Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Let Freedom Ring: Freedom from Rebellion

(See Character is Destiny for opposing virtue: COOPERATION)

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 Rebellion" by Fr. Rick Heilman

Recently, I have been pointing to one of Venerable Fulton Sheen's popular TV shows from the 1960s. Sheen entitled this episode, "Quo Vadis, America," which translates to "America, Where Are You Going?" This is a reference to a conversation recounted in the apocryphal Acts of Peter in which Peter, fleeing his ministry and the threat of crucifixion in Rome, meets the risen Jesus on the road. Peter asks Jesus "Quo Vadis, Domine?" (Where are You going, Lord?), to which Jesus responds that he is going to Rome to be crucified again. This gives Peter the courage to return to his ministry in Rome, where he ultimately ends up crucified upside down.

This sets up Sheen's talk about patriotism. Sheen said, "Patriotism is a virtue that was allied to the old virtue of the Greeks and Latin called pietas, meaning love of God, love of neighbor, love of country. And when one goes out, all go out. When we no longer have love of God, we no longer have love of country."

Sheen continued, "We started our country with a revolution. Revolution is in the air today. In fact, the arguments, today, are that we started that way, why not continue it? We do live in America with a revolutionary tradition. But the question is, what kind of revolution should we have?"

He then tells the story of a soldier who fought at Concord. The soldier was asked why he fought, why he went to Concord. The answer came, "For one reason, that we might govern ourselves." Sheen goes on to say, "Now, what's the revolution of today? VIOLENCE! Violence just for the sake of violence ... the new type of revolt, which involves the destruction of everything in the past. And these people who are actuating violence today, claim they are in line with the American Revolution. THEY ARE NOT!"

The point Venerable Fulton Sheen makes is that our nation was founded, and has thrived, by the understanding that our rights and liberties come from God. The revolution he was viewing in the 1960s, and we are seeing reenacted today, is a rejection of God, in favor of man.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "The Church teaches ... the devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing. Scripture speaks of a sin of these angels. This 'fall' consists in the free choice of these created spirits, who radically and irrevocably rejected God and his reign. We find a reflection of that rebellion in the tempter's words to our first parents: 'You will be like God.'"

You see? Once we rebel against God and his reign, we are left to make ourselves our own gods. We are then left to the inevitable outcome, which is totalitarianism. Totalitarianism is a form of government that theoretically permits no individual freedom and that seeks to subordinate all aspects of individual life to the authority of the state. The evil elites, throughout history, have sought such a government. Once they have gained control of every source of influence (media, education system, etc.) they are then equipped to build their army of useful idiots. "Useful idiot" is a derogatory term, referenced in writings of totalitarian governments, for a person perceived as propagandizing for a cause without fully comprehending the cause's goals, and who is cynically used by the cause's leaders.

The evil elites of history have always rebelled against God and country with the same method of operation, which is to use a compliant, violent mob to usher in their plan for totalitarian rule. Sheen puts it this way, "Their principle was that in order to get people to pass through a certain door, there was only one way to do it, and that was the way of terror."There is a reason why there is a "silent majority" ... they're terrified to go against the agenda of the evil elites, and their violent mob.

Venerable Fulton Sheen then brings us to his point: "The world is built on order. There's a plan. So, scientists are able to discover the laws of the universe. And in discovering the laws of the universe, men find harmony. This harmony, and order, had to come from somewhere. It came from God. What is the essence of Satanism? The essence of Satanism is the destruction of that order - the order of law, the order of morality, the order of religion, the order of ethics, anything you please."

This may not be Concord, but the demonic rebellion against God and his beautiful order - against life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - is very possibly as severe as it has ever been. Quo vadis, America? ... Where are you going, America?

Prayer of Reparation

My Lord and my God, we have allowed the temptation of the devil to move our hearts toward fearfully allowing our nation to rebel against You and Your will. We have fallen into this nationwide rebellion against You when we have not lived up to the call of our baptism by standing against the aggressors of violence and destruction. Instead, like Peter, we flee. We have been too easily swayed by the threats of the elites and their compliant mob to build up a patriotism that is filled with love for You, love of our neighbor, and love of our country. 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 our lack of resolve to let the visible light of our love for God and country push out the darkness of the rebels. We beg for the grace of Your goodness to build up within us the strength and endurance be this visible light of love for all to see. 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 rebellion. 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 rebellion 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 St. Michael the Archangel

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, etc.
God the Holy Ghost,
Holy Trinity, one God,
Holy Mary, Queen of the Angels, pray for us, etc.
St. Michael, the Archangel,
Most glorious attendant of the Triune Divinity,
Standing at the right of the altar of Incense,
Ambassador of Paradise,
Glorious Prince of the Heavenly armies,
Leader of the Angelic hosts,
The standard-bearer of God's armies,
Defender of Divine glory,
First defender of the Kingship of Christ,
Strength of God,
Invincible Prince and warrior,
Angel of Peace,
Guide of Christ,
Guardian of the Catholic Faith,
Champion of God's people,
Guardian Angel of the Eucharist,
Defender of the Church,
Protector of the Sovereign Pontiff,
Angel of Catholic action,
Powerful intercessor of Christians,
Bravest defender of those who hope in God,
Guardian of our souls and bodies,
Healer of the sick,
Help of those in their agony,
Consoler of the Souls in Purgatory,
God's messenger for the souls of the just,
Terror of the evil spirits,
Victorious in battle against evil,
Guardian and Patron of the universal 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.

V. Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.
Relying, O Lord, upon the intercession of Thy blessed Archangel Michael, we humbly beg of Thee, that the Sacrament of the Eucharist which we have received may make our souls holy and pleasing to Thee. Through 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)

Tobit, Chapter 6, Verse 18

As soon as the demon smells the odor, it will flee and never again show itself near her. Then when you are about to have intercourse with her, both of you must first get up to pray.Beg the Lord of heaven that mercy and protection be granted you. Do not be AFRAID, for she was set apart for you before the world existed. You will save her, and she will go with you. And I assume that you will have children by her, and they will be like brothers for you. So do not worry.”

One wonders can we dispel demons.

How to fight and remove evil spirits[1]

In the lives of dozens of Saints and Mystics one quickly discovers the role that God allows the demons to play for example in the lives of the mystic-saints. God Himself explains it when He said to St Gemma Galgani:

“You will be trampled underfoot by the devils. Prepare yourself, my daughter, the demon at My orders will be the one that will add the last touch to my plan that I will accomplish in you, that is, your sanctification."

-And what an incredibly hellish war the devil waged against Gemma! Literally every mystic that I have read have been assailed by the evil spirits through the express permission of God. But then, why would God allow the demons to attack the mystics or anyone for that matter? It is to draw us closer to Himself. God permits, at times, the devils to assail us, that we might turn to Him in prayer, with a renewed trust in His love and concern for us. The extraordinary priest St John Vianney, who's straw bed the devil tried to burn when he was sleeping in it, once remarked that "the devil is like a dog on a chain. He can only go so far as God permits." So, the first rule to remember is that God is always in absolute control, and the devil can do nothing without God's permission. God always seeks to draw good out of everything, and He can draw good even out of evil, if we let Him. An excellent example of how God draws good out of evil is the Passion and Death of Jesus Himself. The Gospel of John says that at the last supper Satan entered Judas and he then went and betrayed Jesus. -You certainly know the story--Jesus was captured, tortured, and was nailed to a Cross, and died a torturous death. But was the death of the Son of God, this at act of pure evil, a victory for Satan and the demons? No! -it was in fact Satan’s defeat, because through Jesus' death on the cross we can be forgiven of our sins, if we desire to be. So we can readily see how God can and does transform evil into good.

So, how does all this correlate to those who are battling with demons, and want to rid themselves of the evil spirits? Firstly, we need to look at how Jesus fought and expelled and cast out the demons. Among others you will certainly want to read Mark 5:1, Mark 1:23, and perhaps the most telling is Mark 9:29 in which the apostles were unsuccessful in driving a demon out of a boy. So afterwards they asked Jesus why they could not drive the demon out, and Jesus replies: "This kind can only be driven out by prayer and fasting." Prayer and fasting! Therein lies the primary spiritual weapons to be used to get rid of demons and evil spirits. Jesus said prayer first, because prayer is the first and most important weapon to be used against the devil. This cannot be emphasized enough! Prayer unites us to God, and draws us closer to Him, and it is God alone who can free us from the demonic presences. We can do nothing without He Whom sustains us! The other weapon against the devil that Jesus mentions is fasting. This is self-explanatory, but what is sometimes forgotten is the spirit that must accompany fasting. We are to fast from food in a spirit of sacrifice in reparation for our sins. Our sins are what separate us from God, so we are to fast in a spirit of penance and reparation for our sins, to put us in the proper disposition that God might forgive us of these sins. So, firstly prayer, and then fasting done in a spirit of reparation for our sins, is the primary recourse against evil spirits. The demons have no power over those who are closely united to God in prayer, and who are in a state of grace.

The devil does not make peace treaties

God loves us. And because God loves us, the devil and the demons hate us, because they hate God. "Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you. Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:7) Satan and the demons do not make any peace treaties. They know only war. They prowl about the world constantly seeking to ruin our souls, to cause us to despair of God's mercy, and to drag us to hell. So, we need to follow in Jesus' holy example and face the evil spirits head on, with courage. We must do battle and fight the good fight.

Eucharist/Confession/Rosary/Sacramentals

Catholics are in a privileged position in the battle against the evil spirits, because the Catholic Church has been fighting against the powers of hell since Jesus instituted the Church upon Peter, the first Pope, and the Apostles (the bishops) some 2000 years ago. For in the Holy Gospel Jesus says: "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." (Matt 3:16) Along with prayer and fasting Catholics have powerful weapons to be used in the fight against evil presences. The most important of these is Sacramental Confession (also known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation) where sins are confessed to God, and forgiveness of sins is obtained. A soul free from sin is in a state of grace and has nothing to fear from the devil! Along with Confession, the Mass and the frequent reception of the Eucharist are the most efficacious means of battling with evil. Also, prayers before the Blessed Sacrament (Eucharistic adoration) are exceedingly powerful, because then one is praying right at the feet of the Lord.

Crucifixes

The devil flees from Jesus on the cross so if you do not already have one, get a Crucifix and have it blessed by a priest, and place it in an appropriate and worthy place in your home--and most especially, pray to Jesus before it each day. Also, if you do not have one, get a crucifix on a necklace, get it blessed and wear it with devotion and prayer.

Prayers to the Virgin Mary, the Saints and Angels

By the express power and will of God, the most Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and the Saints assist us in our battle with evil. Jesus gave us His Mother while He was dying, hanging between heaven and earth upon the Cross (John 19:26). And next to Jesus, our Mother in heaven is our greatest help and advocate against the devil and his minions. And the greatest prayer asking for our Blessed Mothers help is the most Holy Rosary. The Rosary is a chain that binds the evil spirits. Along with the Blessed Virgin Mary certain Saints and Angels are especially powerful against the wickedness of the devil. St Michael the Archangel for example---the prayer to him has been recited for over a century and is exceedingly powerful---

"St Michael the archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O' Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen."

Throughout the centuries, the relics of the Saints have shown to be exceedingly powerful against the demons. Pray to the Saints, and if possible, keep a relic on your person.

Catholic sacramental

Sacramentals, especially holy water and blessed salt should be sprinkled in the affected areas of the home, and the holy water and blessed salt should be sprinkled on one's food and drink to protect from within. Along with the relics of the Saints, blessed medals and holy cards carry with them the blessing of the Catholic Church, and the protection of the Saint whose image is on the medal or holy card. Also, the burning of blessed candles and blessed incense is recognized to be a very powerful weapon against the demons. And so, to summarize the spiritual weapons needed to rid oneself or one's home of evil spirits: First and foremost is prayer which draws us closer to God; fasting in a spirit of reparation for one's sins; Confession; Holy Communion; Eucharistic adoration; Prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and Saints, asking for their heavenly help and intercession; and the usage of Sacramentals (holy water, blessed salt, holy cards, medals, burning of blessed candles and blessed incense etc.). Abandon and renounce any sin in your life. Additionally, if your home appears to be the source of the demonic infestation, then it would be very prudent to get it blessed by a priest. Additional important considerations in closing, those oppressed by evil spirits should remember that faith, hope and love--most especially love, will help disarm the demons that plague them or their dwelling. The devil seeks to drive us to the opposite of faith, hope and love--that is doubt, despair and hatred---most especially despair. Do not not despair! Love and trust in Jesus and He will conquer and cast out the evil spirits. Also, those who have ever engaged in dark practices such as demonic worship, invoking and calling upon the dead (thru ouija boards, medium and psychic practices etc) the occult, dark forms of witchcraft and wicca, black magic etc. MUST RENOUNCE THESE PAST PRACTICES before God and sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness for having engaged in them. Such practices offend God and open a portal to the demonic, and therefore the portal must be closed through sincere repentance and the desire for the mercy and forgiveness of God. Finally, ask Jesus to pour out His precious blood upon you and your loved ones because the precious blood of Jesus is infinitely powerful.

Tobit[2]

The angel told him to burn the liver and heart of the fish in the bridal chamber. The smell would chase the demon away. At that moment, Tobias fell in love with Sarah, sight unseen.
Both parents were delighted to meet Tobias and happy that he wanted to marry their daughter.
The parties drew up a legal marriage document according to the decree of Moses.
Nonetheless, Edna, Sarah’s mother, cried uncontrollably, and Raguel told his servants to go quietly to dig a grave for the young man. Both parents were convinced the outcome would be the same for the eighth husband – and they really liked this one.
Edna’s name means “Pleasure.”
As soon as the couple reached the bridal chamber, Tobias did what Azariah told him to do. He burned the heart and liver of the fish.
The stench so repelled the demon that he fled to the northern part of Egypt where Azariah followed him and bound him hand and foot. He would never trouble Sarah again.
Then Sarah and Tobias prayed that the Lord would keep them safe. Afterwards, they lay down to sleep. It is not known whether the marriage was consummated that night.

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.

FOURTH DAY

Good Saint Ann, you offered your daughter in the temple with faith, piety, and love. With the happiness which then filled your heart, help me to present myself to God and to the world as a committed disciple of Jesus.

Take me under your protection. Strengthen me in my temptations. Show yourself to be a mother and help me to live a life of holiness and love.

Daily Devotions

· Make reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday Devotion

· Pray Day 3 of the Novena for our Pope and Bishops

· Tuesday: Litany of St. Michael the Archangel

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Universal Man Plan

· Pray for our nation.

· Rosary.