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I think our Gospel reading from Luke is a clear indicator that the idea of "once saved, always saved" doesn't work. If at the moment of being "saved," that was all that was needed, then there is no point in teaching us about fighting against temptation. One could argue that you still need to be a good person. But, why? If your salvation is assured, what does it matter? In fact, some have argued throughout the centuries that if you are "saved," you might as well give into temptation and do whatever you want, because "Jesus paid the price for everything on the Cross already." In Jesus' time in the desert, we see that temptations must be fought against, otherwise, why would Christ show us how to fight against them? Satan is actively trying to get Jesus severed from the Father. It's fruitless with Christ, but we need to see the danger there for us. Every time we give into a temptation, a bit of grace leaves our soul. With venial sins, we are taking small turns away from God; with mortal sins, we fully turn our back on Him. And each time we do that--give into sin--we are gesturing with our consent to either follow ourselves, follow Satan, or follow the world. What we cannot say is that we are consenting to follow God. St. Benedict XVI wrote, A Christian "must every day renew their decision to be Christian, that is, to give God the first place in the face of the temptations that a secularized culture constantly suggests." We are initially saved by grace through faith--that free gift. However, it would be wildly dangerous to think that we can't ever lose that. We can. Sin severs us from God. Grace is the Divine Life within us. Sin removes that. To be sunk in sin, specifically mortal sin, means we have lost the Divine Life within us. Confession restores it. Here in this earthly life, our faith in God is not a one and done event. It is, instead, the continually decision to stay close to Christ and allow the graces given by the Holy Spirit to sanctify us more and more. Have a blessed First Sunday of Lent, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingA mantra that Christians like to say is: In the world, but not of it. I was thinking about this slogan during prayer yesterday and I asked myself, “But, how are we doing with that?” Back in the days of my late teens and 20s, I called myself a Christian. I probably would have given lip-service to this slogan. And yet, I looked exactly like the secular culture wanted me to. I didn’t go to church. I didn’t read my Bible. I didn’t pray. I lived with my boyfriend. I wasn’t chaste. I had the mouth of a sailor. I watched and listened to whatever I wanted. In fact, there is not one single thing about my life that looked any different than a nice atheist’s life. Technically, there are still more Christians in the world than non-Christians and, yet, our world has fallen into moral decay. So, I’m not so sure we can claim that we are doing well with the whole “in the world, not of it” life-creed. If we want to call ourselves Christians and be taken seriously, we will have to lose our lives for the sake of Christ. That means we will have to live differently. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot plunge into the culture living no differently, believing no differently, than those who have entrenched themselves in all the ways of the world and still claim the identity of Christian. The identity of “Christian” must and necessarily includes dying to self and taking up our crosses to follow Christ, Catholic Pilgrims. Lent is a perfect time to honestly assess your life and cut away those areas that have led you to “gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit” yourself. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Thursday.
Continue ReadingMan wants to build Heaven on his own…” -Canon Jacques Leclercq Last night, we had a Mardi Gras dinner at our church on base. Our new priest sat beside my husband and me and shared lots of wisdom. The man knows his Bible. At one point he said, “Heaven cannot be attained without sacrifice and suffering. We must die to self which will always cause suffering within us. And when we die to self, and die with Him as He did on the Cross, we become more like Him. We do not have a Lord who does not understand suffering. What makes us think we could live this Christian life free of it and still resemble Christ?” We want to build our own Heaven here on earth. We want finite pleasures over infinite joy. We want comfort over struggle. We want our will over God’s. It is ludicrous for the created being to think it can ever surpass the Creator in making Heaven. Yet, we try all the time. Lent is that time of preparation where we follow Christ to the Cross and join with Him in His suffering. It is, after all, we that caused the suffering. Ash Wednesday is where we specifically remember our littleness and dependency on God and are reminded that apart from God, we are nothing. May you have a blessed Ash Wednesday and Lenten Season.
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