TEN HUT!!

Okay, soldiers … we are a little over two weeks away from an EXTREMELY important spiritual combat campaign. I am referring to the National 54 Day Rosary Novena that goes from the Feast of the Assumption (Aug. 15) to the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (Oct. 7), which commemorates the Holy League victory at the Battle of Lepanto. To sign up for the 54 Day Novena, go HERE.

There is a battle like never before being waged right now, in our time …

We have just seen our country go the way of Sodom and Gomorrah. We are in the midst of a make or break time with Planned Parenthood … can we pray our politicians into action at this critical juncture? Evil forces around the planet feel unabated while the “former” world power (us) is now governed by peaceniks. Satanism is on the rise, led by Hollywood. Christians around the world are being killed. The Gay Agenda continues to gain power inside and outside of the Church. Religious liberty is under assault, and a great persecution is ramping up. Inside the Church, devout Catholics are being marginalized. Pope Francis is traveling to America during a time of great confusion about Church teachings, as many religious leaders are silent or ambiguous on grave issues in our world. And many are apprehensive and distressed as the Synod on the Family meets just as the 54 Day Rosary Novena concludes in October.

To top all of this off, much of this seems to follow very closely to prophecies from notable saints in our Church, such as this from Our Lady of Good Success …

Early in the morning of January 21, 1610, the Archangels St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael appeared to Mother Mariana. Then Our Lady appeared to her and predicted many things about our own times: this is part of what Mother Mariana afterwards related that she told her:

“Thus, I make it known to you that from the end of the 19th century and shortly after the middle of the 20th century… the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of customs (morals)…

 

“As for the Sacrament of Matrimony… it will be attacked and deeply profaned… The Catholic spirit will rapidly decay; the precious light of the Faith will gradually be extinguished… Added to this will be the effects of secular education, which will be one reason for the dearth of priestly and religious vocations.

 

“The Sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised… The Devil will try to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every possible way; he will labor with cruel and subtle astuteness to deviate them from the spirit of their vocation and will corrupt many of them. These depraved priests, who will scandalize the Christian people, will make the hatred of bad Catholics and the enemies of the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church fall upon all priests…

 

“Further, in these unhappy times, there will be unbridled luxury, which will ensnare the rest into sin and conquer innumerable frivolous souls, who will be lost. Innocence will almost no longer be found in children, nor modesty in women. In this supreme moment of need of the Church, the one who should speak will fall silent.”

Eerily familiar, isn’t it?  So, what’s the solution?  GOD NEEDS WARRIOR SAINTS NOW!!

You need to see these 54 Days as a “Full On Bootcamp!!” This is your opportunity to bask in the glory of God’s grace with a multitude of saints in training. I am CONVINCED God will be pouring out a tsunami wave of grace for those who engage in this critical period of training for the monumental spiritual warfare that lies ahead.

We must strive for perfection!! The greatest saints knew the straightest path to perfection was through the “Counsels of Perfection.” What are these, and how do they apply to you and me?

What is it that can snatch the Divine Life from us, killing off any zeal for God’s mission of battling evil and saving souls? There are actually three wounds that ravage souls and bring spiritual death to them by turning away from God. St. John speaks of these evils when he says: “For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh (craving for sensual gratification) and the lust of the eyes (greedy longings of the mind) and the pride of life (assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things) — these do not come from the Father but are from the world (itself)” (1 Jn 2:16). These three wounds destroy the original harmony we once shared with God and His creation in the garden. The greater one’s attachment is to these worldly desires, the more detached one becomes to God’s will and God’s Divine Life.

This triple slavery, which replaces the original harmony, is order overthrown. Christ came to restore the order that had been destroyed; with this end in view, He gave us the three evangelical counsels (or counsels of perfection). The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that these virtues have a clear application to everyone who aspires to a life of discipleship.

 

POVERTY (Counters Lust of the Eyes)

In the face of a materialistic, consumer culture where one’s value is often determined by earning power or the acquisition of wealth, a spirit of poverty testifies to our dependence upon God as the source of all gifts and our solidarity with one another, especially the poor. What does it mean to be “poor in spirit”? In Matthew 13:44 Jesus tells this parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” To be poor in spirit is to realize that nothing we have is worth more than the kingdom of God. Knowing this, we become willing to part with anything we have if it hinders us from receiving the kingdom. This is why Jesus said, “No one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions” (Lk 14:33). Being poor in spirit does not always mean taking vows of poverty or despising the blessings God has given us. Instead, it is a condition of the heart. The main point is always “detachment.” It’s not whether you have it or not, it’s how you have it.

As you look ahead to this 54 Day Bootcamp, ask yourself what you are attached to that limits or derails your efforts to grow in holiness? Is it leisure or a lack of exercise or food or an insatiable want for more wealth or more prestige? Does your life seem “out of control?” … a sense that you have lost the “original harmony?” This is a great time for us to recover that original harmony once again, as we rededicate ourselves to health, both spiritual and physical.

 

Chastity (Counters Lust of the Flesh)

Chastity is a commitment to purity and fidelity no matter what your state in life, whether married, single, or consecrated. Sex is used in our society for so many purposes, including the selling of products and recreation, and the prevailing message is that one must be sexually active to be fully human — even if that means promiscuity. Chastity reminds us of the deeper meaning of sexuality. Those who are reverent and respectful toward their bodies and those of others, with God’s grace, will maintain their purity. Many in society treat people like animals and detach the “marital act” from the reverence it deserves. They accept it and promote it in the wrong context and thus betray its sacredness.

As you look ahead to this 54 Day Bootcamp, ask yourself what is unchaste in your life right now? Are you modest in your dress or speech? Do you avoid sexually explicit TV, movies, internet, etc.? Are you fully committed to your spouse? Are you making the “extra effort” to breathe life into your committed relationship? If you are single (celibate), are staying true to your call to purity?

 

Obedience (Counters Pride of Life)

Obedience actually means the practice of listening. It is a commitment to listen to God through the mediation of Sacred Scripture and through the teaching of Christ’s Bride, the Church. We choose obedience to indicate a preference for the common good over personal desire. The modern-day definition of freedom is to be able to do whatever one wants to do as long as it does not interfere with the rights of others — freedom from responsibility. Obedience demonstrates that the most perfect form of freedom is that which makes a commitment to another person (divine or human) or a cause.

As you look ahead to this 54 Day Bootcamp, ask yourself if you are fully committed to following all legitimate authority in your life … Church? Pope? Bishop? Pastor? Do you humbly respect authority? Can you be led? Can you be taught? Do you “truly” believe and trust in God’s supernatural power?

Take this time between now and August 15 to “make a plan.” Take notes … make a list … do some serious soul searching to see what it is God wants to “root out of you” to make you more free to grow in holiness, and to be counted among His “Warrior Saints in Training” as we face the most fierce spiritual warfare of all times. God is counting on YOU!!!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; in all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. (Prov 3:5-7)

National 54 Day Rosary Novena

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