The CatholiCity Message

Volume IV, Number 3 – February 4, 2000

Dear CatholiCity Citizen,

This a Big One. This CatholiCity Message is going to change the destinies of many thousands of souls forever–if you pray and respond. We're counting on you and we know you won't let us down, so please read this whole message carefully and prayerfully, then act. But first...

1. SLIP SLIDING ALL DAY
...last week, we got snowed in at the airport in Manchester, New Hampshire, and so we drove through the teeth of that big east coast storm to the Catholic Marketing Network tradeshow in Baltimore. Ten grueling hours. It was quite a trip. God and four-wheel-drive were with us: we didn't skid or slide once. The tradeshow was a big success despite the storm, but this week's pressing and critical items prevent us from giving you the blow-by-blow. Someday We'll tell you the story of how the Catholic Marketing Network got started.

Besides the following items, we want to give you something different. It has always struck us how Protestants are always cut-and-pasting inspirational stories to each other. You never know who made them up or from whom or from where they originated. We've all seen them, and a few of us have forwarded them on to our friends. Well, it's high time we Catholics had a few exhortations and stories of our own. So we've written one below for you to pass along. Let's pray it inspires souls. We're also very excited about Item Number 2. Let's begin with a classic prayer...

2. EIGHTEEN THOUSAND SINCERE ACTS
One of the great prayers to end (or begin) your day with is the following prayer, which many of us were taught as little kids right before our first Confession. Let's all join together and tell God, simply, that we're sorry. Let's make the sign of the cross before we begin....

"O my God, I am heartfully sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishment, but most of all because I have offended Thee, my God, Who is All Good, and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more, and to avoid the near occasion of sin, Amen."

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"So you are timid about sharing your faith with others? Is your excuse that you are not holy enough, or that you are not smart enough, or that you are not persuasive enough? Then tell yourself this: the most essential virtue required for successfully helping others receive the graces God has reserved for them in the sacraments is not holiness. It is the fostering within oneself the habit of perseverance. An imperfect persevering soul is a hidden, humble, holy soul."
Gordon K. MacBrien

JOKE OF THE WEEK
A man walked into a bar, sat down, and ordered a beer. As he sipped the beer, he heard a soothing voice say, "Nice tie." Looking around, he noticed that the bar was empty, except for himself and the bartender at the end of the bar. A few sips later, the voice said, "Beautiful shirt." At this, the man called the bartender over. "Hey, I must be losing my mind," he told the bartender. "I keep hearing these voices saying nice things, and there's not a soul in here but us." "It's the peanuts," answered the bartender. "Say what?" replied the man in disbelief. "You heard me," said the barkeep. "It's the peanuts. They're...complimentary."

See you next week!

With Immaculate Mary,

Your Friends at CatholiCity

CUT-AND-PASTE THIS TO EVERYBODY

HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED BECOMING A CATHOLIC?
We ask ourselves questions every day. What should I wear? Should I take the time to floss after I brush? Should I stop and get a cup of coffee on the way to work? Should I take the kids to their grandmother's or should I do the laundry instead? Should I read a book or watch a movie? Should I ask the pretty blonde in the next lane at my bowling league out for a date? Where should we go on vacation? Can we afford a new car - snowmobile - boat - addition - couch - tuition?

At some point in most of our lives, even if we have never stepped foot in a Catholic Church, we wonder about the Catholic Church. We see the pope on television and we wonder: is that guy for real? We see that nice Catholic mom with the four kids at the playground, and we know, deep in our hearts, that she's got something that we don't have. After years of admiring and respecting that guy Tony at work, we are little bit surprised to find out that he keeps a set of Rosary beads in his pocket. We hear amazing stories about the Virgin Mary appearing at places like Lourdes and are skeptical yet fascinated by the thousands of miraculous healings that have occurred in that tiny hamlet in France. We drive by a Catholic Church and see a peaceful, lovely statue of Mary, and we wonder...who is she? We see a healthy, young, handsome man wearing a Roman collar walking along the sidewalk as we drive by, and we resist the little soft urge to stop the car, jump out and ask him: Why didn't you get married? Is it worth giving up a career and a wife and children? Do you really, truly believe that a little wafer of bread is transformed into the Body of Christ?

And maybe, when we turn Rush Limbaugh or Howard Stern off, or after we see the latest idiotic Tom Cruise movie, or as we get tired of the same old thing on the Net, and after we're finished clicking through the endless channels on the television, and after we end the most recent frustrating argument with our spouse–when the crazy, endless modern noise is off and we allow a little silence to surround us, we wonder what it would be like to kneel down in a warm, welcoming confessional and say, "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned..."

Simple questions are best answered simply. We often know the answers before we ask the question. Yes, floss. Yes, turn off the television, because channel-surfing is a waste of precious time. Yes, tell your wife that you're sorry you yelled at her and you'll do better next time. Yes, have another child–you love the ones you already have more than pro football or money or success. No, you can't afford the new car. Yes, get the coffee on the way to work because you're a dad and you work hard to feed your family, so you're tired and that coffee will help you get through another day at the office. Yes, take the kids to grandma because there are more important things than laundry. And yes, consider becoming a Catholic.

Yes, faithful Catholics are the most peaceful, well-adjusted, family-oriented people on the planet. Yes, the pope is the real thing. Yes, the woman named Mary is the most beautiful soul ever, and she's alive and wants to touch your cheek with her gentle hand in heaven. Yes, the young priest is quite aware and quite happy he Threw It All Away and he does believe that Jesus is Really There. Yes, God the Father is merciful and He will forgive your sins in confession. Yes, there is pure grace, and it's free. Yes, it's all true and more.

So stop the car. Or take the walk. Make your way to the nearest Catholic Church. Walk in. Look around. Feel the silence. Near the altar, you'll find a little house of gold, and your Jesus is in there. Talk to Him. Listen, too. Ask Him to show you the way. Ask Him to carry your cross. Tell Him that you love Him, because despite it all, no matter how old you are, in your heart you're just a little kid, and you really do love Him, and you really do want to be good.

Ask the question. Peace is yours for the asking: Yes. Yes. Yes.