Friday of the Fourth Week
of Easter
APPARITION OF ST. MICHAEL-3RD SHIFT WORKERS
DAY
Psalm
2, verse 11
Serve
the LORD with fear; exult with trembling, accept correction lest
he become angry and you perish along the way when his anger suddenly blazes up.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him!
To
fully understand this verse, we must know who the writer is referring to. In verse 10 the writer states “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned,
O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear. Our God is a just God and to those who
have been given much; much is required. Kings (and the 1 percent’ers) to be wise
must humble themselves. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the
needle then for a rich man to get into heaven. The "Eye of the Needle"
has been claimed to be a gate in Jerusalem, which opened after the main gate
was closed at night. A camel could only pass through this smaller gate if it
was stooped and had its baggage removed.[1]
I also with
this verse picture Mary Magdalene. Mary who by many accounts was a very rich
woman financed our Lord’s ministry. We see in this verse the shadowing of her
kissing of His feet and at the same time the hardening of Judas’ heart: who on
seeing her act of love and wanting riches refused to humble himself and died in
his pride.
Does Christ desire us to serve with Fear and trembling?
I
noticed the other day that my two dogs when I come in are so excited about
seeing me that they tremble with excitement. I think our God wants our hearts
and our desires. I think we should have the humble fear that a loved child has
for his or her parents, full of love and respect and that we should be excited
too. So, let us approach each day with the kind of excitement that makes us
tremble ready to do the will of God?
It is evident from Holy Scripture that God
is pleased to make frequent use of the ministry of the heavenly spirits in the
dispensations of His providence in this world. The Angels are all pure spirits;
by a property of their nature they are immortal, as is every spirit. They have
the power of moving or conveying themselves at will from place to place, and
such is their activity that it is not easy for us to conceive of it. Among the
holy Archangels, Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are particularly distinguished
in the Scriptures. Saint Michael, whose name means Who is like unto God?
is the prince of the faithful Angels who opposed Lucifer and his followers in
their revolt against God. Since the devil is the sworn enemy of God’s holy
Church, Saint Michael is given to it by God as its special protector against
the demon’s assaults and stratagems.
Various apparitions of this powerful Angel
have proved the protection of Saint Michael over the Church. We may mention his
apparition in Rome, where Saint Gregory the Great saw him in the air sheathing
his sword, to signal the cessation of a pestilence and the appeasement of God’s
wrath. Another apparition to Saint Ausbert, bishop of Avranches in France, led
to the construction of Mont-Saint-Michel in the sea, a famous pilgrimage site.
May 8th, however, is destined to recall another no less marvelous
apparition, occurring near Monte Gargano in the Kingdom of Naples.
In the year 492 a man named Gargan was
pasturing his large herds in the countryside. One day a bull fled to the
mountain, where it could not be found. When its refuge in a cave was discovered,
an arrow was shot into the cave, but the arrow returned to wound the one who
had sent it. Faced with this mysterious occurrence, the persons concerned
decided to consult the bishop of the region. He ordered three days of fasting
and prayers. After three days, the Archangel Michael appeared to the bishop and
declared that the cavern where the bull had taken refuge was under his
protection, and that God wanted it to be consecrated under his name and in
honor of all the Holy Angels.
Accompanied by his clergy and people, the
pontiff went to that cavern, which he found already disposed in the form of a
church. The divine mysteries were celebrated there, and there arose in this
same place a magnificent temple where the divine Power has wrought great miracles.
To thank God’s adorable goodness for the protection of the holy Archangel, the
effect of His merciful Providence, this feast day was instituted by the Church
in his honor.
It is said of this special guardian and
protector of the Church that, during the final persecution of Antichrist, he
will powerfully defend it: “At that time shall Michael rise up, the great
prince who protects the children of thy people.”
How will the Last
Judgment begin?
At the command of God, the angels, with the sound of the trumpet, shall summon
all men to judgment (i. These, iv. 15). The bodies and souls of the dead shall
be again united, and the wicked shall be separated from the righteous, the just
on the right, the wicked on the left (St. Matt. xxv. 33). The angels and the
devils will be present, and Christ Himself will appear in a bright cloud with
such power and majesty that the wicked, for fear, will not be able to look at
Him, but will say to the mountains, “Fall on us,” and to the hills, “Cover us” (St.
Luke xxiii. 30).
Why will God hold
a general and public judgment?
1. That all may know how just He has been
in the particular judgment of each one.
2. That justice may at last be rendered to
the afflicted and persecuted, while the wicked who have oppressed the poor, the
widow, the orphan, the religious, and yet have often passed for upright and
devout persons, may be known in their real characters and be forever disgraced.
3. That Jesus Christ may complete His
redemption, and openly triumph over His enemies, who shall see the glory of the
Crucified, and tremble at His power.
How will the Last
Judgment proceed?
The books will be opened, and from them all men will be judged; all their good
and bad thoughts, words, and deeds, even the most secret, known only to God,
will be revealed before the whole world, and according to their works men will
be rewarded or be damned forever. The wicked shall go into everlasting
punishment, but the just into life everlasting (St. Matt. xxv.46).
Today is Third
Shift workers day-let us pray for those who like the angels of God, provide us
with healing, protection and subsistence while we sleep.
Third Shift Workers’
Day
Most people work during the day, which is lucky for them.
Third Shift Workers’ Day celebrates those who lead more nocturnal lives. Do you
ever spare a thought for the nurses, fire-fighters, supermarket shelf-fillers,
and all the other brave people that work the graveyard shift while you sleep
soundly in your soft, warm bed?
They’re
the people that really keep the world turning, yet they might as well be
invisible as far as most of us are concerned. Inhabiting the strange,
monochromatic world of dreams, they keep us safe from harm, make sure our
packages are delivered on time, and see to it that our morning croissant is
freshly baked. Now come on and drink a toast to the health of third shift
workers everywhere. Let’s
face it, what with the ravages wreaked on their immune systems from having
their body clock messed around so much, they’ll be grateful for it!
Daily
Devotions
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