Worth Revisiting - Life Is A Warfare, A Battle

Thank you Allison Gingras at Reconciled To You  and Elizabeth Riordan at Theology Is A Verb  for  hosting Catholic bloggers at Worth Revisiting. It is a privilege for us to share our work with you and your readers. Stop by for a visit now. 

 

Life Is A Warfare, A Battle

(Originally posted June 25, 2014)

[If we are to enjoy the Beatific Vision for all eternity, we must, as so many spiritual writers teach, first know and identify who our enemy is. Who seeks to sever our relationship with the Source of eternal life? Who is it that seeks our eternal damnation? How do we defeat this enemy? Father James F. McElhone, C.S.C answers these questions with some specific and sage advice about spiritual combat, prayer and the acquisition of virtue:]

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

 
“…to acquire any virtue, pray. Life is a warfare, a battle. The greatest battles have been fought, not on fields reddened with blood, but in the soul, where the battle is intensified by the powerful forces of good and evil striving for the priceless gift of God - the human soul. The history of the soul shows records of success and failure, for souls generation after generation have been fighting a battle that is constant, that death alone ends, and which is vitally important; a battle not against flesh and blood, not against brothers in Christ, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of darkness, against the wickedness of the archfiend, who holds at high command the very elements of daily life to wage the deadly conflict.

Eucharistic Reflection - So Near

If our nature or health doesn't allow us to think always about the Passion, since to do so would be arduous, who will prevent us from being with Him in His risen state? 

We have Him so near in the Blessed Sacrament, where He is already glorified and where we don't have to gaze upon Him as being so tired and worn out, bleeding, wearied by His journeys, persecuted by those for whom He did so much good...Certainly there is no one who can endure thinking all the time about the many trials He suffered. Behold Him here without suffering, full of glory...our companion in the most Blessed Sacrament.

(Saint Teresa of Avila from Interior Castle)

Book Review of Stirring Slumbering Souls - 250 Eucharistic Reflections by Mary Lothers

Every author writes in hopes of touching the mind and souls of those who read what he has put on paper. It is always humbling to receive feedback from those who have something to say after finishing your book. 

Here is what my fellow Lay Dominican sister and friend, Mary Lothers, had to say about Stirring Slumbering Souls - 250 Eucharistic Reflections:

"So many craddle Catholics have been fortunate enough to live their entire lives surrounded by beautiful examples of what it means to live their lives as TRULY practicing vs. à la cart Catholics. They openly and joyfully profess their love not just for Jesus Christ, but also for His Church.

So, what does it mean to BE Catholic? To live as one every single day? 

I'm reminded of a series of talks given by the Dominican friars in our parish several years ago. Some suggestions were made that we should fully embrace ALL THINGS that 'show' the world we are Catholic, such as never taking the Lord's name in vain, and never eating meat on Friday. If we were to fully - and wisely - follow the example of these wonderful priests, we would also dedicate a daily Holy Hour to Our Lord. 

Since I cannot claim to have faithfully followed all their advice, I will always welcome reminders, sometimes not sugar-coated, that will serve to bring me closer to Our Lord. And thus, I am so appreciative of Michael Seagriff's apostolate! As I see it, he loves Christ’s one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. He writes to draw souls into the loving embrace of an ever-present but often forgotten Lord. He challenges us to give God the love and reverence He deserves and to which He is entitled. 

As our brother in Christ, and often at the cost of relationships, he best honors God's glory by looking out for the 'salvation of souls' through the use of his writing gift. If we don't think that we need Adoration for our own sakes, for our own intentions or salvation, then let us go because HE asked that we "Watch One Hour" with Him. And let us go, so that we can set the example for those who must one day take our places.

 
Thank you, Mike, for watching with Our Lord and taking on the very difficult task of preaching to the choir. This book is extraordinary, so rich with hundreds of heartfelt quotes by so many of our Church's Fathers, Doctors, Saints, and Blesseds! 

There are so many decisions we each make daily that lead us towards or away from holiness. The saints were never perfect. But each day, aware of God's unconditional forgiveness and love, they set out to strive for holiness, and to love each other and God as He loves us. If we were not sure what role Eucharistic Adoration has played in the making of our saints,  Stirring, Slumbering Souls leaves ZERO doubt! 

Get your copy here.

Worth Revisiting - Listen Once Again to the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

Thank you Allison Gingras and Elizabeth Riordan for another opportunity to re-publish our favorite posts on Worth Revisiting.  

 

Go there now and be nourished spiritually. Be sure to visit Allison at Reconciled to You and Elizabeth at Theology Is A Verb during the rest of the week. You will be glad you stopped by.

 

This is what I decided to share:

Listen Once Again to the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
 
(Originally published July 24, 2012) 

There have always been prophets among us. Unfortunately, far too often we either do not hear them or intentionally ignore them. How different our Church and world might have been had we listened to Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The good news is that much of what he wrote still is readily accessible to anyone who wants to read what this often ignored messenger tried to share during his earthly life and what God is now allowing so many to re-discover and appreciate.  May more of us listen to this prophet. His wisdom and insight are timeless.

The following gem was quoted some time ago on Church Militant and is well worth sharing here:

“The world in which we live is the battleground of the Church. I believe that we are now living at the end of Christendom. It is the end of Christendom but not the end of Christianity. What is Christendom? It is the political, economic, moral, social, legal life of a nation as inspired by the gospel ethic. That is finished. Abortion, the breakdown of the family, dishonesty, even the natural virtues upon which the supernatural virtues are based, are being discredited. Christianity is not at an end. But we are at the end of Christendom. And I believe the sooner we face up to this fact, the sooner we will be able to solve many of our problems.

Thirty or forty years ago it was easy to be a Christian. The very air we breathed was Christian. Bicycles could be left on front lawns; doors could be left unlocked. Suddenly all this has changed; now we have to affirm our faith. We live in a world that challenges us. And many fall away. Dead bodies float downstream; it takes live bodies to resist the current. And this is our summons.

We will have to begin to be a different Church. We are for the moment on the trapeze. We are in between the death of an old civilization and culture, and the swing to the beginning of the new. These are the times in which we live. They are therefore wonderful days, marvelous; we should thank God we live in times like these.”

(Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen from Through the Year with Fulton Sheen: Inspirational Selections for Each Day of the Year)

Eucharistic Reflection - The Antidote to Erosion of Faith

"In my view the greatest challenge in our own age is the erosion of faith. Eucharistic Adoration can be seen as the antidote, the remedy, both personal and communal, to the weakening of faith.  We adore because we believe...In Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, we put these words into practice: “Lord, to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life”. In adoration, we recognize that the Lord is here in our midst and that He is the Holy One of God...

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The beautiful experience of adoration increases our faith and it also increases our love. There are so many fruits of Eucharistic adoration; vocations to the priesthood and religious life flourish when there is adoration. Adoration should also lead us to a greater love of our brothers and sisters, especially those who are most forgotten, marginalized; the poor, the elderly, unborn children in their mothers’ womb...And finally adoration leads to joy...

My brothers and sisters, how many saints in the history of the Church found their joy and their strength in Eucharistic Adoration. We need to follow the same path."

(Archbishop Charles Brown)