Thursday, April 21, 2022

- April 20, 2022

Easter Thursday

Jeremiah, Chapter 33, Verse 9

Then this city shall become joy for me, a name of praise and pride, before all the nations of the earth, as they hear of all the good, I am doing for them. They shall FEAR and tremble because of all the prosperity I give it.

God promised the restoration of Jerusalem which was fulfilled in 1948. Furthermore, God imagines the world without war; this is why He sent His son to bring peace to the world. Yet, we are still at war for our enemy is not just evil men but the devil and his cohort.

Therefore, when our enemy brings forth horse and chariot and all manner of evils; do not be afraid for the victory has already been won! Trust in Jesus who will send St. Michael the Archangel to defend us and cover us with his strong shield and lead us safely through the midst of our enemy.

Our prayer then is having fought the good fight and having a lifetime of devotion to the Blood of Jesus that when the last hour of our earthly life draws near, and we await the awful moment when our soul must leave our bodies it will be St. Michael that will defend us in our most vulnerable moments protecting us from the satanic hosts when they make their final assault upon our souls.

Spiritual Reading[1]

Spiritual reading: books other than the Bible, is a discipline. It is reading with a purpose. Sometimes we are inclined to read the things that we want to but not the things we need to. Challenge yourself to read something you need to read. Read at least 4 books a year that really give you what you need. If you don’t know what to read ask someone or get a list of recommended books or get yourself a spiritual director or careful here ask your wife. I personally plan to choose a book I need to read at the four Ember Day fasts for priests. I plan on reading them only 15 minutes a day just before I go to sleep and what you read should lead you to prayer and in prayer we may ask God to help us with our reading using a short prayer such as the one Eugene Boylan proposed: “Jesus give me yourself through this book.” I want to read the book slowly, absorb it and put the ideas into my personal schema and then put the ideas into my daily practice of my life during those 3 months until the next Ember Day fasts. Using this method, I look forward to making real change in my life; after a year or so then I will ask my wife what books I need to read.

Thursday in the Octave of Easter or Easter Thursday[2] is a day for Commemoration of the departed which is a Slavic tradition. Thursday of the Dead is described as a universal day for visiting tombs, engaged in most diligently by townspeople, followed by fellaheen ("peasants"), and then Bedouins. Women would go to the cemetery before sunrise to pray for the departed and distribute bread cakes known as kaʿak al-asfar ("the yellow roll") and dried fruit to the poor, to children, and to relatives. Children would also receive painted eggs, generally yellow in color. The sharing of this tradition between Christians and Muslims is thought to date back to at least the 12th century when Saladin urged Muslims to adopt Christian customs in order to promote religious tolerance in the region.

Novena for the Poor Souls[3]

ON EVERY DAY OF THE NOVENA V. O Lord, hear my prayer, R. And let my cry come unto Thee. O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant unto the souls of Thy servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins, that through our devout supplications they may obtain the pardon they have always desired, Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

THURSDAY O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee by the Precious Body and Blood of Thy divine Son Jesus, which He Himself, on the night before His Passion, gave as meat and drink to His beloved Apostles and bequeathed to His holy Church to be the perpetual Sacrifice and life-giving nourishment of His faithful people, deliver the souls in Purgatory, but most of all, that soul which was most devoted to this Mystery of infinite love, in order that it may praise Thee therefore, together with Thy divine Son and the Holy Spirit in Thy glory forever. Amen. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

PRAYER OF ST. GERTRUDE THE GREAT O Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory and for sinners everywhere— for sinners in the Universal Church, for those in my own home and for those within my family. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE DYING O Most Merciful Jesus, lover of souls, I pray Thee, by the agony of Thy most Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother, to wash in Thy Most Precious Blood the sinners of the whole world who are now in their agony and who will die today. Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the dying! Amen.

Faith and Healing[4]

Shallow minds are easily scandalized at the thought that, despite Christ Jesus' divine mission and His heroic earnestness in fulfilling it, despite the limitless possibilities of the Sacrifice of Calvary glorified in the power of the Resurrection, even now so many human souls are still sick and diseased, even dead in sin and seemingly lost in impenitence. But think for a moment of some definite astounding force in nature, as for instance lightning, or even better, of so simple a force as the stroke of a hammer or the approach of a lighted match; notice the vast difference in the effects produced on a block of granite, on a cake of ice, and on a keg of powder. Even so, the definite effect of the same graces upon different individual souls depends on the receptivity of each. Yet never doubt, the doors of the treasury of the merits and fruits of Calvary are wide open; the fountains of the Savior are pouring out heavenly waters to purify and cure and refresh souls; the invitation goes out to all:

"Come, eat My bread, and drink the wine which I have mingled for you. All you that thirst come to the waters, and you that have no money, make haste, buy, and eat come ye, buy wine and milk without money! Come! to experience the virtue of the waters, and of the food, and of the medicine, and of the fire. Come and drink lest you die of thirst! Come and eat lest your soul hunger and starve! Come, approach the fire of My charity, to be stirred out of your spiritual coldness and numbness!"

Anointing of the Sick[5]

The Apostles must have been astonished at their power to heal the bodies of the faithful while on the road when Christ sent them out before His death.

Yet, the greatest power was to come after His death and resurrection. Jesus made it perfectly clear that the power to forgive sins is far greater than the power to heal. (Mk. 2:9) Jesus healed people of every disease as a sign of the greater work of forgiveness of sins. For in the gospel he states, “That you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sin.” (Mk 2:10) The physical signs were there for the sake of a spiritual reality. “Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.” (Jas. 5:14-15)

This is the sacrament we know as the Anointing of the Sick. It must be noted that grave physical suffering is often accompanied by a great spiritual trial. Sacramental anointing gives us the grace we need to face our trials. Oils have been used for millennia to convey the grace and health of God. Anointing helps us transform physical suffering into something more deeply curative, something truly releasing. Don’t wait! At the first sign of serious ailment seek the aid of Christ through this sacrament.

Preparation for Death[6]

All Christian life is a preparation for death. We cannot predict the moment of our passing, but we should be prepared for it both remotely and near term when our death is imminent. It is best to prepare far in advance by making a lifetime habit of confession and reception of the Holy Eucharist. However, if seriously ill do not wait to take action. Confession must be made while we are still thinking clearly and have the energy for the task, and we should make arrangements to receive sacramental anointing. Do not rely on others to do this for you. It is important for you, if you are able, to contact the hospital chaplain or priest. Remember there is more after our death for the church teaches us that after our death there is judgment, heaven and hell.

· Do not be a nilly willy and avoid thinking about death and we should remind ourselves that death is a normal part of life and we should have a sense of humor and it is not a license to make others miserable.

· We should try to get our affairs in order so to make it easier on others.

· We should choose a Catholic cemetery for the burial of our mortal remains, as a sign of our belief in the resurrection of the body. Our flesh has been divinized in baptism, made one the flesh of Jesus in Holy Communion, and so its repose is a matter of some consequence.

· We should keep in mind that at our death as said by Cardinal Newman, “Life is changed, not ended” and “All who ever lived still live.”

Divine Mercy Novena[7]

Seventh Day - Today Bring Me the Souls Who Especially Venerate and Glorify My Mercy.

Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your Mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident in Your Mercy. These souls are united to Jesus and carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.

Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy and their spirit, overflowing with joy, sings a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God: Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them, "I Myself will defend as My own glory, during their lifetime, and especially at the hour of their death, those souls who will venerate My fathomless mercy."

Catechism of the Catholic Church

PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH

SECTION ONE "I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"

CHAPTER THREE MAN'S RESPONSE TO GOD

Article 2 WE BELIEVE

IN BRIEF

176 Faith is a personal adherence of the whole man to God who reveals himself. It involves an assent of the intellect and will to the self-revelation God has made through his deeds and words.

177 "To believe" has thus a twofold reference: to the person, and to the truth: to the truth, by trust in the person who bears witness to it.

178 We must believe in no one but God: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

179 Faith is a supernatural gift from God. In order to believe, man needs the interior helps of the Holy Spirit.

180 "Believing" is a human act, conscious and free, corresponding to the dignity of the human person.

181 "Believing" is an ecclesial act. the Church's faith precedes, engenders, supports and nourishes our faith. the Church is the mother of all believers. "No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother" (St. Cyprian, De unit. 6: PL 4, 519).

182 We believe all "that which is contained in the word of God, written or handed down, and which the Church proposes for belief as divinely revealed" (Paul VI, CPG # 20).

183 Faith is necessary for salvation. the Lord himself affirms: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mk 16:16).

184 "Faith is a foretaste of the knowledge that will make us blessed in the life to come" (St. Thomas Aquinas. Comp. theol. 1, 2)

Daily Devotions

· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: For the intercession of the angels and saints

· Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

· Manhood of the Master-week 9 day 5