No cross, no crown. No pain, no gain. No guts, no glory. St. James summons us to see the challenges we face as opportunities to rise to new heights of existence, "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him" (Jas 1:12).
In the military, the cross and crown symbolizes a soldier's willingness to remain faithful to the mission at hand, to each other, and to country, no matter what. This kind of unwavering dedication is exactly what Jesus meant when he gave us the criterion for enlisting in his elite fighting force: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" (Lk 9:23-25).
While sounding like a military drill instructor, St John Vianney expounds on this radical call to discipleship: "There is no doubt about it: a person who loves pleasure, who seeks comfort, who flies from anything that might spell suffering, who is over-anxious, who complains, who blames, and who becomes impatient at the least little thing which does not go his way - a person like that is a Christian only in name; he is only a dishonor to his religion, for Jesus Christ has said so: 'Anyone who wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross every day of his life, and follow Me.'"
The Gospels stories show how Jesus touched people in ways that made them question the direction of their lives. Some turned away because his challenge seemed to be too hard. But many others were so moved by his mission and ministry that they were compelled to search for a more perfect way of living and being. Where do you stand? Are you ready to put it all on the line? This means nothing less than to do what God is calling you. Are you ready to say "yes" to the call to become his champion? (Excerpt from my book, Church Militant Field Manual).
PRAY A ROSARY
Choose either:
Rosary of the Day: Glorious Mysteries
Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Glorious Mysteries
PRAYERS FOR TRADITIONAL 54 DAY NOVENA
THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES OF THE HOLY ROSARY
Prayer before the recitation: Sign of the cross. Hail Mary.
In petition (first 27 days): Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I humbly kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses, full-blown white roses, tinged with the red of the passion, to remind thee of thy glories, fruits of the sufferings of thy Son and thee, each rose recalling to thee a holy mystery, each 10 bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God's graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee! Thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my petition; from thy bounty thou wilt give me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly seek. I despair of nothing that I ask of thee. Show thyself my Mother!
In thanksgiving (last 27 days): Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I gratefully kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses full blown white roses, tinged with the red of the passion, to remind thee of thy glories, fruits of the sufferings of thy Son and thee each rose recalling to thee a holy mystery; each 10 bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God s graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee! Thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my thanksgiving; from thy bounty thou hast given me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly sought. I despaired not of what I asked of thee, and thou hast truly shown thyself my Mother.
Say: The Apostles' Creed, Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
For each of the following Mysteries, say: Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
The Resurrection - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of faith and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Ascension - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of hope and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Descent of the Holy Spirit - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of charity and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Assumption of Mary - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of union with Christ and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Coronation of the Blessed Mother - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of union with thee and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
Say: The Hail Holy Queen.
Spiritual Communion: My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
In petition (first 27 days): Sweet Mother Mary, I offer thee this spiritual communion to bind my bouquets in a wreath to place upon thy brow. O my Mother! Look with favor upon my gift, and in thy love obtain for me (specify request, see below). Hail Mary ...
In thanksgiving (last 27 days): Sweet Mother Mary, I offer thee this Spiritual Communion to bind my bouquets in a wreath to place upon thy brow in thanksgiving for (specify request, see below) which thou in thy love hast obtained for me. Hail, Mary, etc.
PETITION: For the protection and provision for the USA and the world. Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!
Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
By St. Maximilian Kolbe
O Immaculata, Queen of heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you. I, N..., a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases you. If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of you: "She will crush your head," and, "You alone have destroyed all heresies in the world." Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever you enter you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
V. Allow me to praise you, O sacred Virgin. R. Give me strength against your enemies.
All of the daily Novena Prayers and Reflections are also posted at usgraceforce.com
Those who would like to pray with others via The Telephone Rosary, call 1-951-799-9866 daily at 6 pm Eastern.
All are invited to participate virtually in each of the 15 days events. Use the Zoom link at the top of the schedule on the Triumph Tour 2020 website: triumphtour2020.com . For those who feel called to come and participate in person, those details are available.
The Rosary - The Great Dragon Slayer!
Father Calloway's book, "Champions of the Rosary" (order HERE) not only offers a clear presentation of the history of the rosary, but also a clarion call for everyone to enlist as a soldier in the army of the Queen of the Rosary.
We are in a new and most dangerous spiritual battle, making the Lepanto of old appear elementary. To fight the Lepanto of our times, we need to once again be reminded that the rosary is a spiritual weapon. Only then will we be able to conquer and banish the culture of death, the modern attacks against the Church and her teachings, and the diabolical agents who raise their weapons against Christ and his Cross.
We had the honor of having Father Donald Calloway back on our podcast, and he brought amazing insight into the Rosary so that we might understand the spiritual power of the sword of Mary. All that is left for us is to wield it!
Moses
was a warrior who was led by faith to serve the one who is invisible. Although
as the adopted son of pharaoh he could have had the power of Egypt, yet he
chose to follow Him who is. Moses was a righteous man. A righteous man is one
who leads a life that is pleasing to God.
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me. (Ps. 23:4)
Faith helps a
warrior to focus himself and conserve the warrior energy for where it is most
effective. Ponder the fact that Christ at any moment could have chosen to fight
and the results would have been the defeat of the Romans but the loss of man.
He chose not to fight but to suffer for the salvation of man.
William
Johnson a Jesuit writer suggests that we must stay with our painful experiences
and summit ourselves to the “Prayer of the Suffering.” He suggests one must
simply sit and accept one’s cross, accept it totally, unreservedly whether it
is physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. It is the prayer of silent
acceptance. The pain is not a distraction but the substance of our prayer. One
unites one’s suffering with that of Jesus on the cross: for the salvation of
the world or for particular people. The cross may arise from the ache of
loneliness, the torment of betrayal, failure, fear of dying or the loss of one’s good name. Whatever the cause;
Sit with it, don’t run away; don’t try to escape. Don’t fight. Sit with your
cross.
Although this is not a catholic article; contemplate
on the main precepts from the catholic mindset.
What then, are the qualities of a spiritual
warrior? What attributes or states of mind are necessary to become warriors of
light?
1. Awareness
A spiritual warrior must possess
expanded awareness. While spiritual practices such as yoga and meditation
enhance and accelerate the growth of awareness, a spiritual warrior must have
the specific awareness to recognize that you are at war with the darkness of
ignorance. If you are to take up the call of spiritual warriorship, you must
remain vigilant that in the lack of awareness, ignorance will grow. As you pay
attention to yourself—your thoughts, speech, actions, and beliefs—you deprive
ignorance of a fertile field in which it can take root.
2. Courage
A spiritual warrior has courage. Martial artist
Bruce Lee said, “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure
a difficult one.” This is what it means to have courage. As previously
explained, the path of the spiritual warrior is not necessarily easy. You can
face danger, fear, pain, and uncertainty on the path to spiritual mastery.
Spiritual warriors press on when confronted
with adversity, doubt, or the inconsistencies or irrationality of their beliefs
and behavior. This doesn’t mean you don’t feel the fear; it means you feel it
and keep going. Deep down you know that the enlightenment you seek is worth
enduring the temporary discomfort of the journey.
3. Discipline
Next, the spiritual warrior possesses
discipline. Discipline is the ability to restrain yourself—to control your impulses,
desires, or emotions for the sake of improvement. It’s important to note that
such discipline comes not from some outside authority, rather the spiritual
warrior forges in the fire of your will. You make the difficult choice to
pursue spiritual practices or Sadhana over the often more comfortable or
conventional ways of life with the intention of attaining higher states of
consciousness.
Discipline can also mean simply staying on
the path. The spiritual warrior knows there will be obstacles on the journey,
but when those occur, self-discipline keeps you keeping on when others are
content to quit.
4. Relentlessness
Relentlessness is another key attribute of
the spiritual warrior. Being relentless refers not to being harsh or
inflexible. Rather it implies a persistent and determined intention to seek out
false beliefs, attempts to fool yourself, and ego delusions. The spiritual
warrior understands that ignorance is a tenacious adversary that requires daily
and consistent attentiveness so as to not let it take you by surprise.
Relentlessness also means ruthlessly slaying
the 1,000-headed dragon of self-importance. Your sense of self-importance can
slow spiritual progress and obscure your understanding of who you really are.
Relentlessly seeking out opportunities to subjugate the ego creates space for spirit to enter your life.
5. Cunning
The spiritual warrior is also cunning. As
your awareness and spiritual discipline grows, the warrior of light recognizes
the slippery nature of the mind and how easily you can fool yourself. You,
therefore, must be equally cunning and crafty when it comes to outwitting your
habitual thought traps and cognitive biases. In the space of
expanded consciousness you learn to anticipate the stories you tell yourself,
the ways you hide from the truth, and how you stubbornly defend your false
sense of self.
This alert witnessing and understanding of
your thought process or metacognition allows you to intercept your conditioned
behavior so you can course correct toward more conscious choices in thought,
word, and deed.
6. Patience
Patience is the next quality of the spiritual
warrior. Patience is the calm acceptance that not everything happens according
to your timeline. It allows you to be content as well as
pause, wait, endure, and allow things to unfold in their own way.
The spiritual warrior doesn’t act needy. You
don’t push or demand that the universe comply with your wishes. Instead, you
recognize that a bigger picture is unfolding; in the absence of a broader
perspective, you can’t always know what action to take. Therefore, you can
calmly be in the moment and wait for the universe to act. When the right time
becomes known, the spiritual warrior seizes the opportunity and takes spontaneous
and transformative right action.
7. Sweetness
The spiritual warrior also possesses
sweetness. Sweetness might seem like a strange attribute of the spiritual
warrior, something associated with weakness or sentimentality. In this context,
however, sweetness refers to impeccability in word and action. The spiritual
warrior holds yourself to the highest of standards, refraining from anything
that could be considered potentially cruel or hurtful.
As the Dalai Lama reminds you, “Compassion
and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.” It’s easy to
be hurtful and mean to yourself or others. Kindness, compassion, and sweetness
in the face of anger or ignorance require enormous strength and understanding.
Seeing the world from higher ground allows you to act and speak from a place of
sweetness that benefits everyone you encounter.
8. Love
The final quality of the spiritual warrior
is love.
To the spiritual warrior love is all that is. It is the core of your being and
core of all other beings. Removing the veils of love is the spiritual warrior’s
quest. You exist with love at your source, but often it lies hidden beneath
anger, trauma, or suffering. Expanding the field of love for both yourself
and others is the ultimate goal of the spiritual warrior. Love heals all
wounds. It is that transformative power that can change the world. The
spiritual warrior shines the light of your love into the darkness of ignorance,
not to destroy it, but to transmute it into knowledge.
When the spiritual warrior possesses these
attributes you become a powerful force for change in the world. The spiritual
warrior fights against the self-delusion, fear, and ignorance that create suffering in your life.
This battle is fought within; an effort to shed the chains of conditioning and
false beliefs that lie within you. The reward of this campaign is the expansion
of consciousness; the spiritual warrior becomes a beacon of awareness who
brings healing to the entire world.
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