from Heaven's Mass - Dr Scott Hahn

This is how our Lord wants to be known to us: in the Eucharistic liturgy, in the holy sacrifice of the Mass, in the one thing that we do that matters more than everything else we do put together. But before we can really appreciate this holy and sacred meal, we need to study the menu. And our Lord could’ve just gone straight away into the breaking of the bread, but instead he stopped long enough to open up the Law and prophets and to make all of these things understandable by showing how they relate to him. And what did they say? ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he opened the Scriptures?’

—DR. SCOTT HAHN
from Heaven’s Mass

Fifth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B April 29, 2018

First Reading
Acts of the Apostles 9:26-31
Paul is accepted by the apostles at Jerusalem.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 22:26-27,28,30,31-32
The whole world shall praise the Lord.
Second Reading
1 John 3:18-24
God commands us to believe in Jesus Christ and to love one another.
Gospel Reading
Jesus teaches that he is the vine and that his disciples are the branches. John 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
Background on the Gospel Reading*
Today’s reading from the Gospel of John is part of Jesus’ discourse at the
Last Supper. Recall that John tells the story of Jesus’ Last Supper
differently from the other Evangelists. In John’s Gospel, the Last Supper
begins with Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. Jesus then provides them
with a series of instructions. We call this section the Last Supper
discourse or Jesus’ farewell discourse. In these chapters of John’s Gospel,
Jesus instructs his disciples about the importance of following his example
of love and service, about the gift they will receive when Jesus sends them
the Holy Spirit, and about their relationship with Jesus and with the
world. The Last Supper discourse concludes with Jesus’ prayer for his
disciples.
Today’s Gospel reading is taken from middle of the Last Supper discourse.
Jesus speaks about his relationship to his disciples. In his metaphor of
the vine and the branches, Jesus is referencing the Hebrew Scriptures. In
the Hebrew Scriptures, Israel is the vineyard, and Yahweh himself tends the
vineyard. One of the primary themes of John’s Gospel is to show Jesus to be
the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel.
In this passage, Jesus teaches his disciples that his relationship with
them will not end after his death; he will remain with them always. This
unity between Jesus and his disciples is the basis for their ability to
continue to do the work that he began. Similarly, Jesus’ presence with us
through the Gift of the Holy Spirit enables us to continue the work of love
and reconciliation that he began.
Jesus also teaches his disciples about the importance of the words he has
taught to them. Just as Jesus will remain in the disciples, so too will his
words. We come to know Jesus through the Scriptures, the living Word of
God. Our commitment to be Christ’s disciples is sustained through God’s
Word. This commitment is also strengthened by our life of prayer and
nourished by the Eucharist. Through the Eucharist, Jesus dwells in us,
remains with us, and transforms us so that we might bear fruit in his name.
We observe many people who act in ways that show their commitment to serve
their neighbor. Christians and non-Christians feed the hungry, care for the
sick, shelter the homeless, and give alms to the poor. These actions become
acts of Christian discipleship when they are motivated by our relationship
with Jesus. Whatever the immediate results, Jesus promises us that these
actions will bear fruit when we undertake them in his name.
Family Connection
The goal of our life of prayer is to increase our awareness that Jesus
lives with us always. Prayer is more than a dialogue with God; prayer is a
lifting of our minds and hearts to God so that God might dwell and act
within us and through us. The pinnacle of our life of prayer is our
communion with Jesus in the Eucharist. Through this sacrament, we receive
Jesus himself, and he remains with us. Our life of prayer and our union
with Jesus will lead us to fruitful service to others.
Place a plant in your gathering space. Invite everyone to look at the
plant, noting the connection between the plant and its leaves. Talk about
the integral connection between all the parts of a healthy plant. Introduce
today’s Gospel by saying that Jesus talked about his relationship to his
disciples using this metaphor. Read today’s Gospel, John 15:1-8. Talk about
the ways in which we are invited to relate to Jesus as his disciples
today—prayer, Scripture, the Eucharist, and so on. When we do these things,
Jesus promises to remain with us and to lead us to serve others well. Pray
together that we will continue to be attentive and open to Jesus as he
works in our lives today. Pray together the Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love.

Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings

Wisdom from Fr. Thomas Dubay

Faith-filled frugality... shouts reality into the ears of anyone willing to hear. It dissipates the tinselly illusions of marketing and advertising and consumerism. It declares that elegant dining and drinking, extensive wardrobes, expensive traveling and position, prestige, and pleasure seeking are really side issues, indeed, often impediments, to the main business of life.

—Fr. Thomas Dubay
from Happy Are You Poor

Wisdom from Gerhard Cardinal Müller

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True hope is only possible if we ground our life in God, revealed as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; his nature as the Trinity reveals to us our own threefold nature, because we are able to recall that everything proceeds from the Father, to discover through our intellect our inherence in the Son, and to accept in the Spirit the loving relationship between the Father and the Son. —Gerhard Cardinal Müller from The Cardinal Müller Report: An Exclusive Interview on the State of the Church

Wisdom from Mother Teresa

Give Jesus not only your hands to serve, but your heart to love. Pray with absolute trust in God’s loving care for you. Let Him use you without consulting you. Let Jesus fill you with joy that you may preach without preaching.

—MOTHER TERESA
from Love: A Fruit Always in Season

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Catholic Wisdom

He has gone away so we will seek him, so we will find him. He never told us it was going to be an easy road. Nothing is impossible with God.

—from Full of Grace

Fourth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B April 22, 2018

FIRST READING
Acts of the Apostles 4:8-12
Peter announces an act of healing in the name of Jesus Christ.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 118:1,8-9,21-23,26,28,29
A prayer of thanksgiving to God for his kindness

SECOND READING
1 John 3:1-2
God revealed his love for us by calling us children of God.

GOSPEL READING
Jesus says that he is the good shepherd who knows his sheep.

JOHN 10:11-18

Jesus said:
"I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father."

BACKGROUND ON THE GOSPEL READING

The fourth Sunday of Easter is also called Good Shepherd Sunday. In each
of the three lectionary cycles, our Gospel is taken from the 10th
chapter of the Gospel of John. In Cycle B, we hear the middle verses of
this chapter. Unless we consider this chapter in the greater context of
John's Gospel, we will miss the radical nature of the statement Jesus
makes when he declares himself to be the Good Shepherd.

This chapter of John's Gospel follows Jesus' healing of the man born
blind and the rejection of this miracle by the Jewish leaders who
question Jesus' authority to heal. Jesus responds to this challenge by
calling himself the Good Shepherd. He is criticizing the leadership of
the Pharisees and the other Jewish leaders. The Pharisees and other
Jewish leaders are so angry that they attempt to stone and arrest Jesus
(see John 10:31,39). This controversy with the religious leaders
continues until Jesus' death.

In the portion of the chapter that we hear proclaimed today, Jesus
describes his relationship with his followers as similar to the
relationship between a good shepherd and his sheep. As a good shepherd
will risk and lay down his life in order to protect his sheep, Jesus
willingly sacrifices himself for the sake of his sheep. Jesus contrasts
the actions of the good shepherd with the actions of the hired shepherd
who abandons the sheep in the face of danger. In the verses following
Jesus' teaching, we learn that the Pharisees and the other religious
leaders understand that Jesus is referring to them when he describes the
hired shepherds.

The concern of a good shepherd for his sheep is part of the shepherd's
job. Jesus says, however, that the actions of the good shepherd are
based upon the relationship that develops between the shepherd and the
sheep. This is at the heart of the difference between the good shepherd
and the hired shepherd. The good shepherd knows the sheep and therefore
acts out of love. For the Good Shepherd, this is never simply part of a
job; this love-in-action is integral to his identity.

As with so much of John's Gospel, one hears in this passage John's
particular focus on Christology. As the sheep are known by the Good
Shepherd, the Father knows Jesus and Jesus knows the Father. There is an
essential unity between the Father and the Son. The freedom with which
Jesus acts when he lays down his life is rooted in the unity that he
shares with his Father.

In this context, Jesus also refers to others with whom he shares a
relationship. By this reference, John probably understands the eventual
inclusion of the Gentiles in the Christian community. Our modern ears
hear this as a reference to Christian unity. The work of ecumenism is to
restore unity among all Christians so that we form one flock under one
shepherd, as God desires.

FAMILY CONNECTION

The Good Shepherd makes sacrifices for the sheep not because it is
required, but because it is a choice. That sounds a lot like parenting
and the dynamics of a healthy family life. Parents choose to make
sacrifices for their children out of love, not obligation. Christian
parents model and invite their children to choose to make sacrifices for
other family members and for other people, acting out of love rather
than obligation.

When you gather as a family, invite each family member to consider the
attitude that permeates their participation in family life. Read a
common examen, such as any of the following: Do we do family chores
cheerfully and without having to be asked multiple times? Do we gladly
share with others? Do we willingly contribute to the family good when
asked? Read aloud today's Gospel, John 10:11-18. Discuss together how
the example of the Good Shepherd might inspire your family life. Invite
each family member to make a renewed commitment to one action/attitude
to focus on in the upcoming week that show that we will choose to follow
the example of the Good Shepherd. Pray together that we will be able to
honor our commitment. Pray together Saint Ignatius of Loyola's Prayer
for Generosity.


Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings

More of ARCHBISHOP FULTON SHEEN

What our Lord said to Judas, he says to the world today: You seemingly are very interested in social justice. Why are you not concerned about individual justice? You love your neighbor; why do you not love God? This is the attitude of the world today. We have swung away from a period in which we were concerned with individual sanctification to the neglect of the social order. Now we have gone to the extreme of being immersed with social justice, civil rights, and so forth, and we are not the least bit concerned about individual justice and the duty of paying honor and glory to God. If you march with a banner, if you protest, then your individual life may be impure, alcoholic, anything you please. That does not matter. Judas is the patron saint of those who divide that universal law of God: Love God and love neighbor.

—ARCHBISHOP FULTON SHEEN from Through the Year with Fulton Sheen

Wisdom on living out your faith

Faith is not about explaining things. It is about living, and breathing, and walking in the light that is upon us.

—from Full of Grace

More wisdom from Robert Haddad

Be balanced, in the middle. You can believe something privately, but always with a reservation. Wait until the Church approves. Same with your criticism. You can hold privately the opinion that someone isn’t receiving something from God, but always subject to the Church’s final decision. When I say ‘the Church,’ do I mean necessarily the Pope, and the commission in Rome? Not necessarily. The local church is governed by the local bishop. Ordinarily, it’s for the local bishop to receive any evidence of an alleged apparition, message, allocution, dream, whatever, and for him to set up a commission to examine it. That’s been the case with all the great, approved apparitions of the Church.

—ROBERT HADDAD from Apparitions True and False

More wisdom from missionary work

We need men and women who come motivated by love of Jesus Christ to work in his name, who come prepared to embrace the crucified Christ, who is in the face and the pain of every brother or sister who is suffering.

—FR. CHRISTOPHER HARTLEY from A Priest Stands Up for Exploited Sugarcane Workers

More Wisdom from Fr. Dave Pivonka

God is triune. Jesus shows himself and reveals himself to us, but there’s also something more than that: there’s the God who reveals himself to us as Father, Jesus, but also the Holy Spirit. The disciples, who had every advantage of seeing all of these amazing things and being with Jesus, still where we find them after his Death and Resurrection is in a locked room. I think that’s where a lot of people’s spiritual life is, in this locked room. The spiritual life was never supposed to be lived in a locked room. Scripture says that the doors were locked out of fear. I think that’s a lot of our experiences. We feel trapped and dry and stagnant and all these kinds of things and there has to be something more.

—FR. DAVE PIVONKA from The Wild Goose

Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle B April 15, 2018

First Reading
Acts of the Apostles 3:13-15,17-19
Peter preaches that Jesus has been raised from the dead and calls upon
the people to repent.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 4:2,4,7-8,9
A prayer seeking God's favor

Second Reading
1 John 2:1-5a
Those who know God keep his commandments.

Gospel ReadingJesus appears again to his disciples and shares a meal with them.

LUKE 24:35-48

The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way,
and how Jesus was made known to them
in the breaking of bread.

While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
"Peace be with you."
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have."
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.

He said to them,
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things."

BACKGROUND ON THE GOSPEL READING

On the third Sunday of Easter, we continue to hear Gospel accounts of
Jesus' appearances to his disciples following his Resurrection. Today's
reading, taken from the Gospel of Luke, follows immediately after the
report of Jesus' appearance to his disciples on the road to Emmaus. This
is the event being recounted by the disciples in the opening verse of
today's Gospel.

Consistently in the reports of Jesus' post-Resurrection appearances,
Jesus greets his disciples with the words, "Peace be with you." This is
a most appropriate greeting. The disciples have witnessed the death of
someone they loved, and they now fear for their own lives as well. Peace
is what they need more than anything else. Jesus often connects this
greeting of peace with another gift--forgiveness. In today's Gospel,
this connection is made in the final verses.

Even as they hear Jesus' greeting of peace, the disciples are startled
and terrified. They are uncertain about what to make of the figure
before them and, quite understandably, they mistake Jesus for a ghost.
Yet the figure before them is not a ghost; Jesus invites them to
experience his resurrected body with their senses, to look and to touch.
The figure before them is flesh and bone, still bearing the marks of
crucifixion. Although the disciples cannot forget his suffering and
death, peace begins to take root in their hearts, as their fears turn to
joy and amazement.

As further proof of his identity and of his resurrected body, Jesus eats
with his disciples. The disciples have known Jesus best through the
meals that he has shared with them. Descriptions of these meals are a
defining element of Luke's Gospel. By eating with his disciples after
his Resurrection, Jesus recalls all these meals, and most importantly,
he recalls the Last Supper.

Luke's report of the Last Supper and the meals that Jesus shared after
his Resurrection unveil for us the significance of the Eucharist. Having
shared a meal with his disciples, Jesus now uncovers for them the
significance of what was written about him in the Scriptures. So, too,
our celebration of the Mass is an encounter with Jesus, through the Word
and the Sacrament of the Eucharist. As Jesus commissions his disciples
to be witnesses to what Scriptures foretold, our celebration of the
Eucharist commissions us. Like the disciples, we are sent to announce
the good news of Jesus' forgiveness of sins.

FAMILY CONNECTION
Family life is strengthened through storytelling and shared meal times.
In a similar way, Christian life is sustained by God's word in Scripture
and by Christ's presence in the Eucharist. We are especially sustained
in our faith through our weekly celebration of Mass. Today's Gospel
reading reminds us that the Scripture and the Eucharist are given to us
so that our acts of bearing witness to Christ might be strengthened.

As you gather as a family, ask each person to share their favorite story
about your family. Talk about the importance of these memories about
your family life and the importance of the meals you have shared
together as a family. Recall that these stories and meals strengthen the
love you share. In a similar way, our Christian life is strengthened by
sharing God's Word and the Eucharist at Mass. Read together today's
Gospel, Luke 24:35-48. Discuss the mission that Jesus gave to his
disciples after their shared meal. The Eucharist also sends us to be
Christ's witnesses in the world today. Conclude by praying together that
we will be strengthened by God's word and by Jesus' presence in the
Eucharist to be witnesses to Christ. Pray together Tantum Ergo or
today's psalm, Psalm 4.


Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings

Wisdom from Robert Haddad

We don’t accept any private revelation that adds to or attempts to correct what is already in the public realm, public revelation. Ultimately, revelations, visions, prodigies, are either from God, man, or the Devil. With God we also include, of course, first and foremost Jesus Christ himself. St. Paul makes it clear he received private revelation from Christ. Also include the Virgin Mary or an angel in this category, or any other saint that appears to someone else while they’re alive on earth. From man, we include pure human knowledge, our own imagination, our own skill, our own trickery, our cunning, any human activity or device to cause anything to happen or deceive others. Not all sins are due to temptations caused by the Devil. There’s different sources for sin: the world, the flesh, and the Devil. There’s also different sources for false apparitions. And humans are almost as adept as creating false apparitions as the Devil and his demons.

—ROBERT HADDAD from Apparitions True and False

More2 Wisdom from Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Because [Christ] is born in a cave, all who wish to see him must bend, must stoop, and the stoop is the mark of humility. The proud refuse to stoop. Therefore they miss divinity. Those, however, who are willing to risk bending their egos to go into that cave, find that they are not in a cave at all; but they are in a universe where sits a babe on his mother’s lap, the babe who made the world.

—ARCHBISHOP FULTON SHEEN from Through the Year with Fulton Sheen

Wisdom from missionary work

Giving to the poor also has meaning as an act of expiation for our sins. It’s a token of repentance and conversion. Giving what we have is a sign and testament that Christ has entered our house, our life.

—FR. CHRISTOPHER HARTLEY from A Priest Stands Up for Exploited Sugarcane Workers

Wisdom from Fr. Dave Pivonka

Only the Holy Spirit can pour forth God’s love. God’s love is different from any other kind of love. It’s unconditional, it’s perfect, it’s satisfying, there’s no end to it. There will be a day when the water will no longer flow over these falls, but there will never be a day that the love of God will not be poured forth into our hearts.

—FR. DAVE PIVONKA from The Wild Goose

More wisdom from Fr. Donald Haggerty

Divine mercy is an extraordinary gift when great sins have marred a life. But God’s mercy is not intended simply for the forgiveness of sin. It is meant for the sake of a life that will stretch ever farther after a conversion in an intensity of love. The Lord who on an earlier day rescued us deserves nothing less than a life of great love in gratitude to him.

—FR. DONALD HAGGERTY from Conversion: Spiritual Insights Into an Essential Encounter with God

Second Sunday of Easter, Cycle B (or Sunday of Divine Mercy) April 8, 2018

FIRST READING
Acts of the Apostles 4:32-35The first Christian community shared their possessions, and no one was
needy.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 118:2-4,13-15,22-24
The Lord's mercy endures forever.

SECOND READING
1 John 5:1-6
Those who love God keep his commandments.

GOSPEL READING
Thomas believes because he sees Jesus.

GOSPEL JOHN 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord."
But he said to them,
"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

BACKGROUND ON THE GOSPEL READING

Today's reading from the Gospel of John is proclaimed on the Second
Sunday of Easter in each of the lectionary cycles. This fact alone
should alert us to the significance of the encounters with the
resurrected Jesus that are described in this reading. This Gospel
combines two scenes: Jesus' appearance to his disciples after his
Resurrection and Jesus' dialogue with Thomas, the disciple who doubted.

Part of the mystery of Jesus' Resurrection is that he appeared to his
disciples not as a spirit, but in bodily form. We do not know, however,
exactly what this form looked like. Earlier in John's Gospel, when Mary
of Magdala first encountered the risen Jesus, she did not recognize him
until he spoke to her. In Luke's Gospel, the disciples walking along the
road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus until he broke bread with them.
We know from readings such as today's that in his resurrected form,
Jesus was not bound by matter; he appeared to the disciples inside a
home even though the door was locked. Yet the disciples could still
touch the marks of his Crucifixion.

In today's Gospel, Jesus greets his disciples with the gift of peace.
Jesus then commissions his disciples to continue the work that he has
begun; as Jesus was sent by God, so Jesus sends his disciples. He gives
his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit so that they will be able to
accomplish this task. Jesus' words to his disciples also highlight the
integral connection between the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the
Holy Spirit. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, we can share forgiveness
and reconciliation with others.

Thomas, the doubting disciple in today's reading, represents the reality
of the Church that comes after this first community of witnesses to
Jesus. All but the first disciples of Jesus must believe without seeing.
Like Thomas, we may doubt the news that Jesus, who was crucified and
buried, appeared to his disciples. Our human nature seeks hard evidence
that the Jesus who appeared to his disciples after his death is indeed
the same Jesus who was crucified. Thomas is given the opportunity to be
our representative in obtaining this evidence. He gives witness to us
that the Jesus who was raised is the same Jesus who died. Through the
gift of the Holy Spirit, we are among those who are blessed, for we have
not seen and yet believe.

FAMILY CONNECTION

Within normal family life, there are many opportunities for conflict.
Jesus did not promise us the absence of conflict in our lives. Instead,
he gave us the gifts of peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation so that
we could reduce conflict. The measure of Christian family life is not
the absence of conflict, but the manner in which conflict is resolved.
Filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit, we ask Jesus to help us to
bring peace and forgiveness to situations of conflict in our families.

As your family gathers, take this opportunity to examine how your family
resolves conflict. Recall a recent argument or disagreement and discuss
how the conflict was resolved. Consider whether the conflict was
resolved peacefully, in the spirit of Jesus. If not, discuss
alternatives that might be tried in the future. Read together today's
Gospel, John 20:19-31. Recall that we have each received Jesus' gift of
the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit helps us to be people who
forgive others and seek peace. Pray together the Prayer to the Holy
Spirit or the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis.

Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings

Why Peter Kreeft is a Catholic

From the Desk of Dr. Peter Kreeft The title of my new book — Forty Reasons I am a Catholic — explains itself. But it’s misleading. There are more than 40 reasons. In fact, there are at least ten to the 82nd power, which, I am told, is the number of atoms in the universe. Each of my reasons is an independent point, so I have not organized this book by a succession of chapters or headings. After all, most readers only remember a few big ideas after reading a book. I’ve never heard anyone say “Oh, that was a good continuous-process-of-logically- ordered-argumentation,” but I’ve often heard people say, “Oh, that was a good point.” Which takes me back to my main point: “Why are you a Catholic?” This is a good question. A good question deserves a good answer. Here are forty of mine. In these delightful pages and with characteristic flair, celebrated Catholic author and speaker Peter Kreeft gives forty succinct reasons why he is a Catholic. The reasons range from the truth of its claims to the beauty of its cathedrals (which themselves testify to the majesty of God) and to the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Forty Reasons I am a Catholic is a wise, informative, and fun read. Reasons include: Because it’s the best of five choices     Because Jesus is really, truly, personally, literally present in every consecrated Host in the world   Because only the Church can whup the devil   Because I don't want to live in a one-parent supernatural family   Because of the unprecedented historical fact that the Church has never once lowered her standards, never changed her teaching   Because of cathedrals     Because only the Catholic Church can save humanity   Because of the personality of the Church's saints   Because of the nouns Because I want to believe the same things that Jesus taught and that His apostles and their successors and every single Christian in the world believed for fifteen hundred years       Because I want the strongest reason to believe the Bible        Because of what the Church has not taught as well as because of what she has    Because of one thing that I know with certainty, that I do not need belief or faith for      Because of my mother    Because of the angels, and their invisible and anonymous mediation     Because the Catholic Church has been infallibly right about everything she has ever claimed to be infallibly right about    Forty Reasons I am a Catholic by Peter Kreeft Paperback — 144 pages List price: $14.95  Today's Sale Price: $12.99! Order Now Get TWO books for only $17.99! Order Now If you are confused by the array of conflicting teachings that claim to be Catholic, or have found the Catechism too difficult to read, then this book will give you clear, concise, and readable explanations of the foundational truths for living the Catholic faith. Organized by topic, LaBarbara has pulled from countless Church documents to present a timely and compelling synthesis of not only what the Church teaches, but how those teachings fit together perfectly in a true unity of faith and truth. Read these pages, and you’ll learn so much more about who God is and who you are, and how fully embracing the Church’s teachings will lead you to truly live the glorious freedom of the children of God. Order Now Order online above, or call 1-800-888-9344 www.SophiaInstitute.com Save up to 40% when you join