Malachi,
Chapter 1, verse 6
A son honors his father, and a
servant FEARS his master; If then, I am a father, where is the honor due
to me? And if I am a master, where is the FEAR due to me?
14th Amendment to US
Constitution ratified, 1868[1]
This amendment to the Constitution granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former slaves recently freed.
Under
current law, U.S.-born children of unauthorized immigrants are automatically
considered U.S. citizens. Select states and certain Federal lawmakers are
hoping to change that. In an effort to end birthright citizenship – which has its origins in English
common law – for
children of unauthorized immigrants born in the United States, state and
federal lawmakers have proposed everything from state-level legislation to a
constitutional amendment. They claim that by repealing birthright citizenship,
the United States will deter immigrants from coming to the United States and
giving birth to what they term "anchor babies" through whom
unauthorized family members allegedly then obtain legal status. Proponents for a
repeal of birthright citizenship are drafting state-level legislation to deny
privileges of U.S. citizenship to the U.S.-born children of unauthorized
aliens. Because citizenship is within the purview of the federal government,
and not the states, the proponents hope that doing so will ultimately trigger a
Supreme Court review of the law.
Position of the Catholic Church
To
address legitimate concerns surrounding immigration law enforcement in the
United States, the Catholic Church believes that our country must pass
immigration reform laws to ensure the rule of law, while simultaneously
ensuring that the laws that rule are rooted in the reunification of family and
respectful of the human dignity of the immigrants in our midst. The Church
opposes the repeal of birthright citizenship because it would render innocent
children stateless, depriving them of the ability to thrive in their
communities and reach their full potential. The Church believes that a repeal
of birthright citizenship would create a permanent underclass in U.S. society,
contravening U.S. democratic tradition; undermining the human dignity of innocent
children who would be punished though they did nothing wrong; and ultimately
weakening the family. Because of this, the Church opposes efforts underway for
its repeal.
Let Freedom Ring: Freedom from Fear-Day
2
Amen
Our Lady of the Immaculate
Conception ... pray for us
St. Joseph ... pray for us
St. Michael the Archangel ... pray
for us
(the patron of your parish) ...
pray for us
(your confirmation saint) ... pray
for us
"Freedom from Despair"
by
Fr. Rick Heilman
There is a stirring scene in the
6th chapter of John's Gospel, a chapter referred to as the "Bread of Life
Discourse." Jesus had just told the crowd, " Whoever eats my flesh and
drinks my blood has eternal life." The response by
nearly all was, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" Jesus
returns with, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing." And
then, in the 66th verse of chapter 6 of John's Gospel, or rather John 6:66,
almost everyone leaves: "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer
followed him."
The crowd who abandoned Jesus had
abandoned hope. They despaired. So, what did they do? They "turned
back" to the emptiness of "merely existing" in the flesh. This
emptiness or "desolation" is the place the devil wants us to be. It
is Satan's kingdom.
I believe it is no accident that
the chapter and verse of this act of despair in John's Gospel is 666. We are
given free will. We can choose God or not. In the Book of Revelation, 666 is the number of the beast, or the
number of man. Once separated from God, Satan wants us to believe we are merely
one animal (beast) among many; just part of the herd. So, like animals, we are
left to scramble to fill this void with worldly wants and lusts; works of the
flesh.
Make no mistake about it, the
influencers of our culture (media, Hollywood, TV, universities, public schools,
etc.) are, by and large, godless propagandists who are determined to instill in
us the notion that we are "merely animals." Therefore, women are
objectified, men are just vulgar beasts, pre-born babies are a clump of cells,
and the nuclear family - the bedrock of civilization - is outdated. As the
Satanic bible proclaims: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the
law." Just be animals.
After the crowd abandoned Jesus in
despair, He then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" Simon
Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We
have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."
The Apostles were not buying the
lie of the devil. No, we are not just animals, we are precious children of God,
created in His image. Therefore, life in the Spirit is filled with
the hope of a joyful and amazing journey of striving to please God in every
way, especially by striving to become the very best version of ourselves we can
possibly be. And, just as Jesus demonstrated on the cross, we are called to a
total selfless love of neighbor.
The crowd abandoned Him in
despair, but the Apostles stayed with Him in hope. If we want the hope of all
meaning and purpose in life as a child of God, we simply must get near to
Him, because "the Spirit gives life." We must combat the
temptation of allowing our faith to devolve into merely "punching the
clock" by fulfilling basic obligations. Many avoid an intimate
relationship with the Lord because, like the crowd, they believe, "This is a hard
teaching." In other words, if they "let God
in," He will ask "too much" from us. It's better to keep God at arm's
length, a manageable distance.
It's time to "make it
personal." It's time to "get near" to Him
before the Blessed Sacrament. Spend time Adoring Our Lord. This can be done by
scheduling an hour at a local Adoration Chapel, or you can simply come early or
stay after Mass. Be careful, though, because you may just find yourself crying
out, "My
Lord and my God!" ... and then everything will change.
Your life, filled with hope, will rise to new and exciting heights!
"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will
soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and
not be faint." - Isaiah 40:31
Prayer of Reparation
My Lord and my God, We have allowed the temptation of the devil to move our hearts to despair in Your Presence and Power.
We have kept ourselves distanced from You, so that we may be safe from Your
plan for our lives. We have been too fearful to trust in a personal
relationship that may ask too much from us. In our doubt and despair, we have
allowed the ancient foe to advance. We turn to You Lord, in our emptiness, and
beg Your forgiveness for our despairing lack of trust. We beg for the grace to
draw near to You, even as we watch, as did the Apostles, so many who abandon
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.
Prayer of Exorcism
Lord God of Heaven and Earth, 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 from
faithlessness and fear. Still the lying tongue of the devil and his forces so
that we may act freely and faithfully to your will. Send your holy angels to
cast out all influence that the demonic entities in charge of fear 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 for ever and ever. Amen.
Litany of St. Joseph
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
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.
God the Holy Spirit,
Have mercy on
us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
Have mercy on
us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Illustrious son of David, …
Light of the patriarchs,
Spouse of the Mother of God,
Chaste guardian of the Virgin,
Foster-father of the Son of God,
Watchful defender of Christ,
Head of the Holy Family,
Joseph most just,
Joseph most chaste,
Joseph most prudent,
Joseph most valiant,
Joseph most obedient,
Joseph most faithful,
Mirror of patience,
Lover of poverty,
Model of workmen ,
Glory of domestic life,
Guardian of virgins,
Pillar of families,
Solace of the afflicted,
Hope of the sick,
Patron of the dying,
Terror of demons,
Protector of Holy Church,
Lamb
of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
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 prince over all His possessions.
Let Us Pray.
O God, Who in Thine ineffable
providence didst choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Thy most Holy
Mother, grant that as we venerate him as our protector on earth, we may deserve
to have him as our intercessor in Heaven, Thou Who livest and reignest forever
and ever. R. Amen.
Daily
Devotions
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Trust in God in the midst of troubles.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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