DAY 51 - OUR LADY OF FATIMA, PRAY FOR US
SEEKING HARMONY
PRAY A ROSARY
All are invited to participate virtually in each of the 15 days events. Use the Zoom link at the top of the schedule on the Triumph Tour 2020 website: triumphtour2020.com .
Introduction to 1 Timothy[1]
The three letters, First
and Second Timothy and Titus, form a distinct group within the Pauline body of
work. In the collection of letters by the Apostle to the Gentiles, they differ
from the others in form and contents. All three suggest they were written late
in Paul’s career. The opponents are not “Judaizers” as in Galatians but false
teachers stressing “knowledge”. Attention is given specially to correct
doctrine and church organization. Jesus’ second coming. The three letters are
addressed not to congregations but to those who shepherd congregations. These letters
were first named “Pastoral Epistles” in the eighteenth century because they all
are concerned with the work of a pastor in caring for the community or
communities under his charge. 1 Timothy is presented as having been
written from Macedonia. Timothy, whom Paul converted, was of mixed Jewish and
Gentile parentage. He was the apostle’s companion on both the second and the
third missionary journeys and was often sent by him on special missions. In
1 Timothy, he is described as the administrator of the entire Ephesian
community. The letter instructs Timothy on his duty to restrain false and
useless teaching and proposes principles pertaining to his relationship with
the older members of the community and with the presbyters. It gives rules for
aid to widows and their selection for charitable ministrations and also deals
with liturgical celebrations, selections for the offices of bishop and deacon,
relation of slaves with their masters, and obligations of the wealthier members
of the community. This letter also reminds Timothy of the prophetic character
of his office and encourages him in his exercise of it. The central passage of
the letter expresses the principal motive that should guide the conduct of
Timothy—preservation of the purity of the church’s doctrine against false
teaching. On this same note the letter concludes.
OCTOBER 4 Eighteenth Sunday aft.
Pentecost (27th S. Ord. Time)
RESPECT
LIFE-SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI
1 Timothy, Chapter 5, Verse 20
Reprimand publicly those who do
sin, so that the rest also will be AFRAID.
It
is better to scorn a child than to let them walk into real danger. If we follow
the advice of Timothy, we may wound someone’s pride in order to save their
soul. The priest sandal that has so wounded our church is because we failed to
follow this advice. Nothing ever gets better if it is ignored and left to
fester. If we see someone who we know is trapped in sin out of love, we must
help them.
From
a personal standpoint I remember I used to have a young soldier who worked for
me whose breath smelled bad and I ignored it for months. Finally, my boss came
to me and told me that he smelled it and told me to advise the soldier to see
the dentist as it could indicate a serious dental problem. I did, and the young
soldier lost 4 teeth from infection that I failed to correct out of a lack of
courage.
If
you correct someone, they may hate you, but they will still have their teeth or
soul as the case may be.
Nancy Pelosi ‘Must’
Be Denied Communion[2]
Cardinal Raymond Burke has
issued an emphatic call for pro-abortion Catholic politicians like House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to be denied Communion. The cardinal also spoke
about the rapid advance of the homosexual agenda, the decline in catechesis
that has crippled the Church’s response to pressing moral issues of the day,
and the growing danger of Christian persecution under an increasingly
“totalitarian” government. Asked about Pelosi, he said, “Certainly this is a
case when Canon 915 must be applied.”
Canon 915 states that
those who are “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be
admitted to Holy Communion.” “This is a person who obstinately, after repeated
admonitions, persists in a grave sin — cooperating with the crime of procured
abortion — and still professes to be a devout Catholic,” the cardinal said. “I
fear for Congresswoman Pelosi if she does not come to understand how gravely in
error she is. I invite her to reflect upon the example of St. Thomas More who
acted rightly in a similar situation even at the cost of his life.” The
cardinal also urged the faithful to practice “much prayer and fasting” to
counter the growing threat of the homosexual agenda.
“The alarming rapidity of
the realization of the homosexual agenda ought to awaken all of us and frighten
us with regard to the future of our nation,” he said. “This is a work of
deceit, a lie about the most fundamental aspect of our human nature, our human
sexuality, which after life itself defines us. There is only one place these
types of lies come from, namely Satan. It is a diabolical situation which is
aimed at destroying individuals, families, and eventually our nation.” “The
fact that these kinds of ‘arrangements’ are made legal is a manifestation of a
culture of death, of an anti- life and anti- family culture which has existed
in our nation now for some time,” he said. Catholics have not engaged the
battle for the family effectively, he said, “because we have not been taught
our Catholic Faith, especially in the depth needed to address these grave evils
of our time.”
“There is far too much
silence — people do not want to talk about it because the topic is not
‘politically correct,’” he added. “But we cannot be silent any longer or we
will find ourselves in a situation that will be very difficult to reverse.” The
Cardinal said Catholics risk facing increasing persecution, such as the inability
to even work in fields like education and healthcare, if the government remains
on its present course. “If the present government, which can be described in no
other way than totalitarian, is not held back from the course it is on, these
persecutions will follow,” he said. “It will not be possible for Catholics to
exercise most of the normal human services whether in health care, education,
or social welfare because in conscience they will no longer be able to do what
the government demands: to cooperate in grave moral evil. We are heading in
that direction and even see it now.”
He urged Americans to take
the example of France, where the people have reacted strongly to government
imposition of same sex “marriage.” “The French people are out on the streets in
protest — one demonstration had upwards of two million people,” he said. “There
has arisen in France among the people the will to resist the government and
that is what we need in this country.”
Asked how Catholics can
reconcile the fact that they are told not to vote for political candidates who
support grave intrinsic evils, while these same politicians are given honors at
Catholic universities and public Catholic funerals, he said, “You cannot
reconcile it.” “It is a contradiction, it is wrong, it is a scandal, and it
must stop!” he said. “We live in a culture with a false sense of dialogue —
which has also crept into the Church — where we pretend to dialogue about open
and egregious violations of the moral law.” “Can we believe it is permissible
to recognize publicly people who support open and egregious violations, and
then act surprised if someone is scandalized by it?”
Eighteenth Sunday after
Pentecost[3]
Sacrifice,
forgiveness, and "confirmation in the end without crime" (1 Cor. 4.8)
IN
the Introit of the Mass the Church prays for the peace which God has promised
through His prophets. “Give peace, O Lord, to them that patiently wait for
Thee, that Thy prophets may be found faithful; hear the prayers of Thy
servants, and of Thy people Israel. I rejoiced at the things that were said to me;
we shall go into the house of the Lord.
Prayer.
We
beseech Thee, O Lord, that the work of Thy mercy may direct our hearts; for
without Thy grace we cannot be pleasing to Thee.
EPISTLE,
i. Cor. i. 4-8.
Brethren:
I give thanks to my God always for you, for the grace of God that is given you
in Christ Jesus, that in all things you are made rich in Him, in all utterance,
and in all knowledge; as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that
nothing is wanting to you in any grace, waiting for the manifestation of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, Who also will confirm you unto the end without crime, in the
day of the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Brief
Lessons.
St.
Paul shows in this epistle that he possesses the true love of his neighbor, by
rejoicing and thanking God that He had be stowed on the Corinthians manifold
gifts and graces, and thereby confirmed the testimony of Christ in them. By
this we learn that we should rejoice over the gifts and graces of our
neighbors; should thank God for them, and pray Him to fill all who are in the
darkness of error with knowledge, and love, and all virtues.
GOSPEL.
Matt. ix. 1-8.
At that time Jesus,
entering into a boat, passed over the water and came into His own city. And
behold they brought to Him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus,
seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: Be of good heart, son,
thy sins are forgiven thee. And behold some of the scribes said within
themselves: He blasphemeth. And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you
think evil in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee:
or to say, Arise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man hath power
on earth to forgive sins, then said He to the man sick of the palsy: Arise,
take up thy bed and go into thy house. And he arose, and went into his house.
And the multitude seeing it, feared, and glorified God that gave such power to
men.
Explanation.
The charity of those who brought the sick man to
Christ was so full of faith, so pleasing to Him, that, out of regard for it, He
forgave the palsied man his sins, and healed him.
Christ did not heal the man sick with the palsy until
He had forgiven him his sins. By this He teaches us that sins are often the
cause of the sicknesses and evils that pursue us; and that if we sincerely
repent of our sins, God would be likely to remove these evils from us. This is
also intimated by the words of Jesus to him who had been sick eight-and-thirty years:
“Sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee” (John v. 14). This should
be kept in mind by those who so impetuously be seech God to free them from
their afflictions, but who do not think to free themselves from the sins which
may be the cause of them, by a sincere repentance and by leading a Christian
life.
“He blasphemeth.”; Thus, in their perverted minds, the
Jews thought of Christ ; supposing that, by forgiving the sick man his sins, He
had committed an encroachment on the prerogative of God, and thereby done Him
great wrong; for it is blasphemy against God to attempt to wrong Him, or to
think, speak, or do anything insulting to Him or to His saints.
“And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you
think evil in your hearts?” This is something to be considered by those who
suppose their thoughts to be free from scrutiny, and to whom it does not even
occur to make their evil thoughts matter of confession. God, the most holy and
most just, will no more leave unpunished impure, proud, angry, revengeful,
envious thoughts, than He will an idle word (Matt. xii. 36). Do not, therefore,
give yourself up to evil thoughts; and in order to repel them, remember each
time that God sees and punishes them. Would you not drive them away if men saw
them?
ON INDULGENCES
What is an indulgence? It is the remission granted by the
Church, in the name of God, and on account of the merits of Jesus Christ and of
all the saints, of the temporal punishment which men must suffer, either in
this world or in the world to come, for sins that have been already forgiven.
Whence do we know that after sins
are forgiven there yet remains a temporal punishment? From Holy Scripture, thus, God
imposed upon Adam and Eve great temporal punishments, although He forgave them
their sin (Gen. iii.). Moses and Aaron were punished for a slight want of
confidence in God (Num. xx. 24; Deut. xxxii. 51). David, though forgiven, was
obliged to submit to great temporal punishments (n. Kings xii.). Finally, faith
teaches us that after death we must suffer in purgatory till we have paid the
last farthing (Matt. v. 26).
Can the Church remit all temporal
punishments, even those imposed by God Himself, and why? Certainly, by virtue of the power
to bind and to loose which Christ has given her (Matt, xviii. 18). For if the
Church has received from God the power to remit sins which is the greater, she
certainly has authority to remit the punishment of them which is the less.
Moreover, it is by the bands of punishment that we are hindered from reaching
the kingdom of God.
But if the Church can loose all
bands, why not this? Finally,
Jesus certainly had power to remit the temporal punishment of sins and the
power which He Himself had He gave to His disciples.
What is required in order rightly
to gain an indulgence? In
order to gain an indulgence, it is necessary:
I.
To be in the grace of God. It is proper, therefore, to go to confession every
time that one begins the good works enjoined for the gaining of an indulgence. In
granting partial indulgences sacramental confession is not usually prescribed,
but if one who is in the state of mortal sin wishes to gain the indulgence, he
must at least make an act of true contrition with a firm purpose of going to
confession.
2.
It is necessary to have at least a general intention of gaining the
indulgences.
3.
It is necessary to perform in person and with devotion all the good works
enjoined as to time, manner, end, etc., according to the terms in which the
indulgence is granted. To gain plenary indulgences, confession, communion, a
visit to some church or public oratory, and pious prayers are usually
prescribed. If visits to a church are prescribed, Holy Communion may be
received in any church, but the indulgenced prayers must be said in that church
in which the indulgence is granted, and on the prescribed day. As to prayers,
it is recommended that there be said seven times the Our Father, Hail Mary,
Glory be to the Father, and Creed.
Prayer
for gaining an Indulgence
“We
beseech Thee, O Lord, graciously accept the petitions of Thy holy Church, that
Thou wouldst deliver her from all adversities, root out from her all heresies,
unite all Christian rulers and princes, and exalt Thy holy Church on earth,
that we may all serve Thee in peace and quietness. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi[4]
ST. FRANCIS was born at Assisi, in Italy, in the year
1182. His father, a rich merchant, intended him for trade, and Francis applied
himself with aptness to this employment, in which, though fond of show, he
exhibited, at an early day, a particular love for the poor. Agreeable and
amiable, affable and kind to all, he was beloved by all around him, and the
world sought to draw him to its side. But, enlightened from above, and by
heavenly apparitions rendered attentive to the call he was about to receive, he
followed the leadings of grace which drew him on to imitate Christ in poverty
and humility. Hearing one day at Mass the words of the Gospel “Do not possess
gold, or silver, or money in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, nor two
coats, nor shoes, nor a staff” (Matt. x. 9, 10), he began to regulate the whole
manner of his life according to this precept of the Gospel, and at once began
to preach penance with such evangelical poverty, and with such power, that all
who heard him were moved to tears. Disinherited by his father, who was greatly
displeased at his poverty and open-handedness towards the poor, he threw
himself altogether upon the providence of his Father in heaven, dividing with
the poor the alms he thus received. The extraordinary manner of his life soon
brought around him disciples, and as the number of them increased daily, he
wrote for them a rule, and then set out for Home, to procure from the Pope a
confirmation of it. He came back, rejoicing in the Lord that everything at Rome
had gone according to his wish, and established himself about a mile from his
native city, at a small church belonging to the Benedictines, which he called
Portiuncula (little portion). Here he led a life of the severest penance here
he prayed day and night, and here he laid the foundation of that Order which
has filled the world with the splendor of its virtues. Here in this church,
dedicated to the virgin Mother of Jesus and to the holy angels, he received
from Christ Himself the celebrated indulgence known throughout the whole
Christian world as the Portiuncula Indulgence, for while the saint was praying
there with glowing devotion, on the day of the dedication of the church, in the
year 1221, the Lord appeared to him and said “Francis, ask whatever thou wilt
for the salvation of the nations.” He answered: “I desire the remission of
guilt and punishment, a plenary indulgence for all who shall visit this church
with contrite hearts and sincerely confess their sins. The Lord replied, Go
then to My representative, the Pope, and ask the indulgence in My name.
“Forthwith he went to Pope Honorius III., who first, by word of mouth, and
afterwards by a proper bull, confirmed to him the indulgence. The same
indulgence was, at a later day, extended to all churches of the Franciscans,
and by Pope Pius VII to all parish churches (at least to all in Bavaria), and
may be gained on the first Sunday in August of every year. Burning with desire
for the salvation of the people, St. Francis with his brethren, whom he sent
out two by two to preach penance and the peace of God, labored to establish
everywhere the kingdom of heaven. His love for sinners, and his ardent zeal for
the salvation of souls, impelled him to visit remote parts of the world to
preach the Gospel to unbelievers. For this he was rewarded by God with
miraculous graces, among which there is particularly to be mentioned that which
was granted him upon Mount Alverno. While he was there engaged, separated from
the world, in fasting and praying for forty days, as he was accustomed to do
often, the Savior appeared to him in the form of a seraph on the cross, and
imprinted the five wounds of His own body on the body of St. Francis. On account
of this, and for his ardent love for Jesus crucified, St. Francis received the
surname of Seraph. After this event the saint lived two years in manifold
bodily distress and sickness, without murmur or complaint, with perfect
resignation to the will of God. Sometime before his death he caused his will to
be written, in which he left to his brethren poverty as an inheritance in which
they should find great treasure for heaven. As the hour of his dissolution drew
nigh he had the passion of Christ read to him; he then said the one hundred and
forty-first psalms, and at the words, bring my soul out of prison that I may
praise Thy name, he expired happy in the Lord, October 4, 1226, in the
forty-fifth year of his age. St. Francis founded three Orders, the first and
proper Order of Franciscans, or the Order of Friars Minor, then the Order of
Franciscan nuns, or Clares, so called from St. Clare, their first superior and
lastly, that called the Third Order, for people in the world, of both sexes,
who aim at perfection, but do not desire to make the vows of the cloister. This
last Order, which has been approved by many Popes, particularly by Gregory IX.,
Innocent IV., and Nicholas IV., has spread throughout the whole world, and is
becoming in our day more and more flourishing.
We must as is sometimes do as attributed to the sayings of St. Francis, “preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words.”
This is the first premise of
leadership. As leaders, especially Christian leaders, we must demonstrate the
Be, Know and Do attitudes of Christ. That is we must become an “Alter Christus”
or another Christ. We must BE to others as Christ would. We must KNOW spiritual
principals as Christ does and we must act or DO in the world as Christ would.
This
day emulate our Lord by reflecting and living the prayer of St. Francis.
The Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of thy
peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow
love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may
not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we
receive;
It is in pardoning that we are
pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are
born to eternal life.
Things to
Do[5]
·
Pray the Canticle of the Sun, which was written by St. Francis.
·
For more reading, see the selections from the Catholic Culture Library. This page from the Franciscan
Archives contains links about St. Francis of Assisi, including biographies,
articles, writings, Orders & Societies, liturgical texts and art.
·
Many parishes have a Blessing of animals or pets on this day. See the Prayers column
for other alternatives. St. Francis loved all of God's creatures. Find the
stories of the Wolf of Gubbio, the Sermon to the Birds, his Canticle of
Creatures to see some illustrations of his honoring God's creation.
·
St. Francis was influential on our present-day
Christmas crib or creche.
·
Although St. Francis is one of the most popular
saints of the Church, and his feast is a huge celebration in Assisi, there are
no particular foods attached to that festival. Tradition has passed on that on
his deathbed he requested Frangipane cream or Moastaccioli (almond biscotti).
Fire is a symbol of St. Francis, first of all because his heart was on fire
with love of God, but there are other stories in Little Flowers of St.
Francis that deal with fire, particularly when he prayed, the surrounding
areas would become so bright that people thought the areas were on fire. So a
flaming dessert or wine would be an appropriate ending of a wonderful feast.
One could also try some Umbrian
style recipes, or just have "Italian night" at home, even just
simple spaghetti or other pasta and sauces.
·
Learn more about the Franciscan order. The Catholic
Encyclopedia has a wonderful entry on St. Francis, including his Rule. And
from the Catholic Culture Library you can read a detailed summary of the life
of St. Francis and his founding of the Order of Friars Minor.
·
What does poverty
in our state of life mean? How can I follow the Gospels like Francis?
·
Learn more about geography and history of the Umbria
area, and how much Francis has impacted that area.
·
Study art and photos of Francis. Find out more
about the Basilica
of St. Francis in Assisi. Although the earthquake in 1997 damaged the
basilica, it reopened in 1999.
·
Go here for Saint Francis of Assisi, The Writings of Saint Francis of Assisi,
translated by Fr. Paschal Robinson in 1906.
·
Read Little
Flowers of St. Francis by Brother Ugolino online or purchase a copy.
This is a collection of many stories and legends of the life of St. Francis. Of
particular note is his Sermon to the Birds,
"My
little sisters the birds, ye owe much to God, your Creator, and ye ought to
sing his praise at all times and in all places, because he has given you
liberty to fly about into all places; and though ye neither spin nor sew, he
has given you a twofold and a threefold clothing for yourselves and for your
offspring. Two of all your species he sent into the Ark with Noah that you
might not be lost to the world; besides which, he feeds you, though ye neither
sow nor reap. He has given you fountains and rivers to quench your thirst,
mountains and valleys in which to take refuge, and trees in which to build your
nests; so that your Creator loves you much, having thus favoured you with such
bounties. Beware, my little sisters, of the sin of ingratitude, and study
always to give praise to God."
St.
Francis was a great respecter of life and viewed all creation as a gift of God;
he called the animals brothers and the moon sister moon. If we have God’s
breath and love in us we must respect and protect all creation starting with
the most vulnerable of human life.
35 Promises
of God[6]
cont.
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will
give you the desires of your heart.”-Ps 37:4
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
·
Rosary
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