Fortitude

Another great article found in Our Sunday Visitor (OSV). I hope you have the time to read it. It starts:

A while back I heard a homilist quote a cardinal who heads a major American archdiocese: “I will die in my bed, my successor will die in prison, and his successor will die a martyr in the public square.”
The homilist didn’t leave it at that. “The persecution of the Church in America isn’t coming,” he told the congregation grimly, “it’s already here.”
This is a man not much given to flamboyant rhetoric. His text was from St. Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy, with its exhortation to Christians to “bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God” (2 Tm 1:8).
Bearing hardship for the Gospel is central to fortitude. American Catholics soon may be called to practice fortitude by bearing more of it than many suppose. 

Please go here to read the entire article.

These are trying times for Catholics. We must have the fortitude, will, and strength to defend our faith. There are times to be silent, there are times to turn the other cheek, and there are times, like now, to speak out and defend our faith. We cannot bury our heads in the sand.

What can you do? A lot. Speak up. If nothing else, contact your local, state and federal representatives. Get to know what is happening. Do not rely on the media – they are in the secularist/socialist camp. Join political action groups. Know the facts, so you can speak of the issues with you family, neighbors and friends.

Remember Cardinal George’s words: “I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history.” This may happen sooner than Cardinal George see it.

Sadly, there are many of us who decided to vote what we think would fatten our pocket books instead of our faith. Now we need to deal with the consequences. We cannot now stand idly by.

“I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history.”

Papal Letter to the Knights of Columbus "Plugs" Religions Freedom Efforts of U.S. Catholics

Pope Benedict encouraged the Knights of Columbus and indirectly all of us to continue our efforts for religious freedom. This is the responsibility of all of us. This is our time. Each generation has it challenges – religious freedom is now ours. Will you step up to the plate or let it pass with indifference? Following is the text of the message the Vatican sent to the Knights. The elections are just around the corner. Will you vote to defend the church, to stop this harassment of Catholics, to stop the trampling on and removal of our religious rights?

PAPAL LETTER TO KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

Via Zenit

[Emphasis added by me]

"concerted efforts are being made to redefine and restrict the exercise of the right to religious freedom"

VATICAN CITY, AUG. 3, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is the July 19 letter sent by Benedict XVI's secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to Carl Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus. The letter is on the occasion of the Knights' 130th Supreme Convention, which will be held next week, and deals with the matter of religious freedom.

* * *

Dear Mr. Anderson,

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI was pleased to learn that from 7 to 9 August 2012 the 130th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus will be held in Anaheim, California. He has asked me to convey his warm greetings to all in attendance, together with the assurance of his closeness in prayer.

The theme of this year's Supreme Convention - Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land - evokes not only the great biblical ideals of freedom and justice which shaped the founding of the United States of America, but also the responsibility of each new generation to preserve, defend and advance those great ideals in its own day. At a time when concerted efforts are being made to redefine and restrict the exercise of the right to religious freedom, the Knights of Columbus have worked tirelessly to help the Catholic community recognize and respond to the unprecedented gravity of these new threats to the Church's liberty and public moral witness. By defending the right of all religious believers, as individual citizens and in their institutions, to work responsibly in shaping a democratic society inspired by their deepest beliefs, values and aspirations, your Order has proudly lived up to the high religious and patriotic principles which inspired its founding.

The challenges of the present moment are in fact yet another reminder of the decisive importance of the Catholic laity for the advancement of the Church's mission in today's rapidly changing social context. The Knights of Columbus, founded as a fraternal society committed to mutual assistance and fidelity to the Church, was a pioneer in the development of the modern lay apostolate. His Holiness is confident that the Supreme Convention will carry on this distinguished legacy by providing sound inspiration, guidance and direction to a new generation of faithful and dedicated Catholic laymen. As he stated to the Bishops of the United States earlier this year, the demands of the new evangelization and the defense of the Church's freedom in our day call for "an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-a-vis the dominant culture and with the courage to counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church's participation in public debate about the issues which are determining the future of American society" (Ad Limina Address, 19 January 2012).

Given this urgent need, the Holy Father encourages the Supreme Council, together with each of the local Councils, to reinforce the praiseworthy programs of continuing catechetical and spiritual formation which have long been a hallmark of your Order. Each Knight, in fidelity to his baptismal promises, is pledged to bear daily witness, however quiet and unassuming, to his faith in Christ, his love of the Church and his commitment to the spread of God's Kingdom in this world. The forthcoming inauguration of the Year of Faith, which commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, is meant to deepen this sense of ecclesial responsibility and mission in the entire People of God. His Holiness prays that the celebration of this Year of spiritual and apostolic renewal will inspire in the Knights an ever firmer resolve to profess their baptismal faith in its fullness, celebrate it more intensely in the liturgy, and make it manifest through the witness of their lives (cf. Porta Fidei, 9).

In a particular way, His Holiness wishes me to convey his profound personal gratitude for the spiritual bouquet of prayers and sacrifices which the Knights and their families have offered for his intentions throughout this year which marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of his episcopal ordination. He is pleased to see in this act of spiritual solidarity not only an outstanding testimony of love for the Successor of Saint Peter, who is "the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of the Church's unity in faith and her communion" (cf. Lumen Gentium, 18), but also a sign of especial fidelity, loyalty and support during these difficult times.

With these sentiments, the Holy Father commends the deliberations of the Supreme Convention to the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church. To all the Knights and their families he cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of joy and peace in the Lord.

Adding my own prayerful good wishes for the work of the Supreme Convention, I remain

Yours sincerely,

[Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone]

Taking Another Look at the Church and Politics

This article appeared in a recent parish bulletin:

Taking Another Look at the Church and Politics

by Father Louis J. Cameli

Introduction

Is the Catholic Church to political? Or, is it not political enough? What exactly is the relationship between the church and politics. If Catholics depend on ordinary print and broadcast media for their information, they will not have a complete or accurate take on this important relationship. On the other hand, official church documents can be daunting to comprehend and digest. Besides the difficulty of getting accurate information, there is another important and practical complication. Many Catholics, even very traditional ones, have a very negative reaction to any hint that someone including a bishop or a group of bishops is going to tell them how to vote. American Catholics are very American in their sense of independence as citizens and as participants in democratic processes.

In the swirl of theoretical and practical issues, we do well to step back and identify a few simple principles and facts.

Is there a Catholic vote?

Pollsters and sociologists like to identify "the Catholic vote." In fact, there is no shared or prescribed Catholic vote for a specific candidate or on a specific issue. There is, however, a Catholic vision of the world rooted in faith, a vision which shapes or ought to shape how Catholics participate in a democracy as citizens and as public servants. The heart of that vision centers on the God-given dignity of each individual, our connection or solidarity with each other, in our shared commitment to fostering life, justice, peace, and reconciliation among all people. The Catholic vision of humanity is especially sensitive to those who are vulnerable, marginalized, and neglected. The Catholic vision often appears to be contrary to many currents of contemporary culture, because it assumes the great dignity and high destiny of all human beings from conception to natural death. The Catholic vision is different because it looks at the world critically both through the lens of faith and the lens of reason.

What, in fact, does the Catholic Church want when she proclaims her social teaching and vindicates her rights in American society?

In a word, the Church wants freedom, just as other groups and individuals want and have a right to freedom in this nation. That freedom, in the context of us Catholic social teaching, has a threefold direction:

·         The freedom to profess the faith and offer worship;

·         The freedom to practice faith or, in other words, live it out in the world;

·         The freedom to contribute to the good of society in various ways, especially as this has taken shape in the United States primarily through education, health care, and social services.

What is the fundamental assumption that Catholics hold as they participate in the life of the nation?

The fundamental assumption is that faith shapes life, not just a portion or a compartment of life but the whole of life. Catholics cannot bracket their faith, scratch that. It is an indispensable source of social values and social vision. Their commitment as believers and as citizens is an integral and integrated commitment.

Following the words of Jesus, Catholics want to be salt, light, and eleven in this world.

Stand Up for Religious Freedom

I cannot!
I must not!
I will not!

Father Jeffrey Keyes' compelling speech at a religious freedom rally.

State Department Purges Religious Freedom Section from Its Human Rights Reports

from What Does The Prayer Really Say? (Fr. John Zuhlsdorf)

Maybe religious liberty is not a human right after all?

From CNS:

State Department Purges Religious Freedom Section from Its Human Rights Reports By Pete Winn June 7, 2012

(CNSNews.com) – The U.S. State Department removed the sections covering religious freedom from the Country Reports on Human Rights that it released on May 24, three months past the statutory deadline Congress set for the release of these reports. [Comment Fr. Z.: Hey! If they don't report on it, I guess it isn't happening, right?]

The new human rights reports–purged of the sections that discuss the status of religious freedom in each of the countries covered–are also the human rights reports that include the period that covered the Arab Spring and its aftermath.

Thus, the reports do not provide in-depth coverage of what has happened to Christians and other religious minorities in predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East that saw the rise of revolutionary movements in 2011 in which Islamist forces played an instrumental role.

For the first time ever, the State Department simply eliminated the section of religious freedom in its reports covering 2011 and instead referred the public to the 2010 International Religious Freedom Report – a full two years behind the times – or to the annual report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which was released last September and covers events in 2010 but not 2011....

Read the whole article here. And please visit Fr. Z.'s blog here.

Stand Up for Religious Freedom

Too short not to post in its entirety. But do visit Father Dwight's blog.

Fr Longenecker speaking at the Greenville Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally. If they violate religious freedom of Catholics they will be able to violate everyone else’s, and they cannot suppress religious freedom without also suppressing freedom of speech and freedom to gather and freedom to protest. “We had better stand together or we will all hang separately.”