Letting God do the Work

In the post, All Day, I set up the Rosary as one of the greatest examples of Prayer available to us as Catholics. At this, both Protestant and Catholic readers have asked for a greater description of the Rosary, both the why and the how we should pray it. So here goes:

Why Pray the Rosary?
The Rosary is one of the most beautiful and effective prayers in the Catholic arsenal. Literally, the name means "garland of roses", but behind the soft, gentle name lies a powerful weapon in our fight against sin and temptation in our lives, and in the world. Used properly, the Rosary is a powerful spiritual weapon used to bring forth many heavenly graces and draw us closer to Jesus and Mary.

On the 8th of March, 2003, Pope John Paul II said,

Today...I am handing you the Rosary beads. Through prayer and meditation on the mysteries, Mary leads you safely towards her Son! Do not be ashamed to recite the Rosary alone, while you walk along the streets to school, to the university or to work, or as you commute by public transport. Adopt the habit of reciting it among yourselves, in your groups, movements and associations. Do not hesitate to suggest that it be recited at hime ... because it rekindles and strengthens the bonds between family members. This prayer will help you to be strong in your faith, constant in charity, joyful and persevering in hope.

Beyond the exortation of John Paul the Great, Mary herself appeared to two men at different times, St. Dominic and Bl. Alan de la Roche, and gave them a total of fifteen promises to those who would pray the Rosary every day. These promises should inspire us to greater devotion. I reproduce them here, but they can also be found at Our Lady's Warriors.org Click the link to read an explanation of each of these 15 promises.

1. Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.

2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.

4. It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal Things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.

6. Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life.

7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.

8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise.

9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven.

11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary.

12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.

14. All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus Christ.

15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Our Lady's Warriors.org reminds us that "these promises mean that, by faithfully and devoutly praying the Rosary, Our Lady will obtain for us the necessary Graces to obtain said promises. It is still up to each individual soul to respond to those Graces in order to obtain salvation."

The beauty of prayer, through the Rosary, was described beautifully by fellow Catholic convert, Owen Swain, in the archives of his spiritual oddysey. In a post titled Bead by Bead, he writes,

The fact of the rosary is this, it is not work but rather I rest in the rhythm of the Hail Marys, focusing on the meaning and prayer intention of the specific mystery from the life of Christ and his Mother, it is a realization that causes me to laugh that I ever thought that Catholics work for their salvation, in the sense that Protestants so often accuse Catholics of working for their salvation. In the rosary ours is to be obedient while God does the work of answering the prayer yes, but arguably more importantly as we rest in the rosary God does a work in us. I gave myself over early in faith to the idea that a central point of the rosary is seeing God’s Son through Mary’s eyes because she is our greatest example as devoted Christian. What I gave my self over to in faith, the substance of things I did not then see, I have now begun to see and understand and the speed at which this has happened I can only attribute to the grace of God. I could not have anticipated this and so I laugh a laugh of joy for God and not of derision for my Protestant brothers and sisters or Catholics for that matter who see no place for a holy devotion to the rosary. Yes, I have been taken by surprise in receiving what I asked for.

...

Now, no struggle in prayer, this is new for me. It is a kind of freedom in the spirit that I have not known before and I was a card carrying Pentecostal for over two decades. There is nothing vain in the repetitions of the rosary as the focus is Christ, which is more than one can say for endless list prayers that for all their spiritual sounding tone are at least as much self orriented as they are Christ centric. Instead when prayed with attention, intention and devotion there is an increase of hope, faith and love as well as practical reminders, promtings if you like, about specific intentions or prayer requests as I used to call them.

And by no struggle I mean not that we should not by times be hard at it, struggling in faith or doubt or hope or confession as we pray nor do I mean that setting time aside and getting down to the business of meeting with God is not sometimes an effort of the will. What I mean is that, perhaps to my shame, for the first time in a long time I am drawn to prayer, I want to return to the beads and the meditations on my Lord. What I mean is that as I come to those times my mind does not wander, I am not adrift thinking of what to pray for next or reciting an endless list of items to God and detailing some of them in such a way as if you would think I thought God was unaware of the details. Do you see that?

...

Praying the rosary, even for a novice, is a bit like watching God thread the spirit of his blessed Son into my life, bead by bead. Nothing vain in that.

I echo Owen's sentiments. Through the Rosary, I have grown closer to Jesus, through His Mother, than I ever had achieved at any time in my life before!

How to Pray the Rosary

The Rosary beads are a chain of many beads that form a loop. Trailing from the loop is a small stretch of 5 beads ending with a Crucifix. Where the tail connects to the loop, there is a medal, usually of Mary, or Jesus, or a saint. The one hanging from my rearview mirror has the Eucharistic Chalice with a Host above it. From the medal are ten beads, a slight space, a single bead, another space, ten more beads, etc. In all, there are five groups of ten beads, with a single bead between each group of ten, making four (plus the medal).

Beginning with the Crucifix, we pray the Apostles' Creed (See the prayers below). Then, while fingering the first of the five beads, we pray the Our Father. For the next three beads, we pray a Hail Mary each. On the fifth bead, we pray a Glory Be.

When we get to the medal, we announce the first mystery that we intend to meditate on (the mysteries will be explained below as well). Then we pray another Our Father. For the next 10 beads we pray a Hail Mary each, while meditating and praying about the mystery that we have just announced. When we come to the space between the tenth bead and the single bead, we pray a Glory Be, and then a Fatima Prayer. At the single bead, we announce the next mystery, and start the process over. This continues until all five mysteries are prayed through and meditated upon, and we arrive at the medal again. In the space after the final tenth bead and the medal, we again pray a Glory Be, and a Fatima Prayer, as we have done. Then, at the Medal, we pray a Marian prayer such as the Hail, Holy Queen (which is my preference) or another prayer to Mary of our choice. Then we cross ourselves and go on our way, knowing that we are not walking alone!

The Prayers of the Rosary
The Apostles' Creed
This prayer is a brief summary of our beliefs. It is called "The Apostles' Creed" because it was a summary of their teachings, passed on by the early Church.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty
Creator of Heaven and Earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into Heaven.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

The Our Father
This is the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, when they asked Him how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13.

Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed by Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
Amen.

The Hail Mary
This prayer is also taken from Scripture--at least the first half. The first two lines are Gabriel's greeting to Mary in Luke 1:28, and the second two are Elizabeth's greeting to Mary in Luke 1:42. The second half is a simple prayer asking Mary to pray for us.

Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.

The Glory Be
This is a simple doxology glorifying the Trinity.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and forever will be,
World without end. Amen.

The Fatima Prayer
This prayer was given to the three children of Fatima, Portugal, when Mary appeared to them in a series of visions. She asked them to pray it when they prayed the Rosary. In my mind, it proves the desire of Mary to lead us to Jesus:

O my Jesus,
Forgive us our sins,
Save us from the fires of hell,
And lead all souls to heaven--
Especially those in most need of Thy mercy.
Amen.

The Hail, Holy Queen
This poetic prayer to Mary can cause concern to Protestants, but we must understand that everything that we hold in this prayer is only because of Jesus, and because she brought Jesus into the world in order to be our salvation.

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
Our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To thee we lift up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us,
And show unto us the Most Blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus--
O clement, o loving, o sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, most holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Amen.

Those are the prayers of the Rosary. Many Protestants claim that the Rosary violates Jesus' condemnation of "vain repetition" in our prayers, since we repeat each prayer several times (Matthew 6:7-8). However, it is important to understand two things here:

1. Not all repetition is vain. Otherwise, many of the Psalms would fall under Jesus' condemnation, making Jesus a contradiction, since the Psalms are the inspired word of God. See, for example, Psalm 136, where the second line of each of its 26 verses is "For His faithful love endures forever." Now that's repetitious!

2. The focus of the prayer isn't on the words being said. They form a prayerful backdrop for the key part of the prayer--meditating on the life of Christ with Mary. Without this exercise of meditating on Christ, then yes, the Rosary would be vain repetition! The mysteries are the entire point of the Rosary! So what are they?

The Mysteries of the Rosary
By "mystery" it is meant an aspect of our faith that is miraculous, that we cannot comprehend. When it comes to the life of Christ, we will never comprehend how the Infinite, Almighty God could become a Man and live among us. Thus, everything that Christ did is a "mystery". In the Rosary, there are 20 mysteries, divided into four sets of five. One "rosary" is the praying of a set of 5, thus going around the loop.

The mysteries focus on Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection. When we meditate on each mystery, it is important to focus on it as if we ourselves were there, witnessing the event. How would we have felt, or reacted, in that situation? When we do this, we go right into the pages of the Gospels with Mary, as she shows us her Son more clearly. As such, it is important that we read and learn the stories from the Bible itself. Therefore, I will include the place in the Bible where the story is found.

When we undertake to meditate on a mystery, it is helpful to offer a prayer intention. One will be suggested for furthering virtues in your life, as we discussed in the Seven Deadlies post.

Let us look at each mystery.

The Joyful Mysteries
These five mysteries focus on Jesus' birth and early childhood.

The Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary--Luke 1:26-38
Intention: When meditating on this mystery, pray for the humility of Mary when she responded to God's plan, saying, "You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said" (Luke 1:38).

The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth--Luke 1:39-56
Intention: When meditating on this mystery, pray that you would have a greater love for your neighbour (Matthew 22:39). Think of Mary, visiting her pregnant cousin, and helping her to keep house, while she herself is pregnant with the Saviour!

The Nativity of Jesus--Luke 2:1-21
Intention: Pray that Jesus would help you to be poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3), as He Himself was: The King of the Universe born in a barnyard feeding trough! If He would do this for us, what should we do for Him?

The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple--Luke 2:22-38
Intention: The Jewish people had to offer sacrifices of purification for every first-born child. When Mary and Joseph went to offer these sacrifices, two prophets, Simeon and Anna, give testimony to who Jesus is. If Mary and Joseph had not been obedient to even the seemingly minor points of the Law, Simeon would never have seen the Lord's promise fulfilled (Luke 2:26). Let us then pray for willingness to be obedient to Christ's laws.

Finding Jesus in the Temple at the age of 12--Luke 2:41-50
Intention: Jesus' parents lose track of Him on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover. In their worry they look everywhere, and finally find Him, a 12-year-old, teaching scribes and teachers of the Law! When they find Him, Mary and Joseph are filled with joy and relief. Let us pray that we would also be filled with joy at finding Christ working in our own lives--even in the places we least expect to see Him!

The Luminous Mysteries
These new mysteries, given by Pope John Paul 2 in 2002, highlight key events in the life and ministry of Jesus.

Jesus' Baptism--Matthew 3:1-17; Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3:1-22; John 1:29-34
Intention: At His baptism, the heavens were opened, and God proclaimed His love for Jesus, and sent the Holy Spirit to empower His ministry. Let us pray that we would have a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Jesus Turning Water into Wine at the Wedding in Cana--John 2:1-12
Intention: In this story, we see Mary bringing the servants to Jesus so that He could meet their need, and she tells them the most important piece of advice ever: "Do whatever He tells you" (John 2:5). Let us pray and ask Mary to lead us into a deeper relationship with her Son.

The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God--Matthew 4:23; 5:1-7:29
Intention: Let us pray that we would be willing to proclaim Jesus' Kingdom as He sends us out. Let us pray that we are never too worried about what others think that we would deny Jesus!

The Transfiguration of Jesus--Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8
Intention: When Jesus was transfigured, He displayed His true glory for a moment, to Peter, James and John. Let us pray that He would reveal His glory in our own lives.

The Last Supper--Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:7-20
Intention: Let us pray that we would come to know Jesus truly as He gives Himself to us in the Eucharist.

The Sorrowful Mysteries
These mysteries focus on Jesus' suffering and death, which brings us forgiveness for our sins.

Jesus' Agony in the Garden--Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46
Intention: As we meditate on Jesus praying and sweating blood for us, let us pray for true sorrow and true repentance for our sins which brought Him here.

Jesus' Arrest and Scourging--Matthew 26:47-27:26; Mark 14:43-15:15; Luke 22:47-23:25; John 18:1-19:16
Intention: As we meditate on Jesus' suffering, let us realise that it brought us our redemption: "He was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on Him, and we have been healed by His bruises" (Isaiah 53:5). Let us pray and thank Him for His salvation, and pray that we would understand the value of suffering in our own lives.

The Crowning with Thorns--Matthew 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-20
Intention: Let us pray, as we meditate on Jesus' humiliation, that we will have the strength to stand up for Him, even in the face of ridicule and death.

Jesus' Carrying His Cross--Matthew 27:32-33; Mark 15:20-22; Luke 23:26-32; John 19:17-18
Intention: As we meditate on Christ carrying His Cross, let us pray for the patience that He had in enduring this torture.

Jesus' Crucifixion and Death--Matthew 27:32-56; Mark 15:23-39; Luke 23:33-49; John 19:18-37
Intention: As we meditate on Jesus' death, let us reflect on the care He had for those around Him, even in His agony. Let us pray that we would persevere in our walk with Him always, so that we would inherit the crown of life.

The Glorious Mysteries
These mysteries focus on Jesus' resurrection and His power in the Church

The Resurrection--Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-13; Luke 24:1-42; John 20:1-21:25
Intention: As we meditate on Jesus' Resurrection, pray that He would increase our faith in Him.

The Ascension--Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-20; Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11
Intention: As we meditate on Jesus' Ascension into heaven, let us pray that He would fill us with hope in the angels' words, "Why are you...standing here looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you will come back in the same way as you have seen Him go to heaven" (Acts 1:11).

The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost--Acts 2:1-36
Intention: As we meditate, let us pray that the Holy Spirit would fill us with a greater love and zeal for God.

Mary's Assumption into Heaven--Revelation 11:19-12:1
Intention: At the end of her life, Mary was assumed bodily into Jesus' presence in heaven so that she who had been graced to be without sin, would not suffer the unltimate consiquence of sin: death. Let us pray for the desire to join Mary and her Son, Jesus, in heaven, so that we would not stray from following Him here on earth.

Mary's Coronation as Queen of Heaven--Revelation 12:1
Intention: Let us pray and ask Mary to increase our trust in her intercession for us, and for the entire Church, of which she is the Mother (Revelation 12:17).

These mysteries of the Rosary, when we pray them, and meditate on them, will lead us to a greater knowledge of Christ, and a deeper relationship with Him. Let us take our cue from Mary herself, and ponder all these things in our hearts (Luke 2:51).

In conclusion, I'd like to leave some tips when praying the Rosary:

1. Set aside a specific time each day for reciting the Rosary, and stick to it. Whether it's in the morning when you get up, or before you go to bed. Maybe when you get home from school, or after you finish homework. Or, possibly, even say a decade on the bus ride to and/or from school.

2. Pray with your heart, not just your lips, so that prayer becomes a joy to you rather than a burden.

3. Announce each Mystery, and name a prayer intention, whether for you or for another, that is specific to that Mystery, such as I've suggested in the listing of each Mystery. But by all means, be creative. My suggestions are just that: suggestions!

4. Pause for a moment to meditate on and visually contemplate the Gospel Mystery being said.

5. Make the Rosary part of a greater spiritual program in your life, that includes Mass, receiving the Eucharist, Confession, reading the Bible, and other things.

And remember, God helps you pray, and He understands when we just can't seem to. To Him, even the very desire to pray is itself a prayer. So stick with it.

God bless!
Pray for me!

All Day

All Day
Hillsong United

I don't care what they say about me
It's alright, alright
I don't care they think about me
It's alright, they'll get it one day

I love you, I'll follow you
You are my, my life
I will read my bible and pray
I will follow you all day

I don't care what it costs anymore
'Cos you gave it all and I'm following you
I don't care what it takes anymore
No matter what happens I'm going your way

I love you, I'll follow you
You are my, my life
I will read my bible and pray
I will follow you all day

All Day
All Day now
All Day

I don't care what they say about me
It's alright, alright
I don't care they think about me
It's alright, they'll get it one day

I love you, I'll follow you
You are my, my life
I will read my bible and pray
I will follow you all day

All Day
All Day now
All Day

Anyone around can see
just how good you've been to me
For all my friends that don't know you
I pray that you would save them too

All Day
All Day now
All Day

I have to admit, when I first heard this song at a Pentecostal church here in Oakville, I thought it was the most repetitive thing I'd ever heard in my life! And Pentecostals love to accuse Catholics of vain repetition! However, I heard it on the actual cd by Hillsong United, and I liked it better, mainly because, while it was still repetitive (and a little banal), it was somewhat less so, and had a pretty cool bass line.

But it has grown on me, a little. Enough that I can base a talk on it. It does have a good message, even if it is, as I said, rather banal.

The song encourages us to have the courage to proclaim our faith in our world today, no matter what anyone thinks; no matter what it costs. We live in an age where pluralism is good, tolerance has replaced the "golden rule", and absolutes are viewed as narrow-mindedness and backward thinking. Those who believe in, and hold to those absolutes are often ridiculed or branded as fanatical or fundamentalists, or worse. Our Pope, in speaking out against the "Dictatorship of Relativism", has been labelled as a backwards-thinking archaism, who wants to return the world to the Dark Ages, or he has been libelled as a Nazi-sympathiser and a hater of almost everyone. Why? Because he has dared to speak the truth, and not water it down.

But we cannot water down the truth, because it is the Truth that sets us free! We have to fight for the truth, so that others can be set free, as well!

So what weapons do we have? The song, in typical Protestant fashion, gives the bare-bones answer: Bible and Prayer. And they're not wrong, only limited. As Catholics, we rely on the inspired Word of God, the Bible and the Apostolic Tradition handed down unchanged, though developed, since the beginning of Christianity. It is His Word which keeps us stable during the storms of uncertainty and relativism, and cuts through the lies and deceptions of the world. It is the Sword of the Spirit.

Further, we have prayer. In particular, we have that prayer that the saints, and particularly Pope John-Paul II, referred to as our most powerful weapon: the Rosary. Through it, we meditate on Christ's life, and are led closer to Him by His Mother, Mary. Through it, we receive an abundance of grace. Through it, we bind our hearts to God and walk on. Through it, we meditate on the Word of God, and understand its application to our own lives, so that we can live it out effectively in the world.

And so we will read God's Word, and pray the Rosary, daily. Maybe not for long stretches at first--but more and more. It takes discipline, but it is the lazy who will be caught off guard. With so many things competing for our time and attention, we desperately need to take that time and focus on Christ, His Mother, and His Church. Then we won't be intimidated by the world. We won't be ashamed of the Gospel. Then anyone around truly will see how good He has been to us, and they may become more devoted to Him, as we share His word with them.

God bless.

Rematch!

Or More Spiritual Paintball!

A little while back, I gave a talk on the Armour of God ("Who We Are Instead" pt.4: History Makers). After going Paintballing last Thursday, that passage in Ephesians took on some new relevance for me, so I'm going to revisit the topic--thus the title, "Rematch"

Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, grow strong in the Lord, with the strength of His power. Put on the full armour of God so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics. For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the principalities and the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world, the spirits of evil in the heavens. That is why you must take up all God's armour, or you will not be able to put up any resistance on the evil day, or stand your ground even though you exert yourselves to the full.
So stand your ground, with truth a belt round your waist, and uprightness a breastplate, wearing for shoes on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace [Is 59:17;40:9] and always carrying around the shield of faith so that you can use it to quench the burning arrows of the Evil One. And then you must take salvation as your helmet and the sword of the Spirit, that is, the word of God.
In all your prayer and entreaty keep praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all God's holy people.

When we went paintballing, we were given equipment not unlike the armour that St. Paul writes about. They outfitted us with a helmet/mask, a gun, and a coloured pad that went around our neck and hung down in front and back, that distinguished what team we were on (and dulled considerably the impact of the paintball hitting our chest). They also warned us that we should be wearing adequate footgear, because the ground was slippery from paint all over.

Playing paintball, the rules were clear. If you weren't adequately suited up, if you took your helmet off, you were suspended for a game. If you did it again, you were kicked out! This is because of the absolute necessity for this equipment! You could be seriously injured, or even blinded, without your helmet!

Compare that to the Spiritual Life:
The armour that St. Paul is describing is probably that of the Roman soldiers that he saw every day as he sat in prison. Each piece has an important function, and so he attributed each piece to a part of Christian spirituality. He calls it "God's armour" because he didn't actually come up with the idea. About 500 years earlier, the prophet Isaiah used the same metaphor, describing God Himself suiting up for battle! The thing is, St. Paul says, is that the Armour that God Himself uses to wage war against the Devil, is the same armour He gives to each of us!

So what does God give us?
Truth a belt round your waist. In Roman armour, the belt was used to hold the armour in place, so that in battle, it wouldn't get moved around, leaving gaps and chinks that would leave the soldier vulnerable. This is why it's compared to Truth. The Truth is what keeps us grounded, focused, and sure. Many people today want to deny any such objective truth, preferring to say that whatever works for them is true for them, and we can't impose our morals and values on them...blahblahblah. What that gets you is a wishy-washy soup that in the end doesn't really mean anything. Jesus offers us stability and surety. And from that stability, we base the rest of our lives, our faith and our works.

Our belt holds our breastplate of uprightness in place. Many things in this world make our righteousness seem outdated, saying that morals need to change. Abortion, gay marriage, sex, drug use, and a host of other things in this world seem up for grabs, and we can be tempted to start thinking, "Oh well, it's not that bad!" But when our morals, our righteousness, is held in place by the Truth of Christ, we avoid that attitude!

This fact was demonstrated to me in Paintball. Of all the equipment they supply, a belt is not included. In one game, I was crouching, and getting shot at. The position I was in caused that breastplate-thing to shift to the right, leaving the left part of my chest exposed. One unfortunate paintball happened to nail me square in the nipple! As I recoiled from the pain, another shot hit me right in the thigh! Let me tell you, they hurt! A belt would have held the armour in place, and (while, according to the rules, I'd still be out) I wouldn't have the bruises I have still today!

After the breastplate, St. Paul mentions wearing for shoes on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace. Wearing the right shoes is very important--especially paintballing! With the greasy paint all over the walls and floor, it's incredibly easy to slip, leaving yourself vulnerable to attack, or worse, causing yourself injury as you tumble down stairs! One girl who came with us wore flip-flop sandals, and opted out of participating because the staff warned her of how unsafe they would be. I wore hiking boots and had a hard enough time staying stable and mobile! At one point I was running for cover, slipped, and took a shot to the top of my head!

Spiritually, we need to be eager to spread the good news of Jesus--but we also need to be prepared. While the NJB (quoted above) describes the shoes as the "eagerness" to spread the gospel, most other translations use the term "preparation" of the gospel. I think the two ideas have to go together. More, I think we need to be equipped with the right shoes for the right situation. You wouldn't try to reach out to a Muslim after boning up on your reasons why atheism is wrong! You wouldn't try to convert a Mormon by telling him why Hinduism is wrong! Many people train themselves to defend the faith against specific opponents. It makes them highly effective against them, perhaps, but not so much against some other belief system or ideology. Personally, I think it's better to be wearing CrossTrainers. Knowing your own faith, why it's true and real, is more effective than demonstrating why the other is false! Bankers are taught to recognise counterfeit bills not by researching counterfeiting techniques, but by studying the real thing! We should have the same mentality, and be prepared to share our faith with others.

But we should also be eager, not timid. The Gospel means "Good News"! Why are we gonna keep that to ourselves? Don't be discouraged or frightened. God is with you!

The shield of faith. Ohh how I wish I had one of those paintballing! The referees got them--the cool, clear riot gear kind! A shield is the first line of defence in the armour. Is it any wonder St. Paul equates it to faith? Our faith is our response to God's grace, and opens the door to our salvation! Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith, it is impossible to please God! With faith, we can hold firm to our beliefs, even in the face of challenges. The shield works jointly with the breastplate because you won't always be able to get the shield in front, and the breastplate can take those blows. But you won't stand under too many. Likewise, our faith has to be the motivation for our good works. Doing good works without faith as a motive leads to spiritual exhaustion and apathy. Having faith without those good works, and any shot that gets past faith will strike a killing blow!

Salvation as your helmet. Do not take your helmet off! In the spiritual life, it can be a little worse than sitting out for a game! Salvation equals life--that's why it has the illustrious position of helmet. Our head is arguably the most vital organ in our body, and is rather irreplaceable! So is God's Saving Grace! It keeps us in the game!

The Sword of the Spirit. Paintballing without a gun is really no fun at all. It's not much better with a gun but no ammo! You're kind of, well, ineffective to put it mildly. The Word of God is our weapon. We need to know the Word thoroughly, in order to use it effectively! That is why we must study the Bible, pay attention in Mass, and listen to the Church's teachings. These comprise the Word of God for us: Scripture, Tradition, and the Church. They reveal and interpret God's Truth to us. Remember that Belt? This is how we put it on! Knowing the Word is like being a sniper in paintballing. Targeting someone and shooting them across the room before they even know where you are! This is how Jesus used the Word in Matthew 4, when He was being tempted by the Devil. His knowledge of God's Word was so intimate that He could throw it out there to counter every attack and temptation of the Enemy until he had to leave in utter frustration! We need to come to know Jesus that intimately. We need to know His Word that thoroughly!

Finally, all your prayer is an effective weapon as well. God listens and answers, and fights on our behalf! "Never get[ting] tired of staying awake to pray for all God's holy people" is like laying down cover fire, driving back the Enemy so that others can move in and storm the gates! We are not alone in this fight, and all of us need to work together, as God's Church, to combat the spiritual forces in this world!

So suit up, step out, and wage war!
And fer cryin' out loud, Leave your armour on!

God bless!

Spiritual Paintball

So, Thursday the Youth Group went Paintballing, and we had a great time, getting shot--a lot. It was kinda painful, and not quite what I expected. Only a small few of us had ever been before, but we weren't alone. We didn't rent the facility, so there were others there, and those others obviously made paintballing a large part of their lives. You could tell when they walked in with a small case, opened it up, and screwed together a paintball gun that very closely resembled an M-16 Assault Rifle. Intimidating to say the least. But as I said, we had a lot of fun. I was thinking about the experience, and saw, as I tend to do, many parallels between paintballing and our Spiritual Life.

As I considered the night, I realised there was a very sharp and distinct line drawn between those that were really good, and those that...well, weren't. So I tried to discern what made an effective killing machi...er...paintball player, and concluded on three qualities:

1. Effective paintballers are the ones with the really big guns. Well, maybe not necessarily big guns, but they were the ones who owned their own gun. They knew it, what it felt like, how it worked, and most importantly, what it was capable of.

By contrast, most of us had never seen a paintball gun before, and had enough trouble figuring out how to switch the safety off so that we could actually shoot.

2. Effective paintballers are the ones who do it a lot. By that, I mean that some of them seemed to play professionally, or at least wish they could. They were experienced, knowing the strategies, surroundings, and techniques to be the most effective.

This was a stark contrast with the rest of us, shooting wildly without any target or goal.

3. Effective paintballers are the ones who would go all out. They were not hiding in fear, but boldly attacking. They knew their weapons, they knew their surroundings, and they knew their gameplan. And they just did it, not worrying about the paintballs whizzing past them.

Then there were us newbies, cowering in a corner screaming in fear!

Seeing those differences, who do you think woulda won?!

So as I reflected on these three qualities, I saw how they applied to our lives as Christians. St. John saw the same thing, in his Revelation. In Chapter 12, verses 10 and 11, he writes, "Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, 'Salvation and power and empire for eveer and ever have been won by our God, and all authority for His Christ, now that the accuser, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down. They have overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, the word to which they bore witness, because even in the face of death they did not cling to life.'"

So how do the Saints overcome the Devil?

1. Effective Christians are the ones who own and use the Ultimate Weapon. The Blood of the Lamb is the mightiest weapon in the Christian arsenal. Through Christ's death on the Cross, our sins are forgiven, we are made completely new creatures, and Satan is defeated! But just like we had to continually monitor and reload ammo into our guns, we continually need to bring ourselves before the Altar, to appropriate Christ's Blood to our lives. In the Eucharist, we receive His Body and Blood, through Communion with Him. He gives us the Grace and the Strength to stand against the enemy!

2. Effective Christians are the ones who walk often and closely with God. By that, I mean we must live out the Relationship with God that Christ purchased for us on the Cross. Revelation 12:11 gives the second weapon as "the word to which they bore witness." In order to bear witness to something, you need to have experienced it. We need to stay close to Christ, to dwell in His Sacred Heart. When we know the Power of Christ in our lives, then we can be able to tell others. This is strategic in a number of ways: 1-We won't be sinning when we're with Him. 2-Others will hear about His wonderful love and hopefully believe. 3-The Devil is defeated as he loses more and more souls back to God! But we need to develop and walk in that Relationship, and we need to be willing to share it...no matter what!

3. Effective Christians are the ones who would go all out. The final part of the verse is that those saints who defeat Satan are the ones who are willing to suffer and even to die for Christ. We need to be willing to step out and stand up against the Big Bad. All over the world and throughout history, the Church that is strongest is the one that is suffering persecution. Looking at the world today we see it in China, in the Middle East, and more. In the Ancient Church, this principle was so evident that one church leader, Tertullian, remarked that "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." Here and now, we aren't facing the same kind of persecution--though the way things are going in this country, I'm not sure it's too far off! But we need to be careful in our comfortable society, that we don't become fat, flabby couch-potato Christians! We need to be willing to play a reckless game of Spiritual Paintball! We need to be willing to step out in faith.

Jesus tells us, "If anyone wants to be a follower of Mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow Me. Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for My sake will find it." --Matthew 16:24-25

Being a Christian can hurt. But as the Gallino-meister said at paintball, "Hey, no pain, no gain, right?"

Jesus would agree.