Thursday after Sexagesima-Carnival
Psalm 49, Verse 17
Do not FEAR
when a man becomes rich, when the wealth of his house grows great.
The next verse drives the point: for his glory shall not descend with him!
Inheritance vs. Legacy[1]
Fix your eyes on that which endures. In the movie Centennial it portrays a young Arapahoe child in the year 1756, who learns his father has just been killed in battle and is taught the lesson that 'only rocks live forever'. God encourages us to fix our eyes on the eternal. Leaders become consumed with the momentary but forget the lasting. Christ tells us that leaders must not pursue wealth or power for true greatness comes from inside out. Even our own bodies make a testimony to this by accomplishing the healing from the inside out. True leaders pursue a legacy rather than wealth. What does any man take with him to the grave? Only a vision came outlive a man. Think of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. A huge difference exists between a legacy and an inheritance. Anyone can leave an inheritance. An inheritance is something you leave TO your family or loved ones, and it also fades. A legacy is something you leave IN your family and loved ones.
·
An
inheritance is something tangible you give to others, but a legacy is something
you place in others.
·
An
inheritance brings temporary happiness, but a legacy transform’s lives.
·
An
inheritance is spent but a legacy is renewing.
· An inheritance may or may not pay off, but a legacy always propagates.
Live,
Love, Learn and Leave a Legacy[2]
One of the great
achievements of Steven Covey was the coining of the phrase “To Live, To Love,
To Learn, To Leave a Legacy”. Beyond the beautiful wording, it taught that a
fulfilling life requires recognizing the existence, importance and differences
of four human dimensions.
·
Physical-The first dimension is the the
physical dimension. It is the world of action, the world of survival, the world
of physical pleasure. It’s easy to access this dimension through an activity
like eating, but the pleasure is short-lived and ends shortly after the last
bite.
·
Emotional-Next up is the emotional dimension.
It’s the world of belonging, caring, connecting and loving. It takes more work
to properly access this dimension because it involves other people. The
pleasure is much deeper and more meaningful than the physical. A litmus test is
that one would not trade the true love of a spouse or a child for even
$1billion, which can buy a lot of physical pleasure.
·
Mental-Higher up is the mental dimension.
It’s the world of learning, understanding and creating. These activities
require more time, thought and effort than emotional activities. They are the
activities at the root of self-actualization, and they help us keep our
emotional and physical activities within the proper measure. It is the
dimension that powers the political, business and altruistic worlds in which
people often sacrifice their emotional relationship in pursuit of solutions to
big problems.
·
`The highest dimension is the spiritual
dimension. It goes beyond self-actualization to self-transcendence, higher
purpose and leaving a legacy. It is the realm of belief and dedication to a
Higher Power. It is all the dimension of free will and doing the intrinsically
right thing
When a person is actively
cognizant and living within these four human dimensions he is functioning at a
higher level. Understanding them is a key component of health, happiness, and
meaning.
Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle
The
feast of Saint Matthias[3]
was included in the Roman Calendar in the 11th century and celebrated on
the sixth day to the Calends of March (24 February usually, but 25 February in
leap years). In the revision of the General Roman
Calendar in
1969, his feast was transferred to 14 May, so as not to celebrate it in Lent but instead in Eastertide close to the Solemnity of the
Ascension, the
event after which the Acts of the Apostles recounts that Matthias was selected
to be ranked with the Twelve Apostles.
OF[4]
this apostle nothing certain is known beyond what is contained in the epistle.
In the Introit of the Mass the Church sings: “To me Thy friends, O God, are
made exceedingly honorable; their principality is exceedingly strengthened.
Lord, Thou hast proved me and known me; Thou hast known my sitting down and my
rising up.”
Prayer. O God, Who didst associate blessed
Matthias to the company of the apostles, grant, we beseech Thee, that, by his
intercession, we may ever experience Thy tender mercy towards us.
EPISTLE. Acts i.
15-26.
In
those days Peter rising up in the midst of the brethren said (now the number of
persons together was about a hundred and twenty): Men, brethren, the Scripture
must needs be fulfilled which the Holy Ghost spoke before by the mouth of David
concerning Judas, who was the leader of them that apprehended Jesus: who was
numbered with us and had obtained part of this ministry. And he indeed hath
possessed a field of the reward of iniquity and being hanged burst asunder in
the midst: and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem: so that the same field was called in their tongue,
Haceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of
Psalms: Let their habitation become desolate and let there be none to dwell
therein. And his bishopric let another take. Wherefore of these men who have
companied with us, all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among
us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day wherein He was taken up
from us, one of these must be made a witness with us of His resurrection. And
they appointed two, Joseph, called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and
Matthias. And praying, they said: Thou, Lord, Who knowest the hearts of all
men, show whether of these two Thou hast chosen to take the place of this
ministry and apostleship, from which Judas hath by transgression fallen, that
he might go to his own place. And they gave them lots, and the lot fell upon
Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
GOSPEL. Matt. xi.
25-30.
At that time
Jesus answered and said I confess to Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed
them to little ones. Yea, Father: for so hath it seemed good in Thy sight. All
things are delivered to Me by My Father. And no one knoweth the Son, but the
Father: neither doth anyone know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it
shall please the Son to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you that labor and are burdened,
and I will refresh you. Take up My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, because I am
meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke
is sweet and My burden light. The wise and prudent referred to in this gospel
are the proud scribes and Pharisees, who, in their imaginary wisdom, would not
receive the incarnate and suffering Son of God, but despised and rejected Him;
in general, they represent also all who in their pride would measure everything
by their own understanding, and to whom, consequently, the mysteries of faith
seem foolishness. The little ones are the apostles, who, although taken from a
low condition of life, without a learned education, but rather ignorant, were
enlightened by God to know the deepest mysteries, because they had docile and
humble hearts, desirous of salvation. Thus, God gives grace to the humble,
while the proud go away empty. To those who bear His yoke, and follow Him,
Christ promises peace of mind, temporal and eternal happiness; and, indeed, we
must confess that as often as we are disquieted and discontented the cause of
it is our selfishness and want of submission to the will of God, our pride and
vanity. Learn, then, to love to be meek and humble, if you would enjoy peace,
here or here after.
Prayer
to St. Matthias. O
St. Matthias, glorious apostle and martyr of Jesus Christ, who, by the special
providence of God, wast added to the eleven apostles in the room of the
traitor, I humbly beseech thee to obtain for us the grace of Him Who chose thee
from all eternity, that, assisted thereby, we may, after thy example, keep the
commandments of God, practice good works, and thus merit to be numbered with
the elect. Amen.
Thursday after Sexagesima-Carnival[5]
It
might sound odd that during the period of "Carnival" there occurs
some of the most decadent feasting of the liturgical year. There is, however, a
pious (if not somewhat convoluted) logic behind this consumption. Because not
only meat but lacticinia (dairy products) were originally prohibited during
Lent, Christians knew that they had to eat these foods before Ash Wednesday, or
they would spoil. The last days before Lent were thus spent in eating copious
amounts of fat dishes. From this necessity comes England's famous Shrove
Tuesday Pancakes and northern England's Collop Monday (a collop is made of
sliced meat and eggs fried in butter). This also gave rise to the most famous
(or infamous, depending on your point of view) Christian party of all: Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras, or "Fat
Tuesday," is the French celebration of the final day before Lent. In this
country it is associated mostly with the Cajun and Creole cuisine of New
Orleans, two culinary traditions that provide a myriad of spicy, delicious
dishes. One of the more interesting customs of the New Orleans Mardi Gras is
the baking of a King's Cake, in which is placed a small doll of the Infant
Jesus. The person whose piece of cake has the doll must provide the cake for
next year's party.
How to Party like a Catholic[6]
Postmodern man—and postmodern woman—don’t know how to give a good party.
It’s up to us Catholics to reclaim this lost art and share it with the world.
Why? Because good parties are
intrinsic to our Catholic faith. The liturgical year is punctuated with a wide
array of feast days and celebrations, many of which are Christianized versions
of holidays that once closely tracked the agricultural calendar of planting and
harvesting. The two largest and best-known feasts are, of course, Christmas and
Easter, but there are also the two Christmas and Easter spin-offs, Epiphany and
Pentecost. In addition, there’s the feast of Mary, Mother of God (New Year’s
Day); Ascension Thursday; Corpus Christi; the feast of the Immaculate
Conception; All Saints Day (with Halloween and the Day of the Dead); and, the
most famous party of all, Mardi Gras, which has strayed far from its Catholic
origin as the last celebration before the Lenten fast but still embodies a
certain Catholic sensibility. Above all, every Sunday for Catholics is a feast
day on which we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. Only in Lent and the mini-Lent
of Advent is it not party time, but even in these two seasons, there are
exceptions for St. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, St. Nicholas’s Day, and
other feasts.
Of course, as the Church wisely
realizes, feasts are more fun if preceded by fasts. The stricter the fast, the
merrier the feast. Truly the Catholic tradition has mastered the art of
well-timed, heavily scheduled, carefully orchestrated good times.
The occasion of a sacrament—baptism,
confirmation, or matrimony—is the best possible opportunity for a good party.
In fact, many Catholics take it for granted that a wedding should be marked by
a grand feast. The bigger and more elaborate the feast, the more it conforms to
the biblical model in John 2:1-11 of the wedding feast at Cana. Mary, Jesus,
and His disciples all attend. In the middle of the party, the wine runs out.
Mary explains this difficult situation to her son; after all, the gospel
implies, it won’t be much of a party without wine. After an exchange with His
mother, Jesus asks those in charge to fill six stone pots with water. "And
they filled them to the brim," John says. When the host tastes the water,
he is startled to discover that Jesus has changed it to wine, and not just any
wine but the best they will have all night. Hence, Jesus’ first miracle was not
a solemn occasion, as one might expect, but a celebration.
Party Poopers
You might expect that such a
remarkable story as this, one that recounts Jesus’ first public display of
divine power, would be standard fare in evangelical Protestant pulpits, where
the words of the Bible take precedence over any liturgical design. Not so. If
you have ever attended a Southern Baptist wedding, for example, you know why:
There is no feast. The ceremony lasts perhaps 20 minutes at most, and then the
entire crowd descends to the social hall under the church to eat pastel butter
mints and cake and sip a tiny cup of fizzy, pink, nonalcoholic punch. Wine is forbidden
by tradition, so no one is looking for any. The whole affair is over in less
than an hour. Baptists may be people of the Book, but they certainly are not
people of the party. So much for living the words of Scripture.
How did the wedding feast, so joyously
celebrated at Cana, come to be the dreary occasion that it is in the Baptist
tradition? Like members of other non-liturgical faiths, Southern Baptists tend
to reject regularly scheduled intervals of joy, sadness, celebration, and
suffering, less for explicit doctrinal reasons than because it all just seems
too, well, Catholic.
Protestants have traditionally found
the Catholicity of Christian holidays deeply problematic. During the colonial
period, Massachusetts actually outlawed Christmas, and the controversy about
whether to put up a lighted tree in church still erupts in evangelical
congregations. If Protestant Americans had been left to their own devices, we
would celebrate only Thanksgiving (which is actually a version of St. Martin’s
Day, November 11) and the Fourth of July.
This aspect of the Catholic faith is
as conspicuous to outsiders as it is taken for granted by us: One day we are
eating pancakes and throwing parties for Fat Tuesday, and the next day, Ash
Wednesday, we are walking around with ashes on our foreheads repenting for our
sins. What is it about us Romanists and our ways?
Biblical Partying
The Bible, it turns out, is filled with fabulous parties.
Think of the parable of the prodigal son. When he returns to his father’s home
with a contrite heart after living the high life, he is not given broth and
sent to bed. No, his father says, "bring hither the fatted calf, kill it,
and let us eat and be merry; for this my son," as if to show that home is
where the high life actually is. St. Clement of Alexandria wrote: "The
repentant son came to the pitying father, never hoping for these things—the
best robe, and the ring, and the shoes—or to taste the fatted calf, or to share
in gladness, or enjoy music and dances; he would have been contented with
obtaining what in his own estimation he deemed himself worthy." Instead,
he got it all. Given this spirit of liberality in one of Jesus’ own parables, a
good Catholic should be prepared to throw a great party whenever the
opportunity arises. Now, it’s true that merrymaking cannot be the sum total of
the way we live. The ever-stern St. Francis de Sales, in his Introduction to
the Devout Life, warns against excessive frivolity. But he does affirm that
balls and festivities are not evil in themselves and can even be used for good.
"It is lawful to amuse yourself, to dance, dress, feast, and see seemly
plays," he affirms. The proviso is that the good times must not hinder,
but help, devotion.
Boring Parties
·
What is striking about modern life is how dull
our attempts at frivolity often turn out to be, not only because they are not
interrupted by fasting and prayer, as they should be, but also because we have
lost the art of how to throw a good party.
·
We’ve all had the experience of walking into a
party where we know only a few people, and all the rest are talking among
themselves. We find someone we know and hope he doesn’t mind if we talk
exclusively to him for, oh, the entire length of the party.
·
We know we are supposed to mingle with the
others, but no matter how many tips on that we’ve heard or read, mingling never
seems to work. Some people resent intrusions into their conversations, and in
any case, there usually doesn’t seem to be much to talk about. The most we can
hope for is a good opportunity to make an inconspicuous exit.
·
Thousands of parties like this come and go
without leaving any impression on the guests. The host is left with a huge mess
and not much else to show for it. It’s no wonder that many people are
disinclined to hold parties, or that they do it only when they have to, or that
they invite only the in-crowd when they can get away with it, or that they
never attempt much in the way of food and drink beyond chips and beer.
Find a Reason to Party
It doesn’t have to be this way. All
parties should have an ostensible reason for being. This is what makes them
communal occasions and provides a reason why all these people should be
together in one spot at the same time. With a theme, people have a mental hook,
so that they can later think: "I loved that St. Cecilia party" Fortunately,
our liturgical calendar provides plenty of ideas for themes. Saints’ days are
the perfect excuses for celebrations, and it helps that these days rarely step
on the more conventional party excuses of everyone else.
Here’s why theme parties are out of
fashion: We live in a culture obsessed with the fear of violating someone
else’s conscience. We don’t impose our values on others, and we never assert
the superiority of our own or point out problems with others’ points of view.
If we happen to have values, that’s fine, but we dare not suggest that others
should adopt them. That would be bad form. A theme party is typically seen as
an imposition on the conscience. For example, say you invite guests to your
house to celebrate the feast of St. Blaise on February 3. What if they don’t
like this saint, or they think saints are generally weird? What if they aren’t
in the mood? Why should your priorities trump theirs? Isn’t it manipulative to
tell people how they should feel? These are the kinds of deconstructionist
fears that tacitly haunt us and keep us from setting a theme for an evening.
The Catholic liturgy, however, assigns themes to practically every day. We are
supposed to mourn on Good Friday and then two days later shout,
"Alleluia" Is this manipulative? Not at all. Theologian Michael Foley
of Boston College points out that the purpose of gathering together is to
experience something together. He writes in his online liturgy manual (www.holytrinitygerman.org):
"From the exilic pining of Septuagesima to the austerity of Lent, from the
grief of Passiontide to the jubilance of the Pasch, the Church, by staggering
its feasts and observances in a particular order, enables the faithful to
experience a number of holy feelings as one. Indeed, the emotional range of the
traditional Roman rite is perhaps the most variegated in all of
Christendom."
Liturgical themes for parties are
great, especially if they involve a sacrament. But the theme doesn’t have to be
solemn and liturgical. It can be a mere excuse: to celebrate the opening of a
great bottle of wine, to commemorate the hanging of a new painting, to mark the
first day of summer, to eat an unusual food, to blow off steam after final
exams. It takes very little creativity to come up with a good idea for a party.
Even foolish themes are fun, like the "white elephant" parties of the
1950s, to which guests brought worthless gifts.
The Big Moment
·
Even more important than the theme of the party
is the central moment of the party: Someone clinks a glass and makes an
announcement that unifies the guests as a group. Ninety-nine percent of parties
do not include this crucial feature, which is why most are unsatisfying. A
group event of some sort underscores the reason for the party and gives people
something to remember about it besides a few isolated conversations.
·
Toasts are invaluable for this purpose. When
making a toast, don’t worry about being eloquent. Something as simple as
"To St. Joseph the Worker" is enough.
Lose the Chips and Dips
Whatever happened to dinner parties?
They are becoming ever rarer. Today, food at parties mostly consists of snacky
things you can pick up with your fingers, the better to stay on the move with.
But the whole premise of moving around a party is wrong. It’s important that
people be able to sit, so they can listen and share a group moment. Try having
a dinner party and see what happens. You don’t have to have a huge dining
table. Even if everyone is sitting on folding chairs eating chili, it is far
better than yet another round of chips, dips, and existential isolation. And by
the way, today’s emphasis on the quality of food at parties is wildly
misplaced. You can hire the best catering service in town or knock yourself out
cooking for days, but if you have no theme, no central moment, and no place for
your guests to sit, the best snacks on the planet are not going to save your
party.
Pick Your Poison
It happens all the time. You walk into
your friends’ house for a party. They ask you what you want to drink and then
run through a list of options: orange juice, diet and regular Coke and Sprite,
Miller Lite, Bud Lite, sparkling water, V8, cran-apple juice, Fresca, coffee,
ten more unappealing liquids, and, finally, water. You suddenly get this vague
sense that maybe the V8 has been around awhile, or the Sprite may be flat, or
the coffee not made, or the Fresca—do they even make that anymore? In the end, someone
finally says, "Oh, I’ll just have a glass of water." Someone else
concurs. Folks, when that happens, the party is over before it begins.
The way to avoid this catastrophe is
to have one official drink of the evening. "Tonight," you announce,
"I am serving champagne cocktails" Who wouldn’t cheer? Serve them
with a cherry or an orange slice, and you have created a memorable drink.
Alternatively, you could serve martinis, or mint juleps, or some slushy, fruity
concoction from the freezer. Whatever it is, stick to it. If someone doesn’t
drink, he’ll say so. You should always have some fancy water available for
nondrinkers and throw in a slice of lemon or lime for good measure.
What to Wear?
What people should wear to a party is
a tricky subject. This much is an incontrovertible fact: The best parties
feature people dressing up, or at least not wearing torn cutoffs and worn
sneakers. But if you tell your guests to come casual, cutoffs and sneakers is
what you will get. Such is the nature of the times. Just look at what people
wear to Mass these days! You can hardly expect them to show up at your party
dressed any better.
People act nicer and smarter, however,
when they wear nice clothes. They sit straighter and generally feel as though
something special is taking place. Grubby clothes and truly memorable times
just don’t mix, unless you are at the lake or repairing a house or in some
other situation that specifically calls for casual attire.
Dress codes can seem like an
imposition to some these days. I handle it by telling guests, "Feel free
to dress up" or, "I’ll be in a coat and tie." It’s a way of
leaving their options open while delivering a strong hint. Finally, don’t rule
out telling your guests that the dress is black tie. If it’s New Year’s Eve,
this can make the evening even more joyful.
Setting the Mood
Can we have a break from rock music,
please? Classical music is perfectly festive. Try Schubert’s Trout Quintet,
Mozart’s string quintets, Bach’s orchestral works, or even light operas.
Chamber music works better at parties than symphonies. Pre-World War II jazz
has an endless capacity to charm. Old and new movie soundtracks are always fun.
How about bluegrass? The idea is to play something that is not too intrusive
but isn’t boringly familiar either.
Catholic liturgical music is great,
but it should be reserved for Mass and Vespers, not parties. Always remember
Pope St. Clement’s dictum from the first century: no pagan music at liturgy and
no liturgical music at minstrel shows or other non-sacred occasions. That
doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to and enjoy Machaut and Byrd at home, but
parties aren’t the right times to push this repertoire.
My final musical note: If someone in
the group can play the piano and there’s one in your home, it should be
compulsory that he play.
It’s Party Time-Not recommended by Dr. Fauci
More important than the specifics of a
party are the spirit. The spirit of a good party is a variant of the spirit of
good liturgy: a work of a community of people that follows a plan. "Every
religion has its feasts," the Catholic Encyclopedia says, "but
none has such a rich and judiciously constructed system of festive seasons as
the Catholic Church."
It’s time we lived up to our religious
tradition by putting some effort and thought into our parties. Given the
generally dull tenor of the times, you will suddenly become a famous and
much-heralded host or hostess by making a little effort at being
countercultural. And you will also help demonstrate to others, in the tradition
of Cana, that we Catholics are not always dour and penitent, but also, at the
right time, fun and hospitable people who display our hope that someday we will
join the heavenly banquet, the most wonderful party of all. It’s part of our
heritage and our faith.
5 Best Mardi Gras Celebrations Not in New Orleans[7]
With
over-the-top parades, festive music and delicious king cake, it’s easy to see
why New Orleans is synonymous with Mardi Gras. You may be surprised to learn,
however, that Fat Tuesday, the French translation of Mardi Gras, is actually
just one day in a much longer celebration known as Carnival, which spans from
the Epiphany (January 6) to Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent).
New Orleans
has hosted an official Mardi Gras parade nearly every year since 1837, with
only 13 cancellations due mostly to war. With a yearly attendance around 1.4
million, it’s the largest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States. Size
isn’t everything though. Cities around the globe celebrate Carnival in their
own special way and we’ve highlighted five of the most unique below.
1: Mobile,
Alabama
If you head two hours east from New Orleans you’ll land in Mobile, Alabama, the original home of Mardi Gras in the United States. Mobile’s first Fat Tuesday celebration took place in 1703 and the first masked ball began the following year. At that time, Mobile was the capital of French Louisiana but due to fear of hurricane damage, the capital was moved to New Orleans along with the Mardi Gras tradition in 1718. Nearly 150 years later, the Mardi Gras celebration returned to Mobile and it’s now the second largest Fat Tuesday gathering in the country.
2: Venice, Italy
Estimated to have originated in the 12th century, Venetian Carnival draws millions of visitors each year. The festival is perhaps best known for the elaborate masks worn and sold on the streets of Venice. The expressive masks were worn during Carnival as early as the 13th century and they remain a symbol of the city to this day. The highlight of the Venetian Carnival is the Maschera piu Bella contest, which takes place in Saint Mark’s Square. In the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras, masked contestants dressed head-to-toe in decorative costumes are judged by a panel of experts and the winner is chosen on Fat Tuesday.
3: Nice, France
With a history that dates back to 1294, the original Carnival celebration is located in sun-soaked Nice, France. Nice Carnival is the premiere winter event on the French Riviera and draws over a million people each year. The celebration, which has a different theme every year, lasts for 15 days and visitors are treated to an array of floats and over 1,000 musicians and dancers from around the world. Not to be missed are the flower battles in which mimosas, gerberas and lilies are tossed to spectators from decorated floats.
4: Binche,
Belgium
The Carnival of Binche is one of Europe’s oldest surviving street carnivals (dating back to the 14th century) and in 2003, it was recognized as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO. The town begins celebrating several weeks before Ash Wednesday, but the carnival officially begins on the Sunday before and culminates on Mardi Gras when masked men known as Gilles parade through town in their traditional costumes consisting of wooden clogs, wax masks and ostrich-feather hats. After the dressing ceremony in the early hours of Mardi Gras, the Gilles lead a procession through town with musicians, dancers and other costumed participants in tow. The highlight of the day, though, is in the evening when the Gilles head to Binche’s Grand Place to dance under a fireworks display.
5: Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil
Known as the
Carnival capital of the world, Rio de Janeiro welcomes approximately 500,000
visitors every year looking to experience one of the most colorful and artistic
celebrations in the world. Rio Carnival is a five-day celebration that begins
with the Rio mayor handing an oversized key to the city to someone dressed as
King Momo (a mythical character based off Greek mythology and Brazilian
folklore). The party takes over the city and eventually culminates with the
Samba Parade at the Sambodromo, a stadium specifically built in 1984 for this
event. The parade is essentially a competition between samba schools (social
clubs with their own colors, flag and supporters) that involves months of
preparation. The highly orchestrated events takes place over the span of a few
days and schools are judged in 10 categories with the results being revealed on
Ash Wednesday.
NOVENA TO
THE HOLY FACE
DAILY
PREPARATORY PRAYER
O Most Holy and
Blessed Trinity, through the intercession of Holy Mary, whose soul was pierced
through by a sword of sorrow at the sight of the passion of her Divine Son, we
ask your help in making a perfect Novena of reparation with Jesus, united with
all His sorrows, love and total abandonment.
We now implore all the
Angels and Saints to intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena to the Most
Holy Face of Jesus and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and
Holy Spirit. Amen.
Fifth
Day
Psalm 5 1, 10-11.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness, that the bones you have crushed may
revive. From my sins turn away your Face and blot out all my guilt.
Holy Face of Jesus, Sacred
Countenance of’ God, how great is your patience with humankind, how infinite
your forgiveness. We are sinners, yet you love us. This gives us courage. For the
glory of your Holy Face and of the Blessed Trinity, hear and answer us. Mary
our Mother intercede for us, Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Through the merits of your
precious blood and your Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition, Pardon and
Mercy.
Prayer to Saint Joseph
Dear Saint Joseph! Adopt
us as thy children, take charge of our salvation; watch over us day and night;
preserve us from occasions of sin; obtain for us purity of body and soul, and
the spirit of prayer, through thy intercession with Jesus, grant us a spirit of
sacrifice, of humility and self-denial; obtain for us a burning love for Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament, and a sweet, tender love for Mary, our Mother.
Saint Joseph, be with us
in life, be with us in death and obtain for us a favorable judgment from Jesus,
our merciful Savior. Amen.
Pray
one (1) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary’s, (1) Glory Be.
O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every adoration Thine. (Three times)
The
Devil and Temptations[8]
There are many and varied
ways in which sin and evil are presented to us in an attractive way.
Curing Sickness by Superstition
("Curanderos" And "Santeros")
·
It doesn't matter if there are statues,
holy water, crucifixes, prayers to Jesus, Mary and the saints, if there is any
superstitious practice it is evil. These are some examples:
o
using charms or a tomato to wash one's
body, putting the remainder under the bed,
o
cleaning one's body with eggs or lemons and
burning the materials with charcoal,
o
Using rose water and alcohol for healing.
(In one case this was prepared by placing a skeleton in the water for six
hours, followed by singing and praying over the water.)
·
Sometimes a "curandero" gives a
special vitamin to take or even prescribes "Catholic" prayers to be
said. None of these "prayers" should be said in these circumstances
because they were prepared under the influence of evil. Other examples include:
o
Taking a special bath prepared with wine,
flowers, bread, cinnamon, black sugar, and water from a river.
o
Wrapping a person in a special bandage,
cutting off piece by piece, and burying it in a recent grave in the cemetery.
·
Sometimes people pray to God and to the
saints and then go off seeking relief through the kingdom of darkness. Many
times, God does not heal through prayer or doctors because He wants the soul to
be healed first of hatred, jealousy, or some other sin. God knows what He is
doing. We have to choose either the power of God or the power of evil. If you
have any objects used in these false cures, destroy them. Renounce Satan,
renounce this sin, ask God's forgiveness and confess your sin to a priest.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in
fasting: Today's Fast: An end to the
use of contraceptives.
·
54 Day Rosary
for Priest’s and Religious Day 5
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Total Consecration
to St. Joseph Day 9
·
Manhood of
the Master-week 1 day 5
· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus
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