Saint's Michael's Lent Day 40

Saint's Michael's Lent Day 40
August 15-Sep 29

Saturday, January 11, 2025

 Vinny’s Day Try Ethiopian Coffee

Today’s menu is from the State of Illinois where Bishop Fulton Sheen comes from. My father was born there, moving to Arizona when he was two. My Grandfather grew up in Illinois, my father Arizona.

o   Jameson Irish Whiskey

o   Stockyard Inn beef vegetable soup

o   Chicago-Style Hot Giardiniera

o   Italian Beef Hoagies

o   Chocolate-Raspberry Creme Brulee

·         Manuary is a time for men to show their stuff by growing out their facial hair

·         Alexander Hamilton born 1755-Note my family came from Germany in 1756

·         Saturday Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary

·         Bucket Item trip: Barossa Valley Vineyards Australia

·         Carnival Time begins in Catholic Countries.

·         How to celebrate Jan 11th

o   Wake up with a grateful heart – it’s a day to celebrate gratitude! Start by texting or calling a friend to say thank you for being awesome. Then, whip up a creamy milkshake to kickstart your day in a delicious way. As you sip on your milk treat, take a moment to think about workplace equality and how you can promote parity at work.

o   Feeling chilly? Warm up with a cozy hot toddy as you brainstorm ways to raise awareness about human trafficking. Get creative and share informative posts on social media – every bit helps. Next, it’s time for some outdoor fun! Head to a nearby pond or puddle and splash around with your friends. Embrace the childlike joy of National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day.

o   Take a break from the splash zone to learn Morse code – a handy skill that could come in useful someday. Practice spelling out your name in dots and dashes and challenge your pals to do the same. Feeling artsy? Grab a sketchbook and doodle your heart out in honor of World Sketchnote Day. Unleash your creativity and see where your pen takes you.

o   Wrap up the day with a heartwarming gesture – give someone a big hug and spread some love on National Girl Hug Boy Day. Show appreciation for the meaningful relationships in your life. Remember, every small act of kindness goes a long way.

·         Plan winter fun:

o   Soak in hot springs

o   Hit the snow slopes

o   Ride a snowmobile

o   Go for a dog sled ride

o   Ride a hot air balloon


January 11 Saturday after Epiphany

Human Trafficking Awareness Day

 

Jeremiah, Chapter 33, Verse 9

Then this city shall become joy for me, a name of praise and pride, before all the nations of the earth, as they hear of all the good I am doing for them. They shall FEAR and tremble because of all the prosperity I give it.

 

God promised the restoration of Jerusalem which was fulfilled in 1948. Furthermore, God imagines the world without war; this is why He sent His son to bring peace to the world. Yet, we are still at war for our enemy is not just evil men but the devil and his cohort. Therefore, when our enemy brings forth horse and chariot and all manner of evils; do not be afraid for the victory has already been won! Trust in Jesus who will send St. Michael the Archangel to defend us and cover us with his strong shield and lead us safely through the midst of our enemy. Our prayer then is having fought the good fight and having a lifetime of devotion to the Blood of Jesus that when the last hour of our earthly life draws near and we await the awful moment when our soul must leave our bodies it will be St. Michael that will defend us in our most vulnerable moments protecting us from the satanic hosts when they make their final assault upon our souls. 



Prayer for Help against Spiritual Enemies[1]

 

Glorious Saint Michael, Prince of the heavenly hosts, who stands always ready to give assistance to the people of God; who fought with the dragon, the old serpent, and cast him out of heaven, and now valiantly defends the Church of God that the gates of hell may never prevail against her, I earnestly entreat you to assist me also, in the painful and dangerous conflict which I sustain against the same formidable foe.

 

Be with me, O mighty Prince! That I may courageously fight and vanquish that proud spirit, whom you, by the Divine Power, gloriously overthrew, and whom our powerful King, Jesus Christ, has, in our nature, completely overcome; so having triumphed over the enemy of my salvation, I may with you and the holy angels, praise the clemency of God who, having refused mercy to the rebellious angels after their fall, has granted repentance and forgiveness to fallen man. Amen.  

 

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Day 213

PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY

SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH

CHAPTER THREE-THE SACRAMENTS AT THE SERVICE OF COMMUNION

ARTICLE 6-THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS

                                                                III. The Three Degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders

1554 "The divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in different degrees by those who even from ancient times have been called bishops, priests, and deacons." Catholic doctrine, expressed in the liturgy, the Magisterium, and the constant practice of the Church, recognizes that there are two degrees of ministerial participation in the priesthood of Christ: the episcopacy and the presbyterate. The diaconate is intended to help and serve them. For this reason the term sacerdos in current usage denotes bishops and priests but not deacons. Yet Catholic doctrine teaches that the degrees of priestly participation (episcopate and presbyterate) and the degree of service (diaconate) are all three conferred by a sacramental act called "ordination," that is, by the sacrament of Holy Orders:

Let everyone revere the deacons as Jesus Christ, the bishop as the image of the Father, and the presbyters as the senate of God and the assembly of the apostles. For without them one cannot speak of the Church.

Episcopal ordination - fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders

1555 "Amongst those various offices which have been exercised in the Church from the earliest times the chief place, according to the witness of tradition, is held by the function of those who, through their appointment to the dignity and responsibility of bishop, and in virtue consequently of the unbroken succession going back to the beginning, are regarded as transmitters of the apostolic line."

1556 To fulfil their exalted mission, "the apostles were endowed by Christ with a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit coming upon them, and by the imposition of hands they passed on to their auxiliaries the gift of the Spirit, which is transmitted down to our day through episcopal consecration."

1557 The Second Vatican Council "teaches . . . that the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by episcopal consecration, that fullness namely which, both in the liturgical tradition of the Church and the language of the Fathers of the Church, is called the high priesthood, the acme (summa) of the sacred ministry."

1558 "Episcopal consecration confers, together with the office of sanctifying, also the offices of teaching and ruling.... In fact ... by the imposition of hands and through the words of the consecration, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given, and a sacred character is impressed in such wise that bishops, in an eminent and visible manner, take the place of Christ himself, teacher, shepherd, and priest, and act as his representative (in Eius persona agant)." "By virtue, therefore, of the Holy Spirit who has been given to them, bishops have been constituted true and authentic teachers of the faith and have been made pontiffs and pastors."

1559 "One is constituted a member of the episcopal body in virtue of the sacramental consecration and by the hierarchical communion with the head and members of the college." The character and collegial nature of the episcopal order are evidenced among other ways by the Church's ancient practice which calls for several bishops to participate in the consecration of a new bishop. In our day, the lawful ordination of a bishop requires a special intervention of the Bishop of Rome, because he is the supreme visible bond of the communion of the particular Churches in the one Church and the guarantor of their freedom.

1560 As Christ's vicar, each bishop has the pastoral care of the particular Church entrusted to him, but at the same time he bears collegially with all his brothers in the episcopacy the solicitude for all the Churches: "Though each bishop is the lawful pastor only of the portion of the flock entrusted to his care, as a legitimate successor of the apostles he is, by divine institution and precept, responsible with the other bishops for the apostolic mission of the Church."

1561 The above considerations explain why the Eucharist celebrated by the bishop has a quite special significance as an expression of the Church gathered around the altar, with the one who represents Christ, the Good Shepherd and Head of his Church, presiding.

Human Trafficking Awareness[2] 

Human Trafficking Awareness Day is dedicated to raising awareness of sexual slavery and human trafficking worldwide.  Today, there are between 21-30 million people enslaved in the world, more than at any time in human history. Every day, modern slavery can be recognized: children  become soldiers; young women are forced into prostitution and migrant workers exploited in the workforce. Human Trafficking Awareness Day seeks to end this slavery, return rights to individuals and make the world a safer place for all inhabitants. Human Trafficking Awareness Day started in 2007, when the U.S. Senate designated January 11th as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the hopes of raising awareness to combat human trafficking. It began as a U.S. initiative, and the United Nations has started to highlight this topic and work towards global awareness with days such as International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. 

Human Trafficking Awareness Facts & Quotes

 

·         The most common form of human trafficking is sexual exploitation, accounting for 79% of human trafficking victims. These victims of sexual exploitation are predominantly women and girls.

·         According to UNICEF, 2 million children are estimated to be trafficking victims of sex trade each year. 20% of traffic victims are children.

·         The average age of a girl being forced into the US domestic sex slavery market is 13.

·         The average cost of a slave around the world is $90.

·         It is slavery in the modern age. Every year thousands of people, mainly women and children, are exploited by criminals who use them for forced labor or the sex trade. No country is immune. Almost all play a part, either as a source of trafficked people, transit point or destination. - United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. 

Human Trafficking Awareness Top Events and Things to Do

§  Talk to children about strangers and make sure they memorize important addresses and phone numbers.

§  Save 888-373-7888 to your phone.  This is number to the National Human Trafficking Resources Hotline.

§  Make a donation to an organization fighting human trafficking.

§  Learn the signs and indicators of human trafficking so that you can learn to recognize it and report it. US Homeland Security offers a training online free of charge.

·         Watch a movie about human trafficking. Our picks: Taken (2008), Trade (2007), Human Trafficking (2005), The Pink Room (2011), Nefarious (2011) and Lilya 4-ever (2002). 

Know the Signs[3] 

Recognizing indicators of human trafficking is key to identifying victims and helping them find assistance.

Look for someone who:

 

1.      Is not free to leave or come and go as he/she wishes.

2.      Is unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips.

3.      Works excessively long and/or unusual hours

4.      Is not allowed breaks or suffers under unusual restrictions at work.

5.      Owes a large debt and is unable to pay it off.

6.      Was recruited through false promises concerning the nature and conditions of his/her work.

7.      High security measures exist in work and/or living locations (e.g., opaque windows, boarded-up windows, bars on windows, barbed wire, security cameras, etc.)

8.      Is fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense or nervous/paranoid.

9.      Exhibits unusually fearful or anxious behavior after mention of law enforcement.

10.  Avoids eye contact.

11.  Lacks health care

12.  Appears malnourished.

13.  Shows signs of physical and/or sexual abuse, physical restraint, confinement, or torture

14.  Has few or no personal possessions?

15.  Is not in control of his/her own money, has no financial records or bank account.

16.  Is not in control of his/her own identification documents (ID or passport)

17.  Is not allowed or able to speak for themselves (a third party may insist on being present and/or translating)

18.  Claims of just visiting and inability to clarify where he/she is staying/address.

19.  Lack of knowledge of whereabouts and/or do not know what city he/she is in

20.  Loss of sense of time

21.  Has numerous inconsistencies in his/her story?

 

Party at Winterskol in Aspen[4]

January 11-14

Raise a toast to winter in Aspen’s annual Winterskol Festival. The winter tradition is more than 60 years strong and was started by a lodge owner who wanted to enliven the Aspen winter season following Christmas. Today, the four-day winter fest includes a snow sculpture competition, a soup cook-off and a downhill race with apple strudel at the finish line.

Daily Devotions

·         Today's Fast: Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Holy Priests, Consecrated and Religious.

·         Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

·         Universal Man Plan

·         Rosary




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