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Saturday, July 1, 2006

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Bl. Junipero Serra


Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19
Psalm 74
Matthew 8:5-17

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save the children

"Rise up, shrill in the night, at the beginning of every watch; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord; lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your little ones." —Lamentations 2:19

If we ever needed to pray, we need to pray now. Our little ones are being snuffed out in their mothers' wombs. As nations play politics, world bankers play monopoly, and Christians play church, the little children starve to death or suffer brain damage due to malnutrition. The children are possibly the greatest victims of divorce, racism, and pornography.

Now more than ever, we must rise up in the night, lift up our hands to the Lord, and bring down the strongholds of the evil one by praying the mountain-moving prayer of faith (2 Cor 10:4; Mt 17:20). Our children have never been less protected; we have exposed them to all the garbage of our society. Many of their spirits are crushed or broken; they are "paralyzed, suffering painfully" (Mt 8:6). Only Jesus can mend a broken heart; only Jesus can wash their spirits clean; only Jesus can raise our children from the dead.

Even now, when it seems too late, let the children come to Jesus (Mt 19:14). "They brought Him many who were possessed. He expelled the spirits by a simple command and cured all who were afflicted" (Mt 8:16). Save the children.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, mercy.

Promise:  "It was our infirmities He bore, our sufferings He endured." —Mt 8:17

Praise:  Bl. Junipero Serra, a Spanish priest, burned with the desire to be a missionary. He longed to carry the gospel to those who had never heard of God (see Rm 15:20). He brought the good news to the New World, and baptized over six thousand people.

Reference:  (For a related teaching, order our tape The Culture of Death on audio AV 73-3 or video V-73.)

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 12, 2005

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