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Daily Readings for:October 10, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us to pardon what conscience dreads and to give what prayer does not dare to ask. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

o Gazpacho I

o Gazpacho II

o Paella I

o True Spanish Omelet

ACTIVITIES

o Attitudes on Confession

o When Children Doubt Religious Truths

PRAYERS

o Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

o Prayer for the Feast of St. Francis Borgia

LIBRARY

o The Jesuits | Alban Goodier

· Ordinary Time: October 10th

· Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: St. Francis Borgia, Confessor

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Francis Borgia, a descendant of the notorious Alexander VI. He spent a part of his life in collecting titles and offices of importance. Certain reverses of fortune caused him to reflect on his life. He was already a Franciscan tertiary, but this was not enough for him; he became a Jesuit, at first secretly and then publicly in 1550 having made provision for his eight children. In 1565 he became General of the Society of Jesus. He was a man of wide experience, a clever diplomat and ranks as the second founder of his Order. He died in Rome on October 1, 1572.

St. Francis Borgia
Francis Borgia, viscount of Catalonia and third general of the Jesuits, was born in 1510. On his father's side he was a great-grandchild of Pope Alexander VI; on his mother's side he was the great-grandchild of a son of Ferdinand the Catholic. His holy life atoned for the sins of his ancestors.

As viscount and duke at the palace of Emperor Charles V, Francis stood in high honor. The sudden death of the beautiful Empress Isabella (May 1, 1539) and the sight of her disfigured face as her body was taken to Granada made him resolve to leave the world and serve the King of kings alone.

After the death of his wife (1546), he entered the Society of Jesus with the holy resolve of leading a hidden life and of closing the door forever to all earthly honors. His example of humility exercised an influence upon Charles V when he considered renouncing the throne. Devoted to labor and severe mortification, Francis held himself in such little esteem that he called himself the "poor sinner." In 1565 he became General of the Order. He died at Rome.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Against earthquakes; Portugal; Rota; Marianas.

Symbols: Skull crowned with an emperor's diadem.

Things to Do:

Although Francis lived a holy life, he was deeply moved and changed his life even more profoundly after seeing the corpse of the young and once beautiful Empress Isabella — it was totally disfigured and unrecognizable. This made him realize the transcience of life and the worthlessness of riches. We should follow his example and meditate on this.
Learn more about the infamous Borgia family tree.
Cook or bake some Spanish dishes, such as tapas, paella, gazpacho.
Read more about St. Francis Borgia.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 11:15-26

27th Week in Ordinary Time

The last condition of that person is worse than the first. (Luke 11:26)

Imagine that you own an apartment, and its tenants are destructive and negligent. You decide to evict them. All of their belongings are removed, and you have the apartment cleaned so that all traces of the former occupants are gone. But there’s a problem: you don’t change the locks, and no new tenants move in. It’s a situation similar to Jesus’ parable of the demon returning to its original host with extra spirits. Appealing and vacant, the poor soul was fair game for a return by its previous occupant.

Although we may not have to deal with demonic possession, we do deal with repeated sin. So often, we confess the same sins time and again. We know that the Sacrament of Reconciliation gives us the grace to be set free. But once we’re cleansed, we need to be filled with something. We can’t go around vacant!

So what can we do to fortify our “house” against repeat occupation? How do we go beyond cleansing our souls and actually refurnish them?

From the earliest centuries, the Church has understood that sin, or vice, has what are called opposing virtues: virtues that by their very nature counteract and weaken the influence of the sin in our lives. Following this tradition, St. Ignatius of Loyola recommended developing virtues that strike to the heart of our most troublesome sins.

It goes something like this: we examine our consciences carefully. We go to Confession and get “swept clean and put in order.” Then we get to work refurnishing our house. We identify the virtue that will help us displace the sin. Chastity counteracts lust. Temperance uproots gluttony. Generosity counterbalances greed. Diligence displaces sloth. Forgiveness and meekness offset wrath or anger. Kindness replaces envy. And humility supplants pride. With each subsequent confession, the process continues on a deeper and deeper level until we find ourselves set free.

Experiment with the virtues that oppose your sins. It’s true that only God’s grace can help you progress in holiness, but you still have to decide to take those small steps each day to fill the gap left by the uprooted sin. So refurnish your house, and you’ll find the Holy Spirit living there more comfortably—and more powerfully!

“Holy Spirit, fill me with virtue, which is the fruit of your life in me!”

Galatians 3:7-14; Psalm 111:1-6