November
The Thanksgiving meal is a ritual. Whether we are from rural or
urban backgrounds, we know the harvest time passes and the year draws to an
end. Giving thanks to God is Eucharist, a heavenly banquet and the foretaste of
things to come. We are not worthy receivers of this sacrament without the
haunting knowledge of the poor nutrition for many in our country and famine in
other countries. How can we respond to
homelessness and hunger here in our own land and share our bounty with those
who are poor in other countries (lands)?
The
annual collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) will
be held in most parishes the weekend of November 18-19, on the celebration of
the First World Day of the Poor instituted by Pope Francis. World Day of the
Poor will mark the "moments of encounter and friendship, solidarity and concrete assistance" with people living
in poverty. "Poverty challenges us daily in the United States, but it also
presents an opportunity for true encounter with the suffering flesh of Christ.
CCHD is bringing hope and the joy of the Gospel to our sisters and brothers in
need," Nearly 41 million people live in poverty in the United States –
that's $24,600 for a family of four and $12,600 for a single person. This
collection supports the work of groups that empower low-income people to
participate in decisions that affect their lives and work break the cycle of
poverty in their own communities. Many of the projects supported by CCHD embody
the corporal works of mercy, including the protection of worker rights,
expanding access to healthcare, and reforming the criminal justice system. CCHD
is the official domestic anti-poverty program of the U.S. Catholic bishops.
This national collection is the primary source of funding for CCHD's community
and economic development grants and education programs aimed at fostering a
culture of life and hope in communities across the nation. Twenty-five percent
of funds collected remain in each diocese to support local anti-poverty
projects.
Remember our goal is loving
empowerment-If we give strive for level 8 but
giving at level 1 is a start-the journey of a thousand miles begins with a
single step.
- Giving
begrudgingly
- Giving less
that you should, but giving it cheerfully.
- Giving
after being asked
- Giving
before being asked
- Giving when
you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your
identity
- Giving when
you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your
identity
- Giving when
neither party knows the other's identity
- Enabling
the recipient to become self-reliant
WEDNESDAY November
1
ALL SAINTS DAY (Holy Day of Obligation-Go to Mass)
Proverbs, Chapter
15, Verse 33
The fear of the LORD is training for wisdom,
and humility goes before honors.
To
become wise, one must hear and
integrate perspectives contrary to one’s own, which means accepting “reproof.”
Wisdom does not isolate one but places one in the company of the wise.[2]
When we have failed to live up to the vision of God for us let us remember that
to be truly wise and loving and have a true fear of the Lord our return to
honor requires us to 1) say I am sorry; 2) acknowledge that it is our fault-no
excuses and most importantly 3) to take actions to correct the fault or make
things right-Lord help me to make the
things I have done poorly right!
2177 The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day
and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day
on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition
and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal
Church."
"Also to be observed
are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the
Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi, the feast of
Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of
Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints."
WHY has the Church
appointed this feast?
1. To honor God in His saints, in whom He has shown Himself so wonderful, and
to thank Him, as the author of all sanctity, for the benefits He has bestowed
upon them. 2. To put us in lively remembrance of the communion of saints; that
is, of all true children of the Church, whether they belong to the Church
militant on earth, to the Church suffering in purgatory, or to the Church
triumphant in heaven; but more particularly to cause us to consider, with
earnestness, the communion of the saints in heaven with us, who are yet
combating on earth. 3. To encourage us to strive for the like sanctity with
them, and to teach us that it is by no means impossible ; for if thousands of
men could become saints, why should not we, who can do all things through Him
Who strengthens us, and has sent the Holy Ghost for our sanctification? 4. To
pay honor to those saints to whom no particular day in the year is dedicated.
5. That, in consideration of so many intercessors, God may grant us perfect reconciliation,
may give us a share in their merits, and may grant us the grace of one day sharing
in their joy in heaven.
Explanation of
the Eight Beatitudes
I. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The poor in spirit are: 1. those who,
like the apostles, readily forsake all earthly things, and for Christ’s sake
become poor. 2. Those who, happening to lose their property by misfortune or
injustice, suffer the loss patiently, in resignation to the will of God. 3.
Those who, like Jesus, are content with their poor and humble position, seek no
higher or happier one, and would rather suffer want than enrich themselves by
unlawful acts, by fraud or theft. 4. The rich and noble who set not their
hearts upon the riches and greatness of the world; but who use their riches and
influence to relieve the misery of the needy and oppressed. 5. Finally, the
truly humble, who, convinced of their weakness, their helplessness and misery,
think lowly of themselves, and regard themselves but as beggars, who are always
in need of the grace of God. To all these, therefore, in whose hearts the world
has no place, there is assured, as their inheritance, the kingdom of heaven;
here the kingdom of grace there the kingdom of glory.
II. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall
possess the land.” That man is meek who does not murmur against God for
sending afflictions upon him, who is not angry at men who do him injury, but
who rather suppresses impatience, anger, envy, and revenge, nay, who seeks to
recompense the evil done him by his neighbor with good. Such a one is greater
than he who takes by storm fortified cities; he possesses an unfailing fountain
of peace, quiet, and cheerfulness; by his meekness prevails over the most
hostile minds, is by such means truly a ruler upon earth, and will one day, for
his portion, obtain heaven, the land of the living, there to enjoy eternal
peace.
III.
“Blessed are they that mourn, for they
shall be comforted,” By them that mourn we are not to understand such as
grieve and lament over a death, a misfortune, a loss of worldly goods, or the like;
but those who are grieved that God should be in so many ways offended by
themselves and by others that His Church should be so heavily oppressed, and
thereby so many souls lost that have been redeemed with the precious blood of
Christ. The only evil really to be grieved for is sin, and the tears shed on
account of sin are the only tears that are profitable, for they shall be
recompensed with everlasting joy.
IV. “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst
after justice, for they shall have their fill.” Hunger and thirst denote
the most ardent longing after those virtues which constitute Christian
perfection; such as humility, meekness, the love of God and of our neighbor,
penance. Whoever longs for these virtues as the hungry man does for food and
drink, and prays to God for them with perseverance and earnestness, shall have
his fill; that is, he shall be enriched with them, and one day shall be
satisfied with eternal happiness.
V. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall
obtain mercy.” The merciful here spoken of are: 1. Those who willingly for give
the injuries done to them. 2. Those who have compassion on their poor
neighbors, and, according to their ability, sustain them by alms. These shall
obtain mercy; that is, God will forgive them their sins and endow them abundantly
with the goods of this world and of the world to come. Thus God deals with us
as we deal with others.
VI. “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they
shall see God.” The clean of heart are those who preserve with care the innocence
with which they are invested at holy Baptism, or seek to regain it, when lost,
by penance; those who keep their hearts and consciences unspotted from all
sinful thoughts, particularly from all unchaste thoughts, desires, words, and
acts, and who endeavor in all things to have a pure intention directed to God alone.
They shall see God, that is, they shall know Him even here upon earth, for as
the eye that is to see must be clean,
so only souls that are pure and unstained can behold God. But further, our
knowledge is like our hearts; the purer the heart the clearer and greater is
the knowledge of God. But in the world above they shall see, know, and possess
Him as He is. What blessedness! Strive, therefore, to keep your heart clean.
VII.
“Blessed are the peace-makers, for they
shall be called the children of God.” By peace-makers we are to understand those
who have peace with themselves, that is, a quiet conscience, and who endeavor
to maintain peace among others, or to restore it when broken. Such are called
the children of God, because they follow God, Who is a God of peace, and who
even gave His only Son to reconcile the world with Him, and to bring down upon
earth that peace which the world itself could not give.
VIII.
“Blessed are they that suffer persecution
for justice sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Hereby all those are
declared blessed who, on account of the true faith, of virtue, of the fear of
God, of purity, are persecuted, calumniated, and even put to death, and who
bear all this with Christian patience and constancy, nay, with joy. Thus have
the saints done, and thereby they have gained the heavenly crown. Do we desire to
be crowned with them; we must also
suffer with them. And in truth, if we would apply ourselves zealously to
virtue, occasions will not be wanting to us, for all that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution.
In the Roman liturgical books, the celebration of All Saints' Day ends in the afternoon. When it is time for evening Vespers, the office for the Dead is recited in preparation for All Souls' Day. Those who do not use the breviary have followed the same pattern as well. Beginning at sunset on All Saints' Day, families gather in one room, extinguish all lights except the blessed candle that had been saved since Candlemas Day, and pray for the souls of their departed loved ones. In Brittany a group of men would actually go from farm to farm at night, shouting: "Christians awake; pray to God for the souls of the dead, and say the Pater and Ave for them." The household would reply "Amen" and rise in prayer.
Things
to Do[5]
·
Visiting
a cemetery and praying for the dead during the Octave of All Saints' Day
(November 1 through November 8) will gain a plenary indulgence that can be
applied only to the souls in purgatory. On other days, this work gains a
partial indulgence.
·
Spend
a little time after Mass thanking God for all the unnamed saints, some of whom
could be our own relatives.
·
Have
a special meal and if you have young children have them dress up like saints
and play games.
·
Pray
the Litany
of the Saints -- you could make it really special by chanting it ("he
who sings prays twice") and you could read an explanation of this litany,
which is considered the model of all other litanies.
·
From
the Catholic Culture library:
o The
Church's Thanksgiving Day by Fr. Joseph Minihan,
o Ideas
for Sanctifying All Saints' Day by Jennifer Gregory Miller,
o Halloween
and All Saints Day by Fr. William Saunders.
·
An indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory,
is granted to the faithful, who devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, even if
only mentally, for the departed. The indulgence is plenary each day from the
first to the eighth of November; on other days of the year it is partial.
·
A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in
Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who on the day dedicated to the
Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed [November 2 {as well as on the
Sunday preceding or following, and on All Saints' Day}] piously visit a church.
In visiting the church it is required that one Our Father and the Creed be
recited.
·
To acquire a plenary indulgence it is necessary also to
fulfill the following three conditions: sacramental Confession, Eucharistic
communion, and prayer for the intention of the Holy Father. The three
conditions may be fulfilled several days before or after the performance of the
visit; it is, however, fitting that communion be received and the prayer for
the intention of the Holy Father be said on the same day as the visit.
·
The condition of praying for the intention of the Holy
Father is fully satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary. A
plenary indulgence can be acquired only once in the course of the day.
More things to do[6]
·
It is popular for Mexican Christians to celebrate All
Saints Day by creating shrines in their homes featuring the favorite things of
their loved ones. Families often go to the cemetery and hold picnics near
the graves of loved ones to celebrate their lives.
·
Go to church and light a candle for your departed loved
ones. This is common for All Saints Day as a way to commemorate relatives
and loved ones who have died during the previous year.
·
Some families meet on All Saints Day after church to repair
and spruce up the graves of their loved ones. Tend to your family's last
resting place.
·
All Saints Day also commemorates saints that are unknown to
us. Honor a deceased person that may have contributed positively to
society or your life.
Daily
Devotions
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