Genesis, Chapter 46, Verse 3
Then he said:
I am God, the God of your father. Do not be AFRAID to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great
nation.
At times God asks us to go down into our personal Egypt’s[1]; so, he can make us more by raising us up.
·
I will observe your statutes; do not utterly
forsake me. – Psalm 119:8
·
Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a
one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has
promised to those who love him. – James 1:12
What is your “Egypt”? What is your temptation,
your land of (empty) promise? What has placed you under bondage?
For some it could be that “dream” job
across the country. For others it could be that big house, or luxury car.
Chances are, if you find yourself saying something like, “Things would better
if I could only…”, then you have an “Egypt” of your own. In most cases your
“Egypt” is really just another heap of steaming trouble, bundled in empty hope
and wrapped with false promise. God knows that humility, and a sense of
self-worth centered in God’s grace and not in “things” and “stuff” is what
leads to a heart that is not been made cynical by the disappointments of
materialism. A humble and compassionate heart is softer, fertile ground made
ready and willing to love. We must find contentment in the immutable, in the
unwavering God. Only then will the distractions, the idols, and the daily lies
we tell ourselves to feel okay… only then will they start to fall away, and we
can be fully Present. Being Present means to exist fully in the now, in this
moment. Not regretting the past, not worrying about the future, but fully
mindful and present in the moment at hand. Then you would be able to
give this text your full attention, and not simply a cursory scan. You would
find yourself really listening to someone speaking, and not simply waiting for
a chance to talk. And most importantly, your find yourself fully enjoying the
presence of someone close to you, fully mindful that in an instant they could
be gone.
Our personal “Egypt” is a always a source
of bondage and domination. We find ourselves broken through our pursuit of it,
and God forbid, we attain it! Then we realize that its promise and hope were
dust and dreams and there is nothing of substance to sustain us. Where do we
turn to now? We’ve already spent ourselves trying to attain our own personal
“Egypt”? We turn back to God. He is always ready and willing to perform the
next personal Exodus out of another personal Egypt. And you will need
God’s help, for the wisdom of the world and it’s Pharaohs will rise up to stop
you the very moment you start to trust God’s immutable providence for your
life:
Wake up. Spread the blood of lamb on the
lintels of your soul. Ask God for salvation from bondage to your own personal
Egypt, and God will act in your life.
Four
things that Conservative Americans Must Do[2]
·
First,
we must put our faith in God, not men. We need a conservative movement that is
profoundly Christian, and that defends natural law and the Ten Commandments
before all else. Our crisis today is, deep down, a religious one. Only a return
to God and His order will make a defeat of the left possible. We must defend
traditional morality and the traditional family, especially against the culture
of death and the LGBT revolution. We must restore the notion of good and evil
that has almost disappeared in our relativistic age. This must start in our
personal lives.
·
Second,
we must recognize that the “progressive” left is not advocating progress, nor
even a revolt, but a revolution. Critical race theory, the Green New Deal,
LGBT tyranny (especially transgenderism), unrestricted abortion, Modern
Monetary Theory, illegal immigration, and Medicare for All are weapons in the
same army that wants to burn what remains of Christian civilization to the
ground. Conservative Americans must understand that they are in a titanic
struggle for civilization itself. We must study and understand the nature of
this revolution, its characteristics, tactics, and driving forces. And if the
enemy is waging a revolution, the only proper response is
a counter-revolution. The book Revolution and
Counter-Revolution by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira is a good place to start.
·
Third,
we must resolve not only to elect godly statesmen to office but also to act
directly on public opinion through a cultural counter-revolution. Politics, it
is often said, is downstream from culture. The left has subverted America and
especially our youth through culture: music, fashions, movies, television,
schools, technology and many others. Like the early Christians, we must fight a
counter-cultural crusade against the perverse society in which we live. We need
to act on public opinion, one person, one family, one neighborhood at a time.
We need to be more dedicated to our cause than the revolutionaries have been to
theirs, to prevail in the battle for public opinion inch by inch. Only culture
imbued with Christian principles and defended by men and women of strong
religious convictions is capable of resisting and defeating the cultural
steamroller of our times. The future belongs to those who fight.
· Finally, we need to pray to Our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of His Holy Mother Mary, for graces of repentance, wisdom and fortitude. God sent His Mother Mary to the world at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, to warn about the errors of Russia and the future chastisements that would come. If mankind did not convert, she said, many nations would be annihilated. We are now witnessing the final fulfillment of those prophecies. It is not too late for America and the world to turn back to God with a humble and contrite heart.
Life First[3] 9 Days for
Life
9 Days for Life is a "digital pilgrimage" of prayer and action focused on cherishing the gift of every person's life. A multi-faceted novena highlighting a different intention each day provides reflections, bonus information, and suggested actions. Join to receive the novena through the 9 Days for Life app, daily emails, or daily texts. See below for information on how else you can get involved! #9DaysforLife #OurPrayersMatter
Day Eight:
Intercession: May those nearing life’s end receive medical care that respects their dignity and protects their lives.
Prayers: Our Father, 3 Hail Mary’s, Glory Be
Reflection:
The dying
process is a sacred time—a final season to seek closure in this life and
prepare for the next. We know earthly death is not the end, but rather the door
through which we must pass to gain eternal life. The deadly practice of
assisted suicide—now legal in several states—shortens or even eliminates this
sacred season, carelessly cutting short the life of the patient. To support the
“false compassion” of assisted suicide is to see people as a problem to be
eliminated. End-of-life care should instead help eliminate or alleviate the
patient’s problems, whether they are physical, spiritual, or emotional. Those
who die in God’s grace and friendship live forever with Christ. Because of our
belief and hope in the Resurrection, we can face death not with fear, but with
trust. We pray that society might recognize that every day of our lives is a
gift and is always worth living, especially our final days. We need not
fear. Christ is with us.
·
Sacrifice
some of your free time to do a small act of service, such as making breakfast
for a family member, writing a note of encouragement for a coworker, or praying
for the intentions of a friend.
·
Pray
a decade of the rosary (www.usccb.org/rosary) for your friends and family who
have passed away, as well as the departed who have no one to pray for them.
·
Offer
some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for
today’s intention
Attitudes
on Confession[4]
You must
emphasize the importance of the sacraments, especially Confession, and give
your child ample opportunity to receive this sacrament, but never force or
ridicule him in this matter. These are suggestions on maintaining the balance
between privacy and following the parental role of making the sacraments
readily available for your children. Most Catholic parents fully respect their
child's right to privacy in regard to confession. Of course, you should not
question him about what he told the priest, or what the priest told him. To do
so would be depriving him of the right to privacy in confessional matters which
is his. His decision to receive or not receive the sacraments of Penance and
the Holy Eucharist also must be his to make.
While you
must stand guard over your child's spiritual welfare, never place him in a
position where his failure to confess or receive Communion will make him
conspicuous. The reason for this warning is that a child who is unworthy to
receive Communion or fears to confess his sins may be tempted to partake of the
Holy Eucharist sacrilegiously if his failure to receive will make him stand out
in the crowd. Before the rule for the Eucharistic Fast was relaxed, a person
who did not wish to receive Communion might create an excuse by saying that he
had inadvertently swallowed water. Since beverages one hour before Communion
are now permitted, and water is permitted at any time, such an excuse is no
longer valid. The person who does not wish to receive may find it more
difficult to hide the fact that he may not be in a state of grace. Be doubly
cautious, therefore, that you do not use pressure upon your child so that he
receives unworthily to hide the existence of another sin.
Parents
should be alert for opportunities to suggest the reception of Penance and the
Holy Eucharist, however. If a child consistently resists the sacraments, they
may fairly assume that he is troubled by some moral problem. Without mentioning
the matter directly, a parent might tell him anew that God will forgive any sin
and that any problems brought to the priest in the confessional will receive
sympathetic consideration. Children may need to be reassured that they have
nothing to fear in confessing their sins and that their secrets will be kept
from all mankind. If your own attempts to encourage your child to frequent the
sacraments prove unsuccessful, you should discuss the subject with your pastor.
Daily Devotions
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[1]http://www.epochalypsis.org/daily-devotion-your-own-personal-egypt/
[2]https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/01/putting-the-capitol-invasion-joe-biden-and-american-politics-in-perspective/?pkg=rtoe1224
[3]http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events/nine-days-of-prayer-penance-and-pilgrimage.cfm
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