|
|
Second Sunday of Lent, Called
“Reminiscere”
Seabee
Matthew, Chapter 17, verse 5-8
5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much AFRAID. 7But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” 8And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
The apostles during the transfiguration heard the voice of the Father; saw the light of the Holy Spirit and were touched by the Son of God, Christ the Messiah. They fully experienced the triune God which empowered them for the trial ahead.
ON KEEPING
THE LORD'S DAY HOLY[1]
CHAPTER II
DIES CHRISTI
The Day of the Risen Lord
and of the Gift
of the Holy Spirit
The eighth day: image of
eternity
26. By contrast, the Sabbath's
position as the seventh day of the week suggests for the Lord's Day a
complementary symbolism, much loved by the Fathers. Sunday is not only the
first day, it is also "the eighth day", set within the sevenfold
succession of days in a unique and transcendent position which evokes not only
the beginning of time but also its end in "the age to come". Saint
Basil explains that Sunday symbolizes that truly singular day which will follow
the present time, the day without end which will know neither evening nor
morning, the imperishable age which will never grow old; Sunday is the
ceaseless foretelling of life without end which renews the hope of Christians
and encourages them on their way. Looking towards the last day, which fulfils
completely the eschatological symbolism of the Sabbath, Saint Augustine
concludes the Confessions describing the Eschaton as "the peace of
quietness, the peace of the Sabbath, a peace with no evening". In
celebrating Sunday, both the "first" and the "eighth" day,
the Christian is led towards the goal of eternal life.
Second Sunday of Lent, Called “Reminiscere”[2]
AT the Introit to-day the Church asks of God the grace to fall -no more into sin: Remember, O God, Thy bowels of compassion, and Thy mercies that are from the beginning of the world, lest at any time our enemies rule over us; deliver us, O God, from all our tribulations. To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul. In Thee, O God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed; (Ps. xxiv.).
Prayer.
O God, Who beholdest us destitute of every virtue, preserve us both inwardly and outwardly, that we may be defended from all adversities in body, and purified from all evil thoughts in mind.
EPISTLE, i. Thess. iv. 1-7.
Brethren: We pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of us, how you ought to walk, and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more. For you know what precepts I have given to you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor: not in the passion of lust, like the gentiles that know not God: and that no man overreach, nor circumvent his brother in business: because the Lord is the avenger of all these things, as we have told you before, and have testified: for God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification.
Explanation. St. Paul exhorts all Christians to live chastely and honestly, and continually to aspire to higher perfection. Such is the will of God, Who has called us to holiness, and will punish severely all impurity and injustice.
Prayer. Grant, O Lord, that, according to my vocation, I may never be addicted to earthly and fleshly lusts like the heathen, who know Thee not, but may live in modesty, chastity, and holiness, and adorn my name as a Christian with good works. Amen.
Traditionally for this Sunday Paul exhorts us to keep up our progress and we hear the story of the Transfiguration as a heartening foretaste of Christ's ultimate triumph.
GOSPEL. Matt. xvii.
1-9.
At that time: Jesus taketh unto Him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: and He was transfigured before them. And His face did shine as the sun: and His garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with Him. And Peter, answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo a voice out of the cloud saying: This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased: hear ye Him. And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face: and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them: Arise, and fear not. And they lifting up their eyes saw no one, but only Jesus. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead.
Why was Jesus transfigured before His disciples on Mount Tabor?
1.
To give them a manifest proof of His divinity.
2.
To prevent all doubt on their part when they should see Him on Mount Calvary.
3.
To encourage all the faithful to patience under agony and suffering.
4.
To show us how our glorified bodies shall rise from the dead (i. Cor. xv. 52).
Why did Moses and Elias appear with
Our Lord? To
testify that Jesus was the Savior of the word spoken of by the law and the
prophets.
Lenten Calendar[3]
Read: Today’s Gospel shares the story of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Reflect: “The Transfiguration reminds us that the joys sown by God in life are not finishing lines; rather they are the lights he gives us during our earthly pilgrimage in order that “Jesus alone” may be our Law and his word the criterion that directs our existence.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, February 28, 2010)
Pray: Pray for strength today to continue your Lenten promises and fasting with this prayer from Catholic Relief Services. . . .
Act: It’s the second Sunday of Lent, but
there are three more to go. Rededicate yourself to your Lenten promises today
and enter the week ready to tackle what’s ahead.
Seabees[4]
The Navy Construction Battalion – better known as the Seabees – is responsible for building much of the temporary and permanent infrastructure at U.S. military locations around the world.
With roots dating back
to World War II, the Seabees were formally established on March 5, 1942, to
meet the Navy’s growing need to build bases, camps and other structures as part
of the war effort. In the over seven decades since its founding, Seabees have
gone on to serve in most major U.S. conflicts.
Here are nine things to
know about the Seabees’ monumental history:
1. The Seabee Motto is
“Construimus, Batuimus.”
The Latin phrase, which
means “We build, We fight,” was the brainchild of Rear Adm. Ben Moreell, who is
considered the father of the Seabees.
2. The Nickname
“Seabee” Comes From the First Letters of the Words That Make Up the Unit’s
Formal Name, “Construction Battalion.”
When said together as
one word, the letters “C” and “B” sound like the word “Seabee,” hence the
battalion’s iconic nickname.
3. True to Their Motto,
Seabees Can Build Just About Anything, Anywhere.
“The men and women of
the Seabees have been deployed globally in every theater around the world
constructing bases, building airfields, conducting underwater construction and
building roads, bridges and other support facilities while providing protection
for themselves and those around them,” wrote Navy Petty Officer 1st Class
Heather Salzman in a 2020 DVIDShub.net story.
4. The Seabees Have One
Medal of Honor Recipient, Marvin G. Shields.
During the Vietnam War
in 1965, Navy Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Marvin G. Shields, then just 25
years old, showed great heroism when a camp he and his fellow Seabees were
constructing suddenly came under attack. Despite being wounded several times,
Shields continually ignored his own injuries to defend the area and stay in the
fight for roughly 14 hours. His actions helped save 15 Seabees and Green Berets
who were at the camp. Ultimately, Shields’ injuries proved fatal, and he died
before the survivors were rescued. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of
Honor in 1965, which his wife and young daughter accepted on his behalf.
5. Seabees Used to
Celebrate the Battalion’s Birthday With a “Seabee Ball” That Featured a “Seabee
Queen.”
The tradition started
in 1943 at Port Hueneme, California, and featured Susan Hayward, who co-starred
alongside John Wayne in the film “The Fighting Seabees,” as the first queen. As
time went on and the tradition expanded to other areas where Seabees were
stationed, Seabee Queens grew to include other famous faces or relatives of the
Seabees themselves. This tradition was discontinued in 1992.
6. Seabee Units Were
Some of the First Fully Integrated Units in the Navy at the end of WWII.
During World War II,
Seabees erect a steel tank constructed deep in the jungles of one of the South
Pacific bases.
During WWII, over
12,500 Black service members enlisted in Seabee battalions – notably the 34th,
20th (Special) and 80th. Many of these units deployed all around the world. As
they fought for our nation, these pioneering Black sailors also fought against
racial prejudices and paved the path toward a fully integrated U.S. military.
7. Seabees Helped Build Some of the First Structures at the South Pole.
After WWII, Seabees
first traveled to Antarctica in 1946 to help the Navy establish a research base
on the continent.
As part of Deep Freeze
73, Seabees deployed to Antarctica to construct a six-story high dome at South
Pole Station. The dome covered and protected most of the buildings at South
Pole Station.
Over the next several
decades, Seabees continued to deploy to the harsh frozen environment to build
the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, which features the iconic South Pole
dome. This remote research area is extremely isolated and is located 1,000
miles away from the continent’s larger McMurdo Station.
8. There is a Seabees
Memorial.
Located just outside of
Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, the Seabees Memorial was dedicated in
1972 and was sculpted by Felix de Weldon, a Seabee veteran himself. De Weldon
also sculpted the United States Marine Corps Memorial, which is also located in
Arlington, Virginia.
9. You Can Spot Seabees
By Looking Closely at Their Uniforms.
Seabees
sport a unique sewn-in logo, or patch, on their left chest pocket. The
embroidered patch features the battalion’s official “Fighting Bee” logo along
with the word “Seabees.”
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 8-THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
VI. Truth, Beauty, and Sacred Art
2500 The
practice of goodness is accompanied by spontaneous spiritual joy and moral beauty.
Likewise, truth carries with it the joy and splendor of spiritual beauty. Truth
is beautiful in itself. Truth in words, the rational expression of the
knowledge of created and uncreated reality, is necessary to man, who is endowed
with intellect. But truth can also find other complementary forms of human
expression, above all when it is a matter of evoking what is beyond words: the
depths of the human heart, the exaltations of the soul, the mystery of God.
Even before revealing himself to man in words of truth, God reveals himself to
him through the universal language of creation, the work of his Word, of his
wisdom: the order and harmony of the cosmos - which both the child and the
scientist discover - "from the greatness and beauty of created things
comes a corresponding perception of their Creator," "for the author
of beauty created them."
[Wisdom] is a breath of the power
of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing
defiled gains entrance into her. For she is a reflection of eternal light, a
spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. For [wisdom]
is more beautiful than the sun, and excels every constellation of the stars.
Compared with the light she is found to be superior, for it is succeeded by the
night, but against wisdom evil does not prevail. I became enamored of her
beauty.
2501
Created "in the image of God," man also expresses the truth of
his relationship with God the Creator by the beauty of his artistic works.
Indeed, art is a distinctively human form of expression; beyond the search for
the necessities of life which is common to all living creatures, art is a
freely given superabundance of the human being's inner riches. Arising from
talent given by the Creator and from man's own effort, art is a form of
practical wisdom, uniting knowledge and skill, to give form to the truth
of reality in a language accessible to sight or hearing. To the extent that it
is inspired by truth and love of beings, art bears a certain likeness to God's
activity in what he has created. Like any other human activity, art is not an
absolute end in itself, but is ordered to and ennobled by the ultimate end of
man.
2502
Sacred art is true and beautiful when its form corresponds to its particular
vocation: evoking and glorifying, in faith and adoration, the transcendent
mystery of God - the surpassing invisible beauty of truth and love visible in
Christ, who "reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his
nature," in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily." This
spiritual beauty of God is reflected in the most holy Virgin Mother of God, the
angels, and saints. Genuine sacred art draws man to adoration, to prayer, and
to the love of God, Creator and Savior, the Holy One and Sanctifier.
2503 For
this reason bishops, personally or through delegates, should see to the
promotion of sacred art, old and new, in all its forms and, with the same
religious care, remove from the liturgy and from places of worship everything
which is not in conformity with the truth of faith and the authentic beauty of
sacred art.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: True
Masculinity
·
Religion in the Home for
Preschool: March
·
Total Consecration
to St. Joseph Day 19
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make reparations
to the Holy Face
Comments
Post a Comment