Psalm 53 - and More

Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina.
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Psalm 53:  
   Save me O God, by Thy Name: and judge me in Thy strength.
   Hear my prayer, O God: give ear to the words of my mouth.
   For strangers are risen up against me, and the mighty have sought after my soul: and they have not set God before their eyes.
   For, behold, God is my Helper: and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
   Turn back the evils upon mine enemies; and cut them ofrf in thy truth.
   I will freely sacrifice to Thee; and will give praise to Thy nName, O Lord, for it is good.
   For Thou has delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath looked down upon mine enemies.

In time of persecution, and we are in the acceleration of that time, people begin to think more of prayer or lack of it in their lives. Warnings have been given us throughout centuries through Biblical and private revelation prophesies. We are losing our liberties in the United States, one by one, with no united outcry. Religion is being attacked everywhere, and especially from our own government.  Pope Leo XIII had something to say about liberalism.

   "By the patrons of liberalism who make the State absolute and omnipotent, and proclaim that men should live altogether independetly of God, the liberty of which we speak, which goes hand in hand with virtue and religion, is not admitted; and whatever is done for its preservation is accounted an injury and an offense against the State.  Indeed, if what they say were really true, there would be no tyranny , no matter how monstrous, which we should not be found to endure and submit to."  from Libertas Praestantissimus, in the year, 1888.

I shared something on facebook today with quotes from Pope Benedict XVI, long before he was Pope, in 1969, to be exact. I hope people will read it. Catholics especially will find that the fictional book referenced is prophetic of what is happening.  Here is something else  the Pope said, rebuking bishops, when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger.

   "It is true that the Church may never simply align itself with the 'zeitgeist '(spirit of the time). The Church must address the vices and perils of the time; she must appeal to the consciences of the powerful and the intellectuals, not to mention of those who want to live narrow-minded, comfortable lives, while ignoring the needs of the time.... As a bishop I felt obliged to face the task. Moreover, the deficits were too obvious: exhaustion of the Faith, decline in vocations, lowering of moral standards even among men of the Church, an increasing tendency towards violence, and much else. The words of the Bible and of the Church Fathers rang in my ears, those sharp condemnations of shepherds who are like mute dogs; in order to avoid conflicts, they let the poison spread. Peace is not the first civic duty, and a bishop whose only concern is not to have any problems and to gloss over as many conflicts as possible is an image I find repulsive."  from Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millenium, an interview with Peter Seewald, Ignatius Press, 1996, PP. 82-83.

   The silencing of the Church did not begin yesterday. Inroads have been made for decades in limiting the freedom of churches to fulfill their missions. Pastors did not speak out about the immorality of certain laws, of the complicity of Catholic politicians, etc. The moment Catholic churches, schools and institutions began to accept Federal funds to "help" in their missions, was the moment religious freedom became imperiled. In fact, though, many in the Church accepted the ideas behind those laws and have contributed vastly to the degradation of souls and the decline of the Faith.

   Following are some recent headlines from around the world.

Islamists rampage in British WWII cemetery in Libya.
NYT columnist mocks Romney's religion
Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia says it is necessary to destroy all churches in the region
Monastery chapel desecrated in Uruguay
50 consecrated hosts stolen from a tabernacle
A Coptic christian in Egypt sentenced to 6 years for "insulting the prophet"
Iranian pastor hanged for being a christian convert
Boko Haram group continues to attack Nigerian Catholics, killing them and desecrating churches
Laos government commands that christians give up their faith.
Christian students in Pakistan commanded to know the Koran by heart.
Chapel desecrated in India
Student not admitted to University for being christian
In the U.S.A.:
Pro-life students arrested on public sidewalk outside abortion clinic
Christians arrested for handing out religious literature to Moslems
Karachi Pakistan christian children are kidnapped and tortured.
Our religious institutions are now faced with fines of $2000 per employee or $100 a day if they do not comply with the healthcare insurance mandate.

Every week, in Europe and here,we see another piece of "art," or music, or a play or something on TV or radio that is pure filth and obscenity against Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother. Each week the examples are worse.

 we are being hammered by homosexual activists, crying "hate speech" if the Bible is quoted from the pulpit. Denied Communion, a woman living a lesbian lifestyle wants a priest relieved of his faculties. Christianity is under attack around the world. We are not exempt; and I see the time when we will wonder what happened to our ability even to worship as we choose.  I wrote something awhile back that I think I will re-do and expand for a future blog. This is too important.