ICEMANforChrist
This blog is based on references in the Bible to fear. God wills that we “BE NOT AFRAID”. Many theologians state that the eighth deadly sin is fear. It is fear and its natural animal reaction to fight or flight that is the root cause of our failings to create a Kingdom of God on earth. By “the power of the Holy Spirit” we can be witnesses and “communicators” of a new and redeemed humanity “even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7 8). This blog is dedicated to Mary the Mother of God.
Prayers-Devotions-Information
- First Saturday Devotion
- Militia of the Immaculata
- Daily: Seven Sorrows of Mary
- Prayer for the Troops
- Stations of the Cross: Thursday before First Frida...
- German Rosary
- You Need to Pray for those in Authority
- Iceman's Total Consecration to St. Joseph
- World Peace Rosary
- Character is Destiny
- Long Breastplate of St. Patrick
- The Manhood of the Master
- 54 Day Rosary
- Rosary
- Morning offerings plus four daily prayers(0900/1200/1500/1800 hours) that will change your life.
- Angelus
- Saturday Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
- Angelic Examination of Conscience
- 40 Days to Freedom from the Devil
- Liturgy of the Hours
- Prayers of Reparation to the Holy Face
- Universal Man Plan (Phase III) "The St. Peter"
- An Hours Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament
- Universal Man Plan (Phase 2) "The St. George"
- 90 Days to Peace
- INTO THE BREACH
- Explanation of the Traditional Latin Mass
- First Friday
- Divine Mercy Novena
- Shoulder Wound of Christ
- Angelic Choirs Devotion
- Rosary the Roadmap of Salvation
- Universal Man Plan (Phase 4) The "St. Joseph"
- Novena of St. Joseph
- Time is a Gift from God
- Devotion to the Seven Joys and Sorrows of St. Jose...
- Novena to Pray for Strength, Humility and Resolve for Our Bishops
- Eucharistic Stations of the Cross
- Spiritual Warfare
- Iceman's 33 days to Eucharistic Glory
- EVENING DEVOTIONS Goffine's Devout Instructions, 1...
- Quo Vadis (Where are you going?)
- Fitness Fridays
- Chaplet of Divine Mercy
- Nineveh 90
- Peace through Strength
- Iceman's 40 hour devotion
- Our Lady of Sorrows: September Devotion
- Auxilium Christianorum
- Prayers Before and After Mass
- Total Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
- Patrolman's Fraternity of St. Michael
- PRAYER FOR HEALING THE FAMILY TREE
- Renewal of Baptismal Vow
- Prayer before Mass
- Novena to the Holy Face
- An Offering to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Universal Man Plan (Phase 1) "The St. Ignatius"
- A Method of Hearing Mass Spiritually
- Operation-Purity
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Saturday, March 15, 2025
Vinny’s Day Try “ Rack of Lamb Persillade ” Las Fallas in Valencia, Spain March 1-19 Enjoy a high-spirited fiesta in Valencia, Spain...

Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Candace’s Try “Jabugo”
· Phoenix Home & Garden’s Garden Tour
April 20
o The pages of PHOENIX’s sister publication come to life as patrons enjoy exclusive access to a curated selection of the Valley’s most enchanting home gardens during this annual self-guided tour. Attendees will also have the unique opportunity to mingle with Phoenix Home & Garden’s editorial staff as well as architects and designers featured in the magazine. VIP, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; GA, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $85-$125, Various Valley locations, phgmag.com
· Pray Day 6 of the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
· Tuesday: Litany of St. Michael the Archangel
- Spirit Hour: Sazerac in honor of St. Joseph
· Total Consecration to St. Joseph Day 32
· Bucket List trip: Macao
· Soup
Introduction to the Book of Ester[1]
How do you deal with
someone's insidious plot to murder you and everybody like you?
The Book of Esther
provides one possible answer to that question, tough cookie though it is.
Today, that query may not loom quite as large in America, but it definitely does in many other
places throughout the world (the Middle East, Burma, the Congo—and about a
dozen or more other places). It happened to loom really large in the ancient
Middle East too. In Esther's case, though, no one seems to know if there really
was a wicked counselor named Haman who attempted to manipulate the emperor
(probably Xerxes I, though here he's called "Ahasuerus") into having
all the Jews in the Persian Empire murdered during the fifth century BCE.
Nevertheless, you don't have to look too deeply into Jewish history to find
highly similar attempts at genocide and persecution against the Jews. The story
(which was probably written during the third or fourth Century BCE) may have
helped people who were living under later rulers and needed to reckon with
threats from above (regardless of how historically accurate the story is—or isn't).
Good Girl, Mad World
Esther is one of the first
in a long line of stories about how a good and clever woman helps a powerful,
evil, and monstrous (or maybe just confused) villain switch towards making the
right decisions (in this case, it's King Ahasuerus). In a way, it's a little
like Beauty and the Beast—except
the Beast never sat around tacitly supporting a genocide, Belle never sought
vengeance against the people who were trying to kill her, and Lumiere never
walked around weeping and wearing sackcloth. But despite all that, Esther's a
good example of this type of story. To give a non-Disney version, you could
think of The Arabian Nights,
where the heroine gets her husband to stop murdering his wives every night by
telling him a series of entertaining tales (come to think of it, actually that is
a Disney example, because Aladdin's
part of The Arabian Nights).
It's also a bit of an unusual fit. It isn't one of the major books of the
Tanakh or the prophets or anything. It's wedged in with the
"Writings," next to a miscellany of texts, like The Book of Daniel
and The Song of Songs. It's also particularly odd because it doesn't really
mention God, doesn't really fit into that whole spiritual narrative which
occupies the Torah and the Prophets. It's a suspense and adventure story on the
one hand, but it's also a more serious tale about how the Jewish people manage
to preserve themselves and their culture when faced with a threat from hostile
authorities. Additionally, one of Esther's greatest contributions to
culture—the holiday of Purim—is a time for fun and merriment (and also an
opportunity to look for spiritual meanings hidden within the tale).
Why Should I Care?
The Book of Esther has a
James Bond-ish, ticking-time-bomb plot. It's also heavy on action, drama, and Game of Thrones-style intrigue,
while being notably lacking in legal codes, commandments, theology—all that
kind of thing. This is one book of the Bible you could easily read while
marinating in a bubble bath, without feeling particularly sacrilegious. The
book is compact and smooth—a straightforward, streamlined example of an ancient
Hebrew short story. We're not suggesting that whoever wrote the book of Esther
was exactly the Alice
Munro of his or
her time, but the author was indeed another master storyteller. A closer
comparison would be a story that's a classic, but more focused on action than
on character. Maybe F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" would work as an example of the
style (if not of the substance).
Darker Dimensions
But Esther is more than an
entertaining yarn. To be sure, it is more of a "tale" than
an epic investigation into the relationship between God and humanity. (In fact,
considering that it doesn't really mention God, it might be the Bible's most
secular book.) Overall, though, it's a story about how a pair of scrappy
underdogs—Esther and Mordecai—face seemingly insurmountable odds and end up
putting it all together in the end. The author suggests that, while living in
exile the Jewish people can—with tough work and intelligence—secure a decent
place for themselves within the kingdoms ruled by Gentile conquerors. (So,
maybe it's more like The Little
Giants or The Mighty
Ducks than all that high-art literary Munro and Fitzgerald stuff.)
Yet, there are darker dimensions to the story, going beyond the basic theme of
preventing a genocide. Esther, Mordecai, and their allies seek vengeance
against the supporters of the evil counselor Haman, racking up a considerable
death toll, for one thing. As well, the king Ahasuerus is a bit of a cipher.
You can't really figure out what the dude's psychology is, or what he's
"on about" (to borrow a U.K.-ism). So, that's all disquieting food
for thought. But despite these violent and confusing undertones and the
somewhat confusing, momentary disappearance of God from the Biblical storyline,
the reader will undoubtedly be moved to repeat an immortal line from The Royal Tennenbaum’s:
"Go, Mordecai!"
MARCH 18 Tuesday in the Second Week of Lent
Ester, Chapter 1, Verse 8
The whole nation of the just was
shaken with FEAR at the evils to come
upon them, and they expected to perish.
Sounds like 2019 to me, Afterall we according to AOC
she stated we only have 12 years left before the world dies from pollution-so
let’s party!
Party Like It's Roughly
500 BCE[2]
- The
first chapter starts off by describing the setting: this all went down in
the Persian capital of Susa, where King Ahasuerus was ruling over an
empire that extended from India to Ethiopia.
- Three
years into his reign, Ahasuerus throws a huge banquet, showing off his
wealth to all of the different governors and officials in his kingdom.
It's a massive party that goes on for one hundred and eighty days.
- Then,
he gives another banquet for all the people living in his citadel—both the
important people and the unimportant. It lasts for seven days. All of the
kings' luxurious couches and curtains are on show, and he amply provides
wine for his guests in golden goblets.
- The
queen, Vashti, also provides a separate banquet for all the women in the
kingdom.
- On
the seventh day, King Ahasuerus orders the queen to come so that he can
show her beauty off to all the people in the kingdom, sending eunuchs to
tell her.
- But
the queen refuses to come. Uh-oh.
Sounds
like a Case for Judge Judy
- King
Ahasuerus goes into a rage and asks his sages what the law says about
this.
- The
sages say that the queen has not only wronged the king but all the people
in the kingdom as well, since she's setting a disobedient example for all
the wives. They tell him he needs to dismiss the queen.
- So,
the king divorces Vashti, strips her of her title, and orders her never to
come before him again.
- He
also writes letters to each of his provinces telling everyone that men
should be the masters of their houses. (Nice touch, fella.)
Tuesday in the Second
Week of Lent[3]
Jesus’
condemnation of religious externalism, hypocrisy and vanity is not meant to
correct only the Pharisees of his time. It is also directed at us. We should
look into our Lenten practices of piety and works of charity and see whether
they are tainted with hypocrisy. During the celebration that follows, Christ,
the servant of Yahweh, will increase in us the spirit of human service.
The
“phylacteries” mentioned in the gospel were bands of parchment enclosed in
small boxes worn on the forehead and left fore-arm where they were fixed by
straps. On these bands were inscribed the most important texts of the Law. The
“fringes” were the tassels which the Law required to be worn at the four
corners of the cloak. By wearing broad phylacteries and long tassels the
Pharisees intended to show clearly their fidelity to the Law. —St. Andrew
Missal
Prayer.
GRANT, we
beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that Thy family, who, afflicting their flesh,
abstain from food, by following justice may fast from sin.
EPISTLE.
Daniel ix. 15-19.
In those days Daniel prayed unto
the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, Who hast brought forth Thy people out of the
land of Egypt with a strong hand, and hast made Thee a name as at this day: we
have sinned, we have committed iniquity, Lord, against all Thy justice: let Thy
wrath and Thy indignation be turned away, I beseech Thee, from Thy city
Jerusalem, and from Thy holy mountain. For by reason of our sins, and the
iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem, and Thy people are a reproach to all that
are round about us. Now, therefore, O our God, hear the supplication of Thy
servant, and his prayers: and show Thy face upon Thy sanctuary which is
desolate, for Thy own sake. Incline, O my God, Thy ear and hear: open Thy eyes,
and see our desolation, and the city upon which Thy name is called: for it is
not for our justifications that we present our prayers before Thy face, but for
the multitude of Thy tender mercies. O Lord hear: O Lord, be appeased: hearken
and do: delay not for Thy own sake, O my God: because Thy name is invoked upon
Thy city, and upon Thy people.
GOSPEL.
John viii. 21-29.
At
that time Jesus said to the multitude of the Jews: I go, and you shall seek Me,
and you shall die in your sin. Whither I go, you cannot come. The Jews
therefore said: Will He kill Himself, because He said: Whither I go, you cannot
come? And He said to them: You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of
this world; I am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you, that you shall
die in your sins. For if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your
sin. They said therefore to Him: Who art Thou? Jesus said to them: The
beginning, Who also speak unto you. Many things I have to speak and to judge of
you. But He that sent Me is true: and the things I have heard of Him, these
same I speak in the world. And they understood not that He called God His Father.
Jesus therefore said to them: When you shall have lifted up the Son of man,
then shall you know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself, but as the
Father hath taught Me, these things I speak: and He that sent Me is with Me,
and He hath not left Me alone: for I do always the things that please Him.
St. Joseph-Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Joseph
These words were spoken to Sister on the eve of St. Joseph’s
feast day, March 18, 1958:
·
My
child, I desire a day to be set aside to honor my fatherhood.
·
The
privilege of being chosen by God to be the Virgin-Father of His Son was mine
alone, and no honor, excluding that bestowed upon my Holy Spouse, was ever, or
will ever, be as sublime or as high as this.
·
The Holy
Trinity desires thus to honor me that in my unique fatherhood all fatherhood
might be blessed.
·
Dear
child, I was king in the little home of Nazareth, for I sheltered within it the
Prince of Peace and the Queen of Heaven. To me they looked for protection and
sustenance, and I did not fail them.
·
I
received from them the deepest love and reverence, for in me they saw Him Whose
place I took over them.
·
So, the
head of the family must be loved, obeyed, and respected, and in return be a
true father and protector to those under his care.
·
In
honoring in a special way my fatherhood, you also honor Jesus and Mary. The
Divine Trinity has placed into our keeping the peace of the world.
·
The
imitation of the Holy Family, my child, of the virtues we practiced in our
little home at Nazareth is the way for all souls to that peace which comes from
God alone and which none other can give.
St. Joseph appeared to Sister again to explain the First
Wednesday devotion God wishes to establish in his honor. Sister states:
His requests were similar to those of Our Lady and the First
Saturday. The Sacred Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph have been chosen by the
Most Holy Trinity to bring peace to the world; hence, their request for special
love and honor, also, in particular, reparation and imitation.
These are the words of St. Joseph as recorded on March
30, 1958:
“I am the protector of the Church and the home, as I was the
protector of Christ and His Mother while I lived upon earth. Jesus and Mary
desire that my pure heart, so long hidden and unknown, be now honored in a
special way.
1.
Let my children honor my most pure heart in a special
manner on the First Wednesday of the month by reciting the Joyful Mysteries
of the rosary in memory of my life with Jesus and Mary and the love I bore
them, the sorrow I suffered with them.
2.
Let them receive Holy Communion in union with the love
with which I received the Savior for the first time and each time I held Him in
my arms.
Those who honor me in this way will be consoled by my
presence at their death, and I myself will conduct them safely into the
presence of Jesus and Mary.
I will come again, little child of my most pure heart. Until
then, continue in patience and humility, which is so pleasing to God.”
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
Day
275 2110-2117
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION TWO-THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
CHAPTER
ONE-YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR
SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND
Article 1-THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
III. "You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me"
2110 The first
commandment forbids honoring gods other than the one Lord who has revealed
himself to his people. It proscribes superstition and irreligion. Superstition
in some sense represents a perverse excess of religion; irreligion is the vice
contrary by defect to the virtue of religion.
Superstition
2111
Superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this
feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g.,
when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices
otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of
sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior
dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition.
Idolatry
2112 The first
commandment condemns polytheism. It requires man neither to believe in, nor to
venerate, other divinities than the one true God. Scripture constantly recalls
this rejection of "idols, (of) silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see." These empty
idols make their worshippers empty: "Those who make them are like them; so
are all who trust in them." God, however, is the "living
God" who gives life and intervenes in history.
2113 Idolatry
not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to
faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry
whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods
or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state,
money, etc. Jesus says, "You cannot serve God and mammon." Many
martyrs died for not adoring "the Beast" refusing even to
simulate such worship. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is
therefore incompatible with communion with God.
2114 Human
life finds its unity in the adoration of the one God. the commandment to
worship the Lord alone integrates man and saves him from an endless
disintegration. Idolatry is a perversion of man's innate religious sense. An
idolater is someone who "transfers his indestructible notion of God to
anything other than God."
Divination and magic
2115 God can
reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian
attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence
for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about
it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.
2116 All
forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring
up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the
future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of
omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all
conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other
human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict
the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.
2117 All
practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so
as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others -
even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary
to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when
accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to
the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism
often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns
the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not
justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's
credulity.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Conversion
of Sinners
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
Monday, March 17, 2025
Monday Night at the Movies
The Nun's Story
Christopher’s Corner
· Catechism # 2415 The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation.
o Liberty Wildlife-My Eagle Scout Project was to build a walk-in cage for wild birds.
§ Liberty Wildlife envisions a time when wildlife is recognized as an integral part of our natural world, and a precious natural resource, to be protected and preserved.
§ Liberty Wildlife envisions being a permanent community resource, a place to instill compassion and stewardship in young minds and a place to reconnect the public with the beauty and benefits of native wildlife and habitat.
§ Liberty Wildlife envisions a time when the community as a whole participates in the safekeeping of the natural world.
· Patrick’s Day March 17th Don your friendliest green for St. Patrick’s Day. Boston is the place to be, with the city’s official St. Patrick’s Day Parade drawing anywhere from 600,000 to 1 million people every year.
· Evacuation Day in Boston marks the moment when the city was freed from British military control during the early days of the American Revolutionary War.
· Eat waffles and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
· Spirit hour[10] Irish Whiskey of course
o Not too much take care of your liver
· Total Consecration to St. Joseph Day 31
· National Corned Beef and Cabbage Day
· Bucket List trip[11]: Holocaust Museum
· Monday: Litany of Humility
MARCH 17 Monday Second Week in Lent
Zachariah,
Chapter 9, verse 5-6
5Ashkelon will see it and be AFRAID; Gaza too will be in great anguish; Ekron also, for its hope will wither. The king will disappear from Gaza, Ashkelon will not be inhabited, 6 and the illegitimate will rule in Ashdod.
Ashkelon was a coastal city of the Philistines usually at war with Israel. What God is saying to the Israelite’s is that He has got their backs and is in the process of restoring Israel. God’s mercy is so great that not only does he restore Israel but, God the Father, eventually will restore all those who have Holy Fear. “The Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15)
“The fact
that Jesus suffered for us means that our suffering now has somewhere to go.
Our pain, our battle with sin, our struggle to truly believe in him, all of
this can be laid within the wounds of Christ and healed. When we carry
our scars alone, they blind us. They paralyze us. They prevent us from
experiencing joy. But when we unite our own wounds to those of Christ, when we
allow ourselves to encounter the wounded but glorified Christ, we are able to
move beyond our own.[1]
Let us this day say the prayer of Everyman[2]
Into thy hands, Lord, my soul I commend; receive it, Lord, that it be not lost; and save me from the fiend’s boast, that I may appear with the blessed host that shall be saved at the day of doom. Into thy hands-of might’s most forever-I commend my spirit.
Here we see God’s mercy is always greater than His justice. Be daring for we are favored and great is His mercy to us.
Christ shows us the
Father in His forgiveness. Christ would not relent for as you read the gospels
it is clear Christ teaches forgiveness and tells us to ask for the strength to
forgive other people. Christ in his first sermon made it abundantly clear we
need forgiveness and in His death His last words were about forgiveness. God
shows us in this verse to not keep score. How often we tabulate all the wrongs
others have done to us. We hold grudges; we plot and wait for vengeance. Christ
shows us the depth of His love by forgiving even his executioners.[3]
Monday Second Week in Lent[4]
Prayer. BE propitious, O Lord, to our
prayers, and heal the desires of our souls, that, having received forgiveness,
we may ever rejoice in Thy benediction.
EPISTLE, in. Kings
xvii. 8-16.
In
those days: The word of the Lord came to Elias, the Thesbite, saying: Arise,
and go to Sarephta a city of the idonians, and dwell there: for I have
commanded a widow woman there to feed thee. He arose and went to Sarephta. And
when he was come to the gate of the city, he saw the widow woman gathering
sticks, and he called her, and said to her: Give me a little water in a vessel,
that I may drink. And when she was going to fetch it, he called after her,
saying: Bring me also, I beseech thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. And she
answered: As the Lord thy God liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of
meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruse: behold I am gathering two sticks
that I may go in and dress it, for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.
And Elias said to her: Fear not but go and do as thou hast said: but first make
for me of the same meal a little hearth-cake and bring it to me: and after make
for thyself and thy son. For thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: The pot of
meal shall not waste, nor the cruse of oil be diminished, until the day wherein
the Lord will give rain upon the face of the earth. She went and did according
to the word of Elias: and he ate, and she and her house: and from that day the
pot of meal wasted not, and the cruse of oil was not diminished, according to
the word of the Lord, which He spoke in the hand of Elias.
GOSPEL. Matt, xxiii.
1-12.
At that time
Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: The scribes and the
Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. All things therefore whatsoever
they shall say to you, observe and do but according to their works do ye not:
for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens and lay
them on men’s shoulders: but with a finger of their own they will not move
them. And all their works they do for to be seen of men. For they make their
phylacteries broad and enlarge their fringes. And they love the first places at
feasts, and the first chairs in the synagogues, and salutations in the
marketplace, and to be called by men, Rabbi. But be not you called Rabbi. For
One is your master, and all of you are brethren. And call none your father upon
earth: for One is your father Who is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters:
for One is your master, Christ. He that is the greatest among you shall be your
servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled: and he that shall
humble himself shall be exalted.
Explanation.
The
law of God imposes certain obligations on us. The priest and the teacher teach
God’s Gospel in His name, and we shall be judged if we refuse to believe God’s
truth and, in His Church, because our teachers may not practice what they
preach.
The greatest proof of Christ's charity was given on the Cross. With Christ our gift of ourselves will be given to God as an expression of our love. Communion will lift our human activities up to God's level, not only in will and intention, but in the reality of the sacrament. Let us offer then, and believe, and change our lives into more loving. —St. Andrew Bible Missal
ST. PATRICK[5] was born towards the close of the fourth century, but the place of his birth is not positively known. Britain and Scotland both claim the honor, but the best authorities seem to agree upon Brittany, in France. In his sixteenth year he was carried into captivity by certain barbarians, who took him into Ireland, where he was obliged to keep cattle on the mountains and in the forests, in hunger and nakedness, amidst snows, rain, and ice. The young man had recourse to God with his whole heart in fervent prayer and fasting and from that time faith and the love of God acquired continually new strength in his tender soul. After six months spent in slavery under the same master St. Patrick was admonished by God in a dream to return to his own country, and informed that a ship was then ready to sail thither. He went at once to the seacoast, though at a great distance, and found the vessel. After three days sail, they made land, but wandered twenty-seven days through deserts, and were a long while distressed for want of provisions. Patrick assured the company that if they would address themselves with their whole hearts to the true God He would hear and succor them. They did so, and on the same day met with a herd of swine. From that time provisions never failed them, till on the twenty-seventh day they came into a country that was cultivated and inhabited. Some years afterwards he was again led captive but recovered his liberty after two months. When he was at home with his parents, God manifested to him, by divers’ visions, that He destined him to the great work of the conversion of Ireland. The writers of his life say that after his second captivity he travelled into Gaul and Italy, and saw St. Martin, St. Germanus of Auxerre, and Pope Celestine, and that he received his mission and the apostolical benediction from this Pope, who died in 432. Great opposition was made to his episcopal consecration and mission, both by his own relations and by the clergy; but the Lord, whose will he consulted by earnest prayer, supported him, and he persevered in his resolution. He forsook his family, sold his birthright and dignity to serve strangers, and consecrated his soul to God, to carry His name to the ends of the earth. In this disposition he passed into Ireland to preach the Gospel, penetrating into the remotest corners; and such was the fruit of his preaching’s and sufferings that he baptized an infinite number of people. He ordained everywhere clergymen, induced women to live in holy widowhood and continence, consecrated virgins to Christ, and instituted monks. He took nothing from the many thousands whom he baptized, but gave freely of his own, both to pagans and Christians, distributed large alms to the poor in the provinces where he passed, and maintained and educated many children, whom he trained to serve at the altar. The happy success of his labors cost him many persecutions. He died and was buried at Down, in Ulster. His body was found there in a church of his name in 1185 and translated to another part of the same church.
A
WARRIOR’S BREASTPLATE[6]
I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead, His eye to watch, his might to stay, His ear to hearken to my need; the wisdom of my God to teach, his hand to guide, his shield to ward; the word of God to give me speech, his heavenly host to be my guard. 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, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in the hearts of all that love me, Christ in the mouth of friend and stranger. Amen
Things
to Do[7]
·
This
is a good day to honor St. Patrick by trying typical Irish fare: corned beef
and cabbage, soda bread, scones, stew, Shepherd's pie, potatoes in various
forms and the famous beer and spirits of Ireland. For dessert, try making the
Irish Porter Cake.
·
Read
the Lorica (Breastplate) of St. Patrick. Here is an older translation — pray it with your family after your rosary tonight.
·
From
the Catholic Culture library: The Conversion of Ireland by Warren Carroll, The Irish Soldiers of Mexico by Michael Hogan, The Irish Madonna of Hungary by Zsolt Aradi and Our Lady in Old Irish Folklore and Hymns by James F. Cassidy.
·
Don
your friendliest green for St. Patrick’s Day. Boston is the place to be, with the city’s official
St. Patrick’s Day Parade drawing anywhere from 600,000 to 1 million people
every year.
Saint
Patrick's Day Facts & Quotes[8]
·
St.
Patrick used the three-leaf shamrock to explain the Trinity to non-Christians.
The leaves stood for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
·
Approximately
5.5 million pints of Irish Guinness stout are consumed on an average day. On
St. Patrick's Day, nearly 13 million are consumed.
·
Wearing
the shamrock, a three-leaf clover is a St. Patrick's Day tradition. The
official three-leaf clover is known scientifically as Trifolium dubium however
clovers can also have more leaves. Four-leaf clovers are said to be lucky,
however the odds of finding one are about 1 to 10,000.
·
The
love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my
soul was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred
prayers and in the night, nearly the same. - St. Patrick
·
Sláinte!
- used when clinking glasses with friends at a bar (equivalent of Cheers or
Health!)
Saint
Patrick's Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Wear
green! In some parts of the world, the custom is to pinch people who aren't
wearing the color of shamrocks.
·
Attend
a St. Patrick's Day parade. Major cities like Chicago, New York, San
Francisco, Dallas, and Boston host marching bands and floats.
·
The
heart of any Irish neighborhood is its local pub. Share a couple of green
Guinness beers
with friends at a local Irish pub or try Magner's (Bulmer's) apple cider as an
alternative.
·
St.
Patrick was a brave and humble man. Have you been putting off something
because you are afraid to do it? Do it today in honor of St. Patrick's
Day.
Ireland has a long tradition of holy pilgrimages, dating
back to St. Patrick’s
fast on what is now known as Croagh Patrick in 441. In the pasts few years, the
Pilgrim Paths foundation has been restoring the ancient penitential paths and
has so far created five guided walks. After pilgrims get their “passports” stamped after completing
each of the five routes, they receive an Irish Pilgrim Paths completion
certificate from Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo.
Gaelic Prayers
Almsgiving[9]
When we consider God valued the human person as so precious enough to die for, we should make a concerted effort to aid others.
The giving of Alms has everything to do with devotions and piety. Almsgiving is a powerful form of prayer. “Prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness…It is better to give alms than to store up gold; for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin. Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life” (Tob 12:8-9) To give alms is to give to God. If we are giving alms righteously then most likely we are doing it though some form of fasting giving from our substance. The giving of Alms should not philanthropy with a smiling photo op and boost to our pride. The earliest Christians knew they could not make a good Communion if they neglected the poor. St. Ignatius noted that the twin marks of heresy are the neglect of the poor and neglect of the Eucharist. “The mystery of the poor is this: that they are Jesus and what you do for them you do to him.” (Dorothy Day) The Eucharist is the key to a civilization of love. It saves us from misguided tenderness and feel-good philanthropy, because it gives us the grace to sacrifice as Jesus did. Our main focus must be widows and orphans. (Single parents and children) “Widows and orphan are to be revered like the altar of sacrifice.” (Pope Paul VI) We should give as much as we can and we should give it responsibly making sure the alms are not wasted.
Mormons in their
almsgiving, for example, do fast offerings in addition to tithing. This
offering accompanies a monthly 24-hour fast. All the money that would have been
spent to buy food during those 24 hours is donated to the Church for the
purpose of feeding the hungry and caring for the needy.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
Day
274 2104
2104 "All
men are bound to seek the truth, especially in what concerns God and his
Church, and to embrace it and hold on to it as they come to know
it." This duty derives from "the very dignity of the human
person." It does not contradict a "sincere respect" for
different religions which frequently "reflect a ray of that truth which
enlightens all men," nor the requirement of charity, which urges
Christians "to treat with love, prudence and patience those who are in
error or ignorance with regard to the faith."
2105 The duty of offering God
genuine worship concerns man both individually and socially. This is "the
traditional Catholic teaching on the moral duty of individuals and societies
toward the true religion and the one Church of Christ." By constantly
evangelizing men, the Church works toward enabling them "to infuse the
Christian spirit into the mentality and mores, laws and structures of the
communities in which [they] live." The social duty of Christians is
to respect and awaken in each man the love of the true and the good. It
requires them to make known the worship of the one true religion which subsists
in the Catholic and apostolic Church. Christians are called to be the
light of the world. Thus, the Church shows forth the kingship of Christ over
all creation and in particular over human societies.
2106
"Nobody may be forced to act against his convictions, nor is anyone to be
restrained from acting in accordance with his conscience in religious matters
in private or in public, alone or in association with others, within due
limits." This right is based on the very nature of the human person,
whose dignity enables him freely to assent to the divine truth which transcends
the temporal order. For this reason it "continues to exist even in those
who do not live up to their obligation of seeking the truth and adhering to
it."
2107 "If
because of the circumstances of a particular people special civil recognition
is given to one religious community in the constitutional organization of a
state, the right of all citizens and religious communities to religious freedom
must be recognized and respected as well."
2108 The right
to religious liberty is neither a moral license to adhere to error, nor a
supposed right to error, but rather a natural right of the human person to
civil liberty, i.e., immunity, within just limits, from external constraint in
religious matters by political authorities. This natural right ought to be
acknowledged in the juridical order of society in such a way that it
constitutes a civil right.
2109 The right to religious liberty can of itself be neither unlimited nor limited only by a "public order" conceived in a positivist or naturalist manner. The "due limits" which are inherent in it must be determined for each social situation by political prudence, according to the requirements of the common good, and ratified by the civil authority in accordance with "legal principles which are in conformity with the objective moral order."
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Individuals
with Mental Illness note: We pray for
Politian’s separately
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
[1] Liturgical Publications Inc.
[2]
Everyman other Miracle and Morality Plays, Dover Press 1995
[3] Allen R. Hunt, Everybody needs
to forgive somebody.
[4] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
[5] Goffine’s Divine Instructions, 1896.
[6] St. Patrick
[9] Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40
Catholic Customs and their biblical roots. Chap. 33. Almsgiving.
[10]Foley, Michael P... Drinking with the
Saints: The Sinner's Guide to a Holy Happy Hour (p. 370). Regnery History.
Kindle Edition.
[11] Schultz, Patricia. 1,000 Places to See Before You
Die: A Traveler's Life List Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
[12] Sheraton, Mimi. 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A
Food Lover's Life List (p. 800). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
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