Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SATURDAY, February 6th   Mk. 6: 30-34   “When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.”

Part 1: Seek me Lord, I need you! by Saint Ambrose (+397)
Part 2: SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

PART 1:  Seek me Lord, I need you! by Saint Ambrose (+397)

The shepherd in the Gospel left the ninety-nine sheep and went after the one that had strayed… There are grounds for preferring the stray sheep to the others. The truth is that it is a greater thing to turn back from one’s sins than scarcely to have committed any! When souls are steeped in sin, not only do they need perfect human virtue to mend their ways, but heavenly grace is also necessary!

When the shepherd has at last found the sheep, he places it on his shoulders. The symbolism represents humanity, worn out and exhausted, incapable of restoration to health except by the mystery of the Passion and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am your servant, Lord; come in search for me, for unless the shepherd seeks out the stray, it will die. Return is still possible for the one who is lost; he can still be recalled to the right path. Come, then Lord Jesus, seek your servant, seek your exhausted sheep. Come as shepherd of the flock, seeking your sheep that went astray. Leave your ninety-nine sheep there and come in search of the one that is lost. Come, not with rod in hand, but in a spirit of love and gentleness.

Seek me, Lord, I need you. Seek me, find me, lift me up, carry me. You are expert at finding what you search for; and when you have found the stray you stoop down, lift him up, and place him on your own shoulders. To you he is a burden of love, not an object of revulsion; it is no irksome task to you to bring justification to the human race. Come then, Lord, I have gone astray, but I still hold on to the hope of healing. Come, Lord; none but you can bring back your erring sheep.

PART 2:  SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Feeling down in the dumps? Feeling dreary, bewildered, and confused? Feel like nobody truly understands or cares about you? Feel like life doesn’t have any real meaning or purpose? Feel like just throwing in the towel and saying: “I have had enough!”

Saint Ignatius of Loyola would call this the state of desolation. One of the most common manifestations of desolation is that of loneliness—you feel alone in the world—nobody seems to care about who you are and where you are heading in life.

If we do not know how to cope properly with the state of desolation, it can wreak havoc in our lives doing irreparable damage to our spiritual life and even our natural life. One wrong decision made in a state of desolation could be life-determining. How many young people today have recourse to violence toward others and even turn on themselves when swimming in that seemingly endless sea of desolation! This state of desolation—manifested through a deep sense of loneliness—is pervasive in all societies and situations now more than ever! However, “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth!”

Saint Paul gives us these encouraging words: “If God is with us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31) And, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:10) Paul’s strength being of course God. The Psalmist also calls God a rock, as well as our light and our salvation.

To overcome the state of desolation and crushing loneliness that we all experience in certain periods of our lives, let us have recourse to these simple but efficacious meditations that can be carried out anywhere and with minimum effort.

 1. PSALM 23… Psalm of the Good Shepherd

When life’s dark clouds rain down their torrential storm upon your lonely and forlorn soul open up your Bible, rewind back to the Old Testament, to the most famous of all Psalms…

Read slowly: The Good Shepherd… Psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of darkness,
I fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil,
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.

2. SILENCE!  Now find some place of silence where you can pray, meditate, listen and allow the Lord to speak in the depths of your heart of the Good Shepherd. God does indeed speak in the silence of our hearts if we allow Him and are listening.

3. “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want….”  Allow these words at the beginning of Psalm 23 to speak personally and intimately to you and to your lonely and abandoned soul! Pray these words slowly, calmly, and with a truly open spirit. Pray them a second or third time. Pray that something powerful may happen! That the Lord’s gentle but powerful grace will touch the depths of your soul with this knowledge: I really am not alone, I never have been alone in my life, and I never will be alone for this simple but profound reason: “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want!”

4. Contemplative Scene.  From there create a contemplative scene where you are walking alone with Jesus, the Good Shepherd in a verdant, fragrant pasture. Stop and look into the eyes of the Good Shepherd who truly loves you—you are precious in His eyes. In fact, you are of the greatest importance to Him for He came into the world to save you, to save your immortal soul. And if you were the only person in the whole created universe, He would have suffered and died for you alone!

5. Unload.  Now is the time to open up your lonely, sad and wounded heart and talk to Him! Of all the people in the world, the Good Shepherd is the best of listeners. Not only does He listen to your words but He can also read the deepest secrets of your heart! There is no need to pretend with Him. He knows you even better than you know yourself! If ever there were a mind or heart reader, it is definitely Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who is the Son of God made man!

6. Be not afraid.  Saint Pope John Paul II insisted at the outset of his inspiring pontificate that the world at large, as well as individual hearts, should not be afraid to open the door to Christ. In other words, to open up their hearts to Jesus, the Good Shepherd of their lives!

7. What and How to Say It.  Use the simplest words; the Lord is not picky or demanding in language proficiency. Tell Him all. Remember the words of the Apostle Saint Peter: “Cast your cares upon the Lord, because he cares for you.”(1 Pt. 5:7) Are you fearful of the future and what it holds for you? Tell the Lord about it! Do you have doubts and fears about the past due to the number and seriousness of your past sins? Make a good confession; if you have any un-confessed mortal sins, confess them now. Cast all your sins into the Heart of the Good Shepherd. He did not come for saints but for sinners! Is your heart severely wounded, possibly even from infancy? Fear not! The Prophet Isaiah teaches us this about Jesus’ wounds: “By His wounds you are healed.” (1 Pt. 2: 2-4)  Are you suffering some form of sickness that seems to have no healing remedy? Never forget that Jesus healed the blind, the lame, the deaf, the paralytics, the lepers; He even brought the dead back to life. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let Jesus be the Doctor of your woundedness and your sicknesses. Are many fears and doubts looming up before your eyes? Then call out with all your heart: “Jesus, I trust in you!” A prayer He never fails to answer!

8. The Good Shepherd’s Listening Heart.  In all that you say to the Good Shepherd, He listens most attentively with a kind, compassionate and loving Heart. Furthermore, the Good Shepherd is never impatient. To the contrary, He is the epitome of patience. And the Good Shepherd is never too busy to walk with you, listen to you, talk with you, and console you.

In sum, in moments of crushing loneliness do not turn to the false gods of this world—drinking, drugs, porn, illicit sexuality. These will only cast you into a deeper pit of desolation and loneliness! Instead, turn to the Good Shepherd and open up your lonely heart to Him and in truth say, “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.”

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

Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

FRIDAY, February 5th   Mk. 6: 14-29   ^“When Herod learned of it, he said, ‘It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.’”

• “The Lord needs strong and courageous souls who refuse to come to terms with mediocrity, but who will be able to enter all kinds of environments with a sure step.” (Saint Josemaria Escriva)
• It was not Herod’s intention to have John the Baptist beheaded. Rather, it was the result of rash and imprudent words spoken by Herod in front of guests. How often do we betray Our Lord, and even betray ourselves, with rash or impudent words?
• Saint Ignatius says we overcome vice by practicing the opposite virtue—the Agere Contra. The opposite virtue to tearing down with our words is to build up with our words. Saint John of the Cross says, “In the twilight of our life we will be judged on love.” And that includes all our words!

BUILDING UP WITH WORDS by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

All of us can remember having been hurt by somebody speaking without thinking and stinging our heart, leaving a lasting bad memory. Also, all of us remember having opened up our mouth without sufficient reflection and wounding a brother, sister, or friend! Immediately after the word slipped out of our mouth, we wanted to take it back, but no, too late! Once the word has been uttered, there is no “muting”, cancelling, or postponing its arrival to the ear and heart of the listener.

Jesus speaks very clearly about our words: “Every word that comes out of the mouth will be subject to judgment.” (Mt. 12:36) Saint James dedicates almost an entire chapter (Chapter 3) to the sins of the tongue. In short, the Apostle underscores the importance of learning the art of speech, reminding us that we should be slow to speak and quick to listen. He reminds us that man can control almost all types of animals, but not his own tongue! Moreover, he says that the same tongue that is used to praise God, ends up by cursing one’s neighbor. This is wrong!

Therefore, we would like to offer five short suggestions to help us utilize our tongue, our speech, our words, our conversation as a means to truly edify our neighbor—that means, to build up our neighbor!

FIRST COUNSEL. We should make it a habit to first talk to God and then talk to our neighbor. It was said of the great Saint Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers (among which were Saint Albert the Great and his student Saint Thomas Aquinas) that he would first talk to God, then talk about God to others! Superb! Ideally that should be our motto and objective in life with regard to speech—that all our words would in some way be communicating the presence of God to others!

SECOND COUNSEL. Think before you speak! Saint Ignatius observed that a soul that is agitated is a soul in the state of desolation. That is to say, it is not the good spirit that is guiding us but the bad spirit! Therefore, speak after reflection and with a calm and peaceful mind! Rushed and impetuous words from our unclear or muddled ideas will often cause confusion and hurt. Avoid it!

THIRD COUNSEL SILENCE! Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, insisted on the capital importance of cultivating silence in our daily lives! Today we suffer from noise pollution! Radio talk-shows, pop music, non-stop TV programs, iPhones, and dogs barking into the late hours of the night! Add to that, non-stop, useless chatter, often filled with gossip—all of us have experienced these scenarios and all too frequently! Benedict went so far as to say that if we do not have zones of silence in our life, then we really can’t understand the person who wants to talk to us! Silence creates an interior space for listening; listening disposes us for union with the Holy Spirit; and finally the Holy Spirit teaches us first to pray, and second to listen attentively and charitably to our brothers and sisters!

FOURTH COUNSEL Biblical counsel of great importance: THE GOLDEN RULE! The “Golden rule” enunciated by Jesus Himself is very simple and everybody in the world understands it: “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” (Mt. 7: 12) Why not take the Golden Rule one more step and apply it specifically to our speech. That is to say, “Do to others what you would have them do to you”, but most especially, “Say to otherswhat you would have them to say to you!” Try it out!

FIFTH COUNSEL. At times it may not be clear if what we are saying is harmful to others or beneficial! What could be of  great help in this matter is to imagine that three very important persons are present with you during the time of your conversation which includes your choice of words, tone of voice, even your facial expressions. And these three persons are Jesus, Mary and Saint Joseph! Now ask yourself this question. Are Jesus, Mary, and Saint Joseph pleased with my conversation?” This is the acid test for followers of Jesus! Are our words pleasing in the sight of Jesus, His Holy Mother, and Good Saint Joseph who never even said a word in all of Sacred Scripture? If not, we need to change.

Conclusion. Jesus said that from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Lk. 6:45) Also, Jesus warned us that we will be judged on every word that comes out of our mouth. (Mt. 28:6) Finally, Saint James tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. (Jas. 1:19)

In Faustina’s Diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, she admitted her three primary faults were:

1) Pride in not being open to her Superior, Irene;

2) TALKING TOO MUCH!!! She admitted honestly that Jesus revealed to her that at times He preferred her to be silent rather than to speak for two reasons: the person would not profit from her words, and it would be much more beneficial for the souls in Purgatory to have her prayers (in those moments) rather than her conversation.

3) She did not always observe the Rule faithfully.

Let us remember the challenging exhortation of the Franciscan Doctor of the Church, Saint Bonaventure: “We should open our mouths on three occasions: to praise God, to accuse ourselves, and to edify our neighbor.” Faithful to this exhortation, we will surely avoid many slips of the tongue, anoint our words with the Holy Spirit, and store up for ourselves an eternal inheritance in heaven!

May Our Lady, who pondered in her Immaculate Heart before speaking, teach us to magnify the Lord in our words and to truly edify our neighbor! “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Lk. 1: 47)

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

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

THURSDAY, February 4th   Mk. 6: 7-13   ^“He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick; no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.”

• Some live their lives for whatever happiness they can find in it for themselves. Others live their lives for whatever good God can find in it for the salvation of immortal souls, including their own!
• Suffering was sanctified in the suffering, Passion and death of Jesus on the cross, shedding every drop of His precious blood for our salvation! This sanctification of suffering continued in the lives of the apostles after Pentecost, spreading the Gospel to the four corners of the earth until all but one died a martyr’s death, as well as the witness of the martyrs down through the centuries shedding every drop of their blood in imitation of Christ even to our present day. ”The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the faith.” (Tertullian)
• Living our Catholic Christian faith involves suffering. So much so, that if we don’t have any suffering in our lives, we should ask ourselves why!
• Our Lady of Fatima said we should pray and do penance (suffer) for those who don’t pray and don’t do penance, so they will not go to hell!
• In these times of the Covid pandemic, suffering seems to be built into the very fabric of our lives. Let us not waste the suffering, but beg for the grace to accept it for the salvation of immortal souls, beginning with those in our own families! And if the cross becomes too heavy to bear, let us ask our loving Savior to help us carry the cross, a request He will never fail to answer!
• “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

BE ENCOURAGED! By Servant of God Elisabeth Leseur (+1914)

Suffering is the great law of the spiritual world. God’s chosen ones escape it less than others; they pay the ransom for others, sometimes at a very high price. We will know only later the work accomplished by our suffering and our sacrifices. It all goes into the heart of God, and there, joined to the redemptive treasure, it expands in souls in the form of grace. We can convert, sanctify, console without going out of our home or out of ourselves. Ceaselessly united to the One who acts in all of us, we offer and obtain without flagging. And God lavishes our humble gifts on others. 

When we present to Him the most intimate heartaches, this “blood of the heart” that makes spiritual martyrs, we become very powerful with Him. There is almost nothing our recent trials cannot accomplish, my friend. They will pass away, and you will obtain heaven.

In the final moments of Christ’s passion, when with pierced hands and feet, He poured out all of His precious blood on human soil to make it fruitful, lived His last hours, and experienced human suffering to a greater extent than we can understand, the Gospel tells us that the earth was covered with darkness. (Mk. 15:33) Lord, in our lives, there are also hours completely covered in darkness, sad hours in which the veil cast over our hearts hides even those things that could give us comfort, hours in which we suffer in such a way that nothing on earth can console us.

Happy are those who during such times of outer darkness can still at least contemplate you, Jesus Christ, the only Life! Happy are those whose weak arms can still clasp your feet on the cross, who can lean their weary heads against your pierced hands and their bruised hearts on the Heart that has suffered so much and is filled with such compassion and love!

CREED OF SUFFERING by Servant of God Elisabeth Leseur

I believe that God allows human suffering with a great intention of love and mercy.

I believe that Jesus Christ has transformed suffering, made it holy, and almost divine.

I believe that suffering is the great instrument of redemption and sanctification.

I believe that suffering is fruitful, as much as and sometimes more than our words and actions, and that the hours of Christ’s passion did more for us, and were more powerful with the Father than His years of preaching and earthly activity.

I believe that there is flowing through us – those on earth, those in purgatory, and those who have reached true life (heaven) – a great, unending stream of the sufferings, merits, and love of everyone, and that our least sorrow, our slightest efforts, can through grace reach others, whether near or far, and bring them light, peace, and holiness.

I believe that in eternity we shall find again our beloved ones who have known and loved the cross, and that their sufferings and our own will be lost in the infinity of Divine Love and the joy of final reunion.

I believe that God is love, and that suffering, in His hand, is the means His love uses to transform and save us.

I believe in the communion of saints, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.   Amen

About Elisabeth Leseur… For more, read the extraordinary life of this modern saint in The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur

Friends introduced Elisabeth to Felix Leseur. They became engaged on May 23, 1889 and married just a few months later. In the following months, Elisabeth would come to know that Felix had abandoned his Catholic faith and religious beliefs while studying at the Faculty of Medicine in Paris. Towards the end of the summer of 1889, Elisabeth fell ill with an abscess of the intestine. It took her several months to recover her strength, but this would be only the first of a series of health problems she would suffer for the rest of her life.

The primary focus of Elisabeth’s life was praying for the conversion of her husband. She also worked on several charitable projects in support of the poor. Given her loving and gentle nature, many non-believers sought her counsel.

In 1907 Elisabeth’s health deteriorated to the extent that she was forced to be at home and receive friends and visitors there. In 1911 she had surgery and radiation for a malignant tumor. She improved enough that she and Felix were able to make a trip to Lourdes. However, in the next two years her condition worsened. By July of 1913 she was bedridden as her recurring breast cancer continued to spread. She died in May 1914 at the age of 47. So many people attended her funeral, and expressed such profound distress at her death, that priests are reported to have asked Felix, “But who is this woman? We have never seen such a funeral before.”

After her death, Felix discovered Elisabeth’s journal where she had written of her pact with God, offering her life for the conversion of her beloved husband. She believed that not only would God’s grace bring about conversion but that Felix would go on to become a priest after her death.

Angry at the loss of his wife, Felix made a trip to Lourdes with the specific intention of writing an article exposing the healing stories of Lourdes as fraud. However, upon reaching Lourdes, he was overcome with a sense of Elisabeth’s presence, as well as God’s presence. This was the beginning of his journey back to Catholicism. And  in time, he indeed became a Dominican priest. 

In 1924, a young priest named Fulton Sheen made a retreat under the direction of Father Felix Leseur. Sheen learned of the life of Elisabeth and the conversion of Félix. Sheen subsequently repeated this conversion story in many of his presentations.

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

Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

WEDNESDAY, February 3rd   Mk. 6: 1-6   Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”

• This is something we may have experienced as we strive to live according to the Ignatian motto: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam; that is, For the Greater Glory of God.
• The good is the enemy of the best! We must continually strive to grow in virtue, grow in holiness. To this end, we cannot compare ourselves to others; rather, we must compare ourselves to the saints!  

Part 1: Put on the Armor of God… from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (Eph. 6: 10-20)
Part 2: THE DEVIL’S DASTARDLY DEEDS OF DOOM… by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

PART 1: Put on the Armor of God… from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (6: 10-20)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day comes, you may be able to withstand the evil, and having done all, to stand firm.

Stand firm then, with the belt of Truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of Righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of Faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray in the Spirit on all occasions. With this in mind, be alert and with all perseverance, make supplication for all God’s people.

PART 2: THE DEVIL’S DASTARDLY DEEDS OF DOOM by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, in his classic Meditation, The Two Standards (aka Two Flags) presents a marked contrast: Jesus, humble and attractive standing in the city of Jerusalem, and Satan, proud and horrendously ugly sitting on a dung hill in Babylon. Jesus invites us to enlist under His Standard by embracing poverty, insults and contempt, and humility, as well as all the other virtues. Satan, on the contrary, invites through riches, empty honors, and overweening pride leading to all the other vices. (Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius: The Two Standards: #136-147). Being free individuals, God leaves it up to us to make our own personal choice.

NAMES FOR THE DEVIL.  There are many names for the devil found in Scripture and expressed by the saints. Biblical names are the following: devil, demon, Prince of this world, serpent, ancient serpent, accuser, Satan, Lucifer. Jesus calls the devil two names in one sentence in the Gospel of John (Jn. 8:44): a liar and a murderer from the beginning.

PURPOSE AND THRUST OF THIS SHORT ESSAY.  The purpose and thrust of this short essay is to highlight the many ways that the devil, who according to Saint Ignatius is “the enemy of our human nature”, constantly lies to us, but especially in trying to convince us to give up our prayer life, or at least to pray less or with less fervor. Following are certain typical lies that Satan launches at the disciples of Christ to destroy their prayer life, or at least diminish its fervor and efficacy. The Word of God reminds us that if we have decided to follow God then our life is militancy, our life is warfare, our life is the combat zone! However, Saint Paul encourages us thus: “If God is with us, who can be against us?

”TYPICAL TEMPTATIONS OF THE DASTARDLY DEVIL WHO WANTS OUR DOOM!

1. LATER!!! The devil will often say: “Why don’t you pray later, just a little later, there is no hurry. Calm down, relax, wait a bit!” And how often “later” never comes.

2. CUT IT SHORT! The enemy says: “Look, you are praying too long, you are going to damage your health. You pray an hour??? That is too much; just do half an hour.”

3. PRAY TOMORROW. Lucifer can come at you as such: “Look, you don’t feel good today; rest, get back in shape, get healthy. Then you can pray. God understands your weakness!”

4. WORK IS YOUR PRAYER. Satan whispers in your ear: “Work hard and offer it up as your prayer. Work is better than praying because by working you are helping others. Even Paul says: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” … Let this be a lesson to us! Never forget: the devil will even use and distort Scripture to confuse us and achieve his end—our condemnation! Jesus worked long hours preaching, teaching, healing, and casting out demons. Yet Scripture says, “Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went to a deserted place to pray.” (Mk. 1:38)

5. YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME. The demon can deceive you with these or similar words: “To be honest, you are wasting your time; your time which is so valuable, so very important; you should be using your time in a much more profitable fashion. Ben Franklin did not pray that much, and look how much good he did as a statesman and inventor!”

6. YOU REALLY ARE A FANATIC! Lucifer has many tactics and one of these is simply this: to rouse up your loved ones to start attacking you, deriding you, and making fun of you, with words like these: “You really are a religious fanatic; you have lost your mind.” In attacks like these, remember that Jesus too was called crazy by those close to Him.

7. YOU ARE A HYPOCRITE, A REAL FAKE! The enemy has many weapons in his armory and here is yet another. “You think you are so holy because you pray so much, but look how often you fall, you sin, you make mistakes! Indeed, what a hypocrite you are!”

8. GOD IS NOT HELPING YOU. The accuser can hurl this or similar words at you: “If God is close to you because of your prayers, you would never have fallen into that sin. Give up on these useless prayers.” In truth, we are all sinners, but God doesn’t look at our sins, rather at our sincere remorse and repentance.

9. DEVIL OF IMPURITY. Many saints, like Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Benedict, Saint Margaret Mary, Saint Thomas Aquinas have been virulently assaulted by the devil of impurity; some of these even in prayer, some even while praying in the presence of the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar! With this, the enemy can attack with the firearm: “If your prayer is so important, God could not allow these humiliating and embarrassing thoughts to cross your mind.” Indeed, the devil never gives up in his assaults. And to the contrary, God is pleased with our determined resistance to these assaults!

10. DEVIL OF GLUTTONY. How often does it occur that just when you are in the middle of your prayer period, the devil comes in as a Chef presenting an exquisite gourmet meal that he is inviting you to taste and devour! Or a delectable dessert! The devil knows our weaknesses.

11. THE DEVIL OF WEARINESS AND SLEEP. We all know what happened that first Holy Thursday night after the Last Supper when Jesus was praying fervently in the Garden of Olives. Not far from Jesus were His three best friends: Peter, James, and John. (Now, all of them saints!) They fell asleep when they should have been present and accompanying the Lord Jesus in prayer. How common indeed it is that when we want to pray, and even go to pray, we become drowsy to the point of falling asleep in our prayer period. Absence of prayer contributes to abandoning Our Lord and falling into sin—as is evidenced by the Apostles who fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane. And what did Peter do that very same night? He denied Christ, not once, but three times!

12. THE DEVIL OF RIGHT PRIORITIES. Then the ancient serpent, the devil, can tempt us using these or similar words: “Helping the poor, the sick, the handicapped and the disabled is more pleasing to God then wasting your time in prayer. In fact, Jesus said that he is truly present in the poor, hungry, thirsty, sick and imprisoned. Help out these unfortunates and that is enough in your relationship with God.” Jesus Himself put to flight this lie of the devil when He taught us to pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name….”

13. VOCAL PRAYER ONLY. The devil can even use good means so that the better and best will be neglected. Here the enemy comes again: “Just rattle off those vocal prayers without thinking about them; that is enough. Mental prayer, meditation, contemplation and the Holy Hour—all of that is for nuns and monks but not for you. You are confusing your vocation!”

14. SO YOU THINK YOU ARE A SAINT!!! Once again, from friends or relatives, but especially family members who have little or no faith, these sarcastic words can be placed in their mouths by the devil: “So you really think because you pray so much that you are a saint, ready to be canonized. Before long they will be making holy cards of you!”

15. RECALL OF PAST SINS. The tempter can attack interiorly with this insidious but persistent thought: “In the past you committed so many sins; who are you to be spending so much time in prayer???” Jesus, I trust in your Mercy!

16. THOUGHT WORLD AND PRAYER. Then the devil, taking advantage of the mind, can assault us with other poisonous arrows, especially in the thought world with this kind of verbiage: “Your mind is dirty, filled with ugly thoughts, and there you are kneeling in prayer. You are not worthy to be praying like that!”

17. HORIZONTAL MEDITATION. Then the devil of comfort and laziness can convince you to simply stay in bed and do your prayers there, and you end up by falling asleep. This is called the devil of Horizontal Meditation or Horizontal Contemplation.

18. THE DEVIL OF GOD’S DEAF EAR.  Astute and wily, the devil can convince you that God does not listen to your prayers. Why? For the simple reason that you have been begging the Lord for such a prolonged period of time and God has not granted your request. The reason being that God does not hear you! So why waste God’s time and yours in prayer? Whereas the truth is that God hears and is attentive to all your prayers! But He knows what is best for you and your eternal salvation and answers or doesn’t answer accordingly!

19. THE DEVIL OF NEXT WEEK. We all need to go on vacation. The devil says your vacation should also be a vacation from prayer. The devil reasons as such: “Give yourself a break and give God a break, then come back next week to pray. God understands.”

20. JUST MASS AND THAT’S ENOUGH. Lucifer, called the Star of the Morning before his rebellion, but since perverted, can even use one prayer to pit you against another prayer. He can come at you with this: “The Mass is the greatest prayer. Just go to Mass and give up that mental prayer, that meditation stuff you are doing.”

21 RELIGIOUS FANATICS IN ASSYLUMS. Then the devil can attack as such: “There are many fanatics who have ended up in an asylum by praying too much; you are on the way; you are next! Prepare your bags and suitcase!”

22. BAD CONSCIENCE. The devil can actually prevent sinners from having recourse to the Sacrament of Confession by playing on their fear and shame. Living with a bad, accusatory conscience can be a detriment, even a block, to prayer.

23. THE DEVIL OF PLEASURE. In our modern hedonistic society, the devil can convince you with these words to move you to give up prayer. “You only have one life to live: live it up! Get all the GUSTO out of life! It is Miller time! Not prayer time.”

24. TRIALS AND CROSSES, AND THE DEVIL. Then the devil, masked as an angel of light, will try to scare you away from prayer with this idea: “Ever since you started prayer, you have had so many crosses and trials; give up mental prayer and you will have fewer trials and crosses, and life will be much easier and more pleasant.”

25. FAMILY NEGLECT AND PRAYER. Finally, the devil can even accuse you of neglecting your family with these or similar words: “You are praying so much that your family is being neglected. Tend to your family instead of praying and that will please God.”

In conclusion, Saint Alphonsus asserts emphatically that prayer is the Key to Salvation. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church on prayer, Saint Alphonsus is quoted: “He who prays will be saved; he who does not pray will be damned.” What air is to our lungs, so prayer is to our soul! Being keenly aware of this fact, the devil, who is the enemy of our salvation, will do all he possibly can to attack our prayer life. If the devil loses one battle, then he will try again using another strategy. It is incumbent upon all of us who are in this Spiritual Combat to be aware of the insidious temptations of the devil that he launches most especially against our prayer life! Let us make a determined determination right now to pray more and with even greater fervor! May Our Lady, who crushes the head of the infernal serpent, help us to forcefully reject all the temptations of the devil and cling to Jesus as the anchor of our faith, the anchor of our salvation!

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

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

TUESDAY, February 2nd   Lk. 2: 22-40   Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”

“The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted, and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’”

PART 1: Sermon by Saint Sophronius, Bishop (Excerpt)… from the Office of Readings

Let us receive the Light whose brilliance is eternal! In honor of the divine mystery that we celebrate today, let us all hasten to meet Christ. 

The Mother of God, the most pure Virgin, carried the true Light in her arms and brought Him to those who lay in darkness. We too should reflect the radiance of the true Light as we hasten to meet Him.

The true Light has come, the Light that enlightens every man who is born into this world. Let all of us, my brethren, be enlightened and made radiant by this Light. Let all of us share in its splendor, and be so filled with it that no one remains in the darkness. Let us be shining ourselves as we go together to meet and to receive with the aged Simeon, the Light whose brilliance is eternal.

Rejoicing with Simeon, let us sing a hymn of thanksgiving to God, the Father of the Light, who sent the true Light to dispel the darkness and to give us all a share in His splendor.

Through Simeon’s eyes we too have seen the salvation of God which He prepared for all the nations and revealed as the glory of the new Israel, which is ourselves. As Simeon was released from the bonds of this life when he had seen Christ, so too we were at once freed from our old state of sinfulness.

By faith we too embraced Christ, the salvation of God the Father, as He came to us from Bethlehem. Gentiles before, we have now become the people of God. Our eyes have seen God incarnate, and because we have seen Him present among us and have mentally received Him into our arms, we are called the new Israel. Never shall we forget this presence; every year we keep a feast in its honor.

PART 2: MARY – THE LIGHT OF CHRIST…

• Light – what a lovely thing that is. There is no one in all creation lovelier than the Blessed Virgin Mary! She alone is the Immaculate Conception – preserved from the stain of original sin at the moment of her conception in the womb of her mother Saint Anne. In continuation of this great privilege, Mary was preserved from the stain of sin her whole life! In Mary’s pure light, we see clearly the darkness in ourselves. Thus the poet Wordsworth called Mary “our tainted nature’s solitary boast!”

• The Angel Gabriel greeted her, “Hail Mary, full of grace!” She was the first light of dawn dispelling the darkness, giving way to the refulgence of Light of the Son of God! As the moon reflects the light of the sun, Mary reflects the Light of Christ. Mary’s presence gives warmth to cold hearts, valor to the faint-hearted, healing to the wounded, and rest to the weary.

• The Light of the Son that renews the face of the earth, first shone forth from the womb of Mary, causing the baby within Elizabeth’s womb to leap for joy! The light that guides ships to safety through deep waters is Mary, Star of the Sea! The light in the window that welcomes us home is the light of Mary’s motherly love for each and every one of us, shining from our true home in her Immaculate Heart, where she forms her children in the image and likeness of her Divine Son, Jesus.

• When the Word became flesh and dwelt among us in the womb of Mary, Jesus communicated His inscrutable wisdom and truth to Mary, which she imparts to those who ask for it, freeing them from the darkness of ignorance and error, from the lies and deceits of the enemy. (As revealed to Saint Melchtilde and Saint Gertrude by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Three Hail Marys Devotion.)

• From the moment she said Yes to be the Mother of the Redeemer, Mary willingly shared in the sufferings of Jesus, the Son of God made man, from His conception in her womb to His death on the cross for the salvation of souls, her spiritual children.
  

  
  “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2: 6-8)
  

• Just as the Mother of Sorrows knew and shared the sufferings of her Son Jesus, Mary knows and has compassion for us in our sufferings! Compassion is a compound word meaning “to suffer with”.  Mary consoles and comforts us. She calms our fears. She invites us to find refuge in her Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us!

• She assures us of the eternal value of every tear that we shed for our salvation and the salvation of our loved ones. And that even now, God is working everything for our good. So that in heaven, the saints say, our only regret will be that we didn’t suffer more, for the good it accomplishes!

• “When it is all over you will not regret having suffered; rather you will regret having suffered so little, and suffered that little so badly.” (St. Sebastian Valfre)

• “If we only knew the precious treasure hidden in infirmities, we would receive them with the same joy with which we receive the greatest benefits, and we would bear them without ever complaining or showing signs of weariness. (St. Vincent de Paul)

• “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn. 1:1-5)

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