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JULY 5, 2009
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Ez 2:2-5; Ps 122:1-2a, 2bcd, 3-4; 2 Cor 12:7-10; Mk 6:1-6

"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house"
Mark 6:4

Today’s readings remind us of the cost that always accompanies the call to a prophetic mission. In the first reading from Ezekiel, God commissions Ezekiel as a prophet to the exiled and rebellious kingdom of Judah. In the gospel, Jesus is rejected by his own townspeople

The Gospel story beckons us to listen for the true prophets of God, whether or not they are familiar to us - despite who spoke the word, despite how difficult the message may be for us to take. This is a call for us to be courageous enough and open enough to listen to the prophets among us and to heed the word of God they reveal.

The people of Nazareth lost a great opportunity by not listening more carefully to their neighbor and relative - who they knew only as Jesus the carpenter son of Mary. Because of their lack of faith, the grace of God could not manifest itself through Jesus. Very few were healed. But we know Jesus differently. We know him as Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior. And we know not to reject the God that might seem too familiar to us.

Let us remain fresh and alive in our faith, ever listening to the voices of God's prophets and the Good News of the Jesus so familiar to us.

JUNE 28, 2009
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Ps 29:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12a, 13b; 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15;
Mk 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35b-43

"Do not be afraid; just have faith." Mark 5:36

Today’s readings encourage us to remember God's goodness and act toward others with the same unflinching generosity and compassion. Paul encourages the Corinthians to offer their surplus of wealth to other communities who are in need. In the gospel, Jesus brings the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue official, back to life in anticipation of his own resurrection.

Our own understanding of Jesus may be limited and our awareness of our needs may be self-centered. Yet that should not hinder us as long as we are open to be led by Jesus as he wills, not merely as we want. In faith we can ask for whatever we wish, but we must remember that God’s power will always lead us beyond our needs to self-abandonment in him.

Jesus heals the sick and raises the dead to life. He heals each one of us from our sins and promises that on that day when our work is done and he finally draws us to himself he will raise us to that new, glorious and eternal life with him.

Let us pray today to Jesus as Lord of life and ask him to help us reach that level of health, wholeness and holiness to which he is calling us.

JUNE 21, 2009
TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Job 38:1, 8-11; Ps 106:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41

"Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" Mark 4:40

Today's readings remind and reaffirm God's complete command over all creation. God's reply to Job asserts the majesty of God as the Creator and Ruler of the world. The psalmist praises the power of God, who delivers the distressed. In the gospel, Jesus stills a storm at sea, revealing that he shares God's power over creation.

Too often like the disciples that night in the storm, we think that God has forgotten us, that he is not interested in us when storms break around us. In fact, it is then that he is nearest to us. We think he is sleeping and that all is lost, when he is but using this storm to rekindle our faith, and make us realize that we are pilgrims on our way across this earth and not permanent residents here.

Jesus tells us to have faith in Him. His promise is that what seems like a disaster from a human perspective is no disaster at all; seen with the eyes of faith it is indeed a wondrous victory. The presence of Jesus brings peace to our hearts. To travel with Jesus is to travel in peace even in the storms of life.

The invitation then is to have faith in Him, to trust that God knows what He is doing, to realize that in due time, God does intervene to calm the storm; to believe that He is a God of love and to realize that He knows better than we could ever know what is in our best interests.

JUNE 14, 2009
THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY & BLOOD OF CHRIST
Ex 24:3-8; Ps 115:12-13, 15, 16bc, 17-18; Heb 9:11-15; Mk 14:12-16, 22-26

"Take it; this is my body," Mark 14:22

Today’s liturgy, like that of last Sunday, invites us to a deeper appreciation of the Paschal Mystery we have just celebrated. Today, we renew our faith in the great sacrament in which the Saviour’s Paschal Mystery gives life to the Church age after age.

The Eucharist is the center of our faith. The Eucharist is the reason we build churches, why we pray, why we celebrate other sacraments, and why we exist as a community. Our main purpose and goal is to celebrate and become people of the Eucharist. Joining ourselves to Christ by receiving his Body and Blood is what defines us as his people. We are one with him and He with us.

The early followers of Jesus recognized him and his real presence among them in the breaking of the bread. In this recognition, their hearts were on fire with joy, excitement and hope. As we prepare to break bread today, let us look deeply within ourselves and recognize the real presence of the Lord Jesus; that our hearts also may burn with joy, excitement and the hope which his gift of the Eucharist brings.

JUNE 7, 2009
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
Dt 4:32-34, 39-40; Ps 32:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22; Rom 8:14-17; Mt 28:16-20

Today’s gospel continues with Jesus’ advice and instructions to the disciples at the Last Supper. He promises that the Spirit will be there to guide his followers to the truth. The Spirit will speak in Jesus’ name, just as Jesus speaks in the Father’s name. Each of these three Persons in one God belongs to the other. We call this mystery of God’s identity the Blessed Trinity.

The Blessed Trinity is the highest model for our Christian life - three distinct persons, yet one God; each living in harmony and perfect unity with each other. The three persons of the Trinity have their own roles and function but there is no disunity, only perfect harmony.

The mystery of the Trinity is not one we can explain or fully comprehend. Our finite intelligence cannot wrap itself around that which is infinite. But we can describe it. We speak of God as creator, source life, font of love. We see Jesus as Savior, eternal priest, Lord and teacher. We see the Holy Spirit as life, love, power and sanctifier. Our descriptions allow us to understand in part the mystery of God as he lives and acts in our lives

Today's feast can be a reminder to pray with much greater meaning and respectfulness that most common of all prayers, so common we hardly think of it as a prayer - the Sign of the Cross. It combines both the mystery of the Trinity and mystery of our salvation through Jesus' suffering, death and rising to life. It summarizes in so few words and a simple movement of the arm, all that we believe in and all that we live for. Let us then resolve to make this sign with greater dignity and reverence and in a spirit of real prayer and love.

MAY 24, 2009
SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
(WORLD COMMUNICATION SUNDAY)
Acts 1:15-17,20a,20c-26; Ps 102:1-2,11-12,19-20ab; 1 Jn 4:11-16; Jn 17:11b-19

"That they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you" John 17:21

Today we hear how Jesus fervently prayed that his followers would be united—unity among all believers, and unity between believers and God. Chapter 17 is known as the “prayer of consecration” or “high priestly prayer” of Jesus.
Jesus knows that there will be powerful forces at work to divide the Church. If the disciples find their unity in the oneness that exists between Jesus and his Father, they will be authentic messengers of his life, death and resurrection. Love is the true sign of God's presence. Whoever sees the devotion and unanimity in Jesus' disciples will be convinced of the message they preach. The Eucharistic banquet expresses this unity among believers. The table of the Lord is a foretaste of the oneness that we will one day experience with Christ when we behold the glory he shares with the Father.
Christ prayed that all may be one as He and the Father are one. So in our prayer in this coming week let us open ourselves up to the Father, let the Holy Spirit pray in us, let Christ speak through us. Let our prayer be for unity; for union with God and one another and for the strength and love to reach out to those in need.

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph
DECEMBER 30, 2007
Sir 3:2-6, 12-14, Ps 128:1-5, Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17, Mt 2:13-15,19-23

Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt. Mathew 2.14

Today’s readings affirm God’s blessing of harmonious relationships, including our families. The virtues of the Holy Family are emphasized in both the first and second readings – virtues we are all called to emulate in our lives and families. Matthew’s account of the escape to Egypt illustrates Gods providential care, not only for Jesus’ family but for all of us.

Families today are vulnerable to the dangers in our society. Vulnerable as we are, God promises to journey with us, to lead us to the salvation that is already our gift. Like Mary, Joseph and Jesus, we struggle to be whole and holy. But the season reminds us Emmanuel, God is with us.

Just as the Holy Family survived all its crises through love for each other and faith in God, let us pray during this Mass that our families will conquer all difficulties through love for each other and faith in God.

As we continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us ask the Heavenly Father to help us to live as the holy family, united in respect and love. Let us ask Him to bring us to the joy and peace of our eternal home.

Mary, Mother of God, - 01 January

We have heard it all before, haven’t we? Shepherds hear the announcement of Jesus’ birth and rush to the stable. Rough men in a rude profession go to welcome the Christ child in his makeshift crib. It is a story about humility and humble circumstances.
We have never quite heard the story before if we miss the wonder in the ordinary here. ‘Good’ people did not associate with shepherds. While shepherds did a job that had to be done, it left them social misfits. Their work kept them from Temple observances and so they could not keep the laws of Judaism: they were shunned. What is ironic is that, in all likelihood, they tended the Temple sheep used for the sacrifices in which they themselves could not participate! Yet in the gospel they are the ones God chooses for the traditional home gathering at the birth of a child, even though Jesus had no home, only a stable. How fitting, in light of Jesus’ ministry, that these misfits were the first to see and speak of the Lamb of God. There is indeed wonder in the ordinary as God changes the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Perhaps this is what Mary pondered in her heart, for she herself had already felt God turn the ordinary into the extraordinary

Living Out Your Commitment

To Catechesis Year-Round

In the Family commitment Prayer, all Catholic households are invited to make a commitment to pray daily, to share the Good News, and to use their gifts for the benefit of others. Here are some ways that everyone in your household can make this happen.

Pray Every Day

Make hectic moments holy through prayer. Pray while your are in motion, whether that be on the commuter train, in the car, walking to school or work, sitting in our favorite chair, or on the way to a card party. Your prayer can take many forms: prayers of gratitude or petition, memorized prayers, the silent prayer of tears, meditation on a Scripture passage or a current event, or perhaps even a friendly chat with God. Praying in busy times leads to deeper moments with god, to blessing and adoration, meditation, gratitude, and eventually contemplative prayer.

Here are some ways that families can strengthen their commitment to prayer.

When you pass the scene of a crash or see an ambulance, say a prayer for the health of all involved.
When the name of a long forgotten friend or family member pops into your head, say a spontaneous prayer asking God’s blessing on the person.
Each time you gather for a meal, whether at home or in a restaurant, at the table or on a picnic blanket, ask God’s blessing before you eat.
Bless your children with the sign of the Cross when they leave for school, or at bedtime.
When you feel frustrated or upset, pray out loud for patience or help. Encourage other family members to do the same.
At bedtime, invite each family member to offer God thanks for one blessing they have received during the day and to ask God’s help for one thing. When all have voiced their individual prayers, pray the Lord’s Prayer or the Hail Mary together as a family.
Go to Mass together as a family every week. Make this time together a priority. Prepare for worship and reflect upon the celebration afterwards.

For other resources for family prayer, seeCatholic Household Blessings and Prayers from USCCB Publishing (Publication No. 292-6)Part IV of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Christian Prayer

Share the Good News

Study the Sunday Scripture readings before going to Mass each week. Discuss the Scripture readings and the homily with your family. Ask one another how you might bring this Gospel message to others throughout the week. During Advent and Lent, use the Family Conversations (found on the CD-ROM) as a discussion starter.

Take an active part in parish catechetical programs. In addition to the formation of children and youth, parishes offer catechesis designed to help adults know and share their faith. Check your parish bulletin or website for upcoming programs and plan to attend.

When a member of your household prepares for the celebration of a sacrament, encourage all other members to learn more about the sacrament as well. Invite the entire household to reflect upon the meaning of the celebration of the sacrament.

Share stories about events, people, and experiences that have strengthened you to live as a Roman Catholic.

Set aside one month during the year as your household’s "bring-a-friend" month. During that period, members of your household work to "bring-a-friend" to Mass or to a parish social, service, or advocacy activity. Try to find answers to any questions your guests might ask about Catholic life and practice.

User Your Gifts

Set aside a regular time each week as a family to discuss issues of social concern. Use newspaper headlines as a source to spur these conversations. Consider how your household might respond to a local, national, or international event.

Give generously of your time, talent, and treasure to support the work of your Church and the needs of the poor. Find ways for your entire household to get involved in caring for others.

When a family member celebrates a milestone or an accomplishment (e.g., a spelling bee, a wedding anniversary, a promotion at work, a solo at the concert), offer a household prayer of thanks to God for the gifts given to that person. Discuss how household members might use this gift for the good of the Church, community, and world.

Model a counter-cultural measure of success. Live focused on the person and teaching of Jesus, and not focused on financial gain or power. If you have an adolescent preparing to graduate from high school, take an active part in his or her search for employment or higher education. How might they serve God through their educational or career choices? Encourage them to consider a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, or serving the Church as a lay ecclesial minister.

FAMILY COMMITMENT PRAYER

Loving Father, in every age you have revealed yourself to us; through the gift of creation, through your covenants with our ancestors, through the teachings of the prophets.

In the fullness of time, you spoke of your ultimate Word to us; Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord.

Through his life, death and resurrection, you showed us how to love as you love, to live as your children.

In this coming year, help us to join catechists and other ministers in this community in living our response to Jesus’ question, "Who do you say I am?"

Through the Holy Spirit, strengthen us to be joyful disciples. We commit ourselves to pray daily, to share the Good News of salvation and to use the gifts you give us for the benefit of your parish, your community and the world. Amen!




	NEWS ARTICLES EVENTS SAINTS WEEK	ARTICLES
		JULY 5, 2009 FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Ez 2:2-5; Ps 122:1-2a, 2bcd, 3-4; 2 Cor 12:7-10; Mk 6:1-6 "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house" Mark 6:4 Today’s readings remind us of the cost that always accompanies the call to a prophetic mission. In the first reading from Ezekiel, God commissions Ezekiel as a prophet to the exiled and rebellious kingdom of Judah. In the gospel, Jesus is rejected by his own townspeople The Gospel story beckons us to listen for the true prophets of God, whether or not they are familiar to us - despite who spoke the word, despite how difficult the message may be for us to take. This is a call for us to be courageous enough and open enough to listen to the prophets among us and to heed the word of God they reveal. The people of Nazareth lost a great opportunity by not listening more carefully to their neighbor and relative - who they knew only as Jesus the carpenter son of Mary. Because of their lack of faith, the grace of God could not manifest itself through Jesus. Very few were healed. But we know Jesus differently. We know him as Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior. And we know not to reject the God that might seem too familiar to us. Let us remain fresh and alive in our faith, ever listening to the voices of God's prophets and the Good News of the Jesus so familiar to us. JUNE 28, 2009 THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Ps 29:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12a, 13b; 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mk 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35b-43 "Do not be afraid; just have faith." Mark 5:36 Today’s readings encourage us to remember God's goodness and act toward others with the same unflinching generosity and compassion. Paul encourages the Corinthians to offer their surplus of wealth to other communities who are in need. In the gospel, Jesus brings the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue official, back to life in anticipation of his own resurrection. Our own understanding of Jesus may be limited and our awareness of our needs may be self-centered. Yet that should not hinder us as long as we are open to be led by Jesus as he wills, not merely as we want. In faith we can ask for whatever we wish, but we must remember that God’s power will always lead us beyond our needs to self-abandonment in him. Jesus heals the sick and raises the dead to life. He heals each one of us from our sins and promises that on that day when our work is done and he finally draws us to himself he will raise us to that new, glorious and eternal life with him. Let us pray today to Jesus as Lord of life and ask him to help us reach that level of health, wholeness and holiness to which he is calling us. JUNE 21, 2009 TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Job 38:1, 8-11; Ps 106:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41 "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" Mark 4:40 Today's readings remind and reaffirm God's complete command over all creation. God's reply to Job asserts the majesty of God as the Creator and Ruler of the world. The psalmist praises the power of God, who delivers the distressed. In the gospel, Jesus stills a storm at sea, revealing that he shares God's power over creation. Too often like the disciples that night in the storm, we think that God has forgotten us, that he is not interested in us when storms break around us. In fact, it is then that he is nearest to us. We think he is sleeping and that all is lost, when he is but using this storm to rekindle our faith, and make us realize that we are pilgrims on our way across this earth and not permanent residents here. Jesus tells us to have faith in Him. His promise is that what seems like a disaster from a human perspective is no disaster at all; seen with the eyes of faith it is indeed a wondrous victory. The presence of Jesus brings peace to our hearts. To travel with Jesus is to travel in peace even in the storms of life. The invitation then is to have faith in Him, to trust that God knows what He is doing, to realize that in due time, God does intervene to calm the storm; to believe that He is a God of love and to realize that He knows better than we could ever know what is in our best interests. JUNE 14, 2009 THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY & BLOOD OF CHRIST Ex 24:3-8; Ps 115:12-13, 15, 16bc, 17-18; Heb 9:11-15; Mk 14:12-16, 22-26 "Take it; this is my body," Mark 14:22 Today’s liturgy, like that of last Sunday, invites us to a deeper appreciation of the Paschal Mystery we have just celebrated. Today, we renew our faith in the great sacrament in which the Saviour’s Paschal Mystery gives life to the Church age after age. The Eucharist is the center of our faith. The Eucharist is the reason we build churches, why we pray, why we celebrate other sacraments, and why we exist as a community. Our main purpose and goal is to celebrate and become people of the Eucharist. Joining ourselves to Christ by receiving his Body and Blood is what defines us as his people. We are one with him and He with us. The early followers of Jesus recognized him and his real presence among them in the breaking of the bread. In this recognition, their hearts were on fire with joy, excitement and hope. As we prepare to break bread today, let us look deeply within ourselves and recognize the real presence of the Lord Jesus; that our hearts also may burn with joy, excitement and the hope which his gift of the Eucharist brings. JUNE 7, 2009 SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY Dt 4:32-34, 39-40; Ps 32:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22; Rom 8:14-17; Mt 28:16-20 Today’s gospel continues with Jesus’ advice and instructions to the disciples at the Last Supper. He promises that the Spirit will be there to guide his followers to the truth. The Spirit will speak in Jesus’ name, just as Jesus speaks in the Father’s name. Each of these three Persons in one God belongs to the other. We call this mystery of God’s identity the Blessed Trinity. The Blessed Trinity is the highest model for our Christian life - three distinct persons, yet one God; each living in harmony and perfect unity with each other. The three persons of the Trinity have their own roles and function but there is no disunity, only perfect harmony. The mystery of the Trinity is not one we can explain or fully comprehend. Our finite intelligence cannot wrap itself around that which is infinite. But we can describe it. We speak of God as creator, source life, font of love. We see Jesus as Savior, eternal priest, Lord and teacher. We see the Holy Spirit as life, love, power and sanctifier. Our descriptions allow us to understand in part the mystery of God as he lives and acts in our lives Today's feast can be a reminder to pray with much greater meaning and respectfulness that most common of all prayers, so common we hardly think of it as a prayer - the Sign of the Cross. It combines both the mystery of the Trinity and mystery of our salvation through Jesus' suffering, death and rising to life. It summarizes in so few words and a simple movement of the arm, all that we believe in and all that we live for. Let us then resolve to make this sign with greater dignity and reverence and in a spirit of real prayer and love. MAY 24, 2009 SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (WORLD COMMUNICATION SUNDAY) Acts 1:15-17,20a,20c-26; Ps 102:1-2,11-12,19-20ab; 1 Jn 4:11-16; Jn 17:11b-19 "That they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you" John 17:21 Today we hear how Jesus fervently prayed that his followers would be united—unity among all believers, and unity between believers and God. Chapter 17 is known as the “prayer of consecration” or “high priestly prayer” of Jesus. Jesus knows that there will be powerful forces at work to divide the Church. If the disciples find their unity in the oneness that exists between Jesus and his Father, they will be authentic messengers of his life, death and resurrection. Love is the true sign of God's presence. Whoever sees the devotion and unanimity in Jesus' disciples will be convinced of the message they preach. The Eucharistic banquet expresses this unity among believers. The table of the Lord is a foretaste of the oneness that we will one day experience with Christ when we behold the glory he shares with the Father. Christ prayed that all may be one as He and the Father are one. So in our prayer in this coming week let us open ourselves up to the Father, let the Holy Spirit pray in us, let Christ speak through us. Let our prayer be for unity; for union with God and one another and for the strength and love to reach out to those in need. Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph DECEMBER 30, 2007 Sir 3:2-6, 12-14, Ps 128:1-5, Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17, Mt 2:13-15,19-23 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt. Mathew 2.14 Today’s readings affirm God’s blessing of harmonious relationships, including our families. The virtues of the Holy Family are emphasized in both the first and second readings – virtues we are all called to emulate in our lives and families. Matthew’s account of the escape to Egypt illustrates Gods providential care, not only for Jesus’ family but for all of us. Families today are vulnerable to the dangers in our society. Vulnerable as we are, God promises to journey with us, to lead us to the salvation that is already our gift. Like Mary, Joseph and Jesus, we struggle to be whole and holy. But the season reminds us Emmanuel, God is with us. Just as the Holy Family survived all its crises through love for each other and faith in God, let us pray during this Mass that our families will conquer all difficulties through love for each other and faith in God. As we continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us ask the Heavenly Father to help us to live as the holy family, united in respect and love. Let us ask Him to bring us to the joy and peace of our eternal home. Mary, Mother of God, - 01 January We have heard it all before, haven’t we? Shepherds hear the announcement of Jesus’ birth and rush to the stable. Rough men in a rude profession go to welcome the Christ child in his makeshift crib. It is a story about humility and humble circumstances. We have never quite heard the story before if we miss the wonder in the ordinary here. ‘Good’ people did not associate with shepherds. While shepherds did a job that had to be done, it left them social misfits. Their work kept them from Temple observances and so they could not keep the laws of Judaism: they were shunned. What is ironic is that, in all likelihood, they tended the Temple sheep used for the sacrifices in which they themselves could not participate! Yet in the gospel they are the ones God chooses for the traditional home gathering at the birth of a child, even though Jesus had no home, only a stable. How fitting, in light of Jesus’ ministry, that these misfits were the first to see and speak of the Lamb of God. There is indeed wonder in the ordinary as God changes the ordinary into the extraordinary. Perhaps this is what Mary pondered in her heart, for she herself had already felt God turn the ordinary into the extraordinary Living Out Your Commitment To Catechesis Year-Round In the Family commitment Prayer, all Catholic households are invited to make a commitment to pray daily, to share the Good News, and to use their gifts for the benefit of others. Here are some ways that everyone in your household can make this happen. Pray Every Day Make hectic moments holy through prayer. Pray while your are in motion, whether that be on the commuter train, in the car, walking to school or work, sitting in our favorite chair, or on the way to a card party. Your prayer can take many forms: prayers of gratitude or petition, memorized prayers, the silent prayer of tears, meditation on a Scripture passage or a current event, or perhaps even a friendly chat with God. Praying in busy times leads to deeper moments with god, to blessing and adoration, meditation, gratitude, and eventually contemplative prayer. Here are some ways that families can strengthen their commitment to prayer. When you pass the scene of a crash or see an ambulance, say a prayer for the health of all involved. When the name of a long forgotten friend or family member pops into your head, say a spontaneous prayer asking God’s blessing on the person. Each time you gather for a meal, whether at home or in a restaurant, at the table or on a picnic blanket, ask God’s blessing before you eat. Bless your children with the sign of the Cross when they leave for school, or at bedtime. When you feel frustrated or upset, pray out loud for patience or help. Encourage other family members to do the same. At bedtime, invite each family member to offer God thanks for one blessing they have received during the day and to ask God’s help for one thing. When all have voiced their individual prayers, pray the Lord’s Prayer or the Hail Mary together as a family. Go to Mass together as a family every week. Make this time together a priority. Prepare for worship and reflect upon the celebration afterwards. For other resources for family prayer, seeCatholic Household Blessings and Prayers from USCCB Publishing (Publication No. 292-6)Part IV of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Christian Prayer Share the Good News Study the Sunday Scripture readings before going to Mass each week. Discuss the Scripture readings and the homily with your family. Ask one another how you might bring this Gospel message to others throughout the week. During Advent and Lent, use the Family Conversations (found on the CD-ROM) as a discussion starter. Take an active part in parish catechetical programs. In addition to the formation of children and youth, parishes offer catechesis designed to help adults know and share their faith. Check your parish bulletin or website for upcoming programs and plan to attend. When a member of your household prepares for the celebration of a sacrament, encourage all other members to learn more about the sacrament as well. Invite the entire household to reflect upon the meaning of the celebration of the sacrament. Share stories about events, people, and experiences that have strengthened you to live as a Roman Catholic. Set aside one month during the year as your household’s "bring-a-friend" month. During that period, members of your household work to "bring-a-friend" to Mass or to a parish social, service, or advocacy activity. Try to find answers to any questions your guests might ask about Catholic life and practice. User Your Gifts Set aside a regular time each week as a family to discuss issues of social concern. Use newspaper headlines as a source to spur these conversations. Consider how your household might respond to a local, national, or international event. Give generously of your time, talent, and treasure to support the work of your Church and the needs of the poor. Find ways for your entire household to get involved in caring for others. When a family member celebrates a milestone or an accomplishment (e.g., a spelling bee, a wedding anniversary, a promotion at work, a solo at the concert), offer a household prayer of thanks to God for the gifts given to that person. Discuss how household members might use this gift for the good of the Church, community, and world. Model a counter-cultural measure of success. Live focused on the person and teaching of Jesus, and not focused on financial gain or power. If you have an adolescent preparing to graduate from high school, take an active part in his or her search for employment or higher education. How might they serve God through their educational or career choices? Encourage them to consider a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, or serving the Church as a lay ecclesial minister. FAMILY COMMITMENT PRAYER Loving Father, in every age you have revealed yourself to us; through the gift of creation, through your covenants with our ancestors, through the teachings of the prophets. In the fullness of time, you spoke of your ultimate Word to us; Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord. Through his life, death and resurrection, you showed us how to love as you love, to live as your children. In this coming year, help us to join catechists and other ministers in this community in living our response to Jesus’ question, "Who do you say I am?" Through the Holy Spirit, strengthen us to be joyful disciples. We commit ourselves to pray daily, to share the Good News of salvation and to use the gifts you give us for the benefit of your parish, your community and the world. Amen!

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JULY 5, 2009FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIMEEz 2:2-5; Ps 122:1-2a, 2bcd, 3-4; 2 Cor 12:7-10; Mk 6:1-6

"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house" Mark 6:4