Sunday, October 25, 2020

 

John 14, verse 27

PEACE I leave with you; my PEACE I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

 

It is important to note that Christ gave His peace in this verse to His apostles just before the betrayal of Judas. Fear has no place in the hearts of believers. Likewise, all our fear and distress as people awaiting His return must give way to the peace that is Christ’s gift. We now must face the conflict with the Prince of this world by keeping that peace in a troubled world. Christ by His death demonstrated God’s commandment of total love.


 

Amoris Lætitia[1] Love in Marriage Love rejoices with others (109-110)

 

Without the peace of Christ, one is beset by a certain negativity lurking deep within a person’s heart. It is the toxic attitude of those who rejoice at seeing an injustice done to others. The gift of the peace of Christ is that “it rejoices in the right”. In other words, we rejoice at the good of others when we see their dignity and value their abilities and good works. This is impossible for those who must always be comparing and competing, even with their spouse, so that they secretly rejoice in their failures. When a loving person can do good for others, or sees that others are happy, they themselves live happily and in this way give glory to God, for “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). Our Lord especially appreciates those who find joy in the happiness of others. If we fail to learn how to rejoice in the well-being of others, and focus primarily on our own needs, we condemn ourselves to a joyless existence, for, as Jesus said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The family must always be a place where, when something good happens to one of its members, they know that others will be there to celebrate it with them.

ON KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY HOLY[2]

 

2. The Resurrection of Jesus is the fundamental event upon which Christian faith rests (cf. 1 Cor 15:14). It is an astonishing reality, fully grasped in the light of faith, yet historically attested to by those who were privileged to see the Risen Lord. It is a wondrous event which is not only absolutely unique in human history, but which lies at the very heart of the mystery of time. In fact, "all time belongs to [Christ] and all the ages", as the evocative liturgy of the Easter Vigil recalls in preparing the Paschal Candle. Therefore, in commemorating the day of Christ's Resurrection not just once a year but every Sunday, the Church seeks to indicate to every generation the true fulcrum of history, to which the mystery of the world's origin and its final destiny leads.

 

It is right, therefore, to claim, in the words of a fourth century homily, that "the Lord's Day" is "the lord of days".(2) Those who have received the grace of faith in the Risen Lord cannot fail to grasp the significance of this day of the week with the same deep emotion which led Saint Jerome to say: "Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, it is the day of Christians, it is our day".(3) For Christians, Sunday is "the fundamental feast day",(4) established not only to mark the succession of time but to reveal time's deeper meaning.

 

Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost[3]

 

Spiritually arming oneself (for both now and Armageddon) and forgiving each other so that we may be forgiven on Judgment Day.

AT the Introit of the Mass is said the prayer of Mardochai, which may be used in all necessities and adversities. “All things are in Thy will, O Lord, and there is none that can resist Thy will; for Thou hast made all things, heaven and earth, and all things that are under the cope of heaven. Thou art Lord of all. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord”.

Prayer.

Preserve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy family by continued mercy, that by Thy protection they may be free from all adversity, and in good works be devoted to Thy name.

EPISTLE. Ephesians vi. 10-17.

Brethren: Be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of His power. Put you on the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. Therefore, take unto you the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of justice, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace: in all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one. And take unto you the helmet of salvation; and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God).

Explanation.

In this epistle the holy apostle encourages us to the combat against evil, and points out both our enemy and the weapons we are to use. He exhorts us to protect ourselves by, 1, the girdle that is, truth, by virtue of which we despise the goods of earth; 2, the breastplate that is, justice, which renders to God, our neighbor, and ourselves what is due to each; 3, the shoes that is, readiness in regulating our lives by the Gospel ; 4, the shield that is, faith, by the doctrines and promises of which we render harmless the fiery darts of the devil; 5, the helmet that is, the hope of eternal salvation, which enables us to endure all temporal misfortune ; 6, the sword that is, the word of God, which, when we use it after the example of Jesus, the most powerful enemy cannot resist (Matt. iv.). Thus armed, we shall be conquerors in the combat with Satan, and gain the crown of victory.

GOSPEL. Matt, xviii. 23-35


 

At that time. Jesus spoke to His disciples this parable: The kingdom of God is likened to a king who would take an account of his servants. And when he had begun to take the account, one was brought to him that owed him ten thousand talents. And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. But that servant, falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And the lord of that servant, being moved with pity, let him go, and forgave him the debt. But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow-servants that owed him a hundred pence; and laying hold of him, he throttled him, saying: Pay what thou owest. And his fellow-servant, falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he paid the debt. Now his fellow-servants, seeing what was done, were very much grieved, and they came and told their lord all that was done. Then his lord called him and said to him: Thou wicked servant! I forgave thee all the debt, because thou besoughtest me: shouldst not thou then have had compassion also on thy fellow servant, even as I had compassion on thee? And his lord, being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid all the debt. So also, shall My heavenly Father do to you, if you forgive not everyone his brother from your hearts.

 

What would Jesus teach by this parable?

 

The king is God; the servant is mankind; the ten thousand talents, equal to ten millions of dollars, signify the enormous and excessive debts which men contract by their sins against God: a sum so exceedingly great as to show clearly that the debt of man to God is without limit, and truly overwhelming. The hundred pence, a small sum, equal to perhaps six or seven dollars, denotes the offences which others have given us, and which, in comparison with our offences against God, are insignificant. By this parable, therefore, Jesus intended to say: As God forgives your immense debts if you sorrowfully pray for forgiveness, so ought you to forgive your fellowmen their comparatively light debts when they ask forgiveness of you. Unless you grant it, you shall receive no pardon from My Father.

 

Who are like that unmerciful servant?

 

All unmerciful and hard-hearted persons; particularly.

 

1.      rulers who oppress the people by excessive taxes.

2.      those who oppress widows and orphans, and keep from servants the wages due them

3.      those who have no patience with their debtors but deprive them of house and goods rather than be indulgent to them. God will deal with such men in the otherworld as they have dealt with their neighbors in this.

4.      Finally, all persons who will not forgive injuries done them, but preserve hatred in their hearts, who bring such as have injured them before the courts, and even seek to injure them out of revenge.

 

How can they hope to obtain mercy? What is meant by forgiving from the heart?

 

It is to banish from the heart all hatred and desire of revenge; to bear in our hearts a sincere love towards our enemy, and to manifest it by works of charity. If we think of the multitude of sins which God has forgiven us, how can we refuse to forgive trifling wrongs against ourselves? At any rate, let us not forget that God forgives us only when we also forgive from the heart.

Ejaculation. Merciful God grant me grace to be truly merciful towards my fellowmen, as Thou art towards me.

Prayer.

 

O God, Who, through the patience of Thine only begotten Son, hast humbled the pride of our old enemy, mercifully grant that, by considering what He has suffered for us, we may cheer fully and patiently bear our adversities, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen,

 

The Feast of Christ the King (last Sunday of October)[4]

 

Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1929 as a solemn affirmation of our Lord's kingship over every human society. Pius saw the proliferation of secularism, particularly in government, as one of the greatest heresies of our time, a heresy that leads not only to an atrophy of faith but to a decay of civilization. Pius' intention in combatting this pernicious error is aptly summed up in the stanzas of the Vespers hymn for today, Te saeculorum Principem:
 

May heads of nations fear Thy name
And spread Thy honor through their lands,
Our nation's laws, our arts proclaim
The beauty of Thy just commands.

Let kings the crown and scepter hold
As pledge of Thy supremacy;
And Thou all lands, all tribes enfold
In one fair realm of charity.
 

The Feast of Christ the King is therefore an important holyday that bears poignantly on our contemporary political world (it is also, as we mentioned elsewhere, a significant part of this eschatological time of year.) The chief practice Pius XI wished to be observed on this day was making an Act of Dedication of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a prayer which can be found in old editions of the Raccolta and in the current Enchiridion of indulgences (the Church continues to grant a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, for the devout recitation of this prayer on the Feast).

 

However, because the feast is less than a hundred years old, no other distinctive customs or rituals have yet accrued to its observance. This leaves a vacuum into which we can offer only the most unauthoritative suggestions. In our opinion, for example, wreath customs similar to those from the Feast of Corpus Christi would be a good way of observing the day, as a wreath betokens the supreme symbol of kingship, the crown. Likewise, a lamb dinner would hearken to the vision given in today's Introit (there is even a blessing for lamb from the Roman ritual that could be used). In any case, the Feast should be used as an occasion for solemnly affirming Christ as the King of our heart and of our country.

 

Vincent Price-RIP Oct 25, 1993[5]


 

Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s Vincent was a staple of the Halloween season. Trained on the London stage, Price started out as an actor for mainstream films in the 1940s, and worked for prestigious directors like Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Otto Preminger and Cecil B. DeMille. But he never really made his mark in the film business until he segued into the horror genre. Despite being immensely talented, at 6’4”, Vinnie was just too tall to make it as a Hollywood leading man, where the ideal male height was around 6’, give or take an inch or two on either side. (Price’s great friend and fellow horror icon, Sir Christopher Lee, faced the same problem: at 6’5” he was even taller than Vinnie.) In addition to the height issue, as the 50s marched on, Vinnie’s classic, stage-trained acting style would eventually be considered “old-fashioned,” and pushed aside in favor of the more “naturalistic” acting styles of younger actors such as Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Paul Newman.

In classic horror, however, a stage-trained acting style and perfect diction—which Price had in spades—were considered assets, because so many plots featured evil aristocrats, sinister industrialists, or cultivated mad scientists. He made so many horror films that by the time he passed on in 1993 at the age of 82, Price had become world-famous, beloved by millions.

Daily Devotions

·         Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after 3pm till Monday. Don’t forget the internet.

·         Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

·         Make reparations to the Holy Face

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

·         Rosary




[1] Pope Francis, Encyclical on Love.

[2]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=419

[3]Goffines Devout Instructions, 1896

[4]http://www.holytrinitygerman.org/postpentecostcustoms.htm#Feast_of_Christ_the_King

[5]https://horrornews.net/136668/essential-vincent-price-10-best-films/



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