Saint Mary Our Lady of Grace Saint Petersburg, FL

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Saint Mary Our Lady of GraceSaint Petersburg, FL

• Fr. Cletus Watson T.O.R., Pastor
• R.C.I.A.

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Daily Reflection

• Reflection USCCB

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The Way of Faith Discussion

• Illness and suffering have always been among the
  gravest problems confronted in human life and
  that as disciples we are called to offer
  compassion and healing.
• In the news
• MEXICO CITY Global health authorities warned
  Wednesday that swine flu was threatening to bloom
  into a pandemic, and the virus spread farther in
  Europe even as the outbreak appeared to stabilize
  at its epicenter. A toddler who succumbed in
  Texas became the first death outside Mexico. (WHO
  warns swine flu threatening to become pandemic)

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In the Readings

• Jesus said I am the good shepherd. A good
  shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (Jn
  1011-18)

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Tradition Says

• Christ's compassion toward all who suffer goes
  so far that he identifies himself with them I
  was sick and you visited me. His preferential
  love for the sick has not ceased through the
  centuries to draw the very special attention of
  Christians toward all those who suffer in body
  and soul. It is the source of tireless efforts to
  comfort them. (Catechism of the Catholic Church,
  1503)

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• Moved by so much suffering Christ not only
  allows himself to be touched by the sick, but he
  makes their miseries his own He took our
  infirmities and bore our diseases. But he did
  not heal all the sick. His healings were signs of
  the coming of the Kingdom of God. They announced
  a more radical healing the victory over sin and
  death through his Passover. On the cross Christ
  took upon himself the whole weight of evil and
  took away the sin of the world, of which
  illness is only a consequence. By his passion and
  death on the cross Christ has given a new meaning
  to suffering it can henceforth configure us to
  him and unite us with his redemptive Passion.
  (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1505)

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Faith Sharing

• Take this opportunity to share your experiences
  and stories with each other and to discuss the
  significance the cross has to our Catholic Faith.

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What is the meaning of the cross?

• The sign of the cross is often reduced to a
  good-luck charm- around our necks or over our
  body when we begin a test. The Cross of Jesus
  Christ does not promise us success, health, or
  pleasure. The Cross only promises us that Jesus
  will be with us, no matter how badly we suffer,
  no matter how badly we fail, and no matter how
  horribly we feel. Jesus said, Behold I am with
  you always until the end of the age. It is
  through His Cross that Jesus is with us- that is
  the meaning of the Cross and that is the meaning
  of our Christian faith.

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• God enters into the depth, the pit of human
  experience through Jesus crucifixion and death.
  We are not alone. We wish that the Holy Cross
  meant that we dont have to suffer, but it means
  that God chose to suffer with us. Gods ways are
  not our ways. The lesson of the Holy Cross is
  still very hard for us. That is why the Holy
  Cross became THE sign of the Catholic faith. Even
  in our Churches, known for stained glass,
  statues, and stations- the only image that is
  explicitly required is a cross, depicting Christ
  crucified. How often do we struggle to believe in
  God when things are going well? How much more do
  we need to remember that God is with us, even in
  our sufferings?

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• The Holy Cross becomes a sign of hope. When we
  look on the Holy Cross, we can believe that there
  is hope beyond our suffering, our failures, and
  our loss. We can believe that there is hope for
  the single pregnant mother, hope for the
  terminally ill, and hope for the poor. There is
  hope because God will not abandon us in our
  sufferings.We must always exalt and lift up the
  Cross of Jesus Christ. The God of Jesus Christ
  did not fail the city of Houston in the path of
  hurricane Ike. The God of Jesus Christ did not
  fail the faithful parishioner afflicted with
  cancer. The God of Jesus Christ did not fail
  Coach Meyer in his accident and diagnosis. The
  God of Jesus Christ suffers with them. The God of
  Jesus Christ suffers with us. The God of Jesus
  Christ is with us.

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How is this applicable to your life?

• In what ways do you carry the cross as a sign of
  hope?

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Closing Prayer

• We pause and remember that we are always and
  everywhere in the presence of the Holy One Who
  pitched His tent among us and loves us with an
  everlasting love. We are His people and He is our
  God.
• In the name of GOD the FATHER Who is HOLY.
• In the name of the SON Who is REDEEMER and in
  the name of the SPIRIT Who invites us to grow in
  grace and life all honor and glory, praise and
  thanksgiving be Yours, now and forever.

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PSALM 102

• O Lord, hear our prayer
• and let our cry come to You.
• Hide not Your face from us
• in the day of our distress.
• Incline Your ear to us
• in the day when we call,
• answer us speedily.
• O Lord, we put our trust in You.
• Let us not be put to shame.