The Family Foundation Catholic Community Bulletin
Pauca Verba (a few words)
Angry? Need A Weapon? Pray the Rosary
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Of the last three things you said were wrong with this community,
who did you blame?
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“Life is a precious and beautiful gift even when the circumstances are far from ideal and the choice to embrace life even when it involves a very great sacrifice is also beautiful.”
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In the Church year (also called the Liturgical Year) we have returned to Ordinary Time. Though I’d suggest this is not a very good name for it. Because if I believe in God – a God who has come to us in person – Jesus Christ, who has taken us to himself in love, and who daily has mercy on us for love – there really is no such thing as “ordinary.” Every moment rather, filled with God’s Holy Spirit – every moment – God’s generous gift to us full of possibility – every moment – God present to grow us up – means every moment is EXTRAORDINARY. Do I live with this awareness as my GROUND? Or am I just barreling through, putting in my time, got to get it done, “get out of my way”, what an inconvenience, joyless, burdened, harried and hurried, snappy, moody, put-out. These people, however they may call themselves Christians, have no awareness of God’s nearness – the great trouble God has gone to – to be with us.
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Prayer Ending the Christmastime
May the simple beauty of Jesus’ birth, teach us to treasure the things that are most deeply human.
Talking to my sponsor (staff or student) doesn’t constitute The Sacrament of Confession. If I am receiving Jesus in Holy Communion I need to periodically confess my sins. St. John says, “If I say I don’t have sin, I am a liar.” Whoa! And if I’m sitting in the pew, week after week after week, and not receiving the Eucharist AND not confessing – we could ask, “What’s going on with you!?” If you don’t know how to make a good confession – come and ask for help. And do I bring real repentance to the sacrament: a real and deep sorrow that intends to be done with the old ways?
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How deep the cold is now. How frozen the landscape. How thick the ice. And while this describes the outer world surely, in truth, doesn’t it also describe the inner human world: the cold heart, the frozen will, the thick head. Have a good look inside and ask God to melt what’s frozen within, what’s cold and hardened.
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“The person who reflects upon and examines his/her own life deeply is of more value to the world than those who can raise the dead.”
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The Feast of Saint Agnes the Virgin-Martyr is celebrated this Wednesday, January 21. This category, The Virgin-Martyrs, contains the names of numerous young women from the first centuries of the Church’s life. Some of their names are listed in the First Eucharistic Prayer – aka: The Roman Canon. Gives you an idea of how ancient this faith of yours is. But the Virgin-Martyrs are remembered not because they were virgins – but because in the ancient world marriages were arranged – and these young women in their teens – stood and said, “No, Christ is my God and I will not bear children for the emperor, who claims to be god.” These young women were martyred for the determination of their “NO.” They were ferocious girls who looked into the eyes of men who had the power of the empire behind them. And of course, as the young woman, dragged into court, defiantly stood her ground in Christ, she was charged with treason. AND “If you won’t marry (fill in the Roman name) then you’ll marry no one.” And to see to that, the girls were raped, defaced, beaten to death. When Lucy was told that her arranged husband was a non-believer, she gave her dowry away to the poor. Her eyes were cut out – “…then you’ll look at no husband, no children.”
To the young women of this community. You have displayed ferocity at times: when another girl talked dirty about you, when mother said no, when the teacher asked for something, when a boyfriend was unfaithful, when a sibling made a simple request, when the make-up, the hair and clothes weren’t just right. Can you imagine being in possession of a deep and personal ferocity that stands resolutely for a truth – a Christ-truth – in the face of scary opposition?!
