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Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
May 16
The month of Mary: A Marian Month
Saint of the day:
Saint Honore or Honoratus of Amiens
Patron Saint of bakers, confectioners, bakers of altar bread,
candle-makers, florists, flour merchants, corn chandlers, oil refiners, and pastry chefs
Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter
ST.
SIMON STOCK
Acts, Chapter 23, verse 10
The
dispute was so serious that the commander, AFRAID that Paul would be
torn to pieces by them, ordered his troops to go down and rescue him from their
midst and take him into the compound.
During Paul’s time the Jewish people were divided into two camps. Paul in his fearlessness had spoken the truth and it struck a nerve with both sects wanting his death. How often is truth and reason ignored? Men find it easier to fall into camps and rationalize or justify their actions. Christ tells us to use reason much as He did with Thomas and believe. God has given us intelligent foresight as well as the Holy Spirit.
The Virtue of Foresight: A Mark of Wisdom[1]
The ancient philosophers
identified man’s
capacity for thought by the use of different words for perceiving reality: sensus
(the five senses), imaginatio (the ability of the mind to recall
pictures from the past or paint pictures of the future), ratio (the
ability to think in logical steps to reach a conclusion), and intellectus
(the ability to perceive the truth all at once as self-evident). While animals
have instincts as a form of knowledge, they do not reflect on the past or
ponder the future with the capacity to think that distinguishes human virtues
such as foresight and prudence, a mark of wisdom.
While ants prepare for the
winter, they do not contemplate eternity. While dogs have keen memories, they
do not gather wisdom from the accumulated experience of the entire human race
as a source of universal truth.
Beyond the Present
Because man is a rational
animal with the power of intelligence, human thinking goes beyond the immediate
concerns and duties of the present moment. Man’s memory allows him to recall the
mistakes of the past and not repeat them and to learn from the previous
experience of older generations in his study of history. Man’s imagination allows him to project
into the future and consider possibilities, consequences, and likely outcomes. The
art of living requires this capacity to think today while mindful of the past
and conscious of the future. This wise thinking, however, is not escaping into
the past with nostalgia or calculating about the future with cunning. The
foresight of a wise man is a far cry from the reckoning of a fox or rat.
Exceeding our Grasp
Foresight does not mean
simply being insured for accidents to protect against harm to a person’s health or damage to his home.
While home and car insurance show prudential judgment, foresight is more than
prevention or precaution. It goes beyond not taking foolish chances but rather
embraces noble efforts and daring initiatives to achieve an ideal. It
encompasses the common good, the welfare of future generations, the happiness
of all family members young and old, and an awareness of the four last things:
death, the final judgment, heaven, and hell. Foresight strives for excellence
and imagines always the difference between the way things are in the present
and the way things ought to be in the future. Famous characters in literature
like Don Quixote seek to restore the best of the past—the virtues of knighthood—to inspire future generations with
truth, honor, chivalry, and courtesy. Robert Browning writes that “man’s reach should exceed his grasp, “Or
else what’s a
heaven for?” Foresight
always aspires to perfection and never rests complacent with mediocrity, the
lowest common denominator, or the average. Just as God in His Divine Providence
foresees man’s needs
and plans for them, man too needs to be provident—to be far-seeing, to think ahead,
to be mindful of consequences, and to realize that the outcome of the future
depends on the choices of today. Created in God’s image, man imitates God by
providing for others and acting with prudence about the future with the virtue
of foresight. For example, God’s
all-wise plan for life—envisioning
a child’s needs—prepares for the birth of the
newborn by endowing man and woman with parental instincts to care for and
protect the infant. All good parents are provident as they attend not only to
the present needs of their children but also think ahead for their future.
Looking Ahead
The word “pro-vide” comes from two Latin words that
mean to look before or ahead. To be Godlike, to be wise, to be prudent, and to
exercise common sense means to weigh consequences and be aware of both the
present and the future. All actions bear fruit for good or for ill. As the
parable of the talents illustrates, God expects the coins to be multiplied and
earn interest—evidence
of foresight and imagining the future with good judgment. God judges’ man by
the abundance of his harvest: “By
their fruits you shall know them.” There
is no interest earned, no bountiful harvest, no fruitful field without
foresight, without sowing the right seeds in the springtime of life for the
later years. Unlike animals that live in the present and do not foresee the
future with vision or ideals, man enjoys a greater awareness of time as he
recollects the past and anticipates the future. In fact, the cardinal virtue of
prudence takes account of past, present, and future—learning from the mistakes and
experience of the past, making a practical judgment based on the reality of the
present, and foreseeing the consequences of actions today that affect others
for the common good in the days ahead. To be responsible, moral, and sensible,
a person naturally thinks ahead—living
today but anticipating tomorrow, saving money now for next year’s purchases, educating children in
their youth for their later adult life, keeping the Ten Commandments and living
the life of the Beatitudes in the expectation of life everlasting.
Foresight for the Future
Christ taught his
followers to be both “gentle
as doves and wise as serpents.”
The serpent looks to the left and to the right, moves slowly and cautiously,
and checks for dangers and enemies. Thinking must always precede acting;
otherwise, a person acts foolishly or imprudently without weighing the effects
or reactions beforehand. Without foresight a person wastes money, time, or
effort and accomplishes nothing. Without foresight—an intelligent plan of action to
achieve a moral goal—no
one progresses toward a destination. To live only for the present and think “eat, drink, and be merry, for
tomorrow we die”
does not amount to wisdom because the future always comes. Man enters the
future either prepared or unprepared—like
the ants in Aesop’s
fable that prepared for winter or the cicada that only sang in the summer and
froze in the cold. Foresight for students means not only preparing for a career
through a good education but also gathering wisdom to live well and to enjoy an
abundant life. Nothing learned—no
matter the subject matter, book, or class—is
ever wasted. Whatever a person learns in science, social studies, religion, or
English, he will use in one capacity or another. Not to learn is to show no
foresight. If not in his own profession, then in his own personal life a person
will be glad he knows, glad he can teach others, glad he possesses an informed
mind capable of making intelligent decisions. A person in high school or
college is not just qualifying for a profession but providing for a life of the
mind, one of the greatest sources of human happiness because man is designed to
love truth, to desire knowledge for its own sake, and ultimately to know God. It
is not only human wisdom to think ahead for the sake of one’s own happiness but also charity to
be far-sighted on behalf of the well-being of others. Just as a Christian is
obligated to love others as Christ loves him and forgive others as God forgives
him, he also needs to think of others and provide for their future as God
provides for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
SECTION TWO-THE LORD'S PRAYER
Article 1-"THE
SUMMARY OF THE WHOLE GOSPEL"
II. The Lord's Prayer
2765 The
traditional expression "the Lord's Prayer" - oratio Dominica - means
that the prayer to our Father is taught and given to us by the Lord Jesus. the
prayer that comes to us from Jesus is truly unique: it is "of the
Lord." On the one hand, in the words of this prayer the only Son gives us
the words the Father gave him: he is the master of our prayer. On the
other, as Word incarnate, he knows in his human heart the needs of his human
brothers and sisters and reveals them to us: he is the model of our prayer.
2766 But
Jesus does not give us a formula to repeat mechanically. As in every vocal
prayer, it is through the Word of God that the Holy Spirit teaches the children
of God to pray to their Father. Jesus not only gives us the words of our filial
prayer; at the same time he gives us the Spirit by whom these words become in
us "spirit and life." Even more, the proof and possibility of
our filial prayer is that the Father "sent the Spirit of his Son into our
hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'" Since our prayer sets forth our
desires before God, it is again the Father, "he who searches the hearts of
men," who "knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit
intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." The prayer
to Our Father is inserted into the mysterious mission of the Son and of the
Spirit.
Apostolic Exhortation[2]
Veneremur
Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling
of The Most
Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My beloved Brothers and
Sisters in Christ,
Part I
Eucharist –
Mystery to Be Revered
10. We cannot speak of the
Eucharist without being confronted by its awesome mystery. It is no wonder that
it is the central point of division between Catholics and other Christians. As
early as the second century, we have record of Christians being accused of
cannibalism by the pagan Romans because they ate and drank the Body and Blood
of Christ (cf. First and Second Apologies of St. Justin Martyr). Since
the Protestant Reformation, many Christians stopped believing in the real
presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Instead, they hold a certain religious
service on Sundays but not the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
11. The perennial biblical
verse where the Christian conflict begins and ends is the Bread of Life
discourse: “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of
Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and
drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for
my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink” (Jn 6:53-55).
12. Jesus meant exactly what He
said – He is truly present in the Eucharist. Some say that these words are
figurative or that Jesus was only speaking symbolically when He said,
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life”. However, if
Jesus had meant it as a symbol, He would not have repeated this message seven
times in this dialogue: “My flesh is true food, my blood is true drink”.
The Jews understood what He really meant, and they responded with incredulity, “How
can this man give us His flesh to eat?”. Despite the uproar caused by His
teaching, Jesus did not soften His claim. On the contrary, He strengthened it.
Up to this point, the Gospel of Saint John uses the ordinary Greek word for
“eat” (phagein). After the indignant question from the Jews, John shifts
to a stronger word “to chew” or “to munch” (trogein). To capture the
force of this word, we could translate, not as: “Whoever eats my flesh”;
but “Whoever feeds on my flesh”.
To be continued…
St. Simon Stock[3]
Saint Simon Stock was born to a very illustrious family in Kent County, England (c. 1165), of which his father was governor. His mother was devoted to the Virgin Mary, and Simon was not yet one year old when he was heard clearly articulating the Angelic salutation several times. When he was twelve, Simon began to live as a hermit in the hollow of a trunk of an oak, where he got the nickname “stock” or “trunk”. Within this wilderness retreat, his continual prayers ascended to heaven and he spent twenty years in the most complete solitude, feeding his soul with the celestial delights of contemplation.
Having
voluntarily chosen to deprive himself of human conversation, he was favored
with that of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the angels who urged him to persevere
in his life of sacrifice and love. The Queen of Heaven told him that some
hermits from Palestine would soon land in England, adding that he should join
those men whom she considered as her servants.
Indeed, Lord
John Vesoy and Lord Richard Gray of Codnor returned from the Holy Land,
bringing with them several hermits from Mount Carmel. Simon Stock joined them
in 1212 and was elected Vicar General of the Carmelite Order in 1215. He begged
the Virgin Mary by fervent prayers and tears to defend this Order, which was
devoted to her, and she appeared in a dream to Pope Honorius III, so the pope
finally confirmed the Rule of Carmelites in 1226.
Another time
the Mother of God appeared to Simon, surrounded by a dazzling light and
accompanied by a large number of blessed spirits, with the scapular of the
order in her hand. This scapular she gave him with the words:
“Hoc erit tibi et cunctis Carmelitis privilegium, in hoc
habitu moriens salvabitur” –
This shall be
the privilege for you and for all the Carmelites, that anyone wearing this
habit shall be saved.
Through Saint
Simon Stock the devotion of the scapular spread throughout the world, not only
among the people, but also among kings and princes who found themselves very
honored to wear the sign of the servants of the Blessed Virgin. Stock breathed
his last in the city of Bordeaux while visiting monasteries, in the 20th year
of his office as Vicar General. The Church added his last words to the Angelic
salutation: “Holy Mary,
Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.”
Mary’s
Promise to Those Who Wear the Scapular
Our Lady gave St. Simon a scapular
for the Carmelites with the following promise, saying: Receive, My beloved son,
this habit of thy order: this shall be to thee and to all Carmelites a
privilege, that whosoever dies clothed in this shall never suffer eternal fire
…. It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of
peace.
Another important aspect of wearing
the Scapular is the Sabbatine Privilege. This concerns a promise made by Our
Lady to Pope John XXII. In a papal letter he issued, he recounted a vision that
he had had. He stated that the Blessed Virgin had said to him in this vision,
concerning those who wear the Brown Scapular: “I, the Mother of Grace, shall
descend on the Saturday after their death and whomsoever I shall find in
Purgatory, I shall free, so that I may lead them to the holy mountain of life
everlasting.”
Conditions and Rituals Attached to The Scapular
According to Church tradition, there
are three conditions necessary to participate in this Privilege and share in
the other spiritual benefits of the Scapular: wear the Brown Scapular, observe
chastity according to your state in life, and pray the Rosary. In addition to
the Sabbatine Privilege, enrollment in the Brown Scapular also makes a person
part of the Carmelite family throughout the world. They therefore share in all
of the prayers and good works of the Carmelite Orders. Participation in the
Carmelite family also, of course, places you in a special relationship with the
Carmelite saints, especially St. Elijah, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the
Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, and, most importantly, Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
In order to receive the spiritual
blessings associated with the Scapular, it is necessary to be formally enrolled
in the Brown Scapular by either a priest or a lay person who has been given
this faculty. Once enrolled, the enrollment is for life and need not be
repeated. Anyone, adult or infant, who has not previously been enrolled may be
enrolled in the Brown Scapular.
Value and Meaning of The Scapular
Many popes and saints have strongly
recommended wearing, the Brown Scapular to the Catholic Faithful, including St.
Robert Bellarmine, Pope John XXII, Pope Pius Xl, and Pope Benedict XV. For
example, St. Alphonsus said: “Just as men take pride in having others wear
their livery, so the Most Holy Mary is pleased when Her servants wear Her
Scapular as a mark that they have dedicated themselves to Her service, and are
members of the Family of the Mother of God.”
Pope Pius XII went so far as to say:
“The Scapular is a practice of piety which by its very simplicity is suited to
everyone and has spread widely among the faithful of Christ to their spiritual
profit.” In our own times, Pope Paul VI said: “Let the faithful hold in high
esteem the practices and devotions to the Blessed Virgin … the Rosary and the
Scapular of Carmel” and in another place referred to the Scapular as: “so
highly recommended by our illustrious predecessors.”
Today is Horse Rescue Day[4]
Adopt a (Army)
Caisson Horse
The Caisson Horses of The Old Guard participate in
all Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps Full Honors Funerals performed in
Arlington National Cemetery. These magnificent animals serve with the men of
the Caisson Platoon daily to ensure final honors are given in a dignified,
professional, and respectful manner; and they love their job. Each Caisson
Horse offered for adoption has served on average for over a decade. During the
course of their service, they participate in thousands of funerals for our nation’s
heroes. Because of the long and distinguished service of each and every horse
in our stables, The Old Guard has introduced the Caisson Horse Adoption Program
to ensure each horse is rewarded with a great home following its well-earned
retirement.
The primary goal of the Caisson Horse Adoption
Program is to select a home for a retiring Caisson Horse. The program publishes
Horses ready for retirement to a website, identifies potential adopters, and
selects the best candidate from a pool of applicants seeking to adopt a retired
Caisson Horse. The specifics of the Caisson Horse Adoption Program is governed
by The Old Guard Regimental Policy Letter #13 – Horse Adoption.
Armed Forces Day Build Up
US Air Force[5]
Fighting at 25,000 feet in thin,
freezing air that no warriors had ever encountered before, bomber crews battled
new kinds of assaults on body and mind. Air combat was deadly but intermittent:
periods of inactivity and anxiety were followed by short bursts of fire and
fear. Unlike infantrymen, bomber boys slept on clean sheets, drank beer in
local pubs, and danced to the swing music of Glenn Miller’s Air Force band,
which toured U.S. air bases in England. But they had a much greater chance of
dying than ground soldiers. In 1943, an American bomber crewman stood only a
one-in-five chance of surviving his tour of duty, twenty-five missions. The
Eighth Air Force lost more men in the war than the U.S. Marine Corps. The
bomber crews were an elite group of warriors who were a microcosm of America —
white America, anyway. (African Americans could not serve in the Eighth Air
Force except in a support capacity.) The actor Jimmy Stewart was a bomber boy,
and so was the “King of Hollywood,” Clark Gable. And the air war was filmed by
Oscar-winning director William Wyler and covered by reporters like Andy Rooney
and Walter Cronkite, all of whom flew combat missions with the men. The
Anglo-American bombing campaign against Nazi Germany was the longest military
campaign of World War II, a war within a war. Until Allied soldiers crossed
into Germany in the final months of the war, it was the only battle fought
inside the German homeland.
US Space Force[6]
The U.S. Space Force (USSF) is a new branch of the
Armed Forces. It was established on December 20, 2019 with enactment of the
Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act and will be stood-up over
the next 18 months. The USSF was established within the Department of the Air
Force, meaning the Secretary
of the Air Force has overall responsibility for the USSF, under the
guidance and direction of the Secretary of Defense. Additionally, a four-star
general known as the Chief
of Space Operations (CSO) serves as the senior military member of the
USSF. The CSO is a full member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Mission
The USSF is a military service that organizes,
trains, and equips space forces in order to protect U.S. and allied interests
in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force. USSF
responsibilities include developing military space professionals, acquiring
military space systems, maturing the military doctrine for space power, and
organizing space forces to present to our Combatant Commands.
Space Capabilities
The new, independent U.S. Space Force will maintain
and enhance the competitive edge in space while adapting to new strategic
challenges. Spacelift operations at the East and West Coast launch bases
provide services, facilities and range safety control for the conduct of NASA
and commercial space launches. Through the command and control of all defense satellites,
satellite operators provide force-multiplying effects – continuous
global coverage, low vulnerability and autonomous operations. Satellites provide
essential in-theater secure communications, weather and navigational data for
ground, air and fleet operations and threat warning. Ground-based and
space-based systems monitor ballistic missile launches around the world to
guard against a surprise missile attack on North America. A global network of
space surveillance sensors provides vital information on the location of
satellites and space debris for the nation and the world. Maintaining space
superiority is an emerging capability required to protect U.S. space assets
from hostile attacks.
Thursday Feast
Thursday is
the day of the week that our Lord gave himself up for consumption. Thursday
commemorates the last supper. Some theologians believe after Sunday Thursday is
the holiest day of the week. We should then try to make this day special by
making a visit to the blessed sacrament chapel, Mass or even stopping by the
grave of a loved one. Why not plan to count the blessing of the week and thank
our Lord. Plan a special meal. Be at Peace.
·
According to Mary Agreda[7]
in her visions it was on a Thursday at six o'clock in the evening and at the
approach of night that the Angel Gabriel approached and announced her as Mother
of God and she gave her fiat.
Best Places to Visit in May- Las Vegas and Grand Canyon[8]
Often referred to as the ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’, Las Vegas is the ultimate playground of adventures, cuisines, and nightlife scenes, and when you visit, you’ll see why!
While Sin City sees an influx of visitors during winters and scorching summers, I honestly think the best time to visit the city is from March to this month and from September to November.
It’s still one of the warmest states to visit this month, but temperatures are much more manageable and hover around 89.6 degrees during the day.
You’ll find various events, hot (but not unbearable) daily temperatures, and fewer crowds. Nearby the city is the Grand Canyon, and I highly suggest a visit here—it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Spring and fall make for an ideal trip to the canyon for hiking, sky walking, and discovering the wildflower blooms, but I would also highly recommend just enjoying the scenic vistas.
Visitors Center Address: 495 S. Main St. Las Vegas, NV 89101
Average temperatures – 89.6 degrees
Location Map and Directions
My highlights…
·
Capturing an
unbelievable Instagrammable shot overlooking the Grand Canyon after hiking
around the area.
·
Checking out a fun
show at MGM Grand.
· Take a road trip drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon.
May 22, St. Rita of Cascia, Pt. of
"impossible" cases[9]
- Aqua Fresca
- St. Rita of Cascia - Roses and Figs
- Empanadas de Santa Rita
- Italian Beef
- Ice
Cream
Rachel’s
Corner-Air Force Hunks and Movies
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in
fasting: For the Poor and Suffering
·
do a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
National Barbecue Day-Better to smoke in this life than the
next.
·
Litany of the Most
Precious Blood of Jesus
·
Offering
to the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make reparations to the Holy Face
·
Drops
of Christ’s Blood
·
Universal
Man Plan
·
Rosary
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