Thursday, July 13, 2023
1 Samuel, Chapter 14, Verse 24-26
24 Even though the Israelites were
exhausted that day, Saul laid an oath on them, saying, “Cursed be the one who
takes food before evening, before I am able to avenge myself on my enemies.” So
none of the people tasted food. 25 Now there was a honeycomb lying on
the ground, 26 and when the soldiers came to the
comb the honey was flowing; yet no one raised a hand from it to his mouth,
because the people FEARED the oath.
Saul
was unfaithful and weak and therefore led his warriors by fear rather than by
inspiration. His main concern was keeping and holding power. Hum…some things
don’t change. There was no humility in him, only hubris. “I” was the first word
in his life rather than saying and living the word of God. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love
the Lord your God with all your Heart, and with all your soul, and with your
entire mind, and with all your strength.”
Saul
fell because of his hubris when humility would have saved him. Real leaders are
humble. They realize and appreciate the sacrifices of others and consider it a
privilege to have the honor and trust to lead them.
Fatima: How July 13, 1917 “changed”
the Church[1]
What Our Lady of Fatima did that day inspired many to convert, but provoked others to reject the faith.
What she did that day inspired many to convert but provoked others to
reject the faith out of hand. It made some people a little nutty and won the
begrudging respect of others.
July 13 was the day Our Lady scared the daylights out of three shepherd
children by showing them hell and sternly warning them about a second global
war and a new age of martyrdom.
But the surprising — and surprisingly harsh — July 13, 1917, apparition
changed the faith of the Church in our time.
First: July 13 returned hell to the center of Catholic
consciousness.
Little Lucia dos Santos was 10 when Our Lady of Fatima began to appear to
her every 13th of the month starting in May, 1917, along with her cousins
Francisco and Jacinta Marto, 8 and 7.
But in July, instead of just exhorting the children to say the Rosary and
pointing them to heaven, she showed them a terrible sight.
“We saw as it were a sea of fire,” Lucia wrote. “Plunged in this fire
were demons and souls in human form … amid shrieks and groans of pain and
despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear.”
To give Our Lady of Fatima credit, the vision of hell only happened after
a year of preparation, including visits by an angel and much reassurance about
heaven. But the vision so badly rattled Jacinta, especially, that it seemed to
change her personality utterly.
The only thing that would make this vision okay, and not an example of
emotional abuse, is if hell were a real place and we were in eminent danger of
ending up there if we don’t do something drastic.
It is. We are.
Second: She reiterated the most unpopular — and most
important — message of Christianity.
The messages of Jesus (Mark 1:15), John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-2) and
Peter (Acts 2:38) were all the same: “Repent!” Jesus defined the Church’s
mission as preaching “repentance, for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 24:47).
Yet every pope from Pius XII to Francis has said “the sin of the century
is the loss of the sense of sin.”
The refusal to repent — the belief that sin doesn’t really matter — is at
the heart of the major moral disasters of our time, from abortion to human
trafficking, from the pornography epidemic to the urban violent crime rate.
Those who see no wrong do terrible things.
Our Lady of Fatima’s vision of hell is an absolutely necessary corrective
to the presumptuous expectation that we are all going to heaven no matter what.
It is true that God wants to forgive everybody. But one thing stops him: We
don’t repent.
Third: Our Lady of Fatima de-romanticized war.
“This war will end,” Our Lady of Fatima told the children in July, “but
if men do not refrain from offending God, another and more terrible war will
begin.”
Whatever they understood about the particulars, the general sense of this
message was clear to the children: War isn’t an occasion for God to reward
victors, but to punish sin.
The “reward” paradigm had existed for a long time in Christian history:
From Charlemagne to Joan of Arc, from Notre Dame des Victoires to the
Conquistadores. Every Christian culture had their Robin Hood and King Arthur
figures: Heroes of the unconventional virtues of clever violence. But Our Lady
of Fatima poured cold water on all of that. Martial virtues are real, but they
are an example of God bringing good out of evil — not of God’s will being won
by violence.
Finally, July 13 de-romanticized martyrdom.
For that matter, Our Lady of Fatima also level-set our understanding of
martyrdom.
In the at-home movies era, many of us are only now watching Silence by
Martin Scorcese, which follows a Jesuit’s disillusionment as he looks for glory
in the persecutions of Japan and finds soul-numbing horror instead.
The children saw a vision of the pope “half trembling with halting step,
afflicted with pain and sorrow,” praying for the corpses he stumbled past until
he was himself shot. Our Lady knows that in heaven martyrdom is glorious — and
that on earth, it is painful and sad.
The meaning of all of this was not lost on the three shepherd children.
They learned that it was absolutely urgent that they console Jesus,
convert sinners and commit to Mary.
July 13 is only part of their story — a story that
includes far more consolation than condemnation and was meant for every
generation, including ours.
It Is Better to Fry in This Life Then the Next[2]
Whether you call them ‘French Fries’, ‘Chips’, Finger Chips, or French-Fried Potatoes, this delicious treat is loved around the world, and French Fries Day celebrates them. Not to be confused with the American ‘Chips’, which are thinly sliced pieces of potato fried until crisp, French Fries are the delicious result of ‘batons’ of potato cut to various thicknesses and then fried in oil. The outside of this staple companion food to hamburgers and other grease-ball favorites generally have a golden texture, varying from soft to crispy, and most often served with little more than a dusting of salt.
History of the French Fry
French Fries are one of
many foods whose name is most misleading, as the origins of this fat fried food
seem to be in Belgium. The story of their creation can be found in a family
manuscript dated 1781, which reveals that potatoes were originally cut into the
shape of fish and served in lieu of the fish normally caught in a series of
small villages in Belgium. It seems the river had frozen over and the fish they
normally caught and fried were unable to be caught. Why they’re called French is often
attributed to troops coming over during World War I who got their hands-on
Belgian Fries. The official language of the Belgian army at that time was
French, and as a result the men thought they were in France rather than
Belgium. Interestingly, in that region of the world, they are still called “Flemish Fries” to further complicate matters. Now
these treats are loved the world round, even becoming the ‘national snack’ of the Netherlands.
How to Celebrate French
Fries Day
With the popularity of
French Fry, it’s
not surprising that the world has come up with as many different varieties of
this delicious food as you could imagine. So, one of the best ways to celebrate
French Fries Day is to host a party dedicated to celebrating the international
menu the fried potato has created. The simplest variation is simply to put
chopped raw onions in some ketchup and eat them up like they do in the
Netherlands. For the more adventurous, try some of the varieties below!
Canadian Poutine
This recipe is a classic
way to have French Fries, originating in Canada. This dish is incredibly
decadent, combining the crispy soft texture of the French Fries with a rich
beef gravy, and topped with cheese curds.
American Bacon Cheeseburger Classic
There is little Americans
love more than to add cheese and bacon to just about anything. French fries are
no exception, there is little that is as well-loved as a rich, greasy
accompaniment to any meal. To make this classic you start with a basic of
fries, and layer on bacon, chopped onions, cheese, and ground hamburger before
tossing them in the oven just long enough for everything to get melty. Then
grab a handful and dig in!
Greek French Fries
The Mediterranean rarely
fail at making an already delicious food rich and full of the smells of home. If
you love the classic Greek flavors of parmigiano-reggiano or romano cheese,
garlic, and oregano, then these fries are going to leave you smiling. The key
ingredients here are Extra Virgin Olive Oil to fry them in, after which you
toss them in garlic salt, Greek Oregano, and your choice of cheese such as those
mentioned ahead. To get the full impact you’re going to want to stick to the
white crumbly cheese of the region, the truly adventurous might use Mazithra
cheese.
These are a few dishes
that can help enhance French Fries Day, and really bring out the amazing
versatility of this centuries old treat. So, get out your deep fryer, chop up
some potatoes, and celebrate French Fries Day by eating yourself into a starch
filled stupor!
mussels and
fries[3]
Moules-frites—the Belgians
discovered a perfect marriage. They steam their mussels in simple marinière
style (flavored with a little chopped onion, celery, carrot, parsley, bay leaf,
and thyme), and then serve heaping mounds of them.
The First
Cat Show[4]
Have you ever noticed that some
people may be very, very good at lying with their lips; yet by their gestures
or body language you can always see the truth? This may be the reason we have
such a great affection for pets who bodily speak the truth of their own
likings. Let us ask our Lord whose hands were nailed to the wood and can no
longer gesture---to allow us to be His hands thus making our own gestures speak
His language of love.
A British man, Mr. Harrison Weir, got the idea for the
first cat show. He was a Fellow of the Horticultural Society, and artist, and a
cat lover. He developed a schedule, classes, and prizes for the show. He also
created the "Points of Excellence" -- a guideline for how the cats
would be judged.
The Crystal Palace, in south-east London, was chosen for
the site of the first show. (Dog shows had already been held there). A man
named Mr. F. Wilson was appointed manager of the show for setting up the
Crystal Palace. The judges were Mr. Weir, his brother John Weir, and the
Reverend J. Macdona.
The show was held on July 13, 1871. Nearly 160 cats were
shown. The cats were mostly short-haired, and were divided into different color
groups. Pedigrees were not around at this time. It wasn't until 1887 that the
National Cat Club formed in Britain and began tracking the parentage of cats. The
prize cats did not have their photos taken, but were drawn by an artist to
record them.
The show attracted a great deal of interest. Cat shows soon
became fashionable in Britain, particularly because they were patronized by
Queen Victoria, who owned a pair of Blue Persians. In the 1870s, larger and
larger cat shows were held in Britain. In 1895 the first official cat show was
held in Madison Square Garden, New York.
Thursday Feast
Thursday is the day of the week that our Lord gave himself
up for consumption. Thursday commemorates the last supper. Some theologians
believe after Sunday Thursday is the holiest day of the week. We should then
try to make this day special by making a visit to the blessed sacrament chapel,
Mass or even stopping by the grave of a loved one. Why not plan to count the
blessing of the week and thank our Lord. Plan a special meal. Be at Peace.
- Salade niçoise
- Soupe à L’oignon
- Moules Marinières
- Crème brûlée
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 5-"HE
DESCENDED INTO HELL. ON THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN"
631 Jesus "descended into the lower parts of the
earth. He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the
heavens." The Apostles' Creed confesses in the same article Christ's
descent into hell and his Resurrection from the dead on the third day, because
in his Passover it was precisely out of the depths of death that he made life
spring forth:
Christ, that Morning Star, who
came back from the dead, and shed his peaceful light on all mankind, your Son
who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Victims
of clergy sexual abuse
·
Let
Freedom Ring Day 7 Freedom from Vengeance
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Novena
to Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Day 7
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[3] Schultz, Patricia. 1,000 Places to
See Before You Die
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