Saturday, February 18, 2023
Carnival Saturday
Genesis, Chapter 26, Verse 7
So,
Isaac (whom was bound as a sacrificial offering to God) the only son of
Abraham, now is grown, has a wife and is pulling the same trick as his father
Abraham with the men who desire his wife-stating she is my sister.
According to the Jewish
Encyclopedia, the recurring story has a unified purpose:
"From the
point of view of the history of culture these episodes are very instructive.
But it is not very probable that Abraham would have run the risk twice. Moreover,
a similar incident is reported in regard to Isaac and Rebecca. This recurrence
indicates that none of the accounts is to be accepted as historical; all three
are variations of a theme common to the popular oral histories of the
Patriarchs. That women were married in the way here supposed is not to be doubted.
The purpose of the story is to extol the heroines as most beautiful and show
that the Patriarchs were under the special protection of the Deity."[1]
Another lesson we can take from this is that Isaac here was dealing with men that had no fear of God. Men who take what they want and will kill to get it. Isaac here could not fight them because he was not strong enough. Isaac could not leave because there was a famine. So, he sought to deceive. Yet, even in his weakness God was with him and when Abimelech, the righteous king, discovered the truth put him under his royal protection; thus, saving him from danger. Righteous men & nations always seek to protect the weak.
Remember
to pray for souls in purgatory[2]
Reigning from 1198 to
1216, Pope Innocent III was one of the most influential and important popes of
his era.
He granted Francis of
Assisi and his small band of follower’s permission to found the Order of Friars
Minor; he convened the Fourth Lateran Council which, among other things,
dogmatically defined the doctrine of transubstantiation; and he organized great
efforts to combat heresy in Europe and repel invading Muslim forces.
[See also: Burned by the Hands of Souls in Purgatory: A Museum’s
Rare Collection]
[See also: Is Purgatory Really in the Bible? Jimmy Akin Explains]
Then, after more than 18
years as pope, he died suddenly. But that wasn’t the last he was heard
from. When a Christian dies, Catholics
believe, they may go straight to heaven if they lack any outstanding temporal
punishment due to sins they’ve committed. But many Christians will go to
purgatory first, where, by the grace of Jesus Christ, they are purified and
prepared to enter into the presence of the all-holy God.
The story goes that on the
day Pope Innocent III died, or soon thereafter, he appeared to St. Lutgardis
of Aywières in
Belgium. St. Lutgardis is considered to have been one of the great mystics
of the 13th century, known for her miracles, visions, levitation, and
particularly adept teaching.
When Pope Innocent
appeared to her, he thanked her for her prayers during his lifetime, but
explained that he was in trouble: he had not gone straight to heaven but was in
purgatory, suffering its purifying fire for three specific faults he had
committed during his life.
And he made a
desperate plea for help:
“Alas! It is terrible; and
will last for centuries if you do not come to my assistance. In the name of
Mary, who has obtained for me the favor of appealing to you, help me!”
Then he vanished.
With a sense of urgency,
St. Lutgardis quickly told her fellow religious sisters what she had seen and
prayed for his soul.
Remember to pray for the
holy souls in purgatory!
[See also: 5 Saints Who Had Terrifying Visions of Hell]
[See also: Why Satan Is So Scared of St. John Paul II, According to
Rome’s Chief Exorcist]
Venice carnival returns to former grandeur
after three years[3]
The Venice carnival in the historical lagoon city attracts people from around the world. The opening show of the world-famous Venice carnival kicked off on Saturday night as performers took to brightly lit floats and gondolas for the 'original dreamers' parade.
After three years of scaled-back events due to the covid-19 pandemic, thousands of visitors have travelled to the queen of the Adriatic for the beloved festival.
Spectators lined the banks and bridges of the grand canal on Friday to catch a glimpse of the colorful displays, flashing lights and masked dancers aboard dozens of floating barges. ‘take your time for the original signs’ is the creative title of this year's event. It draws inspiration from the constellations and in particular, the zodiac. The ancient custom began in the 11th century as a symbol of the city's victory over the patriarch of Aquileia, a catholic jurisdiction in northeastern Italy. Venice became a powerful republic and trading center. However, most of the costumes worn in the festivities today are loosely based on the styles worn much later by Venice’s aristocracy in the seventeen-century. The traditional venetian carnival mask, known as the 'butua' allowed revelers through the ages, from both the upper and lower classes, to soak up the festivities while concealing their identities. The festival was banned many times throughout the years and finally outlawed in 1797 by the holy roman emperor Francis ii. The modern-day carnival was restored by the Italian government in 1979 in a bid to revitalize the city's tourism industry. The year's carnival will end on Tuesday, February 21.
NOVENA TO THE HOLY
FACE
DAILY
PREPARATORY PRAYER
O Most Holy and
Blessed Trinity, through the intercession of Holy Mary, whose soul was pierced
through by a sword of sorrow at the sight of the passion of her Divine Son, we
ask your help in making a perfect Novena of reparation with Jesus, united with
all His sorrows, love and total abandonment.
We now implore all the
Angels and Saints to intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena to the Most
Holy Face of Jesus and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and
Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seventh
Day
Psalm 51, 14-15.
Give me again the joy of your help, with a spirit of fervor sustain me, that I
may teach transgressors your ways and sinners may return to you.
Lord Jesus! After
contemplating Thy features, disfigured by grief, after meditating upon Thy
passion with compunction and love, how can our hearts fail to be inflamed with
a holy hatred of sin, which even now outrages Thy Adorable Face! Lord, suffer
us not to be content with mere compassion, but give us grace so closely to
follow Thee in this Calvary, so that the opprobrium destined for Thee may fall
on us, O Jesus, that thus we may have a share, small though it may be, in
expiation of sin. Amen. Mary, our Mother, intercede for us, Saint Joseph pray
for us.
Through the merits of your
precious blood and your Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition, Pardon and
Mercy.
Prayer
in Honor of Mary
Hail Mary, Daughter of God
the Father! Hail Mary, Mother of God the Son! Hail Mary, Spouse of the Holy
Spirit! Hail Mary, Temple of the Most Holy Trinity! Hail Mary, our mistress,
our wealth, our mystic rose, Queen of our hearts, our Mother, our life, our
sweetness and our dearest hope! We are all Thine, and all we have is Thine. O
Virgin blessed above all things; may Thy soul be in us to magnify the Lord; may
Thy spirit be in us to rejoice in God. Place Thyself, O faithful Virgin, as a
seal upon our hearts, that in Thee and through Thee we may be found faithful to
God. Grant, most gracious Virgin, that we may be numbered among those whom Thou
art pleased to love, to teach and to guide, to favor and to protect as Thy
children. Grant that with the help of Thy love, we may despise all earthly
consolation and cling to heavenly things, until through the Holy Spirit, Thy
faithful spouse, and through Thee, His faithful spouse, Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
be formed within us for the glory of the Father. Amen. (St. Grignon de
Montfort)
Pray one (1) Our Father,
(3) Hail Mary’s, (1) Glory Be.
O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every adoration Thine. (Three times)
THE TREE OF HAPPINESS (Cont.)
“The situation is desperate”, King
Richard mentioned to Sir Michael. “The young knights have lost all self-discipline;
they have no love or sense of duty for the kingdom and most of the people never
attend the churches anymore.” King Richard didn’t mention it to Sir Michael,
but his one desire was to have his only daughter, “Dawn Tomorrow”, marry a
Knight and see him Crowned King and Dawn be a mother to a Great Nation. Richard
was a religious King, but due to the duties of his office he found it difficult
to do much else then keep his Knights in check. He wondered if anyone would be
found worthy to take the hand of Dawn Tomorrow in marriage. Utopia was a rich nation,
and the pleasures were many for all who could afford them. Even with heavy
taxes being imposed; most of the peasants in Utopia led lives of relative
richness in material things, but sadly most people lacked true happiness and so
the King asked Sir Michael for his advice. Sir Michael thought about it and
thought about it and could not come up with a solution to the problem. Then at
last he came upon an idea. A Quest! He remembered the legend his mother told
him of when he was a small boy. It was the legend of the Tree of Happiness. The
Tree of Happiness, according to the legend, was also in the Garden of Eden when
God banned Adam & Eve from Eden and although access to the Tree of Life was
guarded by the Angels, it is said that man may still have access to the fruit
of the Tree of Happiness. “That’s it”, Exclaimed Sir Michael. We will have a
crusade to find the Tree of Happiness and bring the fruit back to Utopia. To be continued.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION TWO-THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Chapter 2 “You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.
Article 7-THE SEVENTH
COMMANDMENT
III. The Social Doctrine of the Church
2419
"Christian revelation . . . promotes deeper understanding of the laws of
social living." The Church receives from the Gospel the full
revelation of the truth about man. When she fulfills her mission of proclaiming
the Gospel, she bears witness to man, in the name of Christ, to his dignity and
his vocation to the communion of persons. She teaches him the demands of
justice and peace in conformity with divine wisdom.
2420 The
Church makes a moral judgment about economic and social matters, "when the
fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls requires it." In
the moral order she bears a mission distinct from that of political
authorities: the Church is concerned with the temporal aspects of the common
good because they are ordered to the sovereign Good, our ultimate end. She
strives to inspire right attitudes with respect to earthly goods and in
socio-economic relationships.
2421 The
social doctrine of the Church developed in the nineteenth century when the
Gospel encountered modern industrial society with its new structures for the
production of consumer goods, its new concept of society, the state and
authority, and its new forms of labor and ownership. the development of the
doctrine of the Church on economic and social matters attests the permanent
value of the Church's teaching at the same time as it attests the true meaning
of her Tradition, always living and active.
2422 The
Church's social teaching comprises a body of doctrine, which is articulated as
the Church interprets events in the course of history, with the assistance of
the Holy Spirit, in the light of the whole of what has been revealed by Jesus
Christ. This teaching can be more easily accepted by men of good will, the
more the faithful let themselves be guided by it.
2423 The
Church's social teaching proposes principles for reflection; it provides
criteria for judgment; it gives guidelines for action:
Any system in which social relationships are
determined entirely by economic factors is contrary to the nature of the human
person and his acts.
2424 A
theory that makes profit the exclusive norm and ultimate end of economic
activity is morally unacceptable. the disordered desire for money cannot but
produce perverse effects. It is one of the causes of the many conflicts which
disturb the social order.
A system that "subordinates the basic rights of individuals and of groups
to the collective organization of production" is contrary to human
dignity. Every practice that reduces persons to nothing more than a means
of profit enslaves man, leads to idolizing money, and contributes to the spread
of atheism. "You cannot serve God and mammon."
2425 The
Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in
modem times with "communism" or "socialism." She has
likewise refused to accept, in the practice of "capitalism,"
individualism and the absolute primacy of the law of the marketplace over human
labor. Regulating the economy solely by centralized planning perverts the
basis of social bonds; regulating it solely by the law of the marketplace fails
social justice, for "there are many human needs which cannot be satisfied
by the market." Reasonable regulation of the marketplace and economic
initiatives, in keeping with a just hierarchy of values and a view to the
common good, is to be commended.
February 18th, St. Bernadette Soubirous (New,
Trad.)[4]:
- Crepes
for the Feast of St. Bernadette
- Blueberry
Muffins for Our Lady
- A
(Blue) French Meal for Our Lady of Lourdes
- A
Grotto for Our Lady
- Mary's
Immaculate Conception (An all-white dinner!)
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Absent Fathers
(physically & spiritually)
· Saturday Litany of the Hours
Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Rosary
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wife%E2%80%93sister_narratives_in_the_Book_of_Genesis
[2]https://www.churchpop.com/2015/11/01/the-sobering-story-of-the-pope-who-begged-for-help-from-purgatory/
[3]https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/02/05/venice-carnival-returns-to-former-grandeur-after-three-years-of-scaled-back-events.
Day 4
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