Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd Lk. 9:1-6 “Jesus sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God.”
- In Today’s Gospel, Jesus talks to the twelve about their Mission of spreading the joy of the Gospel. First we encounter Christ – in our daily Holy Hour, in frequent Confession, in Mass and Holy Communion live-streamed or in person, and in our daily rosary – Mary’s ladder to heaven! Then we bring Christ to others – in Gift of Self according to the circumstances of our life and the needs of those around us – beginning with our family, then our parish and our community.
- Saint Paul says in bringing Christ to others we are to fight the good fight and run the race to the finish! But there is another fight we must win if we are to serve Christ and win the crown of glory, and that is fighting against discouragement!
- These are challenging times. We may find ourselves at times fighting sadness, discouragement, and a certain lethargy. Therefore, we need to keep this article handy and apply the remedies therein liberally as needed!
- Let us begin today by meditating on this article on fighting discouragement!
FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT, AGAINST WHAT? DISCOURAGEMENT! YES, DISCOURAGEMENT! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
Enemy number one is sin! After the reality of sin, we must constantly be on guard, day in and day out, morning and evening and in all circumstances to fight forcefully against the devil of discouragement.
SAUL AND YOUNG DAVID. Even though chosen to be the King and leader of the Israelites, King Saul experienced frequent bouts of discouragement that easily led to depression. Young David would come to King Saul’s aid by playing a musical melody on the harp. This would assuage and alleviate Saul, at least temporarily, of the bad spirit of discouragement.
Like Saul, we all confront persons, places, circumstances, health situations, economic setbacks that can easily lead us down the road of discouragement.
SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA AND DISCOURAGEMENT. The great Saint Ignatius of Loyola understood keenly the reality of discouragement. So much did he understand this reality that he penned fourteen rules, The Rules for Discernment of Spirits for the First Week. Several of these rules deal with this topic. Manifestations of a state of desolation are that of discouragement, sadness, lack of faith, hope, and love, a tugging toward the sensual, in a word, seeing the world as if one were a dark and endless tunnel.
NO SHAME TO BE IN DESOLATION OR TEMPTED TO DISCOURAGEMENT. None of us should be ashamed if we find ourselves tempted to discouragement. Often it is the devil who is provoking this discouragement. However, it is incumbent upon all of us to be aware of this often subtle temptation of discouragement and fight forcefully against it. For if we give into discouragement, it can really wreak havoc within our lives.
SPIRITUAL STRATEGY. This being said, we would like to offer to all a game-plan, a strategy, that we can utilize so as to prove victorious in our battle against the all-present reality of discouragement.
1. VIGILANCE AND BEING AWARE! The first principle that should be enunciated in the battle against discouragement is the admission of the simple fact that in our lives there will be constant temptations to give in to discouragement. With this heightened awareness, we will not be taken off guard when the devil of discouragement is knocking at the door of our heart. Keep the door of your heart under lock and key, and flee from this devil!
2. PRAYER AND CONSTANT PRAYER. Jesus says that we should pray, and pray always, without giving up hope. Saint Paul reiterates the same idea when he says we should pray constantly and give thanks to God on all occasions.
3. THANKSGIVING: CULTIVATE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE. Following up on the previous idea, we should live in a constant state of thanksgiving. God is good, in all places and at all times. All that we have in our natural life, and more important, in our supernatural life of grace, are gifts from the Father of all good gifts. It might seem paradoxical, but most especially when we are in the state of discouragement, we want to call to mind the gifts so generously bestowed upon us by God, and often discouragement will disappear like the early morning dew that evaporates as the sun breaks through the clouds. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever. (Ps 136:1)
4. DAILY EXAMINE. Another helpful step in conquering discouragement is that of self-knowledge which can be attained through the Daily Examen of Consciousness. Saint Ignatius says those who are serious about growing in the spiritual life should never neglect the Daily Examen. This can prove of incalculable benefit for the simple reason that the Daily Examen, well done, will help us get to the root cause of why we are tempted to give into discouragement. The classical spiritual writers insist on the capital importance of self-knowledge. The desert Fathers coined the two-word axiom: KNOW THYSELF!!!
5. SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR. Also the saints insist that those who are pursuing an authentic life of holiness must all seek out some periodic and systematic spiritual direction. We all of have blind spots and cannot really see ourselves as we are. An experienced, spiritual, and well-educated spiritual director can help to pull us out of discouragement, as well as to help us from falling into the pit of discouragement!
6. TRANSPARENCY WITH OUR SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR. As a follow-up, it is extremely important and necessary that we do not hide or camouflage our state of soul with our spiritual director. Saint Ignatius, in his rules for discernment, highlights the fact that the devil wants us to keep our interior state of desolation, which is often discouragement, to ourselves. In this way, the devil can easily turn a mole-hill into a mountain. On the contrary, revealing our state of discouragement to our spiritual director can lift the cloud and allow God’s light, peace, and joy to return to our soul. In all humility, we need each other to help us through the pits and valleys, the dark nights and struggles of life.
7. CHECK YOUR HEALTH AND REST. Often we experience discouragement for the simple reason that we feel weak, sickly, depleted of energy. Two suggestions: get a physical checkup to see if there is something wrong on a physical plane. Next, make sure you are getting good rest at night. You would be surprised how a good night’s rest can change the tide. Many temptations descend upon us for the simple reason that we are not sufficiently well-rested!
8. GET OUT OF YOURSELF AND SERVE, HELP OTHERS! A trained spiritual director in Chile, Father Aldunate, S.J., was able to reform countless numbers of wounded people who suffered desolation, discouragement, and depression. He formulated this program: 1) Confession, 2) Daily Mental Prayer, and 3) Serving and helping others! What a simple but extremely efficacious program this Chilean Jesuit priest formulated. First, get back in the state of grace through the Sacrament of Confession, and then Communion. Engage in mental prayer, we call it meditation, an hour of prayer daily. Fulton Sheen called it the Holy Hour. Finally, get out of yourself and into the lives of others by serving them. How? Help feed and clothe the poor; visit the sick in the hospitals or in nursing homes, and finally, smile and say a kind word to those who are discouraged!
9. TALK TO THE SAINTS. Often those who suffer discouragement experience at the same time a certain feeling of loneliness. They feel that nobody cares about them, or, if they do care, it is very little. Even if this were the case, we are never really alone because we not only have God, we have the saints! The saints are God’s friends in heaven and they are our friends too! Despite their many trials in life, the saints lived in almost constant joy. Why? Because they were convinced that God really loved them. If you feel discouraged, remember that God loves you infinitely, but also remember God’s friends—the saints in heaven—who love you and are your friends too. Get into the habit of talking to the saints.
10. OUR LADY: CAUSE OF OUR JOY. Of course our essay would be incomplete if we did not invite Our Lady into our lives. After he died, Saint Dominic Savio appeared to Saint John Bosco and told Bosco that his greatest joy on earth was his tender and loving devotion to the Blessed Mother—Our Lady Help of Christians. In the midst of the dense clouds of confusion, depression, and discouragement, let us lift our gaze to Mary and cry out: Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope!
Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
