Wednesday, May 3, 2023
First Wednesday
FEAST ST. PHIILIP and JAMES-Finding
of the HOLY CROSS
Deuteronomy, Chapter 5, Verse 29
"Hail" "Full of Grace"
"The Lord is with you"[1]
Let
us this day emulate Christ’s mother and ours: Mary and never weary of union
with Christ through the most Holy Eucharist. This day try to spend some time in
the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.
Faithful
Friendship Trusts[2]
As human beings, we long for connection with others, a sense that we belong to each other. The greatest obstacle to this, many times, is that we have difficulty trusting others. Embracing trust comes when we trust in God. Not only are we called to trust in God, but as stewards of God’s mysteries, we are called to be found trustworthy (1 Cor. 4:2). How do we navigate this course? How do we protect our hearts from the fears and anxieties that threaten to close them? St. Francis de Sales would say, “We shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God.”
First Wednesday[3]
Our Heavenly Father desires all three hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph to be honored. And so along with devotion to Jesus on First Fridays, and to Mary on First Saturdays, Our Father longs for us to add devotion to St. Joseph on each First Wednesday of the month.
"The Sacred Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph have been chosen by the Most Holy Trinity to bring peace to the world." It is at God's request that "special love and honor be given to them" to help us "imitate" their love and their lives, as well as "offer reparation" for the sins committed against them and their love.
The St. Joseph First Wednesday devotion is:
1. Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary - remembering St. Joseph's love, his life, his role and his sufferings
2. Receive Holy Communion - in union with the love St. Joseph had for Jesus the first time and each time he held him - his son, his God and Savior - in his arms.
In the approved
apparitions of Our Lady of America, St. Joseph revealed:
· "I am the protector of the Church and
the home, as I was the protector of Christ and his Mother while I lived upon
earth. Jesus and Mary desire that my pure heart, so long hidden and unknown, be
now honored in a special way.
· Let my children honor my most pure heart in a
special manner on the First Wednesday of the month by reciting the Joyful
Mysteries of the Rosary in memory of my life with Jesus and Mary and the love I
bore them, the sorrow I suffered with them.
· Let them receive Holy Communion in union with
the love with which I received the Savior for the first time and each time I
held Him in my arms.
· Those who honor me in this way will be
consoled by my presence at their death, and I myself will conduct them safely
into the presence of Jesus and Mary."
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.
Saints Philip and James[4]
PHILIP, born at Bethsaida, was one of the first followers of Our Lord. After receiving the Holy Ghost he preached the Gospel in Scythia and Phrygia (Turkey, Syria and Iran), converting great numbers to the faith, and was finally crucified and then stoned at Hierapolis, in Phrygia.
JAMES, the son of Cleophas, called the Less, and on account of his sanctity surnamed the Just, and for his kinship with Christ known as His brother, was, with his brother Judas Thaddeus, chosen an apostle in the second year of Christ’s ministry. St. James was the first Bishop of Jerusalem. One day, being requested to preach against Christ, he publicly proclaimed Him to be the Messiah, in Whom men were bound to believe, at which the Jewish priests became so enraged that they threw him down from a pinnacle of the temple, cast stones upon him, and finally killed him outright with a fuller’s rod (tool used in wool making)
The Introit of the Mass is as follows: "In the time of their tribulation they cried to Thee, O Lord, and Thou heardest them from heaven. Rejoice in the Lord, ye just; praise becometh the upright."
Prayer.
O God, Who givest us joy by the annual solemnity of Thy apostles Philip and James, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may be instructed by the example of those in whose merits we rejoice. Amen
EPISTLE. Wis. v. 1-5.
The just shall stand with great constancy against those that have afflicted them and taken away their labors. These seeing it, shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed at the suddenness of their unexpected salvation, saying within themselves, repenting, and groaning for anguish of spirit: These are they whom we had some time in derision, and for a parable of reproach. We fools esteemed their life madness, and their end without honor. Behold how they are numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints.
GOSPEL. John xiv. 1-13.
At that time Jesus said to His disciples: Let not your ear be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you, that I go to prepare a place for you. And if I shall go, and prepare a place for you: I will come again, and will take you to Myself, that where I am, you also may be. And whither I go you know, and the way you know. Thomas saith to Him: Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by Me. If you had known Me, you would without doubt have known My Father also: and from henceforth you shall know Him, and you have seen Him. Philip saith to Him: Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus saith to him: So long a time have I been with you, and have you not known Me? Philip, he that seeth Me seeth the Father also. How sayest thou, show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you, I speak not of Myself. But the Father Who abideth in Me, He doth the works. Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? Otherwise believe for the very works sake. Amen, amen, I say to you, he that believeth in Me, the works that I do he also shall do, and greater than these shall he do because I go to the Father. And whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My name, that will I do.
Why did Jesus say to His disciples, " Let not your heart be troubled"?
He said this in order to console them beforehand, so that they might not be downcast, or waver in their faith, in case the predicted tribulations should actually come upon Him and them. Thus, it is that God never fails to comfort those who suffer persecution for His sake.
What is meant by the words, " I am the way, the truth, and the life"?
St. Bernard says Christ is the way, in His holy doctrine and example, in following which we cannot go astray. He is the truth, in the fulfilment of the prophecies, in His mysteries, in His promises and threatening’s, in His Gospel, and in His Church, for, as God, He cannot err, neither can He lie or deceive. Finally, He is the life, in that, through His death, He has gained for us the life of grace and glory.
Why did Christ say to Philip, He that seeth Me seeth the Father also"?
Because, although different from the Father in person, yet in nature and substance He is equal to Him. Christ accordingly adds that He is in the Father, and the Father in Him.
Prayer to St. Philip.
O St. Philip, chosen disciple of the Lord, who brought Nathaniel to Christ, who most zealously preached thy Lord, Jesus Christ, and out of love to Him willingly gave thyself to be nailed to the cross, and put to death, obtain, I beseech thee, for me, and for all men, grace with zeal to bring others to the practice of good works, to have a great desire after God and His truths, and, in hope of the eternal blissful contemplation of God, to bear patiently the adversities and miseries of this life. Amen.
Prayer to St. James.
O St. James,
who lived so temperately and strictly, who, like thy master, prayed so
earnestly and constantly for thy tormentors, I beseech thee that thou wouldst
procure us from Jesus’ grace, after thy example, to live sober and penitential
lives, and to worship God in spirit and in truth. Obtain for us, therefore, the
spirit with which thou didst write thine epistle, that we may follow thy
doctrine, be diligent in good works, and, like thee, love and pray for our
enemies. Amen.
St James TL / St Philip Facts &
Quotes[5]
·
The
mother of St James, Mary was either a sister or a close relative of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, and for that reason, according to Jewish custom, he was sometimes
called the brother of Jesus.
·
In
the Orthodox Church, St. James is commemorated on October 22. St. Philip
is revered on November 14.
·
The
Roman Catholic feast day of St. Philip and St. James, Apostles, is held May 3.
It honors James, traditionally considered to be the brother of Jesus, and
Philip, considered by scripture to be one of Jesus' earliest disciples (John:
1:43).
·
Philip
teaches us ... to let ourselves be won over by Jesus, to be with him and also
to invite others to share in this indispensable company; and in seeing, finding
God, to find true life. - St. Benedict XVI
St James TL/St Philip Top Events
and Things to Do
·
Read
the Epistle of James. This is a letter that addresses several problems
occurring in the early church involving the rich, lack of humility, and other
issues.
·
Read
the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Philip invites others to come
and see what Jesus was teaching, a common theme in the Gospel of John.
·
Bake
a pastry in honor of St. Philip since he is the patron saint of bakers.
·
Say
a prayer for the dying in honor of St. James, who is the patron saint of those
living their last days of mortal life.
Feast of the Finding
of the Holy Cross
MAY 3
Why is this day so called?
Because
on this day the Church celebrates the finding by St. Helena, mother of the emperor
Constantine, of the cross on which Christ died, after it had been for a long
time lost.
Where had the holy cross
been up to the time that it was thus found again?
At
Jerusalem, near the holy sepulcher, hidden under a mass of rubbish. For the
Emperor Adrian endeavored not only to desecrate the holy places of the death
and burial of Jesus Christ, but also to hide the very knowledge of them. The
cave of the holy sepulcher was filled up, and by the erection of a temple of
Venus, built over the spot, came to be quite lost sight of.
Prayer.
O God, "Who, in the miraculous finding of the
saving cross, didst revive the miracles of Thy passion, grant that, by the
ransom paid on the wood of life, we may obtain the suffrages of life eternal.
Amen
Salutation of the Church to
the Holy Cross.
O glorious and venerable cross! O precious wood! O
wonderful sign, by which sin, the devil, and hell were overcome, and the world
redeemed through the blood of Christ, thou art exalted above all the cedars of
the forest, for on thee hung the life of the world! On thee Christ gained the
victory, and by His dying overcame death forever. Alleluia. O Lord Jesus
Christ, we adore and bless Thee; for through Thy cross Thou hast redeemed the
world.
ON THE
SIGN OF THE CROSS.
Why do we sign ourselves
with the sign of the cross?
1. To
testify that we are Christians and worshippers of the Crucified.
2. To
profess our faith in the Most Holy Trinity.
3. In honor
and thankful remembrance of the sufferings and death of Christ.
4. In order
to overcome the devil and his temptations, inasmuch as he is by nothing more
easily driven away than by the sign of the cross.
Is it an old custom to make
the sign of the cross?
The
earliest fathers of the Church make mention of this custom, and say that it
came to them from the apostles; nay, they charge Christians to make the sign of
the cross at eating and drinking, at walking and rising, at sitting and
speaking, and, in a word, before every undertaking.
Why do the priests at divine
service make the sign of the cross over the people?
That
therewith there may be imparted to Christians the abundant blessing of grace
which Christ has obtained for us by His cross, as St. Paul says, Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. i. 3). This custom is of
great antiquity in the Church. The Council of Agde, for example, in the year
506, directed that after prayers the people should be dismissed by the priest
with a blessing.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART
FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
SECTION TWO-THE LORD'S PRAYER
Article 3-THE SEVEN PETITIONS
II. "Thy Kingdom Come"
2816 In the New Testament, the word basileia can be translated
by "kingship" (abstract noun), "kingdom" (concrete noun) or
"reign" (action noun). the Kingdom of God lies ahead of us. It is
brought near in the Word incarnate, it is proclaimed throughout the whole
Gospel, and it has come in Christ's death and Resurrection. the Kingdom of God
has been coming since the Last Supper and, in the Eucharist, it is in our
midst. the kingdom will come in glory when Christ hands it over to his Father:
It may even be . . . that the
Kingdom of God means Christ himself, whom we daily desire to come, and whose
coming we wish to be manifested quickly to us. For as he is our resurrection,
since in him we rise, so he can also be understood as the Kingdom of God, for
in him we shall reign.
2817 This petition is "Marana tha," the cry of the
Spirit and the Bride: "Come, Lord Jesus."
Even if it had not been prescribed
to pray for the coming of the kingdom, we would willingly have brought forth
this speech, eager to embrace our hope. In indignation the souls of the martyrs
under the altar cry out to the Lord: "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how
long before you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the
earth?" For their retribution is ordained for the end of the world. Indeed
as soon as possible, Lord, may your kingdom come!
2818 In the Lord's Prayer, "thy kingdom come" refers
primarily to the final coming of the reign of God through Christ's return. But,
far from distracting the Church from her mission in this present world, this
desire commits her to it all the more strongly. Since Pentecost, the coming of
that Reign is the work of the Spirit of the Lord who "complete(s) his work
on earth and brings us the fullness of grace."
2819 "The kingdom of God (is) righteousness and peace and
joy in the Holy Spirit." The end-time in which we live is the age of
the outpouring of the Spirit. Ever since Pentecost, a decisive battle has been
joined between "the flesh" and the Spirit.
Only a pure soul can boldly say:
"Thy kingdom come." One who has heard Paul say, "Let not sin
therefore reign in your mortal bodies," and has purified himself in
action, thought and word will say to God: "Thy kingdom come!"
2820 By a discernment according to the Spirit, Christians have
to distinguish between the growth of the Reign of God and the progress of the
culture and society in which they are involved. This distinction is not a
separation. Man's vocation to eternal life does not suppress, but actually
reinforces, his duty to put into action in this world the energies and means
received from the Creator to serve justice and peace.
2821 This petition is taken up and granted in the prayer of
Jesus which is present and effective in the Eucharist; it bears its fruit in
new life in keeping with the Beatitudes.
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Hail Holy Queen[6]
Hail,
Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do
we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, O most gracious
Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto
us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin
Mary.
Lead: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
Response: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: The
Pope
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Make reparations to the Holy Face
[1] http://www.catholicbible101.com/thehailmary.htm
[3]https://enteringintothemystery.blogspot.com/2018/12/dont-forget-first-wednesday-devotion-to.html
[4]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
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