Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Wednesday in the Octave of Christmas
FEAST OF ST. JOHN
Psalm 25, verse 12-14:
12Who is the one who FEARS the LORD? God shows him
the way he should choose. 13 He will abide in prosperity, and his descendants will
inherit the land. 14 The counsel of the LORD belongs to those who fear him;
and his covenant instructs them.
On October 22, 1978, St. John Paul II was inspired by the Holy Spirit to urge Christians to conquer fear[1].
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slideshow
Throughout his 26-year
pontificate, one of St. John Paul II’s most used phrases was, “Do not be
afraid” (also phrased “Be not afraid”).
Was that planned? How
did it come about?
John
Paul II reflected on that phrase in the book Crossing
the Threshold of Hope, and explained that it was the Holy Spirit who inspired
him to say those words.
When, on October 22,
1978, I said the words “Be not afraid!” in St. Peter’s Square, I could not
fully know how far they would take me and the entire Church. Their meaning came more from the
Holy Spirit, the
Consoler promised by the Lord Jesus to His disciples, than from the man who
spoke them.
He then continues the
reflection and explains why he would often return to the phrase during his many
years as pope.
The exhortation “Be not
afraid!” should be interpreted as having a very broad meaning. In a certain
sense it was an exhortation addressed to all people, an exhortation to conquer fear in
the present world situation … Why should we have no fear? Because man has been redeemed by God.
When pronouncing these words in St. Peter’s Square, I already knew that my
first encyclical and my entire papacy would be tied to the truth of the
Redemption. In the Redemption we find the most profound basis for the words “Be
not afraid!”: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (cf. Jn
3:16).
Christians should not be
afraid of any storm that may buffet them, for they have their hope in Jesus
Christ, who came to save the world from darkness.
For St. John Paul II,
nothing should take away our hope in the Lord. When we know that God is in
control, and that he is love, our fears disappear.
Peoples and nations of
the entire world need to hear these words. Their conscience needs to grow in
the certainty that Someone exists who holds in His hands the destiny of this
passing world … And this Someone is Love.
God is love, and if we
truly understand that, we no longer have fear of the “present world situation,”
even if it grows darker.
God is love and he is in
control.
Feast of St. John, the Apostle[2]
DECEMBER 27.
JOHN, the brother of St. James the Greater, was a son of Zebedee, a fisherman of Galilee, and of Salome, a cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Matt. iv. 21). He was the youngest of the apostles, and, with Peter and James, was the most trusted of the disciples of Jesus, by Whom he was most tenderly loved, on which account he is called the Disciple of Love. Of this Jesus gave the most convincing evidence when, at the Last Supper, He allowed that disciple to lean upon His breast, and when, from the cross, He committed to the care of John His own Mother. After the ascension John preached the Gospel in Palestine; afterwards went to Asia Minor, fixed his residence in Ephesus, and established many churches there. He was, with the other apostles, taken prisoner and scourged by the Jews, and in the year 95, under the Emperor Domitian, before the Latin Gate, at Rome, was thrown into a vessel of boiling oil. Having endured this torture without injury, he was then banished to the island of Patmos, where, by command of the Lord, he wrote the Apocalypse, or Revelation, concerning the fortunes of the Church. On returning from his banishment, he again governed the churches of Asia Minor as chief pastor, as he had done before, and, at the age of nearly one hundred years, died at Ephesus a peaceful arid natural death.
The Introit of the Mass reads: “In the midst of the Church the Lord opened his mouth and filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and clothed him with a robe of glory. It is good to give praise to the Lord, and to sing to Thy name, O Most High.”
Prayer.
Mercifully illustrate Thy Church, O Lord, that, enlightened by the doctrines of Thy blessed apostle and evangelist St. John, she may arrive at gifts everlasting.
EPISTLE. Ecclus. xv. 1-6.
He that feareth God will do good: and he that possesseth justice shall lay hold on her, arid she will meet him as an honor able mother and will receive him as a wife married of a virgin. With the bread of life and understanding, she shall feed him and give him the water of wholesome wisdom to drink: and she shall be made strong in him, and he shall not be moved: and she shall hold him fast, and he shall not be confounded: and she shall exalt him among his neighbors, and in the midst of the Church she shall open his mouth, and shall fill him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and shall clothe him with a robe of glory. She shall heap upon him a treasure of joy and gladness, and our Lord God shall cause him to inherit an everlasting name.
ON PURITY.
“He that loves wisdom,” saith the Holy Ghost, “will obtain it, for it will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins” (Wis. i. 4). St. John was from his childhood an angel of purity, on which account he was particularly be loved by Jesus, and endowed by the Holy Ghost with such wisdom and knowledge that, as St. Augustine has remarked, he begins his gospel in a manner more lofty and sublime than the other three evangelists. For while they walk with the God-man upon earth, speaking comparatively little of His divinity, St. John, as if despising the world, soars beyond the vault of heaven, above the hosts of angels, and comes to Him by Whom all things are made, saying, “In the beginning was the Word.” At the Last Supper he was permitted to lean on the bosom of Jesus, but what he there drank in secretly he imparted openly. Apply thyself, therefore, to purity of heart, and thou shalt be like St. John, a beloved disciple of Jesus, and shalt be filled with heavenly wisdom.
GOSPEL. John xxi. 19-24.
At that time: Jesus said to Peter: Follow Me. Peter turning about, saw that disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also leaned on His breast at supper, and said: Lord, who is he that shall betray Thee? Him therefore when Peter had seen, he saith to Jesus: Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith to him: So, I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee? follow thou Me. This saying therefore went abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die. And Jesus did riot say to him: He should not die; but so, I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee? This is that disciple who giveth testimony of these things, and hath written these things: and we know that his testimony is true.
Feast of St John[3]
The Feast of St. John the Apostle commemorates his life. He was one of Jesus' 12 disciples. He was one of the three disciples, which included Peter and James, who were involved in some of the most important events in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, including Jesus' crucifixion and transfiguration.
St John Facts
·
John was a fisherman before he began following
Christ. He was the brother of St. James the Greater. Jesus gave the
brothers the name, sons of thunder. (Mark 3:17)
·
When Jesus was dying on the cross, he asked John
to take care of his mother (John 19:25-27).
·
In the Gospel of John, he frequently refers to
the most beloved disciple. Some theologians believe he is referring to himself,
while others believe the reference is used for the reader to insert himself
into the role.
·
Besides Paul, John was the most prolific writer
in the New Testament. His body of work includes 'The Revelation of John'
and three epistles.
· The Feast Day for St. John the Apostle is held in the Roman Catholic Church and some Protestant denominations on December 27, the third day of Christmas. In the Orthodox Church, it is called the Feast of the Holy and Glorious Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, which is held September 26. This feast shouldn't be confused with the Feast of St. John the Baptist, which is held in both faith traditions on June 24.
St John Top Events
and Things to Do
·
Read the Gospel of John. It is different
than the other three Gospels and was thought to be the last written of the four
books in the New Testament.
·
Read the Revelation of John, thought to be
written by the apostle. The rich symbolism has been thought to foretell
the end of the world, but many biblical scholars believe it was written to
offer hope to Christians persecuted by Rome.
·
St John is the Patron Saint of Turkey.
Consider visiting this beautiful country - or take a virtual tour with
Google Maps.
·
St. John answered the call to be an apostle of
Jesus. Have you listened for Jesus's call in your life?
·
Pray today to know your own vocation.
· Bless your wine for the new year.
Blessing of the Wine[4]
Traditionally wine is blessed on the Feast of St. John. Wine if used in moderation is a good thing. Yet sometimes it may cause an increase in our fears or make us fool hardy when speaking, giving us a false sense of courage. So, blessing our wine is a good idea to dedicate its use for our good and not our detriment.
St. John's Day[5] (December 27)
Saint John was the only Apostle who did not suffer martyrdom, though several attempts were made on his life. One of these involved giving him a glass of wine that had been poisoned. The saint, however, suffered no harm because he blessed it before he drank. It is in honor of this deliverance that the blessing and drinking of wine on St. John's Day was once a popular custom. People had a bottle of wine blessed after the Saint's Mass and then drank it at the family dinner (notice how easily this can still be done). The special blessing for this occasion from the Roman ritual sums up the meaning of this custom:
% Blessing
for the 1st Cup
Holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God! You
willed that Your Son, equal to You in agelessness and substance should descend
from heaven and in the fullness of time be born of the most holy Virgin Mary.
Thus, He could seek the lost and wayward sheep and carry it on His shoulders to
the sheepfold, and could cure the man fallen among robbers of his wounds by
pouring in oil and wine. Deign now to bless and sanctify this wine which You
produced for man's drink. Whoever drinks of it on this holy feast, grant him life
in body and soul. By Your goodness, let it be to him strength to prosper him on
the way, that his journey may come to a blessed end. Through the same Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Eat your First Course of the meal.
% Blessing for the 2nd Cup
O Lord God deign to bless and consecrate with Thy right hand this cup of wine and of whatever drink: and grant that through the merits of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, all who believe in Thee and who drink from this cup may be blessed and protected. And as blessed John drank from the cup of poison and remained completely unharmed, may, through his merits, all who drink from the cup on this day in honor of blessed John be rescued from every sickness of poison and from every kind of harm; and, offering themselves up body and soul, may they be delivered from all fault. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Eat your Second Course Meal
% Blessing of the 3rd Cup
Bless, O Lord, this creature of drink: that it may be a remedy of salvation for all who consume it: and grant through the invocation of Thy holy name that whoever will have tasted of it may, through Thy giving, experience health of the soul as well as of the body. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Eat your Main Course Meal
% Blessing of the 4th Cup
Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit descend upon this creature of wine and of whatever drink and remain forever. Amen.
Eat your Desert
Today, on the day honoring the disciple who lay closest to
Christ the High Priest during the first Mass, was the festival for priests.
The wine drunk or blessed
on this day is called "St. John's Love" (Johannesminne) or St.
John's Wine. When the wine has been blessed by a priest, it
becomes a sacramental, and is kept in the house throughout the year as a
good thing for a newlywed couple to drink on their return from church, as an
aid for travelers before a long trip, and as succor for the dying after they
have received the sacraments. In the Catholic Cookbook, William Kaufman
includes a recipe for St. John's Wine:
1-quart
red wine
3
whole cloves
1/16
teaspoon ground cardamom
2
two-inch cinnamon sticks
1/2
teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2
cup sugar
Pour the wine into a large
saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients. Boil for 5 minutes (after which point
the alcohol is virtually evaporated). (Serve hot. 8-10 servings).[6]
Three French Hens
Today is traditionally the third day of Christmas and the Three French Hens from the song the 12 days of Christmas represent the three cardinal virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. Let us talk to the Lord today and ask Him how we are doing in these three virtues and how we may improve in them.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION ONE-MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE
SPIRIT
CHAPTER
ONE-THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
Article 6-MORAL CONSCIENCE
IV. Erroneous Judgment
1790 A human
being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he were
deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself. Yet it can happen
that moral conscience remains in ignorance and makes erroneous judgments about
acts to be performed or already committed.
1791 This
ignorance can often be imputed to personal responsibility. This is the case
when a man "takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or
when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing
sin." In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he commits.
1792
Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to
one's passions, assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience,
rejection of the Church's authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of
charity: these can be at the source of errors of judgment in moral conduct.
1793 If - on
the contrary - the ignorance is invincible, or the moral subject is not
responsible for his erroneous judgment, the evil committed by the person cannot
be imputed to him. It remains no less an evil, a privation, a disorder. One
must therefore work to correct the errors of moral conscience.
1794 A good
and pure conscience is enlightened by true faith, for charity proceeds at the
same time "from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere
faith."
The more a correct conscience prevails, the more do persons
and groups turn aside from blind choice and try to be guided by objective
standards of moral conduct.
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.
·
Do the St.
Joseph Universal Man Plan.
· Devotion to the 7 Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Protection
of Life from Conception until natural death.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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