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February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

Saint Joseph – Our Spiritual Father

While I have great love and admiration for all the saints, I have a very special relationship with St. Joseph, my spiritual father. He is one of the most beloved saints in the Catholic Church. His principle feast day, March 19, is a solemnity—a feast of the very highest rank. We also celebrate a secondary feast day under his title “St. Joseph the Worker” on May 1st.

St. Joseph is, for me, a spiritual father; a protector and provider; an intimate companion; a pattern for a life hidden in Christ and cloaked in docility. His divine call by God the Father was a great and mysterious grace that cannot be easily reduced to a list of specific qualities; there would not be enough space to contain them. Such is the generosity of God when He asks something tremendous of His beloved children. St. Joseph is so special to me that I took his name for my Carmelite name when I became a Secular Discalced Carmelite.

Joseph with the Child and the Flowering Rod, Alonso Miguel de Tovar

He was the earthly father of Jesus, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin, and the patron saint of fathers, workers, immigrants, the Universal Church, the “domestic” church, and a happy death. He is also recognized as “The Terror of Demons.” He has numerous titles and patronages, and his intercession is very powerful.

It is impossible to list all the wonders and virtues of my beloved spiritual father, but here are some of the most beautiful qualities of St. Joseph:

1. He showed supreme generosity in the gift of self.

God gave full possession of Himself to Joseph in divine generosity, and in return, Joseph gave himself fully to God.

Before his young wife came to live with him, she was found to be with child. As he was processing this shocking news, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, telling him not to be afraid to take Mary into his home as his wife.

What incredible confusion and unworthiness he must have felt after the Angel told him the child was the Messiah, the long-awaited Savior of his people. Imagine how unworthy he found himself to be as the leader of the Holy Family. Yet Joseph was devout; he was just. He gave himself fully and completely to the designs of God.

2. He exercised humility within his God-given authority.

Despite the confusion about this topic in our culture today, there is a hierarchy of love that prevails in family life. A husband and father has a very particular spiritual authority in his family. God has intended for that authority to extend to daily life as he guides, guards, and protects his wife and children, and provides for their needs as the head of the family.

St Joseph and the Christ Child (c. 1655–60), Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

God the Father gave St. Joseph authority over Mary and the Divine Child. His angel appeared to Joseph in dreams to inform and guide him—the angel did not appear to Our Lady after the Annunciation, nor to Christ, the Infant God. Joseph’s God-given role was to be a true spouse and father to Our Lady and to Jesus; he was the leader of their family. God did not disrupt this order, even under these circumstances, because He Himself designed it that way.

Joseph may have felt ill-equipped in his humanity, but because God chose him for this role, the Lord enriched Joseph with the gifts appropriate to his paternity and to every other task and duty entrusted to him. For his part, Joseph put his entire life at the service of Love.

3. He lived a deep interior life.

The same silence that characterizes the life of St. Joseph also reveals the deep union between the contemplative and active life in this beloved saint. The Gospels announce what Joseph did. They do not present a single word of what he said. All that he did in the Gospels evidences a spirit of deep contemplation. God would not have subjected Himself to the authority and care of someone who was not seeking to know Him in holiness and to live in His law. For these reasons we know that St. Joseph was a holy man who sought the face of God in prayer.

He lived life in communion with Jesus, in His very presence within the Holy Family. As surely as this Presence sanctifies us here and now in the Eucharist, bringing forth grace within us, it sanctified and edified Joseph throughout his daily life, profoundly deepening the grace within him. And St. Joseph’s fatherly love surely had an influence on Jesus as His human nature grew in grace and maturity.

The supposed tension between the active life and the interior life finds a perfect balance in St. Joseph. The Lord worked powerfully within him—his great love for God was both the source and the impulse for his interior life.

4. He had amazing faith and obedience in the face of great mystery.

Joseph believed and obeyed. His incredible faith and trust in God enabled him to surrender his own plans, dreams, and assumptions about his life in order to take on a fatherhood he had never expected and a mystery he’d never imagined—all for love of God, the Messiah, and the Jewish people who had awaited the coming of the Messiah for generations.

With unquestionable trust and belief, he took Mary into his home under extraordinary circumstances. He took his wife and child into Egypt in the middle of the night to escape a murderous King. He took them out of Egypt when the Angel of the Lord appeared with news that it was safe to return home.

He did not falter or hesitate. He trusted, knowing that he was at the service of God, Our Lady, and the Christ Child. In each of these instances, he stepped symbolically into darkness. He walked in mystery, embracing it, in obedience and faith.

5. He is the patron and protector of the “domestic church” and the Universal Church.

As a Jewish father, Joseph would have led the prayers at home every day. He would have taken Mary and Jesus to the temple to worship. He would have taught Jesus in His human nature.

The Holy Family is a model for every Catholic family. As head of the Holy Family, St. Joseph is also the patron and guardian of every “domestic” church. The domestic church is the collective spiritual life within every Christian family. It is the primary place of formation, instruction in prayer, and the teaching of virtues, ethics, and moral values. It is the school of love, and a place where that love nurtures Christian maturity of thought. It is the fertile ground where all vocations are seeded.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church

Joseph is also the patron of the Universal Church. Because we have become God’s sons and daughters through baptism, the earthly father of Jesus has become our spiritual father, just as Mary is our spiritual mother. Just as Our Lady looks down upon us from heaven, so too St. Joseph is watching over Christ’s Mystical Body on earth as its patron.

Go to St. Joseph for help for your family and for the Universal Church.

6. He is the patron of a happy death.

St. Joseph is the companion of many faithful Catholics at the end of their life in this world. Pious tradition holds that he died in the arms of Jesus and Mary, after serving them devotedly as father and husband.

St. Joseph, dying in the presence of Jesus and Mary

Who better to usher us into eternity than St. Joseph, the head of the Holy Family, who died in the arms of Jesus and Mary? We should have recourse to him at the hour of our own death and at the deaths of our loved ones.

Concluding Thoughts

St. Joseph is a model for all faithful Catholics to live each day immersed in God.

As the protector and guardian of Our Lady and Our Lord, St. Joseph encourages us to stand up for the teachings of the Church and to defend our Faith against the assaults of the world. As the Most Chaste Spouse of the Blessed Virgin, he is a sign of contradiction in a culture that disdains modesty and purity. As the patron of the domestic and Universal Churches, he will intercede in the restoration and healing that will renew our families, our Church and our culture. As the patron of a happy death, he will be with you, in your final hour of need, to comfort you, protect you, and intercede for you before His Most Beloved Son.

He is a precious spiritual companion who will not fail you. In all of your needs, go to St. Joseph.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

The Earliest Known Prayer to St. Joseph (Circa 50 A.D.)

O St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.
O St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your divine son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, our Lord; so that having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.
O St. Joseph, I never tire of contemplating you, and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss his fine head for me, and ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen.

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

Why Do Catholics Use Incense?

At Mass and other liturgical services, priests and altar servers swing censers that send clouds ofincense wafting through the air.

Everything in Catholic liturgies symbolizes a theological truth—nothing is superfluous or “just for show.”

So what does incense symbolize?

What Incense Symbolizes in Christian Liturgy

The smoke of incense is symbolic of sanctification and purification. It also symbolizes the prayers of the faithful. It is an outward sign of spiritual realities, which is why it has its place in Christian liturgy.

These two purposes reveal a deeper truth: that prayer itself purifies and sanctifies us, making us worthy of worshiping God in heaven for all eternity with the angels and saints.https://www.youtube.com/embed/M8zZE_HJd2g?feature=oembedThis video shows the world-famous giant thurible from St. James Cathedral (Santiago de Compostela) in Spain.

Many Bible commentators show how the Tabernacle in the Old Testament is a pattern of human beings as temples or dwelling places of the Holy Spirit. Before we can dwell with God in eternity, there is need for our purification and sanctification—the removal of sin. One of the ways this happens is through prayer.

This spiritual meaning is evident in the wisdom books of the Old Testament, in which prayer is connected with purification, making our prayer a sweet aroma rising up to God:

Let my prayer be counted as incense before thee, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice!
—Psalm 141:2
Listen to me, O you holy sons, and bud like a rose growing by a stream of water; send forth fragrance like frankincense, and put forth blossoms like a lily. Scatter the fragrance, and sing a hymn of praise; bless the Lord for all his works.
—Sirach 39: 13-14

Incense in the Old Testament

Incense has been used in Christian liturgy from its earliest days. In fact, it continued the Jewish tradition that came before it—a tradition that was commanded by God Himself and recorded in Sacred Scripture.

For example, God commanded Moses to make an Altar of Incense for worship in the Tabernacle:

You shall make an altar to burn incense upon; of acacia wood shall you make it . . . And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps in the evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.
—Exodus 30:1-10

God also gave instruction on how the incense should be made through a “holy recipe”:

And the Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy; and you shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you; it shall be for you most holy. And the incense which you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves; it shall be for you holy to the Lord. Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.”
—Exodus 30:34-38

From these passages and others, we can infer that incense was part of a ritual cleansing and purification of the sacred space of the Tabernacle, making it a worthy place for the worship of God according to His divine terms. In fact, frankincense—mentioned frequently in the Bible—is now known to have antiseptic and disinfectant properties.

God gave these specific instructions to Moses because the worship of God by Israel in His earthly Tabernacle was a pattern of the worship of God by the angels in His heavenly throne; that is, worship on earth was intended to be united with the worship taking place in heaven.

Incense in the New Testament

The New Testament also records the use of incense. Frankincense was one of the precious gifts brought by the Three Kings to the Baby Jesus—a sign of His role as priest in addition to His roles as prophet and king.

In his apocalyptic visions of heaven, St. John the Apostle recorded that he saw incense being used at God’s heavenly throne:

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth; and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
—Revelation 5:6-8

In the above passage, incense is identified with the prayers of the saints.

In the passage below, incense is added to the prayers of the saints by an angel, highlighting the mediation of the angels in our worship of God:

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God.
—Revelation 8:3-4

Incense Calls Us to Prayer

When we see incense at Mass, it reminds us of heaven; indeed, it should remind us that our worship of God in the Christian liturgy is divine in origin. Incense also reminds us to that our prayer rises to God like the smoke from the censer, purifying our worship of Him, and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us and make us holy.

The usage of incense adds a sense of solemnity and mystery to the Mass. The visual imagery of the smoke and the smell remind us of the transcendence of the Mass which links heaven with earth, and allow us to enter into the presence of God.
—Father William Saunders

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass transcends space and time, while the use of incense helps the worshiper to enter into this eternal reality through the use of the external senses.

That is why incense—fragrant to the senses and visually compelling for the mind and heart—is such a powerful liturgical gift.

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

Holy Water

From long experience I have learned that there is nothing like holy water to put devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again. They also flee from the Cross, but return; so holy water must have great virtue. For my own part, whenever I take it, my soul feels a particular and most notable consolation.
St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa’s words should remind us of the importance of holy water. Every Catholic knows—at least partially—how to use holy water: we dip our fingers in the font and bless ourselves as we enter the Church. Ideally, we are supposed to recall our baptism and our baptismal promises, including our renunciation of Satan and disdaining sin.

But we often forget this, and take holy water for granted most of the time. If we use it regularly, this is an easy trap to fall into. But we shouldn’t let ourselves remain numb to holy water’s efficacy.

Holy Water Is Powerful

We must remember that—through a priest—holy water is blessed by God in virtue of Christ’s baptism. The Catholic Church possesses enormous power in being able to impart sacramental grace—and holy water as a sacramental receives its power through the prayer and authority of the Church.

The rite of blessing that a priest says over to make it holy contains prayers of exorcism. It can banish demons, heal the sick, and send unwarranted grace upon us—yet most of the time we cross ourselves with this water without even thinking about how holy it really is.

The fact of the matter is that holy water is a powerful sacramental and we ought to use it daily. To prevent us from using it without thinking, we should consciously find ways to use it more. Holy water can be used to bless people, places, and things that are used by humans in their goal of glorifying God with their lives.

Here is a list of eight ways to use holy water in your everyday life:

1. Bless Yourself

This suggestion is obvious, but if we are only blessing ourselves with holy water on Sunday, then aren’t we missing out on the rest of the week? You can never have too much grace or blessing in your life. Use holy water daily. Keeping a holy water font in the home is a great idea so that you, your family, and guests can be blessed in the comings and goings from your home. Keep the font right by the front door to ensure you never leave home without it.

2. Bless Your House

If you haven’t taken the time to bless your house with holy water, then no time is better than the present. Your home is the domestic Church and is in need of spiritual protection. You can sprinkle holy water in your home yourself, or have a priest formally bless your home using holy water as part of the house blessing ceremony.

Holy water fonts are a great way to sanctify your home!

3. Bless Your Family

Use holy water to pray and make the Sign of the Cross over your spouse and children before they go to sleep at night. Bonding the family to each other and to God in this way is a great family tradition to adopt. Keep a holy water bottle by the bedside for this purpose.

4. Bless Your Work Space

If you work outside of the home, sprinkling your work space with holy water is a great idea, not only for spiritual protection on the work front, but also as to sanctify your daily work for the glory of God.

5. Bless Your Car

The car is probably the most dangerous place where you spend a significant amount of time each day. Never underestimate the power of holy water applied to your vehicle to keep you safe from harm’s way, when used in faith and trust in God. In fact, you can also have a priest bless your car with holy water.

6. Bless Your Garden

It was a common practice in the Middle Ages for people to sprinkle their vegetable gardens with holy water. In times when people were very dependent on crops for their livelihood, lack of rain or early frosts could be devastating. Using holy water to bless and sanctify the plants that would be used for the family’s sustenance showed their reliance on God’s grace.

St. Bernard's Prayer for a Good Harvest — St. Bernard’s Prayer for a Good Harvest

7. Bless the Sick

If you know of any sick friends or family, then blessing them with holy water probably counts as a corporeal and a spiritual work of mercy. If you visit the sick in a hospital or nursing home, bless their living space with holy water and leave a holy water bottle with them as a comfort in their time of need.

8. Bless Your Pets

Many parishes on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi have a rite of blessing for pets. Pets are loved companions for individuals and families and often provide a great service to them, and even these can be blessed with holy water because all creation has the end of giving glory to God. This also applies to livestock and farm animals that provide labor, livelihood, and nourishment to humans.

Praying with Holy Water

Here’s a simple prayer to say when using holy water, especially for when your blessing yourself with the Sign of the Cross:

“By this holy water and by Your Precious Blood, wash away all my sins, O Lord. Amen.”

This is just a suggestion, of course. There is no “correct” prayer to pray when using holy water, other than making the Sign of the Cross and saying the words aloud: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” You can also pray an Our Father or even the St. Michael Prayer when using holy water. Keep in mind that holy water has already been blessed by the prayers of the priest. Its power is based on the authority of the Church—and thus of Christ. You don’t need to add anything!

**How Do You Use Holy Water?**

Holy water is one of those beautiful gifts (and weapons) from God to keep us sanctified and holy in our daily lives and to keep the things we regularly use sanctified and holy. (Some parents even use holy water to bless things their children regularly use such as bicycles and school books.) If we stop and think about what a generous gift holy water is, we will use it more frequently, thoughtfully, and gratefully!

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

Saint Therese and What You Can Learn From Her

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, popularly known as “The Little Flower,” is the third woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church.

She is best known for her “Little Way.” This is a spirituality that seeks to sanctity daily life by doing each and every thing—no matter how small or seemingly insignificant—with great love.

Thérèse is, arguably, the most beloved modern saint; her writings are powerful lessons on how to love God with one’s whole heart in the humble routine of daily life. She teaches us how to suffer in Him, with Him, and through Him, with great love.

Here are ten quotes from St. Thérèse on how to sanctify the “little things” in life.

1. For the Glory of God

“The faith and confidence of yours which never wavers will one day have their reward–a glorious one. Be quite sure that God will bless you and that the depths of your suffering will be matched by the consolation reserved for you.”

2. Through the Grace of God

“Jesus said: ‘If ever a man is rich, gifts will be made to Him, and his riches will abound.’ For every grace I made good use of, He gave me many more.”

3. Holy Communion

“Our Lord does not come down from Heaven every day to lie in a golden ciborium. He comes to find another heaven which is infinitely dearer to Him—the heaven of our souls.”

4. Through Mortification

“When I speak of mortification, I don’t mean the kind the kind of penance practiced by saints. There are great souls who practice every sort of mortification from childhood, but I am not like any of them. All I did was to break my self-will, check a hasty reply, and do little kindnesses without making a fuss about them—and lots of similar things.”

5. Run After Jesus

“Since Jesus has gone to Heaven, I can follow Him only by the traces He has left. But how radiant and how fragrant these traces are! I have only to glance at the Holy Gospels and at once I breathe the fragrance of His life and know which way to run.”

6. Proving Our Love

“‘For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?’ [Matthew 5:46] Do not even sinners love those that love them? It is not enough to love. We must prove that we do. We naturally like to please a friend, but that is not charity, for so do sinners.”

7. True Holiness

“Holiness is not a matter of any one particular method of spirituality: it is a disposition of the heart that makes us small and humble within the arms of God, aware of our weaknesses, but almost rashly confident in His Fatherly goodness.”

8. Put Confidence In His Mercy

“O Jesus, I feel that if You found a soul feebler than mine—though that’s impossible—You would delight in heaping even greater favors on it, if it abandoned itself with supreme confidence to Your infinite mercy.”

9. Persevere in Prayer

“For me, prayer means launching out from the heart toward God; a cry of grateful love from the crest of joy or the trough of despair: it is a vast supernatural force that opens out my heart and binds me close to Jesus.”

10. Helping Souls

“All my strength lies in prayer and sacrifice. They are invincible weapons, and I know, by experience, that they can soften the heart much better than words.”

These excerpts by St. Thérèse were taken from the book Mornings with Saint Thérèse. This hardcover collection of 120 readings by St. Thérèse will help you get to know the pure, simple girl whom Pope St. Pius X called “the greatest saint of modern times.”

By Good Catholic

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

Confession is Amazing!

Going to Confession is one of the greatest sources of grace available to us in our Catholic faith. In this Sacrament, the Holy Spirit continues to work in us through conversion and forgiveness. We are enabled to grow in self-knowledge and humility. We begin to see our selfish habits with greater clarity, making it possible for us to correct them and root out sin. We purify our consciences, strengthen our wills, receive the grace to resist temptation, and advance in the spiritual life.

For these reasons—and many others—the Catholic Church takes this sacrament very seriously. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) asks faithful Catholics in the United States to go to Confession at least once during Lent and once during Advent, but good priests and spiritual directors recommend a minimum of once a month. If we only go to Confession once a year (or less!) we will miss out on profound graces, and lose track of many transgressions—making it harder for us to recognize our patterns of sin.

The saints, of course, recommended frequent confession. St. Francis de Sales, St. John Vianney, St. Padre Pio, and Pope St. John Paul II are among those who suggested going as often as possible. Pope St. John Paul II and St. Padre Pio went at least weekly to confession.

Even if a room is closed, it is necessary to dust it after a week.
St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Jesus spoke candidly to St. Faustina about Confession. She recorded His words in her Diary, and we’d like to share some of His words with you. These are comforting and beautiful words from Christ about the significance of Confession in the Catholic life. You can find them all in The Diary of St. Faustina: Divine Mercy in My Soul.

What Jesus told St. Faustina About Confession

Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy (the Sacrament of Confession). There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.
Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 1448)

Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.
Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 1602)

Jesus will accept us in the Sacrament of Confession

My daughter, just as you prepare in My presence, so also you make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyse what sort of a priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light.
Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 1725)

The flames of mercy are burning me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them!
Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 1074)

So, Why Do We Still Need Reminding?

If each of us sat beneath a crucifix and meditated intently on the greatest act of mercy and love the world has ever known we would, perhaps, run straight to Confession. Not out of fear of hell, but out of such great love for Jesus, who washed away our sins in His own blood.

But the world has always pulled away from the cross. Meditating on the Crucified Redeemer is not common in the world. It is not even something most people would seek to do or understand. Once again, as in ancient history, we have forsaken the cross—we have, like Adam and Eve, chosen the forbidden tree and its fruits.

We don’t want to be told “Thou shalt not.” We want to do as we please. The world has fully accommodated us by tempting us with great allure and then absolving us with all kinds of excuses.

Yet Holy Mother Church loves her children so completely that she wants us to abide by the moral absolutes given to us by God. The Church is the firm but quiet voice entreating us to resist the noise of the world. She invites us to Confession at least once a year, but we really should go more frequently. Making use of the sacrament regularly—monthly or even more often—is commonly recommended as a path to peace, healing, pardon, and spiritual growth.

Persisting in sin and not working to eradicate it from our lives removes us from the Merciful Heart of God, which is our true home. It also separates us from communion with the Body of Christ. But the rays of His Divine Mercy call us back to His Heart and to communion with one another. We return there by way of the Confessional.

Concluding Thoughts

In the Diary of St. Faustina, Jesus implores sinners to come to the font of His mercy, so that He might pour out unimaginable graces upon us all. Through His Passion, Christ brought redemption to a fallen world. Through the healing power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, He brings it—over and over again—to your heart and mine.

Confession is important to our spiritual progress in any liturgical season or any season of our lives. It is especially powerful during Lent. Reconciliation and the Lenten season go hand-in-hand. Since Lent is a season of reflection and repentance, Confession is one of the greatest means to enter deeply into this penitential season.

In the wisdom of the Church, the season of Lent exists not only for reflection and repentance, but to build up the body of Christ in anticipation of Easter. What better way to enter into the true spirit of these forty days—and prepare for Easter—than by going to the cross in Confession, casting off our sins, and rising again with Christ?

The Confession, by Giuseppe Molteni, 1838 — *The Confession*, by Giuseppe Molteni, 1838

Through the sacramental ministry of the Church, we receive the grace to be more like our Redeemer. Make it a priority to go to Jesus in Confession regularly. Ask for the forgiveness He wants to give so generously. Receive His merciful and unconditional love. Restore your bond with the Lord, the Body of Christ, and the Church.

Be healed and set free, to rise again in Him.

A Prayer for the Courage to Return to Confession

Lord, You know how much I need You. You know my sinful nature and my weaknesses. You know my sincere but imperfect desire to love You and others better. I know that I cannot return to the grace of God except through You and Your sacrifice on the Cross, and through the font of grace that is Confession.

In Your Passion, You did not put limits on Your love. Help me to give You everything, even the ugliness of my sins, as I return to You in Confession. Help me never to despair because Your Divine Mercy and Your infinite love are my greatest hope and treasure. Help me see this as an opportunity to love You, grow in my love for You, and offer all my love to You.

I place my trust in Your infinite love and mercy, and I ask You for the courage to help me return to the Sacrament of Confession. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.

//Good Catholic//

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

Mother Teresa’s Humility List

Humility is the mother of all virtues; purity, charity and obedience. It is in being humble that our love becomes real, devoted and ardent. If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint you will not put yourself on a pedestal.
St. Teresa of Calcutta

As we can see from this thought-provoking quote, Mother Teresa doesn’t see humility as the world sees it. The world sees it as blind self-neglect or a degrading regard for oneself. In contrast, her life shows us that she was a champion for the precious, God-given dignity of every single person.

Her definition of humility stresses the down-to-earth, unattached nature of true humility. In practicing it, we have a clarity of sight that allows us to not be consumed by the standards and judgments of the world, whether those judgments place us in a positive or negative light.

7/01/1988-Tijuana,Mexico - Mother Teresa, 77, praying during dedication ceremonies at her 400th world wide mission to care for the poor. — *Mother Teresa praying during dedication ceremonies at her 400th world-wide mission to care for the poor. Mexico, 1988.*

Here is her counter-cultural, inspiring, and challenging Humility List.

Mother Teresa’s Humility List

1. Speak as little as possible about yourself.

2. Keep busy with your own affairs and not those of others.

3. Avoid curiosity.

4. Do not interfere in the affairs of others.

5. Accept small irritations with good humor.

6. Do not dwell on the faults of others.

7. Accept censures even if unmerited.

8. Give in to the will of others.

9. Accept insults and injuries.

10. Accept contempt, being forgotten and disregarded.

11. Be courteous and delicate even when provoked by someone.

12. Do not seek to be admired and loved.

13. Do not protect yourself behind your own dignity.

14. Give in, in discussions, even when you are right.

15. Choose always the more difficult task.

Taking a Closer Look

At first glance, Mother Teresa’s “Humility List” appears to be a startling and even extreme guide to living the virtue of humility.

However, if we look at the list with eyes of faith and thoughtful discernment, we’ll see that it is not “extreme”—it simply requires those two things: faith and discernment.

Faith. These guidelines are not for the faint of heart or the weak-willed! They are challenging, and require the grace of God to sustain us and increase our stamina when we wish to fall back into our deep-rooted, prideful ways. So take heart—if God wishes us to live the virtues (which He does, of course) then we must trust that He will provide us with the means to fulfill His will.

Discernment. Some of the points on the list can be taken to an unhealthy extreme: “Accept insults and injuries…” “Do not interfere in the affairs of others…” In some serious cases, it may end up being the virtuous response is to do the opposite of what she’s saying! Just remember that Mother Teresa’s list is not meant to be applied to situations in which we encounter immoral or unlawful behavior. Here is another clarification: when she says “Avoid curiosity,” she is not saying “Don’t be interested in others.” She wants us to avoid idle curiosity, which can lead us to sin. This list is for our daily sanctification.

We invite you to take this list to prayer, and ask Our Lord and St. Mother Teresa to help you see how to make these important points a part of your daily growth in virtue!

Learn to be humble by doing all the humble work and doing it for Jesus. You cannot learn humility from books; you learn it by accepting humiliations. Humiliations are not meant to torture us; they are gifts from God. These little humiliations—if we accept them with joy—will help us to be holy, to have a meek and humble heart like Jesus.
St. Teresa of Calcutta

The saints give us powerful examples of virtuous lives. Better still, they are eager to help us grow in holiness. Are you interested in learning more about how the saints grew in virtue, and how you can, too? You will love the series Heroic Virtue: Let the saints guide you to an extraordinary life.

ByGretchen Filz, O.P.Published January 5, 2021 at 2:53pm

//Good Catholic//

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

Reasons to Fast from Saint Thomas Aquinas

With Lent comes fasting—and fasting is, for most of us, the most challenging part of the Lenten season.

It’s not easy to persevere in our sacrifices and intensified prayer. But disciplining our appetite is especially difficult. Physical appetites are strong and we’re weak!

We don’t have to let our failures get us down, however. We can petition God for His grace, seek inspiration through the writings of the saints and theologians of the Church, and try again.

The truth is, fasting has an irreplaceable role in the spiritual life. It brings about powerful spiritual growth. Jesus Himself told us that some demons could only be driven out by prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). And yet fasting is something that we modern Catholics tend to struggle with.

If we understand why fasting is so important, our will to do it can be strengthened.

So, why is it important?

Three Reasons Why We Fast According to St. Thomas Aquinas

Portrait of St. Thomas by Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra — *Portrait of St. Thomas*

The glorious St. Thomas Aquinas gives us three important reasons for fasting from his Summa Theologica.

He begins by reminding us what defines a virtuous act:

An act is virtuous through being directed by reason to some virtuous good. Now this is consistent with fasting, because fasting is practiced for a threefold purpose.

And here are his three reasons:

1. To conquer lust.

*Thomas is girded by angels with a mystical belt of purity after he conquers a temptation to unchastity*

First, in order to bridle the lusts of the flesh, wherefore the Apostle says (2 Corinthians 6:5-6): “In fasting, in chastity,” since fasting is the guardian of chastity. For…lust is cooled by abstinence in meat and drink.
St. Thomas Aquinas

In other words, denying ourselves food and drink helps us to control our other appetites and passions. Practicing self-denial in one area helps us practice temperance in all areas.

2. To help our minds rise above material things and contemplate heavenly realities.

Detail from Valle Romita Polyptych by Gentile da Fabriano

Secondly, we have recourse to fasting in order that the mind may arise more freely to the contemplation of heavenly things: hence it is related of Daniel (Daniel 10) that he received a revelation from God after fasting for three weeks.
St. Thomas Aquinas

When we are not concerned with food and drink, or lulled into comfort by the effects of a good meal, we can more readily focus our entire attention on God.

3. To atone for our sins.

Thirdly, in order to satisfy for sins: wherefore it is written (Joel 2:12): “Be converted to Me with all your heart, in fasting and in weeping and in mourning.” The same is declared by Augustine in a sermon: “Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the true light of chastity.”
St. Thomas Aquinas

There are few better ways to offer repentance for our sins than by fasting. We take on discomfort and the pangs of hunger and give it all to Our Lord in sorrow for the ways in which we have turned against Him.

Of course we need good, healthy food, and delicious food can be an incredible blessing and enjoyment. We should enjoy it!

But at times it is good to free ourselves from our bodily appetites and offer them to God in prayer and repentance. The penitential seasons of Lent and Advent are set aside for this by Holy Mother Church,

As we move toward Lent, will you make fasting a key part of your Lenten plan?

Are you looking for the perfect Lenten devotional? Take a look at The Life of Christ, a new 40-day Lenten series from Good Catholic. It’s perfect for any Lenten plan. Sign up today and take the journey with us!

ByGenevieve CunninghamPublished January 29, 2021 at 10:54 am Series

//Good Catholic//

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

How to Prepare for Lent

Don’t blink. Lent will be here before you know it. In fact, Ash Wednesday is early this year: February 17th.

Isn’t that how it always is? The Christmas season is behind us and it feels like Ordinary Time has only just begun—

But suddenly it’s Ash Wednesday, and we’re scrambling to decide what we’re doing for Lent and wondering whether our choice of penance is too hard or too easy.

This year, don’t let Lent take you by surprise—have your Lenten plan in place.

Here’s how.

How to Make a Plan for Lent

Before Ash Wednesday catches you unawares, make a point of sitting down—at the kitchen table, or at the chapel—and give some thought to how you want to spend this Lent.

If you have no idea where to begin, rest assured: there is a solid foundation to work from. The Church doesn’t leave us to figure things out ourselves.

There are three holy practices which Catholics are called to embrace in penitential seasons such as Lent and Advent. These three practices are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

When you make your Lenten plan, choose something specific from each category—and you’re all set for a grace-filled journey to Easter.

1. Prayer

Prayer: a conversation between lovers. Painting by Charles Bosseron Chambers.

Lent is the perfect time to build virtuous habits. It gives us the grace to tackle what we couldn’t otherwise.

Since daily prayer is difficult for anyone who isn’t a living saint, now is the time to counter this by developing consistent habits of prayer.

Start by asking yourself: what are my prayer habits now?

As Catholics, we ought to pray every day. Prayer is conversation and communion with the God who made us and loves us. No relationship would flourish if we failed to spend time in the presence of a loved one, conversing with them and offering them genuine attention.

If you are praying once a week at Sunday Mass or saying only a quick “Good morning, God!” as you head to work, make a simple commitment to daily prayer—and don’t overdo it, in case you set yourself up for failures and guilt trips.

How much time should we set aside for daily prayer? Holy priests and spiritual advisors say that fifteen minutes is the absolute minimum. That’s a solid goal for all of us.

Time spent in prayer should be adequate…A quarter of an hour is the absolute minimum, and anyone who is able should not hesitate to spend an hour on prayer, or even more every day…[But] A relatively short time (twenty minutes or half an hour), spent faithfully on mental prayer every day, is better than two hours now and then.
Fr. Jacques Philippe, Time for God

Prayer is not always easy. It can feel dry, distracted, or lonely. Don’t get discouraged—there are things that help inspire, nourish, and strengthen prayer.

Find a really engrossing spiritual book (there are a ton here) or sign up for a devotional series such as The Life of Christ. These things can bring about spontaneous prayer from the depths of our souls.

In summary: This Lent, try spending at least fifteen minutes in prayer a day. If you already do this, make the Rosary a daily habit. If you already do that, maybe add a Divine Mercy chaplet or a Holy Hour before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Give it some thought, and write down your commitment.

2. Fasting

Fasting is largely misunderstood today. Most Catholics think that fasting is a broad category of abstinence that includes giving up social media, music while driving, Netflix, and so on. That’s not really fasting, however.

Now, don’t get me wrong: it’s important to practice discipline and self-control over the things mentioned above. When you do, you are strengthening your will and overcoming the desire for instant gratification and constant mind-numbing pleasure. Absolutely be encouraged to incorporate such disciplines into your life!

True fasting, however, relates to food—to our physical appetite—and cannot be replaced by anything.

On all Fridays, Catholics are requested to abstain from meat. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 (with exceptions for expectant women, for example) are required to fast. We do this by having only one full meal that day and two smaller meals that, added together, do not amount to the full meal.

Of course, this itself is a moderate form of fasting. Fasting formerly meant taking no food.

Due to our structure and habits of eating today, many of us find this practically impossible.

However: there is a way to build the ability to fast that is simpler than you might think. Not easy—it does take a firm decision—but simple, with the right help: Dr. Jay Richards wrote about it in his fascinating book Eat, Fast, Feast.

I sincerely recommend his book. I read Eat, Fast, Feast and used Dr. Richards’s guide for Lent last year. I discovered that it’s amazing what the human body is capable of when it comes to fasting—and the benefits are truly God-given.

As Mike Aquilina wrote in his article “Introduction to Lent: Why do Catholics have to fast?”:

The Bible spells out specific spiritual benefits of fasting. It produces humility (Ps 69:10). It shows our sorrow for our sins (1 Sam 7:6). It clears a path to God (Dan 9:3). It is a means of discerning God’s will (Ezr 8:21) and a powerful method of prayer (8:23). It’s a mark of true conversion (Jl 2:12).
Fasting has its health benefits, but it’s not the same as dieting. Fasting is something spiritual and far more positive. Fasting is a spiritual feast. It does for the soul what food does for the body.

If fasting still sounds intimidating, be encouraged. Keep yourself going strong all forty days by not fasting on the Sundays of Lent. In fact, Sundays in Lent are not officially part of the forty days. (If they were, Lent would be forty-six days long.)

In summary: Consider taking on some hard-core fasting. Maybe pick a few more days during Lent to practice the Ash Wednesday/Good Friday fast. Maybe have one or two meals a day on one particular day of the week. Some people manage to do a bread-and-water fast at least once a week. If all this sounds too overwhelming this year, never fear! You can simply stick to the requirements of the Church as mentioned above and do them well—with your whole heart and soul.

Give this it thought, and write down your commitment.

3. Almsgiving

In all the excitement over fasting and giving things up, almsgiving is often forgotten. Yet almsgiving is a crucial work of charity that we Christians are called to participate in.

Jesus praised the poor widow who gave “all she had” to the temple treasury (Luke 21:1-4). St. James reminded us that faith must go hand-in-hand with good works, such as care for the poor:

What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?
James 2:14-16

Lent is an important time for almsgiving, and each of us must give according to our situation. I was reminded by my parish priest that almsgiving is not the tithing you’re already doing—it’s giving above and beyond what you normally give. It is a true penance.

This isn’t easy to say (God give you and I grace to receive!) but when we give alms, we are supposed to give not merely from our “plenty,” but enough to make it hurt—or at least pinch.

*St. Vincent de Paul, Apostle of the Poor*

But who to give to? Do you have trouble finding trustworthy causes?

When it comes to monetary gifts, we do have to be cautious about where our funds go. Some organizations support things that contradict Church teaching and harm souls—and some are not transparent about their use of funds.

Thankfully, the Lepanto Institute has created an incredibly helpful report on trustworthy causes. I have found it to be extremely helpful.

The Knights of Columbus give 100% of your donation to charity—they cover their own fees! You can specify which cause you want your money to go to, or leave it to them to put towards the cause that is most in need at the moment.

*St. Elizabeth of Hungary caring for the poor*

I have had the joy of knowing some of the women who work at Be Not Afraid—a non-profit that provides total support to parents whose unborn child has received a prenatal diagnosis. These can be the most forgotten families, whose babies are often denied proper care by doctors. Any amount we can give them is a huge gift.

For those who can’t give money, we can seek to give our talent (making baby blankets for Be Not Afraid, as one lady does) or our time (volunteering at a homeless shelter or pregnancy center).

In summary: Pray about what alms you can give and to who. Discuss it with Jesus. “Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Give it some thought, and write down your commitment.

Be Encouraged

Jesus and St. John at the Last Supper — *St. John the Apostle, teach us to love Our Lord Jesus Christ.*

It’s going to be a fruitful Lent. When we’re mentally and spiritually prepared, it’s easier to stick with our resolutions.

Do things that help you. If you need visual reminders, consider making some for yourself. Many people benefit from the “note-on-the-bathroom-mirror” tactic. Choose a Bible verse for Lent and stay inspired that way.

And let’s pray for each other.

Finally, I’d love to know—do you have suggestions for Lent? Have you found particular things to be helpful for you? Don’t hold back—share with us in the comments below!

The new Good Catholic series The Life of Christ is perfect for Lent. It’s a 40-day devotional series (containing video and fascinating articles) that will deepen your knowledge of, and love for, the Son of God. Sign up and take the journey with us!

//Good Catholic//

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

Lies the Devil Wants Us To Believe

Ever since Adam and Eve tasted the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, Satan has been harassing us. The efforts of the Father of Lies to distort the truth—and his attempts at convincing us to question God’s word—have not ceased, and neither should our efforts to combat him.

It has been said that the devil will use ninety-nine percent of the truth to float one lie. This is true because he cannot create, which leaves him only with the ability to twist what has already been created. He is a master at this and we need to be on guard against it.

In Ephesians 6:11 it says,

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

Here are six lies the devil tells us and ways in which we can combat them.

Lie #1: You don’t have time to pray.

The devil hates prayer. In the Manual for Spiritual Warfare (MSW), author Paul Thigpen says,

“We can see how much the Devil fears those who pray, since there’s not a moment of the day when he tempts us more than when we’re at prayer. He does everything he possibly can to prevent us from praying. When the Devil wants to make someone lose his soul, he starts out by inspiring in him a profound distaste for prayer. However good a Christian he may be, if the Devil succeeds in making him either say his prayers badly or neglect them altogether, he’s certain to have that person for himself.”

In our busy lives we can easily fall into the trap of believing that “we don’t have time to pray.”

However, the Bible does not give us an excuse, but a command regarding prayer: “Pray unceasingly” (Eph. 6:18). Jesus implores His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Rise and pray, that you should not enter into temptation” (Luke 22:46).

The Rosary is a prayer the devil hates. Pray the Rosary!

Shorter prayers are also important. By learning certain “ejaculatory prayers,” we can offer a quick response when we feel tempted during the day.

An ejaculatory prayer is a secret and sudden lifting up of the soul’s desires to God during any emergency that may occur. One may engage in this prayer by a simple thought directed to heaven. The devil would like us to not use this method of prayer. He knows the power that these prayers have because they reveal the faith of the one praying.

The following are a few ejaculatory prayers to remember:

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, be my Salvation.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. (Known as “The Jesus Prayer”)
My God & my all!
Jesus, Mary, I love You. Save souls.
O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me. (From the Divine Office)
May the Holy Cross be my light. (Jubilee Medal of St. Benedict)

Lie #2: You aren’t good enough.

This common lie is an easy one to fall for, regardless of our vocation. As a mother of nine, I can feel overwhelmed and sometimes doubt my competency. This is exacerbated further when I see other mothers accomplishing so much with ease. I can quickly become frustrated with myself and become envious or—worse—despairing. When we feel unworthy, we can falsely imagine that God does not love us; that He is not here for us. That is exactly what the devil wants us to believe.

Today, with the easy access to social media and the constant barrage of images and snapshots into people’s lives, we can become even more susceptible to the belief that we are not good enough. We see images on social media and think, “Look how happy or how successful they are. I’m not as successful…I’m not as good as they are.”

If I can feel that way as a fifty-year-old mother, how do my teenagers feel?

Sharon Johnston, a friend of mine who has led a Bible study for young women and young mothers for ten years, suggests occasional “fasts” from social media. She tells the women she counsels that time away from social media with the purpose of spending that time with God in prayer is helpful to combat the noise that fills our heads.

She is wise. Time away from the noise and bombardment of pressures to live or act a certain way is a good way to bring our attention back to the One who gave us life and Who sustains us.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” To counter the lie that we are unworthy, author Paul Thigpen suggests that we get to know the saints. Especially those who shared our vocation or those who shared our struggles. 2 Corinthians 12:9

For instance, as a mother who worries or grows anxious about my children’s faith, I can look to Saint Monica who cried out to God for years in agony over her lost son.

If someone struggles with lust or the things of the flesh, they can turn to Saint Augustine who struggled as a young man with those sins. The following prayer is a good way to turn away from thoughts of unworthiness and ask God for help through his saints:

Look upon our weakness, almighty God, and since the burden of our own deeds weighs heavily upon us, may the glorious intercession of St. [name] protect us, through Christ Our Lord.

Lie #3: Be anxious, for there is much to worry about.

Satan wants us to look at our problems instead of looking at God. He knows that the ultimate answer to our problems can only come from God and so he wants our minds to be preoccupied with those things that keep us from thinking about God.

Fear is one of Satan’s most useful tools. This is not simply because fear causes us to lose trust in God, it is also so that we do not have a proper “fear of the Lord.” Monsignor Charles Pope explains that the devil plays a game of diversion—hoping we will be drawn into anxieties and fears to divert our attention away from God:

“Anxieties and fears also cause us many distractions. And by these, the devil causes us to fixate on fears about passing things, and thereby not to have a proper fear of the judgment which awaits us. Jesus says Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt 10:28). In other words, we should have a holy reverence and fear directed towards the Lord, and in this way, many of our other fears will be seen in better perspective, or will go away altogether. But in this matter of fear, the devil says just the opposite: we should fear 10,000 things that might afflict us on this passing earth, and not think at all of the one most significant thing that awaits us, our judgment. The Future is, of all things, the thing least like eternity. It is the most temporal part of time—for the Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays.”

We can also remember the words of Scripture which were the words John Paul II often reminded us of during his papacy: “I say to you who are My friends: Do not be afraid” (Luke 12:24).

Lie #4: You have plenty of time.

Portrait of a young lady holding a cat by Francesco Bacchiacca

I once heard a talk by a nun who said that one of the devil’s favorite lies is to convince us that we have more time.

In other words, “there is always time to get serious later.” Satan convinces us to delay something so that it never gets started or completed.

It is not difficult to see the power in this lie. Just as the devil plays a game of diversion with our fears and anxieties, he plays the same type of game with our sense of time. By convincing us that we have plenty of time to work on the spiritual side of our life, he also tells us that we should put those things off that will draw us closer to God. He convinces us that our sins aren’t that big of a deal; that we can attend to them later.

Yet Scripture says the opposite. The following are just a few of the verses from Scripture which warn us of this very lie and help us to remember to be awake and be ready.

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”
—Matthew 16:26
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.”—Revelation 22:12-14
“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”
—Matthew 24:42-44

Saint John Bosco’s words are also helpful for us to remember:

“The principle trap that the devil sets for young people is idleness. This is a fatal source of all evil. Do not let there be any doubt in your mind that we are born to work and when we don’t we are out of our element and in great danger of offending God . . . First tell the devil to rest . . . then I’ll rest too!”
St. John Bosco

Lie #5: Your past is irredeemable.

The devil wants us to lose hope, to despair, and to place our trust in anything but God.

One way he does this is by using our past sins against us and convincing us that we cannot be redeemed. He nags us and tells us that our sins will always be our downfall and that we are powerless against them. Yet this is exactly the opposite of what Our Lord promises. By reading the Bible and listening to the words of Scripture at Mass, we can arm ourselves against the father of lies and know that God is our savior no matter what our past looks like.

Thigpen in the Manual For Spiritual Warfare says the way to combat this lie is to always keep close the second theological virtue: hope.

“The hope of salvation is a helmet, the Apostle Paul declares (1 Thes. 5:8). It’s essential for protecting the mind. The temptation to despair is a powerful tactic of the Enemy. If we lose hope for our salvation, we open our minds wide to all the poisonous thoughts that the enemy seeks to plant there. If we should conclude that we have no hope of winning the battle, why even fight? So we must never take off the helmet of hope if we hope to overcome the devil” (MSW page 58).

Scripture also reminds us that God never forsakes those who turn to him and who are truly repentant:

“I give them everlasting life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.”
—John 10:28
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword?…In all these things we overcome because of Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”—Romans 8:35-39
“So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.”
—2 Cor. 5:17

Lie #6: You don’t have to worry about the devil—he isn’t real.

The devil wants us to believe he is not real. His work in this world is much easier if we think he does not exist. After all, how could we fight an adversary if we don’t even know he exists?

Yet as Thigpen writes,

“The reality of demonic powers has been a constant doctrine of the Catholic Church ever since it was founded by Christ through his apostles. They and their ancestors spoke and wrote about Satan repeatedly. Through the centuries, the great teachers of the Church have consistently affirmed that Satan is real” (MSW page 6).

There are many references to the devil in scripture. The following are just a few:

“Be sober, be watchful! For your adversary, the Devil, like a roaring lion, goes about seeking someone to devour. Resist Him, steadfast in the faith.”—1 Peter 5:8-9
“Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of the light.”
—2 Cor.11:14
“But I fear lest, as the serpent seduced Eve by his guile, so your minds may be corrupted and fall from a pure devotion to Christ.”
—2 Cor. 11:3
“Indeed what I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—I have done for your sakes, in the person of Christ, so that we may not be defeated by Satan; for we are not unaware of his devices.”
—2 Cor. 2: 10-11

Although we need to be aware of the devil’s constant harassment, we also need to remember that Christ won the battle. The sacraments allow us to draw our strength from God because through them we receive His Grace. So by staying close to the sacraments, to the Holy Eucharist and to confession, we stay close to Christ and we are able to fight off the devil more effectively.

Let us pray for strength and for God’s present help in danger. Most importantly let us always remember that God’s mercy is abundant and that He is with us always.

“You draw near this day to battle against your enemies; Let not your heart faint; do not fear, or tremble, or be in dread of them; for the Lord your God is He that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”
Deuteronomy 20:3-4

//Good Catholic//