Saturday, November 14, 2015

¹ Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, ² “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. ³ And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ ⁴ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, ⁵ because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” ⁶ The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. ⁷ Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? ⁸ I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

With the events in France due to terrorism this verse has particular meaning. Will the Son of Man find faith on earth when he comes? In France and the US we must remain faithful to the gospel of Christ and stand with the Holy Catholic Church. We must continue to ask Him to come to our assistance against the Philistines of our age. We must not fail to call out to Him night and day to save us from the wicked and to pray for their conversion and for the souls of the Martyrs of freedom that they have made. Our enemy is not men but the devil and those are in his control. We must never become to weary or afraid to take the gospel to those places that are most devoid of faith, hope and love.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Here is a translation of a statement issued by the director of the Holy See press office, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, shortly after the terror attacks in Paris Nov. 13.

Here in the Vatican we are following the terrible news from Paris. We are shocked by this new manifestation of maddening, terrorist violence and hatred which we condemn in the most radical way together with the Pope and all those who love peace. We pray for the victims and the wounded, and for all the French people. This is an attack on peace for all humanity, and it requires a decisive, supportive response on the part of all of us as we counter the spread the homicidal hatred in all of its forms.