Catholic Fire

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. - Psalms 33: 12. Eternal God, stir our minds and stimulate our hearts with a high sense of patriotism on this Fourth of July. May all that this day symbolizes renew our faith in freedom, our devotion to democracy, and redouble our efforts to keep a government of the people, by the people, and for the people truly alive in our world. Grant that we may highly resolve on this great day to dedicate ourselves anew to the task of ushering in an era when good will shall live in the hearts of a free people, justice shall be the light to guide their feet, and peace shall be the goal of humankind: to the glory of your holy name and the good of our nation and of all mankind. Amen. - Prayer offered in Congress by Chaplain, Rev. Edward G. Latch, D.D. Wednesday 1974

Photo Image via Catholic Herald On Sunday, October 4, Pope Francis opened the long-awaited Synod on the Family at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. A solemn Mass was dedicated to the theme of the family in the modern world. Vatican Radio reports: The Pope said that the readings centred on three themes, “solitude, love between man and women, and the family.” The First Reading came from the book of Genesis – the Lord giving Adam a helpmate. Pope Francis, reflecting on Adam’s loneliness, likened it to the drama of solitude experienced by men and women today – especially the elderly, widows and widowers and those left by their spouses. He said that many today are lonely because they are misunderstood and unheard – referring particularly to migrants and refugees. The Holy Father went on to say that we experience “the paradox of a globalised world filled with luxurious mansions and skyscrapers, but a lessening of the warmth of homes and families.” He spoke of the growi...

O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, at this most critical time, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care. Most Holy Mother, we beg you to reclaim this land for the glory of your Son. Overwhelmed with the burden of the sins of our nation, we cry to you from the depths of our hearts and seek refuge in your motherly protection. Look down with mercy upon us and touch the hearts of our people. Open our minds to the great worth of human life and to the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Free us from the falsehoods that lead to the evil of abortion and threaten the sanctity of family life. Grant our country the wisdom to proclaim that God’s law is the foundation on which this nation was founded, and that He alone is the True Source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. O Merciful Mother, give us the courage to reject the culture of death and the strength to build a new Culture of Life.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” -- Psalm 33:12  "Be free people! What do I mean? Perhaps it is thought that freedom means doing everything one likes, or seeing how far one can go.... This is not freedom. Freedom means being able to think about what we do, being able to assess what is good and what is bad, these are the types of conduct that lead to development; it means always opting for the good. Let us be free for goodness. And in this do not be afraid to go against the tide, even if it is not easy! Always being free to choose goodness is demanding, but it will make you into people with a backbone who can face life, people with courage and patience.... Be men and women with others and for others: true champions at the service of others."  - Pope Francis Happy 4th of July!

What can I say to express my gratitude to our military heroes? Is a simple "thank you" really enough for those who have given their lives to preserve our freedoms? If for just one day, let us honor them and pray for them and for those they have left behind. Let us thank those who have served for all they have done. A Prayer for Memorial Day Remember, Lord, the fallen Who died in fields of war, In flaming clouds, in screaming crowds, On streets that are no more, That we today might waken And greet this day in peace With grateful prayer for those who bear The storms that never cease. Remember friends and strangers, And those forgotten now, Whose names are known to you alone, Before whose love we bow And ask that you surround them With mercy’s endless light That they may live, and we forgive The foe they went to fight. Remember, Lord, the living, Who bear the pain of loss- A death she died who stood beside Her Son upon the cr...

(Vatican Radio)The Christian conforms his way of thinking to God’s, and for this reason rejects ways of thinking that are weak and restricted. This was the central theme of Pope Francis’ homily during Mass on Friday morning in the Casa Sanctae Martha. The Lord taught his disciples to be attentive to the signs of the times, signs which the Pharisees failed to comprehend. The Pope said that, in order to understand the signs of the times, a Christian must think not only with his head, but also with his heart and spirit. Otherwise, he cannot understand the “way of God in history”:“In the Gospel, Jesus does become angry, but pretends to when the disciples do not understand him. At Emmaus he says: ‘How foolish and slow of heart’. ‘How foolish and slow of heart’… He who does not understand the things of God is such a person. The Lord wants us to understand what happens, what happens in my heart, what happens in my life, what happens in the world, in history… What is the meaning of wha...

An Independence Day Message from a genuine  American President:

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Pope Benedict XVI From my photo collection February, 2006 " We see the free will of Christ Who in obedience to the will of the Father offered Himself for love. It is in this obedience to the Father that Jesus fulfils His own freedom, as an informed choice motivated by love... Christian freedom is, then, anything but arbitrariness. It is to follow Christ in the giving of self even unto sacrifice on the cross. It may seem a paradox, but the high point of the Lord's freedom was on the cross: the pinnacle of love. On Calvary they cried: 'If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!' Yet He demonstrated His freedom ... by remaining on that scaffold to fulfil the Father's merciful will. " "This experience has been shared by so many other witnesses of truth: men and women who have proven their freedom even in a prison cell or under threat of torture. 'The truth will make you free.' Those who belong to the truth will never be slaves of power, bu...

"That special power of loving that belongs to a woman is seen most clearly when she becomes a mother. Motherhood is the gift of God to women...Yet we can destroy this gift of motherhood, especially by the evil of abortion .... No job, no plans, no possessions, no idea of 'freedom' can take the place of love." ~ Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

I love this reflection on Lent by Our Holy Father that I found over at Eagle and Elephant - it's just beautiful! The desert is the place of silence, of solitude; it is the absence of the exchanges of daily life, its noise and its superficiality. The desert is the place of the absolute, the place of freedom, which sets us before the ultimate demands. Not by chance is the desert the place where monotheism began. In that sense it is a place of grace. In putting aside all preoccupations we encounter our Creator. Great things have their beginnings in the desert, in silence, in poverty. It is not possible to share in the mission of Jesus, in the mission of the Gospel, without sharing in the desert experience, its poverty, its hunger. [Go here to read the rest .]