FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION
Luke, Chapter 1, verse 50:
50
His mercy is from age to age to those who fear
him.
Christ the King
is drawing near. We are to rejoice in her son just as Mary did in her Canticle
of Praise when she entered the house of Zechariah.
“My soul proclaims
the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has
looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me
blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is
his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has
shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has
thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The
hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He
has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to
his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
THE Blessed Virgin
was presented in the temple at Jerusalem by her pious parents, Joachim and Ann,
there to be educated in the service and the law of the Lord in order that she
might be guarded against the defilements of the world. From this we learn:
Joachim and Ann
offered to the Lord their only and most beloved child and gave her up entirely
to His service. Great as the sacrifice was, they yet made it. The preservation
of the innocence of their daughter was to them above all else. Parents, God
requires of you that you should not merely offer your children to Him in the
temple, but that you should take care to keep them pure and holy, as living
temples which have been consecrated in Baptism.
Mary gives and
dedicates herself to God as soon as she is capable of serving Him, and that
without any reservation, for all time, and irrevocably.
·
When,
then, shall we give ourselves in earnest to God? True, we have been given to
Him in holy Baptism, we have been consecrated as His temples, we have renounced
the devil and the world, we have vowed to live only for God, and this vow we
have, perhaps, often renewed; but have we kept it?
·
What
we gave with one hand have we not taken it away with the other? Have we not
denied the temple of our hearts by shameful lusts, lived for the world and
vanity more than for God? Ah, when shall we give ourselves up to God sincerely
and forever? Perhaps when we are old! But will God accept our offering then?
·
Will
He be pleased that we begin to serve Him only when we can no longer serve the
world? That we first begin to live for Him when our life is soon to cease? No;
God is a jealous Lord and is not pleased with a heart divided between Him and
creatures. He requires us to love Him with all our heart and all our soul, and
to serve Him with all our powers. Let us, then, do this, and do it from our
youth; let us keep ourselves in body and soul undefiled for the Lord; such
love, and such love only, will He reward as perfect.
Prayer.
O God, Who wast pleased that the
blessed Mary, ever virgin, the habitation of the Holy Ghost, should oh this day
be presented in the temple, grant, we beseech Thee, that by her intercession we
may deserve to be presented in the temple of Thy glory.
EPISTLE. Ecclus.
xxiv. 14-16.
From the beginning, and before the
world, was I created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and
in the holy dwelling-place I have ministered before Him. And so was I established
in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and my power was in Jerusalem.
And I took root in an honorable people, and in the portion of my God His
inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of saints.
GOSPEL. Luke xi.
27, 28.
And
it came to pass, as He spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd
lifting up her voice said to Him: Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the
paps that gave Thee suck. But He said: Yea rather, blessed are they who hear
the word of God and keep it.
Explanation.
By His answer Jesus
would have us understand that His Mother was not to be blessed merely because
she bore Him, the Son of God, but rather because she at all times endeavored to
keep the word of God in her heart and to observe it in her life. If you would
be blessed, learn to be not only a hearer, but a doer, of the word of God.
·
Meditate
on the mystery of Mary's temporary dwelling in the sanctuary of the Old
Covenant as a preparation for the approaching season of Advent.
·
Locate
the order of contemplative nuns closest to you and visit their monastery (you
may want to request their prayers and you might consider supporting them
financially), they are the privileged souls who, by the grace of their
vocation, are even here below dwellers in the house of the Lord.
·
Spend
30 minutes reading the Bible.
·
Learn
more about Mary in the
Byzantine Liturgy and say one of the beautiful
prayers of the Eastern liturgy in honor of Mary.
It is better to smoke in this life
than the next!
Today
is “The great American Smokeout” day which incourages smokers to quit or cut
down on the habit. When I was a soldier, I often cautioned my troops on the
dangers, to which one young lieutenant retorted one day, “You know it is better
to smoke in this life then the next”.
The Great American
Smokeout is an informal holiday aimed at encouraging citizens to quit or plan
to quit smoking. Smoking is a habit that involves consumption of tobacco smoke,
which has been shown to cause a variety of cancers, most notably lung and mouth
cancer. Lung cancer is currently the leading cause of Cancer death in the
United States and the most preventable type of cancer worldwide. The Great
American Smokeout is promoted by the American Cancer
Society and is held on the third Thursday of November each year in an effort to
reduce cases of preventable cancers, reduce secondhand smoke and improve the health
of all Americans.
Great American Smokeout Facts &
Quotes
·
The
holiday began in 1970, when a man in Massachusetts asked people to give up smoking
for one day, and donate the money saved to the local high school scholarship
fund.
·
According
to the Center for Disease Control, smoking is responsible for 1 in 3 cancer-related
deaths, and 1 in 5 deaths from any cause. Worldwide, tobacco use causes
more than 5 million deaths per year.
·
The
Center for Disease Control state that life expectancy for smokers is 10 years
less than that of non-smokers.
·
The
Center for Disease Control states that middle-aged man who smokes, triples his
risk of dying from some type of heart disease.
·
More
Doctors Smoke Camels than Any Other Cigarette - line used in 1949 commercial
for Camel Cigarettes.
Great American Smokeout Top Events
and Things to Do
·
If
you are a smoker, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for support in quitting. You can
also get help from organizations like smokefree.gov
and ucanquit2.org.
·
Organize
a sporting
event like soccer or softball as a way to have fun and otherwise help smokers
take their minds off of smoking.
·
Talk
to someone you know who smokes and challenge them to quit for the day.
·
Give
out sugarless gum to otherwise smokers as friendly gesture to promote an
alternative.
·
Watch
movies and documentaries that aim to uncover the tobacco industry and impact of
tobacco addictions:
1) The Insider (1999)
2) Addiction Incorporated (2011)
3) Dying for a Smoke (1992)
4) Smoke & Mirrors: A History of Denial (2000)
1) The Insider (1999)
2) Addiction Incorporated (2011)
3) Dying for a Smoke (1992)
4) Smoke & Mirrors: A History of Denial (2000)
World Philosophy
Day seeks to promote human thought, new ideas and critical thinking to confront
today's challenges. Philosophy refers to the study of knowledge,
experience, existence and reality. According to the United Nations, philosophy
provides the conceptual bases of principles and values on which world peace
depends: democracy,
human rights,
justice and equality. World Philosophy Day was proclaimed by UNESCO
in 2005. Since then, every third Thursday of November has served as a celebration
of philosophical knowledge.
World Philosophy Day Facts &
Quotes
·
Rene
Descartes is considered to be the father of modern Western philosophy. He is
widely credited with being the first to use the concept of reason to develop
the natural sciences.
He lived from 1596 to 1650.
·
Thales
of Miletus is widely considered to be the father of philosophy. He was a Greek
philosopher, mathematician and astronomer that lived around 624-546BC.
·
Truth
in philosophy means that concept and external reality correspond. – George
Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, a German philosopher of the late enlightenment period.
World Philosophy Day Top Events and
Things to Do
·
Spread
awareness on social media by using the hashtags #WorldPhilosophyDay,
#PhilosophyDay and #PhilosophyandCooperation.
·
Tune
in to the live webcast of the philosophical debates on UNESCO’s website. It can
be streamed in French or English at the UNESCO site.
·
Watch
a movie that touches on philosophy. Some suggestions are: The Matrix
(1999), Blade Runner (1982) and Being There (1979).
·
Donate
to the Philosophy Foundation. Any money raised is put towards providing
specialist teachers to schools that need it most but can’t afford it. The
organization aims to support young people in higher education studying
philosophy.
·
Read
a book on philosophy. Some suggestions are: Plato’s Republic, Critique
of Pure Reason and A History of Western Philosophy.
World Television Day celebrates the daily value of
television as a symbol of communication and globalization. Television is one of
the single greatest technological advances of the 20th century, serving to
educate, inform, entertain and influence our decisions and opinions. It
is estimated that approximately 90% of homes around the world have televisions;
however, with the introduction of internet broadcasting, the number is
declining in favor of computers. World Television Day was proclaimed by the United Nations
in 1996. It is celebrated annually on November 21.
World
Television Day Facts & Quotes
·
TV
stimulates the economy by providing countless avenues for jobs. Over 1.2
million people in the European Union alone are employed in the media sector
·
In
France, 63% of children
between the age of 0 and 15 live in a household with 4 screens (TV, computer,
tablet etc.).
·
Television
creates authority. When something is shown on TV it has a particular authority
about it because you know that you and millions of other people are seeing it
and that professionals have produced it.
·
In
Canada, nearly 95% of people aged 18-34 watch TV each month, which results in
12 and a half hours of weekly TV watching.
·
Television
is a medium because anything well done is rare. - Fred Allen, American comedian
and radio show host
Donate
to catholic Television today if you can!
Daily Devotions
[2]Goffine’s
Devout Instructions, 1896.
[3]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-11-21
[5]https://www.wincalendar.com/World-Philosophy-Day
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