NIC’s Corner
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth— and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters—Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light.
(Genisis 1:1)
· Heavyweight champion of the world, George Foreman birthday 1949-Get the grill
· Carnival Time begins in Catholic Countries.
· Get creative “International Creative Month”
· Bucket List trip: The Great Barrier Reef
· Try “Ginger Beer”
o Start your day by embracing your inner peculiar person. Dress in an outlandish outfit, dance like no one’s watching, and celebrate your uniqueness to the fullest. Next, channel your inner conservationist by participating in energy-saving activities. Unplug electronics, turn off unused lights, and reduce water consumption. Show appreciation for nature by going bird watching or learning about different bird species. National Save the Eagles Day is a great opportunity to admire these majestic creatures in their natural habitat.
o For lunch, indulge in a delicious oyster dish to honor National Oysters Rockefeller Day. Visit a local seafood market for fresh oysters, or try your hand at preparing a recipe at home. Afterward, satisfy your sweet tooth with some bittersweet chocolate treats. National Bittersweet Chocolate Day offers the perfect excuse to bake brownies, whip up a hot cocoa, or simply savor a piece of dark chocolate.
o As the day winds down, unwind with your houseplants on National Houseplant Appreciation Day. Spend some time tending to your indoor greenery, repotting plants, or researching new ones to add to your collection. Consider creating a small indoor garden or swapping plants with friends to expand your houseplant family. End the day by reflecting on the joy of embracing the weird and wonderful world of national holidays.
January 10 Friday after Epiphany
Jeremiah, Chapter 32, Verse 39-40
39
I will give them one heart and one way, that they may FEAR me always, for their own good and
the good of their children after them. 40 With
them I will make an everlasting covenant, never to cease doing good to them; I
will put fear of me in their hearts
so that they never turn away from me.
We
should have a holy fear of our Priest
and Bishops. We should follow their guidance as we would a beloved father or
brother. To give us one heart and one way the Bishop of Phoenix asks us men to
enter into the breach.[1]
Sometimes
we are tempted to follow any leader who is popular. We forget God’s warning
about following the proud and evil hearted:
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when
all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming
will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of
hosts.(Mal 3: 19)
We may think that following the leadership of our
bishops is a waste of time.
You have said, “It is useless to serve God; what do we
gain by observing God’s requirements, and by going about as mourners-before
the LORD of hosts? But we call the arrogant blessed; for evildoers not only
prosper but even test God and escape.”
(Mal 3:14-15)
God
is not a God of the past and continues to this day in the action of raising a
man up and He does so in our Priests and Bishops. Just like an architect that
uses rocks and sticks to become temples or bridges God uses men to build his
Kingdom. Strive therefore to be God’s man or woman.
The
Practices of a Committed Catholic Man[2]
Given
these reflections on Catholic manhood, we move to the practical, that is, how
to live like a Catholic man.
What
practices can help us to take up our cross and follow our King?
If
we think of soldiers who do not remain in strong physical and mental shape and
who fail to practice the essential combat arts, we know they will not be ready
for battle and will be a danger to themselves and their comrades in arms. The
same is true for Catholic men; those who do not prepare and strengthen
themselves for spiritual combat are incapable of filling the breach for Christ.
While
there are many habits and devotions that a Catholic man can form, I charge you
with keeping these seven basic practices on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
If these practices are not (yet) part of your life, start now!
Daily
1.
Pray every day. Each Catholic man must start his
day with prayer. It is said, “Until you realize that prayer is the most
important thing in life, you will never have time for prayer.” Without prayer,
a man is like a soldier who lacks food, water, and ammunition. Set aside some
time to speak with God first thing each morning. Pray the three prayers
essential to the Catholic faith: the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory
Be. Pray also at every meal. Before food or drink touches your lips, make the
Sign of the Cross, say the “Bless us, O Lord” prayer, and end with the Sign of
the Cross. Do this no matter where you are, with whom or how much you are
eating. Never be shy or ashamed about praying over meals. Never deny Christ the
gratitude that is due to Him. Praying as a Catholic man before every meal is a
simple but powerful way to keep strong and fill the breach.
2.
Examine your conscience before going to sleep. Take a few moments to review the
day, including both your blessings and sins. Give God thanks for blessings and
ask forgiveness for sins. Say an Act of Contrition.
3.
Go to Mass.
Despite the fact that attending weekly Mass is a Precept of the Church, only
about one in three Catholic men attend Sunday Mass. For large numbers of
Catholic men, their neglect to attend Mass is a grave sin, a sin that puts them
in mortal danger. The Mass is a refuge in the Spiritual Battle, where Catholic
men meet their King, hear His commands, and become strengthened with the Bread
of Life. Every Mass is a miracle where Jesus Christ is fully present, a miracle
that is the high point not only of the week, but of our entire lives on Earth.
In the Mass, a man gives thanks to God for his many blessings and hears Christ
send him again into the world to build the Kingdom of God. Fathers who lead
their children to Mass are helping in a very real way to ensure their eternal
salvation.
4.
Read the Bible. As St. Jerome so clearly tells us,
“Ignorance of the Sacred Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” When we read God’s
word, Jesus is present. Married men, read with your wife and your children. If
a man’s children see him read the Scriptures, they are more likely to remain in
the Faith. My brothers in Christ, this I can assure you: men who read the Bible
grow in grace, wisdom, and peace.
5.
Keep the Sabbath. From the creation of Adam and Eve,
God the Father established a weekly cycle ending with the Sabbath. He gave us
the Sabbath to ensure that one day out of seven we will give thanks to God,
rest, and be refreshed. In the Ten Commandments, God asserts anew the
importance of keeping the Sabbath. With today’s constant barrage of buying and
selling and the cacophony of noisy media, the Sabbath is God’s respite from the
storm. As Catholic men, you must begin, or deepen, keeping the holiness of the
Sabbath. If you are married, you must lead your wives and children to do the
same. Dedicate the day to rest and true recreation, and avoid work that is not
necessary. Spend time with family, attend Mass, and enjoy the gift of the day.
Monthly
1.
Go to Confession. At the very start of Christ’s
public ministry, Jesus calls on all men to repent. Without repentance from sin,
there can be no healing or forgiveness, and there will be no Heaven. Large
numbers of Catholic men are in grave mortal danger, particularly given the
epidemic levels of pornography consumption and the sin of masturbation. My
brothers, get to Confession now! Our Lord Jesus Christ is a merciful King who
will forgive those who humbly confess their sins. He will not forgive those who
refuse. Open your soul to the gift of our Lord’s mercy!
2.
Build fraternity with other Catholic men. Catholic friendship among men has
a dramatic impact on their faith lives. Men who have bonds of brotherhood with
other Catholic men pray more, go to Mass and Confession more frequently, read
the Scriptures more often, and are more active in the Faith. Proverbs tells us:
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (27:17). I call on each of
our priests and deacons to draw men together in their parishes and to begin to
rebuild a vibrant and transforming Catholic fraternity. I call on laymen to form
small fellowship groups for mutual support and growth in the faith. There is no
friendship like having a friend in Christ.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
Day
212 now we are boiling
Two participations in the one
priesthood of Christ
1546 Christ,
high priest and unique mediator, has made of the Church "a kingdom,
priests for his God and Father." The whole community of believers is,
as such, priestly. the faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through
their participation, each according to his own vocation, in Christ's mission as
priest, prophet, and king. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation
the faithful are "consecrated to be . . . a holy priesthood."
1547 The
ministerial or hierarchical priesthood of bishops and priests, and the common
priesthood of all the faithful participate, "each in its own proper way,
in the one priesthood of Christ." While being "ordered one to
another," they differ essentially. In what sense? While the common
priesthood of the faithful is exercised by the unfolding of baptismal grace - a
life of faith, hope, and charity, a life according to the Spirit -, the
ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood. It is
directed at the unfolding of the baptismal grace of all Christians. the
ministerial priesthood is a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and
leads his Church. For this reason it is transmitted by its own sacrament, the
sacrament of Holy Orders.
In the person of Christ the
Head . . .
1548 In the
ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present
to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, high priest of the
redemptive sacrifice, Teacher of Truth. This is what the Church means by saying
that the priest, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, acts in persona
Christi Capitis:
It is the
same priest, Christ Jesus, whose sacred person his minister truly represents.
Now the minister, by reason of the sacerdotal consecration which he has
received, is truly made like to the high priest and possesses the authority to
act in the power and place of the person of Christ himself (virtute ac persona
ipsius Christi).
Christ is the source of all priesthood: the priest of the old law was a figure
of Christ, and the priest of the new law acts in the person of Christ.
1549 Through the ordained ministry, especially that of bishops and priests, the presence of Christ as head of the Church is made visible in the midst of the community of believers. In the beautiful expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, the bishop is typos tou Patros: he is like the living image of God the Father.
1550 This
presence of Christ in the minister is not to be understood as if the latter
were preserved from all human weaknesses, the spirit of domination, error, even
sin. The power of the Holy Spirit does not guarantee all acts of ministers in
the same way. While this guarantee extends to the sacraments, so that even the
minister's sin cannot impede the fruit of grace, in many other acts the
minister leaves human traces that are not always signs of fidelity to the
Gospel and consequently can harm the apostolic fruitfulness of the Church.
1551 This
priesthood is ministerial. "That office . . . which the Lord committed to
the pastors of his people, is in the strict sense of the term a
service." It is entirely related to Christ and to men. It depends
entirely on Christ and on his unique priesthood; it has been instituted for the
good of men and the communion of the Church. the sacrament of Holy Orders
communicates a "sacred power" which is none other than that of
Christ. the exercise of this authority must therefore be measured against the
model of Christ, who by love made himself the least and the servant of all. "The Lord said clearly that concern for his
flock was proof of love for him."
. . . "in the name of the
whole Church"
1552 The
ministerial priesthood has the task not only of representing Christ - Head of
the Church - before the assembly of the faithful, but also of acting in the
name of the whole Church when presenting to God the prayer of the Church, and
above all when offering the Eucharistic sacrifice.
1553 "In
the name of the whole Church" does not mean that priests are the delegates
of the community. the prayer and offering of the Church are inseparable from
the prayer and offering of Christ, her head; it is always the case that Christ
worships in and through his Church. the whole Church, the Body of Christ, prays
and offers herself "through him, with him, in him," in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, to God the Father. the whole Body, caput et membra, prays and
offers itself, and therefore those who in the Body are especially his ministers
are called ministers not only of Christ, but also of the Church. It is because
the ministerial priesthood represents Christ that it can represent the Church.
Fitness Friday[3]
BRIGHT MINDS
Program, which is designed to identify and treat all 11 risk factors that
contribute to memory problems. Here is what the words BRIGHT MINDS stand for:
B – Blood Flow
R – Retirement/Aging
I – Inflammation
G – Genetics
H – Head Trauma
T – Toxins
M – Mental Health
I – Immunity/Infection Issues
N – Neurohormone Deficiencies
D – Diabesity
S – Sleep Issues
Watching your weight being 20 pounds overweight has a number of BRIGHT MINDS vulnerabilities, including low blood flow to the brain as well as high blood glucose, homocysteine and ferritin, or iron—all tied to faster aging.
In addition to getting older, the general risk factors associated with living past retirement age are:
·
Not
working or working less than half-time
·
Social
isolation
·
A lack
of new learning
· Having attained less than a high school education
It is a good idea to have a checkup with your health-care provider to evaluate your current state of health. Request these specific lab tests:
·
Ferritin
· Telomere length (telomeres are casings at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with age; people with longer telomeres tend to live longer)
You can take these simple steps to make sure your mind and memory are sharp for years to come:
·
Spend at
least 15 minutes a day learning something new, such as a language, a musical
instrument or dance moves.
·
Take
your health seriously—eat well, exercise, get seven hours of sleep a night.
·
Eat more
antioxidant-rich foods like cocoa, walnuts, blueberries, artichokes and
pomegranates, and more choline-rich foods like eggs, chicken, turkey, beef,
scallops, shrimp, salmon, cod, chickpeas, and lentils.
·
Limit
your consumption of charred meats.
· Supplement your diet with a good multivitamin/mineral, extra vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids EPA/DHA and the following nutraceuticals to strengthen your brain: PS (phosphatidylserine), alpha GPC (alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine), ALCAR (acetyl-L-carnitine), huperzine A, saffron (standardized extract), sage.
·
Try a
daily 12-to-16-hour fast to help your brain clear out debris (if dinner is at 7
pm, breakfast should be no earlier than 7 am)
·
Get the
social support you need so you aren’t isolated or lonely.
·
Volunteer
for an organization you believe in
·
Donate
blood if your ferritin is too high.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: End
Sex Trafficking Slavery
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: January
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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