Saturday, July 9, 2022
EID AL-ADHA
Matthew, Chapter 25,
verse 24-25:
24 Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; 25so out of FEAR I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’
Christ is always trying to draw us away from fear to having a relationship of love and peace with the Trinity. For if we live our faith in fear we will be like the person who buried his only talent. We must if filled with the love and joy of Christ go forth bravely to build Christ’s Kingdom in our own spheres of influence and in our way of being.
Ask our Lord how he wants you to spend your
time assisting our priests today.
Pray for our Nation.
Eid al-Adha[1]
Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى) commemorates Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice everything for God, including his son, Ismael. God became impressed with Abraham's sincerity, and gave him a ram to sacrifice instead. For that reason, Muslims who can afford to do so also sacrifice an animal on any one of the three days of Eid al-Adha. A third of the meat is kept, a third is shared with family members, and a third is given away to needy people. Eid al-Adha is a time of sacrifice for Muslims.
Eid Al-Adha Facts
·
Unlike regular prayers, prayers for Eid al-Adha
takes place in any large, open field. There Muslims from many mosques
congregate together. Usually, mosques collaborate together to find a
field that is convenient for everyone to go to. In the United States, Eid
prayers often occur in parks.
·
Festivities begin with a prayer service,
followed by a brief sermon on the morning of the first day. During the
prayer, Muslims recite verses from the Quran, lead by an Imam, prostrate to
God, and send their peace to Muhammad and Abraham.
·
Since this festival occurs immediately after the
Day of Arafah, many of those who go to pilgrimage celebrate it in Mina (Saudi
Arabia), where thousands of animals are slaughtered for sacrifice.
·
It is customary for Muslims perform a ritual
body washing shower, called "ghusl," before walking to the place of
prayers. This is in accordance with the tradition of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Eid al-Adha Top Events and Things to Do
·
Often, a large party is thrown by Muslims on one
of the three days of Eid al-Adha. Meat from slaughtered animals is
served.
·
It is customary for Muslim men who have lost
loved ones visit graveyards on Eid al-Adha.
·
It is Islamic tradition to wear your most
beautiful clothes on the first day of Eid al-Adha. A few days before Eid
al-Adha, Muslim’s shop for their new Eid clothes. Merchants in Islamic
countries often hold their biggest sales before Eid al-Adha.
·
As Christian’s
let us learn to sacrifice everything for God;
like the Muslims
Let Freedom Ring-Day 3 “Freedom
from Treason”
(See Character is Destiny for opposing virtue: LOYALTY)
My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, at
a word from you the devil and his minions flee in terror. You are the source of
all truth. You are the source of all strength. By the power of your Cross and
Resurrection, we beseech you, O Lord To extend your saving arm and to send your
holy angels. To defend us as we do battle with Satan and his demonic forces. Exorcise,
we pray, that which oppresses your Bride, The Church, So that within ourselves,
our families, our parishes, our dioceses, and our nation. We may turn fully
back to you in all fidelity and trust. Lord, we know if you will it, it will be
done. Give us the perseverance for this mission, we pray. Amen
Our
Lady of the Immaculate Conception ... pray for us
St.
Joseph ... pray for us
St.
Michael the Archangel ... pray for us
(the
patron of your parish) ... pray for us
(your
confirmation saint) ... pray for us
"Freedom
from Treason" by Fr. Jim Altman
Dear
family, the very word "treason" stirs a fundamental loathing within
us toward the traitor. Nobody likes a traitor, a betrayer. Indeed, as to the
greatest traitor of all time, the betrayer of the Son of God, Jesus Himself
said "... woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It
would be better for that man if he had never been born." Mt 26:24
The
common understanding or definition of traitor is criminal disloyalty, typically
to the state. It is a crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against
one's nation or sovereign. Perhaps the most ancient figure that exemplifies treason
is Brutus, who betrayed Julius Caesar, through whom Shakespeare had utter the
famous words "et tu Brute?" - "and you, Brutus" - even you,
Brutus, my friend? Remember such similar, chilling words, spoken 2,000 years
ago, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
Lk 22:48.
As
Americans - at least before the current historical revisionism - we have known
since schooldays what to think of treason. We were taught what to think through
classic examples that, like every good parable, imparted to us the sense of
right and wrong. On the one hand, we learned of the betrayal by Benedict
Arnold, whose name has become synonymous with treason. Benjamin Franklin wrote
that "Judas sold only one man, Arnold three million." On the other
hand, we learned of the glorious sacrifice of Nathan Hale who, as he stood
before the British gallows, uttered the renowned words "I only regret that
I have but one life to lose for my country."
Who
can forget the brave witness of Faith of Bishop St. John Fisher who refused to
apostatize himself before the malevolent King Henry VIII, whilst the rest of
the cowardly episcopacy bent to the will of a mere human. Who can forget the
more recent brave witnesses of the Mexican clergy-martyrs, like Blessed Miguel
Pro, or the incomprehensibly brave 14-year-old boy, St. José Sánchez del Río.
It
all fits together ... the secular revulsion we have toward the "Benedict
Arnolds" of the world, and the revulsion we have toward the
"Judases" who betrayed us in the Faith. It certainly explains the
revulsion that the faithful had for the grave betrayal of the abuse scandal. It
was bad enough that abuse occurred in the first place; it was immeasurably
worse when certain members of the hierarchy covered it up, it was much worse
than that when others who knew stood by and did nothing, and worst of all when
some of the hierarchy themselves were perpetrators. The grave consequences to
the faith of the faithful is well known.
But
it is easy to blame those we readily identify as Judases. It is a lot easier
to point the finger at other particularly evil traitors, but what about us? Let
us never forget the parable Jesus taught about those who were convinced of
their own righteousness. How often are we like the Pharisee who took up his
position in the Temple "... and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O
God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity-greedy, dishonest,
adulterous-or even like this tax collector." Lk 18:11
The
fact is that we all have been traitors. In fact, we all are traitors, to a greater
or lesser extent, maybe, but traitors nonetheless, every single time we betray
the Sacrifice on Calvary, every time we sin, in what we have done and in what
we have failed to do. We betray the Cross of Christ every time we refuse to
pick up our cross and follow Jesus to our own personal Calvary. For today, let
us look at what might be the most insidious way we betray Jesus in what we have
failed to do.
As
the great Archbishop Charles Chaput once said: "For Pope Benedict, lay
people and priests don't need to publicly renounce their Catholic faith to be
apostates; they simply need to be silent when their baptism demands that they
speak out, to be cowards when Jesus asks them to have courage." So, what
about us? What about our own treason?
Dear
family, in our PC-poisoned culture, we are stigmatized, chastised and
ostracized when we try to live out our Faith publicly. We are hammered by the
proposition that we are being "judgmental" when we stand up for the
Truths of our Faith. Yet, if we speak the unchanged and unchangeable Truth
about sin, and endure the repercussions for speaking up and speaking out,
should we not have the same attitude as Jesus to the temple guard, "If
I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why
do you strike me?" Jn 18:23
Let
us pray this day to be free from treason - from highest treason -
against Jesus our Lord, in what we do, but perhaps even more, in what we have
failed to do, by remaining silent when our baptism calls us to arms, to stand
up and speak out against sin in the world. Indeed, dear family, we will know we
have gone spiritually blind when we can see nothing significantly wrong with
something that God has called sin.
Prayer
of Reparation
My
Lord and my God, we have allowed the temptation of the devil to move our hearts
to move our hearts toward treason. We have fallen into treason when we have not
lived up to the call of our Baptism by not acknowledging You before others. We
fear the persecution in every aspect of our lives, especially those things that
impact on our income, or on our social relationships. In our weakness, we have
been weak in Faith, and betrayed You like Peter in the courtyard, denying You
far many more times. In so many ways, we fear the ill-will of man more than we
fear the loss of Heaven. We turn to You Lord, in our weakness, and beg Your
forgiveness for our countless betrayals. We love You, Lord, and we beg for the
courage to say to others, "yes, I know Him Who is Lord of Heaven and
Earth." We know, Lord, if You will it, it will be done. Trusting in You,
we offer our prayer to You who live and reign forever and ever.
Prayer
of Exorcism
Lord
God of Heaven and Earth, in your power and goodness, you created all things. You
set a path for us to walk on and a way to an eternal relationship. By the
strength of your arm and Word of your mouth Cast from your Holy Church every
fearful deceit of the Devil Drive from us manifestations of the demonic that
oppress us and beckon us to faithlessness and fear. Still the lying tongue of
the devil and his forces so that we may act freely and faithfully to your will.
Send your holy angels to cast out all influence that the demonic entities in
charge of fear have planted in your church. Free us, our families, our parish,
our diocese, and our country from all trickery and deceit perpetrated by the
Devil and his hellish legions. Trusting in your goodness Lord, we know if you
will it, it will be done in unity with Your Son and the Holy Spirit, One God
for ever and ever. Amen.
Litany of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary
Lord, have mercy,
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy,
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy,
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us,
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.
Response to the following: Pray for
us.
Heart of Mary
Heart of Mary, after God's own Heart
Heart of Mary, in union with the Heart of Jesus
Heart of Mary, the vessel of the Holy Spirit
Heart of Mary, shrine of the Trinity
Heart of Mary, home of the Word
Heart of Mary, immaculate in your creation
Heart of Mary, flooded with grace
Heart of Mary, blessed of all hearts
Heart of Mary, Throne of glory
Heart of Mary, Abyss of humbleness,
Heart of Mary, Victim of love
Heart of Mary, nailed to the cross
Heart of Mary, comfort of the sad
Heart of Mary, refuge of the sinner
Heart of Mary, hope of the dying
Heart of Mary, seat of mercy
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of
the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of
the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of
the world,
Have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Immaculate Mary, meek and humble of
heart.
Conform our hearts to the heart of Jesus.
Let us pray:
O most merciful God, who for the salvation of sinners and
the refuge of the wretched, has made the Immaculate Heart of Mary most like in
tenderness and pity to the Heart of Jesus, grant that we, who now commemorate
her most sweet and loving heart, may by her merits and intercession, ever live
in the fellowship of the hearts of both Mother and Son, through the same Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Source: Blessed Cardinal
John Henry Newman. Published in From Parochial and Plain Sermons. c
1997, San Francisco: Ignatius Press
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
SECTION ONE THE SACRAMENTAL ECONOMY
CHAPTER TWO-THE SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATION OF THE PASCHAL
MYSTERY
Article 1 CELEBRATING THE CHURCH'S LITURGY
II. How is the Liturgy
Celebrated?
Signs and symbols
1145 A sacramental celebration is woven from signs and symbols.
In keeping with the divine pedagogy of salvation, their meaning is rooted in
the work of creation and in human culture, specified by the events of the Old
Covenant and fully revealed in the person and work of Christ.
1146 Signs of the human world. In human life, signs and symbols
occupy an important place. As a being at once body and spirit, man expresses
and perceives spiritual realities through physical signs and symbols. As a
social being, man needs signs and symbols to communicate with others, through
language, gestures, and actions. the same holds true for his relationship with
God.
1147 God speaks to man through the visible creation. the
material cosmos is so presented to man's intelligence that he can read there
traces of its Creator. Light and darkness, wind and fire, water and earth,
the tree and its fruit speak of God and symbolize both his greatness and his
nearness.
1148 Inasmuch as they are creatures, these perceptible
realities can become means of expressing the action of God who sanctifies men,
and the action of men who offer worship to God. the same is true of signs and
symbols taken from the social life of man: washing and anointing, breaking
bread and sharing the cup can express the sanctifying presence of God and man's
gratitude toward his Creator.
1149 The great religions of mankind witness, often
impressively, to this cosmic and symbolic meaning of religious rites. the
liturgy of the Church presupposes, integrates and sanctifies elements from
creation and human culture, conferring on them the dignity of signs of grace,
of the new creation in Jesus Christ.
1150 Signs of the covenant. the Chosen People received from God
distinctive signs and symbols that marked its liturgical life. These are no
longer solely celebrations of cosmic cycles and social gestures, but signs of
the covenant, symbols of God's mighty deeds for his people. Among these
liturgical signs from the Old Covenant are circumcision, anointing and
consecration of kings and priests, laying on of hands, sacrifices, and above
all the Passover. the Church sees in these signs a prefiguring of the
sacraments of the New Covenant.
1151 Signs taken up by Christ. In his preaching the Lord Jesus
often makes use of the signs of creation to make known the mysteries of the
Kingdom of God. He performs healings and illustrates his preaching with
physical signs or symbolic gestures. He gives new meaning to the deeds and
signs of the Old Covenant, above all to the Exodus and the Passover, for
he himself is the meaning of all these signs.
1152 Sacramental signs. Since Pentecost, it is through the
sacramental signs of his Church that the Holy Spirit carries on the work of
sanctification. the sacraments of the Church do not abolish but purify and
integrate all the richness of the signs and symbols of the cosmos and of social
life. Further, they fulfill the types and figures of the Old Covenant, signify
and make actively present the salvation wrought by Christ, and prefigure and
anticipate the glory of heaven.
Words and actions
1153 A sacramental celebration is a meeting of God's children
with their Father, in Christ and the Holy Spirit; this meeting takes the form
of a dialogue, through actions and words. Admittedly, the symbolic actions are
already a language, but the Word of God and the response of faith have to accompany
and give life to them, so that the seed of the Kingdom can bear its fruit in
good soil. the liturgical actions signify what the Word of God expresses: both
his free initiative and his people's response of faith.
1154 The liturgy of the Word is an integral part of sacramental
celebrations. To nourish the faith of believers, the signs which accompany the
Word of God should be emphasized: the book of the Word (a lectionary or a book
of the Gospels), its veneration (procession, incense, candles), the place of
its proclamation (lectern or ambo), its audible and intelligible reading, the
minister's homily which extends its proclamation, and the responses of the
assembly (acclamations, meditation psalms, litanies, and profession of faith).
1155 The liturgical word and action are inseparable both
insofar as they are signs and instruction and insofar as they accomplish what
they signify. When the Holy Spirit awakens faith, he not only gives an
understanding of the Word of God, but through the sacraments also makes present
the "wonders" of God which it proclaims. the Spirit makes present and
communicates the Father's work, fulfilled by the beloved Son.
Singing and music
1156 "The musical tradition of the universal Church is a
treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. the
main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as a combination of sacred music and
words, it forms a necessary or integral part of solemn liturgy." The
composition and singing of inspired psalms, often accompanied by musical
instruments, were already closely linked to the liturgical celebrations of the
Old Covenant. the Church continues and develops this tradition: "Address .
. . one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody to the Lord with all your heart." "He who sings prays
twice."
1157 Song and music fulfill their function as signs in a manner
all the more significant when they are "more closely connected . . . with
the liturgical action," according to three principal criteria: beauty
expressive of prayer, the unanimous participation of the assembly at the
designated moments, and the solemn character of the celebration. In this way
they participate in the purpose of the liturgical words and actions: the glory
of God and the sanctification of the faithful:
How I wept, deeply moved by your hymns, songs, and the
voices that echoed through your Church! What emotion I experienced in them!
Those sounds flowed into my ears distilling the truth in my heart. A feeling of
devotion surged within me, and tears streamed down my face - tears that did me
good.
1158 The harmony of signs (song, music, words, and actions) is
all the more expressive and fruitful when expressed in the cultural richness of
the People of God who celebrate. Hence "religious singing by the
faithful is to be intelligently fostered so that in devotions and sacred
exercises as well as in liturgical services," in conformity with the
Church's norms, "the voices of the faithful may be heard." But "the
texts intended to be sung must always be in conformity with Catholic doctrine.
Indeed they should be drawn chiefly from the Sacred Scripture and from
liturgical sources."
Holy images
1159 The sacred image, the liturgical icon, principally
represents Christ. It cannot represent the invisible and incomprehensible God,
but the incarnation of the Son of God has ushered in a new "economy"
of images:
Previously God, who has neither a body nor a face, absolutely
could not be represented by an image. But now that he has made himself visible
in the flesh and has lived with men, I can make an image of what I have seen of
God . . . and contemplate the glory of the Lord, his face unveiled.
1160 Christian iconography expresses in images the same Gospel
message that Scripture communicates by words. Image and word illuminate each
other:
We declare that we preserve intact all the written and
unwritten traditions of the Church which have been entrusted to us. One of
these traditions consists in the production of representational artwork, which
accords with the history of the preaching of the Gospel. For it confirms that
the incarnation of the Word of God was real and not imaginary, and to our
benefit as well, for realities that illustrate each other undoubtedly reflect
each other's meaning.
1161 All the signs in the liturgical celebrations are related
to Christ: as are sacred images of the holy Mother of God and of the saints as
well. They truly signify Christ, who is glorified in them. They make manifest
the "cloud of witnesses" who continue to participate in the
salvation of the world and to whom we are united, above all in sacramental
celebrations. Through their icons, it is man "in the image of God,"
finally transfigured "into his likeness," who is revealed to our
faith. So too are the angels, who also are recapitulated in Christ:
Following the divinely inspired teaching of our holy
Fathers and the tradition of the Catholic Church (for we know that this
tradition comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells in her) we rightly define with
full certainty and correctness that, like the figure of the precious and
life-giving cross, venerable and holy images of our Lord and God and Savior,
Jesus Christ, our inviolate Lady, the holy Mother of God, and the venerated
angels, all the saints and the just, whether painted or made of mosaic or
another suitable material, are to be exhibited in the holy churches of God, on
sacred vessels and vestments, walls and panels, in houses and on streets.
1162 "The beauty of the images moves me to contemplation,
as a meadow delights the eyes and subtly infuses the soul with the glory of
God." Similarly, the contemplation of sacred icons, united with
meditation on the Word of God and the singing of liturgical hymns, enters into
the harmony of the signs of celebration so that the mystery celebrated is
imprinted in the heart's memory and is then expressed in the new life of the
faithful.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Purity
· Saturday Litany of the Hours
Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·
Novena
to Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Day 3
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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