Tuesday In the Second Week of Lent
NOVENA
ST. JOSEPH--BAGPIPE DAY
Sirach, Chapter
40, Verse 26-27
26 Wealth
and vigor make the heart exult, but better than either, fear of
God. In the fear of the Lord there is no want; whoever has it
need seek no other support. 27 The fear of
God is a paradise of blessings; its canopy is over all that is glorious.
Everyone serves something. Some
serve gain, some serve pleasure, some serve others, but the wise person serves
the Lord not out of servile fear but Holy fear; that is out of love.
Can we say with Joshua, “As for me
and my household, we will serve the LORD!” (Jos. 24:15) If we serve the Lord
our own house should be open to our kindred. If everyone did this would we have
any who are homeless? Search your hearts; do you have kindred who are in need?
Sustain them. Real charity is looking after widows and orphans beginning with
your own families and relatives.
In the summer of 2011, four
Air Force officers deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring
Freedom. During their stay there, they discovered beautiful hand-crafted
artisan scarfs produced by a group of local women. Over time, it was brought to
light that all of these women had tragically lost their husbands to the Taliban
and now had the responsibility of providing for their families – most of which
was through the sales of their handmade crafts. This fact brought a realization
to the four Air Force Officers that a vehicle of empowerment for the local
population did not exist. Thus, Flying Scarfs was officially founded, and with
it, a business means through which the local Afghani widows could continue to
find financial stability. Today, via their work with Flying Scarfs,
these four social entrepreneurs have reshaped the manner in which many
Americans think about social change. Through a lens of free market capitalism
and micro-economic development, Flying Scarfs is an enterprise
dedicated to the empowerment of the artisans not just in Afghanistan, but
around the world. What was once just a small goal of providing employment for
the Afghan widows after Americans had withdrawn from Afghanistan has now turned
into a worldwide mission to find and aid other individuals in similar
situations. Flying Scarfs is a not-for-profit team of military officers
and volunteers that seek to be an engine of change by building the necessary
bridges so that underdeveloped countries may one day flourish in a global
economy. Our goal is to promote microeconomic development around the
world in order to provide comprehensive networks of stability with a
concentration in providing opportunities for women to succeed. In short, this
means we buy from the “small guys” through localized economies while promoting
peace, both at home and abroad. We intend to ultimately make a change by
providing a "hand up" rather than a "handout."
WASHINGTON—Catholics can encounter,
learn and act to address poverty in the United States through two new websites
from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). PovertyUSA.org and
its Spanish mirror site, PobrezaUSA.org,
are mobile-friendly sites that offer tools and resources to help Catholics put
faith in action by working to address poverty. Resources include an interactive
map with state and county level poverty statistics, learning activities about
poverty, prayer materials, and multimedia. The sites also feature stories of
hope about how communities are working to address poverty locally, and an
interactive map to find community organizations funded by the U.S. bishops'
Catholic Campaign for Human Development. "As Disciples of Christ, we are
invited to encounter those in our communities who experience poverty,"
said Bishop David P. Talley of Alexandria, chair of the CCHD Subcommittee of
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and
Human Development. "Poverty in the United States is a reality. We must
work together to put faith in action to work towards policies in our local
communities, and nationally, that can help address it." Nearly 41 million
people live in poverty in the United States, including 15 million children. The
poverty threshold is $26,200 for a family of four and $12,760 for a single
person.
Prayer. GRANT,
we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that Thy family, who, afflicting their flesh,
abstain from food, by following justice may fast from sin.
EPISTLE. Daniel ix.
15-19.
In
those days Daniel prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, Who hast
brought forth Thy people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand, and hast
made Thee a name as at this day : we have sinned, we have committed iniquity,
Lord, against all Thy justice : let Thy wrath and Thy indignation be turned
away, I beseech Thee, from Thy city Jerusalem, and from Thy holy mountain. For
by reason of our sins, and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem, and Thy
people are a reproach to all that are round about us. Now, therefore, O our
God, hear the supplication of Thy servant, and his prayers: and show Thy face
upon Thy sanctuary which is desolate, for Thy own sake. Incline, O my God, Thy
ear and hear: open Thy eyes, and see our desolation, and the city upon which
Thy name is called: for it is not for our justifications that we present our
prayers before Thy face, but for the multitude of Thy tender mercies. O Lord
hear: O Lord, be appeased: hearken and do: delay not for Thy own sake, O my
God: because Thy name is invoked upon Thy city, and upon Thy people.
GOSPEL. John viii.
21-29.
At that time
Jesus said to the multitude of the Jews: I go, and you shall seek Me, and you
shall die in your sin. Whither I go, you cannot come. The Jews therefore said:
Will He kill Himself, because He said: Whither I go, you cannot come? And He
said to them: You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I
am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you, that you shall die in your
sins. For if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sin. They said
therefore to Him: Who art Thou? Jesus said to them: The beginning, Who also
speak unto you. Many things I have to speak and to judge of you. But He that
sent Me is true: and the things I have heard of Him, these same I speak in the
world. And they understood not that He called God His Father. Jesus therefore
said to them : When you shall have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you
know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself, but as the Father hath
taught Me, these things I speak : and He that sent Me is with Me, and He hath
not left Me alone: for I do always the things that please Him.
This novena
prayer, although short is sufficient. It would be better of course to add, if
time permits, three Hail Mary’s or say five times the Our Father, Hail Mary and
Glory be to the Father, or to use some of the many well-loved novena prayers
from other sources. Remember that prayers must be said with the lips in order
to gain the indulgences. This novena begins on March 10 and ends on March 19.
Prayer
O dear and good St. Joseph
who so lovingly cared for your little family at Nazareth, pray for all workingmen
and their families. Help us all to enjoy a happy Christian family life. Be a father
to us all and watch over us even as you cherished the Blessed Virgin Mary and
her Holy Child. Patron of the Universal Church pray for us.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I
give you my heart and soul.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
assist me in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may
I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.
7 years for each invocation. Plenary, under usual
conditions, if any one of three is said daily for a month. S. Pen., Oct. 12,
1936.
The sound of bagpipes filling the air as
day dawns is enough to bring joy to the hearts of many. Others, they may not
feel quite the same. It seems that one either loves the pipes or not at all.
There is not very much middle ground. International Bagpipe Day is the time to
find out where you stand and join those who love them! The Bagpipe Society has been
sponsoring the celebration of International Bagpipe Day since 2012. They have
helped to bring the bagpipe to new players since 1986. It is important to them
that the history and playing of the bagpipes is not lost. Putting this day
together was with the hope of bringing awareness of the over 130 different
types of bagpipe throughout the world. For the first International Bagpipe Day
in 2012, there were reports of events held in some unique places. In South
Africa, pipers gathered and played in an underground canyon. In Greece, they
played on Athenian hill. The Society even heard of events in countries where
previously it was thought that there were not many pipers or any at all! If you
aren’t familiar with this ancient instrument, bagpipe is a term that means a
wind instrument that uses enclosed reeds to produce sound. Air feeds the reeds
with a constant flow of air from a reservoir in the form of a bag. In each area
that it is found, the bagpipe may change in sound and shape. This is an ancient
instrument and is claimed to be represented on a Hittite slab dated to 1000 BC!
How to Celebrate International Bagpipe Day
·
Celebrating
the bagpipe when this holiday rolls around can take many forms. If you have
ever wanted to try your hand at it, don’t wait! This is the time for you to
find your local provider of the pipes and take a lesson. You could be the next
great Piper! It could happen, you never know, right?
·
There
is a multitude of information available about this instrument. A great idea to
celebrate is to learn more about it. A quick internet search will bring up
resources like The Bagpipe Society. You can follow the history of this unique
instrument through the millennia to present day and from country to country!
There is much more information than you could learn in just one day, but it’s a
great time to start.
·
Another
way to celebrate is to find out if there are any events planned in your local
area. Grab the family or friends and go check it out! You may just find that
you were missing out on all the fun. If you ask, it may even be possible to try
it out and see if you can make a sound with it!
·
Bagpipes
have a long history that spans the ages and spans many regions. It is an
instrument that has weathered the test of time and surely deserves to be
honored on International Bagpipe Day!
Preparing for Battle[6] Know Your Weapons
The weapon of Sacred Sacramentals
·
Sacramentals
include certain actions, such as the Sign of the Cross and other blessings, as
well as objects that have been blessed, such as holy water, oil, salt, candles,
incense, rosaries, crucifixes, scapulars, and religious images.
·
In
an exorcism, the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus
Christ that a person or object be protected against the Devil’s power and
withdrawn from his dominion.
·
The
Sign of the Cross is the most terrible weapon against the Devil.
·
The
Church displays images of the cross so that we can have it continually in front
of our minds to recall to us just what our souls are worth and what they cost
Jesus Christ.
·
Blessings
and blessed objects. Both the blessings that are properly given by clergy (such
as those in the Liturgy) and the blessings spoken by lay people as part of
their daily lives (such as a table grace) are important sacramental's.
Daily
Devotions
·
Manhood of the Master-Day 30
[3]
Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
[4]Prayer
Source: All Day with God by Blanche Jennings Thompson
[5]https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/international-bagpipe-day/
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