July 4th - What Does It Really Mean?

From the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible, here is 2 Chronicles 7:14 - "And my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall make supplication to me, and seek out my face, and do penance for their most wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land."  This is part of God's reply to Solomon's first public prayer to God and his humble acknowledgment of his inadequacy to govern God's people.  God promises to give Solomon wisdom, and He does.  Sadly, Solomon drifted away from God and havoc ensued quickly after his death.

All around us we see similar havoc being wrecked upon the United States of America - much now emanating from the White House and other institutions of government, with our bishops largely cowering before these same entities.  Quite frankly, the United States is falling apart as large chunks of its populace rebel against God and His laws; sexual perversion and the whole-scale murder of innocent babies are but the most garish manifestations of this national insanity and self-destruction.

With so many people being preoccupied with indulging all manners of appetites their fixations with entertainment, they are at once becoming childish, hedonistic and yes, murderous.  I regret to say that I meet many of these Saturday mornings as some of us offer Christian witness in front of Planned Parenthood in Silver Spring; a goodly number of these confused individuals wear the orange vests of "clinic escorts".  With that in mind, I now link to an address given by John Adams to the Massachusetts Militia on October 11, 1798.  I urge you to study the whole thing, particularly the warning contained therein.  The United States is careening down that primrose path.

Now couple the statement above with a more recent statement, this one from Ronald Reagan: "If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be one nation gone under."  We're headed in that latter direction.  Today many of us sang the "Star-Spangled Banner".  The last line states that ours is the "land of the free and the home of the brave".  That is now in question.  Our freedoms are being chipped away because we are becoming less and less brave.  Such is the natural consequence that happens when we, as a people, forget God and become morally, spiritually and intellectually dissipated and stupefied.

Right now our trajectory as a nation is towards implosion into annihilation.  Have we passed the point of no return?  Many of my associates believe that we have.  I'm not too sure, but I know that if we don't make some serious changes - and soon - that "point of no return" will be upon us quite quickly.

That takes us back to the first paragraph, and to 2 Chronicles 7:14.  We Catholics bear particular responsibility for to us has been given the fullness of the Deposit of Faith as well as the Sacraments.  It is urgent that we Catholics heed the requests of Our Lady of Fatima.  It is urgent that our bishops recall that they are bishops, not glad-handing politicians, to protect their flocks from wolves and to proclaim Christ's message in fullness.  We laity too have our work cut out for us.  And we don't have much time.

Don't Worry, Be Happy! As The World Destroys Itself..

When I attend Mass on weekdays, the Novus Ordo Masses are the only option available.  Such was the case today.  The first reading was from 2 Chronicles 24:17-25.  I'll cut and paste it from the Douay-Rheims version.

And after the death of Joiada, the princes of Juda went in, and worshipped the king: and he was soothed by their services and hearkened to them. [18] And they forsook the temple of the Lord the God of their fathers, and served groves and idols, and wrath came upon Juda and Jerusalem for this sin. [19] And he sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord, and they would not give ear when they testified against them. [20] The spirit of God then came upon Zacharias the son of Joiada the priest, and he stood in the sight of the people, and said to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Why transgress you the commandment of the Lord which will not be for your good, and have forsaken the Lord, to make him forsake you?

[21] And they gathered themselves together against him, and stoned him at the king's commandment in the court of the house of the Lord. [22] And king Joas did not remember the kindness that Joiada his father had done to him, but killed his son. And when he died, he said: The Lord see, and require it. [23] And when a year was come about, the army of Syria came up against him: and they came to Juda and Jerusalem, and killed all the princes of the people, and they sent all the spoils to the king of Damascus. [24] And whereas there came a very small number of the Syrians, the Lord delivered into their hands an infinite multitude, because they had forsaken the Lord the God of their fathers: and on Joas they executed shameful judgments. [25] And departing they left him in diseases: and his servants rose up against him, for revenge of the blood of the son of Joiada the priest, and they slew him in his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.

I think the applicability of this passage to current events is obvious.  Moreover, the Gospel was from Matthew 6, part of the Sermon on the Mount.  The main thrust of this was Jesus exhorting the people to "seek first the kingdom of God".  As a lead-up to that, Jesus remarked how the people worried about their material needs.  So what did the priest emphasize today?

He emphasized the worry that many people have.  He actually used the phrase "don't stress".  I could almost hear Bobby McFerrin's trite little ditty "Don't Worry Be Happy".  What an abysmal waste of a teaching moment.  The world is literally going to hell in a handbasket, with plenty of souls cascading their way down there now, with so many progressive bishops indifferent to their plight.

To think that Father might have encouraged the congregation to more frequent confession, to the daily Rosary, requests of Our Lady of Fatima, etc.  The readings provided the perfect setting for that.  Instead, he settled for happy-clappy pap.

However, we know what we must do.

More States Abortion-Free

Happily, yesterday's post is obsolete.  More states are now abortion-free; see here, here.  Each locale that rejects abortion is one more place where babies are more safe than they were last week.  Moreover, the rejection of evil can only bode well in terms of bringing healing upon our land.  Read 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Rally At Freedom Plaza

As mentioned yesterday, I took video of the Million MAGA March in Washington DC this past Saturday. By now, many readers have seen other videos and aerial shots.  I am presenting it with no special effects so that you can get a feel for what it was like "at ground level" as it were.

Because I took lots of footage, I thought it best to divide it into three parts: Rally At Freedom Plaza, Walk Towards The Supreme Court, and Rally At Supreme Court.  These smaller chunks were much easier to process and upload than one huge file.  Below is the first installment of the three clips.  

I think from these you'll get an idea just how many decent people there are who are fed up with how the progressives are stampeding all over the ideals of the United States.  My prayer through all this is that these same people, and more, will understand what is meant by 2 Chronicles 7:14.  You will notice some in these videos who are urging national repentance, particularly for the mortal sins of abortion and homosexual perversions.  A few days ago I linked to a novena that Lepanto Institute is using.  At the very least, we must pray our Rosaries per the repeated requests of Our Lady of Fatima.

Now the video..

Priorities Before The Festivities Of The Fourth

Before we celebrate our once-great nation, we need to take an honest assessment of it.  If you've read this blog and others like it - and have been paying attention to current events - you'll realize that the United States of America is undergoing serious decay on all fronts.  The deterioration has been primarily spiritual and moral as we've forgotten and even disdained our Christian roots and the Lord Jesus Christ.  The decay naturally spread into economic and military aspects of our nation.

Our responsibility as Christians is to pray and work for repentance of all.  Only then dare we entertain any hope of abating this rapid deterioration of our country - and western civilization, for that matter.

As well as being Independence Day, today is First Friday.  Have you gone to Mass yet?  If not, I'd suggest looking on the internet for a First Friday Mass that you can attend.  Our Lord gave to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque very specific promises to those who receive Holy Communion on nine consecutive First Fridays; can we not agree that in this day and age that these graces are desperately needed?

Also, tomorrow is First Saturday.  Our Lady of Fatima made additional promises to those who make reparation for sins and blasphemies of others.  Please read this brief account.  Again, do we not see that our poor world needs all the graces that our poor actions can procure for it?  Those of you away on a nice holiday weekend - please go to Mass tomorrow as well.  Everything else can wait.

I'll end this by quoting 2 Chronicles 7:14 (from the Douay-Rheims version): "And my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall make supplication to me, and seek out my face, and do penance for their most wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land."

Who are "my people"?  That's us, folks!  The responsibility is laid squarely on our shoulders.  Let's move.

For Your July 4th Considerations

Today we celebrate the day when the United States declared its independence from England in 1776.  Much has happened between then and now, and much of that has been troubling.  We have lost our spiritual moorings, Catholics as much as anyone else.

We celebrate freedom as though it's a license to satisfy every whim and fancy that we might concoct.  However, Catholics need look no further than the Liturgy of the Hours that priests and religious are obliged to pray daily.  Many laity do so as well.  During Morning Prayer, or Lauds, we pray the prophesy that St Zachary uttered after he bestowed the name "John" on his son, St. John the Baptist.  It is called the Benedictus.  Read it.  I'll bring over the pertinent passage below:

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

God gave us our freedom so that we would worship Him and be holy and righteous in His sight.  All the other benefits are secondary.  However, we have forgotten our obligation to give Him due worship and obedience, squandering our patrimony on our own silly and often wanton cravings.  Our nation is ejecting Him from its life.  Unless we as a nation turn and repent, we will experience the awful consequences of our rebellion. When we reject Him, we also reject His protection and blessings.

I've written on these themes durinng previous Independence Days.  I've quoted 2 Chronicles 7:14.  Pursuant to that, I went to Mass this morning and was heartened to see the church almost full.  The homily was another matter.  The homilist spoke of Thomas Jeffferson and his deist beliefs.  He relayed that towards the end of his life, Jefferson received a plea from a Christian man urging his conversion.  Jefferson replied that he hoped we'd all get to heaven in our own ways.  The homilist approved that attitude of Jefferson's.  Ladies and gentlemen, that is indifferentism - not to be lauded from the pulpit.  One of the ways that we are to obey God is to preach the Gospel and seek conversions.  Jefferson's friend was apparently striving to be obedient to that command and was politely rebuffed by Jefferson.  While we can hope that Jefferson repented, we cannot indulge in indifferentism ourselves.  Indifferentism is one of the sins that is killing the Church and nation, and it's particularly egregious when committed by Catholic clergy, who are especially tasked with saving souls.

Meanwhile, with the time that each of us still has, let us continue to pray, receive the Sacraments and obey Our Lord.

On July 4, 2015 - As Clouds Darken Our National Horizon

Let's not kid ourselves.  Because we, as a nation, have rejected God and disobeyed His laws, particularly those laws touching upon marriage, sexuality and family life, we have incurred His wrath and are now beginning to experience the ramifications.  The time is late.  We need to sober up and recall the One who made us and for Whom we are made.  Not only is our nation in peril but civilization in general, with many souls in danger of hell.

Some passages from Scripture (Douay-Rheims) that are most appropriate for today:

2 Chronicles 7:14  "And my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall make supplication to me, and seek out my face, and do penance for their most wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land."

Joel 2:12  "Now therefore saith the Lord: Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and in mourning."

Come home to Jesus Christ in His One True Church.  Go to Confession.  Receive Holy Communion as often as you can (provided you are in a state of grace and have fasted properly).  Pray the Rosary.  Speak out when you see evil.  Time is running short.

End Of America? Some Sobering Words

As a nation, we certainly are spiralling down a path of destruction.  I don't necessarily ascribe to Voris's implication that the destruction of our nation is inevitable, but at this time, this is our direction.  I do recall from the Bible the verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14 "And my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall make supplication to me, and seek out my face, and do penance for their most wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land." (from the Douay-Rheims; see the right side bar)  However, Our Lord places an onus on our shoulders to do reparation.  As we approach the 4th of July, we might wish to set aside time for prayer before we even consider the fireworks.

Click here if you can't see embedded video.

September 11th - Remembering ALL The Victims Of That Day's Violence

Today most of the nation mourns the loss of life that occurred at the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and that field in Pennsylvania.  Memorials and tributes galore are occurring for those 3000 innocent victims of murderous Islamic terrorism.  We join in praying for the eternal repose of these and consolation for their families and friends.

But - what about the other 3000 victims of senseless murder who were slaughtered that day via acts of violence sanctioned by the same United States of America?  What about the 3000 tiny babies that have been so murdered every day during these past ten years?  Doing some quick arithmetic, we see that between 12-15 million babies have been butchered over these past ten years.  Where are ther memorials, their tributes?  For the most part, the United States has not only turned its back on these tiny babies, but has sanctioned their murders and even moved to punish those who seek to save as many as they can (the case of the DOJ attacking Dick Retta is only the latest shameful example of this mindset).  When memorial crosses are erected to the honor of these babies, they are often vandalized.  When we show to the nation the raw truth of what they sanction (even if only by apathy) such as you see in the picture on the right, we are called "mean-spirited".

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta warned the world that "the fruit of abortion is nuclear war.  What you do to the unborn child, you do to Jesus."  As horrendous as the 9-11 attacks were, they were not nuclear war.  The warning still stands.  Was Mother Teresa's statement an infallible prophesy?  Of course not - but it makes sense.  When she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, she had this to say:"But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child - a direct killing of the innocent child - murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?"   We understandably decry the murder of the 3000 killed by the Islamic terrorists - but then we sanction the murder of 3000 of our own babies every day. 

In my pro-life email circles, "results of polls" are constantly circulated showing that "the nation is increasingly pro-life".  Really?  How "pro-life"?  Are they "pro-life" enough to do all they can do to end the slaughter?  Are they "pro-life" enough to put the babies ahead of their own economic advantage when they make electoral and/or political decisions?  If the GOP debates of last week are any indicator, the answer to those questions is, sadly, "NO".  Not one substantive question regarding intrinsic morality and the core life issues was broached during that entire program.  To the GOP leadership, I say that is an utter disgrace and has earned you, once again, the moniker "Stupid Party".

In the first few days following the attack, American flags sprang up everywhere and the mantra became "God bless America."  But how can He bless this nation when we continue to bathe our hands in the blood of the babies we murder (or at least, allow to be murdered)?  He won't!  Before the United States, as a nation, dare ask for God's blessing, the United States, as a nation, must undergo profound repentance and a change of direction.  We are headed towards moral and spiritual collapse and destruction; the current economic woes that are in our national headlights are merely a natural consequence and symptom of the more fundamental ills of which we freely imbibe.

If this day is to be anything more than an exercise in sentimentality, we need to understand the word of God as expressed in 2 Chronicles 7: 14 "If my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall make supplication to me, and seek my face, and do penance for their most wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  Recall that for a few weeks after the attacks, the churches were actually overflowing.  It seems some people woke up to their need for God - for a little while.  Alas, that didn't last too long, and they resumed their spiritual and moral neglect.  We must realize that our repentance must be permanent and fundamental; it won't be easy.  However this repentance must happen quickly, or Mother Teresa's prediction may ring true and the events of ten years ago seem like a wet firecracker in comparison.   Our time is drawing short.

GOP! Clean Up Your Act - NOW!

During the whole debacle with the Hell Bill these past two weeks, I was beginning to believe that Republicans had found their moral compass.  Silly me!  We read from Newsmax that the Republican Central Committee spent almost $2000 at a morally decadent night club.  Moreover, the chair of the RNC, Michael Steele (who was once MD's lieutenant governor), has come under fire for his expenditure decisions.

Whoever authorized that sex-club jaunt and/or participated in it needs to be fired pronto.  Ladies and gentlemen, the USA is in deep trouble, largely because of such shenanigans as this.  Many of us are praying for God's mercy and that He will bless us.  However, in order for that to happen, we must repent of our sinful ways (particularly the sins against God and sexuality) and make very certain we don't fall into them again.

The GOP wonks had better take seriously the primacy of spiritual renewal over economy, defense, etc, lest it find itself no better than the Democrats.  Right now, the idea of a third-party is looking very plausible.  Hint: read 2 Chronicles 7:14.

On This Independence Day

Let us consider the condition of the United States of America through the eyes of God.  Once a God-fearing nation, at least on the lips if not hearts of most people, the US has largely degraded into a hedonistic cabal of intellectually and spiritually stunted people.  Yet a few embers of decency remain, as evidenced by the last presidential election.

Our Lord's promise, as stated in 2 Chronicles 7:14, state And my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall make supplication to me, and seek out my face, and do penance for their most wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.  

That promise is clear and unambiguous.  So what do we do?  Firstly, go to Mass today, even if that means skipping the fireworks.  What better place to pray for our beleaguered nation?  Besides, today is First Friday.  Honor our Lord and His Sacred Heart, wounded for us, as individuals and nations.

On This Independence Day...

"And my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall make supplication to me, and seek out my face, and do penance for their most wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land."  From 2 Chronicles 7:14, Douay-Rheims Bible

In Montgomery County MD, fireworks have been cancelled this evening due to the excessive heat and remaining power outages.  I think it's just as well.  We are at a crossroads - not only in terms of this country but civilization in general.  We need to set aside the customary hoopla to think, ponder and above all, to pray for our poor country that has strayed so far from the path of righteousness.

On This Independence Day..

As we celebrate our nation's birthday, not too many people will give enough thought as to just what we're celebrating.  As we chomp on burgers and hot dogs and perhaps watch some fireworks, few will ponder anything outside of the ability to enjoy a fair amount of creature comforts and recreation; therein lies the peril to the continuance of the United States of America as we know it.