First
Wednesday
1 Maccabees, Chapter 3, Verse 6-7
6The lawless were
cowed by FEAR of him, and all
evildoers were dismayed. By his hand deliverance was happily achieved, 7and
he afflicted many kings. He gave joy to Jacob by his deeds, and his memory is
blessed forever.
Judas
Maccabees was a defender of the weak that were oppressed by renegades and by
the kings of the region. To understand this better let’s look at the words’
meaning.
renegades[1]
a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of
principles.
1.
A person who behaves in a rebelliously unconventional
manner.
2.Archaic a person who abandons religion, an
apostate.
How many of us have at times been cowed by the fleshes
weakness or the world as professed by the media and given in to false prophets
that spout the culture of death. We must
stand with the Church and not be cowed and show ourselves as people trusting in
God in the midst of troubles.
Trusting
in God in the Midst of Troubles[2]
Saint Augustine, 354 –430 A.D.
had something to say about the private storms in our lives. St. Augustine was a
philosopher and theologian who tells us, “Don't forget the presence of
Christ. When you have to listen to abuse, that means you are being buffeted by
the wind; when your anger is roused, you are being tossed by the waves. So when
the winds blow and the waves mount high, the boat is in danger, your heart is
imperiled, your heart is taking a battering. On hearing yourself insulted, you
long to retaliate; but the joy of revenge brings with it another kind of
misfortune—shipwreck. Why is this? Because Christ is asleep in you. What do I
mean? I mean you have forgotten His presence. Rouse him, then; remember Him,
let Him keep watch within you, pay heed to Him. Now what was your desire? You
wanted to get your own back. You have forgotten that when Christ was being
crucified, He said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Christ, the sleeper in your heart, had no desire for vengeance in his. Rouse
Him, then, call him to mind.” There will
be encounters we cannot envision; cannot see for they lie around the bend in
the roads of our life. Sometimes it takes only the ringing of the telephone to
change an entire well-made plan, bringing us to truths we hope we never hear
such as the death of a beloved relative or the news that someone we care deeply
for has an incurable illness. There might be a knock on the door that brings
life-changing news that will break our hearts.
But it is in the midst of uncertainty and trials, as we teeter on the
brim of a chasm wondering what to do, imploring God with weakening hope to come
forth for us, that we can see we are stronger than we thought. Through
faith, we are able to pull ourselves up from the edge of unspeakable hardship
to keep ploughing forward on our heaven bound journey. It is a time when we can
understand and measure our capacity to endure, to assess our strength and
continue through life’s fiercest turbulence. We look at those who are surviving
terrible calamities and adversities, and we cannot understand how they
persevere, how they can put one foot in front of the other and move on, running
toward a goal that others cannot see. These are the people with great faith,
who are willing to "let go of the branch" and depend on Jesus
Christ and His promises. “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to
help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the
mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains
tremble as the waters surge!” -Psalm 46: 1-3.
Do not let your faith be swallowed up by fear.
Do not wallow in self-pity, for
Almighty God knows your circumstances and what you are going through.
Take your supplications to God
and find the solace and comfort you need to overcome.
Be always mindful that in the
middle of the violent storms that steal away your joy, batter your dreams, and
flatten your hopes, you will find the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ Who says "I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” -Hebrews 13:5.
First Wednesday[3]
Our Heavenly Father desires all three hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph to be honored. And so along with devotion to Jesus on First Fridays, and to Mary on First Saturdays, Our Father longs for us to add devotion to St. Joseph on each First Wednesday of the month.
"The Sacred Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph have been chosen by the Most Holy Trinity to bring peace to the world." It is at God's request that "special love and honor be given to them" to help us "imitate" their love and their lives, as well as "offer reparation" for the sins committed against them and their love.
The St. Joseph First Wednesday devotion is:
1. Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary - remembering St. Joseph's love, his life, his role and his sufferings
2. Receive Holy Communion - in union with the love St. Joseph had for Jesus the first time and each time he held him - his son, his God and Savior - in his arms.
In the approved
apparitions of Our Lady of America, St. Joseph revealed:
·
"I
am the protector of the Church and the home, as I was the protector of Christ
and his Mother while I lived upon earth. Jesus and Mary desire that my pure
heart, so long hidden and unknown, be now honored in a special way.
·
Let my
children honor my most pure heart in a special manner on the First Wednesday of
the month by reciting the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary in memory of my life
with Jesus and Mary and the love I bore them, the sorrow I suffered with them.
·
Let them
receive Holy Communion in union with the love with which I received the Savior
for the first time and each time I held Him in my arms.
·
Those
who honor me in this way will be consoled by my presence at their death, and I
myself will conduct them safely into the presence of Jesus and Mary."
Wednesday before Laetare Sunday[4] beginning of Mid-Lent
Prayer. GRANT us, we beseech Thee, O
Lord, that, instructed by wholesome fasting, and abstaining from dangerous
vices, we may more easily obtain Thy favor.
EPISTLE. Exodus xx. 12-24.
Thus,
saith the Lord God: Honor thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest be
long-lived upon the land which the Lord thy God will give thee. Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house:
neither shalt thou desire his wife, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his
ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is his. And all the people saw the voices
and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking: and being
terrified and struck with fear, they stood afar off, saying to Moses: Speak
thou to us, and we will hear let not the Lord speak to us, lest we die. And
Moses said to the people: Fear not: for God has come to prove you, and that the
dread of Him might be in you, and you should not sin. And the people stood afar
off. But Moses went to the dark cloud wherein God was. And the Lord said to
Moses: Thus, shalt thou say to the children of Israel: You have seen that I
have spoken to you from heaven. You shall not make gods of silver, nor shall
you make to yourselves gods of gold. You shall make an altar of earth unto Me,
and you shall offer upon it your holocausts and peace-offerings, your sheep and
oxen, in every place where the memory of My name shall be.
GOSPEL. Matt. xv. 1-20.
At that time there came
to Jesus from Jerusalem scribes and Pharisees, saying: Why do Thy disciples
transgress the traditions of the ancients? For they wash not their hands when
they eat bread. But He answering, said to them: Why do you also transgress the
commandment of God for your tradition? For God said: Honor thy father and
mother; and: He that shall curse father or mother, let him die the death. But
you say: Whosoever shall say to father or mother, the gift whatso ever
proceedeth from me, shall profit thee; and he shall not honor his father or his
mother: and you have made void the commandment of God for jour tradition.
Hypocrites, well hath Isaias prophesied of you, saying: This people honoreth Me
with their lips: but their heart is far from Me. And in vain do they worship
Me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men. And having called together the
multitudes unto Him, He said to them: Hear ye and understand. Not that which
goeth into the mouth defileth a man: but what cometh out of the mouth, this defileth
a man. Then came His disciples, and said to Him: Dost Thou know that the
Pharisees, when they heard this word, were scandalized?
But He answering, said:
Every plant which My heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let
them alone: they are blind, and leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the
blind, both fall into the pit. And Peter answering, said to Him: Expound to us
this parable. But He said: Are you also yet without understanding? Do you not
understand, that whatsoever entereth into the mouth goeth into the belly, and
is cast out into the privy? But the things which proceed out of the mouth, come
forth from the heart, and those things defile a man. For from the heart come
forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things that
defile a man. But to eat with unwashed hands doth not defile a man.
Mid-Lent Customs[5]
Mid-Lent, the week from the Wednesday before to the Wednesday after Laetare Sunday, is a note of joy within the context of sorrow. The perfect symbol of this complex emotion is the rose vestments worn on Laetare Sunday instead of penitential purple or exultant white. Rose stands somewhere in between, as a sort of joyous variation of purple. The last day of Mid-Lent is when catechumens would learn the Apostles' Creed for the first time; the days leading up to that great revelation were thus for them a cause for gladness. This spirit eventually permeated to the rest of the community as "a measure of consoling relaxation... so that the faithful might not break down under the severe strains of the Lenten fast but may continue to bear the restrictions with a refreshed and easier heart" (Pope Innocent III (d. 1216)).
Mid-Lent customs predominantly involve pre-Christian celebrations concerning the "burial" of winter, where flower decorations and the like betoken the joyous end of the cold and dark. There are also customs involving either matchmaking or announcing the engagements of young couples. In either case, a joyous meal is celebrated during this time.
In England Laetare Sunday came to be known as "Mothering" Sunday because it was the day that apprentices and students were released from their duties to visit their mother church, i.e., the church in which they had been baptized and brought up. This custom tied into the theme of Mother Jerusalem.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION TWO-THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
CHAPTER
TWO-YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF
Article 5-THE FIFTH
COMMANDMENT
I. Respect for Human Life
The witness of sacred history
2259 In the account of Abel's
murder by his brother Cain, Scripture reveals the presence of anger and
envy in man, consequences of original sin, from the beginning of human history.
Man has become the enemy of his fellow man. God declares the wickedness of this
fratricide: "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is
crying to me from the ground. and now you are cursed from the ground, which has
opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand."
2260 The covenant between God
and mankind is interwoven with reminders of God's gift of human life and man's
murderous violence:
For your
lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning.... Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image.
The Old Testament always
considered blood a sacred sign of life. This teaching remains necessary
for all time.
2261 Scripture specifies the
prohibition contained in the fifth commandment: "Do not slay the innocent
and the righteous." The deliberate murder of an innocent person is
gravely contrary to the dignity of the human being, to the golden rule, and to
the holiness of the Creator. The law forbidding it is universally valid: it
obliges each and everyone, always and everywhere.
2262 In the Sermon on the
Mount, the Lord recalls the commandment, "You shall not
kill," and adds to it the proscription of anger, hatred, and
vengeance. Going further, Christ asks his disciples to turn the other cheek, to
love their enemies. He did not defend himself and told Peter to leave his
sword in its sheath.
Legitimate defense
2263 The legitimate defense of
persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder
of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing. "The act of
self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one's own life; and
the killing of the aggressor.... the one is intended, the other is not."
2264 Love toward oneself
remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to
insist on respect for one's own right to life. Someone who defends his life is
not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow:
If a man in
self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if
he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful.... Nor is it
necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to
avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one's own
life than of another's.
2265 Legitimate defense can be
not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another's life.
Preserving the common good requires rendering the unjust aggressor unable to
inflict harm. To this end, those holding legitimate authority have the right to
repel by armed force aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their
charge.
Capital Punishment
2266 The State's effort to
contain the spread of behaviors injurious to human rights and the fundamental
rules of civil coexistence corresponds to the requirement of watching over the
common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and duty to inflict
penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime. The primary scope of the
penalty is to redress the disorder caused by the offense. When his punishment
is voluntarily accepted by the offender, it takes on the value of expiation.
Moreover, punishment, in addition to preserving public order and the safety of
persons, has a medicinal scope: as far as possible it should contribute to the
correction of the offender.
2267 Recourse to the death
penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long
considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an
acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.
Today, however, there is an
increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the
commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged
of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more
effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due
protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the
guilty of the possibility of redemption.
Consequently, the Church
teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that “the death penalty is inadmissible
because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”,
[Francis, Address
to Participants in the Meeting organized by the Pontifical Council for the
Promotion of the New Evangelization, 11 October
2017] and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.
Intentional homicide
2268 The fifth commandment
forbids direct and intentional killing as gravely sinful. The murderer and
those who cooperate voluntarily in murder commit a sin that cries out to heaven
for vengeance.
Infanticide, fratricide,
parricide, and the murder of a spouse are especially grave crimes by reason of
the natural bonds which they break. Concern for eugenics or public health
cannot justify any murder, even if commanded by public authority.
2269 The fifth commandment
forbids doing anything with the intention of indirectly bringing about a
person's death. The moral law prohibits exposing someone to mortal danger
without grave reason, as well as refusing assistance to a person in danger.
The
acceptance by human society of murderous famines, without efforts to remedy
them, is a scandalous injustice and a grave offense. Those whose usurious and
avaricious dealings lead to the hunger and death of their brethren in the human
family indirectly commit homicide, which is imputable to them.
Unintentional killing is not
morally imputable. But one is not exonerated from grave offense if, without
proportionate reasons, he has acted in a way that brings about someone's death,
even without the intention to do so.
Abortion
2270 Human life must be
respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception.
From the first moment of his
existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person -
among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.
Before I
formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately
wrought in the depths of the earth.
2271 Since the first century
the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion.
This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.
Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means,
is gravely contrary to the moral law:
You shall
not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.
God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding
life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves.
Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception:
abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.
2272 Formal cooperation in an
abortion constitutes a grave offense.
The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime
against human life.
"A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae
sententiae," "by the very commission of the
offense," and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law.
The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy.
Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable
harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and
the whole of society.
2273 The inalienable right to
life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil
society and its legislation:
"The inalienable rights of
the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political
authority.
These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do
they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human
nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which
the person took his origin.
Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human
being's right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception
until death."
"The moment a positive law
deprives a category of human beings of the protection which civil legislation
ought to accord them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law.
When the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each
citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a
state based on law are undermined....
As a consequence of the respect and protection which must be ensured for the
unborn child from the moment of conception, the law must provide appropriate
penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child's rights."
2274 Since it must be treated
from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity,
cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.
Prenatal diagnosis is morally
licit, "if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human
fetus and is directed toward its safe guarding or healing as an individual....
It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of
possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not
be the equivalent of a death sentence."
2275 "One must hold as
licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which respect the life and
integrity of the embryo and do not involve disproportionate risks for it, but
are directed toward its healing the improvement of its condition of health, or
its individual survival."
"It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as
disposable biological material."
"Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not
therapeutic but are aimed at producing human beings selected according to sex
or other predetermined qualities.
Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of the human being and
his integrity and identity" which are unique and unrepeatable.
Euthanasia
2276 Those whose lives are
diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons
should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible.
2277 Whatever its motives and
means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of
handicapped, sick, or dying persons.
It is morally unacceptable.
Thus an act or omission which,
of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering
constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to
the respect due to the living God, his Creator.
The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the
nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded.
2278 Discontinuing medical
procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate
to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of
"over-zealous" treatment.
Here one does not will to cause death; one's inability to impede it is merely
accepted.
The decisions should be made by the patient if he is competent and able or, if
not, by those legally entitled to act for the patient, whose reasonable will
and legitimate interests must always be respected.
2279 Even if death is thought
imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately
interrupted.
The use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferings of the dying, even at the
risk of shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity
if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and
tolerated as inevitable
Palliative care is a special form of disinterested charity.
As such it should be encouraged.
Suicide
2280 Everyone is responsible
for his life before God who has given it to him.
It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life.
We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the
salvation of our souls.
We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us.
It is not ours to dispose of.
2281 Suicide contradicts the
natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life.
It is gravely contrary to the just love of self.
It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of
solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue
to have obligations.
Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.
2282 If suicide is committed
with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also
takes on the gravity of scandal.
Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.
Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship,
suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing
suicide.
2283 We should not despair of
the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known
to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The
Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.
Plan ahead for:
·
Bird Watching- With about 10,000 species of birds
and only a handful of people who can claim having seen over 7000 of them, bird
watching is become a popular recreation activity. It’s believed that bird
watching is an expression of the male hunting instinct while others link it
with the male tendency for “systemizing”. Either way, bird watching is a great,
safe way to enjoy nature.
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
Coffee with Christ
Christ sips his coffee and looks at me and says, “Obedience is the greatest act of love; why because you must humble yourself to the will of another. During my lifetime I was obedient first to the Father and was subject to the will of my mother and earthly father Joseph. Enter the gate of obedience through humility. I ask Christ how we can know what to obey in conflict. That is where the Holy Spirit and my church will help you; but realize that your greatest obedience must be given to the establishment of life. Second, the priority is for preservation of a person’s freewill/liberty. The third is a right to ownership of intellectual, physical, and spiritual property that is done for the building up of the Kingdom.”
Dara's Corner
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Authentic Feminism
·
Total Consecration
to St. Joseph Day 20
·
Saint Collette recipe: Coq
au Riesling
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
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