DAY 4 - MOTHER OF CHRIST, PRAY THAT WE RECEIVE THE VIRTUE OF LOVE!
GOD'S WORD
HEROES' WORDS
MEDITATION
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Luminous Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Joyful Mysteries
SAINT JOSAPHAT
If
the unbeliever separates, however, let him separate. The
brother or sister is not bound in such cases; God has called you to PEACE.
Paul
here is talking about the keeping of your marriage vows. If possible, you are
to live in peace with your spouse but if you cannot it is better to separate
but there is a stipulation you must remain chase and not remarry. We must
remember our physical marriage is a sign of our eternal wedding with the Holy Spirit. Peace is the target or
mark in a marriage.
In
the military, units of archers are men who are expert at hitting a mark or
target.
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.
Let us never forget that Satan does his
utmost to destroy mankind. In a thousand ways he plots and wars against God and
tries to usurp His throne. On this subject, the following instruction given by
Our Blessed Mother to Venerable Mary d' Agreda, is worth quoting: "My
daughter," she says, "by no power of human words wilt thou in this
mortal life ever succeed in describing the evil of Lucifer and his demons
against men, or the malice, astuteness, deceits and ruses, with which, in his
wrath, he seeks to bring them into sin and later on to eternal torments. He
tries to hinder all good works . . . All the malice of which his own mind is
capable, he attempts to inject into souls. Against these attacks, God provides
admirable protection if men will only co-operate and correspond on their
part." Among the means provided by God for our protection, is the ready
recourse we may have at all times to the strengthening Blood of Christ.
"This Blood," declares St. John Chrysostom, "has the power to
drive away the evil spirits and to draw to our side the good angels, aye, the
King of Angels, and to blazen the way to Heaven." Fortified by the
Precious Blood, let us place ourselves under the leadership of St. Michael and
unfurl everywhere the banner of our Faith, without fear of godlessness. If Satan tries to induce us to sin, and
promises honors, riches, happiness on conditions that we omit a good work, or
commit an evil deed, let us ever oppose the tempter with the energetic words:
Who is like unto God? God is my only treasure, my highest Good, His Blood is
upon me, and "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
shall fear no evil." If in time
of temptation, we have the courage to rebuke the evil one and call upon the
assistance of our leader, St. Michael, the enemy will surely be put to flight.
But if we wish to enjoy the great Archangel's protection, we must also imitate his
virtues, particularly his humility and his zeal for God's glory.
"O great St. Michael, take us 'neath thy
shield, Thy mighty power in our favor wield!"[1]
Saint Josaphat[2]
Josaphat Kuncewitcz was
born about the year 1580 at Vladimir, Volhynia, [part of the Polish province of
Lithuania at the time] and given the name John at baptism. While being
instructed as a child on the sufferings of our Savior, his heart is said to have been wounded by an arrow from the sacred side
of the Crucified. In 1604 he joined the Ukrainian Order of Saint Basil
(Basilians), lived as a monk in a very mortified life, went barefoot even in
winter, refrained from the use of wine and flesh-meat, and always wore a
penitential garb. In 1614 he was appointed archimandrite of Vilna, Russia and
four years later archbishop of Polotzk; in this position he worked untiringly
for Church reunion. He was a great friend of the poor, once even pledged his
archepiscopal omophorion (pallium) to support a poor widow. The foes of union
decided to assassinate him. In a sermon, he himself spoke of his death as
imminent. When he visited Vitebsk (now in Russia), his enemies attacked his
lodging and murdered a number of his companions. Meekly the man of God hastened
toward the mob and, full of love, cried, "My children, what are you doing?
If you have something against me, see, here I am." With furious cries of
"Kill the papist!", they rushed upon him with gun and sword. Josaphat's
body was thrown into the river but emerged, surrounded by rays of light, and
was recovered. His murderers, when sentenced to death, repented their crime and
became Catholics.
Things to Do:[3]
·
Pray
to St. Josaphat for the reunion of the separated Eastern Churches.
·
Read
Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter on the Eastern
Churches, Orientale Lumen.
·
Read
more about St. Josaphat from
o
The Basilica
of St. Josaphat
·
Read
Pius XI's Encyclical Ecclesiam Dei on St. Josaphat and Pius XII's encyclical
Orientales Omnes Ecclesias (On The
Reunion Of The Ruthenian Chuch With Rome) .
·
Learn
more about the different Eastern Rites which are in union with the Pope.
·
Josaphat
is the patron saint of Ukraine, but his life has Russian, Polish and Lithuanian
influences.
Daily Devotions
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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