Sunday Snippets

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. We are a group of bloggers who gather once each week to share out best posts.

The Creed - Part 4

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

This last section of the creed focuses first on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Blessed Trinity and is the one who animates our life. The Spirit comes from the Father and the Son out of the great love they have, not only for each other but for all of us. Since all three are equal all are given praise and worship.

The next statement reminds us that our Church did not simply appear one day; it is founded on the apostles whom Jesus gathered around him during his three years of ministry. He said, “Come after me” (Mt: 4:19) and then told Peter “upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16: 18). Our Church is alive because if has living foundation.

Baptism is received only once, no matter in what religious denomination, as long as it is done with water and in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. If a person has already been baptized in this manner, they are not re-baptized when they convert to Catholicism. Instead, they make a “profession of faith.”

And finally, we remind ourselves that at some point in time, all the dead shall be resurrected and live forever, hopefully, with God in heaven.

The Creed is a summation of our faith. It explains, briefly, all that we as Catholic hold to be true in our faith. Each Sunday as we pray this ancient prayer together let us recall what unites us and gives us a firm foundation.
For more information see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 3 or online at http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3ind.shtml

The Creed -Part 3

By the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

When we pray the Creed and say “By the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man,” it is at this point we bow to remind ourselves of the act of God lowering himself to become man. It is through Jesus’ obedience to his Father that he suffers and dies for us. The “third day” of course, is the resurrection and this fulfills every word of Scripture. Jesus then spent forty days with the apostles and then ascended to the Father in heaven. There, he takes his rightful place at God’s right hand. He intercedes for us and sees that the Holy Spirit is poured forth for us. When Jesus comes again, it will be in glory at the end of the world. Jesus will reveal all the secrets in our hearts, and our final judgment will be determined by our works and our acceptance or rejection of the grace given to us.

For more in-depth information on the creed and what we believe, see the Catechism, sections 484 to 682 in Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 2.

The Creed - Part 2

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven.

This part of the Creed is about Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. Just as we believe in only one God the Father, we believe in only one God the Son, who is called Jesus Christ. Even his name tells us who he is and why he came to us. “Lord” is used in the Old Testament to tell us that God is divine. In the New Testament, the title is used for both the Father and Son, stressing that we recognize Jesus as God himself. Jesus means “God saves” in Hebrew and Christ is a Greek translation of Messiah, which is “anointed” in Hebrew. There is only one Son, who comes from the Father, and has existed since the beginning of time. The words “true God from true God” remind us that Jesus was both fully divine and fully human. His incarnation, when “he came down from heaven,” did not make him less divine, but rather he has both his divine and human nature. The two natures cooperate so that his human will is obedient to the Father so that we would have eternal salvation. Jesus’ incarnation gives dignity to the human person and leads us to share in his divinity.

As we pray these words each Sunday, recall how Jesus humbled himself to become like us and then saved us. When we do that, gratitude is our response.

For more in-depth information see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 422 to 483, (Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 2)

The Creed - Part 1

Each Sunday at Mass we pray together the Nicene Creed, which is a summation of what we believe as Catholics. It is ancient, coming from the Councils of Nicea in 325 and Constantinople in 381, and is common to both the Eastern and Latin Rite Churches. Each section gives us basic tenets or beliefs of our faith. But do we know what we are saying, or do the words just come out of our mouths, following along with everyone else around us?

The first sentence calls to mind who made us and everything around us
We believe in one God,the Father, the Almighty,maker of heaven and earth,of all that is seen and unseen.

“We believe in one God.” This is where we begin, with God who is love and truth for all people. There is no one greater than him, anywhere in heaven or on earth. He has made all things and people, even those things which we cannot see. It is only right then, to offer him our praise and thanksgiving. Our lives should be a response to his great love. The word “almighty” helps us to recall God’s infinite mercy and that for him, nothing is impossible. He created heaven and earth out of nothing, and as an act of love. Most importantly, he created man and woman in his image and likeness and we are good.

The next time you are at Mass and pray these words, really focus on what they mean and how you can live your life reflecting your belief in them.

For more in depth information see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 185 to 421 (section 2, chapter 1).

7 Quick Takes Friday

1. I attended a Cursillo weekend and am still thinking about all I learned. I will say that the prayers of so many meant so much to me, especially those people whom I don't know, don;t know me, and will probably never meet.

2. Our new priest is settling into the parish and office quite well. He is very funny, warm, a good homilist.

3. My dad had open heart surgery last week and is doing very well. He should be home soon and I'll go to see him and spend time helping my mom next week.

4. My front yard is being dug up and will soon be beautiful. As long as the rain doesn't wash away the dirt before we can get new sod down.

5. I finished all the writing for the next newsletter at work. Praise God!

6. I am reading Julian of Norwich and just finished the section on the Trinity. She writes with the most amazing insight and touches me with her wisdom and humility.

7. Last, but really most important.........my husband has been accepted into the Diaconate program and he will begin in just two weeks! The Holy Spirit is moving.

Choosing Beauty: A 30 Day Spiritual Makeover for Women

I choose this book by Gina Loehr to review for different reasons, but mainly to discern if our women's bible study group would enjoy it as a selection. It was a great study. The book is broken down into 10 chapters, each for three days and are grouped by a virtue that the chapter focuses on, such as hope, prudence, or charity. There is a prayer and thought provoking questions at the end of each day's short reading. At the end of each chapter there is a short explanation of how Mary and a saint models the virtue discussed. Gina also includes a "suggested spiritual activity" at the end of each chapter. There are also charts to fill in if you'd like to keep track of your personal progress on your growth in a particular virtue.

Some questions she asks are: How can you "open the doors to Christ" in your life? Describe how you have seen hope and joy expressed in young children. What can you learn form them? A suggested spiritual activity, from the chapter on faith is to spend time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on a regular basis and from Fortitude, consider reading one of the gospels all the way through, paying special attention to how Jesus lived out eh virtue of fortitude.

I enjoyed the study and think it would be useful to women in many different stages of their faith life. All of us need a reminder now and again that Christian virtue should be the foundation of our life in Christ and that the world's definition of beauty is not what makes an attractive woman. I especially enjoyed Gina's story as to how she was convinced to spend time cultivating her inner beauty.

This book is definitely on my short list of possibilities for fall with the women. This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Choosing Beauty.

Dance

Tuesday my mom called me at the office, which is unusual. It seems my dad had gone for a regular check up and they were not happy with his heart so he was sent for further tests and it was determined he needed an angiogram and angioplasty. The plan was to go in on Thursday morning and return later that day. By 1:00 p.m. I still hadn't heard anything and was having a hard time concentrating. My sister finally called and she said that dad needed bypass surgery, much more serious than angioplasty! He wound up having a quadruple by-pass later that afternoon. I spoke to him very briefly this morning, he's still in ICU.

This event has reminded me very clearly of my parents' mortality. I don't think about them dying and don't expect it to happen any time soon. This is the first time my dad has had any health concern and he starts with a big one! But I suppose it is something we all must face and so of course I began to think about parents dying.

In my family I was born and greeted by two sets of grandparents and one set of great grandparents and a great grandmother. My own children were born with two sets of grandparents as well as three great grandmothers and one great grandfather. All the great grandparents have died now, but all lived very long lives. When my grandmother died two years ago, it was then I realized that in the scheme of things it would be my mom and dad next to go. And in many ways I'm not ready. I have expectations that my father will dance with my daughter and nieces at their weddings just like I danced with my grandfather. But then, I remembered that only I had that privilege, no one else. I want my dad to see his great grandchildren, take them for walks, and cook for them.

Of course there are no promises that we live forever and I am always amazed at how many people I know who never knew their grandparents or their parents have already died. I am grateful we have good genes and that my mom nags my dad into taking care of himself. I am grateful that I believe in eternal life. And I have hope that my dad will recover and live many more years so he can dance at the weddings.

In Conversation with God

Precisely at such moments (when our faith is weak and we are full of fear) we may forget that the greater the difficulty, the more powerful God's help will be. This will always be the case when we strive to live our vocation as Christian, whatever our situation...in our family life, in our daily work...in carrying out our apostolate. Francis Fernandez,Volume 4, page 30

Sometimes perseverance is difficult and the burdens seem too heavy. We must remember though, that Jesus is always there to lift us up, if we ask. He will quiet the storm and be at our side.

Prayers Please

 Please pray for

all the women going on and the team presenting this weekend's Cursillo

all those suffering with cancer

for unemployed and under-employed people to find meaningful employment

for my husband as he moves forward to what God is calling him to do 

Lord, help us to remember that all is answered according to your will in your time.

Life in Review

1.  My daughter has come home from Australia.  She had a great time and has added some new words to her vocabulary.  I think tomorrow I will get to try Vegemite on toast and 1/2 a Tim Tam biscuit.  Only half since they are so precious to her.

2.  My husband went on a Cursillo two weeks ago.  It was a great experience for him and many other men I know.  I am looking forward to going tomorrow myself.  

3.  We have priest changes at work.  Two are leaving and we are getting one new (to us) priest.  So, this will mean adjustments in the office as well as more work for our deacons.

4.  I am in my last formal course for my degree, then I begin writing my final paper.  Not a thesis exactly, but it is a forty page overview of what I have learned in the program and how I will use it in my ministry.

"While I'm Waiting" Music Video- from the movie FIREPROOF

Good song, thoughts on the movie will wait for another day.