Monday, May 1, 2017

2 Samuel, Chapter 3, Verse 11

Ishbaal was no longer able to say a word to Abner, he feared him so.

This is a twisted tale of the leaders of Israel that are being divided in loyalties to either David or the son of Saul “Ishbaal”. Money, Power, Sex and Violence are involved. Hmmm sounds like this could be America splitting between Hillary and the Donald. Do not trust in these things but in He that is.

Aspire to live a tranquil life, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your [own] hands, as we instructed you, that you may conduct yourselves properly toward outsiders and not depend on anyone.

1 Thessaonians 4:11-12

Ishbaal[1] was one of the four sons of King Saul, born c. 1047 BC. He was chosen as the second king over the Kingdom of Israel, which then consisted of all the twelve tribes of the Israelites, after the death of his father and three brothers at the Battle of Mount Gilboa. He was proclaimed king over Israel by Abner, the captain of Saul's army after his father and brothers were slain in the battle of Gilboa. He was 40 years old at this time and reigned for two years. Upon the death of King Saul, the tribe of Judah seceded from the rule of the House of Saul by proclaiming David as its king, and war ensued. David's faction eventually prevailed, but the war did not come to a close until Abner joined David.

Ishbaal and Abner Quarrel[2]

During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was gaining power in the house of Saul. Now Saul had had a concubine, Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ishbaal, son of Saul, said to Abner, “Why have you slept with my father’s concubine?” Enraged at the words of Ishbaal, Abner said, “Am I a dog’s head from Judah? As of today, I have been loyal to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and his friends, and I have kept you out of David’s clutches; and today you charge me with a crime involving a woman! May God do thus to Abner, and more, if I do not carry out for David what the Lord swore to him—that is, take away the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish the throne of David over Israel as well as Judah, from Dan to Beer-sheba.” Ishbaal was no longer able to say a word to Abner, he feared him so.

May Day[3]

The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian times, with the Floralia, festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, held on April 27 during the Roman Republic era, and with the Walpurgis Night celebrations of the Germanic countries. The day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures. As Europe became Christianized, the pagan holidays lost their religious character and May Day changed into a popular secular celebration. A significant celebration of May Day occurs in Germany where it is one of several days on which St. Walburga, credited with bringing Christianity to Germany. The secular versions of May Day, observed in Europe and America, may be best known for their traditions of dancing around the maypole and crowning the Queen of May. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of "May baskets," small baskets of sweets or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbors’ doorsteps. Since the 18th century, many Roman Catholics have observed May – and May Day – with various May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In works of art, school skits, and so forth, Mary's head will often be adorned with flowers in a May crowning. May 1 is also one of two feast days of the Catholic patron saint of workers St Joseph the Worker, a carpenter, husband to Mother Mary, and surrogate father of Jesus. Replacing another feast to St. Joseph, this date was chosen by Pope Pius XII in 1955 as a counterpoint to the Communist International Workers Day celebrations on May Day.[4]

May Day Facts & Quotes[5]

·         Roman Catholics celebrate May as Mary's month, and May Day is celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

·         May Day is also recognized as International Worker's Day, or Labor Day.  This day commemorates workers rights and the labor movement.  One popular cause that this day commemorates is the eight-hour workday.

·         During the Haymarket Affair of 1886, more than a dozen people were killed after a 3-day strike and rally. US Labor Unions had agreed upon a general nationwide strike on May 1, 1886 in support of an eight-hour work day. One such rally, held outside the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, Chicago, Illinois, became violent when police fired into the crowd of striking workers. Outraged, the worker's organized another rally the next day at Haymarket Square.  The rally became violent when a bomb was thrown into a crowd of police.  Seven officers were killed.  A very public trial ensued which ended in the public hanging of four anarchists.

·         In France, it is customary to give a sweet smelling flower called the spring of lily of the valley (a symbol of springtime) on May 1st. The tradition started in 1561 when King Charles IX of France received a lily of the valley as a lucky charm.

·         All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. – Martin Luther King Jr.

May Day Top Events and Things to Do

·         Dance around a Maypole. Decorate a tall pole with garlands of flowers and ribbons. Have a group of friends each take a ribbon and dance around the pole, interweaving the ribbons to form a braided affect. The braid can be undone by retracing one's steps.

·         Have a picnic outdoors in the sunshine.

·         Attend a May Day Festival.

·         Visit a local fresh air market.

·         Watch a film relating to worker’s rights. Our favorite films on the topic:
1) The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
2) Office Space (1999)
3) Caesar Chavez (2014)

Daily Devotions/Prayers

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

http://paradisusdei.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=29fa0f2c7e20c8af85d66eaaa&id=3d484fc119&e=9d66e5e313

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[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ish-bosheth

[2]https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Samuel+3&version=NABRE

[3]http://www.wincalendar.com/May-Dayhttp://www.wincalendar.com/May-Day

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Day

[5]http://www.wincalendar.com/May-Day

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Today the church gives us an exhortation on how Christ's flock is to conduct itself and an oblique allusion to the Ascension.

2 Samuel, Chapter 1, Verse 14

David said to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to put forth your hand to desecrate the LORD’s anointed?

The lesson here is, do not be a person who seeks to gain from another’s misfortune.

Cue up the Sad Violins[1]

·         As 2 Samuel begins, Saul and Jonathan have just died fighting the Philistines—David almost fought for the Philistines, but ended up getting excused at the last second, and headed off to fight the Amalekites.

·         Saul had committed suicide after seeing his defeat was inevitable (with, as it turns out, a little help), and Jonathan was killed in the battle.

·         A survivor from Saul's army finds David and tells him the news. It turns out the survivor was an Amalekite who (at Saul's request) helped Saul finish dying, giving him a fatal sword thrust, before bringing Saul's crown and armlet to David.

·         However, David is offended that this guy had the guts to help kill the Lord's anointed, so he has one of his own men kill the Amalekite.

Singing the Blues

·         Then, David sings the blues. In a song, he laments the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, singing, "How the mighty have fallen!"

·         He hails them both, paying tribute to their strength and good qualities, and telling the rest of Israel to weep for them in mourning.

·         He also says that Jonathan's love for him was "wonderful, passing the love of a woman," before repeating again, "How the mighty have fallen."

Honor God’s Anointed[2]

It appears that the Amalekite was trying to get a reward for killing the enemy of David (Saul). Everyone in the nation knew that Saul and David were at odds and that Saul was trying to kill David. When he stumbled onto the body of Saul he thought that he had hit the jackpot. Instead of telling the truth about what he found he lied to David with the hope of getting gain. David was faultless in killing him because the man told David that he had killed the Lords anointed. In David’s eye that was a serious crime and the man brought it on himself. Notice and verse 14 of second Samuel he says "How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lords anointed?" and in verse 16, "And David said unto him, thy blood be on thy upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying I have slain the Lords anointed." Even though he did not kill Saul he lied in hopes of being rewarded and he was, just not in the way he thought though. The wages of sin is death.

Third Sunday after Easter[3]

In what does the perfection of the Christian life consist? In the perfection of love (Col. iii. 14). The more a man separates himself from the world, and unites himself with God, the more perfect he will be. We can attain to the perfection of the Christian life by means of certain excellent practices known as the evangelical counsels which Jesus Christ lays before us, and to which He calls us, without directly commanding us to adopt them. So that the difference between the commandments and the evangelical counsels consists in this: that the commandments bind us by an indispensable obligation, but the evangelical counsels do not. The evangelical counsels are:

1. Voluntary poverty.

2. Perpetual chastity.

3. Entire obedience under a spiritual director.

By voluntary poverty is understood a free-will renunciation of the riches and goods of this world in order to follow Jesus Christ in His poverty. By perpetual chastity we understand a free-will, life-long abstinence, not only from everything that is contrary to purity, but also abstinence from marriage, in order to live only for God and His holy service in virginal purity. By entire obedience we are to understand a voluntary renunciation of one’s own will in order to follow the will and command of a superior whom one chooses for himself. In practicing the evangelical counsels there are three points to be observed, in order that they may serve, or help to eternal salvation:

1. They must be practiced with a pure intention, seeking thereby nothing else than to please God and to praise His holy name.

2. with great humility, in no way giving ourselves preference over others.

3. By great fidelity in observing not only what one has vowed, but also what is commanded. Also, one should live diligently and strictly according to the commandments; otherwise the practicing of the evangelical counsels will be of no avail.

Encouragement to Patience in Adversity

 

“You shall lament and weep.” John xvi. 20.

 

Many think that true happiness on earth consists in honors, riches, or pleasures, but Christ, calls, not the rich, but the poor and persecuted, “blessed.” He even predicts to His disciples nothing but sorrows in this world while to the rich and great, who set their hearts on this world, He predicts nothing but woe, mourning and weeping in the world to come. How much, therefore, are they to be pitied, who, regardless of this truth, think only of spending their days in luxury, but encourage themselves in the illusory hope of reaching heaven, when Christ and all saints have ascended thither only by the way of the cross, and of suffering, and when it is certain that no one can have part in their joys who has not also first borne part of their sorrows.

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[1]http://www.shmoop.com/2-samuel/chapter-1-summary.html

[2]http://www.adventistonline.com/forum/topics/why-did-king-david-order-the

[3]Gofine’s Devout Instructions, 1896

Saturday, April 29, 2017

1 Samuel, Chapter 28, Verse 20

Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, in great fear because of Samuel’s message. He had no strength left, since he had eaten nothing all that day and night.

Christ is the strength of the weak and the humble and the confidence of those who trust in him. Christ says to us, “My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me. (Jn. 10:27) Saul was in great fear because the spirit of God had long ago left him and he no longer heard the voice of God. In desperation now that Samuel had died was to have the witch of Endor act as a medium to conjure up the spirit of Samuel to help save him from the Philistines. Saul broke his own laws by seeking the aid of a sorcerer. The Israelites were a Holy people and Saul could not understand the Ends never justify the means. No we must be calm and listen to the voice of he that was the epitome of fairness and justice that took upon Himself our sins to the cross and thus bearing our guilt to make us a Holy people.

Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare[1]

Day of Remembrance for all the Victims of Chemical Warfare commemorates the victims of chemical warfare and serves to reaffirm the world's commitment to eliminate chemical weapons. Thus, the day also serves to promote peace, security and multilateralism. Although, chemical weapons have been banned for some time by the Geneva Convention, they are still infrequently used. The United Nations proclaimed the Day of Remembrance for all the Victims of Chemical Warfare in November of 2005. It has since been celebrated on April 29th, the same date on which the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force in 1997. The day aims to destroy chemical weapons and further gain adherence to the Convention's articles in order to achieve a safer and more peaceful world.

Remembrance for Victims of Chemical Warfare Facts & Quotes

·         Chemical weapons were used for the first time on a large scale in battle during World War I at the battle of Ypres in 1915. The chemical that was used as a weapon was chlorine gas.

·         90% of the world’s declared chemical weapons stockpile of 72,525 metric tons has been verifiably destroyed.

·         100% of the declared chemical weapons production facilities have been inactivated and all are subject to a verification regime.

·         There are three different schedules of chemicals:
1) Schedule One: these are typically used in weapons such as sarin and mustard gas
2) Schedule Two: these are used in weapons such as amiton and BZ
3) Schedule Three: these are typically the least toxic chemicals and are used for research and the production of medicines.

·         For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face. – Madeleine Albright, American politician and diplomat, first woman to be secretary of state.

Remembrance Victims Top Events and Things to Do

·         Watch a documentary or movie on the perils of chemical warfare. Some popular options are: Science at War: Laboratory of War, Chemical Warfare Watch, Avoiding Armageddon: Chemical Weapons, and Total Recall.

·         Read a book on the widespread dangers of chemical warfare. Some good suggestions are: War of Nerves, Chemical and Biological Warfare: America’s Hidden Arsenal, and a Higher Form of Killing.

·         Spread awareness on social media by using the hashtags #peacenotwar and #remembranceforallchemicalwarfarevictims

·         Visit the site of some of the chemical weapon use. Some ideas, the Battlefields of Ypres, the Battlefields of Passchendaele and the Tokyo Subway.

·         Donate to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. They seek to end the use and existence of chemical weapons throughout the world and all proceeds help them toward that goal.

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[1]http://www.wincalendar.com/Remembrance-Victims-Chemical-Warfare-Day

Friday, April 28, 2017

The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid?

1 Samuel, Chapter 28, Verse 5

When Saul saw the Philistine camp, he grew afraid and lost heart completely.

Are we like Saul? Have we lost heart completely? Have we seen the camps of our enemies and come to despair. God will not abandon us like we have abandoned him. Do not despair but call out to the Lord and listen. Pay attention and if today you hear His voice harden not your hearts.

Comparing David with Saul the one thing that distinguished them from each other was David’s humility and confidence in the Lord. This we can see in David’s Psalm 23.

The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores my soul. He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me. You set a table before me in front of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Indeed, goodness and mercy^* will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for endless days.

Arbor Day History

Arbor Day is a celebration of trees and their importance to providing shelter, stabilization for the ground, and beauty to the beholder. While Arbor Day is a US holiday, several other countries have adopted similar observances including Japan, Australia, Korea and Yugoslavia. In 1970, President Richard Nixon declared Arbor Day a federal holiday and it is observed the last Friday in April each year.

Arbor Day Facts & Quotes

·         The first Arbor Day was celebrated April 10, 1872 in the State of Nebraska. More than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska as they celebrated the first Arbor Day.

·         A single tree can absorb as much as 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and can sequester 1 ton of carbon dioxide by the time it reaches 40 years old.

·         Newspaper editor, Julius Sterling Morton  began Arbor Day to help bring attention to the importance of trees.

·         Since the Yellowstone Fires of 1988, the Arbor Day Foundation has partnered with the US Forest Service. Through this partnership, over 25 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted.

·         The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now. –Proverb

Arbor Day Top Events and Things to Do

·         Plant a tree. Poplars leaf out about now.

·         Visit a nursery and consider buying some plants.

·         Australian accent: Crocodile Dundee (1986), The Babadook (2014)

·         Organize a neighborhood beautification project.

·         Hold a paper drive.  Use the recycling proceeds to purchase a special tree.

Daily Devotions/Prayers

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

Thursday, April 27, 2017

I sought the LORD, and he answered me and

delivered me from all my fears.

1 Samuel, Chapter 23, Verse 17

He said to him: “Have no fear, my father Saul shall not lay a hand to you. You shall be king of Israel and I shall be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.”

This is the last statement of Jonathan to David where he openly acknowledges that David will be king. Jonathan does not live to see David made king. Jonathan’s visit strengthens David and attests to the hidden care of the Lord for him. During this time David is in his wilderness strongholds. 

Q: There are those who say that David and Jonathan had a homosexual relationship to justify the modern homosexual agenda.

Father Edart[1]: The account in 1 Samuel 18:1-5 shows gestures and words that express a profound attachment between Jonathan and David. Although the terms used describe a real affective bond, their usual use in the Old Testament in no way allows for seeing a homosexual relationship there. For an example you can see Jacob and his son Benjamin in Genesis 44:30-31. The expression "to love as oneself" — as his soul — is frequent — Leviticus 19:18.34. The verb "to love," in a context of alliance, takes on a political dimension, the beneficiary being considered as partner or superior. Moreover, the gift that Jonathan made to David of his weapons illustrates the transfer of his prerogatives, among which was the right of succession to his father's throne. It's a political gesture. In the account, nonetheless, David ends up replacing Jonathan — 1 Samuel 23:17. Other passages, developed by Innocent Himbaza in our book, illustrate the friendship between Jonathan and David. All the gestures posed between these two men, however, can take place between parents and children — Jacob and Benjamin; between brothers — Joseph and his brothers; between father-in-law and son-in-law — Jethro and Moses; between close friends — Jonathan and David; between warriors — Saul and David, Jonathan and David; and between brothers and sisters in the faith — Paul and the Ephesians. We risk interpreting the latter askew here, but these are actually normal and usual gestures for people who feel close to one another. We can affirm that nothing in the texts we are faced with allow for seeing any homosexuality between David and Jonathan, not even implicitly. If at times an expression is ambiguous for a modern spirit, reading it in context removes that possibility.

Q: The Church preaches love of neighbor, but is often reproached for wanting to put "barriers" to love, for not understanding every person's profound need to love. If the Church does not approve homosexuality, what message of hope can she give to a person who finds in homosexuality the means to give himself and to love?

Father Edart: The suffering of a homosexual person can be very great and not accessible to people who do not experience this situation. Indeed, our whole world is marked by this fundamental fact of heterosexual love. Even the Chinese civilization, hardly susceptible to having been shaped by Judeo-Christian culture, also lives this reality. In that civilization, homosexuality is also perceived as outside the norm. The homosexual person experiences an internal suffering, attested by psychological studies, but he also suffers from his confrontation with a world that very often will judge and condemn him. This rejection will often even be violent. In fact, everybody passes a phase in their psychological development of ambiguity on the sexual plane in adolescence. A person might be, for some time, attracted by persons of the same sex, without being for all that a homosexual! If this stage of growth is badly lived or unfinished, it results in psychic suffering. Subsequently, every confrontation with homosexuality will trigger this suffering, which will be translated in violent behavior. To learn to consider a homosexual person without reducing him to his sexual orientation can be difficult and lead to recognizing one's personal poverty. In the face of this situation, the Church, in fidelity to the Bible, recognizing that active homosexuality cannot be a good for the person, forcefully affirms, in the same fidelity to the word of God, that every person, regardless of his sexual orientation, has the same dignity and in no way must be the object of unjust discrimination. As every baptized person, homosexual persons are called to holiness and to live here and now a living relationship with Christ in the Church. The message of the Gospel is a source of hope for these persons and the Church witnesses to this. Christian communities can be places where people see their personal suffering accepted and understood. The latter will then be able, with the support of these communities, to seek to correspond to God's call. The development of friendly and fraternal relations lived in chastity is an important place of psychological and spiritual healing. Friendship with Christ is certainly the principal support and guide on this path. He is the best of friends. This friendship is nourished in the life of faith, prayer and the sacraments. The homosexual person desirous of progressing toward Christ will find an indispensable support there. He wants to be in alliance with each one by meeting the person just as he is and to conduct him to himself gradually with the continuous and unconditional support of his mercy. It's a long and difficult but possible path. It is certain that the development of homosexuality in our Western society is an appeal to Christians to create new places to help those who are wounded in their sexuality.

Daily Devotions/Prayers

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

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[1]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=7822&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=1710959

[2]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-04-26

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

I sought the LORD, and he answered me and

delivered me from all my fears.

1 Samuel, Chapter 23, Verse 15

While David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh he was afraid that Saul had come out to seek his life.

David trusted his life to God and did what was righteous.

David a.k.a. Robin Hood[1]

·         The Philistines are robbing grain at Keilah, so David and his men go attack them.

·         Even though Saul is after them, David still knows he needs to protect the people for God.

·         After David defeats the Philistines, Saul learns of David's whereabouts (1-8).

·         David learns that Saul is coming for him and he starts freaking out.

·         God informs David that the people will turn him over to Saul this time, which is a hard lesson for David because even though he was acting on the people's behalf, they were willing to stab him in the back (9-13).

·         Even though Saul is unable to find David, Jonathan finds him no problem. BFFs can be like that. Jonathan encourages David to keep fighting the good fight because one day he will be king of Israel as God intends (14-18).

·         Saul learns that David is staying in the wilderness of Ziph with his merry men a la Robin Hood. Saul starts chasing through Ziph and a variety of other areas.

·         Unfortunately for Saul, David is quick as lightning and always avoids danger. At one point, Saul and his men are on one side of a mountain and David and his men are on the other side. Tough luck, Saul.

·         Saul gets word the Philistines are raiding the land. For once, Saul makes a good decision and goes to defend the Israelites against the Philistines (15-29).

We glorify God when we are righteous as he is righteous who makes the rain fall on both the good and the evil.

Roméo Dallaire[2]

John McCain in his book Character is Destiny examined the character traits exemplified by Roméo Dallaire who in 1993, was appointed Force Commander for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), where he witnessed the country descend into chaos and genocide, leading to the deaths of more than 800,000 Rwandans. When the rest of the world looked away, he stayed behind in a manmade evil for the sake of duty and justice. Dallaire was in charge of a small overwhelmed African peacekeeping force, he could have left but he refused and witnessed the genocide. He is ashamed he could have not done more and the reaction of the world that stood by for 100 days doing nothing allowing the devil to reap carnage, terror and hopelessness. Dallaire was the one candle in a darkened room of despair created by the collective failure of mankind’s conscience along with the apathy and deceitfulness of world governments toward Rowanda’s plight. McCain writes of Dallaire dilemma:

The U.S. government, our allies, and the United Nations went to extraordinary and ridiculous lengths to avoid using the term, aware that once genocide was acknowledged, they would have to act. Day after day, long night after long night, for over three months, more men, women, and children were added to the rolls of the victims by their hate-crazed persecutors. Romeo Dallaire soldiered on, saving those he could and agonizing over those he couldn’t, all the while begging the UN, and the world, to send more troops, to do something, anything, to help. In his telling, his mission was to keep peace; peace was destroyed by unimaginable violence, and many thousands died. He failed. He tried to convince his superiors to send him more men. He failed. He tried to get the United States and other powerful countries to listen to their consciences and help. He failed. He tried to persuade the world to stop genocide. He failed. And while many, many people who had a responsibility to stop the killings looked the other way and never had a moment of doubt or a night of troubled sleep, Romeo Dallaire took his failures very, very seriously. A righteous person, no matter how blameless, will always take humanity’s failures personally.

Our Lady of Good Counsel[3]

On the Feast of Saint Mark, April 25 1467, the people of Genazzano, Italy witnessed a marvellous sight. A cloud descended upon an ancient church dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel. When the cloud disappeared, an image of Our Lady and the Child Jesus was revealed which had not been there before. The image, on a paper-thin sheet, was suspended miraculously. Soon after the image's appearance many miracles were attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Because of this, Pope Paul II ordered an investigation and the results have been preserved. It was later discovered that the very same image had been seen in a church dedicated to the Annunciation in Scutari, Albania. The image in this church was said to have arrived there in a miraculous manner. Now, the image had been transported from Albania miraculously to avoid sacrilege from Moslem invasion. A commission of enquiry determined that a portrait from the church was indeed missing. An empty space the same size as the portrait was displayed for all to see. Many miracles continue to be attributed to Our Lady of Good Counsel. Pope Saint Pius V, for example, credited victory in the Battle of Lepanto to Her intercession. Several Popes have approved the miraculous image. In 1682 Pope Innocent XI had the portrait crowned with gold. On July 2 1753 Pope Benedict XIV approved the Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel, and was the first to wear it.

Daily Devotions/Prayers

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

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[1]http://www.shmoop.com/1-samuel/chapter-23-summary.html

[2]McCain, John and Salter, Mark. (2005) Character is destiny. Random House, New York

[3]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-04-26

Tuesday, April 25, 2017 Feast of St. Mark

1 Samuel, Chapter 23, Verse 1-4

¹ David was informed that the Philistines were attacking Keilah and plundering the threshing floors. ² So he consulted the LORD, asking, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The LORD answered, Go, attack them, and free Keilah. ³ But David’s men said to him: “Even in Judah we have reason to fear. How much more so if we go to Keilah against the forces of the Philistines!” ⁴ Again David consulted the LORD, who answered: Go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your power.

Again we see David protecting the people; even the people who are the friends of Saul. The same Saul who; out of his envy, is seeking David and his follower’s deaths. David’s faith makes his actions beyond those of rational fairness; and David’s action show the very mercy of God.

St. Mark[1]

John Mark, later known simply as Mark, was a Jew by birth. He was the son of that Mary who was proprietress of the Cenacle or "upper room" which served as the meeting place for the first Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12). He was still a youth at the time of the Savior's death. In his description of the young man who was present when Jesus was seized and who fled from the rabble leaving behind his "linen cloth," the second Evangelist might possibly have stamped the mark of his own identity. During the years that followed, the rapidly maturing youth witnessed the growth of the infant Church in his mother's Upper Room and became acquainted with its traditions. This knowledge he put to excellent use when compiling his Gospel. Later, we find Mark acting as a companion to his cousin Barnabas and Saul on their return journey to Antioch and on their first missionary journey. But Mark was too immature for the hardships of this type of work and therefore left them at Perge in Pamphylia to return home. As the two apostles were preparing for their second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take his cousin with him. Paul, however, objected. Thereupon the two cousins undertook a missionary journey to Cyprus. Time healed the strained relations between Paul and Mark, and during the former's first Roman captivity (61-63), Mark rendered Paul valuable service (Col. 4:10; Philem. 24), and the Apostle learned to appreciate him. When in chains the second time Paul requested Mark's presence (2 Tim. 4:11). An intimate friendship existed between Mark and Peter; he played the role of Peter's companion, disciple, and interpreter. According to the common patristic opinion, Mark was present at Peter's preaching in Rome and wrote his Gospel under the influence of the prince of the apostles. This explains why incidents which involve Peter are described with telling detail (e.g., the great day at Capharnaum, 1:14f)). Little is known of Mark's later life. It is certain that he died a martyr's death as bishop of Alexandria in Egypt. His relics were transferred from Alexandria to Venice, where a worthy tomb was erected in St. Mark's Cathedral. The Gospel of St. Mark, the shortest of the four, is, above all, a Roman Gospel. It originated in Rome and is addressed to Roman, or shall we say, to Western Christianity. Another high merit is its chronological presentation of the life of Christ. For we should be deeply interested in the historical sequence of the events in our blessed Savior's life. Furthermore, Mark was a skilled painter of word pictures. With one stroke he frequently enhances a familiar scene, shedding upon it new light. His Gospel is the "Gospel of Peter," for he wrote it under the direction and with the aid of the prince of the apostles. "The Evangelist Mark is represented as a lion because he begins his Gospel in the wilderness, `The voice of one crying in the desert: Make ready the way of the Lord,' or because he presents the Lord as the unconquered King."

Patron: Against impenitence; attorneys; barristers; captives; Egypt; glaziers; imprisoned people; insect bites; lions; notaries; prisoners; scrofulous diseases; stained glass workers; struma; Diocese of Venice, Florida; Venice, Italy.

Symbols: Winged lion; fig tree; pen; book and scroll; club; barren fig tree; scroll with words Pax Tibi; winged and nimbed lion; lion.

Often Pictured as: Man writing or holding his gospel; man with a halter around his neck; lion in the desert; man with a book or scroll accompanied by a winged lion; holding a palm and book; holding a book with pax tibi Marce written on it; bishop on a throne decorated with lions; helping Venetian sailors; rescuing Christian slaves from Saracens.

Feast of St. Mark, the Patron Saint of Venice[2]

In Italy April 25th is Liberation Day, a national holiday commemorating the end of World War II in 1945 and the Nazi occupation of Italy. But for Venetians April 25th is an even older holiday, Festa di San Marco, or The Feast of St Mark. April 25th is the anniversary of St Mark’s death in 68 A.D. and in Venice is a lively celebration. Mass is held in the morning at Saint Mark’s Basilica, and there is music, dancing, concerts and carnivals throughout the day. Of course it wouldn’t be a festival in Venice without a Gondola Race! The "Regata di Traghetti" starts at the island of Sant’Elena and ends at the Punta della Dogana, at the entrance of the Grand Canal. One look at Saint Mark’s Square with Saint Mark’s Basilica is proof enough that the city is anything but subtle about their pride in their patron saint. The winged lion, which represents St Mark and is the famous symbol of the city of Venice, can also be found in Piazza San Marco, and all over Venice for that matter. Saint Mark may be a ubiquitous symbol in Venice today, but before the year 828 Saint Mark's remains were in Alexandria. Being an important maritime power, Venice needed equally important relics, a status symbol at the time. Venetian merchants Buono da Malamocco and Rustico da Torcello were up for the job, and smuggled Saint Mark’s remains from Alexandria into Venice. They accomplished the difficult task by hiding the relics in shipments of pork meat, which were understandably off-putting to the Islamic inspectors. Perhaps it’s because of the great effort taken to "import" Saint Mark’s remains that Venetians have always been so proud of their patron saint. 

Festival of the Blooming Rose

The celebration is also known as the "Festival of the Blooming Rose, " and it is tradition for men to give the woman they love a "bocolo," a red rose bud to symbolize their love. The legend surrounding the tradition of the rosebud centers on two star-crossed lovers, Maria Partecipazio, the Doge’s daughter, and Tancredi the troubadour. Maria was a beautiful noblewoman, whose father forbid her romance with Tancredi because of his lower social class. Tancredi enrolls in the army, seeking fame and glory through battle that would elevate his social status, making him able to return home worthy of Maria. He fought valiantly, but was ultimately killed in battle in Spain. Tancredi fell mortally wounded onto a rosebush, and with the last of his strength picked a rosebud and asked his friend Orlando the Paladin to take it back to Maria. Orlando returned to Venice on April 24th, and true to his word gave Maria the rosebud, still stained with Tancredi’s blood. The next day, on April 25th, Maria was found dead with the rose over her broken heart. So while flowers are always a welcome gesture, if you’re in Venice for April 25th, be sure to symbolize your eternal love with a red rosebud!

Daily Devotions/Prayers

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

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[1]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-04-25

[2]https://www.kissfromitaly.com/en/blog/the-feast-of-saint-mark-in-venice

Monday, April 24, 2017 Feast of St. George

1 SAMUEL, Chapter 22, Verse 23

Stay with me. Do not be afraid; whoever seeks your life must seek my life also. You are under my protection.”

David said this to Abiathar: the sole survivor of Eli’s household which Saul killed for giving aid to David. David now has in his service the only priest of the Lord left in the land and exclusive access to the ephod for consulting the Lord. David later appoints Abiathar co-high priest with Zadok in Jerusalem.

Yet, when I read this verse I hear the Lord saying this to us all-Stay with me-do not be afraid. Today go to the Blessed Sacrament and spend some time with the Lord. There our Lord will pull us to Himself and transform us into warriors and conquerors. Draw near to Him and He will transform your disenchantment with the world and help you along the road to holiness and sainthood.

Our lives are songs; God writes the words and we set them to music at pleasure; and the song grows glad, or sweet or sad, as we choose to fashion the measure.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

Saint George[1]

The traditional legends have offered a historicized narration of George's encounter with a dragon. The modern legend that follows below is synthesized from early and late hagiographical sources, omitting the more fantastical episodes. Saint George likely was born to a Christian noble family in Syria Palaestina, during the late third century between about 275 AD and 285 AD. He died in Nicomedia in Asia Minor. His father, Gerontios, was from Cappadocia, an officer in the Roman army; his mother, Polychronia, was a native of Lydda. They were both Christians from noble families so their child was raised with Christian beliefs. They decided to call him Georgios, meaning "worker of the land" (i.e., farmer). At the age of 14, George lost his father; a few years later, George's mother, Polychronia, died. Eastern accounts give the names of his parents as Anastasius and Theobaste. George then decided to go to Nicomedia and present himself to Emperor Diocletian to apply for a career as a soldier. Diocletian welcomed him with open arms, as he had known his father, Gerontius — one of his finest soldiers. By his late 20s, George was promoted to the rank of Military Tribune and stationed as an imperial guard of the Emperor at Nicomedia. On 24 February AD 303, Diocletian (influenced by Galerius) issued an edict that every Christian soldier in the army should be arrested and every other soldier should offer a sacrifice to the Roman gods of the time. However, George objected, and with the courage of his faith, approached the Emperor and ruler. Diocletian was upset, not wanting to lose his best tribune and the son of his best official, Gerontius. But George loudly renounced the Emperor's edict, and in front of his fellow soldiers and tribunes he claimed himself to be a Christian and declared his worship of Jesus Christ. Diocletian attempted to convert George, even offering gifts of land, money, and slaves if he made a sacrifice to the Roman gods; he made many offers, but George never accepted. Recognizing the futility of his efforts and insisting on upholding his edict, Diocletian ordered that George be executed for his refusal. Before the execution, George gave his wealth to the poor and prepared himself. After various torture sessions, including laceration on a wheel of swords during which he was resuscitated three times, George was executed by decapitation before Nicomedia's city wall, on 23 April 303. A witness of his suffering convinced Empress Alexandra and Athanasius, a pagan priest, to become Christians, as well, so they joined George in martyrdom.

Daily Devotions/Prayers

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George