We are One who Won

It's a win/win situation when we all work together. Imagine if one leg wanted to go one way and the other--the other.

Well?

Silly!

Read 1Cor. 12:12-14,24-27

This reading is so apropos to what's going on right now. On Tues. Oct. 21, 2009, it was announced by Cardinal Levada and Archbishop DiNoia, from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, that the Traditional Anglican Communion, from around the world, were seeking unity with Rome, and are going to be brought into communion with the Catholic Church.

This is the largest Protestant group to have ever come back home. We will all be richer for the union of faith traditions brought together.

Now Zenit announces that Bishop Tichon, from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is in discussion with Rome. "We must find unity as soon as possible and finally celebrate together," L'Osservatore Romano reported. "People don't understand our divisions and our discussions,"

Bishop Tichon said that "the theological dialogue that is going forward in these days in Cyprus is certainly important, but we should not be afraid to say that we must find as soon as possible the way to celebrate together."

"A Catholic will not become an Orthodox and vice versa, but we must approach the altar together," he added.

Let us pray that God's will prevail.

1 Corinthians 12:20

Put Downs

This week in Arise we are reading Luke 4:14-22.


Although you who are reading this are not participating in the good fruits of sharing with others in the group, you can do your own meditation and reflection. After reading 4: 14-22 think about the reaction of those in the temple to Jesus' reading.

Now think about our own life. Have you ever been turned down for a job, or a promotion, and been told it was because you didn't have the credentials? Isn't that the response of some of those who heard Jesus give that reading? "Is this not the son of Joseph?"

I hope you eventually proved to those "nay sayers" that you could do better than that job. Wouldn't that be sweet!

BTW, the girl in this picture just wiffed out. She was a good player though, and was an asset to her team.

Hey, Jesus didn't win everybody over, either.

GO!

Arise starts this week. If you're not assigned to a group or haven't heard from your leader, call Joe DePalo: 508 528-6609 DEPALO@comcast.net

To get ready, read Luke 24:13-35. This is what your group will be sharing.

Ten points for fruitful Scripture Reading.*

1. Catholics can read the Bible. They should read the Bible. The Church encourages Catholics to make reading the Bible part of their daily prayer lives.

2. Pray at the beginning and the end. Reading the Bible is not a novel. Begin with a prayer to open your mind to understanding.

3. Use a Catholic Bible. The King James Bible is missing 5 books that are in the Catholic Bible. Get the entire Catholic edition. A Catholic edition will have an imprimatur notice on the back of the title page. An imprimatur indicates that it is Catholic.

4. The Bible isn't a book. It's a library. The Bible is a collection of 73 books written over many centuries. The books include history, prophecy, poetry, songs, letters, accounts, and geneology.

5. What the Bible is and what it isn't. The Bible is the story of God's relationship with His people. It is not history, science or a political manifesto.

6. The sum is greater than the parts. Read the Bible in context. What happens before and after helps us understand better.

7. The Old relates to the New. The Old Testament shed lights on the New.

8. You aren't alone. By reading and reflecting on Sacred Scripture, Catholics join others who have put Bible reading in their lives. We read the Bible within the tradition of the Church to benefit from the holiness and wisdom of all the faithful.

9. What is God saying to me? The Bible is addressed to each one of us in our own unique situations. Ask, "What is God saying to me?"

10. Reading isn't enough. You need to meditate on the message and put it into action in your life.

* United States Conference of Catholic Bishops