Calendar

Leader's School
Thur June 6, 7:00pm
St. Benedict's, BA
RE classroom #8

Ultreya-Tulsa
Fri June 7, 7:00pm
St. Mary's, Tulsa

Ultreya-BA
Fri June 21, 7:00pm
St. Benedict's, BA

Leader's School
Thur July 11, 7:00pm
St. Benedict's, BA
RE classroom #8

Ultreya-Tulsa
Fri July 5, 7:00pm
St. Mary's, Tulsa

Ultreya-BA
Fri July 19, 7:00pm
St. Benedict's, BA

Men's Weekend #31
Sept 26-29, 2002
St. John's, McAlester

Women's Weekend #31
Oct 10-13, 2002
St. John's, McAlester

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 11

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

TEMPERANCE

      Diogenes, the Greek philosopher (d. 324 B.C.), was once seen in the market place in Athens, carrying a lantern at high noon. When he was asked what he was looking for, the philosopher replied, "I am looking for a man." "A man? Why, the agora is swarming with men!" Diogenes replied, "they are not men but beasts who live according to their animal appetite."

      The third moral virtue is temperance. The New Catholic Catechism defines temperance, as the virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable. The Lord has given us the physical senses of touch, pain, temperature, taste, vision, hearing and smell, not only so that we may survive in a hostile world, but that we might also enjoy and savor the goodness of His creation.  He also placed within our souls, a desire for the goodness of His creation. He gave us an intellect, so that we might know, and through knowing, come to the fullness of knowledge that is God himself. 

      The proper use of our physical senses, desires and our intellect, enable us to give Him the glory that is due to Him as creator and sustainer of our lives.  Our physical senses, desires and intellects are meant to lead us to goodness.  The ultimate goodness is God.  He has therefore placed within us the desire and the way to find Him in, with and through His creation. The physical senses, desires and intellects are in themselves good. When properly used, they will bring us to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him in the building of His kingdom.

      The sin of Adam, however, brought disarray into man, so that the senses and desires are distorted in their meaning and purpose.  We are tempted, because of concupiscence, to choose and use our physical senses,  desires and intellects for our self-fulfillment, rather than to seek and find the Lord.  Because of these temptations, Christian growth in a relationship with God requires training of the mind, the heart, spirit and soul in the virtue of temperance.

New Catholic Catechism:

ARTICLE 272

Faith in God the Father Almighty can be put to the test by the experience of evil and suffering. God can sometimes seem to be absent and incapable of stopping evil.  But in the most mysterious way God the Father has revealed his almighty power in the voluntary humiliation and Resurrection of his son, by which he conquered evil. Christ crucified is thus "the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Cor. 1:24-24)  It is in Christ's Resurrection and exaltation that the Father has shown forth "the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe." (Eph 1:19-22)

SUFFERINGS SMALL TOLL

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 12

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

CUSTODY OF THE SENSES

      When on April 10, 1940, Hitler suddenly took over Norway, a few days before a great many German tourists, merchants and sailors had landed in Norwegian ports. These men were actually soldiers in disguise who proved most helpful in the occupation of Norway.

      We can never be too cautious. The enemy is always tempting us, introducing himself into our hearts through the senses. It is necessary to be on guard.

      In our reflection on the virtue of temperance, we understand that the Lord has given us custody of our eyes, our ears, our taste, smell and other physical senses.  We can decide what to see, hear, taste, smell and feel.  Once experienced in our senses, however, sinful sensual experience is most difficult to eradicate. Sin, like grace, affects all of our being. It is as though it permeates us as if it were in our very life-giving blood. In this permeation sin produces great changes.  Even with the greatest of remorse and desire to separate our souls from the sin of the world, once encountered, the memory of a sinful sensual experience remains. It is as though the encounter with sensual sin has a character that marks our soul with an indelible stamp.

      Because of the devastating and long lasting experience of sensual sin, we must take care of the senses the Lord has given us. The saints often speak of the custody of the eyes, recognizing that, as Alexander Pope expressed in the little poem.

"Sin is of such a dreadful mien

That to be hated is but to be seen

But oft seen becomes a familiar face

At first tolerated and then embraced."

      This same difficulty lies in the lack of proper custody of all our bodily senses. They are given us to explore God's gifts in a proper and honorable way. They are avenues in which we experience His joy, pleasure and love. Although we are not to be overly scrupulous, we must be extremely careful what we see, hear, taste and feel. St. John of the Cross writes: "Without mortification of the appetites the soul will make no more progress in perfection than a seed falling on barren ground."

NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM

|ARTICLE NO. 293

      Scripture and Tradition never cease to teach and celebrate this fundamental truth: "The world was made for the glory of God." St. Bonaventure explains that God created all things "not to increase His glory, but to show it forth and to communicate it," for God has no other reason for creating than His love and goodness: St. Thomas expresses it thusly.  "Creatures came into existence when the key of love opened His hand." The First Vatican Council explains:

This one, true God, of his own goodness and "almighty power," not for increasing his own beatitude, nor for attaining his perfection, but in order to manifest this perfection through the benefits which he bestows on creatures, with absolute freedom of counsel "and from the beginning of time, made out of nothing both orders of creatures, the spiritual and the corporeal..."

ARTICLE NO. 294

      The glory of God consists in the realization of this manifestation and communication of His goodness, for which the world was created. God made us "to be His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace,"(Eph. 1:5-6) for as St Irenaeus states; "the glory of God is man fully alive; moreover man's life is the vision of god: if God's revelation through creation has already obtained life for all the beings that dwell on earth, how much more will the Word's manifestation of the Father obtain life for those who see God." The ultimate purpose of creation is that God "who is the creator of all things may at last be all in all, thus simultaneously assuring His own glory and our beatitude."(1 Cor.15: 28)

CREATIONS GLORY

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 13

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

MEEKNESS AND HUMILITY

      When Vindhirst was municipal counselor of Hanover, a woman asked him if she could divorce her husband because she could not live with him for the reason that he would come home intoxicated and cause a great row. Then he asked her, "What do you do then?" "Naturally, I don't keep quite either." "Ah, it seem a piece of furniture is missing in your home." "What piece of furniture?" "A prei-dieu! Buy one and when your husband comes home intoxicated, talk to God instead of your husband."

Two virtues that belong to the cardinal virtue of temperance and regulation of the passion of anger and of pride are meekness and humility.  Our divine Savior, our model in all things, selected these two virtues in particular for us to imitate. In Matthews Gospel (11:29) he speaks to us a counsel "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart." As we matured in a society of the rough and tumble, we often heard our parents, coaches and other mentors counsel us to "Stand up for your rights!", "Be yourself and be proud of it", "If you don't demand respect, you will not receive respect" or similar phrases.  These attitudes have trained us to a defensive stance against others, and have produces a great deal of anxiety in our lives. 

In all the adverse and unpleasant conditions of His public life our divine Savior showed great meekness and composure. This was true whether He faced the importunate and inconsiderate, the clumsy and ignorant, opposition, malice and duplicity.  There was no ill humor or annoyance, no irritation or lack of self-control. Above all in His bitter Passion, He demonstrated His greatest meekness and calmness. He was bound, bore false and base accusations, was manhandled, spat upon, mocked, scourged, crowned with thorns and finally nailed to the cross, all the while praying for those who treated Him in this way.

His meekness and calmness was not due to apathy or cowardice.  He was not afraid of his aggressors. On an occasion in which His divine Fathers house was not honored, he angrily drove out the desecrators, (Jn 2:13-17). When the disciples rebuked those who brought children to Him, He became indignant (Mk. 10:14), He thundered an eight-fold woe at the Pharisees, calling them "hypocrites, serpents, brood of vipers, children of the Devil" (Mt. 23:13-33).

The anger of Jesus was a holy anger. It sprang from his zeal for the honor of his Father. It was a temperate anger.  He was indeed the meek Savior,  "The Lamb of God" (Jn. 1:29), and at the same time He was a valiant protector of truth "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5:5).

Jesus is our model.  In this season celebration of His birth, it is time to evaluate our attitudes. How are we living the meek, calm, understanding Jesus in our lives.  The persons we encounter during each day deserve to see both sides of Christ.  It is on a rare occasion necessary to be the lion of the tribe of Judah, when the Lord is not honored.  It is almost a continual occasion, however, in which to show the world the meekness that so clearly marks His saving love.

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM

ARTICLE NO. 295

We believe that God created the world according to his wisdom (Wis. 9:9) it is not the product of any necessity whatever, nor of blind fate or chance.  We believe that it proceeds from God's free will; he wanted to make his creatures share in his being, wisdom, and goodness; "for you created all things and by your will they existed and were created." (Rev. 4:11) Therefore the Psalmist exclaims: "O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all"' and "The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made." (Ps 104:24; 145:9)

ARTICLE NO.  296

We believe that God needs no pre-existent thing or any help in order to create, nor is creation any sort of necessary emanation from the divine substance. God creates freely "out of nothing";(Lateran Council IV article1215)

"If God had drawn the world from pre-existent matter, what would be so extraordinary in that? A human artisan makes from a given material whatever he wants, while God shows his power by starting from nothing to make all he wants." (St. Theophilus of Antioch)

ARTICLE NO.  297

Scripture bears witness to faith in creation "out of nothing" as a truth full of promise and hope. Thus the mother of seven sons encourages them for martyrdom: 97

I do not know how you came into being in my womb. It was not I who gave you life and breath, nor I who set in order the elements within each of you.  Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning of man and devised the origin of all things, will in his mercy give life and breath back to you again, since you now forget yourselves for the sake of his laws...Look at the heaven and the earth and see everything that is in t hem, and recognize that God did not make them out of things that existed.  Thus also mankind comes into being. (2 Macc. 7:22-23, 28)

ARTICLE NO.  298

Since God could create everything out of nothing, he can also, through the Holy spirit, give spiritual life to sinners by creating a pure heart in them (Ps 51:12) and bodily life to the dead through the Resurrection. God "gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist." (Rom 4:17) And since God was able to make light shine in darkness by His Word, he can also give the light of faith to those who do not yet know him. (Gen 1:3); 2Cor. 4:6)

CREATIONS HOPE

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 14

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

THE EGO AND HUMILITY

      Saint Philip Neri was sent to test the spirit of a woman who was considered a famous saint in a convent near Rome. When he entered the convent, he asked the religious woman to clean his dirty shoes. After she sent him away in a pique, the saint returned to the Pope and reported: "she is neither a saint nor a miracle-worker because she lacks the prime requisite, humility."

Last session, we introduced, as a part of the virtue of temperance, the virtue of humility.  This virtue is one of the most difficult to mature. We have an inner enemy to humility. It is called ego.  It is ourselves.  Today, we address one aspect of the difficulties produced by ego against humility.

One of the religions of today is called "selfism."  We don't often hear it called by its real name, but hear it echo in the complaints of those who are not being satisfied.  Selfism grows out of the religion of humanism, in which "I" am the focus.  Humanism demands that what seems good for mankind ought to be done. The judge of what is good is what feels good, what meets the needs of the moment, and what advances the secular life of individual persons. The branch of humanism, and inherent at the roots of humanism, is selfism.  What "I" like, What is good for "ME", What meets "MY" needs at the movement and what advances "MY" secular life. 

      There are several ways in which this religion is recognized.  It comes mostly in what people say, or ask, or suggest when they speak about the Church, Spirituality, or their relationship to God and neighbor.  Statements like, "I don't seem to get anything out of the Sermon?  It doesn't speak to ME.  The Church has no business telling me what I can and cannot do.......in MY own bedroom (or any place else).  I don't seem to be making any progress in MY spiritual life.  I don't seem to be maturing in MY faith." Doesn't all this sound familiar?  We not only hear these expressions, likely we are also listen to them in our own minds. 

      On the surface, these seem legitimate questions for consideration.  At their root, however is the orientation that produces the initial questioning.  As the root grows, the questioning branches out, much like the limbs on a tree, and it seems that nothing in the spiritual realm is accomplishing what I expect it to accomplish. The root is that our view of the Church, our Spirituality, our relationship to God and neighbor, our Priest, or other aspects of our religious life are not oriented to WHAT PLEASES GOD.

      If we remind ourselves that Jesus was born in a borrowed cave and buried in a borrowed grave in order that when we approach Him, either in our prayer life, our relationship to Him and His Father, the Church or our neighbor, we must bow our head in humility.  If we find ourselves asking the "selfism" questions, it will be necessary that we begin to learn how to bow our heads in humility.  This is usually, at least at first, an uncomfortable stance for us, because we have been used to looking up and around, seeking what would be best for US. 

      Eradication of self is the remedy for selfism.  Of course this does not mean that we truly lose our selves, but that we allow a transfiguration of ourselves into the meekness and humility of Christ.  Transfiguration requires a complete renovation of our mind, heart, spirit and soul.  It can be very difficult, time consuming and wearing.  Never the less, if we wish to be holy, it is necessary that we eradicate the selves that we have made and let God make us into the person He wishes us to be.

      How this is done is relatively simple, but requires dedication.  The answer to what is seemingly impossible is "LET JESUS DO IT."  We accomplish this best with three steps:

1.     Begin a holy hour each day.  Be alone with the Lord, if at all possible, in front of the tabernacle for one hour a day.  If you can't shift gears this fast, try 30 minutes.  The important thing about the holy hour is that you "DO NOTHING." Because you can do nothing that would be constructive in this process, JUST BE THERE -- and LET JESUS DO IT. It is OK to reflect on something of His nature during the Holy hour, or to praise and adore His presence, but don't say the Rosary, the Holy Office, or read the Bible (except possibly a line or two just at the beginning to settle your mind on something).

2.     Go to Confession once a week for the next 4 weeks. Tell the priest what you are trying to do.  He will be of great assistance to you.

I can guarantee you that after 4 weeks; you will see a difference.  You will have a different attitude about God, the Church, Your neighbor, and yourself.  The most exciting thing about the transfiguration is, however, that you will come to love yourself more than you do now.  It will, however, be a Holy Love, because you will begin to see yourself as He sees you. 

TRY IT.  I ASSURE YOU WILL LIKE IT.

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM

ARTICLE NO 299

      Because God creates through wisdom, his creation is ordered: "You have arranged all things by measure and number and weight." (Wis 11:20) The universe, created in and by the eternal Word, the "image of the invisible God," is destined for and addressed to man, himself created in the "image of God" and called to a personal relationship with god. (Col. 1:15; Gen 1:26) Our human understanding, which shares in the light of the divine intellect, can understand what God tells us by means of his creation, though not without great effort and only in the spirit of humility and respect before the Creator and his works. (Ps 19:2-5; Job 42:3) Because creation comes forth from God's goodness, it shares in that goodness---"And God saw that it was good...very good" (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 31) --for God willed creation as a gift addressed to man, an inheritance destined for and entrusted to him.  On many occasions the Church has had to defend the goodness of creation, including that of the physical world.

WHY DID HE CREATE?

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 15

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

FORTITUDE,

      On September 22, 1622, fifty-two Christians in Japan became martyrs. Among them was a mother with her eight-year-old son Ignatius, who the year before had been baptized by Father Spinola. Father was also now waiting to be killed and was giving the condemned some final words of comfort. Spinola saw the mother, but not the child and asked her where he was. The mother held up the boy to the missionary and said, "Look, my son, this is the father who made you a child of God; ask him to bless you." The child, dressed in his Sunday clothes, knelt down, joined his hands and asked the priest to please bless him. The attendants burst into tears.

      Several heads rolled down at the child's feet, one of them his mother's, but Ignatius was not frightened. He knelt in a pool of his mothers blood and offered his head to the executioner.

      We often learn the hard virtues from determined children. The faith of a child can be strong as steel.

      The fourth and last cardinal virtue is fortitude.  Fortitude may be considered as spiritual courage.  This virtue enables us to overcome the natural fear of the unpleasant and difficult in the carrying out our just duties. Fortitude ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life" (New Catholic Catechism Article 1808). Fortitude allows us to overcome all fear in the pursuit of doing good. St. Paul affirms that "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and of prudence" (2 Tim. 1:7).

      Often the greatest heroism is required in carrying out the responsibilities to which God has called us. When we read the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew Chapters 5 through 7 and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke 5:20-48, we find an extremely challenging command.  In no other sphere of human activity is such superhuman effort of complete surrender to God demanded of human nature. God's interests must precede all others.  All else must yield to God's will, even if it means the greatest loss, like that of an eye or hand or foot.  All things must be measured by God's values.  This is true even if these appear as folly to human judgment, as to love one's enemy, to do good to those who hate us, to pray for those who persecute us or not to ask one who has stolen from you to return your property.

In the eyes of Jesus these teachings refer to God's sovereignty in the establishment of His kingdom. It means an ideal of sublime holiness for which his disciples must strive. It is an ideal that challenges all that is noble, heroic and courageous in us. It is an achievement that requires all our energies and attention.

Whoever draws back from renunciation of all things, like the rich young man, whoever fears to share the Masters life of homeless wandering, like the scribe, whoever prefers to bury his father or take leave of his home and loved ones is relentlessly excluded from His discipleship. 

We might, like the apostles. say "This is too much.  How can anyone do it?"  The answer is always the same.  Alone, we cannot do anything to bring ourselves into the Kingdom of God.  God alone can however, with little effort on His part, usher us into this state of courageous heroism of sanctity.  He has given us the virtue of fortitude, so that we do not lack the strength.  He does not ask us to use this strength to bear heavy burdens, or to carry out great physical feats. He asks of us to use this strength to the bending of the will, so the He can transform us into His disciple. Learning to use the virtue of fortitude in order to bend our will is the sole purpose of Christian spirituality. This is our purpose in our listening to the teachings of the Church, to the study of Scripture and obedience to the Holy Magisterium (The Bishops and the Pope, who are our teachers).

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM

ARTICLE 300

God is infinitely greater than all his works: "You have set your glory above the heavens." (Psalm 8:2; cf. Sir. 43:28) indeed, God's "greatness is unsearchable."(Psalm 145:3)  But because he is the free and sovereign Creator, the first cause of all that exists, God is present to his creatures' inmost being: "In him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28) In the words of St. Augustine God is "higher than my highest and more inward than my innermost self." (St. Augustine, Conf. 3,6,11:Pl32,688)

CREATIONS VEIL

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 16

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

FORTITUDE IN PRAYER

      At a party a man remarked that prayer was useless and it had never helped anybody. A young woman had an answer for him: "If a lady visited the one she loved, would she really expect anything in return?  Wouldn't just being in the presence of the one she loves be enough to satisfy.  Would there be anyone who would not continue prayer if they didn't love God? It is not necessary for God to answer in the way we wish. He answers our prayers and gives us aid just by allowing us to be with him."

      We can easily apply the virtue of  fortitude to maintaining faith in the face of temptation to sin, or in suffering from physical, mental, psychological or social disturbances.  We can associate with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, when being confronted with the sin He was to bear, He cries out in agony, "Abba!, Abba!," as a  suffering child, seeking some means of relief calls "daddy! daddy!." His response gives us hope, brings the virtue of fortitude to bear in our soul, and we are strengthened. Each time we fail we make resolutions that next time with the grace of God, we will be stronger and face the issue at hand. We mentally prepare ourselves for the next time the cross comes our way, to follow Him with confidence in the Father that all will be well.

There comes a time, and sometimes many times, however, puzzling to most beginners, and remaining so for many who are advanced in prayer, that requires a great deal of dependence on the virtue of fortitude.  I am referring to dryness of prayer, often called aridity.  A common difficulty is the feeling that prayer is not going anywhere.  The difficulty here, emphasized by many spiritual guides, but most clearly by Dom Herbert Van Zeller, is that it would be too bad if our prayer were "going somewhere."  We often fail to realize that we do not pray because we love prayer, we pray because we love God.

This cannot be overemphasized in spiritual growth.  We do not measure our spiritual growth in our love of prayer, or our feelings about prayer, we are to measure our growth in our love for God. We are not growing in prayer just because we have mastered distractions or a perfect system of prayer. We grow in prayer simply when it is done for the sole purpose of pleasing God. Once we accept that the only view of our prayer that counts is God's view, we realize that our view of our prayer doesn't much matter.

God's means of evaluating our actions is much different from ours. The feeling of aridity, or dryness in prayer is not a detriment to our prayer.  God looks down, seeing us in the desert of our prayer, reads our doubts and fears and says something like, "See, there is my beloved one. He gains nothing personally from this prayer. In fact his prayer is such a burden to him that he thinks that it is not effective at all.  But look, he prays anyway.  He trusts me.  He truly is my beloved son." 

The feeling of emptiness of prayer is a true gift to the person of prayer.  Like so many of God's gifts, we may doubt that they do us any good, but the true person of prayer will continue to seek God wherever he finds Him.  Most often it is in the desert where He has placed us.  It is a gift not only because it keeps us in our place, helping us to realize that we can really do nothing. We are totally dependent upon Him.  But in the desert, we have Him alone, with nothing else.  Often in this desert, we find Him when we have failed to find Him in all the other places we have sought.

NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM:

ARTICLE 301

      With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence:

"For you love all things that exist, and detest none of the things that you have made; for you would not have made anything if you had hated it. How would anything have endured, if you had not willed it? Or how would anything not called forth by you have been preserved? You spare all things for they are yours, O Lord, you who love the living." (Wis. 11:24-26)

Dust Gives Glory

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 17

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

NATURE OF TEMPTATION - an inticement to evil

The most dangerous bird of prey of the towering Andes mountains is the condor. It is said that it is capable of killing a yearling calf and flying away with it.

However, human cunning can trap and overpower this bird. Men put a piece of meat in a narrow dry well and leave it there. The hungry condor with its acute vision spots the delicious morsel from on high, gathers in its wings and dives to the bottom of the well. After he finishes eating the meat, it tries to fly away but because of the confines of the well cannot extend its wings. The bait has done its job.  So it is with man and temptations.

Sin, a turning away from God, has a prelude leading to it that is called temptation. For those who earnestly strive for perfection and have not yet developed a clear knowledge of the nature of temptation, it is often confused with actual sin. To know the real nature and causes of temptation is in itself a strength to the virtues that protect us from disappointing God in sin.

We can discover the source and nature of temptation from the Letter of James "No one experiencing temptation should say, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God is not subject to temptation to  evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and which sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death." (James 1:13-15)

We understand from Holy Scripture that temptation comes from the Devil, the flesh and from the world.  We should not be surprised by temptations, they are a part of our life on earth, even of the holiest.  Temptations are a part of the cross that Jesus calls upon us to bear. St. Cyprian writes that the Devil honors us with temptations, as he writes "The Devil seeks to make those fall whom he sees standing,"  and St. Gregory says; "The evil one spares only those from his assaults whom he can already consider as his own." We are tempted by the world and the flesh because of the effect of original sin remaining in our soul. This effect is called concupiscence. Although original sin was removed at Baptism, its presence in our soul has left it sealed with the image of the sin. For this reason, concupiscence is an innate tendency or inclination to lead us to sin," is a defect within our soul often blinds us to reality and causes us to see evil as good.

We should not be depressed by the force and threat of temptations. Once again, James reinforces us when he says "Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life that he is promised to those who love him" (James 1:12.  And " Consider it a joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and compete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:1-4)   Perfection is our goal. Temptation is the ladder upon which we are continually tested to reach that goal. Praise the Lord and persevere.

 NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM

ARTICLE 302

Creation has its own goodness and proper perfection, but it did not spring forth complete from the hands of the Creator. The universe was created "in a state of journeying" (in statu viae) toward an ultimate perfection yet to be attained, to which God has destined it. We call "divine providence" the dispositions by which God guides his creation toward this perfection:

By his providence God protects and governs all things which he has made, "reaching mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and ordering all things well. " for "all are open and laid bare to his eyes," even those things which are yet to come into existence through the free actions of creatures. (Vatican Council I, Dei Filius, : DS 3003: cf Wis 8:1; Heb 4:13)

GODS PROVIDENCE

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 18

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

GOD CARES FOR US ALL:

THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES - Faith, Hope, Charity

      Some hunters went deep into a dark forest and found a hut in which a hermit was praying before a wooden cross. His face shone with happiness.  "Good afternoon brother." "May God give us a good afternoon." "You look very happy."  "I am always happy."  "You are happy living in this lonely hut, doing penance? We have everything and we are not happy.  Where did you find happiness?" "I found it here in this hut. Look through that small knot hole and you will catch a glimpse of my happiness," and he showed it to them. "You have deceived us, for all we can see is some branches of a tree." "Take another look.  There is more."  "All we see is some branches and a little bit of sky." "That's It" said the hermit, "That's the reason for my happiness, just a little bit of heaven."

      This is what the Lord has given us in the theological virtues. Just a little bit of heaven.

In reflection No. 2, some weeks ago, we began a reflection on the tools the Lord has given us to reach the perfection of life to which we are called. These tools are the virtues.  To this time we have been reflecting on the natural (cardinal or moral) virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude. The original man (Adam and Eve) exercised these natural qualities in a supernatural realm and realized the perfection of original innocence to which God calls us. The sin of the garden of Paradise in which man acquired the knowledge of good and evil, caused man to lose his original innocence.

Because man no longer possessed the existential innocence in which there was no knowledge of evil, he could no longer experience the close relationship with God for which he was created. With the loss of original innocence, shame entered the life of man and he no longer walked with and talked with God face to face (Genesis 3:7-11). In the punishment for disobedience, man was allowed to retain the natural virtues. These virtues, however, could no longer be applied to the supernatural realm.  The exercise of these natural virtues would allow one to be a good person, but could not lead to the perfection that God ordained for man at the time of creation.

With the Incarnation, Life and Death of Jesus, God provided once again the possibility of regaining original innocence.  The means he provides is through the Church, which serves as the avenue of Sacramental grace. In our Baptism, although we are not restored to the original innocence of Adam and Eve, we are given the tools necessary to reach this state. As emphasized in an earlier reflection, by the Sacramental grace of Baptism natural virtues are elevated to a supernatural level. This infusion of grace provides us with a character of the Sacrament that makes us once again pleasing to God. Although the character of Baptism changes our relationship to God, the veil of separation between man and God still exists.  We cannot see God distinctly, but only obtain an image of him, as in a mirror. (1 Cor. 13:12)  Because the state of original innocence that allowed for the intimate relationship with God experienced by Adam and Eve is not restored in Baptism, a sure knowledge of God is not obtained through direct experience. Such a certain knowledge can only be obtained by the infusion of Sacramental grace.

It is Gods desire that man be restored to the state of original innocence and have perfect union with him. To fulfill this purpose, Sacramental grace acquired at Baptism also infuses into us, the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. (1 Cor. 13:13) These virtues are not natural to man, but come from God in order to draw man to God and are therefore called theological virtues.  Natural virtues have their empowerment from the theological virtues as they have as their origin, motive and object the One and Triune God (New Catholic Catechism Article 1812). St. Peter makes it clear as he states "His divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and power. Through these, he has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. " (Peter 1:3-4)

Faith was necessary, because direct access to God was no longer available without empowerment to overcome the barrier between man and God.  Hope was necessary because without a direct experience of God in his glory, it was necessary that man in his weakness continually desire the presence of God. Charity was necessary that God could be present in man in his living the life of perfection through imitation of Christ. 

The presence of Faith, Hope and Charity in our lives not only make us pleasing to God, but also empower us to continually seek him in our lives and the lives of others, to obey his commandments, to live the beatitudes and to be his glory in the world. Through the living out of the empowerment of to holiness provided by Sacramental grace, we are capable of fully sharing in the inner life of the Holy Trinity. In our following reflections, we will consider how each of these theological virtues empower us to reach the original innocence of Adam and Eve, where the distinction between good and evil is no longer applied.

New Catholic Catechism: Article 303

The witness of Scripture is unanimous that the solicitude of divine providence is concrete and

immediate; God cares for all, from the least things to the great events of the world and its history.The sacred books powerfully affirm God's absolute sovereignty over the course of events:

"Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases." (Psalm 115:3) And so it is with Christ, "who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens," (Rev. 3:7) As the book of Proverbs states: "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established." (Prov. 19:21)

GODS BREW

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 19

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

FAITH

      To provide water for his family a farmer was digging a well in his front yard. A neighbor was helping by carrying away the dirt that was dug out and carried to the top of the well by a pulley.  The farmers 4 year old daughter watched the process with great interest.  What interested her most was that her father was gradually disappearing into the ground. The well became deep, and before long, the daughter couldn't see her father at all. As more and more dirt was hauled away, she became curious and approached the well.

      She looked into the black hole, now so deep that she couldn't see her father in the darkness. She yelled down, "Father, are you there?"  Her father laughed and assured her that he was there.  She then said, "Can I come down to where you are?"  He assured her that she could, but that she would have to jump, and he would catch her.  She said, "But father, I can't see you. I know you are there because I can hear you, but I want to see you."  The father reassured her that he could see her because she was in the light, but that she couldn't see him because he was in the darkness of the well. She would have to trust that he would catch her. With that the daughter jumped into the dark well and was caught in her fathers strong arms.

      This is what faith causes us to do. It causes us to overcome our fears, because we know, without a doubt that God is there. We are not afraid to make a leap into the unknown, because he assures us that he is there.

      "Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that the Holy church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself." (New Catholic Catechism Article 1814) "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen." (Heb. 11:1) When faith is united with hope and charity, the sure knowledge of God is available to us. Through a lived expression of this knowledge in our lives, we are capable of achieving a union with God that is promised by the scriptures and lived by the saints.

      Faith is the very foundation of our life with God and the foundation of all other virtues. We may have faith without hope and love, For says St. James (2:19), "even the demons believe that and tremble." We may have faith and hope without loving God, for our Lord says: "Not every one that says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father in heaven." (Matt 7:21). But without faith there is no basis for divine hope or love. There is no eternal happiness to be confidently hoped for; no loving Father in heaven calling for loyalty and reciprocal love. "Without faith it is impossible to please God, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."(Heb. 11:6)

      All who have been Baptized, without a doubt have the virtue of faith. Yet we see it much more strongly expressed in some than in others. This doesn't mean that the virtue is limited. It simply means that some exercise it to a greater degree and in different ways than others. We are not all called to be martyrs of the body, giving our life for God, but we are all called to be martyrs of the spirit.  It often takes just as much a heroic exercise of the virtue of faith to remain faithful as would be required to die a physical death for the Lord.

      The grace of faith will perfect our intellects, so that we are drawn to the things as God and apply this thinking to all that we do. The temptations to follow our intellects and our will, without drawing on the strength and direction of faith are often nearly overwhelming. It is times such as this that we must turn to the Lord, as did the father of the boy from whom Jesus cast out a demon, who cried "I do believe, help my unbelief!" (Mk. 9:24) or as the apostles said to the Lord, "increase our faith." (Lk. 17:5)

      During a given day, every serious Christian will recognized a number of times in which faith has failed, or is about to fail their efforts to apply it to given situations. It is at this time that the "practice" of faith comes into play.  If practiced, it will become, like other habits, or practiced behavior, such as riding a bicycle, almost automatic. How does one practice, when we are such beginners? We begin by praying the Act of Faith several times a day. This is a good prayer to add to or precede the Angelus prayers at 6:00 A.M., Noon, 6:00 P.M. and Midnight, as it will strength not only your faith, but also your attention to other prayers during the day.

THE ACT OF FAITH

O MY GOD, I firmly believe that you are one God in Three Divine Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that Your Divine son became man and died for our sins, and that he will come to  judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because you have revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.  AMEN

NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM

ARTICLE NO. 306

      God is the sovereign master of his plan. But to carry it out he also makes use of his creatures' cooperation. This use is not a sign of weakness, but rather a token of almighty God's greatness and goodness. For God grants his creatures not only their existence, but also the dignity of acting on their own, of being causes and principles for each other, and this of cooperating in the accomplishment of his plan.

ARTICLE NO. 307

      To human beings God even gives the power of freely sharing in his providence by entrusting them with the responsibility of "subduing" the earth and having dominion over it. (Gen 1:26-28) God thus enables men to be intelligent and free causes in order to complete the work of creation, to perfect its harmony for their own good and that of their neighbors. Though often unconscious collaborators with God's will, they can also enter deliberately into the divine plan by their actions, their prayers, and their sufferings. (Col 1:24) they then fully become "God's fellow workers" and co-workers for his kingdom. (1 Cor 3:9; 1 Thess. 3:2; Col 4:11)

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 20

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

HOPE,

A VIRTUE that keeps our hearts constantly turned toward Heaven

      Julia, the only daughter of John Arany, the famous Hungarian poet, died when she was only twenty-four. Her father, with a heavy heart wrote these lines on her tombstone: "When your victorious soul departed its abode of clay and, looking courageously at death, started on its way through celestial roads full of faith and hope, one was our common and holy consolation...The soul lives, we will meet again!"

      Isn't that the source of our happiness, the knowledge that the soul lives and is eternal, and that heaven is our eternal home.

      "Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not our own strength, but on the help of

the grace of the Holy Spirit. 'Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.'(Heb. 10:23) 'The Holy Spirit...he poured out upon us richly through Jesus

Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.' (Titus 3:6-7)." (Article No. 1817, The New Catholic Catechism)

      Because God has set for us an eternal goal, he provides us with the means of its attainment. The possession of God through grace, however remains veiled. It is achieved only through faith. We all know of people who, through neglect of through deliberate actions have lost faith. Faith alone does not bring us perfect happiness. Paul tells us in Romans 8:24-25, "For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself it not hope, for who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance." Faith provides us with endurance to respond to the virtue of hope.

      The virtue of hope, like that of faith, does not depend upon our human nature. It is a divine gift (Eph 2:8). It comes from God and makes us pleasing to him. The virtue of faith gives light to the intellect, while the virtue of hope gives strength to the will. We believe that God is infallible truth. We hope because God has promised that we will share his infinite happiness in heaven. We read of God's promises on every page of Holy Scripture. He promised that through the forgiveness of our sins, "even if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool"(Is 1:18). "...we may have life and have it more abundantly" (Jn. 10:10).

      Our knowledge of God's truthfulness and source of our hope lies in the fact that Christ, "God's only Son," died for our sins and rose again.  The Church greets the cross of Christ as our "only hope" and his resurrection as the fulfillment of all our hopes.  Paul speaks of this; "God raised us up together and seated us together in heaven in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6).

      Paradoxically, the virtue of hope brings into human lives an element of fear. It is not fear that God will fail, the virtue assures us that he will not. The fear is that we may not persist in continuously living the virtue in our lives. This fear is well illustrated by the two major sins against hope. One is the sin of presumption in which we hope too much, and fear too little. We are so sure of our salvation that we stop attending to it. The other sin is the sin of despair, in which we hope too little and fear too much. In despair, we demonstrate a lack of trust in the Lord, and are afraid that he will fail us.  The fear of our inability is a gift that accompanies the virtue of hope to cause to pay close attention to our relationship to a Father who loves us and sincerely wants us with him in heaven for all eternity.

      Just as hope in ourselves and others in the world of nature can motivate us to do superhuman deeds, such as the hope of saving a life brings many to superhuman strength, so the virtue of hope motivates toward supernatural actions.  Infused hope imparts zeal for God and energy to live a life that pleases him. It leads us to perform our worldly tasks in the most perfect manner in order to please God.  Such a life beings an inner peace and happiness that transforms a person into the glory of God. Their lives reflect that glory and attract others to the Lord. As glory shines through the hopeful person, all of creation rejoices in the presence of the Lord. This is our mission as Christians, this is our perfection.  Praise the Lord.

NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM

ARTICLE NO. 329

                St. Augustine says: "'Angel' is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is 'spirit': if you seek the name of their office it is 'angel': from what they are, "spirit," from what they do, 'angel."( St. Augustine, En. In Ps. 103:1,15; PL 17, 1248). With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of god. Because they "always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven" they are the  "mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word." (Mt. 18:10; Ps 103:20)

ARTICLE NO. 330

                As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as their splendor of their glory bears witness. ( cf. Pius XII, Humani generis: DS 3891; Lk 20:36; Dan 10:9-12)

ANGELS

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS