"The Catholic Dictionary"

"The Catholic / Episcopal Dictionary"

AMEN: The only part of a prayer that everyone
knows.

BULLETIN: 1. Parish information, read only during
the homily.  2. Church air conditioning. 3. Your
receipt for attending Mass.

CHOIR: A group of people whose singing allows
the rest of the congregation to lip-sync.

HOLY WATER: A liquid whose chemical formula is
H2OLY.

HYMN: A song of praise, usually sung in a key three
octaves  higher than that of the congregation's
range.

RECESSIONAL HYMN: The last song at Mass, often
sung a little more quietly, since most of the people
have already left.

INCENSE: Holy Smoke!

JESUITS: An order of priests known for their ability
to found colleges with good basketball teams.

JONAH: The original "Jaws" story.

JUSTICE: When kids have kids of their own.

KYRIE ELIEISON: The only Greek words that most
Catholics can recognize besides gyros and
baklava.

MAGI: The most famous trio to attend a baby
shower.

MANGER: 1. Where Mary gave birth to Jesus
because Joseph wasn't covered by an HMO. .
2. The Bible's way of showing us that holiday
travel has always been rough.

PEW: A medieval torture device still found in
Catholic Churches.

PROCESSION: The ceremonial formation at the
beginning of Mass, consisting of altar servers,
the celebrant, and late parishioners looking for
seats.

RECESSIONAL: The ceremonial procession at
the conclusion of Mass led by parishioners trying
to beat the crowd to the parking lot.

RELICS: People who have been going to Mass
for so long, they actually know when to sit,
kneel, and stand.

TEN COMMANDMENTS: The most important Top
Ten list not given by David Letterman.

USHERS: The only people in the parish who don't
know the seating capacity of a pew.

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Daily Meditation Henri Nouwen: The Spirit of Jesus Listening in us

As Chaplains or, in my case also as a family member of two people with serious illnesses, listening is a strong component.  As a Chaplain, it is the root of all we do.  And it is how we bring the Christ to others.

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Monday March 12, 2012    The Spirit of Jesus Listening in us    Listening in the spiritual life is much more than a psychological strategy to help others discover themselves.  In the spiritual life the listener is not the ego, which  would like to speak but is trained to restrain itself, but the Spirit of God within us.   When we are baptised in the Spirit - that is, when we have received the Spirit of Jesus as the breath of God breathing within us - that Spirit creates in us a sacred space where the other can be received and listened to.  The Spirit of Jesus prays in us and listens in us to all who come to us with their sufferings and pains. When we dare to fully trust in the power of God's Spirit listening in us, we will see true healing occur.   Comment on this Daily Meditation. Journey with us this Lent. Reflect on COMPASSION.   Visit our website for inspiration, resources, news, events, community. Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson.

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"Fat Darrell Sandwich" Health eating for this first Spring day!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/fat-darrell-sandwich-recipe/index.html

Mmm mm good, y'all!

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Daily Meditation: Dressed in Gentleness Fr. Henri Nouwen

"Gentle" is good.  Gentleness is not weak.  I need to try to be strong in gentleness.

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Tuesday February 7, 2012        Dressed in Gentleness   Once in a while we meet a gentle person. Gentleness is a virtue hard to find in a society that admires toughness and roughness. We are encouraged to get things done and to get them done fast, even when people get hurt in the process. Success, accomplishment, and productivity count. But the cost is high. There is no place for gentleness in such a milieu.   Gentle is the one who does "not break the crushed reed, or snuff the faltering wick" (Matthew 12:20). Gentle is the one who is attentive to the strengths and weaknesses of the other and enjoys being together more than accomplishing something. A gentle person treads lightly, listens carefully, looks tenderly, and touches with reverence. A gentle person knows that true growth requires nurture, not force. Let's dress ourselves with gentleness. In our tough and often unbending world our gentleness can be a vivid reminder of the presence of God among us.     Comment on this Daily Meditation.    Visit our website for inspiration, resources, news, events, community. Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson.

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Daily Meditation: Being Merciful with Ourselves Henri Nouwen

For a few people in my life, and likely for me it's a time in inner reflection and solitude.  This speaks to that time.

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Thursday February 2, 2012    Being Merciful with Ourselves   We need silence in our lives. We even desire it. But when we enter into silence we encounter a lot of inner noises, often so disturbing that a busy and distracting life seems preferable to a time of silence. Two disturbing "noises" present themselves quickly in our silence: the noise of lust and the noise of anger. Lust reveals our many unsatisfied needs, anger or many unresolved relationships. But lust and anger are very hard to face.   What are we to do? Jesus says, "Go and learn the meaning of the words: Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice" (Matthew 9:13). Sacrifice here means "offering up," "cutting out," "burning away," or "killing." We shouldn't do that with our lust and anger. It simply won't work. But we can be merciful toward our own noisy selves and turn these enemies into friends.     Comment on this Daily Meditation.    Visit our website for inspiration, resources, news, events, community. Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson.

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Henri Nouwen Society | P.O. Box 230523, Ansonia Station | New York | NY | 10023 | USA Henri Nouwen Society | John M. Kelly Library, 3rd Fl. | 113 St. Joseph Street | Toronto | ON | M5S 1J4 | Canada

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Forgiving in the Name of God - From Henri Nouwen

Given some of the turmoil I am reading about tonight, this is worth reading.

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Saturday January 28, 2012         Forgiving in the Name of God   We are all wounded people. Who wounds us? Often those whom we love and those who love us. When we feel rejected, abandoned, abused, manipulated, or violated, it is mostly by people very close to us: our parents, our friends, our spouses, our lovers, our children, our neighbors, our teachers, our pastors. Those who love us wound us too. That's the tragedy of our lives. This is what makes forgiveness from the heart so difficult. It is precisely our hearts that are wounded. We cry out, "You, who I expected to be there for me, you have abandoned me. How can I ever forgive you for that?"   Forgiveness often seems impossible, but nothing is impossible for God. The God who lives within us will give us the grace to go beyond our wounded selves and say, "In the Name of God you are forgiven." Let's pray for that grace.     Comment on this Daily Meditation.    Visit our website for inspiration, resources, news, events, community. Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson.

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Daily Meditation: Finding Solitude from "aloneness" - Henri Nouwen

This was especially helpful to me during a time a few years ago when I needed to sort things out.   Turning my heartbreak and loneliness into contemplative "solitude"  allowed me to listen for, and discern the new path I needed to take.

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Wednesday January 18, 2012      Finding Solitude   All human beings are alone. No other person will completely feel like we do, think like we do, act like we do. Each of us is unique, and our aloneness is the other side of our uniqueness. The question is whether we let our aloneness become loneliness or whether we allow it to lead us into solitude. Loneliness is painful; solitude is peaceful. Loneliness makes us cling to others in desperation; solitude allows us to respect others in their uniqueness and create community.   Letting our aloneness grow into solitude and not into loneliness is a lifelong struggle. It requires conscious choices about whom to be with, what to study, how to pray, and when to ask for counsel. But wise choices will help us to find the solitude where our hearts can grow in love.     Comment on this Daily Meditation.    Visit our website for inspiration, resources, news, events, community. Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson.

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