Spiritual Toolbox: Divine Mercy Novena

Today marks the beginning of the Divine Mercy Novena. Many parishes will have organized praying of the novena after the Good Friday service. The Novena consists of a prayer for a particular group of people followed by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet. For example, today we pray for all mankind, especially sinners in need of mercy. One easy way to gather all the resources you need, including praying the Divine Mercy Novena, is to download the free Divine Mercy App.  +Stacey Gonzalez and I used the app to lead us in the chaplet. Yes, it has an audio component!

Below are some links to help you get started on the Novena and to explain a bit about the devotion of Divine Mercy and the wonderful promises associated with it. Tonight we will hear that Jesus was pierced in His side and water and blood poured out. In that pouring of Himself we receive all of his grace and mercy. Lord, may I never be parted from your side!

Additional Resources:

• Divine Mercy, Joe Catholic
• The Divine Mercy, Marians of the Immaculate Conception who maintain the National Shrine of Divine Mercy
• The Divine Mercy Devotion, EWTN
• St. Faustina, Catholic Online

Holy Thursday: The Institution of the Eucharist

Image captured from The Passion of the Christ

The Holy Thursday liturgy is rich and full of many symbols and teachings. One element of the events of the evening that is often overlooked is that it is the night in which our Lord instituted the priesthood and the sacrament of the Eucharist. While it may sound grammatically incorrect to include the two institutions (Priesthood and Eucharist) as one element, I think it is fitting because we can not have the Eucharist without the priesthood.

St. Josemaria says:

This is the source of the joy we feel on Holy Thursday — the realization that the creator has loved his creatures to such an extent. Our Lord Jesus Christ, as though all the other proofs of his mercy were insufficient, institutes the Eucharist so that he can always be close to us. We can only understand up to a point that he does so because Love moves him, who needs nothing, not to want to be separated from us. The Blessed Trinity has fallen in love with man, raised to the level of grace and made to God's image and likeness. (St Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By, 84)

Spiritual Toolbox: What is the Triduum?

Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the shortest season on the Catholic Liturgical Calendar - The Triduum and the end of Lent. The term literally means "three days" and refers to the the three days of Christ's passion and death leading up to his glorious resurrection on Easter. The main lesson we can draw about this season is that we should experience it in its the totality. I recently wrote in a post on holiness, in which I argued that God provides us with all the tools necessary to answer the call to be holy. One of those tools is the liturgy. I cannot think of a richer liturgy than that celebrated on the three days of the Triduum.

Perhaps, like me, you found yourself lacking this Lenten season. Maybe you failed to practice all the good intentions of more prayer, daily Mass, or some other spiritual exercise. While all those practices are all important to our spiritual growth, we can still realign ourselves through the liturgy of the Triduum. It's not too late. Isn't incredible that the Lord is constantly giving us opportunities to reorient ourselves to Him?

Here is a video of Pope Benedict explaining the meaning of Triduum last year:

Here are some additional resources to use in reflection for the next three days:

• Holy Week Retreat, Father Pablo Straub
• The Easter Triduum: Entering into the Paschal Mystery, Carl E. Olson
• 18 Questions on the Paschal Triduum, USCCB

I still think Father Corapi's Triduum talks were some of the best on the subject. While he may no longer be in public ministry, that does not undermine the truth of what he taught. Regardless of what the real circumstances of his case were, he was never accused of teaching falsehood. If you do an Internet search (keywords: Father Corapi + Triduum), the talks can still be located.

Bookends: Palm Sunday & The Passion of Christ

Palm Sunday, Octavio Ocampo

NOTE on the Art: This unusual artwork, categorized by some as surrealism, is the work of Octavio Ocampo, a Mexican artist trained at the Fine Art Institute, Mexico City and the San Francisco Art Institute. He paints in what has been described as "the metamorphic style - using a technique of superimposing and juxtaposing realistic and figurative details within the images that he creates." I discovered his work while on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Alabama (EWTN). He has a wonderful painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe called the Miracle of Roses that we purchased in Alabama and have over our fire place. Click on the image to enlarge it to see all the details.

Gospel Bookends
I have always found the Palm Sunday Mass to be an interesting one for it is rightly also called Passion Sunday and within this unique Liturgy we see two Gospel bookends that represent our treatment of Christ. We begin the Mass with a the Gospel reading done from the back of the Church. This passage describes the joyous scene as Jesus enters Jerusalem on a colt/donkey and the people cheering him on with palms. This is followed by the distribution of the palms and on to the regular part of the Liturgy. We conclude the Liturgy of the Word with a (long) Gospel reading detailing the passion of Christ, ending with His death on the cross. All of this is done in one Mass, in a matter of minutes.

The juxtaposition of these two Gospel scenes represent our relationship with Christ.  When our prayer lives are going well. when we are more aware of the presence of God, when our lives reflect the cardinal virtues of faith, hope and charity then we are like those who raised their palms to glorify God. When we turn our backs on God, when we turn our back on our fellow man then we are like the one's who cried out "Crucify him!"

A Saint's Reflection
St. Josemaria explained in one of his homilies that the violence that we need to demonstrate in our lives is one against our own weaknessess:

We read today the joyful words: “The sons of the Hebrews, raising olive branches, went out to meet the Lord, crying out, Glory in high heaven.”

This acclamation reminds us of how Jesus was greeted at his birth in Bethlehem. As Jesus moved off, St Luke tells us, “people spread their cloaks in the road, and now, as he was approaching the downward slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole group of disciples joyfully began to praise God at the top of their voices for all the miracles they had seen. They cried out: Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven.” (…)

On this Palm Sunday, when our Lord begins the week which is so decisive for our salvation, let us put aside the more superficial aspects of the question and go right to the core, to what is really important. Look: what we have to try to do is to get to heaven. If we don’t, nothing is worth while. Faithfulness to Christ’s doctrine is absolutely essential to our getting to heaven. To be faithful it is absolutely essential to strive doggedly against anything that blocks our way to eternal happiness. (…)

A Christian can rest completely assured that if he wants to fight, God will take him by the right hand, as we read in today’s Mass. It is Jesus the king of peace who says on entering Jerusalem astride a miserable donkey: “The kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm.” This violence is not directed against others. It is a violence used to fight your own weaknesses and miseries, a fortitude which prevents you from camouflaging your own infidelities, a boldness to own up to the faith even when the environment is hostile. (Christ is passing by, 73-83)

Jacob's Ladder: Answering the Big Questions

Have you ever asked yourself one of these types of questions:

• Why am I here?
• What is my purpose?
• What is truth? (Made famous by Pontius Pilate)
• Does God exist?
• Can you prove God exists?

Most of us at some point in our lives have asked one of these or similar questions. Philosophers call these the Big Questions. If you are looking for a good, accessible book to read to help you with these questions, look no further. Peter Kreeft, who is a philosopher and professor at Boston College, has written a new book entitled Jacob's Ladder: 10 Steps to Truth, published by Ignatius Press. This is NOT a theology book, but instead it is a book about finding God through reason. Contrary to what the secular culture says, faith and reason are not incompatible and Kreeft points that out. (See Blessed Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Faith and Reason for more on this subject.)

I have not personally read the entire book, but the reviews of the book by trusted Catholics like Patrick Madrid, Mark Shea and Father Spitzer have been wonderful. I have read some of Kreeft's other works and one of his greatest strengths is the ability to take "heady" material and apply an ordinary, every day approach to explaining things. We Joe Catholics can get on board with that.

Check out the book trailer. The book is available for pre-order at Ignatius Press or Amazon, or you can buy it at a local Catholic book store soon.

St. Joseph, The Man Closest to Christ

Today is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, foster father of our Lord and Patron of the Universal Church, fathers, husbands and workers. Second only to our Blessed Mother Mary, St. Joseph is the greatest of all saints in the Church. Just an aside, but since it is a Solemnity you are not bound to the Lenten abstinence; if the Solemnity had fallen on a Friday, you could have eaten meat. See Jimmy Akin's post; he cites a reliable canonist (Dr. Edward Peters).

Righteous Man
The bible says St. Joseph was a righteous man (Matthew 1:19), a just man. Permit me to paraphrase for a moment. Psalm 1 defines a just man as the man who studies his faith, lives it and doesn't hang out with naysayers. He was a spiritual leader.

Man of Action
St. Joseph was strong in his faith and thus possessed the grace to to answer God's call to be the protector of his most cherished creation - Mary - and his only begotten son, Jesus. Joseph was a man of action and a man of few words (he is not quoted at all in the bible). When God called Joseph to move the family to Egypt to protect them from Herod, he did it (Matthew 2:13-23). He did not negotiate with God. Instead he was humbly obedient and acted on God's instructions.

Role Model
Joseph is the leader, father and husband we can all model. He was the original Joe Catholic, just an ordinary guy living a holy life through the extraordinary grace of our Lord.

ONLINE RESOURCES:

• Oblates of St. Joseph
• In St. Joseph's Workshop, St. Josemaria Escriva Foundation
• 6 Reflections for Fathers, St. Joseph Covenant Keepers
• St. Joseph, EWTN

BOOKS & OTHER MEDIA

• Go to Joseph, Richard Gilsdorf
• Joseph of Nazareth, Federico Suarez
• The Mystery of Joseph, Marie-Dominique Philippe
• Joseph: The Man Closest to Christ (DVD that inspired the founding of Joe Catholic)

3rd Annual St. Joseph's Dinner

Photo by Patsy Bustillos

This Saturday we celebrated our 3rd Annual St. Joseph's Dinner. The event was co-sponsored by Joe Catholic and the Knights of Columbus Chapter 13408, who cooked the spaghetti dinner. We had nearly 150 people show up for the event.

We gave away goody bags to the children which included a coloring book page of Joseph and the Holy Family, candy and a St. Joseph prayer card. We also had two door prizes. The high light of the evening was the look on the 4 year old boy's face who won the St. Joseph cross.

The Ladies of the Knights helped out with decorations and the desserts. The Bad Habits, a choir group from our parish, helped serve the meals. Thanks to everyone who helped organize, set up, take down and clean for the event. We are looking forward to next year's being bigger and better. We are already working on a morning arts and crafts session for the kids to help decorate the St. Joseph altar.

Thanks to +Patsy Bustillos for putting this YouTube video together of the evening.

New Papal Coat of Arms

This is the new papal seal selected for Pope Francis I. For more information on the seal go to the Vatican website. It's not listed as of this writing, but I expect it will be updated soon.

UPDATE: For a clearer image and an explanation of the Latin motto please read Father Z's post on the Pope's motto.

Where Were You When You Heard the News?

Where were you when you heard the news that we had a new pope?

I was sitting at my computer and had just finished working on a new blog post. I was putting on my shoes to go get lunch when I received a text from my brother +Matt Gonzalez. His text actually beat the texts from the PopeApp and PopeAlarm by a few seconds. I immediately went online to CatholicTV and began watching the streaming video. My WiFi wasn't cooperating and kept causing the video to buffer.  I decided to move my laptop and books  to the bedroom to watch EWTN's coverage on the TV. I was supposed to be studying for my IPT classes, but instead I stayed glued to the TV until the announcement was made. I cannot describe the level of anxious excitement I felt as I waited. Then after over an hour of waiting, I heard the words, Habemus Papam! I was only able to make out the name Jorge and then Francis. Was it Cardinal O'Malley, I thought for a moment? No, that couldn't be because his name isn't George. As I pondered this, EWTN's commentators finally piped in and said that our new Holy Father was former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina.


Here's a moving and well-produced video from CatholicVote.  As you reflect back on that moment, please share your story on how you heard the news and where you were when you heard the news. Please write these in the Comments or on Google+.

The Place to be on Planet Earth

Photo obtained thru The PopeApp

I don't know about you, but I am still processing the fact that we have a new pope, a Latin American pope and a Jesuit. My first impression of Pope Francis was immediately that he is a humble man. I was profoundly moved by his request that the people bless him before he blessed them.

Father Robert Barron offers his reflections on the announcement and what our new Holy Father may bring to the Church.

Pope Francis

Pope Francis, formerly Jorge Cardinal Bergolio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was announced as the 265th Successor of Saint Peter. He is 76 years old and his pontificate marks a few firsts. He is the first pope from the Americas, the first Latin American and the first Jesuit pope.

I was moved by his humility in asking first that the people bless him before he gave his blessing to them. Thousands (200,000+) of people standing and kneeling in the square were silent as he bowed his head to receive their blessing. He also began with prayer, leading the people in praying the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. He also issued a plenary indulgence for all those who watched or listened in person or on media.

For some reason, our new Holy Father reminds me of Pope Paul VI.

I am sure we will be hearing more about our new pope in the hours and days ahead. For now you can visit these links for more information:

• Plenary Indulgence, Happy Catholic
• 10 Facts About Pope Francis, Dr. Taylor Marshall
• Habemus Papam! Pope Francis, Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction
• Argentine Cardinal Bergoglio elected Pope Francis, Catholic World News
• New Pope was Runner-Up in 2005, John Allen

Habemus Papam!!!

We have WHITE SMOKE. We have a NEW POPE.

Fr. Barron: It's All Because of Peter

Father Robert Barron continues to report for NBC and maintain what he calls "smoke watch." According to the Catholic News Agency, the smoke signals are taking place early within the expected time frames. As of this writing, the conclave has taken three votes without electing a pope.

Fr. Barron is a little behind on posting his conclave updates. He nicely pointed out that he told the anchor on the Today Show that the reason the whole world is watching is because of Peter. Here's is yesterday's update in which he asserts that two factions exist within the conclave. He rightly concludes his update by asking us to pray for him and more importantly, the 115 cardinals who continue to meet.

The Doors are Closed.

Image captured from FoxNews

The doors to the Sistine Chapel have been closed and the Conclave has commenced!

Fortunately, I am on Spring Break from teaching so I was able to watch as the Cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel, took their oaths and then watch live as the doors were closed. I was alerted on my iPhone by the PopeApp. I began watching the live feed on my phone and then went to CatholicTV to watch their live video stream. I was not able to get EWTN's feed to work.

I recently wrote a review of good resources to follow the conclave entitled Tools for the Toolbox. If you are on the go, I recommend the Conclave App and the PopeApp. You still have time to Adopt a Cardinal and to sign up for the FOCUS Pope Alarm which will email and/or text you upon the election of the new pope.

If you were not as fortunate as me to watch the scenes live, I have included a video from Rome Reports covering the aforementioned events:

Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda

One of the most striking lines to me in today's Gospel is when the paralytic man replies to Jesus, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool." During a recent retreat I took at the Featherock Conference Center, one of the reflections was on this passage in the Gospel of John (John 5:1-16). The observation made by the person leading the reflection was that the man not having anyone to put him in the water is akin to people in our lives who are waiting for someone to give them a spiritual nudge. Perhaps we have someone in our lives who needs our encouragement to come back to the Church. It might be as simple as inviting them to a Lenten Evening of Reconciliation like we are having at St. Catherine on March 21st. Or maybe there is someone in our lives who is waiting to be invited to learn about the Catholic faith, but we have not bothered to invite them.

Who is waiting for you to give them a spiritual nudge?

Fr. Barron: "No Clear Front Runner"

Father Robert Barron continues to report from Rome on the pending conclave which begins tomorrow. In this recent update, he indicates that the overall consensus is that no clear front runner is emerging from among the cardinals. Additionally, he shares about his conversation with his NBC Catholic commentary colleague, George Weigel who is best known as the premier biographer of Blessed John Paul II. Father Barron also alluded to the buzz surrounding Timothy Cardinal Dolan's celebration of Mass at his titular parish yesterday.

Watch the video below for the complete update:

Stations of the Cross

From Church of Notre-Dame-des-Champs, Avranches, Manche, Normandie, France

Lenten Tradition
Our parish, St. Catherine of Siena, like many Catholic churches throughout the world, traditionally prays the Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent. I particularly like our tradition of incorporating all three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We begin our evening with a light Lenten meal, made and served by one of the Church apostolates or ministries. This accentuates the fasting. While we are eating, we are encouraged to donate to a local charity; each Friday during Lent is dedicated to a different local charity. This act encourages alms giving. Finally, we all walk over to the Sanctuary and pray the Stations.

Origin
The Stations of the Cross originated in the 14th Century, but the images of the Stations could be found in many churches before this time. The devotion has its roots in the Way of the Cross or Via Dolorosa. Shortly after the death of Christ, people began making pilgrimages to Jerusalem and tracing Christ's path to His crucifixion.  Pious tradition holds that the Blessed Mother would daily visit the site of Christ's passion.

Praying Perspectives
One thing that is fairly well established is that there are a total of fourteen stations. While this may be generally the case, the way one prays or reflects on the Stations can vary greatly. There are different ways of praying the Stations. For example, Joe Catholic led the Stations at our parish last night and we prayed the Stations from a Marian point of view. Blessed John Paul II had his own variation on meditating on the Stations based on sacred scripture. These are available in paperback on Amazon and as an iTunes app.

Saints & the Stations
Over the years, many of the saints have written their own reflections on the Way of the Cross. My personal favorite, available in the Handbook of Prayers and the Daily Roman Missal, was written by St. Josemaria Escriva. I like these because they assume a lectio devina approach. This version is available at EscrivaWorks or can be purchased as a small paperback at Scepter Publishers.

Ordinary Fridays
You don't need to wait until Lent to pray the Stations. Traditionally, many devout Catholics have prayed the Station on "ordinary" Fridays. If you can't make it to a church to walk around the Stations on the wall, you can use a prayer card, chaplet or other reminder to help you follow the Way of the Cross.

My mother told me about the Stations at Groom, Texas. I hope to take her some day soon.

Fr. Robert Barron in Rome for Conclave

Father Robert Barron is in Rome covering the Conclave for NBC and MSNBC. If you catch his commentary on secular media, you can rest assured you are getting a good sound opinion. We regularly include Father Barron's videos from Word On Fire here at Joe Catholic. In case you don't know who Father Barron is, he is the creator of the wonderful Catholicism mini-series that has appeared on PBS and EWTN.

Here's a copy of his first report from Rome for Word on Fire:

There's a Conclave App!

The folks who created Verbum have put together a nifty little app to follow the Conclave. The app is available in iOS (Apple) and Android platforms and it is FREE. You can download the app at the iTunes store or Google play.

The opening screen menu looks like this:

The app has five (5) pages of resources. Here is how the pages are organized:

• Live Video - The first contains live video from the Conclave. Right now the video that appears on the app is one from the last press conference. 
• News - This page includes links to a number of websites and news outlets like National Catholic Register, Jimmy Akin, Catholic Answers and Zenit. I am a little disappointed that they felt the need to include the National Catholic Reporter. I suspect they included this source, which Fr. Z calls FishWrap, because of the great writing from John Allen. I only recommend reading Allen's articles on the NC Reporter.
• Twitter - tweets following #pope and #conclave. Be warned that you will have to sift through all sorts of stuff if you choose to follow the conclave this way.
• Bios - This contains bios on all the cardinals as ranked by NewAdvent. Their ranking is based on Google search activity, not on the likelihood of their election.
• Resources - This includes a number of documents related to papal selection and the conclave.

One final cool feature about the app site is that you can register to have an email sent to you to alert you the moment a new pope has been elected.

The Date is Set!

The College of Cardinals have set March 12th as the date for the Conclave to elect a new pope.

Let's continue to pray for the Cardinals.

Pray with and for the Cardinals

We have been called to pray with and for the College of Cardinals as they prepare for the Conclave. Here is a copy of the prayer recommended by the USCCB:

O God, eternal shepherd,

who govern your flock with 

unfailing care,

grant in your boundless fatherly love

a pastor for your Church

who will please you by his holiness

and to us show watchful care.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, 

your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the 

unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Tools for the Toolbox: Conclave Resources

As the Church gears up for the upcoming Conclave to elect a new pope, you might be asking yourself, "How do I find out more about papal conclaves?" I am debating on whether or not to devote a new page on this blog dedicated to all things related to the conclave. For the time being, I have gathered a number of sound resources for you to review and prepare yourself not only for the conclave, but for all the questions you are getting from co-workers, friends and family. These are all great opportunities for evangelization!

Electing the Pope

This new website is a collaboration of several Catholic bloggers, catechists and teachers and it seeks to be a meta site for explaining the conclave and related topics. Its contributors include the likes of Sarah Reinhard who writes the Snoring Scholar blog and is a regular contributor to the Catholic Mom. The  site includes information about the papacy, Catholic symbols and best of all, a Q & A section.

In the Light of the Law

If you are interested in a Canon Law perspective, you need not go any further than Dr. Edward Peters' blog, In the Light of the Law. Dr. Peters is a canon lawyer and has written several books on Canon Law including OSV's 100 Questions About Annulments.

EWTN - The See of Peter

You can never go wrong with EWTN as one of the resources you regularly check for anything Catholic. They have put together a number of resources on a new page entitled The See of Peter. The page includes a number of links including overviews on the papacy and the college of cardinals. The page also includes links to several of the documents governing the election of a new pope.

National Catholic Register

If you are looking for a resource to follow news about the Catholic Church, you needn't go further than the National Catholic Register.  The NCR provides comprehensive and orthodox reporting on the Catholic Church. You will find well written articles, radio broadcasts and blog posts on their site.

Pope Names Book, Jimmy Akin

Jimmy Akin, who is a senior apologist for Catholic Answers, has written an ebook entitled Pope Names. In the book he explores the history of papal names, how name have chosen and he even explores the statistical probability of the name choice for the next pope.

EWTN: Interregnum Terms

EWTN, is producing a series of brief videos in which they define terms for the interregnum or sede vacante, "the period during which an episcopal see or diocese is vacant." (Catholic Dictionary)

Today I have chosen to post the video defining CONCLAVE which comes from the Latin word for key (clavis) and literally means with the key:

Joe Catholic & the Catechism

Photo by Thicke

If you will notice from the image above, the Joe Catholic logo includes a representation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church - the green book with the keys.  We included this to symbolize that we are men faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Yesterday morning, the men of Joe Catholic packed into a classroom to gather to break open the Catechism. Why? Because many of us had never even opened a Catechism let alone own one AND, more importantly, because our Holy Father instructed us to read the Catechism.

Year of Faith
When Pope Benedict announced that the Church would be celebrating a Year of Faith, he suggested we read the documents of the Second Vatican Council and that we read the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). This makes sense because this year is the 50th anniversary of Vatican II and it is also the 20th anniversary of the promulgation of the Catechism.

Norm for Teaching the Faith
The CCC is only the second universal catechism handed down by the Church. The Catechism of Trent is the other and it was written in 1566 primarily for priests. The CCC is one of the fruits of Vatican II and it is intended as resource for ALL members of the Church. Blessed John Paul II called the CCC "a sure norm for teaching the faith" and he asserted that it would help "serve the renewal" of the Church. He continued in Fidei Depositum (Deposit of Faith), explaining that the CCC "is a statement of the Church's faith and of Catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, Apostolic Tradition and the Church's Magisterium."

Important Functions
According to the USCCB, the CCC serves several important functions. They include: 

• Conveying the complete, essential and fundamental content of Catholic faith and morals in a summative way.
• It acts as a point of reference for the development of national and diocesan catechisms like the "burgundy" one developed by the USCCB.
• It is a positive, objective and declarative exposition of Catholic doctrine.
• It aids those who have a duty to catechize, namely promoters and teachers of catechesis. I contend this includes parents, who are the primary instructors of the faith to their children.

Four Pillars of the Faith
Pope John Paul II called the Four Pillars of Faith the "four movements of a great symphony." They include: 

1. Profession of Faith (The Apostle's & Nicene Creeds) - what the Church believes 
2. Celebration of the Christian Mystery (The Sacraments & Liturgy) - what the Church celebrates
3. Life in Christ (Commandments and Beatitudes) - what the Church lives
4. Universal Call to Prayer (Our Father) - what the Church prays 

CCC's Organization
The Catechism is made up of 2,865 paragraphs. This is how we find things in the CCC - we look up the paragraph number that has been referenced. I liked the way the New Evangelizers referred to the CCC as being written like an encyclopedia, dictionary and history book all in one. In the back of the "big green" version of the CCC are a number of cross reference tools for scripture, papal documents and documents of the councils. It is written in easy to understand prose and calls upon Sacred Scripture and the writings of the Church fathers, the saints and the Magisterium.

How to Use the CCC

When you first look at the CCC, it can look a bit intimidating because it is as thick as many phone books (do people still use those or are they just thrown in the recycling bin?). While one can certainly read it from cover to cover as FlockNote has attempted through daily emails, it is not necessary nor intended to be read that way. Instead, it is meant to be used as a reference for studying or growing deeper in the faith. Have a question about faith and morals? Pop open the Catechism. 

Tips to Get Started

I recommend two ways to get started reading and utilizing the Catechism of the Catholic Church. First, I recommend sitting down with the family and just looking up answers to common questions you or your children may have. Make it fun. Let the kids ask the questions to see what you can find. Remember to be patient because so many of us have become spoiled by the likes of Google searches. You might actually have to narrow down or even change the key words or terms you are using to look up in the INDEX. For example, yesterday we were looking up cloning. There is no reference to cloning in the index, but there is one for LIFE and a subcategory for "snares of human life." That's where we found our answer.

During Lent we are urged to pray, fast and give alms. The Catechism is a great source for learning more about improving your prayer life. As we continue the period of Lent, we could read portions of the Catechism devoted to Prayer.

Plenary Indulgence

If you didn't have enough reason to open the CCC. Here's one more.  The Church has attached a plenary indulgence to the study of the Catechism. Joe Catholic intends to sponsor two more talks on the CCC in the coming months. Here are the requirements (remember that the other requirements of a plenary indulgence are required too):

(A) Each time they attend at least three sermons during the Holy Missions, or at least three lessons on the Acts of the Council or the articles of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in church or any other suitable location. (USCCB)

Special First Friday Reflection

I still haven't fully processed that the Chair of St. Peter is vacant. I do however take solace in Pope Benedict's address at his final Wednesday audience:

Dear friends! God guides His Church, he sustains her always, and especially in difficult times. Let us never lose this vision of faith, which is the only true vision of the Church and the world. In our heart, in the heart of each of you, may there always be the joyous certainty that the Lord is near us, he does not abandon us, he is near us and surrounds us with his love.

I came across this video reflection that helped me; perhaps it will help you as well:

Does Prayer Work: A Proper Disposition

By Frater Bovious

(CARROLLTON – Cradle of Civilization) On my way home from work, listening to the radio, a lady called in with a question about prayer. She had read a book that appears to have made her feel that if she was “praying properly” she would have some tangible evidence that her prayers were heard. Yet, she had been praying fervently and receiving no feedback – and so was left with faith alone that her prayers were heard.

She didn’t say “just faith” but my sense was, while she was willing to just go on faith, she really wanted some kind of verification. This appears to have been triggered by the fact she had several losses in her life, various in-laws and such, and was trying to “cover her kids with prayer”, but nevertheless had some anxiety concerning the safety of her children.

This triggered a line of thought for me – the following is not a response to her and her situation, though it may be related. The line of thought concerns the proper disposition to prayer.

TO READ THE REST, please check out Frater Bovious' blog The Spiritual Advocate.