Weekly Meditation


Please join us and the spiritual community throughout the world as we ponder the same words and share in the same prayers each week.

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January 2009

  • Weekly Meditation January 12, 2009
    Posted: 1/12/2009
    Last week I was privileged to spend a few days on retreat with fellow bishops of our region (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky). Cardinal Justin Rigali gave our retreat. He shared a personal story from the days when, as a priest, he was serving the church in the Vatican. He was assigned to serve as translator for a talk Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta was to give. To help him translate well for the people listening, he asked her beforehand what she was going to talk about. She said: ?All I know, I will be talking about Jesus?. Quite a response!

    Jesus calls us to follow him and he assured us that he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. I share one of my favorite quotes of Bl. Mother Teresa:

    "The fruit of silence is prayer,
    the fruit of prayer is faith,
    the fruit of faith is love,
    the fruit of love is service,
    the fruit of service is peace."

    Jesus prayed often, called us to a life of love and service and we all long for peace.
  • Weekly Meditation January 5, 2009
    Posted: 1/8/2009
    These days from Christmas to the Baptism of Jesus, January 11 are designated in our liturgy as Christmastime. Remembering this can help us stay aware of the significance and importance of our celebration of the birth of our savior.

    Today's culture challenges us to keep this meaning of the birth of Jesus prominent in our lives with an ever keener awareness of how we respond to our savior. Maybe some words and thoughts of Pope Benedict XVI can move us a bit and help us keep a balance in favor of our understanding God's plan for us and for our world.

    This is Christmas - the historical event and the mystery of love, which for more than two thousand years has spoken to men and women of every era and every place. It is the holy day on which
    the "great light" of Christ shines forth, bearing peace! Certainly, if we are to recognize it, if we are to receive it, faith is needed and humility is needed. The humility of Mary, who believed in the word of the Lord and, bending low over the manger, was the first to adore the fruit of her womb; the humility of Joseph, the just man, who had the courage of faith and preferred to obey God rather than to protect his own reputation; the humility of the shepherds, the poor and anonymous shepherds, who received the proclamation of the heavenly messenger and hastened towards the stable, where they found the new-born child and worshipped him, full of astonishment, praising God (cf. Lk 2:15-20).
    Pope Benedict XVI

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