The Catholic Church in America launched what is perhaps the largest legal defence of religious liberty in history, but the “mainstream” (= leftist) media won’t carry the story of the persecution of the Catholic Church by the Obama Administration. This is exactly how things worked out in Germany before the Holocaust. Yep. Will we refuse yet again to learn from history? Perhaps the MSM is waiting for the decision about commerce laws coming up in June. If it’s decided that everyone must purchase a certain product (abortion insurance, thus paying into the pot which will pay for abortions), and this against their consciences, mayhem will ensue. The next decision, more specifically about religious liberty, if this is not taken up within the commerce decision, will need to happen before 1 August, or mayhem will ensue. What to do, I mean, you know, practically speaking?
Actually, the most practical thing one can do is to pick some flowers, put them in a little vase, and bring them to church, and put them before a statue of our Lady, the Immaculate Conception. I hope no one has forgotten that she is the Patronness of the United States. I hope no one has forgotten that she, as a mother, is solicitous for our welfare. I hope no one has fogotten that her intercession is most powerful before the throne of the Most High. We are her little children, are we not? Don’t little kids pick flowers to bring to their mothers? Sure, it’s a simple thing to do. But, you know, it changes everything. 
It sets everything in proper order. We are in humble thanksgiving for the intercession that our heavenly mother provides for us. Aren’t flowers appropriate? Don’t underestimate the fortitude for facing what is to come with a small action like this. Just do it.
And then… and then… while you’re in church, do what is actually even more practical than that, something that our Lady will push you to do while you are there. Go to confession. Yep. It’s useless to battle for religious freedom if there is no usage for the freedom! And confession brings such a great grace to us! So, flowers for our Lady, and then the confessional. You can do it.
And don’t think for a second that you have to buy flowers (though you may if you can!), nor that they have to be super spiffy like the forest flowers of Holy Souls Mountain in this post. None of that is necessary. Just some simple wild flowers will be more than adequate. And… and… if you can’t do that, and even if you can, know that there another flower or set of flowers that you can give to our Lady: the Hail Mary, indeed, the Rosary. The rosary is so called because the Hail Marys are roses, no? Roses have thorns: ouch! I’m sure our Lady will see your sacrifice as well! There are often “thorns” to put up with when we do projects like this, as so many things, like thorns, can get in the way. Get past the thorns, and get to the flowers!
Accompany me, Father George David Byers, S.S.L., S.T.D., as I begin life as a Catholic Priest-Hermit by choice. Holy Souls Hermitage is dedicated to the sanctification of my fellow priests, bishops, deacons & seminarians going through the purgatory of this life or the next. Prayer and sacrifice go up, of course, for both Benedict XVI and the next Successor of Saint Peter. 
Oh Fr. George! You are absolutely correct!! When my head is so full of ominous threats to our Catholic faith, when my heart is so heavy with premonitions of history repeating its persecutions of people of faith, when I just seem to be so depressed by the apathy of those around me to the crucial point in history facing the United States, when I can’t even pray with words, I pick flowers for the Blessed Mother! And it does change everything!! For me, this simple act of picking lovely wildflowers for the Blessed Mother is praying from the deepest part of my heart and I am instantly filled with peace and renewed strength.
Might I suggest something even simpler than taking the flowers to a church since finding a church that is open other than during Mass is a thing from the past…..just set up a small little sacred place in one’s home with a statue or a picture of the Blessed Mother – an end table or a small stand will do quite nicely – and place the flowers before Our Lady and just watch and see what happens! Very soon the rosary will be placed there and then a prayer book and then a candle and before one knows it – there is a safe and sacred place to retreat to and pray when the outside world gets to be too heavy.
What a wonderful post and I am just so heartened to know that someone else feels the same spiritual strengthening just by the simple act of picking flowers for the Immaculate Conception and you expressed it with much more eloquence than I ever could. I encourage all your readers to do this! It really does work!! And what a great prayer movement this might become. Store-bought flowers are not necessary – simple garden flowers or wildflowers are just fine…..it’s the prayerful act of picking these flowers and offering them up to her in love and gratitude that counts. The Blessed Mother even loves the lowly dandelions – after all, it was her Son that created them all.
God bless you and the photos are beautiful !
On occasion I actually do pick flowers that grow around the local church and put them in front of a statue of our Lady but it has been awhile since I have done so. In light of this post I will try to get out there tomorrow to do so again.
As for the whole religious liberty battle, well, I’m not all that confident much will come of it. Perhaps I’m more pessimistic then some but I think we lost the culture war a LONG time ago and nothing short of some sort of miracle of grace will change hearts and minds. The most I think we can do is to fortify ourselves and our loved ones for what will probably be a persecution of some sort. In many ways this persecution depends on whether the bishops give in or not. If they stand firm and are willing to do whatever it takes to fight for the Catholic Faith then we WILL be persecuted, all of us. If they back down it will be business as usual. By persecution I’m not saying it will end up violent but it certainly could and basically history has shown that the more we actually fight for the Faith without backing down it will head in that direction.
And as a lifetime friend in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said, if there is a persecution and martyrs in America, we will then know that the Lord Jesus has not forgotten His Church, but blessed us all with many saints who will encourage the growth of the Church, saving many souls. Way cool!
Thank you Father George for putting things in proper perspective. Sometimes we are inundated with darkness and forget to look to the source of light. God bless you Father.
Thanks for the reminder about the Rosary. We are enabled to give a spiritual bouquet wherever we are; you can say the Rosary anywhere.The heart can be lifted to God through Our Lady.