Other6 takes the essence of this centuries-old practice of the Examen and adapts it for today’s Internet-driven world by posing two questions: Where have you found God today? and Where do you need to find God today?

Other6, an online ministry of Loyola Press, is Jesuit and Catholic in its inspiration but pushes no particular agenda; it is meant for anyone who seeks God with a sincere heart. Our prayer is that you will find this community a help in your search to draw closer to God.   To learn more about Ignatian spirituality and the examination of consciousness (Daily Examen), visit IgnatianSpirituality.com.

We concluded: You can always lead by example, of course! That is the first way that we can lead others back to Christ. I think a lot of people I know who have fallen away from the Church have done so because they have never had anyone to look up to in the Church, and they probably see most people not caring (or not seeming to care) .

In addition to leading by example, you can always tell somebody flat out, “It was good to see you here! I hope you’ll come again.” This can be disarming, but that open invitation can work wonders—trust me!

So – What would you do?

Why this topic today? We have just created a Facebook presence for our Youth Ministry. We invite you to check us out!

If you are a parent and you “friend” your children online, maintain a reasonable distance. At the same time speak with them about who they communicate with and what information they share.

We, on our part, will strive to offer a secure, safe environment.

Mission sites in Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Lorain, and Youngstown

25 September 2010

Click here registration information:  Ecumenical_Servant_Day_Registration

Here is a website where you can register and pay online.

WOMEN & SPIRIT is a project of The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States.  The Conference has more than 1,500 members, representing about 95% of America’s 68,000 women religious.  Click here to visit the Women and Spirit website: http://womenandspirit.org/

Food, including the ingredients for bread, is one thing that the earth provides for us. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid recommends the following daily allotments: 6-11 servings of grain, 3-5 servings of vegetables, 2-4 servings of fruit, 2-3 servings of dairy foods, and 5-7 ounces of meat or fish or the equivalent in beans or nuts. Fat and sugar should be eaten sparingly.

Evaluate your family’s diet. Celebrate Earth Day by resolving to take only what you need!

Planting a tree is great fun, and one of the best things you can do to save the Earth. The tree will reduce the carbon dioxide in the air, provide beauty and shade and attract wildlife. Every year, you and your tree will grow, proud to know you are both helping the earth.

As baptized, practicing Catholics we have a precious gift of faith and love from the Lord that needs to be shared with our non-practicing brothers and sisters.

First, we need to pray for them. Secondly, we need to extend a personal invitation to them to come home to the Catholic Church. Most non-practicing Catholics are waiting for an invitation to return. Many mistakenly think they are excommunicated and are not welcome to return for a variety of reasons.

Many non-practicing Catholics carry a tremendous amount of guilt and misinformation about the Church so they are afraid of approaching the Church for fear of being rejected. You can make a tremendous difference in someone’s life simply by reaching out to them and telling them that we miss them and would like for them to come back home to our Church family.

Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

Christ:

Can you be brave enough my other self to wipe my bloody face?

Where is my face you ask?

At home whenever eyes are filled with tears
At work when tensions rise
On playgrounds, in slums, at the courthouse, the hospitals, the jails

Wherever suffering exists there is my face
I look for you to wipe away my blood, my tears

All:
Lord, live in us, act in us, love in us so that we may reveal your glorious face

Fr Shori’s presentation focused on why people of faith need to be concerned about acting to transform the world

• Our faith calls us to it. The Gospel and church teaching place our service of the poor and vulnerable and our work for justice at the center of Christian witness.

• Our nation needs it. Too many Americans, especially children, are growing up poor in the richest nation on earth. The blessings and burdens of American life are not being shared fairly.

• Our world requires it. More than 30,000 children die every day from hunger, deprivation, and their consequences. Disease and debt, corruption and conflict are threatening the lives and dignity of millions in our increasingly globalized world.

• Our salvation demands it. In Jesus’ description of the Last Judgment, Matthew 25:31ff the critical question is ‘What did you do for the least of these?’ Jesus identified himself with the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the imprisoned, and the stranger, insisting that when we serve them we serve him.

• Our actions can make a difference.

The questions for us today:
• What are you doing personally and what do you see others around you doing to serve the poor and vulnerable?

• What is our church doing to serve the poor and vulnerable?

Here is a hand-out that can help you in your prayer and action in serving our neighbors- Transforming the World Action Plan

Because of our life of faith, through our baptismal call and our confirmation of beliefs (and acceptance of Catholicism) we must move past the basic emotional response and see the human dignity in the broader world of our international brothers and sisters.

The question of Comprehensive Immigration Reform is about more than politics – it is about people.  People who have lived in deplorable conditions with no means to make changes, people who left the ones they love to make an (often lethal) journey into the unknown to possibly make a little money that they may send back to support their families.  For the most part, these people didn’t want to make that decision.  They wanted to stay in their home country, to work, to live, to raise their family.  Breaking up their family and risking their life was not their ideal future.

We, living here in the “Land of Opportunity” easily forgot (most likely have never known) what it means to be oppressed, to be starved, to be hopeless with no government agencies or parish support available.  Sure, we have tough times – especially in the past 2 years, but we have our families, our government, our parish and community support.  We have places to turn to.  We will be treated with dignity.  Others in the world deserve that same dignity!  That is what Christ told us, what the Bishops tell us and what our own heart tells us.

Take the step to move past the emotional and media response.  Take a look inside your faith, you can get plenty of information at the USCCB established website JusticeforImmigrants.org .

If your spirit speaks to you, please join in the postcard campaign to our elected officials.  You can sign the postcards after mass on March 7^th in Vincention Hall, obtain one from the church office, or print one off from the website here.

Direct Resource Links:

Immigration Q&A

Catholic Bishops Call for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Immigration and Catholic Social Teaching

Immigration and the Ecomony