Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Psalm 15, Verse 1-5
1 LORD, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy mountain? 2 Whoever walks without blame, doing what is right, speaking truth from the heart; 3 Who does not slander with his tongue, does no harm to a friend, never defames a neighbor; 4 Who disdains the wicked, but honors those who FEAR the LORD; Who keeps an oath despite the cost, 5 lends no money at interest,* accepts no bribe against the innocent.
In life we are always moving toward the future. Our destination is life eternal with our creator. In our little sailboat of life, we tend to be either moving toward God by taking advantage of His graces which provide the wind for our sails, or we do nothing but drift.
Napoleon
Hill noted in his manuscript on a book he never published entitled “Outwitting
the devil” stated drifting was one of the tools the devil uses to keep us off
tack and not sailing towards God’s mountain.
Protection against drifting lies within easy reach
of every human being who has a normal body and a sound mind. The self-defense
can be applied through these simple methods:
1.
Do your own thinking on all occasions. The fact that human beings
are given complete control over nothing save the power to think their own
thoughts is laden with significance.
2.
Decide definitely what you want from life; then create a plan for
attaining it and be willing to sacrifice everything rather than accept
permanent defeat.
3.
Analyze temporary defeat, no matter of what nature or cause, and
extract from it the seed of an equivalent advantage.
4.
Be willing to render useful service equivalent to the value of all
material things you demand of life and render the service first.
5.
Recognize that your brain is a receiving set that can be attuned
to receive communications from the universal storehouse of Infinite
Intelligence, to help you transmute your desires into their physical
equivalent.
6.
Recognize that your greatest asset is time, the only thing except
the power of thought which you own outright, and the one thing which can be
shaped into whatever material things you want. Budget your time so none of it
is wasted.
7.
Recognize the truth that fear generally is a filler with which the
Devil occupies the unused portion of your mind. It is only a state of mind
which you can control by filling the space it occupies with faith in your
ability to make life provide you with whatever you demand of it.
8.
When you pray, do not beg! Demand what you want and insist upon
getting exactly that, with no substitutes.
9.
Recognize that life is a cruel taskmaster and that either you
master it or it masters you. There is no half-way or compromising point. Never
accept from life anything you do not want. lf that which you do not want is
temporarily forced upon you, you can refuse, in your own mind, to accept it and
it will make way for the thing you do want.
10.
Lastly, remember that your dominating thoughts attract, through a
definite law of nature, by the shortest and most convenient route, their
physical counterpart. Be careful what your thoughts dwell upon.
A
simple formula combining all the ten points:
Be definite in everything you do and never leave
unfinished thoughts in the mind. Form the habit of reaching definite decisions
on all subjects.
Question for the
devil. Can the habit of drifting be broken, or does it become permanent once it
has been fanned?
Devils Answer: The
habit can be broken if the victim has enough willpower, providing it is done in
time. There is a point beyond which the habit can never be broken. Beyond that
point the victim is mine. He resembles a fly that has been caught in a spider’s
web. He may struggle, but he cannot get out. Each move he makes entangles him
more securely. The web in which I entangle my victims permanently is a law of
nature not yet isolated by, or understood by, men of science.
More
from Kamil: KamilsView
on YouTube and http://www.kamilsview.com/
Also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succor, is celebrated on June 27 by the universal Church.
The devotion to this Marian advocation
revolves around the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Succor, painted on wood,
with background of gold. It is Byzantine in style and is supposed to have been
painted in the thirteenth century. It represents the Mother of God holding the
Divine Child while the Archangels Michael and Gabriel presenting Him the
instruments of His Passion. Over the figures in the picture are some Greek
letters which form the abbreviated words Mother of God, Jesus Christ, Archangel
Michael, and Archangel Gabriel respectively.
·
The icon was brought to Rome towards the end of
the fifteenth century by a pious merchant, who, dying there, ordered by his
will that the picture should be exposed in a church for public veneration. It
was exposed in the church of San Matteo in the famous Roman street of Via
Merulana, which connects the basilicas of Saint Mary Major and Saint John
Lateran. Crowds flocked to this church, and for nearly three hundred years many
graces were obtained through the intercession of the Blessed
·
Pope Pius IX, who as a boy had prayed before the
picture in San Matteo, became interested in the discovery. But at that time,
the ruins of San Matteo were in the grounds of a convent of the Redemptorists
-- the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer -- founded by St. Alphonsus
Liguori (1696-1787). The Father General of the Redemptorists, Most Rev.
Nicholas Mauron, decided to bring the whole matter to the attention of the
Pope. The Pope listened attentively and felt sure it was God’s will that the
icon should be gain exposed to public veneration and the logical site was their
church of St. Alphonsus, standing as it did between the Basilicas of St. Mary
Major and St. John Lateran. The Holy Father at once took a piece of paper and
wrote a short memorandum ordering the Augustinian Fathers of St. Mary in
Posterula to surrender the picture to the Redemptorists, on condition that the
Redemptorists supply the Augustinians with another picture of Our Lady or a
good copy of the icon of Perpetual Help.
·
The Icon meant much to the Augustinians, but
when the two Redemptorists came armed with the Pope’s signed memorandum, what
could they do but obey? On January 19, 1866, Fathers Marchi and Bresciani
brought the miraculous picture to St. Alphonsus’ church. Preparations were now
made to inaugurate the new public reign of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. On April
26th, a great procession was staged in which the picture was carried throughout
the Esquiline region of Rome. Upon returning to the church, the picture was
enthroned over the high altar, in a resplendent shrine-niche especially
constructed for it.
·
Reports of marvelous healings spread rapidly
throughout the city of Rome and people came by the hundreds to visit the
shrine. Soon the whole area around the altar was filled with abandoned crutches
and canes and several whole glass-covered cabinets were filled with gold and
silver thanksgiving offerings in the shapes of miniature hearts, arms, legs and
other votive offerings. Scarcely two weeks after the solemn exposition of the
picture, Pope Pius IX himself came to visit the shrine. He stood quietly before
it for a long time and then exclaimed: “How beautiful she is!”.
·
Pope Leo XIII, the next pontiff, had a copy of
the picture on his desk so that he might see it constantly during his working
day. St. Pius X sent a copy of the icon to the Empress of Ethiopia and granted
an indulgence of 100 days to anyone who repeated the phrase: “Mother of
Perpetual Help, pray for us.”
·
Pope Benedict XV had the picture of Our Lady of
Perpetual Help placed immediately over his chair of state in the throne room.
Here it could be seen by all just over his head, as if to say: “Here is your
true Queen!”.
·
Pope Pius IX told the Redemptorists, in speaking
to them of the treasure he had committed to their care: “Make her known!” It
seems as though they hardly needed the exhortation. In the United States, they
built the first Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in the Roxbury section of
Boston, and it was eventually raised to the honor of a “Papal Basilica” by Pope
Pius XII.
Things to Do:
- Read
the History of the Icon.
- Visit
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Radio site to see an
explanation of the symbols of the Icon.
- See
also Women for Faith & Family page on Our Lady of
Perpetual Help.
Catechism of the
Catholic Church
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION
OF FAITH
SECTION
TWO-I. THE CREEDS
CHAPTER ONE-I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER
Article 1-"I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER
ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH"
Paragraph 5. HEAVEN AND EARTH
325 The Apostles' Creed professes
that God is "creator of heaven and earth". the Nicene Creed makes it
explicit that this profession includes "all that is, seen and
unseen".
326 The Scriptural expression
"heaven and earth" means all that exists, creation in its entirety.
It also indicates the bond, deep within creation, that both unites heaven and
earth and distinguishes the one from the other: "the earth" is the
world of men, while "heaven" or "the heavens" can designate
both the firmament and God's own "place" - "our Father in
heaven" and consequently the "heaven" too which is
eschatological glory. Finally, "heaven" refers to the saints and the
"place" of the spiritual creatures, the angels, who surround God.
327 The profession of faith of the
Fourth Lateran Council (1215) affirms that God "from the beginning of time
made at once (simul) out of nothing both orders of creatures, the spiritual and
the corporeal, that is, the angelic and the earthly, and then (deinde) the
human creature, who as it were shares in both orders, being composed of spirit
and body."
I. THE ANGELS
The existence of angels - a truth
of faith
328 The existence of the spiritual,
non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is
a truth of faith. the witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of
Tradition.
Who are they?
329 St. Augustine says:
"'Angel' is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the
name of their nature, it is 'spirit'; if you seek the name of their office, it
is 'angel': from what they are, 'spirit', from what they do, 'angel.'" With
their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they
"always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven" they are the
"mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word".
330 As purely spiritual creatures
angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures,
surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendour of their glory
bears witness.
Christ "with all his
angels"
331 Christ is the centre of the
angelic world. They are his angels: "When the Son of man comes in his
glory, and all the angels with him.. " They belong to him because
they were created through and for him: "for in him all things were created
in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
principalities or authorities - all things were created through him and for
him." They belong to him still more because he has made them
messengers of his saving plan: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent
forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?"
332 Angels have been present since
creation and throughout the history of salvation, announcing this salvation
from afar or near and serving the accomplishment of the divine plan: they
closed the earthly paradise; protected Lot; saved Hagar and her child; stayed
Abraham's hand; communicated the law by their ministry; led the People of God;
announced births and callings; and assisted the prophets, just to cite a few
examples. Finally, the angel Gabriel announced the birth of the Precursor
and that of Jesus himself.
333 From the Incarnation to the
Ascension, the life of the Word incarnate is surrounded by the adoration and
service of angels. When God "brings the firstborn into the world, he says:
'Let all God's angels worship him.'" Their song of praise at the
birth of Christ has not ceased resounding in the Church's praise: "Glory
to God in the highest!" They protect Jesus in his infancy, serve him
in the desert, strengthen him in his agony in the garden, when he could have
been saved by them from the hands of his enemies as Israel had been. Again,
it is the angels who "evangelize" by proclaiming the Good News of
Christ's Incarnation and Resurrection. They will be present at Christ's
return, which they will announce, to serve at his judgement.
The angels in the life of the
Church
334 In the meantime, the whole life
of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.
335 In her liturgy, the Church
joins with the angels to adore the thrice-holy God. She invokes their
assistance (in the Roman Canon's Supplices te rogamus. . .["Almighty God,
we pray that your angel..."]; in the funeral liturgy's In Paradisum
deducant te angeli. . .["May the angels lead you into Paradise. .
."]). Moreover, in the "Cherubic Hymn" of the Byzantine Liturgy,
she celebrates the memory of certain angels more particularly (St. Michael, St.
Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the guardian angels).
336 From infancy to death human
life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. "Beside
each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to
life." Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in
the blessed company of angels and men united in God.
II. THE VISIBLE WORLD
337 God himself created the visible
world in all its richness, diversity and order. Scripture presents the work of
the Creator symbolically as a succession of six days of divine "work",
concluded by the "rest" of the seventh day. On the subject of
creation, the sacred text teaches the truths revealed by God for our salvation, permitting
us to "recognize the inner nature, the value and the ordering of the whole
of creation to the praise of God."
338 Nothing exists that does not
owe its existence to God the Creator. the world began when God's word drew it
out of nothingness; all existent beings, all of nature, and all human history
are rooted in this primordial event, the very genesis by which the world was constituted,
and time begun.
339 Each creature possesses its own
particular goodness and perfection. For each one of the works of the "six
days" it is said: "and God saw that it was good." "By the
very nature of creation, material being is endowed with its own stability,
truth and excellence, its own order and laws." Each of the various
creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God's
infinite wisdom and goodness. Man must therefore respect the particular
goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things which would
be in contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for human
beings and their environment.
340 God wills the interdependence
of creatures. the sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle
and the sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities
tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures exist only in dependence
on each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other.
341 The beauty of the universe: the
order and harmony of the created world results from the diversity of beings and
from the relationships which exist among them. Man discovers them progressively
as the laws of nature. They call forth the admiration of scholars. the beauty
of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire
the respect and submission of man's intellect and will.
342 The hierarchy of creatures is
expressed by the order of the "six days", from the less perfect to
the more perfect. God loves all his creatures and takes care of each one,
even the sparrow. Nevertheless, Jesus said: "You are of more value than
many sparrows", or again: "of how much more value is a man than a
sheep!"
343 Man is the summit of the
Creator's work, as the inspired account expresses by clearly distinguishing the
creation of man from that of the other creatures.
344 There is a solidarity among all
creatures arising from the fact that all have the same Creator and are all
ordered to his glory: May you be praised, O Lord, in all your creatures,
especially brother sun, by whom you give us light for the day; he is beautiful,
radiating great splendour, and offering us a symbol of you, the Most High. . .
May you be praised, my Lord, for
sister water, who is very useful and humble, precious and chaste.
May you be praised, my Lord, for sister earth, our mother, who bears and feeds
us, and produces the variety of fruits and dappled flowers and grasses. . .
Praise and bless my Lord, give thanks and serve him in all humility.
345 The sabbath - the end of the
work of the six days. the sacred text says that "on the seventh day God
finished his work which he had done", that the "heavens and the earth
were finished", and that God "rested" on this day and sanctified
and blessed it. These inspired words are rich in profitable instruction:
346 In creation God laid a
foundation and established laws that remain firm, on which the believer can
rely with confidence, for they are the sign and pledge of the unshakeable
faithfulness of God's covenant. For his part man must remain faithful to
this foundation, and respect the laws which the Creator has written into it.
347 Creation was fashioned with a
view to the sabbath and therefore for the worship and adoration of God. Worship
is inscribed in the order of creation. As the rule of St. Benedict says,
nothing should take precedence over "the work of God", that is,
solemn worship. This indicates the right order of human concerns.
348 The sabbath is at the heart of
Israel's law. To keep the commandments is to correspond to the wisdom and the
will of God as expressed in his work of creation.
349 The eighth day. But for us a
new day has dawned: the day of Christ's Resurrection. the seventh day completes
the first creation. the eighth day begins the new creation. Thus, the work of
creation culminates in the greater work of redemption. the first creation finds
its meaning and its summit in the new creation in Christ, the splendour of
which surpasses that of the first creation.
IN BRIEF
350 Angels are spiritual
creatures who glorify God without ceasing and who serve his saving plans for
other creatures: "The angels work together for the benefit of us all"
(St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I, 114, 3, ad 3).
351 The angels surround Christ
their Lord. They serve him especially in the accomplishment of his saving
mission to men.
352 The Church venerates the
angels who help her on her earthly pilgrimage and protect every human being.
353 God willed the diversity of
his creatures and their own particular goodness, their interdependence and
their order. He destined all material creatures for the good of the human race.
Man, and through him all creation, is destined for the glory of God.
354 Respect for laws inscribed
in creation and the relations which derive from the nature of things is a
principle of wisdom and a foundation for morality.
Daily
Devotions
·
Fight like a knight, so I can
reward you. Do not be unduly fearful, because you are not alone. Trust is victorious. Do not fear struggle; courage itself often
intimidates temptations, and they dare not attack us. Courage, God is.
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Protection
of Life from Conception until natural death.
·
Go to MASS and have a Honey Orange Blossom Baklava
·
St. Anthony Novena
3-on thirteen consecutive Tuesdays.
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday
Devotion
·
Pray Day 4 of
the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
·
Tuesday:
Litany of St. Michael the Archangel
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
* [15:5] Lends no money at
interest: lending money in the Old Testament was often seen as
assistance to the poor in their distress, not as an investment; making money
off the poor by charging interest was thus forbidden.
[1]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-06-27
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