Saturday, April 14, 2018
Daniel,
Chapter 8, Verse 23-25
23 At the end of their reign, when sinners
have reached their measure, there shall arise a king, impudent, and skilled in
intrigue. 24 He shall be strong and powerful, bring
about fearful ruin, and succeed in
his undertaking. He shall destroy powerful peoples; 25
his cunning shall be against the holy ones, his treacherous conduct shall
succeed. He shall be proud of heart and destroy many by stealth. But when he
rises against the Prince of princes, he shall be broken without a hand being
raised.
This verse brings out images of how Christ’s love
won over the Roman Empire and through Rome was spread throughout the entire
world. Rome controlled with human fear. When we fear the Lord our contentment
does not come from any absence of problems but from knowingly choosing how to
respond to them righteously. God does not want to squash our dreams with His
commandments. No he listens and smiles like we do when we see and hear the
dreams of a child. Yet, He knows that all dreams must be founded in reality and
the truth. When our dreams work against His commandments; our dreams work
against us. Every dream must have a foundation of love and in some way must
increase the life, liberty or the happiness of others. Yes, on the Day of
Judgment the homes of the poor will be honored more than the great mansions of
the rich. Simple obedience to His laws will be more highly praised than the
brilliance of all the Kings, Presidents and couriers throughout the world.
Strive therefore for dreams which provide earthly gain without the surrender to
sin. So, the only real wealth is a clear conscience; of a life well lived. To
live righteously, to love chastely, to learn the truth and to leave a legacy to
others is the only true riches. Jesus experienced the utmost depths of human fear. Yet he found the strength even in
that hour to trust the Father. “Abba,
Father, all things are possible to you; remove this chalice from me; yet not
what I will, but what you will.” (Mk. 15:34) Can we at the final hour have
the peace of Christ to say, “Father, into
your hands I commit my spirit”. (Lk . 23:46)[1]
You
and your wife embody the primordial divine plan clearly spoken of by Christ
himself: “Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them
male and female?” (Mt 19:4). “God created man in his own image, in the
image of God he created them; male and female he created them” The couple that
loves and begets life is a true, living icon: not an idol like those of stone
or gold prohibited by the Decalogue: they are capable of revealing God the Creator
and Savior. For this reason, fruitful love becomes a symbol of God’s inner
life. Saint John Paul II shed light on this when he said, “Our God in his
deepest mystery is not solitude, but a family, for he has within himself
fatherhood, sonship and the essence of the family, which is love. That love, in
the divine family, is the Holy Spirit”. The original Hebrew suggests a direct
encounter, face to face, eye to eye, in a kind of silent dialogue, for where
love is concerned, silence is always more eloquent than words. This encounter,
which relieves man’s solitude, gives rise to new birth and to the family.
Significantly, Adam, who is also the man of every time and place, together with
his wife, starts a new family. Jesus speaks of this by quoting the passage from
Genesis: “The man shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one”
(Mt 19:5; cf. Gen 2:24). The very word “to be joined” or “to cleave”, in the
original Hebrew, bespeaks a profound harmony, a closeness both physical and
interior, to such an extent that the word is used to describe our union with
God: “My soul clings to you” (Ps 63:8). The marital union is thus evoked not
only in its sexual and corporal dimension, but also in its voluntary
self-giving in love. The result of this union is that the two “become one
flesh”, both physically and in the union of their hearts and lives, and,
eventually, in a child, who will share not only genetically but also
spiritually in the “flesh” of both parents.
The most basic Christian gesture in
prayer is and always will be the Sign of the Cross.
(Pope Benedict XVI) “…by which the world
has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal 6:14) Martyrs made the
Sign as they were taken to their deaths.
The
Sign of the cross is used in every single liturgy of the Church: sacraments,
exorcisms, consecrations, and blessings[4]
·
"The
sign of the cross is a symbolic expression of the principal mysteries of
Christianity, a confession of the Catholic faith. It reminds us of the
Crucified, of the price of our redemption, and of the value of our soul; it
enkindles love of God, strengthens hope, and animates us to follow Christ on
the way of the Cross. It indicates that in the cross we are to find our honor,
our salvation, and our life; that we should prefer the folly and weakness of
the cross to all the wisdom and power of the world, that, as disciples of the
Crucified, we should combat under the banner of the cross and by this sign
triumph over all our enemies."
·
St.
Francis de Sales: "We raise the hand first to the forehead, saying, 'In
the name of the Father,' to signify that the Father is the First Person of the
Most Holy Trinity, of whom the Son is begotten and from whom the Holy Ghost
proceeds. Then saying, 'and the Son,' the hand is lowered to the breast, to
express that the Son proceeds from the Father, who sent Him down to the womb of
the Virgin. Then the hand is moved from the left shoulder or side to the right,
while saying, 'and of the Holy Ghost,' thereby signifying that the Holy Ghost,
as the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, proceeds from the Father and the Son,
that He is the Love that unites both, and that we, through His grace, partake
of the fruits of the passion. Accordingly the sign of the cross is a brief
declaration of our faith in the three great mysteries: of our faith in the
Blessed Trinity, in the passion of Christ, and in the forgiveness of sin, by
which we pass from the left side of curse to the right of blessing."
·
The
Sign of the Cross is likened by the Fathers to the true cross of Christ.
·
The
Sign of the Cross is source of all blessings and graces, the weapon and armor
of our defense against the evil spirit... as sign of Christ's victory over sin,
death, and hell.
·
God
has imparted to the sign of the cross an efficacy, because of honors and merits
of the Crucified.
·
Efficacy
greater if sign of cross made with devout and believing disposition,
recollection of mind, devotion of heart, love towards the Crucified.
Daily Devotions
·
Manhood of
the Master-Day 7 week 11
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
[1] Youth Catechism of
the Catholic Church http://www.youcat.org/
[2] Pope Francis, Encyclical on Love.
[3] Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40 Catholic
Customs and their biblical roots. Chap. 2. The Sign of the Cross.
[4]
http://www.stjosephstoledo.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=96:october-18-2009-homily-the-sign-of-the-cross&catid=14:homilies&Itemid=13
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