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USCCA32 – The Second Commandment: Reverence God’s Name – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA32 Chapter 26

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 26:

The Second Commandment forbids the wrong use or misuse of God’s name. There are a number of ways in which this happens. Blasphemy uses the name of God and of Jesus Christ as well as those of the Blessed Mother and the saints in an offensive manner. The Catechism teaches that blasphemy consists “in uttering against God—inwardly or outwardly—words of hatred, reproach, or defiance” (CCC, no. 2148). This is gravely sinful. Habitual disrespect for God, displayed in cursing and even in the use of vulgar language, can create an attitude that erodes our relationship with the Lord.

At the same time, we recognize diminished culpability when the name of God is used because of an outburst of undisciplined speech due to passion or unexpected incitement to anger. We need to cultivate a persistent reverence for sacred names; if we do not, we can end up giving bad example and also fall into the sin of blasphemy. It should also be noted that in Scripture, the sometimes passionate language of the Prophets, in which they lament the troubles of their times and utter loud complaints to God, is not blasphemy or the taking of God’s name in vain. It is actually prayer addressed to God.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Jim Carroll and Bruce McGregor for his vocal talents in this episode.

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Faith Check 29 – Temporal Consequences for Sin

Temporal Consequences for Sin

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Common sense tells us that our sins have consequences. If after committing a sin, we confess, then God promises to forgive us. Yet there can still remain what the Church calls a “temporal punishment,” or consequence, for our sin.

For instance, in 2 Samuel 12 after David confesses his sin of adultery, the prophet Nathaniel tells him that the Lord has forgiven him, but nevertheless he will suffer the death of his child as a consequence of his sin.¹ Our relationship with God is a personal one and our sins are not just rule violations, but personal offenses that need to be mended.

We can fulfill the temporal punishments for our sins through sincere sorrow for our sins, prayers, sacrifices, and acts of charity.

But as part of the Body of Christ, we can also assist in coming to the aid of our brothers and sisters, both living and dead. This is the basic principle of the Church’s practice of indulgences, and undoubtedly what St. Paul has in mind in Colossians 1:24 where he says, “I rejoice in my sufferings, and complete what is lacking in Christ’s affliction for the sake of his body, the Church.” Or perhaps it’s put best in 1 Peter 4:8, which simply states, “love covers a multitude of sins.”

1 – 2 Sam. 12:13-14

FG#4 Interior Freedom episode 4 – Fountains of Grace with Donna Garrett

FG#4 – Interior Freedom episode 2- Fountains of Grace: reflections on contemporary spiritual classics with Donna Garrett

Join host Donna Garrett, with Fr. Daniel Brandenburg, LC, as they discuss the spiritual classic “Interior Freedom” by Fr. Jacques Philippe a priest of Communaute des Beatitudes, an international association of the faithful of Pontifical Right founded in France in 1973. The members of the Community, which has a contemplative vocation based on Carmelite spirituality, are actively engaged in the service of the poor and the proclamation of the Gospel.

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Discussed in this episode, among other topics, from “Interior Freedom” page 75

Donna Garrett is joined in this particular series by Fr. Daniel Brandenburg, LC

“Let us ask ourselves this question, to what degree can the evil in my surroundings effect me? With the apologies to those I am going to scandalize,I say that the evil around us- the sins of others, of people in the church, of society-does not become an evil for us unless we let Him penetrate our hearts. The point isn’t that we should become indifferent. Just the opposite. The holier we are the more we will suffer due to the evil and sin in the world. But external evil only harms us to the degree we react badly to it, by fear, worry discouragement, sadness,giving up, rushing to apply hasty solutions that don’t solve anything judging, fostering bitterness and resentment, refusing to forgive and so on. Jesus say in St Mark’s Gospel, There is nothing outside of man which going into him can defile him but the things which come out of a man are what defile him. Harm does not come to us(our souls) from external circumstances, but from how we react to them interiorly.”

You can find “Interior Freedom” here

Day 9 St. Catherine of Siena Novena

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Day 9

“My Nature is Fire”:

In your nature, eternal Godhead,
I shall come to know my nature.
And what is my nature, boundless love?
It is fire,
because you are nothing but a fire of love.
And you have given humankind
a share in this nature,
for by the fire of love you created us.
And so with all other people
and every created thing;
you made them out of love.
O ungrateful people!
What nature has your God given you?
His very own nature!
Are you not ashamed to cut yourself off from such a noble thing
through the guilt of deadly sin?
O eternal Trinity, my sweet love!
You, light, give us light.
You, wisdom, give us wisdom.
You, supreme strength, strengthen us.
Today, eternal God,
let our cloud be dissipated
so that we may perfectly know and follow your Truth in truth,
with a free and simple heart.
God, come to our assistance!
Lord, make haste to help us!

Amen.

Heavenly Father, your glory is in your saints. We praise your glory in the life of the admirable St. Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church. Her whole life was a noble sacrifice inspired by an ardent love of Jesus, your unblemished Lamb. In troubled times she strenuously upheld the rights of His beloved spouse, The Church. Father, honor her merits and hear her prayers for each of us. Help us to pass unscathed through the corruption of this world, and to remain unshakably faithful to the church in word, deed, and example. Help us always to see in the Vicar of Christ an anchor in the storms of life, and a beacon of light to the harbor of your Love, in this dark night of your times and men’s souls. Grant also to each of us our special petition . . . (pause to pray for your own intentions). We ask this through Jesus, your Son, in the bond of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

St. Catherine of Siena, Pray for us.

For the complete novena visit the St. Catherine of Siena Novena Page

Day 5 St. Catherine of Siena Novena

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Day 5

To Monna Agnese wife of Francesco, a tailor of Florence

I desire to see thee clothed in true and perfect humility–for that is a little virtue which makes us great in the sight of God. This is the virtue which constrained and inclined God to make His most sweet Son incarnate in the Womb of Mary. It is as exalted as the proud are humbled; it shines in the sight of God and men; it binds the hands of the wicked, it unites the soul with God, it purifies and laves away the soil of our sin, and calls on God to show us mercy.

St. Catherine of Siena, Pray for us.

For the complete novena visit the St. Catherine of Siena Novena Page

CTD#5 – “Leaving the Desert” – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating

Episode 5 -Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion – “Leaving the Desert”.

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“Celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation is, for many Catholics, a most daunting prospect. This sacrament has been the source of many jokes, composed perhaps by persons seeking to reduce the level of stress they feel regarding one of its main components: naming personal sin.

The naming of one’s own sin to oneself and to a priest is self-revelatory to the point of evoking anxiety. Initially, it can be true that some level of apprehension may accompany this sacrament, but over time with regular celebration of this form of worship, anxiety diminishes. Most positively the sacrament of reconciliation promotes truthful self-knowledge regarding sin in the context of Christ’s saving presence. Once someone experiences both the naming of sin and the reception of God’s mercy in this sacrament, he or she actually begins to celebrate this sacrament and see it as a great gift from Christ and his Church.”

Deacon James Keating, PhD, the director of Theological Formation for the Institute for Priestly Formation, located at Creighton University, in Omaha, is making available to ”Discerning Hearts” and all who listen, his series of programs entitled “Crossing the Desert”.

For more information on the “Institute of Priestly Formation” and for oth er material available by Deacon Keating, just click here

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

Our Lady of Lourdes – Prayer, Penance, Spiritual & Physical Healing

From the official Lourdes website (visit it …. it’s fantastic!)

On 11th. February 1858 Bernadette, her sister Toinette and a friend of theirs, Jeanne, went looking for wood on the meadows and led towards “the place where the canal rejoins the River Gave”. They were in front of the Grotto of Massabielle. Toinette and Jeanne crossed the icy water, crying out with the cold; Bernadette hesitated to do this because of her chronic asthma. She heard “a noise like a gust of wind”, but “none of the trees were moving”. “Raising her head, she saw, in a hollow of the rock a small young lady, who looked at her and who smiled at her. This was the first Apparition of the Virgin Mary

Our Lady of Lourdes – Prayer, Penance, Spiritual & Physical Healing – Discerning Hearts

From the official Lourdes website (visit it …. it’s fantastic!)

On 11th. February 1858 Bernadette, her sister Toinette and a friend of theirs, Jeanne, went looking for wood on the meadows and led towards “the place where the canal rejoins the River Gave”. They were in front of the Grotto of Massabielle. Toinette and Jeanne crossed the icy water, crying out with the cold; Bernadette hesitated to do this because of her chronic asthma. She heard “a noise like a gust of wind”, but “none of the trees were moving”. “Raising her head, she saw, in a hollow of the rock a small young lady, who looked at her and who smiled at her. This was the first Apparition of the Virgin Mary

Who is the “Rock” we set our spiritual lives on? A reflection by Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts

We all fail, we all collapse under the weight of sin. Who is our “Rock”? How do we come to see the areas where we are separated from the Rock who is Jesus Christ. Msgr. Esseff talks about the dangers of self-reliance. He discusses many of the major roots of sin which suck us into self-absorption, and what is the only solution that can save us. The Father in heaven loves us each so much specifically. We need to turn to that love and rely completely on Him.

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From the USCCB website:

Gospel Mt 7:21, 24-27

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

On Sinfulness – Truth and Lies– talk 3 by Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts

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Msgr. Esseff spoke at a recent conference which was held in PA. in November 2011. In the 3rd talk he speaks about sinfulness. Our mistaken notions and what we should know. What are the traps, what will free us. How confession can bring us into right order.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website: Building A Kingdom of Love