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Saturday, May 16, 2009

ROCKY ROADS AND HAPPY ENDINGS - One Bread, One Body, 5/16/2009

The April issue of My People Newspaper is now online. Articles include:

Hope Is Focus of Youth Day
Economic Crisis Threatens Human Rights
In Defense of Life: F O C A
Prison to Praise: What Are You Giving Up for Lent?
Church Reaches Out To Suffering
Jesus Is The Answer To Suffering

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Saturday, May 16, 2009

Acts 16:1-10, Psalm 100, John 15:18-21
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/051609.shtml

ROCKY ROADS AND HAPPY ENDINGS

"The congregations grew stronger in faith and daily increased in
numbers." —Acts 16:5

The very first missionary journey was rocky. It included Elymas being
struck blind (Acts 13:11), John Mark quitting (Acts 13:13), and Paul being
stoned and dragged from Lystra and left for dead (Acts 14:19). The
missionary journey ended successfully in that Paul and Barnabas converted
the governor of Cyprus (Acts 13:12) and started four churches (Acts
14:23).

The second missionary journey also had problems. Paul and Barnabas had an
argument on whether to take John Mark on the mission. "The disagreement
which ensued was so sharp that the two separated. Barnabas took Mark along
with him and sailed for Cyprus. Paul, for his part, chose Silas to
accompany him on his journey" (Acts 15:39-40). Paul and Silas' mission
bogged down when the Holy Spirit prevented them "from preaching the
message in the province of Asia" (Acts 16:6). The Spirit also did not
allow them to go into Bithynia (Acts 16:7).

Eventually Paul had a vision leading him to Macedonia. Here Lydia was
converted (Acts 16:14), a girl was freed from the devil (Acts 16:18), and
Paul and Silas were attacked, stripped, flogged, imprisoned, and chained
(Acts 16:22-24). However, Paul and Silas prayed and praised up an
earthquake (Acts 16:25-26). They even converted the jailer and his family
(Acts 16:33).

When we serve God, "we must undergo many trials" (Acts 14:22; Sir 2:1),
but we will succeed in furthering God's kingdom.

Prayer: Father, like a grain of wheat, may I fall to the earth and die so
as to bear much fruit (Jn 12:24).

Promise: "If you find that the world hates you, know it has hated Me
before you." —Jn 15:18

Praise: When Carol and her husband devoted themselves to sharing with
other couples the Church's teachings on contraception, she finally
conceived.

(For a related teaching, order our leaflet "Spiritual Warfare" or our
audio tape AV 57-3 or video V-57.)

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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant my
permission to publish "One Bread, One Body" covering the period from April
1, 2009 through May 31, 2009
†Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of
Cincinnati, October 3, 2008

The rescript is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be
free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have
granted ecclesial permission agree with the contents, opinions, or
statements expressed.

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Friday, May 15, 2009

CREDENTIALS - One Bread, One Body, 5/15/2009

The April issue of My People Newspaper is now online. Articles include:

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Friday, May 15, 2009, St. Isidore the Farmer (USA)

Acts 15:22-31, Psalm 57, John 15:12-17
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/051509.shtml

CREDENTIALS

"It is the decision of the Holy Spirit, and ours too." —Acts 15:28

Almost everyone reading this is a Gentile, that is, a non-Jew. Early
Christians had serious reservations about including us in Jesus' kingdom.
According to the Bible and tradition, we Gentiles were not the chosen
people. We did not belong. What caused the early Christians to change
their minds was the outpouring of the Spirit on us Gentiles. Peter
reasoned that, if we received the Spirit's gifts of tongues and prophecy
just as they did on Pentecost, God must want to include Gentiles also
(Acts 11:17; 15:8). In effect, the Holy Spirit was the One Who decided to
include us Gentiles in Christ's Kingdom.

Let's put ourselves back in those early days of the Church. Would we
present-day Christians have the Holy Spirit-credentials to be accepted
into the Christian community? Are the gifts and fruit of the Spirit so
manifest in our lives that we obviously belong in Christ's Body? Do we
have the way of love which surpasses all the gifts? (1 Cor 12:31) If we
do, they'll know we are Christians by our love, the fruit of the Spirit
(Jn 13:35).

Prayer: Father, may my Christianity be written all over me. Give me a new
Pentecost.

Promise: "This is My commandment: love one another as I d you. There is no
greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." —Jn
15:12-13

Praise: St. Isidore, patron of farmers and rural communities, rose early
each morning and walked to Mass before carrying out his lifelong work as a
farm laborer.

(For a related teaching, order our leaflet, "Seek the Gifts of the
Spirit", or our four series of tapes on "Gifts of the Spirit" starting
with audio AV 3A-1 or video V-3A.)

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Thursday, May 14, 2009

Christ-Responders

Source: Francis Frangipane
I was out early one morning riding my bicycle when suddenly, to my left,
came the horrific sound of an automobile accident; it occurred about eighty
feet from me at a stoplight. I turned just in time to see one car sliding
sideways, while the other car, with the hood and grill pushed up like a pug,
was rocking back and forth from the impact.

Yet, other than dial 000, I didn't know what to do in this emergency. In
fact, even as I walked toward the crash site, I found myself wrestling
against a barrier of fears and apprehensions: What would I find? Would the
passengers be bloody, seriously hurt or even dead? What would I do if a car
caught fire?

When I arrived, I found there were only two people involved, the drivers of
each car. Thankfully, while each was emotionally shaken, neither was
physically hurt.

Yet, I wasn't fine. I was troubled by my inability to quickly respond. After
the police arrived, I left pondering my reaction to this accident. I
realised a significant part of my fear was due to being untrained. My lack
of emergency first aid training left me unprepared to cope in a crisis
situation. Without the knowledge and skills provided by training, the best I
could offer is to call 000.

Why am I sharing this story? As Christians, many of us are unprepared to
cope with spiritual emergencies in life. We are "saved" and we can pray,
which is the spiritual equivalent of calling 000. But we are not trained to
deal with crises and life issues. Many are not adept at spiritual warfare;
they don't know how to effect reconciliation when divisions arise; they are
not confident in ministering healing or discernment about issues.

You see, our salvation experience is the first step in a life of ongoing
spiritual training and equipping. We may not all become pastors or
missionaries, but we still need to know how to respond in an emergency.

Consider King David. He said the Lord, "trains my hands for battle" (Ps.
18:34). David didn't just fight, flailing at the wind; God trained him until
David could bend a bow of bronze. David became mighty in battle. When others
fled, intimidated by the sight of Goliath, David made plans to cut the giant
down. Why was David confident? God trained David in previous confrontations
with a bear and a lion. David knew what to do in a crisis.

Today, we are living in a state of national emergency, but most Christians
are only dialling 000 in prayer. We need to be a first responder - a
Christ-responder - who knows God and can do exploits (see Dan. 11:32).

Indeed, anyone can see our society and economy is failing, but God calls us
to rebuild the ancient ruins, not just walk among the ruins and wonder what
happened. We are called to be repairers of the breech, restorers of the
streets in which to dwell (see Isaiah 58:12). The Holy Spirit has redemptive
answers for our cities and neighbourhoods, creative remedies that will bring
peace and prosperity back to our communities.

There are people who are hurting that God wants us to touch. Yet, before we
can go out, first the Holy Spirit must train us. He says in Isaiah 50:4,
"The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to
sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He
awakens My ear to listen as a disciple."

Christ wants our tongues to be trained so we can speak as His
representatives. People are weary, yet the Lord wants us to minister
heart-to-heart resuscitation to those exhausted by their battle.

You see, it's not enough to be a Christian and simply try to be good. We
need to be trained. Such training can come to us directly from the Holy
Spirit, or the Holy Spirit can use previously trained people to train us.
Indeed, if we see someone who is Christlike in a particular area, who
responds to life's emergencies with calm authority, we should not hesitate
to ask them to train us in the area of their maturity (see Ephesians
4:11-12).

The book of Hebrews urges us to "remember those who led you, who spoke the
word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate
their faith" (v. 13:7).

We are not to merely copy other people, but upon careful examination of
their virtue - considering the outcome of their way of life - seek to learn
from them. Jesus Himself said, "A pupil is not above his teacher; but
everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher" (Luke
6:40).

Beloved, our goal is to be like Christ. With our focus upon Him, it is not a
weakness to seek spiritual training from others whom He sends. Just as I
desired to know how to serve in a physical emergency, so we need to know how
to serve in spiritual emergencies as well.

The present conditions in our world are not merely judgements from God; they
are opportunities for the church. Current conditions are making people ripe
for evangelism.

God needs disciples who have been trained and tested. We cannot stand
paralysed by fear, watching the catastrophic events of our times unfold. We
must become Christ-responders.

Useful link: www.frangipane.org/

40 Days of Prayer for the completion of the Paul Jansen Discipleship Center

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Please join us beginning Thursday, May 14^th for 40 days of prayer for the completion of the Paul Jansen Discipleship Center. We need all the prayer we can get and we hope you will join us and share with us any words you believe God is speaking to us. The 40 days will end on June 22.

Following is a suggested daily prayer:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Prayer for the Building Project

Abba Father, source of all life, you brought each of us into being and have called us to be a community of faith.

Lord Jesus, Son of the living God, architect and builder of all things, You have given us the task of proclaiming your Gospel, of being a sign of your love, and building a place to call home.

Following the wisdom of your Spirit, we have set about to provide buildings where our faith can be shared from generation to generation, and your love may be celebrated in your community of faith which we construct under your guidance and on the chief Cornerstone, Jesus the Christ.

Lord Jesus, we seek your provision for the funds, workers, and resources necessary to complete the task you have given us. Fortify our faith stronger than our buildings. Watch over the laborers and keep them safe. May our work on this project serve to strengthen our church community and contribute to the building of the Kingdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ, here on earth and in eternity. Amen.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Directors Vision for “The Farm”

So what is the plan for the Paul Jansen Discipleship Center, lovingly known as “The Farm”? Our vision of this place is to have a thriving community that would maintain the buildings and the grounds; provide the wide variety of PM teachings including the Guadalupe Bible college curriculum; and to live a life of holiness equipping others to be Jesus’ disciples. For this to happen, we need to have the construction of the buildings complete, the community in place, and plenty of students who are interested in becoming disciples of Jesus and His word.

So where are we on this journey to the vision? Betty Orlando is leading the “Our Lady’s Holy Mountain Community” at “The Farm”. They have given themselves to God and are living either at ‘The Farm” or commuting to “The Farm” to provide retreats. Right now, we have about $150,000.00 in the bank for the completion of the buildings. We need to complete the plumbing, electrical and heating systems along with the interior of the chapel and dorms. We estimate this will take about 1 million dollars in total to complete the project, but we don’t plan on beginning again until over half of the needed funds are available. We need to continue praying and asking God how He wants to give us the funds to complete the building project.

To help PM determine “how God wants to give us the funds”, the directors are calling for all the HB Communities and Co-Workers to a special 40 days of prayer beginning on Thursday, May 14th (the opening day of the 40 hrs devotional retreat at “The Farm”) and ending Monday June 22th. We request that everyone pray and ask how God wants us to make our needs known. Some items that have been discussed that we need God’s direction about; sending out additional appeal letters, possibly asking a leader to lead a building fund drive to solicit donors for each of the rooms of the dorms, and maybe putting the appeal in the OBOB booklet. We need God to bless this effort and tell us how He wants us to make our needs known. Please join us in prayer as we discern how God will provide the funds.

More information and photos of the center can be found on our website at http://www.presentationministries.com/pjdc/chapel.asp. Thanks for your prayers!

Your Brothers in Jesus,
George Schmidl, Jerry Cappel, and Mark Schuermann
(Directors of Presentation Ministries)

FROM BOGGED DOWN TO FIRED UP - One Bread, One Body, 5/14/2009

The April issue of My People Newspaper is now online. Articles include:

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Thursday, May 14, 2009, St. Matthias

Acts 1:15-17, 20-26, Psalm 113, John 15:9-17
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/051409.shtml

FROM BOGGED DOWN TO FIRED UP

"During those days, Peter stood up." —Acts 1:15

Jesus commands us to go forth, bear fruit (Jn 15:16), make disciples of
all nations (Mt 28:19), and take more initiative in building God's kingdom
than the worldly take in making money (Lk 16:8). We are to be zealous for
the Lord.

Nevertheless, many of us are rather apathetic and listless. We sit around
and think of all the things we should have done but have never
accomplished. We are like the disciples in the upper room who did not
replace Judas for over forty days. Some of us have a backlog of things to
do which spans forty days or even years.

The Holy Spirit is beginning to move in just a little way to motivate us
to do at least one thing. That one thing might be to be reconciled with
somebody, forgive someone, or repent of at least one sin. The Spirit is
moving ever so slightly. The water of the Spirit is merely trickling into
our lives (see Ez 47:2). If we obey the Spirit in this one way, that
trickle of the Spirit will become rivers of life-giving water (see Jn
7:38). By doing something in the Spirit, we open the floodgates for the
Spirit to be poured out in a new Pentecost.

Prayer: Father, change me from bogged down and clogged up to wide open and
free-flowing.

Promise: "It was not you who chose Me, it was I Who chose you to go forth
and bear fruit." —Jn 15:16

Praise: The Holy Spirit handpicked St. Matthias to fill the void of the
broken fellowship left after Judas' betrayal. According to tradition, he
was one of the seventy-two and baptized by John.

(For a related teaching, order our tape on "Baptism in the Holy Spirit" on
audio AV 43-1 or video V-43.)

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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

FIGHTING IN CHURCH - One Bread, One Body, 5/13/2009

The April issue of My People Newspaper is now online. Articles include:

http://www.presentationministries.com/mypeople/latestMyPeople.asp
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009, Our Lady of Fatima

Acts 15:1-6, Psalm 122, John 15:1-8
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/051309.shtml

FIGHTING IN CHURCH

"He who lives in Me and I in him, will produce abundantly, for apart from
Me you can do nothing." —John 15:5

Jesus' analogy of the vine and the branches is a simple and picturesque
way of stating that we must bear fruit through evangelization or else. If
we do not evangelize:
* Three to four billion people will not hear the good news of
salvation.
* We will be sinning against the Lord by our disobedience.
* We ourselves will "be thrown in the fire and burnt" (Jn 15:6).
* We will not be happy and fulfilled, since we were created to
evangelize.
* Our churches will be decimated.
* The body of Christ will be in danger of spiritual atrophy because of
not functioning properly.
* The members of the Church will be fighting among themselves rather
than fighting the forces of hell.

Consider this last effect of not evangelizing. If we're not doing what
we're supposed to do, we'll do what we're not supposed to do. If we're not
minding our business, we'll mind everyone else's. If we're not fighting
the devil, we'll fight each other. If we don't dispense the ration of
grain, we'll abuse our fellow servants (Lk 12:42, 45). We must evangelize
to win the world for Christ and to keep from losing our relationships with
God and each other.

Prayer: Jesus, may I try to introduce one person to You each day of the
Easter season.

Promise: They told "everyone about the conversion of the Gentiles as they
went. Their story caused great joy." —Acts 15:3

Praise: The first thing Our Lady of Fatima did was teach the children how
to pray.

(For a related teaching, order our tape "Fear of the Lord is the Beginning
of Evangelization" on audio AV 58-3 or video V-58.)

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

FULL SPEED AHEAD - One Bread, One Body, 5/12/2009

The April issue of My People Newspaper is now online. Articles include:

http://www.presentationministries.com/mypeople/latestMyPeople.asp
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009, Sts. Nereus & Achilleus, St. Pancras

Acts 14:19-28, Psalm 145, John 14:27-31
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/051209.shtml

FULL SPEED AHEAD

"His disciples quickly formed a circle about him, and before long he got
up and went back into the town." —Acts 14:20

In Lystra, Paul was beaten unconscious and possibly murdered. He was
dramatically healed and/or raised from the dead. At this point, most of us
would think that it's time to go home because things were obviously
getting out of hand. We would probably think of "making a retreat."

However, Paul saw adversity not as a call to retreat, but as an
opportunity for even more intense initiative. First, Paul had the "guts"
to go back into Lystra. The next day he left for Derbe where he "made
numerous disciples" (Acts 14:21). Then he went back to Lystra, Iconium,
and Antioch in Pisidia, "encouraged them to persevere in the faith," and
installed elders (Acts 14:22-23). After preaching in Perga, only then did
Paul return home to Antioch in Syria.

Often our work doesn't begin to bear fruit until, like grains of wheat, we
fall to the earth and die (Jn 12:24). Often adversity is a green light
rather than a red one. Paul said: "Fresh from the humiliation we had
suffered at Philippi — about which you know — we drew courage from our God
to preach His good tidings to you in the face of great opposition" (1 Thes
2:2). New sufferings call for new initiatives.

Prayer: Father, give me the courage to charge when I feel like retreating.

Promise: "My peace is My gift to you; I do not give it to you as the world
gives peace. Do not be distressed or fearful." —Jn 14:27

Praise: The bas-relief of St. Achilleus' martyrdom in 304 is the earliest
such memorial. Praise God for giving St. Achilleus the grace to win the
crown of martyrdom.

(For a related teaching, order our tape "Evangelization" on audio AV 55-1
and AV 55-3 or video V-55.)

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