PURIM
Isaiah, Chapter 54, verse 4
Do not fear, you shall not be put to shame; do not be discouraged, you
shall not be disgraced. For the shame of your youth you shall forget, the
reproach of your widowhood no longer remember.
Isaiah
here is speaking of the Eternal Covenant of Peace from God. Our shame was that
we as a people by our transgressions killed Christ, who was the messiah and our
spiritual spouse, thus becoming widows, as a people. Isaiah tells us in advance
that God in his love will no longer remember our reproaches. He will make us
free, He will give us peace. The next verse of Isaiah makes this clear, “For
your husband is your Maker; the LORD of hosts is his name, Your redeemer, the
Holy One of Israel, called God of all the earth.”
Does
our nation not realize that if we are the spouse of the God of all the earth,
that we are committing murder of God’s own spiritual children through the
legalization of abortion?
Our Holy Father states that peace can only come when
we confront the truth.[1]
Jesus
declared “I am the truth” (John 14: 6) and told Pontius Pilate “For this I was
born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” (John 18:
37). Because he is the Son of God, Jesus is the truth about who God is, and,
because he is fully human, he is the truth about the human person.
What is that truth?
·
First,
that God is Love, love that is willing to give all, even life itself, for the
good of the beloved.
·
Second
that the human person is precious to God, precious enough to die for.
When
this truth is denied, the human person becomes subhuman, a problem, an object,
or a threat. It becomes easy to destroy a mass of cells viewed as a threat. The
human person may seem like a cancer on humanity and be treated as such, rather
than as an individual for whom Jesus suffered and died.
A Jewish Holiday which
commemorates Jewish people being saved from extermination in Persia. The
story of Purim comes from the Biblical book of Esther. In it, Haman a
high ranking advisor to King Ahasuerus sought to kill all Jews in ancient
Persia. He is motivated by an incident in which Mordechai, a Jewish leader,
defied the king's orders and refused to bow to Haman. Haman is stopped through
the actions of Mordechai and his niece Esther, a beautiful and courageous
Jewish woman. Esther initially disguises her Jewish Identity and eventually
becomes Queen. Through their actions the King becomes aware of Haman's plot and
is persuaded to have him hanged.
Purim Facts
& Quotes
·
Purim
is considered to be a joyous Holiday often accompanied by celebrations, plays,
festive food and costume parties.
·
Purim
holiday is often preceded by fast, referred to as the Fast of Esther.
This fast commemorates Esther's three days of fasting in preparation for
her meeting with the king. The fast is observed from dawn until dusk on
the eve of Purim.
·
The
story of Purim is told in the book of Esther, which is also known as "the
Scroll" (Megillah in Hebrew).
·
If
I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me
my life - this is my petition, and the life of my people - this is my request.
(Esther 7:3)
Purim Top Events
and Things to Do
·
Make
a Mishloach Manot (also known as mishloach manos or shalach manos). This
is a gift of at least two kinds of food that are ready to eat. Give them
out to neighbors, friends and associates.
·
Make
Hamantaschen cookies. These are pocket triangle shaped cookies that are
often made with fruit, poppy seed or cheese filling.
·
Attend
a Purim Carnival or Festival. Some of the more popular ones are the
Carnival at Mamilla (Jerusalem) and Cirque Du Purim in Minneapolis.
·
Donate
to the poor. It is customary and part of tradition to give at least two
gifts to two poor people on Purim.
·
Visit
a Jewish Museum. Many put on special activities for kids such as plays,
performances, and costume parties
Biblical Partying[3]
The
Bible, it turns out, is filled with fabulous parties. Think of the parable of
the prodigal son. When he returns to his father’s home with a contrite heart after
living the high life, he is not given broth and sent to bed. No, his father
says, "bring hither the fatted calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry;
for this my son," as if to show that home is where the high life actually
is. St. Clement of Alexandria wrote: "The repentant son came to the
pitying father, never hoping for these things—the best robe, and the ring, and
the shoes—or to taste the fatted calf, or to share in gladness, or enjoy music
and dances; he would have been contented with obtaining what in his own
estimation he deemed himself worthy." Instead, he got it all. That’s a
party.
Given
this spirit of liberality in one of Jesus’ own parables, a good Catholic should
be prepared to throw a great party whenever the opportunity arises. Now, it’s
true that merrymaking cannot be the sum total of the way we live. The
ever-stern St. Francis de Sales, in his Introduction to the Devout Life,
warns against excessive frivolity. But he does affirm that balls and
festivities are not evil in themselves and can even be used for good. "It
is lawful to amuse yourself, to dance, dress, feast, and see seemly
plays," he affirms. The proviso is that the good times must not hinder,
but help, devotion. Indeed they can and do.
Lenten Calendar[4]-The Second Servant Song-
The second song, spoken in the Servant’s own voice, tells of being selected
from the womb to become God’s mouthpiece and help renew the nation
The
Servant of the Lord
Hear me, coastlands, listen, distant peoples. Before
birth the LORD called me, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. He made my
mouth like a sharp-edged sword, concealed me, shielded by his hand. He made me
a sharpened arrow, in his quiver he hid me. He said to me, You are my servant, in
you, Israel, I show my glory. Though I thought I had toiled in vain, for
nothing and for naught spent my strength, yet my right is with the LORD, my
recompense is with my God. For now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his
servant from the womb, That Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel
gathered to him; I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my
strength! It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the
tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light
to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. Thus says
the LORD, the redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, To the one despised, abhorred
by the nations, the slave of rulers: When kings see you, they shall stand up, and
princes shall bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of
Israel who has chosen you.
Our lives always are better if we work with God
rather than against him. To this end God has assigned an angel to protect
churches and persons for indeed we are the true temples of God. We should be particularly
attentive to our own guardian angels, since they are specifically assigned to
our care. Our guardian angels want to help us cooperate with the will of God,
and they want to keep us from sin. They help us to comfort others-and they want
to keep us safe and from causing harm to others. They are our best friend in
that they always want what’s best for us even if it does not coincide with the
things we desire the most and they will undoubtedly help us, especially when we
ask them. Learn to ask for what you need. Our angel helps us to answer Gods
call for holiness. As we are the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit our angel is
charged with protecting our temples and keeping us pure for the presence of
God. We must learn to speak to the angels.
No
evil shall befall you, no affliction come near your tent for he commands his
angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go. With their hands
they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You can
tread upon the asp and the viper, trample the lion and the dragon.
Daily Devotions
·
Do 20 min. in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
·
In honor of Purim—fast Thursday-Friday and Saturday evening/Sunday
have a feast.
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
[3]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5306
[4]http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/february-28.cfm
[5] Hahn,
Scott, Signs of Life; 40 Catholic Customs and their biblical roots. Chap. 5.
Guardian Angels
Comments
Post a Comment