A New Hope - School of Life

I found these small interviews of hope on Youtube from a few guys who are in the Cenacolo Community. Cenacolo Community is a community for those who have problems of addiction. Comunità Cenacolo offers to each young man and woman the discovery of work to be lived as a gift. As we build exterior structures, God builds the inner man. Through working together, we learn to communicate more effectively, accept the ideas of others, and resolve conflicts. Obedience and acceptance of authority, values previously rejected in attitude and behavior, slowly develop within us. Hard work helps us to build the interior discipline, we have always lacked. It combats our fears and our laziness, both of which have prevented us from persevering with difficult challenges. It builds our will, which has always been weak, and bridles our passions, which have always ruled our lives. Community jobs include carpentry, welding, construction, baking, cultivating fruit and vegetable gardens, cooking, and home maintenance.

Message to Jakov - Dec. 25th 2007

" Today, in a special way I call you to become open to God and for each of your hearts today to become a place of Jesus' birth. Little children, through all this time that God permits me to be with you, I desire to lead you to the joy of your life. Little children, the only true joy of your life is God. Therefore, dear children, do not seek joy in things of this earth but open your hearts and accept God. Little children, everything passes, only God remains in your heart. "
~ Dec 25th, 2007

The Christmas Conversion of St. Thérèse

"If God was working out his purpose in the midst of an ordinary girl’s family life and growth, then God’s work was just as constant and ubiquitous in the lives of all those who simply trusted him and obeyed the promptings of his love.
That Thérèse’s conversion was a “Christmas conversion” is not simply a sentimental touch weaving in Christmas and presents and children. That it was a “Christmas conversion” has a deeper meaning, for Thérèse’s lesson that the grace of God is constantly at work within the nitty gritty of everyday life is the lesson at the heart of Christmas itself. "

"As a young priest, one Saturday in December in the early ‘70s, I was in the sacristy at St. Matthew’s Cathedral waiting for a wedding. My weddings were always notoriously late. Suddenly, the young bride appeared in the doorway, looking lovely in her white gown and her veil. But I could see that she had been crying. I asked, “What’s the matter?” She said, “Father, there’s not going to be any wedding. My fiancee is in Buffalo, N.Y., and there’s six feet of snow there. Father, please inform the people in church that there will be no wedding.” So I went to the pulpit and I announced that there was not going to be a wedding. There was an audible gasp from the congregation. But then I told them that they were to go to the restaurant for the reception. That the band and the food were waiting. They all trotted off and had a grand time.Later that day, I was reflecting on the strange turn of events. And because it was Advent, I thought, “Christmas has become like that wedding.” We have the lights and the music and the food and the parties and the gifts and the Bridegroom is in Buffalo. Advent needs to be about bringing the Bridegroom back to the party at Christmastime. By making this time of spiritual preparation a time of more intense prayer, a time for confession, a time for works of mercy, reconciliation in our families and communities. A time to listen to the Bridegrooms’ call to be vigilant and awake. Yes, Jesus is the Bridegroom, he is never the widower. He does not exist separate from the bride, his Church. He loves us so much that he became a part of our human family and he laid down his life for our salvation. And yes, he calls us to journey together with him.
For the Irish, the most powerful Christmas symbol has been the candle, placed in the window. It was lit by the youngest member of the family and could be extinguished only by someone named Mary. I don’t have to tell you that there’s no shortage of Irish girls named Mary. The candle in the window in an Irish home had two meanings. It was a sign of welcome to the Holy Family, of Mary and Joseph looking for a place in the Inn. It was also an invitation during the times of persecution, to a priest to come and celebrate a clandestine Christmas Mass for the family. It was worth risking everything to be able to have the Eucharist ...... Yes, the candle is in the window. As our ancestors who refused to take the soup, and who risked their lives and fortunes to go to Mass, we profess and believe that God’s love for us is so great he has made a gift of himself to us in the Eucharist. Yes, the candle is in the window, because Christmas is Christ’s Mass. .... The Eucharist gathers us, as Christ’s family, to be united in the teachings of the Apostles, in fellowship and in prayer, and in the breaking of the bread, sharing what we have so that no one will be hungry. Not materially hungry, not spiritually hungry. The urgency of the Gospel today bids us, “Gather faithfully each week, as a worshiping community.”
The stakes are high; it is a matter of life and death. The branches need the vine. We need to be nourished by Christ’s words and by his sacrament. And we need to be nourished by the presence of the brothers and sisters of the household of the faith, the body of Christ, the Church. My brothers and sisters, as we journey together in Christ, let us put a candle in the window. A candle that says, “Welcome, welcome, welcome.” A candle that says, “The Eucharist is to die for.”"

~ Cardinal Sean of Boston

I was reading Cardinal Sean's blog and i came across a beautiful homily that he gave during the week and i have taken a few excerpts from the Homily, however, i believe that it is worth reading it all. You can click here (audio version)

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Mary to Juan Diego: “My dearest son, I am the eternal Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God, Author of Life, Creator of all and Lord of the Heavens and of the Earth…and it is my desire that a church be built here in this place for me, where, as your most merciful Mother and that of all your people, I may show my loving clemency and the compassion that I bear to the Indians, and to those who love and seek me…” (from an ancient chronicle).

A beautiful homily on http://www.1monk.blogspot.com/ about Our Lady of Guadalupe

Forgiveness

" Take heed to yourselves if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."
~ Luke 17:3-4

To forgive offenses willingly is to have the attitude of desiring to forgive before it ever occurs to the other person to say "I'm sorry." It is to will the best for the other more than the other wills it for himself. Some people have the notion that forgiveness is to be extended only to those who say "I'm sorry." The idea is if they don't keep their side of the bargain, then we whew! don't have to extend them forgiveness. But this is false. Forgiveness is to be extended always and at all times. Sure, it's true that forgiveness can't be received till the person who needs it says "I'm sorry" and asks for forgiveness. But that doesn't make any difference to the one called to forgive. The injured person must will to forgive now, before the offender has ever asked and despite the fact that he may never ask. Why? Because we are called to be like Christ. "While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man-- though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" Rom 5:6-8.

(Just a Word of Encouragement from Mark Shea and Jeff Cavins www.catholicexchange.com)

John Paul's relationship with Medjugorje

'I have received your greetings, the wafer and two letters, one from you, Marek, and one from you, Sophia. Thank you for everything. I wish to return the greeting for Christmas and New Years. May the Christmas Eve wafer express this as well. 'I thank Sophia for everything concerning Medjugorje. I, too, go there every day as a pilgrim in my prayers: I unite in my prayers with all those who pray there or receive a calling for prayer from there. Today we have understood this call better. I rejoice that our time does not lack people of prayer and apostles. 'I thank Marek for both poems (songs) — The one from Huta and this one for Lagiewniki. I share your concern for 'The Weekly' and every day I entrust this name to God. I wish Marek the gift of courage and health. 'J Paul II 'Christus natus est nobis! 'Venite, adoremus!
'John Paul II, Pope'

Fr.Jozo's Refletion

( Photo taken from http://www.childrenofmedjugorje.org.uk/com50/sharing.shtml)

" With all of my being I desire to enter into the very core of that Loveand to respond to the greatest challenge of love. How am I to do this?It is through my surrender. Our Lady tells us that only through givingwill we be able to comprehend the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Crossfor each of us. Yes, we are to respond to Love, with love. And there isno greater love than this - to give one’s life for one’s friends. OurLord says so simply, “You are my friends”. How are we then to respondto this grace with our life and how are we to live it? The Queen ofPeace tells us that it is through giving. Our giving is the beginningof this way of faith and love. She also tells us what it is that wehave to give, “ Little children, give time to God.”

For the full text from Fr.Jozo vist http://frjozo.blogspot.com/

Our Lady's Message to Mirjana ~ December 2, 2007

Our Lady was very sad. Her eyes were filled with tears through out the whole time.

"Dear children,Today, while I am looking at your hearts, my heart is filled with pain and shudder. My children, stop for a moment and look into your hearts. Is my Son – your God truly in the first place? Are His commandments truly the measure of your life? I am warning you again. Without faith there is no God’s nearness. God’s word which is the light of salvation and the light of common sense."
~ December 2, 2007 ---- Our Lady's message to Mirjana

......Mirjana added: I asked Our Lady painfully not to leave us and not to give up on us. Our Lady painfully smiled to my request and left. This time she did not finish her message with the words “Thank you.” Our Lady blessed all of us and all religious articles we had with us.

Advent

I thought this was very interesting because most of us Catholics don't know about this .... i found this on http://monkallover.blogspot.com/ . This blog was created by a monk. I often refer to his homilies each day (when posted).


TWO SEASONS IN ONE

Most Catholics, even priests, seem to be unaware that Advent really is a season to be observed in two stages, each stage having its own character.The Mass marks these two separate stages by giving us two separate Prefaces, one for the first stage of Advent and a different one for the second stage of Advent.The Second ComingThe first stage of Advent begins with the First Sunday of Advent and lasts through December 16. The Preface of the Mass for this first stage recalls that Christ “humbled himself to come among us as a man”, but it quickly invokes our hope for the day when “Christ our Lord will come again in his glory.” Here is the complete text of the Preface of the Mass for Advent I.
The Lord be with you.And also with you.Lift up your hearts.We lift them up to the Lord.Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.It is right to give him thanks and praise.Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,we do well always and everywhere to give you thanksthrough Jesus Christ our Lord.When he humbled himself to come among us as a man,he fulfilled the plan you formed long agoand opened for us the way to salvation.Now we watch for the day,hoping that the salvation promised us will be ourswhen Christ our Lord will come again in his glory.And so, with all the choirs of angels in heavenwe proclaim your gloryand join in their unending hymn of praise:Holy, holy, holy….

The Approach of Christmas
The second stage of Advent begins on December 17 and lasts through the afternoon of December 24 (thus being an octave). It prepares us more specifically for the coming solemnity of Christmas. The Preface of the Mass for this second stage of Advent recalls the prophecies of Christ’s birth, his life in the womb of the Virgin Mother, and John the Baptist’s announcement of his coming. Then this preface speaks of the joy that Christ give us “as we prepare to celebrate.” Here is the complete text of the Preface of the Mass for Advent II.
The Lord be with you.And also with you.Lift up your hearts.We lift them up to the Lord.Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.It is right to give him thanks and praise.Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,we do well always and everywhere to give you thanksthrough Jesus Christ our Lord.His future coming was proclaimed by all the prophets.The virgin mother bore him in her womb with love beyond all telling.John the Baptist was his heraldand made him known when at last he came.In his love Christ has filled us with joyas we prepare to celebrate his birth,so that when he comes he may find us watching in prayer,our hearts filled with wonder and praise.And so, with all the choirs of angels in heavenwe proclaim your gloryand join in their unending hymn of praise:Holy, holy, holy….