DAY 25 - MARY, VESSEL OF HONOR, PRAY THAT WE RECEIVE THE FRUIT OF MODESTY!
GOD'S WORD
HEROES' WORDS
MEDITATION
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Sorrowful Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Joyful Mysteries
NATIVITY OF MARY
When this became known to all the Jews and Greeks
who lived in Ephesus, fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord
Jesus was held in great esteem.
In Paul’s time there were traveling Jewish’s
exorcists that were not of the faith but attempted to remove demons in Jesus’
name and the demons said to the Jewish exorcist, “Jesus I
recognize, Paul I know, but who are you?” and then
attacked them.
Holy fear teaches us the necessity of being faithful to the end.
Three Signs of the end[1]
Of the time of
tribulation, the Catechism states, “Before Christ's second coming
the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of
many believers.
1.
This time of trial will be marked by religious deception,
apostasy from the true Faith, and the rise of the antichrist. (This
time the end of history will reveal the fullness of antichrist, “a
pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his
Messiah come in the flesh. . ..”) (CCC, 675).
History has witnessed much
speculation about the antichrist, including writings by the Church Fathers
about his background and methods of destruction. What is clearer is that when
history draws to a close Satan and his followers—both demonic and human—will
seek to destroy as many souls as possible, unleashing diabolic destruction and
causing widespread apostasy. We also know the spirit of antichrist is already
within the world, just as it has been for two thousand years: “Children, it is
the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many
antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour” (1 Jn
2:18). There is deception and apostasy; there are many who mock Christ and even
many self-described Christians who deny him.
2.
In the Olivet Discourse,
also known as “the little apocalypse, ‘Jesus
told the disciples: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the
whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come”
(Mt 24:14). Has this occurred?
Arguments can be made either
way. As Ralph Martin, author of “Is
Jesus Coming Soon?” (Ignatius
Press, 1997), has noted, “It is difficult to know whether this universal
proclamation has taken place. Certain nations have had the gospel preached to
them in the past but not in the present.” The one certainty is the Gospel must
be preached to as many people as possible; evangelization and missions are
never optional, but always imperative.
3. Of the third event, the Church states Israel’s recognition of Jesus as the
Messiah will take place prior to the Parousia. This is based on Romans 9-11
and Paul’s teaching that “hardening has come upon Israel in part, until the
full number of Gentiles comes in” (Rom 11:25). Yet is far from evident how this
“full inclusion” of ethnic Israel into the Church will come about. It would
seem it has not yet taken place; perhaps it has already begun in ways not fully
understood or recognized. What is certain is that Catholics, while always
respecting the free will of every man, have an obligation to be spiritually
prepared, to evangelize, and to advance the Kingdom. “…and after this comes judgment”
The Feast of the Nativity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary[2]
THIS
feast is a commemoration of that happy and joyful day on which the ever-blessed
virgin Mother of God first saw the light of day. The Church accordingly sings
on this day, “Thy nativity, virgin Mother of God, has brought joy to the whole
world; for from thee has come forth the Sun of justice, Christ the Lord, Who
putting away cursing bestowed blessing, and by overcoming death obtained for us
life eternal."
In the Introit of the Mass the Church sings: ‘Hail,
holy parent, who as a happy mother brought forth the King Who rules heaven and
earth from eternity to eternity. My heart hath uttered a good word; I speak my
works to the King.
Prayer.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, we beseech Thee, unto us Thy
servants the gift of Thy heavenly grace, that, as in the childbirth of the
Blessed Virgin our salvation began, so from the votive solemnity of her
nativity we may obtain an increase of peace. Amen.
EPISTLE.
Prov. viii. 22-35.
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His ways,
before He made anything from the beginning. I was set up from eternity, and of
old before the earth was made. The depths were not as yet, and I was already
conceived, neither had the fountains of waters as yet sprung out: the mountains
with their huge bulk had not as yet been established: before the hills I was
brought forth: He had not yet made the earth, nor the rivers, nor the poles of
the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there; when with a certain law
and compass He enclosed the depths; when He established the sky above, and
poised the fountains of waters; when He compassed the sea with its bounds, and
set a law to the waters that they should not pass their limits; when He
balanced the foundations of the earth, I was with Him forming all things; and
was delighted every day, playing before Him at all times; playing in the world,
and my delight is to be with the children of men. Now, therefore, ye children,
hear me: Blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and
refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, and that watcheth daily at
my gates, and waiteth at the posts of my doors. He that shall find me shall
find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord.
GOSPEL.
Matt, i.1-16.
The book of the generation
of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac. And
Isaac begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Judas and his brethren. And Judas begot
Phares and Zara of Thamar. And Phares begot Esron. And Esron begot Aram. And
Aram begot Aminadab. And Aminadab begot Naasson. And Naasson begot Salmon. And
Salmon begot Booz of Kahab. And Booz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed begot Jesse.
And Jesse begot David the king. And David the king begot Solomon, of her that
had been the wife of Urias. And Solomon begot Roboam. And Roboam begot Abias.
And Abias begot Asa. And Asa begot Josaphat And Josaphat begot Joram. And Joram
begot Ozias. And Ozias begot Joatham. And Joatham begot Achaz. And Achaz begot
Ezechias. And Ezechias begot Manasses. And Manasses begot Amon. And Amon begot
Josias. And Josias begot Jechonias and his brethren in the transmigration of
Babylon. And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel.
And Salathiel begot Zorobabel. And Zorobabel begot Abiud. And Abiud begot Eliacim.
And Eliacim begot Azor. And Azor begot Sadoc. And Sadoc begot Achim. And Achim
begot Eliud. And Elind begot Eleazar. And Eleazar begot Mathan. And Mathan
begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born
Jesus, Who is called Christ.
Let us honor Mary,
especially by imitation of those virtues of hers which are to us, as St. John
Damascene says, an open book of instruction; let us rejoice in her prerogatives
and glory; let us encourage others in the veneration of her; let us, in our
need, have recourse to her, who, according to the name Star of the Sea with
which the Church salutes her, shines for all who sail upon the dangerous sea of
the world. For this reason St. Bernard calls out to each one of us, " Take
not your eyes from the light of this star if you would not be overwhelmed by
the waves; if the storms of temptation arise, if you are thrown upon the rocks
of affliction, look to the star, invoke Mary. Are you confounded at the
enormity of your sins, are you ashamed at the defilement of your conscience,
are you terrified on account of the dreadful judgment, so that you begin to be
overpowered by sadness, or even to sink into the abyss of despair, then turn
your thoughts to Mary. In dangers, in distress, in doubt, call on Mary. She
will not be far from your mouth, or your heart; and that you may obtain her
intercession omit not to imitate her conduct. When you follow her, you will not
go astray; when you invoke her, you will no longer be in doubt; when she
supports you, you will not fall; when she leads you, you will surely come to
eternal life, and will find by your own experience that she is justly called
Maria that is, Star of the Sea."
Things to
Do[3]
·
Learn
prayers to Mary, such as the Angelus, Litany of Loreto, Memorare, Hail Mary, and
Hail Holy Queen. Learn and sing various hymns to Mary, such as the Salve
Regina, Immaculate Mary, Hail Holy Queen.
·
Start
researching and planning a Mary Garden, or a special plant or flower for each
feast day of Mary.
This can be for next spring, but if some bulbs are to be included, this is the
time to plant them! Decorate the house, family table or family altar with
flowers or special Marian decor.
·
Contemplate
on how all the feasts of Mary point to the mysteries of Christ and our
salvation history. Biblical readings: Proverbs 8:22-35 and Matthew 1:1-16 (this
points to the appreciation of the heritage and family of Jesus).
·
Have
a birthday party for Mary, with a specially decorated birthday cake and
birthday decorations. Blue is the traditional color of Mary's mantle, so
incorporating blue into the decor and food is quite appropriate. Try making an all-white
cake symbolizing Mary's purity, or cookies with white icing. White meringue
cookies (or kisses) would also remind one of Mary's sinlessness. Birthday
parties don't need special explanations for children. Have each child present a
"gift" to their Mother Mary, such as spiritual bouquets, faults or
virtues to work on, corporal works of mercy, etc. Learn to make string knot
rosaries to give as "favors."
·
Eat
some form of blueberries on this day, particularly in the morning -- blueberry
muffins or blueberry pancakes, blueberry pie or just fresh blueberries on your
cereal. The blue is symbolic of Mary's blue mantle.
·
Find
out about the devotion to "Maria Bambina" or "Baby Mary."
·
Women for Faith and Family have some wonderful ideas for this
feast day.
Forgiveness
Day[4]
“The
weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”–
Mahatma Gandhi
Forgiveness, the process
by which an offended party chooses to change the way they feel about someone
who has committed the offense against them. It bears a distinct difference from
the idea of condoning (where one does not see the offense as wrong, and therefore
not needing forgiveness), excusing the action (where you place the blame for
the action on someone else entirely), giving pardon (cleared by a legal
representative), forgetting (where the action no longer exists in memory in any
real or present way), or the act of reconciliation (where the relationship is
restored without the action strictly being forgiven).
On the 8th of
September back in 1974, President Gerald Ford presented a rather controversial
Presidential Proclamation. This proclamation pardoned Richard M. Nixon of all
wrongdoing that was related to that most famous of American scandals, the
Watergate affair. Richard made very clear that he felt he had committed
grievous wrong doings against the people of the United States and the seat they
had granted him. While you are unlikely to be in a position to grant a
presidential pardon, what you can do is be more forgiving on International
Pardon Day. If you are holding a grudge against those who have committed some
offense against you, Pardon Day grants you a valid reason to examine your
feelings and the time that has passed, and to let that resentment and anger go.
“The
truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive
the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move
forward.”– Steve Maraboli
What is known about
forgiveness is that it is an act that brings happiness to those who give it,
one can release the hold on the negative emotions they’re harboring in themselves,
but they cannot release the associated guilt for the person who committed the
act. As a result, forgiveness is for the one giving it, rather than the one who
committed the transgression. Research has shown that those who have chosen to
give up resentments live longer lives as a result to an improvement in their
cardiovascular and nervous systems.
Ways to Celebrate
There are a number of good
ways to celebrate International Pardon Day, the simplest being to make sure you
use ‘Excuse Me’ and ‘Pardon Me’ whenever you feel it appropriate. You need to
get by someone, a simple ‘pardon me’ will serve to politely ask them to clear
the way. Did you pass gas, or bump into someone when trying to get past them?
‘Excuse me’ is a good step towards showing you’re truly contrite.
“Forgive
your enemies, but never forget their names.”– John F. Kennedy
Another, perhaps more difficult way to celebrate is to take the time to examine the grudges you carry with you on a day to day basis. To think them over and determine if it’s truly worth carrying that anger and resentment forward. Take International Pardon Day to set them, and yourself, free from the toxic weight you’re carrying. You can do it via email, in person, over coffee, or you can write them a letter. If they’ve passed on, don’t let that stand in your way, write a letter with everything you’d like to say in it, and then burn it to set it free.
35 Promises
of God[5]
cont.
“Those
who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of
disaster.”-Proverbs 1:33
Daily
Devotions/Practices
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday
Devotion
·
Pray Day 3 of
the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
·
Tuesday:
Litany of St. Michael the Archangel
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary.
[2]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
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