The COG Catholic

It is normal and OK for a Christian to simultaneously be... (1) happy and joyful, looking forward to the afterlife, and... (2) dissatisfied and feeling uneasy about his own spiritual progress, because nothing but perfect love is owed to our Lord. We don't have to always be giddy with a Joker-sized smile on our face, and neither must we be always be focused on our imperfections and weaknesses. Two things we should NEVER do: (1) Presume God's mercy. (2) Despair of God's mercy.

This is one wall of our "prayer room," where I do my morning prayers. Years ago, I would have been horrified at the sight of all these trinkets, pictures, and "dumb idols." That's how I would have characterized it. But no, Catholics use images to help raise their minds and imaginations to that which is heavenly. Think how an athlete may be inspired by taking a tour through a sports hall of fame, with all kinds of legendary sports imagery surrounding him. Or maybe a patriot visiting the memorials, statues, buildings, and other historical reminders in Washington, D.C., or Boston, or NYC, etc. Meditative prayer involves the imagination, and when our eyes behold heavenly images, it helps burn the realities they represent into our minds and hearts.

I know it's probably just me, but I have a difficult time following through with so many various daily devotionals other than the Rosary. There are so many, and frankly, they don't seem to "do it" for me somehow in the long run. They seem to me either too fluffy or too many words. This prayer regimen, however, is an exception. I've been using Divine Intimacy regularly for about a year now. It has enriched my prayer life tremendously. Following the old liturgical calendar, it offers a reflective meditation that's very deep yet not too long and not overly academic (just academic enough). It's just right for me. And then I have something meaningful to pray about afterward. It makes mental prayer easier, giving me something to engage with. It's how I start my mornings, and I wouldn't start them as well without this book. (No, this is not an affiliate link! It is just to show the book. I recommend people get it from a local Catholic bookstore if possible. They are expensive, but worth the money. You could find the ebook too. Maybe for free, since it is old.) https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Intimacy-Father-Gabriel-Magdalen/dp/1905574436

I've heard from cradle Catholics that they can envy the enthusiasm and knowledge of Catholic converts. But I envy the holy lives and knowledge of traditional Catholics -- those who have lived life the right way from babyhood! We should rejoice in the diverse ways God has led us into his family. Don't envy. Rejoice!

If for some reason, as a Protestant, you object to praying the #Rosary, what is your alternative? Do you spend 15-20 minutes a day meditating on scenes from the Gospels? How many times each week do you prayerfully remember Jesus carrying his cross, helped by Simon of Cyrene? How often each week do you intentionally imagine the agony Jesus suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane -- and pray about it? Depending on how you count it, there are 15 or 20 such important moments from the Gospels we pray over in the Rosary. This kind of regular recitation is not a "vain repetition," but a sweet and holy immersion using our words, our body, our imagination, our soul. Before I became Catholic, most often my prayers were merely "Lord, help me..." or "Lord, bless so-and-so" or "Heavenly Father, we just ask...." (They were certainly not without repetition.) The Rosary, if prayed well, will kick your prayer level up many, many precious notches. And that's the kind of practice you want to repeat, to make habitual. Give it a try. 🙏 📿

These recent murders remind us that (1) hell is not empty and there are plenty more vacant spots to be filled, and (2) our time here is short; it can end at any moment, and we must be ready always -- every day -- to meet our Maker and Judge.

This weekend has been a working weekend. But last weekend was a kayaking weekend with my wife. Perfect weather for a rosary on the lake. https://video.nostr.build/da84c1ff61d9715d686b1be5827a36de99739ae31bbcde2a9621a43212f469fa.mp4

With regard to sex, it's been rightly said that our problem is not that we think about it too much, but that we think about it too little. If we take time to think clearly and honestly about it, we can better understand what is right and wrong, moral and immoral. Living in accord with the origin, design, and purpose of sex makes our lives (married or single) happier and more prosperous. We do not thrive when we are selfish addicts -- when we love things and use people. Rather, we thrive when we are generous and properly ordered -- when we use things and love people.

A Christian in the state of grace does not need to be terrified at the idea of death. In the moment, he can be assured of salvation. But even a Christian will tremble as his personal judgment draws near, because he will be forced to confront his own sins -- the many times he offended God in this life through sin and selfishness, carelessness and laziness, etc., especially after baptism. Sinning against an infinitely loving and holy God is serious stuff. It becomes more serious, not less, after becoming a Christian, when ignorance is not an excuse. God's mercy does not erase his justice. The once-saved-always-saved doctrine -- the idea that Jesus has already forgiven you of every consequence of your *future* sins -- is evil. It leads to the presumption that you're good to go. Rather than believing it's already "mission accomplished," we need to put on the "whole armor of God," because whether we know it or acknowledge it, we are in a spiritual battle for our eternal lives. Arm yourself with the graces God gives us. He knows we need them. He knows of our weak frame. He is compassionate. He's not mad at us; he wants us to fight through our challenges and setbacks. His Spirit will equip us with everything we need. We just need to cooperate with his grace. We need to Just Do It. Don't be distracted. Put your phone down and pray with me. And for me. And for yourself. And for those who don't yet know God. "For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

No one can "earn" his way into heaven by good works. But as you understand it, would you say your good works can earn "rewards and position in heaven"? I would say no if someone asked me the question, because everything is by God's grace (not just admittance into heaven). I wonder how you would explain it.

It's important to remember that the divine Person we know as Jesus did not stop being God so he could become a man instead. What he did was become a man also, so that he is now not only God, but the God-Man. That is to say, as a divine Person, he now has two natures: (1) his divine nature from eternity, and (2) his newly aquired human nature (i.e., body and soul), which he assumed from Mary. He never became God. Nor can he ever cease being God. But he did begin to be man -- just 2000 years ago. And he will henceforth always be a man. #Christmas -- which I'm already looking forward to -- is not a party for us to shout, "Happy birthday, Jesus! 🎂" It's a joyful celebration of this mindboggling mystery of the Incarnation, the central mystery of our Faith.

As Christians, we understand that "Christ died for our sins." But we should also meditate on the fact that he suffered for our sins as well. We should be willing to die for our brother, yes. But that includes suffering for him. Sometimes it feels like it would be easier to take a bullet for your brother than to suffer for him. It may not be "fun," but suffering is good if we join it to the sufferings of Christ.

I prefer learning from other people's mistakes over making them myself, though I make plenty of my own. The most tragic mistake is hardness of heart. That never ends well. Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts. Enkindle in us the fire of your love. === Hebrews 3:14-19: For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

It's good to go through a nightly examination of conscience, to repent every day, to always root out mortal sin and the sin of indifference -- because one day you might either wake up dead (too late to change) or be too sick or old or mentally impaired (unable to change). Turn to God today while you still can.

As I'm here visiting family in my home state, I'm taking my parents to a funeral this morning that will be conducted by a preacher who believes in a form of "soul sleep," who believes the soul is unconscious until the resurrection, at which point the saved will be raised with "spirit bodies" -- entirely new bodies composed of spirit (which is a contradiction of terms), unrelated to the old. Meanwhile he insists that Catholics don't even believe in the resurrection (we allegedly only believe our souls flit off into heaven to live in a disembodied state forever). Yet the truth is we believe what the Apostles' Creed plainly proclaims: We believe in the resurrection of the body. ⬅️ Can't get clearer than that. This preacher baptized me in 1993, and he knows me well, and over the years I've explained to him exhaustively many times what Catholics believe. But in his stubbornness, he will not admit publicly the truth of what Catholics actually teach. He has no idea yet I'm in town. During his funeral talk, I hope he watches me watching him as he tells his lies. I should do that Robert DeNiro gesture to him with my fingers and eyes. 😆

Please pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for my wife and me, for our intentions. We are visiting family and have some difficult family discussions to get through tomorrow. People with older parents will understand. Also for another personal intention. Thank you. God bless you.

It is such a blessing, after a week of busyness and trying to live our lives the best we can as sinners, to have Sunday Mass. Going to the traditional Roman rite of the Mass gives us time to literally kneel before God; to reflect; to pray; to confess our sins with contrition; to lift our hearts to God; to accept his mercy; to accept him onto our tongue, down our throat, and into our tummy -- into our soul. Not only is it the highlight of our week, but it's indeed the source and summit of our Faith. It's where we encounter Jesus most perfectly, where he feeds us with his life.

Idols of any kind are evil. The First Commandment is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” What are idols? Are Mount Rushmore and the Lincoln Memorial idols? No, they only represent respected men whom we want to memorialize so we don’t forget them. Idols represent false gods. Are statues of Mary or Joseph or Jesus idols? No, neither Mary nor Joseph are gods at all, and Jesus is the true God. Do we worship wood, metal, or mortar? No. That would be stupid. Do we worship Mary or Joseph? No, we honor them — not as we do secular leaders, but as important and holy figures in salvation history, prominent members of the family of God. Artwork, whether paintings or sculptures, indicates our communion with them, not our worship of them. We worship God alone.