Thursday, July 15, 2021

 

Let Freedom Ring: Freedom from Abuse of Sexuality Outside the Marital State
(See Character is Destiny for opposing virtue: FAITH)


My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
At a word from You the devil and his minions flee in terror.
You are the source of all truth. You are the source of all strength.
By the power of your Cross and Resurrection, we beseech You, O Lord
To extend Your saving arm and to send Your holy angels
To defend us as we do battle with Satan and his demonic forces.
Exorcise, we pray, that which oppresses Your Bride, The Church,
So that within ourselves, our families, our parishes, our dioceses, and our nation
We may turn fully back to You in all fidelity and trust.
Lord, we know if You will it, it will be done.
Give us the perseverance for this mission, we pray.
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 Abuse of Sexuality Outside the Marital State" by Fr. James Altman

Dear family, it is time to speak truth, and speak it boldly, on the issue of the abuse of sexuality outside of the marital state, which can best be understood by the phrase "interim period." There is a dichotomy in this world: God and Lucifer. God has His plan, and it is Good. Lucifer has his plan, which is the opposite of God's, and it is evil. Once we confess and admit what God's intention actually is, we then can identify, recognize, and avoid Lucifer's evil plan while striving to follow God's good one. Lucifer's scheme is evil in all its insidious and diabolical facets, most particularly in artificial contraception, cohabitation, abortion, and same-sex unions.

God's good plan is simple, straightforward, and easy to understand: "God created mankind in His image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. God blessed them and God said to them: 'Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it'" (Genesis 1:27-28). "The LORD God said: 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him' ... The LORD God then built the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman. ... That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body"(Genesis 2:18, 22, 24).

That is God's plan, that is the truth, and anything contrary to the truth is false. That is known as the PNC, the Principle of Non-Contradiction. Therefore, anything contrary to one man, one woman, open to children, for life is false. Period. End of debate. So how did we ever get to the point where any Christian dares to suggest, much less insist, that artificial contraception, co-habitation outside the sacramental bond of matrimony, termination of a baby's life in the womb, and same-sex unions are A-OK with God? With what twisted and diabolical poison have we been fed? Here is how all this happened: greed and selfishness.

In God's creation, and throughout millennia, boys and girls reached puberty roughly at 12-14 years of age. Having a very developed brain by the age of roughly 12, they were mature enough to be able to cope with the onset of hormonal challenges while they were in the safety and security of their family homes. Then, when fully mature, the young man would leave the family home for the purpose of getting married and thereafter cling to his wife. There was no interim period between leaving the family home and marriage. Not in God's plan, which is the only plan that matters.

Then diabolical greed came into the picture. The food supply was tainted by steroids and growth hormones, all for the purpose of profiteering. This tainted food affected the physiological development of children even before birth, when the mother's own food was tainted. This taint has affected physiological development such that our children's bodies are maturing before their brains. In fact, this introduction into the children's bodies even affects the development of the brain, not unlike the introduction of alcohol at a certain point of pre-birth development causes the irreversible damage of fetal-alcohol syndrome. In short, earlier onset of puberty comes before God intended and at a time the child's brain and the child are not mature enough to handle it.

Then, instead of leaving the family home for the purpose of marriage, the young adult leaves the home to go to college, and "God forbid" someone gets married before graduating from college. There is an issue of economic greed at play. In fact, even after college, the young adult is discouraged from entering sacramental matrimony because, well, "I have to get my career started." Again, it is an issue of economic greed. And then, "God forbid we have kids right out of the starting block. We need time to get settled." Again, there is an issue of economic greed at play.

In society today, it is the norm to delay marriage for materialistic and relativistic reasons. Over time, the aforementioned factors have widened the gap between the average onset of physical maturity and the typical age of entrance into a sacramental marriage, making it harder for people to remain chaste.

Despite the change in society's norms, God's good plan still expects us to remain pure and chaste before sacred matrimony. Is it any wonder that so many fail so badly when faced with the challenge of living up to God's plan, and why we justify divergence from God's plan with relativistic Luciferian terms?

The results, of course, are obvious to anyone with courage enough to admit it. The results are exactly as Pope St. Paul VI said they would be when he wrote Humanae Vitae. The results are exactly as our Blessed Mother warned us about at Fatima - that the final battle would be an attack on God's plan for family. That is the ultimate "Russian error" of which she spoke. Hence, we have rampant contraception, cohabitation, baby-murdering, and homosexuality. (Ironically, all of these were inherent in the Albigensian heresy.)

There is not space in this reflection to discuss the totality of reasons why there is such horrific abuse of sexuality outside of the marital state. There is not space to describe the foundations and causes of the fall into contraception, the utter horror of baby murdering in the womb, the flagrant disregard of our bodies as the temples of the Holy Spirit through cohabitation, as well as the psychological reasons for the development of same-sex attraction. Fortunately, we do not have to go into great depth to find the truth about any of it. It all is founded in the simple and definitive principle that we have chosen to diverge from God's plan, and among the greatest underlying causes is greed.
 
Prayer of Reparation

My Lord and my God, we have allowed the temptation of the devil to move our hearts toward impurity and grave errors in sexuality. We have allowed works of evil to foment within us a heart of unchastity and immorality. Worse, through our own stubborn, prideful justification for our sins of impurity, we have not come to a fuller understanding of Your truth about the difference between God's creation and plan for family and the destruction wrought by Lucifer's plan, which is any-and-all-things-contrary to God's plan. By allowing our hearts to move toward the darkness of impurity and not toward the pure light of chastity, we have allowed the ancient foe to advance in ourselves, revealed in the destruction of family. We turn to You Lord, in our shame, and beg Your forgiveness for any heart of impurity and any failure to strive for a heart of chastity. We beg for the grace of Your strength and power to grant us the resolve to turn back the falsehoods of the enemy by freely and openly speaking Your truth with love to a waiting world. 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 to unchastity and immorality. Still the lying tongue of the devil and his forces so that we may act freely and faithfully in imitation of You. Send Your holy angels to cast out all influence that the demonic entities in charge of immorality 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.
 
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

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.

Blood of Christ, only-begotten Son
of the Eternal Father, save us.
Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word of God, 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,

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.

V. Thou hast redeemed us, O Lord, in Thy Blood.
R. And made us, for our God, a kingdom.

Let us pray:
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.

 
Daily Checklist

__ Prayer for Freedom from the Devil
__ Daily reflection and prayers
__ Litany of the day
__ Pray a Rosary
__ Divine Mercy Chaplet
__ Spiritual or corporal work of mercy
__ Fast/abstain (according to level)
__ Exercise (according to level/ability)
__ Refrain from conventional media (only 1 hr. of social)
__ Examination of conscience (confession 1x this week)



Thursday

NATIONAL HOT DOG DAY

 

Tobit, Chapter 4, Verse 8

Give in proportion to what you own. If you have great wealth, give alms out of your abundance; if you have but little, do not be AFRAID to give alms even of that little.

 

Tobit here is instructing his son Tobiah in the three virtues characteristic in his own life: Truth (fidelity), righteousness, and almsgiving. The instruction to almsgiving is the most lengthy. Tobit tells his son to care for his burial just as his father has cared for the burial of others. He instructs Tobiah to pay servants wages immediately to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked and to give alms in proportion to what he has. Almsgiving will be for him a protection from death and will be a worthy offering, a worthy worship to God.[1]

 

Tobit[2]

  1. Later on he washed, but he still decided to spend the night in the courtyard.  Even though he had no problems polluting himself by having contact with a corpse, he was considerate of others and maintained his distance until the time of purification was over.
  2. That night, swallow droppings fell into his eyes and a white film formed, impairing his vision.
  3. The more he sought medical help, the worse his eyesight was until one day he was totally blind.
  4. The irony is sharp.  His misfortune occurred on Pentecost because he wanted to share his provisions with the homeless, to dutifully bury a Jewish body, and to keep the law regarding purification.  Those “good works” led to blindness.  Yet, there is no evidence that he railed against God or even lamented this misfortune.
  5. For the first two years of Tobit’s blindness, Ahiquar supported him, but then he was transferred to Elymais, which scholars think was located south of Media.
  6. This transfer meant that Ahiquar’s financial support ended, and life became very difficult for Tobit and his family.
  7. Since Tobit was completely blind, his wife went out to do “women’s work.”  This is not specified, but most think she would have been working in someone’s household.
  8. Surely this was a blow to Tobit’s image and esteem.  After all, this was the person who had a big position in the king’s court.  Now he was disabled and unemployed.
  9. One day in addition to paying her for her services, Hannah’s employers gave her a goat to take home.  It might have been for an upcoming feast day, which would suggest that she was working for a Jewish family.
  10. When the goat started to bleat, Tobit assumed she had stolen it and accused her of doing so.  It highlights his inability to see; he didn’t know it was there until it started making noise.  Scholars don’t know why he did this.  Nothing in Hannah’s character suggested she’d be the person to steal something.  So maybe this was yet another affront to his ego and lashing out was his poor way of handling things.  It shows how tense things had become and the stress they were under.
  11. Hannah yelled back saying, “And look what your good deeds have gotten us!”
  12. There was little that Tobit could say to that.  He prayed deeply, asking for forgiveness for himself as well as the nation. Then he asked God to take his life in order to end his suffering.
  13. On the very same day in Ecbatana, another righteous person was praying – Sarah.
  14. The distance between Nineveh and Ecbatana was about 185 miles.
  15. Sarah’s name means “Mistress.”
  16. At that moment, one of her servant girls was insulting her because she had been given in marriage to seven men, but each night the demon, Asmodeus, killed them off before the marriage could be consummated. 
  17. If it’s a Hebrew word, Asmodeus means something like “Destroyer.”  He was known as the demon of lust.  The idea was that he loved Sarah and would not allow any other man to be with her.
  18. The servant didn’t know about the demon, so she assumed that Sarah was doing the killing. 
  19. Sarah thought about hanging herself, but she was an only child and couldn’t imagine bringing such shame to her parents.
  20. So she also prayed that God would take her life and put her out of her misery.
  21. At this point, these two incidents seem totally separate, though both people are of the tribe of Naphtali.  Later, readers will find out that they are close kinsmen.
  22. Nonetheless, both of their prayers were heard in the glorious presence of God.
  23. God decided to send the angel, Raphael, to heal them both.
  24. Raphael, the angel’s name, means “God has healed.”
  25. God’s plan was to give Sarah in marriage to Tobias and to heal Tobit’s blindness.
  26. This information is given to readers but not to any of the characters in the story.
  27. As Tobit prepared to die, he remembered the money he had given his cousins in Media for safekeeping.
  28. He called Tobias and started by counseling him on the major issues of life.
  29. First, he was to provide a proper burial for Tobit, and then he needed to take care of his mother.  He was also to follow in Tobit’s footsteps, always doing good and being true to the Lord. 
  30. There is some irony here because of the fact that Tobit’s life had not been blessed despite all of his good works. This comes at a time in Jewish history when they believed good works would be rewarded with great blessings.  Tobit’s life had not turned out that way.  Still, he expected integrity and faithfulness from Tobias, which indicates that Tobit was a very righteous man.
  31. Only after he had counseled him in all these aspects did Tobit mention the ten talents awaiting him in Media.
  32. His final counsel was: “You have great wealth if you fear God, flee from all sin, and do what is good in the sight of the Lord your God.”  Obviously, Tobit believed that God really was going to end his life.

After Sunday, Thursdays are the most Holy Day of the Week

St Swithun, Bishop & Confessor: Missa “Sacerdotes tui“

Saint Swithin Swithun (or Swithin, Old English: Swīþhūn; died c. 862) was a Saxon bishop. He was born in the kingdom of Wessex and educated in its capital, Winchester. He was famous for charitable gifts and building churches. His feast day is 15 July and his emblems are rain drops and apples.

Swithin was chaplain to Egbert, the 802-839 king of Wessex. Egbert’s son Ethelwulf, whom Swithin educated, made him bishop of Winchester in 852.

Only one miracle is attributed to Swithin while he was alive. An old lady’s eggs had been smashed by workmen building a church. Swithin picked the broken eggs up and, it is said, they miraculously became whole again.

And if any church fell down, or was in decay, S. Swithin would anon amend it at his own cost. Or if any church were not hallowed, he would go thither afoot and hallow it. For he loved no pride, ne to ride on gay horses, ne to be praised ne flattered of the people…

Swithin died on 2 July 862. According to tradition, he had asked to be buried humbly. His grave was just outside the west door of the Old Minster, so that people would walk across it and rain fall on it in accordance with Swithin’s wishes. William of Malmesbury recorded that the bishop left instructions that his body should be buried outside the church, ubi et pedibus praetereuntium et stillicidiis ex alto rorantibus esset obnoxius [where it might be subject to the feet of passers-by and to the raindrops pouring from on high], which has been taken as indicating that the legend was already well known in the 12th century.

On 15 July 971 though, Swithin’s remains were dug up and moved to a shrine in the cathedral by Bishop Ethelwold. Miraculous cures were associated with the event, and Swithin’s feast day is the date of the removal of his remains, not his death day. However, the removal was also accompanied by ferocious and violent rain storms that lasted 40 days and 40 nights and are said to indicate the saint’s displeasure at being moved. This is probably the origin of the legend that if it rains on Saint Swithun’s feast day, the rain will continue for 40 more days.

Saint Swithin is still seen as the patron of Winchester Cathedral.

INTROIT Psalm 131: 9-10

Let Thy priests, O Lord, be clothed with justice, and let Thy saints rejoice: for Thy servant David’s sake, turn not away the face of Thy anointed. V. O Lord, remember David, and all his meekness. v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

COLLECT

God, who dost gladden us by the merits and intercession of thy blessed confessor bishop Swithun, grant us this boon, that we who ask for his good offices may obtain them through the gift of thy grace. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.

EPISTLE Hebrews 7: 23-27

Lesson from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Hebrews: Brethren, there were made many priests, because by reason of death they were not suffered to continue: but Jesus, for that He continueth forever, hath an everlasting priesthood. Whereby He is able also to save forever them that come to God by Him; always living to make intercession for us. For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, and undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as the other priests, to offer sacrifice first for His own sins, and then for the people’s; for this Jesus Christ our Lord did once, in offering Himself.

GRADUAL Psalm 131: 16-17

I will clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall rejoice with exceeding great joy. There will I bring forth a horn to David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. Alleluia, alleluia! Ps. 109:4 The Lord has sworn an oath there is no retracting: Thou art a priest forever in the line of Melchisedech. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Matthew 24: 42-47

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: Watch, because you know not what hour your Lord will come. But this know ye, that, if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open. Wherefore be you also ready: because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come. Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath appointed over his family, to give them meat in season? Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come he shall find so doing. Amen I say to you, he shall place him over all his goods.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Psalm 88: 25

My truth and My mercy shall be with him: and in My name shall his horn be exalted.

SECRET

Hallow the gifts we offer Lord, and at the intercession of thy blessed confessor bishop Swithun, do thou cleanse us by their means from the defilement of our sins. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.

PREFACE of the Common

It is truly meet and just, and profitable unto salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks to thee, O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God, through Christ, our Lord. Though whom the angels praise thy majesty, the dominions adore it, the powers are in awe. Which the heavens and the hosts of heaven together with the blessed seraphim joyfully do magnify. And do thou command that it be permitted to us join with them in confessing thee, while we say with lowly praise:

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matthew 24: 46-47

Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord cometh he shall find watching: Amen I say to you, he shall place him over all his goods.

POSTCOMMUNION

We humbly beg thee, almighty God, to grant that we whom thou renewest with thy sacrament, at the intercession of thy blessed confessor bishop Swithun, may lead lives aceceptable to thee and worthy of thy servants. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.

National Hot Dog Day[3]

National Hot Dog Day seeks to appreciate hotdogs.  The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council created the National Hot Dog Day to honor the all-American hot dog.  The first National Hot Dog Day was held in 1991, where a hot dog luncheon was served on Capitol Hill.  Since then, it has become tradition to serve hot dogs to Capitol Hill staffers, lawmakers, agency officials and baseball legends. Frankfurters, which are very similar to hot dogs, originated in Frankfurt, Germany.  In the 1880s, Antonoine Feuchtwanger began to sell hot dogs in St. Louis, Missouri.  Eventually by the 1890s, it is believed that Chris von der Ahe, a German immigrant who owned the St. Louis Browns, began to sell hotdogs at baseball games.  Since then, hotdogs have been deeply rooted in American baseball culture.  To honor the association between baseball and hotdogs, the American Meat Institute invites baseball players to attend the annual hotdog luncheon on Capitol Hill during National Hot Dog Day on July 23rd.

National Hot Dog Day Facts & Quotes 

·         The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has stated that hotdogs contain carcinogenic (cancer causing) compounds, are high in fat, cholesterol and salt.  In fact, a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health has found that a single daily serving of processed meat can increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 21%. These will kill you quicker than BLM!

·         According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, the proper etiquette required to eat a hotdog is finish the hot dog in five bites.  In the case of a foot-long wiener, only seven bites are appropriate.

·         Across the United States, consumers spent more than $2.5 billion on hot dogs in 2014. Los Angeles residents consume more hotdogs than any other city.  In 2014, Los Angeles consumed more than 39 million hotdogs.

·         Every year on July 4th, Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs hosts a hot dog eating contest in which contestants must consume as many hot dogs as possible in 10 minutes. The current male record holder ate 69 hot dogs while the female record holder inhaled 45 hot dogs in only 10 minutes.

·         A hot dog at the ball game beats a roast beef at the Ritz. - Humphrey Bogart, Famous 1940s actor.

 

Daily Devotions

·         do a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.

·         Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

·         Iceman’s 40 devotion

·         Universal Man Plan

·         Rosary




[1]The Collegeville Bible Commentary, 1986.

[2]http://www.biblewise.com/bible_study/characters/tobit-and-tobias.php


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