October Baby vs Hunger Games

Posted by deaconjim on March 26, 2012
Deacon Jim, Faith Education, Pro-Life / No Comments

Although these two movies are not targeted to the same audiences, they both came out over the past weekend.  October Baby only opened in a little over 300 theaters while Hunger Games was in more than 1,500. 

October Baby is a story about a young woman who discovers that she is the survivor of a botched abortion.  The movie details her real-life struggles to come to terms with that discovery and her struggle to forgive.  It is filled with very real emotions and delivers a strong message about faith and the power of forgiveness. 

Hunger Games is a futuristic movie about teens who are forced to murder other teens as part of a government controlled game.  There is no depiction of the emotional impact on the survivors of the “Game”, they are just seen smiling and walking quietly off to continue to their lives.  It seems the movie makers would rather have us imagine the impact witnessing and comitting murder has on our souls.      

As you can probably guess, the lines to see Hunger Games were much longer than those for October Baby. 

For those parents who are considering letting their children see Hunger Games, I would beg you to reconsider and instead take them with you to see October Baby.  While they may not be in the majority in school on Monday who are discussing Hunger Games, they will know that they are loved and that you care deeply about what is fed to their minds and hearts.    

This is one of those decisions that we as Christians have to make, follow the crowd, or follow what is right.

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40 Days 4 Life Week 5

Posted by deaconjim on March 26, 2012
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Another great turnout by the faithful prayer warriors.  This week we encountered what appreaed to be a homeless couple with a young child in tow.  They were holding signs protesting what we were tying to accomplish.  One sign read, “Mind Your Own Business”. 

I spent some time speaking with the man while the ever-brave Ana spoke with the woman.  I told him I would pray for him and his family as it seemed they needed such intervention.  He told me they were living in their van.  If you have time please pray for “Catcus Jack” and his family. 

Next week is the last week of the campaign so please come out and join us.  Next Saturday (March 31st) is also the the closing ceremony for 40 Days for Life at St. Teresa of Carmel Church.  Bishop Flores will be the speaker and all prayer warriors are invited to this event. 

Meet at the Church at 6 p.m.if you want to carpool.

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A CELEBRATION THAT COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Posted by deaconjim on March 22, 2012
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This is for you!  No matter your age, background, or culture, this is for you! 

You will meet exciting and interesting people, you will forge lasting friendships, you will feel good about being part of something new and exciting,  you will laugh, and be satisfied as you enjoy the most exciting evening of the year. 

You cannot get this anywhere else, only at this once a year event will you be able to have an experience that you will never forget.

Join your parish family and your Catholic school family as we come together to offer a May Gala.  This will be a night of fine dining, music, dance, and masquerade like no other. 

If you want to be part of this evening of wonder and excitement act now because it will soon sell out.  This is your chance!

5th Annual St. John of the Cross Art Gala Masquerade Ball, Auction, and Casino Night

Friday, May 25, 2012 6:00 p.m.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Available at the Rectory Office and after Sunday Masses

$85 per person or $160 per couple

Postures and Gestures Part 3 (Gestures)

Posted by deaconjim on March 19, 2012
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Gestures too involve our bodies in prayer. The most familiar of these is the Sign of the Cross with which we begin Mass and with which, in the form of a blessing, the Mass concludes. Because it was by his death on the cross that Christ redeemed humankind, we trace the sign of the cross on our foreheads, lips and hearts at the beginning of the Gospel. Fr. Romano Guardini, a scholar and professor of liturgy wrote of this gesture:

When we cross ourselves, let it be with a real sign of the cross. Instead of a small, cramped gesture that gives no notion of its meaning, let us make a large, unhurried sign, from forehead to breast, from shoulder to shoulder, consciously feeling how it includes the whole of us, our thoughts, our attitudes, our body and soul, every part of us all at once, how it consecrates and sanctifies us … (Romano Guardini, Sacred Signs , 1927)

But there are other gestures that intensify our prayer at Mass. During the Confiteor the action of striking our breasts at the words through my own fault can strengthen my awareness that my sin is my fault. In the Creed we are invited to bow at the words which commemorate the Incarnation: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man. This gesture signifies our profound respect and gratitude to Christ who, though God, did not hesitate to come among us as a human being, sharing our human condition in order to save us from sin and restore us to friendship with God. This gratitude is expressed with even greater solemnity on the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord and on Christmas when we genuflect at these words.

The Our Father is followed by the Exchange of Peace, the gesture which we express through a prayerful greeting of peace, that we are at peace, not enmity, with others. This exchange is symbolic. The persons near me with whom I share the peace signify for me, as I do for them, the broader community of the Church and all humankind.

Finally, with the new General Instruction, we are asked to make a sign of reverence, to be determined by the bishops of each country or region, before receiving Communion standing. The bishops of this country have determined that the sign which we will give before Communion is to be a bow, a gesture through which we express our reverence and give honor to Christ who comes to us as our spiritual food.

In addition to serving as a vehicle for the prayer of beings composed of body and spirit, the postures and gestures in which we engage at Mass have another very important function. The Church sees in these common postures and gestures both a symbol of the unity of those who have come together to worship and a means of fostering that unity. We are not free to change these postures to suit our own individual piety, for the Church makes it clear that our unity of posture and gesture is an expression of our participation in the one Body formed by the baptized with Christ, our head. When we stand, kneel, sit, bow and sign ourselves in common action, we given unambiguous witness that we are indeed the Body of Christ, united in heart, mind and spirit.

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40 DAYS FOR LIFE (Weeks 3 and 4)

Posted by deaconjim on March 19, 2012
Deacon Jim, Events, Faith Education, Pro-Life / No Comments

I was abesnt for week 3 due to the men’s retreat but was back at it this past Saturday.  Despite the wind and rain we still had 6 of the faithful outside the El Cajon Planned Parenthood with our roasries and umbrellas in hand.  We had three new prayer warriors this week including two high school students.  Praise God!     

As we were finishing a decade of the Rosary the security guard approached us.  He said he had handed in his reignation, but his boss refused so he told him he quit.  He was not fired but the boss reasigned him and he also picked up another job.  God does take care of the faithful. 

He told us he initially took the job becuase he had to feed his family, but it was his faith that caused him to trust fully in God’s good graces. 

I was surprised to find out Sunday afternoon that prior to the security guard’s revelation the two high schoolers had been praying that he would find another job.  God does  hear us!

Come out with us next week, we meet in front of the Church at 11 AM. 

 

Postures & Gestures – Part 2 Sitting and Kneeling

Posted by deaconjim on March 11, 2012
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The posture of kneeling signified penance in the early Church: the awareness of sin casts us to the ground! So thoroughly was kneeling identified with penance that the early Christians were forbidden to kneel on Sundays and during the Easter Season when the prevailing spirit of the liturgy was that of joy and thanksgiving. In the Middle Ages kneeling came to signify the homage of a vassal to his lord, and more recently this posture has come to signify adoration. It is for this reason that the bishops of this country have chosen the posture of kneeling for the entire Eucharistic Prayer.
Sitting is the posture of listening and meditation, so the congregation sits for the pre-Gospel readings and may also sit for the period of meditation following Communion.

Men of the Cross – First Parish Lenten Retreat

Posted by deaconjim on March 11, 2012
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First I would like to say thank you the Father Peter for allowing us to have this retreat and secondly I would thank the Mercidarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for allowing us to use thier beautiful home for the day.

The day was filled with the Holy Spirit and the hiigh point was receiving the Eucharist at Mass in the convent chapel. Father Peter gave a beautiful homily on the Gospel of the Prodigal Son in which he implored us to be forgiving like the father in the parable and not hold on to resentment like the older son.

What I took away from the day is that we all need to work on being truly “present” for one another. However, in order to be truly present for another I first have to know myself. That is, I need to know and accept that I am the Bleoved son, I am Chosen by God, I am Blessed by God, and I am also a Broken man. When I accpet the totality of myself then and only then can I truly be present for you.

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40 Days 4 Life

Posted by deaconjim on March 05, 2012
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Week two at the El Cajon Planned Parenthood brought a little “excitement” in the form of a confrontation with a young man.  As the 10 of us from St. John began our prayer vigil he and friend approached.  His friend waited down the sidewalk as he stood directly in front of us.  this tattooed, twenty something, young man began to tell us how we were wrong and how we had no right to tell a woman what to do about “the most important decision of her life” (he certainly got the important part right).  He was using foul language and even called one of the prayer warriors “delusional”.

My protective instinct flared and I stood face-to-face with him.  I told him he was welcome to pray with us, but the abusive language would not be tolerated.  This only triggered defensiveness on his part and he continued his attack.  Then, one of the angles that was with us spoke up.  Ana. a young woman in the RCIA calmly asked him a question.  She said, “You said this was the hardest decision in woman’s life, why do you think that is so?”  He was taken off guard and the only thing he could say was, “I don’t know I’m not a chick”.  Ana persisted, asking if it could be due to the unique bond that exists between a woman and her child.  She then went on to explain this bond and the it’s special nature. The man’s demeanor changed and he shifted his attack to stating that he thought we were another more aggressive group he had encountered.  After a few more, much gentler words he walked to his friend.  As they were leaving I heard him say to the friend, “Man, they kinda made me feel bad”.

Lesson learned – Approach all things with the Love of God especially those who persecute you.

Here is a link to Ana’s personal pro-life blog – http://alittlemoresentience.blogspot.com/2012/02/planned-parenthoods-3-claim.html

A special thank you to Sister Soledad for joining us it was great to have her there in her habit standing as a testament to her faith.  She graciously led us in prayer and song and the light of her faith shown upon us all.

Please join us again next Saturday March 10th.  We meet in front of the Church at 11 a.m., then caravan our way to El Cajon.

Pray for the unborn and for those mothers who are surely making the most important decision of their lives.

POSTURES AND GESTURES PART 1 – STANDING

Posted by deaconjim on February 29, 2012
Deacon Jim, Faith Education / No Comments

In the celebration of Mass we raise our hearts, minds and voices to God, but we are creatures composed of body as well as spirit and so our prayer is not confined to our minds, hearts and voices, but is expressed by our bodies as well. When our bodies participate in our prayer we pray with our whole person, as the embodied spirits God created us to be, and this engagement of our entire being in prayer helps us to pray with greater attention During Mass we assume different postures: standing, kneeling, sitting, and we are also invited to make a variety of gestures. These postures and gestures are not merely ceremonial. They have profound meaning and, when done with understanding, can enhance our personal participation in Mass. In fact, these actions are the way in which we engage our bodies in the prayer that is the Mass. Each posture we assume at Mass underlines and reinforces the meaning of the action in which we are taking part at that moment in our worship.

Standing is a sign of respect and honor, so we stand as the celebrant who represents Christ enters and leaves the assembly.

Standing, from the earliest days of the Church, has been understood as the stance of those who are risen with Christ and seek the things that are above. When we stand for prayer we assume our full stature before God, not in pride, but in humble gratitude for the marvelous thing God has done in creating and redeeming each one of us. By Baptism we have been given a share in the life of God, and the posture of standing is an acknowledgment of this wonderful gift.

We stand for the Gospel, the pinnacle of revelation, the words and deeds of the Lord. We remian standing until the Book of the Gospels is carried to the place of reposition after the proclamation.

The bishops of the United States have chosen standing as the posture to be observed in this country for the reception of Communion, the sacrament which unites us in the most profound way possible with Christ who, now gloriously risen from the dead, is the cause of our salvation.
(USCCB Parish Resources 2012)

Part II – coming soon (kneeling and sitting)

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40 Days for Life

Posted by deaconjim on February 28, 2012
Deacon Jim, Events, Pro-Life / No Comments

This first week of our prayer vigil at the El Cajon Planned Parenthood I was joined by seven of the faithful from St. Johns.

As we stood there at the entrance to the facilty we prayed the Holy Rosary and lifted those preyers up for the women who were comtemplating ending the life of thier child. The agony of that decision was quite apparant in one woman who was crying and yelling hysterically to someone on her cellphone. A feew minutes after her call a young man arrived and she got into his car. They parked in the McDonalda’s parking lot next door and talked for some time. Eventually they drove off and it seemed they were making the choice to save the child.

However, about an hour later the car returned to curb, the woman got out and proceeded upstairs and the man drove away. Please pray for her.

There were several couples who took information from the sidewalk counselors,we pray they choose life.

I encourage everyone to join us each Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. We meet in front of the Church at 11 a.m.

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