Saint Benedict of Nursia

On July 11 we will celebrate the Feast Day of St. Benedict. In the midst of chaos within the old Roman government over 1500 years ago St. Benedict organized a community for men, which has become known as the Benedictine Community. And his sister St. Scholastica organized one for women. During this time there was an army in upheaval with the soldiers breaking rank. The police stopped working to protect the people so the bandits were preying on the people who had no protection against them. Roads became impassable due to no repairs and food quickly ran out at the markets because the goods could not be brought in over those roads.

When St. Benedict and then St. Scholastica organized their respective communities they used a set of rules St. Benedict put together titled, “Rule for Life.” This is still today a very sensible set of guidelines that help people work together effectively and to get along with each other. “The Rule” says that to live in community there cannot be any grudges held against one another, pride must be put aside, greed cannot be a way of life and laziness is not acceptable. Rather, everyone in the community needs to work hard not just for themselves but for everyone. And the way to bring order out of chaos is to practice generosity, charity and forgiveness with each other. “The Rule” also says that all guests should be received as if they were Jesus and so anyone visiting is greeted with joy and treated with great hospitality.

Since the world in which these communities was in a chaotic state the communities thrived on the order and kindness that “The Rule for Life” asked of the members. And since they thrived more communities were begun. Today there are Benedictine communities all around the world.

The daily life of the communities then and now are organized according to the Latin motto, ora et labora, “prayer and work.” We as families can adopt this motto for our own as well as treat each other as if it is Jesus we are with.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time , Year A

Seeds of faith

Reading I: Isaiah 55:10-11 (triumph of God’s word)
Reading II: Romans 8:18-23 (destiny of glory)
Gospel: Matthew 13:1-23 (parable of the seed)

Key Passage: Jesus said, “Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:7–8)

Adult: How do you provide “good soil” for the faith of others to grow?
Child: What are you doing to help the seeds of your faith grow each day?

Catholic Social Teaching a Secret or Not?

Did you know that the Catholic Church has letters (encyclicals) written by various Popes, on Catholic Social Teaching? You didn’t? That is not surprising, this is one of the best kept secrets of our church according to the book “Catholic Social Teaching: Our Best Kept Secret” by authors Peter J. Henriot, Edward P. DeBerri and Michael J. Schultheis.

Why is this such a big secret? I think we all believe in the idea of Social Justice. That we are all created equal and we should all be treated the same. The Catholic Church’s teaching on this goes so much deeper than this basic belief. Over the next few weeks I am going to discuss some of the teachings and where the Church stands on them. As a disclaimer this is something dear to me, but I am by no means an expert and may stumble at times as I try to convey what the teachings are and why they are just as meaningful today as they were when they were written whether it be 2 or 3 decades ago or over a hundred years ago.

One of the earliest encyclicals was written by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is titled, The Condition of Labor (in Latin: Rerum Novarum). I know this was written over a hundred years ago so how on earth could it pertain to life today? Well first a little tidbit of history. At the end of the 19th century in Europe and North America there was devastating exploitation and rampant poverty among the working peoples in both countries. Does this sound familiar? We certainly hear of the poverty and, yes, even exploitation of workers throughout the world still today.

Pope Leo XIII looked at the wealth of a few and the devastating situations of the poor when he wrote his encyclical. He wanted us to know that we have all been created equal and the goods of nature belong to everyone equally, not just those that have wealth. We all have talents, though they are not necessarily the same for everyone, but even with that God has given us all the gift of equal dignity, which means no matter how much different my situation is from my neighbor’s situation that does not make either one of us more or less of a person than the other.

We all have the right to benefit from the fruits of our labor, and in turn we should use those fruits as best we can to benefit our fellow man. That is not to say that labor is not necessary, we all need to earn our way to feel the dignity we have through God. Although, that does not mean that everything will be handed to us. There will be hardships throughout our lives and we must trust in God to help us through the trying times.

Pope Leo XIII went on to tell us that the Church has the right to speak out on matters of social justice, particularly the ones that affect religion and morality. And the Church, through use of the Gospel, can help to reconcile and unify all rich, middle class and poor. The Church also needs to take the lead on educating people to act justly or, in the words of Jesus, to treat one another as we would like to be treated.

This sounds overwhelming doesn’t it? And in many ways it is. We need to remember that with each of us doing our part to ensure that our fellow human beings are being treated fairly and equally in the work place the easier it is. It may be as simple for some of us as greeting a fellow worker or a person on the street with a smile and a hello rather than putting our head down and keeping on keeping on. By ignoring those around us whether the working poor, the unemployed, the homeless, or yes even those with the means to support themselves and help others, we are adding to the failure of how our world ignores the dignity of each of us.

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Laying down your burdens

Reading I: Zechariah 9:9-10 (restoration under the Messiah)
Reading II: Romans 8:9, 11-13 (indwelling of the Spirit)
Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30 (Jesus and his Father)

Key Passage: Jesus said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28–29)

Adult: When has Jesus refreshed you when you felt burdened by problems?
Child: What burden do you need Jesus to help you carry?

July

This is the month that the citizens of the United State celebrate the birth of our country. Specifically we do this on July 4th. Is there something special that you do to celebrate the birth of our nation? Some of us will go on picnics, or maybe make homemade ice cream. Does anyone make a red, white and blue dessert? This is also a day that memories are created not only for our families and friends but for our country as well why else would we be celebrating if not to remember?

Fireworks are also part of this annual celebration. Does your family go and watch an area fireworks display or perhaps you have your own version of fireworks at your home? When the fireworks go off it like hearing thunder and creating a rainstorm of colorful and sparkling streaks in the sky. One of the reasons for fireworks is to chase away what is bad and welcome what is good into our lives. What bad needs to be chased away in our country? What good can be helped along? Are there ways we can make our land brighter?

As we celebrate on July 4th this year keep in mind that this wonderful country of ours was created by courageous men who were putting their lives and in most cases their fortunes on the line to defend what they stood for, that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” To these courageous men liberty was an outcome of human dignity and wanting to protect human dignity was the reason there was a war of independence. As we celebrate this day perhaps there is a way you can think of to promote human dignity and the right to pursue happiness and in doing that you would be making our land brighter.

Have a very safe and joyful 4th of July!

Prayer Intentions of Pope Francis for July

That sports may always be occasions of human fraternity and growth

That the Holy Spirit may support the work of the laity who proclaim the Gospel in the poorest countries.

July: Month of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord

The month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood. The feast of the Precious Blood of our Lord was established in 1849 by Pius IX, but the devotion itself is as old as Christianity. The early Church Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood. Popes have confirmed that the feast of the Most Precious Blood of Christ would be celebrated on the 1st Sunday of July.

• Catholic doctrine teaches us that the blood of Jesus Christ is part of His Sacred Humanity and His Divinity united to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

• As such, it is worthy of adoration and veneration properly given which is rendered only to God. In other words, we adore the human nature of Christ because of its intimate and eternal union with the Person of the Divine Word.

• It is for this same reason that we honor the Most Sacred Heart or the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

This passage found in the oldest document, outside of sacred scripture, to be exact, from Pope St. Clement I, dated about 96 A.D. Says Pope Clement: "Let us fix our gaze on the Blood of Christ and realize how truly precious It is, seeing that it was poured out for our salvation and brought the grace of conversion to the whole world."
To understand the meaning of the Precious Blood we must have some understanding of the seriousness of sin, of the nastiness of hurting God, because it required the Blood of the Son of God to forgive that sin. We are living in an age in which to sin has become fashionable.

During this month of July you might include this prayer in your daily prayer time: “Lord Jesus, You became Man in order by your Passion and Death and the draining of your Blood on the Cross, might prove to us how much You, our God, love us. Protect us, dear Jesus, from ever running away from the sight of blood. Strengthen our weak human wills so that we will not only not run away from the cross, but welcome every opportunity to shed our blood in spirit in union with your Precious Blood, so that, dying to ourselves in time we might live with You in Eternity. Amen”