THE END OF AN ERA - THE HERMIT LEAVES THE HERMITAGE

 

Ending the hermit phase to support my disabilities;

For more than 20 years, I have lived as a religious hermit. I originally intended to devote myself to a daily cycle of prayers and some practices which you can read about in my previous blog posts. I thought perhaps a few people might follow my example but, at the very least, I would come into contact with other monastic types living similar spiritual lives. I assumed I would eventually have the spiritual support of my church. None of it worked out the way I thought it might, but it has been an eye opening experience!

The overriding problem is that my disabilities have increased and worsened. I am in an electric wheelchair half the time, and I am blind in one eye. Global physical pain is my constant companion, and it is increasingly difficult to be on my feet at all.

The time it takes to do anything has multiplied in a ridiculous fashion, and I am not able to pay for anyone to relieve me of these duties.

I HAD planned on getting through my final sufferings with a large inheritance I had been promised by my father, and I was in his will for many decades, but then he got dementia and someone else wrote me out of his will. I kept writing and calling him, but he did not answer and I did not realize what was happening. I was too poor to go to California to check in on him. He died under very suspicious circumstances and I did not even know he had died until his body had been cremated. 

The doctor who supposedly signed his death certificate was sent to prison for 7 years for being a Hollywood pill doctor who wrote prescriptions to patients he had never seen. Other people have been living on my inheritance. It was bad news for me, but even worse news for the people that did this because there is a good chance they will go to hell when they die. I am suffering temporarily because of what they did. They will suffer for all eternity because of what they did.

But it does prove difficult for my monastic plans. When you don't have much money, one has to spend a lot of time getting one's needs met, and when your needs are exacerbated by the physical disabilities, it is nearly impossible to find room for the monastic lifestyle I had envisioned.

I spend a shocking amount of time on the telephone, just trying to get my insurance to work as it is supposed to. The public has this idea that old folks on Medicaid have all these benefits, but it is a charade. Everything is arranged so that you don't actually get all those benefits because the insurance companies make it too damn hard to access them. 

For instance, eyeglasses are supposedly paid for by my Medicaid insurance. They SAY that they pay $400 toward them - but just try and make that work!

New Mexico Medicaid does not allow me to shop for my glasses online, once I have a prescription, except for one or two providers whose choices of frames is SO limited (and so ugly, frankly) that I cannot find anything that will actually fit my face. In my case, I have an extremely narrow bridge between my eyes but a REALLY WIDE face at the point where my eyes sit. I need to know the actual measurements of each part of the eyeglass frame because of my crooked and uneven face, but even when the approved vendor does sell online, they do not include this information! Also, I need the metal nose-pads on the bridge because of my weirdly skinny nose and narrow bridge. So far, I have not been able to find even one style that includes them in the approved vendors!

MOST of the approved merchants require that I actually go to their office, which is a huge issue for me because I am in an electric wheelchair and Medicaid Medical Transportation, though it is SUPPOSED to be providing that transportation, is currently telling me on the day of the ride that they do not have a ride for me after all! And this is after spending HOURS on the phone setting up appointments to begin with.

Zenni Optical, an online company I have used for many years, is not approved by Medicaid, even though they are less expensive than their allowed vendors, and they have a much bigger variety of frames than Medicaid's vendors. In addition to these attractive factors, they also give exact measurements for each portion of the frame, such as the bridge, the arms, the height of the lenses and the width of the frames. Once I find a frame that has the right measurements, the website has a function where I can try them on virtually.

I have given up trying to get eyeglasses through the approved vendors and have used Zenni instead. I spent a large portion of my food budget on a pair of computer glasses and a pair of progressives that automatically turn dark when I go outside, which is a crucial feature because of my eye disease. I shopped carefully and spent only $202. I will receive them through the mail very soon, but Medicaid will not reimburse me for this expense. I had to take it out of my food budget this month. My food budget for the month is typically about $400 OR LESS, so I have spent at least half of my food budget on eyeglasses

So, you see, while Medicaid CLAIMS they will pay $400 toward eyeglasses, they end up paying nothing for people in my situation. Anyone who has mobility issues due to disability is not easily able to take advantage of the supposed benefit.

I am also having trouble even getting to my doctor appointments. Sometimes they just don't show up the morning of the appointment. Other times, they have me waiting an extra hour before and an extra hour after the appointment, eating up half the day for an appointment that is less than 3 miles from my apartment.

Sometimes I am stranded, with no one to ask for help except for one saintly friend whose close family member is deathly ill and who I really do not want to bother with my problems unless I absolutely must. When I DO get a ride from the insurance company, the driver is almost always someone who refuses to wear a mask (though required) because they have conspiracy theories and, if I make them do it, they get angry, and they treat me with a cold fury that is, at times, frightening. (These conspiracy theorists are far more numerous than I ever could have imagined, and they're so involved with their theories that they are unable to recognize how wacky they appear to the rest of the world.)

It has become obvious that I really need to have my own transportation but if I were to purchase what I really need, which is a van onto which I can drive my wheelchair, it would cost tens of thousands of dollars, just for the van itself, what to speak of the car insurance and other expenses involved!

So, you see, whatever time I DO have at my disposal really needs to be spent on those things I am able to produce for sale, and that is my writing and my art. I have been lamely writing a novel, during available hours (which have not been many.) I also paint and I make rosaries and wire-wrapped religious jewelry. This kind of work is done during the time I have available, on my own schedule, and I need to free up that time in order to put a better effort forward to finish the projects I have going.

One of the requirements of any kind of monastic life is that one has to have the time available in which to do the contemplative prayers, etc. I am no longer fit for it.

The typical cycle of monastic prayers takes many hours a day, and I have been gamely adhering to this cycle as best I can for more than 20 years, but it has become a real challenge for me to continue. A collection of circumstances, such as what I have described, above, has conspired to make it completely impractical for me to continue.

In my youth, I had been a nun in a Hindu convent that based its schedule on the customary schedule in a Catholic contemplative convent. So, when I became a hermit, more than 20 years ago, I had a pretty good idea of how to live this life and what was expected. I did fairly well in the first ten years, but then physical disabilities began to exert a pressure to the point where I am now too busy taking care of the mundane necessities of life to have enough time left for the contemplative prayers and meditation. So, instead of sitting in front of my shrine and closing my eyes, I am bringing God into my life, into my problems, and maintaining consciousness of Him at all times. It does not look like the contemplative monastic life to which I had committed myself, but I have the company of The Lord during all my hours, so I do have some personal satisfaction.

Disability can be a strenuous, noisy business;

Because I am unable to physically care for the hermitage, I am forced to host outsiders in my home so that they can help with the housekeeping. It is a noisy business, all around, and I am sometimes unable to get these people to stop yelling from room-to-room like fishwives in the marketplace. This is a real impediment to the maintenance of a monastic schedule.

The "caregivers" have no respect for the atmosphere of the hermitage because none of these people are particularly religious. Here in New Mexico, most of the folks that have been sent to me by the agency have been non-practicing Catholics who were not active long enough to learn anything about the silence of the monastic enclosure. When they are here, the cacophony is upsetting, but when I dispense with their services, the dust bunnies start to pile up around my ears. Having to choose between these two circumstances is frustrating.

For a long time, I imagined that I might find another Catholic who would comprehend my need for peace and quiet and who could follow directions for housekeeping, but that never transpired.

Friends abandon people who become disabled;

This brings up another depressing reality about my situation that I understand is quite familiar to those who are without close family and suddenly find ourselves disabled to the point of needing help to get around. No matter how kind we have been to others, no matter how many favors given or inconveniences endured for them, once we become disabled and start needing a bit of help to get through life, our entire body of friends and social contacts empties out like water from a sieve.

In addition, there is the problem of Trump and how some of the Catholic parishes have adopted this 34 times felon, rapist, slanderer, liar and manipulator as their new hero. Finding out that I do not support him has been enough to cause my Catholic friends and associates to drop me instantaneously. 

Occasionally, someone will show up and make noises about wanting to be friends of the monastery. They'll seek entrance to the premises and often come bringing gifts, initially, but it usually turns out that these people who show up, seemingly out of nowhere, are always just after my physical possessions. Each one has stolen from me, and I have learned my lesson after the last one who recently asked to borrow a chair so she could sleep on it the night before she was to take a plane to the East Coast, where she was moving. It was all a lie. She wanted to keep the chair, and that is what she did. She hopes I am "not too disappointed" in her for stealing it instead of returning it to me in the morning. HA!

Given this harsh reality about the superficiality of friends, and the fact that I have no family, is yet another reason why I need to change course during the last decades of my life.

I had fooled myself into imagining that the interest of these new friends was spiritual, but I was misinterpreting. Being a single disabled woman makes me a target. I have learned my lesson.

A lamb in a field of wolves;

None of this is what I expected when I embarked on the solitary religious path. I did not realize that my disabilities would become such a defining issue. Nor did I realize what a target I would become. I feel as if a lamb in a field of wolves.

Some people may say that poor people do not have the luxury of attending too much to an honest life. On the other side of things, one could also say that well-to-do people find it relatively easier not to lie, cheat and steal because they have money and are not faced with the choices being forced on the poor. I am surprised, however, that the last person who chose to steal from me is far better off than I am, so I cannot imagine an excuse for her display of bad character.

So, while I had hoped that my efforts at the hermitage would be helpful to others, I find that the people I encounter in real life have only been provided the opportunity to hurt their own spiritual life by stealing from me. I am not helping anyone.

The Catholic Church has mostly abandoned me;

Another reason for my decision to put the hermit life behind me is that I had pictured a loving interaction between me and the Catholic Church that never materialized, partially because the people of The Church are suffering themselves through a fractious time in which political realities are causing an unusual amount of friction between Americans.

If I delve too deeply into how the Catholic Church in the U.S. became allied with an American political party, this blog post would have to evolve into a book in order to properly explain it, so I am limiting my comments to general explanations that do not target identifiable persons, but instead I will mention prevailing circumstances during this era.

Hermit life has traditionally been temporary;

It should be noted that it was common for Catholic hermits of the distant past to live this singular religious life for a temporary period of time, and then they have customarily moved on to different life paths, though equally committed to their spiritual life as before. 

Often, the hermits of old have attracted a group of followers who ALSO wished to devote themselves completely and wholeheartedly to the  spiritual life. Many times, formal groups formed themselves around the hermit. This was not my expectation, but I did think that I would have the occasional interaction with other solitary monastic associates from various contemplative organizations, but that did not materialize.

Most of the barriers are not within my control;

Some of the parishes I have approached with the hope of finding a spiritual home have simply been unfriendly. Lies have been told. Spiritual support has been withheld, and, in the first few years of my hermitage, at least two priests have been terribly unkind and involved in lying about, slandering, and publicly shaming me with ribald jokes about my body parts and other highly inappropriate behaviors, the motives behind which absolutely mystify me, but it seemed very evil.  I was alone, trying to establish myself in a parish that was ethnically specific, and full of large families, and the priest was targeting me for humiliation.

Hostile Church environments prevail;

In some parishes, wealthy people predominate. In others, if you are unmarried, you are not welcome as a single female. Years ago, a woman who was bringing me the Eucharist accused me of pursuing a family member. It was entirely out of her own sick imagination, but this is a perfect example of how single women are treated in the parishes. We really are not welcome. In one parish, I was told I did not belong because I am not Hispanic. In another, I was told that I was not welcome because I am not Native American. These parishes have an atmosphere similar to an exclusive club and it feels impossible to find one's niche. 

The sex abuse crisis affected how the Catholic Church operates;

I have approached two parishes with the idea of a new parish ministry geared toward welcoming  new parish members, and I also presented the idea of advertising for caregivers on the parish bulletin so that Catholics might be encouraged to take up this type of career so that there would be some mutual understanding about the Catholic life of prayer, but it was pointed out to me by one priest that, after the terrible sex abuse crisis of the church, particularly here in New Mexico, there is "no way" that any Catholic Church in New Mexico would involve itself in the "private lives" of their members. From this, I get the impression that the Catholic Church has been artificially truncated in a manner in which the people who need them the most are the ones who are least served.

If I was able-bodied, with my own transportation, and a certain income level, I might find a welcome at one of the parishes, but even under those circumstances, being a single woman of a certain age makes it more likely that I would be shunned.

Even the Archbishop has given me the cold shoulder;

I spent some time over the last five years trying to get a response from our Archbishop, and I was promised a return phone call several times, but this never happened. The Archbishop, whose job it is to decide upon whether he will have a "Diocesan Hermit," and which would have allowed me to have the eucharist on my shrine, in my home, simply ghosted me. Of course, one could say that no response is a type of answer to the question, and I agree, however I think it is a rude answer. Anyway, after a few telephone calls and some emails, I gave up.

I even wrote the new Pope but he did not answer either!

So, after approaching a number of parishes and even the Archbishop, as well as the Pope, I have decided that I really must give up. There is no place for me. After 20 years of struggling alone, with my health increasingly worsening and becoming more painful, I just can't do this any more. The Catholic Church has rejected me.

And, if The Lord wanted me to continue to pursue this type of monasticism, He would have provided more spiritual and physical support. I will just take care of my physical problems as best I can, say my prayers and meditate when I am able, and put my monastic life behind me. I will work on my art and my writing, as and when I am able, and hope to sell some of these things so that I can purchase a car that can transport me to my doctor appointments. I would, at least, like to take care of myself.

As far as the Church is concerned, I haven't written it off entirely. I have worked myself back to the parish where I was originally accepted into the Catholic faith a number of years ago. The priest is a very nice man. I am too disabled to attend, and I have no transportation anyway, so one of the staff brings the Eucharist every week or two. That is the complete and total extent of my involvement with the Catholic Church, after all these years. I have given up trying to become part of any parish.

While I was prepared to live as a hermit and devote myself to the Catholic monastic life and cycles of prayers, I am not equipped to live without any spiritual support because the picture I have been given is that you have to be healthy enough to get to church on your own steam and The Church is too afraid to involve itself in the personal lives of its members. It is like a club. You have to go to the club house to be considered part of the thing.  

All of these circumstances have conspired to convince me that it is no longer possible for me to meet my prayer routines. Nothing has turned out the way I thought it might, and I have very little support for my spiritual life at all - except from our Lord and Lady, the saints and angels. From now on, I will be praying quietly, internally. I have abandoned my carefully laid out plans, but I still have faith that I am accompanied on my journey by the Lord and all the denizens of Heaven.

I will use my time for art and writing projects;

Instead of a monastic prayer schedule, I am going to devote my time to my art and writing from which I have made money in the past. There is no guarantee, of course, but I have to do something toward improving my financial situation so that I can purchase a car and car insurance so that, at least, I can get to doctor appointments which, at this point in time, I am unable to do half the time. My disabilities are serious enough to where it is crucial that I not miss these appointments. At present, although I am mostly blind in one eye, I do have 20/20 vision otherwise and I am allowed to drive - which I am determined to do while I am still able. The world has shown me that there is almost no one upon whom I can depend and I need to improve my ability to depend upon myself as much as possible.

I intend to continue my writing and my art during those fleeting moments when I have the ability and the time. I am in my early 70s and I have no idea how much longer I will live. I will take one day at a time from now on and hope to complete my art and writing projects before I die.

One final, important note;

I hold no grudges against anyone who has made life difficult for me or disappointed me over the last 22 years because I do not take anything personally. Everything one does is done to and for The Lord alone, even if you do not recognize it. If you hurt me, you are actually hurting The Lord, and vice versa.

All of your struggles represent the fight between good and evil. It is not a fight with me.

God brings all things to the good;

I know for a fact that God brings all things to the good for those that believe in Him. Somehow, He will cause good to come out of all things, and I trust Him that this is what is happening for me as well!

So, please do not make the mistake of thinking that I hold some kind of grudge or bitterness toward any of the people I have described in this final blog post. Their struggle with evil has nothing to do with me. If they are unkind to me, if they lie to me, cheat me and steal from me, it has nothing to do with me. It is their own struggle with their baser natures. I forgive them and pray for them and hope that The Lord helps them find the goodness within themselves so they can abandon the evil with which they have treated me and others - because otherwise it will make them suffer, and I would not want that for anyone. I hope they all come to blessedness, faith and hope.

I may or may not return to this blog to add entries now and then. I may start another blog for the display of my paintings, but I have not yet decided. I only say "good bye for now!"

God bless us all.

Silver Rose Parnell

DON'T BLAME ME FOR NOT GIVING YOU THOSE GOOD VIBRATIONS

Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump

Best Friends

Some may have noticed a shift in my writing to political topics, but I feel I have to do this at this time because it is clear to me that Donald Trump and his enablers are the most dangerous threat to our American way of life that we have ever seen, and, If they are not made to adhere to our laws and norms, the entire future of all our descendants is at stake, as well as the trajectory of success - or failure - of that remarkable ark of freedom, the United States of America. Trump is rapidly turning our country into a completely authoritarian state, but this is the opposite of the intentions of the founding fathers. Eventually, as with all dictators, our freedom of religion will be at stake, and this is where my concerns really intersect with the topic of politics. I can see that time approaching very quickly.

It is ironic that we are going through this because our entire system of government was created largely in reaction to the ultimate of authoritarian governments: the oppressive monarchy of England, against which we raged in the Revolutionary War. After wresting our freedom from "The Crown," we created a government that was specifically balanced between three branches, all of them being co-equal with one another. But this was necessary in order to avoid ending up with an authoritarian model of some sort. Authoritarianism is SPECIFICALLY what we were trying to avoid.

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The balance of these three co-equal branches of government was drilled into us with a certain force in high school, as was the overarching idea that a lot of the organization of our system of checks and balances was a direct reaction and objection to the extant system in England and most of the rest of Europe, with the legally enforced supremacy of the elite families of the "nobility" that inherited all the rights, titles, land, money and recreation, but none of the labor.

The American ideal is an elegantly balanced scheme of cooperation between three branches of government, with each one having its own sphere of influence, the three of them maintaining, all the while, a stately, respectable tension with one another in a system that is, itself, majestic, rather than relying upon the whims of a single person who has been gifted with majesty as an accident of their birth.

Instead of a king, the founding fathers created the position of a president which is very restricted in what it is allowed to do. Our president is NOTHING LIKE a king. In fact, in many instances, the role of a president is very nearly ceremonial in function. Our president is not at the top of a power pyramid. NO. He is at the head of one of the three branches of government. He is NOT the head of all three branches, and this is something that Trump fails to understand. Trump is PART OF the Executive Branch.

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In America, authority is divided. CONGRESS has "the power of the purse," while the JUDICIAL branch makes the laws. The president is part of the EXECUTIVE branch, which was never intended to have more power than the other two branches. They are co-equal. The president does not have the power to dictate to the other branches, but apparently, this is what Trump expects, because it is how he is behaving. He is ruling rather than governing. He demeans the rule of law by misappropriating majesty to himself, while his boot-licking lackies throw hyperbolic compliments over him, like buckets of confetti showering a clown's head in a circus parade. 

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I watched one of his big announcements today, and it was a real snooze fest, especially since his flunkies spent half the time flattering him. It was sickening. The "big announcement" was that some part of the space program is going to be located at Huntsville, Alabama, and that Trump is changing the city's name to match that new role. Lord, save us all. The man is so besotted with every picayune opinion of his that he can't resist the allurement of giving in to every temptation to inflict his opinion on the world. He wants the Gulf of Mexico to be called the Gulf of America and Huntsville, Alabama to be called something very George Jetson-ish. In the meantime, all of the experts, and the entire Colorado Congressional Delegation is against this move. They have some legitimate and compelling reasons why they do not want this move, but Trump is ignoring what they need and giving in to his desire to make a big splashy announcement. (Anything to avoid having to discuss the Epstein files, it seems to me.)

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Of course, we have seen Trump break promise after promise and we know that he only says certain things to coerce people into voting for him, and then he reneges. It is typical of him to lie in order to con people. Think about all those poor Polish construction workers that he stiffed in at least one of his large building projects!

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Trump either does not know ANYTHING about government, or perhaps he is just disregarding it because he wants to do certain things and he does not care that they are either illegal in themselves, or effected in an illegal manner. He IS behaving as a dictator and has even recently mentioned that being a dictator is something that sounds good to him. A number of times he has said that we will not have to vote again, once he came into office, clearly meaning that he does not intend to leave office. I predict he will do everything he can to create an emergency and then concoct a reason why that emergency demands that he remain in office - forever, essentially.

So far, during the last 8 months, Trump is announcing every action by "executive order" and most of what he orders is illegal, either in its content or by doing it in this method. Trump's tariffs, for example, are mostly illegal and I was gratified to learn today that almost all of them have been disallowed by the courts. Thank God the courts are mostly holding strong and sticking to the law! (Unfortunately, the ill-equipped and unqualified members that he and Mitch McConnell shoved onto the Supreme Court have inserted some uncertainty into the equation and we can only pray that they grow a spine and some morals because their tenure will be long, as they are young, and they will outlive Trump for a long time and they will not be able to live down their reputation if they cater to him too much.) He is fighting it, of course, because he tends to fight everything to the death. But has any other president done EVERYTHING through executive orders? NO.

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The Republican Party, to its everlasting shame, has become "The Trump Party" and is allowing Trump to make a mockery of their profession. For instance, the Congress has the power of the purse and he regularly usurps that. Those cowards don't say a word however. They're all just letting him do it. It is reprehensible. They have sacrificed everything that is worthy or fine about their calling, and there are many of us who have vowed never to vote Republican ever again because of it. My votes have vacillated back and forth between the parties over the years, but now that I know the GOP can be bought so cheaply, I can never trust them again. They will never again have my vote.

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The surprising thing about Trump is that he does much of his illegal nonsense in full view of the general population. I suppose this is how he gets the uninformed to believe that all this is normal and legal and above-board. He announces it broadly and if anyone questions what he does, he immediately starts criticizing Joe Biden, as if that poor man had anything to do with it! So far, every Trump supporter with whom I have interacted on Facebook has made it obvious that they are ignorant of our laws and system of government. Thus, they are easily misled. 

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Political personalities, who DO know the laws, are OK with him disobeying the laws, apparently, because money, power and control mean more to them than the preservation of our way of life. They have no morals, no ethics, and no character. They want Trump in office, running roughshod over everything, flinging wide the doors to the wealth and power that is typically just beyond their reach, or which usually takes too long to grasp. Trump has announced the Trump kleptocracy and they have jumped on board in order to grab as much as they can get while Trump is in power. (I suspect the joke will eventually be on them, however, because, from everything I have read, Trump usually manages to stiff everyone he cons into joining him.)
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To say that Trump is a person of criminal inclination is not exaggeration. He came to the office already a 34 TIMES CONVICTED FELON, and there are further circumstances around which we have seen highly consequential LIES, MISREPRESENTATIONS, and very strong indications of further crimes that are hinted at but not yet revealed.
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For instance, after promising constantly that he would release the Epstein materials as soon as he took office, and then immediately refusing, once his goal was reached, this speaks volumes about his lack of honesty, reliability, and loyalty to his supporters (those poor suckers.) I never believed he would release those files. He was that pedophile's best friend for 15 years, and we have seen and heard for ourselves the type of moral turpitude to which Trump is inclined. He knows he is in those files. We have already seen many photographs, including some with very young girls gathered close around them. In years to come, nothing would surprise me, as far as revelations of Trump's involvement in Epstein's debauchery. We just do not know any of the particulars. Chances are, we may never know. I am guessing he would have had the material destroyed by Pam Bondi or some other obedient underling, if he was actually guilty of anything. I think it is far more likely that some of his friends and his sources of income are more likely in those files and he has to protect them or risk part of his power base.
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Of course, we have seen Trump break promise after promise and we know that he only says certain things to coerce people into voting for him, and then he reneges. It is typical of him to lie in order to con people. Think about all those poor Polish construction workers that he stiffed in at least one of his large building projects.
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Trump impresses me as a completely amoral person. His crimes run the gamut. His conviction for "sexual assault" against E. Jean Carroll was labeled as such by the New York judicial system, but the judge in that case indicated that, under any other circumstances, Trump would have been considered to be E. Jean Carrol's rapist. Trump further assaulted the poor woman by calling her all sorts of names and claiming that she was lying about the sexual assault in which he attacked her in a dressing room of a large New York department store. There was considerable evidence against him. He was convicted of SLANDER against her, lost that case, SLANDERED HER AGAIN, and was further penalized and now owes her more than 80 million dollars! It is my understanding that he hasn't paid a cent of the judgment, and this is typical of him, but I am not staying on top of this story, and I could foresee a time in which he might pay her to shut her up while he is in office, though I doubt it. Everything I have read indicates that he does NOT like to pay his debts.
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I have the impression that some of my Facebook friends are tired of seeing POLITICS in my news feed. I will not pretend that I am an expert on political realities. I am not. I am an artist and a nun at heart and I haven't had much interest in government or politics UNTIL this dangerous man took power. For me, everything has changed.
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However, I am disabled, poor and isolated, so there really isn't much I can do in addition to my prayers, EXCEPT to spread the word when I can, which is what I do, here, and on Facebook.
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I will respect the fact that some of my Facebook friends and followers may not be interested in politics, despite the possible costs to all of us. Everyone experiences the pressures of life in their own way, and not everyone is MENTALLY ABLE to get their attention focused on this topic, despite the possible future damage to all our lives. Every person is differently abled, and I get that.
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But, while I respect all our conceivable differences and unique temperaments, this does not mean that I am going to stop warning everyone about the possible consequences, if Trump and his billionaire boys club continue to be allowed free reign, because it has been proven to me that many people are ignorant of politics to the point that, I am convinced, if they KNEW the full extent, would take more interest in it than they currently do. For some reason, every Trump fanatic with whom I have had a conversation online, none of them seem to have been educated about our system of government, and this is of even more concern than the problems with Trump himself. I am wondering what has happened to our system of education if so many people are so ignorant about the basic organization of our government and its three co-equal branches.
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The stakes are high.
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So, if it aggravates you that I am not entertaining you or giving you the good feelz that you crave, I would just say that "you do you," and I ask you to please find a way to endure your annoyance at being reminded of this topic, as best you can, because I am not going to stop until the danger has subsided.
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You can always take me out of your news feed until Trump's term is over and then return to following me when he has been dealt with and/or he leaves office. Until that time, I will not be catering to anyone's wish that I ignore these political realities because the possible results are far too dire. We HAVE reached a crucial turning point and I feel I have to do SOMETHING. It isn't much, but it is my part.
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Anyway, try to understand my motives and don't harbor animosity in your heart that I am not entertaining you and making you feel good. I just can't do it right now. I AM praying for you. I am praying for all of us, but I have a duty to warn, as well, and I intend to fulfill it.
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At any rate, I believe Trump to be the most dangerous and depraved government official that America has ever entertained in a position of power, and I cannot just pretend that life is proceeding "as usual," while I sit and meditate and pray. Too many people are underestimating the damage that this man can do to our country and to all who live here and the rest of the world that relies upon us.
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It looks as if we may be faced with a Constitutional Crisis - or perhaps several of them. Trump has already challenged birthright citizenship.

Of the greatest concern to me is the absolute cruelty with which he deals with out immigrant community. Even those who are in our country legally and pursuing citizenship "the right way" have become his target. Many people who are actually citizens have been targeted by his goons. The cruelty seems to be the POINT with him, and my heart is absolutely breaking for the children that he is damaging. I cried every day of his first time in office. I have kept myself from crying too much this time by speaking out against his atrocities. If I do not continue to speak out for the righteous path, the Christian path, the path that Jesus himself would take, I won't be able to live with myself.  
.
So, you see, I can't afford to ignore all the potential emergencies in favor of enjoying my art projects, my meditation, and my incense. I don't think that my God would be happy if I abandoned my neighbors to their fates so that I could please myself.
.
I do not want to regret, in the end, not being more vigorous in my warnings and end up having to take some responsibility for failing to even TRY to advise and alert the ignorant. I do not want to see the tears in the eyes of my fellow Americans and hear them wail, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?"
.
God bless us all, may the Lord save us, and:
.
GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
.
Silver Rose

PRAYING FOR THE VICTIMS OF CHILD SEX ABUSE BY GHISLAINE MAXWELL AND JEFFREY EPSTEIN

Epstein Victim, Virginia Giuffre

was 17 when she claims Prince Andrew had sex with her.

Her complaint alleges that Epstein passed her around to

his friends, such as the Prince.

She committed suicide in 2025.

 

I AM PRAYING FOR THE HUNDREDS OF VICTIMS OF PEDOPHILES JEFFREY EPSTEIN AND GHISLAINE MAXWELL, PROMPTED BY NEWS ARTICLES (LINKS TO WHICH ARE LISTED BELOW THIS POST.)

IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK:

(If you are already up-to-speed on all the news, feel free to skip to the PRAYERS section below!)

Trump reneges on his promise to release all the Epstein material.

After years of promising to release all the Epstein materials (of which there is quite a lot), Trump has reneged on it and, as if waving it aside and saying "there's nothing to see here, folks," he sent his former personal attorney to see pedophile rapist/trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell to speak to her in a highly inappropriate, solitary interview at which there were no witnesses and no transcripts. Immediately thereafter, pedophile rapist/trafficker Maxwell was moved to a cushy, luxurious, minimum security "prison" that doesn't even have a gate to prevent the inmates from leaving (which was not a legal move, by the way. This type of prisoner is not allowed in this type of facility.)

Victims still suffer.

Meanwhile, there are hundreds of victims of pedophile rapists/traffickers Maxwell and Epstein who are suffering in the extreme, except for some who have died, at least two of whom took their own lives, after decades of anguish.

Damage is permanent.

What many do not realize is that victims of this kind of crime never recover from it. They suffer the rest of their lives and the only relief is learning how to cope with it. There is no "cure." It will never go away because it changes a girl forever when this happens. Every one of those victims, to one degree or another, has been permanently altered.

BACK STORY:

Girls as young as 12 were preyed upon by Epstein and Maxwell.

According to victims and witnesses, Girls as young as 12 were targeted, hunted, groomed and raped by Ghislaine Maxwell and/or Jeffrey Epstein. HUNDREDS of underage girls were sought after by Ghislaine Maxwell, who "befriended" them, groomed them, then betrayed them, turning them over to a vile pedophile and, in some cases, joining in the sexual abuse.  One victim described how it was Maxwell who first took the girl's clothes off!   

Girls lured by promises of career advancement.

Initially, the girls were led to believe that they have made a friend of a very posh, upper class woman of style and grace who believed in them and their career aspirations, goals and dreams. In some cases, they were promised jobs as massage therapists for Epstein, and these promises included unheard-of benefits, such as free education and training, as well as the freedom to keep their own schedule, to spend time working at other jobs (such as dancing and modeling gigs) and also to be included in their new friends' jet-setting lifestyle, complete with world travel on Epstein's plane that was, horrifically enough, called "The Lolita Express." Maxwell and Epstein introduced them to a massively impressive coterie of famous wealthy people, some with quite a lot of prestige. Prince Andrew and former president Bill Clinton were among the people who had traveled on that plane, and it is reported that many "high profile" people, including Trump, were in Epstein's orbit.

Lured to Epstein's sex plane "The Lolita Express."

Many of the assaults took place when the victims were, essentially, trapped on that plane, which was decorated with velvet armchairs and sofas, mahogany or teak desks, a shower, galley kitchen and dining area. It featured a queen-sized bed in the back, which victims said was installed so that the girls he had lured into the plane could be made to have sex with Epstein's guests. All of the luxury seating could be laid out to become beds. Photographs of the interior that were were presented at Epstein's trial confirmed this description.

Epstein dies under highly suspicious conditions.

Epstein died in 2019, under highly suspect conditions while awaiting trial, in prison and, although it was claimed that he killed himself, many people who knew him say that this simply isn't possible. In addition, there are several circumstances that are suspicious: More than three minutes of video tape during the time of Epstein's death is missing, the rest of it having been spliced together. 

Prison rules violated, video missing time, and Guards cruise the internet.

Prison rules were violated in  a number of ways.  For instance, people at risk of suicide were required to have a cell mate. His cell mate had been moved out. Guards were not watching over Epstein's cell. Instead, it was reported that some were sleeping and others were browsing the internet for furniture and motorcycle sales. The required 30-minute checks that were supposed to have been done were NOT. INSTEAD, guards were found to have been wandering around the common areas when Epstein died. Later, guards were charged with falsifying records.

Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of 5 sex trafficking counts and given a 20 year prison sentence.

AMERICANS UNITED IN REVULSION

TOWARD THIS TYPE OF ABUSE

Americans of both parties mutually detest this type of crime.

Ordinary Americans on both the right and left side of politics are united in their loathing toward this type of crime, especially as it pertains to young people who are not equipped to deal with it and whose lives are forever damaged as a result of being victimized in this way. 

Trump often blamed the Democrats.

For many years, Trump and his followers have claimed that it was the Democrats who were responsible for the crimes and for the subsequent coverup, but Democrats have made it crystal clear that they ALSO wish for all the material to be released, regardless of who is mentioned or pictured. Most of the MAGA devotees also seem to be sincerely committed to getting to the bottom of this story and I have heard them say that to turn their backs on this would be a travesty to which they do not want to be a part. After so many years of saying they want the material to be released, there does not seem to be a legitimate reason to keep it hidden.

Trump Administration vacillates.

The only people who seem to want it hidden are those who were involved with Epstein and Maxwell and those whose slavish devotion to Trump is so intense that they do not truly care about these crimes and have only complained about them because they thought that it was a Democrat coverup. As soon as Trump sought to hide the material, they changed their minds about their importance. I have no respect for people who have no essential devotion to any values and I believe we should ignore their specious arguments in favor of keeping the stuff hidden, since they are only trying to protect and defer to Donald Trump.

Victims suspect a coverup.

Victims of Maxwell and Epstein are upset about Maxwell's release into a minimum security "country club" style prison and are making claims of a cover-up, an idea that has found purchase in the minds of many folks who, expecting Trump to release the Epstein materials, as promised, are infuriated that he now refuses to do so.

PRAYERS FOR VICTIMS OF MAXWELL AND EPSTEIN

Incentive for prayer:

The crimes for which Maxwell is convicted and further accused cry to heaven for justice. Young women and girls who were lured into a situation for which they were not in any way prepared have been permanently scarred - harmed for life. These are the type of crimes against the innocent which change the nature of a person's sense of self. No matter how many people are involved in this crimes or witnessed them, and regardless of who they are, our attention and compassion should be focused on the victims, not the abusers.

✞
INTRODUCTORY PRAYER:
****************
God of endless love,
ever caring, ever strong,
always present, always just:
You gave your only Son
to save us by the blood of his cross.
Gentle Jesus, shepherd of peace,
join to your own suffering
the pain of all who have been hurt
in body, mind, and spirit
by those who betrayed the trust placed in them.
Hear the cries of our brothers and sisters
who have been gravely harmed,
and the cries of those who love them.
Soothe their restless hearts with hope,
steady their shaken spirits with faith.
Grant them justice for their cause,
enlightened by your truth.
Holy Spirit, comforter of hearts,
heal your people’s wounds
and transform brokenness into wholeness.
Grant us the courage and wisdom,
humility and grace, to act with justice.
Breathe wisdom into our prayers and labors.
Grant that all harmed by abuse may find peace in justice.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
✞
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops - web site

✞ FOLLOW UP THE ABOVE PRAYER WITH THESE:

OUR FATHER...
HAIL MARY...
GLORY BE...
FATIMA PRAYER...
JESUS PRAYER...
*************
FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW THE "OUR FATHER" THROUGH JESUS PRAYERS BY HEART, I OFFER THEM HERE:

✞
OUR FATHER:
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from Evil.
Amen

✞
HAIL MARY:
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our Death.
Amen.

✞
GLORY BE:
Glory be
To the Father,
And to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end,
Amen.

✞
FATIMA PRAYER
Oh, my Jesus
Forgive us our Sins.
Save us from the fires of Hell,
And lead all souls to Heaven,
Especially those most in need of thy mercy.
Amen.

✞
JESUS PRAYER
Lord, Jesus Christ,
Son of God,
Have mercy upon me,
a poor sinner.
Amen

Friends, if you have any comments, please feel free to contact me and, if credible and respectful, we will print them here. Likewise, if you have information you feel should be included and for which you would like us to pray, please let me know and I will take care of it.

In the meantime, I pray for all of you as I hope you pray for me.

God bless you all!

Silver Rose

P.S. Below this blog post, I am collecting links that give information about this topic. If you would like to add something that is pertinent and helpful, please forward the information to me and I will read it for possible inclusion here.

LINKS TO

INFORMATIONAL VIDEOS & NEWS ARTICLES

POLITICO - The Epstein Files Timeline Raises Real Questions for Trump

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE RE: LONG TERM EFFECTS OF CHILDHOOD SEX ABUSE

MSNBC - 'Horror and outrage': Epstein victims slam Trump after Maxwell moved to minimum security prison

NEW YORK POST: Ghislaine Maxwell victim Sarah Ransome breaks into tears, describes ‘dungeon of sexual hell’

CNN - 4 women testified at Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial that they were sexually abused. Here’s what they said

WRAL - Giuffre Family Urges Trump to Reject Pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell

CBS NEWS: Trump makes new comment on Epstein as Virginia Giuffre's family decries Maxwell pardon possibility

ALTERNET - 'Never seen this before': Prison consultant shocked by Maxwell receiving BOP waiver for transfer

SUBSTACK - The Actual Conspiracy Theory Surrounding Trump and Epstein (NOTE: This article contains links and also descriptions of Katie Johnson's accusations against Donald Trump, that he raped her AT THE HOME OF JEFFREY EPSTEIN when she was a 13 year-old virgin, complete with horrible dialog that sounds like the way Donald Trump speaks. Although her story came out many years ago, it was BEFORE Epstein was convicted and the whole thing blew up. It has the ring of truth to it, but she was hampered in her efforts to be heard by the fact that her attorney was a sleazeball, which she had no way of knowing at that time. I have no trouble believing that Trump raped her. He has already announced to all of us that he is a rapist in several widely seen and heard interviews and depositions. He was also convicted of "sexual abuse" which is what they call it in the civil court under the type of case that was filed.)

MSNBC: SPEAKING OUT: Watch Epstein victims & accusers speak out on MSNBC (AUGUST 7, 2025)

PRAYING FACEBOOK FOR PEACE, JUSTICE, AND LOVE OF NEIGHBOR

 

"Yes we Klan," by Annie Spratt

Courtesy of Unsplash

"If a stranger dwell in your land, and abide among you,

do not upbraid him: but let him be among you as one of

the same country and you shall love him as yourselves:

for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

I am the Lord your God"

Leviticus 19:33-34

✞

Not only are we commanded to love the strangers among us in the Old Testament, but Jesus clearly told us that to love our neighbors was only the second-most important commandment, and it was very like the first, which was to love God with all of ourselves. So, of course, it is upsetting for an American Catholic to see the mass unjust assault upon our immigrant communities that is being reported daily. News programs, commentaries, newspapers, magazines, all of the internet, including social media like Facebook, is awash with news of random wholesale round-ups of large groups of immigrants who are being treated with breathtaking and despicable cruelty, on the orders of the new Trump administration, part two. 

✞

Instead of targeting the violent criminals, as Trump promised he would do throughout his campaign, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is violating the sanctity of our churches, the school playgrounds, courthouses where law-abiding immigrants are following the legal processes for obtaining citizenship, vegetable fields, fruit orchards, and other places of traditional employment  where immigrants (mostly Hispanic) are likely to be found. 

✞

Fully kitted out with combat military style gear and battle dress, their faces hidden by masks, without producing any warrants of arrest, ICE has been grabbing up random groups of peaceful, law-abiding folk, kidnapping them, ignoring their due process rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and disappearing them.

✞

The Trump administration is targeting hard working, church-going, non-criminal moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, and children, violating their rights to due process, and subjecting them to the horrors of dangerous prison communities in other countries, as well as purposefully cruel locations in the U.S., such as "Alligator Alcatraz."

✞

What is most horrifying is that I have seen self-identified "Christians" on Facebook gleefully fantasizing about alligators eating these members of our immigrant communities, celebrating the cruelty of full scale rendition to foreign countries where they have never lived before, from which it is anticipated they will never be released, and justifying the harshest treatment for people who, if they are indeed here without documentation, have done nothing more than a misdemeanor civil infraction which is at the same level as a parking ticket! But these so-called "Christians" are happy to see their neighbors traumatized, at the very least, and possibly spending the rest of their lives in a foreign prison where they will die because it is really a concentration camp from which no one is ever release!

✞

Every day a fresh horror is announced in the news, and now I understand that FEMA will hand out $600 MILLION in grants to enable states to build "migrant detention facilities." These are the CONCENTRATION CAMPS OF 2025 and are evocative, at minimum, of the Japanese internment camps that our government created for Americans of Japanese ancestry in the 1940's when we were involved in a world-wide war!

✞

I have read that the Trump administration seems to be deliberately packing all our prisons and other places of ethnic concentration so that they can hand over huge contracts to their cronies who are in the lucrative business of building and running private prisons.

✞

The revulsion I feel for all of this has me completely triggered, and I cry every day - just as I was during Trump's first administration, when he was ripping children out of the arms of their parents and stuffing them into cages of chicken wire and cement.  (Approximately 1,000 children were never returned to their parents because the Trump administration could not be bothered to create a method to keep track of the parents and children when he sent the parents to one location and the children to another!)

✞

I really cannot bear the idea of ignoring today's news just to save myself from suffering my own trauma response. It would be wrong of me not to speak up. I must do that at least.

✞

"Open your mouth for those with no voice,

for the cause of all the dispossessed.

Open your mouth, judge righteously,

and defend the cause of the poor and needy."

Proverbs 31:8-9

✞

After I have cried, I am left feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the madness of what is going on in America at this moment. 

✞
It suddenly came to my mind recently that, in addition to offering up my tears and sorrow, I need to intercede in prayer every time I hear or read some awful news. Many times I learn of the latest travesty on Facebook, but sometimes I bring the news TO Facebook from elsewhere. It is important that we are all educated about what is happening so that we may speak out, but we are subjected to so many nightmarish scenarios that the cumulative sadness and despair have become toxic. 

✞

I have learned from decades of contemplative prayer that the thing on which I concentrate is the atmosphere in which I live. I am not going to ignore the bad news, but neither am I going to hide from it, doing nothing to sweeten the fetid air we are being forced to breathe.

✞  So I have started "praying Facebook."

Every time I encounter one of these distressing and lamentable news items, I am offering up my tears, begging for the intercession of our Lord and Lady, the saints and angels, indeed, the entire Heavenly Court.
✞
In addition to the specific prayer, I pray the short, reliable prayers on which I have grown to depend:
✞
OUR FATHER
HAIL MARY
GLORY BE
FATIMA PRAYER
JESUS PRAYER
✞
If I have time, I will also include
✞
PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL
PRAYER TO MY GUARDIAN ANGEL
A ROSARY
A CHAPLET TO OUR LADY OF SORROW
✞
Please join me in "praying Facebook" to restore order, peace and brotherly love in our land, instead of cruel authoritarian punishment that lacks the due process guaranteed by our Constitution. Pray whatever prayer is in your wheelhouse - and join with us who have decided to lift all hearts to Heaven with our prayers.

TODAY'S PRAYER NEED:

✞

✞ Deport violent criminals and revamp our immigration facilities and services.
Trump campaigned on deporting violent criminals from our country. INSTEAD, he pardoned and freed the violent criminals that attacked the police on January 6, and is in the process of incarcerating every brown person he can find in the most frightful, dangerous and inhumane concentration camps imaginable. 

Let us pray:

• That Trump reverse this trend and only deport the violent criminals;
• that all incarcerations in these concentration camps CEASE and that all immigrants who do not have criminal background be immediately released and their appeals for citizenship be placed back in the courts where they belong;
• That, instead of building private prisons designed for the torture of our immigrant population and the unjust enrichment of the wealthy oligarch overlords, that the money offered by FEMA be spent on facilities and services necessary to create wide spread, compassionate, efficient and just immigration reform. 

✞ Peaceful civilians should be left in peace!
During the presidential campaign, the majority of Americans were in agreement that murderers, rapists and other violent criminals have no place in American society and should be deported once their case is adjudicated. But none of us was prepared for the entire immigrant community to be callously attacked en mass by masked men, harshly deprived of their Constitutionally protected rights, kidnapped from their homes, their work places, churches, schools, and lawful immigration hearings. 

Let us pray:

• that schools, work places, churches and other houses of worship be left alone and not assaulted with brutal ICE raids;
• that Constitutionally guaranteed due process be reinstated in every case; and,
• that ICE remove the masks and behave professionally, kindly, and respectfully toward our immigrant communities .

✞ The majority of Immigrants are not criminals
The vast majority of these immigrants (more than 75%) have NO CRIMINAL BACKGROUND WHATSOEVER. In fact, the Immigrant population has a lower percentage of criminality than the American citizens. 

✞

A number of the kidnapped and disappeared are actual citizens, but the kidnappers reject this information and whisk them away to an uncertain fate. 

✞

ICE has even tried to send some of our immigrants to foreign countries that are not their own and in which their lives are most certainly in danger, since these countries are well-known to be war torn arenas, and the immigrants do not even know the language! It is highly doubtful that they have ever visited or have even heard of the country, in many cases. 

Therefore, let us pray:

• that only those immigrants that have been properly adjudicated and found guilty of serious crimes be targeted;
• that everyone on American soil receives due process guaranteed by the American Constitution; and,
• that arresting officers must identify themselves, stop wearing masks, produce warrants for arrest, and in all ways behave with dignity and decorum befitting their office.

✞ Immigrant labor is essential to the welbeing of our country.
For many decades, we have depended upon the immigrant community to babysit our children, take care of our elderly, build our homes and community halls, pick and plant our fruits and vegetables, and perform all manner of highly skilled labor. Most Americans have not been keen to do this type of work themselves, and we have already seen the devastation that is caused by the sudden disappearance of the immigrant community upon which we rely. 

✞

It is widely believed by economists and government experts that the deportation of a large portion of our skilled immigrant labor will likely result in much higher prices for all goods and services. This reality, combined with the effects of the arcane tariffs being levied against merchandise imported into our country is estimated to cause a desperate increase in poverty and sky-high food prices.

Therefore, let us pray:

• that temporary guest worker visas and other methods of incorporating immigrant laborers into our economy be created so that they may legally pursue the work that has been done by them for decades.

✞ Immigration reform will incorporate the useful and protect us from crime at the same time.

Let us pray:

• that, instead of building concentration camps and persecuting our hard working and loyal immigrant community, bipartisan efforts be made to reform and streamline our immigration system so that our valuable and skilled immigrants who are innocent of violent crime can more quickly and reliably establish themselves as fully functioning members of our neighborhoods and our society as a whole;

• that, at the same time, we streamline methods of deportation of immigrants with criminal backgrounds, especially those with violent pasts;

• that efforts be made to pinpoint and strengthen areas of America's special needs, such as in agriculture and the building trades, as well as other employment in which our immigrant communities have consistently shone bright in the specialized skills that they have developed over the many years they have contributed to our economy with that essential labor.

✞ Pray for a loving conversion of heart for all people.

Let us pray 

• that all Americans realize the value of our immigrant neighbors;
• that love of neighbor be instilled in our hearts by our Lord;
• that we all recognize the essential humanity we share and take to heart the precept that it is sinful to torture other human beings under any circumstances;
• that we all be enlightened by the action of the Holy Spirit so that preposterous conspiracy theories do not find purchase in any part of our minds;
• that we all maintain the Love of God and Love of neighbor so that we freely and without reserve accept the conversion of hearts of those who previously believed in harmful theories that hurt our neighbors; and,
• that we all strive to be as loving and forgiving as Christ.

✞

In Jesus name, I pray that that those of good will may be inspired to join us daily in sincere prayer for the improvement of the situation in our country that is causing so much pain for so many.

✞

I realize that this blog post is rather long, but it is an introduction to this topic, and I intend to continue to post shorter calls to prayer on this platform as well as Facebook. I pray you are able to join me, in whatever manner you have the time and strength to do.

✞

May the Lord bless you all. Please pray for me as I pray for you.

✞

Silver Rose

SPEAK TO THE DIVINE

 

Our Lady of Sorrows

AVOID IMITATING THE HATE BEING DEMONSTRATED BY THE TRUMP CULT

In response to the vulgar, hostile and coarse language, in addition to hateful assertions expressed by my fellow Catholics and others on the internet, I feel I have to point out that calling people names and resorting to repellent rhetoric has never convinced anyone of the wisdom of the point of view of the person maligning them.

It is my belief that we must always address the Divine Spark of the Lord that exists within all of us when speaking to a person.

We cannot allow ourselves to become so immersed in our righteous anger that we lose all awareness of our opponent's basic nature, which is that every human is made in the likeness and image of God.

It becomes easier to keep one's attention fixed on the Divinely inspired inner nature of each human if the observer can separate the person from the acts that person performs. It can be similar to threading a needle and sewing through some stiff fabric.

I myself often have to edit and rewrite my social media posts twice after the first draft. It is a skill I am still perfecting, but I have seen so much repulsive language from people I typically like and admire, that I have come to the conclusion that we all need a little help and kindly encouragement in helping us elevate our language in a way that is worthy of our status as Catholics and which will not cause more problems than it solves. 

Typically, a reminder of the facts is all that is required. Aligning our writing with our faith is a rather straightforward procedure unless one is really struggling with the concept of recognizing that even one's enemies are made in the image and likeness of our Lord.

I highly recommend lectio divina and contemplation on a helpful scripture versus in order to remain established in Catholic belief about the nature of human beings, in general.

"So God created mankind in His own image,

in the image of God He created them; male

and female He created them."

~Genesis 1:27

None of this obviates the necessity for being truthful. Sometimes the behavior of other humans is so distasteful and heinous in nature that it can inflame our feelings. This does not mean that it is wrong to mention these behaviors or that we are not recognizing the Lord's hand in our making when we mention them.  As long as we are criticizing the behavior and not the person, we should be alright.

It makes me very upset when I read about or see yet another bald-faced lie uttered by our current president. I try not to call him a "bald-faced liar" because that is a slur, even if true at this moment. I still fail in this regard because I am so unhappy when I see him tormenting other humans. 

The older I become, the longer I have been occupying my time with prayer, the more empathy toward the vulnerable is gifted me by Our Lord. It is rather more difficult to feel the same empathy for the tormentor, except that I remind myself what a hell it must be to live a life in concert with the Hell of Satan and to know that if the tormentor of the weak and needy does not repent, he will be forever damned. I know the grim future that awaits the unrepentant bully, so when I manage to remind myself of it, writing about and to them becomes less fraught with fury. 

Doing so also reminds me of my own defects of character and sends me straight into fervent prayers of contrition. 

We do not want to call a person a name because it sticks that person in time, without the opportunity for repentance, confession, forgiveness, etc. Calling someone a name is like putting a straight pin through a bug and skewering it to poster board.

DRAGONFLY - WILLIAM MORRIS PRINT

Instead, we should point out the nature of the lie and label the lie and not the person. If we are to love our enemies, we must want the highest good for them, and that would be for them to reach perfect contrition for their sins, and that they would confess, repent, and turn their lives around, and be forgiven.

It is never too late for anyone to "come to the party," until they have died, that is. Until then, the possibility for the forgiveness of the Lord is always possible, and we should not forget it or resent it, no matter when it happens in the life of another person.

Remember the parable about the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) in which the farmer hires workers at all hours of the day but pays them all the same wage at the end of the day.

We should be happy when anyone experiences a heart-felt conversion and is saved from their sins because, if we feel resentment that they were able to "enjoy" sinning for a longer time, it only means that we are not really enjoying our time with Jesus, which is a terrible thing to contemplate. It means we find more joy in sin than in a blessed life in Christ.

Since I must remind myself of these facts every time I put words to page, especially with regard to our fractious political times, I am assuming that most of us are in need of reminders. 

If you need any encouragement in this process, send me a message on Facebook or a comment on this post, and we can brainstorm or I will offer suggestions. Whatever you feel you need.

In the meantime, I pray for you and hope you pray for me.

God bless us all!

Silver Rose