First Saturday
CINCO DE MAYO
Malachi, Chapter 1, verse 14
Cursed is the cheat who has in his flock
an intact male, and vows it, but sacrifices to the LORD a defective one
instead; For a great king am I, says the LORD of hosts, and my name is feared
among the nations.
Traditionally in Judaism there are seven names given
for God. The seven names of God that, once written, cannot be erased because of
their holiness are the Tetragrammaton, El, Elohim, Eloah, Elohai, El Shaddai,
Tzevaot.
Tetragrammaton is YHWH or I am that I am.
El simply means God and is used in the names of
IsraEL, AngEL.
Elohim means He is power of powers Eloah is the
singular form of Elohim.
Elohai mean “My God”.
El Shaddai means “God Almighty”
Tzevaot means “God the armies of Israel”.
Names are important.
Most of us remember the elementary school playground and the mean names kids
called each other. Author and speaker, Kary Oberbrunner[1],
states that we all have a secret name that the One who made us gives us.
Oberbrunner said, “My name is Kary, and I have a girl’s name.” He was no
stranger to mean names on the playground. He went on to say that each of us has
three names:
1.
Our
birth name – the name assigned to us when we arrive in this world
2.
Our
given names – the names assigned to us as we walk through the world. These
names can be positive and negative, ranging from successful, beautiful, star
athlete to those names assigned by mean kids, like concentration camp victim,
stupid, addict.
3.
Our
secret name – the name granted to us by God, Oberbrunner said the problem is
our birth names and given names don’t ever fill up the void inside us. We
pretend and wear masks.
What would God call you? When Christ called his
apostles; He revealed to some of them God’s name for them. Sons of Thunder for
John and James and for Simon son of John, He called him Peter which means
“Rock”.
“I promise to assist them at the
hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their
souls."
Why Five
Saturdays?
The five first Saturdays
correspond to the five kinds of offenses and blasphemies committed against the
Immaculate Heart of Mary:
1) Blasphemies against the
Immaculate Conception
2) Blasphemies against her
virginity
3) Blasphemies against her
divine maternity, at the same time the refusal to accept her as the Mother of
all men
4) Instilling indifference,
scorn and even hatred towards this Immaculate Mother in the hearts of children
5) Direct insults against Her
sacred images
How to
complete the Five First Saturdays Devotion:
On the first Saturday of five
consecutive months:
1. Go to confession;
2. Receive Holy Communion;
3. Say five decades of the Rosary;
4. Keep Our Lady company for 15
minutes, meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary;
5. Have the intention of making
reparation to Our Lady for the offenses listed above.
Today is Cinco de Mayo; sometimes referred to as
Cinco de Drunko, due to the heavy consumption of alcohol connected with the
hedonistic celebration. Cinco de Mayo is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico.
However, in America it is up there with some of our most celebrated: like the
Fourth of July and St. Patricks day. The holiday has reinvented itself in
America, from celebrating Mexico's win at the Battle of Puebla, to celebrating
Mexican culture, and beer, and tequila. If we're being completely honest
though, the actual meaning of Cinco de Mayo in America is pretty lost on us,
but so is the meaning of St. Patrick’s day. Today instead of following this
hedonistic celebration try and make it to Mass today.
Today
is the Kentucky Derby; life is a race and we like the horses without Christ as
our jockey cannot cross the finish line.
The Kentucky Derby is the most
popular and oldest horse race in the world. The race is a 1.25-mile long,
Grade I stakes horse race for three-year-old thoroughbreds on a dirt track. It
is held annually at Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky. The
Kentucky Derby, run on the first Saturday in May of every year, is the first
leg of the elusive Triple Crown races. It is followed by the Preakness Stakes
two weeks later in Baltimore, Maryland and the Belmont Stakes, 3 weeks after
the Preakness in Elmont, New York. Meriweather Clark founded the Kentucky
Derby, which was first held in 1875. Since then, the Derby has become a day of
luxury and fashion and celebrities are often in attendance.
Kentucky
Derby Facts & Quotes
·
Over
160,000 spectators come to see the Kentucky Derby every year while millions of
others watch it on TV.
·
In
Kentucky, the equine industry generated 3 billion dollars annually and creates
55,000 jobs.
·
As
of 2015, no woman trainer or jockey has won the Kentucky Derby. Many have run
horses and ridden them, but none have won.
·
Only
12 horses have ever been able to win the Triple Crown. The most recent was
American Pharaoh in 2015. Prior to 2015, the Triple Crown hadn't been won since
1978.
·
I
feel like the luckiest Mexican on Earth. He has been a special horse since the first
time I rode him. He has a lot of talent and is an unbelievable horse. Turning
for home I started riding a little harder. At the eighth pole, I just couldn’t
put that other horse (Firing Line) away, but he got it done. - Victor Espinoza
- 2015 Kentucky Derby winning Jockey riding American Pharaoh
Kentucky
Derby Top Events and Things to Do
·
Tune
in to watch the Derby live on the first weekend of May. It is usually broadcast
on many sports networks around the world.
·
Attend
the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky. Be careful though, tickets are very
expensive and must be purchased far in advance for the event.
·
Enjoy
a good movie about horses and horse racing. Some of our picks are: The Cup (2011), The
First Saturday in May
(2007), Racing Stripes (2005), Seabiscuit (2003), The
Derby Stallion
(2005), Secretariat (2010) and Dreamer (2005).
·
Book
a horseback riding class at a local stable. Try to get a feel for what it would
be like to race that fast.
·
Plan
a Triple Crown Party. Be sure to send out invitations for the Derby, the
Preakness and the Belmont. Pick favorite horses and see who wins the home
derby. During the celebration it would be a good idea to also pray for the
pope who wears the triple crown of the church. The
Triple Crown (the tiara) represents the pope's three functions as "supreme
pastor", "supreme teacher" and "supreme priest". The
gold cross on a monde (globe) surmounting the tiara symbolizes the sovereignty
of Jesus.[5]
One day while, Mitch, a
Protestant was at the track playing the ponies and all but losing his shirt
noticed a Catholic priest who stepped out onto the track and blessed the
forehead of one of the horses lining up for the 4th race. Lo and behold, that
horse – a very long shot – won the race. Before the next race, as the horses
began lining up, Mitch watched with interest the old priest step onto the
track. Sure enough, before the 5th race the horses came to the starting gate.
The priest made a blessing on the forehead of one of the horses. Mitch made a
beeline for a betting window and placed a small bet on the horse blessed by the
priest. Again, even though it was another long shot, the horse the priest had
blessed won the race. Mitch collected his winnings, and anxiously waited to see
which horse the priest would bless for the 6th race. The priest again blessed a
horse. Mitch bet big on it, and it won. Mitch was elated. As the races
continued the priest kept blessing long shot horses, and each one ended up
coming in first. Bye and bye, Mitch was pulling in some serious money. By the
last race, he knew his wildest dreams were going to come true. He made a quick
dash to the ATM, withdrew all his savings, and awaited the priest's blessing
that would tell him which horse to bet on. True to his pattern, the priest
stepped onto the track for the last race and blessed the forehead of an old nag
that was the longest shot of the day. Mitch also observed the priest blessing
the eyes, ears, and hooves of the old nag. Mitch knew he had a winner and bet
every cent he owned on the old nag. He then watched dumbfounded as the old nag
come in dead last and then dropped dead. Mitch, in a state of shock, made his
way down to the track area where the priest was. Confronting the old priest he
demanded, 'Father! What happened? All day long you blessed horses and they all
won. Then in the last race, the horse you blessed lost by a Kentucky mile. Now,
thanks to you I've lost every cent of my savings – all of it!'. The priest
nodded wisely and with sympathy. 'Son,' he said, 'that's one of the problems
with you Protestants; you can't tell the difference between a simple blessing
and the Sacrament of Last Rites.'
Daily Devotions
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
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