SKYSCRAPER
DAY
1 Maccabees, Chapter
3, Verse 30
He
feared that, as had happened once or
twice, he would not have enough for his expenses and for the gifts that he was
accustomed to give with a lavish hand—more so than all previous kings.
This was the fear of a powerful King; that he would
run out of money for bribery. When you have no just cause nor are loved by men
this is the only power you can rely on; for such types they have long abandoned
the faith in He that Is. I wonder if this was the fear of the Clintons leaving
the White House dead broke before the establishment of the Clinton Foundation.
·
Angry
at defeat he seeks vengeance.
·
He
needs a great army.
·
He
needs a pile of cash.
·
He
however is short of cash because of mismanagement and foolish policies.
·
He
needs to squeeze the middle class in Persia for cash.
·
Going
to Persia himself to get the shekels he needs he leaves his second in charge
Lysias with orders to destroy Jerusalem.
·
Yet,
Judas Maccabee does not falter. His primary reliance is upon prayer to God.
1. The first prayer of a warrior is to
the Holy Spirit. He responds directly to us. A warrior knows to ask for His
help for a warrior to be successful must be filled not with the spirit of
vengeance or anger but with peace and resolve to finish the fight. In prayer we
can find our way out of every situation that has no exit. The Madonna of
Medjugorje has said, “Satan cannot defeat you, not even a little, because you
are God’s children and He is watching over you. Pray and let the rosary always
be in your hands as a sign to Satan that you belong to me. She further instructs,
“Open your hearts to the Holy Spirit. Especially during these days...surrender
your hearts and surrender your life to Jesus. The most important thing is to
ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Come
Holy Spirit. The weapons and shields, the equipment of battle, all lay in
prayer, and prayer to the Holy Spirit is the first prayer of the
prayer-warrior. “Begin by calling on the
Holy Spirit each day” says Mary of Medjugorje.
2. The second prayer of the warrior is
the prayer of deliverance.
Purge
us all, oh Holy Spirit. Lead us to the proper way of deliverance, in obedience
always to the Church. Guide us every inch of the way. Send us new battalions of
angels. Send us the great Archangel Michael, and Saint Francis of Assisi, and
the dragonslayer, Saint George. Deliver us from the energies that jump at us
from social evils too numerous to name. Come, oh Lord Jesus, and break all
bondage. Break the bondages of anger, sloth, addiction, pride, envy,
promiscuity, gluttony, lust, resentment, un-forgiveness, hatred, false
prophecy, and the occult. Free us from ungodliness of all kinds. Purge us of
any demons we may have picked up. Let us not be deceived, oh Lord! Free us too,
of any demonic forces that have come through the family tree. Free us of
oppression, depression, discouragement, and every mental torment.
3. The third prayer of a warrior is
the prayer for spiritual wisdom.
Lord
Jesus, as the strongest Man, please bind all spirits that come against us.
Please open our spiritual eyes. Please set us forth to understand what we should
understand. Please grant us proper spiritual wisdom. Teach us to be wise. Teach
us how sin attracts demons, or is inspired by evil to begin with. Grant that we
carry forth our Christian duty without undue curiosity. Teach us that the more
we sin, the harder and colder we get, the greater is our bondage.
The
construction of tall buildings has become so commonplace in cities around the
globe that the general public gives little thought to the visionaries
responsible for creating a city’s unique skyline. Skyscraper day provides the
opportunity to learn more about the architects who commit a dream to paper and
the construction crews that make it reality. Whoever it was that first
considered placing dwellings on top of each other instead of side-by-side would
be astounded at how modern buildings literally seem to touch the sky. What they
may also find interesting is the status that is often attached to living or
working at the highest level. Although this analogy is obvious there is another
to be drawn from the consequences of a power failure. These are just a few
aspects to ponder on a day that is set aside to reflect on man’s apparent
conquest of upper space.
Angels
are often represented in art as having wings which attest to their ability to
transcend time and space. In fact, angel’s true nature is in reality more like
that of a mirror reflecting the infinite perfections of the Triune God. Just
like men no two angels are alike. No two men, no two women are identical. Yet,
with angels the difference between them is vast and complete and every species
of angel is incredibly lovely, and they are perfect having no shadows of
imperfection or defect. It is of paramount importance for us to realize and ask
these holy beings to assist us in our pursuit of happiness for they wish in
every way to share with us God’s love. Their generosity knows no bounds and to
receive their assistance we have only to ask. Unfortunately, we limit their
efforts for our welfare and constantly impede them by our sins and
imperfections. Yet they love men even as imperfect as they are because of the
love of God that flows through them. It is an indescribable delight for them when
they are certain that the merits of the redemption through the Divine Blood of
Christ will not be lost on the souls committed to their care.
“For
surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare
and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”
-Jer 29:11.
-Jer 29:11.
Daily Devotions
[1]The
Collegeville Bible Commentary, 1986.
[2]Michael
H. Brown, Prayer of the Warrior.
[4] St. Michael and the Angels, Tan Books,
1983.
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