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Sunday, November 16, 2008

"THE DAY OF THE LORD" - One Bread, One Body, 11/16/2008

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

Encyclical Witnesses To Truth About Married Love
Mary Ministers Love And Hope
In Defense of Life: Distorting Truth
Prison To Praise: We Must Forgive!
Books Focus On God
Africa Continues To Challenge
Proclamation of Thanksgiving

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Sunday, November 16, 2008, 33rd Sunday Ordinary Time

Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, Psalm 128, Matthew
25:14-30
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/111608.shtml

"THE DAY OF THE LORD"

"You know very well that the day of the Lord is coming like a thief in the
night." —1 Thessalonians 5:2

The last day of all days after which there will be no more time is called
the day of the Lord. This day is the day of ruin (1 Thes 5:3). "On that
day the heavens will vanish with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by
fire" (2 Pt 3:10). The day of the Lord is also the day of Christ's return.
"The Lord Himself will come down from heaven at the word of command, at
the sound of the archangel's voice and God's trumpet; and those who have
died in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living, the survivors, will
be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thes
4:16-17). Therefore, the day of the Lord is also the day of resurrection
for those who have died in Christ and of the assumption into the air for
those Christians still living. Finally, the day of the Lord will be the
day of judgment (see Mt 25:31ff) and the day of eternal salvation (Heb
9:28) or everlasting damnation (see Mt 25:46).

Although the day of the Lord is the day of ruin, return, resurrection,
assumption, judgment, salvation, and damnation, it is primarily the day of
the Lord. The Lord Jesus should be the Focus of the last day, today, and
all our days. If we have totally given our lives to the Lord, we won't
have to fear the last day. We can cry out: "Maranatha!" "Come, Lord
Jesus!" (Rv 22:20)

Prayer: Jesus, may I confess with my lips that You are Lord and believe in
my heart that You are risen from the dead (Rm 10:9).

Promise: "Well done! You are an industrious and reliable servant. Since
you were dependable in a small matter I will put you in charge of larger
affairs. Come, share your Master's joy!" —Mt 25:21

Praise: Praise Jesus, Lord of lords, Who no longer calls us "slaves but
friends" (Jn 15:15).

(Visit www.presentationministries.com and check out the retreats scheduled
for winter and spring.)

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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
October 1, 2008 through November 30, 2008
†Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of
Cincinnati, May 1, 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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Saturday, November 15, 2008

VIVA IL PAPA! - One Bread, One Body, 11/15/2008

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Saturday, November 15, 2008, St. Albert the Great

3 John 5-8, Psalm 112, Luke 18:1-8
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/111508.shtml

VIVA IL PAPA!

"You demonstrate fidelity by all that you do for the brothers even though
they are strangers." —3 John 5

In the third letter of John, we see a glimpse of disunity and disobedience
in one of the small communities of the early Church. The elder (3 Jn 1)
who wrote 3 John was possibly John's disciple and something like a bishop
in the early stages of the development of that office. The elder told
Diotrephes, the leader of the small community (3 Jn 9), to receive and
support a band of missionaries sent by the "diocese." Possibly because of
doctrinal differences, Diotrephes refused to accept the missionaries. The
elder wrote to Gaius, one of the outstanding members of the community, to
tell him to disregard his pastor and welcome the missionaries (3 Jn 1, 6,
10).

The point of 3 John is that we should obey our bishop rather than our
pastor, if they contradict one another. Moreover, we should obey the Pope
rather than our pastor and bishop, if they contradict the Pope. If we
followed this rule, there would be much less confusion and greater unity
in the Church. However, to do this we must know what our pastor teaches,
what our bishop teaches, and most of all what the Pope teaches. Read what
the Pope and bishops are teaching, learn what your pastor is teaching,
then pray and obey.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the Pope. May I obey You as You speak
through him.

Promise: Jesus told His disciples "a parable on the necessity of praying
always and not losing heart." —Lk 18:1

Praise: St. Albert, an extremely gifted intellectual, served God
prodigiously for many years. Finally, his mind failed, but Albert still
served the Lord meekly and in humility until he died.

(For a related teaching, order our tape "In the Church" on audio AV 117-3
or video V-117.)

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Friday, November 14, 2008

ORTHODOXY - One Bread, One Body, 11/14/2008

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Friday, November 14, 2008

2 John 4-9, Psalm 119:1-2, 10-11, 17-18, Luke 17:26-37
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/111408.shtml

ORTHODOXY

"Anyone who is so 'progressive' that he does not remain rooted in the
teaching of Christ does not possess God, while anyone who remains rooted
in the teaching possesses both the Father and the Son." —2 John 9

Many Catholics, even priests, are not orthodox. They believe and teach
things not in accord with the teachings of the Church. Many don't even
care whether their teachings are orthodox.

This attack against orthodox teaching has been going on for centuries.
Paul commanded Timothy to "stay on in Ephesus in order to warn certain
people there against teaching false doctrines" (1 Tm 1:3). We are to
"guard the rich deposit of faith with the help of the Holy Spirit Who
dwells within us" (2 Tm 1:14).

A leader in the Church "must hold fast to the authentic message, so that
he will be able both to encourage men to follow sound doctrine and to
refute those who contradict it" (Ti 1:9). "People will not tolerate sound
doctrine, but, following their own desires, will surround themselves with
teachers who tickle their ears. They will stop listening to the truth and
will wander off to fables" (2 Tm 4:3-4).

Therefore, "pray for us that the word of the Lord may make progress and be
hailed by many others, even as it is has been by you. Pray that we may be
delivered from confused and evil men. For not every man has faith, but the
Lord keeps faith; He it is Who will strengthen you and guard you against
the evil one" (2 Thes 3:1-3).

Prayer: Father, purify Your Church. May we repent of holding and teaching
unorthodox beliefs.

Promise: "Whoever tries to preserve his life will lose it; whoever loses
it will keep it." —Lk 17:33

Praise: Making an effort to listen to Catholic radio and read Church
documents has kept Thomas from falling into error.

(For a related teaching, order our tape "Church in America" on audio AV
115-1 or video V-115.)

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Thursday, November 13, 2008

Becoming a Trumpet of the Lord

Source: J. Lee Grady

A few weeks ago I watched a vintage Billy Graham sermon from the 1950s that
aired on television. I said to a friend who was with me that I rarely hear
the gospel articulated today as clearly as we did through this amazing
evangelist. A few days later, for my birthday, my buddy sent me three
recorded Graham sermons that are now available on DVD.

Last weekend I watched one of the messages, from Graham's 1971 crusade at
McCormick Place in Chicago. The shag haircuts, huge afros and bright
polyester fabrics in the audience looked odd, and the music performed before
the sermon was almost prehistoric (Norma Zimmer from The Lawrence Welk
Show!). The cultural references included a mention of the rock opera Jesus
Christ Superstar and a remark about Ocean's 1970 hippie ballad, "Put Your
Hand in the Hand."

But when Graham held his big Bible in the air and preached about the
uniqueness of Jesus Christ in that packed arena (still the largest
exhibition hall in the country), nothing seemed outdated. The sermon might
as well have been recorded yesterday. His message, in fact, seemed more
relevant than a lot of the Christian books, videos, blogs and
PowerPoint-enhanced teachings we circulate in 2008.

Listening to Graham stirs something deep inside me: a passion to preach, and
to be a herald of truth to my generation. My heart cries out for the
American church to stop muddling, muffling, cheapening, distorting and
merchandising the pure gospel. How we need to return to the simplicity of
evangelism that cuts to the heart, produces repentance and reveals the Son
of God.

For several months I've been asking the Lord to make me his trumpet. In my
quest He's shown me some of the qualities that shaped biblical prophets into
His mouthpieces. I pray all of us will adopt these same characteristics.

1. A prophet is bold. True prophets have steel backbones and foreheads of
flint. They do not cower when the majority disagrees with them. Like the
apostle Paul, they are compelled to preach because a holy restlessness
churns inside them. They are possessed by God, and they must release the
fire inside. Will you pray for this boldness and say with Isaiah, "Here am
I, send me" (Is. 6:8, NASB)-even when you know you will be opposed?

2. A prophet stays biblical. So much of what is passed off as prophecy today
resembles what you might find in a daily horoscope. The so-called "prophetic
movement" in the contemporary church has been tainted by silly fads and
charismatic witchcraft. One prophetic e-mail list sent out a word recently
saying that dormant angels were being awakened out of the walls of our
churches. (That's not remotely scriptural.) Another predicted that God would
begin to speak to people through the names of candy bars and blue jeans.

So much of our prophetic verbiage sounds like warm and fuzzy fortunetelling.
This type of "imitation prophecy" can titillate and thrill those with
itching ears, but it is pablum designed for babies who don't want to grow
up. What we need is a word we can sink our teeth into-true meat that is the
Word of God.

3. A prophet does not compromise. Nathan was willing to confront King David's
sin, even though the prophet was on the palace payroll. Yet today, we
practice the "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" rule. We prophesy
what people want to hear so we can get an honorarium and an invitation to
return. This has caused some whole groups of prophets to collectively follow
each other into a ditch.

Beware of the herd mentality! Don't just swallow and follow! You cannot go
along with something just because everyone else is doing it or preaching it.
Stay close to the Lord, develop keen discernment and listen to the nagging
voice of your conscience.

4. A prophet is compassionate. Some prophets today refuse to confront
because they are too nice. Others speak rashly "like the thrusts of a sword"
(see Prov. 12:18) and their words are delivered with a bitter, vindictive
spirit. Neither of these prophets will receive his reward. We must speak the
truth, and we must do it in love.

Most people think Jeremiah was angry and judgmental, but actually he wept
when he confronted Israel's sins. It is not enough to prophesy the Lord's
word-we should aim to speak with His tone of voice. We must be willing to
intercede for and identify with those we confront.

5. A prophet stays pure. When Moses made the tabernacle, God told him to
make silver trumpets that were "hammered work" (Num. 10:2). If we want to
speak for Him, we must be willing to endure the smelting process. (In other
words, prepare to be hammered!) Before Isaiah could be an effective prophet
to his nation, his lips had to touch burning coals from God's altar (see Is.
6:6-8). We must be willing to visit the uncomfortable furnace of
sanctification.

God is not so much interested in the booming voice, the rousing delivery,
the charisma or the technological savvy that we expect today from celebrity
preachers. What matters most is pure content, and that can only flow through
a pure vessel.

6. A prophet faithfully embraces the call. Jonah tried to flee as far as
possible from Ninevah, but the God of the second chance used a strange
vessel to get the prophet back on course. It involved a visit to a fish's
stomach, where Jonah spent three days in darkness, stewing in digestive
juices. When the fish vomited him on land, he was better prepared to speak
heaven's words.

Like Jonah, the American church has been running from our evangelistic
mission. We charismatics get excited about prophecy, angels, healing,
visions, dreams, gold dust and prosperity, but when it comes to winning
souls we're not interested. Like Jonah, we've boarded a ship for
Tarshish-and we've put unbelievers in peril by our disobedience.

Now is the time for us to reclaim our role as trumpets for the Lord. May we
take up the mantle of Billy Graham and speak to our generation with
boldness, biblical integrity, character, compassion, purity and
faithfulness.
www.billygraham.org.

J. Lee Grady is the editor of Charisma.
Useful link: www.charismamag.com/

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CROSS-CULTURAL EVANGELIZATION - One Bread, One Body, 11/13/2008

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Thursday, November 13, 2008, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

Philemon 7-20, Psalm 146, Luke 17:20-25
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/111308.shtml

CROSS-CULTURAL EVANGELIZATION

"I, Paul, ambassador of Christ and now a prisoner for Him, appeal to you
for my child whom I have begotten during my imprisonment." —Philemon 9-10

Paul led Onesimus, a runaway slave and fellow prisoner, to the Lord. Paul
had also led Onesimus' owner, Philemon, to the Lord. Paul converted both
slave and owner, both poor and rich. In his ministry of evangelization,
Paul even did the unthinkable by converting both Jews and Gentiles.

Most people come to the Lord because of the witness of someone like them.
It takes an amazing person to lead to the Lord people of different
backgrounds. For example, most people who would identify with and have
compassion for a runaway slave, don't also relate to the slave-owner, or
vice versa. It requires exceptional love to care about both the slave and
the owner.

List the people you have been instrumental in leading to the Lord. If you
observe significant differences in your converts' ages, backgrounds,
races, and economic status, then you have a love that covers a multitude
of sins (1 Pt 4:8) and bridges the greatest gaps.

Evangelization is primarily a matter of deep love, and cross-cultural
evangelization is a matter of even deeper love. May we love the lost more
than we love ourselves. May we have a river of love so deep that it will
cover not only those close and familiar to us but also those far away and
different from us.

Prayer: Father, may Your love impel me (2 Cor 5:14) to break new ground in
sharing my faith.

Promise: "A time will come when you will long to see one day of the Son of
Man but will not see it." —Lk 17:22

Praise: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini helped her parents until their deaths
and then helped her twelve brothers and sisters before entering the
convent.

(For a related teaching, order our leaflet "Evangelism and Worship" or our
tape on audio AV 49-1 or video V-49.)

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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

"I DON'T GET NO RESPECT" - One Bread, One Body, 11/12/2008

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Wednesday, November 12, 2008, St. Josaphat

Titus 3:1-7, Psalm 23, Luke 17:11-19
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/111208.shtml

"I DON'T GET NO RESPECT"

"Display a perfect courtesy toward all." —Titus 3:2

Today many Christians have lost their credibility. The worldly, especially
those running the mass media, don't think they need to take Christians
seriously. They characterize us as stupid, backward, and harsh. We
Christians don't seem worthy of a full-fledged persecution but only snide
remarks and mocking snickers. To restore our credibility we should:
* "not...speak evil of anyone or be quarrelsome" (Ti 3:2),
* be good workers, "ready to take on any honest employment" (Ti 3:1),
* be good citizens (Ti 3:1), and
* "be forbearing and display a perfect courtesy" (Ti 3:2).

Think of those who don't take you seriously as a Christian. Possibly they
are relatives, co-workers, or neighbors. Apply today's Scripture readings
to your situation. "Venerate the Lord, that is, Christ, in your hearts.
Should anyone ask you the reason for this hope of yours, be ever ready to
reply, but speak gently and respectfully. Keep your conscience clear, so
that, whenever you are defamed, those who libel your way of life in Christ
may be shamed" (1 Pt 3:15-16). "Your teaching must have the integrity of
serious, sound words to which no one can take exception. If it does, no
opponent will be able to find anything bad to say about us, and hostility
will yield to shame" (Ti 2:8). "Thus the word of God will not fall into
disrepute" (Ti 2:5).

Prayer: Father, may we Christians merit respect as the early Christians
did (Acts 4:33; 5:13).

Promise: "This Spirit He lavished on us through Jesus Christ our
Savior." —Ti 3:6

Praise: St. Josaphat practiced charity in his work of educating and
sanctifying laity and clergy.

(Men, you are being called to lead your families with faith into the
world. But first retreat to a quiet place and be fed with Spirit-filled
teachings at our Men's Retreat on Dec. 6. Call 937-587-5464 or
513-373-2397 for more information and to register.)

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Tuesday, November 11, 2008

THE CELEBRATION OF THE WORD - One Bread, One Body, 11/11/2008

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Tuesday, November 11, 2008, St. Martin of Tours

Titus 2:1-8, 11-14, Psalm 37:3-4, 18, 23, 27, 29, Luke 17:7-10
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/111108.shtml

THE CELEBRATION OF THE WORD

"Your teaching must have the integrity of serious, sound words to which no
one can take exception." —Titus 2:8

Orthodox teaching based on the Bible is extremely important in leading
people to Christ and building up the Church. False teaching is extremely
destructive to our faith and to the Church. Therefore, we must "fight hard
for the faith" (Jude 3) and "guard the rich deposit of faith with the help
of the Holy Spirit Who dwells within us" (2 Tm 1:14). Furthermore, when we
speak, we must be careful that our speech is "consistent with sound
doctrine" (Ti 2:1). We should also act so that "the word of God will not
fall into disrepute" (Ti 2:5). Even Christian employees should try to work
extra hard for their employers so as "to please them in every way, not
contradicting them nor stealing from them, but expressing a constant
fidelity by their conduct, so as to adorn in every way possible the
doctrine of God our Savior" (Ti 2:9-10). Whether we are teaching,
fighting, guarding, speaking, acting, or working, we want to make sure we
are helping people open up to God's word.

Our lives are so "word-centered" because God's words are "spirit and life"
(Jn 6:63). His words are "the joy and the happiness" of our hearts (Jer
15:16). "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ" (Catechism,
133, St. Jerome). "Not on bread alone is man to live but on every
utterance that comes from the mouth of God" (Mt 4:4). God's word is "more
precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces" (Ps 119:72). Our
"rebirth has come, not from a destructible but from an indestructible
seed, through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Pt 1:23). Praise
You, Jesus, Word of God (Jn 1:1), for the word of God!

Prayer: Father, may I meditate on Your word day and night (Ps 1:2).

Promise: "It was He Who sacrificed Himself for us, to redeem us from all
unrighteousness and to cleanse for Himself a people of His own, eager to
do what is right." —Ti 2:14

Praise: St. Martin's example led others to totally commit their lives to
Christ and His Church.

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