I will fill
many nations with horror; their kings will shudder at you, when I brandish my
sword in their faces. They will tremble violently FEARING for their lives on
the day of your fall.
The
opposite of fear is love. Love should be the foundation of our lives.
However, if we are not filled with love; as a result of the vacuum left in
our hearts, we will most likely be filled with fear. A people filled with fear have a real danger of becoming a nation
ruled by the cycle of violence and the sword. To avoid this cycle of hate
we must be merciful as well as just.
If you
have time today would be a good day to pray the Rosary for
the United States of America.[1]
Great
nations are composed of great families.
“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his
ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy,
and it shall go well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within
your house; your children will be like olive shoots round your table. Thus,
shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion! May
you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you see your
children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!” (Ps 128:1-6).
Let those who fear the LORD say, "His mercy endures forever."
Candles[2]
When the people of Israel offered worship, in the Old Testament they did son amid the flicker of many lights. So important were these lights that the main one, the temple menorah became the most recognizable symbol of Judaism. The Christian church is a temple and as such lights play an important part in worship. In fact, lamps and candles are a symbol of the person of Christ. “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (Jn. 8:12) At the church’s greatest celebration on the Easter Vigil the priest holds the paschal candle aloft and proclaims, “Christ our light!” three times. The lamp is a symbol of Christ, God’s presence among us. The lighting of votive candles is the “offering” of the faithful.
The Use of Candles in the Orthodox Church[3]
Question: Why do we light candles in the Orthodox Church?
Answer: There are typically two types of
candles that Orthodox are familiar with. First there are the genuine pure
beeswax candles made from the combs of hives. Secondly, there are the paraffin
wax candles made from petroleum. When the Fathers of the Church speak of the
Orthodox use of candles, they are referring to the pure beeswax candles and not
the latter. Paraffin wax produces carcinogens and soot when burned. In fact,
one air quality researcher stated that the soot from a paraffin candle contains
many of the same toxins produced by burning diesel fuel. With this information
in mind, we can better understand the six symbolic representations of lit candles
handed down to us by Saint Symeon of Thessaloniki:
·
As
the candle is pure (pure beeswax), so also should our hearts be pure.
·
As
the pure candle is supple (as opposed to the paraffin), so also should our
souls be supple until we make it straight and firm in the gospel.
·
As
the pure candle is derived from the pollen of a flower and has a sweet scent,
so also should our souls have the sweet aroma of Divine Grace.
·
As
the candle, when it burns, mixes with and feeds the flame, so also we can
struggle to achieve theosis (union with God).
·
As
the burning candle illuminates the darkness, so must the light of Christ within
us shine before men that God's name be glorified.
·
As
the candle gives its own light to illuminate a person in the darkness, so also
must the light of the virtues, the light of love and peace, characterize a
Christian. The wax that melts symbolizes the flame of our love for our fellow
men.
Besides the six symbolic
representations above, Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite gives us six different
reasons why Orthodox light candles:
1. To glorify God, who is Light, as we
chant in the Doxology: "Glory to God who has shown forth the
light..."
2. To dissolve the darkness of the
night and to banish away the fear which is brought on by the darkness.
3. To manifest the inner joy of our
soul.
4. To bestow honor to the saints of
our Faith, imitating the early Christians of the
first centuries who lit candles at the tombs of the martyrs.
5. To symbolize our good works, as the
Lord said: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens." The priest also
gave us this charge following our baptism.
6. To have our own sins forgiven and
burned away, as well as the sins of those for whom we pray.
For all these reasons
cited by our Holy Fathers, let us often light our candles and make sure as much
as possible that they be pure candles. We should abstain from all corruption
and uncleanness, so that all of the above symbolism
is made real in our Christian lives. At one point during the Presanctified Divine Liturgy the liturgist holds a lit
candle, and facing the people he proclaims: "The light of Christ shines on
all". Christ is "the true light who enlightens and sanctifies all
men". Are we worthy recipients of this light?
The saints themselves constantly sought after this light. Let us then also
imitate the saints and like Saint Gregory Palamas
continuously supplicate the Lord in the following words: "Enlighten my
darkness".
Question: Is there any other reason why we
light our candle in church?
Answer: Besides the higher spiritual
reasons mentioned above for why we light candles, there is another simpler and
practical reason: to make a financial offering to the church. When we go to
light our candle, we should also give an offering for the various services and
expenses of the church. The church gives us the candle as a blessing for our
offering and allows us to ignite the flame of the symbolisms
mentioned above.
Question: Should we light candles outside
the church as well?
Answer: It is good and laudable to light candles at home
when we pray, when the priest visits for a house blessing with Holy Water or
Holy Unction, and even light a candle when we visit the grave of a loved one.
Question: Is there any other purpose to the candle?
Answer: When we light a candle in the church, we are making
an offering to the church or to a particular icon to beautify it and show
through physical light the symbolization of the uncreated light of God's house
or the saint depicted in the icon. It is also customary for the faithful to
offer pure beeswax candles at the Consecration of a new church.
Armed Forces Day Build Up
US Air Force[4]
Fighting at 25,000 feet in
thin, freezing air that no warriors had ever encountered before, bomber crews
battled new kinds of assaults on body and mind. Air combat was deadly but intermittent:
periods of inactivity and anxiety were followed by short bursts of fire and
fear. Unlike infantrymen, bomber boys slept on clean sheets, drank beer in
local pubs, and danced to the swing music of Glenn Miller’s Air Force band,
which toured U.S. air bases in England. But they had a much greater chance of
dying than ground soldiers. In 1943, an American bomber crewman stood only a
one-in-five chance of surviving his tour of duty, twenty-five missions. The
Eighth Air Force lost more men in the war than the U.S. Marine Corps. The
bomber crews were an elite group of warriors who were a microcosm of America —
white America, anyway. (African Americans could not serve in the Eighth Air
Force except in a support capacity.) The actor Jimmy Stewart was a bomber boy,
and so was the “King of Hollywood,” Clark Gable. And the air war was filmed by
Oscar-winning director William Wyler and covered by reporters like Andy Rooney
and Walter Cronkite, all of whom flew combat missions with the men. The
Anglo-American bombing campaign against Nazi Germany was the longest military
campaign of World War II, a war within a war. Until Allied soldiers crossed
into Germany in the final months of the war, it was the only battle fought
inside the German homeland.
Apostolic
Exhortation[5]
Veneremur
Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling
of The Most
Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My beloved Brothers and
Sisters in Christ,
1. I wish to speak to you about
the most important and central teaching of our faith. What I share is “not too
high for you.” It is not theology that is only meant for theologians and
priests. This concerns the most important reality of our lives – the saving
presence of our Lord. This is not a teaching that can be dumbed down or over
simplified. This is a truth that we need to be clear and certain about. Be
bold, then! Take up and read, drink in the truth, discuss and share it with
others and allow Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist, to conform you further
to Himself and fulfill the deepest longings of your heart.
2. From the time I was a little
child, I knew Jesus was present in every Catholic Church. I could not have
explained it, but I was certain He was there. The way my father genuflected
before the Tabernacle, the quiet reverence of my mother, the way our pastor
Father Daly sang the Tantum Ergo with such gusto and a thick Irish
brogue, it was these actions and God’s grace, more than words, that imbedded in
my heart a solid conviction about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
And because our farm family prayed together every evening, during thunderstorms
or blizzards, whether we had a bumper crop or hardly anything at all from
drought-stricken soil, no matter what, we knew that the Lord Jesus we received
at Mass was with us, every day and night, and that whatever we faced, all would
be well because of Him.
3. Of course, that faith in the
Eucharist has been tested many times over the years. As a seminarian in Tours,
France, for example, during two months of intensive French language study, some
classmates learning of my practice of daily Mass accosted me, sneering with
venom, “You really believe Jesus is present in that piece of bread?” Shocked by
their hate-filled tone, I could say nothing for what seemed like eternity; but
after probably less than a minute, I managed to stammer, “Yes… I do.” That
shocking and embarrassing moment, to my surprise, led ever so gradually to new
gratitude for the gift of the Eucharistic faith and a deeper conviction about
daily Mass and Eucharistic adoration. It also taught me to expect my faith in our
Eucharistic Savior to face scorn and contradiction.
4. I invite you in this
Exhortation to “put out into the deep” (Lk 5:4). Whether your faith in
the Eucharist is strong or weak, whether you consider the Church your Home or
you have recently decided to disassociate, or even if you have no faith at all,
my sincere hope is that a true “Eucharistic amazement” will be ignited within
you.
5. The People of Israel faced
many obstacles, challenges, and sufferings as they crossed the desert and
entered the Promised Land. But God had assured them of His presence and
guidance on their arduous sojourn. In the Ark of the Covenant, they recognized
the presence of God. Into battles and in dangerous lands, wherever the
Israelites went, the Ark went with them because it assured them that God would
be with them to fight their battles, to care for them and protect them. For
this reason, the Ark became a powerful and enduring image of God’s presence.
6. When the People of Israel
were preparing to cross the Jordan river and enter the Promised Land, Joshua
stressed the importance of following the Ark: “When you see the ark of the
covenant of the Lord being carried, you are to set out from your positions and
follow it… so that you can see the way to go, since we have never been this way
before” (Josh. 3:2-4). This instruction was addressed to a people who would
face the dangers of the crossing and the challenges and threats that awaited
them in an unknown land.
To be continued…
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
SECTION TWO I. THE CREEDS
CHAPTER TWO-I BELIEVE IN JESUS
CHRIST, THE ONLY SON OF GOD
Article 6 "HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT THE
RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER"
IN BRIEF
665 Christ's Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus'
humanity into God's heavenly domain, whence he will come again (cf Acts 1:11);
this humanity in the meantime hides him from the eyes of men (cf Col 3:3).
666 Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, precedes us into the
Father's glorious kingdom so that we, the members of his Body, may live in the
hope of one day being with him forever.
667 Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once
and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the
permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Conversion
of Sinners
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Total
Consecration to Mary Day 22
· Rosary
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