Day 34-Let Freedom Ring: Freedom from Relativism
We have allowed the temptation of the devil to move our hearts to not see fulfillment in Your truth.
We have chased after earthly goals and trinkets as if they were more important.
We have allowed self-serving and self-destructive passions to supplant obedience to You.
We have expected You to be pleased with our neglect and half-heartedness.
We have, at times, been a source of scandal for those searching through our sinfulness and rebellion to You.
In our fear, we have allowed the ancient foe to advance.
We turn to You Lord, in our sorrow and guilt, and beg Your forgiveness for our relativism.
We beg for the grace of Your goodness to build up within us what you sought to build up in Your apostles in that tempest tossed boat.
We know, Lord, if You will it, it will be done.
Trusting in You, we offer our prayer to You who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
In Your power and goodness, You created all things.
You set a path for us to walk on and a way to an eternal relationship.
By the strength of Your arm and Word of Your mouth
Cast from Your Holy Church every fearful deceit of the Devil
Drive from us manifestations of the demonic that oppress us and beckon us to relativism.
Still the lying tongue of the devil and his forces so that we may act freely and faithfully to Your will.
Send Your holy angels to cast out all influence that the demonic entities in charge of relativism have planted in Your church.
Free us, our families, our parish, our diocese, and our country from all trickery and deceit perpetrated by the Devil and his hellish legions.
Trusting in Your goodness Lord,
We know if You will it, it will be done in unity with Your Son and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen.
Christ, have mercy. R. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. R. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us. R. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, R. have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, R. have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, R. have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, R. have mercy on us.
Jesus, Divine Victim on the Altar for our salvation, R. have mercy on us.
Jesus, hidden under the appearance of bread, R. have mercy on us.
Jesus, dwelling in the tabernacles of the world, R. have mercy on us.
Jesus, really, truly and substantially present in the Blessed Sacrament, R. have mercy on us.
Jesus, abiding in Your fulness, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, R. have mercy on us.
Jesus, Bread of Life, R. have mercy on us.
Jesus, Bread of Angels, R. have mercy on us.
Jesus, with us always until the end of the world, R. have mercy on us.
Sacred Host, sign and cause of the unity of the Church, R. have mercy on us.
Sacred Host, adored by countless angels, R. have mercy on us.
Sacred Host, spiritual food, R. have mercy on us.
Sacred Host, Sacrament of love, R. have mercy on us.
Sacred Host, bond of charity, R. have mercy on us.
Sacred Host, greatest aid to holiness, R. have mercy on us.
Sacred Host, gift and glory of the priesthood, R. have mercy on us.
Sacred Host, in which we partake of Christ, R. have mercy on us.
Sacred Host, in which the soul is filled with grace, R. have mercy on us.
Sacred Host, in which we are given a pledge of future glory, R. have mercy on us.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
For those who are indifferent to the Sacrament of Your love, R. have mercy on us.
For those who have offended You in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, R. have mercy on us.
That we may make suitable preparation before approaching the Altar, R. we beseech You, hear us.
That we may receive You frequently in Holy Communion with real devotion and true humility, R. we beseech You, hear us.
That we may never neglect to thank You for so wonderful a blessing, R. we beseech You, hear us.
That we may cherish time spent in silent prayer before You, R. we beseech You, hear us.
That we may grow in knowledge of this Sacrament of sacraments, R. we beseech You, hear us.
That all priests may have a profound love of the Holy Eucharist, R. we beseech You, hear us.
That they may celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in accordance with its sublime dignity, R. we beseech You, hear us.
That we may be comforted and sanctified with Holy Viaticum at the hour of our death, R. we beseech You, hear us.
That we may see You one day face to face in Heaven, R. we beseech You, hear us.
spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us, O Lord.
All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine.
Most merciful Father, You continue to draw us to Yourself through the Eucharistic Mystery. Grant us fervent faith in this Sacrament of love, in which Christ the Lord Himself is contained, offered and received. We make this prayer through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (19th S. Ord. Time)
BENEDICTA OF THE CROSS -Book
Lovers Day
Luke, Chapter 2,
verse 8-10:
8 Now
there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night
watch over their flock. 9 The
angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear. 10 The
angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you
good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Have you ever had an encounter with an angel? Most
have not yet encountered a manifestation of an angel but do feel they were
guided by them. For those who do encounter a powerful appearance of an angel
like the shepherds they were very afraid,
and some are not. Here is the story of one man’s experience with the
Archangel Raphael.
Imagine, you go to bed one night
and an angel comes and asks you to go with him. Wim Holtschlag, a simple
carpenter and father of two, by now grown up children, had this happen to him
five times in his home at Haaksbergen (The Netherlands). 28 spoken messages
have come since. The messenger calls himself Raphael, angel, third in rank. His
name means medicine of God and he wounds hearts with his arrows of love. He stands
in the choir of archangels. He is one of the seven who stand before the Throne
of God. His name is known in the bible where he, in the book of Tobit, is the
traveling companion of the young man Tobias. The Church calls on him as the
angel of love, patron of medical doctors and of travelers. From 1984 until May
2000, the seer, his wife Diny, and the many who have learned of these messages,
received a deepening of their faith and a clearer insight into how to live in
the still remaining time.
Tenth
Sunday after Pentecost[2]
Humility and
its source in knowing that all goodness comes from the Spirit.
AT the Introit of the Mass, join with
the Church in extolling the help of God, whereby we are defended against our
enemies. “When I cried to the Lord, He heard my voice from them that draw near against
me, and He humbled them, Who is before all ages, and remains forever. Cast thy
care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. Hear, O God, my prayer, and
despise not my supplication; be attentive to me, and hear me.”
Prayer. O God, Who dost particularly manifest Thy omnipotence by sparing and
showing mercy, multiply Thy mercy towards us, that running to the possession of
what Thou hast promised, Thou mayest make us partakers of heavenly goods.
EPISTLE, i. Cor. xii.
2-11.
Brethren: You know that when you were
heathens, you went to dumb idols, according as you were led. Wherefore I give
you to understand, that no man, speaking by the Spirit of God, saith Anathema
to Jesus. And no man can say, the Lord Jesus, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there
are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit: and there are diversities of
ministries, but the same Lord: and there are diversities of operations, but the
same God, Who worketh all in all. And the manifestation of the Spirit is given
to every man unto profit. To one, indeed, by the Spirit, is given the word of
wisdom: and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit: to
another faith in the same Spirit: to an other the grace of healing, in one
Spirit: to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the
discerning of spirits, to another divers kinds of tongues, to another
interpretation of speeches. But all these things one and the same Spirit
worketh, dividing to everyone according as He will.
Explanation. As the Holy Ghost gave on Pentecost the gift of tongues, so also, He
imparted to the faithful many other gifts. This Holy Spirit works in different
ways. He confers not only ordinary but extraordinary graces on whom He will,
and how He will, as He finds it for the edification of the body of Christ, and
whatever gift anyone receives he must use for the glory of God and the
salvation of souls, without being elated by it, since he has received it only
as a pure grace.
GOSPEL.
Luke xviii. 9-14
At that time, to some who
trusted in themselves as just, and despised others, Jesus spoke this parable:
Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
The Pharisee, standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give Thee thanks
that I am not as the rest of men: extortioners, unjust, adulterers: as also is
this publican; I fast twice in a week; I give tithes of all that I possess. And
the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards
heaven: but struck his breast, saying: O God, be merciful to me a sinner! I say
to you, this man went down into his house justified rather than the other,
because everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted.
Why
did Jesus recite the parable of the Pharisee and the publican? To warn us against pride, ambition,
and vanity in our good works, which thereby lose all their merits; to teach us
not to despise or judge any man, although he should appear most impious;
finally, to show us that if we would be heard in our prayers, we must appear
before God with an humble and penitent heart.
Why
was not the Pharisee’s prayer acceptable to God? Because it was not a prayer, but
rather a boast; for he praised himself, attributing his good works to himself,
instead of giving God glory for them. Thus, despising and presumptuously
judging others, he sinned the more against God, instead of making himself
worthy of his praise.
Why
was the prayer of the publican acceptable to God? Because, though short, it was most
humble and penitent. He did not, like the Pharisee, advance into the temple,
but remained afar off, as though unworthy the presence of God and the fellowship
of men. There he stood, with eyes cast down, in token that, for his sins, he
was not worthy to look up to heaven; nay, he openly confessed himself a sinner,
and in sorrow smote his breast, thereby punishing, as it were, says St.
Augustine, the sins which had come from his heart. Let us, then, be afraid of
vainglory, like St. Ignatius, who said, “They who praise me scourge me” and St.
Hilary, who wept when he saw himself honored, because he was afraid of
receiving his reward on earth. Learn to despise vainglory and think of what St.
Augustine says: God is most high; exalt yourself, and He withdraws from you;
humble yourself, and He comes down to you.” Seek in all things not your own but
God’s glory; accustom yourself before every undertaking to raise your heart to
God by making a good intention, and you will, like the publican, find grace
before God.
St. Teresa Benedicta of
the Cross[3]
A brilliant philosopher
who stopped believing in God when she was fourteen, Edith Stein was so
captivated by reading the autobiography of Teresa of Avila that she began a
spiritual journey that led to her Baptism in 1922. Twelve years later she
imitated Teresa by becoming a Carmelite, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of
the Cross. Born into a prominent Jewish family in Breslau (now Wroclaw,
Poland), Edith abandoned Judaism in her teens. As a student at the University
of Gottingen, she became fascinated by phenomenology, an approach to
philosophy. Excelling as a protege of Edmund Husserl, one of the leading
phenomenologists, Edith earned a doctorate in philosophy in 1916. She continued
as a university teacher until 1922 when she moved to a Dominican school in
Speyer; her appointment as lecturer at the Educational Institute of Munich
ended under pressure from the Nazis. After living in the Cologne Carmel
(1934-1938), she moved to the Carmelite monastery in Echt, Netherlands. The
Nazis occupied that country in 1940. In retaliation for being denounced by the
Dutch bishops, the Nazis arrested all Dutch Jews who had become Christians.
Teresa Benedicta and her sister Rosa, also a Catholic, died in a gas chamber in
Auschwitz on August 9, 1942.
Things to Do: In the month of August we celebrate two martyrs of
Auschwitz, St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Teresa Benedicta.
·
We
need to pray, hard and often that our world does not return to the inhumanity
to man. The acceptance of euthanasia and abortion, embryonic stem cell
research, IVF, are the first steps to deciding who can live or who can die.
·
Offer
a Mass, say a rosary, offer sacrifices, etc. to end abortion and other sins
against mankind.
·
Read
about Auschwitz and ponder the modern gas chambers
in every state of our Union and resolve to do all that you can to end the
killing.
Total
Consecration to St. Joseph-Day 21[4]
On
Day 21 Father Calloway points out that Joseph is a flawless model for us of the
three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity.
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.
Joseph loved God more than Mary. Joseph shows us that a Christian’s relationship with God is a spiritual marriage and for this marriage to work there must be mutual love, sacrifice, and faithfulness. Joseph also never doubted the divinity of Jesus nor his power to conquer evil. He trusted and was faithful in good times and bad.
·
Saint
Joseph is a model of Faith.
· Saint Joseph will increase your Faith.
Adorer of Christ[5]
Father
Calloway points out that Joseph was one of the first Adorers of Christ.
·
"We cannot help but marvel at the faith of
Saint Joseph. Tormenting doubts harass his soul and he is on the point of
leaving Mary. But an angel appears to him and all his doubts and fears vanish.
On the angel's word He accepts the mystery of the Incarnation. In the ensuing
years his faith was to be frequently put to the test. At Bethlehem he had to
content himself with a stable for a home where the Incarnate Word might be
born. Soon after, he was forced to flee in order to save the Infant God, and
when later he returned to the tiny village of Nazareth it was to live there
unknown and in dire poverty. All these trials only tempered his faith. Although
he sees only the Child's wretchedness and poverty, his faith pierces the shroud
and uncovers the hidden God within this weak baby frame. Because his faith was
so strong, Joseph's mind and heart bowed in perfect adoration. Imitate his
faith as you kneel before the humble Christ annihilated in the Eucharist.
Pierce the veil which covers this furnace of love and adore the hidden God. At
the same time respect the veil of love and make the immolation of your mind and
heart your most beautiful homage of faith."
·
"Words cannot express the perfection of his
adoration. If Saint John leaped in the womb at the approach of Mary, what
feelings must have coursed through Joseph during those six months when he had
at his side and under his very eyes the hidden God! If the father of Origen
used to kiss his child during the night and adore the Holy Spirit living within
Him, can we doubt that Joseph must often have adored Jesus hidden in the pure
tabernacle of Mary? How fervent that adoration must have been: My Lord and my
God, behold your servant! No one can describe the adoration of this noble soul.
He saw nothing, yet he believed; his faith had to pierce the virginal veil of
Mary. So likewise, with you! Under the veil of the Sacred Species your faith
must see our Lord. Ask St. Joseph for his Lively, constant faith."
·
"At Nazareth Joseph's days were filled with
work which necessarily took him away at times from his Infant God. During these
hours Mary replaced him, but when evening brought him home again, he would pass
the entire night in adoration, never tiring, only too happy for the chance to
contemplate the hidden riches of Jesus' divinity. For he pierced the rough
garments the Child wore, until his faith touched the Sacred Heart. In profound
adoration he united himself to the special grace of each one of the events in
the life of Jesus. He adored our Lord in His hidden life and in His Passion and
Death; he adored in advance the Eucharistic Christ in His tabernacles: there
was nothing that our Lord could hide from Saint Joseph. Among the graces which
Jesus gave to His foster-father -- and He flooded him with the graces attached
to every one of His mysteries -- is that special to an adorer of the Blessed
Sacrament. That is the one we must ask of St. Joseph. Have confidence, strong
confidence in him. Take him as the patron and the model of your life of adoration."
·
St. Joseph worshiped Jesus as no saint before
had done. From his deep, calm soul he poured out a very ocean of love -
tenderest love, humblest love, love shrinking from being like the Father's
love, yet also daring to be like it as Mary's had been like the conjoined loves
of Father and of Spirit, as she was Mother and Spouse conjoined. No angel might
love Jesus as Joseph loved Him, as Joseph was bound to love Him. No temporal
love but Mary's could be more like an eternal love than the love of Joseph for
the Child, because of its likeness to the love of the everlasting Father. Aside
from the Blessed Virgin, Saint Joseph was the first and most perfect adorer of
Our Lord."
- St. Peter Julian Eymard
o
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph.
Book
Lovers Day[6]
·
From the scent of a rare first edition book found in an old-time
book collection, to a crisp, fresh book at the local supermarket, the very
sight of a book can bring back memories. Reading as a child, enjoying the short
stories, the long books and the ability to lose yourself in a story so powerful
that at the end your asking yourself where to get the next book in the series.
This is for the reader in all of us, the celebration of Book Lovers Day!
While the day’s origins
may be shrouded in mystery and rumor, the books themselves are not. Started
from carving on stone tablets, the book was designed to make portable the
writings and drawings of those that could not carry around stone tablets.
Originally it was parchment or vellum (calf skin, in case you were wondering)
was bound tightly with a wooden cover. Often the wooden cover was tightly
wrapped in leather to prevent the wood from getting wet and had clasps or
straps to hold it shut. In the more modern age, printing capabilities made
books cheaper, and easier, to print. The printing press, the typewriter, and
the computer all had an effect on the market of books. But more so than most,
is the upsurge in electronic devices that can be used to read on. Computers,
tablets, and most cell phones now have the ability to read books, making it
that much easier to carry around a small library to enjoy not matter where you
are.
How to celebrate Book Lovers Day
In order to truly
appreciate Book Lovers Day, one must only find a story and read it. Maybe you
wish to dive into the unknown with a good mystery, or see magic in a high
fantasy setting, or be enthralled in a steamy romance. The individual genre of
your reading is not the big piece of this, just that you do read is. Maybe a
visit to your local library is in order? After all public libraries existed
even way back in the Middle Ages, but they didn’t really let many folks take
books home. The librarians in those days chained books to shelves or desks in
order to prevent theft of the carefully hand-written tomes. Many librarians
will gladly help you find a title to read, giving a brief explanation on what
it is about if they have read it, or giving it a little flip and reading about
it quickly in the synopsis. But no matter your preference, if you read it at
home with a cup of tea, share a book meeting with friends or go to the library
and make use of the wonderful pieces on those shelves, just enjoy your reading,
revel in the book and find a way to read during Book Lovers Day!
Daily Devotions
·
Today in honor of the
Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no
shopping after SUNSET ON SATURDAY till Monday. Don’t forget the internet.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[2]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
[4]https://catholicexchange.com/now-is-the-time-to-consecrate-yourself-to-saint-joseph
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