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CATHOLIC PRIEST -- FAITHFUL FOLLOWER -- July 28

AND IN the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear." And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water." [Mt 14:25-28]

Artist: Victor Luciano Rebuffo

(1903-1983)

Buenos Aires, Argentina

FAITHFUL FOLLOWER

HERE'S WHAT being a follower of Jesus Christ does not mean: It does not mean your following a celebrity gospelizer whose lavish life-style and flashy showmanship proves that his prosperity mantra is true.

IT DOES not mean that people other than yourself need to live a moral and ethical life. It does not mean crowd psychotherapy or buying celebrity products.

IT DOES not mean cohabitation, multiple marriages, adultery, abortion, dumping human remains on top of dirt or water, television glamour, absolving your own sins, and no-showing on the Lord’s Day.

SO WHAT does being a faithful follower of Jesus Christ really mean? For starters, it means proving one's love by doing. A Church's holy pastor, taking the last place, will lead his congregation to Christ so that Christ can lead them all to the Father.

IT MEANS your living all TEN Commandments consciously and enthusiastically. It means that you remain chaste and celibate until you exchange your marriage vows at the altar of the Church for better and for worse, for richer for for pooer, in sickness and in health until death do you part. It means that you would rather perish than betray Christ by apostasy or your spouse by adultery.

IT MEANS that you follow the example of Joseph of Arimethea and Mary Magdalene who helped Mary of Nazareth bury her son the Lord Jesus Christ, a criminal. It means you will reverence the bodies of all persons who have died. You will arrange for the deceased entrusted to your custody to receive a proper religious funeral service in the Church and burial in consecrated ground.

IT MEANS your being humane, that you respect the lives and dignity of all human beings to live in grace from the unborn to the natural end of life. It means your being reconciled with God and neighbor at all times and making this the very heart of your worship in the Church and your Christian life in the world.

BEING A faithful follower of Jesus Christ means that your food is doing the will of the Father who sent Jesus and to accomplish his work. This means then, that a faithful follower who loves Christ will do these things and more:

FEED THE hungry. Give a cup of cold water to the thirsty. Shelter the homeless. Clothe the naked. Visit the sick. Visit the imprisoned. Bury the dead reverently in consecrated ground.

MORE? YES, there is more. You will:

CORRECT THE sinner. Instruct those who are ignorant of Christ. Counsel those whose faith is weak. Comfort the sorrowing. Bear wrongs patiently. Forgive all injuries. Pray for the living and the dead.

GO OUT into the world to do these things and live a holy way of life. Take up your own cross and follow the Lord Jesus who carried his. Be worthy of him. Be worthy of humanity.

To read more reflections, CLICK THIS LINK: "REFLECTIONS"

APOSTOLATE

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LAUDATE DOMINO

Photo of the Day - Sunday April 25, 2010: Dedication of St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, presides at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Reverend Richard Barker, Pastor of St. Philip, and Reverend George Olsovsky, Pastor Emeritus, are concelebrating. The carrera marble baptismal font, blessed by Cardinal DiNardo, was made in 1879 and was made available to St. Philip by the Diocese of Scranton after the closure of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.

DAYBOOK

July 29

PET FOR ALL SEASONS

May 15

WHAT HE GOT

WE HAVE to work with what we’ve got. You may not like your new son-in-law, but you’re going to have to relate to him anyway, and you might as well do it positively. The Jerusalem crowd didn’t like Jesus, did they? No. They liked Barabbas instead, a liar, thief, murderer and insurrectionist.

SO JESUS had to work with what he got, and what he got was being nailed to a cross. When your son-in-law gets on your nerves, remember what happened to Jesus and how he made the cross work for you, your son-in-law and everybody else—“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” [Lk 23:34]

May 06

MY LITTLE GIRL

Father in Heaven,

You blessed me with a loving wife and beautiful little girl. Watch over them for me. Touch them. Provide for them. Protect them.

Help them to know my love in your love, to feel my arms in your arms, to see my face in your face. Give them courage to embrace each day with confidence.

Preserve the sweetness of my little girl’s childhood. Guide her spirit. Teach her to cherish her mother.

When she prays to you, would you tell her how I’m doing?

Say, He loves you so very much. Say, He didn’t mean to leave you.

Tell her I’m okay. Tell my little girl I’m with you.

With all my heart,
Her Dad

In Memoriam
Kelly James Danaher+
Died May 02, 2010
Age 36

May 05

QUESTION: "DO YOU have a comment on the scandal of Catholic clergy, specifically the Legionaries of Christ?"

For the full ANSWER, CLICK THIS LINK: SCANDAL AND TRUST

May 02

QUESTION: "DURING MY daughter's pregnancy, she and her non-Catholic boyfriend were civilly married. The parish office said her infant child was 'ineligible' for baptism until her marriage was 'blessed'. Would you help me as her father to understand this and offer some suggestions? I would greatly appreciate it."

For the full ANSWER, CLICK THIS LINK: CIVILLY WED AND WANTING CHILD BAPTIZED