Three Essentials in the One Thing Necessary
In my last blog article, I listed three crucial deficiencies that I see in the Church today. The Church is weakened in these very needful times, when we are called upon to be present to this falling world. It is a time of growing need; the world may not realize it, but it is starving. The world continues to deny and refuses to acknowledge the Truth about God and human nature, and our God-intended purpose for living, for our being human. The world needs the authentic witness of God! God IS! God made us all, and for a purpose! And the world, His creation, is chasing its own lifeless fantasies and doing so as if there were no accountability, and as if God were not even aware of our abandonment of faith, of hope, of holy love, of moral constraint, of moral responsibility, of moral virtue. Much of the world today has severed ties indeed of morality itself, of rationality and reason itself, in these dark and ever-darkening days.
The world is in every way but literally, burning, and the Church is, in almost every way but literally, playing the fiddle to the tune of “status quo.” But friends, this is no time for “business as usual”; this is the time to hear God’s call to us. This is the time for His Church to awaken.
I wrote briefly in my previous blog article, of three qualities of devotion that must be within faithful souls, in a dynamic church or parish. And these three are sadly missing among many – many – in our churches and parishes today. In this article, I hope to gather these three spiritual qualities into the one spiritual life that, I insist, is lacking in our time. The three that I wrote of are these:
Authentic, sincere, heart-felt devotion to our Blessed Mother Mary.
Humble reverence for, knowledge of, and devotion to the Word of God, Holy Scripture.
The embraced Personal Presence of the Holy Spirit in prayer, in works, in faith, in life.
The one necessary reality that includes these three necessary qualities is the interior life of grace. We need a vibrant interior functioning spiritual life within us – and this is more than just a heart and soul hungering for something not to be found in this world, it is more than merely a spiritual inclination within that seeks to avoid displeasing God in any significant way. We need the spiritual center in us to be alive with the life and the love of God Himself. We need the Holy Spirit moving in us – and only that Spirit in us, moving us in the will and desires of God. This is no time for mediocrity. This is no time for tepid souls and lukewarm hearts: we are called to holiness, and the perfection of holy charity.
I strongly recommend Card. Robert Sarah’s book The Day Is Now Far Spent, as a well-articulated clarion call to action for us all, laity and clergy: Catholics, awaken! The good Cardinal sees very clearly the great danger in the world today, and the need for the Church to arise – to be Church. He writes, in this book,
Without union with God, every attempt to strengthen the Church and the faith will be in vain. Without prayer, we will be clanging cymbals. We will … make a lot of noise and produce nothing but wind. Prayer must become our innermost respiration. It brings us face to face with God. Do we have some other purpose? Do we Christians, priests, bishops have some reason for existing other than to stand before God and to lead others to him?
It is time to teach this! It is time to put it into practice! The one who prays is saved, the one who does not pray is damned, Saint Alphonsus said. I want to insist on this point, because a church that does not have prayer as its most precious treasure is headed for ruin. … Priests in particular absolutely must have a soul of prayer. Without it, the most effective of social actions would become useless and even harmful. It would give us the illusion of serving God while we were only doing the work of the Evil One. This is not a matter of multiplying our devotions. It is a matter of being silent and adoring. It is a matter of getting on our knees. It is a matter of entering into the liturgy with fear and respect. It is God’s work. It is not a theater.
Yes, we need the interior life of grace – and its first and essential act within is prayer. Prayer-communion with God is the first fruit of grace, and this fruit of true, living prayer-communion with God spiritually nurtures the soul within and brings forth the active devotions that manifest His life: authentic loving devotion to Mary our mother, the habit of resting – abiding – in His words of Holy Scripture, and an on-going, ever-growing bond of union with God in the Holy Spirit. He is become, as promised, our Counselor and Advocate, our Teacher and Friend who stands alongside and establishes us in an infinite Mystery: God the Holy Trinity, in the Fellowship of Christ, in the communion of saints. The interior life of grace – the life of prayer – is eternal life unfolding like a flower fragrant in the warm sun of divine Truth.
The Church deserves this life I point to, and even more, God deserves it to be in us. Christ died to pour it out to us, for us, from His Cross. Yet so many – so many laity, so many clergy, have stopped too soon and settled for much less! Martha (Lk 10:38-42) was boldly impatient with her prayerful sister Mary, who was happy to sit at His feet and drink the living water of His holy words of truth. The Lord advised her, no, dear Martha, busyness has clouded your sight – your sister here, listening, absorbing, embracing – she has chosen the better portion! We need prayer. We need to protect, and to grow, the precious life of grace given to us in Baptism.
This grace – a true participation in the divine life! – must be guarded, nurtured, nourished, cherished, tended as if it were the invaluable gift which it is. It is a priceless treasure, indeed a supernatural endowment entrusted to us, for us, from the Cross. Christ gave over everything for it, for us! Do we, like lazy and spoiled children unwilling to lift a finger if it is inconvenient, continue to take our rest while Jesus continues to call to us, “Awaken!” The new Day is near; see – it approaches – the first glow of sunrise can be seen on the horizon.
Three qualities of the interior life of grace – let these be measuring rods for us.
Loving devotion to our mother Mary,
Attentive humble devotion to Truth of the Word: Holy Scripture,
Unshakable embrace of the promised Gift, the Holy Spirit.
The Lord has given us a Garden within – are we tending it? Are we careful stewards of the true treasures, or intemperate children of the over-privileged, ever seeking more of the worthless, squandering time as the day draws near? Let us pray for the Church: Awake! The time for the sleepy and the unconcerned is over, the enemy is at the gates, he has already infiltrated the city, the faithful have long forgotten the danger he brings.
OK. My talking is over (for now) – can we all hear from you? On this subject of growing in the life of grace – the interior life – will you share with other readers, and with me, your thoughts and beliefs on this matter? How are you growing, in the spiritual life, these days? In particular, in your relationship with mother Mary, with Holy Scripture, with the life and gifts of the Holy Spirit – or with other important matters of life in Christ – how are you doing these days? Are you striving for our common call to holiness? And how is that going?
