Friday, March 22, 2024
Fifth Week of Lent Friday of Sorrows
AUGUST VON GALEN-WATER DAY
1 Maccabees, Chapter 12, Verse 52
This is true if you are sheep, and you look to the leadership of man to save you. To a true Israelite their leader was Yahweh. Israel knew that if they followed His covenant, He would never abandon them. All true leadership comes from God.
A True Leader[1]
Jesus summoned the twelve and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.”
This is certainly easier said than
done. This passage reveals one serious temptation that those “who are
recognized as rulers” may fall into. This is the temptation of an abuse
of power and a lack of humble leadership.
For example, tradition states that at
the heart of the fall of lucifer and the demons was a desire for power.
“I will not serve” are the words attributed to lucifer. In other words,
the desire for power and to be served by others was real and very powerful for
these fallen angels. So, it is with each one of us.
Though we may not be in a position of
great power over others, we will most likely all struggle with the desire for
power. This can happen in just about any context. Take, for
example, a friendship. Very often when there is the slightest
disagreement on something, we want our own way. We want to be in
charge. Or take the example of home life. How many enter into
family life with a desire to serve others and to humbly submit to the others’
wills? This is hard to do. It’s much easier to want to be the boss
and to dictate to others what is to happen in this or that situation.
In the passage above, Jesus makes it
clear to His Apostles that when they exercise their “authority” over others
they are not to make it “felt” by others. In other words, Jesus was not
calling His Apostles to be leaders by brute force, intimidation, manipulation
or by any other severe exercise of their authority. The authority that
Jesus wanted was much different.
Christian authority is centered in
love and humility. It’s a “leadership” that is lived in true
humility. This leadership wins over hearts, minds and wills of others and
invites them to follow in charity and love. This must happen within the
family, among friends, at church and within society.
Reflect, today, upon how you lead others.
Do you expect to be the “boss” and expect others to follow you because of your
authority? Or do you lead others by humility and love drawing them to
Christ through your goodness? Commit yourself to Christian leadership as
Jesus intended and you will be amazed at the effect it has within your family,
among friends and within the larger community.
Lord, help me to be a humble
leader. Help me to let Your heart of love and mercy shine forth and to
lead by the goodness and kindness of Your merciful heart. Help me to set
aside all pride and egotism and to become a servant of all. Jesus, I
trust in You.
(FRIDAY IN PASSION WEEK.)
THE part which the
Blessed Virgin took in the sufferings and death of her beloved Son has induced
the Church to give her the glorious title of Queen of Martyrs. The feast of the
Seven Dolors was first instituted by the Council of Cologne, in the year 1423,
in order to make amends for what the Hussites had done against the veneration
of the Blessed Virgin, whom they, like all heretics, had assailed with many
calumnies and insults; in particular, rejecting the image of the Mother of Dolors
with the body of her dead Son resting upon her lap.
This feast was
originally called the feast of the Compassion of
the Blessed Virgin.
At the presentation of
Jesus in the temple Simeon had predicted that the suffering of the Son would be
the suffering of the Mother also: Behold this child is set for the fall and for
the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted;
and thy own soul a sword shall pierce (Luke ii. 34, 35). The ignominy, insults,
and cruelties inflicted on Him were to be so many swords piercing her heart.
Remember, therefore, on this day the seven dolors which the Blessed Virgin
experienced:
1. At the circumcision
of her Son.
2. At her flight into
Egypt with Him.
3. On losing Him for three
days in the temple.
4. At the sight of Him
carrying the cross.
5. At His death.
6. When beholding His
side pierced with a spear, and His body taken down from the cross.
7. At His burial. Make
an act of contrition for your sins, which helped so much to cause the
sufferings and death of Jesus, and resolve firmly that you will no more grieve
the hearts of Jesus and Mary by sin. Ask her to assist you at your death by her
powerful intercession, that then she may show herself to you as a mother, and
obtain from her beloved Son grace for you.
The Introit of the Mass
is as follows: “There stood by the cross of Jesus His Mother, and His Mother s
sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen” (John xix.). “Woman, behold thy
son,” said Jesus, and to the disciple: “Behold thy mother.” Glory be to the
Father…
Prayer. O Lord, in Whose passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a
sword of sorrow pierced the most sweet soul of Mary, mother and virgin, grant,
in Thy mercy, that we may call to mind with veneration her transfixion and
sufferings; and by the glorious merits and prayers of all the saints, who stood
faithfully by the cross, interceding for us, may experience the happy effects
of Thy passion. Amen.
EPISTLE. Judith xiii.
23-25.
The Lord hath blessed
thee by His power, because by thee He hath brought our enemies to naught. And
Ozias, the prince of the people of Israel, said to her, Blessed art thou, O
daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth.
Blessed be the Lord Who made heaven and earth, Who hath directed thee to the
cutting off the head of the prince of our enemies. Because He hath so magnified
thy name this day, that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men who
shall be mindful of the power of the Lord forever, for that thou hast not
spared thy life, by reason of the distress and tribulation of thy people, but
hast prevented our ruin in the presence of our God.
GOSPEL. John xix. 25-27.
At that time: There
stood by the cross of Jesus His Mother, and His Mother s sister, Mary of
Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus therefore had seen His Mother and the
disciple standing whom He loved, He saith to His Mother: Woman, behold thy son.
After that, He saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour the
disciple took her to his own.
A special commemoration, one week before
Good Friday, of Mary's compassion for (literally, "suffering with")
Her innocent son.
The
Friday
of Sorrows is a solemn pious remembrance of the sorrowful Blessed
Virgin Mary on the Friday before Palm Sunday held in the fifth week of Lent
(formerly called "Passion Week"). In Divine Worship: The Missal
it is called Saint Mary in Passiontide and sometimes it is traditionally
known as Our Lady in Passiontide.
In
certain Catholic countries, especially in Mexico, Guatemala, Italy, Peru,
Brazil, Spain, Malta, Nicaragua and the Philippines, it is seen as
the beginning of the Holy
Week celebrations and termed as Viernes
de Dolores (Friday of Sorrows). It takes place exactly one week before Good
Friday, and concentrates on the emotional pain that the Passion of Jesus Christ
caused to his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is venerated under the title
Our Lady of Sorrows.
In certain Spanish-speaking countries, the day is also referred to as Council
Friday, because of the choice of John 11:47-54
as the Gospel passage read in the Tridentine Mass on that day (which is now
read in slightly expanded form on Saturday of the fifth week of Lent), which
recounts the conciliar meeting of the Sanhedrin priests to discuss what to do
with Jesus. Like all Fridays in Lent, this Friday is a day of abstinence from
meat, unless the national episcopal conference has indicated alternative forms
of penance. A similar commemoration in sympathy with the Virgin Mary under the
title of Our Lady of Solitude
is held on Black Saturday.
Prayers for the Dead[4]
Fasting and Mortification[5]
Modern man and the media often
portray persons that fast as deranged, passé or even ignorant. However, fasting
and bodily discipline are truly the marks of a man or woman of mature intellect
which has mastery over not only the mind but also the body and spirit. St. Paul
put it in stronger terms, “put to death therefore what is earthly in you (Col.
3:5).” Jesus has also said, “If any man would come after me, let him deny
himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Christ knew we become attached to
created things and to the pleasure they bring us. St. Augustine said that sin
begins as a turning away from God and a turning toward lesser goods. When we
sin, we don’t choose evil. We choose something less than God and His will. Our
bodies want more than they need, so we must give them less than they want. Our
bodies must be subject to our reason—or our reason will soon be subjected to
our bodies. St. Paul went even further. “I pommel my body and subdue it” (1
Cor. 9:27). Nevertheless, our goal should be to let our reason/soul cooperate
with the Holy Spirit.
Chassidic philosophy[6]
demonstrates three ways in which the body and soul can interact:
Ø The soul can try and mitigate the
urges of the body. Things that look good, taste good and feel good are
stimulating and addictive. Most of us live life with our body in the driver’s
seat. The soul just can’t compete. And so, the soul tries to negotiate reasonably,
and encourages moderation.
Ø Or, the soul can choose to reject
the body and abhor anything associated with materialism. The soul-driven person
would then rebel against society’s shallow and false veneers. Simplicity and
ascetism become the ultimate goals of the soul.
Ø The third scenario is not a
compromise between the first two. It is an entirely new approach, where the
body and soul learn to work together. The soul neither leans towards the body
nor rejects it. It does not react; it
pro-acts. In a proactive position, the soul directs and channels the body’s
inclination in a constructive way. In this last approach, instead of repressing
the body’s needs, the soul views them as an opportunity to serve God in a whole new way.
Ø
Using
the third approach we should fast with a purpose like Moses or Elijah for
example before going into God’s presence or to strengthen us or for the benefit
of others. Jesus fasted not because He needed to, but as a model for us. We
should make self-sacrifices in an effort to make others happy or out of love
for our God to share in his plan of salvation.
Lenten
Calendar[7]
Read: “Wherefore, we ask, urgently and
prayerfully, that we, as people of God, make of the entire Lenten Season a
period of special penitential observance. Following the instructions of the
Holy See, we declare that the obligation both too fast and to abstain from
meat, an obligation observed under a stricter formality by our fathers in the
faith, still binds on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. No Catholic Christian will
lightly excuse himself from so hallowed an obligation on the Wednesday which
solemnly opens the Lenten season and, on that Friday, called ‘Good’ because on that day Christ suffered in
the flesh and died for our sins. . .. Gratefully remembering this, Catholic
peoples from time immemorial have set apart Friday for special penitential
observance by which they gladly suffer with Christ that they may one day be
glorified with Him. This is the heart of the tradition of abstinence from meat
on Friday where that tradition has been observed in the holy Catholic Church.”
(1966 USCCB Pastoral Statement on
Penance and Abstinence, no. 12 and no. 18)
Reflect: "If you have fasted two or three
days, do not think of yourself better than others who do not fast. You fast and
are angry; another eats and wears a smiling face."
—St. Jerome, Letters, 22.37
Pray: Pray that abstinence from some of your
favorite things this Lenten season will help bring you closer to God long after
the season is over.
Act: Take note of the meatless meals you have
enjoyed this Lent. Add your favorites to your family’s regular meal rotation once Lent is
over.
Clemens August
von Galen, Bishop of Münster
(16 March 1878 – 22 March 1946)[8]
In
the summer of 1941, in answer to unwarranted attacks by the National
Socialists, Bishop von Galen delivered three admonitory sermons between July
and August. He spoke in his old parish Church of St Lambert and in
Liebfrauen-Ueberlassen Church, since the diocesan cathedral had been bombed. In
his famous speeches, Bishop von Galen spoke out against the State confiscation
of Church property and the programmatic euthanasia carried out by the regime. The
clarity and incisiveness of his words and the unshakable fidelity of Catholics
in the Diocese of Münster embarrassed the Nazi regime, and on 10 October 1943
the bishop’s residence was bombed. Bishop von Galen was forced to take refuge
in nearby Borromeo College. From 12 September 1944 on, he could no longer
remain in the city of Münster, destroyed by the war; he left for the zone of
Sendenhorst. In 1945, Vatican Radio announced that Pope Pius XII was to hold a
Consistory and that the Bishop of Münster was also to be present.
T4:
The Nazis' Euthanasia Solution[9]
He who is bodily and mentally not sound and deserving may not perpetuate this misfortune in the bodies of his children. — Hitler, Mein Kampf.
Beginning
in 1939, the National Socialist regime begin systematically killing disabled
children in "specially designated pediatric clinics" via starvation
and overdose. By the end of World War II, an estimated 5,000 infants and
children had been murdered by the Nazis. The program, code-named T4, was
extended to adults beginning in 1940. Physicians working for the T4 program
examined medical files (seldom the institutionalized patients themselves) and
marked for death disabled and mentally ill adults, in most cases without the
knowledge or consent of family members. Those selected for extermination were
rounded up, processed, and directed into a facility for a "disinfecting
shower." Instead, the victims were gassed to death via carbon monoxide. Their
bodies were cremated, and the ashes sent to families with an official death
certificate listing a fictitious cause of death.
By
1941 the program had become public knowledge, in part because of the opposition
from German clergymen, including Bishop von Galen. Hitler officially halted the
adult killings, but the child program continued. In 1942 adult killings resumed
in secret and continued until the end of the war, with an ever-expanding range
of victims, including the elderly, hospitalized war victims, and foreign
laborers. In all, an estimated 200,000 people were executed as part of the Nazi
"mercy killing" agenda.
World Water Day[10]
World Water Day serves to raise awareness about water issues such as sanitation problems and water shortages in many parts of the world. Today, 1 in 10 people lack access to safe and clean water, a problem which has a direct impact on the economy, health of the population and well-being of women and children worldwide. In 1992, World Water Day was proposed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The United Nations General Assembly responded to the proposition in 1993 by declaring March 22 as World Water Day. Each year, the UN-Water agency allocates a theme corresponding to a current or potential challenge for World Water Day.
World Water Day Facts & Quotes
·
In
developing nations, nearly 80% of illnesses can be linked to poor water and
sanitation conditions.
·
Russia's
Lake Baikal and North America's Great Lakes hold about 40% of the world's fresh
water supply, the large remainder of the freshwater supply is in the form of
icecaps and glaciers.
·
According
to UNICEF, diarrhea is the second leading cause of death among children under
the age of 5 in the world.
·
You
ain't gonna miss your water until your well runs dry. - Bob Marley
World Water Day Top Events and
Things to Do
·
Don't
waste water!!! Make a conscious effort to use less water on World Water Day and
on other days. Some ways to reduce water consumption include showers instead of
baths, washing full loads of clothing only and turning off the tap while
washing dishes and brushing teeth.
·
Donate
to a charity
or organization that supports water issues in developing nations. WaterAid is an organization
that works in poor countries to set up and maintain water sources, UNICEF and UNCHR
also provide support and relief efforts to improve water sanitation and hygiene
globally.
·
Volunteer
to help clean up trash and other debris along a beach or shore. This garbage
and debris pollute the water that we need in our daily lives.
·
Watch
documentaries about water-related issues such as pollution, contamination and
diseases. Our top picks are Troubled Water, The Fight for Water, Flow
for the Love of Water, Tapped, Thirst and Dhaka's Cholera
Wars.
· Take part in a local World Water Day celebration, such as a film screening or a water conservation event. One of the largest events, the White House Water Summit in Washington DC, will be live streamed.
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 7-THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
VI. Love for the Poor
2443 God blesses those who come
to the aid of the poor and rebukes those who turn away from them: "Give to
him who begs from you, do not refuse him who would borrow from you";
"you received without pay, give without pay." It is by what they
have done for the poor that Jesus Christ will recognize his chosen
ones. When "the poor have the good news preached to them," it is
the sign of Christ's presence.
2444 "The Church's love
for the poor . . . is a part of her constant tradition." This love is
inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes, of the poverty of Jesus, and of his
concern for the poor. Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the
duty of working so as to "be able to give to those in need." It
extends not only to material poverty but also to the many forms of cultural and
religious poverty.
2445 Love for the poor is
incompatible with immoderate love of riches or their selfish use:
Come now,
you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches
have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted,
and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire.
You have laid up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers
who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of
the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on
the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of
slaughter. You have condemned, you have killed the righteous man; he does not
resist you.
2446 St. John Chrysostom
vigorously recalls this: "Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is
to steal from them and deprive them of life. the goods we possess are not ours,
but theirs." "The demands of justice must be satisfied first of
all; that which is already due in justice is not to be offered as a gift of
charity":
When we attend to the needs of
those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing
works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice.
2447 The works of mercy are
charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual
and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are
spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. the
corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering
the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying
the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief
witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God:
He who has
two coats, let him share with him who has none and he who has food must do
likewise. But give for alms those things which are within; and behold,
everything is clean for you. If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in
lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed
and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does
it profit?
2448 "In its various forms
- material deprivation, unjust oppression, physical and psychological illness
and death - human misery is the obvious sign of the inherited condition of
frailty and need for salvation in which man finds himself as a consequence of
original sin. This misery elicited the compassion of Christ the Savior, who
willingly took it upon himself and identified himself with the least of his
brethren. Hence, those who are oppressed by poverty are the object of a
preferential love on the part of the Church which, since her origin and in
spite of the failings of many of her members, has not ceased to work for their
relief, defense, and liberation through numerous works of charity which remain
indispensable always and everywhere."
2449 Beginning with the Old
Testament, all kinds of juridical measures (the jubilee year of forgiveness of
debts, prohibition of loans at interest and the keeping of collateral, the
obligation to tithe, the daily payment of the day-laborer, the right to glean
vines and fields) answer the exhortation of Deuteronomy: "For the poor
will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, 'You shall open wide
your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor in the
land.'" Jesus makes these words his own: "The poor you always
have with you, but you do not always have me." In so doing he does
not soften the vehemence of former oracles against "buying the poor for
silver and the needy for a pair of sandals . . .," but invites us to
recognize his own presence in the poor who are his brethren:
When her mother reproached her
for caring for the poor and the sick at home, St. Rose of Lima said to her:
"When we serve the poor and the sick, we serve Jesus. We must not fail to
help our neighbors, because in them we serve Jesus.
Fitness Friday-Sleeping Workout
Recognizing
that God, the Father created man on Friday the 6th day I
propose in this blog to have an entry that shares on how to recreate and renew
yourself in strength, mind, soul and heart.
Having trouble
sleeping? Try some light catholic reading.
“The
reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of the past
centuries.” This quote is by the famous philosopher Descartes.
Although I am not a fan of everything Descartes has to say, I don’t think
he’s too far off here. Reading a good book by a good author is
indeed like having a conversation with them. By reading their book you’re
looking into their mind, experiencing their world, and learning their wisdom.
In my opinion there are no greater people to have “conversations” with through
their writing than Catholic saints. Catholic saints have written some of
the most beautiful literature which inspires, educates, encourages, and informs
us how to live a holy and happy life. Here is a list of ten classic Catholic books which any and every Catholic
should read at some point in their life.
*If
you’re not much of a reader, or if you don’t have much free time to pick up a
book, many of these classic Catholic books have audio book versions.
·
The Imitation of Christ by St. Thomas a Kempis
·
Diary of Saint Maria Faustina
Kowalska by St. Maria Faustina Kowalska
·
Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross
·
The Way of Perfection by St. Teresa of Avila
·
The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux
·
An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales
·
City of God by St. Augustine
·
Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas
·
The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila
·
The Confessions by St. Augustine
As you can tell, this list of great Catholic books by wonderful Catholic saints is in no particular order. These are just 10 of the many Catholic books written by wonderful saints who have so much timeless wisdom to share. Who wouldn’t want to have a conversation with any of these wonderful saints? What books would you add to this list of classic Catholic books? What does your favorite classic Catholic books list look like?
NIC’s Corner
Christ sips his coffee and looks at me and says, “Find the narrow way by asking me to direct your heart. Do not seek nor reject honor but seek only to do the will of the Father and there you will find peace. Give me your whole heart and seek to build my kingdom. Be soldier in my army and if others mock or deride you find your rest in my passion and holy wounds and there you will find refuge and discover the strength for the day of tribulation.”
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Increase
of Vocations to the Holy Priesthood.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
30
Days with St. Joseph Day 3
[2]https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/marriage/promotion-and-defense-of-marriage/upload/Gender-Ideology-Select-Teaching-Resources.pdf
[4] Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40
Catholic Customs and their biblical roots. Chap. 40. Prayers for the Dead.
[5] Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40
Catholic Customs and their biblical roots. Chap. 27. Fasting and Mortification.
[8]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-03-22
[9]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-03-22
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