2 Chronicles, Chapter 20, Verse 17
You will not have to fight in
this encounter. Take your places, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD; he will be with you, Judah and Jerusalem.
Do not fear or be dismayed. Tomorrow
go out to meet them, and the LORD
will be with you.”
This encounter was a battle for the hearts of men who were firm in the faith
and hope of salvation. God was with Israel. Those who do not fear the battle
know that He is greater and he empowers his beloved. Let your hearts ascend to
Him!
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is
within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
Marianne Williamson.
Ascension Day[1]
Today we celebrate the
occasion of Christ being taken up into heaven to be with the Father and to
intercede for us.
For forty days after His resurrection,
Jesus remained with His disciples, to convince them of the truth of His
resurrection, to teach them in regard to His kingdom, that is, His Church, and
their vocation; and as they were still thinking of an earthly kingdom to be
established by Christ, He referred them to the instruction of the Holy Ghost,
and then ascended to heaven, whence He shall come to be our judge. Rejoice over
the instructions which are preserved for you through the Church; but rejoice
especially that Jesus has taken possession of the glory gained by His most
profound humiliations, for now He is there an intercessor for you; there He
prepares for you a mansion; there is now your home. To-day look up to heaven
where Christ is, hope, suffer, love, and pray.
Novena to the Holy Spirit[2]
The novena in honor of
the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the
direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to
await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It is still the
only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person
of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and
love so sorely needed by every Christian.
On
the day of Ascension our Lord went to the Father. The disciples were
heartbroken but He promised them that He would send the Holy Spirit (Novena to the Holy
Spirit) saying it is better for us that He leave us so we may receive power
from on high. The first gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of Holy fear; to respond to God’s love as a son
or daughter rather than a servant.
In the early centuries the Church celebrated the Feast of the Ascension with elaborate processions that imitated Christ's conducting His Apostles to Bethany (Lk. 24.50). Eventually, however, these liturgical processions became nonliturgical pageants, and the pageants, in turn, became plays. Ascension Thursday was a day for special effects. This could happen in a dignified way during the Mass, as when in Germany the priest would lift a crucifix during the Gospel at the words, "He was taken up into heaven," or it could happen in a dramatic way after Mass with a theatrical representation of the Ascension event. Statues of the risen Christ would be hoisted by pulleys into the air and then either concealed by white silk representing clouds or pulled through an opening in the ceiling. The audience would then be showered with roses, lilies, and wafers. The flowers symbolized the various gifts of the Holy Spirit promised by Christ before He left, while the wafers reminded all that Jesus is still present to us in the Blessed Sacrament.
Daily Devotions/Prayers
·
Offering
to the sacred heart of Jesus
Please pray for the intentions of my Vincent Michael (Conqueror-Who is like God) whose birthday is today.
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