Fourth Sunday of Lent
Clemens
August von Galen, Bishop of Münster (1933-1946)[2]
World Water Day serves to raise awareness about water issues such as sanitation problems and water shortages in many parts of the world. Today, 1 in 10 people lack access to safe and clean water, a problem which has a direct impact on the economy, health of the population and well-being of women and children worldwide. In 1992, World Water Day was proposed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The United Nations General Assembly responded to the proposition in 1993 by declaring March 22 as World Water Day. Each year, the UN-Water agency allocates a theme corresponding to a current or potential challenge for World Water Day.
AUGUST VON GALEN-WATER DAY-Lailat al Miraj
John,
Chapter 9, Verse 22
His
parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had
already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Messiah, he would be
expelled from the synagogue.
Christ
had healed a man born blind to these parents on the Sabbath and in this verse
the Jews questioned them about it and they were frightened as to the outcome.
The
synagogue and the academy were the two institutions which preserved the essence
of the Judaism of the Diaspora and saved it from annihilation. As the place of
public worship, the synagogue became the pivot of each community, just as the
Sanctuary at Jerusalem had been the center for the entire people. The synagogue,
consequently, is the most important feature of the Jewish community, which is
inconceivable without it.[1]
This
was the equivalent to a social and spiritual death. To be expelled was alike to
being made a leper and having a life of living death.
It
was worse than being defriended on Facebook!
“When Jesus heard that they had
thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may
believe in him?” Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him. (John 9: 35-38).
Do you belong to any human
organizations that have blinded you to the truth? Are you afraid of being expelled by others if you truly believed?
Walk into the light of Christ and “Be not afraid”.
Fourth Sunday of Lent
A note of joy is
struck, for having died to sin with Christ during Lent, we will rise again with
Him and be part of His mystical Body, the Church which is the new Jerusalem. Thus,
the Introit: "Rejoice, Jerusalem."
BY the
Introit of the Mass the Church reminds us of the joys of heaven, to encourage
us to persevering zeal in penance and fasting, and to patience under
persecution, crosses, and sorrows.
The
Introit of the Mass begins with the word Laetare (rejoice),
from
which the Sunday derives its name: Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and come together, all
you that love her. Rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow, that you may
exult and be filled from the breasts of your consolation. I was glad at the
things that were said unto me: we shall go into the house of the Lord.
Prayer. Grant, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that we, who are
afflicted for our deeds as we deserve, may be relieved by the comfort of Thy
grace.
EPISTLE. Gal. iv. 23-31.
Brethren:
It is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bond-woman, and the other
by a free-woman: but he who was of the bond-woman was born according to the
flesh: but he of the free-woman was by promise: which things are said by an allegory:
for these are the two testaments. The one from Mount Sina engendering unto
bondage: which is Agar: for Sina is a mountain in Arabia, which hath affinity
to that Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But that
Jerusalem which is above is free, which is our mother. For it is written:
Rejoice thou barren, that bearest not: break forth and cry, thou that
travailest not; for many are the children of the desolate, more than of her
that hath a husband. Now, we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of
promise. But as then he, that was born according to the flesh, persecuted him
that was after the spirit: so also, it is now. But what saith the Scripture?
Cast
out the bondwoman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir
with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not the children of
the bondwoman, but of the free: by the freedom wherewith Christ hath made us
free.
Explanation. The Jews, typified by Agar, served God like servants, from fear
of punishment and in the hope of rewards. Christians, typified by Sara, lift up
their hands to Him as their Father, and if they fulfil His will faithfully will
become partakers of His glory in heaven.
Prayer. O Jesus, grant that by fasting, prayer, and patience under
persecution I may partake in Thy sufferings, and be found worthy of Thy divine
promises and Thy eternal consolations in the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen.
GOSPEL. John vi. 1-15.
At that time: Jesus went
over the sea of Galilee, which is that of Tiberias: and a great multitude
followed Him, because they saw the miracles which He did on them that were
diseased. Jesus therefore went up into a mountain: and there He sat with His
disciples. Now the Pasch, the festival-day of the Jews, was near at hand. When
Jesus therefore had lifted up His eyes, and seen that a very great multitude
cometh to Him, He said to Philip: Whence shall we buy bread, that these may
eat?
And this He said to try him,
for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him: Two hundred pennyworth
of bread is not sufficient for them, that everyone may take a little. One of
His disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, saith to Him: There is a boy
here that hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are these among so many?
Then Jesus said: Make the
men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. The men therefore sat
down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when He had
given thanks, He distributed to them that were sat down: in like manner also of
the fishes as much as they would. And when they were filled, He said to His disciples:
Gather up the fragments that remain, lest they be lost. They gathered up
therefore, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley
loaves, which remained over and above to them that had eaten. Now those men,
when they had seen what a miracle Jesus had done, said: This is of a truth the
prophet that is to come into the world. Jesus, therefore, when He knew that
they would come to take Him by force and make Him king, fled again into the
mountain Himself alone.
Why did Christ thus try St. Philip?
1. To try his faith and
confidence.
2. To teach us to make use
of natural and ordinary means before we have recourse to the supernatural.
3. So that the miracle would
be the more striking to the people, when they were satisfied that the provisions,
they had been quite small and insufficient.
4. That we might have
confidence in God, Who is a helper in time of tribulation (Ps. ix. 10).
What ceremonies did Our Savior use at this miracle,
and why? He first looked up to
heaven, to remind us that every good gift comes from above, and that it is God
only Who opens His hand, and fills all with benediction. Second. He thanked His
heavenly Father, to show us that we also should be careful to thank God for all
His benefits. The table, says St. Chrysostom, which begins and ends with prayer
shall never know want. Thirdly He blessed the bread that we might learn that it
is the Blessing of God which gives success.
Why did Jesus flee after this miracle?
1. To teach us to seek not
the admiration and applause of men, but only the glory of God and the good of
our neighbor.
2. To love solitude, that far
from the noise of the world, we may with more freedom converse with God.
Consolation in Poverty.
To
those poor who follow Christ this gospel is full of consolation, as it shows
that from the very beginning of the world God has cared for His children. For
the comfort and preservation of His chosen people He sent Joseph before them
into Egypt (Gen. xlv. 5; Ps. civ. 4). He sustained the children of [Israel during
forty years in the wilderness with bread from heaven He fed the prophet Elias,
sending him bread and flesh by a raven (in. Kings xvii. 6). He remembered
Daniel lying in the lion’s den (Dan. xiv. 37). In the New Testament also God
has shown His care for His own by nourishing and feeding them in their greatest
need, at times through the instrumentality of animals and at other times by
that of angels and of men as we read in the lives of the saints.
Aspiration. In Thy power and goodness, O my God, I put my trust. I firmly
believe if I fear Thee, and do what is right, I shall, though poor here, after
this life have abundance of good things from Thee.
In the summer of 1941, in answer to
unwarranted attacks by the National Socialists, Bishop von Galen delivered
three admonitory sermons between July and August. He spoke in his old parish
Church of St Lambert and in Liebfrauen-Ueberlassen Church, since the diocesan
cathedral had been bombed. In his famous speeches, Bishop von Galen spoke out
against the State confiscation of Church property and the programmatic
euthanasia carried out by the regime. The clarity and incisiveness of his words
and the unshakable fidelity of Catholics in the Diocese of Münster embarrassed
the Nazi regime, and on 10 October 1943 the Bishop's residence was bombed.
Bishop von Galen was forced to take refuge in nearby Borromeo College. From 12
September 1944 on, he could no longer remain in the city of Münster, destroyed
by the war; he left for the zone of Sendenhorst. In 1945, Vatican Radio
announced that Pope Pius XII was to hold a Consistory and that the Bishop of
Münster was also to be present.
T4: The Nazis' Euthanasia Solution[3]
He who is bodily and mentally not sound
and deserving may not perpetuate this misfortune in the bodies of his children.
— Hitler, Mein Kampf. Beginning in 1939, the National Socialist regime
begin systematically killing disabled children in "specially designated
pediatric clinics" via starvation and overdose. By the end of World War
II, an estimated 5,000 infants and children had been murdered by the Nazis. The
program, code-named T4, was extended to adults beginning in 1940. Physicians working
for the T4 program examined medical files (seldom the institutionalized
patients themselves) and marked for death disabled and mentally ill adults, in
most cases without the knowledge or consent of family members. Those selected
for extermination were rounded up, processed, and directed into a facility for
a "disinfecting shower." Instead, the victims were gassed to death
via carbon monoxide. Their bodies were cremated, and the ashes sent to families
with an official death certificate listing a fictitious cause of death. By 1941
the program had become public knowledge, in part because of the opposition from
German clergymen, including Bishop von Galen. Hitler officially halted the
adult killings, but the child program continued. In 1942 the adult killings
resumed in secret and continued until the end of the war, with an
ever-expanding range of victims, including the elderly, hospitalized war
victims, and foreign laborers. In all, an estimated 200,000 people were
executed as part of the Nazi "mercy killing" agenda.
Pray America may
not continue in its own Euthanazia Solution and we have a religious rise like
the Lion of Munster!
World
Water Day[4]World Water Day serves to raise awareness about water issues such as sanitation problems and water shortages in many parts of the world. Today, 1 in 10 people lack access to safe and clean water, a problem which has a direct impact on the economy, health of the population and well-being of women and children worldwide. In 1992, World Water Day was proposed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The United Nations General Assembly responded to the proposition in 1993 by declaring March 22 as World Water Day. Each year, the UN-Water agency allocates a theme corresponding to a current or potential challenge for World Water Day.
World
Water Day Facts & Quotes
·
In
developing nations, nearly 80% of illnesses can be linked to poor water and
sanitation conditions.
·
Russia's
Lake Baikal and North America's Great Lakes hold about 40% of the world's fresh
water supply, the large remainder of the freshwater supply is in the form of
icecaps and glaciers.
·
According
to UNICEF, diarrhea is the second leading cause of death among children under
the age of 5 in the world.
·
You
ain't gonna miss your water until your well runs dry. - Bob Marley
World
Water Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Don't
waste water!!! Make a conscious effort to use less water on World Water Day and
on other days. Some ways to reduce water consumption include, showers instead
of baths, washing full loads of clothing only and turning off the tap while
washing dishes and brushing teeth.
·
Donate
to a charity
or organization that supports water issues in developing nations. WaterAid is an organization that works in
poor countries to set up and maintain water sources, UNICEF and UNCHR also
provide support and relief efforts to improve water sanitation and hygiene
globally.
·
Volunteer
to help clean up trash and other debris along a beach or shore. This garbage
and debris pollute the water that we need in our daily lives.
·
Watch
documentaries about water-related issues such as pollution, contamination and
diseases. Our top picks are Troubled Water, The Fight for Water, Flow
for the Love of Water, Tapped, Thirst and Dhaka's Cholera
Wars.
·
Take
part in a local World Water Day celebration, such as a film screening or a
water conservation event. One of the largest events, the White House Water
Summit in Washington DC, will be live streamed.
Lailatul Miraj (Arabic: الإسراء
والمعراج) commemorates Prophet Muhammad's ascension to heaven. Muslims
believe that on this night, an angel came to the Prophet, washed his abdomen
with Zamzam water, and filled his heart with wisdom and belief. Then, Muhammad
was called by God from Mecca to Jerusalem, where he prayed at the Masjid
Al-Aqsa (Jerusalem). From Jerusalem, he ascended to heaven, where he was
honored by being allowed to see God directly, visiting the highest levels of
heaven, and leading all the past Prophets in prayer, including Joseph, Adam,
Abraham, Moses, Aaron, Jesus, and John the Baptist.
To get to his destinations, he rode Al-Buraq, a heavenly animal that was
smaller than a mule but bigger than a donkey. He was given the gift of prayer
by God. When he returned to Mecca, he accurately described a caravan that was
headed to Mecca from Jerusalem to show the Quraish that had actually been
there. Although the exact date of Laulatul Miraj is unknown, most believe it
fell on 27 Rajab.
Lailat
al Miraj Facts & Quotes
·
Muslims
believe that there are several levels in heaven. Muhammad was taken to each one
by Angel Gabriel. At each heaven, a gatekeeper asked both the angel and
Muhammad to identify themselves before proceeding.
·
Muslims
believe that Muhammad saw "Al-Bait-al-Mamur" (God's house). Gabriel
told Muhammad that every day since the beginning of creation, 70,000 different
angels pray there daily.
·
Muhammad
is also believed to have seen "Sidrat al-Muntaha" (a tree) in the
seventh heaven. Its leaves resembled elephant ears, its fruits resembled clay
jugs, and from it originated four rivers. Two of them were hidden in heaven,
while the other two were made apparent to man in the forms of the Nile and the
Euphrates.
·
Muslims
believe that God had originally assigned fifty daily prayers. Moses, upon
hearing about this from Muhammad, is reported to have encouraged Muhammad to
negotiate and reduce the number of prayers God assigned, which He graciously
reduced to five daily prayers. (Sahih al-Bukhari, volume 4, Book 54, Hadith
number 429[6])
·
On
the night Prophet Muhammad was taken on a night journey two cups, one
containing wine and the other milk, were presented to him at Jerusalem.
He looked at it and took the cup of milk. Gabriel said, 'Praise be
to Allah Who guided you to the right path; if you had taken the cup of wine,
your nation would have gone astray.' - Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 69,
Number 482 This incidence is used to explain the fact that wine is forbidden to
Muslims.
Lailat
al Miraj Top Events and Things to Do
·
Muslims
are actually discouraged from celebrating or fasting on this day because of two
reasons: First, the exact date is unknown. Second, there are no real rewards
from God for celebrating this day.
·
Read
the award-winning book, 'The Sealed Nectar'. It is Muhammad's biography
and tells of the many events that happened on Muhammad's journey from Mecca to
Lailatul Miraaj.
Daily
Devotions
·
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.
[2]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-03-22
[3]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-03-22
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