All Souls Day: The Stark Difference Between Protestants and Catholics

Mass for the Souls in Purgatory

I know this is a day late and a dollar short, but I have something on my mind that I really want to share, so I hope you'll bear with me.

Yesterday, November 2, was All Souls Day, the day that Catholics around the world specifically remembered those who have died and are undergoing purification in Purgatory.  This day is also a stellar example of just how out of step the Catholic Church is with the world, or maybe it is better said that this day shows how out of step the world is with the Catholic Church.

There are few religions that pray for the dead as the Catholic Church does.  The Jewish religion has prayers for the dead, but only the Catholic Church prays for those who are undergoing purification as they are being made ready to enter into the Presence of the Great God.  The closest any other religion comes to believing in Purgatory are the Hindus who believe in reincarnation:  the belief that we keep coming back to this earth in different forms, human and animal and who knows what else until we "get it right.".  The end of reincarnation is to become "one with the universe" and basically dissolve into nothingness.  That is Satan's answer to the true reward of the saved, which is eternal happiness with and in the presence of the Trinity, and involves no dissolution of who we are.  But to enter into this eternal reward, we must be perfect and completely without sin.  Ephesians 5:27 tells us:  "That he [Jesus] might present it [the Church] to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish."

But how do we, as sinful human beings, ever get to the point that we are without blemish, completely free of all sin - with not even the tiniest bit of selfishness or vanity?  We must be purged of it, just as silver is purged of dross or rust.  As Proverbs 25:4 tells us:

Take away the rust from silver, and there shall come forth a most pure vessel.

Silversmith refining silver

This involves suffering, pure and simple, either now or after we die in Purgatory.  There is no other way.  No one gets into heaven without going through Calvary.  Christ told us in Luke 9:23-24:

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; for he that shall lose his life for my sake, shall save it.

Herein is seen just how wide the gap is between Protestantism and Catholicism.  Protestants  believe that if we just say, "I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior", then poof! we are saved and ready to enter into heaven.   It doesn't matter that we are filled with sin.  Protestants believe that Christ's sacrifice "covers" our sin, sort of like snow covering a pile of garbage.  The problem is that although the snow may look pretty, the garbage is still there.  Do we really believe that our Lord would allow a sinner into heaven just as long as he is "covered" by our Lord's Sacrifice?  Protestants don't take Christ seriously when he said, "Be ye therefore perfect as your Father in heaven in perfect."  (Matthew 5:48).  Protestants believe, in effect, that covering stinking putrid garbage with snow somehow makes the garbage into magnificent and precious jewels.  Even a child will see just how ridiculous that thinking is.

The Protestant belief is clearly shown in the lyrics to the famous Protestant hymn, "Just As I Am":

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;

Sight, riches, healing of the mind,

Yea, all I need in Thee to find,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Protestant Cross with no
suffering Jesus

In the Protestant world, we can go to Jesus "Just as I Am", and Christ does all the rest, no work necessary on our part, and certainly no suffering.  No need for any kind of Purgatory, either here or in the afterlife.  In fact, many Protestants believe that if you are suffering, that actually means you have done something wrong and God is punishing you.  Protestants deny suffering in the plan of redemption, and that is also why they deny the Crucifix, and instead have a cross without the corpus.  They have no desire to think about or look at suffering, and they especially eschew the salvific suffering of our Lord.  Because of this, they have no clue how important suffering is in the life of a Christian.

Unlike the rest of the world, the Catholic Church does not see suffering as something evil or a punishment of any kind.  Here are just a couple of quotes from great saints on suffering:

Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Saviour; in suffering love becomes crystallised; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.
--St. Faustina

All the science of the Saints is included in these two things: To do, and to suffer. And whoever had done these two things best, has made himself most saintly.
--Saint Francis de Sales 

"If you really want to love Jesus, first learn to suffer, because suffering teaches you to love."
--St. Gemma Galgani

If we only knew the precious treasure hidden in infirmities, we would receive them with the same joy with which we receive the greatest benefits, and we would bear them without ever complaining or showing signs of weariness.
--St. Vincent de Paul

The great G.K. Chesterton perfectly sums up the Catholic view of suffering

Jesus promised the disciples three things - that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy and in constant trouble.

As Catholics, we believe that it is our duty to pray for the suffering souls in Purgatory that they can quickly go through their purification and be released to their heavenly reward. That is the purpose of All Souls Day, and there is no idea that could be more alien to the Protestant way of thinking.

Unfortunately, the Protestant mindset has found its way into the Catholic Church. Yesterday  I went to Mass in which the priest wore white vestments and never even mentioned the word "Purgatory."  I know that this particular priest believes that everyone goes to heaven, that no one goes to hell, much less Purgatory.  Somehow he managed to preach about praying for those who have died, but I honestly don't know what we are to pray for since they are all in heaven.

Risen Christ has replaced the
suffering Christ on the Cross

This is very dangerous thinking.  If we start to believe that we are all going to heaven no matter what, we will  live very undisciplined lives, completely forgetting about sin and thus forgetting about the great Sacrifice of our Lord on the Cross to deliver us from sin and death  This  directly leads to misunderstanding the meaning and importance of suffering in our lives.  It is the reason why so many Catholic churches no longer have a suffering Jesus on the Cross, but a risen Jesus, free of all pain and suffering of this earth.  When we reject the suffering Christ and the suffering that comes into our lives, we no longer see it as a way of purification and a great gift from God to cleanse our souls and bring us into a close, intimate relationship with Him.  Suffering is now a punishment and something to be avoided at all costs.

It is this kind of thinking that has resulted in the tremendous drop off in the Sacrament of Confession.  Why should we bother with confessing our sins when we know we're already forgiven and going to heaven?   This has led to the attitude that it's not necessary to attend Mass or follow the teachings of the Church in general.  God loves me, and as long as I am  "good" person, living a "good" life and not hurting anyone, I don't have anything to worry about.

Mary, John and the women at the foot
of the Cross

It is no coincidence that Protestants reject the idea of suffering and also reject veneration of Mary, our Blessed Mother.  These two issues may not seem related, but they are actually intimately tied together.  To venerate Mary means to stand with her at the foot of the Cross, as the apostle John and Mary Magdalene and the few other women did who stayed with Mary and embraced the suffering Christ.  Sadly, far too many of us in the Catholic Church are no longer joining ourselves with our Blessed Mother at the foot of the Cross.  We are rejecting the suffering and running away from Calvary with all of the other apostles and disciples and saying as Peter did, "I do not know him."  When we reject the idea of suffering, we have become Protestant in our thinking.

We must remember that there are three parts of the Church:  the Church Militant here on earth; the Church Suffering in Purgatory; and the Church Triumphant, who are the saved in heaven.  Protestants, who preach "once saved always saved" believe only in the Church Triumphant.  And now many Catholics are also teaching and believing that there is only the Church Triumphant, and that it includes those of us here on earth.  But we are NOT the Church Triumphant yet.  We are the Church Militant involved in a spiritual war.  It is crucial that we return to the foot of the Cross with our Blessed Mother and realize that we have not finished the course, we have not yet received our reward as the Church Triumphant has.  We have to be cleansed and made perfect.  Revelation 22:14 says:

"Blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb: that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city."

Bloodshed means suffering, and we will only find the Blood of the Lamb at the place where He suffered and was sacrificed:  Calvary.  It is no coincidence that the only disciples who did not abandon our Lord on that first Good Friday are those who stayed with Mary.  And where was Mary to be found?  On the road to Calvary, the road of suffering, and at the foot of the Cross. We are still in that race, and we will not finish unless we stay with Mary at Calvary.  That means recognizing the suffering Jesus Christ and accepting and even embracing that suffering in our lives.  That is the only way that our Lord can fulfill the meaning of Ephesians 5:27:  "That he [Jesus] might present it [the Church] to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish."

I hope that you took time on November 2 to pray for the suffering souls in Purgatory and join your suffering with them.  We should in fact pray for the poor souls in Purgatory every day.  As they are released to Heaven, they will join the Church Triumphant and in turn pray for you.  Those in Purgatory embrace their suffering because they know it is leading them to their great reward in heaven, to be in the Presence of the Holy Trinity.  We also must stop running away from our suffering.  We need to walk the road of Calvary with our Blessed Mother and stand at the foot of the Cross.  The Stabat Mater, which we sing when doing the Stations of the Cross, reminds us of where we need to be:

"At the Cross her Station Keeping,

Stood the Mournful  Mother Weeping

Close to Jesus to the Last."  

The Mother of God Is Our Refuge In A Storm

"Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary."

--St. Bonaventure

There are stories of horrendous tragedy and loss coming out of the nightmare called Hurricane Sandy.  One of the most terrible stories was the loss of 80 to 100 homes in Breezy Point, Queens, New York which all burned to the ground the night Sandy struck.  Many first responders to 9/11 lived in this neighborhood, making it a double tragedy.  Fortunately, it seems there was only the loss of property and no loss of lives.  The pictures of Breezy Point remind me of Hiroshima after the bomb was dropped.  We certainly pray that all of those involved will be comforted by our Lord and be able to get their lives back together.

There is one fascinating story that has come out of Breezy Point that echoes a couple of other stories in recent months.  

Just this past June there was a story from Juarez, Texas in which a Catholic Church was completely destroyed by fire.  I posted about this here. But miraculously, one thing was spared from the fire:  an image of our Lady of Guadalupe.  As reported in the El Paso Times:

"The fire tore down the whole church," said Cap. Martin Morales, of the Fire Department in Juárez, in a telephone interview.

But the fire spared a Virgin of Guadalupe image inside the church. The beloved icon, 60 centimeters tall and one meter wide, was framed in wood.

"We had no explanation of that," Efrén Matamoros said. "The image had no protection at all." The fire also destroyed 40 pews, frames and several icons. No one was hurt.

Another story came out of the Philippines in September, which I posted here.

Authorities said the continuous downpour of rain caused soil erosion in some parts of Barangay Pagsabungan, triggering the collapse of the chapel.

The chapel was completely destroyed save for the images of Virgin Mary and San Roque [St Rocco].

The incident also damaged a casket inside a chapel.

There was one man injured in this incident, sustaining wounds on his face and arms, but no casualties.

"If you ever feel distressed during your day — call upon our Lady — just say this simple prayer: 'Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.' I must admit — this prayer has never failed me."

--Blessed Mother Teresa

And now we have another miraculous story coming out of Breezy Point, Queens, where anywhere from 80 to 100 homes were completely burned to the ground.  But here is a picture of a statue of the Blessed Mother which survived the blazing inferno completely untouched.

Is it just coincidence that in all of these incidents in which an image of our Lady miraculously survived, there were also no deaths or serious injuries involved?  The loss of property is never a good thing, but "things" can always be replaced.  We cannot replace those we love, our family and friends.  

These three stories give us a powerful message about the love and care that our Blessed Mother showers down upon us.  She will never leave us, never desert us.  Her love for us is greater than any human mother's love for her child.  

Mary's love for us is with one goal:  to lead us to her Son  There is no surer path to our Lord than through his Mother.  Where you will find One, you will find the Other.

We live in very frightening times, in the midst of many storms, both physical and spiritual.  The spiritual storms are, in fact, much more frightening and deadly than any physical storm could ever be.  Storms like Sandy can take our physical lives.  Spiritual storms can take our eternal lives.   There can be no doubt in any one's mind who is the least cognizant of the times in which we live that we are in the midst of a great spiritual war.  

If we want to survive, we can never go wrong in turning to our Lady.  She is the great conqueror and destroyer of all heresies.  Just as her images survive fires, floods and even bombings as the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe did, she will enable us to survive the worst of any spiritual war.  

"In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal."

--Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Father and Doctor of the Church

Many in the Northeast United States are going through a tremendous trial right now.  The statue of our Blessed Mother standing among the wreckage in Breezy Point should remind us all that she will always be there for us, which is an especially good lesson to remember on this last day of October, the month of the Rosary, one of our most powerful spiritual weapons.

"When you see the storm coming, if you seek safety in that firm refuge which is Mary, there will be no danger of your wavering or going down."

--St. Josemaria Escriva

Obama and Christie or Laurel and Hardy?

I fully appreciate the horrendous disaster that Gov. Chris Christie is facing in the state of New Jersey, and I certainly don't mean to make light of it.  But when I saw this picture, 

I couldn't help but be reminded of these guys:

And we all know Oliver Hardy's famous line to Stan Laurel:

"Why Don't You Do Something To Help Me?"

And for a little extra fun, here are Laurel and Hardy (Obama and Christie?) showing Michael Jackson the original dance moves to "Billie Jean."

Faith Is A Gift Of God

Faith is the Gift of God and
and not a mere act of our own
which we are free to exert
when we will
Blessed John Henry Newman

The Catholic Church is now observing the Year of Faith declared by Pope Benedict XVI, which began on October 11, 2012.  Last week I posted his first weekly talk on the Year of Faith, in which he defined faith as God reaching out to us:

This, then, is the wonder of faith: God, in his love, creates in us – through the working of the Holy Spirit – the proper conditions for us to recognize his Word.

The Holy Father gave us his second talk on October 24 in which he expanded on this topic and described how faith works in our lives and what our part is. Pope Benedict once again points out that faith is not something we naturally have and not something we can "work" up by ourselves:

. . .we are able to believe in God because he draws near to us and touches us, because the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Risen One, enables us to receive and welcome the living God. Faith, then, is first and foremost a supernatural gift, a gift of God.

And to receive this gift, we must be a part of the Mystical Body of Christ:

. . .we don’t believe on our own, without the preceding grace of the Spirit; and we don’t believe alone but together with our brothers and sisters. 

But faith is never something imposed on us against our own free will:

Faith, then, is an assent whereby our minds and hearts pronounce their “yes” to God by confessing that Jesus is the Lord. And this “yes” transforms life and opens the way towards the fullness of meaning, making it so new, so rich in joy and reliable hope.

Once again, I am awed by the profound truths contained in this short talk by the Holy Father.  It is something that should be read and meditated on more than once.  I have highlighted the parts of the speech which I found particularly insightful.  You can find the original translation at zenit.org:

ON THE NATURE OF FAITH

Faith means believing in God’s unfailing love, which endures even in the face of man’s iniquity, of evil and of death, and which is able to transform every form of slavery by granting the possibility of salvation.

Pope Benedict XVI

* * *Dear brothers and sisters,

Last Wednesday, with the inauguration of the Year of Faith, I began a new series of catecheses on faith. And today I would like to reflect with you on the basic question: What is faith? Does faith still make sense in a world where science and technology have opened horizons heretofore unimagined? What does it mean to believe today? Indeed, in our own day a renewed education in the faith is greatly needed. This should naturally include a knowledge of the truths of the faith and the events of salvation, but above all it should come from a true encounter with God in Jesus Christ, from loving Him, from trusting Him, so that it involves the whole of our lives.  [Again the Holy Father points out that being a Christian is not just an intellectual exercise, but an actual encounter with the Holy Trinity.]

An encounter with Christ will transform us as much
as it did the woman at the well

Today, along with so many signs of goodness, a kind of spiritual desert is also widening around us. Sometimes we get the feeling from certain events we hear about each day that the world is not moving towards the building up of a more fraternal and peaceful community. The very ideas of progress and wellbeing also reveal their shadows. Despite the grandeur of scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs, men today do not seem to have become freer and more humane; so many forms of exploitation, manipulation, violence, oppression and injustice still remain.  

In addition, a certain kind of culture has taught men to move only along the horizons of things, of the practical, and to believe only in what can be seen and touched with one’s hands. On the other hand, however, there are an increasing number of people who feel lost and who - in the quest to move beyond a merely horizontal vision of reality - are ready to believe everything as well as its opposite. [As GK Chesterton said, "The first effect of not believing in God is to believe in anything."] Within this context several fundamental questions emerge, which are far more concrete than they appear at first sight: What is the meaning of life? Is there a future for man, for us and for the new generations? How shall we direct the choices we freely make toward a successful and happy life? What awaits us beyond the threshold of death?

These insuppressible questions show that the world of planning, exact calculation and experimentation - in a word, of scientific knowledge - important as they are for the life of man, of themselves are not enough. We don’t only need bread; we need love, meaning and hope. We need a firm foundation and solid ground that helps us to live with real meaning, even in times of crisis, darkness and difficulty, and amid our daily problems. This is precisely what faith gives us: it is a confident entrusting of oneself to a “Thou” who is God; it provides a kind of certainty different from but no less sure than what comes to us from exact calculation or science.

Faith is not simply a matter of man’s intellectual assent to truths about God; it is an act whereby I freely entrust myself to a God who is a Father and who loves me; it means clinging to a “Thou” who gives me hope and confidence.  [Again, faith is much more than knowledge of theology.] To be sure, this adherence to God is not devoid of content: it enables us to know that God himself revealed himself to us in Christ. He showed us his face and he truly drew near to each one of us. Indeed, God revealed that his love for man, for each one of us, is without measure: on the Cross, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God made man, shows us in the clearest fashion how far this love goes -- to the point of giving himself, to total sacrifice. By the mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Christ, God descends into the depths of our humanity in order to bring it back to himself, to raise it to his heights.

Faith means believing in God’s unfailing love, which endures even in the face of man’s iniquity, of evil and of death, and which is able to transform every form of slavery by granting the possibility of salvation. To have faith, then, is to encounter this “Thou” - God - who sustains me and offers me the promise of an imperishable love that not only aspires to eternity but also gives it. It means entrusting myself to God with the attitude of a child who knows very well that all of his difficulties and problems are safe in the “thou” of the mother.

And this possibility of salvation through faith is a gift that God offers to all people. I think we should meditate more often on this in our daily lives, which are sometimes characterized by tragic problems and situations. We need to reflect on the fact that Christian belief involves this trusting self-surrender to the profound meaning that upholds me and the world: that meaning we are incapable of giving ourselves but can only receive as a gift, and that provides the foundation on which we can live without fear. And we must be able to proclaim this freeing and reassuring certainty with our words and to demonstrate it by our Christian lives.  [The Holy Father is reminding us that evangelization must be an integral part of our lives.]

Each day, however, we see around us that many people remain indifferent or refuse to welcome this announcement. At the end of the Gospel of Mark we today have before us hard words from the Risen One, who tells us: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16), he will be lost. I would like to invite you to reflect on this. Confidence in the action of the Holy Spirit must always move us to go out and preach the Gospel, to courageously witness to the faith. But in addition to the possibility of a positive response to the gift of faith, there is also the risk of the Gospel being rejected, of a vital encounter with Christ not being received. St. Augustine posed this problem in one of his commentaries on the parable of the sower: “ We speak – he said – we cast the seed, we scatter the seed. There are those who despise, those who criticize and those who scoff. If we fear them, we shall have nothing more to sow, and the day of harvest will remain without a crop. Therefore, may the seed come forth from good soil (Discourse on Christian discipline, 13,14: PL 40, 677-678).

Rejection, then, cannot discourage us. As Christians we are witnesses of this fertile soil: despite our limitations, our faith shows that good soil exists, where the seed of God’s Word produces abundant fruits of justice, peace, love, of new humanity and of salvation. And the whole history of the Church, with all its problems, also demonstrates that good soil exists, good seed exists, and it bears fruit.

But we ask ourselves: where does man obtain that openness of heart and mind that enables him to believe in God who became visible in Jesus Christ crucified and risen, and to receive his salvation so that Christ and his Gospel become the guide and light of life? The answer: we are able to believe in God because he draws near to us and touches us, because the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Risen One, enables us to receive and welcome the living God. Faith, then, is first and foremost a supernatural gift, a gift of God. The Second Vatican Council states: “To make this act of faith, the grace of God and the interior help of the Holy Spirit must precede and assist, moving the heart and turning it to God, opening the eyes of the mind and giving ‘joy and ease to everyone in assenting to the truth and believing it’ (Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, 5).

The basis of our journey of faith is Baptism, the sacrament that gives us the Holy Spirit – making us children of God in Christ - and marks our entrance into the community of faith, the Church: we don’t believe on our own, without the preceding grace of the Spirit; and we don’t believe alone but together with our brothers and sisters. From Baptism on, every believer is called to re-live and make this confession of faith his own, together with his brothers and sisters.

 Faith is a gift of God, but it is also a profoundly free and human act. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states it clearly. It says: “Believing is possible only by grace and the interior helps of the Holy Spirit. But it is no less true that believing is an authentically human act. [It] is contrary neither to human freedom nor to human reason” (n. 154). In fact, it involves them and exalts them in a gamble on life that is like an exodus; i.e., a going out of themselves, a departure from the security they afford and from their mental constructs in order to entrust themselves to the action of God, who shows us the way to attain true freedom, our human identity, true joy of heart and peace with everyone. To believe is to entrust oneself in all freedom and with joy to God’s providential plan for history, like the patriarch Abram, like Mary of Nazareth. Faith, then, is an assent whereby our minds and hearts pronounce their “yes” to God by confessing that Jesus is the Lord. And this “yes” transforms life and opens the way towards the fullness of meaning, making it so new, so rich in joy and reliable hope.

Dear friends, the times in which we live need Christians who have been seized by Christ, who grow in faith through familiarity with the Sacred Scriptures and the Sacraments – persons who are like an open book that tells of the experience of new life in the Spirit and the presence of God who sustains us on the journey and opens the way to endless life. Thank you.

[Translation by Diane Montagna]

[In English, he said:]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In our series of catecheses for the Year of Faith, we now consider the nature of faith. More than simply knowledge about God, faith is a living encounter with him. Through faith we come to know and love God, who reveals himself in the life, death and resurrection of Christ, and in so doing reveals the deepest meaning and truth of our human existence. Faith offers us sure hope and direction amid the spiritual confusion of our times. Before all else, faith is a divine gift which enables us to open our hearts and minds to God’s word and, through Baptism, to share in his divine life within the community of the Church. Yet faith is also a profoundly human act, engaging our intelligence and freedom. When we welcome God’s invitation and gift, our lives, and the world around us, are transformed. May this Year of Faith help us to live our faith fully, and to invite others to hear and welcome God’s word, opening their hearts to the eternal life which faith promises.

Our Holy Mother set the example for us with her "Yes" to the Holy Spirit.  Nothing can happen in our lives unless we, too, are willing to say "Yes."

Manhattan In The Dark

This is one time the media did not over-hype a story.  The Northeast US has gotten slammed by Hurricane Sandy.  The most populated area in America, including the most populated city in America, is at a standstill.  The subway in NYC, without which this city cannot operate, has been inundated with seawater.  The bridges in and out of Manhattan are closed.  Hundreds of thousands of homes have been flooded.  The airports are closed.  There were no newspapers in New York City today.  There was a major fire in Queens which has destroyed 50 80 100 homes.  Millions are without power in the Northeast, and for those in living in the many high rise apartments in this city, they are without water as well, and there is no promise as to when these utilities will be restored.  Sandy has killed at least 33 45 74 people in the United States.  Although, thankfully, the loss of life has been less, the devastation to this city and this area is far worse than 9/11.

Fire in Queens, NY that destroyed 50 homes

In my little area of Brooklyn we have been fortunate.  We never lost our power, there is no major flooding or even wind damage.  But just a couple miles away from us, in Coney Island and other areas, there is severe damage.

Flooding in Coney Island, Brooklyn

Red Hook, Brooklyn

New Jersey has been completely devastated.  Hoboken, as an example, is completely under water.

Hoboken, New Jersey

The New York Stock Exchange is closed for a second day, the longest closure due to weather in over a century.  Thousands of businesses, including my own job, are closed for a second day.  Without the subways I have no idea when I'll be able to get back to work, and that is true for millions of other New Yorkers.

I certainly pray for the physical safety of the millions of people who have been affected.  But I also pray that this will somehow be a wake up call for our area.  I hope we realize that we are not all powerful, that all of our technologies and inventions cannot save us.  In fact, we are more vulnerable than ever because we do not even know how to survive without our modern conveniences.  Turn off the electricity, and we cannot function.

I love my City of New York, but I'm under no illusions.  This is the abortion capital of the United States.  Over 40% of all pregnancies end in abortion.  We have live sex clubs here, there is vast corruption in every part of our society.  The City gives away free condoms to anyone who asks, no matter what their age.  We teach our 5 and 6 year olds that homosexuality is perfectly normal.  And, of course, like so many other states here in the Northeast, same sex marriage has been legalized.

Millions were in physical danger because of Hurricane Sandy.  Many more millions of souls are in eternal danger because of the choices they have made.  Our Creator is all merciful who wants us to be with Him. Sometimes He has to allow things to happen to wake us up, and I truly believe Hurricane Sandy, sent right before the most important election in US History - an election whose outcome could literally determine whether we survive as a nation - was a huge wake up call.  Let us pray that all of the suffering will not go to waste, that it will cause people to recognize how far they have strayed from their Creator and then turn and repent.

Please pray for those who have been so severely affected by Hurricane Sandy, and pray even more for our souls, that we will heed the warnings we have been given.  Pray that Manhattan and all the rest of the country will come out of the darkness and into the Light of God.

Hurricane Sandy Humbles Us

Those of us who live here in Northeastern United States are getting ready for what is being called the worst storm in 100 years.  Hurricane Sandy is on her way and she is going to do whatever she wants to do, with all of us completely at her mercy.

In a seemingly unrelated story, the country is also getting ready to vote in a major election for our president.  Here is the electoral map, showing what areas of the country are leaning towards Romney and what areas are going to Obama.  Per usual, the northeast United States is backing the Democrat - pro-abortion Barack Obama

Then looking at Sandy's tracking map, we see that the same areas are in the direct path of Hurricane Sandy.

As the Huffington Post tells us:

From Washington to Boston, big cities and small towns Sunday buttoned up against the onslaught of a superstorm that could endanger 50 million people in the most heavily populated corridor in the nation, with forecasters warning that the New York area could get the worst of it - an 11-foot wall of water.

As rain from the leading edges of the monster hurricane began to fall over the Northeast, hundreds of thousands of people from Maryland to Connecticut were ordered to evacuate low-lying coastal areas, including 375,000 in lower Manhattan and other parts of New York City, 50,000 in Delaware and 30,000 in Atlantic City, N.J., where the city's 12 casinos were forced to shut down for only the fourth time ever.

"We were told to get the heck out. I was going to stay, but it's better to be safe than sorry," said Hugh Phillips, who was one of the first in line when a Red Cross shelter in Lewes, Del., opened at noon.

"I think this one's going to do us in," said Mark Palazzolo, who boarded up his bait-and-tackle shop in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., with the same wood he used in past storms, crossing out the names of Hurricanes Isaac and Irene and spray-painting "Sandy" next to them. "I got a call from a friend of mine from Florida last night who said, `Mark, get out! If it's not the storm, it'll be the aftermath. People are going to be fighting in the streets over gasoline and food.'"

Authorities warned that the nation's biggest city could get hit with a surge of seawater that could swamp parts of lower Manhattan, flood subway tunnels and cripple the network of electrical and communications lines that are vital to the nation's financial center.

And Sandy isn't threatening only the northeast.  It is stretching all the way to Chicago, hometown and stronghold for President Barack Obama.  From nbcchicago.com:

Powerful Hurricane Sandy has caused the National Weather Service to issue a lakeshore flood warning in Chicago.

During the warning, which goes into effect at 1 a.m. on Tuesday until 4 p.m. Wednesday, waves of 16 to 22 feet are likely to build along the Cook County Shoreline, reported the National Weather Service.

Is someone trying to tell us something?  Maybe yes.  Maybe no.

In all seriousness, when we are faced with acts of nature such as Hurricane Sandy, it serves to remind us of the awesome power of our Creator and just how puny and powerless we really are. I pray for all of us who are in Sandy's path that we are protected and safe.

PRAYER FOR PROTECTION FROM HURRICANES AND STORMS

God, our Father, 

Eternal and Omnipotent,

Creator and Lord of the Universe,

you have set the earth on its foundation

and all elements of nature obey your command. You give food to all flesh,

cover the heavens with clouds,

and provide rain to the earth ─

We humbly beseech you

Lord, Most High,

to keep us safe from all dangers

and to calm all the storms of life that threaten us:

especially the attack of whirlwinds and tornadoes,

the calamity and destruction of hurricanes,

the din and damage of hail storms,

the striking of thunderbolts and lightning,

and the devastation of floods and tidal waves.

May we be secure in your loving protection,

seek your Will in all our experiences,

and serve you always with grateful hearts.

We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Courtesy of franciscan-sfo.org