Rogation Wednesday
2 Kings, Chapter 25, Verse 26
Then all the people, great and small, left with the army
commanders and went to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.
In view of the modern world I wonder: Are we still hiding in the
fleshpots of Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans? Mary daughter of David help us!
Here we see the last remnants of
David’s Kingdom in shambles. Now the Jews finally realize that Israel’s hope is
gone. Yet, God has not totally snuffed out the line of David and through
David’s line will come the Christ. Oh, that Israel would recognize Him.
·
In
the ninth year of his reign, Zedekiah rebels and Nebuchadnezzar besieges
Jerusalem for two whole years.
·
The
famine grows extremely severe in a short period of time
·
Zedekiah
tries to escape at night with his soldiers, but he gets captured by the
Babylonians (Chaldeans) before they make it very far.
·
The
Chaldeans kill Zedekiah's sons before his eyes, stab his eyes out, and take him
in chains to Babylon.
·
Nebuchadnezzar's
captain of the bodyguard, Nebuzaradan, comes to Jerusalem and burns down the
Temple, the King's palace, and all the houses of the city.
·
The
Babylonian army tears down the city walls. Nebuzaradan takes all the remaining
people to Babylon—except for the very poorest, who still remain to be
vinedressers and do farmwork.
Brunch with the King
·
The Chaldeans break the bronze pillars that were in the Temple and
carry them to Babylon.
·
They completely loot all the remaining silver and gold from the
Temple, stripping away all the treasures and bringing them to Babylon.
·
Nebuzaradan sends the two highest priests of the Temple and the
three guardians of the Temple's threshold to Babylon, where Nebuchadnezzar has
them put to death.
·
Shaphan's grandson, Gedaliah, becomes the new governor of Judah,
which has been virtually emptied out and put in exile.
·
Gedaliah tells some of the remaining warriors of Judah to put down
their weapons and live peacefully under Babylon's rule.
·
They do this for a while, but then a warrior named Ishmael leads
ten men to kill Gedaliah.
·
The remaining people then run away to Egypt, afraid of what the
Babylonians will do to them as punishment.
·
After thirty-seven years of exile and imprisonment, Jehoiachin is
freed by King Evil-merodoch of Babylon. The king lets Jehoiachin eat at his own
table in luxury and also gives him a generous, regular allowance.
·
In fact, Jehoiachin eats daily at the Babylonian table is an
assertion that there is hope and after the gospel of Matthew, for instance is
quick to name Jesus as “son of David”.[2]
Mary is from the line of David and as Queen of Heaven desires to
lead us to the promised land of Her son. We should listen to Her messages.
Today
would be a good day to reflect on what we want to harvest this fall; so like
farmers we must till the soil of our soul reflecting this day on our use of our
TREASURE (yes money/tithe) and look at in what ways we may offer our money to
Christ to help build a harvest for His Kingdom. It has been said that money is
the root of all evil. Yet, this is not exactly true for the real root of all
evil is not money but the LOVE of money. Those who fear the Lord know
that money is a gift from God. It is not to be buried but sown. This is the
correction that God wishes us to accept. We are all sowers and we are to spread
the seeds or gifts that God gives us out. Does God need a tithe from us? Or
Does God need our hearts free from the love of money? Do not make my house a
marketplace. For love of money or the lust for money is what corrupts men not
the money itself.
At
this tense moment in our history, when external wars and internal violence make
us so conscious of death, an affirmation of the sanctity of human life by
renewed attention to the family is imperative. Let society always be on the
side of life. Let it never dictate, directly or indirectly, recourse to the
prevention of life or to its destruction in any of its phases; neither let it
require as a condition of economic assistance that any family yield
conscientious determination of the number of its children to the decision of
persons or agencies outside the family. Stepped-up pressures for moral and
legal acceptance of directly procured abortion make necessary pointed reference
to this threat to the right to life. Reverence for life demands freedom from
direct interruption of life once it is conceived. Conception initiates a
process whose purpose is the realization of human personality. A human person,
nothing more and nothing less, is always at issue once conception has taken
place. We expressly repudiate any contradictory suggestion as contrary to
Judaeo-Christian traditions inspired by love for life, and Anglo-Saxon legal
traditions protective of life and the person. Abortion brings to an end with
irreversible finality both the existence and the destiny of the developing
human person. Conscious of the inviolability of life, the Second Vatican
Council teaches: God, the Lord of life, has conferred on man the surpassing
ministry of safeguarding life, a ministry which must be fulfilled in a manner
that is worthy of man. Therefore, from the moment of its conception life must
be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are
unspeakable crimes (Gaudium et Spes, 51). The judgment of the Church on the
evil of terminating life derives from the Christian awareness that men are not
the masters but the ministers of life. Hence, the Council declares: Whatever is
opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion,
euthanasia, or willful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the
human person...all these things and others of their like are infamies indeed.
They poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them
than those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a supreme dishonor to
the Creator" (Gaudium et Spes, 27)
Life, Liberty and
the Pursuit of Happiness. Are these words just words
highlighted by men during the age of enlightenment or are they the inspired
will of the creator? America is special in that the founders realized this when
they wrote our constitution which was established to ensure that laws are
enacted and enforced that support life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Much of our misery in this country is caused by laws that reverse the order
ensuring that wealth trumps liberty and liberty trumps life. No, it must be
life first. Today our church honors Pope
Paul VI who realized this when he wrote the Encyclical Letter “Humanae
Vitae”
The transmission
of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely
and responsibly with God the Creator. It has always been a source of great joy
to them, even though it sometimes entails many difficulties and hardships.
The fulfillment of
this duty has always posed problems to the conscience of married people, but
the recent course of human society and the concomitant changes have provoked
new questions. The Church cannot ignore these questions, for they concern
matters intimately connected with the life and happiness of human beings.
The protection of Life has primacy. If we
are the children of the creator, we know that life must be protected at
conception to its natural end. We must seek the dignity of the unborn, the
living and the aged in our laws and traditions.
When Americans die, most are buried or
cremated. Washington could soon become the first state to allow another option:
human composting. The novel approach, known as “recomposition,” involves
placing bodies in a vessel and hastening their decomposition into a
nutrient-dense soil that can then be returned to families. The aim is a less
expensive way of dealing with human remains that is better for the environment
than burial, which can leach
chemicals into the ground, or cremation, which releases
earth-warming carbon dioxide.
“People
from all over the state who wrote to me are very excited about the prospect of
becoming a tree or having a different alternative for themselves,” said state
Sen. Jamie Pedersen, a Democrat, who is sponsoring a bill in Washington’s
Legislature to expand the options for disposing of human remains. The
recomposition bill would also make Washington the 17th state to allow alkaline
hydrolysis, the dissolving of bodies in a pressurized vessel with water and lye
until just liquid and bone remains. Pedersen plans to introduce the bill when
the new legislative session begins next month.
This is scary, sounds like the movie “Soylent Green” was
prophetic. Maybe if you are over fifty you need to stay healthy as possible for
as long as you can.
Senior Health & Fitness Day[6]
For
Grandma, Grandpa, Granny, Gramps, Nana, Papa and all our well-loved elders, Senior Health & Fitness Day is a
time to explore the many senior-friendly physical activity options, and to
understand the importance of exercise and nutrition for ongoing health and
illness-prevention. A healthy diet can boost energy and immunity, and regular
exercise is necessary to retain bone mass and lower the risk of fractures, and
to build muscle strength and reduce the risk of falls. Various community events
will be staged on Senior Health & Fitness Day, and seniors are encouraged
to attend for health screenings and diet and exercise information sessions.
Low-impact, non-competitive exercise program choices may include stretching,
walking and swimming, all designed to increase strength and flexibility. And
although Grandma is probably an excellent cook, she may be able to pick up a
few healthy tips to make her legendary meals even more delicious and
nutritious.
Daily Devotions
·
I
will have no sweets or junk food (Exception Sundays, Holidays and Feast Days
that you fast the day before).
·
Ask for the prayers and intercession of
St. Joseph for families.
[2]
The Collegeville Bible Commentary, 1986.
[5]
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/washington-could-become-first-state-legalize-human-composting-n952421
[6]
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/senior-health-fitness-day/
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