This blog is based on references in the Bible to fear. God wills that we “BE NOT AFRAID”. Many theologians state that the eighth deadly sin is fear. It is fear and its natural animal reaction to fight or flight that is the root cause of our failings to create a Kingdom of God on earth. By “the power of the Holy Spirit” we can be witnesses and “communicators” of a new and redeemed humanity “even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7 8). This blog is dedicated to Mary the Mother of God.
All the peoples of the earth
will see that the name of the LORD is proclaimed over you, and they will be afraid of you.
Christ's death on the cross
was the fulfillment of the proclaiming of God’s name to all the peoples of the
world; for over His head was placed a notice King of the Jews.
It is interesting to note that the notice was
printed in three languages Hebrew, Latin and Greek. These three cultures in a
sense represented the characteristics of God. The Hebrew’s were Gods people and
represented the good of man and
brought the idea that the person was created by God and is more valuable than
the universe. Latin the language of the
Romans brought the idea that truth
is the highest value and the Greeks culture brought the idea of beauty being the greatest value. In
Christ’s death is represented all three values. That a good God died for man;
true to the end; and His shame was turned by love to beauty.
Today is the Feast of the
Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. In a way they also represent these
three values Michael the truth that angels and men are willing to fight for; Raphael
the good and Gabriel the beauty. On further reflection I can see these same
three attributes reflected the preamble of the US constitution: Life (good); Liberty
(truth); and pursuit of happiness (beauty).
We also see that the Name
of God which is goodness; truth and beauty is feared by evil men and women when
they are inspired by Satan and the demons to take away our life, liberty or our
pursuit of happiness.
Surely, it is time for Christians to
"rise from sleep," and to offer vigorous resistance to the enemies of
salvation. The weapons in this conflict are not the arms of civil warfare, but
the spiritual weapons of prayer and penance, increased fidelity to the
Commandments of God, and frequent reception of the Sacraments. And surely we
can choose no better leader in this conflict than the powerful captain who led
the faithful Angels to victory.
Let us, then, with confident trust,
invoke the aid and the protection of this mighty Archangel whose shield bears
the inscription:
"Michael----Quis ut Deus----Who is
like unto God?"[1]
17Bear in mind what Amalek did to
you on the journey after you left Egypt, 18how he surprised you along the way, weak and weary as you were, and
struck down at the rear all those who lagged behind; he did not fear God.
How shall we deal with truly evil people?
In Judaism, the Amalekites came to
represent the archetypal enemy of the Jews. In the Jewish folklore the
Amalekites are considered to be the symbol of evil. This concept has been used
by some Hassidic rabbis (particularly the Baal Shem Tov) to represent atheism
or the rejection of God. Elliot Horowitz and Josef Stern suggest that
Amalekites have come to represent an "eternally irreconcilable enemy"
that wants to murder Jews, and that Jews in post-biblical times sometimes
associate contemporary enemies with Haman or Amalekites, and that some Jews
believe that pre-emptive violence is acceptable against such enemies.[1]
The truly wicked are animals as
the bible mentions they are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Strong men and women whether
laity of religious have a duty to protect the flock; they are the shepherds of the
church that protect the weaker ones. Who are the Amalekites of our time; how
shall we recognize them.
According to Christian Counselor Lesie Vernick[2]
there are five indicators that you may be dealing with an evil heart rather
than an ordinary sinful heart.
1.Evil
hearts are experts at creating confusion and contention. They
twist the facts, mislead, lie, avoid taking responsibility, deny reality, make
up stories, and withhold information.
2.Evil hearts are experts at fooling others with their smooth speech and
flattering words. But if you look at the fruit of their lives or the
follow through of their words, you will find no real evidence of godly growth
or change. It’s all smoke and mirrors.
3.Evil hearts
crave and demand control, and their highest authority is their own
self-reference. They reject feedback, real accountability, and
make up their own rules to live by. They use Scriptureto their
own advantage but ignore and reject passages that might require self-correction
and repentance.
4.Evil
hearts play on the sympathies of good-willed people, often trumping the grace
card. They demand mercy but give none themselves. They demand warmth,
forgiveness, and intimacy from those they have harmed with no empathy for the
pain they have caused and no real intention of making amends or working hard to
rebuild broken trust.
5.Evil
hearts have no conscience, no remorse. They do not struggle against
sin or evil—they delight in it—all the while masquerading as someone of noble
character.
Hmm…sounds like politicians
to me? I would like to finish with some thoughts of Saint John Paul II on the
subject.
I once again address the leaders of nations
and all men and women of good will, who recognize the need to build peace in
the world…"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with
good"(12:21). Evil is never defeated by evil; once that road is
taken, rather than defeating evil, one will instead be defeated by
evil.[3]
The officials shall continue to speak to the army: “Is
there anyone who is afraid and
weakhearted? Let him return home, or
else he might make the hearts of his fellows melt as his does.”
Fear begets fear
and Faith begets faith.
After today our Pope will be on his way
back home let us be of good courage and maintain faith with our bishops and
religious. Do not fear and continue in faith with our fathers knowing that St.
Michael, the archangel, is the guardian angel and protector of the Catholic
Church.
Tonight is the fourth red moon. Some
believe this is a harbinger of the end times. Pope Leo XIII by divine
enlightenment was revealed the struggles of the Church against the powers of
hell and it was revealed to him that hell would be conquered by the
intervention of God led by St. Michael the warrior angel. Pope Leo instituted
the prayer of St. Michael after Mass.
Saint
Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the
wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do
thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell, Satan and all the
other evil spirits, who prowl throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
Yet, do
not fear the end times nor the devil and his cohorts for each time you receive
communion you are empowered more then they!
A fable is told about an eagle who
thought he was a chicken. When the eagle was very small, he fell from the
safety of his nest. A chicken farmer found the eagle, brought him to the
farm, and raised him in a chicken coop among his many chickens. The eagle grew
up doing what chickens do, living like a chicken, and believing he was a
chicken.
A naturalist came to the chicken
farm to see if what he had heard about an eagle acting like a chicken was
really true. He knew that an eagle is king of the sky. He was
surprised to see the eagle strutting around the chicken coop, pecking at the
ground, and acting very much like a chicken.
The farmer explained to the naturalist
that this bird was no longer an eagle. He was now a chicken because he
had been trained to be a chicken and he believed that he was a chicken. The naturalist knew there was more
to this great bird than his actions showed as he "pretended" to be a
chicken. He was born an eagle and had the heart of an eagle, and nothing
could change that. The man lifted the eagle onto the fence surrounding
the chicken coop and said,"Eagle, thou art an eagle. Stretch forth
thy wings and fly." The eagle moved slightly, only to look at the
man; then he glanced down at his home among the chickens in the chicken coop
where he was comfortable. He jumped off the fence and continued doing
what chickens do. The farmer was satisfied. "I told you it was a
chicken," he said.The naturalist returned the next
day and tried again to convince the farmer and the eagle that the eagle was
born for something greater. He took the eagle to the top of the farmhouse
and spoke to him: "Eagle, thou art an eagle. Thou dost belong to the
sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth thy wings and fly." The
large bird looked at the man, then again down into the chicken coop. He
jumped from the man's arm onto the roof of the farmhouse.Knowing what eagles are really
about, the naturalist asked the farmer to let him try one more time. He
would return the next day and prove that this bird was an eagle. The
farmer, convinced otherwise, said, "It is a chicken."The naturalist returned the next
morning to the chicken farm and took the eagle and the farmer some distance
away to the foot of a high mountain. They could not see the farm nor the
chicken coop from this new setting. The man held the eagle on his arm and
pointed high into the sky where the bright sun was beckoning above. He
spoke: "Eagle, thou art an eagle! Thou dost belong to the sky and
not to the earth. Stretch forth thy wings and fly." This time the
eagle stared skyward into the bright sun, straightened his large body, and
stretched his massive wings. His wings moved, slowly at first, then surely
and powerfully. With the mighty screech of an eagle, he flew.[1]
In order to fly we need to be enthusiastic about all things that
God wills for us. Continuing our
study of John McCain’s book “Character
is Destiny”[2] John points out that to have a creative
mind we must be enthusiastic. John’s
example of a man filled with enthusiasm is that of President
Theodore Roosevelt.
John says of
President Roosevelt:
He led one of the most eventful lives in American history and did it all
with the delight and eagerness of a six-year-old boy. Yet he was not afraid of
work: library shelves would eventually groan under the weight of his forty
books, many of them with multiple volumes. Besides being a writer and
politician he was also a warrior during the Spanish American war and led a
charge up San Juan Hill.
Roosevelt was sickly as a boy. He was small, terribly nearsighted, and
plagued by asthma that left him chronically breathless. His father, who was the
greatest influence on his life, and whom he loved more than any other, took him
for carriage rides in the evenings so that the cool night air might restore
regular breathing to his gasping child. Despite the crowded duties of the
respected and civic-minded reformer, the older Roosevelt never deprived his son
of loving attention. He calmed his fears, and encouraged him to defy his
physical handicap, build his willpower, and strengthen his body. The dutiful
son complied, and pushed himself with exercise, sports, and sheer bloody-minded
determination to begin his lifelong crusade to become a vigorous, exuberant
outdoorsman. He swam and fished and hunted and rowed and hiked and rode on
horseback whenever he could. His mind was as eager as was the body he willed to
health.
Theodore as a young “Havard” man had a romantic temperament, but he was a
scrupulously moral young man. He did not smoke or drink, and would never offend
God and womankind by pressing unseemly affections on a young lady. And he could
not abide, under any circumstances, indolence. He always thought “My duty is
clear—to study well and live like a brave Christian gentleman.” He spent a few
weeks before the start of his junior year living in Maine’s north woods with a
rugged outdoorsman, lumberjack, and hunting guide, Bill Sewall, who became his
lifelong friend. He was still a skinny kid, with thick spectacles. His
constitution looked fragile to those who didn’t know him, but he impressed the
older man immediately, carrying as much in his pack on their hunting trip as
Sewall, sharing the chores, keeping the pace in their canoe, hiking for endless
distances through all kinds of weather, swimming in freezing water, and falling
exhausted into sleep beneath the stars.
McCain remarks: There was only one TR, and there will never be
another.
2When
you are drawing near to battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the
army, 3and say to them, “Hear,
O Israel! Today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies. Do not be
weakhearted or afraid, alarmed or
frightened by them.
We are in a battle with the
forces of darkness. Our priest the Pope of our church is saying to us “Do not
be afraid”. He is reminding us that
the love of God is like a pebble that is dropped on the smooth surface of a
pond. When God’s love truly pierces our hearts, as the pebble on the pond, our
own love will ripple outward perfectly in symmetry with the universe, embracing
everything in its path with His reflected glory.
When God’s love truly pierces our
hearts we reflect with sorrow on our sins and transgressions. We as Lord Tennyson
praised long develop a mantra “To Strive,
To Seek, To Find and not to Yield.” We seek to develop within ourselves
genuine compunction of heart.
Compunction is a deep and last sorrow for our sins.
It is not a gloomy or depressing sorrow, but an intelligent admission of your
sins and a sincere determination to do something about them. It is a
realization of how you have failed such a loving God and brings with it a
readiness to accept anything that He wills. Compunction opens the way to many
blessing and precious graces. Compunction will cause the world to lose its
magic attraction. Compunction will help you realize how quickly earthly joys
pass away, while eternity goes on forever. By compunction a man begins to
attack his faults and to practice the opposite virtues.[1]
Let us develop within ourselves
the virtues of Mary Most Holy: Humility, Generosity, Chastity, Patience, Self-Control, Love and Wisdom.
Today is my grandson birthday and his Homecoming at school at big day for him. My sincere prayer is that he will develop into a man of God having the virtues of Mary: HuG CoP SLoW
[1]
Paone, Anthony J., S.J. My Daily Bread, Confraternity of the Precious Blood.
When
you go out to war against your enemies and you see horses and chariots and an
army greater than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD, your God, who brought you up from the
land of Egypt, will be with you.
God imagines the world without war;
this is why He sent His son to bring peace to the world. Yet, we are still at
war for our enemy is not just evil men but the devil and his cohort.
Therefore, when our enemy brings
forth horse and chariot and all manner of evils; do not be afraid for the
victory has already been won! Trust in Jesus who will send St. Michael the
Archangel to defend us and cover us with his strong shield and lead us safely through
the midst of our enemy.
Our prayer then is having fought
the good fight and having a lifetime of devotion to the Blood of Jesus that when
the last hour of our earthly life draws near and we await the awful moment when
our soul must leave our bodies it will be St. Michael that will defend us in
our most vulnerable moments protecting us from the satanic hosts when they make
their final assault upon our souls.
Glorious Saint Michael, Prince of the heavenly hosts,
who stands always ready to give assistance to the people of God; who fought
with the dragon, the old serpent, and cast him out of heaven, and now valiantly
defends the Church of God that the gates of hell may never prevail against her,
I earnestly entreat you to assist me also, in the painful and dangerous
conflict which I sustain against the same formidable foe.
Be with me, O mighty Prince! that I may courageously
fight and vanquish that proud spirit, whom you, by the Divine Power, gloriously
overthrew, and whom our powerful King, Jesus Christ, has, in our nature,
completely overcome; so having triumphed over the enemy of my salvation, I may
with you and the holy angels, praise the clemency of God who, having refused
mercy to the rebellious angels after their fall, has granted repentance and
forgiveness to fallen man. Amen.
16If a hostile
witness rises against someone to accuse that person of wrongdoing, 17the two parties in
the dispute shall appear in the presence of the LORD, in the presence of the
priests and judges in office at that time,18and the judges must investigate it thoroughly. If the
witness is a false witness and has falsely accused the other,19 you shall do to
the false witness just as that false witness planned to do to the other. Thus
shall you purge the evil from your midst. 20The rest shall
hear and be afraid, and never again
do such an evil thing as this in your midst.21Do not show pity.
Life for life, eye for eye, tooth
for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot!
This is some pretty hard stuff. Yet, we should not
be namby-pamby either. There should be a system of justice and we should be
just people. Christ reminds us that if we want justice we must be just
ourselves.
The Gospel of St. Matthew records these words of Jesus in the Sermon on
the Mount:
5:38 "You have heard that it was said, —An eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth.' 5:39 But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But
if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; 5:40 and
if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well;
5:41 and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 5:42 Give
to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. 5:43
"You have heard that it was said, —You shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.' 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, 5:45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven;
for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the
just and on the unjust. 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward
have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 5:47 And if you salute
only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the
Gentiles do the same?
21 Should
you say to yourselves, “How can we recognize that a word is one the LORD has not
spoken?”, 22 if a prophet speaks in
the name of the LORD but the word does not come true, it is a
word the LORD did not speak. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do
not fear him.
Today is the Memorial
of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest (Padre Pio) who is one of my wife’s patron
saints. Yet, even saints at times may have spoken presumptuously. Let us meditate
on the words of Padre Pio, “Love and fear must go united
together, fear without love becomes cowardice. Love without fear becomes presumption.
When there is love without fear, love runs without prudence and without restraint, without
taking care where it is going.”
This is the
great beauty of the Holy Spirit for it tells us when even a very holy person
speaks not every word they speak comes from God. We error sometimes in this way,
making men into gods; but a heart that is filled with the spirit of God is
filled with quiet joy and even if the person were to be imprisoned they can
find true freedom; because of the inner security of the heart.
Let us never forget that Satan does his utmost to destroy
mankind. In a thousand ways he plots and wars against God and tries to usurp
His throne. On this subject, the following instruction given by Our Blessed
Mother to Venerable Mary
d' Agreda, is worth quoting: "My daughter," she says, "by no
power of human words wilt thou in this mortal life ever succeed in describing
the evil of Lucifer and his demons against men, or the malice, astuteness,
deceits and ruses, with which, in his wrath, he seeks to bring them into sin
and later on to eternal torments. He tries to hinder all good works . . . All
the malice of which his own mind is capable, he attempts to inject into souls.
Against these attacks, God provides admirable protection if men will only
co-operate and correspond on their part." Among the means provided by God
for our protection, is the ready recourse we may have at all times to the
strengthening Blood of Christ. "This Blood," declares St. John
Chrysostom, "has the power to drive away the evil spirits and to draw to
our side the good angels, aye, the King of Angels, and to blazen the way to Heaven."
Fortified by the Precious Blood, let us place ourselves under the leadership of
St. Michael and unfurl everywhere the banner of our Faith, without fear of godlessness. If Satan tries to
induce us to sin, and promises honors, riches, happiness on conditions that we
omit a good work, or commit an evil deed, let us ever oppose the tempter with
the energetic words: Who is like unto God? God is my only treasure, my highest
Good, His Blood is upon me, and "though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I shall fear no
evil. .." If in time of temptation, we have the courage to rebuke the evil
one and call upon the assistance of our leader, St. Michael, the enemy will
surely be put to flight. But if we wish to enjoy the great Archangel's
protection, we must also imitate his virtues, particularly his humility and his
zeal for God's glory.
"O great St. Michael, take us 'neath thy shield,
Thy mighty power in our favor wield!"[1]
18 When he is
sitting upon his royal throne, he shall write a copy of this law upon a scroll from the one that is in the custody
of the levitical priests. 19 It shall remain
with him and he shall read it as long as he lives, so that he may learn to fear the LORD, his God, and to observe
carefully all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 so that he does
not exalt himself over his kindred or turn aside from this commandment to the right
or to the left, and so that he and his descendants may reign long in Israel.
12 Anyone who acts
presumptuously and does not obey the priest who officiates there in the ministry of the LORD,
your God, or the judge, shall die. Thus shall you purge the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people, on hearing of it,
shall fear, and will never again act presumptuously.
There are two meanings for the word presumption.
An act or instance
of taking something to be true or adopting a particular attitude toward
something, especially at the start of a chain of argument or action.
Behavior
perceived as arrogant, disrespectful, and transgressing the limits of what
is permitted or appropriate."he lifted her off the ground and she was
enraged at his presumption"
synonyms:brazenness,audacity,boldness,audaciousness,temerity,arrogance,presumptuousness,forwardness;cockiness,insolence,impudence,bumptiousness,impertinence,effrontery,cheek,cheekiness; rudeness,impoliteness,disrespect,familiarity;informal nerve, chutzpah,sass,sassiness;archaic assumption "he
apologized for his presumption"
God wants us as sons and daughters; not lawyers. If you have sinned do not be haughty or insolent; do not plead the fifth with God. When you confess obey the instructions of the priest.
31 He was teaching his disciples and
telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill
him, and three days after his death he will rise.” 32
But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.
Many
times we are afraid to ask a question
of the Lord because we do not want to know the answer. We measure success with
an earthly yardstick and not a heavenly one. Christ asks us to trust in Him.
The heavenly yardstick is this as spoken by Michael the Archangel, “Who is like
God?
We
are in a battle with the world, the flesh and the Devil. Let us remember that
St. Michael, along with our Guardian Angel stand to defend us from perdition.
No harm can come to the children of God who place their trust in the Precious
Blood. We must not be afraid to ask for Michaels help and to always call on
Mary the Queen of Angels whose children we are through Christ. We must not be
afraid to question science, literature, or art in its many forms as these achievements
of human works are often pressed into service by the Devil and his cohorts.
God’s
yardstick, “Who is like God?” leads us to Love Him and to love our neighbors.
Why is this commandment
to love God and our neighbor called the great commandment ?
Because in these
two are contained all the others, so that he who fulfills these fulfills the whole
law. For whoever loves God with his whole heart does not murmur against God; does
not dishonor His name by cursing and swearing; does not desecrate the Sabbath-day,
because he knows that all this is offensive to God. On the contrary, he hopes in
God; gives thanks and praise to God; sanctifies the Sundays and holy- days, because
he knows this to be pleasing to God; observes the precepts of the Church, because
he knows it to be the will of God that he should hear the Church; honors his parents;
does no injury to his neighbor; does not commit adultery; does not steal; slanders
no one; bears no false witness; pronounces no unjust judgment; is not envious, malicious,
unmerciful, but rather practices towards every one the corporal and spiritual works
of mercy; and all this because, out of love to God, he loves his neighbor as himself.
Thus love fulfills all the commandments.[1]
Continuing our study of John McCain’s book “Character is Destiny”[2] John points out that an
understanding heart must be generous (Oseola McCarty), forgiving (Nelson
Mandela), tolerant (Four Chaplains), full of mercy (Mother Antonia), faithful (Christian
Guard at Hua Lo prison) and compassionate (Maximilian Kolbe). John now suggests
for us that adding to our understanding heart we must strive to have a creative mind. A creative mind must be
built on a thirst or curiosity in the mysteries of creation. John points out as
an example of curiosity the renowned Charles Darwin.
McCain says of
Darwin:
His curiosity
and courage helped him to discover the history of nature, and start an argument
that has continued for 150 years. A curious thing about the father of the
theory of evolution is that he himself was an avowed agnostic,
keeping to his scientific methods. The evolution of all life on earth,
including man, was and still is, in some quarters, considered an affront to the
belief that the progress of the human race over time bears the unmistakable
sign of the divine spark in our nature. But why can we not be content in our
faith with the understanding that God’s divine intelligence, which exists
beyond time and space, and has left us to choose by the exercise of ourfree will
whether to accept His grace or reject it, could have left nature to work its
physical changes upon us? We have a second nature, a moral nature, that is not
determined by ecological change but by the workings of our conscience. Is not
our conscience and its effect upon our will enough confirmation for the
believer that God, the Creator, has endowed us with the divine spark of His
love to improve, if we so choose, our second nature in service to Him? It is
enough, I believe, for anyone who can see in our struggle to be good a divine
purpose, as we may still glimpse in the wonders of nature the divine
intelligence that created it and set it all in motion. To believe and follow
God is our choice. Not all will follow. Our principal belief is in our
salvation not in this life but the next. Man and nature, even at their
cruelest, cannot deny us that, nor the gloriousness of His creation, a gloriousness
that human qualities like curiosity have led us to appreciate with humility and
awe. Time and the laws of nature do not expose the absence of God, Whose proofs
are a matter for the heart to contemplate, a matter of faith.
22Each year you
shall tithe all the produce of your seed that grows in the field;23 then in the
place which the LORD, your God, chooses as the dwelling place of his name you shall eat in his presence the tithe of your
grain, wine and oil, as well as the firstlings of your herd and flock, that you
may learn always to fear the LORD,
your God.
The
way I read this is God wants you to celebrate life; you shall eat in his
presence the tithe of your produce. Imagine what the world would be like if
everyone did this! If we all took time off with a tenth of the money we made to
celebrate with God and our family and friends together. What a different world
it would be. Imagine all the celebrations you would attend. Maybe we should all
strive to take a 40 day retreat/celebration. Save your money for this!
What
is on your bucket list; perhaps the Lord wants us to cross off some of those
things in His presence.
If
I were young again this is how I would budget: 10% for His Presence (30 to 40 days’
vacation); 10% for charity/church; 10% savings and live off the 70 percent;
that is after the government takes their 50%. Imagine if there was a flat tax…….
6 Why should I fear in evil days, with the
iniquity of my assailants surrounding me, 7of those who trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches?
With the election cycle upon us let us
take these verses to heart. Why should I fear
evil in the future or the injustice of our nation on the faithful? Instead we
should look seriously at the candidates for their faith in God and their
virtues. Look and see which of the candidates have the virtues of our Lady:
humility, generosity, chastity, patience, temperance and love of fellow man.
It is not the economy in coin; but the
bankruptcy of our cultural heart that is killing this nation that sacrifices
the future of children for the future of the mother. No amount of future happiness
or gain in liberty is worth the life of an innocent. Know that life is greater
than liberty and liberty is greater than wealth.
Beloved: Teach and urge these things. Whoever
teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord
Jesus Christ and the religious teaching is conceited, understanding nothing, and
has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From these come
envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction among people with
corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth, supposing religion to be a
means of gain. Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain. For we
brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything
out of it. If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those
who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many
foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For
the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for
it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. But
you, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith,
love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal
life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the
presence of many witnesses. (Tm. 6:2-12)
If we truly wish to make
our nation great again; we ourselves must grow in holiness and then in turn our
families will which in turn our communities will and crescendo in our nation
having a rebirth.
11 You shall stone
that person to death, for seeking to lead you astray from the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 12 And all
Israel shall hear of it and fear, and
never again do such evil as this in your midst.
The LORD, your God, shall you follow,
and him shall you fear; his
commandments shall you observe, and to his voice shall you listen; him you
shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast.
None shall stand up
against you; the LORD, your God, will spread the fear and dread of you through any land where you set foot, as he
promised you.
What have you to fear with
God at your back?
We as the heirs of God’s
promises to the Hebrews must have the courage to support and defend Israel at
each threshold of change that God brings about. Yes, there will be suffering
and we must be up to the challenge; to carry our cross, as God wills it.
We must follow the example
of Our Lady of Sorrows and bring our savior to others and undergo the joys with
sorrows. Today would be a good day to contemplate the seven sorrows of our Lady
and to pray.
St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373), Our Lady directly revealed the amazing
graces granted by her Son for all those who daily pray seven Hail Mary’s while
meditating on her seven dolors and tears:
1. “I will grant peace to their families.”
2. “They will be enlightened about the Divine Mysteries.”
3. “I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their
work.”
4. “I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not
oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their
souls.”
5. “I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy
and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.”
6. “I will visibly help them at the moment of their death—they will see
the face of their mother.”
7. “I have obtained this grace from my divine Son, that those who
propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors will be taken directly from this
earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and my
Son will be their eternal consolation and joy.”
Today might also be a good day to take a hike or walk and pray along the way;
going out to an isolated place was the original way to pray. It was practiced
by Abraham in the desert, and Mary on her way to visit her aunt during her pregnancy
with St. John the Baptist and by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Below
is an excerpt taken from my book, Divine
Mercy Hikes for your review and use if you can make it to Sedona, Arizona;
however, all hike meditations are adaptable to any other location. The secret
is to talk to God during the walk and He will talk to you.
Soldiers Pass Trail[1]
During this hike, if you are doing the Divine Mercy Novena, you will be
reflecting on the souls of the souls who are detained in purgatory. This trail will take you by the devils
kitchen (sinkhole) and the seven sacred pools which are great geological
features to reflect on the grace of purgatory and the seven sacraments.
Length: 1.4 miles one way
Rating: Moderate
Use: Medium
Season: Year round
Hiking time: 2.5 hours
USGS Map:Wilson Mountain
Location: From the junction
of Routes 89A and 179, take 89A west 1.2 miles to Soldier Pass Road on the
right. Go 1.5 miles to Rim Shadows Drive, then right 0.2 miles (keep straight
ahead where Rim Shadows branches left) to a gated entry road to trailhead
parking on the left.
Also I would like to share with you some
new material that I am going to add as a revision to the book: Notice for the
meditation that the water must flow from the first pool fill it and then in succession
the second pool is filled. Similarly grace fills our life where one virtue will
complete us enough to overflow to the next. With this concept in mind we will
review the seven sorrows of the Mother of God and emulate the virtue she had in
them; seeing that we must be filled with grace from one pool to the other in
secession.
O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be
to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.[1]
As we meditate on the first pool asking
our Lady to ask her son to fill us with the grace of Humility.
1.I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the
affliction of your tender heart at the prophecy of the holy and aged Simeon.
Dear Mother, by your heart so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility
and the gift of the holy fear of God. Hail Mary…
After we have filled our spirit
with the grace of humility now let us ask our Lady to pray that her son fill us
with the grace of Generosity.
2. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the anguish of your
most affectionate heart during the flight into Egypt and your sojourn there.
Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of generosity,
especially toward the poor, and the gift of piety. Hail Mary…
Moving to the third pool let us ask
our Lady to ask her son to fill us with the grace of the Gift of Chastity.
3.I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in
those anxieties which tried your troubled heart at the loss of your dear Jesus.
Dear Mother, by your heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of
chastity and the gift of knowledge. Hail Mary…
Moving to the fourth pool let us
ask our Lady to ask her son to fill us with the grace of Patience.
4.I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the
consternation of your heart at meeting Jesus as He carried His Cross. Dear
Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the
gift of fortitude. Hail Mary…
Moving to the fifth pool let us ask
our Lady to ask her son to fill us with the grace of Temperance.
5.I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the
martyrdom which your generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in His agony.
Dear Mother, by your afflicted heart obtain for me the virtue of temperance and
the gift of counsel. Hail Mary…
Moving to the sixth pool let us ask
our Lady to ask her son to fill us with the grace of Understanding.
6. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of your
compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was struck by the lance before His
Body was removed from the Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart thus transfixed,
obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding.
Hail Mary…
Moving to the seventh pool let us
ask our Lady to ask her son to fill us with the grace of Wisdom and Love.
7. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, for the pangs that
wrenched your most loving heart at the burial of Jesus. Dear Mother, by your
heart sunk in the bitterness of desolation, obtain for me the virtue of
diligence and the gift of wisdom. Hail Mary…
Let Us Pray:
Let intercession be made for us, we beseech You, O Lord Jesus Christ,
now and at the hour of our death, before the throne of Your mercy, by the
Blessed Virgin Mary, Your Mother, whose most holy soul was pierced by a sword
of sorrow in the hour of Your bitter Passion. Through You, O Jesus Christ,
Savior of the world, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns
world without end. Amen.
