Friday, September 2, 2022

First Friday

Acts, Chapter 27, verse 22-25

²² I urge you now to keep up your courage; not one of you will be lost, only the ship. ²³ For last night an angel of the God to whom (I) belong and whom I serve stood by me ²⁴ and said, ‘Do not be AFRAID, Paul. You are destined to stand before Caesar; and behold, for your sake, God has granted safety to all who are sailing with you.’ ²⁵ Therefore, keep up your courage, men; I trust in God that it will turn out as I have been told.

God calls all peoples to the one covenant whether they be Jew, Muslim, and Catholic or in this case roman pagans. Courage only the ship will be lost. As men we make ourselves ships; ships which are the symbol of our values and our idealism. If our values and idealism is not in compliance with the covenant our ship will break up.

Jeremiah 31:31-34: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

First Friday Promises[1]

Those who faithfully complete the First Friday devotion for nine consecutive months are promised the following, as told to Roman Catholic nun St. Margaret Mary Alacoque by Our Lord Jesus Christ:

1. I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.

2. I will establish peace in their homes.

3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.

4. I will be their strength during life and above all during death.

5. I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.

6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Tepid souls shall grow fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.

9. I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.

10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.

12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant all to those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

To gain these blessings there are just three simple requirements to complete each month.

Fitness Friday-The 5 Switches of Manliness: Providing[2]

In case you haven’t noticed men and women are different both physically and mentally. Men’s brains are constructed by our creator differently than women. Men’s brains are uniquely suited for survival and providing for the tribe. If we wish to provide for the tribe we must make use of the male body and mind.

The Providing Brain

The male brain is particularly adept at visual-spatial skills. Men tend to be better than women at rotating objects in their minds to gain a 3-D view and are better able to track moving objects, gauge how fast they’re going, and determine the objects’ proportions and location. Men also have keener long-range vision than women, are more sensitive to objects entering their field of vision, and are better at noticing the small movements of those objects. In fact, there is a correlation between higher testosterone levels and visual-processing speeds. Men’s visual and spatial abilities give them a leg up when it comes to geography, orientation, and navigation–skills that come in handy when out on the hunt or engaging in battle. The male brain is also built with a larger dorsal premammillary nucleus, also called the “defend-your-turf” part of the brain. The circuity of this part of the brain is designed to detect territorial challenges by other males. Men’s brains also include a larger amygdala than women, which can be thought of as an alarm system for possible danger. Thus, men are especially alert to potential threats to themselves and their loved ones.

These inborn proclivities not only helped men in their roles as searchers and scouts, but they may also have been used in ways that then strengthened their ability to envision the future; giving us an ability to track animals or have better math skills.

Men have an innate need to look ahead, to plan, to prepare, to strategize. Or in other words, men have an innate need for vision, for providing.

While we’re no longer hunting antelopes, our brains are still primed to engage in searching, scanning, recognition, and long-term planning. These activities are carried out in the left side of the brain and are fueled by dopamine, the neurotransmitter which neuroscientists have shown motivates the male brain to a greater extent than the female brain.

Flipping the Provider Switch

If you’re a single man, you need to have a vision for your own life. If you’re a married man, you need to have a vision for your own life and for your family. Women don’t want a man who’s a domineering oaf, but they also don’t want to feel like they’re always pulling and dragging their husband along. They want a man who’s personally motivated, takes initiative, makes decisions, and has a discernible sense of direction and purpose. A man who is always scouting the way to take care of his family and lead them through the storms of life. I’ve sometimes had that conversation with my wife where I tell her that I feel unhappy, and she asks me what I want out of life and what would make me happy, and all I can answer is, “I don’t know.” That’s a failure of vision. And a failure in being a provider.

Having a vision involves growing in self-awareness and awareness of the world around you. The man of vision understands his own strengths and weaknesses, how the world works, and what makes people tick. He looks out from a high point in the landscape, takes in the lay of the land, fixes his sights on where he wants to go, and figures out how to get there. And then he leads and navigates, watching for and surmounting obstacles, until the destination is reached.

Here are some suggestions for harnessing your inner-Scout and flipping the Provider Switch:

· Find your core values

· Create a blueprint for your life.

· Keep a journal.

· Spend some time in solitude. Hike, camp overnight or even rent a hotel room.

· Find your vocation.

· Create a daily schedule.

· Work on becoming fully present in your life.

· Meditate or pray.

· Write down your goals each night.

· Unplug and take periodic technology “fasts” to recharge and clear your mind.

· Read biographies–by taking in the sweep of another man’s life you can really gain perspective on your own life, what a man is capable of accomplishing, and insight on the paths other men took.

· Create a morning routine that pumps you up for the coming day.

· Turn off the radio on the way to work and think about what you want to accomplish that day.

· Carry a pocket notebook so you can capture your ideas and make to-do lists to keep track of what needs to get done.

· Practice memorization–memorize a poem or work on remembering names.

· Keep track of data in your life–when you work out, record how much weight you’re lifting. Write down what you eat. Keep track of your goals or new habits with something like Joe’s Goals.

· Read up on human psychology, relationships, body language, etc.

· Educate yourself on things like health insurance and retirement plans (stay-tuned for a post on this).

· Create a budget and understand exactly what’s going on with your finances.

· Start an emergency fund.

· Be prepared for disaster and learn survival skills–like how to handle a weapon, pack a bug-out bag, and forage for food.

· If you have a family, hold a regular family council. We’ll do a post on this in the future.

· Talk with your kids one on one to find out what is going on in their lives. Make it casual–like when you’re driving around together.

· Stay up on politics, news, and current events.

September Travel and Events

Belgian Beer Weekend September 2-4. The drinking fun doesn’t end in Budapest! Head to Belgium for Belgian Beer Weekend. Held at Brussel’s Grand Place square, this annual celebration in early September showcases Belgian brews from more than 30 small and big breweries.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY

SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH

V. Viaticum, the Last Sacrament of the Christian

IN BRIEF

1526 "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (Jas 5:14-15).

1527 The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick has as its purpose the conferral of a special grace on the Christian experiencing the difficulties inherent in the condition of grave illness or old age.

1528 The proper time for receiving this holy anointing has certainly arrived when the believer begins to be in danger of death because of illness or old age.

1529 Each time a Christian falls seriously ill, he may receive the Anointing of the Sick, and also when, after he has received it, the illness worsens.

1530 Only priests (presbyters and bishops) can give the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, using oil blessed by the bishop, or if necessary by the celebrating presbyter himself.

1531 The celebration of the Anointing of the Sick consists essentially in the anointing of the forehead and hands of the sick person (in the Roman Rite) or of other parts of the body (in the Eastern rite), the anointing being accompanied by the liturgical prayer of the celebrant asking for the special grace of this sacrament.

1532 The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has as its effects:
- the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the whole Church;
- the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age;
- the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance;
- the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul;
- the preparation for passing over to eternal life.

Daily Devotions

· 30 DAY TRIBUTE TO MARY 19^th ROSE: Crowning with Thorns