Faith in times of Hardship

Posted by Molly

I attended a funeral recently where the priest who gave the homily was a close friend of the deceased and he had a really difficult time getting through it. In my 41 years I've been to more funerals than I would have liked and I have always wondered how the priests keep it together during such a sad time. I assumed God just gave them the strength to be strong for everyone else. But at this funeral, God let the priest show who he really was....a man who had lost his friend and was really sad. It was heartbreaking but also really beautiful.

Last week I received the news that a close friend of mine with three small children, one of them just 10 months old, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is only 39 years old. On February 8th she will undergo a double mastectomy in hopes of getting all the cancer out in one shot. This girl is a great friend. A strong Catholic. And she's Irish so you know she has that fight in her that only the Irish have - God bless us, right? If anyone can beat this it's Chrissy but I still can't help but wonder - why does she need to have to go through this at all? Why did God give this challenge to a woman who lives her life right and has three innocent little people who depend on her? What is He thinking?

And that's where my problem is.

At the funeral I mentioned before, even though he was obviously in deep mourning himself, the priest talked about how the mistake most of us make during times of great sorrow is asking "why God?". Because He always has a reason. And there is no way we could understand his almighty plan so it is really a waste of time to try to figure it out. Instead, in times of hardship and sorrow this is when we need to rely on the gift that we have all been given as Catholics: Faith. The belief in something that cannot be seen or proven. Faith is what gets us through.

So instead of cursing God, I am thanking him for giving me the opportunity to help my friend through a difficult time and reminding me to cherish my own health and my own family every day because it could all be gone in a moment.

I have faith that Chrissy will get through this but a couple of extra prayers never hurt.
If you could keep her in yours it would mean so much to me.

Time for you. For reflection and prayer...

There are several wonderful women's retreats coming up in our area.  Maybe one is just what you've been looking for...

Wednesday, February 8
St. Raphael Sodality retreat "God Pours Forth His Love"

Join St. Raphael women at Our Lady of Bethesda Retreat Center on Bradley Boulevard from 9am-1pm for this refreshing, half-day retreat. 

Maureen McCabe will present and Father Charlie will say Mass at noon.  Breakfast starts at 9am.  Advanced registration by January 23 is required by check for $15 (written to Sodality) mailed to Martha Corrado, 7 Candlelight Court, Potomac.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, February 10-11

St. Martins, Gaithersburg Women's Retreat "Discover the Love of God"

Retreat will be held at the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, MD. Click here for more information and for the printable registration form. 

Saturday, March 24

2012 Archdiocesan Women’s Retreat: “Blessed Are You”Leave your to-do list behind and treat yourself to a day of reflection exploring your unique role in building the kingdom.

Join women from across the Archdiocese on Saturday, March 24, 2012 from 8:00am-3:15pm at St. Marks Catholic Church, 7501 Adelphi Road Hyattsville, MD 20783. The day will include Mass with Cardinal Wuerl, presentations, small group discussion, Adoration, confession and opportunities to build up your library at the spiritual exhibit hall.

Invite your mom, your daughter, or a friend to join you on this retreat.   The retreat is limited to the first 500 women who register!  Click here for more information and to register online.  

When you click the link, you will see that there is also an Archdiocese men's retreat on Saturday, March 3rd.  How nice would it be for husbands and wives to give each other the gift of time to attend these retreats?

Photo by Andrewbl

Hero's Welcome for Father Grant Gaskin

Fr. Grant Gaskin is back in the U.S. and is visiting St. Raphael's!

Fr. Grant, a beloved St. Raphael priest from 2006 to 2008, has been serving as an Army chaplain in Afghanistan. There’s a great photo on the SRS Facebook page of him visiting his mom as he presented her with his Bronze Star Medal he earned.

Grab a flag and join the SRS / SRNS students and staff in giving him a hero's welcome 10 a.m. Friday, January 13 before he is off to his next post at Ft. Campbell, KY!

The Scripture Mini-Journal

Posted by Adrienne

In a previous post, we mentioned the wonderful Scripture studies coming to our parish.  Whether you are able to attend one of the courses or not, an easy way to become more familiar with Sacred Scripture is to read and reflect on the daily Mass readings. 

If you are in the habit of reflecting on the Mass readings of the day, you may already have a favorite source, like

• actually attending daily Mass(!),
• surfing a website,
• reading a publication, or even
• using a smart phone application. 

Several interesting sites I've used include:

Is Wednesday good for you?

We are so blessed to have two wonderful Adult Faith Formation programs coming to our parish from our wonderful new Adult Faith director, Suzanne Nelson.   

Both programs are studies of Sacred Scripture guaranteed to enrich your understanding of God's Word and its meaning for your life! 

Many of us are making New Year's resolutions.  One of these programs might be just what your heart has been looking for.

Making Music Praying Twice registration for Winter 2012

Posted by Veronica 

I wanted to pass on the registration form for Making Music Praying Twice. The 10-week session starts January 9.  Please just show up if you are interested, but haven't signed up yet. 

I love that the Advent session taught my son about Real Christmas. We tell the story of the 3 Kings every day, and I love, love, love to see my son learn our faith!

Many blessings to you all and Happy New Year! 

Click here to print the registration form, or contact Mary.

Giving Thanks in the New Year

Posted by Molly

This time of year everyone is always starting new. Looking to make changes. Hoping things will be different. I totally understand that. Like everyone else I am tempted to make new year's resolutions - most of them involving me having less weight and more patience - but when I look at my life, change is the last thing I want.

It wasn't always this way for me. I had many years when change was exactly what I wanted.
But that was before I found the peace of my own family. I still have bad days or weeks or even months but those bad days are more hopeful because of the 3 people I live with and the incredible warmth they provide. If I could stop time and live in this moment with Bobby and Mac and Charlie forever I would. This moment is nearly perfect.

He hears us

Posted by Adrienne

Even though I love technology and the ways that it can make our lives easier, there are some things that I just like doing the old school way. 

For example, I can find today's date on my computer, my cell phone, my tv (and my microwave!?), but I still like to look at a printed calendar.  I like to see the whole month at a glance - any work holidays?, how many Saturday nights?, etc.

For fun, I combined the January calendar with a wonderful Scripture verse coming up in the daily Mass readings. 

If you like printed calendars, too, you can download a printable version here.  Happy January!

Mary, Holy Mother of God

A postcard for you from one of the most famous cathedrals built to honor our Blessed Mother..

the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris, known popularly as

 Notre Dame.

Happy New Year and

Blessed Feast of Mary, Holy Mother of God!