Monday Night at the Movies
Black Narcissus
February 17 Monday
SERVITE’s Presidents Day
Ezekiel,
Chapter 30, Verse 13
Thus says the Lord GOD: I will destroy idols, and put an end to images in Memphis. There will never again be a prince over the land of Egypt. Instead, I will spread FEAR throughout the land of Egypt.
Ancient Egypt was a magnificent civilization, until it suddenly vanished in the sixth century B.C...
A Base
Nation[1]
In chapters 29 and 30 of Ezekiel,
we read of God sending the Prophet Ezekiel to deliver a crucial message to
Egypt. “Set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt,” God instructs Ezekiel,
“and prophesy against him, and against all
Egypt” (Ezekiel 29:2). The biblical record shows that Ezekiel was
dispatched to Egypt and that he delivered his message to Pharaoh Apries (Hophra
in Hebrew), the fourth king of the 26th dynasty of Egypt. Egypt was a powerful,
influential civilization. In fact, Egypt’s presence was so impressive, Apries,
thought himself king of the world, as powerful as God Himself. Pharaoh Apries
considered the Nile River, the source of Egypt’s material greatness, to be his
own creation, and he declared himself the god of the Nile. Drunk on arrogance,
Apries had lost sight of Egypt’s history with God and the Israelites. So, God
dispatched Ezekiel to warn Apries of where his egotism was leading and to tell
him that God would expose and destroy him, and that in Egypt’s devastation the
world would learn the ultimate source of Egypt’s power. In verse 3, God tells
Ezekiel: “Speak, and say, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee,
Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers,
which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.” God was
going to show Pharaoh Apries exactly who created the Nile and gave Egypt all
its power. In verse 4, God tells the pharaoh, “I will put hooks in thy jaws,
and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will
bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers
shall stick unto thy scales.” God said He would expose Pharaoh Apries as a
fraud—much like He had exposed the gods of Egypt during the 10 plagues nearly a
thousand years earlier! God continues His warning in verses 8-10: “Therefore
thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off
man and beast out of thee. And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste;
and they shall know that I am the Lord: because he hath said, The River is
mine, and I have made it. Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy
rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the
tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.” In verse 19, Ezekiel even
reveals to Apries that he would be attacked by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon. In scripture after scripture of chapters 29 and 30, God warns
the pharaoh that Egypt’s destruction at the hands of the Babylonians and
Persians would be so disastrous that it would never fully recover! Then,
in verse 15, God makes a prophecy that would change Egypt forever. Regarding
Egypt’s future after the destruction, He says explicitly: “It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt
itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them that they shall no more rule over the nations.” God
couldn’t have been clearer: He promised that after the sixth century B.C. Egypt would never again be a major ruling
power!
Has America become the
basest of nations?
According
to John Maxwell, “It is God who raises up leaders and who removes them from
office; our job is to submit to His bidding. Leaders commonly misunderstand
this truth. God says that whether leaders are good or evil, He ultimately is
the He who puts them there—and He will remove them.”
Seven Founders of the
Orders of Servite’s[2]
These seven men were the founders of the Servite Order, a community instituted for the special purpose of cultivating the spirit of penance and contemplating the passion of Christ and Mary's Seven Sorrows. Due to the spirit of humility cherished by the members of the Order, their accomplishments are not too widely known. But in the field of home missions’ great things are to their credit, and certainly they have benefited millions by arousing devotion to the Mother of Sorrows. The Breviary tells us that in the midst of the party strife during the thirteenth century, God called seven men from the nobility of Florence. In the year 1233 they met and prayed together most fervently. The Blessed Mother appeared to each of them individually and urged them to begin a more perfect life. Disregarding birth and wealth, in sackcloth under shabby and well-worn clothing they withdrew to a small building in the country. It was September 8, selected so that they might begin to live a more holy life on the very day when the Mother of God began to live her holy life. Soon after, when the seven were begging alms from door to door in the streets of Florence, they suddenly heard children's voices calling to them, "Servants of holy Mary." Among these children was St. Philip Benizi, then just five months old. Hereafter they were known by this name, first heard from the lips of children. In the course of time they retired into solitude on Monte Senario and gave themselves wholly to contemplation and penance. Leo XIII canonized the Holy Founders and introduced today's feast in 1888.
President's
Day[3]
President's
Day, or Washington's Birthday as it is still legally known, was originally
designed as a celebration of George Washington's birthdate. In 1880,
Congress voted to make this the first national holiday which honored an
individual. In 1968, Congress enacted the Uniform Monday Bill, to give
workers as many long weekends as possible. This moved as many holidays as
possible to a standard Monday each year. Many states were already
honoring Abraham Lincoln's birthday, February 12th, and this celebration was
combined with George Washington's birthday, for one federal holiday. It
is observed on the third Monday in February each year.
President's Day Facts
·
According
to the Julian calendar, Washington was born February 11, 1732. The
Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1752, changing Washington's Birthday to
February 22.
·
Since
1888, Washington's Farewell Address has been read aloud in the U.S. Senate on
February 22nd.
·
George
Washington was the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, first U.S.
President, and President of the Constitutional Convention.
·
Presidents
Day never falls on Washington's actual birthdate (Feb. 22). The third
Monday in February can never be any later than February 21st.
President's Day Top Events and Things
to Do
·
Visit
Mt. Vernon, VA, Washington's ancestral home and place of both he and his wife
Martha's tomb. Admission is free on President's Day.
·
Go
shopping for a car. Presidents’ Day weekend typically features some of
the best car deals of the year as dealers try to clear out prior-year
inventory.
·
Read
George Washington's Farewell Address and reflect on his contributions to United
States.
·
Read
Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and reflect on his contributions to
the United States.
·
Visit
the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.
Salute the Presidents
What better way to
celebrate President's Day than with a trip to Mount
Rushmore. This
national memorial in South Dakota features the heads of George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Today is my mother Rosella’s birthday (RIP)
Feb 17, 1927-Feb 2, 2002
Please say a Hail Mary for her soul.
Today is also the National Congress of
Mothers later known as the PTO which was established in 1897. Motherhood
is tough these days don’t forget to pray for mothers of today.
The New
Stay-at-Home Mom[4] (Does
not just eat bon bons and watch “Charmed” on TV)
Forget everything you've
heard about stay-at-home moms. A new generation is starting their own;
businesses, blogging and working at home. These women are known as WAHM’s (Work
At Home Moms) proving women can be nurturing while increasing the net income of
a family while overseeing that the family comes first. Great families start
with great couples; great parents which means a great family. If we want to
make America great it starts here. The model for any mother is of course the
original work at home mom which is Mary mother of God. Today say the Seven Sorrows of Mary Rosary.
Moms: Here is an original children’s story I have written a long time ago. Enjoy
THE TREE OF HAPPINESS
Sir Michael was, Guardian of the
Throne, to the King of Utopia, Richard. Utopia was a Kingdom like many others
of that age, Most the Knights to the King had long forgotten their oaths of
duty and selfless service. Most of them were heavily involved in petty schemes
or feuds with other Knights and spent a great deal of time and energy in
self-promotion. In order to afford these pursuits of big-headedness they
extracted heavy taxes from the peasants. The sons of these Knights were worse
than their fathers and had much time for idle pleasures and failed to train
properly as Knights of the Realm. These youths wasted much of their time in
satisfying selfish pleasures, such as taking magical powders which made the
takers have visions and feel a great sense of well-being. In addition, many of
these Knights to be were in the habit of drinking strong drinks to excess and
going about mistreating the daughters and sons of the peasants. To be continued tomorrow.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Individuals
with Mental Illness
·
Litany of the Most
Precious Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
"Faith cannot
save without virtue"
·
Rosary
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