Feb 25 Tue - Is there life forever?

 

Feb 25 Tue
Is there life forever?
Four reasons that make conceivable –from the point of view of philosophy- the existence of eternal life.

In the first place, not believing in eternal life seems irrational to me. It makes no sense that if we feel good about ourselves by doing a good deed, we would no longer feel good about sacrificing our lives for someone else. It would be illogical for an act of such heroism, selflessness, and detachment to be paid for in such an unfair way, with sadness.

Especially since we rejoice every time we act with generosity, justice, and responsibility. Let us think about this carefully, because we can draw some truly worthy conclusions.

If many security agents -police and military included- stopped believing in the afterlife, they would abandon their vocation to protect us, because if the risk they run -for our benefit- were paid in such an unfair way (with a paltry salary only), it would make no sense for them to get into a mess of such proportions.

Many people who are not seriously practicing their Christian faith -and even some who declare themselves agnostic- have admitted to me that, if they were on the threshold of death, they would confess “just in case”. This attitude, although not ideal (since we have to be prepared at all times, not knowing the day or the hour of our death), reveals that there is a fear of eternal damnation -a panic of emptiness (known as horror vacui)- which speaks very much in favor of the existence of the Kingdom of Heaven forever as an alternative.

“The resurrection of the flesh” is also a natural desire of man, a yearning proper to man. Yet if we looked at the resurrection as something irrational, it would generate frustration. This is what he called ‘the tragic feeling of life’. The Word made flesh wanted to live in the flesh, and when death came to him, He went through the resurrection of the flesh. Thus, we must understand that this desire, proper to people, is in itself a quite rational argument for believing in God.

As St Augustine describes: “‘And they shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.’ What shall be your delights? Peace shall be your gold. Peace shall be your silver. Peace shall be your lands. Peace shall be your life, your God, Peace. Peace shall be to you whatsoever you desire..."

Thirdly, St. Thomas Aquinas, in the fifth of his Five Ways, helped us to see that all things have a purpose, but that, if we ask ourselves about the ultimate end of everything, we run out of questions and end up having to admit the existence of some intelligent being by whom all things are ordered to their end, and this being we call God, the only One to create the universe with an ultimate purpose.

The fourth way of St. Thomas is that of the degrees of perfection. This consists in the fact that all things exist with a certain degree of perfection (an amount of goodness, truth, beauty, etc.), so there must be Someone who possesses all these things to the highest degree, to which all other beings can be compared and measured to, and in which they participate.

Some excerpts from Ignacio Crespí de Valldaura

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Feb 24 Mon - How should Christian families deal with the woke culture?

 

Feb 24 Mon
How should Christian families deal with the woke culture?
6 points from Spanish Bishop Munilla on how Christian families should deal with ‘the new re-set or world order.’

‘What is after death’ has been replaced by ‘What are you doing at the weekend’. A vision of freedom is praised above all else, but men want to be women -and vice versa-, even if no one knows how to define them. Desire has replaced will, and laws are no longer intended for the common good. Whoever does not agree, will be ‘cancelled’.

But can a ‘simple’ family do anything in the face of the total disengagement of the modern world?

According to the Spanish bishop the families ‘are the true and last refuge of freedom’ for the world.

Here is a list of strategies:

1. Resist.
The problem is that they occur without any resistance. We have lost the critical capacity to react. We must recover it; it is good to read, to be formed.

2. Instead of ‘don’t count on me’, promote alliance.
There are two dominant doctrines - capitalism and Marxism - as the main agents at war against the family.
Capitalism, he said, prefers to have consumer individuals instead of families, that tend to be austere, who know how to consume what they need and do not need what they consume.
Marxism prefers to have as its interlocutor an easily manipulated individual, without tradition or family. Thus, he concluded, alliance should be opposed to disinterestedness; a strong family is like a free State.

3. Moving from criticism to self-examination: If there is a crisis, it is because there are no saints.
Not everything is the ‘fault’ of others. The Bishop affirms that ‘if there had been more saints, this crisis could not have happened’.
The great crisis of secularization is also explained by the little strength of our convictions. If we had lived the message of Christ with more holiness, it would hardly have invaded us so easily. What we have is a crisis of holiness, he said.

4. Do not be complacent: it is not about I get married -or ordained- and then, no worries, I live my life.
The universal call to sanctity implies living in a continuous state of revision and conversion, as opposed to being satisfied with being converted or educated as a Christian. Love has to be reconquered day by day and has to call us to holiness: Priority on the sanctification of the family.

5. Apostolic families are urgently needed.
Christian marriage does not consist in looking each other in the face, but also in both of us looking in the same direction, and thinking about the extension of the kingdom of God. The apostolic character of the family is one of the most important indicators of its spiritual health.

6. The power of prayer.
Families must trust in the power of God, of grace, and of prayer as an indispensable tool: We need families who pray together, turn into prayer their getting together, and who know that they receive strength from it. Children do not need super-parents, but parents who may be weak and fragile, but who love each other and love God. That love will bring them strength and grace.

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Feb 23 Sun - Must I love my enemies?

 

Feb 23 Sun
Must I love my enemies?
Today, in the Gospel, it would appear that the demands that Christ makes on our charity are anything but easy. Loving one’s enemies is asking a lot. Blessing them and praying for them might be all right for St. Francis but expecting it of us seems to be going too far. Asking for a blow on the second cheek while the first is still twinging with pain seems fit only for a martyr. Not to try to take back what was stolen from us looks very foolish. Yet it was Christ who made all these demands.

However, before we give up in despair, and decide that this type of Christianity is not for us, let us look a little more closely at the demands that are made. To love our enemy does not mean we must throw our arms about him every time we meet him (he would not let us anyway!).

It means we must do all in our power to rid our minds of any hatred of him, and try to see the good that is in him. Not judging and condemning are included here.

We are sinful beings, thus limited and very prone to error. We often fail to see in our neighbor the real man as God sees him. God can see a lot of goodness even now on justly convicted robbers and murderers in our jails. And perhaps He may see them as future citizens of heaven.

Not demanding back what was unjustly taken from us does not mean that we may not have recourse to the legal or other means available to us for obtaining compensation in such cases. What it does forbid is personal (generally forceful) restoration of our rights and property.

Another consoling point to bear in mind is that the vast majority of our fellowmen have no inclination to injure us or take our property and will never do so. If we feel we have a lot of enemies only waiting for the chance to pounce on us, we would do well to examine our consciences very carefully and then look for the many good points there are in our neighbor’s character.

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, life for life” was the practice amongst the Jews at the time of Christ and for centuries before. Christ sets up the “golden rule” of fraternal charity in place of this law. Every man should truly love his neighbor for he is his brother.

What is more, Christ’s mission on earth has made our neighbor a son of God and an heir to heaven. Our chief interest in him must therefore be a spiritual interest. If he offends us, he offends God which is much more serious. Our charity should help him to seek God’s forgiveness. That he should seek ours is of very minor importance in comparison with that.

We must not respond to evil with evil, as that would lead to revenge. Since God has forgiven us, instead, we should seize every opportunity to serve those towards whom we may feel displeasure, doing so wholeheartedly. It is important to pray for them with a spirit of generosity. The essence of Christ's Law is charity, and we truly embody this charity when we lovingly tolerate the burdens of our brothers and sisters.

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Feb 22 Sat - Why do we celebrate today the Chair of St. Peter?

 

Feb 22 Sat
Why do we celebrate today the Chair of St. Peter?
Tradition tells us that for a time Peter lived at Antioch. There he preached the gospel of Christ until a bloody persecution interrupted his ministry. King Herod had beheaded James, and he proceeded to arrest Peter also. St Luke tells us that, Peter was being kept in prison, but prayer was being made to God for him by the Church without ceasing.

After the St Peter had been freed by an angel, he left Palestine and went to another place. Sacred Scripture does not say where the Apostle went. Tradition, however, informs us that he went to Rome, the then capital of the world, so that the light of truth, which had been revealed for the salvation of all nations, might be spread more effectively throughout the whole body of the world, beginning at its very head.

Far away were those days when Simon Peter was fishing on the Sea of Tiberias; when Christ asked him to abandon his fishing boat and sent him into wider seas, at the helm of a much greater ship. To carry out this mission, our Lord promised his divine assistance: ‘I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail, and once you have recovered, you in your turn must strengthen your brothers.’

Jesus Christ promised St. Peter a specific authority over the Church. Christ, the Head of the Church, the “living stone” (1 Pt 2:4), assured his Church (built upon Peter) victory over the powers of death. Peter, Jesus said, will have the mission of guarding the faith and confirming his brothers in the same faith.

The fisherman of Galilee established his see in the city of Rome. After the Ascension, Peter immediately exercised the primacy, acting as head of the apostles. Peter passed on this power received from Jesus Christ to his successors, the bishops of Rome.

The unanimous Tradition of the Church holds that this succession is found only in “the bishops of the holy Roman See, which he established and consecrated with his blood. Therefore, whoever succeeds Peter in this Chair holds Peter’s primacy over the whole Church according to the plan of Christ himself.” This has always been the Catholic faith, manifested in the Church’s history.

Thus, the pope is the visible source and foundation of the unity of the Church, both among the bishops, and among the faithful.

The tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, underneath the altar of St Peter's Basilica, reminds us in a visible, material way, that Simon Peter is the strong, sure, immovable rock upon which the Lord built the entire Church, to last for all time.

St Peter received from Christ the mission of watching over the purity of doctrine and the customs of his brothers and sisters in the faith; plus, the power of explaining –with the special assistance of the Holy Spirit– the truths contained in Revelation.

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Feb 21 Fri - How should I read the Bible?

 

Feb 21 Fri
How should I read the Bible?
Sixteen Bible-Reading Rules Everyone Should Know (Plus One)_

Begin with the New Testament, with the four Gospels. Read attentively for a few minutes, and leave a marker to begin the next day. Bible study can be tough, but if we can’t resolve a difficulty at the present moment, it doesn’t mean that the Bible is in error or that it is uninspired. It just means we don’t know how to resolve that difficulty.

Rule 1: The Bible’s human authors were not divine stenographers.
Everything asserted in Scripture is asserted by the Holy Spirit, but God allowed the human authors of Scripture to incorporate their own words, ideas, and worldviews into the sacred texts.

Rule 2: The Bible’s human authors were not writing scientific textbooks.
Scripture does not assert a scientific description of the world, so details in the Bible that utilize “the language of appearances” are not erroneous.

Rule 3: The Bible contains many different literary styles.
Some of these communicate true, historical facts using poetic, nonliteral language.

Rule 4: Check the original language. Some Scripture passages are only difficult because they have been mistranslated.

Rule 5: The Bible is a witness to history.
Ancient nonbiblical historians could have made mistakes or failed to record events.

Rule 6: Read it in context! Sometimes biblical passages only sound bad because they are isolated from their original context.

Rule 7: Consult a reliable commentary.

Rule 8: Evaluate Scripture against the whole of divine revelation.
Interpret Scripture in light of what God has revealed in Natural Law and through his Church in the form of Sacred Tradition and the teaching office of the Magisterium.

Rule 9: Differing descriptions do not equal contradictions.

Rule 10: Incomplete is not inaccurate.
Just because the sacred author did not record something another author recorded does not mean his text is in error.

Rule 11: Only the original texts are inspired, not their copies or translations.

Rule 12: The burden of proof is on the critic, not the believer.
If a critic alleges that Scripture is in error, he has the burden of proving that is the case. If the believer even shows a possible way of resolving the text, then the critic’s objection that there is an intractable contradiction is refuted.

Rule 13: When the Bible talks about God, it does so in a nonliteral way.
Because God is so unlike us, Scripture must speak about him with anthropomorphic language that should not be taken literally.

Rule 14: Just because the Bible records it, doesn’t mean God recommends it.

Rule 15: Just because the Bible regulates it doesn’t mean God recommends it.
God progressively revealed himself to mankind over several centuries. During this progression, the authors of Scripture regulated sinful practices to help God’s people eventually reject them in the future.

Rule 16: Life is a gift from God and He has complete authority over it.

As our discussion draws to a close, I’d like to leave you with one last rule:
Give God’s word the benefit of the doubt.

Illustration: Medieval manuscript of the Bible.

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Feb 20 Thu - How should I participate in the Mass?

 

Feb 20 Thu
How should I participate in the Mass?
Our Mother the Church wants us to attend Mass, not as strangers or passive spectators. We must try to understand it better each time, and participate in a conscious, pious, and active manner, with the right dispositions and cooperating with divine grace. Our participation must be both internal and external.

Internal participation.

Since the sacrifice of the Mass is the same as the sacrifice of Calvary, they have the same fourfold purpose:

• To adore the Blessed Trinity. The sacrifice of the cross was first of all a sacrifice of adoration and praise of God. Although the Mass is sometimes offered “in honor and memory of the saints, the Church teaches us that the Mass is not offered to the saints but to God alone, who has given them their crown.”
    
• To give thanks for the many benefits we receive from God, including those which we are not aware of. Only Christ our Lord can offer God a worthy hymn of thanksgiving. He did so when he gave thanks in the Last Supper and when hanging on the cross, he continued to give thanks. Our Lord continues to thank God the Father for us in the holy sacrifice of the Mass.
    
• To ask pardon for our sins and for the many times we have not loved God as we should. This desire for expiation and atonement should lead us to make a good confession. The same Christ who died on the cross for our sins is present and offered in the Mass so that sins may be forgiven.
    
• Petition, to ask for the many spiritual and material things we need. Jesus Christ on the cross died offering prayers and supplications and was heard because of his reverent obedience, and now in heaven lives always to make intercession for us. These graces benefit those who attend Holy Mass and the persons for whom it is offered.
    
These should be our thoughts and intentions at every Mass that we attend, uniting ourselves with Christ and making his desires and sentiments on the cross our own.
    
External participation.

• Attend the Mass with a spirit of prayer, praying as the Church teaches us, avoiding distractions. Be one with the words, actions, and gestures of the celebrant who acts in the person of Christ. Give up personal preferences; accept the option that the pastor, considering the circumstances of the people in each community, has chosen from among the legitimate possibilities that the liturgy offers us.
    
• Listen, answer, acclaim, sing, or keep opportune silence to facilitate union with God and deepen our reflection on the word of God. All the faithful present, whether clergy or laity, participate together, each in his way.

• Stand, sit, and kneel with the congregation, and be serene when you see someone who does not do so.
    
• Be punctual. This is a considerate detail for Christ our Lord himself and those attending the Mass. Arrive before the priest goes to the altar. Leave only after the priest has left.
    
• Dress properly, as for an important meeting and not as if we are going to play sports.

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Feb 19 Wed - Does God Exist?

 

Feb 19 Wed
Does God Exist?
We cannot know God in His essence. He is beyond us and is unfathomable. But we can know God by seeing His actions in our lives, and in the world. Look at His attributes. Look at His works. Look at what He has done in your life, and in the lives of others. He is Omnipotent, All-Knowing, All-Loving, and bestows all that is good in superabundance.

Knowing that we can never fully comprehend the perfection of God is the first step in coming to know Him more intimately. Humble yourself, this day, before the great mystery of our God, and let His untouchable nature touch you in your heart.

God revealed his name to his people, Israel. A person’s name expresses his essence, identity, and sense of his life. God has a Name. He is not merely “an anonymous force.”

“Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

He is faithful and compassionate; He remembers his people and promises; He comes to liberate his people from slavery. Since God is almighty and loves his people beyond space and time, He will use all his might for this purpose.

According to Card. Sarah, there is a crisis of faith in today’s world and it is now at “the deepest and most crucial” point. But it is man, and not God who has “died” in the West: “The West is experiencing a profound identity crisis in which man, in his truth and beauty, seems no longer to be aware of his dignity and his vocation to happiness, to the fulfillment of his personal being.”

The cardinal also noted that “it is obvious that all this has remote roots, starting from the substitution of the Augustinian ‘Amo ergo sum’ (‘I love, therefore I am’) with the Cartesian ‘Cogito ergo sum’ (‘I think, therefore I am’), thus depriving man of that healthy relationship with reality on which the knowledge of one’s being, is founded.”

“The crucial point is fidelity, over time, to the task that God has assigned to us. In an increasingly hostile cultural context, with the fragmentation of relationships, which does not allow us to perceive the support and warmth of a believing community, it is increasingly difficult to live the radical nature of the Gospel.”

Regarding those who leave the Catholic Church, the African cardinal lamented that “those who leave are always making a mistake. They are making a mistake because they abandon their Mother, and they commit a dangerous act of pride, setting themselves up as judges of the Church.”

“Sometimes not everything is immediately understandable, and some things may seem completely inappropriate, some not adequately considered, even some pastorally unfounded or harmful; despite all this, this does not authorize them to leave.”

Talk to God in your prayer; tell Him: Lord, You and Your ways are beyond me. Yet in the mystery of Your divine presence, I come to know You. Help me Lord, as I ponder Your divine essence, to be drawn into a deeper love of You. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Feb 18 Tue - Why do things happen?

 

Feb 18 Tue
Why do things happen?
God has absolute dominion over all creatures. Nothing happens without being wanted or allowed by God.

By faith, we know that God's Will extends to every circumstance of our life. Where many people see nothing but coincidence or chance, or even wonder whether they are at the mercy of blind fate, we Christians know that God's fatherly care, his most lovable will, his Providence, is directing everything that happens to us. “History is not the result of blind forces or chance; it is the manifestation of our Father God's mercy. God's thoughts are above our thoughts, as Scripture says."

Providence is the name we give to the care God shows in watching over us and giving each thing the direction it should take. Thus, everything that happens providentially must happen in the best possible way. “Hence trust in God means having faith, no matter what happens, going beyond appearances. The Love of God - whose love for us is eternal - lies behind every event, though, at times, in a manner that is hidden from us."

Our firm belief that God is caring for us leads us to be patient. “Things are never as we want them to be, but as God's providence allows: we must accept them gladly, no matter how they appear. If we see God behind everything, we will always be happy and peaceful and never get upset. That's how we show that our life is prayer."

We are right to trust completely in our Father God. We may not always understand why certain things happen; we may not grasp why they should be so, especially when they don't fit in with our way of thinking; but it is then that we need to offer filial surrender, abandoning ourselves to God's hands like a child who knows that his father always gives him what is best.

Sometimes a child is attracted by things that could do him harm; and his father, even though he knows the child is going to be disappointed, has to say no. The child may not understand, but it is for his own good. Everything that happens to us is good and right for us: for those who love God all things work together for the good.

If God's Providence encompasses all creatures, even the birds of the air, how much more watchful will He be over us, who have been chosen from all eternity? “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you." Our calling, our Christian vocation, is God's doing. He arranged everything with gentleness and strength. So gentle was He that He hardly allowed himself to be seen behind the chain of events that led up to it. Nevertheless, he definitively came into our lives, overcoming all resistance, and changing the plans we might have made for our future.

It matters little whether our Lord called us in this particular way or that. The decisive fact is that He has called us. Our Christian vocation is an extraordinary proof of the action of God's Providence in the life of each one of us. This fills us with security and confidence, as we realize that our weaknesses do not prevent us from committing ourselves, since “God usually seeks out deficient instruments so that the work can more clearly be seen to be his."
Illustration: Christ healing the Gerasene Demoniac, ancient ivory.

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Feb 17 Mon - Should my hope rest on the belief in eternal life?

 

Feb 17 Mon
Should my hope rest on the belief in eternal life?
One of the primary foundational roots of Christian hope is the belief that we are not meant to live forever on earth, but eternally with God.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1817).

Hope directs our glance beyond ourselves and invites us to look forward to the eternal reward God has prepared for us in Heaven.

In Hebrew, the word qavah conveys hope as a form of waiting. Like a cord being pulled tight, it implies a sense of tension and expectation. It is not a passive, idle waiting but an active anticipation rooted in trust.

This tension acknowledges the reality of struggle while firmly holding onto the certainty of God’s faithfulness. He will give us the patience required to sustain that hope.

Isaiah 40:31 captures this beautifully: “But they who wait (qavah) for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Here, qavah emphasizes the transformative power of waiting for God. It is a hope that energizes us, even amid fatigue and struggle.

Pope Benedict XVI reflects on this aspect of Christian hope in his encyclical, “Spe Salvi", by connecting it to baptism:

“Today as in the past, this is what being baptized, becoming Christians, is all about: it is not just an act of socialization within the community, not simply a welcome into the Church. The parents expect that faith, in the Church and her sacraments, will give life to their child –eternal life.”

Yet, many of us have doubts about eternity, as Pope Benedict XVI points out:

“Faith is the substance of hope. But then the question arises: do we really want this –to live eternally? Perhaps many people reject the faith today simply because they do not find the prospect of eternal life attractive. What they desire is not eternal life at all, but this present life, for which faith in eternal life seems something of an obstacle.”

Pope Benedict XVI believed that the key to Christian hope is to long for Heaven, seeing it as a destination that gives us pure joy:

“We can only attempt to grasp the idea that heaven is life in the full sense, a plunging ever anew into the vastness of being, in which we are simply overwhelmed with joy. This is how Jesus expresses it in Saint John's Gospel: ‘I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you’ (16:22). We must think along these lines if we want to understand the object of Christian hope, to understand what it is that our faith, our being with Christ, leads us to expect.”

To cultivate Christian hope in our lives, we need to look forward to that day when we will be united fully with Jesus Christ.

It will not be a day of sadness, but one of pure and inexpressible joy, a joy we will experience for all eternity.
Excerpts from Philip Kosloski

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Feb 16 Sun - Should I practice detachment?

 

Feb 16 Sun
Should I practice detachment?
People had come from all over Israel to hear what Our Lord had to say. He ‘looked’ at his disciples and announced that they would be repaid with great blessings in heaven if they suffered any evil for Him.

To enter the Kingdom of heaven, we must be detached from riches.
Riches certainly include money and property, but also pertain to everything we value: talent, skill, knowledge, appearance, family, and friends.
Jesus instructs his disciples to prefer him to everything and everyone.

We must be willing to set all these good things aside so as not to be hindered in our pursuit of perfect charity.
Why? Because in this life, we must seek the true good, even if it requires sacrifice. If God’s Will is our goal, then the goods of creation are subordinate to that and are either a means to that end or in opposition to it.
 
Detachment from goods helps us understand the beatitude “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Those who have renounced all their “goods” now see everything as a gift from God and as belonging to Him, not our own property.

Christ, being God, is the origin and the “owner” of every possible good, yet for our sakes he became poor.
Christ grieves over the rich because they find their consolation in the abundance of goods.

To live the virtue of detachment from goods when we feel their sting, we can adopt the aspiration, “All that is mine is yours” (Lk 15:31). These are the words of the father of the prodigal son, to his older, faithful son. When we say them to God, they have two meanings.

First, it is the truth, everything I think is mine, actually comes from God. So literally, “All that is mine is yours.”
Second, it is the offering of every entrusted to me back to God. Thus, it is like saying:

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.

To become detached from goods, while simultaneously serving others, we can give alms; this includes our time, talents, and wealth.

Another way to grow in detachment is through passive mortifications, accepting and offering to God those evils that come upon us. They can be tiny pinpricks or significant sufferings. They can be anything we get that we don’t want.
 
Active mortifications are things we do voluntarily that go against our basic wishes to enjoy pleasure and avoid pain or to enhance our pride.

“That joke, that witty remark held on the tip of your tongue; the cheerful smile for those who annoy you; that silence when you’re unjustly accused; your friendly conversation with people whom you find boring and tactless; the daily effort to overlook one irritating detail or another in the persons who live with you . . . this, with perseverance, is indeed solid interior mortification."

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Feb 15 Sat - Should I strengthen my character?

 

Feb 15 Sat
Should I strengthen my character?
In the pilgrimage of our present life, we will always have temptations, for it is through them that we make progress. No one knows himself unless he is tempted; no one can be crowned unless he has conquered; no one can conquer unless he has struggled; and no one can struggle unless he is tempted or has an enemy.

Without struggle, there will be no victory, no peace. For “victory and peace cannot be attained if loyalty and resolve to win the combat are lacking.” Supernatural peace is generated by grace, but our full response is needed, and this presupposes a strong, mature, well-developed personality for its foundation.

One’s character is the set of psychic, and spiritual qualities that shape the way of being of each one. From a Christian perspective, one’s character is not to be shaped by an ideal standard, but by the living model of Jesus Christ; it is a matter of love. All these elements around a person do not determine entirely one’s character. The will and one’s freedom play a decisive role in forming one’s character.

“Don't say, ‘That's the way I'm made..., it's my character.’ It's your lack of character.” No one is born with their character already shaped; character is formed over the course of a lifetime through the repetition of certain acts, the fostering of good dispositions, and the determination to cut out what must be cut out. Together with these human means, one needs a trusting abandonment into the will of God, our almighty Father.

Our Lord uses difficulties and temptations to strengthen our character. We fight against discouragement and bravely struggle, relying on God's strength. The determination not to give in but to keep struggling does not mean we have to be insensitive to sorrow and tiredness. What is needed is a sufficient reason to respond to grace: to love, believe, and hope.

The education of character is not a task for some period of one’s life; it is accomplished continuously within ordinary life, through small actions and right choices.

Nothing worthwhile is achieved simply based on initial enthusiasm. "What good are plants that blossom and then quickly wither? St John Chrysostom asks. Our Lord requires the steadfast endurance of his followers." We must pursue our goal resolutely, and patiently, using the right means to attain it.

"Will-power. -Energy. -Example. -What has to be done, is done... Without wavering... Without giving in to human respect." If we are not decisive, we cannot go far in our interior life, apostolate, or work. Saint Josemaría reminded us: "‘Pray that I may never be satisfied with what is easy.’ -I have prayed. Now what's needed is for you to carry out that fine resolution."

"We need to grow in strength of character, in fortitude, for we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. We need to cultivate serene courage, and flexible, intelligent daring."

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Feb 14 Fri - What is the specific way for lay people to participate in the mission of the Church?

 

Feb 14 Fri
What is the specific way for lay people to participate in the mission of the Church?
The apostolic mission is the concern of all the faithful of the Church.
Christ passed on to the apostles a triple office, or authority (in Latin munus; plural munera): the office of sanctifying, the office of teaching, and the office of ruling. All Christians must make the faith known, spread Christ’s teaching, and bring all people under the mantle of the Church.

However, there are specific tasks for each segment of the faithful within the Church; today we will refer to the tasks of the laypeople.

SANCTIFYING
The Church participates in Christ’s priesthood, mainly through the sacraments. The lay people, by the common priesthood (also called baptismal priesthood) of all the faithful, actively participate in the sacraments in their proper way.

All the lay people have the duty of working for the spread of the divine plan of salvation to all men. All their works, prayers and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of body and mind, if they are accomplished in the Spirit –indeed even the hardships of life if patiently borne– all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. In the Eucharist, these works are most fittingly offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. Thus, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, leading people to the sacraments.

TEACHING
The laity –part of the Church– also teaches, announcing Christ with their words, and the testimony of their lives. Thus, they teach their children, relatives, and friends so that the power of the Gospel may shine out in daily family and social life.

Lay people with sufficient knowledge may impart catechetical formation, teach the sacred sciences, and collaborate in the means of social communication. According to their knowledge, they also have the right and the duty to manifest to the pastors (and to the other faithful) their views on matters that concern the good of the Church, always respecting the integrity of faith and morals.

This evangelization by the lay people acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world.

Married and family life have a special importance in this prophetic office of the Church. In it, the married partners have their proper vocation: they must be witnesses of faith and love of Christ to one another and to their children.

Therefore, even when occupied by temporal affairs, the laity can, and must, do valuable work for the evangelization of the world.

RULING
Because of their special vocation, it belongs to the laity to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs (business, politics…) and directing them according to God’s will.

The laity is given this special vocation: to make the Church present and fruitful in those places and circumstances where it is only through them that she can become the salt of the earth.

By their competence in secular disciplines, they must work earnestly so that created goods may serve the utility of all men. By so doing they impregnate their family, culture, and human works with a moral value.

If appointed to certain ecclesiastical offices (for tasks that do not require priestly ordination), the laity can also collaborate in the hierarchy's mission.

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