Knights of Columbus Newsletter

Transcription

1 Knights of Columbus Newsletter Tuolumne Council 2165 Sonora, California Volume III, Issue 3 March 2013 Message from the Grand Knight We will not have a history of one of our Armed Forces this month. In its place, we wish to present a brief history of the Lenten season. Starting in April, we will continue our Armed Forces series: we still have the Coast Guard, Sea Bees, Army Air Force, Air Force, and Women s Armed Forces to review. The Lenten Season The liturgical season of Lent, as we know it today, has developed from the time of Christ s resurrection up to the present time. During the first three centuries, most Christians performed the Easter preparation by fasting and praying for three days. In some locales, the preparation time was extended to one week and this timeframe became known as Holy Week. At the same time in Rome, the preparation period was three weeks and was considered a time of intense spiritual and liturgical preparation for both catechumens and lay persons to prepare for Easter. By the 4 th century, Lent was extended to 40 days. The problem was, which 40 days are we talking about? It depends upon how you count and what you count. It was generally agreed that Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sunset on Holy Thursday. This timespan exceeds 40 days. Other sources maintained that Lent began on the first Sunday after Ash Wednesday and that Wednesday through Saturday was a pre-lent period. There does not appear to be any uncontested documentation as to why Ash Wednesday is the seventh Wednesday before Easter or exactly how the 40 days were counted. There are several historical references that relate the 40 days of Lent to biblical numbers: (please continue on page 2) Grand Knight s Corner Many thanks to Richard Lauterio for his dedication and faithful service to our Council. We wish him and his family good health. The last Sunday in February we did Meet and Greet in the Parish Hall. Thank you to all who contributed home-baked goodies! We collected donations and, surprisingly, the largest amount was after the 11am mass. The only omission - no Knights of Columbus Council banner. We should use every opportunity to show our colors, and recruit! We will be cooking for the parish St. Patrick's Day dinner, March 17th. Please volunteer, for we will need help in many areas of meal preparation. And always remember - every event is excellent for recruitment. The first Council of the Knights of Columbus was formed in the spring of We celebrate 130 years as the most charitable organization in the world. God Bless All, Charlie Marinelli,Grand Knight Announcements There will be a 1 st Degree at our March 14 th meeting. We have two candidates to bring into the Council. First Degree Team Members! Please review your part. We will practice on Wednesday, March 13 th, at 2:00 p.m. in our meeting room.

2 There will be a 2 nd and 3 rd Degree at St. Joseph s in Modesto on Saturday, March 16 th. To those 3 rd Degree members who have not witnessed this ceremony in awhile, please consider attending. Be re-inspired by the ideals of the Order. Please advice George Kosko ( ) if you can go. He needs a head count. California State Council Annual Meeting and Convention: May 17-18, San Diego. Registration at 12:00 noon on May 17. Delegates need to be chosen so that the paperwork can be sent before April 12, Dues: Members can still pay dues without being suspended. Come on guys, you need us and we need you. March birthdays are: Ernest Cuzzocreo Joseph Dugan Ray Maechler Happy Birthday to you and anyone we missed. Message from the Grand Knight (continued from page 1) Noah endured 40 days of rain, Moses and the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, Christ fasted for 40 days and 40 nights before he began his public ministry, Elias fasted for 40 days. In some countries, a commemoration mass was celebrated for the dead 40 days after the funeral and these 40 days were remembered during Lent. Still another source suggests that the fact that Christ lay in the tomb for 40 hours had an influence on the 40 days of Lent. Starting with Ash Wednesday and ending with Holy Saturday, not counting Sundays, we have the current 40 symbolic days of Lent. Along with the modifications of the duration of Lent, there have been changes in Lenten observances. Ash Wednesday still marks the beginning of Lent. Ashes from burned palms, saved from the previous year, are utilized to mark the foreheads of parishioners. The placing of ashes on people s heads (and the wearing of sackcloth) is a Hebrew tradition that was not associated with Ash Wednesday. By the 4 th century this practice was adopted by local churches and used as an indicator that a person had temporarily been excommunicated. The person may have been guilty of adultery, murder, heresy or any number of lesser offenses. This custom expanded and by the 7 th century it became an Ash Wednesday ritual where persons confessed their sins privately, were presented to the Bishop, and publicly became penitents in preparation for absolution. They were expelled from the congregation as a reminder that death is the punishment for sin. These persons lived apart from their families for the 40 days of Lent. They were required to abstain from meat, alcohol, haircuts, shaving, and baths, and they were not permitted to have sex or to conduct business transactions. By the 11 th century, traditions were similar to those practiced today and emphasis was placed on personal rather than public sins. The procedures today are centered on voluntary Lenten practices. However, the direction of what we do is derived from the historical evolution of Lent with emphasis on baptism, personal conversion, penance, and the suffering and death of Jesus. Our fasting and abstinence rules have also been simplified. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the faithful fast and abstain from meat; on the other Fridays of Lent, the faithful abstain from meat. People are still encouraged to give up something for Lent as a sacrifice. (Catholic Education.org) The motives for fasting are based upon the belief it cleanses one of previous abuses and sins. In the 10 th century it was customary to have the main and only meal at noon. By the 14 th century a light evening meal was permitted. A strict fast and abstinence rule was in effect until 1966; one main meal was permitted for persons 21 to 59 years of age on all of the days of Lent except Sundays. Two other smaller meals were permitted, but their combined contents were not to exceed the contents of the main meal. During Lent, the liturgical services and the physical appearance of the church take on a more somber mood as indicated by the dropping of the Alleluia and the Gloria. The penitent color purple becomes the dominant color of church decorations and the priest s vestments. The sanctuary lacks any festive decorations. At one time musical instruments were discouraged in services. Until recent years, it was customary to veil prominent statues and crucifixes with a purple drape as a sign of mourning. This veiling was thought of by some as a fast for the eyes. In the 10 th century, it was customary to hang a large drape between the altar and the congregation in order to hide the glory of the statues of the saints and crucifixes from sinners. Since 1969, crosses Page 2 of 5

3 and images of saints are not to be covered unless prescribed by the Bishop s Conference. The Stations of the Cross is a traditional devotion in most parishes to draw attention to the suffering and death of Jesus. Since Vatican II, the Church has reemphasized the baptismal character of Lent. The two elements which are especially characteristic of Lent the recalling of baptism or the preparation for it, and penance should be given greater emphasis in the liturgy and liturgical catechesis. It is by means of these that the Church prepares the faithful for the celebration of Easter, while they hear God s word more frequently and devote more time to prayer. (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of Vatican Council II) Just like a Knight Did you hear about the Episcopal Bishop who landed at LaGuardia Airport in New York City? He hailed a cab that happened to be driven by one of our own, Thomas Dooley, Jr. The Bishop commands, Take me to Christ s Church. Right, says Dooley and he wastes no time taking him to St. Patrick s Cathedral. The Bishop says, I very clearly told you to take me to Christ s Church. This is not the church. Well, says Dooley, Your Excellency, if He ain t here, He ain t no place in town. By the Way Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip. Will Rogers Prayers for the Sick and Infirm St. Francis de Salles wrote The prayer of the sick person is his patience and his acceptance of his sickness for the love of Jesus Christ. Make sickness itself a prayer, for there is none more powerful, save martyrdom! Amen In Memoriam May the souls of all of the faithful who have departed rest in peace with the Lord. Prayer Lord, the house of my soul is narrow; Enlarge it that You may enter in. It is ruinous, O repair it! It displeases Your sight. I confess it, I know. But who shall cleanse it, To whom shall I cry but to You? Cleanse me from my secret faults, O Lord, And spare Your servant from strange sins. St. Augustine of Hippo (AD ) ABOUT OUR FAITH Adoration of the Eucharist (continued) 1. The basis for all Eucharistic devotion is the fact that Christ in the Blessed Sacrament is the Son of God in human form. The Eucharistic Food contains, as all are aware, truly, really and substantially the Body and Blood together with the Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is no wonder then that the Church, even from the beginning, adored the Body of Christ under the appearance of bread; this is evident from the very rites of the august Sacrifice, which prescribe that the sacred ministers should adore the Most Holy Sacrament by genuflecting or by profoundly bowing their heads. The Sacred Councils teach that it is the Church s tradition, right from the beginning, to worship with the same adoration the Word Incarnate as well as His own Flesh, and St. Augustine asserts that: no one eats that flesh without first adoring it, while he adds that not only do we not commit a sin by adoring it, but we do sin by not adoring it. Everything else depends on this primary article of faith: that the Eucharist contains the living Christ in the fullness of His human nature and, therefore, is really present under the sacred species; and in the fullness of His divine nature, and therefore is to be adored as God. 2. Dogmatic Progress. There has been a deeper grasp by the Church of every aspect of the mystery of the Eucharist. But one that merits special attention is the growing realization, not only of Christ s sacrificial oblation in the Mass, but of His gracefilled presence outside of Mass. Page 3 of 5

4 It is on this doctrinal basis that the worship of adoring the Eucharist was founded and gradually developed as something distinct from the Sacrifice of the Mass. The reservation of the Sacred Species for the sick and those in danger introduced the praiseworthy custom of adoring the Blessed Sacrament which is reserved in our Churches. This practice of adoration, in fact, is based on strong and solid reasons. For the Eucharist is at once a Sacrifice and a Sacrament: but it differs from the other Sacraments in this that it not only produces grace, but contains, in a permanent manner, the Author of grace Himself. When, therefore, the Church bids us to adore Christ hidden behind the Eucharistic veils and pray to Him for the spiritual and temporal favors of which we ever stand in need, she manifests living faith in her divine Spouse who is present beneath these veils, she professes her gratitude to Him and she enjoys the intimacy of His friendship. to give thanks? That s right, the Samaritan. The hatred the Jews had for the Samaritans tops the Hatfields and the McCoys, the long standing hatred between the Palestinians and the Jews, the current hatred of certain fundamental Islamic terrorists for the U.S., and even our own dislike for (you fill in the blank). And yet, in each of his encounters with Samaritans, Jesus offers healing of mind and body. Jesus did not condemn any people for their illness, gender, social status, or political affiliation. Jesus instead offers his life giving water as an opportunity to change and enter more fully into God s plan of salvation history. Just like the Samaritan woman at the well, we are called by our baptism to be instruments of spreading the Good News of the Gospels. The key to seeing why there should be a Eucharistic worship distinct from the Mass is that the Eucharist is Jesus Christ. No less than His contemporaries in Palestine adored and implored Him for the favors they needed, so we should praise and thank Him, and implore Him for what we need. (to be continued in April) Submitted by Roger Stevens Chaplain s Message We have reached the half way mark of Lent, and that is a good time to assess how we have been doing on our Lenten intentions. It is like checking the oil level on your car. Is our spiritual oil level OK, a little low, or down a quart? Throughout Lent we are presented with many Old Testament and Gospel readings that deal with the life-giving properties of water. These range from the Israelites in the desert to the Samaritan woman at the well. Do you recall any other times that Jesus encounters Samaritans in the Gospels? We all know the story of the Good Samaritan. When Jesus cures the ten lepers, who is the only one who returns Page 4 of 5 The woman ran off to tell everyone she knew, and we do that with our words and actions every day. Jesus asks the woman at the well for a drink, and even as he hung on the cross he said, I thirst. I am sure he must have been physically thirsty in both instances, but even more than that is his spiritual thirst. It is his way of asking each one of us what we are thirsty for in our physical and spiritual lives. Once Jesus starts talking to the Samaritan woman, the conversation turns to her five husbands. During this dialog the Samaritan woman realizes that Jesus offers her a chance to change and accept his grace for salvation. Jesus is thirsting for this kind of dialog from each one of us so he can tell us again and again how much we are loved and forgiven. He will send the Holy Spirit to help guide us through life s difficult times. We can then offer our love, compassion, and forgiveness to everyone we meet in our daily lives. And that, Brother Knights, is the essence of the New Evangelization that we hear being talked about during this Year of Faith. Jesus says to each one of us, If not you, then who? May God continue to bless you during the remaining weeks of Lent and Holy Week so

5 that together we can all shout, He is Risen! on Easter Sunday. God Bless. Deacon Mike Knights of Columbus Insurance Ask Eligible Men to Join Today, I want to address the growth of the Order. Membership growth is the fuel that keeps this great fraternal engine running. All of our charitable works in the Council, state, national and international levels are thanks to our hard-working members. We also recognize that the membership blitz is a tried and true way for Councils to increase their numbers. We see these pushes often in March, in celebration of Founder s Day, and again in October. These drives are successful because brother Knights are more visible than normal, during and after Masses, and at special events. We must remember to ask each and every Catholic gentleman to join our ranks for the good of the Church, the community, and the Order. reason he hasn t joined already is because no one asked him. When telling a prospect about the strengths of the Order, don t forget our greatest fraternal benefit: our insurance program. This is often an interesting selling point to a potential member who is on the fence. Many members come into the Knighthood simply to be able to buy coverage for their family. Soon after, they realize the good our charitable works do for their community and they are proud to be members. As your professional Knights of Columbus insurance agent, I look forward to helping us grow in fraternity in any way that I can. Fraternally, Your Brother and Field Agent, Bill Labiak Phone: bill.labiak@kofc.org Steve Hudec, General Agent Phone: steve.hudec@kofc.org During the rest of the year, we often forget to ask men to join our ranks and bring their families into the Knights of Columbus family. You probably know an eligible Catholic man you could ask today. Chances are that the only Page 5 of 5