News - October 2019 RSS Feed

In his 2019 message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations, our Holy Father Pope Francis wrote: The Lord’s call is not an intrusion of God in our freedom; it is not a “cage” or a burden to be borne. On the contrary, it is the loving initiative whereby God encounters us and invites us to be part of a great undertaking. He opens before our eyes the horizon of a greater sea and an abundant catch. … We are called to be bold and decisive in seeking God’s plan for our lives. Gazing out at the vast “ocean” of vocation, we cannot remain content to repair our nets on the boat that gives us security, but must trust instead in the Lord’s promise.

This year, October 20th marks a very special World Mission Sunday, our annual, worldwide Eucharistic celebration of our shared call to mission. It takes place during an Extraordinary Missionary Month, called for by Pope Francis in honor of the 100th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV’s Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud, which emphasized the missionary call to proclaim the Gospel.

Did Jesus ever go to school? The Bible doesn’t say so we cannot be sure. Did you ever wonder about that? The New Testament does tell us that Jesus could read, something he had to learn somewhere. The New Testament also suggests that Jesus could write, again something he had to learn somewhere. Jesus also knew the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, since he quoted it often. Where did he learn the Jewish religion and all its rules and practices?

Observing the Lord Jesus turning so often to prayer in his ministry, the disciples asked him to teach them to pray. Without missing a beat, he offered them the words we have repeated so often throughout our lives and have come to know as “The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4; Matthew 6:5-15).”