H/T: Alive and Young – I have seen this a number of times and it always makes me smile.
BTW, for some good, clean, Catholic humor check out Paul’s site regularly.
‘When we suffer, God is preparing our hearts for something greater’ (h/t Driving out the Snakes):
“If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Mt. 16:24-25)
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet 1:6-7)
Today is the feast of the first martyrs in Rome. These are the martyrs who suffered death under the emperor Nero after the burning of Rome. Their blood helped build the early Church. On this feast day let us pray for those who are still being martyred in all parts of the world. Here is a video about Christians in Palestine who are heavily persecuted for their faith:
But even we, here in America, face a different kind of persecution. We are very often ridiculed for our deeply held convictions which causes many of the faithful to reject those beliefs altogether. It is not popular to be Catholic in the western world today. We are a target for criticism, hatred and any sort of mockery under the sun. So let us pray to those first martyrs in Rome to obtain for us the strength to face this current persecution with the same grace, faith and hope in the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus. Whether we are being tortured and killed in Palestine or ridiculed and marginalized in America, may our faithfulness and humility win for our Lord the heart and soul of even the most ruthless sinners.
Monday’s holiday inevitably got me thinking about our men and women in the military today, especially those on active duty in areas like Afghanistan and Iraq. I have a special place in my heart for our combat veterans and try to do what I can to help give them strength and support. Yesterday afternoon I sent in another application to adopt a soldier as a pen-pal. This will be my third time adopting a soldier and I really enjoy it. For anyone interested in doing more to support our troops I highly recommend this option. Anyone who has ever gone away to school knows how exciting it is to receive letters and packages in the mail. Now imagine you are a U.S. soldier stationed thousands of miles away from friends and family in what can only be described has a hostile war zone. That’s why I decided to get involved this way. 
There are many soldiers who wait for mail every day and never receive anything, even on the holidays. Not only do these men and women endure the extreme condition of living in a kill or be killed situation, but many of them do it with us in mind. The first soldier I adopted (and I have heard other stories like this) signed up for the army right after September 11 because, living near New York City, he heard many personal stories of people who lost loved ones and wanted to do something to help defend our country from another attack. We all have different opinions about the war, our reasons for going and its overall effectiveness but that doesn’t change the fact that we are in a war and there are men and women risking their lives in it – many scared and lonely, 
needing nothing more than a friendly note from home saying “I remember you, I am thinking about you” and, more importantly “I am praying for you.”
There are many different ways to send love to our troops. One of the other things I like to do is to send rosaries and prayer books to army chaplains stationed overseas. Aquinas and More’s online Catholic store has a gift registry for Catholics serving in the military. There are various care packages. Some can be found at www.mililtarycarepackages.net, and Treats for Troops or you can make your own. I prefer to do the pen-pal adoption, which involves a weekly card and monthly package, because it is a little 
more personal and is more than just a one time gift, but it’s not for everyone. The organization I use is Adopt a Platoon, founded and operated by the mothers of men and women who are or have been serving overseas. They are very dedicated and offer a wide variety of ways to contribute, including specifically themed campaigns. There is also support for wounded soldiers. For those who cannot spend a lot of time and money sending letters and packages overseas spiritual support is also greatly needed.
Today we remember those who have given their lives for the cause of freedom, the protection of their country and their fellow man.
This is a wonderful video with footage from WWII and testimony from the WWII veterans of Easy Company (my favorite part of Band of Brothers):
For all those who have lost loved ones in battle I pray, in the words of Abraham Lincoln:
that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
For our fallen soldiers:
God our Father,
Your power brings us to birth,
Your providence guides our lives,
and by Your command we return to dust.Lord, those who die still live in Your presence,
their lives change but do not end.
I pray in hope for my family,
relatives and friends,
and for all the dead known to You alone.In company with Christ,
Who died and now lives,
may they rejoice in Your kingdom,
where all our tears are wiped away.
Unite us together again in one family,
to sing Your praise forever and ever.Amen.
No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (Jn. 15:13)
Well Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Boston, was the first one to have a blog and now he’s got a podcast.
You can find the Cardinal Sean podcast in iTunes. You can also find him on iCatholic
I just subscribed and downloaded his first two episodes.