Adult Ministry

“The word ‘Church’ means ‘convocation.’ It designates the assembly of those whom God's Word ‘convokes,’ i.e., gathers together to form the People of God, and who themselves, nourished with the Body of Christ, become the Body of Christ... The Church is both visible and spiritual, a hierarchical society and the Mystical Body of Christ. She is one, yet formed of two components, human and divine. That is her mystery, which only faith can accept... The Church in this world is the sacrament of salvation, the sign and the instrument of the communion of God and men.” ---  CCC 777, 779-80
 

“The nuptial covenant between God and his people Israel had prepared the way for the
new and everlasting covenant in which the Son of God, by becoming incarnate and
giving his life, has united to himself in a certain way all mankind saved by him, thus
preparing for ‘the wedding-feast of the Lamb’… The entire Christian life bears the
mark of the spousal love of Christ and the Church. Already Baptism, the entry into the
People of God, is a nuptial mystery; it is so to speak the nuptial bath, which precedes the
wedding feast, the Eucharist. Christian marriage in its turn becomes an efficacious
sign, the sacrament of the covenant of Christ and the Church. Since it signifies and
communicates grace, marriage between baptized persons is a true sacrament of the
New Covenant.”  - CCC 1612, 1617

“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Luke 3:15

“The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God’s suffering Servant.  He allows himself to be numbered among sinners; he is already ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’  Already he is anticipating the ‘baptism’ of his bloody death.  Already he is coming to ‘fulfill all righteousness,’ that is, he is submitting himself entirely to his Father’s will:  out of love he consents to this baptism of death for the    remission of our sins.  The Father’s voice responds to the Son’s acceptance, proclaiming his entire delight in his Son.  The Spirit whom Jesus possessed in fullness from his conception comes to ‘rest on him.’  Jesus will be the source of the Spirit for all mankind.  At his baptism ‘the heavens were opened’—-the heavens that Adam’s sin had closed—-and the waters were sanctified by the descent of Jesus and the Spirit, a prelude to the new creation.”     CCC 536 
 

“Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!  Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines    upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples;  but  upon you the Lord shines, and over you   appears his glory.”   -    Isaiah 60:1-2

“On the feast of the Epiphany, when we recall the manifestation of Jesus to humanity in the face of a Child, may we sense the Magi...Their example helps us to lift our gaze to the star and to follow the great desires of our hearts. They teach us not to content ourselves with a mediocre life, with ‘coasting it, playing it safe’, but to let ourselves    always be fascinated by what is good, true and  beautiful… by God, who is all of this, in an always greater way! And they teach us not to let ourselves be deceived by appearances, by that which for the world is great, wise, powerful. We must not stop there. It is necessary to keep the faith. We must go further, beyond the darkness, beyond worldliness, beyond so many forms of modernity that exist     today, to go to Bethlehem, there where, in the    simplicity of a house on the periphery, between a mummy and daddy full of love and faith, shines forth the Son come from on high, the King of the universe. Following the example of the Magi, may we, with our little lights, seek the Light and keep the faith. So be it."   -  Pope Francis  
 

“God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s    authority he confirms over her sons.  Whoever honors his father atones for sins, and preserves himself from them.  When he prays, he is heard; he stores up riches who reveres his  mother.”      Sirach 3:2-4
 

“For every believer, and especially for Christian families, the humble dwelling place in Nazareth is an authentic school of the Gospel. Here we  admire, put into practice, the divine plan to make the family an intimate community of life and love; here we learn that every Christian family is called to be a small ‘domestic church’ that must shine with the Gospel virtues...At the school of Nazareth every family learns to be a workshop of love, unity and openness to life… And what can be said of the many attacks on the family institution itself? All this shows how urgent it is to rediscover the value of the family and to help it in every way to be, as God wanted it, the vital environment where every child who comes into the world is welcomed with tenderness and    gratitude from the moment of his conception; a place marked by a serene atmosphere that     encourages the harmonious human and spiritual development of all its members.”   -  St. John Paul II
 

God chose St. Joseph to guard and protect an    immaculately conceived woman, and the Second Person of the Trinity—-whoa!!  What an amazing man St. Joseph is to trust that God would provide him with enough grace to accomplish this heroic mission!  Jesus made it possible for the Holy   Family to live in an ordinary, Jewish home while also experiencing the communion and love that exists within the Holy Trinity.  Their family was a place where Heaven and Earth came together.  This is exactly what Jesus is inviting all of our    families to experience as well!  Jesus established His Bride, the Church, so that we can become a ‘little church’ in our own homes, being filled with God’s communion and love!     ~ Theresa

“Like Elizabeth, the Church rejoices that Mary is the   Mother of the Lord who brought her Son into the world and constantly co-operates in his saving mission.  In the Visitation episode, St. Luke shows how the grace of the     Incarnation, after filling Mary, brings salvation and joy to Elizabeth's house. The Savior of men, carried in his      Mother's womb, pours out the Holy Spirit, revealing himself from the very start of his coming into the world.  Mary's visit to Elizabeth, in fact, is a prelude to Jesus' mission and, in cooperating from the beginning of her motherhood in the Son's redeeming work, she becomes the model for those in the Church who set out to bring Christ's light and joy to the people of every time and place.”         St. John Paul II

The Lord wishes for us to receive Him with great joy the way Elizabeth first greeted Him in the womb!  As we draw near to Our Blessed Mother, we are assured to find Jesus, ready and waiting, patiently eager for us to enter into a deeper mystery of life with Him.  This captured moment  between Mary and Elizabeth is meant to be repeated for us on a  daily basis, especially as we approach the Birth of our Beautiful Savior!     ~Theresa

“Jesus says: ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that
bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.’ The fruit referred to in this saying is the holiness of a life made fruitful by union with Christ.  When we believe in Jesus Christ, partake of his mysteries, and keep his commandments, the Savior himself comes to love, in us, his Father and his brethren, our Father and our brethren. His person becomes, through the Spirit, the living and interior rule of our activity. ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.’”  -  CCC 2074

Jesus rejoices over you! Jesus rejoices over me!  That alone is enough to bring a smile to my face,
and joy to my heart. The Scripture says that He will sing joyfully over me as if at a festival. That
image is pure love!! If we ‘bask’ in the warmth of this love on a daily basis, our fear will disappear.
How do we ‘bask’ in God’s love? When we experience the Sacraments, such as the Eucharist and Confession, and we are ‘invested’ in full participation, that is a powerful opportunity to ‘bask’ in God’s love. Making space in silence, solitude, Scripture, and nature are other ways to ‘bask,’ so go BASK!   ~Theresa

The wisdom of the Saints enlightens us, and brings us much peace and comfort. ~Theresa
“What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In
comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And, without the love of Jesus,
everything is useless.”    -  St. John Paull II

“In all your actions, seek in the first place the kingdom of God and his glory. Direct all you do purely to his honor. Persevere in brotherly charity, and practice first all that you desire to teach others. By this means the Holy Spirit will be your master, and will give you such wisdom and such a tongue that no adversary will be able to stand against you.”    -  St. Bernadine

“A Christian’s treasure is not on earth. It is in heaven. Well, then! Our thoughts must go where our treasure is. Man has a fine function: to pray and to love. You pray, you love: that is man’s happiness on earth!”   -  St. John Vianney

“Jesus wants you to do more than to go to Mass on Sunday. Our communal worship at Mass must go together with our personal worship of Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration in order that our love may be complete...Every member of the Church must be vigilant in seeing that the sacrament of Love shall be at the center of the life of the people of God so that through all the manifestations of worship due Him shall be given back 'love for love' and truly become the life of our souls... Our essential commitment in life is to preserve and advance constantly in Eucharistic life and Eucharistic piety and to grow spiritually in the climate of the Holy Eucharist..”

“If you’re stressed or anxious, you can find great comfort in the famous phrase from St. John Paul II: ‘Be not afraid … Open wide the doors to Christ!’  Once you surrender those fears to Christ, you might be surprised at the amazing plan that unfolds.  How many of us live with perpetual fear and anxiety? We’re anxious about work, success, our relationships, our dreams for our family.
St. John Paul II recognized this reality and thought it was so important that he spoke to it in his inaugural address:
‘So often today man does not know what is within him, in the depths of his mind and heart. So    often he is uncertain about the meaning of his life on this earth. He is assailed by doubt, a doubt which turns into despair. We ask you therefore, we beg you with humility and trust, let Christ speak to man. He alone has words of life, yes, of eternal life.’ So what did St. John Paul II urge us to do? He prescribes a life-changing remedy for our anxiety:  
‘Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power…. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ.’”     [This article from Dr. Edward Sri reminds us of how we can       become our worst enemy by not trusting Our Lord. All we have to do is offer ‘our handful of flour’ and trust that Jesus will come through and do the rest]!                                                  ~Theresa

“Jesus makes charity [love] the new commandment by loving his own ‘to the end,’ he makes manifest the Father’s love which he receives. By loving one another, the disciples imitate the love of Jesus which they themselves receive...Christ died out of love for us, while we were still ‘enemies.’ The Lord asks us to love as he does, even our enemies, to make ourselves the neighbor of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as Christ himself. The Apostle Paul has given an incomparable depiction of charity [love]: ‘charity [love] is patient and kind, charity [love] is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Charity [love] does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Charity [love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.’”

CCC 1823, 1825