Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
BITTER
CHOCOLATE WITH ALMONDS DAY
Psalm
119, Verse 63
I
am the friend of all who FEAR you, of all who observe your precepts.
Those
that love the Lord's service, naturally associate with kindred spirits—with
those that fear him and keep his precepts.
·
These
two features identify the same character: as cheerful obedience is always the
fruit of filial fear. These then are the Lord's people; and union with Him is in fact union with them.
·
Sometimes
the society of the refined and the intelligent (Elitists) of this world may be more agreeable to our natural taste.
o
But ought there not to be a
restraint here?
o
Ought
not the Christian to say —"Surely
the fear of God is not in this place"?
o
"Should I love them that hate the Lord?"
·
Let
those of us, who must live in close,
and to a certain degree necessary, contact with the world, subject their hearts
to an evening scrutiny on this subject.
o
Has the society of this day
refreshed my soul, or raised my heart to spiritual things?
o
Has it promoted a watchful temper?
o
Or
has it not rather "quenched the
spirit" of prayer, and restrained my intercourse with God?
·
To
meet the Christian in ordinary courtesy, not in unity of heart, is a sign of an
unspiritual walk with God. Fellowship with God is "walking in the
light." "Fellowship one with another" is the natural flow.
"The communion of saints" is the fruit and effect of communion with
God.
·
The
calls of duty, or the leadings of Providence, may indeed unavoidably connect us
with those, who "have no fear of God before their eyes."
·
Nor
should we repel them, by religiously affecting a sullen or uncourteous habit.
But such men, whatever be their attractions, will not be the companions of our
choice.
·
Fellowship
with them is to "remove the ancient landmark"; to forget the broad
line of separation between us and them; and to venture into the most hazardous
atmosphere. If indeed our hearts were ascending, like a flame of fire, with a
natural motion heavenwards, and carrying with them all in their way, the choice
of the companions of our pilgrimage would be a matter of little importance.
·
But
so deadening to our spirit is the conversation of the men of this world
(however commanding their talents, or interesting their topics), that even if
we have been just before enlivened by the high privilege of communion with God,
the free and self-indulgent interchange of their society will benumb our
spiritual powers, and quickly freeze them again. To underrate therefore the
privileged association with them that fear God, is to incur—not only a most
awful responsibility in the sight of God, but also a most serious hazard to our
own souls.
·
If
then we are not ashamed to confess ourselves Christ-fans, let us not shrink
from walking in fellowship with Christians.
·
Even
if they should exhibit some repulsive features of character, they bear the
image of him, whom we profess to love inexpressibly and incomparably above all.
·
They
will be our companions in our eternal home; they ought therefore to be our
brothers now. How sweet, and holy, and heavenly, is this near relation with
them in our common Lord!
·
Shall
we not readily consent to his judgment, who pronounced "the righteous to be
more excellent than his neighbor?" "Iron sharpeneth iron." If
then "the iron be blunt," this will be one of the best means of
"whetting the edge." The most established servants of God gladly
acknowledge the sensible refreshment of this union of heart.
·
It
is marked in the word of God as the channel of the communication of heavenly
wisdom—as a feature in the character of the citizens of Zion, and especially as
that disposition, which is distinguished with manifest tokens of the Saviour's
presence; and which the great day will crown with the special seal of his
remembrance. "They that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and
the Lord hearkened and heard it “and a book of remembrance was written before
him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they
shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my
jewels."[1]
ON
KEEPING THE LORDS DAY HOLY[2]
CHAPTER III
DIES ECCLESIAE
The Eucharistic Assembly:
Heart of Sunday
The Sunday obligation
48. Today, as in the heroic times of
the beginning, many who wish to live in accord with the demands of their faith
are being faced with difficult situations in various parts of the world. They
live in surroundings which are sometimes decidedly hostile and at other times —
more frequently in fact — indifferent and unresponsive to the Gospel message.
If believers are not to be overwhelmed, they must be able to count on the
support of the Christian community. This is why they must be convinced that it
is crucially important for the life of faith that they should come together
with others on Sundays to celebrate the Passover of the Lord in the sacrament
of the New Covenant. It is the special responsibility of the Bishops,
therefore, "to ensure that Sunday is appreciated by all the faithful, kept
holy and celebrated as truly ?the Lord's Day', on which the Church comes
together to renew the remembrance of the Easter mystery in hearing the word of
God, in offering the sacrifice of the Lord, in keeping the day holy by means of
prayer, works of charity and abstention from work".
Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Prayer.
Grant, we
beseech Thee, Almighty God, that, ever fixing our thoughts on reasonable
things, we may perform, both in words and works, the things that are pleasing
to Thee. Amen.
EPISTLE,
i. Thess. i. 2-10.
Brethren:
We give thanks to God always for you all: making a remembrance of you in our
prayers without ceasing, being mindful of the work of your faith, and labor,
and charity, and of the enduring of the hope of Our Lord Jesus Christ before
God and our Father. Knowing, brethren beloved of God, your election: for our
Gospel hath not been unto you in word only, but in power also, and in the Holy
Ghost, and in much fulness, as you know what manner of men, we have been among
you for your sakes. And you became followers of us, and of the Lord, receiving
the word in much tribulation, with joy of the Holy Ghost: so that you were made
a pattern to all that believe in Macedonia
and in Achaia. For from you was spread abroad the word of the Lord, not only in
Macedonia and in Achaia, but also in every place, your faith which is towards
God, is gone forth, so that we need not to speak anything. For they themselves
relate of us, what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how you turned to
God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from
heaven (Whom He raised up from the dead), Jesus Who hath delivered us from the
wrath to come. Explanation. St. Paul wishes grace and peace to the
Thessalonians; gives them the assurance of his prayers without ceasing and
declares his joy at their having received the faith in Christ; at their being
zealous in good works and firm in tribulation, and at their persevering in the
hope of reward, whereby they became a pattern to others, who were led to
embrace the true religion, and were confirmed in it by their example. Oh, that
we could say the same of Christians of the present day! Such a life is- the
glory of Christianity. Let us, therefore, endeavor to have a living faith,
shining forth in all good works, with a firm hope of our salvation, that we too
may be an example to unbelievers.
GOSPEL.
Matt. xiii. 31-35.
At that time Jesus spoke to the multitudes this
parable: The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard-seed, which a man
took and sowed in his field: which is the least indeed of all seeds: but when
it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the
birds of the air come and dwell in the branches thereof. Another parable He
spoke to them: The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took and
hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened. All these things
Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes: and without parables He did not
speak to them. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
I will open My mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the
foundation of the world.
"Why are the Church and
the doctrines of Christ compared to a grain of mustard-seed?
Because they are very similar:
the mustard-seed, though small, in Palestine grows to be very high, spreads wide,
and is very prolific. In like manner the Church and doctrine of Christ, though
at the beginning very small, increased so fast, and in time reached such a
large growth, as to surpass all other religions, so that the princes and wise
men of the world sheltered themselves under the protection of Christianity, as
the bird? dwell under the branches of the tree.
Why are the Church and the
doctrines of Christ compared to leaven?
Because as leaven in a short
time penetrates and makes palatable a large measure of meal, so the Church and
the doc trines of Christ penetrated most rapidly three quarters of the globe,
corrected the foolish opinions of the heathen, and gave them a taste lor divine
things and heavenly wisdom.
Prayer.
Most amiable Jesus, we thank Thee for having called
us to Thy Church, and for having communicated to us Thy doctrine. Give us grace
to become by it each day better and more pleasing to Thee, and finally to
attain eternal happiness. Enlighten also the nations living in heresy and darkness,
that they may know Thee, and be delivered from the wrath to come. Amen.
Orphan
Sunday[3]
True
religion is taking care of widows and orphans.
Orphan Sunday is a time to
stand up for the orphans of the world. In truth, there are likely no more vulnerable
human beings in the entire world than those thousands upon thousands of
children in this world who have no mother or father, due to all sorts of
tragedies that have occurred in their lives, ranging from accidents, to
sicknesses, to war. Whatever the reason, orphaned children need our help in any
way we can offer it.
Over the years, many different
churches and organizations have hosted events they called, “Orphan Sundays” in
an effort to raise awareness of the orphans in our areas, their problems and
needs. The Christian Alliance started their own version of Orphan Sunday back
in, when a American visitor to Africa Gary Schneider attending a church service
in Zambia was moved by the pastor’s call to care for the numerous orphans in a
local community plagued by hunger bordering on starvation, poverty and AIDS. At
that time especially, children who were orphans were in a particularly terrible
situations, as they were often left to fend for themselves, a thing that no
child is prepared to do. Because of this, many children’s entire lives became
jeopardized, as they had no way to make enough money to get to school in hopes
of getting an education and a decent job in the future. Even though the locals
attending the service were mostly extremely poor themselves, at the end of the
service, many of them stepped forward to offer their support, some even giving
away their own clothes or shoes to help the children. Moved by this display of
generosity, Schneider decided to help Zambian leaders take care of the Zambian
orphans by getting the word out about this new practice, and it spread like
wildfire. By 2003 these efforts had spread to the United States. The Christian
Alliance honors the Zambian church Schneider had visited for the gift of Orphan
Sunday and the inspiration they gave people all over the world to care about
the orphan; in fact, Orphan Sunday is often called, “Zambia’s gift to the
world”. Nowadays, the Christian Alliance includes more 150 respected
ministries, and Orphan Sunday is celebrated in thousands of churches across the
globe in over 50 nations.
How to Celebrate Orphan Sunday
The best way to celebrate
Orphan Sunday is find something you can do for the sadly fatherless and
motherless children the Zambians have been doing their best to look after for
all these years. And it doesn’t stop there! Though Zambia is where the whole
event started, it is definitely not the only place in the world where we can
find orphaned children—there are children who have lost their parents in every
community that could use your help. Orphan Sunday is your opportunity to rouse
church, community and friends to God’s call to care for the orphan. Each Orphan
Sunday event is different, depending on who it’s led by—the believer in any
local church, along with their priest or pastor, get together to decide what
actions they could take stand to benefit their local orphans as well as orphans
worldwide. Events range from sermons on God’s heart for the orphan, whose
plight Christians believe is especially important to, to fundraisers, live
concerts, and even to foster family recruiting.
Bitter Chocolate with Almonds Day[4]
This intriguingly specific Day
celebrates a particular combination of flavors – dark, bitter chocolate and
toasted almonds. This is one of the oldest recipes involving chocolate known in
the English-speaking world, featuring as the only chocolate dish in an
18th-century cookbook. This festivity exists mainly as an idea circulated on
the internet. It is sponsored by the National Confections Association, and
celebrated and encouraged by organizations such as food.com, a site which aims
to encourage cooking and the appreciation of food by holding various different
food days. Both the tannins in dark chocolate and the various fatty acids in
almonds have many health benefits, various studies have shown. Bitter Chocolate
with Almonds Day encourages a delicious and nourishing dessert, which
contributes to health and long life. Celebrate by dipping blanched almonds in
the best dark chocolate you can find and serving to your friends with a glass
of red wine!
Daylight Saving Time Ends[5]
The
first Sunday in November marks the end of Daylight Savings Time in the US.
On this day, clocks are set back 1 hour, except for Hawaii and parts of
Arizona which do not observe DST.
Daylight
Saving Time Ends Facts
The
dates for DST to begin and end were set forth by the US Congress in the Energy
Act of 2005. Arizona, Hawaii, and four US territories (Guam, American Samoa,
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) do not observe Daylight Savings Time.
Research suggest that daylight savings time is related to a rise in heart
attacks, while the end of daylight savings time saw a slight decrease the first
three days after the time change.
Daylight
Saving Time Ends Top Events and Things to Do
·
Replace
the batteries on smoke and carbon dioxide detectors.
·
Put
the emergency winter
kit back in the vehicle.
·
Begin
preparing for the coming holidays.
·
Make
sure outdoor lights are in working order.
·
Put
reflectors on bikes so that vehicles can more easily see you as it gets dark
earlier.
Daily Devotions
·
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.
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Holy
Bishops and Cardinals
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
Go to MASS
· Rosary
[1]https://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/otesources/19-psalms/text/books/bridges-psalm119/bridges-ps119.pdf
[4]https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/bittersweet-chocolate-with-almonds-day/
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