Standard Time returns at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1. That means if you're staying in Saturday night, which just happens to be Halloween, you'll want to turn your clocks back one hour before you go to bed. If you're out at 2 a.m., set your clocks back an hour when you wake up in the morning
ALL HOLLOWS EVE- FULL HUNTERS MOON/BLUE MOON
9 Yes, affliction and distress will come
upon every human being who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. 10 But
there will be glory, honor, and PEACE
for everyone who does good, Jew first and then Greek.
There is no impartiality with God. There is nobody who is privileged or exempt from God’s judgment. We will all account for our individual deeds or misdeeds. Those who make life style choices contrary to God will earn God’s wrath which includes sexual immorality*, covetousness, maliciousness; envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil mindedness, whisperings, backbiting, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving and unmerciful.
Wicked Spirits[1]
Great courage is required in
spiritual warfare. Our enemies are terrible in strength and numerous beyond
count. They are ever active, ever alert to work our destruction. Yet only one
angel of God is able to defeat the devil and all the demons. God never permits
us to be tempted beyond our strength. By God’s grace we can resist them and
advance the work of our sanctification. Know that the devil fears no person and
would destroy us if not for the limits God puts on him and the protection
provided by our guardian angels and the other eight choirs of angels. Let
ourselves be guided by the grace which the precious blood provides and call
upon the intersession of Mary Queen of Heaven. Resist the devil and he will
flee from you. (He will go on to easier pickings like any criminal) When
tempted call upon the Blood of Christ to give you courage and strength to fight
the enemy.
Halloween or All Hallows'
Eve is not a liturgical feast on the Catholic calendar, but the celebration has
deep ties to the Liturgical Year. The three consecutive days — Halloween, All
Saints Day and All Souls Day — illustrate the Communion of Saints. We, the
Church Militant (those on earth, striving to get to heaven) pray for the Church
Suffering (those souls in Purgatory) especially on All Souls Day and the month
of November. We rejoice and honor the Church Triumphant (the saints, canonized
and uncanonized) in heaven. We also ask the Saints' intercession for us. In
England, saints or holy people are called "hallowed," hence the name
"All Hallow's Day." The evening, or "e'en" before the feast
became popularly known as "All Hallows' Eve" or even shorter,
"Hallowe'en." Since it was the night before All Saints Day, "All
Hallows Eve" (now known as Hallowe'en), was the vigil and required fasting,
many recipes and traditions have come down for this evening, such as pancakes,
boxty bread and boxty pancakes, barmbrack (Irish fruit bread with hidden
charms), colcannon (combination of cabbage and boiled potatoes). This was also
known as "Nutcrack Night" in England, where the family gathered
around the hearth to enjoy cider and nuts and apples. Halloween is the
preparation and combination of the two upcoming feasts. Although the demonic
and witchcraft have no place in a Catholic celebration, some macabre can be
incorporated into Halloween. It is good to dwell on our certain death, the Poor
Souls in Purgatory, and the Sacrament of the Sick. And tied in with this theme
is the saints, canonized and non-canonized. What did they do in their lives
that they were able to reach heaven? How can we imitate them? How can we, like
these saints, prepare our souls for death at any moment?
For more information see
Catholic Culture's Halloween
page.
Also read from Catholic
Culture's library:
·
Halloween: Celebrate Like a Catholic by Jennifer Gregory
Miller
·
Halloween and All Saints Day by Father William Saunders
·
Holyween: Reclaim The Celebration Of All Saints by Fr. Vincent
Serpa, O.P.
·
Catholics Give the Best Parties by Jeffrey Tucker
The Black Mass: A Parody of the Eucharistic
Celebration[3]
The black mass is a
ceremony during which the consecration to Satan occurs. The black mass is a
parody of [the Catholic] Mass, in which one adores and exalts Satan. Usually it
is officiated at night, because the darkness permits greater secrecy and
usually the night before a great feast of the Holy Catholic Church. The most
important is Halloween, which falls on the night between October 31 and
November 1 of each year: it is considered the magic New Year. Therefore, it is
necessary to understand the extreme danger for our children and youth who
participate in the feast of Halloween on that date.
Black Magic: A Grave Sin against
the Faith
On this topic the
Catechism of the Catholic Church furnishes the best definition: “All practices
of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to
place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others — even if
this were for the sake of restoring their health — are gravely contrary to the
virtue of religion” (no. 2117). The definition of magic tells us two things.
Above all, it has ambition — through the utilization of evil spells, the evil
eye, charms, magic filters, rituals, invocations, cursed foods and drinks
ingested by the victims, crystal balls, et cetera — to modify and foretell the
course of human events, and to utilize the preternatural (demoniac) powers to
make a person fall in love, be cured of an illness, be dismissed from a job,
kill someone, provoke atmospheric events, et cetera. In other words, magic is a
practice used to do evil things and to influence people and the reality created
by the devil. This is also valid for the rites that are commonly called “white
magic” and that are done for the “good” —please do not be charmed. It is not
magically delicious.
Terror of Demons[4]
The Lord has countless secrets to reveal to us about
Joseph. God wants to instruct us in the ways of Joseph's faith, perseverance,
purity and loyalty. The "Litany of Saint Joseph" is an excellent
place to begin. The vivid titles convey so much meaning and truth. One of my
favorite appellations from the Litany is "Terror of Demons." Satan
and his cohort of fallen angels had no success in seducing Joseph. He checked
his temper, he refrained from idle speech and he was righteous in his dealings
with his neighbors. Because Joseph was close to the compassionate Almighty, he
was enabled to overcome the vicious onslaught of Lucifer and his vindictive
companions. Those who turn to Saint Joseph for his powerful intercession and
good example do much to keep Satan and the other wholly corrupt devils at bay.
In this sense, Joseph is the Terror of Demons because when the friends of Jesus
avail themselves of his salutary influence, Saint Joseph is for them a sure
protection against the oppressive wiles of the Prince of Darkness. There are
numerous prayers to Saint Joseph. What follows is the "Consecration to
Saint Joseph."
O
Blessed Saint Joseph!
I consecrate
myself to thy honor, and give myself to thee, that thou mayest be always my
father, my protector, and my guide to the way of salvation.
Obtain for me a great
purity of heart and a fervent love of the interior life.
After thy example,
may I perform all my actions for the greater glory of God, in union with the
Divine Heart of Jesus, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary!
And do thou, O
Blessed Joseph, pray for me, that I may experience the peace and joy of thy
holy death. Amen.
Sweet heart of
Mary be my salvation!
Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.
Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph, I love you: save souls!
Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph, assist me in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you. Amen.
With Saint Joseph
as our help, we may confidently approach the Risen Lord Jesus Christ through
Blessed Mary and realize that our humble efforts--poor as they are--will please
our merciful God.
Saint Joseph,
Terror of Demons, pray for us!
Purgatory[5]
THE
word Purgatory is sometimes taken to mean a place, sometimes as an intermediate
state between Hell and Heaven. It is, properly speaking, the condition of souls
which, at the moment of death, are in the state of grace, but which have not
completely expiated their faults, nor attained the degree of purity necessary
to enjoy the vision of God. Purgatory is, then, a transitory state which
terminates in a life of everlasting happiness. It is not a trial by which merit
may be gained or lost, but a state of atonement and expiation. The soul has
arrived at the term of its earthly career; that life was a time of trial, a time
of merit for the soul, a time of mercy on the part of God. This time once
expired, nothing but justice is to be expected from God, whilst the soul can
neither gain nor lose merit. She remains in the state in which death found her;
and since it found her in the state of sanctifying grace, she is certain of never forfeiting that happy state, and
of arriving at the eternal possession of God. Nevertheless, since she is
burdened with certain debts of temporal punishment, she must satisfy Divine Justice by enduring this punishment in its
entire rigor. Such is the significance of the word Purgatory, and the condition
of the souls which are there. On this subject the Church proposes two truths
clearly defined as dogmas of faith:
first, that there is a Purgatory; second that the souls which are in Purgatory
may be assisted by the suffrages of the faithful, especially by the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass.
Full Hunters Moon
According
to the almanac today is a Full Hunters Moon, if you are not a hunter take the children/grandchildren
for a hike and camping trip. This is the second full moon this month, so it is
a Blue Moon.
Daily Devotions
·
Saturday
Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
· Rosary
NOVEMBER
The Thanksgiving meal is a ritual. Whether we are from rural or urban backgrounds, we know the harvest time passes and the year draws to an end. Giving thanks to God is Eucharist, a heavenly banquet and the foretaste of things to come. We are not worthy receivers of this sacrament without the haunting knowledge of the poor nutrition for many in our country and famine in other countries. How can we respond to homelessness and hunger here in our own land and share our bounty with those who are poor in other countries (lands)?
Highlights of November[6]
The month of November is dedicated to the Souls
in Purgatory, whose feast is celebrated on November 2. With the
exception of the last two days, the entire month of November falls during the
liturgical season known as Ordinary Time, which is represented by the liturgical
color green. This symbol of hope is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses
in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially
the hope of a glorious resurrection. It is used in the offices and Masses of
Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of
our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward. The last Sunday,
which marks the beginning of Advent, the liturgical color changes to purple,
representing a time of penance.
The national holiday (USA) of Thanksgiving also falls on the last Thursday of November. The tradition of eating goose as part of the Martin's Day celebration was kept in Holland even after the Reformation. It was there that the Pilgrims who sailed to the New World in 1620 became familiar with this ancient harvest festival. When, after one year in America, they decided to celebrate a three days' thanksgiving in the autumn of 1621, they went in search of geese for their feast. We know that they also had deer (a present from the Indians), lobsters, oysters, and fish. But Edward Winslow, in his account of the feast, only mentions that "Governor Bradford sent four men on fowling that so we might after a more special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruit of our labours." They actually did find some wild geese, and a number of wild turkeys and ducks as well. The Pilgrim Fathers, therefore, in serving wild turkeys with the geese, inaugurated one of the most cherished American traditions: the turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day. They also drank, according to the ancient European tradition, the first wine of their wild-grape harvest. Pumpkin pie and cranberries were not part of the first Thanksgiving dinner in America but were introduced many years afterward. The second Thanksgiving Day in the New World was held by the Pilgrims two years later, on July 30, 1623. It was formally proclaimed by the governor as a day of prayer to thank God for their deliverance from drought and starvation, and for the safe arrival from Holland of the ship Anne. In 1665 Connecticut proclaimed a solemn day of thanksgiving to be kept annually on the last Wednesday in October. Other New England colonies held occasional and local Thanksgivings at various times. In 1789 the federal Congress authorized and requested President George Washington to proclaim a day of thanksgiving for the whole nation. Washington did this in a message setting aside November 26, 1789 as National Thanksgiving Day. After 1789 the celebration reverted to local and regional observance for almost a hundred years. There grew, however, a strong desire among the majority of the people for a national Thanksgiving Day that would unite all Americans in a festival of gratitude and public acknowledgment for all the blessings God had conferred upon the nation. It was not until October 3, 1863, that this was accomplished, when President Abraham Lincoln issued, in the midst of the Civil War, a Thanksgiving Proclamation. In it the last Thursday of November was set apart for that purpose and made a national holiday.
Since then, every president has followed Lincoln's example, and annually proclaims as a "Day of Thanksgiving" the fourth Thursday in November. Only President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the date, in 1939, from the fourth to the third Thursday of November (to extend the time of Christmas sales). This caused so much consternation and protest that in 1941 the traditional date was restored."
This year’s
election will determine if we will be able to practice our faith and receive
the sacraments of confession and communion or have our normal lives back. If we
are not locked down, I am providing a calendar list of normal events in November[7]:
·
Macy's Thanksgiving
Day Parade
·
Breeders' Cup
·
The Day of the Dead
·
Black Friday
·
NYC Marathon
·
NASCAR Sprint for
the Cup
·
Native American
Heritage Month
·
San Diego Bay Wine
+ Food Festival
·
Fun Fun Fun Fest
·
Deer Hunting Season
·
Arlington National
Cemetery
·
Chicago’s The Food
Film Festival
·
Thanksgiving
·
The Rockettes
* Sexuality
is God’s design. He alone can define the parameters for its use. The Bible is
clear that sex was created to be enjoyed between one man and one woman who are
in a covenant marriage until one of them dies (Matthew 19:6). Sexuality is His
sacred wedding gift to human beings. Any expression of it outside those parameters
constitutes abuse of God’s gift. Abuse is the use of people or things in ways
they were not designed to be used. The Bible calls this sin. Adultery, premarital sex, pornography, and
homosexual relations are all outside God’s design, which makes them, sin.
[1] St. Michael and the Angels, Tan
Books, 1983.
[3]Amorth, Fr. Gabriele. An Exorcist
Explains the Demonic: The Antics of Satan and His Army of Fallen Angels
[5] Schouppe S.J., Rev. Fr. F. X.. Purgatory Explained (with Supplemental Reading: What Will Hell Be Like?)
[6]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/11.cfm
Comments
Post a Comment