Wednesday, July 12, 2023

- July 06, 2023

ST. VERONICA

²³As for me, far be it from me to sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you and to teach you the good and right way. ²⁴But you must FEAR the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart, for you have seen the great things the LORD has done among you.

Samuel here is reminding the Israelites at the coronation of Saul that even though they now have a king like all the other nations they are not to be like all the other nations; that they must serve first the Lord of heaven and earth. Yet, they did not nor could not; they like all men needed a savior. “We have no king but Cesar.”

St. Veronica[1]

According to Tradition, when St. Veronica saw Jesus’ fall beneath the weight of the cross He carried to his pending crucifixion, she was so moved with pity she pushed through the crowd past the Roman Soldiers to reach Jesus. She used her veil to wipe the blood

and sweat from His face. The soldiers forced her away from Jesus even as He peered at her with gratitude. She bundled her veil and did not look at it again until she returned home. When she finally unfolded the veil--history does not clarify exactly what kind of material the veil was made from--it was imprinted with an image of Christ's face. Some stories have alluded to St. Veronica being present at the beheading of St. John the Baptist. Others claim Veronica (Bernice) was a woman whom Jesus cured from a blood issue before His arrest in Jerusalem. There is no reference to the biography of St. Veronica in the canonical Gospels. Her act of kindness and charity is represented in the Sixth of the Fourteen Stations of the Cross. St. Veronica is believed to be buried in the tomb in Soulac or in the church of St. Seurin at Bordeaux, France. Her veil (the Veronica) is kept at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican at Rome

Simplicity Day[2]

” In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.”
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

We live in a complicated world; with taxes and devices and every imaginable complication the world can provide. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just take some time to keep things simple? To winnow life down to the bare essentials and hold onto it like the precious thing it is? Simplicity Day encourages you to do just that, to let go of all of life’s complications and live a day… simple. Simplicity Day was born out of a need to be free from the complications of the world and to allow ourselves to just be simple. Celebrate life through simplicity by turning off your devices, getting rid of complicated things and just let life be about living for a day. One of the great conundrums of the modern world is that the more opportunities and options you have the less happy you’re going to be. Some of the happiest people in the world have been determined to be those who live in uncivilized areas concerning themselves only with what they’re going to eat that day and where a good place to sleep is. We can learn much from them, though few of us would want to go to such extremes. However, we can all benefit from just cutting out the things that make our lives difficult. Simplicity Day is about getting rid of these complications and culling from your life what doesn’t bring you joy.

How to Celebrate Simplicity Day

· Step away from the computer and find a sunny nook with a cup of tea and a book to pass the time.

· Walk in the forests or through fields and just feel the sun on your skin and the sounds of birds and insects. These moments will be the ones that can truly set you free. During these long moments take the time to relax and consider how you want to proceed in your life.

· What can you cut out that buries you under complications that bring no benefits? Are there people or things you can remove that will make your life a little happier each day by the removal of these complications?

· These questions can lead you to a simpler, happier life. Wouldn’t it be nice to have peace of mind? Simplicity Day can lead the way.

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 4-"JESUS CHRIST SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE, WAS CRUCIFIED, DIED AND WAS BURIED"

Paragraph 3. JESUS CHRIST WAS BURIED

624 "By the grace of God" Jesus tasted death "for everyone". In his plan of salvation, God ordained that his Son should not only "die for our sins" but should also "taste death", experience the condition of death, the separation of his soul from his body, between the time he expired on the cross and the time he was raised from the dead. the state of the dead Christ is the mystery of the tomb and the descent into hell. It is the mystery of Holy Saturday, when Christ, lying in the tomb, reveals God's great sabbath rest after the fulfilment of man's salvation, which brings peace to the whole universe.

Christ in the tomb in his body

625 Christ's stay in the tomb constitutes the real link between his passible state before Easter and his glorious and risen state today. the same person of the "Living One" can say, "I died, and behold I am alive for evermore":

God [the Son] did not impede death from separating his soul from his body according to the necessary order of nature, but has reunited them to one another in the Resurrection, so that he himself might be, in his person, the meeting point for death and life, by arresting in himself the decomposition of nature produced by death and so becoming the source of reunion for the separated parts.

626 Since the "Author of life" who was killed is the same "living one [who has] risen", The divine person of the Son of God necessarily continued to possess his human soul and body, separated from each other by death:

By the fact that at Christ’s death his soul was separated from his flesh, his one person is not itself divided into two persons; for the human body and soul of Christ have existed in the same way from the beginning of his earthly existence, in the divine person of the Word; and in death, although separated from each other, both remained with one and the same person of the Word.

"You will not let your Holy One see corruption"

627 Christ's death was a real death in that it put an end to his earthly human existence. But because of the union his body retained with the person of the Son, his was not a mortal corpse like others, for "divine power preserved Christ's body from corruption." Both of these statements can be said of Christ: "He was cut off out of the land of the living", and "My flesh will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let your Holy One see corruption." Jesus' Resurrection "on the third day" was the proof of this, for bodily decay was held to begin on the fourth day after death.

"Buried with Christ. . ."

628 Baptism, the original and full sign of which is immersion, efficaciously signifies the descent into the tomb by the Christian who dies to sin with Christ in order to live a new life. "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

IN BRIEF

629 To the benefit of every man, Jesus Christ tasted death (cf Heb 2:9). It is truly the Son of God made man who died and was buried.

630 During Christ's period in the tomb, his divine person continued to assume both his soul and his body, although they were separated from each other by death. For this reason the dead Christ's body "saw no corruption" (Acts 13:37).

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.

· Total Consecration to St. Joseph Day 4

Daily Devotions

· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Holy Priests, Consecrated, & Religious notice I haven’t found a link to someone living to emulate-any suggestions-please post.

· Let Freedom Ring Day 6 Freedom from Envy