AUGUST
August--We may come to appreciate more deeply the various landforms (mountains, deserts, rock formations, valleys, and plains) during vacation time. They give us bearing, direction, and the geological history of our lives. This is the beginning of awareness of the "here" in our lives. The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord shows us the "hereness" of the risen Lord, and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary speaks of God's power to the blessed. While we can choose to extend the Savior's redeeming power to our wounded earth, we also can choose to withdraw from this awesome challenge.
Overview of August[1]
August is often considered the transitional month in our seasonal calendar. It is the time of the year we begin to wind-down from our summer travels and vacations and prepare for Autumn — back to school, fall festivals, harvest time, etc. The Church in her holy wisdom has provided a cycle of events in its liturgical year which allow the faithful to celebrate the major feasts in the life of Christ and Mary. Most notably, during August, we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration (August 6) and the feast of the Assumption (August 15).
The other main feasts of this month are St. Alphonsus Liguori (August 1), St. Eusebius of Vercelli and St. Peter Julian Eymard (August 2), St. John Mary Vianney (August 4), Dedication of St. Mary Major (August 5), Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6), St. Dominic (August 8), St. Teresa Benedicta (August 9), St. Lawrence (August 10), St. Clare (August 11), St. Jane Frances de Chantal (August 12), St. Stephen of Hungary (August 16), St. John Eudes (August 9), St. Bernard (August 20), the Queenship of Mary(August 22), St. Rose of Lima (August 23), St. Bartholomew (August 24), St. Louis of France (August 25), St. Monica (August 27) and the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist (August 29.)
The feasts of St. Sixtus II and Companions and St. Cajetan (August 7), St. Maximilian Kolbe (August 14), St. Pius X (August 21) and St. Augustine (August 28) fall on a Sunday, so they are superseded by the Sunday Liturgy and the Liturgy of the Assumption.
The days of summer have provided a welcome change of pace. However, while vacations afford us the time to relax and refresh, the change of habits and routines can also have a negative impact on our spiritual lives. As if to re-ignite us, the Church offers us in the plethora of August feasts vivid examples of the virtue of perseverance: six martyrs — two who are named in Canon I of the Mass and two who were martyred during World War II; seven founders of religious congregations, as well as three popes and two kings; the apostle, St. Bartholomew; the great Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine and St. Monica, his mother; the humble patron saint of parish priests, St. John Vianney, and the patron of deacons, St. Lawrence, who joked with his executioners while being roasted alive.
It is never too late to begin — as the life of the reformed sinner, St. Augustine teaches us — nor too difficult to begin again, as demonstrated by the conversion of the martyr, St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein). We present-day members of the Mystical Body are certain of the reward to which we are called, for Christ's Transfigured body (August 6) is a preview of that glory. Moreover, in the Assumption of his Mother (August 15), Our Lord has demonstrated his fidelity to his promise. Her privilege is "the highest fruit of the Redemption" and "our consoling assurance of the coming of our final hope — the glorification which is Christ's" (Enchiridion on Indulgences).
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the most perfect example of Christian perseverance, but she is also our advocate in heaven where she is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth (August 22). Mary is the "Mother of Perpetual Help", the patroness of the Congregation founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori (August 1). "No one who has fled to her protection is left unaided" is the claim of the Memorare of St. Bernard (August 20). Heretics have returned to the faith by the prayers of her Rosary, first preached by St. Dominic (August 8) in the twelfth Century, and hearts have been converted by the graces received while wearing her Miraculous Medal, promoted by St. Maximillian Kolbe (August 14) and adopted as the "badge" for the Pious Union he founded. Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope!
August Travel[2]
· State Fair Season
State
fair season kicks off in August; see the stars of the season like the
Orange County Fair, which draws more than 1.5 million fairgoers, or the
Minnesota State Fair, which Andrew Zimmern calls his own slice of heavenly
obsession. With state fair staples like ice-cold lemonade and fried treats, we
can see why.
Technically the world's largest yard sale, the flea market
known as the 127 Corridor is certainly the LONGEST outdoor market. Beginning on
a highway in Jamestown, TN, this flea stretches hundreds of miles through North
Covington, Kentucky, and continues all the way to Gadsden, Alabama. There are
more than 2,000 vendors along this tour who clear their schedules for 3 weeks
every August. One can imagine the caravan of Winnabagos that make this annual
pilgrimage. Countless treasures and billions of collectibles hide among
bric-a-brac and junk, but the people-watching and Southern hospitality alone
are worth the trip.
Escape the heat, and take
in awe-inspiring glacial views, with a cruise to Alaska.
Cruise ships dock alongside towns from Seward, along Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula,
to Ketchikan, in the Alexander Archipelago. Cruise ships also dock near Katmai
National Park, where July is prime time to see bears gulp up Atlantic salmon on
their run. And if cruise prices prove too high in July, fret not: Alaska’s
prime cruise season stretches through September.
·
August
3-7-Maine Lobster Festival (Rockland,
ME)
The annual Maine Lobster Festival kicks off this month, and
you won't want to miss a moment of it! Over the course of the 5-day festival,
more than 20,000 lbs. of lobster will be served -- lobster rolls, lobster
wraps, lobster Caesar salad. Did we say lobster? Plus, see the annual Lobster
Crate Race, cooking contest and the Maine Sea Goddess coronation!
·
August 9-17-Elvis
Week (Memphis, TN)
Shake, rattle and roll! Memphis, TN, marks its annual Elvis Week celebration each
August. There's always something for Elvis fans, including the big draw each
year, the annual Elvis Tribute Artists contest. Who will be crowned the King?
·
August
21-Happy Birthday,
Hawaii!
Do your patriotic duty, and honor the Aloha State with a
visit this month -- August 21 marks Hawaii?s admittance as the 50th state. Lap
up the waves on Oahu's North Shore; and for
culinary fare, we've got the inside scoop on 4 ways to eat like a local on Oahu.
·
Cowal Highland Gathering (Dunoon,
Scotland)
Nice legs! See big, brawny men in flowing Scottish skirts
compete in the largest Highland games in the world -- the Cowal Highland
Gathering. Also known as the Cowal Games, the annual event is held in the
Scottish town of Dunoon, attracting more than 23,000 spectators to celebrate
Scottish and Celtic culture.
Iceman’s Calendar
·
August 3rd MASS First
Wednesday
·
August 4th Feast
of St. John Vianney
·
August 5th MASS First
Friday
·
August 7th Feast
of the Transfiguration
o MASS First
Saturday
·
August 8th Ninth Sunday
after Pentecost
·
August 10th Feast of St. Lawrence
·
August 11th Feast
of St. Claire
·
August 14th Tenth
Sunday after Pentecost
·
August 15th The
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
·
August 21st Eleventh
Sunday after Pentecost
·
August 22nd Queenship
of Mary
·
August 24th St.
Bartholomew, Apostle
·
August 28th Twelfth
Sunday after Pentecost
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Luke,
Chapter 7, Verse 16
FEAR seized them all, and they
glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God
has visited his people.”
This
was said after Jesus had raised the widow’s son in Nain. There exists no better
model for Godly leadership than our Lord. Everything he spoke he did. He had
compassion on the high and the low. He had compassion on this poor widow. He
looked around him and where he saw misery; he acted. He healed the sick, cast
out evil spirits and raised the dead. They came to Him broken and empty, and He
filled them with faith, hope and love as well as taking physical action to help
with their suffering. His focus was to restore the widow her son: to restore
the family which is the true tabernacle of the Holy Spirit.
ON KEEPING THE LORDS DAY HOLY[1]
CHAPTER
V
DIES
DIERUM
Sunday:
The Primordial
Feast, Revealing the Meaning of Time
CONCLUSION
82. It is with this strong conviction of faith, and with awareness of the heritage of human values which the observance of Sunday entails, that Christians today must face the enticements of a culture which has accepted the benefits of rest and free time, but which often uses them frivolously and is at times attracted by morally questionable forms of entertainment. Certainly, Christians are no different from other people in enjoying the weekly day of rest; but at the same time they are keenly aware of the uniqueness and originality of Sunday, the day on which they are called to celebrate their salvation and the salvation of all humanity. Sunday is the day of joy and the day of rest precisely because it is "the Lord's Day", the day of the Risen Lord.
Eighth
Sunday after Pentecost[2]
The
importance of intelligent foresight and the fascinating passage on "the
mammon of iniquity" (Lk. 16.9).
IN the Introit of the Mass the Church praises God, whose mercy and justice extend to the ends of the world. “We have received Thy mercy, O God, in the midst of Thy temple. According to Thy name, O God, so also is Thy praise unto the ends of the earth; Thy right hand is full of justice. Great is the Lord and exceedingly to be praised, in the city of our God, in His holy mountain”. (Ps. xlvii. 11, 1).
Prayer. Grant us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, at all times, the spirit of thinking and doing what is right, that we, who cannot exist without Thee, may be able to live according to Thy will.
EPISTLE. Rom. viii. 12-17.
Brethren,
we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you
live according to the flesh, you shall die but if by the spirit you mortify the
deeds of the flesh, you shall live. For whosoever are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again
in fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry Abba
(Father). For the Spirit Himself giveth testimony to our spirit, that we are
the sons of God. And if sons, heirs also: heirs indeed of God, and joint heirs
with Christ.
“The works of the flesh are,” according to St. Paul, “fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury, idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities, contentions, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, sects, envies, murders, drunkenness, reveilings, and such like” (Gal. v. 19, 20). Those who practise such vices are not children of God, and will inherit, not heaven, but eternal death. Examine yourself, therefore, whether you are not living according to the flesh, and for the future resist sinful desires with God’s assistance, and you will gain a crown in heaven.
Aspiration. Grant me, Lord, Thy spirit, that I may always remember the happiness of Thy kingdom, may mortify the lusts of the flesh, and may walk as Thy child in holy chastity.
Luke xvi. 1-9.
At that time Jesus spoke to His disciples this parable: There was a certain rich man who had a steward: and the same was accused unto him, that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said to him: How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship: for now, thou canst be steward no longer. And the steward said within himself: What shall I do, because my lord taketh away from me the steward ship? To dig I am not able, to beg I am ashamed. I know what I will do, that when I shall be removed from the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. Therefore, calling together every one of his lord’s debtors, he said to the first: How much dost thou owe my lord? But he said: A hundred barrels of oil. And he said to him: Take thy bill and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then he said to another: And how much dost thou owe? Who said: An hundred quarters of wheat. He said to him: Take thy bill and write eighty. And the lord commended the unjust steward, forasmuch as he had done wisely: for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light. And I say to you: Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity, that when you shall fail they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.
Who are meant by the rich man and his steward? By the rich man is meant God; by the steward, man. The goods intrusted to the steward are the different goods and gifts of soul and body, of nature and of grace.
Why did Christ use this parable? To teach us that God requires of every man a strict account of whatever has been given to him, to encourage us to be liberal to the poor, and to warn us against dissipation and injustice.
How are we to understand the direction “to make unto us friends of the mammon of iniquity”? Riches are called the mammon of iniquity because they so easily lead us to injustice, avarice, excess, and dissipation. Jesus intended to say that we should, according to our ability, employ in doing good those worldly goods which so easily carry us into sin. But He is not to be understood as saying that we should steal, or cheat, or use goods otherwise unjustly obtained, to give alms.
What friends are we thus to make? The friends are the good works which render us pleasing to God, and open to us heaven; the poor, the saints of God; the angels, who rejoice in our benevolence, and become our in tercessors; and finally Christ, Who regards what is given to the poor as so much given to Himself (Matt. xxv. 40). “The hands of the poor” says St. Chrysostom, “are the hands of Christ” through them we send our goods to heaven beforehand, and through their intercession we obtain the grace of salvation.
Aspiration. Grant me, O most just God and Judge, grace so to
use the goods entrusted to me on earth, that with them I may make my self
friends to receive me, at the end of my life, into everlasting habitations.
INSTRUCTION ON CALUMNY
Is calumny a grievous sin? When the occasion is important, and the slander is deliberately uttered, with evil intention, when one’s neighbor is thereby grievously injured, and his good name damaged, everyone may see how grievous and detestable, in such a case, this sin is. (Hmm…Fake News?)
Is it sinful to disclose the faults of our neighbor? To make public the faults and sins of our neighbor uselessly, merely for the entertainment of idle persons, is always sinful. But if, after trying in vain to correct his faults and sins by brotherly admonition, we make them known to his parents or superiors, for his punishment and amendment, so far from being a sin, it is rather a good work and a duty of Christian charity.
Is it a sin also to listen willingly to calumny? Yes; for thereby we furnish the calumniator an occasion for sin and give him encouragement. For which reason St. Bernard says: “Whether to calumniate be a greater sin than to listen to the calumniator I will not lightly decide.”
What ought to restrain us from calumny? The thought,
1,
of the enormity of this sin;
2,
of the number of sins occasioned thereby of which the calumniator, as the
occasion of them, becomes partaker;
3,
of the difficulty of correcting the harm done, since we cannot know the full
extent of the injury, nor stop the tongues of people. Finally, we must
think on the eternal punishment which follows this sin. The holy Fathers say
that of young persons who are condemned the greater part is for impurity, but
of the old, for calumny.
Feast
of St.
Ignatius[3]
Ignatius, by nation a Spaniard, was born of a noble family at Loyola, in Cantabria. At first, he attended the court of the Catholic king, and later on embraced a military career. Having been wounded at the siege of Pampeluna, he chanced in his illness to read some pious books, which kindled in his soul a wonderful eagerness to follow in the footsteps of Christ and the saints. He went to Montserrat and hung up his arms before the altar of the Blessed Virgin; he then watched the whole night in prayer, and thus entered upon his knighthood in the army of Christ. St. Ignatius strongly recommends making a daily examination of conscience.
Examination
of Conscience
Prayer
before Examination:
I am perfectly sensible, O
my God, that I have in many ways offended Thy divine majesty and provoked Thy
wrath by my sins; and that if I obtain not pardon, I shall be cast out of thy
sight forever. I desire, therefore, at present to call myself to an account,
and look into all the sins whereby I have displeased Thee; but O my God, how
miserably shall I deceive myself if Thou assist me not in this work by Thy
heavenly light. Grant me, therefore, at present, thy grace, whereby I may
discover all my imperfections, see all my failings, and duly call to mind all
my sins: for I know that nothing is hidden from Thy sight. But I confess myself
in the dark as to my own failings: my passions blind me, self-love flatters me,
presumption deludes me, and though I have many sins which stare me in the face,
and cannot be hidden, yet how many, too, are there quite concealed from me! But
discover even those to me, O Lord! enlighten my darkness, cure my blindness,
and remove every veil that hides my sins from me, that I may be no longer a
secret to myself, nor a stranger to my own failings, not ever flatter myself
with the thoughts of having repented, an at the same time nourish folly and
vice within my breast. Come, Holy Ghost, and by a beam of Thy divine light
illumine my understanding, that I may have a perfect view of all my sins and
iniquities, and that, sincerely repenting of them, I may know Thee, and be
again received into Thy favor.
A Method of Examination of
Conscience, according to the threefold Duty we owe: (I) To God (II) To our
Neighbor (III) To ourselves.
I-In Relation to God:
·
Have
you omitted morning or evening prayer, or neglected to make your daily
examination of conscience?
·
Have
you prayed negligently, and with willful distraction?
·
Have
you spent your time, especially on Sundays and holidays, not in sluggishly
lying abed, or in any sort of idle entertainment, but in reading, praying, or
other pious exercises; and taken care that those under your charge have done
the like, and not wanted the instructions necessary for their condition, nor
time for prayer, or to prepare for the sacraments?
·
Have
you spoken irreverently of God and holy things?
·
Have
you taken his name in vain, or told untruths?
·
Have
you omitted your duty through human respect, interest, compliance, etc.?
·
Have
you been zealous for God's honor, for justice, virtue and truth, and reproved
such as act otherwise?
·
Have
you resigned your will to God in troubles necessities, sickness, etc.?
·
Have
you faithfully resisted thoughts of infidelity, distrust, presumption,
impurity, etc.?
II-In Relation to Your
Neighbor
·
Have
you disobeyed your superiors, murmured against their commands, or spoken of
them contemptuously?
·
Have
you been troubled, peevish, or impatient, when told of your faults, and not
corrected them?
·
Have
you scorned the good advice of others, or censured their proceedings?
·
Have
you offended any one by injurious threatening words or actions? Or lessened
their reputation by any sort of detractions, or in any matter of importance?
·
Or
spread any report, true or false, that exposed your neighbor to contempt, or
made him undervalued?
·
Have
you been carrying stories backward and forward, created discord and
misunderstanding between neighbors?
·
Have
you been forward or peevish towards any one in your carriage, speech, or
conversation?
·
Or
taken pleasure to vex, mortify, or provoke them to swear, curse, or any ways
offend God?.
·
Have
you mocked or reproached them for their corporal or spiritual imperfections?
·
Have
you been excessive in reprehending those under your care, or been wanting in
giving them just reproof?
·
Have
you borne with their oversights and imperfections, and given them good counsel?
·
Have
you been solicitous for such as are under your charge, and provided for their
souls and bodies?
III-In Relation to
Yourself
·
Have
you been obstinate in following your own will, or in defending your own
opinion, in things either indifferent, dangerous or scandalous?
·
Have
you taken pleasure in hearing yourself praised, or yielded to thoughts of
vanity?
·
Have
you indulged yourself in overmuch ease, or any ways yielded to sensuality?
·
Has
your conversation been edifying and moderate; or have you been forward, proud,
or troublesome to others?
·
Have
you spent too much time in play, or useless employments, and thereby omitted,
or put off your devotions to unseasonable times? If such as confess often fall
into any of the more grievous sins not here mentioned, their own memory will
easily suggest them, since it is impossible for a tender soul to forget any
mortal offense, which must of necessity afflict her; and therefore, it may not
be necessary for them to turn over the following table of sins, which is
chiefly intended for general confessions.
An Examination for Confession
The First Commandment
is Broken
First, by Sins against Faith
·
To
be ignorant of the principal mysteries of Christianity; of the Creed, of the
Commandments of God and his Church, or of the Sacraments.
·
To
give God's honor to any created being or thing whatsoever; to pay divine
worship, or to ascribe God's exclusive powers or attributes, to any being
except God himself.
·
Willfully
to doubt, or obstinately to err, in any point of faith, or of human respect,
interest, fear etc.
·
To
favor heretics or wicked men, in supporting or approving their opinions or
actions.
·
To
endanger our faith by reading their books with pleasure.
·
To
examine divine mysteries with curiosity, and secrets of Providence by pure
human reason.
·
To
disrespect or deride holy things.
·
To
abuse the words of the Holy Scripture, by perverting them to a wicked or
profane sense, making them subservient to jests, or other ill purposes.
·
To
desire to know things to come, which belong to God alone, or things past or
present, which are hid from us, and for this end to employ unlawful means, as
fortune tellers, or other superstitious inventions.
·
To
give credit to dreams, or make superstitious observations; to employ prayers or
sacred names to ill uses; to use charms etc.
Secondly, by Sins against Hope
·
By
distrusting the mercies of God and despairing of the pardon of our sins.
·
By
presuming on God's goodness, without the least concern of amendment.
·
By
deferring our conversion or repentance till the end of life.
·
By
exposing ourselves to the danger of offending God either by company, reading, or
otherwise, which is called tempting God.
·
By
exposing ourselves, without necessity, to some corporal danger; as sickness,
wounds or death.
·
By
neglecting the remedies which God has appointed in these dangers, as physic for
the body, or prayer and the sacraments for the soul.
Thirdly, by Sins against Charity
·
By
not loving God above all things, but rather choosing willfully to offend him,
than suffer any loss of honor, riches, etc.
·
By
preferring the love of man before the love of God; or offending him through
fear of being jeered or slighted.
·
By
omitting our duty through shame, or human respect.
·
By
thinking seldom of God or being ashamed to speak of him; or by not hearkening
to his inspirations, by forgetting his benefits, or neglecting to give him
thanks.
Fourthly, by Sin against Religion
·
By
not adoring God or praying to him but seldom.
·
By
praying without attention, and with willful distractions.
·
By
a want of respect to God in time of prayer; or by talking or being present in
holy places without a becoming modesty and gravity in our looks, words and
actions.
Fifthly, by Sins against the Care we ought
to have of our Salvation.
·
By
a love of idleness.
·
By
being too solicitous in temporal concerns and neglecting the means of
salvation.
·
By
deferring amendment of life, or immediately desisting, after having begun it.
·
By
neglecting the means of salvation; as the sacraments, prayer, good works, or
performing them without devotion.
The Second Commandment
is Broken
·
By
taking the name of God in vain.
·
By
swearing to what one knows or doubts to be false.
·
By
swearing to what is unjust, or prejudicial to others.
·
By
swearing without necessity, though the thing itself be true and just.
·
By
blaspheming God or holy things.
·
By
cursing one's self or others or taking pleasure in hearing others swear or
curse; or by provoking them to it.
·
By
not reprehending them when one could and ought.
·
By
making a vow to do what is impossible to fulfill; or to do what is evil and
displeasing to God; or to do what one never intends to perform.
·
By
breaking lawful vows or deferring to fulfill them without just cause.
The Third Commandment
is Broken.
·
By
doing servile works on Sunday or causing others to do the like without
necessity.
·
By
employing a considerable part of Sundays or holidays in temporal affairs, as is
often the case with merchants, advocates, solicitors, etc.
·
By
omitting to hear Mass, or not hearing it with due attention and reverence.
·
By
spending Sundays and holidays in idleness, gaming, dancing, feasting, and other
recreations.
·
By
not dedicating a considerable part of those days to reading and praying, and by
not taking care that those under your charge to the like.
The Fourth Commandment
is Broken
I. By children:
·
Not
paying due respect to their parents, or by despising them either in their
hearts or actions.
·
By
not loving them, but wishing their death, or some misfortune; or by forsaking
them in their necessities.
·
By
not cheerfully obeying them; or by obeying them in things unlawful.
·
By
slighting their representations and resisting their corrections.
·
By
putting them into a passion, and not taking care to pacify them.
·
By
not executing their last will and testament, or by delaying doing so.
II. By parents not
discharging their duty towards their children.
·
In
not loving them and supplying their corporal necessities.
·
In
not being careful of their salvation.
·
In
not correcting them when it is necessary; in flattering their passions or
indulging their evil inclinations.
·
In
treating them with too much severity.
·
In
not setting them good example.
·
In
forcing them in the choice of their state in life.
The Fifth Commandment
is Broken
·
By
anger, quarreling, or threatening, or by injurious or reproachful words, or
actions against our neighbors.
·
By
revenge, or deliberate thoughts or desires of revenge.
·
By
provoking, striking, challenging, wounding, or being the cause of another's
death.
·
By
bearing malice, refusing to salute or speak to any neighbor out of hatred or
aversion, or refusing to be reconciled to him.
The Sixth Commandment
is Broken
I. By the hearing.
·
In
willingly giving ear to immodest words, discourses, songs, etc.
II. By the sight.
·
In
looking on immodest objects,
·
In
reading or keeping immodest books; lending them to others; or neglecting to
suppress them when we may.
III. By the tongue.
·
In
speaking immodest words.
·
In
relating improper stories or wicked actions of ourselves or others.
IV. By the touch.
·
In
using indecent actions.
V. By thoughts.
·
By
entertaining impure thoughts willfully and with delight.
VI. By immodest actions.
·
In
committing the sin of impurity, and whether effected by soliciting, seducing
with promises, or forcing, whether it be fornication, adultery, or incest.
·
In
sins against nature.
The Seventh Commandment
is Broken.
·
By
taking another's goods, and to what value.
·
By
retaining what we know belongs to another.
·
By
denying our debts, or willfully delaying payment, to the prejudice of our
neighbors.
·
By
making unjust bargains or contracts, into which every trade or profession ought
to make a strict inquiry.
·
By
causing any damage to our neighbors.
·
By
putting off false and counterfeit money.
·
By
desiring another's property.
·
By
not giving alms when necessity requires.
·
By
not paying dues to our pastors, or by not contributing to the decent support of
religious worship.
·
By
simony.
The Eighth Commandment
is Broken
·
By
witnessing what is false, or defending a false accusation, as in lawyers and
solicitors; or condemning the innocent, or discharging the guilty, as judges
and arbitrators.
·
By
detraction, either in laying something false to another's charge, or reporting
for truth what is merely doubtful; or in revealing something as yet secret and
unknown, though true, to the prejudice of some third person; with a
declaration, whether it be done out of levity and indiscretion, or out of
malice or ill-will; whether in the presence of many, or in a matter of
importance.
·
By
lying or speaking what we judge to be otherwise than we say, whether out of
custom, or to the considerable prejudice of others.
·
By
hypocrisy, which is a lie in action.
The
Ninth and Tenth are Broken
·
By
all unlawful and willful desires of impurity and theft, which have been already
mentioned in the sixth and seventh commandment.
The Precepts of the Church
I.
To keep certain appointed days holy, with the obligation of hearing Mass, and
resting from servile works.
II. To observe the days of abstinence and fasting.
III. To confess our sins to our pastors, at least once a year.
IV. To receive the Blessed Sacrament at Easter, or thereabouts.
V. To contribute to the support of our pastors.
VI. To obey the laws of the Church concerning Matrimony.
VII. To participate in the Church's mission of Evangelization of Souls.
The Seven Deadly Sins
(The sins of covetousness,
luxury, and sloth have been already examined in the first, sixth, and seventh
commandments.)
The
Sin of Pride consists:
·
In
entertaining too great and opinion of ourselves, or in valuing others less than
ourselves and maintaining a just and noble self-love.
·
In
publishing what we think good in ourselves, that we may be esteemed by others.
·
In
arrogance, by attributing to ourselves the good we have not.
·
In
presumption and ambition, by confiding too much in our own strength, conceiving
ourselves capable of accomplishing things above our abilities, and in rashly
attempting them.
·
In
contempt of others, on account of the good opinions we have of ourselves, and
when this contempt is manifested by words or actions or by being severe and
exacting on inferiors.
·
In
want of submission to our superiors, by disobeying them, blaming their conduct,
or murmuring against them.
·
In
not acknowledging our faults, or when, in confessing the facts, we maintain we
have done well, or at least allege false excuses.
·
In
contempt of admonitions and corrections.
·
In
discord.
·
In
hypocrisy.
·
In
curiosity, which inclines us to know things prejudicial to our salvation.
·
By
ingratitude for God's benefits.
The Sin of Gluttony
·
In
eating or drinking to excess, as far as they are prejudicial, either to our
health or our reason, or any ways scandalous, or of ill example to others.
The Sin of Envy
·
Trouble
at the good success of our neighbor, or when we endeavor to do him an
unkindness, or speak often against him, or create an ill opinion of him in the
mind of another.
·
When
we rejoice at our neighbor's harm.
The Sin
of Anger
·
Not
to endure anything contrary to our inclinations.
·
To
suffer ourselves to be hurried away by the emotions of wrath against those that
give us any trouble.
·
To
proceed to quarrels, injurious language, oaths, curses, threats; to take
revenge, or to desire and wish to be in a capacity of exercising it.
·
To
refuse to pardon injuries, or to be reconciled to our enemies, or to such of
our neighbors with whom we have had some misunderstanding or falling out.
A Prayer for
Obtaining Contrition
I have
now here before me, O Lord, a sad prospect of the manifold offenses whereby I
have displeased thy divine Majesty, and which I am assured will appear in
judgment against me if, by repentance and a hearty sorrow, my soul be not
prepared to receive thy pardon. But this sorrow and this repentance, O Lord,
must be the free gift of thy mercy, without which all my endeavors will be in
vain, and I shall be forever miserable. Have pity, therefore, on me, O merciful
Father, and pour forth into my heart thy grace, whereby I may sincerely repent
of all my sins; grant me true contrition, that I may bewail my base
ingratitude, and grieve from my heart for having offended so good a God. Permit
me not to be deluded by a false sorrow, as I fear I have been too often,
through my own weakness and neglect; but let it now be thy gift, descending
from thee, the Father of Lights, that so my repentance may be accompanied by an
amendment and a change of life, that being thus acquitted from the guilt of my
sins, I may once more be received into the number of thy servants. Amen.
Novena
in Honor of Saint John Marie Vianney
Confessor of Souls
O Holy Priest of Ars, you
knew how important was a good confession for the Christian life. It was to
procure the happy fruits of millions of souls that you agreed to be in an
uncomfortable confessional, which was like a prison, up to 15 to 16 hours on
certain days. I will try to develop the habit of frequent confession, to
prepare properly each time and to have always regret for my sins, so that the
grace of final perseverance but also the sanctification of my soul will be
assured. Ask this grace for me. Holy Priest of Ars, I have confidence in your
intercession. Pray for me during this novena especially for ... (mention
silently your special intentions).
Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER
ONE-THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION
Article 2 THE
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
IV. Who
can Receive This Sacrament?
1306 Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should
receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Since Baptism, Confirmation, and
Eucharist form a unity, it follows that "the faithful are obliged to
receive this sacrament at the appropriate time," for without
Confirmation and Eucharist, Baptism is certainly valid and efficacious, but
Christian initiation remains incomplete.
1307 The Latin tradition gives "the age of
discretion" as the reference point for receiving Confirmation. But in
danger of death children should be confirmed even if they have not yet attained
the age of discretion.
1308 Although Confirmation is sometimes called the
"sacrament of Christian maturity," we must not confuse adult faith
with the adult age of natural growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a
grace of free, unmerited election and does not need "ratification" to
become effective. St. Thomas reminds us of this:
Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in
childhood man can attain spiritual maturity: as the book of Wisdom says:
"For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of
years. "Many children, through the strength of the Holy Spirit they have
received, have bravely fought for Christ even to the shedding of their blood.
1309 Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the
Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively
familiarity with the Holy Spirit - his actions, his gifts, and his biddings -
in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian
life. To this end catechesis for Confirmation should strive to awaken a sense
of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the
parish community. the latter bears special responsibility for the preparation
of confirmands.
1310 To receive Confirmation one must be in a state of grace.
One should receive the sacrament of Penance in order to be cleansed for the
gift of the Holy Spirit. More intense prayer should prepare one to receive the
strength and graces of the Holy Spirit with docility and readiness to act.
1311 Candidates for Confirmation, as for Baptism, fittingly
seek the spiritual help of a sponsor. To emphasize the unity of the two
sacraments, it is appropriate that this be one of the baptismal godparents.
Daily
Devotions
·
Today in honor of the
Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no
shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday. Don’t forget the internet.
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting:
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: July
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Let
Freedom Ring Day 25
·
Rosary
[2] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
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