CARNIVAL/novena to the holy face (Day 5)
Isaiah,
Chapter 8, verse 5-7
The
Choice: The Lord or Assyria. 5Again
the LORD spoke to me: 6Because
this people*
has rejected the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, And melts with fear
at the display of Rezin and Remaliah’s son, 7Therefore the Lord is bringing up against them the
waters of the River, great and mighty, the king of Assyria and all his glory.
Isaiah in the previous
chapter had strived to get King Ahaz to make an act of faith in God's power:
"Ask a sign of the Lord your God."
However, the king refused; for he preferred to seek salvation in human
aid, the prophet made this prediction: "Hear then, O house of David! Is it
too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord
himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Emmanuel"[1](Is
7:13-14). Courage requires us to have the vision of Christ for: “For where there is no vision, the
people perish.”
(Proverbs 29:18).
National Marriage
Week-What Is Marriage?[2]
Marriage is a lifelong partnership
of the whole of life, of mutual and exclusive fidelity, established by mutual
consent between a man and a woman, and ordered towards the good of the spouses
and the procreation of offspring. As the Second Vatican Council reminds us,
marriage is not a purely human institution: the intimate partnership of life
and the love which constitutes the married state has been established by the
creator and endowed by him with its own proper laws. . . . For God himself is
the author of marriage. Moreover, God has endowed marriage with certain
essential attributes, without which marriage cannot exist as he intends. The
Church has taught through the ages that marriage is an exclusive relationship
between one man and one woman. This union, once validly entered and
consummated, gives rise to a bond that cannot be dissolved by the will of the
spouses. Marriage thus created is a faithful, privileged sphere of intimacy
between the spouses that lasts until death. Marriage is not merely a private
institution, however. It is the foundation for the family, where children learn
the values and virtues that will make good Christians as well as good citizens.
The importance of marriage for children and for the upbringing of the next
generation highlights the importance of marriage for all society. Conjugal
love, the love proper to marriage, is present in the commitment to the complete
and total gift of self between husband and wife. Conjugal love establishes a
unique communion of persons through the relationship of mutual self-giving and
receiving between husband and wife, a relationship by which ―a man leaves his
father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body
[flesh]‖(Gn 2:24).The Second Vatican Council speaks about conjugal love in
words of great beauty: The Lord, wishing to bestow special gifts of grace and
divine love on married love, has restored, perfected, and elevated it. A love
like that, bringing together the human and the divine, leads the partners to a
free and mutual self-giving, experienced in tenderness and action, and
permeating their entire lives; this love is actually developed and increased by
its generous exercise in conjugal love one can see something of how Christ
loves his Church (Eph 5:25).
ForYourMarriage.org
offers numerous resources on the meaning and beauty of marriage in God's plan
and provides support to couples at every stage of their journey. There are
sections dedicated to dating, marriage preparation, mixed marriages, parenting
and family, natural family planning, the stages of marriage, among others. A
marriage resource section offers daily marriage tips, marriage help and support
links, and solutions to common challenges. Finally, questions specific to
planning a Catholic wedding as well as related Church documents and teachings
are available on the website. Along with these resources, the website features
couples who write about their real-life experiences as engaged, newlyweds, or
seasoned couples with weekly blog posts. Feature articles include book reviews,
reports on current events and research related to marriage, and recent
teachings about marriage and family life from the Holy Father.
It might sound odd that during the
period of "Carnival" there occurs some of the most decadent feasting
of the liturgical year. There is, however, a pious (if not somewhat convoluted)
logic behind this consumption. Because not only meat but lacticinia (dairy products) were originally prohibited
during Lent, Christians knew that they had to eat these foods before Ash
Wednesday or they would spoil. The last days before Lent were thus spent in
eating copious amounts of fat dishes. From this necessity comes England's
famous Shrove Tuesday Pancakes and northern England's Collop
Monday (a collop is made of sliced meat and eggs fried in butter).
This also gave rise to the most famous (or infamous, depending on your point of
view) Christian party of all: Mardi
Gras. Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday," is the French
celebration of the final day before Lent. In this country it is associated
mostly with the Cajun and Creole cuisine of New Orleans, two culinary
traditions that provide a myriad of spicy, delicious dishes. One of the more
interesting customs of the New Orleans Mardi Gras is the baking of a King's
Cake, in which is placed a small doll of the Infant Jesus. The
person whose piece of cake has the doll must provide the cake for next year's
party.
NOVENA TO THE HOLY FACE
DAILY PREPARATORY PRAYER
We now implore all the Angels and Saints to intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena to the Most Holy Face of Jesus and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Fifth Day
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness, that the bones you have crushed may revive. From my sins turn away your Face, and blot out all my guilt.
Holy Face of Jesus, Sacred Countenance of’ God, how great is your patience with humankind, how infinite your forgiveness. We are sinners, yet you love us. This gives us courage. For the glory of your Holy Face and of the Blessed Trinity, hear and answer us. Mary our Mother, intercede for us, Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition, Pardon and Mercy.
Prayer to Saint Joseph
Dear Saint Joseph! Adopt us as thy children, take charge of our salvation; watch over us day and night; preserve us from occasions of sin; obtain for us purity of body and soul, and the spirit of prayer, through thy intercession with Jesus, grant us a spirit of sacrifice, of humility and self-denial; obtain for us a burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and a sweet, tender love for Mary, our Mother.
Saint Joseph, be with us in life, be with us in death and obtain for us a favorable judgment from Jesus, our merciful Savior. Amen.
Pray one (1) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary’s, (1) Glory Be.
O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every adoration Thine. (Three times)
Daily
Devotions
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Please pray for me and this ministry
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