"Catholic" chain letter

[Teelynn]

I agree with you all, these are definitely "Anti-Catholic" sending prayer along with curses? I have received these as well and just delete them. (love that delete button ) but some of these people that send them to me I know very well personally. They are very upright and devout Catholic people that I believe are just doing this mindlessly............or maybe they don't read the whole email message? Of course, I am giving them the benefit of the doubt, but I think some of these people should be gently informed that these are spam and have nothing to do with Catholic Christian teaching or values. This gives me the idea to compose some sort of tactful note to my email list telling them of the corrupt content of these emails. Some of these are not even necessarily "Catholic" in content, just prayer related with warnings of bad luck attached. I think I might finally put an end to these with a note to my address book. Glad I saw this thread this morning!

[Dorothy]

It would be good if someone were to articulate a standard reply to superstitious chain letters.

Of course, the reply would need to be charitable, but able to point out the errors in the message.

And, while we're on the subject, planting plastic statues of St. Joseph upside down on your property is not necessary to sell your house.

Sincere prayers to St. Joseph will do.

A priest kindly pointed out to retreatants that this practice should not be done. (referring to burying St. Joseph statue). We need to learn what prayer truly is, and not think we have to depend on something to do to receive an answer.

[beckycmarie]

May today there be peace within.
May you trust your highest power that you are exactly
where you are meant to be.....
May you not forget the infinite possibilities
that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and
pass on the love that has been given to you....
May you be content knowing you are a child of God....
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow
your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is
there for each and every one of you....

That sounds more like something New Ager Marianne Williamson would write. I don't think this qualifies as a prayer - a wish at best. No way St. Theresa ever spoke these words. "May you trust your highest power"? In other words, forget about God, trust in yourself and your highest abilities. What garbage.

[Dorothy]

Originally Posted by beckycmarie

That sounds more like something New Ager Marianne Williamson would write. I don't think this qualifies as a prayer - a wish at best. No way St. Theresa ever spoke these words. "May you trust your highest power"? In other words, forget about God, trust in yourself and your highest abilities. What garbage.

Excellent point!

[beckycmarie]

Originally Posted by Dorothy

And, while we're on the subject, planting plastic statues of St. Joseph upside down on your property is not necessary to sell your house.

Sincere prayers to St. Joseph will do.

A priest kindly pointed out to retreatants that this practice should not be done. (referring to burying St. Joseph statue). We need to learn what prayer truly is, and not think we have to depend on something to do to receive an answer.

+1

Someone suggested the statue thing to me when DH and I were trying to sell our condo in a tight market. I thought the practice sounded superstitious and so disrespectful to St. Joseph.

So instead of burying a statue, I printed a picture of St. Joseph off the internet, placed the picture in a frame, and set it prominently on our desk. I also printed a prayer to St. Joseph that I said daily. We received an offer very shortly thereafter.

[Dorothy]

Originally Posted by beckycmarie

+1

Someone suggested the statue thing to me when DH and I were trying to sell our condo in a tight market. I thought the practice sounded superstitious and so disrespectful to St. Joseph.

So instead of burying a statue, I printed a picture of St. Joseph off the internet, placed the picture in a frame, and set it prominently on our desk. I also printed a prayer to St. Joseph that I said daily. We received an offer very shortly thereafter.

Sounds good!

[MSParrott]

I am glad I searched before I posted a thread on this. I got something in the mail today from a place called St. Matthew's (located in Tulsa, OK, supposedly). It is a paper called a "Church Prayer Rug", and it has a picture of Jesus embroidered in a rug - they tell you to stare at the picture and then after a minute or so, His eyes will open . They tell you to kneel on it and pray about whatever you need, but in order for it to work, you need to send it on to someone else in a day or your "dreams won't come true". It also gives a web address to hear more "testimonies" I was OUTRAGED to say the least!

How can these people call themselves Catholic - I know they probably aren't, but I was torn between throwing it away and calling them to give them a piece of my mind.

I am going to toss it, as I know it is a load of dung, but should I contact them to let them know exactly how I feel about this? What if some poor, unsuspecting soul received this and this made them turn away from the Church? Ugh, I'm just so peeved right now.

[Dorothy]

[quote=MSParrott;3206441]I am glad I searched before I posted a thread on this. I got something in the mail today from a place called St. Matthew's (located in Tulsa, OK, supposedly). It is a paper called a "Church Prayer Rug", and it has a picture of Jesus embroidered in a rug - they tell you to stare at the picture and then after a minute or so, His eyes will open . They tell you to kneel on it and pray about whatever you need, but in order for it to work, you need to send it on to someone else in a day or your "dreams won't come true". It also gives a web address to hear more "testimonies" I was OUTRAGED to say the least!

How can these people call themselves Catholic - I know they probably aren't, but I was torn between throwing it away and calling them to give them a piece of my mind.

I am going to toss it, as I know it is a load of dung, but should I contact them to let them know exactly how I feel about this? What if some poor, unsuspecting soul received this and this made them turn away from the Church? Ugh, I'm just so peeved right now. [/QUOTE



Thankfully, you know better, and we don't do things such as they describe, as what they are describing is not based on true faith.

This tells me that our youth needs to be educated about these things, so as not to get hooked into wrong practices.

Families need to begin daily prayer together. It would be great to start with a decade and work their way up to five decades. Prayer is our weapon! And we need to pray also for those who propogate such nonsense.

[mommyof4]

Originally Posted by Poisson

Other Christians will also get this and say "Yep everything I have heard about those Catholics is true."
Makes us all look bad!

Yep, I agree.

[MarieVeronica]

Hi Ted. No need to apologize. I think most of us agree. These things are silly and stupid.. and superstitious. I delete them, when I receive them. I even have a Catholic friend.. who SENDS them to me.

A Novena should never be prayed.. in a spirit of superstition.. but rather, with faith in and thanksgiving to God.

[KevinAK]

I rec'd a wonderful email that reads "I forwarded this on like you asked. I'm still waiting for my miracle."

Then it has a photo of a skeleton slumped over a computer.

[Loren 1of6]

I have written a Catholic reply to the "Rapture" email, extolling the beauty of the Mass when we get to sing with the angels and all the elders (saints) bow down before the altar of the Lord. It's amazing to me how many Catholics have actually forwarded that one.

Now I'll have to write one for the St. Therese "prayer," and all the other junk I get, too.

[beckycmarie]

Originally Posted by Loren 1of6

I have written a Catholic reply to the "Rapture" email, extolling the beauty of the Mass when we get to sing with the angels and all the elders (saints) bow down before the altar of the Lord. It's amazing to me how many Catholics have actually forwarded that one.

Now I'll have to write one for the St. Therese "prayer," and all the other junk I get, too.

I've never seen this rapture email, but isn't it true that we sing with the angels and saints at each Mass? At least our guardian angels are all there, and I would think they'd bow and sing as well, especially during the consecration.

Edit - NVM I misunderstood your post the first time I read it.

Okay so what is this rapture email? Something originating from those who believe in 3 comings of Jesus?

[Christine Blake]

Originally Posted by Captain Napalm

I received one of those silly chain emails today (you know, the ones that tell you to forward it to everyone you know... or else!) This one, however, was entitled "St. Theresa's Prayer." I figured it was a chain-prayer thing; a nice thought, but a bit silly IMO. Usually, I read it and delete it. This one, however, really got me a bit mad. Here's the body of the email:

PLEASE READ AND SEND BACK...YOU'LL SEE WHY


Don't know how many Catholics there are out there receiving this message, but in case anyone is interested, Saint Theresa is known as the Saint of the Little Ways.. Meaning she believed in doing the little things in life well and with great love. She is also the patron Saint of flower growers and florists. She is represented by roses. May everyone be blessed who receives this message.

Theresa's Prayer cannot be deleted. REMEMBER to make a wish before you read the poem. That's all you have to do. There is nothing attached. This is a powerful novena. Just send this to four people and let me know what happens on the fourth day. Do not break this, please. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of reward.

(Did you make a wish?) If you don't make a wish, it won't come true.

Last Chance to Make a Wish.

May today there be peace within.
May you trust your highest power that you are exactly
where you are meant to be.....
May you not forget the infinite possibilities
that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and
pass on the love that has been given to you....
May you be content knowing you are a child of God....
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow
your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is
there for each and every one of you....

Send This to 7 People within the next 5 minutes and your wish will come true Please send this back...you'll see why.

I was incensed! A stupid chain email is a powerful Novena? Do they have any idea what a Novena is?? It certainly isn't "make a wish, read a poem and forward it to your friends!

Make a wish to get what you want? Who wrote this, Jiminy Cricket??

Send it to four people and see what you get on the fourth day?? Don't forget to toss a pinch of salt over your shoulder and avoid any black cats on the way to work...

What really got me in a fit was that I got this email forwarded to me from a so-called Catholic! It's nothing but silly silly superstitious pap that inspires people to bury inverted statues of St. Joseph in their yards to help them sell their houses. The fact that someone tried to masquerade this as a Catholic prayer really burns me up.

Sorry for the tirade, but this stuff drives me up a wall. I thought I'd post it so you could tell your Catholic friends and relatives to avoid this kind of garbage.

I totally agree...and FURTHER...I've seen it twice sent around with a picture of Mother Teresa - WRONG St. Theresa...I just "reply all" and explain that the St. Teresa that is the "Saint of the Little Ways" is St. Theresa of Lisieux...NOT Mother Teresa who is not even cannonized yet - is she? Not to mention that Little ways do not really mean the internet, I would assume -

[Loren 1of6]

The "Rapture" email:

You are in your car driving home. Thoughts wander to the game you want to see
or meal you want to eat, when suddenly a sound unlike any you've ever heard
fills the air. The sound is high above you. A trumpet? A choir? A choir of
trumpets? You don't know, but you want to know. So you pull over, get out of
your car, and look up. As you do, you see you aren't the only curious one. The
roadside has become a parking lot. Car doors are open, and people are staring
at the sky. Shoppers are racing out of the grocery store. The Little League
baseball game across the street has come to a halt. Players and parents are
searching the clouds. And what they see, and what you see, has never before
been seen.

As if the sky were a curtain, the drapes of the atmosphere part. A brilliant
light spills onto the earth. There are no shadows. None .


From every hue ever seen and a million more never seen. Riding on the flow is
an endless fleet of angels. They pass through the curtains one myriad at a
time, until they occupy every square inch of the sky.



North. South. East. West.


Thousands of silvery wings rise and fall in unison, and over the sound of the
trumpets, you can hear the cherubim and seraphim chanting, Holy, holy, holy.
The final flank of angels is followed by twenty-four silver-bearded elders and
a multitude of souls who join the angels in worship.


Presently the movement stops and the trumpets are silent, leaving only the
triumphant triplet: Holy, holy, holy. Between each word is a pause. With each
word, a profound reverence. You hear your voice join in the chorus.. You don't
know why you say the words, but you know you must.


Suddenly, the heavens are quiet. All is quiet. The angels turn, you turn, the
entire world turns and there He is. Jesus.


Through waves of light you see the silhouetted figure of Christ the King. He
is atop a great stallion, and the stallion is atop a billowing cloud. He opens
his mouth, and you are surrounded by his declaration:


I am the Alpha and the Omega.


The angels bow their heads. The elders remove their crowns. And before you is
a Figure so consuming that you know, instantly you know: Nothing else matters.
Forget stock markets and school reports. Sales meetings and football gam es.
Nothing is newsworthy.. All that mattered, matters no more.... for Christ has
come.


Please let me know the exact time you read this. It is mystical--honest.


This morning when the Lord opened a window to Heaven, he saw me, and he asked:
My child, what is your greatest wish for today?

I responded: 'Lord please; take care of the person who is reading this
message, their family and their special friends. They deserve it and I love
them very much'.

The love of God is like the ocean, you can see its beginnings but not its end.


This message works on the day you receive it.


To some it may sound dumb, but the person who sent this to me was impressed
with its timing. Let us see if it is true.



ANGELS EXIST, but sometimes, since they don't all have wings we call them
FRIENDS, SUCH AS YOU.


Pass this on to your true friends. SOMETHING GOOD WILL HAPPEN TO YOU TODAY.
SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING TO HEAR.



THIS IS NOT A JOKE; SOMEONE WILL CALL YOU BY PHONE OR WILL SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT
SOMETHING THAT YOU WERE WAITING TO HEAR. DO NOT BREAK THIS CHAIN. SEND IT TO A
MINIMUM OF 4 PEOPLE.



Put the Date and Time in the 'Subject' area when you read it.

Now I just recieved one titled "Visit of Fatima" with a beautiful picture of Mary and the children, with the following exhortation:

I came to see you.

Will you accept me?!

VISIT OF FATIMA
When you receive this visit, pass it on soon.

Mary of Fatima visited me at home. I gave thanks to God.

Let her continue her voyage.
CONFIDE IN HER ALL YOUR NEEDS;
THEY WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF.

Don't keep her, let her carry on,
she is the pilgrim Virgin
and needs time to visit more places.