HOT
MULLED CIDER DAY
It
is a FEARFUL thing to fall into the
hands of the living God.
Mary shows us
how the just live by faith. Although she was literally the mother of God, she
did not count herself equal to God. Although throughout her life she lived in
poverty she was generous to a fault. Although a mother and wife she was chaste
to her spouse the Holy Spirit. Let us ask her to intercede for us that we may
never dread to fall into the hands of the living God. As Mary said, “His mercy
is from age to age to those who fear him.” (Lk. 1:50)
Prayer for Safety in Hurricane Season
O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble
voices of your children. The Sea of
Galilee obeyed Your order and returned to its former quietude. You are still the Master of the land and sea.
We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control: the Gulf, like
a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy and overstep
its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster.
During this hurricane season, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from
past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to
refuse to heal with the passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved
Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf, so that spared from
the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of
gratitude, we walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly
Jerusalem where storm-less eternity awaits us. Amen
+The Most
Reverend Maurice Schexnayder
2nd
Bishop of Lafayette
Hot Mulled Cider Day[2]
The winter will be short, the
summer long, the autumn amber-hued, sunny and hot, Tasting of cider and of
scuppernong; All seasons sweet, but autumn best of all. The squirrels in their
silver fur will fall Like falling leaves, like fruit, before your shot. Elinor Wylie
The
chilly seasons welcome a delicious drink called hot mulled cider, a traditional
drink made from heated apple cider with various spices added, including citrus
orange, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. It is a perfect drink on chilly days
whether you are home alone by your fireplace reading a book, or having a party
serving this drink with your friends. The history of hot mulled cider is bears
remarkable similarities to the old pagan tradition called Wassailing. The word ‘wassail’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase ‘waes hael’, which means ‘good health’. The wassail was a drink made of
mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and
sugar. It was served from huge, 10-gallon bowls, often made of silver or
pewter. This originally came from a story about a young beautiful maiden
presenting the drink to Prince Vortigen, saying the words “waes hael” in a toast. The term wassailing
refers to the act of the bowl being carried into the room with great splendor,
a traditional carol about wassailing and then the beverage was served. Nowadays,
hot mulled cider is generally referred to non-alcoholic, fermented apple juice.
Hard cider would be the alcoholic version of apple cider. This drink can be
served during the fall and winter seasons, and it is similar to Mulled wine,
which is essentially hot, sweetened red wine made aromatic with the addition of
citrus fruits and warming spices such as cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. However,
people these days have been gravitating towards mulled apple cider as a drink
that anyone can have.
How to celebrate Hot
Mulled Cider Day
One of
the best ways to celebrate this holiday is to find a recipe and make mulled
cider yourself! It’s a very
easy and simple drink with a lot of flavor. In a large pot, add brown sugar to
apple cider over medium heat. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Then add
other ingredients such as nutmeg, allspice, orange juice, and lemon juice, and
bring to a boil. When serving, strain out the spices, pour into a mug, and
enjoy! Add a cinnamon stick to your mug if you’d like or make it fancy and add rum into your mixture.
Fitness
Friday-Soup[3]
Soup is a quick, hot meal that offers plenty of health benefits. You can
throw a variety of ingredients into a slow cooker in the morning before you
leave for work or school and return home to a delicious meal in the evening.
The healthiest soups include fresh, low-fat ingredients and a minimum of salt
and extra fat. You can use up leftovers in a soup pot and create new variations
of favorite recipes, since soup lends itself to experimentation.
Vegetables. The American Heart Association recommends adults consume
eight or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day. That's 4 ½ cups.
Soups can contribute to that total. Almost any vegetable lends itself to use in
soup, from creamy squash or tomato bisques to vegetable beef or chicken
vegetable soup. Add fresh or frozen vegetables to canned soups to increase the
servings of vegetables and add flavor.
Nutrients. Soups made with beans and lean meats such as fish provide lean
protein. Beans also give you fiber. Tomatoes are a good source of lycopene, an
antioxidant that may help reduce the risk of cancer, particularly prostate
cancer, according to Penn State University. Vegetables in soup contain many
vitamins, such as A and C. Cream soups supply calcium and vitamin D.
Low Fat. Most soups, if made with lean meat, are low in fat, making them a good choice for anyone concerned about fat in his diet. Use fat-free broths and lean meat to reduce the fat content of soups. se skin milk for cream soups; or, instead of milk, you can use pureed white beans to thicken soup. To further reduce the fat content of your soup without sacrificing flavor, chill it and skim off the fat before reheating and serving.
Filling. Because soup contains so much water it fills you up with fewer calories. When Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., conducted research at Penn State University, she discovered that students who ate chicken and rice soup instead of a chicken and rice casserole, consumed fewer calories yet reported being equally satisfied. Rolls is author of the book, The Volumetrics Weight Control Plan, in which she explains how eating soup and other high-volume, low-calorie foods can help you lose weight.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION ONE-MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE
SPIRIT
CHAPTER
ONE THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
1700 The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation
in the image and likeness of God (article 1); it is fulfilled in his vocation
to divine beatitude (article 2). It is essential to a human being freely to
direct himself to this fulfillment (article 3). By his deliberate actions
(article 4), the human person does, or does not, conform to the good promised
by God and attested by moral conscience (article 5). Human beings make their
own contribution to their interior growth; they make their whole sentient and
spiritual lives into means of this growth (article 6). With the help of grace
they grow in virtue (article 7), avoid sin, and if they sin they entrust
themselves as did the prodigal son1 to the mercy of our Father in heaven (article 8). In
this way they attain to the perfection of charity.
Texas State Fair (Dallas) September 30-Oct
23 “Our state fair is a great state fair.” How can
it not be when it’s in Texas? Beginning the last Friday in September, the
annual Texas State Fair unfolds over 24 days in Dallas, TX, with plenty of fun
for the whole family, including the chance to ride this Ferris wheel – the
largest in North America.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: The
lonely and destitute.
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: September
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
OCTOBER
TREES DECLARE THEIR OWN SERMON in
brief autumn's painted landscape. We note their size and type and variety and
beauty. Trees serve as symbols of the gift-giving aspects of our lives. Trees
provide fruit, wood, climatic modification, wind and sun protection, prevention
of soil erosion, and a host of other benefits. This is the time to plant trees
and to prepare them for winter. Should we not give more attention to how our
lives can bear fruit in Christ and in the protection of our forests?
Overview of October[4]
The
month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. The
Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7. October falls
during the liturgical season known as Ordinary Time,
which is represented by the liturgical color green. During October, as in all
of Ordinary Time (formerly known as Time After Pentecost), the Liturgy
does not focus on one particular mystery of Christ but views the mystery of
Christ in all its aspects. We follow the life of Christ through the Gospels and
focus on the teachings and parables of Jesus and what it means for each of us
to be a follower of Christ.
Autumn
Festivities
October
usually is an enjoyable time of the year in the United States. The autumn
season manifests itself with wonderful fall foliage in many parts of the
country. The temperatures are cooler, inviting people outdoors for nature
walks, apple or pumpkin picking. The celebrations of the Church for the month
of October are also wonderful and unique. The feasts of some of the most
popular saints of the universal Church are celebrated during this month: St.
Therese the Little Flower (France), St. Francis of Assisi (Italy) and St.
Teresa of Avila (Spain). These saints come from different countries, and in
honoring these saints we can include cultural dishes or activities from each
country to make the feast day even more special. Read more about the lives of
these saints. Perhaps the family can pick one virtue that each saint practiced
well and try to implement it.
The
feasts in October also include two of the most popular, time-honored devotions
of Catholics, the devotion to the Holy Rosary (October 7) and the Guardian
Angels
(October 2). In October 2002 our Holy Father John Paul II wrote the Apostolic
Letter Rosarium
Virginis Mariae
(the Rosary of the Virgin Mary)."
This letter introduced five new mysteries, called the Luminous or Mysteries of
Light, which are (1) Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan, (2) Jesus'
self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana, (3) Proclamation of the Kingdom of
God, with the call to conversion, (4) the Transfiguration, and (5) the
Institution of the Eucharist. Try to make a more concerted effort to pray the
Rosary together as a family during the month of October, read the Apostolic
Letter to understand the beauty of this devotion more deeply, and pray the new
Luminous mysteries. October 16 is known as "Pope Day" on which we
celebrate the gift of the papacy and our current pope.
Every
person has a guardian angel assigned to them, and October 2 the Church
celebrates the role of these Guardian Angels. We should show devout gratitude
to God for placing these angels at our service. Having a guardian should give
us confidence during all of life's difficulties. Every Catholic should know the
Angele Dei (Angel of God) prayer and pray it often. The Directory on
Popular Piety suggests that families pray it at morning and evening prayers
or after the Angelus.
All
Hallows' Eve or Halloween heralds the month of November with emphasis on the
Communion of Saints, especially the Church Suffering (the Poor Souls in
Purgatory) and the second coming of Christ or parousia. This last day
of October on the secular calendar is second only to Christmas in commercial
preparations. The secular festivities center on ghouls, witches and devils, but
the Christian counterpart focus on the communion of saints. As Christians
living a "Catholic Culture", we should try to explore the Christian
roots of the Halloween festivities.
October:
Respect Life Month[5]
We mark the month of
October as Respect Life Month. Looking back over the last year, there's been a
lot of uncertainty, suffering, and heartache. Between tragedies that occur in the public eye and trials that take
place in our personal lives, there's no shortage of reasons we cry out to God.
At such times, we may feel alone and unequipped to handle the circumstances.
But we have an anchor of hope to cling to. With words that echo through
thousands of years into the corners of our hearts, God says to us, "Do not
fear: I am with you" (Isaiah 41:10). God isn't a detached, distant
observer to our pain; the Eternal Son became man and Himself experienced
immense suffering—for you and for me. His wounds indicate the very essence of
our identity and worth: we are loved by God. There are times we may doubt the
value of our own lives or falter at the thought of welcoming and embracing the
life of another. But reflecting on the healed wounds of the Risen Christ, we
can see that even our most difficult trials can be the place where God
manifests his victory. He makes all things beautiful. He makes all things new.
He is the God of redemption. That's powerful. That's something to hold onto.
And, He is always with us. Jesus promised this when he gave the disciples the
same mission, he gives to each of us: Go. As followers of Jesus Christ, we know
that our identity and our mission are two sides of the same coin; like the
apostles, we are called to be missionary disciples. We are not only invited to
follow and take refuge in God, our stronghold, but we are also commissioned to
reach out to one another, especially to the weak and vulnerable. Building a
culture of life isn't something we just do one month of the year, or with one
event or initiative—it's essential to who we are. It happens through our daily
actions, how we treat one another, and how we live our lives. How do we respond
when our aging parents are in failing health? Do they know how much we love
them and cherish each day given? Do we ensure they know they are never a burden
to us? In our own challenging times, do we ask for support? When others offer a
helping hand, do we receive it? When our friend becomes pregnant in difficult
circumstances, do we show compassion that tangibly supports her and helps her
welcome the life of her new little one? Sometimes, we may not be sure exactly
what to do, but let's not allow the fear of doing the wrong thing or saying the
wrong thing keep us from living out our missionary call. We don't need to have
everything figured out all at once. Let's remember the guidance of Our Blessed
Mother, the first disciple: "Do whatever he tells you" (John 2:5). https://www.usccb.org/prolife
Reverence
Life[6]
From the time we are knit
together in our mothers’ wombs
until we take our final breaths, each moment of our lives is a gift from God.
While every season of life brings its own challenges and trials, each season
also gives us new opportunities to grow in our relationship with God. Today the
gift of life is threatened in countless ways. Those who are most vulnerable,
rather than receiving the protection they deserve, are all too often seen as a
burden and as expendable. As new attacks on human life continue to emerge, we
can be tempted to despair, but Christ instead offers us unfailing hope. Hope is
not false optimism or empty positivity. Christian hope is something much more
profound and goes to the very depths of our identity as followers of Christ.
Hope is the virtue “by which
we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our
trust in Christ’s
promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of
the Holy Spirit” (CCC,
1817).
Like us, Christ entered
the world through the womb of a woman. He willingly experienced the fullness of
human suffering. He breathed his last on the Cross at Calvary in order that He
might save us. Therefore, “God
is the foundation of hope: not any god, but the God who has a human face and
who has loved us to the end”
(Spe salvi 31).
Christians know “they have a future: it is not that
they know the details of what awaits them, but they know in general terms that
their life will not end in emptiness”
(SS 2).
For this reason, a woman
experiencing a difficult pregnancy can find the strength to welcome her
precious child into the world. A man facing a terminal diagnosis can see that
the end of his earthly life is only the beginning of eternal life with Christ. The
Church teaches us that “the one
who has hope lives differently”
(SS 2).
Christ’s promise of salvation does not mean that we will be spared from suffering. Rather, the promise of salvation ensures that even in the darkest moments of our lives, we will be given the strength to persevere. By virtue of this Christian hope, we can face any challenge or trial. When the seas of life swell and we are battered by the waves, hope allows us to remain anchored in the heart of God. May we hold fast to Christ our hope, from the beginning of life to its very end.
October
Travel and Events
September 30-Oct 23---Texas State Fair (Dallas)
“Our state fair is a
great state fair.” How can it not be when it’s in Texas? Beginning the last
Friday in September, the annual Texas State Fair unfolds over 24 days in
Dallas, TX, with plenty of fun for the whole family, including the chance to
ride this Ferris wheel – the largest in North America.
September 17-Oct. 3---Oktoberfest
Raise a stein to Oktoberfest.
This annual, 16-day celebration of all thing’s beer kicks off in late September
in Munich. Can’t make it to Germany? Bring your taste for brewski to
these US
Oktoberfest events.
Grand Canyon (Arizona)
Take advantage of
off-season travel to popular landmarks such as the Grand Canyon. Each October, the 1.2-million-acre
park sees half its summer crowds. Enjoy cooler temperatures (in the 70s), as
well as the deepening colors of aspen, oak and birch trees that adorn this
national treasure.
Race for the Cure
On your mark, get set …
join one of the hundreds of Race for the Cure events taking place in cities
across the US this month. Go pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month at any
number of walks and races occurring nationwide, and make it a Pinktober to
remember.
Acadia National Park
(Maine)
Catch a glimpse of
Maine’s gorgeous fall colors at Acadia National Park this month. Each October,
600,000 visitors enter the park, but with 47,000 acres to explore, you’ll have
plenty of leaf-peeping options. Looking for something closer to home? Check out
our favorite fall foliage
road trips.
October 6 & 8---Ironman World Championship
(Kailua-Kona, HI)
See some of the world’s
most elite athletes compete in the big daddy of Ironman
events. More than 2,000 athletes from around the world will set out on a
140.6-mile triathlon race from Kona, HI. Come as a participant, spectator or
volunteer because this is one competition you won’t soon forget.
October 6-9---New York
Comic Con
Gear up as the X-Men or
any other favorite action hero at the largest comic and pop culture celebration
on the East Coast. Showcasing the latest in comics, graphic novels, video
games, anime and more, New York Comic Con kicks off at the Jacob K. Javits
Convention Center.
Begin October 7th---MLB
World Series
Head to one of America’s
most iconic baseball
stadiums and take in the spirit of the World Series. One
of our favorite stadiums remains Yankees Stadium, home to 27 World Series wins.
Whatever your stadium of choice, you’re likely to have a hard time passing up
all the mouthwatering ballpark food.
October 7-14---Austin
City Limits (Austin, TX)
Head to the most
extraordinary 3-day music fest of its kind in the US. Held each year in
Austin’s Zilker Park, Austin City Limits draws
more than 130 music acts, showcasing the best in indie, rock, country and more,
across 8 stages.
October 10---Chicago
Marathon
Lace up your running
shoes and head to the Windy City for
the Chicago Marathon. One of the 6 major marathons, this annual race welcomes
both elite athletes and everyday runners from all 50 states and more than 100
countries. Even if you’re not participating, join runners as they cross the
finish line in Chicago’s Grant Park for
the post-race party, which features live entertainment and vendors.
Iceman’s Calendar
·
October 1st MASS First
Saturday
·
October 2nd Seventeenth
Sunday after Pentecost
o Feast
of the Guardian Angels
·
October 4th St.
Francis of Assisi
·
October 5th MASS
First Wednesday
·
October 7th MASS First
Friday
·
October 9th Eighteenth
Sunday after Pentecost
·
October 10th Columbus
Day Monday day off no mail
·
October 15 St.
Teresa of Jesus
·
October 16th Nineteenth
Sunday after Pentecost
·
October 18th Feast
of St. Luke
· October
23rd Twentieth
Sunday after Pentecost
·
October 24th Feast
of St. Simon and Jude
·
October 30th Twenty
First Sunday after Pentecost
·
October 31st All
Hollows Eve
Comments
Post a Comment