As you read this, I am presently recuperating from prostate surgery. I want to thank you all for the prayers, concern, and care for Cyndi and our sons. It means so much. Your good deeds and prayers will not go unrewarded. These rewards are also the great benefits God gives us all when we knock on the door of His Sacred and Merciful Heart. He always answers, just as He did 429 years ago at the Battle of Lepanto. Last week we talked of the great battle we're now in and how we need to follow the lead of Saint Michael in storming the ramparts of Heaven with prayers for this world, failing fast. Many look on this as merely allegorical, but I'm here to tell you it is very, very real and we already have proof that it works. The Battle of Lepanto is exhibit A.

    Don't you suppose there were many, many doubters when Pope Saint Pius V pleaded with the faithful to do the same thing being asked today? Of course there were. But there were far more who heard his plea, who believed, and put that belief into action. Unlike Sodom and Gomorrah, there were enough just men and women for God to hear their cry and deliver them from the inevitable captivity of the infidel. In desperation the Holy League of Nations banded together, under the leadership of Don Juan of Austria. They were huge underdogs, playing the Slippery Rock to the mighty Nebraska in grid-iron speak. Vegas wouldn't even have put it on the boards. That's how lopsided the outcome seemed. Yet, there was a ray of hope. Thanks to St. Pius' persistence and perseverence, he convinced the faithful there was hope if they prayed.

    It reminds us of how Americans turned out in droves to pray a little less than a decade ago during the Gulf War. They stormed Heaven with their prayers and few were killed on both sides. God was merciful. He heard their prayers. But, just as the people of Israel had done habitually, they began to forget that mercy and slip back into their old comfort zone. Slowly but surely fewer were praying. Times were good economically and they judged everything through rose-colored glasses. Little did they realize that right before their eyes the morality of the nation and her soul were eroding to almost nothing. Why? Because they believed the media spin. They lived the story of the emperor who had no clothes. With their current leader, it doesn't matter since he prides himself on immodesty and immorality. As the leader goes, so goes the nation. Even the emperor's assistant can't change things. In fact, he might even make it worse and order millions of innocents be murdered "nicely" so as not to offend anyone. He might even place more emphasis on all the trees in the kingdom and forget those who planted them. Think about it.

    Yet, in another kingdom, one much, much smaller, but one who commands much, much more respect, there is trust and hope because he places all the credit, all the emphasis on God. He alone holds out hope and he invites all, even the subjects of the emperor's thriving, materialistic kingdom to share with others, to cross the threshold of Hope with him, and look to a far, far greater King than any on earth. Like St. Pius V in 1571, Pope John Paul II offers that ray of hope and we need to respond. We have our own Battle of Lepanto and, believe it or not, the stakes are much higher than they were four hundred plus years ago. At that time at stake was a culture and faith. Had the Turkish armada been successful, it would have forever changed the face of Europe. The Church would have gone on because of what Christ promised in Matthew 16: 18, but it would have been greatly curtailed. Because of God's Infinite Mercy and Goodness, victory was achieved and the Feast of Our Lady of Rosary was established by Pope Saint Pius V in thanksgiving for this miraculous turn of events, this tremendous upset that enabled the Christian fleet to deal the infidel a tremendous setback with fatalities more than tripling on the Turkish side at the famed naval Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. To honor God and thank Him for hearing His Immaculate Mother's intercession, St. Pius proclaimed October 7th as the Feast of Our Lady of Victory. It was changed in 1960 to Our Lady of the Rosary by Blessed Pope John XXIII.

    Today our Turkish threat is not a nation, but an entire legion of demons posing as the culture of death. Just as they discovered in 1571, with God all things are possible. Today these are also desperate times, and the situation is bleak considering the upcoming presidential elections. The odds would seem overwhelming in light of the media's obvious push to elect a pro-abort president as they continue to encourage the culture of death in all areas. The chief pro-life candidate keeps stumbling all over himself because he has not had the courage of his convictions to speak out stronger for the culture of life. We, as committed and loyal Catholics dedicated to upholding the Sanctity of Life, can lead in the effort to empower pro-life candidates to speak out convincingly through our prayers in asking God to shed His graces upon those who truly want life upheld in all stages. It is only through the grace of God this can happen. And it won't if we don't emulate the countless believers in 1571 and storm Heaven with a novena of Rosaries, Masses and prayers. We need to pray with and from the heart and if enough do, then I guarantee God will answer our prayers as He sees fit. It worked in 1571, it can work again in 2000, but we must believe. Our actions or inactions will decide the fate of countless innocent unborns.

    We also need God's graces and mercy more than ever as we countdown to decision time in November. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is a perfect time to begin a Novena of Rosaries, to visit Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament as often as we can. Let's crowd the sanctuaries once again. Let's have that heartfelt commitment we felt during the Gulf War, let's storm Heaven with our prayers for the Sanctity of Life. Our flanks are small, we are being assaulted on all sides, but we can keep this foxhole of love by sending out an artillery of prayers that will stun and, hopefully, floor most of satan's troops. Just as the Iraqi soldiers gave up easily, we can pray that many, many pro-aborts will see the Light and join our ranks. This is the only way we can weaken satan, who, like Saddam Hussein did, will dig in deeper. It's a war. There are many battles. Let's start winning some of them!

    Just as Europe was saved from the infidel, we have to pray that America will be saved from the culture of death infidel. Yes, with a month to go before the most important election in the history of our nation the situation seems hopeless until we realize that we, too, can pull off another Battle of Lepanto if we only give it our all in prayer and trust in His Mercy. Though the election is important, the players are probably some of the weakest to ever strive for the office. But their agendas, their platforms are what make this so vital. It's a matter of life (pro-life candidate) and death (pro-abort candidate). It can't get much more desperate!

    By our actions and prayers, perhaps we can turn the tide. Why not begin with a Rosary Novena between now and All Saints Day in begging God to bring about a miracle. If you can't say a Rosary each day, how about three Hail Mary's each day up to the election? Just three Ave's a day between October 7th and November 7th can move mountains. Because all looks lost, let's not treat it as there's nothing to lose, but rather everything to win. Just like Lepanto, the victory can be ours if we want it badly enough!

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