“The world’s greatest need is great men, someone who will understand that there is no greater conquest than victory over oneself; someone who will realize that the real worth is achieved, not so much by activity, as by silence; someone who will seek the Kingdom of God and His justice, and put into actual practice the law that it is only by dying to the life of the body that we ever live to the life of the spirit; someone who will brave the taunts of a Good Friday to win the joy of Easter Sunday; who will, like a lightning-flash, burn away the bonds of feeble interests which tie down our energies to the world; who, with a fearless voice, like John the Baptist, will arouse our enfeebled nature out of the sleek dream of unheroic repose; who will gain victories, not by stepping down from the Cross and compromising with the world, but who will suffer in order to conquer the world.

In a word, what we need are saints, for saints are the truly great men … I assume without further ado that the grace of God is the one thing necessary, and that God will give that grace to those who do His will.” -Venerable Fulton Sheen

 

Christ’s Elite Fighting Force

Whether it’s a Navy SEAL or a Saint, we admire those who put it all on the line — go “all in!” — those who are totally dedicated to the mission. In the military, this dedication is revealed in the Warrior Ethos, four simple lines embedded in the Soldier’s Creed:

I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.

Sustained and developed through discipline, commitment, and pride, these four lines motivate every soldier to persevere and, ultimately, to refuse defeat. What would happen if we dedicated ourselves to the training and mission of Jesus Christ with the same intensity?

Admission into Christ’s elite fighting force begins by knowing that by your baptism you have been “commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill a most dramatic mission; it is the mission of saving souls. This mission cannot be accomplished without entering into conflict with ‘the world, the flesh and the devil.’ It is not a mission for the fainthearted or for those who wish to take the wide road to heaven. It is the path of warfare, of spiritual battle.”

 

Enlistment Requirements

Check Your Disobedience at the Door

Jesus answered, and said to him: “If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him” (John 14:23).

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

Everything … I mean EVERYTHING … depends upon OBEDIENCE. Obedience is the very “Key” that unlocks the door to the Divine Life … the paradise of God’s Presence and Power of Supernatural Grace, once lost by the disobedience of our first parents. Mary is the New Eve who, by her fiat (Yes), brought us a Savior. And, the very last words Mary ever speaks was at the Wedding at Cana, “Do whatever He tells you.” With that call to obedience, bland and tasteless water was turned into the “best of wines” … wine is symbolic of the “inebriation of the Holy Spirit.”

 

 

Based on the precepts of the Church (These are the bare bones basics)

1. Mass on Sunday and all Holy Days of obligation.
2. Confession at least once a month, and immediately after mortal sin.
3. Communion at every Mass in a state of grace (Confession, if needed).
4. Fast and abstain on prescribed days and no meat on all Fridays year round.
5. Register at a parish and offer parish some of your time, talent and treasure.

 

Church Militant Rank

The heroes of our faith are the warrior saints who have gone before us. God worked mightily and miraculously through them. Therefore, we must study their ways. In humility, obedience, and trust (“Go weapons H.O.T.”), we ask: How did they remain so well connected, in such strong friendship with God, so that His river of supernatural grace could flow so freely through them? What do these “SEALS for Christ,” teach us about the ideal spiritual disciplines, the ultimate daily regimen of prayer?

“Pray with great confidence,” St. Louis de Montfort says, “with confidence based upon the goodness and infinite generosity of God and upon the promises of Jesus Christ. God is a spring of living water that flows unceasingly into the hearts of those who pray.”

Prayer is our outstanding supernatural resource for fighting the wiles of the enemy. St. Alphonsus said, “Prayer is, beyond doubt, the most powerful weapon the Lord gives us to conquer evil … but we must really put ourselves into the prayer, it is not enough just to say the words, it must come from the heart. And also prayer needs to be continuous, we must pray no matter what kind of situation we find ourselves in: the warfare we are engaged in is ongoing, so our prayer must be on-going also.”

The following are based in large part on Fr. John McCloskey’s Seven Daily Habits of Holy Apostolic People and include:

Seven Daily Habits

1. The Morning Offering
2. Mental Prayer (at least 15 minutes)
3. Spiritual Reading (at least 15 minutes)
4. Holy Mass and Communion
5. The Angelus (6 AM, noon and/or 6 PM)
6. The Holy Rosary
7. Brief Examination of Conscience (at night)

 

What rank are you in God’s Army?

The more you pour yourself into your prayer life, the more God will entrust His missions to you and, therefore, the more grace He will pour into your efforts.

Private – practices one daily habit

Sergeant – practices two daily habits

Lieutenant – practices three daily habits

Captain – practices four daily habits

Major – practices five daily habits

Colonel – six daily habits

General (all seven daily habits)

 

Special Forces – Decide if you are ready for Special Operations!

• Fasting and/or abstinence beyond prescribed days and Fridays
• Practicing some form of penance (recommend a healthy habit difficult for you, e.g., exercise)
• Eucharistic Adoration at least one hour per month
• Practice Liturgy of the Hours
• 10% of gross income to parish and charities
• Enrolled in Faith Formation program (e.g., Holy League, That Man is You)
• Building your Holy Alliance while gaining one indulgence per day
• Practice other private devotions (Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Holy Face Chaplet, etc.)
• Participate in special operations to tactical targets (e.g., Planned Parenthood)

For training for God’s Army, go HERE