Fortnight For Freedom: Imitating Christ in Times of Tribulation

Heading toward Independence Day (That's the "Fourth of July"), the Church is under attack.  Our religious freedoms are being infringed upon by our government. 

Make no mistake, I love this country, and have served her and the government.  I find it extraordinary that this government would surgically strike at the foundations of its existence.  This country was founded upon religious freedom....defined by it even.

Through the lens of history, we can see how such government actions which start at a kernel of infringement soon eat away at all aspects of worship.



March fofr Life 2012

 So, I publicly oppose the initiatives by the government to force us into unconstitutional, unjust laws, such as the providing of those reproductive services (rather...anti-reproductive services), which are contrary to our faith as Christians.  The shell-game of pushing this mandate onto the insurance providers instead of the church directly is no different than handing the instrument of death to an assassin and then claiming innocence upon the death of the intended victim.

As we move forward in this "Fortnight for Freedom" we must imitate Christ by:

1. Praying...a lot.  Especially for our government leaders.
2. Attending "Fortnight for Freedom" events.  Check with your local church or diocese.
3. Call or write your member of Congress and U.S.Senate.  Tell them what you know and how you feel.
4. Register to vote...then vote!  Elections are less than 135 days away (Nov 6, 2012).  Run with this issue all the way down the ballot. 

Here's a meditation from Book 3, Chapter 29: 
How We Should Call Upon God and Bless Him in Time of Tribulation.
"Disciple:  Lord, may Your holy Name be blessed forever, for You have willed to send me this temptation and tribulation.  I cannot escape it, and so I must fly to You for protection.  You alone can help me and turn all to my good.

Lord, even now I am in trouble and my heart is uneasy, for I am harassed  by my present affliction.  And now, my  beloved Father, what shall I say?  I am caught in anguish on every side.  'Save me from this hour?  But it was for this that I came to this hour (Jn 12:27),' that You might be glorified when I am properly humbled and delivered by You.

Please, dear Lord, Deliver me, for what can I do and where shall I go without you, (Jn 6:68), wretched sinner that I am?  Lord, give me patience this time too.  Help me, O my God, and I will no longer fear or dread whatever troubles befall me." 



St Thomas More

 St. Thomas More, St. John Fisher, pray for us!



St. John Fisher

 Until next time:
tim

Book 1, CHAPTER 23. Of Meditation Upon Death

Every day we see it all around us:  Death.  In fact, these days, it's even a fashion statement. Aren't these ever-so-cute! 
Pope John Paul II said that we live in a culture of death.  And he was right.  This past century has witnessed the violent deaths of millions by war, persecution, genocide, abortion and more.

So, we know it's coming, either in by of calamity, or in the gentle darkness of the night, or through a virulent strain of an uncontrollable disease, like cancer or ALS.

Thomas, accordingly, offers us a profound meditation on our end-of-life.  His message is simple:  Get your house in order.  Avoid sin at all costs.  And don't think that you will be exempt from this event.

"Very quickly you will be gone from here; take heed, therefore, and pay attention on how it will be with you in the next world. Today man is, and tomorrow he will be seen no more. (1 Mc 2:63).

And being removed out of sight, you will also be quickly out of mind.

Oh, the dullness and hardness of our hearts, which think only of the present, and do not look forward to the future.

In every deed and thought we ought to order ourselves, as if we were to die this day.

If we have a good conscience we will not greatly fear death.

It would be better for us to flee from sin, than to fear death.(Dan 13:23)

If today we are not ready, how shall we be ready tomorrow? Tomorrow is an uncertainty; and how do you know even that there will be a tomorrow for you? (Jas 4:14)."

Next time we will look at the benefits (or not) of a long life.

Until then, thanks for praying along with me.
Be Imitators of Christ!
tim

Reset: A Good Method For Handling Life's Challenges

Pretending to Start Over is A Good Method For Handling Life's Challenges - Chapter 22, Book 1, Conclusions

When we learn to start over, or begin something new, we have a certain humility about our view of the situation.  When the challenges come to us, we expect imperfection and quickly act to remedy the fault.  This is what Thomas a'Kempis is talking about here at the end of Chapter 22.

We recognize and admit our thread-bare propensity to weakness.  Even when we are doing the right thing by confessing our grievous faults, we turn around and do these same "favorite sins" all over again.  The hard fought grace is now gone.

And so the counsel this week is to stay fervent, and not grow lukewarm.  Do not rest in curing our faults, and approach our miseries and life's slippery roads as we would if we were a new driver: with caution and quick correction.

6.  The frailty of mankind is great and is so prone to evil! Just today you confessed your sins, and tomorrow you commit again the sins you just confessed.

Now you resolve to avoid a certain fault, and within an hour you behave yourself as if you had never resolved against that fault at all.

Therefore, we have good cause to humble ourselves, and never to think highly of ourselves, seeing that we are so frail and unstable.

And this humility may even be lost quickly by our negligence, by which much labour was hardly attained through grace.

7. What shall become of us at the end, if at the beginning we are lukewarm and idle?

Woe unto us, if we choose to rest, as though it were a time of peace and security, while as yet no sign appears in our life of true holiness.

If only we could begin over again, like good novices, to be instructed in right living, if happily there might be hope of some future progress and greater spiritual maturity.

Next time, we will open Chapter 23, and see what Thomas has to tell us about mortality.

Until then, thank you for reading and praying along with me.

tim

On The Contemplation of Human Misery: "Now is the Time to Fight!"

Last week we read about how these necessities develop our desires, and often result in sin.

We mortals all deal with physical struggles - even the rich.  From hunger to illness, from pursuing the means to sustain our families to obtaining relief from the stresses of our work-a-day world, it's all part of the struggle in this "mortal coil".

Meditating on these aspects of life help us to grow closer to The Lord and put these in context with the eternal.  Thomas helps us to understand how to handle the realities of this life.

Why, oh why, would Thomas take us through a meditation on misery? Doesn't God always want us to be joyful and happy? Or, when we do have to meet our necessities, shouldn't we be singing about it?

Thomas tells us to balance these miseries with hope.  But that we must take action.  Action equals motivation, motivation equals movement, movement equals progress.  "Now is the time to fight!"

3. Our inward thoughts are heavily burdened with the necessities of the body in this world. For that reason the prophet devoutly prays to be freed from these needs, saying, “Deliver me from my necessities, O Lord (Ps, 25:17)” 

But woe to those who do not know their own misery, and yet greater woe to those who love this miserable and corruptible life. For to such a degree do many cling to this world (even though by laboring or begging they barely obtain what is necessary for living) that if they might live here always, they would not care anything for the Kingdom of God.

4. Oh foolish and faithless of heart, you lie buried so deep in worldly things, that you relish nothing except the things of the flesh! Miserable ones!

Sadly, you will find out at the end of your life, how foul and worthless those worldly things were which you loved. The saints of God and all loyal friends of Christ valued as nothing the things which pleased the flesh, or those which flourished in this life, but their whole hope and affection aspired to the things which are from Heaven. Their whole desire was borne upwards to eternally everlasting and invisible things, being drawn downwards by the love of visible things.

5.  However, brothers and sisters, do not lose your heartfelt desire of progressing toward spiritual things. There is still time, the hour is not yet past. Why do you put off your resolution  from day to day?

Arise, begin this very moment, and say, "Now is the time to do, now is the time to fight, now is the proper time for amendment."

When you are ill at ease and troubled, then is the time when you are near to blessing. You must go through fire and water so that God may bring you into a refreshing place (Ps. 66:12) Unless you put force upon yourself, you will not conquer your faults. So long as we carry about with us this frail body, we cannot be without sin, we cannot live without weariness and trouble.

Gladly would we have relief from all misery; but because through sin we have lost innocence, we have lost also true happiness. Therefore we must be patient, and wait for the God’s mercy, until this tyranny be past, and this mortality be swallowed up by life. (2 Cor 5:4).

Next time we will finish this chapter with some thoughts on human frailty and sin, as well as a caution from Good Thomas.

Until next time, thanks for reading and praying along with me.
tim