Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted ; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; 2 to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, 3 to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Once before, in 1980, this passage held great significance for me. It was shared during a Charismatic Holy Mass at the cathedral in Syracuse, NY. This was just before I headed for Baltimore to discern whether or not I had a call to religious life. In the above passage, it is easy to perceive the prophetic call. Jesus used this passage to announce His own mission when revisiting Nazareth. I believe it also has tremendous relevance for us in the days ahead, which is why I started this thread. In a takeoff from a previous "networking" thread initiated by garabandal, I want to go beyond expressing the need, and focus on spiritual tools for networking. For instance, miker shared the following: My family has been involved in a Catholic community (neocatechumenal ) for last two years. Besides helping me and family to spiritually weather some of these storms, I agree it will help when the more blatant persecutions begin. This is a great example of a tool or resource for us to gravitate toward in the days ahead. Perhaps miker could explain the structure of the community and if he is aware of other locations where it is thriving. Has the members of his local community discussed the future at all? During my own spiritual journey, I have enjoyed tighter community in the context of a Charismatic prayer group and in the team life found through the Regnum Christi Movement. At the time, both offered closer fellowship than I was able to find in my parish. On the other hand, our friends, the Weinbergers, chose to stay in a rather unorthodox parish because of the tight relationship formed with other committed families within the parish. The important question is whether or not we have to build a network from scratch or not. Everyone's input would be appreciated, for it will be from the support of such networks that we will most effectively reach out to the lost and struggling. Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
In the Pittsburgh diocese our Bishop has started the Church Alive campaign. july 22nd was the opening nite in 12 chuches thru 6 counties with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and prayers/short meditations to the Holy Spirit. I found this very powerful. Meditations were basically asking the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and lead us to where we are to be in this holy campaign... Heres a couple clips from our Bishop, On Mission for The Church Alive!seeks to strengthen and guide us so that we may accept the invitation of Pope Francis to seek out and welcome those who have left the Church or are far from God. In order to encourage others to be friends of Jesus, each of us must deepen our relationship with Him. We grow in faith and holiness by truly listening to His Word in Scripture and by embracing His presence in the Sacraments so that we can learn Jesus, love Jesus, and live Jesus. Through our own spiritual development, we become truly loving and merciful Christians who must transform our parishes and diocese into The Church Alive! http://diopitt.org/mission-church-alive How is God calling you to be alive in your faith? My invitation to you is to dream big, say “Yes!” and roll up your sleeves to get more involved in the work of the Church through five important realities—the Eucharist, Catechesis, Evangelization, Formation and Stewardship. "What is God calling you to do?" Bishop David Zubik asks the faithful, "What is God calling you to do?" in the first Evening of Prayer for On Mission for The Church Alive! The bishop presided at St. Patrick Parish in Canonsburg, one of 12 churches across our diocese that welcomed thousands of Catholics on June 24, inviting all "to learn Jesus, to love Jesus, and to live Jesus." http://www.onmissionchurchalive.org/ Mario,maybe tell your Bishop about this program
A part of the Mission prayer: By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit raise up selfless, energetic leaders– priests, deacons, religious, and lay –to serve the Church in fidelity and with care. Amen! Come Holy Spirit, Spouse of the spotless Virgin! Fill your people in the Church of Pittsburgh with holy zeal and fraternity! 1Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were no people but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy.
hmmmm...I haven't been networking lately. I guess I will start talking more with people who adore at the church I adore in. I guess it is time to take this more seriously...
You can't do better than the Legion of Mary- the best way to put the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary in practice. We visit nursing homes, hospitals, do parish wide evangelization, promote the Rosary and other devotions such as the Sacred Heart of Jesus Enthronements and the Pilgrim Mary statue, and participate in parish ministries such as CCD, RCIA, and 33 Days to Morning Glory groups. If active works are too much for some, you can also be an auxiliary and commit to daily prayers for our works. The Legion of Mary has become my Church family and I have been so blessed by being a part of Mary's Army for the past three years! Frank Duff who started the Legion was light years ahead of his time in recognizing the role of the laity and also the need to promote personal holiness for all members of the mystical Body of Christ. For more information http://www.legionofmary.ie/ Another way to network is to consider starting a Flame of Love prayer cenacle- we need prayer and sacrifice at this time and gathering together like minds to pray the Flame of Love Rosary and other prayers is a wonderful way to do this. The Flame of Love Movement is a way of life devoted to spreading the extraordinary grace Our Lady has obtained from Our Lord for just this day and time- where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more! Totally consistent with Fatima and Divine Mercy- the Lord is pulling out the stops! For more information- flameoflove.us
I don't know, maybe a meetup group? I am not sure how popular that site is anymore. I suppose facebook is more popular, but I don't do facebook. I found this meetup group, but it does not look too active. LinkedIn also has groups and some are catholic. I was pretty active with 2 such groups from linkedIn. Those I guess are 2 sources. http://www.meetup.com/adoration/
Lifesong, It is so good to see that some of the more established apostolates like yours are still strong and vibrant. May the Two Hearts prosper your ministry and deepen the bond of your members! Alleluia! Safe in the Father's Arms!
