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)