Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. ...The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." Jesus answered: "It is writen:, One does not live on bread alone."...The devil then said to him, "I shall give to you all this power and glory...All this will be yours, if you worship me." Jesus replied: "It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve." ...Then the devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone." Jesus said to him in reply, "It also says: You shall not put the Lord, you God, to the test." When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
Reflection:
Try as the he might by offering every attractive thing-wealth, power, esteem-the devil couldn't prove stronger. The gentle persuasion of prayer and fasting kept Jesus stronger and able to resist temptation. Not even the Son of God was exempt from being tested! Temptation, then, isn't necessarily a sign of great sinfulness. It is an occasion for showing that our lives are turned to God, for remaining steadfast in the faith that we profess. Lent isn't simply our desert time to overcome temptation. It is also a springtime of renewed relationship to God. It is a time when we are strengthened, with the gentle warmth of God's Spirit leading us, to overcome even temptations to wealth, power, and esteem. (Living Liturgy, p.70)
Vincentian Meditation:
I urge you to reflect, during Lent, on the temptations that we inevitable meet as the Spirit guides us through the desert. None of us is spared these. The Spirit is a pillar of fire to lighten our path on the journey, but daily events allure us to follow other pillars of fire as we wander through the desert. But we find our hunger satisfied, our thirst quenched, only in the person of a loving, provident God who walks with us always. This Lent all of us must ask ourselves: what is the greatest temptation I face as a follower of St. Vincent?
(Maloney, Go! On the Missionary Spirituality of St. Vincent de Paul, p. 95)
Discussion: (Share your thoughts after a moment of silence) What is the greatest temptation you face as a follower of Vincent and Frederic?
Closing Prayer: For the grace to be detached from wealth, -Jesus we turn to you. For the grace to be detached from power, -Jesus we turn to you. For the grace to be detached from esteem, -Jesus we turn to you. Amen
BBQ in the Courtyard!
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul would like to give a BIG thank you to Sal Caballero and TRDI for hosting The Annual Homeless Event in the Courtyard, this past Saturday, January 30th. This is the 9th year of Sal and TRDI sponsoring and hosting this event in the Courtyard where 600 Courtyard Guests are served chicken, sausage, rice, beans, bread, water, sodas and cookies for dessert. We are so grateful for this annual event and the guests in the Courtyard look forward to it every year!
Thank you Sal Caballero and TRDI for providing such a delicious meal and a day of memories for our friends!
*If your Conference can host one of the training sessions, please contact either Mary Esther Jockers at jemmie57@sbcglobal.net or B.J. Polk at jrragman@aol.com.
INDIVIDUALS WHO WANT TO ATTEND CLASSES MUST RSVP (THOSE WANTING TO ATTEND MUST RESERVE A SPACE). THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR CLASSES THAT REQUIRE LUNCH AND THOSE WITH HANDOUTS AND BOOKLETS.
Classes will be CANCELLED
if no one hosts or RSVPs for the classes.
CONFERENCE NEEDS
St. Ann's Conference is need of toiletries products to give out to their Brothers and Sisters in need.
They are currently given out once a week, but the their homeless population is growing rapidly.
Currently, they arr buying deodorant (men and women) body soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, shavers, combs, washrags. They also buy large boxes of detergent, which is put into smaller bagged portions, so Brothers and Sisters can wash their clothes.
If any Conference has extra toiletries that they can provide to St. Ann's, please call the Conference at 734 5404 and leave message, and the St. Ann Vincentians can pick up the items.
Thank you all very much!
Vincentian's Corner
The SVDP Food Pantry at Prince of Peace Conference had its inspection visit from the SA Food Bank in November. The SVDP POP Food Pantry scored a perfect 100. Megan Janzen from the SAFB brought five visitors last week to POP SVDP Food Pantry to observe how the pantry is set-up physically as well as to see the manual and computer record keeping. The visitors are contemplating setting up a food pantry and Megan used the POP SVDP Food Pantry as an example. "We are very blessed with wonderful volunteers who are extremely conscientious about their volunteer work but most of all our volunteers are compassionate and are very caring of our brothers and sisters in Christ that come to our pantry."
Printer Available at St. Anthony Mary Claret
We, at St Anthony Mary Claret Conference, have upgraded to Windows 10 and had to replace our office printer. We have a nice Cannon PIXMA MX330 series all-in-one printer, copier, fax, and scan machine that is in great shape. We also have two black ink cartridges to go with it. It works with Windows 7 and 8.1. If Interested, contact me, Harold Shields at 210 688-0070 (leave a message) or email samc0070@att.net . It was bought with SVdP money so it's available at no charge to any conference or council that has use for it.
Mr. Jesse Camacho, President of our St. Timothy Conference, has received the honor of The Lumen Gentium Award.
The Lumen Gentium Award was initiated by Archbishop Gustavo to honor deserving lay people who are deeply devoted to and actively engaged in their parishes.
SAINTS OF THE WEEK
Friday, February 5- St. Agatha
As in the case of Agnes, another virgin-martyr of the early Church, almost nothing is historically certain about this saint except that she was martyred in Sicily during the persecution of Emperor Decius in 251.
Legend has it that Agatha, like Agnes, was arrested as a Christian, tortured and sent to a house of prostitution to be mistreated. She was preserved from being violated, and was later put to death.
She is claimed as the patroness of both Palermo and Catania. The year after her death, the stilling of an eruption of Mt. Etna was attributed to her intercession. As a result, apparently, people continued to ask her prayers for protection against fire.
Saturday, February 6 - St. Paul Miki and Companions
Nagasaki, Japan, is familiar to Americans as the city on which the second atomic bomb was dropped, immediately killing over 37,000 people. Three and a half centuries before, 26 martyrs of Japan were crucified on a hill, now known as the Holy Mountain, overlooking Nagasaki. Among them were priests, brothers and laymen, Franciscans, Jesuits and members of the Secular Franciscan Order; there were catechists, doctors, simple artisans and servants, old men and innocent children-all united in a common faith and love for Jesus and his Church.
Brother Paul Miki, a Jesuit and a native of Japan, has become the best known among the martyrs of Japan. While hanging upon a cross, Paul Miki preached to the people gathered for the execution: "The sentence of judgment says these men came to Japan from the Philippines, but I did not come from any other country. I am a true Japanese. The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I certainly did teach the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason I die. I believe that I am telling only the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you to become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ's example I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain."
When missionaries returned to Japan in the 1860s, at first they found no trace of Christianity. But after establishing themselves they found that thousands of Christians lived around Nagasaki and that they had secretly preserved the faith. Beatified in 1627, the martyrs of Japan were finally canonized in 1862.
Sunday, February 7- St. Colette
Colette did not seek the limelight, but in doing God's will she certainly attracted a lot of attention.
Colette was born in Corbie, France. At 21 she began to follow the Third Order Rule and became an anchoress, a woman walled into a room whose only opening was a window into a church.
After four years of prayer and penance in this cell, she left it. With the approval and encouragement of the pope, she joined the Poor Clares and reintroduced the primitive Rule of St. Clare in the 17 monasteries she established. Her sisters were known for their poverty-they rejected any fixed income-and for their perpetual fast. Colette's reform movement spread to other countries and is still thriving today. Colette was canonized in 1807.
Monday, February 8- St. Josephine Bakhita
For many years, Josephine Bakhita was a slave but her spirit was always free and eventually that spirit prevailed.
Born in Olgossa in the Darfur region of southern Sudan, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of seven, sold into slavery and given the name Bakhita, which means fortunate. She was re-sold several times, finally in 1883 to Callisto Legnani, Italian consul in Khartoum, Sudan.
Two years later he took Josephine to Italy and gave her to his friend Augusto Michieli. Bakhita became babysitter to Mimmina Michieli, whom she accompanied to Venice's Institute of the Catechumens, run by the Canossian Sisters. While Mimmina was being instructed, Josephine felt drawn to the Catholic Church. She was baptized and confirmed in 1890, taking the name Josephine.
When the Michielis returned from Africa and wanted to take Mimmina and Josephine back with them, the future saint refused to go. During the ensuing court case, the Canossian sisters and the patriarch of Venice intervened on Josephine's behalf. The judge concluded that since slavery was illegal in Italy, she had actually been free since 1885.
Josephine entered the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 and made her profession three years later. In 1902, she was transferred to the city of Schio (northeast of Verona), where she assisted her religious community through cooking, sewing, embroidery and welcoming visitors at the door. She soon became well loved by the children attending the sisters' school and the local citizens. She once said, "Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!"
The first steps toward her beatification began in 1959. She was beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later.
Tuesday, February 9 - St. Jerome Emiliani
A careless and irreligious soldier for the city-state of Venice, Jerome was captured in a skirmish at an outpost town and chained in a dungeon. In prison Jerome had a lot of time to think, and he gradually learned how to pray. When he escaped, he returned to Venice where he took charge of the education of his nephews-and began his own studies for the priesthood.
In the years after his ordination, events again called Jerome to a decision and a new lifestyle. Plague and famine swept northern Italy. Jerome began caring for the sick and feeding the hungry at his own expense. While serving the sick and the poor, he soon resolved to devote himself and his property solely to others, particularly to abandoned children. He founded three orphanages, a shelter for penitent prostitutes and a hospital.
Around 1532 Jerome and two other priests established a congregation, the Clerks Regular of Somasca, dedicated to the care of orphans and the education of youth. Jerome died in 1537 from a disease he caught while tending the sick. He was canonized in 1767. In 1928 Pius Xl named him the patron of orphans and abandoned children.
Wednesday, February 10 - St. Scholastica
Twins often share the same interests and ideas with an equal intensity. Therefore, it is no surprise that Scholastica and her twin brother, Benedict (July 11), established religious communities within a few miles from each other.
Born in 480 of wealthy parents, Scholastica and Benedict were brought up together until he left central Italy for Rome to continue his studies.
Little is known of Scholastica's early life. She founded a religious community for women near Monte Cassino at Plombariola, five miles from where her brother governed a monastery.
The twins visited each other once a year in a farmhouse because Scholastica was not permitted inside the monastery. They spent these times discussing spiritual matters.
According to the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great, the brother and sister spent their last day together in prayer and conversation. Scholastica sensed her death was close at hand and she begged Benedict to stay with her until the next day.
He refused her request because he did not want to spend a night outside the monastery, thus breaking his own Rule. Scholastica asked God to let her brother remain and a severe thunderstorm broke out, preventing Benedict and his monks from returning to the abbey.
Benedict cried out, "God forgive you, Sister. What have you done?" Scholastica replied, "I asked a favor of you and you refused. I asked it of God and he granted it."
Brother and sister parted the next morning after their long discussion. Three days later, Benedict was praying in his monastery and saw the soul of his sister rising heavenward in the form of a white dove. Benedict then announced the death of his sister to the monks and later buried her in the tomb he had prepared for himself.
Thursday, February 11 - Our Lady of Lourdes
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus. A little more than three years later, on February 11, 1858, a young lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous. This began a series of visions. During the apparition on March 25, the lady identified herself with the words: "I am the Immaculate Conception."
Bernadette was a sickly child of poor parents. Their practice of the Catholic faith was scarcely more than lukewarm. Bernadette could pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Creed. She also knew the prayer of the Miraculous Medal: "O Mary conceived without sin."
During interrogations Bernadette gave an account of what she saw. It was "something white in the shape of a girl." She used the word aquero, a dialect term meaning "this thing." It was "a pretty young girl with a rosary over her arm." Her white robe was encircled by a blue girdle. She wore a white veil. There was a yellow rose on each foot. A rosary was in her hand. Bernadette was also impressed by the fact that the lady did not use the informal form of address (tu), but the polite form (vous). The humble virgin appeared to a humble girl and treated her with dignity.
Through that humble girl, Mary revitalized and continues to revitalize the faith of millions of people. People began to flock to Lourdes from other parts of France and from all over the world. In 1862 Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the apparitions and authorized the cult of Our Lady of Lourdes for the diocese. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes became worldwide in 1907.
Does your Conference have any news, events, or any other information that you would like to share in the Friday Five? **Please note, that events can be advertised if they ONLY support the SVDP Conference. Any events that are put on by a parish can no longer be advertised.**
If so, please email Rachel Esposito at rachel.esposito@svdpsa.org to be include in the next edition of the Friday Five! All information must be submitted by 3:00 pm on Wednesday. Thank you.
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Please pray for Sister from St. Brigid Conference, Nell Sharrock. She has been a Vincentian for many years. She has provided service in many of the offices in the Conference and Council Office.She is currently in Hospice at home. We thank you for all of your prayers.
Thanks to all who prayed for one of our Vincentian's spouse, Adan Polanco, from St. Stanislaus Parish. Praise God the family received wonderful news last week and he is now cancer free. Praise the Lord and thanks to all for your prayers.
Please continue praying for Yolanda and Ramiro Ramirez, Angela Angel and Gloria de Luna, all from St. Ann's Conference who are experiencing health issues.
