ELVIS’ BIRTHDAY
Genesis, Chapter 19, Verse 30
Since Lot was AFRAID to stay in Zoar, he and his two
daughters went up from Zoar and settled in the hill country, where he lived
with his two daughters in a cave.
We cannot soar if we are afraid of Zoar. I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me. (Philippians 4:13) Our fears can, at times, be like a handicap. Fears can either immobilize us or if we are up to the challenge, they can propel us to greater heights. Are we going to be like Lot afraid to Zoar or more like a Helen Keller[1] or Tom Dempsey? Dempsey set a 43-year NFL record for the longest field goal yet he was born with no right fingers and half a right foot.
I thank God for my handicaps, for
through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God. (Helen Keller)
Time
after Epiphany[2]
The central theme of
Advent and Christmastide, the manifestation, or epiphany, of Jesus Christ, also dominates
the Weeks after Epiphany. That manifestation began selectively, first to Mary
(Ember Wednesday, Annunciation), then to Elizabeth and John the Baptist (Ember
Friday, Visitation), and then to Joseph (Vigil of Christmas). Next it grew
stronger with the adoration of the Shepherds (Christmas), the Magi at the
Manger (Epiphany), Simeon, Anna, and the Doctors in the Temple (Sunday after
Christmas, and Holy Family), and even to John the Baptist's disciples (Octave
of Epiphany).
But the epiphanies of
Jesus Christ did not end with these events. On the contrary, everything that
our Lord did and said during His public ministry was designed to manifest His
divine nature. It is the Time after Epiphany
that corresponds to this period of our Lord's life. The Epistle selections,
mostly from Paul's letter to the Romans, stress the calling of both Jew and
Gentile to the new revelations, while the Gospel selections narrate the words
and deeds of our Lord during His adult ministry in Galilee, the northern region of Israel that was the scene of most
of His public life. All of these readings give witness to the astonishing fact
that this itinerant preacher was the coeternal Word of God, the Word who spoke
as only God can speak and who worked miracles that only the God of heaven and
earth can work.
Thus, even though these
weeks, with their green vestments and annum (what is called
"Ordinary Time" in the new rite), they are more properly seen as
continuing the Christmas cycle's focus on "theophany". By helping us
to heed the words of Christ and understand the significance of His miracles,
the Time after Epiphany deepens our meditation on the mystery of the
Incarnation.
Candles[3]Day
Fifteen
Candles are a symbol of
Christ, the Light of the World. The wax is regarded as typifying in a most
appropriate way the flesh of Jesus Christ born of a virgin mother. From this
has sprung the further conception that the wick symbolizes more particularly
the soul of Jesus Christ and the flame the Divinity which absorbs and dominates
both. — Catholic
Encyclopedia
- Day Fifteen activity (Mexican Christmas)
- Day Fifteen recipe (Little Mince Pies)
Celebrate
Elvis' Birthday[4]
On Jan. 8, 1935, Elvis
Presley was born in a two-room house in Tupelo, Miss. Every year, Graceland —
Elvis' estate in Memphis — hosts a five-day-long birthday celebration. Rise
bright and early for the Elvis Birthday Proclamation Ceremony on Graceland’s North Lawn, and
stay for the birthday-cake cutting.
Elvis
and the Nun[5]
Dolores
Hart began her career as an actress when she was only 19 years old, making her
screen debut in 1957 as Elvis' sweetheart in Loving You. Dolores became an
overnight success story and starred with Elvis again in King Creole
the following year in 1958. She then took on Broadway, starring in The Pleasure of His
Company in 1959, for which she won a Tony Award nomination for Best
Featured Actress. Further movie hits followed, including the hugely popular Where the Boys Are
and Lisa,
the story of a young Holocaust survivor, which earned her a nomination for a
Golden Globe for Best Picture/Drama. By now one of Hollywood's rising stars,
she went on to make six more films, among them St. Francis of Assisi, where she
portrayed Clare, a woman who gives up everything to follow Saint Francis and
founds the Order of Poor Clare’s. Dolores' last film role was opposite Hugh
O'Brien in 1963 in Come Fly with Me.
At
the height of her career, Dolores stunned the world by making the decision to become
a cloistered nun and enter the Abbey of Regina Laudis. "I just knew that this was
what God wanted from me," she said years later. Mother
Dolores' mission as an actress did not end, but rather took a contemplative
turn. "I never felt I was 'walking away from Hollywood'" she said recently.
"I felt I
was walking into something more significant and by that, I took Hollywood with
me."
Fitness Friday[6]
BRIGHT MINDS
Program, which is designed to identify and treat all 11 risk factors that
contribute to memory problems. Here is what the words BRIGHT MINDS stand for:
B – Blood Flow
R – Retirement/Aging
I – Inflammation
G – Genetics
H – Head Trauma
T – Toxins
M – Mental Health
I – Immunity/Infection Issues
N – Neurohormone Deficiencies
D – Diabesity
S – Sleep Issues
Watch your weight being 20 pounds overweight has a number of BRIGHT MINDS vulnerabilities, including low blood flow to the brain as well as high blood glucose, homocysteine and ferritin, or iron—all tied to faster aging.
In addition to
getting older, the general risk factors associated with living past retirement
age are:
·
Not
working or working less than half-time
·
Social
isolation
·
A lack
of new learning
·
Having
attained less than a high school education
It is a good idea
to have a checkup with your health-care provider to evaluate your current state
of health. Request these specific lab tests:
·
Ferritin
·
Telomere
length (telomeres are casings at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with age;
people with longer telomeres tend to live longer)
You can take these
simple steps to make sure your mind and memory are sharp for years to come:
·
Spend at
least 15 minutes a day learning something new, such as a language, a musical
instrument or dance moves
·
Take
your health seriously—eat well, exercise, get seven hours of sleep a night
·
Eat more
antioxidant-rich foods like cocoa, walnuts, blueberries, artichokes and
pomegranates, and more choline-rich foods like eggs, chicken, turkey, beef,
scallops, shrimp, salmon, cod, chickpeas, and lentils
·
Limit
your consumption of charred meats
·
Supplement
your diet with a good multivitamin/mineral, extra vitamin D, omega-3 fatty
acids EPA/DHA and the following nutraceuticals to strengthen your brain: PS (phosphatidylserine),
alpha GPC (alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine), ALCAR (acetyl-L-carnitine),
huperzine A, saffron (standardized extract), sage
·
Try a
daily 12-to-16-hour fast to help your brain clear out debris (if dinner is at 7
pm, breakfast should be no earlier than 7 am)
·
Get the
social support you need so you aren’t isolated or lonely
·
Volunteer
for an organization you believe in
·
Donate
blood if your ferritin is too high
Daily Devotions
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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