CELIBACY AS GIFT

I think it’s a very important topic because there’s been a lot of crises over the past 50 years, 60 years. A lot of confusion.

Many of you are too young. Well, we are old, we remember it. The Pope Paul VI, there were a lot of priests who were living with priests to them in the 60s, those who are in their 70s like me.

And there was a lot of questioning whether or not celibacy should be obligatory. There was a lot of discussion right after Vatican II, Second Vatican Council. So given that we’re all men and we’re celibate men, and you have promises, we call it a vow, but it’s really the same thing.

We’re religious, priest, chastity, poverty, and obedience, but it’s really the same thing. And you probably haven’t studied too “much about it. Probably in your priestly formation, you have some courses on it.

Maybe not very deep, but I think it’s a topic we should really address for ourselves as well as for the community that we serve. I was preparing this talk about a week ago, and in the past hour I’ve been studying up, and I thought I’d give you some ideas on it. The first point I’d like to make is this, is that most people are called to the married life.

That’s the most common vocation, most. Some are called not to get married, nor to become priests or nuns. But most people are called to the married life, and thanks be to God, I’m here because of my mom and my dad, no?

So most are called to the married life. There is what is called the universal call to holiness, that’s Lumen Gentium Chapter 5, you’ve read the documents of Vatican II, Lumen Gentium Chapter 5, the universal call to holiness. But there are different pathways.

So what about us? We have been given a special gift. I was just reading a few minutes ago, Pope Paul VI, St. Pope Paul VI, I love, right, he is so easy to understand, Pope St. Paul VI.

By the way, he is a saint now, you probably know that, right? He was canonized with Romero, Cardinal Romero. He wrote, Sacerdosius Celebatis in 1967, which was a document on celibacy.

What do you call a celibacy for us? He calls it a brilliant diamond. Isn’t that beautiful?

What do you think? Isn’t that beautiful? It’s a brilliant diamond, it’s a treasure.

CHARISM

We have certain vocabulary as religious life, you’ve probably heard of charism. You’ve heard of the charismatic movement, but the word charism is a word we as religious use. We have a certain charism, like the Jesuits to give the retreats, the Redemptorist to give popular missions, Mother Teresa serving the poorest of the poorest or for a vow.

It’s called a charism. It’s a specific physiognomy that God has left to the church, usually through a founder or a foundress. But also celibacy, it’s a charism.

Another word for charism would be it’s a gift. So all of us have been endowed with that gift. And I think we should be overflowing with great gratitude that God has given us that gift.

I say gratitude, thankfulness that God has given us this special charism. So in my notes, I wrote down about five or six different ideas about this.

Okay, because we live in a world that is so saturated with sensuality and sexuality, no matter where we go, we’re bumping into photos and pictures and things on the internet. We’re being bombarded so much by today that there are, okay, more than one of you have told me that this Diocese has very few vocations, isn’t that true? Well, it’s very interesting because where we have tons of vocations is from Africa.

We have a house in Nigeria, and we have a thousand applications every year. We can only receive six. There are some Nigerians here, you know.

We can only receive six because we are poor and the house is small. But a thousand, that’s incredible. So you have, not that they would all be ordained priests, but here in the United States as “well as Europe, we are so bombarded by sensuality that there are young people that have the gift.

They have it. But I would say, I would say, they are not challenged. Sometimes they meet a young man that is praying, coming to daily mass, saying his rosary, and I will challenge him, hey, maybe you are called to be a priest.

Maybe we don’t have vocations because we are not as assertive, I didn’t say aggressive, but assertive enough in challenging young people to accept the call. So I believe there are more young people that are called to the priesthood than say yes. And that’s the next point.

ACCEPTING THE CALL

It’s a gift, but a gift has to be accepted.

Like all of us, we were challenged to accept a gift, and we’re here now because we said yes to the gift. But many have never accepted that challenge, and never said yes to the gift. Now we have St. Alphonsus in the back, one of my favorite saints.

“He wrote a book called Vita Religiosa, which is Italian for religious life. And he says that if you’re cold to the religious life and the priesthood, and you say no, can that person be saved? What do you think?

It’s a good question, right? He’s called and he says no. Alphonsus says yes, but it’s going to be more difficult.

It’s like trying to put a square peg in a round hole. I mean, you can do it, but try to do it. Because that was the specific vocation that God gave the person for sanctification.

So, if we were to have chosen the married life, not to say that we’d be damned, but it would be more difficult for us, because this is the vocation that God has given to us. Thanks be to God.

DEFENDING THE CHARISM

A gift that has to be defended and it has to be cultivated.

Remember, when I was in Argentina, I would do retreats with a group called Cristo Rey and Rosario. And I was, the founder was still living, and all the priests there, they would wear the religious habit. And, remember, on occasion, he said a lot of people would sometimes criticize those who wear the religious habit.

And remember what he said was this. They would say, “El hábito no hace monje.” He speaks Spanish.

“El hábito no hace monje”. And he responded, “Es cierto que lo define y lo defiende.” So if you don’t know Spanish, I’ll translate that for you.

The habit doesn’t make the monk, but he said, true, but it defines who he is and it defends him. Not that. It defines his specific consecration of God. It defends him against the attacks of the enemy.

And, it has to be, it has to be esteemed as that pearl, that diamond, that splendid diamond that Pope Paul VI speaks about, in his encyclical, Celibates, SACERDOTALIS CAELIBATUS Okay. Now, let’s talk about, let’s talk about how we can defend it.

Then, I like to talk about spiritual paternity. Because, you know, they call you Padre. I mean, if you speak Spanish. They call you Father! And I tend to be a friendly person. I tend to be sociable. I like the people. They like me as a whole. Not all, I’m sure. But, if someone would just come up to me and call me by my first name, if you do it, that’s fine, because we’re priests.

We’re brothers. But if a lay person would call me by my first name, I would gently correct them. I’m Father.

Because of the dignity of the priesthood, I am a spiritual father.

So, we should not have an identity crisis as to who we are. Many have an identity crisis. Do you remember when Colby, Max Main Colby, remember when he was on the concentration camp?

You ever read his life? I had the privilege of being at his canonization. I was a young seminarian.

What a great grace that was. When they took him aside when he’s offering his life for that man who had a couple of kids, they said, who are you? He said, I am a Catholic priest.

He did not have an identity crisis. Colby and me. I’m a Catholic priest.

So, to defend this charism, this gift, I’m going to give you several things. And I’d like to talk about how is it that we exercise our spiritual paternity? Because we’re fathers.

And it’s not so much that we negate our paternity, but we sublimate it. Sublimate it means we elevate it to a higher level. What a sublimate means is transcending the pure carnal or the natural.

That’s what it means. You never heard the word sublimate before.

A PEARL OF INFINITE PRICE

We will defend it by treasuring it as a pearl of infinite price. Jesus speaks that it is a pearl of infinite price. But also we have to pray.

We have to pray. This retreat is dedicated to praying, trying to go deeper in our prayer life. Maybe you have noticed, when you pray very little, you sin more.

Whereas, when you pray fervently, more crosses come. But you are able to resist the temptation, because God is stronger than our weakness. Amen?

Yeah. God is stronger than our weakness. We are weak, but God is very strong.

God is omnipotent, isn’t he? All-powerful. So we have to pray. Pray that we will be faithful. Not like Matthew 7, 7: “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be open. Whoever asks, receives, oversees, finds, whoever knocks, the door will be open.” So, prayer!

PENANCE.

Second, we are in the season of Lent. The practice of penance. The practice of penance. Jesus says, some devils can be cast out only by prayer and fasting. How did Jesus conquer the devil? So, prayer, fasting and the Word of God, amen?

They can use the Word of God, right? Prayer, fasting and the Word of God.

In our spiritual life, if we want to soar high in the spiritual life, arrive at the horizons beyond our imagination, we have to have two wings, doing a prayer and penance. Prayer and penance are the two wings by which we can soar high in the spiritual life. We tend to shun from penance, and that’s why we have the season of length.

There was a priest that said if we really want to live out penance, there are three different activities. You give a tri-dimensional explanation of it. You got to go up, you got to go in, you got to go out.

Kind of like that. You got to go up through prayer, you got to go in through penance, you got to go out through almsgiving. Go up, go in, go out.

EUCHARIST

We have to receive the Eucharist with great love. Now, I say, that’s probably the most important thing. Same as, but receive the Eucharist with great love.

Now, if you had a heart problem, and you had someone who is going to donate you a heart, not that easy. You have to do a lot of tests to see if it’s compatible in the blood type, all that. But did you know that you “can have a heart transplant every day, every time I receive Holy Communion?

I’ll prove it. Receive Communion, receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, right? What are the two most noble organs in the human person?

The mind and the heart. So when you receive Holy Communion, you receive the sacred heart of Jesus in your heart. And his blood is pumping through your own blood.

So we want to live celibacy, receive the sacred heart of Jesus with love every time you celebrate Mass. And ask the Lord, Lord, give me a new heart. And he will.

Some of you are thinking, there goes Father, he’s waxing poetic once again. It’s really not a metaphor, it’s the reality.

So in our struggles with what’s called concupiscence, maybe you heard that word before, concupiscence, the desires of the flesh, we see the sacred heart of Jesus, he’s able to come and conquer our passions. Amen?

“You believe it? We’re weak, but God is strong. We’re weak, but God is strong. Well, right. We’ve talked about confession. Confession is a very important sacrament. In each of the sacraments, you studied sacramental theology many years ago, you know, each sacrament communicates a different sacramental grace. What is the sacramental grace of the Eucharist? Nourishment.

What is the sacramental grace of confession? Healing. Did you know that?

Well, now you know. It’s different. Communion nourishes us with the body of Christ, with the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ.

But confession, it heals us. Confession is both curative medicine and preventive medicine. Got that? It’s both curative when we fall, but preventive too.

That’s why we as priests, we should go to confession frequently and invite our people to have frequent recourse to the sacrament confession. To heal the wounds and to prevent the wounds. So that’s a powerful means to help us to live out this charism that God has given to us.

EXERCISE OUR SPIRITUAL PATERNITY BY SUBLIMATING

By means of an interesting story I heard, the power of purity. Have any of you ever heard of Scott Hahn? No?

SUPPORT FOR CELIBACY

Have you  ever heard of Scott Hahn? Scott Hahn is probably the most famous American convert. He teaches where my my nieces are going, Franciscan University or Steubenville. His conversion story hit like a million or something on cassette tape back in the early 80s. His conversion story is fascinating.

He said this, he was a Presbyterian before becoming a Catholic. Presbyterian would be the Church of Scotland as he comes to the United States. And if you have ever been to his library there in Steubenville, it is probably the biggest library you are ever going to see in your life.

A lot of books he has actually written. But he would wander, he would go into bookstores to buy new books. And this was before his conversion.

He could not resist going into the corner and looking at the bad magazines. He couldn’t resist it. It was like a magnetic force that pulled him to look at what used to be called the Playboy and the Penthouse, okay?

Those were the bad magazines. So you look at the book, but you always go there and browse to look at the bad magazines. Now, he wasn’t a Catholic.

Someone gave him a rosary. And to pray the rosary once as a Protestant, and he never felt the desire to go back and look at those bad magazines.

What do you think about that? What do you think about the Protestant? So we see even how the Blessed Mother, Blessed Mother can work in whatever way possible if we open up to Mary.

So experience shows those who really want to live a life of virtue, live out their promises, live out chastity, live out celibacy, be faithful to the married vows, be faithful to the priestly vows. The Blessed Mother is a powerful advocate. That’s why this whole four or five days you’ve been reading and meditating upon the Blessed Mother.

I hope that all of you fall in love with Mary wherever you go in your parish years, that you will instill great devotion to Mary. Amen? I’m an Oblate of the Virgin Mary.

It’s my charism to get as many people to have this love for the Blessed Mother as possible. And I will do that until my dying day. And I love to do it, promote Marian devotion.

All right. So those are some of the tools that we have to use. There’s more. One last thing I’d like to say on the human level.I know it’s easier said than done. Okay. Now, questions. Three questions to meditate upon. Do you get enough sleep? Do you eat properly and do you get a lot of exercise? Hello? I repeat. Do you have a good diet?

Do you get enough rest at night? And do you do exercise? Okay, two out of three.

No, really, exercise is important. Exercise is important because we tend to have a sedentary life where we are sitting down. So, not that you have to be a baseball player or a soccer player, but some type of physical exercise is important.

What I try to do is, there’s a gym right next to our church. I try to get out two or three times a week and I swim. I’m not going to break any record, but I’ll swim laps for about an hour.

We go back and forth, back and forth. I tell you, afterward I feel tired, but I feel like a new man. So, you might think about that in your priestly life.

GET SOME EXERCISE

Those three areas on the physical level, you eat properly, you get enough rest, and then you get enough exercise.

So, it’s often when our body is run down, that’s why we have temptations against celibacy, often when we’re run down, even physically, okay? Alright, so let’s talk about sublimating it. New word, huh?

Spiritual Paternity

We’re talking about transcending, in which we are called to be spiritual fathers. Now, maybe I’m saying something that’s obvious, but sometimes we overlook the obvious. We are spiritual fathers.

And people look to us to be spiritual fathers, that’s why they call us padre. They call us father. Think of all the different ways you’re exercising your spiritual paternity.

One of the ladies that works in our parish calculated I’ve already baptized 2,000 babies. That’s a lot. I mean, I’m old, and the priest, most of you, that’s quite a few.

Smaller parishes, maybe, baptism every other Saturday or something. But years ago, I was baptized in 25 to 30 almost every Saturday. I’m in LA, no? So every time you baptize, you say, John, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. You’re exercising your spiritual paternity. Yes. You’re generating spiritual life in that child that you’re baptizing. Or it could be an adult. Well, Easter Vigil Mass, right?

You’re exercising your spiritual paternity. Wow. And people come back to you and say, hey, Father, you baptized me ten years ago. Thank you. They’ll come back, you know, you baptize, I’ve arrived. You baptize me as well as my little son. I’ve been in the parish for thirty years. Because you’re baptizing two generations, huh?

Praise the Lord, huh? Okay, next would be, do you ever hear confessions? You hear confessions when you say, I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son, the Holy Spirit.

I did not give you general absolution though, okay? Okay, when I say absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, that spiritual generation that’s moving the person from, often from the state of sin to the state of grace, that person is being born again. St. Augustine, St. Augustine calls it a Lazarus experience.

Remember Lazarus? When Jesus said, Lazarus, come out! The man was dead and he was brought back to life. Every confession is a Lazarus experience. Lazarus, come out. Okay, next. I mentioned this in my earlier talk. The greatest action we can do, this side of eternity, is to celebrate the holy sacrifice of the Mass. So, every time you are celebrating Mass, you say, this is my body, this is my blood. What’s happening? Jesus is being born in your hands.

Spiritual paternity, Jesus is being born in your hands. And when you give out Holy Communion to those people, he is being born in their hearts.

You see, by living out Priestly Celebrity, we’ve got more freedom. We love God with an undivided heart. It’s an eschatological sign. It’s a sign that there is something beyond the grave. That’s what Paul VI in Vatican II as well as the Canon Law speaks about. It’s not something negative. It’s something positive. It gives us freedom. The freedom of the sons and daughters of God. We’re free. How many people are slaves of their sexual passions? I say most people today.

They’re actually slaves of their passions. Thanks be to God not to say the word perfect are angels, but this is a great gift. It gives us freedom.

Freedom of the sons and daughters of God. And then with your permission, I’d like to give you once again a little bit of St. Augustine. This idea of Augustine I love.

PRESBYTERORUM ORDINIS

So we as priests, you read through Presbyterorum Ordinis, which is the document of the priesthood from Vatican II. The document says that we have two principal obligations. Remember the two P’s.

We’re called to pray, we’re called to preach. Amen. We’re called to pray, but also we’re called to preach.

We’re called to preach, I say the third would be penance still. We’re called to pray, to preach, and penance, the three P’s. And maybe four, pray, preach, penance, and priesthood.

Oh, there we go, the four, I have to find a five, a wrong number. So this is what Augustine says. Okay, you got Mass at 8 o’clock. You’re in the church at 7. And what are you doing? You are, with your eyes, you’re reading and you’re meditating upon the first reading, the psalm, and then you’re meditating upon the gospel. You’re meditating upon it. So the Word of God, it goes where? From your eyes to your mind.

It’s up here, in your memory, in your understanding, in your imagination. And then, where is the Word of God? It sings down into your emotions.

From there, it goes down into your will. And it sings down even to your very soul, the Word of God that you meditated upon with your eyes. There you have it. But we’re halfway there. You go there and you’re preaching. So you open up your mouth, and the Word of God that was in your mind, your emotions, your heart, your soul, you open your mouth and there are vibrations.

These vibrations are words. These words are concepts. These concepts are spiritual ideas.

They go into the ears of the people in your parish, and from your ears they go into their mind, and from their mind they go into their heart. So the word of God that was in your heart is now in their heart. Don’t you love it?

That’s Augustine. I love that. Maybe you are not aware of doing it, but that’s what you’re doing every time you’re preaching.

That can be one of the greatest acts of charity in the world, is to preach the word of God that goes from your heart into the heart of the people that you’re serving. That is Spiritual Paternity. So my friends, I think we should really rejoice, rejoice that we have this great gift of Spiritual Paternity.

FRUITS OF CELIBACY

There are many graces and many fruits that come from this. What are the many graces and many fruits that come from this? By living this out, we experience great peace of heart, great interior peace.

St. Augustine also tells us what is peace? Peace is the tranquility of order. Once we have a well-ordered spiritual life, then we experience peace of mind, heart, and soul.

JOY.  Another fruit that comes from this is joy. Joy of knowing God loves us and joy of sharing the love of God to others. In God, in his church, he wants to have priests that bring, in the words of Pope Francis, his first encyclical, the joy of the gospel.

The joy of the gospel is one of the most efficacious means to bring people back to the church. That was the first encyclical of Pope Francis. Long encyclical in which he spoke that if we are followers of Christ, we should be radiating joy to the people that come to us.

Joy. They suffer sorrows and they are knocked down. We have to pick them up by the joy the way we live.

Another fruit would be by living out this promise, this charism, this grace of celibacy. We no longer, this is the theology of the body of Pope John Paul II. We don’t see, we never see a person as an object to be utilized or exploited.

But rather we are able to see people, see people as created in the image and likeness of God, but also able to see people as sons and daughters of God. That we are the spiritual fathers and they are our spiritual children. We are exercising our spiritual paternity.

And then another fruit would be the good example we give to many people that are struggling with their own passions. And it’s true. Either we dominate our passions or they dominate us.

I repeat, either we dominate our passions, we dominate, we subjugate them, or they will dominate us. It’s either the freedom of the sons and daughters of God, or it’s slavery. And Jesus says that sin is slavery.

Sin is really slavery. And then, if we’re living out this wonderful virtue, our communions en masse, our masses are going to be more fervent and more efficacious for the sanctification of our people as well as the sanctification of the church at large. Now John Paul II said this, when we do good, we elevate the whole world to God.

When we do evil, we bring the whole world down to the lower world. This is called the social aspect of our spiritual life. We’re not islands, but rather we influence other people, either for good or for bad.

And then, in this I mentioned, by living this out, we’re able to establish a really deep friendship with Jesus, Mary and Joseph. They become our best friends. In a certain sense, loneliness exists.

True, loneliness exists. But at the same time, we’d have to say this, that if we have Jesus, Mary and Joseph as our best friends, not too much loneliness, because we’re in really good company. Pope Leo XIV, in his last apostolic letter, which he actually wrote to priests, he wrote that about five weeks ago, commemorating the 60th anniversary of PRESBYTERORUM ORDINIS and Optatam Totius which were the church documents from Vatican II, he said this, that priests do suffer loneliness and they should try to find bonds of community.

Like for me, I’m a religious priest, so I live with seven or eight priests, you know. But you who are a diocesan priest, the Holy Father says it’s a good idea to form some type of community among yourselves. Like this week is very important because even though we’re not talking too much to each other, we’re talking to God, there’s a certain bond of community of those in the diocese of Gallup, as a result of this retreat, to have some type of bond of community.

And finally, if we really live out the vow, rather the promise of celibacy, it sparks within us what is called apostolic zeal. Apostolic zeal which is, as I mentioned earlier in the morning, a real desire to work to save a lot of souls. To work to save a lot of souls.

So let’s pray for each other for this grace that we would be able to really live out our promises, live out our commitments with a lot of joy, a lot of love and a lot of zeal. And if we fail in one way or another, never stay down, but rather bounce back, okay? Because only God is perfect.

If we fail, bounce back and try to love God more and more each day. So hopefully this is helpful for us because you don’t hear a talk on this too often. Now in the context of a retreat, let’s pray for the grace to be faithful servants of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Fr. Ed Broom, Oblates of the Virgin Mary

By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Only once in Sacred Scripture does Jesus describe the attributes or the characteristics of His Sacred Heart, found only in the Gospel of St. Matthew. (Mt 11:28-30).  “Come to me all of you who find life burdensome, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am MEEK AND HUMBLE OF HEART. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Those are the two essential qualities or virtues that Jesus highlights present in His Sacred Heart: both meekness and humility.  From this passage the Church has formulated one of its most beautiful short prayers or aspirations, that we can take into our hearts and repeat frequently during the course of the day. That prayer is the following: “Jesus meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine.”

Time and time again Jesus insists on the dire importance of humility if we want to find God’s favor.  God rejects the proud and He lifts up the humble.  The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican illustrates this perfectly.  (Lk. 18:9-14)   The two went up to the temple to pray. The Pharisee pointed out all of his good points and praised himself.   The Publican, on the contrary, situated in the back, would not even lift his eyes and begged God to have mercy on him, as he was a sinner.

Our Lady gave us the perfect example in proclaiming herself the handmaid or servant of the Lord and in her marvelous prayer, the Magnificat she breaks out in praise of God and humbles herself in these words: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the of and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… for he has looked upon the lowliness (humility) of his handmaid… (Lk. 1:46-56)

Given that this virtue is essential to our growth in holiness, let us point out some practical ways in which we can build a spiritual edifice of holiness striving for the virtue of humility.    What are some of the signposts to climb this spiritual mountain?

1. PRAYER.  It has been said that we are greatest and highest—in the eyes of God—when we are on our knees.  This of course means to be on our knees before the Almighty and Supreme God in prayer.  By praying we are acknowledging our dependence on God and not on ourselves.   In the words of the “Doctor of grace” Saint Augustine, so pertinent to the virtue of humility related to prayer: “We are all beggars before God.”

2. THANK YOU.  How important it is for us in striving for holiness to cultivate an attitude of gratitude and to often say to both God and to the many good people that surround us those all—important two words: “Thank you!”   Humble people go out of their way to give thanks to others.   Jesus was both dismayed and hurt when after healing the ten lepers only one returned to give Him thanks.  The one that returned was not only thankful but humble—recognizing that his healing was a pure gift of the Heart of Jesus the Healer, if you like The Divine Physician.

3. TAKE THE LAST PLACE.   Jesus offers us the Parable of the banquet.  Many were jostling to secure for themselves the best place, the best seat that was closest to the Host.  Jesus gave the warning that when invited we should take the last place and not the first.  Then we will be first in the eyes of God.  This is a sign of a humble heart!

4. CUT OFF IN TRAFFIC: PRAISE AND DO NOT CURSE.   Our natural tendency, when we are on the road and someone cuts us off is to utter some nasty words, maybe even to curse the rude guy.   This is an all to “natural” reaction, but not supernatural.  Jesus wants us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us.   These commands are expressed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, the Our Father, as well as when Jesus hung from the cross: “Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing.”

5. COMPLIMENT AND PRAISE OTHERS FOR THEIR GIFTS.  One of the most poisonous attitudes in the spiritual life is that of both jealousy and envy.  When we capitulate to these ugly feelings, we hurt God, ourselves as well as others.  But, on the other side of the coin, we end up by praising or complimenting another person that perhaps we do not really like we win the spiritual battle. Indeed, it is a victory in humility!

6. GREET THE PERSON FIRST.  Imagine this scene that all of us have experienced and perhaps quite often. You are walking towards someone you know and the distance between both is shortening.  Do you wait to be greeted first or do you take the initiative to greet that the on comer?  It may seem somewhat insignificant but whoever takes the initiative to greet first is practicing a host of virtues. What ate they?  Charity, courtesy, hospitality, affability and of course humility.  We put this person before ourselves and that is humility.

7. “I AM SORRY!”  Here is a big one!  Easier said than done!  When we make a mistake, offend someone or fail in one way or another, it is all too easy to rationalize, to justify or to simply sweep under the rug as if it were nothing, or maybe did not even happen.   How insidious and prevalent the ugly head of pride is!  A humble person is an honest person and is capable of admitting his error and saying those three very difficult words that are imbued with humility: I AM SORRY!   How many relationships have been mended and restored by those simply by exceedingly humble words: I AM SORRY!

8. LISTEN ATTENTIVELY.   Saint James states it very clearly: “We should be slow to speak and quick to listen.   (Read Saint James 3—the sins of the tongue). A person that wants to do all of the talking and unwilling to listen is often a person filled with pride, and self-love.  But a person that makes as concerted effort to listen to the other attentively, encourage and not seek to always get the last word displays great humility and often is very pleasing to Jesus, who was the best of speakers but also the best of all listeners.  (Read Luke 24—Jesus and the disciples of Emmaus)

9. CONFESSION. Most certainly every time we prepare ourselves and make a good sacramental confession, our humility thermometer ascends to a much higher level.   To confess with transparency, sincerity, and honesty our moral failings to another person, the priest who represents Christ demands great humility. None of us like to bring to light our spiritual ugliness. But it must be done if we want to climb the ladder of humility and holiness.

10. DEVOTION TO MARY. Our Lady, Mary most holy is the surest, quickest and most efficacious pathway to Jesus.  In True Devotion to Mary, by Saint Louis de Montfort, this great Marian saint exalts Mary and ten of her most sublime virtues.  Among Mary’s most choice virtues is that of her profound humility.  Of all God’s creatures Mary was the greatest but also, she was by far the humblest. She recognized that all of her gifts, talents, virtues, were pure gifts from God the Giver of all gifts.

In conclusion, in our pursuit of holiness of life we must strive to understand the paramount importance of the virtue of humility. But even more important: let us stive to put into practice this essential virtue. May we lift up our hearts often during the course of the day, longing for holiness and humility with these words: “Jesus meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine.”

Of all of the actions that we can carry out on earth, on this side of eternity is to receive Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ in Holy Communion.  Nothing can be greater now and for all time until the close of time and entrance into eternity.

Therefore, let us strive with ever fabric of our being to make a concerted effort to receive the Lord Jesus frequently, if possible, on a daily basis, but to receive Jesus with a better disposition ever Holy Communion.  In a word, it should be our goal to receive Jesus with a better, more fervent, more loving, more passionate manner every time we approach the Eucharistic Banquet.

If accomplished our whole life will be an upward ascent in love for Jesus, the Bread of Life and the Son of the living God, and a love for the salvation of immortal souls until God calls us from this life to Judgment and eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

EXTREME NECESSITY OF HOLY COMMUNION.  

With the utmost clarity, cogency and conviction Jesus taught the indispensable urgency and necessity of receiving Him if we want to attain life and eternal life. This we must read, meditate, understand, assimilate, live out and preach to the whole world in THE BREAD OF LIFE DISCOURSE—John 6.  Time and time again Jesus insist on profound belief that He is truly the Bread of life.  That we must not doubt but truly believe in this essential reality. Furthermore, we must nourish ourselves on Jesus the bread of life.  In a short, succinct summary fashion, this is the essence of this most sublime and important discourse, Jesus says: “I am the Bread of life. Whoever eats my Body and drinks my blood will have everlasting life and I will raise Him up on the last day.”  These words are expressed with the utmost clarity.  Our eternal salvation depends on knowing Jesus, believing in Jesus, obeying Jesus. However, of paramount importance, we also must, and this is not optional but obligatory, consume, eat, receive Jesus the Bread of life into our souls in Holy Communion. This is so serious that it is a matter of eternal salvation of eternal loss.

The essential purpose and thrust of this article will be to help each and every one of us to prepare ourselves better to receive Jesus into our hearts in Holy Communion.  Once again, this is worthy of repetition: the most important action that the human person can carry out on planet earth is to receive Jesus with the best of dispositions in Holy Communion.  Our salvation and the salvation of many other souls depends in great part upon our fervent and loving reception of Holy Communion.

SORRY BUT TRUE STATISTICS.  

Recently the Archbishop Perez of Philadelphia stated that he wanted to launch and initiative to seek out the many lost and wandering sheep of his Diocese.  He sadly stated that only 18% of his flock—the Catholics of Philadelphia—were practicing Catholics.  Among the Catholics of Germany only 3% presently practice their faith—that is to say, attend Mass on Sundays.  I honestly believe that one of the principle reasons for this vast plummeting of Mass assistance and with it lack of reception of Holy Communion is a widespread ignorance of what Holy Communion really is.  In a very real sense, we might even term this the modern “Catholic identity crisis”—many do not even understand or believe in the “Real Presence” of Jesus in Mass and in Holy Communion. Sad to say, many Catholics, due to a lack of adequate catechetical formation, have a vague and hazy understanding of Mass and Holy Communion. Many Catholics even have a Protestant interpretation of the Eucharist and Holy Communion; this so to say, they believe in a symbolic reality rather than belief in the Real Presence.

This being the case we would like to offer various suggestions on how we can foster and enhance our belief and fervor in our reception of Jesus, the Bread of Life in Holy Communion. Our salvation and the salvation of many others depends upon living out this fundamental Truth of our Catholic faith. May Our Lady, the angels and saints come to our assistance in this most noble and sublime of all our actions on earth!

1. BELIEF.  

“Lord, I believe but strengthen my belief.” First and foremost, we must reaffirm our strong and unshakeable belief and faith in the REAL PRESENCE.  In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the moment of the consecration the bread and wine are radically transformed into the REAL PRESENCE.   It is no longer bread and wine but truly and substantially the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus, the Son of the living God.  Theologians, thanks to St Thomas Aquinas, term this TRANSUBSTANTIATION—meaning that after consecration the appearances or accidents, look like bread and wine, but the essence and substance is truly Jesus in His Body, Blood Soul and Divinity.  Many fail to come to Mass and receive Holy Communion because they are ignorant of this essential truth.

2. SUNDAY MASS OBLIGATION. 

As the very center, heart, summit and pinnacle of every week let us all make a firm decision to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and never be absent, except for sickness or grave necessity. Our salvation depends on it!  Moms and Dads please bring the whole family to the Lord Jesus.

3. ARRIVE EARLY. 

In sports events, academic graduations, work obligations, we are more than punctual. Even more so should be the case in our participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Let us not shortchange the Lord or give him the crumbs from the table; let us give the Lord the best of ourselves, especially in our religious obligations. Let us not be like Cain, giving begrudgingly to God his sacrifice.  Rather, let us be like Abel, giving to the Lord our best. (Gen. 4)

4. FULL PARTICIPATION.  

In sports there are the benchwarmers, the 2^nd or 3^rd string players who participate only to a limited degree.  There are many Catholics in that same category.  They may be present at Holy Mass physically, but they are in another world mentally and spiritually: distracted, using their phone, thinking about lunch, wandering eyes on the attractive women. And of course, many of these do not receive Holy Communion!  The Second Vatican Council Document on the Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium states that in Mass all should participate fully, actively and consciously in this greatest and most sublime of prayers.

5. MODESTY IN DRESS.  

We are created in the image and likeness of God; through Baptism we have been transformed into sons and daughters of God. Saint Paul reminds us that we are “ambassadors of Christ”—we represent the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.  Therefore, let us always recognize both our dignity and our eternal destiny.  We want to reflect the beauty of God in our outward attire and recognize that our destiny is the eternal glory and beauty of our heavenly reward. Unfortunately, many dress immodestly and consequently many others are distracted and even tempted by uncomely apparel.  May Jesus, Mary and St Joseph be our models.

6. PURIFICATION: CONFESSION AND HOLY COMMUNION. 

For us to receive worthily Jesus in Holy Communion we must be in the state of grace. This means that we must be free from being aware of having a mortal sin in our soul.  The two Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion work together in support of each other. The more pure, clean and transparent the soul the more abundant the graces. Upon the reception of Holy Communion.  This analogy can be helpful!  The windows in our home can easily become dirtied, sullied, smeared, and obscured from the smog, dirt and uncleanness of the environment. WINDEX!   How important is Windex—the well-known window spray and cleaner.  Once we spray the dirty window, rub and dry it with a dry newspaper the window is transformed.  The curtains swing wide open, and the abundance of sun penetrates, permeates, and inundates the whole room. In a parallel sense it is with respect to Confession related to Holy Communion. With the Sacrament of Confession, the Precious Blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world cleanses our conscience, mind, heart, and soul so that Jesus the Sun of God can enter into the very depths and core of our being and transform us with His brilliant light, peace, joy and abundant love.  Therefore, confess often so as to enhance the efficacy of your Holy Communions!

7. HUNGER AND THIRST FOR HOLY COMMUNION.  

The angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas, stated that one of the most important conditions for receiving Holy Communion is that we have an ardent hunger and thirst for Jesus in Holy Communion.  If you like, this verse from one of the Psalms illustrates the point of hunger that we should have for Jesus, the Bread of Life.  “As the deer yearns for the running streams, so my soul thirsts for you, my God.”  A person dying of hunger and thirst longs to be satiated by food and drink, so it should be for our soul longing for the Face of the living God in Holy Communion.

8. REVERENCE. 

When we have arrived at the sublime moment of receiving Jesus in Holy Communion we should approach Him with the utmost modesty, dignity, reverence, love, devotion and confidence—both in our exterior comportment as well as our disposition of soul.  Our hands should be folded, eyes fixed on Jesus, a reverential bow, and an AMEN before receiving the Lord of Lords, the Kings of Kings, the Creator of the entire universe into the very depths of your soul.  No greater, sublime, exalted actions exists in the life of the human person than receiving Jesus, the Bread of Life, in Holy Communion.

9. BEG MARY FOR HER IMMACULATE HEART. 

One of the secrets of the sanctity of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta was her manner of receiving Holy Communion. This great modern saint would beg Mary to give her Immaculate Heart so that she could receive worthily Jesus in Holy Communion. Never was there a person that ever-received Jesus with greater, devotion, attention, fervor, and love than His Mother, Mary most holy. She can definitely come to our aid and assistance to improve our reception of Holy Communion. 

10. THANKSGVING. 

Upon receiving Jesus in Holy Communion immediately we should open our hearts, minds and souls with the greatest love possible and render to Him THANKSGVING. (In a previous article is written in great detail ways to thank the Eucharistic Lord Jesus). Therefore, we should do all that is possible to prepare to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, but of equal importance we should learn the art of THANKSGIVING upon receiving Jesus our Best of Friends. Praise Him, thank Him, worship Him, implore Him, pour your hearts out to Him, beg pardon and reparation, and cast all your cares upon Him, and much more… 

Finally, in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary who received Jesus into her Immaculate Heart at the Annunciation and went in haste to bring Jesus to others, let us bring Jesus to others and bring others to Jesus. Dear friends in Jesus and Mary, let us strive on a daily basis to receive Jesus, the Bread of Life with greater love, fervor and devotion. Our salvation and countless souls depends on this most sublime truth and practice. Our Lady of the Eucharist, pray for us!

The two most important actions that we can carry out on this side of eternity are the following: receiving Holy Communion and going to Confession and receiving sacramental absolution.  Why?  The reason should be clear as day: these are two of the most intimate encounters with Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In the reception of the most Holy Eucharist, we receive Jesus Himself in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity—nourishment and strength for our spiritual journey towards our eternal home, Heaven.

CONFESSION.  

Whereas by going to the Sacrament of Confession once again we encounter Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as our Divine Physician.   Jesus came to both nourish us and to heal us of our iniquities and sicknesses that we contract due to our own personal sins.  Through the messages of Jesus to Saint Faustina we should have a limitless trust in the infinite mercy of God. The worse sin is the lack of TRUST in the limitless mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saint Paul reminds us in these consoling words: “Where sin abounds the mercy of God abounds all the more.” (Romans 5). From the Diary of Saint Faustina, the greatest sinner can become the greatest saint upon one indispensable condition: TRUST, limitless TRUST in the infinite mercy of Jesus.

OUR DISPOSITION IN RECEVING HOLY COMMUNION.  

As Catholics we have the unique and greatest privilege of being able to receive Jesus, the Bread of life. (Jn 6), the Bread of the angels even on a daily basis. If we so desire.  In the Our Father we actually pray these words related to the daily reception of Holy Communion: “Give us this day our daily bread.”  The graces we receive upon the reception of Holy Communion depends upon our interior disposition. (Theologians term this dispositive grace). The graces we receive can be paltry, mediocre, and limited, or they can be limitless like all the waters of the ocean flooding into our souls.  If you like, the fault is not in Holy Communion but in the recipient of Holy Communion—often our lack of disposition, distractions, and downright laziness.

PREPARATION. 

It is incumbent upon us to prepare our souls to receive the Eucharistic Lord with the best of dispositions. However, this is of paramount importance, we should also make an honest and concerted and constant effort to make a more fervent, passionate, loving and confident thanksgiving after the Eucharistic Lord has deigned to visit our humble dwelling place—our immortal souls.  In the reception of Holy Communion, the Lord, the very Creator of the universe, has entered into our souls, let us strive on a daily basis to improve, to upgrade, to perfect our thanksgiving after He has descended from heaven to earth to dwell in the very depths of our soul. There is no greater action, this side of eternity for us mortal creatures than to receive Jesus, the Eucharistic Lord. One Holy Communion is worth more than the entire created universe. Holy Communion is Jesus, the Bread of Life, God Himself!

THANKSGIVING AFTER RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION.   

This being the case, we would like to offer various suggestions on how to ameliorate our thanksgivings after the Eucharistic Lord has deigned to enter our humble abode.

APPRECIATION

This first point must be emphasized to the highest degree: Never take the Lord for granted; avoid routine and becoming jaded and nonchalant and lackadaisical in the reception of the Bread of Life. The following should be our motto in every reception of Holy Communion: “Receive the Eucharistic Lord as if it were for the first time, the last time, the only time in your life.” This attitude of gratitude and appreciation should characterize our eucharistic state of being always!

THANKSGIVING

Upon the entrance of Jesus into your soul your heart should burst out and explode with a hymn of thanksgiving.  In the words of the Psalmist: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His mercy endures forever.”  May we never imitate the 9 lepers, who after having been healed immediately and totally by Jesus the Divine Physician went their merry old way without a word of gratitude.  But may we be the one leper who ran back to Jesus and thanked Jesus profusely. Let us learn and imitate this grateful leper—who indeed we are! 

PRAISE

Saint Ignatius of Loyola in his consideration, First Principle and Foundation in the Spiritual Exercises (#23) instructs us that the first and primary purpose of our existence is to praise and reverence God our Creator. What better time and manner to praise God then when we have received Him in the depths of our souls in Holy Communion.  Praise Him with songs, canticles, psalms and a great way in the eucharistic prayer of praise, the Divine praises expressed at the conclusion of Eucharistic adoration….”Blessed be God, blessed be His Holy Name, blessed be Jesus Christ true God and true man, blessed be the Name of Jesus, Blessed be His most sacred Heart, blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar, blessed be the Holy Spirit the Paraclete, blessed be Mary, the great Mother of God, blessed be her holy and immaculate conception, blessed be her glorious assumption, blessed be Saint Joseph her most chaste spouse, blessed be God in His angels and his saints.”   This Eucharistic hymn of praise and thanksgiving should resound in the very depths of your soul upon receiving the Eucharistic Lord and savior.

ANOTHER PRAYER OF PRAISE

Given that praise and adoration are actually the highest forms of prayer that we can offer to Almighty God we offer another one, short but very pleasing to God and this short prayer of praise can be repeated over and over. God never tires of our acts of praise.  “O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.”  If you like you can even sing this short prayer— “He who sings well prays twice.” (Saint Augustine)

BARTIMAEUS THE BEGGAR

Saint Augustine states that we are all beggars before the Lord. However, Our Lord and God is both munificent and rich beyond measure.  Bartimaeus, the beggar, suffered blindness, he cried out and Jesus, the Divine Physician, healed him. We are beggars and need the Lord Jesus desperately for everything but especially to avoid sin and to live in the state of grace.  As the poet states: “In Him we live and move and have our being.”  When the Eucharistic Lord has descended in the depths of our souls is the prime time to be transformed in the most needy and dependent of beggars.  Many graces we never receive for the simple reason that we are negligent and lazy and fail to ask. (Mk. 10:46)

WORRIES, FEARS AND ANXIETIES

The Eucharistic Lord Jesus loves us and is our Best of Friends in all time, places and circumstances. None of us can say in all honesty that we are free of problems, worries, fears and insecurities.  Quite the contrary, we live with worries.  The fact of the matter is that if we do not bring our problems to the Lord they worsen; often the devil is behind this. He can turn the molehill into the mountain, blowing our problems out of proportion.  The inspired words in the Letter of Saint Peter captures the message: “Cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you.”   The Eucharistic Lord can resolve the biggest of your problems and words in a mere bat of the eye. Trust your cares to Him.

REST IN THE LORD

At the Last Supper, Jesus’ best Friend, John the Evangelist, rested his head on the Heart, the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  In our Communions and thanksgivings there is no reason why we cannot simply rest on and in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. These consoling words of Jesus can help you upon receiving Him in Holy Communion: “Come to me all of you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will give you rest. Because my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Mt 11:28-30)

REPARATION: SORRY, LORD JESUS

One of the most important messages that Jesus conveyed to Saint Margaret Mary in His apparitions revealing His Sacred Heart was His suffering at the ingratitude of so many. Jesus, revealing His Sacred Heart complained as such:” Behold the Heart that loves so much and receives only indifference, coldness and ingratitude.” After Holy Communion tell the Lord sorry for our coldness and indifference as well as that of the whole world. He desires fire— “I have come to cast fire on the earth and I am not at peace until that for be enkindled.”

LOVE

When all is said and done, what Jesus wants more than anything else in the world but especially gushing forth from the depths of our own hearts is that of love. Saint John of the Cross, the great mystical Doctor of the Church and Spiritual Director of Saint Teresa of Avila stated: “In the twilight of our existence we will be judged on love.” Perhaps the best prayer that can rush from the depths of our hearts—especially when the Eucharistic Jesus is in our hearts—are these simple but most important words: JESUS, I LOVE YOU!!! After Holy Communion repeat these words over and over again. This will enkindle the fire of love in your hearts and set you ablaze in a cold and indifferent world.

OUR LADY OF THE EUCHARIST

Our reflection would be incomplete if we did not invite Mary, Our Lady of the Eucharist, into our thanksgiving toward Jesus, the Son of Mary.  Mary received Jesus into her most pure and Immaculate Heart upon her Fiat: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.”  Then she went in haste to bring Jesus to others—her cousin Elizabeth in need.  Our reception of the Eucharistic Lord Jesus and a fervent thanksgiving will necessarily launch us, catapult us, into the world so cold, blind, and indifferent to the love of God and to be true messengers of the love of God. Jesus said: “I have come to cast fire on the earth, and I am not at peace until that fire be enkindled.”

Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

In addition to the providential accident that occurred with a canon-ball in the battle of Pamplona, an inspiring reading of the lives of the saints was instrumental in the conversion of one of the greatest saints in the 16^th century. Who was this? None other than Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

As is stated in the title of this article, “A good book or two can change your life. Inspired and anointed words with great spiritual depth can convert individuals; they can also help individuals to move from an average or mediocre life to a fervent and holy life.

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION. Good spiritual directors accompany those who they are directing in their pursuit of God and aid them in striving to plumb the depths of a more serious and authentic prayer life.  An invaluable tool to get into the hands of those pursuing both holiness and a more profound prayer life is that of the habit of good spiritual reading.

In this short essay we would like to suggest five spiritual classics to help those who are truly pursuing a life of deeper prayer and holiness of life. I will never forget on one occasion one of my young priest friends made this observation. When he was truly captivated in his mind with a fascinating spiritual book, usually he felt that his prayer life was on the upswing.

This being said, let us offer five Books that you can  dive into with your mind, heart and soul so as to go deeper in tour relationship with God, the author of all that is good, noble and holy.

BIBLE.   Perhaps this first on the list, the Bible, is more than obvious. However, you might be surprised as the numbers and percentages of Catholics who perhaps have a Bible or Bibles in their home but barely ever even open it.  On the threshold and entrance of the home is a Granny’s Bible, but it serves nothing more than an ornamental artifact that is opened only on rare occasions.  How true the saying of Adrian Rogers, the famous Baptist preacher: “He who has a Bible that is falling apart most likely will not have his life that is falling apart.” By this he meant, morally and spiritually.

CCC—CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.  Pope Saint John Paul II was one of the most prolific writers as Popes in the history of the Catholic Church. Indisputably of all of his writings Encyclicals, Apostolic exhortations, Catechesis, the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church was his spiritual masterpiece.  Indeed, if we honestly desire to have a true grasp of our Catholic faith, reading and studying the CCC is a “must”.   Thanks to the tireless work of Father Mike Schmitz, he explained the entirely of the CCC in one year after explaining the Bible in a year. Father Mike is hitting the nail on the head with respect to spiritual classics and growth.

SAINT TERESA OF AVILA: HER WORKS.   The first two women to be declared women Doctors of the Church were both Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Catherine of Siena.  The former, was not only instrumental in the Reform of the women’s branch of the Carmelite Order, but also for her writings, which indeed are spiritual masterpieces and gems. Among Avila’s writings three stand out as spiritual luminaries: Her Life, the Way of Perfection and the Interior Castle.  The very heart and essence of all of her writings is the call to deeper union with Christ the Mystical Spouse through knowledge, love and the practice of prayer. Saint Teresa insists on perseverance using these choice words:  “We must have a determined determination to never abandon prayer.”

SAINT FAUSTINA KOWALSKA: THE DIARY OF DIVINE MERCY IN MY SOUL. In the year 2000, April 30^th Pope Saint John Paul II carried out two of his great goals on this same day.   He canonized the first saint of the new Millennium, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, known as “The Secretary of Divine mercy.”  On the same day the saintly Pontiff formally instituted a new Liturgical Solemnity—that of Divine Mercy Sunday.   From the start of the New Millennium, 2000, and on until the end of time, the Second Sunday after Easter the Church celebrates the infinite mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  May our hearts express in unison with the Psalmist:  “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His mercy endures forever.”

GLORIES OF MARY: SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGUORI.  Of all of the literary gems written on the Blessed Virgin Mary many would claim that the “Glories of Mary” penned by Saint Alphonsus Maria Liguori would be one of the greatest if not the greatest!   What does this masterpiece consist of?  This might be a surprise to you, but it is a commentary on one of the most known and loved Marian prayers—the Hail Holy Queen.  You might consider every word that Saint Alphonsus explains in three different dimensions. First, he takes the word and takes from Sacred Scriptures the Fathers of the Church, and many saints their writings and love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. After explaining this part of the Hail Holy Queen, the saint gives a simple story or example to explain the word. Third, Saint Alphonsus concludes with a Colloquy or if you like a short prayer related to the topic. It would be very difficult for any person of good will and a modicum of intelligence to prayerfully read and meditate upon this Marian Masterpiece, the Glories of Mary, of Saint Alphonsus Maria Liguori, and not fall in love with Mary, “God’s masterpiece of creation.”

In conclusion, may all of us who are seriously pursuing an authentic desire to be holy as our heavenly Father is holy never neglect the all-important practice of spiritual reading. Why not choose from these Big five: The Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the writings of Saint Teresa of Avila, the Diary of Saint Faustina and the Glories of Mary.