Why I am Renewing my 2017 Resolution to Keep My Sundays Internet-free -

By John Horvat II

Last year, I made a New Year’s resolution that I would make my Sundays Internet-free. It was not easy but, with one small exception, I was able to make a complete break with the worldwide web on Sundays. As we enter 2018, I will be renewing the resolution.

I made the resolution because I was frustrated by how the Internet can waste countless hours. There is so much more to life than emails, websites or social media. I was sickened by the allure of pop-up notifications that never deliver the boost they promise.

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Something had to be done.

Making the Break

However, I knew I could not cut off all Internet connections. I needed these links to survive in our modern world. Not having email is the closest thing to non-existence. I also needed to read articles and publications if I were to fight effectively against the evils of the day. The complete no-web option was not, and still is not, an option for me.

However, making Sunday Internet-free is a refreshing and restful option for me and others like me. Sunday was a free day. I did not need to be connected for work purposes. And so I decided to make the break, cold turkey. No Internet, email or social media would be permitted on the Sabbath thus made holy. The break had to be total.

Getting Used to Disconnecting

I must admit it was not easy in the beginning. The desire to check email was constant. Every possible excuse came to mind to shake my resolve. In such a state of withdrawal, the mind fantasizes and tries to create situations that might justify a quick virtual fix. Perhaps there were important messages that needed immediate attention. Maybe there was a schedule change that I needed to know about before Monday.

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On one trip, for example, I received an urgent text message on Saturday night informing me that my early Monday morning international flight might be delayed due to weather conditions. I was advised to check the website on Sunday for more information. I resisted the temptation, thinking how I had survived similar situations before the Internet. I calmly went to sleep Sunday night and awoke to find there were no problems at the airport.

Things Could Wait

At times, I found myself helpless. When I needed urgent directions or other information only found on the Internet, I was reduced to the humbling position of asking others to help me. This almost medieval situation helped me rely on the charity of others. It taught me patience. I soon found that I did not have to have everything instantly. Things could wait.

When friends told me that they were going to email me an article or document on Sunday, I had to ask them to print it out or put it on a thumb drive. Likewise, I could not send anything to them and often had to make an old-fashioned phone call. Friends quickly learned not to ask me for things on Sunday. I found they respected my Internet fasting and I suspect that some even envied my state.

The Benefits of Internet Fasting

With each passing Sunday, I found myself increasingly disengaged from the frenetic world around me. I could read and write without interruptions. I had more free time to do things I wanted to do. I would engage in more conversations because frankly there was no other option. Everything was calmer like Sunday should be.

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I now find my Sundays uncluttered. It is a welcome break from a frantic pace of life.  There is time to think and reflect on things. Being disconnected from the web connects me more to God. It is easier to pray in disconnected silence.

My Reasons for Continuing

Thus, as we enter 2018, I will renew my resolution to keep my Sundays Internet-free. I list again my three reasons for doing so. These reasons come in handy because they steady me in my resolve when tempted.

The first reason is that it is the Lord’s Day. This day is not mine; it is His. It is only right that it be consecrated to God. I should be spending my time thinking about Him and the wonderful universe He created for us, I should be praying, worshiping and giving Him glory.

Secondly, Sunday is traditionally a day of rest. It is proper that we leave our daily rat race for at least one day to ponder and rest to prepare for the week ahead. As we are social beings, it is a perfect occasion to visit and converse with others.

Finally, I believe that a true culture can only come from those who take the time to contemplate the meaning of life during their leisure. The failure to seek psychological repose leads to much anxiety and stress. An Internet-free Sunday is my personal and positive way of contributing to a culture in much need of rejuvenation.

I am not claiming that this one resolution will transform lives completely. After all, it is but one day out of seven.  However, it will help people slow down and think about those things that matter.

From experience, I am encouraged by the fact that I know it can be done. I survived Sundays Internet free for a whole year. Others can also do this. It is something practical and feasible for those who are frustrated by their Internet usage. For those looking for a New Year’s resolution, it is well worth a try.

Why I am Renewing my 2017 Resolution to Keep My Sundays Internet-free -: Why I am Renewing my 2017 Resolution to Keep My Sundays Internet-free

Victory! Satan Kicked Out of Boca Raton -

By John Horvat II

Over 200 faithful Catholics in Florida converged on Boca Raton’s Sanborn Park Square on December 1 to protest a satanic “Christmas” display next to a Catholic Nativity scene. They soon learned to their joy that the display would not be appearing this year as it has for the past two years.

Sponsored by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) and its Return to Order and America Needs Fatima campaigns, the protest quickly became a “victory and thanksgiving” rally. Jubilant protesters praying the rosary were thrilled to hear that Satan was kicked out of Boca Raton.

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To challenge this affront to God, the Return to Order campaign collected over 50,000 signatures this year asking that a permit be denied. Local press coverage reported earlier that city officials were resigned to allowing the display since they did not have the legal resources to fight it.For the last two years, a Boca Raton middle school teacher has placed an inverted pentagram display inscribed with satanic slogans in the park. It has triggered widespread protest from Catholics offended by horrendous slogans such as “May the Children Hail Satan.” The school teacher told the media that he had every intention on bring the display back to the park this year.

Working with local activists, Return to Order decided to confide in Our Lady’s power over Satan and protest with a rosary rally on the actual site of the display on December 1 when it would have been installed.

As the finishing touches were being put on the rally preparations, news suddenly circulated that the school teacher had “missed” the permit deadline. Satan was defeated.

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“This display has been the talk of the town for this upcoming Christmas season,” said activist Willy Guardiola with the local Christian on a Mission group. “After this powerful protest, the city will not be displaying the satanic atrocity.”

The Boca Raton victory rosary rally came after a similar victory on November 4. The Return to Order campaign protested a huge porno-sculpture of a naked female figure that was scheduled to be displayed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for four months. The moral disaster was averted when the National Park Service denied a permit to the sponsoring organization.

These successes show that protests do work. Satan can be kicked out of town if people let their voices be heard.

“Our Lady of Fatima is more powerful than Satan,” said Sergio de Paz of the outspoken Miami-based Cuban exile group Cubanos Desterados. “We just need to be out there to fight for her. She will do the rest!”

Victory! Satan Kicked Out of Boca Raton -

Christ at the White House Inn -

By John Horvat II

As Christmas approaches, there is much talk of a post-Christian America. No one can dispute that the Christ Child finds no place in many secular hearts. For these, Christmas is merely a time of holiday and sparkle with little real significance.

Over the ages, so many have followed the route of those who dismiss Christmas as foolish. They claim Jesus has no power over souls and nations. And yet the Christ Child has always overcome the hardness of human hearts. The Infant King has triumphed and will triumph in the end. Foolish are those who refuse Him a place in their hearts.

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To those who boldly claim America to be post-Christian, let them consider that even in these most secular days, Christ is honored and glorified in surprising ways. The mighty machines of industry stop on the blessed day of His birth. Government halls darken on this day. All major institutions pause to give him honor. Families everywhere gather to celebrate the grace of Christmas when one can still sense the sweetness and perfection that emanates from the Divine Infant in the manger in Bethlehem.

Even now, the most powerful nations bow before Him. Let them consider the fact that for decades, the Christ Child has found shelter in the White House.

The United States is the most powerful nation in the world. Its president is the most powerful world leader. And yet in the house of the President, a crowned Christ Child occupies a place far more honorable and important than that reserved for the president himself. He resides there as king, and the house is decorated at its best to pay Him homage. No foreign leader is treated with more honor and respect than this tiny Child.

Indeed, this Christmas, this Presence shines with particular pomp and splendor. There is open mention of Christmas in addresses and greeting cards. It is as if some forbidden decree has been lifted. This year’s refreshing celebration, while not ideal, reflects a desire of countless Americans that He be treated in a privileged way. This new splendor is welcomed by a society long stifled by politically correct diktats.

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For too long, the nation has suffered by those in power who have tried to minimize the event. They have even tried to make it non-religious or politically correct. They have avoided mentioning Him by name.

But the force of that compelling grace of Christmas has proven stronger. No president has dared to expel the Child from the inn. For decades, the beautiful Nativity Scene has always been set up. While failing to acknowledge Him properly, there at least has always been room in the White House Inn—even in supposedly post-Christian America.

That is why winning the war on Christmas is so important. America will not be post-Christian as long as Christ has a place in the hearts of its people. The Christmas season is an annual time to renew that bond full of tender goodness and innocence. America must not allow Christ to be expelled from hearts and society. Christmas must be merry again.

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If enough Americans recognize God, God will indeed bless America. Christmas is a reminder that all things are possible with God. Indeed, on that ineffable night when a Savior was born to Mary ever Virgin, an immense impossibility became possible: the God-man was born.

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In these days so much like those of Christ’s time when everything seemed impossible, similar wonders can happen. The seemingly impossible return to Christian order will be possible as long as He is recognized and still finds a place in hearts, society and at the White House Inn.

Humanity is given the unimaginable on this sublime day. Puer natus est nobis, Et filius datus est nobis, says a passage from the Christmas liturgy. “For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us.”(Is. 9:6)

Christ at the White House Inn -: Christ at the White House Inn