Articles For Heart Mind Soul

Presentation Ministries: One Bread, One Body "Let Your saving help, O God, protect me." —Psalm 69:30 When threatened with execution, Jeremiah fearlessly proclaimed: "As for me, I am in your hands; do with me what you think good and right. But mark well: if you put me to death, it is innocent blood you bring on yourselves" (Jeremiah 26:14-15). Jeremiah stood his ground and refused to let himself be intimidated. He was often fearful in his life (see Jeremiah 1:6, 8), but this time he was fearless, and "he was not handed over to the people to be put to death" (Jeremiah 26:24). "There was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah...He prophesied the same things against this city and land as Jeremiah did" (Jeremiah 26:20). Uriah, like Jeremiah, was a prophet with the same message to the same people. However, Uriah was put to death by King Jehoiakim and Jeremiah was not. Jeremiah and Uriah were treated differently in this situ...

Life, Love and the Purpose of Our Existence DATE: Saturday August 7, 2010 TIME: Doors open at 8 a.m. LOCATION: AT&T Center, One AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX 78219 MORE INFO: http://www.fathercorapisa.com/ Fr. Corapi: Immortal Combat

Keep silent, keep still and let God take care of it, let God handle it: “God, You take care of it, it is in Your Hands.”

FRIDAY, JULY 30, 2010 Rev. George T. Montague, S.M., S.Th.D.                               Rev. Juan Alfaro, S.S.L. Seminar Features Guest speakers: Rev. George Montague, S.M., S.Th.D. and Rev. Juan Alfaro, S.S.L. The Texas Bishops' 27th Annual Scripture Seminar will be held at the Oblate Renewal Center in San Antonio, Texas on October 18-21, 2010. This year's seminar, titled "The Long Road to the Pneumatology of John - The Holy Spirit: From Genesis to John" will feature guest speakers Rev. George T. Montague, S.M., S.Th.D., a professor at St Mary's University and author of over twenty books on both the scholarly and popular level, and Rev. Juan Alfaro, S.S.L., an author and teacher at local colleges and universities in San Antonio who also conducts biblical workshops in 45 dioceses. The program will include program sessions on the ...

Catholic PRWire Hollywood, CA (July 28, 2010) - Academy Award nominated director Roland Joffé returns to Hollywood with an epic film that explores the nature of humanity in his latest movie “There Be Dragons.” The famed director of the deeply Catholic film “The Mission” returns to a spiritual plot in his latest film, a powerful story of forgiveness and reconciliation woven around the figure of St. Josemaría Escrivá during the Spanish republic and Civil War in the mid 1930s. The film combines action, adventure, passion and romance with the extraordinary drama of human tragedy and Divine redemption. Fr. John Wauck, an Opus Dei priest living in Rome, was the on-set consultant for “There Be Dragons.” “The Catholic Church has gone through a great deal of persecution in the past several years. The culture needs to be aware of the many positive and beautiful aspects of our Church,” he said from Rome. “‘There Be Dragons’ tells the story of jealousy, betrayal, hatred, love and redemption. W...

Everything is a choice. We choose pride or humility, greed or generosity, gluttony or temperance, lust or chastity, laziness or diligence, envy or kindness, anger or patience.

27-July-2010 -- Catholic News Agency Washington D.C. ( CNA ) - The website InsideCatholic.com has launched a new version of its site, featuring an attractive design and greater integration of social networking features. Social networking helps make readers “partners in evangelization,” the site said, adding that the revision is intended to reflect “digital literacy.” InsideCatholic.com editor Deal Hudson told CNA that the new version of the website is only the first of many ongoing revisions intended to make the site “a comprehensive media apostolate.” The new design also kept in mind the importance of aesthetic concerns. “The beauty of good design, we think, should always be part of how Catholics present themselves on the Internet,” Hudson said. “The direction of the Internet is increasingly trending toward interaction and interface, while the amount of information available has become nearly overwhelming,” Hudson said in an article announcing the changes. “Social media allo...

Prayer: Saint Martha, pray for us that we might serve Jesus better. Help us to overcome our distractions and worries to listen to his words and be present to him this day. Amen

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Chapter IV (Continuation) God Liberates His People And Makes A Covenant With Them

When we bless others, we are blessed. When we curse others, we are cursed.

Basilicas and Papal Chapels 27-July-2010 -- ZENIT.org News Agency Virtual Images Bring Rome to Your Home ROME ( Zenit.org ) - Nothing can compare to a visit to Rome to admire the Sistine Chapel in person, or feel the "embrace" of the colonnade surrounding St. Peter's Square. But a two-year project accomplished by students of the Villanova University of Pennsylvania can bring part of the "Rome experience" into your home. The Sistine Chapel, St. Paul's Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran and St. Peter's are all available for viewing virtually at the Vatican web site.

Everything is a choice between everlasting punishment or eternal paradise. The consequences of our choices start here and now, we either collect the benefits or carry the burdens of our choices.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010 Chapter IV God Liberates His People And Makes A Covenant With Them

Dr. Ray Guarendi

Stuff distracts from the substantial and the sublime. Detach from things and attach to God. Divest of things and invest in God. We do not need more storage, but less stuff.

HOLLYWOOD, California, July 26, 2010 ( LifeSiteNews.com ) - Family-oriented movies are again topping the box office this summer, while only one R-rated movie has grossed more than $100 million this year. The cartoon "Despicable Me," released July 9, grossed an estimated $60.1 million on its opening weekend, well above the $30-5 million industry experts expected. The wildly successful "Toy Story 3" has also soared past $339 million after its fourth weekend, while two other children's movies, "The Karate Kid" and "The Last Airbender," have also drawn considerable sums. Pursuing an answer to "that puzzling matter of why family-film openings are so tough to predict," Chuck Viane, the president of distribution at Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, noted a potential flaw in the method for gauging interest in family films. "The simplest answer is that the tracking doesn't include the young kids themselves," he said. A...

True Treasures: Who are our true treasures? What are our true treasures? When are our true treasures? Where are our true treasures? Why are our true treasures? How are our true treasures?

PRAYER TO ST. JOACHIM AND ST. ANNE Great and glorious patriarch, St Joachim, and good St Anne, what joy is mine when I consider that you were chosen among all God’s holy ones to assist in the fulfillment of the mysteries of God, and to enrich our earth with the great Mother of God, Mary most holy. By this singular privilege, you have become most powerful with both the Mother and her Son, so as to be able to obtain for us the graces that are needful to us. With great confidence I have recourse to your mighty protection, and I commend to you all my needs, both spiritual and temporal, and those of my family. Especially do I entrust to your keeping the particular favour that I desire and look for from your intercession. And since you were a perfect pattern of the interior life, obtain for me the grace to pray earnestly, and never to set my heart on the passing goods of this life. Give me a lively and enduring love for Jesus and Mary. Obtain for me also a sincere devotion and obedien...

Natural Family Planning Awareness Week is a national educational campaign. The NFP Program of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops develops a variety of educational formats to focus attention on Natural Family Planning methods and Church teachings which support their use in marriage. The dates of Natural Family Planning Awareness Week highlight the anniversary of the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae (July 25) which articulates Catholic beliefs about human sexuality, conjugal love and responsible parenthood. The dates also mark the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne (July 26), the parents of the Blessed Mother. Prayer for Married Couples Almighty and eternal God, You blessed the union of married couples so that they might reflect the union of Christ with his Church: look with kindness on them. Renew their marriage covenant, increase your love in them, and strengthen their bond of peace so that, with their children, they may always rejoice in the gift of your bles...

Why not priest?

Author: Father Ernest Daly, LC Source: Catholic.net July 25, 2010 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Introductory Prayer : Lord, I come into your presence seeking to know you better. I believe that you take the lead in seeking me. You want me to find you. I trust that in your mercy you will bring me to intimacy with you. I open my heart today to receive your friendship. Petition : Lord, teach me to long for your Kingdom and your holiness. 1. Teach Us to Pray All of us carry a longing to know God and enter into a relationship with him. Those who live a deep relationship with God attract us by the peace and serenity of their lives. They know they are loved, and they can handle the difficulties of life with joy and serenity. The disciples see how deeply and spontaneously Christ talks with the Father, and they realize they are far from that; so they ask Christ to teach them to pray. We, too, learn from Christ how to enter into a relationship of love with the Father. He teache...

Catholic PRWire FRONT ROYAL, VA (July 24, 2010) - The HomeschoolingCatholice (HSC) Team is composed of webmasters from various Catholic homeschooling websites who recognized the need for one central website to be a focal point for general information on the Catholic Homeschooling Movement, which now has an estimated 90,000 students. The new site has pages addressing the different educational methods used by homeschoolers, and a very in-depth historical narrative which begins with the early influences of Catholic homeschooling, covers how it grew, and finishes with modern trends. Several pages of online resources also exist linking to Catholic curriculum providers, publishers, and retailers. Contact: HomeschoolingCatholic http://www.homeschoolingcatholic.com/ HSC Team

Life, Love and the Purpose of Our Existence DATE: Saturday August 7, 2010 TIME: Doors open at 8 a.m. LOCATION: AT&T Center, One AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX 78219 MORE INFO: http://www.fathercorapisa.com Fr. John Corapi: Learning your Faith

The single A Decade of the Rosary from the album Prayerful Hearts  by Sharmane Adams Less

Saint Mary Magdalene , woman of many sins, who by conversion became the beloved of Jesus, thank you for your witness that Jesus forgives through the miracle of love. You, who already possess eternal happiness in His glorious presence, please intercede for me, so that some day I may share in the same everlasting joy. Amen.

In appreciation of the 29th birthday of EWTN and the gift of Catholic TV in our area, please take a moment to contact your program provider manager to say thank you. Let them know how much we appreciate them allowing Catholic programs to be broadcasted in our area and how grateful we are for their decision to keep EWTN on the air. It is an appropriate time in lieu of the birth date of this first Catholic satellite television Network keep in your prayers the continued success of EWTN and to keep in mind the amount of trust and faith Mother Angelica had in God to start a Catholic Network with only $200, a garage, and a deep obeying love in Christ. Where would our world be without her evangelistic teaching on faith and morals, where would our country be, where would your faith be? MOTHER ANGELICA’S PRAYER FOR EWTN Oh God, Lord of heaven and earth. You alone have accomplished all we had done. May this first Catholic satellite television Network be a tribute to the beauty of You...

Rome, Italy, Jul 21, 2010 ( EWTN News/CNA ) A new children's book has been published under Pope Benedict XVI's name. It presents a collection of the Holy Father's descriptions of Jesus' relationship with his "first companions," taken from his catecheses at general audiences over the past five years. The illustrated book titled "Gli Amici di Gesu" (The Friends of Jesus) was released in spring of 2010. The characters in the book include each of the original 12 apostles, including Judas Iscariot; Matthias, who replaced Judas after the betrayal, and St. Paul. The 48-page volume produced for the youngest of readers is a "route that takes the reader to the origins of the Church, through the events of the first people who found Jesus and became his friends," according to the publishing house. Fr. Julian Carron, president of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, says in the preface of book that, through the stories, "The Pope tak...

Father. Frank Pavone will be the main celebrant and homilist on the EWTN Live Televised Mass on Friday, July 23 and Saturday, July 24, 2010. http://www.priestsforlife.org In Del Rio, Texas on Time Warner Cable, Channel 32, the Mass airs live at 7am CT and repeats and 11 am CT, 6pm CT (except Saturday and Sunday) and 11 pm CT.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 Chapter III Abraham Trusts In God

Canary Islands, Jul 16, 2010 ( CNA ).- Spanish soccer star David Silva, who played on the nation's winning World Cup team is spending the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel thanking her for the victory in South Africa. The midfielder, who is from the Canary Islands, promised he would participate in the celebrations honoring Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patroness of his hometown of Arguineguin. Silva’s grandmother told reporters the family has a great devotion to Our Lady and that they were very “nervous” during the World Cup final. So much so, she said, that she could not watch the end. “I just held on to Our Lady of Mount Carmel … Who would have thought that when this 14 year-old boy who I raised left my home he would achieve this? I am so proud,” she added. Upon arriving in his home town, Silva told reporters he wanted to join the Marian festivities, as has always been his custom. At the beginning of July, celebrations in honor of Our Lady began taking place on the island...

Austin, Texas, Jul 17, 2010 ( EWTN News ) The Frontline Faith Project, an initiative to deliver MP3 players preloaded with spiritual content to U.S. servicemen and women, has sent its first shipment to Baghdad. It specially aims to help injured troops and those stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan by serving their unmet spiritual needs and reawakening their faith. The MP3 players include an audio rendition of the Mass provided by EWTN; various homilies; prayers for those in service, including a recitation of the Rosary; Christian music; prayers from children; and testimonies from soldiers about their struggles and victories with their faith. A tax-deductible donation of $24 will provide one player, the effort’s website says. According to a press release from the project, distribution of the players has been arranged with the assistance of the Archbishop for the Military Services and the 281 military chaplains and priests serving his archdiocese. Cheri Lomonte, a wife and grand...

Life, Love and the Purpose of Our Existence DATE: Saturday August 7, 2010 TIME: Doors open at 8 a.m. LOCATION: AT&T Center, One AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX 78219 MORE INFO: http://www.fathercorapisa.com/

A new priest was walking with an older, more seasoned priest in the garden one day. Feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do, he was asking the older preacher for some advice. The older preacher walked up to a rosebush and handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals. The young preacher looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the will of God for his life and ministry. But because of his great respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to try to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact. It wasn't long before he realized how impossible this was to do. Noticing the younger preacher's inability to unfold the rosebud without tearing it, the older preacher began to recite the following poem... "It is only a tiny rosebud, A flower of God's design; But I cannot un...

Mexico City, Mexico, Jul 16, 2010 ( EWTN News ) Mexican actress Laura Zapata expressed gratitude for the positive response to her play, “Life for Love” (Vida por amor), which is based on the conversion of abortion doctor Bernard Nathanson. In the play, “the public encounters something they don’t expect. They say it is a moving work,” the actress told Desde la Fe, a Mexican weekly. “We have only had one run and we have already seen great things in Mexico. I can say that what it has done has been because of the Lord,” Zapata declared. “Life for Love” recounts the conversion of Bernard Nathanson and Norma McCorvey, repentant abortionists and now defenders of human life. Nathanson, a doctor by profession, personally performed 5,000 abortions in the U.S., including one on his own wife. McCorvey was the Jane Roe in the notorious case, Roe v. Wade. Zapata said she was not motivated by success to write her play and that she was surprised by the reception it has received. “Rather I...

The following is the same prayer being said during the Novena at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy . O Beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a pure virgin, assist us in our necessities! O Star of the Sea, help and protect us! Show us that you are our Mother! (pause and mention petitions) Mother and Ornament of Carmel, pray for us! Virgin, Flower of Carmel, pray for us! Patroness of all who wear the Scapular, pray for us! Hope of all who die wearing the Scapular, pray for us! Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us who have recourse to thee! The above prayer, known as the FLOS CARMELI (trans. Flower of Carmel), has for seven centuries been a prayer to the Blessed Mother in obtaining her powerful help.

14-July-2010 -- Catholic News Agency Madrid, Spain, (CNA) - Spanish soccer player Andres Iniesta, who scored the winning goal during the World Cup final in South Africa, has promised to walk the Way of St. James, which leads to Santiago de Compostela. The Way of St. James is a pilgrimage route that for centuries brought the faithful from across Europe to the city of Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of the saint are venerated. According to the Spanish newspaper, Marca, months before the 2010 World Cup, the members of the Spanish team sent the newspaper sealed envelopes with the promises they would keep if they won the title. Marca opened the envelopes after Spain’s historic victory on Sunday and found that Iniesta, along with Fernando Torres and Carlos Marchena said they would walk the Way of St. James. Iniesta also revealed his promise in an interview prior to the World Cup. Speaking on Spanish television he said he would make the pilgrimage “somehow…I’ll do it howe...

By Maria Huemmer, Public Relations and Outreach Coordinator, Texas Catholic Conference During July we celebrate Independence Day and the inception of the United States. Religion and faith influenced our Founding Fathers as the ink dried on the Declaration of Independence, and that influence still continues today. There is a common misconception that the US Constitution requires a separation of church and state. The Constitution actually protects the freedom of religion by prohibiting the state from establishing a specific religion or preventing the people from practicing their religion. As Catholics we have a right and a responsibility to act as Faithful Citizens, and we are blessed to live in a country where we can do so publicly. But what does our faith teach about the responsibilities of the state? The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that every human community needs an authority to govern it and that it is the role of the state to defend and promote the common good of...

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico, JULY 12, 2010 ( Zenit.org ).- A special pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe this week is highlighting the needs of Mexican immigrants in the United States, as well as the role of Our Lady of Guadalupe as their patroness. Participants departed today on bicycles from the Monument to the Migrant in the Mexican city of Nuevo Laredo, and are expected to cover the 745 miles between the border and the Mexico City shrine by Sunday. Upon reaching Queretaro, the group will join the annual pilgrimage of the diocese there, the oldest of Mexico, which is about to celebrate the 120th anniversary of going on foot to the most visited Shrine in the Christian world. According to organizer Father Juan Garcia Gudino, the objective of the event is to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe as the patron of immigrants, as well as to rebuild an old chapel located in Doctor Mora, Guanajuato, and dedicate it to the Virgin of Guadalupe. The priest revealed that the first stage of the pilgr...

Archdiocese of San Antonio Donate Now! Please help our brothers and sisters struggling from the destruction of Hurricane Alex! “Let us continue to pray for all of those who have seen their lives changed . . . While the headlines documenting their loss may fade, your generosity will be a lasting reminder they are not alone.” Bishop Oscar Cantu

Hollywood, Calif., Jul 11, 2010 ( CNA ).- A new family movie, “The Jensen Project,” is scheduled to air on NBC TV next Friday, July 16, at 7 p.m. CST as part of an effort to increase appropriate family entertainment. The Vote With Your Remote movement is bringing the movie to television in response to persistent requests for more family-friendly programming. The plot of the movie focuses on Claire and Matt Thompson and their teenage son, Brody. The family is involved with a secret community of geniuses known as The Jensen Project, who do research and share it anonymously to help the world. In a suspense-filled storyline, the Thompsons must race against the clock to prevent potentially dangerous technology from falling into the wrong hands. They follow clues and thwart evil schemes, and ultimately grow closer as a family in the process. Working to publicize “The Jensen Project” is Motive Entertainment, the company that has promoted previous family movies including “Polar Express” ...

  Del Rio News-Herald Published July 11, 2010

Prayer of Firm Purpose of Amendment Prayer of Saint Benedict of Nursia (480-547) O Lord, I place myself in your hands and dedicate myself to you. I pledge myself to do your will in all things: To love the Lord God with all my heart, all my soul, all my strength. Not to kill. Not to steal. Not to covet. Not to bear false witness. To honor all persons. Not to do to another what I would not wish done to myself. To chastise the body. Not to seek after pleasures. To love fasting. To relieve the poor. To clothe the naked. To visit the sick. To bury the dead. To help in trouble. To console the sorrowing. To hold myself aloof from worldly ways. To prefer nothing to the love of Christ. Not to give way to anger. Not to foster a desire for revenge. Not to entertain deceit in the heart. Not to make a false peace. Not to forsake charity. Not to swear, lest I swear falsely. To speak the truth with heart and tongue. Not to return evil for evil. T o do no injury: yea, eve...

DAY NINE Saint Anthony, servant of Mary, glory of the Church, pray for our Holy Father, our bishops, our priests, our Religious Orders, that, through their pious zeal and apostolic labors, all may be united in faith and give greater glory to God. St. Anthony, helper of all who invoke you, pray for me and intercede for me before the throne of Almighty God that I be granted the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena (State your intention). One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony. Saint Anthony, pray for us!

Mexico City, Mexico, Jul 9, 2010 ( CNA ).- In a press release issued yesterday, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City expressed his condolences and spiritual closeness to those affected by the flooding in the states of Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and Coahuila and called on the Mexican people to express their solidarity. The cardinal urged Mexicans to help those affected by the natural disaster through organizations such as Caritas and the Mexican Red Cross. “To the pastors of these areas, especially Cardinal Francisco Robles, the Archbishop of Mexico expresses his closeness and offers his prayers that the Lord will sustain and fill them with abundant blessings so that they can bring faith, hope and charity to those who have lost their homes or loved ones, whom we commend to the loving bosom of the Most Holy Virgin of Guadalupe, our sweet Mother."

Vatican City, Jul 9, 2010 ( CNA ).- The Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano has offered up praise for Disney-Pixar’s “Toy Story 3” for providing moviegoers with a profound reflection on transcendental human themes and a lesson on true friendship through the experience of the film’s toy stars. In the film’s third installment, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, together with their friends, are forced to confront their future. Their owner, Andy, has stopped playing with them and at 17 is preparing to head off to college. He must decide whether to donate the toys to a day care center or throw them away. Vallini praised the film for its creative animation techniques and quality which have “passed the harsh judgment of children and which even adults find entertaining.” The L'Osservatore reviewer went so far as to put it in the same league as other Pixar films that have lifted up human values, such as “Wall-E,” which promotes the defense of life, and “Up,” which in its opening sequence emphasiz...

DAY EIGHT O holy St. Anthony, you have shown yourself so powerful in your intercession, so tender and so compassionate towards those who honor you and invoke you in suffering and distress. I beseech you most humbly and earnestly to take me under your protection in my present necessities and to obtain for me the favor I desire (State your intention). Recommend my request to the merciful Queen of Heaven, that she may plead my cause with you before the throne of her Divine Son. One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony. Saint Anthony, pray for us!