Sunday, January 20, 2019
Second Sunday After Epiphany
FEAST OF ST. SEBASTIAN
Numbers, Chapter
14, Verse 9
Only do not rebel against the LORD! You need not be afraid of the people of the land, for
they are but food for us! Their protection has left them, but the
LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”
There’s a happy
thought. The Israelite's were a hard people, but little did they know that God
would turn that around to Him being food for us. Yes, we are all hard people.
Yes, we eat our young. Look at the comments coming out of Planned Parenthood
about making so much money from tissue sales they will be driving Lamborghini's.
Look at the
world we can see that more and more there is a battle between the light and the
dark. Look at advertising, marketing, media, politics; all are fighting either
for Him who is or him who thinks he is. Choose but choose to wisely-do not fear
them.
Our Lady tells
us the battle is already won-their protection has left them!
Christ manifests His
divinity and His mystical union with the Church with His first miracle at the
Wedding of Cana.
GOSPEL.
John ii. 1-11
At that time there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee,
and the Mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also was invited, and His
disciples, to the marriage. And the wine failing, the Mother of Jesus saith to
Him: They have no wine. And Jesus saith to her: Woman, what is to Me and to
thee? My hour is not yet come. His Mother saith to the waiters: Whatsoever He
shall say to you, do ye. Now there were set there six water-pots of stone,
according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three
measures apiece. Jesus saith to them: Fill the water-pots with water. And they
filled them up to the brim. And Jesus saith to them: Draw out now and carry to
the chief steward of the feast. And they carried it. And when the chief steward
had tasted the water made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the waiters
knew who had drawn the water: the chief steward calleth the bridegroom, and saith
to him: Every man at first setteth forth good wine, and when men have well
drank, then that which is worse; but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His
glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
Why was Jesus present
at the wedding with His Mother and disciples?
1. In order there to reveal His majesty, and by that
means to establish and confirm the belief in His divinity.
2. To show that marriage is pleasing to God.
3. To let us understand how pious the bridegroom and
bride were. 4. To teach us that those pleasures are permitted which are in
accordance with reason and Christianity, and neither sinful nor leading to sin.
Why did Mary
intercede for the bride and bridegroom when the wine was failing? She was sorry for them, for she is
the tender-hearted mediatrix of the afflicted and destitute. Besides, the
number of the guests had been considerably increased by the presence of Jesus
and His disciples, so that the wine was not sufficient for all.
What
is the meaning of the words, “Woman, what is that to Me and to thee?” According to the
idiom of the Hebrew language, they mean as much as, Mother, be not anxious; I
will provide the wine as soon as the hour appointed by My Father is come. Jesus
did not mean to rebuke His Mother, but He thus gave her and all who were
present, to understand that He had not received the power of working miracles
as the son of woman, but that He possessed it as the Son of God and should use
it according to the will of His Father.
The name of Sebastian is enveloped in a wreath of legends. By birth he was a Milanese. Perhaps the persecutor of Christians had left Milan, or had not yet arrived, or had become momentarily more tolerant. Sebastian believed that here there was no opportunity for combat, or that it had already passed. So, he went to Rome, the scene of bitter opposition arising from the Christians' zeal for the faith. There he suffered, there he gained the crown." St. Sebastian was widely venerated during the Middle Ages, particularly as a protector against the plague. Paul the Deacon relates that in 670 a great pestilence at Rome ceased when an altar was dedicated in his honor. The Breviary account of the saint is highly legendary; in part it reads: "Diocletian tried by every means to turn Sebastian from the faith of Christ. After all efforts had proven fruitless, he ordered him tied to a post and pierced with arrows. When everyone thought him dead, a devout woman named Irene arranged for his burial during the night; finding him still alive, she cared for him in her own house. After his recovery he appeared again before Diocletian and boldly rebuked him for his wickedness. Enraged by the saint's sharp words, the emperor ordered him scourged until he expired. (Remember that in our Lords scourging; He paid particularly for the sins of the flesh) His body was thrown into a sewer."
Penguin Awareness Day[3] was created to celebrate
everybody’s favourite zoo animal! Find out more about penguins, explore what
others have to say about penguins, why not visit your local zoo to share the
penguin love! You don’t have to wait until Penguin Awareness Day, because
penguins can be loved all year long!
9 Days for
Life is a "digital pilgrimage" of prayer and action focused on
cherishing the gift of every person's life. A multi-faceted novena highlighting
a different intention each day provides reflections, bonus information, and
suggested actions. Join to receive the novena through the 9 Days for Life
app, daily emails, or daily texts. See below for information on how else you
can get involved! #9DaysforLife
#OurPrayersMatter
Day Seven:
Intercession: May those who long to welcome a child into
their family be filled with trust in God’s loving plan.
Prayers: Our Father, 3
Hail Marys, Glory Be
Reflection: It
can be very difficult and painful when the Lord doesn’t answer our prayers in
the way we hope. A couple that finds themselves unable to bring a child into
the world through their loving union can experience this disappointment very
deeply. During such times of trial, we may wonder why we face the particular
challenges that we do. Yet even though suffering is often shrouded in a sense
of mystery, we believe that the Lord loves us with great tenderness and
compassion that is beyond our imagination. Knowing this, we can trust that “all
things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his
purpose” (Rom 8:28).
Acts of Reparation (Choose
one.)
·
Smile.
Ask God today for the grace to be extra joyful and share Christ’s love with
those who need encouragement the most today.
·
Offer
the Prayer
for Those Hoping to Conceive or Adopt a Child, and spend some time
reflecting on the accompanying excerpt from Psalm 145.
·
Offer
some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for
today’s intention.
The Family’s Mission to Extended Family Members, Friends, the Church and
Society
89. As you take care of each and every member among
you in the ups and downs of life, you witness to Christ before the world. This
happens ordinarily as you welcome children into the world with unconditional
love. This is done in an extraordinary and particularly beautiful way when
families give witness to love by accepting children with special needs of any
kind and, if called by God, by opening your home to foster and adopted children
in need of love and care.
90. The elder generation occupies a crucial place in
families. As Pope Francis reminds us, “grandparents have a capacity to
understand the most difficult situations: a great ability—and when they pray
for these situations, their prayer is strong. It is powerful.” This is indeed a
treasure for the family. When special care is required for those who are
elderly, the family is challenged to offer more in service and personal
attention. This too is a great lesson and even a source of peace for the young,
especially if it entails the spiritual care and affection given up to the
moment the Lord calls their loved one home. This continues in the prayer and
funeral rites offered for the deceased.
91. Beyond the family, neighbors, friends, the
single and lonely can all be served as the family exercises the badly needed
gift of hospitality and witnesses, in the unique and privileged setting of the
home, to charity and respect that comes with a family centered on God. To the
extent you are able, reach out to those around you that have need of a welcome.
Hospitality in the domestic church is a true front in the New Evangelization of
our contemporaries.
92. Finally, there are some among you who have been blessed with
tremendous marriages, stories of healing and God’s grace, virtuous openness to
life, and charisms for teaching and accompanying other couples and families.
You are disciples of Christ; precisely as married couples living the truth of
the domestic church and are called to become apostles to other families within
your parish or in other key areas of evangelization. I urge you to greater
involvement in the marriage and family apostolate which takes many forms. It is
the natural course in the Church that disciples are called to be apostles! Your
marriage and family are strong in this time for a reason—and that reason may be
to help others on that path to holiness as missionaries to other couples and
families.28
"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."
What a taste of gall and vinegar, of ash and aloes! What a dry and
coated palate! And this physical feeling seems as nothing compared with that
other bad taste, the one in your soul. The fact is that 'more is being asked of
you', and you can't bring yourself to give it. Humble yourself Would that
bitter taste still remain in your flesh and your spirit if you did all that you
could?
Daily
Devotions
[1]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
[2]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-01-20
[4]http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events/nine-days-of-prayer-penance-and-pilgrimage.cfm
[5]https://family.dphx.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-Complete-My-Joy-Apostolic-Exhortation-English.pdf
[6]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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