segunda-feira, 18 de maio de 2009

Terço: Uma arma poderosa

Não nos damos conta do poder enorme que temos entre mãos através do rezo do Santo Rosário

Veja-se esta história impressionante

Lutar contra as tentações

segunda-feira, 4 de maio de 2009

Maio - Mês de Maria

Maio

sexta-feira, 1 de maio de 2009

A vida sobre o mundo é uma milícia e são os violentos que a arrebatem

The Second Annual Gospel of Life Convention co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph was held this weekend at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, KS. Following is Kansas City - St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn's Keynote address to pro-life activists gathered from throughout Missouri and Kansas:

Warriors for the Victory of LifeKey Note Address for the 2009 Gospel of Life ConventionApril 18, 2009 – St. Thomas Aquinas High SchoolMost Reverend Robert W. FinnBishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph

Dear friends,
Thank you for coming together for this second annual Gospel of Life Convention, co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. It is a privilege to welcome you and greet you this morning.
I am grateful for the encouragement of your presence and – as a Bishop it is my solemn and joyful duty to do all I can to fortify you in your own faith.
But as I speak a word of encouragement today I also want to tell you soberly, dear friends, “We are at war!”
We are at war.Harsh as this may sound it is true – but it is not new. This war to which I refer did not begin in just the last several months, although new battles are underway – and they bring an intensity and urgency to our efforts that may rival any time in the past.
But it is correct to acknowledge that you and I are warriors - members of the Church on earth – often called the Church Militant. Those who have gone ahead of us have already completed their earthly battles. Some make up the Church Triumphant – Saints in heaven who surround and support us still – tremendous allies in the battle for our eternal salvation; and the Church Suffering (souls in purgatory who depend on our prayers and meritorious works and suffrages).
But we are the Church on Earth – The Church Militant.
We are engaged in a constant warfare with Satan, with the glamour of evil, and the lure of false truths and empty promises.
If we fail to realize how constantly these forces work against us, we are more likely to fall, and even chance forfeiting God’s gift of eternal life.
The ultimate promise of the Gospel.
Before I go any further I must proclaim a most important truth – a truth that we have just been celebrating throughout the last week: Jesus Christ, in His life, death, and Resurrection, has already won the war: definitively and once for all. He has conquered sin and death and has won the prize of life on high in heaven forever.
We know the final outcome, but the battle for eternal life is now played out in each human heart with a free will to love or not, to be faithful or to walk away from the life which has been offered as God’s most wonderful gift.
Every day the choice is before us: right or wrong; good or bad; the blessing or the curse; life or death. Our whole life must be oriented toward choosing right, the good, the blessing; choosing life.
If you and I fail to realize the meaning and finality behind our choices, and the intensity of the constant warfare that confronts us, it is likely that we will drop our guard, be easily and repeatedly deceived, and even loose the life of our eternal soul.
As bishop I have a weighty responsibility to tell you this over and over again. This obligation is not always easy, and constantly I am tempted to say and do less, rather than more. Almost everyday I am confronted with the persuasion of other people who want me to be silent. But – with God’s grace – you and I will not be silent.This work of speaking about the spiritual challenges before us is not just the responsibility of the Bishop. I am not the only one entrusted with the work of faith, hope and charity.
You are baptized into this Church militant. You are also entrusted with the mission of righteousness.
You have the fortification of the sacraments, and the mandate to love as Jesus loved you.
You share in the apostolic mission and work of the Church.
What can we say about this constant warfare?
Our battle is ultimately a spiritual battle for the eternal salvation of souls – our own and those of other people. We are not engaged in physical battles in the same way military soldiers defend with material weapons. We need not – we must not – initiate violence against other persons to accomplish something good, even something as significant as the protection of human life.But it is true that we might have to endure physical suffering to prosper the victory of Jesus Christ.
He carried the Cross. He promised us that – if we were to follow Him – we also would share the Cross. We must not expect anything less.
When you stand up for what is right – you will be opposed. The temptation will be to avoid these attacks. But through our responses we must see what kind of soldiers we are.
Who is our enemy in this battle of the Church Militant?
Our enemy is the deceiver, the liar, Satan. Because of his spiritual powers he can turn the minds and hearts of men. He is our spiritual or supernatural enemy when he works to tempt us, and he becomes a kind of natural enemy as he works in the hearts of other people to twist and confound God’s will.
In our human experience people deceived by Satan’s distortions and lies may appear as our “human enemies.”But, in his Letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul makes, for us, a very important distinction. “Draw strength from the Lord and from His mighty power,” He tells them and us. “Put on the armor of God, in order that you can stand firm against the tactics of the devil.” “For, our struggle,” St. Paul tells us, “is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the rulers of this darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.” (Eph 6:10-12).
So let’s be clear: Human beings are not Satan, but certainly they can come under his power, even without their fully realizing it. When we, in our sinfulness, put something in the place of God: pleasure and convenience; material success; political power and prestige, we open a door for the principalities and contrary spirits who war against God. They want you and me for their prize.
When we forsake God and outwardly reject His law and what we know to be His will, we make an easy victory for our supernatural enemies. We fall right into their hands.
But what about the so-called human enemies? What about the persons who wish to establish a path of living which contravenes God’s law: promoting abortion; unnatural substitutes for marriage, and all such distortions of true freedom?
Here Jesus is clear: “But I say to you, love your enemies: and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt 5:44)
We cannot hate these human enemies, and we must find a way to love them. But we need not show them any sign of agreement. We pray for them. We do not lie to them – and we seek that which pertains to their conversion – not to their worldly comforts, but to their eternal salvation.
(...)
In my remaining time this morning I want to talk principally about three things:
1) I want to comment briefly on some of the particular battles we face in the cause of the protection of the life of human beings.
2) I want to reflect on some of the costs of doing battle; and
3) I will suggest some ways we can fortify ourselves to go forth in this mission.
First – the battle for Human Life.
The battle we face for the salvation of our souls is the most important one we face – bar none. Where I spend all eternity; where you spend eternity – in bliss or in damnation – is important beyond any individual choice I make. But the individual human choices I make – even one grave choice in which we remain unrepentant – can determine the direction of my salvation.
Is the war over? Never.
Is the battle over? We must not give up.
Remember: we already know the final outcome. The battle now is about our readiness to remain faithful – our readiness to suffer while we peacefully, legally, and prayerfully seek the victory of life.
We must defend life, but also build.
(...)
In his encyclical Evangelium Vitae, on the Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II said that we must oppose the culture of death, and he said we must construct a civilization of life and love.
So, we must defend the right to life, but even beyond that we must take action for the promotion of what is good. We must build a civilization that proclaims the Gospel of Life.
(...)
Are we at War?
It is clear we are, and we will each stand before Jesus Christ, the Lord of Life.Dr. Scott Hahn makes an interesting observation about a well known passage from Matthew’s Gospel.
We must not give up until those sorry gates fall off their hinges and the victory of Jesus Christ is made full and complete and final.
(...)
It is not enough for us to defend against the assaults of Satan. It is not enough for us even to defend innocent human life. Of course, if we fail to do this, we fail in our most urgent task. But by good deeds of love and charity, we must build this active culture of life that is ready and capable of turning back hell itself.
(...)
How do we arm ourselves for what is first and foremost a supernatural war?
First:
(...)
If you are not fortified by the sacraments – frequent confession and worthy Holy Communion – you cannot succeed in an ultimately supernatural battle. We must live – no longer ourselves – but Christ in us. Be always in the state of grace.Pray. Be a prayer warrior.
One modern day saint said when you are going out to try to change someone’s heart determine to make your effort 80 % prayer and 20% words or actions. Prayer defeats the devil. Prayer aligns us with Christ. Pray for the abortionist. Pray for the legislator. Pray for the mother (and father and other family members). Pray for the child in the womb. Pray for yourself and allow God to guide you. Pray that you will be a warrior of faithfulness and love and mercy.
Remember that God often chooses the foolish to shame those who are clever.
Use the symbols and instruments of our devotion. Arm yourself with the rosary. Protect yourself with the scapular or a blessed medal.
(...)
What I am supposed to do as bishop (teach and lead, and sanctify) I must, in turn, delegate in proper measure to my pastors.
They, in turn, need you as soldiers.
Don’t worry very much about numbers. If you read the accounts of the Old Testament battles, over and over again God used a tiny misfit army to overthrow a legion 1000 times its size. In this way it is so much clearer that God is fighting the battle. We are only His instruments.
What will happen to us if we take up this war in faithfulness?Do you really want to know?
You will be hated by some powerful people. You may be rejected by those whose approval you most desire. You will be loved and supported by some and this will be a wonderful encouragement. You will be misunderstood by many – and this can be very painful. After you have suffered a little in your battle, some will tell you that you have done nothing – or that you have done it the wrong way.Yes, if you push – others will “push back.” We should always be very careful to obey the law. But, regardless, some will threaten you with legal action, and law suits cost money and you may suffer that difficult hardship.
(...)
May the Peace of the Risen Lord Jesus – the glory of His Easter triumph– the hope and promise of undying love and the power of Life sustain you all in your high calling as Warriors for the Victory of life

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