In the 19^th Century, the great Saint John Bosco came to the rescue of generations of young people to save them from a moral, spiritual and cultural shipwreck. Due to radical and drastic changes brought on by the Industrial Revolution, the displacement from the rural to the urban milieu produced an upheaval that affected seriously the family, and especially the upbringing of children and teenagers.

Many young boys had parents working long hours and the youth had no educational opportunities, and without education, no work chances. The net result of neither schooling nor work led to excessive free time, indolence and laziness, and eventually vices—drinking, gambling, looting, fighting, and even jail terms.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Saint John Bosco came to the rescue of the youth—most especially the teenage boys. Bosco himself had lost his father as a tender child and was brought up in dire penury by a hard-working and faith-filled mother—Mama Margarita! Poverty for Bosco was not academic and theoretical; quite the contrary, John experienced it in his very flesh and blood.

To make a long story extremely short, the young priest, Father John Bosco, came to the rescue of the young boys situated in the hustle and bustle of the city of Turin. How did this come about? Father John loved the boys, especially those who were most troubled and abandoned. He talked to them using their own language and experience. He taught them about God and the purpose of their lives. Eventually in time and through Divine Providence, Bosco set up an Oratory. This multi-purpose structure served as a domicile for the boys. In it there would eventually be education and trade schools, formation for the future work-world. And of course, and of the greatest importance, would be the chapel where the young people could worship God through Mass and frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance.

Many young people were salvaged from a moral shipwreck, a Titanic crash into an iceberg, due to the intelligence, initiative, creativity, insistence and tenacious spirit of Saint John Bosco. To this day, all throughout the world the Salesians, that is to say the sons of Saint John Bosco, work strenuously to save the youth from cultural, moral and spiritual shipwrecks.

Today more than ever, the young live in precarious, morally dangerous and spiritually challenging situations. This being the case, we should pray for the spirit of the great Saint John Bosco to permeate and penetrate the moral fabric of adults so as to come to the rescue of the young, saving them from the real possibility of sinking both quickly and deeply!

What then are some tools that can be utilized for the sake of the salvation of the youth? The Holy Spirit raises up saints in every time and place, culture and epoch. May He do that in us and in our initiatives right now.

The following are some action items that we can and should wield in our battle for the salvation of the youth. May the great Saint John Bosco quickly come to our rescue.

1. FERVENT PRAYER LED BY THE SPIRIT.  There has never been a successful initiative of this kind that has not been imbued with deep and penetrating prayer. As the Psalmist points out: “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the laborers work.” (Ps. 127:1) By inundating our initiatives with a torrential downpour of prayer, God’s House has a most solid foundation.

2. TALK TO THE YOUTH.  Due to the electronics media, internet, phone, etc., the lines of human and warm communication with the young have been hampered, damaged and wounded most gravely. During the recreation breaks from school work, Father John Bosco and his priest sons would go out into the courtyard and walk and talk with the young people. As adults, and this means priests, youth ministers, and especially parents, we must find the time to talk with and listen to our youth. Otherwise, they will never learn how to speak and listen—no communication skills!

3. LISTEN TO WOUNDED HEARTS.  Directly related to talking, of course, is the art of listening. May we always be ready to lend an attentive ear to the words and the hearts of the young. However, let us pray for the grace and insight to be able not only to listen to them, but also to be able to understand them. That is to say, to read the intentions of their hearts. The words convey the concept; the heart, the inner-meaning of what is really desired.

4. ENCOURAGE.  One of the most charming figures in the New Testament is the person of SAINT BARNABUS. Filled with faith, imbued with the Holy Spirit, and a zealous missionary, Barnabas held a key role in the early Church. He was always going out on a limb to welcome, encourage, and support the primitive Christian Community. It was actually Barnabas who gave credibility to the conversion of Saul, who became the great Apostle Paul. Barnabus’ name means SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT. May we make it a point in dealing with the young to make every effort to encourage them! Kind words, enthusiastic gestures, and winning smiles are all clear signs of living out the apostolate of encouragement.

5. COUNSEL.  All of us are in dire need of good advice and counsel. More than anybody else, this applies in the formation of our young people. If we as adults can easily be misled, fall into an immoral ditch and find it hard to get out, how much more are the young at risk, who often think they know everything but really know very little! Teachers, confessors, catechists, parents, and priests should be willing to give good counsel and advice. One good counsel at the proper time can result in saving a young person from a moral disaster. However, on the contrary, bad advice can lead quickly to disaster.

6. FRATERNAL CORRECTION.  As a sequel to both encouraging the young, as well as giving them good advice, is that of offering them timely fraternal correction. If I am moving headlong toward a precipice and nobody warns me, I will fall off the cliff into sure death. Someone has to cry out: Turn around!!! Young people who have made mistakes must have somebody to warn them of their errors and direct them back onto the correct path before they end up in disaster! As adults, many of us complain about not having been corrected in our youth and now we are paying the negative consequences. Pope Benedict XVI stated in one of his Lenten messages that fraternal correction is actually a dimension of the theological virtue of charity.

7. FRIENDS.  We all need a good friend or two; this definitely applies to the youth. However, it must be stated with great clarity what a real friend is, an authentic friend. A true friend is not simply doing things together, or sharing the same plans, goals, and projects, or having the same ideals. Gang members and thieves could do all of the above together! The acid test of a true friend is when that so called friend is a bridge for union with Jesus, who is the Best of Friends and the Friend who will never fail us! May our youth find, cultivate, and establish true and lasting friendships, always having Jesus as the super-glue uniting them together.

8. SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION: MEETING THE DIVINE PHYSICIAN.  Jesus came to save the sinners; He came to seek after the lost sheep. The Parable of the Prodigal Son or the Merciful Father can and should be applied to all, but in a special way to the youth. Once again, Saint John Bosco, who had such charism and love for the young, was known to spend long hours administering the Sacrament of Confession, and most especially to his young! Peace of soul and joy of heart come from union with Jesus, the Divine Physician. What consoling words: “I absolve you of your sins… go in peace!”

9. FORMING GOOD AND SOLID FAMILIES: THE DOMESTIC CHURCH.  Our short essay would be remiss if it we were to neglect the paramount importance of striving to form good and solid families. The family has many names: The Domestic Church, the basic cell of society, the basic cultural building block, the first and fundamental institution. One of the greatest blessings that can descend upon a young teen, boy or girl, is to have the extraordinary blessing of a family where Jesus is in the center, where there is love, comprehension, understanding, communication—dialogue, as well as frequent and fervent prayer. Let us work on building solid and holy families, and as a consequence, wholesome young people!

10. MARY: THE MOTHER OF GOD AND THE MOTHER OF THE YOUNG.  Let us do all we possibly can to offer our young people to Mary, and Mary to our young people. This can be done in many ways! Consecrate our young to Mary. Pray the Rosary for them and pray the Rosary with them. Give the young people both a Scapular and Miraculous Medal to wear as a sign of their consecration to Mary and the protection of Mary. In their rooms enthrone an image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, or Our Lady of Guadalupe, or Our Lady of Fatima. Speak often to the young people of Mary’s maternal love and protection. Tell the youth that Mary is their loving and tender Heavenly Mother, as well as their life, their sweetness and their hope!

In conclusion, friends in Jesus and Mary and the saints, let us do all we can in our power to help out our young people. As the great Saint John Bosco, moved by the Holy Spirit, helped countless young people from cultural, social, moral and spiritual disaster, so must we take the initiative right now to follow in the footsteps of the saints and be a light, a beacon, a shining and bright signpost for our young! May we help the young people to truly understand the universal call to holiness, to happiness, and to heaven. This can only be accomplished by a deep knowledge, love and union with Jesus, the Son of Mary, who is the WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE!

In the overall formation of our conscience, not only must we know the diverse definitions of sin, but also the various categories in which sin can fall into. As followers of Christ we should maintain a perpetual state of optimism, better yet, the theological virtue of hope. By hope we mean a limitless trust in the goodness of God and His ultimate victory.  Saint Paul expresses it best in these words: “Where sin abounds, the mercy of God abounds all the more.” (Romans 5:20) The great sinner become a greater saint, Saint Augustine, asserted that God allows evil so that He can bring greater good from that evil. The best case scenario is the catastrophe of the sin of Adam and Eve, Original Sin, which unleashed a moral tsunami that extends itself with repercussions until the end of the world. However, due to this, God sent His Son, Jesus in the Incarnation to save the world and to give us life and life in abundance.

Therefore, let us list the different categories of sin so as to attain a greater understanding of sin, and thereby utilize the means at our disposal to conquer this moral evil, mortal enemy number one!

FIRST SIN: THE SIN OF THE ANGELS.  Actually the first sin was committed even before the creation of the natural world. This we call the sin of the angels. Put to the test, Lucifer, the beautiful Star of the Morning, lifted up his voice in a clarion call of rebellion: NON SERVIAM!!! I will not serve. Transformation! The splendid beauty of the angels was transformed into the hideous ugliness of the devils. (Read Revelation 12)

Second, THE SIN OF OUR FIRST PARENTS.  The first sin in the created world was perpetrated by our first parents—Adam and Eve. This sin we know as ORIGINAL SIN. It was the first of all sins committed by the human race and it unleashed a catastrophic snow-ball effect of sin that will have its repercussions until the end of time. Even now, we are the way we are, with our strong proclivities toward sin and evil, due to the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve. (Read Genesis 3)

SIN IN GENERAL.  Sin is simply a desire to be autonomous—to live our lives without God, without moral laws, subjecting ourselves to nobody except our own base and perverse desires.

ACTUAL SIN.  Differentiated from Original Sin is that of ACTUAL SIN—self-explanatory, it is the sin that we actually commit. We act upon a disordered desire and exclude God from the action.

VENIAL SIN.  With respect to the gravity of sin, some are more serious than others. As some sicknesses are minor and others are extremely grave, leading to death, the same can be said with reference to the reality of sin. Venial sin is less serious and does not deprive the person of a relationship of friendship with God. It would be a cut to the soul and not cancer to the soul.

MORTAL SIN.  By mortal sin, we mean deadly. If not repented before death, mortal sin will eventually pave the way to eternal separation from God for all eternity. This we call Hell!

MORTAL SIN AND ITS CONSTITUTIVE ELEMENTS—THE BIG THREE… To commit a mortal sin there must be present three specific elements; if lacking one of the three, the act will be attenuated in gravity. What then are the three components or elements that constitute the commission of a mortal sin?

1. GRAVE MATTER.  This means that the action is something very serious in its very nature—murder, adultery, purposely missing Holy Mass on Sunday.

2. FULL KNOWLEDGE.  The intellect perceives this action as very serious—there is no ignorance, but rather total and full knowledge.

3. FULL CONSENT OF THE WILL.  The actions is not done inadvertently or by some freak accident. Quite the contrary, the will of the person (the decision-making faculty) gives full and total consent to the action.

If these three conditions are met, the person thereby commits a mortal sin. Consequently, he loses sanctifying grace and forfeits friendship with God. A perfect Act of Contrition and then a good Sacramental Confession will restore his soul to grace.

In the classical Confiteor or Act of Contrition that is commonly prayed in Holy Mass (taken basically from Saint Augustine), there are mentioned four ways that we can offend God through sin. They are: thought, word, deed, and omission. Let us go through and explain these four classic categories of ways that we usually sin against God.

1. THOUGHT.  If we purposely allow and give consent to a sinful thought then this would be considered a sin of thought. A priest once asked a man this question: “Did you entertain bad thoughts?” The man responded wryly: “No, Father: they entertained me!” This was a Yes to sin! He gave consent and willfully entertained bad thoughts!

2. WORD.  One can sin by word and in many ways. Falsifying the truth by lying, as well as insulting another and leaving a deep wound in their soul—these are two ways among many that we can sin by means of word.  (Read James 3—the best Bible chapter on the sins of the tongue!)

3. DEED.  This form of sin is carried out when we hurt a person by some physical action. The forms are many, to say the least. Here are a few: hitting another, punching them, or worse yet killing them. Sin by deed can also extend to sins against the virtue of chastity—such as fornication and adultery.

4. OMISSION.  More common than you might think, the sin of omission is quite simply failing to do what is our duty and obligation to carry out. Being negligent, remiss, or down-right lazy are pathways to the sin of omission. As parents, we have most likely committed many sins of omission but due to a lack of formation, we may not be aware of these sins of the past. A typical sin of omission would be parents failing to attend Mass on Sunday and neglecting to bring their children to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

SINS OF THE FLESH.  This terminology usually refers to sins committed against the sixth and the ninth Commandments. Examples are many: fornication, masturbation, adultery.

SIN OF MALICE.  This is a more serious sin because it is carried out with full knowledge as well as the intention of doing real harm to another. Actually, the sin of the Angels can be considered a Sin of malice.

SIN OF FRAGILITY.  The opposite of the sin of malice, the sin of fragility is a sin committed due to human weakness and often ignorance. Jesus expressed it most clearly in these words: “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

VICE.  By the word VICE is simply meant a morally bad habit that has been cultivated and formed due to the repetition of a bad action. The opposite of vice is that of VIRTUE—the repetition of good actions. Thus, the vice becomes second-nature.

CAPITAL SINS.  These are the sins that flow out of the human person as a result of Original Sin. Related to the words of St. Thomas Aquinas: CONCUPISCENCE/ FOMI PECACTI, the Capital sins are bad tendencies within our fallen human nature. If these tendencies are not tamed and controlled, we become slaves of these sins. We no longer control them, rather they control us. Traditionally they are seven: Gluttony, Lust, Greed, Sloth, Anger, Envy, and Pride. The following are concise and easy to memorize definitions of the Capital Sins.

GLUTTONY.  “A disordered desire to eat and to drink.”

LUST.  “A disordered desire for sexual pleasure.”

GREED or AVARICE.  “A disordered desire for material things.”

SLOTH or LAZINESS.  “A disordered desire for ease and comfort.”

ENVY.  “A feeling of sadness because somebody has something that I do not have.”

ANGER.  “An impatience and bitterness towards somebody whom I perceive has done me wrong.”

PRIDE. “A disordered love for self and my own self-aggrandizement.”

Pope Saint John Paul II in his document Reconciliation and Penance points out five of the basic effects that sin causes. Yes, indeed, sin does leave negative consequences.  What are these five negative effects of sin?

1. THEOLOGICAL EFFECT. Sin first and foremost damages our relationship with God. Contemplate Jesus on the cross and you will understand the theological effect of sin.

2. SOCIAL EFFECT.  How true the poet’s saying: “No man is an island unto himself.” Our sins affect and hurt others. Just think of adultery!!!

3. PERSONAL EFFECT.  Sin can explode in our face and we only hurt ourselves. Pope Saint John Paul II calls it moral-suicide.

4. ECCLESIAL EFFECT.  There is no doubt that by sinning we actually hurt and damage the Church, who is both Teacher and Mother to us.

5. COSMIC EFFECT.  Sin also ends up wreaking havoc in the natural habitat in which we live. For this reason, Pope Francis insists on watching over and protecting nature as God’s gift to us.

STRUCTURALIZATION OF SIN.  Once again, Pope Saint John Paul II makes reference to this form of sin. This is the type of sin that has imbued and encrusted itself into the very institution of society. Abortion laws, euthanasia laws, contraceptive laws—all are laws that have immersed themselves into the very structure of society.

SIN OF SCANDAL.  This is a sin that is seen in the public eye and causes others—often the very innocent ones—to be contaminated by it. Jesus strongly denounces this sin as being worthy of the Millstone-award. By scandalizing, by giving bad example to the innocent, such a person deserves to have a millstone tied around their neck and to be cast into the very depths of the sea.

SIN OF SACRILEGE.  This is a sin that is committed against a sacred person, object, place or Sacrament. One of the most common examples would be that of receiving Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin.

SIN AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT.  This is the sin of the person who fully and completely rejects the Holy Spirit and His invitations with total and unreserved obstinacy. Example: Pharoah rejecting the many visits and invitations of God through his holy servant Moses.

SIN OF IMPENITENCE.  This is the sin of the person who rejects God and all of His movements of grace even to the very end of their life.

My friends, we have concluded our catechesis on the explanation of the various types, forms or categories of sin. Hopefully, a knowledge of this catechesis can foster within us a greater knowledge and love for God and the desire to run from sin and find our refuge in the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus—our true havens and refuges in time and eternity. 

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola

“Be holy as your Heavenly Father is holy.” These words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ command us with an imperious obligation to become saints. Becoming a saint is another way of interpreting the words— “Be holy…”

Now if Our Lord commands us to do anything, then He will definitely supply us with sufficient grace to carry out His command. God will never command that which is impossible, that goes beyond our capacity. With the order and command come commensurate and corresponding graces.

As Paul complained three times about a thorn in his side that he desired to be rid of, the Lord responded that His grace would be sufficient.

Therefore, in our pursuit of attaining holiness of life, of becoming the saint that the Lord has destined for us to become, we should seek out the means to attain this command and goal that the Lord has set out for us.

For close to over 500 years, a Spiritual Program has proven to be most efficacious in forging, forming, and molding sinners into saints, and some are even great saints. This is a program that the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, inspired in the person of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

These are the SPIRITUAL EXERCISES of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. It is our firm belief that if you are willing to undertake with Magnanimity to do the Spiritual Exercises, with skilled and fervent spiritual direction, the fruits will be abundant, and the pathway to the pursuit of holiness will not be simply whimsical and wishful thinking, but a concrete reality.

One of the most superlative examples of a person who engaged in doing the Spiritual Exercises with Magnanimity—great generosity of soul, mind, heart and spirit—is Saint Francis Xavier. His proud, arrogant, self-willed spirit was broken, and he was transformed into a humble, prayerful, and most zealous soldier in the army of Christ the King. Indeed, abundant fruits follow when souls do the Spiritual Exercises with Magnanimity! These are ten most exquisite fruits that blossom from the healthy tree of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Our hope is that all will accept the challenge to do these Spiritual Exercises. Furthermore, it is our hope that those who have already accepted the challenge will strive to go even deeper on a daily basis in living out the whole thrust and plan of this sure plan and pathway to true and authentic holiness.

1. KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST. One of the principal reasons for a lack of holiness of life is ignorance of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At the very heart of the Spiritual Exercises is the Person of Jesus Christ. He is the source and summit of all holiness of life.

2. LOVE FOR CHRIST. Once we get to know who Jesus Christ really is by an assiduous and frequent contemplation of His life, there comes a transformation of really loving Christ. How true the saying: you cannot love someone whom you really do not know.

3. FOLLOWING OF CHRIST. Jesus said to the first Apostles: “Come and follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Lk. 5: 1-11) Indeed, there is a logical sequence here. If we know Christ, we fall in love with Him. Then it necessarily follows that we want to follow in His footsteps and to be with Him, spend time with Him, spend our lives with Him, and expend all of our energy in pursuing what He wills and desires.

4. BRINGING OTHERS TO CHRIST AND CHRIST TO OTHERS. Once we have known Him profoundly, loved Him ardently, and decided to throw in our lot with Him and follow Him, we cannot stop there. We want to do all that is within our power to bring others to Christ and Christ to others. In other words, what Christ really desires most becomes the very desire of our hearts.

5. SALVATION OF SOULS. Put into concrete language, the most ardent desire of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus is to save souls for all eternity. In fact, the purpose of the Incarnation, Life, Passion, Suffering, Death and eventual Resurrection of Christ was to accomplish the will of the Eternal Father and to save immortal souls for all eternity. Jesus Christ is the Eternal King and He most ardently desires that His crown be adorned with the most precious jewels. What are these jewels, these precious stones? These resplendent, glittering, shiny jewels are immortal souls who have lived out an authentic sanctity of life.

6. GUIDED BY FAITH AND REASON AND NOT BY FEELINGS. Another most exquisite fruit of doing the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola is the guiding principles of our lives. No longer will we be tossed and turned by the tempestuous and uncertain quality of our feelings and unruly passions. (How dangerous this style of life that so many have embraced!) On the contrary, the motivating action in our life will be that of having faith as our Lighthouse and reason as our guiding principle.

7. DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS. Most certainly, part and parcel of the rich inheritance of the Spiritual Exercises is that of acquiring the art of Spiritual Discernment. Remember the acronym B.U.T.—Be aware, Understand, Take Action. In concrete, this means that by doing the Spiritual Exercises we learn the reality of the different spirits that are working on us. There is the bad spirit (the devil); then there is the good spirit (the good angels). Both are in mortal combat and are diametrically opposed. As good soldiers of Christ, we should learn to open our hearts and follow the good spirit’s action; then, once we are aware of the bad spirit working on us, tempting us to offend the Lord, quickly, manfully and forcefully we must reject his ugly insinuations.

8. A.M.D.G. This is the motto of Saint Ignatius, the propelling force of his life. These letters in Latin can be translated into English as the following: “Do all in our lives for the greater honor and glory of God.” By doing the Spiritual Exercises well, our motivation and well-spring for action will be to do all within our power, not only to work for the salvation of souls, but also to glorify, magnify, and exalt the Presence of God in the world!

9. DEEP PRAYER, DEEP CONVERSION. Father Thomas Dubay, S.M., has written a masterpiece in spirituality with the title, DEEP PRAYER, DEEP CONVERSION. This is exactly one of the most sublime fruits of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola: to arrive at a daily deeper conversion of life by pursuing a deeper immersion in prayer. Deep, contemplative prayer can be compared to the immense and almost infinite abyss of ocean waters. The farther and deeper one sails out, the more difficult it is for the anchors to reach the bottom. So it is in our relationship with God in prayer—there are no limits to our love relationship with God in prayer.

10.  MARY: STAR OF THE SEA/OUR LADY OF THE WAY. The conversion of Saint Ignatius resulted in him traveling to Our Lady of Montserrat where this soldier placed his sword—after an all-night vigil—at the feet of Our Lady. He now became a soldier in the army of Christ the King, with Mary as His Queen. According to tradition, also in the cave of Manresa, Our Lady dictated the start of the Spiritual Exercises to Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Mary is the Star of the Sea leading us safely to the shore of salvation and she is THE WAY—that takes us to Jesus who is truly THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.

One of the most charming and instructive Wisdom stories in the Old Testament can be found in the Book of Tobit, which is couched in between the Books of Nehemiah and Judith.

Only fourteen short and easy reading chapters, the book of Tobit serves as an invaluable literary tool to teach, inspire, encourage, correct, motivate and fill the reader with hope.

In the midst of so much turmoil in our world, especially with regard to the primary cell of society—the family, the Book of Tobit offers us invaluable lessons on Marriage and the Family.

The key or linchpin that serves to purify, ennoble and save two families experiencing very serious problems is the intervention of a person whose name is Raphael.

In fact Raphael is an angelic person, whose name can be interpreted as God heals or Medicine of God. You might even title Raphael as the Angelic Physician.

TWO MONUMENTAL PROBLEMS: THE INTERVENTION OF RAPHAEL. All families have problems; this is part of the common lot of humanity. However, there are different ways to react towards problems. We can react by giving into despair; or we can entrust our problems to God and rely on God’s overlying strength.

First Problem: Tobit’s affliction with blindness. A very good man, Tobit left his meal to attend to those who were afflicted and dying. After affording the dead proper burial and exhausted, Tobit falls asleep with his eyes open and birds let their droppings fall into his eyes. Despite the good will and efforts of Doctors, the poor Tobit’s eyes go from bad to worse and he ends up totally blind. The loss of his sight causes Tobit unspeakable pain and anguish. He even ends up having a heated quarrel with his wife, adding greater suffering to his affliction.

Second Problem: Sarah’s afflictions. In another family, the young Sarah undergoes untold sorrow and anguish. Believing that her vocational call is that of marriage, six of her prospect husbands are struck down the very moment when they are about to consummate the marriage; all are killed by the devil Asmodeus. Led almost to the brink of despair, Sarah decides it is better for her to simply terminate her life. However, the thought of the grief and humiliation that her suicide would bring upon her parents detains her from hanging from the noose!

In these critical moments, prayers ascend on high to the Almighty and merciful God, and He sends relief to these two families in an extraordinary manner. God sends from Heaven the Archangel Raphael to heal the wounds and reconcile the families, establishing peace and harmony among the human family.

Many of the activities on earth are governed and directed by God through the instrumentality of His angels. Our essay will focus largely upon the different areas of intervention and blessing the Archangel Raphael portrays in the Book of Tobit; furthermore, on how he can still intervene in our lives and be of great service to all of us in our struggle against evil and our pursuit of holiness of life.

The Archangel Raphael, Medicine of God, intervenes in human affairs sent by Almighty God to render inexplicable graces and services. All is done in such a humble and inconspicuous way by the silent Hand of God that one is astounded by God’s ways of weaving, working and healing.

Let us go down through a list of ways that Raphael came to the aid of these two families, and how he can help each and every one of us in our own family struggles.

1. NAME RAPHAEL—GOD HEALS/ MEDICINE OF GOD.  Raphael was instrumental in the healing of the blind Tobit through the application on his eyes of the gall of a fish. His sight restored so that Tobit could see his son Tobias and wife Sarah, his joy had no limits. Let us beg the Archangel Raphael to heal the many wounds that have afflicted our families. Our families have many wounds but God can heal the wounds by the Wounds of His Son Jesus, but also through the intervention of the Archangel Raphael—God Heals!

2. PATRON OF TRAVELERS.  The young Tobias needed directions to arrive at the home of his future wife, Sarah. There was no Thomas Guide or GPS back then! The Angelic Map and Guide arrives in person and volunteers his services to direct Tobias safely and soundly to his destiny and vocation. Today our families are assaulted by so many negative forces, many bad turns, many erroneous detours, many potholes and pitfalls. How easy it is to get lost on the Highway that leads to eternal life. Let us place our families under the protective wings of the Archangel Raphael and he will lead us to our safe haven which is Heaven.

3. PATRON OF HAPPY MEETINGS.  Upon arriving at the home of his future family, his future wife and in-laws, there indeed is a happy meeting. Tobias rejoices in meeting his future father-in-law and mother-in-law, and even more so in meeting his future wife Sarah. Their joy radiates. This being the case, families have frequent meetings and at times they can be very tense to say the least. So as to dispel the tension and possible quarrels and discords, families should invite the Archangel Raphael to be present in their family meetings so they will end by being a HAPPY MEETING. Raphael can expel the bad feelings and arrange it such that family members learn to love and respect each other mutually.

4. RIGHT VOCATIONAL CHOICE.  Beyond doubt, one of the most important, if not the most important choice in our lives is the choice of our vocation. Single life, married life, religious life, the priesthood—all are possible vocational possibilities. The Archangel Raphael can be instrumental in helping us to simply make the right choice.

5. MARRIAGE VOCATION.  Arriving at one of the key themes in the Book of Tobit is the encounter, the love, and the marriage choice that is made by both Sarah and Tobias. Indeed their marriage was not based on lust, sensuality, vanity, materialism, nor pride. They chose to marry for the love of God and so that they could honestly and purely raise a family pleasing in the eyes of God. May we pray most especially for our children so that they will pray fervently for their vocation! And if indeed their vocation is that of the Married life that a proper choice of the person will be made according to the will of God and the intercession of the Archangel Raphael.

6. MARITAL PURITY: “BLESSED ARE THE PURE OF HEART; THEY WILL SEE GOD.” (Mt. 5:8)  One of the primary reasons why Sarah’s prospective husbands were slain on the marriage night was because they sought out Sarah for ignoble purposes—that is to say, they were dominated and blinded by the devil of lust. (Asmodeus!) Both Tobias and Sarah had a true, authentic, noble and pure relationship between each other. Let us pray that couples today will marry more for love and chastity than by being dominated and enslaved by the devil of lust.

7. PATRON OF JOY!  The Archangel Raphael ends up by transforming two families from a dismal, sad and even despairing atmosphere to an overflowing joy. Families should be an oasis of peace, harmony, and a reservoir of immense and overflowing joy. Sin causes sadness; virtue and the presence of God create joy!

8. PATRON OF EYESIGHT.  Tobias marries Sarah and undertakes the journey home so as to present his new wife to his parents. The elderly Tobit still is suffering great pain due to his blindness. The Archangel Raphael commands that Tobias apply the gall of a fish to the blind eyes of his father, Tobit. Almost immediately crusts like scales fall from the eyes of the elderly father Tobit. Now he can see with his own eyes the face of his son and his beautiful new bride Sarah. Let us pray to the Archangel Raphael that we will have great purity in the use of our eyes. May the Archangel help us and protect us with his wings so that we will avoid viewing impure material that will sully our eyes, blemish our hearts, and damage our love for our spouse and family!

9. PATRON OF PRAYER AND PATRON OF PRAISE OF GOD.  At the end of the story, the Archangel Raphael reveals his identity as an angel sent by God. He invites all to thank God and praise God; the Archangel attributes all the good to God and not to himself. May the Archangel Raphael be welcomed into our own family life and may his presence motivate all of us to pray to God, to praise God, and to place God in the very center of our lives

10. HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN.  The Archangel Raphael came from Heaven to visit the earth so as to become an angelic bridge to cross from earth to Heaven. His visit to these two troubled families was relatively short in comparison to eternity. His presence, prayers, power, potency and pleasant performance in these two troubled families served to bring them closer to their eternal destiny—that is Heaven! Let us invite the Archangel Raphael into our own family lives so that his wings will protect us and that he will help families to lift their eyes more and more towards Heaven.

The family is indeed the Domestic Church, the basic cell of society, the basic building block of human society. Many are the dangerous, poisonous, and nefarious enemies that are attacking society by trying to destroy the family.

Therefore, let us invite into our families the many angelic friends that God has at our disposition. But most especially let us get to know the Archangel Raphael by reading the Book of Tobit. May this great Archangel Raphael not be a simple ornamental presence, but rather a powerful presence in motivating us to form solid, strong and robust families for the betterment of town, city, country, and the entire world!

May Our Lady Queen of all of the Angels and saints pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen. The future of the world depends upon the holiness of families!

Recently there has been a movement to give greater prominence to God the Father. Actually, this movement extends to asking the Holy Father to inaugurate a Liturgical Feast Day to honor God the Father, and the day would be the first Sunday of August.

It is true that the major Liturgical celebrations honor Jesus—His Birthday, His death and Resurrection that we call the Paschal Mystery. Then the Church formally honors the Holy Spirit on the Solemnity of Pentecost at the conclusion of the Easter Season.

No doubt, it is impossible to separate the Three Divine Persons in the Trinity—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; in a word, in God there is no divorce, no separations, nor disharmony, nor disunity. Therefore, in every Liturgical celebration the Three Divine Persons are active. For example, in Holy Mass at the moment of the Doxology the Three Divine Persons are explicitly honored and praised in these words: “Through Him, with Him, and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory is yours eternal Father forever and ever. Amen.” Indeed, this is a Eucharistic Trinitarian act of praise and worship after the Consecration of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

All of this being said, whether or not one day there exists a formal Liturgical Solemnity honoring God the Father, still we must strive to give greater prominence and honor to our Heavenly Father. 

Let us offer three concrete ways that we can accomplish this most noble of devotions, honoring God the Father. 

1. Let us get in the habit of praying the Lord’s Prayer, known commonly as “The Our Father” with greater attention, devotion, as well as understanding. In the Spiritual Exercises, Saint Ignatius suggests that we take this prayer and pray it slowly by relishing each and every one of the words in this most sublime of prayers that came from the lips and the very Heart of Jesus the Lord.

2. THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON. (Lk. 15: 11-32) Read, meditate and pray over this Literary and Spiritual masterpiece that was preached and taught by the greatest of all Teachers, the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word of God the Father. In your deep meditation focus especially on the Father in this Parable: His personality, His image, His actions, His attitude toward His son/sons, but most especially His infinite mercy. We might be bold enough to state that this Parable can also be termed “The Parable of the Merciful Father.” In a word, focus most especially on the Person of the Father who represents the Eternal Father Himself. The end result will be a clearer image of who God the Father is for us, His great love for us, and if we are “Fathers” we will become better Fathers, having God the Father as our model, image and pattern.

3. POPE SAINT JOHN PAUL II.  Of all the saints, and most especially of all the Popes, Holy Fathers, nobody can doubt the enormous impact and influence that Pope Saint John Paul II left on the world in his Pontificate that lasted from October 16, 1978 to April 2,2005. What a powerful, unforgettable and exemplary image Pope Saint John Paul II left as a patrimony to the world at large. We might be bold enough to state that in a human manner, if we really desire to see a person who reflected the Person of God the Father in human form, Pope Saint John Paul II truly filled that role. Many men today experience a certain identity crisis. By reading about, meditating and praying to Pope Saint John Paul II men can discover their true identity.

In conclusion, let us all make a sincere, concrete and concerted effort to get to know better on a daily basis the Person of the Our Heavenly Father. Let us pray the Our Father with greater attention. Let us strive to plumb the depths of the literary and spiritual masterpiece—the Parable of the Prodigal Son (and the Merciful Father). Finally, may the Holy Father, Pope Saint John Paul II serve as a model to imitate his Fatherhood to the world at large! May Our Lady, Daughter of God the Father, Mother of God the Son, and Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit inspire us with her powerful prayers of intercession.