politics

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.

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:

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.
Pray for hope. No matter who wins, there will be many people upset and depressed. Pray for our mental and emotional health.
Pray for unity. Politics are tearing families, friends, and communities apart. Pray that we see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
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.
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.

JD Vance: Kamala Harris’ prejudice against Catholics

www.post-gazette.com

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, …

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:

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.
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.

To Win the Culture Wars, We Need to Accept Small Victories

The Abortion Wars

I try to make RosaryMeds relevant to current events. That means occasionally diving into the realm of politics. In this post, I want to talk about the current abortion debate in the United States. I’m going to discuss the difference between morality and political strategy. If you read the Old Testament, particularly the Torah, you will see how God did a bit of political maneuvering to guide the Israelites to a moral good.

Donald Trump was recently asked about whether he would support a national abortion ban. He said that he wouldn’t and instead leave abortion policy and enforcement to the states. This upset many in the pro-life community. A pregnant woman crossing between California and Arizona doesn’t magically change the personhood of the unborn baby. Morally, a national ban on abortion makes sense since something as fundamental as personhood doesn’t change at state borders. However, we have to be cautious using the power of the federal government when it comes to matters of morality.

Why National Bans Are a Bad Idea

A national abortion ban, while morally the correct action, puts the decision at too high a level in government. The United States is supposed to govern at the lowest levels — cities, counties, states, and then the federal government. This structure prevents a small group of people in Washington from enacting one-size-fits-all policies across the country. I’m not in favor of national policies even if they legislate something I agree with such as an abortion ban. That power can easily be used to enact laws that aren’t ethically sound. Think about how long Roe vs. Wade was the law of the land and how difficult it was for states to work around it to save lives.

Just because someone does not support a national abortion ban doesn’t mean he supports abortion. It’s a matter of political strategy. We can’t tear down Constitutional principles to win a battle only to lose the war. Furthermore, as a matter of political strategy, we need to get comfortable with incremental victories at the state levels. If we insist on a total abortion ban and nothing less, the pro-life movement will never get anywhere. While lives will continue to be lost if we settle with a 12-week ban, it’s a step towards that moral ideal.

God’s Incremental Plan

As I read the Bible in a Year, I see cases of God enacting laws that incrementally move towards a moral good. For example, he gave the Israelites laws governing divorce (see Deuteronomy 24:1-4). God allows it initially with the Israelites although he doesn’t desire it. God’s Will is later fulfilled by Jesus when he taught that God did not intend for divorce but allowed it because of the hardness of the Israelites’ hearts (see Matthew 19:3-9).

The giver of the Law and the Fulfillment of the Law

We have to remember that the Israelites came out of slavery in Egypt and were surrounded by cultures that treated women and wives as property. God saw that he couldn’t take the Israelites from the only mindset they ever knew to the one he desired for them. He needed to guide them which is why the Torah is filled with 613 laws — they steer the Israelites to the moral good God desires. God doesn’t want divorce and Jesus later clarified that God allowed it as a way for the Jewish people (and hence their Christian descendants) to come to know what is morally good. God, in his infinite wisdom, knows that sometimes he needs to gradually guide us towards that moral good because we may not understand and embrace his Will in its entirety up front.

We need to take God’s example when it comes to fighting these culture wars. God took people who had no concept of his moral Will and introduced laws and Commandments. His Will was later fulfilled by Jesus Christ. And while it would have been nice to skip the generations of suffering from an imperfect law, God knew he was dealing with people with “stiff necks” (Exodus 32:9 and 33:5). We’re also dealing in a culture that isn’t ready to entirely accept what is morally, ethically, and logically good. We have a choice on how move forward. We can either insist on laws that are entirely morally acceptable or steer the culture in the desired direction one law or one state at a time. God chose the latter. Maybe we should follow his lead.

How Our Faith Brings Hope into the World

My apologies for my month-long absence from RosaryMeds. Of all months, I should be cranking out the most content in October, the month that we celebrate Mary, Queen of the Rosary. But between family, school, work, and activities, I just couldn’t find the time or energy to write. But I continued to pray the Rosary and ask our Mother Mary for her intercession in all matters, big and small and global and personal. I hope you did the same.

Seeking Hope in a Troubled World

I understand that there isn’t a ton of good news out there right now. Many of us are worried about the multiple wars, growing antisemitism (which leads to growing anti-religion), and some of the concerning actions and statements coming from the Vatican. We should continue praying, especially the Second Glorious Mystery, Jesus’ Ascension. The fruit of this mystery is hope. We must remember that we are a people of hope who know that God’s plan reigns supreme even when everything appears to be falling apart.

I have a hodge-podge of stories that all center around conversion and the importance of prayer. They demonstrate the comfort that one receives when one chooses to listen to God instead of the world. These are stories of hope because they show God has the ability to change the hearts of those who seem the most distant from him.

Atheist Turns to Christianity

Ayaan Hirsi Ali recently converted from atheism to Christianity. She is a well-known critic of Islam to the point where she has a fatwa against her (she needs a full-time security detail for protection). Her Muslim upbringing left her so emotionally and spiritually scarred that she initially took the stance that all organized religion is bad and that God cannot exist. However, she now embraces Christianity. Here are her thoughts why:

“Atheism failed to answer a simple question: What is the meaning and purpose of life?” she said, arguing that “the void left by the retreat of the church” in the modern world “has merely been filled by a jumble of irrational quasi-religious dogma.” Hirsi Ali said in the essay that there is “no need to look for some new-age concoction of medication and mindfulness” to address these present crises: “Christianity has it all.”

I think she says it best when she uses the word void. There are so many people who have stopped practicing their faith creating a void in their life. They may try to fill it with activities, work, leisure, and family. Or they take up some political cause. But that is like trying to fill a round hole with a square peg. The only way to truly fill the void created when we stop practicing our faith is to start practicing it once again. There are not enough YouTube videos or community events to fill the void created by abandoning the sacraments of the Church.

Outspoken atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali says she is now a Christian | Catholic News Agency

Father Baptizes His Dying Baby

The next story is the tragic events around baby Indi Gregory, a UK baby that was taken off life support against her parents’ wishes even after the Vatican granted her citizenship so she could receive care in Rome. But the moving part of these events is that Indi’s parents, neither of whom are baptized, baptized Indi before her death. Her father, Dean Gregory, said he wanted Indi to go to Heaven if she died. He is now in the process of being baptized as well.

As tragic as this story is, it serves as a wake-up call for all of us. Dean Gregory said that his experience with the British court system and NHS exposed the evil that exists all around us. He desired protection from that evil both for himself and Indi. We too, should realize that evil exists in many forms. Just read Father Spitzer’s books that I reviewed. But rest assured, by practicing the Catholic faith and receiving the sacraments, we have all the protection we need from any evil we may encounter in this life.

Baby Indi Gregory’s father says he chose baptism for her after feeling ‘dragged to hell’ | Catholic News Agency

Knowledge of Church Teachings Tied to Mass Attendance

A national survey found that 90% of Catholics who attend Mass weekly believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. And while that seems great, we must realize that only 17% of the respondents attend weekly Mass. The majority of Catholics surveyed (51%) believe that the Eucharist is only symbolic of Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper.

That survey results make me wonder what people think “being Catholic” means. It seems like we’ve watered down Catholicism so much over the years that it has become more like a forgotten gym membership than the focal point of our existence. But God has his ways of waking us up. I believe that the Church is due for a wake-up call.

National Survey Finds 9 in 10 Weekly Mass Attendees Believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist – CatholicVote org

It’s unfortunate that we need to have moments of experiencing Hell like Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Dean Gregory to realize just how important our faith is. This is where our prayers come into play. I like to think that each Rosary prayed and each Mass celebrated helps bring others back to the Church in ways that are dramatic, but not traumatic. We need to remain hopeful that our sacrifices will help convert those who are so far God’s grace. Keep up those prayers!

Skipping Mass Makes Life Harder

The Empty Pew Pandemic

Within the last week, I came across these articles about changing church attendance patterns and religious practices. These articles sadden me greatly because so many people have made their lives sadder and harder because they’ve de-prioritized practicing their faith. We need to learn from Mary and the saints’ examples that our lives will ultimately be happier and easy when we chose to serve God.

A person might be entering mid-career, working a high-stress job requiring a 60- or 70-hour workweek. Add to that 15 hours of commute time, and suddenly something like two-thirds of their waking hours in the week are already accounted for. And so when a friend invites them to a Sunday-morning brunch, they probably want to go to church, but they also want to see that friend, because they haven’t been able to see them for months. The friend wins out.
The Misunderstood Reason Millions of Americans Stopped Going to Church

What these articles touch on and what I see in my own life, is a spiritual “quiet quit.” Most people I know who are former Sunday Mass regulars don’t have anything against the Catholic Church. But they started watching live-streamed Masses during Covid. They then skipped a Sunday, and then another, and then another. Since God didn’t smite them and no one asked them to return, their new normal was to be a “Christmas and Easter” Catholic.

“It’s not like they are walking away, saying, ‘I’m now an atheist and don’t believe,’” he says. “They still believe in a God and live life with purpose but are done with the institutional church.”
Why Middle-Aged Americans Aren’t Going Back to Church

Skipping Mass Makes Life Harder

I’ve said this countless times before, skipping Mass and not praying daily makes your day harder, not easier. The articles talk about how people can’t fit in Mass between all the priorities in their lives whether they be work, family, health, or various hobbies. But in skipping Mass, you distance yourself from the source that makes all those priorities and challenges in your life manageable.

Of all the priorities in your life, the last one you want to scale back on is your relationship with God. He’s the one that enables you to move forward and find true happiness and understanding in all that you do. Trouble at work? God can help you. Trouble at home? God can help. Problem with your kids? God can help. No task or challenge is too big for an all-powerful, all-patient, and all-loving God. But we need to form an active relationship with Him through the Church to receive His grace. He wants to help us, but we need to be open to that help.

Many people may ask, “I do believe in God, but I don’t need to attend Mass every week or pray rote prayers to form a relationship with him.” That seems to be the position of many Catholics since the Mass closures during Covid. They stopped going to Mass and their world did not come to a fiery end. But missing Mass is like giving up a healthy diet and exercise in favor of junk food and binge-watching Netflix. Sure, you may be alive and superficially entertained, but you’ve set yourself up for disaster later on in life. We need the Mass because it fills something profound in our souls that nothing else can.

Mary’s Example

Let’s go back to the Annunciation from the First Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. Now Mary had a healthy relationship with God. But God asked her for more… a lot more! Becoming the Mother of God was disruptive, to say the least. But Mary understood the importance of serving God even if it was going to cause hardship and sorrow at specific points in her life. We need to imitate Mary and choose God over worldly comforts and conveniences. God wants us at Mass, not because he needs the praise, but because we need God. It may seem like God asks a lot of us and following him may cause sorrow. But like Mary, we need to understand that those temporary hardships pave the way for profound and meaningful joy.

There are no saints that God didn’t help when they faced their various challenges in life. But when coming to a crossroads, saints choose God over worldly comforts. God calls all of us to sainthood which leads to eternal happiness with Him in Heaven. Satan wants us to choose the seemingly easy life by giving up Mass occasionally knowing that it will lead us further away from God and happiness in this life and maybe the next. The wise, saintly person will choose the road that leads to God knowing that ultimately, his “yoke is easy and burden light” (Mathew 11:30).

Moral Courage vs. Pride this June

June is coming which means pride month in the USA. No matter where you go, you’ll be bathed in rainbow slogans. But this year, we’ll be subjected to even more propaganda as the “trans” movement will be piggybacking, if not taking the spotlight, of pride month.

This year, I challenge you to not patronize businesses that so aggressively market ideas and propaganda that go against our Catholic faith. We really have to ask ourselves what’s more important to us — our faith and values or cheap goods and entertainment?

Bye Bye Major League Baseball

Case and point. This year the LA Dodgers and Major League Baseball will be honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at one of their games. This is a group that gets attention pushing transgenderism by mocking the Catholic faith. If this group mocked any other religion as they do, they would be widely condemned as a hate group. But they are being honored and celebrated. Why? What does honoring this group or even having a “pride night” have to do with baseball? Seriously, would anyone have cared if a baseball game was just, you know, a baseball game?

I’m not supporting MLB or their advertisers as best I can. I love the game of baseball. I would like to spend a warm summer’s day with my family, hot dog and soda in hand, watching a game. But I cannot support an organization that clearly hates me and everything that is valuable to me. I can live without major league baseball. I can’t live without God’s grace.

See Ya Target!

Another company I won’t be patronizing is Target. They are aggressively marketing LGBTQ+ apparel. It will be front and center at all their stores. And the Target corporation seems to be doubling down on its anti-Catholic stance. The person who designed their pride apparel is a professed Satanist. She once said, “Satan respects pronouns.” It doesn’t get any more on the nose than that. I’m not going to give my money to a company that knowingly sides with evil forces to market dangerous propaganda to families and children.

Moral Courage

The fruit of the Third Sorrowful Mystery is moral courage. The Romans tortured and mocked Jesus during his Passion. But Jesus endured it because of his love of God and knowing the importance of doing his will. We too, must show moral courage. Mary will give us the strength, through her Rosary, to endure. God isn’t asking us to be martyrs, at least not in this case. He’s asking us to love him enough to abstain from supporting those entities that are attacking his Church.

Let’s make a statement this June. Saint Paul had his “road to Damascus” moment when he realized the error of his ways. If Catholics came together and really rejected companies that openly attack our values, we could force the modern-day road to Damascus moments for these companies. We can make it their “Bud Light” moment where they realize that it doesn’t pay to mock and attack their customers’ core values.

Don’t Give Satan an Opportunity

Do you know what it’s like to have a good idea or plan and then to see someone not follow it at their peril? For example, if you have kids then you’ve probably seen them go ten rounds fighting over something that could have been resolved with 30 seconds of conversation. When we don’t follow rules, we introduce so much unnecessary chaos. Well, I feel like the world is enduring so much self-imposed misery when the path to happiness and meaning is right there in front of us!

Christ Versus Satan

I recently read Father Robert Spitzer’s Christ Versus Satan in Our Daily Lives. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to boost their spiritual defenses. I’m not going to lie, it’s a scary book as it outlines all the ways Satan tries to control us. Fr. Spitzer discusses Satan’s tactics, demonic possession, and the eight deadly vices. He makes it clear that there are demonic forces at play in our lives waiting to attack the undefended.

There is, however, a sense of hope in the book. Try as Satan might, his powers are still bounded by God. Fr. Spitzer shows how Satan’s temptation of Jesus in the desert failed because he was no match for the power of God. We too can defeat Satan and resist temptation when we call on the protection of God. The problem is that many people do not call on God’s protection and invite Satan into their lives.

A World Falling Apart

I mention this book because it relates to what we see in our world. Our society has abandoned the values and principles that have protected us from evil. We are currently undergoing a radical, worldwide experiment of replacing values such as religion, family, and community with an almost “anything goes” attitude. And poll after poll shows us that people are feeling less happy and satisfied as a result.

Alarming Report: American Values Evaporating

If you read Fr. Spitzer’s book or just read Catholic doctrine, the erosion of society shouldn’t come as a shock. We open the doors to Satan’s control when we abandon God’s protection and seek fulfillment in worldly pursuits. Whether we admit it or not, we are spiritual beings with eternal souls with an innate sense of good and evil. And when we turn our back on the good, Satan will fill that void.

I’m not saying that the world was perfect in the past or that everyone who practiced a religious faith was an angel. After all, we fought horrific wars and people’s behaviors in their private lives weren’t anything to brag about. But I feel like we, as a society, knew what was right and wrong even when we failed to live up to them. We tried to steer our laws and behaviors toward the good. We’ve gone so far off the rails as a world now that we don’t acknowledge basic facts about human anatomy or basic ethical and moral principles that most religions, philosophies, and societies have recognized for thousands of years.

What is Truth?

Jesus’ scourging and crowning of thorns took place under the direction of Pontius Pilate. He notoriously asked Jesus, “What is truth?” He would have felt right at home in today’s world where everything can be doubted and explained away if it’s inconvenient. There are thousands of “Pilates” in our world condemning those who live by God’s Truth under the pretense that the truth is hurtful and bigoted. Like Pilate, so many people find it easier to dismiss truth and hence, dismiss God, because it is often hard to live up to.

Like Jesus falling under the cross in the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery, we will fall under the weight of sin. We can complain whenever we fall to sin about how unfair it all may seem. There are so many rules and restrictions that our crosses impose on us. Wouldn’t we be so much happier if we threw off the weight of religion and dismiss all her teachings on vice, sin, Satan, Heaven, and Hell?

The reality is we cannot pretend our crosses do not exist. Jesus didn’t magically make his cross disappear although he had the power to do so. He didn’t complain about how unfairly he was being treated during his Passion and Crucifixion. Let’s imitate Jesus and acknowledge God’s Truth and plan for us even if it’s hard for us to follow. Just because we fall short at times, doesn’t mean God is wrong and needs to be replaced with a truth that is easier to follow. Instead, God calls us to dig deep and find the strength to do his Will that he infused in all of us.

Add Some Activism to Your Lent

I’ve heard many times that during Lent, you should not only give something up but also do something extra. Maybe that’s extra prayer time. Maybe it’s a commitment to attend Stations of the Cross each week or adoration. Perhaps you vow to make amends with someone or receive the sacrament of Reconciliation. Here’s something else you can add to your Lent — political activism!

Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to superglue your hands to the road to block traffic all the while screaming “Jesus loves you!” This is something much easier and legal — write letters on pressing social issues to Congress. CatholicVote provides this page where you can write to Congress about bills touching on various moral and ethical issues.

CAP Take Action

Current bills open for public comment include:

Pass the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act
Submit an Official Comment to Tell HHS Not to Weaken Conscience Protections
Tell Your Senator to Vote for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
Demand Action on Attacks Against Catholic Churches

On the Loop podcast, they urge people to write in their own words. They will carry more weight than ones coming from a template. You never know, perhaps your words will touch the right politician at the right time and nudge them to act appropriately. Unleash your inner writer and let the government know that there are people who want their freedoms protected instead of being attacked.

Listening to the Least of Us

Jesus was no stranger to speaking the truth to power. In the Fifth Joyful Mystery, we see him talking to the elders in the temple as a young boy. They had every reason to dismiss him. After all, when was the last time you gave a child your complete attention? Usually, I smile and nod because what excites a young boy probably doesn’t excite me. But they were captivated by his words and hopefully transformed by them.

Jesus shows us that the truth knows no age restriction. The truth knows no status or education. The apostles went forth preaching in Jesus’ name and they were comprised of fishermen and a tax collector. I encourage you to lay down some truth to our elected representatives. They need to hear from all of us that these issues are important to us.

My apologies to my non-US readers for such a US-centric post.

The Difference Between Freedom and License

The Lost Art of Self-Control

I recently listened to a podcast produced by The Art of Manliness website titled What Happened to the Idea of Self Control? It was an interview with Daniel Akst, author of the book Temptation: Finding Self-Control in an Age of Excess. He brought up interesting points about how we’ve forgotten the benefits of self-control as a society. Instead, we now have this notion that resisting temptations and showing self-control are somehow contrary to exercising freedom.

When I listened to this podcast, I couldn’t help but think of the Israelites in the Old Testament. Countless times, their lack of self-control led to God punishing them. As I said in previous articles, I bet the “punishment” was just the logical consequence of a society acting immorally. When self-control is no longer valued or promoted by a culture, chaos results. The 10 Commandments and other moral laws don’t exist to inhibit peoples’ freedoms. It’s quite the opposite. They remind people of the foundational moral code that allows freedom to flourish.

Freedom vs. License

Let’s review the difference between freedom and license. Freedom is having the ability to freely choose how you want to live as long as it’s compatible with the common good. License, on the other hand, is doing whatever we feel like doing. We tend to confuse these concepts. True freedom results from people considering the consequences of their actions and how it affects others. Freedom is being able to choose between multiple good or neutral options. Choosing to do harm or evil isn’t exercising freedom, it’s taking license. We can never willingly choose evil under the name of freedom, free choice, or free will.

Elections and Freedom

The United States is entering its midterm elections. We’re not electing a new president, but we are electing members of Congress and voting on various laws. Abortion is a big topic now that the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion laws. You hear many pro-abortion politicians talk about the “freedom” to choose. Some even go so far as to promote radical abortion policies while holding rosaries or displaying religious imagery. They paint pro-life advocates as wanting to take away a woman’s freedom. But abortion is gravely immoral. Promoting abortion can never be an exercise of freedom. It’s an exercise in taking license.

Teaching people the evil of abortion and pushing for an abortion-free society does not impede people’s freedoms. A free society is not one where anything goes. That mindset inevitably leads to chaos and disorder. Look at many progressive cities in the United States like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and Chicago. They are enshrining license in their laws by not enforcing laws against drugs, theft, and even certain violent crimes. This is in the name of “freedom”, “equity”, and numerous other buzzwords. However, these cities have become less free because law-abiding citizens are not safe to lead the life they want. Their freedom to choose the good is restricted so that others can exercise license.

How the Rosary Teaches Freedom

When I think about following God’s laws, I meditate on the First Luminous Mystery. I recall the Holy Spirit coming down on Jesus and God saying “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). God is telling everyone to listen and follow Jesus. And that really is the core of practicing the Catholic faith — listening to Jesus. We affirm this in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Freedom comes down to listening to God and doing His Will out of a love for Him. Even for those who aren’t baptized Catholic, God still speaks to them through the natural law He created. We are all born free because everyone has the ability to know God and follow Him. We all intuitively understand the difference between good and evil and can make free decisions honoring God’s moral laws.

When you examine your conscience (which you hopefully do regularly), ask yourself if you exhibited freedom or license during the day. Did you allow God to guide you in your interactions with people? Look at some of your political views, politicians, and laws that you support. Do you support them because they are morally sound or because they are convenient? There are so many people who will see our world crumble as long as they get to stay on top. They do that by selling license disguised as freedom. Be smart, pray the Rosary, and see through the lies.