Every month the Pope focuses on a particular prayer intention. For December the intentions are:
The Experience of Personal Suffering as a Help to Others who Suffer General: That our personal experience of suffering may be an occasion for better understanding the situation of unease and pain which is the lot of many people who are alone, sick or aged, and stir us all to give them generous help.
Opening Our Doors to Christ Missionary: That the peoples of the earth may open their doors to Christ and to His Gospel of peace, brotherhood and justice.
Every month the Pope focuses on a particular prayer intention. For November the intentions are:
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.
Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila. One of her well known prayers is called St. Teresa's Bookmark. Enjoy it in both text and sung forms. The sung version is called Nada te turbe, a Taizé chant.
Let nothing disturb thee, Nothing affright thee All things are passing; God never changeth; Patient endurance Attaineth to all things; Who God possesseth In nothing is wanting; Alone God sufficeth.
Every month the Pope focuses on a particular prayer intention. For October intentions are:
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.
The Pew Forum on Religion and Culture asked adults to respond to a U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey. Most Americans scored 50% or less on a quiz measuring knowledge of the Bible, world religions, and Constitutional issues regarding religion in public life.
One of the surprising -- to me -- responses is that barely half of the Catholics who responded know that when they receive communion they are actually receiving Jesus' body and blood. (I wonder how many of the people who identified themselves as Catholic are regular Mass-goers and how many participate only occasionally.)
Natural disasters never seem to end. Currently the people of Pakistan are dealing with the aftermath of the worst floods in living memory.
Catholic Relief Services is providing shelter and hygiene kits containing plastic sheeting, bed mats, soap, kitchen supplies, water purification tablets, rehydration salts and covered buckets to store water. CRS is also hiring residents in cash-for-work programs to restore clean drinking water by rebuilding water supply systems.
You can read more about the situation in Pakistan here and donate to CRS here.
Every month the Pope focuses on a particular prayer intention. For September intentions are:
SEPTEMBER 2010 The Word of God as Sign of Social Development General: That in less developed parts of the world the proclamation of the Word of God may renew people’s hearts, encouraging them to work actively toward authentic social progress.
The End of War Missionary: That by opening our hearts to love we may put an end to the numerous wars and conflicts which continue to bloody our world.
Do your friends on Facebook and other sites have any idea that you're Catholic? Do you sometimes feel like you're too Catholic? These questions are addressed in an interesting article called "How Catholic Should You Be Online?"
If you want to share your faith online, you might consider the advice given by the blogger, Matthew Warner:
Evangelism is about relationships. Don’t use your online platform (be it large or small) as only a megaphone (you’ll soon find nobody listening). Use it to listen, share and to build genuine relationships. That is a key ingredient of effective evangelism. It’s about truth and charity. If you have not Love, you are but a clanging cymbal. Clanging cymbals are not Catholic at all.
There's an interesting article in the New York Times about how people allow their faith to affect where and how they live.
The article profiles a Christian group called Radical Living, a Jewish woman who wanted housing close enough to her synagogue to walk to services, a Muslim who wanted roommates who understood her prayer life, and a Buddhist looking for a roommate who accepts her incense.
It raises questions in my mind about what requirements I would have if I moved. I like being close enough to the church to be able to get there easily for Mass, meetings, or whatever is going on. I would love to live close enough to St. Andrew's Abbey to be able to join the monks for Mass or prayers. Hmmm...what else?
On Wednesday night Old Spanish Days kicks off with La Fiesta Pequeña on the Mission steps.
This event features Fiesta’s traditional songs and dances: tunes of the Californios, Flamenco, Spanish classical and Mexican folklórico dances. Food is available for purchase from local vendors and admission to the event is free. The event starts at 8pm.
Every month the Pope focuses on a particular prayer intention. For August the intentions are:
The Unemployed and the Homeless General: That those who are without work or homes or who are otherwise in serious need may find understanding and welcome, as well as concrete help in overcoming their difficulties.
Victims of Discrimination, Hunger and Forced Emigration Missionary: That the Church may be a “home” for all people, ready to open its doors to any who are suffering from racial or religious discrimination, hunger, or wars forcing them to emigrate to other countries.
On July 22 the Church celebrates the memorial of Mary Magdalene.
This is a woman who is so misunderstood and maligned.
I always like Mary and I love the gospel for her feast:
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."
Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and then reported what he told her.
The Jesuit Refugee Service reports that six months after the earthquake the situation is worrying.
HAITI: LITTLE PROGRESS AFTER SIX MONTHS Six months after the earthquake devastated Haiti on January 12, the situation in the country remains worrying. Despite the preparative and preventive efforts of UN agencies, international organisations, the Haitian authorities and other local actors to cope with the humanitarian crisis and other natural disasters, the hurricane season now represents a significant danger to vulnerable populations, the 1.7 million displaced and other homeless persons.
There's an interesting article in America about people working in faith-based volunteer programs. Read the article here. Have you ever thought about volunteering with a faith-based group? Feel free to comment. And read more about some of these groups and what they do:
John of the Cross said that God's first language is silence. It seems we don't have much room for silence in our lives...or for taking time to be rather than to do.
Interesting comments from Fr. Jim Martin [here] about an article in the NY Times. As the Psalm says, "Deep calls to deep," but only if you're listening.
Just what is it that priests and nuns do all day? How does someone become a priest or nun? Are they holier than the rest of us? How did they decide this was the life for them? Here's a chance to explore the mysteries and ask your questions. Our guests are Fr. Daniel Barica, Sr. Susan Blomstad, and Fr. John Love.
FYI:
Wednesday, March 10 6:30pm St. Barbara Parish Social Room
Parking: evening events it's easiest to park in the back of the church. Enter the driveway at Garden and Pueblo and turn at the Mission Renewal Center sign. Walk up the ramp next to the Friars' chapel and turn right at the statue of St. Francis.
Imagine that the last words you spoke were the last words you ever spoke and that the last meal you ate was the last meal you ever ate.
Roger Ebert can’t remember the last thing he ate. He can't remember the last thing he drank, either, or the last thing he said. Of course, those things existed; those lasts happened. They just didn't happen with enough warning for him to have bothered committing them to memory — it wasn't as though he sat down, knowingly, to his last supper or last cup of coffee or to whisper a last word into Chaz's ear. The doctors told him they were going to give him back his ability to eat, drink, and talk. But the doctors were wrong, weren't they? On some morning or afternoon or evening, sometime in 2006, Ebert took his last bite and sip, and he spoke his last word.
I found this profile in Esquire to be very moving.
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. These 40 days are an opportunity to prepare ourselves for Easter through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Everyone is invited to receive ashes on this day as a sign of repentance. There will be Masses at the Mission today at 7:30am, noon, and 7:00pm and ashes will be distributed at each Mass.
Ash Wednesday is one of two fast days in the Church. By "fasting," we are asked to eat lightly -- not more than one full meal and, if needed, up to two smaller meals that don't constitute a full meal. It is also a day of abstinence from meat, so skip the hamburger or steak in favor of fish, pasta, or other non-meat meals.
Fasting and ashes sound so serious...and they are. But it's also important to think about the words that are said as the priest marks our foreheads with ashes: Repent and believe the gospel. Believe the gospel...believe in God's infinite love...
Perhaps you will enjoy reflecting on what that means as you listen to this song:
Join Kathie and Joe Schneider and Deacon Jerry and Bev Heyer to discuss love and marriage from a Catholic perspective. Both couples work with Engaged Encounter. They'll talk about love, marriage, getting married and staying married, communication, and other issues. Please join us with your questions and insights.
Parking: For evening events it's easiest to park in the back of the church. Enter the driveway at Garden and Pueblo and turn at the Mission Renewal Center sign. Walk up the ramp next to the Friars' chapel and turn right at the statue of St. Francis.
Are you a yoga enthusiast? Or maybe you've wanted to try it and never quite gotten to it. Either way, join us for Yoga!
Meet in the office at St. Mark's Church in Isla Vista at 6:15. (Click here for a map.) We'll walk over to St. Michael's together for a yoga class led by Marisol Murillo.
This class is appropriate for people with all levels of yoga experience...or none at all.
Wear comfortable clothes. If you have a mat you can bring it; otherwise there are mats available for you to use. $3.00 donation requested.
FYI: Yoga January 19 6:15pm St. Mark's Church - 6550 Picasso Rd., Isla Vista
Inspired by real events, The Great Debaters reveals one of the seeds of the Civil Rights Movement in its story of Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington) and his champion 1935 debate club from the all-African-American Wiley College in Texas. Tolson, a Wiley professor, labor organizer, modernist poet, and much else, runs a rigorous debate program at the school, selecting four students as his team in ’35. Race relations at the height of the Great Depression included lynchings of black men and women as a common form of entertainment. The idea of talented and highly intelligent African-American young people learning to think on their feet during debates would seem almost a hopeless endeavor. But that’s not the way Tolson sees it, as his students serve themselves and the cause of racial equality in America. --Tom Keogh
Wednesday, January 13
6:30pm in the Social Room
Monthly meeting. Theme: The Least Ones
Join Richard Rink from the St. Vincent de Paul Society at the Mission and Barbara Finch, director of the PATHS program at St. Vincent's in Santa Barbara to learn more about what we can do to serve the "least ones" among us.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society provides people with emergency help to pay rent or a utility bill, or to get food, clothing, or furniture. The PATHS program provides transitional housing and services for single mothers who are on welfare or living below the poverty level. Both of these groups provide very practical assistance to people in need.
If you're like me, you see or hear about someone who is hungry or homeless and think "I wish I could help..." This session will give you concrete ideas about what you can do.
For both Faith and Film and the Young Adult meeting, you can park in the Mission Renewal Center parking lot behind the Mission. Enter the driveway at Garden and Pueblo and turn where you see the Mission Renewal Center sign.
