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September 22, 2008

Reading for today:  Proverbs 3:27-34; Gospel, Luke 8:16-18

Dear Friends in Christ,

For those of you receiving this letter of Catholic Fellowship for the first time, we all welcome you.  This is a letter intended to bring Catholic Fellowship to all.  Just remember as we struggle in times of hardship to remember that you have a fellow Catholic that is praying for you with much love.  We grow in numbers each day, close to 40.  Thank you again to all who mail me emails to add to this list.  As Christians are strength lies in united prayer.  Matt. 18:19-20

We need volunteers that can give Debbie from Alabama a hand.  She has volunteered to translate for at least one day the letter into Spanish.  She might do more then one.  But if we can get some one else our Mission can boldly go into Mexico.

Last Friday we left off talking about Listening to God.  I am by  far no expert on the topic so I thought I would share some Scripture that I Borrowed from a book Titled The Charism of Intercession, Hearing God’s Voice,  by Intercessors of the Lamb.  It is a very deep formation program given over 24 week and is centered on the four pillars of contemplative spirituality:  silence, prayer, solitude, and penance.  Each pillar will build on a Trinitarian foundation with the first level founded in the father, the second level founded in the son, and the third level founded in the spirit.  My goal is to just hit the highlights to give you an idea what it is all about.  I like books which are embedded or tied to scripture.  This is one of those books.  Scripture is our guide.  The book talks about prayer as a journey through yourself, a journey that eventually leads to God and  a closeness with Jesus and the Lord. Our guide is Mother Nadine and she stresses that we “seek the mystery of God who created us and lives with in us.” She goes on to add when we seek communication with the Lord on a regular basis, little miracles of love burst all around us.”  I am going to have to agree with that.  Good things have been happening in my life ever since I started praying on a daily basis and not waiting to Sunday.  This communication will eventually lead to a relationship where you will call God friend.  Mother Nadine says as this relationship grows we find that the Lord will follow us and be there for us in our low moments and our high moments.  As we open our selves to Him, in total surrender we let him grow within us.

Mother Nadine recommends that we seek the Lord in a quiet place, she adds, “Each day , there must be a quiet time and a Quiet Place to which we can bring a Quiet Heart in an encounter with our Friend who says, “Be still and  Know that I am God.” Ps 46:10

Entering into Prayer:

1. Find a suitable place to pray-free from distractions.
2. Realizing that the harmony of body and spirit is  important, take a peaceful , relaxed position.
3. Spend a few moments quieting yourself-come into the presence of the Lord, Believe he is with you.
4. Ask for the grace you most desire.
5. Read the scripture passages slowly
6. Pause where you feel drawn
7. Respond with your heart to it.

Recommended scripture:  PS 46:10; Rv 12:14; Hos 2:16; Mk 9:7  Let the scripture be your guide.

We are one body.  One body in Christ and you do not stand alone.

(great song with a lot of meaning.)

 Is Your Faith Like The Tree?

Some Thoughts For Reflection

or

Add Your Thoughts

(See the Picture in The Gallery)

As I look out my window and walk through my Town Home Complex, I see ONE tiny Maple tree all deck out in vibrant red leaves glowing in the morning’s sun?

This one tree has changed its leaves several weeks before the others. It sits alone in its radiant beauty. It is eye-catching and it is glowing. The following questions come to mind in terms of our faith.

• Are we being called by God to grow in our faith so that we too may shine in His Son and be a symbol of beauty to others?
• Do we quietly change yet give some visible sign to others that we are a faith filled person who dares to be different?
• Do we glow in some way as we radiate the love of Our Lord in our lives?
• Is our faith a vibrant part of our daily lives or do we just attend Mass on Sunday and call ourselves Catholic because we fulfilled our obligation?

As difficult as it is, we as Christians and especially as Catholics, are called to grow in our faith, change daily as we grow closer to God and follow Jesus, radiate the love of Our Lord in our day to day lives, and be vibrant in our faith.

Are we like this tiny little Maple as it appears today or are we more like the trees of winter that appear dead, dormant and blend in with landscape?

Contributed by Carol S. (Serenity)

Catholic America Today Just accepted a new writer from the Midwest, extend a welcome to Carol, she hails from Minn.  I will introduce her more formerly next week.  Remember I try to be online to talk to you all at catholicamericatoday.net  at 7:00pm Pacific Standard time…

 registration is free at Catholic America Today until October.  Seeing is believing….

Pray for the following brothers and sisters,  (if you want your name used, just let us know)

For St. Thomas Aquinas in Las Vegas that they may find their funding,

For a sister in New Mexico who has a son in Iraq,

For two priests in Illinois that have lost their way,

For the sister in Illinois that she may graduate,

For the brother who is lonely in California,

For the sister who has a daughter in Illinois and wants her to be safe,

For the brother who prays that all his problems may be resolved,

For a woman who has children in Indiana and a beautiful son Nick, we pray for her, that she have strength and that she find peace and comfort soon,

For my friend Danny that he may find a kidney doner and make a complete recovery.

For the soul of my father and that my sister and mother may be at peace,

For My Uncle who passed away on Wednesday and my family,

For a sister in Rancho Palos Verdes California who is baring a huge financial burden to help her mother,

For a brother who is suffering depression that he may seek relief in the Lord,

For those suffering in Texas and all the gulf states that they may find peace and protection from the elements,

For all Americans that are hurting financially, may they find comfort in our prayers,

For a girl, Paloma, in Mexico who suffers greatly, please heal her Lord.

For My Auntie Wilma and her family, may their sorrow be wiped away,

For Kathy M, one of our writers, who is laid up and can not work, we pray for her recovery,

 We ask all our brothers and sisters through out America, this great country of ours to pray for us,

September 18, 2008

Todays Reading:  1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Gospel: Luke7:36-50

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

For those of you receiving this letter of Catholic Fellowship for the first time, we all welcome you.  This is a letter intended to bring Catholic Fellowship to all.  Just remember as we struggle in times of hardship to remember that you have a fellow Catholic that is praying for you with much love.  We grow in numbers each day.  Thank you again to all who mail me emails to add to this list.  As Christians are strength lies in united prayer.  Matt. 18:19-20

I know we must be united against those who fail to follow Jesus and not defend human life.  I went to see Senator Obama at Cashman field, here in Las Vegas to report on him for Catholic America Today.  My goal was to be unbiased and to just report what Mr. Obama had to say.  I feel I did that and my report is online now at catholicamericatoday.net under politics and news.  Please let me know if you feel I was biased in that report.  I honestly enjoyed myself yesterday even though I did not agree with anything he said.  The crowd was very friendly.  If I had to describe my mood, I would have to say I was filled with pride to see so many Americans, young and old coming out to participate in a political event.  I was proud to be and American and I felt very patriotic, to think that our country has turned over power peace fully for over 150 years.  Not many countries can boast that.  The only mark we have on our record being the election of Lincoln and the onset of the Civil War.  I interviewed and listened to 15 people of all ages and sexes and am in the process of putting together a montage of all the voices.  Let us just say when I go to hear Palin speak the republicans better be more informed.  The Dems need some help.  I only spoke to two people that could actually form a sentence in English.  Ok, enough Dem bashing and on to the fellowship.

Jesus wants us to be brothers whether or not we are Democrats or Republican.  I make all my remarks here in this letter as light hearted jabs and I hope no one takes offense.  My friends the Democrats opened their arms to me yesterday and embraced me as a brother.  Let us all do the same.  As a country we need to come together and pray.  This letter already crosses the country from Maine to California all the way to Hawaii.  Lets keep it going.

I cannot stress the importance of saying the rosary.  Recently the Pope visited France and the place where Saint Bernadette saw the apparition of Mary at Lourdes.  We must remember that this prayer is not worshiping Mary but as the Pope stated, it brings us closer to Jesus.  In this prayer we come closer to Jesus by imitating Christ and honoring his mother like he did.  In the mediation we meditate on the many details of Christ.  I believe if we pray the rosary it keeps us away from major sin.  Already my life has improved in this respect and I can not tell you how the pain of my father’s recent death and that of my Uncles death yesterday have been lifted from my shoulders.  The key hear is prayer.  The rosary gets us to pray to Jesus and reminds us we are not alone.

I am on my second cup of coffee so I am really going now.  In times of need people need our help.  Michele and I plan a trip to Catholic Charities soon to see what we can do.  I recently read numerous articles on Pope Pius XII for his heroic deeds during WWII.  He is credited by the state of Israel for saving over 860,000 lives during the Holocaust. He used Catholic Churches, convents all over Europe, and his own home, the Vatican, to save and hide thousands of Jews.  I know this is different times but times are hard.   I look to history for inspiration in my own life just as I look to the saints. By the way Pius XXII is up for beatification for his heroic deeds.  Let us pray that it comes about. I did not need to go listen to Barrak Obama to learn that times are hard.  In these times let us seek out a brother and sister who needs help and offer them solace or even a prayer and a shoulder to lean on.  We all need someone to listen too.  Sometimes it just takes a minute. Others need more of our time.  That is what coffee is for and diet Coke.  Take the time out of your busy day and just listen to your fellow brother in Christ who is in pain.  Remember the ad campaign that most of us grew up with, “Reach out and touch someone.”  The technology of the internet makes this even more possible.  Let us remember the words of Christ, Acts 20:35 “there is more happiness in giving than receiving.”  Which brings me to the point of how blessed I am to call you all my friends and I look forward to talking to you every night at 7:00pm pacific standard time on catholicamericatoday.net.  I have fun and love discussing life.  Feel free to register for free and come online and join us.  It is free till October.

We are one body.  One body in Christ and you do not stand alone.

(great song with a lot of meaning.)

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Again we extend our welcome to all who are new.  We are over 30 people.  We grow daily.  Keep the letters and prayer intentions coming.  Thanks for the support.  Refer your friends.  We are still looking for interested volunteer writers from the South East, Mid West, South West and North West.

Now, since I talk to you all the time here is a word from Michele  our Secretary.

“Good readers make good writers. Good writers make good thinkers”

I saw this saying, and immediately thought of Paul. When I met him, May of 2008, he gave me a proposition. Paul asked me to be partners with him as a writer, not only in writing for Catholic America Today, but on a few sci-fi books, he was working on at the time. Paul said he liked my poetry writings, and thought I would be good in contributing for his envision of Catholic America Today. I could not believe my hobby, past time passion for writing, would cross paths with Paul and just explode. (Moreover, eventually get paid for it).

Paul envisioned Catholic America Today back in May, and approached Bob as his financial advisor. Put these two brains together, with their talents, and with the help from a web developer, Catholic America Today was born!  WALLA! As the secretary for this website, it is an honor. I am at an age now that my daughter is growing her wings, and my parents are in a nursing home preparing for the final chapters of their life, and I realize I do not have to run home anymore at 3:00 to be there for when my daughter gets off the bus. As well as being a caretaker and rushing to the ER at 2am because dad fell out of bed (again) or mom is having breathing problems. I do not have to RUSH as much now. My life has changed. I now can just focus on myself. With writing, I look forward to every morning I awake. Dad once told me”Life goes in cycles.” I guess he is right.

My mother held my hand before I left New Hampshire to Las Vegas to do Paul’s proposition. She looked me in the eye and said, “Michele. Take care of yourself now.” My father said, “All that you have done, will come back to you…thank you for taking care of your mother and I, we could of never have gone on without you…May God be with you and keep you safe..” Though it was unnecessary for them to tell me this, they gave me that push I needed to actually leave, as I did have my financial fears. Now, when I get nervous with financial matters, Bob reassures me. He says, “Shelly, God always provides what we need. Don’t worry.” I call Bob my big brother (BB) as that is what he is to me. Bob and Paul are using their time, energy, and minds to make the impossible, possible.

Brothers & Sisters there is a book called, “Make the Impossible, Possible“, by Bill Strickland. What a wonderful book! Even more so, what a wonderful man, Bill Strickland, is to take the time and effort to write such a book! There are so many men and women that walk among us on God’s planet, which inspire us, are great examples to us…from writers, missionaries in some capacity, workers, and so forth… True brothers and sisters who share their God given talents with others, whatever they may be…I think a true Christian, seeks out those works/deeds, or the holy spirit speaks to various people to carry on a particular work, deed, or mission, that are good, pure, and help others…regardless of what “faith” they may be labeled, or represent. If those works/deeds be honest, true, and in the spirit of Christ, that draw them closer to Him, make extraordinary people.

In closing, I mentioned that there are extraordinary people walking among us. Paul and Bob are two special men. I pray that you will have the privilege, as I did to get to know them. You will be happy you did. The personal trials that Paul and Bob have suffered and endured I have seen with my very eyes, in launching this website have been put  and pushed to the ultimate test. Yet, we believe, this website is needed. May it touch your heart and enrich your life, in some small way, and may all good things come to you. Prayers are always needed, and welcomed J

God Bless,

Michele

Pray for the following brothers and sisters,

For St. Thomas Aquinas in Las Vegas that they may find their funding,  

For a sister in New Mexico who has a son in Iraq,

For two priests in Illinois that have lost their way,

For a sister in Illinois whose boy friend is away and hopefully safe,

For that same sister that she may graduate,

For the brother who is lonely in California,

For the sister who has a daughter in Illinois and wants her to be safe,

For the brother who prays that all his problems may be resolved,

For a woman who has children in Indiana and a beautiful son Nick, we pray for her, that she have strength and that she find peace and comfort soon,

For my friend Danny that he may find a kidney doner and make a complete recovery.

For the soul of my father and that my sister and mother may be at peace,

For My Uncle who passed away on Wednesday and my family,

For a sister in Rancho Palos Verdes California who is baring a huge financial burden to help her mother,

For a brother who is suffering depression that he may seek relief in the Lord,

For those suffering in Texas and all the gulf states that they may find peace and protection from the elements,

For all Americans that are hurting financially, may they find comfort in our prayers,

 We ask all our brothers and sisters through out America, this great country of ours to pray for us,

September 16, 2008

Dear Friends In Christ,

Another day is here and we reach new people every day.  We are at 30 people as of today.  At this rate of 15 people a week we will be around 195 people by December 25, that is over a hundred more past our goal.  For those that just joined us, welcome, I have started a letter campaign to reach Catholics all over the country.  The goal is spreading Catholic Fellowship and offering people a place to be with Jesus.  Often times our lives get filled with the daily routine that we forget to bring Jesus into our lives.  My hope is that when you read this letter you think of Jesus and what he brings into your life.  The letter changes from day to day.  I write about what ever seems to be the Holy Spirits will.  It usually does not take long for each day I sit at this key board and the topic is already at my finger tips.

The other day I came upon an article about Nancy Pelosi, The speaker of the House.  Don’t worry, I am not getting political.  Believe me, she is the last lady that I want to talk about.  It is a sad statement that my brothers and sisters can be so divided by political lines that we often forget to ask for Jesus.  Here is the article I was reading. http://www.catholic-sf.org/FPArticle14b.htm  The article basically says that the Archbishop has not made a decision on denying communion to Ms. Pelosi.  I then wrote a statement yesterday on a Catholic site that stated the following:

 I look at it this way, right now she is receiving the body of Christ and she is a terrible speaker. Can you imagine what she would be like without the Body of Christ? Please, Archbishop I pray that she holds on to communion for the rest of us that must put up with her. 

Of course I was only kidding around.  Most of that statement is true though.  I truly feel that Jesus keeps her in check and that she would be better off then she would with out.  I was torn a new butt by the following which brings me to what I want to say today.

I’m sorry, Paul, I don’t understand why you are praying that Speaker Pelosi contine to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist.  When one is in a state of grave sin, receiving the Eucharist is a defilement of the Eucharist.  Why would you pray that that continue?  How does that benefit the community of believers? 

Everyone has there opinion, but this person immediately rushed to judgment that Pelosi is guilty of a grievous sin.  Ok, she made a mistake.  A sin is only a sin if you consciously do something.  I am giving Ms. Pelosi the benefit of the doubt which we should do as Catholics.  Catholic Fellowship is based on listening to your fellow brother and sister, and listening with an open heart before you shut the dang door in their face.  I do not care who the person is or what they stand for, Jesus would have listened and then he would have prayed.  I pray that the Archbishop makes the right decision.  It is his to make, not the public.  If she did wrong then He alone will make that decision after some serious talks with Jesus.  Who are we to rush to judgment?  What happened to , “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.  Psalms 95: 7-11 

As Catholics we owe it to our fellow Catholics to not to rush to judgment.  Jesus never did.  He hung around the sinners.  He ate with the tax collectors.  He felt they were the ones that needed his help the most.  We as Catholics should feel the same way.  We should still stand up for what we believe in, politically but do it with compassion and understanding.  Things are not always black and white.   Thanks for listening.

Spreading The News

As the summer wanes and fall takes over we must remind ourselves constantly that the days are becoming shorter.  Our mood sometimes goes with the season.  As it gets darker so does our personality.  Let’s spread the good news even more during this time.  My parish is having a fall festival.  I intend on being there making new friends. If we can not become missionaries in our own church how do we expect to go out into the world as examples in Christ?  Go to your church, make some new friends.  Fellow ship starts among our own.  Another idea with the holidays coming up, if you have students from colleges near by, invite a student over for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Updates:

Catholic America Today had some great people sign up to look at its many features.  Please feel free to do this while it is free.  We need the feed back and the help.  Catholicamericatoday.com  This will remain free till Oct. 1, God willing.  Pray for the message.

Here is a comment that I thank the Lord for.  It is good to know that people take the letters seriously.  How did the letter start?  It started with my father.  My cousins in Hawaii made the point, and my sister in California said that they would miss my father’s jokes.  He used to send jokes through email.  I have replaced his jokes with Catholic fellowship.

  Here is a letter from a dear friend in Illinois:

Dear Paul,

Thanks for the email. I have not had the chance to thank you personally for your daily message. It is very uplifting in my life so full of chaos. I try to remember that among the weeds there is a rose, you can only bloom when you are planted. So much has gone on in my life, so many new things I don’t know how to juggle. I take one day at a time, one hour and sometimes one minute at a time. This keeps me going!

Write me.  I would love to hear from all of you.  I hope all of you had a good day at work.  God Bless.

Vern Paul

Pray for the following brothers and sisters,

For St. Thomas Aquinas in Las Vegas that they may find their funding,

For a sister in New Mexico who has a son in Iraq,

For two priests in Illinois that have lost their way,

For a sister in Illinois whose boy friend is away and hopefully safe,

For that same sister that she may graduate,

For the brother who is lonely in California,

For the sister who has a daughter in Illinois and wants her to be safe,

For the brother who prays that all his problems may be resolved,

We ask all our brothers and sisters through out America, this great country of ours to pray for us.

Catholic Fellowship Revolution

The internet is changing how religion is reaching America.  With almost 70 million Catholics in the United States the internet is the ideal way to reach them.  It is estimated that 75% of Americans own a computer.  It just makes sense that the word and Holy spirit now travels along the internet highway.  Catholic America Today is trying to spread Jesus in this same manner.

The owners of Catholic America Today, Bob and Vern see this magazine format as the “Catholic Myspace”.  Vern was on the internet chatting to friends on a Catholic Dating site when it occurred to him how much fun it was to talk to other Catholics. He then got together with his partner to design a site that had a little bit of everything for all Catholics.  Although people can use Catholic America Today to meet other Catholics in a romantic way, the site is mainly for socializing with other Catholics.

Catholic America Today is truly a remarkable way to communicate with other Catholics.  It offers Catholic News, educational topics and an online community.  By combining a community suite with News from all over the country people can chat with friends in clean environment and make new friends on line.  The experience is a dream come true for the owners that wanted to make it easier to spread the Good News of Jesus and communicate with fellow Catholic adults from all over the country.

“Part of the mission of Catholic America Today is to give Catholics from all over the country a place to discuss Catholic issues in a clean environment.”, stated Vern.  He then added, “Today America, Tomorrow the World.”  Catholic America Today can be found at catholicamericatoday.net.  Right now you can register and get on for free for two weeks.

It Is A Mortal Sin To Miss Mass.

Dear Friends in Christ,

I was just re-reading some of the things that I wrote over our first week together.  I had written a piece on the importance of going to mass.  As most of you know, if you miss mass it is a mortal sin.  That is how important to go to mass.  If the Church thought it that important, and Christ thought it that important then it is important to attend.  We get so much strength from mass and we expose our selves to such temptations if we do not.  I thought it would be beneficial if I posted an article by Karl Keating, President of Catholic Answers, http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0311fr.asp, he writes in this article that it is a mortal sin, but if you forget and it was a mistake, or you are a shut in and can not attend these are acceptable.  Like all sins if you make an honest mistake or you truly tried to attend it would not be a mortal sin.  Please read for further clarification.

I will go on the record to say that the problems I had with my marriages stem from not attending mass.  All the problems I have had can be traced back to not being close to God.  I shoved him away and in turn let the dark side creep into my life. The Mass gives us the strength to fight the temptations.  It does not do it alone but it definitely is necessary.  I remember during my first marriage I put God aside and temptation came into my life.  I put my feelings and my self a head of God.  It is something that I am still ashamed of.  I let a friend of mine lead me down the road of sin.  I committed adultery and that lead to the break up of a marriage.  I rationalized this behavior by saying I was unhappy.  I put my feelings before my wife and God.  Most importantly I acted out of immaturity.  I told God that my promise to him was no good.  I broke my vow for some instant pleasure.  I broke my vow just because “I” did not want to make it work.  That is wrong.  In today’s culture, you read many articles on the “I” culture or “the me” first generation.  In this culture it is all how you feel at the moment.  It never asks the hard hitting questions, like who you hurt besides yourself.  I let down my family and I let down the Catholic Faith.  Now that I attend mass and have tried to get closer to God I can see that it was wrong.  If you were to ask me back then though, I told people she was a bad wife and that it was all her fault.  The truth is completely opposite.  It was me.  I was unhappy so I blamed her.  The truth is simple, I was wrong.  End of story.  It is hard to talk about it. 

The other day I was looking through my fathers old computer and found a recent picture of my family with my ex wife.  My family never left her.  I did but they continue to see her long after I abandoned her.  Am I mad at my family, no, of course not.  I am proud of them.  I am even more proud to be a member of my family.

Temptation is around us all the time.  It feeds on sin.  It is real.  It is dark and has no boundaries.  It comes after us when we let our guard down.  You need other people to help you when the devil comes to you and demons enter your life.  It took years of mistakes and false hopes for me to recover.  I truly let the demons in after that first sin.  My life was not right until one day I woke up without a Job and said hey, I have to correct the situation.  I let prayer back into my life.  I let Jesus back in. The dark became light and I began to see hope.  My life became more meaningful.  Even with the passing of my father, because I go to mass and pray everyday I see things differently.  The dark demons of my past have retreated.  They are still there, watching me and waiting for me to slip, but now I have my church and friends to help me out.  I am not alone.  I do not see the fight against evil as me fighting, rather I see one billion Catholics fighting with me. 

Thank you Lord.

Dear Friends,

But I have prayed for you that your faith may never fail.  You in turn must strengthen your brothers. Lk. 22;32

When you are down and out and lonely and jobless, the main thing one needs to do is to go to mass and receive the Eucharist.  This is the gift of the mass that I have talked about in the past.  It is life sustaining and gives us hope when there is none.  Once you have partaken in the Lord, then seek out fellow church members.  Be a family.

The other day I was talking in the Catholic Mingle chat room with a man named Thor.   This man was determined to lash out at Catholics.  His sole purpose was to go in and cause grief.  I recognized the pain in his talk.  I knew he was not Catholic by the way he criticized Mary.  The man was calling out for help by bashing Catholics.  That of course would not be my way of gaining attention, but it seemed to work for him. Let’s do this in a positive way at church. My point is people like this are in our church and need our attention.  The problem is finding them. How do we find them?  We engage in conversation with our fellow Catholics.  Catholics need to go to Church and not be so anxious to get to the car.  Talk to people after church. Laugh and have a good time.  Just start off by talking to people you know and you will notice that conversation is infectious.  After mass make it a point to stay 5 minutes to engage in stimulating conversation.  If you are having a good time then others will stay too. 

One way to make this fun is to stress to the church that food will make people stay.  They usually sell donuts or coffee after mass.  Good for fund raising but most people eat their donuts right there for they do not want to mess up their cars.  A church in West Covina built a snack bar.  They went to the extreme.  But talk about build it and they will come!  They always have large crowds staying after mass to talk.  Guess what, if you stay after mass you will not have to fight the parking lot.  By the time you leave the majority of the people will be gone.  Brothers and Sisters community starts with us just talking after mass.  If we fail to do this then we cease to be a community.

Still another way to do this would be with in your own group.  If you belong to the choir, then just stay a little to chat with choir members.  Once you do this then others may join in.  Again talk is infectious.  Everyone wants to do it, sometimes people forget how fun it is to do it.

Here is what I am going to do.  I am going to get some coffee and I am going to give away cups of coffee.  Just so I can stand and talk to people.  I am then going to stand and hand out a fellowship button. It will be my own button campaign.  I will do this in three weeks.

Our Protestant brothers do the following:

1. I went to a presbyterian  church to see how they do it.  At the doors of this fairly large church they had four greeters greeting all the people as they entered.  They made you feel very welcome.  Guess what! Presbyterians do not leave right away after church.  They have a cup of coffee and a donut and chat a while.
2. I also went to a small Lutheran church.  They too have the greeters.  They too stayed after the service to chat. 
3. I would love to hear if your church is different or if you found Protestant churches to be friendlier.  Please email me your experiences so that I can share them with our brothers and sisters.

How can forget that the little things count?  People leave the church for the simplest things.  Have we become so large that we forget that common courtesy counts?  It is up to us as Catholics to make each church unique.  The pastor of your church can not do it all.  He needs your help.  The little things count.  

My brothers and sisters, this is a mission.  We are on a mission to reach as many Catholics as we can with this message. Help us out buy a button and pass the word at your own church.  Once I have done it I will be willing to pass on my buttons. Luke 22:32 can be a start.

If you have not registered to get a free look at Catholic America Today, the Flagship of our Mission, go ahead and register.  Right now it is Free until we go online.  You have full access to everything.  Go to catholicamericatoday.net

God Bless

Vern Paul

September 10, 2008

Dear Fellow Catholics:

For those of you receiving the letter for the first time, God Bless you.  Peace be with you and welcome.  Join our brothers and sisters in Catholic Fellowship.  Join us in prayer.  If you know any other Catholics that can benefit from this message, please let us know and send us the email.  We are on a mission to reach out to America.  Join our cause and be one in Christ as we seek out the lonely and the for gotten.  Everyone needs to feel loved.  Today our topic is loneliness.  Join us and thank you for not marking us as spam.
Have you ever been lonely?  Have you ever gone to church and been so new but were afraid to seek out new friends at Church?  It is hard moving to new churches and settling in a new church where you do not know a single soul.  God sees all Catholics as one family.  We need to treat our fellow Catholics as family. Some churches are better at greeting new people then others.  I was once at a Catholic church that had over 5000 families attending.  In a church like that you pretty much had to go out and get involved on your own. But what if you are the kind of person that is not into meeting and greeting people, where is the family for that person?  What if you are a person who is alone in the world and have no one but the church?  There are a lot of people on the earth like this.  Jesus knew this for he said, I give you a new commandment, love one another.  Such as my love has been for you, So must your love has been for you, So must your love be for each other.  This is how all will know you for my disciples:  by your love for one another. Jn. 13:34-35

Every one has been lonely at one time in their lives. How do we as Catholics reach the lonely people in our parish?  I need all of you to think of a time when they went to a new church and were lonely.  I need you to think of this experience and write about it and send it to all the people listed in the email.  Tell us how lonely you were and if anybody in the church helped you or what you did to resolve the problem.  I am especially interested in stories where someone came forward from the church to welcome you.  You might now be asking yourself why did I give Vern Paul my email address.  What have I got myself in to?  You are embarked on a mission to embrace your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  The Holy Spirit is upon us.  I am a missionary trying to reach as many Catholics as I can.

Here is an example; I came to Las Vegas looking for a parish near my home.  I was down and out for I had not gone to church in awhile.  I drove to a small parish in Las Vegas on the Eastern side of the town looking to join.  The Parish is called Prince of Peace.  I walked into the office and started talking to the receptionist.  As I was talking this man came out to greet me.  He was dressed in a white shirt and pants and was in 50’s.  He told me to sit down and asked me what I was doing.  I told him I was here to register.  After welcoming me for about 30 minutes he then told me to come back to his office.  I still had no idea who he was.  I finally realized that this was the pastor of the parish when he took me to the biggest office in the parish office.  We talked for an hour about general things.  I gave him a lot of praise for taking the time to talk to “the new guy.”  He really did impress me for doing that.  I never in my long history of attending different parishes have had the pastor come out and greet me.  Perhaps in small Protestant churches this is not something new. 

Consider this to be a think tank.  I would love to hear your stories, some of them I would like permission to print in Catholic America Today.  I would also love to hear your views on how to increase Catholic fellowship at the church level.  Consider it homework.  Please take the time to think about it.

God Bless You all,

Vern Paul

Pray for the following

One sister has a new private detective business  she prays for its success

One sister has a son with a new job and prays for success

One sister has taken too many classes we pray for her success

One brother has many health issues and we pray for his success

One brother asks for the prayer for his father’s soul

One brother asks for all to pray for his mother who just lost her husband of 46 something years

The rosary is said everyday and the intentions are mentioned at that time.

Any other prayer requests send to us at the above email

Also please feel free to register for Catholic America Today for a free look…catholicamericatoday.net

For those of you from Catholic Mingle, you can now say the rosary at Catholic America today by registering and then entering and going to the live chat area in the upper right hand corner of the page.  If you have problems just get a hold of me and I will tell you

Defend Our Faith Through Scripture

Learning apologetics can help you with your faith.  What is apologetics?  Apologetics is defined by the Catholic encyclopedia as:  A theological science which has for its purpose the explanation and defense of the Christian religion.  (ttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01618a.htm)  By learning apologetics one learns scripture to defend the Catholic faith.  This is something that many Catholics have taken little interest in learning.  It is one of the pillars of Truth to the protestant faithful, but because scripture is not a sole pillar of our faith it is often ignored. We differ with our Protestant brothers in this area,   according to our faith, 1 Timothy 3:15, the pillar of truth is the church.  Just knowing this fact will help you in discussions with Protestants.

This becomes of great importance since protestant churches are targeting what they call either dissatisfied Catholics or Fallen away Catholics.  The Protestants would send missionaries into areas where the Catholics are losing ground.  One such area is Mexico,   the reason being the lack of new priest and the large amounts of Catholics.  In these areas the people are poor and have not received adequate instruction about their faith.

A battle ground though does not have to be in the poor areas of Mexico.  In cities such as Las Vegas, Catholics are constantly being barraged by the Protestants and the Mormons.  Catholics are being attacked in all the major cities of the world.  Every Catholic should be familiar with scripture and have the ability to defend the faith.  If you want to learn about Apologetics and how it works go to this web site, http://www.catholic.com/library/What_Your_Authority.asp.  It’s is called Catholic Answers and arms any Catholic who wants to stand up to any Evangelical attack.    Catholic Answers will prepare you by giving you an analysis of their arguments and allow you to become familiar with the scripture that they will use.  A good example would be the term Sola  Scriptura:  Which means scripture alone will be the basis of salvation.  The scripture that the Protestants use is 2 Timothy 3:16: (All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous- ness)

The scripture does not say that scripture is sufficient but states that scripture is profitable.  This is an example of what apologetics can teach you.  Many Catholics need to open their minds to scripture so that they themselves can be witnesses to scripture, and as enthusiastic about scripture as the next Evangelical Christian.

One other place a Catholic can go to load up on apologetics material,  is the local Catholic book store.  Two good authors to read would be Dr. Scott Hahn, who himself converted to Catholicism and author, Karl Keating, who is the President and founder of Catholic Answers.

Alternative to “living in sin” http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/chastity.htm

In the beginning of my relationship I believed that I was making a right decision.

People now days have a choice to live in sin or not to.  Making a choice to live as roommates and not lovers.  This is a hard thing to do in a world where sex fills our screens. In a world where the media plasters sexuality in what we read and see in ads, the statement that I no longer want to sleep in your bed can be the kiss of death.   Many people would say in response, “Don’t you love your girl friend?  How can you live like that?”  People now days think nothing of  “Living in sin”.  What does that say about society as a whole?  Better yet, what does that say about love?  Has love been reduced to a romp in bed?

After praying the rosary my love and I made the decision to live in separate beds but to continue to live under the same roof.  We have decided to give up sex to enhance our love not diminish it.   I say to do this is the ultimate expression of ones love. It is an expression of deep love for a person. Scripture should define love, not passion. The Bible says God is love.  Based on that definition the pursuit of love should be two people trying to get closer to God.  The way I see it, Romans 5:8 God gives us the ultimate symbol of his love, he sacrifices his only son for our sins.

“It is precisely in this that God proves his love for us:  that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

If God can do that for me, I certainly as a Catholic can sacrifice sex for him.  From Corinthians:  Love is patient…. I can be patient as the next guy.  God promises us great things if we only be like him.  For once in my life I want those gifts that God promises.  I want the ever lasting Love that God talks about, the Agape love.

Agape love requires a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, since the non-regenerated soul is unable to love unconditionally. Agape love gives and sacrifices expecting nothing back in return.^{8  http://www.godandscience.org/love/biblicallove.html}

This agape love is what we seek as a couple to bring us closer to God and not farther apart.  My goal was always to start a relationship with God as a major part.  Here are some more biblical references that I found quite useful:

(Mt: 15:19, Mk 7:21, Acts 15:20, 29, 21:25, 1 Cor 6:13, 18, Gal 5:19, Eph 5:3, Col 3:5, 1 Thes 4:3, Rev 2:14, 20-21, 9:21 etc…) from  http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/chastity.htm

In the bible, fornication is sex while not in the confines of marriage.  Mt: 15:19 states the following,  “From the mind stem evil designs-murder, adulterous conduct, fornication, stealing, false witness, blasphemy.”   These are the things that make man impure.

Mk7:21   Wicked designs come from the deep  recesses of the heart:  acts of fornication, theft, murder, adulterous conduct greed, maliciousness, deceit, sensuality, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, an obtuse spirit.

I leave you with that my brothers and sisters.

God Bless.

We should be happy as Catholics because we have the body of Christ.  No other Church can say that. Many protestants are such good Bible thumpers.  They cling to the word as if it were their only salvation.  For them the words of Jesus mean so much.  I think this is great and I believe that Catholics should be more on top of scripture, but I believe with all my heart that the reason that our protestant brothers and sisters proclaim and cling to the word so much is because they do not see the other gift that Jesus left behind, which is the body and blood of Jesus Christ. As you know our protestant brothers and sisters do not believe in transubstantiation, the real presence of our Lord during this sacrament.  Rather they believe that the bread and wine are only symbols. Other Churches claim they have the word of Jesus Christ.  As a Catholic I am telling you we have more then just the word.

How do we know this as Catholics?  Our beliefs lie in the wording of the gospels.  In it Jesus says, “This is my body”.  He is so sure.  Like when he raised Lazarus from the dead and made thousands of loaves appear.  This is the miracle and all he has to say is, “This is my body.”  Though simple words they resonate the power of God.  If Jesus intended this to be only symbolic he would have used different words as he elaborates in John 6:52-68 where he tells a crowd of Jews he states, “Let me solemnly assure you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”  Bible scholars have dissected these words and have scoured them looking for kinks in the Lord’s teaching.  The question being is he being symbolic or figurative.   Dr. Scott Hahn, my favorite bible scholar and one who I quote often states that, “I realized that Jesus could not have been speaking figuratively when he taught us to eat his flesh and drink his blood.  The Jews in his audience would not have been outraged and scandalized by mere symbol….”

The real presence as a Catholic is our gift to share.  We should be proud that we are the light bearers of this gift and we should proudly go forth and share with the world.  Use the scripture to explain this to your protestant brethren.  They understand scripture.  Know the verses and show it to them.  Let them muddle it in their brains.  This is how We, as Catholics should Mission to the World.  Scripture should no longer just be a tool of the Protestant Missionaries.

God Bless

Vern Paul