CATHOLIC FAITH AT HOME RESOURCES

for our STELLA MARIS

Family of Parishes

including:

St. Thomas More, St. Bernadette,

St. Mary & St. Peter

January 28

Welcome to the online and free newsletter

--Catholic Faith At Home--

for all Stella Maris Parishioners!

It is scheduled to be delivered electronically on Fridays

helping to prepare you for weekend Masses and events.

Enjoy a variety of ways to strengthen and share your faith.

Fr. Mike Schmitz

How to Live

in the World Today

Each of us has a unique role in God’s plan—

and that includes the time period God calls us to live in.

How do we handle living in this time?

How do we embrace our unique calling?

Click below to hear Fr. Mike Schmitz shares his inspiring insights

in this short video:

FR. SCHMITZ

Want More?

Click the link below for the full interview

with Fr. Schmitz and Dr. Scott Hahn:

FULL INTERVIEW

A YEAR OF DEVOTIONS

WITH FR. KIRBY

You know about Christmas and Easter,

Advent and Lent,

but did you know that Holy Mother Church

has a traditional devotion

for every month of the year?

That’s right—each month, the Church presents to us

a holy “theme” tied to her liturgical calendar.

Every month in 2024 Fr. Kirby will introduce you to each month's theme.

Click the link below to sign up for the first mini-series--

January: The Power of the Holy Name of Jesus

A YEAR OF DEVOTIONS WITH FR. KIRBY

Never Experience Mass

the Same Way Again!

Ash Wednesday is less than a month away!

That means it's time to start thinking

about how to leverage Lent for real spiritual growth.

We're not meant to simply say a few prayers,

light a few candles, and shuffle up and down the aisles

at our local parish...only to come back

a week later and do it again.

The Mass is designed to move us into a mind-boggling

union with God that almost defies description!

So if you want to do something that will radically transform

your understanding and experience of the Mass,

join Matthew Leonard and thousands of people

all over the world and sign up for this

powerful, totally FREE Lenten series

Click the link below to watch the trailer:

UNVEILING THE MYSTICAL MOVEMENT OF THE MASS

MADE FOR HEAVEN

Join Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR

—founder of Corazón Puro—

on a multimedia Lenten journey inspired by St. Francis.

Begin the season with a vow of poverty

and end at Easter with a heart free from the desert of sin

and open to love, serve, and care for others.

Made for Heaven features stunning original art

by Valerie Delgado of Pax.Valerie,

along with daily meditations on a passage from scripture,

reflection questions, prayer, and space for journaling and notetaking.

In six transformative weeks,

you will learn how to allow the Holy Spirit

to move in your heart through a new theme each week:

Week one: commit yourself to a Lenten vow of poverty and reflect on the story of Jesus being cast into the desert as you learn to make your life entirely about Christ;
Week two: be a witness to the Transfiguration and allow yourself to become transformed, letting your spiritual gifts shine forth;
Week three: accept the call to conversion and say yes to a life of simplicity and poverty as St. Joseph did;
Week four: let the healing power of God challenge you to become a vessel of mercy and a source of loving compassion to others;
Week five: learn how to pray with confidence and look beyond ourselves; and
Holy Week: experience a deep encounter with God through the ancient liturgy of the Church.

Click the link below to watch the "teaser:"

MADE FOR HEAVEN TEASER VIDEO

Inside the Book Club

BEGINNING JANUARY 30

Members of the Word on Fire Institute

will be reading St. Augustine's Confessions,

this life-changing text, together in the

Word on Fire Institute Book Club.

St. Augustine’s Confessions is a masterpiece of

Christian spirituality, a love story between God

and the man who would become one of

history’s most famous saints.

Its message of conversion will speak to any person

on the path to God, no matter how far along.

Haley Stewart provides insightful reflections,

thought-provoking discussion questions,

hosts livestreams featuring experts,

and facilitates virtual classes to enhance

your collective journey through Confessions.

Click below to join the Word on Fire Institute Book Club

and get your FREE copy of CONFESSIONS:

WORD ON FIRE BOOK CLUB

NOVENA PRAYERS

OUR LADY OF LOURDES

STARTS: FEBRUARY 2

ENDS: FEBRUARY 11

Ever Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy,

we call upon you as Health of the Sick,

Refuge of Sinners, and Comfort of the Afflicted.

You know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings.

Deign to cast upon me a look of mercy.

By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes,

you were pleased to make it a sanctuary

whence you dispense your favors,

and already many sufferers have obtained the cure

of their infirmities, both spiritual and physical.

I come, therefore, with the most unbounded confidence

to implore your maternal intercession.

Obtain, O loving Mother, the granting of my requests

(mention them here).

Through gratitude for favors,

I will endeavor to imitate your virtues

that I may one day share your glory.

Our Lady of Lourdes, chosen from all eternity

to be the Mother of the Eternal Word

and in virtue of being the Immaculate Conception,

we kneel before you as did young Bernadette at Lourdes

and pray with childlike trust in you that as we

contemplate your glorious appearance at Lourdes,

you will look with mercy on our present petition

and secure for us a favorable answer

to the request for which we are making this novena.

O star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes,

glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation,

show unto us the mercy of thy Son.

Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort,

hope, strength, and consolation.

Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

SPECIAL PRAYERS

Pray this beautiful prayer

when you can’t sleep.

Lord Jesus, You who spent your nights in prayer,

interceding with the Father for all men and women;

on this night when we watch and pray with You,

hear our prayer for all our brothers and sisters.

For your Church, which awaits you as your Spouse in the night of this world,

For your people Israel according to the flesh, who listen to your Word in the night, hoping for the dawn of your Kingdom,

For the nations that do not know you, who grope for you in the night,

For the peoples upon whom the night of totalitarian ideology and the oppression of lies have fallen,

For our brothers and sisters who are persecuted for your Name and hide in the night to pray to you, for those who are torn from their homes in the middle of the night, for their persecutors who are blinded by hatred and know not what they do,

For all those who don’t love us and whom we don’t know how to love, for our enemies and for all those who wish us ill,

For the sick, for those in hospitals who spend the night suffering, for those who are agonizing and dying in this night, whose eyes will not see the new day,

For the anguished who cannot sleep and whose night is interminable, for those tempted to commit suicide and whom the night subjects to the power of the Prince of Darkness,

For prostitutes, bought in the darkness of night, for those trapped by vice or drugs in the darkness,

For thieves, murderers, and criminals who do evil with the complicity of the night,

For those in prison, for those who are tortured and degraded in the secrecy of the night, for those condemned to death who await the night of their execution,

For the poor and homeless, for those who wander alone in the night, amidst the indifference of others,

For those who seek you in the night without finding you, for the old who suffer and fade away in the night of their solitude,

For little children in the night of their mother’s womb, for those who will never see the light of day because of other people’s choices,

For the blind whose night has no end, for the mentally ill in the night of their suffering,

For those who labor and toil in the night, for those who travel in the insecurity of the night,

For husbands and wives who love each other, for homes that rest peacefully, for women who give birth to their children on this night,

For the inhabitants of this city and diocese who sleep this night, for our brothers and sisters, relatives, and friends whom you protect in their sleep,

For our deceased brothers and sisters who have not yet entered the light of your Glory,

And for us sinners, who in the night advance towards the light of your unfading Day,

Lord Jesus, through the night of your Passion when you suffered for us, we pray to you.

Let us pray: Look, we beg you O Lord, upon your family:

it was for their sake that Jesus Christ our Lord

did not refuse to be delivered into the hands of the wicked,

nor to suffer the torment of the cross.

He reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.

Amen.

For Peace in the Middle East

Click the link below for several prayers for Israel

and also a list of the names of the hostages!!

PRAYERS FOR ISRAEL AND HOSTAGES NAMES

Click below to see 8 children receive first communion in Gaza:

1st COMMUNION IN GAZA

NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL

NEW WEEKLY INFO

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NEW DETAILS NOW AVAILABLE

The wait is over! A daily schedule for the National

Eucharistic Congress is live on our website.

You can now explore what this incredible

experience will look like day by day.

Preview the options for impact sessions in the morning

that speak to your particular vocation and mission.

Then, get excited for the dynamic revival sessions,

when the whole assembly will gather in Lucas Oil Stadium

to experience the power and love of Jesus.

These sessions—and the soon-to-be-announced

afternoon breakout sessions—

will be led by the expansive list of faithful speakers

who will join us in Indianapolis this summer.

Scroll through the updated schedule to

see many powerful opportunities for

encounters with Christ through prayer and the sacraments.

Click the link below for EVENT schedules:

EVENT SCHEDULES

Click the link below for IMPACT Sessions:

IMPACT SESSIONS

Click the link below for the SPEAKERS list:

SPEAKERS LIST

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Eucharistic Communion and Seeing Those in Need

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that

receiving the Eucharist “commits us to the poor” (1397).

Why is this so?

Receiving the Eucharist means that we enter into union

with the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

And being in holy communion with Jesus himself means something profound.

Let’s consider one facet of this great mystery.

The Eucharist is Jesus himself.

He is the Eternal Word, living in Trinitarian communion

with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

But out of love for us, in order to save us from sin and death,

the beloved Son of the Father chose to take upon himself a radical poverty…

Click below to read the rest of Dr. James Pauley's essay:

DR. PAULEY'S ESSAY

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In the Streets

Another major moment in the Revival:

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage

one of the largest Eucharistic pilgrimages in history!

We will process with our Eucharistic Lord on 4 routes,

departing from our nation's north, south, east, and west edges.

These branches will meet in Indianapolis in July 2024

for the National Eucharistic Congress.

To see the four routes, and intercessor for each, click below:

NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC PILGRIMAGE ROUTES

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If you see a link on your device's screen that says,

"View entire message”,

please click that link to continue seeing the entire newsletter.

REGISTRATION INFO FOR THE CONGRESS

WILL YOU BE THERE, TOO?

You can join us!

July, 2024

for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.

Directly experience the fruits of your intercession and

see its impact around the country.

Click the link below to REGISTER:

REGISTRATION FOR 10TH

NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONFERENCE

Worship with Matt Maher

By now, you’ve heard plenty of reasons to make the

trip to the National Eucharistic Congress.

Well, here’s one more:

Grammy-nominated Catholic artist Matt Maher

will lead us in worship on Saturday night!

The event will also feature the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit,

Mass with a papal delegate, an epic Eucharistic procession throughout the city,

music from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and so much more!

Today through January 31, you can get 10% off your pass

with code EMMANUEL at checkout.

What are you waiting for?

Click the link below:

REGISTRATION

QUIZ! FOR THE WEEK

What is the Angelus ?

Scroll down to find the answer!

HUMOR

HIGHLIGHT

Where Have You Been?

Sometimes women are overly suspicious of their husbands.

When Adam stayed out very late for a few nights,

Eve became upset.

"You're running around with other women," she charged.

"You're being unreasonable," Adam responded.

"You're the only woman on earth."

The quarrel continued until Adam fell asleep,

only to be awakened by someone poking him in the chest.

It was Eve.

"What do you think you're doing?" Adam demanded.

"Counting your ribs," said Eve.

GOSPEL READING REFLECTION

For January 28, 2024

4th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Mk 1:21-28

TEACHING WITH AUTHORITY

Jesus, with the newly-gathered apostles he was forming, made his base in the Galilean city of Capernaum.

Jesus’ “own kin,” that is, the Jews attending the Sabbath service, were astonished at his teaching. Why?
The scribes were literate, learned scholars of Judaism. They preserved, studied, and commented on the Scriptures. Their wisdom was all derived from what they received. Although Jesus might quote the Scriptures, he spoke on his own authority. He spoke like Moses, telling people directly what God had to say.
His words were also performative. By his word, he could bring about actions. He could free people oppressed by illness, injury, possession, and even death.

When the unclean spirit called Jesus “the Holy One of God,” it was attempting to gain power over Jesus by using his precise name. However, Jesus freed the possessed man with his commands, also revealing his authority.

SCOTT HAHN'S

MASS READINGS REFLECTION

Click the link below to hear Scott Hahn reflect on

the 4TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME:

" THE KING'S AUTHORITY"

REFLECTION ON THE 4TH SUNDAY

IN ORDIINARY TIME BY DR. HAHN

ANSWER TO QUIZ

What is the Angelus ?

It’s a set of three antiphons that reflect on the Incarnation of Christ at the Annunciation—that profoundly holy moment in which the Angel Gabriel announced God’s invitation to Mary to be the Mother of the Messiah, and she said yes.

That’s how the Angelus prayer got its name: the prayer was originally said in Latin, of course, and the word angelus is Latin for angel.

Each of the Angelus’s antiphons are taken from Sacred Scripture. Each is followed by a Hail Mary.

When the Angelus is prayed by more than one person, a leader says the first part, with everyone else reciting the responses.

Here is the complete Angelus:

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.

R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary…

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary. . .

V. And the Word was made flesh.

R. And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary. . .

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Traditionally, the Angelus is prayed three times throughout the day: 6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. Of course, no one who wants to pray the Angelus is required to say it three times a day.

Many people pray it once a day—often at the noon hour.

Noon is the hour at which Catholics particularly reflect upon Our Lord’s Passion, since Jesus mounted the Cross at noon on Good Friday. As the midpoint of the day, noon is also a particularly powerful moment to take a pause and recollect ourselves in prayer.