Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 86

Wisconsin 2 St Joseph & Good Help Apparition

In Wisconsin they know how to make a good hearty breakfast. No rush this morning so everyone enjoyed the delicious food and the Hyatt Regency Hotel. We boarded our buses and headed to the Norbertine National Shrine of Saint Joseph. After a tour I gave my talk “Joseph, Manly Man and Chosen Father”.

Lunch on our own in De Pere Wisconsin.

We spent the afternoon the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help — the only approved Marian Shrine in the United States.

Mass with the youth choir from St. Augustine Academy singing for us. Wow!! see homily below.

Dinner at Angelica’s in Green Bay.

Whole excellent homily here.

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Feast Day of Joachim & Anna: Nativity and Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

July 27 is the Feast Day of Mary’s parents Sts. Joachim and Anna. Their story is not told in the Bible, but in a 2nd-century document entitled The Protoevangelium of James. In this document we read of the birth and presentation of Mary and her childhood through her marriage to Joseph and the birth of Jesus. This document was known and loved by the first Christians. It is the source for the names of Mary’s parents Joachim and Anna. It is fascinating.

I have only provided the first 1/3 of the document. The second part is about Joseph and Mary’s betrothal. The third about the birth of Jesus.

The Protoevangelium of James 
The Birth of Mary the Holy Mother of God,
and Very Glorious Mother of Jesus Christ

IN THE RECORDS OF THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL was Joachim, a man rich exceedingly; and he brought his offerings double, saying: There shall be of my superabundance to all the people, and there shall be the offering for my forgiveness to the Lord for a propitiation for me. For the great day of the Lord was at hand, and the sons of Israel were bringing their offerings. And there stood over against him Rubim, saying: It is not meet for thee first to bring thine offerings, because thou hast not made seed in Israel. And Joachim was exceedingly grieved, and went away to the registers of the twelve tribes of the people, saying: I shall see the registers of the twelve tribes of Israel, as to whether I alone have not made seed in Israel. And he searched, and found that all the righteous had raised up seed in Israel. And he called to mind the patriach Abraham, that in the last day God gave him a son Isaac. And Joachim was exceedingly grieved, and did not come into the presence of his wife; but he retired to the desert, and there pitched his tent, and fasted forty days and forty nights, saying in himself: I will not go down either for food or for drink until the Lord my God shall look upon me, and prayer shall be my food and drink.

2. And his wife Anna mourned in two mournings, and lamented in two lamentations, saying: I shall bewail my widowhood; I shall bewail my childlessness. And the great day of the Lord was at hand; and Judith her maid-servant said: How long dost thou humiliate thy soul? Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand, and it is unlawful for thee to mourn. But take this head-band, which the woman that made it gave to me; for it is not proper that I should wear it, because I am a maid-servant, and it has a royal appearance. And Anna said: Depart from me; for I have not done such things, and the Lord has brought me very low. I fear that some wicked person has given it to thee, and thou hast come to make me a sharer in thy sin. And Judith said: Why should I curse thee, seeing that the Lord hath shut thy womb, so as not to give thee fruit in Israel? And Anna was grieved exceedingly, and put off her garments of mourning, and cleaned her head, and put on her wedding garments, and about the ninth hour went down to the garden to walk. And she saw a laurel, and sat under it, and prayed to the Lord, saying: O God of our fathers, bless me and hear my prayer, as Thou didst bless the womb of Sarah, and didst give her a son Isaac.

3. And gazing towards the heaven, she saw a sparrow’s nest in the laurel, and made a lamentation in herself, saying: Alas! who begot me? and what womb produced me? because I have become a curse in the presence of the sons of Israel, and I have been reproached, and they have driven me in derision out of the temple of the Lord. Alas! to what have I been likened? I am not like the fowls of the heaven, because even the fowls of the heaven are productive before Thee, O Lord. Alas! to what have I been likened? I am not like the beasts of the earth, because even the beasts of the earth are productive before Thee, O Lord. Alas! to what have I been likened? I am not like these waters, because even these waters are productive before Thee, O Lord. Alas! to what have I been likened? I am not like this earth, because even the earth bringeth forth its fruits in season, and blesseth Thee, O Lord.

4. And, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by, saying: Anna, Anna, the Lord hath heard thy prayer, and thou shalt conceive, and shall bring forth; and thy seed shall be spoken of in all the world. And Anna said: As the Lord my God liveth, if I beget either male or female, I will bring it as a gift to the Lord my God; and it shall minister to Him in holy things all the days of its life. And, behold, two angels came, saying to her: Behold, Joachim thy husband is coming with his flocks. For an angel of the Lord went down to him, saying: Joachim, Joachim, the Lord God hath heard thy prayer Go down hence; for, behold, thy wife Anna shall conceive. And Joachim went down and called his shepherds, saying: Bring me hither ten she-lambs without spot or blemish, and they shall be for the Lord my God; and bring me twelve tender calves, and they shall be for the priests and the elders; and a hundred goats for all the people. And, behold, Joachim came with his flocks; and Anna stood by the gate, and saw Joachim coming, and she ran anti hung upon his neck, saying: Now I know that the Lord God hath blessed me exceedingly; for, behold the widow no longer a widow, and I the childless shall conceive. And Joachim rested the first day in his house.

5. And on the following day he brought his offerings, saying in himself: If the Lord God has been rendered gracious to me, the plate on the priest’s forehead will make it manifest to me. And Joachim brought his offerings, and observed attentively the priest’s plate when he went up to the altar of the Lord, and he saw no sin in himself. And Joachim said: Now I know that the Lord has been gracious unto me, and has remitted all my sins. And he went down from the temple of the Lord justified, and departed to his own house. And her months were fulfilled, and in the ninth month Anna brought forth. And she said to the midwife: What have I brought forth? and she said: A girl. And said Anna: My soul has been magnified this day. And she laid her down. And the days having been fulfilled, Anna was purified, and gave the breast to the child, and called her name Mary.

7. And her months were added to the child. And the child was two years old, and Joachim said: Let us take her up to the temple of the Lord, that we may pay the vow that we have vowed, lest perchance the Lord send to us, and our offering be not received. And Anna said: Let us wait for the third year, in order that the child may not seek for father or mother. And Joachim said: So let us wait. And the child was three years old, and Joachim said: Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning, that the child may not turn back, and her heart be captivated from the temple of the Lord. And they did so until they went up into the temple of the Lord. And the priest received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying: The Lord has magnified thy name in all generations. In thee, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel. And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her.

8. And her parents went down marveling, and praising the Lord God, because the child had not turned back. And Mary was in the temple of the Lord as if she were a dove that dwelt there, and she received food from the hand of an angel. And when she was twelve years old there was held a council of the priests, saying: Behold, Mary has reached the age of twelve years in the temple of the Lord. What then shall we do with her, test perchance she defile the sanctuary of the Lord? And they said to the high priest: Thou standest by the altar of the Lord; go in, and pray concerning her; and whatever the Lord shall manifest unto thee, that also will we do. And the high priest went in, taking the robe with the twelve bells into the holy of holies; and he prayed concerning her. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by him, saying unto him: Zacharias, Zacharias, go out and assemble the widowers of the people, and let them bring each his rod; and to whomsoever the Lord shall show a sign, his wife shall she be. And the heralds went out through all the circuit of Judaea, and the trumpet of the Lord sounded, and all ran.

Click here for the rest of the document

 

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Wisconsin Pilgrimage 1 Arrivals

Everyone arrived at the Milwaukee Airport and we had a lovely bus drive up to Green Bay for dinner on the water.

Fun joing 100 likeminded Catholics, brothers and sisters in Christ!

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The Bear interviews Steve on Holy Spirit Moments

Bear Woznick is convert, lives in Hawaii and is a champion surfer. He is also a passionate Catholic with his own shows on EWTN and a great men’s ministry and Mama Bear club for wives and moms.

In short, he is a great friend, a fun-loving Catholic and very effective servant of the Lord and the Church.

He interviewed me on “The Holy Spirit Action Plan”. It was a fun and lively discussion. Enjoy, and thanks Bear!

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What Catholic Bible Study Software Does Steve Use? Join his Free Webinar and Find Out!

There is no better Bible and Catholic software on the Planet that can touch Verbum! I have been using it since 1999.

Verbum is going to partner with me for a one-hour webinar on how Catholics can tap into the most powerful program with a library of books and resources that would make Sts. Augustine and Aquinas envious (in a good way, of course).

Join me on August 2 at 7:00 PM. Eastern time (6:00 PM Central time) for a free demonstration PLUS you will get discounts and special offers not extended elsewhere. Register here https://catholicconvert.eventbrite.com/

Dr. Steven Smith and I look forward to demonstrating the power and delight of everything Catholic and Bible at your fingertips.

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“I am being rejected by my family because I am zealous for the Catholic Faith”

A young person wrote to me today with a question about their new-found passion for the Catholic Faith and the difficulty they are having with their “cradle-Catholic” family.

So, I shared a few words of advice I hope are helpful, and it may be helpful for others too.

I wanted to email you specifically in regards to passion. I have so much newly founded passion for the church. The more I learn about the catechism, the more this passion grows. I want everyone to know about the gifts of the church and the importance of tradition etc.

I am a cradle catholic, but my family rarely talks about the faith. They become bothered every time I refer to a major tenet of the church (ex: the Catholic Church is the one true church). It seems every honest conversation I TRY to have becomes either 1.) a debate or 2.) what feels like a lecture. I blame mostly my ability to communicate (or lack thereof).

I am praying for my family to recognize the importance of learning about the church, but I am praying especially for my ability to share these things with others. I need to learn how to harness my passion without becoming angry. This is something I am struggling with mightily. I know from your videos, that you too are very passionate about these things. Is this something that you deal with as well? Do you have any tips for someone like me?

My response:

Age has a lot to do with it, which is why I asked you your age. You are only 25 years old. Parents and family have been around awhile. They are set in their ways (as you probably will be when you are their age). They seem to have become calloused to some things, like religion and other controversial topics. When you have a callous on your hand, you don’t feel anything on that skin because the callous protects. People tend to accrue mental and emotional callouses with age.Older people, like myself at 67 now, love the passion of youth, but we realize it is often uninformed and we expect that when the young person gets a bit older they will calm down, the idealism will mellow out, and they will become wise with age — “like us.”  This is too often the wrong attitude, but it is the tendency of age.  This is why Jesus praised the children and said if we are like them (eager to learn, open to the truth, simple of mind and heart) we will inherit the kingdom of God. The opposite is also true.Young people are perceived (and often for good reason) to have idealism and zeal without the wisdom of experience and age. Young people perceive older people to be frozen, hardened, and lacking zeal and enthusiasm. And most unfortunately are.Remember that family is the hardest of all categories of human relationships to deal with. It is because you are so close. They often consider their family member, especially young ones, to be arrogant, pushy, and all of a sudden — a-know-it-all.  They think, “We have already been through all of that, we already know and we are not going to get sucked into an argument or be influenced by this young new zealot.”Go slow with them. Earn their respect with your prudence and charity — and your growing wisdom. Wisdom can be defined as knowledge tempered by experience and time.Read my article Six Rules for Dealing with Non-Catholic Family & Friends.   I think it will help you and give you some guidelines. God bless you and don’t ever lose the passion for the faith.

Revelation 3:15-16   “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.’

Stay hot!

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We Kept Forgetting to Pray the Angelus

My wife and I decided several years ago to pray the Angelus every day at 12 noon and 6:00 in the evening. But alas, we seldom remembered and usually forgot.

But we wanted to!  It is a marvelous way to “reset” our minds and hearts on what matters most — to break away a few moments from the hectic pace of our lives, to think on things above where Christ is.

Colossians 3:1-3  “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

So, what to do?

I set the alarm on my Apple watch!  So simple!  Yet it works!  Every day at 12 noon and 6:00 PM it buzzes on my arm and we STOP what we are doing are raise our minds toward heaven to remember our Lord’s Incarnation.

AND all the glorious spiritual world that surrounds us, the Communion of Saints in heaven cheering us on, Our Blessed Mother and especially and most importantly, the Holy Trinity and our union with God.

Simple, give it a try   Easy to memorize by yourself, or even better antiphonally with a spouse, the whole family or a friend. We even do this with others — “Opps, it is time for the Angelus, join along with us!”  It is always appreciated and enjoyed.

 

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Bravo Archbishop Naumann! Commenting on Pope’s Response to Politicians and Abortion

COMMUNION AND PUBLIC SCANDAL  Archbishop Joseph Naumann has said he is “sad” over the way Pope Francis has handled the controversy surrounding the pro-abortion actions of President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA. “It is not pastoral to tell someone they are a good Catholic and can receive Communion as a matter of course, when that person has committed a grave evil,” Naumann said. “The fact that the pope received Pelosi was politically exploited. In doing so, Francis is doing exactly what he warns others not to do.”  READ

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“Steve, would you have joined the Church if Pope Francis had been the pope?”

I received a courteous email asking me what I considered to be a sincere question. It was proposed, I believe, by a Protestant who is considering joining the Catholic Church! He wrote,

Hello Mr. Ray, If Pope Francis was the pope at the time of your Conversion to the Faith, would you have converted? Thank, Ray

I responded kindly to his genuine question:

“Yes. Pope Francis is the Pope, even if he is a big disappointment.

“We’ve had a good popes and bad popes, ugly popes and handsome popes, smart popes and stupid popes, saintly popes and sinfully scandalous popes. But, the Church is not about the pope. The Church is about Jesus Christ and that’s why I joined it. It is his Church and He is building it used flawed human beings.

“The ship continues across the ocean to the Celestial City regardless of any particular pope. Jesus is the one who gets his Church to the other side and I’m going to be on that ship when it arrives.

A good quote from “Staying with the Catholic Church”:“The Church’s structures, offices, and ruling authorities are necessary to keep Christ present in the world, but his presence transcends their limitations – including the moral failures of his own vicars. Christ, being God, knew his vicars would fail him, as he knew St. Peter would.” In other words, the Barque of Peter sails on. Or, as Hilaire Belloc so perfectly concluded:“The Catholic Church is an institution I am bound to hold divine – but for unbelievers a proof of its divinity might be found in the fact that no merely human institution conducted with such knavish imbecility would have lasted a fortnight.”

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Enjoying a few days with the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows in Portland Oregon

Actually, the retreat center is in Beaverton Oregon which is just outside of Portland. I was a little curious at first knowing of all the chaos and anarchy that took place in Portland over the last few years, but this retreat center is safely and tranquilly away from all that Satanic activity.

The Sisters at Our Lady of Peace Conference Center, invited me to come and give talks at their annual retreat. I’m here for three days with a lovely group of folks and able to share things that are exciting to me. The theme of the conference retreat is “Mystical Union with Mary.”

I couldn’t think of a better way to address that topic in my talks than to introduce people to the “real Mary” that they would’ve met in Nazareth 2000 years ago. I asked them to forget for a while that they are Americans living in a democracy with running water and air conditioning speaking English — and to use their imagination to step back in time 2000 years to a different world.

My first talk was “A Day in the Life of the Holy Family”, then two hours to discuss the whole life of Mary from the Old Testament prophecies to her birth to her reign in heaven. a very fun two hours!

I also gave my conversion story as well, along with the “Life of St. Joseph the Manly Man”. I also presented my new “The 12 Unknown Sorrows of Mary” which fit perfectly with the Sisters’ Order named the Sister of our Lady of Sorrows. The talk was all new to them and was very well received.to them and very well received.

I was also blessed to meet up with two friends during my stay here. First, William Deatherage who is in charge of all my websites and Internet technology. Great young man who is not only a web developer with a whole company behind him but also a new masters in theology. Love this guy!

Also a friend who is somewhat of a relative since he is married to the sister of my son-in-law Ben Brown. Rolando Moreno stopped by to visit. He is Director of Faith Formation & Catechesis for the archdiocese of Portland Oregon. Nice retreat all the way around.

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