Tribulation Times
February 9, 2015
(Psa 104:24) How great are thy works, O Lord ? thou hast made all things in wisdom: the earth is filled with thy riches.
LINK: Chastity and Eternal Life by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
EXCERPT VIA Anne Lastman: Broken Branches Issue 103 (http://www.victimsofabortion.
Abortion: The fight against evil
From the study of the history of the fight between good and evil and the community temptations of the devil of the last 150 years, there is no doubt that the truth- God's Truth- goes on to win. But then the evil one turns up with other lies. So the lies of apartheid, the Third Reich of Nazi Germany, communism, slavery and racism with their specious half-truths or less, have come and gone.
Some time the message runs on: "this is necessary sad to say. This is the way it has to be" Or, is it the excitement of being one of the chosen ones- the winning team. We can look back with sad amazement: how could anybody give their lives for such a wrong cause and for such an evil thing for their lives and the lives of others?
So it will be with the evil of abortion: being encouraged by sick and evil laws to have your own baby killed. Proponents of abortion say "It is not a baby or a person with rights," so by the millions and all around the world babies are being killed through abortion. That evil craziness we know is running out of puff. But meanwhile many things have to be done by us to make God's way to win.
Well one of the things we can do is to call down God's blessings on the ultra sound screens as people are viewing what is happening exactly here within this womb before me.
People like Abby Johnson, recently in Australia, and others before her over the last forty years have said: "God one day used an ultrasound image to bring about their conversion to the truth from out of the morass of lies from the culture of death to the Gospel of life."
People, so sad afterwards; have been telling their history after years of sorrow, sadness, and shame. We were told lies that were constantly being spread: "It is not a baby. It is just a blob of tissue." "There is no one there to feel anything," or, "this termination of pregnancy is a simple one? day surgery procedure. Not much more than going to the dentist really."
"Most people don't have and ongoing repercussions or consequences afterwards. You shouldn't have much trouble going back to your University class after lunch, or your job tomorrow morning." "Sad to say: this is the best and most necessary way of dealing with your problem, an unplanned pregnancy, and it is very brave really. Not many young women your age have the courage to go through with this." "Everything is going to be alright."
These and other lies gently reassuring, from the pit of hell. So what is the truth? The truth is: this is a baby, bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This baby- my baby- will look a lot like me. In the photo album of my life, if ultra sounds were available back then, I could have had a picture in my album of me at this stage of my development looking just like the image on the screen before me. This baby is a person to be, and he/she is alive and has basic human rights, even if invisible to the eyes under mother's skin.
And "that" - what is being proposed here? It is the killing: killing of my baby. It is murder. It is not fashionable to use these rough words on gentle young ladies, but that is the truth. It is horror, one-sided violence against someone who cannot protect themselves. It is being the terrorist that I condemn in others. It can be the worst choice and decision that I will ever make in my whole life, totally irreversible, like suicide. It is destroying the most helpless and trusting person on the plant, with my meant to be closest of kin.
Every baby brings a cloud burst of love as it is born. I am being the most anti God here if I choose to abort my baby. I am changing sides to let the most anti God, antilove, anti me person in the universe have a win out of my fears.
Well that is how it is before I sin - if I sin.
Afterwards, when I come to God with the truth of my sin, I meet welcome, mercy, forgiveness, love, acceptance, and God's open hands - a new chapter for my life.
I believe that when the Bishop at my ordination ceremony proclaimed about me as Priest: "whatever you bless will be blessed, whoever you bless will be blessed" it was given to me the power to rock the universe, and so with total faith and obedient knowing, I bless the ultrasound screens of planet earth this day which depict the images of the unborn child within.
As I bless, I know that something has changed in the Spirit world- the world of the invisible -where truth and lies and murder come from. I do that priestly blessing many times, day and night. The lies of the devil are really like fragile balloons or soap bubbles that burst by the graces of the crown of thorns.
The lies, like smoke and smog surrounding man in a mist of confusion and fear are blown away by the Breath of the Holy Spirit so that truth and trust are awakened. You may say: "Well, that is OK for the Priest to do that - he has the power to bless. Well dear reader, you too can bring blessings to the ultra sound screens of this day.
The Vatican II documents and the Catholic Catechism constantly repeat the Church's teaching: Christ shares His Priesthood in two ways: The universal priesthood of all the baptised followers and the ministerial priesthood of Deacons, Priest and Bishops.
Our Lord shares his priestly power, the power of bringing God to the world and the world to God with all the Baptised.
As a Baptised follower I am His priest in the new creation level of my Baptism, confirmation and Marriage Vows. Because I am Baptised He is calling me to fight the evil in my time - part of which is the widespread culture of death in our time and place.
We can follow the story in Mark's Gospel Chapter 1:29-31. Simon's mother in law was sick with a fever and they told Him about her. Later in the day they brought to Him those in need of healing.
So if God is calling me to join in the pro-life battle against the evil one, I talk to Jesus about that. I can bring to Him for His Daily Blessings the ultra sound machines that portray the sight of life within the womb.
May the Holy Spirit be strong there - The Spirit of Truth, the Life Giver. May Our Lady of the nine months pregnancy share her graces with the young mother if she is being pressured by the culture of death - her boyfriend, her parents etc. "Go on, you have to do it. It's the only way out."
May the Angel, who brought solace to Jesus in His time of horror in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His Angelic companions, whisper to the young Mum and her loved ones whatever truth - God's Truth - is needed here "Thou shalt not kill." "He/she who lives by the sword, dies by the sword." "God will provide." His promises from His Holy Word are the antidote to fearing and focusing on only the worst that "must happen" in the nearby future.
As I make the sign of the Cross many times a day I ask for the truth graces of Calvary to be applied to someone where the ultra sound imaging is happening.
When I look at the Chalice elevated at Mass I can ask Our Lord for His precious blood to wash the ultra sound screens of today around the world, and the hearts and minds and thinking of those involved.
I know these are ways for praying for one aspect of the Gospel of Life story God entrusts you with.
Fr Hilary 2014.
The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
41. A hermit said, 'Before soldiers or hunters start on expeditions, they do not consider whether some will be wounded while others will be unhurt. Each one fights for himself alone. That is how a monk should be.'
Prayer request? Send an email to: PrayerRequest3@aol.com
February 9, 2015
(Psa 104:24) How great are thy works, O Lord ? thou hast made all things in wisdom: the earth is filled with thy riches.
LINK: Chastity and Eternal Life by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
EXCERPT VIA Anne Lastman: Broken Branches Issue 103 (http://www.victimsofabortion.
Abortion: The fight against evil
From the study of the history of the fight between good and evil and the community temptations of the devil of the last 150 years, there is no doubt that the truth- God's Truth- goes on to win. But then the evil one turns up with other lies. So the lies of apartheid, the Third Reich of Nazi Germany, communism, slavery and racism with their specious half-truths or less, have come and gone.
Some time the message runs on: "this is necessary sad to say. This is the way it has to be" Or, is it the excitement of being one of the chosen ones- the winning team. We can look back with sad amazement: how could anybody give their lives for such a wrong cause and for such an evil thing for their lives and the lives of others?
So it will be with the evil of abortion: being encouraged by sick and evil laws to have your own baby killed. Proponents of abortion say "It is not a baby or a person with rights," so by the millions and all around the world babies are being killed through abortion. That evil craziness we know is running out of puff. But meanwhile many things have to be done by us to make God's way to win.
Well one of the things we can do is to call down God's blessings on the ultra sound screens as people are viewing what is happening exactly here within this womb before me.
People like Abby Johnson, recently in Australia, and others before her over the last forty years have said: "God one day used an ultrasound image to bring about their conversion to the truth from out of the morass of lies from the culture of death to the Gospel of life."
People, so sad afterwards; have been telling their history after years of sorrow, sadness, and shame. We were told lies that were constantly being spread: "It is not a baby. It is just a blob of tissue." "There is no one there to feel anything," or, "this termination of pregnancy is a simple one? day surgery procedure. Not much more than going to the dentist really."
"Most people don't have and ongoing repercussions or consequences afterwards. You shouldn't have much trouble going back to your University class after lunch, or your job tomorrow morning." "Sad to say: this is the best and most necessary way of dealing with your problem, an unplanned pregnancy, and it is very brave really. Not many young women your age have the courage to go through with this." "Everything is going to be alright."
These and other lies gently reassuring, from the pit of hell. So what is the truth? The truth is: this is a baby, bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This baby- my baby- will look a lot like me. In the photo album of my life, if ultra sounds were available back then, I could have had a picture in my album of me at this stage of my development looking just like the image on the screen before me. This baby is a person to be, and he/she is alive and has basic human rights, even if invisible to the eyes under mother's skin.
And "that" - what is being proposed here? It is the killing: killing of my baby. It is murder. It is not fashionable to use these rough words on gentle young ladies, but that is the truth. It is horror, one-sided violence against someone who cannot protect themselves. It is being the terrorist that I condemn in others. It can be the worst choice and decision that I will ever make in my whole life, totally irreversible, like suicide. It is destroying the most helpless and trusting person on the plant, with my meant to be closest of kin.
Every baby brings a cloud burst of love as it is born. I am being the most anti God here if I choose to abort my baby. I am changing sides to let the most anti God, antilove, anti me person in the universe have a win out of my fears.
Well that is how it is before I sin - if I sin.
Afterwards, when I come to God with the truth of my sin, I meet welcome, mercy, forgiveness, love, acceptance, and God's open hands - a new chapter for my life.
I believe that when the Bishop at my ordination ceremony proclaimed about me as Priest: "whatever you bless will be blessed, whoever you bless will be blessed" it was given to me the power to rock the universe, and so with total faith and obedient knowing, I bless the ultrasound screens of planet earth this day which depict the images of the unborn child within.
As I bless, I know that something has changed in the Spirit world- the world of the invisible -where truth and lies and murder come from. I do that priestly blessing many times, day and night. The lies of the devil are really like fragile balloons or soap bubbles that burst by the graces of the crown of thorns.
The lies, like smoke and smog surrounding man in a mist of confusion and fear are blown away by the Breath of the Holy Spirit so that truth and trust are awakened. You may say: "Well, that is OK for the Priest to do that - he has the power to bless. Well dear reader, you too can bring blessings to the ultra sound screens of this day.
The Vatican II documents and the Catholic Catechism constantly repeat the Church's teaching: Christ shares His Priesthood in two ways: The universal priesthood of all the baptised followers and the ministerial priesthood of Deacons, Priest and Bishops.
Our Lord shares his priestly power, the power of bringing God to the world and the world to God with all the Baptised.
As a Baptised follower I am His priest in the new creation level of my Baptism, confirmation and Marriage Vows. Because I am Baptised He is calling me to fight the evil in my time - part of which is the widespread culture of death in our time and place.
We can follow the story in Mark's Gospel Chapter 1:29-31. Simon's mother in law was sick with a fever and they told Him about her. Later in the day they brought to Him those in need of healing.
So if God is calling me to join in the pro-life battle against the evil one, I talk to Jesus about that. I can bring to Him for His Daily Blessings the ultra sound machines that portray the sight of life within the womb.
May the Holy Spirit be strong there - The Spirit of Truth, the Life Giver. May Our Lady of the nine months pregnancy share her graces with the young mother if she is being pressured by the culture of death - her boyfriend, her parents etc. "Go on, you have to do it. It's the only way out."
May the Angel, who brought solace to Jesus in His time of horror in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His Angelic companions, whisper to the young Mum and her loved ones whatever truth - God's Truth - is needed here "Thou shalt not kill." "He/she who lives by the sword, dies by the sword." "God will provide." His promises from His Holy Word are the antidote to fearing and focusing on only the worst that "must happen" in the nearby future.
As I make the sign of the Cross many times a day I ask for the truth graces of Calvary to be applied to someone where the ultra sound imaging is happening.
When I look at the Chalice elevated at Mass I can ask Our Lord for His precious blood to wash the ultra sound screens of today around the world, and the hearts and minds and thinking of those involved.
I know these are ways for praying for one aspect of the Gospel of Life story God entrusts you with.
Fr Hilary 2014.
The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
41. A hermit said, 'Before soldiers or hunters start on expeditions, they do not consider whether some will be wounded while others will be unhurt. Each one fights for himself alone. That is how a monk should be.'
Prayer request? Send an email to: PrayerRequest3@aol.com
This month's archive can be found at: http://www.
