We Must Vote Catholic This Election

As we are hours away from election day in the United States, I thought I would make one more appeal to vote according to a well-formed conscience and independent thought. In my previous article, I talked about the hierarchy of values that we need to promote and that I believe Donald Trump and the Republican party are more aligned with. I also pointed out how Kamala Harris is incredibly out of step with the values of our Catholic faith. She not only doesn’t align with them, she doesn’t seem to even respect them and our freedom to practice and live our faith.

The Liberal Train to Crazyville

This goes out to you all, particularly those who live in swing states. You owe it to yourself, your family, and your community to learn where the candidates stand on various issues. You cannot just take the media’s word at face value. As many have come to learn, the media is anything but impartial. Personally, I have stopped taking in news or watching political rallies because they offer me nothing of value. You have to look at past legislation and leadership. We have a good comparison — the four years Trump was in office and the current Biden/Harris’ term.

I came across this website from the Heritage Foundation about the failures of the Biden/Harris administration on various key areas.

failed test stamp

THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION HAS A HISTORY OF FAILED LIBERAL POLICY.

FAILED LIBERAL POLICIES

Some of you may dismiss these as works of conservative fiction. After all, they just seem too insane to be real. But that’s been the liberal strategy for a long time and it’s brilliant. The liberals remain silent and let Trump or some other conservative bring up a particular topic whether that be about government-funded sex changes for criminals or immigrant communities taking over small towns in the US. And while these statements may be true, they are so unbelievable that it makes the person exposing them sound crazy. As we often say, don’t shoot the messenger (in this case, the messenger has literally been shot).

The Democrats’ Insanity Defense

Republican activists say they have to water down the reality of their opponents’ agenda in focus groups. ‘They just don’t believe it’s true. It can’t be.‘

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Rosary to the Rescue

It’s time to break out those rosaries and pray. Now, God is not going to steer an election a certain way because we ask him to. After all, there have been plenty of times where God allowed people to reap the consequences of what they sowed. But there are still plenty of things to pray for around this election:

  1. Pray for a peaceful outcome. This election could get nasty and result in violence and riots. No matter who the victim may be, we don’t want people losing their lives or their livelihood over election outcomes.
  2. Pray for hope. No matter who wins, there will be many people upset and depressed. Pray for our mental and emotional health.
  3. Pray for unity. Politics are tearing families, friends, and communities apart. Pray that we see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
  4. Pray for catechesis. There are too many Catholics that don’t know their faith well enough and are too easily influenced by those who may have ulterior motives.
  5. Pray for our political leaders. Our president, congress person, and local leaders need our prayers to govern according to God’s Truth.

Kamala Harris is Not Our Friend

I didn’t get a flood of unsubscribe notifications from my last article regarding politics and the U.S. election. I’m going to try my luck again with another political post. There is a lot of hyperbole being thrown around in the media about the presidential candidates, almost entirely in favor of Kamala Harris. Now I haven’t been alive as long as many others, but we seem to be living in an age that matches Communist Soviet Union in terms of media bias. I want to cut through the media’s propaganda and show you all what Harris and the Democratic party really thinks of people of faith.

Historical Reasons for Hating the Faithful

Harris is no friend of Catholics. In fact, she doesn’t seem to know how to relate to anyone of faith. And it’s not just her, but the Democratic party and their media counterparts don’t know how to relate to people who earnestly practice their faith. The Democrats’ problem is that religion teaches that truth lies with something far greater than the government. Politicians hate nothing more than people appealing to a higher power that they cannot control. This is why politicians seek to limit or destroy religious institutions in a misguided attempt to hold a monopoly on what is considered good or evil.

Twisting, denigrating, and trying to destroy religion is as old as the Bible. The Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans all tried fighting God’s chosen people, the Israelites, and all failed. The Jewish and Christian faiths remain. But when was the last time you saw a house of worship for Baal or Zeus?

In modern history, attempts to destroy religion is clearly seen in Communism. One of the first institutions any communist regime tries to destroy is religion. Their system doesn’t work when it has to compete with moral truths and the innate dignity of human beings. Marx, Engels, and Stalin cannot compete with the logic and wisdom of St. Thomas Acquinas or St. John Paul II. And because they can’t compete on moral, ethical, or logical grounds, their only option is to destroy religion.

The Modern Assault on Spirituality

This attempt to destroy religion is taking place right now by the Democratic party. If you listen to Kamala Harris and see what she’s been doing for the past four years, you see a person who hates spiritual people, particularly Catholics. Remember that Harris

  • Didn’t attend a Catholic fundraising events that all presidential candidates have attended since 1984.
  • Claimed that a federal district court nominee was unfit to serve because he’s a member of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic charity organization.
  • Spoke out against a Supreme Court decision in favor of a Christian baker essentially saying that the government should be able to compel people to act in violation of their religious views.
  • Sponsored the “Equality Act” which would render religious liberty protections guaranteed by the Constitution null and void.
  • In a recent interview, Harris declared she will remove any religious exemption when it comes to abortion.
  • Has introduced legislation mandating Catholic hospitals to perform abortions.
  • When an undercover reporter reported evidence of Planned Parenthood trafficking aborted body parts, she prosecuted the reporter, not Planned Parenthood.
  • The Biden/Harris DOJ has been actively prosecuting pro-life advocates and handing out multi-year prison sentences for protesting outside abortion clinics.
  • Since the repeal of Roe vs. Wade, there have been 300+ attacks on churches throughout the country with no response from the Biden/Harris administration.
  • The Biden/Harris FBI has been circulating memos labelling Catholics as possible terrorists.
  • The FBI came heavily armed to raid and arrest Mark Houck because he got into an altercation with a pro-abortion activist and was trying to protect his young son.
  • Let’s not forget our Jewish friends who have been harassed, denied entry, and attacked by pro-Palestinian protestors who have been allowed free reign to create chaos.

Does Harris sound like someone who is a friend of Catholics and religious people? The media is throwing around the word “fascist” lately in every newscast with no context for what it actually means. Fascism advocates for a centralized, authoritarian government led by a dictator, where the state has absolute power. Fascists often suppress opposition through censorship, propaganda, and violence. Look at Harris’ behavior and ask yourself who the real fascist is. And this doesn’t end at Catholics. This behavior will extend to anyone who doesn’t follow the administration lockstep.

I think many people have the impression that today’s Democratic party is the same one of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, or even Barack Obama. It is not! This is not a party that wants to honor the laws, Constitution, and foundations of America. They want to tear it down and remake the country into one that has malleable and flexible foundations that they can manipulate as they see fit. Their one rule is that there should be no rules.

Why We Need to Pray the Rosary

As I write this article and see just a fraction of what a Harris administration might do, I realize that we are at war. As much as I would love more people to achieve sainthood, I would really like to not live through times of persecution and martyrdom. Our Mother Mary is Queen of Victory. The Rosary is the weapon of victory. Take it out and pray it every day! We will need the spiritual strength to persevere through times of persecution or the strength to prevent it (probably just slow it down) by rejecting the Democrats radical agenda with our votes.

“Give Me My Weapon”

catholicexchange.com

The well-known, loved, and admired 50-year stigmatic, Saint Padre Pio, was known to have demanded for something that may have shocked the listener: “Give me my weapon!” Why would such a prayerful, …

Only in Catholicism Can True Balance be Found

We Want a Balanced Life

The goal for so many of us is to live a life of balance and peace. We want to do some meaningful work balanced with a little leisure. We want the occasional friend over for coffee. We look for some satisfying hobbies. And yet, so many people live out of balance. Like a leaf caught in the wind, they are thrown from crisis to crisis or one long meaningless march of toil and sloth. What’s the answer to achieve balance?

I’m sure most of you know what the answer is — the
Catholic Church! In this article on Catholic Exchange, Dr. Donald Demarco provides this insight:

In the Catholic Church we find a paragon of balance.  In this regard, She has no peer.  Sin is expiated by forgiveness.  Chastisement is tempered by mercy.  Nature is elevated by grace.  Sexuality is made meaningful by responsibility.  Rights are counterbalanced with duties; work is crowned by prayer.  Will is tethered to reason.  Where there are difficulties, there is hope. Where there is doubt, there is faith.  Where there is goodness, there is love.  Problems are resolved; order is maintained.  No other organization offers such a system of balance.

“We need not be diplomatic to present Catholicism in all its balance and wholeness and invite one to examine it for what it is.  One can dispense with any concern for choosing any one of Her rivals.  She shines on Her own.  There really are no competitors.”

catholicexchange.com/if-not-catholicism-then-what/

How the Rosary Teaches Balance

Truly, to us Rosary prayer warriors, we can see this balance play out in the 20 mysteries. The Rosary acts like guardrails to keep us along that narrow path that ultimately leads to Heaven. It balances us as we walk that tightrope of virtue over a chasm of sin. With the Rosary, walking that narrow path becomes a little easier and sure footed because we know we are on the right track.

The roots of the Church’s teachings are found in the Rosary. This is why Our Lady asks us to pray it every day. The Rosary brings out the fullness of Christ’s love for us and God’s plan for humanity. It is through the Rosary that we foster healthy desires that lead to a full and complete life when we strive to obtain them:

Joyful Mysteries
  1. A desire for the love of humility
  2. A desire for charity toward my neighbor
  3. A desire for a love of God
  4. A desire for a spirit of sacrifice
  5. A desire for zeal for the Glory of God
Luminous Mysteries
  1. A desire to live one’s baptismal promises
  2. A desire to do whatever Jesus asks
  3. A desire for God’s forgiveness
  4. A desire for holiness
  5. A desire for the Mass and Eucharist
Sorrowful Mysteries
  1. A desire of repentance for one’s sins
  2. A desire for mortification
  3. A desire for moral courage
  4. A desire to exercise patience
  5. A desire for perseverance
Glorious Mysteries
  1. A desire for strong faith
  2. A desire for an increase in hope
  3. A desire for knowledge and wisdom
  4. A desire for a holy death
  5. A desire for greater love in the Blessed Virgin Mary

These are the fruits of the Rosary. Now imagine the joy and completeness one feels when he realized all these desires. This is what our faith offers. There’s no career, political cause, hobby, or person that can offer us this. In fact, many people or organizations don’t want you to achieve a tiny fraction of what the Church offers. They grab a lot of power and money by making sure your life is unbalanced and full of turmoil so they can sell you a “solution.”

If something feels unbalanced in your life, pick up a Rosary and pray it. Concentrate on the mysteries and their holy fruits. Like a child coming to his mother for help, we come before Mary with our concerns and worries. She will point us to the Rosary as the solution for any and all things in our lives. The Rosary reveals God’s plan for us because it reveals His Church. Everything else is spiritual plate spinning — it will come crashing down eventually.

RosaryMeds’ Catholic Voters Guide

I must have too many subscribers and visitors to RosaryMeds because I’m going to write about something that may turn some of you off — politics. With the upcoming elections in the United States, I feel like I need to speak up with my thoughts on how we should proceed as Catholics. Even if you’re not a US citizen but live in a country with a free election process, I believe these thoughts also apply to you.

Flawed People

As I listen more to Father Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year, I learn how God uses imperfect and broken people to accomplish his plan for humanity. Look at King David, someone who God handpicked as king of Israel. And yet, he lusted over Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, and had him killed in battle so he could marry her. Look at David’s son, Solomon, who honored God by building His temple. And yet, he married foreign wives and was influenced by their pagan ways. Jump to Saint Peter, our first pope, who denied knowing Jesus at His arrest. These were all mighty people, chosen by God, and yet flawed.

Uriah the Hittite being killed in battle on King David’s orders

Our elected officials aren’t perfect and have many flaws. And yet, God can use them to bring about good. When we cast a vote for a particular candidate, we aren’t endorsing their personal behavior. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to elect anyone because no one is perfect. We should elect people not based on their personalities, but on their platform. Will they promote the values and ideals we want as a society? Will they promote the freedoms all people deserve? Will they apply the law fairly?

Values Matter

Let’s talk about values for a minute. As we should know, some sins are more serious than others. There are mortal sins and venial sins. Similarly, there is a hierarchy of values; the Church holds certain values higher than others. The bishops in Colorado neatly summarizes these values. As Catholics, we need to do these two things:

  1. Learn why the Church ranks certain values higher than others. Why are life, family, and freedom ranked higher than the environment and immigration? We must be always learning Church doctrine and, like the saints, humbly accept Her teachings.
  2. Choose leaders who promote these values. Is a leader going to perfectly execute the laws according to these values? Probably not. But we need to elect leaders that align closer with our values and certainly don’t attack our values. With certain propositions, the Catholic answer is clearer. For example, it should be obvious that we must reject laws that expand abortion since they attack our primary value of protecting life.

2024 Catholic Voter Guide | Denver Catholic

A Moral Obligation to Vote

We have a moral obligation to vote. I know many people who want to “sit this one out” because they don’t like either candidate. But when we do that, we are not bearing witness to our Catholic values. If we truly believe in what the Church teaches, then we will want a society based on those values. We can’t say, “well, I personally think valuing life, religious freedom, and family are good but I’m not willing to promote them with my vote.” We need to be courageous in our faith and help the larger world understand why our laws need to reflect our values.

I will cut right to the point. We need to elect Donald Trump. He’s not perfect and has many failings. But when you compare him to Kamala Harris, his plans and track record aligns more closely with Christian values. In the last four years of the Harris/Biden administration, we’ve not only seen a move away from Christian values, but an attack on it. The FBI circulates memos labeling church-going people as terrorists. The Department of Justice has been throwing people in prison for opposing abortion and turns a blind eye to attacks on churches. And don’t get me started on the woke agenda which will only accelerate under a Harris presidency. I know Trump isn’t perfect, but we aren’t electing a Messiah. We are looking for the flawed people who will help align society with our values. We want people who will allow us to freely worship and live our lives and not impose their 1984 newspeak on morality.

October’s Cornucopia of Rosary Articles

In addition to writing about the Rosary, I read a lot about it too. After all, I need inspiration and information about this unique and powerful prayer. Every October, Rosary articles flood my email inbox and news feeds. As much as I would like to write in-depth commentary on each article, I don’t have enough time. Better to publicize these posts than hold on to them thinking I will write about them “some day.”

Fixing RosaryMeds’ Mysteries Pages

First, some good news. I’m fixing the mysteries pages on RosaryMeds. A few weeks ago, an extension I had been using for scrolling through each decade was dropped from WordPress. The good news is that I found a replacement. The bad news is that I need to re-enter all my scripture and intentions text. But I’m on my way! Take a look at the First Glorious Mystery page for a sample of how they will look.

7 (New!) ideas for praying the Rosary

If your Rosary routine feels a little stale, here are some ideas to change it up.

The Realness of the Rosary

The Mysteries of the Rosary upon which we meditate work to re-tether us to a reality that we are so often detached from in our modernist, post-Christian, hyper-worldly society.

The rosary: common myths and facts

7 questions about the Rosary dispelling common misbeliefs about this powerful prayer.

20 Things Guardian Angels Do for Us

Not specific to the Rosary, but it’s good to pray to our guardian angels for their protection. I remember to pray to my guardian angels when I meditate on the Fifth Glorious Mystery since one of Mary’s titles is Queen of Angels.

God Always Provides a Path to Heaven

CHOOSING A PATH

Certain video games are designed so that certain outcomes are no longer possible based on the actions you take. This is particularly true for role playing games (RPGs) where you make choices on how to customize your character and missions. I remember playing Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and I could choose whether to make my character lean towards the dark side or light side of the Force. But I had to choose carefully because the game’s plot would change based on my decisions.

Like an RPG, I think we often feel like our life decisions close and open various possibilities. That’s true to a certain extent. Buying a house, choosing a career, and getting married certainly put us on a certain track. But what about happiness? What about fulfillment? Sometimes, we feel like obtaining true happiness and peace is forever out of our reach due to our choices and circumstances.

We too often believe that our choices can make achieving happiness impossible. Maybe we have some self-destructive vices and addictions. We think we are too far down the road of self-destruction that we are forever cut off from joy and peace. Perhaps we’ve done some terrible things and think that not even God can bring us back. We are like Darth Vader in Star Wars believing it’s too late to turn from our dark ways.

THERE’S ALWAYS A PATH TO HAPPINESS

The great thing about our Catholic faith is that, unlike an RPG, there is always a path to peace and happiness. God never completely closes the road to grace and eventually Heaven. There are so many unhappy souls out there that don’t understand they can always come back into God’s grace as if they never left. Sure, the path back may be harder and longer for some. After all, some of us have more damage to repair. But the victory will be the same for all of us once in Heaven no matter the paths we took to get there.

Saint Bartolo Longo‘s story shows us that everyone can return to God’s loving grace no matter how far they fall. Born in 1841 in southern Italy, he was raised in a devout Catholic family. However, after his mother’s death when he was ten, he began to drift away from his faith.

While studying law at the University of Naples, Longo became involved in the occult and eventually became a Satanic priest! His involvement in Satanism led him to a state of deep depression, anxiety, and paranoia. Concerned for his well-being, his family sought help from a devout Catholic professor, Vincenzo Pepe.

Pepe introduced Longo to a Dominican priest, Father Alberto Radente, who guided him back to the Catholic faith. Longo’s conversion was marked by his devotion to the Rosary, and he eventually became a third-order Dominican. He dedicated his life to promoting the Rosary and restoring the faith of the people in Pompeii. Longo’s journey from Satanism to sainthood is a powerful testament to the transformative power of faith and redemption.

THE LONG ROAD TO HAPPINESS

If Saint Bartolo Longo could travel from Satanic priest to saint, surely God has a way for any of us to find true happiness. I like to turn to the Fifth Joyful Mystery when thinking about our faith journey. Mary and Joseph searched for Jesus for three sorrowful days before finding him. We too, sometimes need to search in sorrow before finding Jesus in our lives. We may take all sorts of wrong turns, but if we have faith in God’s plan, even those wrong turns will ultimately bring us victory in God’s Heavenly Kingdom.

Since I’m listening to the Bible in a Year, I’m hearing stories from the Old Testament of how God never abandoned the Israelites no matter how far they strayed. He always left a path open for them. It wasn’t always a clear path and certainly not an easy one. They experienced trials and tribulations at the hands of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. God used these terrible pagan rulers like Nebuchadnezzar to ultimately redeem humanity through His son Jesus. Salvation certainly wasn’t an easy road starting from Adam and Eve’s disobedience and culminating with Jesus’ resurrection.

We need to remember that while the road can be a long and difficult one, God never closes it completely. The people who end up in Hell are the ones who stop or turn back. They know the road eventually leads to true happiness but don’t choose to go down it. When we pray the Rosary, two things happen. The road towards God’s Kingdom becomes a little easier with the help of Mary and the Heavenly court. And we can better see glimpses of that final victory out on the horizon. If you ever feel stuck, please pick up that Rosary and take a step in the right direction.

The Power of Confession

IAACS: IT’S ALL ABOUT CONFESSION SILLY

My family invited a friend who was the former associate pastor at our parish, Father Tony. He has since moved to the role of pastor at his current parish. We picked his brain about how to make parishes stronger. Without skipping a beat, he proclaimed “adoration and confession.”

I’m going to focus on confession in this article. Father Tony said that parishes need to do more than just offer the Sacrament of Confession for 30 minutes before the Saturday vigil Mass. It needs to be widely available and promoted. Think about it, when was the last time you heard a priest talk at length about the importance and value of Confession?

WHERE GRACE ABOUNDS

You really have to think of a parish as a group of people with various sins on their souls. Now, which parish will be stronger? The parish where a large portion of the congregation receives the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly or the one with very few penitents? From a purely logical viewpoint, the stronger parish is the one with less communal sin.

Faith and grace flourish where sin is reduced. It’s like cleaning up all the junk and trash to reveal the natural beauty of the soul. If you understand the importance of Confession, then you also recognize the importance of the other sacraments as well. You will want to go to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day and receive the Eucharist in a state of grace. In fact, you will follow all the precepts of the Church. Where Confession abounds, so does grace.

FAMILY PEACE

Here’s a small example of the communal power of Confession. My wife, who is a living saint, insisted that we all go to Confession as a family because we haven’t gone in a few months. We all received the forgiveness and for a brief time, we were a family without sin.

The following Sunday was a peaceful one. I don’t know if it was just a coincidence, but it seemed like there was a greater effort in the household to foster a sense of peace and joy. Personally, I really wanted to live out the last part of The Act of Contrition — “And I firmly resolve with the help of your grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.” It’s like the entire family wanted to keep the sinless streak alive, at least for a day.

I can see the wisdom in Father Tony’s words about building a parish on the foundation of the Sacrament of Confession. After all, if my immediate family felt a sense of peace and joy after Confession, imagine how an entire parish must feel. At any given time, a good proportion of the congregation has a “clean slate” and is trying to keep their sinless streak going. That will have an entirely different dynamic than a parish where only a few “old school” members are going to Confession while the vast majority haven’t gone in years.

While we should support an individual going to Confession whenever they need to, we should push our pastors to place a greater emphasis on that sacrament. They need to encourage more people to receive it. If there isn’t enough time in the current slot, increase it. A parish family that is free from sin will be a stronger parish. I don’t know a single pastor that doesn’t want a stronger, more vibrant parish with more individual souls in a state of grace.

How Expecting Perfection Leads to Unhappiness

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in the world today — the expectation of perfection. It is often seen in expecting perfection from others but is sometimes manifested in expecting perfection from oneself. I believe that that we too often forget that we are not perfect beings.

Constantly Finding Flaws

Complaining seems to be people’s default mode now. When I run into a friend, I greet them and ask how they’re doing, only to be barraged by their list of grievances. Here are some of the examples of what I come across on a daily basis.

  1. In my youth soccer league, coaches complain about the competencies of referees. Keep in mind that most referees are volunteers just wanting to help out.
  2. Also in soccer, parents are upset that there aren’t enough coaches or referees or that they don’t like how a particular coach manages their child’s team.
  3. At a Mass, a new lector made a mistake regarding the readings. Despite people telling him it’s okay, he beats himself up over the error and pledges to never lector again.
  4. At a school event, people complain about the way a particular event is being run or a particular policy. The lines were too long, they didn’t have enough supplies, they didn’t give enough notice, etc.

Striving for perfection and expecting perfection are two different things. I often try my very best in whatever I do. Likewise, I hope that other people are doing the same. But I need to also have an understanding that things won’t always go as intended. The desired outcome isn’t always achieved. We will always find things that disappoint us if that is all we focus on.

Modern Day Pharisees

I think back to the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. In the Gospels, they seem to always be expecting, even demanding, perfect adherence to Jewish laws. Those who did not live up to the 613 laws were cast out of certain circles or at least looked down upon. When you have so many laws, you’re most likely going to be in violation of a few of them at some point. When there’s the expectation perfection, you will always be disappointed because you will always be surrounded by imperfection.

We can act similar to the Pharisees. We cast heavy burdens on people because when we expect them to behave flawlessly according to our standards. They may be doing everything just fine — being kind and thoughtful, working hard, and doing their best. But so many times, we focus on their shortcomings — they’re lateness, unresponsiveness, lack of organization, etc. When the Pharisees saw Jesus, they only saw the Mosiac laws He broke, not the good He did. We too tend to get into modes where the people around us are nothing more than a collection of flaws.

Our Catholic faith is so great because God sees more than our faults. He knows we are imperfect and yet He loves us anyway. God gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation knowing that we won’t always succeed at living according to His Will perfectly. It should be a comfort to us that God knows us so well that he knows we have our flaws and provides us a means to correct ourselves. Instead of God being disappointed in our imperfections like a Pharisee, He rejoices whenever we strive to follow Him.

Accepting Our Imperfections

We need to imitate God and also understand that no one is perfect. That means:

  1. Not getting overly frustrated when things don’t go perfectly.
  2. Not getting angry with people when they don’t live up to our expectations.
  3. Looking for the good in people and not focusing on their flaws.
  4. Not beating ourselves up when we fail to live up to our expectations.

When I think of our imperfections, I’m drawn to praying the Fifth Joyful Mystery. Mary and Joseph physically lost Jesus. Talk about failing as parents! But they just kept looking for Him for three days before finding Him. I think about how we have those moments when we lose Jesus. We often spiritually lose Jesus when we sin. We can either fall into despair because we aren’t living up to God’s high standards. Or we can imitate Mary and Joseph, turn around, and start searching for Jesus again in our lives.

Speaking of imperfection, sorry that my Rosary decade pages on my website are in bad shape. The slides extension I use for each “bead” isn’t working and is no longer available. I’m trying to find a replacement or redesign those pages to do something different. Stay tuned.

Shocking! Living Immorally Leads to a Decline in Morality

Statistics Don’t Lie

Let’s take a look at the results from a recent Gallop survey about morals in America. Overall, only 15% of those surveyed said American morals values are good to excellent. Now, I would really like to meet those who said that. How low are their expectations to think our society is excelling morally? 49% rated the state of American values as poor and 34% said “fair.” I probably side on the “fair” viewpoint.

Here’s where the survey gets interesting though. They broke it down into people’s view on specific moral and ethical topics. Here’s how those broke down:

  1. 54% responded that abortion is morally acceptable
  2. 55% said that death penalty is acceptable
  3. 53% said euthanasia is acceptable
  4. 69% have no problem with fornication (sex outside of marriage)
  5. 26% are okay with polygamy
  6. 14% think affairs are okay
  7. 94% are on board with artificial birth control
  8. 38% think pornography is okay
  9. 63% approve of embryonic stem cell research
  10. 82% are cool with in virtro fertilization
  11. 44% think you can change genders

I don’t think it takes a PhD in mathematics to see the connection between society’s views on individual issues and the overall sentiment of the US’ moral state. If such a large number of people have favorable opinions of immoral actions, is it any surprise that we have a dim view of the overall morality of the country? Statistically, there must be overlap in the people supporting these immoral actions who are also in that 83% believing that the overall state of morality is fair or poor.

Moral Truths and Selective Morality

To me, this actual affirms my belief in moral truths. You have so many people favoring immoral attitudes and yet they have an intuitive sense that something is wrong. Try as we might to rationalize certain immoral or unethical behaviors, we can’t escape that intrinsic sense that something is out of balance. This is like someone claiming the benefits of eating junk food all day long and then wondering why they are overweight. Deep down, we know that eating junk food is unhealthy. And we know, deep down, that many activities are immoral. We can’t support immoral actions and expect a high overall moral state of society.

I’m betting that people are selective with their immorality. Someone might claim, “it’s not my belief in gender fluidity that is leading to society’s moral decay. It’s those abortion advocates!” Or “I’m not hurting anyone with sex outside of marriage, it’s those pro death penalty people who are to blame!” We all like to think that we’re not part of the problem because we can always point to someone else who is worse in our minds.

This Isn’t New

The Old Testament is filled with accounts of the Israelites rejecting God and then suffering the consequences. They couldn’t see that breaking the Commandments lead to unhappiness and despair. Or they thought it was someone’s else’s rejection of God’s Truth leading to issues. Unfortunately, this just seems to be part of human nature going all the way back to our first parents, Adam and Eve. We can’t help ourselves from disobeying God and we refuse to learn from the consequences.

How the Rosary Develops Strong Moral Character

Where does the Rosary play into this moral mess? For starters, by praying the Rosary you are investing in learning God’s Will and for the strength to follow it. I think so much of today’s problems is caused by people doing what feels good or what those in power (politicians, media, celebrities, etc.) tell them they should do. But they don’t stop and ask what God demands of them. By praying the Rosary with utmost humility, you are seeking God’s truth.

Humility, the fruit of the First Joyful Mystery, combats the sin of pride. When we humbly pray the Rosary, we tell God that we may not always understand His ways. We may not even agree with His ways. But we know God’s ways are always good and we ask for His help through Mary and her Rosary for the strength to follow what is good. If more people sought divine guidance through prayer, our world would take a stronger moral character.

Why Should We Practice Mortification?

You Can Do This

The movie, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, starts with the main character’s military helicopter being shot down. The movie then flashes forward to Jack in rehab. The doctor has some pain medication for him, but she asks him to wait two minutes before taking them. When asked why, she replies with “so that you know you can.“

I liked this little exchange. While Jack Ryan is suffering from his injuries and the rehabilitation, the doctor asks just a little more from him. While not in the movie, I imagine that she’ll ask him to wait 2.5 minutes the next time she administers his pain medication. And then 3, 5, and maybe challenge Ryan to not skip a day entirely. The point is that Jack needs to know that he is strong enough to control his wants and endure a little bit of discomfort. That is how he grows into the determined and steadfast CIA analyst throughout Tom Clancy’s books and movies.

Practicing Mortification

That leads me to thinking about the Church’s demands that we practice mortification. Mortification means subjecting oneself to self-discipline and self-denial of bodily goods. It’s more than simply not committing sin (that’s a given). It’s giving up something good for the sake of the greater good. It means giving up some comfort to honor God and to show penance for our sins.

Some classic ways we practice mortification is by fasting and abstinence, acts of charity and service, and generally doing what is good when we don’t feel like it. But there’s also a dimension of putting up with a little discomfort. The Catholic Gentleman podcast challenged listeners to practice some form of mortification every day. They mentioned small acts like turning off the air conditioner, taking a cold shower, giving up electronics, or skipping your morning cup of coffee.

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This may strike us as the Church being cruel. What does a cold shower have to do with our relationship with God? Like Jack Ryan, small acts of mortification show us that we are stronger and have more control over our passions than we think. If I can tolerate a cold shower for one minute, maybe I can also resist certain temptations. If I can drive to work on a hot summer day without A/C, I’m in much better shape to resist Satan’s empty promises.

Building up Endurance

We build physical strength through exercise. Every movement in exercise actually tears muscle fibers which grow back stronger and more resilient. In the spiritual sense, mortification breaks us down slightly and allows God’s grace to build us back up. It clears out our desires for what is physical for what is Heavenly. If we are detached from our earthly passions, Satan has very little to tempt us with.

Athlete doing push up in a gym.

Mortification is so important in our spirituality, it’s the fruit of the Second Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary — The Scourging at the Pillar. We remind ourselves every Tuesday and Friday that God calls us to a life of purity and mortification. Like Jesus being scourged and his flesh being ripped away from his body, mortification is us ripping away our earthly desires. Keep in mind that those passions and desires aren’t necessarily bad ones. They may be good — food, comfort, quality entertainment, sleep, etc. But we need to occasionally “rip away” those good comforts and replace them with even better ones — God’s grace. We need to remind ourselves that we can do small things for God building us up to accomplish the big, saintly things.

Disclaimer

Now I shouldn’t have to say this but be smart in your mortifications. Don’t do anything dangerous. Don’t wear a parka when it’s 110 degrees. Don’t try to go extended periods of time without eating or drinking. Don’t flog yourself like you see in some movie portrayals of Christians. Mortification is about building spiritual strength over time to show that you can live for God’s Kingdom. God is not impressed by stupid stunts.