Monday of the Second Week of Easter
WEED DAY
Isaiah, Chapter 54, verse 14:
In justice shall you be established, far from
oppression, you shall not FEAR, from
destruction, it cannot come near.
Isaiah
in this chapter states that God will create a new Zion, which He has in the
State of Israel and God gives assurances of love for Israel and of safety from
various possible threats; the phrase sums up both the positive aspects of
shalom, which implies a fullness of blessing, and protection from all that might
harm and a perpetual promise of peace-shalom.
If
we wish to have peace or Shalom, we must develop a holy fear, that is wonder and awe at God, in ourselves to do so, we
should read the bible every day. Perhaps today would be a good day to shut off
the TV and read a chapter a day for every day of your life or read the daily
readings for the Mass. Perhaps doing this along with a family dinner where you
pray together over the meal and then read the bible together would help
strengthen families.
A
good resource to peruse to strengthen the family is:
April 20 has become a counterculture holiday in North
America, where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis. Some
events have a political nature to them, advocating for the legalization of
cannabis. North American observances have been held at Hippie Hill in San
Francisco's Golden Gate Park near the Haight-Ashbury district, the University
of Colorado's Boulder campus, Ottawa, Ontario, at Parliament Hill
and Major's Hill Park, Montreal, Quebec at Mount Royal monument, Edmonton,
Alberta at the Alberta Legislature Building, as well as Vancouver,
British Columbia at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The growing size of
the unofficial event at UC Santa Cruz caused the Vice Chancellor of Student
Affairs to send an e-mail to parents in 2009 stating: "The growth in scale
of this activity has become a concern for both the university and surrounding
community."
Q: I have a question regarding the use of
marijuana and whether it is considered a sin to smoke it recreationally now
that it is legal in Washington state. I have a Catholic friend who smokes it
and doesn’t seem to think that there is anything wrong with doing so. What does
the church teach about using marijuana recreationally — is it a sin?
A: During the period of continuing formation
following my ordination, I was introduced to Stephen Covey’s well-known book
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The second habit has always stuck with
me: “Begin with the end in mind.” It means that before we start something, we
need to think it out and make sure our present actions will help us toward our
future goals.
Covey’s second habit can be applied to the
spiritual life. The goal of our spiritual lives is ultimately to love God and
others to the fullest possible extent, and ultimately to make it to heaven.
What we do in the present should assist us in these spiritual goals.
So, to your question, with the
understanding that marijuana is a legally prescribed therapeutic drug for
certain mental and physical conditions: Does recreational marijuana use help or
hinder us in reaching this goal of our Christian life?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church,
quoting Vatican II, says the following: “God willed that man should be ‘left in
the hand of his own counsel,’ so that he might of his own accord seek his
Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him.”
(1730) God doesn’t force us to seek and love him; it is something that he has
left us free to do.
Marijuana affects the limbic system of the
brain, which deals with emotion, behavior, motivation, long-term memory, and
sense of smell and time. Using this substance, as many studies show, causes
both physical and psychological effects in the user, including heightened heart
rates, short-term memory loss, delayed reaction, depression and even anxiety.
When a person smokes marijuana, they are placing chemicals in their nervous
system that alter their consciousness and have the potential to produce future
emotional and physical damage.
Marijuana certainly is not beneficial to
the spiritual life, and if it becomes a serious impediment to growth in the
spiritual life and drawing closer to God and our ultimate goal, heaven, the
church would consider its recreational use a sin. It’s important to remember
that there is a big difference between recreational and therapeutic drug use
and this understanding does not apply only to marijuana.
YouCat, the youth catechism of the
Catholic Church, says: “Every time a person loses or forgets himself by
becoming intoxicated, which can also include excessive eating and drinking,
indulgence in sexual activity, or speeding with an automobile, he loses some of
his human dignity and freedom and therefore sins against God. This should be
distinguished from the reasonable, conscious, and moderate use of enjoyable
things.” (389)
When we forget ourselves in this way
through “intoxication” of any kind, we run the risk of forgetting what the
purpose and goal of our lives are, and certainly are not considering this
ultimate goal in the present.
St. Paul says, “Do you not know that your
body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and
that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19) We were created to be good and
responsible stewards of God’s creation, including our bodies, which are sacred.
Recreational marijuana use can be an impediment to the fullness of life that
God wants to share with us and so can become a hindrance to being a good
steward of what God has created. Do you want to be a Dude or a Dud?
Novena for the Poor
Souls[3]
O Mother most
merciful, pray for the souls in Purgatory!
PRAYER OF ST.
GERTRUDE THE GREAT O Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of
Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world
today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory and for sinners everywhere— for
sinners in the Universal Church, for those in my own home and for those within
my family. Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE
DYING O Most Merciful Jesus, lover of souls, I pray Thee, by the agony of Thy
most Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother, to wash in Thy
Most Precious Blood the sinners of the whole world who are now in their agony
and who will die today. Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the dying!
Amen.
ON EVERY DAY OF
THE NOVENA V. O Lord, hear my prayer; R. And let my cry come unto Thee. O God,
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant unto the souls of Thy
servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins, that through our devout
supplications they may obtain the pardon they have always desired, Who livest
and reignest world without end. Amen.
MONDAY O Lord
God Almighty, I beseech Thee by the Precious Blood which Thy divine Son Jesus
shed in His cruel scourging, deliver the souls in Purgatory, and among them
all, especially that soul which is nearest to its entrance into Thy glory, that
it may soon begin to praise Thee and bless Thee forever. Amen. Our Father. Hail
Mary. Glory Be.
Daily
Devotions
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