DAY 13 - MOTHER OF OUR CREATOR, PRAY THAT WE RECEIVE THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE!
GOD'S WORD
HEROES' WORDS
MEDITATION
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Luminous Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Joyful Mysteries
SAINT MONICA
Still, no one spoke
openly about him because they were AFRAID of the Jews.
Saint Monica[1]
St. Monica is an example
of those holy matrons of the ancient Church who proved very influential in
their own quiet way. Through prayer and tears she gave the great Augustine to
the Church of God, and thereby earned for herself a place of honor in the
history of God's kingdom on earth. The Confessions of St. Augustine
provide certain biographical details. Born of Christian parents about the year
331 at Tagaste in Africa, Monica was reared under the strict supervision of an
elderly nurse who had likewise reared her father. In the course of time she was
given in marriage to a pagan named Patricius. Besides other faults, he possessed
a very irascible nature; it was in this school of suffering that Monica learned
patience. It was her custom to wait until his anger had cooled; only then did
she give a kindly remonstrance. Evil-minded servants had prejudiced her
mother-in-law against her, but Monica mastered the situation by kindness and
sympathy. Her marriage was blessed with three children: Navigius, Perpetua, who
later became a nun, and Augustine, her problem child. According to the custom
of the day, baptism was not administered to infants soon after birth. It was as
an adolescent that Augustine became a catechumen, but possibly through a
premonition of his future sinful life, Monica postponed his baptism even when
her son desired it during a severe illness. When Augustine was nineteen years
old, his father Patricius died; by patience and prayer Monica had obtained the
conversion of her husband. The youthful Augustine caused his mother untold
worry by indulging in every type of sin and dissipation. As a last resort after
all her tears and entreaties had proved fruitless, she forbade him entrance to
her home; but after a vision she received him back again. In her sorrow a
certain bishop consoled her: "Don't worry, it is impossible that a son of
so many tears should be lost." When Augustine was planning his journey to
Rome, Monica wished to accompany him. He outwitted her, however, and had
already embarked when she arrived at the docks. Later she followed him to
Milan, ever growing in her attachment to God. St. Ambrose held her in high
esteem, and congratulated Augustine on having such a mother. At Milan she
prepared the way for her son's conversion. Finally, the moment came when her
tears of sorrow changed to tears of joy. Augustine was baptized. And her
lifework was completed. She died in her fifty-sixth year, as she was returning
to Africa. The description of her death is one of the most beautiful passages
in her son's famous “Confessions”.
The Role of Woman as
Mother[2]
Reflections on the richness and gift
of being a mother, thought provoking particularly on Marian feasts and saints
such as St. Monica. Woman is called to be a giver of life. Not physical life
alone, but life on the psychological and spiritual planes as well. Woman's
greatness lies in the sphere of nurture: in bearing, fostering, enlarging and
expanding life. Motherhood, in its essence, is a mystery of fecundity. All life
on the earth is conceived and nurtured in darkness, brought to birth, sustained
and protected until it reaches maturity. Motherhood is the fullness of this
organic process, crowning nature with its most perfect fruit--the human being.
Mankind has always linked motherhood with the mystery of nature's abundance. In
literature and folklore, the warm and fertile "Mother Earth" becomes
the most common image of woman's fruitfulness. "I sing of the earth,
firmly founded mother of all, supporting on her soil all that lives,"
wrote Homer, and poets ever since have celebrated the mother's fecundity in
everything budding, blossoming, ripening, bearing fruit: the flowering meadow,
the full-blossoming rose, the fair olive tree, the field of ripening grain, the
vine laden with its rich, red grapes.
The ancient pagans stood in wonder
before the life-giving power of woman, sensing that motherhood somehow
transcended nature to touch the divine. Christianity elevates and purifies the
truth which the pagan world could only glimpse. The triune God, the infinitely
fruitful, wills to make His creatures partake of His own creative power. Both
men and women reflect the divine creativity, but differently. The man as
father, generating new life, is an image of the eternal Father "from whom
all paternity in heaven and earth is named." The woman as mother,
nurturing the seed with her own substance, bearing the new life into the world,
bringing it to maturity, reflects God's nurturing love which sustains the
world. God Himself has told us that He stands as mother to us: "Shall not
I that make others to bring forth children myself bring forth, saith the Lord.
Shall I that give generation to others be barren? Hearken unto me, O house of
Jacob, who are born up by my womb. As one whom the mother caresses, so will I
comfort you."
But the supreme realization of woman's
fecundity lies in the spiritual order. At the summit of human fruitfulness
stands Mary, the mother of Jesus. The fruit of her womb is the very Son of God,
and by her Son's word on the cross she has become the mother of all the living,
the dispenser of God's graces throughout all ages. And since Our Lady is the
exemplar of womanhood, every woman in a certain sense has a part in Mary’s
maternal role. Every woman is meant to share in nurturing the Christ-life in
the souls of men. The Christian woman in marriage cannot be content to give her
children natural life alone; she must also be their spiritual mother, educating
them as members of God's family and like St. Monica, being "in labor of
them" as often as she sees them swerving from Him. In her role as
spiritual mother woman uses the resources of her maternal instincts and capacities
at their most exalted level.
Pots de Creme Day[3]
” From the French have come many excellent things.
Nothing related to wartime, mind you, but if you’re looking for ways to enjoy
the finer things in life there are no wiser people. Take the Pots de Creme, for
instance, a truly decadent preparation that is quite possibly the king of
desserts.” Anonymous
Rich, creamy, delectable. Pots de
Creme are one of the greatest inventions of the 17th Century, and they’ve
remained a favorite treat in the centuries since. Pots de Creme Day celebrates
these delicious treats and their long history. In the 17th-century Pots de
Creme started becoming popular and were originally created filling crusts like
a pie. As time went on they were made in smaller portions and the crust was
eliminated. While it remains incredibly popular, many people have difficulty
pronouncing it. It is not, as the name suggests, “Pawts deh Creem”, but in fact
is pronounced “Po de Krehm”. But no matter how you pronounce it, it’ absolutely
delicious and a complete breeze to make! Pots de Creme are, at their most
basic, just four ingredients, but once you master the basic recipe a whole
world of possibility opens up. Fruit flavors were incredibly common, especially
when prepared with fresh fruit, or you could enjoy them as a rich chocolate or
butterscotch. Really, there was no end to what these little custards could be.
That’s right! These are lightly prepared custards, but the French didn’t have a
word for custard, so they called them Pots de Creme.
How to Celebrate
Pots de Creme day is an excellent
opportunity for you to discover the ease with which they can be made and the
unlimited variety that comes out of one simple recipe. First, start off with a
basic vanilla version.
Pots de Creme
6 cups heavy cream
1 ½c whole milk
¾t kosher salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
18 large egg yolks
¾c sugar
Whipped Cream (for serving)
Begin by putting a rack on the middle
space of an oven and begin preheating until it reaches 300F. Blend together the
milk, salt, and cream in a large pot, split the vanilla bean and scrape the
seeds into it. Slowly bring the pot to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to
prevent the bottom from burning. While that heats, whisk the egg yolks and
sugar until they reach a light golden color, and then pour the hot cream into
the yolk blend, whisking until smooth. Then strain it through a fine sieve into
a pitcher. Place the ramekins on a roasting pan and fill each of them until
they’re half full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, and then cool in a water bath for 5
minutes. Then transfer it to a wire rack and let them cool down. Place in a
refrigerator and allow to chill for four hours.
Top with whipped cream and serve!
Daily Devotions
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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