The Catholic Youth Ministry (CYM) of St. Catherine of Siena Parish is a fellowship of young Christians unified by the bond of friendship, and dedicated to serving God, His Church, and the community at large. CYM members us their talents to bear witnes to the Light of the Gospel with enthusiasm and love. Loyal to the Pope and the Magisterium, the youth of CYM support the total mission of the parish through their involvement in various liturgical ministries. The Catholic Youth Ministry empowers its members to face the challenge of Christ: to live holy, courageous lives marked by charity and faithfulness
"The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best time you will spend on earth." Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
So... when was the last time you went to Adoration? Maybe this video will inspire you to go...
Adoration tomorrow and every Wednesday @ St. Catherine's.
Exposition begins after 7:45am mass. Benediction happens c. 6:30pm. Followed by Mass at 7pm.
And there is Perpetual Adoration (that's 24 hours a day, every single day of the year) @:
St. John the Baptist
983 Napa Street
Napa, CA 94559
or
St. Dominic
475 East I Street
Benicia, CA 94510
"I am just a speck of dust,
But I want to make my dwelling
In the shadow of the sanctuary
With the Prisoner of Love.
Ah! my soul longs for the host.
I love Him and want nothing more.
It is the hidden God who attracts me.
I am the atom of Jesus...,"
- from St. Therese of Lisieux's poem "The Atom of Jesus-Host."
Whether you go to Mass this evening or tomorrow be proud of the fact that you are united with over one billion brothers and sisters across the globe - and that's not even counting the angels and the saints.
Some days you simply see the reality and it is stunning. I was celebrating Mass with just a few people in our beautiful little daily Mass chapel when I held aloft the host and knew, just knew that the whole thing was true, not just true but deeply written in the deep genetic code of creation true. Do I have my doubts? Not really, but sometimes the mind is distracted. Sometimes the concerns of the world, the everyday stuff turns your mind away and you don't think of the miracle. You forget the wonder. You neglect and overlook what is real and what is really happening.
And what did the trick for me this time was the action of blessing throats for St Blaise Day. We were a day late because I was out of town, but still the faithful wanted throats blessed, and so there I was with the crossed candles and the legends of a saint no one is quite sure about and a custom that to my old former Protestant mind seems at least quaint if not superstitious, but I do my job and I ask God's blessing and I conform my mind to the mind of the Church and at that moment the window opens and the light streams in and I'm getting misty because I see a child, a teenager, a middle aged teacher, a parent, a man with a PhD, a Vietnamese person, all come together for this simple act.
There, suddenly I see that I'm part of the billion. A billion Catholics that is, and growing for yes, the church is young and growing across the world. And suddenly the cynics and the intellectuals and the journalists and the angry atheists and the flippant worldly fools who think the church is dead and religion is for superstitious peasants and believe that the days of the religious people are over--all of that is not only shallow and flippant and empty, but it is not even the majority. It is the squeak of a mouse unaware that he is the room of an elephant. Many many more believe than disbelieve. Many many more believe in the fullness of the faith than anyone has stopped to count. Each week they are there quietly getting up and going to Mass because they believe, and they far, far outnumber the noisy doubters who shake their fist at God.
Call me triumphalist if you like, but I saw that the future is not dark and grim. The future is the Church. The future is all those thousands marching in Washington. The future is seminaries overflowing in Africa and Asia. The future is new religious orders, new vocations and a new Springtime in the Church.
I do not fear the future for I am one among the billion.
There, suddenly I see that I'm part of the billion. A billion Catholics that is, and growing for yes, the church is young and growing across the world. And suddenly the cynics and the intellectuals and the journalists and the angry atheists and the flippant worldly fools who think the church is dead and religion is for superstitious peasants and believe that the days of the religious people are over--all of that is not only shallow and flippant and empty, but it is not even the majority. It is the squeak of a mouse unaware that he is in the room of an elephant. Many many more believe than disbelieve.Many many more believe in the fullness of the faith than anyone has stopped to count.Each week they are there quietly getting up and going to Mass because they believe, and they far, far outnumber the noisy doubters who shake their fist at God.
I do not fear the future for I am one among the billion.
Hit the jump to read the whole reflection in its entirety.
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"For her, Christ’s death was recent, his blood was still moist."
This quote really struck me when I read it this morning. It is from the office of readings, and comes from a homily about the martyr St. Agatha whose feast we celebrate today. To her, Christ's sacrifice was relevant. It was not some moment in history. Her daily life felt the impact of the cross, and she responded passionately to it.
Can we say the same? Is Christ's sacrifice felt in our hearts today, or is it just something that happened a long, long time ago? A moment in history that has no effect in our lives?
May the blood of Christ be made real to us today... after all: everyday, his mercies are new.
If you want, you can, read pray the rest of the office for today.
This video has been floating around the intertubes for awhile now. But it's a good one... Enjoy.
Oh and maybe now is a good time to take a break from what you are doing and crack open your bible. When was the last time you did that? How about reflecting on the passage this poem refers to? Look it up in John 4.
Read your Bible. A Bible that's worn out, is a sign of a Christian who isn't.
Per intercessionem S. Blasii liberet te Deus a malo gutteris et a quovis alio malo
May God at the intercession of St. Blasius preserve you from throat troubles and every other evil.
Today is the feast of St. Blaise.
It is a great feast of a Bishop and a martyr, and also the day we celebrate a great little tradition of our church. It's the day that throats are blessed. Why?
Well, (a short version of) the story goes like this. St. Blaise was a physician and bishop of the Church during the 3rd century. Because the church was being persecuted, he decided to hide out in a cave. After Christ appeared to him in a vision, he surrendered himself to the soldiers who were looking for him. On the way home to his martyrdom he would continue to preach, and one young mother stopped him and asked for his help. Her son was suffering from a fishbone stuck in his throat. St. Blaise healed him, and continued on to shed his blood for love of Christ.
So... St. Blaise because he helped the little boy and his throat is the patron saint of throat problems.
So get your throats blessed today. Hopefully you have better luck finding a parish doing a blessing this evening near vallejo. My google searching revealed none.
Today is Candlemas, or the Feast of the Purification of Mary, or the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord.
There are a lot of traditions our Church has for today. Some of these traditions include the blessing of candles, or a candlelight procession.
One of my favorite traditions from our European brothers and sisters is the tradition of making and eating crepes! Yum.
Why crepes? There are a lot of ideas how and why this tradition began. My favorite explanation is that a crepe (in it's circular form) looks like a sun. February 2nd is the dead middle of winter. The crepe is a reminder that although we go through the winter, the sun will come, or better yet the Son will come.
Eat crepes... Here's a recipe. Try it at home with your family.
Or you could always try these cake candles from Catholic Icing:
“Without truth,charity slides into sentimentalism. Love becomes an empty shell to be filled arbitrarily. This is the fatal risk of love in a culture withouttruth.”
-- Pope Benedict
I actually found this incomplete post in the blogspot archives today, so I thought I would finish it and post it =).....HERE GOES!!!!: It was a typical school night (probably filled with homework) when I decided to take a break to watch a DVD my Sophomore religion teacher gave me. After a conversation earlier that week about the priesthood, he handed me a DVD called "Fishers of Men". Within the first 5 minutes of watching, my face was lit up and I could feel a sense of awe and wonder inside of me. After the movie finished, I went to my room and simply prayed in amazement.
Above is just a 2 minute trailer for the full 20 minute video; however after watching the full 20 minute video, I was just filled with so much inspiration to become a priest. When people ask me, "How can you consider the priesthood?" well I've always wanted to respond, "How can you not?" Why not be a deacon? You can be married and still serve God in the church. What about just being really involved? Why be a priest?
Well when it comes down to it, what I find most appealing about the priesthood is having the blessing of being able to be an instrument of God through the sacraments. As my faith grew, my desire to serve God grew as well. Being a person of faith isn't about being pious or knowing all the prayers or being "holier than thou"; I truly believe that it really comes down to being an instrument of God. And that is what truly excites me about being a priest.
I can remember so many masses when I would be staring at the Eucharist being consecrated by the priest (well by the Holy Spirit, through the Priest) and saying to myself, "Wow, that would be such a humble blessing to be used by God to provide "Living Bread" for His people. For some reason (well I KNOW the reason) it just excites me knowing that one day I could be behind that alter saying "This IS my Body" or that I might be raising the Monstrance and saying the Divine Praises. I don't want to be a priest for the spot light or the praise; I want to become a priest because, ultimately, I know that my true joy does not come from the things of this world, but from allowing God to truly use me.
I know what you're thinking, Rence, you're sounding too much like a prideful mystic who might be taking chemical enhancing stuff or whatever teens these days do. But to be honest, that's the best I can do in relating my reasons to be a priest. I have this great love for God and whenever I pray, I feel like compelled to offer my entire being to him; and during my junior and senior year of high school, it meant giving my entire college future to him.
(This is where I added my current stuff)
And after a year and a half of seminary, God has proven faithful and loving. These past three semesters have been the best time of my extremely short life. I have no doubt in my mind that going to the seminary has been God's will. There have been so many moments this past year and a half where my love for the priesthood has grown. I've met so many priests during my time as a seminarian who have inspired me through their personal love for God and for his people. Ranging from the joyful holiness of my Vice-Rector Fr. Paschal, to the intelligent priest that is Fr. Bong of Davis.
But no other time has inspired me the most to become a priest then my time at ST. James in Davis. I remember my first home visit during my summer assignment. Fr. Bong brought Derf and I with him to administer the anointing of the sick to an elderly man several miles away. When we got there, we were greeted enthusiastically by his wife. When we walked into the room of the elderly man (whose name I will withhold for privacy reasons), his face lit up and his entire attitude was filled with joyful enthusiasm, despite his physical condition. After Fr. Bong administered the sacraments, the Five of us began singing, laughing and enjoying each others company. I left their house that day filled with a sense of having encountered Christ. When I went home that night, I prayed to God saying, "This is why the priesthood calls to me, to encounter you through his people in this special way." As the summer went on, many other experiences refined my discernment and the call to priesthood grew evermore. However, the day before my assignment ended, the wife of the elderly man came to the rectory to see Fr. Bong. The elderly man past away the night before and she and her son turned to Fr. Bong and the other priests in the rectory for guidance. During that time, despite the emotional sadness in my heart, I also realized how much priests are needed in our world as a source of comfort and of hope.
And that, my brothers and sisters, are a few small reasons of why I want to be a priest. (Trust me, these are only a few =)
Date: Saturday, January 30, 2010
Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm (doors open at 6)
Location: American Canyon Community Center
Street: 100 Benton Way
City/Town: American Canyon, CA
100% of the Proceeds will go to the Children's Hunger Fund to help with the Disaster relief in Haiti.
***ONLY $12 feeds a child for a whole month!
$12 donation to get in
Kids 12 and under are only $6
Featuring Performances by:
The Exes
Steph Quan from 4Corners
American Royalty
High Reality
Ubi and FAED
One Year Warranty
and many more!
Music provided by DJ PeeZee
***Doors open at 6:00 pm, show starts at 6:30 so come early!
for more info on how to donate call Angela 707-342-3417 or email angelarubang@gmail.com
ONLY $24 feeds and entire family!
Again, I know this is last minute, but i would really appreciate it if you could pass on the info and if you can make it out that would be even better! :) if not, i understand. but thank you so much for your prayers!
--
AMDG,
Angela B. Rubang
B.A. Philosophy & Religion
In GOD We Trust!!!
"If we love others with charity, then first of all we are just toward them." -Pope Benedict XVI; Charity in Truth
For those of you who want to audition for Passion Play 2010 "Thy Will Be Done," it would nice to be able to see the script. And the good thing is that I have it. So click on for the script and audition info.
This is a modified version of the script. The full script will be at auditions. The auditions will be held on Saturday from 10am-4pm at Auntie Gene's house. Please be on time and you won't have to stay the whole time.
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We blog for God.
"If you write for God, you will reach many men and bring them joy. If you write for men, you may make some money and you may give someone a little joy and you may make a noise in the world, for a little while. If you write only for yourself, you can read what you yourself have written and after ten minutes you will be so disgusted, you will wish that you were dead." -- Thomas Merton, "New Seeds of Contemplation"
CYM Motto
'But the LORD answered me, Say not, "I am too young." To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak.Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.' Jeremiah 1 7:8
