Day 17-Let Freedom Ring: Freedom from Lukewarmness
We have allowed the temptation of the devil to move our hearts toward fearfully allowing the spread of lukewarmness throughout our nation and the Catholic Church.
We have fallen into this widespread lukewarmness when we have not lived up to the call of our Baptism to, day-by-day, deepen our love and faith in You.
We have been too easily swayed by the poor example of the Catholic lukewarm, and have held our tongue when a few words of correction could lift them out of their unrepentance and nearer unto You.
In our weakness, we have allowed the ancient foe to advance.
We turn to You Lord, in our sorrow and guilt, and beg Your forgiveness for any of our own lukewarmness or our lack of resolve to lift souls out of this darkness.
We beg for the grace of Your goodness to build up within us the strength and endurance to be this visible light of fervent faith in You.
We know, Lord, if You will it, it will be done.
Trusting in You, we offer our prayer to You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
In Your power and goodness, You created all things.
You set a path for us to walk on and a way to an eternal relationship.
By the strength of Your arm and Word of Your mouth
Cast from your Holy Church every fearful deceit of the Devil
Drive from us manifestations of the demonic that oppress us and beckon us to fear and lukewarmness.
Still the lying tongue of the devil and his forces so that we may act freely and faithfully to do Your will.
Send Your holy angels to cast out all influence that the demonic entities in charge of lukewarmness have planted in Your Church.
Free us, our families, our parish, our diocese, and our country from all trickery and deceit perpetrated by the Devil and his hellish legions.
Trusting in Your goodness Lord,
We know if You will it, it will be done in unity with Your Son and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Spirit,
have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
have mercy on us.
of the Eternal Father, save us.
Blood of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament, etc.
Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in the Agony,
Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging,
Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns,
Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross,
Blood of Christ, price of our salvation,
Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness,
Blood of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls,
Blood of Christ, stream of mercy,
Blood of Christ, victor over demons,
Blood of Christ, courage of martyrs,
Blood of Christ, strength of confessors,
Blood of Christ, bringing forth virgins,
Blood of Christ, help of those in peril,
Blood of Christ, relief of the burdened,
Blood of Christ, solace in sorrow,
Blood of Christ, hope of the penitent,
Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying,
Blood of Christ, peace and tenderness of hearts,
Blood of Christ, pledge of Eternal Life,
Blood of Christ, freeing souls from purgatory,
Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honor,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.
And made us, for our God, a kingdom.
Almighty and eternal God, Thou hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son the Redeemer of the world and willed to be appeased by his blood. Grant, we beg of Thee, that we may worthily adore this price of our salvation and through its power be safeguarded from the evils of the present life so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
To see the Goals, Methods and Levels of "Let Freedom Ring," go HERE.
ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN
Matthew,
Chapter 27, Verse 54
The centurion and the
men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was
happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”
Naturally we fear
darkness and are terrified when the very ground we stand on moves. Yet in this
case the greatest gift of Christ was the movement of a toughened soldier’s
heart.
Truly, this was the Son of God![1]
Every
believer carries a measure of the guilt for Jesus’ death. If it were not for
our willful disobedience to God’s perfect Law, we would have no need of a
Savior. We acknowledge in song that it was our hands that drove the spikes into
His’ and sometimes speak about driving the nails into Jesus’ hands every time
we sin. We speak figuratively, of course, knowing that although we were not
present at the time of His death, we bear the guilt of providing the need for
His death. In the Bible we are given a brief glimpse of a man who was present
while Jesus was nailed to the tree. This man was a Roman centurion, a commander
of over 100 soldiers of the Roman army. We know little about the man except
that he was probably a hardened soldier and commanded a detachment of what were
most likely Syrian-born soldiers. He had, in all likelihood, presided over the
crucifixion of hundreds or even thousands of men and must have become hardened
to the agony these men endured.
It is likely that this
man was present from the time Jesus was brought before Pilate right until the
Lord’s body was lowered from the cross and given to Joseph of Arimathea. He may
even have been present with the detachment of soldiers that aided in Jesus’
arrest the night before His crucifixion. This man would have accompanied Jesus
from the time the Jewish leaders brought him to the Praetorium. He would have
ordered his men to beat Him, caring little for who He was, knowing Him only to
be another in a long line of people he was commanded to execute. He would have
been nearby when his men dressed Jesus in a robe, pressed a crown of thorns
onto His head and walked Him to Golgotha. He would have given the order to
proceed with the crucifixion. The centurion is mentioned in three of the four
gospel accounts. He is mentioned not for his cruelty, ruthlessness or ability
as a soldier. He is mentioned for something far more important, for a marvelous
transformation that occurred immediately after the death of one of his
prisoners.
Having seen so many
crucifixions, the centurion knew what to expect from prisoners. Most people who
were sentenced to be crucified were criminals, brigands, thieves and murderers.
He had heard countless men scream in agony while being whipped and plead for
their lives before Pilate. From their crosses he had heard them shout curses to
men below and blasphemies to God above. The behavior of the thieves on either
side of Jesus was all too common, as they mocked and ridiculed Jesus as he hung
between them. Perhaps it was during this time that the centurion began to
notice that there was something different about Jesus. Where most men cursed
and swore, Jesus, as His hands were nailed to the wood, cried out for God to forgive
those who were causing His suffering. Or maybe He noticed the tender mercy in
Jesus’ voice when He spoke to the penitent thief beside Him, promising that the
same day he would be with Jesus in paradise. Perhaps he was amazed that during
such suffering Jesus could look down at His mother and ensure that her future
was secure by telling John to take care of her. Certainly, three hours of
darkness that accompanied Jesus’ suffering would have marked this as an
execution unlike any other.
We can only guess when
the centurion began to realize that perhaps, just perhaps, Jesus was exactly
who He claimed to be. What we do know is exactly when He knew with full
certainty. Just before He died, Jesus cried out “It is finished.” Immediately
after that He said “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” At that very
moment Jesus died. At that same moment a violent earthquake shook the land with
such ferocity that rocks were split. Matthew tells us “when the centurion and
those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that
had happened, they feared
greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Luke expands on this saying
“when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly
this was a righteous Man!”
And just like that, the
man who presided over Jesus’ execution, the man who ordered the nails to be
driven into His hands and feet, became the first person to become a believer
after Jesus’ death.
St.
Bridget of Sweden[2]
Bridget was born in Sweden of noble and pious parents and
led a most holy life. While she was yet unborn, her mother was saved from
shipwreck for her sake. At ten years of age, Bridget heard a sermon on the
Passion of our Lord; and the next night she saw Jesus on the cross, covered
with fresh blood, and speaking to her about his Passion. Thenceforward
meditation on that subject affected her to such a degree, that she could never
think of our Lord's sufferings without tears. She was given in marriage to Ulfo
prince of Nericia; and won him, by example and persuasion, to a life of piety.
She devoted herself with maternal love to the education of her children. She
was most zealous in serving the poor, especially the sick; and set apart a
house for their reception, where she would often wash and kiss their feet.
Together with her husband, she went on pilgrimage to Compostela, to visit the
tomb of the apostle St. James. On their return journey, Ulfo fell dangerously
ill at Arras; but St. Dionysius, appearing to Bridget at night, foretold the
restoration of her husband's health, and other future events. Ulfo became a
Cistercian monk but died soon afterwards. Whereupon Bridget, having heard the
voice of Christ calling her in a dream, embraced a more austere manner of life.
Many secrets were then revealed to her by God. She founded the monastery of
Vadstena under the rule of our Savior, which was given her by our Lord himself.
At his command, she went to Rome, where she kindled the love of God in very
many hearts. She made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem; but on her return to Rome she
was attacked by fever and suffered severely from sickness during a whole year.
On the day she had foretold, she passed to heaven, laden with merits. Her body
was translated to her monastery of Vadstena; and becoming illustrious for
miracles, she was enrolled among the saints by Boniface IX. Excerpted from the
Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B
Things to do
·
From
the Catholic Culture Library, two articles by Pope John Paul II — St.
Bridget: A Unique Model of Feminine Holiness, Three
Co-Patronesses of Europe and Saint
Birgitta.
·
St.
Bridget was a member of the Franciscan Third Order. If you have never
considered joining one of the Church's order's for lay people today might be a
good time to think about it. Learn more about becoming a secular Franciscan.
·
You
may want to purchase a copy of which contains excerpts from her revelations.
·
You
might like to read about St. Birgitta of Sweden's Influence in Finland.
·
The
Birgittine Order now has thirteen monasteries of contemplative nuns and a
congregation of contemplative-apostolic sisters whose motherhouse is in Rome,
in the actual former dwelling of St. Birgitta. For information about the
sisters here are some websites: About the Birgittine Nuns in Vadstena, Birgittine
Sisters and About the Brigittine sisters
·
The
Brigittine Monks existed from the 14th to the middle of the 19th century, when
they were dispersed, largely due to European wars. (In 1970, a Brigittine Monk,
Richard Reynolds, martyr, was declared a saint.) This monastery, the 1st in
over 100 years, was founded in 1976 and has the Canonical status of a Priory
“Sui Juris.” If you want to know about the monks visit Brigittine Monks of the Order
of the Most Holy Savior.
·
Read
about the saints of the Brigittine order and more about Bl.
Elizabeth Hesselblad who refounded the order.
·
The
Catholic Encyclopedia has this to say about the Brigittines.
·
You
may want to buy some delicious fudge made by the monks or purchase a Brigittine Rosary.
Novena of St. Ann[3]
Daily Prayer to Saint Ann
O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those
who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight
of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the
present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.
Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it
before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue
to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me
the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the
saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.
Our Father, . . . Hail
Mary . . .
O Jesus, Holy Mary, St.
Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death. Good St. Ann, intercede for me.
SEVENTH DAY
Once again, Good St.
Ann, I choose you for my advocate before the throne of God. By the power and
grace that God has placed in you, extend to me your helping hand. Renew my mind
and my heart.
Dear St. Ann, I have
unbounded confidence in your prayers. To your blessed hands I entrust my soul,
my body and all my hopes for this world and the next. Direct my actions
according to your goodness and wisdom. I place myself under your motherly care.
Receive me, good mother. Cover me with the mantle of your love. Look kindly on
me. By your powerful intercession, may I obtain from God grace and mercy.
Obtain for me remission for sin and release from the punishment my offenses
have deserved. Pray that I may receive grace to lead a devout life on earth and
that I may obtain the everlasting reward of heaven.
Redeemed Sexuality[4]
As Christians we should be grateful beyond words for the
gift of our redemption. We believe that Christ’s action on the cross has
changed all things, for all time. We should seek to relate every aspect of our
lives to how Christ has redeemed us and our world. When we consider the mystery
and contemporary confusion of human sexuality, it is even more urgent for
Christians to ask, ―How has Christ redeemed human sexuality?
Today our media features topics that not long ago would
have been labeled science fiction, or pornography. Cloning, ―casual sex,
getting pregnant by means of reproductive technologies, frozen embryos,
adultery — the list goes on. Does anyone in the public square relate these
issues to the spiritual?
When those of us try to bring God into the equation, we are
often told that ―individual morality must not be ―imposed on the public. But
that should not deter the Christian. Christ’s work on the cross has restored
all of human life, even human sexuality. That means that human sexuality is not
tinged with sin, nor is it morally neutral. Although we can misuse even the
best of God’s gifts, that does not change the fact that sex is God’s gift of
life and love to us. Specifically, sexual intercourse was never meant to be
directed to the individual. It’s not a sport or game to be enjoyed on its own.
Sexual intercourse is a powerful event of interpersonal communion — it is a
sacramental event. This makes more sense when we realize that Christian
marriage is a sign of Christ’s presence in the world. As Christians we accept
on faith that human sexuality is caught up in Christ, uniting a man and woman
in a union which reflects God’s love in the world and is directed to others.
With that starting point, it makes excellent sense to keep sex in marriage.
The redeemed nature of marriage was understood by the
Church from our earliest history. Following up on Jesus’ own words on the
indissolubility of marriage, St. Paul likened Christian marriage to Christ’s
relationship with His Church. ―As Christ loved the Church . . . so the husband
should love and cherish his wife as he cherishes his own body; for husband and
wife are one body, as Christ and the Church are one body. This is a great
mystery. St. John Chrysostom (347-407) taught that the ―one flesh of the
spouses is ―not an empty symbol. ―They have not become the image of anything on
earth, but of God Himself‖ (Homily 12).
The love of spouses, says the Catechism, ―requires of its
very nature, the unity and indissolubility of the spouses’ community of
persons, which embraces their entire life (#1644). The root of this
indissolubility is found in God Himself, who taught us of His fidelity through
His covenant with Abraham. It is found finally in Christ, who united Himself
with His Church. In this age of continuous assaults on God’s design for life
and love, it would do the world good if Christians reclaimed our rich heritage.
Before we can do this, we need to return to the mystery of our faith and
meditate on who Jesus is, what He did for us, and how this has changed all life
for all ages.
Total Consecration to St. Joseph-Day 4[5]
On
Day 4 Father Calloway using the Litany points to the idea that Christ is our
only hope.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have
mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
Father Calloway stresses on this day that:
·
Consecration
to St. Joseph will increase your love for Jesus.
St. Joseph just as he was for Jesus is also our guardian, loving protector, and fearless defender. He is our model of heroic manhood and marriage, chastity, and life itself.
One of my favorite representations of the Lords delight with us is a statue of Joseph and the baby Jesus. Jesus and Joseph are playing. Joseph is slightly bent with the baby Jesus giggling crawling over the back of Joseph and peeking over his shoulder looking at his face in peek a boo fashion and delight is all over both of their faces. How can we fear when we have a God who loves us so!
In times of tribulation when we feel courage being drained from our souls let us remember the courage of blessed Saint Joseph reflecting on his courage, strength and of course gentleness with our Lord Jesus. In times of trouble let us call on the aid of St. Joseph reflecting on this portion of the litany of Saint Joseph[6]
”St. Joseph, Renowned offspring of David, Light of Patriarchs, Spouse of the Mother of God, Chaste guardian of the Virgin, Foster father of the Son of God, Diligent protector of Christ, Head of the Holy Family, Joseph most just, Joseph most chaste, Joseph most prudent, Joseph most strong, Joseph most obedient, Joseph most faithful, Mirror of patience, Lover of poverty, Model of artisans, Glory of home life, Guardian of virgins, Pillar of families, Solace of the wretched, Hope of the sick, Patron of the dying, Terror of demons, Protector of Holy Church. Pray for Us!”
The Intercession of Saint Joseph Is Most Powerful[7]
·
first, for attaining the virtue of
purity and overcoming the sensual inclinations of the flesh.
·
secondly, for procuring powerful help to
escape sin and return to the friendship of God.
·
thirdly, for increasing the love and
devotion to most holy Mary.
·
fourthly, for securing the grace of a happy
death and protection against the demons in that hour.
·
fifthly, for inspiring the demons with
terror at the mere mention of his name by his clients.
·
sixthly, for gaining health of body and
assistance in all kinds of difficulties.
·
seventhly, for securing issue of children in
families.
These
and many other favors God confer upon those who properly and with good
disposition seek the intercession of the spouse of our Queen, saint Joseph. I
beseech all the faithful children of the Church to be very devout to him and
they will experience these favors if they dispose themselves as they should in
order to receive and merit them.
·
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph.
Daily
Devotions
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
"Faith cannot
save without virtue"
·
Rosary
[2]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2016-07-23
[3]Blessed Sacrament
Fathers, ST. ANN’S SHRINE, Cleveland, Ohio
[4]http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/natural-family-planning/awareness-week/upload/Redeemed-Sexuality.pdf
[5]https://catholicexchange.com/now-is-the-time-to-consecrate-yourself-to-saint-joseph
[6]https://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/litanies/joseph.htm
[7]Venerable
Mary of Agreda. The Mystical City of God:
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