Thursday, September 23, 2021
DAY 40 - MARY, QUEEN OF APOSTLES, PRAY FOR US
DIVINE CONNECTION
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Luminous Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Joyful Mysteries
PADRE PIO- -BISEXUAL DAY
Be
AFRAID of the sword for yourselves,
for your anger is a crime deserving the sword; that you may know that there is
a judgment.
Jobs friends are judging him
through their own faults. Job is warning them what Christ reiterated. “Those
who use the sword shall perish by the sword. Anger is a crime.
Anger disorders are a product of long-term anger
mismanagement. They are a pathological misdirection of normal aggressive
feelings. Anger is, at its essence, a part of the basic biological reaction to
danger, the fight or flight response. The physiological shift makes us stop
thinking and mobilize for immediate action, as though our life depends on it.
It is a primitive response, and very powerful. Anger prepares us to stand our
ground and fight. It helped our ancestors survive, but in today’s complex
technological world, it is often more hindrance than help. The angrier you
feel, the less clearly you can think, and therefore the less able you are to negotiate,
take a new perspective, or effectively handle a provocation. Uncontrolled anger
has become our No. 1 mental health issue. Though we have the understanding and
the skills to treat the anger epidemic in this country, as a culture, we have
been unwilling to accept the violence problem as one that belongs to each and
every one of us. We have sought scapegoats in minority cultures, racial groups,
and now the mentally ill. When we are ready to accept that the demon is within
us all, we can begin to treat the cycle of anger and suffering.[1]
Enslavement
to our wounds[2]
Job
Issues His Reply to His Amigos[3]
·
Now that he knows all his friends are kind of
jerks, he talks back. After all, he says, he's their equal and, well, they're
not being very nice.
·
He knows that God is almighty, sure. But he
still thinks he deserves an explanation for why God is shredding his life to
pieces.
·
He's mortal. His time is short. He wants some
answers.
Eliphaz Retorts
·
Eliphaz is back on the scene. He says that that
Job is undermining God by questioning his ways, which are both unknowable and
infinitely powerful.
·
We feel like we've heard that one before….
·
He continues to say that the sinful are doomed
for destruction. And you know who falls into that sinful category?
·
That's right: Job.
·
And here comes one of the most famous phrases in
the Bible: "Your own lips testify against you" (15:6).
Job Demands a Hearing
·
In case we didn't get the picture already, Job
reiterates how uncool his friends are. Then he—yep, again—confirms that he has
done nothing worthy of this punishment.
·
Why shouldn't he, a penitent man, get a fair
hearing?
Bildad Up to Bat…Again
·
Bildad's back.
·
Guess what he's saying this time? That's right:
God punishes the wicked.
·
This time, though, he adds (in a possible reference
to Canaanite lore) that the Firstborn of Death will visit the evil.
·
Um…gulp?
I Will Be Redeemed
·
Apparently, no one is listening, so Job
reaffirms his desire to plead his case before God.
·
He's so worked up about it, he wants to etch his
complaint in something more permanent than his mortal voice. Maybe on a rock
or—surprise, surprise—in a book.
Feast
of St. Pio
Padre
Pio was born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy, into a
simple peasant family. At the age of 15 he entered the Capuchin Franciscan
Friars, and was ordained a priest in 1910. In September 1916 he was assigned to
the Friary in San Giovanni Rotondo in central Italy, where he lived for the
rest of his life. After celebrating morning Mass on September 20, 1918, during
his prayers of thanksgiving before the Crucifix, Padre Pio received the
"Stigmata". His hands, feet and side were pierced with the nail marks
and the lance wound of the Crucified Christ. Doctors estimated that for the
next 50 years he lost a cup of blood every day. His five wounds were deep,
bleeding and painful, but completely free of inflammation and swelling. News of
his holiness spread rapidly. Millions of people attended his Masses. He
received letters from believers all over the world who asked for his saintly
counsel in their times of distress and misfortune. Countless were attracted to his
confessional, where he celebrated the Sacrament of Penance for as many as 16
hours a day. People waited as much as two weeks to have him hear their
confession, for they perceived in Padre Pio the true heart and soul of the
Gospels, expressed in a simple and uncomplicated manner. His whole life was
marked by long hours of prayer, continual sacrifice, and strict austerity. He
had a very deep union with God, a burning love for the Holy Eucharist, and a
fervent devotion to Our Blessed Mother. Worn out by half a century of intense
suffering and constant apostolic activity in San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio
was called to his heavenly reward on September 23, 1968. He was canonized a
Saint by Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002. Today his tomb is the most visited
shrine in Europe, surpassing even Fatima and Lourdes — a place of extraordinary
holiness for those in search of inspiration.
Things to Do:[4]
·
St. Pio is a saint of the
last century, so there are many pictures and biographies to read more about his
life. Having this gift of the stigmata was very hard on his life — both
physically and emotionally. Find out more about the stigmata and his other mystical gifts,
such as bilocation. St. Pio also had great devotion to his guardian angel.
·
From the Catholic Culture
library: Biography of Padre Pio of
Pietrelcina, The Devil and Padre Pio, Five Maxims for Living a
Devout Life and His Wounds Spoke of God's Love
for All. There are many other
documents in the library which may be found by searching for "pio".
Prayer
Gracious
God, you generously blessed Your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the
Spirit. You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified, as a
powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son, and as a stirring
inspiration to many people of Your infinite mercy, forgiveness and love.
In
the confessional, Padre Pio labored endlessly for the salvation of souls.
Through his prayerful intercession, many who suffered were healed of sickness
and disease. Endowed with the gift of discernment, he could read people's
hearts. From the blood of his wounds came a perfumed fragrance, a special sign
of Your Holy Presence. With dignity and intense devotion, he celebrated daily
Mass, inviting countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ, in
the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Through
the intercession of Saint Pio, I confidently beseech You to grant me the grace
of (here state your petition).
Help me to imitate his example of prayerful holiness and compassion, so that I,
too, may faithfully follow the Risen Lord, and one day rejoice in the Kingdom,
where You live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
Bisexuality Day[5] another pagan celebration of sexuality
Celebrate Bisexuality Day was established by Wendy Curry,
Michael Page, and Gigi Raven Wilbur to raise awareness of the challenges faced
by bisexuals all over the world. “Ever since the Stonewall rebellion, the gay
and lesbian community has grown in strength and visibility.” observed Wilbur,
“The bisexual community also has grown in strength but in many ways are
invisible.” It was this vision and experiences of marginalization and prejudice
experienced from both the straight and LGBTQ community, that inspired them to
create this new holiday. Inspired by Freddy Mercury of Queen, they decided that
his birthday would be the perfect day to establish Celebrate Bisexuality Day.
This served two purposes, the first being to establish a day that was dedicated
to raising awareness of bisexuals everywhere, the second being to help reduce
the prejudice faced by bisexuals and work to legitimize it as a sexual
orientation. Since then it has been celebrated every year with teach-ins,
poetry reading, parties, picnics, and festivals.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
2332 Sexuality
affects all aspects of the human person in the unity of
his body and soul. It especially concerns affectivity, the capacity to love and
to procreate, and in a more general way the aptitude for forming bonds of
communion with others.
2336 Jesus came to restore creation to the purity of
its origins. In the Sermon on the Mount, he interprets God's plan strictly:
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I
say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery with her in his heart." What God has joined together, let not man
put asunder. The tradition of the Church has understood the sixth commandment
as encompassing the whole of human sexuality.
2337 Chastity
means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the
inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in which man's
belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and
truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to
another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman. The
virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person and the
integrality of the gift.
2353 Fornication
is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried
woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality
which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and
education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption
of the young.
2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between
women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward
persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the
centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely
unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts
as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual
acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law.
They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a
genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they
be approved.
2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual
tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively
disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with
respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in
their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will
in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the
Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the
virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support
of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and
should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
2360 Sexuality is ordered to the conjugal love of man and
woman. In marriage the physical intimacy of the spouses becomes a sign and
pledge of spiritual communion. Marriage bonds between baptized persons are
sanctified by the sacrament.
2361 "Sexuality,
by means of which man and woman give themselves to one another through the acts
which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is not something simply biological,
but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such. It is realized in
a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the love by which a man and
woman commit themselves totally to one another until death."
Tobias got out of bed and said to Sarah,
"Sister, get up, and let us pray and implore our Lord that he grant us
mercy and safety." So, she got up, and they began to pray and implore that
they might be kept safe. Tobias began by saying, "Blessed are you, O God
of our fathers. You made Adam, and for him you made his wife Eve as a helper
and support. From the two of them the race of mankind has sprung. You said, 'It
is not good that the man should be alone; let us make a helper for him like
himself.' I now am taking this kinswoman of mine, not because of lust, but with
sincerity. Grant that she and I may find mercy and that we may grow old
together." And they both said, "Amen, Amen." Then they went to
sleep for the night.
2362 "The
acts in marriage by which the intimate and chaste union of the spouses takes
place are noble and honorable; the truly human performance of these acts
fosters the self-giving they signify and enriches the spouses in joy and
gratitude." Sexuality is a source of joy and pleasure:
The Creator himself. . .
established that in the [generative] function, spouses should experience
pleasure and enjoyment of body and spirit. Therefore, the spouses do nothing
evil in seeking this pleasure and enjoyment. They accept what the Creator has
intended for them. At the same time, spouses should know how to keep themselves
within the limits of just moderation.
2370 Periodic
continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation
and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria
of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage
tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In
contrast, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal
act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural
consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation
impossible" is intrinsically evil:
Thus, the innate language that expresses
the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through
contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not
giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal
to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal
love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality. . .
The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and
recourse to the rhythm of the cycle.. . involves in the final analysis two
irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality.
2395 Chastity means the integration of sexuality within the person. It includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery.
2396 Among the sins gravely contrary to chastity are
masturbation, fornication, pornography, and homosexual practices.
35 Promises
of God[6]
cont.
“I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. If
you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he
will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.”-John 14:13-16
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Increase
in the Religious and Consecrated Life.
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Iceman’s Total
Consecration to Mary-Day 13
· 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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