DAY 9 - MOTHER UNDEFILED, PRAY THAT WE RECEIVE THE GIFT OF WISDOM!
GOD'S WORD
HEROES' WORDS
MEDITATION
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Sorrowful Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Glorious Mysteries
Those who would like to pray with others via The Telephone Rosary, call 1-951-799-9866 daily at 6 pm Eastern.
SAINT
ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY
2 Corinthians,
Chapter 1, Verse 1-2
1 Paul, an
apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the
church of God that is in Corinth, with all the holy ones throughout Achaia: a 2grace to you and PEACE from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here
Paul is joining the Greek meaning of “grace” to the Jewish meaning of “Peace.”[1]
THE MEANING OF GRACE The
word 'grace' (CHEN in Hebrew,
CHARIS in Greek), as it is
used in the scriptures, literally means'
favor', to bend or stoop in kindness to another as a superior to an inferior.
It has the idea of graciousness in manner or action. (Wikibooks)
Shalom
(Hebrew: שָׁלוֹם shalom; also spelled as sholom, sholem, sholoim, shulem) is a Hebrew word
meaning peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and
tranquility and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and
goodbye. (Wikipedia)
Again,
Paul is writing to the Corinthian’s about even in times of trouble God’s grace
and peace will be there. John Maxwell states that Paul is using the Law of
Empowerment in his leadership.
The
Law of Empowerment:
Our
Comfort Allows Us to Comfort Others[2]
God
promises to comfort us in our troubles and then asks us to comfort others. I
can imagine that is exactly what Mary did with the apostles after Christ’s
death on the cross. We are to pass on what God gives to us. We are empowered to
empower others. Leaders who empower are:
1.
Accountable-They help others keep their commitment
to God.
2.
Affirming-They offer words of support and
encouragement.
3.
Objective when they evaluate progress.
4.
Advise and offer direction and counsel.
5.
Admonish others when they stray by words of
caution, rebuke or correction.
6.
Generous and give tangible resources to help their
people reach goals.
7.
Accepting in that they provide unconditional love.
8.
Teachers helping others find places to apply and
practice what they learn.
Who may
dwell on His Holy Mountain? Whoever
walks without blame, doing what is right, speaking truth from the heart; who
does not slander with his tongue, does no harm to a friend, never defames a
neighbor; who disdains the wicked, but honors those who fear the LORD; Who
keeps an oath despite the cost, lends no money at interest, accepts no bribe
against the innocent.
Some
spiritual direction from God's Word[3]
Scripture quotes are from the Douay-Rheims translation
of the Bible (a Catholic translation that is not under copyright so it can be
quoted freely.)
How
to be happy:
·
Psalm
1:1-3: "Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence:
But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day
and night. And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running
waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season. And his leaf shall
not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper."
Trust
in God:
·
Proverbs
3:5-6: "Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not upon
thy own prudence. In all thy ways think on him, and he will direct thy
steps."
·
Psalm
36:3-7 "Trust in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the land, and thou
shalt be fed with its riches. Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the
requests of thy heart. Commit thy way to the Lord, and trust in him, and he
will do it. And he will bring forth thy justice as the light, and thy judgment
as the noonday. Be subject to the Lord and pray to him. Envy not the man who
prospereth in his way; the man who doth unjust things."
How
to have inner peace:
·
Philippians
4:4-13 "Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I say, rejoice. Let your
modesty be known to all men. The Lord is nigh. Be nothing solicitous: but in everything,
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known
to God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are
true, whatsoever modest, whatsoever just, whatsoever holy, whatsoever lovely,
whatsoever of good fame, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline:
think on these things. The things which you have both learned and received and
heard and seen in me, these do ye: and the God of peace shall be with you. Now
I rejoice in the Lord exceedingly that now at length your thought for me hath
flourished again, as you did also think; but you were busied. I speak not as it
were for want. For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, to be content
therewith. I know both how to be brought low, and I know how to abound (everywhere
and in all things I am instructed): both to be full and to be hungry: both to
abound and to suffer need. I can do all things in him who strengtheneth
me."
Seek
God first and all your needs will be taken care of:
·
Matt:
6:31-34 "Be not solicitous therefore, saying: What shall we eat: or what
shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? For after all these things do
the heathens seek. For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these
things. Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all
these things shall be added unto you. Be not therefore solicitous for tomorrow;
for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the
evil thereof."
On
prayer:
·
Matt
6:5-15 "And when ye pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, that love to
stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be
seen by men: Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou when
thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father
in secret, and thy father who seeth in secret will repay thee. And when you are
praying, speak not much, as the heathens. For they think that in their much
speaking they may be heard. Be not you therefore like to them for your Father
knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask him. Thus, therefore shall you
pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our super
substantial bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen. For if you
will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also
your offences. But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father
forgive you your offences."
·
Matt
6:21-22 "And Jesus answering, said to them: Amen, I say to you, if you
shall have faith and stagger not, not only this of the fig tree shall you do,
but also if you shall say to this mountain, Take up and cast thyself into the
sea, it shall be done. And all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer
believing, you shall receive."
·
Luke
6:12 "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain
to pray: and he passed the whole night in the prayer of God."
·
Matt.
26:39 "And going a little further, he fell upon his face, praying and
saying: My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me.
Nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt."
·
James
5:13 "Is any of you sad? Let him pray: Is he cheerful in mind? Let him
sing."
·
Luke
11:1-13 "And it came to pass that as he was in a certain place praying,
when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him: Lord, teach us to pray, as
John also taught his disciples. And he said to them: When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us this day our daily
bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted
to us. And lead us not into temptation. And he said to them: Which of you shall
have a friend and shall go to him at midnight and shall say to him: Friend,
lend me three loaves, Because a friend of mine is come off his journey to me
and I have not what to set before him. And he from within should answer and say:
Trouble me not; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I
cannot rise and give thee. Yet if he shall continue knocking, I say to you,
although he will not rise and give him because he is his friend; yet, because
of his importunity, he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say
to you: Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it
shall be opened to you. For everyone that asketh receiveth: and he that seeketh
findeth: and to him that knocketh it shall be opened: And which of you, if he
ask his father bread, will he give him a stone? Or a fish, will he for a fish
give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he reach him a scorpion? If
you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them that ask
him?"
St. Elizabeth of Hungary[4]
Scrutiny of the Powerful
St. Elizabeth,
Duchess of Thuringia, it is said that the servant of God lost her mother,
Gertrude, Queen of Hungary, about the year 1220. In the spirit of a holy Christian
daughter, she gave abundant alms, redoubled her prayers and mortifications,
exhausted the resources of her charity for the relief of that dear soul. God
revealed to her that she had not done too much. One night the deceased appeared
to her with a sad and emaciated countenance; she placed herself on her knees
next to the bed, and said to her, weeping, “My daughter, you see at your feet
your mother overwhelmed with suffering. I come to implore you to multiply your
suffrages, that Divine Mercy may deliver me from the frightful torments I
endure. Oh! how much are those to be pitied who exercise authority over others?
I expiate now the faults that I committed upon the throne. Oh! my daughter, I
pray you by the pangs I endured when bringing you into the world, by the cares
and anxieties which your education cost me, I conjure you to deliver me from my
torments.” Elizabeth, deeply touched, arose immediately, took the discipline to
blood, and implored God, with tears, to have mercy on her mother, Gertrude,
declaring that she would not cease to pray until she had obtained her
deliverance. Her prayers were heard.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary[5]
Elizabeth was the daughter of the Hungarian King Andrew II.
At the age of four (b. 1207), she was brought to the court of her future
husband, Ludwig, landgrave of Thuringia. After her marriage in 1221, she very
conscientiously fulfilled her duties both toward her husband and as a servant
of God. During the night she would rise from bed and spend long periods in
prayer. Zealously she performed all types of charitable acts; she put herself
at the service of widows, orphans, the sick, the needy. During a famine she
generously distributed all the grain from her stocks, cared for lepers in one
of the hospitals she established, kissed their hands and feet. For the benefit
of the indigent she provided suitable lodging. After the early death of her
husband (in 1227 while on a crusade led by Emperor Frederick II), Elizabeth
laid aside all royal dignities in order to serve God more freely. She put on
simple clothing, became a tertiary of St. Francis, and showed great patience
and humility. Nor was she spared intense suffering - the goods belonging to her
as a widow were withheld, she was forced to leave Wartburg. In Eisenach no one
dared receive her out of fear of her enemies. Upon much pleading a shepherd of
the landgrave permitted her to use an abandoned pig sty. No one was allowed to
visit or aid her; with her three children, of whom the youngest was not more
than a few months old, she was forced to wander about in the winter's cold. In
1228 she took the veil of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis at
Marburg and there built a hospital with some property still belonging to her.
She retained for herself only a small mud house. All her strength and care were
now devoted to the poor and the sick, while she obtained the few things she
needed by spinning. Young in years but rich in good works, she slept in the
Lord in 1231, only twenty-four years old.
Things to
Do
·
Love for the poor is characteristic of every
genuine follower of Christ, those lacking the truth are the poorest of the
poor, spend some time on a regular basis studying your faith (by reading or
taking a home study course) so that you will be prepared to feed those who are
hungry for the truth.
·
Teach your children the Corporal and
Spiritual Works of Mercy and give them practical examples.
·
Have your children help you bake
bread like St. Elizabeth and distribute some to your neighbors.
·
St. Elizabeth is the patroness of the Franciscan
Third Order (tertiary) and of all Catholic Charities. Find out more about what
a third order is, particularly the Franciscan Third Order.
·
See Nameday
Ideas for St. Elizabeth, including dessert and symbols and prayers.
·
Follow these links for some wonderful works of
art of St. Elizabeth:
o Anonymous
Sienese medallion (XIV Century): St.
Elizabeth of Hungary
o Collinson,
James: St. Elizabeth of Hungary
o Martini,
Simone: St. Clare and St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
o Martini,
Simone: St. Elizabeth, St. Margaret and Henry of Hungary
National UnFriend a
frenemy[6]
National UnFriend Day (NUD) is an unofficial holiday
designed to promote unfriending other Facebook users that are not true friends.
Social media now provides access to just about anyone, anywhere on the
globe. However, this easy global access exposes personal information to theft
or misuse and unnecessary cluttering by other's junk posts. In this digital
age, it is imperative that identities remain protected and that time spent on
social media be reduced and replaced by face-to-face human interaction.
National UnFriend Day was originally conceived and proposed by TV personality
Jimmy Kimmel on November 17, 2010 in an effort to remind society of the true
meaning of friendship.
Kimmel believes that there are many Facebook offenses that can lead to
unfriending someone, some of which include, posting too much, spell-checking
too little, repetitively posting the same kind of material, not googling before
asking questions, being on Facebook all the time and sending in-app Facebook
requests for games. In addition to unfriending irritating offenders, it is advisable
to unfriend those whom you no longer have steady contact with and any unknown
users that may have access to your information and posts.
National
UnFriend Day Facts & Quotes
·
According to a report by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit
organization dedicated to helping navigate the world of media and technology,
teenagers spend about 9 hours a day consuming media, 1.5 hours of which is
spent on social media.
·
As of January 2016, compared to other social
networks, Facebook is the leading social network with approximately 1.6 billion
active monthly users. This is in comparison to WhatsApp (900 million
active monthly users), Instagram (400 million active monthly users) and Twitter
(320 million active monthly users).
·
The average Facebook user has 338 friends.
27% of young Facebook users have more than 500 friends, compared an
average of 100 friends for 72% of Facebook users who are older than 65 years of
age.
·
36% of Facebook users strongly dislike it when
someone shares too much information or photos about themselves, as well as when
they post photos of others without asking for permission.
·
I encourage you to cut out some of the friend
fat in your life. A friend is someone you have a special relationship
with. It's not someone who asks which Harry Potter character you are.- Jimmy
Kimmel, November 2010
National
UnFriend Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Go through your privacy settings on Facebook.
Keep in mind that some of the people that you have previously friended may not
be friends at all. Your privacy settings can control who is able to see your
content and whose content will show up on your news feed.
·
Decide who you are going to unfriend on
Facebook. Facebook also offers the possibility of making friends into
acquaintances. Your acquaintance list can then be separated from your friend
list, allowing you to publish and read 'friend-only' content.
·
Review your posting habits. Have you been
posting too much content, or have you been posting photos of your friends,
without receiving permission? Check to see whether you have also violated any
Facebook UnFriend Day Offenses as defined by Jimmy Kimmel.
·
Watch movies about friendship. Here are
some to consider:
1) Stand by Me (1986)
2) The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
3) Good Will Hunting (1997)
4) The Intouchables (2011)
5) The Social Network (2010)
6) The Bucket List (2007)
7) As Good as it Gets (1997)
Daily
Devotions/Practices
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday
Devotion
·
Pray Day 8 of
the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
·
Tuesday:
Litany of St. Michael the Archangel
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary.
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