Half the Kingdom! » Obedience

You Must Really Desire Perfection!

prazim — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:11:15 +0000

By the late Father Kilian McGowan, C.P.

Used with permission, from the Passionist Priests

Why do most Christians fail to achieve familiar friendship with our Blessed Lord? I think the answer is obvious. They never effectively desire it. Desire is always the first movement of the soul towards union with God. The desire for Christian perfection is a movement of our wills, spurred on by the grace of God, causing us to seek union with Him. This desire should be fervent and constant.

In the first chapter of the Gospel of Saint John, we read an incident that traces the beginnings of this desire for perfection…

John and Andrew, those young Galilean fishermen, often slipped away from their nets to listen to the preaching of John the Baptist. One day, following on of the Baptist’s stirring talks, a young stranger passed by. The Precursor looked up and said: “Behold, the Lamb of God.” His words pierced the heart of John like a fiery dart, but he did nothing.

The next day the incident was repeated. On both occasions the stranger had said nothing; but this time, John and Andrew stumbled after Him. After a short distance, the stranger turned about: “Whom do you seek?” Like youngsters caught tin a childish prank, they muttered: “Master, where dost thou dwell?” Our Blessed Lord-for He was the stranger-answered: “Come and see.”

Our Blessed Lord “looks” upon every soul-and this look is a grace-filled invitation to follow Him. Unfortunately, not every soul imitates John and Andrew. They hesitate-or they refuse the invitation. Thus, they neglect to stir up their desire for the perfection of their Heavenly Father.

Studying this Gospel incident, we find three stages in the Apostles’ following of Christ:

The first was their discovery of Christ. It is true that the Prophet John pointed out this divine model of perfection. But not before John and Andrew had placed themselves in the occasion of grace by listening to the Baptist’s words so filled with unction and inspiration. Most people fail to make real spiritual progress because they fail to place themselves in the occasions of grace. Prayerfully to meditate on a life of Christ, or to read the Gospels with simplicity and piety is always such and occasion.

The second stage is to take the first steps. Many souls thrill at the beauty of Christ. Their first realization of the attractiveness of His Personality awakens a desire in their hearts to follow Him. But they neglect to fan the sparks of their desire into the fires of fervor. They fear the difficulties, or are unwilling to pay the price of the effort involved.

The final stage is to “go and see” what God is like. John and Andrew spent that entire day in the company of Christ. Later on, they dedicated their whole lives to Him. They teach us that the quest for God takes constant and energetic effort. We need more than a wishy-washy hope of union with God; we must be willing to bulldoze away any obstacle that stands in the way of its fulfillment.

Saint Teresa of Avila for years had led a mediocre life in the convent as she served God only halfheartedly. Only when she took the plunge and broke with her attachments did she begin to make progress. She wrote from her own experience when she said: “Let us believe that with the divine help and our own efforts we, too, can in the course of time obtain what many saints aided by God finally obtained.”

Remember, your will is the master of your destiny and nothing worthwhile in this life is ever achieved unless it is at first willed. God’s love will draw you, and His grace will carry you on, but never against your own will. Like John and Andrew, you have to discover Christ-then take the first steps-and finally “go and see” what your God is like. He’ll be waiting to teach you!

In fact, He will even accompany you!

A Prayer for Discernment

prazim — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:54:48 +0000

O Lord,

I do not know what to ask You.

You alone know my real needs,

and You love me more

than I even know how to love.

Enable me to discern my true needs

which are hidden from me.

I ask for neither cross nor consolation;

I wait in patience for You.

My heart is open to You.

For Your great mercy’s sake,

come to me and help me.

Put Your mark on me and heal me,

cast me down and raise me up.

Silently I adore Your holy will

and Your inscrutable ways.

I offer myself in sacrifice to You

and put all my trust in You.

I desire only to do Your will.

Teach me how to pray

and pray in me, Yourself.

Vasily Drosdov Philaret, c. 1780 - 1867

Delight yourself in the LORD;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD,

Trust also in Him, and He will do it .

Psalm37:4-5

Ask and it will be given to you;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

Luke 11:9

this prayer discovered here

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

The Divine Mercy - Strength and Energy Through Prayer

prazim — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 03:41:05 +0000

I saw the little Infant Jesus, who told me that I was to depend on Him for everything; No action undertaken on your own, even though you put much effort into it, pleases Me. I understood this [need of] dependence.

Diary of St. Faustina, 659

If there is one thing I take great comfort in, it is to work for “Christ and the Church.” This, in fact, is our Marian Community motto. It’s one of the principle reasons that I joined religious life and only through His grace why I have been able to persevere within it.

The notion of taking pride in being busy working for the Lord is quite common. Even St. Paul said: Caritas Christi Urget nos, meaning “The love of Christ impels us …” (2 Cor 14).

However, I must admit, I have struggled with those “work-a-holic” and “thought-a-holic” tendencies most of my life. Work-a-holism provided me with an identity in the early stage of religious life, and I still have that gnawing tendency to always do more. I’ll never forget the months of burning midnight oil when we were transferring raw data into our new computer system at the Marian Helpers Center in Stockbridge, Mass. The thrill of accomplishing this task became intoxicating. Something major was being done, and it was quite visible and rewarding. Prayer at that time was not always as stimulating nor as rewarding.

As a result, it was quite providential that I was transferred, since the Lord knew I was drowning in expanding energy that was not directed toward virtue nor toward Him. I was losing my soul as I neared the classic burnout stage of my life. Emptiness and utter futility bore itself deeply within me. Being too self-absorbed, I couldn’t find a way out of that morass.

Having to abandon the addiction of work, I then became inundated with thoughts of futility, despair and utter frustration. After all, what could be more exhilarating than working untold hours on a computer? At the time, the computer world was where all the action was. It was not until I regained a sense of the need to direct my energies toward fulfilling His desires, reading His word, consciously looking forward to receiving Him daily and deepening my prayer life, that was I then able to regain the notion that my self-identity and self-worth depended on Him and not on my efforts alone.

I had to learn that what was more important was what He thought of me and not necessarily what others thought. Finally, it was imperative to learn how He wanted to fulfill His desires through my ministry. It was a difficult lesson to integrate. In fact, it was a Jesuit spiritual director who warned me about a rather subtle form of discernment. He reminded me that I could actually convince everyone, even my superiors as well as myself, that what I was doing is “for God.” But then he challenged me to ask: But is it “of” God? That is a notable distinction that I am still learning to this day.

As a result, I’ve learned that there is no merit or grace in the best of accomplishments that Our Lord does not demand. He was not asking me to “do those many things” that I was convinced are so important. Even “good works” can be quite seductive and lead us away from Him. Worldly success can often lead to spiritual pride. I’ve realized that much of what I’ve accomplished was actually in many instances a waste of time and effort because it was not “of” God.

I am not referring to sin or human failure, because that obviously is not of God. I am referring to efforts I’ve tried to do on my own without asking Him first, even if I had the permission of my superiors. When He does become the focus of my effort, His grace is always more than adequate to accomplish the task. Burnout or despair never enters the picture. If there is a seeming lack of success or even failure, He always gives me the grace to accept and understand His purpose. On the other hand, I know our Lord tempers success and spiritual pride. I am convinced that nothing is accomplished without His grace.

At first, my actions seemed rewarding. But in the end, my tainted nature and so-called “good intentions” completely drained me of energy. This was my evidence that these good works and loving acts were not “of” God. Finally, through daily meditation on the scriptures and the Diary of St. Faustina, I have learned that when I am discouraged with results, rather than become disillusioned, I have to consider if my actions are dependent on my will rather than on His.

The evil one can enter in at this point and be very convincing that all my efforts are worthless. His best tool is despair. He wants Christians to cease doing good works. He will do anything to discourage our inner souls and takes advantage of our feelings of not being appreciated, which often leads to burnout.

One way to describe being burned out is: I’m doing things, or thinking in ways, that God is not asking of me (c.f. Philippians 4:8-9). In other words, I don’t have the grace to do those things that are not of Him. I had to cease doing or thinking in a manner that does not bring me inner peace since I may not be in His will.

St. Faustina again helped me in this regard when she wrote: “Now I understand that if the Lord demands something of a soul, He gives it the means to carry it out and through grace He makes it capable of doing this. So, even if the soul be utterly miserable, at the Lord’s command it can undertake things beyond its expectation. Because this is the sign by which it can be known that the Lord is with that soul: if God’s power and strength, which make the soul courageous and valiant, is manifest within it… ” (Diary, 1090).

We can make the following prayer of St. Faustina our own:

Jesus, Eternal Light, enlighten my mind, strengthen my will, inflame my heart and be with me as You have promised, for without You I am nothing. You know, Jesus, how weak I am. I do not need to tell You this, for You yourself know perfectly well how wretched I am. It is in You that all my strength lies (Diary, 495).

* * *

Brother Leonard Konopka, MIC, is on the staff of the Marian Seminary in Washington, D.C. He also provides spiritual direction, retreats, and seminars. Brother Leonard has a leaflet available that has a series of meditations on the five wounds of our Lord. The meditations are intended for use while praying the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy. Click here to order Contemplate My Wounds. He also has a CD available with the meditations on the five wounds, interspersed with the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy. Click here to order A Musical Interlude.

this article discovered here

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

8For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever modest, whatsoever just, whatsoever holy, whatsoever lovely, whatsoever of good fame, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline, think on these things.

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Do You Do Ceilings?

prazim — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:45:52 +0000

One of our students received an appointment from a bishop, and the student did not feel the placement exactly suited his abilities.

I overheard him complaining about it to another student, and then the other student said, “You know, the world’s a better place because Michelangelo did not say, ‘I don’t do ceilings.’”

Her comment stopped me dead in my tracks. I had to admit she was right.

If you and I are going to be faithful to the ministry God is calling us to, then we had better understand that. I reflected on the attitudes of key people throughout the Scriptures and the history of The Church.

The world’s a better place because Moses didn’t say, “I don’t do Pharaohs or mass migrations.”

The world’s a better place because Noah didn’t say, “I don’t do arks and animals.”

The world’s a better place because Ruth didn’t say, “I don’t do mothers-in-law.”

The world’s a better place because David didn’t say, “I don’t do giants.”

The world’s a better place because Peter didn’t say, “I don’t do Gentiles.”

The world’s a better place because John didn’t say, “I don’t do deserts.”

The world’s a better place because Mary didn’t say, “I don’t do virgin births.”

The world’s a better place because Paul didn’t say, “I don’t do correspondence.”

The world’s a better place because Mary Magdalene didn’t say, “I don’t do feet.”

The world’s a better place because Jesus didn’t say, “I don’t do crosses.”

And the world will be a better place only if you and I don’t say, “I don’t do …”

Leonard Sweet

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Minute Meditation - Holy Obedience

prazim — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:32:22 +0000

“Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

~ Matthew 5:19

“The devil doesn’t fear austerity but holy obedience.”

~ St. Francis de Sales

God’s laws are His gifts to us. They protect us from ourselves, give us freedom, and lead us to become the person we want to be. The closer we are to that vision of what we truly want to be and who really are, the happier we will be in this present life as well as in the life to come.

God’s commandments give us values, mold our hearts, our thoughts, and our actions. They guide us in learning how to love God and our neighbors. They shape us into His image and help us to behave as royal sons and daughters of our Father, the King. We are the ones He has chosen to live a grace-filled life, to follow in His footsteps, and to receive an inheritance that lasts for an eternity. Praise the Lord! Let us give Him thanks and glorify His holy name. Amen.

this article discovered here

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Matthew 5:19
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

19He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:19
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

God’s View on Sodom and Gomorrah

prazim — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:03:15 +0000

The Biblical relaying of the events at Sodom and Gomorrah comes alive in the video and accompanying article here: http://english.sdaglobal.org/evangelism/arch/sodom.htm

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Matthew 5:19
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

Why am I Catholic?

prazim — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 04:32:43 +0000

Direktlink zum Video auf Youtube

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Matthew 5:19
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

The Sin of Partial Obedience

prazim — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:11:39 +0000

The author of Postscripts from the Catholic Spitfire Grill is quite articulate and these posts make for fascinating reading. It apparently all began when someone asked her to comment on a post on a blog for something called “Elevation Church.”

There’s quite a bit of commentary on this post, so please allocate a few minutes to read it through:

http://postscripts.blog.com/1613938/

and this one:

http://postscripts.blog.com/1609826/

and this one:

http://postscripts.blog.com/1597584/

The blog’s author is also the owner of a group on Yahoo! entitled “Catholic Spitfire Grill” which is for those making genuine inquiry, and immersed in the joy of their new life in The Church. If you could use some joy, be sure to join the group and read post after post filled with profound gratitude. The group is located here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/catholicspitfiregrill

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Matthew 5:19
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

The Heretic

prazim — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:54:02 +0000

A heretic insinuates himself under the title of Christian, carrying Christ in his mouth in order to deceive simple people, but bearing the devil in his heart; and indeed he confesses him with his tongue, but blasphemes him in his mind.

~ Saint Maximus of Turin

this article discovered here

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Matthew 5:19
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

Six habits of highly effective dioceses

prazim — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:19:21 +0000

Why are some dioceses better at attracting vocations than others? In Tim Drake’s recent story “Vocations Surge,” the National Catholic Register provided some answers to that question.

Based on what we learned, here are six questions successful dioceses all answer “yes.”

1. Is the Eucharist the center of vocation efforts?

We found that the promotion of eucharistic adoration for vocations is a decisive factor in attracting candidates. The reason is simple: It’s a vocations strategy that came from Christ himself, when he told the apostles to “ask the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers.”

Eucharistic adoration is especially effective because it draws sharp attention to the great gift that makes the priesthood so extraordinary and so needed – we have the priesthood to thank for God’s real presence in the blessed sacrament. And the dynamic of silent eucharistic adoration inevitably leads to the question, “What do you want me to do, Lord?”

Anecdotal evidence bears this out. In conjunction with the U.S. bishops, http://www.vocation.com kicked off an effort in 2005 that delivered Vatican monstrances to dioceses in order to encourage regular adoration in parishes. Program leaders, like David Craig, have been astounded to see parishes produce their first vocations ever after eucharistic adoration was introduced.

2. Is the diocese unabashed about personally inviting men to be priests?

Father Keith Stewart in the Diocese of Memphis, Tenn., counted this as the key to his vocations strategy. A U.S. bishops’ survey found that 78 percent of those being ordained said they were initially invited by a priest to consider the priesthood. Very few men were drawn to the priesthood by ads alone. One of our sources said that the seminarians he talks to say they only began to consider the priesthood the third or fourth time they were asked!

3. Is the seminary faithful to the Magisterium of The Church?

We’ve all heard horror stories about seminaries using theologians who try to “de-mythologize” religion, and end up denying basic truths of the faith. National Catholic Register has reported on situations where seminary instructors downplayed celibacy, offering only a sneer regarding the very sacrifices they are asking young men to make.

The seminaries that are booming, like Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md., St. Vincent in Latrobe, Pa., and St. Gregory the Great in Seward, Neb., are ones with a reputation for being faithful to the Magisterium.

4. Are there many strong and faithful families to draw from?

There are beautiful exceptions, but the rule is that priests come from committed Catholic families in which the father is an active player in the family’s faith.

These families are most common, we found, in places like the South and the Midwest, where the faith is relatively new and isn’t taken for granted, or is actually under attack.

In the Northeast, there are lots of Catholics – so many that the faith seems to have become part of the scenery. But wholesome families are more common in the Bible Belt, and Catholics are in a minority. They have had to endure the strange looks and the vigorous – or even vicious – arguments of those who think there’s something strange about being Catholic.

5. Do young men know and interact with priests?

“What do priests do, pray all day?” The priest’s life is largely a mystery to young men. Unless they meet and interact with priests – at parish functions, but also at dinner with their families – it may never occur to many young men that the priesthood is a life that would appeal to them.

The Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio, is one of many dioceses involved in Project Andrew, hosting dinners with priests and young men so that they can meet – and so that the all-important invitation can take place.

For many priests, serving at the altar was the first place they first came to know men who had been called and understood what the call entailed. Parishes should make sure that boys feel welcome at the altar, and that altar serving isn’t, in effect, girls-only.

6. Did young people in the area go to World Youth Day?

The World Youth Day factor is very real. Many men in seminary trace their enthusiasm back to a World Youth Day. These events give young people with high ideals a chance to see that the Church will allow them to have a big, positive impact on the world – one that lasts for eternity.

God has never stopped calling young men to commit their lives to him. But we have sometimes stopped listening as well as we could. As more dioceses adopt these highly effective habits, the vocations surge will only get stronger.

this article discovered here

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Luke 11:9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek

9The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Matthew 5:19
View in: NAB NJB Vulg Greek