DAY 3 - HOLY VIRGIN OF VIRGINS, PRAY THAT WE RECEIVE THE VIRTUE OF HOPE!
GOD'S WORD
HEROES' WORDS
MEDITATION
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Joyful Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Glorious Mysteries
Luke, Chapter 12, Verse 4-5
4
I tell you, my
friends, do not be AFRAID of those
who kill the body but after that can do no more. 5 I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into
Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
It would seem that Christ
is talking about the Devil here or is He talking about our very selves.
Christ may have been
referring to the rabbinic duality of yetzer hara, the so-called
"evil inclination," and the yetzer hatov, the "good
inclination,". Yetzer hara is not a demonic force that pushes a person to
do evil, but rather a drive toward pleasure or property or security, which if
left unlimited, can lead to evil (cf. Genesis Rabbah 9:7). When a person’s will
is properly controlled by the yetzer hatov, the yetzer hara leads too many
socially desirable results, including marriage, business, and community. In
Judaism adults are distinguished from children by the yetzer hatov, which
controls and channels the drives that exist unchecked in the child. Thus,
children may seek pleasure and acquisition, but they are not able to create a
sanctified relationship or exercise the responsibility to engage in business.
The young adult is not described as someone who has developed a sophisticated
moral sense; in fact, the early adolescent may base moral decisions entirely on
fear of punishment. Yet by age 13, the child’s moral sense has developed
sufficiently to hold the child responsible for his or her actions.[1]
Another Jewish source states:
ha-Satan, the Adversary, was one of the
“severe” agents of God. Another such harsh but necessary force in God’s
creation is the Yetzer ha-Ra,
which is variously translated as the “Evil Impulse,” the “Evil Desire,” the
“Selfish Desire” or just “Desire.” It is that aspect of nature, but especially
human nature, which drives us to compete, to fight, to possess, but most of all
to desire sexual gratification. Though it is counter-balanced by the Yetzer ha-Tov, the “altruistic desire,”
it is nonetheless the source of much of the grief in human life – lust,
violence, selfishness, vengeance, and ambition. One would think that humanity
would be truly better off if we could destroy this impulse. We see evil in
ourselves, it offends us, and we think the right thing to do is to totally
purge ourselves of it. Yet we don’t truly understand it, for things we so
easily characterize as “evil” actually spring out of the very nexus of
holiness. Surreal as it is, this maaseh
makes an incredible point – it is the strife of the spirit, the very struggle
between our impulses that makes the world work. Without the Yetzer ha-Ra, the world as we know would
cease – people [and animals] would no longer be driven to build, to create, to
have children. In short, life as we know, including not only evil aspects but
most of what we regard as beautiful also, would cease. Without Desire, Life
itself would slowly wither away, and that would be a sad thing. So, the goal of
the spiritual person is not to destroy the selfish-sexual-evil impulse, but
rather to sublimate it to God’s purpose. To be truly what God wants us to be,
to achieve our fullest human potential, we need to learn to bend both our impulses to godly ends. We
should not cease to lust but should direct that urge toward love. We should
turn our impulse toward vengeance into the desire for justice, our ambition for
acquiring possessions into the creation of true wealth.[2]
Amoris Lætitia[3]
Looking to Jesus: The Vocation of the Family-(58-60)
In and among families, the Gospel message should always resound; the core of that message, the kerygma, is what is “most beautiful, most excellent, most appealing and at the same time most necessary.”
Kerygma refers to the initial and
essential proclamation of the gospel message. To put it simply, the
kerygma is the very heart of the gospel, the core message of the Christian
faith that all believers are calling to proclaim. “God loves you” “Christ died
for your sins”
This is
the first and most important proclamation, “which we must hear again and again
in different ways, and which we must always announce in one form or another.” Our
teaching on marriage and the family cannot fail to be inspired and transformed
by this message of love and tenderness; otherwise, it becomes nothing more than
the defense of a dry and lifeless doctrine. We need to model the gaze of Jesus
and how he “looked upon the women and men whom he met with love and tenderness,
accompanying their steps in truth, patience and mercy as he proclaimed the
demands of the Kingdom of God.” The Lord is also with us today, as we seek to
practice and pass on the Gospel of the family.
Total Consecration to St. Joseph-Day 29[4]
Lord,
have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God,
the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God
the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God
the Holy Spirit have mercy on us.
Holy
Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Holy
Mary, pray for us.
Saint
Joseph, Pray for Us.
Noble
offspring of David, Pray for Us.
Light
of Patriarchs, Pray for Us.
Spouse
of the Mother of God, Pray for Us.
Chaste
Guardian of the Virgin, Pray for Us.
Foster
Father of the Son of God, Pray for Us.
Zealous
Defender of Christ, Pray for Us.
Head
of the Holy family, Pray for Us.
Joseph
Most Just, Pray for Us.
Joseph
Most Chaste, Pray for Us
Joseph Most Prudent, Pray for Us.
Joseph Most Courageous, Pray for Us.
Joseph Most Obedient, Pray for Us.
Joseph Most Faithful, Pray for Us.
Mirror of Patience, Pray for Us.
Lover of Poverty, Pray for Us.
Model of Workmen, Pray for Us.
Glory of Domestic Life, Pray for Us.
Guardian of Virgins, Pray for Us.
Pillar of Families, Pray for us.
Comfort of the Afflicted, Pray for Us.
Hope of the Sick, Pray for Us.
Joseph is the hope of the dying and the health of the sick.
· Saint Joseph offers hope in times of sickness.
If you or someone
you know is ill or in poor health, ask St. Joseph to intercede.
St. Joseph is a go-to saint for many faithful throughout the world. He is the loving father figure to Jesus and also the spouse of Mary, whom he protected and loved his whole life. I know I am among countless people who has turned to St. Joseph countless times. There is a long history of Christians consecrating themselves to St. Joseph during a plague. In fact, shortly before the current pandemic, Fr. Donald Calloway launched his ministry to lead people in consecrating themselves to St. Joseph (read about that here). So, a consecration to St. Joseph might be one way we can unite with our Catholic ancestors to bring a swift end to the effects of coronavirus. If you are not in a place to make a consecration, the St. Joseph novena is an easy prayer to pray for nine days in a row. There are many stories of miracles as a result of this novena and you can use it to turn to St. Joseph in these chaotic times.[5]
Votive Masses[6]
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the most powerful of all
prayers. A votive Mass is a Mass celebrated for a special purpose or occasion.
·
Votive Masses are always optional; they are
never obligatory.
·
The Missale Romanum (1962)
contains many votive Masses.
·
According to the Missale Romanum (1962),
the most fitting choices for particular days of the week are as follows:
Monday |
Mass of the Most Holy Trinity |
Tuesday |
Mass of the Holy Angels |
Wednesday |
Mass of St. Joseph, or Mass of Saints
Peter and Paul, or Mass of All Holy Apostles |
Thursday |
Mass of the Holy Spirit, or Mass of the
Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, or Mass of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, Supreme and Eternal Priest |
Friday |
Mass of the Holy Cross, or Mass of the
Passion of the Lord, or Mass of the Most Sacred Heart of
Jesus |
Proper’s for Certain Votive Masses:
·
Votive
Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
·
Votive Mass for the Deliverance from Death in Time of
Pestilence (Against Coronavirus COVID 19 Plague)
·
Votive Mass for the Forgiveness of Sins
·
Votive Mass for the Unity of the Church
·
Votive
Mass of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Adeamus cum fiducia) (in
any season)
·
Votive Mass of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(Adeamus cum fiducia) (in Eastertide only)
·
Votive Mass of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(Adeamus cum fiducia) (after Pentecost)
·
Votive Mass of the Most Holy Trinity (Mondays)
·
Votive Mass of the Holy Angels (Tuesdays)
·
Votive Mass of Saint Joseph (Wednesdays)
·
Votive Mass of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Supreme and Eternal
Priest (Thursdays)
·
Votive Mass of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Fridays)
·
Votive Mass for the Anniversary of the Coronation (Solemn
Installation) of the Pope
·
Saturday of Our Lady (or Votive Mass) – Roráte cœli
desuper during Advent
·
Saturday of Our Lady – Vultum tuum after
Christmas and before February 2
·
Saturday of Our Lady – Salve, sancta Parens after
the Purification and before Holy Thursday
·
Saturday
of Our Lady – Salve, sancta Parens during Eastertide
·
Saturday
of Our Lady – Salve, sancta Parens after Trinity Sunday and
before Advent
·
Daily Mass for the Dead – For All the Faithful Departed
(omitting Rite of Absolution)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph.
Daily Devotions
·
Eat waffles and Pray for the assistance
of the Angels
·
Monday:
Litany of Humility
·
Rosary
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