Loretto (Mary’s House) human rights day
John,
Chapter 14, Verse 21-24
21 Whoever has my commandments and
observes them is the one who LOVES me. And whoever loves me will
be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to
him.” 22 Judas, not the Iscariot,
said to him, “Master, [then] what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?” 23
Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and
my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling
with him. 24 Whoever does not love me
does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the
Father who sent me.
This is the indwelling of
the Father and the Son, when we have this, we reflect our own perfected beauty.
Think of a beauty queen and compare it to the face of Mother Teresa; which
portraits beauty more? When we have the indwelling, the truth is never far from
us; think of Thomas More and when we have the indwelling, we have joy and our
earthly work is not a burden but light. If you are not happy perhaps you should
reflect, are you observing Christ' commandments? First seek the kingdom and all
grace will be added to you. When we have the indwelling, the spirit compels us
to acts of mercy. The traditional enumeration of the corporal works of mercy is
as follows:
·
To feed the hungry.
·
To give drink to the thirsty.
·
To clothe the naked.
·
To harbor the harbor less.
·
To visit the sick.
·
To ransom the captive.
·
To bury the dead.
The spiritual works of
mercy are:
·
To instruct the ignorant;
·
To counsel the doubtful;
·
To admonish sinners;
·
To bear wrongs patiently.
·
To forgive offences willingly.
·
To comfort the afflicted.
·
To pray for the living and
the dead.
In a sense when we have the indwelling, we are like Mary
the great mother of God and are compelled to acts of mercy; they are not just a
list but a way of being.
Our
Lady of Loretto[1]
The
shrine of Our Lady of Loreto is located on the Adriatic coast of Italy, three
hours from Rome. It is the third-largest shrine to Mary in Europe, next to
Lourdes and Fatima. The ministry of the shrine is the hospitality shown to
pilgrims especially through the sacrament of penance.
·
The
title "Our Lady of Loreto" is associated with the Holy House of Loreto
in Italy, the house of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, miraculously
transported by the angels from Palestine to Europe.
·
The
house of the Holy Family in Nazareth has always been the object of Christian
veneration. Shortly after 313, St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, built
a basilica over this holy abode. The Saracens invaded the Holy Land in 1090,
plundering and destroying Christian shrines, including Constantine’s basilica.
Under the ruble, the Holy House was found intact.
·
During
the twelfth century, another basilica was built to protect the holy dwelling.
In 1219 or 1220 St. Francis of Assisi visited the Holy House in Nazareth. So
did King St. Louis IX of France, when he was leading a crusade to liberate the
Holy Land.
·
In
1263, when the Muslims overpowered the crusaders, the basilica was again
destroyed but, once more, the Holy House was found intact.
·
When
the crusaders were completely driven out of the Holy Land in 1291, the Holy
House disappeared.
·
On
May 10, 1291, a parish priest, Fr. Alexander Georgevich in the town of
Tersatto, Dalmatia, (present-day Croatia) noticed the sudden appearance of a
small building resting on a plot of land. Puzzled, he prayed about it, and in a
dream saw the Blessed Virgin Mary, who explained that the structure was the
house of the Holy Family, brought there by the power of God.
·
In
1294, with the Moslem invasion of Albania, the house disappeared again.
According to the testimony of shepherds, it was seen on December 10 of that
year born aloft by angels over the Adriatic Sea. This time the Holy House came
to rest in a wooded area four miles from Recanati, Italy. As the news spread
fast, thousands flocked there, and many miracles took place at the site.
·
Due
to contrary circumstances, twice again the house was moved, finally coming to
rest in the town of Loreto, Italy, its present location.
·
As
miracles continued to occur in connection with pilgrimages to the house,
deputations were sent to Nazareth to determine its origins in 1292, in 1296,
and in 1524. All three declared that the measurements of the house corresponded
to the visible foundations of the house of Nazareth.
·
In
1871 at the suggestion of Cardinal Bartolini, Professor Ratti of the University
of Rome was given mortar and stones from the house at Loreto, and similar
materials from houses in Nazareth. Ignorant of which was which, Prof. Ratti
ascertained that the composition of the material from the house of Loreto while
not original to Italy was identical to that of the material from Nazareth.
·
Other
striking facts about the house in Loreto are that it has no foundations. The
walls rest on a plot that was part field and part road, a sure indication that
it was not built there but placed there. The style of the house of Loreto is
not Italian but Eastern. And the original door was on the long side of the
house, indicating that it was a dwelling and not a church.
·
Today
a great basilica houses the dwelling of the holiest of families. From 1330,
practically all the Popes have considered Loreto the greatest shrine of
Christendom. Bulls in favor of the shrine were issued by Pope Sixtus IV in 1491
and by Julius II in 1507. While the miracle of the translation of the house is
not a matter of faith, Innocent XII, in the seventeenth century, appointed a
special Mass for the Feast of the Translation of the Holy House. Numerous
saints have visited the house-relic.
·
As
pilgrims enter the small precinct, they read on the threshold, “Hic Verbum caro
factum est” – “Here the Word became flesh”. Above the altar inside the holy
house is an ancient statue of Our Lady holding the Infant Jesus, known as Our
Lady of Loreto.
Things to Do
- Why
is Our Lady of Loreto connected with aviation? Read these two articles, Did angels really carry the Holy House of Mary to Loreto,
Italy? at Catholic News Agency and Our Lady of Loreto and Aviation from "All About
Mary" at the University of Dayton.
- Find
out the connection the University of Notre Dame has with Our Lady of Loreto.
- Visit
the website of Sanctuary
of the Holy House of Loreto.
- Here
is further reading about the Basilica of the Holy House (Basilica della Santa Casa)
- The
Litany of Loreto originated from this Shrine. Read about the Litany of Loreto in Context.
- See
The Illustrated Litany of Loreto for visual meditation
on the Litany of Loreto.
Human Rights Day[2]
Human Rights Day commemorates the day on which the United Nations issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a document drafted by representatives from all regions of the world, which outlined fundamental human rights to be universally protected. The Declaration contains 30 articles that touch on rights to freedom, justice, peace, dignity, education and health care, amongst other rights. On December 10, 1948, the United Nations proclaimed the UDHR in an effort to help define equal rights that all humans on the planet deserve and can help the world achieve lasting freedom, justice and peace. Human Rights Day was officially declared by the United Nations in 1950. It is celebrated on December 10th each year and is marked by speeches and activities designed to bring attention to the issues surrounding the most pressing Human Rights issues worldwide.
Human Rights Day Facts & Quotes
·
The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights
was one of their first declarations and came about after the atrocities
perpetrated upon humans during World War II were brought to light.
·
Over the past decade, armed conflict has killed
2 million children,
disabled another 4-5 million, left 12 million homeless and orphaned another
million.
·
Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery,
I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. - Abraham Lincoln
·
America did not invent human rights. In a very
real sense... human rights invented America. - Jimmy Carter
· I have cherished the ideal a democratic and free society... it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. - Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa, who was imprisoned from 1964-1990.
Human Rights Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Educate yourself on current human rights fights
such as genocide by terrorist groups, slavery and trafficking and child labor
around the world.
·
Get involved with a local human rights
organization.
·
Watch a documentary about human rights issues
and violations. Some recommendations: Invisible Children (2006), Girl
Rising (2013) and Nefarious (2011).
·
The U.S. is not the only country to recognize
the importance of religious liberty. The UN Universal Declaration of Human
Rights--a foundational document for international law, created by
representatives from all over the world--recognizes this basic human right in
Article 18: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom,
either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest
his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance”. Clearly,
the framers of this document relied on human reason and saw the need for
governments to recognize this civil right.[3]
Jesse Tree[4]
Jesse
Tree Scriptures (The Symbols Are Only Suggestions)
December 1 Creation: Gen. 1:1-31; 2:1-4 Symbols: sun,
moon, stars, animals, earth
December 2 Adam and Eve: Gen. 2:7-9, 18-24 Symbols:
tree, man, woman
December 3 Fall of Man: Gen. 3:1-7 and 23-24 Symbols:
tree, serpent, apple with bite
December 4 Noah: Gen. 6:5-8, 13-22; 7:17, 23, 24; 8:1, 6-22 Symbols:
ark, animals, dove, rainbow
December 5 Abraham: Gen. 12:1-3 Symbols: torch, sword,
mountain
December 6 Isaac: Gen. 22:1-14 Symbols: bundle of wood,
altar, ram in bush
December 7 Jacob: Gen. 25:1-34; 28:10-15 Symbols:
kettle, ladder
December 8 Joseph: Gen. 37:23-28; 45:3-15 Symbols:
bucket, well, silver coins, tunic
December 9 Moses: Ex. 2:1-10 Symbols: baby in basket,
river and rushes
December 10 Samuel: 1 Sam. 3:1-18 Symbols:
lamp, temple
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION ONE-MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE
SPIRIT
CHAPTER THREE-GOD'S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE
Article 2-GRACE AND JUSTIFICATION
III. Merit
You are glorified in the assembly
of your Holy Ones, for in crowning their merits you are crowning your own
gifts.
2006 The
term "merit" refers in general to the recompense owed by a community
or a society for the action of one of its members, experienced either as
beneficial or harmful, deserving reward or punishment. Merit is relative to the
virtue of justice, in conformity with the principle of equality which governs
it.
2007 With
regard to God, there is no strict right to any merit on the part of man.
Between God and us there is an immeasurable inequality, for we have received
everything from him, our Creator.
2008 The
merit of man before God in the Christian life arises from the fact that God has
freely chosen to associate man with the work of his grace. the fatherly action
of God is first on his own initiative, and then follows man's free acting
through his collaboration, so that the merit of good works is to be attributed
in the first place to the grace of God, then to the faithful. Man's merit,
moreover, itself is due to God, for his good actions proceed in Christ, from
the predispositions and assistance given by the Holy Spirit.
2009 Filial adoption, in making us partakers by grace in the divine nature, can bestow true merit on us as a result of God's gratuitous justice. This is our right by grace, the full right of love, making us "co-heirs" with Christ and worthy of obtaining "the promised inheritance of eternal life." The merits of our good works are gifts of the divine goodness.
"Grace has gone before us; now we are given what is due....
Our merits are God's gifts."
2010
Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the
initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion.
Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and
for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace
and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life. Even temporal goods like
health and friendship can be merited in accordance with God's wisdom. These
graces and goods are the object of Christian prayer. Prayer attends to the
grace we need for meritorious actions.
2011 The
charity of Christ is the source in us of all our merits before God. Grace, by
uniting us to Christ in active love, ensures the supernatural quality of our
acts and consequently their merit before God and before men. the saints have
always had a lively awareness that their merits were pure grace.
After earth's exile, I hope to go and enjoy you in the fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. I want to work for your love alone.... In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands, for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works. All our justice is blemished in your eyes. I wish, then, to be clothed in your own justice and to receive from your love the eternal possession of yourself.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Restoring the Constitution.
·
Religion
in the home: Preschool for December
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
Rosary
[1]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-12-10
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