There is a war going on throughout the entire world--the worst of wars with more casualties than in all the other wars combined. The wounded and the lost are uncountable, but that doesn't lessen the reality of the disastrous toll.
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Most people are unaware of this war because the enemy is hidden. All people of all nations are affected by this war, waged against us by a common enemy. We are all united in this at least--we have an enemy who seeks to destroy all of us who live on the face of the earth.
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Our enemy worms himself into minds and hearts to influence thoughts and actions. HE IS MERCILESS! No one is exempt from his hateful trickery. His intelligence is so great that he can easily outmaneuver us, unless we are sufficiently armed for battle. His pride and deceit know no bounds, and he infiltrates where there is the least opening.
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Our enemy sows hate, discord, lies, discouragement, and confusion wherever he can. He exults in loss of faith, failed marriages, broken homes, ruined lives, aborted lives, national disharmony, and international warfare. He is bold and relentless, determined to be the victor in the final analysis of this long war.
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Anyone that sows hope, love, and faith in Jesus Christ is his enemy. Acts of love and mercy are hateful to him. Prayer, fasting, penance, and mortification are powerful weapons against him, so he does all in his power to discourage the use of them.
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WHAT OUR ENEMY FEARS MOST is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in which the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross is made present again. He knows better than we do the infinite power of the Mass. Jesus died once on the Cross, but arranged it so that His sacrifice for our redemption would be made present over and over again through His ordained Catholic priests.
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Saint John Vianney, patron of priests, had this to say: "When people wish to destroy religion, they begin by attacking the priest, because where there is no longer any priest there is no sacrifice, and where there is no longer any sacrifice there is no religion."
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Even if many don't believe what the Catholic Church teaches about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, our common enemy believes! He knows the truth. That is why he does all in his power to discourage attendance at Mass, worthy reception of Holy Communion, and Eucharistic adoration. He promotes lack of faith in the Eucharist, irreverence toward Jesus in the Eucharist, unworthy reception of Holy Communion, and desecration of the Eucharist.
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The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ and our Mother, had this to say to Venerable Mary of Agreda about our common enemy:
"Lucifer and his demons have such a fear of the Holy Eucharist, that to approach it causes them more torments than to remain in hell itself. Although they do enter churches in order to tempt souls, they enter with aversion, forcing themselves to endure cruel pains in the hope of destroying a soul and drawing it into sin, especially in the holy places and in the presence of the Holy Eucharist. Their wrath against the Lord and against the souls alone could induce them to expose themselves to the torment of His Real Sacramental Presence."
Our Blessed Mother also said:
"...the demons fear the souls who receive the Lord worthily and devoutly and who try to preserve themselves in this purity until the next Communion. But there are very few who live with this intention, and the enemy is ceaselessly alert in striving to throw them back into their forgetfulness, distraction and indifference, so that he may not be obliged to encounter such powerful weapons in the hands of men."
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The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist means that Jesus stays with us as He promised! When He said, "...behold, I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world (Matthew 28:20)--He meant what He said! If some misunderstand His meaning, that does not lessen the truth of what he meant. He is with us to arm us for battle--to spiritually nourish us, transform us, strengthen us, protect us! We are at war, but our Savior is here to lead us on to victory--if we faithfully follow Him!
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Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests, and our Mother,help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests. Amen.
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