DAY 15 - VIRGIN MOST PRUDENT, PRAY THAT WE RECEIVE THE GIFT OF FEAR OF THE LORD!
GOD'S WORD
HEROES' WORDS
MEDITATION
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Joyful Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Glorious Mysteries
Breaking Oppression and Sending Back Evil
Until the Election is Called
MIGUEL
PRO-ESPRESSO DAY
John,
Chapter 5, Verse 41-42
41“I do not accept human praise; 42 moreover, I know that you do not have the LOVE of God in you.
We must act in
the world as it is sometimes 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. Why because unlike the Jewish leaders whom Christ spoke to in the above verse we are compelled by the love of God.
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.
Humility
Humility is the virtue of
casting aside our pride, hubris, conceit, narcissism and arrogance. Just as
pride is said by some to the worst, foremost and root of the Seven Deadly Sins,
humility is its cure. Jesus is the best example for Christians who seek to
humbly followed God's plan for His life (Matthew 11:29). He is meek and His
burden light.
And to help us on our own
Path of Righteousness, St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei,
described 17 ways people run from humility:
1. Thinking that what you do or say is
better than what others do or say.
2. Always wanting to get your own way.
3. Arguing when you are not right or ―
when you are ― insisting stubbornly or with bad manners.
4. Giving your opinion without being
asked for it, when charity does not demand you to do so.
5. Despising the point of view of
others.
6. Not being aware that all the gifts
and qualities you have are on loan.
7. Not acknowledging that you are
unworthy of all honor or esteem, even the ground you are treading on or the
things you own.
8. Mentioning yourself as an example
in conversation.
9. Speaking badly about yourself, so
that they may form a good opinion of you, or contradict you.
10. Making excuses when rebuked.
11. Hiding some humiliating faults from
your director, so that he may not lose the good opinion he has of you.
12. Hearing praise with satisfaction,
or being glad that others have spoken well of you.
13. Being hurt that others are held in
greater esteem than you.
14. Refusing to carry out menial tasks.
15. Seeking or wanting to be singled
out.
16. Letting drop words of self-praise
in conversation, or words that might show your honesty, your wit or skill, your
professional prestige.
17. Being ashamed of not having certain
possessions.
However, with all due
respect to one of the great saints of the 20th century, St. Josemaría Escrivá
missed a few other telltale signs one is actively avoiding a true spirit of
humility. He probably did so in defense of his humility. Here are a few others
to consider:
18. C.S. Lewis reminds us in his Mere
Christianity that if we think ourselves not conceited, we are indeed
conceited. Lewis explained that humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but
thinking of ourselves less.
19. Being unwilling to admit error.
20. Not giving serious attention to
your need to repent of sins, both past and present.
21. Pointing out the splinter in the
eyes of others while ignoring the log in your eye.
22. Forgetting, sometimes
intentionally, the basic worth of all human beings.
23. Forgetting, sometimes
intentionally, the fact that God loves all human beings no more or less than
you.
24. Imagining that one possesses great
academic, intellectual, spiritual and/or moralistic accomplishments upon where
none have been granted or bestowed.
25. Considering oneself too learned to
learn or to wise to gain wisdom.
26. Presuming upon one's great wisdom
and erudition.
27. Insisting upon having the last
word.
28. Being more concerned about your own
feelings than those of others.
29. Being more concerned about your own
feelings rather than the facts.
30. Devastating someone emotionally and
rationalizing it by saying, “I’m just being honest,” or “She deserved it.”
31. When you honestly believe the rules
don’t apply to you including the rules that you insist others follow.
32. Insisting upon your opinion or
preference.
33. Countering an opponent’s argument
by saying, “I use to think that but…”
34. Insisting that others recognize and
laud your contributions, even if none exist.
35. Diminishing the accomplishments of
others who are your intellectual, academic, spiritual or moral superiors.
36. Believing that the ends justify the
means.
37. Refusing to forgive others.
38. Not being able to admit defeat or
wrong even when presented with irrefutable proof.
39. Lying in order to make a point.
40. Pretending to speak for experts or
pretending experts agree with you.
41. Presuming every bad event in one’s
life is the fault of another or, worse, asking why God punishes you.
42. Presuming one's great fortune is
the result of one’s “goodness” and status as God’s “favorite.”
43. Presuming one's opinions and tastes
are objectively correct while those of others are essentially worthless.
Humility is the only path
to God.
Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro[1]
Miguel Pro was born
January 13, 1891, at Guadalupe Zacatecas, Mexico. From his childhood, high
spirits and happiness were the most outstanding characteristics of his
personality. The loving and devoted son of a mining engineer and a pious and
charitable mother, Miguel had a special affinity for the working classes which
he retained all his life. At 20, he became a Jesuit novice and shortly
thereafter was exiled because of the Mexican revolution. He traveled to the
United States, Spain, Nicaragua and Belgium, where he was ordained in 1925.
Father Pro suffered greatly from a severe stomach problem and when, after
several operations his health did not improve, in 1926 his superiors allowed
him to return to Mexico in spite of the religious persecution in the country.
The churches were closed, and priests were in hiding.
Father Pro spent the rest
of his life in a secret ministry to the sturdy Mexican Catholics. In addition
to fulfilling their spiritual needs, he also carried out the works of mercy by
assisting the poor of Mexico City with their temporal needs. He adopted many
disguises to carry out his secret ministry. In all that he did, he remained
filled with the joy of serving Christ, his King, and obedient to his superiors.
Falsely accused in a bombing attempt on the President-elect, Pro became a
wanted man. He was betrayed to the police and sentenced to death without the
benefit of any legal process. On the day of his death, Father Pro forgave his
executioners, prayed, bravely refused the blindfold, and died proclaiming
"Viva Cristo Rey!" (Long Live Christ the King).
Things to Do:
- Watch
this short Catholic News Agency You Tube video of Fr.
Miguel Pro.
- Read
more about visiting the shrine in Mexico
Espresso Day[2]
The voodoo priest and all his powders were as nothing compared to espresso,
cappuccino, and mocha, which are stronger than all the religions of the world
combined, and perhaps stronger than the human soul itself. Mark Helprin
·
Rich
and powerful, espresso is a nitro-boost to your day and a go-to for coffee
drinkers looking for a way to get through those long hard days and nights. It
is a refinement of coffee, distilled down to its most potent elements and
delivered in special cups that should have a warning label that reads “High
Vibration and Caffeine Jitters Ahead”. Espresso day celebrates the history of
this delicious and powerful solution to an otherwise dreary day.
History
Of Espresso Day
·
In
Turin, in 1884 an incredible new innovation was developed that would change the
way work would be done for all of history. No more would tired laborers have to
rely on pure willpower to get them through the day or lean on the watered-down
attempt at caffeination that was normal coffee and tea. Instead, thanks to the
innovative methods of Angelo Moriondo coffee had seen a new age of enlightenment,
as his new machine found a way to separately control the passing of steam and
water through the coffee. This innovation made it possible to extract the
fullest possible potential from the humble coffee bean.
·
Espresso
Day was created to honor this invention and the wonderful man who made it all
possible. True, the machine has undergone multiple upgrades and innovations
since then, with homemade espresso machines now being available, and the latte
is now one of the most popular methods of imbibing this drink. From Turin,
Italy this beverage spread throughout the world, earning a place of prominence
in Europe, the USA, and eventually the world at large.
How
To Celebrate Espresso Day
·
Celebrating
Espresso Day is as simple as skipping on down to your local caffenation
station, be it a Starbucks, Tim Horton’s, or whatever your local flavor of
coffee shop is. Order yourself the strongest drink on the menu, a triple-shot
espresso if they have them, and raise a small ceramic glass of high-powered
octane the those in attendance. Toast Angelo Moriondo and his works, and let
all who will listen know that it is he who drives the modern worker and
increases production. Then stop on the way home and buy yourself your own
personal espresso machine, because weekends need coffee too.
Octave of Christ the
King
·
attend
Mass daily or via EWTN or the internet
·
Mediate
on the virtues of Mary (Humility, Generosity, Chastity, Patience,
Temperance, Understanding/love and Wisdom. One for each day.
· Fast doing the Daniel fast (Monday-Saturday).
·
Exercise-Universal Man Plan.
Daily
Devotions
·
Eat waffles
and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
·
Monday: Litany of Humility
·
Rosary
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