Tuesday in the
Third Week of Lent
feast of st.
Daniel,
Chapter 3, Verse 40-42
40 So let our sacrifice be in your presence
today and find favor before you; for those who trust in you cannot be put to
shame. 41 And now we follow you with our whole
heart, we fear you and we seek your
face. Do not put us to shame, 42 but deal with us
in your kindness and great mercy.
Has
your way of living been less than you wanted? Well? Welcome to the human
condition. Emotions are what being human is about. Imagine the emotions of
Peter after the resurrection. If your emotions or sinfulness despite your best
efforts have left, you flat. You are human. Remember the disciples on the road
to Emmaus; they were at left flat at the loss of the Christ. Like Peter they
felt they could have done more. Today walk with our Lord tell Him all.
In
a sermon by Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas she states:
“Put
away the gods that your ancestors served...” Joshua declares. Doing that
requires an act of self-examination. Spend at least five minutes with each
question, even if all you do is listen to your heart.
·
What
are the gods that I serve?
·
What
does my bank statement or my credit card statement say about my values?
·
What
does the way I spend my free time say about what matters most to me?
·
How
does the way that I treat family-members and co-workers, neighbors and friends
show which gods I serve?
·
To
what do I give my best, most focused attention and care?
·
What
do I Really care about?
·
What
motives really drive me?
·
What
goals really draw me forward?
·
Are
there compulsive patterns of thought or behavior to which I am excessively
attached?
You and I can go to church and say
very sincerely that we worship God, but in the hurly-burly of daily life there
are all kinds of lesser gods that tug at us and clamor for our attention and
our devotion.[1]
Prayer.
EPISTLE,
iv. Kings iv. 1-7.
In
those days a certain woman of the wives of the prophets cried to Eliseus,
saying: Thy servant my husband is dead, and thou knowest that thy servant was
one that feared the Lord, and behold the creditor is come to take away my two
sons to serve him. And Eliseus said to her: What wilt thou have me do for thee?
Tell me, what hast thou in thy house? And she answered: I thy handmaid have
nothing in my house but a little oil, to anoint me. And he said to her: Go,
borrow of all thy neighbor’s empty vessels not a few. And go in, and shut thy
door, when thou art within, with thy sons: and pour out thereof into all those
vessels, and when they are full take them away. So, the woman went, and shut
the door upon her, and upon her sons: they brought her the vessels, and she
poured in. And when the vessels were full, she said to her son: Bring me yet a
vessel. And he answered: I have no more. And the oil stood. And she came and
told the man of God. And he said: Go, sell the oil, and pay thy creditor: and
thou and thy sons live of the rest.
GOSPEL.
Matt, xviii. 15-22.
Lenten
Calendar[3]
Read: The Seven
Penitential Psalms, Day One:
(During times when we wish to express
repentance, and especially during Lent, it is customary to pray the seven
penitential psalms. The penitential designation of these psalms’ dates back to
the seventh century. Prayerfully reciting these psalms will help us to
recognize our sinfulness, express our sorrow and ask for God’s forgiveness.)
Today we will
focus on Psalm 6.
Pray: “Have pity on me,
LORD, for I am weak; heal me, LORD, for my bones
are shuddering.” (Ps 6:3, NABRE)
Act: In this psalm, the
psalmist proclaims his weakness before God, with tears and sighing. Yet he
lifts his prayers to the Lord, confident in the Lord, who is merciful.
ST.
PATRICK[4] was born towards the close of the
fourth century, but the place of his birth is not positively known. Britain and
Scotland both claim the honor, but the best authorities seem to agree upon
Brittany, in France. In his sixteenth year he was carried into captivity by
certain barbarians, who took him into Ireland, where he was obliged to keep
cattle on the mountains and in the forests, in hunger and nakedness, amidst
snows, rain, and ice. The young man had recourse to God with his whole heart in
fervent prayer and fasting and from that time faith and the love of God
acquired continually new strength in his tender soul. After six months spent in
slavery under the same master St. Patrick was admonished by God in a dream to
return to his own country, and informed that a ship was then ready to sail
thither. He went at once to the seacoast, though at a great distance, and found
the vessel. After three days sail, they made land, but wandered twenty-seven
days through deserts, and were a long while distressed for want of provisions.
Patrick assured the company that if they would address themselves with their whole
hearts to the true God He would hear and succor them. They did so, and on the
same day met with a herd of swine. From that time provisions never failed them,
till on the twenty-seventh day they came into a country that was cultivated and
inhabited. Some years afterwards he was again led captive but recovered his
liberty after two months. When he was at home with his parents, God manifested
to him, by divers’ visions, that He destined him to the great work of the
conversion of Ireland. The writers of his life say that after his second
captivity he travelled into Gaul and Italy, and saw St. Martin, St. Germanus of
Auxerre, and Pope Celestine, and that he received his mission and the
apostolical benediction from this Pope, who died in 432. Great opposition was
made to his episcopal consecration and mission, both by his own relations and
by the clergy; but the Lord, whose will he consulted by earnest prayer,
supported him, and he persevered in his resolution. He forsook his family, sold
his birthright and dignity to serve strangers, and consecrated his soul to God,
to carry His name to the ends of the earth. In this disposition he passed into
Ireland to preach the Gospel, penetrating into the remotest corners; and such
was the fruit of his preaching’s and sufferings that he baptized an infinite
number of people. He ordained everywhere clergymen, induced women to live in
holy widowhood and continence, consecrated virgins to Christ, and instituted
monks. He took nothing from the many thousands whom he baptized, but gave
freely of his own, both to pagans and Christians, distributed large alms to the
poor in the provinces where he passed, and maintained and educated many
children, whom he trained to serve at the altar. The happy success of his
labors cost him many persecutions. He died and was buried at Down, in Ulster.
His body was found there in a church of his name in 1185 and translated to
another part of the same church.
A WARRIORS BREASTPLATE[5]
I
bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead, His eye to watch, his
might to stay, His ear to hearken to my need; the wisdom of my God to teach,
his hand to guide, his shield to ward; the word of God to give me speech, his
heavenly host to be my guard. Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ
behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to
comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet,
Christ in danger, Christ in the hearts of all that love me, Christ in the mouth
of friend and stranger. Amen
Things
to Do[6]
·
This
is a good day to honor St. Patrick by trying typical Irish fare: corned beef
and cabbage, soda bread, scones, stew, Shepherd's pie, potatoes in various
forms and the famous beer and spirits of Ireland. For dessert, try making the
Irish Porter Cake.
·
Read
the Lorica (Breastplate) of St. Patrick. Here is an older translation — pray it with your family after your rosary tonight.
·
From
the Catholic Culture library: The Conversion of Ireland by Warren Carroll, The Irish Soldiers of Mexico by Michael Hogan, The Irish Madonna of Hungary by Zsolt Aradi and Our Lady in Old Irish Folklore and Hymns by James F. Cassidy.
·
Don
your friendliest green for St. Patrick’s Day. Boston is the place to be, with the city’s official
St. Patrick’s Day Parade drawing anywhere from 600,000 to 1 million people
every year.
·
St.
Patrick used the three-leaf shamrock to explain the Trinity to non-Christians.
The leaves stood for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
·
Approximately
5.5 million pints of Irish Guinness stout are consumed on an average day. On
St. Patrick's Day, nearly 13 million are consumed.
·
Wearing
the shamrock, a three-leaf clover is a St. Patrick's Day tradition. The
official three-leaf clover is known scientifically as Trifolium dubium however
clovers can also have more leaves. Four-leaf clovers are said to be lucky,
however the odds of finding one are about 1 to 10,000.
·
The
love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my
soul was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred
prayers and in the night, nearly the same. - St. Patrick
·
Sláinte!
- used when clinking glasses with friends at a bar (equivalent of Cheers or
Health!)
Saint
Patrick's Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Wear
green! In some parts of the world, the custom is to pinch people who aren't
wearing the color of shamrocks.
·
Attend
a St. Patrick's Day parade. Major cities like Chicago, New York, San
Francisco, Dallas, and Boston host marching bands and floats.
·
The
heart of any Irish neighborhood is its local pub. Share a couple of green
Guinness beers
with friends at a local Irish pub or try Magner's (Bulmer's) apple cider as an
alternative.
·
St.
Patrick was a brave and humble man. Have you been putting off something
because you are afraid to do it? Do it today in honor of St. Patrick's
Day.
When we consider God valued the human
person as so precious enough to die for, we should make a concerted effort to
aid others.
The giving of Alms has everything to do
with devotions and piety. Almsgiving is a powerful form of prayer. “Prayer and fasting are good, but better
than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness…It is better to give
alms than to store up gold; for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates
every sin. Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life” (Tob
12:8-9) To give alms is to give to God. If we are giving alms righteously then
most likely we are doing it though some form of fasting giving from our
substance. The giving of Alms should not philanthropy with a smiling photo op
and boost to our pride. The earliest Christians knew they could not make a good
Communion if they neglected the poor. St. Ignatius noted that the twin marks of
heresy are the neglect of the poor and neglect of the Eucharist. “The mystery
of the poor is this: that they are Jesus and what you do for them you do to
him.” (Dorothy Day) The Eucharist is the key to a civilization of love. It saves
us from misguided tenderness and feel-good philanthropy, because it gives us
the grace to sacrifice as Jesus did. Our main focus must be widows and orphans.
(Single parents and children) “Widows and orphan are to be revered like the
altar of sacrifice.” (Pope Paul VI) We should give as much as we can and we
should give it responsibly making sure the alms are not wasted.
Mormons in their almsgiving, for example,
do fast offerings in addition to tithing. This offering accompanies a monthly
24-hour fast. All the money that would have been spent to buy food during those
24 hours is donated to the Church for the purpose of feeding the hungry and
caring for the needy.
When you become weakened and the outcome of the war seems uncertain, recall in faith that God’s ultimate triumph is secure.
·
You
are of God, dear children, and have overcome him, because greater is He who is
in you than he who is in the world. 1 Jn 4: 4
·
The
LORD goes forth like a mighty man, like a man of war He stirs up His fury; He
cries out, He shouts aloud; He shows Himself mighty against His foes. Is 42: 13
·
The
LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the
stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? The LORD is my light and my
salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom
shall I be afraid? Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of
the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all
the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His
temple. For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will
conceal me under the cover of His tent, He will set me upon a high rock. And
now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies round about me; and I will
offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to
the LORD. . . . I believe that I shall see the goodness of the
LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your
heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD! Ps 27: 1– 6, 13– 14
·
For,
behold, your enemies, O LORD, for, behold, your enemies shall perish; all
evildoers shall be scattered. Ps 92: 9
Daily
Devotions
[2]
Goffines Devout Instructions, 1896
[4]
Goffine’s Divine Instructions, 1896.
[5]
St. Patrick
[8] Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40 Catholic
Customs and their biblical roots. Chap. 33. Almsgiving.
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