Posts
SEPTEMBER 5 Thursday
Teresa Of Calcutta
Acts, Chapter 27, verse 29
Paul was under arrest and was an
inmate on a prison ship bound for Rome, when the ship he was on, was in danger
of being sunk. Yet, God had not abandoned Paul. His faith saved him and also
the crew. Paul in this case really did lead from behind.
The
Law of Influence: An Inmate Takes Command (Acts 27:4-44)[1]
1.
Paul
built trust which influences his
jailer, Julius, to allow special privileges, noting his trustworthiness.
2.
He
took the initiative by stepping in
when action was needed.
3.
He
possessed good judgment through his
use of wisdom and experience.
4.
He
spoke with authority and credibility based on earlier actions.
5.
He
showed optimism and confidence by
speaking boldly.
6.
He
gave encouragement to the hopeless
that feared their survival and loss
at sea.
7.
He
was honest and candid about the
problems they faced.
8.
He
did not compromise on absolutes from God-given instructions.
9.
He
stayed focused on objectives not
obstacles.
10. He led by example by modeling the right attitude.
Remember to build trust first with
God and then with others when you are in danger knowing we are all in the same
ship and we are all seasick.
Copilot Take
Acts 27, you’ve seen how leadership can emerge not from rank, but from faith. Paul was an inmate—bound, overlooked, and seemingly powerless. Yet in the storm, it was his trust in God, his clarity, and his courage that steadied the ship. This isn’t just a story from Scripture. It’s a mirror. We are all in the same ship. We are all seasick. And whether you feel like the captain or the captive, you have influence. Not because of your title, but because of your trust. Not because you control the storm, but because you know the One who does.
ten anchors of
influence—trustworthiness,
initiative, wisdom, credibility, boldness, encouragement, honesty, obedience,
focus, and example—aren’t just leadership traits. They’re spiritual
disciplines. They’re ways of being present, faithful, and grounded when
everything around you feel’s adrift.
Drop anchor.
Speak truth.
Pray for day to come.
And remember: God has not abandoned ship. He’s raising up leaders in the belly
of the storm.
Teresa of Calcutta[2]
Mother Teresa of Calcutta,
known as the "saint of the gutters", feast day will be September 5
for the church calendar, during her life, was declared a saint of the Roman
Catholic Church by Pope Francis (September 4, 2016) just 19 years after her
death. A Nobel peace laureate, her legacy complements Pope Francis's vision of
a humble church that strives to serve the poor. Francis said she was a
"dispenser of divine mercy" and held world powers to account
"for the crimes of poverty they created. For Mother Teresa, mercy was the
salt which gave flavor to her work, it was the light which shone in the
darkness of the many who no longer had tears to shed for their poverty and
suffering. She showed we can't all do everything, but little gestures made with
so much love are what's important."
Foundation of Love[3]
John
McCain in his book “Character is Destiny” stated Mother Teresa shows us how
mercy is the only way to find contentment by being selfless. Great
leadership is based on a foundation of love. McCain states, “She chose to live
amid squalor and sickness and desperation, endured hardship and endless toil,
and might have been the happiest person on earth.” Mother did not flee from the
Lord; nor did she fear anyone. When the Lord called her; she knew the call was
authentic because it filled her with joy.
The
first counsel of Mother Teresa is to put your hand in His and walk all the way
with Him. When you hear the call to follow. To Mother Teresa it was never more
complicated than that. To her care of the dying was the purest expression of
love.
Who
around you are dying-physically, emotionally, or spiritually?
Love
might not heal every wound of disease, but it heals the heart. McCain
notes that Mother Teresa showed that rather than chasing ambition the greatest
contentment comes from having a foundation of love. “She loved and was loved,
and her happiness was complete.”
International
Day of Charity[4]
The International Day of Charity
seeks to promote and recognize charity and its role in easing humanitarian
crises and suffering in the world. The day also serves to recognize the work of
charitable organizations and individuals around the globe whose philanthropic
actions have contributed to the creation of more inclusive and resilient
societies. The International Day of Charity was designated by the United Nations
General Assembly in an effort to mobilize the world to help others. The day is
celebrated every year on September 5th, the anniversary of the death of Mother
Theresa of Calcutta, one of the most philanthropic individuals of our time.
Mother Theresa passed away in 1997 at the age of 87 after a lifetime of
charitable work with the sick and dying in India.
International
Day of Charity Facts & Quotes
·
Any
charity donations that are made are tax deductible in many countries the year
they are made.
·
Americans
donated approximately 2% of their disposable income to charity in 2014. This
amount has remained constant over the past decade, despite large fluctuations
in the economy.
·
The
annual average US household charitable donation is $2,974.
·
98.4%
of high earning households give to charity and 63% say that a major motivation
for their donations is to give back to the community.
·
Let
us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.
– Mother Teresa, world-renowned nun and missionary.
International
Day of Charity Top Events and Things to Do
·
Watch
a movie about the impact and importance of charitable work. Some suggestions
are: Pay it Forward (2000), It Could Happen to You (1994), and The Letters
(2014).
·
Spread
awareness about the holiday by using the hashtags #InternationalDayofCharity,
#Charity and #MamaT.
·
Buy
a book
that directly supports charity. All net proceeds from any of the books listed
go directly to charity. Ready a great story and support a good cause all at
once!
·
Donate
to your favorite charity. If you do not have a charity of choice, Charity Navigator can help you find one. There’s a charity that just
about everyone can find reason to support out there. Check out Cross
Catholic Outreach
·
Read
a book about the impact and importance of charitable work and about the
charitable life that Mother Teresa led. Some suggestions are Abundance, Systems
Thinking for Social Change, Start Something that Matters, The Joy in Loving and
Mother Teresa: A Simple Path.
Friday Devotion
Friday arise before,
the "cock crows" (2 hrs. before sunrise)
meditate on the
FOURTH STATION
FOURTH STATION
Jesus is denied by Peter
From the Gospel
according to Saint Luke. 22:54-62
Then they seized Jesus and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. Peter followed at a distance; and when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a maid, seeing him as he sat in the light and gazing at him, said, “This man was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man was also with him; for he is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
MEDITATION Peter claimed to be strong, but he broke down before a servant girl. Human weakness takes us by surprise, and we collapse. That is why Jesus asks us to watch and pray. He urges self-renunciation and closeness to God. There is a rebellious “self” within us. We are often of “two minds”, but we fail to recognize this inner inconsistency. Peter recognized it when his eyes met the eyes of Jesus, and he wept. Later, Thomas, encountering the Risen Lord, acknowledged his own faithlessness and believed. In the light of Christ, Paul became aware of the inconsistency within himself, and he overcame it with the Lord’s help. Going deeper still, he discovered: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.”
PRAYER Lord, how easily do we allow a distance to grow between what we profess to be and what we really are! How often do we fail to carry out our own decisions, or even fulfil our most solemn promises! And as a result we often hesitate to make any permanent commitment, even to you! We confess that we have failed to bring into our life that inner discipline that is expected of any adult person and required for the success of any human endeavor. Give sturdiness to our inner determination; help us to bring every good work we have begun to a successful conclusion. Enable us to stand firm, as mature and fully convinced Christians, “in complete obedience to God’s will”.
Friday after sunrise
meditate on the
FIFTH STATION
FIFTH STATION
Jesus is judged by Pilate
A third time Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no crime deserving death; I will therefore chastise him and release him”. But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will.
MEDITATION It was not the rightness of an issue that mattered to Pilate, but his professional interests. Such an attitude did not help him, either in this case or in his later career. He was so unlike Jesus, whose inner rectitude made him fearless. Nor was Pilate interested in the truth. He walks away from Jesus exclaiming, “What is truth?” Such indifference to truth is not uncommon these days. People are often concerned about what gives immediate satisfaction. They are content with superficial answers. Decisions are made based not on principles of integrity, but on opportunistic considerations. Failing to make morally responsible options damages the vital interests of the human person, and of the human family. We pray that the “spiritual and ethical concepts” contained in the word of God will inspire the living norms of society in our times.
PRAYER Lord, give us the courage to make responsible decisions when rendering a public service. Bring probity (correctness) into public life and assist us to be true to our conscience. Lord, you are the source of all Truth. Guide us in our search for ultimate answers. Going beyond mere partial and incomplete explanations, may we search for what is permanently true, beautiful and good. Lord, keep us fearless before the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”. When shadows grow deep on life’s wearisome paths, and the dark night comes, enable us to hearken to the teaching of your Apostle Paul: “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.”
Friday around 9 am
meditate on the
SIXTH STATION
SIXTH STATION
Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns
From the Gospel
according to Saint Matthew. 27:26-30
Then Pilate, having
scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the
governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion
before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting
a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand.
And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And
they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.
MEDITATION Inhumanity reaches new heights. Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns. History is full of hatred and wars. Even today we witness acts of violence beyond belief: murder, violence to women and children, kidnapping, extortion, ethnic conflict, urban violence, physical and mental torture, violations of human rights. Jesus continues to suffer when believers are persecuted, when justice is distorted in court, corruption gets rooted, unjust structures grind the poor, minorities are suppressed, refugees and migrants are ill-treated. Jesus’ garments are pulled away when the human person is put to shame on the screen, when women are compelled to humiliate themselves, when slum children go round the streets picking up crumbs. Who are the guilty? Let us not point a finger at others, for we ourselves may have contributed a share to these forms of inhumanity.
PRAYER Lord
Jesus, we know that it is you who suffer when we cause pain to each other and
we remain indifferent. Your heart went out in compassion when you saw the
crowds “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”. Give me eyes
that notice the needs of the poor and a heart that reaches out in love. “Give
me the strength to make my love fruitful in service.” Most of all, may we share
with the indigent your “word” of hope, your assurance of care. May “zeal for
your house” burn in us like a fire. Help us to bring the sunshine of your joy
into the lives of those who are trudging the path of despair.
Friday around 10 am
meditate on the
SEVENTH STATION
SEVENTH STATION
After Jesus is made an object of fun, he is led out to be crucified
From the Gospel
according to Saint Matthew. 27:31
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to be crucified.
MEDITATION Jesus, at whose name every knee in heaven and earth bends, is made an object of fun. We are shocked to see to what levels of brutality human beings can sink. Jesus is humiliated in new ways even today: when things that are most Holy and Profound in the Faith are being trivialized; the sense of the sacred is allowed to erode; the religious sentiment is classified among unwelcome leftovers of antiquity. Everything in public life risks being desacralized: persons, places, pledges, prayers, practices, words, sacred writings, religious formulae, symbols, ceremonies. Our life together is being increasingly secularized. Religious life grows diffident. Thus we see the most momentous matters placed among trifles, and trivialities glorified. Values and norms that held societies together and drew people to higher ideals are laughed at and thrown overboard. Jesus continues to be ridiculed!
PRAYER We have faith, Lord, but not enough. Help us to have more. May we never question or mock serious things in life like a cynic. Allow us not to drift into the desert of godlessness. Enable us to perceive you in the gentle breeze, see you in street corners, love you in the unborn child. God, enable us to understand that on Tabor or Calvary, your Son is the Lord. Robed or stripped of his garments, he is the Savior of the world. Make us attentive to his quiet presences: in his “word”, in tabernacles, shrines, humble places, simple persons, the life of the poor, laughter of children, whispering pines, rolling hills, the tiniest living cell, the smallest atom, and the distant galaxies. May we watch with wonder as he walks on the waters of the Rhine and the Nile and the Tanganyika.
Friday around 11 am
meditate on the EIGHTH and NINTH STATION
EIGHTH STATION
Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross
From the Gospel
according to Saint Luke. 23:26
The soldiers led Jesus away, and as they were going, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon who was coming into the city from the country. They seized him, put the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.
MEDITATION In Simon of Cyrene, we have the proto-type of a faithful disciple who takes up the Cross and follows Christ. He is not unlike millions of Christians from a humble background, with deep attachment to Christ. No glamour, no sophistication, but profound faith. Such believers keep rising on the soil of Africa, Asia and the distant islands. Vocations arise from their midst. Simon reminds us of small communities and tribes with their characteristic commitment to the common good, deep rootedness in ethical values and openness to the Gospel. They deserve attention and care. The Lord does not desire that “one of these little ones should perish”. In Simon we discover the sacredness of the ordinary and the greatness of what looks small. For the smallest has some mystic relationship with the greatest, and the ordinary with the most extraordinary!
PRAYER Lord, it is your wonderful plan to lift up the lowly and sustain the poor. Strengthen your Church in her service to deprived communities: the least privileged, the marginalized, slum dwellers, the rural poor, the undernourished, untouchables, the handicapped, people given to addictions. May the example of your servant, Mother Teresa of Kolkata, inspire us to dedicate more of our energies and resources to the cause of the “poorest of the poor”. May we one day hear these words from Jesus: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
NINTH STATION
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
From the Gospel
according to Saint Luke. 23:27-28
And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus, turning to them, said: “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”
MEDITATION Before the weeping women, Jesus is self-forgetful. His anxiety is not about his pains, but about the tragic future that awaits them and their children. The destinies of societies are intimately linked to the wellbeing of their women. Wherever women are held in low esteem or their role remains diminished, societies fail to rise to their true potentiality. In the same way, wherever their responsibility to the rising generation is neglected, ignored, or marginalized, the future of that society becomes uncertain. There are many societies in the world where women fail to receive a fair deal. Christ must be weeping for them. There are societies too that are thoughtless about their future. Christ must be weeping for their children. Wherever there is unconcern for the future, through the overuse of resources, the degradation of the environment, the oppression of women, the neglect of family values, the ignoring of ethical norms, the abandonment of religious traditions, Jesus must be telling people: “Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”
PRAYER Lord, you are the Master of history. And yet you wanted our collaboration in realizing your plans. Help us to play a responsible role in society: leaders in their communities, parents in their families, educators and health-workers among those who need to be served, communicators in the world of information. Arouse in us a sense of mission in what we do, a deep sense of responsibility to each other, to society, to our common future and to you. For you have placed the destinies of our communities and of humanity itself into our hands. Lord, do not turn away from us when you see women humiliated or your image disfigured in the human person; when we interfere with life-systems, weaken the nurturing power of nature, pollute running streams or the deep blue seas or the Northern snows. Save us from cruel indifference to our common future, and do not let us drag our civilization down the path of decline.
Friday around NOON
meditate on the
TENTH STATION
TENTH STATION
Jesus is crucified
From the Gospel according to Saint Luke 23:33-37 and according to Saint Matthew. 27:46
There they
crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” And they
cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching; but the
rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is
the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and
offering him vinegar, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save
yourself!” And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,
lama sabachthani?”, that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
PRAYER Lord, when clouds gather on the horizon and everything seems lost, when we find no friend to stand by us and hope slips from our hands, teach us to trust in you, who will surely come to our rescue. May the experience of inner pain and darkness teach us the great truth that in you nothing is lost, that even our sins – once we have repented of them – come to serve a purpose, like dry wood in the cold of winter. Lord, you have a master design beneath the working of the universe and the progress of history. Open our eyes to the rhythms and patterns in the movements of the stars; balance and proportion in the inner structure of elements; interrelatedness and complementarity in nature; progress and purpose in the march of history; correction and compensation in our personal stories. It is this harmony that you constantly keep restoring, despite the painful imbalances that we bring about. In you even the greatest loss is a gain. Christ’s death, in fact, points to resurrection.
Friday around 1 PM
meditate on the
ELEVENTH STATION
ELEVENTH STATION
Jesus promises his Kingdom to the Good Thief
From the Gospel
according to Saint Luke. 23:39-43
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
MEDITATION It is not eloquence that convinces and converts. In the case of Peter, it is a look of love; in the case of the Good Thief, it is unresentful serenity in suffering. Conversion takes place like a miracle. God opens your eyes. You recognize his presence and action. You surrender! Opting for Christ is always a mystery. Why does one make a definitive choice for Christ, even in the face of trouble, or death? Why do Christians flourish in persecuted places? We shall never know. But it happens over and over again. If a person who has abandoned his faith comes across the real face of Christ, he will be stunned by what he actually sees, and may surrender like Thomas: “My Lord and my God!” It is a privilege to unveil the face of Christ to people. It is even a greater joy to discover – or rediscover -him. “Your face, O Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me.”
Theophilus of
Alexandria: 'Crucifixion and the Good Thief'.
The sun of righteousness appeared
in the east and gave light to those who were in the darkness and in the shadow
of death (Lk. 1:79) ...The powerful lion sprang up out of the wood; all the
wild beasts hid in their dens…This, if you like, is the way of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, when he saw the real enemy of the whole human race, who is the devil.
For the devil invaded the whole earth, and afflicted everyone with many kinds
of sins, which he spreads with these great scourges, namely, idolatry, robbery,
vanity, fornication, theft, murder, slander, licentiousness, envy, hatred,
contempt, anger, sorcery, pollution, fraud, arrogance, perjury, falsehood,
corruption, prostitution, deceit and whatever is similar in them. These are the
traps which the devil set for humanity, until he brought it to perdition and
dispersed it. Well now. Let us consider in what way Christ the king made war
against the devil until he released our souls from him and set them free. Let
us begin, then, to penetrate the great treasure house full of the fruits of
life.
· This is the great holy mystery of the wood of the cross, on which the True God, Jesus Christ, mounted out of love. When he descended into this world, he came to the people of Israel and preached to them saying: 'Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.' (Mt. 4:17)
· But they paid no heed to his holy counsels. After this he performed all the signs of his divinity in their presence, miracles without number. He made the blind see, the lame walk and the deaf hear. He healed lepers. He brought the dead back to life. He drove out demons. He made paralytics stand on their feet and forgave their sins. He made tax gatherers repent. He straightened vainglorious hands. He evangelized the poor. He remitted the sins of adulteresses and purified them with his divinity, restoring them to a virginal state. It was because an adulterous woman was made worthy of this great grace that her hands anointed the feet of him who had created her. (Lk. 7 37-8) From the moment she participated in the purity of his divinity, the voice of God came to her. 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace.' (Lk. 7:50)
· In spite of all these things accomplished by him in their presence, they did not give him credence, but seized him and delivered him to be crucified. Having brought him into the court of the High Priest, they treated him with contempt rather than honor. Then the word of scripture was fulfilled. They brought evils upon me instead of blessings, and hatred instead of my love.' (Ps. 108:5)
· What
then are the evils which the people he created, the people who killed him, did
to him?
They are terrible to describe or to hear. My tongue trembles, my eye weeps, my spirit groans, my soul is distressed to utter them. It is God that they have seized, the Lord that they have bound. They have pierced with nails the hands of them who created them. They slapped the face of their Lord. They beat his head with their fists. They placed a crown of thorns on his head. They dressed him in a purple cloak. They gave him vinegar and gall. On this day they did all these things to him. They crucified him with two thieves. One of them, who was unworthy of the division of his divinity, said to the Lord, deriding him: 'If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.' (Lk 23:39).
· The other replied rebuking him with indignation: 'Do you not fear God? We are receiving the reward of our sins which we have committed, but this man has done nothing wrong.' And he said, 'Jesus. remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And Jesus said to him with great joy: 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.' The gate of Paradise has been closed since the time when Adam transgressed, but I will open it today, and receive you in it. Because you have recognized the nobility of my head on the cross, you who have shared with me in the suffering of the cross will be my companion in the joy of my kingdom. You have glorified me in the presence of carnal men, in the presence of sinners. I will therefore glorify you in the presence of the angels. You were fixed with me on the cross, and you united yourself with me of your own free will. I will therefore love you, and my Father will love you, and the angels will serve you with my holy food. If you used once to be a companion of murderers, behold, I who am the life of all have now made you a companion with me. You used once to walk in the night with the sons of darkness; behold I who am the light of the whole world have now made you walk with me. You used once to take counsel with murderers; behold, I who am the Creator have made you a companion with me. 'All these things I will pardon you because you have confessed my divinity in the presence of those who have denied me. For they saw all the signs which I performed, but did not believe in me. You, then, a rapacious robber, a murderer, a brigand, a swindler, a plunderer have confessed that I am God. That is why I have pardoned your many sins, because you have loved much (Lk. 7:47). I will make you a citizen of Paradise. I will wash your body so that it will not see corruption before I resurrect it with me on the third day and take you up with me. The other who has denied me will see you enveloped in glory, but he will be enveloped in pain and same. He will see you surrounded by light, but he will be surrounded by darkness. He will see you in a state of joy and happiness, but he will be in a state of weeping and groaning. He will see you enjoying ease and benediction, but he will be suffering oppression and malediction. He will see you refreshed by the angels, but he will be troubled by the powers of darkness. And in the midst of intense cold the worm that never rests will consume him. Not only did he not confess me, but after having denied me he reviled me. 'For this reason all will receive according to their works. For as I have already said to them explicitly and in public: Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.' (Mt. 10:32-3).
So now, brethren, what torment the man who denied the Lord brought upon himself? We should therefore watch over ourselves that we should not be led astray, that for the sake of things of this life, we should not be made strangers to him who has created us. Perhaps there is someone today who is denying God for the sake of riches because the love of money closes the eyes of those who are given to it. Such a person takes the part of Judas, He has sold the Lord for thirty pieces of silver. It is therefore good for us to direct our concerns towards the Lord since it is he who takes care of us. Let us now turn to the goal proposed to us by the cross. For the ladder which Jacob contemplated that was fixed to the ground and reached up to heaven on which the angel of the Lord ascended and descended (Gen. 28:12), is Our Lord Jesus Christ raised up on the wood of the cross.
PRAYER My cry to you today, O Lord, in tears is this: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” It is for this Kingdom that I fondly long. It is the eternal home you have prepared for all those who seek you with sincere hearts. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”. Help me, Lord, as I struggle ahead on my way to my eternal destiny. Lift the darkness from my path, and keep my eyes raised to the heights!
“Lead, kindly
Light,
amid the encircling gloom.
Lead thou me on.
The night is dark, and I am far from home.
Lead thou me on.
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.”
Friday around 2 PM
meditate on the
TWELFTH STATION
TWELFTH STATION
The Mother of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple at the foot of the Cross
From the Gospel
according to Saint John. 19:25-27
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother: “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple: “Behold your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
MEDITATION In suffering we long for solidarity. Mother Mary reminds us of supportive love and solidarity within a family, John of loyalty within a community. Family cohesion, community bonds, ties of friendship – these are essential for the flourishing of human beings. In an anonymous society they grow weak. When they are missing, we become diminished persons. Again, in Mary we do not notice even the least sign of resentment; not a word of bitterness. The Virgin becomes an archetype of forgiveness in faith and hope. She shows us the way to the future. Even those who would like to respond to violent injustice with “violent justice” know that that is not the ultimate answer. Forgiveness prompts hope. There are also historic injuries that often rankle in the memories of societies for centuries. Unless we transmute our collective anger into new energies of love through forgiveness, we perish together. When healing comes through forgiveness, we light a lamp, announcing future possibilities for the “life and well-being” of humanity.
PRAYER Lord
Jesus, your Mother stood silently at your side in your final agony. She who was
unseen on occasions when you were acclaimed a great prophet, stands beside you
in your humiliation. May I have the courage to remain loyal even where you are
least recognized. Let me never be embarrassed to belong to the “little flock”.
Lord, let me remember that even those whom I consider my “enemies” belong to
the human family. If they treat me unfairly, let my prayer be only: “Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do.” It may be in such a context that
someone will suddenly recognize the true face of Christ and cry out like the
centurion: “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Friday around 3 PM
meditate on the
THIRTEENTH STATION
THIRTEENTH STATION
Jesus dies on the Cross
From the Gospel
according to Saint Luke. 23:46
Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit!” And having said this, he breathed his last.
MEDITATION Jesus hands over his spirit to the Father in serene abandonment. What his persecutors thought to be a moment of defeat proves, in fact, to be a moment of triumph. When a prophet dies for the cause he stood for, he gives the final proof of all that he has said. Christ’s death is something more than that. It brings redemption. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.” With that begins for me a mystic journey: Christ draws me closer to him, until I shall fully belong to him.
“As a deer longs
for flowing streams,
So my soul longs for you, O God…
When shall I come and behold the face of God?”
PRAYER Lord Jesus, it is for my own sins that you were nailed to the Cross. Help me to gain a deeper understanding of the grievousness of my sins and the immensity of your love. For “while we were still weak, Christ died for the ungodly.” I admit my faults as the prophets did long ago:
“We have sinned and
done wrong and acted wickedly
and rebelled, turning aside
from your commandments and ordinances;
we have not listened to your servants the prophets….”
There was nothing
in me to deserve your kindness. Thank you for your immeasurable goodness to me.
Help me to live for you, to shape my life after you, to be joined to you and
become a new creation.
“Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.”
Friday before sunset
meditate on the
FOURTEENTH STATION
FOURTEENTH STATION
Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed in the tomb
From the Gospel according to Saint Mark. 15:46
Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.
MEDITATION Tragedies make us ponder. A tsunami tells us that life is serious. Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain pilgrim places. When death strikes near, another world draws close. We then shed our illusions and have a grasp of the deeper reality. People in ancient India prayed: “Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.” After Jesus left this world, Christians began to look back and interpret his life and mission. They carried his message to the ends of the earth. And this message itself is Jesus Christ, who is “the power of God and the wisdom of God”. It says that the reality is Christ and that our ultimate destiny is to be with him.
PRAYER Lord
Jesus, enable us, as we press forward on life’s weary way, to have a glimpse of
our ultimate destiny. And when at last we cross over, we will know that “death
will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.” God will wipe away
all tears from our eyes. It is this Good News that we are eager to announce “in
every way”, even in places where Christ has not been heard of. For this we work
hard. We work “night and day” and wear ourselves out. Lord make us effective
carriers of your Good News. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will
stand upon the earth; and in my flesh I shall see God.”
Why
Fish on Friday?[5]
Many major world religions have dietary rules which
are meant to be followed for a period of time (e.g., Ramadan, Lent) or are
prescribed lifestyles (e.g., Kosher, Halal). The practice of eating fish
on Friday – still followed by many Catholics today – was written about in the
first century A.D. According to Christian teaching, Jesus died on a
Friday, and people fasted as a sacrifice in his memory. While
fasting is part of many religious traditions, it does not always mean abstention
from all food and drink. In this case, fasting meant that people stopped
eating the flesh of warm-blooded animals on Fridays; cold-blooded fish could
still be consumed.
Fish has been an important part of human diet from
the time of Stone Age hunter‐gatherers, who ate the meat of warm-blooded
animals, plants, and fish. Some of our earliest cookbooks are clay tablets
from the 18th century B.C. (housed in Yale University’s Babylonian
Collection) that include recipes for preparing fish. Fish has always been
a primary ingredient in Jewish cookery because it was plentiful, easy to
prepare, and symbolized fertility and prosperity.
Additional symbolism has been attached to fish (the
Old Testament’s claim that God created fish and marine life on the fifth day
(Friday), most of the apostles were fishermen who then became “fishers of men”
who gathered converts to Christianity, and the use of the fish symbol in early
Christianity). Fish were also important to the Greeks, Romans, and
other pagans who used the fish symbol prior to its adoption by
Christians. This meant that early Christians could use the mark without
drawing undesired attention to themselves.
The 4th century Council of Nicea formalized the
tradition of 40 days of Lent (from Ash Wednesday to Easter), during which only
weekdays are counted as fasting days when it was forbidden to eat meat
(including poultry), animal fats, milk, or eggs. The medieval Christian
calendar named even more meat-free days: Fridays, Wednesdays, Saturdays,
Advent (the weeks before Christmas) and Lent (the weeks before Easter).
Some suggest that the medieval Catholic Church increased the number of fasting
days/fish days to prop up the fishing economy dominant in monasteries, however
Brian Fagan (UC Santa Barbara) and Michael Foley (Baylor University) both discredit this theory.
It has also been suggested that the timing of
fasting from meat and dairy products in Spring is not coincidental. Rather, it
comes at a time when stored provisions might be running low, fields are bare,
ewes are not lambing, and hens are laying fewer eggs. Fasting in Spring also
pre-dates the Christian era. In addition, many fish varieties are
high in B Vitamins, Niacin, and Folate, which would offer nutritional benefits
after a winter of weak sunshine and a declining choice of vegetables.
The fish industry was well-established and vital to
the medieval economy. Descriptions, depictions (including 130 churches
with relevant wall paintings, and artifacts of fishing are plentiful from the
Middle Ages (5th - 15th century). The use of fishhooks, spears,
nets, traps, and even fish farming was widespread throughout Europe.
Sometime around 1000 AD, there was a shift from the consumption of locally
caught freshwater fish to ocean caught fish. While this might have been a
response to overfishing of local fish, dried Scandinavian cod appears as an
important traded commodity. The drying and smoking of herring and cod as a
way of preserving them for eating later, in the centuries before refrigeration,
made fishing a growth industry. Vikings, who were expert at preserving cod,
were sailing first to Iceland and Greenland, and then onto Newfoundland to fish
where Atlantic cod were plentiful.
Vikings were thought to have developed an early sun
compass, allowing them during mid summers to measure the declination of the sun
to keep them on latitude courses, thus able to steer relatively straight
courses to and from these areas across the North Atlantic. In this way, the
growing demand for fish spurred advances in Medieval navigation and the
discovery of new lands.
Fish fasting continued to stimulate growth in seafood right up into modern times and played quite a role here in the development of North America’s cod and other fishing industries. Fast-forwarding to the twentieth century, when an early McDonald’s franchise owner wrestled with the challenge of selling burgers on Friday, he developed the solution in the ever-popular Filet-O-Fish sandwich. Indeed, when the Pope scaled back Fish Fridays in the 1960s to just the 40-day period of Lent, cod prices dropped dramatically as demand fell for a period of time.
Fitness Friday: How to Help Your
Community Keep Fit with a Trim Trail
A recent study by Oxford University has shown that half of British adults
never do any exercise. The Telegraph reports that, ‘Forty-four per cent admit
to not taking part in any moderate exercise meaning that British fitness levels
are among the worst in Europe’. This means that nearly five million adults
spend the majority of the day sitting down. 10% of adults admitted to not even
walking for at least ten minutes a day. Cambridge University studied 334,000
people for twelve years and found that inactivity was worse than obesity and
caused more premature deaths. Research has found that 20 minutes brisk walking
a day provides major health benefits.
Often the reason we don’t exercise as much as we should is because we are
under the misconception that we need to spend hours exercising formally in the
gym. Unfortunately, this way of thinking results in a lack of motivation and
feeling overwhelmed. The NHS Choices website has devoted a whole section to
encouraging people to exercise for free by using the area around them and has
suggested a wide range of activities including walking, cycling, park games,
home exercising, skipping and trim trails. Many of these activities can be
undertaken anywhere, including the local park or green area. Local councils can
help to encourage people to do different types of exercises by installing
equipment such as outdoor gyms and trim trails.
Many councils have begun to address their citizens’ fitness levels by
installing Trim Trails in their parks. Parks in cities like London, Manchester
and Birmingham have trim trails available for everyone to use. Trim Trails
include equipment that strengthens the upper body, lower body, improve
coordination and get your heart beating. Trim Trails are such an effective form
of exercise that some personal trainers actually incorporate the equipment into
their training schedule. The main advantage of Trim Trails is that it is
completely free to use them and walking between each piece of equipment allows
you to exercise outside without even realizing it.
When planning a Trim Trail for your park or green area you can choose as
many pieces as possible of equipment that suit your budget and the space you
have available. Every Trim Trail is bespoke and unique to the setting it is in.
At Playdale, we have thirteen pieces of Trim Trail equipment and two types of
signs. The Playdale Trim Trail range includes chin ups, hurdles, pole climb,
ladder walk, vault, straddle jump, leapfrog, sit ups, parallel bars, twin
balance beam, step ups, arm stretch and press ups.
If you would like advice on how to plan your trim trail and organize your
budget, we would be very happy to help. Contact us here for more information.
NIC’s Corner
May the favor of the Lord our God be
ours. Prosper
the work of our hands! Psalm 90:17
·
30
DAY TRIBUTE TO MARY 22nd ROSE: Precious Gift of the Cross
o
30 Days of Women and Herbs –
Frauendreissiger
§ Mint (Mentha arvensis, m. piperita,
m. aquatica)
MEDICINAL PLANTS Day 22 INSECT PLAGUES-Revealed by Heaven to Luz
De María
ROSEMARY Scientific name: Rosmarinus officinalis L Family: Lamiaceae
Rosemary
has the following property: As an oily or alcoholic solution, it is used as
insect repellent.
“Use mullein and rosemary in discreet
amounts.” Blessed Virgin Mary, 01.28.2016
o
Ever wondered how
to make the most of your day?
§
Perhaps start
with a cheesy delight – whip up a homemade cheese pizza. Embrace the goodness
of melted cheese and flavorful tomato sauce, then challenge yourself to whip
one up from scratch. Don’t worry about perfection; it’s all about the fun of
creation.
o
After savoring
your pizza, shift your focus to giving back. Engage in a random act of
kindness. Pay for a stranger’s coffee, donate clothes to a shelter, or simply
lend an ear to someone in need. Small gestures can make a big difference.
o
Feeling the need
for spontaneity?
§
Embrace being
fashionably late for something. Skip the rush, savor the moment, and don’t
stress about the ticking clock. It’s liberating to break free from the
constraints of time occasionally.
o
Lastly, treat
your taste buds to the global flavors of samosas. Head to a local eatery or if
feeling adventurous, try your hand at making them at home. Explore different
fillings and spices to create your version of this delectable snack.
o
In this playful
journey of pizza making, spreading kindness, embracing tardiness, and indulging
in samosas, you’ve crafted a day filled with creativity, generosity,
spontaneity, and global flavors. So go forth and enjoy each moment!
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite yourself in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Authentic
Feminism
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: September
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
No comments:
Post a Comment