.crsfairtrade.org/

Through the first two quarters of 2010, Catholic Charities’ Christina House Domestic Violence Shelter has provided shelter to 43 women and children, assisted with 208 crisis phone calls, and provided supportive services to 224 people. This Sweetest Day weekend, pray for those who suffer abuse at the hands of their domestic partners.

Catholic Relief Services Responds to Floods in Pakistan
visit http://www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org/ccdoy-disaster-response.html for more information on donations.



PAPAL INTENTIONS: OCTOBER 2010

Catholic Universities
General: That Catholic Universities may more and more be places where, in the light of the Gospel, it is possible to experience the harmonious unity existing between faith and reason.

World Mission Day
Missionary: That the World Mission Day may afford an occasion for understanding that the task of proclaiming Christ is an absolutely necessary service to which the Church is called for the benefit of humanity.


Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead


Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
FACEBOOK FAN
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/

Friday, October 15, 2010

HOLY FATHER'S MESSAGE TO FAO FOR WORLD FOOD DAY

VATICAN CITY, 15 OCT 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a Message to Jacques Diouf, director general of the United Nation's Rome-based Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) for the occasion of World Food Day.

"The theme of this year's World Food Day, 'United against Hunger'", writes the Pope in his English-language Message, "is a timely reminder that everyone needs to make a commitment to give the agricultural sector its proper importance. Everyone - from individuals to the organisations of civil society, States and international institutions - needs to give priority to one of the most urgent goals for the human family: freedom from hunger. In order to achieve freedom from hunger it is necessary to ensure not only that enough food is available, but also that everyone has daily access to it: this means promoting whatever resources and infrastructures are necessary in order to sustain production and distribution on a scale sufficient to guarantee fully the right to food".

"If the international community is to be truly 'united' against hunger, then poverty must be overcome through authentic human development, based on the idea of the person as a unity of body, soul and spirit. Today, though, there is a tendency to limit the vision of development to one that satisfies the material needs of the person, especially through access to technology; yet authentic development is not simply a function of what a person 'has', it must also embrace higher values of fraternity, solidarity and the common good".

"In this context, FAO has the essential task of examining the issue of world hunger at the institutional level and proposing particular initiatives that involve its member States in responding to the growing demand for food. Indeed, the nations of the world are called to give and to receive in proportion to their effective needs, by reason of that 'pressing moral need for renewed solidarity, especially in relationships between developing countries and those that are highly industrialised'".
MESS/ VIS 20101015 (340)

Sunday, October 10, 2010

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of October 10, 2010

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 (28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/101010.shtml ) we read in the Gospel of Luke about Jesus' encounter with ten lepers. One -- an outsider, a Samaritan -- returns to give thanks to Jesus for his healing. Jesus asks where are the other nine? Maybe we need to ask ourselves, are we like the other nine ourselves? Do we give thanks to God for the many blessings in our lives? Are we a healing presence to others? Do others know of God's love by our attitude of gratuitousness?

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we continue that healing ministry of Jesus by encountering others who need help. Oftentimes we may not be able to provide assistance to entirely help a person or family, but what we can give is a sense of wholeness and healing. By our own grateful attitude we can bring joy and hope into a person's life. Our own heart, as a minister of the Church/Caritas, must be grateful for the very gifts God has given each of us to share with others. That grateful heart is a sign of the Kingdom of God breaking forth between us. It is a sign of the healing presence of faith, that gives hope, in love.


Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate

" The notion of rights and duties in development must also take account of the problems associated with population growth. This is a very important aspect of authentic development, since it concerns the inalienable values of life and the family. To consider population increase as the primary cause of underdevelopment is mistaken, even from an economic point of view. Suffice it to consider, on the one hand, the significant reduction in infant mortality and the rise in average life expectancy found in economically developed countries, and on the other hand, the signs of crisis observable in societies that are registering an alarming decline in their birth rate. Due attention must obviously be given to responsible procreation, which among other things has a positive contribution to make to integral human development. The Church, in her concern for man's authentic development, urges him to have full respect for human values in the exercise of his sexuality. It cannot be reduced merely to pleasure or entertainment, nor can sex education be reduced to technical instruction aimed solely at protecting the interested parties from possible disease or the 'risk' of procreation. This would be to impoverish and disregard the deeper meaning of sexuality, a meaning which needs to be acknowledged and responsibly appropriated not only by individuals but also by the community. It is irresponsible to view sexuality merely as a source of pleasure, and likewise to regulate it through strategies of mandatory birth control. In either case materialistic ideas and policies are at work, and individuals are ultimately subjected to various forms of violence. Against such policies, there is a need to defend the primary competence of the family in the area of sexuality, as opposed to the State and its restrictive policies, and to ensure that parents are suitably prepared to undertake their responsibilities." (par. 44a)



http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm



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


SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16. St. Marguerite d’Youville
(1701-1771)
We learn compassion from allowing our lives to be influenced by compassionate people, by seeing life from their perspective and reconsidering our own values.
Born in Varennes, Canada, Marie Marguerite Dufrost de Lajemmerais had to interrupt her schooling at the age of 12 to help her widowed mother. Eight years later she married Francois d'Youville; they had six children, four of whom died young. Despite the fact that her husband gambled, sold liquor illegally to Native Americans and treated her indifferently, she cared for him compassionately in before his death in 1730.
Even though she was caring for two small children and running a store to help pay off her husband's debts, Marguerite still helped the poor. Once her children were grown, she and several companions rescued a Quebec hospital that was in danger of failing. She called her community the Institute of the Sisters of Charity of Montreal; the people called them the "Grey Nuns" because of the color of their habit. In time, a proverb arose among the poor people of Montreal, "Go to the Grey Nuns; they never refuse to serve." In time, five other religious communities traced their roots to the Grey Nuns.
The General Hospital in Montreal became known as the Hotel Dieu (House of God) and set a standard for medical care and Christian compassion. When the hospital was destroyed by fire in 1766, she knelt in the ashes, led the Te Deum (a hymn to God's providence in all circumstances) and began the rebuilding process. She fought the attempts of government officials to restrain her charity and established the first foundling home in North America.
Pope John XXIII, who beatified her in 1959, called her the "Mother of Universal Charity." She was canonized in 1990.



SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

We want to hear from “angels like you.” If you support the work of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Youngstown, please send us an email at charities@youngstowndiocese.org and tell us why you donate your time, talent and/or treasure to our cause. Your comments might be featured on our website or in an upcoming publication!

Catholic Relief Services Responds to Floods in Pakistan
visit http://www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org/ccdoy-disaster-response.html for more information on donations.


PAPAL INTENTIONS: OCTOBER 2010

Catholic Universities
General: That Catholic Universities may more and more be places where, in the light of the Gospel, it is possible to experience the harmonious unity existing between faith and reason.

World Mission Day
Missionary: That the World Mission Day may afford an occasion for understanding that the task of proclaiming Christ is an absolutely necessary service to which the Church is called for the benefit of humanity.


Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead



Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
FACEBOOK FAN
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/

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Spokesman Reflects on Church's Stance on Punishment

Aide: I Don't Want the Death Penalty for Anyone

ROME, OCT. 4, 2010 ( Zenit.org ).- The director of the Vatican press office says he is against recourse to the death penalty, and wants capital punishment for no one anywhere in the world.

This was the affirmation made by Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, as he offered his personal reflection on the Church's opposition to current recourse to capital punishment.

"I don't want it in China, or in Iran, or in the United States, or in India, or in Indonesia or in Saudi Arabia -- nowhere in the world," he asserted during the most recent episode of Vatican Television's "Octava Dies."

"I don't want it by stoning, or by shooting, or by decapitation, or by hanging, or by the electric chair, or by lethal injection," he continued. "I don't want it painful or painless. I don't want it in public or in secret.

"I don't want it for women, or for men; for the handicapped or for the healthy. I don't want it for civilians or military men, I don't want it in peace or in war. I don't want it for someone who might be innocent, but I don't want it for confessed criminals either. I don't want it for homosexuals. I don't want it for adulterers. I don't want it for anyone."

"I don't even want it for murderers, for the Mafiosi, for traitors or for tyrants," Father Lombardi added. "I don't want it out of vengeance, or to free ourselves from troublesome and expensive prisoners, not even for alleged mercy."

"Because," he said, "I seek a greater justice. And it is good to walk on this path to increasingly affirm, in favor of everyone, the dignity of the person and of human life, of which we are not the ones to dispose."

The Vatican spokesman referenced the Catechism of the Catholic Church, saying that cases in which the death penalty is the only means to protect human lives and public order are practically non-existent.

"Let us make [the cases] non-existent," he said. "It's better."

Saturday, October 2, 2010

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of October 3, 2010

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 (27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, http://www.usccb.org/nab/100310.shtml ) we read in the Gospel of Luke about Jesus' message of being a servant. Jesus reminds his followers that they are not to be waited upon, but rather to serve, to serve as one called to such a lifestyle. We are given the Spirit to be servants. We hear from the second Letter of Paul to Timothy that we are not given a spirit of cowardice, but rather as disciples we are gifted in the Spirit with "power and love and self-control."

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too are called to be servants; not to be waiting idly by for someone to tend to our needs but rather we must always provide a place of welcome and even go out into the world and serve others. Last week on September 27 we celebrated the feast day of St. Vincent de Paul; one Monday October 4 we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Both of these models of charity and justice led lives as servants of the Lord, welcoming the stranger, healing the wounded, embracing even the lepers. We are called to do the same in our own way and as agencies of the Church. On many occasions we in Catholic Charities seek out and find those that are lost and in need. Thanks for being that witness in the world.


Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate

"The reality of human solidarity, which is a benefit for us, also imposes a duty. Many people today would claim that they owe nothing to anyone, except to themselves. They are concerned only with their rights, and they often have great difficulty in taking responsibility for their own and other people's integral development. Hence it is important to call for a renewed reflection on how rights presuppose duties, if they are not to become mere licence. Nowadays we are witnessing a grave inconsistency. On the one hand, appeals are made to alleged rights, arbitrary and non-essential in nature, accompanied by the demand that they be recognized and promoted by public structures, while, on the other hand, elementary and basic rights remain unacknowledged and are violated in much of the world. A link has often been noted between claims to a 'right to excess', and even to transgression and vice, within affluent societies, and the lack of food, drinkable water, basic instruction and elementary health care in areas of the underdeveloped world and on the outskirts of large metropolitan centres. The link consists in this: individual rights, when detached from a framework of duties which grants them their full meaning, can run wild, leading to an escalation of demands which is effectively unlimited and indiscriminate. An overemphasis on rights leads to a disregard for duties. Duties set a limit on rights because they point to the anthropological and ethical framework of which rights are a part, in this way ensuring that they do not become licence. Duties thereby reinforce rights and call for their defence and promotion as a task to be undertaken in the service of the common good. Otherwise, if the only basis of human rights is to be found in the deliberations of an assembly of citizens, those rights can be changed at any time, and so the duty to respect and pursue them fades from the common consciousness. Governments and international bodies can then lose sight of the objectivity and 'inviolability' of rights. When this happens, the authentic development of peoples is endangered. Such a way of thinking and acting compromises the authority of international bodies, especially in the eyes of those countries most in need of development. Indeed, the latter demand that the international community take up the duty of helping them to be 'artisans of their own destiny', that is, to take up duties of their own. The sharing of reciprocal duties is a more powerful incentive to action than the mere assertion of rights." (par. 43)



http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm



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

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4. St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) was a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally—not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit and without a sense of self-importance.
Serious illness brought the young Francis to see the emptiness of his frolicking life as leader of Assisi's youth. Prayer—lengthy and difficult—led him to a self-emptying like that of Christ, climaxed by embracing a leper he met on the road. It symbolized his complete obedience to what he had heard in prayer: "Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh it is your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. And when you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter, but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy."
From the cross in the neglected field-chapel of San Damiano, Christ told him, "Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down." Francis became the totally poor and humble workman.
He must have suspected a deeper meaning to "build up my house." But he would have been content to be for the rest of his life the poor "nothing" man actually putting brick on brick in abandoned chapels. He gave up all his possessions, piling even his clothes before his earthly father (who was demanding restitution for Francis' "gifts" to the poor) so that he would be totally free to say, "Our Father in heaven." He was, for a time, considered to be a religious fanatic, begging from door to door when he could not get money for his work, evokng sadness or disgust to the hearts of his former friends, ridicule from the unthinking.
But genuineness will tell. A few people began to realize that this man was actually trying to be Christian. He really believed what Jesus said: "Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no traveling bag, no sandals, no staff" (see Luke 9:1-3).
Francis' first rule for his followers was a collection of texts from the Gospels. He had no idea of founding an order, but once it began he protected it and accepted all the legal structures needed to support it. His devotion and loyalty to the Church were absolute and highly exemplary at a time when various movements of reform tended to break the Church's unity.
He was torn between a life devoted entirely to prayer and a life of active preaching of the Good News. He decided in favor of the latter, but always returned to solitude when he could. He wanted to be a missionary in Syria or in Africa, but was prevented by shipwreck and illness in both cases. He did try to convert the sultan of Egypt during the Fifth Crusade.
During the last years of his relatively short life (he died at 44), he was half blind and seriously ill. Two years before his death, he received the stigmata, the real and painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side.
On his deathbed, he said over and over again the last addition to his Canticle of the Sun, "Be praised, O Lord, for our Sister Death." He sang Psalm 141, and at the end asked his superior to have his clothes removed when the last hour came and for permission to expire lying naked on the earth, in imitation of his Lord.


SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

Fair Trade is connected to my Catholic faith? ‐ Yes! Come learn about the Fair Trade’s connection to Catholic Social
Teaching at the Ohio Fair Trade Expo on Saturday, October 9, 9 AM to 4:30 PM, at John Carroll University in University
Heights. The Expo offers workshops, speakers, and shopping! Learn more and register at www.ohiofairtrade.com.
Receive an early‐registration discount before September 1st!

Catholic Charities wishes to thank all who attended the 13th annual Voice of Hope Dinner and celebratory 100th anniversary Mass on Saturday, September 11, 2010. Approximately $25,000 was raised to benefit the work of Catholic Charities throughout the Diocese of Youngstown.

Catholic Relief Services Responds to Floods in Pakistan
visit http://www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org/ccdoy-disaster-response.html for more information on donations.



PAPAL INTENTIONS: OCTOBER 2010

Catholic Universities
General: That Catholic Universities may more and more be places where, in the light of the Gospel, it is possible to experience the harmonious unity existing between faith and reason.

World Mission Day
Missionary: That the World Mission Day may afford an occasion for understanding that the task of proclaiming Christ is an absolutely necessary service to which the Church is called for the benefit of humanity.




Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead



Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
FACEBOOK FAN
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/