Catholic Daily Reflections: September 1–November 27, 2021
Catholic Daily Reflections: September 1–November 27, 2021

Author: John Paul Thomas

Publisher: My Catholic Life!

Published: 2021-08-09

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13:

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The Catholic Daily Reflections Series was written to help you enter more deeply into the Holy Scriptures and the Catholic Liturgy on a daily basis. Through these reflections and prayers, you are invited to embrace the Word of God in a personal, engaging, challenging and transforming way. Catholic Daily Reflections: Ordinary Time September 1–November 27, 2021 is available in a variety of forms. See our website for electronic or audio/video versions or to sign up for our free daily email at: www.mycatholic.life. The paperback and eBook versions here offer an easy way for you to daily ponder the holy Gospel during Ordinary Time. Below is a sample reflection to give you a preview of our approach. May God bless you on your journey of personal conversion! Sunday, September 5, 2021 Be Opened! Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” Mark 7:34b These are powerful words. Why are they powerful? They are powerful because they are more than words. They are words that actually accomplish what they say. These words are spoken by Jesus after the deaf man is brought to Him with the request for healing. By saying the command “Be opened!”, the deaf man’s ears are opened and his speech impediment is removed. When Jesus speaks, His word changes things. This is true in this story, but it is also true in our lives. We all are deaf and struggle with a speech impediment in the sense that we do not always hear the voice of God and we do not always speak His word and words of charity. For that reason, these words of Jesus must be spoken to us. We must let Him take us off to a quiet place alone and speak to us. We must let Him say those words to us: “Ephphatha!–Be opened!” What is it that you are not hearing properly? What is it God has been saying to you for a long time that you refuse to hear? What is it you have allowed yourself to become deaf to? Let our Lord open the “ears” of your heart so that you can hear all that He wishes to say to you. Once that happens, Jesus will also help you speak His words of truth and love. Reflect, today, upon how open you are to hearing the voice of God. We all struggle at times with listening, and we especially may struggle listening to God. Spend some time alone with our Lord and let Him heal you, so that you can hear and understand all that He is saying to you. Lord, I do not always listen to You. Please speak Your words of healing to me so that I can hear You more clearly. In hearing You, may I listen to all that You have to say. Jesus, I trust in You.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
Catechism of the Catholic Church

Author: U.S. Catholic Church

Publisher: Image

Published: 2012-11-28

Total Pages: 849

ISBN-13: 030795370X

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Over 3 million copies sold! Essential reading for Catholics of all walks of life. Here it is - the first new Catechism of the Catholic Church in more than 400 years, a complete summary of what Catholics around the world commonly believe. The Catechism draws on the Bible, the Mass, the Sacraments, Church tradition and teaching, and the lives of saints. It comes with a complete index, footnotes and cross-references for a fuller understanding of every subject. The word catechism means "instruction" - this book will serve as the standard for all future catechisms. Using the tradition of explaining what the Church believes (the Creed), what she celebrates (the Sacraments), what she lives (the Commandments), and what she prays (the Lord's Prayer), the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers challenges for believers and answers for all those interested in learning about the mystery of the Catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a positive, coherent and contemporary map for our spiritual journey toward transformation.

Abandonment to God
Abandonment to God

Author: Joel Guibert

Publisher: Sophia Institute Press

Published: 2019-08-22

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 1622828356

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With simplicity and grace, these pages illuminate for you the wisdom in Saint Therese's Little Way, showing how it can enable you, too, to abide in the serenity of the children of God. Led here by the wise Father Joel Guibert, you'll soon come to realize how easy — and how good — it is to surrender yourself to God's providence (as Therese did): in your prayers, in your dealings with others, in your concerns about your loved ones, in your sufferings, and yes, even in your joys. Saint Therese's way of abandonment lightens every burden of day-to-day life. Lighten your own burdens by learning from Father Guibert how to make it your way, placing every worldly care confidently in the hands of the Almighty. You'll grow quickly closer to God and, even in life's darkest moments, come to share in the peace and joy He promises. In these pages, you'll learn from Saint Therese: How to trust God despite evils that beset you How to overcome your fear of abandoning yourself How to abandon yourself to God fully, without holding anything back How abandonment to God will diminish your sufferings How even your weaknesses can benefit you What to expect when you abandon yourself to God And much more!

The New Jerusalem Bible
The New Jerusalem Bible

Author: Henry Wansbrough

Publisher: Darton, Longman & Todd Limited

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 2112

ISBN-13: 9780232520774

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The New Jerusalem Bible is recognised as one of today's most accurate, clear and modern translations, the fruit of long collaboration between leading biblical scholars.This New Jerusalem Bible Study Edition is the ideal combined Bible-and-handbook.It is designed for students, clergy and readers who seek additional guidance in their reading and study of the scriptures.It presents the complete Bible text in a single-column format for ease of reading, and includes the Comprehensive Footnotes of the acclaimed NJB Standard Edition.Bound in durable paperback designed to stay open on the desktop, and now available with a striking new cover.Packed with features, including:Comprehensive verse-by-verse Footnotes Extensive Introductions to all the groupings of books in the BibleA Study Guide covering the major theological terms and themes An Index of Persons containing mini-biographies of the main biblical charactersAn extended Chronological Table setting biblical events against contemporary events, rulers and dynastiesFull-Colour Maps of the Bible lands

Grace in Tension
Grace in Tension

Author: Claire McGarry

Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor

Published: 2021-10-01

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13: 168192644X

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We all face stress and tension in our daily lives. We might even wonder why our God of abundant goodness doesn’t remove the everyday struggles we face. Jesus’ interactions with Martha and Mary in the Gospel provide us the key to understanding how God shows us his love by allowing tensions in our lives. As we follow the sisters’ transformative journeys through their own struggles, reflecting on what transpires between Scripture verses, we see their initial tension become the catalyst that drives both Mary and Martha to the feet of Jesus — the place where all discover peace. Grace in Tension explores the areas where stress arises in our own lives. Each chapter ends with a thought-provoking prayer to inspire us to go to God with our problems, followed by questions for reflection to help us see all the ways he’s working for our good. God doesn’t create any of it, but he does show up amid life’s difficulties, ready to lead us through. No matter how big or small our struggle, when we seek him out, he reveals what we need to do to resolve our tension, transforming it into grace. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Claire McGarry is the founder of MOSAIC of Faith, a ministry for mothers of infants to school-aged children to explore their faith through motherhood. She contributes regularly to CatholicMom.com and blogs at ShiftingMyPerspective.com. She is the author of Lenten devotional With Our Savior, and her work has appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Keys for Kids, These Days, and Focus on the Family magazine. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die
I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die

Author: Sarah J. Robinson

Publisher: WaterBrook

Published: 2021-05-11

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0593193539

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A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

She Reads Truth
She Reads Truth

Author: Raechel Myers

Publisher: B&H Publishing Group

Published: 2016-10-04

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 1433688980

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Born out of the experiences of hundreds of thousands of women who Raechel and Amanda have walked alongside as they walk with the Lord, She Reads Truth is the message that will help you understand the place of God's Word in your life.

Into Your Hands, Father
Into Your Hands, Father

Author: Wilfried Stinissen

Publisher: Ignatius Press

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 106

ISBN-13: 1586174770

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In the spiritual life, we need a central idea: something so basic and comprehensive that it encompasses everything else. According to Carmelite Father Wilfrid Stinissen, surrender to God, abandonment to the One who loves us completely, is that central reality. The life of Jesus shows us the centrality of abandonment, for it is truly the beginning and the end of his mission on earth. In this simple but profound book, Father Stinissen distinguishes three degrees or stages in abandonment. The first stage consists of accepting and assenting to God's will as it manifests itself in all circumstances of life. The second is actively doing God's will at every moment of one's life. In the third stage, abandonment to God is so complete that one has become a tool in God's hands. At this stage it is no longer I who do God's will, but God who accomplishes his will through me.

Diverse yet United
Diverse yet United

Author: Pope Francis, Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor

Published: 2021-09-17

Total Pages: 109

ISBN-13: 1681927411

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As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to dialogue and encounter. We are expected to be welcoming and open to all people, including those who think differently from us or who hold conflicting opinions. We are also called to share the Truth, which is God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. “[Jesus] asks us not to fix our gaze on what divides us, but rather on what unites us, seeking to know and love Jesus better and to share the richness of his love,” Pope Francis writes in Diverse yet United: Communicating Truth in Charity. Jesus’ love spurs us to dialogue, helping us to listen to one another and to get to know others. His love becomes the foundation of human solidarity and renders us capable of overcoming the barriers of our own weaknesses and prejudices. Jesus’ love within us creates bridges, teaches new paths, and triggers the dynamism of fraternity. Pope Francis invites us to communicate the Lord's merciful love to the whole world: “We too are given the gift of the ‘tongue’ of the Gospel and the ‘fire’ of the Holy Spirit, so that as we proclaim the risen Jesus, alive and present among us, we may warm our hearts and the hearts of peoples, bringing them closer to him, the way, the truth, and the life.”

On the Eighth Day
On the Eighth Day

Author: Matt Hoven

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2022-06-07

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 1666701149

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During a 1980s Edmonton Oilers game, fans unveiled a banner claiming, “On the 8th day, God created Gretzky.” Intersections between religious belief and sporting participation are nothing new, where players, coaches, and fans are known to pray, cross themselves, and point to the heavens during a game. But what should be the relationship between sports and religious faith? On the Eighth Day introduces the theology of sport from a Catholic standpoint. It wrestles with sport’s universal appeal, its rich symbolism, and its spiritual and moral characteristics. Sport is a place where embodied games can be sacramental; where traditions of the past speak to contemporary peoples; and where truth and justice are demanded in a world affected by sin. The eighth day recalls the playful, re-creative work of God the Creator embodied in Christ’s resurrection. In this sense, this book marks out a “new day” in Christian attitudes toward modern sport and the continuing call to redeem sport in service of human flourishing. Comprehensive yet accessible, the book will engage thoughtful lay sports fans and academic students alike.