Websites for Catholics who want to learn more about their Faith:
www.ewtn.com
www.catholic.com
http://www.catholic.net/
http://www.cin.org/
www.envoymagazine.com
http://www.catholicculture.org
http://www.catholic-defense.com/
www.catholicity.com
http://ic.net/~erasmus/erasmus.htm
http://www.cin.org/users/james/index.htm
http://www.catholic-convert.com/DesktopDefault.aspx
Basic Scripture, by Fr. William Most:http://library.catholic.org/theology/theology58.txt
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/
http://www.praiseofglory.com/
http://www.surprisedbytruth.com/
http://www.chnetwork.org/
http://www.globalserve.net/~bumblebee/eccl...a/apollinks.htm
http://www.christusrex.org/
Writings by Dom Columba Marmion: http://www.catholic-pages.com/dir/link.asp?ref=18121
http://www.adoremus.org
St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers: http://www.dads.org/
http://www.familylifecenter.net/
http://www.catholicmensresources.org/
Vatican webpage: www.vatican.va
ZENIT News Agency--The World Seen from Rome http://www.zenit.org/english/
http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it/english
http://www.ncregister.com/
http://www.catholic-pages.com/dir/history.asp
Roman Forum webpage: http://www.romanforum.org/
www.catholiceducation.org
website with info about the end times: http://www.conventhill.com/endtimes
Critique of Da Vinci Code website: www.davincihoax.com

Catholic Resource Center: http://www.catholicresourcecenter.org/

Sites for college students:
http://collegecompass.org/compassHome.do
http://www.catholiccollegestudents.org/faithessentials.html
Focus: http://www.focusonline.org/

Websites for Korean Catholics: (I'm not Korean, and I can't read it, but this may be helpful to those of you who are)
http://www.koreancatholic.org/
http://www.stmichaelsf.org/
http://www.kccboston.org/
http://www.sungsamcatholic.org/
http://www.geocities.com/montrealkcm/indexframe.html
http://home.catholic.or.kr/gnbbs/ncbbs.dll...arch1&artid=116
http://mr.catholic.or.kr/sunkyo/sunkyo.htm
http://www.sydneykoreancatholic.com

For Chinese Catholics:
http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org
Info about the Chinese Martyrs http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturg...ompagni_en.html (Feast: July 9)
Free the Fathers: http://www.ftf.org/

For those a little bit more theologically advanced:
www.rtforum.org
http://www.christendom-awake.org/default.html
http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/schallj/
http://www.saintaustinreview.com
Introduction to St. Thomas Aquinas, by Ralph McInerny: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aquinas/

Publisher of good books and booksellers:
www.ignatius.com
(See also http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/ -- IP's adjunct website for culture, theology, and news.)
http://www.sophiainstitute.com/
http://www.fourfacespress.com/
http://www.sapientiapress.com
http://www.staugustine.net/
http://www.eighthdaybooks.com
zaccheuspress.com
www.ihspress.com/index1.htm

Reference Sites:
Catechism of the Catholic Church: http://www.kofc.org/faith/catechism/catechism.cfm
Catholic Encyclopedia (1917 version): http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/
Summa Theologiae: http://www.newadvent.org/summa/
Code of Canon Law: http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/canon

Introduction to the Church Fathers:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06001a.htm
http://www.lumenverum.com/fathers/introduction.htm
http://www.monachos.net/patristics/patrist...tic_intro.shtml

Their actual writings:
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/
http://www.ccel.org/
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/christ...an-history.html
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles...article8074.asp
http://www.monachos.net/patristics/index.shtml
http://www.monachos.net/patristics/index.shtml
http://faculty.smu.edu/dbinder/fathers.html

Works of John Henry Cardinal Newman:
www.newmanreader.org/works

Individual websites:
Fr. McCloskey: http://www.frmccloskey.com/

Pro-life websites:
www.hli.org/
http://www.priestsforlife.org/
http://www.noelforlife.org/
http://www.helpafterabortion.com/
www.silentnomoreministries.org/
http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/
http://www.afterabortion.org/
http://www.benotafraid.net/default.asp
www.fertilitycare.org
www.popepaulvi.com
[url] www.naprotechnology.com[/url]
www.aafcp.org

Finally, a movie reviews site:
www.decentfilms.com
Vatican Best Films List: http://www.nccbuscc.org/fb/vaticanfilms.htm

Website for vocation discernment: http://www.vocation.com/

Websites for various religious groups:
The Nashville Dominicans: http://www.nashvilledominican.org/
Missionaries of Charity: http://www.cmswr.org/MemberCommunities/MC.htm
The Dominicans: http://www.op.org/
Legionaries of Christ: http://www.legionofchrist.org/
Fraternity of St. Peter: http://www.fssp.com/
Community of Saint John: http://www.stjean.com/
Oblates of the Blessed Virgin Mary: http://www.oblatesofthevirginmary.org/oblates.html
Franciscan Friars of the Renewal: http://www.franciscanfriars.com/
Society of our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity: www.solt3.org/
Community of Saint John: http://www.stjean.com/EN/Jeu_accueil.php3

Monasteries:
http://www.clearcreekmonks.org/
http://www.byzantines.net/monastery/
Holy Transfiguration Skete http://www.societystjohn.com/
http://www.societystjohn.com/
http://www.spencerabbey.org/
The Benedictines: http://www.osb.org/osbsitemap.html

Good Catholic Colleges and Universities (those that still know what Catholic education is about):
http://www.campioncollege.com/
http://www.christendom.edu
http://www.thomasaquinas.edu
http://www.avemaria.edu
Cardinal Newman Society http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/ (Info about Catholic schools, issues pertaining to Catholic education)

Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas: http://www.societystjohn.com/
Pontifical University of the Holy Cross: http://www.usc.urbe.it/homepage_ing.htm
Pontifical Atheneum of Queen of the Apostles: http://www.ateneo.org/index.html

International Catholic University (on-line university): http://icu.catholicity.com/

Reading List

Spiritual Reading:
#1, of course, the Bible.
Story of a Soul, by St. Therese of Lisieux
A Pilgrim's Journey (autobiograpy of St. Ignatius of Loyola)
City of God, St. Augustine
Confessions, St. Augustine
Everlasting Man, by G. K. Chesterton
On Marriage and the Family Life, St. John Chrysostom
Rule of St. Benedict
Imitation of Christ
Introduction to the Devout Life, by St. Francis de Sales
Treatise on the Love of God, by St. Francis de Sales (online at http://www.ccel.org/d/desales/love/htm/i.htm)
Finding God's Will for You, by St. Francis de Sales
Jesus: A Dialogue with the Savior, by Lev Gillet
Suffering: The Catholic Answer, by Hubert van Zeller
Spirit of Penance, by Hubert van Zeller
Holiness: A Guide for Beginners, by Hubert van Zeller
Prayer Primer, by Thomas Dubay

Theology:
Discovering Aquinas, by Aidan Nichols
Map of Life, by Frank Sheed
Theology and Sanity, by Frank Sheed
The Spirit and Forms of Protestantism, by Louis Bouyer
Morality the Catholic View, by Servais Pinckaers
The Sources of Christian Ethics, by Servais Pinckaers
Introduction to Moral Theology, by Romanus Cessario
Knowing the Love of Christ, by Michael Dauphinais, Matthew Levering
Christ's Fulfillment of Torah and Temple: Salvation According to Thomas Aquinas, by Matthew Levering
The Greek Fathers, by Adrian Fortescue
Male and Female He Created Them, by Jorge Medina Estevez
The Primacy of the Church of Rome, by Margherita Guarducci
Will Catholics Be 'Left Behind', by Carl E. Olson
Theology of the Church, by Charles Journet
The Bible and the Qur'an, by Jacques Jomier, O.P.
Plus, the The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Philosophy:
Aquinas, by Ralph McInerny
Nicomachean Ethics, by Aristotle
Ethica Thomistica, by Ralph McInerny
The Peeping Thomist, by Ralph McInerny
A Portrait of Aristotle, by Marjorie Grene
A Student's Guide to Philosophy, by Ralph McInerny
Another Kind of Learning, by James Schall, S.J.
Elements of Philosophy: A Compendium for Philosophers and Theologians, by William A. Wallace, O.P.
Idea of an University, by John Cardinal Newman
Socratic Logic, by Peter Kreeft

History:
Anything by Warren Carroll
A Popular History of the Reformation, by Philip Hughes
A History of the Church, by Philip Hughes
History of the Reformation in England and Ireland, by William Cobbett
History of the Church series by Henri Daniel-Rops
Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church: A 2,000-Year History by H. W. Crocker
Anything by Hilaire Belloc (it's not "scholarly" by today's standards, but it's good history--story-telling)
Anything by William T. Walsh, esp. Characters of the Inquisition
Anything by Christopher Dawson (article on Dawson: http://catholiceducation.org/articles/hist...ld/wh0087.html)
The Stripping of the Altars, by Eamon Duffy
Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes, by Eamon Duffy
The Voices of Morebath, by Eamon Duffy
The Early Papacy to the Council of Chalcedon in 451, by Adrian Fortescue
What Were the Crusades?, by Jonathan Riley-Smith
The Crusaders, by Regine Pernoud
Those Terrible Middle Ages!, by Regine Pernoud
Women in the Middle Ages, by Regine Pernoud

"Catholic Classics" page: http://www.cin.org/cathclas.html

Resources on the liturgy and prayer:

http://www.magnificat.net/

Also, check out Liturgy, the Life of the Church, by Lambert Beauduin (now available through St. Augustine's Press, www.staugustine.net).

Also, there are plenty of websites teaching one how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, which all the faithful are strongly encouraged to learn and pray:
http://liturgyny.catholic.org/lithours.htm
http://www.liturgyhours.org/
An introduction: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/francisx/hours.html

On lectio divina:
http://www.valyermo.com/ld-art.html
(same as http://www.rc.net/saginaw/srsclare/lectio.html)
http://www.ocarm.org/lectio/lecteng.htm
http://www.osb.org/lectio/about.html

Lectio Divina: a way to deepen our prayer life and spirituality
Fr Andrew Wise

There are so many different ways to pray. For example, the Sacred Liturgy, the Divine Office, shared prayer, devotions, song, spontaneous prayer and our own private and personal prayer of the heart.

Sometimes, however, I wonder if we approach prayer more as a type of monologue, or as our activity with God responding, rather than as a dialogue, with God acting and with our responding to Him.

One of the most important skills I believe we need in order to deepen our prayer life and spirituality is to learn to listen in prayer rather than doing most of the 'talking' ourselves. Prayer is about relationship and dialogue and the conversations of heart that serve to deepen this relationship with God.

We all know how we feel in a human friendship where the other person seems to do all the talking while we do all the listening. Whatever the qualities of the relationship, we know it cannot grow and mature in a mutually enriching or satisfying way.

Attentive silence
At times I sense that Jesus says something like the following to us: "I deeply appreciate your time spent in prayer and all that you say to me there, but please try to be more quiet and still and learn to listen to me a bit more in your prayer time."

It is only in quiet and stillness that like the Blessed Virgin Mary we can ponder and reflect on the works of God in our lives and learn to treasure them in our hearts.

As a key aspect of our prayer time do we try to maintain a focus of attentive silence and stillness before God? A prayerful interior silence is not a useless emptiness or void but an available space for God's Word and inner promptings to be heard and to resonate within us. An inner silence gives us room to listen and be attentive to God.

Like the Blessed Virgin Mary we gradually become unconditionally receptive and open to the movement and action of God's Word and Grace within us. We will also become more open and co-operative in being "pruned" (Jn 15.2) by the Word. In this way the progress of a deeper conversion of heart gathers pace in our lives.

When do we finally trust ourselves and God enough to begin to enter the silent place within, we will often first encounter a more intense awareness of our usual relentless jumbled thoughts, feelings and inability to be still. If however we persevere, accepting ourselves and letting Christ accept us in all our confusion and anxiety, then we cross a threshold where we will begin to hear Jesus' word to us in a new and intensely personal way.

Gradually we will find ourselves listening with our heart to the words Jesus has been longing to be more deeply heard by us for so long - "I have loved you with an everlasting love ... Do not be afraid ... I am with you, I have called you by name you are mine". In the stillness we will sense His loving gaze upon us. We will find the assurance of love we need to let go, quieten down inside and listen. Now in a new way we will learn from Jesus who is "gentle and humble of heart" and who offers "rest for our souls" (Mt 11:29-30)

A way of praying that wonderfully incorporates many of the aspects of prayer that I have been highlighting here is called Lectio Divina.

To slowly read and re-read (Lectio) and attentively listen to Holy Scripture as God's word to us in prayer is the first movement or stage of Lectio Divina. This can be described as a "reading in the spirit".

The second phase of Lectio Divina is the "meditatio" where we "ruminate, reflect on and digest" the word of God. With an inspired thoughtfulness we then seek to connect it to the reality of our daily lives. Next in the "Oratio" we respond to God from the heart in our own words and feelings of prayer in the light of what we have heard God speak to us.

The fourth movement of Lectio Divina is the "contemplatio". Having listened and understood all that the Lord wants to say to us through His word on this occasion and having said all that for the moment we want to say to Him; we now settle into a period of silent, loving closeness with the Lord. This is a time to simply be with God. A time to rest with the Lord in the embrace of His loving presence and acceptance of us.

It is also a quiet "resting in the truth" - the truth of God's love for us and our love for God. We also rest peacefully in the truth of God's Word, read, heard and responded to in our time of Lectio.

Everyday lives
This leads to a fifth and final movement in our prayer, the "operatio". This involves the vital connection between interior prayer and exterior action in our lives. The reality and consequences of our prayer must flow through to be incarnated, (the Word becoming flesh) in our everyday lives.

In this way our whole life gradually becomes prayer and the word of God becomes alive and active in us and through us for the building up of God's Kingdom in the world. Without this dynamic connection to our daily way of living, our prayer is in a sense stillborn and does not produce the "appropriate fruit" (Lk 3:8).

Lectio Divina can be broadly described in these terms: God is listened to in the lectio, His words are taken to heart in the meditatio, they edify the community of faith in the collatio, they are changed into our words to Him in the oratio, become communion with Him and with the mystery of His love in the contemplatio, and they lead us to action in the operatio as a discovery of our responsibilities in life in the light and grace of the Spirit.

Father Andrew Wise is a parish priest in the Sale (Vic) Diocese.
http://www.ad2000.com.au/articles/2003/feb...03p20_1255.html

Homily by Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J. at the Funeral Mass of Juana Delatorre

Dear Family and friends of Juana Delatorre,

It is a great honor for me that you have asked me to celebrate this funeral Mass for Juana Delatorre. I have only been a chaplain here at Santa Teresita for two weeks and already I have experienced what a tremendous grace it is to be able to give the sacraments of the Church to those whom God has called to himself.

And what a special blessing it was for me to be part of the last pages of the last chapter of the wonderful story of Juana and Jesus Delatorre. Of course, I don't know anything about all the trials and sacrifices and difficulties, or all the joys and blessings that made up their long life. But I know that as we all are the "glory of God" according to the great Church Father, St. Ireneus of Lyons, all of you are the "glory" of Juana and Jesus.

And what I know is enough for me to be humbled and to rejoice: 72 years of marriage, of faithfulness to one another; 14 children with immortal souls that will live forever; more than 100 grandchildren and great grandchildren. Juana and Jesus are heroes. Heroes of love and heroes of faith.

When I first met them, they were both on the verge of death. But one day Juana was in the intensive care unit while Jesus was in B wing. The next day Jesus was in the intensive care unit and Juana was in the B wing. The following day they were both in the B wing but in different rooms. I passed their granddaughter Leah in the corridor--it was our first meeting--and we both said to each other: they have lived 72 years together; they should be in the same room together as they prepare to go to the Lord. What God has joined, let no man separate!

Little Eddye Rodriguez, a 6-year old recovering from an operation on his broken leg, gave up his double room, room 206, so that Jesus and Juana could share it. And there Juana breathed her last on Monday. Jesus didn't realize it right away, so we brought Juana's bed next to his and told him what had happened. We knew when he finally understood. He sat up and groaned and cried and reached for Juana's hand. I put her dead hand in his and he grasped it and held it lovingly. For a moment it was my hand, the priest's hand, that was cradling the hands of these two faithful spouses. I will never forget that moment.

You know, we are all to some extent deluded by the world, especially the affluent, consumerist world we live in here. But if we want to know the real meaning of our lives, we need only to go to the very first pages of the Bible, where God himself tells us why he created each one of us.

In the book of Genesis, there are two accounts of creation. In the first account, in chapter 1, we read "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them". The greatest mystery of our faith is the mystery of the Trinity. And it is a mystery infinitely beyond our comprehension. But dark as this mystery is, it illuminates the deepest meaning of our lives. That God is entirely one; but that he is a community of distinct persons; that is, he is Love. It is not just each one of us as individuals that is created in the image of God. It is man and woman together that are the image of God as the love between persons.

And at the conclusion of this first account of creation, God speaks his very first word to his new creatures. And it is a command. The first and most fundamental command which shows us his first and fundamental purpose: Be fruitful. Multiply. Fill the earth. The mutual love of Father and Son is so fruitful that it brings forth a third infinite person, the Holy Spirit. And when God creates us in his image, when he creates us male and female, it is in the fruitfulness of marriage that we see the most perfect image of God in all creation.

In the second account of creation in Genesis, in chapter 2, God says: "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him." Here we see God's intention that husband and wife be friends and helpmates, that they support one another in mutual love; that they be faithful to one another for life as the image of God's eternal, Trinitarian, faithfulness.

So you see, from the very beginning, God has told us that there are two ends or purposes of marriage which constitute his plan for the whole human race: that the man and woman should be fruitful and multiply; and that they should be faithful helpmates to one another.

Juana has now met her God and ours. We continue to pray for her because the salvation of none of us is assured. But when God asks her: "Did you keep my commandments?" and she replies, "Which commandments, Lord?," and he says, "My first, my most fundamental commandment, that you be fruitful and multiply," she will point to all of you. Many bankers and stockbrokers and doctors and lawyers and CEOs and contracepting and aborting hedonists are going to be very embarrassed when they can point to but one or two children--or none. But I think the angels and saints are going to break out in a thunderous chorus of joy and praise when Juana points to you. And when our Lord asks about his second commandment, to be faithful, she will say, "Lord I loved and honored Jesus--my beloved spouse named after your own son--for 72 years. And then if angels can weep they will weep for joy, as I did when Juanita died.

This would be a fitting place to end this homily. But that would leave one final, joyous task unfinished.

I said earlier that it was Juana's granddaughter, Leah, whom I met at the moment we were walking toward each other in the corridor with the same idea: to bring Juana and Jesus back together in the same room.

Later, when Leah and I had a chance to talk together, she told me that she was engaged to a fine young Catholic man and wanted to marry him in the Church, but that she was not yet baptized. There was sorrow in my heart as I looked at her, clearly so devoted to her grandmother, and thought that she would not be able to receive communion at this Mass, to unite herself even more deeply and mysteriously to Juana in the Body of Christ. So I asked her, "But you believe in God?," "Yes." "And in Jesus," "Yes." "And in the Catholic Church?" "Yes". Well then, Leah, I'm going to baptize you at your grandmother's funeral Mass! Leah accepted.

It may seem strange to have a baptism at a funeral Mass. But it really isn't. We are all baptized into the death of Christ. Juana's baptism was a death to sin and the beginning of a new life of grace in this life as a preparation and anticipation of the glory of the life to come. And her death, which we commemorate at this Mass, was her final oblation, her final act of self sacrifice, the seal of her union with Christ in his death -- which we also commemorate in this and in every Mass. And we pray now that as she died with Christ in the baptism into his death, she will live with him in the glory of his Resurrection. Death has separated Juana from us. But death has been conquered by the Resurrection of Christ. As Leah is baptized, she will join her grandmother across this great and sorrowful abyss of death. She will join all of us in Christ's one risen Body. And her Communion and ours will be the sign and pledge of our future glory, where we too will be, like Juana and Jesus, like Jesus Christ and the Church his Bride, one flesh, forever. Laudetur Jesus Christus! May Jesus Christ be praised.

http://www.catholicintl.com/epologetics/dy...ing_to_self.asp

THE FEAST OF ST. BARNABAS THE APOSTLE

by Fr. Lawrence Smith

I could begin a homily about St. Barnabas by talking of the fact that he was the fifteenth Apostle. Remember, there were the original Twelve, then St. Matthias, St. Paul, and, lastly, St. Barnabas. But I am not going to talk about that.

We could explore his missionary activity from Cyprus to Jerusalem and back to Cyprus, with many stops all around and in between. St. Barnabas was a companion with St. Paul on many journeys throughout the ancient world, a tremendous advocate for the Faith in the early Church. But I am not going to talk about that.

Instead, let's look at martyrdom, both in the sense of St. Barnabas specifically, and the martyrs in general. Obviously, all the martyrs sacrificed their lives with and for Christ. But there are practically as many ways of dying a martyr's death as there are martyrs who have died. There are, however, several very important things that all of the martyrs share, and which we would do well to imitate in our own lives, even if a violent death is not asked of us in giving witness to the Faith.

Here I am going to offer Father Smith's "Five Acts of Dying to Self". These are five things that every martyr, indeed, every Catholic who desires sanctity, encounters as part of bearing witness to Christ and Him crucified. All Catholics are called to embody these actions, but these actions do not always result in a bloody martyrdom. These actions require the grace of the Holy Spirit, by which any Catholic can accomplish them; actual martyrdom requires not only the willingness of the martyr, but the assistance of his oppressors. These "Five Acts of Dying to Self" can work whether or not we have anyone nearby ready to ill treat us for the sake of the Name.

First, to die to self, one must love the life God has given him. The gift of self to God is not a matter of some worthless thing being offered as an insult back to the original giver. No, life is a precious gift from God, of such great moment that God counts it worth His trouble to send His Son to redeem mankind. This is not because we are so wonderful in ourselves, but because human life comes from God in the first place. It is not that we first loved God, but that He has first loved us. Because of His love, we can love what He loves. The lives that we offer to God are of infinite value because of God's love, Christ's Cross, and the Spirit's gifts.

Second, having learned the love of self that flows from the first great commandment to love God above all things, and which is the predicate of the second great commandment to love our neighbors, to die to self one must accept the necessity of death. This comes both from acknowledging our own sinfulness and the death which sins deserve and, far more, the realization that it is not our own life which we crave, but the divine life which alone is capable of satisfying us. Paradoxically, once one understands how tremendous is the gift of human life, one comes to a deeper understanding of the source of that life, God Himself. We love our human life, but we love the giver of that life all the more. And as God has given us that life, we seek to do the same. Made in His image and likeness, we imitate His generous giving. God gives us human life with the promise that divine life will follow; we offer our human life in Faith that He will keep His promise and bestow on us far more - divine life.

Third, knowing that the divine life is our ultimate desire, to die to self requires that we learn to deny the self. Human life, the pleasures of this world, the beauty of creation can not fulfill man's true desires. The comforts we seek, the ease we pursue, the luxuries with which we surround ourselves are ultimately, in the words of St. Paul, just so much rubbish. At best created beings point beyond themselves to the Creator. At worst, creatures can become obstacles that obscure and then prevent the vision of God for which they and we are made. At their best and at their worst, creatures must be eschewed by him who would know and possess God and only God. Once the sign reveals the reality, the sign passes away. Once the veil is removed, it is no longer perceived. Once love is embraced, faith which points to it and hope which seeks it out are consumed in glory. This creation is passing away, and the man who would die to himself allows the passing glories of the world to pass him by.

Fourth, the self denial that is capable of resisting the temptation to comfort and luxury and even licit pleasures bears fruit in a further willingness to take on suffering. Ours is to take up our crosses each day and follow Christ. The Cross is not only about dying and death, it also is about suffering. There is no Cross without suffering, no Golgotha until a Via Dolorosa, no Passion bereft of pain. We must keep in mind that to embrace the Cross is to embrace all of Christ's Passion, which will of necessity include intense suffering. It is typical of us Americans to flee from pain, but that flight is not compatible with discipleship. Perhaps it will help if we remember that although suffering hurts, it is not fatal. And it is supposed to hurt. When the Cross brings pain, there is nothing wrong. The Cross entails a sacrifice not only of life, but of well being and of physical peace. This presents maybe the hardest challenge in the project of sanctity. The idea of losing one's life is approachable by many; it is while the life is being lost that many of us draw back in fear. Christ's words bring comfort: "Do not fear the world. I have overcome the world!" This world includes pain and suffering, thus, we need not fear them in Christ.

Fifth, having learned to love the life that God has given, desiring all the more the life of God from whom our lives proceed, releasing our claim to comfort in this life, and embracing the suffering by which salvation is signified as a contradiction to the world, at last we say to God, "Lord, I don't care!" This is not apathy, but a holy indifference. We acknowledge that God, His life and love, is our only need. As such we do not care at all what else comes, so long as by it God is received. There is no joy to which we cling, no pain from which we recoil on our way to union with Christ and Him crucified. At the same time, there is no joy that we will lack nor pain that can harm us so long as we are in communion with Christ and Him crucified. We are ultimately indifferent to all things, caring only for the Creator of all things. If we have our Lord, nothing else can move us, nothing else will overwhelm us.

Jesus in the Beatitudes tells us, "Blest are the pure of heart, for they shall see God!" It is this vision of God that provides the motivation for dying to self. The soul who wants to see God, wants to see only God. In that search for God in this life on earth, all things are set aside that do not lead directly to God. And once the vision of God is approached, all other things fade away. The mission of the Apostles and martyrs is to bear witness to Christ and Him crucified. That is our mission as well. The successful saint is he who accepts nothing but the vision of Christ in himself, and having that glimpse of Jesus, shows nothing but Christ to the world.

One can not give what one does not have. To bear witness to Christ, one must have experience of Christ. The fundamental way of knowing Christ is to know Him in the Eucharist, in the Breaking of the Bread - which is another way of saying to know Him crucified. What the Apostles and martyrs show the world is Christ on the Cross in their hearts. That is all they can see, so that is all they can show.

To the extent that the vision of God is our sole desire here on earth, we will be rewarded with that vision. Through a glass darkly at present, Jesus is revealing Himself to us in our lives, in our suffering, and in our death to sin and self. On the Last Day, God will reveal Himself in the fullness of glory, the sight of which is our whole Faith, whole Hope, and whole Love. In that vision we will have life and have it abundantly. We who have died to self on earth will live in Christ forever in Heaven.

Father Smith Prince of Peace, Clinton, Iowa

Online works of G. K. Chesterton:

http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Gilbert_K_C...tianity_p1.html

http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/ches...ing/content.htm

On the sacrament of Confirmation:

http://www.ewtn.com/library/CATECHSM/CONFIRM1.TXT

Listing of Patron Saints:

http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/indexsnt.htm

http://www.scborromeo.org/patron.htm

Page for those who want to begin Bible study;

http://www.catholic-pages.com/dir/bible_study.asp

How do we understand Genesis 1?

A rather technical exegesis by John F. McCarthy

http://www.rtforum.org/lt/lt45.html
http://www.rtforum.org/lt/lt46.html
http://www.rtforum.org/lt/lt47.html
http://www.rtforum.org/lt/lt48.html
http://www.rtforum.org/lt/lt49.html
http://www.rtforum.org/lt/lt50.html

Guide to confession:
http://www.oursaviournyc.org/How_To_Make_A..._Confession.htm

Sacramental confession is no formality. It is a decisive stage in the long process of our moral conversion. It is the key to peace of mind and improvement. But, in order to obtain these benefits, we must be clear about some fundamental truths and apply them to our personal situation.



FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS
1. God loves us immensely and wants our eternal happiness.

2. We can enjoy this eternal happiness only if we use our freedom to live according to His will.

3. Any refusal to behave according to God’s will is a SIN, the gravity of which depends on:

· The action that we do or omit,

· Our degree of awareness, our intention and degree of freedom, and

· The circumstances.

4. As a refusal to respond to God’s love, sin is an act of ingratitude, pride and rebellion against Him.

5. Whenever we sin we turn away from God, and we give ourselves or other

creatures the attention and love that should be directed to Him alone.

6. In so doing we cause a damage to our selves and to others because we upset

the order established by the Creator.

7. In His divine love, God is always willing to forgive us. He actually never

ceases to call us back to Him and to proper behavior.

8. If we want to enjoy God’s forgiveness, we must respond to His invitation to:

· Stop sinning,

· abandon situations of sin, and

· return to Him with a contrite heart.

9. We must also seek His forgiveness through the ministry of the Church,

according to Jesus’ mind when he gave the Apostles the power to forgive sins

(see Jn 20:22f).

10. The reception of God’s forgiveness through the sacrament of Penance brings

about in us a real spiritual resurrection: we rise again to a new life of grace.

Through this sacrament we are reconciled with God, with the Church with our

neighbor and with ourselves.

STEPS TO BE TAKEN BEFORE GOING TO CONFESSION
The most important thing is not to “go to confession,” but “to make a good confession,” i.e.,

a) to approach this sacrament sincerely sorry for our sins;

B) to confess them in all humility and honesty;

c) to be ready to make amends for them;

d) to be determined to avoid committing sin in the future, and to live according to God’s will.



In order to do all this, an essential step is to make a thorough examination of conscience. This includes:

a) becoming aware of the gravity and number of one’s sins, either in thoughts, words or deeds, whether they consist in something wrong that we have committed, or in something good that we should have done and which we failed to do (sins of omission);

B) realizing that, by our sins, we have offended God, have renewed the cause of Jesus Christ’s suffering and death, and caused harm to our neighbor and ourselves.



Valuable helps in making a good examination of conscience are:

1. prayer to the Holy Spirit for enlightenment and sincerity;

2. reading of some pertinent Scripture passage which helps us rediscover the gravity of our sinfulness, the greatness of God’s love for us and his readiness to forgive us;

3. going over sets of questions concerning our duties to God, our neighbor anD ourselves.

PRAYER BEFORE MAKING THE EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

Come, Holy Spirit, into my soul and help me know my sins, feel sorry for them, and confess them humbly, that I may be able to enjoy the Father’s forgiveness. By your light illumine the darkness of my mind, by your fire warm my cold hear, by your grace fill me with your love and power. May I realize that wrong that I did and the good that I failed to do. Help me feel truly sorry for all my sins, strengthen my determination to avoid them in the future, and to live in your love, your peace and your joy. Amen.



BIBLICAL PASSAGES TO BE READ

Before the examination of consciences, select and read just one of the following:

Old Testament

Is 1:16-18; Jer 3:12b-14a; Ez18:23.30b-32; Sir 28:2-7



New Testament

Mt 5:17-19; Mt 5:20-24. 27-48; Mt 7:1-5; Mt 25:31-46; Lk 15:1-7; Lk 15:11-32; Lk 19:1-10; Jn 20:19-23; 1Cor 13:1-7; Eph 4:17-20.25-32.5:1-7; Eph 5:1-7; Eph 5:8-15.19.20-21; Phil 4:8-9; Col 3:1-10; Col3:12-17; Col 3:18-21; Rev 3:20 Reflect prayerfully on the Word of God you have just read.



GRID FOR THE EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

There are several ways to make a good examination of conscience.

A rather common one consists in reviewing our life in the light of the Ten Commandments and see if, how often and how gravely we have failed to keep them.

Another way consists in reflecting on the basic Christian virtues (e.g.: faith, hope, love of God and neighbor, patience, purity honest, etc.), and see if we have practiced them or not.

There are also other ways to make an examination of conscience, but what is essential is to place ourselves in the presence of Almighty God and ask ourselves, in total honesty, if He is pleased with us, and if not, why?

Preliminary Questions

·When did I make my last confession? Was it a “good confession”?

·Did I make any special promise to the Lord on that occasion? Did I keep that

promise

·Did I commit any grave or mortal sin since my last confession?


QUESTIONS BASED ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. You shall have no false gods before me.

· Is God the most important reality in my life?

· Did I entertain doubts about my Catholic faith?

· Did I read books or watch shows/movies against my Catholic faith?

· Am I superstitious? Do I believe in fortune-telling, astrology, palm-reading,

witchcraft?

· Have I always trusted in the Lord, especially in the midst of adversities and trials?

· Are there any “minor gods” in my life: money, pleasures, success, popularity,

power?…


2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

· Did I use the name of God disrespectfully?

· Did I curse?

· Did I keep the promises I made to God?

· Did I speak disrespectfully of Jesus, Mary and the other Saints?



3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.

· Did I participate devoutly and punctually in the Sunday Mass?

· Did I pray regularly every day, at least in the morning and the evening?

· Did I read some passage from Sacred Scripture every day?

· How interested am I in knowing my faith better and helping others (including my

friends, officemates/classmates and relatives) do so?



4. Honor your father and mother

(For Children)

· Did I fail to show love to my parents and other relatives?

· Was I disrespectful or disobedient to them?

· Did I help them when I could?

· Did I disappoint them? How?

· Did I respect my teachers, my parish priest and other persons in authority?

· Did I respect the rules of my school?

(For parents)

· Did I raise my children with selfness love and real concern?

· Was I too hard or too lenient with them?

· Did I give them bad example in the way I spoke or acted?

· Did I fail to lead them with my good example?

· Did I see to it that my children get the proper religious instruction and are actively

involved in our Christian community and organizations?

· Did I motivate them for a committed life in the church and society?



5. You shall not kill

· Did I hurt anybody with my words or actions?

· Did I refuse to help people in need when I had the opportunity and the means to

do so?

· Did I spread negative rumors about others?

· Did I give bad examples?

· Did I do my best to make up for it?

· Did I keep grudges?

· Did I apologize promptly and sincerely?

· Was I instrumental in leading others to sin through my words or actions?

· Was I respectful of other people’s opinions and beliefs?

· Did I take anybody’s life?

· Did I cause any physical injury or moral loss to others?

· Did I do my best to make up for it?

· Did I enroll in any violent organization?

· Did I approve or consent to, recommend, seek or actively take part in abortion?

· Did I contribute to the pollution of the environment?

· Did I take care of my physical and mental health?

· Did I smoke, drink immoderately, use harmful drugs, or do anything that harms

my health or the health or others?



6 & 9 You shall not commit impure actions.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.

(For All)

· Did I look at immodest pictures, shows, films...or read books an other

publications that arouse

in me sexual fantasies and may lead me to sin against chastity?

· Did I entertain immodest thoughts or consent to impure desires?

· Did I commit any impure actions by myself or with others?

· Was I prudent and reserved in dealing with people of the opposite sex, whether

married or not?

· Did I engage in conversations or jokes that could lead myself and other to

commit sins against purity?

· Did I engage in premarital sex?

(For married people)

· Was I faithful to my wife/husband, both in my thoughts and behavior?

· Did I take pills or use artificial means to avoid pregnancy?

· Did I encourage others to do so?

· Did I use marriage to express my selfless love for my wife/husband, or just to

satisfy my sexual urges?



7 & 10. You shall not steal.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s property

· Was I respectful of other people’s property?

· Did I damage public property?

· Did I steal anything?

· Did return what I stole, or offer adequate compensation?

· Did I cheat in school or in business? Was I honest in my work, performing my

duty in the best possible way?

· Was I fair in paying my employees, my taxes and other dues?

· Was I envious of other people’s material means, or success?

· Did I waste time and opportunities?

· Was I greedy?

· Did I use natural resources selfishly?



8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

· Did I tell lies to defend my pride or to cause damage to others?

· Did I give false witness in court?

· Did I reveal secrets which had been confided to me?

· Did I reveal secret faults of others?

· Did I accuse someone falsely?

· Did I judge others rashly?

· Am I a biased person?

· Am I able to balance truth and charity?



IMMEDIATELY BEFORE CONFESSION

· Humbly and sincerely ask the Lord’s forgiveness and the grace you need to avoid sin in the future;

· try to identify the internal root causes of your sins: wrong inclinations, personal

weaknesses, bad habits…and see what you can do to eliminate at least one of

these “root causes.” This means: resolve to work seriously at becoming a better

person by either getting rid of one serious moral defect, or by strengthening one

good moral quality (virtue);

· ask the Lord for the grace to make a sincere and thorough confession.


DURING CONFESSION

Make the sign of the cross and say:

·Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.

Allow the priest to give you his blessing and to add whatever exhortation he may

be inspired to offer. Listen prayerfully and with an open heart, then say:



·My last good confession was…ago. Since then, I have committed the

following sins:…

Confess your sins clearly and sincerely, starting with the most difficult or embarrassing ones.

Should you feel nervous, or uncertain about some sins, ask the priest to help you.

Remember that it I necessary to specify the number of mortal sins, together with the circumstances that add to their gravity.

When you have finished confessing all the sins that you remember, say:



·For these sins all the sins of my past life, especially the sins

against…(mention the most important virtues, like charity, honesty, purity,

etc.) I ask absolution and penance from you, Father.



The confessor will give you some pertinent advice. He will also give you an appropriate penance to be performed after the sacrament of confession. At his invitation, recite and Act of Contrition.

You can say the Act of Contrition either in your own words, or by reciting the following or a similar one:

O my God, I am heartily sorry

for having offended you.

I detest all my sins,

because I dread the loss of heaven

and the pains of hell;

but most of all because they offend you,

my God, who are all good

and deserving of all my love.

I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace,

to sin no more, to do penance,

and to amend my life. Amen.



After having recited the Act of Contrition, bow your head and receive the priest’s absolution with humility and gratitude. Follow his words attentively and join him in saying the closing “Amen!”



AFTER CONFESSION

Kneel down in front of the altar or of an image of Our Lord, and thank him for the gift of this confession. Renew your resolution and ask His help to overcome future temptations. With St. Dominic Savio repeat the prayer/commitment synthesized in the motto: Death, rather than sin.

If the penance given by the confessor consists in some prayers to be recited, say them quietly and devoutly.

The smile at Jesus with gratitude. Rise joyful and confident for the Lord has been merciful to you. Live for Him every minute of your life, and let everybody see how wonderful it is to serve the Lord.


The complete text of this leaflet, including the Biblical Readings, can be found in the pamphlets
“CONFESSION: THE WAY TO SPIRITUAL HEALING, GROWTH AND FREEDOM.”

Word & Life Publications
Don Bosco Compound
A. Amaiz Av. Cor C. Roces Ave.
P.O. Box 1820, MCPO
1258 Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines