Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Wednesday Of the Fourth Week of Lent

NATIONAL DOCTORS DAY

Isaiah, Chapter 59, verse 19

Those in the west shall FEAR the name of the LORD, and those in the east, his glory, coming like a pent-up stream driven on by the breath of the LORD.

Chapter 59 of Isaiah is about the effects of sin and how it delays our salvation. God is faithful because once we acknowledge the nature of our transgressions; God provides the divine intervention needed to save us. The proud (those from the West) fear the name of the Lord for they in order to be saved must acknowledge Him as King of heaven and earth rather than themselves. On the other hand, those from the East must acknowledge his glory or His teachings on justice and mercy given to His disciples being careful to avoid complacency.

Another version of the bible puts this verse differently; “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him”. By comparing these two versions of the bible we can learn that the enemy to our spiritual progress may sometimes be our pride and complacency.

Wednesday Of the Fourth Week of Lent[1]

Prayer.

O God, Who grantest to the just the reward of their merits, and to sinners pardon, by means of fasting, have mercy on Thy supplicants, that the confession of our guilt may enable us to receive the forgiveness of our sins. Amen.

EPISTLE. Isaias i. 16-19.

Thus saith the Lord God: Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your devices from My eyes: cease to do perversely, learn to do well: seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge for the fatherless, defend the widow. And then come, and accuse Me, saith the Lord: if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool. If you be willing, and will hearken to Me, you shall eat the good things of the land, saith the Lord Almighty.

GOSPEL. John ix. 1-38.

At that time: Jesus passing by, saw a man who was blind from his birth: and His disciples asked Him: Rabbi, who hath sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind? Jesus answered: Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of Him that sent Me, whilst it is day: the night cometh when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When He had said these things, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and spread the clay upon his eyes, and said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloe, which is interpreted, Sent. He went therefore, and washed, and he came seeing. The neighbors, therefore, and they who had seen him before that he was a beggar, said: Is not this he that sat, and begged? Some said: This is he. But others said: No, but he is like him. But he said: I am he. They said therefore to him: How were thy eyes opened? He answered: That man that is called Jesus, made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me: Go to the pool of Siloe, and wash. And I went, I washed, and I see. And they said to him: Where is He? He saith, I know not. They bring him that had been blind to the Pharisees. Now it was the Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Again, therefore the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight. But he said to them: He put clay upon my eyes, and I washed, and I see. Some therefore of the Pharisees said: This man is not of God, Who keepeth not the Sabbath. But others said: How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. They say therefore to the blind man again: What sayest thou of Him that hath opened thy eyes? And he said: He is a prophet. The Jews then did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight, and asked them, saying: Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said: We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now seeth, we know not: or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: ask himself; he is of age, let him speak for himself. These things his parents said, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had already agreed among themselves, that if any man should confess Him to be Christ he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, did his parents say: He is of age, ask him. They therefore called the man again that had been blind and said to him: Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner. He said therefore to them: If He be a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see. They said then to him: What did He to thee? How did He open thy eyes? He answered them: I have told you already, and you have heard: why would you hear it again? will you also become His disciples? They reviled him therefore and said: Be thou His disciple; but we are the disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses: but as to this man, we know not from whence He is. The man answered, and said to them: Why, herein is a wonderful thing that you know not from whence He is, and He hath opened my eyes. Now we know that God doth not hear sinners: but if a man be a server of God, and doth His will, him He heareth. From the beginning of the world, it hath not been heard, that any man hath opened the eyes of one born blind. Unless this man were of God, He could not do anything. They answered and said to him: Thou wast wholly born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out: and when He had found him, He said to him: Dost thou believe in the Son of God? He answered, and said: Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him? And Jesus said to him: Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee. And he said: I believe, Lord. And falling down he adored.

Aids in Battle [2] The “Our Father” is a battle cry

In this prayer, Christ has just spoken of the Evil One, placing us on alert before the battle, reminding us of our enemy, and keeping us from negligence. “For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours” (see Mt 6: 13).

· The kingdom belongs to God, we should fear no one. For no one can withstand Him or tear apart His Empire.

· “The power is Yours,” Christ says. For this reason, no matter how many forms your weakness may take, you may still rightly be confident in the battle.

· “The glory is Yours.” Not only can God free you from the dangers you face; He can also make you glorious and outstanding in battle. His power is great, and His glory is beyond telling— they are both limitless and never come to an end. See how He has in every way anointed you, His champion, and surrounded you with confidence? ST. JOHN

National Doctor's Day[3]

National Doctor's Day commemorates the nation's doctors, who have dedicated themselves to public service by helping to ensure the good health of US citizens. Doctors are qualified and licensed individuals who practice medicine of all forms. They include many types such as physicians, surgeons, specialists, anesthesiologists and pediatricians, who dedicate their lives to helping, healing and curing the sick and needy. President George W. Bush designated March 30th as National Doctor's Day on October 30, 1990 in an effort to celebrate the sacrifices and contributions made by our nation's doctors. National Doctor's Day is observed on March 30th every year in the US.

National Doctor's Day Facts & Quotes

· The red carnation is the symbolic flower used for this holiday. It is often placed on the gravesites of deceased physicians.

· Eudora Almond, wife of Dr. Charles Almond, celebrated the first Doctor's Day in Winder, Georgia on March 30, 1933.

· According to a study by AAMC, the average cost of attending a US Medical school as a nonresident is about $50,000 per year.

· People pay the doctor for his trouble; for his kindness-they still remain in his debt. - Seneca, ancient Roman philosopher.

· A good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease. - William Osler, Canadian physician and founder of John Hopkins Hospital

National Doctor's Day Top Events and Things to Do

· Order a gift for your doctor. Find something related to medicine such as a spine keychain or even a basket of fruits shaped like bones.

· Send a personal Thank You Note to your doctor letting them know you appreciate him/her.

· Place a red carnation on a deceased physician’s grave.

· Drop by your doctor's office with a free lunch or a snack in appreciation of their dedication towards your health.

· If you haven't been for a checkup in a while, get one. Your doctor will be happy that you came in.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

PART ONE:

THE PROFESSION OF FAITH

SECTION ONE

"I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"

CHAPTER TWO

GOD COMES TO MEET MAN

III. Christ Jesus -- "Mediator and Fullness of All Revelation"

God has said everything in his Word

65 "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son." Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father's one, perfect and unsurpassable Word. In him he has said everything; there will be no other word than this one. St. John of the Cross, among others, commented strikingly on Hebrews 1:1-2:

In giving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word - and he has no more to say. . . because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is His Son. Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behavior but also of offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty.

There will be no further Revelation

66 "The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ." Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries.

67 Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.

Christian faith cannot accept "revelations" that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfilment, as is the case in certain nonChristian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such "revelations”.

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

· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: The lonely and destitute

· 54 Day Rosary for Priest’s and Religious Day 38