• September 5th - St. Malachi, the Prophet

    From rich@1:396/4 to All on Wed Sep 4 09:35:48 2019
    From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

    September 5th - St. Malachi, the Prophet, Departure of--420 BC

    On this day, the great prophet, Malachi, one of the twelve minor
    prophets, departed. He prophesied about the return of the people from
    captivity in Babylon to Jerusalem. He rebuked the children of Israel
    because of their transgression against God and His Law. He also
    admonished them because of their vile offerings, and prophesied about
    the acceptance of the Gentiles when he said, "For from the rising of
    the sun, even to its going down, my name shall be great among the
    Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a
    pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations." (Malachi
    1:11)

    He pointed out to them that they did not give the tithes nor their
    first fruits, by saying, "'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
    that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now in this,' says
    the LORD of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
    and pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough
    to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that
    he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail
    to bear fruit for you in the field,' says the LORD of hosts." (Malachi
    3:10-11)

    He prophesied about the coming of St. John the baptizer before the
    Lord, the Savior of the World, by saying, "'Behold, I send My
    messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom
    you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the
    covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,' says the LORD of
    hosts." (Malachi 3:1)

    He also prophesied about the coming of Elijah before the Lord at His
    second coming, saying, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the Prophet
    before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he
    will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of
    the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a
    curse." (Malachi 4:5-6)

    Having pleased God by his strife, and having completed his days in
    peace, he departed to God Whom he loved. May his prayers be with us
    and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.

    HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
    In 536 BC the Babylonian Captivity of the Jews officially ended when
    Cyrus allowed the people of Israel to return to their homeland. Under
    the leadership of Zerubbabel some 50,000 Jews returned. Encouraged by
    the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, the people rebuilt the Temple
    between 520-516 BC.

    In 458 BC Ezra returned with a second group of exiles. The Persian
    King during this time was Artaxerxes I (465-425 BC). It was he who
    permitted Nehemiah to return in 445 BC to rebuild the walls of
    Jerusalem. Nehemiah's first term as Governor was 445-433 BC. He then
    returned to Persia for a time, after which he served a second term as
    Governor from 430-425 BC.

    It was during this time that "Malachi took the helm of spiritual
    affairs in Jerusalem"=C2 "For a full picture of the conditions in Judea
    during this period one should read Ezra 7-10 and the complete book of
    Nehemiah. The conditions of the people as revealed in Nehemiah and the
    bold and courageous attack of Malachi against the problems which the
    latter sets forth in his book point clearly to the contemporary dates
    of the two" (Homer Hailey).


    Saint Quote:
    Mary was raised to the dignity of Mother of God rather for sinners
    than for the just, since Jesus Christ declares that he came to call
    not the just, but sinners.
    --St. Anselm

    Bible Quote:
    Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that
    shall he also reap. For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the
    flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the
    Spirit reap eternal life.=C2 (Galatians 6:7-8 ) DRB


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    Act of Oblation to the Holy Spirit

    ON MY KNEES before the great cloud of heavenly witnesses, I offer
    myself body and soul to Thee, eternal Spirit of God. I adore the
    brightness of Thy purity, the unerring keenness of Thy justice and the
    might of Thy love. Thou art the strength and light of my soul. In Thee
    I live and move and have my being. I desire never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace, and I pray with all my heart to be kept from
    the smallest sin against Thee. Make me faithful in every thought, and
    grant that I may always listen to Thy voice, watch for Thy light, and
    follow Thy gracious inspirations. I cling to Thee and give myself to
    Thee, and I ask Thee by Thy compassion to watch over me in my
    weakness. Holding the pierced feet of Jesus, looking at His five
    Wounds, trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened side and
    stricken Heart, I implore Thee, adorable Spirit, Helper of my
    infirmity, so to keep me in Thy grace that I may never sin against
    Thee with the sin which Thou wilt not forgive. Grant to me the grace,
    O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and of the Son, to say to Thee
    always and everywhere, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant hears." Amen.
    (After a prayer by Cardinal Newman)
    --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
    * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)