Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
OUR LADY OF KNOCK
John,
Chapter 19, verse 38
38After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for FEAR of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So, he came and took his body.
Where is Jesus’ body? If Christ did not resurrect where are the remains of his body? We have the nails, we have the shroud, we have the wood of the cross, and the crown of thorns, but we do not have His body. Why, because he has resurrected and in due time so will we.
Faith is the answer to fear. Deep down we are all afraid: of suffering, or of dying, or of God’s judgment, or of the unknown, or of weakness, or of our live’ slipping out of control, or of not being understood and loved. We sin because we fear. We bully because we are cowards.[1]
“Faith casts our fear, as light casts out darkness. God has shone his light into our world, and it is stronger than darkness. (John 1:50)
ON KEEPING THE LORDS DAY HOLY[2]
CHAPTER
V
DIES
DIERUM
Sunday:
The Primordial
Feast, Revealing the Meaning of Time
CONCLUSION
85. As she strains towards her goal,
the Church is sustained and enlivened by the Spirit. It is he who awakens
memory and makes present for every generation of believers the event of the
Resurrection. He is the inward gift uniting us to the Risen Lord and to our
brothers and sisters in the intimacy of a single body, reviving our faith,
filling our hearts with charity and renewing our hope. The Spirit is
unfailingly present to every one of the Church's days, appearing unpredictably
and lavishly with the wealth of his gifts. But it is in the Sunday gathering
for the weekly celebration of Easter that the Church listens to the Spirit in a
special way and reaches out with him to Christ in the ardent desire that he
return in glory: "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!'" (Rev
22:17). Precisely in consideration of the role of the Spirit, I have wished
that this exhortation aimed at rediscovering the meaning of Sunday should
appear in this year which, in the immediate preparation for the Jubilee, is dedicated
to the Holy Spirit.
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost[3]
Daily
dying to our sins and rising to new life in Christ.
AT
the Introit of the Mass, with the priest, pray God for brotherly love, and for
protection against enemies, within and without. God, in His holy place; God,
Who maketh men of one mind to dwell in a house, He shall give power and
strength to His people. Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered; and
let them that hate Him flee before His face (Ps. Ixvii.).
Prayer. almighty and everlasting God, Who
in the abundance of Thy mercy dost exceed the desires and deserts of Thy
suppliants, pour forth Thy mercy upon us, that Thou mayest forgive what our
conscience fears, and grant what our prayer does not presume to ask.
EPISTLE,
i. Cor. xv. 1-10.
I
make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also
you have received, and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved: if you
hold fast after what manner I preached unto you, unless you have believed in
vain. For I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received: how
that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures: and that He was
buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures: and
that He was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven. Then was He seen by
more than five hundred brethren at once, of whom many remain until this
present, and some are fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by
all the apostles: and last of all, He was seen also by me as by one born out of
due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an
apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God I am
what I am: and His grace in me hath not been void.
Explanation. This epistle teaches us that as
the holy apostle Paul was not elated with vanity by the revelations he had
received from God, but rather felt himself unworthy of them, ascribing it to
God’s grace that he was what he was, even so the truly humble man thinks little
of himself, is willing to be despised by others, and gives glory to God alone.
Such humility is a most difficult lesson to our sensual nature. But are we not
sinners, and far greater sinners, than St. Paul was? and shall we then esteem
ourselves highly? And granting that we have not to reproach ourselves with any
great sins, and have even done much good, is it not presumption and robbery to
claim for ourselves what belongs to grace? Let us learn, therefore, to be
humble, and to count ourselves always unprofitable servants.
Aspiration. O most humble Savior, banish from
my heart the spirit of pride, and impart to me the most necessary grace of
humility. Give me grace to know that, of myself, I can do nothing that is
pleasing to Thee, that all my sufficiency for good comes from Thee, and that
Thou workest in us both to will and to accomplish (n. Cor. iii. 5; Phil. ii.
13).
GOSPEL Mark vii 31-37
At that
time, Jesus, going out of the coasts of Tyre, came by Sidon to the Sea of
Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring to Him
one deaf and dumb: and they besought Him that He would lay His hand upon him. And
taking him from the multitude apart, He put His fingers into his ears, and
spitting, He touched his tongue: and looking up to heaven, He groaned, and said
to him: Ephpheta, which is, Be thou opened. And immediately his ears were opened,
and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spokeright. And He charged them
that they should tell no man. But the more He charged them, so much the more a
great deal did they publish it: and so much the more did they wonder, saying:
He hath done all things well; He hath made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb
to speak.
·
Who among Christians are like the
deaf and dumb of this gospel? Those who are deaf to the voice of God, and
dumb in prayer, in the praise of God, in the defense of religion, and of the
good name of their neighbor, and in confessing their sins.
·
Why did Christ take the deaf and dumb man
aside? Because He did not seek the praise of men, and at the same time was
loath to provoke too soon the hatred of His enemies.
·
Why did Jesus put His fingers into
the ears of the deaf and dumb, and spitting, touched his tongue? To show this unfortunate person by
signs that it was He Who freed him from his bodily evils, and that the healing
power was not the consequence of secretly given remedies but proceeded
immediately from Himself.
·
Why did Jesus look up to heaven and
groan?
1. To show that He acted not as
mere man, but that He had received all power from His eternal Father.
2. That He might thereby awaken and
animate the deaf and dumb man to confidence in His power and belief in His
divine mission. Learn hence to practice the beautiful virtue of compassion for
others sufferings, and to acknowledge that every good gift is from above.
·
Why did Christ charge them that
they should tell no man?
That we might learn not to seek the praise of men for our good deeds. Let us
learn to make known the works of God to His glory; for He is continually
working before our eyes everyday so many wonders, in order that we may praise
His benignity and omnipotence.
Aspiration: O Jesus,
great physician of souls, open mine ears to attend to Thy holy will; loosen my
tongue to proclaim and praise forever Thy love and goodness.
Our Lady of Knock[4]
On August 21, 1879, Margaret Beirne, a resident of Cnoc Mhuire, was sent by her
brother to lock up the church for the evening. When she was ready to leave, she
noticed a strange brightness hovering over the church. Margaret had other
things on her mind, and didn't tell anyone what she saw. Around the same time,
another member of the Beirne family, Mary, was leaving from a visit to the
church's housekeeper, and stopped with the housekeeper at the gables, where they
could see the church. Mary replied:
"Oh, look at
the statues! Why didn't you tell me the priest got new statues for the
chapel?"
The
housekeeper responded that she knew nothing of the priest getting new statues.
So, they both went for a closer look, and Mary Beirne said:
"But they
are not statues, they're moving. It's the Blessed Virgin!"
Thirteen
others also came and saw the beautiful woman, clothed in white garments,
wearing a brilliant crown. Her hands were raised as if in prayer. All knew that
it was Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Queen of Angels. On the right of Our Lady
stood St. Joseph, his head inclined toward her. On her left stood St. John, the
Evangelist, dressed as a bishop. To the left of St. John stood an altar which
had a lamb and a cross surrounded by angels on it. The vision lasted about two
hours. People who were not at the apparition site reported that they saw a
bright light illuminating the area where the church was. Many of the sick were
healed upon visiting the church at Knock.
Things to Do:
·
See
the website of the Shrine of the Our Lady of Knock.
·
For
further information see Catholic Saints Info on Our Lady of Knock.
·
In
the vision, Mary stood in the middle, wearing a long gown and a crown of
pulsating brilliance, with a golden rose over her forehead. A golden rose is
often the symbol of this Marian apparition.
·
Pope
St. John Paul II presented a golden rose to the Shrine on his visit on September 30,
1979. Read his Mass homily.
·
Because
the 4th Sunday of Lent or Laetare Sunday is often referred as the Golden
Rose Sunday, the Simnel Cake could incorporate the Rose tradition. See Laetare,
Jerusalem! Rejoice!
by Jennifer Gregory Miller for more information.
South Pole Discovery of the Eternal[5]
WASHINGTON
(CNS) -- The work of researchers who reported detecting the signal left behind
by the rapid expansion of space billions of years ago is rooted in the efforts
of a Belgian priest whose mathematical computations in the 1920s laid the
groundwork for the Big Bang theory. Msgr. George Lemaitre, a mathematician who
studied alongside leading scientists of the first half of the 20th century
exploring the origins of the universe, suggested that the cosmos began as a
super-dense "primeval atom" that underwent some type of reaction that
initiated the expansion of the universe which continues today. The priest's
conclusions challenged the conventional hypothesis proposed by luminaries such
as Albert Einstein and Fred Hoyle that the universe was in a steady state. Researchers
in cosmology over the decades refined Msgr. Lemaitre's idea, leading to what
became widely known as the Big Bang theory and later ideas that signs of the
Big Bang can be detected. The most recent evidence supporting the Big Bang
emerged March 17 when a team of scientists announced they detected polarization
in light caused by primordial gravitational waves originating from the Big
Bang. The measurements were made with the Background Imaging of Cosmic
Extragalactic Polarization experiment, or Biceps2, located at near the South
Pole.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
Article 4-THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND
RECONCILIATION
VII. The
Acts of the Penitent
1450 "Penance requires . . . the sinner to endure all
things willingly, be contrite of heart, confess with the lips, and practice
complete humility and fruitful satisfaction."
Contrition
1451 Among the penitent's acts contrition occupies first place.
Contrition is "sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed,
together with the resolution not to sin again."
1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all
else, contrition is called "perfect" (contrition of charity). Such
contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it
includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon
as possible.
1453 The contrition called "imperfect" (or
"attrition") is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit.
It is born of the consideration of sin's ugliness or the fear of eternal
damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear).
Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the
prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By
itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave
sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.
1454 The reception of this sacrament ought to be prepared for
by an examination of conscience made in the light of the Word of God. the
passages best suited to this can be found in the moral catechesis of the
Gospels and the apostolic Letters, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the
apostolic teachings.
The confession of sins
1455 The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply
human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others.
Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes
responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the
communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible.
1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of the
sacrament of Penance: "All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent
self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if
they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of
the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are
more dangerous than those which are committed openly."
When
Christ's faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they
undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon. But those who
fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine
goodness for remission through the mediation of the priest, "for if the
sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot
heal what it does not know."
1457 According to the Church's command, "after having
attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation
faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year." Anyone who
is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even
if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental
absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is
no possibility of going to confession. Children must go to the sacrament
of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time.
1458 Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday
faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the
Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our
conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ
and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through
this sacrament the gift of the Father's mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as
he is merciful:
Whoever confesses his sins . . . is already working with
God. God indicts your sins; if you also indict them, you are joined with God.
Man and sinner are, so to speak, two realities: when you hear "man" -
this is what God has made; when you hear "sinner" - this is what man
himself has made. Destroy what you have made, so that God may save what he has
made .... When you begin to abhor what you have made, it is then that your good
works are beginning, since you are accusing yourself of your evil works. the
beginning of good works is the confession of evil works. You do the truth and
come to the light.
Satisfaction
1459 Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible
in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation
of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice requires
as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his
relationships with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not
remedy all the disorders sin has caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner
must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make
amends for the sin: he must "make satisfaction for" or
"expiate" his sins. This satisfaction is also called
"penance."
1460 The penance the confessor imposes must take into account
the penitent's personal situation and must seek his spiritual good. It must
correspond as far as possible with the gravity and nature of the sins
committed. It can consist of prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of
neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient
acceptance of the cross we must bear. Such penances help configure us to
Christ, who alone expiated our sins once for all. They allow us to become
co-heirs with the risen Christ, "provided we suffer with him."
The satisfaction that we make for our sins, however, is not
so much ours as though it were not done through Jesus Christ. We who can do
nothing ourselves, as if just by ourselves, can do all things with the
cooperation of "him who strengthens" us. Thus man has nothing of
which to boast, but all our boasting is in Christ . . . in whom we make
satisfaction by bringing forth "fruits that befit repentance." These
fruits have their efficacy from him, by him they are offered to the Father, and
through him they are accepted by the Father.
Events
·
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.
Week
Ahead
·
August 22nd Queenship
of Mary
·
August 24th St.
Bartholomew, Apostle
·
August 28th Twelfth
Sunday after Pentecost
Daily
Devotions
·
30 DAY TRIBUTE TO MARY 7th ROSE: The
Extraordinary Preacher, St Louis de Montfort, on the Rosary
o 30
Days of Women and Herbs – Frauendreissiger
·
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: For
the intercession of the angels and saints
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: August
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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