VIEWS

Anti-Catholicism has been called “the last acceptable prejudice.” Tragically, it was on display at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett, nominated to be a federal appellate judge.

The famous Russian author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn spent nearly 50 years studying the history of the bloody revolution that took the lives of some 60 million of his countrymen. In the process, he read hundreds of books, collected personal testimonies and wrote volumes on the Communist Revolution in Russia. He concluded, “men have forgotten God.”

El famoso autor ruso Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn pasó casi 50 años estudiando la historia de la revolución sangrienta que costó la vida de unos 60 millones de sus compatriotas. Concluyó: “los hombres se han olvidado de Dios”.

Watching the videos of the hordes of people protesting in Venezuela, braving water cannons and rubber bullets, risking death or imprisonment for speaking out against a repressive government, the rallying cry comes back to me again and again: Freedom isn’t free.

Have you ever wondered what you could do to show your appreciation to our priests, deacons and religious sisters and brothers who have dedicated their lives to serving the Catholic Church? Then you should consider checking in with one of our three local Serra Clubs.

When Our Lady of Fatima appeared to Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta for the third time, July 13, 1917, she did two things of great importance: first, she showed them a terrifying vision of hell to reveal the horrific suffering that sin causes; and second, she gave them what has come to be known as the Fatima Prayer, which she told them to say at the end of each decade of the Rosary.

Cuando Nuestra Señora de Fátima se apareció a Lucía, Francisco y Jacinta por tercera vez, en el 13 de julio de 1917, hizo dos cosas de gran importancia: en primer lugar, ella les mostró una visión aterradora del infierno para revelar el sufrimiento terrible que el pecado causa; y en segundo lugar, les dio lo que ha llegado a ser conocido como la Oración de Fátima, que les dijo para decir al final de cada década del Rosario.

Standing there before the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, we waited to pass through a small, very low entryway known as “the Humble Door.”

I hope you all had an amazing, safe and fun Independence Day. How many of you did something on that day to help someone who needed it?

In early July, I represented the Diocese of Phoenix and Catholic Charities Community Services at the “Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America” in Orlando, Florida. A gathering of leaders like this is rare: the last time such a convocation occurred was 100 years ago during World War I!