Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Dara’s Corner Try an “Whole Goose for Michaelmas”
· Spirit hour: The Raven Cocktail in honor of St. Vincent
· Bucket List Trip: Museum of Egyptian Antiquities
· Dry January or Ginuary
Hot Tea Month
· 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
o Start your day by snapping a shelfie at your local library, celebrating National Library Shelfie Day. Spice things up by adding hot sauce to your meals in honor of National Hot Sauce Day. Embrace plant-based living for Weedless Wednesday, opting for meatless meals. Take a moment to ponder your feline friend’s mysteries on National Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day. Indulge your sweet tooth with some blonde brownies to mark National Blonde Brownie Day.
o Wear polka dots to add a pop of fun for National Polka Dot Day. Reflect on life’s joys on Celebration of Life Day, perhaps by journaling or spending time outdoors. Throughout the day, dance to some polka music to keep the celebratory mood going.
o Mix and match these activities to create a whimsical and enjoyable day. Cheers to embracing the joy in the little things and finding ways to make every day a celebration of life. So go forth and make the most of these quirky holidays!
January 22 Wednesday-Day of Prayer for Unborn Children
VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA
Luke, Chapter 1, Verse
50
His mercy is from age to age to those who FEAR him.
We are to rejoice just as Mary did in her
Canticle of Praise when she entered the house of Zechariah.
Jin God my savior. For he has looked upon his
handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The
Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His
mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his
arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers
from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled
with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped
Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise
to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
St. Vincent of
Saragossa[2]
I became acquainted with Saint Vincent during a time
I was suffering with a half inch burst in the last disk in my back. I was
almost paralyzed, and the pain was intense with a burning sensation below the
knee on my left leg. I was considering treatment using a VAC-D table that was
then a new treatment, yet I was hesitant. After reading the story of St.
Vincent I asked for his help with my struggle-it then occurred to me to go get
stretched on the rack, which VAC-D resembles as St. Vincent was. After 25 treatments
my disk has now been healed and I have recovered to 90% before the rupture. I
thank the intersession of St. Vincent.
Vincent of Saragossa was
one of the Church's three most illustrious deacons, the other two being Stephen
and Lawrence. He is also Spain's most renowned martyr. Ordained deacon by
Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, he was taken in chains to Valencia during the
Diocletian persecution and put to death. From legend we have the following
details of his martyrdom. After brutal scourging in the presence of many
witnesses, he was stretched on the rack; but neither torture nor blandishments
nor threats could undermine the strength and courage of his faith. Next, he was
cast on a heated grating, lacerated with iron hooks, and seared with hot metal
plates. Then he was returned to prison, where the floor was heavily strewn with
pieces of broken glass. A heavenly brightness flooded the entire dungeon,
filling all who saw it with greatest awe.
After this he was placed
on a soft bed in the hope that lenient treatment would induce apostasy, since
torture had proven ineffective. But strengthened by faith in Christ Jesus and
the hope of everlasting life, Vincent maintained an invincible spirit and
overcame all efforts, whether by fire, sword, rack, or torture to induce
defection. He persevered to the end and gained the heavenly crown of martyrdom.
Day of Prayer for the
Legal Protection of Unborn Children
Roe vs. Wade[3]
January 22 is the
anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the day established by the Church of
penance for abortion, has been formally named as the “Day of Prayer for the
Legal Protection of Unborn Children.” On this day your parish, school or
religious formation program may celebrate the Mass for Giving Thanks to God for
the Gift of Human Life. This Mass, found in our newly translated Missal, may
now be used on occasions to celebrate the dignity of human life. In addition to
this special Mass on this day, perhaps your parish, school or religious
formation program could encourage traditional forms of penance, host pro-life
and chastity speakers, lead informative projects that will directly build up
the culture of life, show a pro-life film, raise funds for local crisis
pregnancy centers or offer additional prayer services.
Attend Mass today.
Celebration of Life Day[4]
is when we take a step back and truly appreciate our children and
grandchildren. Granted, some may do this on an everyday basis, but it’s an
opportunity to look at our young ones’ lives from a different angle, think
about what it is that makes them truly special, and of course, to lavish treats
upon them if we so wish, be it an ice cream or a trip to Disneyland. It can be
easy to forget that our children and grandchildren are people in their own
right. You’ve helped them to discover themselves over the years, but you can’t
take all the credit. Their life choices are ultimately down to them; sometimes
they’ll do you proud, and other times, as is the case with us all, they’ll make
mistakes. So be the one who’s there to offer congratulations, or encouragement
to pick themselves up when they fall. And above all else, as cheesy as it may
sound, show that you love them.
Life First[5] 9 Days for
Life
9 Days for Life is a "digital pilgrimage" of prayer and action focused on cherishing the gift of every person's life. A multi-faceted novena highlighting a different intention each day provides reflections, bonus information, and suggested actions. Join to receive the novena through the 9 Days for Life app, daily emails, or daily texts. See below for information on how else you can get involved! #9DaysforLife #OurPrayersMatter
Day Seven:
Intercession: May those who long to welcome a child into their family be filled with trust in God’s loving plan.
Prayers: Our Father, 3 Hail Mary’s, Glory Be
Reflection: It can be very difficult and painful when the Lord doesn’t answer our prayers in the way we hope. A couple that finds themselves unable to bring a child into the world through their loving union can experience this disappointment very deeply. During such times of trial, we may wonder why we face the particular challenges that we do. Yet even though suffering is often shrouded in a sense of mystery, we believe that the Lord loves us with great tenderness and compassion that is beyond our imagination. Knowing this, we can trust that “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28).
Acts of Reparation (Choose one.)
·
Smile.
Ask God today for the grace to be extra joyful and share Christ’s love with
those who need encouragement the most today.
·
Offer
the Prayer for Those Hoping to Conceive
or Adopt a Child,
and spend some time reflecting on the accompanying excerpt from Psalm 145.
·
Offer
some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for
today’s intention.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
Day 224 1638-1645
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 7-THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
IV. The Effects of the Sacrament of Matrimony
1638
"From a valid marriage arises a bond between the spouses which by its very
nature is perpetual and exclusive; furthermore, in a Christian marriage the
spouses are strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the
dignity of their state by a special sacrament."
The marriage bond
1639 The
consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is sealed by
God himself. From their covenant arises "an institution, confirmed by
the divine law, . . . even in the eyes of society." The covenant
between the spouses is integrated into God's covenant with man: "Authentic
married love is caught up into divine love."
1640 Thus the
marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a marriage
concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved. This
bond, which results from the free human act of the spouses and their
consummation of the marriage, is a reality, henceforth irrevocable, and gives
rise to a covenant guaranteed by God's fidelity. the Church does not have the
power to contravene this disposition of divine wisdom.
The grace of the sacrament of
Matrimony
1641 "By
reason of their state in life and of their order, [Christian spouses] have
their own special gifts in the People of God." This grace proper to
the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple's love and to
strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they "help one another
to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating their
children."
1642 Christ is
the source of this grace. "Just as of old God encountered his people with
a covenant of love and fidelity, so our Savior, the spouse of the Church, now
encounters Christian spouses through the sacrament of
Matrimony." Christ dwells with them, gives them the strength to take
up their crosses and so follow him, to rise again after they have fallen, to
forgive one another, to bear one another's burdens, to "be subject to one
another out of reverence for Christ," and to love one another with
supernatural, tender, and fruitful love. In the joys of their love and family
life he gives them here on earth a foretaste of the wedding feast of the Lamb:
How can I ever express the
happiness of a marriage joined by the Church, strengthened by an offering,
sealed by a blessing, announced by angels, and ratified by the Father? . . .
How wonderful the bond between two believers, now one in hope, one in desire,
one in discipline, one in the same service! They are both children of one
Father and servants of the same Master, undivided in spirit and flesh, truly
two in one flesh. Where the flesh is one, one also is the spirit.
V. The Goods and
Requirements of Conjugal Love
1643
"Conjugal love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the
person enter - appeal of the body and instinct, power of feeling and
affectivity, aspiration of the spirit and of will. It aims at a deeply personal
unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and
soul; it demands indissolubility and faithfulness in definitive mutual giving;
and it is open to fertility. In a word it is a question of the normal
characteristics of all natural conjugal love, but with a new significance which
not only purifies and strengthens them, but raises them to the extent of making
them the expression of specifically Christian values."
The unity and indissolubility
of marriage
1644 The love
of the spouses requires, of its very nature, the unity and indissolubility of
the spouses' community of persons, which embraces their entire life: "so
they are no longer two, but one flesh." They "are called to grow
continually in their communion through day-to-day fidelity to their marriage
promise of total mutual self-giving." This human communion is
confirmed, purified, and completed by communion in Jesus Christ, given through
the sacrament of Matrimony. It is deepened by lives of the common faith and by
the Eucharist received together.
1645 "The
unity of marriage, distinctly recognized by our Lord, is made clear in the
equal personal dignity which must be accorded to man and wife in mutual and
unreserved affection." Polygamy is contrary to conjugal love which is
undivided and exclusive.
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.
·
Do the St.
Joseph Universal Man Plan.
· Devotion to the 7 Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph
St. Joseph is the model of a man with no hesitancy of mind he is the man God chose to raise his son.
Justice-One of the few descriptors of St. Joseph found in Scripture is that he was a "just man," also translated as a "righteous man" (Matthew 1:19). Justice includes the virtues of fairness, honesty, and respect for others.
Obedient to God's will-Several times, angels came to St. Joseph in dreams and directed his course of action. They told him to marry Our Lady when he had thought of a quiet divorce, to flee to Egypt, and to return to Nazareth. In all these instances, he did as they said without question, giving us a model of surrender to God's will.
A protector-When Herod threatened the infant Jesus, St. Joseph went to great lengths to guard the baby from harm. We know little of St. Joseph's daily life, but we can imagine the kind of honorable and self-sacrificing man to whom God the Father would entrust the care and upbringing of His only begotten son.
Responsible-Caring for the two holiest people who ever lived, Jesus and Mary, must have seemed an immense task, but St. Joseph undertook it bravely. He was trustworthy enough to rise to the challenge of being responsible for their livelihood and well-being.
Chaste-One of the things we know about St. Joseph is that he and Our Lady lived together without consummating their marriage. He is a model of purity and would be a fitting intercessor for any man striving to live this virtue.
Faithful-St. Luke repeatedly emphasizes in his Gospel how St. Joseph acted in compliance with "the law of the Lord," that is, the ritual requirements of an observant Jewish man. He was a devoutly religious believer, and his faithfulness is an example for all men.
Watch: St Joseph: Our Spiritual Father
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Increase
in the Religious and Consecrated Life.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
·
Rosary
[2]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-01-23
[5]http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events/nine-days-of-prayer-penance-and-pilgrimage.cfm
[6]https://aleteia.org/slideshow/slideshow-6-virtues-of-st-joseph-that-all-men-can-imitate/2/
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