The name
Maccabee, probably meaning “hammer,” is actually applied in the Books of
Maccabees to only one man, Judas, third son of the priest Mattathias and first
leader of the revolt against the Seleucid kings who persecuted the Jews.
Traditionally the name has come to be extended to the brothers of Judas, his
supporters, and even to other Jewish heroes of the period, such as the seven
brothers. The two Books of Maccabees contain independent accounts of events
that accompanied the attempted suppression of Judaism in Palestine in the
second century B.C. The vigorous reaction to this attempt established for a
time the religious and political independence of the Jews. First Maccabees was
written about 100 B.C., in Hebrew, but the original has not come down to us.
Instead, we have an early, pre-Christian, Greek translation full of Hebrew
idioms. The author, probably a Palestinian Jew, is unknown. He was familiar
with the traditions and sacred books of his people and had access to much
reliable information on their recent history (from 175 to 134 B.C.). He may
well have played some part in it himself in his youth. His purpose in writing
is to record the deliverance of Israel that God worked through the family of
Mattathias—especially through his three sons, Judas, Jonathan, and Simon, and
his grandson, John Hyrcanus. The writer compares their virtues and their
exploits with those of Israel’s ancient heroes, the Judges, Samuel, and David.
AUGUST 30 Friday
MUHARRAM Begins at Sundown
1 Maccabees, Chapter 2,
Verse 62
Do not fear the words of sinners, for their
glory ends in corruption and worms.
Maccabean
wars were fought for religious freedom. Reflect today on our own Declaration of
Independence for freedom from the English Crown.
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all men are
created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that,
to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their
just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of
government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to
alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation
on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall
seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will
dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and
transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are
more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by
abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of
abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design
to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty,
to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future
security.
Prayer[2]
Almighty God, Father of all nations, for freedom
you have set us free in Christ Jesus (Gal 5:1). We praise and bless you for the
gift of religious liberty, the foundation of human rights, justice, and the
common good. Grant to our leaders the wisdom to protect and promote our
liberties; by your grace may we have the courage to defend them, for ourselves
and for all those who live in this blessed land. We ask this through the intercession
of Mary Immaculate, our patroness, and in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, with whom you live and reign, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.
·
Muharram
(1st first month of the Islamic calendar), is the holiest month after Ramadan.
This month is most recommended by Muhammad to fast and worship in.
·
The
Islamic method of dating was invented by Umar ibn Al-Khattab, a close friend of
Muhammad. He was the second Islamic Caliph (rulers) and in the year 638
he standardized the many calendars of the Arabian Peninsula.
·
The
Islamic calendar is lunar cycle based and contains twelve months that make up a
total of 354.36 days together.
·
There
are parallels between this holiday and the day of Ashura. Ashura commemorates what Muslims
believe is Moses crossing the Red Sea to escape the oppressive Pharaoh on
Ashura. Similarly, the Islamic New Year marks Muhammad's crossing the
desert between Mecca and Medina to escape the oppressive Quraish nobles.
For both observances, Muhammad recommended Muslims to fast.
·
The
Islamic calendar is abbreviated A.H. or Anno Hegirae in Western languages.
The first date on the Islamic calendar, 1,1 Muharram A.H. corresponds to
July 16, year 622.
Top Events and Things to Do
·
Muslim
parents traditionally tell their children of Muhammad's escape from Mecca to
Medina on this night.
·
Attend
a Islamic New Year Celebration. In Indonesia, the government holds
various parades and marches to celebrate the Islamic New Year. This
includes chanting songs called kidung.
·
Read
more about Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina by reading his biography,
The Sealed Nectar.
Fitness Friday-Sleep[1]
Sleep. Something we all need more of, but
never seem to get. (If only we had more time, right?) Today we’re
going to cover how you can. First stop and think!
Sleep is important, and you should get more of it!
“When you lie down, you will not be
afraid, when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” (Proverbs 3:24)
Before
we cover why sleep is important,
let’s talk about what happens when you don’t get enough For example: If you manage to only get four hours of sleep, a sleep deprived body can actually
act similarly to
an intoxicated body.
Getting
less sleep than average regularly? This
is correlated with increased bodyfat
percentage, more issues with insulin sensitivity, and even a disproportionate
decrease in lean muscle mass when eating a caloric deficit. We all know missing
sleep can make us grouchy, miserable, unfocused, and unproductive. I know I’m
going to have a crappy day in the gym when I don’t get enough sleep the night
before. I know not sleeping enough AFTER a workout day can further hinder
the muscle building
process.
So, what else happens when you
don’t get enough sleep? “One study found that skipped sleep led to a shrinking brain.
The heart and kidneys also take a beating as
does your blood pressure. You, in fact, put
yourself at continually increased risk for a whole host of lifestyle diseases,
including obesity and diabetes.
What
is the logical extension of this pattern? Numerous studies link
partial sleep deprivation/disruption and increased mortality risk!”
Conversely, let’s talk about the awesomeness that is sleep.
Here are the benefits associated with getting enough shut eye:
·
Sleep
will enhance your memory
performance and creative problem
solving skills.
You know, those things that make you smart.
·
Sleep
can boost your athletic performance.
And we all know appearance is a consequence of fitness.
·
Sleep triggers the release of human growth
hormone (HGH),
which plays a huge role in muscle and cellular regeneration.
·
Sleep
cuts your risk for the common cold and other basic illnesses.
Less sick days at work = more productivity, more awesome, more leveling
up.
Moral of
the story: Sleep is awesome.
Yes, some
adults can function perfectly on only five hours of sleep, while others need
9-10 hours of sleep to thrive. Most people will fall in that 7-9 range for
sleeping needs. So let’s get to the root of the problem for most: “I know
I need to sleep more, but my day is too busy and I just can’t get to bed sooner
or wake up earlier.” First and foremost, you’re not alone. According to a
recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly
a third of all working Americans get six hours or fewer of sleep a night.
Does any
of this sound like you? I
am always freaking tired, and I need five cups of coffee to get through the
day. Even on days when I get enough sleep, I wake up groggy. I get to ‘bed’ but
I toss and turn and it takes me forever to fall asleep. I hit snooze half a
dozen times before miserably crawling out of bed.
A perfect night of sleep
Let’s imagine a perfect night:
·
You
go to bed at a time that you’re happy with.
·
You’re
not stressed out because you didn’t just watch The Walking Dead.
·
You’re
reading a good book in bed that’s putting you
closer to sleep rather than checking your smart phone or screwing around on the
internet (damn you Twitch.tv).
·
You
sleep uninterrupted through the night
·
.
You have good dreams.
·
When
you wake up, either naturally or with an alarm…you immediately get out of bed,
without a single snooze, and you feel damn good.
If you’re looking at your screen and laughing right
now, you’re not alone. I’d
guess this is a pipe dream for a huge majority of our society because they’re
not sure how sleep actually works, and thus have NOT made sleep a priority.
It’s time to start looking at sleep
as one of your most important tasks.
How to get better sleep
We have a circadian rhythm (a
daily biological clock) that ebbs and flows throughout the day. Our body uses outside stimuli and
our own activity to produce certain hormones at certain times to make our body
more prepared for the required functions at that time (alertness vs
restfulness).
·
When the
sun rose, our
bodies are signaled “the day has begun! Get cracking!” We reduce the hormones
that make us sleepy and produce more hormones that allow us to do the things
that need to get done.
·
As the
sun went down, our
body starts to produce more melatonin, which produces that sleepy feeling and
encourages us to rest/recover. Our only option for light back then was a
candle or campfire. If that went out, we’d have moonlight and nothing else.
·
While
sleeping, our
bodies knew to cut back on urine production, decrease body temperature,
decrease heart rate, and muscle activity. Our brains are still highly
active during our sleeping.
Unfortunately,
these days, our bodies aren’t tied to the rise and fall of that giant ball of
gas above us. Instead,
we use electricity, alarm clocks, computer screens, smart phone screens, and
all other sorts of outside stimuli to adjust our natural sleeping schedule. This
means that our bodies often have no effin’ clue what time it is!
Here’s how we can get back to our roots:
Trying to
get to bed sooner or fall asleep sooner? Limit your exposure to the blue glow of your
computer screens, TV screens, and phones later in the evening. Our bodies
look at blue light and think “Sun is up! Sky is blue! Energy! WEEE!” Conversely, lights with a red/orange hue are
more reminiscent of a campfire or candle.
·
If
you are somebody who has to spend time on your computer at night, consider
installing a program like F.lux – it syncs with the sunrise
and sunset in your time zone, gradually shifting your screens hue from Blue and
bright to red and dim. I’ve been using the app for over a week now and
have quickly adjusted to it.
·
Purchase old-man blue blocker
glasses which limits the colors
your eyes are exposed to after the sun has gone.
·
Consider getting black-out curtains for your bedroom
windows, especially if you live in a city.
·
No TV in
bed. This
might be incredibly difficult for you if you’ve been falling asleep to TV for
years. Instead of falling asleep with the blue glow of a TV at the foot
of your bed, read a book – real books or read on a Kindle, no iPads! trust me, it will put
you right to sleep.
·
Have allergies? Try a hypoallergenic pillowcase! Your allergies could be
affecting you while you sleep and having the proper pillowcase can make a world
of a difference.
How to get more sleep
So we’ve
covered how to get BETTER sleep, what if you also need to get more of it? In order
to start getting more sleep, sleep must
become more of a priority. If you constantly stay up too late because
things need to get done, evaluate how your time is spent after work. Seriously,
think about it!
Are you doing
the important tasks first?
Are you
watching late night shows long after they’ve become enjoyable, simply
because your DVR records them?
Are you
checking your smart phone while in bed, watching Vine
videos, or using your laptop to watch more shows you don’t really care about on
Netflix?
Here are the best practical tips for giving you the
greatest chance at getting into bed earlier:
·
Don’t
drink caffeine after lunch if possible. Caffeine can have an effect up to 6 hours
after consumption. We love caffeine for many reasons (in moderation);
however, you want to make sure its not consumed too late or your body will
revolt.
·
Turn off
the electronics sooner. I
have to enforce a “laptops closed by 11PM” or a “TV off after 10PM” rule on
many nights or I never get to bed. I get lost in internetland far too easily.
Putting in actual barriers really helps. If you find yourself
checking Facebook and Twitter and other sites incessantly, BLOCK YOURSELF from those sites after a certain time.
·
Stop
watching crap TV shows! DVRs
can be helpful, but it’s so easy to record shows without second thought…and
then we end up spending WAY too much time watching TV.
·
Shift
things by 15 minutes every week. If you want to get to bed sooner,
don’t just try to get to bed an hour earlier than normal. You’ll probably lie
in bed for that whole hour wondering why you can’t fall asleep, stressing
yourself out and making things worse. I shifted my pattern by waking up 15
minutes earlier and getting to bed 15 minutes sooner. Then I repeated that
process over a series of weeks. Eventually, you can shift your bedtime by an
hour or two but do it gradually!
How to wake up better
Is
there any more annoying sound in the world than the “beep beep beep” of an
alarm clock? So here you are, dreaming about riding a dragon with
Daenerys Targaryen, doing improv with Liam
Neeson, and
playing poker with Iron Man and Spock…and that damn alarm clock wakes you up.
You are now incredibly groggy and miserable.
Here’s
what’s happening: Remember
earlier how we talked about different sleep cycles? Depending on which
cycle you were woken up during, your body can struggle to move from “asleep” to
“wide awake.” Wake up in the right phase and
you can feel energized and ready to go. Wake up in the wrong phase and you will
feel lethargic and sleepy. Because
we’re often waking up at times when we’re not ready to wake up, we need to use
technology to our advantage.
Instead
of snoozing, set your alarm for 30 minutes later and SKIP snoozing entirely.
If this is an issue for you, put your alarm across the room so you need
to physically get out of bed to turn it off!
I’ve been using the Sleep Cycle App to wake up and it’s been really interesting. You
simply put the time in which you want to wake up, put your phone on your bed,
and it will wake you up slowly and quietly in at the best point in a 30-minute
window. Because it also tracks your sleep incredibly accurately, it’s probably
the best 99 cents I’ve ever spent on an app. Try a dawn-simulator alarm clock. Rather than waking yourself
up in the pitch black with a disgusting beeping noise, why not gradually rise
as if there was a natural sunrise in your room?
Still
feeling groggy? Go for a walk first thing; a mile every morning, if you can. Walking
outside and seeing that blue sky can trigger your body to release the hormones
that encourage you to feel more awake and alive.
What about naps?
Although generally not part of a day here in the
states, we’re actually programmed to desire a quick nap in the early afternoon.
In other countries,
naps are more socially acceptable (Siesta? Si, por favor!). If you
feel bad that you get tired in the early afternoon, it’s not because you’re
lazy. It’s because you’re naturally wired for naptime. Now, you might
still be lazy, but it’s not related to your nap schedule.
What about second sleep? Biphasic Sleep is sleeping in two distinct periods. We’re gonna go back in the day again: during
winter months, night time could last 12-14 hours. With our bodies
production of melatonin (the “sleepy time” hormone) kicking into high gear when
that sun drops, people had nothing else to do (no TV, PS4, or iPads) and would
fall asleep early. Then they would wake up for an hour or two in the
middle of the night to read, pray, or think, and then fall back asleep for
another 4-5 hours before waking up for the day.
If
you’ve ever gone to bed at a normal hour, and then woke up in the middle of the
night without being able to fall back asleep for an hour or so, you know what
I’m talking about. Here’s
the thing: this is actually
quite natural! Rather than freaking the heck out
and lying in bed wondering why you can’t fall asleep…consider it something that
is more common than our current sleep schedule. Don’t be afraid to turn on the
light and read a book or use the time for meditation until you can fall back
asleep. This one ‘mental shift’ alone can keep your stress levels down and let
you get back to sleep faster and provide you with BETTER sleep.
Daily Devotions
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