Ý LỰC CỦA THÁNG THEME OF THE MONTH - Cầu xin cho mọi tín hữu đã ly trần được vui hưởng hạnh phúc nước trời. Xin cho sự hiệp thông và lời cầu nguyện giữa Phong trào và linh hồn các Tuyên Úy, Trợ úy, Trợ tá, Huynh Trưởng và Thiếu Nhi thể hiện sự hiệp nhất và sức sống của Phong trào. - Let us pray for the departed souls that they may have eternal happiness in the heavenly kingdom. Let us also pray for communion, that our prayers for our deceased chaplains, chaplain assistants, youth leaders, and youths may bring forth unity and vitality to our Movement. L.M. Giuse Nguyễn Tuấn Linh Tuyên Úy TNTT Miền Đồng Bắc - Xin cầu cho những ai đang cô đơn có thể cảm nhận được sự hiện diện gần gũi của Chúa và nhận được sự hỗ trợ của mọi người. - Lonely people: That all who suffer loneliness may experience the closeness of God and the support of others. - Xin cầu cho các tu sĩ nam nữ trẻ được những người giỏi và khôn ngoan trong bậc trên hướng dẫn. - Mentors of seminarians and religious: That young seminarians and religious may have wise and well-formed mentors. Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô Đức Giáo Hoàng Giáo Hội Công Giáo Ý CẦU NGUYỆN PRAYER INTENTIONS Xin cầu nguyện cho linh hồn Giuse Phạm Đăng Xa là chú của Thầy Phước, Tr. Hạnh, Tr. Dung, và Tr. Nhung đã được Chúa gọi về tháng qua. Xin Chúa cho linh hồn Giuse hưởng nhan thánh Chúa và an ủi gia đình của họ trong sự ra đi đau buồn này. PHONG TRÀO THIẾU NHI THÁNH THỂ VIỆT NAM MIỀN ĐÔNG BẮC HOA KỲ MĐB MANA CHIA SẺ CỦA GIÁO SƯ THẦN HỌC WORDS FROM A PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY Dr. Scott Hahn: a theologian, Catholic convert, and apologist for the Catholic Church. ISSUE 56 NOVEMBER 2014 [The following are excerpts from The Scott Hahn Conversion Story by Scott Hahn, where he talks about his conversion to Catholicism after understanding the true nature of God s covenant.] [During high school] I became a convinced Protestant Christian, not just a bible Christian, but somebody who was convinced that up until the 1500's the Gospel had almost been lost amidst all the medieval superstition and all the pagan practices that the Catholic Church had adopted. And so this first conviction was to help my Catholic friends to see the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ, to show them the Bible, and to show them that in the Bible, you just accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and that's all it takes. None of this claptrap: Not Mary, not the saints, not purgatory, not devotions, just asking Jesus to be Savior and Lord. [After graduating from high school, Scott went on to college with a strong conviction in the Protestant belief that we are made right with God by faith alone, not by any works that we might do." He triple majored in Philosophy, Theology in Scripture and Economics. He also met and fell in love with his wife during that time. They got married right after college, and entered seminary school together for a Masters of Divinity degree. During the first year at the seminary, his wife took a course on Christian Ethics and studied contraception. She shared with Scott the book, Birth Control and the Marriage Covenant by John Kippley, which she was using for her research. He was initially hesitant to read the book because it was written by a Catholic. But then he decided to read it because covenant was in the book title.] I began to read through the book with great interest because in my own personal study, going through the Bible several times, I had come upon this strong conviction that if you want to know God, you have to understand the covenant, because the covenant was the central idea in all of Scripture Please send prayers to tntt.mdb@gmail.com Photo credit: christianitymalaysia.com/wp/covenant-god-pr-derek-hong/#prettyphoto
Photo credit: http://guychurch.com/march-10th-gods-family/ TIN TOÀN QUỐC NATIONAL NEWS Charity Torch Relay TNTT Fundraising Campaign www.fundraising.tntt.org National Day of Apostolic Works Kick off on December 6, 2014 Sa Mạc Sinai XXIII, Huấn Luyện Viên Sơ Cấp June 9-14, 2015 Wellspring Conference Center, 11411 Neelsville Church Road, Germantown, MD TIN TRONG MIỀN REGIONAL NEWS Hội Chợ Tết Ất Mùi January 31, 2015 Melrose Memorial Hall 590 Main Street, Melrose, MA, 02176 Tĩnh Tâm HT, Betania XIV March 6-8, 2015 St. Paul the Apostle Church & hall 235 Dwight St., Springfield MA 01118 HOAN HÔ SHOUT OUT Hoan hô Tr. Matta Trần Bảo Hạnh thuộc đoàn Tôma Thiện NY đã được Cha Tuyên Úy MĐB bổ nhiệm tân Phó Nghiên Huấn MĐB cho nhiệm kỳ 2014-2018! Hoan hô những Huynh Trưởng sau đây được tuyên hứ vào Ban Chấp Hành của đoàn Saviô MA: 1. Tr. Phêrô Elvis Trần, PNH 2. Tr. Đon Boscô Thịnh Nguyễn, TQ Xin chúc mừng Thầy Sáu Phêrô Trần Khánh là tân Trợ Úy cho đoàn Saviô MA! Nguyện xin Thiên Chúa dìu dắt và chúc lành cho quý Huynh Trưởng và Trợ Úy trên con đường phục vụ! Hoan hô hoan hô!!! [Kippley s] arguments made a lot of sense. From the Bible, from the covenant, he showed that the marital act is not just a physical act; it's a spiritual act that God has designed by which the marital covenant is renewed. And in all covenants you have an opportunity to renew the covenant, and the act of covenant renewal is an act or a moment of grace. When you renew a covenant, God releases grace, and grace is life, grace is power, grace is God's own love. Kippley shows how in a marital covenant, God has designed the marital act to show the life-giving power of love. That in the marital covenant the two become one, and God has designed it so that when the two become one, they become so one that nine months later you might just have to give it a name. And that child who is conceived, embodies the oneness that God has made the two through the marital act. This is all the way that God has designed the marital covenant. God said, "Let us make man in our image and likeness," and God, who is three in one, made man, male and female, and said, "Be fruitful and multiply." The two shall become one and when the two become one, the one they become is a third child, and then they become three in one. It just began to make a lot of sense, and he went through other arguments as well. By the time I finished the book, I was convinced. [ In addition,] the more I studied, the more I came to see that for the ancient Hebrews, and in Sacred Scripture, a covenant differs from a contract about as much as marriage differs from prostitution. In a contract you exchange property, whereas in a covenant you exchange persons. In a contract you say, "This is yours and that is mine," but Scripture shows how in a covenant you say, "I am yours and you are mine." Even when God makes a covenant with us, He says, "I will be your God and you will be my people." After studying Hebrew, I discovered that 'Am, the Hebrew word for people, literally means, kinsman, family. I will be your God and father; you will be my family, my sons and my daughters, my household. So covenants form kinship bonds which make family with God. I discovered that for Luther and for practically all of Bible Christianity and Protestantism, God is a judge, and the covenant is a courtroom scene whereby all of us are guilty criminals...for Luther, in other words, salvation is a legal exchange, but for Paul in Romans, for Paul in Galatians, salvation is that, but it's much more than that. It isn't just a legal exchange because the covenant doesn't point to a Roman courtroom so much as to a Hebrew family room. God is not just simply a judge; God is a father, and his judgments are fatherly. Christ is not just somebody who represents an innocent victim who takes our rap, our penalty; He is the firstborn among many brethren. He is our oldest brother in the family, and he sees us as runaways, as prodigals, as rebels who are cut off from the life of God's family. And by the new covenant Christ doesn't just exchange in a legal sense; Christ gives us His own sonship so that we really become children of God.
[ After graduating from the seminary,] the first thing I did [as new pastor of a Protestant church in Virginia] was to tell them about covenant. The second thing I did was to correct their misunderstanding of covenant as contract to show them that covenant means family. The third thing I did was to show them that the family of God makes more sense of who we are and what Christ has done than anything in the Bible. God is Father, God is Son, and God through the Holy Spirit has made us one family with Him. And as soon as I began to preach this and teach this, it just took off like wildfire. It spread through the parish; you could see it affecting marriages and families. It was exciting. The fourth thing I did, was to teach them about liturgy and covenant and family, that in Scripture the covenant is celebrated through liturgical worship whereby God's family gathers for a meal to celebrate the sacrifice of Christ. I suggested in my preaching and teaching that maybe we ought to have the family meal, communion. I even used the word "Eucharist." They never heard it before. I said, "Maybe we ought to celebrate being God's covenant-family by communion each week." "What?" I said, "Instead of being sermon-centered, why not have the sermon be a prelude and a preparation to enter into celebrating who we are as God's family?" They loved it. Meanwhile, I was also teaching part time at the local Christian high school that met there at the church. I had some of the brightest students I have ever taught, and they also responded with enthusiasm to this covenant idea. I began to teach a course on salvation history, and at first they were scared because it was so confusing, all those names and places that you can't even pronounce much less make sense out of. So I showed them, "Hey, once you think of covenant as family, it's really quite simple." I took my students through the series of covenants in the Old Testament which led up to Christ. First, you have the covenant God makes with Adam; that's a marriage, a family bond. The second covenant is the one that God makes with Noah. That's a family, a household with Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their three wives; together they formed a family of God, a household of faith. Then in Abraham's time you actually have God's family growing to the extent where it becomes a tribal family. Then the next covenant God makes with Moses and Israel has twelve tribes that become one nation, but through the covenant they become God's national family. Until finally when Christ establishes the new covenant. Instead of having God's family identified with one nation, the distinctive greatness of the New Covenant, I taught them, was that now we have an international family, a world wide family a catholic family. [A few years later, Scott pursued a Ph.D. in Biblical Theology at Marquette University, a Catholic university, to discern the calling into the Catholic faith amidst his growing concerns over how he used to understand and interpret Scripture. That time was the riches years of study he ever experienced and the riches time of prayer as well. He began to pray the rosary and attend Mass, where he was head over heels in love with Christ and His Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Attending Mass and Holy Communion became the source and the summit and the climax of each day for Scott. He became a Catholic in 1986, and has been a prolific writer and theologian for the Catholic Church ever since.] Excerpts from http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0088.html Photo credit: http://adfinesterrae.com/2012/02/02/covenant-theology-abraham/
PHONG TRÀO THIẾU NHI THÁNH THỂ VIỆT NAM TẠI HOA KỲ VIETNAMESE EUCHARISTIC YOUTH MOVEMENT IN THE USA BAN CHẤP HÀNH MIỀN ĐÔNG BẮC VŨ KHIÊM CUNG This scholarship honors the work, life, and legacy of Rev. Vũ Khiêm Cung, founder of the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement (VEYM), Northeastern Region. Born on April 10 th, 1940 in Vietnam, Father Vũ Khiêm Cung received the calling at a young age due to the early exposure to Catholicism by his family. Guided by the love for Christ Jesus and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, the bright Vũ Khiêm Cung led the VEYM, Northeastern Region to uncharted heights with years of excellent leadership, humility, servantship, and unquestionable morality. As such, the Vũ Khiêm Cung scholarship is intended to motivate, encourage, and provide financial assistance to one Eucharistic Youth Leader annually who exemplifies above and beyond qualities that can contribute to the ever growing legacy of Rev. Vũ Khiêm Cung. Scholarship Year: 2015 Scholarship Amount: $1000.00 USD Eligibility: The applicant must be a certified Eucharistic Youth Leader in good standing OR a Knight of the Eucharist registering as a college student for the 2015-2016 academic year at the time of the application submission. The applicant must ALSO be an active VEYM member in the Northern Region for the past three years. Restriction: Previous scholarship winners may not apply. How to Apply: Type and submit an essay (no more than 2000 words; English or Vietnamese) stating; 1) Your reason for applying to this scholarship; 2) Your goals as a EYM member; 3) Your source of motivation as a EYM member; 4) Your aspirations and your personal views on how you play a role in Pope Francis' emphasis on Evangelization; 5) Your current and future contributions to VEYM. Please include full saint name, full name, chapter name, phone number, and email on the header or footnote of every page. Submit a sealed copy of an official academic transcript from your current educational institution (if applicable). Submit a copy of your most recent SAT scores (if applicable). Submit two letters of recommendations from individuals who can speak to your qualities (one has to be from a Eucharistic Youth Leader or Chaplain; letter cannot be from a family member). Submit a sealed copy of your family s most current income tax documentation. Submit a verification letter of good standing and 3 years of VEYM involvement with signatures from the Chapter s President and Chaplain. Submit a copy of the official Eucharistic Youth Leader certification if applicable. Send all required documentations to Vũ Khiêm Cung Scholarship Committee 84 Roosevelt Ave - West Seneca NY 14224 Selection Criteria: Timeline: Process: Contact Information: Overall presentation of self through the essay and academic achievement(s) Financial need Recommendation letters Recommendation letters November 1 st, 2014: Application available May 31 st, 2015: Application due date August 31 st,2015: Notification date TBA: Award Ceremony Date Recipients are determined in a selection process independently managed by the Vũ Khiêm Cung Scholarship Committee. The Regional Executive Committee will ensure that the selection process is free of biases. Selected recipient will be notified by email and payment will be paid directly to the recipient. Tel: 716.830.9181 Email: VKCScholarship@gmail.com
HÌNH ẢNH ĐÓ ĐÂY PHOTOS HERE AND THERE Chúc mừng Tr. Bảo Hạnh được Cha Tuyên Úy Miền bổ nhiệm vào trức Phó Nghiên Huấn Miền! Chúc mừng Thầy Sáu Khánh được tuyên hứa làm Trợ Úy cho đoàn Saviô MA! Chúc mừng Tr. Elvis và Tr. Thịnh thuộc được tuyên hứa làm Phó Nghiên Huấn và Thủ Quỹ cho đoàn Saviô MA, 2014-2015!