Freedom as a Pretext for Evil

^“As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil.” 1 Peter 2:16

This evening a student group at Harvard University is hosting a re-enactment of the sacrilegious, satanic “black mass.”  Despite the fact that this ‘black mass’ is highly offensive and disrespectful, it is being allowed under the guise of “freedom.”  The ‘black mass’ is a mockery of the Catholic Mass.  It calls upon demons and Satan himself and is centered around the desecration of the Eucharist.

The President of Harvard, Drew Faust, said in a statement today, “The ‘black mass’ had its historical origins as a means of denigrating the Catholic Church; it mocks a deeply sacred event in Catholicism, and is highly offensive to many in the Church and beyond.”  She went on to call the decision to host this event “abhorrent.”  But in the end, Faust allowed the re-enactment to take place in order to uphold Harvard’s “commitment to free expression.”

This is a despicable use of freedom.  Buried under lies of “freedom”, the devil has been invited to what is supposed to be one of the most prestigious universities in America. Freedom is not to be used as a pretext for evil.   Harvard University, by allowing its students to publicly host this extremely morally offensive act, is doing just that.

We need to stand together as Catholics, as Christians, as Americans.  America was founded as one nation under God.  To allow for this ‘black mass’ to take place on the public grounds of Harvard University is a disgrace; not a freedom.  Let us join together in prayer against this terrible action.  Pray for those involved, that they may see the light and come to know and love the Lord and turn away from sin.  Pray that we all might be strengthened in faith to stand up for what is right and fight against wrong.  Pray for America and for the world, that a false sense of freedom will not be used as a means to evil in any form.

+ St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host – by the Divine Power of God – cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.  Amen. +

Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

Today is the Memorial of the holy guardian angels.  In Psalm 148 we read that all creation joins together in praise of our Creator.  Angels, animals, even the sun, moon and stars join together in praise of the Lord!  How glorious to praise the Lord for eternity!  As I marvel at how awesome it must be to be in the presence of God praising His name forever, I am reminded that I am called to do this here on earth as well!

We are called to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)  As we go about our daily lives we have families to care for, mouths to feed, groceries to buy, bills to pay, work to do, and the list goes on and on.  To pray throughout these daily tasks can sometimes be difficult.  We can pray through our actions as we lovingly care for families, we can pray silently or aloud as we drive in the car or complete certain tasks.  But we all know that there are moments in our lives when we get caught up in the stress of the day to day to-do list.  There are times when, if we are honest with ourselves, we are not in prayer.  And when we let our guard down and lose focus of God, we can be vulnerable to spiritual harm or temptation.  Our guardian angels are sent to guard us in all our ways if we but call upon the Lord.

“Because you have made the Lord your refuge,  the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you,  no scourge come near your tent.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.  On their hands they will bear you up,  so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” (Psalm 91:10-12)

Our God is always with us.  We need only to call upon His name and know that He is protecting us and is by our side.  Furthermore, we know that He will send His angels to guide us so that we will not so much as dash our foot against a stone!  No evil shall befall us if we place our trust in Him.  This means more than the familiar image of the guardian angel guiding the little children to safety.  Certainly the angels guard over children (Matthew 18:10), but the angels are sent to us as adults too; for we are all children of God.  Our guardian angels are sent from the Father to help us in any time of need when we call on His name.  This includes guiding us from spiritual harm by praying by our side.  The angels are in constant praise of our Lord and Savior forever and ever.

“Bless the Lord, you angels of the Lord; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever” (Daniel 3:59)

We are human beings.  We make mistakes.  We get caught up in earthly life and forget to praise the One who gave us life to begin with!  We see the pile of dishes, the unpaid bills, the mountain of work that needs done.  We see death, sickness, sorrow.  And without meaning to, we allow these things to consume our thoughts and minds.  The devil creeps his way into our minds to try and convince us that these things are negative.  He tries to bring us down, beat us up, so that we feel lost and helpless.  The devil wants us to look at what surrounds us and see the negative, rather than the positive.   Instead of seeing the dirty dishes and being thankful for the food we had to eat, we can get caught feeling grumpy at more chores to do.  Instead of being thankful for the medical achievements that have helped so many people, we grow angry at what we have not yet accomplished.  We are only human and these things happen.  When the negativity surrounds us and we feel the temptation of the devil to turn our hearts away from God, we only need to call on the name of the Lord and His angels will be sent to protect us! 

At those moments when we forget to pray or when we are distraught and discourage and cannot seem to find the words, we can look to our guardian angels to guide us spiritually and to lift up the prayers of our hearts. The ones we may not even fully know.  The prayers for God’s will in our lives, for patience and for an increase of faith.   Prayers to be more like Christ, to allow Him to work through us.  Prayers to see His glory in everything we do. 

“Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.” (Rev. 8:3-4)

The angels are sent to guard us in all our ways.  To protect us from harm both physical and spiritual.  To lift up our prayers to God when we cannot seem to find the words.  God hears the prayers from the depths of our hearts even when we are struggling to find the words.  When we feel tempted to see the negativity in our world, when we feel the devil trying to sneak into our lives and replace light with darkness, we call on the Lord who sends angels to guard us and to carry our prayers up to God. 

Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom God’s love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
Rule and guide.  Amen

I ain’t afraid o’ no ghost

The popular movie “Ghostbusters” features this lyric in its title song.  And it poses a good question.  Do you believe in ghosts?   And if you do…are you afraid of them?  Everyone seems to ask or be asked this question at some point in their lives.  I remember being a kid and rolling my eyes if somebody brought it up.  Thinking to myself, Oh brother there’s no such thing as ghosts!  And when it comes to little white Casper characters, or people simply sticking around here on earth because of “unfinished business,” I still hold that opinion.  But as I have grown older, I have changed my view slightly.  Do I believe in ghosts?  Maybe.  I think a better statement would be that I believe in spirits.  And  am not afriad of them. I know that many people hold varying beliefs on this subject.  I would like to share with you the Scriptural reasoning behind my beliefs, and some personal stories from the lives of myself and those closest to me.

The Holy Spirit is able to reach us in many ways.  As one of the Persons in our wonderful Triune God, the Spirit is able to move in many different ways.  Through the Holy Spirit and the power of our awesome and almighty God, I believe that we can be contacted by angels and by those who have gone before us in Christ.

We know that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her the wonderful news she would become the Mother of God.  Throughout the Bible, we see angels appearing on a regular basis.  And we believe that God has blessed each of us with a Guardian Angel to watch over us here on earth.  While we may not see our angels, I believe that we feel them at times and that at times, they may appear in some form.  Several years back, someone I care deeply for was going through a very tough time.  Due to many complications in his young life, he decided that the best option was suicide.  Living near the mountains, he went out on the trails to a remote area to end his own life.  His parents frantically were searching for him but with so many trails and different paths to go down, it would have been nearly impossible to find him in time without heavenly aid.  As they were searching, they came across a man who knew where their son was and pointed them in the direction.  As they turned to thank him, he was gone.  Now, they were in a fairly open area and would have been able to see him even if he was leaving.  They found their son just in time.  He had slit his wrists in this remote location and had given up.  His parents were able to rush him to the hospital before it was too late, and he is alive and well because of it.   Now, many people might say this was coincidence.  Or that it was just a regular man who guided their steps.  But they firmly believe, as do I, that they were guided by an angel who took the form of a man to help save this young man since it was not yet his time to go.

Many people think of ghosts as people who have not yet finished their time on earth.  Or as people who are angered by how they died and therefore stay on earth to haunt others.  This is not what I believe.  When we die, we know that our souls are instantly met by God. When Jesus is dying on the cross, one of the criminals crucified next to Him professes His belief that Christ is innocent and undeserving of such a death.  Christ tells the man that “this day you will be with me day in paradise” (Luke 23:43.)  This tells us that when we die, we are not left on earth to finish business or stick around haunting people.  We are face to face with our Creator as we stand witness to how we lived our lives. 

When I say that I believe we can be contacted through the power of the Holy Spirit by those who have gone before us, I am referring instead to a heavenly intercession.  We know from Scripture that there is a community between the living and the dead.  We profess this belief in Mass every week when we state that we believe in the Communion of the Saints.  The belief in the saints and their ability to intercede on our behalf confirms that those who have passed on before us are, indeed, able to hear us, interact with us in some way.  The miracles necessary for a person to become beatified, for example, show us how people who have gone before us in Christ have the ability, through Him, to connect with and assist those on earth.  It is my personal belief that not only does this occur in the miraculous events of those recognized by the Church as Saints, but that this can occur in other forms as well.  A saint is anyone who is in Heaven with God.  As I have written about in past blogs, the Church recognizes certain people as saints who led virtuous lives known to the public and who, after their death, in some way interacted with those here on earth to confirm their place in Heaven.    One a person has died and is brought to new life in Heaven with God, I believe that in some way, they are still aware of us here on earth.  Not in a way we can know.  They are free from all pain, despair, worry, doubt.  They know pure happiness and peace as they are in Paradise with the Lord.  But I believe that God sends our deceased loved ones to us at times to assure us of the peace and wonder that is to come.  Perhaps through a dream.  Maybe through a vision or hearing that person’s favorite song on the radio at precisely the right time.   

My grandfather builds small boats and has been boating and fishing for my entire life.  His best buddy would go fishing with him many times.  Several years back, his friend passed away.  One day, my Grandpa was out on the lake when over the radio he heard a voice saying “Quasimodo, come in Quasimodo.  Where are you Quasimodo?”  And then it was gone.  While this seems like a silly thing, my Grandpa told us that “Quasimodo” was a silly, secret nickname they had used for each other.  As they aged, they became more hunched over and both of them having a great sense of humor, would call each other that as a joke on the lake.  No one else knew of this.  Not my Grandma, not his friend’s wife, not any of their other boating or fishing buddies.  Grandpa believes that this was his friend reaching out to him.  

I’ll share another story, this one from my Mom.  A dear friend of hers lost her daughter a year ago in a car accident.  Her friend was talking with her recently and shared a dream she had.  She dreamt that her daughter was visiting her.  In the dream, she was asking her daughter where she had been and why she hadn’t been visiting.  Her daughter was all smiles and full of joy and told her that she had been around so many times.  My mom’s friend shared other little moments from her dream as well.  But when she woke up, she felt so happy.  Now some people might argue this was just a dream based on memories.  But we believe that her daughter was sent to her in a dream by God to assure her that she is happy, at peace, and still there for her mother.

One more short story.  A few years back a little girl passed away.  A family member of mine was related to this girl and while at the home of the family, she noticed something.  As they were comforting the mother and sitting in the kitchen, she noticed the dog.  The dog was staring in a very fixed fashion on a specific spot in the room.  An empty wall.  Nothing was there at all.  No food or toys. Not even a fly.  But the dog just kept looking at this one spot.  And not in an absent minded, staring into space way.  Like the dog was truly seeing something.  In that moment, she said she knew that the little girl was there watching over her mother and the family.  Just making sure that everything was ok.

These stories might seem to some like they are nothing.  But it really isn’t the story itself.  It’s the feeling.  The feeling you get when you hear these people tell the story firsthand.  They were not scared or afraid.  They somehow sensed in that moment that the Holy Spirit was sending its love, peace and guidance to them, whether through an angel or through a loved one who had passed on.

But while all of these stories are wonderful, I also believe that the devil has the ability to reach out to us as well.  The devil is very real, and he will try anything to get to us.   If we believe that angels can contact us, then we have to believe that the devil can try to do the same.  We know the devil can tempt us in many ways to depart from God.  I believe that, as God send His angels to watch over us, the devil can send demons into our lives for the opposite purpose.  To frighten us, to cause us to worry or doubt.  This is something I had never really thought about.  But a few years ago, I had a brief encounter with, what I believe was a demon. 

It was on Halloween night a few years back.  I had been babysitting that evening and when I got home I was tired and decided to go to bed.  I was in college at the time and 2 out of my 3 roommates were already out for the night partying.  The other was downstairs with a friend.  I went upstairs to my bedroom, got ready for bed, and crawled under the blankets ready to go to sleep.  No one else was upstairs.  There were no TVs or anything like that.  As I started to drift off, I heard a noise from my closet.  It was breathing.  But it was not like any breathing I had ever heard. At first I thought I was imagining things.  I held my breath to make sure I wasn’t hearing myself snoring!  The sound was there.  It was the most terrifying noise I have ever heard.  Instantly my body was filled with fear.  I have never felt so scared in my life.  The breathing was so menacing, so terrifying.  I couldn’t move.  I wanted to get up and look but I was so terrified of what I might see that was making such a hideous sound.  I felt like crying but was afraid to make even the smallest of noises.  This probably only lasted a minute but it felt like a much longer time.  I took a deep breath and blessed myself and began to pray the Our Father.  The very second I blessed myself, it went away.  I only got as far as “In the name of the Father and the Son…” and it was gone.  Not just that the breathing noise stopped.  But the fear was gone.  The terrible feeling of panic and terror was gone.  As I prayed, I felt more and more relaxed.  But I could remember the feeling all too well.  I got up and went downstairs.  Partly because I needed to get out of my room.  Partly because I wondered if my roommate had sensed anything.  She and her friend were still in the same place as before.  Laughing and working on homework.  I stayed downstairs with them for awhile, afraid of going back into my bedroom.  When I did go back to bed, it was with rosary in hand and I prayed until I fell asleep.  This might sound silly to you reading this, but I can assure you this was no dream, this was no hallucination, this was not a joke.  Even just typing out the description now, I am reminded again of the sheer terror that filled me.  I know this was the devil.  I know it because I have never felt so afraid.  And I know that the one thing the devil cannot stand up to is my God.  I know that as soon as I started praying, the Holy Spirit and the angels were there to protect me, to chase away this demon.  For awhile I thought to myself, why?  I was not living a terrible lifestyle.  I was very active in church, prayed often, why in the world would I have such an encounter?  I believe that this demon was trying to scare me.  Once we are filled with fear and doubt, with terror and worry, the devil has room to tempt us to turn away from God.  This experience was an eye opener for me.  This showed me that we are all subject to temptation from the devil and that at any moment he could try to turn us away.  But that we always need to place all our trust in God and He will watch over and protect us and keep us from all harm.

Why did I decide to share that story with you now?  Because I believe in spirits.  I believe we are more in contact than we realize with those who have gone before us and with our Heavenly angels.  I believe that God sends angels and messages from departed loved ones to reassure us, to guide us, to bring us peace.  But I also believe that we need to be on guard because the devil can send demons our way in a very real fashion to do the opposite.  To replace that reassurance with doubt, to turn us away rather than guiding us to Christ, and to fill us with fear and terror rather than the everlasting peace of God.  And I believe that by sharing these stories with you, particularly that last one, I am showing the devil that I am not afraid.  I am not afraid to point him out to others.  To join with the angels and with God to fight against him. 

I know this has been a rather lengthy blog and I apologize for that!  But I felt that in order to share my beliefs with you, it would be best to accompany them with true stories of experiences I have had or have heard firsthand accounts of.   Am I afraid of ghosts?  No!  Because if I believe in “ghosts” as being the spirits I have talked about…what is there to fear?  I need not fear the angels or spirits sent to me by God!  And With God and thoes Heavenly angels by my side, I do not need to fear the devil because he is nothing compared to my great Savior. 

To Light, To Guard, To Rule, To Guide

When I was a child, we always said family bedtime prayers together.   My three sisters, my parents, and I would gather in one bedroom each night to recite all our prayers.  Then we each took turns saying our own personal prayers our loud.  What we were thankful for and what we were asking for ourselves, our family, and the world.

Now that I’m married and grown, my bedtime prayers are a little different.  My husband and I still say our prayers out loud together before bed each night.   But things have changed some.  There are different things I pray for now, and new things I am thankful for.   One prayer from childhood that we still say nightly is the Prayer to my Guardian Angel:

Angel of God, my Guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here.  Ever this day be at my side to light, to guard, to rule, to guide.   Amen.

I have always loved this prayer because it is so simple, pure, almost childlike.  Just the other day I was walking through the park with my little pup and I began to pray.  I found myself praying this prayer to my guardian angel.  As I looked down at the ground and saw my shadow, I imagined that shadow was my angel.  Right by my side.  I started to think more about angels.  And how I could use my angel’s help a bit!  You see, I think we often think of angels in extraordinary circumstances.  Finding a loved one in the midst of a disaster, a miraculous healing, or being led away from a dangerous event.  When something like that happens, we might think about our angels.

In the Bible, we see angels appear at extraordinary events.  To tell Mary she would become the Mother of God, to tell the good news of the birth of Christ, to spread the word that Jesus has risen from the dead!  The truth of the matter is, that while angels are certainly present in God’s glorious extraordinary events, they are also here by our side in our daily, very ordinary, events. 

Matthew 18:10 tells us “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”    And in Psalm 91:11-12 says “For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways.  With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”  Not only does the Bible tell us the glorious deeds that the angels carry forth of messengers of the Most High, but the Bible tells us that each of us has an angel that is always by our side.  Always guiding us from even such a small thing as bumping our foot on a stone.  Saint Basil said,

“Beside each believer stands an Angel as protector and shepherd, leading him to life.”

A lot of changes have been happening recently in my life.  My husband accepted a job offer that will have us moving in just a few weeks!  We are very excited about the move, although of course with any change comes a little bit of caution.  We become accustomed to certain things and seek guidance when changes come our way.  Instead of letting the nerves get the best of me and allowing the devil to sneak worries into my thoughts, I have given it over to God and to all His angels.  

I am happy when I think of my angel beside me, guarding me and guiding me to the path to life.  That is, the path to Christ.  When I start to feel overwhelmed by moving, searching for jobs, and so on, I instead try to picture my angel.  My wonderous Guardian Angel, created as a spiritual being and chosen to be a messenger for Christ.  How awesome to be an angel!  To see and to know the glory of the Lord.  Surrounded by the glory of God.  Just thinking about it beings me peace and comfort.  I imagine my angel as a spirit floating in the wind, shining like the stars in the night, singing songs more beautiful than we have ever heard.  Maybe we get glimpses of our angels and they bring the message of God’s glory to us.  Maybe in a shadow on a hot summer day, maybe in a soft breeze, maybe in a baby’s laugh, or the shining stars.  Lighting our way and opening our eyes to the glory of God that we are surrounded with here on Earth daily.

So as I say my prayers and think about the upcoming changes in my life, I pray to my Guardian Angel.  I ask my angel to guide me, to guard me, to help me make the right choices that will keep me on the path to everlasting peace and joy in Christ.  To light up the world and open my eyes to all the wonders I have to be thankful for.  And I know my beautiful angel is by my side.  Listening and sending my prayers up to the Lord.

Constantly in Prayer

Today I was fortunate to be able to attend a women’s reflection and talk by Dr. Patricia Cooney Hathaway based on her book : Weaving Faith and Experience (read about her and her book here: http://hathaway.book.calledtoholiness.org/ )

The talk she gave covered many topics but centered on finding spirituality in our daily activities.  It’s a topic I’ve been thinking a lot about lately.  It’s easy to get into the trap of feeling like there isn’t enough time for focusing on prayer, or that you have to give something up in order to become more spiritual.  And, as was discussed at church this morning, that is certainly not the case.  She spoke of finding ways to make our daily activities our prayer.  Prayer is really an expression of love and our communion with the Lord.  So prayer can be anything from talking to God, praying the rosary, or simply showing love to those we come in contact with.

I’ve recently been reading a book called “The Seven Veils of Our Lady of Guadalupe” by Father Miguel Guadalupe.  It’s an intense read but very interesting.  One of the topics he discusses is being in constant prayer with the Lord.  While a wonderful thought, when we get caught up in the daily activities of work, school, and family life, it can be difficult to think of praying constantly.  But when we think of prayer as not only talking with God, but also as shown in our love for others, it’s easier to see it as a constant thing.  God is always with us.  In every aspect of our lives, He is there.  To be in constant prayer means to be in constant gratitude, recognition, and praise of the Lord.  Even the simplest of prayers throughout the day can center us and bring us back to God. 

 In Father Guadalupe’s book he talks about our relationship with the angels, specifically with our Guardian Angel.  We know that angels have been the messengers of the Lord.  The news of Jesus Christ was first brought to Mary by the angel Gabriel.  Our Guardian Angels can be our aid in constant prayer.  One thing I have tried to do (and this was something in Father Guadalupe’s book as well) is to say a prayer every morning asking my Guardian Angel to pray with me constantly throughout the day.  Then even when I’m engaged in other activities at work or at home, my soul can be praying with my Guardian Angel.  It’s  a pretty awesome thought!

We know God is always with us, and we should be in constant prayer with him.  Through our thoughts, our words, and our actions.  By involving God in everything we do, we can find ourselves more spiritually connected with Him and we will be able to share His love with those we come in contact with as well.

“For me prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look towards Heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” – Saint Therese of Lisieux