Thoughts on Living a Better Catholic Life

IT IS EASIER TO BE A FERVENT CATHOLIC THAN TO BE A LUKEWARM CATHOLIC Lukewarm Catholics eventually fall into serious sin. If you do not strive for real Christian perfection now at the time of your conversion, you, too, will fall into serious sin eventually. A Catholic who simply tries to stay away from serious sin finds his religion a burden. A Catholic whose religion is his most precious treasure, will lead a life of Christian virtue even approaching perfection; he will find his religion a great consolation and a joy. You have discovered God's true religion; now your life will have a meaning and purpose; your life will be a great adventure and a great joy if through your religion you try to be 'perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48) To lead a holy Christian life and to strive for Christian perfection demands true love of God and of your neighbor. It urges you to make sacrifice, to deny yourselves certain things for love of God. It encourages you to offer all your actions to God. It draws you to frequent reception of the Sacraments of Penance and Communion. It fosters in you a life of prayer and sacrifice for love of God.

THE NEED OF SACRIFICE Sacrifice is the giving of a gift to God. One who loves Christ sincerely discovers that he must sacrifice (give up) certain things in life in order to keep loving Christ. In general, this means a sacrifice of the world, the flesh and the devil: that is, we must give up the evil part of the world, the evil pleasures of the flesh, and the devil. In the world, you must be on guard against unbelievers and religious indifferentists who say that all religions are the same; you must be on guard against hardened sinners who will lead you into sin. Beware of the world's false principles which teach that wealth and popularity and pleasure are the only things worthwhile. Beware of the vanities of the world, for example, dangerous movies and plays, bad pictures, videos and books. Overcome the bad example of the world; it will only lead you to misery and unhappiness, the lot of worldlings! Don't be afraid of the world even though it tries to tear you away from the hue religion by mockery and jest, by ridicule, even by threats and persecution. Avoid the occasions of sin in the world, remember the words of the Bible: "Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world becomes an enemy of God." (James 4:4) Your flesh is something good, created by God. God has given to your flesh pleasurable acts such as eating and continuing the life of the human race. The urge to misuse this pleasure leads many people into sin. Your whole body by nature is inclined toward pleasure. An impure word or song can work on your mind and lead you into sin. A Catholic not only renounces evil pleasures; he also avoids dangerous pleasures and even restrains his legitimate pleasures. And they that are Christ's have crucified their flesh, with the vices and concupiscences (Galatians 5:24) Realize that your body is holy because, like your soul, it has been created by Almighty God. Respect yourself; love yourself by controlling your desire for pleasure. The devil, the father of lies, will use every trick to get you away from the fervent practice of your religion; ultimately, he wants to bring you to the habit of mortal sin. He knows your weakness; and he will take advantage of it. But your weapons against the devil are much stronger than any power the devil can employ. Pray to God humbly and confidently; run to the Blessed Virgin to your guardian angel and to the Saints. Use the Sacraments frequently, especially Confession and Holy Communion.

OFFER ALL YOUR ACTIONS TO GOD When you become a Catholic through Baptism, you become very holy. Then every action you perform will be holy and will increase the life of grace in your soul. From the moment you awake in the morning until you retire at night, you should offer to Almighty God every one of your actions, even the most insignificant. Doing this will make grace grow in your soul; it will raise your soul to a high degree of holiness. When you arise, get down on your knees and say the Morning Offering. Then frequently during the day offer all your actions to Almighty God in simple little acts of consecration made up in your own words. Accept the position in life which God's Providence has given you and offer it to Almighty God. Offer your work, your recreation and above all, your family life to God. RECEIVE THE SACRAMENTS FREQUENTLY The whole purpose of the Sacraments is to increase your Christian life. The Sacraments automatically give grace because Christ gave the Sacraments this power through His death on the cross. The Sacraments are free; they require very little effort from you; God does most of the work. During your lifetime, receive the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion frequently. Be sure to receive Confirmation. Attend Mass as often as you can. In the Mass, Christ offers Himself to God, and we offer ourselves with Christ to God. The Mass is the perfect prayer, the prayer from which you will receive the most grace. Many Catholics assist at Mass daily. Why not you? PRAYER IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY Prayer is talking to God. The new Catholic who does not keep up his prayers will not live up to the basic requirements of his religion. Are you saying your morning and evening prayers? Grace before and after meals? Are you reciting your daily, or family Rosary? Are you attending devotions at the church? To these you should add your prayers through the day, spiritual reading, and days of recollection and retreats. Then you will be leading a life of prayer. If you offer up your entire day to God, you will make your whole day a prayer. Do not forget to do some spiritual reading; it will prepare your soul for prayer. MAKE A RULE OF LIFE At the age of forty, many men look back and call their life a "rat race. They regret that their whole life has been given to the search for things of this world. They admit that they have had no rule of life other than gaining the material necessities of life and a few luxuries. The Christian must plan his life according to a set rule. Without this rule, your life will be in disorder. A rule of life helps you to use your time well; it helps you to perform your duties carefully; it gives you the opportunity to lead a good Christian life. A sensible rule of life will allow time for your daily labor, your family duties, your religious activities -prayer, Mass and the Sacraments. Plan to make retreats and days of recollection. Choose one confessor; go to him all the time ask him to help you to lead a Christian life of love and sacrifice, to offer your actions to God, to pray, and to receive the Sacraments frequently. IMPORTANT WORDS A priest lent a condemned man a good book to read in hopes of inspiring him. The prisoner read it with great profit and pleasure. Before he died he was heard to remark, "Ah if I always had books like this to read! If I had taken the time to lead a better life and be careful of what I read, I would not now be where I am."