Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
FIRST WEDNESDAY
Jeremiah, Chapter 10,
Verse 2
Thus says the LORD:
Do not learn the ways of the nations and have no FEAR of the signs in the
heavens, even though the nations fear them.
What are the ways of the nations? The making of
idols is the way of nations. Have you been worshiping idols? Think about it.
Our idols are expressed in what we love, in what we think, in the things we
see, and what we work for.
“Lord, thank you for helping me see more clearly
than ever that “what I am” is your gift to me and “what I become” is my gift
back to you.” (Poem by Melvin Banggollay)
He did not create us out of necessity; He did not need us. He did not
create us out of justice; He owed us nothing. No, it is to His sheer love that
we owe our existence. Therefore, we must strive to be humble in accepting our
mistakes, to know how to say, “I was wrong.” You have good qualities—great
qualities. Are you not a marvel of creation, made in the image of God? You are
a masterpiece of His love, wounded, disfigured by sin, but remade by the
Redeemer, more beautiful than before—and at what a price! Be not overcome by evil
but overcome evil by good. One drowns very quickly in gall. Keep watch,
therefore, over your soul; swallow the bitterness, as Jesus swallowed the
vinegar on Calvary, and know how to smile at those who cause you pain. Poverty,
austerity, fasting, prayer, and the gift of miracles, without love of our
brothers, all are pure illusion. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, give me Your
Heart to love my neighbor. The doctrine of abandonment, which sees God in
everything, will make you marvelously available for this work. This is one of
its richest secrets, for it obliges us to renounce, when necessary, our own
views and our little personal plans, even our plans for sanctification. This
total abandonment is the pinnacle of holiness and love, because it identifies
us more perfectly with Jesus, who lived only to do the will of His Father.
Reverence for the Tabernacle
So let us worship God in His tabernacle for His goodness, truth and
beauty. When we talk about the tabernacle of the Lord we are talking about the
Bless Sacrament were Jesus is really present—body, blood, soul and divinity.
Yet, there is another tabernacle which we do not recognize easily. That is our
very bodies and those of others when we receive the Eucharist. We need to
acknowledge Christ is in others just as we genuflect before the tabernacle. He
must be worshipped! According to Church law, the tabernacle, which keeps the
consecrated Eucharistic hosts, should be “immoveable, made of solid or opaque
material, locked so that the danger of profanation may be entirely avoided.” We
also as a tabernacle should be immoveable in our faith, give others solid
support and lock our hearts from the love of the world. We should, apart from
making our regular attendance at Mass, drop by the church and make a short
“visit” to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The visit needn’t be long, just a
few minutes to greet Jesus and offer a silent prayer.
April Devotion: The Blessed
Sacrament[1]
Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to
special devotions. The Church traditionally encouraged the month of April for
increased devotion to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. "The Church in the
course of the centuries has introduced various forms of this Eucharistic
worship which are ever increasing in beauty and helpfulness; as, for example,
visits of devotion to the tabernacles, even every day; Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament; solemn processions, especially at the time of Eucharistic
Congresses, which pass through cities and villages; and adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament publicly exposed . . . These exercises of piety have brought
a wonderful increase in faith and supernatural life to the Church militant upon
earth and they are re-echoed to a certain extent by the Church triumphant in
heaven, which sings continually a hymn of praise to God and to the Lamb 'Who
was slain.'" --Pope Pius XII.
Prayer:
ACT OF ADORATION
I adore Thee, 0 Jesus, true God and true Man, here present in the Holy
Eucharist, humbly kneeling before Thee and united in spirit with all the
faithful on earth and all the blessed in heaven. In deepest gratitude for so
great a blessing, I love Thee, my Jesus, with my whole heart, for Thou art all
perfect and all worthy of love.
Give me grace nevermore in any way to offend Thee, and grant that I,
being refreshed by Thy Eucharistic presence here on earth, may be found worthy
to come to the enjoyment with Mary of Thine eternal and ever blessed presence
in heaven. Amen.
FAITH IN THE EUCHARIST
O my God, I firmly believe that Thou art really and corporally present in
the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. I adore Thee here present from the very
depths of my heart, and I worship Thy sacred presence with all possible
humility. O my soul, what joy to have Jesus Christ always with us, and to be
able to speak to Him, heart to heart, with all confidence. Grant, O Lord, that
I, having adored Thy divine Majesty here on earth in this wonderful Sacrament,
may be able to adore it eternally in Heaven. Amen.
PETITION
Believing that Thou, my God, hast in any way revealed to us--grieving for
all my sins, offenses and negligence’s--hoping in Thee, O Lord, who wilt never
let me be confounded--thanking Thee for this supreme gift, and for all the gifts
of Thy goodness--loving Thee, above all in this sacrament of Thy love--adoring
Thee in this deepest mystery of Thy condescension: I lay before Thee all the
wounds and wants of my poor soul, and ask for all that I need and desire. But I
need only Thyself, O Lord; I desire none but Thee--Thy grace, and the grace to
use well Thy graces, the possession of Thee by grace in this life, and the
possession of Thee forever in the eternal kingdom of Thy glory.
FOR THE PEACE OF CHRIST
O most sacred, most loving heart of Jesus, Thou art concealed in the Holy
Eucharist, and Thou beatest for us still. Now as then Thou sayest, "With
desire I have desired." I worship Thee, then, with all my best love and
awe, with my fervent affection, with my most subdued, most resolved will. O
make my heart beat with Thy heart. Purify it of all that is earthly, all that
is proud and sensual, all that is hard and cruel, of all perversity, of all
disorder, of all deadness. So fill it with Thee, that neither the events of the
day nor the circumstances of the time may have power to ruffle it; but that in
Thy love and Thy fear it may have peace. --Cardinal Newman
ACT OF LOVE
I believe Thou art present in the Blessed Sacrament, O Jesus. I love Thee
and desire Thee. Come into my heart. I embrace Thee, O never leave me. I
beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus, may the burning and most sweet power of Thy love
absorb my mind, that I may die through love of Thy love, who wast graciously
pleased to die through love of my love. --St. Francis of Assisi
ACT OF REPARATION
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, well known in connection with devotion to
the Sacred Herat of Jesus, led the way in making reparation to Jesus in the
Blessed Sacrament for the coldness and ingratitude of men. This prayer of hers
can become our own as we attempt to make amends for our own and others' neglect
of the great Sacrament of His love, the Eucharist. O kind and merciful savior,
from my heart I earnestly desire to return Thee love for love. My greatest
sorrow is that Thou art not loved by men, and, in particular, that my own heart
is so cold, so selfish, so ungrateful. Keenly aware of my own weakness and
poverty, I trust that Thy own grace will enable me to offer Thee an act of pure
love. And I wish to offer Thee this act of love in reparation for the coldness
and neglect that are shown to Thee in the sacrament of Thy love by Thy
creatures. O Jesus, my supreme good, I love Thee, not for the sake of the
reward which Thou hast promised to those who love Thee, but purely for Thyself.
I love Thee above all things that can be loved, above all pleasures, and above
myself and all that is not Thee, promising in the presence of heaven and earth
that I will live and die purely and simply in Thy holy love, and that if to
love Thee thus I must endure persecution and suffering I am completely
satisfied, and I will ever say with Saint Paul: Nothing "will be able to
separate us from the love of God." 0 Jesus, supreme master of all hearts,
I love Thee, I adore Thee, I praise Thee, I thank Thee, because I am now all
Thine own. Rule over me, and transform my soul into the likeness of Thyself, so
that it may bless and glorify Thee forever in the abode of the saints. --Saint
Margaret Mary Alacoque
OFFERING
My Lord, I offer Thee myself in turn as a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Thou
hast died for me, and I in turn make myself over to Thee. I am not my own. Thou
hast bought me; I will by my own act and deed complete the purchase. My wish is
to be separated from everything of this world; to cleanse myself simply from sin;
to put away from me even what is innocent, if used for its own sake, and not
for Thine. I put away reputation and honor, and influence, and power, for my
praise and strength shall be in Thee. Enable me to carry out what I profess.
Amen. --Cardinal Newman
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P.
O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc.,
Chicago, Illinois, 1954
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Prayer. SANCTIFY this fast, O God, and mercifully enlighten the hearts of Thy
faithful; and to those whom Thou grantest the grace of devotion mercifully
grant, when they pray to Thee, a favorable hearing.
EPISTLE. Leviticus xix. 1, 2, 11-19.
In those days: The Lord spoke to Moses,
saying: Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and thou shalt
say to them: I am the Lord your God. You shall not steal. You shall not lie,
neither shall any man deceive his neighbor. Thou shalt not swear falsely by My
name, nor profane the name of thy God. I am the Lord. Thou shalt not calumniate
thy neighbor, nor oppress him by violence. The wages of him that has been hired
by thee shall not abide with thee until the morning. Thou shalt not speak evil
of the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind: but thou shalt fear
the Lord thy God, because I am the Lord. Thou shalt not do that which is
unjust, nor judge unjustly. Respect not the person of the poor, nor honor the
countenance of the mighty. But judge thy neighbor according to justice. Thou
shalt not be a detractor nor a whisperer among the people. Thou shalt not stand
against the blood of thy neighbor. I am the Lord. Thou shalt not hate thy
brother in thy heart, but reprove him openly, lest thou incur sin through him. Seek
not revenge, nor be mindful of the injury of thy citizens. Thou shalt love thy
friend as thyself. I am the Lord. Keep ye My laws, for I am the Lord your God.
GOSPEL. John x. 22-38.
At that time: It was the feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem: and it was
winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. The Jews therefore
came round about Him, and said to Him: How long dost Thou hold our souls in
suspense? if Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
Jesus answered them: I speak to you, and you believe not: the works
that I do in the name of My Father, they give testimony of Me. But you do not
believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice: and I know
them, and they follow Me. And I give them life everlasting, and they shall not
perish forever, and no man shall pluck them out of My hand. That which My
Father hath given Me, is greater than all: and no man can snatch them out of
the hand of My Father. I and the Father are one. The Jews then took up
stones to stone Him. Jesus answered them: Many good works I have showed you
from My Father; for which of those works do you stone Me?
The Jews answered Him: For a good work we stone Thee not, but for
blasphemy; and because that Thou being a man, makest Thyself God. Jesus
answered them: Is it not written in your law: I said, you are gods?
If He called them gods, to whom the word of God was spoken, and the
Scripture cannot be broken: do you say of Him, Whom the Father hath sanctified
and sent into the world: Thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God?
If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. But if I do, though
you will not believe Me, believe the works: that you may know and believe that
the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.
Lenten Calendar[2]
Read:
The Servant Songs, Day Three: (Within the Book of the Prophet Isaiah we
encounter four poetic sections known as the Songs of the Suffering Servant. The
specific identity of this Servant of the Lord remains the topic of scholarly
debate. Perhaps it refers to the prophet Isaiah himself, perhaps the entire
nation of Israel, or possibly the promised Messiah. Christian faith sees these
prophetic utterances fulfilled in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection
of Jesus the Lord.
Because of the Christian identification of the Suffering Servant with
Jesus, the four Servant Songs become a way of encountering the Lord during this
Lenten Season. Not only do they give us a sense of the commitment and endurance
that characterized his messianic ministry, but they become a way of touching
the bruised face of the Messiah, of hearing the resolute determination that
sustained him in the midst of trial, and of rejoicing with him in God’s ultimate vindication of his calling
and service.)
In the third song, we learn of the abuse
and derision the Servant endured at the hands of his enemies.
Reflect: Today we reflect on the third of
the four Servant Songs.
Pray: Take time with
the third servant song today. Read Isaiah 50:4-11.
Act: Here, the
servant knows and declares that his help is with the Lord. He does not allow
suffering to cause him to stop trusting in the Lord. Instead, with strength of
spirit, the servant declares his faith in God. “The Lord GOD is my help . . . I shall not be put to
shame.” Amidst darkness and adversity, because
he fears the LORD, the servant walks not by his own light but by the light of
God.
First Wednesday[3]
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.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART ONE:
THE PROFESSION OF
FAITH
SECTION
ONE
"I
BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"
CHAPTER TWO-GOD COMES TO MEET MAN
Article 2-THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION
IN BRIEF
96 What Christ entrusted to the apostles, they in turn handed
on by their preaching and writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to
all generations, until Christ returns in glory.
97 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a
single sacred deposit of the Word of God" (DV 10) in which, as in a
mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches.
98 "The Church, in her doctrine, life and worship,
perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that
she believes" (DV 8 # 1).
99 Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith, the People of
God as a whole never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply and to live
more fully from the gift of divine Revelation.
100 The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has
been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope
and to the bishops in communion with him.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Authentic
Feminism
· 54 Day Rosary for Priest’s and Religious Day 45
· Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
· Manhood of the Master-week 7 day 4
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Make reparations to the Holy Face
·
30
Days with St. Joseph Day 17
[1]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=756
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