The following article is a practical reflection on the significance of this prayer in light of the challenges we now face as Catholics in the United States.] In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that freed slaves in the southern states. The northern states had already taken action to abolish slavery fifty-nine years earlier.

The renowned English writer Graham Greene once wrote about the tragic effects of persecution on the Church. He said, “Private houses were searched for religious emblems and prison was the penalty for possessing them. Every priest was hunted down or shot, except one who existed for ten years in the forests and swamps, venturing out only at night…

The balloons are gone. The banners stored away. The acrimonious debates and the daily fare of bitter attacks ended. The 2012 election is behind us. The most expensive election in U.S. history, with spending estimated at $ 5.6 billion, has given another four years to the President.

Deadly Tornados in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Overflowing rivers flooding Ohio. Dust storms in Oklahoma. Earthquakes from Virginia to Maine and in California. Volcanic eruptions in Hawaii and Alaska. Blizzards in the Northeast.