SEVENTH
SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (16th
S. Ord. Time)
Sunday focus: "Faith cannot
save without virtue" (St. John Chrysostom).
2 Maccabees, Chapter
7, Verse 29
Do not be afraid of this executioner, but be worthy of your brothers and
accept death, so that in the time of mercy I may receive you again with your
brothers.”
People of virtue are often
a stumbling block for the rich and the powerful yet know that they, the rich
and the powerful, are only the physical workers of the devil and his cohort,
while we are the children of God. Take courage therefore and wrap yourself in
the virtues our Lord may give you. For some are martyrs and some are priests
and religious and some are holy hermits and some are holy spouses and parents. In
Maccabees the progressives now push for the abolition of Judaism. Today we also
realize the same push from the progressive tools of the devil. Will there ever come
a time when in our society where virtuous people are treated like the mother
with her seven martyred sons. We report—you decide!
Martyrdom of a Mother
and Her Seven Sons[1]
HANNAH AND HER SEVEN SONS, a story told in II Maccabees , Chapter 7, of seven brothers who were seized
along with their mother by Antiochus IV
Epiphanes, presumably shortly after the beginning of the religious persecutions
in 167/166 B.C.E., and commanded to prove
their obedience to the king by partaking of swine's flesh. The brothers
defiantly refused to do so. Encouraged in their resolve by their mother, they
were executed after being put to frightful tortures. When the mother was
appealed to by the king to spare the youngest child's life by prevailing upon
him to comply, she urged the child instead to follow in the path of his
brothers, and she herself died shortly thereafter.
Purity between Spouses[2]
"Celebrate
and reverence God's vision of human sexuality."
Natural Family Planning
Awareness Week is a national educational campaign. The Natural Family
Planning Program of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops develops a
poster each year with basic supportive materials. It is the individual
dioceses however, that offer a variety of educational formats in the local
church to focus attention on Natural Family Planning methods and Church
teachings which support their use in marriage. The dates of Natural Family
Planning Awareness Week highlight the anniversary of the papal encyclical Humanae
Vitae (July 25) which articulates Catholic beliefs about human sexuality,
conjugal love and responsible parenthood. The dates also mark the feast
of Saints Joachim and Anne (July 26), the parents of the Blessed Mother.
For further information, contact nfp@usccb.org.
Parents’ Day celebrates and recognizes the important role of responsible parenting in every day family life. Families are a fundamental human institution; they are bonded by unconditional love and commitment.
Parents' Day was established in 1994. In a time where society had become increasingly self-centered, President Bill Clinton signed a congressional resolution to commemorate Parents’ Day in an effort to promote family commitment and parental responsibilities. Supported by the Unification Church, Senator Trent Lott introduced the bill into the senate and the National Parents’ Day Coalition was developed to support Parents’ Day by annually selecting ‘Parents’ of the Year’ at local, national and state levels. The Coalition also provides educational programs for parents and aims to promote the stability of family by encouraging fidelity between husbands and wives, as well as abstinence in young people prior to marriage. In addition to The National Parents’ Day Coalition, other organizations use Parents’ Day to promote the traditional two parent nuclear family model. Parents' Day is held annually on the fourth Sunday in July.
Parents'
Day Facts & Quotes
·
In
2015, 3.3 million unmarried or cohabiting couples in America had children under
the age of 18. This is in comparison to 1.2 million cohabiting couples
with children in 1996.
One
wonders if this was caused by the consumption of tequila! Just 100% proof that
our government is not as good a patron as our God! We should avoid the “Mommy
needs Vodka” mindset.
·
In
1960, 73% of U.S. children lived in a traditional home with two married
heterosexual parents in their first marriage. By 1980, this figure had
dropped to 61%. By 2013, 46% of children lived in a traditional home.
·
All
that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. — Abraham Lincoln.
·
By
the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son
who thinks he's wrong. — Charles Wadsworth, Classical Pianist
Instruction on Good Works[4]
What are good works? All actions of men which are done according to
the will of God, from love of Him, and by the help of grace.
Which are the principal good works? Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Prayer including all acts belonging to the service of God: fasting, all
mortifications of the body; almsgiving, all works of mercy.
How many are the works of mercy? Two: corporal and spiritual.
Which are the spiritual works of mercy? Those which have for their
object the salvation of our neighbor; as, 1, to admonish the sinner; 2, to
instruct the ignorant; 3, to counsel the doubtful; 4, to comfort the afflicted;
5, to bear wrongs patiently; 6, to forgive injuries and offences; 7, to pray
for the living and the dead.
Which are the corporal works of mercy? 1, To feed the hungry; 2, to
give drink to the thirsty; 3, to clothe the naked; 4, to visit the prisoners;
5, to shelter the houseless; 6, to visit the sick; 7, to bury the dead (Matt.
xxv. 42, 43).
What is necessary to render works meritorious? 1, They must be good in themselves; 2, they must be done by the grace of God; 3, in
the state of grace; 4, by free will; 5, with the good intention of pleasing
God.
Can we be saved without good works? No; for Christ says expressly,
“Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down and shall be
cast into the fire.” And that servant in the Gospel (Matt. xxv. 25) who neither
wasted his talent nor yet traded with it, but digged into the earth and hid his
lord s money, was therefore cast into the outer darkness.
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord',. . .but he who does the will of my Father. . .shall enter the kingdom of heaven". Not so much what one "says" about the Lord, but how he "does" His "Will," is what brings forth "good fruit". Deeds, not mere words, are acceptable to God; acceptable to neighbor also. Example is the best precept. The final fruit of sin is "death;" the fruit of "justice" is "life everlasting". The Holy Eucharist is the "health-giving" Fruit of Calvary, our antidote against the poison-laden Dead-Sea fruit of the world, the flesh and the devil.
Excerpted
from My Sunday Missal,
Confraternity of the Precious Blood
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