Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 01-04-06, Memorial, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious

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Biography of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton 1774-1821

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Catholic Caucus: The 16 Days of Christmas (Christmas to the Baptism of the Lord)

Origin of the Twelve Days of Christmas [An Underground Catechism]

Origin of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" [Underground Catechism]

Journeying with the Magi

From: 1 John 3:7-10

A Child of God Does Not Sin

[7] Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is
righteous, as he is righteous. [8] He who commits sin is of the devil;
for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God
appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. [9] No one born of God
commits sin; for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because
he is born of God. [10] By this it may be seen who are the children of
God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right
is not of God, nor he who does not love his
brother.

Commentary:

6-9. This passage acts as a preface to v. 10, where the Apostle spells
out the criteria for distinguishing the children of God from the
children of the devil--the practice of Christian virtues and the
keeping of the commandments of God, especially that of brotherly love.

To understand correctly what St John is saying here, it is useful to
remember his controversy with the false teachers (the Gnostics): these
were trying to deceive the faithful (v. 7) and claimed to have a
special knowledge of God (gnosis), which put them above good and evil,
so that what the Church regarded as sin they saw as morally indifferent
and as incapable of undermining the union with God they claimed they
had.

To identify these heretics, the Apostle has recourse to words of our
Lord: "the tree is known by its fruit" (Mt 12:33). Thus, the genuine
Christian is recognized by deeds of righteousness (v. 7), that is, by
keeping the commandments of God and leading a holy life. And the
qualities essential to the Christian life are incompatible with sin;
these qualities are--divine filiation ("he is born of God": v. 9),
intimate union with Christ ("who abides in him": v. 6), and sanctifying
grace, together with the infused virtues and the gifts of the Holy
Spirit (this seems to be what the expression "God's nature abides in
him" means: v. 9). Thus it is understandable that "No one who abides in
him (Christ) sins" (v. 6).

In fact, as long as "God's nature abides in him...he cannot sin"
(v. 9). Clearly St John does not mean that a Christian is incapable of
sinning; at the start of the letter he said, "If we say we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves" (1:8). What he wants to make quite clear is that
no one can justify his own sin by the device of claiming to be a child
of God: the righteousness of the children of God reflects itself in
their actions, whereas "he who commits sin is of the devil" (v. 8), for
sin cuts one off from God and means one has submitted to the slavery of
the devil.

The ancient heresy has grown up again, in a way, in our own time: there
are those who claim that union with God is not broken by transgression
of commandments, even in grave matter, provided one does not withdraw
one's "fundamental option" for God. Against this error, the Magisterium
of the Church reminds us that "care must be taken not to reduce mortal
sin to an act of 'fundamental option'--as is commonly said today--
against God, intending thereby an explicit and formal contempt for God
or neighbor. For mortal sin exists also when a person knowingly and
willingly, for whatever reason chooses something gravely disordered. In
fact, such a choice already includes contempt for the divine law, a
rejection of God's love for humanity and the whole of creation: the
person turns away from God and loses charity" ("Reconciliatio et
Paenitentia", 17).

10. "Children of the devil": this is a common Semitic way of speaking
meaning "the devil's supporters". In St John's writings we find
references to "children of the devil" (cf. Jn 8:44; Acts 13:10) and to
people who are "of the devil" (v. 8), and Judas is even called a
"devil" (Jn 6:70; but he never uses an expression like "born of the
devil". Therefore, the expressions "children of the devil" and
"children of God" cannot be put on the same plane.

Also, "children of God" refers here primarily to the moral dimension of
Christian life, as a description (the opposite of "the children of the
devil") of those whose actions show they are on God's side. However,
being children of God has a radically different meaning from being
children of the devil, because it derives from something transcendental
--God's causing the Christian to partake of his own divine nature
through the life of grace (cf. 1 Jn 3:1-2 and notes on same).

The criteria for distinguishing the two groups mentioned are: the
practice of righteousness, that is, striving for holiness and fighting
against sin, reviewed in the previous section (vv. 3-9), and the
practice of brotherly love, as we shall see in the next section (vv.
11-24).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: John 1:35-42

The Calling of the First Disciples

[35] The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples;
[36] and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb
of God!" [37] The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed
Jesus. [38] Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them,
"What do you seek?" And they said to Him, "Rabbi" (which means
Teacher), "where are You staying?" [39] He said to them, "Come and
see." They came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him
that day, for it was about the tenth hour. [40] One of the two who
heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
[41] He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found
the Messiah' (which means Christ). [42] He brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, "So you are Simon, the son of John? You
shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter).

Commentary:

35-39. Through these words of the Baptist, these two disciples are
moved by grace to approach the Lord. John's testimony is an example of
the special graces God distributes to attract people to Himself.
Sometimes He addresses a person directly by stirring his soul and
inviting him to follow Him; at other times, as in the present case, He
chooses to use someone close to us who knows us, to bring us to meet
Christ.

The two disciples already had a keen desire to see the Messiah; John's
words move them to try to become friends of our Lord: it is not merely
natural curiosity but Christ's personality which attracts them. They
want to get to know Him, to be taught by Him and to enjoy His company.
"Come and see" (John 1:39; cf. 11:34)--a tender invitation to begin
that intimate friendship they were seeking. Time and personal contact
with Christ will be needed to make them more secure in their vocation.
The Apostle St John, one of the protagonists in this scene, notes the
exact time it took place: "it was about the tenth hour", roughly four
in the afternoon.

Christian faith can never be just a matter of intellectual curiosity;
it affects one's whole life: a person cannot understand it unless he
really lives it; therefore, our Lord does not at this point tell them
in detail about His way of life; He invites them to spend the day with
Him. St Thomas Aquinas comments on this passage saying that our Lord
speaks in a lofty, mystical way because what God is (in Himself or in
grace) can only be understood through experience: words cannot describe
it. We grow in this understanding by doing good works (they
immediately accepted Christ's invitation and as a reward "they saw"),
by recollection and by applying our mind to the contemplation of divine
things, by desiring to taste the sweetness of God, by assiduous
prayer. Our Lord invited everyone to do all this when He said, "Come
and see", and the disciples discovered it all when, in obedience to our
Lord, "they went" and were able to learn by personal experience,
whereas they could not understand the words alone (cf. "Commentary on
St John, in loc".).

40-41. The Evangelist now gives us the name of one of the two
disciples involved in the previous scene; he will mention Andrew again
in connection with the multiplication of the loaves (John 6:8) and the
last Passover (John 12:22).

We cannot be absolutely sure who the second disciple was; but since the
very earliest centuries of the Christian era he has always been taken
to be the Evangelist himself. The vividness of the account, the detail
of giving the exact time, and even John's tendency to remain anonymous
(John 19:16; 20:2; 21:7,20) seem to confirm this.

"St John the Apostle, who pours into his narrative so much that is
first-hand, tells of his first unforgettable conversations with
Christ. `"Master where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and
see." They went and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him
that day, for it was about the tenth hour.'

"This divine and human dialogue completely changed the life of John and
Andrew, and Peter and James and so many others. It prepared their
hearts to listen to the authoritative teaching which Jesus gave them
beside the Sea of Galilee" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ is Passing By", 108).

Those hours spent with our Lord soon produce the first results of
apostolate. Andrew, unable to contain his joy, tells Simon Peter the
news that he has found the Messiah, and brings him to Him. Now, as
then, there is a pressing need to bring others to know the Lord.

"Open your own hearts to Jesus and tell Him your story. I don't want
to generalize. But one day perhaps an ordinary Christian, just like
you, opened your eyes to horizons both deep and new, yet as old as the
Gospel. He suggested to you the prospect of following Christ
earnestly, seriously, of becoming an apostle of apostles. Perhaps you
lost your balance then and didn't recover it. Your complacency wasn't
quite replaced by true peace until you freely said 'yes' to God,
because you wanted to, which is the most supernatural of reasons. And
in its wake came a strong, constant joy, which disappears only when you
abandon Him" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 1).

42. What was it like when Jesus looked at someone? From what He says
here, He seems both imperious and tender. On other occasions His glance
is enough to invite a person to leave everything and follow Him, as in
the case of Matthew (Matthew 9:9); or He seems to be full of love, as
in His meeting with the rich young man (Mark 10:21), or He seems angry
or sad, because of the Pharisees' unbelief (Mark 2:5), or
compassionate, towards the widow of Nain (Luke 7:13). He is able to
move Zacchaeus' heart to conversion (Luke 19:5); and He Himself is
moved by the faith and generosity of the poor widow who gave in alms
everything she had (Mark 12:41-44). His penetrating look seems to lay
the soul bare to God and provoke one to self-examination and
contrition--as happened to the adulterous woman (John 8:10) and to
Peter who, after denying Christ (Luke 22:61) wept bitterly (Mark
14:72).

"You shall be called Cephas": naming something is the same as taking
possession of the thing named (cf. Genesis 17:5; 22:28; 32:28; Isaiah
62:2). Thus, for example, Adam when he was made lord of creation, gave
names to creating things (Genesis 2:20). "Cephas" is the Greek
transcription of an Aramaic word meaning stone, rock: therefore, St.
John, writing in Greek, has to explain the meaning of the word Jesus
used. Cephas was not a proper name, but our Lord put it on Peter to
indicate his role as His vicar, which He will later on reveal (Matthew
16:16-18): Simon was destined to be the stone, the rock, of the
Church.

The first Christians regarded this new name as so significant that they
used it without translating it (cf. Galatians 2:9, 11, 14); later its
translation "Peter" (Petros, Petrus) became current, pushing the
Apostle's old name--Simon--into the background.

"Son of John": ancient manuscripts include variants, such as "son of
Jona".

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

Wednesday, January 4, 2006
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Memorial)

First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:

1 John 3:7-10
Psalm 98:1, 7-9
John 1:35-42

Almsgiving proceeds from a merciful heart and is more useful for the one who practices it than for the one who recieves it, for the man who makes a practice of almsgiving draws out a spiritual profit from his acts, whilst those who recieve his alms recieve only a temporal benefit.

-- St. Thomas Aquinas

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and the disciples discovered it all when, in obedience to our Lord, "they went" and were able to learn by personal experience, whereas they could not understand the words alone

***************

Interesting.

Catholic Culture

Collect:
Lord God, you blessed Elizabeth Seton with gifts of grace as wife and mother, educator and foundress, so that she might spend her life in service to your people. Through her example and prayers may we learn to express our love for you in love for others. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Recipes:

» Colonial Wassail

Activities:

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Prayers:

January 04, 2006

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious

Born in New York, Elizabeth Seton married and became a mother of five children. After her husband's death, she converted to Catholicism and founded the American Sisters of Charity, a community of teaching sisters which began Catholic schools throughout the United States, especially helping with the education of underprivileged children. Mother Seton laid the foundation of the American parochial school system and was the first native-born American to be canonized.

The Eleventh Day of Christmas

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
This wife, mother and foundress of a religious congregation was born Elizabeth Ann Bayley on August 28, 1774 in New York City, the daughter of an eminent physician and professor at what is now Columbia University. Brought up as an Episcopalian, she received an excellent education, and from her early years she manifested an unusual concern for the poor.

In 1794 Elizabeth married William Seton, with whom she had five children. The loss of their fortune so affected William's health that in 1803 Elizabeth and William went to stay with Catholic friends at Livorno, Italy. William died six weeks after their arrival, and when Elizabeth returned to New York City some six months later, she was already a convinced Catholic. She met with stern opposition from her Episcopalian friends but was baptized a Catholic on March 4, 1805.

Abandoned by her friends and relatives, Elizabeth was invited by the superior of the Sulpicians in Baltimore to found a school for girls in that city. The school prospered, and eventually the Sulpician superior, with the approval of Bishop Carroll, gave Elizabeth and her assistants a rule of life. They were also permitted to make religious profession and to wear a religious habit.

In 1809 Elizabeth moved her young community to Emmitsburg, Maryland, where she adopted as a rule of life an adaptation of the rule observed by the Sisters of Charity, founded by St. Vincent de Paul. Although she did not neglect the ministry to the poor, and especially to Negroes, she actually laid the foundation for what became the American parochial school system. She trained teachers and prepared textbooks for use in the schools; she also opened orphanages in Philadelphia and New York City.

She died at Emmitsburg on January 4, 1821, was beatified by Pope John XXIII in 1963, and was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1975.

— Excerpted from Saints of the Roman Calendar by Enzo Lodi

Patron: Death of children; in-law problems; loss of parents; opposition of Church authorities; people ridiculed for their piety; Diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana; widows.

Things to Do:

Meditate on these words of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, "What was the first rule of our dear Savior's life? You know it was to do his Father's will. Well, then, the first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly to do it in the manner he wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his willl. I know what is his will by those who direct me; whatever they bid me do, if it is ever so small in itself, is the will of God for me. Then, do it in the manner he wills it."

Much as many of us learn by doing!

Expanding:
Much as many of us learn by doing!

(Usually making mistakes, seeking the Lord's forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and continuing as best we can on the path the Lord has marked for us.)

American Catholic’s Saint of the Day

January 4, 2006

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

(1774-1821)

Mother Seton is one of the keystones of the American Catholic Church. She founded the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity. She opened the first American parish school and established the first American Catholic orphanage. All this she did in the span of 46 years while raising her five children.

Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton is a true daughter of the American Revolution, born August 28, 1774, just two years before the Declaration of Independence. By birth and marriage, she was linked to the first families of New York and enjoyed the fruits of high society. Reared a staunch Episcopalian by her mother and stepmother, she learned the value of prayer, Scripture and a nightly examination of conscience. Her father, Dr. Richard Bayley, did not have much use for churches but was a great humanitarian, teaching his daughter to love and serve others.

The early deaths of her mother in 1777 and her baby sister in 1778 gave Elizabeth a feel for eternity and the temporariness of the pilgrim life on earth. Far from being brooding and sullen, she faced each new “holocaust,” as she put it, with hopeful cheerfulness.

At 19, Elizabeth was the belle of New York and married a handsome, wealthy businessman, William Magee Seton. They had five children before his business failed and he died of tuberculosis. At 30, Elizabeth was widowed, penniless, with five small children to support.

While in Italy with her dying husband, Elizabeth witnessed Catholicity in action through family friends. Three basic points led her to become a Catholic: belief in the Real Presence, devotion to the Blessed Mother and conviction that the Catholic Church led back to the apostles and to Christ. Many of her family and friends rejected her when she became a Catholic in March 1805.

To support her children, she opened a school in Baltimore. From the beginning, her group followed the lines of a religious community, which was officially founded in 1809.

The thousand or more letters of Mother Seton reveal the development of her spiritual life from ordinary goodness to heroic sanctity. She suffered great trials of sickness, misunderstanding, the death of loved ones (her husband and two young daughters) and the heartache of a wayward son. She died January 4, 1821, and became the first American-born citizen to be beatified (1963) and then canonized (1975). She is buried in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Comment:

Elizabeth Seton had no extraordinary gifts. She was not a mystic or stigmatic. She did not prophesy or speak in tongues. She had two great devotions: abandonment to the will of God and an ardent love for the Blessed Sacrament. She wrote to a friend, Julia Scott, that she would prefer to exchange the world for a “cave or a desert.” “But God has given me a great deal to do, and I have always and hope always to prefer his will to every wish of my own.” Her brand of sanctity is open to everyone if we love God and do his will.

Quote:

Elizabeth Seton told her sisters, “The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills it; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will.”

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	What Are You Looking For?
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Wednesday, January 4, 2006

1 Jn 3:7-10 / Jn 1:35-42

Most people are fairly well along in life before they can answer with real insight the simple question that Jesus asked those two prospective disciples in today's gospel: "What are you looking for? What do you want." The two young men fumbled for an answer and finally replied with another question, "Where do you live?"

They knew something was missing in their lives, and they couldn't quite name it, but they had a sense that Jesus might have the answer. So when he said, 'Come and see,' they went and they were not disappointed. It wasn't just Jesus' words and ideas that captured their imaginations and their hearts. It was his very being. The way that he always was towards them — even when not speaking a word — revealed a goodness in him that moved them deeply and bonded their souls to his forever. They could tell that he KNEW the Father, and that he wanted them to know the Father too.

Ever so slowly, that is what happened as those disciples walked with Jesus across those three years: Through Jesus they came to know the Father, and through Jesus they came to be more and more like the Father — merciful, compassionate, forgiving, and faithful to the end.

Jesus wants to show us the Father, and more. He wants to help us reshape our lives in the Father's own image. It's a lifetime task, and it's the very thing we've been looking for all along.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is one of the greatest Americans ever and a great saint and role model.

This is from an account of the apparition of Our Lady of Grace to St. Catherine Laboure... (the Miraculous Medal apparition).. that refers to her and her sisters.

"My child," said Our Lady, "the good God wishes to charge you with a mission."

But that could wait. This moment was Catherine's; and Mary went on to tell her of God's plans for her, to warn her of the trials that would come upon her, and to show her how she should bear them.

The good God wished to charge her with a mission. She would meet with many difficulties in carrying it out, but she would overcome the difficulties by thinking upon the glory of God as her reason for doing what He wanted. Most comforting of all, she would know with unerring certainty the Will of God; she would be spiritually secure, for she would recognize at all times what God wanted of her.

"You will be tormented," Our Lady continued, "until you have told him who is charged with directing you. You will be contradicted, but do not fear, you will have grace. Tell with confidence all that passes within you; tell it with simplicity. Have confidence. Do not be afraid."

"You will see certain things: give an account of what you see and hear. You will be inspired in your prayers: give an account of what I tell you and of what you will understand in your prayers."

"The times are very evil. Sorrows will come upon France; the throne will be overturned. The whole world will be upset by miseries of every kind." As she delivered herself of this ominous prophecy, pain crossed the Virgin's face. There was a remedy however:

"Come to the foot of the altar." She indicated the spot. "There graces will be shed upon all, great and little, who ask for them. Graces will be especially shed upon those who ask for them."

Then the Mother of God turned her attention to the Vincentian Fathers and the Sisters of Charity. "My child, I particularly love to shed graces upon your Community; I love it very much," she said. "It pains me that there are great abuses in regularity, that the rules are not observed, that there is much relaxation in the two Communities. Tell that to him who has charge of you, even though he is not the superior. He will be given charge of the Community in a special way; he must do everything he can to restore the rule in vigor. Tell him for me to guard against useless reading, loss of time, and visits."

*****

When the rule should be fully observed once more, Mary promised, another community of Sisters would ask to join the Community of rue du Bac. The prediction was fulfilled in 1849, when Father Etienne received Mother Elizabeth Seton's Sisters of Emmitsburg, Maryland, into the Paris Community. These Sisters were the foundation stone of the Sisters of Charity in the United States.

*****

Praised be Jesus Christ

"Where are you staying?" can also be translated "where are you abiding?", hence this hymn, though not "Christmassy" on the Eleventh Day (a carol using the word "abide" will be my next post)

"Abide, O Dearest Jesus"
by Josua Stegmann, 1628
Translated by August Crull, 1845-1923

1. Abide, O dearest Jesus,
Among us with Thy grace
That Satan may not harm us
Nor we to sin give place.

2. Abide, O dear Redeemer,
Among us with Thy Word
And thus now and hereafter
True peace and joy afford.

3. Abide with heavenly brightness
Among us, precious Light;
Thy truth direct and keep us
From error's gloomy night.

4. Abide with richest blessings
Among us, bounteous Lord;
Let us in grace and wisdom
Grow daily through Thy Word.

5. Abide with Thy protection
Among us, Lord, our Strength,
Lest world and Satan fell us
And overcome at length.

6. Abide, O faithful Savior,
Among us with Thy love;
Grant steadfastness and help us
To reach our home above.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn 53 from
Text: Luke 24:29
Author: Josua Stegmann, 1628
Translated by: August Crull, 1923
Titled: Ach bleib mit deiner Gnade
Composer: Melchior Vulpius, 1609
Tune: Christus, der ist mein

And now the Carol with "abiding" (actually "residing", in the second verse in this version...some hymnals use "abiding"):

"Angels from the Realms of Glory"
by James Montgomery, 1771-1854

1. Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth:
Come and worship,
Come and worship;
Worship Christ, the new-born King.

2. Shepherds in the fields abiding,
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing,
Yonder shines the Infant Light:
Come and worship:
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the new-born King.

3. Sages, leave your contemplations;
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations,
Ye have seen His natal star:
Come and worship,
Come and worship;
Worship Christ, the new-born King.

4. Saints, before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His Temple shall appear:
Come and worship,
Come and worship;
Worship Christ, the new-born King.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #136
Text: Matt 2:2
Author: James Montgomery, 1816, 1825, ab.
Composer: Henry Smart, 1867
Tune: "Regent Square"

Bump -- I like this one!

A Voice in the Desert

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Wednesday January 4, 2006 Wednesday Before Epiphany

Reading (1 John 3:7-10) Gospel (St. John 1:35-42)

In the Gospel reading today, we hear about Saint John the Baptist watching Jesus walk by and pointing Him out to his disciples as the Lamb of God. As such, the disciples immediately leave their teacher to follow Jesus. Now this is something that is of great importance for us, first of all, to be able to recognize that once these two men understood (at least to the degree that they were able) Who Jesus was, they immediately were willing to leave behind everything else and follow Him. Not only that, but once they had found Our Lord, they went to tell others. We are told that the first thing Andrew did was to go find his brother Simon. Bringing Simon to Jesus, Jesus changes his name and says, You will be called Kephas (Peter). Immediately, there is a change in the lives of these men because of their initial meeting with the Lord. From there, of course, we know they had to continue to work on growing in virtue, but nonetheless, we can see the immediate change that takes place.

The same thing needs to be in us: When we recognize Who Jesus is, we have to make a change. If we think back, if we had fallen away at some point or perhaps we simply did not know the Lord, I think we would all have our own little story about what happened and how we came to the Lord or how we changed our lives. But then we need to keep working at it. That initial conversion is not enough; we have to continue to grow.

For instance, we think about James and John. We hear about Saint John, the beloved disciple, who is with Andrew. Saint John is extraordinarily holy, to the point where in the first reading he is telling us that the way you can tell who is of the devil and who is of God is by the way they act. And so we know, obviously, that Saint John was not running around doing all kinds of horrible things. He was the closest disciple to the Lord; yet he, along with his brother, are the ones who wanted Jesus to call down fire on a town that would not accept Him. We have Peter coming to the Lord and having his name changed, which signifies an entire change in the way he is going to live; yet he denies Jesus three times. So we see that just because there is that initial conversion to the Lord, it is not complete and it needs to continually be worked at.

Each and every one of us needs, first of all, to be so grateful to God for that conversion He has worked in our lives, and that we cooperated with His grace to turn around. But we cannot stop there. What happens all too often is that we are willing to settle for mediocrity. If we are willing to settle for mediocrity then we are going to fall into the same trap that some of the apostles did. After being with Jesus every day for a couple of years, they still were doing things that were stupid. So we see that it is not going to be quick and it is not going to be easy. But it is necessary. We have to keep working on growth in holiness, growth in virtue.

Perhaps you have gotten to the point where there are not any mortal sins in your life anymore. Praise God! But do not stop. Keep working at it until the venial sins are gone. Maybe you have gotten rid of the venial sins. Praise God even more! But do not stop because now you need to keep working on it until you get rid of the voluntary imperfections. And if you have gotten that far, praise God even more! But keep going because now you need to get rid of the involuntary imperfections. When they are all gone, it is then that you have perfect union with Christ. That is what He wants for us in this life so that we will have it completely and fully in the next.

We cannot settle for mediocrity. We cannot say, “Well, it’s enough that I’ve turned to the Lord and I’m not committing mortal sin anymore.” We cannot even say, “It’s enough that I’m going to daily Mass.” These are great things and we need to be praising God for them, but if we really, truly love God, we need to keep loving Him more and we need to continue to grow in holiness everyday. That is the way we are going to express our love for Him most perfectly, and the only way that can happen is in prayer. So that is the decision we have to make. If we are going to have this change in our lives because of our meeting with Christ, then that change needs to continue to happen until the union with Him and the love for Him is perfect.

* This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.

the first American-born saint, her religious order, the Sister's of Charity have done a lot of good work for us here in the USA. It's too bad so many today are flaming liberals.