1 Maccabees, Chapter 12, Verse 39-42
39 Then Trypho sought to become king of Asia,
assume the diadem, and do violence to King Antiochus. 40 But he was afraid that Jonathan would not
permit him, but would fight against him. Looking for a way to seize and kill
him, he set out and came to Beth-shan. 41 Jonathan marched out to meet him with forty
thousand picked fighting men and came to Beth-shan. 42 But when Trypho saw that Jonathan had arrived with a large army he was afraid to do him violence.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth-yes. Jonathan was speaking softly yet at the
same time he was carrying a big stick which was his large army with him. As a
former police officer we would in order to prevent any trouble show up in force
thus preventing the need to take action. Yet we must always be cautious for often evil men are vile and full of
trickery. In this case Jonathan is finally undone for he is sucked into
accepting gifts and praise from Trypho thus letting go of his stick; his army
and is finally captured and killed. Pride goes often before the fall.
Flawed Men Seek Love Wrongly[1]
The
dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with
God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he
comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through
love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully
according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself
to his creator.
From
one ancestor [God] made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted
the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would
live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him
- though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For "in him we live and
move and have our being."
30 "Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice." Although man can forget God or reject him, He never ceases to call every man to seek him, so as to find life and happiness. But this search for God demands of man every effort of intellect, a sound will, "an upright heart", as well as the witness of others who teach him to seek God.
You
are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised: great is your power and your
wisdom is without measure. And man, so small a part of your creation, wants to
praise you: this man, though clothed with mortality and bearing the evidence of
sin and the proof that you withstand the proud. Despite everything, man, though
but a small a part of your creation, wants to praise you. You yourself
encourage him to delight in your praise, for you have made us for yourself, and
our heart is restless until it rests in you.
Love endures
Today
is my 13th wedding anniversary and a day of infamy; just kidding. On
the marriage of my oldest son his little brother was asked to say something at
the reception. Vincent got up (he is 6’6”) and while all eyes were on him
stated, “First Chris called Kate and there was the telephone ring: then there
was a bond establish and the trust ring began: then after some time came the
engagement ring: and naturally followed the wedding ring: but Chris I have to
warn you that after today there is one more ring; for now begins the suffer
ring. Pope Francis tells us about “Love” in marriage.
Amoris Lætitia[2] Love in Marriage (89-94)
Love grows from the path of fidelity and
mutual self-giving and thus encourages the growth, strengthening and deepening
of conjugal and family love. Indeed, the grace of the sacrament of marriage is
intended before all else “to perfect the couple’s love.” Love is experienced
and nurtured in the daily life of couples and their children. Daily love
strives to accomplish what Paul describes in his letter to the Corinthians.
“Love is patient, love is kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not
arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or
resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears
all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor
13:4-7). Love is patient which is expressed in the quality of one who does not
act on impulse and avoids giving offense. We find this quality in the God of
the Covenant, who calls us to imitate him also within the life of the family.
God’s “patience”, shown in his mercy towards sinners, is a sign of his real
power. Being patient does not mean letting ourselves be constantly mistreated,
tolerating physical aggression or allowing other people to use us. Unless we
cultivate an understanding and patience of others; we will always find excuses
for responding angrily. We will end up incapable of living together, antisocial,
unable to control our impulses, and our families will become battlegrounds.
Patience takes root when I recognize that other people also have a right to
live in this world, just as they are. Love is always at the service of others.
Paul wants to make it clear that “patience” is not a completely passive
attitude, but one accompanied by activity, by a dynamic and creative
interaction with others. The word indicates that love benefits and helps
others. For this reason it is translated as “kind”; love is ever ready to be of
assistance. Love is more than a mere feeling. Rather, it should be understood
along the lines of the Hebrew verb “to love”; it is “to do good” for the other.
Although Saint Anne is not mentioned in
the Bible, she is the holy mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus. When we
pray the St. Anne Novena, we are asking help from our Blessed Mother’s mother! Saint
Anne’s feast day is on July 26th, so the St. Anne Novena is traditionally
started on July 17th — but you can pray it anytime. Devotion to St. Anne began
early in the history of the Catholic Church. As she was favored by God to
become the mother of the holy Virgin Mary, she is often invoked as the Patron
of mothers as well as for relationships, among other things.
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