Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
Saint of the day:
Tuesday
of the Third Week of Easter
SAINT BERNADETTE
Job, Chapter 2, Verse 3
The LORD said to the
Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him,
blameless and upright, FEARING God
and avoiding evil. He still holds fast to his
innocence although you incited me against him to ruin him for nothing.”
Satan
is indeed our adversary but let us focus on what our Lord tells us.
I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. (Luke, Chapter 12, Verse 4-5)
It would seem that Christ is talking about the Devil here or is He talking about our very selves.
Christ may have been referring to the rabbinic duality of yetzer hara, the so-called "evil inclination," and the yetzer hatov, the "good inclination,". Yetzer hara is not a demonic force that pushes a person to do evil, but rather a drive toward pleasure or property or security, which if left unlimited, can lead to evil (cf. Genesis Rabbah 9:7). When a person’s will is properly controlled by the yetzer hatov, the yetzer hara leads too many socially desirable results, including marriage, business, and community. In Judaism adults are distinguished from children by the yetzer hatov, which controls and channels the drives that exist unchecked in the child. Thus children may seek pleasure and acquisition, but they are not able to create a sanctified relationship or exercise the responsibility to engage in business. The young adult is not described as someone who has developed a sophisticated moral sense; in fact, the early adolescent may base moral decisions entirely on fear of punishment. Yet by age 13, the child’s moral sense has developed sufficiently to hold the child responsible for his or her actions.[1]
Another Jewish source states:
ha-Satan,
the Adversary, was one of the “severe” agents of God. Another such harsh but
necessary force in God’s creation is the Yetzer ha-Ra, which is variously
translated as the “Evil Impulse,” the “Evil Desire,” the “Selfish Desire” or
just “Desire.” It is that aspect of nature, but especially human nature, which
drives us to compete, to fight, to possess, but most of all to desire sexual
gratification. Though it is counter-balanced by the Yetzer ha-Tov, the
“altruistic desire,” it is nonetheless the source of much of the grief in human
life – lust, violence, selfishness, vengeance, and ambition. One would think
that humanity would be truly better off if we could destroy this impulse. We
see evil in ourselves, it offends us, and we think the right thing to do is to
totally purge ourselves of it. Yet we don’t truly understand it, for things we
so easily characterize as “evil” actually spring out of the very nexus of
holiness. Surreal as it is, this maaseh makes an incredible point –
it is the strife of the spirit, the very struggle between our impulses that
makes the world work. Without the Yetzer ha-Ra, the world as we know would
cease – people [and animals] would no longer be driven to build, to create, to
have children. In short, life as we know, including not only evil aspects but
most of what we regard as beautiful also, would cease. Without Desire, Life
itself would slowly wither away, and that would be a sad thing. So, the goal of
the spiritual person is not to destroy the selfish-sexual-evil impulse, but
rather to sublimate it to God’s purpose. To be truly what God wants us to be,
to achieve our fullest human potential, we need to learn to
bend both our impulses to godly ends. We should not cease to lust but
should direct that urge toward love. We should turn our impulse toward
vengeance into the desire for justice, our ambition for acquiring possessions
into the creation of true wealth.[2]
St. Bernadette[3]
Marie Bernarde ('Bernadette')
Soubirous was the eldest child of an impoverished miller. At the age of
fourteen she was ailing and undersized, sensitive and of pleasant disposition
but accounted backward and slow. Between 11 February and 16 July 1858, in a
shallow cave on the bank of the river Gave, she had a series of remarkable
experiences. On eighteen occasions she saw a very young and beautiful lady, who
made various requests and communications to her, pointing out a forgotten
spring of water and enjoining prayer and penitence. The lady eventually
identified herself as the Virgin Mary, under the title of 'the Immaculate
Conception'. Some of these happenings took place in the presence of many
people, but no one besides Bernadette claimed to see or hear 'the Lady', and
there was no disorder or emotional extravagance. After the appearances ceased,
however, there was an epidemic of false visionaries and morbid religiosity in
the district, which increased the reserved attitude of the church authorities
towards Bernadette's experiences. For some years she suffered greatly from the
suspicious disbelief of some and the tactless enthusiasm and insensitive
attentions of others; these trials she bore with impressive patience and
dignity. In 1866 she was admitted to the convent of the Sisters of Charity at
Nevers. Here she was more sheltered from trying publicity, but not from the
'stuffiness' of the convent superiors nor from the tightening grip of asthma.
'I am getting on with my job,' she would say. 'What is that?' someone asked.
'Being ill,' was the reply. Thus, she lived out her self-effacing life, dying
at the age of thirty-five. The events of 1858 resulted in Lourdes becoming one
of the greatest pilgrim shrines in the history of Christendom. But St
Bernadette took no part in these developments; nor was it for her visions that
she was canonized, but for the humble simplicity and religious trustingness
that characterized her whole life.
Patron: Bodily ills; illness; Lourdes,
France; people ridiculed for their piety; poverty; shepherdesses; shepherds;
sick people; sickness
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 2-IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME
IN BRIEF
2620
Jesus' filial prayer is the perfect model of prayer in the New Testament. Often
done in solitude and in secret, the prayer of Jesus involves a loving adherence
to the will of the Father even to the Cross and an absolute confidence in being
heard.
2621 In
his teaching, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with a purified heart, with
lively and persevering faith, with filial boldness. He calls them to vigilance
and invites them to present their petitions to God in his name. Jesus Christ
himself answers prayers addressed to him.
2622 The
prayers of the Virgin Mary, in her Fiat and Magnificat, are characterized by
the generous offering of her whole being in faith.
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The
Lord’s Prayer[4]
Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom
come.
Thy Will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass
against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
'The
Lord's Prayer 'is truly the summary of the whole gospel.' 'Since the Lord...
after handling over the practice of prayer, said elsewhere, 'Ask and you will
receive, ' and since everyone has petitions which are peculiar to his
circumstances, the regular and appropriate prayer (the Lord's Prayer) is said
first, as the foundation of further desires.'
-
Tertullian, De orat.
from the
Catechism of the Catholic Church; 2761.
Candace’s Corner
April 20
67 W. Culver St. It's a French fry
extravaganza at Fried: French Fry and Music Festival from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
on April 20 at Margaret T. Hance Park. There will be classic fries and loaded
versions with savory toppings. Live music will also be featured from local
bands and performers. Tickets are $16 and attendees can purchase food and drink
from individual vendors.
St. Bernadette Catholic Church
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: For
the Poor and Suffering
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday
Devotion
·
Pray Day 7 of
the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
·
Tuesday:
Litany of St. Michael the Archangel
·
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 29
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