Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
ST
DENIS-LEIF ERIKSON DAY
Jude,
Chapter 1, Verse 22-23
22 On
those who waver, have mercy; 23 save
others by snatching them out of the fire; on others have mercy with FEAR, abhorring even the outer
garment stained by the flesh.
Save others by snatching
them out of the fire. Jude is advising us to be prudent when you save others.
There is almost no way you can pull others from a fire without being burnt;
unless you are wearing protective garments.
You cannot save
unbelievers by hanging out in the bar with them or partying with them.
Jude states the even the
very garments of the godless are to be abhorred because of their contagion or
in more simplistic terms we cannot have the same lifestyle as the godless. No,
we must be in the world but not of
the world. Christ in His Sermon on the Mount taught us how our lifestyle is to
be.
1.
Be not afraid but be brave in the world loving
even the loveless.
2.
Do not become prideful and self-important but show humility;
reverence and respect to all: for they are created by the hand of God.
3.
Do not envy the wicked; but let your desire be
to be kind remembering they must account for themselves before God;
respect and be loyal to them.
4.
Let your anger be at injustice, showing patience,
compassion and forgiveness to the sinner.
5.
Be temperate and do all
things in moderation; do not greedily
take things to yourself but share your wealth with those in need. Remember to
show true charity by helping them with their troubles thus empowering
them to become greater; to pursue righteousness.
6.
Do not become slothful or failing to resist evil but
be diligent
to build the Kingdom of God; one day and one person at a time: begin with
yourself.
7.
Do not be gluttonous;
avoid excess and exclusivity (the country club mentality) but be temperate
sacrifice, give up and surrender to the Spirit of God.
8.
Do not look on others as
objects to be used for lustful needs
but see them as created by the hand of God; your chase purpose is to help
them achieve God’s dream for themselves.
ON KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY HOLY[1]
My esteemed Brothers in the
Episcopate
and the Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Introduction
5. From this perspective,
the situation appears somewhat mixed. On the one hand, there is the example of
some young Churches, which show how fervently Sunday can be celebrated, whether
in urban areas or in widely scattered villages. By contrast, in other parts of
the world, because of the sociological pressures already noted, and perhaps
because the motivation of faith is weak, the percentage of those attending the
Sunday liturgy is strikingly low. In the minds of many of the faithful, not
only the sense of the centrality of the Eucharist but even the sense of the
duty to give thanks to the Lord and to pray to him with others in the community
of the Church, seems to be diminishing.
It is also true that both
in mission countries and in countries evangelized long ago the lack of priests
is such that the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist cannot always be
guaranteed in every community.
Eighteenth Sunday after
Pentecost[2]
Sacrifice, forgiveness, and
"confirmation in the end without crime" (1 Cor. 4.8)
IN
the Introit of the Mass the Church prays for the peace which God has promised
through His prophets. “Give peace, O Lord, to them that patiently wait for
Thee, that Thy prophets may be found faithful; hear the prayers of Thy
servants, and of Thy people Israel. I rejoiced at the things that were said to
me; we shall go into the house of the Lord.
Prayer.
We
beseech Thee, O Lord, that the work of Thy mercy may direct our hearts; for
without Thy grace, we cannot be pleasing to Thee.
EPISTLE,
i. Cor. i. 4-8.
Brethren:
I give thanks to my God always for you, for the grace of God that is given you
in Christ Jesus, that in all things you are made rich in Him, in all utterance,
and in all knowledge; as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that
nothing is wanting to you in any grace, waiting for the manifestation of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, Who also will confirm you unto the end without crime, in the
day of the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Brief
Lessons.
St.
Paul shows in this epistle that he possesses the true love of his neighbor, by
rejoicing and thanking God that He had bestowed on the Corinthians manifold
gifts and graces, and thereby confirmed the testimony of Christ in them. By
this we learn that we should rejoice over the gifts and graces of our
neighbors; should thank God for them, and pray Him to fill all who are in the
darkness of error with knowledge, and love, and all virtues.
GOSPEL.
Matt. ix. 1-8.
At that time Jesus, entering into a boat, passed over the water and came into His own city. And behold they brought to Him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee. And behold some of the scribes said within themselves: He blasphemeth. And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you think evil in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee: or to say, Arise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, then said He to the man sick of the palsy: Arise, take up thy bed and go into thy house. And he arose, and went into his house. And the multitude seeing it, feared, and glorified God that gave such power to men.
Explanation.
The charity of those who brought the sick man to
Christ was so full of faith, so pleasing to Him, that, out of regard for it, He
forgave the palsied man his sins, and healed him.
Christ did not heal the man sick with the palsy until
He had forgiven him his sins. By this He teaches us that sins are often the
cause of the sicknesses and evils that pursue us; and that if we sincerely
repent of our sins, God would be likely to remove these evils from us. This is
also intimated by the words of Jesus to him who had been sick eight-and-thirty
years: “Sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee” (John v. 14). This
should be kept in mind by those who so impetuously be seech God to free them
from their afflictions, but who do not think to free themselves from the sins
which may be the cause of them, by a sincere repentance and by leading a
Christian life.
“He blasphemeth.”; Thus, in their perverted minds, the
Jews thought of Christ; supposing that, by forgiving the sick man his sins, He
had committed an encroachment on the prerogative of God, and thereby done Him
great wrong; for it is blasphemy against God to attempt to wrong Him, or to
think, speak, or do anything insulting to Him or to His saints.
“And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you
think evil in your hearts?” This is something to be considered by those who
suppose their thoughts to be free from scrutiny, and to whom it does not even
occur to make their evil thoughts matter of confession. God, the most holy and
most just, will no more leave unpunished impure, proud, angry, revengeful,
envious thoughts, than He will an idle word (Matt. xii. 36). Do not, therefore,
give yourself up to evil thoughts; and in order to repel them, remember each
time that God sees and punishes them. Would you not drive them away if men saw
them?
ON INDULGENCES
What is an indulgence? It is the remission granted by the
Church, in the name of God, and on account of the merits of Jesus Christ and of
all the saints, of the temporal punishment which men must suffer, either in
this world or in the world to come, for sins that have been already forgiven.
Whence do we know that after sins
are forgiven there yet remains a temporal punishment? From Holy Scripture, thus, God
imposed upon Adam and Eve great temporal punishments, although He forgave them their
sin (Gen. iii.). Moses and Aaron were punished for a slight want of confidence
in God (Num. xx. 24; Deut. xxxii. 51). David, though forgiven, was obliged to
submit to great temporal punishments (n. Kings xii.). Finally, faith teaches us
that after death we must suffer in purgatory till we have paid the last
farthing (Matt. v. 26).
Can the Church remit all temporal
punishments, even those imposed by God Himself, and why? Certainly, by virtue of the power
to bind and to loose which Christ has given her (Matt, xviii. 18). For if the
Church has received from God the power to remit sins which is the greater, she
certainly has authority to remit the punishment of them which is the less.
Moreover, it is by the bands of punishment that we are hindered from reaching
the kingdom of God.
But if the Church can loose all
bands, why not this? Finally,
Jesus certainly had power to remit the temporal punishment of sins and the
power which He Himself had He gave to His disciples.
What is required in order rightly
to gain an indulgence? In
order to gain an indulgence, it is necessary:
I.
To be in the grace of God. It is proper, therefore, to go to confession every
time that one begins the good works enjoined for the gaining of an indulgence.
In granting partial indulgences sacramental confession is not usually
prescribed, but if one who is in the state of mortal sin wishes to gain the
indulgence, he must at least make an act of true contrition with a firm purpose
of going to confession.
2.
It is necessary to have at least a general intention of gaining the
indulgences.
3.
It is necessary to perform in person and with devotion all the good works
enjoined as to time, manner, end, etc., according to the terms in which the
indulgence is granted. To gain plenary indulgences, confession, communion, a
visit to some church or public oratory, and pious prayers are usually
prescribed. If visits to a church are prescribed, Holy Communion may be
received in any church, but the indulgenced prayers must be said in that church
in which the indulgence is granted, and on the prescribed day. As to prayers,
it is recommended that there be said seven times the Our Father, Hail Mary,
Glory be to the Father, and Creed.
Prayer
for gaining an Indulgence
“We beseech Thee, O Lord, graciously accept the petitions of Thy holy Church, that Thou wouldst deliver her from all adversities, root out from her all heresies, unite all Christian rulers and princes, and exalt Thy holy Church on earth, that we may all serve Thee in peace and quietness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sukkot (Camping with Christ)[3]begins at sunset
Sukkot (Hebrew: סוכות),
meaning Tabernacles, is the autumnal
'foot festival' in which the Jews are commanded to leave their permanent houses
and to dwell in booths for seven days. The idea behind this is to remember that
the Israelites lived in booths in the Wilderness for forty years. Additionally,
when the Temple stood in Jerusalem, this was a pilgrimage holiday to celebrate
the harvest. It is most likely our
Lord did this every year as He was a devout Jew.
Tabernacles are typically built out of wood, sheets and have a roof of a
natural product, such as leaves, palm branches, through which the stars can be
seen at night. The Succah must be built of certain dimensions (not too low or
too high) and should have three or four walls. On Succot, it is customary
for Jewish men buy a set of the four kinds/species comprising a lulav (a palm
branch), an etrog (a citron), hadassim (myrtle) and aravot (willows).
Sukkot Facts & Quotes
·
Sukkot is also a harvest festival and is
sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif, the Festival of Ingathering. No
work is permitted on the first day, but some work is allowed on the
intermediate days which are known as Chol Hamoed.
·
Each day of Succot is associated with Ushpezin
(visitors), one of seven Succah visitors. Each day has its visitor,
starting with Abraham. The other visitors are Isaac, Jacob, Joseph,
Moses, Aaron, David and Solomon.
Hebrews 11:8 “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was
called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he
went out, not knowing where he was going.”
·
The book of Ecclesiastes is typically read in
Synagogues. This book relates to the futility of man under the sun but
concludes optimistically with the notion that we should just do our thing and
serve God.
·
There is a special Priest's (Cohen's) blessing
performed at the Western Wall during Succot. The Western Wall is the last
surviving wall of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the side of the Temple Mount.
Thousands of Priests, who are believed to be descendants of the original
priests, assemble at the Western Wall and perform blessings.
·
In the days of Nehemiah, an original Bible was
found with the passages relating to the building of a Succah.
a. All
the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told
Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which
the Lord had commanded for Israel (Nehemiah 8:1).
b. They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month (Nehemiah 8:14).
Sukkot Top Events and Things to Do
·
Purchase or make your own Sukkah. They are
typically designed to be assembled and disassembled quickly - in less than two
hours by two people.
·
One can buy the four kinds (of material used to
build Sukkot as per the Torah) or order them from Israel. The four kinds
include palm branches, an Etrog (citron), three willow branches and two myrtle
branches. The palm, myrtle and willow are bound together in a palm holder.
·
See the movie Ushpezim with English
subtitles. It which relates to the four kinds and a couple's efforts to
buy a most beautiful four species set, despite their poor economic situation.
Ushpizin can
be viewed on YouTube.
·
Read the book of Ecclesiastes or watch a lecture
about it. It was written by King Solomon. It relates to the
futility of life, apart from basic belief and being righteous.
·
Attend a local Succot fair.
A visit from Abraham[4]
Genesis 22:9-10 “When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.”
Just as the knife was
being hurled downward, the angel of the Lord said “Do not lay your hand on the
boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have
not withheld your son, your only son, from me” (Gen 22:12), and “because you
have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely
bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and
as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate
of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Gen 22:16-18).
Catechism of the Catholic Church
·
60 The people descended from Abraham
would be the trustee of the promise made to the patriarchs, the chosen people,
called to prepare for that day when God would gather all his children into the
unity of the Church. They would be the root on to which the Gentiles would be
grafted, once they came to believe.
·
72 God chose Abraham and made a covenant
with him and his descendants. By the covenant God formed his people and
revealed his law to them through Moses. Through the prophets, he prepared them
to accept the salvation destined for all humanity.
·
146 Abraham thus fulfils the definition of
faith in Hebrews 11:1: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen": "Abraham believed God, and it was
reckoned to him as righteousness." Because he was "strong in his
faith", Abraham became the "father of all who believe".
·
165 It is then we must turn to the
witnesses of faith: to Abraham, who "in hope... believed against
hope"; to the Virgin
Mary, who, in "her pilgrimage of faith", walked into the "night
of faith" in sharing the darkness of her son's suffering and death; and to
so many others: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely,
and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to
Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith."
·
706 Against all human hope, God promises
descendants to Abraham, as the fruit of faith and of the power of the Holy
Spirit. In Abraham's progeny all the nations of the earth will be blessed. This
progeny will be Christ himself, in whom the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will
"gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad." God
commits himself by his own solemn oath to giving his beloved Son and "the
promised Holy Spirit . . . [who is] the guarantee of our inheritance until we
acquire possession of it."
Feast of St. Denis[5]
St. Denis was born in Italy. In 250 he was sent to France with six other missionary bishops by Pope Fabian. Denis became the first bishop of Paris. He was beheaded in 258 with the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius at Catulliacum, now Saint-Denis. One of the many legends about his torture and death was that his body carried his severed head some distance from his execution site. St. Denis is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers who was invoked particularly in the Middle Ages against the Black Plague.
Patron: against frenzy; against strife; headaches; against
diabolical possession; France; Paris, France.
Symbols: beheaded bishop carrying his head
— sometimes a vine growing over his neck; mitered head in his hand or on book;
white chasuble; tree or stake; sword; Our Lord with chalice and host.
Things to Do:
- Learn
more about the Fourteen Holy Helpers and their historical context.
- Bake
a French (or Parisian) pastry. Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf has
3 recipes for St. Denis — St. Denis Turnovers, Saint Denis Tartlets and
Brioche Saint-Denis (Praline Cake).
- Read
in The Golden Legend for some of the legends or
stories about St. Denis.
Leif Erikson Day[6]
Leif Erikson Day serves to honor Viking Explorer Leif Erikson and celebrate Nordic-American Heritage. Erikson is believed to have been the first European to set foot on the North American continent, having done so nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus. He established a settlement called Vinland and although its exact location is not known, it is believed that it is near L'anse aux Meadows, in Newfoundland, Canada, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1925, Leif Erikson was officially recognized by President Calvin Coolidge as the first explorer to discover the continent. It took another four decades for the day to become official when, in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared October 9th as Leif Erikson Day. In 2015, President Barack Obama reproclaimed the day and called upon Americans to celebrate the day appropriately in honor of Nordic-American heritage and the explorers that embarked on the expeditions that led to the creation of the United States.
Leif Erikson Day Facts & Quotes
·
Leif Erikson was actually born in Iceland, but
his family was Norwegian. He died in Greenland in the year 1020.
·
On October 9, 1825, the first wave of Norwegian
immigrants arrived on US soil in New York City. Between 1825 and 1925, nearly
one-third of Norway's population immigrated to the US.
·
Erikson named his settlement Vinland or Wineland
due to the many grape vines that he discovered there.
·
There are more than 4.5 million Americans with
Norwegian ancestry living in the US today, of which 55% live in the Upper
Midwest states.
·
Histories have been written and more will be
written of the Norwegians in America, but no man can tell adequately of the
tearing asunder of tender ties, the hardships and dangers crossing the deep,
the work and worry, the hopes and fears, the laughter and tears, of men and
women who with bare hands carved out of a wilderness a new kingdom. - Rønning,
N. N., from the book Fifty Years in America
Leif Erikson Day Top Events and
Things to Do
·
Purchase a Leif Ericson Millennium Commemorative
Coin from the US Mint. The coins were released at the beginning of the century
however you can purchase some from collectors online or even try to find them
in public circulation.
·
Visit one of the many Leif Erikson statues in
the United States. There are statues in Boston, Milwaukee, Chicago, Cleveland,
Virginia, Seattle, Minnesota and North Dakota.
·
Take a trip to Iceland, Norway or Greenland and
visit the homelands of Leif Erikson.
·
Take a trip to UNESCO site of L'Anse aux Meadows
in Newfoundland, Canada. This is believed to be the site of Erikson's first New
World settlement.
·
Watch a movie about Vikings and Leif Erikson.
Some movies include Leif Ericson (2000) and The Vikings (1958), The
Viking Sagas (1995) and the 13th Warrior (1999).
·
Have Beer and Pizza
while watching a Viking movie.
· Note: It was a Norwegian who discovered America and it was also a Norwegian who was the first to get to the South Pole and back.
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 2-OUR VOCATION TO BEATITUDE
Article 3-MAN'S FREEDOM
II. Human Freedom in the Economy of Salvation
1739
Freedom and sin. Man's freedom is limited and fallible. In fact, man failed. He
freely sinned. By refusing God's plan of love, he deceived himself and became a
slave to sin. This first alienation engendered a multitude of others. From its
outset, human history attests the wretchedness and oppression born of the human
heart in consequence of the abuse of freedom.
1740
Threats to freedom. the exercise of freedom does not imply a right to say or do
everything. It is false to maintain that man, "the subject of this
freedom," is "an individual who is fully self-sufficient and whose
finality is the satisfaction of his own interests in the enjoyment of earthly
goods." Moreover, the economic, social, political, and cultural
conditions that are needed for a just exercise of freedom are too often
disregarded or violated. Such situations of blindness and injustice injure the
moral life and involve the strong as well as the weak in the temptation to sin
against charity. By deviating from the moral law man violates his own freedom,
becomes imprisoned within himself, disrupts neighborly fellowship, and rebels
against divine truth.
1741
Liberation and salvation. By his glorious Cross Christ has won salvation for
all men. He redeemed them from the sin that held them in bondage. "For
freedom Christ has set us free." In him we have communion with the
"truth that makes us free." The Holy Spirit has been given to us
and, as the Apostle teaches, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
freedom." Already we glory in the "liberty of the children of
God."
1742
Freedom and grace. the grace of Christ is not in the slightest way a rival of
our freedom when this freedom accords with the sense of the true and the good
that God has put in the human heart. On the contrary, as Christian experience
attests especially in prayer, the more docile we are to the promptings of
grace, the more we grow in inner freedom and confidence during trials, such as
those we face in the pressures and constraints of the outer world. By the
working of grace, the Holy Spirit educates us in spiritual freedom in order to
make us free collaborators in his work in the Church and in the world:
Almighty and merciful God,
in your goodness take away from us
all that is harmful,
so that, made ready both in mind
and body,
we may freely accomplish your will.
Daily Devotions
·
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: Today's Fast: Purity
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: October
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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