A MESSAGE FROM OUR LAY DIRECTOR, MARY ANN DOWD

Beloved Cursillistas,

In order to better understand "EXACTLY" what the language of the HHS mandate will mean in practical terms, please refer to Archbishop Lori's brilliant Parable of the Kosher Deli which can be found at http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/the-parable-of-the-kosher-deli/ .  Bishop O'Connell has asked us to keep praying for him and for all our priests and bishops as they go before us in order to keep us informed, articulate and courageous in waging the battle against this unjust law.

forever DeColores!

mary ann xo

PRAYER FOR A NEIGHBOR by Len Capobianco

I pray the prayer of Jabez frequently throughout my day:

        Oh, that you would bless me, indeed

        And enlarge my territory

        That Your Hand would be with me,

        And that you would keep me from evil.

The second line is a step in faith asking the Lord to take me whenever he would to do HIS work. I know that my capacity is limited these days and I believe that he is telling me to simply touch everyone I come in contact with.

We just moved into our new home in Toms River, and yesterday morning (Sunday) our new neighbor John came to our door to tell us that our well (for the sprinkler system) was running constantly into a drain and out into the street. We thought it was rain water coming out of the drain caused by Friday's heavy rain. Anyway, John showed me how to turn off the system and then showed me the access to the well and commenced to get down on his knees and removed the pressure relief valve that was causing the problem (John is 81 years old). I thanked John for his help and told him he was a good man and a great neighbor.

He then took me around to all the neighbors that were outside their homes and introduced me to each of them. I asked John what he was doing a for the day and he said he was taking it easy as his had just left to go shopping with their daughter and the last thing he wanted to do was go shopping with them. But then he paused and told me that maybe he should have as his daughter recently had a mastectomy followed by radiation treatment and new reports showed the cancer had returned. I told John that I could only begin to imagine how he felt. John then turned to leave and I asked his daughter's first name and he said Karen, as he was walking away. I told him that I would place her on the top of my prayer list. His head turned back slightly to give me some acknowledgement, but then walked away. I wanted to do more for John to take away his pain, especially since I know the hurt of loosing one so close. John's reaction to me seemed a bit awkward, but I trust that HIS Hand will be with John, his wife and their daughter Karen. Perhaps you could say a prayer for Karen and her parents, John and Jean.

ST. JOSEPH By Sister Clara Schroeder, CSJP

 Joseph was a descendant of King David. We know this from the genealogy of Jesus found in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 1, verse 17. Because Joseph was of the House and family of King David, he had to go Bethlehem, the city of David, with Mary, his wife, to be enrolled in the first census of that time. It was there in Bethlehem that Jesus was born. This can be found in Luke’s Gospel, chapter 2, verses 1 to 7. Joseph, a carpenter by trade, would have a role in history that would be unlike anything that anyone could have imagined.

Let’s spend a few moments now with Joseph who is the patron of a happy death, a model of fatherhood and a protector of families.

Joseph, when you were a boy, did you ever imagine the role in history you would play? When you fell in love with Mary, could you ever have possibly imagined her role in history? What was it like for you when you held the tiny baby, Son of God, in your arms on that first Christmas night? When you looked into the eyes of baby Jesus, what peace must have filled your whole being! I think that that moment made all the anguish you went through during your engagement period to Mary so worthwhile. Remember how upset you were when Mary told you she was pregnant and you knew that you were not the father. Even in your turmoil over this situation, you trusted in God.

And God did come to your assistance when he sent the angel to you in your sleep to assure you that it was OK to marry Mary and that her baby was truly God’s Son. You could have had Mary stoned, as that was the custom when women were unfaithful. But you did not. Instead you planned to put her away quietly. You knew in your heart that Mary could never be unfaithful to you. How tender and just you were. How you loved and honored Mary, your wife! (Matthew, chapter 1)

What tremendous faith in God again you had when you obeyed the angel a second time who told you to flee to Egypt with your family because the Child whom God entrusted to you was in mortal danger from King Herod. You, Jesus and Mary were foreigners in a strange land. You went there out of obedience to God’s will. This can be found in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 2, verses 13 and 14. Once more you displayed trust in God whom you obeyed when the angel told you to take your family back home to Israel because Herod had died. (Matthew, chapter 2, verses 19 to 22) How your tender heart must have ached when you learned of the slaughter of the innocent male babies by Herod because he was unable to find Jesus, whom he feared to be his rival. I’m sure there were many other times in your lifetime that you needed to totally trust God.

You taught us how to trust in Divine Providence. Through your trust in God, you were able to care for your holy family in Egypt and keep them safe. In today’s world, as well as in the past, so many people who are fleeing for there safety can look to you for guidance and comfort. Your trust was based on your unfaltering faith in God. What a lesson for each of us. How we need Faith! How can you trust unless you believe? How can you trust if you don’t believe?

During the years that Jesus grew up, I would have loved to have been there and watched you teach the Son of God your trade, carpentry, and how to be a good Jew by loving and obeying the Jewish law. Amidst the joy and happiness during those years, however, there must have been times when your heart was heavy as you pondered the destiny of Jesus, whom you loved so much. All the fathers down through the ages can look to you for comfort when they worry for their children’s safety.

Joseph, when you held the Son of God in your arms as an infant and heard Him utter some of his first sounds, many years later, that Son of God, now a grown man, held you in his arms when you uttered your last words. No wonder that the Church, in her wisdom, has proclaimed you the Patron of a Happy Death!

You had the most awesome responsibility of any man who has ever lived. You were entrusted the lives of the Son of God and the Mother of God. You had to take care of them and keep them safe. And you did that in spite of the many dangers you encountered. It amazes me so much, Joseph, that Scripture does not record anything you have said. All we know about you is what you did, not what you said. I think of a saying that I am sure most of you have heard. And that is: “Actions speak louder than words.” Your life, as we know it from Scripture, does make this saying so true.

Your life, Joseph, was indeed complex. You were a lover, husband, father, protector, teacher, carpenter, listener and especially a prayer. You displayed so many virtues—trusting, obedient, loyal, responsible, humble, tender, patient, kind and strong, and yes, tough. You had to take your family to Egypt on a donkey, not a car. And you had to protect your precious family from harm, such as robber.

So, in your quiet, humble way, Joseph, you taught us how to trust, how to obey, how to be faithful, how to love tenderly. But most of all, you taught us how to live in peace by being just.

St Joseph, pray for us. De Colores!

A MESSAGE FROM RONNIE MARTELLA, ASSISTANT LAY DIRECTOR

Pay Attention, Be Amazed, Tell About It.

Recently I was fortunate to take part, along with other members of Secretariat, in a Day of Spirituality.  Sister Ann Marie Rimmer, a Dominican sister who is one of the retreat directors at Stella Maris, along with two lay women, led us on a day of reflection and discovery. 

Sister Ann Marie told us of retreat she attended in which the first thing she read while she was there were those 7 words with which this began.  They are from a book of poetry.  Think about it, 7 small words, packed with potential.  She reminded us of the need to bring ourselves away from the daily needs, works and distractions we encounter - in order to be open and attentive to God in our lives.

One of the lay women gave us 4 glimpses of the Mary as she looked back a 4 seminal moments of her life with Jesus starting with her initial response to God’s invitation and the lay woman other took us through an experience of centering prayer during which we started, or perhaps deepened, the process of BE-ing with our God who loves us right down to our very core.

Each woman gave us a different perspective and a different way in which to move closer to God.

That evening at Mass, the homilist reflected on the gospel of the vine and the branches.  He said that perhaps because we have heard this reading and know it well, we might not always take the time to think about what that message is telling us-we can be so very close to Jesus –so close that we are part of who He is. 

Each of these people told us the same thing, in order to get closer to God and discover God’s plan for us, we need to slow down and take time to allow for the connection to be made.

At School of Leaders on May 18, our presenters will speak about discernment-the how and where we can find and see God in our lives.   

Please join us for this evening of enlightenment.

THANKS, PAT AND JIM!

 A very special thanks to Pat and Jim Christenson for arranging a very enlightening and wonderful trip to the Princeton University Museum of Art. The tour of its religious art works was outstanding. Over 19 cursillistas attended. The exhibit is open to the public - details can be found at http://artmuseum.princeton.edu/. Pat and Jim - thank you for a wonderful day!