McGuire's Tuesday Run: Pensacola

Anyone reading this belong to this club?

Would like to know.

Millions for Charity

An interesting lifestyle. Let me know what you think.

American Story: Millionaire monks - American Story with Bob Dotson - MSNBC.com

The Feast of St. Jerome

Jerome was above all a Scripture scholar, translating most of the Old Testament from the Hebrew. He also wrote commentaries which are a great source of scriptural inspiration for us today. He was an avid student, a thorough scholar, a prodigious letter-writer and a consultant to monk, bishop and pope. St. Augustine said of him, "What Jerome is ignorant of, no mortal has ever known."

St. Jerome is particularly important for having made a translation of the Bible which came to be called the Vulgate. It is not the most critical edition of the Bible, but its acceptance by the Church was fortunate. As a modern scholar says, "No man before Jerome or among his contemporaries and very few men for many centuries afterwards were so well qualified to do the work."

In order to be able to do such work, Jerome prepared himself well. He was a master of Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Chaldaic. He began his studies at his birthplace, Stridon in Dalmatia (in the former Yugoslavia). After his preliminary education he went to Rome, the center of learning at that time, and then to Trier, Germany, where the scholar was very much in evidence. He spent several years in each place, trying always to find the very best teachers.

After these preparatory studies he traveled extensively in Palestine, marking each spot of Christ's life with an outpouring of devotion. Mystic that he was, he spent five years in the desert of Chalcis so that he might give himself up to prayer, penance and study. Finally he settled in Bethlehem, where he lived in the cave believed to have been the birthplace of Christ. On September 30 in the year 420, Jerome died in Bethlehem. The remains of his body now lie buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

The Feast of the Holy Archangels: St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael

Excerpts of a Homily given by Pope St. Gregory the Great circa the year 590 AD:

"Some angels are given proper names to denote the service they are empowered to perform. (Therefore) personal names are assigned to some, not because they could not be known without them, but rather to denote their ministry when they come among us. Thus, Michael means 'Who is like God?'; Gabriel is 'The Strength of God'; and Raphael is 'God's Remedy'.

"Whenever some act of wonderous power must be performed, Michael is sent, so that his action and his name may make it clear that no one can do what God does by His superior power.

"So too Gabriel, who is called God's Strength, was sent to Mary. He came to announce the One who appeared as a humble man to quell the cosmic powers. Thus God's Strength announced the coming of the Lord of the heavenly powers, mighty in battle.

"Raphael means, as I have said, God's Remedy, for when he touched Tobit's eyes in order to cure him, he banished the darkness of his blindness. Thus, since he is to heal, he is rightly called God's Remedy."

... ... ... ... "An angel stood by the altar, holding a golden censer; a large quantity of incense was given to him, and clouds of incense rose from the hand of the angel in the presence of the Lord." ... ... ... ... Revelation 8:3.4

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Our Scripture today reminds us that "Good Intentions" are simply not enough.

When the father in our text today asks for one of his son's help, the son agrees to assist ------- but the son never does.

Good Intentions? Not enough.

The second son who refuses to do as his Father asks him eventually has a "change of heart".

That's Good News for sure.

Today's Feast Day

Padre Pio!

He was born in 1887 in a small Italian village called Pietrelcina. He was a capuchin priest who received the stigmata (the exterior wounds of Christ) and spent 50 years in the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo where he was much sought after as a spiritual advisor, confessor and intecessor.

Despite much notoriety, he would often say: "I only want to be a poor friar who prays."

His life was devoted to the Eucharist and to prayer.

He was canonozed by Pope John Paul II.

The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

This feast honors the words spoken to Mary by Simeon at the presentation of the child Jesus in the Temple:
"a sword of sorrow shall pierce you heart"

By the 14th century, the sorrows of Mary numbered seven:
-the presentation of Jesus in the Temple
-the flight into Egypt
-Jesus being lost in the Temple
-Jesus and Mary meeting on the way to Calvary
-the Crucifixion
-the taking down of Jesus body from the Cross
-the burial of Jesus

This weekend Pope Benedict was in France

His Mass this Sunday Morning at the Shrine in Lourdes attracted more than 200, 000 people.

Later, for the noon Angelus, another 100,000 were present.

The Pope was celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions to St. Bernadette.

I can tell you from first hand experience, this is one of the most beautiful and spiritual places on the face of the earth.

Seeing the crowd at Notre Dame, Paris, from the Pope's perspective.

Crowds outside Notre Dame, Paris

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Today's Feast celebrates a double anniversary:

In Jerusalem, Constantine erected a round Church, the Anastasis, above the empty grave of Jesus, and a Basilica, the Martyrium. In the square between the two churches, a shrine, Calvarium, marking the place of the Crucifixion.

Dedicated in the year 335, they were all destroyed by the Persians in 614. The present Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built by the Crusaders in 1149.

Today also commemorated the discovery of the Lord's Cross by the Empress, St. Helena, in 320.

Let us Pray

For our sisters and brothers in harm's way:

Father, turn our fear of Your power into praise of Your goodness.

Amen.

Thursday Morning at Pensacola Beach: 9-11-08

In some places 15ft high waves.

Hurricane Ike churns up the waters of the Gulf of Mexico

Not a great day for a picnic.

Condos along the Sound side of the Beach.

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day!

We pray for everyone in the path of Hurricane Ike.

09-11-01

Our Seventh Anniversary

The USS New York

built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center

The Feast of St. Peter Claver

Peter Claver was a Jesuit priest who served in the Columbian Mission in Cartanega. For 38 years he devoted himself to caring for African slaves, baptizing over 300,000 himself. He often referred to himself as the "slave of the slaves forever". Today he is the Patron Saint of the South American country of Columbia where he ministered and he is the Patron Saint of all missions to Black Peoples. He died on September 8, 1654.

The picture here is said to be the greatest likeness to Peter Claver.

St. Joseph's parish is blessed to have a very large gathering of men and women who serve the Church and the Parish through the Knights of Peter Claver and the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary. Junior Knights and ladies also.

Today is the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

Hail Mary,

full of grace,

the Lord is with Thee.

Blessed art Thou among women

and blessed is the fruit

of Thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary,

Mother of God,

pray for us sinners now

and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Happy Grandparents Day

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone."

"Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

The Feast of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

This is the time of the year that we remember Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She died on September 5, 1997. Originally, Mother Teresa was from Albania but in her years as a Roman Catholic nun she held Indian citizenship.

In 1950, she founded a religious order of Sisters which we have come to know as the Missionaries of Charity.

For over 45 years she ministered to the poor, the sick, the orphaned, and the dying. At the same time she was leading her order.

In 1979 she received the Nobel Peace Prize and in 1980 she received India's highest civilian honor.

Pope John Paul II beatified (a step on the way to Sainthood) Mother Teresa on October 19, 2003. (This is why she is now referred to as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.)

Some of her well known statements:

The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved -- they are Jesus in disguise.
Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing.
It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.
Nakedness is not only for a piece of clothing; nakedness is lack of human dignity, and also that beautiful virtue of purity, and lack of that respect for each other.
There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them.
There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.
Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart.
Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well.
The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give. But the less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom. It is not a mortification, a penance. It is joyful freedom. There is no television here, no this, no that. But we are perfectly happy.
If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.
Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure as long as you have done your best.
We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.
There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I've always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic.
If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive.
It is a poverty to decide that an unborn child must die so that you may live as you like.
If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will serve.
We can do no great things; only small things with great love.
You and I, we are the Church, no? We have to share with our people. Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing. Jesus made it very clear: "Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me. Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive a little child, you receive me." Clear.
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.
Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them.
I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.
Despite giving your best to the world, you may be kicked in the teeth. Give the best you've got anyway.
Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy.
Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.
Well, let's do something beautiful for God.