A Fighting Faith: Bishop Jenky Calls Us to Turn to the Mother of God

By Deacon Keith Fournier
8/22/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Once again, Bishop Jenky is reminding the flock that the struggle in which we are engaged is, at root, a spiritual battle - and requires spiritual weapons

"It has never been easy to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. In fact, our Savior warns that the world will hate us if we love Him. The attacks of this world, the flesh and devil seem particularly ferocious in this current moment. Several months ago, I asked that we not lose sight of the spiritual nature of this battle when I directed that the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel should be invoked at every Sunday Mass for the protection of the Catholic Church in America. I now ask us to re-double our spiritual efforts through devotion to the Blessed Virgin." (Bishop Jenky)

A vision of Don Bosco wherein he saw the Pope steering the ship of the Church through troubled waters, guided by the power of the Holy Eucharist and the prayers of the Blessed Virgin.

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PEORIA, IL (Catholic Online) - On January 19, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Bishops of Region IV in the United States gathered for their ad limina visit. He warned them of a "radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres".

He told them that the "seriousness of these threats needs to be clearly appreciated at every level of ecclesial life. Of particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion."

This admonition came the day before Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, issued a mandate requiring all employers, including Catholic and other religious employers, to cover sterilization, abortion inducing drugs, and contraception in their health care plans.

We need to be honest about what is happening in this hour of history. The failure to defend the fundamental human right to life, the effort to undermine marriage and the family and society founded upon it - and the erosion of the fundamental Right to the Free Exercise of religion - all point to a moral malady rotting the foundations of freedom upon which Western civilization rests.

They also reveal the reality of evil at work. As the Apostle Paul reminded the early Christians in Ephesus, "we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." The struggle has not changed.

One of the silver linings in the ominous cloud we face in an increasingly hostile culture is the way that it has elicited such courageous leadership from so many of our Catholic Bishops. Among them, Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, Illinois. He gave a homily on April 14, 2012, at a Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral during the annual "Call to Catholic Men of Faith" event which showed heroism.

Over 500 men gathered on a rainy day and marched through downtown Peoria bearing witness to the ancient but ever new Catholic faith. In his homily the Bishop reflected on the readings of the day for the Liturgy. The first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 4: 13-21), recounted the hostility faced by Peter, the first Pope, and the beloved disciple, John, as they exercised their apostolic ministry in another culture which had grown hostile to the Church and her message of genuine liberation.

Peter and John left an example which has been followed for over two millennia whenever the Church faces open hostility from the State. It is in this account that we find these often quoted words: "So they called them back and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Peter and John, however, said to them in reply, "Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard."

The Gospel of the day was a post resurrection account from St Mark's gospel (Mk 16: 9-15). Jesus tells the believers to "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature." The Apostles did just what the Lord said and they turned the world of their age upside down (Acts 17:6). So too have their successors, like Bishop Jenky of Peoria. He told those men - and reminded all Catholics "We can no longer be Catholics by accident, but instead be Catholics by conviction."

The homily was quoted in piecemeal fashion and became fodder for those who do not want Catholic Bishops to exhibit a backbone. Threats were made against the very non-profit status the Diocese because the bishop spoke the truth. We offered the entire homily in an article entitled "The Courage of Bishop Daniel Jenky: Catholics by Conviction!" The homily is still well worth reading in its entirety!

The Bishop reminded the men " it has never been easy to be a Christian and it's not supposed to be easy! The world, the flesh, and the devil will always love their own, and will always hate us. As Jesus once predicted, they hated me, they will certainly hate you."

"But our Faith, when it is fully lived, is a fighting faith and a fearless faith. Grounded in the power of the resurrection, there is nothing in this world, and nothing in hell, that can ultimately defeat God's one, true, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church."

Once again, Bishop Jenky is reminding the flock that our struggle is, at root, a spiritual battle - and requires spiritual weapons. He recently wrote a letter to all of the faithful concerning "the attacks of the world, the flesh, and the devil (which) seem particularly ferocious in this current moment"

The letter was sent to every ...

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1 - 8 of 8 Comments

Tom McGuire
8 months ago
In praising God, Mary in her prayer, uses strong language: "He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty." Luke 1:52-53. Let us not think these words only apply to people of one political party or those in the Church who do not agree with everything the Church teaches. Let us first and ask are we the ones on the thrones? Are we the ones to be sent away empty?

I pray we can imitate Mary, Mother of God, in her humility. Humility is to be true; she was true to the way of her Son, Jesus Christ. His power came from dying on the cross not attacks on the secular world in which he lived.
Madonna
8 months ago
Thank you Bishop Jenky. If all the bishops could follow what he has asked his diocese to do, we would have a completely different Church and country. America needs Our Lady. We need to trun from our wicked ways and God will heal our land. Read IChronciles 7:14. If we continue on the path that we are on, this country is going to go through things that we never have gone through before. So folks get down on your knees and pray the prayer to St Michael. Also consecrate yourself to Mary by doing the 33 Days to Morning Glory. God bless.
DLL
8 months ago
The Immaculate Conception,the new Eve,is purity of heart and mind,the Mother Of God,the Holy Vessel,the choice of the Holy Spirit,to give a virign birth to the Incarnate One who would be known as the Son of God,Jesus Christ our Saviour,our Lord and Our God. Most venerable Mary most Holy Saint,Praise be to God for the Mother of our Faith,as well as the Mother of our Most Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
JoAnn
8 months ago
Bill Sr. Thank you. That is beautiful!! God bless.
Bill Sr.
8 months ago

Our Mother Mary and the Good Wine of Salvation
Then as now our Mothers charge, “Do whatever He tells you!”
Consider the scene in Cana at the wedding feast.
Mary’s compassion for the host and their guests at such an occasion of joyous celebration got the best of her. She quite obviously knew her son’s capabilities at this time and also the love they jointly shared for god’s people. Without hesitation and realizing how her son had for years wished to begin his Fathers work among his people, Mary chose this opportunity for him, the Son of the most high, to demonstrate his great compassion and salvage the happy celebration. “Son, they have no wine” she proclaimed. Ready to identify himself in public but more likely desiring to satisfy his mother’s wishes, he lovingly surrendered and asked “What would YOU have me do?” She, knowing her place in god’s redemptive plan as well as her motherly pride in and powers of Jesus, turned to the servants (as she does to us today) with bold faith and told them to “Do whatever HE tells you.” leaving the resolution to the will of Jesus. This was a foreshadowing of the situation today.

Mary is our spiritual mother; she is the mother of all Christians and the mother of the Church. Our Immaculate Lady was there by the manger at the beginning of Christ’s life when the “Emanuel” was born, there nurturing and conversing with him all during his youth and adult life as he “grew in wisdom and strength”, there in Cana at the initiation and beginning of his ministry, there at Calvary suffering with him, and there at Pentecost, the beginning of the Church when the Holy Spirit came upon them as Jesus had promised.
She was the one central figure present in all that was God’s plan for our Incarnate Lord and savior. She is and will be just as present in God’s plan when Christ returns. Prepare yourself to accept her presence and messages among us and throughout the world, quite possibly in our lifetime. For as the Father’s spoken promise to the world in the garden it is her joy, divinely ordained privilege, and foretold destiny to triumph over evil in the hearts of men and draw souls to her son our Savior Jesus the Christ during the great Harvest of Souls.

The wedding of Christ and his church is coming. The mother of the bridegroom desires the guests to be prepared for the joyous occasion and worthy of his invitation. She is attentive of every detail so that he will be received with honor and proper respect by those so eager for his arrival. We, the guests, would do well to pay heed to her message to be worthy, joyous, and above all humble ourselves in honor of the great occasion. For it is only these who will be recognized as having prepared themselves with the proper “wedding garment” of humility, adoration, and thanksgiving to share the “good wine” and to be part of the everlasting “life of redemption”, the Eternal feast of Cana.
anne
8 months ago
I wish the priests would do this in England. Out Lady promised at Fatima 1917, in the end" My Immaculate Heart would Triumph". Pope Pius 1V also said give me an army people saying the Rosary and I will conquer the World. Lucia, one of the visionaries of Fatima said there is no problem the Rosary cannot solve.
God bless Bishop Jenky,
We have consecrated ourselves,family and everything we own to her,
Jacinta.
abey
8 months ago
Further to the Hostility against the Christian Faith especially against the Catholic, by the likes of Obama & gangs, it is important to refer to "The Washington Memorial" proposed to be "Delivered" by the Freemasonry Fraternity to the Queen of England on her Century. In this Masonry structure housed in the "Lower floor" is placed a model of the Arc of the Covenant & on the 9th, the top most floor is placed a model of a throne having the sign of the goat upon its back rest, which outlines into the shape of a star Symbolically resonating the Biblical words of the manner "For satan will try to place his throne "Over & Above" everything called God," When in the truth it is the Arc of the Covenant which incidentally is the Fulness of Christ Jesus, the name given unto man to be Above All, to & by the Mercy of God. As for the goat & its symbol, The Testimony of Jesus(the Spirit of Prophecy) through St. Stephen leading to his Martyrdom just before he saw Jesus stand at the right hand of The Father in Acts 7 says " Ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch(famous for human sacrifices, especially children & in today's context read it as "Abortion" apart from secretive initiations & murders) & The Star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them-". Again resonating in "The Principalities & Powers to--- the wickedness in heavenly places" as stated by St. Stephen in acts Ch 7 "Then God turned & gave them up to worship the host of heaven---" It is to the Prudence of the Catholic Church that it may have nothing to do with this freemasonic presentation, unto freemasonry itself, but by the Truth of Christ in the Faith -the Subduer & the Conqueror
jh
8 months ago
Important article, Deacon, and excellent letter by Bishop Jenky. May God bless you both. We need strong men and women who remind us through word and example of what to do to defend our faith.

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