By locking out the world, the flesh, and the devil we open the gate of our hearts by submitting our will to God in order to reach the Heavenly gates

      In his column today, Pat Ludwa writes about this weekend's commemoration of Independence Day and what independence truly means. It does not indicate doing whatever one wants but rather submitting to a Higher Authority - the Highest Who alone can loose the shackles of our finite faults and open the prison gates of a finite world to the infinite bliss of life everlasting, but only if we "do our time" by picking up our cross and following Him. For Pat's column Real Freedom, click on VIEW FROM THE PEW

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Only Four Days left to vote for the Top 100 Catholics of the 20th Century

     Readers only have four days left to vote for the Top 100 Catholics. We have had over 16,500 votes cast to date and are most encouraged by this turnout. You may vote as often as you wish and we'll begin the countdown from 100 on down daily here soon in the DAILY CATHOLIC leading up to the top ten Catholics in December. For the list of the fifty receiving the most votes so far, click on TOP 100 CATHOLICS OF THE CENTURY

      Today is the Thirteenth Thursday in Ordinary Time and the Feast of Blessed Padre Junipero Serra, a Franciscan missionary who founded twenty one missions in California in the mid eighteenth century. Tomorrow is the Thirteenth Friday in Ordinary Time and First Friday of the month, the month of the Precious Blood. For the readings, liturgies, meditations and vignette on Blessed Junipero, click on DAILY LITURGY.

      Today we honor Blessed Padre Junipero Serra with the Opening Prayer for today's first Mass of July:

God most high, Your servant Junipero Serra brought the Gospel of Christ to the peoples of Mexico and California and firmly established the Church among them. By his intercession, and through the example of his evangelical zeal, inspire us to be faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ.

SIMPLY SHEEN: Freedom is God-given!

      They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind, one of the ways this late luminary did so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN".

"Man can be a saint only in a world in which it is possible to be a devil. You say, 'Well, if I were God, I would destroy evil.' But if you did that, you would destroy human freedom. God will not destroy freedom."

"If you heed My words then the world shall also be awakened to a torrent of Divine Mercy by which countless souls shall be saved."

      Those words from the Sacred Heart of Jesus were conveyed on January 1, 1995 to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart. It was the beginning of the final year Jesus and His Blessed Mother would impart messages to the Hidden Flower and on this Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God Our Lord asks all His children to resolve in their hearts to commit totally to Him and He will shower all of us and the world with His Divine Mercy. He reaffirms that we have nothing to fear if we are secure in the Refuge of His Sacred Heart and His Mother's Immaculate Heart. Mary prefaces her Divine Son's Message with her own on the final day of 1994 reassuring all what she and Jesus say is true and that time is very, very short for her little ones to convert their hearts and help expedite the Triumph of her Immaculate Heart. For Messages #579 and #580, click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."

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WORLDWIDE NEWS & VIEWS
with a Catholic slant

provided by
Catholic World News Service
and Noticias Eclesiales Church News and ZENIT International News Agency

HEADLINES:

Pope looks forward to inspiring Biblical Jubilee journey: Abraham to the Apostles

      As first mentioned here on Wednesday, the Holy Father revealed on June 30th the path he hopes to take in tracing the roots of our faith from Ur to Mt. Sinai to Mt. Nebo then on to Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. It would be a first for him and a first for any Pontiff to visit this many countries at one time taking him through Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Syria and Greece in melding the Old Testament with the New Testament. The Iraqi people expressed excitement at the news the Pope would visit their land. For more, click on Jubilee Journey.

Holy Father sends deepest sympathies to Armenian people on death of his friend the Catholicos

      The Pope took the occasion of his regular Wednesday Papal Audience to publicly express his sorrow and sympathy to the six million members of the Armenian Church. The spiritual leader of one of the world's oldest churches was the 131st in the line of religious leaders of this Orthodox Church dating back to Saint Gregory at the beginning of the fourth century. Catholicos Karekin I had signed a theological document reconciling the Armenian Church with Rome on the issue of the nature of Jesus, paving the way for total reconciliation with the West. For more, click on sympathies to the Armenian Orthodox people

Documented Miracle attributed to Blessed Juan Diego could solidify his sainthood during the Jubilee year

      A medical commission has certified a miracle attributed to Blessed Juan Diego, the visionary of Guadalupe who himself presented the miracle of the roses to the Bishop. This documentation clears the way for his possible canonization at the same time when 25 Mexican martyrs will become saints next year in Mexico City on May 21st. The Postulator for Juan Diego's cause has offered the recommendation in light of the most recent findings that could make his canonization possible sooner than expected. For more, click on Blessed Juan Diego.

UN trying to divide and conquer in promoting Culture of Death; while in the House, bill for National Prayer Day goes down to defeat

      In Cairo a few years ago it was the alliance of the Catholics and Moslems that helped defeat the contraception/abortion program the UN tried to railroad through. This time, the UN is trying to drive a wedge between the two faiths in an effort to weaken the Pope's efforts of once again defeating the culture of death promoted by the UN in cahoots with Planned Parenthood. Meanwhile in Washington D.C. a bill that would have designated a National Prayer and Fasting Day failed to receive the two-thirds majority but should get another shot at passing down the road. It's needed! For more, click on Interference.

For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site at the CWN home page and Church News at Noticias Eclesiales and Daily Dispatches, Dossiers and Features from ZENIT International News Agency. CWN, NE and ZENIT are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provide this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.