NIC’s Corner-Mel Gibson’s Birthday 1956
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
(1 John 4:8)
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HOLY NAME OF JESUS 10TH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
Jeremiah,
Chapter 26, verse 19
Have
you ever been around people who cannot handle the truth! Speaking the truth,
Jeremiah is in dire straits. Unmoving, the temple officials and elders trashed
Jeremiah nonetheless they were too afraid to kill him.
Dire
Straits[1]
·
At the beginning of Jehoiakim's reign, God tells
Jeremiah to stand in the court of the temple and speak to all the people and
cities of Judah. They're getting another chance to repent. Maybe they'll
actually listen this time.
·
If the people don't finally come to their
senses, God's going to do the same thing to Jerusalem that he did to Shiloh up
north: it'll be devastated, but the priests and prophets don't want to hear it,
and they threaten to kill Jeremiah.
·
The king's officials come to the temple, and the
priests and prophets tell them about what Jeremiah had just prophesied. They
think he should die for it.
·
Jeremiah says that he's only saying what God has
made him say. If they want to kill him they can go right ahead, but innocent
blood will be on their hands.
·
The officials and the people agree that Jeremiah
shouldn't be put to death. Some of the elders point out that Micah prophesied
about Jerusalem's destruction during Hezekiah's reign and Hezekiah didn't kill him.
·
And besides, God changed his mind and actually
didn't destroy Jerusalem that time. Maybe that'll happen again.
First
Friday and the Sacred Heart of Jesus[2]
ALTHOUGH
many pious souls had been accustomed, in the silence of their secluded lives,
to venerate the sacred Heart of Jesus with great devotion, still our divine
Savior desired that the boundless love of His Heart might be known by all men,
and that a new fire of love should thereby be kindled in the cold hearts of
Christians. For this purpose, He made use of a frail and little-known
instrument in the person of Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the Order of the
Visitation, at Parayle-Monial, France. One day, when, according to her custom
during the octave of Corpus Christi, she was deeply engaged in devotions before
the Blessed Sacrament, the divine Savior appeared to her, showed her His Heart
burning with love, and said: “Behold this Heart, which has so loved men that it
has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to
testify its love. In return I receive from the greater part only ingratitude,
by their irreverence and sacrilege, and by the coldness and contempt they have
for Me in this sacrament of love. And what is most painful to Me is that they
are hearts consecrated to Me. It is for this reason I ask thee that the first
Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi be appropriated to a special feast to
honor My Heart by communicating on that day and making reparation for the
indignity that it has received. And I promise that My Heart shall dilate to
pour out abundantly the influences of its love on all that will render it this
honor or procure its being rendered. Margaret obeyed, but met everywhere the
greatest opposition, until finally, when she became mistress of novices, she
succeeded, by the help of her divine Spouse, in animating her young charges to
venerate the sacred Heart of Jesus. But this was not sufficient for her zeal. She
persevered until she softened the opposition of the nuns and kindled in all an
equal devotion towards the most sacred Heart. Thence the devotion spread to the
adjoining dioceses, where confraternities in honor of the most sacred Heart of
Jesus soon sprung up. Pope Clement XIII., after having instituted a most
rigorous examination of the whole affair, commanded that the feast of the Most
Sacred Heart of Jesus should be solemnly celebrated throughout the whole
Catholic Church every year, on the first Friday after the octave of Corpus
Christi.
The
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
1. Object of this Devotion.
In
the divine Heart of Our Savior, we must
not imagine an inanimate heart, separated from the person of Christ, but the
living heart of the God-Man, the center of all His affections, the fountain of
all His virtues, the most touching emblem of His infinite love to man. The
Church venerates the cross, the blood, and the wounds of the divine Savior, by
feasts which have their proper masses and lessons, in order, by meditation upon
these objects, to awaken in us a more fervent devotion to the Redeemer. How
much more worthy, then, of our devotion is the sacred Heart of Our Savior,
since all its thoughts, movements, and affections aim at our salvation, and it
is always ready to receive truly penitent sinners, to pardon them, to restore
them again to God s favor, and make them partakers of eternal happiness!
2.
Excellence
of this Devotion.
It
is, writes the venerable P. Simon Gourdan:
a.
A
holy devotion, for therein men venerate in Christ those affections and motions
of His Heart by which He sanctified the Church, glorified His Heavenly Father,
and showed Himself to men as a perfect example of the most sublime holiness.
b.
An
ancient devotion of the Catholic Church, which, instructed by St. Paul, the
great apostle, has at all times acknowledged the great beneficence of the
divine and sacred Heart of Jesus.
c.
An
approved devotion, for the Holy Scriptures everywhere admonish us to renew the
heart, by changing our lives; to penetrate it with true sorrow, to inflame it
with divine love, and to adorn it by the practice of all virtues. When,
therefore, a new heart is promised us, by which to direct our lives, that can
be no other than the Heart of Jesus, which is to us the pattern of all
excellence, and which we must follow if we would be saved.
d.
A
perfect devotion, as being the origin of all other devotions. For the Heart of
Jesus is the inexhaustible treasury from which the blessed Mother of God, and
all other saints have derived their graces, their virtues, their life, their
spiritual goods. Filled first with treasures from this source, different
servants of God have instituted and established other devotions.
e.
A
profitable devotion, for thereby we have brought before our eyes the very
fountain of life and grace, and can draw directly from it, increasing in
ourselves all virtues, by adoring this divine Heart, meditating on its holy
affections, and endeavoring to imitate them.
f.
A
devotion pleasing to God, for thus we adore God, as Christ requires, in spirit
and in truth, serving Him inwardly in our hearts, and endeavoring to please
Him. Finally, it is:
g.
A
useful devotion, since its whole object is to unite us most intimately with
Christ as members of Him, her head, to make us live by and according to His
spirit, to have one heart and soul with Him, and through grace finally to
become one with Him, which is and must be the object of all devotions.
As
this devotion is, then, so excellent, we cannot sufficiently recommend it to
all who are anxious for their salvation. While everyone can practice this
devotion, and adore the sacred Heart of Jesus, by himself, there is a greater
blessing when pious souls unite and form a confraternity for practicing the
devotion. Hesitate not, Christian soul, to engage in this devotion, and to join
in the adoration of that sacred Heart of Jesus in which all men find
propitiation, the pious, confidence; sinners, hope; the afflicted, consolation;
the sick, support; the dying, refuge; the elect, joy and delight.
An Offering to the Most Sacred
Heart of Jesus
Whoever
says the following prayer before the image of the most sacred Heart of Jesus,
with sincere sorrow for his sins, gains each time an indulgence of one hundred
days; and by saying it daily for a month, he can on any one day gain a plenary
indulgence, if he makes his confession, receives communion, and prays according
to the intention of the Church:
“My loving Jesus, I (N.N.) give
Thee my heart; and I consecrate myself wholly to Thee, out of the grateful love
I bear Thee, and as reparation for all my unfaithfulness; and with Thy aid I
purpose never to sin again.”
The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus[3]
Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus was
originally reserved to the Feast of the Circumcision, since it was at His
circumcision that our Lord received His name. But because of the growth of this
devotion, a separate feast was instituted, first by the Franciscans in the
seventeenth century, then by the universal Church (its date was permanently
fixed by Pope St. Pius X). One of the most cherished customs of this feast is
singing the hymn, Jesu, Dulcis Memoria by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the
great medieval monk and tireless promoter of devotion to the Holy Name. The
Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, recited either after Mass or in
procession, is also a popular devotion.
Holy Name of Jesus[4]
The Name Jesus as had been foretold by the angel. The feast
is meant to impress on us Christians the dignity of the Holy Name.
What did a name signify originally?
The name should express the nature of a thing. Thus, Adam in paradise gave
the animals names in accordance with their being. Among the Jews God's name
expressed His essence, Yahweh, i.e., I (alone) am who am (and cause all else to
be). The Jews had the highest respect for the name of God, a reverence that
finds continuation in the Our Father: "Hallowed be Thy Name." Persons
who played prominent roles in the history of salvation often received their
names from God Himself. Adam — man of the earth; Eve — mother of all the
living; Abraham — father of many nations; Peter — the rock. The Savior's
precursor was given the name God assigned him. According to divine precedent,
then, the name of the Redeemer should not be accidental, of human choosing, but
given by God Himself. For His name should express His mission. We read in
Sacred Scripture how the angel Gabriel revealed that name to Mary: "You
shall call His name Jesus." And to St. Joseph the angel not merely
revealed the name but explained its meaning: "You shall call His name
Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." The Messiah should
not only be the savior but should be called Savior. With Jesus, therefore, the
name actually tells the purpose of His existence. This is why we must esteem His name as sacred. Whenever
we pronounce it, we ought to bow our heads; for the very name reminds us of the
greatest favor we have ever received, salvation.
Jesus[5]
His name was called Jesus, which was called by the Angel
before He was conceived in the womb." LUKE ii. 21.
1. It is not difficult to meditate upon
the Holy Name, or to use the Holy Name in prayer. More than any other name,
perhaps alone among all proper names, it is appropriate to the One Who owned
it. Usually, the names of men are given at random; they mean nothing in
themselves; a man who happens to be called John might just as well have been
called Thomas or William; the mere name tells us nothing about him; it is a
convenient means of distinguishing him from others, a label put upon him and
little or no more With a few human beings it has been otherwise: Adam, Abraham,
Josue, John the Baptist were given names that signified the men on whom they
were bestowed. But with none is this so true as it is with our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. With care the Angel impressed it on His Mother's mind: "Thou
shalt call His name Jesus," he said, and there followed the description of
His future greatness. With care it was repeated to Joseph: Thou shalt call His
name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.
2. The Name stands as a complete summary
and description of our Lord's character and office, and it is under this aspect
that it has been regarded by thousands of saints, whose hearts have melted at
its mere sound. To them Jesus is their God, Jesus is their King, Jesus is their
Redeemer, Jesus is their Mediator, Jesus is their Savior, Jesus is their great
Priest, Jesus is their Intercessor, Jesus is the Captain under Whom they fight,
Jesus is the Leader Whom they follow, Jesus is their Teacher, Jesus is the
Giver of their law, Jesus is the Spouse and Shepherd of their souls, Jesus is
their Light, Jesus is their Life, Jesus is the Judge before Whom they rejoice
to think that they must one day stand, Jesus is their final and eternal Reward,
for which alone they live.
3. But He is also to them the mirror of
all the most glorious and winning virtues. He is, and His Name tells them that
He is, unbounded Charity, infinite Mercy, extremist Kindness, deepest Humility,
most devoted Piety, transparent Simplicity, uttermost Poverty, Chastity without
a stain. It is the prerogative of love to transform those who love into the
likeness of Him Whom they love; and as the mere name of one who is loved cannot
sound in the ear or be thought of in the mind without adding to the love which
is already there, so the thought of the Holy Name and the mention of the Holy
Name have a kind of sacramental power in the hearts of His saints. They seem to
convey the grace which enables men to think like Him, to speak like Him, to act
like Him, to sacrifice themselves like Him, and to Him, and for Him, and along
with Him, to make Him known to others, not by word only, but also by
reproduction of Him in themselves, and to win all men to love Him.
Bless the Lord, O
my soul, and let all that is within thee bless His Holy Name. Bless the Lord, O
my soul, and never forget all He hath done for thee. Ps. cii. i, 2.
Names are important.[6]
Most of us
remember the elementary school playground and the mean names kids called each
other. Author and speaker, Kary Oberbrunner, states that we all have a secret
name that the One who made us gives us. Oberbrunner said, “My name is Kary, and
I have a girl’s name.” He was no stranger to mean names on the playground. He
went on to say that each of us has three names:
- Our birth name – the name assigned to us when we arrive in this world.
- Our given names – the names assigned to us as we walk through
the world. These names can be positive and negative, ranging from
successful, beautiful, star athlete to those names assigned by mean kids,
like concentration camp victim, stupid, addict.
- Our secret name – the name granted to us by God, Oberbrunner
said the problem is our birth names and given names don’t ever fill up the
void inside us. We pretend and wear masks.
What would God call you?
When Christ called his apostles; He
revealed to some of them God’s name for them. Sons of Thunder for John and
James and for Simon son of John, He called him Peter which means “Rock”.
Christmas Calendar[7]
Read "But the one name that contains
everything is the one that the Son of God received in his incarnation: JESUS.
The divine name may not be spoken by human lips, but by assuming humanity the
Word of God hands it over to us and we can invoke it: "Jesus,"
"YHWAH saves." The name "Jesus" contains all: God and man
and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray "Jesus" is
to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains
the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name
of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for
him. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2666)
Reflect "May he—who did not shrink from
taking a beginning like ours—perfect in us his gifts, and may he also make us
children of God, he who for our sakes wished to become a child of man." —
St. Augustine, Sermons, 184
Pray Today we remember and honor the Most
Holy Name of Jesus. Take time to read the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus.
Act Make reading the daily readings a part of your New Year's habits this
year.
Today is the tenth day of Christmas
the 10 Lord’s a leaping are a sign for the Ten Commandments.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN
MYSTERY
SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN
SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER TWO-THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING
Article 5 THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK
Day
205
1499 "By the sacred anointing
of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who
are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save
them. and indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of
God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ."
I. Its
Foundations in the Economy of Salvation
Illness in human life
1500 Illness
and suffering have always been among the gravest problems confronted in human
life. In illness, man experiences his powerlessness, his limitations, and his
finitude. Every illness can make us glimpse death.
1501 Illness
can lead to anguish, self-absorption, sometimes even despair and revolt against
God. It can also make a person more mature, helping him discern in his life
what is not essential so that he can turn toward that which is. Very often
illness provokes a search for God and a return to him.
The sick person before God
1502 The man
of the Old Testament lives his sickness in the presence of God. It is before
God that he laments his illness, and it is of God, Master of life and death,
that he implores healing. Illness becomes a way to conversion; God's
forgiveness initiates the healing. It is the experience of Israel that
illness is mysteriously linked to sin and evil, and that faithfulness to God
according to his law restores life: "For I am the Lord, your
healer." The prophet intuits that suffering can also have a redemptive
meaning for the sins of others. Finally Isaiah announces that God will
usher in a time for Zion when he will pardon every offense and heal every
illness.
Christ the physician
1503 Christ's
compassion toward the sick and his many healings of every kind of infirmity are
a resplendent sign that "God has visited his people" and that
the Kingdom of God is close at hand. Jesus has the power not only to heal, but
also to forgive sins; he has come to heal the whole man, soul and body; he
is the physician the sick have need of. His compassion toward all who
suffer goes so far that he identifies himself with them: "I was sick and
you visited me." His preferential love for the sick has not ceased
through the centuries to draw the very special attention of Christians toward
all those who suffer in body and soul. It is the source of tireless efforts to
comfort them.
1504 Often
Jesus asks the sick to believe. He makes use of signs to heal: spittle and
the laying on of hands, mud and washing. The sick try to touch him,
"for power came forth from him and healed them all." and so in
the sacraments Christ continues to "touch" us in order to heal us.
1505 Moved by
so much suffering Christ not only allows himself to be touched by the sick, but
he makes their miseries his own: "He took our infirmities and bore our
diseases." But he did not heal all the sick. His healings were signs
of the coming of the Kingdom of God. They announced a more radical healing: the
victory over sin and death through his Passover. On the cross Christ took upon
himself the whole weight of evil and took away the "sin of the
world," of which illness is only a consequence. By his passion and
death on the cross Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can
henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive Passion.
Fitness Friday- “on the sixth day God created man”
Charles Atlas Inspired Workout[8]
While several of these
movements aren’t very familiar to today’s generation of athletes and fitness
enthusiasts, it can be argued that dynamic tension can have a place in the
modern fitness program.
Below is a workout that
can challenge the entire body and be performed in around 25 minutes. This
workout will include movements and time for each. Squeeze and contract the
muscle like you would with resistance. Feel a stretch before performing the
next rep. Take 30 seconds of rest between each exercise before moving on to the
next.
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Pushup (2 Sec Hold) |
1 |
10 |
|
Standing Chest Fly (2 Sec Hold) |
1 |
10 |
|
Row Squeeze (2 Sec Hold) |
1 |
10 |
|
Vertical Pull |
1 |
10 |
|
High Elbow Row |
1 |
10 |
|
Shoulder Press |
1 |
10 |
|
Bicep Curl (1 Sec Hold) |
1 |
10 |
|
Close Grip Push Up (1 Sec Hold) |
1 |
10 |
|
Squat |
1 |
15 |
|
Good Morning |
1 |
15 |
|
Seated Toe Raise |
1 |
15 |
|
Standing Calf Raise |
1 |
15 |
|
Crunch |
1 |
10 |
|
Single Lying Leg Raise |
1 |
10 Each |
Give the program a shot
for yourself. It can be performed as a beginner routine for up to 6 weeks.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: The
Pope
·
Rosary
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