Saturday, April 13, 2024
Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
Saturday
of the Second Week of Easter
T. JEFFERSON
John, Chapter 6, verse 19-20:
19 When they had rowed
about three or four miles, they saw Jesus’ walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they
began to be AFRAID 20 but he said to them, “It is I. Do
not be afraid.”
After rowing three or four miles they must have been exhausted and
there must have been no wind, for surely any sailor would have used the wind if
it was blowing. The conditions on the sea that night had to have been unnerving
but there must have been some light from the moon as they had seen our Lord
nevertheless, they were afraid.
Then He said, “It is I” or literally “I AM” which was the name of God which no
pious Jew was allowed to even say!
I wonder if they were thinking of the words of the Torah,
“The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the
surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the
waters.” (Genesis 4:2)
When they had seen and heard Christ. They must have known at
that point that here was the messiah because they believed. Immediately they
arrived on shore and Christ spoke on the “Bread of Life” discourse stating.”
Whoever eats my
flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last
day.” (John 6:54).
At this saying all but these 12 walked away because they believed!
We too are like the Apostles in that boat, the boat which we call
the Holy Catholic Church. Let us resolve like the Apostles to believe,
follow the precepts of our church and row three or four miles if we must.
Thomas Jefferson[1] born this day 1743.
Thomas
Jefferson (d. 1826) was – besides being a founding father of the United States
and president – one of the most learned figures of his age. His education,
through Episcopalian and Huguenot schoolmasters and then at William and Mary
included a comprehensive classical approach in the Enlightenment tradition and
fostered in him an appreciation for mathematics, philosophy, architecture,
botany, science, music, and law. Philosophically, he was a dedicated Deist,
meaning that he rejected the need for revelation and repudiated all forms of
established or institutional religion beyond the obvious limits of reason. As
such, he declared himself a Christian – chafing against charges that he was an
atheist or infidel – but he had little patience with dogmas, finding especially
unacceptable the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Nevertheless,
he did not oppose organized religion, insisting that all religions be treated
with toleration within the pluralistic society established by the Constitution.
The best source for appreciating Jefferson’s self-identification with
Christianity (again from the standpoint of the Deists) was his work The Life
and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, Extracted Textually from the Gospels in Greek,
Latin, French, and English, compiled a few years before his death. Called also
the Jefferson Bible, it contains no personal writings by Jefferson, save for
the Table of Contents. Rather, it is a collection of nearly 1,000 verses from
the Gospels (Matthew and Luke chiefly), offering Jesus’ comprehensive moral
philosophy, as Jefferson saw it. He thus omitted all references to the divinity
of Jesus, the primacy of Peter, the Eucharist, comments by the evangelists, and
miracles; in effect, Jefferson drained the Gospels of any form of mystery. The
selection reveals Jefferson’s belief in God, the Commandments, practicing the
virtues, and an afterlife in which the just are rewarded and the evil punished.
Deism:[2]
The term used to certain doctrines apparent in a tendency of thought and criticism that manifested itself principally in England towards the latter end of the seventeenth century. The doctrines and tendency of deism were, however, by no means entirely confined to England, nor to the seventy years or so during which most of the deistical productions were given to the world; for a similar spirit of criticism aimed at the nature and content of traditional religious beliefs, and the substitution for them of a rationalistic naturalism has frequently appeared in the course of religious thought. Thus, there have been French and German deists as well as English; while Pagan, Jewish, or Moslem deists might be found as well as Christian.
Because of
the individualistic standpoint of independent criticism which they adopt, it is
difficult, if not impossible, to class together the representative writers who
contributed to the literature of English deism as forming any one definite school, or to group together
the positive teachings contained in their writings as any one systematic
expression of a concordant philosophy. The deists were what nowadays would be
called freethinkers, a name, indeed, by which they were not infrequently known;
and they can only be classed together wholly in the main attitude that they
adopted, viz. in agreeing to cast off the trammels of authoritative religious
teaching in favor of a free and purely rationalistic speculation. Many of them
were frankly materialistic in their doctrines; while the French thinkers who
subsequently built upon the foundations laid by the English deists were almost
exclusively so. Others rested content with a criticism of ecclesiastical
authority in teaching the inspiration of the Sacred Scriptures , or the fact of an external revelation of supernatural truth given by God to man. In this last point, while there is a considerable
divergence of method and procedure observable in the writings of the various
deists, all, at least to a very large extent, seem to concur. Deism, in its
every manifestation was opposed to the current and traditional teaching of
revealed religion.
Is there
any truth to deism?[3]
·
Deism is the belief
that a supernatural entity created the universe, but that this being does not
intervene in its creation. The Church describes it like this: “Some admit that
the world was made by God but as by a watchmaker who, once he has made a watch,
abandons it to itself (CCC 285).”
·
It’s fair to say that
many people today identify with this viewpoint, in that they believe there was
some supernatural cause to the universe, but we have now been left to our own
devices. This idea extends back to the beginning of human thought, but it
developed significantly during the Enlightenment as critiques of religion, and
Christianity in particular, became more prevalent. Many English deists placed
considerable doubt on the supernatural character of miracles and prophecy,
arguing that they were inconsistent with reason.
·
What emerged from this
epoch was the notion that all religions were products of human invention, and
that many Christian beliefs were farcical. God was no longer seen as a divine
entity that interfered in the world but was instead, merely the first cause
underlying the universe, being both unknowable and untouchable. The universe
was defined as self-operating, self-regulating and self-explanatory and
comprised of unvarying and inviolable physical laws.
·
While some deists
believe that the creator of the universe is an abstract force, others hold that
the entity is personal – that it has a mind, but simply has no interest in the
endeavors of human beings. This is radically different from the Christian conception
of God, which holds that God is not only personal, but created us so that we
could know and love him.
·
What distinguishes
deism and theistic religions like Christianity the most is the idea of God’s
intervention in history. While deists hold that the creator is far away,
Catholics believe that God is with us at all times, can hear us, and even
answer our prayers. The Church refers to the creator as a “living God” who
gives life and reveals himself to the world. This is perhaps best conveyed in
the Incarnation, where Jesus became human, walked among us, and died for our
sins.
·
“Creation is the
foundation of ‘all God’s saving plans’, the ‘beginning of the history of
salvation’ that culminates in Christ. Conversely, the mystery of Christ casts
conclusive light on the mystery of creation and reveals the end for which ‘in
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’: from the beginning, God
envisaged the glory of the new creation in Christ.” (CCC 280) While deists hold
that God is apathetic towards his creation, Catholics rejoice in the fact that
God interacts and truly cares about us.
·
Of course, there is
common ground between deists and theists in that both believe in a creator of
the universe. This mutual belief can act as the starting point for a
conversation about who God is, and whether it’s plausible to believe that he
intervenes in the world.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
SECTION ONE-PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
CHAPTER ONE-THE REVELATION OF PRAYER - THE
UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAYER
Article 1-IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
2568 In the Old Testament, the
revelation of prayer comes between the fall and the restoration of man, that
is, between God's sorrowful call to his first children: "Where are you? .
. . What is this that you have done?" and the response of God's only
Son on coming into the world: "Lo, I have come to do your will, O
God." Prayer is bound up with human history, for it is the
relationship with God in historical events.
Creation - source of prayer
2569 Prayer is lived in the
first place beginning with the realities of creation. the first nine chapters
of Genesis describe this relationship with God as an offering of the first-born
of Abel's flock, as the invocation of the divine name at the time of Enosh, and
as "walking with God. Noah's offering is pleasing to God, who blesses
him and through him all creation, because his heart was upright and undivided;
Noah, like Enoch before him, "walks with God." This kind of
prayer is lived by many righteous people in all religions.
In his indefectible covenant with every living creature, God has always
called people to prayer. But it is above all beginning with our father Abraham
that prayer is revealed in the Old Testament.
God's promise and the prayer of
Faith
2570 When God calls him,
Abraham goes forth "as the Lord had told him"; Abraham's heart
is entirely submissive to the Word and so he obeys. Such attentiveness of the
heart, whose decisions are made according to God's will, is essential to prayer,
while the words used count only in relation to it. Abraham's prayer is
expressed first by deeds: a man of silence, he constructs an altar to the Lord
at each stage of his journey. Only later does Abraham's first prayer in words
appear: a veiled complaint reminding God of his promises which seem
unfulfilled. Thus one aspect of the drama of prayer appears from the
beginning: the test of faith in the fidelity of God.
2571 Because Abraham believed
in God and walked in his presence and in covenant with him, the patriarch
is ready to welcome a mysterious Guest into his tent. Abraham's remarkable
hospitality at Mamre foreshadows the annunciation of the true Son of the
promise. After that, once God had confided his plan, Abraham's heart is
attuned to his Lord's compassion for men and he dares to intercede for them
with bold confidence.
2572 As a final stage in the
purification of his faith, Abraham, "who had received the
promises," is asked to sacrifice the son God had given him. Abraham's
faith does not weaken (“God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering."),
for he "considered that God was able to raise men even from the
dead." and so the father of believers is conformed to the likeness of
the Father who will not spare his own Son but will deliver him up for us
all. Prayer restores man to God's likeness and enables him to share in the
power of God's love that saves the multitude.
2573 God renews his promise to
Jacob, the ancestor of the twelve tribes of Israel.17 Before confronting his elder brother Esau, Jacob wrestles all
night with a mysterious figure who refuses to reveal his name, but he blesses
him before leaving him at dawn. From this account, the spiritual tradition of
the Church has retained the symbol of prayer as a battle of faith and as the
triumph of perseverance.
Moses and the prayer of the
mediator
2574 Once the promise begins to
be fulfilled (Passover, the Exodus, the gift of the Law, and the ratification
of the covenant), the prayer of Moses becomes the most striking example of
intercessory prayer, which will be fulfilled in "the one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
2575 Here again the initiative
is God's. From the midst of the burning bush he calls Moses. This event
will remain one of the primordial images of prayer in the spiritual tradition
of Jews and Christians alike. When "the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of
Jacob" calls Moses to be his servant, it is because he is the living God
who wants men to live. God reveals himself in order to save them, though he
does not do this alone or despite them: he caLls Moses to be his messenger, an
associate in his compassion, his work of salvation. There is something of a
divine plea in this mission, and only after long debate does Moses attune his
own will to that of the Savior God. But in the dialogue in which God confides
in him, Moses also learns how to pray: he balks, makes excuses, above all
questions: and it is in response to his question that the Lord confides his
ineffable name, which will be revealed through his mighty deeds.
2576 "Thus the Lord used
to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his
friend." Moses' prayer is characteristic of contemplative prayer by
which God's servant remains faithful to his mission. Moses converses with God
often and at length, climbing the mountain to hear and entreat him and coming
down to the people to repeat the words of his God for their guidance. Moses
"is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly,
not in riddles," for "Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else
on the face of the earth."
2577 From this intimacy with
the faithful God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, Moses
drew strength and determination for his intercession. He does not pray for
himself but for the people whom God made his own. Moses already intercedes for
them during the battle with the Amalekites and prays to obtain healing for
Miriam. But it is chiefly after their apostasy that Moses "stands in
the breach" before God in order to save the people. The arguments of
his prayer - for intercession is also a mysterious battle - will inspire the
boldness of the great intercessors among the Jewish people and in the Church:
God is love; he is therefore righteous and faithful; he cannot contradict
himself; he must remember his marvellous deeds, since his glory is at stake,
and he cannot forsake this people that bears his name.
David and the prayer of the
king
2578 The prayer of the People of God flourishes in the shadow of God's dwelling place, first the ark of the covenant and later the Temple. At first the leaders of the people - the shepherds and the prophets - teach them to pray. the infant Samuel must have learned from his mother Hannah how "to stand before the LORD" and from the priest Eli how to listen to his word: "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." Later, he will also know the cost and consequence of intercession: "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; and I will instruct you in the good and the right way."
2579 David is par excellence
the king "after God's own heart," the shepherd who prays for his
people and prays in their name. His submission to the will of God, his praise,
and his repentance, will be a model for the prayer of the people. His prayer,
the prayer of God's Anointed, is a faithful adherence to the divine promise and
expresses a loving and joyful trust in God, the only King and Lord. In the
Psalms David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the first prophet of Jewish and
Christian prayer. the prayer of Christ, the true Messiah and Son of David, will
reveal and fulfill the meaning of this prayer.
2580 The Temple of Jerusalem,
the house of prayer that David wanted to build, will be the work of his son,
Solomon. the prayer at the dedication of the Temple relies on God's promise and
covenant, on the active presence of his name among his People, recalling his
mighty deeds at the Exodus. The king lifts his hands toward heaven and
begs the Lord, on his own behalf, on behalf of the entire people, and of the
generations yet to come, for the forgiveness of their sins and for their daily
needs, so that the nations may know that He is the only God and that the heart
of his people may belong wholly and entirely to him.
Elijah, the prophets and
conversion of heart
2581 For the People of God, the
Temple was to be the place of their education in prayer: pilgrimages, feasts
and sacrifices, the evening offering, the incense, and the bread of the
Presence (“shewbread") - all these signs of the holiness and glory of God
Most High and Most Near were appeals to and ways of prayer. But ritualism often
encouraged an excessively external worship. the people needed education in
faith and conversion of heart; this was the mission of the prophets, both
before and after the Exile.
2582 Elijah is the
"father" of the prophets, "the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob." Elijah's name, "The Lord
is my God," foretells the people's cry in response to his prayer on Mount
Carmel. St. James refers to Elijah in order to encourage us to pray:
"The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective."
2583 After Elijah had learned
mercy during his retreat at the Wadi Cherith, he teaches the widow of Zarephath
to believe in the Word of God and confirms her faith by his urgent prayer: God
brings the widow's child back to life. The sacrifice on Mount Carmel is a
decisive test for the faith of the People of God. In response to Elijah's plea,
"Answer me, O LORD, answer me," the Lord's fire consumes the
holocaust, at the time of the evening oblation. the Eastern liturgies repeat
Elijah's plea in the Eucharistic epiclesis.
Finally, taking the desert road that leads to the place where the living and
true God reveals himself to his people, Elijah, like Moses before him, hides
"in a cleft of the rock" until the mysterious presence of God has
passed by. But only on the mountain of the Transfiguration will Moses and
Elijah behold the unveiled face of him whom they sought; "the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God [shines] in the face of Christ," crucified
and risen.
2584 In their "one to
one" encounters with God, the prophets draw light and strength for their
mission. Their prayer is not flight from this unfaithful world, but rather
attentiveness to the Word of God. At times their prayer is an argument or a
complaint, but it is always an intercession that awaits and prepares for the
intervention of the Savior God, the Lord of history.
The Psalms, the prayer of the
assembly
2585 From the time of David to
the coming of the Messiah texts appearing in these sacred books show a
deepening in prayer for oneself and in prayer for others. Thus the psalms
were gradually collected into the five books of the Psalter (or "Praises"),
the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament.
2586 The Psalms both nourished
and expressed the prayer of the People of God gathered during the great feasts
at Jerusalem and each Sabbath in the synagogues. Their prayer is inseparably
personal and communal; it concerns both those who are praying and all men. The
Psalms arose from the communities of the Holy Land and the Diaspora, but
embrace all creation. Their prayer recalls the saving events of the past, yet
extends into the future, even to the end of history; it commemorates the
promises God has already kept, and awaits the Messiah who will fulfill them
definitively. Prayed by Christ and fulfilled in him, the Psalms remain
essential to the prayer of the Church.
2587 The Psalter is the book in
which the Word of God becomes man's prayer. In other books of the Old
Testament, "the words proclaim [God's] works and bring to light the
mystery they contain." The words of the Psalmist, sung for God, both express
and acclaim the Lord's saving works; the same Spirit inspires both God's work
and man's response. Christ will unite the two. In him, the psalms continue to
teach us how to pray.
2588 The Psalter's many forms
of prayer take shape both in the liturgy of the Temple and in the human heart.
Whether hymns or prayers of lamentation or thanksgiving, whether individual or
communal, whether royal chants, songs of pilgrimage or wisdom meditations, the
Psalms are a mirror of God's marvelous deeds in the history of his people, as
well as reflections of the human experiences of the Psalmist. Though a given
psalm may reflect an event of the past, it still possesses such direct
simplicity that it can be prayed in truth by men of all times and conditions.
2589 Certain constant
characteristics appear throughout the Psalms: simplicity and spontaneity of
prayer; the desire for God himself through and with all that is good in his
creation; the distraught situation of the believer who, in his preferential
love for the Lord, is exposed to a host of enemies and temptations, but who
waits upon what the faithful God will do, in the certitude of his love and in
submission to his will. The prayer of the psalms is always sustained by praise;
that is why the title of this collection as handed down to us is so fitting:
"The Praises." Collected for the assembly's worship, the Psalter both
sounds the call to prayer and sings the response to that call: Hallelu-Yah!
(“Alleluia"), "Praise the Lord!"
What is more
pleasing than a psalm? David expresses it well: "Praise the Lord, for a
psalm is good: let there be praise of our God with gladness and grace!"
Yes, a psalm is a blessing on the lips of the people, praise of God, the
assembly's homage, a general acclamation, a word that speaks for all, the voice
of the Church, a confession of faith in song.
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Prayer to Jesus Christ Crucified[4]
Here I
am, good and gentle Jesus, kneeling before you. With great fervor I pray and
ask you to instill in me genuine convictions of faith, hope and love, with true
sorrow for my sins and a firm resolve to amend them. While I contemplate your
five wounds with great love and compassion, I remember the words which the
prophet David long ago put on your lips: "They have pierced my hands and
my feet, I can count all my bones." (Psalm 22/17-18).
Vinny’s
Corner
Discover National
Parks Fortnight invites everyone to join in on an adventure – exploring the
stunning landscapes and rich biodiversity of national parks. This fantastic
outdoor-themed event spans two weeks each year.
This period is the ideal opportunity
to reconnect with the great outdoors and appreciate the environmental treasures
within the parks.
Tucson, Arizona is home to the
nation's largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the
American west. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the
United States, are protected by Saguaro
National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. Here you
have a chance to see these enormous cacti, silhouetted by the beauty of a
magnificent desert sunset.
Event:
Annual Horse Expo at Frying Pan
Farm Park’s Equestrian Center.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Victims
of clergy sexual abuse
·
Saturday
Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·
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 26
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