This blog is based on references in the Bible to fear. God wills that we “BE NOT AFRAID”. Many theologians state that the eighth deadly sin is fear. It is fear and its natural animal reaction to fight or flight that is the root cause of our failings to create a Kingdom of God on earth. By “the power of the Holy Spirit” we can be witnesses and “communicators” of a new and redeemed humanity “even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7 8). This blog is dedicated to Mary the Mother of God.
Many
people are afraid to speak out against the injustices of our modern age because
we are so few in number. Likewise, here Elisha states to the Israelites to not
be afraid for although our physical army is outnumbered in this contest, we far
outweigh them with the armies of the Lord.
·The
Arameans are at war with Israel. The King of Aram decides to set his camp at a
certain place where he can ambush the Israelites.
·Elisha
prophetically warns the King of Israel not to pass by that place, successfully
saving them. Then, he pulls the same prophetic miracle again.
·The
King of Aram asks his soldiers if one of them is a traitor, but they tell him
that it must be the prophet, Elisha.
·So,
the King of Aram sends a huge army to track down Elisha. It surrounds the city
where Elisha is staying.
·When
Elisha's servant gets up in the morning, he's terrified by the sight of the
Aramean army. But Elisha tells him that they (Elisha and the servant) have more
allies on their side.
·Elisha
asks God to open the servant's eyes and the servant suddenly sees that, on the
mountain surrounding them, the fiery chariots and horses of the divine army are
arrayed in massive numbers.
·As
the Arameans attempt to attack him, Elisha asks God to strike them blind. He
does.
·Elisha
pretends to help them and leads the blind army to Samaria and to the King of
Israel. When he restores their vision, they realize where they are.
·The
King of Israel asks Elisha if he should kill them, but Elisha says no, that
wouldn't be fair.
·So,
they treat the Arameans to a great feast and then… let them go.
of The Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of
Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My
beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Part
III
Loving
and Adoring the Eucharistic Lord
IV. Invite a friend to join you
in adoration.
85. Call to mind a loved one who feels
himself or herself to be far from the Church. Think of a friend who finds the
Mass difficult to understand and to engage. Consider an acquaintance in your
life who does not believe in God or in Christ. Now imagine each of these
persons sitting quietly and peacefully next to you in a beautiful place of
adoration for ten minutes of Eucharistic adoration. What gentle but profound
effect might it have in his or her heart?
86. The Gospels present a clear
pattern in which Jesus makes Himself present to people before He teaches, and
certainly long before He draws them into His act of worship in His Paschal
Mystery. We might say the general pattern is: first His presence, then His worship.
The Lord is present in many ways. But do we trust that the Eucharistic Christ
can and will touch the hearts of our friends, if we but invite them to be near
Him there?
87. Of course, it takes prudence and
discernment to know when and how to offer such an invitation. But the times for
such friendly invitations do come! In the Gospels we see persons bringing
others into the bodily presence of Christ in various ways. I’ll mention three
different approaches which are instructive for us today: testimony, invitation,
and carrying.
Anthony
is one of the most popular saints in the Church. He is the patron of lost
things and numerous other causes. In Brazil, he is considered a general of the
army; he is the patron of the poor and has been recognized as a wonderworker
from the moment of his death. He was born in Portugal and entered the
Augustinian monastery of Sao Vicente in Lisbon when he was fifteen. When news
of the Franciscan martyrs in Morocco reached him, he joined the Franciscans at
Coimbra. At his own request, he was sent as a missionary to Morocco, but he
became ill, and on his return journey his boat was driven off course and he
landed in Sicily. He took part in St. Francis' famous Chapter of Mats in 1221
and was assigned to the Franciscan province of Romagna. He became a preacher by
accident. When a scheduled preacher did not show up for an ordination ceremony
at Forli, the Franciscan superior told Anthony to go into the pulpit. His
eloquence stirred everyone, and he was assigned to preach throughout northern
Italy. Because of his success in converting heretics, he was called the
"Hammer of Heretics" and because of his learning, St. Francis himself
appointed him a teacher of theology. St. Anthony of Padua was such a forceful
preacher that shops closed when he came to town, and people stayed all night in
church to be present for his sermons. He became associated with Padua because
he made this city his residence and the center of his great preaching mission. After
a series of Lenten sermons in 1231, Anthony's strength gave out and he went
into seclusion at Camposanpiero but soon had to be carried back to Padua. He
did not reach the city but was taken to the Poor Clare convent at Arcella,
where he died. He was thirty-six years old, and the whole city of Padua turned
out in mourning for his passing. He was canonized within a year of his death
and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946.
Patron:
Against shipwrecks; against starvation; against starving; American Indians;
amputees; animals; asses; barrenness; boatmen; Brazil; diocese of Beaumont,
Texas; domestic animals; elderly people; expectant mothers; faith in the
Blessed Sacrament; Ferrazzano, Italy; fishermen; harvests; horses; Lisbon,
Portugal; lost articles; lower animals; mail; mariners; oppressed people;
Padua, Italy; paupers; poor people; Portugal; pregnant women; sailors; seekers
of lost articles; shipwrecks; starvation; starving people; sterility;
swineherds; Tigua Indians; travel hostesses; travellers; watermen.
Things to
Do
·St. Anthony was a great lover of the poor.
Deprive yourself of some treat and put the money saved in the poor box.
·St. Anthony's Bread refers to an episode told in
the Rigaldina, the oldest life of St. Anthony. A Paduan mother, who
lived near the Basilica during its construction, had left little Thomas, her 20-month-old
son, alone in the kitchen. The little boy, while playing, ended up headfirst in
a tub of water. His mother found him lifeless. She screamed desperately but she
didn't give up. She called on the Saint. She made a vow: if she obtained the
blessing of her child back to life, she would donate to the poor bread equal to
the weight of her son to the poor. Her prayer was answered. Read
more about St. Anthony's Bread and consider donating to St. Anthony's
charities.
·St. Anthony is invoked by women in search of
good husbands, so if you're single and in search of a spouse, today is a good
day to make a visit to a church or shrine dedicated to St. Anthony to make your
petition to this generous saint!
·Because St. Anthony was buried on a Tuesday and
many miracles accompanied his funeral, Tuesdays are special days of honoring
him throughout the year. It is customary to pray a Novena
to him on thirteen consecutive Tuesdays.
Because of God's
mercy, the Holy Spirit works to build the kingdom of God even in sinful souls.
ON
this Sunday, in the Introit of the Mass, the Church invites the sinner to call
on the Lord with confidence and humility. “Look Thou upon me and have mercy
upon me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my abjection and my labor, and
forgive me all my sins, O my God. To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul; in
Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed” (Ps. xxiv.).
Prayer.
O God, the protector of those who hope in Thee, without Whom nothing is strong,
nothing is holy, multiply Thy mercy upon us, that under Thy rule and guidance
we may so pass through the goods of time as not to forfeit those of eternity.
EPISTLE. I. Peter v. 6-11.
Dearly
Beloved: Be you humbled under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in
the time of visitation. Casting all your care upon Him, for He hath care of
you. Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist ye, strong in faith,
knowing that the same affliction befalleth your brethren who are in the world.
But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory in Christ
Jesus, after you have suffered a little, will Himself perfect you, and confirm
you, and establish you. To Him be glory and empire forever and ever. Amen.
GOSPEL. Luke xv. 1-10.
At that time
the publicans and sinners drew near unto Jesus to hear Him. And the Pharisees
and the scribes murmured, saying: This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with
them. And He spoke to them this parable, saying “What man of you that hath an
hundred sheep, and if he shall lose one of them, doth he not leave the
ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that which was lost until he find it?
And when he hath found it, lay it upon his shoulders rejoicing; and coming home
call together his friends and neighbors, saying to them: Rejoice with me,
because I have found my sheep that was lost? I say to you, that even so there
shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than upon
ninety-nine just who need not penance. Or what woman having ten groats*,
if she lose one groat (small coin) doth not light a candle and sweep the
house and seek diligently until she find it? And when she hath found it, call
together her friends and neighbors, saying: Rejoice with me, because I have
found the groat which I had lost. So, I say to you, there shall be joy before
the angels of God upon one sinner doing penance.”
Why did the
Pharisees murmur?
Because they
thought themselves better than other men, and as they avoided the company of
sinners themselves, they required others to do likewise. They did not know, or
rather did not wish to know, that a truly just man always feels compassion for
sinners, and that the saints always desired and endeavored to promote their
conversion and eternal welfare. “True justice, says St. Gregory, has compassion
for sinners, while false and hypocritical justice is angry with them. Love
sinners, therefore, in imitation of Jesus, and pray earnestly for their
conversion.”
What does
the parable of the lost sheep teach us?
It teaches us
the love of Jesus, Who seeks out sinners, brings them back to the Father, and
reinstates them in the privileges of the children of God. We find in this
parable an excuse for sinners. The sheep is a very simple animal which, while
grazing in the field, does not notice that it has left the fold. It is lost,
and when lost does not know the way back to the fold. It seems, therefore, when
Christ compared the sinner to a sheep He intended to say that the sinner goes
astray from the true path and from God through pure and natural ignorance;
because being dazzled and delighted by the things of the world, he follows
them; he separates himself from the just without knowing it, and, lost in the
desert of this world, he does not know his misfortune and has not, humanly
speaking, the means of returning again, if God in His infinite mercy does not
go in search of him and rescue him.
What is
meant by the words, “there shall be more joy over one sinner that does penance
than upon ninety-nine just who need not penance?
Thereby it is
not to be understood that the penitent sinner is more pleasing to God than
ninety-nine just, but that, as men have a special joy in finding that which
they supposed to be lost, so also God, the angels, and saints have an
extraordinary joy over the conversion of one sinner; because, in the conversion
of the sinner, they see the glory, love, and power of God exalted.
Aspiration.
O Lord, what
profit hast Thou in the conversion of a sinner, that Thou art thereby so
greatly pleased? The happiness of one of Thy poor creatures can add nothing to
Thine own. But Thou lovest me, and therefore it is that Thou art pleased if I
return to Thee. O my God, is it possible that I can know this Thy love, and
remain any longer in sin?
This
Sunday focuses on God's mercy, the Holy Spirit works to build the kingdom of
God even in sinful souls.
Scripture
and the Church teach us that we have three divinely ordained purposes that give
our lives meaning:
·Salvation
— seeking
to save our eternal souls and help save the souls of others (that salvation,
the Church teaches, is God's free gift but requires our cooperation through
faith in God, obedience to his commandments, and repentance of our grave sins).
·Service
— using
our God-given talents to build God's kingdom here on earth.
·Sanctity
— growing
in holiness.
The
third of these life goals, sanctity, is central to building Catholic character.
At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says something that is stunning:
"Be thou made perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48).
St. Gregory put it this way: "The goal of a virtuous life is to become
like God." Scripture tells us, "God is love" (1 Jn 4:16). If we
want to be like God, our vocation is to love. The essence of love is to
sacrifice for the sake of another, as Jesus did. Love is self-gift. What, then,
is our goal if we want to develop Catholic character in our children and
ourselves? Look to the character of Christ: A life of self-giving.
Natural
Virtues
The
high goal of Christ-like character builds on a base of what the Church calls
"natural virtues." Among the natural virtues that families and
schools should nurture are the four advanced by the ancient Greeks, named in
Scripture (Wis 8:7), and adopted by the Church as "the cardinal
virtues": prudence, which enables us to judge what we should do; justice,
which enables us to respect the rights of others and give them what they are
due; fortitude, which enables us to do what is right in the face of
difficulties; temperance, which enables us to control our desires and avoid
abuse of even legitimate pleasures. These natural virtues are developed through
effort and practice, aided by God's grace. To develop a Christ-like character,
however, we need more than the natural virtues. We also need the three
supernatural, or "theological," virtues:
Spiritual
Virtues
1.Faith
in God, which enables us to believe in God and the teachings of his church.
2.Hope
in God, which leads us to view eternal life as our most important goal and to
place total trust in God.
3.Love
of God, which enables us to love God above all things and our neighbor as
ourselves for the love of God.
The
three theological virtues are considered supernatural because they come from
God and have as their purpose our participation in God's divine life. As the
Catechism (1813) teaches, the theological virtues are not separate from the
natural virtues; rather, they "are the foundation of Christian moral
activity; they animate it and give it its special character." The Catholic
writer Peter Kreeft points out, "The Christian is prudent, just, courageous,
and self-controlled out of faith in God, hope in God, and love of God."
The supernatural virtues, like the natural virtues, grow stronger through our
effort and practice, in cooperation with God's grace.
The '20-5-3' Rule-How
Much Time to Spend Outside[6]
Americans today spend 92 percent
of their time indoors, and their physical and mental health are suffering. Use
this three-number formula to make yourself stronger and happier.
The herd of400-pound caribou was running 50
miles an hour and directly at me. The 30 animals had been eating lichen in the
Arctic tundra in Alaska when something spooked them. I was sitting in their
escape route. The ground began to vibrate once they cracked 100 yards. At 50
yards, I could see their hooves smashing the ground and kicking up moss and
moisture. Then they were at 40 yards, then 35.
I could hear their breathing, smell their coats, and see all
the details of their ornate antlers. Just as I was wondering if the rescue
plane would be able to spot my hoof-pocked corpse, one of the caribou noticed
me and swerved. The herd followed, shaking the earth as they swept left and
summited a hillcrest, their antlers black against a gold sky.
That moment when those caribou shook the earth also shook my
soul. It was transcendent, wild as a religious experience. And it’s not even
the most intense thing I did in Alaska. I experienced savage weather, crossed
raging rivers, and faced a half-ton grizzly. My brain was feeling less hunkered
down in its typical foxhole—a state I’d compare to that of a roadrunner on
meth, dementedly zooming from one thing to the next. My mind felt more like it
belonged to a monk after a month at a meditation retreat. I just felt . . . better.
The biologist E. O. Wilson put what I was feeling this way: “Nature holds the
key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive, and even spiritual
satisfaction.”
When I returned from the wild, my Zen-like buzz hung around
for months. To understand what was happening, I met with Rachel Hopman, Ph.D.,
a neuroscientist at Northeastern University. She told me about the nature
pyramid. Think of it like the food pyramid, except that instead of recommending
you eat this many servings of vegetables and this many of meat, it recommends
the amount of time you should spend in nature to reduce stress and be
healthier. Learn and live by the 20-5-3 rule.
20 Minutes
That’s the amount of
time you should spend outside in nature, like a neighborhood park, three times a
week. Hopman led a new study that concluded that something as painless as a
20-minute stroll through a city botanical garden can boost cognition and memory
as well as improve feelings of well-being. “But,” she said, “we found that
people who used their cell phone on the walk saw none of those benefits.”
Other research
discovered that 20 minutes outside three times a week is the dose of nature
that had the greatest effect on reducing an urban dweller’s levels of the
stress hormone cortisol.
In
nature, our brains enter a mode called “soft fascination.” Hopman described it
as a mindfulness-like state that restores and builds the resources you need to
think, create, process information, and execute tasks. It’s mindfulness without
the meditation. A short daily nature walk—or even a walk down a tree-lined
street—is a great option for people who aren’t keen on sitting and focusing on
their breath. But turn off your phone—alerts from it can kick you out of soft-fascination
mode.
5
Hours
The minimum lengthof time each month you should spend
in semi-wild nature, like a forested state park. “Spending more time in wilder
spaces does seem to give you more benefits,” said Hopman.
A 2005 survey conducted in Finland found that city dwellers
felt better with at least five hours of nature a month, with benefits
increasing at higher exposures. They were also more likely to be happier and
less stressed in their everyday lives.
The Finnish government then funded another study in 2014 in
which the scientists dumped people in a city center, a city park, and a
forested state park. The two parks felt more Zen than the city center. No
shocker. Except that those walking in a state park had an edge over the city-park
people. They felt even more relaxed and restored. The takeaway: The wilder the
nature, the better.
Nature has these effects on the mind and body because it
stimulates and soothes us in unusual and unique ways. For instance, in nature
you are engulfed in fractals, suggested Hopman. Fractals are complex patterns
that repeat over and over in different sizes and scales and make up the design
of the universe. Think: trees (big branch to smaller branch to smaller branch
and so on), river systems (big river to smaller river to stream and so on),
mountain ranges, clouds, seashells. “Cities don’t have fractals,” said Hopman.
“Imagine a typical building. It’s usually flat, with right angles. It’s painted
some dull color.” Fractals are organized chaos, which our brains apparently
dig. In fact, scientists at the University of Oregon discovered that Jackson
Pollock’s booze-and-jazz-fueled paintings are made up of fractals. This may
explain why they speak to humans at such a core level.
Nature lifts us in other ways, too: Think smells and sounds.
The feeling of the sun’s warm rays. Or just the fact that you’re getting out of
the stress of your home or office. “It’s probably a mix of a lot of things,”
said Hopman. Environments like cities, with their frenetic pace, right angles,
loud noises, rotten smells, pinging phones, and to-do lists, don’t offer this.
3Days
This is the top of the pyramid.Three is the number of days you
should spend each year off the grid in nature, camping or renting a cabin (with
friends or solo). Think: places characterized by spotty cell reception and wild
animals, away from the hustle and bustle.
This dose of the wildest nature is sort of like an extended
meditation retreat. Except talking is allowed and there are no gurus. It causes
your brain to ride alpha waves, the same waves that increase during meditation
or when you lapse into a flow state. They can reset your thinking, boost
creativity, tame burnout, and just make you feel better.
This is likely why one study found that three days in the
wild boost’s creativity and problem-solving abilities and another found that
U. S. military vets who spent four days white-water rafting were still buzzing
off the wild a week later. Their PTSD symptoms and stress levels were down 29
and 21 percent, respectively. Their relationships, happiness, and general
satisfaction with their lives all improved as well.
When I returned from Alaska, my wife and I moved to the edge
of the desert in Las Vegas. She wanted a shorter commute, and I wanted more
access to nature. I now walk my dogs through red-rock trails for at least 20
minutes daily and on Sunday do a long trail run deep into the canyons to rack
up my five-hour quota for the month. This summer, I’m planning a weeklong
backcountry fly-fishing trip in Idaho’s Frank Church–River of No Return
Wilderness Area. Hoping I’ll return less frazzled, fitter, and feeling more
alive.
·Today in honor of the
Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no
shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday. Don’t forget the internet.
Friday In the Octave of Christmas ST SYLVESTER-NEW YEARS EVE Sirach, Chapter 2, Verse 15-17 15 Those who FEAR the Lord do not disobey his words; those who love him keep his ways. 16 Those who fear the Lord seek to please him; those who love him are filled with his law. 17 Those who fear the Lord prepare their hearts and humble themselves before him. “Perfect love casts out all fear .” Many of us are conscious of our sins and failures. The older we get, the more we become aware that we have not measured up to what God had in mind for us from all eternity. We begin to worry about Judgment Day. Fear . Even when we are younger, if we have a good conscience, we worry over our sins. Remember that God loved us so much that he sent his Son to save us. Remember that Jesus gave his life for each of us personally. Remember that God is not like us: He loves us with an everlasting love. We need to realize this love of God so that it will cast out all fear from our hearts. We
30 Days of Women and Herbs – Frauendreissiger Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) 2 Maccabees, Chapter 15, Verse 8 He urged his men not to fear the attack of the Gentiles, but mindful of the help they had received in the past from Heaven, to expect now the victory that would be given them by the Almighty. As an old, retired military man it was common for us to say while we were loading our magazines with bullets, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition." We knew that without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Optimists see steppingstones where pessimists see stumbling blocks. Heavenly Intercession [1] "Stretching out his right hand, Jeremiah presented a gold sword to Judas. As he gave it to him, he said 'Accept this holy sword as a gift from God; with it you shall crush your adversaries.' " —2 Maccabees 15:15-16 Nicanor planned to slaughter the Jews on th
Switch of Manliness Legacy OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA Acts, Chapter 10, verse 1-4 1 Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Cohort called the Italica, 2 devout and God-fearing along with his whole household, who used to give alms generously to the Jewish people and pray to God constantly. 3 One afternoon about three o’clock, he saw plainly in a vision an angel of God come into him and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 He looked intently at him and seized with FEAR , said, “What is it, sir?” He said to him, “Your prayers and almsgiving have ascended as a memorial offering before God. Cornelius’ Cohort was an auxiliary unit of archers, men who are expert at hitting a mark or target. Sin is the act of violating God's will. Sin can also be viewed as anything that violates the ideal relationship between an individual and God, or as any diversion from the ideal order for human living. To sin has been defined as "to miss the mark" to have a harden
Saints, Feast, Family - Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring - July 6 Saint of the day: Saint Nazaria Ignacia March Mesa Patron Saint of Missionaries of the Crusade Vinny’s Corner · Roy Rogers King of Cowboys RIP 1998 Today Party like you are Capt. Kidd Capt. Kidd arrested 1699 Tomorrow Start Let Freedom Ring: 40 Days to Freedom from the Devil [1] July 7-August 15, 2024 It is right and good for us to prepare ourselves as her retainers in her battle with Satan from now until the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven Goal: Through acts of reparation, fasting, penance, charity, and prayer (both personal and sacramental) we call upon the power of God to release ourselves, our families, our parishes, our dioceses, and our nation from all demonic influence and oppression. Method : Each day will be broken into prayer, reflection, and reparation. Reflection : A reflection (rotating from Fr. Peckman, Fr. Altman & Fr. Heilman) will
Eat Something with Spinach today OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL Isaiah, Chapter 7, Verse 3-6 3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller’s field, 4 and say to him: Take care you remain calm and do not fear ; do not let your courage fail before these two stumps of smoldering brands, the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans and of the son of Remaliah— 5 because Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you. They say, 6 “Let us go up against Judah, tear it apart, make it our own by force, and appoint the son of Tabeel king there . These verses contain a series of oracles and narratives, all closely related to the Syro-Ephraimite war of 735–732 B.C. Several passages feature three children whose symbolic names refer to the Lord’s purposes: Shear-jashub, Emmanuel, and Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Judah and its Davidic dynasty should trust Go
Monday Night at the Movies Luis Bunuel, Simon of the Desert, 1965 SAINT MOTHER THEODORE GUERIN Hebrews, Chapter 12, Verse 21 Indeed, so FEARFUL was the spectacle that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.” Moses was the heir apparent to the throne of Egypt in his youth. As a member of the Egyptian court, he would have seen many fearful spectacles yet imagine what it must have been like to have been a witness of God descending on Mount Sinai to give the law. He was terrified and trembling. Again, now imagine if Moses was somehow resurrected and was able to walk into an ordinary catholic church that has a very modest Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Do you think his reaction would be any different than the first time he encountered the living God? Be Still and Know that I am God [1] On the evening of October 1995, John Paul II was scheduled to greet the seminarians at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. It had been a very full day that began with a Mass at Oriole Park in Camden Y
Saints, Feast, Family - Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring - July 15 Saint of the day: Saint Vladimir of Kiev Monday- Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop ST. SWITHUN Monday Night at the Movies Raffaello Matarazzo, The White Angel, 1955. Deuteronomy, Chapter 31, Verse 8 It is the LORD who goes before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not FEAR or be dismayed.” For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. The Lord our God calls us to His service. This is the message of St. Therese of Lisieux that we are all called, and we should have great confidence and humility seeking to bring the kingdom in small ways and asking our Lord to multiply our efforts. The greatest way we can bring about the Kingdom is in our own families. This is the reason Pope Francis made such efforts to attend the family symposium in Philadelphia in 2015. Yes, families
Drink Beer Try the Chimay Saints, Feast, Family - Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring - July 18 Saint of the day: Saint Arnulf of Metz Patron Saint of Beer When I was stationed in Belgium me and my family were not told in advance when staying in the temporary quarters not to drink the water; as a result we were all very sick due to the water was tainted; we should have drank the beer. ST. CAMILIUS DE LELLIS -Nelson Mandela Day-St. Ann Day 2 Deuteronomy, Chapter 32, Verse 26-27 26 I said: I will make an end of them and blot out their name from human memory, 27 had I not FEARED the provocation by the enemy, that their foes might misunderstand, and say, “Our own hand won the victory; the LORD had nothing to do with any of it.” Meditate on the humility of Saint Joseph this day; ask for his assistance and special protection. Prayer to St. Joseph. O most chaste Joseph, who, by thy purity and other exalted virtues, wast worthy to be c
Saints, Feast, Family - Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring - July 12 Saint of the day: Saint Veronica Patron Saint of the images; laundry workers, pictures, photos, photographers NIC’s Corner- What was the Physicality of Christ like? Here is what I got from Co-pilot: In the tapestry of Jesus Christ’s life, His teachings, miracles, and spiritual legacy are threads that have woven a history-changing narrative. Yet, among these divine aspects, the humble profession of carpentry attributed to Jesus during His time on Earth offers a unique perspective on His human experience. According to biblical references, Jesus was indeed a carpenter. Mark 6:3 explicitly asks, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” This direct association with carpentry provides a rare glimpse into Jesus’s day-to-day life before His public ministry began . [1] Carpentry
Auxilium Christianorum - Praying for Persecuted Priests Monday, May 24 is the Feast of Mary Mother of the Church. It is also the Feast of Mary Help of Christians (Auxilium Christianorum). Please consider joining this Auxilium Christianorum family to pray daily for our holy and courageous persecuted priests. The Church teaches us that it is divided into the Church Triumphant (which includes the members of the Church in heaven), the Church Suffering (this includes the members of the Church in purgatory), and the Church Militant (this refers to those members of the Church who are alive in this world). Because we are part of the Church Militant, we are in a spiritual warfare and this spiritual warfare requires that we recognize, as Saint Paul teaches us "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places." ( Ephesians 6:12 ) The me
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