DAY 48 - MARY, QUEEN OF THE FAMILY, PRAY FOR US
SHOCK TROOPS
"Build Catholic schools," said one.
"No."
"More churches," said another.
"Still no."
"Speed up the recruiting of priests," said a third.
"No, no," said the pope, "the most necessary thing of all, at this time, is for every parish to possess a group of laymen who will be at the same time virtuous, enlightened, resolute, and truly apostolic."
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Joyful 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.
Saturday in the Octave of Christmas
feast of St. Stephen-Kwanzaa
Titus, Chapter 2, Verse 11-14
11For the grace of God has
appeared, saving all 12and
training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately,
justly, and devoutly in this age, 13as
we await the blessed HOPE, the appearance of the glory of the great God
and of our savior Jesus Christ, 14who
gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for
himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good.
The spirit of Christ compels us to moral improvement. His blood which we
receive is the moving force that demands transformation of life. He is our only
hope. The last words of Mary in the bible tell us "Do
whatever he tells you." (Jn 2:5)
Feast of Saint Stephen[1]
THE epistle of to-day contains a short account of the life and sufferings of this saint. It only remains to be added that, on account of his virtues, his wisdom, and his zeal for the faith, the apostles thought him worthy to be chosen the first of the seven deacons, whose office it was, in addition to the preaching of the word of God, to serve the poor, and properly to dis tribute the alms of the faithful. The Introit says: Princes sat and spoke against me, and the wicked persecuted me; help me, O Lord my God, for Thy servant was employed in Thy justifications. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
Prayer.
Grant us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to
imitate what we honor, that we also may learn to love our neighbors, as we
celebrate the feast of Him Who knew how to beseech even for His persecutors. Amen.
EPISTLE. Acts vi. 8-10; vii.
54-59.
In those days: Stephen full of grace and
fortitude did great wonders and signs among the people. Now there arose some of
that which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and
of the Alexandrians, and of them that were of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with
Stephen. Arid they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that
spoke. Now hearing these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed with
their teeth at him. But he being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly
to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.
And he said: Be hold I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on
the right hand of God. And they crying out with a loud voice, stopped their
ears, and with one accord ran violently upon him. And casting him forth without
the city, they stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the
feet of a young man whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, invoking, and
saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And falling on his knees, he cried with
a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had
said this, he fell asleep in the Lord.
Instruction.
Stephen is unjustly persecuted; yet he
prays for his persecutors. Can we excuse ourselves if we do not love our
enemies? Were not Stephen, and others who have imitated him, men like
ourselves? With the grace of God, could not we do what they have done? Could we
call ourselves Christians were we not to do this? No; for the love of our
neighbor, and of our enemy also, is the chief token of the Christian; since it
is only by this love that we become like Christ, and resemble our heavenly
Father, Who makes His sun to shine upon the evil and the good, and sendeth
rains upon the just and upon the unjust (Matt. v. 45). Let us, therefore,
imitate the love of God, of Christ, and of St. Stephen, and then we may one day
be able to give up our souls with calmness into the hands of our Maker.
GOSPEL. Matt, xxiii. 34-39.
At that time Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees:
Behold I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes : and some of them you
will put to death and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues,
and persecute from city to city: that upon you may come all the just blood that
hath been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just, even unto the
blood of Zacharias the son of Barachias, whom you killed between the temple and
the altar. Amen I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are
sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the
hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not! Behold your
house shall be left to you desolate. For I say to you, you shall not see Me
henceforth till you say: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Those in our days who stone and kill the prophets and preachers are those who,
by their evil backbiting, defame their pastors, who mock at and despise
preachers and sermons; for to the servants of God this is a great torment and
source of grief; it destroys their courage and paralyzes their efficiency. On
this account it provokes the anger of God, as through the prophets He often
told the Jews.
Supplication to St. Stephen.
O St. Stephen, first of the martyrs, who wast filled with fortitude,
grace, and love, whose guiltless face shone like the face of a pure angel, I
beseech thee, by the grace which rendered thee worthy to see heaven opened and
Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father, that thou wouldst, by thy
prayers, procure for me from God a pure conscience, and a holy, meek love, that
like thee I may readily forgive those who injure me; may pray for them; may not
only desire for them whatever is good, but may do them good indeed, and thereby
merit the grace of a happy death. Amen.
Stephan
First Martyr[2]
Today
is the second day in the octave of Christmas. The Church celebrates the Feast
of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Stoned outside Jerusalem, he died
praying for his executioners. He was one of the seven deacons who helped the
apostles; he was "filled with faith and with the Holy Spirit," and
was "full of fortitude." The Church draws a comparison between the
disciple and his Master, emphasizing the imitation of Christ even unto the
complete gift of self. His name is included in the Roman Canon.
Saint
Stephen is the patron of stonemasons, masons, bricklayers, deacons, headaches,
and horses. His story comes from the Acts of the Apostles. He is usually
pictured in deacon's vestments, holding the symbol of martyrdom, a palm branch.
Sometimes he has a stone in his left hand, to indicate his death by stoning. He
is depicted in many images wearing a wreath, which refers to the origin of his
name, the Greek word Stephanos meaning
"wreath."
"If
you know what witness means, you understand why God brings St. Stephen, St.
John, and the Holy Innocents to the crib in the cave as soon as Christ is born
liturgically. To be a witness is to be a martyr. Holy Mother Church wishes
us to realize that we were born in baptism to become Christ — He who was the world's outstanding
Martyr." — Love Does Such Things, by Rev. M. Raymond, O.C.S.O.
·
Day Two activity (Boxing Day) (Christmas Drama)
·
Day Two recipe (St. Stephen's Horns)
St.
Stephen’s Day and the horses[3]
Though there is no historical connection, St. Stephen is
considered the patron saint of horses. Scholars speculate that this has
something to do with the relief from work that domestic animals enjoyed during Twelfth
night; in any case, horse parades or horse
races were always held on this day. One custom in rural areas was
for the horses to be decorated and taken to the church, where the priest would bless
them. Afterwards, they would be ridden around the church three times. Horse's
food (hay or oats) is also blessed on this day.
NOTA BENE: In the eleventh
century, the Church instituted special feast days during the Christmas Octave
for various ecclesiastical ranks. Today, on the day in which one of the
first seven deacons was martyred, was the festival for deacons.
The Twelve Days
of Christmas[4]
But what exactly are the Twelve
Days of Christmas? They are the days between Christmas and the Feast
of the Epiphany that constitute an unbroken period of joy and celebration.
Epiphany is considered the twelfth day of Christmas (in fact it is sometimes
called "Twelfth Day") while the Eve of Epiphany is called
"Twelfth Night." Shakespeare's play, "Twelfth Night,"
takes its name from the Vigil because during this period festivals (such as the
Feast
of Fools or the Feast of the Ass) used to be held
in which everything was turned upside-down -- a little like the reversed
identities of the characters in the play. These "preposterous"
observances, incidentally, were a joyful mimicry of the inversion of
almighty God becoming a lowly man, of the King appearing as a humble infant.
The twelve nights of Christmas were primarily a time of rest from unnecessary labor and
joyful prayer. On each of these nights the Christmas tree lights and the Christmas candle would be lit, while the family
would gather around the manger to recite prayers and sing carols
and hymns. Similar services are held in some churches during these nights as
well. Several saints' days which fall within the Octave of Christmas are
also a part of the Twelve Days.
Two
Turtle Doves
Today
is the second day of Christmas: Two Turtle Doves from the song the 12 days of
Christmas represent the two parts of the Sacred Scriptures: the old and new
testament.
Kwanzaa[5]
Also, today is another agnostic, culturally correct day, designed to minimize the true meaning of Christmas and confuse children about the good news of the season.
Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African celebration of family, community and culture. Kwanzaa, a week-long cultural festival from the 26th of December to the 1st of January that climaxes in feasts and gift giving, was initially established to unite African-Americans with their African roots and heritage. Nguzo Saba, the seven principles that guide the holiday, is central to Kwanzaa as a different principle is emphasized every day during the celebration. Celebrants often dress in traditional Pan-African clothing and decorate their homes in African artwork. Kwanzaa was created in 1965 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a major figure in the Black Power movement, with the intention of providing African Americans with a link to their ancestral heritage. Karenga aimed to bring together African-Americans as a community through the combination of various aspects of other celebrations such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and African Yam Festivals. Since Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one; it can be celebrated by Africans from all religious backgrounds.
Kwanzaa Facts & Quotes
·
The name Kwanzaa is derived from Matunda ya
kwanza, which in Swahili means first fruits. Kwanzaa is based on the
Ashanti and Zulu traditions of first fruit harvest celebrations.
· Each day of Kwanzaa celebrates one of 7 principles, known as Nguzo Saba. These include Unity, Self-determination, Collective work and responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith. The colors of Kwanzaa are black, red and green. Each color carries an important meaning to unify those of African descent. Black is for the people, red for the noble blood that unites all people of African descent and green for the land of Africa. A candle holder, called a Kinara, holds the seven candles that represent the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
Kwanzaa Top Events
and Things to Do
·
Read about the seven principles of Kwanzaa with
your family. These principles teach about working together, learning from
the past and strengthening bonds.
·
Attend a Kwanzaa celebration event.
·
Prepare a festive Kwanzaa dinner. Include
Kwanzaa foods include:
1) Shisa nyama (meat cooked over a hot wood fire).
2) Kapenta with sadza (kapenta is a freshwater fish and sadza is a maize
porridge).
3) Nyama na irio (mashed potatoes, peas, corn and onion served with spicy roast
meat).
·
Give festive Kwanzaa gifts to your friends and
family. Some traditional gifts include a food basket, kinara candle
holder, books about African culture and handwoven items like gloves and
scarves.
· Watch “The Black Candle” (2008). This is a vibrant and powerful documentary that illuminates the African American experience from the perspective of Kwanzaa. Narrated by Dr. Maya Angelou (poet), the documentary won the award for best full-length documentary at the Africa World Documentary Film Festival in 2009.
Daily Devotions
·
Saturday
Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
Rosary
[2]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-12-26
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