NINE-MONTH NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

NINE-MONTH NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
Start March 12 to December 12

Saturday, October 1, 2016 Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

John, Chapter 3, Verse 35
The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.

The earth is indeed blessed among all the planets in our solar system because of our heaven. As the heavens have made the earth a garden rich with life like so is God’s grace over those who are faithful and love Him.

Never forget our Lord asked Peter if he loves Him three times.  One time for each of the times Peter denied our Lord on the eve of His crucifixion thus nullifying Peter’s denials and restoring him. Christ asks Peter with each affirmation to 1) feed His lambs 2) tend His sheep and 3) feed His sheep. 

First Christ asked Peter if he loves Him more than the others thus establishing Peters leadership on love. Next Christ tells Peter to feed His lambs to give them a core of strength. If we wish to develop strength in ourselves and others it is imperative that we give hope, confidence, a work ethic, confidence, resilience, self-control and courage to the lambs in our charge.

Secondly Christ asks Peter to “tend His sheep” or that is to give a firm purpose to direct their efforts to create the Kingdom of God.

Lastly Christ asks Peter to “Feed His sheep” by having an understanding heart and to be compassionate, faithful, merciful, tolerant, forgiving and generous.

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus[1]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI called St. Therese of Lisieux's autobiography, "The Story of a Soul," a wonderful authentic "treasure" and invited everyone to read it. The 19th-century Carmelite saint's teaching of "the 'little way" of holiness has been so influential in our time." His catechesis was a continuation of a series of talks dedicated to the "doctors of the church," men and women who made important contributions to Catholic theological understanding. St. Therese, who was born in 1873 in France, died at the age of 24 of hemoptysis, or bleeding of the lungs. Her spirituality "centered on the contemplation of God's love revealed in the mysteries of the incarnation and redemption," the pope said. The saint "sought to be little in all things and to seek the salvation of the world," he said. Her autobiography was published a year after her death and was enormously successful in many parts of the world, he said. "I would like to invite all of you to rediscover this great little treasure, this glowing commentary on the Gospel fully lived," the pope said. The book is "a wonderful story of love, told with such authenticity, simplicity and freshness that the reader will be nothing but captivated," he said. "Therese shows all of us that Christian life is fully living the grace of baptism," by fully giving oneself over to God and by living like Christ, he said. The pope said "her example and prayers help us to follow 'the little way of trust and love' in spiritual childhood, abandoning ourselves completely to the love of God and the good of souls." A childlike faith in God entails giving oneself fully to him and putting one's life completely in his hands, the pope said. Such faith is "inseparable from true love," which is a total giving of self, he said. The pope said the faithful need to tell God every day that "we want to live out our love for him and others." St. Therese's life and teachings are "a guide for everyone" especially for theologians, he said, because she approached the sacred Scriptures with "humility and charity, faith and hope."

International Coffee Day[2]

International Coffee Day seeks to celebrate coffee from around the world while honoring the farmers, traders, roasters and baristas responsible for creating the coffees that are enjoyed by so many people worldwide.

According to an Ethiopian legend, coffee, a black bean enclosed in red berry, was discovered by a goat herder in the Ethiopian highlands when he noticed that his goats had become overly energetic after eating the berries.  Slowly, the herder's discovery spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula, into Europe and finally to the New World, increasing the demand for coffee and making it the second most sought after commodity in the world today (crude oil being the first).

Organized by the International Coffee Organization and its 75 Member States, International Coffee Day was first celebrated on October 1, 2015 in Milan, Italy at Expo 2015.  The International Coffee Organization is an intergovernmental organization that unifies coffee exporting and importing governments through international cooperation with the aim of creating a sustainable coffee market and lowering poverty levels in developing countries that harvest coffee.


International Coffee Day Facts & Quotes

  • Based on the Food Regulation Standing Committee and Caffeine Working Group, Red bull has an average caffeine content of 32.0 mg/100ml, compared to a cappuccino which has caffeine content of 101.9 mg/100ml.  Espresso style coffee made from ground coffee beans has 194.0 mg/ml of caffeine content.  According to the Mayo Clinic, up to 400mg of caffeine is the safe limit for most adults
  • Kopi Luwak is one of the most expensive coffees brewed in the world.  Kopi Luwak it is made with digested coffee beans that had been eaten and defecated by an Asian toddy cat (Asian palm civet).  This rare coffee can cost between $35-80 US dollars for a single cup.
  • Long-term caffeine intake can lead to a caffeine addiction/dependence, which has been medically recognized as a disorder.  When individuals with a caffeine addiction abstain from caffeine, they may experience withdrawal symptoms including headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and mood changes.  
  • According to the Coffee Organization, 143 million 60kg bags of coffee were produced in 2015 and Brazil was the leading exporter of coffee, with more than 18,953 60kg bags of coffee exported between August 2015 and January 2016.
  • I am a coffee fanatic. Once you go to proper coffee, you can't go back. You cannot go back. - Hugh Laurie, Dr. House actor
Coffee with Christ[3]

The idea of this book is to seek friendship with God through Christ, the Holy Spirit and His mother-Mary. Prayer is, in its purest sense, a personal journey or intimacy with Our Lord. There is no greater help in our life’s journey in this world than through friendship with Jesus Christ and His mother. The imaginary premise of this book is have a regular “Coffee Clutch” with Christ and gather for coffee and conversation through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Ideally this book will serve as encouragement for you to enter into your own “coffee clutch” with Christ. Having a regular or daily set time or appointment to meet and discuss with Him your hopes, dreams, plans and goals. To bear your heart to Him. To just sit down with Christ and talk, laugh, and enjoy each others company, over a cup of coffee. To make the common Holy and grow in the love and likeness to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.













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