Most of us probably think of ourselves as relatively good people, doing what is right, at least most of the time.   What do you think a just judge would say to someone who commit a horrendous crime, such as murder, but in their defense told the judge that they only commit the horrendous crime once and for the most part they have been a good person and have done a lot of good throughout their lives?  Would the just judge drop the charges and punishment that the crime deserved or would the just judge sentence the criminal to the punishment that was deserved according to the law?

As Catholics what do we believe is the deserved punishment for committing a Mortal Sin, a sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent? (CCC 1857)  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1861: “If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back.”

All of us would like to think that our God is super merciful and loving and would never even allow someone to suffer the eternal death of hell, but what if, even though God is merciful, the sins we commit in this lifetime actually cause us to be excluded from Christ’s kingdom and to be condemned to the eternal death of hell?  Our God is a just god, and wouldn’t you want Him to be just?  A just God could administer a just punishment or a just reward.

Thankfully we also believe that Jesus came to atone for our sins, past, present, and future.  “For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him” 2 Corinthians 5:21 “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Sin is real, Satan is real, Hell is real.  Sin needs to be redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness. The Book of Revelation 3:1-3 tells us: “I know your works, that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent.  If you are not watchful, I will come like a thief, and you will never know what hour I will come upon you.”  And Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Luke 12:39-40: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.  You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Let’s pray for each other that we are not caught of guard, that we can fight sin, that we can humble ourselves enough to repent for our sins and seek the forgiveness of our all merciful God, who loves us with an everlasting love that will never end.

Please remember me in your prayers that I may not undergo the test, that I may grow in holiness and that I may continue to fight the good fight and receive the just reward from our merciful God.  I’ll be sure to pray for all of you as well.  Together we can conquer evil.

Jesus Christ, I place all my trust in you.

I often feel this way, but most often I feel this way when it involves something related to my faith life.  Like finding the time to pray, finding the time for a Holy Hour, finding the time to pray outside the local abortion clinic, finding the time to just sit and dive into Scripture.

On the other hand, it is super easy to find the time to check my email, and spend unknown amounts of time reading posts and looking at pictures and liking things on Facebook, setting up new profiles on new social networks, updating my gmail settings, reading the latest news on MSN and the list goes on and on.

So I wonder what life would be like if I spent more time focusing on God and what he wants for me in my life.  Yet it seems so difficult to get up and do anything about it and the thought goes through my head of ‘why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?’, yes, “Procrastinators Unite…Tomorrow!”

What if our lack of motivation to grow closer to God is really a manifestation of one of the Seven Deadly Sins, (cue the scary music and wait for it…) SLOTH?  AHHHHHH….wait, sloth?  You mean the cute little three toed creature that hangs from trees and move really slow, right?  No, I’m talking about the spiritual or emotional apathy, the neglecting what God has spoken, and being physically and emotionally inactive and apathy as the state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and passion.

What would this world look like if we spent as much time practicing our faith as we did practicing for soccer, if we spent as much time learning about the Saints and reading Scripture as we do learning the stats of all our favorite football players, or if we spent as much time in the Chapel with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament as we do on Facebook and Twitter and deleting junk emails?  What holds us back from doing what we know to be the REALLY IMPORTANT stuff, like reaching for the Kingdom of Heaven and growing in Holiness?

St. John Baptist de La Salle said:

“You should not be concerned about anything for this present life except to make God reign in your heart by his grace and by the fullness of his love. You should be living for him; the life of God ought to be the life of your soul.
You nourish the life of your soul with God’s life by occupying yourself with his holy presence as much as you are able. What characterizes the life of the saints is their continual attention to God; this should also be true of souls consecrated to God, who seek only to do his holy will, to love him, and to cause him to be loved by others.
This should be your entire preoccupation on earth; to accomplish this should be the goal of all your work.”

St. Josemaria Escriva writes in The Way #325:

“Fight against the softness that makes you lazy and careless in your spiritual life.  Remember that it might well be the beginning of tepidity…and, in the words of Scripture, God will vomit out the lukewarm.”

And finally, in Revelation 3:15-19:

“I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.  For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything.’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see.  Those that I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore and repent.”

 Pope Benedict XVI confirms all of these when he said:

“The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort.
You were made for greatness!”

So the time is now to step out of our comfort zones. It’s time to get up out of our favorite comfy chair and put God back in as the most important thing in our lives, yes even more important than Facebook.  So as I finish writing this, I’m preparing to go spend some time in the Chapel…who’s with me?

And finally since it is All Souls Day, let’s pray:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let Perpetual Light Shine upon them.  May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Peace to you and may God bless you abundantly!

Tune in and give it a listen. The show will broadcast live Friday, March 25th at 4:00 pm EST, 3:00 pm CST.  You can catch a live video feed of it on UStream or listen live through WRBC The Blaze website.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support! Stop in and check the program out if you get a chance. Please keep us in your prayers for safe travels and for continued growth of this ministry. Praying that God blesses you abundantly.

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The mentality about Lent being a depressing and cumbersome time where we are supposed to be trying to go without something we really like is not quite the way it is intended to be and, I think, sometimes we look at it from the wrong perspective.  Just as Confirmation is NOT the end of our formation as a Catholic, but the beginning of ministry in our lives, Lent is not about all the bad and negative things that are often associated with it, but about the opportunity to do something meaningful for love of God. An opportunity to suffer for the good of our souls and in reparation for the sins we have committed. Lent gives us the opportunity to unite our sufferings with the suffering of Jesus Christ on the Cross, for the greater glory of God.

Let’s face it, we need to do something, but what? Keep reading if you are brave enough. Stop here if you don’t like discomfort.

Increase the amount you pray. Pray a rosary each day. Pray a Chaplet of Divine Mercy each day. Pray Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours each day. Pray for an end to abortion, pray for the souls in purgatory, pray for the leaders of our country, pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Pray more than you normally would to the point that it is a challenge for you, to the point that you suffer a little for giving your time to prayer.

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:5-8 NAB

Fast. Give up something that is important to you. Give up food, give up candy/sweets. Give up pop, pizza. Give up Facebook, your cell phone, text messaging, your IPod, your favorite TV show. Give up something that will be difficult for you to give up and rejoice all the while. Rejoice that you have the ability to give something up, to suffer for God’s glory. As the Venerable Fr. Solanus Casey said: “We do well to remember how very short after all, it is until our suffering and our time of merit too will be over. Let us offer everything therefore, to the Divine Spouse of our souls, that He may accept it as helping Him to save immortal souls, our own included.”

“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint you head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” Matthew 6:16-18 NAB

Give alms.  Give more than you normally do. Give more money to your local parish than you already do. Donate more food to your local food pantry. Give of your time to feeding the hungry at your local soup kitchen. Clean out your closet and give your excess possessions to Goodwill or the Salvation Army without getting a receipt for your donation. Give to the point of discomfort, make it a challenge for you, suffer a little for giving.

“Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And you Father who sees in secret will repay you.” Matthew 6:1-4 NAB

This Lent let us do all of this in the name of Jesus Christ. Let us unite our sufferings to the suffering of Christ on the Cross. In all our sufferings, let us be joyful.  Let us do our best to hide our sufferings from others so that only our Father in heaven knows. And let us be thankful to God for the opportunity to suffer for Him, that in all our sufferings the will of God may be accomplished.

This Lent let us go a little further than we usually do. Let us not just do something for the sake of doing something. Let us not just give up something that we know would be easy to give up. If already praying the rosary daily, let us not just count that as the thing we are doing for Lent. Let us do something difficult, something more and something that might cause us to suffer a little bit, something worthwhile. Let us challenge ourselves, step outside our comfort zones and do something that draws us closer to Christ, something that might change us for the better when lent is all over. Let us strive for greatness as so many of us do for things in school or at work, where we try to rise above. For Jesus tells us, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Luke 9:23-24

“The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness!” – Pope Benedict XVI

May God’s will be done in your life and mine and may God be glorified this Lenten season.

I’ll be praying for you, please pray for me; that together we may celebrate a meaningful Lenten season and be prepared for the Glory that awaits the world on Easter Sunday.

May God bless us in our efforts this Lenten season.

If it gives you any consolation, try to remember the multitude of other Catholics out there also trying to do something meaningful during Lent.  You are not alone in your struggles.

Forlorn
words and music by Paul Davis

God, my God where have you gone?
You’ve left me so forlorn.Can’t you see what’s in my soul?
You’ve got the power to make me whole.
My heart cries out for you to hear.
Let me know that you are near.

God you’re all I need
Won’t you come to me
And make me whole
Come make me whole

I’m praying that your will be done.
Where is it that I’m going wrong?
What are these trials you put me through?
What am I supposed to do?
Give me your eyes so I can see.
What it is you ask of me.

Hold on Son there is hope.
I’m not done with you yet.
There is hope.

Help me to trust in your mercy
And I will do what you ask of me
I’ll do it all for you my Lord
As you for me your life out-poured
Your grace my Lord will pull me through
Giving all I have to you

What Can I Do For You?
words and music by Paul Davis

What can I do for you, Lord?
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you, Lord?
What can I do for you?

You’ve given so much more than I could ever deserve,
What could I offer you?
You’ve given so much more than I could ever deserve,
What could I offer you?

I am so broken, Lord.
I am a sinner, Lord.
What could you do with this life?
I am so broken, Lord.
I am a sinner, Lord.
What could you do with this life?

You laid your life down for us.
You saved our lives.
What could we do to repay you, Lord, but give you our lives.
You laid your life down for us.
You saved our lives.
What could we do to repay you, Lord, but give you our lives.

So take my will, my Lord,
Do with it what you will,
That it might bring you glory.
So take my will, my Lord,
Do with it what you will,
That it might bring you glory.

It was: What if, at this very moment Jesus said “It’s time.”  In a blink of the eye I was no longer where I was the previous second, but in a space, some weird space that might have gone on forever, since there was no end in sight and even though everything seemed dark, it wasn’t dark I could see just fine.  When I turned around, Jesus was standing right there and in an instant I knew where I was and I was
shocked at my response because it was sheer panic and the first thought that went through my head and maybe would have been spoken, if anyone could hear it was, “NO GOD, NO! I’M NOT READY!”  My response wasn’t sheer panic because of any look on Jesus’ face or any fear that He was going to condemn me to hell or anything like that; it was sheer panic because I knew that I hadn’t sought out or received the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a longer while than I should have and knew that I could have done better.  I felt sheer panic that I had put off becoming a better person too long, because I hadn’t been the person that I knew I should have been for Him.  I felt a horrible sense of REGRET!

I kept thinking that if I had only known that my time was up that I would have tried harder, that I would have gone to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I wouldn’t have been so angry, or so mean, or so stingy, or so whatever else I was regretting, if I had only known.  It was at that moment that Matthew 24:43-44 echoed in my head,

“If the master of the house had known the hour of the night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,the Son of Man will come.”

It was as if I was being told that I shouldn’t be surprised or shocked at the situation, I mean, how many times have we been told that we know not the day nor the hour.

Too often we put things off, we put off going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (partly because it can be humiliating to tell someone all the stupid things you’ve done), we put off reconciling with family members, relatives, or friends, we put off growing in holiness or working on our relationship with God, we put off preparing for the day that we will come face to face with our God, the day where we will have to make an account of our actions while here on earth before our God.

It is the Season of Advent, the Season that we prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus Christ into our world.  Let’s prepare ourselves NOW, let’s stop putting off getting to know God better, let’s stop putting off reconciling with family and friends, let’s stop putting off preparing ourselves for eternity, because it could be any time, any day, any moment.

“You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

DON’T LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH THAT SENSE OF REGRET.

So as is life, I’ve had these things that bother me, and even though I am placing my trust in God, I find myself asking Him how much longer will I have to endure this trial.  I start feeling sorry for myself, I start bickering about the cross that I am bearing and that’s where my wise and awesome wife comes in as a blessing from God and helps me put things in perspective.

One night, while bickering, she said to me, “Thank God for the fleas.”  I had never heard this before so I kind of gave her a not pleasant look and said, “What is that supposed to mean?”  Again, as a blessing from God she explained it to me and turned me to the story of Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch woman, who during World War

II helped hide Jewish friends in a secret room, she was eventually discovered by the Nazis and sent to a Concentration Camp.  She lived out the remainder of the war in a Barracks that was infested with fleas.  Every evening during their prayers (which were against Nazi rules and punishable by death), despite the annoyance of constant biting, itching, and being held in a Concentration Camp, Corrie and her sister would thank God for the fleas.  Their strong faith in God helped them realize that there was a reason for everything, even if they didn’t understand it at the time.  So they thanked God anyway.

Corrie survived the Concentration Camp and years later she met one of her former guards who told her that none of the guards wanted to go anywhere near the barracks where they were held because of the terrible infestation of fleas.  Suddenly it was clear to Corrie that God had protected her from being discovered while she was praying.  Had it not been for the fleas, she may not have survived.

And so, having this story to help me put things in perspective, I realize that my burdens are really just minor annoyances and regardless of how bad I think things are, I need to thank God for the blessings and the fleas in my life.

St. Paul tells us, in his first letter to the Thessalonians 5:16-18;

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

It is easy to thank God for the blessings in our lives, but how good are we at thanking God for the fleas in our lives?

Thank you, God for these fleas in my life!  Jesus, I trust in You!

So here it goes.

My favorite by far is from the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:13:

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

A very close second is the Litany of Humility:

O Jesus! Meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,

(our response)
DELIVER ME JESUS.

From the desire of being loved . . .
From the desire of being extolled . . .
From the desire of being honored . . .
From the desire of being praised . . .
From the desire of being preferred . . .
From the desire of being consulted . . .
From the desire of being approved . . .
From the fear of being humiliated . . .
From the fear of being despised . . .
From the fear of suffering rebukes . . .
From the fear of being calumniated . . .
From the fear of being forgotten . . .
From the fear of being ridiculed . . .
From the fear of being wronged . . .
From the fear of being suspected . . .

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

Amen.

And last, but not nearly least is the Prayer of Abandonment:

Father,
I abandon myself into Your hands;
do with me what You will.
Whatever You may do, I thank You;
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only Your will be done in me,
and in all Your creatures-
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into Your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to You, Lord, and so need to give
myself, to surrender myself into Your hands without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for You are my Father.

Amen.

Wow, now that I am thinking about it, how can I stop there?  There are so many great prayers, not to mention spontaneous prayer and the power of prayer is incredible.  Maybe I will just have to post again later with some of my other favorites.  Until then, I am passing the torch on to Jackie Francois, Chris Bray and Bob Metivier.