1.0The Deacon's Benchhttps://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/deaconsbenchDeacon Greg Kandrahttps://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/deaconsbench/author/gkandrarich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="0XFvlmLg9j"><a href="https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/deaconsbench/2008/09/deliver-us.html">Deliver us…</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/deaconsbench/2008/09/deliver-us.html/embed#?secret=0XFvlmLg9j" width="600" height="338" title="“Deliver us…” — The Deacon's Bench" data-secret="0XFvlmLg9j" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> If you’d like some spiritual distraction from the noise and nastiness of this election year…try this on for size. The USCCB has published a Novena for Faithful Citizenship, designed to be prayed on the nine Tuesdays leading up to the election on November 4. Good old reliable Rocco has posted part of the opening prayer,…