SEEK A New Year With New Beginnings

"And he that sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And he said unto me, 'Write: for these words are true and faithful.'" - Revelation 21:5

Hello my dear friends in Christ! Today we celebrate the feast day of the Holy Family. As we approach a new year let us continue to bless our own families with constant love and support. At times we may hurt the ones we love most just because they are part of our family. With that being said, we need to begin again and renew the love of Christ between our family members or at least ignite the fire of love for them in a more passionate and selfless way.

Speaking of a new year with new beginnings I've decided to go to the SEEK conference in January held by FOCUS (The Fellowship of Catholic University Students). It's amazing how fast time flies. I registered for this event in October and the new year is almost here! Just a few more days before I'm off to visit with over 6,000 other Catholics from around the nation! I'm so excited to engage with my fellow peers in Jesus Christ. This should be a wonderful opportunity to make new friendships and foster old ones. It is a time for us to celebrate the presence of the living God in Holy Communion and Adoration. There will also be some wonderful speakers there, including Matthew Kelly, Leah Darrow, and Jason Evert. As you can tell, I'm really excited!

But in all honesty, I had no idea how this would all come together. In October I had registered without knowing if any of my friends were going. I had asked a bunch of people if they wanted to come with me, but unfortunately they were all going to be busy at the time. However, I was determined to go. So I signed up anyways. Since my school does not have a FOCUS group on campus I was worried that I would go and not know anyone! But God truly makes things work out for the best. After some time I heard that more and more of my friends were going to come too. So just by trusting in Him I signed up for something that seems like it's going to be a very enjoyable experience with some of my friends—even though I didn't know it at the time.

Besides hanging out with my fellow Catholic friends, this is an opportunity for me to discern my future in a more intimate way in the presence of God. For a while I have been constantly discerning what God's future plan is for me when I graduate college. I have some thoughts in mind, but every time I consider what I might want to do I become even more confused. I think going to an event like this will hopefully make my paths clearer in my discernment. So while I'm at this event I will be going to seek Him and keep you in my prayers. I greatly appreciate you for reading my blog. Thanks for your support. Please pray for me too as I embark on this journey soon!!! God bless you in the New Year of 2013. *Note: Also if you are going to SEEK hope to see you there!* ;)

SEEK2013 : what moves you from FOCUSNational on Vimeo.

To Jesus Through Mary

"And Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' And the angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.'" - Luke 1:34-35

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a splendid holiday with family and friends. This is a joyous season because even after Christmas day we still celebrate our Savior's birth until the Epiphany in January. The Nativity of Jesus is so beautiful to meditate on. As we reflect on this we recognize how Jesus was brought into the world, through the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the flesh. God became human, which no one had expected at the time, to save humankind from sin and lead us to salvation. Without Mary, His mother, this could have never happened! This is what Christmas is all about. Christmas itself entirely revolves around the fact that Mary gave birth to the Christ Child.

Recently, I spoke with a friend of mine who was a convert to Catholicism. Over the years she has become closer and closer to the Blessed Mother. From her conversion she realized that not only did Mary bring Jesus into the world for us, but she is also the way for us to get to Jesus. Mary is the link between humankind and God. Although she was human too, the Madonna was born immaculate and divine. She is sinless and pure. She is the Queen of Heaven and the Holy Mother of the living God...making her our own mother too.

In this time, as we continue to celebrate the Christmas season, let us honor Mary for her humble and obedient "yes" to conceive and bear the Son of God. Let us praise the little baby Jesus as He comes to us lying in a manger of a lowly stable. Let us be like the shepherds who heard the angels and came flocking to surround the newborn Messiah. So the next time you go to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament put yourself in their shoes. Picture yourself in the Nativity scene and meditate on what it would be like to see Him on the very day of His holy birth.

          

Finding the Joy of Christmas in a Time of Sorrow

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." 
- Psalm 34:18

Hello dear friends in Christ! Today is the Third Sunday of Advent. I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything for a while. I have been so busy with final exams and finishing off the end of this semester. But I'm happy to say I did very well and I'm so glad it's over! Praise the Lord! As I was saying, this day commemorates the anticipation of Christmas and the joy of the Christ's coming by lighting a pink candle on the Advent wreath. However, with the recent events that occurred in Connecticut, it is hard for people to embrace this joy in a time of grief and sorrow.

I am still in shock that a young man would just barge into an elementary school and shoot up 20 little kids and 6 adults. This is America—a country where children should be safe. First graders shouldn't need to be worried that someone is going to shoot them in their own school. This is a very sad tragedy. Many parents, families, and friends of those little children are hurting so much now. And of course, as evil would have it, this shooting just happened to take place right around Christmas. This goes to show when people start turning to God, like most do around Christmastime, the devil tries to steal their joy away from them.

Reflecting on this incident, it seems to be reminiscent of the story How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Like the Grinch, this young man, filled with hatred in his soul, stole the greatest joy away from the parents of these little children. Of course this causes a great amount of sorrow. But the question is, how can we find joy during Christmas when we experience a terrible loss like this? The answer is, Jesus...who is the reason for the season. But like any natural human being, finding joy at this time will not be easy. I, myself, lost a grandparent this year. This will be my first Christmas without my grandmother. But looking into the light of hope and salvation, this is where we can find real joy through Jesus' birth. Christ came to save the whole world! I'm sure that all of those beautiful little children are living a wonderful life with Him, in heavenly glory, right now.

If we hang on to this hope, this love of Christ, and this joy...it is possible to experience a Christmas filled with merriment. Being together with loved ones, friends and family, is always the best solution. Just the closeness of someone who cares can bring a smile to a mourning family member. As the grim feeling starts to fade, light will soon emerge from the darkness and being to softly warm the heart again with a glimmer of joy—the joy of Jesus' presence.

As my priest at church announced this morning, eight families will be holding funeral Masses for the children at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Newtown, CT. Let us continue to pray for those families, our Catholic brothers and sisters, along with the others who are suffering at this moment. Let us pray that they can and will find Christ's joy in the Christmas season and during the new year. God bless those little children and God bless America.

There's A Glitch

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." - John 15:13

Over the weekend I finally saw the new Disney movie called Wreck-It Ralph. It was so cute!!! I highly recommend it for a family movie night. It's most definitely enjoyable for all ages, very well done, and super entertaining!

*SPOILER ALERT!* Throughout the duration of the movie I noticed many good and valuable life lessons. Here are some just to name a few. One: the desire for conversion. Two: the true meaning of love and friendship. Three: to restore/mend what is broken—especially if you created the problem or mess in the fist place.

Initially, I noticed the expression of Ralph's desire for conversion. After a long life of continuously breaking things people began to hate him for it. Being a video-game character, Ralph was created as a "bad guy" for his game called Fix-It Felix, Jr. The "good guy" was Felix and everyone loved him. He was always getting medals for doing good deeds. He was praised and honored for being such an exemplary role model—always fixing what was broken. Ralph was tired of living like this. He decided he didn't want to be the "bad guy" anymore. He wanted to be good! He wanted to change his life for the better! And he wanted to be truly happy.

Although he had such a great desire in his heart, the task was not easy. Everyone kept telling him that "bad guys" don't win medals and can never be good. This was discouraging, but he did not give up. He realized he could not win a medal in his own game, so he decided game jump into Hero's Duty. In this game he found a way to win a medal. Everything was going just fine until some of the CY-Bugs started to attack him.

This relates very much to how to devil will try to discourage you and attack you for doing something that is good. Since his desire for conversion was so great no wonder why it was challenging! These obstacles that get in our way need to be acknowledged in our lives, but must not defeat us. We need to overcome evil when we are faced with it. We must continue to aim for the best—like Ralph did when he desired to win that shiny golden medal and become a "good guy."

As he was trying to get away from the bugs, Ralph was chased into a little girl's game called Sugar Rush. In the land made of candy Ralph met very spirited little rascal, Vanellope von Schweetz. Little Vanellope was known as "the glitch" because her programming code was messed up. In Sugar Rush all the other little girls could race cars, but Vanellope couldn't be a racer since she was a glitch and would mess up the game.

Both Ralph and Vanellope, two very unlikely friends, formed a bond relating to the fact that they were always unwanted by everyone else around them. The two misfits made a deal to help each other get what they want—Ralph's medal and Vanellope's race car. Fortunately, they found a way to achieve their desires. However, once Vanellope had her race car Ralph pulverized it to protect her from racing. He talked to King Candy and found out that Vanellope could destroy the game and herself if she were to race since she was a glitch. Ralph's intentions were good, but again he came across as the "bad guy." This made Vanellope very upset.

Eventually Ralph found out that King Candy had lied to him about Vanellope racing. In fact, King Candy was the one who messed up her code in the first place to make her a glitch. He was trying to prevent her from racing because if she did she would reset the game and her code would be fixed.

At this revelation Ralph got Felix to fix Vanellope's race car. This also helped in mending their friendship. After some training and getting her car back Vanellope was ready to race. She was admitted as a contestant and took off. But during the race thousands of CY-Bugs appeared and began to attack the game of Sugar Rush. If they didn't stop the bugs, Sugar Rush and the entire gaming arcade would be destroyed!

Ralph knew what he had to do. He wanted to save Vanellope, her game, and the arcade. The only way he could think of doing it would be to smash into the top of Coke Mountain and make all the mentos icicles fall into the soda. This would make a huge explosion and eliminate the CY-Bugs from the game. However, if Ralph died in the explosion outside his own game he would not regenerate—meaning he would be gone for good. But he took the risk in doing so to save Vanellope and everyone else.

This is a very Christ-like action he took. Ralph decided to sacrifice himself for his friend's life. If there is anything to take away from this movie, that would be it. What a great life lesson! And to top it off, his heroic deed screams "good guy"—which is far better then winning any medal, in my opinion. Even though he didn't die, because little Vanellope snatched him up in her race car just in time, he was most certainly willing to die for her.

Ralph also made an effort to fix Vanellope's race car. Although he could not do it himself, he found someone who could. Ralph realized that it was wrong to destroy her car and he should have let her race in the first place. Come to find out, King Candy was an impostor known as Turbo (who was another racer from a different game).

Once the CY-Bugs were gone Vanellope crossed the finish line and Sugar Rush was reset. All of the code was restored and the characters could remember what had happened before King Candy took over. Apparently, Vanellope wasn't just a racer—she was also known as "Princess Vanellope von Schweetz." All of the girls who used to make fun of her for being a glitch were now in awe of her royalty. Ralph was also recognized as a hero for saving the gaming community. 

In the end, Ralph was still the "bad guy" for his game because that's his role. However, he is now accepted as a friend among the other characters. In fact, there would be no Fix-It Felix game without Ralph...so he is definitely recognized as an important member. But the best thing that came out of this entire adventure was his friendship with Vanellope. Disney demonstrated a beautiful Christ-like love between these two crazy characters. Plus, the two misfits are now in there rightful place, are recognized as being important members of their own game, and there is peace among the communities. Talk about a real happily ever after! We, too, should strive for love and peace within our own world through prayer, fasting, and the demonstration of it in our own lives.

          

Medjugorje Visionary Marija Visits Notre Dame

"And Mary said, 'My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has has done great things for me—holy is His name.'" 
- Luke 1:46-49

On November 15th the Medjugorje visionary, Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti, came to the University of Notre Dame for one of her daily apparitions. She came to witness to those living in South Bend, IN about the Medjugorje messages coming from Our Lady. My cousin, Lauren, attends the University of Notre Dame and she was fortunate to be able to go to this event with my aunt. Mary TV also streamed a live video feed online. (Click here to read Cathy Nolan's reflection of this event from Mary TV's perspective.) This was such a blessing! Because of this broadcast my family and I were present for the apparition as well, via the internet.

During the apparition you could see the peace of Our Lady's presence come upon Marija while she was in ecstasy. It must be so wonderful to see the beauty of the Blessed Mother everyday! What a gift! I cannot even imagine.

After the vision, Marija gave her testimony to all who gathered there. I was surprised to hear her speaking in English. Since I have done a lot of research about Medjugorje I know that this particular visionary never studied the English language. It was absolutely amazing to hear her witness in our own native tongue. When I went to Medjugorje in 2010 my family and I stayed with the visionary Ivan. Even though he knew how to speak English, he would always use a translator while giving a testimony since he was more comfortable speaking in Croatian. I am so glad Marija choose to speak in English this time. It was much easier for us to relate to her by hearing the witness given in our language.

While Marija spoke she reflected upon the reasons of why Our Lady is coming. Is is very apparent that our society today is corrupted in sin and in great need of the Blessed Mother's presence. At the event Marija relayed the message of God which came from the Blessed Mother, stating, "I am God, the Resurrection. I am the God who was crucified and died. But I am resurrected! I am with you and I died for you. But I give you freedom. In this freedom you have a choice. Good or bad. I call you for goodness." The Blessed Mother also added, "I call you for new life. It's your choice. It's your choice to say yes or no." 

It is so sad that numerous people across the globe have stopped following Christ. They have given up on Him and are looking to the world for their satisfaction. Some people even claim to be "spiritual" but not "religious." Spirituality can be very dangerous if it is not within a religious context, such as Christianity. This usually means they are following New Age trends or satanic influences. Those involved in these cults and/or do not believe in God are in grave danger. What they do not realize is that they are putting their own soul at risk of losing the opportunity of enteral life. That is why Our Lady is coming for them. She is coming to give them hope. She is coming to give all of us hope and the grace of conversion.

Marija's testimony rang with truth and conviction. Like she said, we need to give our "YES" to God. We need to accept Him into our lives to strengthen our faith day by day. Only in this way can we inherit His holy kingdom. Paradise is waiting for us! All of us! If people seriously knew this who would ever say no to happily ever after? But, as Marija testified, it is our choice. It is our choice to accept or reject. By rejecting Christ we have essentially rejected eternal life. But if we accept Him into our life and our hearts we accept His glorious kingdom. During this "Year of Faith" let us give our entire "YES" to God. Let us glorify the Lord like Mary did with her "YES" to becoming the mother of Jesus. For she has truly given us the greatest example in accepting the Will of the Father.

         

The Age of Heroic Catholicism Has Begun

"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'" - Matthew 25:31-34

The United States of America, and the Roman Catholic Church within our own country, has been forever changed. On November 6, 2012, the American people chose to re-elect a president who's policies go against our entire belief system as Catholics/Christians. People have chosen death over life, sin over purity, greed over generosity, satisfaction over sacrifice, slothfulness over diligence, socialism over democracy, and—essentially—evil over good. Besides President Obama embracing all of these vices (such as abortions, contraceptives, gay marriages...etc.) he has also weakened our economy with an increasing rate of unemployment/underemployment. It is astonishing to believe that he was re-elected as president again just on his record alone!

During the next four years we will be challenged. Catholics in America will be persecuted. Our religious freedoms will be stripped away bit by bit. However, those who remain true to Jesus in the sacrament of the Eucharist will receive the strength to endure these trying times. This will test our faith. Inevitably, Catholics across the nation will have to chose to stand with the church or not. It is a very clear-cut decision. The so called "casual Catholics" will no longer exist because those who remain truly faithful will be the only ones willing to endure the persecutions. 

Some people, including Catholics, may have no idea to what I am referring to. Shocking! Right? According to the Obamacare HHS mandate, Catholic institutions (including hospitals, charities, schools, and churches) will NOT be exempted from paying the health care taxes that include funding abortions. This is one of the biggest reasons why the GOP "pro-life" candidates, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, were against Obamacare in the first place. As Roman Catholics we are pro-life. That is a HUGE principal of our faith! Essentially, Catholics who voted for Obama indirectly put a wedge between themselves and the Catholic Church's teachings. Our Catholic identity does not come from the title of our faith. It comes from our own actions by living out the word of God. Saying that you are "Catholic" means nothing if you don't apply the teachings in your own life. And apparently half of the Catholics in America didn't get the memo! Or an even worse scenario—half of the Catholics refused to listen and voted to re-elect Obama anyways.

The US Bishops warned us time and time again about this mandate. Ramifications from this mandate include Catholic hospitals closing down by the refusal to pay taxes on the inhuman procedure of abortions and the utilization of contraceptives. Also, did you know that Catholic hospitals make up 12% of our entire nation's hospitals? That would be detrimental to the economy and well-being of US citizens if they were all forced to close. Click here for more info. Other institutions, like Catholic schools and churches, will also be attacked. There is the option of paying a huge fine for not paying the health care taxes. But for these institutions to have the means to survive AND pay the fines will be extremely difficult. It can be done...but over time you will see many many MANY of these schools and churches close down. If these institutions continue to stay open, refuse to pay the taxes, and cannot afford the fines... Catholics will be thrown in jail, especially the priests who run the churches. 

Can you see the infringements the government is placing upon our religious freedom? This clearly violates the first amendment of the constitution that allows us to have free exercise of religion. For example, Catholic education will become less affordable. The private Catholic schools and universities will probably have to jack up the tuition in order to pay the fines. However, that can only go so far before they start losing enrollment. Then they will start to close down, like the hospitals. This restricts us to secular education, removing our freedom to chose an education based in Catholicism. 

All of this is hard to imagine. But my worst fear is the government forcing the churches to pay these taxes. If the churches start to close down, and if priests get thrown in jail, where do the faithful go to attend Holy Mass? Where are we suppose to receive Jesus in the sacrament of the Eucharist? How does one get married in the Catholic church? Where will confession be offered? Baptism? Confirmation? Adoration? ...At this point I'm not sure. We'll have to cross that bridge when we get there. But there is no doubt in my mind that a war is developing on our church in this country. However, Cardinal Dolan reminds us that Catholics won't give up without a fight—which is entirely true.

The age of heroic Catholicism has begun! A new era of faith is born. Even the pope announced this year as the "Year of Faith." It is up to us to remain faithful, stand by the church, and endure the persecutions—whatever they may be—even if it means dying for what we believe in. Although I was originally devastated to hear the news that Obama was re-elected, this will give us the opportunity to embrace our faith even more...in the midst of evil. This will give us the opportunity of become REAL saints! We must be role-models for others. We must choose to say "yes" to Christ and become His sheep in the flock and let the others fall by the wayside (Luke 8:5-8). Those who embrace the church will be a dagger of light that pierces the darkness of the wickedness and sin. It is time to ignite that flame and let your heart burn fiercely for Christ. Remember what St. Catherine of Sienna said, "If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!" 

I invite you to join me in this effort of reviving the Catholic Church in the United States of America. There are 77 million Catholics in our country alone. It is time to wake up this sleeping giant! Pray the rosary with friends and family. Go to Holy Mass. Receive the sacrament of reconciliation. Utilize the resources of the Catholic Church while they are still available to us. (FYI: The mandate doesn't go into effect until August of 2013.) Even though we might not be able to control what the government does, we can control how we handle what is thrust upon us. It is not going to be easy. Be prepared that it will probably be extremely difficult. However, the reward of eternal life in Heaven will be over a million times greater then any suffering we may face on this earth. Do all that you can to bring souls to Christ. Help revive the church. Continuously grow in your own faith, day by day, so at the end of your life you may hear God say to you, "Well done my good and faithful servant."

"We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials." - St. Teresa of Avila

Your Prayer, Your Voice, Your Vote

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance." 
- Psalm 33:12

Catholic voters, this upcoming presidential election for 2012 is only a few weeks away. We need to ask ourselves... What does God truly want for the United States of America? What are His future plans for us and our country? How can America become a nation that will uphold His values? What is it going to take for our country to be successful and, at the same time, be loyal to the Almighty God? In what way can we serve God in this election?

These are all questions with answers that need to be determined on our own. But as a suggestion, contemplate WWJD: what would Jesus do? If Jesus could vote in this election who do you think He would choose? Who would please God more as our next president? It is obviously a very clear choice. God is giving us the opportunity to reform America with a new president. A president who will lead with honesty and integrity.

Since many people have already made up their mind about who to vote for, the election is coming down to the undecided voters. Please keep these men and women in your prayers. Pray, now and on election day, they will wake up with a clear decision inspired by enlightenment from Holy Spirit. Pray the rosary especially for them now and in the days to come. This is a very serious issue. It is no laughing matter, as Vice President Joe Biden might think.

Our country is under a serious attack through spiritual warfare. The best way to combat the evil lurking in the darkness is to pray for the American people. Pray with a radiant light! This light will shine so bright it will pierce the darkness and enlighten others. It is our job now. We must be that light—the light of Christ. Many saints have come before us and given examples of how to live a life for Jesus. We must follow in their footsteps. It is essential, for the survival of our nation as we know it.

CatholicVote.org just came out with a wonderful video and prayer for this election. I encourage you to watch it and share it with others.

This is my prayer for America:
Holy Spirit, come and be with us. Guide and enlighten us. Help us this night and everyday to do Your Will, to be open to Your inspiration, and to allow our lives simply to be reflections of Your creative power. And we ask only Your inspiration to guide us and lead us. That we may spend the brief days of our lives doing Your Will as best we can. Amen.

Just watching these Americans in this video above gives our country hope. Hope for a real change! Hope for a good change! It is imperative that Americans pray for our own country. But we, as Americans, also need to be informed on the issues at stake. Catholic voters should be aware of what to look for in the presidential candidates and what they stand for.

Here are PDF documents you can download and share with friends. Help them become more informed on the issues, especially if they are undecided Catholic voters.

• Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics by Catholic Answers.
• Where Do The Candidates Stand On Life? by National Right to Life Committee, Inc. 
• Florida Catholic Bishop's Statement by Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Know the Positions of the Presidential Candidates by Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Discerning Your Vote by Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Election and Political Activities Guide by Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Faithful Citizenship by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• YES: Amendment 8 & Religious Freedom by Citizens for Religious Freedom 

It is also important to know, as Catholic Americans, that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released a statement on October 12, 2012, refuting Vice President Biden's claim regarding the HHS mandate. According to this statement, Catholic organizations are not exempt from the Administrations's anti-Catholic HHS mandate. Click here to view the statement. The USCCB continues to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in the strongest possible terms, to eliminate the various infringements on religious freedom. However, since many of our religious freedoms are constantly under attack it is very important to vote YES to Amendment 8. This constitutional amendment will help protect our religious freedom. Click here to view the Amendment 8 Fact Sheet. (Note: This Amendment may only be found on the Florida voters ballot.)

Interestingly enough, The Christian Post also pointed out that many people tweeted the bible verse Proverbs 29:9 to describe Joe Biden after the recent Vice Presidential Debate. The verse states, "If a wise man goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace." This statement perfectly describes what happened when the two opposing Catholics went head to head on the issues at the debate. As a result of this, the GOP released a very interesting and powerful ad called "Laughing at the Issues."

I hope and pray that those capable of voting in this election will vote for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. May I remind you, not everyone in America can vote. That is why your prayer, your voice, and your vote are so important in this upcoming election. It is necessary to remain faithful to the values of the church as Roman Catholics living in America. Many people are counting on your vote! For example, the high school students shown in the video below describe what it's like for their future to be in the hands of the eligible American voters. They are voices without a vote. But if you are an American citizen that is 18-years-of-age or older, before the election, you have the opportunity to proclaim your voice and vote.

During this election, I choose to follow Jesus. If you do too He will never ever leave you astray. This I promise you. With all of my heart, I know America is headed towards a new, wonderful, beautiful, and bright future. But it is up to you. Will you decide to be heard on November 6, 2012, with your prayer, your voice, and your vote? May God bless you and God bless the United States of America.