feast of st. blaise
Psalm 103, Verse 13
As a father has
compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who FEAR him.
Does God derive anything from having us fear Him?
His only wish is to see us truly growing and fruitful. He made us and as a loving father knows our needs both physical and spiritual. If we have a loving fear of our father, we are compelled by the Holy Spirit into spiritual leadership avoiding sloth which often comes as a result of being stuck in a victim mentality or not letting go of rage by forgiving the offender.
Today seek the Father’s compassion by going to confession then arise and grow in spiritual leadership.
As we grow in our spiritual leadership[1] we tend to be:
·
Confident in God
·
Know God
·
Seek God’s will
·
Self-sacrifice
·
Serve all
·
Motivated by love
·
Trust the Holy Spirit
·
Lead others
Feast of St.
Blaise[2]
While he was in prison, the
Armenian Bishop Blaise (who suffered martyrdom in the fourth century)
miraculously cured a little boy choking on a fishbone lodged in his throat.
Ever since then, St. Blaise has been the patron saint of throats. Saint
Blaise Sticks (pan bendito) are distributed on his
feast and kept in the home to be eaten for a sore throat. The most popular
custom, however, is the Blessing of Throats.
Blessing
of throats[3]
The rite of the blessing of
throats may take place before or after Mass. The priest or deacon places the
candles around the throat of whoever seeks the blessing, using the formula:
"Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver
you free from every disease of the throat, and from every other disease. In the
name of the Father and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. R. Amen."
Things to Do
·
Take your children to Mass to receive
the blessing of throats today.
·
Establish a home altar with the blessed
candles (symbols of Saint Blaise) from the feast of the Presentation, February
2.
·
Visit
this website and learn more about St. Blaise and how
he saved Dubrovnik in Croatia in the 12th century.
National Signing Day
National
Signing Day marks the start of the college football signing season. From this
day forward, high school football players can sign a National Letter of Intent
to play football for a university in the National College Athletic Association
(NCAA). The National Letter of Intent is a binding agreement between a
potential student-athlete and a NLI member institution. Once signed, the
agreement requires the athlete to attend and represent the institution for at
least two semesters or three quarters, and in return, the institution must
provide athletic financial aid for the same duration. National Signing
Day marks the start of many football players' careers as they transition into
more professional setting. National Signing Day was established in 1981 by the
College Football Association in an effort to eliminate separate conference
signing dates and force student-athletes to commit to only one NCAA
institution. Prior to 1981, NCAA football conferences required recruits
to sign separate letters of intent since conference letters only restricted
signing within the conference itself.
National
Signing Day Facts & Quotes
·
Up
until 2014, players for the NCAA were not paid. In August 2014, the NCAA began
to allow student-athletes to receive full scholarships and additional financial
supplements between $2,000-4,000 to support daily expenses and the cost of
living.
·
Different
NCAA sports
have different signing days where high school athletes from that sport can
commit to the university of their choice.
·
Prior
to signing a letter of intent, prospective students usually go on a recruiting
trip paid for by the university in question. The trip serves to show the
recruit a good time and attempt to convince him/her to commit to studies there.
·
According
to the NCAA, of its 1,100 members, only 20 of them actually make more money
than they spend on sports each year.
·
Once
again, we feel that we have another fine class. Most notably we feel that we're
continuing to add to our overall team speed and our athleticism on our football
team. We're successful in signing 24 players, or probably more aptly put we
have 24 new players in our program. - Tracy Claeys - Minnesota Golden Gophers
Head Football Coach
National
Signing Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Get
out to your local park and play a game of football with your family and friends
to celebrate all those who are committing to playing in NCAA football today.
·
Watch
the day's events of your favorite conference live. Most are aired live
across networks such as ESPN and they can often be found online.
·
Review
some of the student-athlete rules and criteria in order to gain a better
understanding of the players' responsibilities and duties in addition to
playing ball. Some basic requirements include:
1) earn at least a 2.3 GPA in core courses
2) earn at least 9 credits per semester
3) adhere to amateurism requirements (limiting agent involvement, prize money,
salaries and contracts with professional teams)
·
Watch
a movie about NCAA Football. Our favorites are Friday Night Lights
(2004), The Blind Side (2009), Rudy (1993) and The Express (2008).
·
Support
a local high school football team. Your financial and time donations can mean
the chance to get a scholarship for a high school student to pursue university
studies.
Every Wednesday is
Dedicated to St. Joseph
The Italian culture has
always had a close association with St. Joseph perhaps you could make
Wednesdays centered around Jesus’s Papa. Plan an Italian dinner of pizza or
spaghetti after attending Mass as most parishes have a Wednesday evening Mass.
You could even do carry out to help restaurants. If you are adventurous you
could do the Universal Man Plan: St. Joseph style. Make the evening a family
night perhaps it could be a game night. Whatever you do make the day special.
·
Devotion to the 7 Joys and Sorrows of St.
Joseph
·
Do Day 24 of the Consecration to St. Joseph
·
Do the St.
Joseph Universal Man Plan.
Daily
Devotions
·
30 Days with St. Joseph Day 17 (End on Ash Wednesday)
·
Litany of the Most
Precious Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
Rosary
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