JUNE
Wildlife fills our life with joy and refreshment.
Songbirds and birds of prey, squirrels and rabbits, butterflies and lightning
bugs all carry a message worth discovering in early summer. Do we see and hear
them, or do we overlook them, even despise them? Are they simply an annoyance,
or do we come to know, love, and even serve these fellow creatures by providing
protection and habitat?
The month of June is dedicated to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. This month
falls within the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, which is represented by
the liturgical color green. This symbol of hope is the color of the sprouting
seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of
heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. It is used in the
offices and Masses of Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents
the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward.
Following Pentecost, the Church
begins her slow descent from the great peaks of the Easter Season to the
verdant pastures of Ordinary Time, the longest of the liturgical seasons. Like
the lush June growth all around us, the green of the liturgical season points
to the new life won for us by the Redemption of Jesus Christ, the new life of
Charity. For Our Lord came to cast the fire of His love on the earth, and to
that end, sent His Holy Spirit at Pentecost in the form of tongues of fire.
Ordinary Time is the hour to “go out to all the world and tell the good news.”
The feasts of June highlight this expansion of the Church. At least ten times,
the Church vests in the red of the martyrs whose blood is the very seed of her
growth. She also celebrates the feasts of the apostles Peter and Paul, and the
birth of St. John the Baptist, proto-disciple and prophet. We too are called to
be witnesses like the apostles and martyrs. May the Heart of Jesus inflame our
hearts so that we may be worthy of our Baptismal call to holiness. Immaculate
Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Mark, Chapter 11,
Verse 32
But
shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”—they feared
the crowd, for they all thought John really was a prophet.
The Jewish leaders here were not, let us say, persons
with high integrity and honesty.
The other day, while going through my personal notes,
I ran across some records I had taken on a lecture on “life’s most important
learning’s” I would like to share.
·
Be
a Mensch or
a person with high integrity and honesty.
·
Never
stop learning.
·
Love
and be loved.
·
Don’t
be afraid to take risks.
·
Set
the example.
·
Take
care of your health.
·
Take
care of your family.
·
Watch
your mouth.
·
One
person can make a difference.
·
Life
is a test/challenge; live it!
At the hour of
our death, when life, like a false friend, is about to forsake us, we must, in a special manner, increase our
confidence in the Heart of Jesus. It is said that Our Lord appeared one day to
a holy soul who had conjured Him to grant to a pious person a happy passage
from this life, and addressed to her these consoling words: (My daughter, where
is the pilot who, having brought into port a vessel laden with precious stones,
sinks it in the sea at the moment of his arrival? Can you suppose that, after
having granted so many graces to this soul in the course of her life, I shall
abandon her at the end thereof?? Let us lean on the heart of Jesus; and driven
on the stormy sea of this world, under the protection which He grants to those
who love Him, we shall one day triumphantly enter the desired port, and enjoy
the eternal blessings of that holy guidance. Death was always precious in the
sight of God, for Jesus was to pass through its portal; it is precious to Him
still, for Jesus has died. No one who is devout to the heart of Jesus will fail
to find at the moment of his death more excellent and abundant treasures than
he had ever expected to receive. Death, precious to Him self, will not Our Lord
render it also inexpressibly so to us? Faith cannot mistake the proofs of His
tenderness. If we may venture to say so, the exile of the being He created is a
sorrow to Him as much as to the soul itself; for, like a tender father, God
desires that His children should be with Him in His kingdom. Of all the hours
of life this is the one which is the most precious in the sight of God, exerts
the greatest power over His love, and for this very reason has such a mighty
influence over His mercy and justice. In order to receive the fulness of the
new life to be merited by repentance through the divine reparation every man
must undergo the terrible suffering of death; but is not this suffering, caused
by sin, like all other trials, a token of love on the part of God? Without
death life could not attain to its end; without death how could the soul ever
reach eternal life? The rebel angel escaped the sentence of death, but for him
there was no resurrection. It is decreed that man should die, or, rather, the
soul, cleansed by the blood of Our Lord, and vivified by His love, passes into
eternity before the body which it shall one day glorify; united together they
are called by Jesus to reign in heaven in a state so exalted that it could not
have been won by primeval innocence. Even in this world, without awaiting the
eternal glorifying of humanity, the most beloved amongst the friends of God
experience through their whole being a marvellous transformation which robs
death of its terrors, and wholly disengages them from this transitory world.
The interior light by which they are led is no longer human, but divine,
through Jesus; and a supernatural love is substituted for that natural love
which they made their law; and not only are their criminal affections
destroyed, but the love of God above all things gives them, even in this life, a
foretaste of heaven. They feel no longer an engrossing care for the
preservation of the body, but sigh after death, crying incessantly to God, with
St. Paul, I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. They exult when they
hear the clock strike, at the thought that one hour less remains for them to
pass in this exile; death is no longer a passage of sorrow, but the desired way
by which they shall go to the Lord; they sigh after it, they desire it, and
would fain hasten the moment of its approach by the ardor of their desire for
the enjoyment of a never-ending eternity. One single thing restrains them: it
is when the perfection of love imposes on them a law of charity yet stronger,
which would detain them in this world for the glory of God and the good of
their brethren; for, says St. Teresa, thus do souls arrive at a strict union
with Jesus. Thus, ardently they have desired to die in order to enjoy the
presence of Our Lord; this is their martyrdom that their exile is prolonged;
yet they are so inflamed with the desire of knowing Him, of making His name
hallowed, of being useful to the souls of others, that far from sighing after
death they would wish to live for many years, even amidst the greatest sufferings,
too happy in being able to add to the glory of their divine Master. Perfect
submission in death is an act of entire adoration, a magnificent profession of
faith and praise; its beauty consists in the cheerful and ready sacrifice which
the creature makes to the Creator of the life which He had given, shadowing
forth God s power in all its grandeur. Death beholds the soul already in
adoration annihilated at the thought of the near approach of eternity; this, we
may well imagine, is the kind of death the angels love to contemplate. The soul
takes to itself no merit, places no trust on the way in which it has served
God, and desires to possess even the smallest consolation the Church can bestow.
It is specially attracted by the sanctity of God, which makes it aspire to
become pure, pure almost beyond conception, in order to appear before the
inviolable majesty of God; relying only on His mercy; never losing its
confidence in the greatness of the divine compassion but fearing lest its
offences may be beyond the reach of pardon; dying the death of a child, with
its eyes fixed on the countenance of its tender Father. Why, then, when in a
state of grace, should we entertain a fear of death? Whosoever dwelleth in
love, dwelleth in God, and God abides in him. He who loves God is then sure of
His grace and dying in this state is certain of enjoying forever the sovereign
good in the habitations of the elect. And can such a one fear death? David has,
however, said that no living man is entirely pure in the sight of God. Thus no
one should have the presumption to hope for salvation through his own merits;
for, except Jesus and Mary, no one was ever exempt from sin. But we need not
fear death when we have a true sorrow for our faults, and place our confidence
in the merits of Jesus, Who came on this earth in order to redeem and save sinners,
for whom He shed His blood, for whom He died. The blood of Jesus Christ, says
the Apostle, cries more loudly in favor of sinners than the blood of Abel for
vengeance against Cain. Grace transforms into a brilliant light that which by
its nature was plunged in darkness and obscurity, and the plaintive cry of our
misery is changed into a song of triumph; for the fetters which yet separate
the soul of the dying from the heavenly Jerusalem are so near being severed
asunder that the triumphant alleluias of heaven mingle with the lamentations of
earth, and the last gaze of repentant love is tenderly fixed on the crucifix
till earth fades from view. The transit of the creature from time to eternity
is dear to the Creator; for precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of
His saints. Let us throw aside, then, those vain fears of death, and regard it
as a tribute which all must pay to nature. Let us be ready cheerfully to leave
this world when Our Lord shall call us to the land where the saints await us,
and where we shall meet those who have instructed us in the faith, and whose
victory will in some measure supply for the negligence with which we have
performed our own duties toward our heavenly Father. Let us unite ourselves to
those glorious troops of blessed spirits who are seated the
kingdom of God with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; into which the good thief
entered in triumph after a life of sin, and now enjoys, in the company of the
elect, the ineffable delights of paradise; where there is no darkness nor
storms, no intense heat, excessive cold, sickness, or sorrow ; and where there
is no need of the light of the sun, because the Sun of justice alone enlightens
the heavenly Jerusalem. We read the following touching account in the life of
St. Gertrude: The saint once heard a preacher insist strongly on the strict
obligation of a dying person to love God above all things, and to entertain for
his sins a contrition founded on love. She believed this to be an exaggerated
doctrine, and that if pure love was necessary very few persons would die in the
proper dispositions. She became interiorly disturbed, and a cloud obscured her
mind ; but Our Lord Himself vouchsafed to dispel her fears, telling her that in
the last struggle, if the dying per son had during life sought to please Him,
and to lead a Christian life, He would so mercifully reveal Himself that His
love would penetrate into the inmost foldings of the heart, causing it by His presence
to make acts of the most perfect contrition and, added Our Lord, I would have
My elect to know with what a great desire I wish them to be united to Me at
that important moment. Let this be made known, so that men may rely no less on
this last merciful grace than on all the others which My love has lavished upon
them. Let us propagate this consoling truth, so well calculated to inflame our
hearts with the most lively love for so merciful a God.
Practice. Let
us pray to the agonizing heart of Jesus for the eighty thousand persons who, it
is computed, die daily in this world.
(As of 2014, the number
of deaths per day is 155,520, based on the number of deaths per year,
per 1,000 people. This means there are 108 deaths every minute, or 1.8
deaths per second.)[2]
PRAYER
O sweet Jesus! grant that I may die the death of those
devoted to Thy divine heart. Eternal Father, I offer to Thee the sacrifice
which Thy divine Son made of Himself on the cross, which sacrifice He now
renews on our altars. I offer it in the name of all man kind, with the Masses
which are now being celebrated, and which will be celebrated throughout the
world, in order to adore Thee and render Thee all possible honor and glory; to
thank Thee for Thy innumerable benefits; to appease Thy justice, provoked by
our sins; to give Thee the satisfaction Thou dost expect, also to obtain grace
for myself, for Thy Church, and for the whole world, as also for the souls in
purgatory. O Lord, I offer Thee the Masses which are being said throughout the
world, in the name of all mankind, for Thy glory and the salvation and benefit
of Thy creatures. O Lord, I desire to offer up myself to Thee for all the
intentions for which Thou now offerest Thyself to God Thy Father.
National Doughnut Day is a day of appreciation of
Salvation Army volunteers who distributed doughnuts to servicemen during World
War I. Doughnuts are fried circular pieces of dough that are usually
topped with sugar syrups, chocolate, nuts and other flavorings. National
Doughnut Day began in 1938 as a fundraiser for Chicago's Salvation Army.
The fundraiser aimed to support the needy and honor the Salvation Army
volunteers who donated their time during World War I to hand out doughnuts to
the soldiers. When the US entered the war in 1917, Salvation Army huts
were formed where many female volunteers were deployed to mother the soldiers.
During this time, women began to make doughnuts for the servicemen who
began to refer to the women as, Doughnut Dollies. This national holiday is
celebrated each year on the first Friday in June.
National
Doughnut Day Facts & Quotes
o
According
to Statista's market research survey of approximately 29,000 Americans, 61% of
American households eat doughnuts.
o
In
the United States, there are more than 8,000 Dunkin Donuts restaurants, 1,000
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts restaurants, and more than 800 Tim Hortons locations.
o
In
2014, Krispy Kreme UK created the world's most expensive doughnut. The
doughnut was filled with Dom Pérignon jelly and iced in a passion fruit glaze.
The doughnut was placed on a handmade lotus flower carved from Belgian
white chocolate and dusted with edible 23-karat gold. A 24-karat gold
leaf and edible diamonds brought the cost of the doughnut to £1,000
o
Philip
Joseph Santoro of the USA holds the Guinness World Record for eating the
fastest a jam doughnut with no hands and without licking the lips. He set
the record with a time of 11.41 seconds on April 14, 2014.
o
I
have to stick to it because I found out last time that one doughnut doesn't do
a thing. You've got to eat 20 a day for five weeks before you get results. -
Renee Zellweger on her doughnut diet to gain weight for her film Bridget
Jones's Diary.
National
Doughnut Day Top Events and Things to Do
o
Visit
your local doughnut store for specials and promotions to celebrate National
Doughnut Day. Many doughnut stores offer free doughnuts or specials.
o
Try
to make your own doughnuts with your favorite toppings, or try new blends of
sweet and savory toppings. Some interesting twists include maple bacon
doughnut, smoked salmon doughnut and grilled cheese doughnuts!
o
Become
a volunteer with The Salvation
Army. According to The Salvation Army, more than 30 million
Americans received assistance from the Salvation Army's officers, employees and
3.4 million volunteers in 2014.
o
Pick
up a large box of doughnuts on your way to work or school to share with
friends, family, colleagues or fellow students
o
Watch
episodes of the Donut Showdown (2013) to learn about out-of-the-box
donut recipes. The show is judged by chefs David Rocco, Maggie McKeown
and Zane Caplansky. Each episode consists of contestants competing
against each other to create unique donuts.
Daily Devotions
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
·
Please
Pray for Senator
McCain and our country; asking Our Lady of Beauraing to
intercede.
