Saturday, August 18, 2018
Wisdom, Chapter 17, Verse 8-10
8 For they who undertook to banish fears and terrors from the sick soul themselves sickened with
ridiculous fear. 9 For even though no monstrous thing frightened them, they shook at the passing of insects and the
hissing of reptiles, 10 And perished
trembling, reluctant to face even the air that they could nowhere escape.
Ridiculous fear?
The Egpytians were the elite of the world of their time; they were smart; they had
money and they had human cattle; (the Hebrews) and what happened God stepped in
and boom. The elite the rulers of the Egyptian world are sniveling and wetting
themselves. Looking at the modern world we wonder if the elite are still using
people as cattle or that the modern cowboys (media) are still hearding the beef
to the market. The lesson: Do not vote out of fear; but vote for what you know
is moral and right. Life, Liberty, Persuit of Happiness.
A
phobia is by definition an irrational fear but there are certain types of
phobias that are completely ridiculous. You can understand if someone is afraid
of closed spaces or has a fear of snakes as these are reasonable fears to have.
You might be afraid of such things to an irrational degree but still one can
understand being afraid of heights or drowning as the danger is real. The more
ridiculous phobias can be funny to others but to the person suffering from such
fears life can be hard. Let’s have a look at some.
10. Pentheraphobia:
Pentheraphobia is the fear of one’s mother in law. Well this one isn’t
that ridiculous. Everyone is afraid or at least hates their mother in law. But
when this fear reaches irrational limits it becomes known as Pentheraphobia.
It’s a good phobia to get diagnosed with as it will help you get out of many
dinners with the in laws.
9. Peladophobia: Peladophobia
is the fear of bald people. It is an exceptionally cruel and at the same time
funny fear to have. What is funny is that bald people have a fear of hair loss
and people with Peladophobia share their fears. If you feel scared or alarmed
everytime Howie Mandel comes on TV then you suffer from Peladophobia.
8. Arachibutyrophobia: Another
strange fear is the fear of having peanut butter sticking on the roof of your
mouth. It’s called Arachibutyrophobia and when you have it you dread eating a
peanut butter and jam sandwich, which is just sad. People suffering from this
fear might try to hide it by showing a dislike for peanut butter or might even
pretend to be allergic to peanuts.
7. Anatidaephobia:
If you are afraid of ducks then it is just normal; ducks are scary, we
get it. But if you are scared that somewhere a duck is hiding and watching you
then you are closer to being crazy and suffer from anatidaephobia. It is just
crazy to think that a duck is always watching you and just silly to be afraid
of it. This fear may be developed due to some traumatic event as a child with a
duck. Afleccc
6. Caligynephobia: A
lot of men suffer from this phobia. Caligeynephobia is a fear of beautiful
women. Any nerd will tell you that they get anxious, nervous or even nauseous
in the presence of a beautiful woman. It is similar to Gynophobia which is a
fear of all women. It might be related to hidden homosexual tendencies or could
be just a social anxiety disorder.
5. Ablutophobia: Ablutophobia
is the fear of baths. As children we’ve all had that fear. But some people
never grow up it seems. Ablutophobia is more common in women and children
suffering from emotional instability or distress due to past trauma. If you are
terrified of taking a bath you have genuine ablutophobia but if you choose to
not take a bath just because you don’t feel like it then you are just lazy and
disgusting.
4. Chorophobia: Chorophobia
is the fear of dancing. Many people seem to feel awkward and embarrassed when
they have to dance in a public setting such as marriages but if you are so
terrified of dance and everything related to it that you try to avoid it all
costs then you might be suffering from Chorophobia. People suffering from
Chorophobia fear dance so much that it affects their social life and turn them
into introverts who don’t want to go anyplace.
3. Cathisophobia: Cathisophobia
is the fear of sitting down. People who have suffered a trauma while sitting
down can develop this phobia. People who were tortured by making them sit on a
chair that had sharp of hot objects on it can develop Cathisophobia. It’s one
of the worst phobias to have as you are condemned to stand wherever you go.
2. Panphobia: One
of the weirdest phobias is Panphobia which is a fear of everything. A person
suffering from Panphobia is afraid of everything. They are afraid of everything
all the time. Some patients also describe it as an ever-present fear of some
unknown evil. It is also known as Omniphobia. It’s a pretty poor way of living
life being afraid all the time.
1. Phobophobia: The
most ridiculous phobia of all has to be Phobophobia; which is a phobia of
phobias! If you have this phobia then you are afraid that you might develop a
phobia. People who have a phobia that has resulted in a traumatic experience
might develop the phobia of developing another phobia which can lead to a
similar experience. Some people have been found that have a phobia of
developing phobias without any traumatic experience. The ironical thing is that
their fear of developing a phobia causes their only phobia.
Have no anxiety about
anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all
understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians
4:6-7
It's
said that the words "Be not afraid" appear in Scripture 366 times one
for each day of the year (leap years included). Certainly, we need this sort of
ongoing reminder and encouragement; life can be difficult and is often filled
with anxieties, great and small. Jesus told St. Martha that, unlike her sister
Mary, she was "anxious and troubled about many things." Martha took
this correction to heart and learned to trust in the Lord so much so that
later, even as she grieved the death of her brother Lazarus, she was able to
acknowledge Jesus as the Resurrection and the life. Martha's sister St. Mary
Magdalene likewise acknowledged Christ's power on this occasion; she was one of
the few followers of Christ who, on Good Friday, dared to proclaim her loyalty
to Him publicly by standing beneath His Cross, and for her courage and devotion
she was rewarded by being the first witness of the Resurrection.
There's
a saying that "Courage is fear that has said its prayers." Prayer is
indeed the key to overcoming or coping with anxiety, for it reassures us of
God's presence and reminds us of our need to rely on His strength, not on our
own. As St. John Vianney said, "God commands you to pray, but He forbids
you to worry."
All
Christians are called to be a source of strength and courage to others. One who
understood this was St. Catherine of Siena, who centuries before women were
acknowledged as equal to men used her tremendous influence to guide the affairs
of popes and kings. Another woman of strength and courage was the early
third-century martyr St. Perpetua, a young noblewoman (and presumably widow)
who had recently given birth to an infant son. After being arrested as a
Christian with some companions, she kept diary in prison. She wrote, "What
a day of horror! Terrible heat, owing to the crowds! Rough treatment by the
soldiers! To crown all, I was tormented with anxiety for my baby. . .. Such
anxieties I suffered for many days, but I obtained leave for my baby to remain
in the prison with me and being relieved of my trouble and anxiety for him, I
at once recovered my health, and my prison became a palace to me and I would
rather have been there than anywhere else. St. Perpetua, her companion St.
Felicity, and several other Christians were mauled by wild animals and then put
to death by the sword; according to legend, the executioner was so shaken by
Perpetua's brave demeanor that she herself had to guide his sword to her neck. There's
a saying that "Courage is fear that has said its prayers." Prayer is
indeed the key to overcoming or coping with anxiety, for it reassures us of
God's presence and reminds us of our need to rely on His strength, not on our
own. As St. John Vianney said, "God commands you to pray, but He forbids
you to worry." This attitude of confidence applies even to our encounters
with evil, for St. Teresa of Avila notes that every time evil spirits fail to
terrify us or dissuade us from doing good, "they lose strength, and the
soul masters them more easily. If the Lord is powerful and they are His slaves,
what harm can they do to those who are servants of so great a King and
Lord?" Nothing can happen to us without our Father's knowledge and
permission, and He is able to arrange all things for our good. We, for our
part, however, must avoid useless speculation; as St. Francis de Sales tells us,
"It will be quite enough to receive the evils that come upon us from time
to time, without anticipating them by the imagination." According to St.
Jerome, facing our fears and doing our duty in spite of them is an important
way of taking up our cross; thus, we can reassure ourselves that in our efforts
to be brave, we are actually serving Christ. One who understood this was St.
Thomas More, who from his prison cell wrote to his daughter, "I will not
mistrust Him, Meg, although I shall feel myself weakening and on the verge of
being overcome with fear. I shall remember how St. Peter at a blast of wind
began to sink because of his lack of faith, and I shall do as he did: call upon
Christ and pray to Him for help. And then I trust He shall place His holy hand
on me and in the stormy seas hold me up from drowning." As this English
saint notes, we must keep our focus on Christ, not on ourselves; once we turn
to Jesus in trust, we are ready to follow the advice of St. Francis de Sales:
"If you earnestly desire to be delivered from some evil, or to attain to
some good, above all things, calm and tranquilize your mind, and compose your
judgment and will; then quietly and gently pursue your aim, adopting suitable
means." Jesus offers us His peace; if we accept it and use His grace,
nothing shall overcome us.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
40. My dear man: though you feel very much a child, and though you are
one before God, don't be so simple as to put your brother 'on the spot' before
strangers.
·
Please
Pray for Senator
McCain and our country; asking Our Lady of Beauraing to
intercede.
World
Honey Bee Day, previously known as Honey Bee Awareness Day, is an idea put
together by beekeepers in the USA, who petitioned the USDA in 2009 for an
official day to honor honey bees and beekeeping. A few years down the line,
people across the globe are holding a date of observation every year. Honey Bee
awareness enthusiasts will likely put a bee in your bonnet and say this is not
so much a day to celebrate honey bees, as it is to promote their involvement in
sustainable farming.
On this day, bee lovers everywhere decorate their gardens with lavender, borage and marjoram, the bee’s knees in pollinator lures. If you have the time and patience, bake some honey chippers and make your own honey fruit cobbler. And because you’ve been as busy as a bee all day, sit back and watch Hitchcock’s ‘The Bees’. You’ll count your blessings honey bees are nothing like South American killer bees!
On this day, bee lovers everywhere decorate their gardens with lavender, borage and marjoram, the bee’s knees in pollinator lures. If you have the time and patience, bake some honey chippers and make your own honey fruit cobbler. And because you’ve been as busy as a bee all day, sit back and watch Hitchcock’s ‘The Bees’. You’ll count your blessings honey bees are nothing like South American killer bees!
When the people of Israel
offered worship, in the Old Testament they did son amid the flicker of many
lights. So important were these lights that the main one, the temple menorah
became the most recognizable symbol of Judaism. The Christian church is a
temple and as such lights play an important part in worship. In fact, lamps and
candles are a symbol of the person of Christ. “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in
darkness but will have the light of life.” (Jn. 8:12) At the church’s
greatest celebration on the Easter Vigil the priest holds the paschal candle
aloft and proclaims, “Christ our light!” three times. The lamp is a symbol of
Christ, God’s presence among us. The lighting of votive candles is the
“offering” of the faithful.
The Use
of Candles in the Orthodox Church[3]
Question: Why do we
light candles in the Orthodox Church?
Answer: There are
typically two types of candles that Orthodox are familiar with. First there are
the genuine pure beeswax candles made from the combs of hives. Secondly, there
are the paraffin wax candles made from petroleum. When the Fathers of the
Church speak of the Orthodox use of candles, they are referring to the pure
beeswax candles and not the latter. Paraffin wax produces carcinogens and soot
when burned. In fact, one air quality researcher stated that the soot from a
paraffin candle contains many of the same toxins produced by burning diesel
fuel. With this information in mind, we can better understand the six symbolic
representations of lit candles handed down to us by Saint Symeon of
Thessaloniki:
·
As the candle is pure (pure beeswax), so
also should our hearts be pure.
·
As the pure candle is supple (as opposed to
the paraffin), so also should our souls be supple until we make it straight and
firm in the gospel.
·
As the pure candle is derived from the
pollen of a flower and has a sweet scent, so also should our souls have the
sweet aroma of Divine Grace.
·
As the candle, when it burns, mixes with
and feeds the flame, so also, we can struggle to achieve theosis
(union with God).
·
As the burning candle illuminates the
darkness, so must the light of Christ within us shine before men that God's
name be glorified.
·
As the candle gives its own light to
illuminate a person in the darkness, so also must the light of the virtues, the
light of love and peace, characterize a Christian. The wax that melts
symbolizes the flame of our love for our fellow men.
1. To
glorify God, who is Light, as we chant in the Doxology: "Glory to God who
has shown forth the light..."
2. To
dissolve the darkness of the night and to banish away the fear which is brought
on by the darkness.
3. To
manifest the inner joy of our soul.
4. To
bestow honor to the saints of our Faith, imitating the early Christians of the first centuries who lit candles at the
tombs of the martyrs.
5. To
symbolize our good works, as the Lord said: "Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in
the heavens." The priest also gave us this charge following our baptism.
6. To
have our own sins forgiven and burned away, as well as the sins of those for
whom we pray.
For
all these reasons cited by our Holy Fathers, let us often light our candles and
make sure as much as possible that they be pure candles. We should abstain from
all corruption and uncleanness, so that all of the above symbolism
is made real in our Christian lives. At one point during the Presanctified Divine Liturgy the liturgist holds a lit
candle and facing the people he proclaims: "The light of Christ shines on
all". Christ is "the true light who enlightens and sanctifies all
men". Are we worthy recipients of this light?
The saints themselves constantly sought after this light. Let us then also
imitate the saints and like Saint Gregory Palamas
continuously supplicate the Lord in the following words: "Enlighten my
darkness".
Question: Is there any other reason why we light our
candle in church?
Answer: Besides the higher spiritual reasons
mentioned above for why we light candles, there is another simpler and
practical reason: to make a financial offering to the church. When we go to
light our candle, we should also give an offering for the various services and
expenses of the church. The church gives us the candle as a blessing for our offering
and allows us to ignite the flame of the symbolisms
mentioned above.
Question: Should we light candles outside the church
as well?
Answer:
It is good and laudable to light candles at home when we pray, when the priest
visits for a house blessing with Holy Water or Holy Unction, and even light a
candle when we visit the grave of a loved one.
Question:
Is there any other purpose to the candle?
Answer:
When we light a candle in the church, we are making an offering to the church
or to a particular icon to beautify it and show through physical light the
symbolization of the uncreated light of God's house or the saint depicted in
the icon. It is also customary for the faithful to offer pure beeswax candles
at the Consecration of a new church.
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