Sirach,
Chapter 9, Verse 16-18
16 Take the righteous for your table companions; and let
your glory be in the fear of God. 17 Work by skilled hands will earn praise; but the
people’s leader is proved wise by his words. 18 Loud mouths are feared in their city, and
whoever is reckless in speech is hated.
It
is natural to fear loud powerful men or women who can do us grave harm. What
does a person do who finds themselves afraid of powerful, selfish and perhaps
evil people? Naturally your choices are you can fight, run, do nothing, come to
a compromise or grow by developing a third alternative as described by the late
Dr. Steven Covey[1]. That
is to come to a solution that is better than you or your opponent, could have
come up on your own.
Next
time you are faced with fear; resist
the temptation to react in the classic fight or flight method and try to discover
a way for everyone to win. That is not always possible but that should be your
goal.
9 Days for
Life is a "digital pilgrimage" of prayer and action focused on
cherishing the gift of every person's life. A multi-faceted novena highlighting
a different intention each day provides reflections, bonus information, and
suggested actions. Join to receive the novena through the 9 Days for Life
app, daily emails, or daily texts. See below for information on how else you
can get involved! #9DaysforLife
#OurPrayersMatter
Day Eight:
Intercession: May those nearing life’s end receive
medical care that respects their dignity and protects their lives.
Prayers: Our Father, 3
Hail Marys, Glory Be
Reflection: The
dying process is a sacred time—a final season to seek closure in this life and
prepare for the next. We know earthly death is not the end, but rather the door
through which we must pass to gain eternal life. The deadly practice of
assisted suicide—now legal in several states—shortens or even eliminates this
sacred season, carelessly cutting short the life of the patient. To support the
“false compassion” of assisted suicide is to see people as a problem to be
eliminated. End-of-life care should instead help eliminate or alleviate the
patient’s problems, whether they are physical, spiritual, or emotional. Those
who die in God’s grace and friendship live forever with Christ. Because of our
belief and hope in the Resurrection, we can face death not with fear, but with
trust. We pray that society might recognize that every day of our lives is a
gift and is always worth living, especially our final days. We need not
fear. Christ is with us.
Acts of Reparation (Choose
one.)
·
Sacrifice
some of your free time to do a small act of service, such as making breakfast
for a family member, writing a note of encouragement for a coworker, or praying
for the intentions of a friend.
·
Pray
a decade of the rosary (www.usccb.org/rosary) for your friends and family who
have passed away, as well as the departed who have no one to pray for them.
·
Offer
some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for
today’s intention
You must emphasize the importance of the sacraments, especially
Confession, and give your child ample opportunity to receive this sacrament,
but never force or ridicule him in this matter. These are suggestions on
maintaining the balance between privacy and following the parental role of
making the sacraments readily available for your children. Most Catholic
parents fully respect their child's right to privacy in regard to confession.
Of course, you should not question him about what he told the priest, or what
the priest told him. To do so would be depriving him of the right to privacy in
confessional matters which is his. His decision to receive or not receive the
sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist also must be his to make.
While you must stand guard over your child's spiritual welfare, never
place him in a position where his failure to confess or receive Communion will
make him conspicuous. The reason for this warning is that a child who is
unworthy to receive Communion or fears to confess his sins may be tempted to
partake of the Holy Eucharist sacrilegiously if his failure to receive will
make him stand out in the crowd. Before the rule for the Eucharistic Fast was
relaxed, a person who did not wish to receive Communion might create an excuse
by saying that he had inadvertently swallowed water. Since beverages one hour
before Communion are now permitted, and water is permitted at any time, such an
excuse is no longer valid. The person who does not wish to receive may find it
more difficult to hide the fact that he may not be in a state of grace. Be
doubly cautious, therefore, that you do not use pressure upon your child so
that he receives unworthily to hide the existence of another sin.
Parents should be alert for opportunities to suggest the reception of
Penance and the Holy Eucharist, however. If a child consistently resists the
sacraments, they may fairly assume that he is troubled by some moral problem.
Without mentioning the matter directly, a parent might tell him anew that God
will forgive any sin and that any problems brought to the priest in the
confessional will receive sympathetic consideration. Children may need to be
reassured that they have nothing to fear in confessing their sins and that
their secrets will be kept from all mankind. If your own attempts to encourage
your child to frequent the sacraments prove unsuccessful, you should discuss
the subject with your pastor.
Daily
Devotions
[2]http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events/nine-days-of-prayer-penance-and-pilgrimage.cfm
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