Wednesday, January 29, 2025
· Spirit hour: “Benedictine” in honor of St. Francis de Sales
· Bucket List Trip: Hang with Joc Cousteau in Fiji
· Dry January or Ginuary
· 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
· How to celebrate Jan 29th
o Feeling adventurous? Start your day with a challenging puzzle to kick things off on a stimulating note. Engage your brain and have fun working through it. Once your mind is warmed up, head outside for some fresh air. Consider supporting a cause by taking part in a beach cleanup or donating to a local charity. When you’re done, treat yourself to some delicious corn chips, perhaps with a homemade dip. Embrace the spirit of creativity by arranging a bouquet of carnations for a loved one, or brighten up your own space. Take a moment to reflect on your beliefs and celebrate individuality on Freethinkers Day. Dive into the rich traditions of Korean, Lunar, or Chinese New Year by learning about different cultures or trying out a new recipe. End your day surrounded by good company, engaging in stimulating conversations, and cherishing the moments shared with your loved ones.
JANUARY 29 Wednesday
Baruch, Chapter
6, Verse 27-28
27 Their priests sell their
sacrifices for their own advantage. Likewise their wives cure some of the meat,
but they do not share it with the poor and the weak; 28
women ritually unclean or at childbirth handle their sacrifices. From such
things, know that they are not gods; do not FEAR
them.
Fear! Those who are fearful are
ruled by their emotions.
What
is worst to kill a person’s body or to kill a person’s soul?
When a person
leads you astray from the Lord they indeed are killing your soul. The soul is
meant to be free to do the will of God and when the soul is busy doing the will
of God we are indeed happy; even in abject poverty. When a soul is hampered
from doing the will of God by another or your own free will this is a form of
slavery and God is reminding us that He brought us out of the house of slavery.
To ancient cultures to stone
something is to bury it not in earth but in stone so that it will never rise
again.
What
are the things that are leading you astray from God?
Should
you be stoned?
Not that kind
4/20 is in April.
While
the horror of slavery is thankfully dead as an institution, it sadly lives on
in many other forms in many lives today, all around us, in ways maybe not
considered slavery by some. I hope to get you to reconsider. But let’s first
define our terms:
Slave:
“One that is totally subservient to a dominating influence.”
~ Merriam-Webster
There are 5 basic areas of life in which we can become totally subservient to
dominating influences and thereby live less-than-ideal and something less than
happy lives.
5 Ways Slavery is still with Us[1]
1.
Slavery to addictions.
Whether we are talking about being enslaved to tobacco or alcohol, or whether
we’re talking about enslavement to illicit material online or simply to the TV
or to junk food or gossip, any addictions rob us of a measure of freedom and
independence. But freedom is required for happiness. So, anything that enslaves
us limits the degree of joy we can have in life.
2.
Slavery to the office:
When spouse and family and our spiritual lives are playing second fiddle to the
office, things are likely out of whack. Of course, there will be times, like
the first few years of starting a business, when things will be
lopsided. But if the office always is master and you are always its servant,
then change may be needed for the fullness of a happy life to be experienced.
Remember, your family is not a footnote to your journey. They are there in the
thick of things, experiencing it with you, alongside you, maybe, in some ways, because of you. So, give them the time of day,
from time to time!
3.
Slavery to success:
When success becomes more important than integrity or honor or self-respect,
then our subservience to the call of the dollar sign becomes self-destructive,
as all addictions are. Happiness is robbed of its internal rewards when our
insides are all twisted inside out as we compromise our values in the pursuit
of wealth.
4.
Slavery to pleasure:
Is
the pursuit of pleasure hurting your relationship with your spouse?
Are
you pursuing pleasure at the expense of your spouse’s desire?
Is
that pursuit violating sacred vows and trusts?
Are you spending your family into
debt as you chase your inclinations from one mountain top to another – or one
casino to another – or one vacation to another – or one, well, you get the
idea.
5.
Slavery to fear:
Does
fear and worry prevent you from taking steps to break free of a dissatisfying
life?
Do
you wish for something more, but keep the door closed and locked and continue
to do what you’ve always done?
Are
you trapped in a cycle of sameness, worried that if you tried to start a
business, or tried to learn a skill, or tried an adventure on for size, or
tried to learn to write or sing or climb, that you would fail and fall and sink
and drown?
Afterthoughts
Slavery
may be dead as a formal institution of human bondage, but it is alive and well
in the hearts and minds and lives of too many people who have the ability to
lose the shackles, but haven’t exercised the courage to do it yet.
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH
§ Day 232 1699-1715
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION
ONE-MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
1699 Life in the
Holy Spirit fulfills the vocation of man (chapter one). This life is made up of
divine charity and human solidarity (chapter two). It is graciously offered as
salvation (chapter three).
CHAPTER ONE-THE DIGNITY
OF THE HUMAN PERSON
1700 The dignity of the human person is rooted in his
creation in the image and likeness of God (article 1); it is fulfilled in his
vocation to divine beatitude (article 2). It is essential to a human being
freely to direct himself to this fulfillment (article 3). By his deliberate
actions (article 4), the human person does, or does not, conform to the good
promised by God and attested by moral conscience (article 5). Human beings make
their own contribution to their interior growth; they make their whole sentient
and spiritual lives into means of this growth (article 6). With the help of
grace they grow in virtue (article 7), avoid sin, and if they sin they entrust
themselves as did the prodigal son to the mercy of our Father in heaven
(article 8). In this way they attain to the perfection of charity.
Article 1-MAN: THE
IMAGE OF GOD
1701 "Christ, . . . in the very revelation of the
mystery of the Father and of his love, makes man fully manifest to himself and
brings to light his exalted vocation." It is in Christ, "the
image of the invisible God," that man has been created "in the
image and likeness" of the Creator. It is in Christ, Redeemer and Savior,
that the divine image, disfigured in man by the first sin, has been restored to
its original beauty and ennobled by the grace of God.
1702 The divine image is present in every man. It shines
forth in the communion of persons, in the likeness of the union of the divine
persons among themselves (cf chapter two).
1703 Endowed with "a spiritual and immortal"
soul, The human person is "the only creature on earth that God has
willed for its own sake." From his conception, he is destined for
eternal beatitude.
1704 The human person participates in the light and power of the divine Spirit. By his reason, he is capable of understanding the order of things established by the Creator. By free will, he is capable of directing himself toward his true good. He finds his perfection "in seeking and loving what is true and good."
1705 By virtue of his soul and his spiritual powers of
intellect and will, man is endowed with freedom, an "outstanding
manifestation of the divine image."
1706 By his reason, man recognizes the voice of God which
urges him "to do what is good and avoid what is evil." Everyone
is obliged to follow this law, which makes itself heard in conscience and is
fulfilled in the love of God and of neighbor. Living a moral life bears witness
to the dignity of the person.
1707 "Man, enticed by the Evil One, abused his freedom
at the very beginning of history." He succumbed to temptation and did
what was evil. He still desires the good, but his nature bears the wound of
original sin. He is now inclined to evil and subject to error:
Man is divided in himself. As a result, the whole life of men, both individual
and social, shows itself to be a struggle, and a dramatic one, between good and
evil, between light and darkness.
1708 By his Passion, Christ delivered us from Satan and
from sin. He merited for us the new life in the Holy Spirit. His grace restores
what sin had damaged in us.
1709 He who believes in Christ becomes a son of God. This
filial adoption transforms him by giving him the ability to follow the example
of Christ. It makes him capable of acting rightly and doing good. In union with
his Savior, the disciple attains the perfection of charity which is holiness.
Having matured in grace, the moral life blossoms into eternal life in the glory
of heaven.
IN BRIEF
1710
"Christ . . . makes man fully manifest to man himself and brings to light
his exalted vocation" (GS 22 # 1).
1711 Endowed
with a spiritual soul, with intellect and with free will, the human person is
from his very conception ordered to God and destined for eternal beatitude. He
pursues his perfection in "seeking and loving what is true and good"
(GS 15 # 2).
1712 In man,
true freedom is an "outstanding manifestation of the divine image"
(GS 17).
1713 Man is
obliged to follow the moral law, which urges him "to do what is good and
avoid what is evil" (cf GS 16). This law makes itself heard in his
conscience.
1714 Man, having
been wounded in his nature by original sin, is subject to error and inclined to
evil in exercising his freedom.
1715 He who
believes in Christ has new life in the Holy Spirit. The moral life, increased
and brought to maturity in grace, is to reach its fulfillment in the glory of
heaven.
Chinese
New Year[2]
Chinese
New Year or Spring Festival celebrates a year of hard work and gives people the
opportunity to wish for a lucky new year. It is China's most important festival
and involves family reunions, elaborate decorations and giving red envelopes.
Chinese New Year is based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar and usually falls
between January 21 and February 20. The Calendar functions on a 12-year animal
cycle that many associate with the celebration.
Chinese
New Year Facts & Quotes
·
In 2022 it was the Year of the Tiger, and in
2021 it was the Year of the Ox. The names of the Chinese calendar are repeated
every 60 years.
·
Every child receives a monetary gift for New
Year. The gift is wrapped in a red envelope.
·
I wish you happiness that comes from within, the
best of luck to keep you pushing and peace in all days of the New Year. - Gong
Xi Fa Cai, Popular New Year song.
Chinese
New Year Top Events and Things to Do
·
Sing a popular Chinese New Year song called Gonf
Xi Fa Cai.
·
Clean your house. It is customary for Chinese to
clean their homes in preparation for the New Year and the fresh start.
·
Prepare your red envelopes for the kids. This is
considered lucky money for children.
·
Attend a Chinese New Year Festival in a town
near you. Most large cities in the US have a Chinatown district that will host
events and pageants.
·
Get together with friends and create a long
dragon on sticks. One person gets to create the head, and the remainder creates
the long flowy tail. Remember to use bright colors.
Toto We are not in
Kansas anymore[3]
Kansas Day Facts
- Kansas
was the first state to ratify the 15th amendment, thus allowing African
American men the right to vote. The 15th amendment reads, the right
of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged
by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or
previous condition of servitude.
- Kansas
is one of the highest producing agricultural states in the U.S. It is
believed that they produce enough wheat in one year to provide everyone in
the world with several loaves of bread.
- The
state of Kansas gets its name from the Kansa people, a Native tribe of
Siouan who lived along the Kansas and Saline rivers. The name comes from
the Siouan-language phrase meaning, people of the south wind.
Kansas Day Top Events and Things to Do
- Visit
the Old Cowtown Museum
in Wichita, Kansas. It is one of the U. S’s oldest history museums and is
home to more than 50 historic and re-created buildings.
- Visit
the Strataca Underground Salt Museum Museum
in Hutchinson, Kansas. It is a popular museum built within one of the
world's largest deposits of rock salt. It lets visitors explore tunnels
and travel 650 feet underground.
- Watch
a movie representative of Kansas and its notable figures. Here are our
suggestions:
Amelia (2009)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Texans (1938)
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
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: The
lonely and destitute
·
Eat waffles and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
·
Carnival: Part Two, the Final
Countdown
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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