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Tag Archives: Faith

On children and the kingdom of God

08 Tuesday May 2018

Posted by Elizabeth Westhoff in Catholic, Faith, Mass, Pop Culture, Uncategorized

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child, children, Faith, Mass

Originally published:  May 8, 2018

The same weekend Alfie Evans passed from this life to the next, I spent the weekend at Child's Faith Christian Stock Photosmy sister’s house, babysitting my niece. My weekend was filled to the brim with all things childhood. As a single woman with no children, I found the entire weekend both utterly exhausting and spectacular. While I spent the weekend buying huge milkshakes, glow-in-the-dark punch balloons and jewelry that had strawberry scented lip-gloss hidden somewhere in its form, my thoughts occasionally returned to poor little Alfie and his parents. Like many others, I had followed the Alfie Evans story with great concern and prayers. I couldn’t help but to keep juxtaposing the facts of his case with the trappings of the culture of death in which we currently live.

In our culture, the prevailing argument is that a woman has complete control over her body as well as any life that takes root in her womb. However, that argument — which is held up as almost divinely inspired — didn’t apply in the case of Alfie Evans. Alfie’s parents had no control over his body. Fight, pray, argue and plead as they might, the government was the decision-maker when it came to what was to be done with and to little Alfie’s body.

Although they received assistance from the Italian government, the Vatican, and the pope himself, in the end, there was nothing Alfie’s parents could do for him. Alfie’s life support was turned off on April 23, after a final legal plea by his parents was rejected. Alfie died five days later on April 28. His death was a striking reminder that, young or old, we are only here temporarily. We are God’s children, and He will call us home in His own time.

My niece is a bit of a precocious child, is exceedingly well-behaved and is deeply Catholic. Anyone who knows me knows I adore her. As her aunt, I make sure to always have pens, small bills and gum in my purse. As her godmother, I make sure to ask God for her protection, for her growth in the faith, and that, along with her parents, I will be a good example that will help her one day enter into the kingdom of heaven.

On Sunday, we went to Mass. My niece was, as usual, very well-behaved and participated appropriately. Twice she tugged at my arm to ask me a question about something. I kept my answers brief, indicating that, while I appreciated her questions about the faith, the middle of Mass wasn’t be the best time to ask them.

During the consecration of the host, I felt a tug, I shook my head no, but undeterred, she tugged again, “Are all the angels up there right now?” she whispered. I nodded my head in the affirmative, paraphrasing for her what St. Gregory said, “The heavens open and multitudes of angels come to assist at the Holy Sacrifice.” A sweet smile was her response. Her question, her 8-year-old faith, was an indescribably beautiful gift to me on that Sunday morning.

Since Alfie’s death, there have been many posts on social media stating that “Heaven has a new angel.” While a well-meaning sentiment, it’s untrue because humans don’t turn into angels when we die. I presume; however, that heaven does have the soul of 2-year-old Alfie Evans and that he, along with the choirs of angels, are now sharing in the Beatific Vision. I pray that the angels and Alfie will intercede on my behalf and that someday, my niece and I will share in seeing the angels she so lovingly thought of at Mass when she had the faith of a child.

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The Sacrilege of the Body as a Receptacle

29 Wednesday Nov 2017

Posted by Elizabeth Westhoff in Catholic, Pop Culture, sex, Uncategorized

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Catholic, Faith, marriage, sex

 Originallysexual_revolution.png published:  11.29.2017

Since the early drops that would become the recent deluge of “outing” sexual impropriety began to fall, Malcolm Muggeridge, a British journalist and satirist who died in 1990 at age 87, has been on my mind a great deal. Muggeridge, a nearly life-long agnostic who was received into the Catholic Church at the age of 79, once wrote, “Sex…the ersatz or substitute religion of the 20th Century…is the mysticism of materialism and the only possible religion in a materialistic society.”

To take Muggeridge’s suggestion further, I would offer that, if sex has become the substitute religion of the 20th Century, then relativism has become its rule of life. Instead of emptying of ourselves in order to follow a path that will fill us with a love of God and a respect for how He has made us in His own image, the relativism rule of life has filled the culture with a deep love of itself and a conviction that there is no absolute truth.

Prior to the 1960 FDA approval of the birth control pill and the subsequent sexual revolution in the culture, the prevailing understanding was that sexual intercourse between a man and a woman led to pregnancy. With the arrival of the pill, contraception was officially divorced from the sexual act. Sex didn’t need to lead to pregnancy. Women were finally given the freedom to do with their bodies whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. With this freedom was the implicit invitation that men could do as they wished with women’s bodies, sexually, and there would be no unwanted consequences, i.e., pregnancy. It became the culture’s truth that sex was no longer marital, unitive, or procreative.

In his February 20, 1980 Theology of the Body address, Pope John Paul II stated, “The body, and it alone, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine. It was created to transfer into the visible reality of the world the mystery hidden since time immemorial in God [God’s love for man], and thus to be a sign of it.”

Contraception, abortion, and pornography have all led to the cultural metamorphosing of women as simply receptacles to be used and discarded rather than the “spiritual and divine” as St. John Paul II discussed. When a person ceases to believe in his or her own dignity as being made in God’s likeness, then the idea that that person is simply a utilitarian sexual tool existing for the gratification of another will become a truth. In his book, Love and Responsibility, then Karol Wojtyla wrote, “A person’s rightful due is to be treated as an object of love, not as an object for use…Treating a person as a means to an end, and an end moreover which in this case is pleasure, the maximization of pleasure, will always stand in the way of love.” With the sexual liberation of women came the sexual enslavement of them.

Let me be perfectly clear, I am blaming neither women nor men for this Kafkaesque transformation. The hypersexualization of nearly every aspect of our culture is due simply to the fact that we are living a post-lapsarian existence where Adam and Eve first realized the naked human body and by which mankind has been titillated ever since. The human person and the marriage act are perceived by our post-Christian culture not as a divinely created being and an intimate, unifying act capable of producing new life, but as objects that exist for our increasingly depraved—as we see in recent studies on pornography—sexual appetites.

The #MeToo campaign seems to have been the match to the powder keg of this sexual harassment allegation explosion in which the likes of Weinstein, Spacey, and Lauer, among others have been immolated. This tag which those who had felt the effects of being perceived as simply an object of sexual gratification used to self-identify as being victims of a full-on assault to recipients of inappropriate comments, filled social media timelines across the country, including my friends, family, and even my own social media account. It was people proclaiming that enough was enough and that the culture finally had to address this sexually driven deviancy that had been allowed to fester for so long.

Unfortunately, I fear that a hash tag simply isn’t the correct weapon in this particular fight. When life in the very womb can be deemed as unworthy of respect, why should we think that our bodies, our sexuality, our relationships with one another should merit any more respect.

Muggeridge once wrote, “The orgasm has replaced the Cross as the focus of longing and the image of fulfillment.” To quote Love and Responsibility once more, “Limitation of one’s freedom might seem to be something negative and unpleasant, but love makes it a positive, joyful and creative thing. Freedom exists for the sake of love.” Until we focus our thoughts, our actions, our longings on God, we will continue to see our bodies and the bodies of others as simply the vessel of that which brings us selfish, fleeting fulfillment.

Surely not I…

12 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by Elizabeth Westhoff in Catholic, Lent, Sin, Uncategorized

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Catholic, Easter, Faith, Lent, Sin, Triduum

Today is spywedWednesday of Holy Week–Holy Wednesday, or, as I prefer, “Spy Wednesday.”

Those who know me know that Lent, and in particular Holy Week and the Triduum, are my favorite time of the Liturgical calendar. I think this is because of my tendency toward the melancholic. Also, if done correctly, it has the best, most heart-rending, beautiful music of the year…

I love “Spy Wednesday.” I’m sure it stems from my background in literature. No one could create a character like Judas Iscariot without divine inspiration. But beyond the great “character” Judas turns out to be, and beyond his “storyline,” he is also a key figure
–or should be– for each of us with regard to our own salvation.

How many times do we, post-lapsarian men and women that we are, sin and convince ourselves that what we did wasn’t all that bad, that everyone does it, that Jesusilver-coins-judas-money-450x338s loves me no matter what I do (which is true, but there are rules and consequences to sin), or that we can still receive Holy Communion with the stain of sin on our souls? How many times do we mock God, hurt Jesus, disappoint the Holy Spirit with our actions or inaction? How many times do we, like Judas, gamble with our very souls by trading what should be an overwhelming love for our Lord for whatever cheap, greasy pieces of silver the culture throws at us?

How many times does the Lord turn to us pained because of our offenses, from the wounds we have inflicted upon Him, and all we have to say is, “Surely not I!”

Tomorrow begins the Triduum, the Passion of the Lord. Reflect on it. Reflect on yourself. Make the most of this most glorious and blessed Holy Week so that when your time comes you can look at Jesus and say, “No. Not I, Lord.”

 

A Pilgrimage in The Land of Mercy

21 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by Elizabeth Westhoff in Israel

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Catholic, Faith, HolyLand, Israel, Pilgrimage

In April, New Media Journalist for the St. Louis Review, Lisa Johnston, North Central Regional Marketing Manager for EWTN, Christine Schicker, Public Relations Director, Midwest Region for the Israel Ministry of Tourism, Denise Bossert, and I–I’m the Director of Marketing & Mission Awareness for the Archdiocese of St. Louis–were part of a four-woman contingent who, as guests of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, went to the Holy Land to experience The Year of Mercy in the very place where the greatest act of mercy was ever shown to mankind.

Touching down at Ben Gurion airport, anyone occupying an aisle seat wanting to catch a glimpse of the surroundings will likely wind up looking through the peo’t, or un-cut ringlets some Orthodox Jewish men wear on their temples in accordance with a Biblical restriction against cutting the hair there, of the men who are also looking out of the window onto the land their people have inhabited for thousands of years. Ancient prayers uttered softly in Hebrew, presumably in thanksgiving, mingle with the sound of seat belts being unfastened and mobile phones being powered on as everyone begins to disembark the plane. There’s an immediate sense that this is a special place, a place where God is present. It is a place where, in Christ’s Passion and Death, the greatest act of mercy ever took place. It is in this land where acts of mercy—both large and small—continue to take place every day.

A Catholic Pilgrimage

The first place most people probably think of when they think of the Catholic Church is Rome. However, unlike other religions, Catholics aren’t mandated by the Church to make a pilgrimage to Rome or anywhere else. For a Catholic, a pilgrimage is a personal undertaking.

In Rome a Catholic experiences the beauty, grandeur, and history of Catholicism. Most of the disciples, martyred for their faith, are buried in Rome. Beautiful artwork, produced over centuries and known the world-over, depicting all that Catholics hold sacred is housed in the Vatican Museums. In the life of the Catholic Church, Rome is—without a doubt—its Sunday best. However, while Rome may be the Church’s Sunday best, Israel is the place to experience the day-to-day, living faith of Catholicism.

For Catholics, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a unique and moving experience not only because Jesus Christ was born there but so, too, was the Catholic Church. The mercy inherent in the birth of Christ and subsequent rise of the Faith is made tangible in the Holy Land; the stone room where Christ’s birth was announced by an angel, the home of the first pope, the settings of the Gospel readings, Caesarea Philippi where Christ told Peter, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,” the locations where prayers such as the Our Father were first prayed, the garden where He would bitterly weep, the rock where His battered, bloodied body hung on a cross, and the place where His glorious, salvific resurrection happened are all there.

The Church of the Primacy of Peter is located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, only a few hundred yards from where the multiplication of loaves and fishes took place. The church stands over the place where, for the third time after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples, made them a breakfast of fish, forgave Peter for denying Him, and asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” It is at this very location where Christ, once again, showed His love and mercy for the disciples.

Father Connor Sullivan, priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, reflected on the mercy Jesus showed to His followers at the site. “One of the most striking things about the Church of St. Peter’s Primacy is how close it is to many of the other sites in the Holy Land. …I looked down the coast and saw the place where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish. In the opposite direction, I saw the place where Jesus likely called Peter and his brother, Andrew,” Father Sullivan said.

Father Sullivan reflected on how the events of Jesus’ life are tied together geographically. “I remembered that these were the waters upon which Jesus walked. These were the waters that Jesus calmed when the storm was tossing the little fishing boat and threatening the Apostles,” he said. “Here in Galilee, the beginning and the end of our Lord’s public ministry meet—along the coast of the same Sea of Galilee.”

It was at this same place where a group of pilgrims from St. Vladimir and Church of the Resurrection parishes in the Ukraine first put their feet into the water of the Sea of Galilee. So overwhelmed with the joy and excitement of stepping into the very sea upon which Christ walked 2,000 years ago, one of the older women in the group bolted toward the water, her grey hair covered by a bright kerchief that framed the enormous smile on her face. Trying to remove her sandals as she ran, she nearly fell several times. Finally making it to the cool water, she stopped, took in her surroundings, and began to cry, still with the smile on her face.

This Is a Holy Place

A small placard hangs on an external wall of the Church of the Visitation in Ein Karem, Israel which simply reads, This Is a Holy Place. There are very few places in Israel that don’t merit the description. One of the holy places of the Holy Land is the Basilica of the Annunciation, located in Nazareth.

Catholics know Nazareth as the home of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the childhood home of Jesus. Built in 1969 on the site of Crusader and Byzantine remains, the Basilica of the Annunciation is located on the site where the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she had found favor with God and would bear a son. Today the Basilica is the functioning parish for all of Nazareth and to 8,000 people.

Tradition holds that the central grotto of the basilica was the home of Mary. The Annunciation, a painting by 19th century American artist Henry Tanner, gives a fairly accurate representation of what a room in Nazareth would have looked like at that time and any pilgrim familiar with that painting recognizes the scene immediately upon nearing the grotto in the modern basilica. The small stone room, once home to an unassuming Jewish girl, now houses a small altar bearing the inscription, et verbum caro factum est, behind the altar is a modest, gold tabernacle, above which hang seven red lamps, all of which can be seen through a locked gate.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—were present in that very place, though hidden, protected in the Virgin Womb of His Mother, Mary. Today, because of the miracle of transubstantiation, Jesus Christ—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—are still present in that very place, though hidden, protected by the gilded doors of the tabernacle and the secured gate.

Habib Karam, native Nazarene and proud parishioner of the Basilica of the Annunciation, is eager to show visitors this special place. When asked why it is particularly important for Catholics to visit the Holy Land Karam replied, “The Holy Family lived here. Catholics should come and experience it for themselves.”

Karam invites pilgrims he meets to weekly adoration at the Basilica, “I tell people, ‘Imagine you’re a little kid visiting your friend who is the only child in his family. He’s very happy to see you because he doesn’t get kids visiting him much. His mother is also happy because you’ve come to visit her son and made him happy. That’s our adoration. Jesus is there and Mary’s right there, watching you adoring her Son’.”

For a Catholic pilgrim, a significant part of the experience in being in the Holy Land is the doctrine of the Real Presence. For a Catholic sitting in a pew at the church in Cana, standing at an altar in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, or kneeling in a Crusader-era church located in the middle of a Muslim village, as long as the Blessed Sacrament is within the tabernacle, that pilgrim is not only where Jesus was, that pilgrim is where Jesus is.

Small Acts of Mercy

Tucked away on the route to Jerusalem is the Arab village, Abu Gosh. Once a temporary home to the Ark of the Covenant, today Abu Gosh is home to a 12th century Crusader church—at one point used as a stable after being conquered by the Muslims—now serving as a French Benedictine Monastery, all under the tender, watchful eye of the monastery’s prior, Brother Olivier.

A Frenchman who served in the French Navy, Brother Olivier arrived in Israel in 1977 and settled in to what, according to the Benedictine rule, would be his permanent home in the Abu Gosh Monastery. For the next 35 years, Brother Olivier would, after learning Hebrew, become a father figure to some of the young soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces and virtual brother to his Muslim neighbors, all of whom visit the priest, learning about the Christianity he lives and, in turn, forging strong bonds. So loved and respected is Brother Olivier that, despite Israel’s typical process by which citizenship is granted to non-Israelis, jus sanguinis, Brother Olivier was eventually granted Israeli citizenship as a special token of appreciation for his work in and love for his adopted homeland. Brother Olivier’s gentle manner and obvious love for others draws in those who might be unlikely friends under different circumstances.

It’s his tenderness that made an otherwise unpleasant situation a small moment of mercy for a young French boy one Sunday afternoon. Made to stand in the corner of the church for misbehaving during Mass, the boy remained in his spot until granted a reprieve by his mother, long after Brother Olivier had distributed Holy Communion to those present. So upset at the fact he hadn’t been able to receive the Blessed Sacrament, the boy began to cry and explain the reason for his tears to an inquiring Brother Olivier. Walking the young penitent to the tabernacle—modeled after the Ark of the Covenant—Brother Olivier knelt by the boy, quietly exchanged words with him, gave him Communion, patted him on the shoulder and sent him off to his waiting mother. This was one small act of mercy, in a small monastery, in a small town, with monumental importance.

In the Land of Mercy

Somewhat a microcosm of the Holy Land itself, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in addition to being one of the holiest places on earth for Orthodox and Roman Catholics, as it is the recognized location where the Passion, Crucifixion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ took place, it is a place where several different faith groups lay their claim. Six denominations, some of the most ancient known in Christianity, celebrate their rites in the gigantic church—all with deeply-held and differing traditions, all practiced under one consecrated roof.

Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Roman Catholic, and to a lesser degree the Egyptian Copts, Syriacs, and Ethiopians all have ownership of different sections of this church which stands where a Catholic church has stood since Constantine built there in the year 326. Not always an easy relationship to maintain even in today’s ecumenical climate, the graffiti carved into the stone walls of the church is a poignant reminder for all Christians that the most merciful act ever to occur took place there, for all of mankind. Thousands of small crosses, etched by pilgrims for over 1,000 years, including the well-known Jerusalem Cross of the Crusaders, cover the interior walls. They are a reminder to pilgrims today of the faithful travelers who came before, venerating this holy place, wanting to leave behind some small sign they were there.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is located in one of the more paradoxical cities in Israel—Jerusalem. This ancient city and capital of Israel is considered a holy place by the three major monotheistic religions on earth; revered in Judaism for roughly 3,000 years, Christianity for 2,000 years, and Islam for 1,400 years.

Jerusalem is often referred to as being both of Heaven and earth and to be there is to understand that description. It is of Jerusalem that God said, “My Name shall be there.” (I Kings 8:29) To walk the stone paths of this ancient city is to walk where Christ walked, fell, and bled. There is no escaping the fact that Jerusalem is where the fingertips of the ancient and modern, secular and sacred touch every day.

A place many Americans equate with religious unrest, continual turmoil, and potential danger, Jerusalem is a city whose residents live side-by-side in an understood peace and mutual respect for one another, despite what the rest of the world views as insurmountable differences.

In the modern Holy Land, and, in particular, this modern holy city, mercy is a commodity greatly cultivated and highly prized. According to Michelle (Michal) Neumann, Certified Tour Guide for the State of Israel, “Israel is actually a very safe country because mercy is deeply embedded in Israeli culture; giving to others, putting caring for others first.” When asked how it is possible to practice these acts of mercy when there are those who would inflict terror on the citizens of her homeland, Neumann, a former attorney, replied, “In Israeli law, there is no death penalty. Israeli culture is against the death penalty, even for those who are convicted of killing Israeli citizens. In Israel, there is mercy shown even to those who would show none.”

In Israel now, as well as during the time of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection, there is “mercy shown, even to those who would show none.”

It is important Catholics make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The very faith that today has over 1.2 billion followers began there. It is there where Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, suffered for all of the sins of all mankind, for all time, and where He died and rose again. Israel is a land that, without a doubt, has been touched by God, inhabited by His Son, and is watched over by His Holy Spirit. Israel is where the true joy of love and true mercy was shown and lived out, and for which no one will ever be able to sufficiently merit. For a Catholic, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a trip home, a home where mercy lives.

Elizabeth can be followed on Twitter at: @eswesthoff 

Altar in the very chamber where the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear a Son...
Altar in the very chamber where the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear a Son…
A "Jesus Boat" on the Sea of Galilee
A “Jesus Boat” on the Sea of Galilee
IMG_2323
The Western Wall
The Western Wall
Crosses etched into the walls of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Crosses etched into the walls of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Upon THIS rock
Upon THIS rock
Church of the Beatitudes
Church of the Beatitudes
The Church at Cana
The Church at Cana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DEATH AND DISAPPOINTMENT…

16 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by Elizabeth Westhoff in Catholic, Prayer, Ugh..., Uncategorized

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death, Faith

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In the wake of the attacks on Paris, the social media sphere erupted with outrage, sadness, fear, check-ins, news reports, and first-hand posts from those who had experienced the slaughter first-hand.

No more than 24 hours later, the complaining started.

First it was the Catholics complaining that the use of the French tricolor flag to show support for France was unbecoming for use by any Catholic who was worth his salt.

Then it was reported that university students were complaining that the Paris bombings were stealing attention away from their protests.

Then it was those who complained that all the coverage of the attacks was giving Islam a bad rap.

Then it was the Russians, Lebanese, and Africans who complained that the recent attacks on their soil didn’t get any attention. Where were their Facebook check-ins and profile picture overlays? The New York Times quoted, “no one cares when it happens in those places, where it’s expected.”

#don't_pray_for_ParisThen a cartoonist from the recently attacked Charlie Hebdo complained via Instagram that people were praying for Paris.

Here’s something I’d like all of us to stop and consider for a moment; 132 people were massacred on Friday night. Are the above points worthy of consideration? Absolutely. However, what is correct isn’t always appropriate.

“…he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth.” (IS 53:7)

Notre Dame de Paris, pray for the people of your city! Our Lady of Grace, you who showed yourself to Saint Catherine Laboure and brought miracles, who smiled upon Saint Therese of Lisieux and created a missionary, in your holy Motherhood, please intercede for your fearful and endangered people; bring your consolations to the people of Paris and all of France. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, hear us. 

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Saint Therese of Lisieux, Patron of France, pray for them
Saint Joan of Arc, Patron of France, pray for them.
Saint Martin of Tours, Patron of France, pray for them
Saint Remigius, Patron of France pray for them
Saint John Vianney pray for them
Saint Jeanne Jugan pray for them
Saint St Genevieve pray for them
Saint Denis pray for them
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux pray for them
Saint Germain Cousin pray for them
Saint Peter Julian Eymard pray for them
Saint Louis pray for them
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque pray for them
Saint Peter Fourier pray for them
Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat pray for them
Saints Louis and Zelie Martin pray for them
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal pray for them
Saint Catherine Laboure pray for them
Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne pray for them
Saint John Eudes pray for them
Saint Vincent de Paul pray for them
Saint Hilary of Poitiers pray for them
Saint Isaac Jogues pray for them
Saint Jane de Chantal pray for them
Saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle pray for them
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre pray for them

Coptic Martyrs, victims of ISIS, pray for them

All you holy men and women, pray for France, and pray for us.

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Litany from Elizabeth Scalia’s post at aletiea.com

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