Announcing Men's Purity Group!
I have decided to start a men's purity group using conference call technology. I have found that most men are extremely busy and unable to make it out for weekly men's groups away from their home. Many men though, are willing to make the sacrifice to make a phone call each week to stay on track. My hope is to have about eight men per group that will conference call once a week. We will coach each other and hold each other accountable. Men may use fake name to protect anonimity.
Do you struggle with sins of impurity? Are you "addicted" to lust and pornography? Are you married, single, or in a celibate vocation and having difficulty staying faithful to your state? If so, please consider this group as a chance to grow and mature, and hopefully find your path to purity.
Please email me via the Contact page for more information and conference call times.
Last night, my wife and I were having one of our regular spiritual discussions. Sometimes we sit to have our quiet time of prayer, next to each other, and we end up spending an hour chatting about the spiritual life or some aspect of life. I was pondering aloud to her about the lack of knowledge of "mortification" in the modern church. It is such a foreign concept to modern Catholics; it was such a foreign concept to me until my spiritual director raised it in one of our discussions.
What brings all this up? Well, I have been reading "The True Spouse of Jesus Christ" by St. Alphonsus De Ligouri. In this work he lays out the details for religious sisters (in particular) in living out their vocation. However, this work is an insight into the way to live the spiritual life as it was seen in that day. In this 700+ page work, the saint lays out detailed guidelines for every aspect of the religious sister's vocation. As stated on the back cover, "As for the practice of Christian virtues the work will be found highly useful even for seculars." I have found in this book and amazing amount of detail, quotes and examples from the saints, and a challenge to my perspective on the life of grace.
Among other things, St. Alphonsus discusses, at length, the topic of "interior mortification". Another way to speak of this is "to conquer self-will". He uses such strong language as "combatting self-will", "beat down" the passions, , "do violence to our self-will". These militaristic terms help us to understand the need we have in this battle over our souls. One cannot simply just "want" to be holy and to obtain virtue, but one must "work" and strive after it with a courage and focus, much like a skilled soldier.
STEP #! - Conquering our worst vice.
St. Alphonsus states that we must first begin with our most habitual vice or passion and work to uproot it. "Whoever subdues his predominant passion will easily conquer all other evil inclinations." (pg 137) So we ask ourselves, what is the sin that I always seem to have to confess to the priest? Is it lust, is it lying, is it anger...whatever it is, we must begin with a firm purpose of amendment, that is, we must decide today that we will indeed conquer it through God's grace (which is never lacking). Maybe we begin by seeking spiritual direction, a good book on the subject, or an accountability partner. We must understand that we simply will not be able to combat this vice without help. May God give us the strength and courage to seek His will and work toward His ends and all times! Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, ora pro nobis!
