The Beauty of our Mother Mary

On Sunday, October 13, 2013, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I found this article on New Advent about the beautiful event.  He had lovely homily for Sunday's Mass as well, and this little paragraph struck me as something I need to ask myself every day, maybe every hour!

"And I ask myself: am I a Christian by fits and starts, or am I a Christian full-time? Our culture of the ephemeral, the relative, also takes its toll on the way we live our faith. God asks us to be faithful to him, daily, in our everyday life. He goes on to say that, even if we are sometimes unfaithful to him, he remains faithful. In his mercy, he never tires of stretching out his hand to lift us up, to encourage us to continue our journey, to come back and tell him of our weakness, so that he can grant us his strength. This is the real journey: to walk with the Lord always, even at moments of weakness, even in our sins. Never to prefer a makeshift path of our own. That kills us. Faith is ultimate fidelity, like that of Mary."

I encourage you to read the whole article and consider consecrating yourself to Mary. She is waiting to help you find your way to her Son.


 

What does it mean to live the Culture of Life?

Living the Culture of Life is to remember and promote a very simple, and at the same time complex, truth: “Our origin and our destiny is God, our Father, who loves each of us with an infinitely tender and merciful love.  The mystery of human life is that we – every one of us – are precious to God even as we are weak and sinful.” (USCCB) The cultural values of today lead people to make choices to maximize gratification and pleasure while limiting or even avoiding completely any pain or inconvenience. Many times this choice ends in someone else’s pain or inconvenience being even greater. On the minor end of the spectrum is the anonymous fellow driver on the road who we cut off or who cuts us off, and on the critical end, the mortal end, one might say, is euthanasia, abortion, human trafficking and slavery. And these are only examples.
So, now you’ve taken a moment to read this and you are thinking, “I’m just one person. I can’t stop other people from doing _____.” And this little note is here to say, “Yes, you can.”

What can I do?                                                    
St. Michael’s Church is a Church that supports the Culture of Life. We do that by supporting a variety of organizations, groups, prayer campaigns and the Respect Life Committee. The Respect Life Committee continues to look for ways to inform parishioners about opportunities to support LIFE.
You, who are the sons and daughters of the King of Life, are meant to stand against the culture of death. You can do this by one or more of the following ways:
 Prayer, the first and best defense we have!
 link to St. Michael’s Proudly Pro-Life on Facebook for information and links about a wide variety of issues that support the Culture of Life.
 find out more about the Respect Life Committee here at St. Michael’s.
 donating funds, volunteer time or needed items to one of many groups in the area:
 In Heaven’s Eyes (New Albany)
 St. Elizabeth’s Home/Catholic Charities (New Albany/International)
 Hosparus (Kentuckiana Region)
 Little Way Pregnancy Resource Center (Louisville)
 visiting the elderly and ill in a nursing home or hospital
 volunteering with the Service Ministry at the Soup Kitchen feeding the poor and hungry
 by supporting a group that is working to promote a Respect for Life on a larger scale:
 Southern Indiana Right to Life
 joining in the prayer during the “40 Days for Life” prayer campaign that runs through November 3rd
 fighting suppression of religious freedoms
 donations to bring food and medicine to the poor, sick and hungry (such as Little Sisters of the Poor)
 and many more!!
What can YOU do to support life?
                                                 

Respecting Life

October is "Respect Life" month, and October 6, 2013 was "Respect Life" Sunday. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have set this date for the US and Cardinal Sean O'Malley wrote this statement for October 6.

In preparation for this important date, the Parish of St. Michael's (Bradford, Indiana) distributed brochures in it's bulletins and began a program of weekly bulletin comments and information, regular updates on our Facebook page and a weekly pro-life intention during our Sunday Masses. Next week (October 13,2013), there will be another bulletin insert to outline some opportunities to support or participate in pro-life activities. 

But, what does it mean to RESPECT life?

At it's core, respecting life is acknowledging the dignity of EACH person (human, unique and alive) from conception to natural death without exception. Respecting life, supports and empowers others to fulfill their particular purpose during their mortal life, in preparation for their eternal life.

Our new and beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis, has already begun to stir our consciences with his reminders of the need to care for the poor and to "make a mess" in our parishes. He has told us, "We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods," although most people miss the 'only' in his quote.  After reading through most of his interviews to date, it becomes so clear that he is asking us, all of us,  to help those less fortunate;  to help those who are weaker; to stand against injustice; to seek justice; to preach Jesus in word and action. 

Truly respecting life means that one understands and STANDS for the right of the preborn to live, recognizing humanity begins with conception. Truly respecting life means that one understands there is no reason in civil society to end someone's life. Truly respecting life means that one STANDS up for the rights of others to live to the end of a natural death.

Life is Good!!

Blessed Mother Teresa said, “Any country that accepts abortion is the poorest of the poor.”

Here in the U.S., so many more people suffer from Spiritual poverty than Material poverty.  Consider the mother who enters an abortion mill ignoring her heart’s knowledge of the child in her womb who will die as a result of the procedure about to be performed. Consider the isolation in her soul, even if the father of her child is with her. Consider the crushing poverty they suffer in their hearts with No Faith, No Hope, and No Love (Charity). Consider the hopelessness that doesn’t let the light of the Gospel shine in them.

Our commission, as Catholic Christians, is to be that light for those who cannot find their way. We must shine for the poor souls who can see no other way except to kill their own baby.  For them, we must speak of the sacred beauty of all life and defend it in the “public square.”  We must pray for those who consider or have decided to end the life of their unborn child. Pray that you may be the light in the life of someone who is lost and hopeless. Act to build the Culture of Life by praying, fasting and showing a merciful attitude toward all.

 “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God”. Deut. 30:19b