FEAST OF THE DIVINE MATERNITY
Job, Chapter 5, Verse
21-22
21
From the scourge of the tongue you
shall be hidden, and you shall not fear approaching ruin. 22
At ruin and want you shall laugh;
the beasts of the earth, do not fear.
Perhaps no evil is more dreadful than the scourge of
the tongue: evil-speaking, detraction, backbiting, calumny, slander,
tale-bearing, whispering, and scandalizing, are some of the terms which we use
when endeavoring to express the baleful influence and effects of that member,
which is a world of fire, kindled from the nethermost hell. The Scripture
abounds with invectives and execrations against it.[1]
·
"Thou
shouldst have such strong confidence in God, that even in the presence of
destruction thou shouldst not fear death," the God of life and power being
with thee.
“On this occasion the heavenly Lady was
full of the Holy Ghost and moreover bore within Her, as His Mother, the Divine
Word, who proceeds from the Father and the Holy Ghost. Saint Joseph received
special enlightenment and the plenitude of divine graces, and altogether
renewed in fervor of spirit he said:
“Blessed art Thou,
Lady, among all women, fortunate and preferred before all nations and
generations. May the Creator of heaven and earth be extolled with eternal
praise, since from his exalted kingly throne He has looked upon Thee and chosen
Thee for his dwelling place and in Thee alone has fulfilled the ancient
promises made to the Patriarchs and Prophets. Let all generations bless Him:
for in no one has He magnified his name as He has done in thy humility; and me,
the most insignificant of the living, He has in his divine condescension
selected for thy servant.” In these words of praise and benediction Saint
Joseph was enlightened by the Holy Ghost, in the same manner as Saint
Elizabeth, when she responded to the salutation of Our Queen and Mistress. The
light and inspiration received by the most holy spouse was wonderfully adapted
to his dignity and office. The heavenly Lady, upon hearing the words of the
holy man, answered in the words of the Magnificat, as She had done on her visit
to Saint Elizabeth, and She added other canticles. She was all aflame in ecstasy
and was raised from the earth in a globe of light, which surrounded Her and
transfigured Her with the gifts of glory. At this heavenly vision Saint Joseph
was filled with admiration and unspeakable delight; for never had he seen his
most blessed Spouse in such eminence of glory and perfection. Now he beheld Her
with a full and clear understanding, since all the integrity and purity of the
Princess of heaven and mystery of her dignity manifested themselves to him. He
saw and recognized in her virginal womb the humanity of the infant God and the
union of the two natures of the Word. With profound humility and reverence, he
adored Him and recognized Him as his Redeemer, offering himself to his majesty.
The Lord looked upon him in benevolence and kindness as upon no other man, for
He accepted him as his foster-father and conferred upon him that title. In
accordance with this dignity, He gifted him with that plenitude of science and
heavenly gifts which Christian piety can and must acknowledge.
International Day of the Girl aims to recognize girls' rights and the unique challenges that they face around the world. Every day, young girls everywhere face challenges involving their rights, access to education, inequality, discrimination, domestic violence and child marriage. Gender inequality is so prevalent in the world that the United Nations introduced a Gender Inequality Index (GII) to measure gender disparity in countries. International Day of the Girl is promoted by the United Nations and was initially declared in December 2011. Every year on December 19th, the world celebrates and empowers young girls to rise up and fight for equality, safety and their rights.
Day of the Girl Facts & Quotes
·
It
is estimated that over 100 million women from the world are missing. Female
infanticide and selective abortion are still commonly practiced in Asia and
have led to uneven ratios of men and women all over Asia.
·
In
India, there are laws that prevent expecting mothers from finding out the sex
of the baby due to selective abortions and discrimination against baby girls.
·
One-third
of girls in the developing world are married before the age of 18, increasing
the risk of HIV, unwanted pregnancy and discontinued education.
·
To
call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by
strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man.
If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior.
Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not
greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man
could not be. If nonviolence is the law of our being, the future is with woman.
Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman? - Mahatma Ghandi
Day of the Girl Top Events and
Things to Do
·
Get
active for girls on social media. Use one of UNICEF's recommended social
networking hashtags: #dayofthe girl, #mylifeat15, #girl4president and
#girlhero!.
·
Take
out a girl in your life (your daughter, niece, granddaughter, family friend).
Take her out to do her favorite activity on her special day.
·
Watch
movies that empower young girls and portray strong female characters.
1) Brave (2012)
2) Bend it like Beckham (2002)
3) Anne of Green Gables (1985)
4) Mulan (1998)
1) Brave (2012)
2) Bend it like Beckham (2002)
3) Anne of Green Gables (1985)
4) Mulan (1998)
·
Attend
one of many events held nationally and internationally. Look for an event
organized in your local community by schools and girl clubs, if not attend the
online event. The online event involves sharing baby photos of yourself (if
you're a girl), or daughters, sisters and other girl family members and discuss
your/their dreams while growing up.
Although he never planned it that way, Christopher Reeve[4] became a hero for our time. His legacy of determination, commitment, compassion and courage continues to inspire men and women across the globe. Playing the role of Superman in the movies he became, to many of us, “The Man of Steel.” When a riding accident changed his life forever, we cried, and we worried… but somehow knew the super man within would prevail. And he did. The way he lived, and the amazing way he spoke about living, became a powerful source of motivation and inspiration for people living with paralysis and disabilities. His words have touched all our hearts. We share some of our favorite Christopher Reeve quotes.
·
What is a Hero? "I think a hero is an
ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of
overwhelming obstacles."
·
Once
you choose hope anything is possible.
·
"Either
you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the
ocean."
·
"If
I can laugh, I can live."
·
"You've
got to give more than you take."
Fitness Friday-Sleeping Workout
Recognizing
that God, the Father created man on Friday the 6th day I
propose in this blog to have an entry that shares on how to recreate and renew
yourself in strength; mind, soul and heart.
Having
trouble sleeping? Try some light catholic reading.
“The reading of all good books is
like conversation with the finest men of the past centuries.” This quote
is by the famous philosopher Descartes. Although I am not a fan of
everything Descartes has to say, I don’t think he’s too far off here.
Reading a good book by a good author is indeed like having a conversation
with them. By reading their book you’re looking into their mind,
experiencing their world, and learning their wisdom. In my opinion there are no
greater people to have “conversations” with through their writing than Catholic
saints. Catholic saints have written some of the most beautiful
literature which inspires, educates, encourages, and informs us how to live a
holy and happy life. Here is a list of ten classic Catholic books which any and every Catholic
should read at some point in their life.
*If
you’re not much of a reader, or if you don’t have much free time to pick up a
book, many of these classic Catholic books have audio book versions.
As
you can tell, this list of great Catholic books by wonderful Catholic saints is
in no particular order. These are just 10 of the many Catholic books written
by wonderful saints who have so much timeless wisdom to share. Who
wouldn’t want to have a conversation with any of these wonderful saints?
What books would you add to this list of classic Catholic books?
What does your favorite classic Catholic books list look like?
Daily Devotions
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