The CatholiCity Message

Volume III, Number 19 – July 1, 1999

Dear CatholiCity Citizen,

If you live in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul/Coon Rapids area, we could use your help. We'll explain more in the second item...

1. THE KNIFE IN YOUR MOUTH
Recently, we heard the true story of a man who said something foul and negative about a friend, and without realizing it, he was overheard by his friend's children. You could imagine the pain it caused the children, who adore their father. A few callous and casual words of anger caused an entire family tremendous pain for months on end and nearly destroyed a friendship. Fortunately (let's face it, through God's pure grace), the man and his friend addressed the situation in a spirit of humility, the truth became known, and a reconciliation occurred. Trust was re-established. A happy ending...but slashes to the heart that are caused by the knife in the mouth don't always have happy endings. Have you hurt others with your tongue? Do you need reconciliation? Please dwell on these words from the Epistle of Saint James (3:5-6):

"See how tiny the spark is that sets a huge forest ablaze! The tongue is such a flame. It exists among our members as a whole universe of malice. The tongue defiles the entire body. Its flames encircle our course from birth, and its fire is kindled by hell."

Pretty strong words from a divinely-inspired apostle. Join 14,000 other CatholiCity Citizens as we pray together: "Dear Jesus, forgive us for the times when our words have destroyed relationships, reputations, and trust, either by accident or intentionally. Help us to be AWARE of the dangers of the sword in our mouths. Let only good things, positive things, truth, and Your praise come from our lips. Saint Joseph, help us speak to everyone at all times the way you spoke to Our Lady and Jesus. Amen."

2. MARY FOUNDATION WANTS YOU
Do you live in the Coon Rapids/Twin Cities area? With the first ever Mary Foundation/CatholiCity National Men's Conference just two weeks away, our conference coordinator is flying to Minneapolis today for the final push with the local coordinators. He and his core group need volunteers to do "trench work": local promotion in parishes, phone work, help at the conference itself, etc. If you can help us, we urge you to meet our coordinator at Epiphany Parish in Coon Rapids on Saturday, July 3rd, after the 8:00 AM Mass. We know you Minnesota Catholics will live up to your national reputation for brains, hard work, and volunteerism.

JOKE OF THE WEEK
Sometime in the future, the first Irish pope was elected, and he took the name Pope Patrick. One day, the pope and the Queen of England were standing on the balcony of Saint Peter's before a huge crowd. In her well-bred, clipped accent, the Queen boasted, "With one gentle wave of my hand, I can have all the Englishmen in this crowd cheer with vigor." She then raised her handkerchief in her hand, and sure enough, the few thousand English subjects in the crowd began to cheer. The pope said to her, "That's impressive. With one nod of my head, I can guarantee you that every Irish man, woman, and child around the world will go into absolute paroxisms of joy, and then begin a celebration that will last for days." The Queen raised her eyebrows and said, "I would like to see you do that!" So the pope turned and gave her a head-butt.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"The only security is courage."
Francois LaRochefoucald

"Know how sublime a thing it is to suffer and be strong."
Henry W. Longfellow

See you next week.

Yours in Christ,

Your Friends at CatholiCity