DAY 49 - MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE, PRAY FOR US
LIVE A SUPERNATURAL LIFE
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Sorrowful Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Joyful Mysteries
First Friday Promises[1]
Those
who faithfully complete the First Friday devotion for nine consecutive months
are promised the following, as told to Roman Catholic nun St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
by Our Lord Jesus Christ:
1. I will give them all of the graces
necessary for their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their
homes.
3. I will comfort them in all their
afflictions.
4. I will be their strength during
life and above all during death.
5. I will bestow a large blessing upon
all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean
of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall grow fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount
to high perfection.
9. I will bless every place where a
picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of
touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their
names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.
12. I promise you in the excessive
mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant all to those who
communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final
penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their
sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
To gain these blessings there are just three simple
requirements to complete each month.
HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS-SUKKOT
5 You shall not FEAR
the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence
that roams in darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon.
Sin
is the act of violating God's will. Sin can also be viewed as anything that
violates the ideal relationship between an individual and God, or as any
diversion from the ideal order for human living. To sin has been defined as
"to miss the mark" to have a hardened heart, a loss of love for God,
a disposition of the heart to depart from God because of inordinate self-love
We need to live the Shema Israel. Every day, every action of ours should be metaphorically speaking target practice aiming to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength. We should exemplify this with the proper attitude toward wealth and be completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving.
Leaders
Organize not Hesitate[1]
He that hesitates is lost. Yet, to act to quickly is also to be
rash. Paul wrote to bring order to a church in chaos. Like our modern world
churches can be in chaos when there is no leadership. The Corinthian’s were
abusing their gifts and calling attention to themselves rather than to Christ.
Paul therefore suggests for them to do everything “decently and in order.” John
Maxwell submits that there is a leadership lesson that can bring peace to
chaos.
- Identify
and pursue your top priorities (v.1).
- Seek
to practice what will benefit the most people (v.2-12).
- Communicate
clearly (v. 7-8).
- See
things through the eyes of an outsider (v. 23-25).
- Order
activities simply for the purpose of adding value to others (v. 26-33).
- Make
sure everything is done in an appropriate manner (v. 40).
Feast of our Holy Guardian Angels[2]
1. To thank God that to each one of us He has given a guardian angel to conduct him unharmed through the dangers of this world.
2. To inspire us with gratitude to the angels who do us such great good, and to incite us to efforts to render ourselves worthy of their guardianship.
What is the office of a guardian angel? To guard men against dangers of soul and body. The Psalmist says: He hath given His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways; in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone (Ps. xc. 11); that is, that thou mayest neither fall into sin nor misfortune. Oh, what great regard for us, hereupon exclaims St. Bernard, what wonderful love!
Who is it that has given charge? God.
To whom has He given charge? The angels, those noble spirits of His own household.
What charge has He given them? To guard and defend us, poor men. O Lord, what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? St. Paul calls the angels ministering spirits sent to minister to them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation (Heb. i. 14). In innumerable other places in the Bible they are represented as friends of children, guides of youth, defenders of innocence, promoters of good deeds, monitors against evil, guardians of the pious, protectors against misfortune, comforters in need, deliverers in danger, helpers in combat, companions of the souls in everlasting joy.
What should we do every day, but particularly this day? We should thank God for having given us guardians so holy and powerful, and our guardian angel himself for the help he has rendered us; should think of and call upon him often, especially in the hour of temptation; finally, we should promise fidelity and obedience to his admonitions. Whatever in this regard is at any time binding upon us should especially be done today.
Prayer
O God, who by an unspeakable providence dost vouchsafe to send Thy angels to guard us, grant to Thy suppliants to be ever defended by their protection, and to rejoice eternally in their society. Amen
EPISTLE. Exodus xxiii. 20-23.
Thus, saith the Lord: Behold I will send My angel, who shall go before thee, and keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have prepared. Take notice of him, and hear his voice, and do not think him one to be contemned; for he will not forgive when thou hast sinned, and My name is in him. But if thou wilt hear his voice, and do all that I speak, I will be an enemy to thy enemies, and will afflict them that afflict thee. And My angel shall go before thee.
GOSPEL. Matthew xviii. 1-5,10.
The disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “men, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me." See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."
Prayer to the
Guardian Angel
Angel of God, my
guardian dear,
To whom His love commits
me here,
Ever this day be at my
side,
To light and guard, to
rule and guide. Amen.
(100 days indulgence each time).
Things to do[3]
- Memorize
and pray the Angel of God prayer.
- Bake
an angel food cake, serve angel hair pasta, and/or make angel kisses
(meringue cookies).
- Read
from the Catholic Culture Library:
- Our Guardian Angels by Fr. Joseph Ventura, C.P.
- Sermon on the Holy Guardian Angels by St. Bernard of
Clairvaux.
- Guardian Angels
- Meditation for the Feast of the Guardian Angels by Pope
John XXIII.
- Role of Guardian Angels in our Lives by George Huber.
- Paschal Parente's chapters on Angels.
- Read
the section on angels in the Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy. The
document examines the doctrine and devotions of the angels. Devotion to
angels is good, but also can have deviations:
“Devotion to the Holy Angels gives rise to a certain form of
the Christian life which is characterized by:
- devout gratitude to God for having placed these
heavenly spirits of great sanctity and dignity at the service of man;
- an attitude of devotion deriving from the knowledge
of living constantly in the presence of the Holy Angels of God — serenity
and confidence in facing difficult situations, since the Lord guides and
protects the faithful in the way of justice through the ministry of His
Holy Angels. Among the prayers to the Guardian Angels the Angele Dei is
especially popular, and is often recited by families at morning and
evening prayers, or at the recitation of the Angelus.
“217.
Popular devotion to the Holy Angels [which is legitimate and good] can,
however, also give rise to possible deviations:
- when, as sometimes can happen, the faithful are
taken by the idea that the world is subject to demiurgical struggles, or
an incessant battle between good and evil spirits, or Angels and daemons,
in which man is left at the mercy of superior forces and over which he is
helpless; such cosmologies bear little relation to the true Gospel vision
of the struggle to overcome the Devil, which requires moral commitment, a
fundamental option for the Gospel, humility and prayer;
- when the daily events of life, which have nothing
or little to do with our progressive maturing on the journey towards
Christ are read schematically or simplistically, indeed childishly, so as
to ascribe all setbacks to the Devil and all success to the Guardian
Angels. The practice of assigning names to the Holy Angels should be
discouraged, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael whose
names are contained in Holy Scripture.”
- Also
read All About the Angels.
- Read
about saints and others who had a great devotion to their guardian angel (St. Josemaria Escriva; St. Padre Pio; Blessed John XXIII).
- Think
about how you can develop a greater devotion and depend on your guardian
angel everyday.
Sukkot
(Camping with Christ)[4]begins at sunset
Sukkot (Hebrew: סוכות),
meaning Tabernacles, is the autumnal
'foot festival' in which the Jews are commanded to leave their permanent houses
and to dwell in booths for seven days. The idea behind this is to remember that
the Israelites lived in booths in the Wilderness for forty years. Additionally,
when the Temple stood in Jerusalem, this was a pilgrimage holiday to celebrate
the harvest. It is most likely our
Lord did this every year as He was a devout Jew.
Tabernacles are typically built out of wood, sheets and have a roof of a
natural product, such as leaves, palm branches, through which the stars can be
seen at night. The Succah must be built of certain dimensions (not too low or
too high) and should have three or four walls. On Succot, it is customary
for Jewish men buy a set of the four kinds/species comprising a lulav (a palm
branch), an etrog (a citron), hadassim (myrtle) and aravot (willows).
Sukkot Facts & Quotes
·
Sukkot is also a harvest festival and is sometimes
referred to as Chag Ha-Asif, the Festival of Ingathering. No work is permitted
on the first day, but some work is allowed on the intermediate days which are
known as Chol Hamoed.
·
Each day of Succot is associated with Ushpezin
(visitors), one of seven Succah visitors. Each day has its visitor,
starting with Abraham. The other visitors are: Isaac, Jacob, Joseph,
Moses, Aaron, David and Solomon.
Hebrews 11:8 “By
faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to
receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”
·
The book of Ecclesiastes is typically read in
Synagogues. This book relates to the futility of man under the sun but
concludes optimistically with the notion that we should just do our thing and
serve God.
·
There is a special Priest's (Cohen's) blessing
performed at the Western Wall during Succot. The Western Wall is the last
surviving wall of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the side of the Temple Mount.
Thousands of Priests, who are believed to be descendants of the original
priests, assemble at the Western Wall and perform blessings.
·
In the days of Nehemiah, an original Bible was
found with the passages relating to the building of a Succah.
a. All
the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told
Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which
the Lord had commanded for Israel (Nehemiah 8:1).
b. They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month (Nehemiah 8:14).
Sukkot Top Events and Things to Do
·
Purchase or make your own Sukkah. They are
typically designed to be assembled and disassembled quickly - in less than two
hours by two people.
·
One can buy the four kinds (of material used to
build Sukkot as per the Torah) or order them from Israel. The four kinds
include palm branches, an Etrog (citron), three willow branches and two myrtle
branches. The palm, myrtle and willow are bound together in a palm holder.
·
See the movie Ushpezim with English subtitles.
It which relates to the four kinds and a couple's efforts to buy a most
beautiful four species set, despite their poor economic situation. Ushpizin can be viewed on YouTube.
·
Read the book of Ecclesiastes or watch a lecture
about it. It was written by King Solomon. It relates to the
futility of life, apart from basic belief and being righteous.
·
Attend a local Succot fair.
A visit from Abraham[5]
Genesis
22:9-10 “When they came
to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid
the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of
the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his
son.”
Just as the knife was
being hurled downward, the angel of the Lord said “Do not lay your hand on the
boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have
not withheld your son, your only son, from me” (Gen 22:12), and “because you
have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely
bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and
as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate
of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Gen 22:16-18).
Redwood
National Park Establish 1968
Think of the giant Redwoods they are the largest trees in
the world. These trees survive by intertwining their roots because the ground
is so hard the Redwood cannot strike a taproot to hold itself up but by
supporting each other they become the largest trees in the world.
World Farm
Animals Day[6]
Farm animals are cute, and they also play
an important role in modern society. Take some time to appreciate them this
World Farm Animals Day. Created in memory of Ghandi, who believed in treating
all living beings with respect, World
Farm Animals Day was founded to highlight the poor conditions suffered
by some farm animals and promote awareness in the hope something may be done to
improve their lives.
While World Farm Animals Day has an
important, and sad, origin, in the sense it was created to raise awareness of suffering,
it can be celebrated in different ways with children. Taking children for a
visit to a farm is a great way to teach them about farm animals, and it’s a
good chance to instil in them the message of treating animals with respect.
Another great way to celebrate is by donating to an animal protection charity
of your choice
Fitness Friday
Recognizing
that God, the Father created man on Friday the 6th day I propose in
this blog to have an entry that shares on how to recreate and renew yourself in
strength; mind, soul and heart.
German Volume
Training[7]
It's
brutally hard, but I've found it to be an effective way to pack on muscle fast!
In strength-coaching circles, this method is often called the Ten Sets Method. Supersets
and trisets allow you to perform a lot of work in a short period of time. The
rest-pause method allows you to use heavier weights, so you can recruit the
higher threshold muscle fibers, and eccentric training enables you to overcome
strength plateaus. The bottom line is that almost any training method will
work—provided you do it with intensity—at least for the few weeks it takes for
your body to adapt to it. There is, however, one training system that stands
above all the rest. It's brutally hard, but I've found it to be a very
effective way to pack on muscle fast! In strength-coaching circles, this method
is often called the Ten Sets Method. Because it has its roots in German-speaking
countries, I like to call it German Volume Training. To the best of my
knowledge, this training system originated in Germany in the mid-'70s and was
popularized by Rolf Feser, who was then the National Coach of Weightlifting. A
similar protocol was promoted by Vince Gironda in the U.S., but regardless of
who actually invented it, it works. In Germany, the Ten Sets Method was used in
the off-season to help weightlifters gain lean body mass. It was so efficient
that lifters routinely moved up a full weight class within 12 weeks. It was the
base program of Canadian weightlifter Jacques Demers, Silver Medallist in the
Los Angeles Olympic Games. Jacques was known in weightlifting circles for his
massive thighs, and he gives credit to the German method for achieving such a
spectacular level of hypertrophy. The same method was also used by Bev Francis
in her early days of bodybuilding to pack on muscle.
The program works because
it targets a group of motor units, exposing them to an extensive volume of
repeated efforts, specifically, 10 sets of a single exercise. The body adapts
to the extraordinary stress by hypertrophying the targeted fibers. To say this
program adds muscle fast is probably an understatement. Gains of 10 pounds or
more in six weeks are not uncommon, even in experienced lifters!
The goal of the German
Volume Training method is to complete ten sets of ten reps with the same weight
for each exercise. You want to begin with a weight you could lift for 20 reps
to failure if you had to. For most people, on most exercises, that would
represent 60% of their 1RM load. Therefore, if you can bench press 300 pounds
for 1 rep, you would use 180 pounds for this exercise.
For lifters new to this
method, I recommend using the following body-part splits:
Body-Part
Splits
·
Day 1: Chest & Back
·
Day 2:
Legs & Abs
·
Day 3:
Off
·
Day 4:
Arms & Shoulders
·
Day 5:
Off
When using this program or
any other, you should keep a detailed journal of the exact sets/reps and rest
intervals performed, and only count the repetitions completed in strict form.
35 Promises
of God[8]
cont.
“I am the
resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will
live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe
this?”
– John 11:25-26
Daily Devotions
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[1] John Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership
Bible.
[2]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
[5]http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2016/05/18/top-7-bible-verses-about-isaac/
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