Monday, February 12, 2024
Monday Night at the the Movies
Henry King, The Song of Bernadette, 1943.
Shrove Monday
Lincoln-Darwin
Judith, Chapter 1, Verse
11
But all the inhabitants of the
whole land made light of the summons of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians,
and would not join him in the war. They were not AFRAID of him, since he was only a single opponent. So they sent
back his envoys empty-handed and disgraced.
It
seems that Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians is a legend in his own mind!
The people did not respect the authority of the king and his power was not
taken seriously. This does not look like it will turn out well. Let us examine
ourselves; have we made light of God’s grace that has been given us and
shunning our duties by refusing to join Him in war with evil? These are
troubled times.
Prayers to Be Said in Time of Trouble[1]
Look down, O Holy Father, from Thy
sanctuary in heaven, Thy dwelling-place, and behold this sacred victim which
our great High Priest, Thy holy, innocent, and well-beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus
Christ, offers to Thee for the sins of us His brethren, and let not Thy wrath
be kindled on account of the manifold transgressions of the world. Behold the
voice of the blood of our brother, Thy first-born Son, Jesus, cries to Thee
from the cross. Give ear, O Lord, be appeased; O Lord, hearken, and do; tarry
not for our own sake, O our God, for Thy name is invoked upon this house and
city, and upon all Thy people; and deal with us according to Thy infinite
mercy, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
V. That Thou
wouldst vouchsafe to bring us to true penance.
R. We
beseech Thee, hear us.
V. That Thou
wouldst vouchsafe to defend this house and city, and all Thy people, to keep
them in peace; to guard, preserve, and look down on them with Thy most tender
pity.
R. We
beseech Thee, hear us.
V. Through
the holy mysteries of man’s redemption.
R. Let Thy
mercies quickly prevent us, O Lord, and spare Thy people.
V. Through
the merits and intercession of Thy blessed Mother, and of all the saints.
R. Let Thy
mercies, etc, as above.
V. Holy
Mary, conceived without original sin, and all angels and saints, intercede for
us to Our Lord.
R. That the
mercies of our Lord may quickly prevent us; and that He may spare His people,
that so we may rejoice with Him forever and. ever. Amen.
Let us pray.
Almighty and merciful God, may Thy
most holy will be one at all times and in all things, according to Thy infinite
and eternal mercy, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Shrovetide Monday-Carnival Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago[2]
You
can’t really understand Trinidad unless you come for Carnival, or mas (for
masquerade), as it’s locally known. Trinidad is a melting pot of West African,
East Indian, Chinese, South American, and European, which has influenced both
its music and Carnival itself. The country’s West African roots gave birth to
the steel pan (or steel drum, originally made from empty oil barrels), calypso
music, and its more recent souped-up version, soca (“soul-calypso”), which
makes this Carnival the loudest and wildest in all the Caribbean.
It’s
the national obsession, with Port of Spain at its heart. Bands and masqueraders
begin their preparations a year in advance. Things start to hum after
Christmas, gradually building to a crescendo of rehearsals, concerts, open-air
fêtes, and calypso duels. The final 2-day explosion of color, music, and
unbridled excess officially kicks off at 4 A.M. on Carnival Monday with the “opening day” parade
called J’Ouvert (pronounced joo-VAY). Fueled by copious amounts of beer,
revelers covered in mud, grease, body paint, and chocolate form a mass of happy
humanity as they follow trucks blasting soca and “chip” (dance) until sunrise.
Monday (“old mas”) continues with bands
and dancers along a 6-mile parade route. The glitter and glamorous costumes of
“pretty mas” are saved for Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras), the day before Ash
Wednesday. Tens of thousands take to the streets in costume (often sequined
bikinis and feather headdresses), with groups as large as 3,000 in identical
costume following flatbed trucks carrying steel bands competing for the title
of “Masquerade Band of the Year.” Getups are at their most extravagant for the
Kings and Queens Costume Competition— some can weigh up to 200 pounds (and are
attached to wheels for mobility) and incorporate fog, fireworks, and other
special effects. “Pan” bands with as many as 100 musicians perform nonstop in a
riotous celebration of King Carnival.
Rosenmontag[3]
(English: Rose
Monday) is the
highlight of the German Karneval
(carnival), and takes place on the Shrove Monday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.
Mardi Gras, though celebrated on Fat Tuesday, is a similar event. Rosenmontag is celebrated in German-speaking
countries, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium (Eupen,
Kelmis), but most heavily in the carnival
strongholds which include the Rhineland, especially in Cologne, Bonn,
Düsseldorf, Aachen and Mainz. In contrast to Germany, in
Austria, the highlight of the carneval is not Rosenmontag, but Shrove Tuesday.
The name for the carnival
comes from the German dialect word roose meaning "frolic" and Montag meaning Monday.
Overview
The Karneval season begins at 11 minutes past the eleventh hour on
11 November and the "street carnival" starts on the Thursday before Rosenmontag, which is known as Weiberfastnacht ("women's carnival", Fat Thursday). Karneval is prevalent in Roman Catholic
areas and is a continuation of the old Roman traditions of slaves and servants
being master for a day. Karneval
derives from the Latin carnem levare
("taking leave of meat") marking the beginning of Lent.
Carnival is not a national
holiday in Germany, but schools are closed on Rosenmontag and the following Tuesday in the
strongholds and many other areas. Many schools as well as companies tend to
give teachers, pupils and employees the Thursday before Rosenmontag off as well and have celebrations
in school or in the working place on Weiberfastnacht, although every now and then there
are efforts to cut these free holidays in some companies.
Celebrations usually
include dressing up in fancy costumes, dancing, parades, heavy drinking and general public displays with
floats. Every town in the Karneval
areas boasts at least one parade with floats making fun of the themes of the
day. Usually sweets (Kamelle)
are thrown into the crowds lining the streets among cries of Helau or Alaaf, whereby the cry Kölle
Alaaf is only
applied in the Cologne
Carnival – Alaaf stems from or Alle af, Ripuarian for "all [others] away".
Sweets and tulips
are thrown into the crowd.
The celebrations become
quieter the next day, known as Veilchendienstag
("Violet Tuesday", Shrove Tuesday), and end with Ash Wednesday.
NOVENA TO THE HOLY FACE
DAILY PREPARATORY PRAYER
O Most Holy and
Blessed Trinity, through the intercession of Holy Mary, whose soul was pierced
through by a sword of sorrow at the sight of the passion of her Divine Son, we
ask your help in making a perfect Novena of reparation with Jesus, united with
all His sorrows, love and total abandonment.
We now implore all the
Angels and Saints to intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena to the Most
Holy Face of Jesus and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and
Holy Spirit. Amen.
Ninth Day
Psalm 51, 18-21.
For in sacrifice you take no
delight, burnt offering from me you would refuse, my sacrifice a contrite
spirit. A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn. In your goodness, show
favor to Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem Then you will be pleased with
lawful sacrifice, holocausts offered on your altar.
Sacred Face of our Lord
and our God, what words can we do to express our gratitude? How can we speak of
our joy? That you have deigned to hear us, that you have chosen to answer us in
our hour of need. We say this because we know that our prayers will be granted.
We know that you, in your loving kindness, listened to our pleading hearts, and
will give, out of your fullness, the answer to our problems. Mary, our Mother,
thank you for your intercession on our behalf. Saint Joseph, thank you for your
prayers.
Through the merits of your
precious blood and your Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition, Pardon and
Mercy.
Prayer to the Holy
Trinity
Most Holy Trinity, Godhead
indivisible, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, our first beginning and our last end.
Since you have made us after your own image and likeness, grant that all the
thoughts of our minds, all the words of our tongues, all the affections of our
hearts and all our actions may be always conformed to your most Holy Will, so
that after having seen you here on earth in appearances and in a dark manner by
the means of faith, we may come at last to contemplate you face to face, in the
perfect possession of you forever in paradise. Amen.
Pray one (1) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary’s, (1) Glory Be.
O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every adoration Thine. (Three times)
The Devil and Temptations[4]
There are many and varied
ways in which sin and evil are presented to us in an attractive way.
Hypnotism.
·
Although
hypnotism is now used sometimes by respectable doctors, dentists, and
therapists, it was linked in the past with the occult and with superstition.
·
Even
when it is legitimate, there are certain real dangers that must be very
carefully considered. In hypnotism, one surrenders for a time his own capacity
to reason; there is a dependence of the one hypnotized on the will of the
hypnotist; also, there can be unfortunate aftereffects that result from this
technique.
·
Except
for a very serious reason, avoid submitting to a hypnotist; never do it for the
purpose of entertainment.
Music.
In our day, hard rock
music played by "satanic" musical groups presents additional
problems. This music often glorifies Satan and also, at times, awakens desires
to commit suicide, to use drugs, and to misuse sex. The music is also known to
encourage physical violence. Even hell is proposed as a desired end of life.
The evil is found in the musical combination of words, rhythm and noise.
Records or tapes of this kind should not be kept in the home but should be
destroyed, even if they have cost a considerable amount of money. Choose the
Kingdom of God!
Devil
Worship.
·
It
goes without saying that praying to the devil, worshipping Satan, reading the
Satanic bible, or taking part in a Black Mass which mocks the crucifixion of
Jesus, and the Eucharist are among the most serious sins that one can commit.
·
In
some Satanic worship, there is at times sacrifice to Satan by a horrible
killing of animals, and even the murder of human infants. The secrecy
surrounding this activity enables the "Church of Satan" to obtain a
certain respectability in our society. It has the same legal standing as any
other church.
Do not be deceived; being involved in this false church is a very serious matter. Catholics who wish to repent must resign from the false religion at whatever cost, renounce Satan and their sin in all their heart, and confess this sin in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Lincoln's Birthday (1809) celebrates the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, one of the most popular presidents in United States history. It is a state holiday in some states on or around February 12. It's also known as Abraham Lincoln's Birthday, Abraham Lincoln Day or Lincoln Day.
“Character is Destiny” [6] is a book written by John McCain in it he highlights the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, of the United States as an example of a man who demonstrates for us the characteristic of RESILIENCE. Resilience is the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens.
Abraham Lincoln had known loss and grief all his life yet rather that than succumb to defeat; he somehow, always found a way to rise back up. He was inarguably a man of action. Although he was known to have chronic depression he never yielded and, in some way, resurrected from his melancholic states thinking, “To remain as I am is impossible; I must die or be better.” Lincoln rose to the highest office in the land after surviving a hard and poor childhood in the Indiana wilderness, a harsh father, little education, and deep loneliness. He survived the death of his brother, a sister, his mother, his first sweetheart, and his own children and his marriage to Mary Todd was troubled. As president he was considered dismal by most.
How did Lincoln persist?
He willed it. He was neither swift nor brilliant at work, but he was exhaustive; he continued. His resilience sprang from his deep conviction that America was, “the last, best hope of earth.” In the end he paid for his devotion with his life; so that the government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.
Darwin Day[7]
Darwin Day commemorates the achievements and the life of the scientist Charles Darwin. Names like Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, and Charles Darwin are among the most historic names in science. Darwin’s most famous achievement is the development of the Theory of Natural Selection. The celebration occurs every year on Darwin’s birthday, February 12th.
Character is Destiny[8]
John McCain pointed out in his book entitled,
“Character is Destiny” that an understanding heart must be generous (Oseola
McCarty), forgiving (Nelson Mandela), tolerant (Four Chaplains), full of mercy
(Mother Antonia), faithful (Christian Guard at Hua Lo prison) and compassionate
(Maximilian Kolbe). John now suggests for us that adding to our understanding
heart we must strive to have a creative mind. A creative mind must be built on
a thirst or curiosity in the mysteries of creation. John points out as an
example of curiosity the renowned Charles Darwin.
McCain says of Darwin:
His curiosity and courage helped him to discover the
history of nature and start an argument that has continued for 150 years. A
curious thing about the father of the theory of evolution is that he himself
was an avowed agnostic, keeping
to his scientific methods.
The evolution of all life on earth, including man,
was and still is, in some quarters, considered an affront to the belief that
the progress of the human race over time bears the unmistakable sign of the
divine spark in our nature: but why can we not be content in our faith with the
understanding that God’s divine intelligence, which exists beyond time and
space, and has left us to choose by the exercise of our free will whether to
accept His grace or reject it, could have left nature to work its physical
changes upon us?
We have a second nature, a moral nature, that is not
determined by ecological change but by the workings of our conscience.
Is not our conscience and its effect upon our will
enough confirmation for the believer that God, the Creator, has endowed us with
the divine spark of His love to improve, if we so choose, our second nature in
service to Him?
It is enough, I believe, for anyone who can see in
our struggle to be good a divine purpose, as we may still glimpse in the
wonders of nature the divine intelligence that created it and set it all in
motion.
To believe and follow God is our choice. Not all will follow. Our principal belief is in our salvation not in this life but the next. Man, and nature, even at their cruelest, cannot deny us that, nor the gloriousness of His creation, a gloriousness that human qualities like curiosity have led us to appreciate with humility and awe. Time and the laws of nature do not expose the absence of God, whose proofs are a matter for the heart to contemplate, a matter of faith.
Evolution and the Catholic Church[9]
Early contributions to biology were made by Catholic
scientists such as Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and the
Augustinian friar Gregor Mendel. Since the publication of Charles
Darwin's On the Origin of Species in 1859,
the attitude of the Catholic
Church on the theory of evolution has slowly been refined.
For nearly a century, the papacy offered
no authoritative pronouncement on Darwin's theories. In the 1950 encyclical Humani
generis, Pope Pius
XII confirmed that there is no intrinsic conflict between Christianity and the
theory of evolution, provided that Christians believe that God created all
things and that the individual soul is a direct creation by God and not the product of purely material forces.
Today, the Church supports theistic evolution(ism), also known as evolutionary
creation, although Catholics are free not to believe in any part of
evolutionary theory.
The Catholic Church holds no official position on
the theory of creation or evolution, leaving the specifics of either theistic
evolution or literal creationism to the individual within certain parameters
established by the Church. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
any believer may accept either literal or special
creation within the period of an actual six-day, twenty-four-hour period, or they
may accept the belief that the earth evolved over time under the guidance of
God. Catholicism holds that God initiated and continued the process
of his evolutionary creation and that all humans, whether specially created or
evolved, have and have always had specially created souls for each individual.
Catholic schools in the United States and
other countries teach evolution as part of their science curriculum. They teach
the fact that evolution occurs and the modern
evolutionary synthesis, which is the scientific
theory that explains how evolution proceeds.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION TWO-THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
CHAPTER
ONE-YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR
SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND
Article 1-THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
I. "You Shall Worship the Lord Your God and Him Only
Shall You Serve"
2084 God makes himself known by
recalling his all-powerful loving, and liberating action in the history of the
one he addresses: "I brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage." the first word contains the first commandment of the
Law: "You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him.... You shall
not go after other gods." God's first call and just demand is that
man accept him and worship him.
2085 The one and true God first
reveals his glory to Israel. The revelation
of the vocation and truth of man is linked to the revelation of God. Man's
vocation is to make God manifest by acting in conformity with his creation
"in the image and likeness of God":
There will
never be another God, Trypho, and there has been no other since the world began
. . . than he who made and ordered the universe. We do not think that our God
is different from yours. He is the same who brought your fathers out of Egypt
"by his powerful hand and his outstretched arm." We do not place our
hope in some other god, for there is none, but in the same God as you do: the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
2086 "The first
commandment embraces faith, hope, and charity. When we say 'God' we confess a
constant, unchangeable being, always the same, faithful and just, without any
evil. It follows that we must necessarily accept his words and have complete faith
in him and acknowledge his authority. He is almighty, merciful, and infinitely
beneficent. Who could not place all hope in him? Who could not love him when
contemplating the treasures of goodness and love he has poured out on us? Hence
the formula God employs in the Scripture at the beginning and end of his
commandments: 'I am the LORD.'"
Faith
2087 Our moral life has its
source in faith in God who reveals his love to us. St. Paul speaks of the
"obedience of faith" as our first obligation. He shows that
"ignorance of God" is the principle and explanation of all moral
deviations. Our duty toward God is to believe in him and to bear witness
to him.
2088 The first commandment
requires us to nourish and protect our faith with prudence and vigilance, and
to reject everything that is opposed to it. There are various ways of sinning
against faith:
Voluntary doubt about the faith disregards or refuses to hold as true what God
has revealed and the Church proposes for belief. Involuntary doubt refers to
hesitation in believing, difficulty in overcoming objections connected with the
faith, or also anxiety aroused by its obscurity. If deliberately cultivated doubt
can lead to spiritual blindness.
2089 Incredulity is the neglect
of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it. "Heresy is the
obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with
divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the
same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the
refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of
the Church subject to him."
Hope
2090 When God reveals Himself
and calls him, man cannot fully respond to the divine love by his own powers.
He must hope that God will give him the capacity to love Him in return and to
act in conformity with the commandments of charity. Hope is the confident
expectation of divine blessing and the beatific vision of God; it is also the
fear of offending God's love and of incurring punishment.
2091 The first commandment is
also concerned with sins against hope, namely, despair and presumption:
By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in
attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God's
goodness, to his justice - for the Lord is faithful to his promises - and to
his mercy.
2092 There are two kinds of
presumption. Either man presumes upon his own capacities, (hoping to be able to
save himself without help from on high), or he presumes upon God's almighty
power or his mercy (hoping to obtain his forgiveness without conversion and
glory without merit).
Charity
2093 Faith in God's love
encompasses the call and the obligation to respond with sincere love to divine
charity. The first commandment enjoins us to love God above everything and all
creatures for him and because of him.
2094 One can sin against God's
love in various ways:
- indifference neglects or refuses to reflect on divine charity; it
fails to consider its prevenient goodness and denies its power.
- ingratitude fails or refuses to acknowledge divine charity and to
return him love for love.
- lukewarmness is hesitation or negligence in responding to divine love;
it can imply refusal to give oneself over to the prompting of charity.
- acedia or spiritual sloth (I don’t care attitude) goes so far as to
refuse the joy that comes from God and to be repelled by divine goodness.
- hatred of God comes from pride. It is contrary to love of God, whose
goodness it denies, and whom it presumes to curse as the one who forbids sins
and inflicts punishments.
13 Best Places To Go in the Winter, From Ski Resorts to Sunny Beaches
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Holy Priests, Consecrated, & Religious
·
Eat waffles and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
·
National Kraut and
Frankfurter Week
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
Monday: Litany of
Humility
·
Rosary
[1]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
[2]Schultz,
Patricia. 1,000 Places to See Before You Die
[6] McCain, John and Salter, Mark. (2005) Character is destiny. Random
House, New York
[7] https://www.wincalendar.com/Darwin-Day
[8] http://www.icemanforchrist.org/p/character-is-destiny.html
Monday Night at the Movies
Jerry London, The Scarlet and the Black, 1983.
Salute the Presidents
Get Ready for Spring in Dallas
Can’t wait for spring? Head to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to see the largest floral festival in the Southwest which features an explosion of color from more than 500,000 spring-blooming blossoms, thousands of azaleas and hundreds of Japanese cherry trees.
Be Magnanimous generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person
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