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THE U.P. CATHOLIC
January 21, 2022
3
(USPS 916-360 ISSN 10634525)
THE U.P. CATHOLIC
The Newspaper of the Diocese of Marquette Publisher: Most Rev. John F. Doerfler Editor: John Fee Assistant Editor: Hattie Hanold Advertising Manager: Deacon Stephen Gretzinger Administrative Assistant: Sara Shusta
Direct all news, correspondence and changes of address to: 1004 Harbor Hills Drive, Marquette, MI 49855-8851. Postal authorities direct Form 3579 to: 1004 Harbor Hills Dr., Marquette, MI 49855. The U.P. CATHOLIC is the official publication of the Diocese of Marquette. All notices and regulations, appointments, assignments, etc., issued under the caption 'Official' are to be regarded as official communications of the Diocese of Marquette. Opinion columns, letters to the editor and advertisements that appear in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions held by The U.P. Catholic or the Diocese of Marquette. The diocese is prohibited from endorsing candidates for public office. Office of Publication: 1004 Harbor Hills Dr., Marquette, Michigan. Periodical postage paid at Marquette, Michigan, 49855 and at additional entry office. Published semimonthly except during January, March, May, June, July, August, September, November, & December. The U.P. Catholic is provided to all registered U.P. parishioners. The cost for subscribers who are not registered members of a parish in the Marquette Diocese is $25/year. Advertising is $16.28 col/inch unless specified otherwise.
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Pope Francis says:
Every human person is precious and has value that does not depend on what they have or on their abilities, but on the simple fact that he or she is a person, the image of God. If disability or illnessmakeslifemoredicult,itisnolessworthyofbeinglivedandlivedtothefullest. [The disabled] must be at the center of our care and concern... in caring for those with dis- abilities, one receives as much as one gives. We Christians find in the Gospel of love - I'm think- ing of the parable of the Good Samaritan - one more reason for this. But the principle applies to everyone, inscribed as it is in our conscience, which makes us aware of our unity with all human beings. Quotes from Pope Francis' address to members of the Seraphic Institute of Assisi on Dec. 13, 2021.
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Come in for the Latest titles from Ignatius Press. Beautiful Crucifixes and portraits for the wall, Saints prayer cards, Pocket coins, medals and much more.
Charlie Tackman St. Anne, Escanaba College III
We invite you to pray for vocations. Loving Father, Master of the harvest; Please send more laborers to work in your vineyard. Amen.
www.dioceseofmarquette.org/vocations
I have been consoled that the Lord God takes all our choices and actions and grows abundant fruit with them, whether they are just, misguided, or even sinful. His plan triumphs over all!
I
n my last message we finished our reflec- tions on the five thresholds of conversion as described by Sherry Weddell: initial trust, cu- riosity, spiritual openness, spiritual seeking, and intentional discipleship. Knowing where our friends are in the process of conversion will help us to introduce them to Jesus. We are now about to embark on a series of re- lections on the creed. When our friends become curious about Jesus, we must be able to articulate the basics of our faith to introduce them to Jesus. These reflections on the creed will complete the mystery tour of faith that we began several years ago, and which has been divided into three main sections: be a friend of Jesus, make a friend, and introduce your friend to Jesus. In the first part, be a friend of Jesus, we reflected on the Christian moral life because the actions that we freely and deliberately choose to do can strengthen or weak- en our friendship of Jesus. We also reflected on prayer and the sacraments, and how they initiate and deepen our friendship with Jesus. In the second part, make a friend, we looked at the importance of friendship and how we can initiate and deepen friendships. So far in this third part, introduce your friend to Jesus, we considered some practical suggestions on how to share our faith with others and the five thresholds of con- version. We begin the creed by professing I believe. What does it mean to believe? Faith is our re- sponse to God who has revealed himself to us. God has let us know who he is. We call this divine revelation. Beginning in the Old Testament times, God has gradually communicated himself to his people through deeds and words. He made him- self known to our first parents, Adam and Eve. He made a covenant with Noah and Abraham. He formed his people and led them out of slavery in Egypt. God renewed his covenant with his people through Moses and gave them the command- ments on Mount Sinai. He sent the Old Testa- ment prophets to speak to his people. The fullness of Gods revelation is found in Jesus Christ, as it says in the Letter to the Hebrews 1:1-2: In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son. God has said everything that he wanted to reveal to us in Jesus, the Son of Father, the second person of the Blessed Trinity. Faith is our response to the initiative of God who has revealed himself to us so that we may enter a relationship with him. Faith is a gift. We cannot believe by our mere human efforts with- out the grace of God. By faith our mind and our will assent to God who reveals himself. Faith not only means holding that what God has revealed to us is true, but also directs our whole life to God. Faith is necessary for salvation (cf. CCC, 176-184). It seems that many people today ridicule faith because they mistakenly hold that faith is con- trary to science. Stay tuned for the next message when we will address this question.
I Believe
Part one
JOY OF THE GOSPEL
Bishop John Doerfler
FAITH IS OUR RESPONSE TO THE INITIATIVE OF GOD.
Remember to pray for our clergy and religious
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