Monday Night at the Movies
John Ford, Three Godfathers, 1948
APRIL
Overview
of April[1]
We continue throughout the entire
month our cry, "Christ is risen, Christ is truly risen."
The Feast of Divine Mercy offers us
the opportunity to begin again as though we were newly baptized. The
unfathomable mercy of God is made manifest today if we but accept His most
gracious offer. Easter is the feast of feasts, the unalloyed joy and gladness
of all Christians. This truly is "the day that the Lord has made."
From Sunday to Sunday, from year to year, the Easters of this earth will lead
us to that blessed day on which Christ has promised that He will come again
with glory to take us with Him into the kingdom of His Father.
The feasts and saints that we will
focus on this month — those who have already shared in the rewards of the
Resurrection are:
Solemnity of the Annunciation will be celebrated on April 8 since
the 25th falls on Monday of Holy Week. The feast was superseded by the Holy
Week liturgy.
A Time of New Life
April boasts the most solemn and
sublime events of human history: the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ – the Paschal mystery. Though the way to the Resurrection was the Via
Crucis, the Sacrificial Lamb of God is now and forever Christ our Light,
the Eternal high priest of the New Covenant. And his sorrowful mother, the Stabat
Mater of Good Friday, is now the jubilant Mother of the Regina Caeli.
We the members of Christ’s Mystical
Body exalt in the mystery by which we were redeemed. If in Baptism we were
buried with Christ, so also will we share in his resurrection. By his death we
were reborn; “by his stripes we were healed.” (Is 53:5) Easter, the epicenter
of time, is the event that links time and eternity. It is indeed “the day the
Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.” (Ps 118:24)
April
is also:[2]
·
Jazz
Appreciation Month
· Month of the Military Child
APRIL TIMETABLE
April Travel?[3]
·
Masters Golf Tournament--April
8-14--Tee up for the granddaddy of all golf tournaments. The Masters Tournament kicks
off the first of 4 major championships, with plenty of betting odds. Head to
Augusta, GA!
·
Scarborough
Renaissance Festival--April 6-May 27th --Travel
back to the 16th century at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival. This annual
fest in Waxahachie, TX, kicks off the first weekend in April, drawing crowds
upwards of 200,000 to view some 200 performances.
·
Coachella--April
12-21--Get your music fill at the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The annual
2-weekend, 3-day fest kicks off in Indio, CA, with more than 150 performances.
·
Boston Marathon--April
15--Show your Boston pride and find something for everyone to enjoy. The
annual Boston Marathon kicks
off with a fitness expo featuring more than 200 exhibitors, followed by a 5K
set to draw an estimated 10,000 participants as well as a relay challenge --
all topped by the grand celebration of city spirit.
·
King’s
Day in Amsterdam--April 27--Enjoy a ride
along Amsterdam’s canals, and
don your brightest orange, for the Netherlands’ annual King’s Day. The national
holiday celebrates the Dutch royal house (and current King Willem-Alexander)
with plenty of “orange madness,” in keeping with the Dutch national colors.
· New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival--April 25-May 5--Love jazz? Join fellow music lovers at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Held every year since 1970, the annual Jazz Fest, as it’s called, showcases nearly every music genre, from blues to R&B, and everything else in between. It’s all performed across 12 stages during the last weekend in April.
Iceman’s Calendar
·
Apr. 1st-Easter
Monday
·
Apr 2nd Easter
Octave
·
Apr 3rd MASS
First Wednesday
·
Apr 4th Easter
Octave
·
Apr. 5th First
Friday
·
Apr 6th MASS
First Saturday
·
Apr. 7th Divine
Mercy Sunday
·
Apr 8th Feast
of the Annunciation
· Apr 11th Thursday Feast
·
14th Third Sunday of Easter
·
18th Thursday Feast
·
Apr 21st Fourth
Sunday of Easter
·
Apr 23rd Feast of
St. George
·
Apr 25th Feast of
St. Mark
·
Apr 28th Fifth
Sunday of Easter
APRIL 1 Monday in the Octave of Easter
ALL FOOLS DAY
Matthew,
Chapter 28, verse 8-10
8 Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. 10Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be AFRAID. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Our deepest fear
is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is
within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
Marianne Williamson.
Saint of the Day-Bl. Anacleto Gonzlez Flores
Eastertide[4]
·
The spirit of Eastertide is a spirit of sincere
gratitude to the risen Christ.
·
Easter sets a new task before us. We must now begin
to live the life of the new man.
· The time from Easter to Pentecost is merely an extension of the feast of Easter.
Monday in the Octave of Easter[5]
IN the Introit of the Mass of this day the Church brings before our eyes the entrance of the Israelites into the promised land, which is a type of the kingdom of heaven, under Josue, who is a type of Christ. The Lord hath brought you into a land flowing with milk and honey, alleluia: and that the law of the Lord may be ever in your mouth, alleluia, alleluia. Give glory to the Lord and call upon His name, declare His deeds among the gentiles.
Prayer.
O God, Who hast bestowed remedies on the world in the paschal solemnities, grant to Thy people heavenly gifts, we beseech Thee, that they may both deserve to obtain perfect liberty, and arrive at life everlasting.
EPISTLE. Acts x. 37-43.
In those days: Peter standing in the midst of the people, said: Men, brethren, you know the word which hath been published through all Judea: for it began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached, Jesus of Nazareth: how God anointed Him with the Holy Ghost, and with power, Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things that He did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, Whom they killed, hanging Him upon a tree. Him God raised up the third day, and gave Him to be made manifest, not to all the people, but to witnesses preordained by God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He arose again from the dead: and He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He Who was appointed by God to be judge of the living and of the dead. To Him all the prophets give testimony, that by His name all receive remission of sins, who believe in Him.
Explanation.
Through Jesus sent from God, and through Him alone, forgiveness of sins and salvation are promised to all who truly and firmly believe in Him and show their belief by deeds. Have such a lively faith, and thou shalt receive forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.
GOSPEL. Luke xxiv. 13-35.
At that time: two of the disciples of Jesus went the same day to a town, which was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, named Emmaus. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that while they talked and reasoned with themselves, Jesus Himself also drawing near went with them. But their eyes were held that they should not know Him. And He said to them: What are these discourses that you hold one with another as you walk, and are sad?
And the one of them, whose name was Cleophas, answering, said to Him: Art Thou only a stranger in Jerusalem and hast not known the things that have been done there in these days? To whom He said: What things?
And they said: Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, Who was a prophet, mighty in work and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and princes delivered Him to be condemned to death and crucified Him. But we hoped that it was He that should have redeemed Israel: and now besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company, affrighted us, who before it was light were at the sepulcher. And not finding His body, came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who say that He is alive. And some of our people went to the sepulcher: and found it so as the women had said, but Him they found not. Then He said to them: O foolish, and slow of heart to believe in all things which the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into His glory?
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things that were concerning Him. And they drew nigh to the town whither they were going, and He made as though He would go farther. But they constrained Him, saying: Stay with us, because it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent. And He went in with them. And it came to pass, whilst He was at table with them, He took bread, and blessed, and broke, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him: and He vanished out of their sight. And they said one to the other: Was not our heart burning within us, whilst He spoke in the way, and opened to us the Scriptures?
And rising up the same hour they went back to Jerusalem: and they found the eleven gathered together, and those that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way: and how they knew Him in the breaking of bread.
Why did Jesus appear as a stranger to the two disciples?
He appeared to them as a stranger, says St. Gregory, because He meant to deal with them according to their dispositions, and according to the firmness of their faith. They seemed not to have believed in Him as the Son of God, but to have expected a hero or prince who should deliver them from their subjection to the Romans. Thus, Christ was, indeed, yet a stranger in their hearts, and chose to appear to them as such, to free those who loved Him from their false notions, to convince them of the necessity of His passion, and to reveal Himself to them, as soon as their understandings should be enlightened, and their hearts filled with desire. Thus, God orders the disposal of His graces according to our dispositions; according to our faith and trust; according to our love and fidelity.
Easter Monday[6] was reserved as a special day for rest and relaxation. Its most distinctive feature is the Emmaus walk, a leisurely constitution inspired by the Gospel of the day (Luke 24.13-35). This can take the form of a stroll through field or forest or, as in French Canada, a visit to one's grandparents.
·
Games
of mischief dating to pre-Christian times also take place on Easter
Monday and Tuesday. Chief among them are drenching customs,
where boys surprise girls with buckets of water, and vice versa, or switching
customs, where switches are gently used on each other.
Visiting Day[7]
In Paschal tide joy,
perform works of mercy toward the sick and elderly on Easter Monday. For Easter
Monday there is an old custom, still very much alive in the old country, which
might well be duplicated here, even though Easter Monday is not generally a
holiday, as it is in Europe? In honor of the Gospel of the day, which tells of
the two disciples who went to Emmaus and met Our Lord on the way, Easter Monday
became a visiting day. Wherever there are old or sick people, they are visited
by young and old.
Lent and Easter[8]
571 The Paschal mystery of Christ's cross and Resurrection stands at the center of the Good News that the apostles, and the Church following them, are to proclaim to the world. God's saving plan was accomplished "once for all" by the redemptive death of his Son Jesus Christ.
1171 In the liturgical year the various aspects of the one Paschal mystery unfold. This is also the case with the cycle of feasts surrounding the mystery of the incarnation (Annunciation, Christmas, Epiphany). They commemorate the beginning of our salvation and communicate to us the first fruits of the Paschal mystery of Christ.
It is the same Paschal
Mystery that we celebrate every Sunday at every Mass. This mystery should evoke
the ancient Passover of the Jews when the firstborn children of Israel were
spared, and they were liberated from slavery. Their delivery began in each
household with the sacrifice of the lamb and the smearing of the lamb’s
blood on the doorposts which delivered the Jews out of vice into virtue and the
worship of God in sincerity and truth. In the Last Supper Christ became the
lamb that transformed his execution into a once for all sacrifice. During Lent
we mirror the Jews 40 years of purification when God purged them of the
residual effects of generations of interaction with Egyptian Idolatry. Christ
in His own life fasted for 40 days in the wilderness as a model, like His
baptism for His disciples to imitate. So, every year, we prepare like Him for
our Easter where we will offer our sacrifice, small as it may be to Him. Lent
is the season of fasting that begins today and ends on Holy Saturday (except for
Sundays; ancient Fathers forbade fasting on Sundays). This is our tithe or a
tenth part of our year for the Lord. We fast from “good” things; for in our
fast we give them to God, so that we learn not to put anything before Him. We
pray that by this movement of purification we may be illuminated
and finally come to union with Him. In a sense during Lent we “pass
over” from sin through penance to communion.
Divine Mercy Novena[9]
Fourth Day
Today Bring Me the Pagans and Those Who Do
Not Know Me.
Most
Compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the
abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of pagans who as yet do not
know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together
with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the
abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.
Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of pagans and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Novena for the Poor Souls[10]
O Mother most
merciful, pray for the souls in Purgatory!
PRAYER OF ST.
GERTRUDE THE GREAT O Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of
Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world
today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory and for sinners everywhere— for
sinners in the Universal Church, for those in my own home and for those within
my family. Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE
DYING O Most Merciful Jesus, lover of souls, I pray Thee, by the agony of Thy
most Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother, to wash in
Thy Most Precious Blood the sinners of the whole world who are now in their
agony and who will die today. Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the
dying! Amen.
ON EVERY DAY OF
THE NOVENA V. O Lord, hear my prayer; R. And let my cry come unto Thee. O God,
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant unto the souls of Thy
servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins, that through our devout
supplications they may obtain the pardon they have always desired, Who livest
and reignest world without end. Amen.
MONDAY O Lord
God Almighty, I beseech Thee by the Precious Blood which Thy divine Son Jesus
shed in His cruel scourging, deliver the souls in Purgatory, and among them
all, especially that soul which is nearest to its entrance into Thy glory, that
it may soon begin to praise Thee and bless Thee forever. Amen. Our Father. Hail
Mary. Glory Be.
All fool’s Day-One Fool makes a hundred: Farmer’s Almanac-
April Fools' Day is a
light-hearted comedic day of cheer, practical jokes and hoaxes. April
Fools' Day has been observed for centuries although its origins remain unclear.
It has been suggested that in ancient Roman and Hindu cultures, the day
originally marked ‘New Year’s Day’. Although in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII
issued the Gregorian calendar which moved New Year’s Day from April 1st to
January 1st. It is believed that those who continued to celebrate New
Year’s Day on April 1st were referred to as fools, leading to the
concept of April 1st representing All Fools’ Day. It has also been
suggested that April Fools' Day is related to the vernal equinox, the beginning
of spring, when
Mother Nature plays sudden weather tricks on people. The custom of April Fools'
was brought from Britain to the US centuries ago. Both kids and adults in North
America and many European countries including the United Kingdom, Ireland,
Poland, Finland, Iceland, and North American countries have developed
traditional customs to celebrate the day. These typically include fooling
another person and yelling April fools. Note: Today is the start of Assyrian New Year.
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 9-THE NINTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not covet your neighbor's
house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his
maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's.
Every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with
her in his heart.
2514 St. John distinguishes
three kinds of covetousness or concupiscence: lust of the flesh, lust of the
eyes, and pride of life. In the Catholic catechetical tradition, the ninth
commandment forbids carnal concupiscence; the tenth forbids coveting another's
goods.
2515 Etymologically,
"concupiscence" can refer to any intense form of human desire.
Christian theology has given it a particular meaning: the movement of the
sensitive appetite contrary to the operation of the human reason. the apostle
St. Paul identifies it with the rebellion of the "flesh" against the
"spirit." Concupiscence stems from the disobedience of the first
sin. It unsettles man's moral faculties and, without being in itself an
offense, inclines man to commit sins.
2516 Because man is a composite
being, spirit and body, there already exists a certain tension in him; a
certain struggle of tendencies between "spirit" and "flesh"
develops. But in fact this struggle belongs to the heritage of sin. It is a
consequence of sin and at the same time a confirmation of it. It is part of the
daily experience of the spiritual battle:
For the
Apostle it is not a matter of despising and condemning the body which with the
spiritual soul constitutes man's nature and personal subjectivity. Rather, he
is concerned with the morally good or bad works, or better, the permanent
dispositions - virtues and vices - which are the fruit of submission (in the
first case) or of resistance (in the second case) to the saving action of the
Holy Spirit. For this reason the Apostle writes: "If we live by the
Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Four Cardinal Virtues[11]
1805 – Four virtues play a pivotal role and accordingly are called “cardinal”; all the others are grouped around them. They are: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. “If anyone loves righteousness, [Wisdom’s] labors are virtues; for she teaches temperance and prudence, justice, and courage.”
1806 – Prudence is
the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every
circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it; “the prudent man
looks where he is going.”… Prudence is “right reason in action,” writes St.
Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle. It is not to be confused with
timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation.
1807 – Justice is
the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due
to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the “virtue of religion.” …
The just man, often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by
habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward his neighbor.
“You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in
righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.”
1808 – Fortitude is
the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the
pursuit of the good…The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even
fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to
renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause. “The Lord is my
strength and my song.” “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world.”
1809 – Temperance is
the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides
balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will’s mastery over
instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable… “Do not
follow your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your
heart.” Temperance is often praised in the Old Testament: “Do not follow
your base desires, but restrain your appetites.” In the New Testament it
is called “moderation” or “sobriety.” We ought “to live sober, upright, and
godly lives in this world.”
To live well is nothing other than to
love God with all one’s heart, with all one’s soul and with all one’s efforts;
from this it comes about that love is kept whole and uncorrupted (through
temperance). No misfortune can disturb it (and this is fortitude). It obeys
only [God] (and this is justice), and is careful in discerning things, so as
not to be surprised by deceit or trickery (and this is prudence).
Christopher’s Corner
The Kuwait Towers
A beloved and undisputed national symbol, the three slender, sky-piercing figures of The Kuwait Towers, were created to represent independence and sovereignty. Opened in 1979, the landmark is a futuristic vision with thousands upon thousands of enamelled steel discs reflecting myriad shades of the sea and sky. Designed with practicality rather than tourism in mind, all three towers have an everyday purpose; the smallest tower supplies electricity, and the middle functions as a water reservoir, but nothing beats the spectacular panoramic view of the city and Arabian Gulf’s serene blue waters from the platform inside the upper sphere of the 187-metre-high Main Tower, which rotates 360 degrees in 30 minutes and houses a cafe; entry is $9.70. Make it an occasion and book a table for an international buffet at Horizon Restaurant or Japanese cuisine at Amimoto Restaurant also inside the upper sphere, in which case entry to the Towers is free.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: End
to abortion
·
Eat waffles and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
30
Days with St. Joseph Day 13
·
Monday: Litany of
Humility
[2]https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/2019/04/01/
[5] Goffines Devout Instructions, 1896
[8] Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40
Catholic Customs and their biblical roots. Chap. 7. Lent and Easter.
[9]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=1032
[10]Schouppe S.J., Rev. Fr. F. X..
Purgatory Explained
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