Friday in the Octave of the Ascension
Deuteronomy, Chapter
17, Verse 12-13
12Anyone who acts presumptuously and does not obey the priest, who officiates there in the ministry of the LORD, your God, or the judge, shall die. Thus shall you purge the evil from Israel. 13And all the people, on hearing of it, shall fear, and will never again act presumptuously.
Do not be cheeky with God!
The definition of
Presumption is:
- An act or
instance of taking something to be true or adopting a particular attitude
toward something, especially at the start of a chain of argument or
action.
- Behavior perceived as arrogant, disrespectful, and transgressing the limits of what is permitted or appropriate. "he lifted her off the ground and she was enraged at his presumption"
synonyms: brazenness, audacity, boldness, audaciousness, temerity, arrogance,presumptuousness, forwardness; cockiness, insolence, impudence,bumptiousness, impertinence, effrontery, cheek, cheekiness; rudeness, impoliteness, disrespect, familiarity; informal nerve, chutzpah, sass, sassiness; archaic assumption "he apologized for his presumption"
Pentecost Novena[1]
The Pentecost Novena is
the first of all novenas, nine days of prayer. After Jesus' Ascension into
heaven, He commanded His disciples to come together in the upper room to devote
themselves to constant prayer (Acts 1:14). They prayed for nine days before
receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
On May 4, 1897, Pope Leo
XIII proclaimed: "We decree and command that throughout the whole Catholic
Church, this year and in every subsequent year, a novena shall take place
before Whit-Sunday (Pentecost), in all parish churches." It has been reported
that Pope Leo XIII was inspired to mandate the Pentecost novena because of a
letter from a housewife in Italy. Pope John Paul II has reiterated Pope Leo
XIII's command for a worldwide Pentecost novena, although the novena can be
prayed at any time — not only before Pentecost.
Try to go to Mass daily
throughout the novena. Go to Confession during the novena. Make visits to
church to adore the eucharistic Jesus throughout the novena. The Church has not
written any official prayers for the novena. The following prayers are
suggested.
FIRST DAY (Friday after Ascension)
Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!
Special Intention
“Johanninise the souls of our priests and bishops. Please, Lord, grant a Priestly Pentecost.”
The Holy Spirit
Only one thing is important — eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared–sin? Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for “The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for us.”
Prayer
Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
On my knees I before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.” Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send
the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and
Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my
soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that
I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things
that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the
light of Your divine truth, the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the
surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I
may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the
obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God
and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of
Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of
Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in
any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true
disciples, and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.
Fitness
Friday
Knee Exercises[2]
Is It Safe for Me to
Exercise?
Are you worried that
working out could cause more knee damage or pain? As long as your doctor says
it’s OK, the best thing you can do is to strengthen the muscles that support
your knee and keep them flexible. Start slowly, and build up over time. Talk to
your doctor about which specific exercises are good for you.
Warm Up First
You can ride a stationary bike for about 5 minutes, take a brisk 2-minute
walk while pumping your arms, or do 15-20 wall push-ups followed by the same
number of calf raises. Doing this will help you get more out of your workout,
prepare you to stretch, and lower your risk of an injury.
1. Straight Leg Raises
If your knee’s not at its
best, start with a simple strengthening exercise for your quadriceps, the
muscles in the front of the thigh. This move puts little to no strain on the
knee. Lie on your back on the floor or another flat surface. Bend one knee and
place your foot flat on the floor. Keeping the other leg straight, raise it to
the height of the opposite knee. Repeat 10-15 times for three sets.
2. Hamstring Curls
These are the muscles
along the back of your thigh. Lie flat on your stomach. Slowly bring your heels
as close to your butt as you can, and hold that position. Do three sets of 15.
You can also do this exercise standing while you hold onto a chair and lift one
leg at a time. If this becomes easy, you can add ankle weights, slowly
increasing the weight from 1 to 3 to 5 pounds.
3. Prone Straight Leg
Raises
Lie on your stomach with your legs straight. Tighten the muscles in your
bottom and the hamstring of one leg, and lift toward the ceiling. Hold 3-5
seconds, lower, and repeat. Do 10-15 lifts and switch sides. You can add ankle
weights as you gain strength. You shouldn’t
feel back pain. If you do, limit how high you lift up. If it still hurts, stop
and talk to your doctor.
4. Wall Squats
This is a more advanced
move. You’ll keep your feet on the floor. Stand with your back against a wall,
your feet about shoulder-width apart. Slowly bend your knees, and keep your
back and pelvis against the wall. Hold for 5-10 seconds. Don’t bend too deeply.
If you feel pressure or discomfort in your knees, change your position. Repeat
the exercise, and try to hold the sit position a few seconds longer each time.
5. Calf Raises
Stand facing the back of a
sturdy chair, other support such as the back of a couch, or a wall bar at the
gym. You can also do this on the stairs, holding on to the banister with your
heels hanging off the edge of the step. Slowly raise the heels as high as you
can, then lower. Do three sets of 10-15. When it becomes easy, lift one foot
slightly off the floor, with all your weight on the other foot.
6. Step-Ups
Place one foot on a step
bench, platform, or the lowest step on a staircase. Keeping your pelvis
level, bend your knee and slowly lower the opposite foot to the floor. Lightly
touch your toe to the floor, then rise back up. Repeat 10-15 times, then switch
legs. Too easy? Use a higher step, or touch your heel instead of your toe.
7. Side Leg Raises
Lie on one side with your
legs stacked. Bend the bottom leg for support. Straighten the top leg and raise
it to 45 degrees. Hold for 5 seconds, lower and relax briefly, then repeat
10-15 times. Switch sides and start over. Want to try a bit of a different spin
on the move? Point the toe of your upper leg slightly toward the floor as you
raise it.
8. Leg Presses
Sit on a leg-press machine
with your back and head against the support and your feet flat on the foot
plate. Adjust the seat back so it’s comfortable. Slowly push the plate away
from you until your legs are extended. Bend your knees and return to your
starting position. Do three sets of 10-15 reps. (Ask a gym staff member for
help the first time you do this.)
No-No's for Your Knee
Exercise should never
cause pain or make it worse. Remember: Muscle soreness after a hard workout is
normal. But sharp, shooting, or sudden pain in the muscles or joints means you
should stop and check with your doctor.
Knee-Friendly Cardio
Gentle is good.
So skip high-impact activities such as running or intense aerobics. Notice
what feels right for you. For example, some people love elliptical machines,
but others don’t. Swimming, jogging in water, or water aerobics are often
great! Double-check with your doctor about your exercise plan.
Apostolic Exhortation[3]
Veneremur
Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling
of The Most
Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My beloved Brothers and
Sisters in Christ,
Part I
II. The Mass as the eternal
memorial of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross
19. In the Bible and the Church
liturgy, when the Sacrifice of the Mass is called a ‘memorial,’ it means much
more than remembering the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary. It means that whenever
the Mass is celebrated, the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary that happened in the
past is really made present to us at Mass, here and now. This is only possible
because being the eternal High Priest who has conquered death, His
self-offering on the Cross is an everlasting act of love. The Letter to the
Hebrews points clearly to the eternal nature of Christ’s sacrifice: “Because He
remains forever, [He] has a priesthood that does not pass away… He is always
able to save those who approach God through Him, since He lives forever to make
intercession for them” (Heb 7:24-25).
20. Therefore, in every
Mass, Jesus is not being offered again; rather, we – the Mystical Body of
Christ – are taken up into the one sacrifice at Calvary by means of the
Priesthood of Christ. The sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary is perpetuated and made
present to us in such a way that we can participate in it, linking our
imperfect and sinful lives to the perfect and pure sacrifice of God and
receiving all the divine benefits that flow from His eternal sacrifice. Our
Lord made this possible for us at the Last Supper by instituting the Sacrament
of the Eucharist. He uses this Sacrament to make His self-offering at Calvary
present to all believers in every place and in every time. Ever since that holy
night, throughout the centuries, whenever and wherever the Mass is celebrated,
the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross is really made present.
21. If we were at Calvary, what
would stand out to us? We would see Jesus’ gasping for breath. His gaze would
seem to alternate down and up, first towards us with mercy and longing and
second upwards in surrender to His Father. Would we simply say “thank you” or
would we be compelled to make a response of compassion? When we attend Mass, do
we seek to join Jesus in His total surrender to the Father’s will? Do we bring our
imperfections, our toil and sin, and lay them before Jesus to be consumed by
His Death? We either say with Jesus, “Into Your hands, Father, I commend my
spirit, too!” or we choose to remain enslaved to our sin. To be continued…
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART ONE:
THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
SECTION ONE
"I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"
CHAPTER ONE-MAN'S
CAPACITY FOR GOD
I. The Desire for God
27 The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is
created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only
in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for:
The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is
called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed
to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has
created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence.
He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love
and entrusts himself to his creator.
28 In many ways, throughout history down to the present day, men have
given expression to their quest for God in their religious beliefs and
behaviour: in their prayers, sacrifices, rituals, meditations, and so forth.
These forms of religious expression, despite the ambiguities they often bring
with them, are so universal that one may well call man a religious being:
From one ancestor (God) made all nations to inhabit the whole
earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the
places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps
grope for him and find him - though indeed he is not far from each one of us.
For "in him we live and move and have our being."
29 But this "intimate and vital bond of man to God" can be
forgotten, overlooked, or even explicitly rejected by man. Such attitudes
can have different causes: revolt against evil in the world; religious
ignorance or indifference; the cares and riches of this world; the scandal of
bad example on the part of believers; currents of thought hostile to religion;
finally, that attitude of sinful man which makes him hide from God out of fear
and flee his call.
30 "Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice." Although
man can forget God or reject him, He never ceases to call every man to seek
him, so as to find life and happiness. But this search for God demands of man
every effort of intellect, a sound will, "an upright heart", as well
as the witness of others who teach him to seek God.
You are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised: great is
your power and your wisdom is without measure. and man, so small a part of your
creation, wants to praise you: this man, though clothed with mortality and
bearing the evidence of sin and the proof that you withstand the proud. Despite
everything, man, though but a small a part of your creation, wants to praise
you. You yourself encourage him to delight in your praise, for you have made us
for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.
Armed Forces Day Build Up
The United
States Coast Guard (USCG) is the coastal
defense, search and rescue, and maritime
law enforcement branch
of the United
States Armed Forces
and one of the
country's eight uniformed
services. The
Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the
U.S. military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission with jurisdiction in
both domestic and international waters and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its duties. It
operates under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during peacetime, and can be
transferred to the U.S.
Department of the Navy
by the U.S.
President at any
time, or by the U.S.
Congress during
times of war. Congressional authority transfers happened twice: in 1917, during
World War I, and in 1941, during World War II. Created by the U.S. Congress on 4
August 1790 at the request of Alexander
Hamilton as the Revenue-Marine,
it is the oldest continuous seagoing service of the United States. As Secretary
of the Treasury, Hamilton headed the Revenue-Marine, whose original purpose was
collecting customs
duties at U.S.
seaports. By the 1860s, the service was known as the U.S.
Revenue Cutter Service
and the term Revenue-Marine gradually fell into disuse. The modern Coast Guard
was formed by a merger of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S.
Life-Saving Service
on 28 January 1915, under the U.S.
Department of the Treasury.
In 1939, the U.S.
Lighthouse Service
was also merged into the Coast Guard. As one of the country's six armed
services, the Coast Guard has been involved in every U.S. war from 1790 to the
Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Conversion
of Sinners
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Friday Soup: Potage
Paysanne
· Rosary
[1]https://www.presentationministries.com/series/publications/publication-pentnovena-247748#:~:text=The%20Pentecost%20Novena%20is%20the%20first%20of%20all,days%20before%20receiving%20the%20Holy%20Spirit%20on%20Pentecost.
[2]https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/injury-knee-pain-16/slideshow-knee-exercises
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