TWELFTH NIGHT
Genesis, Chapter 15, verse 1
Sometime afterward, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: Do not FEAR, Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great.
Let us take heart for the word (Christ) appeared to Abram and told him to not to fear the world. Abram was sore afraid because he had just been in battle with four Kings to rescue Lot his nephew and he feared retribution. Christ is our shield against the world (the four kings east, west, north and south) and he has rewarded us the spiritual children of Abram with eternal life. Our shield is our Faith.
Do you believe? Do you really believe? Think of a shield it protects the heart from the arrows of the devil-which is doubt. But notice the shield does not protect the eyes and the head unless it is raised. When doubt comes around raise your shield of Faith and after the assault lower the shield and advance using your reason and your head and eyes in faith to make a difference in the world.
Additionally, Proverbs 2 it states that he is a shield to those who walk in integrity; let us resolve to walk resolutely in integrity by using faith and reason in the battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil. True integrity is being willing to lay down your life for what you hold fast as the truth without wavering. Having integrity means avoiding the sins of envy and having a true love for God our creator and to love our neighbor as ourselves and our fellow humans treating them with kindness.
Virtue
of the Month[1]
Integrity is defined as the adherence to moral principles. Congruence in thought, spoken word, and deed. Honesty or trustworthiness. It comes from the Latin word integrare, which means to make whole; to present something in its entirety. Integrity is the virtue of practicing what one preaches. Or more importantly, practicing what one believes is right. “Actions speak louder than words. Let your words teach and your actions speak.” -Anthony of Padua. A ‘person of principle’ is not a person who understands a principle, but rather one who understands, accepts, and lives by a principle.
The first and most important reason to practice one’s beliefs is that if they are right, you will be benefiting your own life. To understand other virtues or principles, and not act by them, is destructive. It is an act against your own best interest. Another reason to practice integrity is in dealing with others. Trust can develop, since others will come to realize you are consistently virtuous. To act without integrity, even occasionally, will leave others distrustful. This can negatively impact one’s life in a number of ways. People won’t allow themselves to become emotionally close to you. They won’t trust that you’ll pay back debts. They’ll always fear your betrayal.
In the
bible, Jesus encountered a dishonest man who did not practice what he preached.
This man, Zacchaeus was dishonest and shady and stole from people but his
encounter with Jesus changed him. From that moment on, he knew he had to be a
person of integrity and honest with God and others. He started to put into
practice what he knew was right. There was no middle ground in the truth for
Jesus. He gives this lesson on integrity to his apostles because life is made
up of little decisions which make up the bigger picture of who we are. Honesty
and integrity go hand in hand. If someone is dishonest, you don’t trust them, and
Jesus needed to trust his apostles for the missions they had. Christ shows us
that integrity was something he thought was very important for his apostles to
live and learn. He knew it would be hard to tell the truth always.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
II.
THE VOCATION TO CHASTITY
2337
Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and
thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in
which man's belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes
personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one
person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a
woman. The virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person
and the integrality of the gift.
The
integrity of the person
2338
The chaste person maintains the integrity of the powers of life and love placed
in him. This integrity ensures the unity of the person; it is opposed to any
behavior that would impair it. It tolerates neither a double life nor duplicity
in speech.
2339
Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in
human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and
finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy.
"Man's dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free
choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind
impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity
when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward to his
goal by freely choosing what is good and, by his diligence and skill, effectively
secures for himself the means suited to this end."
2340
Whoever wants to remain faithful to his baptismal promises and resist
temptations will want to adopt the means for doing so: self-knowledge, practice
of an ascetic adapted to the situations that confront him, obedience to God's
commandments, exercise of the moral virtues, and fidelity to prayer.
"Indeed it is through chastity that we are gathered together and led back
to the unity from which we were fragmented into multiplicity."
2341
The virtue of chastity comes under the cardinal virtue of temperance, which
seeks to permeate the passions and appetites of the senses with reason.
2342
Self-mastery is a long and exacting work. One can never consider it acquired
once and for all. It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life. The
effort required can be more intense in certain periods, such as when the
personality is being formed during childhood and adolescence.
2343
Chastity has laws of growth which progress through stages marked by
imperfection and too often by sin. "Man day by day builds himself up
through his many free decisions; and so he knows, loves, and accomplishes moral
good by stages of growth."
2344
Chastity represents an eminently personal task; it also involves a cultural
effort, for there is interdependence between personal betterment and the
improvement of society." Chastity presupposes respect for the rights of
the person, in particular the right to receive information and an education
that respect the moral and spiritual dimensions of human life.
2345
Chastity is a moral virtue. It is also a gift from God, a grace, a fruit of
spiritual effort. The Holy Spirit enables one whom the water of Baptism has
regenerated to imitate the purity of Christ.
The Twelfth Night[2]
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.
Twelfth day
of Christmas is represented by the Twelve Drummers drumming in the song which
of course represents the twelve points of the Apostles Creed. It is
interesting to note that these 12 points are indeed pointing to the abode of
God and that our Lord is the gate of heaven.
1.
I
believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
2.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
3.
He
was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
4.
He
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
5.
He
descended into hell. On the third day he rose again.
6.
He
ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty.
7.
He
will come again to judge the living and the dead.
8.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
9.
the
holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
10. the forgiveness of sins,
11. the resurrection of the body,
12. and the life everlasting.
Additionally,
the 12th Station of the Cross Jesus dies. Today would be a good day
to do the Eucharistic Stations of the Cross.
Activities for the Twelfth Day of
Christmas[3]
At the time of St. John
Neumann's episcopate there was a strong anti-Catholic sentiment in Philadelphia
and having had two churches burned and another barely saved, priests were
advising the Bishop, not to proceed with introducing the 40 Hours of
continual adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, believing it would
somehow increase the hostility already directed against the Church. The Bishop
had a decision to make and then something happened to make up his mind to
proceed with the devotion of the 40 Hours of Adoration:
One night, he was
working very late at his desk and fell asleep in his chair. The candle on the
desk burnt down and charred some of the papers, but they were still readable.
He awoke, surprised and thankful that a fire had not ignited. He fell on his
knees to give thanks to God for protection, and heard His voice saying,
"As the flames are burning here without consuming or injuring the writing,
so shall I pour out my grace in the Blessed Sacrament without prejudice to My
honor. Fear no profanation, therefore; hesitate no longer to carry out your
design for my glory." He introduced the practice of 40 Hours Devotion at
the first diocesan synod in April 1853, and the first devotions began at St.
Philip Neri Parish, an appropriate place since that St. Philip had begun that
very devotion in the city of Rome. The holy Bishop then introduced the program
for the whole diocese, so that each parish would have Forty Hours Devotion
during the course of the year. He wrote a booklet for the devotions and
obtained special indulgences for the faithful attending them. The Forty Hours
Devotion was so successful it spread to other dioceses. At the Plenary Council
of Baltimore in 1866, the Forty Hours Devotion was approved for all Dioceses of
the United States. Excerpted from St. John Neumann and the 40 Hours Devotion
by Joseph Mary
We suggest that today
would be an excellent time to make a family holy hour (or holy half hour) at an
adoration chapel or in your parish church. If you can't make a visit to the
Blessed Sacrament your family can pray this litany at home. The activity can by
brought to conclusion by singing Christmas carols and enjoying Christmas
cookies and the Christmas bread, Vanocka.
St. John Neumann - Day
Twelve[4]
·
Day Twelve activity (Visit to the Blessed Sacrament)
·
Day Twelve recipe (Vanocka)
Daily
Devotions/Practices
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday
Devotion
·
Pray Day 5 of
the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
·
Tuesday:
Litany of St. Michael the Archangel
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary.
[1]https://challengeyouthministry.com/virtue-of-the-month-integrity/
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