Saturday, April 6, 2024

- March 31, 2024

Saturday in the Octave of Easter

But when Judas’ first cohort appeared, the enemy was overwhelmed with FEAR and terror at the manifestation of the all-seeing One. Scattering in every direction, they rushed away in such headlong flight that in many cases they wounded one another, pierced by the points of their own swords.

With the death of Antiochus IV, the gang warfare of sorts ceases for a while, yet the problem with Hellenization has not ended and the temple needs to be defended by Judas. Small battles ensue and although Antiochus VI is dead the real power was placed in Lysias who was in charge of the government and military. Judas defeats him with the power of God when a mysterious horseman appears to help the armies of the Lord. Peace with the Syrians is temporary, but the gang warfare continues. Judas marches into the Transjordan when he comes upon a large force which he engages. Here we see that despite the enemies of God having an overwhelming force they are put to route by a mysterious being (all seeing) and flee causing their own destruction.[1]

Saturday in the Octave of Easter[2]

Acts 4:13-21 + Mark 16:9-15

I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me.

Throughout the Blessed Virgin Mary’s life, humility marked her approach to her Lord. Humility is not a virtue that one can ever spiritually outgrow. Whatever graces God gives us, they are given for the unfolding of His plan, which often remains to us a mystery. Even as we apply these graces in our lives, we must do so with humility, as day by day, another aspect of the mystery of our vocation is shown to us.

Even at the foot of the Cross, Mary prayed in humility. It was with humility that she rejoiced at the sight of her Son risen from the dead. Seeing Jesus on that first Easter Sunday, she would not have known exactly how He was preparing His disciples—through the power of the Holy Spirit—to form a Church. Nor would she have known exactly how Jesus’ words to her from the Cross—

“Woman, behold your son”—were about to flower with new meaning, when she became the Mother of the Church on the day of Pentecost.

If you do not already know it by heart, take the opportunity to learn the prayer Regina Caeli, the traditional Marian prayer of Easter:

V. Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. / R. For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.

V. Has risen, as he said, alleluia. / R. Pray for us to God, alleluia.

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. / R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Divine Mercy Novena[3]

Ninth Day - Today Bring Me The Souls Who Have Become Lukewarm.

Most Compassionate Jesus, you are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love let these tepid souls, who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love; and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.

Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen

Becoming lukewarm is not living the "Our Father"

Have I trusted God and not feared?
Have I hollowed His name-Have I been prideful?
Have I done His will-Have I been angry?
Have I provided for the needs of others-Have I been glutinous?
Have I gave mercy and forgiveness-Have I been envious or promoted elitism?
Have I failed to resist evil-Have I acted to make others lives better and not been slothful?
Have I worked to build the Kingdom or have I seen others as objects to use and not as children of God?
Have I done all I could to deliver others from evil. Have I lusted after flesh, power or revenge?

Hike for the Lukewarm[4]

Beatitudes Hike

During this hike you will be praying the Divine Mercy Prayer, Christ asked that we pray for the lukewarm.

"Today bring to Me the Souls of persons who have become lukewarm and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy."

Most compassionate Jesus, you are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power. Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.

During this hike you will meditate on each of the ways you may have been walking away from God; marking each of the points as you hike stopping multiple times to pray. On the return hike, you will meditate using the walking towards God meditations. Remember every journey away from something is a journey toward something—the first meditations are the seven deadly sins with fear added as an eighth; and you will be meditating on the Beatitudes of Christ on the way back in reverse order.

Pray the chaplet first or if you wish after you finish the meditation on the deadly sins. This meditation uses synonyms of fear, pride, envy, anger, avarice, sloth, gluttony and lust. Words are the music of the human heart; different words carry different emotions and meanings. If a certain word strikes your heart-it is the Lord speaking to you.

Walking Away from GOD

(Have I been/Shown?)

1. FEAR: Terror, Dread, Horror, Fright; Panic, Alarm, Trepidation, Apprehension.

2. PRIDE/HUBRIS: Arrogant, Conceit, Smugness, Self-importance, Satisfaction, Pleasure, Delight.

3. ENVY: Jealousy, Desire, Resentment, Spite, Malice, Meanness.

4. WRATH: Anger, Annoyance, Rage, Fury, Aggravation, Frustration.

5. AVARICE: Greed, Materialism, Covetousness, Acquisitiveness.

6. SLOTH: Laziness, Idleness, Sluggishness, Inactivity, Indolence (condition that is slow to develop or be healed and causes no pain-i.e. fail to resist evil) Apathy.

7. GLUTTONY: Excess, Exclusivity, Overindulgence, Intemperance.

8. LUST: Yearn, Desire, long for, hanker for, Hunger for, Ache for, Crave.

Walking toward GOD

(Have I failed to be, do or show?)

8. CHASTITY (PURITY OF HEART): Cleanliness, Wholesomeness, Spotlessness, Clarity; Transparency, Knowledge, Honesty, Wisdom. Opposing Deadly Sin: LUST

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. The clean of heart are those who preserve with care the innocence with which they are invested at holy Baptism, or seek to regain it, when lost, by penance; those who keep their hearts and consciences unspotted from all sinful thoughts, particularly from all unchaste thoughts, desires, words, and acts, and who endeavor in all things to have a pure intention directed to God alone. They shall see God, that is, they shall know Him even here upon earth, for as the eye that is to see must be clean, so only souls that are pure and unstained can behold God. But further, our knowledge is like our hearts; the purer the heart the clearer and greater is the knowledge of God. But in the world above they shall see, know, and possess Him as He is. What blessedness! Strive, therefore, to keep your heart clean. (Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896)

7. TEMPERANCE (POOR IN SPIRIT): Sacrifice, Give Up, Forgo, Let Go, Surrender, Tithe, Self-Control, Abstention. Opposing Deadly Sin: GLUTTONY

The poor in spirit are:

· Those who, like the apostles, readily forsake all earthly things, and for Christ’s sake become poor.

· Those who, happening to lose their property by misfortune or injustice, suffer the loss patiently, in resignation to the will of God.

· Those who, like Jesus, are content with their poor and humble position, seek no higher or happier one, and would rather suffer want than enrich themselves by unlawful acts, by fraud or theft.

· The rich and noble who set not their hearts upon the riches and greatness of the world who use their riches and influence to relieve the misery of the needy and oppressed.

· Finally, the truly humble, who, convinced of their weakness, their helplessness and misery, think lowly of themselves, and regard themselves but as beggars, who are always in need of the grace of God. To all these, therefore, in whose hearts the world has no place, there is assured, as their inheritance, the kingdom of heaven; here the kingdom of grace there the kingdom of glory. (Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896)

6. DILIGENCE (HUNGER & THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS): Fairness, Impartiality; Righteousness, Evenhandedness, Fair Dealing, Persistence, Effort, Ethics, Rectitude. Opposing Deadly Sin: SLOTH

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall have their fill. Hunger and thirst denote the most ardent longing after those virtues which constitute Christian perfection, such as humility, meekness, the love of God and of our neighbor, penance. Whoever longs for these virtues as the hungry man does for food and drink and prays to God for them with perseverance and earnestness, shall have his fill; that is, he shall be enriched with them, and one day shall be satisfied with eternal Happiness. (Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896)

5. CHARITY (MERCIFUL): Compassion; Kindness, Pity, Bigheartedness, Clemency, Openhandedness, Forgiveness, Liberality, Understanding, Leniency, Will, Benevolence, Generosity. Opposing Deadly Sin: AVARICE

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. The merciful here spoken of are:

· Those who willingly forgive the injuries done to them.

· Those who have compassion on their poor neighbors, and, according to their ability, sustain them by alms. These shall obtain mercy; that is, God will forgive them their sins and endow them abundantly with the goods of this world and of the world to come. Thus, God deals with us as we deal with others. (Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896)

4. PATIENCE (PEACEMAKERS): Relations, Mediation, Negotiation—Prevents Destruction, I.E. Stem Cell/Abortion, Sufferance. Opposing Deadly Sin: WRATH

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. By peacemakers we are to understand those who have peace with themselves, that is, a quiet conscience, and who endeavor to maintain peace among others, or to restore it when broken. Such are called the children of God, because they follow God, Who is a God of peace, and Who even gave His only Son to reconcile the world with Him, and to bring down upon earth that peace which the world itself could not give. (Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896)

3. KINDNESS (MOURNING): Grief, Sorrow; Remembrance, Respect, Loyalty, Integrity. Opposing Deadly Sin: ENVY

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. By them that mourn we are not to understand such as grieve and lament over a death, a misfortune, a loss of worldly goods, or the like; but those who are grieved that God should be in so many ways offended by themselves and by others that His Church should be so heavily oppressed, and thereby so many souls lost that have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. The only evil really to be grieved for is sin, and the tears shed on account of sin are the only tears that are profitable, for they shall be recompensed with everlasting joy. (Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896)

2. HUMILITY (MEEK): Modesty, Not Assuming, Reverence, Altruism. Opposing Deadly Sin: PRIDE/HUBRIS

Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land. That man is meek who does not murmur against God for sending afflictions upon him, who is not angry at men who do him injury, but who rather suppresses impatience, anger, envy, and revenge, nay, who seeks to recompense the evil done him by his neighbor with good. Such a one is greater than he who takes by storm fortified cities (Prov. xvi. 32); he possesses an unfailing fountain of peace, quiet, and cheerfulness; by his meekness prevails over the most hostile minds, is by such means truly a ruler upon earth, and will one day, for his portion, obtain heaven, the land of the living, there to enjoy eternal peace. (Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896)

1. LOVE & COURAGE (FAITH-BE NOT AFRAID): Affection, Adoration, Friendship, Confidence, Courageous, Trust, Valiant, Reliance, Heroic, Assurance, Bold, Conviction, Daring, Belief, Fearless, Devotion, Plucky, Loyalty. Opposing Deadly Sin: FEAR

Love Brothers and sisters do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power. Help the Pope and all those who wish to serve Christ and with Christ’s power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows “what is in man”. He alone knows it. So often today man does not know what is within him, in the depths of his mind and heart. So often he is uncertain about the meaning of his life on this earth. He is assailed by doubt, a doubt which turns into despair. We ask you therefore, we beg you with humility and trust, let Christ speak to man. He alone has words of life, yes, of eternal life.

Divine Mercy Sunday[5]-Tomorrow-Go to Confession Today

Divine Mercy Sunday is a very special Sunday when the Divine Floodgates from Heaven are wide-opened and Jesus offers us the total forgiveness of all sins and punishment to any soul, who goes to Confession and receives Him in Holy Communion, on that day

Our Lord's Divine Mercy Sunday grants forgiveness of all sins and punishment on the Feast of Divine Mercy, Mercy Sunday, mercy for even the most hardened sinners! It is the Sunday of Divine Mercy, the Feast of Mercy!

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 10-THE TENTH COMMANDMENT

I. The Disorder of Covetous Desires

2535 The sensitive appetite leads us to desire pleasant things we do not have, e.g., the desire to eat when we are hungry or to warm ourselves when we are cold. These desires are good in themselves; but often they exceed the limits of reason and drive us to covet unjustly what is not ours and belongs to another or is owed to him.

2536 The tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit. It forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power. It also forbids the desire to commit injustice by harming our neighbor in his temporal goods:

When the Law says, "You shall not covet," these words mean that we should banish our desires for whatever does not belong to us. Our thirst for another's goods is immense, infinite, never quenched. Thus it is written: "He who loves money never has money enough."

2537 It is not a violation of this commandment to desire to obtain things that belong to one's neighbor, provided this is done by just means. Traditional catechesis realistically mentions "those who have a harder struggle against their criminal desires" and so who "must be urged the more to keep this commandment":

. . . merchants who desire scarcity and rising prices, who cannot bear not to be the only ones buying and selling so that they themselves can sell more dearly and buy more cheaply; those who hope that their peers will be impoverished, in order to realize a profit either by selling to them or buying from them . . . physicians who wish disease to spread; lawyers who are eager for many important cases and trials.

2538 The tenth commandment requires that envy be banished from the human heart. When the prophet Nathan wanted to spur King David to repentance, he told him the story about the poor man who had only one ewe lamb that he treated like his own daughter and the rich man who, despite the great number of his flocks, envied the poor man and ended by stealing his lamb. Envy can lead to the worst crimes. "Through the devil's envy death entered the world":

We fight one another, and envy arms us against one another.... If everyone strives to unsettle the Body of Christ, where shall we end up? We are engaged in making Christ's Body a corpse.... We declare ourselves members of one and the same organism, yet we devour one another like beasts.

2539 Envy is a capital sin. It refers to the sadness at the sight of another's goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly. When it wishes grave harm to a neighbor it is a mortal sin:

St. Augustine saw envy as "the diabolical sin." "From envy are born hatred, detraction, calumny, joy caused by the misfortune of a neighbor, and displeasure caused by his prosperity."

2540 Envy represents a form of sadness and therefore a refusal of charity; the baptized person should struggle against it by exercising good will. Envy often comes from pride; the baptized person should train himself to live in humility:

Would you like to see God glorified by you? Then rejoice in your brother's progress and you will immediately give glory to God. Because his servant could conquer envy by rejoicing in the merits of others, God will be praised.

THIS WE BELIEVE

PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

The Church lists the spiritual works of mercy as follows:

To instruct the ignorant
To counsel the doubtful
To admonish sinners
To bear wrongs patiently
To forgive offenses willingly
To comfort the afflicted
To pray for the living and the dead

Vinnie’s Corner

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

The renowned Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is everything you could want in a Sonoran Desert adventure! Mostly outdoors and comprised of an AZA-accredited zoo, extensive botanical garden, two art galleries, and a natural history museum, the Desert Museum sits on 98 acres of pristine desert landscape. The Museum showcases the diverse flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert region (with over 55,000 plants!) featuring wildlife such as coyotes, javelinas, mountain lions, and bighorn sheep in naturalistic habitats. Bird lovers delight in visiting the Museum's two aviaries, one dedicated to hummingbirds! Kids love the interactive Packrat Playhouse and Stingray Touch exhibits, learning to appreciate our unique environment from a young age. The Museum's gift shops offer a bounty of books, jewelry, crafts, and more. This family-friendly establishment offers something for everyone!

Full Pink Moon

According to the almanac today we are having a Full Pink Moon; plan to spend some with the women in your life and develop a true friendship.