Day 36 – Heavenly Christmas Novena
DAY 36 – MARY, COMFORTER OF THE AFFLICTED, PRAY FOR US
CHURCH MILITANT BOOT CAMP
In the military, boot camp (or, basic training) trains soldiers for combat by instilling discipline and an unbreakable bond. When their training is complete, soldiers act more as a sacrificing, corporate body and less as self-concerned individuals. Here we will learn how to become diligent members of the Church Militant and how absolutely essential it is to move in concert with the Communion of Saints.
LET’S ROLL!!
Today, ask yourself …
Heart: Did I pray for others today? (Holy Soul in Purgatory, Soul in need)
Soul: Did I meet my “prayer-life plan” goals?
Mind: Did I spend some time with spiritual reading? A recommended option for daily spiritual reading is the brief reflections I offer here daily (below) from my book, “Church Militant Field Manual: Special Forces Training for the Life in Christ.”
Strength: Did I meet my daily health & fitness goals?
TODAY’S SPIRITUAL READING: SUPERIOR IDEAL
Among the ways we have just let Coach Vince Lombardi inspire us, let’s focus on the most important one: He went to Mass and received Communion every day of his life. Pope John Paul II said the Holy Eucharist “contains the Church’s entire spiritual wealth: Christ Himself.”
Precisely during a time when our culture was becoming disconnected from their True Source, Vince Lombardi remained firmly and wholly connected to his. No matter what Lombardi dedicated himself to, he never abandoned his true self as a child of God and devoted disciple of Jesus Christ. More than anything, he understood the necessity of receiving God’s Divine Life, as he brought himself, daily, to the altar of our Lord to receive him — body, blood, soul, and divinity — as the real source of power in his life. This was where his energy, his very life came from. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen once said, “As a man must be born before he can begin to lead his physical life, so he must be born to lead a Divine Life. That birth occurs in the Sacrament of Baptism. To survive, he must be nourished by Divine Life; that is done in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.”
There is no other authentic way to strive for perfection. Lombardi recognized this as the superior ideal that must never be abandoned, but interwoven into all of our pursuits, whether it is as a businessman or parent or professor or coach.
Vince Lombardi lived profoundly by God at the exact time our culture was unraveling and when it was all too easy to abandon God (as it continues to be today). How easy it was (and is) for so many to follow the crowd through the wide gate (Mt 7:13) of the many fads and trends of immorality, self-gratification, and anti-authority in the 1960s and up to today. Lombardi is yet another reminder that the real heroes of every age are those brave souls who courageously accept the challenge of integrity by ignoring the trends of their times while remaining true to themselves, even if it means being a signum cui contradicetur, a sign of contradiction, in the world (Lk 2:34). (Excerpt from Church Militant Field Manual).
Give Spiritual Strength This Year
Christ has equipped us with weapons more splendid than gold, more resistant than steel, weapons more fiery than any flame and lighter than the slightest breeze … These are weapons of a totally new kind, for they have been forged for a previously unheard-of type of combat. -St. John Chrysostom
Seen below are among the few of many amazing tools to grow in spiritual strength at RomanCatholicGear.com.
Combat Rosary (Sterling Silver & 24k Gold)
Peace Through Strength Prayer Journal
Strength & Alliance Field Journal
Combat Rosary
Spiritual Go Bag
Spiritual Ammo Can Set
Go to RomanCatholicGear.com.
