The Leadership Project ®
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Remember The Little Things by Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput O.F.M. Cap.
St. Augustine once said, "to be faithful in little things is a big thing." Devotion to family sounds like a simple thing, and it is. Gratitude, humility, faithfulness - these all are simple things. They're also very difficult. It's easy to talk about fixing the problems of American society with big national programs and policies, because we can always blame somebody else when they don't work.
Personal change, personal moral integrity, personal fidelity to people and principles - that's much harder work, because we're stuck with the clay of who we are, and there's nobody to blame but ourselves if we fail. But in persisting in these little things, we accomplish a big thing. We affect others. One life, lived well, can begin to change the world.
A reporter once asked Mother Teresa the secret of her success. She answered that she wasn't called to succeed, but only to try. Success was God's business. Trying was her business. She wasn't called to find big solutions to poverty, but to live the little solution of personal love that would become a good infection in the hearts of other people.
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Watch Your Words by Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua
Vulgar and crude language is almost commonplace today. You hear it on the street, on television, and in conversations everywhere. Many people speak harshly to one another. When they do, they fail to recognize the presence of God that dwells in every person.
Pleasant and courteous words reflect an inner sense of peace, while vulgar and crude words express the storm that lies within. When you use God's name irreverently or use vulgar language, you also do great harm to yourself. You forget that God is your loving Father who wants nothing but the best for you and others.
Most people do not intend to hurt others purposely. But, they do, because they speak before they think. Watch your words and be more sensitive to the consequences of what you say. The words you use in your everyday speech tell others who you are.
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Live With Integrity by Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua
Integrity may be defined as personal honesty. People of integrity live by a code of values. They are truthful with themselves and others. But, the world offers many temptations for people to compromise their integrity for personal gain and profit. It can happen to anyone.
There are many benefits to being completely honest. You will view the world in a brand new way. Your relationships will be based on trust rather than suspicion. You will be a good example to your children and your friends. When you are successful, the praise you receive will feel even greater because you followed your principles and honored your values.
Personal honesty may not be popular today; but, if you try to be honest in all your affairs, you will be at peace with yourself, with others, and with God. You will live with integrity.
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Find Security In God by Archbishop John Clement Favaiora
We, as Americans, are experiencing the fear and uncertainty that most other countries in the world live with daily. There are countries beset by civil war. There are countries numbed by decades of terrorist acts. Where will we find security in this uncertain world? In one person alone: God. Jesus is the one certainty in our uncertain world. He is the way, the truth and the light.
Our faith should not be in gas masks or duct tape. Our faith should be in God. He alone can save us. He alone has promised us an afterlife without violence, without strife, without death. To him alone should we turn in our hour of need.
I firmly believe that God does listen to our prayers. So I would ask that you redirect your energies: Spend time in prayer. Many parishes have added rosaries, perpetual adoration and Masses for peace to their schedules. Find out which is nearest to you and stop by. Or make it a point, sometime during the day, to pause briefly and say a prayer. God is with us always. He alone can save us. May he hear our prayers.
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Observe Your Actions by Dr. Margaret Mary FitzPatrick
A principle that I learned a while ago in philosophy class is, "Action follows being." The perennial quest for understanding "who I am" can be answered very easily by observing one's actions. I wonder, "How would someone describe me after observing me for a week?" Would anyone know that I am a follower of Christ after watching my footsteps?"
The fundamental commandment to "love God and one's neighbor" has to lead us in our decision-making each day. Whether it is how we are using the earth's resources, how we care for children and the elderly, or how we define who is our neighbor, in these actions we are defining ourselves.
Being proactive and reflectively open to opportunities are two important stances in this journey of becoming a Christian. Trying to do and be as Christ would have us, is saying, "I love you" to those lives we touch.
We are each uniquely beautiful and gifted. To be our best selves is such a great gift to the world.
Watch out world, here I come!
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See God's Image In Everyone by Edward Cardinal Egan
May we tolerate discrimination because of race or creed? May we accept the poverty of others as something unrelated to ourselves? May we allow the sick and disabled to be neglected? May we stand idly by while the being within the mother is killed, even though no one has ever been able to prove that it is other than a human being with an inalienable right to live? May we look the other way when the elderly are put to death because someone questions the quality of their life?
To all of these questions, the answer must be a resounding no. And the reason is crystal clear. The victim of discrimination, the impoverished, the sick, the disabled, the unborn, the elderly, are all images of God, mirrors held up to divinity, beings for whom a God would and did die. There can be no genuine faith if there be wavering regarding the rights of those images of divinity.
His Eminence, Edward Cardinal Egan
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Accept The Challenges of Peace and Freedom by Adam Cardinal Maida
The Holy Father reminds us that there will be no peace in the world unless there is justice within every nation and among all the nations of the world. Secondly, there will be no justice unless the dignity of all life is respected. We are challenged to protect the dignity of every human life from the first moment of conception until last natural breath. We are challenged to respect the dignity of the stranger and the migrant.
From the words and example of the Lord Jesus and His mother, we can come to a new appreciation of the great gift of freedom we enjoy in our country - a freedom that brings with it a commitment to share our gifts and talents and to be faithful in all of our relationships, a freedom that challenges us as individuals and as a nation to be concerned about the rights of all people everywhere and the building-up of the common good.
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Let Your Voice Be Heard by Sister Mary Rose McGeady
Let us all strive to honor God by serving as a voice for the voiceless of society, for those whose cries for help go unheard. There is an enormous gap to be bridged between the youth of the streets and the people in power whose decisions directly affect their young lives. We must make the empowered aware of this enormous gap. The world of our homeless children is based on survival. Each day they find themselves overcome with fears about whether they will have something to eat or a place to sleep.
Please know that each of you has a voice that must speak loudly and cry out for justice. Our children are counting on us, for they have been let down too often in their short existence here on earth. Do not be intimidated by this responsibility; it is a blessing to be in a position to help another. The only way we can fail is to stop using our voices on behalf of the voiceless. The same God who asks that we show absolute respect and unconditional love for his children also asks that we strive for justice and mercy. Let your voice be heard.
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Choose Life by Archbishop Harry J. Flynn
Our Catholic moral teaching has always recognized the responsibility of government to protect citizens from persons who might be dangerous and harmful to others. This teaching has allowed the death penalty for particularly heinous crimes when the criminal is a continued threat to others. However, we must guard against a growing acceptance of revenge as a principle of justice. The alternative to the death penalty is life imprisonment without parole.
The Gospel kingdom of peace and justice is built on a foundation of love that is capable of compassion and mercy. We must believe in the all-powerful redemptive love of God, which can change hearts, convert people, and renew all things. We must be a people committed to hope for those who seem to be hopeless.
If we are pro-life, we cannot support the death penalty. All life needs to be upheld as sacred and gifted by God, from life in the womb to the life of a convicted criminal. We must affirm all life. We must believe in the sacredness and the dignity of every human life, even the lives of those who have committed terrible crimes. We must choose life.
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Cross Over by Father James Maher
By his own admission, early in his life St. Vincent de Paul was an ecclesiastical climber. He was well on his way toward climbing up the institutional ladder in the Roman Catholic Church. One day, while hearing the confession of a person who was poor, St. Vincent was overtaken by his authentic priestly vocation, to serve Jesus Christ in the poor. He "crossed over" to the world of the poor. Today his legacy is rooted in his service to the poor and the church but the core of his life and sanctity was his willingness to answer God's call to "cross over" to world of the poor and suffering.
The same God who called St. Vincent to "cross over" to the world of the poor calls to us today. Ask for the gift of faith to "cross over" to the poor, the suffering, and those who live in material, social and spiritual isolation. When we have the courage to "cross over" into these uncomfortable worlds and to be changed, we will resonate with the life of St. Vincent and the abundance of life in Christ Jesus.
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Choose Happiness by Rev. Robert Schuller
Remain positive. Your attitude can change bad news into good news. Persevere in doing what is right. You can choose happiness regardless of your circumstances. Pardon those who have hurt you. Selfishness, hate and rage are burdens that you can choose to lift from your shoulders. Believe the best about people and if you are wrong you have made a mistake on the side of love.
Become a possibility thinker who can turn persecution into opportunities: for healing, for forgiveness and for compassion. Dream great dreams and make them come true. Be a bridge builder to understanding and peace. Shape your dreams by your hopes and not your hurts.
Be happy because God loves you. God carries you so that you can carry others. God will have the last word and it will be good.
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Stand And Be Heard by Dr. Monika K. Hellwig
Prayer creates the opportunity for us to evaluate our actions by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and work toward an attitude of detachment from self-interest in making decisions, and trying to enter into the mind and intentions of Jesus. With a confidence born of our Catholic values and an attitude tempered by humility, we are prepared to create initiatives that help us battle and deal with life's difficulties. We can find peace, secure in our faith that God reaches out to all people at all times.
Empowered by the grace of God, we can and must stand and let our voices be heard. We must never take for granted wars; poverty; famines; injustices; margination of ethnic, racial, linguistic, or economic groups; or other unnecessary sufferings or deprivations. We must never acknowledge a separation of politics and economics from religious values and judgments. In the spirit of Ignatius of Loyola, with courtesy, courage, endurance and self-control, we embrace a vigorous, optimistic, world-affirming spirituality, committed to God's service.
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Become A Knight by Mr. Carl Anderson
The Catholic family communicates the moral way of life that consists in following Jesus. Through faith, the Catholic family becomes a special communion of persons on a journey with him, a journey that is both moral and personal. The role of parents in leading the Catholic family is to educate their children in the Catholic way of life.
The Knights of Columbus knows this truth. It is one reason why family activities throughout the year are so important. Activities such as corporate Communions, rosaries and family picnics all highlight the special fraternity and the special community to which the Catholic family is called. These activities strengthen the bonds that hold families together at a time when too many social forces work to loosen them. They help create a strong and positive sense of Catholic identity among our children at a time when many social forces work to blur distinctions between believers and the larger, secular society.
Family participation in our many Knights of Columbus family-centered activities is one of the best ways to foster the type of Catholic identity that will enable our youth to make the tough moral decisions society is forcing upon them in a way consistent with Church teaching. Join us in celebration of faith, family and fraternity.
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Speak And Live The Faith by Bishop Donald Wuerl
Imagine what the world would be like if every baptized Catholic accepted the challenge to share the faith with every other person and to live out the call to holiness wherever he or she might be - in the midst of the family, at work, in the public sector - wherever we live and work and experience God's grace.
Each of us must be a force for the Gospel in our sphere of life. The voice and activity of the laity will ultimately determine the direction of society. The voice of Catholic physicians needs to be heard in the area of medicine. Catholic lawyers need to speak out on the ethics involved in the practice of the law. Catholic parents should be involved in education issues. Each of us must be a force for the Gospel in our sphere of life. In our lands where increasingly we see the arrogant claim of secularism to be the only true expression of national ideals and goals, the voice of committed Catholics is all the more necessary. It is the task of each layperson to speak and live the faith today.
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Perform Random Acts of Kindness by Bishop Robert J. Banks
The two basic commandments given us by Jesus are love of God and love of neighbor. Service is another way of saying, "love of neighbor."
Love is the best way for a heart to change. We know how much God loves each one of us and how good God has been to each one of us. Hopefully, our appreciation of God's love inspires us to serve. Service makes us think of other people, not just ourselves. That kind of thinking is at the heart of the Gospel.
Each parish, household and individual is encouraged to come up with at least one random act of kindness every week. It can be to a stranger, a neighbor, a family member or whoever comes to your mind. It is our hope that every parishioner will think of some way in which he or she can or does reach out in kindness to someone else. Cutting the grass for an elderly neighbor or baking cookies for the children next door would fit. Let's all do it!
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Carry On by Archbishop John J. Myers
For us to be true disciples of Jesus Christ, we must follow His commandment of love. We must love one another, help and support one another. But this does not mean some weak or amorphous way of life. Jesus told us, "You will remain in my love if you keep my commandments."
The Way is not of our making or our design. It is a Way designated by the Lord Jesus and proclaimed by His Church across the centuries. It is a way of goodness and honesty, founded in the truth of God's creation. But also, it is a way of the cross. It is a way of joy when the truth is embraced and lived. It is a way the Lord has chosen for us that we may abide in His love. It is a way which will find us walking with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints because we seek the gift of loving one another in His name.
No matter how dark the sky, no matter how bleak the outlook, no matter how weak we feel in the face of terrible problems, the grace of Jesus Christ is sufficient for us to carry on. And we shall.
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Take The Peace Pledge by Bishop Robert E. Mulvee
Foin your heart with mine and pledge to continue through prayer, fasting, reflection and action our nonviolent journey in response to Jesus' call to be hopeful and blessed peacemakers. Making peace must start within ourselves as we commit to becoming nonviolent and peaceable people:
To respect myself, to affirm others and to avoid uncaring criticism, hateful words, physical attacks and self-destructive behavior.
To share my feelings honestly, to look for safe ways to express my anger, and to work at solving problems peacefully.
To listen carefully to one another, especially those who disagree with me, and to consider others' feelings and needs rather than insist on having my own way.
To apologize, make amends, to forgive others, and to keep from holding grudges.
To treat the environment and all living things with respect.
To promote athletic and recreational activities that encourage cooperation and to avoid social activities and entertainment that make violence look acceptable.
To challenge violence in all its forms whether at home, at school, at work, in the parish or in the community, and to stand with others who are treated unfairly.
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Go And Serve With Love by Justin Cardinal Rigali
Every time we are sent forth from Mass we are sent out on a mission - a mission to love and serve the Lord. We love and serve our Lord though our stewardship. Our reward for stewardship is peace.
When Jesus found the Apostles hiding in fear on the first Easter night, he said to them, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." He sent them out to do the work of the Father.
In today's hectic world, we spend too much time striving for material possessions, fame and power and not enough time striving for positive relationships with one another. We must humbly follow Jesus. There we will find peace and love.
Everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God. Everything we have is enough. This simple realization frees us from the craziness of always striving for more. When we share our gifts with others and return a portion of them to the Lord, then we are fulfilling the purpose for which God made us and blessed us. In all these ways we find peace. Your gift of time, talent and treasure helps do God's work in our parishes and beyond.
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Witness, Worship and Serve by Roger Cardinal Mahony
All Christians are configured to Christ through baptism, for that is the sacrament by which we are incorporated into the Church, participate in Christ's death and resurrection, and assume the name "Christian." All Christians are called to a life of discipleship and are to extend his work and presence in the world today. All share in the one same vocation-to be the Body of Christ, building up the Kingdom of God through witness, worship, and service.
The baptized serve God through administration, feeding the hungry, caring for the needs of the sick, working for justice, washing the feet of the homeless, safeguarding and protecting the rights of the last, the littlest, and the least, giving the Body and Blood of Christ to those gathered at the Table of the Lord, and bringing this Holy Communion to those who are sick at home or in hospital.
At the core of our ongoing renewal is this key insight: God is best glorified when the greatest number of people participate to the fullest degree possible in the mission of Christ and Spirit through witness, worship, and service.
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Reach Out To Your Neighbor by Theodore Cardinal McCarrick
We speak of making a difference in the world, and every one of you in your heart of hearts is hoping that you will find your way to do that. Whatever it is, it must be something which reaches out to the poor, the needy, to the newcomer, the stranger, to the confused and to those who need help. If you want to be fully human and fully alive, you have to be aware of your neighbor and your neighbor's needs. You have to be willing to reach out to that neighbor in love, in grace and in generosity.
Never become provincial. Never become isolationists. Never become so wrapped up in your own self that you become unaware of the challenges and greatness and wonder of the rest of the world. Change the world. Don't forget the poor. Don't forget that what you do affects every corner of this globe. Don't forget that perhaps the greatest lesson is that God watches us and loves us and reaches out into our lives to make a difference, so that you and I may make a difference too.
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Practice Forgiveness by Francis Cardinal George
The practice of forgiveness is at the heart of the Church's work to spread the Gospel. The Church's preaching of God's forgiveness explains her constant preoccupation with respect for human life, from conception to the moment of natural death. Forgiveness restores life; hatred brings death.
There are times in a person's life when forgiveness may seem impossible. Forgiveness is a personal decision to go against the natural instinct to pay back evil with evil. It goes beyond pardon to the giving up of resentment. The offer to forgive is necessary for healing and peace; the preaching of forgiveness, from God and for one another, is central to the Church's mission in the world.
From the cross, Jesus shows us the conditions which enable us to forgive. To the hatred with which his persecutors nailed him to the cross, Jesus responds by praying for them. He not only forgives them, he continues to love them, to want their good, to intercede for them. Only forgiveness from the heart can release us from our own hurts and misery and free us to share Christ's gifts with others.
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Encourage Chastity by William Cardinal Keeler
On the mountain Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God." What a challenge, especially in a culture where from every direction, it seems, come images and concepts which are so contrary to the ideals of purity that Jesus preached. Here our young people can teach us a great lesson.
In many dioceses through "True Love Waits" they are discussing among themselves and committing themselves to live chastely until they marry or make permanent their commitment in the vows of the consecrated life or in the priesthood. There are thousands of them who speak with joy of their walking in this way. Among them some hear the call of Jesus to walk with a measure of heroism in response to a vocation to the priesthood or to the consecrated life. The Lord bless you for what you do to encourage them, most especially by praying for and recommending vocations in your own family circles.
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Learn To Forgive by Rabbi Harold Kushner
Any religion, if you do it wrong, will leave people feeling condemned and dismissed and unworthy and any religion, if you do it right, will leave people feeling cleansed and affirmed. Let me give you one example, forgiveness.
must learn to forgive our parents and children and our neighbors for the imperfect people that we all are. We have trouble forgiving people who have hurt us or disappointed us because we think forgiveness means approval. Excusing, saying it is ok. It wasn't so bad. Are we not prepared to say that? I want to give you a different way of understanding what it means to forgive somebody. Not as a sign of weakness and concession, but as indication of strength.
Forgiveness is a favor you do yourself, not a favor you do the other person. Forgiveness is something you can do when you are strong enough to let go. When you are strong enough to say, you, because of what you did to me, don't deserve the power to be the ghost inside my head. Forgiveness can rejuvenate. In forgiveness, you will find freedom.
The Leadership Project ®
Remember The Little Things by Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput O.F.M. Cap.
St. Augustine once said, "to be faithful in little things is a big thing." Devotion to family sounds like a simple thing, and it is. Gratitude, humility, faithfulness - these all are simple things. They're also very difficult. It's easy to talk about fixing the problems of American society with big national programs and policies, because we can always blame somebody else when they don't work. Personal change, personal moral integrity, personal fidelity to people and principles - that's much harder work, because we're stuck with the clay of who we are, and there's nobody to blame but ourselves if we fail. But in persisting in these little things, we accomplish a big thing. We affect others. One life, lived well, can begin to change the world. A reporter once asked Mother Teresa the secret of her success. She answered that she wasn't called to succeed, but only to try. Success was God's business. Trying was her business. She wasn't called to find big solutions to poverty, but to live the little solution of personal love that would become a good infection in the hearts of other people.Watch Your Words by Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua
Vulgar and crude language is almost commonplace today. You hear it on the street, on television, and in conversations everywhere. Many people speak harshly to one another. When they do, they fail to recognize the presence of God that dwells in every person. Pleasant and courteous words reflect an inner sense of peace, while vulgar and crude words express the storm that lies within. When you use God's name irreverently or use vulgar language, you also do great harm to yourself. You forget that God is your loving Father who wants nothing but the best for you and others. Most people do not intend to hurt others purposely. But, they do, because they speak before they think. Watch your words and be more sensitive to the consequences of what you say. The words you use in your everyday speech tell others who you are.Live With Integrity by Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua
Integrity may be defined as personal honesty. People of integrity live by a code of values. They are truthful with themselves and others. But, the world offers many temptations for people to compromise their integrity for personal gain and profit. It can happen to anyone. There are many benefits to being completely honest. You will view the world in a brand new way. Your relationships will be based on trust rather than suspicion. You will be a good example to your children and your friends. When you are successful, the praise you receive will feel even greater because you followed your principles and honored your values. Personal honesty may not be popular today; but, if you try to be honest in all your affairs, you will be at peace with yourself, with others, and with God. You will live with integrity.Find Security In God by Archbishop John Clement Favaiora
We, as Americans, are experiencing the fear and uncertainty that most other countries in the world live with daily. There are countries beset by civil war. There are countries numbed by decades of terrorist acts. Where will we find security in this uncertain world? In one person alone: God. Jesus is the one certainty in our uncertain world. He is the way, the truth and the light. Our faith should not be in gas masks or duct tape. Our faith should be in God. He alone can save us. He alone has promised us an afterlife without violence, without strife, without death. To him alone should we turn in our hour of need. I firmly believe that God does listen to our prayers. So I would ask that you redirect your energies: Spend time in prayer. Many parishes have added rosaries, perpetual adoration and Masses for peace to their schedules. Find out which is nearest to you and stop by. Or make it a point, sometime during the day, to pause briefly and say a prayer. God is with us always. He alone can save us. May he hear our prayers.Observe Your Actions by Dr. Margaret Mary FitzPatrick
A principle that I learned a while ago in philosophy class is, "Action follows being." The perennial quest for understanding "who I am" can be answered very easily by observing one's actions. I wonder, "How would someone describe me after observing me for a week?" Would anyone know that I am a follower of Christ after watching my footsteps?" The fundamental commandment to "love God and one's neighbor" has to lead us in our decision-making each day. Whether it is how we are using the earth's resources, how we care for children and the elderly, or how we define who is our neighbor, in these actions we are defining ourselves. Being proactive and reflectively open to opportunities are two important stances in this journey of becoming a Christian. Trying to do and be as Christ would have us, is saying, "I love you" to those lives we touch. We are each uniquely beautiful and gifted. To be our best selves is such a great gift to the world. Watch out world, here I come!See God's Image In Everyone by Edward Cardinal Egan
May we tolerate discrimination because of race or creed? May we accept the poverty of others as something unrelated to ourselves? May we allow the sick and disabled to be neglected? May we stand idly by while the being within the mother is killed, even though no one has ever been able to prove that it is other than a human being with an inalienable right to live? May we look the other way when the elderly are put to death because someone questions the quality of their life? To all of these questions, the answer must be a resounding no. And the reason is crystal clear. The victim of discrimination, the impoverished, the sick, the disabled, the unborn, the elderly, are all images of God, mirrors held up to divinity, beings for whom a God would and did die. There can be no genuine faith if there be wavering regarding the rights of those images of divinity. His Eminence, Edward Cardinal EganAccept The Challenges of Peace and Freedom by Adam Cardinal Maida
The Holy Father reminds us that there will be no peace in the world unless there is justice within every nation and among all the nations of the world. Secondly, there will be no justice unless the dignity of all life is respected. We are challenged to protect the dignity of every human life from the first moment of conception until last natural breath. We are challenged to respect the dignity of the stranger and the migrant. From the words and example of the Lord Jesus and His mother, we can come to a new appreciation of the great gift of freedom we enjoy in our country - a freedom that brings with it a commitment to share our gifts and talents and to be faithful in all of our relationships, a freedom that challenges us as individuals and as a nation to be concerned about the rights of all people everywhere and the building-up of the common good.Let Your Voice Be Heard by Sister Mary Rose McGeady
Let us all strive to honor God by serving as a voice for the voiceless of society, for those whose cries for help go unheard. There is an enormous gap to be bridged between the youth of the streets and the people in power whose decisions directly affect their young lives. We must make the empowered aware of this enormous gap. The world of our homeless children is based on survival. Each day they find themselves overcome with fears about whether they will have something to eat or a place to sleep. Please know that each of you has a voice that must speak loudly and cry out for justice. Our children are counting on us, for they have been let down too often in their short existence here on earth. Do not be intimidated by this responsibility; it is a blessing to be in a position to help another. The only way we can fail is to stop using our voices on behalf of the voiceless. The same God who asks that we show absolute respect and unconditional love for his children also asks that we strive for justice and mercy. Let your voice be heard.Choose Life by Archbishop Harry J. Flynn
Our Catholic moral teaching has always recognized the responsibility of government to protect citizens from persons who might be dangerous and harmful to others. This teaching has allowed the death penalty for particularly heinous crimes when the criminal is a continued threat to others. However, we must guard against a growing acceptance of revenge as a principle of justice. The alternative to the death penalty is life imprisonment without parole. The Gospel kingdom of peace and justice is built on a foundation of love that is capable of compassion and mercy. We must believe in the all-powerful redemptive love of God, which can change hearts, convert people, and renew all things. We must be a people committed to hope for those who seem to be hopeless. If we are pro-life, we cannot support the death penalty. All life needs to be upheld as sacred and gifted by God, from life in the womb to the life of a convicted criminal. We must affirm all life. We must believe in the sacredness and the dignity of every human life, even the lives of those who have committed terrible crimes. We must choose life.Cross Over by Father James Maher
By his own admission, early in his life St. Vincent de Paul was an ecclesiastical climber. He was well on his way toward climbing up the institutional ladder in the Roman Catholic Church. One day, while hearing the confession of a person who was poor, St. Vincent was overtaken by his authentic priestly vocation, to serve Jesus Christ in the poor. He "crossed over" to the world of the poor. Today his legacy is rooted in his service to the poor and the church but the core of his life and sanctity was his willingness to answer God's call to "cross over" to world of the poor and suffering. The same God who called St. Vincent to "cross over" to the world of the poor calls to us today. Ask for the gift of faith to "cross over" to the poor, the suffering, and those who live in material, social and spiritual isolation. When we have the courage to "cross over" into these uncomfortable worlds and to be changed, we will resonate with the life of St. Vincent and the abundance of life in Christ Jesus.Choose Happiness by Rev. Robert Schuller
Remain positive. Your attitude can change bad news into good news. Persevere in doing what is right. You can choose happiness regardless of your circumstances. Pardon those who have hurt you. Selfishness, hate and rage are burdens that you can choose to lift from your shoulders. Believe the best about people and if you are wrong you have made a mistake on the side of love. Become a possibility thinker who can turn persecution into opportunities: for healing, for forgiveness and for compassion. Dream great dreams and make them come true. Be a bridge builder to understanding and peace. Shape your dreams by your hopes and not your hurts. Be happy because God loves you. God carries you so that you can carry others. God will have the last word and it will be good.Stand And Be Heard by Dr. Monika K. Hellwig
Prayer creates the opportunity for us to evaluate our actions by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and work toward an attitude of detachment from self-interest in making decisions, and trying to enter into the mind and intentions of Jesus. With a confidence born of our Catholic values and an attitude tempered by humility, we are prepared to create initiatives that help us battle and deal with life's difficulties. We can find peace, secure in our faith that God reaches out to all people at all times. Empowered by the grace of God, we can and must stand and let our voices be heard. We must never take for granted wars; poverty; famines; injustices; margination of ethnic, racial, linguistic, or economic groups; or other unnecessary sufferings or deprivations. We must never acknowledge a separation of politics and economics from religious values and judgments. In the spirit of Ignatius of Loyola, with courtesy, courage, endurance and self-control, we embrace a vigorous, optimistic, world-affirming spirituality, committed to God's service.Become A Knight by Mr. Carl Anderson
The Catholic family communicates the moral way of life that consists in following Jesus. Through faith, the Catholic family becomes a special communion of persons on a journey with him, a journey that is both moral and personal. The role of parents in leading the Catholic family is to educate their children in the Catholic way of life. The Knights of Columbus knows this truth. It is one reason why family activities throughout the year are so important. Activities such as corporate Communions, rosaries and family picnics all highlight the special fraternity and the special community to which the Catholic family is called. These activities strengthen the bonds that hold families together at a time when too many social forces work to loosen them. They help create a strong and positive sense of Catholic identity among our children at a time when many social forces work to blur distinctions between believers and the larger, secular society. Family participation in our many Knights of Columbus family-centered activities is one of the best ways to foster the type of Catholic identity that will enable our youth to make the tough moral decisions society is forcing upon them in a way consistent with Church teaching. Join us in celebration of faith, family and fraternity.Speak And Live The Faith by Bishop Donald Wuerl
Imagine what the world would be like if every baptized Catholic accepted the challenge to share the faith with every other person and to live out the call to holiness wherever he or she might be - in the midst of the family, at work, in the public sector - wherever we live and work and experience God's grace. Each of us must be a force for the Gospel in our sphere of life. The voice and activity of the laity will ultimately determine the direction of society. The voice of Catholic physicians needs to be heard in the area of medicine. Catholic lawyers need to speak out on the ethics involved in the practice of the law. Catholic parents should be involved in education issues. Each of us must be a force for the Gospel in our sphere of life. In our lands where increasingly we see the arrogant claim of secularism to be the only true expression of national ideals and goals, the voice of committed Catholics is all the more necessary. It is the task of each layperson to speak and live the faith today.Perform Random Acts of Kindness by Bishop Robert J. Banks
The two basic commandments given us by Jesus are love of God and love of neighbor. Service is another way of saying, "love of neighbor." Love is the best way for a heart to change. We know how much God loves each one of us and how good God has been to each one of us. Hopefully, our appreciation of God's love inspires us to serve. Service makes us think of other people, not just ourselves. That kind of thinking is at the heart of the Gospel. Each parish, household and individual is encouraged to come up with at least one random act of kindness every week. It can be to a stranger, a neighbor, a family member or whoever comes to your mind. It is our hope that every parishioner will think of some way in which he or she can or does reach out in kindness to someone else. Cutting the grass for an elderly neighbor or baking cookies for the children next door would fit. Let's all do it!Carry On by Archbishop John J. Myers
For us to be true disciples of Jesus Christ, we must follow His commandment of love. We must love one another, help and support one another. But this does not mean some weak or amorphous way of life. Jesus told us, "You will remain in my love if you keep my commandments." The Way is not of our making or our design. It is a Way designated by the Lord Jesus and proclaimed by His Church across the centuries. It is a way of goodness and honesty, founded in the truth of God's creation. But also, it is a way of the cross. It is a way of joy when the truth is embraced and lived. It is a way the Lord has chosen for us that we may abide in His love. It is a way which will find us walking with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints because we seek the gift of loving one another in His name. No matter how dark the sky, no matter how bleak the outlook, no matter how weak we feel in the face of terrible problems, the grace of Jesus Christ is sufficient for us to carry on. And we shall.Take The Peace Pledge by Bishop Robert E. Mulvee
Foin your heart with mine and pledge to continue through prayer, fasting, reflection and action our nonviolent journey in response to Jesus' call to be hopeful and blessed peacemakers. Making peace must start within ourselves as we commit to becoming nonviolent and peaceable people: To respect myself, to affirm others and to avoid uncaring criticism, hateful words, physical attacks and self-destructive behavior. To share my feelings honestly, to look for safe ways to express my anger, and to work at solving problems peacefully. To listen carefully to one another, especially those who disagree with me, and to consider others' feelings and needs rather than insist on having my own way. To apologize, make amends, to forgive others, and to keep from holding grudges. To treat the environment and all living things with respect. To promote athletic and recreational activities that encourage cooperation and to avoid social activities and entertainment that make violence look acceptable. To challenge violence in all its forms whether at home, at school, at work, in the parish or in the community, and to stand with others who are treated unfairly.Go And Serve With Love by Justin Cardinal Rigali
Every time we are sent forth from Mass we are sent out on a mission - a mission to love and serve the Lord. We love and serve our Lord though our stewardship. Our reward for stewardship is peace. When Jesus found the Apostles hiding in fear on the first Easter night, he said to them, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." He sent them out to do the work of the Father. In today's hectic world, we spend too much time striving for material possessions, fame and power and not enough time striving for positive relationships with one another. We must humbly follow Jesus. There we will find peace and love. Everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God. Everything we have is enough. This simple realization frees us from the craziness of always striving for more. When we share our gifts with others and return a portion of them to the Lord, then we are fulfilling the purpose for which God made us and blessed us. In all these ways we find peace. Your gift of time, talent and treasure helps do God's work in our parishes and beyond.Witness, Worship and Serve by Roger Cardinal Mahony
All Christians are configured to Christ through baptism, for that is the sacrament by which we are incorporated into the Church, participate in Christ's death and resurrection, and assume the name "Christian." All Christians are called to a life of discipleship and are to extend his work and presence in the world today. All share in the one same vocation-to be the Body of Christ, building up the Kingdom of God through witness, worship, and service. The baptized serve God through administration, feeding the hungry, caring for the needs of the sick, working for justice, washing the feet of the homeless, safeguarding and protecting the rights of the last, the littlest, and the least, giving the Body and Blood of Christ to those gathered at the Table of the Lord, and bringing this Holy Communion to those who are sick at home or in hospital. At the core of our ongoing renewal is this key insight: God is best glorified when the greatest number of people participate to the fullest degree possible in the mission of Christ and Spirit through witness, worship, and service.Reach Out To Your Neighbor by Theodore Cardinal McCarrick
We speak of making a difference in the world, and every one of you in your heart of hearts is hoping that you will find your way to do that. Whatever it is, it must be something which reaches out to the poor, the needy, to the newcomer, the stranger, to the confused and to those who need help. If you want to be fully human and fully alive, you have to be aware of your neighbor and your neighbor's needs. You have to be willing to reach out to that neighbor in love, in grace and in generosity. Never become provincial. Never become isolationists. Never become so wrapped up in your own self that you become unaware of the challenges and greatness and wonder of the rest of the world. Change the world. Don't forget the poor. Don't forget that what you do affects every corner of this globe. Don't forget that perhaps the greatest lesson is that God watches us and loves us and reaches out into our lives to make a difference, so that you and I may make a difference too.Practice Forgiveness by Francis Cardinal George
The practice of forgiveness is at the heart of the Church's work to spread the Gospel. The Church's preaching of God's forgiveness explains her constant preoccupation with respect for human life, from conception to the moment of natural death. Forgiveness restores life; hatred brings death. There are times in a person's life when forgiveness may seem impossible. Forgiveness is a personal decision to go against the natural instinct to pay back evil with evil. It goes beyond pardon to the giving up of resentment. The offer to forgive is necessary for healing and peace; the preaching of forgiveness, from God and for one another, is central to the Church's mission in the world. From the cross, Jesus shows us the conditions which enable us to forgive. To the hatred with which his persecutors nailed him to the cross, Jesus responds by praying for them. He not only forgives them, he continues to love them, to want their good, to intercede for them. Only forgiveness from the heart can release us from our own hurts and misery and free us to share Christ's gifts with others.Encourage Chastity by William Cardinal Keeler
On the mountain Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God." What a challenge, especially in a culture where from every direction, it seems, come images and concepts which are so contrary to the ideals of purity that Jesus preached. Here our young people can teach us a great lesson. In many dioceses through "True Love Waits" they are discussing among themselves and committing themselves to live chastely until they marry or make permanent their commitment in the vows of the consecrated life or in the priesthood. There are thousands of them who speak with joy of their walking in this way. Among them some hear the call of Jesus to walk with a measure of heroism in response to a vocation to the priesthood or to the consecrated life. The Lord bless you for what you do to encourage them, most especially by praying for and recommending vocations in your own family circles.Learn To Forgive by Rabbi Harold Kushner
Any religion, if you do it wrong, will leave people feeling condemned and dismissed and unworthy and any religion, if you do it right, will leave people feeling cleansed and affirmed. Let me give you one example, forgiveness. must learn to forgive our parents and children and our neighbors for the imperfect people that we all are. We have trouble forgiving people who have hurt us or disappointed us because we think forgiveness means approval. Excusing, saying it is ok. It wasn't so bad. Are we not prepared to say that? I want to give you a different way of understanding what it means to forgive somebody. Not as a sign of weakness and concession, but as indication of strength. Forgiveness is a favor you do yourself, not a favor you do the other person. Forgiveness is something you can do when you are strong enough to let go. When you are strong enough to say, you, because of what you did to me, don't deserve the power to be the ghost inside my head. Forgiveness can rejuvenate. In forgiveness, you will find freedom.
