Several posts ago, I shared the 4 Simple Steps to Holiness. Today, I am going to focus upon Step 3–Growing in Virtue each Day. The beginning of growth in virtue comes from a place of humility and understanding of oneself. This self-knowledge needs to be well-formed in light of Scripture and Church teaching so that we may honestly see our predominant weaknesses and then be able to cultivate the virtues necessary to overcome those weaknesses. The struggle to know oneself is a great challenge, but there are two parts that we need to be attentive–both our human formation and our […]
life
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Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG) is the Latin motto of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), a male religious order in the Roman Catholic Church founded by St Ignatius of Loyola. AMDG means “For the Greater Glory of God”, and it effectively encapsulates the charism and ministry efforts of the Jesuit order–that all be done for God’s glory. Today, July 31st, is the day of the year that the Catholic Church remembers and celebrates the evangelization efforts of St Ignatius and the Jesuits as well as their contributions to the Church since their founding in 1540. The Jesuits were key […]
Yesterday and today, I had the privilege of spending time in conversation with candidates from our parish who are preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation in a couple of weeks during their “Exit Interviews.” The interviews have a two-fold purpose: 1) to allow the candidates an opportunity to share their Discipleship Assessment and Plan of Life which lays out how they intend to continue to live out their life of discipleship after they are confirmed; and 2) to share their experiences of discovering Christ in the midst of performing corporal and spiritual works of mercy during their preparation. It’s […]
Yesterday, I shared the 4 Simple Steps to Holiness, and promised that I would elaborate about each of the steps in the days ahead, so today I will talk a bit more about the foundation of all things in the spiritual life–daily prayer and meditation. Time with our Lord is the key if we are going to be transformed into saints. Why? Pretty simple. You become who you spend time with. We all know that we are influenced by our environment–the people, places and things that we are surrounded by, day in, day out. For example, you want to become […]
Ever wondered why many people in our society today claim to be spiritual, but not religious? Much research has been about this, but I think it’s actually fairly simple–people no longer have adequate fear of the Lord. What is fear of the Lord? According to Blessed Fr. John Hardon, SJ, fear of the Lord: “… inspires a person with profound respect for the majesty of God. Its corresponding effects are protection from sin through dread of offending the Lord, and a strong confidence in the power of His help. The fear of the Lord is not servile but filial. It […]
“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” — St. Augustine This quote by St Augustine has made its rounds in various forms throughout the years since Augustine first wrote it back in the 4th century. However, the truth of it has never wavered. I have periodically shared this quote with folks, but usually in the context of encouraging them to do the work necessary and not simply wait on the Holy Spirit to take care of whatever situation or task they are doing. In this case, though, I am taking the opposite tact […]
Today, I read an article and saw a video that depicted the spread of Christianity for the last 2000 years. (I’ll paste a link to the article and video below) As I watched the video, I was struck by the reality of how the Gospel spread across the world throughout the centuries, even before the advent of all the communications methods like phones, radio, television, internet, and social media that are so commonplace today. Before modern communications, individuals simply shared the joy of the Good News with each other in a very simple, but profoundly powerful way. How? By sharing […]
The freedom to choose and exercise our will is what makes us human beings. No other creatures on this earth have this capacity. Our world is increasingly made up of choices–about what we buy, eat, watch, listen, read, etc.–I mean, really, how many options do we need to have for our coffee in the morning? Yet, an unintended consequence of all the choices around us, is we become overwhelmed, and an inertia slowly develops that gradually paralyzes us and eventually decreases our ability to make any choices. The unnamed evil of our times is acedia, or sloth, which is not […]
I am now 10 days into my commitment to blog for 30 days in a row, and I thought it was important to share with those of you who have joined me for this journey to know why I am blogging. Primarily, it is rooted in my experience during the last thirty years of encountering countless numbers of people who are going through life, but are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, unfulfilled, and believe that their life has made little difference in the world, and/or that they have missed out on their life’s true purpose. They are restless and searching for something, […]