Announcing:
Saint Mary's Press winner for the week of November 22, 2010!
Congratulations to Sister Teresa Bolha!

Sister Teresa will receive a copy of The Catholic Family Connections Bible, a $26.95 value.

The Catholic Family Connections Bible helps families connect to:

- Each other- through family faith conversations
- Faith through practices of prayer and devotion
- Community-through participating in Christian service together

The Catholic Family Connections Bible uses the New American Bible text and is woven around the core content of the bestselling Catholic Youth Bible® (loved by nearly two million Catholic young people), which includes:

- Over 700 lively articles help you Pray It! Study It! Live It!®
- Catholic Connection" articles provide a presentation of key Catholic doctrine
- 28 articles address the seven principles of Catholic social teaching
- 75 inspirational illustrations
- Helpful index to life and faith issues
- Easy-to-use glossary of Scripture-related terms
- Sunday Lectionary readings for all three cycles
- "Catholic Connections" index
- "Sacraments Connections" index

The Catholic Family Connections Bible
ISBN: 978-1-59982-088-0, paper, 1968 pages

Saint Mary's Press Bible Grant Program

"I appreciate that you gave me a Bible because I always wanted to read one."

"I would like to start with, 'God bless your company for these Bibles.' I am very involved in the Church, but I’ve never had the experience of having my own Bible! Thanks."

As we approach Thanksgiving, I want to share something we at Saint Mary’s Press are thankful for, namely the opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with young people no matter their financial or social situation. The words above come from young people who have received The Catholic Youth Bible® through the Saint Mary’s Press Bible Grant Program. In 2000 Saint Mary’s Press started the Bible Grant Program to "donate Catholic Youth Bibles® to inner-city and rural disadvantaged Catholic high schools and ministries and to youth in detention centers throughout the United States."

The Bible Grant Program is a direct extension of the Saint Mary’s Press mission. As John Vitek, the president of Saint Mary’s Press, explains it:

"Our mission calls for a special attentiveness to the needs of the poor. Through this project, Saint Mary’s Press has made a firm commitment to make sure that any young person who wants to have the Word of God in their heart can have their own copy of the Bible, and not just any Bible, but a Bible that is written especially for them as Catholic young people."

Since its inception the Bible Grant Program has donated over 61,000 Bibles to organizations and individuals who would not otherwise have a copy of the Bible to read and to pray with. In preparing to write this article, I went through the ever-growing file of thank-you cards and letters we have received. It was truly humbling to read the words of 7th grade Confirmation candidates, high school students, and young men and women in detention centers who have received a Bible through this program. I was reminded of the fact that having a Bible is something that is easy to take for granted. The young people who have received their first Bible through this program are receiving so much more than a copy of the Bible. They are receiving a living gift that helps them deepen their faith and live the life to which God is calling them. They are also receiving an affirmation that they are loved and valued not only by God but also by adults who count themselves as blessed to have the opportunity to share the Word of God. In the words of John Vitek, "The Bible Grant Program of Saint Mary’s Press is one of the most gratifying projects that I have the privilege to be a part of in my work."

Saint Mary’s Press is thankful to have this opportunity to share The Catholic Youth Bible® with young people. If you are interested in finding out more about the Bible Grant Program or know of an organization or individual that could benefit from the program, I invite you to go to this link for more information. In closing I would like to share one more note from a young person who received a Bible through the Bible Grant Program:

Thank you for giving us these Bibles when we needed some! And they are really cool too. I will always keep it somewhere special and maybe give it to future kids.

This young person’s words summarize why we give Bibles to young people in need, so that they may be touched by the Word of God and someday share that Word with others. Have a blessed Thanksgiving, and, as always, I pray that God will continue to bless you and your ministry.

Peace,
Steven McGlaun

Click Here for More Information

Getting into the Bible
From Teaching Manual for Written on Our Hearts

Some of your students may not be familiar with reading the Bible, pronouncing biblical names, finding scriptural references, using footnotes, and so on; others may need a review. The following suggestions can help your students become comfortable with the Bible:

1. Personalized Bibles. Have each of the students personalize his or her Bible by covering it with paper of his or her choosing and tastefully decorating it, incorporating his or her name.

2. Contents and abbreviations. To get into the mechanics of reading the Bible, point out to the students the table of contents and the list of abbreviations (for both the Old Testament and the New Testament) that can be found at the front of every Christian edition of the Bible. Tell them to insert a bookmark there or to clip those pages of their Bible for quick reference. Mention that the abbreviations vary somewhat across different versions of the Bible: for instance, Genesis is abbreviated Gen. in some versions and Gn. In others. (See suggestion 8, below, for more on the versions of the Bible.)

3. Pronunciations. Point out the pronunciations in the index of the student text. To make sure that the students can pronounce the names of all the books of the Bible, lead a choral-type drill or chant so that they end up pronouncing each name five or six times. Students who like rap music might even want to make up a rap song using the names of the books of the Bible (or later in the course, the names of the patriarchs, the kings, the prophets, etc.). The emphasis should be on pronouncing names accurately, not on memorizing a list.

4. The structure of the books. Outline for your students the structure of the books of the Bible—that is, the fact that each book is divided into chapters and each chapter into verses. Also point out that some books have the same name but different numbers (e.g., 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, also written as I Samuel and II Samuel, which are referred to as the First Book of Samuel and the Second Book of Samuel).

5. Sources of information. Explain that each book of the Bible is often prefaced by a valuable introduction giving information about the book’s author, the period in which it was written, who it was written for, and its significance. Recommend that the students read this material as well as the footnotes to each assigned passage. Questions that arise while we read the Scriptures are often answered in the introduction to a given book or in the footnotes. Show the students how to find the footnotes, explain the symbols used, and so on.

6. Scriptural references. Most students need to learn how to look up scriptural references, or citations; do not assume that they know how to do this. To familiarize your class with the process, distribute handout 1–A, "How to Find a Scriptural Reference." With the students, go over the information on the first page of the handout. Then assign (either for small-group work in class or for homework) the matching exercise on the second page. The students are asked to look up each scriptural reference and write the letter of the corresponding summary in the appropriate blank.

7. Highlighter. If the Bibles are owned by the students, encourage the students to use a highlighter pen to mark the passages they are assigned to read. This will eliminate time spent in back-and-forth checking and will result in a Bible nicely marked up for later reference to significant passages. Let them know it is all right to write notes or questions or reflections in the Bible—God would approve of a well-used Bible!

8. Differences in versions. Explain that various versions of the Bible offer different translations. Choose a few students to look up passages in two or three versions, reporting to the class on the differences among the versions and whether they prefer any one version. Also, let the students know that the Catholic Bible includes some books that are not in the Protestant Bible: Wisdom, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Judith, Tobit, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, parts of Esther, and parts of Daniel.

First Sunday of Advent
November 28, 2010
Matthew 24:37-44

Opening Prayer
Jesus, thank you for giving us the season of Advent in which to reflect on our own preparedness to greet you when you come again. Help us to be watchful disciples so we will recognize your presence in our lives and in the world in new ways. Amen.

Context Connection
The Gospel for the first Sunday of Advent speaks about being prepared for the Second Coming of the Son of Man, "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour" (24:44). A commonly held belief of the early Christian community was that the Second Coming of Jesus would happen in their lifetime. When Matthew was writing his Gospel, around AD 85, many of the original disciples had died, and the next generation was wondering when this event was going to happen. Matthew uses various examples to show the importance of always being prepared, stressing that Jesus will come in God's time and that he will return in the ordinary events of life. In the days of Noah, Noah listened to God and was prepared, while others were simply engaged in the ordinary things of life: "They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage . . . So too will be the coming of the Son of Man" (24:38-39). People will be doing ordinary things--men will be working in the fields, and women will be preparing grain for baking bread. One will be prepared spiritually to greet the Son of Man, and another will not know him. Matthew gives these words of advice: "Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming" (24:42). The emphasis here is to be spiritually ready--to be spiritually awake--so that you will recognize the Lord when he comes. Matthew further stresses this point using the example of a thief in the night, saying that if you knew when a thief was coming to rob your house, you would be awake and ready. However, we do not normally know when a thief is coming, and we have no way of knowing when the Lord will come again. Therefore, the only way to guarantee that we will recognize Jesus is to always be spiritually ready, because he is coming again.

Sunday's Gospel invites today's Christian community to wait patiently for the return of Jesus, just as the Jewish people waited patiently for the coming of the Messiah. The season of Advent prepares us for Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Jesus--the coming of the Messiah. As Christians, we are reminded that we are also engaged in a new Advent--waiting patiently for Jesus to come again. Therefore, the proper attitude is one of watchful patience and vigilance. The Second Coming of the Son of Man is a mystery known only by God the Father, the one who truly knows the future. This call to be prepared requires that we live fully in the moment, treating every moment as if it were the last.

Tradition Connection
During Mass, after the words of consecration, the celebrant invites us to proclaim the mystery of faith. The assembly responds in unison that Christ has died, is risen, and will come again. The Lord's Second Coming is part of the mystery of faith that Catholics hold as sacred. When we pray the Nicene Creed, we also say that we believe that Jesus will come again in glory. The understanding that Jesus will come again permeates our prayers and liturgies. Therefore, it must be important.

Our prayers express longing for the time when Jesus will come again because we live in an in-between time. It is a time of waiting and preparation, but it is also a time to give witness to our faith through our actions. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that "according to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still marked by 'distress' and the trail of evil which does not spare the Church1 and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a time of waiting and watching"2 (paragraph 672).

We often call the coming of Jesus the Parousia, which is a Greek word meaning "arrival." Through the centuries, the Church has pondered when Jesus will return. The response has always been the same--only God knows for sure. That has not stopped humans, at various times throughout history, from trying to predict Christ's Parousia. Life as we know it could continue for thousands of years, or Christ could come again tomorrow. As Catholics, we believe that trying to predict the precise day and hour of the coming of Christ is really missing the point. The point of the Gospel is that we should live every moment of every day like it could be our last.

The early Christians did not fear the return of Jesus but, rather, joyfully awaited it. The return of Jesus will be the advent of a time of great and sudden upheaval for good. It is a time that we wait for with hearts filled with elated longing.

Wisdom Connection
Matthew wants his audience to know that when Jesus comes again he will come in the midst of ordinary daily activity--work, play, or celebration. If we recognize Jesus's presence amid daily life now, then we will recognize him when he comes again.

The Second Coming of Jesus will usher in a new era, a time of good. The prophets wrote of this era as a time when nations will lay down their weapons of war, and bitter fighting will end. The poor and oppressed will be free of their burdens, and gentle, peace-loving people will inhabit the earth. This drastic change for good is attributed solely to God's actions. No human being will be able to do this alone. However, we can model Jesus's example of how to live by loving God completely and by loving our neighbors as ourselves. The Scriptures call us to prepare by living God's goodness now--to live as if Jesus has already returned.

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.--Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

The Lord's Prayer is taken from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers. Copyright © 1988 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

Endnotes cited in quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
1. Cf. Acts of the Apostles 1:8; 1 Corinthians 7:26; Ephesians 5:16; 1 Peter 4:17.
2. Cf. Matthew 25:1,13; Mark 13:33-37; 1 John 2:18, 4:3; 1 Timothy 4:1.

Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro

November 23 is the memorial for Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro.

While still a Jesuit novice, he was exiled from Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. Ordained in Belgium, he later returned to Mexico during a time of persecution for the Church. He lived his priestly ministry celebrating the Sacraments and bringing comfort to the poor and oppressed through an underground ministry. He was falsely accused of a bombing attempt and was martyred.

For more information on Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro, go to http://saints.sqpn.com/blessed-miguel-agustin-pro/