- Fairness is giving animals their due too this is “Responsible Animal Guardian Month”.
- Spirit Hour: Side Car cocktail in honor of Paul’s side kick
- Bucket List Trip: National Oceans Month:
- Shia LaBeouf, born on June 11, 1986
- Foodie Kvarner scampi
· In honor of St. Barnabas my grandma loved Barnabas, but he was not a Saint
JUNE 11 Wednesday after
Pentecost-Ember Day
MEMORIAL OF SAINT BARNABAS, APOSTLE
1 Corinthians, chapter 9, Verse 27
No, I drive my body and train it, for FEAR that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.
Paul is telling us that as Christians we must set the example and be all things to all. We must as is sometimes attributed to the sayings of St. Francis, “preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words.”
This is the first
premise of leadership. As leaders, especially Christian leaders, we must
demonstrate the Be, Know and Do attitudes of Christ. That is, we must become an
“Alter Christus” or another Christ. We must BE to others as Christ would. We
must KNOW spiritual principals as Christ does and we must act or DO in the
world as Christ would.
Wednesday
after Pentecost-Ember Day[1]
EPISTLE.
Acts v. 12-16.
IN
those days: By the hands of the apostles were many signs - and wonders wrought
among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. But of
the rest no man durst join himself unto them; but the people magnified them.
And the multitude of men and women who believed in the Lord was more increased:
insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on
beds and couches, that when Peter came, his shadow at the least might
overshadow any of them, and they might be delivered from their infirmities. And
there came also together to Jerusalem a multitude out of the neighboring
cities, bringing sick persons, and such as were troubled with unclean spirits,
who were all healed.
GOSPEL.
John vi. 44-52.
At that time Jesus said to
the multitudes of the Jews: No
man can come to Me, except the Father, Who hath sent Me, draw him, and I will
raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets: And they shall all
be taught of God. Everyone that hath heard of the Father, and hath learned,
cometh to Me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, but He Who
is of God, He hath seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say unto you: He that
believeth in Me hath everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers did
eat manna in the desert, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from
heaven; that if any man eat of it he may not die. I am the living bread, which
came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread he shall live forever: and
the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world.
What Are Ember Days?[2]
The term “Ember Days” is derived from the Latin term Quatuor Tempora, which literally means “four times.” There are four sets of Ember Days each calendar year: three days each – Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Ember Days fall at the start of a new season and they are ordered as days of fast and abstinence. The significance of the days of the week are that Wednesday was the day Christ was betrayed, Friday was the day He was crucified, and Saturday was the day He was entombed.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the
purpose of Ember Days, “besides
the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the
gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist
the needy.”
Ember
Wednesday Mediation on Betrayal[3]
Why
is the Devil still in action? God is
infinitely more powerful than the Devil and his hosts. So why doesn’t God
prevent them from their evildoing on planet earth?
We could ask a similar question about why God
doesn’t stop human beings from committing wicked deeds. Evil’s continuing
presence among us is a mystery we can’t fully figure out in this life.
Nevertheless, we can say this much: God allows evil because He’s powerful
enough to bring out of even the greatest evil a much greater good. The
crucifixion of Jesus Christ provides a vivid illustration of this reality.
According to the Gospel, when “Satan entered into Judas,” one of the twelve
Apostles, he went out to betray Jesus (see Lk 22:3–4). So, the worst evil we
can imagine—the torture and murder of God’s innocent Son—occurred through the
Devil’s influence. Yet the triumph of the empty tomb transformed the horror of
the Cross. Satan was thwarted. When Jesus rose from the dead, He displayed
God’s power to bring out of the greatest of evils an even greater good: the
world’s redemption.
THREE
MEDITATIONS ON THE LITURGY FROM THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM FOR EACH OF THE EMBER
DAYS AFTER PENTECOST.
Written by Monsignor Martin B. Hellriegel, originally published in the journal Orate Fratres Vol. XVIII, May 14, 1944, No. 7, pp. 299-305, later reprinted in Vine and Branches, Pio Decimo Press, 1948.
These meditations are attached to
the 1962 Extraordinary Form liturgy. The current lectionary has different
readings and prayers not specific to the Ember Days.
Prayer: EMBER WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Station "With St. Mary Major"
All these were persevering with one
mind in prayer with the women, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with the
brethren (Acts 1:14).
What a splendid group! What a
wonderful beginning of the Church! Persevering in prayer, united in mind and
heart, gathered about Mary, the Mother of Jesus and their Mother, such were the
dispositions in the one hundred and twenty disciples of the Lord on the day
when the Holy Ghost began His vivifying and sanctifying works in the Church.
Alleluia! A fertile soil for His seed of light and love; a joyous spectacle for
the Author of joy to find such precious stones for the building of the Temple
of the Church.
Perseverance in prayer, unity of mind
and heart and "station" with Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our
Mother, such must be the dispositions in our heart if the mysteries of this
ember Wednesday are to bear fruits for eternity. May the pure spouse of the
Holy Spirit, the golden lamp on which burnt the brightest Pentecostal flame
pray for us, that the Spirit of the Lord may fill our hearts, and enkindle them
with the fire of His love.
In the first lesson St. Peter
shows that the prophet of Joel and the longing of the Old Law are fulfilled:
"I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh...and it shall come to pass that
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Let not the
spirit of perseverance be broken. What God has promised He will keep. "May
the Paraclete enlighten our minds and lead us into all truth, as Thy Son has
promised" (first collect).
The second lesson speaks of unity of mind and heart, "And they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch." Fellowship with Christ and with one another was the glory of the infant Church. "See how they love each other!" Without this bond of union, Christ the Vine cannot bear fruit; without this Christian fellowship, the Spirit of unity cannot work; without unity of mind and heart, the temple of God cannot be built. "Grant that the coming of the Holy Ghost may, by dwelling in us, make us temple of His glory" (second collect).
"No man can come to Me, except
the Father who hath sent Me, draw him." So today's gospel, Who was drawn
more by the Father and who had herself drawn more than our blessed Mother? She
was "taught of God" (gospel). She is the richest fruit of the
blessed Vine, she is the most perfect temple of the Holy Spirit, she is the
first and noblest member of the Church. Around this all-holy Mother we gather
and keep this ember Wednesday.
Accompany us, O holy Mother, to the
eucharistic Table where we shall "eat the living bread that came down from
heaven" (gospel). May the power of this life-giving bread perfect
in us perseverance in prayer, intensify in us unity of mind and heart, and make
us in a fuller measure thy children, O Mother of Jesus and our Mother!
Prayer Source: Orate Fratres/Worship: A Review
Devoted to the Liturgical Apostolate, The Liturgical Press
Devotions for Holy Communion[4]
ACTS BEFORE
COMMUNION.
Act of Faith "
Behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills"
(Cant. ii. 8). Ah, my most amiable Savior, over how many, what rough and craggy
mountains hast Thou had to pass in order to come and unite Thyself to me by the
means of this most holy sacrament! Thou, from being God, hadst to become man;
from being immense, to become a babe; from being Lord, to become a servant.
Thou hadst to pass from the bosom of Thy Eternal Father to the womb of a
virgin: from heaven into a stable; from a throne of glory to the gibbet of a
criminal. And on this very morning Thou wilt come from Thy seat in heaven to
dwell in my bosom.
Behold he standeth behind
our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices"
(Cant. ii. 9). Behold, my soul, thy loving Jesus, burning with the same love with
which He loved thee when dying for thee on the cross, is now concealed in the
Most Blessed Sacrament under the sacred species; and what doing? " Looking
through the lattices." As an ardent lover, desirous of seeing His love
corresponded with, from the host, as from within closed lattices, whence He
sees without being seen, He is looking at you, who are this morning about to
feed upon His divine flesh; He observes your thoughts, what it is that you
love, what you desire, what you seek for, and what offerings you are about to
make Him.
Awake then, my soul, and prepare to receive thy
Jesus; and, in the first place, by faith, say to Him: So then, my beloved
Redeemer, in a few moments Thou art coming to me? O hidden God, unknown to the
greater part of men, I believe, I confess, 1 adore Thee in Thy Most Holy
Sacrament as my Lord and Savior! And in acknowledgment of this truth, I would
willingly lay down my life. Thou comest to enrich me with Thy graces, and to
unite Thyself all to me; how great, then, should be my confidence in this Thy so
loving visit!
Act of Confidence. My soul, expand thy heart.
Thy Jesus can do thee every good, and, indeed, loves thee. Hope thou for great
things from this thy Lord, Who, urged by love, comes all love to thee. Yes, my
dear Jesus, my hope, I trust in Thy goodness, that, in giving Thyself to me
this morning, Thou wilt enkindle in my poor heart the beautiful flame of Thy
pure love, and a real desire to please Thee; so that, from this day forward, I
may never will anything but what Thou wiliest.
Act of Love. Ah, my
God, my God, true and only love of my soul, and what more couldst Thou have
done to be loved by me? To die for me was not enough for Thee, my Lord; Thou
wast pleased to institute this great sacrament in order to give Thyself all to
me, and thus bind and unite thyself heart to heart with so loathsome and
ungrateful a creature as I am. And what is more, Thou Thyself invitest me to
receive Thee, and desirest so much that I should do so! O boundless love,
incomprehensible love, infinite love, a God would give Himself all to me!
My soul, believest thou this? And what doest thou?
what sayest thou? O God, O God, O infinite amiability, only worthy object of
all loves, I love Thee with my whole heart, I love Thee above all things, I
love Thee more than myself, more than my life! Oh, could I but see Thee loved
by all! Oh, could I but cause Thee to be loved by all hearts as much as Thou
deservest! I love Thee, O most amiable God, and I unite my miserable heart in
loving Thee to the hearts of the seraphim, to the heart of the most blessed
Virgin Mary, to the heart of Jesus, Thy most loving and beloved Son. So that, O
Infinite Good, I love Thee with the love with which the saints, with which
Mary, with which Jesus love Thee. And I love Thee only because Thou art worthy
of it, and to give Thee pleasure. Depart, all earthly affections, which are not
for God, depart from my heart. Mother of fair love, most holy Virgin Mary, help
me to love that God Whom thou dost so ardently desire to see loved!
Act of Humility. Then,
my soul, thou art even now about to feed on the most sacred flesh of Jesus! And
art thou worthy? My God, who am I, and who art Thou? I indeed know and confess
Who Thou art Who givest Thyself to me; but dost Thou know what I am, who am
about to receive Thee?
And is it possible, O my Jesus, that Thou, Who art
infinite purity, desirest to come and reside in this soul of mine, which has
been so many times the dwelling of Thy enemy, and soiled with so many sins? I
know, O my Lord, Thy great majesty and my misery; I am ashamed to appear before
Thee. Reverence would induce me to keep at a distance from" Thee; but if I
depart from Thee, O my life, whither shall I go? to whom shall I have recourse?
and what will become of me? No, never will I depart from Thee; nay, even I will
ever draw nearer and nearer to Thee. Thou art satisfied that I should receive
Thee as food, Thou even invitest me to this. I come then, O my amiable Savior,
I come to receive Thee this morning, all humbled and confused at the sight of
my defects; but full of confidence in Thy tender mercy, and in the love which
Thou bearest me.
Act of Contrition. I am indeed grieved, O God
of my soul, for not having loved Thee during the time past; still worse, so far
from loving Thee, and to gratify my own inclinations, I have greatly offended
and outraged Thy infinite goodness: I have turned my back against Thee, I have
despised Thy grace and friendship; in fine, O my God, I was deliberately in the
will to lose Thee. Lord, I am sorry, and grieve for it with my whole heart. I
detest the sins which I have committed, be they great or small, as the greatest
of all my misfortunes, because I have thereby offended Thee, O Infinite
Goodness. I trust that Thou hast already forgiven me; but if Thou hast not yet
pardoned me, oh, do so before I receive Thee: wash with Thy blood this soul of
mine, in which Thou art so soon about to dwell.
Act of Desire. And
now, my soul, the blessed hour has arrived in which Jesus will come and take up
His dwelling in thy poor heart. Behold the King of heaven, behold thy Redeemer
and God, Who is even now coming; prepare thyself to receive Him with love,
invite Him with the ardor of thy desire; come, O my Jesus, come to my soul,
which desires Thee. Before Thou givest Thyself to me, I desire to give Thee,
and I now give Thee, my miserable heart; do Thou accept it, and come quickly to
take possession of it.
Come, my God, hasten; delay
no longer. My only and infinite good, my treasure, my life, my paradise, my
love, my all, my wish is to receive Thee with the love with which the most holy
and loving souls have received Thee; with that with which the most blessed
Virgin Mary received Thee; with their communions I unite this one of mine.
Most holy Virgin and my Mother Mary, behold, I already approach to receive thy Son. Would that I had the heart and love with which thou didst communicate! Give me this morning thy Jesus, as thou didst give Him to the shepherds and to the kings. I intend to receive Him from thy most pure hands. Tell Him that I am thy servant and thy client; for He will thus look upon me with a more loving eye, and, now that He is coming, will press me more closely to Himself.
Which are the fruits of the Holy Ghost? They are the twelve following:
1. Charity.
2.
Joy.
3. Peace.
4. Patience.
5. Benignity.
6. Goodness.
7. Longsuffering.
8. Mildness.
9. Faith.
10. Modesty.
11.
Continency.
12.
Chastity.
These fruits
should be visible in the Christian, for thereby men shall know that the Holy
Ghost dwells in him, as the tree is known by its fruit.
Notice I have
placed the Fruits of the Holy Spirit in stairstep fashion so we may
reflect on them seeing that by concentrating on each step of our growth in the
spirit we may progress closer and closer to our heavenly Father. Today we will
be focusing on the second step which is modesty.
St.
Barnabas[5]
Strictly
speaking, Barnabas was not an apostle, but the title has been bestowed upon him
since very early times. His first name was Joseph; Barnabas (etymology:
"son of consolation") was a surname. He belonged to the tribe of
Levi. He was a Hellenist, that is, a Jew who lived outside of Palestine and
spoke the Greek tongue. Born in Cyprus, he embraced the faith soon after the
death of Christ, becoming a member of the original Jerusalem community. His
first noteworthy deed was to sell his belongings and place the money at the
feet of the apostles. It is to his lasting credit that he befriended the
neo-convert Paul and introduced him to the apostles when everyone was still
distrusting the former persecutor. More noteworthy still was his service to the
universal Church by being the first to recognize Paul's potential for the cause
of Christ; it was Barnabas who brought him from Tarsus to teach at Antioch. The
first missionary journey (about 45-48 A.D.) the two made together, and Barnabas
seems to have been the leader, at least at the beginning (Acts 13-14).
Barnabas' appearance must have been dignified and impressive, otherwise the
inhabitants of Lystra would not have regarded him as Jupiter. He was present
with Paul at the Council of Jerusalem (ca. 50). While they were preparing for
the second missionary journey, there arose a difference of opinion regarding
Mark; as a result, each continued his labors separately. Barnabas went to
Cyprus with Mark and thereafter is not referred to again in the Acts of the
Apostles or in any other authentic source. From a remark in one of Paul's
letters we know that he lived from the work of his own hands (1 Cor. 9:5-6).
The time and place of his death have not been recorded. It is claimed that his
body was found at Salamina in 488 A.D. His name is mentioned in the Canon of
the Mass since ancient times.
Excerpted
from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Patron: Antioch; Cyprus; against
hailstorms; invoked as peacemaker.
Things to Do:
- Read
the passages from the Acts of the Apostles about St. Barnabas: Acts
4:36-37; 9:26-29; 11:27-30; 12:24-25; 13:1-12; 13:27-30; 13:44-52;
14:1-14; 14:21-23; 14:36-40.
- Read
the Catholic Encyclopedia's account of the life of
St. Barnabas.
Epistle of Barnabas[6]
CHAP.
I. — AFTER THE SALUTATION, THE WRITER DECLARES THAT HE WOULD COMMUNICATE TO HIS
BRETHREN SOMETHING OF THAT WHICH HE HAD HIMSELF RECEIVED.
All
hail, ye sons and daughters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us
in peace. Seeing that the divine fruits of righteousness abound among you, I
rejoice exceedingly and above measure in your happy and honored spirits,
because ye have with such effect received the engrafted spiritual gift.
Wherefore also I inwardly rejoice the more, hoping to be saved, because I truly
perceive in you the Spirit poured forth from the rich Lords of love. Your
greatly desired appearance has thus filled me with astonishment over you. I am
therefore persuaded of this, and fully convinced in my own mind, that since I
began to speak among you I understand many things, because the Lord hath
accompanied me in the way of righteousness. I am also on this account bound by
the strictest obligation to love you above my own soul, because great are the
faith and love dwelling in you, while you hope for the life which He has
promised. Considering this, therefore, that if I should take the trouble to
communicate to you some portion of what I have myself received, it will prove
to me a sufficient reward that I minister to such spirits, I have hastened
briefly to write unto you, in order that, along with your faith, ye might have
perfect knowledge. The doctrines of the Lord, then, are three: the hope of
life, the beginning and the completion of it. For the Lord hath made known to
us by the prophets both the things which are past and present, giving us also
the first-fruits of the knowledge of things to come, which things as we see
accomplished, one by one, we ought with the greater richness of faith and
elevation of spirit to draw near to Him with reverence. I then, not as your
teacher, but as one of yourselves, will set forth a few things by which in
present circumstances ye may be rendered the more joyful. (To be cont.)
Apostolic Exhortation[7]
Veneremur
Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling
of The Most
Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My beloved Brothers and
Sisters in Christ,
Part III
Loving and Adoring the
Eucharistic Lord
V.
Brother priests, make the Eucharist the source of all your priestly
fruitfulness.
95. My beloved brother priests,
let us make the Eucharist the source and beating heart of our priestly
ministry, our refuge, our consolation, and our only reward!
96. So, I invite each priest to
consider how he might be able to renew and deepen his priestly commitment to
make the Eucharist the true source of his life and ministry. Here are some
simple ways to consider:
- Set
aside time before the Blessed Sacrament each morning before engaging in
pastoral work.
- Do
a Eucharistic Holy Hour daily.
- Spend
30 minutes or more in adoration with fellow priests weekly or monthly.
- Start
or join a Jesus Caritas group to provide fraternal love and support
ordered around Jesus’ Eucharistic love for His priests.
- Celebrate
the Mass each day, including days-off and vacations.
VI. Pastors, have one
Eucharistic procession each year in your parish.
97. The well-known American
author Willa Cather was not a Catholic. Nevertheless, she wrote of the impact
of experiencing a Eucharistic procession. It awakened in her a deep longing for
what they had. The sensual beauty and sheer public display of Catholic faith in
the Eucharist made a deep impression on her imagination and her soul. Though
Eucharistic processions have waxed and waned in popularity, we should consider
the special opportunity provided today by this form of Eucharistic piety.
It is true that the “native environment” of the Eucharist is the Mass offered
in churches. At the same time, centuries of Catholic practice suggest that
there is indeed something uniquely enchanting, affective, and symbolic when a
procession happens.
To be continued…
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Day 359 2803-2806
PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
SECTION TWO-THE LORD'S PRAYER
Article 3-THE SEVEN PETITIONS
2803 After we
have placed ourselves in the presence of God our Father to adore and to love
and to bless him, the Spirit of adoption stirs up in our hearts seven
petitions, seven blessings. the first three, more theological, draw us toward
the glory of the Father; the last four, as ways toward him, commend our
wretchedness to his grace. "Deep calls to deep."
2804 The first series of petitions carries us toward him, for his own sake: thy name, thy kingdom, thy will! It is characteristic of love to think first of the one whom we love. In none of the three petitions do we mention ourselves; the burning desire, even anguish, of the beloved Son for his Father's glory seizes us: "hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done...." These three supplications were already answered in the saving sacrifice of Christ, but they are henceforth directed in hope toward their final fulfillment, for God is not yet all in all.
2805 The
second series of petitions unfolds with the same movement as certain
Eucharistic epicleses: as an offering up of our expectations, that draws down
upon itself the eyes of the Father of mercies. They go up from us and concern
us from this very moment, in our present world: "give us . . . forgive us
. . . lead us not ... deliver us...." The fourth and fifth petitions
concern our life as such - to be fed and to be healed of sin; the last two
concern our battle for the victory of life - that battle of prayer.
2806 By the
three first petitions, we are strengthened in faith, filled with hope, and set
aflame by charity. Being creatures and still sinners, we have to petition for
us, for that "us" bound by the world and history, which we offer to
the boundless love of God. For through the name of his Christ and the reign of
his Holy Spirit, our Father accomplishes his plan of salvation, for us and for
the whole world.
Full Strawberry Moon
According to the almanac today we are having a Full Strawberry Moon; plan to make homemade strawberry ice cream and share with your children or grandchildren. Teach them the value of not saying a bad word about others.
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.
· Devotion
to the 7 Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph
· Do the St.
Joseph Universal Man Plan.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: End
Sex Trafficking, Slavery
·
Make reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday Devotion
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[1] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
[2]http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-articles/ember-days-in-the-catholic-liturgical-year/article/236
[3] Thigpen, Paul. Manual for Spiritual Warfare.
[4] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
[5]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-06-11
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