Vinny’s Day
o Start your day by indulging in a warm cup of chai to celebrate World Gratitude Day.
o Follow it up with a fresh apple snack in honor of International Eat an Apple Day.
o Take care of your furry friends on National Cat & Dog Gut Health Awareness Day.
o Perhaps use the energy from your healthy snack to hit the dance floor for National Dance Day.
o Feeling nostalgic?
§ Reach out to an old friend on Locate An Old Friend Day. Keep the good vibes going by spreading peace on the International Day of Peace.
o Feeling adventurous?
§ Try your hand at escapist challenges on Escapology Day. If you need a breather, head to the beach for International Coastal Cleanup Day.
o Need some brain training?
§ Engage in some gymnastics for National Gymnastics Day.
§ Wrap up your day with a calming yoga session for National Miniature Golf Day.
§ Who knows, you might even spot a red panda while you’re at it for International Red Panda Day!
SEPTEMBER 21 Ember Saturday-Feast of Saint Matthew
OKTOBERFEST International Day of Peace
1 SAMUEL, Chapter 15, Verse 24
There are
three lessons we can learn from the life of King Saul.
First,
obey the Lord and seek to do His will.
From the
very start of his reign, Saul had the perfect opportunity to be the benchmark
by which all future kings could be measured. All he had to do was to seek the
Lord wholeheartedly, obey His commandments and align his will with that of
God’s, and his rule would have been a God-honoring one. However, like so many
others, Saul chose a different path and strayed away from God. We find a
perfect example of his disobedience in the incident where God commanded him to
kill all the Amalekites, but Saul kept the king and some of the spoils of war.
Saul compounded his troubles by lying to Samuel over the incident. He claimed
that it was the people that saved all of the animals (1 Samuel 15). This act,
plus many others over the course of his rule, emphasized the fact that he could
not be trusted to be an instrument of God’s will.
The second lesson we learn is not to misuse the power given to us.
There is no
question that King Saul abused the power God had entrusted to him. The
over-riding reason for this is the pride often creeps into our hearts when
people are serving and honoring us. In time, this type of “star treatment” can
make us believe that we really are something special and worthy of praise. When
this happens, we forget that God is the one who is really in control and that
He alone rules over all. God may have chosen Saul because he was humble, but
over time that humility was replaced by a self-serving and destructive pride
that destroyed his rule.
The third lesson for us is to lead the way God wants us to lead.
First Peter
5:2-10 is the ultimate guide for leading the people that God has placed in our
charge: “Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as
overseers—not because you must, but
because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but
eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples
to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown
of glory that will never fade away. Young men, in the same way be submissive to
those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one
another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble
yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due
time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled
and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know
that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of
sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in
Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and
make you strong, firm and steadfast.” How much different Saul’s life would have
turned out had he obeyed these principles. King Saul would have had no shortage
of wise counsel available to him. By ignoring God and His wise counsel, Saul
allowed the spiritual health of his people to deteriorate further, alienating
them from God.[1]
September Ember Days
By Fr. Chad Ripperger, FSSP
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross, September 14th, are known as “Michaelmas Embertide,” and they come near
the beginning of Autumn (September 22nd) and were formerly set aside as days of
fasting and abstinence. The Lessons focus on the Old Covenant’s Day of
Atonement and the fast of the seventh month, but start off with this prophecy
from Amos 9:13-15:
"Behold the days come, when the ploughman shall overtake the reaper,
and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed, and the mountains shall dop
sweetness, and every hill shall be tilled. And I will bring back the captivity
of My people Israel, and they shall build the abandoned cities, and inhabit
them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of them; and shall
make gardens and eat the fruits of them; and I will plant them upon their land:
and I will no more pluck them out of their land which I have given them; saith
the Lord thy God."
Like all Embertides but Whit Embertide, the Lessons end with the story of the
three boys in the fiery furnace, as told by Daniel. The Gospel readings recount
how Jesus exorcised demons from a possessed boy and tells the disciples about
fasting to cast out unclean spirits (Matthew 9:16-28), forgave Mary Magdalen
(Luke 7:36-50), and healed the woman on the sabbath after telling the parable
of the fig tree (Luke 13:6-17). In the midst of this beautiful time, things
wizen and seem to begin to die. The air grows cooler, the earth stiffens, the trees
tire of holding their leaves. And during this waning we remember our dead — on
November 1st, the victorious dead (All Saints’, or All Hallows Day), and on
November 2nd, the dead being purified (All Souls’ Day). These Days of the Dead
begin with the eve of All Hallows, or “Hallowe’en,” an unofficial evening of
remembering the frightening fate of the damned and how we can avoid it. There
can’t be a more appropriate time for such a night than Autumn, when foggy mists
are likely, and bonfires helpful.
Source: http://fssp.com/press/2009/09/september-ember-days/
Ember
Saturday of September-Commemoration
of Yom Kippur and the Feast of Tabernacles (both of
which occur in the Jewish calendar around this time), two important
foreshadowing’s of the Christ event.[2] The
church reminds us of the profound importance of total conversion.
Meditation:
Ember Saturday, A Day for expiation and thanksgiving! This excerpt from Pius
Parsch is based on the 1962 Missal. The current Missal does not include special
propers and readings for Ember Days.
1. Holy Mass
(Venite). Ember Saturday is the official thanksgiving day for all the blessings
of the past quarter-year. Especially in autumn when we garner the fruits of
nature should we be more conscious of God’s Providence both in the temporal and
spiritual orders. In ancient times today’s Mass served as a thanksgiving
sacrifice and as a renewals of the Christian covenant with God. The text
presumes that the Ember days are the Christian counterpart to the Old Testament
feasts of Atonement and Tabernacles, highlighting penance and and gratitude
respectively. The liturgical celebration, observed during the night between
Saturday and Sunday and of obligation for all the faithful, was unusually
festive. The faithful gathered at St. Peter’s for an entrance song the
Invitatory (Psalm 94) was sung. The first four Lessons belonged specifically to
the night-vigil and formed a greeting worthy of the enthroned King. The
Readings tap the marrow of the Ember celebration, its connection with the
Jewish feasts of the seventh month, Yom Kippur and the feast of Tabernacles.
The autumn Ember days are days of penance for past failings and of gratitude
for the harvest (and redemption); such too is the spiritual import of the
Lessons. The first reviews the Mosaic legislation concerning the Day of
Atonement, the second concerning the feast of Tabernacles, Israel’s great
thanksgiving feast.
The two Graduals
echo their respective Lessons; the first “Forgive” (Day of Atonement), the
second, “How lovely are Thy tabernacles” (feast of Tabernacles). The third and
fourth Lessons, from the prophets Micheas and Zacharias, are comforting
messages in which God reaffirms His readiness to forgive the sins of His people
and to grant them good things provided they remain faithful. God is also
concerned over the manner in which we fast: “The fast of the fourth month, and
the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth
shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and a great solemnity!” By
which our Ember days, of course, are meant. The Orations offer God our festive
fast and plead forgiveness. As on other Ember Saturdays, the fifth Lesson is
already part of the morning service; the assembled faithful are praying Lauds;
the three youths in the fiery furnace prefigure the resurrection of Christ and
of Christians.
In the Epistle
St. Paul shows how the ceremonies of the old covenant were types of the new;
our day of atonement is Good Friday when Christ, the divine High Priest,
entered the most holy sanctuary of heaven with His own Blood and wrought
eternal redemption; every Mass is Good Friday repeated. In the Tract we chant
the shortest Laud psalm as we express our gratefulness for God’s merciful work
of redemption and HIs fidelity in fulfilling the prophecies.
Presently the
High Priest Himself appears, first “teaching on the Sabbath” (in the Foremass),
then offering Himself (in the Oblation). The unfruitful “fig tree in the
orchard” and the “bowed-down woman” are the faithful. God is the landlord,
Christ the pleading gardener; till now we have been unfruitful.
We also resemble
the bowed-down woman; wholly taken up with earthy concerns, too often we are
“unable to look upward”; but on this Christian Sabbath, Christ seeks “to free
us from the bonds of Satan” and make us spiritually “erect.” Thus the Gospel
insinuates the workings of grace in today’s holy Sacrifice.
At the
sacrificial Banquet we once more recall the institution of the feast of
Tabernacles as a remembrance of the deliverance from Egypt and the wanderings
through the wilderness—for the Eucharist is the fulfillment of those two
historical events by providing deliverance from sin and the true Manna from
heaven. A classic, thought-packed Postcommunion: May the sacramental energy of
the Eucharist realize its power in us, and may we one day enjoy face to face
what now we see in a veiled manner. Three realities are noted: the first is the
sign—this shows the sacrament. Underneath the sign is hidden the second
reality, the sacrament’s efficacy—what the sacraments contain. And lastly, the
rerun veritas, the future unveiling.
2. A “Spiritual
Renewal” Day. For a “day of recollection” no better meditation points could be
found than those in the Lessons of today’s Ember Mass. Of the two areas of
thought proper to the formulary, viz., the Ember festivity is the Christian
“Day of Atonement” and the Christian Feast of Tabernacles (or thanksgiving day
at harvest time), let us pursue the former in some detail.
a)
The Old Testament type. The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, was the great
penitential observance of Mosaic Law, Israel’s “confession day.” With us
“penance days” are not feast days, but among the Jews it was otherwise; Yom
Kippur was a day of strict rest, absolutely no type of work was permitted and
the spirit of the occasion was festive, celebrabitis. The day’s liturgy
exemplified the nation’s effort to expiate sin; on this one day of the year,
the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies with sacrificial blood and
sprinkle the ark of the covenant in atonement for his own and his people’s
sins. Meanwhile the people did penance through fasting, humbling themselves
before Yahweh.
b)
The New Testament fulfillment. Mosaic festivals were shadows which took on
flesh and blood in the Church of Christ. Good Friday was the real, the unique
day of atonement in the sight of God. How well St. Paul affirmed this truth in
the Epistle of today’s Mass: “Christ appeared as the high priest of coming
(Messianic) blessings. He entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle not
made by human hands (i.e., heavenly in nature) not with the blood of goats and
steers but with His own blood—once and for all He entered the (heavenly) Holy
of Holies—after He had effected an eternal redemption (i.e., one with lasting
effects in contrast to the annually repeated Jewish day of atonement).” For the
sacrifice on the Cross constituted the perfect reconciliation of God with
mankind; and every holy Mass, as it renders present that sacrifice on Golgotha,
is Yom Kippur par excellence.
Every Sunday
then would be the Christian atonement feast. But because we Christians are so
irresponsive and dull to the inner nature of spiritual realities, holy Church
introduced special expiation days during the course of the Church year. Among
these are Ember days. Ember Saturdays, particularly September Ember Saturday,
have preserved best this original spirit. Anyone who seeks to develop his
spiritual life on a liturgical basis would have to use the Ember days during
the four seasons as times of genuine spiritual renewal. The peculiar means of
keeping these days is evident from the liturgy itself—acts of penance and
fasting, confession of sin, humbling ourselves before God and neighbor, and
nevertheless rejoicing, in the best sense of the word. Our conduct would
exemplify the prophet’s statement (fourth Lesson), “The fast proper to the
fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months (i.e., the four Ember weeks) should
mean joy and exultation to the house of Judah (viz,, Catholics) and high
festival; you only need to love truth (obedience) and peace.”
c)
Application. God appeals directly to my heart in the Gospel. The two parables,
one in word and one in sign, should move me deeply. I am that barren fig tree.
The infinitely just God is the landlord, our Savior the pleading caretaker. If
God should summon me to His judgement seat today (the command to destroy the
tree), would there be any “fruit”? To what extent would I resemble the barren
fig tree? Why does it occupy ground? But Christ intercedes, says a kindly word
in my behalf: “Perhaps there will be some return—next crop! If not, it can then
be cut down.” The coming quarter-year mark must mark a change, genuine
improvement.
The parable in
sign is equally instructive. My soul is so badly bowed down to earth, it find
“looking upwards” toward heavenly realities extremely painful. Christ must make
me stand erect again. The coming season as no other is the season of hope, of
preparation for the parousia, of longing for the heavenly Jerusalem, of
expectation for the returning Lord. Jesus, have mercy. Free me from stooping
down to the earthly, the sensual. Straighten me out for heaven. Now! Jesus,
have mercy.
—Excerpted
from Pius Parsch, Year of Grace, Volume 5.
Feast of Saint
Matthew[3]
Put your hope in Christ and not in money, possessions,
or position as did the Apostle Matthew.
MATTHEW, also called Levi, a son of Alpheus, and
brother of the holy apostle James the Less, was a receiver in the Roman customhouse
on Lake Tiberius. Such officers were hated by the Jews for their injustice, and
were called publicans, or public sinners. While he was sitting at the receipt
of custom, he was called by Christ to be one of His disciples, and immediately
leaving his lucrative office and all that he had, followed Him. On account of
his distinguished zeal he was afterwards received into the number of the
apostles. After the descent of the Holy Ghost he remained in Judea, preached
the Gospel, wrote the passion of Our Lord as contained in his gospel, and lived
strictly in the fear of God. At a later day he travelled through Persia,
Ethiopia, and other countries. At last he was killed at the altar, by command
of King Hirtacus, for opposing his marriage with the Princess Iphigenia, who,
by St. Matthew’s direction, had vowed to God perpetual virginity. His holy
remains were brought to Salerno, Italy in the tenth century. Thus, may
great sinners become great saints by following faith fully, like St. Matthew,
the voice of God.
At the Introit of the Mass the Church sings: The
mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment;
the laws of God is in his heart.
Prayer. May we be assisted, O Lord, by the
prayers of the blessed apostle Matthew, that what of ourselves we are unable to
obtain may be given to us by his intercession.
EPISTLE.
Ezech. i. 10-14.
The likeness
of the face of the four living creatures: the face of a man, and the face of a
lion on the right side of all the four: and the face of an ox on the left side
of all the four: and the face of an eagle over all the four. And their faces,
and their wings were stretched upward: two wings of every one were joined, and
two covered their bodies: and every one of them went straight forward: whither
the impulse of the spirit was to go, thither they went: and they turned not
when they went. And as for the likeness of the living creatures, their
appearance was like that of burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of
lamps. This was the vision running to and fro in the midst of the living
creatures, a bright fire, and lightning going forth from the fire. And the
living creatures ran and returned like flashes of lightning.
GOSPEL.
Matt. ix. 9-13.
At that time Jesus saw a man sitting in the customhouse,
named Matthew: and He saith to him: Follow Me. And he rose up and followed Him.
And it came to pass as He was sitting at meat in the house, behold many
publicans and sinners came, and sat down with Jesus and His disciples. And the
Pharisees seeing it, said to His disciples: “Why doth your master eat with
publicans and sinners? But Jesus hearing it, said: They that are in health need
not a physician, but they that are ill. Go then and learn what this meaneth, I
will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the just, but sinners.
Explanation. This gospel teaches us:
1. That when God calls, we should obey at once, lest,
by not giving heed to His voice, he should cease to call us, or withdraw from
us His grace.
2. To forsake the occasions of sin; as St. Matthew
not only left the place where he sinned, but abandoned entirely the very house
and office which had led him into sin.
3. That we should not only cease to sin, but, like
St. Matthew, should follow Christ in poverty, humility, meekness, patience, if
we would enter the kingdom of God.
Prayer. O holy apostle, who hast made ready
for us a glorious feast in thy gospel, pray for me that thy gospel may be in
truth food for my soul; pray that in it I may devoutly consider the life,
virtues, passion and death of Jesus Christ, that I may faithfully follow, in
all things, thy words, written by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and by the
operation of the same Spirit may be able to exclaim: How sweet are thy words to
my palate! more than honey to my mouth.
St Matthew Facts[4]
·
Tax collectors worked for Rome, and not only did
Jews pay Roman taxes to them, the collectors received a percentage for their
own profit. Jews in good standing did not associate with publicans.
·
Once Matthew begins to follow Jesus, he holds a
dinner for other tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:10). The
Pharisees, the strict Jewish law abiders that were leaders in the community,
complained about Jesus, a teacher eating with sinners. Jesus said,
"For I have come to call the not the righteous but the sinners."
(Matthew 9:13)
·
Early church writers claim that after Jesus'
death and resurrection that Matthew preached Christianity in Persia, Macedonia,
and Syria.
·
In the Orthodox Church, tradition says that St.
Matthew refused to die even after several attempts. He was first placed
upside down and lit on fire, then sunk in a coffin in the sea overnight.
The ruler of Ethiopia, who tried to kill Matthew, apologized to the
apostle and converted to Christianity.
·
St Matthew was one of Jesus' 12 disciples and writer
of the Gospel of Matthew. His feast day is held on September 21 in the
Roman Catholic Church and November 16 in the Orthodox faith.
Things to Do[5]
·
Do something for the needy: money for missions,
donations of clothing or toys, canned goods drive, etc.
·
Take time to read St. Matthew's Gospel, keeping
in mind that St. Matthew depicts the humanity of Christ and emphasizes His
physical sufferings. He makes frequent reference to the fulfillment of
prophecies because he wrote to Jews and to Jewish Christians.
·
Discuss St. Matthew's call from Christ "Follow
me" with your children and how we are all called to belong to the
family of God.
·
Pray for people who work for financial
institutions.
·
Make Silver Dollar Pancakes, you can use this recipe on Catholic Cuisine's website or one of the
suggestions we offer under recipes.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION
OF FAITH
SECTION
TWO-I. THE CREEDS
CHAPTER THREE-I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
ARTICLE 8-"I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT"
III. God's Spirit and Word in the Time of the Promises
Day 100
702 From the beginning until
"the fullness of time," The joint mission of the Father's Word
and Spirit remains hidden, but it is at work. God's Spirit prepares for the
time of the Messiah. Neither is fully revealed but both are already promised,
to be watched for and welcomed at their manifestation. So, for this reason,
when the Church reads the Old Testament, she searches there for what the
Spirit, "who has spoken through the prophets," wants to tell us about
Christ.
By "prophets" the
faith of the Church here understands all whom the Holy Spirit inspired in the
composition of the sacred books, both of the Old and the New Testaments. Jewish
tradition distinguishes first the Law (the five first books or Pentateuch),
then the Prophets (our historical and prophetic books) and finally the Writings
(especially the wisdom literature, in particular the Psalms).
In creation
703 The Word of God and his
Breath are at the origin of the being and life of every creature:
It belongs to the Holy Spirit
to rule, sanctify, and animate creation, for he is God, consubstantial with the
Father and the Son.... Power over life pertains to the Spirit, for being God he
preserves creation in the Father through the Son.
704 "God fashioned man
with his own hands [that is, the Son and the Holy Spirit] and impressed his own
form on the flesh he had fashioned, in such a way that even what was visible
might bear the divine form."
The Spirit of the promise
705 Disfigured by sin and
death, man remains "in the image of God," in the image of the Son,
but is deprived "of the glory of God," of his
"likeness." The promise made to Abraham inaugurates the economy of
salvation, at the culmination of which the Son himself will assume that
"image" and restore it in the Father's "likeness" by
giving it again its Glory, the Spirit who is "the giver of life."
706 Against all human hope, God
promises descendants to Abraham, as the fruit of faith and of the power of the
Holy Spirit. In Abraham's progeny all the nations of the earth will be
blessed. This progeny will be Christ himself, in whom the outpouring of
the Holy Spirit will "gather into one the children of God who are
scattered abroad." God commits himself by his own solemn oath to
giving his beloved Son and "the promised Holy Spirit . . . [who is] the
guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it."
In Theophanies and the Law
707 Theophanies (manifestations
of God) light up the way of the promise, from the patriarchs to Moses and from
Joshua to the visions that inaugurated the missions of the great prophets.
Christian tradition has always recognized that God's Word allowed himself to be
seen and heard in these theophanies, in which the cloud of the Holy Spirit both
revealed him and concealed him in its shadow.
708 This divine pedagogy
appears especially in the gift of the Law. God gave the letter of the Law
as a "pedagogue" to lead his people towards Christ. But the
Law's powerlessness to save man deprived of the divine "likeness,"
along with the growing awareness of sin that it imparts, enkindles a
desire for the Holy Spirit. the lamentations of the Psalms bear witness to
this.
In the Kingdom and the Exile
709 The Law, the sign of God's
promise and covenant, ought to have governed the hearts and institutions of
that people to whom Abraham's faith gave birth. "If you will obey my voice
and keep my covenant, . . . you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation." But after David, Israel gave in to the temptation of
becoming a kingdom like other nations. the Kingdom, however, the object of the
promise made to David, would be the work of the Holy Spirit; it would
belong to the poor according to the Spirit.
710 The forgetting of the Law
and the infidelity to the covenant end in death: it is the Exile, apparently
the failure of the promises, which is in fact the mysterious fidelity of the
Savior God and the beginning of a promised restoration, but according to the
Spirit. the People of God had to suffer this purification. In God's plan,
the Exile already stands in the shadow of the Cross, and the Remnant of the
poor that returns from the Exile is one of the most transparent prefigurations
of the Church.
Oktoberfest[6]
Remember no carousing or
drunkenness!!!
Today is a Fast Day-Be
a Man only drink 1 liter stein
Oktoberfest is a 16-day
folk festival celebrated in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is also the
world’s largest Volksfest, which are German events that combine beer festivals with traveling funfairs.
Oktoberfest first emerged on October 12, 1910, when King Ludwig I married
Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Citizens of Munich celebrated the
marriage in fields leading to the city gates. These fields were named
‘Theresienwiese’ in honor of the Princess. The wedding celebrations ended
on October 17th with horse races and until 1960, horse races were held
annually. Eventually, carnivals, amusement rides, food booths, beer tents and
parades were all added to the celebrations. Today, Oktoberfest is still held
annually at the Theresienwiese fairgrounds in Munich although there are no
longer any horse races. Oktoberfest celebrations have also spread
globally, becoming synonymous with beer and German culture. This festival
usually starts on the third weekend of September and ends on the first weekend
of October.
Oktoberfest Facts
·
According to tradition, beer tents at the
Oktoberfest can only sell beer that has been brewed in Munich. The beer
has to adhere to the Bavarian Purity Requirements called Reinheitsgebot.
The six breweries allowed at the Oktoberfest include:
1) Augustiner
2) Hacker Pschorr
3) Hofbräu
4) Löwenbräu
5) Paulaner
6) Spaten
·
Since Oktoberfest is still held on the
Theresienweise, locals refer to Oktoberfest as Wies'n.
·
Beer served at the Oktoberfest is poured in mugs
called Maß. A Maß is made of clear glass, so that the consumer can see
whether the Maß is full or not. Maß also contains a calibration mark to
which beer must be filled and the calibration mark has to amount to 1-liter.
If a Maß is not completely filled, or the calibration mark falls below
the true 1 liter position, or if there is no calibration mark, then the seller
can be prosecuted for committing fraud. Verein gegen betrügerisches
Einschenken is a Munich-based organization that monitors whether glasses
are being completely filled or not.
·
Traditional German clothing for Oktoberfest
includes a Sennerhut. Sennerhut is a woollen hat that may have symbols of
a person’s hometown, or is embroidered with bright flowers. For a measure
of good luck, some people add goat hair on the hat. Men traditionally
wear Lederhosen, which are leather breeches, while women wear Dirndl. A
dirndl is a dress that consists of a bodice, blouse, skirt and apron.
·
In 2015, 5,900,000 visitors attended Oktoberfest
in Munich, Germany. Approximately 7.3 million liters of beer was consumed
and the average 1-litre mug of beer cost approximately 10.22 euros ($12).
Oktoberfest Top Events and Things
to Do
·
Attend the real Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.
·
Try the only beer that adheres to Bavarian
Purity Requirements (Reinheitsgebot), and which is sold at the
Oktoberfest, including:
1) Augustiner
2) Hacker Pschorr
3) Hofbräu
4) Löwenbräu
5) Paulaner
6) Spaten
·
Try traditional Oktoberfest food:
1) Bavarian Brez’n, a soft pretzel that is served with sausage and mustards
2) Sausages including Bratwurst, Weisswurst, or Currywurst
3) Slow roasted ox
4) Rotisserie chicken
5) Schweinshaxe which is a pickled ham served with sauerkraut and mashed
potatoes.
·
Celebrate Oktoberfest at beer gardens in the
United States. Here are some recommendations:
1) Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2) Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids, Michigan
3) Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California
4) Fremont Brewing Company in Seattle, Washington
5) Draught House Pub & Brewery in Austin, Texas
6) Frankford Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7) Radegast Hall & Biergarten in Brooklyn, New York
8) Cisco Brewers in Nantucket, Massachusetts
9) Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in San Diego, California
10) Der Biergarten in Atlanta, Georgia
11) Rhein Haus in Seattle, Washington
12) Wurstküche in Los Angeles, California
Host an
Oktoberfest party. Try different German beers and Oktoberfest dishes
including sausages and soft pretzels and even dress up in traditional
Oktoberfest clothing called Tracht, including a dirndl for women
and lederhosen for men
International Day of Peace[7]
International
Day of Peace seeks to promote peace among nations and peoples. Peace is
recognized as both an innate state of being, and a dynamic evolutionary process
wherein constructive growth can occur and the children of this and future generations may
gain hope for a better world to inherit. International Day of Peace was
established by the United Nations in 1981. In 2002, the United Nations declared it a permanent holiday. Through
education and public awareness events, the UN endeavors to strengthen the
ideals of peace among all of the world's inhabitants. International Day
of Peace is observed on September 21st each year. On this day, the UN
urges all hostilities to stop, worldwide.
Inner Peace of Christ[8]
On Dec. 14, 1989, the Vatican's Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith released its "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic
Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation." This document, approved
by Pope John Paul II, recognizes that some Christians, experiencing a
"spiritual restlessness arising from a life subjected to the driving pace
of a technologically advanced society," have investigated certain Eastern
techniques of prayer, seeking "a path to interior peace and psychic
balance." Eastern methods of prayer often depart from Christian principles
by "abandoning not only meditation on the salvific works accomplished in
history by the God of the Old and New Covenant, but also the very idea of the
One and Triune God." Instead, inner peace and union with the Absolute is
attained by "immersion 'in the indeterminate abyss of the divinity'";
hence, a person can lose his identity by being "swallowed up" by the
Deity. Contemporary Catholics seeking inner peace need not dive headlong into
Eastern mysticism. A host of Catholic writers has advocated ways by which
spiritual happiness may be realized. One of the best but least recognized
guides is Saint Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751), a Franciscan friar known
for his preaching in defense of the Immaculate Conception. He offered four
"rules" to help achieve peace of soul.
1.
To be attached only to God. Status and
wealth may be beneficial, but to be overly concerned about them is to invite
inner spiritual havoc. The soul's primary need is communication with its
Creator. One needs to view objects and persons in reference to God and His will
if peace is to reign. To be "dead" to the world and creatures is
paramount.
2.
To surrender to Divine Providence. All
Catholic spiritual writers are unanimous on this point: Sanctity and inner
peace are attained only when God's will holds sway. The Lord knows best. Humbly
accepting His will is vastly different from reluctantly putting up with it.
When a person yields to the divine plan, he demonstrates a belief that God will
sustain him--come what may.
3.
To welcome suffering and hardship. Human
nature tends to resist difficulties. Yet, spiritual perfection entails carrying
the cross of Jesus. Scorn and rejection from others--while hardly
pleasant--must be seen as an opportunity to experience solidarity with the
suffering Christ.
4.
To undertake only that which our
situation in life demands. Often a person takes upon himself too many
activities at once. "The more, the better" does not necessarily apply
in the realm of good works. Prudence dictates what one can accomplish. Inner
turmoil may spring from a plethora of activities, even when they are morally
good acts. Prayer and counsel will determine what to undertake and what to
forego.
When thousands are turning to Eastern methods of
prayer in search of peace, Catholics should take heed of the advice offered
nearly three centuries ago by this Italian preacher. Happiness of soul occurs
when a person conforms himself to Christ through acceptance of the Father's
will. Only then may one experience the peace which the world cannot give (cf.
John 14:27).
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: For
the intercession of the angels and saints
·
Saturday Litany of the Hours
Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: September
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[3] Goffine’s Devout Instructions,
1896.
[7]https://www.wincalendar.com/International-Day-Of-Peace
[8] http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=1960
