December 17, 2006: Father Maletta's homily begins with the story of a marriage, an illustration where every person can find a piece of their own story when marriage becomes more challenging and less rewarding than anticipated.
The words of St. Paul command:
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:4-9)
Father Maletta explains...
"[God's] love established joy and peace in heaven. And when given a chance here on earth, can be active in human society today...
How do you reconcile a command to rejoice, with a life that offers little to rejoice over? Is it possible to reconcile a feeling of personal hopelessness with a season of hope? Yeah. Certainly. Of course! How? Well, start by thinking less about yourselves and more about God."
Listen to the full homily
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Couple Prayer: The Book of Tobit
Have you ever used the Bible as a source of prayer with your spouse? The Book of Tobit offers a beautiful prayer that you can add to your daily or weekly spiritual exercises.
An Introduction to the Book of Tobit
"The Book of Tobit, named after its principal character, combines Jewish piety and morality with folklore in a fascinating story that has enjoyed wide popularity in both Jewish and Christian circles. Prayers, psalms, and words of wisdom, as well as the skillfully constructed story itself, provide valuable insights into the faith and the religious milieu of its unknown author. The book was probably written early in the second century B.C.; it is not known where.
Tobit, a devout and wealthy Israelite living among the captives deported to Nineveh from the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722/721 B.C., suffers severe reverses and is finally blinded. Because of his misfortunes he begs the Lord to let him die. But recalling the large sum he had formerly deposited in far-off Media, he sends his son Tobiah there to bring back the money. In Media, at this same time, a young woman, Sarah, also prays for death, because she has lost seven husbands, each killed in turn on his wedding night by the demon Asmodeus. God hears the prayers of Tobit and Sarah and sends the angel Raphael in human form to aid them both.
Raphael makes the trip to Media with Tobiah. When Tobiah is attacked by a large fish as he bathes in the Tigris River, Raphael orders him to seize it and to remove its gall, heart, and liver because they are useful for medicine. Later, at Raphael’s urging, Tobiah marries Sarah, and uses the fish’s heart and liver to drive Asmodeus from the bridal chamber. Returning to Nineveh with his wife and his father’s money, Tobiah rubs the fish’s gall into his father’s eyes and cures him. Finally, Raphael reveals his true identity and returns to heaven. Tobit then utters his beautiful hymn of praise. Before dying, Tobit tells his son to leave Nineveh because God will destroy that wicked city. After Tobiah buries his father and mother, he and his family depart for Media, where he later learns that the destruction of Nineveh has taken place.
The inspired author of the book used the literary form of religious novel (as in Esther and Judith) for the purpose of instruction and edification. The seemingly historical data, names of kings, cities, etc., are used as vivid details not only to create interest and charm, but also to illustrate the negative side of the theory of retribution: the wicked are indeed punished." (http://www.usccb.org/bible/scripture.cfm?bk=Tobit&ch=)
Tobiah's Prayer
(Tobit 8:4-8)
When Sarah’s parents left the bedroom and closed the door behind them, Tobiah rose from bed and said to his wife, “My sister, come, let us pray and beg our Lord to grant us mercy and protection.”
She got up, and they started to pray and beg that they might be protected. He began with these words:
“Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors;
blessed be your name forever and ever!
Let the heavens and all your creation bless you forever.
You made Adam, and you made his wife Eve
to be his helper and support;
and from these two the human race has come.
You said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone;
let us make him a helper like himself.’
Now, not with lust,
but with fidelity I take this kinswoman as my wife.
Send down your mercy on me and on her,
and grant that we may grow old together.
Bless us with children.”
They said together, “Amen, amen!”
An Introduction to the Book of Tobit
"The Book of Tobit, named after its principal character, combines Jewish piety and morality with folklore in a fascinating story that has enjoyed wide popularity in both Jewish and Christian circles. Prayers, psalms, and words of wisdom, as well as the skillfully constructed story itself, provide valuable insights into the faith and the religious milieu of its unknown author. The book was probably written early in the second century B.C.; it is not known where.
Tobit, a devout and wealthy Israelite living among the captives deported to Nineveh from the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722/721 B.C., suffers severe reverses and is finally blinded. Because of his misfortunes he begs the Lord to let him die. But recalling the large sum he had formerly deposited in far-off Media, he sends his son Tobiah there to bring back the money. In Media, at this same time, a young woman, Sarah, also prays for death, because she has lost seven husbands, each killed in turn on his wedding night by the demon Asmodeus. God hears the prayers of Tobit and Sarah and sends the angel Raphael in human form to aid them both.
Raphael makes the trip to Media with Tobiah. When Tobiah is attacked by a large fish as he bathes in the Tigris River, Raphael orders him to seize it and to remove its gall, heart, and liver because they are useful for medicine. Later, at Raphael’s urging, Tobiah marries Sarah, and uses the fish’s heart and liver to drive Asmodeus from the bridal chamber. Returning to Nineveh with his wife and his father’s money, Tobiah rubs the fish’s gall into his father’s eyes and cures him. Finally, Raphael reveals his true identity and returns to heaven. Tobit then utters his beautiful hymn of praise. Before dying, Tobit tells his son to leave Nineveh because God will destroy that wicked city. After Tobiah buries his father and mother, he and his family depart for Media, where he later learns that the destruction of Nineveh has taken place.
The inspired author of the book used the literary form of religious novel (as in Esther and Judith) for the purpose of instruction and edification. The seemingly historical data, names of kings, cities, etc., are used as vivid details not only to create interest and charm, but also to illustrate the negative side of the theory of retribution: the wicked are indeed punished." (http://www.usccb.org/bible/scripture.cfm?bk=Tobit&ch=)
Tobiah's Prayer
(Tobit 8:4-8)
When Sarah’s parents left the bedroom and closed the door behind them, Tobiah rose from bed and said to his wife, “My sister, come, let us pray and beg our Lord to grant us mercy and protection.”
She got up, and they started to pray and beg that they might be protected. He began with these words:
“Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors;
blessed be your name forever and ever!
Let the heavens and all your creation bless you forever.
You made Adam, and you made his wife Eve
to be his helper and support;
and from these two the human race has come.
You said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone;
let us make him a helper like himself.’
Now, not with lust,
but with fidelity I take this kinswoman as my wife.
Send down your mercy on me and on her,
and grant that we may grow old together.
Bless us with children.”
They said together, “Amen, amen!”
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Achieving Financial Peace: an SJE Testimonial
It is with great joy and elation that Greg and I are pleased to announce that we are debt free (everything except the home mortgage)! By the Grace of God we were able to pay off $123,146.22 of consumer debt (including a second mortgage) since November 2006. Since that time in 2006 we gave birth to two children, had a child diagnosed with Autism, miscarried 1 daughter, lost my mother Barbara Andreani, survived cuts in pay due to the economic downturn and had to pay for childcare for 4 children (including 1 with special needs). Our road has not been easy but we have been blessed!
It was our friend Beth who tried to talk to us about money & budgeting early in our marriage in 2000 in Indianapolis. We did not listen. We even enrolled in a Debt Managment Plan at Consumer Credit Counseling Services (non-profit). We were buried in student loans and filled our lives with our wants despite being in the Debt Management Plan. Delayed gratification, what is that? The damage was done. We bought 2 new vehicles. We bought a house that was & is too big for 1 salary. Our journey out of the financial morass began when we both attended a Crown Ministries Journey to Financial Freedom Seminar (now called a Crown Money Map Seminar) on November 4, 2006. It was at this event that Greg and I were able to begin to communicate about money in our marriage for the first time. We began tithing and acknowledged God as the owner of all we were entrusted with, even if we had horribly mismanaged it so far. Most importantly we cut up our credit cards even thought we had balances remaining and vowed to never use them again. We promised to incur no more debt. In the fall of 2008 we participated in a small group Crown 10 week Biblical Financial Study in our church. We attended Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University in January of 2009 which solidified the lessons we still needed to learn about budgeting and working together as a couple. In the summer of 2011 we facilitated our first Financial Peace University at our church St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in St. John IN. And in the fall of 2011 we joined Dave Ramsey's Great Recovery.
We want to encourage and support others in our families & community who may be in debt, that if we can do it despite life's adversities, anyone can. There IS hope if you are drowning in debt! If you know of anyone who needs help or encouragement, we are here to help let others know that it can be done. Bankruptcy is not the only way out of debt. We believe and are the living testimonies that God WILL provide.
Two verses that inspired us during our journey out of debt:
"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." Proverbs 22:7
"Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty." Proverbs 21:5
We are eternally grateful to those of you who have supported, inspired and encouraged us through this struggle. We pray that God blesses each of you abundantly!
Yours In Christ,
Greg & Louise Carr
September 2011
Financial Peace University will be offered at SJE beginning September 5, 2012. For more information or to register online, please visit our website.
It was our friend Beth who tried to talk to us about money & budgeting early in our marriage in 2000 in Indianapolis. We did not listen. We even enrolled in a Debt Managment Plan at Consumer Credit Counseling Services (non-profit). We were buried in student loans and filled our lives with our wants despite being in the Debt Management Plan. Delayed gratification, what is that? The damage was done. We bought 2 new vehicles. We bought a house that was & is too big for 1 salary. Our journey out of the financial morass began when we both attended a Crown Ministries Journey to Financial Freedom Seminar (now called a Crown Money Map Seminar) on November 4, 2006. It was at this event that Greg and I were able to begin to communicate about money in our marriage for the first time. We began tithing and acknowledged God as the owner of all we were entrusted with, even if we had horribly mismanaged it so far. Most importantly we cut up our credit cards even thought we had balances remaining and vowed to never use them again. We promised to incur no more debt. In the fall of 2008 we participated in a small group Crown 10 week Biblical Financial Study in our church. We attended Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University in January of 2009 which solidified the lessons we still needed to learn about budgeting and working together as a couple. In the summer of 2011 we facilitated our first Financial Peace University at our church St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in St. John IN. And in the fall of 2011 we joined Dave Ramsey's Great Recovery.
We want to encourage and support others in our families & community who may be in debt, that if we can do it despite life's adversities, anyone can. There IS hope if you are drowning in debt! If you know of anyone who needs help or encouragement, we are here to help let others know that it can be done. Bankruptcy is not the only way out of debt. We believe and are the living testimonies that God WILL provide.
Two verses that inspired us during our journey out of debt:
"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." Proverbs 22:7
"Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty." Proverbs 21:5
We are eternally grateful to those of you who have supported, inspired and encouraged us through this struggle. We pray that God blesses each of you abundantly!
Yours In Christ,
Greg & Louise Carr
September 2011
Financial Peace University will be offered at SJE beginning September 5, 2012. For more information or to register online, please visit our website.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Resource Referral: Financial Peace
Can you guess four things that couples should talk about before marriage?
According to Dave Ramsey, a financial author, radio host, television personality, and motivational speaker, they are: money, religion, kids and in-laws. Read Dave's full article here. Notice that money is first on the list? Even though its one of the leading causes of divorce, and in many studies the number one reason, financial challenges can be overcome with increased communication, common goals and a plan.
If this is an area you struggle with, we have several Dave Ramsey resources available for loan in the Lending Library. The Total Money Makeover is just one example of Dave's books that is full of practical advice and easy-to-implement tools to put you and your spouse on the same page. In fact, it's so valuable that we have started offering it to our engaged couples during marriage preparation class!
For a more extensive and interactive option, consider Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University offered at SJE two or three times each year! This popular class has been completely revised and updated. It's now 9 weeks long (instead of 13) and can be taken for free by current FPU alumni! For new participants, the cost is $95 and one membership kit with materials can be used by your whole family. Plus, you can take additional classes at any time in the future!
The next SJE-based Financial Peace University series will be held on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the Panel Room beginning September 5th. Registration is open to everyone - you don't have to be an SJE parishioner. Register online today!
According to Dave Ramsey, a financial author, radio host, television personality, and motivational speaker, they are: money, religion, kids and in-laws. Read Dave's full article here. Notice that money is first on the list? Even though its one of the leading causes of divorce, and in many studies the number one reason, financial challenges can be overcome with increased communication, common goals and a plan.
If this is an area you struggle with, we have several Dave Ramsey resources available for loan in the Lending Library. The Total Money Makeover is just one example of Dave's books that is full of practical advice and easy-to-implement tools to put you and your spouse on the same page. In fact, it's so valuable that we have started offering it to our engaged couples during marriage preparation class!
For a more extensive and interactive option, consider Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University offered at SJE two or three times each year! This popular class has been completely revised and updated. It's now 9 weeks long (instead of 13) and can be taken for free by current FPU alumni! For new participants, the cost is $95 and one membership kit with materials can be used by your whole family. Plus, you can take additional classes at any time in the future!
The next SJE-based Financial Peace University series will be held on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the Panel Room beginning September 5th. Registration is open to everyone - you don't have to be an SJE parishioner. Register online today!
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