Thursday, April 28, 2011






All Creatures of Our God and King

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER






 
FIFTY DAYS OF EASTER
 
The Resurrection of the Lord is so important and so rich in meaning that one day does not do it justice. The Feast not only has an Octave, which is really a continuation of the Solemnity of Easter, but is celebrated through the Fifty Days to the Feast of Pentecost.
The Gospels for the “Fifty Days of Easter” tell us who the Lord is. In the first readings, from the Acts of the Apostles, we are reminded of the working of the Lord in His Church through the Holy Spirit. There are many windows through which we may look at these readings. Like the mystery they make present their meaning is never quite exhausted.
The simple question which is asked and hopefully in some small way answered is: “What does the Lord tell us about Himself?” These mediations will in an inadequate way try to answer this question and in so doing to continue the celebration of Easter.
Easter cannot be relegated to just one day. It is basically a celebration of our lives and the “Fifty Days” help to impress on us the importance of this Celebration.
The meditations will focus on the Gospels. It is not because the first readings do not contain important lessons. The history of the Church, of how it grew within a very short period of time from just a few people gathered on Mt. Sion to a religion which touched the known world, is indeed exciting. The Gospels, however, are the words of the Lord and permit us to see Him more clearly.
 
The Octave of Easter
Monday of the Octave of Easter (Acts 2:14,22-32; Matt.28: 8-15)…The first word He speaks after the Resurrection is “peace”. This is the Easter gift. Peace, order, the way things should be. With this greeting He is saying that His task is finished, that all has been reconciled. All of creation has been brought back into the order that first existed, things are the way they should be. That is what has happened because of the Resurrection. In the “peace” is also the “not yet”. Radically all things have been brought together, but this still has to be accomplished. The task of Easter is to become and help the world become what the Resurrection has made it.
Tuesday of the Octave of Easter (Acts 2:36-41; John 20:11-18) It is so easy to miss the Lord as we walk through the “garden” of our lives. We see Him in so many different ways; in a beautiful sunset, in the smile of a child, in the face of one crying out to be recognized, in the poor, the sick. We call Him by a different name, the “gardener”. Through all the noise, the “not seeing” a voice comes through. It calls gently, like a summer’s breeze, we have to be attentive or we miss it. It calls out our name. He knows who we are. We close our eyes and hear the voice, we know the Resurrection is not distant but is now.
Wednesday of the Octave of Easter (Acts 3:1-10; Luke 24:13-35) Going back to the past is so easy. That is what the two men of today’s Gospel were doing. The newness of the future was clouded. They had dreamed of a different future. The Cross had not been in their dreams. They had to go back to the past, where things were secure. Along the way to the past, the future met them. He opened their eyes. They let go of the past. Their dreams of the future were replaced by the Future, the Lord.
 
Thursday of the Octave of Easter (Acts 3:11-26; Luke 24: 35-48) It is so difficult to see the Lord. He stands in front of us, we want to believe, but surely He would come to us in a more glorious way. We have to see, to touch, be assured. To live Easter, is to break loose from the restrictions of the material. We enter a new world. In entering the new world we see the present world through different eyes. We see that the present world has sin. It is separated from God. It has to be given Easter.
 
Friday of the Octave of Easter (Acts 4:1-12; John 21:1-14) Sometime in the deepest part of our hearts we may be asked to do something completely foolish. Peter throwing the net to the starboard was foolish. One just did not fish from that side of the boat. It was especially “foolish” after having caught nothing through the night. It was in doing this “foolish” thing that they could say “It is the Lord”. Easter asks us to make judgments not by the standards of the world, which are safe, logical, measurable but rather by the standards of God which are not safe, because we are not in control; are not logical, because they look at reality through the eyes of God; are not measurable because Easter works slowly.
 
Saturday of the Octave of Easter (Acts 4:13-21; Mark 16: 9-15) Easter is to be shared. The times we met the Lord in the garden of our lives, the times He walked with us along the way, the times He opened the future, the times He asked us to cast the net of our lives on the starboard side, all of these are not to be held onto selfishly but rather to be given to the world. The Lord wants everyone to be an Easter person.
 
Second Week of Easter
Monday of the Second Week of Easter (Acts 4:23-31; John 3:1-8) He is the one who has come from God. The obedience of the Lord runs throughout the Gospel message. To listen actively is the lesson which He wants to teach us about Himself. Obedience is so difficult. It is the saying “yes” and in so doing we must die to ourselves as the Lord did. It was through His obedience that we have life…it is through our obedience to the Lord that we can be life givers to others.
Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter (Acts 4:32-37; John 3:7-15) The Cross is always before Him. It is the path His entire life takes. “to be lifted up” so in dying others may have life. What is “life”? To be alive is to be in relationship with the world. To be dead is to place ourselves in an ice cube. We cannot escape nor can others enter. To live is doing away with the chains of selfishness so that we can both love and be loved. Eternal life is living in the love of God.
Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter (Acts 5:17-26; John 3:16-21) He is the light. Light permits us to see. Without light we stumble, knock things down. Without light we are afraid, the unknown hidden in darkness. It is easy to create our own light, to think that we see. A paradox, this light is really the darkness of pride, and selfishness. It is the “I” centric. He comes to
enlighten that light, to break through the light/darkness which we have made . It is this light which allows us to see ourselves as people living tied to God.
Thursday of the Second Week of Easter (Acts 5:27-33; John 3:31-36) How much He loves us. He testifies but no one listens, but He does not stop. Love has to have the courage to be rejected. He never stops giving Himself. It would have been so easy if they had listened. Today He speaks to us. He speaks with the courage of love, we are free to respond or not to respond. “respond” is a beautiful word, it means to answer a hope of another. He has the courage to tell us His hopes for us and for us to say “no”.
Friday of the Second Week of Easter (Acts 5:34-42; John 6:1-15) Such a completely human thing, to feed people. Without food there can be no life. He feeds them not because He has a lot of food, rather He feeds them from a lack of food. He does something from a limitation. The miracle of feeding continues through those who give not because they have a lot, but because the little they do have can do marvelous things.
Saturday of the Second Week of Easter (Acts 6:1-7; John 6:16-21) “do not be afraid” how important these words are. Fear is a two edged sword. At one time it protects us from dangers, and another time it can paralyze us. Fear can be a positive motivator in life, or it can stifle the human spirit. Fear in itself is not bad it only becomes bad when we let it stop us from living. It is this fear that Jesus says to us “do not be afraid”.

Friday, April 22, 2011

HAPPY AND HOLY EASTER TO YOU ALL

Chorus: "Hallelujah"

EASTER SUNDAY

THE EASTER EGG, WHERE DID IT COME FROM


Ancient Spring Goddess
According to the Venerable Bede, Easter derives its name from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A month corresponding to April had been named "Eostremonat," or Eostre's month, leading to "Easter" becoming applied to the Christian holiday that usually took place within it. Prior to that, the holiday had been called Pasch (Passover), which remains its name in most non-English languages.

(Based on the similarity of their names, some connect Eostre with Ishtar, the Babylonian and Assyrian goddess of love and fertility, but there is no solid evidence for this.)

It seems probable that around the second century A.D., Christian missionaries seeking to convert the tribes of northern Europe noticed that the Christian holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus roughly coincided with the Teutonic springtime celebrations, which emphasized the triumph of life over death. Christian Easter gradually absorbed the traditional symbols.

Easter Eggs
In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent. Eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants.

In addition, eggs have been viewed as symbols of new life and fertility through the ages. It is believed that for this reason many ancient cultures, including the Ancient Egyptians, Persians, and Romans, used eggs during their spring festivals.

Many traditions and practices have formed around Easter eggs. The coloring of eggs is a established art, and eggs are often dyed, painted, and otherwise decorated. Eggs were also used in various holiday games: parents would hide eggs for children to find, and children would roll eggs down hills. These practices live on in Easter egg hunts and egg rolls. The most famous egg roll takes place on the White House lawn every year.

Different Traditions
Orthodox Christians in the Middle East and in Greece painted eggs bright red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Hollow eggs (created by piercing the shell with a needle and blowing out the contents) were decorated with pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other religious figures in Armenia.

Germans gave green eggs as gifts on Holy Thursday, and hung hollow eggs on trees. Austrians placed tiny plants around the egg and then boiled them. When the plants were removed, white patterns were created.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Friday, April 15, 2011

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Bible Lesson A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them to Jerusalem. A small child replied: "They couldn't get a baby sitter."
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT THOU SHALT NOT COMITT ADULTERY The obsession with sex clouds a deeper meaning of this commandment. We are quite willing to stop at the sexual explanation. I wonder what God would say about that. When I gave this commandment I did have faithfulness in marriage in mind Marriage is such a holy state that I wanted to impress on people its exclusive nature. However I did have a few other things in mind. You see adultery at its core is an act of injustice. By marriage the spouses mutually have the exclusive right to one another. This comes with the union which takes place when two people say “I do.” So by sexual adultery we deprive someone of this right. That is unjust. This exclusivity extends to other areas of the relationship. Spouses have a right to time, they have a right to feel they are the center of life, they have a right to emotional understanding and support. You see if you deprive your spouse of these you are being unjust. You are making yourself the center, you protect your time all of these are in a way adultery. Of course, there will be times when these things happen. What I am talking about is a consistent behavior. I wanted the same principles to apply not only to marriage but to all relationships. So much trouble could be avoided if people were faithful to the bonds of the human family. Even when it is difficult. Finally be faithful to yourselves. Remember who I have made you. Do not be unjust to yourself by depriving yourself of these gifts. This is really final, life is a great gift. It is not your sole property but belongs to other people. Do not take this away from them
. . CNS Story: WILMINGTON-CUTS Apr-13-2011 (720 words) xxxn Wilmington Diocese to cut jobs, close newspaper to pay abuse costs By Jim GrantCatholic News Service WILMINGTON, Del. (CNS) -- The Diocese of Wilmington will eliminate 19 full-time and three part-time positions as it cuts operating expenses and prepares to pay more than $77.4 million to survivors of sexual abuse by priests. The diocese announced the cuts in a letter from Bishop W. Francis Malooly accompanied by a list of positions that will be eliminated. Among the services that will be discontinued because of the layoffs are two run by Catholic Charities -- parish social ministry and the adoption program. The diocese will also stop publishing its newspaper, The Dialog, after 46 years and will let go the paper's staff of seven full-time employees and one contract staff member. Other staff reductions will come in the offices of the chancery, Hispanic ministry, human resources, religious education and marriage tribunal. A vacant position in Catholic youth ministry will not be filled. Most of the layoffs will be effective July 1. The Dialog "will be phased out sometime this fall," the diocese said. "Alternative modes of communication between the diocese, parishes and the faithful are being studied." In his letter to parishioners, Bishop Malooly expressed "my sincerest regret to those whose positions will be eliminated" and said he was "pained by the loss of jobs by our dedicated, hard-working members of the diocesan family. They and all of our employees have been and are faithful friends and partners in ministry who loyally serve the mission of the church." The bishop said the diocese is extending health insurance benefits "for an additional time period" for employees whose jobs have been cut. He did not specify how long. (Employees whose jobs are being cut are not eligible for unemployment benefits since the diocese has traditionally opted not to pay unemployment compensation taxes, as allowed by Delaware law for church organizations.) One of those whose jobs will be cut is Sister Sally Russell, who for 10 years has been the assistant director of religious education. "The sadness that I carry is beyond human words at this time," she told The Dialog. "There seems to be no limit to the painful reality of the abuse scandal. My deepest sorrow is for the mission of Jesus served by the ministry of catechesis." Noting that the church is observing the penitential season of Lent, Sister Sally said, "I am compelled to live more deeply rooted in the suffering Christ and in the power of the Spirit. I know, in time, gratitude for those whom I have met and all that I have experienced will replace the sadness of the present moment." On Feb. 2 the diocese reached an agreement to pay survivors of sexual abuse by priests more than $77.4 million to settle nearly 150 claims of abuse. The agreement will end pending lawsuits against the diocese and several parishes and commits the diocese to give to survivors its files on sexual abusers. The agreement, pending approval of all creditors and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, is expected to bring to an end sometime this summer the Chapter 11 process the diocese began in October 2009. The diocese declared bankruptcy to settle the cases filed by the survivors in a "fair and equitable way" while continuing the ministries of the church. In his letter Bishop Malooly reiterated what he said in an April 4 memo to employees that announced the cuts to come. The diocese had two major goals in filing bankruptcy, he said, "to fairly compensate all survivors of clergy sexual abuse and honor our obligations to other creditors and pensioners, and to the best of our ability continue the charitable, educational, pastoral, and spiritual work" of the church. In meeting the second obligation, he said, "we have, through the settlement, protected our parishes and now we are taking those necessary steps to continue the mission and ministries of diocesan services, albeit in reduced fashion." The diocese plans to continue to publish The Dialog on its normal publication schedule -- weekly through May 26 then every other week in summer -- while it prepares its new communications approach. The first issue of The Dialog was published Sept. 3, 1965, when it was called the Delmarva Dialog to reflect the geography of the diocese then. From the beginning, the paper has been sent to all registered households who request it; current circulation is about 55,000. END --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Copyright (c) 2011 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250

Thursday, April 7, 2011


Johnny Cash & The Carter Family - Where You There (1960)

Fifth Sunday of Lent

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT THOU SHALT NOT COMITT ADULTERY The obsession with sex clouds a deeper meaning of this commandment. We are quite willing to stop at the sexual explanation. I wonder what God would say about that. When I gave this commandment I did have faithfulness in marriage in mind Marriage is such a holy state that I wanted to impress on people its exclusive nature. However I did have a few other things in mind. You see adultery at its core is an act of injustice. By marriage the spouses mutually have the exclusive right to one another. This comes with the union which takes place when two people say “I do.” So by sexual adultery we deprive someone of this right. That is unjust. This exclusivity extends to other areas of the relationship. Spouses have a right to time, they have a right to feel they are the center of life, they have a right to emotional understanding and support. You see if you deprive your spouse of these you are being unjust. You are making yourself the center, you protect your time all of these are in a way adultery. Of course, there will be times when these things happen. What I am talking about is a consistent behavior. I wanted the same principles to apply not only to marriage but to all relationships. So much trouble could be avoided if people were faithful to the bonds of the human family. Even when it is difficult. Finally be faithful to yourselves. Remember who I have made you. Do not be unjust to yourself by depriving yourself of these gifts. This is really final, life is a great gift. It is not your sole property but belongs to other people. Do not take this away from them

Food For The Poor Haiti Earthquake Anniversary 2011

RAINBOW HOME Apr-6-2011 (850 words) With photo. xxxi Loreto-run Rainbow Home brings new hope for Kolkata's street girls By Anto AkkaraCatholic News Service KOLKATA, India (CNS) -- Fourteen-year-old Maya Shaw dreams that someday she will be flying over India, perhaps even around the world. "I want to become an air hostess," she said confidently in English at the school she attends run by the Loreto sisters in the Sealdah area of Kolkata. Her ambition is not that of a girl born in a middle class or elite family, but of an abandoned girl picked up along with her younger sister, Chaya, as they roamed aimlessly at the Sealdah railway station seven years ago. Both girls had been left on the railway platform by their widowed mother, who was unable to look after them following the death of her husband. The girls now live and study in the comfort of Rainbow Home, a distinctive program for orphaned, abandoned and street girls founded by Loreto Sister Cyril Mooney that combines schooling with life's necessities such as food, hygiene and housing. Maya is in fifth grade at a Loreto-run school connected with the program. That makes her four years older than most of her classmates because her schooling started late, at age 7, shortly after she and her sister were discovered at the railway station. Still, Maya, like dozens of other girls, are far better off than their peers who remain on the crowded streets of Kolkata, Sister Cyril told Catholic News Service. Sister Cyril said the idea to reach out to forgotten girls came after she realized that most Catholic school buildings in Kolkata were used for only a few hours a day. She wanted to help the girls in a broader way than just getting them off the streets. "It is a criminal waste of our resources (not to use the schools more fully) when thousands struggle outside without a home," said the 75-year-old Irish nun who has been principal at her school since 1979. Initially, poor students were educated in off-hours, separate from tuition-paying students from more well-to-do families. In 1997 though, Sister Cyril began mixing students in classrooms. It was the following year, after a 4-year old girl was raped outside the school gate, that Sister Cyril launched Rainbow Home to provide a home-like environment on school premises for the forgotten girls. Gradually, more and more girls were enrolled as two field workers made the rounds of railway stations and red light districts to look for lost children. Today, half of the school's 1,500 students are from poor families or the streets. Older girls and volunteer teachers coach newcomers on the basics of studying and hygiene prior to formal enrollment. "Those who picked up English are admitted to our (English medium) school while other girls are sent to Bengali (language) medium government schools while they stay with us," Sister Cyril said. At the outset, Sister Cyril's efforts drew objections from some tuition-paying parents who felt their children should never be made to sit with girls from the streets. But Sister Cyril convinced them that true education comes from understanding the poverty and social inequities that exist across Indian society. Over the years, Sister Cyril has persuaded her fellow nuns to open Rainbow Homes at the six other Loreto schools across Kolkata. The Loreto congregation -- formally known as the Sisters of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary -- now takes care of more than 700 forgotten girls in the Rainbow Homes. Tuition is waived for poor children, while fees for students from affluent families begin at $33 a month and rise in proportion to family income. Their tuition subsidizes the education of the poor children. A joyful atmosphere in the Rainbow Home resonates when the orphan girls go to bed at night, after dinner and an entertainment hour. Sister Cyril steps in and blows a whistle to get the girls' attention. Together, the girls and Sister Cyril, whom they call "Mother," say a brief prayer. Sister Cyril then moves to a staircase, where each girl embraces her before climbing three floors to reach their dormitory. As the news of Sister Cyril's revolutionary education system spread, hundreds of poorer parents started flocking to the nun seeking admission to the schools. That posed another problem to tackle. "Then I thought the best option would be to educate the children in the slums itself as it would be impossible for many of them to go to school," Sister Cyril explained. So she started a school program in the slums in 2002. The idea spread quickly, and now 380 schools educate nearly 20,000 students across Kolkata. The school network employs more than 1,000 teachers. West Bengal state officials have acknowledged Sister Cyril's pioneering work by freely distributing textbooks for the 20,000 slum children and printing teaching aids she developed specifically suited for the poor students. Sister Cyril's work has garnered several awards, including recognition from UNESCO, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Indian government. The Catholic Church in India also acknowledges her education model by requiring that seminarians in their final year at Morning Star Regional Seminary in Kolkata to spend two weeks at the schools for pastoral training under Sister Cyril's direction. END --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Copyright (c) 2011 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250