Friday, November 23, 2018

Black Friday

MIGUEL PRO—FULL BEAVER MOON

Genesis, Chapter 3, verse 8-10:

⁸ When they heard the sound of the LORD God walking about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ The LORD God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you? ¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid.”

Before the fall both Adam and Eve were unafraid of being exposed to God and they were innocent in that they knew not that they were naked.  Adam states I heard the sound of you in the garden. We do not know what the sound of God is from the verse.  Was it the same sound as a man walking in the garden? Or was it the sound of a rushing wind? We do not know; but Adam heard God and he was afraid because he was naked. On the cross our Lord who always heard the Father was now utterly alone, …And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' and he was also naked nailed to a tree. Tradition states that our Lord’s cross rested on the skull of Adam in payment for the fall. Our Lord paid the ultimate price for our sins. Christ on the cross reversed the taking of the fruit and the eating by Adam and Eve and became the fruit of life.  Christ on the cross reversed the nakedness of Adam and Eve by being naked himself. Christ on the cross no longer heard the Father and He was afraid. The greatest fear is a world without the Father. Christ brought us at a great price to bring us back to the Father. We need not fear for God is now in us through the accomplishment of the Holy Spirit.  We must listen to His voice and follow Him.

The Law of Influence[1]

Eve had no leadership role; no title yet she had influence. Everyone regardless of their roles is important and generates influence either positive or negative. Eve demonstrated the impact of negative influence. Although God commissioned Adam as her spiritual leader, Eve usurped the role of Adam, who followed his wife rather than God and together they led humankind into sin.

Black Friday

Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days in the United States. It is marked by massive crowds and discounted prices that mean the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Black Friday events in the United States date back to 1932.  There are two ideas as to the origin of the name Black Friday, the first one is thought to have originated in Philadelphia, where it was used to describe the burden of traffic that left black track marks on roads.  The second claims that Black Friday may also have stemmed from business accounting in the 1930s.  During this time, businesses noted losses using red ink and their profits in black ink.  Therefore, Black Friday may have been used to imply that businesses became profitable on this day as they go from being in the red to the black. Black Friday is the fourth Friday of November or the day after Thanksgiving Day in the US.

Black Friday Facts & Quotes

•           According to IBM, for the first time in history smartphones and tablets outpaced desktop computers for generating consumer traffic to websites during Black Friday in 2015.

•           According to consumerreports.org, heavily discounted televisions and other electronic items sold on Black Friday can be derivative models.  Derivatives are products that have been manufactured specifically for sale at events like Black Friday.  These products vary in specifications, quality and have less features than standard merchandise sold all-year long.

•           Mall of America, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the largest mall in the US with 4,870,000 square feet retail space and more than 520 stores. The mall is also home to the largest indoor amusement park in the US.

•           With a net worth of more than $136 billion, the six @Wal-Mart heirs own more wealth than the bottom 42% of Americans. #BlackFriday , @Walmart shouldn’t be allowed to pay workers wages so low that many qualify for Medicaid, food stamps, and government housing. #BlackFriday . - Tweets by Senator Bernie Sanders in 2015

Black Friday Top Events and Things to Do

•           Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude.  Given that Black Friday follows Thanksgiving Day, use this day to spread gratitude and cheer to others.  If you have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving Day, then use it to make sandwiches.  You and your family can deliver these to the homeless people in your community.

•           Hours before Black Friday sales, most retailers send emails and secret offers to their subscribers.  Sign up and subscribe to your favorite retailers mailing list before this date.  Most stores will also send coupons specifically to use for Black Friday.

•           Make sure you have sufficient funds in cash or on credit cards.  Given that many will be shopping on Black Friday, ATM machines may run out of funds or bank networks can be down intermittently.  Make sure to carry some cash in case this happens.

•           In 2015, more than 11 states across the U.S. provided free access to State Parks.  Rather than Black Friday shopping, explore the great outdoors with free passes to State Parks.  Our top parks picks: 

1) Olympic Park, Washington

2) Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California

3) Nickerson State Park, Massachusetts

•           Carpool or take an Uber to your favorite shopping destination.  There will be limited parking space available on Black Friday and some bus routes will be operating on a holiday schedule.

Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro[2]

Miguel Pro was born January 13, 1891, at Guadalupe Zacatecas, Mexico. From his childhood, high spirits and happiness were the most outstanding characteristics of his personality. The loving and devoted son of a mining engineer and a pious and charitable mother, Miguel had a special affinity for the working classes which he retained all his life. At 20, he became a Jesuit novice and shortly thereafter was exiled because of the Mexican revolution. He traveled to the United States, Spain, Nicaragua and Belgium, where he was ordained in 1925. Father Pro suffered greatly from a severe stomach problem and when, after several operations his health did not improve, in 1926 his superiors allowed him to return to Mexico in spite of the religious persecution in the country. The churches were closed and priests were in hiding. Father Pro spent the rest of his life in a secret ministry to the sturdy Mexican Catholics. In addition to fulfilling their spiritual needs, he also carried out the works of mercy by assisting the poor of Mexico City with their temporal needs. He adopted many disguises to carry out his secret ministry. In all that he did, he remained filled with the joy of serving Christ, his King, and obedient to his superiors. Falsely accused in a bombing attempt on the President-elect, Pro became a wanted man. He was betrayed to the police and sentenced to death without the benefit of any legal process. On the day of his death, Father Pro forgave his executioners, prayed, bravely refused the blindfold, and died proclaiming "Viva Cristo Rey!" (Long Live Christ the King).

Full Beaver Moon

According to the almanac today is a Full Beaver Moon; plan to spend some time watching the Narnia series or reading “The Witch the Lion and the Wardrobe” with your children or grandchildren.

The Way[3] Hear

"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."

Why stoop to drink in the pools of worldly consolation when you can quench your thirst in waters that spring up into life everlasting.

Daily Devotions

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

·         Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

·         Pray a Rosary Every Day for a Year

·         Consider supporting this ministry by purchasing the winter edition of "Be Not Afraid"

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[1]John Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership Bible.

[2]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2016-11-23

[3]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm