Francis Houle: A middle-class husband and father from Michigan … and a stigmatic

By Larry Peterson

Our Lord told him, "I am taking away your hands and giving you mine ... touch them."

(Aleteia) A number of saints and holy people have been known to share in the suffering of Christ in a special way: by literally having his wounds in their own flesh. Among this group are such beloved saints as Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Siena and, closer to our own times, Padre Pio.

Then there is Irving “Francis” Houle, just a regular guy from Michigan...

Francis was 67 years old when, on Good Friday, April 9, 1993, the stigmata first began to show itself. Francis told his brother and a priest, Father Robert Fox (who would go on to write a book about him), how Jesus appeared to him when Lent began on Ash Wednesday. He told them Jesus said to him, “I am taking away your hands and giving you mine … touch them...”

It is estimated that Francis prayed individually over 100,000 people while he was still alive. Folks would wait for hours on end to see the elderly grandpa who bore the stigmata and would lay his hands on them. People would be crying and would touch him and kiss his hands... (continued)

Read More at Aleteia (click here)

Link:

• Francis Houle: A middle-class husband and father from Michigan … and a stigmatic

Prayer Request

Please pray for a woman who has been sick for over two months, and tonight has pain and a fever.
Thank you!

Prayer Request

Please pray for Shane who has had a leukemia relapse.
Thank you!

Please pray for a man undergoing a heart procedure

Please pray for a man who is going to undergo a heart procedure. Thank you.

Please pray for a man who is undergoing heart surgery

Please pray for a man who is undergoing heart surgery.
Thank you!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST – Fr. Philip Johnson

From Father Z:

From time to time over the years I have requested that you pray for now Father Philip Johnson, who suffers from a brain tumor.  Fr. Johnson was recently ordained.

However, today I received this:

Begin forwarded message:
From: “Msgr. David Brockman” <>
Subject: Prayers Requested
Date: March 16, 2017 at 7:39:42 AM EDT
To: Priests <>

Dear Brother Priests,

On behalf of Msgr. Michael Shugrue, Diocesan Administrator, your prayers are requested for Father Philip Johnson, a newly ordained priest of the Diocese of Raleigh and who is currently stationed in priestly ministry at Sacred Heart Parish in Pinehurst and its mission, San Juan Diego in Robbins.

Father Johnson has requested I share with you that on Monday of this week, his physicians at Duke University discovered new growth in the Anaplastic Astrocytoma brain tumor, which had been static for an extended period of time...  (continued)

Read More Here

Link:

• ACTION ITEM – URGENT PRAYER REQUEST – Fr. Philip Johnson

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: Gayle – RIP

From Fr. John Zuhlsdorf:

"I received some sad news today.  The woman who made the most beautiful rosaries I have ever seen or used died, under tough circumstances.

I spoke with her daughter tonight and told her that I would ask for prayers.  I ask the entire readership now, please, to stop and to say a pray for Gayle.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon her.  
May she rest in peace.  
Amen.  
May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.
Amen.

I am sure that, despite all the hard things towards the end, Our Blessed Mother will have held her protecting mantle over Gayle.  A small thing brings this to a strong surety in me, which I can relate..."

Read More Here

Link:

• URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: Gayle – RIP

Prayer Request

Please pray intensely for the complete healing of a woman who has advanced liver cancer and please pray for the full recovery of a man who just suffered a stroke. Thank you.

Pray for Father Tim Finigan

From Father Tim Finigan:

"I had a minor heart attack. One of the doctors did use that expression, though a young nurse who spoke to me later was versed in the new terminology of "cardiac episode" which makes me want to think up a script for Doctor Who. I'm not dead, but the experience of not being able to breathe properly does help to sharpen up one's focus on those meditations of St Alphonsus. Perhaps my many repetitions of the prayer "that we may not be surprised by a sudden and unprovided death" got me off this time..."  (continued)

Read More at The Hermeneutic of Continuity

Link:

• A Minor Cardiac Episode and my view for a while

Navy Chaplain Censored: ‘Don’t pray in the name of Jesus’

Lt. Cmdr. Wes Modder (Courtesy Liberty Institute)

By Todd Starnes

(Fox News) A Navy chaplain who faces the end of a stellar 19-year career because of his faith-based views on marriage and human sexuality was told by a base commander to refrain from offering a prayer in the name of Jesus, according to attorneys representing the chaplain.

That allegation was tucked away in an 18-page letter written to the commander of Navy Region Southeast by Liberty Institute attorneys representing Chaplain Wesley Modder. Liberty Institute is a law firm that specializes in religious liberty cases.

Liberty Institute asserts that Chaplain Modder’s fate could have a significant impact on every Christian military chaplain.

The letter included the results of Liberty Institute’s investigation of allegations levied against the chaplain by Captain John Fahs.

I’ll tackle that newest allegation later – but first here’s a recap of what I believe to be the LGBT-inspired witch hunt against Chaplain Modder:

Last December, an openly gay officer at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in South Carolina, took offense at Modder’s take on homosexuality. The chaplain, who is endorsed by the Assemblies of God, was accused of discrimination and failing to show tolerance and respect – among other things.

Just a few months earlier, Modder’s commander had called him the “best of the best” and a consummate professional leader.” But now he’s on the verge of being kicked out of the military.
“After our investigation, it is clear that the facts and law are on Chaplain Modder’s side,” Liberty Institute attorney Michael Berry said. “He has done nothing more than provide ministerial services in accordance with the precepts of his faith – which is completely consistent with Navy rules and federal law.”

Their letter is a point by point repudiation of the allegations against the highly respected chaplain – a man who once led chaplains who ministered to Navy SEALs.

“We believe the Navy will exonerate Chaplain Modder and restore him to continue his true calling of ministering to sailors and Marines as he has done for the past 15 years,” Berry said.

Liberty Institute maintains that Modder’s private counseling on issues involving human sexuality and same-sex marriage were consistent with the beliefs of his endorsing agency – the Assemblies of God.

“As a result of honoring the tenets of his endorsing denomination, he now faces the loss of his employment and removal from the Navy,” Liberty Institute wrote.

While Chaplain Modder specifically denies accusations that he used inappropriate language or gestures, he does admit to providing answers to questions from a Biblical world view.

“On occasion and only when asked, he expressed his sincerely held religious belief that sexual acts outside of marriage are contrary to biblical teaching; homosexual conduct is contrary to biblical teaching and homosexual orientation or temptation as distinct from conduct is not a sin,” Liberty Institute wrote.

They also reminded the Navy that Department of Defense regulations allow Chaplain Modder to hold religious beliefs.

“Navy chaplains are never required to compromise the standards of their religious organization, but are required to perform in a pluralistic environment,” they wrote.

That brings me back to the moment when Chaplain Modder was told he could not pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

Liberty Institute alleges it happened shortly after Modder assumed chaplaincy responsibilities at the training command. He was asked to deliver an invocation at a ceremony.

As he was walking to the lectern, Fahs is alleged to have told him to deep-six the Jesus talk – “counsel that Chaplain Modder accepted and with which he complied.”

Chaplain Modder’s fate could have a significant impact on every Christian military chaplain, asserts Liberty Institute.

Taking action, they argue, “Would send a dangerous message that other chaplains who share his beliefs – the vast majority of military chaplains – may also suffer adverse personnel actions and would have a profound chilling effect on any chaplain who seeks to provide biblical care.”

And if the Navy silences chaplains – they could certainly silence sailors.

“If the Navy can remove a chaplain who expresses his religious beliefs, then service members who share those beliefs will believe that they, too, are unwelcome in the Navy,” Liberty Institute wrote.

Link:

• Navy Chaplain Censored: ‘Don’t pray in the name of Jesus’

Good Friday: The One About BEING TORTURED AND EXECUTED BY THE PERSON YOU LOVE MOST

By Ann Barnhardt

Several emails have come in asking advice on cultivating an authentic, genuine “personal relationship” with Christ.  The answer is simple, and it comes from Our Lord Himself who has told many mystic saints and doctors of the Church the same thing: THINK AND PRAY ABOUT MY PASSION AND DEATH.  Why?  Because thinking about Our Lord’s torture, agony and excruciating death forces us to confront Him as a Person, True God AND True Man.  Legal systems don’t sob until their capillaries burst.  Philosophies don’t suffer the agony of unrequited love.  Imaginary friends don’t lay down their lives.  Bureaucracies don’t fight asphyxiation by pushing themselves up on their impaled feet.

Only a PERSON can do these things.  Only a DIVINE PERSON did.  And remember, He would go through His ENTIRE PASSION just for you alone, and He would go through it REPEATEDLY for you alone, in fact as many times as you assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and even more.  That is how much He PERSONALLY loves you, PERSONALLY.

Think about that early and often, and I promise that you will develop a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Him.

———————————————

The key to beginning to understand the Incarnation, God becoming Man, is Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. If you recall, after the Last Supper in the Upper Room, Jesus and the apostles, except for Judas who was on his errand of betrayal already, went to the Garden of Gethsemane. John tells us that Jesus went there with the apostles frequently to pray, and thus it would be one of the first places Judas would have known to look for Him. The wheels of the Passion are in motion. Jesus knows exactly what is coming, and that it is coming within a matter of hours.. (continued)

Read More Here

Link:

• Good Friday: The One About BEING TORTURED AND EXECUTED BY THE PERSON YOU LOVE MOST

Pray for Father Benedict Groeschel

From Women of Grace:

By SBrinkmann

Our ministry received an email from the CFR Lay Associates asking for prayer for Father Benedict Groeschel who took a tumble and hurt the same arm that was so seriously wounded in an accident 10 years ago. We’re being asked to pray for him through the intercession of an old roommate of his, a man who is now on the road to beatification.

The following is the email we received on Sunday:

“May the Lord give you His peace!

Most of us remember when Father Benedict had his accident. It was about 10 years ago, and his life was in a balance. That was when a prayer for Father’s healing was promoted on EWTN. It is believed that it was the power of literally thousands of us praying for Father that moved Our Lord to heal him and restore him to us.

Two weeks ago Father Benedict had another accident. He fell directly on the arm which was shattered so long ago. His age and his weakness contraindicate the surgery that would restore his arm. Although he seems to be doing well, he is weak and in pain.

At yesterday’s associate’s day Father Glenn asked us to begin another round of prayer for Father Benedict, but with a difference. When Fr. Benedict was a novice he lived with a holy friar who is now up for beatification: Venerable Solanus Casey. We are asked to pray the below prayer for Father Benedict through the intercession of Venerable Solanus Casey only, and to pass this prayer on to all contemplative communities, and prayer chains that we know. Yes, we are asking for healing for Father Benedict, but also for the miracle that Venerable Solanus needs for beatification. All for the glory of God.

Thank you!!”

Prayer for Fr. Benedict:

O Gracious and loving father,
we humbly implore You
to look kindly upon Your son and servant
Father Benedict Joseph.

Invoking Your Divine Mercy,
we ask that You manifest in a unique, evident, and wonderful way
relief from the burden of his present illness and injury.

As we approach Your Holy Majesty
with certain faith, sure hope, and full confidence,
we beg to obtain this special grace;
so that he may receive even now
a foretaste of the full reward
that awaits him in the future.

We entrust this prayer in a special way
to Your dedicated and faithful servant,
Father Solanus Casey.

May this holy friar,
who so inspired Father Benedict here on earth,
now powerfully intercede for him from heaven.

Amen.

Link:

• Pray for Father Groeschel!

Please Pray for the Two Phoenix FSSP Priests – One Murdered, One in Critical Condition

By Ann Barnhardt:

...In your charity, please pray for the repose of the soul of young Fr. Kenneth Walker, and for the healing of Fr. Joseph Terra, and for their families.

Oremus: O God, Who didst give to thy servant, Kenneth, by his sacerdotal office, a share in the priesthood of the Apostles, grant, we implore, that he may also be one of their company forever in Heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Requiem Aeternam dona ei, Domine.
Et lux perpetua luceat ei.
Requiescat in pace.

Fr. Kenneth Walker celebrating his first Mass in June 2012.

Link:

• Please Pray for the Two Phoenix FSSP Priests – One Murdered, One in Critical Condition

Related:

• Priest killed, another one injured in attack at Catholic church in Phoenix

Pope gives final Sunday blessing before resigning

By FRANCES D'EMILIO
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI bestowed his final Sunday blessing of his pontificate on a cheering crowd in St. Peter's Square, explaining that his waning years and energy made him better suited to the life of private prayer he soon will spend in a secluded monastery than as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

On Thursday evening, the 85-year-old German-born theologian will become the first pope to have resigned from the papacy in 600 years.

Sunday's noon appearance from his studio window overlooking the vast square was his next-to-last appointment with the public of his nearly eight-year papacy. Tens of thousands of faithful and other admirers have already asked the Vatican for a seat in the square for his last general audience Wednesday.

Perhaps emotionally buoyed by the warm welcome, thunderous applause and the many banners reading "Grazie" (Thanks) held up in the crowd estimated by police to number 100,000, Benedict looked relaxed and sounded energized, in sharp contrast to his apparent frailty and weariness of recent months.

In a strong and clear voice, Benedict told the pilgrims, tourists and Romans in the square that God had called him to dedicate himself "even more to prayer and meditation," which he will do in a monastery being renovated for him on the grounds behind Vatican City's ancient walls.

"But this doesn't mean abandoning the church," he said, as many in the crowd looked sad at his approaching departure. "On the contrary, if God asks me, this is because I can continue to serve it (the church) with the same dedication and the same love which I have tried to do so until now, but in a way more suitable to my age and to my strength."

The phrase "tried to" was the pope's adlibbed addition to his prepared text.

Benedict smiled in pleasure at the crowd after an aide parted the white curtain at his window and he gazed at the people packing the square, craning their head for a look at him. Giving greetings in several languages, he gratefully acknowledged what he said was an outpouring of "gratitude, affection and closeness in prayer" since he stunned the church and its 1.2 billion members on Feb. 11 with his decision to renounce his papacy and retreat into a world of contemplation.

"Prayer is not isolating oneself from the world and its contradictions," Benedict told the crowd. He said he had heard God's call to prayer, "which gives breath to our spiritual life" in a special way "at this moment of my life."

Heavy rain had been forecast for Rome, and some drizzle dampened the square earlier in the morning. But when Benedict appeared, to the peal of church bells as the clock struck noon, blue sky crept through the clouds.

"We thank God for the sun he has given us," the pope said.

Even as the cheering continued and shouts of "Long live the pope" went up in Italian and Spanish, the pontiff simply turned away from his window and stepped back down into the apartment, which he will leave Thursday, taking a helicopter to the Vatican summer residence in the hills outside Rome while he waits for the monastery to be ready.

A child in the crowd held up a sign on a yellow placard, written in Italian, "You are not alone, I'm with you."

No date has yet been set for the start of the conclave of cardinals, who will vote in secret to elect Benedict's successor.

"Now there will be two popes," said the Rev. Vilmar Pavesi, a Portuguese priest who was among the throngs in the square. "There will be the pope of Rome, the elected pope, and there will be the bishop emeritus of Rome, who will live the life of a monk inside the Vatican walls."

One Italian in the crowd seemed to be doing a little campaigning, hoisting a sign which mentioned the names of two Italian cardinals considered by observers to be potential contenders in the selection of the next pontiff.

Flags in the crowd represented many nations, with a large number from Brazil.

The cardinals in the conclave will have to decide whether it's time to look outside of Europe for a pope. The papacy was considered the realm of Italian prelates for centuries, until a Pole, John Paul II, was elected as pontiff in 1978, to be followed in 2005 by the German-born Benedict.

Crucially, Italian prelates have continued to run the behind-the-scenes machinery of the church's governance, and cardinals will likely be deciding what role the Italians might have played in a series of scandals clouding the central bureaucracy, including allegations of corruption and power-grabbing.

Benedict has not made any direct comment on details of the scandals.

In one of his last papal tweets, Benedict wrote Sunday in English: "In these momentous days, I ask you to pray for me and for the church, trusting as always in divine providence."

Link:

• Pope gives final Sunday blessing before resigning 
  

Thompson Valley High School student's rosary beads taken away

Manuel Vigil has had two sets confiscated in three weeks by the school, which says they're gang-related

By Jessica Maher

(Loveland Reporter-Herald) In an attempt to keep gang activity out of the school, Thompson Valley High School officials say they take any number of measures, including barring rosary beads when their use is deemed inappropriate.

And in the three weeks since school has been in session, Thompson Valley High junior Manuel Vigil has had two sets of rosary beads he wore around his neck confiscated.

Vigil, who is Catholic, has worn the rosary beads around his neck all summer. His mother, Antoinette Ramirez, said they've become especially important in helping him deal with the recent murder of an uncle in California.

"Having the rosary taken away was kind of like a huge hit for him," she said. "He wears it as a form of protection for himself."

But officials say that rosary beads themselves are not prohibited.

"It wasn't consistent with what would normally be a rosary, and because of that we felt like it could be gang-related," principal Mark Johnson said. "There was no punishment; we just removed it."

According to the Thompson School District dress code, unacceptable items include any clothing, grooming, jewelry, accessories or body adornments that "by virtue of color, arrangement, trademark, or other attribute denote membership in gangs which advocate drug use, violence, or disruptive behavior."

The school enforces its policy based on information from the Loveland Police Department.

"We meet with the gang unit on a regular basis, and they do tell us what to look for," Johnson said. "We want to make sure we keep on top of what is the latest gang stuff."

The latest in gang trends, and what the school may choose to ban, varies from year to year. At Thompson Valley High, bandanas and clothing with gang names or symbols are never allowed. At times, certain colors are prohibited if it appears a student is wearing a color to signal gang affiliation.

"It depends on what's going on in the world," Johnson said. "You have to pay attention to colors and what they're doing."

In Greeley-Evans School District 6, some numbers are banned based on street number gangs, which caused a recent firestorm when a third-grader had a Denver Broncos No. 18 Peyton Manning jersey barred.
Across the country, rosary beads around the neck have been barred in schools because some gangs, including the Sureños and the Latin Kings, wear them that way. If a student wears a rosary around his neck at Thompson Valley High, Johnson said it's the school's policy to ask the student why he's wearing it.

It's often a case-by-case situation, said Johnson, who said Vigil's response was simply that he had the right to wear the rosary beads.

"If we determine that something is gang-related, then we have the right to say they can't wear it, so some of that is subjective," he said.
While the purpose of the rosary is to aid in prayer and not as a means of fashion, the Rev. Sam Morehead of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Loveland said the church allows wearing rosary beads as a necklace. Particularly in Hispanic culture, Morehead said wearing a rosary around the neck has become an important part of Catholic identity in the past 20 or 30 years.

"It's actually quite distressing for me personally to hear that something that represents one's Catholic faith is being seemingly persecuted in the school setting when it is certainly not a symbol of gang membership," he said.

According to Loveland Police Sgt. David Murphy, who leads the school resource officers in the Thompson School District, Vigil's rosary had a red-flagging 13 beads in a row instead of a traditional rosary with 10 beads. The number 13 is sometimes associated with the Sureños gang, Murphy said.

According to Ramirez, her son purchased the rosaries at teen retailer rue21 and had not noticed the number of beads.

"For him, he feels safe when he has it on," she said.

While a rosary with 13 beads in a row might be considered suspicious, Morehead said he would be hesitant to rush to any conclusions.

"For all the lack of knowledge that there is and perhaps any naivete, there is still a lot of good will for people who want to have this symbol of faith," he said.

Jessica Maher can be reached at 669-5050 ext. 516 or maherj@reporter-herald.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JessicaMaherRH.

Link:

• Thompson Valley High School student's rosary beads taken away

"URGENT PRAYER REQUEST"

From Father John Trigilio:

"Very dear friends of mine needs your prayers. Their daughter is less than 8 mo. pregnant and her water broke this morning. PLEASE pray for the mom and her unborn son this today. They are a very devout young couple and are exemplary Catholics. The mother is like the niece I never had since none of my brothers ever married or had children. I am praying to Saint Monica on her feast today as she was a mother and is the patroness of persevering prayer."

On Prayer & '78 Chryslers

By Ann Barnhardt @ Barnhardt.biz

I get a steady stream of emails from people telling me that I'm not really Christian because

A.) I'm Catholic and Catholicism is a pagan cult and

B.) If I was really a Christian I would know that nothing in the world matters and all of my actions are a complete waste and a distraction from the only truly Christian activity, which is prayer.

In regards to point A, all I can say is “thank you” for letting me know, because I'm obviously not very well read, struggle with abstract and critical thought and am an extremely gullible follower-type. I just became Catholic for the Bingo.

With regards to point B, the scripture passage used to justify the whole Quietism heresy, which is what that argument is, is good old Ephesians 6:12.

“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.”

First, in a nutshell, Quietism is a Christian heresy that declares that man's highest perfection is physical and mental self-annihilation wherein the individual no longer thinks, wills or acts on its own account. It is a total and complete passivity during one's earthly life, made to sound pious by claiming that this passive state is “prayer”, when it is really a Hindu-Buddhist nihilistic meditation.

God did not make man so that man might NOT exist. God made man so that we might dwell in the Triune Godhead, the entire essence of which is “To Be”, “To Love” and “To Reason”. Quietism is like going to Rocky Mountain National Park on the most beautiful day of the year and then locking oneself in a Porta-John. Enjoy that scenery and fresh air, Tiger.

Now to Ephesians 6:12. Ephesians 6 is quite possibly the most militaristic, kick-butts-and-take-names passage in the New Testament. If I may be permitted to make a Taco Bell simile, the imagery is Seal Team Six crossed with a Spartan Phalanx, all wrapped in the Chalupa of the Church Militant.

What Ephesians 6:12 is saying is that the power behind the earthly flesh-and-blood enemy is satan and his demons, and we must be mindful of that fact at all times, using prayer to fortify ourselves against their attacks on our spirits, which can lead directly to despair and a loss of faith as we fight the good fight on earth.

People misread this verse to say that we need not worry AT ALL about flesh and blood enemies, when it says no such thing. It is saying that when we engage flesh-and-blood enemies we must remember that the drivers of those fleshy enemies are demons that we can't see. In other words, AMBUSH, AMBUSH, AMBUSH!

We know that Ephesians 6:12 is talking specifically about demons because of the words “principalities, powers, and rulers.” The realm of angels are divided into three Spheres with each Sphere consisting of three sub-types of angels. Even if you think this is starting to sound goofy and a little too “fairy tale” for you, stay with me, because this gets FASCINATING.

Because satan and demons are fallen angels, they are organized in exactly the same way as angels. God made them, and they are what they are except that they have freely chosen to pervert themselves into evil agents.

The First Sphere of angels consists of Seraphim, which surround the Throne of God. Next are the Cherubim, which act as guards. In scripture they guard both the Throne of God and the Tree of Life. Since Jesus is the Fruit of the Tree of Life, it makes sense that Cherubim were standing guard for Him when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden. Wait, you didn't know that Jesus and the Eucharist was in the Garden? You didn't know that it was God's will for humanity to physically consume Him as Divine Food even before the Fall? You didn't know that Jesus (the edible Fruit) nailed to the Cross (the Tree of Life) was the re-establishment and re-invitation for humanity to re-enter the Garden and eat? Yeah, it's pretty amazing the stuff you can learn playing Bingo.

The third class in the first sphere are called “Thrones” or sometimes “Wheels”. They are living symbols of God's Justice and Authority. Within the last hundred years or so, some very trippy heretics have taught that they are UFOs/space aliens. They are not amused by this.

The Second Sphere consists of heavenly governors. First come the Dominions, who regulate the duties of lower angels. Next come the Virtues who supervise the workings of the cosmos and physical universe. The Virtues are big physics buffs except they have no body odor and can totally talk to girls if they need to do so. Could it be that the demonic equivalent of the Virtues are behind natural disasters? Hmmm. That would explain quite a bit, wouldn't it.

Then come the Powers, who are mentioned in Ephesians 6:12. They are – get this – the bearers of conscience and keepers of history. They are WARRIORS whose duty is to oversee the distribution of power among men. And remember, all of these classes of angels have demonic counterparts. Is it all starting to make sense now?

Finally, the first class in the Third Sphere consists of Principalities or Rulers, which are specifically mentioned in Ephesians 6:12. Their job is to oversee groups of people and to inspire people in art and science. In other words, they put good ideas in men's heads. And yes, they have demonic counterparts, which is what St. Paul is so strongly warning us to be aware of and to defend ourselves against.

AMBUSH, AMBUSH, AMBUSH!

Next are the Archangels who are the guardian angels of nations and countries and are concerned with politics, military matters, commerce and trade. What? You think they aren't involved in those things? You think they just fly around and play with each others' hair? Remember once again that there are demonic counterparts here as well - as there are in the last group, Angels, who are our personal guardian angels. It is comforting to think that we have a super-awesome celestial being covering our six, but this also means that we have at least one demon working on us too. My guardian angel probably wants to turn me over its knee and give me a good spanking. He'll have to take a number and get in line.

Do we now see that St. Paul wasn't telling us to ignore the world in Ephesians 6:12, but rather to keep one eye on the world and one eye on the demons driving the world from their “high places”? This is why we must “pray at all times in the spirit” (verse 18), because we are fighting a war with two very real fronts that MUST be engaged simultaneously. Ignore one front and the other WILL defeat you.

Now about the '78 Chrysler . . .

Link:

• On Prayer & '78 Chryslers

Cardinal sin: Bam blew off DNC blessing

From the New York Post - h/t to Digi:

By Carl Campanile

WASHINGTON — President Obama turned down a chance to have Timothy Cardinal Dolan deliver a prayer at the Democratic National Convention after Dolan told Democrats he would be “grateful” to deliver a blessing in Charlotte.

Dolan — considered the top Catholic official in the nation, as head of the Archdiocese of New York and president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops — tipped off Democrats a few weeks ago that he had agreed to deliver the prime-time benediction at the Republican convention in Tampa next week, Dolan’s spokesman Joseph Zwilling told The Post.

“He wanted to make sure that they knew that this was not a partisan act on his part and that he would be just as happy and grateful to accept an invitation from the Democrats as he would to have received one from the Republicans,” said Zwilling.

“He has not been contacted by them” since, he added.

A senior Obama campaign official said yesterday that the Democrats would have a “high-ranking” Catholic at the convention, but indicated the arrangements weren’t yet final.

“I can’t announce it because the person hasn’t got their plane ticket,” said the official.

Obama campaign spokesman Adam Fetcher would say only, “The Catholic clergy will be an important part of a diverse community of interfaith leaders represented in Charlotte.”

Obama and Dolan have clashed publicly over a health-care law requiring employers to provide abortion coverage.

Dolan and other groups filed suit against the rule, claiming it forces church-related groups to act against their conscience.

Still, Dolan invited both Obama and Mitt Romney to his annual Alfred E. Smith dinner in New York City in October.

“The Republicans are smart enough to get the ‘pope of America,’ and the Democrats are stupid enough not to invite him,” said Bill Donohue, of the Catholic League, who said he spoke with Dolan yesterday.

“The Catholic vote is the most critical vote. They’re the wild card,” Donohue told The Post. “So, why wouldn’t you ingratiate yourself to the pope of America and send a wink and a nod to Catholics? That’s just good politics.”

Former Mayor Ed Koch, an Obama supporter who said he likes Dolan, said, “The Republicans are very smart to ask him.”

Romney, a Mormon, is playing for Catholic votes in other ways, even including an image of the late Pope John Paul II in a campaign ad and making references on the stump to running mate Paul Ryan’s Catholic faith.

“That kind of narrow play isn’t gonna get them very far,” said another senior Democratic campaign official. Obama, who split the Catholic vote with John McCain in 2008, will need to limit defections to hold on to states like Wisconsin, where the polls are tightening.

Although Dolan pledges that his prayers won’t be “partisan,” he is praying that Hurricane Isaac — now steaming through the Caribbean — won’t spoil the festivities in Tampa. “I’m sure yes that he would keep that in mind as part of his regular daily prayers,” said Zwilling.

Links:

• Cardinal sin: Bam blew off DNC blessing
• Who will be the DNC's "high-ranking Catholic?"

Cardinal Burke on the Liturgy - Traditional Latin Mass and Ordinary Form, New English Translation

Cardinal Raymond L. Burke with Raymond Arroyo on EWTN:


h/t New Liturgical Movement

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Colorado shooting victim on James Holmes: ‘I forgive him with all my heart’

By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News | The Lookout

It would be understandable for the victims of the Colorado theater shooting and their families to want retribution.

But Pierce O'Farrill, a 28-year-old who was shot three times in the Aurora massacre, says he has forgiven James Holmes, the suspected shooter in last week's Aurora, Colo., massacre.

"Of course, I forgive him with all my heart," O'Farrill told reporters shortly before his release from the Univ. of Colorado Hospital on Wednesday. "When I saw him in his hearing, I felt nothing but sorrow for him--he's just a lost soul right now."

O'Farrill--a staffer at the Denver Rescue Mission, a Christian charity organization that helps "people at their physical and spiritual points of need, with the goal of returning them to society as productive, self-sufficient citizens"--told the Denver Post he would eventually like to meet Holmes.

"I want to see him sometime," O'Farrill, one of 58 people wounded in the shooting, said. "The first thing I want to say to him is 'I forgive you,' and the next is, 'Can I pray for you?'" (continued)

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