PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING INTENTIONS
WHAT’S HAPPENING
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Lietuvi
AT
ST. CASIMIR PARISH?|
SAINT
FOR
NOVEMBER St. Martin De Porres
Religious November 3rd
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He excused the faults of others. He forgave the bitterest injuries, convinced that he deserved much severer punishments on account of his own sins. He tried with all his might to redeem the guilty; lovingly he comforted the sick; he provided food, clothing, and medicine for the poor; he helped, as best he could, farm laborers and Negroes, as well as mulattoes, who were looked upon at that time as akin to slaves. Thus he deserved to be called by the name the people gave him: “Martin of Charity”.… (words of John XXIII at St. Martin’s canonization on May 6, 1962) Saint Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru, of a Spanish father and a black mother. As a boy he studied medicine which later, as a member of the Dominican Order, he put to good use in helping the poor. He led a humble and disciplined life and was devoted to the Holy Eucharist. The social and spiritual ills addressed by St. Martin still afflict the world today: social and racial injustices, discrimination, neglect of the poor. Bogged down by bureaucracy, governments are often without human warmth and genuine caring in dealing with these issues. More successful are those capable of genuinely acting with the sensitivity of Jesus Christ. They identify with the harsh realities of poverty and injustice. The history of prophets and saints teaches this lesson again and again. Sources: IN HIS LIKENESS by Rev. Charles E. Yost, SCJ, STL; MAGNIFICAT, Nov., 2011, Vol. 13, No. 9. p. 58 |
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THOUGHTS FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH |
Communion of Saints
#946 After confessing “the holy catholic Church.” The Apostles’ Creed adds “the communion of saints.” In a certain sense this article is a further explanation of the preceding: “What is the Church if not the assembly of all the saints?” The communion of saints is the Church.
#947 “Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others….We must therefore believe that there exists a communion of goods in the Church. But the most important member is Christ, since he is the head….Therefore, the riches of Christ are communicated to all the members, through the sacraments.” “As this Church is governed by one and the same Spirit, all the goods she has received necessarily become a common fund.”
#948 The term “communion of saints” therefore has two closely linked meanings: communion “in holy things (sancta)” and “among holy persons (sancti).”
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REFLECTION |
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JOY
The Gospel, radiant with the glory of Christ’s cross constantly invites us to
rejoice. A few examples will suffice, “Rejoice!” is the angel’s greeting to
Mary (Lk 1:28) Mary;’s visit to Elizabeth makes John leap for joy in his
mother’s womb (cf. Lk 1:41) In her song of praise, Mary proclaims: “My spirit
rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk 1:47). When Jesus begins his ministry, John cries
out: “For this reason, my joy has been fulfilled” (Jn 3:29). Jesus himself
“rejoiced in the Holy Spirit” (Lk 10:21). His message brings us joy: “I have
said these things to you, so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be
complete” (Jn 15:11). Our Christian joy drinks of his brimming heart. He
promises his disciples: “You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into
joy” (Jn 16:20). He then goes on to say: “But I will see you again and your
hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (Jn 16:22). The
disciples rejoiced (Jn 20:20) at the sight of the risen Christ. In the Acts of
the Apostles we read that the first Christians “ate their food with glad and
generous hearts” (2:46) Wherever the disciples went, “there was great joy”
(8:8); even amid persecution they continued to be “filled with joy” (13:52). The
newly baptized eunuch “went his way rejoicing: (8:39), while Paul’s jailer “and
his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God”(16:34).
Why should we not also enter into this great stream of joy?
There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter. I realize of course that joy is not expressed the same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty. Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved. I understand the grief of people who have to endure great suffering, yet slowly but surely we all have to let the joy of faith slowly revive as a quiet yet firm trust, even amid the greatest distress: “My soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is…But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness…It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord: (Lam 3:17, 21-23, 26).
by Pope Francis “Evangelii Gaudium”, #5 and #6