Sunday, September 10, 2023
DAY 27 - MARY, MYSTICAL ROSE, PRAY THAT WE RECEIVE THE FRUIT OF CHASTITY!
GOD’S WORD
“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.” (Matthew 6:22)
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are.” (1 Corinthians 3:16)
HEROES’ WORDS
“Do not say that you have chaste minds if you have unchaste eyes, because an unchaste eye is the messenger of an unchaste heart.” -St. Augustine
“Now, though the era of persecution is gone, yet our peace has its martyrdom, because though we bend not the neck to the sword, yet with a spiritual weapon we slay fleshly desires in our hearts.” -Pope St. Gregory I
MEDITATION
Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in which man’s belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman. The virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift. (CCC 2337)
The chaste person maintains the integrity of the powers of life and love placed in him. This integrity ensures the unity of the person; it is opposed to any behavior that would impair it. It tolerates neither a double life nor duplicity in speech. (CCC 2338)
Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery, which is training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy. (CCC 2339)
PRAYERS FOR TRADITIONAL 54 DAY NOVENA
THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES OF THE HOLY ROSARY
Prayer before the recitation: Sign of the cross. Hail Mary.
In petition (first 27 days): Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I humbly kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses, full-blown white roses, tinged with the red of the passion, to remind thee of thy glories, fruits of the sufferings of thy Son and thee, each rose recalling to thee a holy mystery, each 10 bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God’s graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee! Thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my petition; from thy bounty thou wilt give me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly seek. I despair of nothing that I ask of thee. Show thyself my Mother!
In thanksgiving (last 27 days):Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I gratefully kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses full blown white roses, tinged with the red of the passion, to remind thee of thy glories, fruits of the sufferings of thy Son and thee each rose recalling to thee a holy mystery; each ten bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God s graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee! thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my thanksgiving; from thy bounty thou bast given me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly sought. I despaired not of what I asked of thee, and thou hast truly shown thyself my Mother.
Say: The Apostles’ Creed, Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
For each of the following Mysteries, say: Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
The Resurrection – Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of faith and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Ascension – Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of hope and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Descent of the Holy Spirit – Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of charity and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Assumption of Mary – Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of union with Christ and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Coronation of the Blessed Mother – Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of union with thee and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
Say: The Hail Holy Queen.
Spiritual Communion: My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
In petition (first 27 days): Sweet Mother Mary, I offer thee this spiritual communion to bind my bouquets in a wreath to place upon thy brow. O my Mother! Look with favor upon my gift, and in thy love obtain for me (specify request, see below). Hail Mary …
In thanksgiving (last 27 days): Sweet Mother Mary, I offer thee this Spiritual Communion to bind my bouquets in a wreath to place upon thy brow in thanksgiving for (specify request, see below) which thou in thy love hast obtained for me. Hail, Mary, etc.
PETITION: May our Church and our country find hope as we unite at the foot of the cross. (Please add your own petitions to this powerful novena)
All of the daily Novena Prayers and Reflections are found in this book: 54 Day Basic Training in Holiness
All of the daily Novena Prayers and Reflections are also posted at usgraceforce.com
You can join the United State Grace Force Facebook group HERE, to receive the reflections each day.
Spanish language Novena prayers and reflections are available at https://rosarycoasttocoast.
Those who would like to pray with others via The Telephone Rosary, call 1-951-799-9866 daily at 6 pm Eastern.
Enroll in the worldwide Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary! Click here: https://championshrine.
You are welcomed to join Fr. Richard Heilman as he prays the rosary "over our country" at sunrise from a lookout tower atop Blue Mounds State Park:
Fifteen Sunday after Pentecost
WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION
Luke, Chapter 7,
Verse 16
FEAR
seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has
arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.”
This was said after Jesus had raised the widow’s son in Nain. There exists no better model for Godly leadership than our Lord. Everything he said he did. He had compassion for the high and the low. He had compassion for this poor widow. He looked around him and where he saw misery; he acted. He healed the sick, cast out evil spirits and raised the dead. They came to Him broken and empty, and He filled them with faith, hope and love as well as taking physical action to help with their suffering. His focus was to restore the widow her son: to restore the family which is the true tabernacle of the Holy Spirit.
ON KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY HOLY[1]
My esteemed Brothers in the
Episcopate
and the Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Introduction
2. The Resurrection of Jesus is the
fundamental event upon which Christian faith rests (cf. 1 Cor 15:14). It
is an astonishing reality, fully grasped in the light of faith, yet
historically attested to by those who were privileged to see the Risen Lord. It
is a wondrous event which is not only absolutely unique in human history, but
which lies at the very heart of the mystery of time. In fact, "all
time belongs to [Christ] and all the ages", as the evocative liturgy of
the Easter Vigil recalls in preparing the Paschal Candle. Therefore, in
commemorating the day of Christ's Resurrection not just once a year but every
Sunday, the Church seeks to indicate to every generation the true fulcrum of
history, to which the mystery of the world's origin and its final destiny
leads.
It is right, therefore, to claim, in
the words of a fourth century homily, that "the Lord's Day" is
"the lord of days". Those who have received the grace of faith in the
Risen Lord cannot fail to grasp the significance of this day of the week with
the same deep emotion which led Saint Jerome to say: "Sunday is the day of
the Resurrection, it is the day of Christians, it is our day". For
Christians, Sunday is "the fundamental feast day", established not
only to mark the succession of time but to reveal time's deeper meaning.
Fifteenth Sunday after
Pentecost
The focus
of this Sunday instructs us to weep over lost souls and rejoice
over converted ones. Today the church retells the rising of the widow of Nain’s
dead son by Christ.
THE Introit of the Mass of this day is a fervent
prayer which may be said in any need or adversity. ‘Bow down Thy ear, O Lord,
to me and hear me; save Thy servant, O my God, that trusteth in Thee; have
mercy on me, O Lord, for I have cried to Thee all day. Give joy to the soul of
Thy servant, for to Thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul.”
Prayer.
May continued mercy purify and defend Thy Church, O
Lord; and since without Thee it cannot remain safe, may it ever be governed by
Thy bounty!
EPISTLE. Gal. v. 25, 26; vi. 1-10.
Brethren: If we live in the Spirit, let us also
walk in the Spirit. Let us not be made desirous of vainglory, provoking one
another, envying one another. And if a man be overtaken in any fault, you, who
are spiritual, instruct such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering
thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so you
shall fulfil the law of Christ. For if any man think himself to be something,
whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let everyone prove his own work,
and so he shall have glory in himself only, and not in another. For everyone
shall bear his own burden. And let him that is instructed in the word
communicate to him that instructed him, in all good things. Be not deceived:
God is not mocked. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap.
For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption: but
he that soweth in the Spirit, of the Spirit shall reap life everlasting. And in
doing good, let us not fail for in due time we shall reap, not failing.
Therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good to all men, but especially to
those who are of the household of the faith.
Explanation.
From this epistle we learn that humility should
teach and admonish us to think little of ourselves to shun self-confidence and
vainglory; charity should incite us, on the other hand, to be meek, loving,
compassionate, and kind to every man, even to sinners; to administer correction
to the erring only with charity, for if this be done with impertinent and
insolent zeal, we shall not only fail to correct offenders, but shall ourselves
fall into the same temptations and sins; for God, by a common and just judgment,
allows the proud, who look down upon others sins, to fall into sin themselves,
that they may learn to be humble, and to have compassion upon those who have
gone astray.
Aspiration.
O St. Paul, procure for me, by thy prayers, the
grace of God, that I may continually walk in humility, may always love my
neighbor, and, in particular, may bear with patience his faults and frailties,
that so I may fulfil the law of God, and reap an abundant harvest.
GOSPEL. Luke vii. 11-16.
At
that time Jesus went into a city that is called Nairn: and there went with Him
His disciples, and a great multitude. And when He came nigh to the gate of the
city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she
was a widow: and a great multitude of the city was with her. Whom when the Lord
had seen, being moved with mercy towards her, He said to her: Weep not. And He
came near and touched the brier. And they that carried it stood still. And He
said: young man, I say to thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up and began to
speak. And He gave him to his mother. And there came a fear on them all: and
they glorified God, saying: A great prophet is risen up among us: and God hath
visited His people.
Why
did Christ have compassion on this widow?
To show us that God takes forsaken and afflicted
widows under His care, and becomes Himself their comforter and helper, and to
teach us that we should do likewise. Christ had, however, still other grounds
for His compassion; for He foresaw in this dead youth of Nairn the death of the
sinner, and in the affliction of the mother the grief which the Church would
suffer over the spiritual loss of so many children.
“Why
did Christ say to this widow, Weep not?”
To
intimate that He would restore her son to her, and at the same time to teach us
that we should not mourn and weep to excess for the dead. St. Paul therefore
admonishes us not to be sorrowful in regard to the dead, as others who have no
hope of resurrection (i. Thess. iv. 12).
Why
did Christ command the bearers to stand still?
To
awaken their confidence and to put it beyond doubt that the resurrection of the
dead proceeded from Him. This should teach us that a soul that is dead cannot
be restored to life so long as the passions which have caused its death, and
borne it, as it were, to the grave, are not brought to a stop.
What
more do we learn from this gospel?
That
no one, however young, is safe from death; and that everyone, therefore, should
be always prepared for it.
What is often the cause of early
death among young persons?
1. Gluttony and intemperance
(Alcohol/Drug use); for by surfeiting and intemperance more perish than by the
sword (Ecclus. xxxvii. 34).
2. Lust.
3. Anger “If you bite and devour
one another, take heed you be not consumed one of another” (Gal. v. 15). From
angry words often come strife and blows, and not infrequently murder itself.
4. Disobedience. We have dreadful
examples to show that God has taken out of the world, early and suddenly,
disobedient children, for instance, Absalom. Not without reason does God say to
children “Honor thy father and mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee,
that thou mayest live a long time, and it may be well with thee in the land”
(Deut. v. 16).
ON DEATH
Certain
it is that we shall die, but uncertain the hour of our death. Would that we
might never forget this truth that we might earnestly think of it every day!
How different our lives would then be! Have mercy, then, on thine own soul.
Keep thyself in readiness so live that thou mayest have no reason to fear
death. Do in thy lifetime what in the hour of death you will wish that you had
done. Die daily, with St. Paul, by crucifying the flesh with its desires and
lusts, and by voluntarily loosening thy heart from the world, its goods, and
its vanities, before death does this for you by violence. In time of temptation
and passion think of these truths and resist then to die will not be too hard.
Who is it that fears not death…?
Whoever walks without blame, doing
what is right, speaking truth from the heart; Who does not slander with his
tongue, does no harm to a friend, never defames a neighbor; Who disdains the
wicked, but honors those who fear the LORD; Who keeps an oath despite the cost,
lends no money at interest, accepts no bribe against the innocent.
World Suicide Prevention Day[2]
There’s been a rising epidemic in the US, and that
epidemic is suicide. If we don’t know someone who had committed suicide, it’s
almost certain that we know someone who has attempted it. Suicide is a problem
that affects all age groups, genders, and social strata, and it seems sometimes
to be utterly inescapable. World Suicide Prevention Day raises awareness about
this tragic issue and works to prevent it through education and support of
those who struggle with suicidal ideation every day. It’s a tragic situation,
with the death toll coming in at 42,773 people committing suicide each year in
the United States alone, and for each one of those 25 people made the attempt.
Over the world it’s even greater, an estimated 800,000 people commit suicide
each year throughout the world, which is one every 40 seconds. What’s
incredible is that just like the US statistic, it’s estimated that 25 times
that attempt it, 4 million people over the world every year. There’s something
of a ripple down effect that happens as well, those bereaved by the loss of a
loved one to suicide are themselves more likely to commit suicide.
Divine Mercy After Suicide[3]by Chris Alar
My grandmother, Mary Alar, was a special lady. My father told many stories about her, including how her family removed her from school in the sixth grade so she could work as a maid to help support them. Then, two days before her wedding day, her fiancé́ was killed in an auto accident. Later, she met my grandfather, but her life was still quite difficult. By 1993, she was suffering greatly — emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It became unbearable for her. At the time, I was finishing college and didn’t even know how much pain my grandmother was enduring. In a shock to me, my grandmother committed suicide on Father’s Day. Ten years later, I told my confessor that I was not “there for her” — even at the funeral. I mean, I was there physically, but not emotionally or spiritually. I was so concerned about my degree, my job, my new home, and my girlfriend, that I don’t even remember praying for her. I told him that this bothered me, because my grandmother had already been judged by God, and I missed my opportunity to pray for her and help her. What I really feared most arose from something I’d heard long ago about the Church teaching that if you commit suicide, you automatically go to hell.
Then the priest did
something that changed my life.
He said, “Go home tonight and pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the salvation of your grandmother’s soul. This is an incredibly powerful prayer.” I had never heard of the Chaplet. I said, “Huh? Father, she’s already been judged, so it’s too late. She died 10 years ago! She’s in Heaven (I hope) or hell (I hope not). At best, my prayers might relieve some of her time in Purgatory, if she even made it that far, but her eternal fate has already been determined. There is nothing that can be done about that now.” He said, “Look, God is outside of time. There is no past or future for God, but only one big eternal present moment. God sees everything at one instant. From the beginning of time to the end of the world, He sees it all instantaneously without compromising our free will. How do you think that the Virgin Mary was immaculately conceived?” I said, “By the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.” He said, “Yes, but how could Mary be immaculately conceived by these merits when Jesus hadn’t even been born yet? Because God is outside of time. Your prayers are eternal, and the graces given by God from those prayers, because He is not constrained by space or time, can go in any direction: past, present, or future. Christ’s sacrifice is eternally present before the Father, and so are our prayers if we unite them to the Cross of Christ.”
I sat there shaking my head, saying, “Wow, Father, this is amazing.” But I still wasn’t totally getting it. It sounded too good to be true. He continued, “Think of it this way, Chris. God knew back in 1993 that you would be here today, in 2003, and tonight you would pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for your grandmother’s soul. And since God is so merciful, so loving, He will put those prayers into the hands of Mary, the Mediatrix of All Graces, and He will allow those prayers from today to be carried back in Mary’s hands and showered over your grandmother’s soul back in 1993, at the moment of her judgment, to help her.”
He continued, “You see, suicide is a grave sin, and she will need all the help she can get. So, with God’s grace, through your prayers, she may be better able to say ‘yes’ to God.” (That is why John Paul II called each of us “mini co-redeemers” — because we can share in Christ’s act of redemption).
The priest added, “In the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, she records that Jesus visited the despairing soul three times to save it from hell (Diary, 1486), so we can infer that the souls of our loved ones have the chance to repent, say ‘yes’ to Him, and be saved.”
I said, “Father, we’re good here then, because there’s no way my grandmother will not say ‘yes’ to Jesus when she sees Him. This is awesome! Thank you, Father. Have a great day.”
Blinded by sin.
He stopped me: “Hold on — there’s a problem. You said she had fallen away from the Church. Do you know if she received the Sacraments?”
“I don’t know,” I replied.
“The problem,” he said, “is your grandmother, for whatever reason, may have turned her back on God. If this is the case, she may not recognize Jesus when He comes.”
“Oh, man,” I said. “I thought all was good, but now I am worried that she could be lost because she might not recognize Jesus, and therefore be unable to say ‘yes’ to Him!”
“You didn’t let me finish,” he said. “She may not recognize Him without your prayers. But with your prayers, she will be given more grace through intercessory prayer allowed by the mercy of God. That is why Mary said at Fatima that there are many souls lost to hell … because there is nobody to pray for them! Your prayers are like a squadron of dive bombers coming in from 2003, to aid in the war being fought for her soul back in 1993. They are coming in on the hands of Mary, back to your grandmother during her personal judgment (again, because God is outside of time). The graces from these Chaplets you pray for her may be enough grace for her to turn around and say ‘yes’ to God when otherwise she wouldn’t be able to.”
The priest went on, “What happens when we sin and turn our
backs on God? We put a veil between God and ourselves, blurring our vision of
Him. But your prayers can help to lift that veil so that your grandmother may
see God more clearly, and she has a much better chance of recognizing God for
who He is. But remember, she has to say “yes” — you cannot say “yes” for her.
But you can certainly help. This is the whole point of intercessory prayer.”
My confessor continued, “Your grandmother is like a wounded soldier who cannot help herself as she lies on the battlefield, in danger of death. Your prayers come in like a fellow soldier, putting her on your shoulders, and taking her to safety. Now, she still has to cooperate and let you assist her, and she needs to have the will to live. That choice is hers. But your prayers, Chris, can offer her the help at the moment of her judgment to determine if she survives or not — meaning salvation.”
I said, “Father, this is absolutely amazing.”
Hope for those who’ve committed suicide.
I said, “I heard that the Church says that those who commit suicide are condemned to hell and lost forever.” He said, “The Church doesn’t teach that.” What does the Church say about suicide? The Catechism tells us:
Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide. We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives (2282- 2283; emphasis added).
“So, there is hope!” the priest said. “The Church says that we entrust these people to the mercy of God. So, your prayers even now, 10 years later, can make a difference. And the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is one of the most powerful prayers you can offer for someone in dire need of God’s mercy.”
We then talked about a relative who had died after 20 years in which we all prayed for a conversion — and this person never converted, never came back to the Church. I told the priest that my dad said, “Well, there’s 20 years of prayer wasted.”
Is that true? No! Again, he referenced St. Faustina’s Diary, and this added the final straw to the proverbial camel’s back that was my former life. I was now changed forever.
Saint Faustina wrote:
God’s mercy sometimes touches the sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and mysterious way. Outwardly it seems as if everything were lost. [This is what it looked like for my grandmother.] But it is not so. The soul illuminated by a ray of God’s powerful final grace turns to God in the last moment with such a power of love that, in an instant, it receives from God forgiveness of sin and punishment, while outwardly it shows no sign either of repentance or of contrition, because souls [at that stage] no longer react to external things. Oh, how beyond comprehension is God’s mercy! … Although a person is at the point of death, the merciful God gives the soul that interior vivid moment, so that if the soul is willing, it has the possibility of returning to God (Diary, 1698).
Share God’s Mercy
I broke down in disbelief. I said, “Father, we have a God
so merciful, so loving, so generous, that He will allow my grandma this chance
for salvation? And He will allow me to still help her even though I missed my
chance so many years ago?”
He said, “Yes, this is the power of the Chaplet, even for
those who have taken their own life or who have died years ago.”
He made it clear that a soul cannot be removed from hell —
this is Church teaching. What he was saying, however, is that as part of
the Mystical Body of Christ, we can aid in each other’s salvation through our
prayers. As Jesus told St. Faustina, “Help
Me, My daughter, to save souls. Join your sufferings to My Passion and offer
them to the heavenly Father for sinners” (Diary, 1032).
I said, “Father, I need to spend the rest of my life spreading this message of God’s Divine Mercy.”
Now, this message is the foundation of my priesthood.
So, if you have ever known someone who appeared to be a lost soul, especially those who committed suicide, don’t give up! There is hope! You can help, and this is all possible because we are members of the Body of Christ.
Pray for the dead!
Therefore, I ask you all to pray for your loved ones who have died, even if they’ve died 10, 20, or 50 years ago. We should never conclude that a soul is definitely lost. As Jesus said to St. Faustina, “There are moments and there are mysteries of the divine mercy over which the heavens are astounded. Let our judgment of souls cease, for God’s mercy upon them is extraordinary” (Diary, 1684).
Jesus, I trust in You!
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN
MYSTERY
SECTION ONE-THE
SACRAMENTAL ECONOMY
CHAPTER TWO-THE SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATION OF
THE PASCHAL MYSTERY
Article 1-CELEBRATING THE CHURCH'S LITURGY
III. When is the Liturgy
Celebrated?
Liturgical seasons
1163 "Holy Mother Church
believes that she should celebrate the saving work of her divine Spouse in a
sacred commemoration on certain days throughout the course of the year. Once
each week, on the day which she has called the Lord's Day, she keeps the memory
of the Lord's resurrection. She also celebrates it once every year, together
with his blessed Passion, at Easter, that most solemn of all feasts. In the
course of the year, moreover, she unfolds the whole mystery of Christ .... Thus
recalling the mysteries of the redemption, she opens up to the faithful the
riches of her Lord's powers and merits, so that these are in some way made
present in every age; the faithful lay hold of them and are filled with saving
grace."
1164 From the time of the Mosaic
law, the People of God have observed fixed feasts, beginning with Passover, to
commemorate the astonishing actions of the Savior God, to give him thanks for
them, to perpetuate their remembrance, and to teach new generations to conform
their conduct to them. In the age of the Church, between the Passover of Christ
already accomplished once for all, and its consummation in the kingdom of God,
the liturgy celebrated on fixed days bears the imprint of the newness of the
mystery of Christ.
1165 When the Church celebrates the
mystery of Christ, there is a word that marks her prayer: "Today!" -
a word echoing the prayer her Lord taught her and the call of the Holy Spirit. This
"today" of the living God which man is called to enter is "the
hour" of Jesus' Passover, which reaches across and underlies all history:
Life extends over all beings and
fills them with unlimited light; the Orient of orients pervades the universe,
and he who was "before the daystar" and before the heavenly bodies,
immortal and vast, the great Christ, shines over all beings more brightly than
the sun. Therefore a day of long, eternal light is ushered in for us who
believe in him, a day which is never blotted out: the mystical Passover.
The Lord's day
1166 "By a tradition handed
down from the apostles which took its origin from the very day of Christ's
Resurrection, the Church celebrates the Paschal mystery every seventh day,
which day is appropriately called the Lord's Day or Sunday." The day
of Christ's Resurrection is both the first day of the week, the memorial of the
first day of creation, and the "eighth day," on which Christ after
his "rest" on the great sabbath inaugurates the "day that the
Lord has made," the "day that knows no evening." The Lord's
Supper is its center, for there the whole community of the faithful encounters
the risen Lord who invites them to his banquet:
The Lord's day, the day of
Resurrection, the day of Christians, is our day. It is called the Lord's day
because on it the Lord rose victorious to the Father. If pagans call it the
"day of the sun," we willingly agree, for today the light of the
world is raised, today is revealed the sun of justice with healing in his rays.
1167 Sunday is the pre-eminent day
for the liturgical assembly, when the faithful gather "to listen to the
word of God and take part in the Eucharist, thus calling to mind the Passion,
Resurrection, and glory of the Lord Jesus, and giving thanks to God who 'has
begotten them again, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead' unto a
living hope":
When we ponder, O Christ, the
marvels accomplished on this day, the Sunday of your holy resurrection, we say:
"Blessed is Sunday, for on it began creation . . . the world's salvation
... the renewal of the human race .... On Sunday heaven and earth rejoiced and
the whole universe was filled with light. Blessed is Sunday, for on it were
opened the gates of paradise so that Adam and all the exiles might enter it
without fear.
The liturgical year
1168 Beginning with the Easter
Triduum as its source of light, the new age of the Resurrection fills the whole
liturgical year with its brilliance. Gradually, on either side of this source,
the year is transfigured by the liturgy. It really is a "year of the
Lord's favor." The economy of salvation is at work within the
framework of time, but since its fulfillment in the Passover of Jesus and the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the culmination of history is anticipated
"as a foretaste," and the kingdom of God enters into our time.
1169 Therefore Easter is not simply
one feast among others, but the "Feast of feasts," the
"Solemnity of solemnities," just as the Eucharist is the
"Sacrament of sacraments" (the Great Sacrament). St. Athanasius calls
Easter "the Great Sunday" and the Eastern Churches call Holy
Week "the Great Week." the mystery of the Resurrection, in which
Christ crushed death, permeates with its powerful energy our old time, until
all is subjected to him.
1170 At the Council of Nicaea in
325, all the Churches agreed that Easter, the Christian Passover, should be
celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon (14 Nisan) after the
vernal equinox. the reform of the Western calendar, called "Gregorian"
after Pope Gregory XIII (1582), caused a discrepancy of several days with the
Eastern calendar. Today, the Western and Eastern Churches are seeking an
agreement in order once again to celebrate the day of the Lord's Resurrection
on a common date.
1171 In the liturgical year the
various aspects of the one Paschal mystery unfold. This is also the case with
the cycle of feasts surrounding the mystery of the incarnation (Annunciation,
Christmas, Epiphany). They commemorate the beginning of our salvation and
communicate to us the first fruits of the Paschal mystery.
The sanctoral in the liturgical
year
1172 "In celebrating this
annual cycle of the mysteries of Christ, Holy Church honors the Blessed Mary,
Mother of God, with a special love. She is inseparably linked with the saving
work of her Son. In her the Church admires and exalts the most excellent fruit
of redemption and joyfully contemplates, as in a faultless image, that which
she herself desires and hopes wholly to be."
1173 When the Church keeps the
memorials of martyrs and other saints during the annual cycle, she proclaims
the Paschal mystery in those "who have suffered and have been glorified
with Christ. She proposes them to the faithful as examples who draw all men to
the Father through Christ, and through their merits she begs for God's
favors."
The Liturgy of the Hours
1174 The mystery of Christ, his
Incarnation and Passover, which we celebrate in the Eucharist especially at the
Sunday assembly, permeates and transfigures the time of each day, through the
celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, "the divine office." This
celebration, faithful to the apostolic exhortations to "pray
constantly," is "so devised that the whole course of the day and
night is made holy by the praise of God." In this "public prayer
of the Church," The faithful (clergy, religious, and lay people)
exercise the royal priesthood of the baptized. Celebrated in "the form
approved" by the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours "is truly the voice
of the Bride herself addressed to her Bridegroom. It is the very prayer which
Christ himself together with his Body addresses to the Father.
1175 The Liturgy of the Hours is
intended to become the prayer of the whole People of God. In it Christ himself
"continues his priestly work through his Church." His members
participate according to their own place in the Church and the circumstances of
their lives: priests devoted to the pastoral ministry, because they are called
to remain diligent in prayer and the service of the word; religious, by the
charism of their consecrated lives; all the faithful as much as possible:
"Pastors of souls should see to it that the principal hours, especially
Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and on the more solemn
feasts. the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with
the priests, or among themselves, or even individually."
1176 The celebration of the Liturgy
of the Hours demands not only harmonizing the voice with the praying heart, but
also a deeper "understanding of the liturgy and of the Bible, especially
of the Psalms."
1177 The hymns and litanies of the
Liturgy of the Hours integrate the prayer of the psalms into the age of the
Church, expressing the symbolism of the time of day, the liturgical season, or
the feast being celebrated. Moreover, the reading from the Word of God at each
Hour (with the subsequent responses or troparia) and readings from the Fathers
and spiritual masters at certain Hours, reveal more deeply the meaning of the
mystery being celebrated, assist in understanding the psalms, and prepare for
silent prayer. the lectio divina, where the Word of God is so read and
meditated that it becomes prayer, is thus rooted in the liturgical celebration.
1178 The Liturgy of the Hours,
which is like an extension of the Eucharistic celebration, does not exclude but
rather in a complementary way calls forth the various devotions of the People
of God, especially adoration and worship of the Blessed Sacrament.
Daily Devotions
·
Today in honor of the
Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no
shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday. Don’t forget the internet.
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Restoring
the Constitution
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: September
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[2]https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-suicide-prevention-day/
[3]https://divinemercyforlostsouls.blogspot.com/2017/12/very-good-article.html
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