INTERNATIONAL
MOUNTAIN DAY
Genesis, Chapter 31, Verse 53
May the God of
Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us!” Jacob
took the oath by the Fear of his
father Isaac.
Laban and Jacob both take oaths here not to war with
each other. Nahor[1]
was the brother of Abraham and an idol worshiper who used several God’s as a
type of insurance policy. Laban here is doing the same mentioning His gods, but
Jacob wanted to ensure Laban that there is only one God which he states was the
Fear of Isaac. Laban sets up a pillar as a border line for the two to prevent
trespassing which leads often to war. War and the taking of life by one another
have been with us since Cain slew Abel. Christ the promise of God came to stop
the cycle of revenge to change the law of an eye for an eye. Yet, there are
times when one must take up the sword
and not stand by to let the evil defile the weak. We are not to tolerate bullies
or murderers. God was not pleased with our Nation when we idly watched the
slaughter that took place neither in Rwanda nor at our silence while our courts
allow the murder of children by abortion and the selling of their body parts.
In certain areas of the world they are also a source
of unique agriculture, providing ample space for the production of those
products that grow best on their slopes. Coffee, Cocoa, Herbs, Spices, and the
form of handicrafts that spring from the minds of those who live in the
unchanging protection of these towering edifices to geology. International
Mountain Day is your opportunity to head out and appreciate these unique
landforms, and all they have to offer. Established in December of 2003, the
United Nations General Assembly created this day to help bring awareness to all
of the things we rely on mountains for. Whether it’s all of the glories
mentioned above, or how necessary they are for the health and well-being of the
flora and fauna that call them their home, International Mountain Day promotes
them all.
How to Celebrate International Mountain Day
International Mountain Day can be
celebrated in a cavalcade of fun and educational ways. Head out to your local
mountain to discover all the things it has to offer. Whether it’s a day in the
numerous parks and hidden places that can be found in their craggy terrain, or
amazing tourist towns like Leavenworth, WA, get on out there and explore. Hiking
enthusiasts will find the many trails and secret places a joy, as well as being
able to enjoy the far-flung places that so few ever visit. Due to the
challenges of developing them, there is almost always an opportunity to enjoy
nature in all its glory. Even better, once you’ve hiked your way into the far
reaches of untouched wilderness, you can settle down to camp away from the
light pollution and noise of city life. Or maybe you prefer to drive, the
twisting winding roads that navigate the mountainsides have some of the most
beautiful country that can be found, near or far. Snugged down between the
rising cliff-face and the sheer drop into the valley, the view is simply
unmatched, and such a thing can be refreshing to the human soul. International
Mountain Day is a call to get out into the wild and see what it has to offer!
Since ancient times various
mountains around the world have been held sacred. Here are 10 worth visiting
for a spiritual high.
1. Mount Nebo, Jordan (2,330 ft)
According to the final
chapter of Deuteronomy, Mount Nebo is where the Hebrew prophet Moses beheld the
promised land that God would give to the Jewish people. On a clear day you can
see the Dead Sea, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, the River Jordan, Jericho and the Mount
of Olives. The remains of a 4th century monastery was discovered on this windy
peak in western Jordan in 1933, and the church features an impressive
collection of ancient mosaics.
2. Mount Croagh Patrick, Ireland (2,507 ft)
As many as one million pilgrims trek this peak
annually to pray at the stations of the cross, participate in Mass, or just
enjoy the spectacular view over Ireland’s western coast. Pre-Christian Celts
believed the deity Crom Dubh lived on the mountain and later St. Patrick who
introduced Christianity to Ireland”is believed to have spent 40 days and nights
fasting and praying atop the mountain.
3. Mount Olympus, Greece
The legendary home of the
Greek Gods and throne of Zeus is the highest mountain in Greece at 9,577 feet.
The 2-3-day hike to the summit features a close-up look at the roughly 1,700
different species of flora that grow on the mountain.
4. Mount Agung, Bali
The Balinese consider the
volcanic Mount Agung to be the center of the universe. It rises 10,308 feet
high in eastern Bali. The Mother Temple of Besakih, the largest and holiest
temple in Bali, sits roughly 3,000 feet up its slopes.
5. Mount Fuji, Japan
This snowcapped mountain
west of Tokyo is sacred in both Buddhism and Shintoism. During the July and
August climbing season more than 200,000 people hike to the top of this 12,388
ft. peak. Also, an active volcano, Mount Fuji has been venerated as the home of
a fire god, a Shinto goddess and Dainichi Nyorai, the Great Sun Buddha.
6. The
San Francisco Peaks, Arizona
More than a dozen Native American tribes consider this
volcanic chain in the Coconino National Forest to be sacred, including the Hopi,
who believe the peaks are the mythological home of the Kachina People. In order
to protect the area as much as possible, there are no paved roads to the
summit. The 9-mile Humphreys Peak Trail is a strenuous round-trip journey that
leads to the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet.
7. Mount of the Holy Cross, Colorado
Legends of a giant cross
hidden deep in the Rocky Mountains proved true when photographer William Henry
Jackson returned from an expedition in 1873 with a picture of this mythical peak,
the northernmost 14,000 ft mountain in the Sawatch Range. Mount of the Holy
Cross is named for the distinctive cross-shaped snowfield that adorns its
northeastern face and is a popular Christian pilgrimage site.
8. Popocatepel,
Mexico (17,802 ft)
This volcanic peak located roughly 45 miles southeast
of Mexico City figures largely in both Aztec and Nahua legends and among local
Nahua today El Popo, as its called for short, is a living, breathing entity.
Spanish missionaries built 14 monasteries on El Popoâs slopes during the 16th
century, and theyve been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
9. Mount Kailash, China/Tibet (21,778 ft)
Thousands of Buddhist,
Hindu, Jain and Bonpo pilgrims’ journey to the remote Himalayan town of Darchen
each year to make koras, ritual circuits, around the base of Mount Kailash.
Setting foot on the mountain is considered to be a sacrilege, but one 32-mile
kora around the base is believed to erase a lifetime of sins.
10. Mount Everest, Nepal/China border
Tibetans call Mount Everest
the Goddess Mother of the Universe, the Nepalese call it Goddess of the Sky. At
29,029 feet, it the highest mountain on the planet. Everest is part of the
Himalayan mountain range and it a day hike from the Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet
to Base Camp.
All of us may not have the opportunity to
climb mountains but we can develop our spiritual fortitude and thus this enables
us to climb out own personal mountains.
Ways to live out the gift of fortitude in your life,
bestowed upon you by the Holy Spirit at your Confirmation.
1.
Speak
out against evil wherever you find it.
2.
Take
the job in which you can do the most good for the spiritual welfare of others.
3.
Be
cheerful at your work; practice the apostolate of smiling; it will cost an
effort at times.
4.
Have
a loving solicitude for all with whom you come in contact, especially for those
who are friendless.
5.
Fight
down your own evil passions daily with renewed energy.
6.
Be
ready to defend your Faith in word, deed, and association.
7.
Bring
happiness where there is strife.
8.
Live
your Faith; join organizations that promote Catholic Action.
9.
Advise
others what to do in a spiritual difficulty; make sure the advice is correct.
10. Stay informed on Catholic news; it
will help when explaining the Faith to those outside of the Church.
11. Forsake the job rather than
Christian principles.
In need, sorrow, and dejection the
best means to relieve our distressed hearts is humble and confiding prayer, in
which we can pour out our hearts before God, and give ourselves up to His love
and mercy, as did Anna, the sorrowful mother of Samuel the prophet, Josaphat in
painful uncertainty, Susanna falsely accused and condemned to death, and
innumerable other servants of God. These all prayed to God and were delivered
from their afflictions, receiving help and consolation. St. James therefore
admonishes us, “Is any one of you sad? let him pray” (James v. 13); and St.
Paul, encourages us not to be solicitous about anything, but in everything by
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, to let our requests be known to
God. Are you, then, sad and discouraged? Lift up your soul to God, and say with
David, “Give joy to the soul of Thy servant, for to Thee, O Lord, I have lifted
up my soul” (Ps. Ixxxv. 4).
What does it mean to rejoice in the
Lord?
It means to be glad in remembering the grace by which God called us to the true
faith, and gave us the hope of eternal salvation, and to rejoice even in all
our tribulations and adversities for the Lord’s sake, as St. Paul did (n. Cor.
vii. 4). It also admonishes us to give a good example by modesty and an
edifying life, and to fix our desires on God, Who will never fail us if we make
our wants known to Him by prayer and supplication, and give Him thanks for
benefits received.
In what does the peace of God
consist?
It consists in a good conscience, such as St. Paul enjoyed. It is this peace,
this tranquility of the soul, which sustained the holy martyrs in their
agonies, and consoled others under persecution for Christ s sake (St. Matt. v.
11, 12).
Spiritual Crib[6]
A special devotion that can be performed during Advent to
prepare for the coming of the Infant Savior. It can be adapted for adults
and/or children and applied as is appropriate to your state in life.
1st day, December 11th: THE STONES—Pure Intention By
pure intention today, we will bring together the materials for the stable. The
Wagon to carry the stones shall be the pure intention, the Horses the great
fervor in the service of God, and the stones we collect by making 100
aspirations to the most Sacred Heart of our dear Redeemer.
During this Advent season let us take up the nature of God by
reflecting on these traits that make us a model for our children and our
sisters and brothers in Christ. Today reflect on:
Discernment vs. Judgment
The God-given ability to understand why things happen (I Samuel 16:7)
801 It is in this
sense that discernment of charisms is always necessary. No charism (an
extraordinary power (as of healing) given a Christian by the Holy Spirit for
the good of the church) is exempt from being referred and
submitted to the Church's shepherds. "Their office [is] not indeed to
extinguish the Spirit, but to test all things and hold fast to what is
good," so that all the diverse and complementary charisms work together
"for the common good."
1778
Conscience
is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality
of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing,
or has already completed. In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow
faithfully what he knows to be just and right. It is by the judgment of his
conscience that man perceives and recognizes the prescriptions of the divine
law:
Conscience is a
law of the mind; yet [Christians] would not grant that it is nothing more; I
mean that it was not a dictate, nor conveyed the notion of responsibility, of
duty, of a threat and a promise. . . . [Conscience] is a messenger of
him, who, both in nature and in grace, speaks to us behind a veil, and teaches
and rules us by his representatives. Conscience is the aboriginal Vicar of
Christ.
2820 By a discernment
according to the Spirit, Christians have to distinguish between the growth of
the Reign of God and the progress of the culture and society in which they are
involved. This distinction is not a separation. Man's vocation to eternal life
does not suppress, but actually reinforces, his duty to put into action in this
world the energies and means received from the Creator to serve justice and
peace.
"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."
You who for an earthly love have gone through so much, do you
really believe that you love Christ when you are not willing — for him! — to
suffer that humiliation?
Daily Devotions
[1]
http://coatofmanycolors.net/2012/08/24/nahor-abrahams-brother/
[5] Goffine’s Divine Instructions, 1896.
[7]http://graceonlinelibrary.org/home-family/christian-parenting/49-godly-character-qualities/
[8]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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