ST. WENCESLAUS
1
Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 13-16
13 Now
who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are
you. Do not be AFRAID or terrified
with fear of them, 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give
an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, 16 but do it
with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you
are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be
put to shame.
Archbishop Sheen explained that suffering is an
integral part of becoming a new person in Christ by the giving up the self and
ego in sacrifice to the other.
Christian suffering begins at home: for it is in the
home the Lord develops the understanding heart when one discovers the
imperfections of the other and makes sacrifices seeking the good of the other
as other.
Feast of St. Wenceslaus[1]
St. Wenceslaus, duke of Bohemia, was born about the year 907 at Prague, Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). His father was killed in battle when he was young, leaving the kingdom to be ruled by his pagan mother. Wenceslaus was educated by his grandmother, Ludmilla, also a saint.
·
Throughout
his life he preserved his virginity unblemished.
·
As
duke he was a father to his subjects, generous toward orphans, widows, and the
poor.
·
On
his own shoulders he frequently carried wood to the houses of the needy.
·
He
often attended the funerals of the poor, ransomed captives, and visited those
suffering in prison.
·
He
was filled with a deep reverence toward the clergy; with his own hands he sowed
the wheat for making altar breads and pressed the grapes for the wine used in
the Mass.
·
During
winter he would visit the churches barefoot through snow and ice, frequently
leaving behind bloody footprints.
Wenceslaus was eighteen
years old when he succeeded his father to the throne. Without regard for the
opposition, he worked in close cooperation with the Church to convert his pagan
country. He ended the persecution of Christians, built churches and brought
back exiled priests. As king he gave an example of a devout life and of great
Christian charity, with his people calling him "Good King" of
Bohemia. His brother Boleslaus, however, turned to paganism. One day he invited
Wenceslaus to his house for a banquet. The next morning, on September 28, 929,
as Wenceslaus was on the way to Mass, Boleslaus struck him down at the door of
the church. Before he died, Wenceslaus forgave his brother and asked God's
mercy for his soul. Although he was killed for political reasons, he is listed
as a martyr since the dispute arose over his faith. This king, martyred at the
age of twenty-two, is the national hero and patron of the Czech Republic. He is
the first Slav to be canonized.
Things to
Do
·
Learn more about Prague
and the Czech Republic and St. Vitus Cathedral, supposedly started by St.
Wenceslas in the 10th century as a small chapel to house relics of St. Vitus
and where in the 14th century St. John Nepomucene was buried after being
executed for refusing to violate the seal of the confessional.
·
Teach your children the Christmas carol, Good
King Wenceslas and discuss his life and virtue. If you can find a copy, a
wonderful book with music and illustrations is called Good King Wenceslas: A
Legend in Music and Pictures by Mary Reed Newland, published by Seabury
Press, 1980.
·
Read about the Infant Jesus of Prague
and pray the chaplet.
·
Bake
a loaf of bread for dinner and serve wine in honor of St. Wencelaus.
·
Novena
of the Infant Jesus of Prague
Arbinger[2]
Our
mindset connects or disconnects us with others—there are a number of ways we
can “see” others from an inward mindset. Traditionally, Arbinger has
categorized these three ways of seeing others as obstacles, vehicles or simply
irrelevant.
1. When I’m seeing someone as an
obstacle, I see them as “in my way”, or as a hindrance to what I’m seeking to
accomplish.
2. When I’m seeing someone as a vehicle, I use
them to get me what I want, or where I need to go. They might have information
or connections that are valuable to me, so I “play nice” until I get what I
want.
3. When someone is irrelevant to me, I
don’t care about them and likely don’t allow their humanity to impact me in any
way.
All three of these labels are
ultimately ways that I objectify others. When I’m seeing someone as an
obstacle, vehicle or irrelevancy, I’m not seeing them as a human being with
needs, concerns, hopes and fears similar to my own. Think of someone who you
struggle to see as a person. Perhaps they get on your nerves frequently, or
perhaps you avoid them at all costs. This person might be a coworker, a family
member, a neighbor—someone with whom you feel your relationship could improve.
How do you see this particular person? Are they often an obstacle? A vehicle?
Mostly irrelevant? If the person you have in mind feels like an obstacle to
you, consider how you might not be receiving their goodness or kindness. If
this person feels more like a vehicle to you, contemplate what needs they might
have that you’re failing to see? Are you looking to simply “get”, or are you
willing to give? For someone you’re seeing as irrelevant, what must it feel like for him or her to feel
ignored, barely noticed or hardly cared about? Have you ever been seen as an
obstacle, a vehicle or irrelevant? How did it feel? Ponder what underlying
qualities you might be missing in the person you’re thinking of. What might the
people who love them see in them?
Michaelmass Eve[3]
·
In the British Isles,
Michaelmas is celebrated on September 29. As the Feast of St. Michael within
the Catholic church, this date is often associated with the harvest because of
its proximity to the autumn equinox. Although it's not a Pagan holiday in the
true sense, Michaelmas celebrations often included older aspects of Pagan harvest customs, such as the weaving of corn dolls from the last sheaves of grain.
·
Like
many other celebrations falling during harvest time, Michaelmas can trace some
of its traditions to early Pagan practices in Europe. One of the most popular
harvest customs that was adapted by Christians and integrated into the
Michaelmas celebration was that of a corn doll. A corn doll is often associated
with the period between Lammas, the first grain harvest, and the autumnal
equinox.
·
By
the Middle Ages, Michaelmas soon became recognized as one
of the so-called quarter days. The term is derived from a system in the
British Isles in which four specific days each year were marked as a time to
collect rents, hire new servants, and resolve legal matters. In England and
Wales, the original quarter days were Lady Day, Midsummer, Michaelmas, and
Christmas—corresponding with the spring equinox, the summer solstice, the
autumnal equinox, and the winter solstice, all of which were days of great
significance for early Pagans.
·
During
the medieval period, Michaelmas was considered one of the holy days of
obligation for Christians, although that tradition ended in the 1700s. Customs
included the preparation of a meal of goose which had been fed on the stubble
of the fields following the harvest (called a stubble-goose). There was also a
tradition of preparing special larger-than-usual loaves of bread, and St.
Michael's bannocks, which was a special kind of oatcake.
·
By
Michaelmas, the harvest was typically complete, and the next year's farming
cycle would begin as landowners saw reeves elected from among the peasants for
the following year. The reeve's job was to watch over the work and make sure
everyone was doing their share, as well as collecting rents and donations of
products. If a holding's rent fell short, it was up to the reeve to make it
up—as you can imagine, no one really wanted to be reeve. This was also the time
of year when accounts were balanced up, annual dues paid to local guilds,
workers were hired on for the next season, and new leases taken for the
following year.
·
Michaelmas
was considered the official beginning of winter, which lasted until Christmas.
It was also the time at which winter
grains were sown, such as wheat and rye, for harvesting the following
year. In a symbolic sense, because Michaelmas is so close to the autumnal
equinox, and because it is a day to honor St. Michael's accomplishments, which
include slaying a fierce dragon, it is often associated with courage in
preparation for the darker half of the year. Michael was the patron saint of
sailors, so in some seafaring areas, this day is celebrated with the baking of
a special cake from the grains of the final harvest.
Every Wednesday is
Dedicated to St. Joseph
The Italian culture has
always had a close association with St. Joseph perhaps you could make
Wednesdays centered around Jesus’s Papa. Plan an Italian dinner of pizza or
spaghetti after attending Mass as most parishes have a Wednesday evening Mass.
You could even do carry out to help restaurants. If you are adventurous you
could do the Universal Man Plan: St. Joseph style. Make the evening a family
night perhaps it could be a game night. Whatever you do make the day special.
·
Do the St.
Joseph Universal Man Plan.
· Devotion to the 7 Joys and Sorrows of St.
Joseph
·
Total Consecration
to St. Joseph Day 22
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART
THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
1691 "Christian, recognize your dignity and, now that you
share in God's own nature, do not return to your former base condition by
sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never
forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into
the light of the Kingdom of God."
1692 The Symbol of the faith confesses the greatness of God's
gifts to man in his work of creation, and even more in redemption and
sanctification. What faith confesses, the sacraments communicate: by the
sacraments of rebirth, Christians have become "children of
God," "partakers of the divine nature." Coming to see
in the faith their new dignity, Christians are called to lead henceforth a life
"worthy of the gospel of Christ." They are made capable of doing
so by the grace of Christ and the gifts of his Spirit, which they receive
through the sacraments and through prayer.
1693 Christ Jesus always did what was pleasing to the
Father, and always lived in perfect communion with him. Likewise Christ's
disciples are invited to live in the sight of the Father "who sees in
secret," in order to become "perfect as your heavenly Father is
perfect."
1694 Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, Christians are
"dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" and so participate in
the life of the Risen Lord. Following Christ and united with
him, Christians can strive to be "imitators of God as beloved
children, and walk in love" by conforming their thoughts, words and
actions to the "mind . . . which is yours in Christ Jesus," and
by following his example.
1695 "Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and
in the Spirit of our God," "sanctified . . . (and) called to be
saints," Christians have become the temple of the Holy
Spirit. This "Spirit of the Son" teaches them to pray to the
Father and, having become their life, prompts them to act so as to bear "the
fruit of the Spirit" by charity in action. Healing the wounds of sin,
the Holy Spirit renews us interiorly through a spiritual
transformation. He enlightens and strengthens us to live as "children
of light" through "all that is good and right and true."
1696 The way of Christ "leads to life"; a contrary
way "leads to destruction." The Gospel parable of the two ways
remains ever present in the catechesis of the Church; it shows the importance
of moral decisions for our salvation: "There are two ways, the one of
life, the other of death; but between the two, there is a great
difference."
1697 Catechesis has to reveal in all clarity the joy and the
demands of the way of Christ. Catechesis for the "newness of
life" in him should be:
-a catechesis of the Holy Spirit, the interior Master of life according to
Christ, a gentle guest and friend who inspires, guides, corrects, and
strengthens this life;
-a catechesis of grace, for it is by grace that we are saved and again it is by
grace that our works can bear fruit for eternal life;
-a catechesis of the beatitudes, for the way of Christ is summed up in the
beatitudes, the only path that leads to the eternal beatitude for which the
human heart longs;
-a catechesis of sin and forgiveness, for unless man acknowledges that he is a
sinner he cannot know the truth about himself, which is a condition for acting
justly; and without the offer of forgiveness he would not be able to bear this
truth;
-a catechesis of the human virtues which causes one to grasp the beauty and
attraction of right dispositions towards goodness;
-a catechesis of the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and charity, generously
inspired by the example of the saints; -a catechesis of the twofold commandment
of charity set forth in the Decalogue;
-an ecclesial catechesis, for it is through the manifold exchanges of
"spiritual goods" in the "communion of saints" that
Christian life can grow, develop, and be communicated.
1698 The
first and last point of reference of this catechesis will always be Jesus Christ
himself, who is "the way, and the truth, and the life." It is by
looking to him in faith that Christ's faithful can hope that he himself
fulfills his promises in them, and that, by loving him with the same love with
which he has loved them, they may perform works in keeping with their dignity:
I ask you to consider that our Lord Jesus Christ is your
true head, and that you are one of his members. He belongs to you as the head
belongs to its members; all that is his is yours: his spirit, his heart, his
body and soul, and all his faculties. You must make use of all these as of your
own, to serve, praise, love, and glorify God. You belong to him, as members
belong to their head. and so he longs for you to use all that is in you, as if
it were his own, for the service and glory of the Father.
For to me, to live is Christ.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Binding
and suppressing the Devils Evil Works.
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: September
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Rosary
[3] https://www.learnreligions.com/michaelmas-2562303
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