Monday Night at the Movies
Mel Gibson, The Passion of the Christ, 2004.
ST
DENIS- COLUMBUS DAY HOLIDAY-LEIF ERIKSON DAY
Jonah, Chapter 1,
verse 9-10:
9 “I am a Hebrew,” he replied; “I FEAR the LORD,
the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
10Now the men were seized with great fear
and said to him, “How could you do such a thing!”—They knew that he was fleeing
from the LORD, because he had told them.
Jonah as wise as he was tried to flee the Lord, are we
any wiser. We often choose the wrong path. Jonah was motivated but not by love.
He wanted justice and not mercy for Nineveh. Our Lord desires to give us his
mercy and we should seek it and give it as often as possible.
I
thirst!”[1]
In
the night and the day that followed the Last Supper, Jesus was betrayed by one
of his own. He was delivered over to the authorities in such humiliating
powerlessness that even those who thought they loved him fled. He who came to
reveal to us the God who is Love, fell into the hands of loveless men. Then,
before the eyes of John, the only apostle who was present at the Lord’s
execution, and his mother Mary, he died an appalling death. Here at the center
of the mystery of our redemption, the full measure of the “marvelous exchange”
begins to be unveiled. The Son of God not only became the Son of Man,
fulfilling beyond expectation the great hope contained in the psalms and the
prophets. Jesus came to be the purifying flame of Love in our midst, unsettling
a world that had become comfortable in its estrangement from God. He came to
pour his Spirit on us and reconcile us to the Father. When St. Paul tells us
that the Son of God “emptied himself”, he does not mention only Jesus’ birth.
When the Son of God took on our humanity, his “exchange” with us goes all the
way to the end: “Being found in human form, he humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even death on a cross”. Elsewhere, St. Paul points to the
same unfathomable mystery of solidarity with sinners that John the Baptist had
glimpsed at the Jordan: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so
that in him we might become the righteousness of God”. When we gaze with Mary
and John on Christ, who “died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures”,
we come face to face with all the consequences of the Incarnation. In joining
himself to his creation, the Son of God took on all our fate. He took on even
the thirst of a world suffering its self-inflicted estrangement from God. Even
death. For centuries, the faithful people of Israel thirsted for God like the
dry earth. They prayed, “My throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting
for my God”. All of humanity thirsted, for by sinning, we had rejected the
source of our life. We had defended ourselves against the God who is Love. Yet
our suffering in “this time of God’s absence” was as nothing before the
terrible cry Mary and John heard at the foot of the cross. “Jesus, knowing that
all was now finished, said (to fulfill the scripture), ‘I thirst!’. The
tortured, dying man thirsted for water – but also for love. He thirsted for our
love, for he had come to espouse mankind to himself. And although he was “true
God from true God … consubstantial with the Father,” he thirsted even for God.
John could not have imagined such a use – or fulfillment – of the words of the
psalms as when the Son of God cried out his thirst to his Father: “My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?” When John heard this, he somehow understood.
Those words were written for this day. They were prayed through the centuries
so that Jesus might sum up all human thirst for God, all suffering and
forsakenness, in himself. These words were handed down from generation to
generation so that when the Son used them to express his own thirst, suffering,
and forsakenness to his Father, our words would become divine words of
unbreakable, unsurpassable love. “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit,”
Jesus cried. Finally, “he bowed his head” and handed over the Spirit that bound
Father and Son. He made even his death a revelation of the unbreakable
communion of Love that is God. When a Roman centurion pierced Jesus’ side with
a spear, John, Mary, and the centurion himself saw blood and water – a sign of
Christ’s divinity and humanity – gush forth over the parched earth. The
covenant was established. It would never be broken. The divine bridegroom had
truly loved us “to the end”. Even the centurion, an unbeliever who knew neither
the psalms nor the prophets, recognized this radiant humility and saw the glory
of this love: “When the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus
breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly, this man was the Son of God!’”
Feast of St. Denis[2]
St. Denis was born in Italy. In 250 he was sent to France with six other missionary bishops by Pope Fabian. Denis became the first bishop of Paris. He was beheaded in 258 with the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius at Catulliacum, now Saint-Denis. One of the many legends about his torture and death was that his body carried his severed head some distance from his execution site. St. Denis is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers who was invoked particularly in the Middle Ages against the Black Plague.
Patron: against frenzy; against strife; headaches; against
diabolical possession; France; Paris, France.
Symbols: beheaded bishop carrying his head
— sometimes a vine growing over his neck; mitered head in his hand or on book;
white chasuble; tree or stake; sword; Our Lord with chalice and host.
Things to Do:
- Learn
more about the Fourteen Holy Helpers and their historical context.
- Bake
a French (or Parisian) pastry. Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf has
3 recipes for St. Denis — St. Denis Turnovers, Saint Denis Tartlets and
Brioche Saint-Denis (Praline Cake).
- Read
in The Golden Legend for some of the legends or
stories about St. Denis.
Columbus
Day[3]
Columbus Day is the celebration of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas on October 12, 1492. Christopher Columbus was an Italian-born explorer who discovered the Americas for the Spanish King Ferdinand of Spain. Columbus set off into the Atlantic with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. Two months later he would set foot on the Bahamas and establish settlements on Hispanola Island (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Upon his return to Spain, he spoke of gold in the New World and thus the Americas were opened up for European colonization. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared October 12th every year as Columbus Day. In the US, Columbus Day is celebrated by all US states except for Hawaii, South Dakota and Alaska. Columbus Day now occurs on the second Monday in October each year.
Columbus Day Facts & Quotes
·
Colorado was the first state to officially
recognize and celebrate Columbus Day in 1906.
·
Christopher Columbus' first settlement on
Hispaniola Island was called Villa de Navidad (Christmas Town)
·
In 1971, the official holiday was moved to the
second Monday in October in order to give workers in the US a long weekend.
This was part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
·
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever
achieve greatly. - Robert F. Kennedy
·
You can never cross the ocean unless you have the
courage to lose sight of the shore. - Christopher Columbus
Columbus Day Top Events and Things
to Do
·
Attend the Columbus Day Parade. The parade
in New York City is one of the largest.
·
Eat some good Italian food.
·
Watch a parade.
·
Visit the Library of Congress's online exhibit 1492:
An Ongoing Voyage.
·
Host a scavenger hunt for the neighborhood kids
and let them become Explorers for the afternoon.
Thanks to the efforts of Father Michael J. McGivney,
assistant pastor of St. Mary’s Church in New Haven and some of his
parishioners, the Connecticut state legislature on March 29, 1882, officially
chartered the Knights of Columbus as a fraternal benefit society. The Order is
still true to its founding principles of charity, unity and fraternity. The
Knights was formed to render financial aid to members and their families.
Mutual aid and assistance are offered to sick, disabled and needy members and
their families. Social and intellectual fellowship is promoted among members
and their families through educational, charitable, religious, social welfare,
war relief and public relief works. The history of the Order shows how the
foresight of Father Michael J. McGivney, whose cause for sainthood is being
investigated by the Vatican, brought about what has become the world's foremost
Catholic fraternal benefit society. The Order has helped families obtain
economic security and stability through its life insurance, annuity and
long-term care programs, and has contributed time and energy worldwide to
service in communities. The Knights of Columbus has grown from several members
in one council to 15,342 councils and 1.9 million members throughout the United
States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Puerto
Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guatemala, Guam, Saipan,
Lithuania, Ukraine, and South Korea
Leif Erikson Day[5]
Leif Erikson Day serves to honor Viking Explorer Leif Erikson and celebrate Nordic-American Heritage. Erikson is believed to have been the first European to set foot on the North American continent, having done so nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus. He established a settlement called Vinland and although its exact location is not known, it is believed that it is near L'anse aux Meadows, in Newfoundland, Canada, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1925, Leif Erikson was officially recognized by President Calvin Coolidge as the first explorer to discover the continent. It took another four decades for the day to become official when, in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared October 9th as Leif Erikson Day. In 2015, President Barack Obama reproclaimed the day and called upon Americans to celebrate the day appropriately in honor of Nordic-American heritage and the explorers that embarked on the expeditions that led to the creation of the United States.
Leif Erikson Day Facts & Quotes
·
Leif Erikson was actually born in Iceland, but
his family was Norwegian. He died in Greenland in the year 1020.
·
On October 9, 1825, the first wave of Norwegian
immigrants arrived on US soil in New York City. Between 1825 and 1925, nearly
one-third of Norway's population immigrated to the US.
·
Erikson named his settlement Vinland or Wineland
due to the many grape vines that he discovered there.
·
There are more than 4.5 million Americans with
Norwegian ancestry living in the US today, of which 55% live in the Upper
Midwest states.
·
Histories have been written and more will be
written of the Norwegians in America, but no man can tell adequately of the
tearing asunder of tender ties, the hardships and dangers crossing the deep,
the work and worry, the hopes and fears, the laughter and tears, of men and
women who with bare hands carved out of a wilderness a new kingdom. - Rønning,
N. N., from the book Fifty Years in America
Leif Erikson Day Top Events and
Things to Do
·
Purchase a Leif Ericson Millennium Commemorative
Coin from the US Mint. The coins were released at the beginning of the century
however you can purchase some from collectors online or even try to find them
in public circulation.
·
Visit one of the many Leif Erikson statues in
the United States. There are statues in Boston, Milwaukee, Chicago, Cleveland,
Virginia, Seattle, Minnesota and North Dakota.
·
Take a trip to Iceland, Norway or Greenland and
visit the homelands of Leif Erikson.
·
Take a trip to UNESCO site of L'Anse aux Meadows
in Newfoundland, Canada. This is believed to be the site of Erikson's first New
World settlement.
·
Watch a movie about Vikings and Leif Erikson.
Some movies include Leif Ericson (2000) and The Vikings (1958), The
Viking Sagas (1995) and the 13th Warrior (1999).
· Have Beer and Pizza while watching a Viking movie.
·
Note: It was a Norwegian who discovered America
and it was also a Norwegian who was the first to get to the South
Pole and back.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN
MYSTERY
SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN
SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER ONE-THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN
INITIATION
Article 3-THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST
V. The Sacramental Sacrifice Thanksgiving, Memorial, Presence
1356 If from the beginning
Christians have celebrated the Eucharist and in a form whose substance has not
changed despite the great diversity of times and liturgies, it is because we
know ourselves to be bound by the command the Lord gave on the eve of his
Passion: "Do this in remembrance of me."
1357 We carry out this command
of the Lord by celebrating the memorial of his sacrifice. In so doing, we offer
to the Father what he has himself given us: the gifts of his creation, bread
and wine which, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ,
have become the body and blood of Christ. Christ is thus really and
mysteriously made present.
1358 We must therefore consider
the Eucharist as: - thanksgiving and praise to the Father;
- the sacrificial memorial of Christ and his Body;
- the presence of Christ by the power of his word and of his Spirit.
Thanksgiving and praise to the
Father
1359 The Eucharist, the
sacrament of our salvation accomplished by Christ on the cross, is also a
sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for the work of creation. In the
Eucharistic sacrifice the whole of creation loved by God is presented to the
Father through the death and the Resurrection of Christ. Through Christ the
Church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has
made good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity.
1360 The Eucharist is a
sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church
expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has
accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means
first of all "thanksgiving."
1361 The Eucharist is also the
sacrifice of praise by which the Church sings the glory of God in the name of
all creation. This sacrifice of praise is possible only through Christ: he
unites the faithful to his person, to his praise, and to his intercession, so
that the sacrifice of praise to the Father is offered through Christ and with
him, to be accepted in him.
The sacrificial memorial of
Christ and of his Body, the Church
1362 The Eucharist is the
memorial of Christ's Passover, the making present and the sacramental offering
of his unique sacrifice, in the liturgy of the Church which is his Body. In all
the Eucharistic Prayers we find after the words of institution a prayer called
the anamnesis or memorial.
1363 In the sense of Sacred
Scripture the memorial is not merely the recollection of past events, but the
proclamation of the mighty works wrought by God for men. In the liturgical
celebration of these events, they become in a certain way present and real.
This is how Israel understands its liberation from Egypt: every time Passover
is celebrated, the Exodus events are made present to the memory of believers so
that they may conform their lives to them.
1364 In the New Testament, the
memorial takes on a new meaning. When the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she
commemorates Christ's Passover, and it is made present the sacrifice Christ
offered once for all on the cross remains ever present. "As often as
the sacrifice of the Cross by which 'Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed' is
celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried out."
1365 Because it is the memorial
of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice. The sacrificial
character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very words of institution:
"This is my body which is given for you" and "This cup which is
poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood." In the Eucharist
Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very
blood which he "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
1366 The Eucharist is thus a
sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross,
because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit:
[Christ], our Lord and God, was
once and for all to offer himself to God the Father by his death on the altar
of the cross, to accomplish there an everlasting redemption. But because his
priesthood was not to end with his death, at the Last Supper "on the night
when he was betrayed," [he wanted] to leave to his beloved spouse the
Church a visible sacrifice (as the nature of man demands) by which the bloody
sacrifice which he was to accomplish once for all on the cross would be
re-presented, its memory perpetuated until the end of the world, and its
salutary power be applied to the forgiveness of the sins we daily commit.
1367 The sacrifice of Christ
and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim
is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who
then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is
different." "In this divine sacrifice, which is celebrated in the
Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar
of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner."
1368 The Eucharist is also the
sacrifice of the Church. the Church which is the Body of Christ participates in
the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is offered whole and entire.
She unites herself to his intercession with the Father for all men. In the Eucharist
the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body.
the lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer, and work, are
united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new
value. Christ's sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all
generations of Christians to be united with his offering.
In the catacombs the Church is
often represented as a woman in prayer, arms outstretched in the praying
position. Like Christ who stretched out his arms on the cross, through him,
with him, and in him, she offers herself and intercedes for all men.
1369 The whole Church is united
with the offering and intercession of Christ. Since he has the ministry of
Peter in the Church, the Pope is associated with every celebration of the
Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and servant of the unity of the
universal Church. the bishop of the place is always responsible for the
Eucharist, even when a priest presides; the bishop's name is mentioned to signify
his presidency over the particular Church, in the midst of his presbyterium and
with the assistance of deacons. the community intercedes also for all ministers
who, for it and with it, offer the Eucharistic sacrifice:
Let only that Eucharist be regarded
as legitimate, which is celebrated under [the presidency of] the bishop or him
to whom he has entrusted it.
Through the ministry of
priests,
the spiritual sacrifice of the
faithful is completed in union with the sacrifice of Christ the only Mediator,
which in the Eucharist is offered through the priests' hands in the name of the
whole Church in an unbloody and sacramental manner until the Lord himself
comes.
1370 To the offering of Christ
are united not only the members still here on earth, but also those already in
the glory of heaven. In communion with and commemorating the Blessed Virgin
Mary and all the saints, the Church offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. In the
Eucharist the Church is as it were at the foot of the cross with Mary, united with
the offering and intercession of Christ.
1371 The Eucharistic sacrifice
is also offered for the faithful departed who "have died in Christ but are
not yet wholly purified," so that they may be able to enter into the
light and peace of Christ:
Put this body anywhere! Don't
trouble yourselves about it! I simply ask you to remember me at the Lord's
altar wherever you are.
Then, we pray [in the anaphora]
for the holy fathers and bishops who have fallen asleep, and in general for all
who have fallen asleep before us, in the belief that it is a great benefit to
the souls on whose behalf the supplication is offered, while the holy and
tremendous Victim is present.... By offering to God our supplications for those
who have fallen asleep, if they have sinned, we . . . offer Christ sacrificed
for the sins of all, and so render favorable, for them and for us, the God who
loves man.
1372 St. Augustine admirably
summed up this doctrine that moves us to an ever more complete participation in
our Redeemer's sacrifice which we celebrate in the Eucharist:
This wholly redeemed city, the
assembly and society of the saints, is offered to God as a universal sacrifice
by the high priest who in the form of a slave went so far as to offer himself
for us in his Passion, to make us the Body of so great a head.... Such is the
sacrifice of Christians: "we who are many are one Body in Christ" the
Church continues to reproduce this sacrifice in the sacrament of the altar so
well-known to believers wherein it is evident to them that in what she offers
she herself is offered.
The presence of Christ by the
power of his word and the Holy Spirit
1373 "Christ Jesus, who
died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who
indeed intercedes for us," is present in many ways to his Church: in
his word, in his Church's prayer, "where two or three are gathered in my
name," in the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned, in the
sacraments of which he is the author, in the sacrifice of the Mass, and in the
person of the minister. But "he is present . . . most especially in the
Eucharistic species."
1374 The mode of Christ's
presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above
all the sacraments as "the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to
which all the sacraments tend." In the most blessed sacrament of the
Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our
Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and
substantially contained." "This presence is called 'real' - by
which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could
not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to
say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly
and entirely present."
1375 It is by the conversion of
the bread and wine into Christ's body and blood that Christ becomes present in
this sacrament. the Church Fathers strongly affirmed the faith of the Church in
the efficacy of the Word of Christ and of the action of the Holy Spirit to
bring about this conversion. Thus St. John Chrysostom declares:
It is not
man that causes the things offered to become the Body and Blood of Christ, but
he who was crucified for us, Christ himself. the priest, in the role of Christ,
pronounces these words, but their power and grace are God's. This is my body,
he says. This word transforms the things offered.
and St. Ambrose says about this
conversion:
Be convinced
that this is not what nature has formed, but what the blessing has consecrated.
the power of the blessing prevails over that of nature, because by the blessing
nature itself is changed.... Could not Christ's word, which can make from
nothing what did not exist, change existing things into what they were not before?
It is no less a feat to give things their original nature than to change their
nature.
1376 The Council of Trent
summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: "Because Christ our Redeemer
said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of
bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy
Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine
there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the
substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine
into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has
fittingly and properly called transubstantiation."
1377 The Eucharistic presence
of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the
Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the
species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the
breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.
1378 Worship of the Eucharist.
In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ
under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or
bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. "The Catholic Church has
always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of
adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving the
consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration
of the faithful, and carrying them in procession."
1379 The tabernacle was first
intended for the reservation of the Eucharist in a worthy place so that it
could be brought to the sick and those absent outside of Mass. As faith in the
real presence of Christ in his Eucharist deepened, the Church became conscious
of the meaning of silent adoration of the Lord present under the Eucharistic
species. It is for this reason that the tabernacle should be located in an
especially worthy place in the church and should be constructed in such a way
that it emphasizes and manifests the truth of the real presence of Christ in
the Blessed Sacrament.
1380 It is highly fitting that
Christ should have wanted to remain present to his Church in this unique way.
Since Christ was about to take his departure from his own in his visible form,
he wanted to give us his sacramental presence; since he was about to offer
himself on the cross to save us, he wanted us to have the memorial of the love
with which he loved us "to the end," even to the giving of his
life. In his Eucharistic presence he remains mysteriously in our midst as the
one who loved us and gave himself up for us, and he remains under signs
that express and communicate this love:
The Church and the world have a
great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love.
Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in contemplation
full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of
the world. Let our adoration never cease.
1381 "That in this sacrament
are the true Body of Christ and his true Blood is something that 'cannot be
apprehended by the senses,' says St. Thomas, 'but only by faith, which relies
on divine authority.' For this reason, in a commentary on Luke 22:19 ('This is
my body which is given for you.'), St. Cyril says: 'Do not doubt whether this
is true, but rather receive the words of the Savior in faith, for since he is
the truth, he cannot lie.'"
Godhead here
in hiding, whom I do adore
Masked by
these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord,
at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all
lost in wonder at the God thou art.
Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived;
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed;
What God's Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there's nothing true.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Purity
· Eat waffles
and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: October
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Monday: Litany of
Humility
·
Rosary
[1]http://www.kofc.org/en/resources/cis/cis403.pdf?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT0RSaU16TmxNemM0T0RFeSIsInQiOiJQWHBpQmtXaHI1dEVzTVhTQWV4TzFLZU9pR0ZiNXMwRGcyU2l3b1J2cERXRkVsTGhXME01S20rZ1g3RVQ3ZEJSTkQ5TXdMRjFmc0RiV3I3ZVRGQ0lwdnRUWXBEWFUrc2QzWlk2dU1zeTFcLzF4blUwY1dOVkFqQkcxMDZXQ09rYWgifQ%3D%3D
[2]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-10-09
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