Check out flyingscarfs; maybe helping widows and orphans by giving your loved one a handmade scarf rather than a big hunk of love bear may be the perfect gift for valentines day!
Sirach, Chapter 40, Verse 26-27
26 Wealth and vigor make the heart exult, but
better than either, fear of God. In
the fear of the Lord there is no want;
whoever has it need seek no other support. 27 The fear
of God is a paradise of blessings; its canopy is over all that is glorious.
Everyone serves
something. Some serve gain, some serve pleasure, some serve others but the wise
person serves the Lord not out of servile fear but Holy fear; that is out of
love.
Can we say with Joshua,
“As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Jos. 24:15) If we serve
the Lord our own house should be open to our kindred. If everyone did this
would we have any who are homeless? Search your hearts; do you have kindred who
are in need? Sustain them. Real charity is looking after widows and orphans.
In the summer of 2011, four Air Force officers deployed to
Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During their stay there,
they discovered beautiful hand-crafted artisan scarfs produced by a group of
local women. Over time, it was brought to light that all of these women had
tragically lost their husbands to the Taliban and now had the responsibility of
providing for their families – most of which was through the sales of their
handmade crafts. This fact brought a realization to the four Air Force Officers
that a vehicle of empowerment for the local population did not exist. Thus,
Flying Scarfs was officially founded, and with it, a business means through
which the local Afghani widows could continue to find financial stability.
Today, via their work with Flying Scarfs, these four social
entrepreneurs have reshaped the manner in which many Americans think about
social change. Through a lens of free market capitalism and micro-economic
development, Flying Scarfs is an enterprise dedicated to the
empowerment of the artisans not just in Afghanistan, but around the world. What
was once just a small goal of providing employment for the Afghan widows after
Americans had withdrawn from Afghanistan has now turned into a worldwide
mission to find and aid other individuals in similar situations.
Flying Scarfs is a not-for-profit team of military officers and
volunteers that seek to be an engine of change by building the necessary
bridges so that underdeveloped countries may one day flourish in a global
economy. Our goal is to promote microeconomic development around the
world in order to provide comprehensive networks of stability with a
concentration in providing opportunities for women to succeed.
In short, this means we buy from the “small guys”
through localized economies while promoting peace, both at home and abroad. We
intend to ultimately make a change by providing a "hand up" rather
than a "handout."[1]
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the
shore, they left everything and followed him. (Lk. 5:10-11)
NOVENA TO THE HOLY FACE
DAILY PREPARATORY PRAYER
We now implore all the Angels and Saints to intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena to the Most Holy Face of Jesus and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
(Start novena)
Seventh Day
Give me again the joy of your help, with a spirit of fervor sustain me, that I may teach transgressors your ways and sinners may return to you.
Lord Jesus! After contemplating Thy features, disfigured by grief, after meditating upon Thy passion with compunction and love, how can our hearts fail to be inflamed with a holy hatred of sin, which even now outrages Thy Adorable Face! Lord, suffer us not to be content with mere compassion, but give us grace so closely to follow Thee in this Calvary, so that the approbrium destined for Thee may fall on us, O Jesus, that thus we may have a share, small though it may be, in expiation of sin. Amen.
Mary, our Mother, intercede for us, Saint Joseph pray for us.
Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition, Pardon and Mercy.
Prayer in Honor of Mary
Hail Mary, Daughter of God the Father! Hail Mary, Mother of God the Son! Hail Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit! Hail Mary, Temple of the Most Holy Trinity! Hail Mary, our mistress, our wealth, our mystic rose, Queen of our hearts, our Mother, our life, our sweetness and our dearest hope! We are all Thine, and all we have is Thine. O Virgin blessed above all things, may Thy soul be in us to magnify the Lord; may Thy spirit be in us to rejoice in God. Place Thyself, O faithful Virgin, as a seal upon our hearts, that in Thee and through Thee we may be found faithful to God. Grant, most gracious Virgin, that we may be numbered among those whom Thou art pleased to love, to teach and to guide, to favor and to protect as Thy children. Grant that with the help of Thy love, we may despise all earthly consolation and cling to heavenly things, until through the Holy Spirit, Thy faithful spouse, and through Thee, His faithful spouse, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, be formed within us for the glory of the Father. Amen. (St. Grignon de Montfort)
Pray one (1) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary’s, (1) Glory Be.
O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every adoration Thine. (Three times)
Pretzels
The humble pretzel is actually the Lenten bread of classical Christianity. In the 400s, because the fast was so strict (e.g., no eggs or butter), Roman Christians made bread during Lent out of flour, water, and salt. And to remind themselves that Lent was a time of prayer, they shaped the bread in the form of praying arms (before the gesture of folded hands, Christians used to pray with their arms crossed in front of them). They called these breads bracellae, Latin for "little arms," and from this term comes our word "pretzel."
Though the pretzel is now more associated with Happy Hour or Super Bowl Sunday, its original significance may still be retrieved. And it should be, since it is a food rich in symbolic meaning. A pretzel at dinner every day during Lent would serve as a subtle yet powerful reminder of the season.
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