MARRIAGE WEEK-PIZZA DAY
Sirach, Chapter 33, Verse 1
No evil can harm the one who FEARS the LORD; through trials, again
and again he is rescued.
Emmalon
Davis, CCEL Staff Writer
Love is one
of the four natural affections, which it is needless to name since everyone
knows them. And because love is natural, it is only right to love the Author of
nature first of all. Hence comes the first and great commandment, Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God.' But nature is so frail and weak that necessity compels
her to love herself first; and this is carnal love, wherewith man loves himself
first and selfishly, as it is written, that was not first which is spiritual
but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual' (I Cor.
15.46). This is not as the precept ordains but as nature directs: No man ever
yet hated his own flesh' (Eph. 5.29). But if, as is likely, this same love
should grow excessive and, refusing to be contained within the restraining
banks of necessity, should overflow into the fields of voluptuousness, then a
command checks the flood, as if by a dike: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself'. And this is right: for he who shares our nature should share our
love, itself the fruit of nature.
Wherefore
if a man finds it a burden, I will not say only to relieve his brother's needs,
but to minister to his brother's pleasures, let him mortify those same
affections in himself, lest he become a transgressor. He may cherish himself as
tenderly as he chooses, if only he remembers to show the same indulgence to his
neighbor. This is the curb of temperance imposed on thee, O man, by the law of
life and conscience, lest thou shouldest follow thine own lusts to destruction,
or become enslaved by those passions which are the enemies of thy true welfare.
Far better divide thine enjoyments with thy neighbor than with these enemies.
And if, after the counsel of the son of Sirach, thou goest not after thy
desires but refrainest thyself from thine appetites (Ecclus. 18.30); if
according to the apostolic precept having food and raiment, thou art therewith
content (I Tim. 6.8), then thou wilt find it easy to abstain from fleshly lusts
which war against the soul, and to divide with thy neighbors what thou hast
refused to thine own desires. That is a temperate and righteous love which
practices self-denial in order to minister to a brother's necessity. So our
selfish love grows truly social, when it includes our neighbors in its circle.
But if thou
art reduced to want by such benevolence, what then? What indeed, except to pray
with all confidence unto Him who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not
(James 1.5), who openeth His hand and filleth all things living with
plenteousness (Ps. 145.16). For doubtless He that giveth to most men more than
they need will not fail thee as to the necessaries of life, even as He hath promised:
Seek ye the Kingdom of God, and all those things shall be added unto you' (Luke
12.31). God freely promises all things needful to those who deny themselves for
love of their neighbors; and to bear the yoke of modesty and sobriety, rather
than to let sin reign in our mortal body (Rom. 6.12), that is indeed to seek
the Kingdom of God and to implore His aid against the tyranny of sin. It is
surely justice to share our natural gifts with those who share our nature.
But if we are to love our neighbors
as we ought, we must have regard to God also: for it is only in God that we can
pay that debt of love aright. Now a man cannot love his neighbor in God, except
he love God Himself; wherefore we must love God first, in order to love our
neighbors in Him. This too, like all good things, is the Lord's doing, that we
should love Him, for He hath endowed us with the possibility of love. He who
created nature sustains it; nature is so constituted that its Maker is its
protector for ever. Without Him nature could not have begun to be; without Him
it could not subsist at all. That we might not be ignorant of this, or vainly
attribute to ourselves the beneficence of our Creator, God has determined in
the depths of His wise counsel that we should be subject to tribulations. So
when man's strength fails and God comes to his aid, it is meet and right that
man, rescued by God's hand, should glorify Him, as it is written, Call upon Me
in the time of trouble; so will I hear thee, and thou shalt praise Me' (Ps.
50.15). In such wise man, animal and carnal by nature, and loving only himself,
begins to love God by reason of that very self-love; since he learns that in
God he can accomplish all things that are good, and that without God he can do
nothing.
National Pizza Day[2]
National
Pizza Day is dedicated to appreciating pizza, a baked flatbread that is topped
with tomato sauce and cheese. Many toppings and sauces can be added to
pizzas, including vegetables, meats and seafood. Pizza was invented in
Naples, Italy around the 10th century, and has since grown to become one of the
most popular foods in America. In 1905, America’s first pizzeria, Lombardi’s,
opened in New York. Since then, pizza consumption in America has
increased greatly and many pizza chains, such as Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa
John’s have emerged. The origin of National Pizza Day is not well understood
although accounts of National Pizza Day began to emerge around the 2000s.
National
Pizza Day Facts & Quotes
·
According
to a study done in 2013 by food delivery provider Foodler, 37% of North
American consumers order plain cheese pizza, 52% order meat toppings and the
three most ordered pizza toppings are: pepperoni, mushrooms and onions.
o
According
to gross sales earned by pizza chains, the top five American pizzerias are:
1) Pizza Hut, gross sales of $13.4 Billion
2) Domino’s, gross sales of $8.9 Billion
3) Little Caesars, gross sales of $3.4 Billion
4) Papa John’s, gross sales of $3.3 Billion
5) Papa Murphy's, gross sales of $7.85 Million
·
If
I could eat whatever I wanted every day, I would have Domino's pizza with pasta
carbonara inside every slice. And at night, I would have Neapolitan ice cream
until I felt absolutely toxic. And then I would drift off telling myself, 'It's
going to be O.K... It's going to be O.K. you're going to train in the morning'.
- Robert Downey, Jr., Actor
National
Pizza Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Visit
your favorite pizzeria. Most pizzerias will offer discounts and specials
to celebrate National Pizza Day.
·
Make
your own pizza at home from scratch. Make the dough, perhaps gluten-free or
whole wheat, make the sauce using tomatoes and spices, grate the cheese and
finally cover it up with all of your favorite toppings.
·
Try
a pizza with unique toppings. Here are some of our favorites:
1) Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza
2) Beer Battered Fried Calamari Pizza
3) Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza
4) Fried Chicken Pizza
5) Brown Butter Lobster and Spinach Pizza with Bacon and Fontina
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.
·
Do the St.
Joseph Universal Man Plan.
· Devotion to the 7 Joys
and Sorrows of St. Joseph
Daily
Devotions/Practices
·
Today’s
Saint is the patron of tooth aches and guess
what? Today is National Toothache Day-Dude!?
·
Today's Fast: Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Purity
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Total Consecration
to St. Joseph Day 12
· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
Comments
Post a Comment