I read this story on Catholic Exchange and then heard an interview on ETWN radio by the author, Gary Zimak. Gary was a “Mass once a week only” Catholic before he had some medical difficulties. That was a turning point in his life where he decided to learn more about the Catholic faith and educate others. He’s not a priest and does not hold a theology degree. He is just someone who got really excited about learning and teaching the faith. Wanting to explore my faith and share it with others was one of the main reasons why I started rosaryMeds. So Gary’s story really hit home. Maybe one of these days EWTN will interview me about rosaryMeds!
Read his article, “Ten Facts Most Catholics Don’t Know (But Should!).” Also, there is some pretty interesting (although heated at times) debate in the article’s comments. This article reminds me of something I said in a previous article on Lent that to succeed in our endeavours (sports, business, personal faith, etc.) you need to understand the rules of the game. Enjoy!
I use the parable of the Good Samaritan to discuss how often God calls us to prayer.
This past Sunday’s Gospel was the parable of the Good Samaritan. It’s a story that I’m sure many of us have heard dozens of times about a man who was beaten and robbed. A priest and a Levite avoided the man while a Samaritan helped him and took care of him (Jews and Samaritans did not get along). And we probably all know the teachings behind that parable. We have heard about how God calls us to help one another. We know that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ from our best friend to our worst enemies. We reflect on how we often make excuses for not helping one another such as we’re too busy or it’s too much of an inconvenience. But sitting in my pew last Sunday listening to the homily made me think about another angle of this parable. I asked myself, “how often does God want us to pray?”
At first glance the parable of the Good Samaritan does not seem to be about prayer. But I started to reflect on what exactly is the purpose of prayer. The basic definition of prayer is the act of communicating with God. So how often should we communicate with God through prayer? The Third Commandment says to keep holy the Sabbath which occurs once a week. As Christians, we reserve Sunday as our holy day of prayer. But instead of a day, many of us only give an hour by going to Mass and “getting it out of the way.” I defer to Homer Simpson as an example of how many of us think of Sunday Mass:
So what is a realistic amount of time to pray? A day, an hour, what? I arrived at the answer listening to the story of the Good Samaritan. We are called to prayer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In other words, God calls us to perpetually be in a state of prayer. Think about that basic definition of prayer which is communication with God. By living a life of prayer we live in constant communication with God. He guides us through life’s obstacles, gives us strength for the rough times, and offers us many blessings. Another way to put this is that living in prayer leads to living in God’s grace. But to receive these gifts of guidance, strength, and faith we have to always present our joys, worries, and concerns to God and listen to what He says to us. Through this communication we prepare ourselves for whatever challenges come our way.
The Good Samaritan was living in prayer when he helped the robbed and beaten man. Like Mary in the Annunciation or Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Samaritan said through his actions, “thy will be done Lord.” That is much more than what the priest or the Levite did in that parable when they were too busy to help the poor man. They represent our tendency to think of prayer as something we separate from our normal lives. For the priest and the Levite, the man on the side of the road needed help outside of the time they reserved for prayer. Basically, the poor man needed help when the priest and Levite weren’t in a prayerful mood. But could you imagine trying to explain to God a good reason not to be in a prayerful mood? When we are like the Samaritan who integrated prayer into his life, not separated it, we are always ready and willing to do God’s will. We don’t see helping others as an inconvenience, but as an opportunity to further our relationship with God and live in a deeper form of grace.
So let us not be like the priest or Levite in the parable or Homer Simpson in the video clip. We are not called to partition our lives into two categories — one where we live in prayer and acknowledge God’s will and one where we do not. There isn’t a time limit to prayer or an expiration date for acting holy. Of course there are different forms of prayer. Prayer means silent meditation, reading the Bible, reciting the rosary, or acting with good will. For some it might mean religious life as a priest or nun while others it means marriage. Regardless of who you are and what you do, God calls us to a life of prayer because He greatly desires a dialog with each one of us. Now ask yourself, do your actions reflect a desire to live in God’s graces?
One of the main themes in my postings is that spiritual fitness is an important part of one’s overall health. I discuss the idea of spiritual exercise and being spiritually fit. In this article I’m going to discuss one of the most basic, but also one of the most important elements of spiritual fitness — praying the Hail Mary.
Physical exercise, no matter how complex, breaks down into very basic movements such as push ups, sit ups, squats, pull ups, etc. Exercise is a matter of simple mechanics where someone is lifts, lowers, pushes, or pulls some object. However, an entire industry has emerged selling videos, books, and equipment pushing the idea that being fit is a complex process. But when you remove all the advertising and spokespeople, what differentiates a physically fit person from others is that the fit person has discipline to conduct very basic movements aggressively, routinely, and properly.
One of the most basic exercises is the push up. However, it is also one of the best exercises as it strengthens core muscles, increases metabolism, and requires little space and no equipment. And yet, so many people avoid doing push ups because they are hard or many believe that such a simple movement cannot be as effective as using a very complex machine at the gym. But any athlete or soldier will tell you that mastering the push up is an important tool in improving one’s overall health and strength.
Like the push up in physical exercise, the Hail Mary and the rosary are fundamental prayers in staying spiritually fit. The Hail Mary is 42 words long and takes about 10 seconds to say at a normal pace. But it should be the cornerstone of everyone’s prayer routine. After all, why do you think Mary wants you to pray it 53 times in the rosary? It may be a simple prayer, but Mary and the saints know that it has a proven track record of keeping people in God’s grace. And yet so many people tend to avoid praying it. Like the push up, the Hail Mary and the rosary are often avoided because they are seen as too difficult or not complex enough to have any meaningful result. But people who are in shape spiritually will probably tell you that the Hail Mary is an important part of their prayer routine and must not be avoided.
Like the push up, you should start praying the Hail Mary slowly, methodically, and routinely. Even the greatest athletes start with a single push up and then build on it. Similarly, anyone can start building spiritual muscle with a single Hail Mary and build on that. Remember, it is a ten second prayer and no one is so busy that you can’t fit in at least one some time during the day. Like the push up, practice good form which means really concentrating on the words and not rushing through it. A push up consists of two movements — a downward move followed by an upward one. Likewise, the Hail Mary consists of two parts. The first section you acknowledge and praise Mary as the Mother of God. In the second you ask Her to pray for you, a poor sinner. Both parts are important and require your attention and concentration.
So don’t be afraid of getting in spiritual shape through simple prayers. Remember, sometimes the simplest prayers can yield the greatest benefits when they are said with your whole mind and soul. Does anyone have any Hail Mary or rosary stories that they want to share? Please leave your story as a comment.
Welcome to Holy Week! I hope you have had a productive Lenten season as you prepare for the glorious redemption of Christ our King. Personally, I prepared well during Lent in certain areas (my Lenten sacrifice, attending Stations of the Cross, etc.) and have not quite lived up in other areas (reading the Bible, fasting, etc.). But, like in other parts of life (and iterated many times in the Gospels) it is not how you start, but how you end that counts. So I hope to make this a very productive Holy Week. In that spirit, I want to introduce you to a little gem of a website called “Come Pray the Rosary.”
A year ago a visitor left a comment mentioning the website “Come Pray the Rosary” (thanks Jack!). This website is a perpetual, online Rosary prayer session with others around the world. The prayer is set to video of various holy places and works of religious art. You can also leave prayer intentions if you like. You can pray alone and start at the beginning of a mystery instead of joining a mystery already in progress. I know that sometimes we all need a little “kick” to start praying and that is what this site offers. It may sound silly, but sometimes all it takes is a voice set to a little video to be a catalyst to get into that praying mood. Guided rosary prayer also helps us focus our minds since we have a tendency to wonder when we pray silently by ourselves (or at least I suffer from this at times).
So you will now see a new link on the left-hand side of my website which will open “Come Pray the Rosary” in a new browser window. Give it a try if you are looking for new ways of rosary meditation and prayer.
We are entering a very special time of the year. People all around the globe will come together and really show the extent of the human spirit. People from different countries, languages, and cultures will be united for a few weeks with a common purpose. It will be difficult and require many sacrifices. But in the end, some people will rise up and find a strength they never knew they had and emerge triumphant. Are you ready for… the Olympics Lent?
Much like the Olympic games, Lent and Easter are not ordinary times of the year. It is a special time where we set aside our usual routine and really focus on becoming stronger in our faith. It is a time to really push ourselves spiritually so that we may win that eternal “gold medal” — God’s grace and a place in His heavenly kingdom. Athletes train for years in preparation for the Olympics. Similarly, we must train and build our spiritual muscles in order to get the most out of this holy season. Similar to last year’s Lenten article, here are some things you can do to earn that “Lenten Gold”
Fast: This can be the toughest form of meditation and prayer. Fast by consuming only one full meal during the day (two smaller meals are allowed to maintain strength). While most people are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, become a Lenten Olympian by fasting more often. Try fasting once or twice a week during Lent. Not ready for that gold medal? Just try skipping desserts and avoiding snacks. God sees every small sacrifice.
Pray: Allow extra time for prayer. Wake up five minutes earlier and spend that time in silent meditation. Remain conscious of Lent by praying throughout the day. Leaving work? Coming back from lunch? Running an errand? Say a small prayer at any of these times as a reminder of your faith. Want to go for the gold? Check with your parish for Stations of the Cross, Adoration, and other Lenten events.
Sacrifice: In the Olympics, earning your place on the podium takes hard work and sacrifice. You have to constantly adhere to a strict training regiment and never “slack off” or become lazy. Likewise, making the most of Lent requires making sacrifices. Give up something difficult like watching television or browsing the internet. Give up snacking. Give up alcohol. Replace your “guilty little pleasures” with prayer and build those spiritual muscles.
Know the Rules: Olympic athletes need to understand the rules of their sport in order to win. Skiers must know the twists and turns of a hill so that they can stay on the best path and achieve a winning time. Hockey players need to know what actions result in a penalty and avoid making them. How do you expect to be a Lenten superstar if you do not understand the rules of the game? Read Bible passages. Read a few pages of the Catechism every night. Learn apologetics. If you are feeling really ambitious, read one of the Holy Father’s encyclicals. Knowing your faith will keep you on that winning path.
Confession: Even Olympic athletes have bad days. Sometimes a ski jumper gets out of position and doesn’t get as much distance as he should. Sometimes a figure skater falls while trying to land after a difficult leap. But what do they all do? They get back up, learn from their mistakes, move on, and try to do better the next time. To be a Lenten athlete we also need to learn from our mistakes, get up, and move on. Go to Confession. Purge yourself of your sins, listen to the priest giving you absolution, do your penance, and move on and live in God’s graces. Want to go for the gold? Try to convince a loved one who hasn’t received the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a long time to go during Lent.
Have a Plan: Olympic athletes set goals. Skiers have a target time they have to beat in order to win a medal. Figure skaters have a list of moves they need to complete in their routines. They just don’t go out there without a strategy and hope that it all comes together. Likewise, have a plan for Lent. Make a list of all the spiritual goals you want to accomplish before Easter. Start now and continually add to the list as you think of new ways to make this Lent an extra special time of prayer.
The holiest time of the year begins in a few days. Are you prepared? Are you ready to win that spiritual gold medal? Please share in the comments any other ways we can all become Lenten superstars.
Last Sunday was the feast of the Holy Family. The Gospel reading was the Fifth Joyful Mystery about finding Jesus in the temple. I wrote a rosary meditation on this mystery earlier, but I had another thought as I was listening to the Gospel at Mass that I wanted to share.
In Luke’s Gospel, after finding Jesus in the temple, Jesus said that He had to be in His Father’s house. The Gospel then says that Mary and Joseph, “did not grasp what He said to them” (Luke 2:50). I have a hard time understanding why Mary and Joseph were so confused by Jesus’ words. After all, He was immaculately conceived. An angel came to Mary saying that she was going to be the mother of God. Choirs of angels sang at His birth. Three wise men sought him out and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Those aren’t events that just happen to any regular human being. So why were Mary and Joseph so confused despite the fact that they understood that Jesus was God made man?
I now realize that Mary and Joseph’s confusion is no different, in some respects, to our confusion of Jesus’ message today. How many times does Jesus speak to us through the Mass, prayer, the Bible, and the teachings of the Church? He may not physically appear to us, but that does not diminish His message of love, peace, and faith. And yet, we still do not understand His teachings and struggle to live according to His will. We still fall into temptation and sin. We still choose to live for this earthly world and not His kingdom. We even have the advantage of knowing of His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven and yet our actions reflect a confusion and sometimes a total lack of understanding of Jesus’ teachings. So when the Gospel writers talk of Mary’s confusion of Jesus’ words, perhaps they are commenting more on our human condition of not understanding Jesus’ nature.
As we enter a new decade may we make a resolution to better understand Jesus’ teachings. Let us also resolve to live and treat each other as Jesus tells us. May we have the courage to let the Holy Spirit lead us through life’s difficult situations. As Mary asks us repeatedly, may we make room in our hearts for Jesus through prayer, meditation, and fasting. Finally, may this be a new decade of decades (rosary decades that is) as we resolve to pray the rosary more than ever. Happy 2010 everyone!
I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! All through human existence people have been searching for meaning; to make sense of everything in this world. In other words, we have been searching for God and trying to know His ways. On Christmas, God answered that eternal question through the birth of Jesus Christ. He became flesh so that we could try to comprehend His incomprehensible nature. And we find that God is not distant, petty, or power-hungry like the false gods people worshiped in ages past, but is as innocent and humble as a newborn baby. May we embrace this great gift from God by increasing our faith and love for Jesus.
On the practical side, let us remember to take advantage of Christmas Mass whether that be on Christmas eve, midnight, or Christmas day. I know all too often Christmas Mass is seen as something to “get out of the way” if we even go at all. And often we spend our time at Mass thinking, “I wonder what is in that big box under the tree?” Or, “I need to get home and start on that turkey!” I know sometimes I just “zone out” and start scanning the congregation for friends I have not seen in a long time. I just want to remind you that the Mass is the high point of this holiday. As I mentioned in my Third Joyful Mystery Meditation, let us not be consumed by the “trappings” of Christmas even if it can only be for that one hour during Mass (hey, it’s a start). Really take in the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament and reflect on the greatest gift humanity has ever received — a personal and loving relationship with God.
Today’s rosary meditation focuses on The Fifth Joyful Mystery — The Finding of Jesus in the Temple. When returning from a festival in Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph noticed that Jesus was not in the caravan. They went back to Jerusalem and searched for Jesus for three days before finding Him in the temple talking to the elders. When Mary said that she and Joseph had been searching for Him in sorrow, Jesus responded, “Why did you search for me? Did you not know I had to be in My Father’s house?” (Lk. 2:49).
Mary and Joseph traveled for a day before noticing that Jesus was missing from the caravan. They assumed He was somewhere else in the party. How far do we sometimes travel in life before we notice that Jesus is missing? How many days do we sometimes go without praying, reflecting on our sins, or thanking God for all the blessings He gives us? How many people do you know who are moving away from God’s graces by sinning but just assume God is “cool” with everything they are doing? Like Mary and Joseph assuming that Jesus was still in the caravan, many times we assume that we are much closer to the Lord than we really are. Many times we willfully go against Church teaching and sin and yet still think we are in God’s graces. It takes a lot of strength and courage to really examine ourselves, admit when we have moved away from the way God calls us to live, and then turn back and rediscover Jesus. We reconnect with Jesus through the sacrament of Reconciliation, prayer, reading the Bible and the teachings of the Catholic Church. Basically, we find Jesus in His “Father’s house” when we act in accordance with His Church’s teachings.
Mary and Joseph searched for Jesus for three days before finding Him. I think this is an important aspect of this mystery. It shows us that sometimes, even when we commit ourselves to finding Jesus in our lives, it can still be a long and difficult journey. We don’t always instantly feel God’s graces when we choose to reject sin and follow Jesus. I’ve heard many times of people feeling frustrated, depressed, or angry with God because they do not feel His presence although they are constantly looking for Him through prayer, fasting, and not sinning. But this mystery teaches us that we must not give up. We must constantly be looking for Jesus like a parent would look for a lost child. Mary and Joseph did not give up their search and neither should we. The Gospel describes that Mary and Joseph searched “in sorrow.” Our path to Jesus might not be easy and there will probably be setbacks, dead ends, relapses, and disappointment. But this is one search that we must never call off because our very souls are at stake.
Let us meditate and pray for all of those who are moving away from God. We should pray especially for those whose pride has blinded them to the truth of God’s Word. We must pray for those who twist the Church’s teachings to try to justify sinful behavior. And we ask God for the strength to always turn towards Him and return to His Father’s house when we stray. For it doesn’t matter how far off track we are, either with a single sin or a lifetime of sinful behavior, we can always turn around and find God’s mercy.
The rosary has the ability to heal and mend what is broken in our lives. Fr. Dwight Longenecker, on Catholic Online, discusses how praying the rosary brings us inner peace by replacing all that is earthly in our life with what is heavenly.
From the article:
In a mysterious way Christ’s perfect life and the perfect love he shared with his mother, flow into the wounded places in our lives. This grace empowers us to return to the confessional with a clearer vision. It helps us to be open to the healing Christ brings through the Eucharist, and it gives us the strength to continue the daily hard work of being transformed into Christ’s image.
I really like this idea of replacing our “wounded places” with Christ’s love. It goes hand-in-hand with many of the message from Mary at Medjugorje when she asks us to clean out all that prevents us from fully accepting God’s graces.
The article also discusses how our lives mimic the values and themes seen in each mystery of the rosary:
Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae writes, “The rosary marks the rhythm of human life, bringing it into harmony with the rhythm of God’s own life.”
Pope John Paul II said that we can reflect on all the joys, sorrows, and challenges in our lives by looking at the ones shown in the mysteries of the rosary. Over time, through rosary prayer, our ways begin to mimic Jesus’ ways revealed in those mysteries. For example, we see Jesus taking up the cross in the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery. We know that Jesus fell down repeatedly and yet He always got back up and continued on. We can learn that we all have our “crosses” in life and at times we might fall (either by sin or just lacking faith and spiritual energy). However, to imitate Jesus we must get up and continue working towards His kingdom.
The next time we pray the rosary, let us ask ourselves what each mystery reveals about our own lives. Are we imitating what Jesus did in those mysteries or are we ignoring His teachings and example?
Dear children, with joy, persistently work on your conversion. Offer all your joys and sorrows to my Immaculate Heart that I may lead you all to my most beloved Son, so that you may find joy in His Heart. I am with you to instruct you and to lead you towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Mary wants us to “persistently work” on our conversion towards Jesus Christ. This theme of conversion is echoed repeatedly throughout the mysteries of the rosary. We see it most clearly in the Third Luminous Mystery. We are called to live for Jesus’ kingdom of Heaven by converting our earthly ways to His heavenly ways. I like how Mary calls conversion “persistent work” in that our conversion towards Christ isn’t something done in an instant. Everyone, from the normal person on the street to the Pope has to work constantly on their conversion towards Christ. Mary adds that not only should we work towards conversion, but we should work with joy since there is no higher goal than living in God’s grace and one day living in His kingdom of Heaven.
The idea of joy is repeated throughout Her message. She says that we should convert with joy, offer up our joys, and we can find joy in His heart. At times we don’t always think of our faith with a sense of joy and wonder. Instead we see its rules, laws, and obligations. We see it as a burden to go to Mass on Sunday. We see only the hardship of following the Church’s laws and not being able to do whatever we want. But we miss the joy of working towards something so much greater than what this world has to offer.
May we listen to our mother, Mary, and persistently work on our conversion to be true followers of Christ. May we keep our eyes on that eternal goal of the joy of Heaven instead of being consumed entirely by shallow, earthly pursuits. Mary asks us to orient ourselves towards Jesus Christ. Ask yourself, which way are you pointing?
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