Can I Count On You?
one
We find ourselves in a great spiritual battle. It is not by chance. God chose us and placed us here.
In 1976, St. JPII, then Karol Wojtyla, gave an address in America in which he stated:
“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced. I do not think that wide circles of American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, between the Gospel and the anti-gospel, between Christ and the antichrist…This confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence. It is, therefore, in God's Plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take up, and face courageously.
two
St. John Paul II said, “This confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence.”
You are not at this point in history by chance. From all eternity God saw this moment; He knew exactly what would happen; He knew what kind of people would be needed to meet the challenge and then He thought of you. God designed you with exactly what you would need to fight the spiritual battle we face. You are right where you are supposed to be. But you have a choice: you can be grumpy, angry, sad, depressed, fearful, or whatever emotion you feel and be paralyzed and useless; or you can make the choice to trust not in your own wisdom and power but trust in the power of God and take up your position in this spiritual army and fight with the weapons God has given us.
The first step is to make the choice: Will you accept your God-given role in history and fight the good fight or will you prefer to use your emotions as an excuse to avoid the fight?
three
An army is stronger than a solitary soldier. People band together, they associate together to do what they cannot do alone.
St John Paul II wrote a letter to the world called On the Mission of the Lay Faithful. There he called the laity to band together in movements or associations to carry out a particular calling in the name of the Church. The Movement of the Holy Family is a response to this call. It is a spiritual army that individuals choose freely to join. And the result is an army of people who now share in the spiritual power of all the members joined together.
The Church offers benefits to those who choose freely to associate together to help one another – they share graces and merits that benefit all the members.
Once I become a member, then I am not just relying on myself but on the graces and merits of all the members - their prayer, works, joys and sufferings all joined in one spiritual reservoir that now benefits me and all those I choose to apply them to.
CCC 2027 No one can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods like health and friendship.
Now I can bring to bear all the merits and graces of this spiritual army for the good of all my loved ones. I can apply it to my family and friends – whoever I choose. Now, when you come to me and ask for prayer and sacrifices, you not only get mine, but all my comrades in spiritual arms. There is a spiritual army to back you up for your good. Can I count on you for the same?
four
What are our weapons and how do we fight?
First weapon: The Morning Offering. When you awaken pray: Jesus I offer you my prayer, work, joy and suffering this day, and I unite it to your sacrifice made present in the Holy Mass. I offer it for all the members of the Movement.
Now all the merits of your prayer, work, joy and suffering, united to the infinite merit of Christ, go to help all the Members of the Movement and their intentions and needs.
Second Weapon: Pray the Rosary every day and be Apostles of the Rosary – sharing it with others. The Rosary is the most powerful weapon against evil. October 13, 1973 Our Lady said at Akita Japan: The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary.
Third Weapon: Take up your cross daily by accepting what you did not choose, do not like and cannot change for the love of Jesus and souls.
Fourth Weapon: Go to Mass and receive the spiritual strengthening of the Eucharist as often as you can and receive the spiritual healing and strengthening in Reconciliation at least once a month. Go to Mass now. There is no guarantee our Churches will remain open.
five
We are witnessing the cosmic battle of Revelation 12 which we find ourselves swept up into. It is playing out right before our eyes. The Woman clothed with the sun, Mary the Mother of God and Saint Michael engaged in a battle with the great red dragon, Satan. But Satan cannot touch the woman; he has no power over her; so he makes war on her children, those who keep the commandments and bear testimony to Christ.
Since Satan cannot touch the Woman, then all those who consecrate themselves to her, all those who place themselves under the Mantle of Mary, under the Mantle of her protection find a refuge to protect them from attacks of Satan.
At the bottom of this email or text or in the show-notes of the Podcast you will find a powerful image of Mary as the Refuge of Sinners.
Her mantle or cloak is held up by angels and all the faithful gather under the protection of her mantle as if under a great tent that has no limits. Satan and the demons and the enemies of God try to attack those gathered under Mary’s mantle but all their arrows and whatever they throw at us is repelled by the Mantle of Mary. We are safe under her protection.
We find refuge under the Mantle of Mary by consecrating ourselves to her, by giving ourselves to her. And we can consecrate or entrust everything that we are responsible for to Mary. The first and last thing I do each day is to entrust myself, my wife and marriage, my kids, John, Sara, Grace, Xavier and Teresa, Nick and Cormac and the Holy Family School of Faith to Mary. I consecrate everything I am responsible for to Her and she protects it all.