Rachel’s Corner
Whoever confers benefits will be amply enriched, and whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)
· Full Hunters Moon
o According to the almanac today is a Full Hunters Moon, if you are not a hunter take the children/grandchildren for a hike and camping trip.
· Today Frederic Chopin died 1849-my dad plans on listening to his music; smoke a cigar while drinking some “Chopin” vodka.
· How to celebrate Oct 17th
o Wake up ready for an adventure! Start the day by educating yourself on personal finances for National Get Smart About Credit Day. Watch online tutorials or read articles to boost your financial literacy.
o For Earthquake Day in Chile, practice safety drills at home. Secure heavy furniture and create an emergency kit. Learn about earthquake preparedness to stay informed and safe.
o Celebrate Women in Military Service for America Memorial Anniversary by honoring the sacrifices of women in the military. Take a moment to thank a female veteran or learn about their experiences through online resources.
o National Edge Day encourages embracing a straight edge lifestyle. Try a new fitness routine or engage in a creative activity to stay focused and energized.
o Stand in solidarity on Child Poverty Day by supporting local charities or volunteering at a shelter. Donate clothes or food items to those in need to make a positive impact.
o Savor a delicious pasta dish for National Pasta Day. Try a new recipe or visit a local Italian restaurant to indulge in a comforting meal.
Best Place to visit in October:
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio[6]
- I’m a big fan of this stunning, lesser-known gem nestled between the cities of Akron and Cleveland, located along the scenic banks of the Cuyahoga River!
- In my view, the scenery here is beautiful and is filled with rolling hills covered in thick forests, pretty waterfalls and calm, slow-flowing rivers.
- The park is especially stunning in the fall and I loved seeing the breathtaking foliage views from the Ledges Overlook (which can be reached via the Ledges Hiking Trail).
- Do what I did and take advantage of the well-marked hiking trails, visiting the quaint Szlays Sweet Corn and Farmers Market, taking a ride on the family-friendly The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway and seeing the magnificent Brandywine falls.
Address: 7104 Canal Rd, Cleveland, OH 44125
Average temperature – 55 to 65
- My personal highlights…
- Biking the scenic Towpath Trail – I loved seeing old canal locks, deer and herons!
- Checking out the local produce at Cuyahoga Valley Farmers’ Market. I recommend trying the delicious Silver Bee Honey!
- Taking Instagram-worthy shots of the gorgeous fall foliage at the Tinkers Creek Gorge Scenic Overlook.
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.
- Moscow mule
- Connecticut Beef Supper
- White Bean Soup with Escarole
- Savory Potato Skins
- Creamy Strawberry Crepes
OCTOBER 17 Thursday-Saint Ignatius of Antioch
FORGIVE
AN EX DAY-Full Hunters Moon
2 Kings, Chapter 6, Verse 16
Elisha answered, “Do
not be AFRAID. Our side outnumbers
theirs.”
Many
people are afraid to speak out against the injustices of our modern age because
we are so few. Likewise, here Elisha states to the Israelites to not be afraid
for although our physical army is outnumbered in this contest we far outweigh
them with the armies of the Lord.
Tzevaot
“God the armies of Israel”[1]
·
The
Arameans are at war with Israel. The King of Aram decides to set his camp at a
certain place where he can ambush the Israelites.
·
Elisha
prophetically warns the King of Israel not to pass by that place, successfully
saving them. Then, he pulls the same prophetic miracle again.
·
The
King of Aram asks his soldiers if one of them is a traitor, but they tell him
that it must be the prophet, Elisha.
·
So
the King of Aram sends a huge army to track down Elisha. It surrounds the city
where Elisha is staying.
·
When
Elisha's servant gets up in the morning, he's terrified by the sight of the
Aramean army. But Elisha tells him that they (Elisha and the servant) have more
allies on their side.
·
Elisha
asks God to open the servant's eyes and the servant suddenly sees that, on the
mountain surrounding them, the fiery chariots and horses of the divine army are
arrayed in massive numbers.
·
As
the Arameans attempt to attack him, Elisha asks God to strike them blind. He
does.
·
Elisha
pretends to help them and leads the blind army to Samaria and to the King of
Israel. When he restores their vision they realize where they are.
·
The
King of Israel asks Elisha if he should kill them, but Elisha says no, that
wouldn't be fair.
· So, they treat the Arameans to a great feast and then… let them go.
St.
Ignatius of Antioch[2]
St.
Ignatius is one of the great bishops of the early Church. He was the successor
of St. Peter as Bishop of Antioch. He was condemned to death by wild beasts
during the Emperor Trajan's persecution. On his way to Rome, he wrote seven
magnificent letters, which we still have today, concerning the Person of
Christ, his love for Christ, his desire for martyrdom and on the constitution
of the Church and Christian life. His sentiments before his approaching
martyrdom are summed in his word in the Communion antiphon, "I am the
wheat of Christ, ground by the teeth of beasts to become pure bread."
Exhortations to Faith and Love
None of these things is
hid from you, if ye perfectly possess that faith and love towards Christ Jesus
which are the beginning and the end of life. For the beginning is faith, and
the end is love. Now these two. being inseparably connected together, are of
God, while all other things which are requisite for a holy life follow after
them. No man [truly] making a profession of faith sinneth; nor does he that
possesses love hate anyone. The tree is made manifest by its fruit; so those
that profess themselves to be Christians shall be recognized by their conduct.
For there is not now a demand for mere profession, but that a man be found
continuing in the power of faith to the end. Wherefore none of the devices of
the devil shall be hidden from you, if, like Paul, ye perfectly possess that
faith and love towards Christ which are the beginning and the end of life. The
beginning of life is faith, and the end is love. And these two being
inseparably connected together, do perfect the man of God; while all other things
which are requisite to a holy life follow after them. No man making a
profession of faith ought to sin, nor one possessed of love to hate his
brother. For He that said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God," said
also, "and thy neighbor as thyself." Those that profess themselves to
be Christ's are known not only by what they say, but by what they practice.
"For the tree is known by its fruit."
PEACE I leave
with you; my peace I give to you. Not
as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or
afraid.
It
is important to note that Christ gave
His peace in this verse to His
apostles just before the betrayal of Judas. Fear has no place in the hearts of
believers. Likewise, all our fear and distress as people awaiting His return must give way to the peace that is Christ’s gift. We now must face the conflict with the prince
of this world by keeping that peace in a troubled world. Christ by His death
demonstrated God’s commandment of total love.
EXHORTATION TO MEET TOGETHER
FREQUENTLY FOR THE WORSHIP OF GOD[3]
Take heed, then, often to come
together to give thanks to God, and show forth His praise. For when ye assemble
frequently in the same place, the powers of Satan are destroyed, and the
destruction at which he aims is prevented by the unity of your faith. Nothing
is more precious than peace, by which all war, both in heaven and earth, is
brought to an end.
Take heed, then, often to come
together to give thanks to God, and show forth His praise. For when ye come
frequently together in the same place, the powers of Satan are destroyed, and
his "fiery darts" urging to sin fall back ineffectual. For your
concord and harmonious faith prove his destruction, and the torment of his
assistants. Nothing is better than that peace, which is according to Christ, by
which all war, both of aërial and terrestrial spirits, is brought to an end.
"For we wrestle not against blood and flesh, but against principalities
and powers, and against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in heavenly places." St.
Ignatius of Antioch
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
Day 126
Participation
in Christ's prophetic office
904
"Christ . . . fulfills this prophetic office, not only by the hierarchy .
. . but also by the laity. He accordingly both establishes them as witnesses
and provides them with the sense of the faith [sensus fidei] and the grace of
the word"
To teach in
order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each
believer.
905 Lay
people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, "that is,
the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life." For lay
people, "this evangelization . . . acquires a specific property and
peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of
the world."
This witness of life, however, is not the sole element in
the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing
Christ by word, either to unbelievers . . . or to the faithful.
906 Lay
people who are capable and trained may also collaborate in catechetical
formation, in teaching the sacred sciences, and in use of the communications
media.
907 "In
accord with the knowledge, competence, and preeminence which they possess, [lay
people] have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred
pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and
they have a right to make their opinion known to the other Christian faithful,
with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals and reverence toward their
pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of
persons."
Participation
in Christ's kingly office
908 By his
obedience unto death, Christ communicated to his disciples the gift of
royal freedom, so that they might "by the self-abnegation of a holy life,
overcome the reign of sin in themselves":
That man is rightly called a king who makes his own body an
obedient subject and, by governing himself with suitable rigor, refuses to let
his passions breed rebellion in his soul, for he exercises a kind of royal
power over himself. and because he knows how to rule his own person as king, so
too does he sit as its judge. He will not let himself be imprisoned by sin, or
thrown headlong into wickedness.
909
"Moreover, by uniting their forces let the laity so remedy the
institutions and conditions of the world when the latter are an inducement to
sin, that these may be conformed to the norms of justice, favoring rather than
hindering the practice of virtue. By so doing they will impregnate culture and
human works with a moral value."
910
"The laity can also feel called, or be in fact called, to cooperate with
their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community, for the sake of its
growth and life. This can be done through the exercise of different kinds of
ministries according to the grace and charisms which the Lord has been pleased
to bestow on them."
911 In the
Church, "lay members of the Christian faithful can cooperate in the
exercise of this power [of governance] in accord with the norm of
law." and so the Church provides for their presence at particular
councils, diocesan synods, pastoral councils; the exercise in solidum of the
pastoral care of a parish, collaboration in finance committees, and
participation in ecclesiastical tribunals, etc.
912 The
faithful should "distinguish carefully between the rights and the duties
which they have as belonging to the Church and those which fall to them as
members of the human society. They will strive to unite the two harmoniously,
remembering that in every temporal affair they are to be guided by a Christian
conscience, since no human activity, even of the temporal order, can be
withdrawn from God's dominion."451
913
"Thus, every person, through these gifts given to him, is at once the
witness and the living instrument of the mission of the Church itself
'according to the measure of Christ's bestowal."'
Forgive an EX Day[4]
Forgiving does not erase the bitter
past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we
cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past
into a hope for our future. Lewis B. Smedes
Forgiveness is a conscious
act and for those who have been hurt by others, it can be hard when you know
the scars left behind. Relationships can be emotionally intense, filled with
history and memories, and can impact your life without you even realizing it.
When relationships fall apart, they can hurt, and the pain can last forever.
International Forgive an Ex Day is all about taking the time to reflect on your
own pain and move forward by forgiving the actions of others. International
Forgive an Ex Day provides insight into pain and relationships. This holiday is
all about finding the insight you need to move past the mental trauma of a
broken relationship, no matter how long it lasted. Typically, during this
holiday, participants take an active choice to seek advice about forgiveness,
whether that be going to a friend or seeing a counselor. Knowing that the path
to healing can be long and hard, this holiday can be used as a start towards
forgiveness or as a final conclusion towards forgiving your ex-lover. From
there, after making the effort to forgive your ex, it is up to the individual
to choose how to move forward from there. This holiday challenges you over how
you perceive people in life and encourages people all over the world to start
the path to forgiveness. It’s
all about self-reflection and healing, so whether you can find the courage and
peace of mind to forgive your ex-lover can take time. This is also a time to
help others forgive their ex’s
by giving them advice about forgiveness.
How to celebrate International Forgive an Ex Day
If you want to celebrate
this holiday, then take the chance to talk to your ex to see how they are
doing. If you’re
not ready to speak with them, take the time to examine yourself and your
position in life. In the meanwhile, speak with a counselor about this path to
forgiveness and find advice from all sources, from friends and family to
professional help. Share this holiday with your friends and family on your
favorite social media websites using the hashtag #internationalforgiveanexday
and see if this holiday can help others share their experiences about their ex’s and help them forgive the past.
Does Divorced mean EX Catholic?[5]
The
institution of marriage is in trouble today. The divorce rate is anywhere from
50 percent for first marriages to 80 percent for subsequent marriages. Perhaps,
as a result, more and more couples are choosing to live together without
bothering to get married.
The
Church—the institution as well as the individuals—needs to minister to the
millions of divorced Catholics by both changing ingrained attitudes and
reaching out in love. Yes, the Church is and should be pro-marriage, but, like
its Lord, it must also love and support those whose marriages have failed. It’s
a fine line to walk, but it is necessary.
As
the survivor of divorce after 30 years of marriage, I know there needs to be a
healthier dialogue within the Catholic Church between those who have never
divorced (including our clergy) and those who have. Here are seven things you
may not know about divorce:
1. Non-divorced Catholics often come
across as judgmental of the divorced. Perhaps they don’t mean to. But there is
a definite, although largely unconscious, attitude in the Church that the
divorced are less spiritual, less committed to marriage and/or less forgiving
than the long-term married. Non-divorced Catholics need to be careful of
assumptions, to discard any trace of judgment toward the divorced. Since I have
“been there, done that” when it comes to being judgmental, I can address this
issue personally. It is too easy for those who have never experienced the
desperation and sorrow of a failed marriage to believe that “they could have
done something to save it.” Let me assure you, the divorced Catholics I know
(including myself) are spiritual, forgiving people who are committed to family
and to the institution of marriage. And they did all they could to save their
marriages. It is time for all of us in the Church to stop judging the divorced.
2. Not every marriage was ‘joined by
God’ even if it took place in a church. This may seem like a rationalization,
but Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19:6 (“Therefore, what God has joined together,
no human being must separate”) does not apply to all marriages. Many of us,
looking back, realize that God was simply not a part of our decision to marry.
In my case, I never asked God, never gave God the chance to stop my headlong
(and headstrong) determination to get married. And God was trying to get my
attention. There were real problems. My intended was heading to a war zone for
a year, and friends and family counseled me to wait. But I would not listen. We
have all attended enough weddings to recall what the priest or deacon always
asks a couple at the beginning of the marriage ceremony: “Do you come here
freely and without reservation?” For most of us divorced Catholics, the answer
to that question, if we had been truthful, was “no.” How can anyone claim that
a particular marriage was “joined by God” if that was not the intention of the
parties getting married?
3.
The
divorced do not have to justify themselves. Even if a divorcing/divorced person
is very close to you, you do not know what really happened. Therefore, you
should refrain from making comments or asking prying questions. Perhaps we
divorced Catholics are overly sensitive, but certain statements and inquiries
are like rubbing salt into a very sore wound. I have been asked, “Did you try
counseling or Retrouvaille?” as though I would smack my head and say, “Gee, why
didn’t I think of that?” Yes, I tried everything I could think of. “Why can’t
you just forgive him?” is another gem, to which I answer that forgiveness is
not the same as a pardon. People have commented, “But you seemed like such a
happy couple.” That’s what we wanted you to think; that’s what we wanted to
believe. The bottom line is this: Such questions and comments just hurt, and
they are unfair. If a divorcing/divorced person does not want to confide in
you, do not prod him/her to tell you what happened. Just love that person. And
give him/her the benefit of the doubt that he/she tried everything to make the
marriage work. There are a variety of reasons why marriages fail. The “big
three” most of us think of are adultery, addiction and abuse, but the real
reason behind most failed marriages is simple indifference, often on the part
of one spouse. There is no way a husband or wife can save a marriage
single-handedly. When a marriage fails, no amount of effort, enabling or
denial will save it. It is wrong to ask for details before you support your
divorced friend, family member or parishioner. People should not have to
justify their actions before they are loved for who they are.
4. Divorce has changed my life for the
better. Many other divorced Catholics can say the same. Divorce has released me
spiritually, mentally and emotionally to become the person God created me to
be. I have been able to move on to a life that is fuller, happier and more
creative. The most important change is this: My relationship with God is better
today than it ever has been. When I was freed from an impossible, dysfunctional
marriage, my relationship with God blossomed. I had some initial worries about
my spiritual status when I began the process, but God quickly reassured and
comforted me as I went through and beyond my divorce. The psychological
counseling and spiritual direction I received during my divorce made me a
healthier person than I ever was before. I have worked through the deep
problems caused by my dysfunctional childhood. I have faced and forgiven
everyone who helped shape my early years in negative ways. And I understand and
embrace my individuality. Yes, divorce was a painful passage to go through, but
I am a better person today because of it.
5. I don’t need to marry again to be
happy. I get a lot of comments, concern and advice about finding someone when
people learn I have been divorced for eight years. I really am happy as a
single person, and not at all lonely or bitter about the past because I choose
to remain single. I understood right from the beginning of my new life as a
single person that, in order to be happy in a new relationship, I would have to
be happy just being me and being single. My attitude now is, “If it happens, it
happens.” In the meantime, please accept that I am fine as a single person. And
for goodness’ sake: Don’t try to fix me up with anyone!
6. I hope my divorce makes you
question assumptions about your marriage. Does that shock you? It shouldn’t. It
means that I love you and I love the institution of marriage. But healthy
marriages don’t just happen. I was sure my marriage would never end. At the
same time, I was unaware of what makes a healthy marriage and very much in
denial about our problems. My marital problems went a lot deeper than most, but
every marriage needs constant care. And every marriage can use a tune-up now
and then: a few counseling sessions, a Marriage Encounter weekend or a retreat
together. Marriage takes a lot of work. I am delighted when friends and
co-workers tell me that watching what I went through eight years ago or hearing
me talk now about my divorce compelled them to take a second look at their own
marriages, strengthen what was weak and recommit themselves to the
relationship. The divorced have a great deal to teach the married about what a
good, healthy and Christian marriage really is.
7.
Every
marriage ends. The marriage covenant ends when this life ends. Jesus tells us
in Luke 20:34-35 that there is no marriage in heaven. Marriage is an earthly
institution with a heavenly purpose. Marriage is a training ground wherein we
cosmic youngsters learn about the love that has existed from all eternity
within the Holy Trinity. Its purpose is to train us to give up our selfish
tendencies, to care for another as we would care for ourselves, to take our
place in the Kingdom of God. Marriage is a foreshadowing of our eternal
relationship with God and with one another. Marriage is a wonderful thing, but
it is not a forever thing. Knowing and remembering that should deepen not only
the relationship with your earthly spouse, but also your love for your heavenly
spouse, Jesus. As a divorced Catholic, I have taken great comfort from the
story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman of Samaria at Jacob’s well (John
4:4-42). This poor woman had been married five times and was now living with
yet another man. That’s a lot of failed relationships—even by today’s
standards! Jesus’ tenderness toward her and his sympathy for her situation are
apparent. Did he deliberately go to that spot at that unlikely time of day
because he knew she would be drawing water then? Did he send the disciples away
to get lunch in the town, so he could talk to her alone? I don’t doubt it. Jesus
never spoke to this woman or any other hurting person in ways that increased
their pain. He offered this divorcée “living water,” himself, which was what
she had been searching for in all her relationships. It is time for the rest of
the Catholic Church to do the same.
Divorce and the Catholic Church
·
The
first thing Catholics should know is that divorce is not a sin that should
keep a divorced Catholic from receiving the sacraments. A divorced or separated
person is not excommunicated and is still a Catholic in good standing. The only
reason for excommunication after divorce is remarriage without going through
the annulment process.
·
Before
a divorced person can remarry in the Catholic Church, he or she must obtain an
annulment by a Catholic diocesan tribunal. Obtaining such a decree does not
mean that the marriage never took place; it is a determination that a
sacramental marriage did not take place.
·
This
does not mean that the children of that marriage are illegitimate or that the
couple was “living in sin.” It means that, in that particular case, the
marrying couple had little or no idea what Christian marriage was all about or
that there were deep problems from the beginning of the marriage, either in the
couple’s relationship or in their families of origin.
·
Therefore,
the Church may determine that it was impossible then for the couple to enter
into a truly Christian marriage. Divorced Catholics who are seeking an
annulment should talk to their pastors, who will direct them to the proper
contacts at their diocese.
The
annulment process can give divorced Catholics three gifts:
CLARITY, by
helping them see the why’s and how’s of their failed marriage in a new light.
HEALING, by
allowing them to work through their anger and guilt and come through to a
better place spiritually and emotionally.
TIME, by
forcing the divorced person to wait before making any more relationship
decisions.
Recently
divorced people are especially vulnerable to needing companionship, support and
sympathy. The first person of the opposite sex who provides that is going to be
very attractive, but the newly divorced person does not need that kind of
complication in the healing process. The newly divorced person needs breathing
room after a marriage ends.
The
dismal divorce statistics after second and third marriages are proof that too
many divorced people simply don’t wait long enough to recover completely.
Taking part in the Catholic Church’s annulment process is one way to ensure
that a good healing process has begun. If a divorced Catholic does meet someone
he or she might want to marry, that person will not only have better tools for
discerning whether this is a good relationship but will also have the Church’s
blessing on a second marriage.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Individuals
with Mental Illness
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: October
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[2]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2016-10-17
[3]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3836
No comments:
Post a Comment