Monday, February 19, 2024
Monday of the First Week of Lent
PRESIDENTS
DAY
Leviticus, Chapter 19, verse 14
You shall not insult the deaf, or
put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you shall FEAR your God. I am the LORD.
Be
like your Heavenly Father; God is not a bully. Christ was often confronted by
the bullies of his time. When the
Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and
one of them [a scholar of the law] tested him by asking, “Teacher,
which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You
shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and
with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second
is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law
and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Mt. 22:34-40)
The
modern world attempts to bully the faithful into abandoning their relationship
with the Lord. Saint Pope Pius X was a pope, who resisted the bullying of the
modern world by establishing an oath against modernism[1].
The crux of this oath has five main points:
1.
I
profess that God is the origin and end of all things.
2.
I
accept and acknowledge the external proofs of revelation, that is, divine acts
and especially miracles and prophecies as the surest signs of the divine origin
of the Christian religion.
3.
I
believe with equally firm faith that the Church, the guardian and teacher of
the revealed word, was personally instituted by the real and historical Christ.
4.
I
sincerely hold that the doctrine of faith was handed down to us from the
apostles through the orthodox Fathers in exactly the same meaning and always in
the same purport.
5.
I
hold with certainty and sincerely confess that faith is not a blind sentiment
of religion welling up from the depths of the subconscious under the impulse of
the heart and the motion of a will trained to morality; but faith is a genuine
assent of the intellect to truth.
Monday in the First Week of Lent
EPISTLE. Ezech. xxxiv. 11-16.
THUS,
saith the Lord God: Behold I Myself will seek My sheep and will visit them. As
the shepherd visiteth his flock in the day when he shall be in the midst of his
sheep that were scattered, so will I visit My sheep, and will deliver them out
of all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
And I will bring them out from the peoples, and will gather them out of the
countries, and will bring them to their own land: and I will feed them in the
mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the habitations of the land. I
will feed them in the most fruitful pastures, and their pastures shall be in
the high mountains of Israel: there shall they rest on the green grass and be
fed in fat pastures upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed My sheep: and I
will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will seek that which was
lost: and that which was driven away I will bring again: and I will bind up
that which was broken, and I will strengthen that which was weak, and that
which was fat and strong I will preserve: and I will feed them in judgment,
saith the Lord Almighty.
GOSPEL. Matt. xxv. 31-46.
At
that time Jesus said to His disciples: When the Son of man
shall come in His majesty, and all the angels with Him, then shall He sit upon
the seat of His majesty. And all nations shall be gathered together before Him,
and He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the
sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the
goats on His left. Then shall the King say to them that shall be on His right
hand: Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat I
was thirsty, and you gave Me to drink: I was a stranger, and you took Me in
naked, and you covered Me: sick, and you visited Me: I was in prison, and you
came to Me. Then shall the just answer Him, saying: Lord, when did we see Thee
hungry, and fed Thee; thirsty, and gave Thee drink? and when did we see Thee a
stranger, and took Thee in? or naked, and covered Thee? or when did we see Thee
sick or in prison, and came to Thee? And the King answering, shall say to them:
Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, you
did it to Me. Then He shall say to them also that shall be on His left hand:
Depart from Me, yon cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the
devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave Me not to eat I was
thirsty, and you gave Me not to drink I was a stranger, and you took Me not in
naked, and you covered Me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit Me.
Then they also shall answer Him, saying: Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or
thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister
to Thee? Then He shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you
did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to Me. And these shall
go into everlasting punishment, but the just into life everlasting.
Prayer.
Convert us, O God, our salvation;
and, that the fast of Lent may benefit us, instruct our minds with heavenly
discipline.
Lenten Calendar[2]
·
Read: Lent is a special time for those
preparing to be baptized through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
(RCIA). RCIA is a period of learning and discernment for those seeking to
become Catholic.
·
Reflect; Take time to reflect on your own
decision to become a member of the Church.
·
Reflect
2: On February 22,
1931, Jesus appeared to Faustina as the King of Divine Mercy. He asked her to
have a picture painted of him as she saw him — clothed in white, with red and
white rays of light streaming from his heart. The rays represent the blood and
water that flowed from the side of Jesus on the cross. Under the image are the
words, "Jesus, I trust in you." Many people did not believe Faustina
at first. The sisters in her own convent thought that Jesus could not possibly
have selected her for this great favor. After all, she was an uneducated
peasant girl. Her superiors often refused to give her permission to carry out
Jesus' requests. Church theologians, too, doubted her word. Jesus told Faustina
that he loved her obedience and that his will would be done in the end.
·
Pray: Keep the elect, candidates, and
their sponsors in your prayers this Lent.
·
Act: Download the CRS Rice Bowl App. . . today and try a new way of tracking your Lenten
journey, while also receiving daily reflections and meatless recipes.
Preparing for Battle[3]
Know Your Weapons
The weapon of Sacred Scripture
·
Each
time the Devil attacked with the temptation to doubt or disobey God, Jesus
quoted Scripture to throw him back.
·
Scripture
is our sword against Satan!
·
We
must listen carefully to the scriptural readings in Mass and meditate on them
deeply.
·
We
must read Scripture on our own.
·
We
must also memorize scriptural texts that we can use against temptation. Then,
when the Enemy assaults us, we can imitate Our Lord by the effective
counterassault of quoting the word of God.
This
is also the Ember week of Lent:[4]
the spring Embertide. The first week of Lent continues the subject introduced
on Sunday: temptation. The lessons of the principal and most ancient Masses
this week show that every Lenten effort brings results from the Lord: healing,
strengthening, conversion. But the effort itself is not the most important
thing; it is God's reaction and acceptance. We are like the grain of wheat
which must die to become productive. We must die before we grow into glory.
President's
Day[5]
President's
Day, or Washington's Birthday as it is still legally known, was originally
designed as a celebration of George Washington's birthdate. In 1880,
Congress voted to make this the first national holiday which honored an
individual. In 1968, Congress enacted the Uniform Monday Bill, to give
workers as many long weekends as possible. This moved as many holidays as
possible to a standard Monday each year. Many states were already
honoring Abraham Lincoln's birthday, February 12th, and this celebration was
combined with George Washington's birthday, for one federal holiday. It
is observed on the third Monday in February each year.
President's Day Facts
·
According
to the Julian calendar, Washington was born February 11, 1732. The
Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1752, changing Washington's Birthday to
February 22.
·
Since
1888, Washington's Farewell Address has been read aloud in the U.S. Senate on
February 22nd.
·
George
Washington was the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, first U.S.
President, and President of the Constitutional Convention.
·
Presidents
Day never falls on Washington's actual birthdate (Feb. 22). The third
Monday in February can never be any later than February 21st.
President's Day Top Events and Things
to Do
·
Visit
Mt. Vernon, VA, Washington's ancestral home and place of both he and his wife
Martha's tomb. Admission is free on President's Day.
·
Go
shopping for a car. Presidents’ Day weekend typically features some of
the best car deals of the year as dealers try to clear out prior-year
inventory.
·
Read
George Washington's Farewell Address and reflect on his contributions to United
States.
·
Read
Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and reflect on his contributions to
the United States.
·
Visit
the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.
Salute the Presidents
What better way to
celebrate President's Day than with a trip to Mount
Rushmore. This
national memorial in South Dakota features the heads of George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
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 2 THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
II. Taking the Name of the Lord in Vain
2150 The second commandment
forbids false oaths. Taking an oath or swearing is to take God as witness to
what one affirms. It is to invoke the divine truthfulness as a pledge of one's
own truthfulness. An oath engages the Lord's name. "You shall fear the
LORD your God; you shall serve him, and swear by his name."
2151 Rejection of false oaths
is a duty toward God. As Creator and Lord, God is the norm of all truth. Human
speech is either in accord with or in opposition to God who is Truth itself.
When it is truthful and legitimate, an oath highlights the relationship of
human speech with God's truth. A false oath calls on God to be witness to a
lie.
2152 A person commits perjury
when he makes a promise under oath with no intention of keeping it, or when
after promising on oath he does not keep it. Perjury is a grave lack of respect
for the Lord of all speech. Pledging oneself by oath to commit an evil deed is
contrary to the holiness of the divine name.
2153 In the Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus explained the second commandment: "You have heard that it was
said to the men of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the
Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all.... Let what
you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from the evil
one." Jesus teaches that every oath involves a reference to God and
that God's presence and his truth must be honored in all speech. Discretion in
calling upon God is allied with a respectful awareness of his presence, which
all our assertions either witness to or mock.
2154 Following St.
Paul, The tradition of the Church has understood Jesus' words as not
excluding oaths made for grave and right reasons (for example, in court).
"An oath, that is the invocation of the divine name as a witness to truth,
cannot be taken unless in truth, in judgment, and in justice."
2155 The holiness of the divine
name demands that we neither use it for trivial matters, nor take an oath which
on the basis of the circumstances could be interpreted as approval of an
authority unjustly requiring it. When an oath is required by illegitimate civil
authorities, it may be refused. It must be refused when it is required for
purposes contrary to the dignity of persons or to ecclesial communion.
THE
TREE OF HAPPINESS (Cont.)
King
Richard was glad to see all the Grand knights and their sons preparing for the
Quest. Why even Sir Michael sent for his God-son Gabriel to be part of the
great quest. Gabriel was the son of Henry, Sir Michael’s brother. Henry was not
a member of the royal court and lived deep in the forests of Utopia. Henry had
renounced his birthright, by his marriage to a simple peasantry woman, named
Diane, who was known not only for her beauty but also for her intelligent mind
and loving ways. Diane and Henry had raised Gabriel quite different from the
other young men of Utopia. He was taught all the great sciences of the time,
and his father trained him in the Knightly arts. He was a young man of strength
in both mind and body. That was why Sir Michael chose him to be his Sergeant at
Arms on the great crusade to find the Tree of Happiness.
When
Gabriel got the word that he was to go with his uncle he was in his most
favorite places to be. He was in the upper most branches of the oldest oak tree
in the forest. It was said of the tree that it was used as a meeting place for
Mass when St. Dennis first brought Utopia to the church over 500 years ago and
if this was true it would make the tree at least 600 years old. Gabriel always
loved it here. This was his special place. This was the place where he spoke
with his creator. It was here he developed his strength of mind and by climbing
the great tree he also developed his physical strength.
After
Gabriel joined Sir Michael, King Richard and the rest of the Crusaders visited
many faraway lands in search of the Tree of Happiness. They fought many battles
(which are stories themselves) and they learned the value of friendship, duty
and the worth of selfless service. The king and his Knights found themselves
returning to the beliefs of the church and strangely found themselves happy
although suffering in hardships together. After five years of searching, they found
themselves approaching Utopia having never found the Tree of Happiness and
having a sense of failure. Gabriel now a Knight himself, found they were
approaching the tree of St. Dennis, his special place, in the middle of a
terrible storm. As they approached the tree, Gabriel mentioned to King Richard
how this tree was a special place to him, and they camped there for the night
to wait out the storm. Gabriel had just finished mentioning this to King
Richard when a great bolt of lightning struck the great tree splitting it.
Sadly, later that night Gabriel went to bed.
In
the morning Gabriel, Sir Michael, King Richard, and the company of Knights
approached the split tree. As they approached, they discovered buried within
the tree a crucifix that had been attached to the tree and the tree had grown
around it. The crucifix was the cross of St. Dennis which had the following
words inscribed upon it, “Upon this tree (cross) God hung in payment for our
sins and love for us. THIS is the true Tree of Happiness.”
Today Diane T. Havermale succumbed to pancreatic cancer in February 2015; She is loved and remembered by her seven children: Claire, Christopher (Gabriel), Candace, Dara, Rachel, Nicole and Vincent (Michael). Please pray for her intentions and those who struggle with cancer.
Coffee with Christ
Christ sips his coffee and looks at me and says, “Strive to see the blessings, goodness, and unfailing love the Father gives you. My sacrifice was necessary for your redemption, this is how great the Fathers love is. Endeavor constantly to maintain extraordinary gratitude for the Catholic faith my sacrifice purchased.”
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Conversion
of Sinners
·
Eat waffles and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
·
Total Consecration
to St. Joseph Day 5
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
Monday: Litany of
Humility
·
Rosary
[1]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5732
[3]Thigpen, Paul. Manual for Spiritual
Warfare. TAN Books.
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