Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Saint
Francis of Assisi observed an annual ‘Lent of Saint Michael’, from the Feast of
the Assumption of Mary (August 15) up to the Feast of Saint Michael The
Archangel (September 29). Francis had a special rapport with Mary and
Michael from the early days of his conversion. He went to them often, for
comfort and consolation, when things got rough (and things are pretty
rough right now). It was on one of these 40-day solitary retreats when,
through meditating on the Passion of our Lord, Francis received the sacred
stigmata, imprints of Jesus’ five wounds on his body.
*During these 40 Days, we are asking
everyone to offer some kind of fasting/abstinence and/or penance, and to pray
the daily deliverance prayers of the Auxilium Christianorum, which
are highly recommended by exorcist, Fr. Chad Ripperger. Specifically,
we are asking for protection and for reparation, particularly for the sins in
our Church and in our culture.
Prayers to be said every day:
V.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R.
Who made heaven and earth.
Most
gracious Virgin Mary, thou who wouldst crush the head of the serpent, protect
us from the vengeance of the evil one. We offer our prayers, supplications,
sufferings and good works to thee so that thou may purify them, sanctify them
and present them to thy Son as a perfect offering. May this offering be given
so that the demons that influence or seek to influence the members of the
Auxilium Christianorum do not know the source of their expulsion and blindness.
Blind them so that they know not our good works. Blind them so that they know
not on whom to take vengeance. Blind them so that they may receive the just
sentence for their works. Cover us with the Precious Blood of thy Son so that
we may enjoy the protection which flows from His Passion and Death. We ask this
through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
St.
Michael Prayer. Guardian Angel Prayer. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.
Litany
of the Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Lord
have mercy.
Christ
have mercy.
Lord
have mercy.
Christ
hear us.
Christ
graciously hear us.
God
the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God
the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God
the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy
Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Blood
of Christ, only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, save us.
Blood
of Christ, Incarnate Word of God, save us.
Blood
of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament, save us.
Blood
of Christ, falling upon the earth in the Agony, save us.
Blood
of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging, save us.
Blood
of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns, save us.
Blood
of Christ, poured out on the Cross, save us.
Blood
of Christ, price of our salvation, save us.
Blood
of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness, save us.
Blood
of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls, save us.
Blood
of Christ, stream of mercy, save us.
Blood
of Christ, victor over demons, save us.
Blood
of Christ, courage of Martyrs, save us.
Blood
of Christ, strength of Confessors, save us.
Blood
of Christ, bringing forth Virgins, save us.
Blood
of Christ, help of those in peril, save us.
Blood
of Christ, relief of the burdened, save us.
Blood
of Christ, solace in sorrow, save us.
Blood
of Christ, hope of the penitent, save us.
Blood
of Christ, consolation of the dying, save us.
Blood
of Christ, peace and tenderness of hearts, save us.
Blood
of Christ, pledge of eternal life, save us.
Blood
of Christ, freeing souls from purgatory, save us.
Blood
of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honor, save us.
Lamb
of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb
of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb
of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
V.
Thou hast redeemed us with Thy Blood, O Lord.
R.
And made of us a kingdom for our God.
Let
us pray.
Almighty,
and everlasting God, Who hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son to be the
Redeemer of the world, and hast been pleased to be reconciled unto us by His
Blood, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate with solemn worship the price
of our salvation, that the power thereof may here on earth keep us from all
things hurtful, and the fruit of the same may gladden us for ever hereafter in
heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
On Sundays:
O
Glorious Queen of Heaven and Earth, Virgin Most Powerful, thou who hast the
power to crush the head of the ancient serpent with thy heel, come and exercise
this power flowing from the grace of thine Immaculate Conception. Shield us
under the mantle of thy purity and love, draw us into the sweet abode of thy
heart and annihilate and render impotent the forces bent on destroying us. Come
Most Sovereign Mistress of the Holy Angels and Mistress of the Most Holy
Rosary, thou who from the very beginning hast received from God the power and
the mission to crush the head of Satan. Send forth thy holy legions, we humbly
beseech thee, that under thy command and by thy power they may pursue the evil
spirits, counter them on every side, resist their bold attacks and drive them
far from us, harming no one on the way, binding them to the foot of the Cross
to be judged and sentenced by Jesus Christ Thy Son and to be disposed of by Him
as He wills.
St.
Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, come to our aid in this grave battle
against the forces of darkness, repel the attacks of the devil and free the
members of the Auxilium Christianorum, and those for whom the priests of the
Auxilium Christianorum pray, from the strongholds of the enemy.
St.
Michael, summon the entire heavenly court to engage their forces in this fierce
battle against the powers of hell. Come O Prince of Heaven with thy mighty
sword and thrust into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits. O Guardian
Angels, guide and protect us. Amen.
On Mondays:
In
Thy name, Lord Jesus Christ, we pray that Thou cover us, our families, and all
of our possessions with Thy love and Thy Most Precious Blood and surround us
with Thy Heavenly Angels, Saints and the mantle of Our Blessed Mother. Amen.
On Tuesdays:
Lord
Jesus Christ, we beg Thee for the grace to remain guarded beneath the
protective mantle of Mary, surrounded by the holy briar from which was taken
the Holy Crown of Thorns, and saturated with Thy Precious Blood in the power of
the Holy Spirit, with our Guardian Angels, for the greater glory of the Father.
Amen.
On Wednesdays:
In
the Name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and God, we ask Thee to render all spirits
impotent, paralyzed and ineffective in attempting to take revenge against
anyone of the members of the Auxilium Christianorum, our families, friends,
communities, those who pray for us and their family members, or anyone
associated with us and for whom the priests of the Auxilium Christianorum pray.
We ask Thee to bind all evil spirits, all powers in the air, the water, the
ground, the fire, under ground, or wherever they exercise their powers, any
satanic forces in nature and any and all emissaries of the satanic
headquarters. We ask Thee to bind by Thy Precious Blood all of the attributes,
aspects and characteristics, interactions, communications and deceitful games
of the evil spirits. We ask Thee to break any and all bonds, ties and
attachments in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
On Thursdays:
My
Lord, Thou art all powerful, Thou art God, Thou art our Father. We beg Thee
through the intercession and help of the Archangels Sts. Michael, Raphael, and
Gabriel for the deliverance of our brothers and sisters who are enslaved by the
evil one. All Saints of Heaven, come to our aid.
From
anxiety, sadness and obsessions – We implore Thee, deliver us, O Lord.
From
hatred, fornication, and envy – We implore Thee, deliver us, O Lord.
From
thoughts of jealousy, rage, and death – We implore Thee, deliver us, O Lord.
From
every thought of suicide and abortion – We implore Thee, deliver us, O Lord.
From
every form of sinful sexuality – We implore Thee, deliver us, O Lord.
From
every division in our family, and every harmful friendship – We implore Thee,
deliver us, O Lord.
From
every sort of spell, malefice, witchcraft, and every form of the occult – We
implore Thee, deliver us, O Lord.
Thou
who said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you." Grant
that, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, we may be liberated from
every demonic influence and enjoy Thy peace always. In the Name of Christ, our
Lord. Amen.
On Fridays:
Litany
of Humility
O
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me.
From
the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the desire of being loved, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the desire of being extolled, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the desire of being honored, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the desire of being consulted, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the fear of being despised, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the fear of being wronged, deliver me, Jesus.
From
the fear of being suspected, deliver me, Jesus.
That
others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That
others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That
in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus,
grant me the grace to desire it.
That
others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That
others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That
others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to
desire it.
That
others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I
should,Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
On Saturdays:
O
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy Name and humbly
beseech Thy clemency, that, through the intercession of the ever immaculate
Virgin, our Mother Mary, and of the glorious Archangel Saint Michael, thou
wouldst vouchsafe to help us against Satan and all the other unclean spirits
that are prowling about the world to the great peril of the human race and the
loss of souls. Amen.
Conclusion for Every Day
August
Queen of the Heavens, heavenly Sovereign of the Angels, Thou who from the
beginning hast received from God the power and the mission to crush the head of
Satan, we humbly beseech Thee to send thy holy legions, so that under Thy
command and through Thy power, they may pursue the demons and combat them
everywhere, suppress their boldness, and drive them back into the abyss. O good
and tender Mother, Thou wilt always be our love and hope! O Divine Mother, send
Thy Holy Angels to defend us and to drive far away from us the cruel enemy.
Holy Angels and Archangels, defend us, guard us. Amen.
Most
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Mary,
Help of Christians, pray for us.
Virgin
Most Powerful, pray for us.
St.
Joseph, pray for us.
St.
Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
All You Holy Angels, pray for us.
Today is the
Feast of St. Joachim using the traditional Latin Mass calendar. Upon reflection
with yesterday being the feast of the assumption of Mary that the church would
honor Her earthly father.
(LifeSiteNews) –– From time immemorial the
Greeks have celebrated the feast of St. Joachim on the day following our Lady’s
birthday. The Maronites kept it on the day after the
Presentation in November, and the Armenians on the Tuesday after the Octave of
the Assumption of the Mother of God. The Latins at first did not keep his
feast. Later on it was admitted and celebrated sometimes on the day after the
Octave of the Nativity, September 16th, sometimes on the day following the
conception of the Blessed Virgin, December 9th. Thus both East and West agreed
in associating St. Joachim with his illustrious daughter when they wished to do
him honor.
About the year 1510, Julius II placed the feast of the
grandfather of the Messias upon the Roman Calendar with the rank of double
major; and remembering that family, in which the ties of nature and of grace
were in such perfect harmony, he fixed the solemnity on March 20, the day after
that of his son-in-law, St. Joseph. The life of the glorious patriarch
resembled those of the first fathers of the Hebrew people; and it seemed as
though he were destined to imitate their wanderings also, by continually
changing his place upon the sacred cycle.
Hardly fifty years
after the Pontificate of Julius II the critical spirit of the day cast doubts
upon the history of St. Joachim, and his name was erased from the Roman
breviary. Gregory XV, however, re-established his feast
in 1622 as a double, and the Church has since continued to celebrate it.
Devotion to our Lady’s father continuing to increase very much, the Holy See
was petitioned to make his feast a holy day of obligation, as it had already
made that of his spouse, St. Anne. In order to satisfy the devotion of the
people without increasing the number of days of obligation, Clement XII in 1738 transferred the feast
of St. Joachim to the Sunday after the Assumption of his daughter, the Blessed
Virgin, and restored it to the rank of double major.
On the 1st August 1879,
the sovereign pontiff, Leo XIII, who received the name of Joachim in
baptism, raised both the feast of his glorious patron and that of St. Anne to
the rank of doubles of the second class.
The following is an
extract from the decree Urbi et Orbi, announcing this final decision
with regard to the said feasts: “Ecclesiasticus teaches us that we ought to
praise our fathers in their generation; what great honor and veneration ought
we then to render to St. Joachim and St. Anne, who begot the Immaculate Virgin
Mother of God, and are on that account more glorious than all others.”
“By your fruits you are
known,” says St. John Damascene, “you have given birth to a
daughter who is greater than the Angels and has become their Queen.” (J. Damasc. Oratio I de V.M. Nativity) Now
since, through the divine mercy, in our unhappy times the honor and worship
paid to the Blessed Virgin is increasing in proportion to the increasing needs
of the Christian people, it is only right that the new glory which surrounds
their blessed daughter should redound upon her happy parents. May this increase
of devotion towards them cause the Church to experience still more their
powerful protection.
MASS
Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up
treasures of gold. (Tobit 12:8) Far better than Tobias, did
Joachim experience the truth of the Archangel’s word. Tradition says that he
divided his income into three parts: one for the Temple, the second for the
poor, and the third for his family. The Church, wishing to honor Mary’s father,
begins by praising this liberality, and also his justice which earned him such
great glory.
He hath distributed, he hath given to the
poor: his justice remaineth for ever and ever: his horn shall be exalted in
glory.
Ps. Blessed is the
man that feareth the Lord: he delighteth exceedingly in his commandments.
Glory, etc. He hath.
Mother of God: such is the title
which exalts Mary above all creatures; but Joachim, too, is ennobled by it; he
alone can be called, for all eternity, Grandfather
of Jesus. In heaven, even more than on earth, nobility and power go hand
in hand. Let us then, with the Church, become humble clients of one so great.
EPISTLE
Lesson from the Book of Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11
Blessed is the rich man that is found
without blemish: and that hath not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money
nor in treasures. Who is he, and we will praise him? for he hath done wonderful
things in his life. Who hath been tried thereby, and made perfect, he shall
have glory everlasting. He that could have transgressed, and hath not
transgressed: and could do evil things, and hath not done them: Therefore are
his goods established in the Lord, and all the church of the saints shall declare
his alms.
Joachim’s wealth, like
that of the first patriarchs, consisted chiefly in flocks and herds. The holy
use he made of it drew down God’s blessing upon it. But the greatest of all his
desires heaven seemed to refuse him. His holy spouse Anne was barren. Amongst
all the daughters of Israel expecting the Messias, there was no hope for her.
One day the victims Joachim presented in the temple were contemptuously
rejected. Those were not the gifts the Lord of the temple desired of him; later
on, instead of lambs from his pastures, he was to present the Mother of the
Lamb of God, and his offering would not be rejected.
This day, however, he
was filled with sorrow and fled away without returning to his wife. He hastened
to the mountains where his flocks were at pasture; and living in a tent, he
fasted continually, for he said: “I will take no food till the Lord my God look
mercifully upon me; prayer shall be my nourishment.”
Meanwhile Anne was
mourning her widowhood and her barrenness. She prayed in her garden as Joachim
was praying on the mountain. (Epiphanius, Oratio de laudibus Virgin) Their
prayers ascended at the same time to the Most High, and he granted them their
request. An Angel of the Lord appeared to each of them and bade them meet at
the Golden Gate, and soon Anne could say: “Now I know that the Lord hath
greatly blessed me. For I was a widow and I am one no longer, and I was barren,
and lo! I have conceived!” (Protoevang. Jacobi)
The Gradual again
proclaims the merit of alms-giving and the value God sets upon holiness of
life. The descendants of Joachim shall be mighty and blessed in heaven and upon
earth. May he deign to exert his influence with his all holy daughter, and with
his grandson Jesus, for our salvation.
He hath distributed, he hath given to the
poor: his justice remaineth for ever and ever.
℣. His seed shall be mighty upon the
earth: the generation of the mighty shall be blessed. Alleluia, alleluia.
℣. O Joachim, holy spouse of Anne, father
of the glorious Virgin, assist now thy servants unto salvation. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
Sequel
of the holy Gospel according to Matthew 1:1-16
The book of the generation of Jesus
Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac
begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Judas and his brethren. And Judas begot Phares and
Zara of Thamar. And Phares begot Esron. And Esron begot Aram. And Aram begot
Aminadab. And Aminadab begot Naasson. And Naasson begot Salmon. And Salmon
begot Booz of Rahab.
And Booz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed
begot Jesse. And Jesse begot David the king. And David the king begot Solomon,
of her that had been the wife of Urias. And Solomon begot Roboam. And Roboam
begot Abia. And Abia begot Asa. And Asa begot Josaphat. And Josaphat begot
Joram. And Joram begot Ozias. And Ozias begot Joatham.
And Joatham begot Achaz. And Achaz begot
Ezechias. And Ezechias begot Manasses. And Manasses begot Amon. And Amon begot
Josias. And Josias begot Jechonias and his brethren in the transmigration of
Babylon. And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel.
And Salathiel begot Zorobabel. And Zorobabel begot Abiud. And Abiud begot
Eliacim. And Eliacim begot Azor. And Azor begot Sadoc. And Sadoc begot Achim.
And Achim begot Eliud. And Eliud begot Eleazar. And Eleazar begot Mathan. And
Mathan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was
born Jesus, who is called Christ.
“Rejoice, O Joachim,
for of thy daughter a Son is born to us,” (J. Damasc. Oratio I de V.M. Nativity ex Isaiah 9:6) exclaims St. John Damascene. It is
in this spirit the Church reads today the list of the royal ancestors of our
Savior. Joseph, the descendant of these illustrious princes, inherited their
rights and passed them on to Jesus, who was his Son according to the Jewish
law, though according to nature He was of the line of His virgin Mother alone.
St. Luke, Mary’s
Evangelist, has preserved the names of the direct ancestors of the Mother of
the Man-God, springing from David in the person of Nathan, Solomon’s brother.
Joseph, the son of Jacob according to St. Matthew, appears in St. Luke as son
of Heli. The reason is that by espousing Mary, the only daughter of Hili or
Heliachim, that is Joachim, he became legally his son and heir.
This is the now
generally received explanation of the two genealogies of Christ the Son of
David. It is not surprising that Rome, the queen city who has become the Bride
of the Son of man in the place of the repudiated Sion, prefers to use in her
Liturgy the genealogy which by its long line of royal ancestors emphasizes the
kingship of the spouse over Jerusalem. The name of Joachim, which signifies
“the preparation of the Lord,” is thus rendered more majestic, without losing
aught of its mystical meaning.
He is himself crowned with wonderful glory. Jesus, his Grandson, gives him to share in his own authority over every creature. In the Offertory we celebrate St. Joachim’s dignity and power.
Prayer for the Triumph of the Catholic Faith (Bishop Schneider) |
Almighty and eternal God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we kneel before Your Majesty, and thank You from the depth of our soul for the inestimable gift of the Catholic Faith, which you have deigned to reveal to us through Jesus Christ, True God and True man. We received this divine light in holy baptism and have promised You to keep this faith inviolate until death. Increase in us the gift of the Catholic Faith. By Your grace, may it be strengthened and made unshakeable. Daily increase in us the understanding of the beauty and profoundness of the Catholic Faith, that we might live in the deep joy of Your divine truth and be ready to sacrifice all things rather than compromise on or betray this faith. Grant us the grace to be resolved to undergo a thousand deaths for even one article of the Creed. Graciously receive from us sinners an act of humble reparation for all the sins committed against the Catholic Faith by the laity and clergy, especially by high-ranking clergy who, contrary to the solemn promise they made at their Ordination to be teachers and defenders of the integrity of the Catholic Faith, have become champions of heresy, poisoning the flock entrusted to them and gravely offending the Divine Majesty of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Truth. Grant us the grace to see all the events of our life, and the immense trials our Holy Mother Church is now undergoing, in the supernatural light of faith. May we believe that You will cause to arise from today’s vast spiritual desert a renewed flourishing of faith that will adorn the garden of the Church with new works of faith and give rise to a new age of faith. We firmly believe that the Catholic Faith is the one true faith and religion, which you invite every person freely to embrace. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the destroyer of all heresies, and the great Martyrs and Confessors of the faith, may the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Faith triumph again in the Church and the world, so that no soul may be lost but rather come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of mankind, and through a right faith and righteous life attain eternal beatitude in You, O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To You be given all honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen. + Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana |
Wednesday in the Octave of the Assumption
ST. STEPHEN OF HUNGARY-RUM DAY
1 Chronicles, Chapter 16, Verse 25
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised; to be feared above all gods.
What is the meaning of above all gods? Do we as moderns have gods? Have we like the ancient Baal worshipers cheapened life (abortion, contraception, etc.) and offered our children to the fire? Have we engaged in ritual hedonism? Have we place creation before the creator?
Don’t Worship Mother Nature[1]
Our old dog eats deer poop. The neighborhood cats stalk, torture, and kill our chipmunks. The spider whose web I see in front of my window stings the butterfly caught in his web, wraps it with silk, and later comes back to eat it alive. Your knee hurts. Your eyes begin to go. Cancer cells eat up the body of your closest friend. The earth shifts suddenly, and flattens part of a crowded island, and thousands and thousands die. There’s nature for you. It is sometimes only disgusting, like the dietary habits of our aging mutt. It’s sometimes just annoying, like your aching knee and fuzzy vision. But it is also cold, brutal, and merciless. Nature is entirely selfish and utterly amoral. It’s doesn’t care about anyone’s pain. It’s soaked in the blood of the innocent. And yet some people say that we ought to abandon the religions we have, like Catholicism, and worship nature instead. The Church is corrupt, they say, and obsessed with sex, and full of rules, and run by old men, and medieval, antiquated, and completely out of step with the modern world. But nature, nature is cool. It’s natural, for heaven’s sake. We hear this all the time. Writing on the website of a serious English magazine, someone calling himself (or herself) “Pagan Artist” wrote in a cheerful Mary Poppins kind of way: “What is wrong with worshipping God’s creation itself? The sun, the moon, the stars, the air, the trees, the rivers, the sea — we cannot live for a day without them.” He then explained why this made him want to worship nature and reject the god of any established religion: “For me, that makes them divine because they give us the ultimate gift of life. Organized religions on the other hand have given us nothing but death and destruction. Nature gives us life. Organized religions give us death. Which one should we hold divine and worship with reverence?” Let us set aside the claim that “organized religions” have given the world lots of bad things and no good things. It’s just silly. Walk around any major city and note the number of hospitals with names like “Mercy Hospital” and “Our Lady of . . .” and “Beth Israel.” The modern hospital come from the medical care dispensed freely by the monks of the Middle Ages.Note how many missions go around the world to feed the poor, build them homes, and give them health care when they’re sick. Remember those missionaries who got ebola because they kept helping people at the risk of their lives? They’re not unusual.
Look at the modern pagan’s case at its best. It claims that we
ought to reverence nature because it gives us life, as Pagan Artist said. You
can easily think of all sorts of wonderful things to be found in Nature with a
capital “N.” The Christian would say that the wonderful things we find are
wonderful gifts given us by a loving God, but let that go for a second. The
first thing to be said about this modern nature worship is that it is very,
very dim. Dumb, even. Sure, we find in nature pretty sunsets, and cute little
bunnies and kittens, and warm sunny breezy spring days, and the awe-inspiring
mechanics of life on earth and the equally awe-inspiring movement of the stars
and galaxies. But we also find physical decay, cancer, earthquakes. Those cute
kittens grow up to eat the cute bunnies. The weather that produces the
beautiful spring days will also produce killing cold snaps and hurricanes that
destroy everything in their path. The mechanics of life on earth produce death
as much as life, and indeed depend on death to maintain the balance. What is to
you a horrible death from cancer is for Nature simply a way of adjusting the
population. I don’t know why anyone would want to worship this. The real pagans
worshiped nature because it could kill them. They wanted to try to make Nature
like them and spare them its worst. It was a bully they had to pretend to like.
That’s not worship as we understand it. It’s bribery, and desperate bribery at
that. Some of the ancient pagan religions would do almost anything to bribe the
nature gods, including sacrificing their own children. Think for a moment what
fear men would have to feel to toss their own infant children into a furnace. That
is how frightened of nature were the people who knew it best. Not for them the
cheery “Nature gives us life” and the chipper question, “What is wrong with
worshipping God’s creation itself?” That’s the talk of someone who lives far
removed from nature, in a modern city in a modern house with modern heat and
modern plumbing, with modern medicine and everything else that protects us from
nature as she really is. If he really met mother nature, he wouldn’t like her.
As my grandmother said about a bad man she knew, he’d crush just as soon as
look at you.
St. Stephen of Hungary (969-1038).
Vaik, son of Geza, Duke of
Hungary, was baptized about 985 by St. Adalbert of Prague who gave him the name
of Stephen. He was chosen by God to bring his people to the Christian faith.
With the assistance of monks from Burgundy, he established bishoprics, founded
several monasteries and re-organized the whole life of the country. Pope
Silvester II offered him the privilege of being crowned king and the ceremony
took place on December 25, 1000. His great zeal for the spread of the Catholic
faith earned him the title of apostolic king and apostle of Hungary. He died on
August 15, 1038, the feast of the Assumption of our Lady, to whom he had
consecrated his kingdom.
Rum
Day[2]
“The only way that I could figure they could improve upon Coca-Cola, one of life’s most delightful elixirs, which studies prove will heal the sick and occasionally raise the dead, is to put rum or bourbon in it.” ~ Lewis Grizzard
Rum is a fantastic drink, one that has
served as the stuff of legends for pirates of every walk of life. Rum also appears
in everything from dinners to desserts, with rum balls being one of our
particular favorites. Of course, as the great Lewis Grizzard said, it also is
an amazing mixer, and one of the only ones capable of improving Coca-Cola. So,
we all know that pirates like rum and that rum is an alcoholic beverage but
many of us are less than clear on what, exactly, makes rum RUM. Let’s start
with the basics, shall we? Rum is a distilled alcohol, specifically distilled
from byproducts of sugarcane. Some varieties are made from molasses, others
from sugarcane juice but all rum, when its finished being distilled, is clear.
The color you see in rum is from additives or seasonings and are not in any way
a bad thing. Rum first was created in the Caribbean after it was discovered
that molasses could be fermented into alcohol. Ironically, it was the slaves
who made this discovery, but it was the Colonials who discovered how to distil
it into true rum. So important did rum become in the years to follow that it
played a major role in the political system of the colonies. How? By being
offered as a bribe to those the candidates wished to curry favor with. The
people thus coerced were no fools, however. They would attend multiple hustings
to determine which of their patrons might provide them with the largest
quantity of rum. Thus, it can be fairly said that rum was of such note that it
literally decided elections.
How to Celebrate Rum Day
Yo ho ho matey! The best way to
celebrate Rum Day is to indulge in this most ignoble and distinguished of
drinks. A contradiction? Not at all! Rum has long had a reputation for being
the devil’s drink by dint of the ease of production, the delicious flavor, and
the powerful kick it carried. Rum Day is your opportunity to sample as many
varieties as you like and decide which one will be coming aboard your vessel
for the next pillage.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION
OF FAITH
SECTION
TWO-I. THE CREEDS
CHAPTER
THREE-I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Article 12-"I
BELIEVE IN LIFE EVERLASTING"
1020 The Christian who unites his
own death to that of Jesus views it as a step towards him and an entrance into
everlasting life. When the Church for the last time speaks Christ's words of
pardon and absolution over the dying Christian, seals him for the last time
with a strengthening anointing, and gives him Christ in viaticum as nourishment
for the journey, she speaks with gentle assurance:
Go forth, Christian soul, from this
world
in the name of God the almighty
Father,
who created you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, the
Son of the living God,
who suffered for you,
in the name of the Holy Spirit,
who was poured out upon you.
Go forth, faithful Christian!
May you live in peace this day,
may your home be with God in Zion,
with Mary, the virgin Mother of
God,
with Joseph, and all the angels and
saints....
May you return to [your Creator]
who formed you from the dust of the
earth.
May holy Mary, the angels, and all
the saints
come to meet you as you go forth
from this life....
May you see your Redeemer face to face.
MEDICINAL PLANTS Day 2-Revealed by Heaven to Luz De María
RAW GARLIC Bactericide effect. Useful in disease
prevention. High Vitamin C content. Contributes to the correct functioning of
the thyroid gland, favoring the basic metabolism. Garlic has the following
properties: Strengthens immune system. Preventive effect on diseases. Antihistaminic
properties. Increases hemoglobin production. Contributes to growth and repair
of body tissue. Vitamin C has the following properties: Known as: Ascorbic Acid
GINGER Scientific name: Echinacea purpurea Family:
Asteraceae Reinforces immune system. Maintains the defenses of the organism.
Fights intestinal bactericide infections. Expectorant and antibiotic.
As mother, I ask you observe, as part
of your diet for life, the daily need to ingest VITAMIN C, to ingest raw garlic
or ginger daily. Blessed Virgin Mary, 03.12.2017
Event
·
August
16-19 August Doins Rodeo (Payson, AZ)
Slip on a pair of boots, and head to the World’s Oldest Continuous Rodeo. First held in 1884, the August Doins Rodeo takes place each August in Arizona’s cool mountain town of Payson. Hold on to your hats, you’re in for some heart-stopping action!
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 8
Daily
Devotions
·
30
Days of Women and Herbs – Frauendreissiger – Nr. 2 Horehound (Marrubium vulgaris or rafanum)
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: For
the Poor and Suffering
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: August
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Go to MASS
·
Rosary
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