Fifth Sunday of Lent-Passiontide
SPINACH DAY
Exodus, Chapter 14, Verse 30-31
30
Thus the LORD saved Israel on that
day from the power of Egypt. When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the
seashore 31
and saw the great power that the
LORD had shown against Egypt, the people FEARED
the LORD. They believed in the LORD and in Moses his servant.
The
Hebrew’s after the crossing of the red sea and seeing Gods great power feared
Him with human fear, but not Holy fear. There was no love towards God, only
fear. God desires a spiritual union with us; therefore, our belief must be
mingled with great love and affection. This is why later Israel would make the
golden calf since their hearts were dead to God after 400 years in Egypt. What
was it about Egypt that enslaved the Israelites even after they were freed by
God? Egypt was rich, so rich that even the Israelites were as self-indulgent as
the Egyptians. It meant a daily life of giving in to your desires and the brief
enjoyments of this passing life. They only thought of satisfying themselves
with no thought of He that Is. They made faint offerings to false gods to
justify their behavior. Their minds became weak and confused. Their mistakes
and sins robbed them of peace that only comes from doing the will of He that
Is. We only find peace and happiness when we are in union with God and doing His
Holy will. We are created by God for eternal happiness with Him. Things cannot bring us happiness.
Hear, O
Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God
with all your Heart, and with all your soul, and with your entire mind, and
with all your strength.
Power of Egypt[1]
The power of Egypt was the
worship of demons back thousands of years ago. The occult still is around today
and just as in the Holy Church, some official rites are required and are tied
to feast days. The most important is Halloween, which falls on the night
between October 31 and November 1 of each year: it is considered the magic New
Year. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the extreme danger for our
children and youth who participate in the feast of Halloween on that date. The
second precedes our feast of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple on
February 2. The night before, in fact, begins the magic spring. We need not
fear but look with love to our Lord. Perhaps we could attend Mass this day and
offer God our prayers and love.
ON KEEPING
THE LORD'S DAY HOLY[2]
CHAPTER II
DIES CHRISTI
The Day of the Risen Lord
and of the Gift
of the Holy Spirit
The day of faith
29. Given these different dimensions
which set it apart, Sunday appears as the supreme day of faith. It is
the day when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, who is the Church's living
"memory" (cf. Jn 14:26), the first appearance of the Risen
Lord becomes an event renewed in the "today" of each of Christ's
disciples. Gathered in his presence in the Sunday assembly, believers sense
themselves called like the Apostle Thomas: "Put your finger here, and see
my hands. Put out your hand, and place it in my side. Doubt no longer, but
believe" (Jn 20:27). Yes, Sunday is the day of faith. This is
stressed by the fact that the Sunday Eucharistic liturgy, like the liturgy of
other solemnities, includes the Profession of Faith. Recited or sung, the Creed
declares the baptismal and Paschal character of Sunday, making it the day on
which in a special way the baptized renew their adherence to Christ and his
Gospel in a rekindled awareness of their baptismal promises. Listening to the
word and receiving the Body of the Lord, the baptized contemplate the Risen
Jesus present in the "holy signs" and confess with the Apostle
Thomas: "My Lord and my God!" (Jn 20:28).
Fifth Sunday of Lent-First
Passion
Sunday
The Jews' growing hatred of Christ
recorded in today's Gospel makes plain His imminent death.
Passion
Week[3]
FROM
this day, called Passion Sunday, until Easter the Church--gives herself up
entirely to meditation on the passion of Jesus. Today the crucifixes are
covered, in remembrance that from this time until His entrance into Jerusalem
Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews. From to-day the Glory Be to the
Father is omitted in the Mass, because in the person of Jesus Christ the Most
Holy Trinity was dishonored. As on this day the high priests held council about
Our Lord, the Church says, at the Introit of the Mass, in the name of the
suffering Jesus, the words of the psalmist: Judge me, O God, and distinguish my
cause from the nation that is not holy; deliver me from the unjust and
deceitful man, for Thou art God, my strength. Send forth Thy light and Thy truth,
they have conducted me and brought me unto Thy holy hill, and into Thy
tabernacles (Ps. xlii. 1-3). Prayer. We
beseech Thee, Almighty God, mercifully look upon Thy family, that by Thy bounty
it may be governed in body, and by Thy preservation be kept in mind.
EPISTLE.
Heb. ix. 11-15.
Brethren:
Christ, being come a high priest of the good things to come, by a greater and
more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation:
neither by the blood of goats, nor of calves, but by His own blood, entered
once into the holies, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of
goats and of oxen, and the ashes of a heifer being sprinkled, sanctify such as
are defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of
Christ, Who by the Holy Ghost offered Himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our
conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?
And
therefore, He is the mediator of the New Testament: that by means of His death,
for the redemption of those transgressions, which were under the former testament,
they that are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance, in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
Explanation. St. Paul here teaches that Jesus
Christ has given full satisfaction for the sins of men and opened to all the
entrance into the sanctuary. The Church proposes this epistle to us in order
that we may thank God for the great mercy of the redemption, love and praise
Him, and be encouraged to share in His sufferings by fasting, prayer, and
penitential works.
Aspiration. Give us Thy grace, O meekest
Jesus, that by true sorrow for our sins, and by the practice of good works, we
may become partakers of Thy bitter sufferings, and obtain the promised in
heritance of eternal life. Amen.
GOSPEL. John viii.
46-59.
At that time
Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: Which of you shall convince Me of
sin? If I say the truth to you, why do you not believe Me?
He that is of God
heareth the words of God. Therefore, you hear them not because you are not of
God. The Jews therefore answered, and said to Him: Do not we say well that Thou
art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
Jesus answered: I
have not a devil: but I honor My Father, and you have dishonored Me. But I seek
not My own glory: there is One that seeketh and judgeth. Amen, amen, I say to
you: if any man keep My word, he shall not see death forever. The Jews
therefore said: Now we know that Thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the
prophets; and Thou sayest: If any man keep My word, he shall not taste death
forever. Art Thou greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? and the
prophets are dead. Whom dost Thou make Thyself?
Jesus answered:
If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father that glorifieth Me,
of Whom you say that He is your God. And you have not known Him, but I know
Him. And if I shall say that I know Him not, I shall be like to you, a liar.
But I do know Him, and do keep His word. Abraham your father rejoiced that he
might see My day. He saw it, and was glad. The Jews therefore said to Him: Thou
art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham?
Jesus said to
them: Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was made, I am. They took up
stones therefore to cast at Him. But Jesus hid Himself and went out of the
temple.
Explanation. When Our Savior said: He that is
of God heareth God’s words, He meant to point out to the Jews the cause of
their stubborn unbelief. He that is of God hears and loves that which is
Godlike. When, therefore, we gladly hear the word of God and strive to do what
we have heard, we testify that we are the children of God. Instead of
reflecting on Our Savior’s words the Jews poured out their offended pride and
abuse, and called Him a Samaritan, and one having a devil. The same thing
happens to-day. Instead of listening to the truth; the proud man answers with
calumny and contempt. Our Savior hid Himself from the Jews to teach us to
forgive and avoid our enemies rather than to oppose them and take revenge on
them.
Ponder: Have we advanced any since
Christ’s time? Reflect on our news, social media, and politics. Do they speak
the truth-or say Truth! What is truth.
Consolation
under Insults
O
friend, what insult can be given to you which your Savior has not suffered?
He
was called a glutton and a drunkard, a heretic and a rebel, a friend and
associate of sinners, and one who had a devil; He was even told that He cast
out devils by the prince of devils (Matt. ix. 34). He, therefore, comforts His
disciples with the words, “If they have called the good man of the house
Beelzebub, how much more them of his household? (Matt. x. 25)
There
is no sorrow so bitter that He has not borne it, for what was more painful and
grievous than the death of the cross? Christians, “think diligently upon Him
that endured such opposition from sinners against Himself, that you be not
wearied, fainting in your minds, at contempt and insult.” (Heb. xii. 3)
Passiontide Customs[4]
The main custom for
Passiontide is the veiling of all sacred images in home and church with purple
cloth. This custom originated in ancient times, when the images in the papal
chapel of the Vatican were covered after the words of the Passion Sunday
Gospel, "Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple" (Jn 8.59),
were pronounced.
Passiontide:
- (First)
Passion Sunday. The Jews' growing hatred of Christ recorded in
today's Gospel makes plain His imminent death.
- Friday
after Passion Sunday: Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. A special commemoration, one week before Good
Friday, of Mary's compassion for (literally, "suffering with")
Her innocent son.
- (Second
Passion or) Palm Sunday. Christ's triumphant entrance
into Jerusalem and the account of His Passion according to St. Matthew.
Mourning& Veiling[5]
Akin to
the asceticism of Lent is its mournful tone.
The Church is traditionally draped in purple or black, its organ silenced, and
its altar bereft of any flowers. At home medieval Catholics would avoid
frivolity or hilarity and would wear black during either Holy Week or Good
Friday.
There
is a special mourning custom that also begins on Passion Sunday (Fifth
Sunday of Lent (Passion Sunday) and
ends when the Gloria is sung during the Easter Vigil Mass: covering all sacred images
(crucifixes, statues, etc) with purple cloth in both church and home. This
might seem counterintuitive, since one would expect to gaze at a crucifix more
during the season when the Passion is being considered. Yet the Roman rite
teaches by absence as well as by presence. In an odd way, being denied access
to the sacred images alerts you to their presence all the more, in the same way
that not having the sacrifice of the Mass on the one day you would expect it
the most, i.e., Good Friday, makes one all the more aware of the Sacrifice that
took place on that day. Covering sacred images also adds immensely to the sense
of sorrow and compunction that should naturally accompany this somber period.
Passion
Fruit Cheesecake for Passion Sunday[6]
Since the 3rd Century,
today (5th Sunday in Lent) has been known as Passion Sunday.
Passion Fruit Cheesecake
Ingredients:
Crust
1 1/2 cups all purpose
flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons nuts, finely
chopped
6 ounces butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
1 1/2 pound cream cheese
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
3 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup passion fruit
puree.
Directions:
Make
crust by combining dry ingredients in a large bowl. Melt butter and add to dry
ingredients. Mix thoroughly. When incorporated, press evenly into nine-inch
springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Combine
cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add corn starch and blend. Add eggs and
mix thoroughly, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add vanilla and sour cream. Mix
until smooth and fold in passion fruit puree. Pour batter into a springform pan
and bake at 300 degrees for approximately one hour and thirty minutes, or until
set. Cool slowly and completely refrigerate for several hours.
Aids in Battle[7] Help from Saints
Saints
are veterans of the spiritual war that continues to rage in this world. Their
insights, born of long experience in combat with the Enemy, can make us wise
and strong in battle.
·
God has fashioned and shaped only one enmity, and that an
irreconcilable one, which will endure and even increase, until the end: It is
that between the Virgin Mary and the Devil, between the children and servants
of the Blessed Virgin and the children and accomplices of Satan; so that the
most terrible of the enemies of Satan created by God is Mary, his Blessed
Mother. ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT
·
Men do not fear a powerful, hostile army as much as
the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary. ST. BONAVENTURE
·
You, O Lady, by the simple invocation of your most powerful name,
give security to your servants against all the assaults of the Enemy. ST.
GERMANUS
·
By invoking the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under
Pontius Pilate, Satan is driven out of men. ST. IRENAEUS
·
We are all inclined to sin, my children; we are idle, greedy,
sensual, given to the pleasures of the flesh. We want to know everything, to
learn everything, to see everything. We must watch over our mind, over our
heart, and over our senses, for these are the gates by which the Devil
penetrates. See, he prowls round us incessantly; his only occupation in this
world is to seek companions for himself. All our life he will lay snares for
us; he will try to make us yield to temptations. We must, on our side, do all
we can to defeat and resist him. We can do nothing by ourselves, children. But
we can do everything with the help of the good God. Let us pray Him to deliver
us from this enemy of our salvation, or to give strength to fight against him.
With the Name of Jesus, we shall overcome the demons; we shall put them to
flight. With this name, though they may sometimes dare to attack us, our
battles will be victories, and our victories will be crowns for heaven, all
brilliant with precious stones. ST. JOHN VIANNEY
Spinach Day[8]
It’s not just Popeye who will be
strong to the finish on Spinach Day,
but everyone who chooses to celebrate the day by consuming some of this leafy
green plant will get to join in the health benefits as well! Packed with
nutrients such as Iron, Vitamin A and Calcium, spinach is known for being a
healthy part of a balanced diet – but do we eat enough of it? If not, why not try
a new recipe on Spinach Day? Sauté it in olive oil and a little bit of garlic –
or what about a baby spinach salad with mozzarella cheese, avocado slices and
crispy bacon crumbled on top? Delicious! You can purée spinach up and hide it
in soups and pizza sauces for the finicky eaters in your life who might not eat
it straight up. So, no excuses – get your leafy greens down you on Spinach Day!
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
SECTION ONE-PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
CHAPTER ONE-THE REVELATION OF PRAYER - THE
UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAYER
Article 3-IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH
II. Prayer of Petition
2629 The vocabulary of supplication in the New Testament is
rich in shades of meaning: ask, beseech, plead, invoke, entreat, cry out, even
"struggle in prayer." Its most usual form, because the most
spontaneous, is petition: by prayer of petition we express awareness of our
relationship with God. We are creatures who are not our own beginning, not the
masters of adversity, not our own last end. We are sinners who as Christians
know that we have turned away from our Father. Our petition is already a
turning back to him.
2630 The New Testament contains scarcely any prayers of
lamentation, so frequent in the Old Testament. In the risen Christ the Church's
petition is buoyed by hope, even if we still wait in a state of expectation and
must be converted anew every day. Christian petition, what St. Paul calls
{"groaning," arises from another depth, that of creation "in
labor pains" and that of ourselves "as we wait for the redemption of
our bodies.
For in this hope we were saved." In the end, however, "with
sighs too deep for words" the Holy Spirit "helps us in our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes
for us with sighs too deep for words."
2631 The first movement of the prayer of petition is asking
forgiveness, like the tax collector in the parable: "God, be merciful to
me a sinner!" It is a prerequisite for righteous and pure prayer. A
trusting humility brings us back into the light of communion between the Father
and his Son Jesus Christ and with one another, so that "we receive from
him whatever we ask." Asking forgiveness is the prerequisite for both
the Eucharistic liturgy and personal prayer.
2632 Christian petition is centered on the desire and search
for the Kingdom to come, in keeping with the teaching of Christ. There is
a hierarchy in these petitions: we pray first for the Kingdom, then for what is
necessary to welcome it and cooperate with its coming. This collaboration with
the mission of Christ and the Holy Spirit, which is now that of the Church, is
the object of the prayer of the apostolic community. It is the prayer of
Paul, the apostle par excellence, which reveals to us how the divine solicitude
for all the churches ought to inspire Christian prayer. By prayer every
baptized person works for the coming of the Kingdom.
2633 When we share in God's saving love, we understand that
every need can become the object of petition. Christ, who assumed all things in
order to redeem all things, is glorified by what we ask the Father in his
name. It is with this confidence that St. James and St. Paul exhort us to
pray at all times.
THIS WE BELIEVE
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father
almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our
Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into
hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will
come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy
catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen
Daily
Devotions
·
Today in honor of the
Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no
shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: : Growth
of Catholic Families and Households
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Make reparations to the Holy Face
·
30
Days with St. Joseph Day 7
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