Thursday, December 15, 2022
Votive Mass in honor of the Virgin Mary for the season of Advent
Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
Isaiah, Chapter 54, Verse 8
In an outburst of wrath, for a
moment I hid my face from you;
But with enduring LOVE I
take pity on you, says the LORD, your redeemer.
As with some other Old Testament themes, Second
Isaiah uses that of Israel as the Lord’s bride in a new manner. Whereas Hosea
and Jeremiah had depicted Israel as the Lord’s spouse to emphasize both
Israel’s infidelity and the Lord’s continued love (Hos 1–3; Jer 2:2; 3:1–15)
and Ezekiel to accuse Israel unsparingly (Ez 16; 23), Second Isaiah speaks only
of the love with which the Lord restores the people, speaking tender words with
no hint of reproach.
“God is
love”[1]
(1 John 4:8)
There is only one true love – God’s love. Only
God’s love will go on and on and on. Only God’s love can conquer death and sin.
All false loves – which ignored true virtue – will come to and end. God’s love
alone is everlasting (see Jeremiah 31:3).
Therefore, we can adopt the following statement as a
spiritual maxim: “ALL THAT IS NOT GOD IS NOT WORTHY OF ME.”
You were made for God. There is no possibility of
true happiness without God. Thus, Saint Augustine says in very famous
words: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless
until it rests in you.”
Anything that drags you away from God is not worthy
of you...because you were made for God. Anything that attempts to lure you
into taking your repose in perishable things is not worthy of you…because you
were made for God and everlasting happiness.
Dear God, you have given me a mind with which to
know you, and a heart with which to love you. Oh Lord, let me fathom the
immensity of my soul and the immensity of my desires, and cling more
tenaciously to You who alone are the fulfillment of all desire.
Let us abandon the illusion, as Dr. Susan Muto says,
that our “ALL” could be found in anything other than God.
Spiritual Crib[2]
A special devotion that can be performed during Advent to prepare for the coming of the Infant Savior. It can be adapted for adults and/or children and applied as is appropriate to your state in life.
·
5th day, December 15th: THE STRAW—Mortification
Today the infant Jesus desires mortification from us; therefore, let us watch
for opportunities with a joyful heart. Not look about when we are walking; not
lean back when sitting; not warm ourselves when cold; not satisfy the taste at
table; when tempted to impatience not to show it and yield our own opinion to
that of others. Today really listen to others
Thursday
Feast
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION ONE-MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE
SPIRIT
CHAPTER THREE-GOD'S SALVATION: LAW AND
GRACE
Article 3 THE CHURCH, MOTHER AND TEACHER
II. The
Precepts of the Church
2041 The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a
moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. the obligatory character
of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to
guarantee to the faithful the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer and
moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor:
2042 The first precept (“You shall attend Mass on Sundays and
holy days of obligation.") requires the faithful to participate in the Eucharistic
celebration when the Christian community gathers together on the day
commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord.
The second precept (“You shall confess your sins at least
once a year.") ensures preparation for the Eucharist by the reception of
the sacrament of reconciliation, which continues Baptism's work of conversion
and forgiveness.
The third precept (“You shall humbly receive your Creator
in Holy Communion at least during the Easter season.") guarantees as a
minimum the reception of the Lord's Body and Blood in connection with the
Paschal feasts, the origin and center of the Christian liturgy.
2043 The fourth precept (“You shall keep holy the holy days of
obligation.") completes the Sunday observance by participation in the
principal liturgical feasts which honor the mysteries of the Lord, the Virgin
Mary, and the saints.
The fifth
precept (“You shall observe the prescribed days of fasting and
abstinence.") ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us
for the liturgical feasts; they help us acquire mastery over our instincts and
freedom of heart.
The faithful
also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each
according to his abilities.
Daily
Devotions
·
Today's Fast: Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Families of St. Joseph.
·
Jesse Tree: Mary: Matt. 1:18-25; Luke
1:26-38 Symbols: lily, crown of stars, pierced heart
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary.
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