From Father Steven - July 2, 2023

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 
This week we shall celebrate our Independence Day. It is a great moment to thank the Lord for the freedom that He has given us and to be able to live justly respecting each other. However, not everyone can be free today. Therefore, I would like to raise two issues regarding the lack of freedom that people suffer from.
 
This week there is a new movie coming out in theaters called “Sound of Freedom.” This movie has been in the making for many years. It was produced by Eduardo Verástegui, a great defender of the Catholic Faith and also the producer of “Bella”, and “Unplanned.” At the peak of his carrier, he decided to stop working in mainstream Hollywood in order to defend his faith. His life turned around and he decided only to work on movies that really help people. After producing his first movie “Bella,” he noticed how many people were helped by it and how many babies were saved from abortion. In his new production, he was joined by Jim Caviezel, who played the role of Jesus in the “Passion of Christ.” Both of them bring to the big screen the problem of children who are abducted and sold in the human-trafficking world. According Caviezel, the United States is the biggest buyer of trafficking pedophilia in the world and Mexico the biggest producer of it, with over 300,000 children being taken into the United States under the age of 18. The problem of human-trafficking of adults is also a major problem, not only for Eastern Europe, but also here in the States. Some data whether people are trafficked around Las Vegas for exploitation, or in the Southwest to work in the fields, it is a major issue that often goes unspoken. The movie is based on the true story of Homeland Security Special Agent Tim Ballard who leaves his job in order to save children from trafficking in South America. There are some parishioners who will be going to watch this movie on Thursday, July 6th at 6:40pm here in Marlboro.
 
Another issue related to freedom is those who suffer from spiritual bondage. Not only is there the issue of diabolical influence, which is rising in today’s world, but also there are problems of vices and things from the past that become a burden to people. Spiritual slavery is often related to people’s sufferings from the past, such as, problems/traumas from childhood, failure of parental or self-expectations, frustrated plans of life that never came to fruition, anger issues, lack of forgiveness, or also the day to day problems of life. God has created us to live in his freedom, to be able to love one another as He has loved us. Jesus Christ came to bring us the forgiveness of our sins and to help us to forgive others as well. However, the Devil throws lies against us that bind us and do not allow us to love. He convinces us that we don’t deserve God’s love, or that it’s impossible to forgive, or that we are incapable of being a spouse, parent, and saint. This is completely false, but, since he is the father of lies, he ends up convincing us every time that what he says is true. Here in the Archdiocese there is a ministry to help people who feel this spiritual bondage, who are not able to move on with life.  We have tried to do a day retreat this past semester, but there was no availability. Next semester we will be looking into scheduling this retreat again. It is amazing to witness the change in a person oppressed by these things through the power of Jesus Christ who frees them. It could be compared to someone dropping off a very heavy bag pack after carrying it for a long time. I have witnessed to Jesus lifting up people’s burdens that have oppressed them for very long, as well as occasions of reconciliation that seemed impossible, and acceptances of the limitations of life.
 
It is fundamental to understand that God acts in our lives in order to help us get closer to him. He may allow humiliations, precariousness, issues beyond our strength, only to prove to us that nothing is impossible for Him. Therefore, in this week as we celebrate the freedom of our Country, let us also think and pray for those who are imprisoned, enslaved, or in spiritual bondage.
 
God Bless,
Fr. Steven