Catholic Saints, who have written on the Spiritual Life, suggest that a "remote preparation" is necessary in order to better understand the Word of God.  This includes being a lover of the Truth as well as the practice the Virtues of Humility, Meekness, and Docility to God the Holy Ghost.  "Proximate preparation" includes two prayers:  1) The Act of Contrition; and, 2) The Veni, Sancte Spiritus.

An Act of Contrition

O my God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, because I love Thee above all things with my whole heart and soul.  I detest all of my sins because it was for them and His Love for me that Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, my Lord and my God, suffered, was crucified, and died on the cross.  O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee by my sins, faults, imperfections, negligences and carelessness, Who art all good and deserving of all of my love.

I firmly resolve with the help of Thy Grace, to sin no more, to confess my sins, to do penance, to amend my life, to avoid all of the near occasions of sin, and always give to Thee freely, liberally and generously what is of supererogation and perfection, not only in greater things, but especially in lesser things, so that I may gain beforehand Thy efficacious, superabundant, particular and special Graces and Helps so that I will always be victorious in resisting and overcoming all temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil and his followers.  Grant me those Graces and Helps needed so that my every thought, word and action may be done solely out of love for Thee, Who art Love.  Amen.

Saint John Chrysostom

It was the custom of Patriarch Saint John Chrysostom [b. Antioch, c. 347 A.D. - d. at Commana in Pontus on Friday, September 14, 407 A.D.], Patriarch of Constantinople [Thursday, February 26, 398 A.D. - Thursday, June 24, 404 A.D.], exiled from his See the 2nd time on Thursday, June 24, 404 A.D., Father and Doctor of the Catholic Church, to properly prepare himself and his Congregation before preaching. He taught that unless God the Holy Ghost prepares the minds and hearts of the Preacher and of the Congregation, the Preacher preaches in vain and the Congregation listens in vain.

Therefore, so as not to waste your time, please pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus, remembering how one Holy Saint was of the opinion that a Sermon is a Sacramental.

Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful
And kindle in them the fire of Thy love.

V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created;
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let Us Pray

O God, who didst instruct the hearts of Thy faithful by the light of Thy Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to relish what is right and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary; pray for us.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Patron Saint of Catholic Schools, pray for us.

“Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist ye, strong in faith.” (EPISTLE of today’s Mass [1 Peter 5:8-9]).

V  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

I wish all Fathers a “Happy Father’s Day!”  Today is a special time for Fathers.  A time to emerge from the cave of contemplation, a.k.a. your garage or your basement, into the joy and the light of the love of one’s family.  To realize that your Wife and Children care about you and express this in various ways, especially on your special day today!

But We caution Fathers not to take it personal if your family has not yet quite learned to recognize when you are “talked out”, so to speak.

In other words, your Wife and Children may not know when you hit your own personal maximum level of somewhere between about 5,000 to 15,000 words per day, with some exceptions. Anything beyond this might result in the primitive language of “humms” and “uhuhs” and those ever imperceptible quasi-grunts in response to their questions or statements to which they logically expect your rational response.

IF - IF you should feel that God has somehow short-changed most men by limiting the nature of man insofar as the number of words per day are concerned, instead, look at this as an opportunity!  So, IF you are not already doing this, pray to God the Holy Ghost for guidance as to how to speak the silent language of good example for your Wife and Children.

Remember:  “actions speak louder than words”.

The word “Virtue” comes from the Latin word “vir” which also means “strength”.  Interestingly, the Latin word “vir” also means “man”.  So even the pagan Romans recognized that a “man” is also supposed to be virtuous, i.e. Spiritually strong - a person having Spiritual strength.  And Virtue speaks the silent language of good example!

But how can you speak this silent language of good example if you grossly limit the time you spend with your Wife and Children?  Try to adust your busy schedule as best you can so that you have more time available, not only for your Wife, but also for your Children.

Children tend to feel neglected, especially by their Fathers, if their Fathers are always “too busy” to spend time with them.  So try to set aside some time to “do something special” with each of your Children individually.  Perhaps a schedule might help?  But, however you do it, try to balance whatever spare time you have available, not only with your Wife, but also with each of your Children.  In the long term, it will be time, not well spent, but well invested.

Do not SPEND time with your Wife and Kids - INVEST your time with them!

Historically, one of the primary duties of a Husband and a Father is to protect his family. Although in today’s Epistle, what God the Holy Ghost tells us through the pen of Saint Peter is for everyone, yet it is even more true and more relevant for Husbands and Fathers, namely, to “be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist ye, strong in faith.”

In the Old Testament, you read about various shepherds who physically fought a variety of wild beasts which tried to hurt or kill their lambs or sheep.  In like manner, a Husband and a Father is, although by way of allegory, yet in a real sense, similar to a shepherd because a Husband must always protect his Wife and a Father must always protect his Children.

Husbands and Fathers need to pray to the Patron Saint of Fathers, Saint Joseph, for guidance and help in how to always be a kind, patient, understanding, loving, considerate Spouse and Father, not only in regard to physical dangers to his family, but most especially in regard to Spiritual dangers to his Wife and Children.

To this end, the Catholic Church provides a variety of weapons to fight off evil spirits such as the Exorcism, Holy Water, Blessed objects such as Crucifixes, Rosaries, Medals, Candles, etc.

Consider how no successful General ever won a war without first having a successful battle plan.

For example, in the quasi-documentary movie Patton (Released in the U.S.A. during September, 1970, starring George C. Scott as General George Smith Patton Jr., and Karl Malden as General Omar Nelson Bradley.  The movie won 7 Oscars, 17 other awards, and had 7 other nominations for other awards.).

In this movie, Major General George Smith Patton, Jr. [b. at San Gabriel, California on Wednesday, November 11,1885 A.D. - d. assassinated by elite members of the U.S. Army G-2 in the U.S. Army Hospital at Heidelberg, Germany on Friday, December 21, 1945 A.D.] is depicted as having read the book “Infantry Attacks” (“Infanterie greift an”- which was based on his experiences during World War I.) written by his Nazi counter-part, the “Desert Fox”, Field Marshal Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel [b. at Heidenheim, Germany on Sunday, November 15, 1891 A.D. - d. at Herrlingen, Germany on Saturday, October 14, 1944 A.D.].

In this book were Rommel’s Stoßtruppens' (shock troops') tactics. It was published in 1937.  As a result, General Patton knew the strategy of his enemy’s battle plan and was thus able to defeat that strategy and thus his enemy.

In the daily spiritual battles all of us wage against the Devil, we can only be victorious and overcome his subtle temptations by praying to God for help because when a person resorts to the Spiritual weapons with which our Faith provides us, we can be confident of victory over Satan’s shock troops.  God the Holy Ghost, through the pen of Saint Peter, tells us to resist the Devil by being strong in the Faith.

Therefore all Catholics, including Parents, and especially every Husband and Father, because he has the responsibility of protecting his Wife and Children, needs to pray to God the Holy Ghost for His inspirations as to the best Spiritual battle plans to use to overcome the Devil - which Spiritual weapons to use, both defensive and offensive weapons - which Spiritual strategies to use against the adversary - the Devil - who, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour with his subtle lies and half-truths by which he hopes to confuse our minds and immobilize our wills.

This is why it is important to develop one’s own Spiritual Life.  Those who have been Confirmed, and who are thereby Soldiers of Jesus Christ, should not feel intimidated by the Devil.

Resolutions

For our resolutions, let all of us, especially Husbands and Fathers, pray to God the Holy Ghost for His guidance and inspirations in how to most effectively overcome the Devil.  To pray to Our Blessed Mother for her help and protection.

For example:

“Our Lady of Mount Carmel, please continue to continuously keep thy mantle of protection around my family and myself today and every day.”

Pray to Saint Joseph, the Patron Saint of Husbands and Fathers.  Pray the Exorcism Prayer daily - it is very powerful.  Use other Spiritual weapons such as Holy Water, etc.  Read books on the Spiritual Life, e.g. the “Imitation of Christ”, the “Three Ages of the Interior Life”, the writings of various Saints such as Saint Ignatius DeLoyola, Saint John of the Cross, Saint Theresa, the Little Flower, or a book on Purgatory, or on the Mass, the biography of a Saint, and, obviously, the New Testament.

We always suggest to everyone to become one of God’s favorites!  How?  By doing little things out of love for God, doing simple, little things you are not required to do - called acts of supererogation - like a little act of courtesy such as when stopped in traffic and someone is wanting to exit a parking lot onto the street - to let that person go ahead of you when the traffic resumes.

In this way, God will give you, not only the Graces He has promised He would give you when you are tempted, but God will also give you extra Graces by which you will have an even greater certainty of victory!

It is very, very, easy to become one of God’s favorites! Anyone can do it!  You do not need to have a Ph.D. and you don’t even need to be a jack of all trades and a master of none!

“Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist ye, strong in faith.” (EPISTLE of today’s Mass [1 Peter 5:8-9]).

V  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

 

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