Let Freedom Ring: Freedom from Envy
__ Daily reflection and prayers
__ Litany of the day
__ Pray a Rosary
__ Divine Mercy Chaplet
__ Spiritual or corporal work of mercy
__ Fast/abstain (according to level)
__ Exercise (according to level/ability)
__ Refrain from conventional media (only 1 hr. of social)
__ Examination of conscience (confession 1x this week)
Introduction to Tobit[1]
Tobit,
a devout and wealthy Israelite living among the captives deported to Nineveh
from the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722/721 B.C., suffers severe reverses
and is finally blinded. Because of his misfortunes he begs the Lord to let him
die. But recalling the large sum he had formerly deposited in far-off Media; he
sends his son Tobiah there to bring back the money. In Media, at this same
time, a young woman, Sarah, also prays for death, because she has lost seven
husbands, each killed in turn on his wedding night by the demon Asmodeus. God
hears the prayers of Tobit and Sarah and sends the angel Raphael in human form
to aid them both.
JULY 13 Tuesday
NATIONAL FRENCH FRY DAY
Tobit, Chapter 1,
Verse 18-19
18
Sennacherib returned from Judea,
having fled during the days of the judgment enacted against him by the King of
Heaven because of the blasphemies he had uttered; whomever he killed I buried.
For in his rage he killed many Israelites, but I used to take their bodies away
by stealth and bury them. So when Sennacherib looked for them, he could not
find them. 19
But a certain Ninevite went and informed the king
about me, that I was burying them, and I went into hiding. When I realized that
the king knew about me and that I was being hunted to be put to death, I became
AFRAID and took flight.
Tobit
although righteous was also not stupid, even though he opposed the evil in his
neighborhood he did not like to suffer for it, so he naturally kept his good
deeds secret and did not want to be found out by the evil oppressors. I
guess the new world order has been around for a long time.
Tobit[2]
- Both names,
Tobit and Tobias (sometimes written Tobiah), mean “Yahweh is my good.”
- Tobit was the
son of Tobiel, which also means “Yahweh is my good.”
- He was a
native of Thisbe in Naphtali. Their land allotment lay NW of the Sea
of Galilee. After the division of David’s kingdom, Naphtali was one
of the northern tribes.
- Tobit lamented
the split, but that concern paled in contrast to his sadness over the
people’s refusal to worship in the temple in Jerusalem.
- Jeroboam, the
king of the northern kingdom, had set up “golden calves” at Dan (in the
north) and Bethel (in the south) to make it easier for northern citizens
not to have to go to Jerusalem. Most were taking full advantage of that.
Tobit, however, continued to make the trek to Jerusalem to worship.
- He claimed he
was the only one who did so. He obviously felt very isolated from
his countrymen, though occasionally he took his wife and relatives with
him.
- Tobit offered
sacrifices and gave alms to the temple, the priests, and the poor.
- When it was
time for him to marry, he took a wife from his tribe.
- His wife’s
name was Hannah, which means “Grace.”
- According to
the story, Tobit was among those who were exiled to Nineveh during the
reign of Shalmaneser (727-722 BCE). Most scholars, however, think
the deportation of Naphtali occurred under Tiglath-pileser (745-727 BCE).
- Tobit was a
“young man” when this happened.
- He continued
to be an observant Jew while in exile, refusing to eat Gentile food.
- As an
observant Jew, he followed not only the spirit but also the letter of the
law, even in Nineveh.
- Because he was
faithful to the covenant, he was blessed by God.
- He was in good
standing with Shalmaneser and worked in his court. It seems that his
position might have been “buyer of provisions.” This allowed him to
travel frequently to Media, where he had family.
- His was an
important position in Shalmaneser’s court.
- In gratitude
for his services, Shalmaneser gave him ten talents of silver. Scholars
argue over the value of this amount, but it might have been
$10,000-$20,000, surely a tidy sum in antiquity.
- On one of his
trips to Media, he managed to give this money to his cousins for
safekeeping.
- In addition to
his work in the court, Tobit gave alms to poor people in Nineveh and made
sure that every dead Jew had a proper burial.
- Ironically, it
would be those good deeds that would get him into trouble.
- When
Sennacherib took over in 705 BCE, he instituted a new policy that the
bodies of dead Jews should be left to rot as a message for others.
Undaunted, Tobit defied this law and carried off the bodies to bury them.
- For a Jew to
remain unburied and have his body rot in the open or eaten by animals was
the ultimate degradation.
- Burying bodies
is the main “good work” of the book of Tobit. After the new king
came to power, such actions became very risky. Tobit was essentially
risking his life each time he did it.
- It was not
long before his neighbors turned him in.
- When the
authorities heard what Tobit was doing, they confiscated all of his
possessions and would have killed him if he had not vanished, taking his
wife and son with him.
It Is Better to Fry in This Life Then the Next[3]
Whether you call them ‘French Fries’, ‘Chips’, Finger Chips, or French-Fried
Potatoes, this delicious treat is loved around the world, and French Fries Day
celebrates them. Not to be confused with the American ‘Chips’, which are thinly sliced pieces of
potato fried until crisp, French Fries are the delicious result of ‘batons’ of potato cut to various
thicknesses and then fried in oil. The outside of this staple companion food to
hamburgers and other grease-ball favorites generally have a golden texture,
varying from soft to crispy, and most often served with little more than a
dusting of salt.
French Fries are one of
many foods whose name is most misleading, as the origins of this fat fried food
seem to be in Belgium. The story of their creation can be found in a family
manuscript dated 1781, which reveals that potatoes were originally cut into the
shape of fish and served in lieu of the fish normally caught in a series of
small villages in Belgium. It seems the river had frozen over and the fish they
normally caught and fried were unable to be caught. Why they’re called French is often
attributed to troops coming over during World War I who got their hands-on
Belgian Fries. The official language of the Belgian army at that time was
French, and as a result the men thought they were in France rather than
Belgium. Interestingly, in that region of the world, they are still called “Flemish Fries” to further complicate matters. Now
these treats are loved the world round, even becoming the ‘national snack’ of the Netherlands.
With the popularity of
French Fry, it’s
not surprising that the world has come up with as many different varieties of
this delicious food as you could imagine. So, one of the best ways to celebrate
French Fries Day is to host a party dedicated to celebrating the international
menu the fried potato has created. The simplest variation is simply to put
chopped raw onions in some ketchup and eat them up like they do in the
Netherlands. For the more adventurous, try some of the varieties below!
The Mediterranean rarely
fail at making an already delicious food rich and full of the smells of home. If
you love the classic Greek flavors of parmigiano-reggiano or romano cheese,
garlic, and oregano, then these fries are going to leave you smiling. The key
ingredients here are Extra Virgin Olive Oil to fry them in, after which you
toss them in garlic salt, Greek Oregano, and your choice of cheese such as those
mentioned ahead. To get the full impact you’re going to want to stick to the
white crumbly cheese of the region, the truly adventurous might use Mazithra
cheese.
These are a few dishes
that can help enhance French Fries Day, and really bring out the amazing
versatility of this centuries old treat. So, get out your deep fryer, chop up
some potatoes, and celebrate French Fries Day by eating yourself into a starch
filled stupor!
mussels and
fries[4]
Moules-frites—the Belgians discovered a perfect marriage. They steam their mussels in simple marinière style (flavored with a little chopped onion, celery, carrot, parsley, bay leaf, and thyme), and then serve heaping mounds of them.
The First
Cat Show[5]
Have you ever noticed that some
people may be very, very good at lying with their lips; yet by their gestures
or body language you can always see the truth? This may be the reason we have
such a great affection for pets who bodily speak the truth of their own
likings. Let us ask our Lord whose hands were nailed to the wood and can no
longer gesture---to allow us to be His hands thus making our own gestures speak
His language of love.
A British man, Mr. Harrison Weir, got the idea for the
first cat show. He was a Fellow of the Horticultural Society, and artist, and a
cat lover. He developed a schedule, classes, and prizes for the show. He also
created the "Points of Excellence" -- a guideline for how the cats
would be judged.
The Crystal Palace, in south-east London, was chosen for
the site of the first show. (Dog shows had already been held there). A man
named Mr. F. Wilson was appointed manager of the show for setting up the
Crystal Palace. The judges were Mr. Weir, his brother John Weir, and the
Reverend J. Macdona.
The show was held on July 13, 1871. Nearly 160 cats were
shown. The cats were mostly short-haired, and were divided into different color
groups. Pedigrees were not around at this time. It wasn't until 1887 that the
National Cat Club formed in Britain and began tracking the parentage of cats.
The prize cats did not have their photos taken, but were drawn by an artist to
record them.
The show attracted a great deal of interest. Cat shows soon
became fashionable in Britain, particularly because they were patronized by
Queen Victoria, who owned a pair of Blue Persians. In the 1870s, larger and
larger cat shows were held in Britain. In 1895 the first official cat show was
held in Madison Square Garden, New York.
Daily Devotions
.
·
Eat waffles and Pray for the assistance
of the Angels
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Practice fidelity to baptismal
vows
·
Monday:
Litany of Humility
·
Rosary
[2]http://www.biblewise.com/bible_study/characters/tobit-and-tobias.php
[4] Schultz, Patricia. 1,000 Places to
See Before You Die
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