online advent retreat 2018...seventh beatitude - panels 106-114 eighth beatitude. - panels 116-133...

Online Advent Retreat 2018St. Andre Inner Healing Ministry

Table of Contents

General remarks - Panels 2-33First Beatitude - Panels 34-41Second Beatitude - Panels 45-54Third Beatitude - Panels 56-66Fourth Beatitude - Panels 69-74Fifth Beatitude - Panels 77-86Sixth Beatitude. - Panels 88-104

Seventh Beatitude - Panels 106-114 Eighth Beatitude. - Panels 116-133

Dear Online Retreatant,

Warm greetings from the Saint Andre Inner Healing Ministry in Phoenix.

The shape of this online retreat is a bit different from those of former years. Instead of a daily reflection for a week, you will receive an introductory session and then eight days of reflections focusing on the theme of Advent and the Beatitudes. As you know, the beatitudes summarize the Christian call to holiness. Advent can be a time to practice the beatitudes with more fervor.

What is also different about this online retreat is that, as it quotes the Scriptures we are familiar with, it offers “….a contemporary rendering of the Bible from the original languages, crafted to present its tone, rhythm, events and ideas in everyday language.” (From the book jacket of The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, NavPress, 2002). Know though that I do not find the re-articulations to be superior to the articulation we have in the bonified Christian Bibles but I hope they can serve as helpful explications of the wisdom handed down to us from the evangelists.

Before we actually start reflecting on the Beatitudes, we will look at some general aspects of Advent as mentioned in the next set of following panels. To divide the online retreat into nine days, you might spend one day reflecting on panels #4-#17. After that, you might reflect upon a Beatitude a day. So please forgive the facts that it is a nine day retreat instead of seven and that a few of the days will ask for more than 10 minutes of your time. I think you will find it is well worth the extra time in light of what our world and church are going through at this time.

Part I of the retreat is about the retreat itself and Advent in general

Part II concerns Advent and the Beatitudes,Calling us to use this time to live the Beatitudes with more fervor.

Do not let this retreat overwhelm you. Feel free to skip panels if you wish. Focus on the ones that speak to youYou do not have to cover the prescribed ground. Let the Spirit guide your retreat because it is your retreat.

Part I: Advent

Online Advent Retreat Day One

Optional mantras for today

Thank You for being with me, Lord.

Help me not to complain, Lord.

Make up your own

Dear Online Retreatant,

Advent is a special time for slowing down. It’s a time ofquiet joy as we prepare to celebrate the Lord’s birth as wellas to prepare ourselves for our meeting Christ at the end ofour lives. It derives from Latin words “ad veni” whichtranslates into “to come”. Advent is counter-cultural. Society tells us to use this timebefore Christmas to stress ourselves with too much shopping, too muchpartying, too much baking, etc. Our church tells us it’s a time forprayer and penance. A part of that prayer and penance can be to lightcandles on the Advent wreath. Consider buying a wreath or making one foryour home.

To get the most out of the retreat, consider the following:

1) Start and end each day with the Morning Offering Prayer and Night Prayer found in the panels below.

2) Inform those with whom you live that you would appreciate anything they could do to keep things quiet in the house for those few minutes. (Not to worry when noises pop up, Just maintain an inner quiet.)

3) Choose a place where you can sit or walk quietly.

4) Repeat your mantra (sacred phrase for each day) off and on all day long, especially when stressed. You do not have to use the mantras suggested in this retreat. You can make up your own.5) Make a note of anything that strikes you so you can return to it later for encouragement.

6) Buy or create an advent wreath for your house.

Morning Prayer: Good morning, Dear Lord. I praise and thank you. I offer you my day with all its prayers, works, joys and sufferings because I love you, to bring out your honor and glory, in thanksgiving for your favors, in reparation for my offenses and for ....(mention your intentions). Amen.

MEANING OF THE ADVENT WREATH

Here is a review of what the Advent wreath symbolizes:The circular wreath symbolizes that God has no beginning and no end. The evergreen branches, the leaves of which stay green throughout the year, remind us that if we walk with the Lord, our spirits will always be alive. The four candles remind us that Christ is our Light and that He calls us “The light of the world.” (Mtt. 5:14-16) Three candles are purple (or blue to distinguish this liturgical season from Lent) reminding us to do penance. One candle is rose colored. It is lighted on the third Sunday of Advent as a marker that we have half way completed the journey leading to the celebration of Christmas. It is known as Gaudete (gow-day-tay) Sunday. Gaudete, in Latin, means rejoice.

Advent: A time to prepare to celebrate the Incarnation

Intimacy with God (Emmanuel). The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, Mtt. 1: 23

Emmanuel means God with us

Part II

Living the Beatitudes Throughout Advent

A tool kit for creating A meaningful advent

Traditional ways (tools) Traditional Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving

Contemporary Ways (tools) Centering prayer (explained in other panels) Body/breath prayer (explaied in other panels)

How To Live The Beatitudes during Advent

Prayer Fasting Penance

Prayer

Contemplative Explained in later panels

Meditational Explained in later panels

Fasting Food, drink Other ways Explained in later panels

Penance a. Rite of Reconciliation b. Live in the present moment

Simply pay attention to your breath. Respond rather than react. First breathe in God’s breath Then respond to the person who offended you.

c. Live the Beatitudes. (Explained in later panels)

Prayer Meditational

Contemplative

Meditational Prayer Use of the mind

1. Reflecting Read a passage from Scripture or other spiritual material and ask yourself questions like: How can this passage help me To be a better person? To deal with my problem? To pray more deeply?

2. Talking to God 3. Journaling

Some Journaling Questions

What does this Scripture mean to me? How can it help me be more Christ-like What does it say to my problem?

Contemplative type Prayer Body/Breath Prayer

Pay attention to your breath (which is His). Go to website ihmaz.org; select “videos”, then “our Programs”, then “Body/Breath Prayer” to be guided through the prayer or do the similar contemplative exercise below. Contemplative exercise Breathe the name of Jesus in and out of the center of your Forehead 5- 10 times. Do the same for 5 or ten other parts of your body, especially where there might be pain. When thoughts, images, noises or any distraction happens, accept each then refocus to your body, breath and the holy name of Jesus.

Centering Prayer If you’re not aware of this type of prayer, youtube or google the term

http://ihmaz.org

Fasting From food and drink

Other forms from which to fast

Negative thinking Computer Use Complaining Judging self and others (Come up with your own idea.)

Penance Rite of Reconciliation

Practice living in the present moment Do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is not a

good thing if you’re trying to develop your spirituality

Focus on your breath

Corporal or spiritual works of mercy

SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY

To instruct the ignorant;To counsel the doubtful;To admonish sinners;To bear wrongs patiently;To forgive offenses willingly;To comfort the afflicted;To pray for the living and the dead.

CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY

To feed the hungry;To give drink to the thirsty;To clothe the naked;To harbor the harborless;To visit the sick;To ransom the captive;To bury the dead.

Reflection Questions

Which one or more of the works of mercy would I like to work on this advent?

From what is the Lord calling me to fast during this Advent?

When will I go to confession?

Night Prayer: Good night, Dear Lord. I repeat my mantra of the day to You,...... As I reflect upon my day, I ask forgiveness for..... I thank you for..... and ask help for the things I plan to do tomorrow......Amen.

Online Advent Retreat Day Two

Beatitudes

The text of St. Matthew 5:3-10 runs as follows:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.

Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. (con’t)

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10056b.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12327a.htm



http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08571c.htm

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Spend some time reflecting upon each even before you get into the main body of the retreat.)






Optional mantras for first Beatitude

Be still and know that I am God Psalm 46:10.

In quiet and trust lies your strength. Isaiah 30:15

Blessed are the poor in spirit.

My Lord, my God and my All

You must increase. I must decrease.

Make up your own.



Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

You’re blessed when you are at the end of your rope. When there is less of you, there is more of God and His rule From E. H. Petersen’s The Message, Nav Press

Spiritual bankruptcy




Some end of rope questions: When do you feel bankrupt of faith? When do you feel emotionally bankrupt? When do you find yourself saying things like

“I can’t take this anymore?” “When are things going to let up? “I feel like I’m cracking up!”

Possible creative responses to the “End of the rope” situations (See below)

Possible Creative responses (Con’t)

Don’t let you or your problem become your God. Don’t obsess about it. How to stop from obsessing:

Feel both the feeling (anger, hurt, frustration, fear, guilt, shame, etc.) and the sensation in your body that the feeling unearths in you. (Continue below)

Some sensations include tightening of the chest, stomach ache, back or neck pain, etc. Focus on the bodily sensation rather than the problem itself. In other words, get out of your head and into your body. The body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Give it attention and honor by focusing on it and its sensations rather than on the problem itself. (Continue below)

Breathe the name of Jesus in and out of the part of your body that is affected by the problem. If your body has no sensation breathe His name in and out of the center of your torso. Do this for as long as you can. One of two things can happen because of this exercise. You will feel relief from the problem or you will continue to have the problem but it won’t bother you so much. You will have moved into peaceful acceptance (Not dogged resignation).

Online Advent Retreat Day Three

Optional mantras for second Beatitude

My Lord, my God and my AllMay I walk in the newness of life.Thank you for your mercy, Lord.I am nothing. I have nothing. You are all I need.Make up your own.

Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.

You’re blessed when you feel you lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. From E. H. Petersen’s The Message, p. 693, Nav Press

Ways to mourn the death of a loved one.

Write the deceased a letter Tell them What you appreciated about them What you’re sorry for That if they feel they need your forgiveness, you give it to them Anything else you want to share Counseling Support group Remember St. Brother Andre See story below.

One way to mourn the death of a loved one is to talk to him or her. St. Brother Andre was once asked if he prayed for his mother. He replied that he seldom prayed for her but often to her.

How To Mourn (not wallow in) a Sin. First of all, let’s take a look at what sin is.

The word for sin in the New Testament which was written in Greek is Hamartia which means missing the mark. We have Two Great “Marks” from the New Testament. They are from Matt: 22: 36-40

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

How do you find yourself missing the first mark?

Which of the following is a false god for you? Which have you given too much attention to?

Food Drink Computer use Work Various forms of pleasure A particular person Other

How do you find yourself missing the second mark?

How often do you find yourself putting your wants before other people’s needs?

Are you as quick to forgive others as you are To forgive yourself?

How To Mourn (not wallow in) a Sin. Spend some time doing the following:

Look at what it has done to you. Look at what it has done to others. Feel the pain. Breathe into the body. Say God and the other you’re sorry. Let it go. When the thought of it returns focus on your breath. (It’s His breath.)

Online Advent Retreat Day Four

Optional mantras for the third Beatitude

Keep me humble, Lord.

Help me to be the best me I can be, Lord.

Make up your own.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.

You’re blessed when you’re content with who you are - no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. From E. H. Petersen’s The Message, p. 693, Nav Press

Zosha The story goes of Zosha, a very venerable, loving, compassionate and prayerful Rabbi. He came to his people one day in tears. They asked why he was crying. He said he was visited by some angels who told him the question that was going to be asked of him at the end of his life.

“Why would such a question or any question bother you, dear Zosha?” they asked. You are such a venerable, loving, compassionate and prayerful man that you should have no worries about any question asked of you at the end of your life. What indeed is the question that is

disturbing you so?!”

Zosha replied, “ The question I will be asked is not, ‘Why did you not become an Abraham nor why did you not become a Moses or a King David?’ The question I will be asked is, “Why did you not become Zosha?’”

We need to ask ourselves questions like

Have I tried too hard to become someone I don’t have the ability to become?

Have I tried hard enough to be the person God is calling me to be?

Let us remember:

“If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.” Mother Teresa

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” C.S Lewis

Possible ways to practice humility

Thank God for your humiliations. (Consider listing them (if only in code for privacy reasons.) Make a list of all your talents and thank God for them. Make a list of all your limitations and ask God to work through or around them.

Possible ways to practice humility (Con’t)

Refuse to compare yourself with others. They each have different DNA, brain chemistry, developmental experiences than you. To compare your self to others is like comparing apples to oranges. Don’t let FaceBook fool you! “The best things in life are free.” What are they? Thank God for them

Online Advent Retreat Day Five

Optional mantras for the fourth Beatitude

Help me to treat others justly, Lord.

Help me not to be biased, Lord.

Make up your own.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: For they shall have their fill.

You are blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. From E. H. Petersen’s The Message, p. 693, Nav Press

If you want peace, work for justice. Message of His Holiness Pope Paul VI for the

celebration for the Day Of Peace January 1, 1972


A Point to ponder regrading Justice And an Immigrant Mother

A basic need for every human being is safety and security. A lady in Mexico watched her husband be decapitated in his own home. She next saw her teen age son dragged away to make him join a gang. She knew it would not be very long before her beautiful teenage daughter would be forced onto the streets to become a prostitute. Why wouldn’t this mother want to flee with her daughter to a safe place?

These are people who fought for justice. In what appropriate ways, no matter how small, can we follow in their footsteps?

Berrigan brothers Fr. Thomas Merton, OCSO. Martin Luther King, Jr. Jesuit priests

Advent Day Six

Optional mantras for the fifth Beatitude

Thank you for your mercy, Lord.

Help me to forgive, Lord.

Make up your own.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Mtt. 5:7)

You are blessed when you care. At the moment you are care-full, you find yourselves cared for. From E. H. Petersen’s The Message, p. 693, Nav Press

My second grade nun asked me to be a part of a skit on nutrition that would be presented to the Parents/Teachers Association. Sister probably stayed up all night making placards with pictures of foods to hang down from our necks. I represented fruit. My placard had on it a bright yellow banana, deep purple grapes, a brilliant orange, and various bright red and blue berries.

Sister strictly instructed us not to get a drink from the water fountain before going on stage. I impishly decided that just a little swig would not hurt. But as I bent over to sip, Jimmy Mc Phereson bumped into me causing water to stream down over my brightly colored fruits. What horror! The colors bled! So there I was wearing a very messy placard, dripping with a variety of colors.

Sister was not happy. With raised voice and very furrowed brow she berated me in from of all my peers back stage. I can’t remember what she said but I can still remember the shame, guilt and embarrassment I felt. I knew I would feel worse going on stage looking so terribly. One of the other sisters though who observed the whole thing obviously picked up on my shattered feelings. When the angry sister left to check an other things, the other nun put her hand on my shoulder and said, “That’s ll right. You go on as fruit juice!”

Now that was mercy!

Joyce Meyer, a televangelist, whose theology is usually a bit more fundamental than mine, once said that mercy is that thing you give to people who don’t deserve it.

Who in your life doesn’t deserve mercy? How would your heart feel if, instead of getting back at the person, you were to ask God to have mercy on them? If getting back at the person makes you feel better, maybe you’re just in denial.

“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” ― Abraham Lincoln

“I am love and Mercy Itself. There is no misery that could be a match for My mercy, neither will misery exhaust it, because as it is being granted – it increases. The soul that trusts in My mercyis most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it.” (St. Faustina’s diary, 1273, page 459)

Online Advent Retreat Day Seven

Optional mantras for the sixth Beatitude

Wipe away my sins, O Lord.

Create a pure heart within me, O God,

Put a new and loyal spirit within me, Lord

Make up your own.

Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. (Verse 8)

You’re blessed when you get your inside world - your mind and heart - put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. E. H. Peterson, The Message, p. 693, Nav Press.


http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat005.htm#vrs8

How to let Christ clean your heart and mind:

Ask Him!

Pray Psalm 51 slowly:

Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love. Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins! Wash away all my evil and make me clean from my sin! I recognize my faults; I am always conscious of my sins. I have sinned against you — only against you — and done what you consider evil. So you are right in judging me; you are justified in condemning me. I have been evil from the day I was born; from the time I was conceived, I have been sinful.

Sincerity and truth are what you require; fill my mind with your wisdom. Remove my sin, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness; and though you have crushed me and broken me, I will be happy once again. Close your eyes to my sins and wipe out all my evil. Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

Do not banish me from your presence; do not take your Holy Spirit away from me. Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach sinners your commands, and they will turn back to you. Spare my life, O God, and save me, and I will gladly proclaim your righteousness. Help me to speak, Lord, and I will praise you.

You do not want sacrifices, or I would offer them; you are not pleased with burnt offerings. My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God; you will not reject a humble and repentant heart. O God, be kind to Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifices and with our burnt offerings; and bulls will be sacrificed on your altar.

Body/breath prayer Pay attention to your breath (which is His). Go to website ihmaz.org; select “videos”, then “our Programs”, then “Body/Breath Prayer” to be guided through the prayer or do the similar contemplative exercise below. Contemplative exercise Breathe the name of Jesus in and out of the center of your Forehead 5- 10 times. Do the same for 5 or ten other parts of your body, especially where there might be pain. When thoughts, images, noises or any distraction happens, accept each then refocus to your body, breath and the holy name of Jesus. Centering prayer (Google or Youtube the term)

http://ihmaz.org

Go to website ihmaz.org; select “videos”, then “our Programs”, then “Body/Breath Prayer” to be guided through the prayer or do the similar contemplative exercise below.

http://ihmaz.org

Search your heart until you find the same fault in you (at least to some degree) as you see in the other.

Celebrate the Rite of Reconciliation The Sacrament of reconciliation is a celebration of God’s mercy. The focus is much more on His mercy than your sin. The more we believe in His mercy, the more willing we are to face our sin. As we confess our most terrible sin, we must believe He is saying:

“But I love you.”

Fear of God might change our behaviors but Belief in His love will change our hearts.

When the priest gives us a penance, we need not see it as a punishment but a prescription. The sacrament is a healing sacrament and offers “doses” of spiritual medicine to help Us stay healthy spiritually.

Advent Day Eight

Optional mantras for the seventh Beatitude

Let peace begin with me, O Lord.

Lord, grant that I may not so much seek to be understood as to understand. Make up your own.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Verse 9)

You are blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. From E. H. Petersen’s The Message, p. 693, Nav Press

How to Cooperate and How To Fight Well:


http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat005.htm#vrs9

Pray: Lord, grant that I may not so much seek to be understood as to understand. Prayer of St. Francis Write a letter to someone with whom you are upset. Decide whether or not it would be good to send. Respond rather than react. Breathe in and out of a body part. Remember the analogy about the burning house (I believe Anthony De Mello, S.J. used to tell this story.):

If you were walking home and saw that your house in the distance was on fire and that the culprit was running away from the scene, would you chase the culprit or put the fire out? In other words, when angry with some one, deal with your anger first. Put it out. Then deal with the other if you still need to.

Other Ways to encourage cooperation and to fight well: From Thich Nhat Hanh’s How to Fight, Parallax Press

Smile at your anger. Embrace it. A refused gift has to be taken back by the giver. P. 20 Listen to the angry person with compassion. Help relieve them of their suffering. P. 24

Share your problem with someone you trust.P. 79

YouTube:

Let There Be Peace On Earth – Pope Francis at 9/11 Memorial and Museum

Remember some of the things Mahatma Gandhi said about peace:

Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.

If we wish to create a lasting peace we must begin with the children.

Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds.

http://www.searchquotes.com/quotation/Each_one_has_to_find_his_peace_from_within._And_peace_to_be_real_must_be_unaffected_by_outside_circu/235089/



http://www.searchquotes.com/quotation/If_we_wish_to_create_a_lasting_peace_we_must_begin_with_the_children./235151/

http://www.searchquotes.com/quotation/If_we_wish_to_create_a_lasting_peace_we_must_begin_with_the_children./235151/

http://www.searchquotes.com/quotation/Peace_will_not_come_out_of_a_clash_of_arms_but_out_of_justice_lived_and_done_by_unarmed_nations_in_t/235120/



Advent Day Nine

Optional mantras for the eighth Beatitude

Help me to handle my persecutions well, O Lord.

Give me courage, Lord. Make up your own.

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s Kingdom.

From E. H. Petersen’s The Message, p. 693, Nav Press



From the homily at the Mass during which St. Oscar was murdered: You have just heard Christ's Gospel, that one must not love oneself so much as to avoid getting involved in the risks of life which history demands of us. Recently canonized Archbishop of San Salvador, Oscar Romero.

He was killed because he defended the poor during a brutal civil war in San Salvador.

Let us reflect upon some of St.Oscar’s challenging words:

Let us not tire of preaching love; it is the force that will overcome the world.

When the church hears the cry of the oppressed it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises.

We must not seek the child Jesus in the pretty figures of our Christmas cribs. We must seek him among the undernourished children who have gone to bed at night with nothing to eat, among the poor newsboys who will sleep covered with newspapers in doorways

A church that doesn't provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed — what gospel is that?

There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.

Aspire not to have more, but to be more.

St.Oscar’s words and life can elicit feelings of guilt in us. But why choose guilt? That can de-energizes us. Why not choose responsibility instead? Why not ask the following questions and act upon one or more?

What can I do, if only in a small way, to respond to peace and justice issues?

Most of us will probably not be called to physically die for the sake of the Kingdom but there are small martyrdoms to which we can give ourselves:

Small martyrdoms to which we can give ourselves.

Stick up for deserving immigrants when among people who want to judge you for your point of view.

Take time that you’d rather devote to personal pleasure to write our leaders in congress encouraging them to trust God and reach out to the marginalized.

Offer whatever pain is going on in your life, physical, emotional or spiritual for the sake of the marginalized.

Other things to do:

Fill bags with granola bars and toiletries. Put them into your car and give them to the homeless.

Give bottled water to the homeless.

Youtube: Go Be Justice hymn by Natalie J Plumb and choir

Each of the people in the painting below was marginalized. Ask them for the grace to do what God wants you to do in the areas of peace and justice.

Know that He came to bring us peace. Know that as you do anything to promote justice will bring peace to your heart and to the world.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Jn 14: 27

Think about how you can live one of the Beatitudes during this advent.

(Perhaps you could do a corporal or spiritual work of mercy):

SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY

To instruct the ignorant;To counsel the doubtful;To admonish sinners;To bear wrongs patiently;To forgive offenses willingly;To comfort the afflicted;To pray for the living and the dead.

CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY

To feed the hungry;To give drink to the thirsty;To clothe the naked;To harbor the harborless;To visit the sick;To ransom the captive;To bury the dead.

CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY, ALMSGIVINGIf you would like to do to the first three corporal works of mercy and the sixth spiritual work of mercy* in one shot, consider contributing to the St. Andre Birthing Center in Dandora, Kenya.

In Kenya 5,500 women die annually due to Pregnancy related conditions. Also, one in 26 babies during their first year. Go to the St. Andre Inner Healing Ministry website (ihmaz.org) and select Kenya project. At that site you can view a 6 minute documentary on the project.

To make your contribution, which is tax deductible, make your check out to Holy Cross Mission Center and send it to me at the address in the last panel of this retreat after the night prayer panel. I, in turn, will see that it gets to the birthing center. Thank you so very much for considering the matter. You will be making ill-fated mothers and babies very happy.

*To feed the hungry; To give drink to the thirsty; To clothe the naked To comfort the afflicted

http://ihmaz.org

If you want your intentions on the altar during Christmas Mass, please send them to my assistant

Pat at [email protected] before Dec. 15.

Also, your feed back is most appreciated. The positive feed back will encourage me to keep doing that which you find helpful. The “negative” feed back will help me to improve the program. Please send feed back to Pat at [email protected].

May you and yours have a blessed and enjoyable

Christmas!

Peace and all good things,

Fr. Bill (Summation and night prayer below)

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

To sum up:Advent is a time to prepare to celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Lord. Besides prayer, there are many methods to enter into this preparation. The corporal and spiritual works of mercy are very special ways. Perhaps you’d like to focus on one or two.

May you and your family have a most blessed Christmas. Remember He is always with us and we can always birth him into our lives with prayer and good action.

Youtube: Bocelli, The Prayer

Peace and all good things, Fr. Bill

Please consider making your contribution before Christmas. Thank you so very much. (Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto Me. (Matt. 25:40))

Fr. Bill Faiella, CSCDirector St. Andre Inner Healing Ministry7126 N. 7th Ave.Ste. #15Phoenix, AZ 85021

online advent retreat 2018...seventh beatitude - panels 106-114 eighth beatitude. - panels 116-133...

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