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Friday, April 29, 2011
New Priests Younger, Influenced by Parish Priests, Catholic Education, Service as Altar Boys, Social, Church Environment
New Priests Younger, Influenced by Parish Priests, Catholic Education, Service as Altar Boys, Social, Church Environment
Half between 25 and 34 years of age
Seventy-one percent were altar servers
Sixty-seven percent attended Catholic college
WASHINGTON—The average age of men ordained to the priesthood in 2011 is trending younger with the average age for the 2011 class at 34, with more than half between the ages of 25 and 34. This is slightly younger than in 2010, and follows the trend over the past five years of ordinands becoming younger. Seventy-one percent were altar servers
Sixty-seven percent attended Catholic college
These figures stand out in The Class of 2011: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood, an annual national survey of men being ordained priests for U.S. dioceses and religious communities, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), a Georgetown University-based research center. The entire report can be found at www.usccb.org/vocations as well as on the bishops’ vocation Web site, www.ForYourVocation.org. It is the 15th annual survey of ordinands commissioned by the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Data show that on average, most of the ordination class have been Catholic since infancy, but nearly one in ten became Catholic later in life. Four in five report that both parents are Catholic, and a third have a relative who is a priest or religious. Almost all ordinands have at least one sibling; more than half report having more than two siblings. Nearly a quarter report having five or more siblings.
“One important trend evident in this study is the importance of lifelong formation and engagement in the Catholic faith,” said Archbishop Robert J. Carlson of St. Louis, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. “The role of the family, parish priest, friends, and youth ministry are evident in the results.” He noted that, along with their education and work experience, 71percent of the Class of 2011 report they served as an altar server. “This seems to indicate that the involvement of youth in the Church’s activities, especially the liturgy, has a positive impact for their choice of a vocation.”
“The members of the ordination class of 2011 report that they have had a long-term connection and involvement with the Church,” said Father Shawn McKnight, Executive Director of the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. He noted in particular that 66 percent of the class reported encouragement from their parish priest.
Catholic education also had a significant impact upon this year’s ordination class, especially higher education. In comparison to the adult Catholic population in the U.S., the ordination class of 2011 is more likely to have attended Catholic elementary and high school. Particularly remarkable is that among those who attended college before entrance into a seminary, 67 percent attended a Catholic college compared to 7 percent of the adult Catholic population in the U.S.
“When considering the limited resources we have to promote vocations to the priesthood, the campus ministry programs at Catholic and public institutions of higher education deserve special consideration,” said Father McKnight. “We must seek new ways to extend the culture of vocations begun at home, in schools and parishes to follow our young Catholics as they graduate from high school, leave home and parish in order to go to college.”
Before entering the seminary three in five ordinands completed college, and one in five also received a graduate degree. A third of this year’s class entered a college seminary; 45 percent entered a pre-theology program.
The survey had a response rate of approximately 69 percent of the 480 potential ordinands reported by seminaries, houses of formation, dioceses, and religious institutes. They included 275 men being ordained for 128 dioceses and 54 ordinands for religious orders, such as the Jesuits, Dominicans and Franciscans.
In other findings, CARA reported:
- Seven in 10 report their primary race or ethnicity as Caucasian/European American/white (69 percent). Compared to the adult Catholic population of the United States, ordinands were more likely to be Asian or Pacific Islander (10 percent of responding ordinands), but less likely to be Hispanic/Latino (14 percent).
- One-third (33 percent) of the ordination class of 2011 was born outside the United States, the largest numbers coming from Colombia (5 percent), Mexico (4 percent), Poland (4 percent), Vietnam (4 percent) and the Philippines (2 percent). Between 20 and 30 percent of ordinands to the diocesan priesthood for each of the last 10 years were born outside the United States.
- One in five ordinands attended World Youth Day (21 percent), a point of significance given that the last two celebrations were held far away, in Germany and Australia.
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Day 8- Today bring me the souls who are detained in purgatory
Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Christians must bring hope, joy to world hit by pain, death, pope says
Christians must bring hope, joy to world hit by pain, death, pope says
 A Swiss Guard stands at attention as Pope Benedict XVI leaves his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 27. (CNS/Paul Haring) |
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians are called to bring hope, happiness and life to a world marked by despair, sadness and death, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Believing in Christ and his resurrection means bringing new life to others and "dedicating oneself without reserve to the most urgent and just causes" with God's grace and his logic of love, the pope said April 27 at his weekly general audience.
More than 20,000 people packed into St. Peter's Square, many of them young Italian students who were still off from school for the Easter holidays. Banners commemorating Pope John Paul II and his pontificate were hung between the columns surrounding the square in the run-up to the Polish pope's May 1 beatification.
For his catechesis, Pope Benedict looked at the meaning of Easter and Christ's resurrection for the Christian community.
"Faith in the Risen Christ transforms existence, working in us a continuous resurrection" in which Christians are called to renew themselves every day by putting the values Christ taught into action, he said.
Easter can be lived every day "by putting to death the things of this earth and setting our hearts on the things that are on high," he said, echoing a passage from St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians.
By seeking what is above and not what is on earth, the apostle was not urging people to scorn or alienate themselves from the real world, the pope said.
According to St. Paul, avoiding "what is on earth" means letting go of earthly vices such as "immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and the greed that is idolatry," the pope said, quoting the Letter to the Colossians.
It means "letting die in us the insatiable desire for material things and egoism, which is the root of all sin," the pope said.
Setting one's heart on the things of heaven means searching for and living with "heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another," the pope said, again citing St. Paul.
But above all, people must fill their hearts with love so as to become new men and women, he said.
Living the virtues not only transforms one's own life, he said, it is the necessary prerequisite for changing the world in such a way that it promotes full human and social development, which is based on "the logic of solidarity, goodness and respect for the dignity of all."
Love and charity are what bring the "spiritual freedom which can break down any wall," break the bonds of sin, and usher in a new world based on life, justice and reconciliation, he said.
"We cannot keep for ourselves the life and joy" that Christ gave people with his death and resurrection, the pope said; his gift must be shared with others.
"This is our mission: to awaken hope in place of despair, joy in place of sadness, and life in place of death," the pope said.
At the end of the general audience, the pope was flown by helicopter back to the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome. The pope was staying at the papal villa from April 24 to April 30.
http://www.usccb.org/news/index.shtml
Seventh day: Today bring to Me THE SOULS WHO ESPECIALLY VENERATE AND GLORIFY MY MERCY
Today bring to Me THE SOULS WHO ESPECIALLY VENERATE AND GLORIFY MY MERCY
Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God: Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
At Easter, pope prays for peace, freedom in world trouble spots
At Easter, pope prays for peace, freedom in world trouble spots
 Worshippers hold candles during the Easter Vigil Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem April 23. At the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for world trouble spots such as the Middle East. (CNS/Debbie Hill) |
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In an Easter blessing to the world, Pope Benedict XVI prayed that Christ's resurrection may open paths of "freedom, justice and peace" for troubled populations of the Middle East and Africa.
The pope urged an end to violence in Libya and Ivory Coast, assistance to refugees flooding out of North Africa and consolation for the victims of the Japanese earthquake. He prayed for those persecuted for their Christian faith, and praised their courage.
He spoke from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica April 24 in his blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city of Rome and to the world), after celebrating Mass for nearly 100,000 people in St. Peter's Square. Broadcast to many countries and live-streamed on the Internet, it was the last major event on the 84-year-old pontiff's heavy Holy Week schedule.
Pope Benedict said the resurrection of Christ must not be viewed as "the fruit of speculation or mystical experience." It happened in a precise moment and marked history forever, giving human events new strength, new hope and new meaning, he said.
"The entire cosmos is rejoicing today," and every person open to God has reason to be glad, he said.
But the joy of Easter contrasts with "the cries and laments that arise from so many painful situations: deprivation, hunger, disease, war, violence," the pope said.
He prayed that "the splendor of Christ reach the peoples of the Middle East, so that the light of peace and of human dignity may overcome the darkness of division, hate and violence." In Libya, he said, diplomacy and dialogue need to take the place of armed fighting, and the suffering must have access to humanitarian aid.
The pope alluded to the civil unrest that has spread throughout northern Africa and the Middle East, encouraging all citizens there, especially young people, to work for a society where poverty is defeated and where "every political choice is inspired by respect for the human person." The refugees who have fled the conflicts deserve a generous response by other populations, he added.
The pope said the many forms of suffering in "this wounded world" make the Easter message all the more meaningful.
"In our hearts there is joy and sorrow, on our faces there are smiles and tears. Such is our earthly reality. But Christ is risen, he is alive and he walks with us," he said. He then offered Easter greetings in 65 languages, including Chinese, Hindi and Swahili.
The pope arrived at the Easter liturgy in an open jeep, riding through a crowd that overflowed the square into adjacent streets. Many of the pilgrims were Poles who had already arrived in Rome for the May 1 beatification of Pope John Paul II.
As clouds gave way to sunshine, the pope celebrated Mass on an altar surrounded by flower gardens of yellow narcissus, cream-colored roses and blue delphiniums -- all donated and shipped to Rome by Dutch florists.
After the Gospel reading, an Orthodox choir sang a hymn of psalms of the Byzantine liturgical tradition, marking the fact that the Catholic and Orthodox celebration of Easter fell on the same day this year.
In a lengthy Easter vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica the night before, the pope baptized and confirmed six adults from Albania, China, Peru, Russia, Singapore and Switzerland. He poured holy water from a golden shell over each catechumen's head, and later accepted offertory gifts from the newly baptized.
In a sermon, he analyzed why the Christian's sense of environmental responsibility is directly connected to the core beliefs of the faith.
"We relate to God the creator, and so we have a responsibility for creation," he said. "Only because God created everything can he give us life and direct our lives."
The trajectory of salvation history, which reaches a summit with Christ's resurrection, reaches all the way back to creation, he said. For the Christian, he said, the account of creation is not about the scientific process involved, but something deeper: it says that the source of everything is not pure chance, but "creative reason, love and freedom."
The pope rejected an evolutionary account that excludes a divine purpose.
"It is not the case that the expanding universe, at a late stage, in some tiny corner of the cosmos, there evolved randomly some species of living being capable of reasoning and of trying to find rationality within creation, or to bring rationality into it," he said.
"If man were merely a random product of evolution in some place on the margins of the universe, then life would make no sense," he said. "Reason is there at the beginning: creative, divine reason."
The pope said Easter was a good time for Christians to remind themselves that the faith embraces everything about the human being, from his origins to his eternal destiny.
"Life in the church's faith involves more than a set of feelings and sentiments and perhaps moral obligations," he said.
On Good Friday, the pope presided over a nighttime Way of the Cross liturgy at Rome's Colosseum, where tradition holds that early Christians were put to death. Kneeling on a platform on a hillside facing the ancient amphitheater, the pope opened the ceremony with a prayer that drew attention to the constant struggle between good and evil in human history.
He appeared to refer to the priestly sex abuse scandal when he spoke of the "hour of darkness" when "an emptiness of meaning and values nullifies the work of education, and the disorder of the heart disfigures the innocence of the small and the weak."
The meditations for the 14 Stations of the Cross were written this year by an Augustinian nun, Mother Maria Rita Piccione. The texts encouraged Christians to develop the ability to listen to the subtle voice of God that speaks through the human conscience, and not to ignore the needs of the poor and suffering in their midst.
In a closing talk, the pope said that reliving the drama of Christ's crucifixion demonstrates that the cross is not a triumphal symbol but rather the sign of "God's immense love" for humanity.
http://www.usccb.org/news/index.shtml
Day 6: Today bring to Me THE MEEK AND HUMBLE SOULS AND THE SOULS OF LITTLE CHILDREN
Sixth Day
Today bring to Me THE MEEK AND HUMBLE SOULS AND THE SOULS OF LITTLE CHILDREN
Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Fifth Day-Today bring to Me THE SOULS OF THOSE WHO HAVE SEPARATED THEMSELVES FROM MY CHURCH
Today bring to Me THE SOULS OF THOSE WHO HAVE SEPARATED THEMSELVES FROM MY CHURCH
Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son's Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Fourth Day: Today bring to Me THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD AND THOSE WHO DO NOT YET KNOW ME
Fourth Day
Today bring to Me THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD AND THOSE WHO DO NOT YET KNOW ME
Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Today bring to Me ALL DEVOUT AND FAITHFUL SOULS
Third Day
Today bring to Me ALL DEVOUT AND FAITHFUL SOULS
Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy You impart Your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from it. We beg this of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Vatican commission expresses deep concern over relations with China
Vatican commission expresses deep concern over relations with China
By John ThavisCatholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A Vatican commission on China expressed deep concern over worsening relations with the Chinese government and appealed to authorities there to avoid steps that would aggravate church-state problems.
Specifically, the commission urged Chinese authorities not to persist in imposing new government-backed bishops who do not have the approval of Pope Benedict XVI.
Titled a "Message to Chinese Catholics," the text was issued April 14 following a three-day annual meeting of the commission at the Vatican.
The commission expressed joy at the news that the Diocese of Shanghai was launching the beatification cause of Paul Xu Guangqi, a Chinese scholar who worked closely with the famed Jesuit missionary, Father Matteo Ricci, in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Pope Benedict met with commission members at the end of their encounter, praising Chinese Catholics' desire for unity with Rome and underlining the importance of spiritual formation in confronting present challenges.
The commission's message began by noting the "general climate of disorientation and anxiety about the future" of the church in China, following recent setbacks in church-state relations. It said that given the numerous vacant dioceses in China, the selection of new bishops was an urgent necessity and at the same time "a source of deep concern."
"The commission strongly hopes that there will not be new wounds to ecclesial communion," it said. "We look with trepidation and fear to the future: We know that it is not entirely in our hands, and we launch an appeal so that the problems do not grow and that the divisions are not deepened, at the expense of harmony and peace."
The message said the ordination of a new bishop of Chengde last November -- the first without papal approval in four years -- was a "sad episode" that had inflicted a "painful wound" on church unity. It emphasized that the church considers the appointment of bishops a religious, not a political matter, which rightly falls under the pope's "supreme spiritual authority."
The message said the Vatican, while it does not have reason to regard the ordination in Chengde invalid, does consider it "gravely illegitimate" because it was conferred without the papal mandate. As a result, it said, the bishop's exercise of ministry is also illegitimate.
The message also addressed the fact that several other bishops, including some in communion with the pope, took part in the Chengde ordination. Because these bishops may have been forced to participate, excommunication was not automatically incurred, the Vatican commission said.
But it called on all bishops involved in the ordination to explain themselves to the Vatican and to their own priests and faithful, to help "repair the external scandal" caused by their participation.
The message also criticized the Chinese government-controlled National Congress of Catholic Representatives that was held in Beijing Dec. 7-9. Many bishops, priests, religious and laypeople were forced to take part in the assembly against their will.
The commission cited Pope Benedict's 2007 letter to Chinese Catholics, which said Catholic doctrine cannot accept that state-controlled organizations outside the structure of the church can guide the life of the Catholic community.
The commission's message said the church was open to "sincere and respectful dialogue with the civil authorities" in order to overcome the present problems. Specifically, it said the Vatican was ready to sit down and consult with Chinese authorities on the question of the redrawing of diocesan boundaries in China.
The message asked the whole church to pray for Chinese Catholics, in particular on May 24, the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, which Pope Benedict has designated as a day of prayer for the church in China.
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1101487.htm
Monday, April 18, 2011
Technology without God pulls humanity down, pope says on Palm Sunday
Happy Birthday Papa!!!
Technology without God pulls humanity down, pope says on Palm Sunday
 Pope Benedict XVI carries woven palm fronds as he arrives in procession to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 17. (CNS/Paul Haring) |
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI warned that technological progress must not lead people to think they can "become God."
About 50,000 faithful waved olive branches and palm fronds in St. Peter's Square April 17 at the start of the liturgy that commemorated Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem five days before his crucifixion.
The German pontiff, who celebrated his 84th birthday the day before, joined a procession that led to the Egyptian obelisk in the center of the square. He asked listeners to continue to prepare for Easter through penitence and acts of charity.
Holding a braided palm garland, he then rode in a jeep to the main altar for the two-and-a-half-hour Mass. It was the beginning of Holy Week, the busiest period of the year for the pope, with a demanding schedule of public appearances.
In his homily, Pope Benedict said the Palm Sunday procession must be understood as more than a "quaint custom." It represents the spiritual ascent that all Christians are called to make, a journey "along the high road that leads to the living God," he said.
Such an ascent is impossible without God's help, he said, although men and women have long attempted to "attain the heights of God by their own powers." All the inventions of the human spirit are ultimately an effort to become independent and completely free -- but without God, this effort is doomed to failure, he said.
"Mankind has managed to accomplish so many things: We can fly. We can see, hear and speak to one another from the farthest ends of the earth," he said.
"And yet the force of gravity which draws us down is powerful. With the increase of our abilities there has been an increase not only of good. Our possibilities for evil have increased and appear like menacing storms above history," he said.
The pope said that despite progress, human limitations have been evident in recent disasters that "have caused so much suffering for humanity."
He described people as caught between two "gravitational fields": the force of gravity that pulls people down toward selfishness, falsehood and evil, and the force of God's love that pulls people up.
The spiritual ascent to which Christians are called has some concrete elements, including purity, honesty and faith in God, he said.
"The great achievements of technology are liberating and contribute to the progress of mankind only if they are joined to these attitudes -- if our hands become clean and our hearts pure, if we seek truth, if we seek God and let ourselves be touched and challenged by his love," he said.
In the end, he said, a spiritual ascent is effective only if people humbly acknowledge that they need God and "abandon the pride of wanting to become God."
At the end of the Mass, the pope expressed greetings in seven languages to the thousands of young people in the square and said he was looking forward to the World Youth Day celebration in Madrid next August. The youths serenaded the pope with an abbreviated version of "Happy Birthday" in Italian.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
U.S. abortions pray for repentance forgiveness and redemption for our nation and the whole world
Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary EVERY DAY for peace, the ending of abortion, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.
Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Daily for the mercy of God upon us, the faithful, the Pope, all Bishops, all Priests, all religious, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, the Holy souls in purgatory, all in need, those who have left the Church, those who attack the Church, and those who seek the ruin of the kingdom. May Jesus have mercy on us all.
Please pray the Stations of the Cross daily to remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us and to encourage us to do the same for others. Abortion is a national tradgedy and will not end without the intercession of Jesus and Mary.
Some people say that God will judge our country for the murder of over 50 million of our own citizens. I contened it has already started. The greatest strength of a nation is its people. The measure of that strength is economic activity.
Of the 50 million who have been slain, approx. 30 million would be in the workforce and be having children of their own. So we are seeing a second generation that is being eliminated as well. 1973 and Roe v. Wade was 37 years ago, I have people I know who were grandparents by the age of 36, so a third generation is being affected.
If we use the economic statistics that are released by the gov. then 50 million people would represent 1/7th of our population and if this group was just average then that would be another $2.2 trillion dollars contributed to the GDP. It would represent nearly $880 billion in taxes for the Fed, State, and Local governments. They would purchase 1.5 million new vehicles a year. They would occupy 16.5 million homes. Their debt load would be in excess of $750 billion dollars, their interest payments to banks (no need to bail out) would be over $50 billion a year. Their ecconomic activity is reflected in what was lost in this recession. The totals are staggering and the number coincide too much to be by chance.
In addition the world has done the same thing and an estimated 1 billion abortions have taken place in the last 40 years. China has reached a point where there will be 1 worker for every 2 retirees in the next 30 years. Only the Divine Mercy of Jesus can straighten this out. LORD have mercy!!!!
So here we are. What is next? Repent, Pray, Reconcile, Redeem. Have hope that Jesus will hear our prayers. If we all pray the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet as well as the Stations of the Cross something marvalous will have to happen. Christ will hear our prayer and heal our land. Will you be a part of the vision and spread this message of hope? Todd
Monday, April 11, 2011
The folded napkin
Why did Jesus fold the Napkin?
> >
> > This is one I can honestly say I have never seen circulating in the emails
> > so; I'll start it, if it touches you and you want to forward it.
> > Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never
> > noticed this....
> > The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over
> > the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The
> > Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded,
> > and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.
> > Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the
> > tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
> > She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus
> > loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I
> > don't know where they have put him!'
> > Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple
> > outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen
> > cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.
> > Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen
> > wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was
> > folded up and lying to the side.
> > Is that important? Absolutely!
> > Is it really significant? Yes!
> > In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to
> > understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded
> > napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this
> > tradition.
> > When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it
> > was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished
> > perfectly, and then the servant would wait just out of sight, until the
> > master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table,
> > until the master was finished.
> > Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his
> > fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and
> > toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For
> > in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'.
> > But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it
> > beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table,
> > because..........
> > The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'
> > He is Coming Back!
> > Now everytime I use a cloth napkin after a meal I will think of this one.
> >
> > Happy Easter to all who enjoy this!
> > Look at Aubrey's Blog-- Okoboji Stories
Friday, April 8, 2011
Today's Gospel;John 7: 1 - 2, 10, 25 - 30
| John 7: 1 - 2, 10, 25 - 30 | |
| 1 | After this Jesus went about in Galilee; he would not go about in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. |
| 2 | Now the Jews' feast of Tabernacles was at hand. |
| 10 | But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. |
| 25 | Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, "Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? |
| 26 | And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? |
| 27 | Yet we know where this man comes from; and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from." |
| 28 | So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, "You know me, and you know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord; he who sent me is true, and him you do not know. |
| 29 | I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me." |
| 30 | So they sought to arrest him; but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. |
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Today's Gospel: John 5: 17 - 30
17 But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working still, and I am working."
18 This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God.
19 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise.
20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all that he himself is doing; and greater works than these will he show him, that you may marvel.
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.
22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
23 that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself,
27 and has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man.
28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
29 and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.
30 "I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/inspiration.htm#3
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Today's Gospel: John 5: 1 - 16
John 5: 1 - 16
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Beth-za'tha, which has five porticoes.
3 In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed.
5 One man was there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?"
7 The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me."
8 Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your pallet, and walk."
9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked. Now that day was the sabbath.
10 So the Jews said to the man who was cured, "It is the sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet."
11 But he answered them, "The man who healed me said to me, `Take up your pallet, and walk.'"
12 They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, `Take up your pallet, and walk'?"
13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.
14 Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you."
15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.
16 And this was why the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did this on the sabbath.
http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/inspiration.htm#3
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Please pray: How to Pray the Stations of the Cross
The Intentions of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
Peace
The Salvation of Souls
The Ending of Abortion
The Intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict
The needs and intentions of at least 10 others
For God's Mercy on His Church and Your nation
1st STATION
Jesus is condemned by Pontious Pilate
Jesus is condemned to die.
God, through sin, I crucify.
2nd STATION
Jesus accepts the cross.
Jesus bears the bitter cross.
Bear me up in grief and loss.
3rd STATION
Jesus falls the first time.
Jesus falls in blood and woe.
Sins of mine have struck Him low.
4th STATION
Jesus meets His mother Mary
Son and Mother meet in pain,
Must they grieve for me in vain?
5th STATION
Simon is recruited to carry the cross
Simon helps to bear the load.
Lead me, too, along the road.
6th STATION
St. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus with her veil.
On a cloth He prints His face.
In my soul Thy image trace.
7th STATION
Jesus falls the second time.
Struck to earth again be me.
Help me rise to follow Thee.
8th STATION
Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem.
" Weep for sins, " He tells them.
Jesus, make my grief sincere.
9th STATION
Jesus fall the third time
Thrice He falls, by lashes torn.
In Thy blood I rise, reborn.
10th STATION
Jesus is stripped of His garments.
Stripping Christ, they tear His skin.
Help me tear my flesh from sin.
11th STATION
Jesus is nailed to the cross.
In His hands, they drive the nail.
In Thy hands, I cannot fail.
12th STATION
Jesus is crucified and dies.
Jesus dies, His all to give.
By Thy death, teach me to live.
13th STATION
Jesus is taken down from the cross.
Mary, as you take your Son,
Take me, too, when life is done.
14th STATION
Jesus is placed in the tomb.
Buried with Christ who died for me,
May I rest at last in Thee.
Some add a 15th Station with the Resurrection of Christ.
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