Learn from The Imitation of Christ. Seek the Kingdom of Heaven through contempt of the world. Everything in this world is passing; the ashes remind us of this. Nothing in this world can compare with God's grace. So, what must you change so that you can grow in God's grace and get to Heaven? Fix your gaze upon the Crucifix. May Christ Crucified be the last thing you see before you fall asleep.
Like fasting, prayer makes satisfaction for sins, protects us from the enemies of our soul, and obtains grace from God. Prayer is offering God our homage and imploring His favors in order to grow in holiness for His glory. It ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering and accompanied with great reverence. Practice the Presence of God, have a set time to prayer, and use traditional prayer books. Look to three great examples of prayer in Our Lord's life: His time in the desert, His agony in Gethsemane, His death on the Cross.
We must always adore Christ - that is at the center of our holy religion. We just die to our self love and offer Him our body, mind and heart. Yet no one can truly adore Christ without adoring His holy Cross. Our love of God is weak because our love of the Cross is weak and our rejection of the Cross all too frequent. Attachment to the world and love of self are so strong in us, that we must unceasingly strive to purify ourselves by fasting, prayer and almsgiving. This is the only way to grow in our love [...]
Consider Bl. Miriam of Jesus Crucified (+1878) as a type for the Church. God allowed the devil to possess this Carmelite mystic for forty days as a victim soul. She suffered terribly but never sinned as God preserved her soul in grace. Could Holy Mother Church presently be enduring a similar trial? The Church has so many failures and is seemingly possessed, yet she remains the holy and immaculate Bride of Christ. This has caused a breakdown in authority. All faithful souls feel a certain aloneness as they struggle to defend their fortress. We need great patience, perseverance and fortitude to [...]
We should obviously be careful in regards to preventing the spread of the coronavirus by practicing proper hygiene. Those who are sick should not come to Mass – out of charity to others. The history of past flus, such as the Spanish Flu (1918) or Swine Flu (2009), should serve as warnings that these diseases can be deadly. Yet more importantly, we should employ spiritual means to combat such diseases: holy water, blessed palms, scapulars, the St. Benedict Medal and processions to name a few. Churches should be open, Holy Mass available, and public prayer encouraged. Above all, this is a [...]
St. John of the Cross explains that we need two kinds of purgation to make it to the higher levels of holiness and ultimately Heaven. Active purgation is taking on voluntary penances so as to overcome ourselves, as we do in Lent. But, truth be told, we are too weak, too slow and too small of soul in performing such penances. So, God provides the needed cleansing though passive purgation. God normally does this by allowing us to undergo various trials through our neighbors, attacks by the devils, and natural disasters, war, famine, and plagues. The soul that loves God will [...]
Many people are presently very concerned over the coronavirus. This is natural. However, by far the deadliest 'virus' is sin. We should be far more concerned about the state of our soul, resisting the capital sins, and avoiding the terrible sins of blasphemy, heresy and impurity so rampant in our world. If you are not, there is something very wrong with you. Closing churches and limiting our access to the sacraments and sacramentals is not the authentically Catholic response. We should instead look to the example of St. Gregory the Great. Also, use holy water and blessed candles. In faith, we [...]
Consider the prideful desire we often have for defending our honor. We are so busy protecting our name that we often don't allow God to do so. Learn from the collect, a prayer which always teaches how to pray and how to live. If you want your prayer heard - be humble! If you seek God's protection - be humble! That is, think, speak and act like you need God's protection, instead of relying on your own. Do not be prideful in your Lenten penances, but through them see your weakness. Good penances make us diminish so that Christ increases (recall [...]
