Sunday, November 3, 2019

Twenty-First Sunday af. Pentecost (31^st S. Ord. Time)

ST. HUBERT- ORPHAN SUNDAY-

Job, Chapter 41, Verse 7

When he rises up, the gods are afraid; when he crashes down, they fall back.

This whole chapter is about a Chaos Monster or Leviathan. Back in the day, sea monsters were huge opponents of the god(s). They had different names and took on different forms (Rahab, the sea dragon, and the Leviathan), but they all played the same role. It was like passing the bar, but for ancient gods—you have no street cred unless you take on this dragon. In the Book of Job, God shows up late in the game to say his piece about divine power. And how does he do it? Well, he describes his power in terms of defeating the sea dragon. In fact, Job is one of the only places in the Bible where we get a long, healthy description of what this thing looked like, and, by all accounts, it was epic. Picture the scariest, biggest sea monster you can. Oh, and it breathes fire. Not enough for you? How about this? Its "sneezes flash forth light/ and its eyes are like the eyelids of dawn. / From its mouth go flaming torches;/ sparks of fire leap out" (41:18-19). But wait, there's more: "terror dances before it" and "its heart is as hard as stone" (41:22, 24). Hmmm…what could take on this kind of sea beast? A storm god, perhaps? And that's just what God is. But why does God spend his time talking about this thing? Maybe because this sea monster embodies untamed, natural chaos; it's malevolent, evil, and totally destructive. God is basically telling Job, "Look, man. I am the only thing standing between you and this vast, powerful creature that wants only your destruction. Choose me. Seriously."[1]

Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost[2]

Spiritually arming oneself (for both now and Armageddon) and forgiving each other so that we may be forgiven on Judgment Day.

AT the Introit of the Mass is said the prayer of Mardochai, which may be used in all necessities and adversities. “All things are in Thy will, O Lord, and there is none that can resist Thy will; for Thou hast made all things, heaven and earth, and all things that are under the cope of heaven. Thou art Lord of all. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord”.

Prayer.

Preserve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy family by continued mercy, that by Thy protection they may be free from all adversity, and in good works be devoted to Thy name.

EPISTLE. Ephesians vi. 10-17.

Brethren: Be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of His power. Put you on the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. Therefore, take unto you the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of justice, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace: in all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one. And take unto you the helmet of salvation; and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God).

Explanation.

In this epistle the holy apostle encourages us to the combat against evil, and points out both our enemy and the weapons we are to use. He exhorts us to protect ourselves by, 1, the girdle that is, truth, by virtue of which we despise the goods of earth; 2, the breastplate that is, justice, which renders to God, our neighbor, and ourselves what is due to each; 3, the shoes that is, readiness in regulating our lives by the Gospel ; 4, the shield that is, faith, by the doctrines and promises of which we render harmless the fiery darts of the devil; 5, the helmet that is, the hope of eternal salvation, which enables us to endure all temporal misfortune ; 6, the sword that is, the word of God, which, when we use it after the example of Jesus, the most powerful enemy cannot resist (Matt. iv.). Thus armed, we shall be conquerors in the combat with Satan, and gain the crown of victory.

GOSPEL. Matt, xviii. 23-35

At that time. Jesus spoke to His disciples this parable: The kingdom of God is likened to a king who would take an account of his servants. And when he had begun to take the account, one was brought to him that owed him ten thousand talents. And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. But that servant, falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And the lord of that servant, being moved with pity, let him go, and forgave him the debt. But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow-servants that owed him a hundred pence; and laying hold of him, he throttled him, saying: Pay what thou owest. And his fellow-servant, falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he paid the debt. Now his fellow-servants, seeing what was done, were very much grieved, and they came and told their lord all that was done. Then his lord called him and said to him: Thou wicked servant! I forgave thee all the debt, because thou besoughtest me: shouldst not thou then have had compassion also on thy fellow servant, even as I had compassion on thee? And his lord, being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid all the debt. So also, shall My heavenly Father do to you, if you forgive not everyone his brother from your hearts.

What would Jesus teach by this parable?

The king is God; the servant is mankind; the ten thousand talents, equal to ten million of dollars, signify the enormous and excessive debts which men contract by their sins against God: a sum so exceedingly great as to show clearly that the debt of man to God is without limit, and truly overwhelming. The hundred pence, a small sum, equal to perhaps six or seven dollars, denotes the offences which others have given us, and which, in comparison with our offences against God, are insignificant. By this parable, therefore, Jesus intended to say: As God forgives your immense debts if you sorrowfully pray for forgiveness, so ought you to forgive your fellowmen their comparatively light debts when they ask forgiveness of you. Unless you grant it, you shall receive no pardon from My Father.

Who are like that unmerciful servant?

All unmerciful and hard-hearted persons; particularly;

1. rulers who oppress the people by excessive taxes;

2. those who oppress widows and orphans, and keep from servants the wages due them

3. those who have no patience with their debtors but deprive them of house and goods rather than be indulgent to them. God will deal with such men in the otherworld as they have dealt with their neighbors in this.

4. Finally, all persons who will not forgive injuries done them, but preserve hatred in their hearts; who bring such as have injured them before the courts, and even seek to injure them out of revenge.

How can they hope to obtain mercy? What is meant by forgiving from the heart?

It is to banish from the heart all hatred and desire of revenge; to bear in our hearts a sincere love towards our enemy, and to manifest it by works of charity. If we think of the multitude of sins which God has forgiven us, how can we refuse to forgive trifling wrongs against ourselves? At any rate, let us not forget that God forgives us only when we also forgive from the heart.

Ejaculation. Merciful God grant me grace to be truly merciful towards my fellowmen, as Thou art towards me.

Prayer.

O God, Who, through the patience of Thine only begotten Son, hast humbled the pride of our old enemy, mercifully grant that, by considering what He has suffered for us, we may cheer fully and patiently bear our adversities, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen,

St. Hubert[3]

Late in the eighth century, so runs the story, a hunter named Hubert, neither better nor worse than he should have been, was tracking a stag through the forest of the Ardennes. As he readied himself to shoot the animal with his arrow, he was startled when the stag turned suddenly in its flight, and he saw between its antlers a luminous cross. This experience caused Hubert to change his way of life, and he never hunted again. Yet only a few centuries later he was known as the patron of hunters, and is a saint greatly honored in France and Belgium.

Saint Hubert lived a full life. He became bishop of Tongres and traveled through his huge diocese on horseback and by boat, preaching and building churches to the glory of God. He was the friend of the great of his day — Pepin of Heristal and Charles Martel among them — and also of the poor. In particular his heart went out to prisoners, and he would secretly place food for them before their dungeon windows. As he died, he said to those about him, "Stretch the pallium over my mouth for I am now going to give back to God the soul I received from Him."

In parts of France and Belgium there has long been a custom of holding stag hunts on Saint Hubert's Day, and the hunters gather before the chase for Mass and the blessing of men and horses and dogs. After the hunt is over, those taking part gather for a bountiful breakfast consisting of fish, meat, salad, cheese, and dessert. Naturally the meat is venison of some sort, and the salad may well be one of dandelion greens.

Excerpted from Feast Day Cookbook

Patron: Archers; dog bite; dogs; forest workers; furriers; hunters; hunting; huntsmen; hydrophobia; liege, Belgium; machinists; mad dogs; mathematicians; metal workers; precision instrument makers; rabies; smelters; trappers.

Things to Do:

· Have roast venison in honor of St. Hubert, patron of hunters.

· Have some Jagermeister

Please pray for the soul of a great priest and friend of mine who I had the pleasure of knowing while stationed in Belgium-Father Paul Wolf as it was, he who introduced me to St. Hubert.

Orphan Sunday[4]

True religion is taking care of widows and orphans

Orphan Sunday is a time to stand up for the orphans of the world. In truth, there are likely no more vulnerable human beings in the entire world than those thousands upon thousands of children in this world who have no mother or father, due to all sorts of tragedies that have occurred in their lives, ranging from accidents, to sicknesses, to war. Whatever the reason, orphaned children need our help in any way we can offer it.

Over the years, many different churches and organizations have hosted events they called, “Orphan Sundays” in an effort to raise awareness of the orphans in our areas, their problems and needs. The Christian Alliance started their own version of Orphan Sunday back in, when a American visitor to Africa Gary Schneider attending a church service in Zambia was moved by the pastor’s call to care for the numerous orphans in a local community plagued by hunger bordering on starvation, poverty and AIDS. At that time especially, children who were orphans were in a particularly terrible situations, as they were often left to fend for themselves, a thing that no child is prepared to do. Because of this, many children’s entire lives became jeopardized, as they had no way to make enough money to got to school in hopes of getting an education and a decent job in the future. Even though the locals attending the service were mostly extremely poor themselves, at the end of the service, many of them stepped forward to offer their support, some even giving away their own clothes or shoes to help the children. Moved by this display of generosity, Schneider decided to help Zambian leaders take care of the Zambian orphans by getting the word out about this new practice, and it spread like wildfire. By 2003 these efforts had spread to the United States. The Christian Alliance honors the Zambian church Schneider had visited for the gift of Orphan Sunday and the inspiration they gave people all over the world to care about the orphan; in fact, Orphan Sunday is often called, “Zambia’s gift to the world”. Nowadays, the Christian Alliance includes more 150 respected ministries, and Orphan Sunday is celebrated in thousands of churches across the globe in over 50 nations.

How to Celebrate Orphan Sunday

The best way to celebrate Orphan Sunday is find something you can do for the sadly fatherless and motherless children the Zambians have been doing their best to look after for all these years. And it doesn’t stop there! Though Zambia is where the whole event started, it is definitely not the only place in the world where we can find orphaned children—there are children who have lost their parents in every community that could use your help. Orphan Sunday is your opportunity to rouse church, community and friends to God’s call to care for the orphan. Each Orphan Sunday event is different, depending on who it’s led by—the believer in any local church, along with their priest or pastor, get together to decide what actions they could take stand to benefit their local orphans as well as orphans worldwide. Events range from sermons on God’s heart for the orphan, whose plight Christians believe is especially important to, to fundraisers, live concerts, and even to foster family recruiting.

Daily Devotions

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Make reparations to the Holy Face

· 54 Day Rosary day 3

· Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after SUNSET ON SATURDAY till Monday. Don’t forget the internet.