ICEMANforChrist: Tuesday, July 27, 2021

This blog is based on references in the Bible to fear. God wills that we “BE NOT AFRAID”. Many theologians state that the eighth deadly sin is fear. It is fear and its natural animal reaction to fight or flight that is the root cause of our failings to create a Kingdom of God on earth. By “the power of the Holy Spirit” we can be witnesses and “communicators” of a new and redeemed humanity “even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7 8). This blog is dedicated to Mary the Mother of God.

Monday, July 26, 2021

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Let Freedom Ring: Freedom from Indifference

(See Character is Destiny for opposing virtue: EXCELLENCE)

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 Indifference" by Fr. James Altman

Dear family, of all the things you can apply the saying "take it or leave it" to, going deeper into our faith is not one of them. We cannot be indifferent to our faith.

When we try to reflect on some principle of our faith - like "indifference" - it is always good to refer to the Catechism to get a working definition, so we all are on the same page. That is my starting point.

So, §2093 states: "Faith in God's love encompasses the call and the obligation to respond with sincere love to divine charity. The first commandment enjoins us to love God above everything and all creatures for Him and because of Him." Ok. So good so far.

Then it follows up with §2094 which states: "One can sin against God's love in various ways" - and then includes the definition for indifference: "indifference neglects or refuses to reflect on divine charity; it fails to consider its prevenient goodness and denies its power."

Oh, dear family, my head hurts when I try to read something like §2094, something someone cannot seem to put in understandable language. If I asked you, "Exactly what does it mean to fail to consider divine charity's prevenient goodness and deny its power?" could you answer the question? Don't feel badly if you couldn't; I couldn't either. I had to look up the word "prevenient" and then try to place it in some sort of context of "goodness," and then try to figure out how does refusing to reflect on divine charity have anything to do with understanding prevenient goodness and, more so, what that has to do with denying its power? Is it any wonder people do not get through the Catechism when they run into roadblocks like this? I say all this just so you know you are not alone. Even priests sometimes struggle with this stuff.

For the record, the definition of prevenient is "preceding in time or order; antecedent." So indifference, which apparently is neglecting to reflect on divine charity, means failing to consider its "preceding in time or order, antecedent" goodness. But what does that even mean?!?

In the law, there is an ongoing movement to take "legalese" - the formal and technical language of legal documents that is often hard to understand - and put it into "plain English." So, let us try to do that here.

God loved us first. His love preceded humanity's creation; it was so great that He willed us into existence so He could share it with us. And then, when we did not reciprocate that love (that's the whole fall of Adam and Eve thing and every sin afterwards), He still loved us so much that He sacrificed His only Son to hopefully inspire us to love Him back. In fact, He sent His Son even though He knew exactly what some of us would do to Him, because He knew it would be proof of His divine love. It is why St. Paul - so cognizant of this infinite love of God - hardly could keep in the immensity of his praise and worship for God when he wrote to the Ephesians: "Praised be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens. God chose us in Him, before the world began, to be holy and blameless in His sight. He predestined us to be His adopted sons through Jesus Christ, such was His will and pleasure, that all might praise the glorious favor He has bestowed on us in His beloved. In Him, and through His blood, we have been redeemed, and our sins forgiven, so immeasurably generous is God's favor to us" (Ephesians 1:3-7).

It is no accident that in the Breviary, the Church's Liturgy of the Hours, this passage is prayed every Monday at Evening Prayer. It, along with the entire Breviary, is a constant reminder of God's love for us. To pray the Liturgy of the Hours is to contemplate and reflect upon Divine Charity. It is the opposite of indifference.

So maybe by considering the opposite of indifference, we get a better understanding of whether we are or are not indifferent. If we want to know if we have fallen victim to indifference, perhaps the best answer is to ask the question: Do we immerse ourselves daily in contemplating God's love, so much so that we, like St. Paul, are compelled to praise and worship God in such words as he wrote to the Ephesians? Do we reflect enough upon the magnitude of God's love, expressed in our very own existence, such that we are compelled to give back to Him even just a tithing of the countless gifts He has given us?

Having just celebrated two Holy Masses of Christian Burial, this thought is fresh in my mind, the words prayed after the final Song of Farewell: "We give You thanks for the blessings which You bestowed upon (decedent) in this life: they are signs to us of Your goodness and of our fellowship with the saints in Christ."

God's blessings are indeed signs of His goodness, signs of His infinite love. Are we indifferent to those signs of His goodness and love? Are we so unaware of His signs that we are disconnected from Him, that we can take it or leave it? Or do we, in our daily contemplation, reflect so deeply upon those signs of His love that we are compelled, like St. Paul, to sing out such words as that hymn written way back in 1674 - amazingly enough, before even indoor plumbing and anesthesia: "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye Heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."

Prayer of Reparation

My Lord and my God, we have allowed the temptation of the devil to move our hearts toward indifference to Your divine love. We have fallen into countless times of sinful diversions from our purpose in life, which is to know, love, and serve You in this world. We are so immersed in things of this world, we have devoted ourselves so greatly to treasures on earth, that we have become indifferent to the treasures we must store up in heaven. We spend so much time, effort, and money on things that moth and decay will destroy, only to discover that we still are not satisfied, we still are not happy. We turn to You Lord, in our weakness, and beg Your forgiveness for our indifference to the treasures of heaven, the greatest treasure being Your love. We love You, Lord, and we beg for the wisdom and strength to love You more. 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 indifference. 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 indifference 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)

NOVENA ST. JOHN VIANNEY

Judith, Chapter 5, Verse 23

“We are not AFRAID of the Israelites,” they said, “for they are a powerless people, incapable of a strong defense.

Such is the mindset of bullies. I remember as a child I got my first lesson in why one should avoid such mentalities. As a child we had a rough and tumble playground and mayhem during recess was the order of the day. As a child during recess, one needed to run and make up for all the mind-numbing instructions of our dedicated teachers. One such game was called North and South. In this game we would line up and charge each other and attack. The North I joined, and we all lined up for the melee. Almost as one all at once we started running and they started running as we came closer, I got a little frighten but then I sighted a little guy that looked pretty powerless and came on strong. As I was about to knock him down and trample or tackle him when suddenly he grabbed my wrist and using my weight and energy swung me around three times and then let me fly. I landed hard and crumpled in the dust. Lesson learned don’t be a bully or underestimate the powerless.

Today is world refugee day and today just like in Judith’s time the Israelites refused to be a refugee and stood their ground; just like the little guy that used my own energy and power to defeat me even though I was twice his size. Israel was different for they knew that if they were faithful to God; ultimately, they would win the war.

Bullying[1]

If you’re being bullied

Speak up – Tell someone what’s happening – your parents, an older brother or sister, your grand- parents, teacher, school chaplain, a friend

Chin up – Don’t let the bullies see you’re upset. But be careful about taking them on, as you could be injured (or accused of being a bully yourself)

Join up – Don’t believe that everyone is against you. It’s not true. Persevere with making your own friends.

If you know someone who’s being bullied

Speak up – Don’t let someone suffer because you won’t do the right thing. If you can’t challenge the bully, tell a responsible adult

Link up – Talk to your friends about what’s going on. Agree that you won’t stand idly by. Unity is strength

Meet up – Show your support for the person being bullied. Include her/him in your activities. Give them a chance.

Novena in Honor of Saint John Marie Vianney[2]

Ardent Faith

Saint John Marie Baptist Vianney you were born of a deeply religious mother; from her you received the Holy Faith; you learned to love God and to pray. At a young age, you were seen kneeling in the front of the statue of Mary. Your soul was supernaturally carried towards the things on High. Despite the high cost, you answered your vocation! Against many obstacles and contradictions, you had to fight and suffer to become the perfect priest which you were. But your deep spirit of faith supported you in all these battles. O Great Saint you know the desire of my soul; I would like to serve God better; from Him I have received so many good things. For this, obtain for me more courage and especially the depth of faith. Many of my thoughts, words, and actions are useless for my sanctification and for my salvation, because this supernatural spirit does not stir up my life. Help me to be better in the future. Holy Priest of Ars, I have confidence in your intercession. Pray for me during this novena especially for ... (mention silently your special intentions).

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Scotch Whisky Day[3]

The Babylonians of Mesopotamia were likely the first people to distill alcohol as 2nd millennium BC. At the time it is likely that various perfumes and aromatics were most often distilled. The earliest records of the distillation of alcohol for the purpose of drinking date back to 13th century Italy, where harder alcohols were distilled from wine. Soon, the practice of distillation use spread through medieval monasteries and was used largely for medicinal purposes, such as the treatment of smallpox and other illnesses. Distillation spread to today’s Great Britain in the 15th century, and the first evidence of whisky production in Scotland comes from an entry in the Exchequer Rolls for 1494 where malt is sent “To Friar John Cor, by order of the king, to make aquavitae”, enough to make about 500 bottles. Whisky production later moved out of a monastic setting and into personal homes and farms when King Henry VIII of England dissolved all the monasteries in his country due to his feud with the Pope, causing the monks to find a way to earn a living for themselves. However, the distillation process in those days was much more basic than it is today, and the whisky itself was not allowed to age, meaning it must have tasted much rawer than it does today.

Scotch Whisky Day was created to celebrate this alcoholic beverage in all of its glory and remind people that Ballantine’s is not as good as it gets!

How to celebrate Scotch Whisky Day

There are hundreds of distilleries in Scotland you have likely never heard of that make whisky better than you’ve ever tried before, and this day is the day to experience them. The best part is that not all good Scotch whiskies are expensive, so if you want to enjoy this day to the fullest, you can order 5 or 6 miniatures—or more, if you decide to invite people over to share the fun—and enjoy an evening of sampling the unique whiskies Scotland has to offer. Ten-, twelve- and even fifteen-year-old single malt Scotch whisky miniatures can be purchased for under £5 and are sure to help you understand why this drink is loved worldwide. and because it is usually a bad idea to drink strong alcohol on an empty stomach, make sure you have some snacks on hand during your whisky-tasting as well! Cheeses like Roquefort go well with many whiskies, as does high-quality dark chocolate. If you feel like eating something more filling, try a simple meat dish like slow-roasted pork spareribs.

There are also quite a few films to choose from that would be perfect for this day, such as The Angel’s Share, an acclaimed Scottish comedy-drama about a man trying to get his life back on track after narrowly avoiding a prison sentence. The titular “angel’s share” is what distilleries call the portion (share) of a whisky’s volume that is lost to evaporation during aging in oak barrels.