Saturday, April 23, 2016

Free Catholic Book

Steps to Take as You Follow Christ
Ask—Do I believe in God’s providential care?
Seek—Cry out to God to save you. Realize what it means to say
that God is your Savior. Frequently call to mind all that you need
to be saved from and have recourse to God who alone can save
you.
Knock—Meditate on Romans 13:12–14. Paul uses the image of
armor that we wear, either of darkness or light. Much of what he
terms the deeds of darkness are acts that typically happen at
nightfall or in the secret of one’s heart—they are acts that take
place when we hide them from God and others. Reflect on how
putting on armor of light and bringing all of your cares before
God will change the way you see them.
Transform Your Life—Believe and trust in Jesus at all times. Do
not allow the enemy to have a foothold into your life. Make
“Hosanna, save us, Lord” the prayer that is constantly on your
lips.
Week

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Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Daily Reflection by Michael Dubruiel

Sometimes after the stations I would join my classmates at a function
of the public school we attended. They would ask me where
I had been. “Church,” I would tell them. They would look at me
in unbelief. In my young and very fertile imagination, I thought
of them as the angry crowd surrounding Jesus during his Passion.
Why should my being at church cause them such discomfort?
But it did.

I realize now that the simple devotion that I participated in
throughout my youth taught me a lesson that my friends did not
receive: Failure and suffering are a part of every life. Seen through
the Passion of Christ, they can be a part of God’s plan for us.

From The Power of the Cross , available as a free download by clicking the cover below:



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Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Trusting Jesus by Michael Dubruiel

When St. Peter heard that Jesus was going somewhere, he wanted
to follow the Lord. Jesus refused, and told the apostle that he
would follow later. Peter protested: He was willing to lay down
his life for Jesus (again something that he ultimately would do
later). Then Jesus dropped a bombshell: That very night, Peter
would deny him three times.

The final battle to following Jesus is the battle of self. No matter
how pure our motives may seem, until we trust in God more
than we trust in ourselves, we are doomed to fail. To truly follow
Jesus, we must unite ourselves with him and trust him totally.
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Monday, April 18, 2016

Christian Meditation

Christians are to be forgiving and merciful; we are to live out the
unity Christ died to restore. In the early church, outsiders marveled
at the followers of Christ because of their love for one another.
Sadly, the unity that was the hallmark of the early Church
has been damaged, in some cases seemingly beyond repair. We
who are called to be “merciful” stand idly by while our brothers
and sisters in other parts of the world are offered up as scapegoats.
We who are to share the Good News huddle among our own,
contented to preach to the choir. The problem is this: Jesus died
for all, so that all might be saved. We who follow Our Lord must
live to accomplish his will.

As St. Peter points out, Jesus himself is our example. The
treatment that Jesus received on the cross was worse than most
of us can even imagine but his message of forgiveness did not
change. When Jesus rose from the dead, he did not declare a holy
war against those who had put him to death. Instead he proclaimed,
“Peace,” and sent his followers to the ends of the earth
to preach the gospel, teaching all to believe and trust in him.



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Saturday, April 16, 2016

St. Bernadette - Pray the Rosary

Michael Dubruiel conceived and put together the small hardbound book, Praying the Rosary.  Click on the cover for more information.

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The Gospels show that the gaze of Mary varied depending upon the circumstances of life. So it will be with us. Each time we pick up the holy beads to recite the Rosary, our gaze at the mystery of Christ will differ depending on where we find ourselves at that moment.

Thereafter Mary’s gaze, ever filled with adoration and wonder, would never leave him. At times it would be a questioning look, as in the episode of the finding in the Temple: “Son, why have you treated us so?” (Lk 2:48); it would always be a penetrating gaze, one capable of deeply understanding Jesus, even to the point of perceiving his hidden feelings and anticipating his decisions, as at Cana (cf. Jn 2:5). At other times it would be a look of sorrow, especially beneath the Cross, where her vision would still be that of mother giving birth, for Mary not only shared the passion and death of her Son, she also received the new son given to her in the beloved disciple (cf. Jn 19:26-27). On the morning of Easter hers would be a gaze radiant with the joy of the Resurrection, and finally, on the day of Pentecost, a gaze afire with the outpouring of the Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14) [Rosarium Virginis Mariae, no. 10].


As we pray the Rosary, then, we join with Mary in contemplating Christ. With her, we remember Christ, we proclaim Him, we learn from Him, and, most importantly, as we raise our voices in prayer and our hearts in contemplation of the holy mysteries, this “compendium of the Gospel” itself, we are conformed to Him.


Thursday, April 14, 2016

Michael Dubruiel Interview

You can listen to an interview program with Michael Dubruiel about his book, The Power of the Cross. The interview is with Kris McGregor of KVSS radio.


Episode 4 –
The Cross of Christ unites…
– Michael discusses:
 Day 15 – How We Worship Day
16 – How We See Jesus Day
17 – How We Forgive Day
 18 – Law and Love Day
 19 – Our Lives Day
20 – Our Priorities
Day 21 – How We See Ourselves





Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Daily Catholic Reflection by Michael Dubruiel

When our earthly life ceases, we will be welcomed into God’s
kingdom to the degree that we made him the Lord of our lives.
For many of us, that will mean some time along the purgative
way, learning to release all of our demands upon God. God has
found his rightful place in our hearts when we realize that whatever
he wills is best for us.


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Monday, April 11, 2016

Free Catholic Book

The cross is the school of love. It transforms how we look at God,
the world, and everyone around us. Nailed to the cross with
Jesus, we sometimes have faith enough to hear him promise,
“This day you will be with me in Paradise.” Others simply curse
God for not taking them down off of the cross.
If you are graced to be a student of the cross, it is your mission
to pray with all of your strength for those who are truants
of this school. The love of God compels us to love one another,

God has already lowered himself to our level, suffered
at our hands, and loved us through it all. Jesus is the perfect
example of being loved by God and loving God.
to carry one another’s burdens. Realizing that God alone really
matters is the first step to entering the kingdom of God. When
that kingdom comes, everyone will acknowledge God’s priority.
Until then, we live in a world where those who know must tell
those who don’t, and oftentimes those who know best are the
children. Fulton Sheen once said there will be only children in
the kingdom, something that we adults might want to reflect
upon from time to time.


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Saturday, April 09, 2016

Michael Dubruiel Interview

You can listen to an interview program with Michael Dubruiel about his book, The Power of the Cross. The interview is with Kris McGregor of KVSS radio.


Episode 3
 – The Cross of Christ unites…

 – Michael discusses:

 Day 8 – The Temporal and Eternal
Day 9 – Those Divided by Sin
 Day 10 – In Humility
Day 11 – In Sin
Day 12 – Those Who Suffer For Justice
Day 13 – Us in the Work We Have to Do
 Day 14 – God’s Mercy and Love

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You can find out more about The Power of the Cross here, including a free download of the book. 

Thursday, April 07, 2016

How to Pray at a Catholic Mass

The late great Orthodox liturgist Alexander Schmemann felt that the meaning of “thanksgiving” the literal translation of the Greek word Eucharist had been lost on modern people. We tend to limit giving thanks for the what we perceives as the good things that we receive. But Schmemann argues that for the early church “giving thanks” was something the Christian did because the Kingdom of God had been restored in Jesus Christ. Our very inclusion in Christ is reason enough to give thanks, that God has spoken to us in the Word is another reason to give thanks, that Christ has saved us and shares His Body an Blood with us is another reason to give thanks, and finally that Christ has given us a mission is also a reason to give him thanks! You will recognize that at each of those points in the celebration of the Eucharist we express our thanks either as a congregation when we say, "Thanks be to God" or through the presider when he says to God, "We give you thanks…"!


            Because of what Christ has done we now have a vantage point in life that those who live in the world do not. The liturgy is a mystery of light, we are on the mountain and know that Christ rises from the dead—that he is victorious over our enemies. Therefore we can as St. Paul tells the Thessalonians, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

From How to Get the Most out of the Eucharist by Michael Dubruiel.

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How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist gives you nine concrete steps to help you join your own sacrifice to the sacrifice of Christ as you:
  • Serve: Obey the command that Jesus gave to his disciples at the first Eucharist.
  • Adore: Put aside anything that seems to rival God in importance.
  • Confess: Believe in God’s power to make up for your weaknesses.
  • Respond" Answer in gesture, word, and song in unity with the Body of Christ.
  • Incline: Listen with your whole being to the Word of God.
  • Fast: Bring your appetites and desires to the Eucharist.
  • Invite: Open yourself to an encounter with Jesus.
  • Commune: Accept the gift of Christ in the Eucharist.
  • Evangelize :Take him and share the Lord with others.