NEVER A PERFECT HOLINESS (II)

Holiness is centered in Christ, and not in ourselves.  We should not pursue the quest for an absolute and pure holiness, to be actually achieved here and now.  This is an impossible ideal and a dangerous illusion.  It is also another fertile breeding-ground for spiritual pride and complacency if one imagines that one has attained the ideal, and for needless and harmful anxiety if one realizes that one has not.

Pure holiness belongs to the heavenly Church, not the one on earth!  Only in heaven can we reach pure perfection.  "Only  in the glory of heaven will the Church ... be consummated, when there will come the time for establishing all (Acts 3:21), and when man and the entire universe, which is bound up with man and attains its goal through him, will be perfectly united in Christ."  (Cf Eph 1:10, Col 1:20) (C.C. 48)

How clear and how true is the advice of Christ: "Do not lay up treasure for yourselves on earth, where there is moth and rust to consume it, where there are thieves to break in and steal it; lay up treasure for yourselves in heaven, where there is no moth or rust to consume it, no thieves to break in and steal.  Where your treasure house is, there your heart is too ... Make it your first care to find the kingdom of God and his approval, and all these things shall be yours for the asking "(Mt 6:19ff).

NEVER A PERFECT HOLINESS  (Part 1)

The Constitution on the Church of Vatican II reminds us that, as long as we are in this mortal world, we shall never attain pure holiness (C.C. 40).  We derive holiness from Christ, and it is real, substantial, and capable of indefinite growth.  But it is also flawed by our human weakness, imperfection and sinfulness.  We all make many mistakes and stand in perpetual need of the mercy of God.  So we have to pray daily: "forgive us our trespasses."

We have to also remember that our personal holiness is tied to our participating in the holiness of the Church.  And the Church, in this world, is never perfect.  We remember all the times Christ spoke of the good and the bad fish caught in the net, of the goats in with the sheep.  That is the pattern of the Church down through the ages..  It houses the holy and the unholy, the saints and the sinners.

That does not take away from the holiness of the Church in herself and in Christ, but calls for a spirit of sorrow and repentance.  The Constitution on the Church says: "The Church, embracing sinners in her bosom, at the same time holy and always in need of purification, follows continually the way of penance and renewal" (C.C. 8).

(to be continued)

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
"TEMPTATION"

Despite our penances and prayers, we know we are going to be tempted.  Just like Jesus.  Satan will be as cunning with us as he was with the Lord, for he still retains the powers and faculties of an angel. 
What does he know about your penances?  And why you do them?  The devil does not tempt us with things that don't attract, but what holds allure.  He remembers our past weaknesses and constantly brings them back into our minds.
How can we defeat the devil?  Watch and pray. 
May Mary be ever near us, especially when the devil draws close.

REMEMBER JUDAS?
Isn't it a cause of great sorrow that so many people are perishing because of their own fault?  Just think of the sorrow of Jesus, that he could not save these souls.  Look at Judas.  With the other apostles he had received grace upon grace, which he could give in turn to others.  What better example did he have in life than to have the very Son of God by his side every day?  How many acts of kindness and trust did he receive from all the disciples and Jesus?  He received power to work miracles in the Lord's name!  And yet all these graces and proofs of love did not quench the evil passion that was within him.
Every Christian, without fail, has been as highly favored as Judas.  Our baptismal rebirth into the new life of Christ is a guarantee of salvation - if we do not seriously sin.  Why do we give in to our evil passions, and not our good passions?
At the eleventh hour, even as Jesus was preparing for his own passion and death, he tried to save Judas.  Did he not wash the feet of this apostle?  Did he not warn Judas, "You are clean, but not all."?  Did Jesus not say quietly to Judas that he knew the man's evil thoughts?  Yet Judas chose to carry on and betray his Lord.
What about you and me?  Are we persistent sinners?  What is causing us to betray our Lord?  In this season of Lent, we should take time not just to examine our lives, but to sincerely resolve not to sin again.  We Christians have been called to the very highest vocation.  But we can lose sight of that if we settle for mediocrity in our prayer life, in our moral life. 
So many Catholics have bought into the idea of "Who am I to judge" that is so prevalent today.  We must judge!  We must make demands of ourselves and others!  We are evangelizers, heirs of the very Kingdom!
May Mary our Mother watch over us.

ASH  WEDNESDAY
When Adam was expelled from the Garden of Eden, God pronounced a sentence of death on the man and his descendants: "You shall earn your bread with the sweat of your brow, until you go back into the ground from which you came; dust you are, and unto dust you shall return."
We have all sinned in Adam, and we have added our personal sins to that Original Sin.  We all have need of penance and repentance.  We need a change of heart and a willingness to return fully to God.  It is in our own interest to return humble and penitent, for sin brings the penalty of death to body and soul.
The external penances we do in Lent are an admission of our guilt, and our willingness to return to God.  But remember, God can look deep into our hearts and read them.  If our external penances are not an expression of sorrow for our sins, then the Lord will be disappointed.  He will ignore our acts of penance, and number us among the hypocrites. "Believe me, they have received their reward."  (Matt. 6:16) 
When challenged by God, Adam began to offer all sorts of excuses for his sin, seeking to throw the blame on Eve.  He did not grasp the gravity of his sin.  How many people today don't realize how serious is their misconduct!  "Boys will be boys," and "What happens in Vegas ..." doesn't cut it with the Almighty.  Adam had the sentence of expulsion and death pronounced upon him.  The whole earth was cursed forever with the stain of sin because of that one, first sin. 
That penalty was lifted by the Redeemer.  Death is changed into eternal life for those who do penance.  Even the curse on the earth is removed.
Our penances should not make us sad.  Let's be cheerful as we set about washing ourselves more and more from our sins, clothing ourselves more fully with the grace of Christ, which he won for us in his passion and death.  We should also remember to pray for and do penance for those whose hearts are hardened in sin, especially family members and former members of our Church community.
Lent is a great time to put things right.  Let's make the most of this season of grace.
May the Lord be with our Church, especially our own Bishop Francis and the Pope.
May Mary, Mother of God, pray for us and all poor sinners. 
Amen.

THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL

If we are really Christians, then Christ is the center of our lives.  He is not just that figure who lived in Palestine some 2000 years ago, who went about doing good and who eventually died on a cross for us.  So too, he is not simply God, reigning with the Father and Spirit in Heaven.  Jesus Christ is the Risen Lord, one like ourselves who, by his resurrection, has given us spiritual life while saving us from our sins.  We recognize him and worship him as God-made-man.

In the Mass, in our other prayers, we usually end by saying "through Christ our Lord."  That is how we are to approach the Father.  All true spirituality is based on Christ's mediation with the Father, and can be nourished and deepened only by effective contact with Christ's redeeming acts.  The best way of doing that is in the Mass.

"Trough Christ to the Father."  This saying is as old as Christianity itself, and so we can unite with the Church of past years and of the future by acknowledging Christ as the Lord God, through whom we go to the Father.

This is the good news we are asked to preach daily, at home, at work, at play, at rest.  The Risen Christ is our head, the head of the Mystical Body which is the Church.  The Church proclaims that the Resurrection is the most important event in all history - everything else is centered on it, whether some like it or not.

Christ is the very center of all life, because he is Life Himself.  So let's make sure that every day we have the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ uppermost in our minds.  Christ is glorified indeed, as God-man, and he continues to intercede for you and me.

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

A daily examination of conscience is a valuable means to holiness.  The daily examen was introduced to the Christian world by the Desert Fathers many centuries ago.  As a Redemptorist, I must model myself on the Holy Redeemer.  I have to challenge myself, and ask what makes me more like Christ each day.  What mars the likeness of Christ in me?  I have to erase the blemishes, and smooth out the roughness, and that is best done on a daily basis.  NOW is always the best time to put on Christ.  Why wait, why get lazy, why be indifferent to the Lord?

I have to recognize that I cannot get from sinner to saint overnight.  It's a gradual process.  It's a daily task.

Every night, my examination of conscience leads me to confess my sins.  But what leads me to sin?  I have to be aware of my faults and weaknesses surrounding my sins.  These faults can be reduced to pride, sensuality and sloth.

These are the roots of my sins, and I must not be content with just cutting down the weeks.  I have to pull up the roots.  Weeds do not grow easily or quickly once the root has been removed from the ground.  So I have to root out any and all vices, and plant in their stead the seeds of virtues.

I have to put on the humility of Christ.  I have to strive after the charity of Christ.  I have to be generous in my self-giving to others.  The more virtuous I strive to be, the more quickly my faults will disappear.  So, every day, asking the Holy Spirit for the grace to see what progress or regression I have made since yesterday, helps me shape my whole life.  I should be quick with sorrow and repentance for any sins, and quick to thank the Lord for any progress.

May the Holy Redeemer lead me, and may his blessed Mother be ever ready to intercede for me.