FLAG DAY
We
are created in the image and likeness of God and we have a choice: To do good
or to do evil. Daily we must
decide if we are for ourselves and pursue the things of the world or are we
going to follow Christ by picking up our cross daily and freely live under the
flag of Christ.
Father
John Parks [1]
states that the flag we choose to live under determines everything. He
asks, “Whose
flag are you under? Do we consciously choose to serve, or do we just let it
happen? We have a choice here and indecision is a decision itself. Whose flag will you follow Christ’s or Satan’s. True freedom comes not from
doing what you want but doing the things you were created to do. Father John
recommends we follow the flag of Christ (poverty, chastity, obedience) and not
that of Satan (greed, lust, pride) by having a battle plan.
1. Be in the state of grace at all
times-Go to Mass if you fall get up go to confession.
2. Pray-we know who we are by knowing
who’s we
are. Remember Saint Joseph is known as the terror of demons.
3. Do your daily duty; there is great
heroism in finishing the daily tasks.
4. Be Humble and obey. When you
break a commandment, you do not break it as much as it breaks you.
5. Seek a community there is strength
in numbers “Iron
sharpens iron”.
Remember the Holy Spirit is what sets us free.
Flag Day Facts & Quotes
·
Worn
out flags may be given to the American Legion or Boy/Girl Scouts of America
where they will burn the flags in a formal ceremony on June 14th.
·
The
Flag should never touch the ground when being taken down. It should be
folded neatly and stored ceremoniously.
·
You
should fly the American Flag only between sunrise and sunset. If left
hanging around the clock, it must be
illuminated during the dark hours.
·
The
First Flag Act was signed by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777...
Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen
stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a
blue field, representing a new Constellation.
Flag Day Top Events and Things to
Do
·
Fly
the American Flag.
·
Recite
the Pledge of Allegiance.
·
Visit
a National Monument or National celebration.
·
Attend
a Flag retirement ceremony.
Having and retaining a grateful heart is the key to
making right judgments and being a person of character. John McCain highlights
in his book, “Character is Destiny” the life of the Native American war Chief
Tecumseh as an example of a man that never lost his gratitude in life.
Tecumseh
was a great Indian leader who lost a war but taught even his enemies how to
live. Everyone knew that the great Tecumseh, fearless warrior and visionary,
steadfast leader, did not tolerate torture or murder, or suffer intentional
harm to be done to innocents. He was a man of honor. Even his enemies knew
that, especially the man who had fought him the longest, William Henry
Harrison. However, as a youth Tecumseh was unnerved in his first encounter with
organized bloodletting and fled the battle. It was the only time in his life
his courage failed him. In a later raid near the end of the war, the Shawnees
attacked the crew of a flatboat on the Ohio River. All but one of the crew was
killed in the encounter. The lone survivor was dragged ashore and burned at the
stake. The atrocity left a deep mark on Tecumseh, who, though he was too young
to intervene in the victim’s behalf, denounced the murder after it occurred,
and swore he would never again remain silent in the face of such an injustice.
He would live and die determined to defend Indian land from the insatiable
appetites of American settlers. In the course of his crusade, he became the
greatest Indian leader of his time. Many would argue, including Americans who
fought him, that he was the greatest war chief of all time. Raised by his older
brother Chiksika, he took special care of his younger brother Tecumseh. He
taught him to hunt and fish, and to learn the fighting skills of a Shawnee
brave. He raised him to revere the memory of their courageous father, and the
virtues he had exemplified as a warrior who preferred death to dishonor. There was
something in his character that repelled despair, finding in life, with all its
many tragedies, a reason to be thankful for the very fact that he could remain
true to himself. He was the kind of person for whom life was a gift that could
not be diminished by suffering, and it gave him a unique strength, a confidence
that was superior to most people. Tall and sinewy, with an erect bearing, a
superior skill at arms, exuding a sense of command, and possessing a gift for
oratory that earned him admirers even among his enemies, he was renowned as a
capable provider and protector of his clan, whose leadership had an
ever-broadening appeal to neighboring tribes. Tecumseh delivered an address to
his people as he prepared them for the coming struggle that has become famous
not only as a measure of his own character, but as a code of honor that merits
respect and emulation. So live your life
that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their
religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to
make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a
noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a
word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger,
when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you
arise in the morning give thanks for the food and the joy of living. If you see
no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and
no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with
the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a
little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your
death song and die like a hero going home.
On
the day of his final battle never having despaired over the vicissitudes of
life, he would not do so now. He arose in the morning and gave thanks for the
joy of living. At the Battle of the Thames in Ontario on October 5, 1813,
British General Procter and his soldiers fled the field after the first volley
was fired. Tecumseh dispensed with his sword and British officer’s jacket, and
charged, as always, into the thick of the battle. When a musket ball shattered
his right leg, he told his braves to leave him. He kept fighting until a crowd
of American soldiers surrounded him. He sang his death song and died like a
hero going home.
Daily Devotions
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
·
Please
Pray for Senator
McCain and our country; asking Our Lady of Beauraing to
intercede.
[1]
John Parks, Lecture at Catholic Men’s Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, 3/21/2015.
[3] McCain, John and Salter, Mark. (2005) Character is destiny. Random
House, New York.
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