Monday
of the Fifth Week of Lent (Passion Week)
NATIONAL DOCTORS DAY
1 In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim, 2 who married a very beautiful and God-fearing woman,
Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah; 3 her parents were righteous and had trained their
daughter according to the Law of Moses.
Susanna is included in the Book of Daniel
(as chapter 13) by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. It is one
of the additions to Daniel, considered apocryphal by Protestants. She refuses
to be blackmailed and is arrested and about to be put to death for promiscuity
when a young man named Daniel interrupts the proceedings, shouting that the
elders should be questioned to prevent the death of an innocent. After being
separated, the two men are questioned about details (cross-examination) of what
they saw but disagree about the tree under which Susanna supposedly met her
lover. The first says they were under a mastic, and Daniel says that an angel
stands ready to cut him in two. The second says they were under an evergreen
oak tree, and Daniel says that an angel stands ready to saw him in two. The
great difference in size between a mastic and an oak makes the elders' lie
plain to all the observers. The false accusers are put to death, and virtue
triumphs.[1]
In the Old
Testament we already find admirable witnesses of fidelity to the holy law of
God even to the point of a voluntary acceptance of death. A prime example is
the story of Susanna: in reply to the two unjust judges who threatened to have
her condemned to death if she refused to yield to their sinful passion, she
says: " I am hemmed in on every side. For if I do this thing, it is death
for me; and if I do not, I shall not escape your hands. I choose not to do it
and to fall into your hands, rather than to sin in the sight of the Lord!"
(Dan 13:22-23). Susanna, preferring to "fall innocent" into
the hands of the judges, bears witness not only to her faith and trust in God
but also to her obedience to the truth and to the absoluteness of the moral
order. By her readiness to die a martyr, she proclaims that it is not right to
do what God's law qualifies as evil in order to draw some good from it. Susanna
chose for herself the "better part": hers was a perfectly clear
witness, without any compromise, to the truth about the good and to the God of
Israel. By her acts, she revealed the holiness of God.[2]
In our modern
secular world, it is often difficult to find a God-fearing woman and even
recognize her. One wonders what the characteristics of a God-fearing woman are.
An important thing to remember for all women of real beauty is that love is the
inner sense of peacefulness and joy that casts out the outer reflection of
beauty.
1. A woman who fears the Lord isn’t anxious about what’s going to happen in her life.
First, a woman who fears the Lord is not anxious about the future…“Strength and dignity or her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” Our anxiety reveals what we think about God. Do we honestly think He’s a sovereign and good Father? Do we honestly believe He cares about the mundane details of our lives and is working everything out for our good? If so, it will affect our anxiety about how our kids are going to do in school this Fall or our fears about being single this time next year, or our obsession with how we’re going to pay our bills next month, or worry about how we’re going to do in that meeting at work tomorrow.
2. A woman who fears the Lord speaks wisdom and kindness.
Second, the woman who fears the Lord has practical wisdom. Proverbs 31, Verse 26, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” I love this because I’m a big fan of women redeeming passive communication. This verse tells us that if we’re going to be good stewards of our words we have to know and love God. A right view of Him will affect the way we choose to spend the gift of language He has given us.
3. A woman who fears the Lord is strong.
Proverbs, Verse 25, “Strength and dignity are her clothing.” Verse 17, “She girds her loins with strength and makes her arms strong.”
Think for a second about how you define ‘strength’ Proverbs 23:17 says, “Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.” The woman who continues in the fear of the Lord will have power to resist all the allurements to envy, to desire what she shouldn’t have. True strength looks like contentment. Do you want to know if your fear of the Lord overflows into strength? Do you envy others? Threads of discontentment reveal a heart that does not fully grasp the greatness and goodness of our maker.
4. A woman who fears the Lord is for other people, not against them.
A woman who fears the Lord will live not for herself alone but for others…Proverbs 31, Verses 11, 12, “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not harm all the days of her life.” Our view of God will play out in our interaction with others. If we trust that God is for us, it frees us up to be for other people. We can look out for their interests because we know God is looking out for ours.
All four of these characteristics overflow from a right understanding and
relationship with God.
Prayer. SANCTIFY
our fasts, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and mercifully grant us the pardon of all
our faults.
EPISTLE. Jonas iii. 1-10.
In those days: The word of the Lord came
to Jonas the prophet the second time, saying: Arise, and go to Nineveh the great
city: and preach in it the preaching that I bid thee. And Jonas arose, and went
to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord: now Nineveh was a great city of
three days journey. And Jonas began to enter into the city one day s journey:
and he cried, and said: Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be destroyed. And the
men of Nineveh believed in God: and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth
from the greatest to the least. And the word came to the king of Nineveh: and
he rose up out of his throne, and cast away his robe from him, and was clothed
in sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published
in Nineveh from the mouth of the king and of his princes, saying: Let neither
men nor beasts, oxen nor sheep, taste anything: let them not feed, nor drink
water. And let men and beasts be covered with sackcloth, and cry to the Lord
with all their strength, and let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from
the iniquity that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn, and
forgive: and will turn away from His fierce anger, and we shall not perish?
And God saw their works, that they were
turned from their evil way: and our Lord God had mercy on His people.
GOSPEL. John vii. 32-39.
At
that time: The rulers and Pharisees sent ministers to apprehend Jesus. Jesus
therefore said to them: Yet a little while I am with you: and then I go to Him
that sent Me. You shall seek Me, and shall not find Me: and where I am, thither
you cannot come. The Jews therefore said among themselves: Whither will He go,
that we shall not find Him? will He go unto the dispersed among the gentiles,
and teach the gentiles? What is this saying that He hath said: You shall seek
Me, and shall not find Me: and where I am, you cannot come?
And
on the last and great day of the festivity, Jesus stood and cried, saying: If
any man thirst, let him come to Me, and drink. He that believeth in Me, as the
Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Now this
He said of the Spirit which they should receive who believed in Him.
Read:
The Servant Songs, Day One: Within
the Book of the Prophet Isaiah we encounter four poetic sections known as the
Songs of the Suffering Servant. The specific identity of this Servant of the
Lord remains the topic of scholarly debate. Perhaps it refers to the prophet
Isaiah himself, perhaps the entire nation of Israel, or possibly the promised
Messiah. Christian faith sees these prophetic utterances fulfilled in the life,
ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Lord. Because of the Christian
identification of the Suffering Servant with Jesus, the four Servant Songs
become a way of encountering the Lord during this Lenten Season. Not only do
they give us a sense of the commitment and endurance that characterized his
messianic ministry, but they become a way of touching the bruised face of the
Messiah, of hearing the resolute determination that sustained him in the midst
of trial, and of rejoicing with him in God’s ultimate vindication of his
calling and service. The first song introduces God’s Servant who will establish
justice upon the earth.
Pray:
Take time with the first Servant
Song. Read Isaiah 42:1-4.
Act:
In this passage, the prophet Isaiah
portrays a servant who pleases God. This servant shows meekness and is one who
will never extinguish even the smallest, faintest light of faith. Likewise, the
faith of this servant will never grow dim; distant nations will await his
teaching and look for the justice that he brings.
National Doctor's Day commemorates the nation's
doctors, who have dedicated themselves to public service by helping to ensure
the good health of US citizens. Doctors are qualified and licensed individuals
who practice medicine of all forms. They include many types such as physicians,
surgeons, specialists, anesthesiologists and pediatricians, who dedicate their
lives to helping, healing and curing the sick and needy. President George W.
Bush designated March 30th as National Doctor's Day on October 30, 1990 in an
effort to celebrate the sacrifices and contributions made by our nation's
doctors. National Doctor's Day is observed on March 30th every year in
the US.
National
Doctor's Day Facts & Quotes
·
The
red carnation is the symbolic flower used for this holiday. It is often
placed on the gravesites of deceased physicians.
·
Eudora
Almond, wife of Dr. Charles Almond, celebrated the first Doctor's Day in
Winder, Georgia on March 30, 1933.
·
According
to a study by AAMC, the average cost of attending a US Medical school as a
nonresident is about $50,000 per year.
·
People
pay the doctor for his trouble; for his kindness-they still remain in his debt.
- Seneca, ancient Roman philosopher.
·
A
good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who
has the disease. - William Osler, Canadian physician and founder of John Hopkins
Hospital
National
Doctor's Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Order
a gift for your doctor. Find something related to medicine such as a
spine keychain or even a basket of fruits shaped like bones.
·
Send
a personal Thank You Note to your doctor letting them know you appreciate
him/her.
·
Place
a red carnation on a deceased physician’s grave.
·
Drop
by your doctor's office with a free lunch or a snack in appreciation of their
dedication towards your health.
·
If
you haven't been for a checkup in a while, get one. Your doctor will be happy
that you came in.
Beloved
brothers and sisters, we must strive
with all our strength to repel the enemy of our souls, with full attention and
vigilance, as he rages and aims his darts against every part of us that can be
assaulted and wounded. This is what the Apostle Peter, in his epistle, warns.
·
“Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pt 5: 8).
·
He and his forces circle around each of us and
watches. When weaknesses are found, the siege forces break through them and
then penetrate to the inside.
·
The enemy presents to the eye’s seductive images and
easy pleasures, so he can destroy chastity through the sense of sight.
·
He tempts the ears with seductive music, so that by
hearing these sweet sounds, the soul relaxes its guard and loses strength.
·
He provokes the tongue by rebukes.
·
He instigates the hand to do evil through exasperating
wrong.
·
He presents the lure of dishonest gains.
·
He promises earthly honors so that he can deprive us
of heavenly ones.
·
He makes a show of false things, so that he can steal
away the true ones. And when he can’t deceive through stealth, he threatens
explicitly and openly, holding out the fear
of violent persecution to vanquish God’s servants.
·
For these reasons, beloved brothers and sisters, the
mind ought to stand arrayed and armed against all the Devil’s deceiving snares
and open threats, as ever ready to repel as the foe is ever ready to attack.
Daily
Devotions
[2] IOANNES PAULUS PP. II, VERITATIS SPLENDOR
[3]http://www.fabsharford.com/4-ways-to-tell-if-youre-a-woman-who-fears-the-lord/
[4]Goffine’s
Devout Instructions, 1896
[5]
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/april-8.cfm
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