Monday, July 17, 2023
Monday Holy
Angels
1 Samuel, Chapter 18, Verse 15
Seeing
how he prospered, Saul FEARED David.
Insecure
people spend a lot of time on job justification. Think about it how much time
do you or people you know spend in justifying rather than striving to break
free of fears and be all God has envisioned them to be? Often insecure people
are trapped in a cycle of fear that retards their ability to give power and
grace to others.
The law of Empowerment[1]
Saul
was insecure.
The Law
of Empowerment says that only secure leaders give power to others.
But
what does it mean to be secure?
Using
the analogy of personal finance, let’s look at what’s missing from the lives of
insecure leaders. This will help us better understand where security comes from
and why it matters.
Paupers,
debtors, and hoarders lack the real or perceived financial security necessary
to give generously to others.
·
Paupers
have no source of income aside from the financial assistance they receive from
someone else. Penniless and dependent, they’re clearly unable to help others
financially.
o
Leaders
without purpose are like paupers. They have no passion, low energy, and little drive to
grow in influence. Usually, their only source of power is the position they
have been given by somebody else. In terms of personal authority, they’re
impoverished.
·
Debtors
may have nice salaries, but their expenses exceed their income. They’ve maxed
out credit cards and taken out hefty loans. Consequently, they’re stuck paying
exorbitant interest rates on the amounts they have borrowed. In an upside-down
financial situation, they’re in no position to give generously to others.
o
Leaders
without authenticity are like debtors. Someone deeply in debt may appear
wealthy, even though they’re secretly on the verge of bankruptcy. The closer
you inspect their life, the more signs of dysfunction you see. Similarly,
inauthentic leaders may seem to have all the tools to lead with excellence.
However, they are missing the crucial component of moral authority. They do not
practice the values they preach, and they prefer to keep others at arm’s length
to hide their shortcomings.
·
Hoarders
are sitting on a pile of wealth, but they think only of protecting it rather
than of sharing it with others. They have plentiful resources but are unwilling
to part with them.
o
Leaders without humility
resemble hoarders. Having put their talents to work, they enjoy a
significant amount of power. However, they’re worried about others taking it
from them or gaining more of it than they have. So, instead of using their
influence to empower others, they keep it for their own benefit.
As
leaders, we can only lift others up when we’re standing on a firm foundation.
Purpose, authenticity, and humility give us a secure, stable base from which to
lead.
Purpose is the answer to the question: why
do you want to lead? The best leaders have a purpose that is greater than they
are. Their “why” involves more than accumulating money or seeking
self-actualization. They see leadership as a calling rather than a career,
relishing the opportunity to use their unique talents to accomplish something
significant that will outlive them.
Authenticity means being comfortable in your
own skin. Authentic leaders have self-awareness, self-respect, self-confidence,
and emotional maturity. They prize integrity above image, and they seek to
build trust with others on the basis of their personal character.
Humility is often wrongly associated with
depreciating and downgrading ourselves. However, true humility flows out of
gratitude and comes when we credit God for our blessings and others for our
successes. As Rick Warren teaches, a humble leader doesn’t deny his strengths;
he’s simply honest about his limitations. Humble leaders feel no need to
trumpet their status, are unthreatened by criticism, and revel in the
accomplishments of others. They put their pride aside so that others have room
to shine.
Modern man at times out of an
inability to cope with the stress of everyday life seeks relief via the vices
of sex, drugs and rock and roll. I wonder what would happen to our world if
instead of dealing with stress with the distractions of pleasure and
entertainment; we acknowledged our dependence on the grace of God; found our
purpose and had true gratitude for our blessings. .
Novena
of St. Ann[2]
Although Saint Anne is not mentioned in the
Bible, she is the holy mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus. When we pray
the St. Anne Novena, we are asking help from our Blessed Mother’s mother! Saint
Anne’s feast day is on July 26th, so the St. Anne Novena is traditionally
started on July 17th — but you can pray it anytime. Devotion to St. Anne began
early in the history of the Catholic Church. As she was favored by God to
become the mother of the holy Virgin Mary, she is often invoked as the Patron
of mothers as well as for relationships, among other things.
Daily Prayer to Saint Ann
O
glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and
with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my
troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present
intention which I recommend to you in your special care.
Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it
before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue
to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me
the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the
saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.
Our
Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .
O
Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death. Good St.
Ann, intercede for me.
Dear St. Ann, though I am but a prodigal child,
I appeal to you and place myself under your great motherly care. Please listen
to my prayers and grant my requests. See my contrite heart and show me your
unfailing goodness.
Deign to be my advocate and recommend me to
God’s infinite mercy. Obtain for me forgiveness of my sins and the strength to
begin a new life that will last forever.
Blessed St. Ann, I also beg of you the grace to
love, to serve, and to honor your daughter, the most holy Virgin Mary. Please
recommend me to her and pray to her for me. She refuses none of your requests
but welcomes with loving kindness all those for whom you intercede.
Good Jesus be merciful to the faithful servants
of Your grandmother St. Ann.
Catechism of the
Catholic Church
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION
OF FAITH
SECTION
TWO-I. THE CREEDS
CHAPTER TWO
I
BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY SON OF GOD
Article 6-"HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT
HAND OF THE FATHER"
IN BRIEF
665
Christ's Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus' humanity into God's
heavenly domain, whence he will come again (cf Acts 1:11); this humanity in the
meantime hides him from the eyes of men (cf Col 3:3).
666 Jesus
Christ, the head of the Church, precedes us into the Father's glorious kingdom
so that we, the members of his Body, may live in the hope of one day being with
him forever.
667 Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Love
endures.
Today
is my 19th wedding anniversary. At the marriage of my oldest son his
little brother was asked to say something at the reception. Vincent got up (he
is 6’6”) and while all eyes were on him stated, “First Chris called Kate and
there was the telephone ring: then there was a bond establish and the trust
ring began: then after some time came the engagement ring: and naturally
followed the wedding ring: but Chris I have to warn you that after today there
is one more ring; for now, begins the suffer ring.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Individuals
with Mental Illness
· Eat waffles
and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Monday: Litany of
Humility
·
Let
Freedom Ring Day 11
·
Rosary
[2]Blessed Sacrament
Fathers, ST. ANN’S SHRINE, Cleveland, Ohio
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