Love is Our Mission

The theme of the World Meeting of Families to be held in Philadelphia, September 22 – 27, 2015, “Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive,” was inspired by Saint Irenaeus, who wrote “the Glory of God is man fully alive.” The glory of men and women is their capacity to love as God loves—and no better means exists to teach the meaning of love than the family.

The recently unveiled Holy Family Icon (above), which was commissioned for and will be present at the World Meeting, can help us to meditate on our relationship with our loving God especially within the context of family. For more information, please visit:  http://www.worldmeeting2015.org/about-the-event/icon/  

May the Holy Family inspire us to love as God loves!

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Join together in prayer with families from around the world. Pray the World Meeting of Families Prayer for the success of the event and for your family’s personal intentions.

God and Father of us all,
in Jesus, your Son and our Savior,
you have made us
your sons and daughters
in the family of the Church.

May your grace and love
help our families
in every part of the world
be united to one another
in fidelity to the Gospel.

May the example of the Holy Family,
with the aid of your Holy Spirit,
guide all families, especially those most troubled,
to be homes of communion and prayer
and to always seek your truth and live in your love.
Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us!

For more information, including translations of the prayer, please visit:  http://www.worldmeeting2015.org/about-the-event/prayer/

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For more information on the Synod on the Family convened by Pope Francis, please visit the website of the Pontifical Council for the Family:  http://www.familia.va/  Be sure to sign up on the website to receive the newsletter of the Pontifical Council.

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Blessed are You

Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.

From the Liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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These flowers from the garden I place at thy feet,
O Mother, Immaculate, Virgin most sweet.
O Rose of all roses, O Pure Lily-Maid,
O Flower of God's choosing, that never shall fade.
In all thy fair virtues, give me a part,
And make me forever a child of thy heart.

From Flowers of the Garden of the Precious Blood

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A dear neighbor gave me Stargazer Lily bulbs last summer after she learned in conversation that the lilies were a favorite of our dear Mom who had just died.  This summer the blooming lilies were a reminder of the many blessings God gave us through our Mom and Dad who we know are happy in heaven with the Lord and our Blessed Mother Mary.  

So on this Feast of Mother Mary's Nativity, I hope you will join me in prayer in the garden:  a place from where there is endless inspiration to draw whether in times of drought or when the dew is on the roses... whether we enjoy the scent of lilies or are trying to keep the deer from eating the pea and green bean plants... whether we on our knees pulling out weeds or standing tall looking up into the face of a sunflower, the seeds of which have been sown by birds, not us.... In the garden we find many parallels to what may be happening in our lives and which may make us feel like we are alternately in a parched desert or a thick jungle.  Through it all we need to be constantly aware that we are in the loving arms of God who cares for our every need and nurtures our growth in faith.  Who better than Mother Mary to guide us to her Son's peace by helping us to do God's will every moment of every day?

Let us continue to pray for and with each other as we plant and weed, nurture and trim in all the gardens and seasons of our lives.

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We bring you our offerings, O Lord, and we humbly pray to be given strength by the humanity of your Son, who from the Blessed Virgin Mary was pleased to take flesh.

From  the Liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.  Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother.  To thee do I come, before thee I kneel, sinful and sorrowful.  O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer them.  Amen.

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Jesus, Sun of Justice

Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary

Jesus, Mighty God

Jesus, Lover of Us

Jesus, Eternal Wisdom

Jesus, Our Way and Our Life

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O Virgin Mary, our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, glory of the Christian people, joy of the universal  Church, salvation of the world; pray for us, and awaken in all the faithful devotion of the Holy Eucharist so that they may render themselves worthy to receive it daily!

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Join in Prayer for Peace

“Peace is a gift of God, but requires our efforts. 

Let us be people of peace in prayer and deed.”

Pope Francis

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“Building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a constant torment.” Those were Pope Francis’ words to the Israeli and Palestinian presidents when he invited them to come to the Vatican to join him in “heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace.” 

Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas will arrive at the Vatican on Sunday, June 8, 2014 within a few minutes of each other. The Holy Father will receive them at the entrance of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, and will then speak briefly with each. All three will then join together, along with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and will then proceed by car to the Vatican Gardens where the event will take place, beginning with a musical introduction and an explanation in English of the structure and form of the celebration, which will follow the chronological order of the three religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

At around 7 p.m. there will be a prayer (creation) in Hebrew, a brief musical interlude, a prayer invoking forgiveness, another musical interlude, a prayer invoking peace, and finally, a Jewish musical meditation. The Christian part will follow the same structure, but the first prayer will be in English, the second in Italian, and the third in Arabic. Finally the Muslim part of the celebration will proceed as above, in Arabic.

The reader will then introduce in English the final part of the celebration, beginning with Pope Francis' discourse invoking peace. The Holy Father will then invite each of the two presidents to formulate his own invocation. Shimon Peres will begin, followed by Mahmoud Abbas. As a gesture of peace, in which the Patriarch Bartholomew will also participate, they will all shake hands and the Pope will then accompany them in planting an olive tree, symbol of peace.

The Holy Father, the two presidents and the Patriarch will then proceed to the Casina Pio IV to speak in private.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.news.va/en/news/presidents-peres-and-abbas-to-join-pope-francis-in

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“I exhorted the Christian faithful to let themselves be anointed by the Holy Spirit, with an open and docile heart, to increasingly be able to make gestures of humility, fraternity and reconciliation. The Spirit enables us to assume these attitudes in our daily life, with people of different cultures and religions, and to thereby become peacemakers….  Peace is crafted day by day, and with an open heart to allow God's gift to enter”.

“I wished be the bearer of a word of hope, but I also received this in return! I received it from the brothers and sisters who hope 'against all hope', amid the suffering of those who have fled their own countries on account of conflicts; of those who, throughout the world, are derided and discriminated against for their faith in Christ. Let us stay close to them! Let us pray for them, and for peace in the Holy Land and in the Middle East. May the prayer of all the Church also support the path to full unity between Christians, so that the world may believe in God's love that in Jesus Christ came to live among us”.

His Holiness Pope Francis

General Audience, May 28, 2014

For more information, please visit: 

http://www.vis.va/vissolr/index.php?vi=all&dl=dd726ca2-2ba5-2111-3b7f-5385e6852df9&dl_t=text/xml&dl_a=y&ul=1&ev=1

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As people of great faith we believe in the power of prayer.  Please can we join together with His Holiness and all people of good will to fervently pray for peace in the Holy Land, peace for all God’s people, peace which pours forth anew on this Pentecost.  May we open our hearts and minds to receive and share the gifts of the Holy Spirit in new and deeper ways.

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Saints of God, Come to Our Aid

“...Honor the memory of these two holy Popes by following their teachings faithfully”.

- Pope Francis

Referring to the two new saints to whom he paid tribute as men of courage, His Holiness Pope Francis remarked how they were not afraid to look upon the wounds of Jesus... because they saw Jesus in every person who suffers and struggles. These new saints he said, were two men of courage shaped by the tragic historical events of the twentieth century without ever allowing themselves to be overwhelmed.

Pope Francis spoke of the importance of the Second Vatican Council:  How these two Popes had cooperated with the Holy Spirit in renewing and updating the Church while keeping the features which the saints have given Her down the centuries.

Speaking of the two saints' service to the Church, Pope Francis highlighted John XXIII's exquisite openness to the Holy Spirit in calling the Council, and John Paul II’s particular love of the family.

May these two new saints and shepherds of God’s people, Pope Francis said finally, intercede for the Church, so that during this two year journey towards the Synod on the Family, She may be open to the Holy Spirit in pastoral service to the family. May both of them teach us not to be scandalized by the wounds of Christ and to enter ever more deeply into the mystery of divine mercy, which always brings with it hope, forgiveness and love.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-thanks-pilgrims-urges-them-to-follow

http://www.news.va/en/news/saints-john-xxiii-and-john-paul-ii-men-of-courage

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While on Sunday  the Church celebrated the canonization of Saints John XXIII and John Paul II, today we celebrate the feast of Saint Catherine of Siena, a lay woman who was Divinely-inspired to advise Popes. My patroness Catherine's spirituality was dominated by Love, Truth, Obedience to God's Will, and the Most Holy Trinity.  She was the first woman and the first lay person to be named a Doctor of the Church.

Always and everywhere Catherine sought and found God.  Through the strength of her love she entered into union with Him.

Tomb of Saint Catherine
Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Rome

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The Pontifical Council for the Laity Women's Section has gathered, from around the world, women's reflections, testimonies, and gratitude "in honour of two popes who are saints".  Please visit the website to read more about the Magisterium of both Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II on women.

http://www.laici.va/content/laici/en/sezioni/donna/in-onore-di-due-papi-santi.html

What do you remember or appreciate most about the lives of our two newest saints?

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Christ is risen! He is truly risen!

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”

Matthew 28:  8-10

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“The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach).  For if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  Faith in the heart leads to justification, confession on the lips to salvation.” 

Romans 10:  8b-10

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His Holiness Pope Francis began his Regina Coeli address on Monday within the Octave of Easter by saying, “Happy Easter!  Christ is risen!  He is truly risen."

Our Holy Father told the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square that the dominant feeling that shines in the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection is one of joy and wonder, and he went on to say that in the liturgy we relive the mood of the disciples with the news that the women had brought:  Jesus is risen!

The Pope said, “Let this experience imprinted in the Gospel, be imprinted in our hearts and in our lives. Let the joyous wonder of Easter Sunday radiate through our thoughts, looks, attitudes, gestures and words ... But,” he stressed, “let this come from within us.”

“When it comes from within… from a heart immersed in the source of this joy, it is like that of Mary Magdalene, who wept for the loss of her Lord and could not believe her eyes seeing him risen….The person who does this becomes a witness to the resurrection and is then able to bring the ray of light of the Risen Lord to various human situations such as spreading happiness, helping those in pain and bringing serenity and hope.”

Recalling the Mother of Jesus, the Holy Father said, “We would do well this week to think about Mary, as her pain was strong enough to pierce her soul.  In going through the experience of the death and resurrection of her Son, her heart became a source of peace, comfort, hope, and mercy.  Mary is the Mother full of hope, the Mother of all the disciples, the Mother of the Church.”

For more information, please visit:

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-let-the-joy-of-the-risen-lord-be-impr 

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Our Lady of Sorrows
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

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The Tomb of the Lord

What are we doing for Easter?

While we may be happily feasting after the end of our Lenten fasting, what are we going to do for all of the days of Easter?

v  Are we announcing the Good News that Jesus is Risen?

v  Are we telling others by our words and actions that Jesus is the Lord of our life?

v  Are we allowing ourselves to experience the hope that eternally springs from faith in our Risen Lord... and how are we sharing that hope with all those we meet?

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The Cross of Christ: Love, Mercy, Forgiveness

If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
he shall see his descendants in a long life,
and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his affliction
he shall see the light in fullness of days;
through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the great,
and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
because he surrendered himself to death
and was counted among the wicked;
and he shall take away the sins of many,
and win pardon for their offenses.

Isaiah 53: 10-12

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“The Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world. Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if he is silent. And yet, God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, forgiveness. It is also reveals a judgment, namely that God, in judging us, loves us. Let us remember this: God judges us by loving us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned, not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves.

Dear brothers and sisters, the word of the Cross is also the answer which Christians offer in the face of evil, the evil that continues to work in us and around us. Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the Cross upon themselves as Jesus did….

Let us walk together along the Way of the Cross and let us do so carrying in our hearts this word of love and forgiveness. Let us go forward waiting for the Resurrection of Jesus, who loves us so much. He is all love!”

Address of Pope Francis

Good Friday, 29 March 2013

For more information, please visit: 

http://m2.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/speeches/2013/march/documents/papa-francesco_20130329_via-crucis-colosseo.html

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“…Let us consider Jesus' pain, and let us say to ourselves: it is for me; even if I were the only person in the world, He would have done this, for me. Let us kiss the crucifix and say: 'For me, thank you Jesus, for me ...”. When all appears to be lost, when no one remains because the shepherd has been smitten and the flock has scattered, God will intervene with the power of the resurrection….”

Pope Francis, General Audience

16 April 2014

For more information, please visit:

http://www.news.va/en/news/jesus-pain-on-the-cross-reflects-the-pain-of-human

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The place of Christ's Crucifixion
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Join Fr. Kenneth Smith as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus from November 2 - 12, 2014.  The scriptures will come alive on this journey to the roots of our faith. Tour includes:  Daily Mass at holy sites, licensed Christian guide, accommodation in First Class hotels (five nights in Jerusalem, three nights in Tiberias, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee), breakfast and dinner daily, land transportation by deluxe motorcoach, roundtrip motorcoach transportation from Abbottstown  and Harrisburg, PA to New York JFK Airport, roundtrip airfare from New York to Tel Aviv on nonstop flights with Delta Airlines, and more, for $3,459 per person/double occupancy.  Airfares from other departure cities throughout the USA are available on request.

We anticipate an audience with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem as well as time to visit, get to know, and have dinner with our brothers and sisters, the local Christians, "the living stones" of the Holy Land.

For complete details on this pilgrimage, please contact:  George’s International Tours, (800) 566-7499, sales@georgesintl.com, or Karen Hurley, k.m.hurley1@gmail.com.

For reflections on a recent pilgrimage, please visit:

http://theapostoliclady.blogspot.com/2013/03/reflections-on-lenten-pilgrimage-to.html

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The Annunciation of the Lord

Today we celebrate the beginning of our salvation when the coming of the Lord was announced by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary.

Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  Behold you shall conceive and bear a son, and he will be called the Son of the Most High.

See Luke 1:26-32

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Mother of Christ, our hope, our Patroness,
Star of the sea, our beacon in distress,

Guide to the shores of everlasting day

God’s holy people on their pilgrim way.

Virgin by vow but Mother of all grace,

Chosen by God to be his dwelling place,

Blessed are you:  God’s word you did believe,

Your “Yes” undid the “No” of sinful Eve.

Daughter of God, who bore his holy One,

Dearest of all, the Christ, your loving Son,

Show us his face, O Mother, as on earth,

Loving us all, you gave our Savior birth.

Text: Alma Redemptoris

Translator:  James Quinn, S.J.

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The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, 2001, was the last time I had the privilege to attend a Private Mass and Audience with His Holiness Pope John Paul II.  It was a bittersweet time as the effects of age and health were showing on his dear face and body, though they could not dampen his spirit or faith. 

Blessed John Paul II’s motto was “Totus Tuus,” “All Yours,” a sign of how he devoted his life to Blessed Mother Mary, who had devoted her life to our Loving God, her Son and our brother, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Soon Blessed John Paul will be canonized Saint John Paul.  It is almost unbelievable for me to have been blessed with so many encounters with him during my years of service to the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO).  I’ve been privileged to know and work with others in Rome who were befriended by him in their native land of Poland.  They have generously shared their experience of him and all that he taught them while here on earth.

May we devote all we have and all we do to our Blessed Mother Mary, and in turn, inspire others to share in this devotion.  May we have the grace and strength to say “yes” to God and “no” to sin.  Let us pray for each other so that we may receive and proclaim the Good News of salvation.

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