Flowers in
Mary's month tie us closely to the reawakening earth. The time of Resurrection
and expectant Pentecost is one of buds, blossoms, wildflowers, and greening of
meadows and lawns. Days lengthen and we welcome the warmth of the sun after the
long winter. Jesus is risen and is present in our midst, and so we rise and
ascend with him.
Overview of May[1]
·
The Easter season ends on Pentecost, May 20, which is
represented by the liturgical color white — the color of light, a symbol of
joy, purity and innocence (absolute or restored). The remainder of the month
(beginning the Monday after Pentecost) is in Ordinary Time which is represented by the liturgical
color green. This symbol of hope is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses
in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially
the hope of a glorious resurrection. The world is resplendent with Spring's
increased light and new growth. It is Mary’s month in the Easter season and all
of nature rejoices with the Queen of heaven at the Resurrection of the Son she
was worthy to bear. During the remainder of Easter time, let us endeavor through
the prayers of the Holy Liturgy and the Holy Rosary to deepen our gratitude for
the mystery of our Baptismal rebirth in Christ.
·
"The month of May, with its profusion of
blooms was adopted by the Church in the eighteenth century as a celebration of
the flowering of Mary's maidenly spirituality, with its origins in Isaiah's
prophecy of the Virgin birth of the Messiah under the figure of the Blossoming
Rod or Root of Jesse, the flower symbolism of Mary was extended by the Church
Fathers, and in the liturgy, by applying to her the flower figures of the
Sapiential Books-Canticles, Wisdom, Proverbs and Sirach.
·
"In the medieval period, the rose was
adopted as the flower symbol of the Virgin Birth, as expressed in Dante's
phrase, 'The Rose wherein the Divine Word was made flesh,' and depicted in the
central rose windows of the great gothic cathedrals-from which came the
Christmas carol, 'Lo, How a Rose 'ere Blooming.' Also, in the medieval period,
when monasteries were the centers of horticultural and agricultural knowledge,
and with the spread of the Franciscan love of nature, the actual flowers
themselves, of the fields, waysides and gardens, came to be seen as symbols of
Mary…" – John S. Stokes
·
Pentecost, the birth of the Church, is also
among the celebrations of May. Though sprung from the side of Christ on the
Cross, the Church marks as her birthday the descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary
and the Apostles. At the 'birth' of the world, the Holy Spirit — the Breath of
God — was the "mighty wind [that] swept over the waters" (Gen 1:2);
at the birth of the Church, He is present again "like the rush of a mighty
wind" to recreate the world in the image of Christ through His Church
(Acts 2:2).
We, the members of Christ’s Mystical
Body, are the present-day disciples sent by the Holy Spirit to bring Christ to
the world. May we go forth as did Mary, who set out in haste to assist St.
Elizabeth (feast of the Visitation, May 31). Come upon us, O Holy Spirit, so
that, with Mary, we may proclaim the greatness of the Lord who has done great
things for us — for his mercy endures forever!
It
is a very old tradition to make pilgrimages during the month of May to shrines
dedicated to Mary.
Saints,
Feast, Family
-
Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
May
May is also:[2]
·
National
Military Appreciation Month
·
National
Barbecue Month
MAY TIMETABLE
May Travel?[3]
·
Carlsbad Caverns National Park Month of May Head to this amphitheater at Carlsbad Caverns
National Park for a grand show: Each May Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from a
large, rocky passage within Carlsbad Cavern in search of a tasty mix of insects
for dinner. In case you’ve happened on this wondrous sight in southeastern New
Mexico with your family (and your kids have questions), a park ranger gives an
informative talk as visitors wait for the bats to come out.
·
Whale Watching,
Stellwagen Bank—May thru October-- Did
winter come and go without you getting a chance to see whales? There’s still
time: Between May and September, more than 400 orcas swim in the waters around
Canada’s Vancouver Island. Or head to the Azores, the Portuguese archipelago
about 1,000 miles from Lisbon, where sperm whales gather from May to October.
Closer to home, Stellwagen Bank, a submerged sandbank between Cape Cod and Cape
Ann in Massachusetts, attracts the endangered North Atlantic right whale to its
waters.
·
Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival—April
26 thru May 5-- Take in the small-town charm of
Winchester, VA, in this 6-day celebration of spring. First held in 1924, the
annual festival packs a wallop of more than 30 events into its lineup: band
competitions, dances, parades, carnival, a 10K race, the coronation of Queen
Shenandoah and so much more, attracting crowds in excess of 250,000.
·
Cinco
de Mayo--Celebrate
Cinco de Mayo (meaning "fifth of May" in Spanish) right here in the
United States. Nationwide, there are more than 120 official US celebrations,
spanning 21 states, in cities such as Cleveland, Los Angeles, Dallas and
Atlanta. The holiday stretches back to the first few years of the American
Civil War, when Mexican American communities sought to commemorate the causes
of freedom and democracy. Head to downtown Denver for one such celebration:
Here, members of a Mexican folkloric dance academy perform at the city’s Civic
Center Park.
·
Kentucky
Derby-May 4th On your mark, get set … it’s off to Louisville
for the granddaddy of all horse races. In time-honored tradition, the 150th
annual Kentucky Derby -- the first leg of the Triple Crown -- kicks off the
first Saturday in May. Settle into your seat at Churchill Downs racetrack on
Central Avenue, sip a mint julep and enjoy the "Most Exciting 2 Minutes in
Sports."
o
Derby
Day Turf Paradise Arizona
·
Mother’s
Day Tea at The Plaza—May 12th Mom is always fussing over
you, now’s your chance to turn the tables -- in style. Treat Mom to afternoon
tea at The Plaza’s Tea Room. A tradition since the hotel opened in 1907, tea at
this NYC landmark has inspired scenes in popular films and novels, including
Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Mom can enjoy a selection of sandwiches and
savories from the Fitzgerald Tea for the Ages and The New Yorker menus.
o Acadia
Farms Mother’s Day Tea Arizona
·
Cannes Film Festival—May
16-27-- La lumière, la caméra, l'action! Slip on some shades,
and head to the French Riviera for the largest annual showcase of cinema in the
world. Don’t have a ticket to events inside the Palais des Festivals et des
Congres building where the festival is held? Pas de probleme! Enjoy open-air
shows at the Cinema de la Plage, and for celebrity sightings show up
extra-early outside the Palais. You may just spot Ang Lee, Nicole Kidman or
Steven Spielberg on this year’s red carpet.
·
Indianapolis
500—May 26-- Rev up for the “Greatest Spectacle
in Racing.” Part of the Triple Crown of Motorsports (with the Monaco Grand Prix
and 24 Hours of Le Mans right behind) this annual race is quite possibly the
largest single-day sporting event in the entire world, attracting roughly
400,000 spectators. Head to Indianapolis the last weekend in May, and prepare
for a high-speed show around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval
circuit.
o May 18 BEST. EXPERIENCE.
EVER. Phoenix
Raceway
§ Welcome to NASCAR Racing
Experience. DRIVE a NASCAR race car by yourself on the Phoenix Raceway- A
1 mile, low-banked tri-oval racetrack with 8 to 9 degrees of banking in the
turns. Following drivers meeting with training and instruction, you’ll drive a
NASCAR race car for timed racing sessions. There’s no lead car to follow and no
instructor rides with you. Get one-on-one instruction from a spotter over
in-car radio. In between every 8 minutes of Track Time get to a brief pit stop
and head back on the track to work on driving faster speeds. Pass the
slower cars as you catch them... YES, passing is allowed!
Iceman’s Calendar
·
May 1st St.
Joseph the Worker
·
May 3rd Feast Sts
Phillip & James Finding of the Cross
·
May 4th MASS
First Saturday
·
May 5th Rogation
Sunday
·
May 6th Rogation
Monday
·
May 7th Rogation
Tuesday
·
May 8th Rogation Wednesday
·
May 9th Mass Ascension Thursday
·
May 10th Friday in the Octave of the
Ascension
·
May 12th Ascension
Sunday
·
May 13th Our
Lady of Fatima
·
May 14th Feast of St.
Matthias
o
Start Novena to
St. Rita Saint of Impossible causes.
·
May 19th Pentecost Sunday
·
May 20th Whit
Monday
·
May 22nd Ember
Wednesday
o
St.
Rita
·
May 23rd Full
Flower Moon
·
May 24th Ember
Friday
·
May 25th Ember
Saturday
·
May 26th Trinity
Sunday
·
May 27th Memorial
Day
·
May 30th MASS St. Joan
of Arc
·
May 31st MASS Feast of
the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
MAY 1 First Wednesday
ST.
JOSEPH THE WORKER-MAY DAY
Job, Chapter 28, Verse 28
And to mortals he said: See: the FEAR of the Lord
is wisdom; and avoiding evil is understanding.
This chapter contains beautifully vivid descriptions of that
Wisdom which is beyond the attainment of creatures and known only to God.
Wisdom
The story is about seeking wisdom, here is how the conversations
continue.[1]
- Eliphaz
won't back down. He tells Job that he definitely messed up somehow to
merit such a crazy punishment.
- According
to this major downer, the rules are the rules; if you're being punished,
you must have done something wrong.
- Job
reflects on what he would do if he were actually allowed to present his
case to God.
- He makes
the call: he would "heed" him but not "contend" with
him. God is, after all, God. Contending may not be the best idea.
- Next up?
A long monologue about the state of violence on earth.
- Yeah,
this one's a downer.
- Bildad
asks Job, "How can a mortal be righteous?"
- Job's
ready with an answer.
- He
declares that of course God is the master of the universe, but it doesn't
matter. He still deserves some explanation.
- God may
be within everyone and everywhere, but he's still as mysterious as they
come.
- And when
it affects people (like Job), those people need some answers.
- Job
refuses to back down from his earlier position. Yeah, it's a little
repetitive, but hey, the guy has gone through a lot.
- The
discussion continues about divine justice and how the evildoers
(nonbelievers) will get what's coming to them by God.
- Where
can seekers find wisdom? Answer? We're still not sure.
The
moral of the story is that wisdom lives with God. To fear the scope and power
of this divine wisdom is to be truly wise in a human sense. Kind of how a truly
wise man knows that he knows nothing.
First Wednesday[2]
Our Heavenly Father desires all three hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph to be honored. And so along with devotion to Jesus on First Fridays, and to Mary on First Saturdays, Our Father longs for us to add devotion to St. Joseph on each First Wednesday of the month.
"The Sacred Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph have been chosen by the Most Holy Trinity to bring peace to the world." It is at God's request that "special love and honor be given to them" to help us "imitate" their love and their lives, as well as "offer reparation" for the sins committed against them and their love.
The St. Joseph First Wednesday devotion is:
1. Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary - remembering St. Joseph's love, his life, his role and his sufferings
2. Receive Holy Communion - in union with the love St. Joseph had for Jesus the first time and each time he held him - his son, his God and Savior - in his arms.
In the approved apparitions of Our Lady of America, St. Joseph revealed:
·
"I
am the protector of the Church and the home, as I was the protector of Christ
and his Mother while I lived upon earth. Jesus and Mary desire that my pure
heart, so long hidden and unknown, be now honored in a special way.
·
Let my
children honor my most pure heart in a special manner on the First Wednesday of
the month by reciting the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary in memory of my life
with Jesus and Mary and the love I bore them, the sorrow I suffered with them.
·
Let them
receive Holy Communion in union with the love with which I received the Savior
for the first time and each time I held Him in my arms.
·
Those
who honor me in this way will be consoled by my presence at their death, and I
myself will conduct them safely into the presence of Jesus and Mary."
Who do you think helped St. Joseph build this?
"May Day" has
long been dedicated to labor and the working man. It falls on the first day of
the month that is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII expressed
the hope that this feast would accentuate the dignity of labor and would bring
a spiritual dimension to labor unions. It is eminently fitting that St. Joseph,
a working man who became the foster-father of Christ and patron of the
universal Church, should be honored on this day. The feast of St. Joseph the
Worker was established by Pope Pius XII in 1955 in order to Christianize the
concept of labor and give to all workmen a model and a protector. By the daily
labor in his shop, offered to God with patience and joy, St. Joseph provided
for the necessities of his holy spouse and of the Incarnate Son of God, and
thus became an example to all laborers. "Workmen and all those laboring in
conditions of poverty will have reasons to rejoice rather than grieve, since
they have in common with the Holy Family daily preoccupations and cares"(Leo
XIII).
Highlights and Things to Do:
·
Read more about St.
Joseph the Worker:
o
Vatican
·
May 1 is celebrated in
Communist countries as the Day of the International Solidarity of Workers.
Today would be a good day to pray for atheistic Communism's influence to cease
and a proper application of the principles explained by Leo XIII in Rerum novarum
and John Paul II in Centesimus annus
to be the guide used by nations.
·
Read this comparison, May Day the Socialist Worker vs. St. Joseph
the Worker.
·
Read St. Joseph the
Worker on May 1 and Every Day in the National Catholic Register.
·
Louisiana in 2021 made
May 1 an Annual ‘St. Joseph the Worker Day’ Statewide.
·
Consider purchasing and
reading Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Fr. Donald
Calloway.
·
The Josephites are a
religious order of brothers and priests with the mission of serving African
Americans. Visit their site for more information and also some prayers for the feast of St. Joseph the
Worker. They are named Josephites because St. Joseph
was the first missionary.
·
Find some cooking
inspiration for this feast day at Catholic Cuisine.
·
Become a temple of the
Holy Spirit via the St. Joseph Universal Man Plan.
May Day[4]
The
earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian times, with the Floralia,
festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, held on April 27 during the
Roman Republic era, and with the Walpurgis Night celebrations of the Germanic
countries. The day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian
European pagan cultures.As Europe became Christianized, the pagan holidays lost their
religious character and May Day changed into a popular secular celebration. A
significant celebration of May Day occurs in Germany where it is one of several
days on which St. Walburga, credited with bringing
Christianity to Germany. The secular versions of May Day, observed in Europe
and America, may be best known for their traditions of dancing around the maypole
and crowning the Queen of May. Fading in popularity since the
late 20th century is the giving of "May baskets," small baskets of
sweets or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbors’ doorsteps. Since the
18th century, many Roman Catholics have observed May – and May Day – with
various May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In works of art, school
skits, and so forth, Mary's head will often be adorned with flowers in a May
crowning.
May
Day Facts & Quotes[5]
·
Roman
Catholics celebrate May as Mary's month, and May Day is celebration of the
Blessed Virgin Mary.
·
May
Day is also recognized as International Worker's Day, or Labor Day. This
day commemorates workers’ rights and the labor movement. One popular
cause that this day commemorates is the eight-hour workday.
·
During
the Haymarket Affair of 1886, more than a dozen people were killed after a
3-day strike and rally. US Labor Unions had agreed upon a general nationwide
strike on May 1, 1886 in support of an eight-hour workday. One such rally, held
outside the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, Chicago, Illinois, became
violent when police fired into the crowd of striking workers. Outraged, the
worker's organized another rally the next day at Haymarket Square. The rally
became violent when a bomb was thrown into a crowd of police. Seven
officers were killed. A very public trial ensued which ended in the
public hanging of four anarchists.
·
In
France, it is customary to give a sweet-smelling flower called the spring of
lily of the valley (a symbol of springtime) on May 1st. The tradition started
in 1561 when King Charles IX of France received a lily of the valley as a lucky
charm.
· All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. – Martin Luther King Jr.
May Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Dance
around a Maypole. Decorate a tall pole with garlands of flowers and ribbons.
Have a group of friends each take a ribbon and dance around the pole,
interweaving the ribbons to form a braided affect. The braid can be undone by
retracing one's steps.
·
Have
a picnic outdoors in the sunshine.
·
Attend
a May Day Festival.
·
Visit
a local fresh air market.
·
Watch
a film relating to worker’s rights. Our favorite films on the topic:
1) The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
2) Office Space (1999)
3) Caesar Chavez (2014)
Dara’s Corner
Modern populations are increasingly
overfed, malnourished, sedentary, sunlight-deficient, sleep-deprived,
and socially isolated.[1]
Depression and Sleep: Understanding the Connection
Age-Related
Depression, Mood and Stress Health
Risks of Poor Sleep Aging
and Sleep
Which comes first? Either
one can be the starting point, say sleep experts. Poor sleep may create
difficulties regulating emotions that, in turn, may leave you more vulnerable
to depression in the future — months or even years from now. And depression itself
is associated with sleep difficulties such as shortening the amount of
restorative slow wave sleep a person gets each night.
If you have depression,
daily stresses — such as financial worries, an argument with your spouse, or a
jam-packed evening commute — could also lead to more nighttime wake-ups and
more trouble getting back to sleep than someone without depression would
experience.
Understanding the
relationship between insomnia and depression can help you spot risks early, get
the right help, and recover more fully if you are experiencing both. You’ll
feel healthy, well-rested, and able to enjoy life again. Here’s what you need
to know about depression and sleep:
Take
sleep problems seriously.
You should tell your
doctor if you:
- have
trouble falling or staying asleep.
- feel
tired during the day.
- have
physical pain, discomfort or other complaints (for instance, signs of
obstructive sleep apnea or pauses in breathing at night) that prevent you
from getting a good night’s sleep.
Treatments such as
cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and continuous positive airway
pressure (CPAP) devices for apnea can restore good sleep, helping you sidestep
related conditions like depression. (People with sleep apnea have a fivefold
higher risk of depression.)
Stay
alert for signs of depression.
These include feeling
hopeless, helpless or sad; trouble concentrating and remembering things; loss
of energy; daytime sleepiness; loss of interest in activities that once gave
you pleasure; or thoughts of suicide or death. Tell your doctor if you have any
of these. (Call 911 if you have thoughts of suicide.)
This is especially
important if you’re discussing insomnia with your doctor. Insomnia may be a
separate condition or a symptom of depression. Your doctor needs to know as
much as possible to treat the right problem.
Get help
for both depression and sleep.
If you have insomnia and
depression, don’t assume that medical treatment for one will automatically cure
the other. Treatments for depression, such as selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors and other medications, may improve your mood and outlook, but they
may not be enough to improve your sleep.
There’s some evidence that
lingering sleep problems in people undergoing depression treatment increase the
risk of a slide back into depression. The good news: There’s also some early
evidence that CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia), along with
depression treatment, improves sleep in people with depression and may increase
the chances of a remission of depression.
Poor Quality Sleep Reduces
Resilience
In a Johns Hopkins study,
healthy women and men whose sleep was interrupted throughout the night had a
31% reduction in positive moods the next day. The data shows that sleep
interruptions interfere with deep, restorative slow-wave sleep. Ongoing insomnia
could increase a person’s risk of depression by weakening their emotional
resilience — the buffer of positive emotions that helps people deal with stress
and challenges of life.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3330161/
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
SECTION ONE-PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
CHAPTER THREE-THE LIFE OF PRAYER
2697 Prayer is the life of the
new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment. But we tend to forget him
who is our life and our all. This is why the Fathers of the spiritual life in
the Deuteronomic and prophetic traditions insist that prayer is a remembrance
of God often awakened by the memory of the heart "We must remember God
more often than we draw breath." But we cannot pray "at all
times" if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it These
are the special times of Christian prayer, both in intensity and duration.
2698 The Tradition of the
Church proposes to the faithful certain rhythms of praying intended to nourish
continual prayer. Some are daily, such as morning and evening prayer, grace
before and after meals, the Liturgy of the Hours. Sundays, centered on the
Eucharist, are kept holy primarily by prayer. the cycle of the liturgical year
and its great feasts are also basic rhythms of the Christian's life of prayer.
2699 The Lord leads all persons
by paths and in ways pleasing to him, and each believer responds according to
his heart's resolve and the personal expressions of his prayer. However,
Christian Tradition has retained three major expressions of prayer: vocal
meditative, and contemplative. They have one basic trait in common: composure
of heart. This vigilance in keeping the Word and dwelling in the presence of
God makes these three expressions intense times in the life of prayer.
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Closing
Invocation for Night Prayers
Holy Mother of Jesus, my guardian angel, St. Joseph and my holy patron
saint, protect me during this night and during my whole life, especially at the
hour of my death. Amen.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: End
to abortion
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
Protect yourself from ticks.
[2]https://enteringintothemystery.blogspot.com/2018/12/dont-forget-first-wednesday-devotion-to.html
[3]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-05-01
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