Fortnight for Freedom, cont.

Prayer for Religious Liberty

"O God Our Creator,
from Your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as Your people and given us the right and the duty to worship You, the only true God, and Your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and working of Your Holy Spirit, You call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society.

"We ask You to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of Your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

"Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all Your sons and daughters gathered in Your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome--for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us--this great land will always be "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Amen"

June 28---

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."  2 Cor. 3:17

"Lord Jesus, Divine Martyr of Calvary,
the Passionist Martyrs of Daimiel generously sacrificed their lives in order that Thy universal Kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love, and peace, become a reality upon earth.  Through the merits of their sacrifice, united to Thine upon the Cross, grant that we may work untiringly for the coming of Thy Kingdom of salvation in the entire world, living as brothers and forgiving one another.  Through the intercession of these Thy martyrs, grant us also the particular grace we humbly implore for Thy glory and the good of our souls. 
Amen."

Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War
From July 18, 1936 to April 1, 1937, no fewer than 6,832 priests and religious, both men and women, were killed for the Faith.  Of the martyrs of the Spanish Civil War, ten were canonized in 1999, and there have been over 500 beatifications.

John Dickinson, signer of the U.S. Constitution

"[Governments] could not give the rights essential to happiness...We claim them from a higher source:  from the King of kings, and the Lord of all the earth."

Fortnight for Freedom, June 21-July 4, cont

Prayer for Religious Liberty

"O God Our Creator,
from Your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as Your people and given us the right and the duty to worship You, the only true God, and Your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and working of Your Holy Spirit, You call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society.

"We ask You to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of Your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

"Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all Your sons and daughters gathered in Your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome--for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us--this great land will always be "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Amen"

June 26---

"When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors He will send them a savior and defender, and He will rescue them."Isaiah 19:20

Peace be to all who have bad or troubled will;

and may an end be put to all anger and all talk of chastisement and vengeance. For these mock all norms and principles; they are beyond all limits of human understanding, and there are many who suffer needlessly.

Pray for those who persecute us, and for all wrongful women and men, that they may gain the courage and strength of those who long for peace, that one day the good would count and not the bad.

O Blessed Martyred Sisters of Compiegne, pray for us and help us grow in courage and fortitude!

Amen

Knights of Columbus Martyrs of Mexico
The 1920s brought a revolution to Mexico, along with the widespread persecution of Catholics. 
Missionaries were expelled from the country, Catholic seminaries and schools were closed, and the Church  was forbidden to own property.  Priests and laymen were told to denounce Jesus and their faith in public; if they refused, they faced not just punishment but torture and death.

Patrick Henry, Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity and freedom of worship here."

Goodbye, Ryan

I don't know how many of you out there watch "Master Chef", but season three has been very exciting.  I cannot express in words how happy I am that Ryan left the show tonight.  Happy, happy, happy.  I'm rooting for Christine or Monti, maybe even Anna.  But, Ryan was an immature, snotty, unemployed immature (did I say that already?) nut who needs to get off his butt and get a job already.  Goodbye, Ryan.  Best Wishes.  I will pray that you get a job.

Fortnight for Freedom, June 21-July 4, cont.

Prayer for Religious Liberty

"O God Our Creator,
from Your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as Your people and given us the right and the duty to worship You, the only true God, and Your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and working of Your Holy Spirit, You call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society.

"We ask You to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of Your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

"Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all Your sons and daughters gathered in Your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome--for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us--this great land will always be "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Amen"

Jun 25th--------

"In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and He answered by setting me free."  Psalm 118:5

"O St. Maximillian Kolbe, faithful follower of St. Francis, inflamed by the love of God, you dedicated your life to the practice of virtue and to works of the apostolate.  Look down with favor upon us who devoutly confide in your intercession.  Having consecrated yourself to the Immaculate Virgin Mary, you inspired countless souls to a holy life and various forms of the apostolate in order to do good to others and to spread the kingdom of God.  Obtain for us the grace by our lives and labors to draw many souls to Christ.  In your close conformity to our Divine Savior you reached such an intense degree of love that you offered your life to save a fellow prisoner.  Implore God that we, inflamed by such ardent charity, may through our living faith and our apostolic works witness Christa to others, and thus merit to join you in the blessed vision of God.

Amen."

Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne

On July 17, 1794, sixteen Carmelite Nuns, who had offered their lives for the end of the Terror, during the French Revolution, walked up the steps of the scaffold to the guillotine, one by one, singing the Salve Regina, the Te Deum and the Veni Creator.  Ten days later, Robespierre fell and the bloody revolution was over.

Charles Carroll
Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence

"To obtain religious as well as civil liberty, I entered zealously into the Revolution...God grant that this religious liberty may be preserved in these States, to the end of time, and that all who believe in the religion of Christ may practice the leading principle of charity, the basis of every virtue

Fortnight of Freedom, June 21 - July 4, 2012

Our Fortnight of Freedom started on June 21st.  For those in Oklahoma, you may go to www.fortnightforfreedomokc.com. 

Prayer for Religious Liberty

"O God Our Creator,
from Your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  You have called us as Your people and given us the right and the duty to worship You, the only true God, and Your Son, Jesus Christ.  Through the power and working of Your Holy Spirit, You call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society.

"We ask You to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.  Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of Your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

"Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all Your sons and daughters gathered in Your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome--for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us--this great land will always be "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Amen."

Today, June 24th, the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

"They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved."  2 Peter 2:19

"O Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will.  But, do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon us; Instead remember the fruits we have borne because of this suffering--our fellowship, our loyalty to one another, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble.  When our persecutors come to be judged by You, let all of these fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.

Amen"
(Prayer found written on a scrap of paper in the coat of a dead girl at Ravensbruck concentration camp.)



St. Maximillian Kolbe

St. Maximilian Kolbe established The Knights of the Immaculata, a Franciscan community of 800 men.  Imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz, he offered himself in place of a condemned prisoner, suffering two weeks of Torture, thirst, and starvation before dying.

James Monroe
by Rembrandt Peale

James Monroe
5th President of the United States

"When we view the blessings with which our country has been favored, those which we now enjoy, and the means which we posess of handing them down unimpaired to our latest posterity, our attention is irresistibly drawn to the source from whence they flow.  Let us then, unite in offering our most grateful acknowledgments for these blessings to the Divine Author of All Good."

From: Fortnight of Freedom: Our Most Cherished Liberty.  June 21-July 4. Thanks to St. Peter's Fellowship, Oklahoma City, 2012.

The Ten Commandments

Catholic (Original Christian) Version
of the Ten Commandments
Not the ones in front of our parish but similar

One of my biggest pet peeves is the use of the wrong set of Ten Commandments at our church and school activities.  Almost every single entry in the Ten Commandments category at the school religion fairs at our parish school is the wrong ones.  Yes, there is more than one set of Ten Commandments, basically because they are not numbered 1,2,3,4, etc in the book of Exodus.  The Catholic church changed the Jewish ones slightly, changing the first two Jewish commandments into one, becoming the Christian version for over 1500 years.  (See a current version of all three below. *Lutherans use the same version as Catholics.  Source:  Biblical Heritage Center)
      Today, while admiring the set of Ten Commandments installed recently in front of our church, I overheard a couple of people discussing what was wrong with them.  I chuckled a little and interjected that our society is so used to seeing the Protestant version that they don't even recognize the original Christian version.  However, the people talking said that is not what their friend thought was wrong.  Their friend thought that it should still use the "Thou shalt" wording.  It really made me chuckle then because I couldn't believe the thees and thous were more important to some of the parishioners than the actual commandments and their meaning.
     One of the reasons I get so upset about which version at the religion fair is because the Catholic/original Christian version makes absolutely more sense in the symbolism and Christian doctrine of the Church.  The first three commandments refer to our duties to God, thus invoking the image of the Triune God; the last seven referring to our duties to our neighbor.  Seven is, of course, a reference to the seven days of creation.  The Christian Bible is rife with imagery, numbers, and symbols which connect the Old Testament law, prophets, and messianic images to the New Testament Law, prophet, and Messiah.  I am so happy we now have a copy of the original Christian version (in English, not Greek) in front of our parish.  I hope the children at the school will now start learning our version, along with our Catholic Christian Heritage.

	Jewish	Catholic	Protestant*
I	I am the Lord your G-d who has taken you out of the land of Egypt.	I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.	You shall have no other gods but me.
II	You shall have no other gods but me.	You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.	You shall not make unto you any graven images.
III	You shall not take the name of the Lord your G-d in vain.	Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.	You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
IV	You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy.	Honor your father and your mother.	You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy.
V	Honor your mother and father.	You shall not kill.	Honor your mother and father.
VI	You shall not murder.	You shall not commit adultery.	You shall not murder.
VII	You shall not commit adultery.	You shall not steal.	You shall not commit adultery.
VIII	You shall not steal.	You shall not bear false witness.	You shall not steal.
IX	You shall not bear false witness.	You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.	You shall not bear false witness.
X	You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.	You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.	You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Doctor Frustration

I don't really understand the wish for socialized medicine.  If many of the socialists in this country really want socialized medicine, they should experience the wonder that is military clinics.  Not only do they send us to an off-base clinic about 4 out of 5 times--which costs me money--but when I want to go off base, they make my son wait until the next morning at the military clinic.

Then, I am pretty much ordered to be there 15 minutes before the appointment.  So, I'm supposed to be there at 7:30 AM for a 7:45 appointment.  Ok.  So, I ask, "Will we be able to make a 9:00 AM appointment for my daughter?"  Having over 20 years experience with military clinics, I did not think this an unreasonable question.  However, the female airman on the phone apparently thought it a sarcastic question because she said in a very snotty tone, "It's a fifteen minute slot, ma'am."  Well, I took the appointment, what choice did I have anyway?  Pay full price for a clinic appointment off base, I suppose. 

This morning we got to the clinic at 7:32AM.  Guess when my son saw the doctor?  7:45?  NO.  8:00?  NO.  8:15?  NO.  And they wonder why I asked if I could make a 9:00 appointment?  Really?  It was 8:28, when the doctor strolled in, in a very crappy mood.  I tried to answer her questions promptly so we could leave ASAP.  (Oh, if you're wondering, #3 son had pink eye.  Yucky, itchy, and painful.  It's really fun to have to wait for medication, because we want as many people in the family as possible to get it. (sarc))

We checked into the pharmacy at 8:40.  We left, got daughter, got her to her appointment on time.  Then we had to drive back to the base clinic to pick up the prescription.

I just found out they are building a new medical clinic on base.  It is on the other side of the base.  I will now have to add 15-20 minutes to the drive time because it will take that long to either drive through or drive around the base to the new location.  The location does not make a lot of sense, except that the land was empty.  It is no where near the main gates; it is no where near base housing or the barracks.  It is not even near the main traffic area (the base exchange, commissary, recreation center, gas station, etc.) of the base.  It is kind of like when we were in Germany and they decided to put all the dependent dental services at a tiny air base that was close to being shut down.  There we had to drive an extra 20 miles to the dentist--for "our convenience", no kidding, they said it was for our convenience. 

I have never understood why those that you make appointments with have more priority over my time than I do.  I must show up early, but I don't get so much as an apology for waiting for them.  And, if I question it, I get a nasty attitude.

Summer Reading for the Soul

Loyola Press'  features this week (a selection):

My Life with the Saints by James Martin, SJ
"A remarkable memoir of a man's lifelong personal attachment to twenty-four holy men and women who changed his life."                   

Why Stay Catholic? Unexpected answers to a Life-Changing Question by Michael Leach
"...an uplifting book about what's right in the Catholic Church today, and why tomorrow offers such hope and promise."

7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness Enriching Your Faith by Strengthening the Health of Your Soul by Joe Paprocki  "...best-selling author Joe Paprocki provides a prescription for spiritual health based on the rich wisdom of Catholic Tradition."

There are several others.  Go to Loyola and Check them out.