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NINE-MONTH NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

NINE-MONTH NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
Start March 12 to December 12

Saturday, October 16, 2021

 ST. MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE-WORLD FOOD DAY 

Psalm 22, verse 26

I will offer praise in the great assembly; my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him. 

This whole psalm is a lament unusual in structure and in intensity of feeling. The psalmist’s present distress is contrasted with God’s past mercy while enemies surround him. Yet, he wants to praise God while in the midst of suffering, he crys out a universal chorus of praise. This Psalm is important in the New Testament. Its opening words occur on the lips of the crucified Jesus, and several other verses are quoted, or at least alluded to, in the accounts of Jesus’ passion. I wonder if John the Baptist also prayed this psalm to strengthen himself before his own passion. Remember warriors of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we too shall be confronted with our own passions in this life; when this happens; come to this psalm and sing it in your heart as did John and Jesus before entering the fray. Then if the Lord carries us through this battle let us “Offer praise in the great assembly” and thanksgiving recounting to the other worshipers the favor received from God and invite them to share in the sacrificial banquet.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque[1]

A self-effacing nun in the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial, France, was inspired by the Lord Jesus to establish the devotion of the Holy Hour. Her name was St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and from the age of seven, when she received her first Holy Communion, she had always manifested an intense love of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Our Lord appeared to her often, usually as the Crucified Christ. Her simplicity caused her to feel that these apparitions were also granted to others who had recourse to Jesus in the sacrament of His love. Once the Master appeared to the young girl as she was returning from a dance and reproached her for not espousing Him. When twenty-four years of age, Margaret entered the cloister, choosing the most menial tasks. Gifted with intelligence and common sense, she made great progress in holiness. Our Lord entrusted to her the mission of establishing the reign of the Sacred Heart among the children of men. Criticism did not hamper her zeal, and her charity toward her opponents won them over to the cause of the Master. In the first revelation of the Sacred Heart to the nun, Our Lord made known His burning desire to be loved by all men, and His design of manifesting to them His Sacred Heart with its treasures of mercy. Margaret Mary communicated Our Lord's wish that the faithful receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month and observe the Feast of the Sacred Heart on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi. After nineteen years in the convent, St. Margaret Mary died October 17, 1690. Many pilgrims to her tomb have sought and obtained favors. Through her apostolate of devotion to the Sacred Heart many sinners have repented and found grace with God.

 

Patron: against polio; devotees of the Sacred Heart; loss of parents; polio patients.

 

Things to Do:

·         Find out more about the Jansenist heresy.

·         Read the Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; Strive to fulfill the obligation for the Nine First Fridays.

·         Find out more about the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart and establish this practice in your home. A book to read on this is Enthronement of the Sacred Heart by Francis Larkin, SS.CC.

Married Couples Prayer to the Sacred Heart[2]*

Description:

For the ideal union in love of husband for wife and wife for husband, God's examples are before you—Joseph and Mary. Your marriage is something to be appreciated ever more deeply. From time to time meditate on its precious character, as, for example, is suggested in the following prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for husband and wife to say in their own behalf. We can summarize the spirit of Christian married life no better than in this prayer.

Prayer

O most Sacred Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts, dwell in our hearts and be our King; grant us by Your grace to love each other truly and chastely, even as You have loved Your spotless Bride, the Church, and have given Yourself up for her.

Bestow upon us that mutual love and Christian forbearance which are so highly acceptable in Your sight, and a mutual patience in bearing each other's defects; for we are certain that no living creature is free from them. Do not permit even the slightest defect to mar that full and gentle harmony of spirit, the foundation of the mutual assistance in the many and varied hardships of life, that is the end for which woman was created and united inseparably to her husband.

** O Lord God, grant that between us there may reign a perpetual holy rivalry toward a life perfectly Christian, by virtue of which there may shine forth more and more clearly the divine image of Your mystic union with Your Holy Church, as You have deigned to imprint it upon us on the auspicious day of our being made one.

Grant, we beseech You, that our good example of Christian living may serve as a powerful inspiration to our children to conform their own lives to Your holy law; and finally, after this exile may we ascend into heaven, where by the help of Your grace, for which we earnestly pray, we may merit to be joined with our children forever and praise and bless You through everlasting ages, Amen.

(**If there are no children, the prayer from this point reads: O Lord God, grant that between us there may reign a perpetual holy rivalry toward a life perfectly Christian, by virtue of which there may shine forth more and more clearly the divine image of Your mystic union with Your Holy Church, as You have deigned to imprint it upon us on the auspicious day of our being made one, and so living, may both of us ascend into heaven, and merit to praise You and bless You forever. Amen.)

Prayer Source: Family for Families, The by Francis L. Filas, S.J., The Bruce Publishing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1947

World Food Day[3] 

World Food Day is recognized in order to raise awareness about hunger and encourage the public to support efforts to eradicate world hunger.  Food plays an essential role in life; many people go without it and cannot guarantee when they will eat their next meals, while others waste large amounts of food every day.  World Food Day is organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The FAO was founded on October 16, 1945 in an effort to help the world with its constant battle against hunger and malnutrition. World Food Day was officially established in 1979 and today, it is observed in over 150 countries. It is celebrated annually on the same day as the FAO's founding, October 16th. Since 1981, a different theme has been adopted each year based on current issues. The day is also heavily promoted by organizations that are concerned with food security and insecurity. 

World Food Day Facts & Quotes

·         Approximately 1/3 of all food produced worldwide, about $1 trillion dollars’ worth, is wasted.  The biggest culprits are industrialized countries; they waste almost as much food as the entire production weight of sub-Saharan Africa- 222 million vs 230 million tons.

·         The quest for food security can be the common thread that links the different challenges we face and helps build a sustainable future. – José Graziano da Silva, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General

·         In a world of plenty, no one, not a single person, should go hungry. But almost 1 billion still do not have enough to eat. I want to see an end to hunger everywhere within my lifetime. – Ban Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary-General

World Food Day Top Events and Things to Do

·         Do not waste food. World Food Day promotes Think. Eat. Save. as a way to reduce waste so, t=Think about what you’re buying, plan meals and shop smart. Eat mindfully. Are your eyes too big for your stomach? Save food, save money, save the environment.

·         Lobby your government to changes its laws on waste. France passed a law banning supermarkets from throwing away destroying unsold food, instead making them donate it to charities and food banks.

·         Watch a documentary about the food production process. Food Inc. (2008), Super-Size Me (2004) or Fresh (2009) are all documentaries about food production and waste.

·         Read a book about food activism, eco- and ethical farming why not try one of these books that may help us find sustainable solutions to feed the 9.6 billion people that will to be fed by 2050.  Our picks:
1) The Big Pivot: Radically Practical Strategies for a Hotter, Scarcer, and More Open World by Andrew S Winston
2) Feeding Frenzy: Land Grabs, Price Spikes, and the World Food Crisis by Paul McMahon
3) The Political Economy of Arab Food Sovereignt by Jane Harrigan

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

·         Saturday Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary

·         Total Consecration to St. Joseph Day 18

·         Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

·         Iceman’s 40 devotion

·         Universal Man Plan

·         Rosary

 


[1]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-10-16

[2]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=225

* Note: My youngest daughter Nicole married her loving husband Matthew on this past Sunday 10/11/20; this is for them.

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