Monday, August 12, 2019

- August 11, 2019

Judith, Chapter 10, Verse 16

When you stand before him, have no fear in your heart; give him the report you have given us, and he will treat you well.”

Judith prepares for war with prayer and by the enhancement of her beauty. She is so strikingly beautiful that in this verse one of the guards of the Assyrian camp advises her to be confident in the presence of Holofernes.

Beauty and the Beast[1]

After bathing (during a drought) she uses all the human arts available to her to make herself beautiful and captivating: perfumed ointment, hair, clothing and jewelry. She understands the goodness of her body. She knows physical beauty is good and comes from God. She also knows that the power of her beauty comes from within her, from her holiness, from her faithfulness to God. Since both her exterior and interior beauty come from God, her beauty must be devoted to the service of God. God intends to use her beauty as a weapon to liberate the people. She will wield the weapon to the best of her ability.

· Men are awed at her loveliness.

· Judith goes out to the enemy camp and to war.

· She demonstrates her trust in God by walking to certain death with only her maid and her allure.

· The guards are overcome by God’s weapon-beauty.

Women often desire to be beautiful, but many unfortunately misunderstand that true beauty radiates from the soul. Remember that your beauty must be devoted to the service of God. Equally a man’s strength must be devoted to the service of God.

Ancient Beauty[2]

1. The ancient women cared for their skin with oatmeal and milk, and Cleopatra was legendary for her milk baths.

2. Honey was extremely valuable in ancient days and a symbol of divine blessing. Women applied it to their skin, along with oils, as part of their bathing ritual.

3. Ancient women invented mineral cosmetics, and used eye shadows, face powder, blush, and lip tints.

4. Ancient women did more than perfume themselves before a romantic evening: they perfumed their beds.

5. Myrrh was precious perfume oil in the ancient world renowned for its ability to soothe skin and fight wrinkles.

6. Flax was a common food source researchers believe the omega-3 fatty acids in flax may help the body regulate leptin, which helps you lose weight and burn fat more efficiently.

7. Cinnamon was used as sacred anointing oil and perfume; research tells us that consuming cinnamon plays a role in regulating blood sugar.

8. Pistachios are rich in carotenoids, the phytonutrient that can help “block sunlight-induced inflammation of the skin, which leads to wrinkles.

International Youth Day[3]

International Youth Day seeks to raise awareness to the cultural and legal issues faced by youth throughout the world. The United Nations defines youth as people between the ages of 15 and 24 years, although locally, youth can be interpreted in a more flexible manner. In 1995, the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth with the intention of establishing guidelines and policies for action and support that would lead to a brighter future for tomorrow's youth. The World Programme of Action for Youth, which consists of 15 priority areas, including education, employment, hunger and poverty, health, environment and drug abuse, paved the way for the UN's declaration of International Youth Day in 1999. Since its inception on August 12, 2000, International Youth Day has served to increase the quality and quantity of opportunities available to the youth to actively participate in society. In 2009, the UN Economic and Social Council further expanded each of the 15 youth priority areas by developing goals and targets for monitoring youth progress, an expansion that now serves as the basis for International Youth Day's annual theme. Each year, the theme is selected based upon immediate and relevant issues that youth are facing today.

International Youth Day Facts & Quotes

· Of the 1.8 billion youth in the world today, half survive on less than $2 per day.

· Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on society's margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies. - Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Check out the United States Congresses program for youth: www.congressionalaward.org