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Preaching God's Compassion,
compiled by LeRoy H. Aden and Robert G. Hughes. Fortress Press,
2009.
These two authors offer a book on what to say and what not to say or do
when interacting with someone who has experienced a terrible loss. They address losses from deaths in the family, losses of jobs or important friends, experiences of violence and failure, and other times of mourning. These authors write from the vantage point of their own personal losses and give assistance to those who might come to the same places.
Aden and Hughes acknowledge that the
church has various ways of dealing with individual losses, but they note that some of these ways only intensify the loss instead of alleviating it. They stress that a loss is not to be seen as a punishment from God, or the “reward” from a God who wishes to see humanity suffer. Many causes of grief come from humanity’s bad choices, for example the drunk driver kills an innocent child in a horrible accident. The diabetic refuses to take the prescribed medication and dies at an early
age.
There are several suggested homilies for occasions of mourning. There are questions to evaluate the homily or sermon, for example:
a) does it give voice to the human lament?
b) does it assist the learner to face the reality of one aspect of the suffering?
c) does it make suffering endurable by communicating the love of God and the Christian community? d) does it strengthen faith in God and s sense of joy in the midst of
trouble?
(Thanks to Sr. Irene Hartman OP for this review.) Paperback, Kindle
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Four Conversions and
Spiritual Freedom, A four-part Webinar Series by Carla Mae Streeter, OP. - March 6, 13, 20, 27, 2018. - 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Central time -
Donation requested. Conversion? What Kind do I Need at this Time in My Life?
We know our conversion toward a deeper union with God is ongoing, but conversion from what to what? More specifically, what kind of conversion do I need at this particular time in my life journey? As you might guess, conversion is a rich and varied experience, not a
once-and-for-all event, and it takes different forms. These reflections and discussions will explore four major forms of conversion: religious, psychic, moral, and intellectual.
More info and registration
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software, appliances and many other products at discount prices. As Amazon.com affiliate, we are paid a small fee for purchases originating from our web site. Every little bit helps! http://shalomplace.com/books/index.html
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St. Clement Mary Hofbauer: March 16. 1751 - 1820
John, the name given him at
Baptism, was born in Moravia into a poor family, the ninth of 12 children. Although he longed to be a priest, there was no money for studies, and he was apprenticed to a baker. But God guided the young man’s fortunes. He found work in the bakery of a monastery where he was allowed to attend classes in its Latin school. After the abbot there died, John tried the life of a hermit, but when Emperor Joseph II abolished hermitages, John again returned to Vienna and to
baking.
One day after serving Mass at the Cathedral of St. Stephen, he called a carriage for two ladies waiting there in the rain. In their conversation they learned that he could not pursue his priestly studies because of a lack of funds. They generously offered to support both John and his friend Thaddeus, in their seminary studies. The two went to Rome, where they
were drawn to Saint Alphonsus’ vision of religious life and to the Redemptorists. The two young men were ordained together in 1785.
Newly professed at age 34, Clement Mary, as he was now called, and Thaddeus were sent back to Vienna. But the religious difficulties there caused them to leave and continue north to Warsaw, Poland. There they encountered numerous
German-speaking Catholics who had been left priestless by the suppression of the Jesuits. At first they had to live in great poverty and preach outdoor sermons. Eventually they were given the church of St. Benno, and for the next nine years they preached five sermons a day, two in German and three in Polish, converting many to the faith. They were active in social work among the poor, founding an orphanage and then a school for boys.
Drawing candidates to the congregation, they were able to send missionaries to Poland, Germany, and Switzerland. All of these foundations eventually had to be abandoned because of the political and religious tensions of the times. After 20 years of difficult work, Clement Mary himself was imprisoned and expelled from the country. Only after another arrest was he able to reach Vienna, where he was to live
and work the final 12 years of his life. He quickly became “the apostle of Vienna,” hearing the confessions of the rich and the poor, visiting the sick, acting as a counselor to the powerful, sharing his holiness with all in the city. His crowning work was the establishment of a Catholic college in his beloved city.
Persecution followed Clement Mary, and there were
those in authority who were able for a while to stop him from preaching. An attempt was made at the highest levels to have him banished. But his holiness and fame protected him and prompted the growth of the Redemptorists. Due to his efforts, the congregation was firmly established north of the Alps by the time of his death in 1820.
Calendar of Saints
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