How the Vatican marks the end of Mary’s month

Is the Internet the enemy of faith?

This excellent article appeared in the Washington Post on May 25th and it is well worth a read.

Here is an small portion:


"The Internet offers endless chatter and distraction. It sometimes seems that the entire population is suffering from a shared case of attention deficit syndrome. On the Web, irresponsible voices are just as accessible as trustworthy voices. Often, it seems that the voices of reason and truth are drowned out by the swarm of the reckless, the vulgar, and the ridiculous.


At the same time, the Internet has been one of the greatest gifts to the church, offering unprecedented opportunities to communicate, share content, establish contact, and deliver our message.


How can the Internet be both bane and blessing?"

Read the entire article here

A Simple Misunderstanding

Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, let us pray for the safety and quick return of all our troops, and let us also keep in mind the great words of St. Augustine "The purpose of all war in peace."


Prayer for Our Troops
Lord, please hold our troops in
your loving hands.

Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for
the selfless act they perform
for us in our time of need.

We ask this in the name of
Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Amen.

Veni Sancte Spiritus

Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit!), is a sequence prescribed in the Roman Liturgy for the Masses of Pentecost.  It is sung between the 2nd reading and the Gospel.  It is also often sung at Confirmations.

It's authorship is usually attributed to either the thirteenth-century Pope Innocent III or to the Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton, although it has been attributed to others as well.

Below is version of Veni Sancte Spiritus which was composed by Liam Lawton, Tony Alonso & Chris de Silva from their album Castle of the Soul: Songs of Contemplation and Consolation.  The entire album is awesome and great for background music when you need to get work done (read: great for comp studying).  It is available on iTunes.  The translated lyrics (which are beautiful) are also below.



Lyrics

Come, O Holy Spirit, come!
From your bright and blissful Home
Rays of healing light impart.

Come, Father of the poor,
Source of gifts that will endure
Light of ev'ry human heart.

You, of all consolers best,
Of the soul, most kindly Guest,
Quick’ning courage do bestow.

In hard labor You are rest,
In the heat You refresh best,
And solace give in our woe.

O most blessed Light divine,
Let Your radiance in us shine,
And our inmost being fill.

Nothing good by man is thought,
Nothing right by him is wrought,
When he spurns Your gracious Will.

Cleanse our souls from sinful stain,
Lave our dryness with Your rain
Heal our wounds and mend our way.

Bend the stubborn heart and will,
Melt the frozen, warm the chill,
Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful who in You,
Trust with childlike piety,
Deign your sevenfold gift to send.

Give them virtue’s rich increase,
Saving grace to die in peace,
Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.

A Homily for Pentecost

Deacon Greg Kandra over at his blog the Deacon's Bench has an excellent Homily for Pentecost.  You can check it out here: Homily for May 27, 2012

Is God Calling You?

You never know when the call from God may come to you ... it may even be at a baseball game.

Sorry I couldn't resist the bad joke!!!

FYI: I think the nun is from the Benedictine Daughters of the Divine Will.

Pentecost in 2 Minutes

This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost.  Need a reminder of what it is all about, then check out the video below.

Sacraments of Service to the Community

Mr. Foley's classes should watch the videos and take notes for a quiz.

Sacraments of Healing

Mr. Foley's Classes should watch the videos below and take notes for a quiz.

Sacraments of Initiation Videos

Mr. Foley's Classes should watch the videos below and take notes for a quiz.

Baptism Assignment

Click the link below for an article about Baptism written by Cardinal Timothy Dolan.  The article was written May of 2010 and appeared on the Archbishop's blog ("The Gospel in the Digital Age"). 

There is a reflection assignment at the end of the article .

Article and Assignment

Blessed John XXIII and Vatican Council II

Check out this intriguing video from CNS, featuring an interview with the blessed pope’s secretary.

May is for Mary

Here is a nice short article with some simple suggestions for ways to honor Mary during her month:

May is For Mary

St. Paul

Deacon Greg Kandra has an excellent homily from this past Sunday posted on his blog.  It focuses on St. Paul, here is a quote:


"At this moment, Paul – still known as Saul — was a fresh convert to the faith, newly arrived from Damascus. As the account makes clear, many Christians were afraid of him.  They knew his reputation – a persecutor, a Christian-hunter.  It’s fair to say that, among the Christians in Jerusalem Paul probably wasn’t the most popular kid at the lunch table.  Understandably, nobody trusted him.
But one person saw something more."


Read the full Homily Here

Worth a Laugh!!!!