Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Introduction to Psalms[1]
The Bible for some is stuffy,
overblown, and boring. So and so, son of so and so did such and such a thing to
this ruler and then X, Y, and Z happened. (Snore.) Well, that may be a Dull
Fest, but Psalms will set the
record straight. Think fire and brimstone, giant sea monsters, cannibals, and
even drunks. Yeah, ancient poetry is juicy. Psalms is one of the longest books
of the Bible, but that's because it's actually a collection of 150 poems about
life back in the day. We're talking Real Housewives of the Negev. The
Bible mostly comprises stories, prophecies, and laws, but Psalms brings the
poetic punch. Most of the Psalms are attributed to David, the Israelites'
greatest and most famous king. Turns out King David was a poet too—yeah, he did
know it. The Psalms are all written in Hebrew, and have been jazzed up, classed
up, and mistranslated ever since they were written starting 3,000 years ago.
Part of Psalms' appeal is its poetry. If Leviticus looks as stale as a tax
code, then Psalms is a chance for the authors of the Bible to show off their
skills and impress their audience, all while getting to the heart of current
events. They worry about idol worship, God's wrath, local weather patterns, and
even trash talk their most hated enemies. What does this mean for us? Just that
Psalms is a goldmine of historical goodies as much as it's a precursor to
almost every good piece of poetry written since. Not too shabby.
Why Should I Care?
King David and his courtly assistants were putting pen to paper around the
10th century BCE. Since then, Psalms has been popping up in operas, reggae
songs, and your brain. Yep, your brain. Remember, "The Lord is my
shepherd, I shall not want"? How about "By the rivers of
Babylon"? Or "Out of the mouth of babes"? Yeah, those are all
psalms: numbers 23, 137, and 8, to be exact. What we're trying to tell you is
that Psalms has staying power. Yeah, it's part of the bestselling book of all
time, but it stands on its own, too. Why? The poems address subjects that we
all face every day: uncertainty about our position in the universe, doubt that
we can succeed, emotion over a loss, and a desire to destroy the Amalekites
with fire and water…oh wait, is that us? We may not know much about interstate
ethnic rivalries in the 12th century BCE, but we sure can relate to the rest of
those feelings. Talk about universal.
TUESDAY August 22
QUEENSHIP OF THE BLESSED
VIRGIN MARY
"Be calm, do not fear. You shall not die."
Psalm
2, verse 11
Serve
the LORD with fear; exult with trembling, accept correction lest
he become angry and you perish along the way when his anger suddenly blazes up.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him!
To fully understand this verse we must know who the writer is referring to. In
verse 10 the writer states “Now
therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord
with fear. Our God is a just God and
to those who have been given much; much is required. Kings (and the 1
percent’ers) to be wise must humble themselves. It is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of the needle then for a rich man to get into heaven. The
"Eye of the Needle" has been claimed to be a gate in Jerusalem, which
opened after the main gate was closed at night. A camel could only pass through
this smaller gate if it was stooped and had its baggage removed.[2] I also with this verse picture Mary Magdalene. Mary who by many
accounts was a very rich woman financed our Lord’s ministry. We see in this
verse the shadowing of her kissing of His feet and at the same time the hardening
of Judas’ heart: who on seeing her act of love and wanting riches refused to humble
himself and died in his pride.
Does Christ desire us to serve with Fear and
trembling?
I noticed the other day that my two dogs when I
come in are so excited about seeing me that they tremble with excitement. I
think our God wants our hearts and our desires. I think we should have the
humble fear that a loved child has for his or her parents, full of love and
respect and that we should be excited too. So let us approach each day with the
kind of excitement that makes us tremble ready to do the will of God?
On the 11th OF October 1954, Pope Pius
XII established the Feast of the Queenship of Mary to be celebrated throughout
the world, and commanded that on that day each year, the world should renew its
consecration to her. In the future the Feast came to be celebrated on 22nd of
August. On the day of her Assumption, Mary our Mother was solemnly crowned by
Christ and received by the whole court of Heaven as Queen. What Christ has done
in Heaven and the Church has done on our behalf we should now do individually,
that is, we should recognize Mary's Queenship, enthrone her in our homes,
consecrate ourselves to her and, by this means, establish in our lives the
reign of Mary Immaculate Queen of the Universe.
How to Enthrone Mary Immaculate Queen in Your Home and Consecrate Your Family to Her A statue or picture may be blessed; If convenient, ask a priest to perform
the ceremony, otherwise the head of the family can do it. Prepare her altar with flowers and
candles, giving her an honored place in your home where all will see her and
often pray to her. Recite
together kneeling:
Act of Contrition; 3 Hail
Marys; 3 Glorias; 3 times the invocation: Mary Immaculate Queen: Triumph and Reign. followed by
the
Act of Consecration
O Mary Immaculate Queen, glorious Queen of the Universe, most powerful Virgin, merciful Mother of a merciful God and refuge of sinners, we consecrate ourselves to thy Royal and Immaculate Heart.
It is through thee that Jesus Christ our King has come into the world to save it. It is also through thee that He is to reign over the world.
In order to obtain this great benefit for ourselves and all mankind, we come to thy feet to consecrate to thee our persons, our lives, all that we are, all that we have, all that we love. Keep us, enlighten us, dispose of us, reign over us.
May all hearts and all homes willingly proclaim thee as their Immaculate Queen.
O Mary Immaculate Queen, glorious Queen of the Universe, most powerful Virgin, merciful Mother of a merciful God and refuge of sinners, we consecrate ourselves to thy Royal and Immaculate Heart.
It is through thee that Jesus Christ our King has come into the world to save it. It is also through thee that He is to reign over the world.
In order to obtain this great benefit for ourselves and all mankind, we come to thy feet to consecrate to thee our persons, our lives, all that we are, all that we have, all that we love. Keep us, enlighten us, dispose of us, reign over us.
May all hearts and all homes willingly proclaim thee as their Immaculate Queen.
Prayer
O Mary Immaculate Queen, look down upon this distressed and suffering world. Thou knowest our misery and our weakness. O Thou who art our Mother, saving us in the hour of peril, have compassion on us in these days of great and heavy trial.
Jesus has confided to thee the treasure of His Grace, and through Thee He wills to grant us pardon and mercy. In these hours of anguish, therefore, thy children come to Thee as their hope.
We recognize thy Queenship and ardently desire thy triumph. We need a Mother and a Mother's Heart. Thou art for us the luminous dawn which dissipates our darkness and points out the way to life. In thy clemency obtain for us the courage and the confidence of which we have such need.
Most Holy and Adorable Trinity, Thou Who didst crown with glory in Heaven the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Savior, grant that all her children on earth may acknowledge her as their Sovereign Queen, that all hearts, homes, and nations may recognize her rights as Mother and as Queen. Amen.
MARY IMMACULATE QUEEN
Triumph and Reign!
Imprimi potest:
+ Michael Epus Galviensis, 4 June, 1966
O Mary Immaculate Queen, look down upon this distressed and suffering world. Thou knowest our misery and our weakness. O Thou who art our Mother, saving us in the hour of peril, have compassion on us in these days of great and heavy trial.
Jesus has confided to thee the treasure of His Grace, and through Thee He wills to grant us pardon and mercy. In these hours of anguish, therefore, thy children come to Thee as their hope.
We recognize thy Queenship and ardently desire thy triumph. We need a Mother and a Mother's Heart. Thou art for us the luminous dawn which dissipates our darkness and points out the way to life. In thy clemency obtain for us the courage and the confidence of which we have such need.
Most Holy and Adorable Trinity, Thou Who didst crown with glory in Heaven the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Savior, grant that all her children on earth may acknowledge her as their Sovereign Queen, that all hearts, homes, and nations may recognize her rights as Mother and as Queen. Amen.
MARY IMMACULATE QUEEN
Triumph and Reign!
Imprimi potest:
+ Michael Epus Galviensis, 4 June, 1966
Daily Devotions/Prayers
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National54 day Rosary day 8
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