Saturday, January 26, 2019

Novena to Our Lady of Good Success - Day Three

Act of Repentance  

I believe in Thee, O my God.
Strengthen, O Lord, my faith.
I hope in Thee, O my God.
Affirm, O Lord, my hope.
I love Thee, O my God.
Increase, O Lord, my love.
I repent of having offended Thee.
O my God, help me to have contrition,
So that I may, with the help of Thy grace
And the powerful patronage of
Holy Mary of Good Success,
Never sin again.
O Lord, have pity and mercy on me.
Amen.

Opening Prayer

O most Excellent and Immaculate Queen of Heaven,
Holy Mary of Good Success,
Most favored Daughter of the Eternal Father,
Most beloved Mother of the Divine Son,
Most cherished Spouse of the Holy Ghost,
Sublime throne of the Divine Majesty,
August Temple of the Holy Trinity,
In whom the Three Divine Persons
Have placed the treasures of
Their Power, Wisdom, and Love!

Remember, Virgin Mary of Good Success,
Whom God has made so great
So that thou canst give succor to miserable sinners;
Remember that thou has often promised to show thyself
A merciful Mother to those who have recourse to thee.
I come to thee then, Mother most merciful,
And I beg thee, for thy love of the Most High,
That thou shouldst obtain for me from God the Father
A lively Faith that never loses sight of the eternal truths;
From the Son, a firm Hope that always aspires to reach that glory
That He won for me with His Blood;
And from the Holy Ghost,
A charity so inflamed that I will always live
Loving the Supreme Goodness and thee,
Most Holy Virgin, until, through thy intervention,
I should love and enjoy thee eternally in glory.
Amen.

We salute thee Mary, as the Favored Daughter of God the Father.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary, as the Chosen Mother of the Divine Son.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary, as the Singular Spouse of the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary...
Glory be to the Father...

Consider how the travelers, impelled by grace and attracted by curiosity to examine such surprising wonders, set out for the site offering them refuge. Taking off their shoes, they climbed the hill with great difficulty, helping each other over large boulders and sharp cliffs. When they reached the cave, which they were able to see in the flashes of lightening, how great was their surprise of joy and admiration! For they saw that this cave had been delicately carved by nature as a spacious temple. It protected a beautiful Statue of the Holy Virgin holding the Christ Child in her left arm, and carrying a scepter in her right hand. A precious crown rested on her forehead. Her dress, like that of the Infant, was simple but elegant, and both were made in the same material and style.

The site was adorned with various types of flowers that carpeted the floor and climbed on the walls, filling the air with an exquisite fragrance for the Queen of Heaven. Set in the rock was a lamp so expertly craft ed that it gave off the illumination of many lights. Such beauty and delight to honor such an admirable Lady! Such surprise and admiration for the overwhelmed travelers! The ecstatic pair contemplated this little part of Heaven and calmed their overwrought hearts in the presence of their Mother, who, after the terrible storm, had come to them so unexpectedly, radiant with beauty and tender of feature, to provide them with refuge and consolation in that desperate and difficult juncture.

So also my soul is calmed before the image of Mary. When the burdens of life and its imminent dangers bring us close to despair, let us go, then, to her with tranquility and confidence, thanking God Who in His Omnipotence permitted that portentous statue to be miraculously found in that hidden place for the honor of the Immaculate Virgin and so that all might venerate Her under that precious avocation of Good Success.

Prayer

O God of Mercy, Who never abandons in desolation one who faithfully and fervently serves Thee amid the misfortunes and dangers of life, and Who leads us to find our Mother and advocate as a refuge in our adversities, grant us a tender and fervent heart to search for Mary and find her, always loving and protective, so that we might serve her and merit, through Thy intercession, to lead a good and Christian life and afterwards be with her forever in Heaven.
Amen.

Act of Thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin

O Virgin blessed among all women! We lack the words to give thee thanks for the innumerable blessings that we have received from thy hand. The day of thy birth can be called the day of thanksgiving, happiness, and consolation. Thou art the honor of mankind, the joy of Paradise, the beloved gift of God, and the well being of our country. What merit do we have, Blessed Virgin of Good Success, to deserve to have thee as our Mother? May God be forever blessed Who has desired it so! Blessed also art thou, Virgin Mary, because, despite our ingratitude, thou showest us thy propitious favor.

Thus art thou, most clement Mother, our consolation on earth, our refuge, our help and our protection in both our public and private needs. Safeguard us from war, pestilence, hunger, storms, earthquakes and all the calamities, which we merit by our guilt.. Pray for the Holy Church and for her visible head. Hear the supplications of those who invoke thee. Be thou our Advocate, our Mother, for as thus do we place our confidence in thee. To thee do we have recourse, and through thy intercession we hope to achieve from thy Son pardon for our sins and perseverance in grace until death.  
Amen.

Here, each one raising up his heart to God, should ask, through the intercession of Blessed Mary of Good Success, that grace or favor which he desires to receive.

Praises to the Holy Virgin

O Virgin Mary, our Mother preeminent above all on earth.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Above all others, thou were attentive to the Word of the Father, who does great things in thy honor.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Thou art the most worthy temple of the Most Holy Trinity.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

In thee is that same purity the Angels enjoy.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

The Christian world proclaims that thou doth reign on the right side of the King of Kings.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

O Mother of Grace! O our hope! Port for the shipwrecked and star of the sea.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Gate of Heaven, health of the sick, light in the darkness.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Through thee, we will find ourselves before God in the court of the Saints, where He lives and reigns.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Guide our steps and help us, O sweet Mary, in our last hours.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Receive this praise from our tender lips, which cannot express thy singular grandeur.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Antiphon: Holy Mary save the miserable, help the weak, intercede for the afflicted, plead for the
people, intercede for the clergy, petition for the faithful. Permit all those who celebrate thy holy memory to experience thy favor and assistance.

V. Pray for us, O Virgin of Good Success!

R. So that we may be made worthy to receive the promises of Christ.

Final Prayer

We ask thee, Our Lord and God, that Thou grant us health of soul and body through the intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary. Through her merits and those of her sovereign Child Jesus, we hope to be freed from the present evils and to attain eternal happiness.
Amen

Friday, January 25, 2019

Novena to Our Lady of Good Success - Day 2

Act of Repentance  

I believe in Thee, O my God.
Strengthen, O Lord, my faith.
I hope in Thee, O my God.
Affirm, O Lord, my hope.
I love Thee, O my God.
Increase, O Lord, my love.
I repent of having offended Thee.
O my God, help me to have contrition,
So that I may, with the help of Thy grace
And the powerful patronage of
Holy Mary of Good Success,
Never sin again.
O Lord, have pity and mercy on me.
Amen.

Opening Prayer

O most Excellent and Immaculate Queen of Heaven,
Holy Mary of Good Success,
Most favored Daughter of the Eternal Father,
Most beloved Mother of the Divine Son,
Most cherished Spouse of the Holy Ghost,
Sublime throne of the Divine Majesty,
August Temple of the Holy Trinity,
In whom the Three Divine Persons
Have placed the treasures of
Their Power, Wisdom, and Love!

Remember, Virgin Mary of Good Success,
Whom God has made so great
So that thou canst give succor to miserable sinners;
Remember that thou has often promised to show thyself
A merciful Mother to those who have recourse to thee.
I come to thee then, Mother most merciful,
And I beg thee, for thy love of the Most High,
That thou shouldst obtain for me from God the Father
A lively Faith that never loses sight of the eternal truths;
From the Son, a firm Hope that always aspires to reach that glory
That He won for me with His Blood;
And from the Holy Ghost,
A charity so inflamed that I will always live
Loving the Supreme Goodness and thee,
Most Holy Virgin, until, through thy intervention,
I should love and enjoy thee eternally in glory.
Amen.

We salute thee Mary, as the Favored Daughter of God the Father.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary, as the Chosen Mother of the Divine Son.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary, as the Singular Spouse of the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary...
Glory be to the Father...

Consider how the providence of the Most High desired to so favor mankind by manifesting the hidden treasure of the precious statue of Holy Mary under the avocation of Good Success. After the death of Brother Bernandine de Obregon, founder of the Brotherhood of the (Friar) Minors for the Service of the Sick (the Order of St. Francis of Paola), Gabriel de Fontaned was elected to replace him. Accompanied by Guillermo Rigosa, he traveled to Rome to ask the Supreme Pontiff for his official approval of the Institute and the habit with the purple cross that distinguishes the order.

As they were passing through the town of Traigueras (under the jurisdiction of Tortosa in the Principate of Cataluna), they were caught in a terrifying hailstorm with lightening and thunder so strong that their hearts were filled with terror.. They begged God to provide them with a shelter where they could take refuge so that they might prepare to die in peace, for the unrelenting rigor of the storm had persuaded them that they would not survive it. But God in His Divine Mercy so disposed that this search for shelter should be a presage of a good fortune. In a burst of lightning, they were able to discern a turnoff in the path. Following it, they could see the contours of a cave set far up in the hill above them. Even from the distance, they could see a bright light illuminating its interior and smell a sweet and heavenly aroma, more intense than anything on earth. Their souls were inundated with a great happiness as well as a sentiment of reverent admiration. At the same time, they felt an interior impulse to know the cause of such wonders.

Prayer

O God, admirable in all Thy works! May Thou always convert the most hazardous occurrences of life into proofs of Thy mercy, and in the most desperate storms may Thou show the preludes of Thy prodigies in our favor, just as Thou did with the Minorite brothers by means of that terrifying storm. Grant to us, through the intercession of the Queen of Good Success, the virtue of patience, to suffer with a resigned spirit the trials sent us by Thy Divine Will, because at any moment Thou can change them to consolations in this life and afterwards grant us Thy eternal reward in Heaven, where we will always sing Thy praise and the praise of Holy Mary.
Amen

Act of Thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin

O Virgin blessed among all women! We lack the words to give thee thanks for the innumerable blessings that we have received from thy hand. The day of thy birth can be called the day of thanksgiving, happiness, and consolation. Thou art the honor of mankind, the joy of Paradise, the beloved gift of God, and the well being of our country. What merit do we have, Blessed Virgin of Good Success, to deserve to have thee as our Mother? May God be forever blessed Who has desired it so! Blessed also art thou, Virgin Mary, because, despite our ingratitude, thou showest us thy propitious favor.

Thus art thou, most clement Mother, our consolation on earth, our refuge, our help and our protection in both our public and private needs. Safeguard us from war, pestilence, hunger, storms, earthquakes and all the calamities, which we merit by our guilt.. Pray for the Holy Church and for her visible head. Hear the supplications of those who invoke thee. Be thou our Advocate, our Mother, for as thus do we place our confidence in thee. To thee do we have recourse, and through thy intercession we hope to achieve from thy Son pardon for our sins and perseverance in grace until death.  
Amen.

Here, each one raising up his heart to God, should ask, through the intercession of Blessed Mary of Good Success, that grace or favor which he desires to receive.

Praises to the Holy Virgin

O Virgin Mary, our Mother preeminent above all on earth.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Above all others, thou were attentive to the Word of the Father, who does great things in thy honor.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Thou art the most worthy temple of the Most Holy Trinity.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

In thee is that same purity the Angels enjoy.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

The Christian world proclaims that thou doth reign on the right side of the King of Kings.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

O Mother of Grace! O our hope! Port for the shipwrecked and star of the sea.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Gate of Heaven, health of the sick, light in the darkness.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Through thee, we will find ourselves before God in the court of the Saints, where He lives and reigns.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Guide our steps and help us, O sweet Mary, in our last hours.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Receive this praise from our tender lips, which cannot express thy singular grandeur.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Antiphon: Holy Mary save the miserable, help the weak, intercede for the afflicted, plead for the
people, intercede for the clergy, petition for the faithful. Permit all those who celebrate thy holy memory to experience thy favor and assistance.

V. Pray for us, O Virgin of Good Success!

R. So that we may be made worthy to receive the promises of Christ.

Final Prayer

We ask thee, Our Lord and God, that Thou grant us health of soul and body through the intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary. Through her merits and those of her sovereign Child Jesus, we hope to be freed from the present evils and to attain eternal happiness.
Amen

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Assault on Catholic Pro-Life Young Men -

Not only the Left, but even Catholic bishops, priests, and intellectuals piled onto the Covington High boy accused of being racist and attacking a Native American man banging a drum at the March for Life. More footage reveals that the boy did nothing and some are apologizing. Dr Taylor Marshall and Timothy Gordon analyze why so many CATHOLICS wanted to condemn white, pro-life, young men. They also discuss why we need to rally to our young men.






Bishop Baron response to the Covington Catholic Incident




The Internet and Satan’s Game
Bishop Robert Baron 
`By now the entire country has seen a video of a supposedly racist confrontation, in front of the Lincoln Memorial, between a grinning young high school student and a Native American elder, chanting and beating a drum. The immediate and ferocious judgment of the internet community was that the boy was effectively taunting and belittling the elder, but subsequent videos from wider angles as well as the young man’s own testimony have cast considerable doubt on this original assessment.`
For Bishop Baron`s complete article click here







Novena to Our Lady of Good Success - Day 1

Image result for our lady of good success original statue

https://www.ourladyofgoodsuccess.com/pages/9-day-novena-to-our-lady-of-good-success

May this Novena be used as an effective instrument during this present crisis in the Catholic Church to bring about the resurgence in devotion to Our Lady of Good Success thus leading us closer to the restoration of the Catholic Church. Official starting date of the Novena is January 24th ending February 2nd, the Feast of the Purification. (Novena can be said any time of year)
Act of Repentance  

I believe in Thee, O my God.
Strengthen, O Lord, my faith.
I hope in Thee, O my God.
Affirm, O Lord, my hope.
I love Thee, O my God.
Increase, O Lord, my love.
I repent of having offended Thee.
O my God, help me to have contrition,
So that I may, with the help of Thy grace
And the powerful patronage of
Holy Mary of Good Success,
Never sin again.
O Lord, have pity and mercy on me.
Amen.

Opening Prayer

O most Excellent and Immaculate Queen of Heaven,
Holy Mary of Good Success,
Most favored Daughter of the Eternal Father,
Most beloved Mother of the Divine Son,
Most cherished Spouse of the Holy Ghost,
Sublime throne of the Divine Majesty,
August Temple of the Holy Trinity,
In whom the Three Divine Persons
Have placed the treasures of
Their Power, Wisdom, and Love!

Remember, Virgin Mary of Good Success,
Whom God has made so great
So that thou canst give succor to miserable sinners;
Remember that thou has often promised to show thyself
A merciful Mother to those who have recourse to thee.
I come to thee then, Mother most merciful,
And I beg thee, for thy love of the Most High,
That thou shouldst obtain for me from God the Father
A lively Faith that never loses sight of the eternal truths;
From the Son, a firm Hope that always aspires to reach that glory
That He won for me with His Blood;
And from the Holy Ghost,
A charity so inflamed that I will always live
Loving the Supreme Goodness and thee,
Most Holy Virgin, until, through thy intervention,
I should love and enjoy thee eternally in glory.
Amen.

We salute thee Mary, as the Favored Daughter of God the Father.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary, as the Chosen Mother of the Divine Son.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary, as the Singular Spouse of the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary...
Glory be to the Father...

Consider how great and incomparable are the wonders of God Omnipotent, manifesting the treasures of His Mercy in favor of those He redeemed. Therefore, if we admire the excesses of His Goodness in the many benefits with which he has enriched us, how much more should we marvel at and be filled with gratitude for the greatest blessing of His Right Hand, that most excellent and privileged creature, Mary most holy, whom He gave us for our consolation, especially for those who serve and love Him with all their hearts, and inspired the diverse titles and invocations that honor her. Through these devotions, we receive great favors by means of her succor and protection. This has been the experience of true devotees of the Mother of God, and especially of those who have recourse to her by means of the marvelous Statue of Good Success, which is placed in the Church of the Royal Hospital in the City of Madrid, miraculous from the beginning in the special and unexpected way that this Treasure was found in the wilderness. As God said to the Prophet Isaiah, He would seek out those who had not come seeking for Him, and would set aside those who had not believed in His goodness and largesse. Thus also did the Most High made clear His Will that His Holy Mother be honored and venerated under the avocation of Good Success.

Prayer

O Lord of infinite goodness, by the miraculous making of this image of Mary Most Holy, Thou hath given us a powerful intercessor to whom we might have recourse with total confidence in her amiable protection in our necessity. Grant us the assistance that we are asking with fervor and confidence so that we might know, honor and serve the Blessed Virgin, and so that, by her intercession, we may achieve on this earth our sanctification and afterwards, be happy with her in Heaven.
Amen.

Act of Thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin

O Virgin blessed among all women! We lack the words to give thee thanks for the innumerable blessings that we have received from thy hand. The day of thy birth can be called the day of thanksgiving, happiness, and consolation. Thou art the honor of mankind, the joy of Paradise, the beloved gift of God, and the well being of our country. What merit do we have, Blessed Virgin of Good Success, to deserve to have thee as our Mother? May God be forever blessed Who has desired it so! Blessed also art thou, Virgin Mary, because, despite our ingratitude, thou showest us thy propitious favor.

Thus art thou, most clement Mother, our consolation on earth, our refuge, our help and our protection in both our public and private needs. Safeguard us from war, pestilence, hunger, storms, earthquakes and all the calamities, which we merit by our guilt.. Pray for the Holy Church and for her visible head. Hear the supplications of those who invoke thee. Be thou our Advocate, our Mother, for as thus do we place our confidence in thee. To thee do we have recourse, and through thy intercession we hope to achieve from thy Son pardon for our sins and perseverance in grace until death.
Amen.

Here, each one raising up his heart to God, should ask, through the intercession of Blessed Mary of Good Success, that grace or favor which he desires to receive.

Praises to the Holy Virgin

O Virgin Mary, our Mother preeminent above all on earth.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Above all others, thou were attentive to the Word of the Father, who does great things in thy honor.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Thou art the most worthy temple of the Most Holy Trinity.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

In thee is that same purity the Angels enjoy.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

The Christian world proclaims that thou doth reign on the right side of the King of Kings.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

O Mother of Grace! O our hope! Port for the shipwrecked and star of the sea.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Gate of Heaven, health of the sick, light in the darkness.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Through thee, we will find ourselves before God in the court of the Saints, where He lives and reigns.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Guide our steps and help us, O sweet Mary, in our last hours.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Receive this praise from our tender lips, which cannot express thy singular grandeur.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Antiphon: Holy Mary save the miserable, help the weak, intercede for the afflicted, plead for the
people, intercede for the clergy, petition for the faithful. Permit all those who celebrate thy holy memory to experience thy favor and assistance.

V. Pray for us, O Virgin of Good Success!

R. So that we may be made worthy to receive the promises of Christ.

Final Prayer

We ask thee, Our Lord and God, that Thou grant us health of soul and body through the intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary. Through her merits and those of her sovereign Child Jesus, we hope to be freed from the present evils and to attain eternal happiness.
Amen


Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Hatred directed at pro life students on social media fueled by media bias

 There is a lynch mob mentality on social media which makes me sick and these young lads who attended the March for Life were dished out a good helping of hatred and condemnation by them for no reason whatsoever except that they are pro life. This isn't the first time,  and I know it won't be the last time that the main stream media has reported on bogus claims of violence  from peaceful pro life protestors.  The Left Leaning media and their followers on social media hate you if you are Pro Life and they will make sure you know it by lying about you. An example of that here at home is the bubble zone which we are well aware was established based on lies.
In this case the haters were thrown into a frenzy of such a degree of vileness  that these innocent students and their families have been receiving threats,  vile name calling etc...... Lives are ruined by this evil behaviour and it has to stop. 
Jonathon wrote this excellent article below
Jonathon van Maren 
Anti-Trump media touts fake news to whip up mob against pro-life kids. They should be ashamed




January 21, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – There’s a reason I wait a day or two when the media decides to bash pro-lifers: They are not good faith actors, and they desperately want to believe the sorts of stories that suit their narrative about the pro-life movement. I’ve seen abortion activists fake hate crimes on themselves to a breathless media frenzy, with the ensuing quiet correction weeks later scarcely making a ripple. I’ve seen stories about peaceful pro-lifers getting physically assaulted by abortion supporters cast by the media as a “scuffle at an anti-abortion protest.” And over and over again, I’ve seen media reports on events that I personally attended bear little resemblance to what actually took place.
And so when CNN, followed by the rest of the media lynch mob, reported that a bunch of MAGA-hat wearing kids from Covington Catholic School had swarmed an elderly Native American man at the Lincoln Memorial following the March for Life chanting slogans like “build the wall,” I was suspicious. Social media promptly exploded, with commentators of every stripe condemning the kids for being jackasses (which, if the short video clip released by the media was the entire story, would be the case). A number of pro-lifers followed suit, ostensibly in order to shield the movement from criticism and ensure that the entire March for Life was not tarred by the incident.
Things got ugly quickly. Journalists and pundits began to release photos of the high school boys next to images of white racists mobbing black civil rights activists at lunch counters in the 1960s. Some even compared the boys to the fresh-faced thugs of the Hitler Youth. One writer at Slate.com noted somberly that the facial expression of Nick Sandmann, the now unfortunately famous young man facing off with indigenous activist Nathan Phillips, was familiar because we’d seen his type before: Young, cocksure, powerful – and evil. Nobody, apparently, considered the fact that the image was simply one freeze-frame shot of an uneasy and awkward teenage boy thrust into a situation he didn’t know how to deal with. The media and the rest of the progressive pack badly wanted this story to be true: A pack of racist young white Catholic school boys sporting Trump hats following an anti-abortion march mobbing a Native American man? It was just perfect.
Too perfect, as it predictably turned out. Reason was the first publication to release a detailed rebuttal of the narrative, noting that when the nearly two hours of video footage of the incident was viewed – something the media presumably should have done before setting out to destroy the lives of some high school boys – a notably different story emerged. Soon thereafter, Nick Sandmann released a statement begging people to hear he and his classmates out. Here it is in part:
I am providing this factual account of what happened on Friday afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial to correct misinformation and outright lies being spread about my family and me.
I am the student in the video who was confronted by the Native American protestor. I arrived at the Lincoln Memorial at 4:30 p.m. I was told to be there by 5:30 p.m., when our busses were due to leave Washington for the trip back to Kentucky. We had been attending the March for Life rally, and then had split up into small groups to do sightseeing.
When we arrived, we noticed four African American protestors who were also on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I am not sure what they were protesting, and I did not interact with them. I did hear them direct derogatory insults at our school group.
The protestors said hateful things. They called us "racists," "bigots," "white crackers," "faggots," and "incest kids." They also taunted an African American student from my school by telling him that we would "harvest his organs." I have no idea what that insult means, but it was startling to hear.
Because we were being loudly attacked and taunted in public, a student in our group asked one of our teacher chaperones for permission to begin our school spirit chants to counter the hateful things that were being shouted at our group. The chants are commonly used at sporting events. They are all positive in nature and sound like what you would hear at any high school. Our chaperone gave us permission to use our school chants. We would not have done that without obtaining permission from the adults in charge of our group.
At no time did I hear any student chant anything other than the school spirit chants. I did not witness or hear any students chant "build that wall" or anything hateful or racist at any time. Assertions to the contrary are simply false. Our chants were loud because we wanted to drown out the hateful comments that were being shouted at us by the protestors.
After a few minutes of chanting, the Native American protestors, who I hadn't previously noticed, approached our group. The Native American protestors had drums and were accompanied by at least one person with a camera.
The protestor everyone has seen in the video began playing his drum as he waded into the crowd, which parted for him. I did not see anyone try to block his path. He locked eyes with me and approached me, coming within inches of my face. He played his drum the entire time he was in my face.
I never interacted with this protestor. I did not speak to him. I did not make any hand gestures or other aggressive moves. To be honest, I was startled and confused as to why he had approached me. We had already been yelled at by another group of protestors, and when the second group approached I was worried that a situation was getting out of control where adults were attempting to provoke teenagers.
I believed that by remaining motionless and calm, I was helping to diffuse the situation. I realized everyone had cameras and that perhaps a group of adults was trying to provoke a group of teenagers into a larger conflict. I said a silent prayer that the situation would not get out of hand.
During the period of the drumming, a member of the protestor's entourage began yelling at a fellow student that we "stole our land" and that we should "go back to Europe." I heard one of my fellow students begin to respond. I motioned to my classmate and tried to get him to stop engaging with the protestor, as I was still in the mindset that we needed to calm down tensions.
I never felt like I was blocking the Native American protestor. He did not make any attempt to go around me. It was clear to me that he had singled me out for a confrontation, although I am not sure why.
The engagement ended when one of our teachers told me the busses had arrived and it was time to go. I obeyed my teacher and simply walked to the busses. At that moment, I thought I had diffused the situation by remaining calm, and I was thankful nothing physical had occurred.
I never understood why either of the two groups of protestors were engaging with us, or exactly what they were protesting at the Lincoln Memorial. We were simply there to meet a bus, not become central players in a media spectacle. This is the first time in my life I've ever encountered any sort of public protest, let alone this kind of confrontation or demonstration.
I was not intentionally making faces at the protestor. I did smile at one point because I wanted him to know that I was not going to become angry, intimidated or be provoked into a larger confrontation. I am a faithful Christian and practicing Catholic, and I always try to live up to the ideals my faith teaches me – to remain respectful of others, and to take no action that would lead to conflict or violence.
I harbor no ill will for this person. I respect this person's right to protest and engage in free speech activities, and I support his chanting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial any day of the week. I believe he should re-think his tactics of invading the personal space of others, but that is his choice to make.
I am being called every name in the book, including a racist, and I will not stand for this mob-like character assassination of my family's name. My parents were not on the trip, and I strive to represent my family in a respectful way in all public settings.
I have received physical and death threats via social media, as well as hateful insults. One person threatened to harm me at school, and one person claims to live in my neighborhood. My parents are receiving death and professional threats because of the social media mob that has formed over this issue.
Many of the commentators who joined the initial pile-on have begun to retract their statements in view of the evidence. Jake Tapper of CNN tweeted out the rebuttal column by Reason, Scott Adams of Dilbert issued an unqualified apology to the boys and those who were misled by his initial condemnations, and conservatives and pro-lifers who had initially rushed to join those expressing outrage indicated their regret for doing so. A few media outlets such as NBC even released follow-up articles noting their initial mistake. Progressive indignation, however, continues to rage across social media. A few media figures, like Reza Aslan (who last made news for eating a piece of human brain in India), have been doubling down, insisting that it is crazy to believe that nuance might be necessary in a story where MAGA hats are present.
The boys and their families are already facing threats, vile name-calling, and doxing, which is apparently how some vile people show their disapproval of actions they consider unloving. Andrew Hodge, the brother of one of the boys, noted on Twitter that his family and relatives are facing nonstop threats of physical violence, and that nobody contacted his brother for the other side of the story before running with it—and some people are even attempting to contact the college Michael plans to attend in order to destroy his career plans of being a chef. There are many, many people out there right now who are trying to completely ruin the lives of a few high school students, and it is disgusting to watch.
It would be disgusting even if the original story had been true. Utterly wrecking the lives of high school kids because of a moment of indiscretion (and the MAGA hats on a school field trip were a questionable decision) is malicious, counter-productive, and shameful. Those joining social media mobs to supposedly combat evils such as racism are in fact acting in the service of hatred, which is revealed clearly by the fact that they seek only to destroy. The media, of course, gets their clicks and the viral videos and their virtue-signalling and then moves on. Even if the story turns out not to be true, it will have been very profitable for them nonetheless.
I hope we can all learn a lesson from this incident. The media, as usual, is willing to jump at the chance to smear those they have contempt for: Pro-lifers, conservatives, and Trump supporters. We should consider their biases and their track record before we instinctively believe their stories about people they despise, and before we join the social media pile-on. And the media, I hope, can take a long, hard look in the mirror and realize that real people paid real consequences for their irresponsible reporting this weekend. Kids got death threats. Families had their addresses posted online. High school students saw strangers try to destroy their future plans. And it isn’t over yet. That is what happens when the media gets a story wrong. There should be consequences. I doubt there will be.

Thursday, January 3, 2019

Christmas Homily - 2018

Really, really, good homily from Fr. Rob Arsenault CC