Almighty and ever–living God, bound in faithful love to Your people, be attentive to our deepest needs; for as a nation we place all our trust in You.

Since election day approaches, we pray for all those who have placed their name before the people; to seal their commitment of public service for the common good. Purify the intentions of those who deserve the public trust. Transform self interest into compassion for Your people, as You make them harbingers of our future.

Empower each voter with Your Spirit; so that as the free people of Your creation they may recognize truth and personal integrity in those they choose. May the representative government they place in service mirror their own commitment to search out the ways of peace with others and establish an economic stability where justice will flourish for all.

May a new era of patriotism dawn upon the United States; a patriotism strong enough to carry us through difficult times and flexible enough to embrace authentic creativity. Drawing upon the resources of university and business, may the legal and social development of Your people help all citizens realize their full potential in Your sight. For Your wisdom is revealed to us and in us both now and forever. Amen.

Hat tip to Rocco.

• catechists and catechumenate (RCIA) ministers,
• business managers and development directors, and
• music ministers and all parishioners who love to sing.

They are providing this free day of formation to thank all those in the Bay Area who have supported their company by using their bulletin service and music ministry resources.

A Prayer When Money Is Tight

Gracious God,
you tell me to look at the birds in the air
who don’t work or sow,
yet they are fed each day by your hand.
But Lord, they can fly where they need to go,
while I still need to put gas in the car.
And you say to look at the flowers in the field
who don’t worry about what they will wear,
yet you clothe them in splendor and majesty.
But Lord, lilies might dress up my dinner table,
but they won’t feed my hungry family.
Giver of all good gifts,
I know you can’t give me wings to fly
or a life free of worry.
So please give me instead
a heart overflowing with trust in you.
Though I may not get all the things that I ask for,
I know you will give me everything that I need.
When money is tight and anxiety is near,
open my heart to give freely of myself
that I might be abundantly rich in you. Amen.

A Prayer When You Have Nothing Left To Give

Lord, I have nothing left to give.
I’m exhausted and worn out.
Yet so many still ask for more.
Grant me that last ounce of strength
that sustained you enough on the cross
to offer one last word of forgiveness,
that I may be gentle with others
and with myself.
And when that too is spent,
help me stay present even in my emptiness,
and let my presence be the first and last gift
I have to give. Amen.

Sunday Reflections and Social Ministry
October – 2008

For weekly bulletins, faith sharing groups, prayer at meetings, bible study, lectors, outreach actions…anywhere the word of God calls us to act with charity and justice. Community and Parish Partnerships Elizabeth Lilly, 408-325-5262, elilly@ccsj.org.

October 5, 2008
“The people are the cherished plant.” Isaiah 5

Catholic Charities story: Cathy, a single mother of two young girls was overwhelmed when they would throw tantrums several times a day. With the help of a dedicated case manager, Cathy has become much more confident in her parenting skills, has started to form deeper, richer relationships with her daughters and both girls have made great improvements. Cathy and her Family Partner are currently involved in getting an Individualized Education Plan for the older daughter. Cathy has been taking more responsibility in the process.

Catholic Charities opportunity: First 5 Family Partners case managers help parents assess their situations, learn about community resources, and make a plan of action. Empowering people to fully participate in the life of the community is one of the goals of Catholic Charities. For more information contact Charlene Moore, 408 283-6150, cmoore@ccsj.org.

Get the entire collection of reflections for October 2008 as a Word doc by clicking the graphic below.

Permission is given to download and reprint for your parishes and communities.

Attention all music ministers, choir directors,
and liturgy coordinators!

You are all invited to a FREE workshop exploring
the meaning, rituals, and music of Advent.

Diana Macalintal, Associate for Liturgy for the Diocese of San José, will help participants discover the primary liturgical symbols of Advent, examine the unique characteristics of the Advent liturgies, and prepare appropriate music for the season.

October 30, 2008, Thursday
7:00p to 8:30p
Saint Maria Goretti Church
2980 Senter Road, San José, 95111.

To RSVP and for more information, contact Theresa Vu
Theresa_vu@yahoo.com or 408-390-1643.

Click here for a printable flyer.

At the end of the closing ceremonies (which, let’s be honest, did not compare even remotely to the opening ceremonies), one of the NBC commentators said about this world-changing spirit of the Olympics: If we can be this way for 16 days, why not three weeks? Why not a month? Why not longer?

I do believe that good Olympics, like good liturgy, gives us a little glimpse of what the Kingdom of God could be like on earth. And once we get a glimpse, we want more.

Continuing that note, ZenHabits has a post about the #1 lifehack (slang for something that improves your life) you can implement today for making the world a better place. It’s not written from a religious point of view, but we in the Church can certainly be reminded of how simple it can be to do something today to make the reign of God more visible in our world today.

The novena runs for nine days and can be used consecutively, one day each week, for nine days prior to the election, or in any way that works best for a community or individual.

The novena can be downloaded online at… http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/resources/podcasts .

For other Faithful Citizenship resources and materials visit www.faithfulcitizenship.org.

From June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009 the Church will be celebrating a Jubilee Year in honor of the apostle Paul, to commemorate the bimellenium of his birth. As its contribution to this commemoration, the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy is dedicating its 2009 conference to exploring “Paul as Liturgical Theologian.”

Presentations will consider Paul’s teachings on Christian worship and liturgy, and how the Church community’s worship serves as matrix for his theology.

Keynote Speaker :
Fr. Robert Taft, S.J., Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome

Plenary Session Speakers:
Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Princeton Theological Seminary
“Faith comes by what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.”
Romans 10:17 (The Word in Worship)

Fr. Paul McPartlan, Catholic University of America
“The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”
1 Corinthians 10:16 (One Body: Ecclesial and Sacramental)

Aurelie Hagstrom, Providence College
“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
1 Corinthians 12: 7 (One Body: Gifts, Ministries, Responsibility)

Fr. John Behr, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary
“As a plan for the fullness fo time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”
Ephesians 1:10 (The Eschatological Dimension of Liturgy)

Click here for more info.

Hat tip to Concord Pastor. Click the link for the lyrics.