For Your Piety:
Janet Moscuzza writes: "There is a Corpus Christie Procession this Sunday, June 2 at Mary, Mother of God Church after the Noon Mass. Cursillo is assigned Altar 1 in front of Mater Dei High School. MaryAnn and David Dowd will carry our banner and the Cursillo Cross is on this Altar. All are welcome to join us." Directions can be found at http://www.stmarychurchnj.org/directions.html.
Bonnie Carcione wants to share this link to "Discover Psalms" - a four-week online guided meditation that will introduce you to the Psalms as “the school of prayer.” It can be found at http://thecatholicyearoffaith.com/welcome-to-psalms-the-school-of-prayer.
For Your Action:
Dick Andrejack shares this message about Kenosis Prison Ministry
Kenosis is a Greek word, it’s meaning is – “to empty”
We believe in our Christian faith God emptied Himself to become man through our Blessed Mother, who emptied herself to do the Father’s will and bear his son, Jesus Christ, who in loving obedience emptied himself for our salvation, gaining for us the opportunity of eternal life. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit ever present, who empties into us their Trinitarian grace so that we may live in and continue to build up “the kingdom of God.”
This is the truth – the faith we profess as Christians.
Holy scripture records God’s people in captivity, slavery, prisons, jail and sin – our unfreedoms in all instances God is present with forgiveness and freedom to those that follow the teachings of Jesus – Love God and your neighbor as yourself. Jesus was loving and obedient as He taught and lived – not his commands, but the Father’s commands.
In Holy Scripture, Jesus teaches in Mark 25: 31 – 46 in The Judgment of the Nations, line 36:
“Naked and you clothe me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”
In what we pray is a humble response to his teaching and prediction, our spiritual action and ministry is to be compassionately present to those we visit in prison and to – listen, and to love and to be conscious of the Christ that is present in each of the incarcerated inmates.
On the first and third Tuesday of each month we gather at Trenton State maximum security prison in Trenton, New Jersey. We meet from 7pm to 9pm. We gather in small groups (five per group.) We pray, witness, and share on the Word of God active and living within our lives through piety/holiness, study/scripture and apostolic action. Between 30 to 40 prisoners attend. The volunteers of the Kenosis Ministry consist of men from throughout the state and the Trenton Diocese. These men are of various Christian faiths.
At least once each year, we conduct a Kenosis four day retreat for the inmates. This is done to evangelize and build up the Body of Christ, the Holy Church.
Any women or man interested in discussing this ministry and seeking additional information may call:
Ray Benedict at 732-840-1343
Don McKeon at 732-785-9038
R. Andrejack at 732-892-4721
Rev. Martin McGeough, Diocese of Trenton at 609-406-7400, Extension 7198
Please know that all can be part of this ministry through prayer. Please pray for all women and men in prison.