Friday, October 28, 2022
FEAST OF ST. SIMON AND JUDE
24 Since we have heard that some of
our number [who went out] without any mandate from us have upset you with their
teachings and disturbed your PEACE of
mind, 25 we have with one accord decided to
choose representatives and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas
and Paul, 26 who have dedicated their lives to
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The issue that caused the disruption of peace in the new church was whether it was necessary for salvation for one to be circumcised. It was determined that it was not and that it was prudent not to lay on the new gentiles any burden that was not necessary for salvation. It was determined that the gentiles should abstain from:
1.
Things
offered to idols.
2.
Blood.
3.
Things
strangled.
4. Sexual immorality.
One Prohibition, Not Four[1]
But these
"essential abstinences” were not references to fragments of the Mosaic Law
at all. This short list of things to avoid was the very essentials that divided
believing Gentile from unbelieving Gentile. They divided Christian from
idolater. Each of these four "essential" things to avoid were not
four things, but one. They were meant to be read as "never again worship
idols by eating with the idolaters in the sacrificial meals, drinking the cup
of blood at the idol sacrifice ceremonies, do not ceremoniously eat the flesh
of animals strangled during the worship of idols, and abstain from ritual acts
of fornication with temple prostitutes". In other words, these four
seemingly disassociated prohibitions were completely unified around one theme:
Christians cannot serve God and idols. One cannot worship God and also worship
idols. Also take note of the things cited: idols, blood, flesh, unity. Idols
are the false gods. Drinking blood is the false wine of the idol’s communion
cup. Strangled flesh is the false body of the idol’s communion dinner. And the
temple prostitute is the false unity of the idol’s servants. The things listed
are the false communion in the service of the idol. Again, to abstain from
those things is essential.
Feast
of Saint Simon and Jude[2]
ST. SIMON and St. Jude were probably brothers; the
former received the surname Canaanite, to distinguish him from Simon Peter,
either because he was a native of Cana, or because of his zeal for Christ (Luke
v L 15; Acts i. 13). Judas was surnamed Thaddeus, or Lebbeus, to distinguish him
from Judas Iscariot. Both were chosen apostles by Christ and were constant
witnesses of His life and deeds. It is related of them in the Martyrology that
the light of faith was communicated to Egypt and other countries of Africa by
Simon, and to Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Greater Armenia by Thaddeus.
Meeting in Persia and propagating the Christian faith there by their preaching
and miracles, they both gained the crown of martyrdom. There is extant an
epistle of St. Jude which the Church has incorporated into the Holy Scriptures.
From these two apostles learn to have zeal for the glory of God, for your own
salvation and for that of your neighbor.
Prayer.
O God, Who, by means of Thy blessed apostles Simon
and Jude, hast granted us to come to the knowledge of Thy name, grant that we
may celebrate their eternal glory by making progress in virtue and improve by
this celebration.
EPISTLE. Ephes. iv. 7-13.
Brethren: To every one of us is given grace
according to the measure of the giving of Christ. Wherefore He saith: Ascending
on high He led captivity captive; He gave gifts to men. Now that He ascended,
what is it, but because He also descended first into the lower parts of the
earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended above all the heavens,
that He might fill all things. And He gave some apostles, and some prophets,
and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors: for the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ: until we all meet into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the
fulness of Christ.
GOSPEL. John xv. 17-25.
At
that time Jesus said to His disciples: These things I command you, that you
love one another. If the world hate you, know ye that it hath hated Me before
you. If you had been of the world, the world would love its own: but because
you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the
world hateth you. Remember My word that I said to you: The servant is not
greater than his master. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute
you: if they have kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things
they will do to you for My name’s sake: because they know not Him that sent Me.
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin: but now they
have no excuse for their sin. He that hateth Me, hateth My Father also. If I
had not done among them the works that no other man hath done, they would not
have sin: but now they have both seen and hated both Me and My Father. But that
the word may be fulfilled which is written in their law: They hated Me without
cause.
Explanation.
From
the fact that Christ and His disciples were hated and persecuted by the world
the greatest consolation and encouragement may be derived by those who are
obliged to suffer mockery, contempt, and persecution because they are not of
the world; that is, because they do not follow its foolish principles and
sinful customs. But they who, to escape the derision and hatred of the world,
side with it, rather than with Christ, may learn to be ashamed of their
cowardice and baseness. For as it is an honor to the servant to be treated like
his master, so it is a great disgrace to him to be treated better than his
master; if, then, the master is pleased to submit to the hatred and persecution
of the world, why do his servants refuse to do so? When Christ says that the
Jews could not excuse themselves on the ground that they did not know Him, but
had hated and persecuted Him when it was easy for them to have known Him by His
works, He teaches us that ignorance is not in every case an excuse for sin.
Those Christians, therefore, are in the highest degree culpable who, like the
Jews, might easily learn what they ought to believe and do, but who fail to do
so either through maliciousness or neglect, and accordingly remain in ignorance
by their own fault. Acting in this kind of ignorance, they become guilty of
sin, and will be justly condemned forever. It is otherwise with men who,
without any fault of theirs, hear nothing of Christ or of the true faith, on
account of which they are not punishable, but who will be condemned for such
sins as they commit against that natural law which is inscribed on the heart of
every man.
Saint Simon and Jude[3]
St. Simon is represented
in art with a saw, the instrument of his martyrdom. St. Jude's square points
him out as an architect of the house of God. St. Paul called himself by this
name; and St. Jude, by his Catholic Epistle, has also a special right to be
reckoned among our Lord's principal workmen. But our apostle had another
nobility, far surpassing all earthly titles: being nephew, by his father
Cleophas or Alpheus, to St. Joseph, and legal cousin to the Man-God, Jude was
one of those called by their compatriots the brethren of the carpenter's Son.
We may gather from St. John's Gospel another precious detail concerning him. In
the admirable discourse at the close of the last Supper, our Lord said:
"He that loveth Me, shall be loved of My Father: and I will love him and
will manifest Myself to him." Then Jude asked Him: "Lord, how is it,
that Thou wilt manifest Thyself to us, and not to the world?" And he
received from Jesus this reply: "If any one love Me, he will keep My word,
and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and will make Our abode
with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My word. And the word which you
have heard is not Mine, but the Fathers who sent Me."
St. Jude Patron: Desperate situations; forgotten
causes; hospital workers; hospitals; impossible causes; lost causes; diocese of
Saint Petersburg, Florida.
St. Simon
Patron: Curriers; sawmen; sawyers;
tanners.
Charity[4]
Traditional Jews give at
least ten percent of their income to charity.
·
Traditional
Jewish homes commonly have a pushke, a box for collecting coins for the poor,
and coins are routinely placed in the box. Jewish youths are continually going
from door to door collecting for various worthy causes.
·
A
standard mourner's prayer includes a statement that the mourner will make a
donation to charity in memory of the deceased.
·
In
many ways, charitable donation has taken the place of animal sacrifice in
Jewish life: giving to charity is an almost instinctive Jewish response to
express thanks to G-d, to ask forgiveness from G-d, or to request a favor from
G-d.
·
According
to Jewish tradition, the spiritual benefit of giving to the poor is so great
that a beggar actually does the giver a favor by giving a person the
opportunity to perform tzedakah.
The Meaning of the Word
"Tzedakah"
"Tzedakah" is
the Hebrew word for the acts that we call "charity" in English:
giving aid, assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy
causes.
·
The
nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity. The word
"charity" suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by
the wealthy and powerful for the benefit of the poor and needy.
·
The
word "tzedakah" is derived from the Hebrew root Tzadei-Dalet-Qof,
meaning righteousness, justice or fairness.
·
In
Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is
simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving
the poor their due.
The Obligation of Tzedakah
Giving to the poor is an
obligation in Judaism, a duty that cannot be forsaken even by those who are
themselves in need.
·
Tzedakah
is the highest of all commandments, equal to all of them combined, and that a
person who does not perform tzedakah is equivalent to an idol worshipper.
·
This
is probably hyperbole, but it illustrates the importance of tzedakah in Jewish
thought.
·
Tzedakah
is one of the three acts that gain us forgiveness from our sins.
·
The
High Holiday liturgy repeatedly states that G-d has inscribed a judgment
against all who have sinned, but teshuvah (repentance), tefilah (prayer) and
tzedakah can alleviate the decree. See Days
of Awe.
·
According
to Jewish law, we are required to give one-tenth of our income to the poor.
·
This
is generally interpreted as one-tenth of our net income after payment of taxes.
·
Taxes
themselves do not fulfill our obligation to give tzedakah, even though a
significant portion of tax revenues in America and many other countries are
used to provide for the poor and needy.
·
Those
who are dependent on public assistance or living on the edge of subsistence may
give less, but must still give to the
extent they are able; however, no person should give so much that he would
become a public burden.
·
The
obligation to perform tzedakah can be fulfilled by giving money to the poor, to
health care institutions, to synagogues or to educational institutions.
·
It
can also be fulfilled by supporting your children beyond the age when you are
legally required to, or supporting your parents in their old age.
·
The
obligation includes giving to both Jews and gentiles; contrary to popular
belief, Jews do not just "take care of our own." Quite the contrary,
a study reported in the Jewish Journal indicated that Jewish "mega-donors" (who
give more than $10 million a year to charity) found that only 6% of their
mega-dollars went to specifically Jewish causes.
·
Judaism
acknowledges that many people who ask for charity have no genuine need. In
fact, the Talmud suggests that this is a good thing: if all people who asked
for charity were in genuine need, we would be subject to punishment (from G-d)
for refusing anyone who asked.
·
The
existence of frauds diminishes our liability for failing to give to all who
ask, because we have some legitimate basis for doubting the beggar's sincerity.
·
It
is permissible to investigate the legitimacy of a charity before donating to
it.
·
We
have an obligation to avoid becoming in need of tzedakah.
·
A
person should take any work that is
available, even if he thinks it is beneath his dignity, to avoid becoming a
public charge.
·
However,
if a person is truly in need and has no way to obtain money on his own, he
should not feel embarrassed to accept tzedakah.
·
No
person should feel too proud to take money from others.
·
It
is considered a transgression to refuse tzedakah. One source says that to make
yourself suffer by refusing to accept tzedakah is equivalent to shedding your
own blood.
Levels
of Tzedakah
Certain kinds of tzedakah
are considered more meritorious than others. The Talmud describes these different levels
of tzedakah, and Rambam organized them into a list. The
levels of charity, from the least meritorious to the most meritorious, are:
- Giving
begrudgingly
- Giving
less that you should but giving it cheerfully.
- Giving
after being asked
- Giving
before being asked
- Giving
when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows
your identity
- Giving
when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know
your identity
- Giving
when neither party knows the other's identity
- Enabling
the recipient to become self-reliant
Fitness Friday:
15 Qualities You Need to
Develop Mental Toughness[5]
Mental toughness is a huge indicator of success.
Here’s how to know if you’ve got it.
When Thomas Edison's factory burned to
the ground in 1914, destroying one-of-a-kind prototypes and causing $23 million
in damage, Edison's response was simple: "Thank goodness all our mistakes
were burned up. Now we can start fresh again." Edison's reaction is the
epitome of mental toughness—seeing opportunity and taking action when things
look bleak. There are habits you can develop to improve your mental toughness.
In fact, the hallmarks of mentally tough people are actually strategies that
you can begin using today.
1. Emotional intelligence. Emotional
intelligence is the cornerstone of mental toughness. You cannot be mentally
tough without the ability to fully understand and tolerate strong negative
emotions and do something productive with them. Moments that test your mental
toughness are ultimately testing your emotional intelligence (EQ). Unlike your
IQ, which is fixed, your EQ is a flexible skill that you can improve with
understanding and effort. It's no wonder that 90 percent of top performers have
high EQs, and that people with high EQs earn $28,000 more annually (on average)
than their low-EQ counterparts. Unfortunately, EQ skills are in short supply.
TalentSmart has tested more than a million people, and we've found that just 36
percent of these are able to accurately identify their emotions as they happen.
2. Confidence. "Whether
you think you can or think you can't—you're right." —Henry Ford. Mentally
tough people subscribe to Ford's notion that your mentality has a powerful
effect on your ability to succeed. This notion isn't just a motivational
tool—it's a fact. A recent study at the University of Melbourne showed that
confident people went on to earn higher wages and get promoted more quickly
than others did. True confidence—as opposed to the false confidence people
project to mask their insecurities—has a look all its own. Mentally tough
people have an upper hand over the doubtful and the skittish because their
confidence inspires others and helps them to make things happen.
3. The ability to neutralize toxic
people. Dealing with difficult people is frustrating and exhausting for
most. Mentally tough people control their interactions with toxic people by
keeping their feelings in check. When they need to confront a toxic person,
they approach the situation rationally. They identify their emotions and don't
allow anger or frustration to fuel the chaos. They also consider the difficult
person's standpoint and are able to find common ground and solutions to problems.
Even when things completely derail, mentally tough people are able to take the
toxic person with a grain of salt to avoid letting him or her bring them down.
4. Knowing how to embrace change.
Mentally tough people are flexible and are constantly adapting. They know that
fear of change is paralyzing and a major threat to their success and happiness.
They look for change that is lurking just around the corner, and they form a
plan of action should these changes occur. Only when you embrace change can you
find the good in it. You need to have an open mind and open arms if you're
going to recognize, and capitalize on, the opportunities that change creates. You're
bound to fail when you keep doing the same things you always have in the hope
that ignoring change will make it go away. After all, the definition of
insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different
result.
5. Saying no. Research
conducted at the University of California in San Francisco showed that the more
difficulty you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress,
burnout, and even depression. Mentally tough people know that saying no is
healthy, and they have the self-esteem and foresight to make their noes clear. When
it's time to say no, mentally tough people avoid phrases such as "I don't
think I can" or "I'm not certain." They say no with confidence
because they know that saying no to a new commitment honors their existing
commitments and gives them the opportunity to successfully fulfill them. The
mentally tough also know how to exert self-control by saying no to themselves.
They delay gratification and avoid impulsive action that causes harm.
6. Knowing that fear is the No. 1
source of regret. Mentally tough people know that, when all is said and
done, they will lament the chances they didn't take far more than they will
their failures. Don't be afraid to take risks. I often hear people say,
"What's the worst thing that can happen to you? Will it kill you?"
Yet, death isn't the worst thing that can happen to you. The worst thing that
can happen to you is allowing yourself to die inside while you're still alive. It
takes refined self-awareness to walk this tightrope between dwelling and
remembering. Dwelling too long on your mistakes makes you anxious and gun shy,
while forgetting about them completely makes you bound to repeat them. The key
to balance lies in your ability to transform failures into nuggets of
improvement. This creates the tendency to get right back up every time you fall
down.
7. Embracing failure … Mentally
tough people embrace failure because they know that the road to success is
paved with it. No one ever experienced true success without first embracing
failure. By revealing when you're on the wrong path, your mistakes pave the way
for you to succeed. The biggest breakthroughs typically come when you're
feeling the most frustrated and the most stuck. It's this frustration that
forces you to think differently, to look outside the box, and to see the
solution that you've been missing.
8. … Without dwelling on mistakes. Mentally tough people know that where you focus your attention determines your emotional state. When you fixate on the problems that you're facing, you create and prolong negative emotions and stress, which hinders performance. When you focus on actions to better yourself and your circumstances, you create a sense of personal efficacy, which produces positive emotions and improves performance. Mentally tough people distance themselves from their mistakes, but they do so without forgetting them. By keeping their mistakes at a safe distance, yet still handy enough to refer to, they are able to adapt and adjust for future success.
9. Refusing to let anyone limit
your joy …When your sense of pleasure and satisfaction is derived from
comparing yourself with others, you are no longer the master of your own
happiness. When mentally tough people feel good about something they do, they
won't let anyone's opinions or accomplishments take that away from them. While
it's impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think of you, you
don't have to compare yourself with others, and you can always take people's
opinions with a grain of salt. Mentally tough people know that regardless of
what people think of them at any particular moment, one thing is
certain—they're never as good or bad as people say they are.
10. … And not limiting the joy of
others. Mentally tough people don't pass judgment on others because they
know that everyone has something to offer, and they don't need to take other
people down a notch to feel good about themselves. Comparing yourself with
other people is limiting. Jealousy and resentment suck the life right out of
you; they're massive energy-stealers. Mentally tough people don't waste time or
energy sizing people up and worrying about whether or not they measure up. Instead
of wasting your energy on jealousy, funnel that energy into appreciation. When
you celebrate the success of other people, you both benefit.
11. Exercising. A study
conducted at the Eastern Ontario Research Institute found that people who
exercised twice a week for 10 weeks felt more socially, intellectually, and
athletically competent. They also rated their body image and self-esteem
higher. Best of all, rather than the physical changes in their bodies being
responsible for the uptick in confidence, which is key to mental toughness, it
was the immediate, endorphin-fueled positivity from exercise that made all the difference.
12. Getting enough sleep. It's
difficult to overstate the importance of sleep to increasing your mental
toughness. When you sleep, your brain removes toxic proteins, which are
by-products of neural activity when you're awake. Unfortunately, your brain can
remove them adequately only while you're asleep, so when you don't get enough
sleep, the toxic proteins remain in your brain cells, wreaking havoc by
impairing your ability to think—something no amount of caffeine can fix. Mentally
tough people know that their self-control, focus, and memory are all reduced
when they don't get enough—or the right kind—of sleep, so they make quality
sleep a top priority.
13. Limiting caffeine intake. Drinking
excessive amounts of caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline, the source of
the fight-or-flight response. The fight-or-flight mechanism sidesteps rational
thinking in favor of a faster response to ensure survival. This is great when a
bear is chasing you but not so great when life throws you a curve. When
caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyper-aroused state of stress, your
emotions overrun your behavior. Caffeine's long half-life ensures you stay this
way as it takes its sweet time working its way out of your body. Mentally tough
people know that too much caffeine is trouble, and they don't let it get the
better of them.
14. Not waiting for an apology to
forgive. Mentally tough people know that life goes a lot smoother once you
let go of grudges and forgive even those who never say they're sorry. Grudges
let negative events from your past ruin today's happiness. Hate and anger are
emotional parasites that destroy your joy in life. The negative emotions that
come with holding on to a grudge create a stress response in your body and
holding on to stress can have devastating consequences (both physically and
mentally). When you forgive someone, it doesn't condone their actions; it
simply frees you from being their eternal victim.
15. Being relentlessly positive.
Keep your eyes on the news for any length of time, and you'll see that it's
just one endless cycle of war, violent attacks, fragile economies, failing
companies, and environmental disasters. It's easy to think the world is headed
downhill fast. And who knows? Maybe it is. But mentally tough people don't
worry about that because they don't get caught up in things they can't control.
Instead of trying to start a revolution overnight, they focus their energy on
directing the two things that are completely within their power--their attention
and their effort.
Bringing it all together.
Mental toughness is not an innate
quality bestowed upon a select few. It can be achieved and enjoyed.
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
Article 7-THE VIRTUES
III. The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit
1830 The
moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These
are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of
the Holy Spirit.
1831 The
seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude,
knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to
Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who
receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine
inspirations.
Let your good spirit lead me on a
level path.
For all who are led by the Spirit
of God are sons of God . . . If children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow
heirs with Christ.
1832 The
fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the
first fruits of eternal glory. the tradition of the Church lists twelve of
them: "charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity,
gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity."
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: October
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
· Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Friday Fish: Halibut
·
Rosary
[2] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
Comments
Post a Comment