Free Republic

DAY 54 – OUR LADY OF VICTORY, PRAY FOR US NO CROSS, NO CROWN! No cross, no crown. No pain, no gain. No guts, no glory. St. James summons us to see the challenges we face as opportunities to rise to new heights of existence, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (Jas 1:12). In the military, the cross and crown symbolizes a soldier’s willingness to remain faithful to the mission at hand, to each other,...

DAY 53 – OUR LADY OF GOOD HELP, PRAY FOR US THE PRECEPTS The Precepts of the Catholic Church are a description of the absolute minimum actions required of Catholics regarding the Church. The Church uses these precepts to remind us that Christian life requires a commitment to prayer and active participation in the liturgy and sacraments. If we fall below this bare-minimum level, then, practically speaking, we can hardly consider ourselves to be in full communion with the Catholic Church. Out of love for Christ and a desire to advance in the spiritual life, you will normally “strive” to...

DAY 52 – OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE, PRAY FOR US POWER OF PRAYER The heroes of our faith are the warrior saints who have gone before us. God worked mightily and miraculously through them. Therefore, we must study their ways. In humility, obedience, and trust (H.O.T.), we ask: How did they remain so well connected, in such strong friendship with God, so that his river of supernatural grace could flow so freely through them? What do these “SEALS for Christ” teach us about the ideal spiritual disciplines, the ultimate daily regimen of prayer? Prayer is our outstanding supernatural resource for...

DAY 51 – OUR LADY OF FATIMA, PRAY FOR US SEEKING HARMONY There are actually three wounds that ravage souls and bring spiritual death to them by turning away from God. St. John speaks of these evils when he says: “For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things] — these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]” (1...

DAY 50 – OUR LADY OF AMERICA, PRAY FOR US GO WEAPONS HOT “Go Weapons Hot” is a military command that means to make whatever preparations are necessary so that when you pull the trigger, something happens. In spiritual terms, are we using live ammunition or are we firing blanks? In other words, are we making the preparations necessary to ensure that our efforts to combat evil and rescue souls are ignited by the fire of the Holy Spirit? What are the preparations necessary so that “something (effective) happens” as we exercise the three offices of Christ in the war...

DAY 49 – MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE, PRAY FOR US LIVE A SUPERNATURAL LIFE Surveys by Gallup, the National Opinion Research Center, and the Pew Organization conclude that spiritually committed people are twice as likely to report being “very happy” than the least religiously committed people. Secular analysts seem to be doing back flips trying to explain away the simple reality that there is no other authentic and fulfilling way to live other than a supernatural life. St. Paul writes, “The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and...

DAY 48 – MARY, QUEEN OF THE FAMILY, PRAY FOR US SHOCK TROOPS KING: As Jean-Baptiste Chautard recounts in his book The Soul of the Apostolate, Pope St. Pius X was conversing with a group of his cardinals one day. The pope asked them: “What is the thing we most need, today, to save society?” “Build Catholic schools,” said one. “No.” “More churches,” said another. “Still no.” “Speed up the recruiting of priests,” said a third. “No, no,” said the pope, “the most necessary thing of all, at this time, is for every parish to possess a group of laymen...

DAY 47 – MARY, QUEEN OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY, PRAY FOR US BORN FOR COMBAT Prophet: Bishop Robert Barron says, “A prophet is someone who speaks for God. Their task is to speak God’s word, in season and out (whether that word is popular or not). It means you should be a reader of theology and spirituality that you might, as St. Peter put it, ‘give a reason for the hope that is in you.’ We’re living in a time when religion is under attack. If someone challenged you, could you give a reason for the hope that is...

DAY 46 – MARY, QUEEN ASSUMED INTO HEAVEN, PRAY FOR US BORDER WALKERS Priest: Bishop. Robert Barron says, “A priest prays for others, intercedes, and performs sacrifices. Priests are border walkers. They walk the border between heaven and earth. They are mediators as friends of God and friends of the human race. They bring divinity and humanity together. It means you must be a person of prayer — intercessory prayer — prayer on behalf of others. It pleases God to channel his providential care precisely through us and through the instrumentality of our prayer.” Recall the last line of the...

DAY 45 – MARY, QUEEN CONCEIVED WITHOUT ORIGINAL SIN, PRAY FOR US YOU ARE A COMMISSIONED OFFICER Admission into Christ’s elite fighting force begins by knowing that by your baptism you have been “commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill a most dramatic mission; it is the mission of saving souls. This mission cannot be accomplished without entering into conflict with ‘the world, the flesh and the devil.’ It is not a mission for the fainthearted or for those who wish to take the wide road to heaven. It is the path of warfare, of spiritual battle.” “Holiness,” writes...

DAY 44 – MARY, QUEEN OF ALL SAINTS, PRAY FOR US “CAN’T QUIT – WON’T FALL – PUT ME IN THE FIGHT!” The Soldier’s Creed of the United States Army states: “I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.” Former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens said: “One of the things that makes a warrior into a warrior is that they are dedicated to developing their strength in service to others.” Whether it’s a Navy SEAL or a saint, we admire those who put it all on the line — go “all in!” —...

DAY 42 – MARY, QUEEN OF CONFESSORS, PRAY FOR US YOU MADE US FOR YOURSELF The unfortunate reality is that the modern campaign of militant secular indoctrination has been so severe that fewer remain who believe or trust in God’s supernatural power. In spiritual terms, this makes us puny and scrawny rather than strong and powerful mighty warriors ready to confront the powers of darkness in the heavenly realm. With so many modernized Christians ignoring the reality of grace, it is no wonder that evil is thriving in our day. In speaking of the need for a New Evangelization, Pope...

DAY 41 – MARY, QUEEN OF MARTYRS, PRAY FOR US GOD STRONG The U.S. Army ran a very effective “Army Strong” advertising campaign to recruit soldiers. The key message was: “There is strong, and then there is Army Strong.” The commercial goes on to say, “It is a strength like none other. It is a physical strength. It is an emotional strength. It is strength of character. It is strength of purpose. The strength to do good today, and the strength to do well tomorrow. The strength to obey, and the strength to command. The strength to build, and the...

DAY 40 – MARY, QUEEN OF APOSTLES, PRAY FOR US DIVINE CONNECTION The Gospel story Pope John Paul II sets as the foundation for his new millennium appeal is the “Call of the First Disciples” (Lk 5:1-11). This is the classic scene in which Jesus tells Peter to “Put out into deep water (duc in altum), and let down the nets for a catch.” Peter’s response is: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” They proceed to catch the maximum amount of fish their nets can...

DAY 39 – MARY, QUEEN OF PROPHETS, PRAY FOR US ONE THING NECESSARY Pope Benedict XVI said, “The heart open to God, purified by contemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of every kind … the Evil One has power in this world, as we experience continually; he has power because our freedom continually lets itself be led away from God.” This brings us to the key to Pope John Paul II’s master plan for the new millennium, as he asks us to set aside our disconnected busy-ness, and to start fresh by contemplating the face of Christ....

DAY 38 – MARY, QUEEN OF ANGELS, PRAY FOR US LOVE DEMANDS EFFORT Throughout all of salvation history we see such cries as “Let his face shine upon you” (Nm 6:25) and “Do not hide your face from me” (Ps 27:9, 69:17, 102:3). This face-to-face, “look-me-in-the-eye” bonding is essential in understanding the necessity for making a semper fi connection with Christ. This kind of face-to-face encounter with God changes everything as it calls forth, quite literally, a transformation that cannot be undone. It marks a major shift away from a “face-in-the-crowd,” “Christian in name only,” “do-only-what’s-minimally-required” empty religiosity, into a...

DAY 37 – MARY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS, PRAY FOR US SET THE WORLD ABLAZE The word “courage” actually derives its meaning from a Latin root word “cor” which means “heart.” It means we are never more courageous than when we “have the courage of our convictions,” that is, when we live from the heart, remaining true to who we really are. Lombardi was courageous because he simply yielded to his raison d‘être, his reason for existence. St. Catherine of Siena put it this way: “If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!” Who are...

DAY 36 – MARY, COMFORTER OF THE AFFLICTED, PRAY FOR US SUPERIOR IDEAL Among the ways we have just let Coach Vince Lombardi inspire us, let’s focus on the most important one: He went to Mass and received Communion every day of his life. Pope John Paul II said the Holy Eucharist “contains the Church’s entire spiritual wealth: Christ Himself.” Precisely during a time when our culture was becoming disconnected from their True Source, Vince Lombardi remained firmly and wholly connected to his. No matter what Lombardi dedicated himself to, he never abandoned his true self as a child of...

DAY 35 – MARY, REFUGE OF SINNERS, PRAY FOR US CATCH EXCELLENCE The desire to enter the fight is a desire to enter into a genuine training in holiness, pursuing the goal of becoming one of God’s champions. St. Paul put it this way: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a...

DAY 34 – MARY, HEALTH OF THE SICK, PRAY FOR US THIS DAY WE FIGHT Spiritually speaking, the devil is doing all that he can to catch us isolated and unarmed on the battlefield — no spiritual armor, no spiritual weapons, and no comrades in the heavenly realm to fight alongside of us. In other words, the reason evil is promoted so effectively today is because we’re ignoring God’s offer of supernatural strength and power and ignoring the mightiest of all allied forces: the Communion of Saints. C.S. Lewis wrote, “Enemy-occupied territory — that is what this world is. Christianity...