This blog is based on references in the Bible to fear. God wills that we “BE NOT AFRAID”. Vincit qui se vincit" is a Latin phrase meaning "He conquers who conquers himself." 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. This blog is dedicated to Mary the Mother of God. "
THE COVENANT OF PUBLIC SERVICE
A Call to Strength, Stewardship, and Moral Clarity
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Wednesday, September 25, 2019
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2 Maccabees, Chapter
8, Verse 16
Maccabeus
assembled his forces, six thousand strong, and exhorted them not to be
panic-stricken before the enemy, nor to fear
the very large number of Gentiles unjustly attacking them, but to fight nobly.
Judas sums up their theological position before the
battle succinctly: Our opponents trust in weapons and strategy, whereas we
simply trust in an all-powerful God.[1]
Fight or die[2] One of the greatest
temptations in the Catholic life is that of complacency. We go through the
motions, attending Mass on Sunday and maybe going to a parish program or two,
but the Faith never really penetrates
deep into our souls. It remains a superficial reality; just another thing to
do in our comfortable, civilized lives. We love to complain about the
problems in the Church—rending our garments over this bad bishop or this
corrupt priest. We ask: Where are the saints of the modern Church?
Where are the holy men and women who can be shining lights in this dark world?
We lament the state of things, never realizing that it is that God has called
us to be saints. It is we who must
strive for sanctity as if our lives depended on it—because they do.
Fight for the Crown of Eternal Life
Jesus Christ is calling
you and me to rise above satisfaction and mediocrity and to pursue
greatness. He does not want us to muddle through the Christian life. He wants
us to fight nobly for the crown of eternal life. “Fight your way in at the
narrow door,” he tells us, “There are many who will try and will not be able to
enter.” Now, realize that this spiritual combat does not necessarily mean
grandiose outward actions. Most of us are not meant to found a religious
order or to convert a far flung nation. The saints constantly tell us that
holiness is found in sanctifying our everyday actions, however small they may
be. Even so the point is, no one coasts into heaven effortlessly. It doesn’t
work that way. We have a powerful enemy who works day and night to destroy us.
Every day we encounter temptations internal and external that, if consented to,
will destroy our souls. Men, a survey has
revealed that 50%—that is 1 in 2—Christian men are addicted to pornography. If
you think I am exaggerating the spiritual dangers, you are wrong. There is
a war for your soul, and if you are not watchful, if you are not
vigilant, if you are not intensely focused on the pursuit of
holiness, you will fall away.
Choose Today Who You Will Serve
Holiness begins with a
choice: God or the world. Whom will you serve? You can’t have it both ways. As
with any war, there is no middle ground. You either fight or die. “You cannot
please both God and the world at the same time,” says St. John Vianney, “They
are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their
actions.” In other words, you can’t pursue the world’s values and ideals while
calling yourself a Christian and a Catholic. You can’t hold on to pet sins,
abusing God’s mercy by asking his forgiveness, all the while having no real
intention to change.
Take up Your Cross
Christ is calling you to
take up your Cross and follow him. Doing so will bring you more happiness and
more joy than you can possibly imagine. But it will also cost you the comfort
and ease the world promises. “You are like crusaders united to fight against
the world,” said St. Louis de Montfort, “not like Religious who retreat from
the world; lest they be overcome, but like brave and valiant warriors on the
battlefield, who refuse to retreat or even yield an inch. Be brave and fight
courageously.” Men, if you’ve been mediocre, if you’ve been comfortably
complacent, I challenge you today to follow Christ passionately, with all that
you are and have. Clothe yourselves in the armor of God and take up the weapons
of prayer and penance, calling on the powerful intercession of Our Lady, Help
of Christians. Resolve in your heart to do battle, for eternal life, and
then “Be brave and fight courageously.” Your soul depends on it.
Saint
Michael the Archangel was the protector of Israel and is also traditionally
known as “The Medicine of God.” Saint Michael as the military captain of the
church of God has a great interest in the happenings of his people, their
calamities and he does not overlook their calls for his aid. Let us therefore
have recourse to him in times of sickness. He will most certainly come to our
assistance bringing the healing graces of the Redeeming Blood. Yet, if it is
the will of the father that we depart from this world Saint Michael does not
abandon us for he is especially our advocate at our hour of death and assists
at every deathbed for it is part of his office to receive the souls of the
elect on their quitting the flesh. When the last hour of our earthly career
draws near we are confronted by that awful moment when our soul must leave the
body which it has loved so much, to pass through the narrow portal of death,
satanic hosts like raving lions will make a last attack upon our souls. But we
need not fear (but be at peace) if during life we have had devotion to the
Precious Blood and have been faithful in venerating St. Michael and imploring
his aid. He will cover us with his strong shield and lead us safely through the
midst of our enemies.
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 ...
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 h...
Judith, Chapter 10, Verse 16 When you stand before him, have no fear in your heart; give him the report you have given us, and he will treat you well.” Judith prepares for war with prayer and by the enhancement of her beauty. She is so strikingly beautiful that in this verse one of the guards of the Assyrian camp advises her to be confident in the presence of Holofernes. Beauty and the Beast [1] After bathing (during a drought) she uses all the human arts available to her to make herself beautiful and captivating: perfumed ointment, hair, clothing and jewelry. She understands the goodness of her body. She knows physical beauty is good and comes from God. She also knows that the power of her beauty comes from within her, from her holiness, from her faithfulness to God. Since both her exterior and interior beauty come from God, her beauty must be devoted to the service of God. God intends to use her beauty as a weapon to liberate the people. She will wield the weapon t...
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...
30 Days of Women and Herbs – Frauendreissiger Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) 2 Maccabees, Chapter 15, Verse 8 He urged his men not to fear the attack of the Gentiles, but mindful of the help they had received in the past from Heaven, to expect now the victory that would be given them by the Almighty. As an old, retired military man it was common for us to say while we were loading our magazines with bullets, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition." We knew that without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Optimists see steppingstones where pessimists see stumbling blocks. Heavenly Intercession [1] "Stretching out his right hand, Jeremiah presented a gold sword to Judas. As he gave it to him, he said 'Accept this holy sword as a gift from God; with it you shall crush your adversaries.' " —2 Maccabees 15:15-16 Nicanor planned to slaughte...
Wednesday after laetare Sunday: end of mid-lent [1] Jeremiah, Chapter 26, verse 19 Did Hezekiah, king of Judah, and all Judah condemn him to death? Did he not fear the LORD and entreat the favor of the LORD, so that the LORD had a change of heart regarding the evil he had spoken against them? We, however, are about to do great evil against ourselves.” Have you ever been around people who cannot handle the truth! Speaking the truth got Jeremiah in dire straits. Unmoving, the temple officials and elders trashed Jeremiah nonetheless they were too afraid to kill him. Dire Straits [2] · At the beginning of Jehoiakim's reign, God tells Jeremiah to stand in the court of the temple and speak to all the people and cities of Judah. They're getting another chance to repent. Maybe they'll actually listen this time. · If the people don't finally come to their senses, God's going t...
FEAST OF SAINT MARTIN/VETERANS DAY Acts, Chapter 26, Verse 5-7 5 They have known about me from the start, if they are willing to testify, that I have lived my life as a Pharisee, the strictest party of our religion. 6 But now I am standing trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors. 7 Our twelve tribes hope to attain to that promise as they fervently worship God day and night; and on account of this hope I am accused by Jews, O king. Paul clearly explains that his entire life was in preparation for the hope of Israel, Christ Jesus, who Israel did not recognize as the son of God. Paul states that the prophets and Moses had foretold that the Christ would suffer, and as first to be raised from the dead, he would proclaim light to both God’s people and the Gentiles. The resurrection is God’s promise to Israel. Paul like Christ ultimately was a victim of intolerance. [1] Twenty Fifth Sunday after Pentecost [2] GOSPEL Matthew 13: 24 – ...
feast of saint Anthony, abbot Sirach, Chapter 22, Verse 16 A wooden beam firmly bonded into a building is not loosened by an earthquake; So the mind firmly resolved after careful deliberation will not be afraid at any time. A prudent mind firmly resolved is undisturbed by violent and conflicting thoughts. Sometimes we all have senseless thoughts and feelings which shake us but faith is a firm anchor for our thoughts. We indeed do have the power within ourselves to choose not to react to impulsive thoughts. Sacredness [1] · Holiness consists in friendship with God. If we would be in any sense the friends of God, we must have at least that desire for holiness without which such friendship would be impossible; growth in the knowledge of God is the deepening of this friendship. · To know God is to know self and if we know ourselves well, we know have one or two prominent...
Ash Wednesday Deuteronomy, Chapter 18, Verse 21-22 21 Should you say to yourselves, “How can we recognize that a word is one the LORD has not spoken?”, 22 if a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD but the word does not come true, it is a word the LORD did not speak. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not fear him. Even saints at times may have spoken presumptuously. Let us meditate on the words of Padre Pio, “Love and fear must go united together, fear without love becomes cowardice. Love without fear becomes presumption. When there is love without fear, love runs without prudence and without restraint, without taking care where it is going.” This is the great beauty of the Holy Spirit for it tells us when even a very holy person speaks not every word they speak comes from God. We error sometimes in this way, making men into gods; but a heart that is filled with the spirit of God is filled with quiet joy and even if the person were to b...
Romans, Chapter 8, verse 14-15 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear , but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” By the sacrifice of Christ, we are the adopted children of God, who feared none, and by whose sufferings and glory we share; by reason of the Holy Spirits presence within us. We are thus giving us a new life and relationship with God. ( Novena to the Holy Spirit ) To some is giving the gift of tongues. To which many years ago (40 to be exact February 1975) at the birth of my first born daughter I had gone to the Gunpowder Inn, in Bermuda, to celebrate her birth, with a couple of Native American friends. At the time I was in the Navy Seabees and we worked together. When I had got there, all of the sudden, I got an overwhelming feeling that I needed to speak in tongues to P. Graves and I...
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