THANKSGIVING-ST. CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA
Daniel, Chapter 6, Verse 27-28
27
I decree that throughout my royal domain the God of Daniel is to be reverenced
and feared: “For he
is the living God, enduring forever, whose kingdom shall not be destroyed,
whose dominion shall be without end, 28 A savior and deliverer, working
signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who saved Daniel from the lions’
power.”
This
is the summation of the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. In this chapter
Daniel is a type of Christ like figure. He is falsely accused by those who are
jealous of him. They use legal tricks to entrap Daniel and have him condemned
to the lion’s den. He is even put inside; the den is sealed over with a giant
boulder, thus mirroring Christ’s tomb. In the end Daniel is not eaten by the
lions but those who conspired against him are thrown into the lions and eaten.
The story reflects the glory of Christ’s victory over Satan and the demons.
Decision Making: Choices Confirm or Compromise
Values[1]
Daniel
when presented with a law that opposed the laws of God had to decide whether he
would submit or stay true to his convictions. He chose his life principles. He
likely followed the principles of:
1.
Weighting
out the options before you decide.
2.
Ask
if those choices force you to compromise personal values.
3.
Seek
wise counsel.
4.
Count
the cost.
5.
Decide
based on principles.
6.
Act
on your decision swiftly and firmly.
Daniel
maintained a set of values and principles that enabled him to make decisions
quickly and confidently. If you take too much time making decisions often it is
too late to act. Do not wait to survey the pulse of your people and paralyze
your organization. Do the right thing!
Let us be Thankful
Thanksgiving
Day[2]
Thanksgiving Day is a
celebration of giving thanks for the harvest and blessings of the past year. It
is a day of giving thanks to God for his many blessings and expressing our
gratitude to friends and family members. It is celebrated in the United States.
Thanksgiving Day dates back to the Reformation Period and is accompanied by
prayers, special ceremonies, and feasts. Thanksgiving is observed on the fourth
Thursday in November each year.
Thanksgiving Day Facts & Quotes
·
The
first Thanksgiving Day feast was held in 1621 between the Plymouth colonists
and the Wampanoag Indians.
·
In
1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a
national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.
·
According
to the US Government Census, in 2014, 242 million turkeys were raised in the
United States.
·
President
Franklin D. Roosevelt established the fourth Thursday in November as the
official Thanksgiving Day in 1941.
·
Thanksgiving
is almost here. It's my favorite holiday, which is surprising since I'm
no fan of giving or saying thanks. - Stephen Colbert
Thanksgiving Day Top Events and
Things to Do
·
Watch
or attend a Parade. The largest are the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in
New York and the McDonalds Thanksgiving parade in Chicago.
·
Eat
lots of traditional Thanksgiving food including turkey, cranberry sauce and
sweet potatoes.
·
Watch
or attend a football game. Besides NFL, there are many college and high
school football games on this day.
·
Go
running or do some other form of exercise in the morning - so you won't feel so
guilty indulging a grand Thanksgiving meal.
·
Talk
to relatives and friends by phone, email, or internet to remind them how
thankful you are that they are all part of your life.
Thanksgiving: Plimoth Plantation Plymouth,
Massachusetts[3]
At
Plimoth Plantation, it’s always 1627. The living museum and its costumed
“residents” re-create New England’s first successful European settlement as
well as a Native village. Thanksgiving dinner has its roots in a harvest celebration
that 52 Pilgrims shared with 90 members of the Wampanoag tribe in 1621, one
year after the settlers sailed from England. It included fowl (probably ducks
and geese rather than turkey), venison, corn, and most likely fresh and dried
fruits and vegetables. Every fall Plimoth Plantation re-creates a harvest meal
from that period as well as serving a classic American Thanksgiving dinner.
The
Mass: The Perfect Thanksgiving[4]
Men have not only prayed
in thanksgiving but have offered in thanksgiving: something that was a sign of
themselves, to show they were thankful for life, were sorry for their sins
against the Giver of life, would give their lives in return, if they might, to
the One they owe so much. They made offerings in thanks for the things that sustain
life, for the preservation of life. "Abel also offered of the firstlings
of his flock, and of their fat.”.. "So Noe went out, he and his sons,
his wife and the wives of his sons.... all living things went out of the
ark. And Noe built an altar unto the Lord: and taking of all cattle and fowl
that were dean, offered holocausts upon the altar.... ." They made
bloody offerings, because the offering is a symbol of the offerer, and blood is
the essence of life. Blood is life. There were other offerings... . . "Melchidesech,
the king of Salem, bringing forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the
most high God, blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram by the most high God, who
created heaven and earth.”. . . Because bread maintains life,
and wine enhances life. God told them what to sacrifice, and how to sacrifice;
but especially He told them to make the sacrifice of the Pasch, because it was
a memorial to their freedom and their protection, a memorial of thanksgiving to
the God who loved them. ". . . and it shall be a lamb
without blemish, a male, one year. . . and the whole multitude
of the children of Israel shall sacrifice it in the evening.”, "And this
day shall be a memorial unto you: and you shall keep it a feast to the
Lord. . . for with a strong hand the Lord hath brought you out
of this place." He brought them through water, led them by fire, fed them
with manna, and when they sinned against Him, He chastised them and accepted
their sacrifices of expiation. He made it part of their Law, their Covenant,
that they were to offer sacrifice: of reparation, of petition, of praise, of
thanksgiving.
Then Christ came.
When it was time for the
thing to happen for which He came, He said to the Apostles: "This is My
body, which is being given for you; do this, in remembrance of Me." And He
said: "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which shall be shed for
you." This was the new covenant, the new
Pasch. . . "in My blood," He said. From that
moment on they were to make sacrifice "in My blood." The
offering is a symbol of the offerer. Blood is the essence of life. This is our
gift to offer: His Body and Blood, every day. Think of all the things the
Redemption accomplished, and do not forget this last: to put into our hands the
perfect Gift, the pure Victim — "holy and spotless, the holy bread of
everlasting life and the chalice of everlasting salvation." With the
sacrifice of Holy Mass, Catholics make their thanksgiving.
St. Catherine of Alexandria
The account of her martyrdom is legendary and defies every attempt to cull out the historical kernel. Old Oriental sources make no mention of her. In the West her cult does not appear before the eleventh century, when the crusaders made it popular. She became the patroness of philosophical faculties; she is one of the "Fourteen Holy Helpers." The breviary offers the following:
Catherine, virgin of Alexandria, devoted herself to the pursuit of knowledge; at the age of eighteen, she surpassed all her contemporaries in science. Upon seeing how the Christians were being tortured, she went before Emperor Maximin (311-313), upbraided him for his cruelty, and with convincing reasons demonstrated the need of Christian faith in order to be saved. Astounded by her wisdom, the Emperor ordered her to be kept confined, and having summoned the most learned philosophers, promised them magnificent rewards if they could confound the virgin and turn her from belief in Christ. Far from being successful, a considerable number of the philosophers were inflamed by the sound reasons and persuasiveness of Catherine's speech with such a love for Jesus Christ that they declared themselves willing to offer their lives for the Gospel.
Then the Emperor attempted to win her by flattery and by promises, but his efforts proved equally fruitless. He ordered her whipped with rods, scourged with leaden nodules, and then left to languish eleven days without food in prison. The Emperor's wife and Porphyrius, general of the army, visited Catherine in prison; her words brought both to Christ and later they too proved their love in blood. Catherine's next torture consisted of being placed upon a wheel with sharp and pointed knives; from her lacerated body prayers ascended to heaven and the infernal machine fell to pieces. Many who witnessed the miracle embraced the faith. Finally, on November 25 Christ's servant was beheaded (307 or 312). By the hands of angels her body was carried to Mt. Sinai, where it was interred in the convent which bears her name.
Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.
Patron: Apologists; craftsmen who work with a wheel (potters; spinners; etc.); archivists; attorneys; barristers; dying people; educators; girls; jurists; knife grinders; knife sharpeners; lawyers; librarians; libraries; maidens; mechanics; millers; nurses; old maids; philosophers; potters; preachers; scholars; schoolchildren; scribes; secretaries; spinners; spinsters; stenographers; students; tanners; teachers; theologians; turners; unmarried girls; wheelwrights.
Things to Do:
- St. Catherine was invoked by
young girls seeking husbands. If you have children, you could use this
feast to discuss the qualities of a good spouse. You could bake St.
Catherine's wigs and have your discussion as part of the fun (a spoon full
of sugar).
- Read more about St.
Catherine.
- St. Catherine's remains are in St. Katherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai. The Monastery, a 1,600-year old fortress at the base of Mt. Sinai, is inhabited by Coptic monks (not in union with Rome). Inside the chapel is believed to be the Burning Bush, through which God first appeared to Moses. Read more about the history of the Church of Alexandria and the Council of Chalcedon where the Coptic Church broke from the bark of Peter and pray for the reunion of all Eastern Churches under the Pope.
Octave of Christ the King
·
Mediate
on the virtues of Mary (Humility, Generosity, Chastity, Patience, Temperance, Understanding/love and Wisdom. One for each
day.
·
attend
Mass daily or via EWTN or the internet
·
Fast
doing the Daniel fast (Monday-Saturday).
·
Exercise-Universal Man Plan.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: The
sanctification of the Church Militant.
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Litany
of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
"Faith cannot
save without virtue"
·
Rosary
Comments
Post a Comment