As grown as I am in the Lord, Satan knows how to sneak into the back door and caused havoc.
When we have our guard down and emotions are raw, we are vulnerable and unknowingly welcome the Enemy. With emotions out of control there is little room for reason; without a sound mind, anger creeps in. I fell into the pit of anger and the outcome was not pleasant. I was triggered by something that was said about me, I held on to those words for two days, and, as the anger was stewing, I justified the fury. I gave access to the Enemy because I was blindsided by a trigger. I allowed the sun to go down on my anger.
Ephesians 4:26-27 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, 27 and do not leave room for the devil.
A Lesson Learned
After much prayer and receiving Holy Communion I was freed of all the malice. I know that anger is not of God and that it will only exacerbate the problem. There are many ways to communicate to let your feelings be known. It how we choose our words that make all the difference. A screaming, yelling person will never get the correct response. It is through gentle words that a problem can be soothed.
Proverbs 15:1 Jubilee Bible 2000
15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.
The Triggers
Let’s face it: we all have triggers. A trigger is anything that provokes an unpleasant memory: a smell, a particular time of day, a sound, a person or place. These triggers occur because we are not healed of emotional traumas. They can go deep into our psyche and surface when we least expect them.
I have a wonderful friend who recently divorced. Since the divorce she has become hypersensitive to any criticism because her husband was verbally abusive. She is still the happy-go-lucky person but if someone raised his voice when speaking to her, the countenance of her face changes. You can feel the sadness come over her.
Why her? She is a strong Christian woman, and this was out of character for her. At the time she married, she was taking care of her elderly mother and also brought her brother from out of state to live near her. After her mother’s passing, her brother needed to be placed in assisted living due to his declining health. She was stretched too thin and her then husband did not understand her situation and showed very little compassion. Though she was married, she was alone in her everyday needs. This is traumatic because her helpmate failed to support her emotional needs.
Physical Abuse
If you were a victim of physical abuse, unless you get professional help or have been delivered of this pain, anything associated with this type of abuse will provoke a bad memory. If you are not equipped to pray, you will spiral into the plan of the Enemy and feel the pain anew. Physical abuse leaves emotional scars, and, though I am not an expert, this is a curse that passes down to the next generation. A generational curse is like the bad root in a family tree. The only way to rid yourself of a generational curse is through prayer or Christian counseling or both.
Exodus 34:7 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
7 continuing his love for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless, but bringing punishment for their parents’ wickedness on children and children’s children to the third and fourth generation.
Angels and Saints
From the moment of our birth, a special guardian angel is assigned to each one of us. This guardian angel has a special power of intercession with God. We can invoke their intercession on our behalf and that of our loved ones.
We Catholics love our saints. We do not pray to them but we ask them to intercede on our behalf. With the fit of anger that I experienced, I had to call on the assistance of St. Jerome. He was the cranky saint who translated the Bible. St. Jerome carried a stone with him and every time he fell from the grace of God, he’d beat himself with this stone.
“I am like the sick sheep that strays from the rest of the flock. Unless the Good Shepherd takes me on His shoulders and carries me back to His fold, my steps will falter, and in the very effort of rising, my feet will give way.” St. Jerome
We should all share St. Jerome’s attitude! Without Jesus as our Good Shepherd, we go astray.
Prayer
Prayer is one of the best weapons against Satan. In Mark 16:17, Jesus gave to those who believed in Him the power to invoke prayers of deliverance and healing. The power to cast out demons comes directly from our Lord Jesus Christ!
Prayer for Deliverance (An Exorcist Explains the Demonic by Fr. Gabriele Amorth)
My Lord, You are all powerful, You are God, You are Father.
We beg You through the intercession and help Of the Archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel for the deliverance of our brothers and sisters who are enslaved by the Evil One.
All saints of heaven, come to our aid
From Anxiety, sadness, and obsessions, We beg You, free us, O Lord.
From hatred, fornication, envy, We beg You free us, O Lord.
From thoughts of jealousy, rage, and death, We beg You, free us, O Lord.
From every thought of suicide and abortion, We beg You, free us, O Lord.
From every form of sinful sexuality, We beg You, free us. O Lord.
From every division in our family, and every harmful friendship, We beg You, free us, O Lord.
From every sort of evil spell, malefice, witchcraft, and every form of occult, We beg You, free us, O Lord.
Lord, You Who said, “I leave you peace, my peace I give you,” grant that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, we may be liberated from every evil spell and enjoy Your peace always.
With all the controversy that has transpired from Budweiser to Target, you would think that the large retailer would disassociate it self from supporting “LGBTQ Pride Month.” I believe that their mantra: “all inclusive” does not take into consideration the 95% of us who are finally fed up because we do not want to be inundated with this narrative!
Now several Major League Baseball organizations are under scrutiny for allowing the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to perform at their stadiums. This group of men, disguised as nuns, should never be allowed as guests in any public forum.
As a Catholic, the insults and disrespect to our Christian beliefs have reached a level of bigotry that we will no longer tolerate.
Opening Doors to the Dark Side
I pity any organization that supports these heinous groups because they are ruled by the dark side. Will they ever learn? Celine Dion is paying the price for designing a demonic children’s line of clothing. She has canceled all her concerts due to medical problems. One word of advice for her: REPENT! You can follow the story of Celine’s clothing line on this Blog: The Darker Side of Evil.
The Fading Rainbow
Is the use of the LGBTQ Rainbow fading? First of all, stop mimicking God’s symbolism. The rainbow is a gift from God. The only idea you have right is the use of the word pride, which is one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
The Real Celebration
The month of June belongs to Jesus. The world needs to know the true story and why the Enemy has made tireless attempts to divert the month of June.
This devotion started privately centuries ago by the orders of Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries. It was spread following visions of Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1674. Jesus appeared to Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque on several occasions and asked that she spread the promises for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
These are the promises for those who share the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the month of June:
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.
5. I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
9. I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.
10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
11. Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.
12. In the excess of the mercy of My Heart, I promise you that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.
During the month of June many Catholics will devote their prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Rainbow
The rainbow is another symbol that is used to project a distorted view of what God intended. The appearance of the rainbow in the Book of Genesis represents the promise that God made to us that the earth would never be destroyed by a flood.
Genesis 9:11-13 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
11 I will establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth. 12 God said: This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you and every living creature with you for all ages to come: 13 I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
Pride
The word pride appears in the Bible over 100 times. Pride is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. When you are prideful, you believe that you’re more important than others. If others do not agree with you, you dismiss this because you believe your views were misunderstood. A prideful person cannot accept being misunderstood. Pride opens the door to the Seven Deadly Sins. A prideful person believes so much in himself that he has lost touch with reality. A prideful person can also develop the character traits of a narcissist. The end results of pride are bitterness and loneliness. The antidote for pride is a life of grace filled with virtue, where we grow in humility.
Proverbs 16:18 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
18 Pride goes before disaster, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
1 John 2:16 New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition
16 for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world.
The Color Purple
Years ago I had a dream that I was at the airport. I was waiting to pick up my bags. When my luggage arrived, it had been opened and all of my clothing was scattered on the carousel. I was so embarrassed but I tried my best to pick up all my clothing. The unusual thing about this – all of my clothing was purple!
In the Bible the color purple is considered holy. In ancient times it was the most difficult color to dye; for this reason it was a much sought after material. Purple represented royalty, majesty and depicted wealth. This special color was used in parts of the temple; it was used for the curtains (veils), carpets and the garments worn by the High Priest (Ex 28:6).
On the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, the Roman soldiers draped His body with a purple robe.
Mark 15:17 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
17 They clothed him in purple and, weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.
Starting with the month of June, from the rainbow to the color purple – all have been cleverly disguised to get the world to accept an alternative lifestyle. So for those of us who still believe in the proper order of the things of God, June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The rainbow represents an everlasting covenant between God and His people. We as human beings make a big commotion after seeing a rainbow; we take photos of the rainbow and post them on social media because deep down we understand the purpose and the real meaning of its existence. It’s a symbol of God’s protection; for this reason it brings joy to our spirits and fills us with hope.
The color purple is my favorite color, but in Jesus’ time it was made for those of wealth and royalty. When Jesus was cloaked in purple it was symbolic because He is and will always be our King.
My Prayer
Dear Lord, it is You Whom we seek, it is You Who will find us. While the world is looking the other way, we still have hope for their conversion. Lord, let all who are tangled up in this messy life of sin be freed once and for all. May our nation not be subjected to or force fed the worldly ideologies of others. Allow us to love as You love. We wait for Your Kingdom will have no end, and You will continue to protect those who serve You with a humble heart. Please show mercy to those with a prideful spirit. Amen.
The organizers: Minda, Irene, Donna Fernando, Justiniani, me, Cecille, Evie and Sandra
Every culture has religious traditions that get passed down to their children. About two weeks ago I was invited to Alay Kay Maria (offering for Mary), a Filipino service at St. Norbert. This was my first knowledge and experience of this sacred ceremony.
St. Norbert is diverse with many different cultures: we have a large group of Spanish-speaking parishioners, plus Vietnamese, Italians and Filipinos. Since a large majority of our parish is Hispanic, I have attended many traditional services that my culture is teaching children. La Posada, the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th, are two of several Mexican religious customs.
Keeping Traditions Alive
To grow as a community we must appreciate what other Catholic members bring from their motherland. Our children must be taught how our faith is a firm foundation, partly because we practice our traditions. Both Spanish and Filipino congregants have a strong devotion to our Blessed Mother Mary. We can thank the Spaniards for introducing the Catholic faith to both cultures.
Flores de Mayo is a tradition that is celebrated by Filipinos throughout the world. Traditionally the children dress as angels to present flowers to Our Blessed Mother. At St. Norbert’s the children took turns reciting the Rosary before the Mass that was officiated by Fr. Moneypenny. We were blessed to have bilingual singers in the choir. To hear music sung in Tagalog for the first time was soothing to the soul and an illustration of how other communities pay homage to Mary. These Christians are deeply rooted in their culture and are devout Catholics.
Filipino Catholics
Although Ferdinand Magellan was Portuguese, he sailed under the flag of King Charles I of Spain. Spain’s colonization of the Philippines began in 1521. History records all that goes on when a country is colonized; its motive is to convert the natives. In the case of the Filipinos, the dynamics of greed superseded religion. But in all cases when the Christian God is introduced, the truth stands firm and our Lord always prevails.
We do not look back on the harsh history of colonialism to blame those who caused pain; if we did this, our spirits would be controlled by anger and a demand for justice. Today we rejoice that our ancestors endured all the hardships to keep our perpetual Catholic Church standing. Forgiveness sets the world free! We know that in the end God will judge those who caused the persecution and deaths of any innocent people.
The Spaniards came with the idea of consecrating the land to God; we know this because Magellan held a Mass shortly after he landed. What happened in the years that followed was done out of malice and greed, but this did not stop the faithful Filipinos from serving God.
Hernan Cortes shared the same attitude: God, money and fame. Yet in spite of all the persecution of the indigenous peoples, it strengthened their Catholic faith.
Why Mother Mary?
Why do Catholics venerate our Blessed Mother so much? Because she is the person closest to Jesus; she prays to Him on our behalf. Our Blessed Mother never brings any attention to herself. Remember, she was the one who initiated Jesus’ ministry by asking Him to turn the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. This was Jesus’ first miracle; He did it because His mother asked this of Him.
As I enjoyed my lunch with a group of women who helped organize this event, Elizabeth, who was visiting from the Philippines, shared a tradition practiced in her country. She said that every Monday a statue of Our Lady of Fatima is the centerpiece of a “Block Rosary.” They sing, pray and for seven days the statue of Mary remains in the home of the guest family. They include the Divine Mercy Chaplet and devotion to the Sacred Heart. After seven days the statue of Mary is moved to another family’s home. This is done all year long!
Children representing St. Norbert
Even during my 15-year hiatus from the Catholic Church, I never spoke ill of our Blessed Mother because I understood the importance of her role. Understanding her loving spirit has helped me during difficult times in my relationship with my own mother. I praise God that with the help of Mary our relationship was made whole.
Catholic To the Core
According to an article written by Elfren S. Cruz, of the Philippines Star, an estimated 85% of Filipinos are Catholic. From this same article came an eye-opening fact: divorce is illegal in this country. There are only two countries in the world where divorce is illegal: the Philippines and Vatican City.
Being a Eucharistic Minister and attending daily Mass has given me the opportunity to get to know Donna, one of the organizers of this Filipino group. When they visit their families in the Philippines they are gone for at least a month. This is where they get recharged and come back with more fire to serve the Lord.
I also spoke to Irene and Sandra, who are part of the Federation of Filipino Rosary Group of Orange County. This organization is composed of 28 Rosary groups consisting of 52 families! They are true to their beliefs and are conservative because they understand and respect the strong stance the Catholic church has against abortions. They also believe in the sanctity of marriage. They vote with a Catholic conscience!
Celebration in the PhilippinesCelebration at St. Columba Catholic Church in New Zealand
This is an excerpt from the web of page the Federation of Filipino Rosary Group of Orange County: “It is believed that the way to Jesus Christ’s heart is through His mother and He will not turn down any request made of her, if it is in accordance with the will of God the Father.” I could not agree more!
Lesson in Praying the Rosary
Twice I roomed with Carmelita, a beautiful Filipina. On two missionary trips I learned how to bargain and how to pray. As missionaries our days were filled with ministry, so many days by the time we returned to our hotel it was late. Just when I was about to go into a deep sleep, I’d hear, “Lynda, Lynda, are you awake? We need to pray the Rosary.” I’d try not to move so Carmelita would think I was fast asleep, but to no avail. “Lynda, Lynda, we must pray!” Because of her persistence, I now go to bed praying the Rosary.
Carmelita knew where to get the best deals for religious articles in Rome. “Come on! We need to go to Casa de Rosarios to buy our rosaries!” Casa de Rosarios is located across the street from the Cathedral of Saint Mary Major. As many times as I have been to Rome, I have yet to visit this beautiful cathedral because I’m at Casa de Rosarios shopping for rosaries with Carmelita!
My Prayer
Dear Lord, I thank You for allowing me to be part of this beautiful celebration with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Lord, continue to move mightily in the lives of Filipinos throughout the world. Their gentle spirits are making a difference in the world. May our Blessed Mother Mary continue to intercede on behalf of us all. Amen.
As grown as I am in the Lord, Satan knows how to sneak into the back door and caused havoc.
