Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • April 28, 2023 7 BY AUGUST 9, 2023 www.holylandtc.com info@holylandtc.com Holy Land Travel Center 15606 Elm Street, Suite 105 Omaha, NE 68130 (402) 315-1435 For more information, call the St. Mary Parish office at (228) 392-1999. Imagine if that family or group of friends used prayer and the Word of God during their meal and time together. Imagine that moment and the different experience it will be for each person and the potential growth in their relationships with each other and their relationships with God -- to simply invite God into the conversation and relationship. As Catholics we are called to know God, to love God, and to serve God. It is who we are meant to be. Our Lord offers each of us eternal life through the forgiveness of our sins, but we must repent and ask for forgiveness. In the midst of whatever it is we are going through, He offers us eternal life and He calls us to know His voice and to follow Him. No matter what we are facing, the victory has already been won. Jesus says in the Gospel, “I know my sheep.” He knows every single one of us. He knows each of us personally. It is why He suffered and died on the cross for us. How do you respond to the one who rescues you from the captivity of Sin and Death? How do you respond to the innocent one who willingly underwent torture and willingly suffered the most painful and humiliating public execution to save you from the control of Satan so that you can have eternal life in Heaven? Why do we ignore the voice of the one who truly loves us to listen to the lies of the enemy? Take control of the voices you listen to. Let your smart phone, tablet, or computer help you hear the voice of your Good Shepherd! My homilies are available via podcast. Just search “Bishop Kihneman’s Homilies” in your podcast app. Many parishes are using the myParish app which has resources for prayer and Scripture. And of course, there is literally the most popular podcast in the world, The Bible in a Year podcast with Father Mike Schmitz. You can listen to this and other good Catholic podcasts in the car on the way to work, school, or home. How convenient! Turn off the distracting voices that lead you away from our Lord and take advantage of the good that can be found in technology! (More resources are listed at the bottom of this article.) Make time in your daily life to read or listen to the Word of God, make time for prayer, make time for the One who you owe your life to. You have the joy of abundant life with Christ to gain and the chains of the enemy to lose. Let us take to heart the words of John’s Gospel and hear the voice of our Good Shepherd say to us very personally, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:7-10). Laudate is a free app with numerous resources for Scripture and prayer. You can sign up at bible.usccb. org/bible for an email with the daily readings. Podcasts to look for: USCCB Daily Readings Podcast , Bishop Kihneman’s Homilies, Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons, Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz, The Bible in a Year, The Catechism in a Year . iBreviary is also a free app and gives you the Liturgy of the Hours and daily readings. Canopy is an app that protects your family from inappropriate content without blocking everything. SEE BISHOP’S MESSAGE IN SPANISH, PAGE 4 Bishop’s Column From page 3 Pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life in the Diocese of Biloxi by visiting www.invisiblemonastery.com