I STOLE THIS LIST!

These Ten Questions to Ask Yourself are in a post on Rachel Held Evans' blog.  She has gathered some great thoughts to help us get the most out of this Lenten season.

1. When I wake up on Resurrection Sunday morning, how will I be different?

 

2. Is there a habit or sin in my life that repeatedly gets in the way of loving God with my whole heart or loving my neighbor as myself?  How do I address that habit over the next 40 days?

3. Is there anyone in my life from whom I need to ask forgiveness or pursue reconciliation?

4. What practical steps can I take to carve out time for daily contemplation?

 

5. What spiritual discipline do I need to improve upon or want to try?

 

6. What are some things in my life that I tell myself I need but I don’t?  Can I give one or two of them up for 40 days?

 

7. Why am I giving this particular thing up?  How does giving it up draw me closer to God and prepare me for Easter? 

 

8. What am I going to tell myself when self-denial gets hard?

 

9. Is it necessary/helpful for me to share the nature my fast with others or should I keep it private?

 

10. What do the ashes mean to me this year?  What does baptism mean to me this year?

You can read the entire article, “40 Ideas for Lent,” here.

First Week of Lent: A Time to Grow

Think about spring. Remember how plants push their way up through the earth. Trees sprout leaves and buds. Birds sing their best songs.

In spring we plant new seeds. We cut away dead twigs and stems. We prepare for a new life. Jesus talked about death and new life. He held up a seed and said, “I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” John 12:24


During lent we clear a place to plant seeds of faith and love. We work and pray. We grow in faith and love.

Stations of the Cross for Children and Families
Jelly Bean Prayer Activity 

Lenten Video Series: First Sunday in Lent

Join us at the Parish Fish Fry on Friday, March 2nd, following Stations of the Cross at 6:00. Volunteers are needed to help with the Fish Fry. Please contact the St. Ambrose parish office @ 801-485-5610 for more information.

Works of Mercy

The seven corporal works of mercy:
1. Feed the hungry.
2. Give drink to the thirsty.
3. Clothe the naked.
4. Shelter the homeless.
5. Visit the sick.
6. Visit the imprisoned.
7. Bury the dead.

The seven spiritual works of mercy:
1. Counsel the doubtful.
2. Instruct the ignorant.
3. Admonish sinners.
4. Comfort the afflicted.
5. Forgive offenses.
6. Bear wrongs patiently.
7. Pray for the living and the dead.

Fasting

In the Liturgy of the Hours for today, Ash Wednesday, the first reading in the Office of Readings is Isaiah 58:1-12:

Shout for all you are worth,
raise your voice like a trumpet.
Proclaim their faults to my people,
their sins to the House of Jacob.

They seek me day after day,
they long to know my ways,
like a nation that wants to act with integrity
and not ignore the law of its God.
They ask me for laws that are just,
they long for God to draw near:
‘Why should we fast if you never see it,
why do penance if you never notice?’

Look, you do business on your fast-days,
you oppress all your workmen;
look, you quarrel and squabble when you fast
and strike the poor man with your fist.
Fasting like yours today
will never make your voice heard on high.

Is that the sort of fast that pleases me,
a truly penitential day for men?
Hanging your head like a reed,
lying down on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call fasting,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

Start A New Lenten Tradition!

My 8 year old made this sign during the October 40 Days for Life Campaign

Last year, our family was blessed to participate in the 40 Days for Life campaign, held annually during Lent and again in the fall.  40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life effort that consists of 40 days of prayer and fasting, 40 days of peaceful vigil, and 40 days of community outreach.  During the vigil, the pro-life faithful gather in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic at 160 South 1000 East in Salt Lake City to pray the rosary together.  A collection of groups arrange to take shifts each week during Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday, with the goal of having someone praying during all business hours throughout the campaign.

During this Lenten event, volunteers from St. Ambrose are coordinating to cover the shifts on Wednesdays from 1:00-6:00, beginning on Ash Wednesday (that's tomorrow!).  We need more volunteers who are willing to commit to pray for one hour, each week during Lent.  If you are not able to commit to every week, I encourage you to sign up for the weeks that you can.

40 Days for Life was a powerful addition to our family's Lenten devotions last year.  My children learned more about praying the rosary, and we were all blessed by the focused time in prayer as a family.  40 Days for Life was an amazing opportunity to share our pro-life values with our children. We have even been blessed with many new friendships, through participation in this ministry.

But in the end it is not about me, or you, it is about the thousands of innocent lives that are lost each day in the holocaust of abortion.  During this focused time of prayer we have the opportunity to make an impact, through our prayer and presence.   Worldwide, 40 Days for Life has mobilized over 500,000 people, saved more than 5,000 lives from abortion, led to the conversation of 61 abortions workers, and seen 19 facilities close.  This is something tangible we can do to make a difference!

There will be a kick-off candlelight vigil held tonight from 7:00-8:00 at the Planned Parenthood in Salt Lake City.  You will be able to pick up signs and devotions to use during the campaign.  All participants must read the Code of Conduct and sign a Statement of Peace.  For more information or to sign up for a shift, contact Heidi, heyhohideo@hotmail.com, or Holly, hollyerinbruce@gmail.com.

"...we will stand up every time that human life is threatened. When the sacredness of life before birth is attacked, we will stand up and proclaim that no one ever has the authority to destroy unborn life. When a child is described as a burden or is looked upon only as a means to satisfy an emotional need, we will stand up and insist that every child is a unique and unrepeatable gift of God, with the right to a loving and united family..."

~ Pope John Paul II, Homily at the Holy Mass at the Capital Mall, October 7, 1979 ~

PovertyUSA

I read a Tweet posted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops about their program PovertyUSA that sent me on Curious George adventure on the internet. What are people saying about poverty out there in the blogosphere? Can we end it? Why is it still an issue in this day and age? Are we any closer to solving the problem?

There are as many answers to these questions as clicks you could click on your keyboard. 

After all my clicking, I came away with this—we have the resources to end poverty, unfortunately, we lack the motivation needed to actually get the job done. I want to say we can end it, because we can, it’s just that we won’t. Sad, but true. Nevertheless, many good people are working hard and doing their best, and who knows what might happen someday. One thing I am absolutely sure of, though, is if we all did something, anything to help the effort, poverty would decline. So let’s get started…

We Can End It. (Chin up attitude!)

Join us in breaking the cycle of poverty and helping people move themselves out of PovertyUSA. Learn more about community organizations that support self-sufficiency, improve communities and encourage independence.

"Catholicism does not call us to abandon the world but to help shape it. This does not mean leaving worldly tasks and responsibilities but transforming them...Social justice and the common good are built up or town down day by day in the countless decisions and choices we make."  US Bishops, Everyday Christianity

Visit the Poverty USA facebook page.
Join the facebook event

Poverty...what's life like at the poverty line? It's one impossible choice after another—between food and medicine, getting to work or paying the heating bill. But there are ways out.

Get involved: First Fridays for Food Security

The Announcement of the Gospel Today

From the full text of the introduction on the New Evangelization given on Friday by Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan (Archbishop of New York) during the Day of Prayer and Reflection of the College of Cardinals the day before the Consitory creating 22 new Cardinals.

The Announcement of the Gospel Today,
Between missio ad gentes and the New Evangelization

. . . We hail the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, especially found in Lumen Gentium, Gaudium et Spes, and Ad Gentes, that refines the Church’s understanding of her evangelical duty, defining the entire Church as missionary, that all Christians, by reason of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist, are evangelizers.

Yes, the Council reaffirmed, especially in Ad Gentes, there are explicit missionaries, sent to lands and peoples who have never heard the very Name by which all are saved, but also that no Christian is exempt from the duty of witnessing to Jesus and offering His invitation to others in his own day-to-day life.

Thus, mission became central to the life of every local church, to every believer. The context of mission shifted not only in a geographical sense, but in a theological sense, as mission applied not only to unbelievers but to believers, and some thoughtful people began to wonder if such a providential expansion of the concept of evangelization unintentionally diluted the emphasis of mission ad gentes.

Blessed John Paul II developed this fresh understanding, speaking of evangelizing cultures, since the engagement between faith and culture supplanted the relationship between church and state dominant prior to the Council, and included in this task the re-evangelizing of cultures that had once been the very engine of gospel values. The New Evangelization became the dare to apply the invitation of Jesus to conversion of heart not only ad extra but ad intra, to believers and cultures where the salt of the gospel had lost its tang. Thus, the missio is not only to New Guinea but to New York.

The Term "New Evangelization"

The term "new evangelization" is perhaps more widely used than clearly understood. In that regard, I think it may be useful to post Pope Benedict XVI's papal address at the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization held in May of 2011:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
When, on June 28 of last year, at the First Vespers of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, I announced that I wanted to institute a Dicastery for the promotion of the New Evangelization, I opened the way for work to begin on a reflection which I had undertaken for a long time: the need to offer a specific response to a moment of crisis in Christian life which is occurring in many countries, especially those of ancient Christian tradition. Today, with this meeting, I note with pleasure that the new Pontifical Council has become a reality. I thank Msgr. Salvatore Fisichella for the words which he addressed to me, introducing me to the work of your first Plenary. I extend my cordial greetings to all of you with my encouragement for the contribution that you will give to the work of the new Dicastery, especially in view of the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which in October 2012, will address the theme of The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.

The term, “new evangelization” recalls the need for a renewed manner of proclamation, especially for those who live in a context, like the one today, in which developments of secularization have left a lasting mark, even in traditionally Christian countries. The Gospel is the always new proclamation of the salvation operated by Christ which makes humanity participants in the mystery of God and in His life of love and opens it to a future of sure and faithful hope. To underscore that at this moment in history, the Church is called to carry out a new evangelization, means intensifying her missionary action so that it fully corresponds to the mandate of the Lord. The Second Vatican Council recalled that “Moreover, the groups among which the Church dwells are often radically changed, for one reason or other, so that an entirely new set of circumstances may arise.” (Ad Gentes, 6)

"We Will Not Comply" - Catholic Civil Disobedience

Bishop Lori's testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about the HHS mandate.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the Committee, for the
opportunity to testify today.

For my testimony today, I would like to tell a story.  Let’s call it, “The
Parable of the Kosher Deli.”

Once upon a time, a new law is proposed, so that any business that serves food
must serve pork.  There is a narrow exception for kosher catering halls attached to
synagogues, since they serve mostly members of that synagogue, but kosher
delicatessens are still subject to the mandate.

The Orthodox Jewish community—whose members run kosher delis and
many other restaurants and grocers besides—expresses its outrage at the new
government mandate.  And they are joined by others who have no problem eating
pork—not just the many Jews who eat pork, but people of all faiths—because these
others recognize the threat to the principle of religious liberty.  They recognize as
well the practical impact of the damage to that principle.  They know that, if the
mandate stands, they might be the next ones forced—under threat of severe
government sanction—to violate their most deeply held beliefs, especially their
unpopular beliefs. Read more ...

 http://ow.ly/97aJS

Archbishop Chaput on HHS Mandate

Archbishop Charles Chaput, in a recent statement regarding the HHS mandate, writes:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services refused on Jan. 20 to broaden the exception to its mandate that nearly all Catholic employers must cover contraception, abortifacients, and sterilization in their health-care plans.

An “accommodation” offered Friday by the White House did not solve the problem. Instead, it triggered withering criticism from legal scholars such as Notre Dame’s Carter Snead, Harvard’s Mary Ann Glendon, Princeton’s Robert George, and Catholic University of America president John Garvey, along with non-Catholic scholars including Yuval Levin, the religious liberty law firm the Becket Fund, and numerous Catholic and other organizations.

Many Catholics are confused and angry. They should be.

Quite a few Catholics supported President Obama in the last election, so the ironies here are bitter. Many feel betrayed. They’re baffled that the Obama administration would seek to coerce Catholic employers, private and corporate, to violate their religious convictions.

But it’s clear that such actions are developing into a pattern. Whether it was the administration’s early shift toward the anemic language of “freedom of worship” instead of the more historically grounded and robust concept of “freedom of religion” in key diplomatic discussions; or its troubling effort to regulate religious ministers recently rejected 9-0 by the Supreme Court in the Hosanna Tabor case; or the revocation of the U.S. bishops’ conference human-trafficking grant for refusing to refer rape victims to abortion clinics, it seems obvious that this administration is – to put it generously – tone deaf to people of faith.

A Blogger's Book

I enjoy blogs which chronicle how the commonplace resonates with the eternal. One of my favorite authors in this regard, Amy Welborn, has recently published Wish You Were Here: Travels through Loss and Hope, the story of her trip to Sicily with three of her children after her husband, Mike Dubruiel, died suddenly. Readers of her blog, Charlotte was Both, will appreciate in this longer format a style which is both understated and sophisticated in its exploration of our life in Christ and in the Church. Here are two separate paragraphs from chapter 8 when they were touring Monreale, an ancient crossroads:

And this is why I needed a guide, I see. No matter how much I had read, I wouldn't be able to make sense of this on my own. Without someone to help me figure it out, I would just be passing through. I needed someone who had been here before. I was glad for it.

Describing the architectural complexity of the town's duomo, Welborn reflects that structure in her grammar:

Like so many churches I have encountered in Italy, the duomo's largely unadorned facade of reddish stone Romanesque towers that don't even match each other, and what strikes me as an afterthought of a white arched portico that clashes with both of them, barely hints at what's inside. As we step through the doors from the piazza, we all, including Jacqueline, cross ourselves with the holy water at the door; and although I have read about what we would see and examined pictures, none of that really prepares me, because real life is more than pictures, is more than words on a page.

While it may not suit elementary writing standards, the first sentence of that paragraph is wonderful. Such little gems are scattered throughout Wish You Were Here, which talks of very serious matters in a light and understated manner.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Not much is known about St. Valentine, other than he was a real person, a priest who lived in Rome during the 3^rd Century.  During that time, Claudius II was Emperor.  He forbade the practice of Christianity, and executed anyone who disobeyed him.

Fortunately for us, St. Valentine ignored the rule, and went about his business converting pagans and secretly administering the Sacrament of Marriage to young lovers.  Which is why we send mushy cards, flowers, and chocolate dipped strawberries to the people we love on the anniversary of his death.

But there’s more to the story than that. 

Valentine lived in a time when it was very dangerous to be a Christian.  He lived his beliefs, and stood firm in his faith, even when he was arrested and brought before the magistrate. In fact, he converted the magistrate and his entire family when he performed a miracle, restoring sight to the magistrate’s blind daughter. 

Needless to say, Claudius was not pleased, and had St. Valentine dragged before him.  At which point Valentine attempted to convert Claudius.  A fatal mistake on Valentine’s part; as an enraged Claudius, not given to understatement, had Valentine beaten with clubs, stoned, and then beheaded. 

Legend tells us that before his execution, St. Valentine managed to sneak a farewell note to the Magistrate’s daughter, signing it “from your Valentine.”  Thus, today we send “Valentine’s Day cards” to just about everybody from classmates, to grandparents, to the local bus driver.

St. Valentine was buried on February 14, and is honored today as the true patron of love.  And not because Hallmark was looking for another profitable day to fill the gap between Christmas and Easter.  Valentine loved God, and he loved his flock enough to make the ultimate sacrifice.  He gave up his life rather than denounce his faith, and gave us a role model for making tough decisions.

Today, and every day, let’s ask God, through the example and intercession of St. Valentine, to help us love unselfishly, be kind to everyone which whom we come in contact, and stand firm when we must make difficult choices.

God Should Advertise on the Super Bowl

Advertising is very powerful.  Which explains why huge companies compete for $3 Million television spots in a football game.

Sometimes advertising fills a need by making us aware of solutions to existing problems.  Raid ® roach killer might not solve the world’s troubles, but it sure is good to know it's there if you open your kitchen door and spot a handful of crispy crawly things scattering for cover under your refrigerator.

The trouble comes when advertising creates a problem just so it can offer a solution. 

Which is, by the way, how I found out I was hopelessly inadequate. 

For years I got up every morning and applied my makeup.  And for years I felt perfectly acceptable, satisfied with the features God gave me. Not glamorous or beautiful, but definitely ADEQUATE.

Until one day Latisse® pointed out that I was not up to standard.  They proved it.  They had actual photos of a model with eyelashes that looked like mine, and they stated unequivocally that they were inadequate.  Holy Cow!  If a beautiful woman like that was deficient, what the heck was I?  

I was an imposter!  Wandering the streets of the world, posing as a normal person, when in reality I was a freak of nature.  Inadequate.  UNWORTHY.

But wait!  There was a perfectly simple solution to this hideous situation.  All I had to do was buy their product.  For a mere $120 a month, I could own the magic.  In 16 weeks I could become ADEQUATE!  Of course, I might get bacterial keratitis.  And my eyes might become permanently discolored.  And my eyelids could become darkened, too;  but that’s probably reversible If I gave up my magic potion.  But then my lashes would all fall out and I would become freakishly inferior again! 

But isn’t it worth the risk?  Isn’t it worth the money?  Isn’t it worth anything if I could only become ADEQUATE again?

Every morning when I looked in the mirror I was reminded that I was inferior.  I became obsessed with my eye makeup.  I thought about eyelash extensions.  I considered having my eyelids tattooed to camouflage  my worthless lashes.  I thought about wearing sunglasses 24/7.   On and on I obsessed, I ruminated, I worried. 

Until one day I got mad. 

Because Latisse®  didn’t care about me.  They weren’t trying to help me.  In fact they paid a lot of money to produce and air a commercial created solely to make me feel bad.  Bad enough to spend a bunch of money and risk some pretty serious side effects.  Bad enough to make their shareholders rich.  

That’s what most advertising is about.   Creating needs.  Telling us we deserve more, better, bigger.  Convincing us we are INADEQUATE, and that all our unhappiness will go away if we just give them money.

But is that what God wants for us?  A life of envy, fear, unhappiness, stress?  A life of searching for a magic potion, for a way to feel ADEQUATE?

No!  God has promised us peace.  In John 14:27 He says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. …Do not let your hearts be troubled...”  But to experience His peace, we need to focus on Him, not on the commercial messages bombarding us at every turn.

Think about some recent purchases.  How much were your decisions influenced by advertisers who don't care about anything but your money?  How do they line up with God's  desires for your life?

In Philippians 4:19, Paul tells us that God will meet all our needs "according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” We don’t have to settle for being ADEQUATE; we have been promised the EXTRAORDINARY.  We already have everything we need, and more than we can imagine.  It’s been given to us freely and without limit, by the God of love.  

The New Evangelization and Ecumenism

Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II have, in connection to what has been termed the 'New Evangelization', encouraged all the faithful to perform spiritual works of mercy. However, how can we effectively present our Catholic faith to those with different beliefs?

If I lived in Italy and someone asked me, 'How do I get to Rome?' I would first ask, 'well, where are you starting from?' Similarly, in order to effectively evangelize, we have to know where the person we are talking with 'is coming from' and how various words and concepts differ between our diverse faiths. So, to explain our faith we really need to have some understanding of their faith, i.e., we need to consider ecumenical matters.

On March 25th, 1993, His Holiness Pope John Paul II addressed this need and approved this DIRECTORY FOR THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES AND NORMS ON ECUMENISM.

Here are a few quotes from this long and comprehensive document, to encourage you to follow the link above and read the entire document: ‎

"Be careful to respect the lively faith of other Churches and ecclesial Communities which preach the Gospel, and rejoice in the grace of God that is at work among them."

First, at the family level: ‎

"In the interest of greater understanding and unity, both parties should learn more about their partner's religious convictions and the teaching and religious practices of the Church or ecclesial Community to which he or she belongs. To help them live the Christian inheritance they have in common, they should be reminded that prayer together is essential."

"The family, called the "domestic church" by the Second Vatican Council, is the primary place in which unity will be fashioned or weakened each day through the encounter of persons, who, though different in many ways, accept each other in a communion of love. It is also there that care must be taken not to entertain prejudices, but on the contrary to search for the truth in all things."

And, at a broader level:

"When speaking of other Churches and ecclesial Communities, it is important to present their teaching correctly and honestly. Among those elements by which the Church itself is built up and given life, some—even many and very valuable ones—are to be found outside the visible limits of the Catholic Church. The Spirit of Christ therefore does not refuse to use these communities as means of salvation. Doing this also puts in relief the truths of faith held in common by various Christian confessions. This will help Catholics both to deepen their own faith and to know and esteem other Christians, thus making easier the search in common for the path of full unity in the whole truth."

And, reaching even beyond the Christian faith:

"There are increasing contacts in today's world between Christians and persons of other religions. These contacts differ radically from the contacts between the Churches and ecclesial Communities, which have for their object the restoration of the unity Christ willed among all his disciples and are properly called ecumenical. But in practice they are deeply influenced by, and in turn influence ecumenical relationships. Through them Christians can deepen the level of communion existing among themselves, and so they are to be considered an important part of ecumenical cooperation."

From a letter of St Ambrose

In the Office of Readings for today, Wednesday in the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time, the Liturgy of the Hours has a reading from a letter by the patron saint of our parish:

From a letter by Saint Ambrose, bishop

We are heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ

The person who puts to death by the Spirit the deeds of our sinful nature will live, says the Apostle. This is not surprising since one who has the Spirit of God becomes a child of God. So true is it that he is a child of God that he receives not a spirit that enslaves but the Spirit that makes us sons. So much so that the Holy Spirit bears witness to our spirit that we are sons of God. This is the witness of the Holy Spirit: he cries out in our hearts, Abba, Father, as we read in the letter to the Galatians.

  There is also that other great testimony to the fact that we are sons of God: we are heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ.A co-heir of Christ is one who is glorified along with Christ. The one who is glorified along with him is one who, by suffering for him, suffers along with him.

  To encourage us in suffering, Paul adds that all our sufferings are small in comparison with the wonderful reward that will be revealed in us; our labours do not deserve the blessings that are to come. We shall be restored to the likeness of God, and counted worthy of seeing him face to face.

  He enhances the greatness of the revelation that is to come by adding that creation also looks forward to this revealing of the sons of God. Creation, he says, is at present condemned to frustration, not of its own choice, but it lives in hope. Its hope is in Christ, as it awaits the grace of his ministry; or it hopes that it will share in the glorious freedom of the sons of God and be freed from its bondage to corruption, so that there will be one freedom, shared by creation and by the sons of God when their glory will be revealed.

  At present, however, while this revealing is delayed, all creation groans as it looks forward to the glory of adoption and redemption; it is already in labour with that spirit of salvation, and is anxious to be freed from its subjection to frustration.

  The meaning is clear: those who have the first fruits of the Spirit are groaning in the expectation of the adoption of sons. This adoption of sons is that of the whole body of creation, when it will be as it were a son of God and see the divine, eternal goodness face to face. The adoption of sons is present in the Church of the Lord when the Spirit calls out:Abba, Father, as you read in the letter to the Galatians. But it will be perfect when all who are worthy of seeing the face of God rise in incorruption, in honour and in glory. Then our humanity will know that it has been truly redeemed. So Paul glories in saying: We are saved by hope. Hope saves, just as faith does, for of faith it is said: Your faith has saved you.

Communications in a Mobile Society

[h/t cnsblog.wordpress.com] 

Our friends at Salt + Light, Canada’s premier Catholic media ministry, last week posted an interview with Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City and Tim Reidy of America magazine on modern communications challenges and on U.S. immigration issues. Bishop Wester is former chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration and was elected last fall to head their Committee on Communications. Reidy is America’s online editor.

Here they discuss the challenges — and opportunities — facing the church in spreading the Gospel to a mobile society. Later in the interview they discuss immigration reform and the responsibility of the church to speak out for principles that recognize the humanity of immigrants coming to the United States.

Regarding the Proposed HHS Mandate

HHS Rule

Bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate to restore the full religious exemption.  Both bills share the title of Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011 and are in committees.  The House bill is HR 1179, the Senate version is S 1467.  Senators Hatch and Lee and Representative Bishop are co-sponsors of the bills.   Please contact Sens. Hatch and Lee and your representative and ask them to move these bills out as soon as possible.  Sen. Hatch:  202.224.5251 or by email at http://www.hatch.senate.gov/ , Sen. Lee at  202.224.5444 or by email athttp://www.lee.senate.gov/   Rep. Bishop at 202.225.0453 or by email at http://www.robbishop.house.gov/ , Rep. Chaffetz at 202.225.7751 or by email at http://www.chaffetz.house.gov/ , or Rep. Matheson at 202. 225.3011 or by email at jim.matheson@mail.house.gov. For local office numbers, please check their individual websites.   

USCCB response to White House Blog on Contraceptive Mandate

Six Things Everyone Should Know About the HHS Mandate

You can learn more about the issue at http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/index.cfm. 


[the above is copied from the website of our Diocese: http://www.utahcatholicdiocese.org/ministries/governmentliaison/hhs-rule
For other coverage on the net see, for example: http://www.catholicvote.org/discuss/index.php?p=25591 ]

Jazz Concert at St Ambrose

This past Sunday there was an excellent concert by the Jazz Vespers Band, in support of the Pipe Organ project and with the assistance of our choir, at St Ambrose.

In preparation for the concert, several sound engineers with the band spent all afternoon tuning the sound at St Ambrose for the very different acoustic characteristics. As a result, the sound was clear and one could clearly hear the professional skill of the musicians: David S Halliday on saxophone, Courtney Smith on piano (the musical arrangements being done by these two musicians), Denson Angulo on bass, and Steve Lyman on drums. It was a good reminder that the success of an endeavor often depends on work being done 'behind the scenes.

The music was introduced and narrated by David R Halliday, who had hosted a jazz radio program in California for years. Dr Halliday's skillful, brief introductions to the jazz repertoire interwoven with quotations from the Bible, Pope Benedict XVI, and the Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins provided a good example of how the Church forms Christendom by engaging the secular culture. As the eastern orthodox theologian, David Bentley Hart, has pointed out it is precisely the lack of faithful engagement to generate a Christian culture that often characterizes American religiosity, to the detriment of both Church and State.

While the musician's solos drew the most applause, to this non-trained ear the foundation of the Jazz Vespers Band's excellence is built upon the tight harmony between David Halliday's saxophone and Courtney Smith's piano. I made a couple of low quality videos: here is Courtney Smith's arrangement of Let It Be and here is the band's encore performance of Just A Closer Walk With Thee (both recorded on my iPhone). Other songs performed were: Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho, Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child/Rock My Soul, Coltrane's Dear Lord, Shorter's Infant Eyes, and Hammerstein's Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise.

Reading for Spiritual Formation

If asked 'What should I read for spiritual formation, to help me to think with the Church,' there are many books one could recommend. The Bible, of course, but even there it helps to have some direction beyond the readings given for daily Mass.

Throughout the world among both laity and religious, the liturgical unity of the Catholic Church, beyond the Mass itself, is represented not in commercial hymnals but rather in The Liturgy of the Hours or, as it is alternatively known, The Divine Office. This is the basis of common worship within the Catholic Church, although its use is scattered outside the clergy. It is the one liturgical document which crosses various internal boundaries. In addition to extensive readings from the Psalms and other Scripture, the Hours includes a selection of hymns.

The four volume edition, while expensive, is more useful than one volume abridgments. There is also a fairly complete version http://universalis.com/ available online.

In a recent general audience, Pope Benedict XVI remarked: “I would like to renew my call to everyone to pray the Psalms, to become accustomed to using the Liturgy of the Hours: Lauds, Vespers, and Compline.”

The Liturgy of the Hours has designated readings for each day and for every special day in the liturgical calendar. It also includes various hymns and even an appendix of poetry.

For example, for this Thursday in the 4th week of Ordinary Time, the office of readings include 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 and an extract from the Catecheses of St Cyril of Jerusalem. The readings in the monthly cycle of the Hours include:

Psalm 44, 143:1-11, 147:1-11, 128, 129, and 144 as well as Isaiah 66:10-14, Romans 8:18-21, 1 John 3:23-24, Wisdom 1:1-2, Hebrews 12:1-2, Revelation 11:17-18, 12:10-12 and various hymns, prayers and intercessions.

However, since this Thursday falls on February 2th, the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, there are also special readings: Psalms 2, 19A, 45; Exodus 13:1-3, 11-16 and a sermon by Saint Sophronius about being receptive to the Eternal Light. Additional readings for the Hours (for example, for Morning Prayer [also called Lauds] and Evening Prayer [also called Vespers]) include readings from Isaiah, Psalms, Colossians as well as various prayers, hymns, and intersessions.

This is the first of what I hope will be weekly postings on this blog regarding the Liturgy of the Hours and I hope to hear your comments. Also, we invite you to join us in praying the Morning Office on Wednesdays at 10am, in the Vaughan Center at St Ambrose.