Serving the Orlando Catholic Charismatic Renewal WINTER 2015

Transcription

1 Serving the Orlando Catholic Charismatic Renewal THE CHARISMATIC NEWS WINTER 2015 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation Ephesians 1:17 give all we have, from our heart to give love above all. Pope Francis Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, By God's Mercy and Grace, we once again find ourselves in the Blessed Season of Advent, the Christmas present of Christmas presents...the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is one of the most cherished times of the year for me and I know it is for you too. I want to remind you of our 15 th Annual Day of Healing and Reflection coming upon us very soon on January 9, As you may already know, it will be held in Orlando at Holy Family Catholic Church in the Family Life Center. The theme is based on the Holy Scripture, Matthew 6:33: Seek first the Kingdom of God and all his righteousness, and all those things shall be yours as well. The speakers this year include Fr. Albert Nzeh of Newark, New Jersey and Maria Vadia of South Florida. Both are very dynamic!!! You do not want to miss this event. This will be a very full Saturday including Mass (which will meet our Sabbath obligation) and we will also have a Healing Service. On page 3 General audience with Pope Francis on March 18, Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA. How do you become a saint? Pope Francis gives a hint. Vatican City, Sep 12, 2015 / 04:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Find someone who has never spoken ill of another person, someone who has never judged another and they would qualify for immediate canonization, Pope Francis said. The Pope celebrated Mass in the Santa Marta residence on Friday, stressing during his homily the importance of the Christian values of humility, forgiveness, and mercy. His words followed a meditation from St. Paul do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. These days, the Liturgy has led us to consider this, to reflect on this path of mercy, of forgiveness, of the Christian way with these sentiments of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, Pope Francis said. on page 2 Chairman s Corner Welcome to the Year of Mercy. Now would be a great time to brush up on your recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet and also the Novena. As a daily exercise, the Chaplet of Mercy can take as little as fifteen minutes or as much as forty minutes depending on familiarization. Using the Novena leaflet and having a copy St. Faustina's Diary handy is an excellent way to begin. The leaflet references the diary and you can readily see that Chaplet and Novena reflect the instructions of Jesus as recorded by St. Faustina. As you get comfortable with a daily routine of reciting the chaplet, you can start to customize each day's petition, making it personal, or as Fr. Bill Halbing would say, "Be specific". For example, on Day 2 when praying for priests and religious, include seminarians and name special priests and religious by name. Another example would be on Day 4 to pray for specific persons you know who do not believe in God or do not kn ow Him yet. This can be done on each day of the novena and as you get more confident praying this way, you will find that it takes longer to get through each successive petition. Worry not. We are prayer warriors and this year's mercy focus is right up our alley. Our prayer group at Queen of Peace, Ocala will be closing each weekly meeting during the Year of Mercy with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. on page 3

2 With a generous spirit, the Holy Father said, Christians should let themselves be animated by this virtue, which will lead them to give all we have, from our heart to give love above all. The Christian way, according to Pope Francis, requires forbearing one another with an attitude that leads to love, to forgiveness, to patience. However, Pope Francis warned against the evils of hypocrisy, saying that everyone is at risk of becoming too judgmental even the Pope. Men and women who can't learn how to acknowledge their own faults become hypocrites. All of them? All of them: starting from the Pope downwards, he noted. The first step is to acknowledge our own faults, he said. He added that Christians everywhere must be aware of their own failings before they can take the splinter out of our brother's eye a reflection from the gospel words of St. Luke. Although a beautiful sentiment, the Pope questioned the feasibility of the path one must take towards a life of love, mercy and generosity. It's beautiful, but how does one do it? Begin by blaming yourself and having the courage to blame yourself before faulting others, he answered this is the way to mercy. If you cannot take this first step, ask the Lord for the grace of conversion, Pope Francis said, noting that when one stops thinking about the faults of others they will have the time to consider their own downfalls. For anyone who struggles with gossiping, they should resist the urge to speak about others and look inward even performing an examination of conscience if necessary, he said.. Let's refrain from comments about others and let's comment about ourselves. And this is the first step along this path of magnanimity. Because a person who can only see the splinters in the eyes of others falls into pettiness: a petty mind, full of pettiness, full of chatter. Anyone who continues down the path of hypocrisy will be unable to partake in the Christian vocation of peacemaking, compassion, patience, and mercy, the Pope said. He then said that a person with a judgmental attitude cannot be a Christian. However, the Christian who forgives with love and mercy will double their return. What will you receive? A good, brimming, abundant overflowing amount will be deposited within your bosom, because your journey shall be measured according to the standard with which you judge, he said.. Pope Francis ended his homily with a prayer, asking the Lord for the strength to follow the example of St. Paul in generosity, forgiveness and mercy. The Image Of God God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him (Genesis 1:27). Before Sin, we had Original Joy. We knew the Face Of God, his smile, the crinkles around his eyes. We recognized his voice and delighted in the sound of our name on his lips. God was present to us. His Presence made the cool of the morning, the warmth of the day, and the quiet of the night, all indistinguishably glorious. Our existence was defined by our relationship with our Creator. His friendship gave meaning to every moment, to everything. Everywhere, every experience evoked thanksgiving to our God. Sin changed all this. Sin stole our intimacy with God. Satan slithered onto the Tree Of Life, disguising Evil as Good, Death as Life. Seducing us with self glory, he took our gaze off of God. The Forbidden Fruit became the apple of our eye. We bit into it. We tasted the bitterness of banishment we found loneliness. After Sin, after losing our friendship with God, our existence was defined by want, by suffering, separation, selfishness and fear. Defaced by Sin, our Divine Image was now disfigured. Our eyes were blinded to his Presence. Unable to see his Face, or be comforted by his Voice, we filled our Emptiness with rotten fruit, with Disobedience, with Sickness and Death. Blessedness was discarded for Curse. Friendship with our Father was exchanged for the Fetters of Sin. Never again, would the Tree s Forbidden Fruit be experienced with such horrible clarity, with such terrible loneliness, until the Spurned-God-Who-Became- Man, would take on Sin and surrender into Death, on that Tree Of Life, replanted in His Blood on the altar of Calvary. We were abandoned to Sin, but not to God s Mercy, for he left us a Promise. He veiled our Sickness and Death with a prophecy of Hope, that one day, the Offspring of a New Eve, would crush the head of Satan. Oh, the power of that Tree! We were abandoned to Sin, but not to God s Mercy, for he left us a Promise. He veiled our Sickness and Death with a prophecy of Hope, that one day, the Offspring of a New Eve, would crush the head of Satan. Oh, the power of that Tree! Continued on page 3 2

3 Now freed from that lecherous grip of the Serpent, we are free to find again our true face. Our Divine Image has been restored. This Savior has wrapped us in his Father s cloak. He has re-given us the Father s ring, the very one we threw away. He has washed our dirty feet, and has given us new shoes to dance. He has prepared for us a feast, with Bread and Wine that eternally removes hunger and thirst. He has become this Bread of Life, which we not only consume, but which, in turns consumes our guilt; which we not only possess, but which possesses us, which not only nourishes our body and soul, but resurrects our sinsick nature into New Life, where we are Born Again into immortality. Because our Savior lives, because he has poured his Holy Spirit into our hearts, our eyes are opened anew to see the Face Of God, to walk again in his Presence, to hear of our name on his lips, to know that we Belong to the Face that is smiling upon us, for those who dare, who allow in their spirit, to be drawn into his Gaze, if we look deeply into the eyes of our Father, if we peer his very pupil, we will see, our Divine Image, the one he calls "Beloved Child" - the Apple Of His Eye. Richard Swiderski Blog: Continued from page 1 We will provide breakfast and refreshments, but you need to bring a lunch. No pre-registration or fee is required to attend this event; we will take up a Love Offering. I am sure the power of the 2015 September Conference is still fresh in your memory but don t forget next year's conference September 16-18, Our theme this year is based on the Holy Scripture, Revelation 3:20 Behold I stand at the door and knock. Our speakers are: Bishop Sam Jacobs, Sister Marilyn Minter, Father Pedro Repollett,Caroline Gambale Dirkes and Valli Leone As a special blessing, Father Pedro Repollett, will also be doing one talk in Spanish for the members of our Hispanic Charismatic Renewal. I know you will be inspired by him. Please don t forget to mark your calendars! Have a Blessed, Holy Christmas and a Very Happy and Prosperous Don t forget to keep bringing more souls to Jesus. Your brother in Christ, Vince Maldonado, Administrator of Operations Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Orlando Reflections from the Saints Eating wounded us Eating heals us. Pope Urban IV Our Redeemer, ever present in the most Blessed Sacrament, extends His hand to everyone. He opens His heart and says, "Come to Me, all of You." St. Raphael Kalinowski Chairman s Corner continued from page 1 And we have agreed that if the meeting runs over because of the "specifics" of the chaplet petitions, then we have to follow the Spirit and speak out all the names that He brings to our attention. Next newsletter we discuss Linda Schubert's 'Miracle Hour" booklet. Remember whose birthday we are celebrating and be not afraid to spread the Good News that "Jesus Christ is born". May God do something new in your life today. Paul Prophetic Word from Diocesan Conference 2015 (Mt. 5:14-16) You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp & put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds & praise your Father in heaven. You are the light of the world. I have commissioned you to give testimony to the Light. Be bold, speak My Truth in love. You were in darkness once, now, you are a child of the Light. Do not let fear of rejection darken your light. Whether your light is received or spurned, you must continue to love. For it is love that drives your heart to shine, & it is love that will open the blinded eye to receive My Light. Do not be afraid. Bathe My world in Light & Love. (1 Peter 5: 6-11) Humble yourselves, therefore, under God s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Be self-controlled & alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you & make you strong, firm & steadfast. To Him be the power forever & ever. Amen. continued on page 4 3

4 I the Lord, your God am a jealous God. I have created you to live My abundant life & I have many blessings I want to shower on you. I want My best for you. I am calling you away from all the other distractions that keep you from spending quality time with Me. Come to Me in prayer & give Me more of your time. I will show you new things, heal you & empower you to receive even more of My new life. My children, I have called you out of your Egypt into the marvelous light of My Son, so trim your lamps so that others may see that light shining through you and give glory to My Son. (Isaiah 9: 1-5) The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy & great rejoicing; As they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as men make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian. For every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for flames. For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father- Forever, Prince of Peace. (John 3:16 & 17) For God so loved the world that He gave His one & only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. You are the Light of the world. I did not send you to condemn the world, but to brighten it with hope. You are a reflection of My Love. Avail yourself to My broken hearted, show them My face. Invite My downtrodden into your eyes, give them refuge in My Love. Let your smile take away their loneliness. Put out your hands to those who have fallen low, reach out to them with My mercy, lift them up with my hope. Open your arms to My forsaken. Dry their tears in your breast, draw them into My heart. My beloved, I have forgiven your sins, healed your wounds, & filled your emptiness. You have your Father s eyes, you have His Word, His love in your heart. Go now, take My Light into the world & watch darkness flee before you. My children know that I love you. I will protect you. I love you. You have the power of the Holy Spirit, you have been given the gifts necessary to speak My word & to show My love. I am here, My presence is in the praise & worship. Spend yourselves working in My vineyard, the harvest is waiting for you. You say you are tired, you say that you are too old or too young, not clever or well-spoken. I say that your mission, your cross was created just for you. Do not be afraid, I am your strength. I am all that you need. You are My rising dawn. As I call forth the dawn to dispel the night, so I call you to dispel the Darkness. I call you to rise up & let My Light shine! My blood has vanquished darkness forever it shall flee before My Light. You are My Light. You are the bearer of My Son. Where I am, Darkness cannot be. I tell you, it is time to rise up! Darkness will flee before you. Stand up, & the gates of Hell will fall down before you. Arise My people. Leave all fear behind. You are My Church victorious. See, My Spirit is rousing you now! Straighten your weak knees & stand in My Truth. Raise a victory song of praise. Seize the hilltops. Let your light shine. Do not doubt the victory waiting. It is I who go before you. As surely as My blinding Light struck down those guarding My grave, so too will the witness of your light overwhelm the present darkness. You are My Church victorious, My rising dawn. I tell you, Rise up! 4

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6 CALENDAR ======================================================================================================================================================= An Evening of Healing Prayer When: The first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Where: St. Bernadette Hall at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Daytona Beach. All ministers in healing have been trained in the MacNutt s Christian Healing Ministry School of Healing Prayer. For more information contact: Gary Bowden: ======================================================================================================================================================= Healing Service St. John the Baptist in Dunnellon has a healing service every 4th Wednesday at 7pm. Fr. Kevin MacGabhann is the presider. Included is benediction and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. For more information contact the church office (352) or mail@stjohncc.com The Catholic Church of St John the Baptist, 7525 S US Highway 41, Dunnellon, FL 34432, (352) ======================================================================================================================================================= Details on Event information are published on the DOCCRC WEBSITE: Charismatic Resources Available online The Charismatic media resources are now available online. Using the Diocese of Orlando Media Center host, you can reserve and checkout media from the diocese website (link below) and receive it at your parish office. Previously, media were available only at the DOCCRC quarterly meetings, so this will make them widely available to anyone in your prayer group, or even in your parish who wishes to borrow them. Information on the procedure is also found on the Media Center web page. On the diocese website under Ministries/ Offices, click on Media Center to navigate to that page. Use search to find the item you want, then click on the specific item. For example, search for Charismatic to get a listing, then click on a specific item to get the details. Use the Media Request Form to actually request it be sent to your parish. Link: 6

7 Do you have a Small, Medium, or Large? Would you like to reach almost 3000 new clients in Central Florida and the surrounding areas? We are considering including advertising in our quarterly newsletters and were wondering if any of you would be interested in advertising your business with us. Our rates, when finalized, will be VERY reasonable. If interested, please our Editor at : newsletter@orlandocharismatic.net 7

8 DIOCESE OF ORLANDO CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL CENTER P.O. BOX 1800 ORLANDO, FL Return Service Requested Non Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Orlando, Florida Permit No. 235 TO CONTACT US ADMINISTRATOR OF OPERATIONS Vince Maldonado Phone NEWSLETTER & DATABASE & WEBMASTER & MEMBER AT LARGE Philip Turgati ADMINISTRATOR FOR PRAYER GROUP DEVELOPMENT Gary Bowden Phone COMMISSION CHAIR Paul Avizinis VICE CHAIRPERSON Marge Dubuc SECRETARY: Maria Devallo Address Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Orlando P.O. Box 215 Windermere, FL WEBSITE 8