Thursday, October 26, 2023
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Try Not to Avoid the Cross
Meditation
"Let us not try to avoid the cross too much, and if we need to take it on our shoulders, let us carry it willingly out of love for the Immaculata." (KW 751)
Prayer of Consecration
O Immaculata, I renew my consecration to you. May I embrace the cross of suffering for you.
O Immaculata, please intercede...
That with you, Virgin of Mission, we may be the presence of Jesus who enters every home, communicating peace, proclaiming the Kingdom and lifting up those who suffer. (October Intention)
NATIONAL
PUMPKIN DAY
1 Maccabees, Chapter 4, Verse 8
Judas said to the men with him: Do not FEAR their numbers or dread their attack.
Why fear you? As God saved
you from Egypt at the red sea surely, he will defend us was Judas’ cry. Thus, Israel experienced a great deliverance that day. Then
again being attacked by a force ten times as large, Judas cried out, “Blessed are you, Savior of Israel, who crushed the attack of the
mighty one by the hand of your servant David and delivered the foreign camp
into the hand of Jonathan, the son of Saul, and his armor-bearer. When
Lysias saw the tide of the battle turning, and the increased boldness of Judas,
whose men were ready either to live or to die nobly, he withdrew. Then Judas
and his brothers said, “Now that our enemies have been crushed, let us go up to
purify the sanctuary and rededicate it.” So the whole army
assembled, and went up to Mount Zion. They found the
sanctuary desolate, the altar desecrated, the gates burnt, weeds growing in the
courts as in a thicket or on some mountain, and the priests’ chambers
demolished. Then they tore their garments and
made great lamentation; they sprinkled their heads with ashes and prostrated themselves. And when the signal was given with
trumpets, they cried out to Heaven. They repaired the
sanctuary. On the anniversary of the day on which the
Gentiles had desecrated it, on that very day it was rededicated with songs,
harps, lyres, and cymbals. All the people prostrated themselves and adored
and praised Heaven, who had given them success. For eight days they
celebrated the dedication of the altar and joyfully offered burnt offerings and
sacrifices of deliverance and praise. Then Judas and
his brothers and the entire assembly of Israel decreed that every year for
eight days, from the twenty-fifth day of the month Kislev, the days of the
dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness on
the anniversary. This was the institution of the feast of Hanukkah, also called
the Feast of Dedication. Josephus calls it the Feast of Lights (Ant.
12:325).
Let There Be Light![1]
According
to Jewish Talmudic tradition, when the Maccabees recaptured the Temple they
found only a day’s supply of consecrated oil with which to light the golden
lamp stand, the menorah. Miraculously, this oil burned for eight full days,
until a new supply could be consecrated. Therefore, Hanukkah is also known and
celebrated as the Feast of Lights. This Hanukkah, ask the Holy Spirit to pour
fresh oil into your lamp. When enduring a dark season, be encouraged, for God
says, “Let there be light.” At the appointed hour you will see His deliverance.
When you faithfully worship the one true God, do not be dismayed if anti-Christ
powers are enraged. These powers operate only within divinely set limits. God
is teaching us how to receive by faith, day-by-day, the anointing to not love
our own lives so as to shrink from death (Revelation 12:11).
Israel’s dark tribulation culminating with the Hanukkah victory in many ways
parallels the future Great Tribulation leading to Yeshua’s return. The holiday
commemorating the rededication of God’s Temple calls upon us to rededicate ourselves
to Him as the bodily temples in which His Spirit now dwells. (See 1Corinthians
6:19)
Remedies
for Anger[2]
The
first and best means to overcome anger is humility; to become thus humble,
gentle, and patient, one must often
consider the example of Christ, Who endured so many contradictions,
persecutions, and insults, without reviling again when reviled Himself, and
without threatening vengeance to any one for all He suffered. An excellent
preventive to anger is, to think over in the morning what causes will be likely
to draw us into anger at any time during the day, and to guard ourselves
against them beforehand, by a firm resolution to bear everything patiently for
the love of God; and then, when anything vexatious occurs and excites our
anger, to say and do nothing so long as the anger lasts.
How shall we be reconciled with our
enemies?
Not
only with the lips but from the heart, and with sincerity and promptness. “Is
he absent whom you have wronged,” says St. Augustine, “so that you cannot
easily reach him? Humble yourself then before God, and ask His pardon before
you offer your gift, with a firm resolution to be reconciled with your enemy as
soon as possible.”
Human experience confirms
the need of this Divine teaching. Only when the Fatherhood of God is
recognized, will the Brotherhood of Man be realized. Returning good for
evil is possible only to those who love God. Oh, how much our hate-torn world
needs this prayer: "Pour into our hearts an experience of Thy Love".
In the practice of the Golden Rule, we plead with the Divine "Helper"
against worldly persecution and diabolical "enemies".
How can one who harbors anger, envy, bitterness, indifference, aversion of any
kind against his neighbor, have part in the Sacrifice of Him Who offers Himself
for His enemies? The sacrifice of our selfish or even wounded feelings for
Christ's sake is a most acceptable "gift" to "leave before the
altar".[3]
Pumpkin Day[4]
There’s one
thing that represents October more than anything else, and it’s not Halloween
(though it’s involved). That thing? The pumpkin. It starts appearing on shelves
and farmers market’s stands on the last week or two of September and is the
herald that lets you know that Pumpkin Pies, Jack-o-Lanterns, and all the joys
of fall are just around the corner. Pumpkin Day celebrates these noble squashes,
and the history and tradition tied up in their iconic orangeness.
History of Pumpkin Day
Often when people think of Halloween, they think of Jack-o-Lanterns and pumpkins, and even when you’re looking at that ‘false medieval’ imagery that’s present in most fantasy games, you’ll regularly see pumpkins being present, especially during Halloween events. What many people don’t know is that the pumpkin is actually a plant from the new world, like all squash, so the image of pumpkin jack-o-lanterns in front of ancient medieval homes is just plain wrong. These are an all American (And South American) plant, and the jack-o-lantern at Halloween is a distinctly New World thing. So, let’s learn a little bit about the Pumpkin in honor of Pumpkin Day, starting with what the word pumpkin means. It’s pretty simple, as it comes from the Greek word pepon, or ‘Large Melon’, but it didn’t go straight to pumpkin. First it was pompon to the French, and then pumpion to the British. It was the Americans that finally changed the word to its present Pumpkin, and so it’s been ever since! Pumpkin Day is a great opportunity to add this delicious squash to your diet, whether in the form of a traditional pumpkin pie, or a rich and savory pumpkin soup.
How to celebrate Pumpkin Day
The first
step to celebrating Pumpkin Day is simple, get out there and get yourself a
bunch of pumpkins! Alright, maybe that’s a bit much, maybe instead you could
just stop off at your favorite grocery store or restaurant and order yourself
up a great big slice of pumpkin pie. Not in the mood for pie? Pumpkin Spice
lattes are going to be hitting the shelves at your local coffee shops
(Starbucks is particular fond of trotting them out this time of year). If
you’re feeling really inventive, go back to square one and buy a bunch of
pumpkins, roast them, and make yourself an all-pumpkin meal! Pumpkin Soup,
Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Muffins, and a warm cup of Pumpkin Spice
Coffee for dessert!
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN
MYSTERY
SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN
SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER TWO-THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING
Article 4-THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION
XI. The Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance
1480 Like all the sacraments,
Penance is a liturgical action. the elements of the celebration are ordinarily
these: a greeting and blessing from the priest, reading the word of God to
illuminate the conscience and elicit contrition, and an exhortation to repentance;
the confession, which acknowledges sins and makes them known to the priest; the
imposition and acceptance of a penance; the priest's absolution; a prayer of
thanksgiving and praise and dismissal with the blessing of the priest.
1481 The Byzantine Liturgy
recognizes several formulas of absolution, in the form of invocation, which
admirably express the mystery of forgiveness: "May the same God, who
through the Prophet Nathan forgave David when he confessed his sins, who
forgave Peter when he wept bitterly, the prostitute when she washed his feet
with her tears, the Pharisee, and the prodigal son, through me, a sinner,
forgive you both in this life and in the next and enable you to appear before
his awe-inspiring tribunal without condemnation, he who is blessed for ever and
ever. Amen."
1482 The sacrament of Penance can
also take place in the framework of a communal celebration in which we prepare
ourselves together for confession and give thanks together for the forgiveness
received. Here, the personal confession of sins and individual absolution are
inserted into a liturgy of the word of God with readings and a homily, an
examination of conscience conducted in common, a communal request for
forgiveness, the Our Father and a thanksgiving in common. This communal
celebration expresses more clearly the ecclesial character of penance. However,
regardless of its manner of celebration the sacrament of Penance is always, by
its very nature, a liturgical action, and therefore an ecclesial and public
action.
1483 In case of grave necessity
recourse may be had to a communal celebration of reconciliation with general
confession and general absolution. Grave necessity of this sort can arise when
there is imminent danger of death without sufficient time for the priest or
priests to hear each penitent's confession. Grave necessity can also exist
when, given the number of penitents, there are not enough confessors to hear
individual confessions properly in a reasonable time, so that the penitents
through no fault of their own would be deprived of sacramental grace or Holy
Communion for a long time. In this case, for the absolution to be valid the
faithful must have the intention of individually confessing their sins in the
time required. The diocesan bishop is the judge of whether or not the
conditions required for general absolution exist. A large gathering of the
faithful on the occasion of major feasts or pilgrimages does not constitute a
case of grave necessity.
1484 "Individual, integral
confession and absolution remain the only ordinary way for the faithful to
reconcile themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral
impossibility excuses from this kind of confession." There are
profound reasons for this. Christ is at work in each of the sacraments. He
personally addresses every sinner: "My son, your sins are forgiven." He
is the physician tending each one of the sick who need him to cure them. He
raises them up and reintegrates them into fraternal communion. Personal
confession is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with
the Church.
Thursday Feast
Thursday is the day of the week
that our Lord gave himself up for consumption. Thursday commemorates the last
supper. Some theologians believe after Sunday Thursday is the holiest day of
the week. We should then try to make this day special by making a visit to the
blessed sacrament chapel, Mass or even stopping by the grave of a loved one.
Why not plan to count the blessing of the week and thank our Lord. Plan a
special meal. Be at Peace.
- White Bean Soup with Escarole
- Savory Potato Skins
- Creamy
Strawberry Crepes
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Growth
of Catholic Families and Households
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: October
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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