Dara’s Corner Try “Mexican Hot Chocolate”
· Every Crucifix tells us this: "Learn of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart…I have been obedient unto death. . . I am full of love and patience."
· Spirit hour: Zombie Cocktail
· Bucket List Trip: Belize Barrier Reef
· New Orleans Shrimp and Spaghetti
· 30 Days with St. Joseph Day 8
· Catholic In Name Only of the Month Club
March 26 Wednesday before Laetare Sunday
Ester, Chapter 8, Verse 17
In each and every province and in
each and every city, wherever the king’s order arrived, there was merriment and
joy, banqueting and feasting for the Jews. And many of the peoples of the land
identified themselves as Jews, for FEAR
of the Jews fell upon them.
So,
Ester saves the Jews and now it is cool to be a Jew. So cool that in Persia
there were Jewish posers. Interesting. Here we see God’s promise to those who
trust that after the trial, will come rejoicing; just as after the darkness of
night the sun does rise.
Brief
Lesson[1]
There
is no better consolation under crosses and afflictions than the thought that
all the troubles of this world are not to be compared with the glory to come,
and that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation worketh for
us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory (n. Cor. iv. 17). And,
therefore, St. Bede says: If we had to bear for a while the pains of hell, it
would not appear so hard, if thereby we might merit to see Christ in His glory,
and to be added to His saints.
Trusting
in God[2]
Life is filled with many
difficulties and challenges that cause us to worry. Each day we are confronted
with many events that may cause us to become apprehensive.
What is worry?
The
dictionary says that when we worry, we torment ourselves with disturbing
thoughts. According to the National Institutes of Health, one in three
adults has occasional insomnia, and one in ten adults has chronic
sleeplessness. Experts are concerned about the ever-increasing
consumption of sleeping pills by many Americans. The remedy for worry is
for all of us to trust in God. St. Augustine once said that God is closer
to us than we are to ourselves. We experience God through our life of
prayer. Prayer is conversation with God. Prayer is a continual being in
love because God is real. God is personal. No matter what
might be going on in our lives, we must
always pray and pray daily. Prayer is the air that we breathe. One
of the greatest challenges that we encounter is our inability to see and to
listen to God. We can be caught up in the distractions of daily life that
prevent us from really encountering God. Our busy lives require refreshing
times of prayer throughout the day. God is moving us away from clinging to
things, people, and institutions. He is calling us to detachment, to the
desert, to the journey into the night of naked faith. He is calling us to
cling to him and only him. This journey is difficult, frightening at
times and even risky. But those who embark upon the journey will be
transformed into living witnesses of the God of love. However, without a
serious spiritual life, anxiety and fear will overwhelm us. If we are a people
who live truly spiritual lives, we will be filled with peace and joy no matter
what may be going on around us. And this is so because we will always be able
to trust God.
St. Teresa of Avila,
the famous Spanish mystic, once wrote: "Let nothing trouble you. Let nothing frighten you.
Everything passes. God never changes. Patience obtains all.
Whoever has God, wants for nothing. God alone is enough."
St. Teresa provides us
profound words of wisdom for our present times. The staggering number of
prescription drugs available for the many forms of uneasiness and tension
illustrates that many of our contemporaries suffer deep inner turmoil. It
is true that we are experiencing profound challenges: wars, continual threats
of terrorism, problems within our Catholic Church, the rapidly accelerating
unraveling of moral decency in our society, an uncertain economy and the
terrible wounds caused by the dismantling of family life. Nevertheless,
challenges such as these should remind us that we must always trust in God who is always with us. Trust is rooted in
faith which is a gift. If your faith is weak, ask God to give you more
faith. To do this incorporate into your lives four practices that are so
basic for anyone who wants to be a serious Catholic: contemplative prayer,
daily Mass or a prolonged visit before the Blessed Sacrament, daily Rosary and
the frequent use of the Sacrament of Confession. These four things will
allow you to trust God and they will provide you with the interior peace that
all seek.
What are the practical
steps that we can take in order to incorporate into our busy lives a serious
spiritual life?
·
First
of all, we need balance in our lives. When was the last time that we
enjoyed dinner with family and friends, or turned off our cell phone and
refrained from checking our email at every moment? Excessive work and travel,
excessive involvement in sports and entertainment are tearing us apart.
·
Secondly,
a serious spiritual life requires the capacity to be alone. It is difficult to be alone
in our contemporary society. Even when we are alone, the noise of our own
worries and fears drown out the silence of God's voice. Many people are
incapable of being alone and they immediately feel an obsession to talk with
someone on a cell phone or check their email. We all need moments of
solitude. Spending a quiet time before the Eucharist, reading the
Scriptures during a peaceful moment at home, taking tranquil walks through the
woods or along the beach all are necessary for our soul. In order to be
with God, we must develop the ability to be alone with ourselves.
· Thirdly, we need order in our lives. Working out daily schedules for the entire family by setting realistic priorities and minimizing extra-curricular activities for the children are steps that we can take. Early to bed and early to rise is a wise principle which is still valid today.
Wednesday before Laetare Sunday[3] beginning of Mid-Lent
Prayer. GRANT us, we beseech Thee, O
Lord, that, instructed by wholesome fasting, and abstaining from dangerous
vices, we may more easily obtain Thy favor.
EPISTLE. Exodus xx. 12-24.
Thus,
saith the Lord God: Honor thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest be
long-lived upon the land which the Lord thy God will give thee. Thou shalt not
kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear
false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house:
neither shalt thou desire his wife, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his
ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is his. And all the people saw the voices
and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking: and being
terrified and struck with fear, they stood afar off, saying to Moses: Speak
thou to us, and we will hear let not the Lord speak to us, lest we die. And
Moses said to the people: Fear not: for God has come to prove you, and that the
dread of Him might be in you, and you should not sin. And the people stood afar
off. But Moses went to the dark cloud wherein God was. And the Lord said to
Moses: Thus, shalt thou say to the children of Israel: You have seen that I
have spoken to you from heaven. You shall not make gods of silver, nor shall
you make to yourselves gods of gold. You shall make an altar of earth unto Me,
and you shall offer upon it your holocausts and peace-offerings, your sheep and
oxen, in every place where the memory of My name shall be.
GOSPEL. Matt. xv. 1-20.
At that time there came
to Jesus from Jerusalem scribes and Pharisees, saying: Why do Thy disciples
transgress the traditions of the ancients? For they wash not their hands when
they eat bread. But He answering, said to them: Why do you also transgress the
commandment of God for your tradition? For God said: Honor thy father and
mother; and: He that shall curse father or mother, let him die the death. But
you say: Whosoever shall say to father or mother, the gift whatso ever
proceedeth from me, shall profit thee; and he shall not honor his father or his
mother: and you have made void the commandment of God for jour tradition.
Hypocrites, well hath Isaias prophesied of you, saying: This people honoreth Me
with their lips: but their heart is far from Me. And in vain do they worship
Me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men. And having called together the
multitudes unto Him, He said to them: Hear ye and understand. Not that which
goeth into the mouth defileth a man: but what cometh out of the mouth, this defileth
a man. Then came His disciples, and said to Him: Dost Thou know that the
Pharisees, when they heard this word, were scandalized?
But He answering, said:
Every plant which My heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let
them alone: they are blind, and leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the
blind, both fall into the pit. And Peter answering, said to Him: Expound to us
this parable. But He said: Are you also yet without understanding? Do you not
understand, that whatsoever entereth into the mouth goeth into the belly, and
is cast out into the privy? But the things which proceed out of the mouth, come
forth from the heart, and those things defile a man. For from the heart come
forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things that
defile a man. But to eat with unwashed hands doth not defile a man.
Mid-Lent Customs[4]
Mid-Lent, the week from the Wednesday before to the Wednesday after Laetare Sunday, is a note of joy within the context of sorrow. The perfect symbol of this complex emotion is the rose vestments worn on Laetare Sunday instead of penitential purple or exultant white. Rose stands somewhere in between, as a sort of joyous variation of purple. The last day of Mid-Lent is when catechumens would learn the Apostles' Creed for the first time; the days leading up to that great revelation were thus for them a cause for gladness. This spirit eventually permeated to the rest of the community as "a measure of consoling relaxation... so that the faithful might not break down under the severe strains of the Lenten fast but may continue to bear the restrictions with a refreshed and easier heart" (Pope Innocent III (d. 1216)).
Mid-Lent customs predominantly involve pre-Christian celebrations concerning the "burial" of winter, where flower decorations and the like betoken the joyous end of the cold and dark. There are also customs involving either matchmaking or announcing the engagements of young couples. In either case, a joyous meal is celebrated during this time.
In England Laetare Sunday came to be known as "Mothering" Sunday because it was the day that apprentices and students were released from their duties to visit their mother church, i.e., the church in which they had been baptized and brought up. This custom tied into the theme of Mother Jerusalem.
Catechism of the
Catholic Church
Day
283 2184-2195.
2184 Just as God "rested
on the seventh day from all his work which he had done," human life
has a rhythm of work and rest. the institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone
enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social,
and religious lives.
2185 On Sundays and other holy
days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or
activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord's
Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of
mind and body. Family needs or important social service can legitimately
excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that
legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life,
and health.
The charity
of truth seeks holy leisure - the necessity of charity accepts just work.
2186 Those Christians who have
leisure should be mindful of their brethren who have the same needs and the
same rights, yet cannot rest from work because of poverty and misery. Sunday is
traditionally consecrated by Christian piety to good works and humble service
of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly. Christians will also sanctify Sunday
by devoting time and care to their families and relatives, often difficult to
do on other days of the week. Sunday is a time for reflection, silence,
cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the
Christian interior life.
2187 Sanctifying Sundays and
holy days requires a common effort. Every Christian should avoid making
unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord's
Day. Traditional activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social necessities
(public services, etc.), require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone
should still take care to set aside sufficient time for leisure. With
temperance and charity the faithful will see to it that they avoid the excesses
and violence sometimes associated with popular leisure activities. In spite of
economic constraints, public authorities should ensure citizens a time intended
for rest and divine worship. Employers have a similar obligation toward their
employees.
2188 In respecting religious
liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek recognition of
Sundays and the Church's holy days as legal holidays. They have to give
everyone a public example of prayer, respect, and joy and defend their traditions
as a precious contribution to the spiritual life of society. If a country's
legislation or other reasons require work on Sunday, the day should
nevertheless be lived as the day of our deliverance which lets us share in this
"festal gathering," this "assembly of the firstborn who are
enrolled in heaven."
IN BRIEF
2189 "Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy"
(Deut 5:12). "The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the
Lord" (Ex 31:15).
2190 The sabbath, which represented the completion of the
first creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation
inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ.
2191 The Church celebrates the day of Christ's Resurrection
on the "eighth day," Sunday, which is rightly called the Lord's Day
(cf SC 106).
2192 "Sunday . . . is to be observed as the foremost
holy day of obligation in the universal Church" (CIC, can. 1246 # 1).
"On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate
in the Mass" (CIC, can. 1247).
2193 "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the
faithful are bound . . . to abstain from those labors and business concerns
which impede the worship to be rendered to God, the joy which is proper to the
Lord's Day, or the proper relaxation of mind and body" (CIC, can. 1247).
2194 The institution of Sunday helps all "to be
allowed sufficient rest and leisure to cultivate their amilial, cultural,
social, and religious lives" (GS 67 # 3).
2195 Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary
demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord's Day.
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father
almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our
Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into
hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will
come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy
catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen
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
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
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