DAY 33 - MARY, MORNING STAR, PRAY FOR US
UNITY IN TRUTH
Devil's Tactic #2 - Divide and Conquer
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Luminous Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Glorious Mysteries
Job, Chapter 4, Verse
13-14
13
In my thoughts during visions of
the night, when deep sleep falls on mortals, 14 FEAR
came upon me, and shuddering, that terrified me to the bone.
Job complained of his symptoms of insomnia[1]:
nights of misery . . . When I lie down, I think, when shall I rise? Night drags on and I am sated with tossing’s till morning twilight (7:3-4).
Job also complains, by night my bones feel gnawed; my sinews never rest (30:17).20
Another translation is, . . . my arteries pulsate so strongly that I cannot sleep. 21
This may have been a reference to pain or some other illness causing insomnia. These are typical complaints of many people with insomnia; spending the night worrying about not being able to sleep, about when they will need to wake up and tossing and turning all night long.
There are other
references in other books of the Bible to illness causing sleeplessness: Only
from daybreak to nightfall was I kept whole, then it was as though a lion were
breaking all my bones; I cried out until morning. . . I piped like a swift or a
swallow, I moaned like a dove, as my eyes, all worn, looked to heaven: 'My
Lord, I am in straits; Be my surety!' What can I say? He promised me and He it
is who has wrought it. All my sleep had fled because of the bitterness of my
soul (Isa. 38:12-15). For my days have vanished like smoke and my bones are
charred like a hearth. My body is stricken and withered like grass; too wasted
to eat my food; on account of my vehement groaning my bones show through my
skin. I am like a great owl in the wilderness, an owl among the ruins. I lie
awake; I am like a lone bird upon a roof (Ps. 102:4-8).
TREATMENT OF INSOMNIA
Physical activity is suggested as a cure for insomnia in the Bible. In Ecclesiastes we are told A worker’s sleep is sweet, whether he has much or little to eat; but the rich man's abundance doesn't let him sleep (5:11). There are several interpretations of this passage. One is that the rich man worries about losing his riches, and thus also loses sleep. Another is that sleep is a blessing set upon the laborer by God, thus, to soften his difficult life. Today's research supplies yet another explanation. Studies have shown that increased exercise or physical activity improves sleep. The laboring man who is physically active will likely sleep better than the rich man who spends his time counting his money. Nightmares also hound some of the figures in the Bible. Job, for example, not only has difficulty sleeping because of pain, but also suffers from nightmares: "When I think, 'My bed will comfort me, my couch will share my sorrow,' you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions".
Excessive daytime sleepiness, as we know today, is often a sign of not getting sufficient sleep at night. The Book of Proverbs rails against excessive sleep or sleeping too much as being synonymous with laziness and sloth. Allusions include: How long will you lie there, lazybones; When will you wake from your sleep? A bit more sleep, a bit more slumber, a bit more hugging yourself in bed, and poverty will come calling upon you. . . (6:9-11, echoed in 24:33-34); Laziness induces sleep (19:15). Do not love sleep lest you be impoverished (20:13). And if one becomes obligated to another, give your eyes no sleep, your pupils no slumber (6:4) until your obligation is fulfilled. When people are so drowsy that it becomes difficult to function, their ability to work is affected and quality of life is reduced, as it says in Proverbs, Drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags (23:21). These same allusions have been applied to patients today with undiagnosed sleep disorders such as sleep apnea or narcolepsy, where the patient often does want to sleep all day and is often accused of being lazy. It is unknown how common narcolepsy or sleep apnea were thousands of years ago, but there is no reason to believe that they were any less common then than they are today.
SLEEP HYGIENE
Treatments of all sleep disorders are likely to include teaching the patient good sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene rules advise how long to sleep and how to best optimize sleep.26 The early sources refer to some of the same sleep hygiene rules that are recommended today, including not spending too much time in bed, getting up at the same time every day, keeping the environment comfortable (not too hot and not too cold) and dark, avoiding alcohol and limiting, if not avoiding, naps.27
CONCLUSION
Although we think we have discovered many new features about proper sleep and sleep disorders, many of our scientific ideas were already documented in the Bible. Some of our modern scientific knowledge about sleep is not new and existed even in biblical times. Although the rabbis may not have fully understood sleep, they left enough clues and interpretations that agree with what science verified thousands of years later. This wisdom is also mentioned in the Bible: What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun (Eccl. 1:9).
Five Rules for Sleep[2]
- Stick to a sleep schedule. Set aside no more than eight hours for sleep. The recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult is at least seven hours.
- Pay attention to what you eat and drink. Don't go to bed hungry or stuffed. In particular, avoid heavy or large meals within a couple of hours of bedtime.
- Create a restful environment. Create a room that's ideal for sleeping. Often, this means cool, dark and quiet. Exposure to light might make it more challenging to fall asleep.
- Limit daytime naps. Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep. ...
- Include
physical activity in your daily routine. Regular physical activity can promote
better sleep. Avoid being active too close to bedtime, however.
35 Promises
of God[3]
cont.
“Honor your father and your mother, so
that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”
-Ex 20:12
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: For
the Poor and Suffering
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
· Iceman’s Total Consecration to Mary-Day 6
· Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
·
Cultivate intelligent foresight
in yourself
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
"Faith cannot
save without virtue"
·
Rosary
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