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April 1, 2012   Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord   At the Procession with Palms - Gospel Mk 11:1-10 When Jesus and his disciples drew near to Jerusalem,to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives,he sent two of his disciples and said to them,"Go into the village opposite you,and immediately on entering it,you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat.Untie it and bring it here.If anyone should say to you,'Why are you doing this?' reply,'The Master has need of itand will send it back here at once.'"So they went offand...

Reading From a homily by Saint Gregory Nazianzen We are soon going to share in the Passover We are soon going to share in the Passover, and although we still do so only in a symbolic way, the symbolism already has more clarity than it possessed in former times because, under the law, the Passover was, if I may dare to say so, only a symbol of a symbol. Before long, however, when the Word drinks the new wine with us in the kingdom of his Father, we shall be keeping the Passover in a yet more perfect way, and...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Exodus Chapter 14 The Red Sea Crossing 1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zemphon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ 4 Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over...

March 31, 2012   Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent   Reading 1 Ez 37:21-28 Thus says the Lord GOD:I will take the children of Israel from among the nationsto which they have come,and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land.I will make them one nation upon the land,in the mountains of Israel,and there shall be one prince for them all. Never again shall they be two nations,and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms. No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols,their abominations, and all their transgressions. I will deliver...

Photo courtesy of Fr. Carlos Martins. Denver, Colo., Mar 29, 2012 / 04:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Father Carlos Martins never expected to be a priest, or to be touring North America to promote devotion to the saints through their sacred relics. For much of his life, he did not believe in God.“I was raised in a very nominally Catholic family. We didn't go to church,” the 37-year-old priest told CNA on March 27. “The Catholic school that we went to was 'Catholic' in name only.” “By the time I became an adult, aside from being a 'practical atheist,' I...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Exodus Chapter 13 The Firstborn Consecrated 1. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.” The Feast of Unleavened Bread 3. And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4. On this day you...

March 30, 2012   Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent   Reading 1 Jer 20:10-13 I hear the whisperings of many:"Terror on every side!Denounce! let us denounce him!"All those who were my friendsare on the watch for any misstep of mine."Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,and take our vengeance on him."But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.In their failure they will be put to utter shame,to lasting, unforgettable confusion.O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,who probe mind and heart,Let me witness the vengeance you...

Excerpt here: Preamble As members of the worldwide Christian community, we were deeply encouraged and challenged by the recent historic open letter signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars, clerics, and intellectuals from around the world. A Common Word Between Us and You identifies some core common ground between Christianity and Islam which lies at the heart of our respective faiths as well as at the heart of the most ancient Abrahamic faith, Judaism. Jesus Christ’s call to love God and neighbor was rooted in the divine revelation to the people of Israel embodied in the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18)....

Just got back from the eye doctor at the veteran's medical center. Slowly going blind. And my wife has not recovered from her stroke. I am trying to have faith that God will provide, but please pray for us in this time of need. Thank you!

Pray For Our American Heroes and Our Nation The Whole Armor of God 10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Exodus Chapter 12 (Part 2) The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn 29. And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. 30. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there...

snip I wanted to share it with you. Check it out: Who doesn’t enjoy a good BarBQue with friends? When I was asked to a young couple’s home for a Young Adult Ministry Home Mass and BarBQue I packed my Mass kit and off I went. I arrived about 6:00 pm with a hearty appetite and was greeted by about 15 young people. Then the phone rang and everything changed. I had to drive about 10 miles to a hospital where there was an emergency call. I drove quickly, thinking that the nurse in charge of the ER, Anne, would...

March 29, 2012   Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent   Reading 1 Gn 17:3-9 When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him:"My covenant with you is this:you are to become the father of a host of nations.No longer shall you be called Abram;your name shall be Abraham,for I am making you the father of a host of nations.I will render you exceedingly fertile;I will make nations of you;kings shall stem from you.I will maintain my covenant with youand your descendants after youthroughout the ages as an everlasting pact,to be your God and the God of your descendants after...

Going to beg indulgence for a prayer. My Father in Law is pushing 90. He has been in and out of hospital for the past 6 months and no one knows (or admits) what is wrong with him. Most likely it is just age. But still, he is a much loved person, so if you have a moment to pray for him, I request it.

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book Of Exodus Chapter 12 (Part One) The Passover Instituted 1. Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2. “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let...

 The Rosaryby Sebastian R. FamaThe Rosary consists of the Apostle's Creed, which is a statement of Christian belief, the Lord's prayer, which was uttered by Jesus in Luke 11:2-4, the Glory Be, which is a prayer that glorifies the Trinity, the Hail Mary, and the Mysteries. The Hail Mary and the Mysteries are probably the two parts that are the most misunderstood by non-Catholics. However, they are both very scriptural. In Psalm 143:5 we read, "I remember the days of old, I meditate on all that thou hast done, I muse on what thy hands have wrought." Eighteen of the...

March 28, 2012 Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent   Reading 1 Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 King Nebuchadnezzar said:"Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,that you will not serve my god,or worship the golden statue that I set up?Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,and all the other musical instruments;otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,"There is no need for...

Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond. Washington D.C., Mar 27, 2012 / 06:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The U.S. bishops are encouraging parishes to incorporate into their communities a new blessing for a child in the womb, which the Vatican approved on March 25. “I'm impressed with the beauty of this blessing for human life in the womb,” said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “I can think of no better day to announce this news than on the feast of the Annunciation, when we remember Mary’s ‘yes’ to God and the incarnation of...

Pope Benedict XVI kneels at the sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre in El Cobre village on the outskirts of Santiago de Cuba March 27, 2012. Visit to the Shrine of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre On Tuesday morning, 27 March 2012, the Holy Father visited the house of the statue of Our Lady of Charity, where he entrusted to her the future of their country and encouraged them to build their lives on Christ, following the the Virgin's example. Dear Brothers and Sisters, I have come as a pilgrim to the house of the blessed statue of...