Monday Night at the Movies
Pier Paolo Pasolini, The Gospel According to St. Matthew, 1964.
Introduction to Romans[1]
Romans is the longest and
most systematic unfolding of the apostle’s thought, expounding the gospel of
God’s righteousness that saves all who believe; it reflects a universal
outlook, with special implications for Israel’s relation to the church. Yet,
like all Paul’s letters, Romans too arose out of a specific situation, when the
apostle wrote from Greece, likely Corinth, between A.D. 56 and 58. Paul at that
time was about to leave for Jerusalem with a collection of funds for the
impoverished Jewish Christian believers there, taken up from his predominantly
Gentile congregations. He planned then to travel on to Rome and to enlist
support there for a mission to Spain. Such a journey had long been on his mind.
Now, with much missionary preaching successfully accomplished in the East, he
sought new opportunities in the West, in order to complete the divine plan of
evangelization in the Roman world. Yet he recognized that the visit to
Jerusalem would be hazardous, and we know from Acts that Paul was arrested
there and came to Rome only in chains, as a prisoner. The existence of a
Christian community in Rome antedates Paul’s letter there. When it arose,
likely within the sizable Jewish population at Rome. The Roman historian
Suetonius mentions an edict of the Emperor Claudius about A.D. 49 ordering the
expulsion of Jews from Rome in connection with a certain “Chrestus,” probably
involving a dispute in the Jewish community over Jesus as the Messiah
(“Christus”). Aquila and Priscilla (or Prisca, as in Rom 16:3)
were among those driven out; from them, in Corinth, Paul may have learned about
conditions in the church at Rome. Opinions vary as to whether Jewish or Gentile
Christians predominated in the house churches in the capital city of the empire
at the time Paul wrote. Perhaps already by then Gentile Christians were in the
majority. Paul speaks in Romans of both Jews and Gentiles. The letter also
refers to those “weak in faith” and those “who are strong”; this terminology
may reflect not so much differences between believers of Jewish and of Gentile
background, respectively, as an ascetic tendency in some converts combined with
Jewish laws about clean and unclean foods. The issues were similar to problems
that Paul had faced in Corinth. In any case, Paul writes to introduce himself
and his message to the Christians at Rome, seeking to enlist their support for
the proposed mission to Spain. The gospel Paul presents is meant to be a
familiar one to those in Rome, even though they heard it first from other
preachers. This gospel of Paul finds its center in salvation and justification
through faith in Christ. While God’s wrath is revealed against all sin and
wickedness of Gentile and Jew alike, God’s power to save by divine righteous or
justifying action in Christ is also revealed. The consequences and implications
for those who believe are set forth, as are results for those in Israel who, to
Paul’s great sorrow, disbelieve. The apostle’s hope is that, just as rejection
of the gospel by some in Israel has led to a ministry of salvation for
non-Jews, so one day, in God’s mercy, “all Israel” will be saved. The fuller
ethical response of believers is also drawn out, both with reference to life in
Christ’s body and with regard to the world. Others have viewed Romans the
relationship between Judaism and Christianity, a topic judged to be much in the
minds of the Roman Christians. Each of these religious faiths claimed to be the
way of salvation based upon a covenant between God and a people chosen and made
the beneficiary of divine gifts. But Christianity regarded itself as the
prophetic development and fulfillment of the faith of the Old Testament,
declaring that the preparatory Mosaic covenant must now give way to the new and
more perfect covenant in Jesus Christ. Paul himself had been the implacable
advocate of freedom of Gentiles from the laws of the Mosaic covenant and,
especially in Galatia, had refused to allow attempts to impose them on Gentile
converts to the gospel. He had witnessed the personal hostilities that
developed between the adherents of the two faiths and had written his strongly
worded Letter to the Galatians against those Jewish Christians who were seeking
to persuade Gentile Christians to adopt the religious practices of Judaism. For
him, the purity of the religious understanding of Jesus as the source of
salvation would be seriously impaired if Gentile Christians were obligated to
amalgamate the two religious’ faiths. Still others find the theme of Israel and
the church as to be the heart of Romans. Then the implication of Paul’s
exposition of justification by faith rather than by means of law is that the
divine plan of salvation works itself out on a broad theological plane to
include the whole of humanity, despite the differences in the content of the
given religious system to which a human culture is heir. Romans presents a plan
of salvation stretching from Adam through Abraham and Moses to Christ and on to
the future revelation at Christ’s parousia. Its outlook is universal. Paul’s
Letter to the Romans is a powerful exposition of the doctrine of the supremacy
of Christ and of faith in Christ as the source of salvation. It is an implicit
plea to the Christians at Rome, and to all Christians, to hold fast to that
faith. They are to resist any pressure put on them to accept a doctrine of
salvation through works of the law. At the same time, they are not to exaggerate
Christian freedom as an abdication of responsibility for others or as a
repudiation of God’s law and will.
SEPTEMBER 5 Monday
TERESA OF CALCUTTA-LABOR DAY
Romans,
Chapter 3, verse 10-18
10
“There is no one just, not one, 11 there is no one who
understands, there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have gone astray;
all alike are worthless; there is not one who does good, [there is not] even
one. 13
Their throats are open graves; they deceive with their tongues; the venom of
asps is on their lips; 14 their mouths are full of bitter cursing. 15 Their feet are quick to shed blood; 16
ruin and misery are in their ways, 17
and the way of peace they know not. 18
There is no FEAR of God
before their eyes.”
There is no hope except in Christ; all are broken vessels. Yet, by the gift of fortitude we endure; seeking Him who is our salvation.
As we read in the
gospel: Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now? Behold, the hour is coming
and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home,
and you will leave me alone.
(Sounds
like the Bishops during Covid) But
I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you
might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take
courage, I have conquered the world.” (John 16:31-33)
Teresa of Calcutta[2]
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, known as the "saint of the gutters", feast day will be September 5 for the church calendar, during her life, was declared a saint of the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Francis (September 4, 2016) just 19 years after her death. A Nobel peace laureate, her legacy complements Pope Francis's vision of a humble church that strives to serve the poor. Francis said she was a "dispenser of divine mercy" and held world powers to account "for the crimes of poverty they created. For Mother Teresa, mercy was the salt which gave flavor to her work, it was the light which shone in the darkness of the many who no longer had tears to shed for their poverty and suffering. She showed we can't all do everything, but little gestures made with so much love are what's important."
Foundation of Love[3]
John McCain in his book “Character is Destiny” stated
Mother Teresa shows us how mercy is the only way to find contentment by
being selfless. Great leadership is based on a foundation of love. McCain
states, “She chose to live amid squalor and sickness and desperation, endured
hardship and endless toil, and might have been the happiest person on earth.”
Mother did not flee from the Lord; nor did she fear anyone. When the Lord
called her; she knew the call was authentic because it filled her with joy.
The
first counsel of Mother Teresa is to put your hand in His and walk all the way
with Him. When you hear the call to follow follow. To Mother Teresa it was
never more complicated than that. To her care of the dying was the purest
expression of love. Who around you is dying-physically, emotionally or
spiritually? Love might not heal every wound of disease, but it heals the
heart. McCain notes that Mother Teresa showed that rather than chasing
ambition the greatest contentment comes from having a foundation of love. “She
loved and was loved, and her happiness was complete.”
International
Day of Charity[4]
The International Day of Charity
seeks to promote and recognize charity and its role in easing humanitarian
crises and suffering in the world. The day also serves to recognize the work of
charitable organizations and individuals around the globe whose philanthropic
actions have contributed to the creation of more inclusive and resilient
societies. The International Day of Charity was designated by the United Nations
General Assembly in an effort to mobilize the world to help others. The day is
celebrated every year on September 5th, the anniversary of the death of Mother
Theresa of Calcutta, one of the most philanthropic individuals of our time.
Mother Theresa passed away in 1997 at the age of 87 after a lifetime of
charitable work with the sick and dying in India.
International
Day of Charity Facts & Quotes
·
Any
charity donations that are made are tax deductible in many countries the year
they are made.
·
Americans
donated approximately 2% of their disposable income to charity in 2014. This
amount has remained constant over the past decade, despite large fluctuations
in the economy.
·
The
annual average US household charitable donation is $2,974.
·
98.4%
of high earning households give to charity and 63% say that a major motivation
for their donations is to give back to the community.
·
Let
us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. –
Mother Teresa, world-renowned nun and missionary.
International
Day of Charity Top Events and Things to Do
·
Watch
a movie about the impact and importance of charitable work. Some suggestions
are: Pay it Forward (2000), It Could Happen to You (1994), and The Letters
(2014).
·
Spread
awareness about the holiday by using the hashtags #InternationalDayofCharity,
#Charity and #MamaT.
·
Buy
a book
that directly supports charity. All net proceeds from any of the books listed
go directly to charity. Ready a great story and support a good cause all at
once!
·
Donate
to your favorite charity. If you do not have a charity of choice, Charity Navigator can help you find one. There’s a charity that just
about everyone can find reason to support out there. Check out Cross
Catholic Outreach
·
Read
a book about the impact and importance of charitable work and about the
charitable life that Mother Teresa led. Some suggestions are: Abundance, Systems
Thinking for Social Change, Start Something that Matters, The Joy in Loving and
Mother Teresa: A Simple Path.
Labor Day[5]
Labor Day is dedicated to honoring
and remembering the achievements of the US worker. It is a national celebration
which recognizes the contributions that American workers have made to the
prosperity of their nation. Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September
as a three-day weekend.
Labor
Day Facts & Quotes
·
The
Central Labor Union observed the first Labor Day holiday in 1882 in New York
City.
·
Labor
Day marks the end of the summer season, the beginning of school and the start
of football season.
·
According
to the rules of fashion, Labor Day Weekend is the last official time where
wearing white is appropriate.
·
All
labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken
with painstaking excellence. - Martin Luther King Jr.
·
Labor
is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor
and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the
superior of capital and deserves much the higher consideration. - Abraham
Lincoln
Labor
Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Go
camping. Enjoy the last three-day weekend before the weather gets significantly
colder.
Recovering Rest for Faith
and Family[6]
When
workers do not have adequate time to rest, families suffer. Also lost is
the necessary time for spiritual growth and building a relationship with
God.
As
St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, "Even as God rests in Himself alone and is happy
in the enjoyment of Himself, so our own sole happiness lies in the enjoyment of
God. Thus, also, He makes us find rest in Himself, both from His works
and our own. It is not, then, unreasonable to say that God rested in
giving rest to us." A culture that obsesses less over endless
activity and consumption may, over time, become a culture that values rest for
the sake of God and family. Employers ought to consider the total
well-being of their employees and prioritize conditions that help them to
thrive as human persons. Wages and working hours should support the
fundamental needs of people to form and nurture families. The spiritual
needs of workers must also be taken
into account, so that God may more easily draw them into deeper relationship
toward their ultimate purpose.
One of my favorite memories of being
stationed as a soldier in Germany was the mandatory closing of shops from
Saturday afternoon until early Monday morning. As a result, I was able to spend
time with my family walking with them through the beautiful German woodlands.
Often, we Volksmarched together. There are Volksmarching Clubs in America take advantage of them with your family
this holiday.
Why,
Close Shops? Sunday is a Day to
Synchronize Society[7]
"The Constitutional
Court had to overthrow the Berlin law. ... The judgement was not 'out of touch
with reality,' as the Berlin Chamber of Commerce claims, but is actually very
closely in touch with real life. The great diversity of working lives brings with
it the fact that members of a single family are forced into different and
sometimes incompatible working hours.
If the state does not use
some of its regulatory power to give a dependable rhythm to at least one free
day -- and that is still Sunday -- then the family faces the threat of being
pulled further apart."
"If they have no time
with each other and for each other, then the formal notion of belonging
together loses value. This danger faces many families in society. … The fact
that in the face of growing commercialization and fewer jobs hardly any
employee ever dares to ask for a free Saturday, led the labor unions to join
the churches in their campaign -- with noticeable success."
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
ARTICLE 6
THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS
1536 Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission
entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church
until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It
includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate.
(On the
institution and mission of the apostolic ministry by Christ, see above, no. 874
ff. Here only the sacramental means by which this ministry is handed on will be
treated.)
Daily
Devotions
·
30 DAY TRIBUTE TO MARY 22nd ROSE: Precious
Gift of the Cross
o
30
Days of Women and Herbs – Frauendreissiger
· Unite
yourself in the work of the Porters of
St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: Authentic
Feminism
· Eat waffles
and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: September
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Monday: Litany of
Humility
·
Rosary
[3]McCain, John
and Salter, Mark. (2005) Character is destiny. Random House, New York.
No comments:
Post a Comment