Monday, September 2, 2019

LABOR DAY

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.

On the "Pro-Choice" Position on Abortion[2]

Papal Teaching

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

Labor Day[3]

Labor Day is dedicated to honoring and remembering the achievements of the US worker. It is a national celebration which recognizes the contributions that American workers have made to the prosperity of their nation. Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September as a three-day weekend.

Labor Day Facts & Quotes

· The Central Labor Union observed the first Labor Day holiday in 1882 in New York City.

· Labor Day marks the end of the summer season, the beginning of school and the start of football season.

· According to the rules of fashion, Labor Day Weekend is the last official time where wearing white is appropriate.

· All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. - Martin Luther King Jr.

· Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital and deserves much the higher consideration. - Abraham Lincoln

Labor Day Top Events and Things to Do

· Attend a food and fun festival with your family. Most counties run some type of fair or festival for the long weekend.

· Take a mini vacation and enjoy the extra day off with your friends, family or loved ones.

· Attend a local parade. Many cities and towns host a Labor Day parade with lots of fun and treats for the young ones.

· Go camping. Enjoy the last three-day weekend before the weather gets significantly colder.

Recovering Rest for Faith and Family[4]

When workers do not have adequate time to rest, families suffer. Also lost is the necessary time for spiritual growth and building a relationship with God. Pope Francis has said it is "inhuman" that parents must spend so much time working that they cannot play with their children. Surely many wish for more time, but their working conditions do not allow it. As St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, "Even as God rests in Himself alone and is happy in the enjoyment of Himself, so our own sole happiness lies in the enjoyment of God. Thus, also, He makes us find rest in Himself, both from His works and our own. It is not, then, unreasonable to say that God rested in giving rest to us." A culture that obsesses less over endless activity and consumption may, over time, become a culture that values rest for the sake of God and family. Employers ought to consider the total well-being of their employees and prioritize conditions that help them to thrive as human persons. Wages and working hours should support the fundamental needs of people to form and nurture families. The spiritual needs of workers must also be taken into account, so that God may more easily draw them into deeper relationship toward their ultimate purpose.

One of my favorite memories of being stationed as a soldier in Germany was the mandatory closing of shops from Saturday afternoon until early Monday morning. As a result, I was able to spend time with my family walking with them through the beautiful German woodlands. Often, we Volksmarched together. There are Volksmarching Clubs in America take advantage of them with your family this holiday.

Why, Close Shops? Sunday is a Day to Synchronize Society[5]

"The Constitutional Court had to overthrow the Berlin law. ... The judgement was not 'out of touch with reality,' as the Berlin Chamber of Commerce claims, but is actually very closely in touch with real life. The great diversity of working lives brings with it the fact that members of a single family are forced into different and sometimes incompatible working hours. If the state does not use some of its regulatory power to give a dependable rhythm to at least one free day -- and that is still Sunday -- then the family faces the threat of being pulled further apart." "If they have no time with each other and for each other, then the formal notion of belonging together loses value. This danger faces many families in society. … The fact that in the face of growing commercialization and fewer jobs hardly any employee ever dares to ask for a free Saturday, led the labor unions to join the churches in their campaign -- with noticeable success."

The Supreme Court[6] held in McGowan that “as presently written and administered, most [Sunday closing laws], at least, are of a secular rather than of a religious character, and [] presently they bear no relationship to establishment of religion as those words are used in the Constitution.” Since the McGowan decision, many state blue laws have nevertheless been struck down on other grounds.

35 Promises of God[7] cont.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
-Proverbs 3:5-6

Daily Devotions

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Make reparations to the Holy Face

· Battle for the Soul of America-Day 18

· Day 6 Novena to the Holy Face

· Ask for the Prayers and assistance of the Angels