Prayers of the Faithful

For some reason, the Prayer of the Faithful at this morning's Mass were "right on."   I think the priest was sick and tired of the same people requesting prayers for the "same ole, same ole, so he ask for those usual prayers in his prayers.  For some reason, I listened and registered every single prayer request and realized that he was asking for prayers that others usually do.  Mmmmm. I wondered if they were paying attention, or would they still request the "same ole" prayers.

They must have been listening, too.

Because different prayers were requested.  I was surprised.  I think Father was too.

The usual, were prayers for the unborn, for an end to abortion, for our children, for the sick, for the dying, for those in the armed services, for our political leaders, etc.

Some of today's new ones:

For today's Christian martyrs, for those living in violence, for all those in prisons and bondage of all kinds, for the safety of all travelers, for all parents, for those who suffer doubt, those that are afraid, those who feel unloved, etc.

I think Father was moved.  I certainly was.

Forgiveness

I was watching EWTN's Crossing the Goal.  This is a program for men.  That's why I was watching it.  Seriously, I wasn't paying that much attention.  I was focused on folding laundry and that program just happened to be on.


Anyway, the guys were talking about how hard it was for men to forgive.  My pastor is always talking about that.  He's mentioned how he's struggled with forgiveness, all his life. 


I can really relate.  The last time someone really hurt me, it took me three years to get over it.  All the time, I thought I was managing it pretty well, but I was only fooling myself.  It was always present in my mind.  I think I actually went through Elizabeth's Kubler-Ross' stages of grief, because I passed through stages of processing the hurt.  


Denial:  Praying to forgive didn't occur to me because I was telling myself that it was the other person's fault.  I prayed for that person, not myself.  I was right; he was wrong, so I prayed for him.


Anger:  Anger wasn't the emotion I felt.  Surprise that it happened.  Hurt, because he thought what he thought, and then shock at his reaction.  I was saddened, not angry.  This is where I think men and women differ.  I took the tongue lashing I received very personally.  If I could have punched him in the mouth, that would have ended everything.  But the thought never occurred to me.  I wanted to cry, not punch.


Bargaining:  In retrospect, I was constantly trying to look at what angered him through his eyes.  It took three years for me to see it clearly.  


Depression:  I never was depressed over the situation.  But the Kubler Ross stages are for death and dying and this wasn't a physical death.


Acceptance:  I was wrong.  He was right.  I pray that never happens again.


This thought process didn't come folding laundry.  It was after, praying Compline.  I was meditating on Psalm 32.  


Happy the man whose offense is forgiven,
whose sin is remitted.
O happy the man to whom the Lord
imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no guile.   


I kept it secret and my frame was wasted.  I should have punched him in the mouth--get it over with.
I groaned all the day long
for night and day your hand
was heavy upon me.
Indeed, my strength was dried up
as by the summer's heat.                            How apropos! It's July 5.


But now I have acknowledged my sins;
my guilt I did not hide.
I said: "I will confess
my offense to the Lord."
And you, Lord, have forgiven
the guilt of my sin.


So let every good man pray to you
in the time of need.
The floods of water may reach high
but him they shall not reach.
You are my hiding place, O Lord;
you save me from distress.
You surround me with cries of deliverance.          Thank you, Jesus!

Fireworks

I know you can't see it.  This is just an iPhone picture.  But there's a barge out there on the horizon.  The barge is full of fireworks, for the 4th of July.  Besides it being Independence Day, it's also Dick and my wedding anniversary.  What do you think the fireworks are for?

We picnic on the beach and watch the fireworks.  It's the usual tradition.  They were extra good this year.  This is Falmouth Heights, Cape Cod.

Blessing of the Houses

When I told the Dominican Sisters of St. Niklausen, that my "cloistered brothers" pray for them after Evening Prayer, they got very excited, and exclaimed that they pray for us, too.

You see, this is a Bethanian Tradition, to add this Blessing of the Houses to Evening Prayer.  We pray for each other.  In this way, we are always one--united in prayer.  

You are welcome to pray with us.

BLESSING OF THE HOUSES

St. Dominic and St. Mary Magdalen
Bless our Sisters of Mont

Our Lady of Grace and St. Teresa of the child Jesus
Bless our sisters of St. Sulpice de Favieres

Jesus in the Eucharist and St. Rose of Lima
Bless our sisters of Nukerke

Our Lady of Peace and St. Niklaus of Flue
Bless our sisters of St. Niklausen

Mother Mary of Mercy
Bless our sisters of St. Morillon

Holy Face of Christ and Our Lady of Consolation
Bless our sisters of Turin

St. Mary Magdalen
Bless our sisters of Venlo

Our Lady of Mercy
Bless our brothers and sisters in the fraternities of Norfolk

Yves Congar
Bless our Southern Province

Mother Admirable
Bless our novitiates

Our Lady of Bethany
Bless the mission

Our Lady of the Church
Bless our Lataste Fraternities

St. Francis and St. Clare
Bless our Franciscan Sisters of Milwaukee

Mother of God
Bless our sisters in West Springfield

Risen Lord
Bless our Sisters in the USA

St. Dominic
Bless our brothers at Santa Sabina and throughout the world

Our holy founders
Bless us

Blessed Pere Lataste, Apostle of Prisons
Bless us

How to Win at Bible Trivia

Sometimes we were neck and neck.  But since my team was the first to go, we were feeding our rivals with chances.  You see, if a team gave the wrong answer, the question went to the next team.  It was almost time for the game to end and we were about 5 points behind the leaders.

Oh, I forgot to mention the third team.  They were so far behind that they didn't have a chance to win.  That's why I forgot about them; they weren't even in contention.

But they're pivotal.

We soon realized that they were getting the easiest questions wrong.  "What did Joseph have that his brothers were jealous of?"  Instead of answering "A coat of many colors," they yelled out, "Sandals."

What?

Then we got it.  And said, "thank you."

They were deliberately throwing their questions our way.  When an answer is wrong, the next team gets to answer it, in addition to their own question.

Hence, we won.

And that's how you win in Bible Trivia.  When you can't win, you join up with second place to beat the one in first.

Look up Matthew 10:16.

Year of Faith

Faith

A year dedicated to me--me--me-me--me--ME--ME!  Imagine that!  Thank you very much.

Pope Benedict XVI has dedicated the year from October 6, 1212---November 24, 1213 to FAITH.

See where I'm coming from?

This morning at Mass, I learned that this October is the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.  During this Year of Faith, Catholics are asked to study and reflect on the documents of Vatican II and the catechism.  Let us pray, that the fruits of this study will deepen everyone's faith.

"The 'door of faith' (Acts14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church."---Pope Benedict XVI, Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei for the Indiction of the Year of Faith.

The upcoming Year of Faith is a “summons to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the One Savior of the world” (Porta Fidei 6). In other words, the Year of Faith is an opportunity for Catholics to experience a conversion – to turn back to Jesus and enter into a deeper relationship with him. The “door of faith” is opened at one’s baptism, but during this year Catholics are called to open it again, walk through it and rediscover and renew their relationship with Christ and his Church.

Source: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/

Padre Pio's Bag

A Lay Dominican, Joyful Marcus, requests any literature that you can spare, so that he can use it to evangelize.  Don't you like how they call each other, "Joyful?"

Padre Pio's Bag came about through the instrumentality of Rev.Father Henry Dinayen, a Diocesan Priest of the Archdiocese of Bamenda in Cameroon.  Inside the Bag, which he handed to one Marcus Kejungki, a finally Professed Lay Dominican of Saint Catherine of Siena Lay Dominican Fraternity  of Bambui / Bamenda, were found  Simple  / Small Prayer Books, Leaflets /  Fliers on our Catholic Faith, Rosaries, Brown Scapulars of Our Lady of Mount Carmel...and other Sacramentals. Marcus was NOT told what to do with these items...Some Youth who have come to me more than once asking a question or two on our Catholic Faith kept coming and I found that  some of these items answered their worries...and I started giving them the Rosaries, Prayer Booklets, Fliers etc and that is it.

A Joyful Friend asked me a question not long ago and it occurred to me that I could decide what should happen to Padre Pio's Bag:

==through It promote a growth of the spirit of Christian Unity around me here in Jakiri in the Diocese of Kumbo where I am resident;

==through It get many Cameroonians around me (starting with the Lay Dominicans around me)  to develop a Culture of Voracious Reading;[ I got 2 copies entitled 'Read Me or Rue It..How To Avoid Purgatory..by Fr.Paul O'Sullivan,o.p.' from the Bag and set them circulating among Saint Jude Apostolate Members of the Diocese of Kumbo...]

Incidentally more questions have been coming up about our Catholic Faith and I see the need to get the Bag 

==to run as Mini Private Library LENDING Christian Literature FREE to the Public around here;

==to run FREE a public Screen allowing exclusively Programmes from EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network); this should be able to disestablish the harm these pornographic film halls are doing around Jakiri Town !

==to link up with EWTN in the USA and Ave Maria Institute in USA and Canada to make an appeal for FLIERS, PAMPHLETS, FOLDERS, LITTLE BOOKLETS etc to use in reaching out FREE with information on our Beautiful Catholic Faith to the Public at large in Jakiri and Beyond.

I thank all@dominicanwitness.com for making these 5 Intentions of Padre Pio's Bag reach all JOYFUL Persons.

We do make appeal to any Catholic Christian who has some Catholic Literature 'idling' around, to not hesitate to forward it to:

:                 Padre Pio's Bag

                  P.O.Box 29 JAKIRI

                  via Bamenda, CAMEROON.

 TELEPHONE: (00237) 9704.1933

                        (00237) 7780.7361

                        (00237) 7422.1170.

E-MAIL:         padrepiosbag@gmail.com

we will be able to make good use of it

Jesus and Mary bless all Joyful People.

Sincerely,

Joyful Marcus of Jesus and Mary, o.p..