The CatholiCity Message
Volume XII, Number 6 – July 2, 2008
"Everyone must imitate Christ. If we do not, then the purpose for which we were created is not fulfilled. We know that the way of Jesus was filled with thorns. Of course, the Lord Jesus does not expect us to walk exactly the same way He did. But He demands that we bear the cross of our daily duties and make sacrifices of our will. If, however, we find even these things difficult, let us go to the Immaculata and pray for help. She surely will not refuse us. This life demands sacrifices of us. As Saint Augustine says, 'Self-love to the point of contempt for God is a trait of the condemned. And, on the other hand, the trait of Christ's disciples is love for God to the point of contempt for self.'"
Saint Maximilian Kolbe (Good Friday, March 26, 1937)
Dear CatholiCity Citizen,
Rat a tat tat. Bingo bango bongo. Hubba hubba hubba. Hey hey hey. This message is Chock Full of Cool Stuff, including a joke, a group prayer, quotes, a first-ever Novena for most of you, a recommended conference and apostolate, and a note about something wonderful on our website. But first, a first: we shall begin with the joke...
1. LITTLE JOHNNY
Mrs. Smith looked over her hedge one day only to be taken aback by the sight of her next door neighbor's son, little Johnny, digging a hole in his back yard with a small garden spade.
"Why are you digging a hole, Johnny?" she asked him.
"It's not a hole, it's a grave," he explained, sniffling.
"Who died?" Mrs. Smith asked the crestfallen little lad.
"Ziggy. He was my goldfish. I'm burying him today."
Mrs. Smith was touched by the sadness in little Johnny's voice. She wasn't sure what to do, but after an awkward pause, she gave him a little smile and said, "Gee, that looks like a pretty big hole for one little goldfish."
Johnny looked up at her and rubbed his nose with his sleeve. "Yeah, well, it's gotta to be big enough to fit your stupid cat."
2. NAMES, ROCKS, DATES, NOVENAS, POPES, FATHERS
If you have little children, we know how distracting it can be during Mass, but this past Sunday was the feast of Ss. Peter and Paul and we all heard the famous "Papal" Gospel wherein Jesus promised to build the Church on Saint Peter. It's baseline Catholic stuff--the kind of passage that makes Protestants squirm. As you know, Jesus stumped the disciples except one by asking, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." You know we love quotations here, so let us quote our Savior directly as He responded to Saint Peter:
"Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Good stuff, that. We're keeping it short and sweet today, so when we point out that our current pope's namesake, Saint Benedict, is considered the Father of Western Civilization, you'll have to trust us (or read about him, Saint Joseph, and Pope Benedict XVI here:
http://www.catholicity.com/commentary/20050419.html
It just so happens that the Catholic Church commemorates Saint Benedict on July 11th, which is exactly nine days from when this CatholiCity Message was sent. If you would like to begin a 9-day novena to Saint Benedict, which we'll wager 99.99% of you have never done, today is the day. If you're reading this a day or two after July 2nd, remember that God is many things, but never a bureaucrat, so print out the prayer below, start late and pray nine times between now and the feast day. May we be bold enough to suggest that you offer your prayers for the spiritual and temporal needs of the Holy Father, and that you plan on attending Mass and offering Holy Communion when the novena ends next Friday, July 11th, for the intentions of Pope Benedict XVI...
3. GET YOUR INTENTION READY
...so join us now, tens of thousands of us together, in praying this prayer to Saint Benedict for the intentions of Pope Benedict XVI, and for your own intentions (remember, ask for miracles!). Ready...in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...
"Dear Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace, I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom. Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore. (Mention your intention.) Help me, oh great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen."
4. CATHOLIC HISTORY in AMERICA 1700-1900
No, we're not going to write about it here, but this year's Coming Home Network's "Deep in History 2008" Conference in Columbus, Ohio on the weekend of October 24-26 has the fascinating theme of the Catholic Church in America during those two pivotal centuries featuring a cast of amazing speakers. We've always loved and supported the Coming Home Network because it provides encouragement and support for a growing river of Protestant pastors and laymen who are somewhere along the journey or have already been received into the Catholic Church. When was the last time you went to a Catholic Conference? If you're interested in attending, you can find out more here:
http://www.deepinhistory.com/dihreg.htm
We warmly encourage you to support the Coming Home Network financially, too. Benefactors receive a wonderful monthly hardcopy newsletter, as well.
5. OUR MAN MCCLOSKEY
Did you know that CatholiCity is the official archive of all the articles written by Fr. John McCloskey? Here they are:
http://www.catholicity.com/mccloskey/
CATHOLIC QUOTATIONS
SAINT BENEDICT'S TWIN SISTER
Near the end of his visit with her, Saint Scholastica, the twin sister of Saint Benedict, implored him to stay but he insisted on returning to his monastery. Before he could leave, a great storm descended suddenly upon her residence and Benedict was thus compelled to stay the night. The next morning, she told him:
"I asked you and you would not listen, so I asked my God and He did listen."
BELIEVE AND UNDERSTANDING
"I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this I believe--that unless I believe, I should not understand."
Saint Anselm of Cantebury
TRUTH AND RESPONSIBILITY
"We can believe what we choose. We are answerable for what we choose to believe."
Venerable John Henry Newman
BELLOC GETS DOWN TO BRASS TACKS
"I am a Catholic. As far as possible I go to Mass every day. This is a Rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell these beads every day. If you reject me on account of my religion, I shall thank God that He has spared me the indignity of being your representative."
Hilaire Belloc
Finally: Happy Birthday, America!
Our hope is that you've learned something new, and that in our small way, we've encouraged your emotional, spiritual, and intellectual resolve to be a better Catholic man or woman. Your fidelity, in the mystery of the Body of Christ, is very important to Jesus. Stay close to Mary. Love Jesus. We remain yours...
Yours in Christ,
Your Friends at CatholiCity
