Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them in, but without force, because they were AFRAID of being stoned by the people.
The apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin for trial. These temple priests which were instrumental in causing the crucifixion of Christ were now enflamed with jealousy over the apostles, who by the resurrection of Christ no longer feared death or taxes. The people began to believe, and the world was never the same.
The apostles after their release immediately resumed public teaching, they rendered unto God what was God’s.
The apostles filled with the Holy Spirit were not afraid anymore. They practiced obedience, commitment, healthy relationships, and faith. They had generous hearts.
Building Generosity into your life[1]
Effective leaders gather for others then give it away. This is God’s economy which is radically different. By releasing our grasp and not clinging to our possessions we become more like Him who had nothing; the one who gave the only resource He had--Himself.
Building Generosity
1. Be grateful for whatever you have.
2. Put people first.
3. Don’t allow greed to control you.
4. Regard money as a resource.
5. Develop the habit of giving.
“I now pray, not for more of this
world’s goods and greater blessings, but to be worthy of that which I already
have.”
Napoleon Hill[2]
Roméo Dallaire (Soldier
of Righteousness)
As the world failed Rwanda he could not and would not abandon the people.
John McCain in his book
Character is Destiny examined the character traits exemplified by Roméo
Dallaire who in 1993, was appointed Force Commander for the United Nations
Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), where he witnessed the country descend
into chaos and genocide, leading to the deaths of more than 800,000 Rwandans.
When the rest of the world looked away, he stayed behind in a manmade evil for
the sake of duty and justice. Dallaire was in charge of a small overwhelmed
African peacekeeping force, he could have left but he refused and witnessed the
genocide. He is ashamed he could have not done more and the reaction of the
world that stood by for 100 days doing nothing allowing the devil to reap
carnage, terror and hopelessness. Dallaire was the one candle in a darkened
room of despair created by the collective failure of mankind’s conscience along
with the apathy and deceitfulness of world governments toward Rowanda’s plight.
McCain writes of Dallaire’s dilemma:
The U.S.
government, our allies, and the United Nations went to extraordinary and
ridiculous lengths to avoid using the term, “genocide”, aware that once
genocide was acknowledged, they would have to act. Day after day, long night
after long night, for over three months, more men, women, and children were
added to the rolls of the victims by their hate-crazed persecutors. Romeo
Dallaire soldiered on, saving those he could and agonizing over those he
couldn’t, all the while begging the UN, and the world, to send more troops, to
do something, anything, to help. In his telling, his mission was to keep peace;
peace was destroyed by unimaginable violence, and many thousands died. He
failed. He tried to convince his superiors to send him more men. He failed. He
tried to get the United States and other powerful countries to listen to their
consciences and help. He failed. He tried to persuade the world to stop
genocide. He failed. And while many, many people who had a responsibility to
stop the killings looked the other way and never had a moment of doubt or a
night of troubled sleep, Romeo Dallaire took his failures very, very
seriously.
A
righteous person, no matter how blameless, will always take humanity’s failures personally.
Speaking of Men motivated by love today is.
St.
Isaac Jogues, St. John de Brebeuf and Companions
Rwanda Lessons Learned[3]
· The first and enduring lesson of the Rwandan genocide – not unlike the Holocaust
– is that they occurred not only because of the machinery of death, but because
of state-sanctioned incitement to hate and genocide. It is this teaching of
contempt, this demonizing of the other – this is where it all begins. Indeed,
as the jurisprudence of the Rwandan tribunals has demonstrated, these acts of
genocide were preceded by – and anchored in – the state-orchestrated
demonization and dehumanization of the minority Tutsi population – using cruel,
biological ascriptions of Tutsis as “inyenzi” (cockroaches) – prologue and
justification for their mass murder.
· The second lesson is the danger of indifference and the consequences of inaction. The
genocide of Rwandan Tutsis occurred not only because of the machinery of death
and a state-sanctioned culture of hate, but also because of crimes of
indifference and conspiracies of silence. What makes the Rwandan genocide so
unspeakable is not only the horror of the genocide, but that this genocide was
preventable. Simply put, while the UN Security Council and the international
community dithered and delayed, Rwandans were dying.
· The third lesson is the danger of a culture of impunity. If the last century was the age
of atrocity, it was also the age of impunity. Few of the perpetrators were brought to justice. Just as there
cannot be a sanctuary for hate or a refuge for bigotry, neither can there be a
haven for the perpetrators of the worst crimes against humanity.
· The fourth lesson is the danger of the vulnerability of the powerless and
the powerlessness of the vulnerable – the brutalized children, women victimized
by massive sexual violence, the slaughter of the innocents – all the first
targets of mass atrocity. It is our responsibility to empower the powerless
while giving voice to the voiceless, wherever they may be.
· The fifth lesson is the cruelty of genocide denial — an assault on memory and truth – a
criminal conspiracy to whitewash the Rwandan genocide. In the obscenest form of
genocide denial – as in the case also of Holocaust denial – it actually accuses
the victims of falsifying this “hoax.” Remembrance of the Rwandan genocide is
itself a repudiation of such denial – which tragically becomes more prevalent
with the passage of time.
· The sixth lesson is the importance of remembering the heroic rescuers, those who remind
us of the range of human possibility; those who stood up to confront evil,
prevailed, and transformed history.
Finally, and most important, we must remember and
pay tribute to the survivors who endured the worst of inhumanity – of crimes
against humanity – and somehow found in the resources of their own humanity the
will to go on, to contribute and to make our society a better and more
compassionate community. And so, this anniversary must be an occasion not only
to remember but to learn the lessons of the crime whose name we should even
shudder to mention – namely genocide – and most important: to act on these
lessons.
Every Wednesday is
Dedicated to St. Joseph
The Italian culture has
always had a close association with St. Joseph perhaps you could make
Wednesdays centered around Jesus’s Papa. Plan an Italian dinner of pizza or
spaghetti after attending Mass as most parishes have a Wednesday evening Mass.
You could even do carry out to help restaurants. If you are adventurous, you
could do the Universal Man Plan: St. Joseph style. Make the evening a family
night, perhaps it could be a game night. Whatever you do make the day special.
· Devotion to the 7 Joys and Sorrows of St.
Joseph
·
Do the St.
Joseph Universal Man Plan.
Build Personal Holiness[4]
Personal holiness is not centered in the fight against sin
but in love for Christ, who shows Himself to us as being truly human, fully
aware of everything about us. The love of God for men and of men for God is a
love of mutual friendship. And one of the specific characteristics of
friendship is relationship. In order to love Our Lord, it is necessary to know
Him, to speak to Him. We get to know Him by meditating on His life in the Holy
Gospels. In them He shows Himself to us as being endearingly human and very
close to our life. We meet Him in prayer and in the Sacraments, especially in
the Blessed Eucharist.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
SECTION ONE-PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
CHAPTER THREE-THE LIFE OF PRAYER
IN BRIEF
2752 Prayer presupposes an effort, a fight against ourselves
and the wiles of the Tempter. the battle of prayer is inseparable from the
necessary "spiritual battle" to act habitually according to the
Spirit of Christ: we pray as we live, because we live as we pray.
2753 In the battle of prayer we must confront erroneous
conceptions of prayer, various currents of thought, and our own experience of
failure. We must respond with humility, trust, and perseverance to these
temptations which cast doubt on the usefulness or even the possibility of
prayer.
2754 The principal difficulties in the practice of prayer are
distraction and dryness. The remedy lies in faith, conversion, and vigilance of
heart.
2755 Two frequent temptations threaten prayer: lack of faith
and acedia - a form of depression stemming from lax ascetical practice that
leads to discouragement.
2756 Filial trust is put to the test when we feel that our
prayer is not always heard. the Gospel invites us to ask ourselves about the
conformity of our prayer to the desire of the Spirit.
2757 "Pray constantly" (1 Thess 5:17). It is always
possible to pray. It is even a vital necessity. Prayer and Christian life are
inseparable.
2758 The prayer of the hour of Jesus, rightly called the
"priestly prayer" (cf Jn 17), sums up the whole economy of creation
and salvation. It fulfills the great petitions of the Our Father.
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Angel
of God[5]
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Conversion
of Sinners
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Make reparations to the Holy Face
[1] John Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership
Bible.
[2] Napoleon Hill, Outwitting the Devil.
[3]https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/twenty-years-after-the-rwandan-genocide-six-lessons-to-remember/article17343691/
[4]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-04-27
Comments
Post a Comment