Monday, January 30, 2023

- January 24, 2023

Monday Night at the Movies

Ulu Grosbard, True Confessions, 1981.

Novena for Purification Day 7

Description:

This novena prayer, although short is sufficient. It would be better of course to add, if time permits, three Hail Marys or say five times the Our Father, Haily Mary and Glory be to the Father, or to use some of the many well-loved novena prayers from other sources. Remember that prayers must be said with the lips in order to gain the indulgences. This novena starts on January 24 and ends on February 2.

Prayer:

O Blessed Mother of God, who went up to the Temple according to the law with your offering of little white doves, pray for me that I too may keep the law and be pure in heart like you.

Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation.

300 days. Plenary, under usual conditions, if said daily for a month. S. C. Indulg., Sept. 30, 1852.

Prayer Source: All Day With God by Blanche Jennings Thompson

CROISSANT DAY-NATIONAL ESCAPE DAY

Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 32-34

³² What more shall I say? I have not time to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who by FAITH conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous, obtained the promises; they closed the mouths of lions, ³⁴ put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword; out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle, and turned back foreign invaders.

Through faith God guarantees the blessings to be hoped for from him, providing evidence in the gift of faith that what he promises will eventually come to pass. Because they accepted in faith God’s guarantee of the future, the biblical personages were themselves commended by God. Christians have even greater reason to remain firm in faith since they, unlike the Old Testament men and women of faith, have perceived the beginning of God’s fulfillment of his messianic promises.

Croissant Day[1]

The legend of how the croissant came to be is that in 1683, the Turkish Empire laid siege on Vienna, Austria. The Turks made several attempts to conquer the city by force, but were unsuccessful, so decided to try underground tunnels. The bakers of Vienna, who worked in the basement storerooms, heard the sound of digging and alerted the cities army. For their vigilance, the bakers received high honors and thanks for their assistance in outwitting the Turks. In celebration, they baked their bread in the shape of a crescent moon—the symbol of the Ottoman Empire. After the Turks were defeated, it became custom to serve morning coffee with the crescent-shaped pastry! The legend continues to say that over a hundred years later, Marie Antoinette introduced the pastry to the French who dubbed it a “croissant”. Celebrate Croissant Day in style by eating an abundance of this tasty treat!

Recipe[2]

On September 12, 1683, the great army of Turks which had besieged the city of Vienna for two months was finally attacked by the combined forces of Germans, Austrians, and Poles under the titular command of King John Sobiesky of Poland. The fierce battle lasted from dawn to evening, when the Turks, utterly beaten, retreated in headlong flight. Among the immense booty, the victors found a great number of sacks filled with strange green beans. They took them to be fodder for the camels which the Turkish Pasha had brought along. Since the camels had fled with the army, this part of the booty seemed useless, and it was decided to dump it in the Danube. However, one of the inhabitants of the city, a man named Kolsinsky, who had been a prisoner of the Turks and knew their ways, explained that it was a fruit from which the Turks, after roasting it, made a popular drink. In return for valuable services rendered during the siege he asked permission to open a shop where he could sell this Turkish drink. The permission was readily granted, and he opened the first "coffee house" in the city. When the people of Vienna tried the new drink, they found it not to their liking, for Kolsinsky served it the Turkish way — in small cups, with the grounds, black and unsweetened. A friend then advised him to make the drink more acceptable: "Strain it," he said, "so the grounds won't grit between the teeth. Add some milk to make it look brighter and sugar to make it sweet. And serve it together with something to eat. Why not use a new kind of pastry? Shape it in the form of the Turkish half-moon?" (The Turks had put their Mohammedan crescent on every church steeple in the place of the Christian cross.) Kolsinsky followed the advice, and his products immediately became very popular. The people now enjoyed drinking the coffee prepared in this manner, and they gleefully devoured the "Turkish Crescent," the sight of which had filled them with terror during the war. Thus, started the custom, which has since spread from Vienna all over the world, of drinking coffee without grounds in the cup, of mixing it with milk or cream, and sweetening it with sugar. The pastry in form of the Turkish half-moon (crescent, croissant, Kipfel) also has remained a familiar sight on coffee tables up to this day.

DIRECTIONS

Dissolve yeast in water. Combine sugar, butter, salt and milk. Add milk mixture and egg to yeast when cool. Stir in flour; beat well. Turn into greased bowl. Cover and let rise in warm place to double in bulk. Turn dough onto lightly floured board; knead for 1 minute. Return to bowl and let rise again to double in bulk. Roll dough to a very thin sheet, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 5-inch squares. Cut each square diagonally into 2 triangles. Brush with melted butter. Roll triangles, beginning on diagonal. Shape in crescent shape. Place on greased baking sheet, let rise until light. Bake in 400° oven for 15 minutes.

National Escape Day[3]

The idea of taking a vacation has been around for a long time, although it’s hard to trace it back exactly. In the past, the ability to take time to rest and escape from normal life would have typically been an option only for those who were particularly wealthy or powerful because average workers simply couldn’t afford to take the time off.

As the world has been industrialized and modern workers have gained rights for themselves related to safety and working conditions, the practice of taking paid vacations or paid time off has evolved. Today, at least in most developed countries, it is now commonplace to allow regular, full-time workers some sort of time off for rest and vacation.

In Europe, the standard is four weeks each year. In the United States there are no legal requirements for paid leave, but many companies offer from two weeks to four weeks or more (including sick days), based on seniority and other factors.

For many people, whether it’s taking a vacation or just taking a day off from the normal grind, the end of January is a perfect time for some “me time”. And that’s why National Escape Day was established as a reminder to get away for a day (or more if possible), gather yourself and come back refreshed and ready for the next thing!

Catechism of the Catholic Church

PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST

SECTION TWO-THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

ARTICLE 4-THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

IV. The Family and the Kingdom

2232 Family ties are important but not absolute. Just as the child grows to maturity and human and spiritual autonomy, so his unique vocation which comes from God asserts itself more clearly and forcefully. Parents should respect this call and encourage their children to follow it. They must be convinced that the first vocation of the Christian is to follow Jesus: "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."

2233 Becoming a disciple of Jesus means accepting the invitation to belong to God's family, to live in conformity with His way of life: "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother."
Parents should welcome and respect with joy and thanksgiving the Lord's call to one of their children to follow him in virginity for the sake of the Kingdom in the consecrated life or in priestly ministry.

Daily Devotions

· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: The lonely and destitute

· Carnival: Part Two, the Final Countdown

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Make reparations to the Holy Face

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Rosary

Day 16