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.
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NINE-MONTH NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
Start March 12 to December 12
Thursday, July 6, 2017 #endorsingcultureofdeath
1 Maccabees, Chapter 3, Verse 25
Then Judas and his brothers
began to be feared, and dread fell
upon the Gentiles about them.
The Battle of Beth Horon was fought in 166 BC between Jewish forces
led by Judas Maccabaeus and an army of the Seleucid Empire under the command of
Seron. The rebel army
led by Judas Maccabeus was growing in strength. They had just inflicted a
crushing defeat upon the Seleucid General Apollonius and now they faced the
forces of the Syrian Governor Seron, who was widely overconfident. With
Maccabeus' superior knowledge of the terrain, he prepared his forces to ambush
the larger Seleucid force . Seron had anticipated this and spread out his
force, but the Maccabees exhibited superior tactical skill by decimating the
general's leading unit and killing Seron himself. With their leader dead, the
shocked and disconcerted remnants of the Seleucid army took to the hills and
ran. The stubborn Seleucids refused to give up their slow phalanx-based tactics
when compared to the lightweight and quick Maccabean militia thus always
creating problems for them on the battlefield. Another force was soon sent
against Maccabaeus, which led to the Battle of Emmaus.[1]
Reflecting on this constant
struggle between the culture of death and the culture of life; I have just
received a communique that my UNION is endorsing a PRO-CHOICE candidate. Ah now
comes the rub. So begins the battle of sorts. I called 3 times to get a call
back. The answer well union dues are not used to support the candidate (killing
of children) but if I want to quit the union 1) I must draft a letter stating I
want out and 2) ask for a window (2 weeks) of when I can request again the
stoppage of my union dues. (We got your money-ha, ha, ha) or I can divorce
myself and remain silent because I am not responsible. Hmm. I would appreciate
getting feedback on this from my readers. My feeling it is like being silent
during the holocaust but please let me know your thoughts.
But responsibility likewise falls on the legislators who have promoted and
approved abortion laws, and, to the extent that they have a say in the matter,
on the administrators of the health-care centers where abortions are performed.
... In this sense abortion goes beyond the responsibility of individuals and
beyond the harm done to them, and takes on a distinctly social dimension. It is
a most serious wound inflicted on society and its culture by the very people
who ought to be society's promoters and defenders.
Pope John Paul II, Evangelium vitae
(1995), no. 59.
When a parliamentary or social majority decrees that it is legal, at least
under certain conditions, to kill unborn human life, is it not really making a
'tyrannical' decision with regard to the weakest and most defenseless of human
beings?....While public authority can sometimes choose not to put a stop to
something which – were it prohibited – would cause more serious harm, it can
never presume to legitimize as a right of individuals – even if they are the
majority of the members of society – an offense against other persons caused by
the disregard of so fundamental a right as the right to life.
Id., nos. 70, 71.
Laws which legitimize the direct killing of innocent human beings through
abortion or euthanasia are in complete opposition to the inviolable right to
life proper to every individual; they thus deny the equality of everyone before
the law.
Id., no. 72.
Utilitarianism is a civilization of production and of use, a civilization of
"things" and not of "persons", a civilization in which
persons are used in the same way as things are used. In the context of a
civilization of use, woman can become an object for man, children a hindrance
to parents, the family an institution obstructing the freedom of its members.
To be convinced that this is the case, one need only look at certain sexual
education programmes introduced into the schools, often notwithstanding the
disagreement and even the protests of many parents; or pro-abortion tendencies
which vainly try to hide behind the so-called "right to choose"
("pro-choice") on the part of both spouses, and in particular on the
part of the woman.
Pope John Paul II, Letter to Families,
February 2, 1994, no. 13
On "social sin":
Also social is every sin against the rights of the human person, beginning
with the right to life and including the life of the unborn or against a
person's physical integrity...The term social can be applied to sins of
commission or omission-on the part of political, economic or trade union leaders, who though in a position
to do so, do not work diligently and wisely for the improvement and
transformation of society according to the requirements and potential of the
given historic moment...Whenever the church speaks of situations of sin or when
the condemns as social sins certain situations or the collective behavior of certain
social groups, big or small, or even of whole nations and blocs of nations, she
knows and she proclaims that such cases of social sin are the result of the
accumulation and concentration of many personal sins. It is a case of the very
personal sins of those who cause or support evil or who exploit it; of those
who are in a position to avoid, eliminate or at least limit certain social
evils but who fail to do so out of laziness, fear or the conspiracy of silence,
through secret complicity or indifference; of those who take refuge in the
supposed impossibility of changing the world and also of those who sidestep the
effort and sacrifice required, producing specious reasons of a higher order.
The real responsibility, then, lies with individuals.
Pope John Paul II, Reconciliation and
Penance (1984), no. 16
Auxilium Christianorum - Praying for Persecuted Priests Monday, May 24 is the Feast of Mary Mother of the Church. It is also the Feast of Mary Help of Christians (Auxilium Christianorum). Please consider joining this Auxilium Christianorum family to pray daily for our holy and courageous persecuted priests. The Church teaches us that it is divided into the Church Triumphant (which includes the members of the Church in heaven), the Church Suffering (this includes the members of the Church in purgatory), and the Church Militant (this refers to those members of the Church who are alive in this world). Because we are part of the Church Militant, we are in a spiritual warfare and this spiritual warfare requires that we recognize, as Saint Paul teaches us "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places." ( Ephesians 6:12 ) The me
Switch of Manliness Legacy OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA Acts, Chapter 10, verse 1-4 1 Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Cohort called the Italica, 2 devout and God-fearing along with his whole household, who used to give alms generously to the Jewish people and pray to God constantly. 3 One afternoon about three o’clock, he saw plainly in a vision an angel of God come into him and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 He looked intently at him and seized with FEAR , said, “What is it, sir?” He said to him, “Your prayers and almsgiving have ascended as a memorial offering before God. Cornelius’ Cohort was an auxiliary unit of archers, men who are expert at hitting a mark or target. Sin is the act of violating God's will. Sin can also be viewed as anything that violates the ideal relationship between an individual and God, or as any diversion from the ideal order for human living. To sin has been defined as "to miss the mark" to have a harden
Monday Night at the Movies Leo McCarey, Make Way for Tomorrow, 1947. Make Way for Tomorrow is a 1937 American drama film directed by Leo McCarey . The plot concerns an elderly couple (played by Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi ) who are forced to separate when they lose their house and none of their five children will take both parents. FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION Get to Mass as today is a Solemnity If you can't make it to Mass spend time with the Lord Luke, Chapter 1, verse 30: 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be AFRAID , Mary, for you have found favor with God. Mary had no fear of the world or man, yet, when the angel appeared she was immersed in holy fear. Let us follow Mary’s example and bravely face the day saying YES to God. Mary Garden [1] The joy over the appearance of new plants and flowers in spring prompted man to attribute to them a special power of protection and healing. People planted special spring flower gardens; they brought branches of ear
Monday Night at the Movies Luis Bunuel, Simon of the Desert, 1965 SAINT MOTHER THEODORE GUERIN Hebrews, Chapter 12, Verse 21 Indeed, so FEARFUL was the spectacle that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.” Moses was the heir apparent to the throne of Egypt in his youth. As a member of the Egyptian court, he would have seen many fearful spectacles yet imagine what it must have been like to have been a witness of God descending on Mount Sinai to give the law. He was terrified and trembling. Again, now imagine if Moses was somehow resurrected and was able to walk into an ordinary catholic church that has a very modest Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Do you think his reaction would be any different than the first time he encountered the living God? Be Still and Know that I am God [1] On the evening of October 1995, John Paul II was scheduled to greet the seminarians at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. It had been a very full day that began with a Mass at Oriole Park in Camden Y
Saints, Feast, Family - Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring - April 27 Saint of the day: Saint Zita Patron Saint of Domestic Workers, Maids, Servants Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter Job, Chapter 21, Verse 9 Their homes are safe, without FEAR , and the rod of God is not upon them. With the current political climate of today-North Korea, Kenya, Venezuela, Sanctuary Cities, Gangs etc.; we may not be feeling safe in our homes. We may feel God’s rod is upon us. Yet, we learn that God does not wish to destroy us but bring about the best in us. The wages of sin are usually destruction, but God is mercy. As in the parable of the wheat and tares God allows the weeds to grow with the wheat. We often ask with Job, “Why do the wicked keep on living, grow old, become mighty in power? Mercy! Zophar & His Asps [1] · Zophar decides to beat a dead horse. · Not literally. · He tells Job that the wicked get what they
Easter Tuesday Autism Psalm 33, verse 18-19 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those who FEAR him, upon those who count on his mercy, 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive through famine. You cannot receive if you do not ask. Let us ask for God’s mercy and count on it, to deliver our soul from death and keep us alive through this earthly famine for ourselves and others. In fact, one pious work we could do this week is a Novena to the Divine Mercy. In the novena Christ asks us to pray each day for certain groups of people. All Sinners Priests and Religious Devout Souls Unbelievers Heretics Children Saints Those in purgatory And the Lukewarm A good time to pray the novena is the hour of Christ’s death. “At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy…” Tod
Second Sunday after Easter DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY John, Chapter 20, Verse 19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for FEAR of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Life begins at the end of our comfort zone. Do you live in fear of failure or are you locking the doors of your heart to new opportunities? When you let in the spirit of Christ you open yourself to empowerment. The Law of Empowerment [1] The job of leadership is to lead with the intent to work yourself out of a job. Imagine what would happen if our politicos did this! This is what Jesus did. After Christ gave His Peace to the apostles, he breathed on them to receive the power of the Holy Spirit and thus empowered them to live the supernatural life. We in turn by the power of the successors of the apostles are heirs to this. Christ wants us to be change agents to bring about the Kingdom. How can we begin? W
Saints, Feast, Family - Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring - April 12 Saint of the day: Saint Teresa of Los Andes Patron Saint Against disease, Against illness, Ill people, Young people, Santiago, Chile, Los Andes, Chile Friday of the Second Week of Easter 2 Maccabees, Chapter 15, Verse 18 They were not so much concerned about wives and children, or family and relations; their first and foremost FEAR was for the consecrated sanctuary. Today’s meditation: Where is God’s consecrated Sanctuary? I asked Bing AI: Is it the in the body of a holy catholic soul God’s consecrated Sanctuary? According to the Catholic faith, the human body is not just a material object, but a living being that is animated by a spiritual soul. The soul is the principle of human consciousness and freedom, and it is created by God in his image. The soul and the body are so intimately united that they form one unique human nature. The soul is also the “
Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. 2 Maccabees, Chapter 14, Verse 22 Judas had posted armed men in readiness at strategic points for FEAR that the enemy might suddenly commit some treachery. But the conference was held in the proper way. During our last episode we see that our Hero Judas, with the help of the All Seeing Almighty vanquishes the enemy. Judas wants peace and returns home but the enemy the devil never sleeps, and snip snap the Syrians invade again. This time under the leadership of a gangster called Nicanor; a crafty little snake who wants a peace treaty. In this verse we see Judas is being ready and prepared for any trouble; and his fear is justified. Making and Breaking Treaties [1] "When the Jews heard of Nicanor's coming, and that the Gentiles were rallying to him, they sprinkled themselves with earth and prayed to Him Who established
Saints, Feast, Family - Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring - April 24 October 22 (Old Feast date) Saint of the day: Saint Mary Salome Her name derives from the word Shalon which means peace after I eat this I am at peace Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter feast of saint fidelis Job, Chapter 11, Verse 15 Surely then you may lift up your face in innocence; you may stand firm and UNAFRAID . Now Jobs’ other friend speaks saying that “If iniquity is in your hand, remove it, and do not let injustice dwell in your tent” then you may be unafraid. Yet, Job has not been immoral, he hates his life and what is happening to him. Job Detests His Life [1] · Job continues his bumming out session, asking God why he would oppress the people who love him. Doesn't really seem like a good business model. · Time for more thoughts from the peanut gallery. · Zophar says that Job must have done something wrong; God is
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