Saint Casimir Parish
Lietuviškai

MINISTRY OF PRAISE
 

May, 2014
 
St. Casimir Parish


 

Almighty God,
grant that with the help of St. Casimir’s intercession
we may serve you in holiness and justice.

 

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING INTENTIONS 
  • That the media may be instruments in the service of truth and peace.
                                                                                         
     (May Papal intention)

  • That the Church may manifest in concrete ways the truth of Christ’s triumph over death.
     

  • That the mystery of the Ascension will bring comfort and peace to those who are separated from their loved ones.
     

  • That those who hold public office will imitate the goodness of the Lord who secures justice and the rights of all the oppressed.
     

  • That we reflect on the words of Blessed Guerric of Igny:  “Mary is the Mother of him who is the life by which all things live.”
     

  • That as a nation we pray for all those members of the military who have died in our nation’s service.
     

  • That the sick, the poor, the lonely, those most in need, and those near death will feel the closeness of the Lord in their trials.
     

  • That our Ministers of Praise be validated in their belief in the power of prayer.

 

SAINTS FOR MAY

 

Saints Nereus and Achilleus
Martyrs

(2nd century)

 

May, 2014

Cardinal John Henry Newman wrote:

   No one is a martyr for a conclusion, no one is a martyr for an opinion; it is faith that makes martyrs.

     We know little about Saints Nereus and Achilleus except that they were among the first martyrs to be venerated as saints. It is said that they are buried in a cemetery on the Ardeantine Way (an ancient road of Rome) where a basilica was built in their honor. In the fourth century Pope Damasus wrote an epitaph for their tombstone which noted that they were soldiers in the Roman army and persecuted Christians until they were converted to Christianity.

     Other sources say that they resigned from the army and left Rome. Eventually Nereus and Achilleus were captured and put to death for their beliefs.

    Let us pray for the many unknown Christians today who still suffer persecution for their faith.

 Sources:  IN HIS LIKENESS by Rev. Charles E. Yost, SCJ, STL and SAINTS AND FEAST DAYS, Christ Our Life Series )

 

THOUGHTS FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH


Ascension

# 662  And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it. Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal Covenant, “entered, not into a sanctuary made by human hands…but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” There Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he “always lives to make intercession” for “those who draw near to God through him.” As “High priest of the good things to come” he is the center and the principal actor in the liturgy that honors the Father in heaven.


 

REFLECTION

Mary, Mother of Evangelization

      There is a Marian “style” to the Church’s work of evangelization. Whenever we look to Mary, we come to believe once again in the revolutionary nature of love and tenderness. In her we see that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the strong who need not treat others poorly in order to feel important themselves. Contemplating Mary, we realize that she who praised God for “bringing down the mighty from their thrones” and “sending the rich away empty” (Lk 1:52-53), is also the one who brings a homely warmth to our pursuit of justice. She is also the one who carefully keeps “all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19).

     Mary is able to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small. She constantly contemplates the mystery of God in our world, in human history and in our daily lives. She is the woman of prayer and work in Nazareth, and she is also Our Lady of Help, who sets out from her town “with haste” (Lk 1:39) to be of service to others. This interplay of justice and tenderness, of contemplation and concern for others, is what makes the ecclesial community look to Mary as a model of evangelization.

     We implore her maternal intercession that the Church may become a home for many peoples, a mother for all peoples, and that the way may be opened to the birth of a new world. It is the Risen Christ who tells us, with a power that fills us with confidence and unshakable hope: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5). With Mary we advance confidently toward the fulfillment of this promise.

            by Pope Francis “Evangelii Gaudium”, Chapter Five, Part II, #288.