Psalm
19, Verse 10-11
10
The
fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The statutes of the LORD are
true, all of them just; 11 More desirable than gold, than a
hoard of purest gold, Sweeter also than honey or drippings from the comb.
Our Lord showed no fear of the money changers or the priests when He overturned the tables in holy zeal for the statutes of the Lord. Is the Holy Spirit moving you to make a real change today? Are you being called to be holier, stronger, more committed to God and better prepared for the trials and persecution of our world? Consider the message of The Holy League.
History-Pope St. Pius V
formed the original Holy League in response to the dire situation in which
Christian Europe found itself in 1571. Small bands of Catholic men and remnant
armies from various nations came together under the spiritual leadership of the
saintly pontiff and the military leadership of Don John of Austria. By prayer and
fasting, they implored the help of God’s grace, through the intercession of the
Mother of God, and, by the grace of Almighty God, on October 7, 1571, at the
Battle of Lepanto, the Christian fleet won a crushing victory over the
OttomanTurks, saving Christendom and western civilization.
The Battle Today
At
this particular moment in time, the Church finds itself in a similar situation
to that of the Church in the late Sixteenth Century. However, instead of a
physical enemy on the horizon, the Church and the family (the domestic Church)
are threatened daily by relativism, secularism, impurity, and confusion
regarding Church teaching. The battle today “is not against human forces but
against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness,
the evil spirits in the heavens” (Ephesians 6: 10-12). To combat the forces of
evil in today’s society, the Holy League strives to call men back to the state
of grace and to transforming the culture through prayer.” The Holy League, in
fidelity to its mission as a Roman Catholic solidarity movement:
·
Provides a Holy Hour format which incorporates:
Eucharistic adoration, prayer, short spiritual reflections, the availability of
the Sacrament of Confession, Benediction and fraternity;
·
Encourages consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of
Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Purest Heart of Joseph;
·
Promotes the Precepts and Sacraments of the
Church; especially through devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament and the
praying of the Most Holy Rosary;
·
Creates a unified front, made up of members of
the Church Militant, for spiritual combat;
·
Strives to have a regular monthly Holy League
Holy Hour available to men in every Roman Catholic parish.
Holy League Vision
The
Vision of the Holy League is to develop a network of parish based regular
monthly Holy Hours with confession and fraternity for men.
Our Mission
The
Holy League, in a Spirit of Marian Chivalry, under the patronage of Our Lady of
Guadalupe and Saint Joseph, seeks to provide opportunities for the faithful to
unite in prayer, especially monthly Eucharistic Holy Hours, for purification
from sin and predisposition to Supernatural Grace for the fuller exercise of
the threefold offices of Priest, Prophet, and King received at Baptism. The
particular prayer of the Holy League is the monthly Eucharistic Holy Hour.
9 Days for Life is a "digital pilgrimage" of
prayer and action focused on cherishing the gift of every person's life. A
multi-faceted novena highlighting a different intention each day provides
reflections, bonus information, and suggested actions. Join to receive the
novena through the 9 Days for Life app, daily emails, or daily texts. See below
for information on how else you can get involved! #9DaysforLife #OurPrayersMatter
Day Six:
Intercession: May all victims
and survivors of human trafficking find freedom, refuge, and healing.
Prayers: Our Father, 3 Hail Marys,
Glory Be
Reflection: Those
who are vulnerable are most at risk for being lured into situations where they
are trafficked. Migrants and refugees often face increased risk factors like
changes to language and culture, lack of support systems, and the burden of poverty.
Young people on the margins, especially runaway and homeless youth, are
targeted for sex trafficking and may subsequently be forced to have abortions.
Easily tempted by the false promises of traffickers, victims often find
themselves enslaved with no means of escape. Christ came “to bring good news to
the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the
captives” (Is 61:1, cf. Luke 4:18). May all who are trapped in situations of
slavery be released from their chains of captivity and find freedom, refuge,
safety, and healing in Christ and His Church.
Acts of Reparation (Choose one.)
·
Give
up sleeping on your pillow tonight. Allow this small sacrifice to remind you of
the sufferings endured by those in our world who are enslaved.
·
St.
Josephine Bakhita, who was born in Sudan and sold into slavery, has become
known as the patron saint of human trafficking victims. Pray
for victims and survivors of human trafficking, asking the intercession of St.
Josephine Bakhita.
·
Offer
some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for
today’s intention.
A Word for Parents Whose Children have Strayed
87. I wish here to speak directly to those of you
whose children, for one reason or another, have strayed from the faith. I am one
of you! As a spiritual father, I know the pain of watching the children leave
the fold. The remarkable life of a heroic saint can help us here. Though St.
Monica lived over 1,600 years ago, her witness is as relevant as ever. She, out
of love for her son, Augustine, prayed unceasingly for over 20 years for his
conversion from sin and error.
88. I encourage you to imitate the faith and persevering trust of St.
Monica. While it may be difficult and, at times, tempt you to despair, I
encourage you with the words of a faithful bishop upon seeing her great prayer,
"it is not possible that the son of these tears should perish." Not
only did he not perish, St. Augustine became one of the Doctors of the Church.
In addition to your prayer, your abiding love and support for them is also
invaluable. Teaching will likely have to come from someone else once they are
adults, however; St. Monica is said to have been told by the bishop, St.
Ambrose, "Speak less to Augustine about God and more to God about
Augustine."
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
You don't conquer yourself, you don't practise self— denial,
because you are proud. You lead a life of penance? Don't forget that pride is
compatible with penance... Furthermore: your sorrow, after your falls, after
your failures in generosity — is it true sorrow or is it the petty
disappointment of seeing yourself so small and helpless? How far you are from
Jesus if you are not humble..., even though your disciplines each day bring
forth fresh roses!
Daily
Devotions
[2]http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events/nine-days-of-prayer-penance-and-pilgrimage.cfm
[3]https://family.dphx.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-Complete-My-Joy-Apostolic-Exhortation-English.pdf
[4]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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