SECOND DAY (Saturday of 6th Week of Easter)
Saturday in the Octave of Ascension
ST. ISIDORE THE FARMER ARMED FORCES-WHISKEY DAY
1 Samuel, Chapter 14, Verse 24-26
24 Even though the Israelites were
exhausted that day, Saul laid an oath on them, saying, “Cursed be the one who
takes food before evening, before I am able to avenge myself on my enemies.” So,
none of the people tasted food. 25 Now there was a honeycomb lying on
the ground, 26 and when the soldiers came to the
comb the honey was flowing; yet no one raised a hand from it to his mouth,
because the people FEARED the oath.
Saul
was unfaithful and weak and therefore led his warriors by fear rather than by
inspiration.
His
main concern was keeping and holding power. Hum…some things don’t change.
There
was no humility in him, only hubris.
“I”
was the first word in his life rather than saying and living the word of God.
Hear,
O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your
God with all your Heart, and with all your soul, and with your entire mind, and
with all your strength.”
Saul
fell because of his hubris when humility would have saved him. Real leaders are
humble. They realize and appreciate the sacrifices of others and consider it a
privilege to have the honor and trust to lead them.
St. Isidore[1]
When
he was barely old enough to wield a hoe, Isidore entered the service of John de
Vergas, a wealthy landowner from Madrid, and worked faithfully on his estate
outside the city for the rest of his life. He married a young woman as simple
and upright as himself who also became a saint-Maria de la Cabeza. They had one
son, who died as a child. Isidore had deep religious instincts. He rose early
in the morning to go to church and spent many a holiday devoutly visiting the
churches of Madrid and surrounding areas. All day long, as he walked behind the
plow, he communed with God. His devotion, one might say, became a problem, for
his fellow workers sometimes complained that he often showed up late because of
lingering in church too long. He was known for his love of the poor, and there
are accounts of Isidore's supplying them miraculously with food. He had a great
concern for the proper treatment of animals.
He
died May 15, 1130, and was declared a saint in 1622 with Ignatius of Loyola,
Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila and Philip Neri. Together, the group is known
in Spain as "the five saints."
Things
to Do:
·
Learn
more about St. Isidore the farmer.
·
Establishing
or replenishing a a Mary garden would be an appropriate way to
celebrate the combination of the feast of St. Isidore and the month of May,
dedicated to Mary.
·
There
is also a lovely book on Mary gardens printed by St. Anthony Messenger Press
called Mary's Flowers: Gardens, Legends and
Meditations by
Vincenzina Krymow.
Armed Forces Day[2]
Armed Forces Day is a day to recognize members of the Armed Forces that are currently serving. In 1947, the Armed Forces of the US were united under one department which was renamed the Department of Defense. In 1949, President Harry S. Truman supported the creation of a day for the nation to unite in support and recognition or our military members and their families. On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced that Armed Forces Day would take the place of other individual branch celebrations, and all branches of the military would be honored this single day. Armed Forces Day takes place on the third Saturday in May.
·
According
to the US Dept of Defense, as of 2017, there are 1,281,900 personnel serving in
active duty in the United States.
·
One
of the best ways to keep peace
is to be prepared for war. - General George Washington
Armed Forces Day Top Events and
Things to Do
·
Attend
a parade or a military air show.
·
Send
a care package to military personnel stationed overseas. Free flat-rate boxes
are available at USPS. Use these to mail to military bases for a low cost.
·
Fly
the American Flag.
·
Visit
a local Veteran's Hospital or Nursing Home to show your gratitude.
·
Honor
Military Working Dogs by donating to the ASPCA or other charitable
organizations that protect and serve these heroic animals.
Whiskey Day[3]buy
a soldier a drink today.
If you’re friends with Jack and Jim
and spend your weekends with Jameson and Johnnie, then World Whisky Day is
going to hold a special significance for you. Whisky is one of the iconic
drinks of true lovers of alcohol and is the foundation of some of the most
wonderful drinks known to man. But honestly, who needs an excuse to imbibe in
these wonderful libations? If you need one, World Whisky Day is it!
History of World Whisky Day
One of the most common forms of whisky that is sought after is Irish Whisky,
and perhaps appropriately so. The origins of the word Whisky can be found in
the Gaelic Language. Uisce Beatha was the original name of whiskey in classical
Gaelic, which ultimately became Uisce Beatha in Ireland and Uisge Beatha in
Scotland. Both of these names mean “Water of Life” and tells us just how important
and vital this particular distillation was to the Gaels. It was later shortened
to just Uisce/Uisge, and then anglicized to Whisky. So now you know, when
someone is concerned about your whisky consumption, you can just tell them
you’re drinking the water of life!
So what, exactly, is whisky? Whisky is
what happens when you create take rich flavorful grains and ferment them into a
mash, and then take that mash and distil it down into a pure delicious spirit.
Distillation takes place in a still, a device whose whole purpose is the
purification of the alcohol from the fermented mash. One of the most important
secrets of distillation is that it must take place in a copper (Or copper
lined) still, as the copper removes the sulfur from the drink that would make
this otherwise divine beverage decidedly unpleasant to drink.
How to Celebrate World Whisky Day?
World Whisky Day reminds us that there
is an incredibly broad range of whisky out there to try, and it’s unlikely that
we’ve managed to try all of it. Whisky can be made from barley, corn, rye, and
wheat, just to name a few, and those grains are often mixed in different
proportions before fermenting and distilling. The results are then aged in
casks, with both the cask and the time inside changing the flavor. Needless to
say, you may need more than one day to sample every kind available to you!
World Whisky Day is a great opportunity for you to expand your palette, and
share your experiences with your friends.
Daily
Devotions
·
Saturday Litany of the Hours
Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·
Offering
to the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
Rosary
[1]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-05-15
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