Rachel’s Corner-Try “Cardamom Coffee”
But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
(Luke 1:34-35)
· Richard Nixon born 1913-1994
o Note: Elvis’ birthday was yesterday: Watch “Elvis Nixon”
· do a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
· Religion in the Home for Preschool: January
· Carnival Time begins in Catholic Countries.
· Bucket List trip: Angkor Wat
· Recipe-Coq au Vin
o Start your day by honing your inner word nerd with some engaging writing exercises. Take a few moments to jot down your thoughts in a journal or try your hand at writing a short story. Embrace your linguistic prowess!
o After stretching your creative muscles, whip up a hearty cassoulet for lunch. This traditional French dish is perfect for National Cassoulet Day and will surely impress your taste buds. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ingredients based on what you have in your pantry.
o In the afternoon, channel your inner choreographer and bust a move to your favorite tunes. Get your heart rate up and have some fun dancing around the house. International Choreographers Day is all about celebrating movement and self-expression, so let loose and dance like nobody’s watching.
o As the day winds down, take a moment to show appreciation for the law enforcement officers in your community. Write a thank-you note, make a donation to a local charity that supports law enforcement, or simply take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices they make to keep us safe on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.
o Before calling it a night, tackle the clutter on your desk for National Clean Your Desk Day. Organize your workspace, declutter any unnecessary items, and start fresh for a productive day ahead. A clean and tidy desk can do wonders for your focus and productivity.
o Wrap up your day by indulging in a delicious apricot dessert to celebrate National Apricot Day. Whether it’s a simple apricot tart or a refreshing apricot smoothie, take a moment to savor the sweet flavors of this delectable fruit.
Best Place to visit in January: Barbados
Barbados is one of the Caribbean’s top family-friendly destinations and a great place to enjoy some winter sun with little ones. Not only does the island have countless amazing family-friendly resorts and villas, but there’s plenty to do with kids of all ages too.
Young animal lovers will enjoy spotting the monkeys at Barbados Wildlife Reserve, while the amazing 500,000-year-old Harrison’s Cave is definitely a must-visit.
You can also take a cruise around the island to enjoy the beautiful waters or head underwater in a submarine to see the incredible coral reefs up close – great for little explorers who are too young to swim or snorkel yet.
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.
Dinner Menu
January 9 Thursday after Epiphany
Thomas Paine-Law Enforcement
Jeremiah,
Chapter 30, verse 10-11
10 But
you, my servant Jacob, do not FEAR! —oracle
of the LORD—do not be dismayed, Israel! For I will soon deliver you from places
far away, your offspring from the land of their exile; Jacob shall again find
rest, secure, with none to frighten
him, 11
for I am with you—oracle of the LORD—to save you. I will bring to an end all
the nations among whom I have scattered you; but you I will not bring to an
end. I will chastise you as you deserve, I will not let you go unpunished.
Secularist
and pagans still tremble with fear
because of God.
Why?
People
fear what they do not understand or must compete with. Every person is born
with the spirit of God within them; it is the spirit of truth which they have
lost or suppressed.
Christ
referred to this when he told the parable of the Sower. The seed is the spirit
of truth (spirit of God) that the sower sows. Christ tells us,
“A sower went out to sow. and as he sowed, some
seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground,
where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some
seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed
fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.” (Mt. 13:3-9)
God Punishes with Bad Leaders,
Rewards with Good Ones[1]
Jeremiah declares that God’s way of punishing His
people is to give them band leaders, (Jer. 30:10-11) while His way of rewarding
them is to give them good leaders (Jer. 30: 21-22). Everything rises and falls
on leadership. As the leader goes, so go the people.
Why is this true?
·
Leaders represent the people they lead.
·
People replicate the traits of the leader they
follow.
o Do you replicate Christ’s traits?
·
Leaders are the most influential individuals among
the people.
·
When God starts a movement, He uses one person to
spearhead it.
·
People look to leaders for models
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
Day
211
1439 The
process of conversion and repentance was described by Jesus in the parable of
the prodigal son, the center of which is the merciful father: The
fascination of illusory freedom, the abandonment of the father's house; the
extreme misery in which the son finds himself after squandering his fortune;
his deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed swine, and still worse,
at wanting to feed on the husks the pigs ate; his reflection on all he has
lost; his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father;
the journey back; the father's generous welcome; the father's joy - all these
are characteristic of the process of conversion. the beautiful robe, the ring,
and the festive banquet are symbols of that new life - pure worthy, and joyful
- of anyone who returns to God and to the bosom of his family, which is the
Church. Only the heart of Christ Who knows the depths of his Father's love
could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way.
VI. The Sacrament of
Penance and Reconciliation
1440 Sin is
before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with him. At the
same time it damages communion with the Church. For this reason conversion
entails both God's forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are
expressed and accomplished liturgically by the sacrament of Penance and
Reconciliation.
Only God forgives sin.
1441 Only God
forgives sins. Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself,
"The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" and exercises
this divine power: "Your sins are forgiven." Further, by virtue
of his divine authority he gives this power to men to exercise in his name.
1442 Christ
has willed that in her prayer and life and action his whole Church should be
the sign and instrument of the forgiveness and reconciliation that he acquired
for us at the price of his blood. But he entrusted the exercise of the power of
absolution to the apostolic ministry which he charged with the "ministry
of reconciliation." The apostle is sent out "on behalf of
Christ" with "God making his appeal" through him and pleading:
"Be reconciled to God."
Reconciliation with the Church
1443 During
his public life Jesus not only forgave sins, but also made plain the effect of
this forgiveness: he reintegrated forgiven sinners into the community of the
People of God from which sin had alienated or even excluded them. A remarkable
sign of this is the fact that Jesus receives sinners at his table, a gesture
that expresses in an astonishing way both God's forgiveness and the return to
the bosom of the People of God.
1444 In
imparting to his apostles his own power to forgive sins the Lord also gives
them the authority to reconcile sinners with the Church. This ecclesial
dimension of their task is expressed most notably in Christ's solemn words to
Simon Peter: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven." "The office of binding and
loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of the
apostles united to its head."
1445 The words
bind and loose mean: whomever you exclude from your communion, will be excluded
from communion with God; whomever you receive anew into your communion, God
will welcome back into his. Reconciliation with the Church is inseparable from
reconciliation with God.
Thomas
Paine’s “Common Sense” Published 1776[2]
Key Points Made in 'Common Sense'
Here
are some of Paine’s key points:
The government’s purpose was to serve the
people. Paine described government as a “necessary evil,” which existed to give
people a structure so they could work together to solve problems and prosper.
But to do that, it had to be responsive to people’s needs. The British system,
Paine argued, failed at that, because it gave the monarchy and nobles in
Parliament too much power to thwart the people’s elected representatives. “The
constitution of England is so exceedingly complex, that the nation may suffer
for years together without being able to discover in which part the fault lies,
some will say in one and some in another, and every political physician will
advise a different medicine,” Paine wrote.
Having a king was a bad idea. Paine didn't
just find fault with British rule of the colonies. He ridiculed the very idea
of having a hereditary monarch at all. "In England a king hath little more
to do than to make war and give away places, which in plain terms, is to
impoverish the nation and set it together by the ears," Paine wrote.
"A pretty business indeed for a man to be allowed eight hundred thousand
sterling a year for and worshipped into the bargain! Of more worth is one
honest man to society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians
that ever lived."
America
as the home of the free. Paine refuted the notion that Americans should be
loyal to a mother country that he considered a bad parent. “Even brutes do not
devour their young, nor savages make war upon their families,” he wrote.
Besides, he argued, America’s real connection was to people everywhere who
yearned to escape oppression. "This new world hath been the asylum for the
persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of
Europe," Paine proclaimed. "Hither have they fled, not from the
tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster; and it is
so far true of England, that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants
from home, pursues their descendants still."
America
had a rare opportunity to create a new nation based on self-rule. As Paine saw
it, both Americans and the British knew it was inevitable that the colonies
would break free. "I have never met with a man, either in England or
America, who hath not confessed his opinion, that a separation between the
countries, would take place one time or other." And that time had come.
America had raw materials, from timber and hemp to iron, and the skills that it
needed to build and equip an army and navy for its defense. Just as important,
the individual colonies had the potential to put aside differences and form a
powerful nation. But they needed to do it quickly, before the population grew
to a point where new divisions might develop. The moment in history was
"that peculiar time, which never happens to a nation but once," he
wrote.
A strong central government was needed. Paine
envisioned that the new nation would have a strong central government, with a
constitution that protected individual rights, including freedom of religion.
"A firm bargain and a right reckoning make long friends," he argued.
Law Enforcement
Appreciation Day[3]
Law Enforcement Appreciation Day was created to celebrate police officers. It's a day to thank them for the public service they provide and to show support. It is also a time to commemorate the officers that have died in the line of duty.
Law
Enforcement Appreciation Day Facts
- As
of 2018, there are over 900,000 sworn police officers serving in the
United States. Approximately 12% are female.
- According
to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), for the
ten-year period of 2008-2017, the main cause of death of police officers
was gunshots. The second one was auto crashes. 1511 police officers died
in the line of duty during said period.
- The
Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor is the highest honor that can be
awarded to a public safety officer in the United States. The awardees are
posted here.
Law
Enforcement Appreciation Day Top Events and Things to Do
- In
1989, during the holiday season, Dolly Craig put two blue candles in her
living room window. The purpose was to commemorate her son-in-law, Daniel
Gleason, who died in the line of duty, and her daughter, Daniel's wife,
who died in a car accident in 1989. The idea was adopted by C.O.P.S
(Concerns of Police Survivors) under the name Project Blue Light. You can
take part by placing a blue light on your window during the holiday season
to commemorate fallen officers.
- Watch
a police movie. From infiltration films like Donnie Brasco
(1997) and The Departed (2006), to detective films like Se7en
(1995) and comedies like Hot Fuzz (2007).
- Wear
blue.
- If
you see a law enforcement officer, thank them for their service.
- If
you have a positive story involving law enforcement, share it on social
media.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Restoring the Constitution.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[1] John Maxwell, The Maxwell
Leadership Bible.
[3]https://www.wincalendar.com/Law-Enforcement-Appreciation-Day
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