Psalm
85, verse 10:
10 Near indeed is
his salvation for those who fear him; glory will dwell in our land.
Not fear but revere! This is
Holy fear which acknowledges, He that is, and that we exist in and through Him
by the saving grace of Christ and the action of the Holy Spirit. The opposite of revere is to despise. There are many in our country and world who
despise the Lord. How did this come
about? According to the US Army
Leadership manual[1]
followers tend to ask two questions: 1)
Is the leader powerful? 2) Does he care about me?
Does He care about me?
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Does He have power?
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Yes
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Yes
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No
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Trusted and Respected
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Feared
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No
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Tolerated
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Despised
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To get to Holy fear we
must know that God has power (thus acting accordingly by following his
commandments) and know that He cares about us.
To not do this we will fear, tolerate or despise our Lord but if we
acknowledge His power and His love we will have reverence and according to the
second part of this verse, “Glory will dwell in our land.”
In America, we have until now had no fear in
worshiping him in holiness and righteousness.
In fact the model in American since its founding has been one of “Many
religions, but one covenant”.
We are certainly a blessed people because we as a
whole have not abandoned the covenant, nor shall we if the vision of George
Washington at Valley Forge is true. In
it he saw that American would remain true to our creator.
"Son of the Republic…Three great perils will
come upon the Republic. The most fearful is the third, but in this greatest
conflict the whole world united shall not prevail against her. Let every child
of the Republic learn to live for his God, his land and the Union." With these
words the vision vanished, and I started from my seat and felt that I had seen
a vision wherein had been shown to me the birth, progress, and destiny of the
United States.[2]
Marking the Changes of the Seasons
Before the revision of the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar in 1969
(coinciding with the adoption of the Mass of Paul VI), the Church celebrated
Ember Days four times each year. They were tied to the changing of the seasons,
but also to the liturgical cycles of the Church. The spring Ember Days were
the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the First Sunday of Lent; the
summer Ember Days were the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after Pentecost;
the fall Ember Days were the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
after the third Sunday in September (not, as is often said, after the
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross); and the winter Ember Days were the
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of Saint Lucy (December
13).
The Roman Origin of Ember Days
It's common to claim that the dates of important Christian feasts (such as
Christmas) were set to compete with or replace certain pagan festivals, even
though the best scholarship indicates otherwise.
In the case of the Ember Days, however, it's true. As the Catholic Encyclopedia notes:
Keep the Best; Discard the Rest
The Ember Days are a perfect example of how the Church (in the words of the
Catholic Encyclopedia) "has always tried to sanctify any practices which
could be utilized for a good purpose." The adoption of the Ember Days
wasn't an attempt to displace Roman paganism so much as it was a way to avoid
disrupting the lives of Roman converts to Christianity. The pagan practice,
though directed at false gods, was praiseworthy; all that was necessary was to
transfer the supplications to the true God of Christianity.
An Ancient Practice
The adoption of Ember Days by Christians happened so early that Pope Leo the
Great (440-61) considered the Ember Days (with the exception of the one in the
spring) to have been instituted by the Apostles. By the time of Pope Gelasius II
(492-96), the fourth set of Ember Days had been instituted. Originally
celebrated only by the Church in Rome, they spread throughout the West (but not
the East), starting in the fifth century.
The Origin of the Word
The origin of the word "ember" in "Ember Days" is not
obvious, not even to those who know Latin. According to the Catholic
Encyclopedia, "Ember" is a corruption (or we might say, a
contraction) of the Latin phrase Quatuor Tempora, which simply means
"four times," since the Ember Days are celebrated four times per
year.
Optional Today
With the revision of the liturgical calendar in 1969, the Vatican left the
celebration of Ember Days up to the discretion of each national conference of
bishops. They're still commonly celebrated in Europe, particularly in rural
areas.
In the United States, the bishops' conference has decided not to celebrate them, but individual Catholics can and many traditional Catholics still do, because it's a nice way to focus our minds on the changing of the liturgical seasons and the seasons of the year. The Ember Days that fall during Lent and Advent are especially useful to remind children of the reasons for those seasons.
Marked by Fasting and Abstinence
The Ember Days are celebrated with fasting (no food between meals) and half-abstinence,
meaning that meat is allowed at one meal per day. (If you observe the traditional
Friday abstinence from meat, then you would observe complete abstinence on an
Ember Friday.)
As always, such fasting and abstinence has a greater purpose. As the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, through these activities, and through prayer, we use the Ember Days to "thank God for the gifts of nature,. teach men to make use of them in moderation, and assist the needy."[3]
Marking the Changes of the Seasons
Before the revision of the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar in 1969
(coinciding with the adoption of the Mass of Paul VI), the Church celebrated
Ember Days four times each year. They were tied to the changing of the seasons,
but also to the liturgical cycles of the Church. The spring Ember Days were
the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the First Sunday of Lent; the
summer Ember Days were the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after Pentecost;
the fall Ember Days were the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
after the third Sunday in September (not, as is often said, after the
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross); and the winter Ember Days were the
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of Saint Lucy (December
13).
The Roman Origin of Ember Days
It's common to claim that the dates of important Christian feasts (such as
Christmas) were set to compete with or replace certain pagan festivals, even
though the best scholarship indicates otherwise.In the case of the Ember Days, however, it's true. As the Catholic Encyclopedia notes:
The Romans were originally given to agriculture, and
their native gods belonged to the same class. At the beginning of the time for
seeding and harvesting religious ceremonies were performed to implore the help
of their deities: in June for a bountiful harvest, in September for a rich
vintage, and in December for the seeding.
Keep the Best; Discard the Rest
The Ember Days are a perfect example of how the Church (in the words of the
Catholic Encyclopedia) "has always tried to sanctify any practices which
could be utilized for a good purpose." The adoption of the Ember Days
wasn't an attempt to displace Roman paganism so much as it was a way to avoid
disrupting the lives of Roman converts to Christianity. The pagan practice,
though directed at false gods, was praiseworthy; all that was necessary was to
transfer the supplications to the true God of Christianity.
An Ancient Practice
The adoption of Ember Days by Christians happened so early that Pope Leo the
Great (440-61) considered the Ember Days (with the exception of the one in the
spring) to have been instituted by the Apostles. By the time of Pope Gelasius II
(492-96), the fourth set of Ember Days had been instituted. Originally
celebrated only by the Church in Rome, they spread throughout the West (but not
the East), starting in the fifth century.
The Origin of the Word
The origin of the word "ember" in "Ember Days" is not
obvious, not even to those who know Latin. According to the Catholic
Encyclopedia, "Ember" is a corruption (or we might say, a
contraction) of the Latin phrase Quatuor Tempora, which simply means
"four times," since the Ember Days are celebrated four times per
year.
Optional Today
With the revision of the liturgical calendar in 1969, the Vatican left the
celebration of Ember Days up to the discretion of each national conference of
bishops. They're still commonly celebrated in Europe, particularly in rural
areas.In the United States, the bishops' conference has decided not to celebrate them, but individual Catholics can and many traditional Catholics still do, because it's a nice way to focus our minds on the changing of the liturgical seasons and the seasons of the year. The Ember Days that fall during Lent and Advent are especially useful to remind children of the reasons for those seasons.
Marked by Fasting and Abstinence
The Ember Days are celebrated with fasting (no food between meals) and half-abstinence,
meaning that meat is allowed at one meal per day. (If you observe the traditional
Friday abstinence from meat, then you would observe complete abstinence on an
Ember Friday.)As always, such fasting and abstinence has a greater purpose. As the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, through these activities, and through prayer, we use the Ember Days to "thank God for the gifts of nature,. teach men to make use of them in moderation, and assist the needy."[3]
[1] Military Leadership, Field Manuel 22-100
[2] http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/washington/vision.html
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