ST.
WENCESLAUS
John, Chapter 5, Verse 20
For the Father loves his Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he
will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed.
Does God derive anything from having us fear Him? His
only wish is to see us truly growing and fruitful. He made us and as a loving
father knows our needs both physical and spiritual. If we have a loving fear of
our father, we are compelled by the Holy Spirit into spiritual leadership
avoiding sloth which often comes as a result of being stuck in a victim
mentality or not letting go of rage by forgiving the offender.
Today seek the Father’s compassion by going to
confession then arise and grow in spiritual leadership.
As we grow in our spiritual leadership[1] we
tend to be:
·
Confident in God
·
Know God
·
Seek God’s will
·
Self-sacrifice
·
Serve all
·
Motivated by love
·
Trust the Holy Spirit
·
Lead others
Our
mindset connects or disconnects us with others—there are a number of ways we
can “see” others from an inward mindset. Traditionally, Arbinger has
categorized these three ways of seeing others as obstacles, vehicles or simply
irrelevant.
1. When I’m seeing someone as an
obstacle, I see them as “in my way”, or as a hindrance to what I’m seeking to
accomplish.
2. When I’m seeing someone as a vehicle, I use
them to get me what I want, or where I need to go. They might have information
or connections that are valuable to me, so I “play nice” until I get what I
want.
3. When someone is irrelevant to me, I
don’t care about them and likely don’t allow their humanity to impact me in any
way.
All
three of these labels are ultimately ways that I objectify others. When I’m seeing
someone as an obstacle, vehicle or irrelevancy, I’m not seeing them as a human
being with needs, concerns, hopes and fears similar to my own. Think of someone
who you struggle to see as a person. Perhaps they get on your nerves
frequently, or perhaps you avoid them at all costs. This person might be a
coworker, a family member, a neighbor—someone with whom you feel your
relationship could improve. How do you see this particular person? Are they
often an obstacle? A vehicle? Mostly irrelevant? If the person you have in mind
feels like an obstacle to you, consider how you might not be receiving their
goodness or kindness. If this person feels more like a vehicle to you,
contemplate what needs they might have that you’re failing to see? Are you
looking to simply “get”, or are you willing to give? For someone you’re seeing
as irrelevant, what must it feel like
for him or her to feel ignored, barely noticed or hardly cared about? Have you
ever been seen as an obstacle, a vehicle or irrelevant? How did it feel? Ponder
what underlying qualities you might be missing in the person you’re thinking
of. What might the people who love them see in them?
Recognizing that God, the Father created man on Friday the 6th day
I propose in this blog to have an entry that shares on how to recreate and
renew yourself in strength; mind, soul and heart.
Is interval training more effective than steady-state cardio
training for fat loss?
·
Exercise combined with diet modifications has been shown to
be more effective than either alone for promoting weight loss.
·
Establishing exercise habits during the weight loss phase can help
prevent weight regain and yo-yo dieting down the road. One of the most
common excuses for lack of exercise is a lack of time.
·
These results show that the type of cardio performed for fat loss
(intervals vs. steady-state) probably doesn’t matter as much as the number of
calories burned in the exercise session. Moreover, the overall amount of fat
loss is small.
·
Focus should be placed on how the exercise session impacts other
areas of life, such as appetite, food intake, and leisure-time physical
activity.
·
Focus should also be placed on whether you can see yourself
sticking with your chosen exercise modality for the long-term.
·
Exercise may not be all that for fat loss, but it certainly
impacts fitness and health improvement. As such, all forms of exercise should be
encouraged despite their relatively minimal contribution to fat loss.
·
Strength training is especially important for developing lean body
mass.
·
High-intensity training such as interval endurance training
appears to be more effective at reducing inflammation and increasing insulin
sensitivity than lower-intensity training such as steady-state cardio.
Evidence has shown that exercise has additional benefits on health
that warrant its inclusion in daily life, such as reducing inflammation and
increasing insulin sensitivity. Moreover, high-intensity exercise appears to be
more effective than lower intensity exercise at inducing these beneficial
changes, which might be one reason to prefer interval training over
steady-state even if fat loss would be similar. Ultimately, though,
adherence is key. Thus, enjoyment and personal preferences when it comes to
exercise are what’s most important.
·
Throughout
his life he preserved his virginity unblemished.
·
As
duke he was a father to his subjects, generous toward orphans, widows, and the
poor.
·
On
his own shoulders he frequently carried wood to the houses of the needy.
·
He
often attended the funerals of the poor, ransomed captives, and visited those
suffering in prison.
·
He
was filled with a deep reverence toward the clergy; with his own hands he sowed
the wheat for making altar breads and pressed the grapes for the wine used in
the Mass.
·
During
winter he would visit the churches barefoot through snow and ice, frequently
leaving behind bloody footprints.
Things to
Do
·
Learn
more about Prague
and the Czech Republic and St. Vitus Cathedral, supposedly started by St.
Wenceslas in the 10th century as a small chapel to house relics of St. Vitus
and where in the 14th century St. John Nepomucene was buried after being
executed for refusing to violate the seal of the confessional.
·
Teach
your children the Christmas carol, Good King Wenceslas and discuss his
life and virtue. If you can find a copy, a wonderful book with music and
illustrations is called Good King Wenceslas: A Legend in Music and Pictures
by Mary Reed Newland, published by Seabury Press, 1980.
·
Read
about the Infant Jesus of Prague and pray the chaplet.
Aaron,
the first High Priest, was the founder and ancestor of the Israelite
priesthood. His mother, Jochebed, the Egyptian-born daughter of Levi, married
her nephew Amram son of Kohath, and gave birth to three children: Miriam, the
eldest; Aaron; and Moses, the youngest, who was born when Aaron was three years
old. The Bible does not say anything about Aaron’s birth, his early life, or
his upbringing. It states that he married Elisheba daughter of Amminadab, of
the tribe of Judah, with whom he had four sons: Nadav, Avihu, Eleazar, and
Ithamar. His brother-in-law, Nahshon, was a direct ancestor of King David. Aaron
is first mentioned in the Bible when God, angry that Moses was reluctant to
accept the mission to free the Israelites from the Egyptian oppression, told
him that Aaron was a good speaker and that he would be Moses’ spokesman.
10. “For God so loved
the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may
not perish but may have eternal life.”-John 3:16
"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."
4. You are so conscious of your misery that you acknowledge yourself
unworthy to be heard by God. But, what about the merits of Mary? And the wounds
of your Lord? And... are you not a son of God? Besides, he listens to you
quoniam bonus... because he is good, because his mercy endures for ever.
Daily Devotions
·
Total Consecration
Day 17
[1] John Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership
Bible.
[5]https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/aaron-the-high-priest/
[7]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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