ST. MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE-WORLD
FOOD DAY
John, Chapter 21,
Verse 15-17
15 When they had finished breakfast,
Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John,
do you love me more than these?” He
said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love
you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He then said to him a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love
you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17
He said to him the
third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love
me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you
know everything; you know that I love
you.” [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Feed my lambs:
For
the first several weeks of life, all a lamb needs for nourishment is its
mother's milk. Lambs will start to nibble on solid food soon after birth. An
ewe's milk production peaks between 3 and 4 weeks of lactation. By the time
lambs are 4 to 6 weeks old, they may be obtaining as much as 50 percent of
their nutrient intake from sources other than their mother's milk.[1]
With the secular world feeding our children it is no
wonder many are confused and have no idea who Christ is. As Christ advised
Peter first feed the lambs. Our lambs are those who for the first time really
get who Christ is; no matter what their age is and of course the children of
those who do get who Christ is. The milk of course is the milk of human
kindness and the milk of our mother church and of course the very mother of Christ,
Mary most holy. Fathers and working mothers ignore earthly wealth your primary
mission is your children in the Lord. True joy is in doing the will of God.
Amoris
Lætitia[2] Growing in conjugal love, marrying for love (131-132)
Love finds
expression in marriage. Their union of love truly will endure and grow. Love is
much more than an outward consent or a contract by choosing to give marriage
you are a visible sign to society how important
commitments are. It manifests the seriousness of each person’s identification
with the other and their firm decision to leave adolescent individualism behind
and to belong to one another. Marriage is a means of expressing that we have
truly left the security of the home in which we grew up in order to build other
strong ties and to take on a new responsibility for another person. This is
much more meaningful than a mere spontaneous association for mutual
gratification. (No friends with benefits)
As a social institution, marriage protects and shapes a shared commitment to
deeper growth in love and commitment to one another, for the good of society as
a whole. That is why marriage is more than a fleeting fashion; it is of
enduring importance. Its essence
derives from our human nature and social character. It involves a series of
obligations born of love itself, a love so serious and generous that it is
ready to face any risk. To opt for marriage in this way expresses a genuine and
firm decision to join paths, come what may. Given its seriousness, this public
commitment of love cannot be the fruit of a hasty decision, but neither can it
be postponed indefinitely. Committing oneself exclusively and definitively to
another person always involves a risk and a bold gamble. Unwillingness to make
such a commitment is selfish, calculating and petty. It fails to recognize the
rights of another person and to present him or her to society as someone worthy
of unconditional love. If two persons are truly in love, they naturally show
this to others. When love is expressed before others in the marriage contract,
with all its public commitments, it clearly indicates and protects the “yes”
which those persons speak freely and unreservedly to each other. This “yes”
tells them that they can always trust one another, and that they will never be
abandoned when difficulties arise or new attractions or selfish interests present
themselves.
A self-effacing nun in the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial,
France, was inspired by the Lord Jesus to establish the devotion of the Holy
Hour. Her name was St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and from the age of seven, when
she received her first Holy Communion, she had always manifested an intense
love of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Our Lord appeared to her often, usually as
the Crucified Christ. Her simplicity caused her to feel that these apparitions
were also granted to others who had recourse to Jesus in the sacrament of His
love. Once the Master appeared to the young girl as she was returning from a
dance and reproached her for not espousing Him. When twenty-four years of age,
Margaret entered the cloister, choosing the most menial tasks. Gifted with intelligence
and common sense, she made great progress in holiness. Our Lord entrusted to
her the mission of establishing the reign of the Sacred Heart among the
children of men. Criticism did not hamper her zeal, and her charity toward her
opponents won them over to the cause of the Master. In the first revelation of
the Sacred Heart to the nun, Our Lord made known His burning desire to be loved
by all men, and His design of manifesting to them His Sacred Heart with its
treasures of mercy. Margaret Mary communicated Our Lord's wish that the
faithful receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month and observe
the Feast of the Sacred Heart on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi.
After nineteen years in the convent, St. Margaret Mary died October 17, 1690.
Many pilgrims to her tomb have sought and obtained favors. Through her
apostolate of devotion to the Sacred Heart many sinners have repented and found
grace with God.
Patron: against polio; devotees of the Sacred Heart; loss of parents;
polio patients.
Things to Do:
·
Read the Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; Strive to
fulfill the obligation for the Nine First
Fridays.
·
Find out more about the
Enthronement of the Sacred Heart and establish this practice in your home. A
book to read on this is Enthronement of the Sacred Heart by Francis
Larkin, SS.CC.
World
Food Day is recognized in order to raise awareness about hunger and encourage
the public to support efforts to eradicate world hunger. Food plays an
essential role in life; many people go without it and cannot guarantee when
they will eat their next meals, while others waste large amounts of food every
day. World Food Day is organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United
Nations. The FAO was founded on October 16, 1945 in an effort to
help the world with its constant battle against hunger and malnutrition. World
Food Day was officially established in 1979 and today, it is observed in over
150 countries. It is celebrated annually on the same day as the FAO's founding,
October 16th. Since 1981, a different theme has been adopted each year based on
current issues. The day is also heavily promoted by organizations that are
concerned with food security and insecurity.
World
Food Day Facts & Quotes
·
Approximately 1/3 of all food produced
worldwide, about $1 trillion dollars worth, is wasted. The biggest
culprits are industrialized countries; they waste almost as much food as the
entire production weight of sub-Saharan Africa- 222 million vs 230 million
tons.
·
The Food and Agriculture of the United
Nations acts as a forum for international efforts that aim to reduce food
insecurity by acting as a forum for states to meet and negotiate trade
agreements and policy.
·
The quest for food security can be the
common thread that links the different challenges we face and helps build a
sustainable future. – José Graziano da Silva, United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General
·
In a world of plenty, no one, not a
single person, should go hungry. But almost 1 billion still do not have enough
to eat. I want to see an end to hunger everywhere within my lifetime. – Ban
Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary-General
World
Food Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Do
not waste food. World Food Day promotes Think. Eat. Save. as a way to reduce
waste so, t=Think about what you’re buying, plan meals and shop smart. Eat
mindfully. Are your eyes too big for your stomach? Save food, save money, save
the environment.
·
Lobby
your government to changes its laws on waste. France passed a law banning
supermarkets from throwing away destroying unsold food, instead making them
donate it to charities
and food banks.
·
Watch
a documentary about the food production process. Food Inc. (2008), Super Size
Me (2004) or Fresh (2009) are all
documentaries about food production and waste.
·
Read
a book about food activism, eco- and ethical-farming why
not try one of these books that may help us find sustainable solutions to feed
the 9.6 billion people that will to be fed by 2050. Our picks:
1) The Big Pivot: Radically Practical Strategies for a Hotter, Scarcer, and More Open World by Andrew S Winston
2) Feeding Frenzy: Land Grabs, Price Spikes, and the World Food Crisis by Paul McMahon
3) The Political Economy of Arab Food Sovereignt by Jane Harrigan
"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."
99. You have told me sometimes that you
are like a clock out of order, which strikes at the wrong moment: you feel
cold, dry and arid at the time of your prayer, and on the other hand, when it
is least to be expected, in the street, in the midst of your daily activities,
in the bustle and hubbub of the city, or in the concentrated calm of your
professional work, you find yourself praying... At the wrong moment? Possibly;
but don't waste those chimes of your clock. The Spirit breathes where he will.
Daily Devotions
[2] Pope Francis, Encyclical on Love.
[3]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-10-16
[5]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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