Thirsty Thursday: Advent Atonement

Since Advent and Lent are Penitential seasons, these are times for us to repent for our sins.

In my own Catholic faith, we must confess our sins regularly to a clergy member to cleanse our souls for communion.

No matter how holy I strive to be, I as a human have my share of shortcomings. With a conscience, I’ve constantly prayed

• The Act of Contrition
• series of the Hail Mary

Remorse for our mistakes won’t do us any good if we keep repeating them. Learning lessons from our wrong actions and doing right by GOD will lead us closer to Heaven …

R.I.P., Father Romanus ✌ 

Thirsty Thursday: Evangelist Catholic

The best Catholic💒 examples on Evangelism who I’ve observed have followed these guidelines on 📺EWTN…

Be more Sacramental🍷

• Confessional☝🏽️

Attend Mass💒 regularly

Be an Engaged Catholic✌🏽

Teach Sacramental instruction 📜

• Baptism classes👼
• Confirmation 🙏🏽
• Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist🍞

Catholics Come Home on EWTN

• 🏡 CatholicsComeHome.org
• 😇 GoodConfession.com

Thirsty Thursday: One with GOD

My Church celebrated our ☼milestone☼ anniversary of our ♥Adoration♥ †Chapel† last night!

During his homily, our Bishop told us of five ways to pray at the Blessed Sacrament:

1. Praise
2. Contrition
3. THANKSgiving
4. Petitions
5. Communion

The fifth type means to simply be with GOD. Our Bishop also reminded us that the Eucharist and Perpetual Adoration both our important, yet taking the Body and Blood of CHRIST is the top priority of our faith.

Reverence Reference

* Sis, Bishop M. (2015, July 1). Homily: Eucharistic Adoration Chapel Anniversary Mass. Holy Family Catholic Church.

Thirsty Thursday: The Prayer Process

Happy 🌍Earth🌎 🌏Day🌞 yesterday!

Bishop Mike blesses the tree that he & Angelo Catholic School planted at Holy Angels Catholic Church, San Angelo, TX

The first sign of being a Dynamic Catholic is Prayer. 

We all pray differently in our daily lives, yet the practice that Matthew Kelly (2012) points out that can enhance our own communication with GOD is through our Examination of Conscience*, which we Catholics do before Confession, and we listen for His message.

This hibiscus🌿 is starting to sprout its petals!🌺

Here, he goes through the steps of The Prayer Process:

1. Gratitude
2. Awareness
3. Significant Moments
4. Peace ✌
5. Freedom
6. Others
7. Our Father 

 

We opened our R.E. class with this simple reminder of the beginning…

*Now here are my Church’s Examination of Conscience:

The First 3 Commandments

1. I am the LORD, your GOD; you shall have no other GODs besides Me.
2. You shall not take the name of the LORD your GOD in vain.
3. Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it Holy.

Beautiful 💝gift🎁 from our special student Felicity

 

The 7 Deadly Sins (and their roots)

• Anger (root: fear of forgiving)
• Envy (root: fear of being powerless)
• Lust (root: fear of being a child)
• Pride (root: fear of submitting my will to another)
• Gluttony (root: fear of mortification)
• Sloth (root: fear of commitment)
• Avarice (root: fear of detachment)

🌍Earth🌎 Day: Delightful Dani shows off her giraffe after her interview, Faithful Felicity and I showcase our 💐plants🌾 + fellow *Dallas Cowboys* fan Amazing Adrian & I wave👋 like 😇St. Pope JPII!

Bibliography

• Kelly, M. (2012). The four signs of a Dynamic Catholic: How engaging 1% of Catholics could change the world. Cincinnati, OH: Beacon.
• *† ♥Sacred Heart Catholic Church. (n. d.) Examination of Conscience. Diocese of San Angelo

Thirsty Thursday: GOD’s Gifts

What you are is GOD‘s gift to you, what you become is your gift to GOD.

Our R.E. rising star student *NIKKO* created this for Easygoing EVIE & Excited ELAINE!

Throwback Thursday quote: my Sis had that saying in a poster with a photo of a ballerina in her childhood bedroom.

Now we proudly hang this beautiful work from GOD‘s Little Angel in our classroom!

How do we use the talents with which He has blessed us to serve Him?

Thirsty Thursday: SAC is for …

• Sacraments

Throwback Thursday: My Baptism on my Papa Jun‘s Birthday

As Catholics, we prepare for our Sacraments that celebrate the miraculous mysteries of †Christ† and deepen our involvement in the Church. We begin by being baptized.

Throwback Thursday: My 1st Communion at Holy Family Catholic Church

Then we have our Firsts: Confession to repent  for our sins and Communion to receive the Eucharist. As a matter of fact, I’ve had many of my R.E. students who’ve undergone their interviews in preparation of their First Communion, including a couple of them today, and who’re attending their retreat thereof this weekend.

☼Confirmation ☼ of Religious Education Candidates, ♥Sacred Heart♥ †Catholic Church†, Diocese of San Angelo, Texas (October 2014)

We then make our choice to be confirmed into the Church and accepting our Catholicism whole♥heart♥edly. Some of us go through this Sacrament as minors, while others decide to as adults. From there, we can proceed onto the next Sacraments: Marriage, Holy Orders if we’re called to the clergy or religious life, and Anointing of the Sick. GOD will lead us into these Sacraments if we listen to His calling ~ whether it be to spend our lives with another believer in holy matrimony or to lead a religious life ~ and also when we’re in need for healing ~ whether for physical or spiritual struggles.

• Sacrifice

Reaching these aforementioned milestones is not easy. Yet suffering can bring us closer to GOD if we turn to him in those times of adversity. Nowadays, I’ve seen more requirements needed to make  the Sacraments, including classes, interviews and community service. I think that these steps are worthy of taking in order to enrich the journey.

ADVENT: Preparing for the Coming of †CHRIST† the King

• Sacristy

For those of us who serve the Church through Ministry, we prepare for Mass and pray with our fellow servants.

REJOICE! †JESUS† the Prince of ✌Peace✌ is Born!

Please pray for my *Airman* cousin who is currently in flight to his deployment! Thank †GOD† for our military service men and women!

Thirsty Thursday: Contrition Way

†The Prayer Way† continues with Contrition

“May the †LORD† be in your ♥heart♥ and help you to confess your sins with true sorrow.” ~ Rite of Penance

There are times in our lives when we make mistakes that we may regret and repent, or we at least learn from them and don’t repeat them anymore. When we have a conscience for venial sins (non-mortal sins ~ meaning that they don’t kill our spirit and keep us from †GOD†), then we confess them and reflect on how to redeem ourselves. Yesterday, my childhood Church had a Penance service in which we confessed to our priests from our local Catholic parishes.

Act of Contrition

O my †GOD†, I am heartily sorry for having offended You. I detest all my sins because of Your just punishments, but most of all because they offend You, my †GOD†, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

Check out our other ways to pray…

• ♥Adoration♥ 
•  THANKSgiving
• Supplication  

Sources

• Fr. Oscar J. Lukefahr, C. M. “From the Spiritual Director.” The Association of the Miraculous Medal, Vol. 47, No. 3: Fall Bulletin (2014).*
• Jesus Our Life Activity Book, Faith and Life Series, 3rd ed. (Book 2). Chapter 9, Lesson 2, (p. 34)**; “Kinds of Prayer,” Chapter 15, Lesson 3 (p. 59)***. Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Catholics United for the Faith, Steubenville, Ohio. (2014).
• Jesus Our Life  Student Text, Faith and Life Series, 3rd ed. (Book 2). Chapter 9, “I Choose to Love God” (pp. 45-49); Chapter 20, “The Sacrament of Penance” (p. 95). Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Catholics United for the Faith, Steubenville, Ohio. (2014).

For me personally, I’ve admittedly broken some of the Commandments, so I’m confessing having committed those sins, preventing myself from breaking them again and making peace as I approach a more holy life. As we enter Advent season and prepare for Baby JESUS’ birth, I encourage my fellow believers to this CHRISTmas Challenge of daily devotions and good deeds: Random Acts of CHRISTmas Kindness (RACK).

CHEERS to this time of year, as JESUS’ birth is very near ~ NO worry about presents, for His presence that we need indeed is here!

Thirsty Thursday: The Prayer Way

To ♪The Player Way♫ chorus rhythm of rapper pastor Ma$e …

Everything that I do be all about the ☼LORD†
I’ve been lifting up †prayer† instead of being bored
Getting lifted by my ♥heart♥ and ☼soul☼
I give the world GOD, who has the main role
In my life
So I maintain thrive and strife
In the ☼morning☼, noon, and night, at all times everyday
†The Prayer Way, the Prayer Way†

~ †The Prayer Way†, by Elaine Dispo (Bust a Flow)

I went the extra mile to freestyle from another song to remind us about the importance of leading a prayerful life.

Crucifixion Statue from María Elena and Rosary blessed by Pope JP2 from Church Bro Joe

Recently, Bishop Mike sent me a newsletter* with valuable information, including the ACTS acronym that stands for these prayer divisions that appeared on the first page and also in my own Religious Education teachings of loving GOD** and prayer***:

*How to Pray

• ♥Adoration♥ ~ **loving GOD
• †Contrition† 
• ♣Thanksgiving♣ ~ **thanking GOD
• ☼Supplication☼ ~ ***petition (**asking GOD for things we need) and ***intercession (**praying for other people)

We’ll review each prayer division individually in the next Thirsty Thursday segments. Meanwhile,

Keep ☼shining☼ * Keep smiling * Keep †praying† * Keep following GOD’s perfect plan!!!

Sources

• Fr. Oscar J. Lukefahr, C. M. “From the Spiritual Director.” The Association of the Miraculous Medal, Vol. 47, No. 3: Fall Bulletin (2014).*
• Jesus Our Life Activity Book, Faith and Life Series, 3rd ed. (Book 2). Chapter 9, Lesson 2, (p. 34)**; “Kinds of Prayer,” Chapter 15, Lesson 3 (p. 59)***. Ignatius Press, San Francisco. Catholics United for the Faith, Steubenville, Ohio. (2014).
• Lyrics inspired from: Ma$e. “The Player Way.” Retrieved from MetroLyrics.

3:33 ~ make a †prayer†