Intercession
May the tragic practice of abortion end.
Prayers
Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be
Reflection
At every stage and in every circumstance, we are held in existence by God’s love. The presence of an illness, disability, or other challenging situation never diminishes the value of a human life. God does not call us to perfection of appearance or abilities, but to perfection in love. Christ invites us to embrace our own lives and the lives of others as true gifts.
Abortion tragically rejects the truth that every life is a good and perfect gift, deserving protection. This violent practice ends the life of a human being at its very beginning and horribly wounds all those involved. But Christ came that we “might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10), taking on human flesh for the sake of our redemption. May our culture experience the power of God’s transforming love, that all eyes may be opened to the incredible beauty of every human life.
Acts of Reparation (Choose one.)
- Take a break from television and movies today. Consider spending some of that time praying with today’s reflection.
- Pray the short prayer “Every Life is Worth Living,” reflecting on the gift of human life.
Heavenly Father, thank you
for the precious gift of life.
Help us to cherish and protect
this gift, even in the midst of fear,
pain, and suffering.
Give us love for all people,
especially the most vulnerable,
and help us bear witness to the
truth that every life is worth living.
Grant us the humility to accept
help when we are in need,
and teach us to be merciful to all.
Through our words and actions,
may others encounter the
outstretched hands
of Your mercy.
We ask this through
Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
- Offer some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for today’s intention.
One Step Further
Abortion is frequently a topic in the news, political debates, and everyday conversations with family or friends. Because abortion can be a controversial and emotional issue in any arena, many of us may feel intimidated when the topic arises, not knowing what to say. Another Look at Abortion provides a basic overview and summarizes key points. This article will help you be better prepared to witness to the sanctity of human life.
Acts, Chapter 24, Verse 24-26
24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He had Paul summoned and listened to him speak about FAITH in Christ Jesus. 25 But as he spoke about righteousness and self-restraint and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “You may go for now; when I find an opportunity, I shall summon you again.” 26 At the same time he hoped that a bribe would be offered him by Paul, and so he sent for him very often and conversed with him.
As you can see play for pay has been around for a very long time. Are we living in Rome again? When will we start going to the FEMA camps or some modern form of the coliseum?
Is the US being the Most Corrupt Country in the
World[1]
While it is
true that you don’t typically have to bribe your postman to deliver the mail in
the US, in many keyways America’s political and financial practices make it in
absolute terms far more corrupt than the usual global South suspects. After
all, the US economy is worth over $16 trillion a year, so in our corruption a
lot more money changes hands.
1. Instead
of having short, publicly funded political campaigns with limited and/or free
advertising (as a number of Western European countries do), the US has long political campaigns in which candidates
are dunned big bucks for advertising. American politicians don’t represent
“the people.” With a few honorable exceptions, they represent the 1%. American
democracy is being corrupted out of existence.
2. That politicians can be bribed to reduce
regulation of industries like banking (what is called “regulatory capture”)
means that they will be so bribed.
3. That the
chief villains of the 2008 meltdown (from which 90% of Americans have not
recovered) have not been prosecuted
is itself a form of corruption.
This month, according to the Los Angeles Times, the Justice Department decided not to charge Angelo Mozilo, the former CEO of the former company known as Countrywide Financial Corp., someone long thought of as a prime potential target Should Americans be outraged that the meltdown moguls aren't headed for the slammer, as director Charles Ferguson suggested Sunday night when his documentary, Inside Job, won an Academy Award? Perhaps. But, nearly three years after the financial crisis hit, a better way to look at the lack of high-level indictments is as an indictment of the entire financial system — a system that was rife with avarice, ignorance and double-dealing.[2]
4. The US military budget is bloated and enormous, bigger than the military budgets of the next twelve major states. What isn’t usually realized is that perhaps half of it is spent on outsourced services, not on the military. It is corporate welfare on a cosmic scale.
5. The US has a vast gulag of 2.2 million prisoners in jail and penitentiary. There is an increasing tendency for prisons to be privatized, and this tendency is corrupting the system.
6. The rich are well placed to bribe our politicians to reduce taxes on the rich.
7. The National Security Agency’s domestic spying is a form of corruption in itself and lends itself to corruption. With some 4 million government employees and private contractors engaged in this surveillance, it is highly unlikely that various forms of insider trading and other corrupt practices are not being committed.
8. As for insider trading, it turns out Congress undid much of the law it hastily passed forbidding members, rather belatedly, to engage in insider trading (buying and selling stock based on their privileged knowledge of future government policy). That this practice only became an issue recently is another sign of how corrupt the system is.
9. Asset forfeiture in the ‘drug war’ is corrupting police departments and the judiciary.
10. Money and corruption have seeped so far into our media system that people can with a straight face assert that scientists aren’t sure human carbon emissions are causing global warming.
Let us take our nation’s problems to
our mother for help
Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart[3]-Pioneer, Leader, Woman of Faith
Mother
Joseph of the Sacred Heart was a distinctive figure of early Northwest history,
a woman of extraordinary compassion and vision. Blessed with a keen mind and a
complex personality, she strove for perfection in all things while embracing
the challenges of an all-too-imperfect world.
When
Mother Joseph arrived in the Washington Territory in 1856, she encountered a
strange, new world of physical hardships, cultural and religious diversity, and
rapid change. There were no hospitals, few schools, and little in the way of
charitable services for those suffering the misfortunes of life on the
frontier.
Equipped
with simple tools, enormous gifts for creating and building, and deep faith in
Divine Providence, Mother Joseph and her sister companions stepped into the
breach to fill these unmet needs. Under her leadership, more than 30 hospitals,
schools and homes were opened for orphans, the elderly, and the sick in
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and southern British Columbia.
Thursday
Feast
Thursday
is the day of the week that our Lord gave himself up for consumption. Thursday
commemorates the last supper. Some theologians believe after Sunday Thursday is
the holiest day of the week. We should then try to make this day special by
making a visit to the blessed sacrament chapel, Mass or even stop by the grave
of a loved one. Why not plan to count the blessing of the week and thank our
Lord. Plan a special meal. Be at Peace.
Feast
of the day: soup Simple
Chickpea main dish Sausage
and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash salad Mexican
Bean desert Country
Apple-Pear Tart Drink The
Lookout
Daily
Devotions/Practices
·
Today's Fast: Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Conversion
of Sinners
·
Dolly Parton's
birthday-when I was stationed in KY took the
family to Dollywood-we had a good time but froze.
·
do
a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: January
·
Carnival
Time begins in Catholic Countries.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
Day 5
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