Friday, January 22, 2021
ROE vs. WADE-VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA
Psalm 85, verse 9-11:
9 I will listen for what God, the LORD, has to say; surely, he will speak of peace to his people and to his faithful. May they not turn to foolishness! 10 Near indeed is his salvation for those who FEAR him; glory will dwell in our land. 11 Love and truth will meet; justice and peace will kiss.
Christ by his birth has given us peace,
faith, love and hope. We are compelled to rejoice just as Mary did in her
Canticle of Praise when she entered the house of Zechariah.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God
my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on
will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things
for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those
who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind
and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the
lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has
sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his
descendants forever.”
The Law of Love[1]
Our Lord Jesus himself clearly taught us the first principles of Catholic morality: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” (Mt 22:37-40) Love, or charity, is the great commandment of the Lord. Love of God and love of neighbor are the source & summary of Catholic morality. “All the law and the prophets” flow from this starting point. This means that what love requires is the essence of all moral rules, all of the Ten Commandments, and all aspects of morality spoken of by the prophets and even by Christ himself. The only things needed are those things which love makes necessary. It is also important to say that love does, indeed, require many things! In fact, it takes only a few simple steps of logic to deduce the Ten Commandments and most of the rest of Catholic morality from this starting point. Those moral precepts describe the minimum that love requires.
“What do you mean the
minimum?”
Catholic morality’s basic moral code describes the minimum necessary to live in union with Christ. If we fall below that level, then the life of Christ cannot live within us. That’s the meaning of mortal sin: an action which shows God that we refuse his offer to become “children of God” (John 1:12) and “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet 1:4). So, if that’s the minimum, then what’s the maximum that love requires?
Again, Jesus
provides the answer: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one
another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all
men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(John 13:34-35) The maximum, then, is to completely give ourselves for
others, even as Christ did for us. To put it more simply: there is no
maximum! We’ll always find that we can give more.
Roe
vs. Wade[2] Day of Prayer for the Legal
Protection of Unborn Children
January 22 is the
anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the day established by the Church of
penance for abortion, has been formally named as the “Day of Prayer for the
Legal Protection of Unborn Children.” On this day your parish, school or
religious formation program may celebrate the Mass for Giving Thanks to God for
the Gift of Human Life. This Mass, found in our newly translated Missal, may
now be used on occasions to celebrate the dignity of human life. In addition to
this special Mass on this day, perhaps your parish, school or religious
formation program could encourage traditional forms of penance, host pro-life
and chastity speakers, lead informative projects that will directly build up
the culture of life, show a pro-life film, raise funds for local crisis
pregnancy centers or offer additional prayer services.
Attend Mass today.
Celebration of Life Day[3]
is when we take a step back and truly appreciate our children and
grandchildren. Granted, some may do this on an everyday basis, but it’s an
opportunity to look at our young ones’ lives from a different angle, think
about what it is that makes them truly special, and of course, to lavish treats
upon them if we so wish, be it an ice cream or a trip to Disneyland. It can be
easy to forget that our children and grandchildren are people in their own
right. You’ve helped them to discover themselves over the years, but you can’t
take all the credit. Their life choices are ultimately down to them; sometimes
they’ll do you proud, and other times, as is the case with us all, they’ll make
mistakes. So be the one who’s there to offer congratulations, or encouragement to
pick themselves up when they fall. And above all else, as cheesy as it may
sound, show that you love them.
The Love of Life[4]
Love is not merely a feeling but is rather the desire for
the best possible good for those whom we love. Through our natural intelligence
and through Divine Revelation we become aware of the value of this most basic
of all gifts which is life. Mere reason leads us to comprehend that it is
better to be alive than never have had been in existence. The knowledge of the
value of life that comes through revelation leads us to understand better this
gift and to appreciate it: as a result, we worship and love more and more the
Giver of this gift. This love is what moves us to protect the life of the
unborn or any who might be unjustly treated. We are also led to protect women
that might feel tempted or forced to commit abortion, as we know the
devastating consequences that abortion will have in their lives.
Last but not least we have to love, even if most of them
seem to be utterly unlovable, the many perpetrators of abortion: medical
personnel, and pro-abortion activists and politicians. We have to do everything
that we can to convince them of their errors so that they repent and change
their ways, both for their own benefit and for the benefit of society. All
human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. Using a traditional
scholastic term, we can state that He is the exemplary cause of every human
being, in other words, He is the model on which all human beings are created.
He looked upon himself and wished that other beings would share in His own
happiness.
So, if we reflect upon ourselves, we can begin to
understand our participation in the greatness of our Creator. This
participation on His greatness leads us to comprehend that He has brought us
out of nothing with a purpose, because knowing His intelligence and His loving
nature it is clear that all His actions are always guided by a magnificent
purpose.
The first intention for which He has created us is that we
should enjoy for an eternity His loving company in Heaven. All human persons
are called to this eternal and loving company, no one is excluded, save those
who, through their own actions, exclude themselves. This manner of creation
brings us to understand the unique essential dignity of every human being. A
dignity that is not lost for any deprivation of the many external perfections
that we might expect to find in a human person. A person might be born with a
disability, or may suffer disability through injury or disease, but these
deprivations do not affect his basic dignity.
A Christian also has the hope that one day when the doors
of Paradise will be opened for those children, all their human imperfections
will be healed, and they will enjoy forever the beatific vision that we all
long for.
We are also created to be collaborators in the salvation of
the World. The Lord normally does not intervene directly in the world; He does
it through our free collaboration in his plans of salvation. He gives to us the
saving truths through Holy Scripture, our natural reason and the mediation of
the Church and we have to manifest them in our daily lives. If we love those
truths, we should be impelled to share them with all whom the Lord places in
front of us.
So, when we speak with love and conviction of those truths,
we cannot be accused of carrying out an exaggerated rhetoric when we defend
human life from its biological beginning until natural death. Nobody in his
right mind can call it "vitriolic rhetoric" when we denounce that
millions upon millions of unborn babies have been killed in the womb in the
U.S. and in the rest of the world. It is literally a question of life and
death, for the victim, for the mother of the baby and for the perpetrator of
abortion, assisted suicide or euthanasia. The victim will have his earthly life
terminated; the mother will suffer greatly for her actions, and the perpetrator
and the mother will live under the shadow of the unhappiness of having rejected
the loving truths of their Creator and certainly they will place their eternal
salvation in jeopardy. Our main solidarity has to be always with the victim of
the crime, because if the conscience of the nation is not moved by this growing
injustice, we know that a growing number will be victimized in the future. Our
solidarity is also with the mothers of those babies because often they have
been misled or forced into committing this terrible action.
Last
but not least we wish and pray that all abortionists will understand the
terrible consequences of their actions and be converted.
Life First[5] 9 Days
for Life
9 Days for Life is a "digital
pilgrimage" of prayer and action focused on cherishing the gift of every
person's life. A multi-faceted novena highlighting a different intention each
day provides reflections, bonus information, and suggested actions. Join
to receive the novena through the 9 Days for Life app, daily emails, or daily
texts. See below for information on how else you can get involved! #9DaysforLife #OurPrayersMatter
Day Two:
Intercession: May all people embrace the truth that every life is a good and perfect gift and is worth living.
Prayers: Our Father, 3 Hail Mary’s, Glory Be
Reflection: At every stage and in every circumstance, we are held in existence by God’s love. The presence of an illness, disability, or other challenging circumstance never diminishes the value of a human life. For God does not call us to perfection of appearance or abilities, but to perfection in love. Christ invites us to embrace the lives we have been given, for as long as they are given, as true gifts. Our relationships on this earth are meant to help us grow in God’s perfect love. Everyone we encounter is a gift, not because of what they can do or accomplish, but because of who they are—a beloved child of God. May each of us experience the power of God’s transforming love, that our eyes may be opened to the incredible beauty of the people the Lord places in our lives.
Acts
of Reparation (Choose one.)
·
Take a break from television, movies, and social
media today. Consider spending some of that time reflecting on today’s message.
·
Pray the short prayer “Every Life is Worth
Living,” reflecting on how you can bring Christ’s love to others today. (The
prayer is also available at www.usccb.org/worth-living.)
Heavenly Father,
thank you
for the precious gift of life.
Help us to cherish
and protect
this gift, even in the midst of fear,
pain, and suffering.
Give us love for
all people,
especially the most vulnerable,
and help us bear witness to the
truth that every life is worth living.
Grant us the
humility to accept
help when we are in need,
and teach us to be merciful to all.
Through our words
and actions,
may others encounter the
outstretched hands
of Your mercy.
We ask this
through
Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
·
Offer some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of
penance that you feel called to do for today’s intention.
St. Vincent of
Saragossa[6]
I became acquainted with Saint Vincent during a time
I was suffering with a half inch burst in the last disk in my back. I was
almost paralyzed, and the pain was intense with a burning sensation below the
knee on my left leg. I was considering treatment using a VAC-D table that was
then a new treatment, yet I was hesitant. After reading the story of St.
Vincent I asked for his help with my struggle-it then occurred to me to go get
stretched on the rack, which VAC-D resembles as St. Vincent was. After 25
treatments my disk has now been healed and I have recovered to 90% before the
rupture. I thank the intersession of St. Vincent.
Vincent of Saragossa was
one of the Church's three most illustrious deacons, the other two being Stephen
and Lawrence. He is also Spain's most renowned martyr. Ordained deacon by
Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, he was taken in chains to Valencia during the
Diocletian persecution and put to death. From legend we have the following details
of his martyrdom. After brutal scourging in the presence of many witnesses, he
was stretched on the rack; but neither torture nor blandishments nor threats
could undermine the strength and courage of his faith. Next, he was cast on a
heated grating, lacerated with iron hooks, and seared with hot metal plates.
Then he was returned to prison, where the floor was heavily strewn with pieces
of broken glass. A heavenly brightness flooded the entire dungeon, filling all
who saw it with greatest awe.
After this he was placed
on a soft bed in the hope that lenient treatment would induce apostasy, since
torture had proven ineffective. But strengthened by faith in Christ Jesus and
the hope of everlasting life, Vincent maintained an invincible spirit and
overcame all efforts, whether by fire, sword, rack, or torture to induce
defection. He persevered to the end and gained the heavenly crown of martyrdom.
Be a good husbandman[7]
Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Mt. 4:19)
Others
are called to the single life and they may serve the Lord via their work and
there are those who are called to the married life, but all are husbandmen.
What makes a good husbandman?
Let
us look at St. Joseph as an example of a good husbandman.
·
St.
Joseph in all his dealings was humble.
·
He
was the provider and protector of Mary and Jesus
·
full
of zeal and great courage,
·
Obedient to the will of
God. Yet he was not rash; and with prudence
pondered
·
His
decisions trusting in divine providence.
·
He
was a model of workers and
·
an
example of married life and chaste love.
·
He
valued prayer and the hidden life.
·
He
was ready for the call of a neighbor
or to the call of God;
·
He
gave an immediate response.
·
His
was a life of sacrifice; his was a life
of simplicity.
To
be a good husbandman is to:
“Do the ordinary in an
extraordinary way.”
Daily Devotions
·
Offering
to the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
Rosary
·
Mass
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