PFO May 2014 - Topic: "From life in the tomb, to life in the womb."

 

Theme/Topic of The Month

 

From Life in the Tomb to Life in the Womb

Scripture Passage of the month:

The word of the LORD came to me: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you. JeRemIah 1:4-5

Teaching of the month:

PROtect, PROmote, PRO-active, PRO-Life

Song of the month:

 
 

Life to the Full composed by mike Serapio (CFC)

Pro-Life Song and video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pla_mQNfQ0

 

Catechisms of The Catholic Church paragraph:

abortion CCC 2270-2275 (See attachment)

 

SainT of The monTh:

St. Gianna Beretta molla (See attachment)

prayer of The monTh:

Pro-Life Prayer (See attachment)

media (TV/cd/Book/moVie) of The monTh:

October Baby (movie)

iphone/SmarTphone app of The monTh:

http://prolifeapp.com/ (FRee app) (See attachment)

applicaTion of The monTh: “faiTh wiThouT acTion iS dead”

Schedule a day for your household to pray in front of a Planned Parenthood facility

Theme/Topic of The month: from life in the tomb to life in the womb.

Teaching of the month:

promote, protect, pro-active, pro-life

The following presentation is a simple series of ideas that can be of great help in your defense of the unborn child who is being aborted at a staggering pace of one every 30 seconds in USa. We are all called to be “Pro-life”. We are all called to defend the life of the most innocent and vulnerable. If you like, we must be the voice of the little child—our little brother/sister and friend—who cannot defend him/herself. hopefully these points will be useful, practical, and powerful tools to save many lives!

Saddest day in USA history: January 22, 1973

The Supreme Court decision “Roe vs. Wade” legalized abortion--- or infanticide: killing innocent babies, from the earliest stages up to nine months!

STaTiSTicS since roe vs. wade in 1973….

1-FIFTY TWO TO FIFTY ThRee mILLION surgical abortions have been perpetrated in 40 years. abortion is the most common surgery done in our country!

2-aNNUaLLY. There are between 1.1 and 1.3 million surgical abortions every year in the USa.

3-DaILY. On a daily basis approximately 4000 abortions occur!

4-LOS aNGeLeS (the city) about 180 every day and L.a. county
double the count!

5-eVeRY mINUTe in USa there are close to 3 abortions done!

6-eVeRY TWeNTY SeCONDS a woman has an abortion done!

7-25% to 33% OF BaBIeS aRe mURDeReD IN The WOmB.

8-DOWN’S SYNDROme - In women who have been diagnosed as having a down’s-syndrome child, the number goes up to 90% or more.

Truths Overlooked:

1- LIFe IS PReCIOUS. It is a gift that comes from God. he has the right to give life and to take it away. God is the author and origin of life, the sustainer through Divine Providence and he has the right to take life when he desires and knows best. abortion is playing God and pushing God aside.

2- BIBLICaL LaNGUaGe always in the Bible, the child is considered a precious gift from God. In moments of trouble, crisis and even old age, the child in the womb is considered an extraordinary blessing. hannah, Sarah, St. Anne (the mother of the Blessed Virgin mary), St. Elizabeth--- all of them were beyond the normal age of having a child, but they all had faith, trusted in God

and rejoiced. Consequently they brought forth saintly children!

3- OUR FOUNDING FaTheRS aRe PRO-LIFe. all of us are familiar with the immortal words of the Constitution of the USa: “every individual is endowed with inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

4- Life begins at conception/fertilization. Biology books in the past taught this.

5- LeGaLITY aND mORaLITY. many people confuse what is legal with what is moral. What is LeGaL is not always mORaL! Even though abortions are legal, they are by no means moral!!

Slavery was LeGaL in the USA for many years but it was never mORaL!

6-God gave to moses and to the whole world the Ten Commandments on mount Sinai. This is the moral code that we must follow to get to heaven. The 5th Commandment is: “Thou shalt not kill!” Jesus stated “If you love me keep my commandments…” and “Not all those who say, 'Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of my heavenly Father'."

7- mODeRN FORm OF BULLYING. The nature of a “bully” is that he takes advantage of the weakness of the other. If he is small of stature, slight in build, less bright in intellect, introverted by temperament, not inclined to defend himself--- these are all qualities that a bully (like a human vulture) descends upon like a prey! In a parallel sense is the abortionist. The child is the most defenseless of human persons and the woman aided by the abortionist bullies to the point of killing the little one. We are all up in arms when we see bullies; should we not be even more so with respect to bullying and “killing” the little babies????

8- The DeVIL! he is often behind abortions! In the Bible the devil is given various names: Satan, Lucifer, the ancient serpent, devil, demon, Beelzebub, Prince of this world. St. Ignatius calls him the enemy of our human nature; Augustine, a chained wild dog; St Peter calls him a roaring lion on the loose seeking to devour; St Thomas calls him the Tempter. abortion is 1st degree murder and

the devil lies to convince women to abort.

9-Euphemisms! Sugar coating brutality. how often euphemisms are utilized to deceive women into having an abortion. here are just a few! “I am Pro-choice!” But it is not a choice; it is a child! “I am going to terminate my pregnancy!” Sounds innocent when in reality it is to kill your baby. Some abortion clinics read as such: “Woman’s health Center"! O really? Killing her baby is going to improve her health????

10- a NeW LIFe mURDeReD WIThIN hOURS! The after-morning pill and oral contraceptives. Our exposition of the problem of abortion would be incomplete if we did not mention the reality of the “after-morning pill as well as hormonal contraceptive pills. Given that our starting point is that life comes from God and starts at the moment of conception it is a tragedy that many babies are conceived and killed almost instantaneously with the use of hormonal pills! These numbers are very hard to calculate. however, this far exceeds the statistics given above!

Reasons why women have an abortion… and why they should not:

1-TOO YOUNG to have a child…remember the Virgin mary!

2-TOO OLD and life might be at risk…. Remember St. elizabeth and the other holy women of the Bible!

3-eCONOmIC BURDeN. It will be too expensive and I will not be able to provide for the child. The term often used is, “I prefer quality of life!” Remember Jesus was born in the conditions of dire poverty!

4-FeaR! Teenage girls that get pregnant are paralyzed with fear often about what their parents and others might say! how many times has Jesus exhorted us not to be afraid but to trust. JeSUS I TRUST IN YOU.

5-SeLFIShNeSS. many women/men do not want to have a child because they fear the reality of sacrifice. Jesus stated clearly the conditions of discipleship: “Whoever wants to be my follower must renounce himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

6-LaCK OF TRUST! The core of the problem is a lack of trust in God and in Divine Providence. If God allows life to exist then God will provide!

7-BaD aDVICe! many women unfortunately opt for the abortion--- not really because they want to kill the baby since women are called to be mothers--- but for the simple reason that those who surround the woman and speak to her give her the wrong advice! how many babies have been saved because valiant “Prolifers”
have lifted their voice in the defense of the unborn. We as CFC, with the grace of God, with the awareness, education and heart for the unborn can be these valiant Pro-lifers. how so?

Concrete Steps to prevent abortions and to repair for abortions

1- MERCY. If you meet somebody who has had an abortion, never condemn but be merciful and tell them of the infinite and Divine mercy of God. Remind them of the Parables of mercy in Lk. 15: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Remember also that many women go back for a second or third abortion, mostly because they have not experienced the mercy of God. The Psalmist reminds us of the tenderness of the heart of God: “God is slow to anger but rich in kindness and mercy…” aLWaYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The devil tempts us to believe that after sin--- especially a serious sin (like that of abortion) that God is angry and unwilling to forgive. This could not be further from the truth. St. Paul teaches that where sin abounds the mercy of God abounds all the more. Furthermore, one of the key themes of the Diary of mercy in my soul of Saint Faustina is that the greatest sinners have the greatest right to God’s mercy and that the greatest sinners can become the greatest saints if they simply TRUST in his mercy. JeSUS I TRUST IN YOU!

2- TeaCh OUR YOUNG. It is incumbent upon parents to teach their children, and teens the virtue of ChaSTITY—the proper use of their body and that their body is truly the temple of the holy Spirit and should be respected and honored at all times; also that that they should respect the bodies of others. Parents should teach their children that there is a time for everything. There is a time to plant

and a time to gather; a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to work and a time to sleep; there is a time to have a courtship and a time to avoid. There is a time for everything underneath the sun. Often abortions occur among the youth because they are involved in premature courtships, with raging hormones, uncontrollable
passions and a society that encourages sexual license and expression without limits! We must teach the young the meaning of the Beatitude:

“”Blessed are the pure of heart, they will see God. “(mt. 5:8).

3. PRO-LIFe RemINDeRS. We should surround ourselves and the world that we live with Pro-life reminders and there are many and thanks especially to the CFC Gift of Life initiatives and the Pro-life movement and its tireless efforts! Purchase and wear exteriorly on your lapel or pocket the “Precious Feet” of the unborn baby. Display on Facebook the beauty of the unborn as well as the baby already born. Of course we should never forget nor neglect catchy and attractive Pro-life Bumper stickers, for example:

“It is a child and not a choice!” These reminders force people to
think. Believe it or not there are still many people who are still sitting on the fence and as of yet do not have clear ideas on the topic of abortion and Pro-Life. Let us try to win them over to the “Pro-life” side!

4. LeaRN KeY BIBLICaL PaSSaGeS TO DeFeND The BaBY.

Throughout the entire Bible, which is the Word of God and the Word of Life, the child is always seen as a great blessing. Try to learn some of the key passages in defense of the unborn human life. Obviously one of the best is the Visitation of mary to St. elizabeth, two pregnant women, who would be prime targets for abortion in the modern technologically advanced society. Why? One would be

considered way too young to have a baby—a mere teenager and that would be the Blessed Virgin mary; the other, would be considered way too old and that would be St. elizabeth. We know the beautiful story’s ending: they both trusted totally in God’s loving Providence and said “Yes” to life and brought forth the
two greatest: St. John the Baptist and Jesus, the Son of God who is The WaY, The TRUTh aND The LIFe! Check out this passage: (Lk. 1:39-45).
5- ADOPTION NOT ABORTION! a truly valid option or alternative to abortion is that of adoption. even now there are thousands and thousands of couples that for various reasons could not have their own biological children and are longing for a child of their own and desire to adopt. These couples are screened, studied underneath a fine-tooth-comb to see if they would be good parents. Therefore, the child to be born would be placed in an excellent household and receive an excellent human formation and very often a good Christian formation.

6- ULTRaSOUND! If you meet a confused women who is seriously considering an abortion, why not provide her with the opportunity to see the little baby through an ULTRaSOUND. For the mother to see the real and live baby within her womb smiling, yawning, stretching her/his little limbs, sleeping, sneezing or even scratching the little nose could be the determining moment to help that mother to say “Yes” to life and to have and cherish that precious little infant in her womb. Remember the famous case of Dr. Bernard Nathanson who saw an ultrasound of a baby aborted and stopped aborting—after having been ahead of the key abortion clinic in NYC that had carried out 80,000 abortions! It all started by seeing and visualizing the image of the live baby. We live in a world of images. Why not use live images through the Ultrasound to save the lives of the most innocent?

7-SPeaK OUT! many women have recourse to abortion because they are confused, filled with groundless fears, and unfortunately they have been surrounded by “friends” (really enemies) that convince them that the best decision is to abort the child. We must learn to speak up. We must learn to express the truth with love. The child in the womb cannot speak and therefore we must be the voice of the unborn child in the womb. We must stop “Bullying”. The worst form of bullying in the world is the bullying and the actual killing of the most innocent and defenseless--- the unborn child. Who knows how many women have had recourse to abortion because timid Christians have failed to speak out.

Remember the words of the Political philosopher edmund Burke: “So that evil progress, it is sufficient that good men do nothing!” In Catholic moral theology we call this “Sin of Omission”.

8-CFC GIFT OF LIFe and PRO-LIFe mOVemeNT! Get involved! There is so much that can be done; get involved in one way or another. What to do?

Be pro-active with pro-life

1- WaLK/maRCh aT WaShINGTON DC and SaN FRaNCISCO . every January, we have a growing CFC contingent who get together with a group of “Pro-lifers” and travel to Washington DC and San Francisco to do a peaceful march of Protest. We want to manifest publically but peacefully our love and defense for the unborn.

2- aBORTION CLINICS: PRaYeR RaLLIeS. Why not seek out the closest abortion clinic (Planned Parenthood) to your home and once a week silently protest by praying many Rosaries and Chaplets of Divine mercy.

3- SIDWaLK COUNSeLLING. Why not go through training to give “Sidewalk- counseling” to those confused women who are walking into the abortion clinic to abort their baby. Of course, prayer is the key; however a timely word of wisdom, an image, a word of encouragement, a smile of love--- all could help the confused woman to turn around and keep the child!

4- emeRGeNY PhONe LINe. Volunteer to receive phone-calls of the confused woman who is pondering the abortion to give her the many other “helps” that she has to support her in her pregnancy and say “Yes” to life! Below are a series of numbers to have at your fingertips:

OPTION LIFE_ Care/Net/Heartbeat: 1-800-712-heLP (4357)

National Life Center: 1-800-848- LOVe (5683),
OPTION LINE: 1- 800-712-heLP (4357).

Post-abortion syndrome (P.a.S.)Rachel’s Vineyard 1-877-hOPe-4-me (467- 3463).
National Helpline for Abortion Recovery: 1-866-482 LIFe (5433) www.nationalhelpline.org. These numbers can be invaluable help in time of need and emergency!

5- Parish Level. Approach your Pastor and ask him if you could set up a Pro-life group in the Parish. many things can be done on a Parish level. Here are a few: holy hours of Reparation, Pro-life masses, DVDs and movies like “October Baby” and “Bella” to enhance the awareness on a parochial level of the value of the baby in the womb. having the “Baby bottle” project wherein the parishioners give their coins or dollars to women who say “Yes” to life but are struggling economically.

6- PRaYeR aND PeNaNCe. Jesus stated with utmost clarity that some devils can be expelled only through prayer and penance. he himself taught us in Person when he prayed and fasted for 40 days and nights in the desert. Then Jesus defeated the devil who came at him with three different temptations. Behind the abortion industry is the devil; Jesus calls the devil a liar from the beginning. Lies are uttered! Worse yet, the devil is a murderer because abortion is truly murder and murder of the most innocent and defenseless motivating the abortion industry is the devil and also lust for money. It is a multi-billion dollar industry every year in which close to 1.2 million babies are aborted (through surgical abortion) every year in the United States. Therefore we must pray and add to prayer concrete acts of penance. With respect to prayer, of course all prayers said with purity of heart and good intention are pleasing to the Lord. however, three could be of great value to repair the abominable crime and sin of abortion as well as to prevent future abortions.

7- ChaPLeT OF DIVINe meRCY. We invoke the Body, BLOOD, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus to repair for our sins as well as for the sins of the whole world--- that of course includes abortion, the shedding of the Blood of the Innocent ones.

8-hOLY maSS: OFeRTORY, CONSeCRaTION, aND hOLY

COmmUNION. Under the stars, moon, and heaven itself there is no greater prayer than the holy Sacrifice of the mass. Included in this is the Pro-life dimension. Why? abortion is the innocent blood-shed of the babies. holy mass is the offering of the Blood of the Innocent Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. We offer Jesus begging for mercy and pardon; we adore Jesus who descends from heaven in the Consecration of the host; we receive Jesus in the
moment of holy Communion. These three key moments in mass can be offered in reparation and prevention for the deluge of innocent blood that has been shed since the legalization of abortion 40 years ago in the decision Roe vs. Wade. however, we should never forget that one drop of the most Precious Blood of Jesus that he shed on Calvary and is renewed perpetually in every holy mass is sufficient to repair for and save the whole world!

9-haIL maRY aND ROSaRY. Finally, the prayer, so dear to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Hail Mary and the most holy Rosary, is obviously a “Prolife” prayer. Pay attention to these words in the hail mary which were pronounced by Saint Elizabeth to mary in the mystery of the Visitation: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus…” This

powerful prayer that penetrates and consoles the most pure and Immaculate Heart of Mary lauds and praises the “Yes” of mary that resulted in the Incarnation and the presence of the Unborn Baby Jesus in the womb of Mary. A beautiful practice for us to undertake would be to beg that through the praying of the hail mary in the context of the Rosary that 50 abortions would be repaired for as well as prevented every time we pray this powerful Pro-life prayer. What God can do with his power, mary can do with her prayer. God can never resist the prayers of mary his heavenly mother.

In conclusion, we are CFC, we are people of life. God calls us to believe in the value of life, love life, speak up and defend life. may Jesus who is the WaY, TRUTh aND LIFe, and mary who is the mother of God and mother of he who gave us life and life in abundance help us to lift the Banner of life so as to one day enjoy forever and ever eternal life!

SPeCIaL ThaNKS TO FR. ED BROOM OVM

Song of The monTh:

Life To The Full, By Mike Serapio (CFC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRosBmfCirg

 

I thank you for your Love

my heart now is whole

You Lived and died for me

I will love you faithfully

I thank you for your peace

my heart is now at ease

You carried me through

I will build my life on you

ChORUS:

I’ll live for you oh Lord

The fullness of life

Is in your hand

I will take it

I’ll worship you oh Lord

The fullness of life

Is in your presence

I will sing it now

Cathechism of The Catholic Church
paragraphs of the monhh: ccc 2270-2275

Abortion

 

2270 human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception.

From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person—among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.

2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion.

This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.
Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law: You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.

God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.

2272 Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense.

The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. “a person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae,” “by the very commission of the offense,” and subject to the conditionsprovided by Canon Law. The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

2273 The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation:

“The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin. among such
fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being’s right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death.”

“The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection which civil legislation ought to accord them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law. When the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined.... as a consequence of the respect and protection which must be ensured for the unborn child from the moment of conception, the law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child’s rights.”

  

2274 Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be depended it its integrity, cared for, and healed,

as far as possible, like any other human being. Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, “if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human fetus and is directed toward its safeguarding or healing as an individual.... It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent of a death sentence.”
 

 

2275

 

 

“One must hold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not involve disproportionate risks for it, but are directed toward its healing, the improvement of its condition of health, or its individual survivals."

“It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological material.”

“Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not therapeutic but are aimed at producing human beings selected according to sex or other predetermined qualities. Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of the human being and his integrity and identity” which are unique and unrepeatable.

SOURCe: CaTeChISm OF The CaThOLIC ChURCh

MAY 2014 p18

Saint of the month:

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

FeaST DaY: april 28

Patron mothers, physicians, preborn children

DeaTh: 1962

BeaTIFIeD BY: Pope John Paul II - Gianna Francesca Beretta was born in magenta in Italy. She was the tenth of thirteen children in

her family, only nine of whom survived to adulthood. When she was three, her family moved to Bergamo, and she grew up in the Lombardy region of Italy.

In 1942, Gianna began her study of medicine in milan. Outside of her schooling, she was active in azione Cattolica. She received a medical diploma in 1949, and opened an office in mesero, near her hometown of magenta, where she specialized in pediatrics. Gianna hoped to join her brother, a missionary priest in Brazil, where she intended to offer her medical expertise in gynecology to poor women. however, her chronic ill health made this impractical, and she continued her practice in Italy.

In December 1954, Gianna met Pietro molla, an engineer who worked in her office, ten years older than she. They were officially engaged the following April, and they married in September 1955.

The couple had Pierluigi, born in 1956, maria Zita, in 1957 and Laura, was born in 1959. Gianna suffered two miscarriages after this.

In 1961, Gianna was once again expecting. During the second month, Gianna developed a fibroma on her uterus. after examination, the doctors gave her three choices: an abortion, which would save her life and allow her to continue to have children; a complete hysterectomy, which would preserve her life, but take the unborn child's life, and prevent further pregnancy; or removal of only the fibroma, with the potential of further complications. Roman Catholic teaching would have allowed her to obtain a hysterectomy, but would forbid an abortion. Wanting to preserve her child's life, she opted for the removal of the fibroma. After the operation, complications continued throughout her pregnancy. Gianna was quite clear about her wishes, expressing to her family, "This time it will be a difficult delivery, and they may have to save one or the other — I want them to save my baby."

On april 21, 1962, Good Friday of that year, Gianna went to the hospital, where her fourth child, Gianna emanuela, was successfully delivered via Caesarean section. However, Gianna continued to have severe pain, and died of septic peritonitis 7 days after the birth.

 

Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on april 24, 1994, and officially canonized as a saint on may 16, 2004. Gianna's husband Pietro and their last child, Gianna, were present at the canonization ceremony. The miracle recognized by the Roman Catholic Church to canonize Gianna molla involved a mother, Elizabeth Comparini, who was 16 weeks pregnant in 2003 and sustained a tear in her placenta that drained her womb of all amniotic fluid. Because a normal term of pregnancy is 40 weeks, Comparini was told by

her doctors the baby's chance of survival was "nil."
Through praying to Gianna Molla and asking for her intercession, Comparini delivered by caesarean a healthy baby despite the lack of amniotic fluid for the remainder of her pregnancy.

In his homily at her canonization mass, Pope John Paul II called Gianna "a simple, but more than ever, significant messenger of divine love."

Prayer of The Month:

Prayer To End Abortion.

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,

and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.
I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,
Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.

Today I commit myself

Never to be silent,

Never to be passive,

Never to be forgetful of the unborn.

I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,

and never to stop defending life

Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,

and our nation once again becomes

a nation with liberty and justice

Not just for some, but for all,

Through Christ our Lord. amen!

Media (TV/cd/Book/moVie) of The monTh:

”OcToBer BaBy ”

October Baby is a 2011 american Christian-themed

dramatic film directed by andrew and Jon erwin and

starring Rachel hendrix in her film debut. It is the

story of a young woman named hannah, who learns

that she was almost aborted as a baby in the womb.

She then embarks upon a road trip to understand the

circumstances of her birth.

iphone/SmarTphone caTholic

app of The monTh:

hTTp://prolifeapp.com/

The Online for Life Prayer app underscores the importance of prayer in the

battle to end abortion, while involving the pro-life community in such a way

that keeps them actively engaged in rescuing unborn children and families from

abortion.

This innovative app engages committed and praying people in the fight to end

abortion. Through this real-time Prayer app, users are notified when abortiondetermined

individuals are in need of prayer at each stage of their life-decision

process

Subject: 2014 CFCUSA – Lent: The Most ACTION-packed Time of the Year

Aka Operation Easter Blessings (ROH#6)

Dear CFC Family:

From the most PONDER-full to the most ACTION-packed time of the year!

This for us is Lent, the CFC way! Our Mission: Operation Easter Blessings (more on this later)!

As we continue our Lenten journey with fervent prayer through quiet meditation, Scripture readings, the Holy Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration and daily Mass; as well as through acts of penance or fasting - of the eyes, tongue, palate and most importantly turning away from sin, now is the time to put into concrete action the fruit of these Lenten observances- ALMSGIVING.

This Lent, God is giving us the opportunity to do something beautiful for Him….through CFC, through ANCOP…by Building the Church of the Poor.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta was able to accomplish her calling of serving the poor because she knew her identity. She stated: “By blood and origin, I am Albanian. My citizenship is Indian. I am a Catholic Nun. As to my calling, I belong to the whole world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.”

 She added, “Your vocation is not to work for the poor. Your vocation is to belong to Jesus. The work for the poor is only your love for Christ in action … That is the completion of your vocation, of your belonging to Christ.”

Why ANCOP? There are lots of “the Poor”, the poor of Haiti, the poor of Ethiopia, the poor supported by the various Catholic groups like Food for the Poor or Gawad Kalinga. But right now, God has gifted us with our beautiful community of CFC and He has given us our own poor to love, our own children to educate, our own homeless to provide shelter, our own sick to heal….God gave us ANCOP.

How have we (CFC USA) responded last year (2013) as a community of believers in giving life opportunity to the poor through education with our Child Sponsorship Program (CSP)? God gave us a goal of 1,600 students in need. We responded with 543 students.  That’s 34% of the goal.  That’s less than 10% of our CFC USA members who availed of this wonderful opportunity to give back to God. God deserves much, much more from us.

What is our plan to achieve or even surpass our 2014 goal of 2,450 (from 1,600) CSP students and 200 Community Development Program (CDP) homes?  

Operation Easter Blessings!

Let us all pray that each CFC couple, each Handmaid of the Lord, each Servant of the Lord and each Single for Christ adopt and sponsor (or pledge to adopt/sponsor)  at least one child for the ANCOP Child Sponsorship program by the end of the Easter season culminating in the birthday of our Church – Pentecost Sunday (June 8, 2014)!

 Let us all pray that each CFC-Y youth and KFC kid will share his/her allowance and savings so that each CFCY and KFC Chapter can adopt/sponsor at least one child each by the end of the Easter season culminating in the birthday of our Church – Pentecost Sunday (June 8, 2014)!

In addition, let us pray that each CFC, HOLD, SOLD, CFCY, KFC Chapter enthusiastically and prayerfully discern,  plan and implement at least one major activity to raise awareness and funds for the ANCOP Community Development Program (CDP) by the end of 2014.

The key to the success of Operation Easter Blessings is instant obedience. It may hurt for some but God is asking- Do you TRUST me?   I urge you brothers and sisters to act on it NOW by clicking on or typing http://www.ancopusa.org/sponsor

By the end of the Easter season, we can all be a great blessing to thousands of poor children and hundreds of in-need families, and knowing how we can never outdo the generosity of God, I am positive that God will shower us with a deluge of blessings in this life and for all eternity!  May Our Blessed Mother’s “Yes” be our “Yes!”

In Christ through Mary,

Bro. Toffee Jeturian

P.S.  This and all previous Reflections of the Heart letters are available at our CFC USA website at http://www.couplesforchristusa.org/index.php/resources/reflections-of-the-heart

Pastoral Formation Materials: April 2014

Theme/Topic of the Month: 

Lent: It’s the most “ACTION-packed” time of the year!

Aka Operation Easter Blessings

Scripture Passages of the Month:

Matthew 25:40 “Amen, I say to you, whatsoever you do to the least of your brethren, you do unto me.”

Teaching of the Month:

Lent to the Max: ALMSGIVING and Building the Church of the Poor

(Part 3 of a 3-part series) (See attachment)

Discussion Questions of the Month:

What emotions does the existence of poverty in the world stir up in your heart? What might need to change in your heart in order to respond to the cry of the poor?

Song of the Month:

Fearless composed by Bimbo Yerro (CFC)

(Beautiful song composed by our very own CFC Bimbo Yerro.  Suggest you listen to and meditate on the song before going through the teaching; see attachment for song lyrics) Click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X1pP6mOEsg

Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs of the Month:

Love for the Poor CCC 2544-2547

 (See attachment)

Saint-to-be of the Month: 

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, now of Heaven

 (See attachment)

Prayer of the month:

Lenten Prayer (See attachment)

Media (TV/CD/Book/Movie) of the Month: 

Passion of the Christ (by Mel Gibson)

(Note: Watch this movie ALONE preferably during Holy Week.  Make this your one-on-one with Jesus)  

iPhone/Smartphone App of the month:

iBreviary (FREE App)

(See attachment)

“Faith without Action is Dead” Application of the month:

Operation Easter Blessings

Theme/Topic of the Month:

Lent: It’s the Most “ACTION-packed” time of the Year!

Teaching of the Month:

Lent to the Max: ALMSGIVING and Building the Church of the Poor

(Part 3 of a 3-part series)

(Please start by reading the cover letter (ROH#6))

In last month’s teaching, we outlined how to live out a fruitful Lent through an intense and fervent prayer life followed by the practice of fasting/penance which gives power to ones’ prayer life--- prayer that can move mountains and conquer victories as in the example of Jesus and his band of disciples, King David and his strong and mighty army, Moses and Aaron and the Israelites, etc..

 ALMSGIVING is the last part in our Trilogy of living our Lent.  Another name for “Almsgiving” is the practice of charity. Charity has two dimensions: the vertical pointing to our relationship with God and the horizontal, our relationship with our neighbor. St John reminds us: “How can we say that we love God who we do not see if we hate our neighbor who we do see!” (1John 4:20) Of course, this Biblical passage reminds us of the clear and objective reality that God can be found in many places but primarily in our neighbor.  Jesus put it bluntly: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, you have done unto me.”    (Matthew 25:40).

At his first audience on March 16, 2013, Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) told journalists that he had chosen the name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, and had done so because he was especially concerned for the well-being of the poor.  He explained that, as it was becoming clear during the conclave voting that he would be elected the new bishop of Rome, the Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes had embraced him and whispered, "Don't forget the poor", which had made Bergoglio think of the saint.  Bergoglio had previously expressed his admiration for St. Francis, explaining that “He brought to Christianity an idea of poverty against the luxury, pride, vanity of the civil and ecclesiastical powers of the time. He changed history."

Pope Benedict XVI constantly called to mind the importance of love, charity, and respect for our neighbor as well as almsgiving.  Three of the writings of Pope Benedict specifically addressed the topic of charity--- another name for supernatural love.

First was the Pope’s 1^st encyclical that carries the title “God is love” (coincidentally, our CLP talk # 1 is about God’s Love). The Holy Father wrote and published on the importance of love. Incidentally, this is the most purchased encyclical in the history of the Church.  The Holy Father, as universal teacher to the world, highlighted the essence of who God is--- God is love.   We were created due to the overflowing love of God; we are created to be loved; we are created to respond by giving love and loving others; finally we are called to die in love and live loving God for all eternity in Heaven where love is total and supreme!

Second, Pope Benedict XVI also promulgated an Apostolic Exhortation with the title “The Sacrament of Charity”.   This masterpiece offers us the means by which we can truly live out the Gospel of love and it is through receiving the love of Jesus in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in Holy Communion. By carrying out this most sublime action of Holy Communion, then by receiving the love of Jesus in Holy Communion (we actually receive the most Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Sacred Host), we are made capable of loving with the same love with which God loved us!

Finally, Pope Benedict XVI also stressed on the importance of ALMSGIVING--- the third practice that Jesus suggests in the Gospel for Ash Wednesday. The Holy Father reminds us of the poor widow who gave her minimal monetary offering to the temple as an icon or model for the whole world. The message!  Jesus does not so much fix His attention on the enormity of the economic contribution but on the purity of heart, purity of intention and the mere willingness to give. A famous preacher (Adrian Rogers) summarized on this point:  “God chooses small people with small things, but with great hearts to work marvelous miracles through them.

With this ecclesial and Biblical introduction on charity related to almsgiving, as is our style, let us plunge into the depths of God’s love by offering five concrete suggestions on how to give alms, how to give until it hurts, how to live out the “Gospel of love!”

1.     CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.  There is a powerful Spanish proverb: “Candil en la calle, oscuridad en la casa.”  Translation:  “A burning candle outside in the street, but darkness in the home!”  The meaning?  Someone can be the kindest and most charitable individual in town, with his friends and co-workers, with CFC brethren and fellow parishioners, but at home he is the opposite.  In other words, he is ready to help everybody and at any time, except his own family.

Proposal for Lent: Try to be kind, loving, meek and soft-spoken starting with the members in your own family! Remember the proverb: “Charity begins at home!”

2.     GIVE YOUR TIME TO YOUR LOVED ONES!   Another non-material way to give alms is simply to give generously your time to your loved-ones, family members, CFC members under your care, or somebody who has a lonely and broken heart.  The art of listening is a precious art, but few are experts at it! As parents to our children and CFC servant leaders to members under our care, we must always be ready to give our time, attention, and charity to those God has given to us to love, shepherd and care for, especially those who are lonely, abandoned, and broken-hearted. How often, in dealing in tense pastoral situations with the depressed and lonely, to simply lend a listening ear can pull the individual (your teen in the verge of deep depression) or CFC couple (in the process of divorce proceedings) out of the pit of despair so as to shine in their hearts the rays of God’s hope!  

      Proposal for Lent: Parents and CFC Servant leaders, be faithful to our one on ones with our spouse, children, CFC members under your care. Let us stop being just “functional” parents to our children or “administrative” leaders to our CFC brethren (i.e. you missed 3 assemblies, 2 teachings and 4 and a half household meetings last year…), instead, be pastoral leaders to those God has given to us to love and nurture. Sometimes, if there is a major issue with our children or CFC members, we are usually the last to know and by the time we know it, from someone else, it is too late to do anything.

Dear CFC members, make time for your CFC Servant Leaders and do not make excuses and when one on ones are schedule, and be open to them as they have been anointed by God to be “Christ” to you.

Let us all put those one on ones (or two on twos) in our calendars NOW and push through with it. We will all be glad we did it … and so will our God!

3.     KIND WORDS!   The enemy loves to sow discouragement — but we have a tool much more powerful — encouragement!  How important a kind, loving, charitable, humble and uplifting word.  Words can tear us down or they can build us up. In the words of St Bonaventure, “We should speak in three occasions:  to praise God, accuse ourselves, and to edify (that is to lift up our neighbor)”.  St. Francis de Sales stated: “One can attract more flies with a teaspoon of honey than a barrel of vinegar.”  God himself was most encouraging with His own Son.  And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17).

Proposal for Lent: Speak uplifting words especially into the lives of those who desperately need to hear it: to our spouse who may feel unappreciated, to our children who may feel misunderstood, to our household members who may be having marital problems, to the CLP Team leader who may feel alone in the harvest field; to the disillusioned newlywed young couple; to the forgotten servants of God who labor in an obscure and difficult ministry; to the orphans and the widows; to all those who need to hear a word in due season! We have the power in our lips to rekindle a discouraged soul. One troubled teenager wrote: “Maybe one person in a thousand years dies of too much praise, but every minute, a kid dies inside from lack of it.”

4.     CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY.  Read the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25:31-45.  In this you will find the “Corporal Works of Mercy”.  Feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick or prisoner--- all are the Corporal Works of Mercy.

Some months ago, during my quiet time with God, I pondered on how I can “visit the imprisoned” if I did not know anyone personally who was in jail.  Prisoners are often “invisible” to us. But Pope Francis called our attention to the plight of prisoners on Holy Thursday last year, when he washed the feet of twelve young detainees at the Casa del Marmo detention center in Rome. “Washing your feet means I am at your service,” he said to them. “Help one another. This is what Jesus teaches us.” Pope Francis vividly demonstrated God’s love for prisoners and challenges us to do likewise. I then became a Word Among Us Ministry for Prisoners Partner. The Word Among Us is a monthly Catholic publication that I have personally subscribed for many, many years now and have helped me in my walk with God. Prisoners need our love and support. They ache to do simple things: visit their parents, shop for school supplies and new clothes, shoot hoops with their son, braid their daughter’s hair, hug their child goodbye on the first day of school and welcome them home again. But they can’t. Incarceration devastates families. Many prisoners have suffered broken relationships because of their bad choices and the distance created by imprisonment. Some wait years for reconciliation that never comes. And yet, these men and women have amazing faith. Some have served many, many years and still have joy and hope in the Lord! Lives have been healed and transformed by the love of God through prayer, Scripture, and reading The Word Among Us. What a blessing! You may wonder, “How is The Word Among Us used behind bars?” A lot of them start their day by reading it. Many use it as a Bible study. Many more share what they are learning with other prisoners and their families. Over 11,000 partners are touching the lives of 57,000 prisoners every day made possible by the love for prisoners and continued financial support of this ministry. Just one way of fulfilling Jesus’ words, “I was in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:36).

Proposal for Lent: As with last month’s Pastoral Formation Materials, continue to pray over the Corporal Works of Mercy and beg the Holy Spirit to discover which of these God is calling you to live out in this Lent!  

“Speak O Lord for your servant is listening!”

You can visit The Word Among Us at www.wau.org

5.     ALMSGIVING: MATERIAL GOODS!  Pope Francis stated: “The times talk to us of so much poverty in the world and this is a scandal. Poverty in the world is a scandal. In a world where there is so much wealth, so many resources to feed everyone, it is unfathomable that there are so many hungry children, that there are so many children without an education, so many poor persons. Poverty today is a cry.”

If you can give alms, monetarily to the church, the poor or some charitable institution (ANCOP), then give with generosity and trust in Divine Providence. The key to giving is the keen realization that the giving is really being done to Jesus Himself. Indeed Jesus is truly present in the poor, the sick, the hungry and thirsty, and the sick and incarcerated. “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me.”  Giving to the poor is more than giving money to a cause, but more importantly placing trust in a loving, caring and a Providential God, who said: “Look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field….and,  Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be given to you beside…”  (Sermon on the Mount Mt. 6:25-34). If we generously and with limitless trust give to God in the poor He will give and provide abundantly for all of our needs! TRUST!  TRUST!! TRUST!!!

Proposal for Lent: Accomplish Operation Easter Blessings.

Let us all pray that each CFC couple, each Handmaid of the Lord, each Servant of the Lord and each Single for Christ adopt and sponsor (or pledge to adopt/sponsor) at least one child for the ANCOP Child Sponsorship Program (CSP) by the end of the Easter season culminating in the birthday of our Church – Pentecost Sunday (June 8, 2014)!

 Let us all pray that each CFC-Y youth and KFC kid will share his/her allowance and savings so that each CFCY and KFC Chapter can adopt/sponsor at least one child each by the end of the Easter season culminating in the birthday of our Church – Pentecost Sunday (June 8, 2014)!

In addition, let us pray that each CFC, HOLD, SOLD, CFCY, KFC Chapter enthusiastically plan and implement at least one major activity to raise awareness and funds for the ANCOP Community Development Program (CDP) by the end of 2014. 

God is giving us this opportunity to do something beautiful for Him. How can we say “No”?

The key to the success of Operation Easter Blessings is instant obedience. It may hurt for some but God is asking- Do you TRUST me?   I urge you brothers and sisters to act on it NOW by clicking on or typing this website link:    http://www.ancopusa.org/sponsor

Another important Lenten proposal is to make sure we avail of the Sacrament of Reconciliation to sincerely repent of the times when we failed to show love to our God and to our neighbor.

In conclusion, to rejoice in the Risen Lord Jesus on Easter Sunday and during the Easter week (the Octave) and in the fifty days of the Easter Season, culminating in Pentecost Sunday, we must live fervently, generously, and with total trust this Lent.  Therefore, let us pray with all our hearts, sacrifice to the point of “giving until it hurts” and loving with the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the poor, our own poor of ANCOP. God will shower you with a deluge of blessings in this life and for all eternity! May our Blessed Mother’s “Yes” be our “Yes!”

Special thanks to Fr. Ed Broom OVM

Song of the Month:  Fearless by Bimbo Yerro (CFC)

(Beautiful song composed by our very own CFC Bimbo Yerro.  Suggest you listen to and meditate on the song before going through the teaching; see attachment for song lyrics) Click on the link below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X1pP6mOEsg

Let Your hope arise 
And be the light into the eyes of the hopeless 
Back In Your arms, in Your love unfailing 

Faith and joy collide 
And overwhelm what I desire 
That I will want, nothing more. 
For You are everything 

Pre-Chorus: 
For God is all enough 
And in Him I will remain 

Chorus: 
Lord You are fearless 
You died to save my soul 
A heart so selfless 
My sins You conquered all 
God in Your grace now 
Oh I will do the same 
To be as fearless 
To stand and to proclaim 

Bridge: 
In your name, we trust 
In the hope of rising again 
Into love, your will be done 

Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs of the month: CCC 2544-2547

VI. Love for the Poor

2443    God blesses those who come to the aid of the poor and rebukes those who turn away from them: “Give to him who begs from you, do not refuse him who would borrow from you”; “you received without pay, give without pay.” It is by what they have done for the poor that Jesus Christ will recognize his chosen ones.²³³ When “the poor have the good news preached to them,” it is the sign of Christ’s presence.

2444    “The Church’s love for the poor... is a part of her constant tradition.” This love is inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes, of the poverty of Jesus, and of his concern for the poor.²³⁵ Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the duty of working so as to “be able to give to those in need.” It extends not only to material poverty but also to the many forms of cultural and religious poverty.

2445    Love for the poor is incompatible with immoderate love of riches or their selfish use:  Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have killed the righteous man; he does not resist you.

2446    St. John Chrysostom vigorously recalls this: “Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs.” “The demands of justice must be satisfied first of all; that which is already due in justice is not to be offered as a gift of charity”: When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice.

2447    The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead.²⁴³ Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God: He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food must do likewise. But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you.  If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?

2448    “In its various forms—material deprivation, unjust oppression, physical and psychological illness and death—human misery is the obvious sign of the inherited condition of frailty and need for salvation in which man finds himself as a consequence of original sin. This misery elicited the compassion of Christ the Savior, who willingly took it upon himself and identified himself with the least of his brethren. Hence, those who are oppressed by poverty are the object of a preferential love on the part of the Church which, since her origin and in spite of the failings of many of her members, has not ceased to work for their relief, defense, and liberation through numerous works of charity which remain indispensable always and everywhere.”

2449    Beginning with the Old Testament, all kinds of juridical measures (the jubilee year of forgiveness of debts, prohibition of loans at interest and the keeping of collateral, the obligation to tithe, the daily payment of the day-laborer, the right to glean vines and fields) answer the exhortation of Deuteronomy: “For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor in the land.’” Jesus makes these words his own: “The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” In so doing he does not soften the vehemence of former oracles against “buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals... ,” but invites us to recognize his own presence in the poor who are his brethren: When her mother reproached her for caring for the poor and the sick at home, St. Rose of Lima said to her: “When we serve the poor and the sick, we serve Jesus. We must not fail to help our neighbors, because in them we serve Jesus

Source: Catechism of the Catholic Church

Saint-to-be of the month:  Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Feast day: September 5
Patron of World Youth Day
1991-1997

The remarkable woman who would be known as Mother Theresa began life named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Born on August 26, 1910 in Skopje, she was the youngest child born to Nikola and Drane Bojaxhiu, Receiving her First Communion at the age of five, she was confirmed in November 1916. Her father died while she was only eight years old leaving her family in financial straits.

Gonxha's religious formation was assisted by the vibrant Jesuit parish of the Sacred Heart in which she was very involved as a youth.

Subsequently moved to pursue missionary work, Gonxha left her home in September 1928 at the age of 18 to join the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Sisters of Loreto, in Ireland. She received the name Sister Mary Teresa after St. Therese of Lisieux. In December of 1929, she departed for her first trip to India, arriving in Calcutta. After making her First Profession of Vows in May 1931, Sister Teresa was assigned to the Loreto Entally community in Calcutta and taught at St. Mary's School for girls.

Sister Teresa made her Final Profession of Vows, on May 24, 1937, becoming, as she said, the "spouse of Jesus" for "all eternity." From that time on she was called Mother Teresa.

She continued teaching at St. Mary's and in 1944 became the school's principal. Mother Teresa's twenty years in Loreto were filled with profound happiness. Noted for her charity, unselfishness and courage, her capacity for hard work and a natural talent for organization, she lived out her consecration to Jesus, in the midst of her companions, with fidelity and joy.

It was on September 10, 1946 during a train ride from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual retreat, Mother Teresa received her "inspiration, her call within a call." On that day, in a way she would never explain, Jesus' thirst for love and for souls took hold of her heart and the desire to satiate His thirst became the driving force of her life.

By means of interior locutions and visions, Jesus revealed to her the desire of His heart for "victims of love" who would "radiate His love on souls." "Come be My light,'"He begged her. "I cannot go alone."

Jesus revealed His pain at the neglect of the poor, His sorrow at their ignorance of Him and His longing for their love. He asked Mother Teresa to establish a religious community, Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to the service of the poorest of the poor.

Nearly two years of testing and discernment passed before Mother Teresa received permission to begin. On August 17, 1948, she dressed for the first time in a white, blue-bordered sari and passed through the gates of her beloved Loreto convent to enter the world of the poor.

After a short course with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, Mother Teresa returned to Calcutta and found temporary lodging with the Little Sisters of the Poor. On December 21, she went for the first time to the slums. She visited families, washed the sores of some children, cared for an old man lying sick on the road and nursed a woman dying of hunger and tuberculosis. She started each day with communion then went out, rosary in her hand, to find and serve Him amongst "the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for." After some months, she was joined, one by one, by her former students.

On October 7, 1950 the new congregation of the Missionaries of Charity was officially established in the Archdiocese of Calcutta. By the early 1960s, Mother Teresa began to send her Sisters to other parts of India. The Decree of Praise granted to the Congregation by Pope Paul VI in February 1965 encouraged her to open a house in Venezuela. It was soon followed by foundations in Rome and Tanzania and, eventually, on every continent. Starting in 1980 and continuing through the 1990s, Mother Teresa opened houses in almost all of the communist countries, including the former Soviet Union, Albania and Cuba.

In order to respond better to both the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in 1963, in 1976 the contemplative branch of the Sisters, in 1979 the Contemplative Brothers, and in 1984 the Missionaries of Charity Fathers.

Mother Theresa's inspiration was not limited to those with religious vocations. She formed the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa and the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers, people of many faiths and nationalities with who she shared her spirit of prayer, simplicity, sacrifice and her apostolate of humble works of love.

This spirit later inspired the Lay Missionaries of Charity. In answer to the requests of many priests, in 1981 Mother Teresa also began the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests as a "little way of holiness" for those who desire to share in her charisma and spirit.

During the years of rapid growth the world began to turn its eyes towards Mother Teresa and the work she had started. Numerous awards, beginning with the Indian Padmashri Award in 1962 and notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, honored her work, while an increasingly interested media began to follow her activities. She received both prizes and attention 'for the glory of God and in the name of the poor."

There was a heroic side of this great woman that was revealed only after her death. Hidden from all eyes, even from those closest to her, was her interior life marked by an experience of a deep, painful and abiding feeling of being separated from God, even rejected by Him, along with an ever increasing longing for His love. She called her inner experience, the darkness. The "painful night" of her soul, which began around the time she started her work for the poor and continued to the end of her life, led Mother Teresa to an ever more profound union with God. Through the darkness she mystically participated in the thirst of Jesus, in His painful and burning longing for love, and she shared in the interior desolation of the poor.

In spite of increasingly severe health problems towards the end of her life, Mother Teresa continued to govern her Society and respond to the needs of the poor and the Church. By 1997, Mother Teresa's Sisters numbered nearly 4,000 members and were established in 610 foundations in 123 countries of the world. In March 1997 she blessed her newly-elected successor as Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity and then made one more trip abroad. After meeting Pope John Paul II for the last time, she returned to Calcutta and spent her final weeks receiving visitors and instructing her Sisters.

On September 5, Mother Teresa's earthly life came to an end. She was given the honor of a state funeral by the Government of India and her body was buried in the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity. Her tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage and prayer for people of all faiths, rich and poor alike.

Mother Teresa left a testament of unshakable faith, invincible hope and extraordinary charity. Her response to Jesus' plea, "Come be My light," made her a Missionary of Charity, a "mother to the poor," a symbol of compassion to the world, and a living witness to the thirsting love of God. As a testament to her most remarkable life, Pope John Paul II permitted the opening of her Cause of Canonization. On December 20, 2002 he approved the decrees of her heroic virtues and miracles

Prayer of the month:

Lord, open my eyes and my heart to those who are poor. Let me see you in those who are hungry, thirsty, homeless, alone, hurt, and afraid.  I know you can be hiding behind the unattractive disguise of my poor neighbor, and the many lonely people I encounter. Do not allow mw to disgrace your loving gift to me by giving way to selfishness, coldness, unkindness or indifference. Make me do for others what I do for you. Show me how to help and serve them in your name. Like Blessed Teresa, help me see you in the least of my brethren and show love, more love and much more love. Amen.

Media (TV/CD/Book/Movie) of the month: 

Passion of the Christ (by Mel Gibson)

(Note: Watch this movie ALONE preferably during Holy Week.  Make this your intimate one-on-one with Jesus)  

iPhone/Smartphone Catholic App of the month:

iBreviary (FREE App)

The iBreviary is your portable breviary. You can use it to pray with the full texts of the Liturgy of the Hours in just five languages. Simply launch the application and all the texts of the day will appear before you. The texts of the Liturgy of the Hours are formatted just as they appear in the printed version. Thus the iPad version, thanks to the generous screen, gives one the feeling of holding a book with all the functionality and convenience of an Apple application.

The iBreviary also offers you the complete daily missal to follow the Mass or, if you're a priest, even to celebrate it. It is similar to the missalettes and worship aids found in your church.

The Missal of the iBreviary contains the Ordinary of the Mass, the Eucharistic Prayers, Masses for the Saints, daily Mass readings, Prefaces, Prayers of the Faithful, Solemn Blessings, rites for various celebrations and other liturgical texts. 

The iBreviary also offers all the major Catholic prayers and more!

The iBreviary also offers the complete texts of the rites for the celebration of all the sacraments: the Anointing of the Sick, Viaticum, Marriage (including the readings), the funeral rites, Communion of the Sick, and many other rites useful for meditation, prayer and pastoral ministry