Has it ever happened that you are with some Catholic friends one Saturday afternoon and about 4:30 you get up to leave (your custom and habit is to go to Confession every first Saturday), and right before exiting, one of your friends asks, “Where are you going”?  You reply: “Going to Church!” Your friend’s rebuttal, “Why now, this is Saturday!” Quite frankly you respond, “I am going to Confession!” His rejoinder: “What have you done that you have to go to Confession? Are you really that bad?” Your next response is: “Well, like all, I am a sinner and in need of conversion, and Confession is the best remedy. By the way, if you would like to come along with me, there is room in my car, and the priest, I am sure, would be more than willing to welcome you to receive the Sacrament of Confession.” Quite bluntly your friend blurts back: “I do not want to go, nor do I need to go to Confession because quite honestly, I do not have any sins to confess.” You wish your friend the best and off you go to encounter Jesus, the Divine Physician, through the Catholic priest in the Sacrament of Confession.

This short-story, anecdote, is very real and probably most of us have experienced this scenario in one form or another. Pope Pius XII, of happy memory, made this statement decades ago that set the stage for what is truly the moral pulse of modern Catholic society. “The sin of the century is the loss of the sense of sin.” In a word, it is not that the modern man or woman has no sins, quite the contrary. Rather, it is that the modern person has indeed lost the sense of sin.

THE OBLIGATION TO FORM ONE’S CONSCIENCE.  One of the greatest gifts that God has bestowed upon the human person is the gift of our conscience. That is to say, the inner voice and light that God has given to us to know what is right in order to follow it, and what is wrong, to avoid it. And when it happens that we willingly follow the wrong inner voice—we call this sin, there is remorse of conscience. If you like, it can be compared to a bee sting or thorn prick, or even walking on a small pebble lodged in your shoe. There is an inner sense of turmoil, unrest. It is incumbent upon all of us to form our conscience; and it is the moral obligation of parents to form the conscience of their children.  This is an ongoing process that lasts a lifetime!

AN EXAMPLE OF THE DIFFERENCES OF ONE CONSCIENCE TO ANOTHER.

This analogy can prove extremely useful as a motivation to do the work necessary to form our conscience and that of our children. It takes God’s grace and our own good will and effort. Let’s put into full gear our imagination!

Take your bedroom from different views or perspectives at noon or midday! You are in your bedroom at noon when the sun is shining at its highest point, however drapes cover the windows leaving the room in pitch and total darkness. As you walk, you could easily trip over material objects in the room—It is literally like being in a dark cave or tunnel where there is not a spark of light by which to see anything or any way out.

Next, you open the drapes a mere crack, such that the barest minimum of light seeps into the room. Your vision perceives objects, but it is still not possible to distinguish what they are, to distinguish one thing from another. If you are not careful, you could still stumble and fall, and break a limb.

Again, you pull the drapes open slightly more. Now what is in the room can be perceived with some clarity. One object can be distinguished and differentiated from another. In fact, in all truth you perceive a table, a chair, a desk, an armchair, a bed, and the closet. You can actually name the objects in the room without bumping into them.

Arriving at near greatest clarity, you open the drapes almost fully, as well as a window. Now all that is in the room can be seen with great clarity. With this new perspective, you perceive not only the objects and their corresponding names, but also the different artistic details. The colors, the shapes, the size, the dimensions of all can be noted and determined by the trained eye. An example would be the bed. It is 18 inches above the ground. Two pillows and a bedspread adorn the bed. Even the pattern and colors of the bedspread can be seen. It is multicolored, with brown, white and beige patches sewn together in such a way that there is a variegated line that separates one section from the next. It makes one think of a chessboard, lacking only the chess pieces and players.

Finally, the curtains are drawn fully back and the windows are opened fully. It is 12 p.m. and the noonday sun is invited to take full possession of this bedroom.  Accepting the invitation, the noon-day sun zooms into the room, inundating every available space. Now, in this moment, the light of truth has reached its apex! Now all can be seen without the slightest shadow of darkness. On the table can be perceived coffee stains and crumbs from a cookie. In the east corner of the room can be viewed a small cobweb where a spider has been lurking and hiding, fearful of being discovered for weeks on end. The sunshine pours into the room like a river or stream of light, enlightening the dust particles in the air that seem to emit energy and life. These little almost microscopic particles float of their own accord brilliantly illuminated by the midday sun. Your eyes are dazzled to view this beautiful artistic masterpiece of light, shape and color that has been totally unveiled for all to see once the curtains are drawn fully and totally!

The following has been a somewhat poetic but very real depiction of a room in a simple home at midday. The interesting fact is that the room was always the same, the room didn’t change. However, the various different views or perspectives changed markedly and even drastically—dependent upon the various degrees of light or the absence of light.

So it is with the human conscience that we are morally obliged to form. Our conscience can be submerged in the total abyss of darkness—blind if you like! Or there can be various degrees of light intermingled with the darkness. The best, of course, is when the conscience is totally illuminated by the penetrating rays of God’s truth, just like sunlight beaming down and penetrating the room as if it were the sun at midday! Let’s aim for the total and complete midday sun beaming and enlightening our inner world that we call our conscience so we can live according to God’s will for our lives, and make frequent and good confessions. May Our Lady, the Star of the Sea, enlighten us and obtain for us the clarity and light of the Holy Spirit.

The well-known, loved, and admired 50-year stigmatic, Saint Padre Pio, was known to have demanded something that may have shocked the listener: “GIVE ME MY WEAPON!” Why would such a prayerful, holy, and peaceful Friar, Franciscan, and priest be requesting a weapon? The Beatitudes! Is not one of the Beatitudes, “Blessed be the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God”? (Mt. 5:9) The reason for this insistent request was because the Modern saint had in mind a different type of weapon—this weapon: the most holy Rosary!

(Read I Samuel 17)

The young Shepherd David, taken from the fields where he was tending his flock, would be engaged in a mortal battle. He volunteered to fight one of the most ferocious, audacious and malicious enemies in the Philistine army—the giant Goliath. It was almost certain, the victory of Goliath and the death of the young and inexperienced Shepherd David. Goliath had all to his advantage. He had the height of a giant, a huge and sharp crescent sword, a shield-bearer to protect him, and years of experience of war victories underneath his army-belt. David had nothing more than a slingshot and a few stones, but he had something, rather someone, that Goliath did not have—God on his side.

THE OUTCOME OF THE BATTLE.  David ran to the line of battle, entrusting himself to the presence, power and protection of God. He pulled out a stone, placed it in a slingshot, and hurled it with all his strength. The stone took off like a bullet and riveted itself in the forehead of Goliath the giant, who fell to his knees and lost consciousness. David thereby took the sword from the fallen giant and swiftly decapitated him. A startling, surprising, and even shocking victory.

MODERN INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION OF THE TWO STORIES.

My friends, never have we been living in more tempestuous, turbulent, and trying times as the present. The modern Goliaths that we must confront and conquer might be considered countless. Materialism, Consumerism, Hedonism, Dogmatic and Practical Atheism, Indifferentism, New Ageism, Satanism, and Moral Relativism—all can be numbered as the modern Goliaths. They are insidious but fierce; they are both ruthless and persistent; finally, they are toxic and deadly in all ways imaginable.

THE REMEDY: THE WEAPON, ARMOR, SHIELD AND SPIRITUAL BOMB—THE ROSARY.

To overcome these powerful enemies, we must wield and implement the most Holy Rosary. The great English novelist, Charles Dickens, stated: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” So it is! It could well be that we are living in the worst of all times. However, these can be the best of all times if we make the firm decision to draw close to God through the most powerful intercession of Mary, under the title Queen of the Most Holy Rosary. The following will be our game-plan or our strategy.

1. DAILY.  Make sure that you pray the most Holy Rosary, now more than ever, all the days of your life.

2. FAMILY-ROSARY.  If possible, pray the most Holy Rosary in the context of your family.

3. DOMESTIC CHURCH. The family is indeed the Domestic Church. Father Patrick Peyton reminds us with these immortal words: “The family that prays together stays together.”

4. SET TIME.  Do not pray the Rosary only when you feel like it. If such, you will feel less and less the desire to pray the Rosary. Rather, have a set time to pray the Rosary on a daily basis.

5. BEFORE MEALTIME.  A suggested time for the family? Right before dinner. The family is gathered together, candle lit, Rosaries in hand, go for it! All is done in 15 minutes!

6. PLACE.  Have a set place to pray the Rosary. Hopefully at home there is a prayer-corner or Oratory that the family knows is the prayer-place. 

7. LEAD THE MYSTERIES.  In the family rosary, each person can lead a mystery and offer their own individual intention. Become engaged and involved in the prayer process!

8. APOSTLE OF THE ROSARY.  Become an Apostle of the Holy Rosary.  Spread this prayer that Mary loves so much.

9. GIVE ROSARIES AND PAMPHLETS.  Have in store many Rosaries, as well as Rosary pamphlets, to give away free of charge to as many people as you meet. Many will not pray the Rosary because they do not know how. Teach them

10. THE DYING.  When someone is about to pass from this life to the next and go before the Judgment seat of God, let us help them. Bring a priest! Pray the Chaplet and pray the most Holy Rosary. What a beautiful way for someone to pass from this world to the next.

May the words of Pope Leo XIII encourage us to pray the most holy Rosary now and always! “The Rosary is the most excellent prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying.”

By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

What is prayer? There are many definitions.   The CCC quotes, the Eastern Father of the Church, Sant John Damascene’s classical definition: “Prayer is the lifting up of the mind and heart to God.”   The first woman Doctor of the Church Saint Teresa of Avila defines payer essentially as FRIENDSHIP—spending a long time in silence with the one I know loves me! Another concise catechetical; definition for prayer is the following: “Prayer is listening to God, speaking to God and loving God.”  The Doctor of grace Saint Augustine quips up with a charming one-liner on prayer: “He who prays well lives well; he who lives well dies well; he who dies well, all is well.”   Finally, another noteworthy quote on prayer is a comparison easy to understand: “What air is to the lungs so is prayer to the soul.” In a word, the soul that does not breath prayer is destined to suffocate and die in the spiritual life.

Saint Alphonsus wrote a short treatise on prayer with the title Prayer, the key to salvation.  This great Doctor of the Church is also quoted in the CCC with these sobering words: “He who prays will be saved; he who does not pray will be damned.”   Prayer is a matter of life and death in our spiritual life.  Given the supreme importance of prayer we would like to list a number of helps to encourage us to not only take prayer seriously but also to put it into practice and God-willing to be an Apostle of prayer.

1. CONVICTION.  We will never carry out any objective or noble enterprise if we do not believe that it is of capital importance.  It is our hope that the above short one-liners on prayer will serve to motivate us to undertake the journey of prayer, not only to pray but strive to plumb the depths of prayer.  Saint Teresa of Avila asserts the following: “We must have a determined determination to never give up prayer.”   The key is perseverance. (Read Lk. 18:1-8). The widow won over the ruthless judge due to her insistence and perseverance.

2. TIME. Saint Benedict, the Founder of the Order of the Benedictines, was famous also for the basic Rule for Religious life. Also, he is known for a famous one-liner on prayer—ORA Y LABORA—meaning we are called to both pray and to work.  Saint Teresa of Avila expresses what might appear to be obvious: “You learn how to pray by praying.”  If you like: “Practice makes perfect.”  Saint Mark presents Jesus in the very first chapter as rising way before dawn and being absorbed in prayer. (Mk. 1) Face it: if we do not give time to prayer, we will never learn the art of prayer.

3. PLACE. Jesus had His place—the Garden of Gethsemane. We should have our own prayer-corner, oratory, of if you like, “Get-away, to get to God.” Perhaps some solitude, corner in your home; perhaps a place in nature. The best place, if possible, would be in front of the Blessed Sacrament. This was the favorite refuge and oasis for Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. He was faithful to his Holy Hour for more than 50 years as a priest. He called it his “Hour of power.”   

4. SILENCE. In any case, so as to enter into communion with God there must be an ambience and milieu of silence. Remember the prophet Elijah encountered God not in the fire, nor earthquake, nor storm but rather in the gentle breeze. Samuel in the Temple could hear God’s voice in silence and consequently spoke out: “Speak Lord for your servant is listening.”

5. CLEAN THE INNER WINDOWPANE.   At times prayer may prove to be tedious, difficult and even fruitless because our heart, mind and conscience is not right with God. In a word, we are loaded down with sin and our conscience is smeared and saturated with unconfessed sins. With Confession the Precious Blood of Jesus cleans the inner window so that we can contemplate the Face of God in prayer.

6. VOCAL PRAYER. Usually, we start out in our prayer journey by learning vocal prayer: the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Act of Contrition, Acts of Faith, Hope and Charity… Any prayer said with purity of intention, faith, and confidence is pleasing to God. This includes the use of vocal prayers.

7. SPIRITUAL DIRECTION.   Many of the great saints insist on having a guide, or if you like a Spiritual Director to help us in our journey to the summit of the mountain of prayer. Among the most prominent saints who insist on the indispensable importance of Spiritual Direction to grow in holiness and to grow in our prayer life are the following: Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Faustina Kowalska, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Saint Francis de Sales.  Blind spots can easily block our growth; adequate and methodical spiritual direction can help us enormously in our prayer growth.

8. FAMILY PRAYER.  Most of us live in the context of the family. Actually, the Second Vatican Council states that the family is the domestic Church.  How important it really is when the family spends time on a daily basis in prayer.    Pope Saint John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary quotes the Rosary-priest, Father Patrick Peyton: “The family that prays together stays together.”  The same Pontiff insisted that we pray for two special intentions: for the sake of the family as well as for world peace!  How important these intentions now more than ever!

9. MARRIED COUPLE AT PRAYER.   When I preside over weddings very often, in my homily I summarize the book of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen “It takes three to get married” — the husband, the wife and Jesus Christ.   In a word, husband and wife must find times and place to pray together as a couple. This is the super-glue that will hold the marriage and family together. 

10. BIBLE: PRIMARY TEXT.  Saint Teresa of Avila said that she would never go to prayer without taking with her a book as an aid to enter into prayer.  Of all the textbooks to help us in prayer by far the greatest is the Bible—the Word of God.  Other spiritual books can be of great utility, but the Bible, God’s very Word, has pride of place.

11. PSALMS. Then in the Bible itself the Book of Psalms has pride of place with respect to explicit prayer. There are 150 in total, many attributed to King David. This Book of Psalms, inspired by the Holy Spirit, express the total emotional gamut of the sentiments present in the human heart. Praise, thanksgiving, supplication, joys and sorrows, hopes and dreams, wonder and awe, contrition due to failure and sin, fears and doubts—all of these and many more can be discovered in the rich treasure trove of the Book of the Psalms.

12. READING ON PRAYER.   Information on almost any topic is at our fingertips today; this is true also in the realm of prayer.   With proper spiritual direction you can discover what would be the best material to read with reference to prayer.  Once we have a literary guide this can point us in the right direction, and we can start to plumb the depths of prayer.  No reason to be immersed in ignorance today!

13. CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. Of the modern writings on prayer Part IV in the (CCC) Catechism of the Catholic Church is a gem, a jewel and a literary masterpiece on prayer.  The reading may be somewhat dense but it is worth the effort.   The Catechism itself states that prayer is not always easy. Quite the contrary it can be compared to the wrestling match that Jacob had all night with the angel. As in any activity worthy of pursuit there must be the exertion of blood, sweat and tears. The athletes put it this way: “No pain, no gain!”

14. ASK FOR PRAYERS.   Jesus stated: “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. Whoever asks receives; whoever seeks finds; and whoever knocks the door will be opened to him. (Mt. 7:7ss) Ask a friend or a prayer-partner to pray for you to help you to grow in prayer. We are family and we should not be afraid to ask for help.

15. LIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. Brother Lawrence could summarize his growth in holiness with regard to one simple concept: LIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD!  Our goal should be such that wherever we go, whatever we are doing, that we are constantly aware of God’s all-embracing ubiquitous Presence. In the Acts of the Apostles Saint Paul quotes the Greek poet in these words related to God’s omnipresence: “In Him we live and move and have our being.”

16. MEDITATION GUIDE.  A sure guide to launch us into the deep waters of meditation is the classic of Saint Francis de Sales, “Introduction to the devout life.” One of the greatest spiritual classics The Doctor of the Church, Saint Francis de Sales offers a series of easy-to-follow meditations to introduce us into the art of mental prayer, or if you like, meditation.

17. SPONTANEOUS PRAYERS: FIERY DARTS THAT PIERCE THE CLOUDS.  Another great help for prayer-growth is the frequent launching of short prayers, fiery darts to pierce the clouds. You should choose some of your favorites. We will offer a few choice examples of these fiery darts:

• “Jesus meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine.”
• “Sacred Heart of Jesus I trust in you.”
• “Jesus, I trust you!”
• “Sweet Heart of Mary be my salvation.”
• “The Lord is my Shepherd there is nothing I shall lack. (Psalm 23:1)

18. PRACTICE OF THE DAILY EXAMEN. This form of prayer Saint Ignatius would insist that all of his followers do with great faithfulness on a regular basis.  To be as simple as possible in the explanation you simply rewind the film/movie of your day and walk through it with the Lord Jesus at your side. Spend some time in thanksgiving; repent over failures and propose for the future.

19. SPIRITUAL RETREATS.  We would be remiss if we did not mention the great importance of a more prolonged experience of prayer in the context of a spiritual retreat. Ignatian Retreats over the years have proved to be most fruitful.  Time blocks vary! It could a weekend retreat, five-day retreat, eight-day retreat or even a month Ignatian Retreat.  If done well, with good will and proper direction these retreats can catapult us into the deeper realms of prayer.

20. MOST HOLY ROSARY.  The centuries old practice of the recitation of the most Holy Rosary should never be by-passed or skipped over as irrelevant.  (Read “The Secret of the Rosary, St. Louis de Montfort). This wonderful prayer praised by countless saints and Popes embodies several modes/forms of prayer that can serve as a sure path to holiness and growth in prayer. The Rosary offers vocal prayer, mental prayer or meditation, contemplative prayer, affective prayer and can be a conduit and means to deeper mystical prayer.  It can be prayed alone, or in the family, or in Church, or even on the road on the Highway to Heaven.

We would like to conclude with one of the teachings of one of the Spiritual Directors of Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Peter of Alcantara on the value of mental prayer or meditation:  “In mental prayer the soul is purified from its sins, nourished with charity, confirmed in faith, and strengthened in hope, the mind expands, the affections dilate, the heart is purified, truth becomes evident, temptation is conquered, sadness dispelled, the senses renovated, the drooping powers revive, tepidity ceases, the rust of vices  disappears. Out of mental prayer issue forth, like living sparks, those desires of heaven which the souls conceive when inflamed by the fire of divine love. Sublime is the excellence of mental prayer, great are its privileges; to mental prayer heaven is opened; to mental prayer heavenly secrets are manifested and the ear of God is ever attentive.   (St. Peter of Alcantara, Treatise on prayer, first part, c. i.)

Like fish in water may we all be deeply immersed in prayer and attain the heights of holiness that God has designed for us now so that Heaven will be ours for all eternity.

One of the concrete manifestations of good will towards God and a desire to grow in holiness through prayer and living out an attitude of “Magnanimity” by doing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, is by formulating and writing out in a clear, methodical and practical way a Plan of Life. The variety of ways to hammer out a plan of life are limitless. The Plan of Life proposed in this article focuses on the various areas in our total life, and how we can improve and make our life a fragrance pleasing to God. Let us make the Psalmist’s prayer, our prayer: “O Lord, give success to the work of our hands; give success to the work of our hands.” (Ps. 90: 17)

Of capital importance, a well-formulated Plan of Life serves to order the disordered in our lives. Due to Original Sin and actual sin, our lives are marked by upheaval, confusion and disorder. The Holy Spirit is a God of order. Our Lady of Guadalupe gently arranged in an orderly way the roses in the tilma of Saint Juan Diego. From order comes peace of heart, mind, and soul. The Augustinian definition of peace is “Tranquility of order.”

Before writing out your specific plan of life, why not give this spiritual project a specific theme, motto or emphasis for the year. Some suggestions! Choose a corporal or spiritual work of mercy that you feel God is challenging you to embrace and live out this year. Maybe you prefer to take one of the 14 Stations of the Cross and that can be your motif. Or else you can choose one of the Eight Beatitudes (Mt. 5: 1-12) and strive to live that out with the help of your plan of life. Perhaps you would like to have a Marian thrust and choose one of the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary as your guiding star for the year. Finally, you might prefer choosing a Biblical scene or verse that captivates your attention. Jesus inviting Peter to walk on the water (Mt. 14: 28-29); or one of Jesus’ words from the cross, “I thirst” (Jn. 19: 28); or the words of the Apostles to the Lord, “Increase our faith” (Lk. 17: 5). It could even be the essence of the Divine Mercy devotion in the simple words painted on the image itself: “Jesus, I trust in you.”

Now that we have chosen a guiding theme for the New Year, let us proceed in the specifics of our Plan of Life with various concrete areas to examine honestly and make short, practical proposals to continue our growth and improvement in these areas. Much better to formulate proposals that are practical and realistic, than idealistic proposals that go up like smoke before the first week of January has transpired! Remember the words of Jesus Himself: “He who is faithful in the small, will be faithful in the greater.” (Lk. 16: 10) The essence of the spirituality of St. Therese is to do the ordinary things of one’s daily life with extraordinary love. There we have the secret and key to holiness!

PLAN OF LIFE: CONCRETE PROPOSALS AND SPECIFIC CATEGORIES….

I.   PRAYER LIFE. 

Examine seriously the tone, tenor and present status of your prayer life. Pray over this to come up with some concrete way that you can make an improvement. SUGGESTION! Why not decide to add just five extra minutes to your prayer every day. This may seem insignificant, but your faithfulness for five more minutes will earn many graces for you and others!

II.   CONFESSION/RECONCILIATION.  

By birth we are all sinners. Until our dying day we must fight fiercely but trusting more in God’s grace to overcome sin in our lives. Sin is our mortal enemy number one. One of the most efficacious means to conquer sin is through the reception of the Sacrament of Confession. God’s healing touch and grace manifests itself most abundantly through this Sacrament. PROPOSAL! Go to confession more frequently. The more frequently, the more graces you receive to avoid sin! You can decide how often. Also, prepare yourself better the night before you confess, and trust more in God’s mercy! Victory through God’s mercy!

III.   HOLY MASS AND HOLY COMMUNION.  

Our eternal salvation depends on allowing Jesus to save us. The name “Jesus” means Savior. Jesus outlines a clear and concrete plan of action for us to be saved in His “Bread of Life Discourse” (Jn. 6: 22-71). Read it and meditate upon this Word of life. To sum up Jesus’ message in a few words, the salvation of our immortal soul depends upon eating and drinking. Adam and Eve ate and they brought death to the world. Jesus promises us eternal life through eating and drinking His Body and Blood through reception of Holy Communion. He states clearly without stammer or stutter: “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever eats my Body and drinks my Blood will have everlasting life and I will raise Him up on the last day.” (Jn. 6: 35,48)  ACTION POINT! Why not aim for Daily Mass and Holy Communion? If this is already your practice, come ten minutes early before Mass and offer your own intentions, depositing them on the altar. The graces that will flow into your heart are in direct proportion to your preparation and disposition. One Holy Communion could transform us into saints! Fantastic and true!

St. Charbel Maklouf.  This saint received permission to celebrate Mass at noon every day, so he could spend the whole morning preparing for Mass and the rest of the day giving thanks.

IV.    APOSTOLIC LIFE. 

To be a follower of Christ is to be a missionary. The last words of Jesus before ascending into heaven were, “Go out to all the world and teach them all that I taught you…and behold I will be with you always even until the end of time.”(Mt. 28: 19-20) We are challenged to grow in our faith, but also to share our faith. Indeed, one of the best ways to fortify one’s own faith is to share it with others! TRY IT! What might be a concrete way? In your family, suggest the daily recitation of the Rosary. By praying one of the four Mysteries of the Rosary each day—the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious—every four days we are praying over the key events in the life of Christ! Outside our home, invite a fallen away Catholic to return to the Catholic Church. If we love God, we should love what God loves—the salvation of souls!

V.    PERMANENT FORMATION. 

Pope Benedict XVI called for a year of faith beginning October 11, 2012 and exhorted us to read the Documents of Vatican II, most specifically the four Dogmatic Constitutions: Dei Verbum (on the Word of God), Sacrosanctum Concilium (on the Liturgy), Gaudium et Spes and Lumen Gentium (Documents on the Church in the modern world). Catholic-Christians today must make a concerted effort to learn their faith more deeply; our Catholic faith is a fathomless ocean in its depth and width. DECISION! Set aside at least 15 minutes every day to apply yourself to a serious study of your Catholic faith.

VI.   PENANCE.  

To take flight, a bird needs two wings. So as to soar high in the spiritual life, the soul needs to apply itself seriously to two practices: PRAYER AND PENANCE. Our Lady of Fatima appeared to three little shepherd children and insisted that they pray—especially the most Holy Rosary—but also that they offer up sacrifices for the conversion of poor sinners.  Jesus expressed this bluntly: “Unless you do penance, you will perish.” (Lk. 13: 3) COUNSEL! Friday is the day that we are obliged to do penance; why not choose one of the following: no meat, give up sweets for the day, fast from watching television, eat less, make the Way of the Cross, do not complain the whole day!!!!

VII.   WORK.  

All of us are called to work. God said to Adam that he would earn his bread by the sweat of his brow.  St. Paul exhorts us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We also all know, probably from personal experience, that idleness is the workshop of the devil. Examine carefully your daily work to see areas for improvement. PROPOSAL! Be punctual in starting, hard in working, and honest in the hour you leave. Remember that you are working for the Lord. As St. Paul reminds us, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God!” (1 Cor: 10-31)

VIII.    VOCATIONAL CALL.  

Most are called to the life of marriage; some are called to the Priesthood and Religious life, and others are called to the single life. If one is called to the married life, then a thorough examination of conscience and concrete proposals can be made with respect to one’s plan of life! Examine your life and respond to these questions. How can I be a better wife or husband? A better son or daughter? How can I improve as a father or mother?  Pray over this and the Holy Spirit will inspire you with a concrete proposal.

IX.    SPIRITUAL DIRECTION. 

In addition to frequent confession, spiritual reading, and serious theological studies, those who are pursuing the path of perfection should have some form of periodic Spiritual Direction. St. John of the Cross put it bluntly: “He who has himself as spiritual director has an idiot for a disciple.” In other words, we all have blind spots and need someone other than ourselves to help us on the demanding and rigorous path to becoming a saint. ADVICE! Pray that God will help you to find this guide. If you have already discovered one, be thankful, humble, docile and obedient! 

X.   MARY: OUR LIFE, OUR SWEETNESS, AND OUR HOPE. 

A successful plan of life would be incomplete if Mary were neglected. As St. Louis de Montfort asserts with the utmost conviction: “The quickest, easiest and most efficacious path to holiness is through true devotion to Mary.” In other words, Mary is the shortcut to God! PROPOSALS! The Daily Rosary, so pleasing to Mary. Consecration to Mary through “True Devotion to Mary” by St. Louis de Montfort or Total Consecration Through the Mysteries of the Rosary with daily meditations by the author of this article. Then strive to live in the presence of Mary and imitate Mary’s virtues. Why not choose your weakest virtue this year and beg for Mary’s intercession to conquer yourself! Mary is the weak point of God. He can never resist her prayers!

Let us conclude with words of wisdom taken from Adolphe Tanquerey in his classic “The Spiritual Life”.

“The man who holds to a well-defined rule of life saves considerable time: 1) He wastes no time in hesitation. He knows exactly what he is to do, and when he is to do it. Even if his schedule is not mathematically detailed, at least it sets off time-periods and lays down principles with regard to religious exercises, recreation, work, etc… 2) There is little or nothing unforeseen, for even should the unusual occur, he has already provided for it by determining beforehand, exercises that may be shortened and the manner of making up for them. At all events, as soon as these exceptional circumstances cease to exist, he immediately comes back to his rule. 3) Inconstancy likewise vanishes. The rule urges him to do always what is prescribed, and that every day and at every hour of the day. Thus, the habits are formed that give continuity to his life and assure perseverance; his days are full days, teeming with good works and merits.” (Tanquery, Spiritual Life, # 560)

The greatest born of women…

Jesus declared:  “Of all men born of women, none was greater than John the Baptist.” (Mt 11:11) Jesus rarely offered praise as to the qualities of others, but He did in the person of His cousin, Saint John the Baptist.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church encourages us to honor the saints and highlights two specific areas in which the saints can motivate and encourage us to pursue a pathway of holiness and become the saints that we are all called to become. As Jesus stated: “Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy.” (Mt 5:48)

First, the saints can pray for us; they have a power of intercession before the Throne of God. Being God’s friends, they can indeed help us through their prayers. Second, their holiness of life! Like all of us born in Original sin and struggling to overcome our bad inclinations, the saints had to work, and work hard, to conquer the moral evils in their lives. Instead of capitulating to their desires, following the suggestions of the devil, and becoming enamored with the world, they decided to follow Christ—His words, teaching, and example. The saints serve as brilliant models of virtue for us to strive to emulate, imitate, and pattern our lives after as examples for others.

Therefore, let us lift our gaze to one of the most brilliant stars shining in the firmament of heaven, Saint John the Baptist, to seek his intercession and strive to imitate his holiness of life. Indeed, we become like those whom we associate and communicate with.

1. THE MARIAN ENCOUNTER. Even while in the womb of his mother, Saint Elizabeth, the Baptist had a unique encounter with the Blessed Virgin Mary. When Mary greeted Elizabeth the infant in her womb, John, leaped for joy. John was purified and sanctified in his mother’s womb by the word of Mary and the silent Presence of Jesus in the womb of Mary. May we allow Mary’s words and prayers to purify and sanctify us. “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.”

2. A CHILD IN OLD AGE.  Saint Elizabeth and the infant John the Baptist teach us a very important and pertinent message: human life is precious and sacred from the very moment of conception until natural death. From the book of Job: “Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb; the Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) Let us always respect life, and leave human life and its destiny in the Providential Hands of our loving Father.

3. NAME: JOHN!  His name was given by the Archangel Gabriel to Zachary in the Temple; thus his father and mother named him John! As the prophet reminds us: “I have called you by name from your mother’s womb to be a prophet to all the nations.” (Jer 1:5)

4. DESERT EXPERIENCE.  Before launching into his busy ministry of preaching, baptizing and pointing the way to Jesus, the Baptist went through an intensive period of preparation. He spent long years in the desert. While there he learned from experience the value of key virtues that would help him arrive at the apex of sanctity. What were some of these practices? Silence, so as to hear the voice of God. Prayer, intimate communion with God. Penance, the Baptist practiced intense penance, fasting, mortification and self-denial to dominate the cravings of the flesh. Detachment in dress in the sense that he wore camel’s fur and rough dress. All of these practices were preparing him to live out a very austere, fervent and authentic mission.

5. VOCATION: PREPARATION.  All of us have a double vocation. The universal vocation is to holiness, to become the saint that God has called us to be. Second, is our specific vocation. This we discern with the help of God’s grace and proper discernment. As John prepared for his vocation, so should we strive to be faithful to our vocation. For most it is marriage; for others it is the single life; still for others it is the priesthood, or Religious life for men or women. Some men have a double vocation: the priesthood and Religious life, living in community as brothers, as is the case with the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, the religious community of the author. The better the preparation for each one of us to live out our call to holiness and our specific vocation, the more efficacious the results.

6. BAPTISM: REPENTANCE.  One of the primary roles in the mission of this great saint, John the Baptist, was to administer a baptism of repentance, disposing many to receive the Baptism of Jesus. The Baptism of John was a call to repentance, to renounce sin in all its forms and follow a life of justice, honesty, and virtue.

7. HUMILITY OF THE BAPTIST.  The humility of the Baptist was extraordinary.  His dress, his words, and his mere presence radiated profound virtue, and one of the hallmarks of his virtuous life was that of humility. Meditate briefly on some of the words of this great and humble man of God referring to Jesus:

• “He must increase, and I must decrease.” (Jn 3:30)
• “I am not worthy even to untie His sandal strap.” (Jn 1:27)
• “I am just a voice of one crying out in the desert: prepare the way of the Lord.” (Jn 1:23)
•  “I am the friend of the Groom; when He comes, I disappear.” (Jn 3:29)
• “I should be baptized by you (referring to Jesus) and you come to me?” (Mt 3:13)

8. The Baptist was called to carry out one of the key moments in the Life of Jesus: baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River. Not only did the Baptist carry out this important moment of baptizing Jesus, but also he was present during a Trinitarian Theophany. This means that the Baptist witnessed a revelation of the greatest Mystery in the Catholic faith: the most Blessed Trinity—the belief in One God and three separate Persons. At the Jordan River the voice of God the Father could be heard; Jesus entered into the Jordan River; and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. The Baptist can help us to appreciate our own Baptism more, but also strive to understand, inasmuch as is possible, the profound mystery of the Blessed Trinity. In fact, the Blessed Trinity lives in our soul in the moment of our Baptism. How sublime, but how true!

9. PENITENTIAL LIFE-STYLE.  The Baptist serves as a counter-cultural model for the modern world. Most especially this becomes manifest in two areas: 1) manner of eating; 2) style of dress. In our modern world that promotes the opposite, the Baptist can help us to be counter-cultural and even to swim against the current. In a society prone to gluttony, wasting food, exotic and luxurious eating, the Baptist by his lifestyle points to frugality and austerity in eating, and even a call to fasting. In a world prone to vanity, immodesty and even provocative dress, the Baptist teaches by his lifestyle the importance of detachment and modesty in wardrobe. Our Lady of Fatima stated that many immodest fashions would enter the world that would offend God greatly. The Baptist ate locusts and wild honey, and wore camel’s fur. How radically different from our modern lifestyle! Perhaps we should eat less, buy less, and pray and fast more!

10. COURAGE AND FORTITUDE OF THE BAPTIST.   The Baptist was not like a reed blown by the wind. He cared little about public opinion, nor did he suffer from the lack of human respect. He had clarity of vision. He understood with absolute clarity his mission or vocation. He had no identity crisis as so many have today. He never buckled under pressure. The Baptist had the courage to denounce King Herod publicly without fear of the consequences for himself. He called a spade a spade, and called Herod out for living with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. This was no ordinary public scandal. It was not only adultery, but public, scandalous and incestuous adultery!

11. PERSECUTION FOR THE TRUTH.  Herod had the Baptist arrested, but Herodias hated the Baptist for his public reprimand of them. The Baptist was thrown in a dark, damp, humid, smelly prison cell. He was living out one of the Beatitudes that Jesus preached: “Blessed are you when you are persecuted for my sake; for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Mt 5:10) If we decide to follow Christ, sooner or later persecution will knock at our door. Rejoice! Our reward in heaven will be great!

12. THE MOST NOBLE OF DEATHS!  The Baptist met his death in the context of Herod’s birthday celebration. The exotic and sensuous dance of the daughter of Herodias (Salome was her name) delighted Herod. Under the influence of wine, the King made the extravagant promise of giving the girl anything she might ask for, even to half of his Kingdom. Moved by envy, hatred and revenge, the mother told the girl to request the head of the Baptist on a platter. Executioners were dispatched, the Baptist was decapitated, and his head brought on a platter into the birthday party and given to the girl, who gave it to her mother.

13. MODEL FOR SOCIETY ON CHASTITY AND MARRIAGE.  The primary reason for the death of the Baptist was precisely this: to defend the indissoluble character of holy matrimony. The shedding of the blood of the Baptist was an eloquent testimony for the defense of marriage and the sinful character of adultery, unfaithfulness, and incest. In a society where marriages are being rent asunder, especially due to impurity, the Baptist raises the banner of purity, faithfulness, and commitment to one’s promises.

14. DOUBLE LITURGICAL CELEBRATION.  The Church has such a great honor and esteem for Saint John the Baptist that twice a year he is celebrated. He is celebrated for his birthday, June 24^th. Then he is celebrated for his birthday into Heaven, August 29^th – also known as the Passion of Saint John the Baptist.  Like the Baptist, may we live and die being faithful to the Lord.

15.  JOHN THE BAPTIST: A MODEL FOR US TO FOLLOW.  Let us strive to pay more attention to the Presence and Person of Saint John the Baptist in Sacred Scripture.  He is an Advent model; also, a Lenten figure; but also, a perennial figure—a saint that we should pray to, imitate, love, and long to be united with one day in Heaven.