Our Lady's Little Scribe

Come with us and put God’s light and grace into our darkened world tonight.

2015-03-22T08:59:00.000-05:00

Colettine Night Litany

Lord Jesus, we hold before you all those who are in special need of your
mercy and our prayers.

On those who cannot sleep tonight.
R/ Lord have mercy.
On the sick and those terminally ill.
On those tempted to suicide.
On the homeless with nowhere to go.
On the mentally sick.
On those who live in fear and anxiety.
On victims of addiction of any kind.
On those who sell themselves.
On women seeking an abortion.
On those who suffer domestic violence of mind or body.
On those tempted to do evil.
On those imprisoned in lies and wrong choices.
On those who cannot forgive and carry the burden of
resentment towards others.
On those who are dying tonight.

For those who have accepted terrorism as their creed.
R/ Lord, enlighten and change their hearts.
For those who promote war.
For those who profit by war.
For those who commit acts of violence in God's name.
For those in the grip of hatred.
For those who commit acts of violent abuse against children.

For those in situations of violence and war.
R/Lord, be their strength and protection.
For refugees driven from their homelands.
For children separated from their parents by war.
For child soldiers.
For vulnerable children.
For the victims of abuse or trafficking.
For hostages who wait in fear.
For illegal immigrants.
For those suffering from epidemic diseases.
For those without recourse to adequate medical help.
For doctors and nurses on duty.
For all who will give birth tonight.
For all those who will go to the help of others tonight.
For all who witness to the Gospel in alien or hostile
surroundings.

For all the children of God.
R/Lord, we give you thanks and praise.
For all who live the covenant of marriage in joy.
For all new life conceived tonight.
For all who keep vigil in your presence this night.
For those who support us [Poor Clare Colettines] in our [their] life of prayer.
For all those who have responded to the call of your love.
For your Holy Church spread throughout the world.
For your holy angels whom you send to protect us.
For the prayers of your saints in heaven.
For Mary our Mother.
For those who this night will come before your throne.
For those waking to a new day on other shores.
For the gift of your love which can never be defeated.

Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
we hold before you those for whom we have prayed,
have mercy on those who suffer,
protect the helpless,
convert to your love all who do evil.
and may your sun rise on a new world.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

* * * * * *

Source: Ty Mam Duw [House of the Mother of God] Poor Clare Colettine Community, Wales, UK. http://www.poorclarestmd.org/

The Little Sisters of Ty Mam Duw use the following format for their night prayer: (1) Chaplet of Divine Mercy (2) Matins of the Divine Office (Office of the Readings) and (3) The Poor Clare Colettine Night Litany.

St. Colette is the patron saint of expectant mothers,
of those who long to conceive a child and of sick children.
She is a healer of the sick.

This Moment Changes Everything

2015-02-28T18:41:00.001-06:00

The moment of Profession is a specific moment. It doesn’t just happen. It is prepared for and is joyfully anticipated. It is specific, so that we know exactly what is happening and why. It is a moment not to be forgotten, whose impact is transformational and dictates all we do and say from the moment of profession on. Fr. Felice [Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap in Profession in the SFO: Gift and Commitment] says that it is the “foundational moment in the identity of the Professed.” This moment changes everything.

Source: Fr. Richard Trezza, O.F.M., “Profession and the Secular Franciscan: Theological and Liturgical Foundations” (FUN Manual)

Terrorism and Just War Doctrine

2014-08-18T11:39:00.000-05:00

From the United States to North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Pakistan, Iran, Yemen and throughout the world, let us "strive to create conditions of life worthy of people redeemed by Christ."

Let us as a country increase humanitarian aid throughout the world and protect the persecuted from murder and brutality such as that going on in Iraq today. Let us respond militarily if the situation meets the standard of the Catholic just-war doctrine. Pope Francis and the Vatican have made it clear that the mass murder being committed by Islamic State terrorists meets that standard.

The brutality and murder by the evil terrorists in Iraq upon the people is one that plainly demands full action by the United Nations and the United States. By refraining to act we condone the acts of the terrorist. For our government to refrain from standing between Evil and the people of Iraq and other countries while stopping to consider the political impact upon the Democrat or Republican party or winning the next election or waiting to have meetings to consider whether or not to act reduce us as a country to sins of omission which are as great as the terrorist. If our failure to act results in the murder of one person in Iraq, are we not also guilty of murder?

My Christian brothers and sisters, we have much to pray about. Look to Pope Francis for direction during these troubling times.

JUST WAR DOCTRINE

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the just war doctrine:

2309. The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:

- the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;

- all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;

- there must be serious prospects of success;

- the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.

These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the "just war" doctrine.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a5.htm

Let Us Walk Among Them With Works of Mercy

2014-08-18T09:28:00.000-05:00

On this August morning, let us who call ourselves Christian, with a gentle and courteous spirit, "accept all people as a gift of the Lord and an image of Christ." Church, if you are seeking to help the poor, let us individually and as churches begin in our own towns and neighborhoods. The poor - the needy - the suffering are among us and they need us every day. They need for us "to love our neighbor as ourselves." They need for us to walk among them, distributing loaves and fishes.

Let us show charity to our neighbors with corporal works of mercy:

Feed the hungry

Give drink to the thirsty

Clothe the naked

Shelter the homeless

Visit the sick

Visit the imprisoned

Bury the dead

Let us show charity to our neighbors with spiritual works of mercy:

Admonish the sinner

Instruct the ignorant

Counsel the doubtful

Comfort the sorrowful

Bear wrongs patiently

Forgive all injuries

Pray for the living and the dead

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church on works of mercy:

2447 The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God:

"He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none and he who has food must do likewise." [Luke 3:11] "But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you." [Luke 11:41] "If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?" [James 2:15-16]

Comment on U. S. News Article: The Catholic Supreme Court’s War on Women

2014-01-10T20:19:00.000-06:00

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/Jamie-Stiehm/2014/01/07/the-catholic-supreme-courts-war-on-women

Per Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, this is perhaps the most bigoted attack on Catholicism that has appeared in decades by any mainstream media outlet. What set Jamie Stiehm off was Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's decision to stay the Health and Human Services mandate from taking effect January 1.

As usual for this type of article, the author does not know up from down as to how the Supreme Court of US functions and how decisions are made, the meaning of the Reglion Clause of First Amendment to USC nor what faithful and devout Catholics believe and are required to follow. She seems to admire Catholic Pelosi who is very much out of step with the teachings of the Catholic Church as well as being grossly ignorant about the faith, morals, dogma, doctrine and the Magesterium of the Catholic Church. Actually, I thought Sonia was just another liberal Catholic like Pelosi. Perhaps she made her decision based on the Constitution and not on her Catholicism, no matter how weak.

I Want to Wish You a Merry Christmas

2013-12-09T12:06:00.002-06:00

St. Francis (full movie)

2013-08-10T23:16:00.000-05:00

St. Teresa of Avila - The Prayer of Recollection

2013-08-04T17:20:00.000-05:00

Much to Mourn For

2013-07-18T12:26:00.003-05:00

Although my heart goes out to all involved, the tragedy of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman dwarfs alongside the deaths in bigger and more heartbreaking tragedies present in Black America. There is a very high death rate among the Black population, especially the young, because of abortion, drugs, aids, and Black on Black murders. Search pbs.org for aids in Black America and watch online "The House I Live In," for a start. Please pray – there is much to mourn for.

Pope Benedict XVI's Last Angelus

2013-02-25T08:57:00.001-06:00

TEXT

Conception to Birth

2013-01-19T22:01:00.000-06:00

The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor

2013-01-03T08:43:00.000-06:00

By John Foley, SJ

The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

Blessed be the Lord.

I will bless the Lord at all times,

his praise ever in my mouth.

Let my soul glory in the Lord,

who will hear the cry of the poor.

Let the lowly hear and be glad,

the Lord listens to their pleas;

and to hearts broken God is near,

who will hear the cry of the poor.

Ev’ry spirit crushed, God will save;

will be ransom for their lives;

will be safe shelter for their fears,

and will hear the cry of the poor.

We proclaim your greatness, oh God,

your praise ever in our mouth;

every face brightened in your light,

for you hear the cry of the poor.

(Source)

Most Holy Name of Jesus

2013-01-03T08:37:00.001-06:00

“Glorious name, gracious name, name of love and of power! Through you sins are forgiven, through you enemies are vanquished, through you the sick are freed from their illness, through you those suffering in trials are made strong and cheerful. You bring honor to those who believe, you teach those who preach, you give strength to the toiler, you sustain the weary” (St. Bernardine of Siena).

Mary's Magnificat

2012-12-23T00:06:00.000-06:00

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he who is mighty has done great things for me
and Holy is His name.

A Christmas Prayer

2012-12-19T19:36:00.000-06:00

A Christmas Prayer

from Max Lucado

Dear Jesus,

It’s a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.

These killings, Lord. These children, Lord. Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.

The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push away from annihilation?

Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod’s jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty. Dark with violence.

Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.

Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won’t you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.

This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.

Hopefully,

Your Children

SAMUEL BARBER - Adagio for Strings, Op. 11

2012-11-14T16:58:00.001-06:00

For Greater Glory: The True Story of the Cristeros

2012-09-16T21:48:00.001-05:00

The Hole In Our Gospel

2012-08-03T19:57:00.000-05:00

I am reading: The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, President of World Vision U.S. Passages like Isaiah 58, Matthew 25, John 3:16-20, Job 29:11-17, Isaiah 61, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, the Beatitudes, and so many others are jumping off the page, causing me to realize that there is a hole in our Gospel and I am strongly convicted.

Jesus had an expectation that we – his followers – not the government - should feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, care for the sick, clothe the naked and give shelter to the homeless. That’s what he said. I assume he meant it.

“ . . . I could see that all across the world people were crying out in desperation to God for help, for comfort; widows, orphans, the sick, the disabled, the poor and the exploited. These millions of prayers were being lifted up to God, and we, each of us who claim to be His followers, were to be His answer. We were the ones who would bring the “good news” of Christ to the poor in their suffering. God has sent us. This was the good news of the gospel – good news indeed for the poor.” Stearns.

I WAS HUNGRY: 25,000 people die each day of hunger or its related causes – about 9 million people per year.

I WAS THIRSTY: As many as five million people die every year of water-related illnesses.

I WAS SICK: Three diseases alone – malaria, TB and AIDS – result in more than five million deaths per year and half a billion new infections, virtually all in the world’s poorest countries. AIDS has left 15 million children orphans.

Almost ten million children will be dead in a year, before they reach the age of five, caused by birth complication, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, neonatal (infant) illnesses, malaria, measles, AIDS, injuries, and other.

(Statistics from Hole in Our Gospel)

My concern is more for the poor in other countries where they are starving to death every day, where there is no clean water and they walk hours every day to haul water that is contaminated and is killing them, where little children have no clothes at all and others have only what they are wearing, where they live in unsanitary conditions on dirt floors or maybe with no shelter at all, where a tooth infection or wounds mean death and there is little to no medicine or medical help available, no food stamps, and no government support such as in the U.S. These people in poor countries are beyond desperate – they are a living tragedy, making some of our poor look rich. That being said, through World Vision, one may make contributions to help kids in U.S.

Litany for Liberty

2012-06-21T07:51:00.002-05:00

Litany for Liberty

For use during the Fortnight for Freedom
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

This prayer may be prayed in a group setting led by a leader of prayer, who begins the

litany with the introduction and the announcement of each invocation, or if it is prayed

individually, the individual prays the entire prayer.

INTRODUCTION

Christ the Lord has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Let us turn to him in humble but fervent petition,

seeking the grace to root out from our hearts all trace of darkness,

and all that holds us back

from walking in the full freedom of the children of God.

As Christ is our great model for that inner freedom,

which enables us to do the right,

let us turn to him with confidence

that we, too, may follow him to the fullness of spiritual freedom.

(Litany for Liberty continued here: Litany for Liberty)

Religious Freedom

2012-06-21T07:40:00.000-05:00

"The challenge facing you, dear friends, is to increase people's awareness of the importance for society of religious freedom; to defend that freedom against those who would take religion out of the public domain and establish secularism as America's official faith. And it is vitally necessary for the very survival of the American experience, to transmit to the next generation the precious legacy of religious freedom and the convictions which sustain it."— Blessed John Paul II, 1995 Baltimore, Basilica of the Assumption

For Greater Glory

2012-06-20T18:49:00.000-05:00

The tyrants of the world, throughout all centuries, do not have the final word. They are swallowed up by the message of God's love. In the story of the 1920's Cristero War, the Church canonized those who resisted through non-violence. The best way to battle the world is through the power of the cross.

Religious Liberty Prayer

2012-05-28T11:57:00.001-05:00

Into the Way of Peace

2012-05-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

Written Memorial Day, May 28, 2012

On this Memorial Day, I am remembering the military who died for us on the battlefields of war as well as those who have come home to suffer with tragic wounds and loss of limbs. I am remembering my husband, who flew a B-24 in Italy during World War II. I also am remembering Saint Francis of Assisi, not as the saint he became, but as the young man he was when he went off to war. His greatest desire at that time was to become a knight and gain fame and glory.

In 1202, there arose a great war between the centuries-old enemies of Perugia and Assisi. Francis was 20 years old, and his father outfitted him in the finest attire to join in the battle. Francis was wounded and captured at the Battle of Collestrada. It was a massacre. Thomas of Celano, the early biographer of Francis, indicated that it was beyond measure. The hills were covered in blood. Assisi was beaten, and the slaughter was great. Assisi was appalled, and everywhere there was weeping and mourning for those who were lost – the brightest and the best, the old and the young, the noble and the common.

[War and its consequences are the same always, then and now. There will never be an end to war until people and nations learn to forgive each other. It is that simple and that difficult because true forgiveness requires a change of heart and only God and his grace can change a heart.]

The angels surrounded Francis during the Battle of Collestrada, and according to God’s plan, his life was protected and spared. Many from Assisi were taken prisoner, including Francis. He was held in prison for about a year, until his father ransomed him. He returned home and suffered a long illness.

Francis' carefree days of youth were over, and the road to his conversion rose up before him as he sought to find his way. As a teenager, he had been a spendthrift, a dreamer, a rich, spoiled kid, indulged by both parents. Then, during the years following his release from prison, he learned to listen to the voice of the Lord and was transformed. This Memorial Day, I am reminded that Francis was chosen by God to lead us into the way of peace and to mirror the Christ, the Son of God living God.

“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof . . . ."

The centurion - Matthew 8:8

HHS Mandate: The strongest weapon we have is prayer.

2012-03-15T12:19:00.000-05:00

HHS Mandate is a violation to the Constitution of the U.S., Bill of Rights, Article 1. DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE PRESS AND THOSE WITH OTHER AGENDAS. Keep your eye on the ball, folks. The issue for all citizens of the United States concerning HHS is NOT contraception. The issue is NOT women’s health. The issue is Constitutional rights – specifically Article 1 of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. Anything that you hear or read (particularly from the Obama administration or the liberal press) trying to make this other than a Constitutional issue is a lie. Article 1 of the Bill of Rights states:

Article [I]

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The strongest weapon we have is prayer.

Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life has composed an ecumenical Novena for the defeat of the HHS Mandate, which began on Wednesday, March 14th. (Begin your novena when received, even though beginning late.) You may find the novena online. It is also pasted below.

NOVENA - http://standupforreligiousfreedom.com/2012/novena/#more-737

LOCATIONS FOR NATIONAL RALLY - http://standupforreligiousfreedom.com/locations/

WEBSITE FOR NATIONAL RALLY - http://standupforreligiousfreedom.com/

MORE INFORMATION

1. March 14 Statement on Religious Freedom and HHS Mandate. Link to statement from United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, March 14, 2012

2. On February 5, 2012 Father Sammie Maletta delivered a Homily at St. John the Evangelist Parish in St. John, Indiana. This Homily addressed how President Obama is threatening our Religious Freedom and declaring war with the Catholic Church. Please take a few moments to listen. No one sums it up quite like Father Maletta. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ltTd81XpDnc
3. But this is not just a Catholic issue. The issue is for all faiths, including Jews, Muslims. The issue is for all citizens of our country. The greater good of this suffering and evil is that it has brought about unity in Christian faiths and unity of God’s people in this country. I’ve read articles and listened to videos from leaders of all faiths - from Baptists, Lutherans, Jews and others – in opposition to the HHS Mandate and support of the Catholic Church’s stand. For example, this weekend, Anglican pastor Fr. Kevin Miller preached a home run of a homily, lighting a fire under his congregation at Church of the Resurrection in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Listen here: http://www.churchrez.org/sermon/the-wrecking-ball/

4. The eroding of our Constitutional rights goes beyond this country. The eyes of the world are upon us. I truly believe our country was called by God to greatness and to live more perfectly, as a nation, his plan for all peoples. We are another Promised Land. President Regan said that we are the last best hope of mankind on earth. In the same speech, President Regan quoted John Winthrop (1630), saying “We will be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world.”

5. Regan also said: We cannot escape our destiny, nor should we try to do so. The leadership of the free world was thrust upon us two centuries ago in that little hall of Philadelphia. In the days following World War II, when the economic strength and power of America was all that stood between the world and the return to the dark ages, Pope Pius XII said, “The American people have a great genius for splendid and unselfish actions. Into the hands of America God has placed the destinies of an afflicted mankind.” http://www.originofnations.org/books,%20papers/quotes%20etc/Reagan_The%20Shining%20City%20Upon%20A%20Hill%20speech.htm

The strongest weapon we have is prayer.

March 14 Statement on Religious Freedom and HHS Mandate

2012-03-14T21:37:00.000-05:00

Link to statement from United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, March 14, 2012. Also, copied and pasted below:

March 14 Statement on Religious Freedom and HHS Mandate

A Statement of the Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

March 14, 2012

The Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, gathered for its March 2012 meeting, is strongly unified and intensely focused in its opposition to the various threats to religious freedom in our day. In our role as Bishops, we approach this question prayerfully and as pastors—concerned not only with the protection of the Church's own institutions, but with the care of the souls of the individual faithful, and with the common good.

To address the broader range of religious liberty issues, we look forward to the upcoming publication of "A Statement on Religious Liberty," a document of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty. This document reflects on the history of religious liberty in our great Nation; surveys the current range of threats to this foundational principle; and states clearly the resolve of the Bishops to act strongly, in concert with our fellow citizens, in its defense.

One particular religious freedom issue demands our immediate attention: the now-finalized rule of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that would force virtually all private health plans nationwide to provide coverage of sterilization and contraception—including abortifacient drugs—subject to an exemption for "religious employers" that is arbitrarily narrow, and to an unspecified and dubious future "accommodation" for other religious organizations that are denied the exemption.

We begin, first, with thanks to all who have stood firmly with us in our vigorous opposition to this unjust and illegal mandate: to our brother bishops; to our clergy and religious; to our Catholic faithful; to the wonderful array of Catholic groups and institutions that enliven our civil society; to our ecumenical and interfaith allies; to women and men of all religions (or none at all); to legal scholars; and to civic leaders. It is your enthusiastic unity in defense of religious freedom that has made such a dramatic and positive impact in this historic public debate. With your continued help, we will not be divided, and we will continue forward as one.

Second, we wish to clarify what this debate is—and is not—about. This is not about access to contraception, which is ubiquitous and inexpensive, even when it is not provided by the Church's hand and with the Church's funds. This is not about the religious freedom of Catholics only, but also of those who recognize that their cherished beliefs may be next on the block. This is not about the Bishops' somehow "banning contraception," when the U.S. Supreme Court took that issue off the table two generations ago. Indeed, this is not about the Church wanting to force anybody to do anything; it is instead about the federal government forcing the Church—consisting of its faithful and all but a few of its institutions—to act against Church teachings. This is not a matter of opposition to universal health care, which has been a concern of the Bishops' Conference since 1919, virtually at its founding. This is not a fight we want or asked for, but one forced upon us by government on its own timing. Finally, this is not a Republican or Democratic, a conservative or liberal issue; it is an American issue.

So what is it about?

An unwarranted government definition of religion. The mandate includes an extremely narrow definition of what HHS deems a "religious employer" deserving exemption—employers who, among other things, must hire and serve primarily those of their own faith. We are deeply concerned about this new definition of who we are as people of faith and what constitutes our ministry. The introduction of this unprecedented defining of faith communities and their ministries has precipitated this struggle for religious freedom. Government has no place defining religion and religious ministry. HHS thus creates and enforces a new distinction—alien both to our Catholic tradition and to federal law—between our houses of worship and our great ministries of service to our neighbors, namely, the poor, the homeless, the sick, the students in our schools and universities, and others in need, of any faith community or none. Cf. Deus Caritas Est, Nos. 20-33. We are commanded both to love and to serve the Lord; laws that protect our freedom to comply with one of these commands but not the other are nothing to celebrate. Indeed, they must be rejected, for they create a "second class" of citizenship within our religious community. And if this definition is allowed to stand, it will spread throughout federal law, weakening its healthy tradition of generous respect for religious freedom and diversity. All—not just some—of our religious institutions share equally in the very same God-given, legally-recognized right not "to be forced to act in a manner contrary to [their] own beliefs." Dignitatis Humanae, No. 2.

A mandate to act against our teachings. The exemption is not merely a government foray into internal Church governance, where government has no legal competence or authority—disturbing though that may be. This error in theory has grave consequences in principle and practice. Those deemed by HHS not to be "religious employers" will be forced by government to violate their own teachings within their very own institutions. This is not only an injustice in itself, but it also undermines the effective proclamation of those teachings to the faithful and to the world. For decades, the Bishops have led the fight against such government incursions on conscience, particularly in the area of health care. Far from making us waver in this longstanding commitment, the unprecedented magnitude of this latest threat has only strengthened our resolve to maintain that consistent view.

A violation of personal civil rights. The HHS mandate creates still a third class, those with no conscience protection at all: individuals who, in their daily lives, strive constantly to act in accordance with their faith and moral values. They, too, face a government mandate to aid in providing "services" contrary to those values—whether in their sponsoring of, and payment for, insurance as employers; their payment of insurance premiums as employees; or as insurers themselves—without even the semblance of an exemption. This, too, is unprecedented in federal law, which has long been generous in protecting the rights of individuals not to act against their religious beliefs or moral convictions. We have consistently supported these rights, particularly in the area of protecting the dignity of all human life, and we continue to do so.

Third, we want to indicate our next steps. We will continue our vigorous efforts at education and public advocacy on the principles of religious liberty and their application in this case (and others). We will continue to accept any invitation to dialogue with the Executive Branch to protect the religious freedom that is rightly ours. We will continue to pursue legislation to restore the same level of religious freedom we have enjoyed until just recently. And we will continue to explore our options for relief from the courts, under the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws that protect religious freedom. All of these efforts will proceed concurrently, and in a manner that is mutually reinforcing.

Most importantly of all, we call upon the Catholic faithful, and all people of faith, throughout our country to join us in prayer and penance for our leaders and for the complete protection of our First Freedom—religious liberty—which is not only protected in the laws and customs of our great nation, but rooted in the teachings of our great Tradition. Prayer is the ultimate source of our strength—for without God, we can do nothing; but with God, all things are possible.