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Pope John Paul II’s Plan for the Third
Millennium
Listen to How to Be Holy, Dan
Lynch's Retreat. Pope John Paul II inaugurated the Third
Millennium by consecrating it to Our Lady. This is a set of four audio
tapes or three CD’s of a retreat on Pope John Paul II’s plan for the
Third Millennium. It consists of four talks, Personal Holiness; Knowing
God; Loving God and Serving God. For more information, please call
888-834-6261.
A Retreat by Dan Lynch
To order Dan's 3 hour retreat,
click here.
RETREAT OUTLINE
Rosary Luminous
Mysteries. Pray for peace and family.
Overview of
Personal Holiness, the Pope’s Plan. His two Apostolic Letters,
At the Beginning of the Third Millennium
and
On the Meaning of the Rosary.
The meaning of Holiness and the universal call to it. Shun from evil
by Divinization. The Way to divinization is through conversion to Jesus
Christ, reconciliation with Jesus Christ and one another, relation with
Jesus Christ with prayer and the sacraments, meditation on Jesus Christ,
consecration to Jesus Christ, reparation to Jesus Christ, imitation of
Jesus Christ and action for Jesus Christ. Like any story, the story of
holiness has a beginning, middle and an end.
Knowing God 1
The beginning of Holiness through
Conversion and Reconciliation: Conversion is repentance. 2 Chron. 7:14.
Reconciliation with God and one another.
Confession, reconcile before receiving the Eucharist, avoid
sacrilegious communions.
Knowing God 2
The continuation of holiness through personal Relation
with Jesus. We are saved not by a plan but by a person, whom we
encounter in scripture and tradition, prayer, sacraments (especially
Confession and Eucharist) and each other
Meditation: Knowing God from Scripture and Tradition. Mediation on Luke
5. Studying God in The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Loving God. The middle of holiness through
Consecration and Reparation.
Consecration: The Spirituality of Pope John Paul II.
Reparation: Meaning – Prayer (3 rosaries day), Fasting, (Wednesday and
Friday) Adoration, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Akita and First
Saturday Devotion.
Serving God.
The end of holiness through Imitation and Action to be happy now
and forever. St. Mary, Model of Holiness for the Laity, St. Juan Diego
(his Marian virtues), St. Jose Maria Escriva, saint of ordinary daily
life.
Divine Mercy
(Divine Mercy for abortion in America).
Our Works of Mercy (spiritual and corporal works) and the virtues
(Cardinal and Temporal). The Gospel of Life and the Gospel of
Suffering. BE attitudes (Beatitudes in Matthew) and not DO attitudes. We
are human BEings, not human DOings.
Reasons for Hope. (See below).
We are the Light of the World. Call to be Prophets of Hope.
Helps for Holiness
Holiness Defined:
Holiness is the
perfection of charity. “All Christians in any state or walk of life are
called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of
charity.” All are called to holiness: “Be perfect, as your heavenly
Father is perfect.” Catechism of the Catholic Church 2013
Ask Mary’s help by
praying the Hail Mary:
Gabriel: Hail
Mary, full of grace . . .
Elizabeth: Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
Church: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us
sinners . . .
Mary is holy and our model of holiness because she is full of
grace. Her holiness is shown by her fruits -Blessed is the
fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
But we are not
holy; we are sinners who ask her to pray for our holiness. She acts as
an intercessor for our holiness and that’s why we ask her to pray for
us sinners – so that we may imitate her virtues and be holy as she
is holy.
Read the liturgical readings of the day and reflect on them.
Website:
http://www.e3mil.com/index.asp?lid=1
Or subscribe to Magnificat and read them. Tel.: 1-800-317-6689 or
301-853-6600 or E-mail from their website:
www.magnificat.net
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http://www.zenit.org/english/subscribe.html
Attend
daily Mass
Pray daily Morning Offering, Rosary (3 if possible), Chaplet of
Divine Mercy or at least Angelus at 6 a.m,12 p.m. and 6 p.m.
In our prayer, we should form PACTS with God through
Praise, Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving and
Supplication.
We should also listen to Him more than we talk to Him.
Weekly
adoration holy hour and frequent visits to the
Blessed Sacrament.
Monthly
First Friday and First Saturday devotions.
Sanctify everyday life
– Morning Offering, St. Michael and Guardian Angel prayers. Pray the
Divine Office daily or the Christian Prayer shorter version. Try to pray
the Liturgical Hours of morning, evening and night prayers.
Readings are in the Liturgy of the Hours, Christian Prayer or at
web site: http://www.universalis.com/
The purpose of the Divine Office is to sanctify the day and all human
activity.
"St. Jose Maria was chosen
by the Lord to proclaim the universal call to holiness and to indicate
that everyday life, ordinary activities, are the way of sanctification.”
Pope John
Paul II’s Total Consecration Renewal on October 17, 2002:
"Most Holy Mother, [...] obtain also for me the strength of body and
spirit, so that I will be able to fulfill to the end the mission
assigned to me by the Risen One.
"I give to you all the fruits of my life and of my ministry, I entrust
to you the future of the Church; [...] I trust in you and to you I say
once again: 'Totus tuus, Maria! Totus tuus!' Amen. [Totally yours, Mary!
Totally yours!]
“I entrust once again to the hands of the Mother of God the life of the
Church and that of sorely tried humanity.
"To her I also entrust my future. I place everything in her hands, so
that with a Mother's love, she will present it to her Son."
Practice the Works of Mercy
“The works of
mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor
in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising,
consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and
bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially
in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked,
visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead.” Catechism of
the Catholic Church 2447.
Reasons for Hope
“For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for welfare
and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call
upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me
and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by
you, says the LORD . . . (Jer. 29:11-14).
The Congress of Catholic Laity ended with an appeal to the
laity worldwide to be “prophets of hope” in the third millennium.
Christians must “bring the light of the Gospel into society, where we
are called to be prophets of Christian hope.” There are two important
reasons for hope, “the presence of Jesus Himself and the conviction that
the heart of man is made for truth, justice, happiness and beauty.”
November 30, 2000
Pope John Paul II:
“May the
tears of the last century be the seeds of hope for this century.”
“Duc in altum! These words ring out
for us today, and they invite us to remember the past with gratitude, to
live the present with enthusiasm and to look forward to the future with
confidence: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
(Heb. 13:8). (At the Beginning of the Third Millennium).
About the sexual abuse scandal: “We must be
confident that this time of trial will bring a purification of the
entire Catholic community, a purification that is urgently needed if
the church is to preach more effectively the Gospel of Jesus Christ in
all its liberating force. Now you must ensure that where sin increased,
grace will all the more abound (Romans 5:20). So much pain, so much
sorrow must lead to a holier priesthood, a holier episcopate, and a
holier church…. “The Second Vatican Council spoke about “a new
creation, in an initial way here on earth, in full realization at the
end of time.” Pope John Paul II said, “ Inspired by this certainty,
the Christian walks with courage on the roads of the world seeking
to follow God’s steps and collaborating with him in the birth of a
horizon in which ‘mercy and truth will meet, justice and peace will
embrace.’”
“God is preparing a great springtime for
Christianity, and we can already see its first signs. . . people are
gradually drawing closer to gospel ideals and values, a development
which the Church seeks to encourage. . . rejection of violence and war;
respect for the human person and for human rights; the desire for
freedom, justice and brotherhood; the surmounting of different forms of
racism and nationalism; the affirmation of the dignity and role of
women.
Christian
hope sustains us in committing ourselves fully to the new evangelization
and to the worldwide mission, and leads us to pray as Jesus taught us:”
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt.
6:10). (Mission of the Redeemer).
In the new era
brought by Christ, "God and man, man and woman, humanity and nature are
in harmony, in dialogue, in communion.
"The authentic new era is nothing other than the
re-establishment of the lost relation between God and man. Christ must
cancel the work of devastation, the horrible idolatry, violence and
every sin that the rebellious Adam has spread in the secular affairs of
humanity and on the horizon of creation.
"Jesus recapitulates' Adam in himself, in whom the whole of
humanity recognizes itself; he transfigures him into son of God, he
brings him to full communion with the Father.
“Christ's new era also embraces "nature itself ... subjected
as it is to lack of meaning, degradation and devastation caused by sin,"
which will thus participate "in the joy of the deliverance brought about
by Christ in the Holy Spirit." (February
15, 2001).
The Actions of Pope John Paul II:
His Consecration of the world to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary in 1984 brought the downfall of Communism without
bloodshed.
His Consecration of the American continent to
Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1999 brought three Christian presidents to
America for the beginning of the Third Millennium in the United States,
Mexico and the Philippines.
His Consecration of the Third Millennium to Our Lady will bring the Era
of Peace.
Hopeful Events in the World:
There is
growing awareness of universal human rights, the sense of the right of a
people to self-government, appreciation of cultural identity, respect
for minorities, and the general positive perception of the value of
democracy and the free market, inter-religious dialogue, ecological
awareness and respect for the environment created by God.
Progress in education, communication, medicine, and in science are
motives of hope for the well being of humanity and of gratitude to the
Creator.
A great awakening to spiritual values and search for a peaceful interior
life, the good aspects of globalization contributing to the future of a
more united world that is jointly responsible and educates toward
recognizing a human family.
Many new movements are flourishing in the Church with their witness of
joy in faith, hope and in love. We have the Pope, Mary and the
Eucharist!
The Pope’s Eight Challenges and Prayer Intentions for the World
Pope John Paul
II believed that nations and leaders must face eight great challenges if
a more-just world is to be achieved. These eight have as a common
denominator to put every man and woman at the center of development.
On January
10, 2002, the Pope reflected on the world scene, with all its hopes and
horrors, and presented to the ambassadors of countries accredited to the
Vatican his eight great challenges to the world. These challenges are
our prayer intentions for the world.
1. Protection of human life. According to John Paul II, the
first challenge facing the world is
"the defense of the sacredness of human life in all circumstances,
especially in relation to
the challenges posed by genetic manipulation."
2. Promotion of the family. “ In the face of a globalized
society that at times reduces people
to the level of mere statistics, the family is the first place where
"purely functional
relationships" are overcome, in order to establish "interpersonal
relationships that are rich
in inner depth, gratuitousness and self-sacrifice," as John Paul II
explained Oct. 15, 2000,
during the Jubilee of Families. In the family, the man, woman and child
are not consumers
but persons with first and last names.”
3. Elimination of poverty. "The elimination of poverty,
through efforts to promote
development, the reduction of debt, and the opening up of
international trade."
4. Human rights. “Respect for human rights in all
situations, with especial concern for
the most vulnerable: children, women and refugees."
5. Disarmament. “Disarmament, the reduction of arms sales
to poor countries, and
the consolidation of peace after the end of conflicts."
6. Medicine for all. The sixth challenge is "the fight
against the major diseases, and
access by the poor to basic care and medicines."
7. Conservation of the environment. People must "encourage
and support the
'ecological conversion' which in recent decades has made
humanity more sensitive
to the catastrophe to which it has been heading."
8. Application of law. The eighth challenge is "the
rigorous application of
international law and conventions."
"Of course," the Pope told the ambassadors when he ended his
list of challenges, "many other demands could also be mentioned." He
added: "But if these priorities became the central concerns of political
leaders; if people of good will made them part of their daily
endeavors; if religious believers included them in their teaching, the
world would be a radically different place."
Listen to How to Be
Holy, Dan Lynch's Retreat. Pope John Paul II inaugurated the
Third Millennium by consecrating it to Our Lady. This is set of four
audio tapes or three CD’s of a retreat on the Holy Father’s plan for the
Third Millennium. It consists of four talks, Personal Holiness; Knowing
God; Loving God and Serving God. For more information, please call
888-834-6261.
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