Prayer for Religious Liberty

Prayer for Religious Liberty

O GOD OUR CREATOR,

from your provident hand we have received

our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

You have called us as your people and given us

the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God,

and your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,

you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,

bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel

to every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us

in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.

Give us the strength of mind and heart

to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;

give us courage in making our voices heard

on behalf of the rights of your Church

and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,

a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters

gathered in your Church

in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,

so that, with every trial withstood

and every danger overcome—

for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,

and all who come after us—

this great land will always be "one nation, under God,

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

I post this prayer because the election is so close, and it important we pray for a good outcome. We must pray that whoever is elected can crucify their will and do the Lord's.

Psalm 51

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me

. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

 14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

 18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.



LIFE

Hey Friends! I just read this story and it blew my mind so I thought I would share it! You need to check it out!

A Story about Life

Reflection - The Greatness of God

The Greatness of God

In the past two days, the Lord has showed me with graces and a few miracles, and I am just so thankful. I decided that I should blog about them so here it goes. Last night, I went to the Pirates game with friends but it was delayed due to rain. We decided to pray a rosary and prayed that the weather would hold up. Momma Mary took care of us, and we were able to watch the game and had no weather problems the rest of the night. It was just a small little thing, but it was a miracle and I was so pleased to see the Lord at work.

This morning I woke up in hopes to get some stuff done, including finding my Magnificat and my key to my house, which I had lost a week ago. I had already looked a little for both, but to no avail. When I started looking, I asked for St. Anthony's help and Mary's, and honestly a minute later, my key was resting on my bed, another small miracle, and my Magnificat was on my dresser. I knew with both of these findings, the Lord was working, and I could only be thankful.

It was funny though that I went to St. Anthony and he answered my prayers, because the night before, I found myself reading his prayer "Be Satisfied With Me" and I was at peace. The Lord is always doing these crazy things, but we often miss them because we aren't paying attention or doing the Lord's will. When we do his will though, amazing things will be given to us.

In scripture it says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7 How many times do we see this though, and then not really believe it? It is hard to believe that the Lord will really give us what we need, but if we have faith, all things are possible.

I just thought I would share these Glory stories with you. Maybe they will help, maybe not. I can't be worried about that though. I just need to be thankful for all that the Lord has given me.

"He died for me, so I'll live for him."

Be Satisfied With Me - A Prayer by St. Anthony of Padua

Be Satisfied With Me

by

St. Anthony of Padua

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone,
To have a deep soul relationship with another,
To be loved thoroughly and exclusively.

But to a Christian, God says, "No, not until you are satisfied,
Fulfilled and content with being loved by Me alone,
With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to Me.
With having an intensely personal and unique relationship with Me alone.

Discovering that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found,
Will you be capable of the perfect human relationship,
That I have planned for you.
You will never be united to another
Until you are united with Me.
Exclusive of anyone or anything else.
Exclusive of any other desires or longings.
I want you to stop planning, to stop wishing, and allow Me to give you
The most thrilling plan existing . . . one you cannot imagine.
I want you to have the best. Please allow Me to bring it to you.

You just keep watching Me, expecting the greatest things.
Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I am.
Keep listening and learning the things that I tell you.
Just wait, that's all. Don't be anxious, don't worry
Don't look around at things others have gotten
Or that I have given them
Don't look around at the things you think you want,
Just keep looking off and away up to Me,
Or you'll miss what I want to show you.
And then, when you're ready, I'll surprise you with a love
Far more wonderful than you could dream of.

You see, until you are ready, and until the one I have for you is ready,
I am working even at this moment
To have both of you ready at the same time.
Until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me
And the life I prepared for you,
You won't be able to experience the love that exemplified your relationship with Me.
And this is perfect love.

And dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love,
I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with Me.
And to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union of beauty, perfection and love that I offer you with Myself.
Know that I love you utterly. I AM God.
Believe it and be satisfied



Love Anyone You Come In Contact With

Love Anyone You Come In Contact With

As my sophmore year gets under way, I find myself thrilled to be back. It has been such a blessing to see everyone again and be able to spend time with them. Though I am glad to be back, the group is not the same, with many of my friends in Austria. There has yet to be a day that has gone by where someone has not mentioned the Austria group, saying how much they miss them. I miss all my Austria friends as well, knowing they are having fun adventures and stuff, but I find myself okay with the fact their gone. Some might be offended by me saying this, and I think I'm one of the few who is okay with them gone, but it not that I don't miss them, because I do. The truth is though, I like to see their Austria times in a different light. I understand we are away from one another, but I know with or without them, I am going to be happy, and the same for them.

I don't say any of this to act as if I don't need them in my life, but I realize dwelling on the fact that I won't see them is not worth it. Up until last fall, I really didn't know any of these people and I was still happy, as I'm sure everyone was as well. Do I love my college friends and would I do anything for them? Yes. But at the same time, I really do try and see stuff in the right light, and I am just now figuring out that with every friendship I have, I should only have one purpose, and that is, to bring Christ to them, but put the Lord's will first.

The Lord has really blessed me with knowing wonderful people, and I should and try to praise him for it, but all earthly things will be taken away one day, and really all that matters is our relationship with the Him. What am I getting at? Am I saying my friendships don't matter and I don't need people? Not at all, but  people will be in and out of my life forever, and some will remain close to me throughout life, while others might only make a small appearence, but regardless, I just need to be happy I was able to know them at all, and hopefully I left a positive mark on them.

Basically, we are called to love whoever we meet, and if we know them for ten minutes, ten years, or forever, we must be thankful for the time we share, and just be happy for that. It is very much a part of the human being to have feelings towards people, to miss them when you are not together, and want to spend time with them, but in all honesty, the only thing that maters on this earth is growing madly in love with Jesus, and if the people around you help you grow closer to him, then there is nothing better, but we must remeber what is truly important. One great example of putting the Lord first is the apostles. They all had families and peopled they very much loved, spent their whole lives building those relationships, and then Jesus came and asked them to follow him. They knew that those people meant the world to them, but they saw that what Jesus has to offer was better. Eternal Life my friends.

I guess what I trying to say is, love anyone you come in contact with, but remember, thr Lord's will above all else.

To my Austria friends - I do miss you all, and can't wait to see you, but I know I'll be enjoying my semester here, and you'll be enjoying your time over there. See you in a few months!

"He died for me, so I will live for him."

LARP!

"The Larping Quest"

If someone wanted to know what Franciscan University was about, one would likely tell them about the Summer Conferences, Households, and the Catholic atmosphere. All of these things are Unique to Franciscan University, and it gives it an identity.

Another way to find out about the campus is by just stepping foot on it. The best way to truly experience Campus life is by being here, for all the sights and sounds. No weekend brings more people then Homecoming weekend, and the St. Francis Festival. Every October, Franciscan celebrates the Founder of the Franciscan Order, St. Francis himself, and with this festival, the attractions on campus are many.

One attraction that causes mixed emotions from students is the now famous, or to some, infamous, L.A.R.P., which stands for Live Action Role Playing.

What is this L.A.R.P.?

It is a battle of will, passion and glory, a fight for honor... Well, that is how it is described by the actual participants. To an onlooker though? It would be better described as College-aged men hitting one another with foam swords and battle axes.

A consistent Larper, someone who partakes in Live Action Role Playing, would say that appearance is not everything and that it is not just "some game." Though the average person might see it as that, the Larper's put hours of practice into swinging around their weapons, preparing for the battles that lie ahead. When the St. Francis festival arrives, they are ready.

The campus is filled with families coming to see their kids, and also some trying to convince their younger children to look at Franciscan. The Larper's are well aware, and they showcase their talents for all to see. To some, and I'd say a select some, this is very appealing, and the children watch, hoping to one day partake. To most though, this is seen as very weird, and not something one goes home and talks about. A campuses appearance can make or break someone attending that school, and in most people's opinion, the Larping is not shedding a good light on what Franciscan is about. But regardless, the battles go on.

With each slash, jab, blow, and swing, a battle rages on, with one side partaking in the glories of victory, and the other, suffering a humiliating defeat.

What all Franciscan Larper's must remember is, St. Francis once fought the good fight, and so they are, in a way, following in his footsteps. Win or Lose the battle, something is to be gained, be it glory or humiliation. St. Francis said, "Up until this point, we have done nothing." Larper's must have that mindset before every fight, and fight for glory, regardless of what others might think of their foam weapons.

Fight for God, fight for glory, and above all else, fight with foam!

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