Scripture Sense

Wordsmithing the Mass

The Eucharist in the Mass is the center of a Catholic's life.  It is the best prayer, our best community, and the epitome of our expression of love to God.  IOW, it's how we who are gathered to pray together commune with each other to unite ourselves in worship.  It stands to reason that we should want to do this in the best way possible, right?  So how we say, what we say, is important, right?  Right.

This is the reasoning behind the changes in the Mass.  There are going to be changes in the wording of the Mass.  Amen will stay the same.  The Our Father will too.  That's about it.  Oh, the sign of the cross will remain.  The change will be done by Nov. 27, 2011--the First Sunday of Advent, which is apropos since Advent is the new liturgical year.

What do you think?  "Deja vu all over again."   This is reminiscent of the changes after Vatican II, and will certainly boost the sales of Magnificat and missals.

Actually, the priest is affected the most.  It's the Sacramentary that has the most change.  If the people can hear the priest praying they will appreciate the beauty of the mystery through this more precise translation.  "Lex orandi, lex credendi."  The new words will show us the relationship between what we pray and what we believe.

The Mass will be more poetic, more inspiring and more theological.  What more could you want?  Start looking for the changes. This will be a good time to start thinking about what you're saying.  Meditate on the prayers at Mass.  We will learn to love the Mass even more.    Deo Gratias.

Come and See

Seeing is believing, right?  Well....this time it is.  St. Mary's very last session of the Arise Together in Christ program is beginning next week.  Are you going?  What are you waiting for?

Read how Jesus handles this situation, John 1:35-46.  Would you behave like the disciples?  Prove it.  Come and See an Arise group.  Drop on by.  Go to one, or two.

What are you afraid of?  What have you got to lose?

I promise I won't bug you any more.  This is the last time.

Question?

This not a legitimate posting; it is a sincere question.  If you have a Liturgy of the Hours, 4 Vol. set, I'm going to give you a reference to read.  It is Wednesday, the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, the Second Reading from a sermon On Pastors by Saint Augustine, bishop, pp. 298-99.

What is Augustine telling us?

This is what I'm interested in:

Behold, I myself am over the shepherds, and I will claim my sheep from their hands; and I will turn away from them so that they may not pasture my sheep, and the shepherds shall no longer give pasture.  For when I say: "Let them pasture my sheep," they give pasture to themselves and not to my sheep.  Therefore, I will turn away from them so that they may not pasture my sheep.
  
How does the Lord turn away from them
to keep them from pasturing his sheep?  
Do whatever they tell you, but do not follow what they do.  







Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Here's the Entire Bible

Bible In A Minute

Earth made, Adam, Eve
Cain kills Abel, has to leave
Boring genealogy 
Great flood, olive leaf

Tower Babel, Abraham
Sodom and Gomorrah, and
Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses
Ten commands, promised land

Judges, David, Solomon
Sent away to Babylon
Job, then a bunch of psalms
Proverbs and the Song of Songs

Major prophets, lion’s den
Minor prophets, Bethlehem
Gold and myrrh and frankincense
Satan and Samaritan

Choose disciples, other cheek
Walk on water, thousands eat
Lazarus, fig tree
Last supper, Gethsemane

Blood money, third denial
Pontius Pilate, public trial
Forty lashes, to the tree
Why have you forsaken me?

Third day, empty tomb
Reappears, five wounds
Acts of the Apostles next
Epistles and Apocalypse!

h/t to Fr. Fleming of the Concord Pastor and Barats and Bereta

Ghosts

Abraham said, "If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead."

Read Luke 16:19-31.

I don't know about this.  I remember someone asked Sister once, how come we don't have miracles like Lazarus rising from the dead, or other dramatic happenings.  Sister's response was that we had her.  We didn't need to see anyone rising from the dead.

Mmmm.  I wasn't convinced then, either.

I think God needs a new PR firm.  I don't think reading and listening to scriptures are going to hook anybody. God needs drama.  You have to get people's attention first, then they'll turn to scripture.  So have a relative or someone one knows, rise from the dead.

It worked for Scrooge.

Last Call

“I didn’t even know they were Catholic!”  This was an exclamation from one small group leader who held an Arise Together with Christ Season, in her home.  She was talking about some neighbors of hers.  She was gushing about the community that had developed in her group.   Their faith sharing had created a strong bond that had spilled over into friendships that morphed into “family.”

Wow.

But was this everybody’s experience? 

“How was your Arise session this season?” I asked another small group leader.  “You wouldn’t believe what happened!”  He responded.   “One person, who had never been before, joined our group and seemingly seemed a silent participant, confessed in the last session, that our faith sharing had touched her.”   The theme for Season IV was Reconciliation.  The lady in question said that she understood from scripture that if she wanted to get to heaven she had to forgive.  She was not a forgiving person, by nature.  But from the New Heart, New Spirit Workbook, she was led to look at forgiveness differently.  From praying with her group for Forgiveness, she felt herself open to forgive her “ex”, her parents, her family, etc.  Her anger had kept her in a prison of negativity.  Praying to be forgiven and to forgive herself, visibly converted her. 

Wowza. 

“Redemption right before your eyes!”  He corrected me; “Redemption before all our eyes.  We all saw proof of redemption.  Right there.”

And the stories continue….

Each leader that I spoke with related benefits from the Arise Together with Christ Program.  From the scripture readings enhancing their Sunday liturgy, to feeling bonded in a community of faith, to serving the community and others with establishing a group prayer line, food for St. Vincent de Paul, helping at the Because He Lives Soup Kitchen, to becoming comfortable in sharing their faith with others, to learning new ways of prayer, to visiting nursing homes, to spiritually adopting seminarians and priests, to donating  an ox, cow, pig, goat, chicken…., the list of benefits goes on. 

You don’t believe me?  You doubt?

Come see for yourself.  By the way, this is your last chance to see for yourself.  Arise Together with Christ is a three year program.  This is our last year.  This is our last session.  This is your last chance to see what everyone in the parish is talking about.  What are you waiting for?  Don’t miss out!  It’s only a six week commitment.  It’s also non-sequential—meaning you don’t have to go every week.  Each lesson stands by itself, not dependent on any previous lesson.

Sign up the week end of Sept. 18-19                   Groups begin Oct.  3                 This is the Last Call.  

How to Cheat Your Boss

The parable of the unjust steward is confusing.  Read Luke 16: 1-13.

The steward is terminated from his employment.  But before he goes, he calls in all his master's debtors and forgives their debt, or lessons it considerably.  He does that so that when he needs help, after being fired, he'll have friends who will help him

This doesn't make sense to me because the master will have the steward thrown in jail for giving away what is rightfully his.  Who's going to help the steward now?

But the worst doesn't happen.  The steward gets away with it.  He's a conniving schemer and the master admires him for it.  If the master gets angry and has the steward arrested, he'll be the perceived as the bad guy.  But if he lets the steward alone, and lets his debtors alone, then the master is perceived as generous.

The point Jesus was trying to make was to be intelligent about planing for heaven.

But I can't get over the sneaky conniver's machinations to cheat his master.

Questions

Got Questions about the Arise Program? We’ve Got Answers!

Q. I didn’t join ARISE last year….can I still participate in Season 3? 
A. Absolutely! Each season stands alone.

Q. I’m not much of a church-go-er; I don’t know much about the Bible, would I feel out of place in an ARISE group?
A. Not at All! Each group reflects a beautiful variety of people at all different places in their lives.

Q. I’m in my 20’s (or 30’s), isn’t this kind of thing just for older people?
A. No Way! God doesn’t discriminate by age, gender, culture, race, or for any reason.

Q. It runs for 6 weeks…what if I can’t make them all?
A. No Problem! Life happens; do what you can.

Q. Can I pick my day and time?
A. Yes! There are many choices of days and times.

Q. Can I request a particular facilitator or group?
A. Sure!

Q. Can I host a group in my house even though I ‘m not the facilitator?
A. You Bet!

Q. I don’t like to talk in groups. Would I feel awkward?
A. No! Many participants were relieved to discover that they could talk or not according to their comfort level.

Q. Why would I do this?
A. Why wouldn’t you?

Created by St Agatha Team Milton, MA

I Yam What I Yam

"I Yam What I Yam."  Who said that?

Your husband?   Er....yeah, .....I was really thinking of someone else.
"Popeye."  Yes, you are correct.  But there is really someone before Popeye.  Read 1Corinthians 15:10.

Now, who said, "By the grace of God, I am what I am..."?

Negotiations

If you have ever belonged to a Labor Union, and been part of the collective  bargaining unit, then you'llunderstand where this post is coming from.

Read Exodus 32: 7.

Moses is the mediator.  Typical of membership, they just don't appreciate the hard work their contract negotiators have done for them.

Read Psalm 106: 5.

See?

Ingrates!  How would you like to be the Israelites steward?  Hey, they pay their dues, you have to advocate for them.  Although, you would like to say, "Fire the SOB," but you don't.  Neither does Moses.  He's excellent: calm, cool, collected.  Moses negotiates a deal.  Rather, he dusts off the original covenant.  Smart guy this Moses.  Luckily, the management Moses is dealing with never tries to screw you.  God doesn't go back on His Word.

I was thinking of hiring Moses when I stand at the pearly gates.  But then I thought better of it.  I know someone even better than Moses.  Read 1Timothy 2:5.

Scripture Come-back

 The pastor was out visiting Paddy Murphy, one day.  He didn't announce that he was coming, because he could always visit another parishioner, if Paddy wasn't home.  But he was home because Paddy's truck was in the driveway.  Father rang the door bell but no one answered.  Sound from either a TV or Radio could be heard through the door.  Father thought that the bell could be broken, so he knocked on the door, loudly.  Still no answer.  Father finally took out pen and paper and wrote "Revelation 3:20," and stuck it on the door.

Next Sunday, when Father was counting the offering he found his note, where he had written "Revelation 3:20," and saw that below, Paddy had written, "Genesis 3:10."

Plan "A"

Once upon a time, I actually wasn't a  mother.  I wasn't married.  I wanted to be.  I knew I had a vocation to be a wife and a mother, so I dated.  Before I would allow myself to get serious about someone, they had to fulfill certain criteria.  They had to be Catholic, healthy, good sense of humor, hard working, etc.   These were traits that were important to me at that time.

The point is, I was planning for the future.  Don't we all; or should be?  Read Luke 14: 28-33.

Our future is heaven.  Plan for it.