Wednesday, April 3, 2019

aPRIL 3 Wednesday after Laetare Sunday: end of Mid-Lent

Lailat al Miraj

 Sorry this posting is later than usual-today my oldest sister died-Please pray for the soul of Donna Marie Pursell.

Joshua, Chapter 10, Verse 8

The LORD said to Joshua: Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your power. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.

God was stronger than Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem and his posse. God is stronger than the Devil and his entire posse. God is stronger than all the communists, atheists, politicians, and propaganda ministers of our age. Our Lady tells us to not fear them, but fear God and pray. 

The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God, they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes.  Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (Rom. 1:18-25)

Wednesday after Laetare Sunday: End of Mid-Lent[1]

Prayer. O GOD, Who grantest to the just the reward of their merits, and to sinners pardon, by means of fasting, have mercy on Thy supplicants, that the confession of our guilt may enable us to receive the forgiveness of our sins.

EPISTLE. Isaias i. 16-19.

Thus, saith the Lord God: Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your devices from My eyes: cease to do per versely, learn to do well: seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge for the fatherless, defend the widow. And then come, and accuse Me, saith the Lord: if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool. If you be willing, and will hearken to Me, you shall eat the good things of the land, saith the Lord Almighty.

GOSPEL. John ix. 1-38.

At that time: Jesus passing by, saw a man who was blind from his birth: and His disciples asked Him: Rabbi, who hath sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?

Jesus answered: Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of Him that sent Me, whilst it is day: the night cometh when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When He had said these things, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and spread the clay upon his eyes, and said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloe, which is interpreted, Sent. He went therefore, and washed, and he came seeing. The neighbors, therefore, and they who had seen him before that he was a beggar, said: Is not this he that sat, and begged? Some said: This is he. But others said: No, but he is like him. But he said: I am he. They said therefore to him: How were thy eyes opened?

He answered: That man that is called Jesus, made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me: Go to the pool of Siloe, and wash. And I went, I washed, and I see. And they said to him: Where is He?
He saith, I know not. They bring him that had been blind to the Pharisees. Now it was the Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Again, there fore the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight. But he said to them: He put clay upon my eyes, and I washed, and I see. Some therefore of the Pharisees said: This man is not of God, Who keepeth not the Sabbath. But others said: How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. They say therefore to the blind man again: What sayest thou of Him that hath opened thy eyes?
And he said: He is a prophet. The Jews then did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight, and asked them, saying: Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then doth he now see?

His parents answered them, and said: We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now seeth, we know not: or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: ask himself; he is of age, let him speak for himself. These things his parents said, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had already agreed among themselves, that if any man should confess Him to be Christ he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, did his parents say: He is of age, ask him. They therefore called the man again that had been blind, and said to him: Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner. He said therefore to them: If He be a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see. They said then to him: What did He to thee? How did He open thy eyes?

He answered them: I have told you already, and you have heard: why would you hear it again? will you also become His disciples? They reviled him therefore, and said: Be tliou His disciple; but we are the disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses: but as to this man, we know not from whence He is. The man answered, and said to them: Why, herein is a wonderful thing that you know not from whence He is, and He hath opened my eyes. Now we know that God doth not hear sinners: but if a man be a server of God, and doth His will, him He heareth. From the beginning of the world it hath not been heard, that any man hath opened the eyes of one born blind. Unless this man were of God, He could not do anything. They answered and said to him: Thou wast wholly born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out: and when He had found him, He said to him: Dost thou believe in the Son of God? He answered, and said: Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?

And Jesus said to him: Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee. And he said: I believe, Lord. And falling down he adored Him.

Lenten Calendar

Read: The Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction is an extension of the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament which occurs in every Mass: "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb." Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament flows from the sacrifice of the Mass and serves to deepen our hunger for Communion with Christ and the rest of the Church.  The Rite concludes with the ordained minister blessing the faithful with the Blessed Sacrament.

Reflect: Jesus said to the crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven;     whoever eats this bread will live forever;      and the bread that I will give is my Flesh      for the life of the world." (John 6:51)

Pray: One of the important prayers said during adoration is Tantum Ergo. 

Act: Find out when and where Adoration of the Holy Eucharist is offered in your parish and go sometime this week.

Day of Hope[2]

Every year millions of children around the world are victims of abuse and neglect, and millions more receive preventative assistance to help avoid continuing abuse. Child Help is an organization dedicated to helping provide help to children who are in situations where they are suffering from neglect and abuse. The Day of Hope is a day to remember these hidden statistics, and to do your part to help those in your community and throughout the world. Abuse comes in many forms, from physical violence, to sexual abuse, to sheer neglect where necessary medical care and food are withheld. Yvonne Fedderson helped to establish Childhelp as the co-founder and president and continues to serve in this capacity to this day. She focuses on helping to establish new chapters, auxiliaries, and to help them with their fundraising in their neighborhoods and abroad. She is active in a number of non-profits dedicated to humanitarian aid. She has received awards numbering over 100 from groups such as the National Children’s Alliance’s Champions of Children Award, and the Living Legacy award.  She has been nominated multiple times for the Nobel Peace Prize Award. Sara O’Meara serves with her as the co-founder of the organization, CEO, and Chairman. Along with Yvonne she spends her time developing the organization as the main spokesperson, helping to develop funds and maintaining oversight for the entire organization. Like her partner Yvonne she has received well over 100 awards for the work she does for abused children around the world. The organization Childhelp has a long history covering over 50 years around the world, using its efforts and programs to help millions of children around the world. It was first established as International Orphans, focusing on assisting the children of American Soldiers and Japanese women in the 60’s. The organization was renamed Children’s Village USA, eventually becoming Childhelp USA before its final transition to just ‘Childhelp’ which it continues to be known as to this day. Childhelp stands today as among the largest of child abuse prevention organizations. The organization has created the hotline “Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline” which is staffed year-round at all hours by professional crisis counselors.  The hotline services children at risk by answering calls from them, parents and guardians, and those individuals who believe they may have observed abuse situations in their neighborhood.   By networking with thousands of emergency services, social and support resources they are able to provide the appropriate contact information in an air of complete anonymity. All of this is accomplished without any form of government funding. They combine this by offering treatment to those who have suffered through child abuse through multiple methods. One of their most common are treatment centers located in residential areas, the source of their name ‘Children’s Village’, they provide treatment programs for at-risk children who have been referred to them by the court system. They serve some of the most severely abused and neglected children at these centers by providing therapists, social workers, and medical professionals.

Celebrate this Day of Hope by volunteering at your local chapters, finding ways that you can work to help raise awareness of child abuse and how to approach those situations where you suspect it may be occurring.  You can also light a five-wicked candle in a prominent place, serving as a symbol of hope to those who are dealing with the trauma of child abuse. Child Abuse is a worldwide problem, and only the efforts of an international village can serve to help protect these most innocent victims.

Lailat al Miraj[3]

Lailatul Miraj (Arabic: الإسراء والمعراج) commemorates Prophet Muhammad's ascension to heaven. Muslims believe that on this night, an angel came to the Prophet, washed his abdomen with Zamzam water, and filled his heart with wisdom and belief. Then, Muhammad was called by God from Mecca to Jerusalem, where he prayed at the Masjid Al-Aqsa (Jerusalem). From Jerusalem, he ascended to heaven, where he was honored by being allowed to see God directly, visiting the highest levels of heaven, and leading all the past Prophets in prayer, including Joseph, Adam, Abraham, Moses, Aaron, Jesus, and John the Baptist. To get to his destinations, he rode Al-Buraq, a heavenly animal that was smaller than a mule but bigger than a donkey. He was given the gift of prayer by God. When he returned to Mecca, he accurately described a caravan that was headed to Mecca from Jerusalem to show the Quraish that had actually been there. Although the exact date of Laulatul Miraj is unknown, most believe it fell on 27 Rajab.

Lailat al Miraj Facts & Quotes

·         Muslims believe that there are several levels in heaven. Muhammad was taken to each one by Angel Gabriel. At each heaven, a gate-keeper asked both the angel and Muhammad to identify themselves before proceeding.

·         Muslims believe that Muhammad saw "Al-Bait-al-Mamur" (God's house). Gabriel told Muhammad that every day since the beginning of creation, 70,000 different angels pray there daily.

·         Muhammad is also believed to have seen "Sidrat al-Muntaha" (a tree) in the seventh heaven. Its leaves resembled elephant ears, its fruits resembled clay jugs, and from it originated four rivers. Two of them were hidden in heaven, while the other two were made apparent to man in the forms of the Nile and the Euphrates.

·         Muslims believe that God had originally assigned fifty daily prayers.  Moses, upon hearing about this from Muhammad, is reported to have encouraged Muhammad to negotiate and reduce the number of prayers God assigned, which He graciously reduced to five daily prayers. (Sahih al-Bukhari, volume 4, Book 54, Hadith number 429[6])

·         On the night Prophet Muhammad was taken on a night journey two cups, one containing wine and the other milk, were presented to him at Jerusalem.  He looked at it and took the cup of milk.  Gabriel said, 'Praise be to Allah Who guided you to the right path; if you had taken the cup of wine, your nation would have gone astray.' - Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 69, Number 482 This incidence is used to explain the fact that wine is forbidden to Muslims.

Lailat al Miraj Top Events and Things to Do

·         Muslims are actually discouraged from celebrating or fasting on this day because of two reasons: First, the exact date is unknown. Second, there are no real rewards from God for celebrating this day.

·         Read the award-winning book, 'The Sealed Nectar'.  It is Muhammad's biography and tells of the many events that happened on Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Lailatul Miraaj.

Daily Devotions

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

·         Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

·         Universal Man Plan

·         Nivevah 90-Total Consecration Day17

·         Manhood of Christ Day 1, Fifth Week.

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[2]https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/day-of-hope/

[3]https://www.wincalendar.com/Lailat-al-Miraj