Oct 24 Sat
Is it necessary to frequent the Sacraments?
Jesus opened up broad new channels for God's grace to reach us, among them, the sacraments. They foster our interior struggle and help us advance in the Christian life.
“The grace that flows from Christ's open side reaches us through these seven divine channels; through them the Head communicates his grace to the rest of the Mystical Body."
Do you want to be strong? First, realize you are weak. Then trust in Christ, who is both Father and Brother, and who makes us strong by giving us the means to conquer: the sacraments.
“All the sacraments are ordered toward the Eucharist, where we receive Christ himself: his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity."
In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus gives himself to us as food. Because He comes to us, everything is changed. Our being acquires new strength—the assistance of the Holy Spirit—which fills our soul, affects all our actions, and shapes our way of thinking and feeling.
Thus, we become divinized. We live a supernatural life, and the virtues and gifts received in Baptism grow to completion.
Together with the sacraments, we have other means for progressing in holiness: prayer and mortification.
The Second Vatican Council asserts: If charity is to grow and bear fruit in the soul like good seed, each of the faithful must willingly hear the word of God and carry out His will with deeds, with the help of His grace; they must frequently partake of the sacraments, chiefly the Eucharist, and take part in the liturgy; they must constantly apply themselves to prayer, self-denial, active brotherly service and the practice of all the virtues.
Prayer and mortification are indispensable for preparing our souls to receive God's grace. By prayer we identify our will with God's. “If God is life for us, we should not be surprised to realize that our very existence as Christians must be interwoven with prayer. But don't imagine that prayer is an action to be carried out and then forgotten. Somehow, our whole day can be a time of prayer –from night to morning and from morning to night."
We pray to become enkindled, seeking God's strength to fulfill everything He wants of us. Therefore, “our life of prayer should also be based on some moments that are dedicated exclusively to our conversation with God, moments of silent dialogue, before the tabernacle, if possible, to thank our Lord for having waited for us –so often alone– for twenty centuries."
“This heart-to-heart dialogue with God is mental prayer, in which the whole soul takes part; intelligence, imagination, memory and will are all involved. It is a meditation that helps to give supernatural value to our poor human life, with all its everyday occurrences."
And along with prayer, mortification. “Mortification is so important for us, so much a condition for our effectiveness."
Anyone who wants to fight has to use the available means, which have not changed in twenty centuries of Christianity. They are prayer, mortification, and frequent use of the sacraments. Since mortification is also prayer –prayer of the senses– we can sum up these means in two words: prayer and sacraments.