Claire’s Corner
o channel your inner Mad Hatter with a whimsical hat or tea party.
o Raise a glass of orange wine to toast the day.
o Embrace your German-American roots, maybe by trying a new recipe or learning a German phrase.
o Take a moment to support those with cerebral palsy, perhaps by donating to a related charity.
o Show some love to badgers by researching these intriguing creatures, or even going for a woodland hike.
· Whip up some delicious noodles for a cozy meal on National Noodle Day.
OCTOBER
6 Twentieth (20) Sunday after Pentecost
Feast of the Holy Rosary-Respect Life Sunday-St. Josemaria Escriva-German
American Day
2
Samuel, Chapter 9, Verse 7
“Do
not be AFRAID,” David said to him, “I
will surely be kind to you for the sake of Jonathan your father. I will restore
to you all the lands of Saul your grandfather, and you shall eat at my table always.”
David
is showing compassion to Mephibosheth; Jonathan’s disabled son following the
civil war between Israel and Judah. In the end David reigns over all of Israel.
Israel with David’s leadership then quickly defeats the Jebusites taking
Jerusalem; defeats the Philistines and brings the Ark to Jerusalem and God
makes his Covenant with David. Thus David’s heart was full of gratitude. David
now can return the favor of his old friend Jonathan to his son and restores his
lands and David orders his servants to cultivate Mephibosheth’s lands,
providing him with food, income and a place in the court. Gratitude cultivates
generosity. This is the law of the Picture.[1]
The law of the picture summarizes
what is often observed in human nature. People tend to mimic the behaviors of
their leaders. When a leader demonstrates behaviors that lead to success,
people that follow mimic those behaviors and succeed as well. The picture
consists of vision, mission, and strategy. When the leader lives the vision,
the leader models the vision making it real and alive.
Nothing
is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them, day after day
– Arthur Gordon
Good leaders recognize the
importance of the example they set. [2]
1. People watch what you do.
As a leader, recognize that people
tend to model behaviors that you display. People tend to believe what they see
not necessarily what they hear. You convince people by what you do not by what
you say.
2. Teaching what is right is easier than doing what is right.
Leaders must be willing to make sacrifices that are painful and personal.
3. Change yourself before trying to improve others. As a
leader, you need to lead yourself first. Set high standards of excellence for
yourself. Work the hardest and longest on improving yourself. Failing to lead
by example creates a fuzzy picture to those you intend to lead.
4. A leader’s example is the most value gift a leader can give.
People desire leaders where espoused beliefs and actions align. People learn
best from watching good leaders in action. Many leaders emerge by observing and
replicating the behaviors of leaders that mentored them.
Twentieth (20) Sunday after Pentecost[3]
The final manifestation of Christ...the
Church focuses on making our hearts ready through faith as we "redeem the
times".
THE Introit of the Mass is a humble prayer by which we confess
that we are punished for our disobedience. “All that Thou hast done to us, O
Lord, Thou hast done in true judgment, because we have sinned against Thee, and
we have not obeyed Thy commandments; but give glory to Thy name, and deal with
us according to the multitude of Thy mercy (Dan. iii.). “Blessed are the
undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.”
Prayer.
Be appeased, O Lord, we beseech Thee, and grant to Thy faithful
pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their offences, and serve
Thee with secure mind.
EPISTLE. Eph. v. 15-21.
See, brethren, how you walk circumspectly: not as unwise, but as
wise: redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore become not
unwise but understanding what is the will of God. And be not drunk with wine,
wherein is luxury, but be ye filled with the Holy Spirit. Speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making
melody in your hearts to the Lord: giving thanks always for all things in the
name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to God and the Father: being subject one to
another in the fear of Christ.
GOSPEL. John vi. 46-53
At that time there was a certain ruler whose son was sick at
Capharnaum. He having heard that Jesus was - come from Judea into Galilee, went
to Him, and prayed Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point
of death. Jesus therefore said to him: Unless you see signs and wonders, you
believe not. The ruler saith to him: Lord, come down before that my son dies.
Jesus saith to him: Go thy way, thy son liveth. The man believed the word which
Jesus said to him and went his way. And as he was going down, his servants met
him: and they brought word, saying that his son lived. He asked therefore of
them the hour wherein he grew better. And they said to him: Yesterday at the
seventh hour the fever left him. The father therefore knew that it was at the same
hour that Jesus said to him, thy son liveth; and himself believed, and his
whole house.
Consolation in Sickness
To console ourselves in sickness, let us bethink ourselves that
God has sent us sickness for the good of our souls; that we may thereby attain
a knowledge of our sins, and make satisfaction for them; or, if we suffer
innocently, we may exercise ourselves in patience, charity, humility, and such
like virtues, and so increase our merits. When ill let us employ a competent
physician and use the remedies he may prescribe. But before all else, let us
betake ourselves to God, give ourselves up unreservedly to His will, pray Him
to enlighten the physician, and bless the means employed for our recovery, and
subdue our inclinations if the prescription of the physician does violence to
our former habits. For how otherwise should medicine have its proper effect?
O Lord, here burn, here wound, only spare
me in eternity!
St. Augustine
ON THE CARE OF THE SICK
All who have charge of the sick should before all think of the
soul, and to that end call upon Jesus to come in the Blessed Sacrament, before
the sick person is past the point of receiving Him with devotion. Therefore,
parents, children, relatives, and friends, if they truly love the sick, should
seek to induce him to receive the Blessed Sacrament in time. At the beginning,
and during the progress of the sickness, we should endeavor to encourage the
patient to resignation and childlike confidence in God; should place before him
the Savior, suffering and glorified, as a pattern and consolation, should pray
with him, to strengthen him against desponding thoughts and the temptations of
the devil; should sign him with the sign of the cross, sprinkle him with holy
water, and, before all, pray for a happy death. But in caring for the soul the
body is not to be neglected. We must call in time a skillful physician, give
the sick person his medicines at the appointed times, keep everything clean,
observe particularly the prescribed limit as to eating and drinking, and not
permit the patient to have his own will, for he might often desire what would
be hurtful to him. In general, we should do what, in like case, we would wish
to have done for ourselves, for there is no greater work of charity than to
attend a sick person, and particularly to assist him to a happy death.
Feast of the Holy Rosary[4]
This feast was fixed for the first Sunday in October by Pope Clement XI; in perpetual commemoration of a celebrated feast was fixed for the first Sunday in October by him due to the double victory gained by the Christians at Lepanto, in 1571, under Pope St. Pius V., and at Belgrade, under Pope Clement XI., through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, who had been invoked by saying the Holy Rosary. It is at the same time the principal feast of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Rosary. In 1885 Pope Leo XIII., ordered the Rosary to be recited every day during the month of October in every parish church and cathedral throughout the world, and those of the faithful who cannot be present at this recital he exhorted to say it with their families or in private. The Holy Rosary is a form of prayer in which there is first said the Apostles Creed, and then fifteen decades, each one of which consists of ten Hail Mary’s. Each decade has one Our Father to be said before it and is followed by a meditation upon one mystery of our redemption. It is called the Rosary, or Wreath of Roses, because the joyful, the sorrowful, and the glorious mysteries, aptly symbolized by the leaves, the thorns, the flower, of which the rose consists with the prayers and praises that are blended together compose, as it were, a wreath or crown. It is also called the Psalter, because it contains a hundred and fifty Hail Mary’s, as the Psalter of David contains a hundred and fifty psalms, and because it is used in place of the singing of psalms, as practiced in former times. There are three parts in the Rosary the joyful, the sorrowful, the glorious. The joyful part consists of the five first decades, to which are attached five mysteries of the incarnation of Jesus Christ, through which, full of joy, we speak to Mary of Him: 1. Whom she conceived while a virgin. 2. Whom she bore to Elizabeth. 3. Whom she brought forth while a virgin. 4. Whom she offered to God in the temple. 5. Whom she found Him in the temple. (This is said particularly in Advent.) The sorrowful part, in like manner, contains five decades, in connection with which there are presented for our meditation five mysteries of the passion and death of Jesus: 1. Who for us sweat blood. 2. Who for us was scourged. 3. Who for us was crowned with thorns. 4. Who for us bore the heavy cross. 5. Who for us was crucified. (This is said particularly in Lent.) The glorious part, consisting of the last five decades, reminds us of the glory of Christ and of the Blessed Virgin by five mysteries in which we commemorate Him: 1. Who rose from the dead. 2. Who ascended into heaven. 3. Who sent to us the Holy Ghost. 4. Who received thee, O Virgin, into heaven. 5. Who crowned thee, O Virgin, in heaven. (This part is said particularly at Eastertide.)
How was this prayer introduced into the Church?
St. Dominic had for many years preached against the errors of the Albigenses and other heretics, with such zeal and profound ability that they were often convinced. But nevertheless, the results were unimportant; but few returned to the bosom of the Catholic Church. In this discouraging state of things St. Dominic redoubled his prayers and works of penance, and in particular besought Mary for support and assistance. One day Mary appeared to him and taught him the Rosary. He zealously labored to introduce everywhere this manner of prayer, and from that time preached with such success that in a short period more than one hundred thousand heretics and sinners were converted. The divine origin of the Rosary is testified to by the bull of Gregory XIII of the year 1577.
Is the Rosary a profitable method of prayer?
Yes, for by bringing before the
eyes of the spirit the fundamental mysteries of Christianity it supplies us
with the strongest motives to love God, to hate sin, to subdue the passions, to
condemn the world and its vanity, and to strive after Christian perfection, in
order that we may gain those happy mansions which Jesus prepares for us. The
Rosary, besides, brings before us living examples Jesus and Mary whom we must
follow, and encourages us to good works by pointing to the all-powerful grace
procured for us by Jesus, and the all-prevailing intercession of the gracious
Mother of God. Let us not be ashamed to carry the beads with us, for otherwise
we might be ashamed of being Catholics; let us say the Rosary often every
evening as was the custom with Catholics in former times, and we shall find
that, as in St. Dominic’s day it was a wholesome check to error, so too in our
times it will be, if said aright, a powerful weapon against heresy and
unbelief, and will increase faith, piety, and virtue.
“I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”– John 11:25-26
Respect
Life Sunday[6]
The infant Christ “came into our
world in a state of great vulnerability. He needed to be defended, protected,
cared for and raised by Joseph”. The humble and often hidden carpenter of
Nazareth accompanied Mary in her pregnancy, assisted at the birth of the
Messiah in a stable, presented Jesus in the Temple, fled with his family far
from their homeland to protect them, and lovingly raised Jesus as his own son
in the years to come. While the angel of the Lord appeared to Mary to announce
that she would bring forth the Savior of the world, it was revealed to Joseph
in a series of dreams how God’s plans would be brought to fulfillment. As Pope
Francis highlights, “God trusted Joseph, as did Mary, who found in him someone
who would not only save her life, but would always provide for her and her
child”. Like every other human family, the Holy Family had to confront real and
concrete challenges. Yet, “in every situation, Joseph declared his own ‘fiat’”.
His “yes” to the Lord meant that regardless of the hardship and personal
sacrifice to himself, he consistently chose to put the needs of Mary and Jesus
before his own. Joseph’s devotion helps reveal to us our own call to show
special care for the lives of those whom God has entrusted to us. During this
Year of St. Joseph, each of us can find in him “an intercessor, a support and a
guide in times of trouble”. Joseph shows us how to say “yes” to life, despite
our own fears, frailties, and weaknesses. For it is Joseph who was “chosen by
God to guide the beginnings of the history of redemption. He was the true
‘miracle’ by which God saves the child and his mother”. May we, too, be
miracles in the lives of those who are most in need, especially at the
beginning and end of life. Dear St. Joseph, you who were “able to turn a
problem into a possibility by trusting always in divine providence”, help us to
imitate your faithful trust and courage.
St. Josemaria Escriva[7]
was born in 1902 at Barbastro Spain. He was ordained in Saragossa in 1925 and
by divine inspiration founded Opus Dei which opened a new way for the faithful
to sanctify themselves in the midst of the world. He died on June 26, 1975, and
was canonized a saint on October 6, 2002.
Opus Dei[8]
Work,
family life, and the ordinary events of each day are opportunities for drawing
close to Christ, and making Him known to others. As the Second Vatican Council
taught, every baptized person is called to follow Christ closely, by living
according to the Gospel and making its teachings known to others. The aim of
Opus Dei is to contribute to that evangelizing mission of the Church, by
fostering among Christians of all social classes a life fully consistent with
their faith, in the middle of the ordinary circumstances of their lives and
especially through the sanctification of their work. The following are some of
the main features of the spirit of Opus Dei:
·
“Divine filiation is the foundation of
the spirit of Opus Dei,” said its founder, Saint Josemaría Escrivá. A Christian
is a child of God by virtue of baptism. Thus the formation provided by the
Prelature seeks to foster among the Christian faithful a deep awareness of their
being children of God, and helps them act accordingly. It fosters confidence in
divine providence, simplicity in their dialogue with God, a deep awareness of
the dignity of each human being and of the need for fraternity among all
people, a truly Christian love for the world and for all human realities
created by God, and a sense of calm and optimism.
·
Ordinary life.
“It is in the midst of the most material things of the earth that we must sanctify ourselves, serving God and
all mankind,” said Saint Josemaría. The family, marriage, work – all of our
activities – are opportunities for drawing close to and imitating Jesus, trying
to practice charity, patience, humility, diligence, integrity, cheerfulness,
and all the other human and Christian virtues.
·
Sanctifying work
means to work with the spirit of Christ, to work competently and ethically,
with the aim of loving God and serving others, and thus to sanctify the world
from within, making the Gospel present in all activities whether they be
outstanding or humble and hidden. In the eyes of God what matters is the love
that is put into work, not its human success.
·
Prayer and sacrifice.
The formation given by Opus Dei encourages prayer and sacrifice in order to
sustain the effort to sanctify one’s ordinary occupations. Thus members strive
to incorporate into their lives certain practices of Christian piety, such as
prayer, daily Mass, sacramental confession, and reading and meditating on the
Gospel. Devotion to our Lady occupies an important
place in their hearts. Also, in striving to imitate Christ, they try to acquire
a spirit of penance by offering up small sacrifices, particularly those that
help them fulfill their duties faithfully and make life more pleasant for
others, such as renouncing small pleasures, fasting, almsgiving, etc.
·
Unity of life.
Saint Josemaría explained that Christians working in the world should not live
“a kind of double life. On the one hand, an interior life, a life of union with
God; and on the other, a separate and distinct professional, social and family
life.” On the contrary: “There is just one life, made of flesh and spirit. And
it is this life which has to become, in both soul and body, holy and filled
with God.”
·
Freedom.
The members of Opus Dei are ordinary citizens who enjoy the same rights and are
subject to the same obligations as any other citizen. In their professional,
family, political, financial or cultural activities, they act with freedom and
personal responsibility, not involving the Church or Opus Dei in their
decisions, nor presenting those decisions as the only Catholic solutions. This
implies respecting the freedom and the opinions of others.
·
Charity.
To meet Christ is to find a treasure that one cannot stop sharing. Christians
are witnesses to Jesus and spread his message of hope among their companions,
with their example and their words. “Side by side with our colleagues, friends
and relatives and sharing their interests, we can help them come closer to
Christ,” wrote Saint Josemaría. The wish to make others know Christ, which is a
direct consequence of charity (that is, love of God above all things and of
one’s neighbor as oneself), cannot be separated from the desire to contribute
to finding solutions to the material needs and social problems of one’s
surroundings.
German American Day[9]
German American Day
celebrates German culture and heritage in the United States. This holiday
also serves to remember 13 German families from Krefeld, Germany that fled
religious oppression in Germany. On October 6th, 1683, these families
established Germantown, Pennsylvania, the first distinctly German-American
settlement. In the centuries that followed, more than seven million more
German-speaking immigrants arrived on the shores of the US and as of 2010, over
20% of the US population claims German ancestry. In 1983, on the 300th
anniversary of Germantown, President Ronald Reagan declared October 6th as German
American Day. President Reagan officially declared German American Day
four years later in 1987. Today, German American Day, a celebration of German
culture, identity and heritage, is celebrated annually on October 6th.
German American Day Facts &
Quotes
·
The
current population of Germantown, PA is 26,563 inhabitants.
·
Wisconsin,
Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa are now home to the
largest number of German descendants in the US.
·
After
the Second World War, around 375,000 Germans immigrated to the US. In the 50s
and 60s alone, around 786,000 Germans immigrated to the US.
·
Albert
Einstein was a German immigrant, a Jew who opted to remain in the US when the
Nazi party came to power in 1933.
·
The world will not be destroyed by
those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything. - Albert Einstein
German American Day Top Events and
Things to Do
·
Read
some popular stories by German writers including Hansel and Gretel, The
Trial and The Man Without Qualities.
·
Spend
some time learning more about the religious oppression in Germany in 1683 in
order to further understand why the founding 13 families fled the country and
arrived in Philadelphia.
·
Enjoy
a glass of mulled wine. It is a common drink found at Christmas markets all
through Germany.
·
Enjoy
a German movie. Some of our favorites: Victoria (2015), Land of Mine
(2015) and Downfall (2004).
·
Learn
more about the Nazi Regime from WW2 in order to better understand how the
population of German Americans grew so quickly around that time.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
Day 115
Wounds to unity
817 In fact, "in this one
and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts,
which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries
much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated
from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of
both sides were to blame." The ruptures that wound the unity of
Christ's Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism - do
not occur without human sin:
Where there
are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where
there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise
the one heart and one soul of all believers.
818 "However, one cannot
charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these
communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in
the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and
affection as brothers .... All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are
incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians,
and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of
the Catholic Church."
819 "Furthermore, many
elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the
visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the
life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the
Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements." Christ's Spirit uses these
Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives
from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic
Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in
themselves calls to "Catholic unity."
Toward unity
820 "Christ bestowed unity
on his Church from the beginning. This unity, we believe, subsists in the
Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will
continue to increase until the end of time." Christ always gives his
Church the gift of unity, but the Church must always pray and work to maintain,
reinforce, and perfect the unity that Christ wills for her. This is why Jesus
himself prayed at the hour of his Passion, and does not cease praying to his
Father, for the unity of his disciples: "That they may all be one. As you,
Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us, . . . so that
the world may know that you have sent me." The desire to recover the
unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit.
821 Certain things are required
in order to respond adequately to this call:
- a permanent renewal of the Church in greater fidelity to her vocation; such
renewal is the driving-force of the movement toward unity;
- conversion of heart as the faithful "try to live holier lives according
to the Gospel"; for it is the unfaithfulness of the members to
Christ's gift which causes divisions;
- prayer in common, because "change of heart and holiness of life, along
with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded
as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and merits the name 'spiritual
ecumenism;"'
-fraternal knowledge of each other;
- ecumenical formation of the faithful and especially of priests;
- dialogue among theologians and meetings among Christians of the different
churches and communities;
- collaboration among Christians in various areas of service to
mankind. "Human service" is the idiomatic phrase.
822 Concern for achieving unity
"involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike." But we
must realize "that this holy objective - the reconciliation of all
Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ - transcends human
powers and gifts." That is why we place all our hope "in the prayer
of Christ for the Church, in the love of the Father for us, and in the power of
the Holy Spirit."
Daily Devotions
·
Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day
to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday. Don’t
forget the internet.
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Authentic
Feminism
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: October
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[1] John Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership
Bible.
[3]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
[4] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
[6]https://www.usccb.org/resources/respect-life-reflection-st-joseph-defender-life
[7]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-06-26
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