My apologies. My email provider deleted all the categories for my contacts two weeks ago. Therefore, I reconstructed the list and I know many discrepancies exist. If you are not receiving a weekly email directly to your email account and would like to receive one, please let me know by emailing me at: predmoresj@yahoo.com. If you would like to be added to the list, please send me your address. I will send the messages as an undisclosed list. No one else will see your email address.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Prayer: Maude Dominica Petre
The church has lighted by way. Instead of struggling through a wilderness I have a road – a road to virtue and truth. Only a road – the road to an end, not the end itself – the road to truth, not the fullness of truth itself… In one word, the church has taught me how to seek God.
First Sunday in Advent
November 28, 2010
The frightening way Jesus in Matthew's Gospel describes the ushering in of the coming of the Son of Man at first blush seems brutal in comparison with Isaiah's description of God's everlasting reign. It gets our attention. For the first day of the new Advent season, this is an effective tactic. It helps us to be on guard and to sense the urgency that something hidden yet profound is happening. We have to wait as the mystery slowly unfolds and our comprehension builds. If we can look for the breaking in of God's plan into the daily order of life, we will confidently trust in God's steadfastness.
Jesus tells us to be wiser than the people of Noah's days who disregarded the signs of the times. All perished except those few who boarded the ark. We are to be attentive to the signs around us even when our families and closest friends suggest we ignore these minute but significant details. Some of those whom we love and expect to be saved alongside of us regrettably will choose differently. We are encouraged that we will choose rightly because we remained vigilant.
Paul reminds us of the same points. Remain alert and conform your behavior to attain the salvation that awaits you. Paul does not want us to be passive. We are to actively throw off the works of darkness and to just as actively put on the armor of light. We wear Jesus Christ when we live in integrity with his teaching.
Discipleship carries great cost. Isaiah's vision will reign only after the world, which does not follow God's ways, battles those who remain God's faithful ones. The impending conflict will bring much chaos and confusion and we will become disillusioned in the great struggle. We will wrestle with uncertainty and we will experience the great pain of losing loved ones. Isaiah assures us the effort will be worth it as the world's standards are brought into a new order.
This new world order will draw many diverse people to it because it is so attractive. They will faithfully obey God's ways because they are beneficial for them. God will usher in a kingdom of peace in which no thought of violence, harm, threat, force, or war will rise from the people because they honor and respect each other's dignity as one of God's offspring. They will find only the good in one another and will delight in each other's company.
In contrast, we see the brokenness of our lives today and we yearn for something better. We can have it. In Advent, we look more closely for the ways God is with us. God is bringing us closer to this vision and he wants us to notice him in the daily grind. The readings provoke us to be open enough to say "yes" to God's initiatives. To do that, we need to put on Christ so we can see the potential for the world through his eyes. Christ never lets Isaiah's vision slip from his glance. We've see a glimpse of that world too in some memorable instance. We innately grasp for that memory and its power for the future. Let's slow down and pray that God can open our eyes to notice the minutest detail where he is at work.
Quote for the Week
From Paul's Letter to the Romans:
Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is now the hour for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provisions for the desires of the flesh.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
First Reading: Isaiah rushes into our readings with a proclamation of the day of the Lord that is to come. It will bring honor and splendor and shelter and protection to the faithful ones. The Lord will provide a rich feast for his people on his holy mountain. He will destroy death forever and wipe away tears from all faces. On that day of salvation, the people will sing a song of praise to the Lord because they trust in his steadfastness. The blind will see, the poor will rejoice, the mighty will be brought low, and the Lord's children will keep his name holy. Great is the Lord! The Lord will provide for all the cares of the people.
Gospel: Jesus is amazed at the faith of the Gentile Centurion who is obedient to his words as one who has many under his authority can understand. The nations from the east and west will more easily hear the words of God's prophet than Israel will. Jesus is seen as the shepherd who will gather up the many, especially the downtrodden and outcast, and he will care for them just as God cares for them. Only those who hear his words and understands that they come from God will enter into heaven. His words provide a sure foundation. Jesus gives sight to two blind men who come to believe he is the anointed one of God. Jesus called many to himself to teach them about the kingdom of heaven. He also called twelve who would become his closest friends. They would receive authority over unclean spirits and power to cure every disease and illness.
Saints of the Week
Tuesday: Andrew, apostle, is the brother of Simon Peter and an original disciple of John the Baptist. Like his brother, he was a fisherman who was selected to be one of the twelve disciples. After the resurrection of Jesus, it is assumed Andrew preached in Greece, though many legends have him traveling far north to Scotland. The cross of Andrew appears on the United Kingdom's Union Jack to represent Scotland.
Wednesday: Edmund Campion and Robert Southwell, martyrs, were English natives and Jesuit priests at a time when Catholics were persecuted in the country. Both men acknowledged Queen Elizabeth as monarch, but they refused to renounce their Catholic faith. They are among the 40 martyrs of England and Wales. Campion was killed in 1581 and Southwell's death was in 1595.
Friday: Francis Xavier, priest, was a roommate of Ignatius of Loyola and Peter Faber at the University of Paris. One of the first companions of Ignatius, he was one of the seven founding members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits.) After the Order was established in 1540, he was sent on mission to the East Indies where he converted thousands of people to the Christian faith. He is one of the church's greatest missionaries.
Saturday: John of Damascus, priest and doctor, was the last Greek preachers to be named the Fathers of the Church. His preaching and concise description of Christian theology influenced other formative thinkers of Western Christianity. Prior to becoming a monk, scholar, and preacher, he was a government worker.
This Week in Jesuit History
• Nov 28, 1759: Twenty Fathers and 192 Scholastics set sail from the Tagus for exile. Two were to die on the voyage to Genoa and Civita Vecchia.
• Nov 29, 1773: The Jesuits of White Russia requested the Empress Catherine to allow the Letter of Suppression to be published, as it had been all over Europe. "She bade them lay aside their scruples, promising to obtain the Papal sanction for their remaining in status quo.
• Nov 30, 1642: The birth of Br Andrea Pozzo at Trent, who was called to Rome in 1681 to paint the flat ceiling of the church of San Ignazio so that it would look as though there were a dome above. There had been a plan for a dome but there was not money to build it. His work is still on view.
• Dec. 1, 1581: At Tyburn in London, Edmund Campion and Alexander Briant were martyred.
• Dec. 2, 1552: On the island of Sancian off the coast of China, Francis Xavier died.
• Dec. 3, 1563: At the Council of Trent, the Institute of the Society was approved.
• Dec. 4, 1870: The Roman College, appropriated by the Piedmontese government, was reopened as a Lyceum. The monogram of the Society over the main entrance was effaced.
Prayer for Advent
Almighty and merciful God, our hearts desire the warmth of your love and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of his coming may find us rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.
Prayers for the Miner's Families in New Zealand
My prayers go out to the miners in western New Zealand who lost their lives in a deadly explosion a week ago. We hoped the experts could produce another miraculous rescue like the one in Chile, but deadly gases and the explosion killed the miners quickly. Please pray for their souls. Please pray for their families and their countrymen who grieve their losses.
The frightening way Jesus in Matthew's Gospel describes the ushering in of the coming of the Son of Man at first blush seems brutal in comparison with Isaiah's description of God's everlasting reign. It gets our attention. For the first day of the new Advent season, this is an effective tactic. It helps us to be on guard and to sense the urgency that something hidden yet profound is happening. We have to wait as the mystery slowly unfolds and our comprehension builds. If we can look for the breaking in of God's plan into the daily order of life, we will confidently trust in God's steadfastness.
Jesus tells us to be wiser than the people of Noah's days who disregarded the signs of the times. All perished except those few who boarded the ark. We are to be attentive to the signs around us even when our families and closest friends suggest we ignore these minute but significant details. Some of those whom we love and expect to be saved alongside of us regrettably will choose differently. We are encouraged that we will choose rightly because we remained vigilant.
Paul reminds us of the same points. Remain alert and conform your behavior to attain the salvation that awaits you. Paul does not want us to be passive. We are to actively throw off the works of darkness and to just as actively put on the armor of light. We wear Jesus Christ when we live in integrity with his teaching.
Discipleship carries great cost. Isaiah's vision will reign only after the world, which does not follow God's ways, battles those who remain God's faithful ones. The impending conflict will bring much chaos and confusion and we will become disillusioned in the great struggle. We will wrestle with uncertainty and we will experience the great pain of losing loved ones. Isaiah assures us the effort will be worth it as the world's standards are brought into a new order.
This new world order will draw many diverse people to it because it is so attractive. They will faithfully obey God's ways because they are beneficial for them. God will usher in a kingdom of peace in which no thought of violence, harm, threat, force, or war will rise from the people because they honor and respect each other's dignity as one of God's offspring. They will find only the good in one another and will delight in each other's company.
In contrast, we see the brokenness of our lives today and we yearn for something better. We can have it. In Advent, we look more closely for the ways God is with us. God is bringing us closer to this vision and he wants us to notice him in the daily grind. The readings provoke us to be open enough to say "yes" to God's initiatives. To do that, we need to put on Christ so we can see the potential for the world through his eyes. Christ never lets Isaiah's vision slip from his glance. We've see a glimpse of that world too in some memorable instance. We innately grasp for that memory and its power for the future. Let's slow down and pray that God can open our eyes to notice the minutest detail where he is at work.
Quote for the Week
From Paul's Letter to the Romans:
Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is now the hour for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provisions for the desires of the flesh.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
First Reading: Isaiah rushes into our readings with a proclamation of the day of the Lord that is to come. It will bring honor and splendor and shelter and protection to the faithful ones. The Lord will provide a rich feast for his people on his holy mountain. He will destroy death forever and wipe away tears from all faces. On that day of salvation, the people will sing a song of praise to the Lord because they trust in his steadfastness. The blind will see, the poor will rejoice, the mighty will be brought low, and the Lord's children will keep his name holy. Great is the Lord! The Lord will provide for all the cares of the people.
Gospel: Jesus is amazed at the faith of the Gentile Centurion who is obedient to his words as one who has many under his authority can understand. The nations from the east and west will more easily hear the words of God's prophet than Israel will. Jesus is seen as the shepherd who will gather up the many, especially the downtrodden and outcast, and he will care for them just as God cares for them. Only those who hear his words and understands that they come from God will enter into heaven. His words provide a sure foundation. Jesus gives sight to two blind men who come to believe he is the anointed one of God. Jesus called many to himself to teach them about the kingdom of heaven. He also called twelve who would become his closest friends. They would receive authority over unclean spirits and power to cure every disease and illness.
Saints of the Week
Tuesday: Andrew, apostle, is the brother of Simon Peter and an original disciple of John the Baptist. Like his brother, he was a fisherman who was selected to be one of the twelve disciples. After the resurrection of Jesus, it is assumed Andrew preached in Greece, though many legends have him traveling far north to Scotland. The cross of Andrew appears on the United Kingdom's Union Jack to represent Scotland.
Wednesday: Edmund Campion and Robert Southwell, martyrs, were English natives and Jesuit priests at a time when Catholics were persecuted in the country. Both men acknowledged Queen Elizabeth as monarch, but they refused to renounce their Catholic faith. They are among the 40 martyrs of England and Wales. Campion was killed in 1581 and Southwell's death was in 1595.
Friday: Francis Xavier, priest, was a roommate of Ignatius of Loyola and Peter Faber at the University of Paris. One of the first companions of Ignatius, he was one of the seven founding members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits.) After the Order was established in 1540, he was sent on mission to the East Indies where he converted thousands of people to the Christian faith. He is one of the church's greatest missionaries.
Saturday: John of Damascus, priest and doctor, was the last Greek preachers to be named the Fathers of the Church. His preaching and concise description of Christian theology influenced other formative thinkers of Western Christianity. Prior to becoming a monk, scholar, and preacher, he was a government worker.
This Week in Jesuit History
• Nov 28, 1759: Twenty Fathers and 192 Scholastics set sail from the Tagus for exile. Two were to die on the voyage to Genoa and Civita Vecchia.
• Nov 29, 1773: The Jesuits of White Russia requested the Empress Catherine to allow the Letter of Suppression to be published, as it had been all over Europe. "She bade them lay aside their scruples, promising to obtain the Papal sanction for their remaining in status quo.
• Nov 30, 1642: The birth of Br Andrea Pozzo at Trent, who was called to Rome in 1681 to paint the flat ceiling of the church of San Ignazio so that it would look as though there were a dome above. There had been a plan for a dome but there was not money to build it. His work is still on view.
• Dec. 1, 1581: At Tyburn in London, Edmund Campion and Alexander Briant were martyred.
• Dec. 2, 1552: On the island of Sancian off the coast of China, Francis Xavier died.
• Dec. 3, 1563: At the Council of Trent, the Institute of the Society was approved.
• Dec. 4, 1870: The Roman College, appropriated by the Piedmontese government, was reopened as a Lyceum. The monogram of the Society over the main entrance was effaced.
Prayer for Advent
Almighty and merciful God, our hearts desire the warmth of your love and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of his coming may find us rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.
Prayers for the Miner's Families in New Zealand
My prayers go out to the miners in western New Zealand who lost their lives in a deadly explosion a week ago. We hoped the experts could produce another miraculous rescue like the one in Chile, but deadly gases and the explosion killed the miners quickly. Please pray for their souls. Please pray for their families and their countrymen who grieve their losses.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Prayer: Thomas of Villanova
If you want God to hear your prayers, hear the voice of the poor: If you wish God to anticipate your wants, provide those of the needy without waiting for them to ask you. Especially anticipate the needs of those who are ashamed to beg. To make them ask for alms is to make them buy it.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Prayer: John Berchmans
Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God,
I choose you this day
to be my queen, my patroness,
and my advocate;
and I firmly resolve never to leave you,
and never to say or do anything against you,
nor ever permit others to do anything
against your honor.
Receive me, then, I beg of you,
as your servant forever.
Help me in every action,
and abandon me not at the hour of my death.
Amen.
Memorial: November 26
I choose you this day
to be my queen, my patroness,
and my advocate;
and I firmly resolve never to leave you,
and never to say or do anything against you,
nor ever permit others to do anything
against your honor.
Receive me, then, I beg of you,
as your servant forever.
Help me in every action,
and abandon me not at the hour of my death.
Amen.
Memorial: November 26
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
A Thanksgiving Reflection
It is the eve of Thanksgiving and the darkness settles early upon the land. I have taken out my Advent decorations to ready myself for the new Christian year that begins this Sunday. I know the candles will provide some relief from the darkness as we wait in hope for the arrival of Christ into our lives at Christmas.
As November is the month of All Souls, I think back fondly on those whose journey in this temporal life has come to an end. I am reminded of my own mortality and the brevity of life. Many of us have lost someone dear to us. Their stories will remain in our hearts until we join them in heaven. Until we do, I want to appreciate the struggles of my brothers and sisters and help them to realize that God gives much to them. I want to learn to be patient with others; I want to be patient in those areas where I want to see change right away.
I consider myself blessed. I began my year traveling to Australia to begin tertianship with eleven Jesuit brothers from across the globe. I marvel at the exciting times we had together and the bonds of friendship we forged. I am thankful for Adrian, the tertian director, and Joe, his assistant and the superior of our community, for their care for our spiritual development. I am grateful for what I have learned from the various communities of faith I encountered in Australia (Pymble, Sydney, Melbourne, Alice Springs, Seven Hill, Cairns, and Hervey Bay), in New Zealand (Opunake, Hawera, New Plymouth, Wellington, and Auckland), and in Honolulu, Hawaii. I especially pray for the loss of the 29 New Zealand miners in their recent national tragedy.
I am grateful to my Provincial for assigning me to Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester where I can direct the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I'll go anywhere he needs me to go. I'm very pleased with my small community at the retreat house and pleased with the dedicated guest directors who grace our hallways week after week. I can tell that many people come to know our Lord in the silence and stillness afforded by this magical place. I am honored to hear countless stories of grace alive and at work in the lives of many. I am grateful also for the people of Maine with whom our journeys have intersected. I am deeply enriched by their daily courage.
Tomorrow, I will travel to my family home south of Worcester, Massachusetts and we will share a happy traditional meal of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, vegetables, cranberry sauce, cheeses, and scrumptious desserts. It is my favorite meal of the year as November is a special month for me. I'm grateful for the good fortune of my family as we all endure our personal crises. We will focus on the good that is happening with us now and we will let our other concerns be diminished for the day. We soon set our sights on the wonder and splendor of Christmas.
Thankfully, Thanksgiving does not get such a commercial splash as the other major holidays even though there is an increase of pumpkins, pilgrims, cornucopia, and other harvest items on the markets' shelves. It does not become complicated like Christmas because we do not exchange gifts on this day. This means we get to appreciate the meaning of our national holiday with our hearts rather than with our senses. This has become our national holiday when we honor the time with our families and when we do that, we honor God.
The lights and sights of Christmas will hit us in the face on Black Friday when all the stores open to major sales and return to profit (hence, they are in the black, not in the red.) Radio stations will play Christmas and holiday music non-stop until Christmas day. Sparkling lights will soon adorn the lawns and windows.
Many purists lament the build-up of Christmas though they cheat by eating Christmas goodies way before December 24th. I, however, like the commercial Christmas season. For me, it does not wholly interfere with the liturgical Advent season. If these holiday traditions help people feel lighter and happier and help them dream of a brighter world, then I'm all for decorations and music. If these lights help people point to the mystery of the Incarnation, then I'm very happy. I want people to see the wonder in the season and the senses have a way of capturing information that feeds our imagination. All these symbols point us to the mystery of God's love.
I enjoy the gentleness of Advent. The soft lights that grow in longing anticipation of Christ's arrival makes me want to spend greater time watching the stillness of a flickering candle. The ancient Advent songs help me dream of Isaiah's prophecy of the peaceable kingdom in which no harm or ruin can come to anyone on God's holy mountain. The presence of Mary's motherhood helps us to realize the new life that is to be born within us. Yes, the Advent season is worth capturing. We are a people who live in the "now" and the "not yet" so we spend our time waiting, learning how to be patient.
The other days I read a quote from the protestant theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in which he says, "A prison cell in which one waits, hopes... and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent."
Christ will soon come to open that door. With his coaxing invitation, it is up to us to decide whether we will step out of that prison door into a new life of freedom.
For God's great salvific event, I am thankful.
As November is the month of All Souls, I think back fondly on those whose journey in this temporal life has come to an end. I am reminded of my own mortality and the brevity of life. Many of us have lost someone dear to us. Their stories will remain in our hearts until we join them in heaven. Until we do, I want to appreciate the struggles of my brothers and sisters and help them to realize that God gives much to them. I want to learn to be patient with others; I want to be patient in those areas where I want to see change right away.
I consider myself blessed. I began my year traveling to Australia to begin tertianship with eleven Jesuit brothers from across the globe. I marvel at the exciting times we had together and the bonds of friendship we forged. I am thankful for Adrian, the tertian director, and Joe, his assistant and the superior of our community, for their care for our spiritual development. I am grateful for what I have learned from the various communities of faith I encountered in Australia (Pymble, Sydney, Melbourne, Alice Springs, Seven Hill, Cairns, and Hervey Bay), in New Zealand (Opunake, Hawera, New Plymouth, Wellington, and Auckland), and in Honolulu, Hawaii. I especially pray for the loss of the 29 New Zealand miners in their recent national tragedy.
I am grateful to my Provincial for assigning me to Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester where I can direct the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I'll go anywhere he needs me to go. I'm very pleased with my small community at the retreat house and pleased with the dedicated guest directors who grace our hallways week after week. I can tell that many people come to know our Lord in the silence and stillness afforded by this magical place. I am honored to hear countless stories of grace alive and at work in the lives of many. I am grateful also for the people of Maine with whom our journeys have intersected. I am deeply enriched by their daily courage.
Tomorrow, I will travel to my family home south of Worcester, Massachusetts and we will share a happy traditional meal of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, vegetables, cranberry sauce, cheeses, and scrumptious desserts. It is my favorite meal of the year as November is a special month for me. I'm grateful for the good fortune of my family as we all endure our personal crises. We will focus on the good that is happening with us now and we will let our other concerns be diminished for the day. We soon set our sights on the wonder and splendor of Christmas.
Thankfully, Thanksgiving does not get such a commercial splash as the other major holidays even though there is an increase of pumpkins, pilgrims, cornucopia, and other harvest items on the markets' shelves. It does not become complicated like Christmas because we do not exchange gifts on this day. This means we get to appreciate the meaning of our national holiday with our hearts rather than with our senses. This has become our national holiday when we honor the time with our families and when we do that, we honor God.
The lights and sights of Christmas will hit us in the face on Black Friday when all the stores open to major sales and return to profit (hence, they are in the black, not in the red.) Radio stations will play Christmas and holiday music non-stop until Christmas day. Sparkling lights will soon adorn the lawns and windows.
Many purists lament the build-up of Christmas though they cheat by eating Christmas goodies way before December 24th. I, however, like the commercial Christmas season. For me, it does not wholly interfere with the liturgical Advent season. If these holiday traditions help people feel lighter and happier and help them dream of a brighter world, then I'm all for decorations and music. If these lights help people point to the mystery of the Incarnation, then I'm very happy. I want people to see the wonder in the season and the senses have a way of capturing information that feeds our imagination. All these symbols point us to the mystery of God's love.
I enjoy the gentleness of Advent. The soft lights that grow in longing anticipation of Christ's arrival makes me want to spend greater time watching the stillness of a flickering candle. The ancient Advent songs help me dream of Isaiah's prophecy of the peaceable kingdom in which no harm or ruin can come to anyone on God's holy mountain. The presence of Mary's motherhood helps us to realize the new life that is to be born within us. Yes, the Advent season is worth capturing. We are a people who live in the "now" and the "not yet" so we spend our time waiting, learning how to be patient.
The other days I read a quote from the protestant theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in which he says, "A prison cell in which one waits, hopes... and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent."
Christ will soon come to open that door. With his coaxing invitation, it is up to us to decide whether we will step out of that prison door into a new life of freedom.
For God's great salvific event, I am thankful.
Thanksgiving Day Prayer
From the Book of Sirach
And now, bless the God of all,
who has done wondrous things on earth;
Who fosters people's growth from their mother's womb,
and fashions them according to his will!
May he grant you joy of heart
and may peace abide among you;
May his goodness toward us endure in Israel
to deliver us in our days.
And now, bless the God of all,
who has done wondrous things on earth;
Who fosters people's growth from their mother's womb,
and fashions them according to his will!
May he grant you joy of heart
and may peace abide among you;
May his goodness toward us endure in Israel
to deliver us in our days.
Thanksgiving Day (U.S.A.)
In 1620, religious separatists from England set sail for the New World in the ship, the Mayflower, filled with one hundred and two people. They wanted to settle in a new land so they could enjoy religious freedom. Their faith held doctrinal beliefs different from the Church of England and they wanted to separate from it.
The first settlers landed at Plymouth Rock near Boston, Massachusetts in mid-November 1620 after a nine-week arduous journey. Many passengers fell ill and died. Their first winter was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow crops, and without fresh food, half the colony died from disease. The following spring, an Abenaki native visited the colonists and soon brought Squanto, from the Pawtuxet tribe, who was able to speak English because he was captured years earlier by another Englishman. The natives taught the malnourished colonists how to grow corn, a new food indigenous to America, and to hunt and fish.
With the help of the Wampanoag natives, bountiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested in the fall of 1621. Governor William Bradford planned a harvest feast to give thanks to God for their survival. They invited 90 of the local tribe members, along with Chief Massasoit and Squanto. The natives brought roasted deer, turkey, and other wild game. The colonists ate new fruits and vegetables like cranberries, squash, and different kinds of corn.
It became a custom to celebrate a harvest feast to praise God for his providence. Largely, Thanksgiving has become a day set aside for families to reunite and enjoy a traditional meal of turkey, cranberries, potatoes, squash, stuffing, and other specialties.
As an independent nation, the U.S. Congress recommended one yearly national day of celebration to give thanks. George Washington chose November 26th as a day of remembrance. After the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln chose the last Thursday in November, and in 1939, Franklin Roosevelt moved it up one week to the 4th Thursday in November. He chose this to boost business by lengthening the Christmas shopping season.
The first settlers landed at Plymouth Rock near Boston, Massachusetts in mid-November 1620 after a nine-week arduous journey. Many passengers fell ill and died. Their first winter was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow crops, and without fresh food, half the colony died from disease. The following spring, an Abenaki native visited the colonists and soon brought Squanto, from the Pawtuxet tribe, who was able to speak English because he was captured years earlier by another Englishman. The natives taught the malnourished colonists how to grow corn, a new food indigenous to America, and to hunt and fish.
With the help of the Wampanoag natives, bountiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested in the fall of 1621. Governor William Bradford planned a harvest feast to give thanks to God for their survival. They invited 90 of the local tribe members, along with Chief Massasoit and Squanto. The natives brought roasted deer, turkey, and other wild game. The colonists ate new fruits and vegetables like cranberries, squash, and different kinds of corn.
It became a custom to celebrate a harvest feast to praise God for his providence. Largely, Thanksgiving has become a day set aside for families to reunite and enjoy a traditional meal of turkey, cranberries, potatoes, squash, stuffing, and other specialties.
As an independent nation, the U.S. Congress recommended one yearly national day of celebration to give thanks. George Washington chose November 26th as a day of remembrance. After the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln chose the last Thursday in November, and in 1939, Franklin Roosevelt moved it up one week to the 4th Thursday in November. He chose this to boost business by lengthening the Christmas shopping season.
Prayer: Miguel Pro
Let me spend my life near thee, O Mother,
to keep thee company
in thy solitude and deepest grief.
Let me feel in my soul
the sadness of thine eyes
and the abandonment of thy heart.
On life's highway I do not seek
the gladness of Bethlehem;
I do not wish to adore the infant God
in thy virginal hands,
nor to enjoy the winsome presence of Jesus
in thy humble home of Nazareth,
nor the mingle with the angelic choirs
in thy glorious Assumption.
My wish in life is for the jeers
and derision of Calvary,
for the slow agony of thy Son,
for the contempt, the disgrace
and infamy of the cross.
My wish, O most sorrowful Virgin,
is to stand near thee,
to strengthen my soul through thy tears
to completer my offering
through thy martyrdom,
to temper my hear through thy solitude
and to love my God and thy God
through my self-sacrifice.
Memorial: November 23
to keep thee company
in thy solitude and deepest grief.
Let me feel in my soul
the sadness of thine eyes
and the abandonment of thy heart.
On life's highway I do not seek
the gladness of Bethlehem;
I do not wish to adore the infant God
in thy virginal hands,
nor to enjoy the winsome presence of Jesus
in thy humble home of Nazareth,
nor the mingle with the angelic choirs
in thy glorious Assumption.
My wish in life is for the jeers
and derision of Calvary,
for the slow agony of thy Son,
for the contempt, the disgrace
and infamy of the cross.
My wish, O most sorrowful Virgin,
is to stand near thee,
to strengthen my soul through thy tears
to completer my offering
through thy martyrdom,
to temper my hear through thy solitude
and to love my God and thy God
through my self-sacrifice.
Memorial: November 23
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Prayer: John Chrysostom
For what use is it when you give as much of your wealth as someone might give a spoonful of water from the ocean, and you don't imitate the widow's generosity of spirit?
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