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I got a new i-phone a little while ago after my last cell phone broke.  Though I have been a PC guy, I must admit that I really like my i-phone.  I specifically like it for the great Catholic apps that people have created, so here they are:
  1. i-BreviaryPro - created by a priest in Italy, has the Liturgy of the Hours (aka Breviary), prayers, and now the missal so priests can pray the Mass if they are travelling without carrying a bunch of books.  And its free!
  2. Divine Office - another app that contains the Liturgy of the Hours.
  3. iMissal - Daily Mass readings, Bible verses, and prayers.
  4. Magnificat - great app from a great subscription.  It has the daily readings, Mass prayers, and readings from the saints.
  5. Mass Times - directory of Catholic churches wherever you are.
  6. H2onews - Catholic video news
  7. RC Calendar - Catholic calendar with Mass readings and info on the saint of the day.
  8. CatholicTV - America's Catholic Television Network
 
 
Returned yesterday from a 5 day retreat with the Intercessors of the Lamb, a good, faithful religious community of religious men & women.  May Christ bless them for their ministry!

One of the many things I will take with me is their distinction between petition and intercession.  In petition, we ask for things for ourselves and others.  In intercession, we ask God what graces He wants to give that person and then we ask Him on behalf of that person.  I regularly heard them say, "Lord teach me how to pray for..."
 
 
I heard from a holy soul today...paraphrased:
Speaking about how people get hung up on wanting to know why bad things happen she said, "knowledge is a form of control.  You think it will give you power over it.  You have to accept your powerlessness.  Pain is one of the few things that gets our attention."

Asking why bad things happened doesn't give you power over it and doesn't change the suffering at all.  A better question is, "What now Lord? What is your response to this?"  God loves us and always has a response to our situations and sufferings.