Give Him Your Poverty, Trust Him with Your Sins

Father Mark is once again doing what he does best - challenging his brother priests to be the holy men God chose them to be and in the process to lead their flock to holiness as well:

Give Him your poverty, trust Him with your sins

Our priests need our prayerful and daily support.

Eucharistic Reflection

“When Jesus remains in the quiet of the altar, in the tabernacle’s shadow, people in their blind carelessness let Him alone, they forget all about Him. And when He exposes Himself upon the altar, he is hurt to the Heart by the irreverence of so many who either have no faith at all or a faith that is very weak. When He goes through the streets in order to bring unspeakable blessings to His beloved children, He hears curses and blasphemies that make out of His errand of mercy another way of the cross.

But in the midst of all these bitternesses one hope sustains Him – the hope of a place of refuge that will offer the love and peace He craves. The bitter chalice which others continually place to His lips He drinks with resignation; for He is sustained by the hope of a loving reception in my heart by way of reparation. One only hour spent in the enjoyment of my love, and He forgets years and years of suffering…

Altar and tabernacle, monstrance and church, are merely the avenues through which His love enters; its goal is my heart; it is there that He would rest. Ah! How it would pain His divine heart if I would not let Him in, or if I would receive Him unworthily. What a bitter disappointment that would be!”

(Eucharistic Whisperings, Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S.)

In Case You Have Not Heard - 4th Annual Catholic Writers' Guild Conference

Catholic Writers Conference

M E D I A   R E L E A S E

CONTACT:

Ann Margaret Lewis Phone: (317) 755-2693 e-mail: cwglivecon@catholicwritersguild.com

 

Catholic Writers to Hold Conference in Arlington, Texas

Arlington, TX--The fourth annual Catholic Writers’ Conference LIVE will take place August 29-31, 2012, at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, TX. Sponsored by the Catholic Writer’s Guild and the Catholic Marketing Network (CMN), and held in conjunction with CMN’s annual retailer trade show, the Catholic Writers Conference LIVE provides Catholic authors with a prime opportunity to meet and share their faith with editors, publishers, fellow writers, and bookstore owners from across the globe.

The conference will offer “pitch sessions,” allowing authors an opportunity to meet personally with publishing professionals and pitch their writing projects. In addition, attendees have the opportunity to sign up for critique with professional editors and writers. Some participating publishers are Ignatius Press, Ave Maria Press, Christus Publishing, Tuscany Press, Ascension Press and Servant Books. Information for this event can be found on the conference web site.

This year's conference will focus on “Writing and the New Evangelization.” Speakers include EWTN personalities Teresa Tomeo and Father Andrew Apostoli, CFR, authors Ellen Hrkach (In NAME ONLY) and Patti Armstrong (STORIES FOR THE HOMESCHOOL HEART), Ann Margaret Lewis (MURDER IN THE VATICAN: THE CHURCH MYSTERIES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES), and author and blogger Sarah Reinhard (A CATHOLIC MOTHER’S COMPANION TO PREGNANCY: WALKING WITH MARY FROM CONCEPTION TO BAPTISM). More excellent speakers are still being confirmed.

In partnership with the Catholic New Media Conference, also taking place in the convention center, conference attendees will be able to attend a special track on blogging for $25. Information on this opportunity will be made to attendees upon registration.

“It's not just writing, it's not just fellowship, it's inspiration, too!” says 2011 Conference presenter Sarah Reinhard. “It was great to share the Eucharist and evening meals in person with writers who inspire me, encourage me, and motivate me the rest of the year.”

The Catholic Writers Guild, a religious non-profit organization affiliated with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis sponsors both this live conference in August and an online conference in February to further its mission of promoting Catholic literature. Says CWG President Ann Lewis, “These events are integral to our mission of ‘creating a rebirth of Catholic arts and letters.”

Registration costs $70 for CWG members, $75 for non-members and $40 for students. There's also a discounted combined membership. To register or for more information, go to http://www.catholicwritersconference.com.

# # #

Graphics, interviews and further information available upon request.

 

Catholic Writers! #Catholic #Writers #Conference LIVE in #Arlington, TX 8/29-31 http://www.catholicwritersconference.com/

 

http://www.catholicwritersconference.com/index.php?name=Content_2&pid=211

Theme for CWCL—the new evangelization

Listen Again to the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

There have always been prophets among us. Unfortunately, far too often we either do not hear them or intentionally ignore them. How different our Church and world might have been had we listened to Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.

The good news is that much of what he wrote still is readily accessible to anyone who wants to read what this often ignored messenger tried to share during his earthly life and what God is now allowing so many to re-discover and appreciate.  May more of us listen to this prophet. His wisdom and insight are timeless.

The following gem was recently quoted on Church Militant and is well worth sharing here:

“The world in which we live is the battleground of the Church. I believe that we are now living at the end of Christendom. It is the end of Christendom but not the end of Christianity. What is Christendom? It is the political, economic, moral, social, legal life of a nation as inspired by the gospel ethic. That is finished. Abortion, the breakdown of the family, dishonesty, even the natural virtues upon which the supernatural virtues are based, are being discredited. Christianity is not at an end. But we are at the end of Christendom. And I believe the sooner we face up to this fact, the sooner we will be able to solve many of our problems.

Thirty or forty years ago it was easy to be a Christian. The very air we breathed was Christian. Bicycles could be left on front lawns; doors could be left unlocked. Suddenly all this has changed; now we have to affirm our faith. We live in a world that challenges us. And many fall away. Dead bodies float downstream; it takes live bodies to resist the current. And this is our summons.

We will have to begin to be a different Church. We are for the moment on the trapeze. We are in between the death of an old civilization and culture, and the swing to the beginning of the new. These are the times in which we live. They are therefore wonderful days, marvelous; we should thank God we live in times like these.”

(Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen from Through the Year with Fulton Sheen: Inspirational Selections for Each Day of the Year)

(Photo credit to Wikimedia Commons)

Eucharistic Reflection

"If the poison of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility. If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread; and you will learn generosity. If the cold wind of coveting withers you, hasten to the Bread of Angels; and charity will come to blossom in your heart. If you feel the itch of intemperance, nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ, Who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life; and you will become temperate. If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things, strengthen yourself with this heavenly Food; and you will grow fervent. Lastly, if you feel scorched by the fever of impurity, go to the banquet of the Angels; and the spotless Flesh of Christ will make you pure and chaste,"

(St. Cyril of Alexandria)

Pondering Tidbits of Truth - Week of July 19, 2012

(In the event you are not familar with the purpose of this post, take a quick look here).


This week's offerings:

From St. Teresa of Avila:

“The whole aim of any person who is beginning prayer – and don’t forget this, because it is very important   – should be that he work and prepare himself with determination and every effort to bring his will in conformity with God’s will.”

(From Interior Castle)

From Scripture:

“He summoned the crowd with His disciples and said to them: ‘If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross and follow in My steps. Whoever will preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will preserve it’.”

(Mark 8:34-35)

From St. Augustine


“Love of self till God is forgotten or love of God till self is forgotten.”

(From The City of God)

(You can find my initial offerings here).

Introducing "Pondering Tidbits of Truth"

The Purpose of Pondering Tidbits of Truth

We are all busy people. Many of us have convinced ourselves that we simply do not have the time to read, ponder and reflect on the Scriptures or the wealth of spiritual wisdom our Church has accumulated over the centuries. Yet, we owe God and ourselves this reflective time.

If we spend little or no time, pondering the truths and mysteries of our Faith, we are not going to progress spiritually - a growth essential to our eternal well-being and that of those around us.

Pondering Tidbits of Truth is my simple and inadequate way of providing nuggets of spiritual wisdom for you to chew on from time to time. Rarely will they share a common thread.

On the first and third Thursday of each month (God willing), I will offer some quotations for your reflection. This is my challenge to you. Read and ponder them. Invest at least five minutes of your time on each of them over the course of two weeks, asking God to let you understand what He wants you to learn from this material.

I suspect if you give Him these minutes, you will be hungry for additional nourishment and eager to give Him even more of your time. You may even want to share what you have learned – at least we hope you will. We are all busy people. Many of us have convinced ourselves that we simply do not have the time to read, ponder and reflect on the Scriptures and the wealth of spiritual wisdom our Church has accumulated over the centuries. Yet, we owe God and ourselves this reflective time.

 

For your information: to find links to all the previous entries in this column, go to "Search This Blog" and type in "Pondering Tidbits of Truth".