Day 38
Let Freedom Ring: Freedom from Worldliness
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"Christ's reason for taking upon Himself a human nature was to pay for sin by death on the cross and to bring us a higher life ... This higher life which is divine, distinct from the human, is called grace, because it is gratis or a free gift of God ... Man may live at three different levels: the sensate, the intellectual, and the divine. These may be likened to a three-story house.The sensate level, or the first floor, represents those who deny any other reality except the pleasures that come from the flesh. Their house is rather poorly furnished and is capable of giving intermittent thrills which quickly dry up. The occupant of this first floor is not interested in being told of higher levels of existence; in fact, he may even deny their existence.On the second floor, there is the intellectual level of existence, that of the scientist, the historian, the journalist, the humanist; the man who has brought to a peak all of the powers of human reason and human will. This is a much more comfortable kind of existence, and far more satisfying to the human spirit. Those on the second floor may think their floor is 'a closed universe,' regarding as superstitious those who desire a higher form of life.But there is actually a third floor which is the floor of grace by which the human heart is illumined by truths which reason cannot know; by which the will is strengthened by a power quite beyond all psychological aids, and the heart is entranced with the love which never fails; which gives a peace that cannot be found on the two lower levels ...The world, therefore, is divided into the 'once born' and the 'twice born': between the sons of the old Adam, and the sons of the new Adam, Christ; between the unregenerate and the regenerate. There is a real inequality in the world. There are 'superior' and 'inferior' peoples, but the basis of distinction is not color, race, nationality, or wealth. The superior people of the earth are the supermen, the God-men; the inferior people are those who have been called to that superior state but, as yet, have not embraced it."
We have allowed the temptation of the devil to move our hearts toward fearfully allowing the spread of worldliness throughout our culture and our Catholic Church.
We have fallen into this widespread worldliness when we have not lived up to the call of our Baptism to, day-by-day, deepen our love and faith in You.
We have been too easily swayed by the poor example of worldliness, in churches everywhere, and have not encouraged a deeper sense of supernatural faith.
In our weakness, we have allowed the ancient foe to advance.
We turn to You Lord, in our sorrow and guilt, and beg Your forgiveness for any of our own worldliness or our lack of resolve to lift souls out of worldliness and into the High Life of grace.
We beg for the grace of Your goodness to build up within us the strength and endurance be this visible light of fervent faith in You.
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 fear and worldliness.
Still the lying tongue of the devil and his forces so that we may act freely and faithfully to do Your will.
Send Your holy angels to cast out all influence that the demonic entities in charge of worldliness 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 on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
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.
of the Eternal Father, save us.
Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word of God, save us.
Blood of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament, etc.
Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in the Agony,
Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging,
Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns,
Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross,
Blood of Christ, price of our salvation,
Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness,
Blood of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls,
Blood of Christ, stream of mercy,
Blood of Christ, victor over demons,
Blood of Christ, courage of martyrs,
Blood of Christ, strength of confessors,
Blood of Christ, bringing forth virgins,
Blood of Christ, help of those in peril,
Blood of Christ, relief of the burdened,
Blood of Christ, solace in sorrow,
Blood of Christ, hope of the penitent,
Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying,
Blood of Christ, peace and tenderness of hearts,
Blood of Christ, pledge of Eternal Life,
Blood of Christ, freeing souls from purgatory,
Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honor,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.
R. And made us, for our God, a kingdom.
Almighty and eternal God, Thou hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son the Redeemer of the world and willed to be appeased by his blood. Grant, we beg of Thee, that we may worthily adore this price of our salvation and through its power be safeguarded from the evils of the present life so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
ST.
HIPPOYTUS-FILET MIGNON DAY-TEA WEEK
Luke, Chapter 8, Verse 35-37
35 People
came out to see what had happened and, when they approached Jesus, they
discovered the man from whom the demons had come out sitting at his feet.
He was clothed and in his right mind, and they were seized with FEAR. 36 Those who witnessed it told them
how the possessed man had been saved. 37 The entire population of the
region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them because they were seized with
great FEAR. So, he got into a boat
and returned.
The
population was more Greek than they were Jews; thus, Jesus scared them really
bad, with the exorcism and all. Christ understood their fear and got in the
boat and left. The Church today still has the power of exorcism.
The Latin Church Bishops of the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved the English translation of De Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam, editio
typica in November 2014, and the final text of Exorcisms and
Related Supplications
(ERS).
A list of frequently asked questions on exorcism and its use in the Church's
liturgical life was developed by the Secretariat of Divine Worship. Answers were
provided by specialists in this ministry and by experts in canon law. Since so
much of the common perception of the nature and application of exorcism is
shaped by the exaggerations of movie scripts and television programs, the
Committee on Divine Worship has approved dissemination of these basic questions and answers, in hopes that clear information
is brought to bear on a topic that is often shrouded in mystery or
misinformation.
Christians at Rome in Post-Apostolic Times[1]
The Saint of today-St. Hippoytus was a priest and a person of some
importance in the Church in Rome who in his book, “The Apostolic Traditions”, displays
the liturgical life of the Christian at Rome in the first centuries. Of
interest is the tradition of the hours.
Divine Office:
6 a.m. Prime:
"All the faithful, men and women, upon rising in the morning before
beginning work, should wash their hands and pray to God."
9 a.m. Terce: "When you are at home, pray at
the third hour and praise God. But if you are away when this hour comes, pray
in your heart to God. For at this hour Christ was nailed to the Cross."
12 p.m. Sext: "In a similar way you should pray
again at the sixth hour. For at the time when Christ was nailed to the Cross,
there came a great darkness. Prayer should therefore be said in imitation of
Him who prayed at that hour, viz., Christ before His death."
3 p.m. None: "The ninth hour too should be made
perfect by prayer and praise . . . in that hour Christ was pierced by the
spear."
6 p.m. Vespers: "Once more ought you to pray
before you go to bed."
Matins: "At midnight rise from your bed, wash
yourself and pray. If you have a wife, pray together in antiphonal fashion. If
she is not yet of the faith, withdraw and pray alone and return again to your
place. If you are bound by the bond of marriage duties, do not cease your
prayers, for you are not stained thereby. It is necessary that we pray at that
hour (i.e., Matins), for at that hour all creation is resting and praising God.
Stars, trees, water are as if they were standing still; all the hosts of angels
are holding divine services together with the souls of the just. They are
praising almighty God at that hour." What an inspiring passage!
Sunrise-Lauds: "In like manner rise and pray at
the hour at which the cock crows . . . full of hope look forward to the day of
eternal light that will shine upon us eternally after the resurrection from the
dead." Motivation for these "hour prayers" of the early
Christians was the conviction that daily they were reliving Christ's death and
resurrection. Every new day was a day of resurrection, and daily they were
raised with Christ on the Cross. It is an example that should spur us on to
give the Mass, the Breviary, and the Bible the place of honor in our lives.
Total Consecration
to St. Joseph-Day 25[2]
On
Day 25 Father Calloway asserts that St. Joseph is interested in you and wants
you to have a wonderful homelife.
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.
St. Joseph desires to
increase God’s grace in you your family and home.
·
Saint
Joseph wants to bless your home.
· Saint Joseph loves domestic life.
Saint Joseph’s
Workshop[3]
Scripture tells us St
Joseph was a craftsman. Some Fathers of the Church add that he was a carpenter.
When talking of the life of Jesus, St Justin says that he made ploughs and
yokes. Perhaps that’s why St Isidore of Seville concludes that St Joseph was a
blacksmith. In any event, he was a workman who supplied the needs of his fellow
citizens with a manual skill acquired through years of toil and sweat.
The Gospels give us a
picture of Joseph as a remarkably sound man who was in no way frightened or shy
of life. On the contrary, he faced up to problems, dealt with difficult
situations and showed responsibility and initiative in whatever he was asked to
do.
I don’t agree with the
traditional picture of St Joseph as an old man, even though it may have been
prompted by a desire to emphasize the perpetual virginity of Mary. I see him as
a strong young man, perhaps a few years older than our Lady, but in the prime
of his life and work.
You don’t have to wait to
be old or lifeless to practice the virtue of chastity. Purity comes from love;
and the strength and gaiety of youth are no obstacle for noble love. Joseph had
a young heart and a young body when he married Mary, when he learned of the
mystery of her divine motherhood, when he lived in her company, respecting the
integrity God wished to give the world as one more sign that he had come to
share the life of his creatures. Anyone who cannot understand a love like that
knows very little of true love and is a complete stranger to the Christian
meaning of chastity.
Joseph was, we have said,
a craftsman from Galilee, just one man among many. What had life to offer to
someone from a forgotten village like Nazareth? Nothing but work: work every
day, with the same constant effort. And at the end of the day, a poor little
house in which to rest and regain energy for the next day.
But the name Joseph, in
Hebrew, means “God will add.” God adds unsuspected dimensions to the holy lives
of those who do his will. He adds the one important dimension which gives
meaning to everything, the divine dimension. To the humble and holy life of
Joseph he added — if I may put it this way — the lives of the Virgin Mary and
of Jesus, our Lord. God does not allow himself to be outdone in generosity.
Joseph could make his own the words of Mary, his wife: “He has looked
graciously upon the lowliness of his handmaid... because he who is mighty, he
whose name is holy, has wrought for me his wonders.”
St Joseph was an ordinary
sort of man on whom God relied to do great things. He did exactly what the Lord
wanted him to do, in each and every event that went to make up his life. That
is why Scripture praises Joseph as “a just man.” And in Hebrew a just man means
a good and faithful servant of God, someone who fulfils the divine will, or who
is honorable and charitable toward his neighbor. So, a just man is someone who
loves God and proves his love by keeping God’s commandments and directing his
whole life toward the service of his brothers, his fellow men.
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph.
Filet Mignon Day[4]
” When you’re a failure in
Hollywood, that’s like starving to death outside a banquet hall, with smells of
Filet Mignon driving you crazy.”
~ Marilyn Monroe
There is a cut of meat that is the very definition of luxury and
decadence, one that falls from the lips of the common people and the rich
debutante royalty of Hollywood in equal measure. Filet Mignon is French for
“dainty fillet” and first found its way into the world in the 1906 book,” The Four Million”. Filet Minion Day celebrates the history
of this steak and the delicious role it has played in exquisite meals. Tenderloin.
The very word implies a rich and succulent meal that absolutely melts on the
tongue, but even in this most perfect cut of meat, there is a portion that is
unquestionably the best. This portion is the fabled Filet Mignon. This
delicious cut is served in 4 to 8oz portions and comes prepared in one of three
varieties, seared in a pan, grilled over coals or the most famous, wrapped in
bacon. The bacon is typically added to enrich the piece with fat, as Filet
Mignon tends to leanness. Even though it comes from the tenderloin, there are
still multiple cuts of Filet Mignon one can choose to indulge in. The prime cut
is the most popular and is available from any form of cattle, the Angus Cut,
however, comes specifically from vegetarian fed beef and is far and away one of
the best forms of beef available. If you’re truly feeling decadent, you can
purchase a 32oz whole Filet Mignon Roast. It may set you back about $65 a pound
(That’s $130) but it’ll be worth every succulent bite.
How
to Celebrate Filet Mignon Day
If you don’t have a talent with cooking, you can head out to
your local steakhouse and enjoy an expertly prepared cut of Filet Mignon. If
you’re feeling more adventurous you can head down to your local butcher and get
an excellent cut of meat that you can prepare yourself! Marinate it in a
wonderful sauce while you get the coals ready, wrap it in bacon, and set it
upon the grill to cook. Gently though! Filet Mignon is best-served medium rare
so that the soft tender nature of the meat will be preserved. This is just the
first step on enjoying Filet Mignon Day, but it doesn’t have to be the last!
Carpetbag Steak[5]
Australia’s
carpetbag steak combines two of the country’s most celebrated products: fresh,
sea-bright oysters and (ideally) free-range, grass-fed beef. The name of this
specialty derives from the shape of the finished dish. Although many recipes
call for broiling the steaks or grilling them over charcoal, those methods tend
to dry out the meat and prevent its beefy juices from mingling into the oozy
lushness of the salty oysters. Better to sauté the steaks for a moistly tender
result with maximum flavor contrast. Carpetbag Steaks
Serves
4
Necessary
equipment: Kitchen string and a trussing needle or small satay-type skewers 4
filet mignon steaks, each about 2 inches thick or 7 to 8 ounces Salt and
freshly ground black pepper 8 medium-size oysters, as freshly shucked as
possible 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter 2 tablespoons finely chopped
fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 to 3 anchovy fillets (optional), finely mashed
1. Using a very
sharp knife with a thin blade, cut a 2-inch-long horizontal slit on the edge of
each steak to make a pocket about 2 inches deep.
2. Sprinkle
salt and pepper onto both sides of each oyster. Slip 2 oysters, side by side,
into the pocket of each steak.
3. Close the
opening of each pocket, either by sewing it shut using kitchen string and a
trussing needle, or by fastening it with a small skewer. Pat the steaks dry on both
sides with paper towels.
4. Heat 3
tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron or
copper, over moderate heat. When the bubbling subsides, arrange the
oyster-stuffed steaks in the skillet, making sure that they do not touch one
another.
5. Cook the
steaks on one side until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes, then turn them over
and lightly brown them on the second side, about 3 to 4 minutes time. Reduce
the heat to low and cook the steaks, turning them frequently, 7 minutes longer
for very rare steak, or 9 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Anything more cooked
than that will hardly be worth eating. Transfer the steaks to individual
serving plates.
6. Melt the
remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in the skillet and stir in the parsley. Spoon
some of the parsley butter over each steak before serving. If you like the edgy
sophistication that anchovies can impart, stir the mashed fillets into the
parsley butter before spooning it over
the steaks.
Afternoon Tea Week[6]
Sometimes the wait for
dinner is far too long, and lunch passed too many hours ago, and the length of
the day is starting to wear at you. When this happens, it’s time to settle in with a warm cup
of tea and some light sandwiches, take some time to appreciate the day, and bolster
yourself for the rest of the evening. Afternoon Tea Week taps into the British
Tradition of afternoon tea to help bring a bit of elegance and pomp to an
otherwise unremarkable time of day. Afternoon Tea Week was established to help
secure a tradition that has graced British afternoons since the 1840’s. In those days, dinner often wasn’t served until 8pm, and lunch wasn’t actually a thing, so what was a
hungry person to do? Create a new mini meal in the middle of the day of course!
Traditionally this meal contains tiny finger sandwiches, scones with jam and
clotted cream, and sweet dainties like cakes and pastries to help lift the
spirits, bolster energy, and see you through the rest of the day. This simple
afternoon meal grew into a social event, especially for those who spent their
lives in the upper echelons of the day’s
society. This became even more prominent once Queen Victoria herself took part
in this tradition. At that point the concept of the ‘tea reception’ was born, lavish and fancy
afternoon repasts that could host anywhere from a close collection of friends
to a couple hundred of society’s
most important faces. As the name suggests, tea was a central part of this
meal, a tradition started by Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford. She often found herself
feeling weary or worn down in the middle of the day, and a pot of tea with a
snack just seemed to be the best way to take care of it. She soon invited
friends to join her for walks in the field, and the snowball that would become
Afternoon Tea began.
How to celebrate
Afternoon Tea Week
Celebrating Afternoon Tea
Week is simple, for the length of a week make a pause for Afternoon Tea a part
of your day. Warm tea, a few sweets, and a small repast will help lift your
spirits and drive you through the rest of your day. If you really want to go
all out you can organize a tea reception, and even go so far as to wear
Victorian Costume to honor the history of this holiday. Even if you just have a
cup of tea each day, remember Afternoon Tea Week and take a few breaths to Keep
Calm, and Carry On.
Daily Devotions
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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