Fr. Ed Broom, OMV Oblates of the Virgin Mary

Catholic Ignatian Marian Spirituality

SIGN OF THE CROSS—SYMBOL OF SALVATION!

 

The flag, symbol of patriotism,  rays red and white emanating from the Heart of Jesus, symbol of God’s merciful love, 
blue sky, morning star are both symbols of Mary’s mantle of protection and her ability to guide us safely to the port of salvation.   Symbols are physical and material signs that have a profound spiritual reality hidden behind them.
One of the clearest symbols of Catholicism is the sign of the cross:  “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Amen.  
How frequently this gesture is done, but how easy to fall into a mere mechanical and perfunctory gesture, almost losing real meaning!
When was the last time you stopped to reflect on the profound meaning of the sign of the cross???  Maybe never!  Maybe nobody ever explained the sign of the cross to you!!!! Religiosity without catechetical explanation degenerates into superstition!   Hippies wearing Rosaries, Psychic Readers with smoke and incense, Bus drivers displaying both images of Mary and indecent pictures, side by side— all of this points to religiosity without education, or superstition!   
The sign of the cross is done with the right hand, palm fully open; then the hand to the forehead, down to the
chest and crossing over to the left shoulder—a wide sweep, and finally the
crossing to the right shoulder, and then the folding of the hands.   The words accompanying the gesture are: “In
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Amen
There are two basic spiritual truths embodied in the   Sign of the Cross.  The First, is the profession of the most
profound mystery of the Christian-Catholic faith— the MOST BLESSED TRINTIY!   The sign mentions the three Persons of the
Blessed Trinity— the Father, who is the Creator, the Son, who is the Redeemer
and Savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who is the Sanctifier.
Every time the sign of the cross is made, implicitly we should be reminded of our Baptism, when through the pouring
of water and the expression of the words of the Trinity, we became Sons of God,
Brothers to Jesus Christ, and intimate Friends of the Holy Spirit, all
combined—temples of the Blessed Trinity! As Pope St. Leo the Great remarked
with profound reverence— “Christians recognize your dignity!”
Furthermore, the Sign of the cross calls to mind the love that Jesus has for all of humanity, but in particular
for you and me.   The cross! The body is signed by the cross!  Jesus willingly underwent his agony, to the
point of shedding every drop of His Precious Blood for your salvation and mine!
Every time we make the sign of the cross we should be thankful for Jesus’
sacrifice of total self-giving and once again recognize our dignity.  We were not saved/ redeemed by silver nor
gold, nor the blood of animals but by the Blood of the Lamb of God who takes
away the sins of the world!  
Therefore, upon making the sign of the cross we should call to mind the Mystery of the most Blessed Trinity and
Good Friday—Jesus’ death on the cross(the outpouring of His Precious Blood).  As St. Ignatius of Loyola
insists on reminding us that this was done for me individually.
When, then, should we make the Sign of the Cross? ANYTIME! ANYWHERE! However, there are specific “prime-times” that we should sign ourselves!
1.   UPON AWAKENING!  Our first gesture that we should make upon awaking
is the sign of the cross and then Our Morning Offering.
2.   MEAL-TIME!  Meals should be blessed, thanked, consumed
with grateful hearts; however, the meal-blessing is always preceded by the Sign
of the Cross!

3.   PARENTS BLESS YOUR CHILDREN!  Parents should get into the habit of blessing their children—if possible even with Holy Water. When?  Sending them off to school, putting them to bed.  Parents, as primary educators of their children, can and should bless their children.

4.   HOLY ROSARY!  With the Rosary beads, preceded by the cross, this powerful Marian prayer starts with the sign of the cross, and should end with the sign of the cross!

5.   TEMPTATIONS!   Life is a battle field from birth till death!  Once an elderly nun told St. Faustina that old age does not excuse anybody from the battle! Until our dying breath we are soldiers in the army of Christ. Assaults from the devil can be conquered by
quick recourse to fervent prayer, the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and by the sign of the cross!  Once an enemy of St. Benedict tried to poison him, offering him a cup!  The saint blessed the cup and it shattered into bits and pieces, saving the saint from poisoning!

6.   TRIPS!   Taking off on trips should always involve inviting Jesus, Mary and Joseph, as well as the Archangel St. Raphael. However,
travelers’ prayers should start with the Sign of the cross! 

7.   EXORCISMS.  Of course any former exorcism includes prayers to St. Joseph, St Michael the Archangel, St. Benedict, the Blessed
Virgin Mary, the Holy Name of Jesus and many times the SIGN OF THE CROSS!  Mortal fear and panic seizes the devil upon
the invocation of the Blessed Trinity in the Sign of the Cross!  

8.   ANY PRAYER/PRAYERS AT ANY TIME!  Needless to say, all prayers should start with the Sign of the Cross.  This means any time, any place, and any circumstance!  Remember this catholic symbol!
9.   HOLY MASS!  In the context of Holy Mass the sign of the cross is frequently used! Just to mention a few: the greeting is Trinitarian
with the sign of the cross. Before listening to the proclamation of the Holy Gospel, the priest as well as the people, with their thumb, cross their forehead, lips and heart, with a small sign of the cross Why?  So that the Word of God would be in our minds, lips, but especially in our hearts and lived out to the full by fruits of holiness! Before the Consecration, the priest blesses the Bread and wine with the sign of the cross. Finally at the end of the Mass, the dismissal is concluded with the blessing of the Blessed Trinity!

10. FUNERALS!  Finally, leaving this world and travelling to the next, the body is blest with Holy Water with the sign of the cross!
In conclusion, easily we can fall into a mechanical religiosity, in which we simply do the motions and forget the profound meaning behind the sacred actions. Next time you make the sign of the cross, remember that  by Baptism you were transformed into a living Icon of the Blessed Trinity and that you were saved by the Blood that Jesus shed for you and for me on the Sacred Cross.  “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Amen!
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CONSCIENCE— OBLIGATION TO FORM IT WELL!

 

God has endowed every human person with a conscience, and it is our obligation to work at a proper formation of our conscience. Simply following the flow of the world and worldly values, especially as communicated by the mass media, is not a proper means to form one’s conscience properly.   On the contrary, often what is learned from TV, movies, talk shows, movie stars are values antithetical to true Christian values.
This being said, many blurt out this dangerous assertion:  “I must follow my own conscience.”  Or,  “I have to be true to myself!”   Still another , “ I feel that this is what is right for me!”   All of these statements affirm what the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI has warned us frequently to avoid:  “The dictatorship of moral relativism!”   By these five words the Holy Father cautions us not to follow the flow, our feelings, the
modern current of worldly values, subjectivism, but rather to pursue Truth, Absolute Truth, which is found not so much in a philosophical system, but in a Person and that Person is Jesus Christ the Son of the living God who said, “I am the Way, the   TRUTH and the
life.”                 
CONSCIENCE!   One of the most basic and rudimentary first principles, instilled in every human person that enters the world is “Do good
and avoid evil!”  However, due to shattered family units, a neo-paganism, Freudianism, and a growing hedonism in the modern world, many are brought up and raised without any moral-compass whatever!   Therefore, the conscience has never been properly formed or in time it can be deformed— worse yet, the conscience can even be suppressed or killed! God, is the best of “Gentlemen” and He respects our freedom which we can choose to use for His honor and glory or to abuse for our own condemnation!
What might be some “Erroneous consciences” manifest in the modern world?  Many!  Some people have a mixture of more than one.  Let us give the list and see where you might fall, calling to mind that it is incumbent upon all to work at forming a  healthy conscience—better yet (the conscience of the saints a “delicate conscience”.   Also call to mind the immortal words of Pope Pius XII, “The sin of the century is the loss of the sense of sin!”  As priest and confessor, the person that scares me most— with regard to the salvation of his immortal soul—is the individual who arrogantly brags over the fact that he actually has no sin!  Why so scary?  For the simple reason that the purpose of the
Incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus’ life among us and especially the reason for His excruciating Passion and death, leading to His Resurrection was precisely for that reason— to forgive our sins, to redeem us— to ransom us from the enemy and to conquer the devil! 
Actually, as Fulton Sheen highlights, Jesus is “Teacher”, but more important than “Teacher”  Jesus is Savior and Redeemer. He saved us from the poison of sin!   
Consciences of the modern man in the modern world—the list and explanation!                  
1.ERRONEOUS.    In this word, you can see included within the word “Error”.  It is a conscience that is wrapped up in error, falsehoods and lies! Many of us, even those who are ardently pursuing authentic holiness, still have some blind spots in the formation of their conscience.
2. DEFORMED.   This person once had a well-formed conscience, but due to a lack of proper formation, mental and spiritual laziness the conscience gradually lost its light and is filled with errors, prejudices, false ideas.  This conscience might be compared to a well-ordered garden full of fruits and flowers, but the gardener has gone on vacation for 6 months and upon return finds the garden filled with ugly weeds and cock-roaches!   The conscience must be cultivated, or else, like this garden it will be filled and cluttered with immoral weeds!
3. LAX CONSCIENCE.   This conscience has lost most of its light, just a flicker, a minute flame still exists.  This individual has remorse of conscience only when he/she perpetrates the most egregious of faults.   How often have I heard this comment:  “I am a good person!  I do not kill and I do not steal!”   This statement summarizes this type of conscience!  This person’s conscience reacts only to the most horrendous of sins, but is blind to so many other moral transgressions!   The further we walk away from the light the less we can see the coffee spots on our white shirt!  
4. SUPPRESSED  CONSCIENCE!   God will often prick and gently rebuke us after our sin, beckoning us to return to Him trusting in His love and mercy, but He never forces Himself on us!  By abuse of our free will, we can reject God’s invitation to  conversion.  Two powerful and
well-known biblical examples of the suppressed conscience is in the person of King David after having committed adultery with Bathsheba and after having killed her husband on the battle field. David simply ignored the stark reality of his grievous sins, until God sent him the prophet Nathan, who woke up David’s conscience by means of the Parable of the rich man taking advantage of  the poor man, and the slaughter of the innocent sheep.  The second example of the suppressed conscience can be found in the book of Daniel in the story of
the chaste, but beautiful, Susanna.  Two of the elders gave in to lust, spied her behind the fence and desired to commit adultery with her.  The Bible says that they suppressed their consciences and failed to look up to heaven!                 
5. SCRUPULOUS CONSCIENCE.   This is a sick conscience, actually warped. This conscience tends to perceive sin where sin actually does not exist or to blow the gravity of sin out of proportion. At the same time a person that suffers with a scrupulous conscience can be totally blind to what are objectively grave sins.  St. Maximillian Kolbe as wells as St Therese Lisieux passed through a stage where they suffered scrupulosity.   St. Ignatius himself, shortly after his conversion in the battle of Pamplona and after having painstakingly made his general confession—which took several days— suffered severe scruples!  How then can one resolve such a state of soul? Very simply— obedience!   The scrupulous
conscience must be sincere and transparent to his confessor and obey all of the advice, indications and counsels. Otherwise this state of soul, this conscience, will end up torturing him.              
6. DOUBTFUL/PERPLEXED CONSCIENCE.    This individual may find himself in a moral predicament in which he cannot find a clear answer.   He may have to decide between two alternatives, but it seems to him that either one of the decisions carries with it moral guilt
(sin).  The old proverb kicks in: “I am damned if I do it; I am damned if I do not!”  A basic principle of moral theology applies to this predicament:  One should never act on a “Doubtful conscience”—the reason being, one must never risk offending God through sin.  The solution to this predicament?   Seek out counsel! Either from a competent confessor or spiritual director or consulting a good manual on
moral theology that clearly addresses and responds to that moral dilemma at hand!   In other words, God never pushes us into sin.  As Paul asserts, “With the trial God will always provide us with the sufficient grace.”  The problem is not God, but our lack of collaboration with His grace.  
7. CAUTERIZED/DEAD CONSCIENCE.   God has endowed all with a conscience. However, if that conscience is not developed, it can lay fallow, collect moral weeds that choke the voice of the conscience to the point where the voice is no longer heard, but suffocated, resulting in death.   I remember once hearing of a case where a woman actually carried out 28 abortions!!!! I imagine after the 1st abortion the woman had remorse of conscience, as wells as after the second, but maybe less. The third, a gentle but insistent voice beckoned the poor woman to repentance and trust.  However, after the 10th no doubt, the conscience would be silenced. We can assassinate our conscience.   Through
repetition of sin, and increased gravity of the sin, and rejection of God’s call to conversion, the conscience becomes calloused, cauterized and dies! Conscience assassination!                
8. DIRTY CONSCIENCE.    This conscience has been smeared and sullied by constant and repeated sin. The light of God’s grace becomes blocked; sin becomes habitual, slavery to sin sets in with encrustation. One may even fall in love with his sin and fall out of love with God.  Jesus said that those who sin actually prefer the darkness to light.
9. GUILTY CONSCIENCE.   Not bad, if one has a correct conscience. To sweep sin underneath the rug does not resolve the problem but magnifies it.  A bandaged cut does not necessarily heal the cut. Iodine, disinfectant, medical treatment is necessary for healing.   A guilty conscience must come to terms with the sin, humbly admit it, confess it and trust in God’s mercy.  Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth constantly washing her hands, a clear manifestation of guilt not resolved.  All the waters of all the seas could not cleanse her from her guilt only God’s infinite mercy.
10 HEALTHY/CORRECT CONSCIENCE.   All should aim in his spiritual life at attaining a healthy or correct conscience. This conscience reacts correctly to his actions.  When he acts virtuously the conscience is filled with peace. However, when he does evil, sadness and remorse
follows!  Both these states manifest a healthy or correct conscience.
11. DELICATE CONSCIENCE.   Above and beyond the healthy/correct conscience we encounter the “Delicate conscience”.   This individual, truly pursuing sanctity of life, abhors sin in all sizes and shapes, but he wants to go beyond the minimum.  He desires the Ignatian “Magis”—to give the Lord all he is and has, to the “Max.”   This “gem of a person” strives to be attentive to even the slightest and most delicate inspirations of the Holy Spirit and to respond generously and immediately.   When he fails to respond, the Holy Spirit gently but firmly notifies him of his failure!  Holiness basically depends on being attentive to God’s inspirations and responding promptly and generously!                  
12. ENLIGHTENED CONSCIENCE.   This means a conscience that has God’s light shining upon it.   An enlightened conscience pursues the proper channels to shed the proper and adequate light. The true light he seeks out in the Word of God, the Teaching of the Magisterium of the Church, the Teachings of the Popes, their documents and especially their encyclicals, and the lives, writings and examples of the saints— the incarnate reflections of the various virtues of Jesus Christ!
ONE FINALLY ANALOGY TO SUM UP OUR TOPIC ON CONSCIENCE….
Imagine a room, with a window pointed to the sun at midday (12:00 noon). Picture these different scenarios. 1st , the room has windows, shutters, shades totally shut—the room is in total darkness. 2nd , the shutters and shades are only partially opened. A streak of the sunlight passes through. Mere objects can be detected. 3rd , the shutters and shades are half opened  resulting in the objects seen, but without any detail observed. 4th and finally, the windows, the shutters and shades are totally opened at noon.  The sun pours forth its rays,
penetrating and inundating the room.  The chairs, tables, bed can be seen down to the most minute detail.  Not only that, but even the tiny dust particles floating in the room can be seen.                      
This analogy of the room applies to our conscience.  All have a conscience, given as a gift by  our loving God—nobody in the world is excluded!  However, some have an erroneous conscience, others a lax one, still others might have deformed their conscience to the point of cauterizing or even killing the conscience.  Those of good-will recognize the reality of sin and that is part of fallen human nature and take specific steps to know themselves and the truth in the light of God’s word, explained by the Magisterium and Holy Father and his teachings. They have acquired a healthy or even delicate conscience .  May our conscience be that of the room open to divine sunlight so that His light of
Truth will illuminate us and set us free!
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VACATION SHOULD NEVER LEAD TO DEGREDATION!

 

 

 
Up from a long sleep, already 12 noon, ready to kill two birds with one stone, a big breakfast and lunch combined, leisurely hours before the “boob-tube”, vegging out, the proverbial “Couch-potato”,  then, more time to rest–  prostrate on the beach soaking in the rays,  later luxurious dining, wining and then  off to the party, immodest dress, still more immodest dancing, interspersed with conversation, communicating the latest family and town gossip, and of course various off-colored jokes—– unfortunately, but all too true, this has been vacation time for all too many in contemporary society!
True, we all need rest, down time, vacation, even Biblically, after six days the Lord God rested.  Indeed we are called weekly to the “Sabbath
rest”.  St. Thomas Aquinas, the angelic doctor, wrote concisely on the path to holiness and virtue.  He wrote on the importance of “Recreation”.   The word “Recreation” basically explains the purpose of an authentic vacation, and Sabbath rest.  “Recreation” is a compound word— meaning to “recreate” or restore or rejuvenate one’s strength and energies so as to be able to return to accomplish one’s work all the more efficaciously and competently, for the honor and glory of God, for one’s own sanctification and for the sanctification of others!
Following, we will highlight various activities that would be beneficial to live out one’s vacation purposely, fruitfully, and pleasing to the Lord of all!   Remember the words of the Apostle to the Gentiles:  “Whether you eat or drink (we might even add, “rest”) do everything for the glory of God!”
First, free time, vacation time, “Down time” should be God’s time!  One of the most frequently expressed complaints is “I am too busy and I simply do not have time!”  A misnomer, incorrect, fallacious reasoning!   Why?   Every person on planet earth is gifted, every day with 24 hours; this is universal!   The problem is mismanagement of time and an erroneous hierarchy of values!
 
At all times, places, and cultures,
God should always be first.  Once Jesus
was asked what is the greatest commandment, Our Lord a Savior, responded immediately:  “You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul and to love your neighbor as yourself.”   Therefore,
vacation time should be “God time!”  Why
not make it your first priority to draw closer to the Lord, and cultivate a deeper and more profound Friendship with the Lord! How, you might ask?  Response— here is a list of activities for
your choosing!  Spiritual reading to
nourish the mind, a weekend retreat to recharge the “Spiritual batteries”,  a nature walk to praise the Creator
manifested by the beauty of creation, 
personal-private prayer, as well as family prayer especially the Holy
Rosary.   However, by far the best and
most efficacious means to grow in our relationship and friendship with the Lord  would be to attend daily Mass,
receive Holy Communion with lively faith, 
fiery-fervor and profound humility. 
May the Lord be the King and center of our rest and vacation!  
Second, cultivate the mind!  An unused instrument becomes rusty, an uncultivated field becomes cluttered with weeds that choke out the flowers, muscles not exercised atrophy and become flabby.  The same can be said about the mind.   Exercise of the mind, through the mental
discipline of solid reading serves to upgrade ones’ thought process, reinvigorate one’s mental capacity, and elevate one from the danger of mental torpor and dullness.   What to read?  We live in a world full of information but equally true, mass confusion.  Ask your spiritual director for advice in this area!  However, one cannot err in reading the Bible, the Fathers of the Church (Patristics), the Doctors of the Church, the writings of the Popes, and finally the lives of the saints—those who indeed incarnated and lived the life of Christ, who can motivate us to do the same.
Third, PHYSICAL EXERCISE!  In modern America there is an epidemic of obesity and simply overweight people, starting with children.   Once a friend of mine told me that the best exercise to lose weight is to push yourself away from the table! Bingo!  Self-control at the table indispensable to control weight.  Moreover, physical exercise serves to keep the body in shape.  Remember the words of St. Paul: “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; therefore, glorify God in your bodies!”   A brisk walk or mountain climb, swimming,
tennis, aerobics, and volleyball—to mention a few, are excellent ways to keep the body in shape or return the body to shape!
Fourth, SOCIAL LIFE CONNECTIONS.  As said earlier, one of the most common false statements is , “I do not have time; I’m too busy!”  Wrong! Find time for the essentials, the indispensables, the primary activities of life.  Aristotle commented that man is
a social animal; the English poet added to this with the words: “No one is an island unto himself!”  Therefore, in
vacation why not find time to connect socially and verbally with good friends, with relatives, maybe even your spouse and children.   The song “The Cat in the cradle” by Harry Chapin depicted an eerie but all to true reality!  A son complains to his father begging him to accompany him in his important moments in life, but the father always finds excuses that he is too busy but later—tomorrow—he will find the time. 
In sum, the father never found time and his son leaves him, with the father never really getting to know his son.  How painful but true of modern society!  We must find time to connect verbally, emotionally, and even more important, spiritually, with friends, relatives and family! Vacation time is the prime time!
Fifth,  HOBBY OR TALENT TIME! One of the most telling Parables of Jesus, couched in between the Parable of the Foolish and wise virgins and the Parable of the Last Judgment, is the Parable of the Talents ( Mt. 25).  Brief and to the point, in the Parable of the Talents, Jesus emphasizes the need to recognize our talents and to use them responsibly; if not, punishment will ensue! When God creates a human person, he endows him with a human soul, which is immortal, a body that should be used to glorify God as well as talents.   Discovering ones’ talents and then cultivating them, is incumbent upon every individual.
Vacation time lends itself to more available time that can be used to cultivate these God-given talents.   Always these talents should be cultivated to glorify God, sanctify the individual as well as to sanctify others!   What then might be some of these God-given talents?  The number and variety of talents is limitless! However, how tragic it would be to come to the end of one’s life and to have utilized one’s talents only partially— 10%, 40%, or 60%. The ideal for every disciple of Christ is to discover his talents and to use them to the very limit!  Athletic abilities, artistic endeavors, musical gifts, writing or speaking skills, (the art of communication),linguistic gifts, these and many more are talents that God in His infinite bounty bestows generously upon the human race.  It is up to everyone individually to discover his talent/talents and cultivate them to the maximum! Parents should get to know their children well and help them to discover their individual and specific talents and encourage them to use them.
In short, enemy number one is laziness. Even though one is aware of his gift and talent, he does nothing to develop it! How tragic! How many will not profit from this talent hidden underneath the ground and how scary to go before the Lord on the day of judgment and to reckon an account with the Lord who will come to judge the living and the dead!
In conclusion, vacation time is not time for laziness that leads to inactivity and inertia and the augmenting of vices. On the contrary, vacation time is time to change gears and to cultivate areas of one’s life that have been put on hold due to the demands of the family life and work obligations. Why not cultivate the spiritual life, the intellectual life, the social life, the physical/athletic life, as well as one’s personal talents.  If done, vacation time will not be a time of degradation but rather a time of renewal of one’s life, sanctification of one’s spirit and the enriching one’s total personality!
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BOUNCING BACK IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE!

 
The Emmy award Movie classic of the early 80’s “Chariots of Fire” can teach us numerous lessons in our pursuit of Christ and the attainment of holiness and the prize of eternal life!
Among the many memorable scenes was the fall and resurrection of Eric Liddle in the 400 meters.  Remember that 400 meters is one lap around the track, considered a sprint that is often won by split seconds!
Ready!  Set!  Go!  The four athletes take off like a lightning bolt!  However, something tragic  that will turn to victory occurs!  Eric Liddle, the honor and glory of Scotland, who is running at the edge of the track, is elbowed by the adjacent runner.  The force of the nudge results in Liddle’s cascading to the ground!
The critical moment!   What will the fallen athlete decide?  Bemoan has bad luck, give into despair and accept defeat, throw in the towel and hope for a sunny day in the near future— none of these ever crossed this trained and well-disciplined athlete’s mind!
As the crowds and his arch-enemy, Harold Abraham’s peer down on the fallen runner, Liddle courageously rises, not wasting a split-second, and energizes his mind, body, and spirit to meet the challenge!  Although way behind, miracles are indeed possible to those who trust in God and give themselves totally to His holy will!
Almost immediately he catches one and passes him and then another, but still there is the last—the one who knocked him down– to reach and surpass! With a superhuman exertion of the will, Liddle reaches and beats his opponent, breaking the rope, collapsing under near exhaustion and inhaling and heaving!   Triumph! Victory! Glory!                         
In the eyes of a shocked crowd and before the envy of his arch-enemy, Harold Abrahams,  Eric Liddle, the glory and crown of Scotland,
proved that victory can be attained despite huge obstacles, even that of falling and losing those precious seconds that for sprinters seem to be years!
How can this short but poignant episode taken from the Movie Classic, “Chariots of Fire” influence our own journey, race, and battle in our pursuit of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?                      
Interesting to note is that St. Paul more than once uses sports images and analogies to explain Scriptural truths. Remember that the Olympic Games in Greece were started even before the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Paul challenges us to run the good race and to fight the good fight—that of boxing. Furthermore, he reminds us that the prize is not some perishable crown of leaves that will wither, fade and disappear in time.  Rather, the prize is imperishable and this prize is nothing less than the crown of glory that our King and Lord has in store for his athletes who run the race to the end and fight valiantly against the enemies of the devil, the flesh and the world.  In sum, the valiant athletes of Christ have their well-merited crown awaiting them in Heaven!                        
St. Ignatius, sinner by birth, soldier by profession, converted through the grace of God at the battle of Pamplona, he can teach us the meaning of falling and rising— this means, living out the Paschal mystery of Jesus, His Passion, death and Resurrection!
As Eric Liddle fell on the race course and rose to great heights as a star Olympic runner, so Ignatius of Loyola who had fallen away from the right path, and had chosen a life of vanity, sensuality and sin—some authors state that he probably broke all of the commandments— would rise through humble admission of sin, confession of sin, the undertaking of severe penance and the decision to follow in the footsteps of the athletes of Christ, the saints!
After Ignatius’ conversion at Pamplona and his confession in Montserrat, he was ready to receive form the hands of Mary in Manresa the blueprint for the Spiritual Exercises.   The saint compares physical exercises to spiritual exercises.  Both demand
discipline, determination, and perseverance until the final tape is broken and eternal life attained!
 
OUR LIVES IN THE LIGHT OF FALLING AND RISING!
Eric Liddle could have justified his loss, complained to the judges, or even cursed out  his opponent runner who evidently elbowed him
to the ground possibly disqualifying this runner. Instead, the star athlete
said nothing but proved the sterling quality of his interior life by his
actions.  Up, supreme effort, courage to
the heights, trust to the limits—Liddle won the race!
St. Ignatius could have complained to God, cursed out at  his own soldiers, and
still more hated the French army that shot the cannon ball that all but
eliminated both of his legs.  But quite
the contrary, his falling in battle, wounded body and spirit, paved the way to
a new life!  Ignatius would rise from the
dust of earthly defeat and follow the Lord of Lord and King of Kings, inspired
and motivated by the saints, God’s champion athletes.   “If Dominic can do it, so can I!  If Francis could do it, then so can I!”  
Shakespeare summed it up concisely:
“To err is human, to forgive is divine.” 
Being cut of the same mold  of all
of humanity, we all indeed are sinners. However, there is an important
difference between sinners— those who relish and cling to their sins—and the
saints.  Both fall into sin. However, the
unrepentant sinner sinks in the mud unwilling to rise up. The saint falls but
is unwilling to stay in the mud of his own sin.
Like the fallen runner, Eric Liddle,
we have one of two alternatives.   We can
either stay down and sink deeper and deeper into our own moral misery or we can
rebound, bounce-back, and return to the Lord with a more intense love, due to
our trust in His Infinite mercy.   As the
man who was converted from Saul to St. Paul clearly wrote for all to read and
meditate until the end of time, “Where sin abounds, the mercy of God abounds
all the more.” May God’s mercy triumph in our lives!
 
May the elbowed and fallen “Eric Liddle” in us rise to  sublime heights of holiness.  Jesus said to St. Faustina Kowalska that the greatest sinners can truly be the greatest saints, if they only trust.  Fallen? Get up! Rise! Run!  The Lord has the crown of glory waiting for you!
 
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PRAYER ADVICE: 10 IMPORTANT TIPS TO GROW!

 

 

“Prayer is the lifting up of the mind and heart to God.” (St. John Damascene) Prayer is listening to God, talking to God and loving God.   In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, St Therese of Lisieux is quoted, “For me prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love embracing both trial and joy.” (CCC # 2558). St Alphonsus  asserted vigorously of the importance of prayer in these cutting words: “He who prays well will be saved; he who does not pray will be damned.” In other words, prayer is a matter of life and death, salvation of damnation.   St. Augustine edifies us with these simple but profound words: “He who prays well, lives well, he who lives well dies well and he who dies well, all is well!”  Therefore, let us  encourage each other to take prayer seriously and take advantage of these 10 suggestions or tips on how to establish in our lives a  strong, dynamic and blossoming prayer life, keenly aware that our salvation and the salvation of many other souls depends on this!

 

1.   BEG FOR THE GRACE!   St. Augustine says that we are all beggars before
God.  St. Paul in his letter to the Romans says that we really do not know how to pray.  Good News1  
The Holy Spirit can intercede for us with ineffable groans so that we can say, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8).  Turn
to the Holy Spirit and beg Him for the gift of prayer and that we would really
desire to pray.  Let us ask Jesus, “Lord teach us how to pray!”  This was the
request of the Apostles and then Jesus taught them and gave us the Our Father.
Mary, too!  Mary wants to teach us how to pray.  In her Apparitions she is always
exhorting us to pray, especially the Most Holy Rosary.
                                     
2.   CLEAN THE WINDOW.  Often we cannot pray well because our lives,
our minds and our consciences are not right with God.  In other words, we have damaged our
friendship with Jesus or even broken totally our Friendship with Jesus. Why not
make as good confession, clean the window, clear the conscience, restore Friendship
with the Lord and then be able to talk to the Lord more intimately in prayer!

3.   TIME! Prayer can be very demanding and we simply have to give God space that He can act in our lives.  We all have habits—eating, cleaning, work and many more!  The best of habits that we can form is the Habit of prayer.   Give time to the Lord!  If possible, like Able, give the Lord your first fruits.  That is to say, find time to pray as early as possible.  We read in the 1st chapter of the Gospel of Mark that Jesus got up way before dawn and He was absorbed in prayer. Early morning prayer, an early Holy Hour, “Hour of Power” will give you light, encouragement and strength for the whole course of the day!  Try it and you will never regret it!                           
4.   PLACE!   Indeed we can pray anytime and anyplace and
use any words that we want or simply to pray with our hearts. However it is highly recommended that we find a time and a place to pray.   Obviously the best place to pray would be in the Silent Presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament, because Jesus is truly present
there. However, due to family circumstances, this may not be possible, than we must find some quiet place where we will not be disturbed to pray. Maybe in the quiet of our room. Jesus says to go to your room and pray. Perhaps, you can construct your own little home-sanctuary and pray their—with statue, paintings of Jesus and Mary, candles and incense. It is good to create an atmosphere that
will foster prayer.  Find the time and place!
                                   
5.   TEXT/MATERIAL TO HELP YOU PRAY!  The great St. Teresa of Avila, “Doctor of
Prayer” said that she would never go to her prayer time without some book to
help her to enter into prayer. We should do the same!   Suggestions! Of course the best of prayer-sources
is the Bible, the Word of God itself; and the Gospels are the very center and
heart of the Bible, the Word of God.Enter in with an attitude of openness and generosity with these words: “Speak
O Lord for your servant is listening..” The words that Samuel, who heard the
word of God in the temple…   Bring a good prayer book!  We should never underestimate
the use of vocal prayers.  The great St. Anthony Claret, commented that he receive many graces by praying vocal
prayers.  What are vocal prayers?  They are prayers that we recite with our
words, think in our minds and relish in our hearts.  Some of the traditional vocal prayers are the
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, prayer to our Guardian angel, Acts of Faith,
Hope and Charity, Act of contrition, the Creed. 
However, a good prayer book will have prayers to the saints, novenas to
saints and to prepare for important feasts, prayers to prepare for Mass and to
give thanksgiving after Mass and many more. 
Finally bring the little booklet written by St. Alphonsus on “Visits to
the Blessed Sacrament”. In Spanish, the “15 minutos”  (15 minutes) of time with Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament.   In other words, come
prepared to make your prayer with the Lord.  
In your prayer when God simply moves you to talk to Him spontaneously as
two friends or lovers would talk, you can drop the book and simply talk to Him.

6.   IMAGES.  Make proper use of images to talk to God, Mary, the angels and the saints.  The
Catholic Church highly encourages the use of sacramantels, among which are
paintings of Jesus, Mary, the angels and the saints or statues depicting
them.  We obviously do not adore them but  honor who they represent!  The family is the “Domestic church”.  Every family should have its own little sanctuary, prayer corner, prayer space, where everybody knows is the specific
place designated to meet the Lord!
                              
7.   READ ON PRAYER!  Once again St Teresa of Avila would not allow
women to enter her convent who could not read. This was not discrimination, but
rather wisdom. The reason for this was that the saint from personal experience
was keenly aware of the fact that one could learn so much on the spiritual
life—specifically on prayer—by simply spending time in solid reading. What
should one read?  Today we live in a “Golden Epoch of literature”. Never has there been so much confusion; however,
never has there been so much information and good spiritual reading. A few
suggestions on reading on prayer: The Catechism of the Catholic Church part IV,
St Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, St. Alphonsus Liguouri,
Prayer: the key to salvation, and all of the works of St Teresa of Avila  which are 
dedicated to prayer, The Life, the Interior Castle and the Way of
Perfection.  You cannot go wrong with the
saints and church teachings!
                       
8.   SPIRITUAL DIRECTION.  St. Faustina Kowalska insisted on finding
some adequate spiritual direction so as to advance in one’s spiritual life, to
grow in prayer and to grow in holiness of life. As we ascend in the spiritual
life, the devil becomes more subtle in his temptations. To be able to overcome
the many roadblocks, obstacles and difficulties in our prayer life some regular
and periodic spiritual direction is highly recommended!  St. Teresa of Avila would have never persevered
in her reform of the Carmelite Order if it were not for having competent
spiritual direction amidst the constant trials, tribulations and satanic
interference that she experienced!

9.   IGNATIAN EXTENDED RETREATS!  As in anything in life, it simply takes time,
effort, good will and perseverance to succeed. Prayer is not a natural
operation but rather a working or collaborating with God in grace. Still, time,
good will and constant effort are indispensable for success in prayer. Many are
called to   ascend the pinnacles and
heights of mystical prayer in their spiritual live, but they simply give up
when they encounter obstacles. St. Teresa says that we must have a determined
determination to never give up prayer.  
The Ignatian Spiritual Exercises have been proven to be most
efficacious!  An entire month with the
Lord, or two weeks, or the classical 8-day retreat, if not possible a 4-day
shot, or maybe just start with a 2-day weekend Ignatian retreat. Ignatian
spirituality lends itself to adaptation. 
The retreats can be molded, tailored, adapted according to the person,
place, spiritual level and culture of the individual.  In the past 500 years Ignatian retreats and
spirituality have proven to be most efficacious in forming saints like
Ignatius, Francis Xavier, Peter Canisius, Robert Bellarmine, Isaac Joques and
Jean Brebeuf, Peter Claver, Alberto Hurtado, Roque González. John Berchmans and
Aloysius Gonzaga—just  to mention a few

 

10. MARY AND THE ROSARY!   What a beautiful prayer so
pleasing to the heart of the Mother of God and so highly recommended by the
saints the Church and the Popes.  In the
Rosary is combined various forms of prayer: vocal prayer, mental prayer or
meditation, contemplation and affective prayer—the prayer of the heart.  Pope Paul VI called the Rosary “the
compendium of the whole Gospel”—that is to say, it is a beautiful summary of
the Gospel, the Life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  The emblem and motto for the Oblates of the
Virgin Mary is “Maria cogita, Maria invoca!”—meaning, “think of Mary and
call/invoke Mary!”  You can never go
wrong because Mary always points us to Jesus as we are recalled in the last
words that she spoke in the Gospel at the Wedding Feast of Cana: “Do whatever
he tells you!”  Not until we get to
heaven will we really  comprehend fully
the presence that Mary had in helping us to avoid sin, turn to Jesus,
experience interior sweetness in our souls; and all of this due to her quiet,
gentle, but constant and powerful intercession! Mary. Mother and Teacher, help
us to value the importance of deep Friendship with Jesus in prayer so that He
will be our Treasure for all eternity!

 

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