Rachel’s Corner
Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away, and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment and send you the Messiah already appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old. (Acts 3:19-21)
· How to celebrate Oct 24th
o Feeling like mixing things up a bit? Why not start your day by preparing a delicious Jamaican jerk chicken dish for breakfast, embracing the flavors and spices that will kickstart your taste buds into high gear. As you savor your meal, take a moment to appreciate the culinary journey you’re embarking on.
o After breakfast, take some time to learn about the majestic kangaroo, the fascinating creatures that are synonymous with strength and resilience. Watch documentaries, read articles, or visit a local zoo to observe these animals up close and personal. It’s a great way to increase your awareness and appreciation of the wildlife around you.
o For fun and budget-friendly activity, why not organize a bandana DIY session with friends or family? Get creative with different colors and patterns and wear them proudly throughout the day as a symbol of unity and creativity. You can even take it a step further by hosting a mini fashion show to showcase your unique bandana creations.
o As lunchtime approaches, indulge in some comfort food by celebrating National Food Day with a spread of your favorite dishes. Whether it’s a homemade bologna sandwich or a hearty bowl of tripe soup, relish in the simple pleasure of good food and good company.
o To round off your day, take a moment to reflect on the importance of global unity and cooperation on United Nations Day. Consider ways in which you can contribute to a more peaceful and sustainable world, whether through small acts of kindness in your community or supporting important causes on a larger scale.
Best Place to visit in October: Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah
This place is seriously jaw-dropping! Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is home to unique and spectacular landscapes, and I personally prefer to explore this surreal beauty spot during the autumn months, when temperatures are comfortable and there’s far fewer crowds.
On my trip I explored the Scenic Valley Drive, the iconic The Mittens and Merrick Butte (the famous symbols of the valley) and the more hidden gems of Hunts Mesa and Mystery Valley (which I did via a Navajo guide).
- Visitors Center Address: U.S. 163 Scenic, Oljato-Monument Valley, AZ 84536
- Map Location
- Average temperatures – 60 to 70
My highlights…
- Hiking the popular Wildcat Trail which took me on a two-hour journey around West Mitten Butte.
- Catching a breathtaking Instagram-worthy sunset from John Ford’s Point – the views were incredible!
Thursday Feast
Thursday is the day of the week that our Lord gave himself up for consumption. Thursday commemorates the last supper. Some theologians believe after Sunday Thursday is the holiest day of the week. We should then try to make this day special by making a visit to the blessed sacrament chapel, Mass or even stopping by the grave of a loved one. Why not plan to count the blessing of the week and thank our Lord. Plan a special meal. Be at Peace.
- Fish House Punch
- Linguine with Clam Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Green Beans
- Quinoa Chard Pilaf
- Olde Tavern Spoon Bread
Introduction To 2 Chronicles[1]
If 1 Chronicles is the
uplifting story of Israel's Golden Age, when King David ruled with justice and
mercy, then 2 Chronicles
is the hard right turn. Everything starts out just fine. David's son, Solomon,
builds the Temple in Jerusalem and impresses everyone with his wealth and
wisdom. But when Solomon dies, Israel's fortunes take a nosedive. For starters,
the country breaks into two warring kingdoms. The new king of the unified
kingdom, Rehoboam, isn't as politically savvy as his ancestor, David. Tired of
Rehoboam's heavy-handed rule, the ten northern tribes break away and form their
own kingdom. Both the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel go through a
series of kings that could best be described as a mixed bag—if by "mixed
bag" we mean incompetent, murderous idolaters who'll kill their own
grandchildren if that's what it takes to stay in power. It wasn't all bad news,
though. "Jumpin'" King Jehoshaphat tries to get a peace treaty going
with his friends in the north. King Hezekiah starts the tradition of
celebrating Passover in Jerusalem. And King Josiah rediscovers the first five
books of the Bible during his reign and realizes it would be a good idea to pay
them some serious attention. But these few bright spots aren't enough to
counteract the absolute corruption of the rest of the kings of Israel. Breaking
divine law, killing off family members, worshipping goat-demons—there's all
kinds of shocking stuff going down. Things get so bad that even though God has
promised that David's descendants will always reign in Israel, he lets the Babylonian
Empire invade and
destroy Jerusalem, level the Temple, deport much of the population, and leave
the rest to die in various horrible ways. Eventually, God lets the people
return to Jerusalem to rebuild amid the rubble. But if you were feeling
optimistic after 1 Chronicles, with the righteous King David having things well
in hand, prepare to be discouraged.
Why do bad things
happen?
The
author of 2 Chronicles knows why, and there's no question about it. Bad things
happen because people disobey God—it's as simple as that.
Did your army just get
demolished in battle?
Better
think twice about worshipping those goat gods.
Got a case of leprosy?
Just
because you're the king doesn't mean you're allowed in the Temple doing jobs
reserved for the priests. It couldn't be more clear: if you want health,
wealth, victory, and military success, you need to do what Yahweh asks. He
might be forgiving if you're truly sorry, but otherwise it's just basic math:
disobedience = disaster.
Don't you wish it were
all that simple?
We
all know that plenty of bad things definitely happen to very good people. Maybe
you have a friend who's kind and generous and dying from a horrible disease. Or
a fun, supportive cousin who was killed by a drunk driver. Maybe one of your
parents can't find a job despite being hardworking and smart. Maybe your sweet
little sister gets chosen as the tribute from Region 12. Natural disasters sure
don't make distinctions between good and bad people when they happen. It all
seems so unfair, and it's understandable to want explanations. And there are
plenty of explanations. You've heard them all—God's will, things happen for a
reason, things happen for no reason, we don't have all the information, they
must have deserved it, bad genes, bad luck, bad parents. We all want to figure
it out so we can prevent this stuff from happening to us. But apart from not
doing dumb, avoidable things that put us at risk for accidents or illness or
failure, bad things can happen anyway. And as long as they do, people will wonder
why.
Chronicles is one
answer to this huge question, but you'll have to find your own. And while
you're looking, don't text and drive, m'kay?
OCTOBER 24 Thursday
ST.
RAPHAEL-United Nations/Bologna/Tripe Day
2 Chronicles, Chapter 14, Verse 13
Then the Judahites conquered all
the cities around Gerar, for the FEAR
of the LORD was upon them; they plundered all the cities, for there was much
plunder in them.
Argh
sounds like pirates to me. It does not sound very good to us but we must
remember that the only law was “might makes right”. The truth is that most
people were murdering, thieving pirates. What is new is that Israel had a law
that was given them by the creator; however loosely they followed it. Israel
begins to understand that if you seek the Lord; you will find the Lord; if you
forsake the Lord; the Lord will forsake you.
Judah’s King Asa Wins Big[2]
·
When
Abijah dies, his son Asa takes over the Kingdom of Judah.
·
Asa
keeps Judah on the right path. He gets rid of all references to foreign gods
and encourages the people to follow God's law.
·
He
also builds up Judah's defenses and army in various cities. Even though there
aren't any wars for 10 years, this is a smart move because eventually the
Ethiopians attack Judah.
·
Zerah
the Ethiopian comes at them with a million soldiers. You read that right. Judah
has about 300,000.
·
Totally
outnumbered, Asa leads the army into battle and does pretty much the only thing
he can do right then—he prays. God helps the strong and the weak. And boy, is
Judah weak right now.
·
The
Almighty hears the king's panicked cries and responds with a sweeping victory.
Not only do they drive back the million-man army, but Judah also manages to
kill every last one. No exaggeration whatsoever there.
·
The
warriors in Judah are able to get all kinds of booty from the Ethiopians, so
it's a pretty big win for them.
FEAST OF SAINT RAPHAEL THE ARCHANGEL – 24th OCTOBER[3]
St. Raphael is one of the seven
Archangels who stand before the throne of the Lord, and one of the only three
mentioned by name in the Bible. He appears, by name, only in the Book of Tobit.
Raphael’s name means “God heals.” This identity came about because of the
biblical story that claims he “healed” the earth when it was defiled by the
sins of the fallen angels in the apocryphal book of Enoch.
Disguised as a human in the Book of
Tobit, Raphael refers to himself as “Azarias the son of the great Ananias” and
travels alongside Tobit’s son, Tobiah. Once Raphael returns from his journey
with Tobiah, he declares to Tobit that he was sent by the Lord to heal his
blindness and deliver Sarah, Tobiah’s future wife, from the demon Asmodeus. It
is then that his true healing powers are revealed, and he makes himself known
as “the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord” Tobit
12:15.
The demon Asmodeus killed every man
Sarah married on the night of the wedding, before the marriage could be
consummated. Raphael guided Tobiah and taught him how to safely enter the
marriage with Sarah.
Raphael is credited with driving the
evil spirit from Sarah and restoring Tobit’s vision, allowing him to see the
light of Heaven and for receiving all good things through his intercession.
PRAYER TO SAINT RAPHAEL
Glorious Archangel Saint Raphael,
great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of
wisdom and grace. You are a guide of those who journey
by land or sea or air, consoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners.
I beg you, assist me in all my needs
and in all the sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on
his travels. Because you are the medicine of God, I humbly pray you to heal the
many infirmities
of my soul and the ills that afflict my body.
I especially ask of you the favor (Make your request here…) and the great grace
of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
PRAYER TO SAINT RAPHAEL
Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great
prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and
grace. You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or air, consoler of
the afflicted, and refuge of sinners. I beg you, assist me in all my needs and
in all the sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on his
travels.
Because you are the “medicine of God”
I humbly pray for you to heal the many infirmities of my soul and the ills that
afflict my body. I especially ask of you the favor (here mention your special
intention), and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL FEAST PRAYER
Saint Raphael, the Archangel, help us
in all the needs and trials and the journey of this earthly life, as you,
through the power of God, didst restore sight and gave guidance to young Tobit.
We humbly seek your aid and intercession, that our souls may be healed, our
bodies protected from all ills, and that through divine grace we may become fit
to dwell in the eternal Glory of God in heaven. Amen.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
Day 133
II. DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED
VIRGIN
971 "All generations will
call me blessed": "The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is
intrinsic to Christian worship." The Church rightly honors "the
Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed
Virgin has been honored with the title of 'Mother of God,' to whose protection
the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs.... This very special devotion
... differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word
and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this
adoration." The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and
Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an "epitome of the whole Gospel,"
express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.
III. MARY - ESCHATOLOGICAL ICON
OF THE CHURCH
972 After speaking of the
Church, her origin, mission, and destiny, we can find no better way to conclude
than by looking to Mary. In her we contemplate what the Church already is in
her mystery on her own "pilgrimage of faith," and what she will be in
the homeland at the end of her journey. There, "in the glory of the Most
Holy and Undivided Trinity," "in the communion of all the
saints," The Church is awaited by the one she venerates as Mother of
her Lord and as her own mother.
In the
meantime the Mother of Jesus, in the glory which she possesses in body and soul
in heaven, is the image and beginning of the Church as it is to be perfected in
the world to come. Likewise she shines forth on earth until the day of the Lord
shall come, a sign of certain hope and comfort to the pilgrim People of God.
IN BRIEF
973 By pronouncing her
"fiat" at the Annunciation and giving her consent to the Incarnation,
Mary was al ready collaborating with the whole work her Son was to accomplish.
She is mother wherever he is Savior and head of the Mystical Body.
974 The Most Blessed Virgin
Mary, when the course of her earthly life was completed, was taken up body and
soul into the glory of heaven, where she already shares in the glory of her
Son's Resurrection, anticipating the resurrection of all members of his Body.
975 "We believe that
the Holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven
to exercise her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ" (Paul
VI, CPG # 15).
United Nations Day[4]
United Nations Day celebrates the anniversary of the
ratification of the United Nations Charter which occurred on October 24, 1945.
The United Nations is an international organization engaged in diplomatic and
peaceful communication between the countries of the world. The organization
oversees issues like human rights, international security, political freedoms
and democracy with an end goal of achieving world peace. The UN Charter was
officially signed on June 26th, 1945, but it could not come into existence
until the signatory states had ratified it and deposited notification to the
effect with the US Department of State. This occurred on October 24th, 1945.
The organization's Charter has now been ratified by most countries in the
world. The United Nations is a global organization with six official languages,
English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic. United Nations Day is
observed on October 24th each year.
Pray that the UN will be a force
for building the kingdom of heaven and not a secular force oppressing the
religious rights of the people of God.
Bologna
Day[5]
When most of us think of
bologna, we think of the smooth off-pink meat that comes with the red ring of
plastic around it at the grocery store. While it’s true that this is one type of
Bologna, most people are unaware that there is an entire range of bologna, and
that it’s all
named after the country of its origin. Bologna Day is your chance to learn a
little something about this traditional lunch meat and where it came from. We
know that most of you consider bologna to be a childhood favorite lunchtime
meat, but there’s
so much more to it than just that simple meat. Bologna can be made from any
number of meats, including beef, turkey, venison, chicken, and even a
vegetarian soy protein. What makes bologna is the seasonings used in its
preparation, a combination of nutmeg, black pepper, coriander, allspice, celery
seed, and the secret ingredient, myrtle berries. This final ingredient is what
gives the meat its distinctive taste, and it also happens to be found in
mortadella. There are a few common forms of bologna, though most of us are
familiar with the pre-sliced variety. If you’ve ever seen Kielbasa then you’re familiar with the shape of Ring
Bologna, though it is a completely different meat. Ring bologna is commonly
sliced and used as a topping on crackers, though it is also occasionally
pickled to help aid its storage. Rag bologna comes in the form of a long stick
and is typically sold in a swatch of cloth, hence its name. Unlike rag bologna
or sliced bologna, it has a much higher fat content and texture, being made
with milk solids, spices, cereal, and flour to help give it bulk. Finally, it’s put through a bath of lactic acid
and then coated with paraffin wax. If the only bologna you’ve ever had is sliced bologna, then
Bologna Day is going to be a special occasion for you!
How to Celebrate Bologna Day
It all starts with a nice
serving of bologna in the morning, and we suggest having it fried with an egg
and toast on the side. Later in the day, you can indulge in a traditional
bologna sandwich, and we usually make ours with mayonnaise and mustard and not
much else. Once you’ve
had these two dishes, it’s
time to expand your palate with a dive into the other forms of bologna. If you
can find it, we especially suggest South African Polony, but it’s often hard to find in the United
States.
One wonders if it was part of His
divine plan to have UN day and Baloney Day coincide. Too add insult to injury
today is also Tripe Day-Dude!
Tripe Day[6]
Tripe, it’s
a word that has come to mean ‘pointless’, ‘silly’,
or ‘false’. These terms are only
appropriate in how the reputation of tripe as a culinary component has been
undermined. Tripe is the edible lining of farm animals, primarily cattle. While
it sounds off-putting to the average palette tripe can be formed into an
incredible meal full of flavor. World Tripe Day celebrates this much-reviled
dish and strives to return it to a place of honor among meats. While we in
English speaking countries rarely see tripe available in the store, and even
less common in restaurants, it’s
a popular meal in other countries throughout the world. In places like Italy,
it’s so common that it’s actually served from
street-side vendors as a form of on-the-go food, served with a small fork or
even on a roll. There are multiple kinds of tripe, even from one animal. Take
the cow, for instance. Cows have a four-chambered stomach, and each stomach is
the source of a different form of tripe. Blanket Tripe (also known as smooth,
flat, or plain tripe) is from the first stomach and is the least popular among
those who love tripe. Honeycomb tripe comes from the second stomach,
specifically from the lowest part of the same. It has a tender and meaty flavor
and retains its shape during preparation. Its honeycomb texture makes it great
tripe to serve with sauces. The second stomach is also the source of “pocket tripe”. Book tripe comes from the
third stomach and reed tripe from the fourth.
How to Celebrate World Tripe Day
World Tripe Day is best celebrated by opening yourself to a
new culinary experience if your family isn’t one of those who indulge in tripe
as part of their normal diet. There is a rich experience to be had by consuming
tripe, and when it is properly prepared it is a cultural favorite loved all
around the world. Maybe it’s time that the English-speaking countries develop a
stomach for the stomach, and World Tripe Day serves as the perfect opportunity
to learn a love of something new. Your stomach will thank you, for eating
stomach!
Dignity-Viktor Frankl[7]
John McCain in his book “Character is Destiny” points out the work of Viktor Frankl as a man who best portrays the virtue of dignity. Viktor before World War II was a prominent Jewish psychiatrist who lost everything during the Nazi takeover of Germany. The Nazis had taken his freedom, his vocation and everyone he loved. They starved him, beaten him, cursed him and worked him almost beyond human endurance. They had set his life upon a precipice from which at any moment they chose, they could push him as they had pushed thousands. Yet as they drove him out one winter morning into the fields like an animal, striking him, his mind rose above his torment and his tormentors, taking leave of the cruelty to contemplate the image of his wife. He did not know if she was alive or dead, but in his heart, he heard the words of the eighth Song of Solomon; Set me like a seal upon thy heart, love is as strong as death. “My mind clung to my wife’s image, imagining it with uncanny acuteness…Real or not, her look was more luminous than the sun which was beginning to rise…Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: the salvation of man is through love and in love,” Frankl relates in Man’s Search for Meaning. Throughout his captivity he held on to his love and with his love he kept from his captors the thing they thought they destroyed, the one thing that no human being can take from another, for it can only be surrendered, but not taken: his dignity.
Here are 12 thought-provoking passages from his book:[8]
1.
“Don’t
aim at success — the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are
going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must
ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal
dedication to a cause greater than oneself, or as the by-product of one’s
surrender to a person other than oneself.”
2.
“Everything
can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms — to
choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”
3.
“Everyone
has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete
assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can
his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as is his specific
opportunity to implement it.”
4.
“Live
as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the
first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!”
5.
“The
prisoner who had lost his faith in the future — his future — was doomed. With
his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let
himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay.”
6.
“I
consider it a dangerous misconception of mental hygiene to assume that what man
needs in the first place is equilibrium or, as it is called in biology,
“homeostasis,” i.e., a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling
for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task. What he needs is not the discharge
of tension at any cost but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be
fulfilled by him.”
7.
“Life
ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its
problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each
individual.”
8.
“Man
has suffered another loss in his more recent development inasmuch as the
traditions which buttressed his behavior are now rapidly diminishing. No
instinct tells him what he has to do, and no tradition tells him what he ought
to do; sometimes he does not even know what he wishes to do. Instead, he either
wishes to do what other people do (conformism) or he does what other people
wish him to do (totalitarianism).”
9.
“A
man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being
who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able
to throw away his life. He knows the ‘why’ for his existence, and will be able
to bear almost any ‘how.’”
10. “What matters, therefore, is not the meaning
of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a
given moment. To put the question in general terms would be comparable to the
question posed to a chess champion: “Tell me, Master, what is the best move in
the world?” There simply is no such thing as the best or even a good move apart
from a particular situation in a game and the particular personality of one’s
opponent.”
11. “When we are no longer able to change a
situation — just think of an incurable disease such as an inoperable cancer —
we are challenged to change ourselves.”
12. “Freedom, however, is not the last word.
Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the
negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is
responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere
arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. That is why I
recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a
Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.”
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: An end
to the use of contraceptives.
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: October
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
