Joe Catholic Hits 21

Today Joe Catholic, just one month shy of its one year anniversary, celebrated a major milestone.  We broke through the twenty mark.  We had twenty-one men present for today's sessions.  That is incredible!  I expected a lower than normal turn out because of the Easter holiday. Instead, you set a new mark.  It is a testimony to your dedication to learn more about your faith and your willingness to be open to the Holy Spirit.  Praise God!  

Mystagogy - Living the Mysteries

Most Catholics are not familiar with the term "mystagogy."  The term is most closely associated with the RCIA process and the period of time following the Easter Vigil leading up to Pentacost Sunday.  It is a period of finishing, of filling in the gaps for "unfinished" Christians.  Truth is, we are all unfinished Christians and we could all do with some finishing, some additional catechesis.  This is precisely the role ministries like Joe Catholic and Why Catholic? serve.   

The catechesis is aimed at helping us grow in our faith.  More specifically to arm us with the knowledge to better utilize the sacraments - the real mysteries.  Mystagogy is really all about living the sacraments.  It's about walking the walk, in our every day ordinary lives.  It's answering the universal call to holiness.  

Blessed Mother Theresa said we are "called to blossom exactly where we are planted."  St. Josemaria asserts God is calling "ordinary Christians immersed in the bloodstream of society...to be saints and apostles, in the very midst of our professional work." 

As Catholics, we have the fullness of the Christian faith; we have the seven sacraments and apostolic succession.  We have a responsibility to act on this, for as scripture says, to those who much is given, much is required.  We have a duty to our family, friends and co-workers to know our faith, so we can share, and more importantly, live our faith.

We can remember the acronym CARE.  Continuous Adult Religious Education.  Use this website as a launching point to your continued development beyond what you learn at the sessions.  Start by reading any of the books on the recommended reading list.  Visit some of the links.  The Catholic Information Services has a wealth of online training.

Finally, I recommend one additional book - Living the Mysteries: A Guide for Unfinished Christians, Scott Hahn

John Paul The Great

John Paul II reigned as pope between 1978-2005.  He travelled more than any other previous pope.  He was a prolific writer and oversaw the canonization of numerous saints. JP2, as students called him at World Youth Day, was known for his strong devotion to Mary - he prayed all the mysteries of the rosary daily and even instituted the new luminous mysteries.   John Paul II is partially credited for the fall of Communism and is closely associated with the Divine Mercy devotion.

The Full Story

George Weigel's Witness to Hope

Encyclicals with Study Tool

Pope John Paul II Cultural Center

DIVINE MERCY

Simply put the message of Divine Mercy is that God loves us and His mercy is greater than any of our sins.  We are called to live the ABC's of mercy. ASK for his mercy.  BE merciful. COMPLETELY trust in his mercy.  In living a life of mercy we must be merciful to others.  We can do this in three ways - prayer, words and deeds.

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

PLENARY INDULGENCE

How to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

The Mercy Hour

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA

The Mercy Pope

St. Faustina

Saint Talk: St. Joseph - The Man Closest to Christ

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.

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.

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.

Joseph of Nazareth, Federico Suarez

Go to Joseph, Richard Gilsdorf

EWTN - Profile and Links to Papal Writings

Catholic Toolbox: Social Justice & Universal Healthcare Bill

The president's health care reform is one of the most significant issues facing our country in recent years.  In a time when so-called Catholic politicians have scoffed at Church teaching, what are we called to do?  In the following post, I will outline a straight forward guide for action.

First, we must understand that we have a spiritual responsibility to be politically active.  (See CCC #1915) Now, for most of us this simply means staying informed and voting with an appropriately formed conscience.  In fact, we are called as Men of God to uphold the "common good."  The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the common good has two primary components: 1) respect for the human person and 2) the social well being of the group.
For a more a detailed account of what are responsibilities are as citizens see CCC 2238-2243  See below links for more information on this subject matter:

Bishop Vann's Letter to Congress

USCCB Main Page

USCCB - Health Care Reform

Catholics Respect Life Website

Spiritual Plan of Life

As we bring in the new year, many of us set out to fulfill new resolutions. Some of us are determined that this will be the year we quit smoking. Or perhaps some of us plan on losing the extra weight we have been carrying for too long. Still others make plans of self-improvement, like taking a continuing education course to increase their work and marketability in the workplace. All of these are admirable goals, but how many of us actually make spiritual goals - conscious decisions to improve our relationship with Jesus Christ?

Here is a list of things you can do throughout the year to fortify your relationship with our Lord:

• Begin with a morning offering; courageous moment; arise immediately and offer the day to our Lord (Here are some links to a few traditional Morning Offering Prayers) 
• Daily Prayer - ACTS (Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving & Supplication) pick a time and place for at least 15 minutes devoted to silent prayer 
• Spiritual Reading - 3 minutes a day from scripture ( I recommend you begin with the daily readings) and 12 additional minutes from other sources (See list of recommended books) 
• Pray the Rosary
• Pray before each meal and openly demonstrate the Sign of the Cross 
• Attend Daily Mass (when possible; see - www.masstimes.org) 
• Invocations or short prayers throughout the day 
• Frequent Confession (start with once every 3-4 months and build up to once a month) 
• End the day with an Examination of Conscience

Like any new plan you should consider your determination to implement the changes in your life. You may be better served to start with a few of the recommendations and build yourself up to doing more. The goal is NOT to create a check list of things you are doing, but to increase your relationship with Christ. We are the Church Militant engaged in what St. Paul calls Spiritual Warfare. These are some of the spiritual weapons we have available to us as we make our way in our daily lives in pursuit of holiness.