Here is this week's installment of "Five Faith Friday" which contains five, faith-based things I found interesting and am sharing on Friday.
What Book I'm Reading --
A Bible Walkthrough of the Mass: Understanding What We Say and Do In The Liturgy by Edward Sri. I have heard that everything at Mass is for a particular reason but I had no idea that every single component of it is based on tradition and almost all of them can be traced back to Biblical roots. For example, the preface of the Eucharistic prayer opens up with, "The Lord be with you" to which we respond, "And with your spirit." The priest proceeds with, "Lift up your hearts" and we say, "We lift them up to the Lord." The priest follows it up with, "Let us give thanks to the Lord our God" and we respond, "It is right and just." This dialogue is first reported in the Eucharistic prayer of St. Hippolytus (c. AD 215). Now, eighteen centuries later, we continue to say the same words, uniting us with the Christians of the early Church. Wow!
Who We Need to Pray for the Intercession Of --
Saint Michael, St. Teresa of Avila, JP2, and Our Lady of the Rosary. Why? Because the Presidential (and VP) debates fall on those feast days. Pray for their intercession to help voters form their conscience.
- 1st Presidential debate on Sep 29- Feast of St. Michael (i.e., Michaelmas) and the Archangels
- VP debate on Oct 7- Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (i.e., Our Lady of Victory in honor of the great battle of Lepanto where the Catholics defeated the Muslims in 1571, thus saving Christianity)
- 2nd Presidential debate on Oct 15- Feast of St. Teresa of Avila
- 3rd Presidential debate on Oct 22- Feast of Saint John Paul II
What I Celebrated --
The anniversary of my Baptism. It is common to celebrate birthdays, but I'm under the belief that we should celebrate our Baptisms as well. In our house, the person celebrating their baptism gets to decide what is for dinner and we renew their baptismal promises ending with a sprinkling of holy water. Do you know what day you were saved from original sin? Find your baptismal certificate or try calling the parish you were born at. If you don't celebrate your Baptism, consider starting a new tradition in your house.
Which Event I'm Looking Forward To --
"To Whom Shall We Go" hosted by the Diocese of Allentown's Commission for Men. The event is FREE and you can participate in person at the Cathedral (that's where I'll be!) or stream it via YouTube but you do need to register. The event is being held next Saturday (Oct 3) from 10-12:30 and features keynote talks by Father Steve Issac and Father Allen Hoffa.
What I'm Watching Closely --
How the media is portraying Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Here's the thing. Catholics are being attacked right here in the United States. Churches and religious icons are being desecrated and you can't even be a traditional, orthodox Catholic without being criticized. Kamala Harris already notoriously expressed her intolerance of Catholics who truly follow the Catholic faith and now Judge Barrett is being attacked for her faith despite the Constitution of the United States (article 6, clause 3) stating, "...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." Catholic commentator Matt Walsh humorously said it best:
"[they] already dug up a lot of dirt on Amy Coney Barrett:
- She's Catholic
- She has a lot of kids
- She supports due process (even for men)
- She doesn't think we should kill babies
Wow. Devastating stuff. Keep this monster off the court."
Have a wonderful weekend and may God bless you and your family!
David
David Yingling started his weekly “Five Faith Friday” emails when the Coronavirus forced an end to his in-person “Pints & Prayers” gatherings, which he describes as “Men striving to deepen their faith over a cold one.” He’s a member of St. Jane Frances de Chantal Parish in Easton.
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