7 December 2011

On Wednesday we almost finished page 81 in our workbooks.  The only question we did not get to was number 20.  If you would like, look over the chart on pages 76 & 77 and choose a council or two that you find most interesting for discussion on the  14th.

Today's message from the Pope:

In our continuing catechesis on Christian prayer, we are considering the teaching and example given us by Jesus himself. In the “cry of exultation” recorded for us by the evangelists Matthew and Luke, Jesus gives thanks to the Father because he has willed to reveal the mystery of salvation not to the wise and learned, but to the “little ones” (cf. Mt 11:25-30; Lk 10:21-22). This magnificent prayer has its source in Jesus’ profound communion with the Father in the Holy Spirit; as the eternal Son, Jesus alone “knows” the Father and rejoices in complete openness to his will. Indeed, “no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Lk 10:22). In this prayer, then, the Lord expresses his desire to share his knowledge of the Father with the “little ones”, the pure of heart and those open to the divine will. In Saint Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ cry of exultation is followed by his words: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest … for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (11:28). Jesus is the source and model of our prayer; through him, in the Holy Spirit, we can turn with trust to God our Father, confident that, in doing his will, we shall find true freedom and peace. 

30 November 2011

Wednesday night we continued working on Acts chapter 15.  We worked through question 16 in the book on page 81.

One of the things we discussed was the Pope's weekly Wednesday address.  The following is what he said on the 30th:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In our catechesis on prayer, we now turn to Jesus, who by his own example most fully reveals the mystery of Christian prayer. A significant moment in this regard is Jesus’ prayer following his Baptism, which expresses his both his deepest identity as the Son of God and his solidarity with the sinful humanity whom he came to save. Jesus’ prayer reflects his complete, filial obedience to the Father’s will, an obedience which would lead him to death on the Cross for the redemption of our sins. With his human heart, Jesus learned to pray from his Mother and from the Jewish tradition, yet the source of his prayer is his eternal communion with the Father; as the incarnate Son, he shows us perfectly how to pray as children of the heavenly Father. Jesus’ example of fidelity to prayer challenges us to examine the time and effort we devote to our own prayer. While prayer is a gift of God, it is also an art learned through constant practice. Jesus teaches us to pray constantly, but also to bear witness before others of the beauty of prayer, self-surrender and complete openness to God.


And this is a link to the video that Liz mentioned of Stephen Clobert doing "liturgical dance" and singing the King of Glory.  

November 23

We will NOT be meeting on Wednesday, November 23.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  God Bless!

9 November 2011

Wednesday night we continued working on Acts chapter 15.  We talked about the first Ecumenical Church Council, the Council of Jerusalem.  We finished questions 5-9 in the workbook on pages 78-79.  Next week we will pick up with question 10.

2 November 2011

Tonight we started working on the questions for Acts chapter 15.  Last week we read the chapter in the bible, then the commentary including the pages discussing the councils that have been held in the Catholic church.  Tonight we made it through questions 1-4 on page 78 of the commentary.

21 September 2011

On Wednesday night we started on chapter 13 of Acts, again.  We read the bible, the commentary, and started answering the questions on page 69.  We answered questions 1-3 so next week we will begin with question 4.

14 Sept. 2011

Last night we read chapter 13 in Acts, as well as the commentary pages 65-68.  We had enough discussion that we didn't get to any of the questions on page 69, so that is where we will start next week.

7 September 2011

On our first session back since our August break, we finished discussing Acts chapter 12. We finished all the questions on page 64 of the commentary and learned about several Jameses found in the New Testament. Next week we will start working on Acts chapter 13 featuring Paul and Barnabus.

27 July 2011

Tonight we will continue working on the book of Acts, chapter 11, then moving on to chapter 12. We have finished the question in the workbook up to and including number 12 on page 62, so we will begin with number 13 on page 63.

As a reminder, this will be the last session before we take the month of August off. We look forward to seeing everyone again on September 7.

Divine Mercy

This is the information on the Divine Mercy presentation that Kathy and Cindy were telling us about last night:

Divine Mercy Talk - July 12, Tuesday

Location: St. Colette Church

Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Contact: 847-394-8100
Website: www.thedivinemercy.org

Speakers: Father Dan Cambra, MIC; Chris Alar, MIC; Allen Alexander, MIC

Topics:

	Home Religious Education Bulletins Capital Appeal Upcoming Events Calendar Photo Gallery Our School

ABC's of Divine Mercy

Feast of Divine Mercy & How to Receive Graces of Divine Mercy Sunday

Amazing Similiarities between the Image of Divine Mercy and the Shroud of Turin

How Divine Mercy is present in the Liturgy and the Sacraments

How Divine Mercy is the Heart of the Gospel

Historical Background of St. Faustina

29 June 2011

Last night we spent a lot of time on Peter, what he was like, and what we can learn from him. We worked our way through the rest of question 2 on page 60, and finished the other questions on page 60 as well. Next week we will begin with question 5 at the top of page 61.

22 June 2011

Sorry about not updating last week, but with the camping trip it completely slipped my mind. Last week we started working on Acts chapter 10. We answered question 1 on page 59 and spent a lot of time discussing Cornelius and related topics.

Tonight we moved on to dealing with Peter. We started on question 2 on page 60 in the book, but didn't completely finish. We will read the last 3 gospel verses next week, God willing.

8 June 2011

Wednesday night we made our usual amount of progress through the book of Acts. We finished reading chapter 9, which was not covered in the commentary, then moved on and read chapter 10 in Acts, and pages 55-57 in the commentary. We did not answer any questions, so that is where we will start on the 15th.

1 June 2011

We came to the end of the chapter in the commentary dealing with Saul's conversion. We finished all the questions on pages 43 & 54 and next Wednesday we will be moving on to Acts chapters 10 - 12.

25 May 2011

On Wednesday evening we continued discussing the conversion of Saul/Paul. We answered questions 13, 14 and 15 in the book and spent a lot of time talking about whether or not God uses force to convert people. On June 1 we will begin with question 16 in the commentary.

18 May 2011

Wednesday evening we continued to discuss the events around the conversion of Saul/Paul. The story is told in 3 places in Acts, as well as one in Galatians. In the commentary we have made it through question 12 on page 52. Next week Kathy Christian will be leading her retreat at Our Lady of the Snows, but those who are not attending will be meeting as usual at St. Matts.

Prayer Request

My brother-in-law, who has been struggling with alcohol for many years, passed away this morning. He leaves behind a wife and 6 year old son.

27 April 2011

After about a month working on Acts chapter 8, we finally finished it on Wednesday night. Next week we will start on the conversion of Saul/Paul, which means we will be comparing 4 different versions of the account. We'll start with Acts chapter 9, then look at some other version of the story.

Prayer Request

Yesterday, very unexpectedly, we had to have one of our cats put to sleep. My daughter, Anna, is very upset about the situation. If you wouldn't mind, please pray for God's peace in her heart while she grieves for our family friend.

13 April 2011

On Wednesday we continued working our way through Acts chapter 8. In the commentary we answered questions 6 & 7 on pages 40 & 41. We had a lot of discussion about magic, superstition, Catholic practices and the work of the Holy Spirit in Baptism and confirmation.

6 April 2011

Wednesday night we read the commentary pages 35-39, then started answering the questions about Acts chapter 8. We answered questions 1-5. We also celebrated Sue and Kathy's birthdays, as well as welcoming 2 new members, James and Jenvieve, who let us know that they are expecting a baby.

30 March 2011

Last night we finished chapter 7 in Acts. We also read chapter 8, but didn't have enough time to read the commentary or start with the questions.

16 March 2011

Last night we continued to work on Acts chapter 7. Stephen is giving the Sanhedrin a history lesson, and last night we covered the story of Joseph through the Exodus. We looked at the story from a scriptural viewpoint as well as the versions of the story that we've seen on the big screen. We made it through question 16 on page 34 of the commentary.

Next week, the 23rd of March we will NOT be meeting. Instead, join several members of our study at St. Julian for the third night of their parish mission.

9 March 2011

On Wednesday night we finished discussing Acts chapter 6 and moved on to chapter 7. In the commentary we read from the last paragraph on page 29 to the top of 31. We answered questions 6 through 9 on pages 32-33. We looked up Leviticus 24:10-16 to get a better idea of what was being planned for Stephen, and had a lot of discussion on faith and obedience. We will begin next week at question 10.

3 March 2011

Last night we began answering the question about Acts chapter 6 on page 31. We made it through question 5 on page 32, so next week we will pick things up with Stephen and question 6.

1 March 2011

Since Lent will be beginning soon, I'm linking you to another bit of wisdom from Sister Mary Martha. I found it quite helpful last year.

24 Feb. 2011

Last night we began Acts chapter 6. We read the chapter in the bible, then the first three pages of commentary (27-29.) There was a lot of discussion, and we did not get to answer any questions, so that's where we will start next week: Question 1 on page 31.

18 Feb. 2011

I remember talking one night about "Confession Apps" for your cell phone. Today on Ask Sister Mary Martha she discusses that very thing. Click on her name go to her blog, and I've also added her as a link over on the sidebar as well.

17 Feb. 2011

Last night we were able to finish Acts chapter 5, so next week we will start on chapter 6, the information on pages 27-29 of the commentary, and start with question 1 on page 31.

Prayer Request-
Sally will begin another round of chemo next week Tuesday, so please keep her and her family in your prayers.

10 Feb. 2011

Last night, as usual, we covered a lot of ground. We answered questions 14, 15 and 16 in the commentary.

Next week we will continue to work on Acts, chapter 5.

Feb. 9, 2011

Tonight we will begin Acts, chapter 5. In the commentary, we will start at the bottom of page 27 ( starting at "They arrested the apostles...") and reading to the middle of page 23. We will then start with question 14 on page 25.