Volume 1, No. 1 • September 2104

By Stjohnpa @faith_explorer

ESSAYS and POSTS about "thankfulness," teenage modesty, the new fall Adult Faith Formation studies at St. John's, "The Giver", Archbishop Chaput, the West and Islam, and more!

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." - G.K. Chesterton

As I look back on my life, there are two instances that stand out in my mind as moments where I felt especially grateful. It's interesting that both occasions did not involve anything material.

Of course I am grateful for the diamonds and roses that Jeff has brought me, and for the gifts we have received from loving relatives and friends, but why these two occasions stand out in my mind is because I was in very great need and someone voluntarily offered to help.

You Know the Feeling...

Once was after the birth of our first child. Two friends came over and completely cleaned our mobile home from top to bottom, even dusting the drapes while I sat on the couch holding a baby.

I knew they were doing it completely out of love and selflessness, which made their gift so special. The warm feeling in my heart couldn't be expressed in words.

The other occasion was one in which the person who helped me probably has no idea how that moment made a difference to me.

It was just a simple offer to pick up a child from school and bring her home. I had several places I needed to be all at the same time that day and the task of juggling it all was overwhelming. Her cheerful offer brought tears to my eyes and she could not have imagined how deep was my thank-you.

We Were Made to Be Dependent

In order to be truly thankful, we need to acknowledge our inability to be self-sufficient.

We need to remind ourselves to have such gratitude toward God since our every breath is dependent on his mercy and loving kindness. That inexpressible, warm feeling of gratitude should overwhelm us everyday and especially during mass when the host is elevated and we enter into the mystery of the sacrifice made by the God of the Universe just for us.

To become truly thankful is to realize how needy we are. (

Recently a dear friend of mine suffered an accident and was in need of daily assistance. Church friends and neighbors rallied around her and made sure she was cared for. It was a great testament to the community and a blessing to watch because I could see how grateful and overwhelmed my friends was by the outpouring of help.

If you can think back to a time when you had that feeling of overwhelming gratitude, capture it in your heart and bring it to mass as an offering to Christ.

Now Over to You:

Do you remember a time when someone helped you out of the kindness of their hearts? How did you respond, and how has gratitude enriched your life?

Editor's note: The following essay is adapted from an address delivered August 6 at the Archdiocese of Toronto's "Faith in the Public Square" symposium. In the beginning, Genesis tells us, "the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep" (Gen 1:2). Creation begins in chaos. On each day of creation, God brings new things into being and orders them according to a plan. God makes things for a purpose. He creates the world out of love. As Aquinas teaches, God orders the universe as a whole, and that order reflects his glory. The world works better when it follows God's design. We see this in our own moral lives. God gives us the law and the beatitudes because they lead us to joy. Jesus shows us the plan God writes into human nature so that, by his help, we can flourish. Too often we think of rules as things that keep us from being happy. But rules, understood as God's order, are good for us because they show us how to live in a way that shares in his glory. They lead us to embody what God intended human beings to be and do. This is one of the things Scripture means when it says Jesus came "so that we would have life, and have it abundantly" (Jn 10:10). If creation has a moral order, then how should we think about our human laws? Since we're made in the image of God, human beings can order their actions and communities just as God orders his creation. The German political philosopher Eric Voegelin taught that the law is "the substance of order in all realms of being ... The law is something that is essentially inherent in society," but we give it practical force through the lawmaking process. Law binds us together. It reflects our society's order, but it also secures that order. It shows who we are as a people, but it also forms us as a people. So if we want to thrive, we need to ensure that the laws we make-what we call "positive laws"-ground themselves in a right understanding of what it means to be human. Some key points follow from this... click to read more.

During this year of preparation for the World Meeting of Families, we will reflect upon the key words of the WMOF theme: "Mission," "Love," and "Fully Alive."

"MISSION": In the Christian faith, the word "mission" goes much deeper than secular notions, which usually mean a task given to a special agent or the goals of an organization. For the Christian, the definition of mission comes from the person of Jesus Christ. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus constantly refers to himself as "the one whom the Father sent." In Latin, the root word for "sent" is missio, which is also the root word for mission. This means that someone who has a mission is someone who is sent, and in our case, sent by the Father in Christ!

How deep, then, is the mission of the Christian family! Through baptism and the sacrament of marriage, the family shares in Christ's own mission to save the world. This family mission has three aspects: mission to each other, mission in the Church, and mission to... click here to read more.

This Fall, our parish will offer four new opportunities to help you grow in faith. We invite you to join us and learn more about the God who loves you...and about living the life to which He calls you.

Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother is an extraordinary pilgrimage that reveals Mary's unique role in God's Kingdom and in our lives. In this 8-part study series you will learn how she works in our lives today, drawing us ever closer to her Divine Son. Monday mornings 10-11:30 AM. September 8th thru October 27th. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

Matthew: The King and His Kingdom is an exciting 24-week study that explores the life and mission of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel. Matthew demonstrates how the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled in Christ, who inaugurates the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Tuesday evenings, 7-9 PM. Begins September 16th. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

FIRST TUESDAY returns with Epic: The Early Church, a program that presents in exciting and dramatic detail the first 500 years of the Church through the lives and events of the saints, philosophers, theologians, martyrs, and ruthless emperors. Gain a greater understanding of the teachings and dogmas of the Catholic Faith-and meet those who gave their lives to define and defend them. Meets the First Tuesday of every month, October 7th to July 1st, 7-9 PM. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

A Biblical Walk Through the Mass. This five-part program takes participants on an exciting tour of the Liturgy as it explores the biblical roots of the words and gestures we experience at Mass and explains their profound significance. See, perhaps for the first time, why we say what we say and do what we do every week at Mass. The words and gestures will be seen in a new light, giving new life to your liturgical experience. Thursday evenings, November 20th thru December 18th, 7-9 PM

"Parents need to communicate the value of the human body, and how to treat it with respect, avoiding anything that could contribute to viewing it as merely an object of pleasure or curiosity."

The period between approximately seven and twelve years of age, when adolescence begins to dawn, is usually a peaceful time for both parents and children, especially if children have been raised well up to that point. They are now able to look after themselves, but still rely a lot on their parents and usually are very open with them about everything. They have a real desire to learn and to resolve questions. And if parents use the right words, they can These are the years in which to explain to children not only understand things very well. This relative tranquility should not serve as an excuse to grow lax in the task of education, thinking perhaps that everything will work out well by itself. On the contrary, this should be the period when children get a firm hold on the ideas and standards that will shape their future lives. Indeed, this is the moment to explain everything to them, even giving them explanations in advance of realities they will encounter later on. The peaceful years how to be modest, but also why. They will understand, for example, that clothing not only covers the body but protects the person; it signals how we want to show ourselves to others, and is a sign of the respect that we ask for and give to others... click to read more .

What a frightening prospect is the destiny of the backslider! Yet even for the worst of us sinners, God offers hope.

A foolish old farmer, so the story goes, concluded one day that the oats he had fed his mule for years were simply costing him too much. So he hatched a plan: He mixed a little sawdust in with the feed, and then a little more the next day, and even more the next, each time reducing the amount of oats in the mix.

The mule didn't seem to notice the gradual change, so the farmer thought things were fine and kept decreasing the proportion of oats. But weeks later, on the day he finally fed the poor beast nothing but sawdust, the mule finished the meal ... and fell over dead.

A silly tale, perhaps, but it serves as a parable of the backslider - the Christian who slips farther and farther away from God through unrepented sin... click here to read more.

There are good reasons why conjugal unions have been distinguished from all others since antiquity.

Why the State Cares about Marriage

I come at this as a matter of public policy and ask the question, why is the government in the marriage business in the first place? Why does government recognize marriage, why does marriage matter for the political community, how ought we to define marriage, and why does it matter?

I structure my remarks around three basic things: What is marriage, why does marriage matter, and what will the consequences be of redefining marriage?... click here to read more.

Pope, patriarchs and prelates are crying out for intervention. Where are the presidents and prime ministers?

I've known Maronite leader Monsignor Sharbel Maroun for many years, talked with him on radio in 2006 after Telelumiere was nearly destroyed in the Lebanon War that summer, and many times before and after then about the ongoing work of unity and mutual respect of Christians and Muslims in the Middle East. He just returned from Lebanon recently, we talked again this week, and he is despondent. What he said is captured well here. Catholics in the Middle East are being persecuted and slaughtered while the world watches and remains silent, said the leader of an Eastern rite Catholic community. "It is a very heartbreaking situation, affecting everybody but mainly Christians," said Msgr. Sharbel Maroun, pastor of St. Maron Maronite Parish in Minneapolis. "The Middle East is an erupting volcano, causing so many people to be wounded, displaced, injured and killed. There is a wave of persecution - I think it is a systematic persecution - that the church hasn't seen since the early ages."... "It is devastating that the international community is just watching, doing nothing," Msgr. Maroun said. Several weeks ago, Christians were told to get out or be killed, and the international community said nothing and did nothing. "I am talking about the international community in general, including the super powers," he said. "By not doing anything, you are as guilty as those who are killing Christians. This is plain English." Msgr. Maroun said it is similar to the silence of the world when Jews were persecuted, rounded up and murdered wholesale in Nazi Germany... click to read more.

Lois Lowry's story suggests, quite rightly, that suppression of the good news of the Incarnation is in fact what conduces to dysfunctional and dangerous totalitarianism

Lois Lowry's 1993 novel , which was produced by Jeff Bridges and which stars Bridges and Meryl Streep. Having never even heard of the novel, I came at the film with no expectations, and I confess I was quite surprised both by the power of its societal critique and by its implicit Christian themes... The Giver has garnered a very wide audience over the past two decades, since it has become a standard text in middle schools and high schools across the English-speaking world. With the enormous success of the Harry Potter,Twilight, and Hunger Games films, Hollywood has been busy adapting books written for the young adult audience. The most recent example is the movie version of The Giverclick to read more .

Please find below some important information and upcoming events that can help you prepare for the World Meeting of Families.

Prepare for the World Meeting of Families!
 September 2014-September 2015 is a year of preparation for the great grace of the World Meeting of Families. Stay tuned to this webpage for updates on local marriage and family events that can help you and your family prepare: http://www.phillyevang.org/wmof/

"Family Fully Alive" National Student Contest
The Diocese of Kalamazoo, MI in collaboration with the Knights of Columbus, invite students grades 4th12th to submit original art, prose, poetry, musical compositions and videos; all reflecting the theme "The Family Fully Alive".

The work should display their God-given gifts and convey how we are called to live out our mission to love and to honor our little Domestic church (our family). *We will accept works from students in Catholic schools, public schools and home schools (who attend faith-formation catechetical classes).*

For complete contest rules visit the website. Flyer attached here. kalamazoofamilyfullyalive.pdf

Sunday, September 7, 2014 - 6:30pm Join Archbishop Chaput for Sunday Mass at the Cathedral. At this Mass, the Archbishop will unveil the official World Meeting of Families Prayer and Holy Family Icon. Other important WMOF announcements will also be made. All are invited!

Archbishop's Lecture Series: Professor Robert George Topic: What Marriage Is and Isn't

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Wynnewood

More information: http://www.phillyevang.org/lectures/

Living In Love - retreat for married couples

A mini retreat workshop for married couples to energize the romance and renew the excitement of being in love.

Location: St. Monica Parish, Berwyn, PA

More info & registration: www.livinginlove.org, 610-640-4105

Saturday, October 18, 2014, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Event: Life in the Arts 2014: Celebrating all life through the arts!

Proceeds to benefit the World Meeting of Families and student artists. All are invited for performances, silent auction art exhibition, luncheon and presentation by renowned artist Dressler Smith.

Location: Union League of Philadelphia, 140 S. Broad St., Phila. PA, 19102

More Information: pamela@booksmotivate.org, or call 443-910-0618.

Register online at: www.booksmotivate.org

Holy Hour for the Family, Mass, and Blessing and Distribution of Holy Family Icons To help families prepare for the World Meeting of Families, Archbishop Chaput will bless and distribute replicas of the WMOF Holy Family Icon to every household in attendance at this special Mass on the First Sunday of Advent at 6:30pm. A Holy Hour for the Family at 5:30pm will precede the Mass. Bring your whole family!

Office for the New Evangelization