NINE-MONTH NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

NINE-MONTH NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
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Bishop Olmstead's call to arms

Bishop Olmstead's call to arms
INTO THE BREACH

Prayer consecrating the upcoming election in the United States to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Prayer consecrating the upcoming election in the United States to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Voting now till November 5-we hope?!

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Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Wednesday, October 16, 2019


ST. MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE-WORLD FOOD DAY


Romans, Chapter 2, Verse 9-10
9 Yes, affliction and distress will come upon every human being who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. 10 But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, Jew first and then Greek.

There is no impartiality with God. There is nobody who is privileged or exempt from God’s judgment. We will all account for our individual deeds or misdeeds. Those who make life style choices contrary to God will earn God’s wrath which includes sexual immorality[1], covetousness, maliciousness; envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil mindedness, whisperings, backbiting, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving and unmerciful.


Wicked Spirits[2]

Great courage is required in spiritual warfare. Our enemies are terrible in strength and numerous beyond count. They are ever active, ever alert to work our destruction. Yet, only one angel of God is able to defeat the devil and all the demons. God never permits us to be tempted beyond our strength. By God’s grace we can resist them and advance the work of our sanctification. Know that the devil fears no person and would destroy us if not for the limits God puts on him and the protection provided by our guardian angels and the other eight choirs of angels. Let ourselves be guided by the grace which the precious blood provides and call upon the intersession of Mary Queen of Heaven. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (He will go on to easier pickings like any criminal) When tempted call upon the Blood of Christ to give you courage and strength to fight the enemy.


St. Margaret Mary Alacoque[3]

A self-effacing nun in the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial, France, was inspired by the Lord Jesus to establish the devotion of the Holy Hour. Her name was St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and from the age of seven, when she received her first Holy Communion, she had always manifested an intense love of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Our Lord appeared to her often, usually as the Crucified Christ. Her simplicity caused her to feel that these apparitions were also granted to others who had recourse to Jesus in the sacrament of His love. Once the Master appeared to the young girl as she was returning from a dance and reproached her for not espousing Him. When twenty-four years of age, Margaret entered the cloister, choosing the most menial tasks. Gifted with intelligence and common sense, she made great progress in holiness. Our Lord entrusted to her the mission of establishing the reign of the Sacred Heart among the children of men. Criticism did not hamper her zeal, and her charity toward her opponents won them over to the cause of the Master. In the first revelation of the Sacred Heart to the nun, Our Lord made known His burning desire to be loved by all men, and His design of manifesting to them His Sacred Heart with its treasures of mercy. Margaret Mary communicated Our Lord's wish that the faithful receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month and observe the Feast of the Sacred Heart on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi. After nineteen years in the convent, St. Margaret Mary died October 17, 1690. Many pilgrims to her tomb have sought and obtained favors. Through her apostolate of devotion to the Sacred Heart many sinners have repented and found grace with God.

Patron: against polio; devotees of the Sacred Heart; loss of parents; polio patients.

Things to Do:
·         Find out more about the Jansenist heresy.
·         Read the Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; Strive to fulfill the obligation for the Nine First Fridays.
·         Find out more about the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart and establish this practice in your home. A book to read on this is Enthronement of the Sacred Heart by Francis Larkin, SS.CC.


A Visit from Joseph[4](part of the 7-day feast of Sukkot)

·         first, let us look at Joseph in that situation where the seed of all his future excellences began to develop—his father's tent. There, were laid, in his filial piety and his true religion, the foundations of that noble and lofty character which all nations and ages have delighted to contemplate. It is unquestionably true and should ever be borne in mind by parents and children, that the rudiments of character are formed in early life, and at home, and then and there those seeds of good or evil are sown which bear in future years their appropriate fruits.
·         Joseph was the favorite child of his father, this partiality, though unwisely manifested, was grounded in part on Joseph's exemplary conduct, for he was a most dutiful son, and one that feared God. At the same time, however, he was the object of hatred and envy to his brethren.
·         With the murderous conspiracy of Joseph's cruel and unnatural brothers you are well acquainted. he was sold as a slave. Instead of cursing his lot, yielding to sullen despondency, and making his master angry by hopeless misery—he accommodated himself, by the aid of true religion, to his circumstances, and applied all his faculties to serve his master, to secure his confidence, and conciliate his kindness. And he was successful. You see how wise it is, instead of giving up all for lost in unfavorable circumstances, and sinking into absolute despair, to resolve, by God's blessing, to do all we can to improve our condition. Learn, young men, to bear up with patience, fortitude and hope, against adverse circumstances. Never despair. It was an old Greek proverb, "We ascend, downwards." And in Bunyan's inimitable allegory, the "Valley of Humiliation" lay in the direct road to exaltation. If by any cause you are brought into a less favorable situation than you have been accustomed to occupy, go diligently and cheerfully to work, and determine, by God's grace, to make even this bitter experience subservient to your future welfare. It may be necessary to prepare you for something higher and better. Never abandon hope. The mainspring of exertion is broken when hope is gone.
·         Joseph's conduct in the house of Potiphar was so exemplary for diligence and fidelity, that it drew upon him, first of all, the favor of God—and next, the esteem of man, for he was soon advanced to a high place of trust and honor in the establishment of his master. The reason of Potiphar's conduct in thus promoting his Hebrew slave is given by the historian in the following words—"He saw that the Lord was with him, and the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand." Here is one of the ten thousand instances which corroborate the declaration of the apostle, that "Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."


World Food Day[5]

World Food Day is recognized in order to raise awareness about hunger and encourage the public to support efforts to eradicate world hunger.  Food plays an essential role in life; many people go without it and cannot guarantee when they will eat their next meals, while others waste large amounts of food every day.  World Food Day is organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The FAO was founded on October 16, 1945 in an effort to help the world with its constant battle against hunger and malnutrition. World Food Day was officially established in 1979 and today, it is observed in over 150 countries. It is celebrated annually on the same day as the FAO's founding, October 16th. Since 1981, a different theme has been adopted each year based on current issues. The day is also heavily promoted by organizations that are concerned with food security and insecurity.

World Food Day Facts & Quotes

·         Approximately 1/3 of all food produced worldwide, about $1 trillion dollars worth, is wasted.  The biggest culprits are industrialized countries; they waste almost as much food as the entire production weight of sub-Saharan Africa- 222 million vs 230 million tons.
·         The Food and Agriculture of the United Nations acts as a forum for international efforts that aim to reduce food insecurity by acting as a forum for states to meet and negotiate trade agreements and policy.
·         The quest for food security can be the common thread that links the different challenges we face and helps build a sustainable future. – José Graziano da Silva, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General
·         In a world of plenty, no one, not a single person, should go hungry. But almost 1 billion still do not have enough to eat. I want to see an end to hunger everywhere within my lifetime. – Ban Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary-General

World Food Day Top Events and Things to Do

·         Do not waste food. World Food Day promotes Think. Eat. Save. as a way to reduce waste so, t=Think about what you’re buying, plan meals and shop smart. Eat mindfully. Are your eyes too big for your stomach? Save food, save money, save the environment.
·         Lobby your government to changes its laws on waste. France passed a law banning supermarkets from throwing away destroying unsold food, instead making them donate it to charities and food banks.
·         Watch a documentary about the food production process. Food Inc. (2008), Super Size Me (2004) or Fresh (2009) are all documentaries about food production and waste.
·         Read a book about food activism, eco- and ethical farming why not try one of these books that may help us find sustainable solutions to feed the 9.6 billion people that will to be fed by 2050.  Our picks:
1) The Big Pivot: Radically Practical Strategies for a Hotter, Scarcer, and More Open World by Andrew S Winston
2) Feeding Frenzy: Land Grabs, Price Spikes, and the World Food Crisis by Paul McMahon
3) The Political Economy of Arab Food Sovereignt by Jane Harrigan


Daily Devotions
·         Drops of Christ’s Blood



[1] Sexuality is God’s design. He alone can define the parameters for its use. The Bible is clear that sex was created to be enjoyed between one man and one woman who are in a covenant marriage until one of them dies (Matthew 19:6). Sexuality is His sacred wedding gift to human beings. Any expression of it outside those parameters constitutes abuse of God’s gift. Abuse is the use of people or things in ways they were not designed to be used. The Bible calls this sin. Adultery, premarital sex, pornography, and homosexual relations are all outside God’s design, which makes them, sin.
[2] St. Michael and the Angels, Tan Books, 1983.
[3]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-10-16

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