NIC’s Corner
I command you be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD, your God, is with you wherever you go.
(Joshua 1:9)
· Carnival: Part Two, the Final Countdown
· Carnival Time begins in Catholic Countries.
· Bucket List trip: Bali, Indonesia
· Spirit Hour: St. Romain Wine
· Try “Roasted Goose”
· Get an indulgence
· How to celebrate Feb 28th
o Start your day by embracing a bit of science with some online research on rare diseases. Educate yourself on the importance of awareness and support for those battling uncommon illnesses. Transition into a creative mode by designing a custom floral arrangement to brighten your space. Reflect on the symbolism of flowers while indulging in a decadent chocolate souffle. Take a moment to appreciate the beauty in the details.
o As the day progresses, find time for relaxation and rejuvenation; celebrate Public Sleeping Day with a cozy nap or simply by lounging in bed with a good book. Recharge your mind and body. As you awake refreshed, ponder the impact of proper rest on your overall well-being.
FEBRUARY 28 Carnival Friday
Sirach,
Chapter 6, Verse 16-17
16 Faithful friends are life-saving medicine; those who fear God will find them. 17 Those who fear the Lord enjoy stable friendship, for as they are, so will their neighbors be.
It has been said a man is never poor who has friends. If making friends has always been difficult for you try these tips that I gleamed from an old public domain book authored by Henney, Nella Braddy, published in 1922, The Book of Business Etiquette, that has some timeless advice.
· People are now more dependent on
one another than they have ever been before, and the need for confidence is
greater. We cannot depend upon one another unless we can trust one another.
· We ask you, then, to remember that
our growth—and your opportunities—depend not only upon the friends we make, but
the enemies we do not make.
· Remember names and faces.
· Listen to and help those around
you.
· “We are all nobly born; fortunate
those who know it; blessed those who remember.”
· No man has a right to impose his
opinions and prejudices, his sufferings and agonies, on other people. It is the
part of a coward to whine.
· A lack of understanding, which is a form of ignorance, is the cause of nearly all discourtesy.
Married love should be a union of two friends but because of human nature each friend in order to give themselves fully to the other must practice the virtue of chastity. To do otherwise is to invite unhappiness.
Carnival Friday-Rio de Janeiro[1]
At the height of Rio’s summer, beginning at least a week before the official event, which runs from the Friday before Ash Wednesday until Shrove (Fat) Tuesday. Rio’s more than 70 samba “schools” (neighborhood social groups, not educational institutions) spend the entire year preparing for this moment, and many open to visitors beginning in September for those who come outside of Carnival season. For those who come for the Carnival itself, though, the centerpiece is the samba parades, made up of lavishly costumed troupes and over-the-top floats from Grupo Especial (the 12 top-tier schools)— each accompanied by a pounding, 150-member-strong drum corps— who perform and compete on the Sunday and Monday before Ash Wednesday.
The parades are televised from 9 P.M. to dawn, at the filled-to-capacity, 75,000-seat Sambódromo (a stadium built specifically for this purpose). Here, the flamboyantly— often scantily— dressed teams fill the air with music, passion, and unbridled frenzy as they compete for the year’s coveted championship.
Indoor samba balls (often attended by guests in full costume) are held in nightclubs, bars, and some hotels around town. But the most authentic experience of all is to join the open-air concerts and tag-along bands that snake through the beachside neighborhoods of Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon and the hilltop Bohemian district of Santa Teresa, forming a kind of citywide street party. A glitzy and outrageous bacchanal of flesh and fantasy, Rio’s Carnival is not for the prudish or crowd-fearing.
For those who want to escape the chaos of Carnival, there’s the grand Belmond Copacabana Palace, which hosts the most exclusive black-tie ball in Rio. Built in 1923, “The Palace” overlooks the famous beach from which it takes its name, and its elegant pool makes a beautiful setting for a dip or an afternoon caipirinha (cocktail), while its top-rated restaurants serve excellent meals. This was the backdrop for Flying Down to Rio, the 1933 film that first paired Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers; the movie made the Palace a Hollywood favorite. The myth of yesteryear lives on in the ornate Golden Room; its famous glass dance floor, lit from below, is where the famous Magic Ball takes place during Carnival.
The Devil and Temptations[2]
There are many and varied
ways in which sin and evil are presented to us in an attractive way.
Spiritualists or Spiritualistic Churches
·
Spiritualism
involves a communication with the dead or with the spirit world by some psychic
or occult means.
·
Great
care is to be used because many people are fooled. There can be the use of the
Bible, holy water, statues of saints and Catholic hymns. Spiritualists often
believe in the Fatherhood of God, doing good to others, personal responsibility
for what one does, reward for good deeds and punishment for evil deeds. Many
are Christian or even Catholic and profess faith in Jesus.
·
There
is always a dangerous attempt to communicate with the dead or with spirits in
some way. It can be through a seance, or perhaps the person just seems to go
into a trance.
·
Spiritualists
are involved in healing, witchcraft, fortune telling or even blessing homes to
protect them. Sometimes they believe in reincarnation as well.
Reincarnation (Theosophy)
·
This
is the belief that the soul, after death, passes into the body of another human
being, an animal, a plant or even an object. Many oriental religions or cults
believe this. In Hinduism the god Vishnu is believed to have several
reincarnations as a fish, a dwarf, as the person of Rama, and as Krishna in the
different ages of the world. This is contrary to the Bible and to all Christian
belief in the afterlife. "It is appointed that men die once, and after
death be judged" (Heb. 10:27). Those involved with spiritualists must
renounce Satan, renounce spiritualism, ask God's pardon, and confess their sin
to a priest.
________________________________________
NOVENA TO THE HOLY FACE
Daily Preparatory Prayer
O Most Holy and
Blessed Trinity, through the intercession of Holy Mary, whose soul was pierced
through by a sword of sorrow at the sight of the passion of her Divine Son, we
ask your help in making a perfect Novena of reparation with Jesus, united with
all His sorrows, love and total abandonment.
We now implore all the Angels and Saints to intercede for
us as we pray this Holy Novena to the Most Holy Face of Jesus and for the glory
of the most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sixth Day
Psalm 51, 12-13.
A pure heart create for us O God, put a steadfast spirit
within us. Do not cast us away from your presence nor deprive us of your Holy
Spirit.
May our hearts be cleansed, O Lord, by the inpouring of the
Holy Spirit, and may He render them fruitful by watering them with His heavenly
dew, Mary, the most chaste spouse of the Holy Spirit, intercede for us, Saint
Joseph pray for us.
Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy
Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition, Pardon and Mercy.
Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel
O Victorious Prince, most humble guardian of the Church of
God and of faithful souls, who with such charity and zeal took part in so many
conflicts and gained such great victories over the enemy, for the conservation
and protection of the honor and glory we all owe to God, as well as for the
promotion of our salvation, come, we pray Thee, to our assistance, for we are
continually besieged with such great perils by our enemies, the flesh, the
world and the devil; and as Thou was a leader for the people of God through the
desert, so also be our faithful leader, and companion through the desert of
this world, until Thou conduct us safely into the happy land of the living, in
that blessed fatherland from which we are all exiles. Amen. (St. Aloysius)
Pray one (1) Our Father, (3) Hail Mary’s, (1) Glory Be.
O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every adoration Thine.
(Three times)
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
Day
258 1965-1969
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION ONE-MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE
SPIRIT
CHAPTER THREE-GOD'S SALVATION: LAW AND
GRACE
Article 1-THE MORAL LAW
III. The New Law or the Law of the Gospel
1965 The New
Law or the Law of the Gospel is the perfection here on earth of the divine law,
natural and revealed. It is the work of Christ and is expressed particularly in
the Sermon on the Mount. It is also the work of the Holy Spirit and through him
it becomes the interior law of charity: "I will establish a New Covenant
with the house of Israel. . . . I will put my laws into their hands,
and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my
people."
1966 The New
Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the faithful through faith in
Christ. It works through charity; it uses the Sermon on the Mount to teach us
what must be done and makes use of the sacraments to give us the grace to do
it:
If anyone
should meditate with devotion and perspicacity on the sermon our Lord gave on
the mount, as we read in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, he will doubtless find
there . . . the perfect way of the Christian life.... This sermon contains ...
all the precepts needed to shape one's life.
1967 The Law
of the Gospel "fulfills," refines, surpasses, and leads the Old Law
to its perfection. In the Beatitudes, the New Law fulfills the divine
promises by elevating and orienting them toward the "kingdom of
heaven." It is addressed to those open to accepting this new hope with
faith - the poor, the humble, the afflicted, the pure of heart, those
persecuted on account of Christ and so marks out the surprising ways of the
Kingdom.
1968 The Law
of the Gospel fulfills the commandments of the Law. The Lord's Sermon on the
Mount, far from abolishing or devaluing the moral prescriptions of the Old Law,
releases their hidden potential and has new demands arise from them: it reveals
their entire divine and human truth. It does not add new external precepts, but
proceeds to reform the heart, the root of human acts, where man chooses between
the pure and the impure, where faith, hope, and charity are formed and
with them the other virtues. the Gospel thus brings the Law to its fullness
through imitation of the perfection of the heavenly Father, through forgiveness
of enemies and prayer for persecutors, in emulation of the divine generosity.
1969 The New
Law practices the acts of religion: almsgiving, prayer and fasting, directing
them to the "Father who sees in secret," in contrast with the desire
to "be seen by men." Its prayer is the Our Father.
Ramadan[1]
Ramadan
is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, during which, for a period of
thirty days, Muslims abstain from eating, and drinking from sunrise to sunset.
Muslims do this because it is a pillar of Islam, and obligatory for everyone
and the entire month is holy for Muslims so that they can increase their
remembrance of life after death. Muslims also abstain from all bad deeds
and habits, like smoking,
swearing, backbiting, and disrespectfulness. Muslims reflect upon themselves,
their religion. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Fasting and abstaining from bad habits teaches Muslim’s self-control, humility,
and generosity. Ramadan is a time for charity,
family, and good deeds. Muslims fast because they believe it is vital for
spiritual health. Unlike the fast of Ashurah, the fasts of Ramadan and salah
(praying towards Mecca), fasting helps Muslims maintain spiritual and physical
health. The month of Ramadan begins when the new moon of Ramadan is sighted and
ends when the new moon of Sha'ban is sighted. Muslims also believe that devils
are chained up during Ramadan.
Ramadan
Facts & Quotes
·
Ramadan
comes from the word ramadaa, which means 'sunbaked' in Arabic. This is perhaps
a reference to the pangs of hunger Muslims feel when fasting.
·
According
to Islamic tradition, menstruating women, women who are experiencing bleeding
after giving birth, people who are sick (either with short term or long-term
illnesses), and travelers are exempt from fasting. Pregnant women also have the
option of skipping fasts.
·
In
Islamic countries, when Ramadan ends and the crescent moon is first seen,
people bang drums and give mighty shouts.
·
According
to Sunnah belief, the Prophet Muhammad once said, there is no conceit in
fasting.
·
who
believe, fasting is decreed for you as it was decreed for those before you;
perchance you will guard yourselves (Quran, 2:183)
Ramadan
Top Events and Things to Do
·
The
fast is usually broken in a family setting, where traditional foods are served.
Most Muslims begin their meal with a few dates and a glass of milk because the
Prophet Muhammad used to do the same. The high sugar content of the dates
sends energy to weary fasting Muslim, while the fiber in the dates and the
protein in the milk fills them up and prevents nausea.
·
During
Ramadan, Muslims congregate every night in the mosque to pray Taraweeh prayers
in congregation. In the United States, in between sets of prayers, the Imam
gives a brief sermon and encourages people to give to charity.
·
In
Islamic countries, the end of the fast is signaled by a loud call to the sunset
prayer. Most people eat a small meal, pray at the mosque, and then join their
families for a large, festive dinner.
[1]http://www.wincalendar.com/Ramadan
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Binding and
suppressing the Devils Evil Works
·
Total Consecration
to St. Joseph Day 15
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
· Rosary
MARCH
The winds of March point to the power of God's Spirit working in us. We need to listen and respond to the gentle breezes of the Spirit; but will we, or will we be too distracted? The rebirth of spring reminds us of the energy of nature so that we ask ourselves whether we waste or wisely use energy –electricity, oil, gas, etc. Can we and should we continue to use nonrenewable fossil fuels, often with accompanying air pollution, at the rate we do? Or will the environmental ills we cause today call us in the future as a society to use wind and solar energy?
Overview of the Month of March[3]
The entire month of March except the very last day falls during the first four days fall of March fall during the liturgical season known as Tempus per Annum or Ordinary Time (formerly known as Time after Epiphany) which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green, the symbol of hope, is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. The remainder of the month of March is the liturgical season of Lent which is represented by the liturgical color violet or purple — a symbol of penance, mortification and the sorrow of a contrite heart. All saint days that are usually Memorials are shifted to Optional Memorials during the season of Lent.
A Time of Penance and
Promise
Here
and there in the stark March landscape, a few plants and trees are beginning to
give evidence of the new life that winter’s frost and chill had concealed from
our eyes. The Church’s vibrant new life has been obscured, too, by the
austerity of the penitential season of Lent. But that life is indisputable, and
it will burgeon forth on Easter as Christ coming forth from his tomb!
During
this month we will continue our journey to the cross with our acts of
penitence. We will reflect on our mortality ("Remember man thou art
dust") and the shortness of life ("and to dust thou shall
return"). We will heed the call, "Now is the acceptable time, now is
“the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).” Just like Our Lord's earthly life
every moment of our lives is leading up to the last moment—when for eternity we
will either go to God or suffer the fires of hell. During this month we will go
from the suffering of Good Friday to the joy of Easter Sunday. We will trade
the purple of penance for the white of victory and resurrection.
Let us
not tire of doing our good works and penance but continue with the enthusiasm
of the catechumens on their way to Easter and Baptism. May our Lenten
observance be a joyful journey — and not a forced march.
As the
weeks of Lent progress let us not tire of doing our good works and penance but
continue with the enthusiasm of the catechumens on their way to Easter and
Baptism. May our Lenten observance be a joyful journey — and not a forced
march.
Go to Joseph[4]
“This patronage must be invoked as
ever necessary for the Church, not only as a defense against all dangers, but
also, and indeed primarily, as an impetus for her renewed commitment to
evangelization in the world and to re-evangelization,” wrote St. John Paul II
in Redemptoris Custos (Guardian of the Redeemer).
John Paul II further said, “Because St. Joseph is the protector of the Church, he is the guardian of the Eucharist and the Christian family. Therefore, we must turn to St. Joseph today to ward off attacks upon the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and upon the family. We must plead with St. Joseph to guard the Eucharistic Lord and the Christian family during this time of peril.”
MARCH TIMETABLE
March Travel?[5]
·
Daytona, Florida-Bike Week February
28-March 9- Rev up for a week of diesel and fun at Daytona Bike Week.
The annual motorcycle rally attracts some of the fiercest bikers, clad in
leather (and sometimes little else) to celebrate the freedom of the open road.
·
Las
Fallas in Valencia, Spain March 1-19 Enjoy a high-spirited fiesta in Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city.
The annual bash, held in commemoration of Saint Joseph, sees neighborhoods
transformed into lively parties over a boisterous five-day period.
·
Holi
in India March 14th Celebrate
Spring with a dash of color. The annual Holi festival in India inspires
revelers to hit the streets, playfully throwing powdered colors on each other.
Once your clothes are doused with all sorts of hues, you’ll understand why this
is called a festival of colors.
·
Patrick’s Day March 17th
Don your friendliest green for St.
Patrick’s Day. Boston is the place to be, with the city’s official St.
Patrick’s Day Parade drawing anywhere from 600,000 to 1 million people every
year.
· Spring Equinox: Stonehenge March 20th Mark the beginning of spring with a celebratory gathering at Stonehenge. Join the crowds who gather at the mysterious stone structures in Wiltshire, England, to see the sun rise, ushering in the spring equinox.
Iceman’s Calendar
·
Mar. 1st-Carnival
Saturday
·
Sun Mar. 2nd-Quinguagesima
·
Mar. 3rd-Shrovetide
Monday
·
Mar. 4th Shrove
Tuesday
·
Mar. 5th-Ash Wednesday
·
Mar 7th-First
Friday
·
Mar 9th-First Sunday
of Lent
·
Mar 12th FAST Ember
Wednesday
·
Mar 14th FAST Ember
Friday
o
Full Worm Moon
·
Mar 15th FAST Ember
Saturday
·
Mar 16th Second Sunday
of Lent
·
Mon. Mar 17th-St. Patrick’s
Day
·
Wed. Mar 19th-Feast of St.
Joseph
·
Thu. Mar 20-Spring
Begins
o
National Cherry Blossom
Festival
·
Mar 23rd Third Sunday
of Lent
·
Tue. Mar 25th Annunciation
·
March 30th Fourth Sunday
of Lent
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