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The 4th of July is just a day, but to us Americans, it means much more than that. It's an opportunity to thank God for the abundant blessings that he has bestowed upon us, and on our country. If you look around the world, it's easy to pick out nations where instead of peace, and freedom, and prosperity, they experience war, oppression, hunger, persecution, sickness, and suffering. And so we find ourselves being thankful for the blessings we have as Americans. Despite the struggles our nation finds itself in at this particular time, we're thankful for what we have.
In June of 1776 Thomas Jefferson, seated in the second-floor parlor of a bricklayer's house in Philadelphia, brilliantly composed the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence. After some revision, the bulk of the document was approved by Congress on 4 July, 1776. While the Declaration would soon become one of the world's most significant documents, its second sentence is perhaps most famous:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Those words, written over two centuries ago, still resonate in the depths of our hearts, not simply because they are lofty ideals for which we find ourselves compelled to strive, but because they reflect an aspect of man's irrepressible desire to attain and enjoy human fulfillment.
On this Independence Day, it is important to reflect on what it means to seek life, liberty and happiness. While it is safe to say everyone desires these goods, not everyone understands where they are found. In fact, it is not even a question of where they are found, but in Whom they are found: "I am the way and the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6).
Do we see beyond the present into the window of eternity? Do we truly desire above all else to love God for his sake, to become his child, and to live as a member of the divine family? These are the gifts God offers to us. These are the gifts the Church presents, as the sacrament of salvation, to the world, in order that the world may be brought to Christ.
May God continue to bless us with a true and beautiful understanding of our independence. May he call us to those noble virtues that made this country what it is for us and for future generations of Americans. May God bless us with peace, prosperity, and the common good. And may God bless America.
God Bless you.
In Mary Help of Christians,
I remain,
Fr. Jim McKenna SDB
Director
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Walking with the Church
Q. I pray a lot but my prayers never seem to get answered. I have been praying for one particular intention for at least a year with no answer. What am I doing wrong? A. Thank you for your question. You are doing nothing wrong. You are praying as Christ wants us to pray. Christ spoke on prayer a number of times and gave us an example of prayer in his own life. He prayed in public in the Synagogue and he prayed in private. Speaking on prayer he told us to pray always, and to persevere in praying to the Lord for what we need. To illustrate the need of persevering prayer he told the story of the widow seeking justice from the magistrate who would not listen to her, but eventually did so because she was wearing him out. The message Jesus conveys to his disciples is that when they pray they must persevere and be patient - not to give up when they do not get instant results. They must keep on praying even when there seems to be little hope. It happens that even though people persevere in praying for a particular intention for many years, their prayers never seem to be answered or certainly not in the way they want. One reason why this is so as Jesus explains, is that we do not know what we ask. Just as a father will not 'give his child a stone when he asks for bread' or 'a snake when he asks for fish,' so Our Father in Heaven will not give us something that will be harmful to us - harmful to our relationship with Him. He will give us what He sees we need rather than what we want or think we need.
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Independence Day
As we celebrate Freedom, let us keep in mind the song of an Indian Poet Rabindranath Tagore: 'Into that heaven of freedom my Father, let my country awake'.
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever-widening thought and action We implore the maternal intercession of Our Blessed Mother to guide our nation into that freedom so that we may always be able to hold our heads high. |
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 Laughter the best medicine
Random Ponderings...
A bus station is where a bus stops.
A train station is where a train stops.
On my desk, I have a work station... GO FIGURE!
If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
I believe five out of four people have trouble with fractions.
If quitters never win, and winners never quit, who came up with, "Quit while you're ahead"?
Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?
I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older, then it dawned on me...they were cramming for their finals.
Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do...write to these men? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen could look for them while they deliver the mail?
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 The Devotion of the Three Hail Marys
The devotion of the THREE HAIL MARYS is a very simple yet most efficacious devotion.
Everyday, recite Three Hail Marys, adding the invocation: "O Mary, My Mother, keep me from mortal sin." Many people recite the Three Hail Marys as part of their morning and night prayers. To practice this devotion in time of danger, stress, special need or temptation, is a sure means to obtain Our Lady's help.
One afternoon I was returning from church with my daughter. On the way home we stopped at a store. My daughter stopped the car and I got off and stepped out of the car, but to my surprise the next thing I knew, I was on the floor. I fell down quite hard on my knees and I also hit my face against the sidewalk. I thought I had fractured my knees since I suffered from Osteoporosis. But thankfully, a good Samaritan - a lady passerby gave me a hand and I straightened up and got off the ground with minor bruises on my knees and my lip. By that time, my daughter rushed to my rescue. I firmly believe Mary was there by my side as I always say the 3 Hail Marys in the morning and at night. It was Mother Mary who lent me a hand and prevented any fractures. Thank you Mother Mary for being with me and for all the other graces and favors. B.E. White Plains, NY My most grateful thanks to the Holy Spirit and our Blessed Mother Mary for granting me two special favors.Mrs. A. Godhino, Australia
Thank you Jesus, Mother Mary and all the saints for curing me of my vertigo. M. Park, NJ
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Many thanks to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and Our Blessed Mother for all the graces received through your intercession. Hubert and Family
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In Closing
Dear devotees of Our Lady and Don Bosco,
If you have received a miracle through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, we would like to hear from you. Email us at MaryShrine@aol.com.
Bookstore hours: Monday - Saturday - 10 am to 5 pm, Sundays: 12 - 4 pm
Confessions on weekdays begin at 11.30 am.
Weekday Masses: 12 noon.
Sunday Masses: 11 am and 12.30 pm
Other activities: Day Retreats, Weekend retreats, Don Bosco Summer Camp, Friday night Lenten Pasta Dinners, 50/50 raffle, 350 club, Rosary Madonna Statue.
Rent Lomagno Hall, Rent our Banquet Hall.
MEMORIES
Remember a Loved One: Engrave plaques on Wall of Memories, adopt a Tree, Engrave blocks on Walk of Honor, All Souls, All year Candle lighting, Holiday (Christmas and Easter), Flowers, Schedule a Mass, Bell Chimes.
MASS INTENTIONS
To offer a mass intention, please write to
Fr. Jim McKenna SDB
174 Filors Lane,
Stony Point, NY 10980
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Marian Shrine
174 Filors Lane, Stony Point, NY 10980
(845) 947-2200
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