For many of us who live in the United States in 2009, the idea of dying for our faith is hard to imagine. Yet, throughout history, people willingly gave up their lives to defend the Catholic Faith. Even if we are not asked to give up our lives, many of us will encounter situations where we are called to defend our faith in some way.

In the first reading from today?s Mass (Heb13:1-8), we are reminded that ?The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?? This echoes what is said in the responsorial psalm (Ps 27:1, 3, 5, 8b-9abc) ?The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid??

In today?s gospel, St. Mark relates the story of John the Baptist (Mk 6:14-29) who was imprisoned and subsequently murdered because he admonished King Herod for his illegitimate marriage. The fear of punishment did not deter John from doing the right thing. He knew that even though he could be made to suffer on earth, nobody could take away the reward waiting for him in the next life. If we persevere and faithfully follow The Lord?s commandments, we will live with Him forever someday.

It is also appropriate that today The Church commemorates the martyrdom of St. Paul Miki and his companions. In 1597, he was crucified along with 25 other Christians in Nagasaki, Japan simply because they were followers of Christ. Much like John the Baptist, Paul Miki wasn?t afraid to die for his beliefs. From the cross he said, ?The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I certainly did teach the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason I die. I believe that I am telling only the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you to become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ?s example I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.?

As I mentioned earlier, most of us will not be required to die a violent death to defend our Catholic Faith. However, there are times when we must ?give up our lives? for Christ in a figurative manner. In today?s world, being a Catholic is not easy. We are often ridiculed and criticized for our beliefs. ?All priests are child abusers?All the Church wants is your money?The Church needs to change with the times and allow birth control?Women should have the right to choose abortion, etc? How do we respond when these attacks take place? Do we respond in the way that Sts. Paul Miki and John the Baptist would have responded?

Even though it is difficult, we must remember God?s words in Psalm 27 (?The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid??) and the assurance of Jesus ?Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.? (Mt 10:32-33)

Isn?t the answer clear?

Did you ever stop to think of how fortunate we are to be living in the time of the New Covenant? If we die today, it is possible for us to go to Heaven where we can spend eternity with God in perfect happiness. Jesus made this possible, when He became Man and died on the cross for our sins. Without His sacrifice eternal life in Heaven would be unachievable.

The first reading from today?s Mass (Heb 12:18-19, 21-24) contrasts the Old and the New Covenant. For thousands of years before the time of Christ, people died every day and were unable to go to Heaven. They worshipped a God who they couldn?t see and who they didn’t understand very well. They knew, however, that one day a savior would be sent who would deliver them from their suffering. Unfortunately, their limited concept of life after death led them to believe that the Savior would deliver them from earthly suffering and would reign from a throne. The Savior who did come promised instead to free us from eternal suffering and would reign from a cross!

In today?s gospel (Mk 6:7-13), Jesus sent His Apostles to preach a message of repentance. By repenting from sin and following God?s commandments as presented through His Church, it is possible for us to spend eternal life worshipping Him in Heaven. There will be no more suffering, no more worries, and no more sickness. There will be nothing but happiness and peace and it will last forever.

While all of this is possible only through the merit of Christ, we still need to hold up our end of the bargain by repenting and following His commandments. Also, because nothing impure can enter Heaven (Rev 21:27), we may have to undergo purification in purgatory. However that is a temporary process and we know that after being purified we will be with The Lord in His heavenly kingdom.

In a few weeks, the season of Lent will be upon us. This is an excellent time for us to look at the state of our life and determine where repentance is needed. When it gets difficult, just keep your eye ?on the prize??

Eternal happiness with The Lord!

In today?s gospel reading (Mk 6:1-6), we are told that people in His hometown synagogue are astonished by the teaching of Jesus. However, they proceed to question His credibility because they know Him as ?the carpenter?s Son?. Since this ?astonishing? teaching is coming from an ?ordinary? person, it is basically ignored.

This story makes me think about how many times I?ve done this very thing in my own life. I?ve overlooked some powerful messages from The Lord because they occurred within the context of my daily, ordinary life. Many times we look for the ?lightning bolt? from God only to miss His ?still small voice?. The great prophet Elijah almost made the same mistake, but finally recognized the whisper of The Lord?s voice (1 Kings 19:11-12).

We often have a preconceived idea of how The Lord should speak to us and what He will say. Sometimes this causes us to miss His message when He appears in a way that we didn?t expect. Many of the Israelites didn?t accept Jesus because He didn?t fit their image of the Savior. Two thousand years later, many of them are still waiting for the messiah who has already arrived.

Psalm 139 assures us that God is always with us. He is at work, school, our homes, outside, wherever we happen to be. Many times He will speak to us using the voices of the people who surround us. Sometimes He will speak silently through a sunrise or a gentle breeze. Starting today, try to see His presence in your daily life. In every person or situation you encounter, try to determine how God is present. It takes practice, but over time you?ll see Him clearly as you go about your daily business. Eventually, you?ll begin to “hear” His voice. It may be through other people or it may be through silent thoughts. If you struggle with this, don?t despair?ask Jesus for help and He will lead you.

One of the most under publicized practices of the Catholic Faith is that of Spiritual Communion. Simply put, this is the practice of desiring to receive Holy Communion in a spiritual manner. St. Thomas Aquinas defined spiritual communion as ?an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament and a loving embrace as though we had already received Him.? Spiritual Communion prolongs the fruits of our previous communion and prepares us for the next. For many Catholics, it is only possible to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist on Sundays. Even though many parishes have daily Masses, work schedules often make it impossible to attend. A spiritual communion can be made any time of the day or night, as many times as one wishes.

St. Jean-Marie Vianney once said ?when we feel the love of God growing cold, let us instantly make a Spiritual Communion. When we cannot go to the church, let us turn towards the tabernacle; no wall can shut us out from the good God.?

When making a spiritual communion, you can choose to use a formal prayer or your own words. The important thing is that you truly have a desire to receive Our Lord. If you are at a loss for words, try the following prayer composed by St. Alphonsus Ligouri:

My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.

While it?s a mistake to underestimate the power of Satan, sometimes we give him too much credit. Many times we blame the devil for making us do things that we could have controlled. In other words, despite what we may hear, the devil can?t make us do anything. He can tempt us and trick us, but the power of prayer can defeat him and prevent us from sinning.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states:

The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God’s reign. Although Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God and his kingdom in Christ Jesus, and although his action may cause grave injuries?of a spiritual nature and, indirectly, even of a physical nature?to each man and to society, the action is permitted by divine providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history. It is a great mystery that providence should permit diabolical activity, but “we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him.” (CCC 395)

In the gospel of today?s Mass (Mk 1:21-28), we see an example of the devil?s limitations when Jesus rebukes an evil spirit who had possessed a man. The people are astonished and reply, ?He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.? Using only words, Jesus was able to rid the man of the evil spirit.

When we pray The Lord?s Prayer, we ask that we ?be delivered from evil?. If we trust in the teaching of The Church, we should be confident when we say this prayer. The power of God is greater than the power of the devil and with The Lord?s help we can conquer Satan and his evil lies.

Faith: Many of us use the term frequently, but what does it really mean? Those familiar with the movie Miracle on 34th Street will recall the quote, ?Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to?. While not an authoritative theological source by any means, that quote really hits the nail on the head.

In the First Reading from today?s Mass (Heb 11:1-2, 8-19), we read:

Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.

The remainder of the reading discusses the faith of Abraham, who trusted in The Lord even though it didn?t make sense. A contrasting example can be found in today?s gospel (Mk 4:35-41) when the disciples panic when they encounter rough seas. They are so terrified that they awaken Jesus who replied, ?Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith??

The Church teaches that God?s will is perfect. If we trust Him, everything that happens in our lives can help us attain eternal life in Heaven. This is easy to accept when things make sense, but how can we accept a death in our family, the loss of a job or physical illness? Surely, these things can?t be good for us, can they?

Many times in our lives it seems like Jesus is asleep. He doesn?t seem to be around when we are experiencing difficulties. Today?s gospel reading assures us that He is always aware of the turmoil in our lives. The question we need to ask is: do we have the faith of Abraham or the faith of the disciples in the boat? Unfortunately, most of us fall into the latter category at least some of the time. Today, let?s pray for an increase in our faith so that, like Abraham, we can trust God even when it doesn?t make sense.

This story was carried on LifeSiteNew.com and is terrific. Bishop Robert Hermann of St. Louis is publicly calling out those Catholics who have “sold out” and supported the most pro-abortion presidential candidate in the history of the United States. He brings up some great points and I can’t tell you how happy I am to see one of our bishops speak out! Some excerpts follow, but I strongly urge you to read the full article (A link appears at the end).

MUST READ: Bishop Hermann of St. Louis ? Strongest Ever Pro-Life Column
By Bishop Robert J. Hermann, Archdiocesan Administrator January 27, 2009

(LifeSiteNews.com) – Editor?s note: The following are excerpts from the column of Bishop Hermann published in the St. Louis Review and republished by LifeSiteNews.com with permission.

In our Supreme Court and in our Congress, we have a plethora of so-called Catholics who are failing to live their Catholic identity. Over 50 percent of our electorate voted for a president who is one of the most pro-culture-of-death candidates from a major party to run for the highest office of the land.

Yes, we can thank one-half of our Catholics for bailing out on their faith! After almost 50 years of having 50 percent of Catholics abandoning their Catholic identity, we cannot expect to turn this culture around by short-term political efforts. In order to bring about a transformation from a culture of death to a culture of life, we have to restore our Catholic identity. This means that all of us, as Catholics, have to undergo a profound transformation. It means that we have to take a good look at every facet of our Catholic life, including the serious study of life issues, the regular and devout use of our Sacramental system, especially the devout and weekly attendance at Mass, the regular reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the devout praying of the daily Rosary, and then the faithful, loving and firm witness to lax Catholics about our Catholic beliefs and practices.

We have to live our lives in such a way that we will be unafraid to witness to what we believe and live.I may courageously say that I am willing to die to end abortion, but am I equally willing to say that I am ready to let my ego get ruffled daily for the same cause?

Yet ? that is where I need to arrive if I am to be a credible witness. What a glorious opportunity we all have to make a difference in the pro-life cause. Until we are willing to be politically incorrect in order to be biblically correct, we will never convince anyone that our religion is worth living.

It does not take 100 percent of our Catholics to transform this country. If 75 percent of our Catholics were steeped in Catholic identity, the abortion issue would be over for our entire country.

For the whole column by Bishop Hermann
see:http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09012707.html