The following comes from a December 19 Inland Catholic Byte article:
In response to divisions that emerged from the presidential campaign and in support of healing and hope for the country, Bishop Gerald Barnes is asking parishes of the Diocese to participate in a one-day fast during the final 18 days leading up to the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States.
As they fast, parishioners are encouraged to pray for the country and that the presidency of Donald Trump will promote human life and dignity, and the common good.
excellent idea
i would wish that the prayer would be for the church to succeed with its principles. the united states’ principals today include things that definitely promote the lgbqt+ community which the good bishop has shown to be a major focus of his ministry. let us fast and pray for the mission of the church to bring light to the dimming light seen in our country.
Don’t think he will have much luck.
While prayer and support for our country is certainly a good thing… it does seem that if the election had gone the other way, the good bishop would be calling instead for prayer and support for our new president?
Fasting is a wonderful practice. It will also prepare many of us for what is coming under the next president: inflation, disdain for all but the wealthy class and food shortages. God Bless America!
Let us know when you are able to depart from the Land of Oz. Worried about “food shortages”, eh? Better go and pick up your food stamps early, then.
What I like about this effort by, the Bishop is that it is non-partisan. We ought to pray for our leaders regardless of who they are or what policies we think they will enact. I agree with you, George, that this next president will probably bring inflation, disdain for all but the wealthy, etc., but we must pray for him and our country, regardless, just as we ought to pray when candidates we like win. IMHO.
Non-partisan? Don’t recall the same diocese-wide call for prayer and fasting before either inauguration of President Obama. Seems to me the partisanship is implicit by the very fact of the bishop’s request. Why now and not before? Nonetheless, prayer and fasting for the well being of the country is always good, though, in this instance, I think you are kidding yourself if you don’t detect a smidgen of partisanship.
I honestly do not see where there is partisanship in praying for secular leaders and a country, so maybe you are detecting something I am missing. But would you agree with me that it would have been a good thing to have done exactly the same thing 4 and 8 years earlier, and again in another 4 years?
Non-partisan, you say. Thanks for a good laugh. I live in Bishop Barnes’ Diocese of San Bernardino, and I can assure you that Bishop Barnes is anything but non-partisan. In both politics and religion, he holds extremely liberal views. Barnes definitely falls in line behind Pope Francis.
Sissified idea of fasting. For many people one full meal and two smaller meals are a normal day’s eats! Ridiculous.
It is good to fast and pray for all of our leaders and our nation. Does anyone know if the bishop called for prayer and fasting after Mr. Obama was elected?
Sometimes even prayer has been, unfortunately, politicized.
And what of January 22, dear Bishop? I’ll apply said fastings on that day.
Sorry, I’m going with Beer and Pizza right up through inauguration, not so much for Trump’s victory, but rather Clinton’s defeat. Truly we’ve dodged a bullet–at least for the present.
As for my upper-Crust tastes, I assure you, it’s not Delivery, it’s DiGiorno.
“It is meant as a show of support for our country,” so says Bishop Barnes. Why the change of heart?
I’ll pray and fast for the USCCB. They’re the reason the country is in this mess!
How about Holy Hours and fasting to ask God to save us from bad religious leaders?
Bishop Barnes rode Amtrak all the way to Washington,D.C. and back to celebrate Obama’s INAUGERATION—–NO CALLS FOR FASTING THEN.
So, does Bishop Barnes think we should have voted for pro-abortion Hillary Clinton?
Wm. Hamilton I agree with your comment about why was there no prayer or fasting called for when Obama became President. After all Obama was the most pro abortion President in American history. And let us not forget that it was the Obama presidency that put the dagger in the traditional family of husband and wife. Christians and Catholics that do not agree with this situation can not even voice their opinions or freedom of religious expression without being persecuted. A failed presidency if there ever was one. Perhaps the good Bishop could perform an exorcism now that the Obama presidency is finally ending. Let us all pray and fast that President Elect Donald Trump has the courage to appoint pro life Supreme Court Justices and bring…
to conclude and bring the culture of life back to America. Pray America Pray! Fast America Fast!
I too have spent some time in Bp. Barnes’ (he’s Hispanic/Latino, you know) diocese, and as Xavier says, he is overtly quite slanted to the Demautocrat party and a big Obama supporter. Besides, the “prayer and fasting” pantomime is part of exorcism prep (Mark 9:29), an obvious dig at Trump as the devil.
Bp. Barnes (he’s Hispanic/Latino, you know) has had at least two interviews with America magazine where he shows his progressive-politicrat leanings, and it’s a shame priesthood and ordination got in the way of his vocation. The rest of the time you get to hear Bp. Barnes’ (he’s Hispanic/Latino, you know) homily references to how tough it was for him as a Hispanic/Latino in the Church to get ahead. Poor, poor Bp. Barnes.
After 8 years of unrestrained POTUS support of the devil by supporting and funding of abortions, homosexuality, impurity, racism, illegal immigration, terrorism, Iran’s nuclear proliferation, unfair non-free international trade, promotion of government control and dependence by high-unemployment and increased taxation (example: Obamacare) by Obama’s dictatoralship thuggery and executive orders; it will be refreshing to pray and fast to drive the evil demons out of the White House so the Trump Administration will govern according to God’s Holy Will.