Dara’s Corner
· How to celebrate Dec 4th
o Start your day by celebrating Extraordinary Work Team Recognition Day with your coworkers.
§ Take a moment to appreciate each other’s hard work and dedication.
· Maybe bring in some cookies to share as a sweet treat.
o As you head out for the day, wear your favorite pair of brown shoes with pride.
§ It’s the little things that can make the day special.
o During your lunch break, take a stroll outside and observe the wildlife around you.
§ Use this time to reflect on the importance of conservation efforts on World Wildlife Conservation Day.
· Maybe snap a few pictures of any animals or plants you come across.
o After work, unwind with a glass of Cabernet Franc to celebrate Cabernet Franc Day.
§ Pair it with some delicious cheese or chocolate for a simple yet indulgent treat.
· Play a game of dice with your family or friends to keep the fun going.
o As the evening rolls around, gather around the fireplace or some candles for Carols by Candlelight.
§ Sing some holiday tunes and enjoy the warm glow.
· Take a moment to write out your wishes for the upcoming year on Santa’s List Day.
o Before you call it a night, take a few moments to appreciate the beauty of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting.
§ Reflect on the joy and magic of the holiday season.
· Lastly, before you drift off to sleep, make sure your packages are well protected on Package Protection Day.
33 days to Christmas-Start the 33 days to Eucharistic Glory[1]
Want to start a small group? Download our 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory Study Guide
Day 8
On this 8th day, seek with all your heart to be faithful Christ as a bride is to her husband
Copilot:
Committing yourself to be faithful to Christ with the devotion of a bride to her husband is a profound and beautiful dedication. Here are some ways to nurture and strengthen this commitment:
Deepen Your Relationship with Christ
- Prayer: Engage in regular, heartfelt prayer, speaking to Christ as you would to a beloved spouse. Share your joys, sorrows, and daily experiences.
- Scripture Reading: Spend time reading and meditating on the Bible, especially passages that emphasize Christ’s love and faithfulness.
Participate in Sacraments and Worship
- Eucharist: Regularly partake in the Eucharist, experiencing the intimate communion with Christ that it offers.
- Confession: Seek reconciliation through the sacrament of confession, maintaining a pure and faithful heart.
Live Out Your Faith Daily
- Acts of Love: Show Christ’s love through your actions. Serve others selflessly, demonstrating compassion and kindness.
- Obedience: Follow Christ’s teachings and commandments faithfully, striving to live a life that honors Him.
Build a Supportive Community
- Faith Community: Engage with a church or faith group where you can find support, encouragement, and accountability.
- Mentorship: Seek guidance from a spiritual mentor who can help you grow in your faith and devotion.
Reflective Practices
- Meditation: Spend quiet moments in meditation, focusing on Christ’s presence and love in your life.
- Gratitude: Keep a gratitude journal, noting the ways Christ has blessed and guided you.
DECEMBER 4 First Wednesday
St. Barbara
Matthew,
Chapter 15, verse 32
Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for FEAR they may collapse on the way.”
This chapter of Matthew records the feeding of four thousand. Some would say that God has no fear but here we see that Christ was afraid for the welfare of the multitude. He knows our needs and is concerned about them. After all, “I am the good shepherd… I know my sheep, and mine know me.” (John 10:14)
Christ knows that even if our hearts desires are in the right place and we have perfect self-control we must acknowledge the legitimate needs of the body. We are both spirit and body; the perfection of the creator, which the fallen angels despise. We must care for both, because both are the gift of God.
Christ says, “They have been with me now for three days and have had nothing to eat”. I suggest that we follow His advice starting this week if we can participate in Mass sometime during our midweek so we may not collapse along the way.
I also suggest now it would be a good time to look for a retreat of three days in which you can be with the Lord knowing He will not send you away hungry.
Catholic
Retreats[1]
To drop everything for a
weekend and spend time in solitude (and maybe silence!), prayer and reflection
is the perfect antidote to our busy, distracted lives. As we look forward to a
frenetic holiday season, with Thanksgiving around the corner, this may be the
perfect time for a spiritual retreat. If things are a little too busy now,
consider scheduling a retreat after Christmas, when you are ready to make the
most of it.
Spiritual retreats are not
just for priest and religious. In fact, the United States
Council of Catholic Bishops
urges lay people to take advantage of opportunities to go on a retreat: “In the
midst of your busy lives, a retreat opportunity affords you time of silence and
clarity that cannot be found in the world.”
These 12 Catholic retreat
centers offer all that, and more – each is a beautiful setting that will
inspire you and put you in the perfect frame of mind a fruitful spiritual
repose.
1. The Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester, Massachusetts
Eastern Point Retreat House
Located in an old stone
mansion overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Eastern Point Retreat House offers
Jesuit retreats based on the exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
2. New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California
Courtesy of New Camaldoli Hermitage
Since 1958, the monks of
New Camaldoli Hermitage, have welcomed guests to experience the peace their
location, overlooking the Pacific Ocean affords their Benedictine community
every day. [Note: Due to extensive repairs to Highway 1 necessitated
by a major rockslide, access to the Hermitage is currently somewhat limited,
but they are welcoming guests again.]
3. The Shrine of Saint Therese of
Lisieux in Juneau,
Alaska
Courtesy
of The Shrine of Saint Therese of Lisieux
At this national
shrine operated by
the Catholic Diocese of Alaska, retreatants come to enjoy the natural beauty of
the oceanside location, and the freedom from modern distractions. Depending on
their preference, guests can stay in log cabins or a small hermitage with no
running water or electricity.
4. The Monastery of Bethlehem in Sullivan County, New York
Courtesy of Monastery of Bethlehem
Located in the Catskill
Mountains two and a half hours from New York City, the Monastery of Bethlehem
offers beauty, silence and solitude from its location amidst acres of forest.
“The colors of the hills and the stillness of the lakes offer rest and relief
to weary spirits,” promise the monastic sisters who operated the retreat
center.
5. St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts
Courtesy
of Saint Joseph's Abbey
The community of Trappist monks at St. Joseph’s Abbey
invites guests to get a taste of the monastic life at this beautiful bucolic
setting. Retreatants are welcome to join the monks for the Liturgy of the Hours
and for Mass, and at conferences given by the monks.
6. Cormaria in Sag Harbor, New York
Courtesy of Cormaria
Cormaria is a Catholic
Retreat House set on 18 waterfront acres in the historic whaling village of Sag
Harbor, New York. The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary consider
inclusive hospitality their vocation and invite guests of all denominations to
“come away and rest a while.”
7. Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, California
Courtesy of Villa Maria del Mar
Villa Maria del Mar, a
beachfront property overlooking Monterey Bay in the Pacific Ocean, is owned and
operated by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.
8. Serra Retreat in Malibu, California
Courtesy of Serra Retreat
Located on top of a
26-acre knoll in Malibu, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and with views of the
Santa Monica Mountains, the Serra Retreat is a place of uncommon beauty.
Operated by the Franciscan Friars, the retreat center offers private retreats
and themed retreats, including those based on the 12-step recovery program.
9. Loyola on the Potomac in Faulkner, Maryland
Courtesy
of Loyola on The Potomac
This Jesuit retreat house overlooks the Potomac River and is
surrounded by 235 acres of rolling woodland. Ignatian weekend retreats are
available.
10. Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat
House in Grand
Coteau, Louisiana
Courtesy
of Our Lady of the Oaks
Guests at the Jesuit-run Our Lady of Oaks Retreat House
enjoy sitting in the shade provided by old oak trees in the central courtyard
of the beautiful Spanish mission style estate. Retreats are based on St.
Ignatius’ spiritual exercises.
11. Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana
Founded by monks from
Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland in 1854, Saint Meinrad Archabbey offers a
beautiful and tranquil spot for prayer and spiritual growth. Benedictine monks
lead three-day retreats during the weekends and during the week.
12. Longlea
Conference Center
in Boston, Virginia
Located on 843 acres next
to the scenic Blue Hills of Virginia, Longlea offers silent retreats conducted
by priests of Opus Dei for either men or women. Mothers with young babies are
welcome — each year two retreats are designated to accommodate infants.
First Wednesday-The Practice of the Nine First
Wednesdays[2]
A Devotion Promulgated by the Pious Union
of St. Joseph
Every Wednesday is dedicated in a special way to St. Joseph. Make the Nine First Wednesdays [in a manner similar to the Nine First Fridays of the Sacred Heart] in honor of St. Joseph for a happy death, for yourself and your dear ones. As charity is one of the best ways to be worthy of the grace of a happy death, offer your First Wednesday Mass and Communion and devotions in honor of St. Joseph in a special way for the salvation of the dying, most especially for an undying sinner who is to lose his soul without the grace of final repentance.
Our
Lord permits St. Joseph to take from His Divine treasury with full hands in
order to give souls the treasures of Divine grace and mercy, like Joseph, the
son of Jacob, who took corn from the granaries of the King of Egypt to feed his
brethren and all who had recourse to him. From the heights of Heaven, the King
of Glory speaks to us the same words as Pharao spoke to the starving people of
Egypt: "Go to Joseph."
The Go to Joseph Prayers
I.
I.
In the miseries of this vale of tears, to whom shall we have recourse, O
blessed Joseph, if not to thee, to whom thy beloved spouse Mary entrusted all
her rich treasures, that thou might keep them to our advantage? "go to my
spouse, Joseph," Mary seems to say to us, "and he will comfort you,
he will deliver you from the misfortunes which now oppress you and will make
you happy and contented" Have pity on us, therefore, O St. Joseph; have
pity on us through that love which thou didst cherish toward a spouse so worthy
and amiable.
Our Father ... Hail Mary ... Glory Be ...
II.
We
are fully conscious that we have offended the justice of God by our sins and
deserve His most severe chastisements. Not what shall be our place of refuge?
"go to Joseph," Jesus seems to say to us; "Go to Joseph, in whom
I was well pleased and whom I had for My foster father. To him, as to a father,
I have communicated all power, that he may use it for your good according to
his own desire." Pity us, therefore, O blessed Joseph, pity us, for the
great love thou didst bear toward a Son so admirable and so dear.
Our Father ... Hail Mary ... Glory Be ...
III.
Unhappily the sins we have committed call down upon the heaviest scourges: this
we must confess. In what ark shall we take refuge in order to be saved? Where
shall we find the blessed rainbow that shall give us comfort and hope in the
midst of our afflictions? "Go to Joseph," the Eternal father seems to
say to us: "Go to him who took My place on earth with regard to My Son
made man. I entrusted to his keeping My Son, who is the unfailing source of
grace; therefore, every grace is in his hands." Pity us, then, dear St.
Joseph, pity us by thy great love for Almighty God, Who has been so generous to
thee.
Our Father ... Hail Mary ... Glory Be ...
Feast of St. Barbara [3]
Barbara (from Nicomedia)
was the daughter of a pagan noble who worshipped false gods. Because of her
striking beauty, her father enclosed her in a tower to hide her from the snares
of men. Barbara vowed virginity, and during an absence of her father had a
third window added to her quarters in honor of the Blessed Trinity; at the same
time, she also adorned her bath with the sign of the holy Cross. Upon his
return her father was so angered over these changes that a miracle was needed
to save her life. She was presented before the magistrate, subjected to much
torturing, and finally her own father wielded the sword that severed her head.
Immediately God's vengeance struck him dead. The holy virgin is highly honored
both in the East and the West as patroness of artillery men and of miners. She
is especially invoked for preservation from sudden death. She is one of the
"Fourteen Holy Helpers."
In the past,
the following prayer to St. Barbara was often recited:
Saint Barbara, thou noble bride,
To thee my body I confide
As well in life as at life's end.
Come, aid me when I breathe my last,
That I may, ere here all is past,
Receive the Blessed Sacrament!
Barbara Branches
St. Barbara, one of the Fourteen Holy
Helpers, is the patron saint of artillerymen, miners, and a happy death. Though
her feast on December 4 obviously belongs to the cycle of saints and not to the
temporal cycle of Advent, there is a custom observed in her honor that ties
into the meaning of the Advent season. A Barbara branch is the
name given to a twig that is broken from a fruit tree (especially cherry),
placed in a bowl of water, and kept in a warm, well-lit part of the house, such
as the kitchen. According to legend, if the Barbara branch blooms on or before
Christmas Day, good luck will come to the person whose branch it is. Aside from
this harmless superstition, Barbara branches are reminiscent of the image from
Isaiah of Christ as a Flower from the root of Jesse (Is. 11.2; the
Epistle for Advent Ember Friday); they can thus be instructive in teaching
children the meaning of Advent and Christmas. They are also used as the Saint's
tribute to the Christ Child in the manger, lovingly placed in the crèche
when they have blossomed.
Things to Do
·
Celebrating for the Feast of St.
Barbara.
See also Painting Angels, Saints and Their
Symbols for
a description of St. Barbara's symbols.
·
Have a St. Barbara's Party, Syrian Style.
·
Further reading:
-
Story of St. Barbara for Children
-
Encyclopedia of Catholic Saints
-
Short Biography and History by Father Weiser.
-
Read about the German custom of St. Barbara's Twig, where every
member of the family puts a small cherry or peach branch into water so that it
will blossom on Christmas. If you have a young lady in your home desiring
marriage, the custom of St. Barbara's Cherry Twigs will have St. Barbara pick
the right husband for young unmarried girls. An alternative idea to this custom
would be forcing Amaryllis or other bulbs to bloom for Christmas. Start the
bulbs today!
·
St. Barbara is the patron of artillerymen. Offer your rosary or
say a prayer for all our enlisted men and women who are in harm's way. This
page provides the Legend of St. Barbara
and the explanation why she is the patron of artillerymen. Read the Ballad
of St. Barbara by G. K. Chesterton.
·
Read about Barbórka, Miners Day, which is
celebrated in Poland and other European countries.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN
MYSTERY
SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN
SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER ONE-THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN
INITIATION
Article 2-THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
Day 175
1285 Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation
together constitute the "sacraments of Christian initiation," whose
unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the
reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of
baptismal grace. For "by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the
baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a
special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of
Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and
deed."
I. Confirmation in the
Economy of Salvation
1286 In the
Old Testament the prophets announced that the Spirit of the Lord would rest on
the hoped-for Messiah for his saving mission. The descent of the Holy
Spirit on Jesus at his baptism by John was the sign that this was he who was to
come, the Messiah, the Son of God. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit;
his whole life and his whole mission are carried out in total communion with
the Holy Spirit whom the Father gives him "without measure."
1287 This
fullness of the Spirit was not to remain uniquely the Messiah’s but was to be
communicated to the whole messianic people. On several occasions Christ
promised this outpouring of the Spirit, a promise which he fulfilled first
on Easter Sunday and then more strikingly at Pentecost. Filled with the
Holy Spirit the apostles began to proclaim, "the mighty works of
God," and Peter declared this outpouring of the Spirit to be the sign of
the messianic age. Those who believed in the apostolic preaching and were
baptized received the gift of the Holy Spirit in their turn.
1288
"From that time on the apostles, in fulfillment of Christ's will, imparted
to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of the Spirit that
completes the grace of Baptism. For this reason, in the Letter to the Hebrews
the doctrine concerning Baptism and the laying on of hands is listed among the
first elements of Christian instruction. the imposition of hands is rightly
recognized by the Catholic tradition as the origin of the sacrament of
Confirmation, which in a certain way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the
Church."
1289 Very
early, the better to signify the gift of the Holy Spirit, an anointing with
perfumed oil (chrism) was added to the laying on of hands. This anointing
highlights the name "Christian," which means "anointed" and
derives from that of Christ himself whom God "anointed with the Holy
Spirit." This rite of anointing has continued ever since, in both
East and West. For this reason, the Eastern Churches call this sacrament
Chrismation, anointing with chrism, or myron which means "chrism." In
the West, Confirmation suggests both the ratification of Baptism, thus
completing Christian initiation, and the strengthening of baptismal grace -
both fruits of the Holy Spirit.
[1]https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/33-days-to-eucharistic-glory/33EG.html?srsltid=AfmBOopIHMivIR422BjtUtJ2KZm8-MrVMEJFtxZYH7ZkFuXRwdu5G1Qi#longDescription
Jesse Tree[4]
Jesse
Tree Scriptures (The Symbols Are Only Suggestions)
December 1 Creation: Gen. 1:1-31; 2:1-4 Symbols: sun,
moon, stars, animals, earth
December 2 Adam and Eve: Gen. 2:7-9, 18-24 Symbols:
tree, man, woman
December 3 Fall of Man: Gen. 3:1-7 and 23-24 Symbols:
tree, serpent, apple with bite
December 4
Noah: Gen. 6:5-8, 13-22; 7:17, 23, 24; 8:1, 6-22 Symbols: ark,
animals, dove, rainbow
Every
Wednesday is Dedicated to St. Joseph
The Italian culture has
always had a close association with St. Joseph perhaps you could make
Wednesdays centered around Jesus’s Papa. Plan an Italian dinner of pizza or
spaghetti after attending Mass as most parishes have a Wednesday evening Mass.
You could even do carry out to help restaurants. If you are adventurous, you
could do the Universal Man Plan: St. Joseph style. Make the evening a family
night perhaps it could be a game night. Whatever you do make the day special.
·
Devotion to the 7 Joys and Sorrows of St.
Joseph
·
Do the St.
Joseph Universal Man Plan.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Increase
of the faithful
·
Religion
in the home: Preschool for December
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
Rosary
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