unity of spirit t - macoupin catholic...

Liguori Publications © 2017 • Liguori, MO 63057-9999

exaggerates individuality, the Spirit of God celebrates legitimate diversity while creating from these different parts one body and one spirit in Christ.

If you have ever been in Rome for an audience with the pope on Wednesday morning or at a large Papal Mass like World Youth Day, you have experienced how the Spirit brings unity amid diversity. These gatherings comprise thousands of people of many

different nationalities and languages, but all are united in prayer and a common spirit. This is the miracle brought about by the Spirit.

It’s not easy to maintain this unity. It requires we each listen to and strive for the unity Jesus asks of us. Selfi sh individualism is a constant tendency, but it’s much easier to resist it when we are

united by Mary and the Church to Christ’s Spirit.—Fr. Mark Haydu, LC

June 4, 2017Pentecost Acts 2:1–11 1 Cor 12:3b–7, 12–13 Jn 20:19–23

Unity of Spirit

The whole group of believers were gathered withMary, Jesus’ mother, in the upper room. They were waiting for power to be given to them from on high, as Jesus had promised. They were like children with their mother, keeping the family together. Being the one on earth closest to Jesus, Mary was the disciples’ physical and spiritual con-nection to him, and they listened to her.

The Descent of the Holy Spirit by Muziano shows us this scene and highlights how colorful a group the fi rst Christians were. Each one is different, each unique, each has his or her own background. Yet when the Spirit calls them together with Mary, there is a beautiful harmony and complementarity. Opposite of the spirit of the evil one, which causes division and

“As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12).

For ReflectionHow can I encourage

greater unity within my family and parish?

Is there a way I can be more of a team player?

Piece: The Descent of the Holy Spirit , sixteenth centuryArtist: Girolamo MuzianoLocation: Second Sala dei Paramenti ceiling

© 2017 Liguori Publications, Liguori, MO 63057-9999. Printed in USA. Imprimatur: “In accordance with CIC 827, permission to publish has been granted on November 16, 2016, by the Reverend Monsignor Mark S. Rivituso, Vicar General, Archdiocese of St. Louis. Permission to publish is an indication that nothing contrary to Church teaching is contained in this work. It does not imply any endorsement of the opinions expressed in the publication; nor is any liability assumed by this permission.” No part of this work may be used in any form without the prior written permission of Liguori Publications. Scripture texts in this work are taken from New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All Rights Reserved. Design: John Krus. To order Liguori Sunday Bulletins, call 800-325-9521, or visit Liguori.org.

CalendarMonday

June 5St. Boniface,

Bishop and Martyr Tb 1:3; 2:1b–8

Mk 12:1–12

TuesdayJune 6

WeekdayTb 2:9–14

Mk 12:13–17

WednesdayJune 7

WeekdayTb 3:1–11a, 16–17a

Mk 12:18–27

ThursdayJune 8

Weekday Tb 6:10–11;

7:1bcde, 9–17; 8:4–9aMk 12:28–34

FridayJune 9

Weekday Tb 11:5–17

Mk 12:35–37

SaturdayJune 10

Weekday Tb 12:1, 5–15, 20

Mk 12:38–44

Sunday June 11

The Most Holy TrinityEx 34:4b–6, 8–92 Cor 13:11–13

Jn 3:16–18

A Word From Pope Francis“Dear friends, let us open wide the door of our lives to the new things of God which the Holy Spirit gives us. May he transform us, confi rm us in our trials, strengthen our union with the Lord, our steadfastness in him: this is a true joy!”

—Homily, Conferral of the Sacrament of Confi rmation, April 28, 2013

Why don’t Catholics recognize confi rmations from other Christian churches if we accept their baptisms?

Baptism signs us with an indelible mark, it defi nes our character. It cannever be repeated. A baptism is always held to be valid if a person is baptized with water using the Trinitarian formula (CCC 1256). If a priest is unsure of the validity of a person’s baptism, he would baptize the person conditionally, recognizing the earlier baptism if it happened and was valid. The minister of baptism is usually an ordained minister, but in necessity anyone can baptize, including a non-Christian if he intends what the Church intends.

Confi rmation also leaves an indelible mark, as does holy orders, and they also cannot be repeated. What makes confi rmation different from baptism is

that the minister of confi rmation is ordinarily the bishop because this expresses the Apostolic Unity of the Church (CCC 1312). If someone was confi rmed in a Church that has apostolic succession, her confi rmation would be considered valid. But if she was not confi rmed in a church with apostolic succession, the Catholic Church wouldn’t

recognize the confi rmation as valid, and she would have to be reconfi rmed.All Christian churches have a common understanding of what the sacrament

of baptism is, but while other churches might have Communion, confi rmation, and even ordination, their celebration of the sacraments may not include all the requirements necessary for the Catholic Church to consider them valid.

Fr. Patrick Keyes, [email protected]

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Liguori Publications © 2017 • Liguori, MO 63057-9999

Salvation’s Cost

In the painting The Trinity With theDead Christ, we see a meditation on the Trinity in a hidden moment. Rather than paint the moment when Mary takes her Son into her arms, Ludovico Carracci painted the moment when the heavenly Father receives the spoils of his Son’s battle for the salvation of humanity.

The dark colors communicate the pathos and drama. The Father’s head turns away in grief even as he offers the Son. He reverently holds him yet almost fears to touch his pierced hands. See how much love God shows in allowing the Son to go to the cross, in sacrifi cing one beloved child to gain life for all his others.

Theology struggles to balance the truth of a loving, caring God the Father with the appreciation that he is unable to suffer as we do. Yet Carracci focuses on that popular intuition that the Father and the Spirit suffered the death of the Son. In this painting, we can refl ect on what our salvation cost the Trinity and how much love they show in sending the Son to die. God suffers when you suffer and wishes to console and protect you, even if, as a good Father, he doesn’t remove the suffering.

Faith teaches us that God willed his only begotten Son to suffer and die to save humanity. This divine decision manifests justice and mercy. It shows not only that God actually required satisfaction for our sins but also that no one but a God-man could offer a suitable sacrifi ce. Because he was God, Christ could offer an

June 11, 2017Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Ex 34:4b–6, 8–9 2 Cor 13:11–13 Jn 3:16–18

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16).

For ReflectionWhich person of the Trinity do I most easily relate to—the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit?

Piece: The Trinity With the Dead Christ , circa 1590Artist: Ludovico CarracciLocation: Pinacoteca, Vatican Museums

infi nite satisfaction for our infi nite offenses. Because he was man, he could offer a man’s satisfaction for humanity’s sin.

—Fr. Mark Haydu, LC

© 2017 Liguori Publications, Liguori, MO 63057-9999. Printed in USA. Imprimatur: “In accordance with CIC 827, permission to publish has been granted on November 16, 2016, by the Reverend Monsignor Mark S. Rivituso, Vicar General, Archdiocese of St. Louis. Permission to publish is an indication that nothing contrary to Church teaching is contained in this work. It does not imply any endorsement of the opinions expressed in the publication; nor is any liability assumed by this permission.” No part of this work may be used in any form without the prior written permission of Liguori Publications. Scripture texts in this work are taken from New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All Rights Reserved. Design: John Krus. To order Liguori Sunday Bulletins, call 800-325-9521, or visit Liguori.org.

What is the proper way to recite the Our Father at Mass? Should we hold hands, lift our hands up, or pray to ourselves?

Among many ancient religions, it was common to extend one’s handstoward heaven while praying. This practice has continued in the Mass, where the rubrics indicate that the priest should extend his hands at certain points, including during the Our Father.

The celebrant represents all the people with this gesture. When there are concelebrating priests, the rubrics ask them to also extend their hands in prayer during the Our Father. But the invitation to hold one’s hands up in prayer stops there. The deacon is expressly forbidden to hold his hands up

in prayer. There is no particular gesture assigned to the rest of the congregation.

Some may be holding hands, some lifting their hands, some standing with arms crossed. The variety of postures is not a problem in itself. When people become distracted or judgmental of others because of the various postures, it becomes

a problem. Our focus should be on the prayer, not on how my neighbor is standing.

As a rule of thumb, I suggest doing what the rest of the congregation does. As stated in the “Order of the Mass” written by the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy in 2003: “The people are called as members of an organic whole, not as disparate individuals. A Christian assembly that worships ‘with one heart and soul’ (Acts 4:32) naturally moves toward and consciously chooses a common posture as a sign of its unity. Such common posture ‘both expresses and fosters the intention and spiritual attitude of the participants’” (28). The gestures at Mass are not as important as the essence of the Mass, and part of that essence is our unity in the body of Christ. That should be our main concern.

Rev. Gary Lauenstein, [email protected]

When people become distracted or judgmental of others because of the various postures, it becomes a problem.

CalendarMondayJune 12

Weekday2 Cor 1:1–7Mt 5:1–12

TuesdayJune 13

St. Anthony of Padua,Priest and Doctor

of the Church 2 Cor 1:18–22

Mt 5:13–16

WednesdayJune 14


ThursdayJune 15

Weekday2 Cor 3:15—4:1, 3–6

Mt 5:20–26

FridayJune 16


SaturdayJune 17

Weekday2 Cor 5:14–21

Mt 5:33–37

Sunday June 18

The Most HolyBody and Blood

of Christ Dt 8:2–3, 14b–16a

1 Cor 10:16–17Jn 6:51–58

A Word From Pope Francis “The Father creates all, he creates the world; Jesus saves us; and the Holy Spirit? He loves us! And this is Christian life: talking to the Father, talking to the Son, and talking to the Holy Spirit.”—Homily, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, May 26, 2013

© 2017 Liguori Publications • Liguori, MO 63057-9999

A Deeper Hunger

The Book of Deuteronomy iswritten to the Israelites now safely in the Promised Land. After the pains of the desert, they enjoy prosperity and blessing. In the desert they were given a food they had never known before. Manna was a new discovery and a gift for their survival. Now that they could enjoy fruit and meat, Moses commands them to remember when they totally depended on God. In their abundance, they run the risk of forgetting all God has done. They are asked to recall, to remember, to memorize.

Cultivating our memory and recalling the acts of God’s fi delity and providence are important to nurturing our faith. If we don’t, our mind will glorify the forbidden fruits, or, like the Hebrews remembering the onions of Egypt, we will desire the food of our slavery.

We also experience a deeper hunger, more persistent than the physical. We hunger for love, freedom, peace, and communion. Jesus satisfi es the deepest desires of the human heart. He gives up everything to win us back, even his own body and blood. We fi nd freedom in submitting ourselves to the one who lifts us up. Peace and communion come from sharing the cup of his love. Jesus truly satisfi es our hunger and thirst.

When we look around,

June 18, 2017Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) (A)Dt 8:2–3, 14b–16a; 1 Cor 10:16–17Jn 6:51–58

“Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you” (John 6:53).

For ReflectionWhere do I go to eat? Who or what nourishes me? Am I tempted, enslaved, or weakened by less fi lling foods?

Piece: The Distribution of the Holy Sacrament (La Disputa), circa 1508Artist: Raphael SanzioLocation: Apostolic Palace, Vatican City

foods are available that claim to be more satisfying. Some, in the absolute, can be venom: wealth, power, pleasure. Other realities, even the most pure, are beautiful but only partially nourish us, leaving us

unsatisfi ed. The only truly fi lling food is that which the Lord gives.


© 2017 Liguori Publications, Liguori, MO 63057-9999. Printed in USA. Imprimatur: “In accordance with CIC 827, permission to publish has been granted on December 21, 2016, by the Reverend Monsignor Mark S. Rivituso, Vicar General, Archdiocese of St. Louis. Permission to publish is an indication that nothing contrary to Church teaching is contained in this work. It does not imply any endorsement of the opinions expressed in the publication; nor is any liability assumed by this permission.” No part of this work may be used in any form without the prior written permission of Liguori Publications. Scripture texts in this work are taken from New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confra-ternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All Rights Reserved. Design: Lorena Mitre Jimenez. To order Liguori Sunday Bulletins, call 800-325-9521, or visit Liguori.org.



TuesdayJune 20


WednesdayJune 21

St. Aloysius GonzagaReligious

2 Cor 9:6–11Mt 6:1–6, 16–18

ThursdayJune 22

Weekday2 Cor 11:1–11

Mt 6:7–15

FridayJune 23

Most Sacred Heart of JesusDt 7:6–11

1 Jn 4:7–16Mt 11:25–30

SaturdayJune 24

Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Is 49:1–6Acts 13:22–26Lk 1:57–66, 80

Sunday June 25

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jer 20:10–13Rom 5:12–15Mt 10:26–33

A Word From Pope Francis “Let us ask ourselves...in adoring Christ who is really present in the Eucharist: do I let myself be transformed by him? Do I let the Lord who gives himself to me guide me to going out ever more from my little enclosure in order to give, to share, to love him and others? Brothers and sisters, following,

communion, sharing. Let us pray that participation in the Eucharist may always be an incentive: to follow the Lord every day, to be instruments of communion, and to share what we are with him and with our neighbor.”

—Homily, Solemnity of Corpus Christi, May 30, 2013

Why does my priest tell me it’s not OK for Catholics to be cremated and have their ashes scattered?

An answer from Catholic Tradition needs tostart with reminding ourselves that respect for the dignity of the human person, who is a union of body and soul, is a core moral principle. We must keep this in mind as we make decisions throughout life and into death.

Cremation is not forbidden by the Church, but the scattering of ashes is. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The Church permits cremation, provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body” (CCC 2301). The scattering of ashes represents a denial of our Christian belief in the resurrection of the body in both its communal and individual elements.

The cremated remains represent the human person and are a sign of how God blessed us through this person. Dispersing these ashes over a lake or fi eld is inappropriate because fi nal closure to our earthly life should include remaining with the community of faith, even in death, as we await the resurrection of the body.

The remains also symbolize the individuality of that person, and burying them in consecrated ground or putting them in a columbarium honors the unique sacredness of the person’s life. That’s why Catholic cemeteries provide space for the remains of those who are cremated. It also provides a place where loved ones can show respect for the remains—a place and space that doesn’t exist when cremated remains are scattered.

Source: Liguorian, February 2011 [email protected]

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© 2017 Liguori Publications • Liguori, MO 63057-9999

June 25, 2017Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)Jer 20:10–13Rom 5:12–15Mt 10:26–33

Struggle and Rest

Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famouspainters in history. His dramatic style of eternally swirling motion and his palette of deep blue, green, and brown captivates us. His life was just as topsy-turvy as his style. He started off as an aspiring minister and missionary yet ended up committing himself to painting. He fought with mental illness most his life and, sadly, died poor and amidst mysterious circumstances.

His painting Pietà is one of his most spiritual and religious works. Carried out in the months before his untimely death, it shows the maturation of his style. Rather than approach the painting with a wide horizontal composition, he keeps it quite vertical, which suggests a connection between heaven and earth. Jesus is falling forward slightly and is not quite resting in Mary’s arms. He seems to be somewhat on his own as Mary reacts in grief, offering more than an accepting embrace.

Suffering has both the moment of struggle and of rest. In Van Gogh’s Pietà, as in life, the unrequited desire to rest prevails. The struggle to accept and embrace suffering was a big part of Van Gogh’s life, as seen in his letters to his brother. Van Gogh, like us, sought serenity in a faith that claims “he has rescued the life of the poor” and that “all the hairs of your head are counted” and not a sparrow “falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.” We are precious to God, as was his Son. The power of God’s love embraces our suffering and offers to bring it to resurrection.


“If by that one person’s transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God…overflow” (Romans 5:15).

For ReflectionWhat am I struggling with and need to give over to Christ? How can I increase my trust in God this week?

Piece: Pietà, circa 1890Artist: Vincent van Gogh Location: Vatican Collection of Modern Religious Art


Weekday Gn 12:1–9, Mt 7:1–5

Tuesday June 27

Weekday Gn 13:2, 5–18Mt 7:6, 12–14

Wednesday June 28

St. Irenaeus, Bishop and MartyrGn 15:1–12, 17–18

Mt 7:15–20

ThursdayJune 29

Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles

Acts 12:1–112 Tm 4:6–8, 17–18

Mt 16:13–19

FridayJune 30

WeekdayGn 17:1, 9–10, 15–22

Mt 8:1–4

SaturdayJuly 1

WeekdayGn 18:1–15, Mt 8:5–17

Sunday July 2

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

2 Kgs 4:8–11, 14–16aRom 6:3–4, 8–11

Mt 10:37–42

A Word From Pope Francis“We have prayed under [Mary’s] leadership that she guide us to be ever more united to her Son, Jesus. We have brought her our joys and our suffering, our hopes and our struggles; we have invoked her by the beautiful title of Salus Populi Romani imploring her for us all, for Rome, for the world that she grant us health. Yes, because Mary gives us health, she is our health. Jesus Christ—by his Passion, Death, and Resurrection—has brought us salvation, granting us the grace and the joy of being children

of God, to truly call him by the name of Father. Mary is the mother, and a mother worries above all about the health of her children....What does this mean?...I think above all of three things: she helps us grow, to confront life, to be free.”

—Recital of the Holy Rosary, May 4, 2013

Did Adam and Eve repent of their sin, and if so, were they forgiven?

Genesis 1—3 is written primarily to convey truths about God: God is good, loving, and provident; humankind was ungrateful to God and introduced evil into the world. However, despite humanity’s sinfulness, there is still hope because of God’s goodness and mercy. The Garden of Eden story is focused more on the loss of original holiness and the consequences of original sin than on repentance.

So while the Bible doesn’t state that Adam and Eve sought repentance, we can know with certainty that God offered them forgiveness, and we can imagine that they probably repented. God restores humanity after the Fall through Christ’s redemptive act and offers all of us forgiveness (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 410).

Christians believe that “the world has been established and kept in being by the Creator’s love; has fallen into slavery to sin but has been set free by Christ, crucifi ed and risen to break the power of the evil one” (CCC 421). Creation, therefore, already involves a re-creation in Christ, the eternal Word of the Father. Christ, the “New Adam,” who amends for the disobedience of Adam, becomes the point toward which creation’s history is directed.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church asks: Why did God not prevent the fi rst man from sinning? “St. Leo the Great

responds, ‘Christ’s inexpressible grace gave us blessings better than those the demon’s envy had taken away.’…And the Exsultet sings, ‘O happy fault, …which gained for us so great a Redeemer!’” (CCC 412).

Fr. Byron Miller, [email protected]

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© 2017 Liguori Publications, Liguori, MO 63057-9999. Printed in U.S.A. Imprimatur: “In accordance with CIC 827, permission to publish has been granted on December 21, 2016, by the Reverend Monsignor Mark S. Rivituso, Vicar General, Archdiocese of St. Louis. Permission to publish is an indication that nothing contrary to Church teaching is contained in this work. It does not imply any endorsement of the opinions expressed in the publication; nor is any liability assumed by this permission.” No part of this work may be used in any form without the prior written permission of Liguori Publications. Scripture texts in this work are taken from New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All Rights Reserved. Design: Lorena Mitre Jimenez. To order Liguori Sunday Bulletins, call 800-325-9521, or visit Liguori.org.

June 4, 2017 ReflectionJune 4, 2017 Dear PadreJune 11, 2017 ReflectionJune 11, 2017 Dear PadreJune 18, 2017 ReflectionJune 18, 2017 Dear PadreJune 25, 2017 ReflectionJune 25, 2017 Dear Padre

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