ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFEI want to see God – St. Teresa of Avila

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

WHY ARE YOU HERE?

Who has anything to say on this? What does the world say?

What does the music say? What do the movies say?

What does God say? Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered

into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love him. (I Corinthians 2:9)

God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, so as to be happy with Him forever in the next – Baltimore Catechism

WHY ARE YOU HERE?

Instant Gratification Eat, drink, and be

merry for tomorrow we die!

You’re an animal, so act like it!

Eating, drinking, sex No possibility of any

other satisfaction

Eternal Gratification Good things come to

those who wait. Immortality of the soul Desire for complete

truth and perfect goodness

Earthly things do NOT satisfy our desires

Having more does NOT solve the problem

Desire for eternity

DEATH

I want to see God, and in order to see Him, I must die – St. Teresa of Avila You will not live forever Your earthly life has a definitive

end There is a stopping point

You will die…any questions?

What is death? Separation of body and soul

JUDGMENT

Matthew25 – Judgment on the Nations Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the

kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.…Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.

At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love – St. John of the Cross

HELL

You can go to hell! Vatican II (LG, 48); Paul VI (Credo)

Jesus solemnly proclaims that he "will send his angels, and they will gather . . . all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire,” (Mt13:41-42) and that he will pronounce the condemnation: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!”(Mt25:41) CCC, 1037 – God predestines no one to go

to hell; for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end.

It’s FOREVER! AND IT’S SUFFERING THAT IS INCOMPARABLE!

ST. FAUSTINA ON HELL

The First Torture that constitutes hell is: The loss of God.

The Second is: Perpetual remorse of conscience.

The Third is: That one's condition will never change.

The Fourth is: The fire that will penetrate the soul without destroying it. A terrible suffering since it is a purely spiritual fire, lit by God's anger.

ST. FAUSTINA ON HELL

The Fifth Torture is: Continual darkness and a terrible suffocating smell, and despite the darkness, the devils and the souls of the damned see each other and all the evil, both of others and their own.

The Sixth Torture is: The constant company of Satan.

The Seventh Torture is: Horrible despair, hatred of God, vile words, curses and blasphemies.

ST. FAUSTINA ON HELL

Indescribable Sufferings: There are special Tortures destined for particular souls. These are the torments of the senses. Each soul undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings related to the manner in which it has sinned. I would have died

ST. FAUSTINA ON HELL

No One Can Say There is No Hell: Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin. I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like...how terribly souls suffer there! Consequently, I pray even more fervently for the conversion of sinners. I incessantly plead God's mercy upon them. O My Jesus, I would rather be in agony until the end of the world, amidst the greatest sufferings, than offend you by the least sin." (Diary 741)

PURGATORY

CCC, 1030 – All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. Those who die with unforgiven venial sins or with unpaid

temporal punishments How can we be perfectly purified on earth? CCC, 1031 – …entirely different from the punishment of

the damned…the tradition of the Church speaks of a cleansing fire:

Rev21: 22, 27 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God

the Almighty and the Lamb. …But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

How are we avoid being unclean?

HEAVEN

A.K.A. – Eternal Life, Eternal Glory, the Beatific Vision, Eternal Beatitude, Seeing God face-to-face CCC, 1023 – Those who die in God's grace and

friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they "see him as he is," face to face

HEAVEN

Rev21:3-4 – Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.

HEAVEN

The joy will be greater than we can conceive. We shall enter into a great sea of divine and eternal joy, which will fill us within and without, and surround us on all sides. – St. Robert Bellarmine

Heaven is not divided by the number of those who reign, nor lessened by being shared, nor disturbed by its multitude, nor disordered by its inequality of ranks, nor changed by motion, nor measured by time. – St. Bonaventure

FINAL JUDGMENT & RESURRECTION OF THE BODY

When Christ returns, we shall rise again …all who are in the tombs will hear [the

Son of man's] voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment (Jn5:28-29)

4 Qualities of the Resurrected Body Subtlety – able to pass through matter Agility – move by thought Luminosity – light of glory Freedom from pain and suffering

CCC, 1041 – The message of the Last Judgment calls men to conversion while God is still giving them "the acceptable time, . . . the day of salvation.“ (2Cor6:2)

HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN

1 Thessalonians 4:1-3 My brothers, we beg and

exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, even as you learned from us how to conduct yourselves in a way pleasing to God – which you are indeed doing – so you must learn to make still greater progress. You know the instructions we gave you in the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you grow in holiness…

HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN

Who is called/able to go to Heaven? A. Only Catholics B. Old Ladies C. People that are not “cool” D. Everyone E. Only Christians

HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN

The universal call to holiness: BE HOLY Lumen Gentium, No. 40: Thus it is evident to

everyone, that all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity…They must follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor.

HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN

The universal call to holiness Bl. JPII – …since Baptism is a true entry into

the holiness of God through incorporation into Christ and the indwelling of his Spirit, it would be a contradiction to settle for a life of mediocrity, marked by a minimalist ethic and a shallow religiosity. (from his Apostolic Letter at the Close of the Jubilee Year 2000)

HOW TO SUCCEED: AIDS TO HOLINESS

Grace God’s life in us John 15:5 – Jesus said: Without Me, you can

do nothing. Penance

1 John 2:16 – for conquering the world, the flesh, the Devil

Luke9:23 – If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me

HOW TO SUCCEED: AIDS TO HOLINESS

Life of Virtue Habitual inclination to do the good with ease,

promptitude, and joy Cardinal & Theological Virtues

God’s Guidance Commandments Beatitudes Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Prayer (private & public) Daily conversation with God Sacraments (esp, the Eucharist & Confession)

7 CAPITAL SINS Pride Lust Greed Gluttony Envy Anger Sloth

JOHN 12:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain

of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Charity Joy Peace Patience Kindness Goodness

Generosity Gentleness Faithfulness Modesty Self-control Chastity

THE PARABLE OF THE BARREN FIG TREE

6And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

TYPES OF PRAYER

VOCAL Personal – Formal & Informal Public (Liturgical)

MEDITATIVE CONTEMPLATIVE

VOCAL PRAYER Formal (traditional prayers) & Informal

Formal – liturgical prayer & traditional prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary, etc.) – teach us how to think, act, and pray, what to pray for

Informal – words from the heart “Prayer is a conversation with Him whom my heart

loves”

Involving the whole person (body & soul) Most readily accessible to groups An initial form leading to contemplative prayer

VOCAL PRAYER: THINGS TO SAY

To adore / praise To ask pardon To give thanks To make petitions

Adoration Contrition Thanksgiving Supplication /

Petition

ADORATION: TO ADORE Recognition (praise) of

God’s perfection and our dependence upon him. “the first attitude of man

acknowledging that he is a creature before his Creator” – CCC, 2628

Arises from love of God for who He is

Consider the language of two who are in love: “I adore you”

ADORATION: TO ADORE From “latria”, Latin word

used only with reference to God Distinct from “dulia” and

“hyperdulia” Should consume most of

our time in prayer

CONTRITION: TO ASK PARDON Begging pardon for our sins

Love Story – “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” – WRONG!!!

We confess our faults because we trust in the love of Him to whom we confess We are reluctant if we think they’ll stop

loving us, reject us “He will love me only if I perform well

enough, only if I prove that I deserve His love, only if I am worthy”

Requires humility and honesty

THANKSGIVING: TO GIVE THANKS

Recognizing and appreciating what God has done Arises from love of God for what He has

done Recognizing that we have been loved and

have been given an abundance of gifts freely and lovingly

Characterizes the prayer of the Church (eucharistia – thanksgiving)

THANKSGIVING: TO GIVE THANKS

This could take awhile – there’s ALWAYS something to be grateful for… Give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you – 1 Thess5:18

JPII: Thank you, Jesus, for loving me in that way

Gratitude is always good medicine for depression, resentment, fear, doubt, and lovelessness

SUPPLICATION: TO MAKE PETITIONS Praying for temporal goods that will lead

us to God Temporal goods for ourselves or for others

(intercession) Should be the shortest of all our prayers

Acknowledges our dependence upon our Father “We are creatures who are not our own

beginning, not the masters of adversity, not our own last end” – CCC, 2629

SUPPLICATION: TO MAKE PETITIONS Spend less time on “ourselves” and

more time on “others” b/c there are more of them In intercession, he who prays looks "not

only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others," even to the point of praying for those who do him harm. – CCC, 2636

The intercession of Christians recognizes no boundaries: "for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions," (1 Tim2:1) for persecutors, for the salvation of those who reject the Gospel. – CCC, 2636

VOCAL PRAYER Remember that, in spite of all your words, there’s still

need to listen Be still and know that I am God – Ps46:10

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN STOP: Stop doing everything else you are doing; perhaps

the hardest thing to do! We cannot simply pray on the run; God is not background music.

LOOK: you cannot communicate with someone unless you make eye contact with them

LISTEN: If you’re speaking to a wise man, the wise should speak; the dumb should listen – listen to the Word

LITURGICAL PRAYER Formal, vocal prayer – official

public prayer of the Church The voice of the Bride speaking to

her Beloved Divine Office / Liturgy of the Hours The Sacrifice of the Mass / 7

Sacraments Goal: to give honor and praise to

God (worship) & to obtain blessings for humanity (sanctification)

MEDITATIVE PRAYER St. Basil the Great: Silence is the beginning

of purification in the soul …the mind seeks to understand the why

and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking. The required attentiveness is difficult to sustain – CCC, 2705 Use Scripture; sacred art; writings of the

Fathers, Doctors, and Saints; book of creation; book of history – CCC, 2705

About passing from thought to life “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

MEDITATIVE PRAYER Lectio Divina – silent, meditative prayer with

Sacred Scripture Dates from the time of the monks & hermits in the desert

(2nd-3rd Centuries) The Steps

Prepare: get your Bible & find a quiet place Read: read the passage you’ve selected slowly & quietly Meditate: Put yourself in the passage; use your senses to

help Pray: talk to God about what you’ve discovered Rest: silently wait and listen for something from God Act: decide on a way to put this little insight into place in

your daily life

MEDITATIVE PRAYER The outcome of the fruit of reading Holy Scripture

is by no means negligible: it is the fullness of eternal happiness…The purpose of the Scriptures, which come to us from God, is to lead us to this fullness according to the truths contained in those sayings of the Apostles…In order to achieve this, we must study Holy Scripture carefully, and teach it and listen to it in the same way. – St. Bonaventure

Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ – St. Jerome

MEDITATIVE PRAYER

…necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. – CCC, 2708

Aids us in drawing closer to God From knowledge of Him to love of Him /

union with Him

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER

Two types Natural / acquired – being recollected, at

peace within our soul Supernatural / infused – God making us

aware of His Presence with us This is the ultimate goal of contemplative

prayer

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER

Contemplative prayer is a close sharing between friends…taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us – St. Teresa of Avila One makes time for the Lord, with the firm

determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter

our attention is fixed on the Lord Himself (as opposed to His words)

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER Prayer is a simple look

turned toward heaven – St. Therese

We let our masks fall…so as to hand ourselves over to him The poor and humble

surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son.

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER Contemplative prayer

is… Prayer of the sinner having

been loved, who wants to give back (Love is repaid by love alone)

A gift from God accepted by the humble heart

The pre-eminently intense time of prayer

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER Contemplative prayer is…

A gaze of faith: I look at Him and He looks at me

Hearing and responding to the word of God

Silent love – St. John of the Cross

Communion with Christ in the night of faith

ON THE RIGHT PATH Just as the body matures through

physical/ biological changes, so the soul must mature

We can’t wait till the last minute 3 Stages of the Interior Life

Purgative Illuminative Unitive

THE PURGATIVE STAGE: THE BEGINNING I train my body and bring it into subjection – 1Cor9:27 Penance and mortification/self-discipline inspired by

fear of the Lord to subject the flesh and purify the soul through self-denial Amount of mortification based on the sins we have

committed after Baptism Denying our passions & desires (which are contrary to God) Making room for Him who wishes to fill us with Himself

Marked by MEDITATION Living in the state of grace (no mortal sins), certain

desire for perfection, but some attachment to deliberate venial sins

THE PURGATIVE STAGE: THE BEGINNING Objection: I feel like a liar when I claim

to want perfection because I don’t think it’s a possibility for me. 'Your inconstancy ought not to alarm you,

but inspire you to keep very near to him who is all your strength. He loves to see that we are making efforts to be pleasing to him, even when these efforts are not always as happy as we would have them‘ – Bl. Columba Marmion

THE ILLUMINATIVE STAGE: ADVANCING Be followers of me, as I also am of Christ –

1Cor4:16 Principle duty: imitation of Christ

Must have a profound conviction to remain on the path Practicing the virtues

Faith, Hope, & Love; Prudence, Temperance, Justice, & Fortitude

Marked by AFFECTIVE PRAYER Expressing our love of God & our desire to glorify Him Gratitude, praise, and delight in God Spirit of sacrifice – desire to give ourselves for God

THE UNITIVE STAGE: THE GOAL

I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me – Gal2:20 Not just fearing God or imitating Him, but Him alive in

me Living always in God’s Presence, love of God is

the “only” virtue, life is a perpetual prayer I do always the things that please Him – Jn8:29

Marked by CONTEMPLATION A loving, lingering thought of God

Such people have: a great purity of heart, great mastery over self, constant need of thinking of God

HOW TO GAUGE SUCCESS: ST. PAUL

THE WORKS OF THE FLESH (Galatians5:19-21) Now the works of the flesh are plain:

fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

HOW TO GAUGE SUCCESS: ST. PAUL

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT (Galatians5:22-23) The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.

1Cor13:4-8 – Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…

Last thoughts on PrayerAlmost anyone can love God partially. A saint loves God totally.

ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

WHEN TO PRAY Pray always, without ceasing –

1Thess 5:16 Start where you are, but don’t

stay there… Start where you are; worst-case

scenario: Start with 10 minutes a day

Reasonable goal: 30 minutes a day Consider how much time you give to

other things… BUT don’t stay there…

It should continue to increase depending on your vocation

WHAT TO SAY Start with the basics: A.C.T.S.

It’s okay to use others’ words to get started; it’s like using training wheels…but you don’t use training wheels forever!

If others’ words are the only words lovers use to each other, they are not lovers but performers.

It’s a relationship of love: I have called you friends (Jn15:16) It will become easier; as the friendship deepens, it’ll

just become natural

WHERE TO PRAY The Church or other

Holy sites Being in the

(Sacramental) Presence of Him to whom we are speaking

A personal “prayer corner”

Everywhere (because…pray always)

WHY PRAY He who prays will be saved; he who does not

pray will be damned. – St. Alphonsus Ligouri If you’re looking to stop sin in your life, PRAY

He who does not give up prayer cannot possibly continue to offend God habitually. – St. Alphonsus Liguori

Perfection and simplicity is not an option for the elite few; it is the prerequisite for Heaven …the only alternative is hell

QUIZ 1 REVIEW

The 4 last things Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell

What is death? (according to the teaching of the Church) Separation of body and soul

How many judgments? What are they? 2: particular judgment (right after death) and general

judgment (end of time) Purgatory 4 characteristics of the resurrected body The universal call to holiness Who will go to Heaven?

TRUE FALSE Union with Christ is the key to growing in holiness because He is a “nice guy.”

TRUE FALSE Those who get to purgatory are assured of going to Heaven eventually.

TRUE FALSE The things which will make you happy (according to the majority of today’s movies, music, television, etc.) are only mirages that quickly fade and leave us dying of spiritual thirst.

TRUE FALSE The daily choices we make a directly related to our finding the happiness we desire.

TRUE FALSE The majority of today’s movies, music, television, etc. regularly make reference to the one, true God.

TRUE FALSE When we are not satisfied with having acquired “enough” of the thing we desire, we think that if we simply get more of that thing, we will be happy.

TRUE FALSE Man is made to know God and to love Him. TRUE FALSE From his letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul

shows that he wants the Church at Thessalonica to make greater progress as this is God’s will for them.

TRUE FALSE The perfection of holiness is the fullness of Christian life and the perfection of charity.

TRUE FALSE The majority of today’s movies, music, television, etc. suggest that happiness is found only in a relationship with God.

TRUE FALSE The perfection of holiness consists only in being nice to others when we feel like it.

TRUE FALSE Every Catholic is guaranteed to go to Heaven if they are baptized.

TRUE FALSE What we do in this world does not matter because God already knows whether we’re going to Heaven or hell when we die.

TRUE FALSE From his letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul shows that he was satisfied with the progress in holiness that the Church at Thessalonica had made.

TRUE FALSE At the end of our lives we will be judged on our popularity and our talents.

TRUE FALSE The majority of today’s movies, music, television, etc. ignore God and/or make no reference to Him.

TRUE FALSE It is possible for anyone to go to hell. TRUE FALSE God would not be so mean as to let anyone

go to hell. TRUE FALSE There are certain things which only Catholics

can do to avoid death (separation of body & soul). TRUE FALSE At the end of our earthly life, God will judge

us on how we have loved God and all those around us. TRUE FALSE Even if one is sent to hell, he can “get out”

by being good and asking God for forgiveness. TRUE FALSE Those who go to Purgatory may still end up in

hell. TRUE FALSE Purgatory is for those who die with mortal

sins. TRUE FALSE The suffering of Purgatory is meant to purify

us of unforgiven venial sins or of temporal punishments not made up for.

TRUE FALSE After we die, everyone gets to go to Heaven.