Vinny’s Corner-Be not fat but Phat.
· Let Freedom Ring Day 27 Freedom from Gluttony
o The Benefits of a Feasting & Fasting Diet for optimal health
§ The mindset and lifestyle of most of us is one of excess. As a society, we are simply accustomed to it. Fasting, for most, seems a rather foreign concept and that’s unfortunate. There is mounting anecdotal and scientific evidence that shows a wide range of benefits to be had from intermittent fasting or being in a fasted state.
§ There is even some scientific evidence supporting an occasional feast. Combining fasting and feasting creates several benefits at a cellular and molecular level. In fact, it can change gene expression and profoundly improve the way you look, feel and function. Many of these benefits are tied directly to the fact that the hormone leptin increases with an over-intake of food.
§ Do you think the Catholic Church may have something great with the seasons of feasts and fasts? Does being a catholic makes you Phat?
· Saturday Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
· Bucket Item trip: Mariazell, the Top Pilgrimage site in Austria
o While your there “horse around”
· Foodie National Panini Month
o Classic Tafelspitz - National Dish of Austria
· Spirit hour: Los Angeles cocktail
· Make a holy hour today. You might find this work — My Eucharistic Day — from the Catholic Culture Library helpful. It was compiled from the writings of Saint Peter Julian Eymard with the permission and encouragement of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers.[5]
A Prayer Before Mass (Saturday) (by Saint Ambrose)
I entreat Thee also, O Lord, by this most holy mystery of Thy Body and Blood, wherewith we are daily fed, and cleansed, and sanctified in Thy Church, and are made partakers of the one Supreme Divinity, grant unto me Thy holy virtues, that filled therewith I may with a good conscience draw near unto Thy holy Altar, so that these heavenly mysteries may be made unto me salvation and life; for Thou hast said with Thy holy and blessed lips: The Bread which I will give is My Flesh, for the life of the world. I am the living Bread which came down from heaven. If any man eats of this Bread, he shall live forever. O most sweet Bread, heal the palate of my heart, that I may taste the sweetness of Thy love. Heal it of all infirmities, that I may find sweetness in nothing out of Thee. O most pure Bread, having all delight and all savor, which ever refreshest us, and never failest, let my heart feed on Thee, and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor. The Angels feed on Thee fully; let pilgrim man feed on Thee after his measure, so that, refreshed by this nourishment, he may not faint by the way. Holy Bread! Living Bread! Pure Bread! Who didst come down from heaven, and who givest life to the world, enter into my heart and cleanse me from all impurity of flesh and spirit. Come into my soul; heal and cleanse me within and without; be the protection and continual health of my soul and body. Drive far from me all foes that lie in wait: let them flee afar off at the presence of Thy power; that, strengthened by Thee without and within, I may by a straight way arrive at Thy kingdom, where, not as now in mysteries, but face to face, we shall behold Thee; when Thou shalt have delivered up the kingdom to God Thy Father, and shalt be God All in all. Then shalt Thou satisfy me with Thyself by a wondrous fullness, so that I shall never hunger nor thirst any more forever. Who with the same God the Father, and the Holy Ghost, ever livest and reignest world without end.
Amen.
AUGUST
2 First Saturday
Feast Of Our Lady of Angels-International Beer Day
Leviticus, Chapter 25, Verse 17
Do not deal unfairly with one another, then; but stand in FEAR of your God. I, the LORD, am your God.
Fairness is a word that means physical beauty. In a sense
God is asking us to not do those things that mar the physical beauty of
another. This means in essence that we need to nourish each other and to give
to share with other the gifts we receive from God. This means to respect each
person as a person, physically, mentally, and emotionally; to provide for their
welfare. One of the greatest ways we can honor our creator is in how we deal
fairly with ourselves, our families, our friends, and those who we detest or
are our enemies.
Christ gave us the ultimate example of fairness:
Then
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” They
divided his garments by casting lots. (Luke 23:34)
Charity is an
act of fairness and justice.
In which you give the other their due[1]
Traditional Jews give at
least ten percent of their income to charity.
·
Traditional
Jewish homes commonly have a pushke, a box for collecting coins for the poor,
and coins are routinely placed in the box. Jewish youths are continually going
from door to door collecting for various worthy causes.
·
A
standard mourner's prayer includes a statement that the mourner will make a
donation to charity in memory of the deceased.
·
In
many ways, charitable donation has taken the place of animal sacrifice in
Jewish life: giving to charity is an almost instinctive Jewish response to
express thanks to G-d, to ask forgiveness from G-d, or to request a favor from
G-d.
·
According
to Jewish tradition, the spiritual benefit of giving to the poor is so great
that a beggar actually does the giver a favor by giving a person the
opportunity to perform tzedakah.
The Meaning of the Word
"Tzedakah"
"Tzedakah" is
the Hebrew word for the acts that we call "charity" in English:
giving aid, assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy
causes.
·
The
nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity. The word
"charity" suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by
the wealthy and powerful for the benefit of the poor and needy.
·
The
word "tzedakah" is derived from the Hebrew root Tzadei-Dalet-Qof,
meaning righteousness, justice or fairness.
·
In
Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is
simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving
the poor their due.
The Obligation of Tzedakah
Giving to the poor is an
obligation in Judaism, a duty that cannot be forsaken even by those who are
themselves in need.
·
Tzedakah
is the highest of all commandments, equal to all of them combined, and that a
person who does not perform tzedakah is equivalent to an idol worshipper.
·
This
is probably hyperbole, but it illustrates the importance of tzedakah in Jewish
thought.
·
Tzedakah
is one of the three acts that gain us forgiveness from our sins.
·
The
High Holiday liturgy repeatedly states that G-d has inscribed a judgment
against all who have sinned, but teshuvah (repentance), tefilah (prayer) and
tzedakah can alleviate the decree. See Days
of Awe.
·
According
to Jewish law, we are required to give one-tenth of our income to the poor.
·
This
is generally interpreted as one-tenth of our net income after payment of taxes.
·
Taxes
themselves do not fulfill our obligation to give tzedakah, even though a
significant portion of tax revenues in America and many other countries are
used to provide for the poor and needy.
·
Those
who are dependent on public assistance or living on the edge of subsistence may
give less, but must still give to the
extent they are able; however, no person should give so much that he would
become a public burden.
·
The
obligation to perform tzedakah can be fulfilled by giving money to the poor, to
health care institutions, to synagogues or to educational institutions.
·
It
can also be fulfilled by supporting your children beyond the age when you are
legally required to, or supporting your parents in their old age.
·
The
obligation includes giving to both Jews and gentiles; contrary to popular
belief, Jews do not just "take care of our own." Quite the contrary,
a study reported in the Jewish Journal indicated that Jewish "mega-donors" (who
give more than $10 million a year to charity) found that only 6% of their
mega-dollars went to specifically Jewish causes.
·
Judaism
acknowledges that many people who ask for charity have no genuine need. In
fact, the Talmud suggests that this is a good thing: if all people who asked
for charity were in genuine need, we would be subject to punishment (from G-d)
for refusing anyone who asked.
·
The
existence of frauds diminishes our liability for failing to give to all who
ask, because we have some legitimate basis for doubting the beggar's sincerity.
·
It
is permissible to investigate the legitimacy of a charity before donating to
it.
·
We
have an obligation to avoid becoming in need of tzedakah.
·
A
person should take any work that is
available, even if he thinks it is beneath his dignity, to avoid becoming a
public charge.
·
However,
if a person is truly in need and has no way to obtain money on his own, he
should not feel embarrassed to accept tzedakah.
·
No
person should feel too proud to take money from others.
·
It
is considered a transgression to refuse tzedakah. One source says that to make
yourself suffer by refusing to accept tzedakah is equivalent to shedding your
own blood.
Levels
of Tzedakah
Certain kinds of tzedakah
are considered more meritorious than others. The Talmud describes these different levels
of tzedakah, and Rambam organized them into a list. The
levels of charity, from the least meritorious to the most meritorious, are:
- Giving begrudgingly
- Giving less than you should but giving it cheerfully.
- Giving after being asked
- Giving before being asked
- Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the
recipient knows your identity.
- Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the
recipient doesn't know your identity.
- Giving when neither party knows the other's identity.
- ENABLING THE RECIPIENT TO BECOME
SELF-RELIANT. (If only this was the
goal of our politicians rather than steal from those who are self-reliant
(work) to give to their supporters).
Copilot
Leviticus 25:17 is beyond mere prohibition—it is a call for honoring the
inherent dignity of others through justice, mercy, and reverent living.
🌿 On Divine Beauty
and Fear
- The idea that
“fairness” is an act of preserving the physical, emotional, and spiritual
beauty of others echoes the biblical understanding that human beings bear
the imago Dei—the image of God.
- Holy fear,
then, becomes the posture of reverent awe that shapes every interaction.
It's not terror but trembling love: a response that honors God by
honoring those made in His likeness.
🕊️ On Charity as
Justice
- The parallel between
Jesus’ words in Luke 23:34 and the Jewish principle of tzedakah
beautifully bridges Christian and Jewish traditions.
- Tzedakah isn’t generosity—it’s integrity, a
sacred obligation rooted in covenant life. It expresses repentance,
reverence, and reconciliation.
📦 Levels of Giving
and True Empowerment
- Rambam’s
hierarchy—from reluctant giving to empowering self-reliance—becomes not
just a scale but a mirror. It asks: How do I love with dignity?
From a Catholic perspective, fear is not simply an emotion to be
suppressed—it’s a spiritual signal that can either lead us toward God or away
from Him, depending on how we respond.
🙏 Two Types of
Fear in Catholic Teaching
- Servile Fear: This is
fear of punishment. It’s often the starting point in spiritual growth—like
fearing hell or divine justice. While not ideal, it can motivate
repentance.
- Filial
Fear: This is the fear of offending God whom we love. It’s rooted in
reverence and awe, not dread. This is the fear praised in Scripture: “The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).
🕊️ Fear as a Gift
of the Holy Spirit
- One of the
seven gifts of the Holy Spirit is Fear of the Lord, which isn’t about
terror but about profound respect and humility before God’s majesty.
- It helps us
recognize our dependence on God and deepens our desire to live in harmony
with His will.
💡 Saintly Insights
on Fear
- St. Thomas
Aquinas taught that fear arises when we perceive a future evil that’s
difficult to overcome. But he also emphasized that courage (fortitude) is
the virtue that responds to fear.
- St. John Paul
II famously said, “Be not afraid!”—a call to trust in Christ even
amid uncertainty.
- St. Aloysius
Gonzaga, despite living through plague and personal loss, remained
steadfast in faith, showing that holy fear leads to holy courage.
🛡️ Fear vs. Trust
- Catholic
spirituality encourages us to transform fear into trust. As St. Margaret
Mary said: “Let Him act! He only asks of you—abandonment and perfect
submission.”
- Fear
becomes a doorway to surrender, where we let go of control and allow God
to lead.
📖 Practical
Lessons
- Fear reveals
what we love: We fear losing what we value. This can help us examine our
priorities.
- Fear
invites prayer: In moments of fear, Catholics are called to turn to God
in trust, echoing Christ’s own words in Gethsemane.
- Fear can
be redemptive: When united with Christ’s suffering, fear becomes part of
our sanctification.
First Saturday
Devotion[2]
Five consecutive Saturdays in
reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The practice of the First
Saturday devotion was requested by Our Lady of Fatima, who appeared to three shepherd
children in Fatima, Portugal, multiple times starting in 1917. She said to
Lucia, the oldest of the three children: “I shall come to ask . . . that on the
First Saturday of every month, Communions of reparation be made in atonement
for the sins of the world.” Years later she repeated her request to Sr. Lucia,
the only one still living of the three young Fatima seers, while she was a
postulant sister living in a convent in Spain: “Look, my daughter, at my Heart,
surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me at very moment by
their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me, and say that
I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for
salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months,
shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the rosary, and
keep me company for 15 minutes while meditating on the 15 mysteries of the
rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me.”
Conditions to Fulfill the First
Saturday Devotion
There are five
requirements to obtain this promise from the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On five
consecutive first Saturdays of the month, one should:
1. Have the intention of
consoling the Immaculate Heart in a spirit of reparation.
2. Go to confession
(within eight days before or after the first Saturday).
3. Receive Holy Communion.
4. Say five decades of the
Holy
Rosary.
5. Meditate for 15 minutes
on the mysteries
of the Holy Rosary
with the goal
of keeping Our Lady company (for example, while in church or before an image or
statue of Our Lady).
Read How to Make
Your First Saturday Rosary Meditation According to Sr. Lucia
Why Five Saturdays?
Our Lord appeared to Sr.
Lucia on May 29, 1930, and gave her the reason behind the five Saturdays
devotion. It is because there are five types of offenses and blasphemies
committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary:
1. Blasphemies against the
Immaculate Conception
2. Blasphemies against Our
Lady’s perpetual virginity
3. Blasphemies
against her divine maternity, in refusing at the same time to recognize her as
the Mother of men
4. Blasphemies of
those who publicly seek to sow in the hearts of children, indifference or scorn
or even hatred of their Immaculate Mother
5. Offenses of those
who outrage Our Lady directly in her holy images
Never think that Jesus is
indifferent to whether or not His mother is honored!
Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula[3], the Virgin under whose mantle Saint Francis of Assisi was wrapped; Mary's maternal protection made it possible for blessed Francis to experience an intense Presence of the Lord and to receive his vocation to rebuild the Church. Likewise, his intimate devotion to the Blessed Mother, under whose protection did he place himself to do the Lord's work did this place become holy for the members of the Franciscan family and for the Church universal. Without meeting Christ, little makes sense.
The Portiuncula is an ancient church dedicated to Mary under the title Our Lady of the Angels and is located in Assisi, Italy. It was a spot very dear to the heart of Saint Francis.
The Portiuncula is the place where Franciscanism developed, and where Saint Francis lived and died. Here he began and grew in his religious life; here he founded the Franciscan Order; here he manifested his love and great devotion to the Mother of God. When Francis knew he was dying, he requested to be brought to the Portiuncula to end his earthly life.
Saint Bonaventure had this to say about this devotion:
The Portiuncula was an old church dedicated to the Virgin Mother of God which was abandoned. Francis had great devotion to the Queen of the world and when he saw that the church was deserted, he began to live there constantly in order to repair it. He heard that the Angels often visited it, so that it was called Saint Mary of the Angels, and he decided to stay there permanently out of reverence for the angels and love for the Mother of Christ. This is also the place where St Clare took her vows and where Saint Francis died.
He loved this spot more than any other in the world. It was here he began his religious life in a very small way; it is here he came to a happy end. When he was dying, he commended this spot above all others to the friars, because it was most dear to the Blessed Virgin.
This was the place where Saint Francis founded his Order by divine inspiration, and it was divine providence which led him to repair three churches before he founded the Order and began to preach the Gospel.
This meant that he progressed from material things to more spiritual achievements, from lesser to greater, in due order, and it gave a prophetic indication of what he would accomplish later.
As he was living there by the church of Our Lady, Francis prayed to her
who had conceived the Word, full of grace and truth, begging her insistently
and with tears to become his advocate. Then he was granted the true spirit of
the Gospel by the intercession of the Mother of mercy and he brought it to
fruition.
He embraced the Mother of Our Lord Jesus with
indescribable love because, as he said, it was she who made the Lord of majesty
our brother, and through her we found mercy. After Christ, he put all his trust
in her and took her as his patroness for himself and his friars.
Consider the words of an early biographer of Saint Francis of Assisi:
From there he moved to another place, which is called the "Portiuncula," where there stood a church of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God built in ancient times. At that time, it was deserted, and no one was taking care of it. When the holy man of God saw it so ruined, he was moved by piety because he had a warm devotion to the Mother of all good and he began to stay there continually. The restoration of that church took place in the third year of his conversion. At this time, he wore a sort of hermit's habit with a leather belt. He carried a staff in his hand and wore shoes. One day the gospel was being read in that church about how the Lord sent out his disciples to preach. The holy man of God, who was attending there, in order to understand better the words of the gospel, humbly begged the priest after celebrating the solemnities of the Mass to explain the gospel to him. The priest explained it all to him thoroughly line by line. When he heard that Christ's disciples should not possess gold or silver or money, or carry on their journey a wallet or a sack, nor bread nor a staff, not to have shoes nor two tunics, but that they should preach the kingdom of God and penance, the holy man, Francis immediately exulted in the spirit of God. "This is what I want," he said, "this is what I seek, this is what I desire with all my heart." The holy father, overflowing with joy, hastened to implement the words of salvation, and did not delay before he devoutly began to put into effect what he heard. (From The Life of Saint Francis by Thomas of Celano)
PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS
August Queen of Heaven, sovereign queen of Angels, you who at the beginning received from God the power and the mission to crush the head of Satan, we beseech you humbly, send your holy legions so that, on your orders and by your power, they will track down demons, fight them everywhere, curb their audacity and plunge them into the hell.
Who can be compared to God? Oh, good and tender
Mother, you will always be our love and our hope. Oh, divine Mother, send the
Holy Angels and Archangels to defend me and to keep the cruel enemy far from
me. Holy Angels and Archangels defend us, protect us. Amen.
The Pardon of Assisi or the Portiuncula
Indulgence
The Holy Father made reference to this in his Sunday Angelus address:
... today is the feast of the "Pardon of
Assisi," which St. Francis obtained from Pope Honorious III in the year
1216, after having a vision while he was praying in the little church of the
Portiuncula. Jesus appeared to him in his glory, with the Virgin Mary on his
right and surrounded by many Angels. They asked him to express a wish and
Francis implored a "full and generous pardon" for all those who would
visit that church who "repented and confessed their sins". Having received
papal approval, the Saint did not wait for any written document but hastened to
Assisi and when he reached the Portiuncula announced the good news:
"Friends, the Lord wants to have us all in Heaven!". Since then, from
noon on 1 August to midnight on the second, it has been possible to obtain, on
the usual conditions, a Plenary Indulgence, also for the dead, on visiting a
parish church or a Franciscan one.
St. Francis Asked and Obtained
the Indulgence of Forgiveness
He awoke one night in 1216 at the Porziuncola and an
inspiration stronger than usual prompted him to arise and go into the little
chapel. He knelt in prayer and, as he prayed, our Lord, accompanied by His
Mother, appeared to him and bade him ask for that which he desired most. "O
God," he said, "although I m a great sinner, I beseech You to grant a
full pardon of all sins to all who, having repented and confessed their sins,
shall visit this church." And Jesus said to him: "Francis, you ask
much, but you are worthy of greater things, and greater things you shall
have."
Our Lord then granted Francis' request and told him to go to
His Vicar for ratification of the indulgence. Honorius III, who was just
beginning his Pontificate, was holding court at Perugia, and it was to him that
Francis presented his petition.
Honorius was a spiritual, unworldly man, yet at
such a request he hesitated. "Holy Father," Francis said urgently,
"a little while ago I restored a chapel for you in honor of the Virgin
Mother of Christ (the Portiuncula), and I beseech you to bestow on it an indulgence."
"For how many years do you want this
indulgence?" the Pontiff inquired. "Holy Father," said Francis,
"I ask not for years but for souls." "Just what do you
want?" Honorius asked. "Holy Father," replied Francis, "the
Lord has commanded me to ask you that all those who after confession shall
visit the Portiuncula with contrite hearts may obtain full remission of the
punishment due to the sins of their whole lives from the day of Baptism to the
day they enter this church." Honorius pondered the extraordinary request,
and said slowly three times: "I also, in the name of God, grant you the
indulgence."
Honorius wanted to give Francis the document of
the indulgence, but Francis saw no need for it. "What have you to show
that this indulgence has been granted you?" the Pope asked in amazement as
Francis prepared to depart for Assisi without any written confirmation of the
great permission. "Holy Father," he replied, "Your word is
enough for me. If this is the work of God, it is for Him to make His work
manifest. I desire no other document. The Blessed Virgin Mary shall be the
charter, Christ the notary, and the angels the witnesses." Some days
later, before the Bishops of Umbria, Francis said: "Brethren, I want to
send you all to Heaven!"
Conditions to Obtain the
Plenary Indulgence of The Forgiveness (for oneself or for a departed soul)
1. Sacramental Confession to be in God's grace (during the
eight days before or after);
2. Participation in the Holy Mass and Eucharist;
3. Visit to a Catholic Church (especially a
Franciscan Church), followed by PROFESSION OF FAITH, in order to reaffirm one's
own Christian identity;
4. Say the OUR FATHER, in order to reaffirm the
dignity as child of God that one received in Baptism;
5. A prayer for the Pope's intention, in order
to reaffirm one's membership in the Church, of which the Roman Pontiff is the
foundation and sign of visible unity.
Novena
in Honor of Saint John Marie Vianney[4]
Exquisite Purity
O Holy Priest of Ars, a witness of
your life made this magnificent praise of you:
'We would have taken him for an
angel in a mortal body."
You so edified others: the modesty and
the exquisite purity radiated from your body. With such charm and with such
enthusiasm you preached to others about these beautiful virtues which you said
resembled the perfume of a vineyard in bloom.
Please I beg you to join your
entreaties to those of Mary Immaculate and Saint Philomena in order that I
guard always, as God asks me, the purity of my heart. You, who have directed so
many souls towards the heights of virtue, defend me in temptations and obtain
for me the strength to conquer them.
Holy Priest of Ars, I have confidence
in your intercession. Pray for me during this novena especially for ...
(mention silently your special intentions).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.
Bible in a Year-Day 45 Pray for Priests
As we read Exodus 29, Leviticus 21, and Psalm 119:121-176, Fr. Mike points out
how God calls broken and imperfect men to his holy priesthood, and asks each of
us to say a special prayer for priests today.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Restoring
the Church
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: August
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[3]https://www.facebook.com/notes/100-katolikong-pinoy/the-feast-of-our-lady-of-the-angels-obtain-the-pardon-of-assisithe-portiuncula-i/418548719644/
[4]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=1129
[5]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-08-02
