Definition: A General Confession is a confession of all the mortal sins of one’s entire life, whether confessed before or not. If one’s mortal sins have already been confessed, one will confess them again with a more perfect contrition, with greater and deeper sorrow for having hurt the One whom one loves most! Experience God’s Mercy more deeply!

NECESSARY CONDITIONS FOR A SIN TO BE MORTAL

1. Serious Matter
2. Full knowledge
3. Full Consent of the Will

Remember, ALL mortal sins must be confessed according to the kind (what type of sin) and the number of times committed for a valid confession. If one willingly withholds and conceals a mortal sin in confession, it is a sacrilege (which is another mortal sin) and it invalidates the absolution.

Preparing for a General Confession…

1. PRAY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT – Come Holy Spirit, open my eyes and restore my memory!

2. PRAY TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY – Mary my Mother, pray for me and pray with me! Ask Mary to help you remember that God’s Mercy is greater than your sins!

3. EXAMINE YOUR CONSCIENCE THOROUGHLY. At least 2 hours, maybe 3 or 4!

4. WRITE DOWN ON PAPER all your MORTAL SINS for each of the Commandments – from the age of 7 years (age of reason) until you reach the present day. Whether you have confessed them before or not!

5. Write your mortal sins BY NAME. Sins against the Sixth Commandment in particular need to be specified by name: pornography, masturbation, fornication, adultery, homosexual acts, etc.

6. Write down the NUMBER OF TIMES you committed that mortal sin. Give your best guess, as close as you can.

7. After you have written down your sins by name and type based on the 10 Commandments, go over your list a SECOND TIME, even a THIRD TIME, to be sure you included all the mortal sins in your life. You want to leave the confessional with the certainty that you have confessed everything!

8. PRACTICE READING THE LIST OF YOUR SINS ALOUD BEFORE ENTERING THE CONFESSIONAL. Read your list out loud two or three times, keeping the time within 10 MINUTES.

9. IT IS THE PREPARATION, NOT THE CONFESSION, THAT IS ARDUOUS. Most of the repentance, sadness, tears, and prayers of contrition will come during the examination process BEFORE you get to the confessional!

10. CONFESS YOUR SINS TO THE PRIEST AUDIBLY in the confessional. Start by saying, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been _______ (weeks/months/years) since my last confession.” Or if it is a Lifetime Confession you will say, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned, this is a General Confession of all the mortal sins committed in my entire life.” Be humble, be honest, be thorough and complete, and you will experience God’s Infinite Mercy and His great Love for YOU!

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE FOR ADULTS

1. FIRST COMMANDMENT: “I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD.  YOU SHALL NOT HAVE OTHER GODS BESIDES ME.”

• DO I PUT GOD FIRST? Do I see God as my best Friend? Do I try to grow in my love for God? We are here to know God, to love God, to serve God, and to go to heaven!
• DO I SEEK GOD? Do I strive to know God more? We cannot love someone we do not know, as in courtship or marriage; nor can we love God if we do not know Him.
• PRAYER. Do I devote serious time each day to pray alone and with my family? Am I lazy or negligent in prayer? Is my life centered on Christ and His teachings?
• SACRILEGE. Have I received the Lord in Holy Communion while having some grave sin on my conscience? Have I kept silent in confession because of shame about some mortal sin? If so, how many times? Also, confess the mortal sin withheld and the number of times committed.
• BLASPHEMY. Have I blasphemed? Have I sworn an oath needlessly or falsely?
• SUPERSTITION OR SPIRITUALISM. Have I visited a fortune-teller, sorcerer, mediums, a healer, or have I gone to have my cards read, tarot cards, believed in superstitions, horoscopes? Do I place my faith in amulets, objects or treat them as if they were God? Have I played with the Ouija board (aka witch’s wheel)?
• ANGRY WITH GOD. Do I feel that the Lord has let me down and not met my needs in any situation? Is there buried anger at God for something that has happened in my life? Because of my sorrows and sufferings, have I become angry with God? Because of my suffering over the death of a loved one? Have I spoken ill of God? Do I trust in God’s Providence? Do I believe that “God will provide”?
• ATHEISM: Have I categorically denied the existence of God?
• GENERAL ABSOLUTION. Have I participated in a service of ”general absolution” without going to a priest individually to receive absolution?
• DOUBTS. Do I believe all that God has revealed and that the Catholic Church teaches us? Have I questioned any articles of the Catholic faith? For example, about the primacy of the Pope, Mary, Hell or the Church’s teaching on human sexuality?
• SECTS AND OTHER RELIGIONS. Do I talk at length with Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons or Evangelists, endangering my own faith? Do I replace the Catholic Sunday Mass with a Protestant or Christian Sunday service? Do I attend their meetings?
• PARISH LIFE. Do I participate in the various ministries offered by the Catholic Church? For example: Mass, Bible Study meetings, Youth for Christ, Retreats. Do I try to grow in my faith, knowing that God must be above all else?
• IDOLS: Do I put people, places or things above God: such as money, fame, power, pleasure, sex, drugs, drinking, television and soap operas? Does God take first place in my life?
• FAITH, HOPE, LOVE: Do I try to grow in my faith in God and the Church? Hope – do I believe in His love and protection in spite of the problems in my life? Do I love Him? Or is my love for God cold, mediocre or anemic?
• “TOMORROW” PHILOSOPHY. Do I always put off God or the things of God until tomorrow? Do I believe all that God has revealed and the Catholic Church teaches us?
• COMMUNION AND CONFESSION. Do I go to Confession frequently? Do I take Communion every Sunday?
• FERVOR: What can I do to improve my relationship with God and His Church?
• MARRYING ONLY IN A CIVIL CEREMONY.  Was I married in a civil ceremony only? Being married only in a civil ceremony, or by some Jewish Rabbi, or by a Protestant minister, is a mortal sin. As a Catholic, getting married civilly or outside the Catholic Church is NOT a sacramental marriage.
• THE SACRAMENTAL LIFE OF CHILDREN. Have I delayed the baptism of my children?
• DELAYING HOLY COMMUNION OR CONFIRMATION. Have I postponed year after year the preparation of my children to receive Jesus in Holy Communion or their Confirmation?

2.  SECOND COMMANDMENT: YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN.

• BLASPHEMY. Have I cursed the name of God? Have I used the Holy Name of God with irreverence, anger, hatred, reproach or defiant hostility?
• VOWS OR PROMISES. Have I failed to keep the vows or promises that I have made to God?
• INSULT. Have I insulted God, Mary, the angels or saints? Do I blame God for all the evil in the world or do I blame God for the death of a loved one?
• PERJURY: Have I lied while under oath? Perjury is the act of taking an oath to tell the truth with intent to lie, conceal, or misrepresent the truth, whether spoken or written. Calling God as a witness and lying.
• BLASPHEMOUS FILMS. Have I supported or endorsed images or films that blaspheme God, e.g., ”The Da Vinci Code”?
• CONFESSION. Have I lied to the priest or deliberately kept silent about a serious sin in confession? Lying to the priest in the Sacrament of Confession is a grave sin! A person who deliberately keeps silent about a sin makes a bad confession, is not forgiven for any of their sins, and in addition, adds another terrible sin called sacrilege.
• IRREVERENCE AND HATRED TOWARD THE CHURCH: Have I spoken ill of the Church and of the Pope, the Bishops, priests, and monks who represent the Church?
• DISRESPECTFUL IN MY BEHAVIOR IN CHURCH. Have I disrespected the house of God by talking, chewing gum, dressing immodestly, laughing and disturbing others who want to pray in Church?
• DISRESPECT: Do I listen to others speak ill of God and the Church and do nothing to defend the Catholic faith?
• BROKEN PROMISES TO GOD. To promise something to God lightly, or not to fulfill what is promised. Have I broken a promise to God?
• DEFEND: Am I able to defend my Catholic faith?

THIRD COMMANDMENT: “KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH”

• MASS: Have I deliberately missed Mass on Sunday or Holy Days of Obligation?
• PUNCTUALITY: Am I habitually late for Mass?
• PARTICIPATION. Do I make an effort to participate in Holy Mass? Do I listen to the Word of God and participate in Holy Mass, or am I just a spectator?
• PROPER DRESS ATTIRE FOR MASS:  Do I dress modestly and with decorum when attending Mass?
• PARTICIPATE IN THE MASS WITH DEVOTION. Am I busy chatting with someone, texting or talking on my cell phone, or chewing gum during Holy Mass?
• DISTRACTIONS: Do I distract others at Mass by the way I behave?
• SETTING A BAD EXAMPLE FOR MY CHILDREN? Am I setting a bad example for my children by not being attentive or praying during Holy Mass? 
• COMMUNION: Do I receive Communion every Sunday? Do I hunger and thirst for Communion more often? Is Holy Communion the most important thing for me and my family and my life?
  • SALVATION AND COMMUNION. Jesus says in Jn. 6: “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE, HE WHO EATS MY BODY AND DRINKS MY BLOOD SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY.”
• OUR EUCHARISTIC LORD. Does our Eucharistic Lord hold the first place in my life and in my hierarchy of values?
• INVITE FRIENDS BACK TO MASS: Do I invite others to come to Mass? Or am I a hindrance to others coming to Mass?
• ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE. Do I thank God for the gifts Jesus conferred on Holy Thursday? GIFTS: The Mass, the Eucharist, Priestly Orders, and the Commandment of Love. Am I grateful for all the benefits I have received from God?
• SABBATH REST. Do I sanctify Sunday, which is the Lord’s Day, or do I perform unnecessary and hard work on Sunday? Do I take a Sabbath rest? Do I try to spend the day with my family to strengthen my love for them? Do I try to pray a little more? Do I read good books that nourish my faith? Do I have a healthy hobby? Do I enjoy myself in a healthy way to avoid falling into vices?

FOURTH COMMANDMENT: “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER”

• COMMUNICATION: Do I keep in touch with my parents? Do I talk to them? Do I write to them? Do I remember them at Christmas and on their birthdays?
  • If still under my parents’ care: Do I obey and honor my parents in what they reasonably ask of me?
• HELP: Do I help my parents when they need help? Do I send them money if they need it? Or do I neglect my parents in their old age or in their time of need?
• PRAYERS: Do I offer prayers for my parents and for their salvation?
• HATRED. Do I hold a grudge, plot vengeance, harbor resentment or hatred for my parents for something that happened in my life?
• OBEDIENCE: Was I very disobedient to my parents as a child or teenager?
• SHAME: Was I ashamed of my parents in the past or am I ashamed of them now because of their shortcomings?
• GOVERNMENT: Do I respect, listen and obey those who have legitimate authority over me (just laws)? Do I obey the laws of the land?
• PATRIOTISM: Do I love my country and pray for my country?
• EMPLOYER. Do I respect authority? Do I confront authority in a responsible way when I think it is wrong? Do I try to do my job by respecting my employer and doing my job well?
• CHURCH: Do I obey the Church and the advice given by priests?
• RELATIVES. Do I get along well with my relatives? In-laws? Do I live in a house that is too small, where I have conflicts due to lack of space and privacy?

PARENT’S OBLIGATION TO THEIR CHILDREN – AM I NEGLIGENT IN MY DUTY AS A PARENT?

• CONTRACEPTIVES: The use of contraceptives is a grave offense against God because of unwillingness to accept children. Am I guilty of this?
• BAPTISM: Have I delayed baptizing my children for trivial reasons, such as putting the social above the sacrament?
• COHABITATION. Do I live in a “common-law union” (cohabitation), setting a bad example for my children?
• CHILDREN LIVING IN A COMMON-LAW UNION. It is wrong for parents to allow their son or daughter to live in a free union with their boyfriend or girlfriend under the parent’s roof. Do I allow this scandal?
• FORMATION OF CHILDREN.  Do I teach and guide my children? Do I listen to them? Do I discipline them with wisdom? Do I educate them to be good a Christian? Do I provide for the religious education and formation of my children for as long as they are under my care? Am I attentive to their studies, school and homework?
• FRIENDSHIPS. Do I know my children’s FRIENDS? Do I see to it that they have good friends, or do I let them hang out with friends with harmful habits or gang members?
• TELEVISION. Do I allow my children to watch TV programs that could harm their mind, heart, soul and eternal salvation?
• MOVIES. Do I allow my children to watch bad movies?
• DO I KNOW WHERE MY CHILDREN ARE GOING AND WHO THEY ARE WITH? Do I allow my children to go out without knowing who they are with and where they are going?
• DATING. Do I give my son/daughter permission to date when they are really too young to date and could potentially get pregnant and have an abortion?
• CARE AND AFFECTION. Do I have a loving and affectionate relationship with my child/children? If kids are deprived of affection, they will seek it elsewhere.
• DISCIPLINE. Do I have the courage and fortitude to correct my children’s faults when they need correction?
• ADVICE. Do I advise my children in a way that they can avoid dangers or advise them with things that can help them in their future?
• PRESENCE. Am I present to my children or do I place work, entertainment, or drinking above my children? Are my children home alone?
• GRUDGE. Do I hold a grudge against my children? Is there anything I have not forgiven them for?

RELATIONSHIP WITH MY SPOUSE

• COMMUNICATION: Do I foster good communication with my spouse?
• LOVE: Do I strive to grow in my love for my spouse?
• RESPECT. Do I respect my spouse?
• VIOLENCE. Have I abused my spouse either physically or emotionally or do I treat him/her with love, respect, and dignity?
• TIME. Do I devote time to my spouse or am I constantly busy with other things such as work, television, or friends?
• ACTIVITIES. Do I neglect my spouse by placing hobbies and activities such as sports above him/her?
• JEALOUSY. Am I unreasonably jealous? Do I not trust my spouse? Do I constantly suspect him/her of cheating? Am I always wondering where he/she is going?
• OFFENSIVE WORDS. Do I use offensive words towards my spouse or children?
• WORK. Do I work to support my family?
• CLEANLINESS AND ORDER. Do I keep my home clean and tidy?
• CHILDREN AND CLEANLINESS. Do I teach my children to be tidy, to pick up, and keep their rooms and things clean?
• DISORDER. Have I been a disorderly and untidy person? Do I panic if I receive an unexpected visitor at home?

FIFTH COMMANDMENT: YOU SHALL NOT KILL

• MURDER. Have I intentionally killed a human being or procured, desired, or hastened the death of anyone?
• PHYSICAL HARM.  Have I physically harmed anyone?
• ABORTION. Have I been involved in an abortion, directly or indirectly (through giving advice, money, etc.)? Have I supported, promoted or encouraged the practice of assisted suicide or “mercy killing”?
• SUICIDE. Have I seriously considered or attempted suicide?
• GANGS. Have I been a member of a street gang? Have I acted violently or been involved in fights and/or shootings as a member of an active street gang?
• DRUGS. Have I taken illegal drugs or abused prescription drugs?
• ALCOHOL. Have I abused alcohol? Have I allowed myself to become intoxicated? Do I admit that I have a drinking problem? Have I damaged my body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Have I driven my vehicle while intoxicated or impaired?
• HATRED. Do I harbor hatred in my heart against anyone or wish them evil?
• VENGEANCE. Have I plotted against someone or sought revenge?
• WORDS. Do I kill with my tongue by using bad words, insults, curses or sarcasm?
• ANGER. Have I indulged in serious anger or refused to control my temper?
• MY HEALTH: Have I mutilated or harmed my body in any way? Have I desecrated my body by excessive or permanent tattoos or piercings? Do I neglect my health? Do I have bad eating habits or bad sleeping habits?
• THE “MORNING AFTER PILL”, ALSO KNOWN AS “PLAN B”. Have I used the “Morning after Pill” after having sexual relations?
• STERILIZATION. Have I mutilated myself through any form of sterilization? For example, Tubal ligation or Vasectomy, causing damage to the procreative organs that God has given us?
• ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION. Have I engaged in any way in sins against human life such as artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization?
• DANGER. Do I put my life in danger? Do I have DANGEROUS FRIENDSHIPS OR ASSOCIATIONS: Drunks, drug addicts, violent people or drug dealers?
• EUTHANASIA. Have I ever approved of or participated in Euthanasia? Definition: Euthanasia is the action or omission that hastens the death of a terminally ill patient with the intention of avoiding suffering. It is killing a person because he or she is old or sick. We have the obligation to give food and water to the sick person. God determines the time of each person’s death, not us.
• KIDNAP and/or TORTURE. Have I participated in grave violations against the human person created in the image and likeness of God?

SIXTH & NINTH COMMANDMENTS 6. “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY”   9. “YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S WIFE”

• IMPURITY. Have I committed impure acts with another – fornication (premarital sex), adultery (sexual act with a married person who is not your spouse)?
• COHABITATING / “LIVING TOGETHER” BEFORE MARRIAGE. Do I live in a free union or did I live in a free union prior to marriage?
• MASTURBATION. Have I committed impure acts on myself?
• CONTRACEPTIVES. Have I practiced artificial birth control?
• SEXUAL CLIMAX EXTRA-VAGINAL. That is, masturbation between spouses (interrupted intercourse). Have I deliberately caused male climax outside of normal sexual intercourse?
• HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITY. Have I engaged in homosexual activity, that is, sexual activity with someone of the same sex?
• RAPE. Have I violated the integrity and dignity of a person; forcibly compelling him/her to carnal intimacy?
• FLIRTING. Have I flirted or fostered improper relationships with someone, either in my mind or through my words and actions?
• DANCES AND RESTAURANTS. As a married man or woman, have I gone out with a person who is not my spouse on a date or dance?
• BARS AND NIGHTCLUBS. Do I go to bars and nightclubs and give my eyes free reign? “Whoever looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Mt 5:28)
• SOAP OPERAS. As a woman, do I give free rein to my imagination by thinking of a handsome man I see in a soap opera?
• MOVIES AND TELEVISION. Have I watched bad programs on television or at the movies, knowing that I offend God? Am I aware that God is recording the movie of my life?
• JOKES. Do I tell jokes that I know are in bad taste, impure or indecent?
• DRESS: Do I dress immodestly and set a bad example for my sons and daughters and others?
• THOUGHTS. As a married man or woman, do I dream about my ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend?
• FANTASIES. Do I let my imagination run free and think dangerous thoughts that lead to impure desires or actions?
• PLACES. Do I go to improper places that result in sinful thoughts or behaviors?
• PORNOGRAPHY. Do I look at pornography: magazines, television, movies, on the Internet, on my phone? Have I watched pornographic material? How many times a week and for how long? Do I share, spread pornographic material to others?
• COMPUTER: Do I download pornography from the Internet and bad sites? Do I pay attention to and control my children’s computer use?
• EYES. Do I fail to keep custody of my eyes as I walk down the street or at work (remember the sin of King David)?
• MIND. Have I willfully entertained impure thoughts? Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” (Mt. 5:8)
• OBJECT.  Do I see a woman or man as an object to be utilized and not as a son or daughter of God?
• SEXTING. Have I sent sexually explicit messages or images by cell phone?
• DRESSING IMMODESTLY. Have I purposely dressed immodestly?
• PROSTITUTION. Have I engaged in prostitution or paid for the services of a prostitute?

SEVENTH COMMANDMENT: “YOU SHALL NOT STEAL”

• STEALING. Have I stolen (taken something that does not belong to me). Have I deliberately defaced, destroyed or lost another’s property?
• SHOPLIFTING. Have I shoplifted or switched price tags?
• TAXES. Have I paid my taxes?
• LOANS. Have I paid back money that I borrowed?
• BILLS. Do I pay my bills and rent? Have I failed to make good on a debt?
• ENVY: Have I envied others on account of their possessions?
• MATERIALIST: Do I always look for and want to have more and more things? Am I content with what I have?
• SHOPPING. Do I shop for things when there is no need?
• GAMBLING. Am I squandering money by compulsive gambling and thus depriving my family of their daily needs?
• WORK. Am I late for work? Am I working half-heartedly, not earning my paycheck by the sweat of my brow?
• WORRY. Do I worry about the future? Do I trust God? God’s Word asks us not to worry about tomorrow; to see how He provides for the lilies of the field and the birds of the air.

EIGHTH COMMANDMENT: “YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR.”

• PERJURY. Have I perjured myself under oath?
• LIED. Have I lied?
• GOSSIP. Do I speak badly of others behind their back?
• DETRACTION. Did I sin by detraction, that is, by telling the faults of another person without necessity?
• SLANDER. Have I damaged the good name of another?
• OFFENSIVE WORDS.  Read James, Chapter 3, on the sins of the tongue as an examination.
• SILENCE. Do I keep silent when I should speak?
• TONGUE. Do I kill with my tongue?
• ANGER. Am I angry and exaggerate?
• SPEAKING. Do I speak without thinking and “put my foot in my mouth”? Am I impulsive? Do I talk and talk, am I a chatterbox?
• PHONE: Do I spend a lot of time on the phone wasting time and money?
• HYPOCRISY: Do I accuse and condemn other people’s faults and not try to correct my own faults?

NINTH COMMANDMENT: “YOU SHALL NOT DESIRE YOUR NEIGHBOR’S WIFE” (Supra – covered above)

TENTH COMMANDMENT: “YOU SHALL NOT DESIRE YOUR NEIGHBOR’S GOODS”. AVARICE/GREED

• Am I jealous of what other people have?
• Am I greedy or selfish?
• Are material possessions the purpose of my life?

ACT OF CONTRITION

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love.

I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.

Ten-steps to conquer the wolf-devil of porn.

National Geographic once presented a contest between a buffalo and a wolf, and a pack of wolves. It was presented in this fashion. A bulky but fleet-footed buffalo was racing freely and rapidly in the expansive desert. His hoofs pounded roughly against the desert dusty surface, kicking up dust as he raced along. The constant beating and pounding of his hooves against the hard ground deafened him to all other noises. Totally oblivious to the environment, the buffalo forged ahead to his apparent destiny, unaware of what was rapidly pursuing him.

From a distance of more than a football-field in this remote scene in the desert could be detected a small but fast moving animal. Actually rushing at a faster pace than the buffalo, this animal with determined determination sought out and was in hard pursuit of the oblivious buffalo. What was this animal? A ravenous wolf!

The distance between the wolf and the buffalo shortened and shortened: 50 yards, then 25, then 5. Despite the proximity of the two, due to the clattering of his hooves, the buffalo remained oblivious to his approaching enemy. Already within a few feet, the wolf launched himself forward and sunk his sharp and jagged teeth into the heel of the buffalo. The wound from the wolf’s penetrating teeth forced the immediate collapse of the buffalo. Wounded by a deep gash in his heel, the buffalo cascaded to the ground, with the wolf peering down upon his prey with an air of victory.

Within minutes, a pack of wolves surrounded the buffalo. The first rapidly bit, digging his sharp teeth into the flesh of the buffalo; then another wolf did the same, and another. In a short time all the wolves had their fill. Nothing was left of the enormous, bulky, strong buffalo except a skeleton of bones.

In our modern world we find ourselves surrounded not simply by one wolf or a pack of wolves, but many ferocious moral enemies that pursue our spiritual and moral life at every turn of the road.

Among the most ferocious, tenacious, insidious and relentless enemies of our eternal salvation is the wolf of pornography. In fact, there are packs of these malicious and vicious wolves, indeed ravenous wolves that are on the prowl, seeking to pursue us and attack us day and night. Behind this wolf of pornography is the devil himself, whom Jesus calls both a murderer and a liar from the beginning. (Jn. 8: 44)

There is much that can be said on this topic, and books written on the topic, but we would like to highlight in this short essay a game-plan, a strategy, a working procedure that can be taken to prevent this ravenous wolf of pornography from wreaking havoc in our families, our marriages, our teens and even children, men and women alike.

In fact, if we do not have a clear, simple and concrete strategy then we can become a slave of the devil, a prey of the wolf, and an addict of this enemy—pornography—for years, for decades, and possibly even enslaved all of our lives. To make matters worse and more serious, we can even jeopardize the eternal salvation of our souls. More than 100 years ago, Our Lady of Fatima stated unequivocally that most souls are lost, condemned to the fires of hell, as a result of the sins against the virtue of purity. Of course, the ravenous wolf of porn is a chief cohort of the army of the devils of impurity.

Therefore, let us outline a concrete ten-step program to unmask, bind, and conquer the wolf of pornography in our families, marriages, and in our own personal lives.

THE TEN STEP STRATEGY-PLAN TO CONQUER THE WOLF OF PORNOGRAPHY

1. LIFE IS A CONSTANT COMBAT.  Let’s start off with a very clear understanding that our life on earth is a constant battle between good and evil, light and darkness, the devil vs. the good angels. Saint Ignatius presents this with the Contemplation of the Two Standards: the Standard of Christ and His followers in battle against the Standard of Satan and his minions. This instills in our conscious state that we always have to be on guard against the furtive, wily, insidious attacks of the enemy. Saint Ignatius calls the devil, “The enemy of our salvation.”

2. A DANGEROUS STATE OF SOUL: DESOLATION.  In fact, when we find ourselves in the state of desolation, something we all experience as part of being human, that is precisely when the devil raises his artillery to shoot for the kill. Desolation is basically when we feel a lack of faith, hope, and charity. We feel sad and depressed, nobody seems to understand us or care about us. Our life does not seem to have any meaning or purpose. We feel as if we are in a dark tunnel or enveloped in a dense, dark cloud. At times like this, the Kryptonite or basic weak point for many is that of sensuality, lust, and the pull towards the wolf of porn. Half of winning the battle is having a keen awareness of being in the state of desolation, and knowing that the enemy, the devil, will draw close and offer us an escape-valve for this state of desolation by having recourse to the wolf of porn. The enemy will present porn as something that is not bad, but rather something normal, accepted by all, a necessary part of life, a part of being human. Be aware and remember, the devil is the father of lies. (Jn. 8:44)

3. IGNATIAN RULE SIX: THE SAFETY-NET TO PREVENT FALLING INTO DESOLATION. A master of the spiritual life, Saint Ignatius offers us four spiritual weapons to wield to conquer desolation, as well as to overcome the devil-wolf of porn. These weapons are not novelties but rather classical tools in Spiritual Combat. However, if not wielded and implemented opportunely then the ravenous wolf of porn can sink his sharp teeth into us! These weapons are:

A) PRAYER.  Jesus commanded the Apostles: “Stay awake and pray because the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” (Mt. 26: 41)

B) MEDITATION.  Be faithful to meditation on the Word of God that is called the two-edged sword. Make your daily Holy Hour, your Hour of Power! (Fulton Sheen)

C) PENANCE.  Ignatius insists on doing some suitable penance. Jesus stated clearly: “Some devils can be cast out only by prayer and fasting.” (Mt. 17: 21)

D) EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE. Examine your conscience and life to see if you have opened a door, crevice, or even a crack where the devil can enter.

4. EYES: BE VIGILANT WITH YOUR EYES. Indeed, the eyes are the mirror of the soul. Constantly we must control our wandering eyes that can easily betray us and lead us into the camp of the wolf, of the devil that we call porn. The fall of King David was precipitated by this holy man allowing his eyes to wander towards the beautiful woman, Bathsheba, on the rooftop.

5. CELL-PHONE, SOCIAL-MEDIA, INTERNET—A TWO-EDGED SWORD. It is true that all that God created was and is good. Unfortunately, the freedom that God has generously endowed us with is all too often not used for the honor and glory of God, but abused for our own selfish gratification. We all must maintain strict surveillance over the use of the social media and the internet. We should block all the porn sights; perhaps even have an accountability partner. Even at times, to avoid being alone is the best way, if possible, to avoid the attack of the wolf on the prowl. For children and teens, perhaps the best remedy is simply to prohibit them from having their own cellphone.

6. FREQUENT RECOURSE TO THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION. This wonderful Sacrament has as its specific effect that of HEALING. In Confession we encounter Jesus who is the DIVINE-PHYSICIAN. In fact, frequent confession can serve as preventive medicine, as well as healing medicine. Indeed, frequent confession can prevent the ravenous wolf of pornography from biting us and leaving his poison in our system.

7. IGNATIAN RULE 13. In our spiritual battle, we rely first and foremost on the grace of God. However, we must have recourse to human and spiritual tools also. Rule 13 of the Ignatian Rules for Discernment is quite simply this: In desolation and temptation open up to your Spiritual Director or Confessor. In fact, the saints tell us that once a temptation is revealed or divulged, then it is easily conquered. If we want to conquer the wolf-devil of porn, we have to talk it out with a trained Spiritual Director or Confessor. The devil can easily turn a molehill into a mountain. Openness in spiritual direction disintegrates our mountainous temptations into dust blown by the wind!

8. AVOID LAZINESS/INDOLENCE. How true the proverb: “Idleness is the workshop of the devil.” On one occasion, Saint Faustina saw the devil rushing frantically in the corridor of the convent. Jesus forced the devil to reveal where he had his major triumphs in temptation. The devil responded by saying that LAZINESS was his key means of triumph. But in that convent, he could not find one lazy Sister! If we are engaged in healthy, wholesome and productive activities, than the wolf of porn is put at bay!

9. WHOLESOME FRIENDS, SPORTS, RECREATION, REST AND JOY. On a human level when we experience joy in rich and rewarding friends, physical exercise in sports, recreation and rest that restores our physical, mental and emotional health—all of these serve as human safeguards to refrain from capitulating to the idol, the wolf of pornography. In fact, JOY is indispensable to conquer any vice, especially the addiction to porn.

10. PRAYER, MARY AND THE ROSARY. There is an anecdote of a well-known Protestant who would frequently visit book-stores (45 years ago). Even though he would be looking at spiritual books, he felt drawn to the porn-corner, to visit the wolves, at least for a short time. One day he fell upon the Rosary and prayed it once—still being a Protestant! Immediately, as if a strong chain were shattered, he no longer felt any desire to leaf through the porn-pages. In our battle to attain purity, to conquer the ugly head of the devil and put the wolves at bay, let us turn to Mary, and especially by praying the Rosary.

As David wielded the slingshot and conquered the Giant Goliath, so we can conquer the wolves of porn in our lives if we have frequent recourse to Our Lady and the most Holy Rosary. Indeed, we are very weak, but God is omnipotent, and He has entrusted many battle victories to the powerful intercession of His Mother, Mary. Indeed, the Proto-evangelium points to the woman who will conquer the enemy by her heel. May the heel of Mary conquer the ugly serpent-wolf of pornography in our lives!

How good God is that He generously offers us annually the gracious and blessed Season of Lent. A true gift it is, and we should receive it and live it out to the full.

Like the Season of Advent, Lent is a season of preparation, in this case to celebrate the high-point or summit of our spiritual life that we call the Paschal-Mystery. That is to say, Lent prepares us for Holy Week and the Easter Triduum—Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday which culminates in the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

These forty days of Lent are viewed as a spiritual pilgrimage, heading toward Calvary, the Cross of Christ, and His death on the cross. However, the last word is not death, but Life! Christ died; Christ rose from the dead, and He will come again. The Israelites spent forty years in the desert; Jonah preached that Nineveh would be destroyed in forty days—if they did not repent. But of even greater importance: Jesus spent forty days and forty nights in the desert praying, fasting, and battling the devil, giving us an example to follow. 

Our Lenten journey or pilgrimage was outlined and paved by Jesus who is indeed our Model; He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one goes to the Father except through Jesus. Indeed, if we are to prove victorious over the devil and his minions, as well as the flesh and the world that surrounds us, then Jesus is our path to victory.

Ash Wednesday introduces us to the Holy Season of Lent. By receiving the ashes, we are reminded acutely of two inevitable truths that should penetrate and permeate our minds during the whole course of these forty holy days. First, that one day we will die; the day, the hour, the moment and the manner is known to God alone. Second, conversion of life must become our password in Lent, as well as for the rest of our lives: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” (Mk. 1:15)

More important than receiving the ashes on Ash Wednesday would be to participate fully, actively and consciously in Holy Mass; and, if in the state of grace, to receive Holy Communion.

The Readings for Mass on Ash Wednesday, and most specifically the Holy Gospel, set the scene for the tone and thrust of the 40-day Lenten Pilgrimage.

Taken from the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord and Master, and greatest of Teachers, sets down the groundwork for the Lenten discipline. (Mt. 6: 1-24) This spiritual Strategy or Plan of Life can be summarized in three fundamental practices.

Father Al Hall, O.M.V. presents a tri-dimensional portrayal of this spiritual program: 1) go up—this is through prayer; 2) go in—this is through penance or fasting; 3) go out—this is through the practice of almsgiving or if you like the corporal works of mercy. (Read Mt. 25: 31-46)

Our thrust in this brief essay will be to offer various ways that we can go up to God by exercising a more frequent and fervent prayer-life. If done efficaciously, by going up to God in prayer, undoubtedly, God will shower down on us an abundant deluge of graces and blessings. The Highway to Holiness will be our Road-map to heaven.

We invite all to read carefully, better yet, meditate calmly these few ideas. Then choose as many of these practices as you are inspired to undertake so as to live out a fruitful Lent. This will culminate in a joy-filled and glorious Resurrection when the Easter sun breaks forth and shines upon us!

LET’S GO UP TO GOD WITH HANDS ON HIGH AND HE WILL RAIN DOWN GRACES IN ABUNDANCE ON US, INDEED A DELUGE OF GRACES…

1. MORNING-PRAYER.  Commence every day by offering your first fruits to God in prayer. Imitate Abel whose gift was pleasing to God because He gave God his best. Pray your Morning-offering where you give all you have, all you are, and all you will undertake this day to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Kiss your Scapular and then you will have started off the day in a way pleasing to God. If we start off the day well, by lifting our mind and heart to God, there is a good chance that we will live the day in a way pleasing to God and end spiritually triumphant!

2. LITURGY OF THE HOURS.  Undertake the Liturgical Prayer known as the Breviary or more complete, the Liturgy of the Hours. Priests, Deacons, and Religious (male and female) are all committed to praying the Liturgy of the Hours. One of the primary purposes is to sanctify the Hours of the day, but also to pray and to intercede for the people of the world, the poor, the sick, the dying and any needs of the Church.

3. THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS.  A practice highly recommended by the Church, the saints, and the Popes is the pious practice of the Stations of the Cross. Quite simply, you pass from one of the 14 stations to the next, stopping at each one and offering a prayer to Jesus who carries the cross, loaded with our sins, for the salvation of the world. Such a prayer puts us in contact with the infinite love of Jesus who willingly suffered excruciating pains for your salvation and mine. “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you because by your cross you have redeemed the world.”

4. THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.  Of all the prayers underneath the sun, by far the greatest of all prayers is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This prayer unites Heaven to earth. This is the prayer in which Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, offers Himself to the Eternal Father for the salvation of all humanity, and that means each and every one of us individually. Perhaps the best of all Lenten practices would be to participate in Holy Mass and receive Holy Communion with a pure heart, and overflowing love, daily or as often as possible. Try it! Bring your family along with you!

5. CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY.  This short but efficacious prayer, in just a few words, summarizes the essence of the Paschal Mystery: Pray on the large beads: “Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. Pray on the small beads: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, Have mercy on us and on the whole world. Prayed five times around the Rosary beads you have completed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. These few but poignant words highlight the Paschal Mystery: the Holy Eucharist, as well as the Passion and Blood that Jesus shed for the redemption of the world.

6. CONTEMPLATE THE SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY.  If we really want to plumb the depths of the infinite suffering that Jesus underwent for our eternal salvation we must turn to Our Lady, especially Our Lady of Sorrows. Spend time contemplating how much Mary willingly suffered for love of Jesus and for love of us. The following are the Seven Sorrows of Mary: 1) The Prophecy of Simeon; 2) The Flight into Egypt; 3) The finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple after three sorrowful days of search; 4) Jesus meets Mary carrying His cross on Calvary; 5) Jesus dies as Mary stands beneath the cross; 6) The dead body of Jesus is held in the arms of Mary (Pieta of Michelangelo); 7) Jesus is taken from Mary’s arms and buried. Saints have derived infinite graces by contemplating the Seven Sorrows of Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows.

7. THE ANGELUS.  Pray the Angelus every day. If possible, pray this Marian prayer three times a day. It summarizes the two key mysteries in the life of Christ—the Incarnation and the Paschal Mystery. Aim at praying the Angelus at 9:00 a.m. so as to sanctify the morning hours; at 12 noon so as to sanctify the afternoon hours; at 6:00 p.m. so as to sanctify the night. Stay close to Mary and she will keep you close to Jesus.

8. LIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD.  A very holy brother, Brother Lawrence, came to the conclusion that if we can simply strive to live daily in the Presence of God, then we will avoid sin and know what is pleasing to God. Get in the habit of living in the Presence of God by saying short but fervent aspirations during the course of the day—“Jesus, I love you, save my soul”… “Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation,”… “Jesus, I trust in you”… are just a few examples among many.

9. DAILY HOLY HOUR.  Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen strongly encouraged the practice of the daily Holy Hour. He called it the HOUR OF POWER! For more than fifty years as a priest and several as a Bishop, this great Servant of God never missed even once being faithful to his daily Holy Hour. He attributed this practice, and his deep union with the Eucharistic Lord, as the key to his success as preacher, writer, world missionary and evangelist. Try it—make your own daily HOUR OF POWER!!!

10. OUR LADY AND THE HOLY ROSARY.  Not only can we undertake the practice of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, but this Lent we should strive to pray the most Holy Rosary, and most especially the contemplation of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. An ideal would be to set aside some time every day to pray the Rosary in the family. How true the words of Father Patrick Peyton, the Rosary priest, resound: “The family that prays together stays together,” and, “A world at prayer is a world at peace.”

Friends in Jesus and Mary, the success of the party depends on the prior preparation. Even more important: the resounding and jubilant Joy of Easter Day and the Easter Season depend on how we live out the Holy Season of Lent. Let us live this Lenten Season as if were our last! Let us truly die to sin, so as to live in the light of the Glorious Resurrection of the Risen Lord Jesus!

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ becomes alive and visits us, touches us, and actually enters into us in His Real Person through His Mystical Body the Church! In the fullest sense of the word, Jesus becomes alive in us through the Eucharist.

All of the actions of the Church and the members of the Mystical Body of Christ converge at the source and summit of the Church in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Jesus’ earthly life lasted a mere thirty years; His public life a short three years; His death on the cross, three hours; His resurrection from the dead, less than three full days!

Before ascending into Heaven Jesus promised His Presence among us, even until the very end of time, with these words: “Go out to all nations and teach them all that I taught you; baptize them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Behold, I am with you always even until the end of time.” (Mt 28:19-20)

If it is true that Jesus ascended into Heaven and promised that He would be with us always until the end of time, then where is He? The response: He is with us in His Mystical Body the Church.

Most specifically, Jesus becomes truly present in the Mass, the Eucharist, and the Sacramental Life. This Sacramental Life of Jesus unfolds every Church Year, Liturgical Year, in the living Liturgical Cycle. Jesus comes to us in Word and in Sacrament.

Very briefly and succinctly let us transport ourselves through the Church Liturgical Year. A strong suggestion: MEMORIZE THIS! If you can memorize these key Liturgical moments of the Life of Christ then you will be able to always locate yourself as to where, when, and what Jesus is doing right now in His Mystical Body, the Church. Hopefully, you will share this knowledge with others. Become a Liturgical catechist!

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE CHURCH YEAR

I. ADVENT.  The word Advent—meaning the coming—refers to the days and weeks before Christmas, as well as in preparation for Christmas. There are always four Sundays in the Advent Season. The Liturgical color is that of Purple, aside from Memorials, Feast Days and Solemnities.

1) SYMBOL.  One of the key symbols illuminating this Season is that of the Advent Wreath. Made in the form of a circle and green in color, the Advent wreath is decorated often with a red ribbon, sometimes an apple, but the key elements are candles. The circular symbolic sacramental has four distinct candles; three are purple and one is pink. On Christmas, the fifth candle is inserted in the very middle of the Advent wreath—white in contrast to pink and purple. That white candle in the middle signifies the Birthday of Jesus who is truly the Light of the world who came to dispel the darkness of sin.

2) MARIAN FEASTS.  Given that Advent has a very important Marian tone, there are two important Marian Liturgical celebrations: the Immaculate Conception (December 8th); then Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12th). In all of the Advent Season, the Church joyfully awaits the Birthday of Jesus with Our Lady, the expectant Mother of Jesus.

3) SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST.  Furthermore, a key Biblical figure is Saint John the Baptist who calls us to prepare the way for the Birthday of the Savior.

4) GLORIA.  The Gloria in the Mass is suppressed until Christmas Eve.

II. CHRISTMAS DAY AND CHRISTMAS SEASON ARRIVES.

Advent concludes with Christmas and the Christmas Season. It is impossible to celebrate the Birthday of Jesus—the most important Birthday in the world—in one day. There must be an Octave, as well as an extended Season, to rejoice because Jesus, Our Savior is born.

1) CHRISTMAS EVE—Christmas already starts on the Eve of Christmas. The long awaited day has arrived: Jesus is born of the Virgin Mary.

2) GLORIA. The Gloria in the Mass returns! This night, with the Angelic choirs, our hearts and voices resound: “Gloria in excelsis Deo”, which is Latin for, “Glory to God in the Highest!” 

3) CHRISTMAS MASS. Actually there are three Christmas Masses: Midnight (the night before); Christmas Mass at dawn, and the Christmas Mass of the day. Each expresses a different aspect of the Solemnity and Joy of the Birthday of Jesus.

4) OCTAVE.  For 8 days, starting with Christmas Day, the Church celebrates the Birthday of Jesus. For such an event there must be at least 8 days!

5) CHRISTMAS SEASON.  During the course of the Christmas Liturgical Season there are various important other Feasts all hinged and related to the Birth of Jesus, the Savior.

6) The Feast day of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary, and Saint Joseph.  Mary, the Mother of God, always celebrated on January 1st. As well as the Epiphany (also known as the Visitation of the Three Kings). These are the key Liturgical Feast days celebrated in the context of the Christmas Season.

7) BAPTISM OF JESUS.  Finally, with the celebration of the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, the Christmas Season ends. Time to take down the Christmas tree and the Manger Scene.

III. ORDINARY TIME 1.  With the conclusion of the Christmas Season, the Church moves into Ordinary Time 1.

There are actually two Ordinary-Times in the course of the Church Year: one that follows immediately after the Christmas Season and the other that follows immediately after the Easter Season.

In Ordinary Time 1, the priest changes Liturgical colors, from the white of the Christmas Season to Green.

In this Liturgical Season, the Gospel Readings focus primarily on the Public Life of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is to say, the Gospels present Jesus in the midst of His Public Life which lasted about three years—from when Jesus was age 30-33.

This First Ordinary time does not last long—often close to 7-8 weeks. During these weeks that fall in January and February the Church also celebrates the Santoral—or the saints.

Ordinary time should be a time in which we strive to know, love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ in our own lives. Also, we should strive to do the Ordinary activities of our daily lives with extraordinary love.

IV. LENTEN SEASON: SEASON OF PENANCE, GRACE AND CONVERSION.

Ordinary time l comes to an end with the start of the Holy Season of Lent. The following are the basic characteristics of the Holy Season of Lent:

1. ASH WEDNESDAY.
2. LITURGICAL COLOR: PURPLE.
3. TIME: 40 DAYS, NOT COUNTING SUNDAYS.
4. PERIODS OF FASTING AND ABSTINENCE.
5. SUSPEND ALLELUIA AND GLORIA IN THE MASS.
6. SPECIAL LITURGICAL MASS READINGS—AIMED AT CONVERSION.

HOLY WEEK—THE MOST HOLY WEEK OF THE ENTIRE CHURCH YEAR!

The culmination or crowning point of the Season of Lent is HOLY WEEK. It is like a great crescendo of graces in which the Church celebrates with great love and joy the saving or Redemptive actions of Jesus the Lord.

HOLY WEEK DAYS OF CELEBRATION: THE UNFOLDING OF HOLY WEEK. The following are the key elements of Holy Week.

1) PALM SUNDAY.  Holy Week starts with Palm Sunday. The Church commemorates Jesus’ entry in triumphant procession into the city of Jerusalem mounted on a donkey. Palms are distributed commemorating that day. In the Mass, the priest wears Red and the long Narrative of the Passion of Christ is read.

2) EASTER TRIDUUM.  The very heart of the Church Year is the Easter Triduum which consists of three days (triduum meaning three)—Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.

3) HOLY THURSDAY commemorates the Last Supper and the institution of the most Holy Eucharist, as well as the Priesthood or Holy Orders.

4) GOOD FRIDAY.  With profound love and suffering the Church invites all to contemplate the Passion, suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. It is a day of fasting and abstinence.

5) HOLY SATURDAY.  On this day we accompany the Blessed Virgin Mary in her sorrows. With Our Lady of Sorrows we relive the Passion, suffering and death of Jesus her Son. We strive to relieve the Passion of Jesus as seen through the eyes and Sorrowful Heart of Mary.

V. EASTER SEASON: STARTING WITH THE EASTER VIGIL MASS.

For sake of brevity we offer a succinct explanation of the celebration of Easter and the Easter Season.

1) EASTER VIGIL MASS.  The Easter Vigil Mass is the most sublime and glorious of all of the Liturgical celebrations for the entire Church Year. Many beautiful Readings are proclaimed with the Responsorial Psalms. The Neophytes are baptized, confirmed, and make their first Holy Communion.

2) THE ALLELUIA, GLORIA, THE COLOR WHITE.  Once again the Church sings the alleluia, the Gloria is back in the Mass, and the Liturgical color is white.

3) JESUS IS TRULY RISEN FROM THE DEAD.  The very core of Easter and the entire Easter Season is the fact that Jesus died, but He truly rose from the dead never to die again. The promise for us is eternal life!

4) THE OCTAVE OF EASTER.  Like Christmas, the Church celebrates an entire eight days of Easter. The reality of Jesus truly Risen from the dead is of such great importance that there must be eight days—the Octave—to celebrate Jesus’ triumph over death and His rising from the dead.

5) EASTER SEASON.  The Easter Season lasts 50 days. During these days, the first Reading in Mass is taken from the Acts of the Apostles.

6) ASCENSION AND PENTECOST.  The Easter Season draws to an end with the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. The Novena starts and concludes with Pentecost—the descent of the Holy Spirit. This commemorates the Birthday of the Church as well as the end of the 50 days of Easter joy!

VI. ORDINARY TIME II.  With Pentecost, the Easter Season comes to an end and Ordinary Time II starts which lasts close to six months.

THREE KEY SOLEMNITIES AFTER PENTECOST.  After Pentecost three principle Solemnities follow in this order: Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi, and the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

1) TRINITY SUNDAY.  The Church celebrates the greatest of all mysteries—the most Blessed Trinity. That is to say the Church teaches the reality of One God in three Divine Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

2) CORPUS CHRISTI. The Church believes that in Holy Mass, through the words of Consecration the bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus the Savior.

3) SACRED HEART OF JESUS. The Friday after the Sunday of Corpus Christi, the Church celebrates the mystery of the love of Jesus for us by honoring and praising His most Sacred Heart.

CHRIST THE KING: CONCLUSION OF CHURCH YEAR. The lengthy Ordinary Time II comes to an end with the Solemnity of Christ the King. Jesus as King desires to reign over the world, but also over each and every one of our own hearts!

ADVENT.  The Liturgical cycles begin once again with the Season of Advent. During the course of the whole Liturgical Year, the Church is reliving in Word and Sacrament the life, words, and saving actions of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, if we want to connect with Jesus, meet Jesus, and receive Jesus into our minds, hearts, souls and entire lives, it is done most efficaciously through the Mystical Body of Christ and the Sacramental life—most especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Eucharist and Holy Communion.

Our Lady appeared in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917 and she revealed important messages to the children and to the whole world. Even after 1917, she revealed other serious, but extremely important messages that we should take to heart now. In fact, our eternal salvation could depend on listening attentively, heeding dutifully, and obeying promptly these messages.

Three of these poignant messages relate to the 6^th and 9^th Commandments. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (6^th Commandment) “Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s wife.” (9^th Commandment)

Also, the serious warnings of Our Lady made clear reference to one of the Sacraments—the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. This is one of the two Sacraments of service. Matrimony is designed for the couple to be at the service of both human life and the formation and sustenance of the family. The other Sacrament of service is that of Holy Orders or the Priesthood—designed as an offering of service to the Church.

Therefore, let us lay out with utmost clarity the prophetic messages and admonitions of Our Lady of Fatima. She is indeed the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and she is our dear and loving Mother. In fact, the two greatest desires of Mary are the following: 1) That God be known, honored, praised, obeyed and loved; 2) That we all attain to eternal happiness in Heaven.

In a word, these three warnings or admonitions serve as clear and convincing signposts to help us avoid the eternal loss of our immortal soul in the stark reality of Hell.

FIRST, the July 13^th Apparition of Our Lady to the three children: Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. This shocking and frightful Apparition manifested the reality of Hell. Our Lady purposely desired the children, as well as us, to reflect seriously on the reality of Hell. The blazing fire, the tormented and tortured souls, the loud cries of utter despair, and the ugly animals trans-piercing the damned souls caused the children to almost faint. Later on, they admitted that if it were not for the presence of Our Lady of Fatima with them during the vision, they might have died of fear. Despite the terror that this vision caused, due to the vision these three children underwent a radical change of life. Their passion for God and their desire for Our Lady and the salvation of souls had no limits. Their prayers were fervent and constant. The thought of Hell motivated them to never flag or weary of praying not only the Rosary, but many Rosaries.

Our Lady stated clearly that most souls go to hell because of the sins committed against the 6^th and 9^th Commandments—the many sins that are committed against the virtue of purity.

The children would not only pray to prevent souls from cascading into the fiery pit of Hell, but they also offered many sacrifices to bar the gates of Hell for so many souls.

Jacinta, the youngest of the three children, offered countless sacrifices, and even her very life, for the conversion of the many sinners immersed in the muddy pool of impurity. We will mention just a few of the heroic sacrifices of this little girl:

• THE ROPE.  Jacinta wore a rough rope around her waist that caused her considerable discomfort during the course of the day.
• FOOD.  She purposely sacrificed her favorite food—the sweet grapes of the Portugal hillsides, replacing them with bitter nuts and berries.
• FUN: DANCING.  She loved to dance! This would be honest and innocent dancing. But no more, for the love of God and to prevent souls from plunging into the fires of hell.
• ROSARY.  Not one Rosary, but as many as possible, trusting in the most powerful intercession of Mary who loves God and loves souls.
• EVEN DRINKING WATER.  On one of the hot and humid days in summer, Jacinta was offered some cold and refreshing water to drink but she refused it. Why? For the salvation of poor sinners.
• OPERATION IN THE HOSPITAL WITH LITTLE ANESTHESIA. Yes, when she had to undergo an operation with barely any anesthesia, the noble and brave Jacinta accepted it and offered it up to prevent souls from precipitating themselves into the fiery pit of hell.

Indeed, how important it truly is for the world at large to understand the supreme importance of the virtue of purity. How important it is for all of humanity, and each of us individually, to live out the Beatitude: “Blessed are the pure of heart; for they will see God.” (Mt. 5:8) Remember the stark warning of Our Lady of Fatima: “Most souls go to hell due to the sins against the virtue of purity.”

SECOND, Our Lady revealed to Jacinta another serious but stark truth. MANY MARRIAGES ARE NOT PLEASING TO GOD. These messages were given close to 100 years ago. Since then, the state of both Marriage and the family is definitely in a scary free-fall, a real vortex. Way more than 50% of Catholic marriages end in divorce, leaving wounded and scarred children. The innocent have to suffer for the sake of the guilty. To make matters worse, many couples, who even call themselves Catholics, decide to sidestep receiving the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and instead just live together in free-union, cohabitation, a trial-marriage, to see, as they say today, if they have chemistry and are compatible.

THIRD, Our Lady stated bluntly: “There will be many fashions (modes) that will enter into the world that will gravely offend God.” How often today, even in the context of the Church itself, do we encounter blatant and flagrant immodesty in dress??? In the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism, as well as the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, many come into the Church as if it were a beach-party, a night-club, or simply a fashion-show!!! Pope Benedict stated with utmost clarity that in our Churches today we are losing the sense of the Sacred!!!   

Indeed, the Church is the House of God. Jesus, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings, lives in the Church. His Home is behind the Tabernacle door; the red-burning Lamp signals His Real-Presence. Would we come improperly dressed into the presence of an earthly King or Queen? Out of the question! But how easily we can disrespect the Presence of God in our Churches!!!

Of great importance, also, is the respect we should have for the dignity of our own body. Saint Paul asserts: “Glorify God in your bodies; your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. You have been redeemed at a high price: the Blood of the Lamb of God.” (1 Cor. 6, Heb. 9: 11-14)

The way we clothe our bodies should reflect the knowledge we have of our innate dignity being created in the image and likeness of God and being sons and daughters of God at the moment of our Baptism. Our dignity is exalted, our destiny is sublime: to be united with God forever in Heaven.

Therefore, once we have learned the supreme and sublime importance of who we are, where we are heading, and our eternal destiny, then we can take very seriously these three warnings of Our Lady of Fatima, messages directed not only to the three innocent Shepherd children, but also to us right now. So let us strive with the help of God’s grace and our own human effort to take heed of Our Lady’s admonitions; indeed our salvation is at risk!

First, let us strive to attain an ever greater purity of eyes, mind, emotions, heart and body. “Blessed are the pure of heart; for they will see God.” (Mt. 5:8)

Second, those who have chosen the Sacrament and vocation of Holy Matrimony, may they make a constant effort to grow daily in love of God and a pure love for each other, and the children that God often does send.

Third, MODESTY!  May we come to a keen awareness of both our dignity and our eternal destiny. Our Dignity? We are living Tabernacles of the Blessed Trinity through Baptism; we are, in the words of Saint Paul: Ambassadors of Christ.” (2 Cor 5:20) Before leaving home, present yourself before an image of Our Lady, Jesus, and good Saint Joseph, as their representative, and see what they think! Do nothing in word, nor deed, nor dress that would make them ashamed of you. You are called to be their honor and prize, now and for all eternity!