ICEMANforChrist: Sunday, November 5, 2023

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, October 30, 2023

Sunday, November 5, 2023

40 DAYS TO PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH

OUR BATTLE PLAN FOR “40 DAYS TO PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH” (OCTOBER 29 TO DECEMBER 7)

The ancient maxim applies:“We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.”

Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are praying for a supernatural revival in our Church, and for peace throughout our world. The Church, instituted by the Son of God, simply must restore its supernatural strength if we ever hope for peace in the world. We simply MUST grow strong in the Lord and in His mighty power!! We MUST recover the armor of God!! (Ephesians 6:10-12)

PLEASE NOTE: We have added the Prayer to Prayer to The Lady of All Nations. This prayer was emphasized by Dr.Mark Miravalle (see video below) during a talk Dr. Miravalle gave at Mother Angelica's Basilica grounds in Hanceville, Alabama, on October 13, 2023. This was at the precise time Fr. Chris Alar was giving a retreat in San Francisco where those attending experienced an amazing and miraculous event ... an image of the Blessed Mother appeared in a monstrance containing the most Blessed Sacrament. See Fr. Chris Alar speak about this event on the Grace Force Podcast (See the podcast HERE).

Choose Your Level of Spiritual Warfare:

Depending upon your state in life, you will be able to choose which of these 5 levels of spiritual warfare (below) you are willing to accept. We will call upon the Communion of Saints, including St. Jude, as we call out to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patroness of the United States of America, to intercede for us.

PRAYER INTENTION: For a supernatural revival in our Church, and for peace throughout our world. (Add your own intentions)

Being a former enlisted scum I have added

Sub teraradian level 4-Private

a. pray in a state of grace (go to confession)

Sub teraradian level 3-Corporal

a. pray in a state of grace (go to confession)

b. believe God will answer our prayers

Sub teraradian level 2-Sergeant

a. pray in a state of grace (go to confession)

b. believe God will answer our prayers

c. Pray the Rosary Daily

Sub teraradian level 1-Sergeant Major

a. pray in a state of grace (go to confession)

b. believe God will answer our prayers

c. Pray the Rosary Daily

d. Pray the Prayer to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

LEVEL ONE – LIEUTENANT

Pray in a State of Grace (Go to Confession)
Believe God will answer our prayers
Pray the Rosary Daily
Pray the Prayer to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Pray the St. Michael Prayer

LEVEL TWO – CAPTAIN

Pray in a State of Grace (Go to Confession)
Believe God will answer our prayers
Pray the Rosary Daily
Pray the Prayer to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Pray the St. Michael Prayer
Pray the Sacred Heart Novena Prayer

LEVEL THREE – MAJOR

Pray in a State of Grace (Go to Confession)
Believe God will answer our prayers
Pray the Rosary Daily
Pray the Prayer to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Pray the St. Michael Prayer
Pray the Sacred Heart Novena Prayer
Pray the Lorica of St. Patrick Prayer

LEVEL FOUR – COLONEL

Pray in a State of Grace (Go to Confession)
Believe God will answer our prayers
Pray the Rosary Daily
Pray the Prayer to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Pray the St. Michael Prayer
Pray the Sacred Heart Novena Prayer
Pray the Lorica of St. Patrick Prayer
Pray the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

LEVEL FIVE – GENERAL

Pray in a State of Grace (Go to Confession)
Believe God will answer our prayers
Pray the Rosary Daily
Pray the Prayer to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Pray the St. Michael Prayer
Pray the Sacred Heart Novena Prayer
Pray the Lorica of St. Patrick Prayer
Pray the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Enroll in the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary through the Shrine of Our Lady of Champion: https://championshrine.org/confraternity/

Life, Liberty, and Happiness

I believe that the abortion of the unborn is an injustice that must be corrected. Unfortunately, about half of the voting population believe that abortion is a right that is protected by the US Constitution. Many profess the mantra: My body; my choice.

I believe that the American Declaration of Independence which states governments are established to protect unalienable rights that come from God and that among these are the right to life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Are these words just words highlighted by men influenced by the age of enlightenment or are they words inspired by the will of the creator or dare we say God? America’s founders realized that these rights are natural rights that come directly from God and as such they must be protected.

Thomas Jefferson who was the principal author of our Declaration of Independence to England and the World; stated: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Much of our misery in the world is caused by laws that reverse the order ensuring that wealth trumps liberty and liberty trumps life. Jefferson and our founding fathers of this country knew that God’s law had a primary focus on life. Jefferson’s argument is not that the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to pursue happiness originate in government, but that these rights have a divine origin. Jefferson argued that the job of all governments was to “secure” rights that God had already granted. In other words, the rights to life and liberty do not come into being with the force of government fiat; life and liberty are pre-political rights already granted by God. Acts of legislators or the rulings of courts when established must ensure that laws are enacted and enforced that support life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Today, we have lost that concept.

Indeed, as Jefferson noted in our declaration men “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” Whether it is self-evident or not, it is the philosophical belief in the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that helped make America a light to the nations. Let’s continue to promote and defend all three with Life first, followed by liberty and then the pursuit of happiness. To protect liberty at the expense of life is an injustice.

After the American revolution again in the establishment of the American Constitution we see that the framers again reasserted the primacy of life in the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution ( FindLaw Staff | Reviewed by Laura Temme, Esq.) which reads:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

It is my contention that the Preamble is the mission statement for the whole constitution. In other words, the entire constitution is designed to bring about the mission stated in the preamble. Therefore, if we focus on the statement: “and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” we see that the U.S. Constitution is designed to secure the blessings of liberty for both the living and the next generation “our posterity”. Therefore, the unborn have a right to life.

FindLaw Staff | Reviewed by Laura Temme, Esq. Preamble to the Constitution. 18 07 2022. https://constitution.findlaw.com/preamble.html#:~:text=The%20preamble%20to%20the%20Constitution%20is%20an%20introduction,intention%20of%20the%20entire%20document%20full%20of%20laws. 10 11 2022.

Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

ORPHAN SUNDAY-

GUN POWDER DAY

Malachi, Chapter 1, verse 14

Cursed is the cheat who has in his flock an intact male, and vows it, but sacrifices to the LORD a defective one instead; For a great king am I, says the LORD of hosts, and my name is FEARED among the nations.

Traditionally in Judaism there are seven names given for God. The seven names of God that, once written, cannot be erased because of their holiness are the Tetragrammaton, El, Elohim, Eloah, Elohai, El Shaddai, Tzevaot.

Tetragrammaton is YHWH or I am that I am.

El simply means God and is used in the names of IsraEL, AngEL.

Elohim means He is power of powers Eloah is the singular form of Elohim.

Elohai mean “My God”.

El Shaddai means “God Almighty”

Tzevaot means “God the armies of Israel”.

Names are important. Most of us remember the elementary school playground and the mean names kids called each other. Author and speaker, Kary Oberbrunner[1], states that we all have a secret name that the One who made us gives us. Oberbrunner said, “My name is Kary, and I have a girl’s name.” He was no stranger to mean names on the playground. He went on to say that each of us has three names:

1. Our birth name – the name assigned to us when we arrive in this world.

2. Our given names – the names assigned to us as we walk through the world. These names can be positive and negative, ranging from successful, beautiful, star athlete to those names assigned by mean kids, like concentration camp victim, stupid, addict.

3. Our secret name – the name granted to us by God, Oberbrunner said the problem is our birth names and given names don’t ever fill up the void inside us. We pretend and wear masks.

What would God call you? When Christ called his apostles; He revealed to some of them God’s name for them. Sons of Thunder for John and James and for Simon son of John, He called him Peter which means “Rock”.

ON KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY HOLY[2]

CHAPTER I

DIES DOMINI

The Celebration of the Creator's Work

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Gn 1:1)

9. The poetic style of the Genesis story conveys well the awe which people feel before the immensity of creation and the resulting sense of adoration of the One who brought all things into being from nothing. It is a story of intense religious significance, a hymn to the Creator of the universe, pointing to him as the only Lord in the face of recurring temptations to divinize the world itself. At the same time, it is a hymn to the goodness of creation, all fashioned by the mighty and merciful hand of God.

"God saw that it was good" (Gn 1:10,12, etc.). Punctuating the story as it does, this refrain sheds a positive light upon every element of the universe and reveals the secret for a proper understanding of it and for its eventual regeneration: the world is good insofar as it remains tied to its origin and, after being disfigured by sin, it is again made good when, with the help of grace, it returns to the One who made it. It is clear that this process directly concerns not inanimate objects and animals but human beings, who have been endowed with the incomparable gift and risk of freedom. Immediately after the creation stories, the Bible highlights the dramatic contrast between the grandeur of man, created in the image and likeness of God, and the fall of man, which unleashes on the world the darkness of sin and death (cf. Gn 3).

Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost[3] The focus of this Sunday is a reminder of the Book of Life and the resurrection of the body.

THE Introit of the Mass consoles us, and encourages us to confidence in God, who is so kind to us, and will not suffer us to be always in tribulation. “The Lord saith, I think thoughts of peace, and not of affliction. You shall call upon Me, and I will hear you, and I will bring back your captivity from all places. Lord, thou hast blest Thy land, Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.”

Prayer.

Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the sins of Thy people, that we may be delivered by Thy goodness from the bonds of sin which, by our frailty, we have committed.

EPISTLE. Phil. iii. 17-21; iv. 1-3.

Be followers of me, brethren, and observe them who walk so as you have our model. For many walk, of whom I have told you often (and now tell you weeping) that they are enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction: whose God is their belly: and whose glory is in their shame: who mind earthly things. But our conversation is in heaven: from whence also we look for the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of His glory, according to the operation whereby also He is able to subdue all things unto Himself. Therefore, my dearly beloved brethren, and most desired, my joy and my crown: so, stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beg of Evodia, and I beseech Syntyche to be of one mind in the Lord. And I entreat thee also, my sincere companion, help those women that have labored with me in the Gospel, with Clement and the rest of my fellow- laborers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

Explanation.

In these words, the Apostle gives warning against the false teachers of his day, who, although outwardly receiving and preaching Christianity, in heart hated the strict requirements of Christian morals, and lived according to their sensual lusts. He therefore cautions the faithful not to take them for patterns, for they are only hastening to eternal perdition, but rather to be followers of him, and of those who imitate his life. These warnings and admonitions apply also to us. For are there not among us enemies of the cross of Christ, who are called Christians, but who will have nothing to do with self-denial, mortification, chastity, and such like virtues? who indeed despise them, and count those who practice them fools? Let us not be led astray by them. For what will be the end of them? Everlasting destruction. For he who does not crucify his flesh does not belong to Christ (Gal. v. 24); whoever does not bear about his body the dying of Christ, in his body the life of Christ, will never be made manifest (n. Cor. iv. 10). Whoever does not already walk in heaven, that is, direct his thoughts and desires to heavenly goods, will not find admission there after death.

Ejaculation.

O my God would that I might say, with St. Paul, the world is crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. vi. 14).

GOSPEL. Matt, ix. 18-26[4]

At that time, as Jesus was speaking to the multitudes, behold a certain ruler came up, and adored Him, saying: Lord, my daughter is even now dead; but come, lay Thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus rising up, followed him with His disciples. And behold a woman who was troubled with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind Him, and touched the hem of His garment. For she said within herself: If I shall touch only His garment I shall be healed. But Jesus turning and seeing her, said: Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. And when Jesus was come into the house of the ruler and saw the minstrels and the multitude making a rout, he said: Give place, for the girl is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn. And when the multitude was put forth, He went in, and took her by the hand. And the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that country.

Explanation

The ruler and the woman here mentioned teach us that in diseases of body or of mind we should have recourse to Jesus with faith and confidence; and even when the malady continues, and seems to be incurable, we should not suffer our courage to sink.

ON MOCKERY AND RIDICULE

When Jesus entered the house of Jairus, and said, the girl is not dead, but sleepeth, the multitude laughed Him to scorn, because they understood neither the meaning of His words nor what He was about to do. Similar treatment sensual-minded men of the world often give to those servants of God who, by word and example, preach the contempt of honors, riches, pleasures, and the love of poverty, humility, and mortification. Permit not yourself to be led astray by those who ridicule your zeal for virtue; pay no heed to them, according to the example of Jesus, and trust in Him Who was Himself derided for your sake. Say to yourself: I know, O dearest Jesus, that the servant is not greater than his master. When Thou wast so often mocked, why should it appear strange to me to be jeered at and called senseless for endeavoring to practice devotion and virtue? I would not fare differently from Thee, my Lord and my God.

Orphan Sunday[5]

True religion is taking care of widows and orphans.

Orphan Sunday is a time to stand up for the orphans of the world. In truth, there are likely no more vulnerable human beings in the entire world than those thousands upon thousands of children in this world who have no mother or father, due to all sorts of tragedies that have occurred in their lives, ranging from accidents, to sicknesses, to war. Whatever the reason, orphaned children need our help in any way we can offer it.

Over the years, many different churches and organizations have hosted events they called, “Orphan Sundays” in an effort to raise awareness of the orphans in our areas, their problems and needs. The Christian Alliance started their own version of Orphan Sunday back in, when a American visitor to Africa Gary Schneider attending a church service in Zambia was moved by the pastor’s call to care for the numerous orphans in a local community plagued by hunger bordering on starvation, poverty and AIDS. At that time especially, children who were orphans were in a particularly terrible situations, as they were often left to fend for themselves, a thing that no child is prepared to do. Because of this, many children’s entire lives became jeopardized, as they had no way to make enough money to get to school in hopes of getting an education and a decent job in the future. Even though the locals attending the service were mostly extremely poor themselves, at the end of the service, many of them stepped forward to offer their support, some even giving away their own clothes or shoes to help the children. Moved by this display of generosity, Schneider decided to help Zambian leaders take care of the Zambian orphans by getting the word out about this new practice, and it spread like wildfire. By 2003 these efforts had spread to the United States. The Christian Alliance honors the Zambian church Schneider had visited for the gift of Orphan Sunday and the inspiration they gave people all over the world to care about the orphan; in fact, Orphan Sunday is often called, “Zambia’s gift to the world”. Nowadays, the Christian Alliance includes more 150 respected ministries, and Orphan Sunday is celebrated in thousands of churches across the globe in over 50 nations.

How to Celebrate Orphan Sunday

The best way to celebrate Orphan Sunday is find something you can do for the sadly fatherless and motherless children the Zambians have been doing their best to look after for all these years. And it doesn’t stop there! Though Zambia is where the whole event started, it is definitely not the only place in the world where we can find orphaned children—there are children who have lost their parents in every community that could use your help. Orphan Sunday is your opportunity to rouse church, community and friends to God’s call to care for the orphan. Each Orphan Sunday event is different, depending on who it’s led by—the believer in any local church, along with their priest or pastor, get together to decide what actions they could take stand to benefit their local orphans as well as orphans worldwide. Events range from sermons on God’s heart for the orphan, whose plight Christians believe is especially important to, to fundraisers, live concerts, and even to foster family recruiting.

Gunpowder Day[6]

Known as Guy Fawkes Night or Fireworks Night, Gunpowder Day focuses on the plot by Guy Fawkes and other conspirators to blow up Britain’s parliament in 1605. Rebelling against the persecution of Catholics by King James I, they planned to kill the monarch during his visit to parliament. But the scheme was foiled, and the traitors executed. Families construct an effigy of Guy Fawkes to be burned on a bonfire that evening. Fireworks are also set off to add to the celebrations. Public displays are also held, and the biggest celebration of Gunpowder Day is in Lewes in East Sussex, England. Six bonfire societies host their own fireworks displays and gargantuan bonfires. After sunset, a large procession of all of the societies moves through Lewes. Many members carry flame torches and a river of fire can be seen flowing through the town during the evening.

· Smell the smoke? Don't forget to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory from November 1 to the 8th.

Hatred of All Things Catholic[7]

The Gunpowder Plot is debated to this day. Some see it as a widespread Catholic plot instigated and led by the Jesuit priests living underground in England—much like it was painted in the 1606 trials of the conspirators. Others argue that there was no conspiracy at all; it was a government-inspired fabrication created by double-agents to use in the propaganda war against Catholics. Conspiracy theories aside, here’s what we know of the Gunpowder Plot. It began in an atmosphere of harsh anti-Catholic persecution. After the excommunication of Queen Elizabeth in 1570 and the threatened invasion of the Spanish Armada in 1588, Catholics were viewed with suspicion in England. They were an alien force that could rise up at any moment on papal orders, overthrow the Crown and eradicate English Protestantism. Or at least that was the excuse. While English leadership would always argue that its concern with Catholicism was purely political and not based on religious beliefs, in fact it harbored a deep hatred of all things Catholic.

As the 17th century began, a host of harsh legal penalties punished Catholics in England for practicing their faith. Mass could not be legally celebrated anywhere. Those laity caught attending a clandestine Mass could face heavy fines or jail. Priests caught saying Mass—or simply exposed as priests—were jailed, deported, or executed as traitors. Even rosary beads were considered contraband. Children could not be baptized or married according to Catholic rites. Every person over the age of 16 was required to attend the local Protestant Church every Sunday or face heavy fines. Mass, therefore, was said in secret in private homes by priests who were hidden by the Catholic community itself. Those Catholics willing—and able—paid the fines for not attending Protestant services. Others remained Catholic at heart, attending Mass when they could, but went to Protestant services either because they could not afford the fines or because they feared public retribution.

Hopes Raised—and Dashed

But by the turn of the 17th century, many within the English Catholic community had some hope for relief. With childless Queen Elizabeth growing older, they pinned their hopes on a successor that would lift these onerous restrictions. While some daydreamed of a Catholic prince or princess from the Continent—a foreign invasion by an alliance of Catholic sovereigns—others fixed their hopes on King James VI of Scotland. Son of Mary Queen of Scots, whom many believed to be a martyr for the faith after her execution in 1587 for allegedly plotting to overthrow Elizabeth, James was the most likely successor. He was married to a Catholic convert, Anne of Denmark, and rumors swirled within Catholic circles (including the Holy See) that James might be open to conversion himself, or at the very least open to Catholic toleration. James did absolutely nothing to discourage such rumors and, particularly with the papacy, encouraged them. After James, while in Scotland, misled Pope Clement VIII about his potential conversion, the pope certainly looked favorably on him. So, when Elizabeth died on March 24, 1603, and James was formally declared her successor, Catholic hopes soared. Such hopes dimmed almost immediately, however, as Catholics noticed that, in honor of his succession, the new King James granted routine pardons to everyone but murderers and Catholics. When the first Parliament of his reign was called for the spring of 1604, King James made his position on Catholics very clear. In February of 1604 he demanded that all priests be thrown out of his realm, and in March he complained bitterly of alleged Catholic growth to Protestant leaders. In April a bill was introduced to class all Catholics as outlaws.

Clever like a Fawkes

A younger generation of Catholics in England had grown up with Elizabeth’s persecution and the hope for relief under her successor. Sick of a world where advancement could only come through denying the faith, a small number had become truly militant. They longed for a new Spanish invasion after the disastrous defeat of the Spanish Armada. Among those who travelled to Spain in the hopes of securing a promised invasion was a young soldier named Guy Fawkes. Once James was enthroned and a Protestant succession secured through his heirs, the desperation among these young Catholics only grew. The Spanish, looking to end the age of conflict with England, were making it clear through negotiations with the new monarch that they were willing to sell out their fellow English Catholics. The pope, who had also made his desire for peace known, disapproved any acts of violence. The Jesuits in England made very clear that they supported the papal position. By and large, this reflected the position of English Catholics. Though their hopes were dashed by the apparent hostility of King James to Catholic toleration, they knew that any violence would only make a bad situation intolerable. The Bye Plot of 1603, a scheme to hold the king in the Tower of London until he granted Catholic toleration, had involved disgruntled Catholics. But the Plot was nipped primarily because underground Jesuit priests tipped off the government. King James was so grateful that he extended some pardons to a few Catholics jailed for their faith. In May 1604, a group of disaffected young Catholics held a meeting. Abandoned by Spain, the plotters believed that every peaceable means had been tried and failed. The decision was made to blow up King James and his Parliament, a plan they believed would lead to a foreign invasion, a Catholic uprising, or the restoration of a Catholic monarchy. After making their pledge, they attended a Mass celebrated by a Jesuit priest who was completely ignorant of what had taken place. Parliament was suspended out of fear of the plague, so the handful of plotters spent their time drawing a few more into the conspiracy. Fawkes began to stockpile gunpowder in the cellar of a house that extended under the Parliament building. In a world overrun with spies and double-agents, Fawkes was already known to English authorities as a dangerous man.

Catholics Reveal the Plot

In late June of 1605, Fr. Henry Garnet heard the confession of another Jesuit priest, who revealed to him the outline of a plot that had been confessed to him earlier. Horrified, Fr. Garnet—who could not reveal what he knew because of the seal of the confessional—wrote to Rome asking the new pope, Paul V, for a blanket papal condemnation of violence. When it was announced that Parliament would be delayed again, Fr. Garnet believed that the danger had passed. He was mistaken. The plotters proceeded, even when an anonymous letter was sent to a Catholic lord, warning him to stay away when Parliament opened in the fall. The lord passed the letter on to Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, secretary of state to Elizabeth and King James, and a persecutor of all things Catholic. On November 1, 1605, Cecil informed the king of the mysterious letter. The cellar under Westminster was searched, cords of firewood to ignite the blast were discovered, and Fawkes, found skulking about, was arrested. The rest of the conspirators fled. The Gunpowder Plot was foiled. The core conspirators were tracked down and a number were killed in an ambush. The survivors were arrested. It was at this point that Cecil began his campaign to recast the Gunpowder Plot as a Jesuit conspiracy, though the Jesuits in England had been outspoken against violence. Taking advantage of the paranoia after the plot was revealed, Cecil made certain that the Gunpowder Plot was not viewed as a conspiracy by a handful of fanatical Catholics. Instead, it became a vast Catholic intrigue against the throne and English Protestantism caused by "the perfidious and cursed doctrine of Rome." The Venetian ambassador described the anti-Catholic talk that was everywhere in London: "Here they attend to nothing else but great preparation for the annihilation of the Catholic religion."

Annihilate the Catholics

After the original plotters were executed, a virtual program against Catholics began, focusing on the Jesuits. Fr. Garnet was eventually arrested, tortured, and executed on trumped-up charges of complicity. He refused to renounce the faith and was venerated as a martyr for generations. Though never formally canonized, to this day many believe him to be a saint. The impact of the Gunpowder Plot on English thinking was so great that not until 1828 would Catholics be finally "emancipated" in England and allowed a full range of common English rights, including the right to vote. As a point of comparison, in America that number of years would have denied Catholics the ballot from 1776 to the incumbent candidacy of the second George Bush.

Fact Check

A few quick points to remember about the Gunpowder Plot:

· Prior to his accession, King James I deceived Catholics about what toleration he would allow, even misleading the pope about a possible conversion. His duplicity had its own role in generating the Gunpowder Plot.

· The Gunpowder Plot, although real, was not a widespread Catholic conspiracy. Most Catholics were horrified when it was discovered, knowing that it would lead to heightened persecution. That it most assuredly did—over two centuries’ worth.

· The actual conspirators were a small handful of young Catholics. While it cannot be said for certain what involvement double-agents might have had in an era where men such as Robert Cecil were creating the world’s first police state in England (aimed specifically at Catholics), there were young Catholic men willing to engage in the plot, even if they were duped.

· The Jesuits in England did not devise, guide, or lead the Gunpowder Plot. In fact, they tried to deter any violence based on the limited knowledge they had of the plot. The Jesuit superior in England thought he had successfully put the plot to rest.

· Cecil’s attack on the Jesuits was a calculated plot against all things Catholic. His propaganda campaign was meant to show that the enemy was not limited to the conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot but comprised the Catholic Church itself.

· The Gunpowder Plot established the climate for the infusion of anti-Catholicism into every aspect of English life.

· The number of Catholic urban legends created as a result of the Gunpowder Plot is legion. Standard stereotypes and canards include the conniving Jesuit, priests seducing innocent women, the sacrament of penance as a tool to "forgive" sin before the sin has been committed, Catholic plots to overthrow states, Catholics owing a secular allegiance to the papacy, Catholics as unreliable aliens—the list goes on and on.

Shortly after the Gunpowder Plot was discovered, Parliament declared that November 5 would be celebrated annually as a day of thanksgiving. It became known as "Guy Fawkes Day" and the common practice was to have bonfires and to burn the pope in effigy—a practice that continues in parts of England to this day.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY

SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH

CHAPTER TWO-THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING

Article 5 THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK

V. Viaticum, the Last Sacrament of the Christian

1524 In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the Church offers those who are about to leave this life the Eucharist as viaticum. Communion in the body and blood of Christ, received at this moment of "passing over" to the Father, has a particular significance and importance. It is the seed of eternal life and the power of resurrection, according to the words of the Lord: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." The sacrament of Christ once dead and now risen, the Eucharist is here the sacrament of passing over from death to life, from this world to the Father.

1525 Thus, just as the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist form a unity called "the sacraments of Christian initiation," so too it can be said that Penance, the Anointing of the Sick and the Eucharist as viaticum constitute at the end of Christian life "the sacraments that prepare for our heavenly homeland" or the sacraments that complete the earthly pilgrimage.

Daylight Saving Time Ends[8]

The first Sunday in November marks the end of Daylight Savings Time in the US. On this day, clocks are set back 1 hour, except for Hawaii and parts of Arizona which do not observe DST.

Daylight Saving Time Ends Facts

The dates for DST to begin and end were set forth by the US Congress in the Energy Act of 2005. Arizona, Hawaii, and four US territories (Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) do not observe Daylight Savings Time. Research suggest that daylight savings time is related to a rise in heart attacks, while the end of daylight savings time saw a slight decrease the first three days after the time change.

Daylight Saving Time Ends Top Events and Things to Do

· Replace the batteries on smoke and carbon dioxide detectors.

· Put the emergency winter kit back in the vehicle.

· Begin preparing for the coming holidays.

· Make sure outdoor lights are in working order.

· Put reflectors on bikes so that vehicles can more easily see you as it gets dark earlier.

November 5 NYC Marathon

Lace up your sneakers for the New York City Marathon. More than 50,000 people compete in the world’s largest marathon. Cheer on the participants as they race through the city’s five boroughs and head to the finish line if you’re not competing in the 26-mile run.

Daily Devotions

· Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday. Don’t forget the internet.

· Unite yourself in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: Authentic Feminism