DAY 48 - MARY, QUEEN OF THE FAMILY, PRAY FOR US
SHOCK TROOPS
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Luminous Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Glorious Mysteries
OCTOBER
Trees declare their own sermon in
brief autumn's painted landscape. We note their size and type and variety and
beauty. Trees serve as symbols of the gift-giving aspects of our lives. Trees
provide fruit, wood, climatic modification, wind and sun protection, prevention
of soil erosion, and a host of other benefits. This is the time to plant trees
and to prepare them for winter. Should we not give more attention to how our
lives can bear fruit in Christ and in the protection of our forests?
Overview of October[1]
The
month of October is dedicated to the Holy
Rosary. The
Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7. October falls
during the liturgical season known as Ordinary
Time, which is represented by the liturgical color green.
During October, as in all of Ordinary Time (formerly known as Time After Pentecost), the Liturgy does
not focus on one particular mystery of Christ but views the mystery of Christ
in all its aspects. We follow the life of Christ through the Gospels and focus
on the teachings and parables of Jesus and what it means for each of us to be a
follower of Christ.
Autumn
Festivities
October
usually is an enjoyable time of the year in the United States. The autumn
season manifests itself with wonderful fall foliage in many parts of the
country. The temperatures are cooler, inviting people outdoors for nature
walks, apple or pumpkin picking. The celebrations of the Church for the month
of October are also wonderful and unique. The feasts of some of the most
popular saints of the universal Church are celebrated during this month: St.
Therese the Little Flower (France), St. Francis of Assisi (Italy) and St.
Teresa of Avila (Spain). These saints come from different countries, and in
honoring these saints we can include cultural dishes or activities from each
country to make the feast day even more special. Read more about the lives of
these saints. Perhaps the family can pick one virtue that each saint practiced
well and try to implement it.
The
feasts in October also include two of the most popular, time-honored devotions
of Catholics, the devotion to the Holy Rosary (October 7) and the Guardian
Angels
(October 2). In October 2002 our Holy Father John Paul II wrote the Apostolic
Letter Rosarium
Virginis Mariae
(the Rosary of the Virgin Mary)."
This letter introduced five new mysteries, called the Luminous or Mysteries of
Light, which are (1) Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan, (2) Jesus'
self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana, (3) Proclamation of the Kingdom of
God, with the call to conversion, (4) the Transfiguration, and (5) the Institution
of the Eucharist. Try to make a more concerted effort to pray the Rosary
together as a family during the month of October, read the Apostolic Letter to
understand the beauty of this devotion more deeply, and pray the new Luminous
mysteries. October 16 is known as "Pope Day" on which we celebrate
the gift of the papacy and our current pope.
Every
person has a guardian angel assigned to them, and October 2 the Church
celebrates the role of these Guardian Angels. We should show devout gratitude to
God for placing these angels at our service. Having a guardian should give us
confidence during all of life's difficulties. Every Catholic should know the Angele
Dei (Angel of God) prayer and pray it often. The Directory on Popular
Piety suggests that families pray it at morning and evening prayers or
after the Angelus.
All
Hallows' Eve or Halloween heralds the month of November with emphasis on the
Communion of Saints, especially the Church Suffering (the Poor Souls in
Purgatory) and the second coming of Christ or parousia. This last day of October on the secular calendar
is second only to Christmas in commercial preparations. The secular festivities
center on ghouls, witches and devils, but the Christian counterpart focus on
the communion of saints. As Christians living a "Catholic Culture",
we should try to explore the Christian roots of the Halloween
festivities.
October: Respect Life Month[2]
We mark the month of
October as Respect Life Month. Looking back over the last year, there's been a
lot of uncertainty, suffering, and heartache. Between tragedies that occur in the public eye and trials that take
place in our personal lives, there's no shortage of reasons we cry out to God.
At such times, we may feel alone and unequipped to handle the circumstances.
But we have an anchor of hope to cling to. With words that echo through
thousands of years into the corners of our hearts, God says to us, "Do not
fear: I am with you" (Isaiah 41:10). God isn't a detached, distant
observer to our pain; the Eternal Son became man and Himself experienced
immense suffering—for you and for me. His wounds indicate the very essence of
our identity and worth: we are loved by God. There are times we may doubt the
value of our own lives or falter at the thought of welcoming and embracing the
life of another. But reflecting on the healed wounds of the Risen Christ, we
can see that even our most difficult trials can be the place where God
manifests his victory. He makes all things beautiful. He makes all things new.
He is the God of redemption. That's powerful. That's something to hold onto.
And, He is always with us. Jesus promised this when he gave the disciples the
same mission, he gives to each of us: Go. As followers of Jesus Christ, we know
that our identity and our mission are two sides of the same coin; like the
apostles, we are called to be missionary disciples. We are not only invited to
follow and take refuge in God, our stronghold, but we are also commissioned to
reach out to one another, especially to the weak and vulnerable. Building a
culture of life isn't something we just do one month of the year, or with one
event or initiative—it's essential to who we are. It happens through our daily
actions, how we treat one another, and how we live our lives. How do we respond
when our aging parents are in failing health? Do they know how much we love
them and cherish each day given? Do we ensure they know they are never a burden
to us? In our own challenging times, do we ask for support? When others offer a
helping hand, do we receive it? When our friend becomes pregnant in difficult
circumstances, do we show compassion that tangibly supports her and helps her
welcome the life of her new little one? Sometimes, we may not be sure exactly
what to do, but let's not allow the fear of doing the wrong thing or saying the
wrong thing keep us from living out our missionary call. We don't need to have
everything figured out all at once. Let's remember the guidance of Our Blessed
Mother, the first disciple: "Do whatever he tells you" (John 2:5). https://www.usccb.org/prolife
Introduction to Colossians
This letter is addressed to a congregation at Colossae in
the Lycus Valley in Asia Minor, east of Ephesus. At the time of writing, Paul
had not visited there. The community had apparently been established by
Epaphras of Colossae. Problems, however, had arisen, brought on by teachers who
emphasized Christ’s relation to the universe (cosmos). Their teachings stressed
angels; “principalities and powers,”, which were connected with astral powers
and cultic practices and rules about food and drink and ascetical disciplines.
These teachings, Paul insists, detract from the person and work of Christ for
salvation. Such teachings are but “shadows”; Christ is “reality”.
For help in dealing with these problems that the new
teachers posed at Colossae, Epaphras sought out Paul, who was then imprisoned.
Paul, without entering into debate over the existence of angelic spirits or
their function, simply affirms that Christ possesses the sum total of
redemptive power and that the spiritual renewal of the human person occurs
through contact in baptism with the person of Christ, who died and rose again.
It is unnecessary for the Christian to be concerned about placating spirits or
avoiding imagined defilement through ascetical practices in regard to food and
drink.
True Christian asceticism consists in the conquering of
personal sins and the practice of love of neighbor in accordance with the
standard set by Christ. Paul commends the community as a whole; this seems to
indicate that, though the Colossians have been under pressure to adopt the
false doctrines, they have not yet succumbed. The apostle expresses his
prayerful concern for them. His preaching has cost him persecution, suffering,
and imprisonment, but he regards these as reflective of the sufferings of
Christ, a required discipline for the sake of the gospel. His instructions to
the Christian family and to slaves and masters require a new spirit of
reflection and action.
Love, obedience, and service are to be rendered “in the
Lord”. Colossians follows the outline of a typical Pauline letter. It is
distinguished by the poetic lines concerning who Christ is and what Christ
means in creation and redemption. Paul interprets the relation between the body
of Christ, which he insists is the church, and the world or cosmos to be one
not simply of Christ’s preexistence and rule but one of missionary advance into
the world by the spreading of the word. In this labor of the missionary body of
Christ, Paul as a minister plays a prime part in bringing Christ and the gospel
as hope to the Gentiles. To “every creature under heaven” the word is to be
proclaimed, so that everyone receives Christ, is established in faith, and
walks in Christ.
OCTOBER 1 Thursday
THÉRÈSE Of the Child Jesus-INTL COFFEE DAY
Colossians, Chapter 3, Verse 22
Slaves obey your human masters in
everything, not only when being watched, as currying favor, but in simplicity
of heart, FEARING the Lord.
Paul
reminds the Colossians as he did the Ephesians that we serve Christ not the
rulers of this world but because the rulers are also sons of God, we should
obey them.
One
of my greatest challenges mentally and physically was when I was a member of a
crew of engineers that finished the construction of the South Pole Station. I
recorded my service there in a book entitled, “The
Ice is Nice and Chee Chee is Peachy.”
Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus[3]
VATICAN
CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI called St. Therese of Lisieux's autobiography,
"The Story of a Soul," a wonderful authentic "treasure" and
invited everyone to read it. The 19th-century Carmelite saint's teaching of
"the 'little way" of holiness has been so influential in our
time." His catechesis was a continuation of a series of talks dedicated to
the "doctors of the church," men and women who made important contributions to Catholic
theological understanding. St. Therese, who was born in 1873 in France, died at
the age of 24 of hemoptysis, or bleeding of the lungs. Her spirituality
"centered on the contemplation of God's love revealed in the mysteries of
the incarnation and redemption," the pope said. The saint "sought to
be little in all things and to seek the salvation of the world," he said.
Her autobiography was published a year after her death and was enormously
successful in many parts of the world, he said. "I would like to invite
all of you to rediscover this great little treasure, this glowing commentary on
the Gospel fully lived," the pope said. The book is "a wonderful
story of love, told with such
authenticity, simplicity and freshness that the reader will be nothing but
captivated," he said. "Therese shows all of us that Christian life is
fully living the grace of baptism," by fully giving oneself over to God
and by living like Christ, he said. The pope said "her example and prayers
help us to follow 'the little way of trust and love' in spiritual childhood,
abandoning ourselves completely to the love
of God and the good of souls." A childlike faith in God entails giving
oneself fully to him and putting one's life completely in his hands, the pope
said. Such faith is "inseparable from true love," which is a total giving of self, he said. The pope said
the faithful need to tell God every day that "we want to live out our love for him and others." St.
Therese's life and teachings are "a guide for everyone" especially
for theologians, he said, because she approached the sacred Scriptures with
"humility and charity, faith and hope."
Things to
Do[4]
·
Find
photographs of St. Thérèse and her family.
Her sister Céline and cousin Marier Guérin had become interested in the art of
photography, and when Céline entered the Carmelites with her sisters, she was
given permission to bring her equipment and use it in the convent. A wonderful
out-of-print book with all the photographs of this saint is called The Photo
Album of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
·
Read
St. Thérèse's autobiography Story of a Soul and other writings of or about St.
Thérèse. Find biographies suitable for your children.
·
Read
more about her confidence in God, an excellent book is I Believe in Love.
·
St.
Thérèse belonged to the Discalced order of Carmelites, which means unshod or
barefoot. Find out more about the order of Carmelites.
·
From
the Catholic Culture Library:
·
John
Paul II from 1997 Divini Amoris Scientia (Apostolic Letter Proclaiming St.
Therese of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church)
·
John
Paul II from 1997 Homily at Mass proclaiming Therese to be Doctor of the Church
·
Apostolic
Exhortation of Paul VI from 1975 On Christian Joy (Gaudete in Domino).
·
He
speaks of St. Therese:
o Short Autobiography of St. Therese
o Thérèse of Liseiux — No Plaster Saint
·
Learn
about the Society of the
Little Flower.
·
There
is the historic National
Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, Michigan, a Basilica of the
National Shrine of the Little Flower in San Antonio, Texas.
·
Bake
a cake or brownies and frost. Decorate with roses, either real, artificial,
marzipan, icing, candy or other. Let your imagination go!
·
Learn
about St. Therese's sacrifice beads, buy or learn
to make them.
·
Do
some rose crafts or recipes today. St. Therese's dying words were: "I will
let fall a shower of roses after my death." This site has some wonderful
old-fashioned rose recipes.
International
Coffee Day[5]
International
Coffee Day seeks to celebrate coffee from around the world while honoring the
farmers, traders, roasters and baristas responsible for creating the coffees
that are enjoyed by so many people worldwide. According to an Ethiopian
legend, coffee, a black bean enclosed in red berry, was discovered by a goat
herder in the Ethiopian highlands when he noticed that his goats had become
overly energetic after eating the berries. Slowly, the herder's discovery
spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula, into Europe and finally to the New
World, increasing the demand for coffee and making it the second most sought
after commodity in the world today (crude oil being the first). Organized by
the International Coffee Organization and its 75 Member States, International
Coffee Day was first celebrated on October 1, 2015 in Milan, Italy at Expo
2015. The International Coffee Organization is an intergovernmental
organization that unifies coffee exporting and importing governments through
international cooperation with the aim of creating a sustainable coffee market
and lowering poverty levels in developing countries that harvest coffee.
International Coffee Day Facts
& Quotes
·
Based on the Food Regulation Standing Committee
and Caffeine Working Group, Red bull has an average caffeine content of 32.0
mg/100ml, compared to a cappuccino which has caffeine content of 101.9
mg/100ml. Espresso style coffee made from ground coffee beans has 194.0
mg/ml of caffeine content. According to the Mayo Clinic, up to 400mg of caffeine
is the safe limit for most adults
·
Kopi Luwak is one of the most expensive coffees
brewed in the world. Kopi Luwak it is made with digested coffee beans
that had been eaten and defecated by an Asian toddy cat (Asian palm civet).
This rare coffee can cost between $35-80 US dollars for a single cup.
· Long-term caffeine intake can lead to a caffeine addiction/dependence, which has been medically recognized as a disorder. When individuals with a caffeine addiction abstain from caffeine, they may experience withdrawal symptoms including headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and mood changes.
·
According to the Coffee Organization, 143
million 60kg bags of coffee were produced in 2015 and Brazil was the leading
exporter of coffee, with more than 18,953 60kg bags of coffee exported between
August 2015 and January 2016.
·
I am a coffee fanatic. Once you go to proper
coffee, you can't go back. You cannot go back. - Hugh Laurie, Dr. House actor
The idea of this book is
to seek friendship with God through Christ, the Holy Spirit and His mother-Mary.
Prayer is, in its purest sense, a personal journey or intimacy with Our Lord.
There is no greater help in our life’s journey in this world than through
friendship with Jesus Christ and His mother. The imaginary premise of this book
is to have a regular “Coffee Clutch” with Christ and gather for coffee and
conversation through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Ideally this book will
serve as encouragement for you to enter into your own “coffee clutch” with
Christ. Having a regular or daily set time or appointment to meet and discuss
with Him your hopes, dreams, plans and goals. To bear your heart to Him. To
just sit down with Christ and talk, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company, over
a cup of coffee. The goal is to make the common Holy and grow in the love and
likeness to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Full Harvest Moon
According
to the almanac today is a Full Harvest Moon; take your children/grandchildren
for a hayride or a hike and camping trip and review this year’s harvests
35 Promises
of God[7]
cont.
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who
comes to me I will never drive away”-John 6:37
Daily Devotions
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[2]http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/respect-life-program/2017/2017-respect-life-statement.cfm
[3]http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2011/pope-urges-everyone-to-rediscover-st-therese-s-autobiography.cfm
[4]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-10-01
[5] http://www.wincalendar.com/International-Coffee-Day
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