There is no question that sometimes what God wants us to do is not pleasant.  If we want to grow closer to Him, however, it’s necessary to do these unpleasant things.  When we study the life of Christ and the saints, we see them constantly rising above what “feels good”, choosing instead what is necessary.  If you need an example, look at the life of Jesus and remove everything that wasn’t pleasant.  What would be left? If you take away His most painful agony, suffering and dying on cross, where would you and I be today?  Quite often, what is most painful in life bears the most fruit.  If we want to get closer to Christ, we have to learn to put aside what WE want to do and do what HE wants us to do.

While it’s important for us to understand the necessity of sometimes doing the unpleasant, it’s even more important to understand the danger of ALWAYS doing the pleasant.  Want to know the easiest way end up in hell?  Always do those things that “feel good” or look attractive!  No matter how much we want to deny it, sin feels good (at least for the moment).  If it didn’t, we wouldn’t be tempted to sin.  Let’s face it…if it was a sin to drink sour milk or eat moldy bread, it wouldn’t be too hard to avoid.  Satan may be a liar, but he’s not stupid.  If he wants you to sin (and he does!), he’s going to tempt you by appealing to your sense of pleasure.  The “harmless” link on the Internet that teases you with pictures of a celebrity’s revealing dress, the thought of “sleeping in” and missing Mass on Sunday, the gratification of not forgiving someone who offended you…these are ways that he fools you into sinning and putting your salvation in jeopardy.

Fortunately for us, the Church gives us the season of Lent to work on practicing self-denial.  If we train ourselves to voluntarily give up small pleasures, we’ll be better able to avoid the evil of mortal sin.  While abstaining from sweets or television has no direct bearing on our salvation, it teaches us to better control our desires.  Self-mastery is the key to becoming a saint.  Learning to control our impulses will better prepare us to overcome the devil’s onslaughts.  Give it some thought…

It really is THAT important!

“It is not always in the soul’s power not to feel a temptation. But it is always in its power not to consent to it.” (Saint Francis de Sales)

Having been involved in Catholic evangelization for several years, starting at the local parish level and now on a much broader scale, I am always on the lookout for new ways to spread the “Good News”.  I have utilized many methods ranging from my Internet website to national radio broadcasts.  Each of these techniques has their benefit and I believe in using a combination of them in order to maximize my outreach.  For instance, there are some people who listen to the radio, but don’t have access to the Internet.  There are many who won’t read the Catechism, but will listen to someone speak about its contents.  Therefore, if you want to reach a greater number of people, it’s best to use a combination of resources.

Even though I believed that Facebook and Twitter were colossal wastes of time, I finally decided to sign up for a Facebook account solely to connect with classmates and friends from my past.  In a matter of days I realized how I could also use this tool to spread the teachings of the Catholic faith.  About one month letter, I was speaking to a fellow Catholic and he suggested that I also start using Twitter for my ministry.  I reluctantly took his advice and, approximately one year later, I am happy to report that both of these sites have proved to be valuable evangelization tools.  As with any activity, social networking can be abused and turned into a waste of time.  However, there are ways to utilize it for good purposes.  Based on my own personal experience, here are a few suggestions for utilizing social networking sites as evangelization tools.  I will concentrate on Facebook and Twitter, but these suggestions can be applied to other sites as well.

Pray with your online friends – One of the greatest blessings of social networking is the ability to pray with your online friends.  On my Facebook fan page, I regularly ask for prayer requests and invite my followers to join me in praying for these intentions.  Using this technology allows me to pray along with people in many different countries and provides an excellent reminder of the universal nature of the Church.  I have also used Twitter to send out emergency prayer requests, which were instantly “re-Tweeted” and seen by a vast audience.

Join or follow Catholic groups/users – While it sounds simple, this is a very effective way to proclaim your Catholic faith.  By following other Catholic users on Twitter or joining Catholic fan pages/groups on Facebook you can easily show your friends what is important to you without saying a word.  Users of social networking sites are constantly monitoring who/what their friends are following.  This can be a powerful witness and may be just what your friends need to see.

Include some religious links or messages – While it’s fine to tweet or post a message about what you had for lunch or that “work is boring”, why not mix in a religious message from time to time?  It can be as simple as linking to a video or blog entry.  If you want to be a little bolder, you can try posting a quote from a saint or the Bible.  Depending on your audience, you may wish to be prudent and intersperse these messages with your routine posts.  By doing so, you won’t alienate anyone who may not be ready for an abundance of spirituality.

Create a Catholic Facebook fan page/group – If you want to expand your evangelization outside of your circle of friends, you can easily create a Facebook fan page or group.  There are many good Catholic pages and groups in existence, but there is always a need for more.  You can make your page about the Catholic Church or a particular saint or religious figure.  While there are subtle differences between Facebook groups and fan pages, they both allow you to attract followers who can read and reply to your posts.  There is no fee for either and you may be surprised how many people will become members/fans. Once you create this page or group, the best way to attract followers is to make sure that you put out meaningful information.  While you can always mix in messages about your current travels or personal opinions, I recommend that you use your group/fan page to send out short, pithy messages that will inspire others.  I find that brief quotes from scripture, the saints, and inspirational figures such as Fulton Sheen and Mother Angelica work well.  Many people are in a hurry nowadays and enjoy these brief spiritual messages.

Tweet inspirational quotes – While some people criticize Twitter’s 140 character limit as being “too short to say anything useful”, I totally disagree.  As an example, consider the following quotes, all of which are within the limits:

“Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me (Jn 14:1).”

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Mt 11:28).”

“You may be the only Jesus your neighbor will ever see (Mother Angelica).”

“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ (St. Jerome).”

While you certainly can’t elaborate or use lengthy passages, I have found Twitter to be a useful tool for spreading Catholic teaching.  In addition to short quotes, you can also provide links to websites or blog entries which provide additional information.  All of my blog entries are “tweeted” and my followers can easily click on the link to read the entire message.

As with books, television or radio, social networking can be abused and turned in to a time wasting activity.  However, with a little creativity we can utilize its features to spread the gospel in a way that would make St. Paul proud.  If he were alive today, I could almost imagine the following tweet being sent to his followers:

Grace 2 u & peace from God r Father & the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 1:7)!

“One of the key pastoral problems facing us is the widespread misunderstanding of the role of conscience, whereby individual conscience and experience are exalted above or against Church teaching” (Pope John Paul II, Address to Bishops of New England, September 21, 1993).

While most people would agree with Jiminy Cricket’s advice to Pinocchio, Pope John Paul II’s quote illustrates that, in certain cases, the recommendation could be problematic.  One look at various newspaper editorial pages will illustrate a growing belief among Catholics that an individual’s conscience trumps Church teaching, especially if they are in opposition to each other.  Adding “fuel to the fire” is a plethora of Catholic politicians who, while professing the importance of their Catholicism, adamantly support positions that are directly opposed to Church teaching.  One doesn’t have to look too hard to find numerous Catholic politicians who support abortion and same sex “marriage”.  It is also relatively easy to locate Catholic acquaintances who disregard Church teachings on everything from weekly Mass attendance to artificial birth control.  Let’s look at the official Catholic position on conscience and see if it’s ever permissible to obey one’s conscience when it conflicts with Church teaching.

Using conscience to determine right from wrong is hardly a new matter and can be witnessed in Adam and Eve’s Old Testament encounter with the serpent.  In the garden, God gave Adam permission to eat the fruit from any tree except the “tree of knowledge of good and bad” (Gen 2:17).  Eve also indicated her familiarity with this command (Gen 3:3), although she ignored it when the serpent offered a contrary opinion.  Eve “saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom” and decided to eat the forbidden fruit, sharing it with Adam (Gen 3:6).  This episode gives us an example of two individuals who decided to follow their conscience, even though it was in opposition to God’s command.  Unfortunately, just as the Lord warned, the results for Adam and Eve were not good!

Objectively speaking, the Church teaches that we must always obey our conscience.  There is little disagreement among Catholics that deliberately carrying out immoral actions is sinful.  In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly affirms this fact and indicates that by acting in opposition to the certain judgment of one’s conscience, we “condemn ourselves” (CCC 1790).   However, there is another piece to this teaching that is often overlooked:  It is possible that our conscience can make an incorrect judgment that “departs from reason and the divine law” (CCC 1786).  Just like Adam and Eve, our conscience can allow us to make the wrong decision.  In his encyclical Veritatis Splendor (VS), Pope John Paul II stated that “Conscience is not an independent and exclusive capacity to decide what is good and what is evil” (VS 60). Therefore, we must always strive to educate and inform our conscience in accordance with God’s commandments.

According to the Catechism, the education of our conscience is a “lifelong task” (CCC 1784).  The Vatican II document Dignitatus Humanae (DH) instructs that in forming our consciences “the Christian faithful ought carefully to attend to the sacred and certain doctrine of the Church” (DH 14).  It is precisely here that we see the contradiction in the position of those who claim that it is possible to “follow their conscience”, even when it conflicts with Church teaching.  The Magisterium clearly teaches that we must form our conscience in accordance with the teaching of the Church, thereby eliminating a major argument in the arsenal of those who use “freedom of conscience” to dissent from Catholic teaching.

While the above citations make it clear that it is never morally acceptable to disobey Church teaching based upon one’s conscience, why is it done so frequently?  When Catholics refuse to obey Church teachings, it is often due to their failure to recognize the living presence of Jesus in His Church.  To many people, the Church is a hierarchy composed of hypocritical and fallible human beings.  Why should we listen to the same bishops who “made so many bad decisions” concerning the priestly abuse crisis?  Why should we obey the men who are “anti-women” and “anti-gay” and who affirm that position by refusing to admit women or homosexuals to the priesthood?  Unfortunately, short-sighted positions such as these completely overlook the fact that the Church is a heavenly, not an earthly, institution.  While the Church on earth is comprised of imperfect humans, the head of the Church is actually Jesus Christ who sent His Holy Spirit to keep her free from error.  This is a hard concept for many to grasp, but it is critical to accepting the authority of the Catholic Church.  The reason we should listen to the Church is that, by doing so, we listen to Christ.

If the above reasoning still isn’t enough, there is a sobering statement in the Catechism that should get the attention of anyone who has chosen to disobey Church teaching based upon their own conscience.  This statement pertains to those who claim immunity based upon limited knowledge of Church teaching.  If someone “takes little trouble to find out what is true and good”, they can still be held responsible for the evil action committed (CCC 1791).  This matter becomes especially serious when the sin committed is grave (or mortal).  While space doesn’t permit me to list all possible variations, such things as deliberately missing Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation, living together outside of wedlock and the use of artificial birth control could all potentially fall into the “mortal sin” category.  Being in the state of mortal sin is extremely troublesome when one considers the following two statements:  “Therefore, you must also be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Mt 24:44) and “The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell” (CCC 1035).

None of us know when we will be called home to be judged by Almighty God.  I can imagine nothing more frightening than suddenly appearing before the Lord and having to explain why we didn’t listen to Jesus speaking through His Church, especially if it caused us to be in the state of mortal sin.  There is no earthly pleasure, pride or indulgence that is worth the price of eternal pain and suffering.  By obeying the voice of Christ as spoken through the teachings of His Catholic Church, we can be assured of not being in that terrifying position.  Instead, we will one day stand before God, eagerly awaiting these longed-for words:

“Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your Master” (Mt 25:23).

1. Women Will Never Be Priests – Often incorrectly lumped in with the subject of married priests, this is a doctrine that has been infallibly decided and will not change.  In 1994, Pope John Paul II issued an Apostolic Letter, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, in which he declared once and for all that “the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.”  Unlike the issue of married priests (which could possibly change), women’s ordination is an impossibility that will not happen.  It is not a “glass ceiling” or the Church’s attempt to hold back women.  Instead, it is an infallible recognition that men and women have different roles and that Christ instituted a male priesthood.

2. Fridays Are Still Days Of Penance – Ask almost anyone and they will tell you that Catholics are no longer required to abstain from meat on Fridays throughout the year.  However, the current Code of Canon Law (CIC) states that, with the exception of solemnities, “All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church.” (CIC 1250)  Furthermore, “Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities.” (CIC 1251)  In the United States, the bishops have declared that it is permissible to substitute some other form of penance, but we are still urged to fast from “something” in remembrance of the Lord’s death on the cross.

3. The Bible Is A Catholic Book – Did you ever wonder how the Bible came into being?  A little known, but easily documented fact is that the books of the Bible were compiled by the Catholic Church.  For many years after Christ ascended into Heaven, there was debate about which scriptural writings were inspired by God.  The canon of Scripture (the books of the Bible) was first formally decided at the Synod of Rome in 382.  This decision was upheld at the Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397).  At these Catholic Church councils, the same 46 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books that appear in today’s Catholic Bibles were declared to be inspired by God.  As a side note, approximately 1200 years after this decision was made, Martin Luther and the Protestant reformers removed 7 books from the Old Testament.  As a result, most Protestant Bibles are still missing these 7 books.

4. The Mass Is The Same Sacrifice As Calvary – The biggest mistake that many Catholics make is treating the Holy Mass as “just another church service”, similar to those held by other religions.  In the Mass, Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross is made present, its memory is celebrated and its saving power is applied.  The Council of Trent teaches that Christ left a visible sacrifice to His Church “in which that bloody sacrifice which was once offered on the Cross should be made present, its memory preserved to the end of the world, and its salvation-bringing power applied to the forgiveness of the sins which are daily committed by us.”  When we attend Mass, we are mystically transported to Calvary, where we can unite ourselves with the Lord’s Sacrifice to the Father!

5. Annulments Are Not Catholic Divorces – Unlike the legal process known as “divorce” (in which a marriage is terminated), a declaration of nullity (annulment) states that a valid marriage never existed.  This decision is based upon the finding that on the day that marriage vows were exchanged, some essential elements were lacking.  This process is completely in conformity with the Catholic teaching regarding the indissolubility of marriage.  Incidentally, the granting of an annulment does not render children illegitimate.

6. In Vitro Fertilization Is Morally Unacceptable – Many Catholics suffering from infertility utilize this process in the hopes of conceiving children, while remaining unaware that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) declares it “morally unacceptable”(CCC 2377).  In the Vatican Instruction, Donum Vitae, the Church states “…in conformity with the traditional doctrine relating to the goods of marriage and the dignity of the person, the Church remains opposed from the moral point of view to homologous ‘in vitro’ fertilization. Such fertilization is in itself illicit and in opposition to the dignity of procreation and of the conjugal union, even when everything is done to avoid the death of the human embryo.”

7. There Is No Salvation Outside Of The Catholic Church – Originally stated by St. Cyprian, the Latin axiom “Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus” reminds us that there is no salvation outside of the Catholic Church.  This dogma was declared at the Fourth Lateran Council and is a source of confusion for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.  According to the Catechism, all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is His Body.  It does not mean that non-Catholics cannot achieve salvation.  Individuals who are unaware that the Catholic Church is the one, true Church may still achieve salvation through the merits of the Church, despite their lack of knowledge.

8. In An Emergency, Anyone Can Baptize – Although the ordinary ministers of Baptism are bishops, priests and deacons, anyone can baptize in an emergency, even a non-baptized person.  This extraordinary decision can be attributed to the necessity of Baptism for salvation and the Church’s desire to make it readily available to all.

9. Hell And Purgatory Still Exist –  Contrary to the belief of many Catholics, the Church still teaches that “the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin, descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, eternal fire” (CCC 1035)  Furthermore, “all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification, so to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (CCC 1030)  This purification process, formally declared by the Church at the Councils of Florence and Trent, is known as Purgatory.

10. Catholics Don’t Worship Mary And The Saints – Many Catholics are confused about the role of the Blessed Mother and the Saints.  Should we pray to Mary and the Saints or should we go “right to the top” and pray to God?  In a nutshell, the Catholic Faith teaches that we must worship God alone.  Mary and the Saints are to be honored, not worshipped.  However, their intercession can be extremely powerful and emulating their virtues can put us on the road to Heaven.

While the above list only scratches the surface of the robust Catholic Faith, it provides a glimpse into the depth of Catholic teaching.  Further explanation on these and other topics can be found by examining the Code of Canon Law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, both of which can be found online at the Vatican website (www.vatican.va).  Not only will studying the teachings of the Catholic Church enable us to better defend her when challenged, it will help us to become closer to Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who founded our Church 2,000 years ago.

Now that I’ve either piqued your curiosity or caused you to suffer a panic attack, let me present some evidence to support my claim and give you some simple and painless ways to fulfill the Church’s instructions.  On December 8, 1975, Pope Paul VI issued an Apostolic Exhortation entitled Evangelii Nuntiandi (EN), which addresses evangelization in the modern world.  In this document, the Holy Father explains the importance of Christian evangelization:

…the presentation of the Gospel message is not an optional contribution for the Church. It is the duty incumbent on her by the command of the Lord Jesus, so that people can believe and be saved. This message is indeed necessary. It is unique. It cannot be replaced. It does not permit either indifference, syncretism or accommodation. It is a question of people’s salvation.  (EN, Paragraph 5)

The above paragraph spells out the importance of proclaiming the “Good News” of Jesus Christ.  It is not something that is “nice to have”, but is necessary for people’s salvation!  That’s all well and good, but isn’t evangelization the job of priests, religious and deacons?  Not exactly…

Thus it is the whole Church that receives the mission to evangelize, and the work of each individual member is important for the whole. (EN, Paragraph 15)

In other words, evangelization is not only the responsibility of the religious and clergy; it is a requirement for the laity as well.  Every member of the Catholic Church is personally responsible for sharing the gospel message with others.  The Vatican II document, Lumen Gentium, teaches that all baptized Christians “must profess before men the faith they have received from God through the Church and participate in the apostolic and missionary activity of the People of God”.  This profession of faith involves both actions and words.  While it is crucial to set a good example, the Church teaches that we must also share our faith verbally.

…even the finest witness will prove ineffective in the long run if it is not explained, justified – what Peter called always having “your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have” – and made explicit by a clear and unequivocal proclamation of the Lord Jesus. The Good News proclaimed by the witness of life sooner or later has to be proclaimed by the word of life. There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed. (EN, Paragraph 22)

Now that we know what is expected of us, do we need to stand on street corners and hand out bibles?  Are we required to preach at the office and quote scripture all day long?  While there is a time and a place for that approach, there are simpler and less threatening ways to “get our feet wet” in the world of Catholic evangelization.  Here are some simple ways to get started:

1. Learn – We need to learn about the Catholic Faith.  There is no way that we’ll ever be able to share what we don’t know.  There are many great online resources to assist you in learning about the Catholic Faith.  Among them are the USCCB and Vatican websites.  Additionally, my website http://www.followingthetruth.com lists many authentically Catholic websites and books, all geared toward individuals with a basic or intermediate understanding of the Faith.

2. Witness – Christian witness lays the foundation for evangelization.  Avoiding foul language, making the sign of the cross and saying grace before meals, having a positive disposition, and avoiding gossip are all ways that can be used to set a positive example for others.  These techniques can be used anywhere: in the workplace, at school, in the home, even at the grocery store.  People may notice that there is something “different” about us and could begin to ask questions.  This provides the opening to share our “secret”, which is the Catholic Faith.

3.  Share – There are many painless (but effective) ways to verbally share our faith with others.  We can offer to say a prayer for a coworker who is sick or in a painful situation.  We can explain how our faith comforts or sustains us in time of need.  We can casually relate a message heard in a homily at Sunday Mass.  This technique not only gives us the opportunity to share a positive thought, but it also sends the message that we attend Sunday Mass.  Non-threatening techniques such as these are often very effective because they do not involve “beating people over the head” with our Bibles.

4. Pray – The most important step in being an effective evangelist is often the most neglected.  We should always remember to pray, especially for an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Everyone who is baptized and confirmed has received the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but we need prayer and grace to help them grow.  Prayer and frequent reception of the Sacraments will allow these gifts to grow and will ultimately lead to greater success of our evangelistic efforts.  We should also pray for the individuals to whom we are directing our evangelization efforts.

As we begin to follow the Church’s command to spread the gospel in the world, there are a few things that are important to remember.  We should not become impatient or discouraged if our efforts don’t appear to be effective.  The Lord never asks us to be successful, instead He asks us to be faithful.  In the end, any success we have should be attributed to God alone.  Also, we must never forget to be charitable when sharing God’s message with others.  Our goal must be to win souls, not arguments.  Turning to Sacred Scripture, St. Peter provides an excellent one sentence summary of what is expected of us as Catholic evangelists.  Staying faithful to his instruction will ensure that we are fulfilling the Lord’s command of charitably spreading the gospel to all nations:

“Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence.” (1 Peter 3:15)

When we pray for an intention and don’t immediately receive an answer, what usually happens?  If you’re like most people, you keep praying.  On the other hand, many people will stop their prayers as soon as their request is granted.  As your relationship with the Lord deepens, you’ll hopefully learn to pray at times other than when you need something.  However, for many of us, this somewhat imperfect form of prayer lays the initial foundation of our relationship with God.  He knows that we will turn to Him more readily when we need something and this is often how He gets our attention.  Withholding an immediate answer is one way that the Lord can cultivate a deeper friendship with us.  As time passes, our prayer becomes more of a conversation with a good friend and isn’t restricted to times of need.

Another possibility is that God wants us to learn something from the experience.  Many times, we are most receptive to hearing His message when we are “wandering in the desert.”  It is often while we are searching for answers that we hear the Lord speaking most clearly.  Don’t hesitate to ask God for an explanation.  When confused about events in your life, use the Blessed Mother’s example of “pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19, 51).  He sometimes reveals to us why our request has not yet been granted.  Other times, He simply wants to increase our faith in Him.  Even though our inflated sense of pride often tells us otherwise, God’s will is indeed perfect and there are times that we aren’t able to make sense of His plan.  One of the most important lessons that we can learn is to trust in His providence, even when we can’t understand the details.

Often it is not in our best interest to have an intention granted at a particular point in time.  Due to any number of circumstances, we may not be spiritually ready to receive our request until later.  In this situation, we need to once again trust that God knows what we need at any moment.  It’s easy to get blinded by our love of comfort or worldly attractions, causing us to confuse spiritual needs with human desires.  For example, the Lord may withhold financial rewards or a new job because of our tendency to be greedy or complacent.  It’s wise to remember that anything which doesn’t help us to get to Heaven should not occupy an important place in our life.

We can also obtain a deeper understanding by looking at Sacred Scripture.  In Mark 8:22-25, Jesus heals a blind man.  However, the interesting thing about this miracle is that the man’s sight is not healed instantly.  After the Lord first lays hands on the man, he reports that people look like “walking trees”.  It is only after Jesus prays over him a second time that his sight is miraculously restored.  We can see from this incident that sometimes we may have to wait for God to grant our request.  In Luke 18:1-8, Our Lord tells the parable of the corrupt judge.  In this story, a widow receives her answer only after coming to the judge repeatedly. What is the Lord trying to teach us in this parable?  Fortunately for us, St. Luke clearly explains that its purpose is to illustrate “the necessity of praying always and not losing heart” (Lk 18:1).  St. Matthew describes an encounter between Jesus and a Canaanite woman who requests a healing for her daughter (Mt 15:21-28).  Our Lord initially responds with the shocking words, “It is not right to take the food of sons and daughters and throw it to the dogs”.  However, when the woman continues to plead with the Lord, He praises her faith and heals her daughter.  While certainly this exchange illustrates that Jesus was first sent to reveal Himself to the Jewish people (followed by the Gentiles), it’s hard to ignore the additional message on the importance of persistence in prayer.

Finally, I believe that one of the most important factors in accepting God’s timing is to look at how He patiently He treats us.  Many of us have made the Lord wait for several years before we came around and accepted the Faith.  In my own case, I was a “lukewarm” Catholic for more years than I’d care to admit.  It must have been very painful for the Lord to wait while I wasted time on many unimportant activities and didn’t have time for Him.  Fortunately, He didn’t hold it against me and I am grateful.  That being the case, how could I justify complaining when my prayers don’t get answered right away?  Sometimes, remembering that fact is enough to stop me from questioning the Lord’s plan.  If that doesn’t work, then the steps listed above usually do the trick. For those occasions when I am so stubborn and self-centered that nothing seems to work, I rely on a line from Sacred Scripture that always seems to put things in perspective:

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5, KJV).

Let’s face it, we are all weighed down to some extent by selfishness and assorted vices.  Given a choice, very few of us will choose suffering over comfort.  Many times, we don’t even realize how much we love to be comfortable.  Fortunately, the Church gives us the season of Lent to examine our souls and remove the extra “weight” that keeps us apart from the Lord.  Here are five simple steps that you can use during Lent to identify and eliminate some of this excess “poundage” from your life.

Determine what is weighing you down – For many of us, we aren’t even aware of those things that weigh us down.  The first step in this process is to use prayerful meditation to discover the “weighty” issues.  Take a look at how you spend your time.  Do your activities bring you closer to the Lord?  Do you spend an exorbitant amount of time on leisure activities?  Are you holding grudges against those who may have offended you?  Do your daily actions set a good example for your children, family, co-workers or fellow students?  Are you in the state of mortal sin? Have you fallen away from the Church?  Answering these questions honestly provides the foundation for the other steps.

Set realistic goals – You aren’t going to realistically eliminate all your excess “weight” during the forty days of Lent, so don’t try!  Obviously, you should first concentrate on any mortal sins in your life.  This can be addressed by repenting and receiving the Sacrament of Confession.  As a reminder, the Church still teaches that any unforgiven mortal sins can result in the eternal damnation of hell (CCC 1035), so these matters should be addressed immediately.  I’m not trying to frighten anyone, but rather to emphasize that it’s extremely urgent to obtain forgiveness for mortal sins through sacramental Confession as soon as possible!  For those other faults and imperfections in your life, choose a few that you’d like to eliminate.  You may want to start with those that are the easiest to correct or you may want to tackle the ones that cause the most difficulty in your spiritual life.  Don’t forget to ask the Holy Spirit to help you with this process.  He will point you in the right direction.

Substitute “healthy” alternatives – What do you do when you feel worried or stressed?  Watch television, eat, drink, go shopping?  While none of these things are intrinsically evil, perhaps there’s a “healthier” alternative.  Rather than using these activities to escape from our problems, we could instead turn to the Lord in prayer.  Praying for an enemy is a great alternative to getting angry or holding a grudge. Going to daily Mass once or twice a week can be substituted for an hour of sleep.  Money that would have been spent on shopping can be donated to charity.  The gift of each new day is a precious gift from God and choosing how we spend our time shouldn’t be taken lightly.  Even if they aren’t sinful, the elimination of useless activities can free up time that can be given to God.

Don’t try to do it alone – God doesn’t expect us to execute this plan on our own.  He provides us with the gifts of the Eucharist and Confession to assist us with our “weight” loss program.  The sacraments provide us with the graces that we need to achieve our goal.  Don’t ignore them!  If you find yourself committing the same sin repeatedly, the graces received in the Eucharist and Confession can give you the strength necessary to finally be victorious.  Also, be sure to pray and ask the Lord for His help.  While it sounds obvious, it’s very easy to get so caught up in our own efforts that we forget to involve God in the process.  Unfortunately, doing it alone just about guarantees failure.  The Lord knows that we are weak and therefore is always willing to offer His assistance.

Don’t give up – A wise priest once gave me some great advice.  He explained that if you are trying to overcome a particular sin or imperfection and fail 99 out of 100 times, rejoice that you succeeded one time and don’t get discouraged.  The devil loves it when we become discouraged and will often use our failures to convince us to quit.  If you fail, repent, go to confession if necessary and keep on going!  From time to time, our human nature is going to get the best of us and we will fail in our effort to please the Lord.  Jesus addressed this situation in the Garden when He told His sleeping disciples, “the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt 26:41)  St. Paul also comments on the weakness of the flesh when he states, “the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would.” (Gal 5:17)  In other words, don’t be surprised if you fail sometimes.  The desire for comfort and pleasure seeking can be very powerful, but with our persistence and God’s grace we can win the battle.

I encourage you to try these steps during this Lenten season and see what a difference they make in your life.  Even if you fail at every attempt to shed your excess “weight” (which I don’t think will happen), you still will have tried and the Lord will appreciate and reward your effort.  In the meantime, take advantage of the gift of Lent to keep shedding those spiritual pounds.  By doing so, there’s a good chance you’ll celebrate Easter a little “lighter”!

Let me begin by saying that it is possible to follow St. Paul’s directions and still perform your daily work, provided that you know one well kept “secret”.  While not actually a secret, the technique that I’m about to discuss is unknown to many Catholics.  It is a practice that has been around for years and provides a way for you to pray constantly while going about all of your normal duties. With this method, your work actually becomes a prayer!  Even more incredible is that you can also turn all of your joys and sufferings into prayers as well.  I know it sounds hard to believe, but all of this can be accomplished by adding one simple step to your morning routine – the recitation of the Morning Offering.  This traditional Catholic prayer has several variations, but the most common version reads as follows:

Let’s take a closer look at this prayer and see why it’s so powerful. The first thing to observe is that we are making our offering through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Why is this important?  If you recall, Jesus performed His first miracle (changing water into wine) at the request of the Blessed Mother (Jn 2:1-11).  While attending a wedding at Cana with Jesus, Mary noticed that the supply of wine had run out. If not corrected, this situation would have greatly embarrassed the bride and groom.  Realizing that something needed to be done, Mary brought it to the attention of her Son who remedied the problem by turning water into wine. With this same loving concern, Mary will also present our Morning Offering to Jesus.  Knowing the heart of her Son better than anyone else, she will first remove any impurities or selfishness from our prayer and personally deliver it to Jesus.

In addition to our prayers and works, we can also offer up all of our joys and sorrows.  Everything that we do or feel throughout the day is offered as a prayer.  We then take this offering and ask Jesus to use it for His intentions.  Not only are we offering up our entire day, but we say to Christ, “take this offering and apply it where You see fit”.  Since Jesus’ intentions involve the salvation of all mankind, this selfless act will bear great fruit not only in our own lives, but in the lives of countless others.  By making this presentation to Christ, we are essentially joining our lives to His mission.  When the sacrifice of Jesus to His Father is made present in each of the Holy Masses around the world, we are now hanging on the cross with Him. Everything that we do and experience becomes part of the offering of Christ.  There can be no more powerful sacrifice and, by virtue of this simple prayer, we are a part of it.

We also offer our works in thanksgiving for our many blessings, in reparation for any of our sins, for the intentions of all of our relatives and friends and for the intentions of the pope.  It is really incredible that something that takes no more than one or two minutes can have so much power. Initially, you may forget that you offered up all of your works, but as time goes on, you will become more aware of this as you perform your duties. Because of this, you will have an even greater desire to perform your work to the best of your ability.  When presented as an offering to God, no task can remain unimportant.  Everything from scrubbing the floor to studying for an exam becomes meaningful, as it is a form of prayer.

How important is it that we offer our entire day to God?  According to St. John Vianney, “All that we do without offering it to God is wasted.” Pope John Paul II observed that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful.”  Endorsements like that help us to see the importance of this prayer, especially when one considers its simplicity.  If we truly believe that each new day is a gift from God, it follows that we would want to show our gratitude by making the most of that gift.  By starting our day with the Morning Offering, we are turning each moment of our lives into a prayer.

The Morning Offering provides a great foundation for building a solid prayer life.  We can supplement our offering by speaking to Jesus throughout the day, reaffirming our desire to offer up all daily activities.  When problems arise or we are faced with a mundane task, a quick “I offer this to you, Lord” helps us to focus on the prayerful nature of the activity.  On the other hand, saying “Thank you, Jesus” for a pleasant experience is a great way to express our appreciation for the many joys that we are granted.  Such comments also allow our friendship with Christ to grow.  As time goes on, you will find yourself becoming more aware of Our Lord’s presence in your daily activities.

Why not try the Morning Offering and see what a difference it makes in your life?  An investment of a few minutes will pay infinite dividends.  It won’t take long before tasks that previously seemed meaningless become much more tolerable and fulfilling.  There is no better way to start your day than by offering all of your daily activities to Christ and turning them into one powerful prayer.  By doing so, you are fulfilling the instruction of St. Paul to “pray without ceasing” as you go about your daily duties.

Fear and anxiety are addressed often in the Bible.  In the Old Testament, one of the earliest references to this subject is in the Book of Genesis when the Lord tells Abram, “Fear not, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great” (Gen 15:1).  Another instance occurs when He tells Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).  In the Book of Psalms, we read “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Ps 27:1) and “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me” (Ps 23:4).  In each of these cases (and several more, including Dt 20:3-4, Prv 3:24-25, Is 35:4), either in His own words or speaking through various individuals, the Lord commands us to abandon our fear and trust in Him.

Jesus also spoke about anxiety many times during the course of His public ministry. In the Sermon on the Mount, He proclaims “Do not be anxious about your life” and reminds us that by being anxious, we cannot add “one cubit to our span of life”.  In case we somehow still miss the point, Jesus repeats twice more, “Do not be anxious”, and specifically cautions against worrying about the future (Mt 6:25-34).  Most of us are also familiar  with the story of the storm at sea when the frightened Apostles panicked and woke the sleeping Savior, fearing for their lives (Mt 8:23-27, Mk 4:35-40, Lk 8:22-25).  After calming the sea, Jesus asked why they were afraid and then questioned their faith.  To the anxious Martha, the Lord said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her” (Lk 10:41-42).  Throughout His years on earth, Jesus constantly urged His followers to trust Him and have no fear.

Elsewhere in the New Testament, there are more occasions where people are warned against fear.  Sometimes the message comes from an angel, as when Gabriel appeared to Zechariah (Lk 1:13) and Mary (Lk 1:30), telling them both to “not be afraid”.  An angel also brought the same message to the shepherds when he announced the birth of the Lord (Lk 2:10).  St. Paul tells us that we should be “free from anxieties” (1 Cor 7:32) and St. John tells us that “perfect love casts out fear” (1 Jn 4:18).

Based upon these and many other Biblical passages, it’s fairly safe to draw the conclusion that God does not want us to worry needlessly.  That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t prepare for the future and tend to important daily matters.  Rather, it means that we shouldn’t worry about things which are out of our control.  For some of us, however, this is very difficult.  How do we stop ourselves from worrying?  A good starting point would be to pray for an increase of faith.  For the most part, we worry because we don’t trust God’s plan for our lives.  Sometimes it’s very difficult to trust, especially when we encounter painful and difficult situations.  Illness, loneliness, death, unemployment and other difficulties can place us in the same position as the Apostles on the stormy sea.  While we should continue to petition the Lord with our requests, we should be willing to accept His answers, knowing that He will provide us with what we need.

I mentioned earlier that we may uncover some surprising information when we look at the Bible’s advice on fear.  There is actually something that God tells us we should fear.  Jesus also stressed the same thing in the Gospels.  Oddly enough, it is something that many in today’s society do not fear.  The one useful type of fear we should have is the fear of the Lord.  In Psalm 111:10, we read that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”.   Furthermore, Jesus tells us to “Fear him who has the power to cast into hell” (Lk 12:5).  In fact, the fear of the Lord is so important that it is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  This type of “fear” can motivate us to please God with our behavior.  It helps us to remember that God is our creator and we are His creatures.  Even though He is a loving Father, we should never lose a sense of respect and awe for His power.  One day we will be judged for our behavior and this useful fear gives us an incentive to follow God’s commands, especially when our fallen human nature wants to do otherwise.

For those of us who are prone to anxiety, learning not to worry is a difficult task and must be taken one day at a time.  Constant prayer, receiving the Eucharist often, and reading the Bible are all much more productive than worrying.  These practices will also bring us peace, even in the midst of turmoil.  As time progresses, we will begin to trust in the Lord’s plan for our lives, even when it doesn’t “make sense”.  As various crises arise, continue to pray for an increased faith and cling to God’s words in Sacred Scripture.  Before He raised a little girl from the dead, Jesus addressed her father with words that should give us comfort, even in situations that appear to be hopeless: “Do not fear, only believe” (Mk 5:36).

If our vision of the Lord’s birth is confined to looking at nativity figures and watching sentimental Christmas movies, we can easily fool ourselves into believing that this was a very cozy event for all involved.  When we reflect on the facts more deeply, however, we can see that the journey to Bethlehem was difficult for everyone involved.  Mary and Joseph had to leave the security of their home and travel to the city in order to register for taxation.  Mary was about to give birth and the couple had nowhere to sleep, but they needed to make the trip in order to fulfill the prophecy (Micah 5:2) that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem.  The shepherds were at work, watching their sheep, when the angel appeared to them and announced the birth of the Lord.  Ignoring their fear, they left the familiarity of their workplace and traveled “in haste” to visit the newly born Savior. Upon their return, Scripture tells us that they “glorified and praised God for what they had seen” (Lk 2:20).

The wise men (or magi) were astrologers who were aware of the common belief that the Messiah’s birth would be announced by the appearance of a great star.  While studying the stars, they were alerted to the great event by the appearance of a star in the East.  Like the shepherds, they left their jobs and traveled to Jerusalem in order to inquire about the exact location of the Lord’s birth.  When King Herod found out about their mission, he sent the men to Bethlehem, asking them to inform him of the exact location so he could also “worship” the Messiah (in reality, he wanted to eliminate a potential rival to his throne).  They rejoiced as the star led them to the newly born Savior and presented Him with gifts upon their arrival.  After being warned in a dream to avoid returning to Herod, the wise men boldly returned home by another route.  Upon realizing his orders were disobeyed, the evil ruler became furious (Mt 2:16).  According to Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, the king was an insecure and cruel man who killed over half of his ten wives and some of his children. Disobeying Herod’s orders was a dangerous act which most certainly put their lives in jeopardy.

We can each prepare for the arrival of Jesus in different ways, but our ultimate goal should be that we end up with Him “in Bethlehem” instead of somewhere else.  As with all spiritual activities, we will “reap what we sow”.  We can leave our “comfort zones” and journey to Bethlehem or sit back and remain secure…the choice is ours.  However, just like Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and wise men, what better way could there be to express our love for Jesus than to honor Him in those in ways which we find difficult?  If we listen carefully, the Lord frequently provides opportunities to visit Him by traveling roads that we would otherwise choose to avoid.  It could be an invitation to a “painful” family party, a request for help from an elderly neighbor, a phone call from someone you might find annoying, or any number of other situations.  In addition to listening for God’s call, you can actively seek out “uncomfortable” ways to travel to Bethlehem.  If you are not a “morning person”, maybe you could wake up a little earlier and say some prayers.  If it’s difficult for you to share your faith at work, you could offer to say a prayer for a troubled coworker or talk about something you heard in a homily.  If you love watching television at night, try substituting some prayer time instead.  How about reaching out to a family member or friend whose personality may be difficult to handle?  Maybe you’ve been away from the Sacrament of Confession or the Eucharist and can make a vow to return during Advent.  In my own life, I have received the greatest blessings when I have responded to those promptings which I found to be difficult.  It is often said that God will not be outdone in generosity.  When we offer sacrifices to Him, we always get back an abundance of graces. When the apostle Peter asked Jesus, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” (Mt 19:27), Our Lord’s words were very clear:

“Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.” (Mt 19:28-29)

In a way, our entire life is a journey to Bethlehem.  By following God’s commandments and leaving our sinful ways behind, we look forward to one day seeing Christ in all His glory.  There we will join Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men in kneeling before Our Lord and Savior.  Why not use this Advent season to leave your “comfort zone” and explore new ways to follow Jesus?  We have no guarantee that we will have another Advent to prepare, so let’s do our best right now to make sure we’re ready…and don’t settle for being comfortable!