First Wednesday
ST. HUBERT
Hallelujah!
Blessed the man who FEARS the LORD, who greatly delights in his
commands.
This
psalm is detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by
obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children, wealth that
enables them to be magnanimous, and virtue by which they encourage others. The
just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled.[1]
Hallelujah is a conjunction of two Hebrew words which mean “Praise the Lord”. Yes, praise God for men who have Holy fear and follow his commands for such person’s help to create a Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Hallelujah! If you know such people, follow and emulate them.
Remember
to pray for souls in purgatory[2]
Reigning from 1198 to
1216, Pope Innocent III was one of the most influential and important popes of
his era.
He granted Francis of
Assisi and his small band of follower’s permission to found the Order of Friars
Minor; he convened the Fourth Lateran Council which, among other things,
dogmatically defined the doctrine of transubstantiation; and he organized great
efforts to combat heresy in Europe and repel invading Muslim forces.
[See also: Burned
by the Hands of Souls in Purgatory: A Museum’s Rare Collection]
[See also: Is
Purgatory Really in the Bible? Jimmy Akin Explains]
Then, after more than 18
years as pope, he died suddenly. But that wasn’t the last he was heard
from. When a Christian dies, Catholics
believe, they may go straight to heaven if they lack any outstanding temporal
punishment due to sins they’ve committed. But many Christians will go to
purgatory first, where, by the grace of Jesus Christ, they are purified and
prepared to enter into the presence of the all-holy God.
The story goes that on the
day Pope Innocent III died, or soon thereafter, he appeared to St. Lutgardis
of Aywières in
Belgium. St. Lutgardis is considered to have been one of the great mystics
of the 13th century, known for her miracles, visions, levitation, and
particularly adept teaching.
When Pope Innocent
appeared to her, he thanked her for her prayers during his lifetime, but
explained that he was in trouble: he had not gone straight to heaven but was in
purgatory, suffering its purifying fire for three specific faults he had
committed during his life.
And he made a
desperate plea for help:
“Alas! It is terrible; and
will last for centuries if you do not come to my assistance. In the name of
Mary, who has obtained for me the favor of appealing to you, help me!”
Then he vanished.
With a sense of urgency,
St. Lutgardis quickly told her fellow religious sisters what she had seen and
prayed for his soul.
Remember to pray for the
holy souls in purgatory!
[See also: 5
Saints Who Had Terrifying Visions of Hell]
[See also: Why
Satan Is So Scared of St. John Paul II, According to Rome’s Chief Exorcist]
St. Hubert[3]
Late in the eighth century, so runs the story, a hunter
named Hubert, neither better nor worse than he should have been, was tracking a
stag through the forest of the Ardennes. As he readied himself to shoot the
animal with his arrow, he was startled when the stag turned suddenly in its
flight, and he saw between its antlers a luminous cross. This experience caused
Hubert to change his way of life, and he never hunted again. Yet only a few
centuries later he was known as the patron of hunters, and is a saint greatly
honored in France and Belgium.
Saint Hubert lived a full life. He became bishop of Tongres
and traveled through his huge diocese on horseback and by boat, preaching and
building churches to the glory of God. He was the friend of the great of his
day — Pepin of Heristal and Charles Martel among them — and also of the poor.
In particular his heart went out to prisoners, and he would secretly place food
for them before their dungeon windows. As he died, he said to those about him,
"Stretch the pallium over my mouth for I am now going to give back to God
the soul I received from Him."
In parts of France and Belgium there has long been a custom
of holding stag hunts on Saint Hubert's Day, and the hunters gather before the
chase for Mass and the blessing of men and horses and dogs. After the hunt is
over, those taking part gather for a bountiful breakfast consisting of fish,
meat, salad, cheese, and dessert. Naturally the meat is venison of some sort,
and the salad may well be one of dandelion greens.
Excerpted from Feast Day
Cookbook
Patron: Archers; dog bite; dogs; forest workers; furriers; hunters; hunting; huntsmen; hydrophobia; liege, Belgium; machinists; mad dogs; mathematicians; metal workers; precision instrument makers; rabies; smelters; trappers.
Things to Do:
·
Have roast venison in honor of St. Hubert,
patron of hunters.
· Have some Jagermeister
Please
pray for the soul of a great priest and friend of mine who I had the pleasure
of knowing while stationed in Belgium-Father Paul Wolf as it was, he who
introduced me to St. Hubert.
First Wednesday[4]
Our Heavenly Father desires all three hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph to be honored. And so along with devotion to Jesus on First Fridays, and to Mary on First Saturdays, Our Father longs for us to add devotion to St. Joseph on each First Wednesday of the month.
"The Sacred Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph have been chosen by the Most Holy Trinity to bring peace to the world." It is at God's request that "special love and honor be given to them" to help us "imitate" their love and their lives, as well as "offer reparation" for the sins committed against them and their love.
The St. Joseph First Wednesday devotion is:
1. Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary - remembering St. Joseph's love, his life, his role and his sufferings
2. Receive Holy Communion - in union with the love St. Joseph had for Jesus the first time and each time he held him - his son, his God and Savior - in his arms.
In the approved
apparitions of Our Lady of America, St. Joseph revealed:
· "I am the protector of the Church and
the home, as I was the protector of Christ and his mother while I lived upon
earth. Jesus and Mary desire that my pure heart, so long hidden and unknown, be
now honored in a special way.
· Let my children honor my most pure heart in a
special manner on the First Wednesday of the month by reciting the Joyful
Mysteries of the Rosary in memory of my life with Jesus and Mary and the love I
bore them, the sorrow I suffered with them.
· Let them receive Holy Communion in union with
the love with which I received the Savior for the first time and each time I
held Him in my arms.
· Those who honor me in this way will be
consoled by my presence at their death, and I myself will conduct them safely
into the presence of Jesus and Mary."
Every Wednesday is
Dedicated to St. Joseph
The Italian culture has
always had a close association with St. Joseph perhaps you could make
Wednesdays centered around Jesus’s Papa. Plan an Italian dinner of pizza or
spaghetti after attending Mass as most parishes have a Wednesday evening Mass.
You could even do carry out to help restaurants. If you are adventurous, you
could do the Universal Man Plan: St. Joseph style. Make the evening a family night
perhaps it could be a game night. Whatever you do make the day special.
· Devotion to the 7 Joys and Sorrows of St.
Joseph
·
Do the St.
Joseph Universal Man Plan.
Daily
Devotions
·
Today's Fast: Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: The Pope
·
Litany of the Most
Precious Blood of Jesus
·
Total Consecration to St. Joseph Day 1
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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