Pope Francis - A Humble Begining

"Now I would like to give my blessing. But first, I will ask a favor. Before the bishop blesses his people, he asks that you pray to the Lord to bless me, the prayer of the people for the blessing of their bishop. Let's pray for me in silence."

When I first heard this request for prayer I had trouble understanding it.  The pope is supposed to bless us and then get on with all of his popely duties.

He asked us to pray for HIM? WOW!!!

It all began to make sense as I soaked in the event. I was watching the events unfold at work - in my boss' office.  I am pretty sure this was not the scene in every business office in Western North Carolina, but I work in a Catholic parish. Not you typical Catholic parish, but a Catholic parish run by Jesuits.  Jesuits are a special breed and in the presence of two of these men, Pope Francis' request began to seem very typical.  The Jesuits are very spiritual men. This request was very Jesuit - or rather very Ignatian. The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) was founded by St Ignatius of Loyola.

Keep an eye on this blog for much more about Francis and Ignatian Spirituality.

The Five Ps of Prayer

I suppose there is no absolute wrong way to pray, but if you want to be sure to hit all of the key areas of prayer...

I present the five Ps of prayer as defined by Father Michael Denk.

Prepare: Know ahead of time what you are going to pray with. Look at it early in the morning, meditate upon it throughout the day.

Posture: We are human beings and we pray with our bodies. Find a posture that you can be relaxed and comfortable so your body is not a distraction during prayer.

Presence: Take a moment before prayer to realize that you are in the Presence of God. Invite the Holy Spirit to come into your heart and teach you how to pray.

Passage: Go to the Word, Icon, or nature. Become familiar with it and rest with whatever word, image, phrase, sense God speaks to you. Be still.

Place: Find a place that is good for prayer. A place of silence where you will not be disturbed. Make a place significant for praying – i.e. candle, crucifix, bible.

Spur of the moment prayer is still effective, but we truly have a personal relationship with God. Sure, you can have a quick conversation with a friend or write a quick note/text, but if you have something very important to say you will at least think about what you need to say before you say it or write it. If you are writing a love letter (are they still written?) there will likely be a couple of versions. If you are writing a grant for funding of an important project, there will be many revisions.

Make time for God and the benefits will shine forth.

Back at it

Has it really been three years since my last post? Wow!
The prolonged absence has not been an indication of my prayer life. In fact, far from it. My prayer life has blossomed, and I will try to share with you my experiences you. I am confident that the sharing of the past few years will be a benefit to me and I hope you can find the right inspiration for an increase in the amount and quality of your own prayer life.

I stumbled upon this blog again because I was searching for an online prayer journal. I still have not found what I am looking for but finding this blog again has given me inspiration to get back into sharing my journey with others. It turns out that over the past few years I have traveled quite far on my prayer journey.

A year ago I completed the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola. Before I started I thought I had a decent spirituality (whatever that means) and knew how to pray. Boy, I was wrong. I was directed through the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life. This is a once a week direction through the exercises as opposed to the intended 30 day retreat. The Exercises were fruitful and I have since begun training to become a Spiritual Director. I feel I have a lot to share as a result of the past couple of years and what lies ahead.

Stay tuned!

Against All Odds

Young David beat that Philistine. He was told it could not be done. He knew better. He used the skills God had already given him. He stood up to his foe and proclaimed his Lord as his deliverer. The simple sling and stone brought down the enemy. Simple items - and a lot of faith.

How often do we face insurmountable odds and just give in?

Prayer For Courage

Dear God, give me courage, for perhaps I lack it more than anything else. I need courage before men against their threats and against their seductions. I need courage to bear unkindness, mockery, contradiction. I need courage to fight against the devil, against terrors and troubles, temptations, attractions, darkness and false lights, against tears, depression, and above all fear. I need Your help, dear God. Strengthen me with Your love and Your grace. Console me with Your blessed Presence and grant me the courage to persevere until I am with You forever in heaven.

Comfort Zone

Comfort Zone

How often do we go out of our comfort zone or out of our way for God?

The Psalmist started both Psalms 96 and 98 with this idea:

Sing a new song to the LORD, who has done marvelous deeds, Whose right hand and holy arm have won the victory.

Were you ever in a choir or a band? I was. In 5th grade I was in the children's choir. I cannot remember if I wanted to be in it, was asked to be in it or was told to be in it. Either way, I was in it. I did not hate it. I do not think I was aware of the importance of it (leading the congregation in song) or the love behind it (praising God), but I did it.

It seems like we had a new song to learn every week. New songs were not easy. They were not fun. Sister Grace made us go over them - over and over again. She was happy when we finally got it.

God is a lot like Sister Grace - though I do not picture him as an elderly, 250 lb plus nun in full habit. God is happy when we "sing" the old standards - or serve/praise him as we usually do. He gets really excited when "learn a new song" - or find a new way to love Him.

Do something extra today to love and serve our Lord!

This Little Light

In my last post, I mentioned my son's recent hospitalizations. Two weeks ago he underwent his 20th surgery in his eight years. The surgery itself went well and did what it was supposed to do. His recovery, on the other hand, is not going as smoothly. This is the first time he has suffered any post-operative complications. At first we were crushed or shocked or scared, but everything is turning out alright.

My son was born handicapped. We were told before he was born that he would be disabled. We cried a little. Very little. We poured ourselves into learning about his birth defect and we prayed. Over the past 8 1/2 years a lot of prayers have been said. Not just by us but also by family members, friends, church parishioners and by complete strangers. Over the past 90 days God has heard lots of prayers of petition for him as well as many recent prayers of thanksgiving. He has become and remained the wonderful little but that he is due to many prayers and growing up a Christian.

The Good Book tells us my son and anyone else that has any sort of affliction is here to show the love of God. To be a light.

As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, "Go wash ³ in the Pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see. His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, "Isn't this the one who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is," but others said, "No, he just looks like him." He said, "I am."

Chapter 2 from John's Gospel

God loves to hear from us. He loves even more for us to show off his love for us. Learn not to see disabilities as a curse. Learn to use them to show-off God.

The Light of God before me.

The Light of God behind me.

The Light of God above me.

The Light of God beside me.

The Light of God within me.

From the Prayer of St. Patrick

Summer Vacation

It has been three months since I have posted to the Prayer Warrior Blog. It has not been so much due to my lack of interest but more to how summer vacation changes my daily grind. I am the Assistant Director of Religious Education at our local Catholic Church. Throughout the school year, I have a schedule that allows me many liberties and offers great flexibility. Every weekday morning I am able to see the kids off to school and three of the afternoons I am home when the kids get off the bus. I am at work for 10 hours on Sunday, but it is at church and very few of those hours are spent behind a desk. Working on Sunday and the two other days we offer faith formation programming is very close to pure joy. I consider myself very lucky.

Summertime, on the other hand, causes work to seem more like work. Other than a week of VBS and two one-week intensive Summer Faith Formation sessions we are occupied with administrative and organizational tasks. Also, many days I have to 'drag' one or both of my kids to work. My son is handicapped and has a nurse's assistant to watch over and care for him while I am at work. Sometimes she cannot make it in. My daughter is now old enough to stay home, but usually wanted to come to work with me just to get out of the house.

Our summer did have some of the typical and atypical breaks in the routine, though none of them brought with them a push to return to my blogging. Once school got out, we went to Florida for a glorious week-long family reunion with my family. It was awesome. In July my son became ill and spent a week in the hospital. I stayed with him each night. The illness postponed a surgery he was to have in July to August. A week and a half ago he had this surgery and it went well. The Dr. was pleased. The recovery has been another issue. He is OK, but he far from being the little boy we brought to the hospital. The prognosis is for a full recovery, but we have no idea how long it will take of if it will be a total recovery. We do have our faith and prayer - many prayers.

So, with all that said I am eager to get back to my regular routine and the Prayer Warrior Blog.

Lord of heaven and earth; maker of all things including today. Father, I pray for this, the first day of school. Would your mighty hand rest securly upon the administration of our schools as they seek to guide our children through this school year. May you influence and guide their decisions and actions. Mighty God, would you settle upon the teachers that have direct contact and influence on our children; allow them to teach well and boldly. Lord Jesus, protect and guide our children as they ride the buses, walk the halls and interact together. Lord of all, I pray that when we look back on this, another school year, we see your finger prints covering it. Thank you Lord for today and tomorrow and this entire year of learning, loving and life. Amen.

Too Big

Yesterday I spend the day with mentor and he told me a story about a visit to Ronald Regan's Oval Office.  The President was 'off-site' and my friend was receiving a private tour of the White House.  The tour was so 'behind the scenes' that my friend was allowed to walk behind the President's desk.  On the desk were three small tent cards.  Each had a quote.  Each helped keep the President focused and humble.  The card with the strongest message to me said, "You can get too big for God to use, but you can never be too small."  

How often do we become to big for God to use?  

I am on the staff of a Catholic Church. I run the Faith Formation Office.  The work that my staff and I do is very important.  However, sometimes we become too important.  Sometimes I make decisions thinking only of myself.  If all of my decisions are not considering God and His plan, then I am failing.

God has given me many talents and gifts.  I must strive to use these talents and gifts for His glory.  I must be working to make Him bigger.  Not me.

When working with people that seem to have fallen into a creative funk when it comes to planning lessons to be used at Church, I bring out one of my favorite lines.  THERE IS NO I, ME OR MY WHEN IS COMES TO DOING GOD'S WORK.  If it has become MY 7th grade catechism lesson I have failed.  It is all His!

Prayer for Simplicity

Lord, help me now to unclutter my life,

to organise myself in the direction of simplicity.

Lord, teach me to listen to my heart;

teach me to welcome change, instead of fearing it.

Lord, I give You these stirrings inside me,

I give You my discontent,

I give You my restlessness,

I give You my doubt

I give You my despair

I give You all the longings I hold inside.

Help me to listen to these signs of change, of growth;

to listen seriously and follow where they lead,

through the breathtaking empty space of an open door.

- Northumbria Community (from Celtic Daily Prayer)

Ambassador of Paradise

No, today's Prayer Warrior Blog is not hommage to Jimmy Buffet.  May 8th is the feast of the APPARITION of SAINT MICHAEL the ARCHANGEL Monte Gargano, Italy (492).  It is evident from Holy Scripture that God is pleased to make frequent use of the ministry of the heavenly spirits in the dispensations of His providence in this world. The Angels are all pure spirits; by a property of their nature they are immortal, as is every spirit. They have the power of moving or conveying themselves at will from place to place, and such is their activity that it is not easy for us to conceive of it. Among the holy Archangels, Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are particularly distinguished in the Scriptures. Saint Michael, whose name means Who is like unto God?, is the prince of the faithful Angels who opposed Lucifer and his followers in their revolt against God. Since the devil is the sworn enemy of God’s holy Church, Saint Michael is given to it by God as its special protector against the demon’s assaults and stratagems.

I have been praying the NOVENA TO ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL for the past week, seeking his protection and prayers.  I have been fascinated by all of his titles. St. Michael is definitely a Prayer Warrior.

Litany of St. Michael the Archangel

Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, 
Have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, 
Have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit, 
Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God, 
Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Queen of the Angels, pray for us. 
St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us. 
Most glorious attendant of the Triune Divinity, etc. 
Standing at the right of the Altar of Incense, 
Ambassador of Paradise, 
Glorious Prince of the heavenly armies, 
Leader of the angelic hosts, 
Warrior who thrust Satan into Hell, 
Defender against the wickedness and snares of the devil, 
Standard-bearer of God’s armies, 
Defender of divine glory, 
First defender of the Kingship of Christ, 
Strength of God, 
Invincible prince and warrior, 
Angel of peace, 
Guardian of the Christian Faith, 
Guardian of the Legion of St. Michael, 
Champion of God’s people, 
Champion of the Legion of St. Michael, 
Guardian angel of the Eucharist, 
Defender of the Church, 
Defender of the Legion of St. Michael, 
Protector of the Sovereign Pontiff, 
Protector of the Legion of St. Michael, 
Angel of Catholic Action, 
Powerful intercessor of Christians, 
Bravest defender of those who hope in God, 
Guardian of our souls and bodies, 
Healer of the sick, 
Help of those in their agony, 
Consoler of the souls in Purgatory, 
God’s messenger for the souls of the just, 
Terror of the evil spirits, 
Victorious in battle against evil, 
Guardian and Patron of the Universal Church, 
Guardian and Patron of the Legion of St. Michael,

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, 
Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, 
Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, 
Have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael, 
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

God's Internet

“The Internet causes billions of images to appear on millions of computer monitors around the planet. From this galaxy of sight and sound will the face of Christ emerge and the voice of Christ be heard? For it is only when His face is seen and His voice heard that the world will know the glad tidings of our redemption. ...Therefore,... I dare to summon the whole Church bravely to cross this new threshold, to put out nto the deep of the Net, so that now as in the past the great engagement of the Gospel and culture may show to the world ‘the glory of God on the face of Christ’.” —Pope John Paul II

Are you doing all you can to promote God's Kingdom?

Arch Enemies

To finish up my comparison of the samurai warrior's Bushido (Way of the Warrior) to the effective practices of a Prayer Warrior I am going to look at loyalty (忠 chuu).

loyalty

unswerving in allegiance
faithful in allegiance to one's lawful sovereign or government
faithful to a private person to whom fidelity is due
faithful to a cause, ideal, custom, institution, or product
the state of being loyal; fidelity

A samurai is nothing if he is not loyal. The ancient feudal society was based on loyalty. This is something that our society really needs - but I promise not to turn this into a political blog.

From the beginning of our existence, God has always been loyal to us. He has given us chance after chance to remain in his glory. We keep messing it up and he keeps graciously accepting us back into his fold.

The Archangels are the ultimate loyalists. Archangels are members of the second choir of angels. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. The Hebrew Bible uses the terms מלאך אלהים (melakh Elohim; messenger of God), מלאך יהוה (melakh Adonai; messenger of the Lord), בני אלוהים (b'nai elohim; sons of God) and הקודשים (ha-qodeshim; the holy ones) to refer to beings traditionally interpreted as angelic messengers.

Of course there were the two that went bad. Contrary to popular belief, Satan and Lucifer are two separate fallen angels. The name "Lucifer" means "Light Giver" or "Light Bearer". Lucifer is thought to be the prince of the underworld and is who most consider to be the Devil. Being a creation of God, he cannot be considered an equal of God. He is more an equal of Michael the archangel. Satan's name is believed to originate from the term satan which connotes the idea of opposition and adversary. Before his fall, it's believed that he was one of the Ruling Prince's of the Celestial Orders. Satan is thought to be primarily 'stationed' here on earth. Both want nothing more than to turn our loyalties away from God.

Considering Lucifer is a former archangel, we should look to the 'field commander of the Legion of God' for assistance. Instead of pasting the whole thing, here is a link to the NOVENA TO ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL This novena begins on Friday May 1.

Honor Roll

For the Samurai warriors, honor & glory (誉 yo) were often misinterpreted virtues.  If someone insults us, it is easy to say they 'took away' our honor.  Many people have died (or killed) in defense of their honor.  This was all a waste.  Honor is a one-way street.  People can give us or show us honor.  They cannot take it away.  We can do something that is dishonorable, but we cannot honor ourselves. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as: 

1 a: good name or public esteem : reputation b: a showing of usually merited respect : recognition honor to our founder>

As Christians, we are called to honor our God.  We honor God by who we become and what we do.  The Bible is full of dos and don'ts, but it more than that.  It is more than just following rules.  We honor God by seeing that he is in us and everything around us.  Everyone and everything is an opportunity to honor God.

As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.  We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:1-5

My son is disabled and uses a manual wheelchair to get around.  He is fairly self-sufficient.  He does have a classmate that follows him around school to open doors, carry his lunch tray and a few other tasks.  My son will never walk, but I recently asked my him, if it were up to him, if he would rather walk or use a wheelchair.  My son told me that he would definitely rather use his wheelchair because otherwise his buddy would not have anything to do.  My son does not see his disability as a handicap.  He sees it as way for others to be the Light.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Good Friday

Friday is Good Friday.

Good Friday is the defining day for Christianity.  

I am to do what I can to make this a Good Friday special day.  I have already pledged not to log into Facebook or Twitter. Here is the Facebook group I started to make that pledge.  I now considering not turning on my computer.  There is so much more that I can do.  I work for the Church, so I have the day off.  The kids are on spring break as well.  I should take my daughter to Stations of the Cross.  It will be our fourth or fifth time this year.  She served at two of them.  I have a Christian novel about the writing of John's Gospel to finish too.

I call everyone out to do something different this Good Friday.  Something that will bring you closer to God.

Here is a Good Friday meditation from Creighton Univ:

Lord,  by the suffering of Christ your Son  you have saved is all from the death  we inherited from sinful Adam.  By the law of nature  we have borne the likeness of his manhood.  May the sanctifying power of grace  help us to put on the likeness of our Lord in heaven  who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9;  John 18:1-19:42

Daily Meditation: 
This is the wood of the cross, 
on which hung the Savior of the world. 
Come, let us worship. 
This is a very special day of intimacy with our Lord. 
It is a day to pray the Stations of the Cross. 
A day of fasting and abstinence, in order to sharpen our awareness and openness. 
A day to stand at the foot of the cross as a forgiven sinner - 
to stand there side-by-side with everyone else who is forgiven. 
It is a day of profound gratitude.

My people, what have I done to you? 
How have I offended you?  Answer me. 
Good Friday Reproaches

Intercessions:

For our sake our Redeemer suffered death and was buried, and rose again.  With heartfelt love let us adore him, and pray: 
 Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ our teacher, for our sake you were obedient even to accepting death, 
- teach us to obey the Father's will in all things. 

Christ our life, by your death on the cross you destroyed the power of evil and death, 
- may we die with you, to rise with you in glory. 

Christ our King, you became an outcast among us, a worm and no man, 
- teach us the humility by which you saved the world. 

Christ our salvation, you gave yourself up to death out of love for us, 
- help us to show your love to one another. 

Christ our Savior, on the cross you embraced all time with your outstretched arms, 
- unite God's scattered children in your kingdom of salvation. 

Closing Prayer: 
My Lord, 
your son has suffered so much, shed so much blood. 
I was born with so many faults 
and my nature is so full of weakness, 
and yet your son Jesus has died on the cross. 
For me. 
I know your grace has the power 
to cleanse me of my many sins 
and to make me more like your Son. 
Thank you for your goodness and love for me. 
I ask you, Father, to watch over me - always.

May the Lord bless us, 
protect us from all evil 
and bring us to everlasting life. 
Amen. 

Honest To God

Honest to God! 

Honesty (誠 makoto or 信 shin) is the value of speaking truth and creating trust in minds of others. This includes all varieties of communication, both verbal and non-verbal. Honesty implies a lack of deceit. A statement can be strictly true and still be dishonest if the intention of the statement is to deceive its audience. Similarly, a falsehood can be spoken honestly if the speaker actually believes it to be true.

How honest to God are you?

Do you give God your all?  Is He number one in your life?  Or do you just seek God when you need him?

Do you cheat God out of what is rightfully his?

Any sin moves us further from God. 

Jesus, Prince of all Heavenly truths, Your Words are carved for eternity! You have commanded the virtue of honesty, It is the power against all deceptions. Direct Your Spirit of honesty upon me, That by soul may always remain stainless. Guide my daily thoughts, words and actions, To join those living by the Spirit of truth. For honesty yields harmony and loyalty, Enriching all human relationships. By the power of Your Spirit that flourishes, Honesty will prevail in this world!

Created to Serve

Respect (礼 rei).

What is respect? 

Respect is esteem for, or a sense of the worth or excellence of, a person, a personal quality, ability, or a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.

Respect should be one of the easiest things have/show/give.  If we live with the understanding that we are each created in the likeness and image of God, then we would naturally treat each other as if they were God. Piece of cake!

Of course, it is never that easy.  Modern society seems to make every effort to show that respect must be earned.  We live in a "what have you done for me lately" world.  Many people allow this attitude to pervert their relationship with God.  They say, "Look at this crappy life I have.  God has forgotten about me, so I am not going to have anything to do with Him."  They are obviously very self-centered.

Respect cannot be demanded.  Respect has to be given freely - to everyone.

God loves us.  God knows us.  He wants us to love him. This is what the Catechism teaches us:

Of all visible creatures only man is able to know and love his creator. He is the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake, and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God's own life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the fundamental reason for his dignity… God created everything for man, but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him.

We are created to serve and love God.  This is at the core of our nature.  It should be a piece of cake.  It can be if we work at it.

Once we realize that everyone else is made in the image and likeness of God, respect will be freely given and received - and this world will be a much better place.

A PRAYER FOR THE VIRTUE OF RESPECT

I genuflect before You Honorable Jesus, Respecting Your Will, Plan and Judgment! You overcame earthly evil emptations, Maintaining Self-respect to the end. Jesus, You are my code of conduct; I strive to comply with Your precepts. Teach me all I need to know about respect, Its mastery being my long-term objective. May this include learning to listen, Allowing others to share their opinions. May my respect towards other humans Truly reflect Your love towards all!

A Kindly Act

I have been chronicling how a Prayer Warrior can take it's ques to living a Christian life by following the Samurai's Bushido.  Check my earlier post for the full list.  Today's tenet is Benevolence (仁 jin).  The Free Dictionary defines benevolence as 

be·nev·o·lence  (b-nv-lns)

n.

1. An inclination to perform kind, charitable acts.

2.

a. A kindly act.

b. A gift given out of generosity.

3. A compulsory tax or payment exacted by some English sovereigns without the consent of Parliament.

Benevolence is a slam-dunk for any Christian.  Acting kindly?  No problem!  Even the worst Christian can act kindly once in a while.  Lets raise the stakes a little bit.  Can we, as Christians, pray with benevolence?  It is so easy to pray for our selves.  "God, please help me past this test - that I did not study for." "God, help me get a job that will make me happy."  We do it all the time.

How often do you pray for someone else?  Do you ever just pray for some random person?  Instead of praying for yourself, ask someone to pray for you.  

Here is a site that explains benevolence much better that I can.

Eternal Father,

we praise you for sending your Son

to be one of us and to save us.

Look upon your people with mercy,

for we are divided in so many ways,

and give us the Spirit of Jesus to make us one in love.

We ask this gift, loving Father,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Be Not Afraid

Progressing through the seven tenets of the Samurai Bushido (code of honor) brings the Prayer Warrior to the virtue of courage (勇 yuu).  Courage was a daily part of the early Christian Church.  The Apostles and other disciples of Jesus obviously had more than their fair share of challenges and dangers.  Sure, the Apostles had Jesus come back to them after the Resurrection and He bestowed the Holy Spirit upon them, but it still had to be hard for them to go off and fulfill their calling.  The early Christians had to face the likes of Saul (not yet Paul) who saw the Christians' beliefs as a perversion of the Jewish faith.  

Pope John Paul II was the modern day spokesman for courage when 30 years ago at his very first address to the faithful he said, 

"Be Not Afraid! Open up, no; swing wide the gates to Christ. Open up to his saving power the confines of the State, open up economic and political systems, the vast empires of culture, civilization and development…. Be not afraid!"

 Years later he addressed millions of youth at World Youth Day VII with this plea, 

"Dear young people, proclaiming the Word of God is not the responsibility of priests or religious alone, but it is yours too. You must have the courage to speak about Christ in your families and in places where you study, work or recreate... There are places and circumstances where you alone can bring the seed of God's Word."

Christ needs us as much as we need him.  We are Christians.  We are Christ-like.  We have to go out and proclaim the Word, live the Word and do all we can to turn this world back to God.  Too much of our world is a culture of death and empty promises.

Today, do something that promotes God.

Prayer for Courage in the Time of Battle

O Prince of peace, we humbly ask your protection

for all our men and women in military service.

Give them unflinching courage to defend 

with honor, dignity and devotion, 

the rights of all who are imperiled

by injustice and evil.

Be their rock, their shield, and their stronghold

and let them draw their strength from you.

For you are God, for ever and ever.

Rectitude of Intention

As any good Christian, I try to live my life in a way that would make God happy.  You really never want to get God angry.  We don't want to bring back any of that Old Testament wrath.

About the time I really started taking my faith seriously, I began studying Samurai warriors.  I guess the little kid in us never dies.

Samurais were thought to “live by the sword and die by the sword”. But as I did more research into them, I began to see that Japanese warriors shared many of the same qualities as the Medieval European knights!   Despite what Hollywood would rather show, their lives were not just about shear bloodshed. There is honor and pride, a love of people that most certainly masks “brute power”.

Bushido is the code of the samurais.  It is the "Way of the Warrior".  The Bushido code is typified by seven virtues:

• Rectitude (義 gi)
• Courage (勇 yuu)
• Benevolence (仁 jin)
• Respect (礼 rei)
• Honesty (誠 makoto or 信 shin)
• Honor (誉 yo)
• Loyalty (忠 chuu)

Over the next few Prayer Warrior blogs I want to discuss these seven tenets. 

Gi: this refers to rectitude, or justice. <Rightness of principle or practice; exact conformity to truth, or to the rules prescribed for moral conduct, either by divine or human laws; uprightness of mind; uprightness; integrity; honesty; justice.> For the Samurai , it is the power of deciding upon a certain course of conduct in accordance with reason, and without wavering; that is to die when it is right to die, to strike when it is right to strike. This principle also held the warriors responsible for choosing at all times, the correct decision from the heart rather than from the mind.

Let's relate this to Christian life and prayer.  ‘Rectitude of Intention’ means having the correct intention in all that we do – in our daily work, our recreation, our civic obligations, and our religious duties – however, not for our glory but all for the glory of God.  Rectitude of Intention is the antithesis of ‘political correctness.’  It helps us do what we ought to do, not what society or culture want us to do.

"Don't ever lose the supernatural point of view.  Correct your intention as the course of a ship is corrected on the high seas: by looking at the star, by looking at Mary.  Then you will always be sure of reaching harbour," wrote St. Josemaría Escrivá.

When we pray we need to be praying for God's will to be done - my favorite line of the Lord's Prayer.  We are Christians - we are Christ-like.  We need to pray as Christ would pray.

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be 
Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, 
on earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our 
daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we 
forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us 
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.