I make mention of The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life in this post as well as the forthcoming book by Father Benedict Groeschel and Bishop Robert Baker When Did We See You Lord ?
I just finished reading your book, The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You , and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can see many applications for it's use here in our parish, especially around RCIA.
Consider a gift for your pastor, deacon or DRE! We're asking the readers of this blog and Amy's Open Book to consider buying copies of her excellent book Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life. and of my How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist --to spread the message.
At the end of the thirty-day period Amy and I will donate whatever royalties we earn from the sales of these books to Food for the Poor.
"The mainline Churches appear to be dying. This is true above all in Australia and also in Europe, but not so much in the United States. What are growing, on the other hand, are the sects which offer the certainty of a rock-bottom faith, and man is looking for certitude. And thus the mainline Churches, especially the traditional mainline Protestant Churches, really are facing an extremely serious crisis. The sects have the upper hand because they appear with a few simple certainties and say: this is enough. The Catholic Church is not in such bad shape as the historical mainline Protestant Churches, but it also faces the problems of this moment in history."
"We are aware of the problem […] of the Orthodox Churches, which are frequently presented as a model in which remarriage is possible. But only the first marriage is sacramental: they also recognize that the others are not a sacrament, they are a reduced or lesser form of marriage, and they take place in a penitential context. In a certain sense they may go to communion, but it is with the knowledge that this is granted to them 'in economia' – as they say – by an act of mercy which nevertheless does not change the fact that their marriage is not a sacrament. The other point in the Eastern Churches is that for these marriages the possibility of divorce is granted with great ease, and thus the principle of the indissolubility and real sacramental nature of marriage is seriously harmed."
My books just came - and lo and behold, skimming through Michael's, I found just what I needed to see right now. A description of the organist as the most distracted person at Mass - yup, that's me. Maybe I'll do better this weekend just because I saw that sentence. Thanks, Michael.
That comment about the organist was made to me when I was telling a Benedictine monk who does missions around the world about the book, I thought it was interesting and so I put it in the book but when I think about it, there is a lot of competition for "who the most distracted person is at Mass" and the monk who noticed the organist might be a candidate as well!
By the way visit Mary Jane's excellent blog where you can learn all about liturgy from a fine muscian.
When he announced the doctrine of the Eucharist in John 6 many disciples ceased to follow him because they found the teaching too difficult (see John 6:66, notice the numbers). Did Jesus yell out, “Oh, that’s okay — take what you like, ignore the rest”? No, instead ..."
Our attitude toward this great gift of Our Lord is a matter of life and death.
I'm asking the readers of this blog and Amy's Open Book to consider buying one copy of her excellent book Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life. and of my How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist --you can search through either book on Amazon in the way you might in a bookstore, don't take our word for it...search the books and see.
"Does my approval mean that the Catholic Church will one day change its general policy on the ordination of married men? My reply is no. Exceptions to the rule are made every few centuries, but the rule has and almost certainly will remain. Anglican priests who left Catholicism at the Reformation in the 16th century and French Catholic priests who were forced to marry in the French Revolution of the 18th century were allowed to return to the church and keep their wives, but the general rule remained."
As previously advised, VIS will be closed during the entire month of August. Service will resume on Thursday, September 1, 2005.
Here is an audio appeal--may have to do a few of these, since we will be away from computers quite a bit in the next week.
I'm asking the readers of this blog and Amy's Open Book to consider buying one copy of her excellent book Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life. and of my How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist --two books that have helped others find true joy by deepening their relationship with God as Catholics.
Another case and another case where a "Catholic" ethicist was cited as the authority to remove the tube.
"'The Catholic position is that the person retains a right to nutrition and hydration until the body rejects it, especially in cases of terminal illness,' Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart said.
Archbishop Hart declined to comment on the specific case of Mrs Korp, saying there might be facts in her case he did not know about and he did not want to get involved in a polemic. "
"I would say that a particularly painful situation is that of those who were married in the church, but were not really believers and did so just for tradition, and then finding themselves in a new, nonvalid marriage, convert, find the faith and feel excluded from the sacrament," he said.
Just before you began the month-of-push I finished Here. Now. and decided to give it to my incoming RCIA candidates to read over our end of summer break. This is a tremendously helpful (and clear) book Amy has written, and I could foresee us using it again and again with various groups.
. . . I thoroughly enjoyed it and feel like I am working on a whole new set of prayer muscles that I’ve never exercised before. From the moment you suggested singing all of the hymns – even the ones we don’t like – I figured “Okay if I don’t anything else out of this book, I’ve learned enough.” So now I’m out of critic mode and into praising and singing.
I recently purchased both books. How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist was obtained to review it for addition to our parish library. I haven't been able to give up my copy, either to share or place on the library table. I had mistakenly thought it might be helpful to those "other people" who need "books like that"!
"It's time that changed, said Sister Patricia Bergan, a member of the women's religious community the Sisters of St. Francis and an administrator at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Syracuse, N.Y.
When Bergan, Cathy Gregory, and Meme Woolever, all of Syracuse, heard about the event, they decided to drive to the eastern Ontario town to see if they could participate. After waiting in the hot sun on the pier for more than an hour, they were allowed on the boat.
'This is great,' Bergan said. 'It's history.' "
Like mendicant preachers who weren't ashamed to beg...today I am begging you to participate in our appeal. We need you! The work that we do in writing depends on others to spread the word.
The most direct way for you to help is to give these books as gifts...to your parish priest, to shut-ins, to friends who ask you about the Church.
A second way you can help is by visiting you local bookstore, whether it is Catholic, Christian or Borders and asking them to stock the books on their shelves so that others may have the opportunity to purchase something that will build up their faith as opposed to destroy it.
Finally if you have a BLOG, please blog this!
Amy's Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life. is a Catholic answer to the Purpose Driven Life only it won't take you forty days to figure out what your purpose is or how being Catholic is a good thing. My How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist can help you not only to receive Christ more fully but can give you the framework to develop a spirituality of the Eucharist, something Pope John Paul promoted that has received less attention than his "theology of the body."
This is the seventh day of our thirty day appeal to make Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life. and How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist not only better known but also to get the message out! So many Catholics are struggling to see the connection that their Faith has with the "treasure" worth selling everything to possess. Too many good Catholics are listening with the rest of their lives. W e are begging readers of this blog and Amy's Open Book to consider buying one copy of both books for themselves and consider buying other copies for friends and relatives because you love them and desire their salvation.
All proceeds to this appeal will go to Food for the Poor. We both have a goal in mind and it is worth reporting that we are a long way off from reaching it. I ask you to pray for the success of our writing, speaking and movement of books.
The origins of the names and the stories surrounding are drawn from apochryphal gospels and are doubtful because they so resemble the Biblical accounts of the conception of Samuel...but there is no doubt that Our Lady had parents and this is there feast.
Canadian Catholics have long experienced the miraculous interecession of the Mother of Mary at the miraculous Basilica of St. Anne de Beaupré.
Read an English review of the Italian version here.
In the Gospel reading you heard at Mass today--Jesus gives us several parables of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like--the first two are a reminder of why any of us even bother--the third a very loud reminder of the reality of the Church--good fish and bad fish (and only the angels at the end of time will be able to sort out that mess).
In both of the "find" parables something is found that is so precious, so key to what life is about that nothing else matters. The spiritual writer Jean Pierre de Cuasade wrote that "Without God everything is nothing, but with God nothing is everything." The joy of what is found by both seekers is so great that they sacrifice everything they have in order to possess what they do not have.
Most of us have had this experience in life where all the "stuff" has let us down enough to realize that true joy is somewhere else...this experience is a true grace because it enables us to really reach out to God and experience the joy that he has made us to experience. All the other "stuff" is a dead end road.
Sadly though many of us never take the next step...of getting rid of all the stuff and like the rich young man who was possessed by his possessions we go away sad.
A great grace in my life was to have known a young woman who had experienced the joy of Christ and also had (not by free choice) been despoiled of all her possessions. In the irony of life, her name was Pearl...in her early twenties she had terminal cancer and I myself still in my early twenties used to bring her Holy Communion. The joy that she experienced when she received Christ is something that I have never forgotten, twenty-five years later. Her entire life was near an end, all her hopes and dreams had vanished yet she communicated to me a joy that made me realize at an early age (although for her at the same age it was already very late) the pomp and emptiness of what the "world" and the "devil" hold out to all of us. Not to say that I haven't fallen time and again back into the traps set for us-- but thanks no doubt to her prayers and the prayers of others I have not remained in the pit for any length of time. I am a sinner but I have seen the pearl that is the source of true joy and is worth more than anything else in the world. Thanks to Pearl for teaching me that lesson.
I tell Pearl's story in The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life and credited her as the inspiration to the discoveryof the "pearl" and also the great price" which is required to possess that treasure-- embracing of the cross in our lives (the selling everything, i.e. changing the entire way we think about this life--the way we judge, the way we plan, what we think will bring us happiness).
Amy's Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life. is a modern exposition of how being Catholic is the secret treasure found that can give one the joy that one is searching for in all the wrong places. This joy is so great that it is worth the "sacrifice" that I spell out in How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist . As Catholics we are in desperate need of knowing how to live our Faith out faithfully and with the full expectation of experiencing the joy that only Christ can give us, Amy and I have set out on a path to help Catholics understand how they can do that not by an endless search in diverse places but right at the foot of the cross in front of the tabernacle at their parish church--where no matter how many bad fish have been dragged in with the good (and God help us to become good fish), Jesus is present and comes to us.
This is the fifth day of our thirty day appeal to make Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life. and How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist not only better known but also to get the message out! So many Catholics are struggling to see the connection that their Faith has with the "treasure" worth selling everything to possess. Too many good Catholics are listening more to the word sown by "the enemy" sometimes (like in the parable) in the midst of their own church. W e are asking readers of this blog and Amy's Open Book to consider buying one copy of both books for themselves and consider buying other copies for friends and relatives as mission to help each other reach our final goal--possession of the true treasure, Jesus Christ that is faithful to the commands he has given us in the church he founded on Peter.
Thanks again to all who have participated in this appeal, thanks for making both books Catholic bestsellers on Amazon. We have raised several hundred dollars to be given to Food for the Poor, we hope to raise several thousand by end of the appeal so that a new house may be built for a poor family in Latin America.
A line from this article, gave me pause to think and pray "Lord touch my eyes that I might see!"
"An example is given in the Eastern Christian understanding of the Transfiguration. In the Christian East, Christ is understood to have continuously radiated the glory of God but, because of human sin, people saw only a man. At the Transfiguration, however, it was the sight of Peter, James and John that was transfigured. The icons show the light radiating from Christ and touching the eyes of Peter, James and John, who thus see Christ as he truly is, with the whole of creation reflecting his glory."
Weekends were made for....(see how effective the beer ad was?)...if only we could come up with a way to make everything about our life giving faith as memorable. This was one of the reasons that I used the word S.A.C.R.I.F.I.C.E. to organize the material in my book How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist . Each letter stand for an attitude that we can bring to our weekend celebration of the Eucharist that will help us to both grow spiritually and closer to Christ--here's the kicker whether we are Catholic or not!
Yes How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist as well as Amy's Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life. One of the first people that read my book and loved it was a young woman who is married to a Catholic and attends Mass every Sunday even though she hasn't converted. The book helped her to see the connection between following Christ and going to Mass.
We are asking readers of this blog and Amy's Open Book to consider buying one copy of her excellent book Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life. and one of my How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist books that we believe can really help a wide variety of folks both Catholic and not. They would make a unique gift--one that challenges what weekends were made for...rest (See Genesis and God who is responsible for the creation of weekends.
All profits from the sale of these two books over this 30 day appeal will go to Food for the Poor.
Thanks to all who have already responded!
There are any number of books out there to give you all kinds of takes on who Mary Magdalene was, most will condemn Pope Gregory the Great for conflating her with a number of sinful women mentioned in the Gospels, but many of these same authors conflate Magdalene with Mary of Bethany or the woman with the alabaster jar.
Mary Magdalene is a follower of Jesus--symbolic of all of us who strive to follow him. Her moment of great joy at the resurrection of Jesus is tempered by a command to spread the news, not unlike the experience of the transfiguration for the apostles was tempered by the command to go back down the mountain.
We can learn from this, here in the fallen world we must always be about the work of Jesus empowered by Him but out spreading the Good News to all we meet.
This is day 3 of our appeal to get the books that Amy and I have written out there where they may be of benefit to those who need them, in other words Catholics looking to enrich their spiritual lives.
So far your efforts have been encouraging. You have moved both books to the top of the Amazon's Catholic bestsellers list and into the top 100 religion and spirituality bestsellers list! Your help is greatly appreciated! But the numbers to acheive these heights sadly is fairly low.
Yesterday, I received a package from Food for the Poor that contained a cross...a cross they hope I will send back to them with a check for $2,000 to build a house for someone in Nicaragua. This seems providential to me and a confirmation that what we are doing is a good thing--making good Catholic reading available then taking what we personally make and giving it to the poor.
So today I am pleading with the readers of this blog and Amy's Open Book to consider buying one copy of her excellent book Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life. and one of my How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist --two books that can not only help you but will help me to send the cross back to the people at Food for the Poor with a check that will build a house for some desperate souls.
I was on the radion yesterday morning in Omaha, NE and the co-host of the show Kris raved about how much How to Get the Most of the Eucharist had blessed her! We believe we have written two books that can genuinely help... consider buying them as a gift for someone if you already own a copy, if you don't get one for yourself.
Update: Already $120.53 will be donated to Food for the Poor...THANKS!
At 5:00 Eastern time...talking about How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist... You can listen online by clicking on the link.
Interesting, no more greenhouse effect...reminds me of our home parish that one priest said was built in the shape of a bishop's mitre.
Day 2 of the Appeal--Does Your Spiritual Life Need a Boost?
First, a big thank you to all who responded yesterday. Your efforts put both books in the Top 10 Catholic bestsellers on Amazon.
I'm on the radio this morning talking about How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist and in preparation for the radio appearance I reread most of the book last night and even though I wrote it and know whats in it, I found it gave me a real boost to re-focusing on what really matters in life--it also reminded me that an alternative title that I had suggested for the book was Living the Eucharist or A Spirituality of the Eucharist--both would fit what is within (which you can search both Amy and my book online in the links below).
There is so much to be thankful for and we need to be reminded of that daily, in different ways both Amy's Here Now and my book help the reader (even if it is ourselves) rediscover that!
I'm asking the readers of this blog and Amy's Open Book to consider buying one copy of her excellent book Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life. and one of my How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist --two books that can give your spiritual life a real boost! We believe we have written two books that can genuinely help... consider buying them as a gift for someone if you already own a copy, if you don't get one.
All proceeds from royalties and Amazon affiliate links will be donated to Food for the Poor.
30 Day Appeal--Getting the Most Out of Your Catholic Faith!
Starting today, I'm asking the readers of this blog and Amy's Open Book to consider buying one copy of her excellent book Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life. and of my How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist --two books that can help you or your Catholic friends find true joy by deepening their relationship with God as Catholics.
Too much of the time we complain about our faith, I believe this is the "weeds" or "tares" sown by the enemy. Both books that Amy and I have written come out of the struggle of trying to focus on the Word sown by Our Lord and not that of the enemy.
If you already own a copy of both books, thank you. I'm sure you have found them to be both challenging and an excellent way to get more from your Faith no matter what the enemy may sow in your path. Please consider buying another copy of both to give as a gift to your Catholic friends, you might even consider organizing a study group built around both books.
We often complain about Catholics not buying books but I have found that one of the reasons that Catholics fail where other Christians don't is that Catholic authors often hide their light under a basket. I confess to doing this myself.
Amy and I both believe we have written two books that speak to the angst that daily appears all over the Catholic blogdom.
At the end of the thirty-day period Amy and I will donate whatever royalties we earn from the sales of these books to Food for the Poor. We will keep you abreast of how much there is to donate daily!
Morning Update: Already $55.71 will be donated to Food for the Poor...THANKS!
"Roberts grew up in Long Beach, Ind., and attended a private school in nearby LaPorte before going on to Harvard and Harvard Law School. He clerked for Judge Henry J. Friendly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, in New York, and later for Rehnquist, who was then an associate justice."
I spent a few days here once in 1978, beautiful place. The local area has a very direct opinion on the whole thing here.
"Informed of the deadly explosion that took place recently in Turkey, the Holy Father implores the mercy of the Almighty for the people who lost their lives in the horrific attack and the consolation of God on their suffering families. He express his heartfelt sympathy to the numerous people injured in this drama and to their families, as well as to the Turkish authorities and people."
My Children, today I speak to your hearts. I plead with you to open your hearts to Me. I am the Mother of your Saviour. I desire to help you and save you in soul. So many of you live your lives as if tomorrow will last forever.
You cannot recognize the signs of the times you live in. You cannot see how the evil one is stealing the youth of your country and the world, in seduction through suicide, drugs, alcohol, lust, lack of faith and confusion.
My dear children, I desire you to wake up before it is too late. Many changes will have taken place one year from now. There will be many of you caught in the web of the evil one, more deeply than you realize. Others among you will be called unprepared from your earthly life. I call you, my children, into the Light and Life of My Son, Jesus.
I plead with you to hear and live My call, and to open your hearts in love, to receive the message I give you. I beg you to respond to My call as never before. Your worldly existence as you know it to be, will soon come into a great crisis.
The purification is upon you, and few of you are prepared. I weep for your safety. You will see many upheavals in the world. You will experience the climate changes more and more. There will be many abnormal calamities, throughout the world. The changes in the season?s behaviour have already begun, but will increase and intensify, floods in many parts of the world beyond normal capacity, mud slides, typhoons, earthquakes and many many other abnormal and strange happenings. You have been given the gift of Pope Benedict to fulfil the work needed to be completed, but pray, pray for him.
The Church of My Son, Jesus, is experiencing the labour pains of its purification. Many will run. Others will hide, like scattered sheep and My poor lambs whom they have permitted to stray. But, Jesus will shepherd His poor little lambs that are lost.
Born in Bloomington, IN X number of years ago today to David and Aline Welborn.
Leave Amya Happy Birthday message at her site.
Pray that this one will weaken before it hits anywhere else.
What will the topic be?
The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth the day before his co-adujutor was to be ordained.
I will be a guest on KVSS Omaha's Catholic Radio Station 88.9FM on July 21st from 8:15-9:00, talking about How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist...Amy will be a guest this Friday.
Earliest ever for a "fifth named storm"
A snapshot of what Catholics interested in their Faith are reading today.
This title which is a pleasant read continues to do well! Great to see that Cathoilics are interested in bolstering their faith and finding out what positive benefits it has offered the world at large. Great title for the Feast of St. Benedict (tomorrow).
This is a perrenial bestseller, indicating that many think of themselves as pretty dumb when it comes to the Faith, an indictment of how we are presenting our faith and indication to publishers that we need to be pretty basic in presenting it.
This is a good book, but I would recommend #17 on the list, The Spirit of the Liturgy over it.
An Ignatius book from 2004 with great reviews posted on Amazon. This must be one of those word of mouth bestsellers. Sounds interesting when you read that the author tackles the holocaust in light of God's plan!
Not surprising to see this here, actually more surprising is how little it usually shows up on the Amazon list of Catholic bestsellers. I think this tells us something about those shopping for books online versus in stores where the Catechism is a perenial number 1 bestseller.
This is essentially a "dummies" book about the Mass and for the past six months it has been a consistent top ten book on Amazon's Catholic bestseller's list. I'm guessing that this is also due to "word of mouth" and I hope that those who enjoy it will explore another book on the Mass that I've written more recently, How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist and a book on the living out the Mass entitled The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life .
The third "Eucharist" book in the top ten. Scott show's how the Book of Revelations is about the Mass we celebrate on earth.
Not a double post, just a slighly more expensive edition (hardback). I wonder if this doesn't signal a merging of bookstore buying habits with online book buying habits of the Catholic market?
The mandatory Nouwen title...this one published by Image in 1994. A book about reconciliation.
Remains a "hot" topic among Catholics. Here they go to the source, Pope John Paul II!
A great way to pray "seven times" a day with the psalms and scriptures. This is a modern rendering of The Short Breviary but there is nothing "short" about it. A great way to pray the Scriptures daily in the tradition of St. Benedict! Highly recommended!!!