It's the last week of the pre-season!  Ash Wednesday is one week from today.  Do you know whom you are voting for yet? Check out our last group of Saints and Heroes!

Samson:  Dedicated to the Lord before he was born, Samson was a judge of Israel known for both his faithfulness and folly.  Samson is known for his defeat of the Philistines in a most clever manner, but he was brought low by his relationship with Delilah.  After she found out the secret of his great strength lay in his hair, Delilah gave him a haircut, and he was blinded by the Philistines.  However, he prayed that God would let him regain his strength just once more, and at his death, Samson slew more people than he had in his life.

St. Ignatius of Loyola:  Ignatius was a soldier, nobleman, and courtier, who loved the pleasures of wealth, luxury, and the admiration of ladies.  However, after spending years recovering from two broken legs he suffered in battle, Ignatius renounced his former lifestyle and dedicated the rest of his life to seeking the will of God.  He spent time caring for the sick and indigent, became a traveling preacher, founded the Society of Jesus, emphasized education and evangelization, and wrote a book of spiritual exercises and rules for discernment still used today.

Tobias:  Tobias was a youth when he set out on a hazardous journey to reclaim his blind father’s wealth.  Accompanied by the angel Raphael, Tobias caught a great fish which yielded an ointment to cure his father’s blindness.  He also met and married a young woman who was plagued by a demon and drove the demon away from her by burning the fish’s entrails.

St. Louis of France:  Rarely do the words “king” and “saint” describe the same person, as they do with Louis IX.  He brought peace and justice to France by interpreting his kingly duties in light of his faith.  He began the use of written records in court and replaced trial by battle with the examination of witnesses.  He also founded hospitals, visited the sick, and kept lists of needy people.  Louis participated in two Crusades and died of disease in the second of his journeys.

Lydia:  Lydia was an independent businesswoman and head of her household who befriended Paul on his journey to Philippi.  A convert to Christianity, Lydia had her entire household baptized and established a church in her own home.  When Paul and his companion Silas were miraculously released from prison, Lydia received them into her home where the local Christian community had gathered to pray for their safety.

St. Clare:  Inspired by the preaching of St. Frances, Clare snuck out of her father’s house in the middle of the night and met Frances’ band of friars who spirited her away to a convent.  At age 21, Frances made her abbess of the Second Order of Franciscans, the Poor Clares.  Cloistered inside the walls of San Damiano, Clare embraced poverty, cared for the sick, and became a counselor to popes, cardinals, and bishops who came to seek her wisdom.

Mary Magdalene:  A disciple of Jesus, Mary followed and cared for Jesus during his earthly ministry.  Although she is sometimes confused with an adulteress, a prostitute, or with other Marys in the Bible, Mary was afflicted by seven demons, which Jesus cast out of her.  She was present at the Crucifixion when most of the other disciples had fled, and was the first to discover Jesus had risen from the dead.  Because she shared the news of the Resurrection with Jesus’ other disciples, she has been called “the Apostle of the apostles.”

St. Teresa of Kolkata:  Albanian by birth, Teresa began her ministry in the streets of Darjeeling, India.  Her mission was to care for the poor and the unwanted, to touch those considered untouchable.  She founded the Missionaries of Charity and numerous schools and orphanages and provided services for alcoholics, the elderly, and the homeless.  Dressed in a plain white sari, Teresa traveled around the world and inspired people all over to contribute to her work in the slums of Kolkata.

Would you like a Daily Scripture Reflection, written by a member of our parish staff, delivered directly to your inbox during Lent?  To sign up to have them delivered Mondays through Fridays, send an e-mail to lchiles@catholicweb.com with the subject line: “daily scripture reflections.”

PARISH MADNESS

Just 2 more weeks until Lent begins? Are you ready to vote on your favorite Bible Heroes and Stalwart Saints? Voting is already open here. It will begin on our Facebook page on Ash Wednesday. Votes for Round 1 need to be in by noon on Monday, March 10th. In the meantime, let's look at this week's featured Saints and Heroes.

Susanna:  Susanna was the beautiful wife of a wealthy man.  One day, two elders conspired together to force Susanna to sleep with both of them.  They threatened to accuse her of adultery, punishable by death, if she would not consent.  Susanna stated that she would rather fall into the hands of God than evil men, and the men publicly accused her of having a secret lover.  In answer to Susanna’s prayer, God gave the prophet Daniel the wisdom to trap the elders in their lies and exonerate Susanna.

St. Catherine of Sienna:  Dedicated to a simple life of seclusion, prayer, and contemplation, Catherine was one of the great visionaries and mystics of the Church.  Her prayers and wisdom helped to solve the Great Schism of 1378 when the Church had three popes.  Her letters have provided spiritual instruction and guidance to many generations, and her influence is so great that she was declared a doctor of the Church in 1970.

Esther:  Chosen by King Ahasuerus of Persia to be his queen, Esther could have relied on her position to keep herself safe.  However, when the king’s second-in-command, Haman, tricked the king into signing an order of execution for all the Jews living in the region, Esther took action.  At the risk of her own life, she went directly to the king, wooed him with banquets, and presented her case, revealing Haman’s plot and saving the Jewish people.

St. Perpetua:  Had she renounced her Christian faith, Perpetua, a noblewoman of Carthage, would have been saved.  Instead, she chronicled her separation from her infant son, imprisonment with other Christians, and the events leading up to her execution in the Roman public games.  The account of her death in the amphitheater was added by someone who found her diary after her death.

Timothy:  A companion of St. Paul on his missionary journeys, Timothy was already a second-generation Christian, having been raised in the faith by his mother and grandmother who were early converts.  Timothy suffered imprisonment along with Paul and was sent as Paul’s ambassador to multiple churches as a problem-solver.  Timothy also served Paul in Rome during Paul’s final imprisonment, and served briefly as the bishop of the church at Ephesus.

St. Damien of Molokai:  Damien ended up in the Hawaiian Islands because he volunteered to take the place of his brother, who had fallen ill.  Ordained on the island of Hawaii, Damien also volunteered to remain permanently on the island of Molokai, where the Hawaiian government had established a leper colony.  There, he cared for the people’s physical, medical, and spiritual needs, built houses, a church, school, and orphanage, and advocated for government support.  He contracted leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) and died there among his beloved people.

Jeremiah:  Called as a youth to be a prophet, Jeremiah brought an unpleasant message to the people of Jerusalem: “Turn back to God, or God will allow the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem.”  Not only did the people not listen to Jeremiah, but they imprisoned him in a dungeon and tried to drown him in a cistern.  Rescued from the cistern by his faithful scribe, Baruch, Jeremiah continued to preach the message from God.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux:  A renowned Scripture scholar and theologian, Bernard wrote and gave hundreds of sermons which are still published today.  After revitalizing the monastery at Clairvaux, he became a renowned counselor and spiritual advisor and went on to heal a schism in Rome involving the papacy.

Parish Madness Pre-Season Week 2

PARISH MADNESS

Here we are in week 2 of the Pre-season of Lent. Are you enjoying the Olympics? Talk about gold medalists! Here are this week's featured Bible Heroes and Stalwart Saints.

Deborah:  Deborah was a prophetess and judge of Israel.  When she commanded Barak to lead the army of Israel against the Canaanites, he refused to go unless Deborah went with him.  Deborah led the army into battle, defeated the Canaanite king, Jabin, and the Israelites had forty years of peace afterwards.

St. Marianne Cope:  Marianne was anxious to aid the lepers exiled to the island of Molokai when most people stayed well away from the colony.  Her years as the superior at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse had prepared her well for serving the Hawaiian leper community.  When 50 other congregations turned down the assignment, Marianne and her congregation jumped at the chance.  Not only did they take charge of the receiving station and the home for men and boys, they also opened a hospital, a school for girls, and a home for single women and girls and set new standards for cleanliness helping people take pride in their community.

Judith:  Judith lived during the years of the Assyrian invasions of Israel.  She was a young widow with a sterling reputation, greatly respected by her community.  When the people of her city wanted to give the city over to the Assyrians, Judith took matters into her own hands.  After fasting and praying, Judith dressed herself up and went to the tent of the Assyrian commander, Holofernes.  She convinced Holofernes that she had defected, and he granted her asylum in his tent, but when he fell asleep, she took his own sword, cut off his head, and took it back to her people.  Then she rallied the Israelite troops to route the Assyrians.

St. Joan of Arc:  Joan was a soldier who led troops led French troops to victory over the English during the Hundred Years’ War.  Joan had holy visions since she was twelve, and it was one of these visions which convinced the French king to allow Joan to lead his army.  Captured by the English in a later battle, Joan stood trial for witchcraft and was burnt at the stake.

John the Baptist:  Dressed in camel’s hair and eating locusts, John came out of the Judean desert preaching repentance and baptizing followers in the Jordan River.  Never soft spoken, he called out King Herod for marrying his brother’s wife, and he called out the religious rulers of the day for hypocrisy.  His preaching made him many enemies, not the least of which was Herod, who had John beheaded.

St. Frances Xavier:  An early follower of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Frances was one of the first generation of Jesuits.  He embraced the Great Commission to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, which, for him, meant journeying to and evangelizing in Asia.  Caring for the poor and the sick filled him with much joy, and he is credited with bringing the Christian faith to Japan.

Ezra:  Ezra was born during the Babylonian captivity but elected to return to Jerusalem when the decree of the Persian king, Cyrus, allowed the return from exile.  He led the Israelites returning with him and the restoration of the Temple.  He served as priest and scribe and taught the Mosaic Law to his people.

St. Frances of Assisi:  Born a noble, Frances denounced his wealth by dramatically stripping himself of all his luxurious clothing in the public square of Assisi.  Someone draped him with a rough brown robe which he wore for the rest of his life.  Frances believed God had called him to rebuild God’s church which Frances did by establishing a traveling order of preachers, the Franciscans, whom he encouraged to spread the Gospel by ministering to the needs of the poor.  His best-known quote is: “Preach always.  Use words if necessary.”

PARISH MADNESS


Yes, we are still in the pre-season.  Lent has not yet begun.  But to get you started on Round 1, here are some facts about our Bible Heroes and Stalwart Saints.

David:   From shepherd to psalmist to giant-slayer, David did it all.  The youngest of seven brothers, David was anointed king of Israel by the prophet Samuel.  Even though he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband to cover it up, David repented and was described as “a man after God’s own heart.”

St. Augustine:  As a young adult, Augustine gave his mother fits as he partied, lived with his concubine, and joined a heretical Christian sect, but when he decided to convert to Christianity, he gave God his all.  Augustine was baptized in 387 and was elected bishop of Hippo shortly after his ordination to the priesthood.  He was active in deciding the theological questions of his day and wrote many books on theology which are still studied today.

Abraham:  God called Abraham (whose name was then Abram) to leave his homeland of Ur and travel to a faraway land which God promised to give to Abraham and his descendants.  Along the journey, Abraham’s faith was tested many times as he encountered hostile kings, and struggled to believe in God’s promise even though his wife Sarah was well past her child-bearing years.  Abraham ended up fathering Ishmael and Isaac, from whom two great nations have descended.

St. Anselm:  After being denied admission to a monastery at age 15 by his father, Anselm spent a number of years completely disinterested in religion.  Eventually, he entered a monastery at Bec in Normandy, where he dedicated his life to meditation and writing and served as abbot.  While there, he transformed the monastery into a school, paving the way for the universities of the future.  At age 60, he was elected as Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he reluctantly accepted.

Hannah:  One of two wives, Hannah was constantly teased by Elkannah’s other wife because of her barrenness.  On a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Hannah went to the Temple and prayed with such fervor that the high priest accused her of being drunk.  On hearing her story, he blessed her and added his prayers to hers.  Hannah soon conceived Samuel, whom she dedicated to God’s service.  Her faithfulness and generosity were rewarded by the Lord.

St. Monica:  Monica was a devout Christian married to a Roman who did not share her faith.  She raised her son, Augustine, in the faith, and when he left the Church in his youth, she prayed for his return.  In his Confessions, Augustine shared his mother’s heartaches over his wild living and told how her endless prayers and faithful example guided him back to the Christian faith.

Ruth:  Widowed at a young age, it would have been in Ruth’s best interest to return to her family and have them arrange another marriage for her.  Instead, Ruth decided to stay with her widowed and now childless mother-in-law, Naomi, to care for her.  Ruth journeyed to Naomi’s distant homeland where she spent her days picking up leftover grain in the fields so as to gather enough food for her and Naomi’s supper each night.  Ruth impressed the field’s owner, Boaz, by her hard work and faithfulness and soon became his wife, the great-grandmother of David, and an ancestress of Jesus.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary:  As the daughter of the king of Hungary, Elizabeth had money and luxury at her fingertips, but she chose instead to lead a simple life out of her concern for the poor.  Every day, she would take bread to the gate of her home to distribute to the needy.  A member of the Secular Franciscans, Elizabeth, as a widow and queen dowager, spent the last few years of her life caring for the poor at a hospital which she founded.

As Lent approaches, and with it, March Madness, it is time for us to play PARISH MADNESS!
This year our line-up begins with:

BIBLE HEROES VS. STALWART SAINTS

The game is played just like traditional tournament brackets.  There are 32 seats in the first round with the hard-hitting Bible Heroes opposing the never-say-die Stalwart Saints.  Who will make it into Round 2?  You get to decide!


We all may have some favorites in the line-up, but to help make your decisions, try looking up the scriptures next to the Bible Heroes (see below) or going to www.americancatholic.org for more information on the Stalwart Saints.


To vote, go to the polls on the side of this blog and choose your favorites.  Votes must be in by noon on Mondays.  (Round 1 votes are due by noon on Monday, March 10th.)  Voting can also be done on Facebook and by paper ballots at parish activities during Lent. 

David (1 Samuel 17:32-51) vs. St. Augustine of Hippo

Abraham (Genesis 12:1-9) vs. St. Anselm

Hannah (1 Samuel  1:1-23) vs. St. Monica

Ruth (Ruth 1:1-22) vs. St. Elizabeth of Hungary

Samson (Judges 15:1-20) vs. St. Ignatius of Loyola

Tobias (Tobit 6:2-18) vs. St. Louis of France

Lydia (Acts 16:11-15) vs. St. Clare

Mary Magdalene (John 20:1-18) vs. St. Teresa of Kolkata

Deborah (Judges 4:1-23) vs. St. Marianne Cope

Judith (Judith 8:1-17) vs. St. Joan of Arc

John the Baptist (Mark 1:2-9) vs. St. Frances Xavier

Ezra (Ezra 7:1-10) vs. St. Frances of Assisi

Susanna (Daniel 13:1-27) vs. St. Catherine of Sienna

Esther (Esther 4:1-16) vs. St. Perpetua

Timothy (Acts 16:1-5) vs. St. Damien of Molokai

Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1-19) vs. St. Bernard of Clairvaux

COMING SOON........

IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE'VE POSTED ON THIS BLOG.  WE ARE STILL GETTING USED TO THE WHOLE HIGH-TECH MEDIA THING.
HOWEVER, WE HAVE BIG PLANS FOR LENT!  AN ONLINE BIBLE STUDY, DAILY SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS, AND PARISH MADNESS (A TAKE ON MARCH MADNESS).  KEEP CHECKING BACK!  WE LOOK FORWARD TO INTERACTING WITH YOU SOON!