19 April 2010

Eucharistic Adoration!

Dear Villagers,

Hope all is well with you! We had a great time last night with Mark and Sarah and Matt and Louise. They played the Newlywed Game and we all got to laugh together about the ridiculous questions! After racing each other down a cluttered hallway in a relay of sorts, we got to hear the 2 couples advice for Dating Well. Since we typically focus on what *not* to do in dating relationships, we were excited to finally showcase how to have healthy-fun-holy relationships!

Join us this Sunday for games, our monthly night of Eucharistic Adoration and pizza! Now that we're (mostly) all squared away on dating relationships- the topic you've requested for this Sunday is "Improving Relationships with Family & Friends." So come on out for some great dialogue and discussion!

See below for more on:

Your Question of the Week: How can I share my faith with my Muslim friends?
This Thursday: Our Guest Speaker shares on St Maximilian Kolbe at Dead Theologians!
This Sunday: Eucharistic Adoration Night!


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The Village News 4/18

This Wed, 4/21 is Parish Life Night come on out for a great meal!

This Thurs, 4/22 Beth Ann Smith shares on St Maximilian Kolbe @ Dead Theologians

Come out this week to hear Parishioner Beth Ann Smith share on the virtuous life of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, hero of the Nazi Concentration Camps. The Dead Theologians Society is a national movement to incorporate the lives of the Saints into the prayer life of the Church– that we would answer the call to live as they did!
6:30pm: socializing in the Parish Offices
7-8pm: gather in the Church choir loft for prayer with the Saints! (Elizabeth St door is always open)
8-8:30pm: snacks in the Parish Offices


This Friday, 4/23 is a regular Grown-Up Soda Meeting. Volunteers, are we thinking Bubble?


This Sunday’s Village: Eucharistic Adoration Night

J R R Tolkien once said, "Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament...There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth.” The Village has a special devotion to the Eucharist– and we have a time of Eucharistic Adoration once each month! Don’t miss the social time with pizza afterward!


Contact Youth Minister Beth Spizarny at bspizarny@sta2.org or 734-545-0827.


Your Question of the Week: How can I share my faith with my Muslim friends?

The basic method is the same as sharing the gospel with any of your friends. The content of the gospel is the same for everyone: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:16–17).

Tell your Muslim friends that God loves them and that, as a result, he sent his Son, Jesus, to make atonement for their sins so that they could spend eternity with God in heaven. Love is a keynote of Christianity that Islam lacks. In the words of one Muslim convert to Christianity, "Christianity is a religion of love; Islam is a religion of fear." Muslims do not have the kind of loving, intimate relationship with God that Christians do. Show that to them, talk about it—about how much you love God and want them to share in the feeling of God’s love, and that will help show them the light of the gospel.

Muslims are people of the Qur’an, much as Evangelical Christians are people of the Bible. Because the Qur’an is the basis of Islam, including its philosophy, we could discuss with them how the Qur’an came to be the basis. They believe that an angel gave the book to Mohammed while he was alone in the desert, who then dictated it to a secretary. They claim that they know the Qur’an is the word of God because people remembered it perfectly, it has been unchanged for so many years, and it uplifts their spirits when they read it. The Qur’an itself says that miracles are not necessary to prove a divine connection. We might discuss with Muslims that the Dead Sea Scrolls show that the Old Testament has been unchanged for more years than has the Qur’an

Discussing differences of faith must be done in the spirit of love, even if the questions are sharp or probing. In evangelization, we must always be "speaking the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15). Be sensitive to Muslim’s needs. Muslims are not allowed to eat pork or drink alcoholic beverages; and during the holy month of Ramadan (which often falls in August/September) they abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset.

Many Catholics believe and pray that the conversion of Muslims will come through the Blessed Mother. The Qur’an has an entire chapter praising her. The Muslims hold her in great esteem as the mother of Jesus, but they have no devotion to her and no commemorations of her. In fact, Muslims have no devotion to anyone other than Allah. Intercessory prayers to the Blessed Mother are our best avenue. Our discussions may provide a seed.

Visit www.catholic.com, talk with Beth, or borrow Peaceable Witness Among Muslims from Beth’s library to learn more.

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