“Blessed are the pure of heart; they will see God.” Taken from the Beatitudes, Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5: 8)

The lover of the youth, the great Saint John Bosco, was keenly aware of the effects of Original Sin, concupiscence, and the battle that young people would have to wage to attain mastery over their passions. The saint was keenly aware of this mortal struggle to attain the virtue of purity, or the virtue of chastity. The basic practices that he insisted upon were fervent prayer, the assiduous and frequent reception of the Sacraments—Confession and the Holy Eucharist. He encouraged hard work and an overflowing spirit of joy. Finally of greatest importance, Bosco instilled in his young people a deep, filial, and ardent devotion to Our Lady, Help of Christians. Today our youth confront many more obstacles to attain chastity than ever before. So we have put together a very simple, clear and concrete ten step program to attain the virtue of chastity. This program can easily be applied to adults as well as the young.

Our Lady of Fatima warned the children, as well as the world at large, that the primary reason why souls are lost for all eternity is due to the sins against the 6th and 9th Commandments—both referring to the virtue of purity, in thought and in deed. Our Lady also stated that many fashions would be introduced into the world that would gravely offend God. Still more, our Heavenly Mother stated that many marriages were not pleasing to God. Even though she did not state it explicitly, it could be understood that many marriages are dominated by the spirit of lust, rather than purity and chastity.

TEN STEP PROGRAM TO STRIVE FOR PURITY

1. BEG FOR THE GRACE. We cannot live humility, forgiveness or purity without God’s grace. They are supernatural virtues1.
2. PERSISTENT PRAYER. (Read Lk. 18: 1-8 The insistent widow.) All things are possible for God with persistent prayer.
3. CONTROL YOUR EYES. (Read 2 Samuel Chap. 4 The sin of David who committed adultery with Bathsheba.) The eyes are the mirror of the soul.
4. STRICT VIGILANCE OVER USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA. (Read Jn. 10: 1-18 The Good Shepherd) This is one of the easiest ways that the wolf (the devil) can get into the flock of sheep (God’s children).
5. AVOID LAZINESS. “Idleness is the workshop of the devil.” If we have nothing to do, the devil will give us a lot to do!!!
6. FREQUENT CONFESSION. What medicine is to the body, so frequent confession is to the soul. Go as often as possible! Confession serves as curative medicine and preventive medicine as well! If you fall, get up quickly!!! Saint John Bosco was ahead of his time encouraging frequent confession to fortify souls against sinning.
7. FREQUENT, FAITH-FILLED, AND FERVENT COMMUNIONS…. Nothing is more efficacious for the body, mind and soul than frequent, faith-filled and fervent Holy Communions. With each Holy Communion, the most pure Blood of Jesus rushes through your heart, mind, soul and every artery of your body. This is a sure remedy to conquer temptations that Saint John Bosco applied to the young!
8. GOOD AND SOLID SPIRITUAL READING. Fill your mind with pure, noble and good thoughts through the daily practice of spiritual reading. Remember the proverb: “The thought is the father of the deed!” We end up doing what we have conceived in our mind beforehand! The lives of the saints are efficacious reading for all, but especially the young.
9. FRIENDS: GOOD AND WHOLESOME FRIENDSHIPS. We all need friends. Jesus chose the Apostles to be His friends. However, a tried and true friend is one who deepens our friendship with Jesus, who should be our BEST FRIEND!!!
10. FILIAL LOVE AND DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.  Experience manifests in the lives of the saints—God’s true friends—that a tender, filial love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, devotion to her Immaculate Heart, and a love for the Holy Rosary are very efficacious in attaining virtue, especially the demanding but essential virtue of purity or chastity!

We hope and pray that these ten concrete practices will help all, both young and old, to attain the virtue of purity and live out the Beatitude: “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.” (Mt. 5: 8) By an ever deepening of our whole person may we contemplate the beauty of the Face of God now and for all eternity! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

God’s goodness has no limits. Giving, giving and more generous giving expresses the very nature of our loving and bountiful God. Count your gifts and blessings and then thank and praise our loving God. This should be done daily!

Your body, your mind, your affections, your soul—all gifts from God. Praise the Lord. The Sacraments, the Church, the Eucharist—the Bread of Life, your Guardian angel, your friends the saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary who is your loving Heavenly Mother, and the promise of eternal life in Heaven. Praise and thank the Lord the giver of all sublime gifts. Saint Ignatius reminds us also that the more we thank God for His many gifts, the more He showers us with even more and greater gifts.

LENT AS A GIFT.  Most likely you have never spent much time reflecting upon and thanking God for the Gifts present in the Liturgical Seasons—most specifically, the Annual Gift of the Season of Lent. If that is the case, now is the time to abound in thanking God for the Gift of the Season of Lent. In the words of the Psalmist: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.” (Ps. 136:1)

Every year, usually starting some time in February, Lent commences. The priest dons the Liturgical color of purple. Penance and a call to conversion of life marks the entire season. The first day of Lent is Ash Wednesday which sets the tone of the season. Ashes are imposed with one of two phrases which are Biblical. “Be converted and believe in the Gospel.” (Mk. 1:15)  Or “Remember that you are dust and you shall return to dust.” (Gen. 3:19) The Church announces the clarion call to conversion, as well as pointing out our mortality—one day we will all die and go before the Judgment seat of God.

GOSPEL FOR ASH WEDNESDAY: 3 PRACTICES TO ARRIVE AT CONVERSION. The Gospel in the Mass for Ash Wednesday sets the tone for Lent. Jesus offers us three specific ways in which we can attain the conversion of our lives and finish our lives dying in the state of grace and thereby attain our goal: Heaven!

Expressed in a three-dimensional pattern we might say: we must go up, go in, and go out! Go up—through a more intense prayer life! Go in—conversion through penance or mortification. Go out—through almsgiving or an active life of charity to live out the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. If we can strive to live out these three dimensions in our spiritual life, then undoubtedly we will arrive at a more profound conversion of heart, a real conversion of life, and a deep aversion for sin and greater love for Jesus Christ!

Therefore, let us strive to realize that Lent is truly a great Gift from the hands and the loving Heart of the Lord Jesus to His Church, and to each and every one of us individually. With open hearts let us recognize the gift, receive the gift, and live the gift.

WAYS THAT WE CAN ACCEPT AND LIVE OUT LENT.

 PRAYER…

 1. PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!! Increase and fortify your personal prayer life. Indeed, what air is to our lungs, prayer is to our soul. Little prayer or a weak prayer life results in the drying up of our spiritual lungs and sure death!!!

 2. WAYS TO PRAY? There are countless ways, but we will offer a list that you can choose from and implement, understanding we have to act on these good proposals and not just create castles in the air and follow wishful thinking. The following is a long list of prayers that you can undertake. If you already do some of these, add more for Lent!

1) DAILY BIBLE READING: Using these five classical steps of Lectio Divina: Lectio (Read), Meditatio (Meditate), Contemplatio (Contemplate), Oracio (Pray), Accio (Act).

2) HOLY HOUR. Use your Daily Bible Reading with Lectio Divina to give the Lord a Holy Hour of uninterrupted prayer every day for forty days. Ven. Fulton Sheen coined this “The Hour of Power!” Indeed, it was for Sheen who touched the lives of millions of people!

3) DAILY EXAMEN. Spend ten minutes every day, at any time you prefer, and go through your day thanking the Lord for the gifts of the day and begging pardon for any failures, with firm resolve to reform your life the next day.

4) THE MOST HOLY ROSARY. During the Holy Season of Lent get into the habit of praying the Rosary daily. If possible, pray the Family Rosary. Remember the words of the Rosary-priest, Ven. Father Patrick Peyton: “The family that prays together, stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.” Incidentally, if possible, view the film/documentary PRAY! The Life of Fr. Patrick Peyton.

6) WAY OF THE CROSS. Most appropriate in Lent is to make the Way of the Cross. For the fourteen stations move from one to the next contemplating the love that Jesus has for you personally by suffering His Passion and death for love of you and the salvation of your immortal soul!

7) LITURGY OF THE HOURS. Learn to pray the Liturgy of the Hours which is the public worship of the Church. In the Magnificat magazine you have Morning Prayer (Lauds) as well as Evening Prayer (Vespers). Most of these prayers are taken from the Psalms, the Official Prayer Book of the Bible.

8) MEAL PRAYER. If not already in the habit, start your mealtime with a short prayer to thank God for the gift of a healthy and hearty meal. Many cannot do this because they will have no food to eat or give to their children today.

9) THE ANGELUS PRAYER. In Lent you might intersperse your day with prayer by praying the Angelus three times a day: 9:00 a.m., 12 noon, and 6 p.m. Beg Mary to bless your mornings, afternoons and evenings!

10) VIEW THE MOVIE THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. If age appropriate, watch the movie of Mel Gibson, The Passion of the Christ. However, instead of viewing it as a mere Hollywood rendition, view it as a prayer, as a contemplation, so as to love the Lord Jesus more and more. He suffered all of His Passion for love of you! Which scenes touched you the most?

 3. SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION. During Lent make the best Confession of your life. Indeed, this is truly the Sacrament and encounter with Christ where deep conversion really can take place.

 4. READ THE DOLOROUS PASSION. In Lent much fruit can be derived from spiritual reading, most specially the Dolorous Passion by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.

FASTING / PENANCE / MORTIFICATION…

5. FASTING OF THE TONGUE. For the forty days of Lent avoid any words that could hurt any of your family members. Two rules can be of great help: First: Think before you speak. Second: Do and say to others what you would like them to do and say to you.

6. FASTING FROM FOOD. Choose at least one thing at the table that you like to eat and give that up for Lent. Do it for love of Jesus, and for the salvation of immortal souls as well as your own conversion!

7. FORM OF PENANCE: IMPROVE YOUR WORK ETHIC. A most efficacious penance/charity might simply be to upgrade your work ethic. This can be work outside the home or inside the home. Start your work on time and be orderly, systematic and methodical. Avoid cutting corners and doing a sloppy joy. Remember the words of Saint Paul: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31) Follow in the footsteps of Saint Therese, the Little Flower. “Holiness consists in doing the ordinary things of daily life with extraordinary love.”

ALMSGIVING / CHARITY…

8. ALMSGVING. Pray to the Holy Spirit to enlighten your mind as to how you can help out the poor in one way or another. Never forget the words of Jesus: “I was hungry, thirsty, naked, a foreigner, sick or in prison… whatsoever you did for the least of my brothers, that you did for me.” (Mt. 25: 31-46)

9. CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME. Perhaps the best way to live out almsgiving or charity would be at home. Every day make an effort—for the forty days of Lent—to do an act of charity or an act of kindness—for some member of your family. This gesture is very pleasing to God and can fortify the bonds of love in the family.

 A MARIAN LENT…

10. OUR LADY OF SORROWS. May this Lent be a deeply Marian Lent. Let us contemplate the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
1. The prophecy of Simeon. (Lk. 2: 34-35)
2. Flight into Egypt and massacre of the Holy Innocents. (Mt. 2: 13-18)
3. Loss of the Child Jesus in the temple. (Lk. 2: 41-51)
4, Meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.
5. Crucifixion of Jesus with Mary at the foot of the Cross. (Jn. 19: 25-30)
6. The Body of Jesus taken from the Cross and laid in the arms of Mary. (The Pieta)
7. The Body of Jesus laid in the tomb. (Jn. 19: 38-42)

In conclusion, friends in Jesus and Mary, let us abound in an overflowing attitude of gratitude of praise and thanksgiving towards our loving God. Indeed, how good God is in His countless gifts that He has bestowed on the world and on each and every one of us individually. Therefore, let us recognize the Gift of Lent. Let us receive and accept it as an extraordinary gift. But then let us live out this gift! If done, our lives will be converted and our love for God will be growing, blossoming, flourishing and overflowing towards the whole world! May Our Lady attain for us a truly grateful heart!

The Domestic Church, the basic cell of society, the first institution ordained and created by God—these are different names describing the same reality of The Family! Pope Saint John Paul II asserted that the way the family goes is the way the world goes.

We must pray for the grace to be able to read the Book of History related to the family and world civilizations. It has been proven time and time again that once a society or a civilization allows the family to enter into crisis and unravel at its seams, then it is simply a matter of time until such a society or civilization collapses and crashes!

The human family made up of both father and mother is the basic breeding ground of individuals. God wills that children be born into a family. God wills that children be loved in a family. God wills that both father and mother be the instruments by which their children grow and mature into the person they are called to become: a dignified and useful citizen of society and a future citizen of heaven.

It must be asserted with absolute and unequivocal clarity that the family consists of the woman (called to Motherhood) and the man (called to Fatherhood), and the children that they procreate with God, the author and origin of all life. Any other configuration that does not consist of man and woman and the children born to them is a warped and erroneous ideological concept that must be rejected and repudiated energetically.

The child needs the different manifestations of love that the mother gives and the father gives. Without this different but complimentary pouring out of love, the child is exposed to emotional, spiritual, and moral damage that can be nearly beyond reparation! It is a duty of both justice and charity that the child have in their family the love of both the Father and Mother. No person, place, thing or institution can replace this male-female, Father-Mother concept. It was ordained by God Himself.

Therefore, let us present clear and practical  action items that we should strive to both understand and implement so as to defend the future of our society, which depends on the defense and salvation of the family—the basic building block of society. Let us all pitch in to help families grow, flourish and blossom in the formation of future citizens of the Kingdom of God!

ACTION ITEMS IN THE DEFENSE OF THE HUMAN FAMILY!

1. FERVENT PRAYER.  No doubt, fervent prayer connects us with the power of God who desires wholesome, holy, stable and solid families even more than we desire their existence. Jesus commands us: “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Mt. 7:7). Let us constantly knock at the door of God’s Heart and beg for holy families. Indeed, this prayer is very pleasing to the Trinitarian Family—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

2. SACRAMENT OF HOLY MATRIMONY.  In this secular, materialistic, and hedonist culture, we have returned to a neo-paganistic society. The present younger generation of Catholics have no qualms about discarding the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Instead they opt to have a civil-marriage, or trial marriage, or just live-together using the verbiage: we want to see if we are compatible, if we have chemistry. In the interim, they repudiate God from their lives by living in mortal sin! However, in a word, marriage and family cannot function without God.

3. MARRIAGE PREP COURSES.  Any activity, enterprise or endeavor worthy of pursuit demands time, energy, and real effort. Athletes claim: “No pain, no gain!” Consider this, if it takes a young man a good seven years or more to arrive at Ordination to the priesthood, equally important is the time and energy couples should exert in preparation for Holy Matrimony and the formation of wholesome and holy families.

4. NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAM.  A couple who has decided on pursuing the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony must learn the techniques of Natural Family Planning. If not, once married, the perennial temptation will be to have recourse to the use of contraceptives. Such a mentality is a corrosive, poisonous, noxious mentality and philosophy of life that often leads to serious marital problems and possible separations. In a word, succumbing to the contraceptive philosophy, mentality and style of life is tantamount to reducing the woman to a mere object to be utilized and discarded by the man. In the words of Pope Saint Leo the Great:  “Christians, recognize your dignity!” Especially in Holy Matrimony!

5. MARRIAGE PREP MENTORS.  The art of learning a vocation or profession requires training and help from those who are more expert in the field. Baseball players need coaches; singers, those who have vocal experience; and writers or journalists should consult those who know the tricks of the trade. Marriage mentors would be couples married for a good span of time who have studied their vocation and worked on really living out their marriage vocation. Experience in life can prove to be an excellent textbook! Couples preparing to get married meeting with their mentoring couples in an orderly fashion, frequently and systematically, serves to establish a rock foundation for a solid marriage.

6. ENGAGED COUPLE’S SPIRITUAL LIFE.  If the couple is engaged to receive the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, then both should be intent and industrious in cultivating a deep spiritual life in which God is the very center of their lives. They should strive to pray with each other, as well as pray for each other. Furthermore, they should make it a solid habit to receive two Sacraments frequently—Confession and the Holy Eucharist.

7. JESUS THE CENTER OF THEIR LIVES.  When officiating at Weddings, when couples are about to exchange vows and give a ring as a sign of their mutual fidelity, I frequently remind the couple to put Christ in the very center of their marriage and their lives. I remind them of the literary masterpiece of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen: “It Takes Three to Get Married.”  The three? The husband, the wife, and Jesus! With this trio, marriage is indeed a real winner!

8. SPIRITUAL TUNE- UP!  Once married, it is incumbent upon the married couple to make concerted efforts to grow and strengthen their marital bond and live out the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony to the max!  Marriage Weekend Retreats, Marriage Encounter, Couples for Christ and even Spiritual Direction from a priest or well-trained spiritual director can prove to be invaluable so as not to lose their first love. Love in marriage is like a fire: you must constantly feed the flames, if not the love can be blown out and extinguished.

9. CELEBRATION OF ANNIVERSARIES.  Birthdays, Baptisms, Graduations, Sports victories are all motives to celebrate and rightfully so! Equally important is the celebration of the Anniversary of your Wedding Day. A suggestion for the couple! Have a Mass offered for that intention and attend that Mass, then pray the Rosary afterward in thanksgiving for another year of faithfulness. Then off to a nice Restaurant to celebrate!

20.  ROSARY: THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER.  The famous Rosary-priest, Father Patrick Peyton, who was cured from severe tuberculosis through the intercession of Mary shortly before being ordained to the priesthood, made a proposal that once ordained, he would spread far and wide love for the Blessed Virgin Mary through the propagation of the most Holy Rosary. Furthermore, he believed that if the world is to be saved, it will have to come through the family. And one of the best ways to unite the family is through the daily recitation of the most Holy Rosary! His ambition was to get millions of families in America to pray the Rosary on a daily basis. He was known for two famous sayings: “The family that prays together, stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.” Our Lady of Fatima said in each of the six Apparitions to pray the Rosary daily! Saint Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter, “The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary” (2002), exhorted the whole world to pray the Rosary for two intentions: for world peace and for the salvation of the family.

In conclusion, my friends in Jesus and Mary, let us do all we possibly can to support the family, sustain the family, strengthen the family and defend the family against modern attacks. The future of society and the world at large depends upon the family which is the basic building block of society. Let us turn to Our Lady, the perfect Mother, and to Saint Joseph, the perfect husband and Father, and beg that through their prayers families will be sanctified and parents will lead their children to Heaven.

Copyright 2021 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

Our short life on earth has infinite value. We have both great dignity and eternal destiny. Our dignity? We are sons and daughters of God through the Sacrament of Baptism. Our destiny? We are all pilgrims on a journey heading towards our eternal homeland and that is Heaven.

VALUE OF SUFFERING.  Of immense value for the human person in the eyes of God is that of suffering. However, suffering in and of itself, separated from a supernatural perspective, has no real value. If you like, suffering either makes us better or bitter. 

ANGELS LOOKING DOWN ON HUMANITY.  In the Diary of Saint Faustina, the angels view the human person with a holy envy and for two reasons. First, the human person is capable of receiving the incredible Gift of the most Holy Eucharist—the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus in Holy Communion. The angels in heaven will never have this extraordinary privilege. Also, the angels cannot suffer. The angels understand that suffering, if viewed and accepted properly, has infinite value and can be most pleasing to God. In fact, Jesus, the Incarnate Word, chose the path of suffering as the means by which the salvation of the world would be consummated.

OUR LADY OF FATIMA’S MESSAGE.  Our Lady of Fatima told the three children, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta to pray and offer sacrifices for sinners. Our Lady expressed with sadness that many souls are lost because not enough generous souls offer prayers and sacrifices for the salvation of poor sinners. Another name for sacrifice is that of accepting willingly some form of suffering. This message of Our Lady of Fatima can be applied to ourselves in our specific state of life and our own sufferings. Nobody in the world can avoid the reality of suffering.

OFFER IT UP!  These three short words sum up the entire message: offer it up! When God, in His infinite Wisdom, decides to visit you with some form of suffering, it is of enormous importance to accept the suffering given from the loving and providential Hands of God and offer it up. Remember, suffering can either make us better or bitter. Suffering can either save souls or be wasted!

HOW TO OFFER UP OUR SUFFERINGS?  When we are suffering, let us strive to unite our suffering to the Cross—to the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. This is sometimes called the Paschal Mystery of Christ. United with Jesus in our lives, actions, and especially our sufferings, there is infinite value.

OFFERING IN UNION WITH THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.  Jesus died once on the cross on Calvary about 2000 years ago. Jesus dies no more! However, it must be said that every time the priest celebrates the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, what happened on Calvary 2000 years ago is renewed and made present. In a real way, in every Mass Jesus offers Himself as the spotless Victim to the Father for the salvation of the world. Pope Saint John Paul II adds that in every Mass, as it happened on Calvary, Mary is present in a mystical but very real way!

START NOW TO OFFER YOUR SUFFERINGS.  Therefore, let us no longer waste these golden opportunities that God offers us when we undergo any form of suffering, and start to unite our sufferings with Jesus’ suffering on the cross. Better yet, in union with Mary, place your sufferings first in the hands of Mary and then in her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Then ask Mary to deposit these sufferings on the altar where the Mass is celebrated to be joined to the sufferings of Christ. Living this style of life will transform even your smallest sufferings into an infinite reservoir of abundant graces.

SUFFERINGS THAT CAN BE OFFERED TO JESUS THROUGH MARY IN THE MASS.

Our Lady of Fatima, when asked by the children what they should offer to God, responded “everything”. Make your lives a holocaust, a living sacrifice of atonement, reparation, and praise. We will offer a few concrete suggestions on what we can offer to God through the Heart of Mary.

1. THE INCLEMENT WEATHER. We would all prefer sunny days with the birds chirping their melodies and the fragrant aroma of flowers in full bloom. But this is not always the case. The bitter cold, the rain, the sleet, and the powerful winds characterize the real weather forecast many days. Instead of complaining about the weather, accept it, then thank God and unite it to Jesus on the cross.

2. HEALTH CONDITIONS. As a result of Original Sin all of humanity suffers weakening health, sicknesses, at times diseases, as well as viruses. This too is inescapable! Why not unite your own physical health condition, your suffering, to Jesus on the cross. The value of this offering is infinite!

3. PANDEMIC: CORONAVIRUS (COVID). A world-wide pandemic as such is unique in the history of the world. Instead of wasting this universal suffering, why not unite it to the cross of Jesus on Calvary in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Of most special interest should be those who are in  their last stages of life and are about to breathe forth their spirit to the Eternal Father. May their sufferings be a sacrifice pleasing to God for the salvation of souls, including their own!

4. FAMILY SUFFERINGS. Many fervent and prayerful Moms and Dads suffer excruciating pains as they see the children they raised as Catholics, having received all the Sacraments, unfortunately wander from the fold and abandon the faith. Despite the invitations, exhortations, and bitter tears of their parents, still the children live oblivious of God, as if He did not exist. In this case more than ever, Moms and Dads should not fall into discouragement, much less despair. On the contrary, parents should deposit their sufferings and their wandering children on the altar of the Mass where Jesus offers His wounds to the Eternal Father, and the Father is well-pleased! Saint Monica prayed for Augustine until he was 31 years of age—patience!!!

5. SPIRITUAL DRYNESS. Anybody who takes their spiritual life seriously will eventually encounter dryness or aridity, most specifically, in their prayer life. This is called the dry-desert experience. Instead of abandoning the struggle, throwing in the towel and calling it quits, hang in there and pray just the same. Indeed, this can entail great suffering, but a spiritual suffering very efficacious and pleasing to God. Unite your spiritual dryness with Jesus in His Agony in the Garden and place it on the altar of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Jesus experienced an intense state of desolation. Nonetheless, He prayed all the more intensely and fervently! He is our Model!

6. THE DEATH OF LOVED ONES. Sometimes when confronted with the death of our loved ones, our faith and hope can be shaken. In this critical moment, how very important it is to place our loved ones who have passed from this world to the next on the altar, on the cross in the Mass, and beg for their eternal salvation. “It is not important a long life, but a holy life.” (Imitation of Christ, Thomas Kempis) Acceptance and conformity to God’s providential will is our only sure solution. We should not question why God took their life, but what we can do in the present for their soul, as well as our own!

 7. UPSET PLANS ON A DAILY BASIS. None of us rejoice over people and circumstances interrupting our schedule, our plans, our well thought-out projects! However, whether we like it or not, our plans and projects will meet with frequent interruptions. Instead of losing our calm and composure, why not simply accept the contradictions and unite them to Jesus’ Cross of Contradiction. Place the interruptions on the cross of Calvary in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. So that the work you fail to accomplish may work to save souls!

In conclusion, my friends in Jesus and Mary, suffering is a human reality that nobody can avoid. Whether we are believers or non-believers, practicing Catholics or atheists, great contemplative mystics or had-core materialists, suffering is part of the human condition. But remember the short maxim:  “Suffering either makes you better or bitter.” Bitter, if one suffers for the mere sake of suffering! Better, sanctified and growing in holiness, only when our suffering is united with the suffering of Jesus on the cross in Holy Mass.

Therefore, starting today call to mind the sufferings of your life. Place these precious jewels in the hands and Heart of Mary. She will deposit them on the altar of the cross of Calvary. Your suffering united to Jesus and Mary’s suffering will indeed have infinite value for the salvation of souls in time and for all eternity!