Thursday, February 4, 2021

Genesis, Chapter 50, Verse 21

So now, do not FEAR. I will provide for you and for your children.” By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them.

Again, Joseph is a precursor of Christ is an example of love and forgiveness of God; therefore, mirroring the message of Paul, “Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”

Christ further advises us in Mathew’s gospel that if we have a brother who sins against us, we should

1. Go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother

2. If he does not listen; take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses’ and

3. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church and

4. if he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. (Mt. 18:14-17)

One wonders what it means to treat someone as a gentile or tax collector. So, exactly how did Jesus treat Gentiles and tax collectors? Jesus heals the daughter of the Canaanite woman. He eats with sinners and tax collectors. He heals the Centurion’s servant. He calls a tax collector to be his disciple. Jesus repeatedly invited tax collectors and Gentiles into the kingdom of God. To “let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” doesn’t mean wash our hands of them. It means we need to continue to reach out to those with whom we have a conflict. We must continue inviting them into the fellowship of the kingdom of God.^{^[1]}

World Cancer Day^{^[2]}

World Cancer Day aims to save lives by raising awareness and educating the population about cancer. The day also serves to pressure governments and individuals to take action in order to prevent, treat and control cancers. Cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases that result from abnormal cell growth and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. On February 4, 2000, World Cancer Day was officially established by the Paris Charter at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium in Paris. The Paris Charter sought to promote research for a cure, prevention, services for patients and support from the global community.

World Cancer Day Facts & Quotes

· Breast, lung and prostate cancer are the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States. Approximately 70% of patients with lung cancer die, while only 16% and 14% of patients with breast and prostate cancer suffer the same fate.

· Childhood cancers are not common. Less than 1% of all cancer diagnoses in a given year will be for a child under the age of 15.

· According to the World Health Organization, at least one-third of all cancer cases are preventable. Lifestyle changes such as, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, keeping active and eating right can prevent certain types of cancer.

· Since cancer knows no boundaries, and individual countries cannot address the challenges of cancer in isolation, a new cooperative approach to research, advocacy, prevention and treatment must be established. - Paris Charter

World Cancer Day Top Events and Things to Do

· Watch a documentary about cancer and cancer related topics. Some of our favorites are: Understanding Cancer: The Enemy Within, Cancer: The Forbidden Cures and The Quest for the Cures: Cancer.

· Understand the risks of smoking and urge those that you know to quit smoking. Smoking is the cause of 22% of the cancers every year.

· Donate to cancer research organizations. The American Cancer Society accepts donations that help with patient treatment and exhaustive research in the hopes of curing cancer someday.

· Join the fundraising activities to support cancer victims, their families and the continued research efforts to find a cure. Many communities offer Walks for the Cure and other types of fundraising events that can support cancer survivors or those currently in treatment.

· Learn to recognize some of the general signs and symptoms of cancer. Although the signs and symptoms differ from cancer type, these are some of the American Cancer Society's general signs and symptoms:
1) the presence of an obvious mass (a bump)
2) unexplained weight loss
3) loss of appetite
4) frequent fevers

Homemade Soup Day[3]

When the cold winter winds are blowing and snow falls around your feet, nothing takes the chill away like a bowl of homemade soup! You may think that to make a pot of simmering heaven you would need to be highly skilled in the kitchen and have all day free. This couldn’t be farther from the truth! With some well used short cuts and easy, beginner-friendly recipes all over the internet, there is no reason why you can’t impress family and friends alike with a wonderful creation to celebrate Homemade Soup Day! Soup has been warming the stomachs of the masses for nearly 9000 years! It’s about time there was a day devoted to it! Not just any soup mind you. Do not even think about opening a boring, bland can of soup on Homemade Soup Day. It’s all about the fresh, easy, homemade kind of soup! It’s a good thing that it falls in one of the coldest months of the year, near the end of winter (or so we hope the end is near!). Meals and snacks can get a little boring and repetitive when there isn’t the abundance of fresh offerings. Taking some time to put together a pot of soup is a great way to break up the monotony. What are your favorite flavors? There are many easy recipes out there. Make some chicken soup, or tomato, or maybe something more adventurous? That is what today is all about. Experiment and try something new.

How to celebrate Homemade Soup Day

You would think that the how to celebrate part of this day would be simple – just pour a bowl and tuck on in, right? Well, that is part of it but not all of it. If you are new to creating culinary masterpieces you can use this day as a motivation to try something new. Already a kitchen wizard? Use today to gather up some friends and have a tasting of several different homemade soups. Or better yet have a cook off! Each friend shows up with their own homemade masterpiece and you and your friends have a lively night of fun to see whose soup is crowned the winner

Looking for some inspiration? Try this recipe on for size!

Ingredients

· 32 oz Chicken Broth

· 4 c water

· 3 cups bite-size chicken

· 2 t seasoning

· 1/2 of a 12 oz. bag egg-white noodles

· 2c frozen vegetables (corn, peas, etc)

· Salt and pepper

Directions

· In large stock pot, add broth, water, chicken, and seasonings. (Add more seasoning to taste, if desired.) Bring to a boil.

· Add egg noodles and continue boiling to cook noodles as directed on package. Soup is ready to serve when noodles are done. Season with salt and pepper to taste, or allow your guests to season their own.

· Set this on the table with a loaf of dark bread and you have a meal worthy of being part of the celebration for Homemade Soup Day!

Daily Devotions

· do a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Universal Man Plan

· Rosary