Feast of St Stephen of Hungary.
"Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho, and the Lord showed him all the land—Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms, and as far as Zoar.
"The Lord then said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that I would give to their descendants. I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
"So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the Lord, died as the Lord had said; and he was buried in the ravine opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab, but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
"Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
"For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab, till they had completed the period of grief and mourning for Moses.
"Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom, since Moses had laid his hands upon him; and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience, thus carrying out the Lord’s command to Moses.
"Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He had no equal in all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land, and for the might and the terrifying power that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel."
(Deuteronomy 34: 1 - 12).
Wednesday 16th August 2023 in the 19th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Stephen of Hungary.
St Stephen of Hungary was born in 969 and died on August 15th 1038). Monarch.
St Stephen was crowned king of Hungary on Christmas day 1001 by Emperor Otto III by the permission of Pope Sylvester II.
Stephen earned his greatness in Christian history by founding monasteries and organizing dioceses thereby transforming Hungary into a Christian nation. St Stephen and his wife Blessed Gisela were the parents of St. Emeric.
St Stephen is the patron saint of: Hungary, kings, bricklayers and masons.
Our key Scripture is from the first Reading: Deuteronomy 34: 1 - 12. This reading brings to a conclusion the epic story of Moses which was started in Exodus 1.
We recap what we learned about this towering figure of the Bible below:
Moses the humble shepherd of the priest of Madian is chosen, called and anointed as the man who will lead Israel out of Egypt, receive The Ten Commandments from God and deliver it to the People.
God choose the people the world consider absurd to serve Him in high office.
Consider the profile of Moses at Exodus 1:
80 years humble Shepherd.
Possible speech impediment.
Fugitive from the criminal justice system of powerful Egypt.
Why did God choose such a man?
Because this is who God is and how He works. God choose people despised by this world and promote them to do great things. Call it the mystery of Divine Providence.
In the Magnificat, Mary reveals the divine template when it comes to the Choice, the Call and the Anointing of His collaborators:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great thingsfor me, and holy is his name." (Luke 1: 46 - 49).
This template of Choice, Call and Anointing applies to the Patriarchs: (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) David, Mary, John the Baptist, etc.
At the end of the life of Moses, God said to His best friend Moses:
“This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that I would give to their descendants. I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
Call this the mystery of Divine Providence.
Here is the great Epitaph to Moses from the Holy Bible:
"Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He had no equal in all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land, and for the might and the terrifying power that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel." (Cf Deuteronomy 34: 1 - 12).
August is the Month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mary says: "In the end. My Immaculate Heart will triumph."
For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/06/immaculate-heart-of-mary-consecration.html?m=10
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