"We have sinned, been wicked and done evil" (Daniel 9:5)

A few weeks ago, I put up a post from another blog about what were some of the things Simplex Vir was going to do in the battle against abortion. (10 Rules of Engagement to Stop Abortion) As I read this, it reminded me of a major fustration I have, even if we don't directly support abortion, with how things are in this country, we are still being forced to do so indirectly.

1 organization, Life Decisions International, compiles a least of corporations that fund Planned Parenthood. They also track non-profits that support PP. This is a useful tool to help up direct our money, where possible, to companies that don't help PP. Unfortunately, even if we avoid every product at a store that is sold by pro-PP companies, the money we spend at a store is fungible. Our money gets mixed with all the other money & may be used to but more products from these companies.

I don't say this to discourage you. It is part of the facts we need to be aware of for what I am leading up to. Keep this in mind over the next few paragraphs.

Another area where we indirectly support the abortion industry is through the medicines we take. Many of us are on meds that are produced by companies that also produce the pill or other drugs used for abortions. The profit they make from our drug may be used for research that goes against our values. Again, we can't stop taking the meds. & even if any meds we are on don't come from companies that produce the pill, etc, most of us don't have a pro-life pharmacy to go to. Remember what I said about fungible money?

But, the biggest way we are helping PP & the others branches of the "culture of death" is through our tax money. I have posted before about how our state & federal taxes help PP. With the overturn of the Mexico Policy we will be using more federal money that comes from our taxes to fund abortion. & Obama announced Friday that on Monday he will lift restrictions on funding for embryonic stem cell research.

So, what is this all leading up to?

Besides making me sick & disgusted at where our culture is going, back to a lesson from the Bible that I think has very practical relevance for today.

Over the last few months Daniel 9 has come to my mind again & again. Before I get to what is in Chapter 9, a little background. Daniel was a Jewish youth taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. He was 1 of 4 youths selected for special service who asked for an exemption from eating the foods provided so they could be faithful to Jewish dietary regulations. Basically, Daniel made sure that he was faithful to God's laws in their entirety.

So, lets go to chapter 9. Daniel is reading the prophecies of Jeremiah. What he read led him to his knees in prayer. It also led him to say a prayer of repentance. & even though he didn't sin himself, he knew that as a part of the Jewish people he shared in the corporate guilt of the nation. He didn't say, they have sinned. He prayed: "We have sinned!" He acknowledged their sins, confessed them & sought God's forgiveness for the sins of his nation.

I believe we are at a point similar to that of Daniel. We have elected a president who is the poster child for the "culture of death". Corporate greed has ran rampant. Our nation has piled up sin upon sin. & we are at a point where we are giving God no option but to let us reap what we have sown.

But, you say, I haven't done any of these things. I've worked for Pro-life candidates & laws. I support my local Right to Life group as well as my local crisis pregnancy center. I haven't been greedy, I've helped the poor, etc.

While that may be true, we have to be careful that we are like the Pharisee in the Parable of the Pharasee & the Publican. (Luke 18:10-14) The Pharisee bragged about all the good he did & refused to acknowledge his sinfulness.

As I pointed out about, we may not have sinned, but we are citizens of the USA. & thus, like Daniel, we do bear some responsibility for the sins of our nation.

So what can we do? We need to follow the lead of Daniel. We need to repent of the sins of our nation. (Note: those from other countries aren't exempt. You need to do the same for the sins of your nation.) We need to acknowledge them, ask God to forgive them. But we also need to ask God to change our hearts, those of our leaders, our fellow citizens, & even ourselves where we still harbor sin.

It may be too late for us to completely avoid chastisement. In fact, I honestly think that it has already started. But, it still isn't to late to keep us from having to face the full force of the chastisement.

What should we do. We can start by adapting the prayer of Daniel found in Chapter 9, putting in the sins of our nation. We need to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Rosary, we need to pray for Obama & our elected officials that God will change their hearts.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read this promise of God: "if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." It doesn't say the sinners, it doesn't say the abortionists, it doesn't say the people promoting the "culture of death". It says God's people are to humble themselves, repent & pray. That's you & me.

God has been calling us to repent. Jesus has sent his Mother to Fatima, Akita & elsewhere with a message calling us to do penance. We can't say we haven't been warned.