Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 17 June 2012

A Fortnight for Freedom

    ...Both our civil year and liturgical year point us on various occasions
to our heritage of freedom.  This year, we [United States Bishops] propose
a special "fortnight for freedom," in which bishops in their own dioceses
might arrange special events to highlight the importance of defending our
first freedom.  Our Catholic institutions also could be encouraged to do the
same, especially in cooperation with other Christians, Jews, people of other
faiths, and indeed, all who which to defend our most cherished freedom.

    We suggest that the fourteen days from June 21 -- the vigil of the
Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More -- to July 4, Independence
Day, be dedicated to this "fortnight for freedom" -- a great hymn of  prayer
for our country.  Our liturgical calendar celebrates a series of great  martyrs
who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power --  St. John
Fisher and St. Thomas More, St. John the Baptist, SS. Peter and Paul, and
the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome.  Culminating on Independence  Day,
this special period of prayer, study, catechesis, and public action  would
emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty....

    To all our fellow Catholics, we urge and intensification of your prayers
and fasting for a new birth of freedom in our beloved country.  We invite you
to join us in an urgent prayer for religious liberty.

        Almighty God, Father of all nations,
        For freedom you have set us free in Christ Jesus (Gal 5:1).
        We praise and bless you for the gift of religious liberty,
        the foundation of human rights, justice, and the common good.
        Grant to our leaders the wisdom to protect and promote our liberties;
        By your grace may we have the courage to defend them,
            for ourselves and for all those who live in this blessed land.
        We ask this through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, our patroness,
        and in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of  the
        Holy Spirit, with whom you live and reign, one God, for ever and  ever.  Amen.

                        -- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,
                            Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty,
                           "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty: A Statement
                           on Religious Liberty."

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, June 10, 2012

"We Will Do Everything That the Lord Has Told Us."

    ... [I]n forming their consciences the faithful must pay careful
attention to the sacred and certain teaching of the Church.  For the
Catholic Church is by the will of Christ the teacher of truth.  It is her
duty to proclaim and teach with authority the truth which is Christ and,
at the same time, to declare and confirm by her authority the principles
of the moral order which spring from human nature itself.  In addition,
Christians should approach those who are outside wisely, "in the holy
Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech" (2 Cor. 6:6-7),  and should strive,
even to the shedding of their blood, to spread the light of life with
confidence and apostolic courage.

    The disciple has a grave obligation to Christ, his Master, to grow
daily in his knowledge of the truth he has received from him, to be
faithful in announcing it and vigorous in defending it without having
recourse to methods which are contrary to the spirit of the Gospel.  At
the same time the love of Christ urges him to treat with love, prudence
and patience those who are in error or ignorance with regard to the
faith.  He must take into account his duties towards Christ, the life-giving
Word whom he must proclaim, the rights of the human person and the
measure of grace which God has given to each man through Christ in
calling him freely to accept and profess the faith.

                            -- Vatican Council II
                                Declaration on Religious Liberty
                                (Dignitatis Humanae) #14

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, heal me.
Blood of Christ, drench me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
Good Jesus,  hear me.
In your wounds shelter me.
From turning away keep me.
From the evil one protect me.
At the hour of my death call me.
Into your presence lead me,
to praise you with all your saints
for ever and ever.  Amen.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Sunday, June 3, 2012

He Loves Justice and Right

    When the principle of religious freedom is not just proclaimed in words or incorporated in law but is implemented sincerely in practice, only then does the Church enjoy in law and in fact those stable conditions which give her the independence necessary for fulfilling her divine mission.  Ecclesiastical authorities have been insistent in claiming this independence in society.  At the same time the Christian faithful, in common with the rest of men, have the civil right of freedom from interference in leading their lives according to their conscience.  A harmony exists therefore between the freedom of the Church and that religious freedom which must be recognized as the right of men and all communities and must be sanctioned by constitutional law.

    In order to satisfy the divine command: "Make disciples of all nations" (Mt. 28:19), the Catholic Church must spare no effort in striving "that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph" (2 Th. 
3:1).

    The Church therefore earnestly urges her children first of all that "supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all men ....  This is good and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:1-4).

                        -- Vatican Council II
                            Declaration on Religious Liberty
                            (Dignitatis Humanae) # 13-14

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." 
                         -- Matthew 28: 19-20

Proclaiming Christ in the Public Square . . . Pentecost, Sunday, 27 May 2012

We do not seek to defend religious liberty for partisan or political purposes, as some have suggested.  No, we do this because we are lovers of a human dignity that was fashioned and imparted not by the government but by the Creator.

We defend religious liberty because we are lovers of every human person, seeing in the face of every
man and woman also the face of Christ, who loved us to the very end and who calls us to love and serve our neighbor with the same love he has bestowed on us.  We uphold religious liberty because we seek to continue serving those in need while contributing to the common good in accord with the Church's social teaching and to do so with compassion and effectiveness....

We do this because Archbishop John Carroll's generation of believers and patriots bequeathed to us a precious legacy that has enabled the Church to worship in freedom, to bear witness to Christ publicly, and to do massive and amazing works of pastoral love, education, and charity in ways that are true to the faith that inspired them in the first place.  We defend religious liberty in fidelity to the wisdom of James Cardinal Gibbons who withstood in the breach those who said it wasn't possible to be a practicing Catholic and a loyal American.  " ...I belong to a country," he said, "where the civil government holds over us the aegis of its protection, without interfering with us in the legitimate exercise of our sublime mission as ministers of the Gospel of Christ.  Our country has liberty without license, and authority without despotism."

Now we must be loyal Americans by being bold and courageous Catholics!

So, dear friends, let us be of good cheer.  Let us never imagine that the faith we profess with such personal conviction is merely a private matter.  By its nature, the profession of faith is a public matter -- for the faith is meant to be spread far and wide and acted upon in and through Church institutions and in the witness of individual believers.  Let us not shrink from entering the public square to proclaim the Person of Christ, to teach the values that flow from reason and faith, to uphold our right to go about our daily work in accord with our teachings and values, to defend the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death, to defend the institution of marriage as between a man and a woman, and to serve effectively those in great need with convictions borne of the moral law.

                                -- Archbishop William Lori,
                                Installation Homily, May 16, 2012
                                Archdiocese of Baltimore

        Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

Go Into the Whole World.... Sunday, May 20, 2012

Go Into the Whole World....

    Among those things which pertain to the good of the Church and indeed to the good of society here on earth, things which must everywhere and all times be safeguarded and defended from all harm, the most outstanding surely is that the Church enjoy that freedom of action which her responsibility for the salvation of men requires.  This is a sacred liberty with which the only-begotten Son of God endowed the Church which he purchased with his blood.  Indeed it belongs so intimately to the Church that to attack it is to oppose the will of God. The freedom of the Church is the fundamental principle governing relations between the Church and public authorities and the whole civil order.

    As the spiritual authority appointed by Christ the Lord with the duty, imposed by divine command, of going into the whole world and preaching the Gospel to every creature, the Church claims the freedom for herself in human society and before every public authority.  The Church also claims freedom for herself as a society of men with the right to live in civil society in accordance with the demands of the Christian faith.
                        -- Vatican Council II
                            Declaration on Religious Liberty
                            (Dignitatis Humanae) # 13


Do YOU Want To Stand Up For Religious Freedom?

    "STAND UP FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM" RALLY

When:        JUNE 8, 2012 -- 12:00 NOON

Where:        
            U.S.  DEPARTMENT OF HHS
            90 Seventh Street
            San Francisco

More information:  standupforreligiousfreedom.com

All are welcome.  Rallies are held throughout the country at noon on June 8.  This location is closest to Livermore, California.  For other locations, see the website.  Join with thousands across the US in standing up for religious freedom!

            Saint Michael Faith Enrichment Team

Sunday, May 13, 2012

If You Keep My Commandment, You Remain in My Love

        ... From the very beginnings of the Church the disciples
of Christ strove to convert men to confess Christ as Lord, not however
by applying coercion or with the use of techniques unworthy of the
Gospel but above all, by the power of the word of God.  They steadfastly
proclaimed to all men the plan of God the Savior, "who desires all men
to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4).  At
the same time, however, they showed respect for the weak even though
they were in error, and in this way made it clear how "each of us shall
give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12) and for that reason is
bound to obey his conscience.  Like Christ, the apostles were constantly
bent on bearing witness to the truth of God and they showed the greatest
courage in speaking "the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31) before
people and rulers. 

     With a firm faith they upheld the truth that the Gospel itself is indeed the
power of God for the salvation of all who believe.    They
therefore despised "all worldly weapons" and followed the example of
Christ's meekness and gentleness as they preached the word of God
with full confidence in the divine power of that word to destroy those forces
hostile to God and lead men to believe in and serve Christ.  Like their
Master, the apostles too recognized civil authority:  "Let every person be
subject to the governing authorities ... he who resists the authorities
resists what God has appointed" (Rom. 13:1-2).  At the same time they
were not afraid to speak out against public authority when it opposed
God's holy will:  "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).  This  is
the path which innumerable martyrs and faithful have followed through
the centuries all over the world.

    The Church, therefore, faithful to the truth of the Gospel, is  following
in the path of Christ and the apostles when she recognizes the principle
that religious liberty is in keeping with the dignity of man and divine
revelation and gives it her support....

                        -- Vatican Council II
                            Declaration on Religious Liberty
                            (Dignitatis Humanae) # 11-12

    The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
                            (Psalm 98)

Sunday, May 6, 2012

"He Had Spoken Out Boldly in the Name of the Lord"

    "It is in accordance with their dignity that all men, because they are persons, that is, endowed with reason and free will and therefore bearing personal responsibility are both impelled by their nature and bound by a moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth.  They are also bound to adhere to the truth once they come to know it and direct their whole lives in accordance with the demands of truth.....

    ...It is through his conscience that man sees and recognizes the demands of the divine law.  He is bound to follow this conscience faithfully in all his activity so that he may come to God, who is his last end.  Therefore, he must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience.  Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters.  The reason is because the practice of religion of its very nature consists primarily of those voluntary and free internal acts by which a man directs himself to God. 

Acts of this kind cannot be commanded or forbidden by any merely human authority,  but his own social nature requires that a man give external expression to these internal acts of religion, that he communicate with others on religious matters and profess his religion in community.  Consequently, to deny man the free exercise of religion in society, when the just requirements of public order are observed, is to do an injustice to the human person and to the very order established by God for men.

    Furthermore, the private and public acts of religion by which men direct themselves to God according to their convictions transcend of their very nature the earthly and temporal order of things.  Therefore the civil authority, the purpose of which is the care of the common good in the temporal order, must recognize and look with favor on the religious life of the citizens.  But if it  presumes to control or restrict religious activity it must be said to have exceeded the limits of its power."

                        -- Vatican Council II
                            Declaration on Religious Liberty
                            (Dignitatis Humnanae,) #2-3

        I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.