Friday, June 21, 2019
ST
ALOYSIUS GONZAGA-SUMMER SOLSTICE- YOGA DAY
You will not have to
fight in this encounter. Take your places, stand firm, and see the salvation of
the LORD; he will be with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed. Tomorrow go out to meet them, and the LORD
will be with you.”
This
encounter was a battle for the hearts of men who were firm in the faith and
hope of salvation. God was with Israel. Those who do not fear the battle know
that He is greater, and he empowers his beloved. Let your hearts ascend to Him!
Our deepest fear
is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light,
not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous,
talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are
you not to be?
You are a child of
God.
Your playing small
does not serve the world.
There is nothing
enlightened about shrinking
so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant
to shine, as children do.
We were born to
make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in
some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our
own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are
liberated from our own fear,
our presence
automatically liberates others.
Marianne
Williamson.
Today is the feast
of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga who demonstrates for us how he was not afraid to lose
everything to gain the kingdom. While still young he read the lives of saintly
Jesuit missionaries, and he decided to become a Jesuit. His father and some
other relatives tried hard to change his mind. It was a fierce battle of wills,
but after several years, Aloysius won. With his father's permission, Aloysius
gave his large inheritance to his brother and joined the Jesuit order at 17
years of age. The novice director, who was in charge of training Aloysius, told
him to cut down on his long hours of prayer and to give up some of his fasting
and other penances. Aloysius obeyed willingly. He understood that obedience was
better than “doing his own thing.” When Aloysius was 23, a serious epidemic
broke out in Rome. Aloysius volunteered at once to help in the hospital. At
that time hospitals were not the clean, orderly places with which we are
familiar today. It was very easy to catch an illness. That is what happened;
Aloysius became very ill. No medicine could help him. Aloysius was not afraid
to die. Aloysius shows that young people are not too young to become saints.
During his life he had focused on doing what God wanted—serving and loving God
and his neighbor.
Summer Solstice Facts
·
On
the Summer Solstice, the North Pole receives 24 hours of daylight, and the
South Pole receives 24 hours of darkness.
·
Solstice
comes from the Latin words for "Sun" and "to stop."
·
Many
Native American tribes celebrated the Summer Solstice by holding "sun
dances".
·
On
the summer solstice, the Earth's axis is tilted the most, up to 26°.
Summer Solstice Top Events and
Things to Do
·
Host
a bonfire to celebrate the arrival of summer.
·
Go
fishing - it is the longest fishing day of the year.
·
Visit
the polar circle and enjoy nearly 24 hours of daylight.
International Yoga Day celebrates yoga, an ancient
physical, mental and spiritual practice. Today, yoga, which originated in
India, is one of the world's most popular pastime activities. In September of
2014, India’s Prime
Minister proposed the establishment of an International Day of Yoga to promote
international peace and cooperation. His request was granted by the United
Nations General Assembly in December 2014 in an effort to highlight the
benefits of yoga to physical well-being and to world peace and development.
In a recent homily,
Pope Francis reminded listeners that practices like yoga aren't capable of
opening our hearts up to God. "You can take a million catechetical
courses, a million courses in spirituality, a million courses in yoga, Zen and
all these things. But all of this will never be able to give you. freedom,"
he explained. While yoga was just one example offered among many, the Holy
Father touched on a matter of great debate among faithful Catholics who happen
to prefer this kind of exercise.[4]
Can Catholics participate in yoga? The answer is a bit more nuanced
than one might think. Catholics should not participate in any of the
"spiritual" aspects associated with yoga, but technically can do the
actual physical exercises. However, many people who practice yoga caution that
it is often difficult, if not impossible, to separate the exercises from the
meditations. For example, a common mantra repeated in yoga is
"So'ham" that roughly translates to "I am the universal
self". This focus on the self is contrary to the focus on God to which we
are called. In the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: "Christian
prayer... flees from impersonal techniques or from concentrating on oneself,
which can create a kind of rut, imprisoning the person praying in a spiritual
privatism which is incapable of a free openness to the transcendental God"
The Pope tells us that only the Holy Spirit can "move the heart" and
make it "docile to the Lord, docile to the freedom of love". If we
are seeking a zen-like peace from yoga meditation, then we are seeking peace
from the wrong source.
But is it possible to combine
exercise and prayer?
Founders of SoulCore, a core workout that combines isometric exercises with
praying the rosary, say that it is. Deanne Miller and Colleen Scariano
explained that their new exercise movement is born from the desire to nourish
both body and soul through exercise. Miller explained, "in our physical
movement, when tied to prayer-strengthening from the inside-out-we are FULLY
ALIVE." www.soulcoreproject.com
Daily Devotions
·
Novena
to Sacred Heart Day 2
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