Category Archives: Teaching

Open Doors Podcast

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The leaders of our local Patchogue Prayer Meeting produce a PODCAST each week. I would like to recommend it to you. They talk about real life issues of living out our Catholic faith by sharing stories and experiences as well as teaching moments. To me, the thing that makes them stand out is the range in ages from teenage to Grown Adults. I asked them to write a short description and to give links to their podcast. Please find that here:

The Open Doors Podcast is a local Long Island–based, Catholic faith-centered podcast rooted in Christian testimony, reflection, and honest conversation. Through real-life stories of trials and triumphs, the podcast creates space for listeners to encounter God’s presence in everyday moments—especially when faith feels messy, uncertain, or difficult to articulate. Its mission is to encourage deeper trust in Christ and remind listeners that they are not alone on their spiritual journey.

The podcast is hosted by four voices from different seasons of life: Marissa (36), Janine (49), her son James (15), and Ivette (25), from Spain. Together, they offer an intergenerational perspective on faith, family, doubt, perseverance, and grace. Their conversations are intentionally relatable and welcoming, with a special heart for those who may feel disconnected, overlooked, or unsure if they truly belong within the Church.

At its core, The Open Doors Podcast exists to support evangelization by welcoming all—especially those searching for meaning, healing, and belonging. Select episodes are also available in Spanish, helping to reach listeners who feel more comfortable engaging in their native language. Wherever someone finds themselves on their faith journey, the podcast seeks to remind them that God meets them exactly where they are—and that the door is always open.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theopendoors.podcast?si=oqPxmoYtER9wyoIT

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ry05GnYAhYbIJ9eweZ60D?si=_lDnii6KQ9KLXsZHoP5ffw

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-open-doors/id1777095076

THE INCARNATION – By Deacon Marty McIndoe

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At the very heart of the Christmas celebration is the Incarnation, or the fact that God became man. When this happened 2,000 years ago, the earth and all mankind was changed forever. The Light of God would now dispel darkness. The second person of the Holy Trinity would now become one of us. The Creator would now come to His Creation. Now, mankind would be capable of living forever.

We commonly hear the initial words of the Bible “In the Beginning…..” which come to us from the book of Genesis and talk about God’s creation; about how all things were created. How Light came in to the earth. How all things came in to being by God’s creative hand. Genesis is the beginning of the Hebrew Scriptures, or the Old Testament. The Christian Gospel writer, Saint John begins his Gospel in the New Testament using the same words, “In the Beginning…..”. This was no coincidence. John wanted us to think about how both the Old Testament and the New Testament are linked and how God created us and brought about His Salvation for us. He wanted us to think about how God’s Light now dispels all darkness. John, in his Gospel, introduced us to the second person of the Holy Trinity namely, THE WORD when he tells us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He makes it quite clear that THE WORD was God and was with God and helped Him in creating the Universe. This fits so well with Genesis when it says in the creation account, “Let Us make mankind in Our image”. This explains why the plural pronouns are used. John continues by saying that THE WORD was LIFE and was LIGHT and His LIGHT was the light of mankind.

A few verses down, John talks to us about John the Baptist and how he said that John the Baptist would be the messenger of the LIGHT and testify about the LIGHT and that the LIGHT was coming in to the world to enlighten every person. He also said that even though the LIGHT created the world, the world would mostly reject Him and only those born of God would really receive the LIGHT. Then the Gospel writer talks about the Incarnation by saying, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John the Baptist testified about Him and called out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who is coming after me has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

To summarize all of this, St. John, in his Gospel tells us that THE WORD existed from the very beginning and was both God and with God. In other words, THE WORD was God Himself, but also separate from God. THE WORD was the second person of the Holy Trinity who was also known as the LIGHT and the LIFE. This WORD/LIGHT/LIFE was creator of the Universe. The Gospel writer then goes down to his historical time and talks about St. John the Baptist, and how he was the one to testify to WORD/LIGHT/LIFE and that many would reject his testimony. The Gospel writer then delivers the words, “He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God.” It is important to note the the word, WORD comes from the Greek (Logos) and means emanation. Thus, the second person of the Holy Trinity, THE WORD is the emanation of God.

Another part of scripture, from Paul’s letter to the Philippians deals with the incarnation. In Philippians, Chapter 2 it says, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself taking the form of bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Another familiar scripture showing the incarnation, comes to us from the Old Testament, the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 9 which says,

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Another scripture, from the New Testament, Paul’s First letter to Timothy says, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Back to the Old Testament, in Isaiah 7 we hear, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (which means, “God is with us”).

Also, Our liturgy is a reflection of our faith. In our Liturgy of the Eucharist, when the deacon prepares the cup he pours water in to the wine and says, “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”

It is interesting to note that when God (The Word) became man (Jesus) He took on two natures. He was fully God and fully Man, all at the same time. We call this the theological term: Hypostatic Union. Jesus has two complete and distinct natures, all at the same time. Jesus is perfectly Divine and perfectly human. Even more interesting to note, Jesus maintains this Hypostatic Union for ever and ever. When Jesus died and rose from the dead and later ascended in to Heaven, he did so both as Divine Word and risen human. He proved to us that death no longer has a hold on us, but that we will live forever as children of God. The Athanasian Creed recognized this doctrine (Hypostatic Union) and affirmed its importance by stating:

He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity. Although he is God and human, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God’s taking humanity to himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person. For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and human.

In conclusion, our God wants us to know Him and to Love Him and to serve Him and He humbled Himself to become one of us so that we could know and love and understand Him better. Christmas is the celebration of God becoming man, When the Blessed Virgin Mary said YES to the angel Gabriel, she allowed God to enter in to our humanity in the form of Jesus. All of our salvation is dependent upon this. Jesus, the GOD/MAN came not only to reveal the LOVE of the Father to us, but also to save us and bring us in to His LIGHT and to have LIFE forever and ever. This Christmas, as we celebrate so many things, let us remember that Christmas is all about the INCARNATION, God became man (Jesus). Also, remember, when we receive the Eucharist, we are receiving the Body, blood, soul and Divinity of Jesus. God is good.

He was made man that we might be made God. (Athanasius of Alexandria)

The THIRD GLORIOUS Mystery of the Rosary – The Descent of the Holy Spirit – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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It must be mentioned that the third Glorious Mystery tells us about the Descent of the Holy Spirit, primarily at Pentecost. This account is found in scripture at Acts 2: 1-41. However, as important as that descent of Pentecost is, we must realize that the Holy Spirit has descended many times upon the earth, and its people. In Genesis 1: 2 we hear about the Holy Spirit coming at the dawn of creation and hovering over the waters. We recall this during the blessing of the baptismal waters. The Hebrew Scripture, the Old Testament, often talks about the work of God’s Spirit. The psalmist in Psalm 51:11 says, “Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. “ The Prophets and Kings and Judges often talk about the presence of the Holy Spirit and its work among them. There are over 100 mentions of the Holy Spirit at work in the Old Testament.

The New Testament writing often mentions the Holy Spirit at work even before Pentecost. Many times the Holy Spirit is seen descending and at work in Jesus and His miniistry. Don’t forget that during the Annunciation, the angel told Mary that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and because of this she would have a miraculous conception. Because of this, Mary is often known as the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus first began His ministry, John the Baptist poured water on Jesus and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove. Even during His ministry we see the Holy Spirit at work, leading Jesus, and empowering Jesus. After His resurrection, John 20:22 tells us, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is at work in all the scriptures, but, something quite different happened at Pentecost.

The Descent of the Holy Spirit is seen in so much power at Pentecost. This is after Jesus died, and after He spent 40 days instructing His people and building His Church. He knew that He was ready to ascend to the Father and He also knew that the Church needed a special presence to help them. He had told the disciples that they needed to pray for The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to come upon them. The Apostles, Mary and many disciples, went to the Upper Room and prayed for nine days and the Spirit descended upon them in POWER. Acts tells us, “And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The disciples were now quite changed men and women. They left their shyness and worry to become bold proclaimers of the Good News. The Church was now born. As a matter of fact, some consider Pentecost, with its coming of the Holy Spirit, to be the Birthday of the Church. Just as Jesus received the Descent of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of His ministry, His followers now received it as the beginning of their ministry of spreading the Good News.

But what does the Holy Spirit do for us? It leads us and guides us and empowers us to do what God wants us to do. The Church (and scripture) have identified many gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. The gifts are identified as wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of of the Lord. The fruits are identified as charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity. The Charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit include, healing, tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy and the discernment of spirits. No matter what gift or fruit you look at, it is given to empower us as Christians in the building up of the Church and in doing whatever God asks of us. The Holy Spirit IS at work in His people.

Questions to Ponder:

1 – Am I aware of the Holy Spirit at work in me?

2 – Am I aware of the Holy Spirit at work within the Church?

3 – Do I ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me?

4 – Do I ask the Holy Spirit to empower me to do God’s will?

5 – Do I pray to the Holy Spirit?

6 – Does the way I live my life reflect the fruits of the Holy Spirit?

7 – Do I use the gifts of the Spirit in what I do?

8 – Have I ever experienced the Charismatic gifts of the Spirit?

9 – Do I recognize the close link between the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Spirit?

10 – Do I believe in the Power of God at work through the Holy Spirit?

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created,
and you shall renew the face of the earth.

The Second GLORIOUS Mystery – THE ASCENSION by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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This mystery recalls how Jesus, at the end of his earthly ministry, ascended in to heaven and sat at the right hand of God the Father. This occurred forty days after His resurrection. Both the gospel of Mark (16:19 ) and the Acts of the Apostles (1:8-9) mention this in the scriptures. The Church associates the Ascension with Jesus’ call for His disciples to pray for the Holy Spirit to come upon them. This happened nine days after the Ascension on the Feast of Pentecost. We, to this day, celebrate novenas (prayers for nine days) because of this. Also associated with His Ascension is the Great Commission from Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus tells us, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This is the mission of the Church.

This second Glorious mystery is so important as it celebrates the very successful culmination of Jesus’ ministry here on earth AND His triumphal return to the Father in Heaven. It also celebrates the elevated human condition of all mankind as Jesus takes His glorified, human body in to Heaven. We, as His human children, will follow Him. Now, and forever, humanity is a permanent part of the Godhead. Think about that….. It is so amazing. God has lifted up humanity to share in His divinity. At mass, in the preparation of the cup, as he pours water in to the wine, the deacon (or if there is no deacon, the priest) quietly says, “By the mystery of this water in wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” Because of Jesus, we share in the Divinity and the Divinity shares in our humanity. That is quite mind-blowing when you really think about it. The Jesus that we follow and pray to is BOTH the Word (2nd person of the Trinity) and the glorified human born of the Virgin Mary, now and forevermore in Heaven.

Before His crucifixion, Jesus was preparing His disciples for His absence and said to them, in John 16: 7, “Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth: it is better for you that I depart. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, whereas if I go, I will send Him to you.“ As much as the apostles wanted Jesus to stay, He made it quite clear to them that it was better for Him to go. When He went to the Father, He, would send the Holy Spirit to be with them, and to all of us, forever. Jesus’s Ascension to the Father allowed us to receive the precious gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ promise to be with us always, until the end of the world, is kept in our receiving THE power from heaven, the Holy Spirit.

The departure of Jesus in the Ascension led to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, just nine days later. This Holy Spirit empowered the Apostles and disciples of Jesus at the beginning of the Church and has continued to do so to the present day. Jesus, in John 16: 12 said, “I have much more to tell you, but you would not be able to bear it now. But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth”; but more about that next week in the third Glorious Mystery.

Questions to Ponder:

1 – Do I honor all humanity by recognizing it sharing in the divinity of God?

2 – Do I respect, and help others to respect human life from conception to natural death?

3 – Do I really believe in the power of prayer?

4 – When is the last time that I prayed a novena?

5 – Do I rely upon the power of God’s Holy Spirit to lead me and guide me.

6 – Do I try to live out the mission of the Church by trying to “make disciples” by teaching others the Christian Way through my words and the way I live my life?

7 – Do I encourage others to seek the Christian baptism?

8 – Do I read and study the scriptures on a regular basis?

9 – Do I pay attention to all the words of the mass?

10 – Do I feel the presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit and through the Church?

The First GLORIOUS Mystery – THE RESURRECTION – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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The First GLORIOUS Mystery: The RESURRECTION – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

All four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell us about the resurrection of Jesus. They vary in different details, and order, but essentially tell us the profound truth that Jesus rose from the dead after being crucified and buried. This is essential to our faith. This is the heart of our faith. This is the heart of the good news. The resurrection of Jesus shows us that that death no longer has a hold on the world, or on us. This is so essential to our faith that EVERY Sunday we celebrate it by going to mass where we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus and we follow His command in John chapter 6, verse 54 to “eat my body and drink my blood”. The Eucharist that we receive is the resurrected-glorious, body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. It is so important to do this that the Church has made it an obligation to attend mass EVERY Sunday (or Saturday evening in anticipation). Sunday, as the day of Jesus’ Resurrection was so important to the early Church that, even though they were good Jews, they started to move the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday to recognize the Resurrection. We should reflect on this central facet of our faith even more than just once a week. Reciting the Rosary and the Glorious Mystery helps us to do this.

The gospel accounts tell us that after Jesus died on the cross (clearly shown by the gospels and eyewitness accounts), he was taken down and laid in a tomb. On the third day, the women went to visit His tomb and He was gone. They were greeted by angels and by the resurrected Jesus himself and given instructions to tell the GOOD NEWS of His resurrection. The Resurrection of Jesus is further shown by His glorified presence to the apostles and disciples for a forty day period before His Ascension to Heaven. One of my favorite stories from the Gospel during this period is the story of how Jesus appeared to His disciples in His glorified body in the Upper Room. Thomas was not there and when the disciples told Thomas of seeing the resurrected Jesus, he told them that he could not believe this unless he, himself, put his fingers in to the nail holes and his hand in to the pierced side of Jesus. Shortly after, the disciples were again gathered and this time Thomas was with them. Jesus again appeared in His resurrected, glorious body and looked to Thomas and told him to place his fingers in His nail holes and His pierced side. Thomas responded with, “my Lord, and my God”. I think that it is interesting that Thomas, forever known as DOUBTING Thomas because of his initial doubt, gave one of the greatest expressions of belief and faith found in the gospels. This gives us all hope. In Mark 9:24 the father of a boy possessed by a demon said to Jesus, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.” This is a cry we too can utter at times, especially in difficult moments.

Another resurrection story that I love is the walk to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35). In this narrative, we have two of Jesus’ disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus (7 mile walk). As they walk, they are discussing the death of Jesus and how the women found an empty tomb. It appears that they didn’t fully understand that this meant that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. The resurrected Jesus then appeared to them and walked along with them, but they did not recognize Him. As they walked, He explained to them all of the Scriptures that talked about the Messiah and His death and resurrection. When they came to an Inn, they stopped for some rest and food. It was here that Jesus took bread and broke it and at that time they recognized Him in the “breaking of the bread”. After that, He disappeared and they immediately walked back to Jerusalem to tell the others that they had seen the resurrected Jesus. This is definitely an eucharistic moment. As a matter of fact, the whole story reminds us of the two parts of the mass that we celebrate, (and the final dismissal where we are given our mission). His explaining the scriptures reminds us of the Liturgy of the Word, and His breaking of the bread reminds us of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We too are called, each time we attend mass, to recognize Jesus in both Word and Eucharist. At the end of mass we are told to GO FORTH and share the gospel message with others, just as the disciples on the walk to Emmaus did. This is our mission.

I cannot stress enough that the Resurrection of Jesus is the important event that allowed the Good News to spread. It is essential to our faith. Even St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 15:14) says, “if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith”. It is so important for us to celebrate His Resurrection and remember this always. The First Glorious Mystery of the Rosary helps us to do this.

Questions to Ponder:

1 – How often do I think about how Jesus ROSE from the dead?

2 – Do I offer Him thanks and praise for dying and rising for me?

3 – Do I attend mass at least on Sunday (or Saturday evening) every week?

4 – Do I listen closely to all the readings in the “Liturgy of the Word”?

5 – Do I pay close attention to the Homily and think about it afterwards?

6 – Do I recognize that the Eucharist is the risen, glorified, body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus?

7 – When I have moments of unbelief, do I ask God to help my unbelief?

8 – When a friend or family member loses a loved one, do I offer HOPE and FAITH and LOVE?

9 – Do I ponder the Mystery of the Resurrection in my prayer life and in the rosary?

10 – Do I follow the mission given to me to share the GOOD NEWS with others?

The 3rd LUMINOUS MYSTERY: The Proclamation of the Gospel – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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Both Matthew and Mark tell us of the first words of Jesus in His public ministry. They each differ slightly, but since bible scholars tell us that St. Mark wrote His Gospel before St. Matthew, I will start with his. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus starts His ministry by saying, “The time has come, the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Good News!” St. Matthew shortens is by saying, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”. Both indicate the proclamation of the Kingdom. Throughout His ministry, Jesus often proclaims the Kingdom of God and as a matter of fact mentions it about 126 times within the Gospels. Matthew, being a good Jew and writing for Jewish readers uses Kingdom of Heaven instead of the Kingdom of God (Jews did not like to write the word, GOD). The Kingdom is most definitely a central theme of the Gospel message. Jesus lets us know about the riches of the Kingdom but also calls us to repent (conversion), so we can obtain it. This represents a significant shift from the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures), the emphasis is on the covenant that God made with the Jewish people and their call to follow it. In the Gospels, and the rest of the New Testament, the Kingdom now includes ALL peoples, not just the Jews. Jesus did place an emphasis on preaching to the Jews, but also indicated that ALL people would be included within the Kingdom. When the Apostles and followers of Jesus went out to proclaim the Kingdom, they were sent by Jesus to ALL the world. Before His Ascension in to Heaven, Jesus said in Matthew 28: 19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” This is known as the great commission from Jesus. Each and every one of us is called to proclaim the Good News.

The interesting thing about what Jesus proclaims to us about the Kingdom is that it is something for us to wait anxiously for, YET, it is here already. The fullness of the Kingdom has yet to come, however, we are receiving many of the fruits of the Kingdom right now. I personally see that in the presence of the Church. The Church is here for us now giving us abundant graces, yet it has not reached it fullness. Another example could be seen in how the night can be so dark, and then when at dawn the sun starts to come up, light is seen. Later on, when the full sun is seen, we have the fullness of light. We are now in the dawn of the Kingdom anxiously awaiting its fullness. Let us know reflect on this:

1 – Do I see myself as part of the Kingdom of God?

2 – Do I see the Church as the current representation of the Kingdom?

3 – Am I anxiously praying for the fullness of the Kingdom?

4 – Do I share with others the way God works in my life so as to proclaim the Kingdom?

5 – How am I doing in repenting of my sins?

6 – Do I regularly go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

7 – Have I consistantly supported those who are looking to have their children baptized?

8 – Have I encouraged non baptized and non confirmed adults to seek out their parish OCIA program?

9 – Do I regularly receive the graces given me by the Church (especially the Eucharist)?

10 – Do I try to preach the Good News to those people around me?

The Fifth JOYFUL MYSTERY of the ROSARY – the FINDING OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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The scripture that portrays the 5th Joyful Mystery is Luke 2:41-52 which says; “Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”

This Mystery causes us to think of many things. First of all, what was the boy Jesus like in those 12 years that we hear nothing about from the scriptures? Second, what was it like to be the Mother and step-Father of the Messiah, the Son of God? Third, did Jesus really know who He was? He readily called God His Father, did His human side know anything about His Divine side? What was the anxiety like for Mary and Joseph. All of these are things that we should ponder. In addition to that, let us question how this affects us in our everyday life.

1 – Do I take my children to Church festivals and feasts throughout the year?

2 – Do I readily mix family and Church together, especially in activities?

3 – Do I trust leaving my children with friends and relatives?

4 – How much anxiety do I feel when I cannot find my child?

5 – How well do I understand my children?

6 – Do I know my children well enough to be able to find them in a reasonable time?

7 – Have I taught my children to be obedient to me?

8 – Can I see how my children mature so quickly?

9 – Do I see my children grow in divine and human favor?

10 – Can I take some time and re-read these questions seeing myself as the child, and God my Father?

Wisdom and Knowledge – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Church, Holiness, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Life in the Spirit, Saints, Scripture, Spirituality, Teaching

I began writing this on the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. It is also the day after we celebrate the birth of our Savior when, filled with joy, we sing, “Joy to the World”. God, in His Wisdom, had the Church put the two right next to each other. Christianity is not supposed to be just joy and it isn’t supposed to be just difficulty, it is both. Our everyday life is the same; joy along with difficulty. This last year has had more than it’s fair share of difficulties for me and this is my first time writing in quite some time. My wife has been ill for over a year, needing my care. In November she passed from this world in to the Father’s hands. She was a wonderful, faith-filled woman and she bore her suffering with great courage and dignity. She never lost her faith in the God who loved her; for all of eternity.

Martha was always teaching me something, and she continued to do that even after she passed. So many of the people that she knew, told me that my wife was truly a woman with a great deal of Wisdom. Several of the couples that attended our old “pre-cana” (marriage preparation) classes said to me that even after 30 or more years of marriage, they were still using some of the Wisdom that she imparted. Some of her previous co-workers (my wife was a Social Worker) mentioned to me that when they had difficulty figuring out something, they would go to my wife for her Wisdom. Some of our parishioners mentioned the same to me. That didn’t surprise me, because I did the same. My wife truly had God’s Wisdom in her. I miss that so much now.

I have always had a great memory and have always done well with school grades and on civil service tests. For quite some time I worked as a Computer programmer and Network programmer. I could beat just about anyone on Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit. Because of this, my wife always said that I was the smart one (knowledge). Truth of the matter was, I had a great deal of knowledge, but lacked Wisdom. The two are really quite different. I am so thankful that my wife had Wisdom. God knew what He was doing when He put the two of us together.

Too often Wisdom and knowledge are seen as the same thing. In truth, they are not. Wisdom is something that is given to a person from God. Knowledge is something you obtain yourself (God does give us the intellect to do so). Wisdom is a gift. Knowledge is produced due to your studying. The important thing is; Wisdom comes from God whereas knowledge comes from your own work. Don’t confuse the two. I love this comparison, “knowledge is understanding that a tomato is botanically a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put a tomato in a fruit salad!” I should mention that there is a Spiritual Gift called “Knowledge of the Lord”. This is a gift from God, that we may know Him. We are not talking about that right now.

So how do we obtain knowledge? It is simple, The dictionary says that knowledge is facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. If you want knowledge, you work hard at education either through school or through experience. It is something that you do yourself, for you.

So how do we obtain Wisdom? This is not as simple, since Wisdom is a gift given to you from God. You certainly can ask God to give it to you. Perhaps He will, but God doesn’t always easily give us everything we ask for. Since Wisdom is a Spiritual Gift, and St. Paul tells us that God gives us the Spiritual Gifts for the building up of the Church, I would suggest that if you ask God for Wisdom you should only be asking for it because you want to build up the Church. James 1:5 does tell us that if we want Wisdom, we must ask God for it. God knows our hearts, and knows why we ask. The scriptures do tell us that there are some other things we can do to obtain Wisdom.

Proverbs 2: 3-5 tells us that we must raise our voice for it, we must seek it like silver, and search for it as a hidden treasure. It would seem that God doesn’t like us to be lukewarm in what we do. Psalm 19:7 also reminds us that the more we devote ourselves to God’s Word, the more we open ourselves up to His Wisdom.

St. Louis Marie de Montfort speaks a great deal about Wisdom, and how to obtain it. He starts by quoting the beginning of the book of Wisdom Chapter 6 by saying, “Wisdom is better than strength and prudence is better than courage. Listen, therefore, kings, and understand. Learn, you judges of the nations… desire ardently to know my words, love them and you will find instruction in them… Wisdom is resplendent and her beauty never fades. Those who love her will have no trouble in recognising her; and those who seek her will find her… she goes around seeking those worthy of her, graciously shows her ways to them, guides them and provides for them with loving care.”

Montfort acknowledges that there are other forms of so-called “wisdom” – the “wisdom of the world”, or “natural wisdom” – but believes that these can never lead to real happiness. God’s wisdom, revealed to us in Jesus Christ, is alone able to do that. And so he sees Jesus Christ as the personification of that wisdom of God, which is “eternal” (having existed from all eternity) and “incarnate” (manifested in the human flesh of Jesus).

St Louis Marie speaks of the principal means to “acquire” and “preserve” divine Wisdom. They are, he says, four:

  1. An ardent desire (for Wisdom)
  2. Continuous prayer
  3. “Universal” mortification
  4. A loving and genuine devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

This last means (devotion to Mary), he says, is “the greatest means of all, and the most wonderful of all secrets for obtaining and preserving divine Wisdom”.

So then, why is Wisdom so important? As a gift from God, it is a means of building up the Church. It is a way that God can make his will known to us, so that we can do it. It is a way that we can understand things from God’s point of view. It is a way for us to see God at work through us and in the world. It gives us the ability to understand the divine truth and then judge and direct our affairs towards that truth. Wisdom perfects the virtue of love. The Catholic Catechism says that Wisdom “is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty”. Now I ask you, isn’t that something that you want?

If the answer to the above is YES, then I suggest you do the following (in summation of above):

1 – Love God: Solomon says that the fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom

2 – Ardently Desire Wisdom: desire it with all our heart

3 – Pray for the Gift of Wisdom: St. James tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).

4 – Study God’s Word: We must immerse ourselves in prayer and study of the Word of God

Do these, and Wisdom will be yours. God is good!

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3: 17

Our House of the Sacred Heart by Annabelle Moseley – a book review by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Anxiety and Worry, Blessed Virgin Mary, Book Review, Church, Consecration, Death and Dying, Evangelism, Family, Holiness, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Marriage, Prayer, Relationships, Sacred Heart, Spirituality, Teaching, Women

Once in a while you come across a book that is not only interesting and inspirational, but is also something that is so needed for the difficult times we are in. Our House of The Sacred Heart is one of those books. It is a very interesting book. The writer is a gifted poet who is able to deliver both prose and poetry in a way that stimulates the intellect and makes the reader continue to look for more. I found it very difficult to put the book down. As if her writing was not enough (which it is), Moseley presents scripture quotes, words of wisdom and beautiful art work to further stimulate our very being. She tells so many beautiful stories about her family and the way she was brought up. These show us how the gift of faith, especially through the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, makes life bearable and even joyful during both times of trial and times of cheer. When I read her previous book, Sacred Braille, I thought to myself that this is truly a woman of faith. After reading House of the Sacred Heart, I now can see where that faith came from.

I also found the book to be quite inspirational. Now inspirational can mean many things from how God inspired the writing of the Bible to how a hero can inspire others to do good. This book is inspirational in both ways. Now I am not saying that Our House of the Sacred Heart is inspired like the Bible is, but I can say that the same Holy Spirit that inspired the writings of the Bible also inspired Annabelle Moseley to put together this book using her God-given (inspired) talent of writing and using the inspired scriptures and using artwork that everyone can see is inspired. For the foundation of her book she uses the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She takes the 33 titles of the litany and weaves stories around them from her family to help show what each litany means. At the center of the family stories is what she calls Our House of The Sacred Heart, or the Red House, which is her grandmother’s house. So much of what her family is, centers around that house. The house is so much more than a dwelling, it is where the faith has been taught and lived out. I particularly like the cover design showing the Red House. The cover was done by my talented friend, T.J. Burdick. I wonder how much it resembles the actual house?

This book is something that is so needed for this time. Our culture has seen family life being disrupted over and over again. It has also seen a significant decrease in people who find their faith meaningful or even relevant to their everyday life. This book shows, in so many ways, through examples from several generations, how important strong faith and strong family life is. It shows us that faith and family, together, can bring us through the darkest moments and can even bring us joy in the midst of difficulties. The book also shows us that our faith is definitely handed down from one generation to the next. This book can not help but to awaken any dormant faith within us.

Annabelle Moseley has definitely written a book to inspire people towards a better appreciation of family life and a better appreciation or our faith. The book can be used in so many different ways. It is a great book for a person to read and appreciate by themselves. It is also a book that could lead an individual to make a Consecration to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. That consecration could use the book in the popular 33 day consecration method to do this. Moseley has included beautiful prayers at the back of the book to not only lead an individual to the consecration but to also do a Consecration of their home. I also believe that this book could be used in the parish setting by offering a group study that leads to the consecration. I certainly hope that this book becomes popular and that a large number of people read it. It is most interesting, very inspirational and certainly very needed for these difficult times. Do yourself, and your family, a favor and buy and read this book. You will be glad that you did.

SPECIAL ADDITION: The author has personally told me that: “I’m leading a Consecration to the Sacred Heart through my website! For those who sign up, they’ll get on each of the 33 days leading to their Consecration a brief daily podcast reflection that includes classic prayers to the Sacred Heart, contemplation of the Litany line of the day, and a brief soundbite to inspire deeper devotion to the Sacred Heart. The consecration begins on May 9th and ends on the Feast of the Sacred Heart: June 11th (on that day participants will get access to a Consecration Day-webinar and along with an author talk will be open to participant Q&A etc).  For anyone who signs up, I will also offer a special parish Book Group “Meet the Author” zoom for any parishioners who have read the book… all they have to do is sign up and then email me at annabelle@annabellemoseley.com ” I think that we should all take advantage of this opportunity. I know that I am and have already signed up. I encourage you to do so too by using the following link. God is good.

Here’s the link: https://www.annabellemoseley.com/consecration-to-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus/

Saint Joseph: What a Special Gift – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Angels, Anxiety and Worry, Blessed Virgin Mary, Church, Demons, Fatherhood, Healing, Holy Spirit, Jewish roots, Lent, Pope Francis, Saints, Service, Spirituality, Teaching, Vocation

St. Joseph – What a Special Gift

Today, March 19, 2021 is the Solemnity of St. Joseph occurring within the Year of St. Joseph as proclaimed by Pope Francis. This is such a special gift to the Church. For me, it is a real gift since I today completed my 33 day Consecration to St. Joseph as detailed in Father Don Colloway’s book Consecration to Saint Joseph – The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father. A few years ago I did a 33 day Consecration to Jesus through Mary and was so happy with what it did for my Spiritual Life. When Pope Francis declared this year as the Year of St. Joseph, I decided to do a consecration to St. Joseph. I am so very glad that I did. My wife and I have been doing this together using Fr. Colloway’s book and listening to his video every day on YouTube.

Father Colloway’s book has been fantastic. It is probably the best $14.95 that I have ever spent. After I fully complete the book, I plan on doing a review. His 33 day daily video series has also been amazing. Putting the two together has been wonderful. This has been one of my best Lents because of this 33 day consecration exercise. I have learned so much about St. Joseph and have come to really appreciate the gift that he is to the Church and to me personally.

St. Joseph has been in the background for so many years of the Church’s history. Many of the Saints have sung his praises, but, in general, the Church has kept him in the background. It wasn’t until a few years ago that Pope Francis added the name of St. Joseph to the Eucharistic liturgy. I still remember seeing my pastor write in the name of St. Joseph in to the book (we are a poor parish and wouldn’t order a new book just because of one insert). St. Joseph is known as the protector of the Church, but even that didn’t start until about 150 years ago. This year has been named the Year of St. Joseph by Pope Francis and the Church is celebrating it world wide. There have been a number of books, such as previously mentioned, and it would appear that St. Joseph is finally getting the attention that he should have. The timing is perfect.

2020 and 2021 have been difficult years due to the COVID pandemic. Other political changes have made life more difficult for the Church and I think that bringing out the riches of St. Joseph at this time is very appropriate. There is no doubt that the more we learn about this “silent” Saint, the more we can learn what he can do for us. Through these 33 days of consecration I have learned so much about St. Joseph and now appreciate him so much. I definitely see him as my Spiritual Father. It makes so much sense that not only would Jesus share with us His Mother, but would also share with us His earthly father. In today’s mass we read the Gospel about finding the 12 year old lost Jesus in the Temple. As I was reading it I was really “hit” by the verse where Mary said to Jesus, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” and Jesus said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” What hit me was when Mary referred to Joseph she said your father (small f) and when Jesus replied He referred to God His Father (large F). Jesus had two Fathers, one in heaven and one on the earth.

Joseph was Jesus’s father here on earth. Joseph took care of Jesus and protected Him, even moving to Egypt to avoid Herod trying to kill Jesus. St. Joseph nurtured Him and taught Him and loved Him probably better than any father cares for his own flesh and blood son. Jesus called him daddy, abba, and I can only imagine the great relationship that the two of them had. Jesus must have admired Joseph tremendously, especially for his love and devotion to Jesus’s mother, Mary. I can only believe that God chose Joseph as the “father” of Jesus because of what a great man that he was. I can only believe that Jesus and Joseph were closer than probably any other father and son. It is so important to honor a man who was given such a great honor as caring for the God-Man, Jesus.

In his book, Father Calloway is continually giving quotes from the many Saints who have had a great devotion to Joseph. They honored him as well as sought his aid in the many difficulties in their lives. Everyone needs a good father to look up to as well as to receive help from. Saint Joseph has been given to us by Jesus and it is important for us to see the gift that Saint Joseph truly is. We can most definitely use this precious gift. I would like to share with you just a few of the numerous quotes so that perhaps you will see how precious this gift is.

“This flower of Israel (St. Joseph) had the faith of Abraham, the piety of David his ancestor, the wisdom of the prophets, a patience more heroic than that of Job and Tobias, and a zeal greater than that of Elizah for the glory of God.” – Blessed Gabriele Allegra

“The holy example of Jesus Christ who, while upon earth, honored St. Joseph so highly and was obedient to him during his life should be sufficient to inflame the hearts of all with devotion to this saint.” – St. Alphonsus Liguori

“If you want to know St. Joseph’s obedience, look at how he rose at night at the angel’s voice and, giving no care to hunger, hardships, or cold, went to Egypt where he led a hard life until the next command of God” – St. Joseph Sebastian Pelzcar

“Truly, I doubt not that the angels, wondering and adoring, came thronging in countless multitudes to that poor workshop to admire the humility of him who guarded that dear and divine child, and labored at his carpenter’s trade to support the Son and the mother who were committed to his care.” – St. Francis de Sales

“Those who are devoted to prayer should, in a special manner, cherish devotion to St. Joseph. I know not how anyone can ponder on the sufferings, trials, and tribulations the Queen of the Angels endured whilst caring for Jesus in his childhood, without at the same time thanking St. Joseph for the services he rendered the Divine Child and his Blessed Mother.” – St. Teresa of Avila

“To be faithful as humble collaborators with the divine plan over our lives, we need, along with the protection of the Virgin Mary, that of St. Joseph, a most powerful intercessor.” – St. Pope John XXIII

“The Church invokes St. Joseph as her Patron and Protector through her unshakable trust that he to whom Christ willed to confide the care and protection of His own frail human childhood, will continue from heaven to perform His protective task in order to guide and defend the Mystical Body of Christ himself, which is always weak, always under attack, always in a state of peril.” St. Pope Paul VI

Ite ad Ioseph – Go to Joseph

Epic Saints: Wild, Wonderful and Weird Stories of God’s Heroes by Shaun McAfee – Review by Steven R. McEvoy

Anxiety and Worry, Apologetics, Book Review, Charity, Church, Communication, Community, Converts, Death and Dying, Demons, Ethics, Eucharist, Evangelism, Forgiveness, Heresy, Holiness, Holy Orders, Holy Spirit, Life in the Spirit, Liturgy, Marriage, Miracles, Morality, Mystics, Penance and Reconciliation, Prayer, Priesthood, Pro-Life, Purgatory, Relationships, Relics, Resurrection, Rosary, Sacraments, Saints, Scripture, Service, Sin, Soldiers, Spirituality, Teaching, Trust, Vocation, Women,

I enjoy writing book reviews of books that I have read and then posting them on my website.  However, I didn’t feel comfortable writing a book review for this book since I am one of the contributors to it.  I did read the book and really enjoyed it and would recommend it to my readers.  For the review, I turned to my friend, Steven R. McEvoy and obtained his permission to post the review that he had written and originally appeared on his website:  www.bookreviewsandmore.ca  .  Steven does a great job of reviewing books and you should check out his website.  Here is his review of Epic Saints.

Epic Saints 
Wild, Wonderful, and Weird Stories of God’s Heroes

by
Shaun McAfee 


TAN Books
ISBN 9781505115123
ASIN B083Y67LD7

I love books like this one. I love reading about saints and am currently reading books from 4 different series about saints. But what a book like this does is introduce me to a few new saints, it gives me some more information and examples from saints that I am more familiar with. This was an EPIC READ that I could hardly put down. It is mostly eBook about specific saints and But there is also a lot of great information about the process of saint making, and the canon and calendar of saints. But the volume is not just the work of Shaun McAfee there are several contributors. Those contributors are:

Alex R. Hey
Sarah Spittler
Jessica Mcafee
Theresa Zoe Williams
Brooke Gregory
Deacon Marty Mcindoe
Shaun Mcafee
Laura Hensley
Mike Panlilio
Maggie Van Sciver

The essays interspersed through the biographies are:

Have Saints Always Been Canonized The Same Way?
What Is The General Roman Calendar?
Can These Stories Be Allegorical?
Are We Really Expected To Believe These Stories?
Why Are Some Saints Not On The Calendar?
What Is The Process For Canonization?
What Should We Do With Saint Narratives That Contain Errors Or Inconsistencies?
Why Are Some Canonized Quickly While Others Have Been In The Process For Centuries?
Can I Become A Saint?

And on top of that are profiles of 74 saints. Shaun and the other contributors do an amazing job or highlighting so many saints in such a short space. There are almost a dozen saints I need to go find further readings on. And my son is already looking forward to my rereading this book with him. 

In this volume there are a few tales about dragons. Saints pulling practical jokes and pranks. A bilocating death and many, many more stories of saints, of Martyrs and holy men and women. 

Though I will be honest with you, the pieces in this volume are so well written you might have a hard time picking a favorite. And you will definitely want to read more on at least some of the saints. An excellent read that I highly recommend. 

Love Is All About Giving – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Church, Eucharist, Evangelism, Forgiveness, Healing, Holiness, Holy Orders, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Jewish roots, Life in the Spirit, Liturgy, Marriage, Penance and Reconciliation, Priesthood, Pro-Life, Relationships, Sacraments, Scripture, Sin, Spirituality, Teaching, Vocation

Love Is All About Giving – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

During this time around Valentine’s Day most of us are concentrating on finding just the right gift for the one that we love.  I certainly realize that giving to the one we love is something that should be done constantly in our relationship with them.  But Valentine’s Day sets aside a special day for us to do that.   If we truly love someone, we want to give to them at Valentine’s Day and throughout the year.  It seems naturally built in to us as humans to want to give.  I think that is because we are made in the image of God, who is the great giver.

We all know John 3:16 which says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”  This is the gift above all gifts.  It is also the gift that keeps on giving, as the commercials say.  I would like to take a look at this precious gift.  To begin with, our very life is a gift given to us by God.  It is a precious gift that should be held sacred.  Secondly, the scriptures tell us that God formed us in His own image.  This too is a precious gift.  We, like God, are made to live throughout all eternity.  We, like God, are also given the gift of free will.  This is also a very precious gift, but one that has gotten us in to trouble.  Unlike God we sometimes choose to be selfish and not loving and not giving.  In order to remedy this, God decided that He would come to us and bring us the gift of salvation.   The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.  He did this for a specific purpose, for our salvation and for our formation.

I have always been interested in Social Anthropology, where we study the behavior of cultures, both ancient and sometimes contemporary.  I have found it extremely interesting that almost every culture recognizes that there is a God (or several gods) and finds it necessary to offer sacrifices to this God.  This too seems to be built in to our human DNA.  We have a need to worship God and to offer sacrifice to God.  Jesus came to the Jewish people who were accustomed to sacrifices and offerings to their God.  Jesus became for us the fullest sacrifice for our sins.  Jesus died a horrific death so that our sins could be expiated and we could obtain eternal life.  His was the perfect sacrificial offering.  However, that is not the only reason he came.  If it was, he could have been slaughtered by Herod as an infant, or one of the many times in the Gospels where the people tried to kill him.  Each time He escaped because His time had not yet come.  He had more to do.

I believe that one of the primary things that He wanted to do was to start His Church.  He wanted to find and train the right men to do the job.  When He chose the twelve apostles He was making new the Jewish Kingdom of the twelve tribes and starting the new Kingdom, the Church.  He chose Peter as the “Rock” upon which He would build this Church.  All twelve disciples were important, even the one who betrayed Him, but Peter was to be the Head of them all and the Head of the Church.  The scriptures are very clear about that.  Jesus spent three years in ministry with them to train them and show them what would be called the seven sacraments.  When the time of their training was completed, Jesus turned towards the means of His death.  He wanted His death to be a renewal of the Jewish Passover so He went to Jerusalem at the time of Passover.  He walked right in to the hands of those who wanted to kill him.  He would become the new Passover.

The death of Jesus on the cross is so much a part of the Jewish Passover Feast that we cannot separate the two.  Dr. Scott Hahn’s book, The Fourth Cup is one of the best references for us to study this.  In this book he shows us how our redemption followed a plan established by God from the very beginning of time.  When Jesus celebrated the final Passover (which we call the last supper) with His disciples it really wasn’t completed until His death on the cross.  During that Last Supper Jesus gave us an extraordinary gift, the gift of His own Body and Blood and Jesus instructed the disciples to continue to give this gift.  The Church that Jesus formed was to continue to celebrate His sacrifice and continue to give out His body and His blood to His people.  It has been doing that for 2,000 years.

After Jesus died and ascended back to heaven, He gave another gift to us all.  He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit.   This gift of the Holy Spirit was given to strengthen us and to continue to help us in all that God calls us to do.  The gift of the Spirit has been lavished upon us.  Though the Sacrament of Baptism, the gift of the Spirit is placed within us.  In the Sacrament of Confirmation the fullness of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are made manifest.  Through the gift of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist we are given the very body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus.  We are empowered by Him and called to be formed in His image.  In the gift of the Sacrament of Marriage and the Sacrament of Holy Orders we are again empowered in to the Vocation that God calls us to.  When we are sick, the gift of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick brings us healing.  And when we turn away from God and turn to sin, the Sacrament of Reconciliation forgives us and brings us back to Him

All of the gifts that God gives us continue through the precious gift of the Church.  The Church gave us the gift of the Bible and helps us to understand it.  The Church gives us the gift of Tradition which was (and still is) so venerated in Jewish life.  Tradition helps fill in what the Bible hasn’t given us.  It helps us to understand where we have come from and helps us to see that we are still the same Church founded by the Apostles with Peter as the head.  The Church gives us the gift of its hierarchy, which continues (literally) what Jesus has taught us.  The present day Pope is the 266th man who has sat on the chair of St. Peter.  All of our bishops are spiritual descendents of the twelve disciples.  We can trace the lineage of ordination right back to the early Church.  As.000

  great as the Church is, we are all still human with human weaknesses.  We have had some “bad” Popes and Bishops, yet the Church continues on.  No other institution on earth has remained for 2000 years.  Jesus was right when He said that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

In summary, God is the great giver of gifts that keep on giving.  Our salvation is a precious gift that we celebrate every time we celebrate mass.  Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity is always present to us in the Eucharist.  The Church is always present to us as Jesus’ own body here on earth.  The Church is always giving us the gifts of the Sacraments and of God’s grace.  The Church is always proclaiming the scriptures and teaching us how to live them out.  There is no doubt that God has given us every good gift, and they keep on giving.

I’M CATHOLIC. NOW WHAT? By Shaun McAfee – a book review by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Abortion, Apologetics, Blessed Virgin Mary, Book Review, Church, Community, Converts, Creation, Death and Dying, Demons, Diaconate, Divine Mercy, Early Church Fathers, Easter, Ethics, Eucharist, Evangelism, Family, Fatherhood, Forgiveness, Gnosticism, Healing, Heresy, Holiness, Holy Orders, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Lent, Life in the Spirit, Liturgy, Marriage, Miracles, Morality, Mystagogy, New Age, Penance and Reconciliation, Pope Francis, Prayer, Priesthood, Pro-Life, Purgatory, Relationships, Relics, Resurrection, Rosary, Sacraments, Saints, Scripture, Service, Sin, Social Media, Spirituality, Teaching, Trust, Vocation, Women, , ,

I’M CATHOLIC.  NOW WHAT?   By Shaun McAfee – a book review by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Shaun McAfee, founder of EpicPew.com, blogger at National Catholic Register, contributor to Catholic Answers Magazine and many other Catholic resources has written a new book published by Our Sunday Visitor.  Personally I think that this is the best book he has written; and I really enjoyed his other books.  When I first saw the pre-publication announcement for this book, I immediately put in an order for it.  The title and description led me to believe that this book would be a great resource for my parish RCIA program.  I have been involved in the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program for many years and know that those who have gone through it need a really good resource book to continue their journey after the time in the program has finished.  After reading this book I not only realized that the book is perfect for that, but that the book is perfect for all Catholics on their journey of living out the beauty of the Catholic faith.

The author of this book is a convert and has gone through the RCIA process to become a Catholic.  How I wish that all of the people who go through RCIA become as good a Catholic as Shaun and his wife have become.  Shaun’s overall knowledge of the Catholic faith and Catholic Theology (he has a graduate degree from Holy Apostles College) is amazing.  The way he lives out that faith with his wife and family is even more amazing.  Faith is made to be put in to action and Shaun certainly does that.  I have followed Shaun and his family on Facebook for almost six years and although I have never met him in person, I see the faith filled life that he leads.  That faith filled life pours over in to this book.  Shaun tells us all the things we need to know to be a good Catholic and he gives us personal examples of how to be a good Catholic.

This 335 page book consists of 100 chapters that give us a lot of information on the Catholic Church and why we do the things that we do.  I find it very refreshing that he takes the times to not only tell us the things that we should be doing to be a good Catholic, but also tells us why we do those things.  He often refers to the Holy Scriptures as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  He also uses stories from the early church Fathers and the Saints to explain.   Besides that, he gives us plenty of personal examples from his own life.  He covers just about everything that you can think of that speaks of Catholicism.  He not only covers different topics but also gives us things to do.  For example, not only do we learn about Baptism, but he also gives us ideas on how to celebrate our Baptism day.  He talks to us about the priesthood and then encourages us to invite a priest over for dinner.

Shaun’s section on BEING A MODERN CATHOLIC has so much richness to it when discussing evil, relativism (a must read), marriage, sexuality, abortion, euthanasia, immigration, gossiping, giving, and consumerism.  His discussion of the current sex abuse scandal and cover up is enlightening.  He deals with all of the current issues in the Church today.  His way of facing these issues clearly shows the HOPE that we as Catholics are called to have.  Shaun ends his book with a section on EVANGELIZATION: IT’S FOR EVERYONE.  The chapters in this section remind us of our calling as Catholics to share the Good News that we have received.  He explains the “New Evangelization” and encourages us to reach out to those around us, especially to our children.

I highly recommend that ALL Catholics read this book.  The book covers serious subjects but is very easy to read.  It is informative as well as interesting.  It is a wealth of information on the Catholic faith.  This book is not only for those who have just recently come in to the Church, although it is great for them, but it is for all of us on our journey towards Jesus in His Church.  We can all benefit from the explanations and the suggestions that Shaun makes in this book.  As I write this, we are approaching the LENTEN season.  I highly suggest that every Catholic get this book and read it and study it and live it out for Lent.  It might be the best thing that you ever did for Lent.

Proud to be Catholic – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Charity, Church, Demons, Eucharist, Evangelism, Healing, Holy Orders, Holy Spirit, Sacraments, Scripture, Teaching

On the back of my car I have a sticker that says, “Proud to be Catholic”. With all that has happened in the recent sex abuse scandal some people might wonder how I could be proud to be Catholic and continue to publically acknowledge that. Nonetheless, I am proud to be Catholic and I am also ashamed at what some of our Catholic priests and bishops have done or even failed to do. It is so sad that those Catholic priests, who performed all sorts of atrocious acts on Children, failed to live by their calling. They are very sick men. I think that it is even sadder that some of our Bishops hid what had been happening thus perpetuating more abuse. St. Luke, in Acts 20:28 talks to the bishops of the early Church saying “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” Some day these bishops will be held accountable before the Lord. But even though these priests and bishops are a big part of the Catholic Church, they do not account for the whole of the Catholic Church. The Church itself is Holy. St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians Chapter 2, verses 20 through 22 says “Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” The Church is Holy, but these men are human and are sinners.
We have to remember that for 2,000 years, the Church has been the presence of Jesus to the world. The Catholic Church put together the bible that we use. It is God’s word and we deliver it to a world that needs it so badly. Every day, in just about every area in the world, the Church brings forth the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and continually offers to the sick (and dying) the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick as well as the other Sacraments. Besides all those things that you would expect the Church to do, it “has been the means of reducing more languages to writing than have all other factors combined. It has created more schools, more theories of education, and more systems than has any other one force. More than any other power in history it has impelled men to fight suffering, whether that suffering has come from disease, war or natural disasters. It has built thousands of hospitals, inspired the emergence of the nursing and medical professions, and furthered movement for public health and the relief and prevention of famine.” – Kenneth Scott Latourette, Sterling Professor at Yale University: A History of Christianity, Vol. II, originally published by HarperCollins Publishers 1953, revised 1975, pp.1470,14.
In Saint John’s Gospel (13:35) we read, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.” For me, the Catholic Church excels at showing the love of Jesus to all people (not just its own). Matthew Kelly tells us, “Every day the Catholic Church feeds more people, clothes more people, houses more people, and educates more people than any other organization in the world…” That is something to really be proud of. Statistics provided by both Forbes Magazine and Business Week confirm this statement. They state that, “The Catholic Church is indeed the largest charitable organization on the planet BY FAR.” Some of the statistics are quite interesting. Charity and healthcare centers run in the world by the Church include: 5,391 hospitals, most of them in America (1,627) and Africa (1,295); 16,610 dispensaries, mainly in Africa (5,181); America (4,731) and Asia (3,520); 604 Care Homes for people with Leprosy, mainly in Asia (296) and Africa (187); 16,270 Homes for the elderly, or the chronically ill or people with a disability, mainly in Europe (8,348) and America (4,086); 9,924 orphanages, mainly in Asia (3,934); 12,376 nurseries, mainly in Asia (3,247) and America (3,435); 14,551 marriage counseling centers, mainly in America (5,546) and Europe (5,666); 3,776 social rehabilitation centers and 38,484 other kinds of institutions.
To me the Catholic Church is the very presence of Jesus in the world. It continues to bring His healing and compassion and teaching and presence to those who need it so badly. It is made of human beings who often fail at being what God calls them to be, but it is empowered by the Holy Spirit and will continue the mission God has given it. I have no doubt that Satan loves to try to pull apart the Church. Satan knows how to use human weakness to harm the Church, but, as Jesus says, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). I am proud to be a Catholic. I will continue to love my Church and do whatever I can to build it up. I will support all those many good priests and bishops that we have who have been so hurt by this scandal. I will also pray for all of the victims of the abuse and for all who have been affected by it. I will be vigilant in fighting the evils that are attacking and are within the Church. St. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 “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.” Our Church is the Body of Christ, the Victor!

The ‘Poison’ of Spiritual Indifference – by Matt Nelson

Apologetics, Books, Church, Evangelism, New Age, Sacraments, Social Media, Teaching

The philosopher Immanuel Kant said that all of philosophy aims to answer three basic questions: What can I know? What can I do? What may I hope? He then linked these three questions to three more: Does God exist? Is man free? Is there life after death?
The failure to take seriously life’s biggest questions—all of which are inherently religious—is one of the most unflattering characteristics of our day. Of all the great civilizations that have ever existed, ours “is the first that does not have to teach its citizens any answer to the question why they exist,” laments Peter Kreeft. “As society grows, it knows more and more about less and less. It knows more about the little things and less about the big things.”
How can we evangelize in such a spiritually indifferent culture?
The first step is to understand the problem.
When I was in my early twenties, I suffered from a wicked bout of spiritual restlessness. After a couple years of university, my Catholic upbringing had lost much of its hold on me. But although I was no longer attending Mass or receiving the sacraments—or living my life as though God existed—I was still open to the idea of something like God existing “out there.”
On some days I leaned towards a deistic view of God—the idea that a divine power had created the world but was no longer present to it. On other days I was swayed towards pantheism, the “everything is God” view that is characteristic of New Age thought. And still on other days I felt a pull, however slight and brief, towards the Catholic faith of my youth. Spiritually, I was all over the spectrum.
Not one of these fleeting attractions, however, ever amounted to a conviction. The problem was not that no case could be made for those worldviews. The problem was that I failed to take any of them seriously enough to consider the case for or against. Instead I was like a child, “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14).
I think we can look at religious indifference in just that way: the failure to 1) think seriously about religion and 2) to give God his due. One failure is intellectual and the other is practical. But, since will follows reason, most people won’t give God his due if they’re not even thinking seriously about him. What we choose follows what we know. Thus, the intellectual component is primary.
Since our minds are naturally ordered toward truth, to be indifferent to the most persistent human questions about reality is an unnatural way to live. Whether we like it or not, it matters whether God exists—and it matters what kind of God exists. It matters whether we are free or not. It matters whether heaven and hell really await our choosing. Many of our ordinary assumptions—like the existence of free will or of objective morality—hinge on how these questions are answered. “All our actions and thoughts,” reflects Pascal in his Pensées, “must follow such different paths, according to whether there is hope of eternal blessings or not.”
Catholic philosopher Robert Sokolowski contends that it is at the core of man’s nature to desire the truth of things. This desire, he says, “is very deep in us, more basic than any particular desire or emotion. We are made human by it, and it is there in us to be developed well or badly.” Our appetite for truth, then, is not optional—it makes us what we are.
That is why religious indifference is so crippling. It is like ignoring your hunger for food and not eating because you “don’t feel like it.” Ignore it long enough and it may become numbed, but such desensitization will not prevent the ensuing weakness, sickness, and death—it will only mask their approach.
How did we become so indifferent towards humanity’s most persistent questions? Surely there are many reasons, but a big one may be the rise of “smart” technology and its impact on how we see ourselves and others. Psychology professor Jean Twenge notes that the generation born in the mid-1990s and after—what she calls the iGen—has never known a time before the internet and smartphone. According to her research, not only is this generation the most digitally connected; it is also the least religious generation in U.S. history.
Given all that modern technology does for us, it should be no surprise that people are becoming more and more convinced of their own self-sufficiency. Such radicalized autonomy makes it easy to accept the illusion that we are masters of our own world. We rely on others—and the authority of others—less than ever before. The temptation to “be as gods” has been around since Eden, but no culture has ever made a sense of omnipotence easier to attain. Who needs God and his rules when we can be gods and make up our own?
“The most deadly poison of our times is indifference,” wrote St. Maximilian Kolbe. But although the problem is urgent, it is not insurmountable. For one thing, the Catholic Church is a seasoned veteran when it comes to facing cultural resistance to its mission: it always finds a way to persevere against the odds and get the job done. And of course, the Church’s mission of making disciples has the almighty power of Christ behind it, and it will until the end of the age.
We must remember, too, that even the most hopeless indifferentist is never a total write-off. His nature can never totally shed its thirst for truth and, more importantly God never ceases to draw him into all truth (John 16:13). As the Second Vatican Council declared in Gaudium et Spes:
Man is continually being aroused by the Spirit of God and he will never be utterly indifferent to religion—a fact proved by the experiences of ages past and plentiful evidence at the present day. For man will ever be anxious to know, if only in a vague way, what is the meaning of his life, his activity, and his death. The very presence of the Church recalls these problems to his mind. The most perfect answer to these questionings is to be found in God alone, who created man in his own image and redeemed him from sin (41).
This is all good news, but it’s not the only reason for hope. There are practical things that we can do in our witness to others that will help them respond to God’s prompting and bravely seek the answers they long to know. By leading with open questions, open ears, and a patient tongue, and by challenging them to face with seriousness the true costs of their apathy over life’s Biggest Questions, you can engage the indifferent effectively. After all, they’re not dead—they’re just asleep. With the right tools, you can awaken them from their spiritual slumber.

NOTE: Matt’s new book, JUST WHATEVER is available by clicking here: JUST WHATEVER

 

 

Consuming God’s Word – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Church, Ethics, Eucharist, Family, Holy Spirit, Liturgy, Pope Francis, Prayer, Saints, Scripture, Teaching

Consuming God’s Word – by Deacon Marty McIndoe
When I was growing up my father was very concerned about healthy eating. He had read several books about nutrition from Adele Davis and used the mantra “You are what you eat”. Adele Davis, and many nutritionists of the 1950’s and 60’s, used this phrase taken from Victor Lindlahr’s 1942 book of the same name. I heard that phrase over and over again. Dad grew almost all of our own food in his garden and went to local farmers to get eggs and chickens. Mom bought very little from the grocery store. The whole idea was that processed food and non-organic food was bad for you. Only wholesome, organic food should be ingested. It was a lot of work, caring for the garden and canning and freezing foods for the winters. I do think it was worth it. I am a pretty healthy person. We all know that the more we eat healthy food, the healthier we will be.
The Scriptures have some interesting things to say about eating God’s Word. Jeremiah 15:16 says, “When I found your words, I devoured them; your words were my joy, the happiness of my heart, because I bear your name, LORD, God of hosts”. In Ezekiel 3: 1-3 it says, “He said to me: Son of man, eat what you find here: eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Son of man, he said to me, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll I am giving you. I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey* in my mouth. Then he said to me, Son of man, go now to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them”. And again in Revelation 10: 10 it says, “I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and swallowed it. In my mouth it was like sweet honey, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour”. Psalm 119: 103 tells us, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Now I really don’t think that we should start tearing pages out of our bibles and eating them, but I do think that we should look in to these words of scripture telling us to consume His Word.
God’s Word that is given to us in the scriptures is a very precious gift. It is not given to us to put on to a shelf and look at only occasionally. It is a gift for us to use and consume every single day. Pope Benedict says to us, “We must rediscover a taste for feeding ourselves on the word of God, faithfully handed down by the Church, and on the bread of life, offered as sustenance for his disciples (cf. Jn 6:51). Indeed, the teaching of Jesus still resounds in our day with the same power: “Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life” (Jn 6:27)…Belief in Jesus Christ, then, is the way to arrive definitively at salvation.” How true this is! The mass reflects this perfectly, first we feed on the Liturgy of the Word, and then we feed on the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The two go hand in hand; both the Word and the Eucharist our needed for our spiritual growth. We need both of them. For the Eucharist, we need to go to our church and receive it from our priests but we cannot take it home with us. God’s Word is different. We do receive it in church, but we also can receive it in our home with our own hands. With smart phones we can literally take it with us wherever we go.
Having God’s Word on a book shelf or even on a smart phone isn’t enough. We quite literally have to consume it and consume it often. Pope Francis tells us, “Be constantly nourished by the Word of God.”. He also says, “I would like so much for all Christians to be able to comprehend ‘the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ’ through the diligent reading of the Word of God, for the sacred text is the nourishment of the soul and the pure and perennial source of the spiritual life of all of us.” We all need to be nourished, and to use my dad’s mantra, “You are what you eat” think about what you put in to yourself. Think about what you read and what you watch on TV and what you see in movies. Is this wholesome food, or junk food?
I challenge you to also think about your families. Family life seems to be hit hard by today’s society. In some ways it seems to be disintegrating in to nothingness. Bringing God’s Word in to your family for nourishment is so important. The family consumes so much junk from society; it is time to give it the good wholesome nourishment of God’s Word. Again Pope Francis tells us, “A Bible for every family! …Not to place it on a shelf, but to keep it at hand, to read it often, every day, both individually and together, husband and wife, parents and children, maybe in the evening, especially on Sundays. This way the family grows, walks, with the light and power of the Word of God!”
My friends, we are truly called to consume God’s Word and yet we often ignore it and often consume “junk food”. I believe that we can change the Family, the Church and the World if we consume God’s Word every day. If you are not already doing this, start it as soon as possible. There are many resources out there to help you. As Catholic’s we should make sure that we use Catholic resources to help us. I personally like THE WORD AMONG US and MAGNIFICAT for looking at the scriptures of the day. Don’t be afraid to do some prayerful reading of the Bible on your own. Use a good Catholic bible with footnotes to help you in this. Make sure that you ask the Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you. It is the same Holy Spirit that inspired the Bible. Consuming God’s Word involves both prayer and study. St. Pope John Paul II tells us, “Pray and learn to pray! Deepen your knowledge of the Word of the Living God by reading and meditating on the Scriptures”. It is certainly time for us to grow with good nourishment remembering that “You are what you eat”.

Are You Really Ready to Win the Battle? – By Deacon Marty McIndoe

Anxiety and Worry, Blessed Virgin Mary, Church, Demons, Divine Mercy, Eucharist, Evangelism, Family, Holy Spirit, Life in the Spirit, Liturgy, Penance and Reconciliation, Prayer, Rosary, Sacraments, Saints, Scripture, Service, Sin, Spirituality, Teaching


I was fortunate to have parents who saw that Scouting could be very beneficial to the formation of a child in to an adult. I was in Scouting from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts to Explorer Scouts (in High School). I learned a lot from them to help build my character. One of the primary things that they taught me was to BE PREPARED. This helped me in school, family and social life, in business, in being an Army soldier and especially in being a good Christian. I would like to look at BEING PREPARED as a Christian.
The question is, what are we supposed to be prepared for? There are several things but I find three that stand out the most. First of all we must be prepared for the LAST DAY. That last day may be when Jesus comes again, or more likely it will be when we die and go to meet him. We have a judgment to experience when we see Him face to face. All that we do as a Christian should lead us to be ready for this judgment. I am so happy that our God is a merciful God, but he is also a JUST God. Everything that we have said and done (and thought) or failed to do, will come before us; and we must answer for that. If we live out the words of Jesus and His Church, we should be prepared. The Church gives us the tools to prepare for this judgment. Those tools are the Sacraments and the Scriptures and prayers and examples of the Saints. We should use them to the fullest.
The second thing that we need to be prepared for is our battle against evil. For those of you who fail to believe in evil and the battle that we fight, you are sadly not prepared. The Church has always, from the very beginning, recognized the power of evil in the world. Our first Pope tells us: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” 1 Pet. 5:8-9. Unfortunately today, too many people dismiss the devil and demons and evil as old fashioned and untrue. The devil and his demons are real, and we need to fight them. The war is already won in Jesus, but Satan still continues to battle and tries to confound us. He attacks us in our weaknesses. We must use the tools that Jesus and the Church gives us to fight him. St. Paul tells us, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Eph. 6:11-17. These words of St. Paul are so much more than words of wisdom; they are words to lead us in our battle with evil. Do you hear the battle cry?
The third thing that we need to be prepared for is sharing the Good News. This is what we are supposed to be doing as Christians. It should be so much a part of us that it just comes naturally. I will spend more time on this topic on another post, but it is so important that it needs to be placed in context with this post. Probably the best way we share the Good News is by being a good Christian.
Being a good Christian is hard enough on its own, but when you have the legions of evil and darkness trying to keep you from being a good Christian, it becomes even more difficult. However, God knows the battle we fight and if we use the tools He gives us, we overcome easily. I would like to share with you some of the ways that I have found to use these tools. First of all, You MUST make them part of a daily routine. Just as you start out the day by washing and grooming, the tools need to be sharpened and put to use. I find that my morning routine is most important.
Daily I wake up at 6:30 (even though I am retired and could sleep) and I first say a rosary carefully meditating on each mystery. I then go to the local YMCA for my morning workout (the physical body and spiritual self are very connected). I then go to daily mass early enough to sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament for 15 to 20 minutes. I then carefully pay attention and serve at mass asking the Lord to strengthen me to be the person He wants me to be. I see the Eucharist as such a precious gift to strengthen me for the journey and the battle. I then go home to eat breakfast with my wife (she also attends daily mass with me) and then I do my morning prayer (Liturgy of the Hours). The rest of the day I intersperse other prayers. These prayers vary from spontaneous forms of praise to the various hours of the Liturgy of the Hours. Every Tuesday I do Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Each evening my wife and I pray together. All of this is a life giving experience for me. I never see it as a burden. I find my strength in this routine.
Throughout the day I love to give thanks and praise to God for the many beautiful things that happen. I love to see Him in the beauty of creation and the gift of other people. I also try to do a lot of spiritual reading such as the Bible as well as books from great Christian authors. In the evenings I “surf” many Christian/Catholic websites. I also try to continue my learning through the New Saint Thomas Aquinas Institute and ClaritasU. As I read this over it sounds like all I do is “religious” things, but that isn’t true. I enjoy many aspects of life and do many activities from going out with the guys to the local pub for beer, to visiting with friends with my wife. However, the “religious things” are what help to make me who I believe God calls me to be.
I know that Jesus wants us to live an abundant life (John 10:10) even though the thief (Satan) would love to snatch it away from us. When I immerse myself in prayer, the sacraments and good study, my life is abundant and Satan doesn’t have a chance to snatch it away from me. I am prepared; are you?

REFORM YOURSELF – a review by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Books, Church, Converts, Evangelism, Miracles, Relics, Rosary, Sacraments, Saints, Scripture, Spirituality, Teaching

REFORM YOURSELF! How to Pray, Find Peace, and Grow in Faith with the Saints of the Counter-Reformation: written by Shaun McAfee – review by Deacon Marty McIndoe

If the main title, REFORM YOURSELF! doesn’t catch you; take a good look at the subtitle: How to Pray, Find Peace, and Grow in Faith with the Saints of the Counter-Reformation. The subtitle is exactly what this book is all about. For me, it lived up to what it promises. I love to read and some books are really great…..this is one of them. It is easy to read, informative, interesting and causes a change to the very Spirit within us.
I have read two other books by Shaun McAfee; Filling our Fathers House (2015) and St. Robert Bellarmine (2016). I enjoyed both of those and in reading them, saw Shaun as an upcoming author. This last book proved me correct. His writing style has grown to the point that I would say that he definitely is a great author. I am anxious to see what he comes up with next.
Shaun belongs to the same “club” as Brandon Vogt, Jennifer Fulwiler, Peter Kreeft, Scott Hahn, and so many more people do that I don’t have room to mention including myself. That “club” is that we are all converts to the Catholic faith and live much of our life trying to spread the good news of new life in Jesus, especially through Catholic spirituality. It makes me proud, as a convert, to see Shaun do such a great job of this. Shaun is a lay Dominican (Order of Preachers) and this book shows that he continues the Dominican tradition of preaching and teaching.
The book is timely as we recognize the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017; it looks at the Catholic response to the Reformation by choosing ten Saints who ministered during the Catholic Counter-reformation. The importance of this book is that it not just a historical book, but rather a book where we can look at these Saints and bring about REFORM within us. The ten Saints that Shaun chose are all great examples of what we need to do to walk with Jesus and respond to His call to share the Good News. They are all powerhouses of faith. Shaun also shows their true humanity which helps us see that we too can strive to achieve what they did.
There are ten chapters, one for each Saint. The ten Saints are; Francis de Sales, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Robert Bellarmine, Aloysius Gonzaga, Pope Pius V, Philip Neri, John of the Cross, Frances de Chantal, and Charles Borromeo. In each chapter Shaun tells us about the Saint and shares some stories from their lives. He includes some of their quotes and makes suggestions on how we can be more like them. He includes a number of scripture passages to augment his suggestions. When reading many of Shaun’s suggestions I felt like I was listening to a Spiritual Director. Shaun ends each chapter with a conclusion, information for further study and a prayer to the Saint. I definitely grew spiritually through the experience of reading, and praying, this book. I believe that you will too. I highly recommend this book. It is available from its publisher, Catholic Answers (www.catholic.com), Amazon (www.amazon.com) and other bookstores.

RCIA – A Journey of New Life – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Apologetics, Church, Communication, Converts, Eucharist, Evangelism, Liturgy, Prayer, Sacraments, Scripture, Teaching

Many Catholics have heard the initials RCIA used within their church but often do not fully understand what this program is. It is important for all Catholics to know about this program since all Catholics have a place within the program. I would like to take some time to briefly talk about what the program is and then give some reflections on it. I came in to the Church through the RCIA program about 44 years ago and today, as a Deacon, I run our parish RCIA program. I see it as a source of real life to me and to so many others. RCIA simply stands for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. The program is the way that adult members learn about Jesus and His Church and then come in to it.
One of the principal ways that all Catholics are involved in RCIA is through their witness. Hopefully the life we lead and the faith we share make others interested in our Lord Jesus and in His Church. When we touch others through our own lived out faith it makes them want to learn more about the faith. RCIA is a way that they can do that. We often have people that were never baptized and never lived out the Christian faith. We also have people who have been baptized and have lived out the faith in a Protestant Church. Some of our RCIA people were baptized Catholic but never received Confirmation and Holy Communion. Some have received all the sacraments and have left the Church but have now returned. RCIA is for all of them.
It is impossible to put a time limit on the RCIA process. How much time we need is based upon the needs of each member in the group. For some, several years may be involved. For others it may be less than one year. We divide the RCIA program in to four distinct groups. Let us take a look at these four groups:
1 – INQUIRER: This is often known as the Period of Evangelization and Precatechumenate. Here we preach the basic Christian message and explain the role of the Church in living out the Christian life. We use this time to try to teach and inspire. We also use this time to discern whether the person is ready to make the formal step of becoming a full Catechumen.
2 – CATECHUMEN: When the RCIA team discerns that the inquirer is ready to make a faith commitment, we have a ceremony in front of the Church community at a Sunday mass where the inquirers make a decision to become a full Catechumen. The inquirer declares their intentions to the community and the community welcomes them. The process of further teaching continues by the RCIA team and the Church community continues to pray for them.
3 – ELECT: On the first Sunday of Lent, the Catechumens attend a special diocesan celebration where the Catechumens publically express their desire for baptism to the diocesan bishop. Their names are recorded in the Book of the Elect. Instructions continue during the days of Lent. There is usually additional prayer and spiritual direction given to the Elect leading them up to the Easter Vigil service. At the Easter Vigil the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist are given to the Elect in front of the Church community. The Elect are now fully initiated in to the Catholic Church. However, their training continues.
4 – NEOPHYTES: The newly initiated Catholics continue their training with RCIA during the Easter season. This is known as a time of MYSTAGOGY. It continues to the Feast of Pentecost. The neophytes share their experiences of the Easter Vigil and continue to learn more about the Catholic faith.
As I mentioned earlier, some people come in to the program already baptized and with different levels of faith experience. Some need Confirmation and Holy Eucharist; some need just confession and a profession of faith. Depending upon the circumstances, these people can also receive these at the Easter Vigil or at a later date. Pentecost is often used.
The RCIA program tries to deal with each individual’s needs. Some people may need more time than others and some may need to straighten out difficulties like previous marriages. The good RCIA leader and team learn to deal with the various needs of the person apart from the training within the program. It is a program that calls people to follow Jesus within His Church community. The Church community has to realize that they too are part of this process. They help the Inquirer, the Catechumen, the Elect and the Neophyte through prayer and example. I have seen that the community itself grows in a positive direction due to their contact with the RCIA people. It is truly a program that brings life, not only to the individual, but also to the community.
When I did my RCIA process, it was quite different from ours today. I (my wife came also), and another candidate, met weekly with our parish pastor and he taught us. It was good for me, and I became very close to the pastor through it. Today we have a team of several individuals and during our sessions we take turn doing the instructions and we emphasize group discussions. We also spend time reflecting on the Sunday reading. One thing that we added is to discuss where we have seen the Lord working in our lives during this last week. This has proved quite fruitful. RCIA must help its people come in to a relationship with Jesus, as well as His Church.
As a person who has taught in the RCIA program for many years, I can tell you that the program continues to help me grow in my own faith. It is very heartwarming to see people grow in their faith and in their love for Jesus and His Church. Please make sure that you pray for all those who are part of the RCIA program. It is a real blessing to the Church.

 

On Being Bullied – by A.J. Avila (PLUS a new novel)

Anxiety and Worry, Books, Charity, Communication, Morality, Peace and Justice, Relationships, Teaching


Not too long ago, I published a blog post about how I was spurned in church during the Sign of Peace (see https://reflections911.wordpress.com/2017/07/07/spurned-at-church and also shared on this blog).  Then I made a huge mistake. I mentioned the post on a forum.
You would not believe the negativity I got. I was told what a horrible person I am, how being spurned was my own fault, and how I should have been more sympathetic to the woman who had treated me so poorly.
Silly me. I thought it was a teachable moment. I thought I made it clear this was something I needed to work on, that since St. Paul had rejoiced in his sufferings, I should learn to do that too.
I guess I should have known better than to mention what happened since you would not believe the reactions I’ve gotten when I disclose that I used to be bullied as a kid. I’ve grouped those responses into seven categories:
1. “I Don’t Believe You”
You’re told you’re either delusional or making a mountain out of a molehill. Like Holocaust deniers, some folk find it impossible to believe others, especially children, could be so cruel. Therefore, you must be making the whole thing up, probably to gain unwarranted sympathy for yourself.
2. “You Must Have Done Something to Deserve It”
Folks who tell you this also believe others wouldn’t be so cruel—unless, of course, you’ve given them a reason. You must have been a bully first and the treatment you received was simple retaliation. When you protest that you didn’t do anything, you’re not believed.
3. “Why Can’t You Just Shrug It Off?”
People who tell you this have probably experienced some bullying themselves. I agree that most likely few kids get through childhood without such a confrontation or two happening to them. What this fails to consider is that you’re not talking about a couple of isolated incidents. You’re talking about daily bullying, and not just by other children but by those—like teachers—in authority over you. A person who tells you to just shrug it off has no idea how much shrugging this would take.
4. “Grow a Backbone!” You should have a stiff upper lip and let the insults slide off you like water off a duck. After all, sticks and stones may break your bones, but names can never harm you. What the person telling you this fails to understand is that you were only a child and that names can harm your self-image, especially if it’s chronic name-calling.
5. “You Should Have Fought Back!”
This one seems to envision two little boys slugging it out on the school playground, and the bully, once thoroughly whooped, stops antagonizing his victim. Well, golly gee willikers, why didn’t I think of that? Oh wait. I did—with disastrous results. The problem here is that you’re not bullied by just other kids but by those in authority. So if you call your bully a name, she goes whining to the teacher, and then—behold!—now you’re the bully! It doesn’t matter if you do only a tenth of what the bully did to you. In everyone’s eyes, you are automatically wrong. In fact, you’ve just demonstrated that you deserve everything you’re getting.
6. “You Were the Victim of Bullying? Oh, Goody! I’ve Been Looking for One of Those!”
Amazingly, when you mention that you were bullied as a child, adult bullies, like a shark smelling a drop of blood in the ocean, come out in droves. I’ve been told by people who don’t know me at all that I’m a terrible, horrible person who has all kinds of physical and psychological problems.
7. “It Happened to Me Too”
Every once in a while, I come across a soul I can commiserate with. Unless you’ve been a victim of this yourself, you can only imagine what it’s like. Dealing with daily badgering isn’t easy, and I entirely disagree with the extremes of either jumping off a building or shooting up a classroom. So . . . just what do you do to survive this? My own tactic was to retreat into a world of books. When my nose was in a book, I was less likely to be accosted, and each novel I read allowed me to share an adventure in another world where I wasn’t bullied. I ended up reading a book a day—and if anything good came out of this, it helped prepare me for when I myself would be the novelist creating other worlds.

A.J. Avila has a brand new novel.  Take a look below.

My third Christian novel, Amaranth, is now available in paperback.
Here’s the story:
Would you take an elixir that made you perpetually young and physically immortal?
What if the price for it was your eternal soul?
Billionaire Desmond Sceller acquires such a wonder drug. But when eighty-year-old Marie Long is rejuvenated by it against her will, she quickly discovers unending beauty and youth is not the paradise it seems. Sceller, however, intends on using the elixir to entice all mankind into submitting to his tyrannical control. When Marie and her grandson Peter unearth this evil scheme, they soon discover that only an extraordinary sacrifice on their part can free humanity from Sceller’s nefarious plan.

Click here to purchase Amaranth on Amazon
Also, right now the Kindle version is on sale for just 99¢.