"If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire.”
(St. Catherine of Siena)
Because hurting sinful people are hurting sinful people, Lord Jesus
Let me be your living word without footnotes
Let me be your healing prayer without rubrics
Let me be your incomprehensible peace without time limits
Through persistence in prayer, diligence in fasting, prodigality in almsgiving – transfigure me into your cup, running over with Your precious Blood getting everyone around me wet.
Remember me with favor my God.
***
Be the freed of Christ (Gal. 5). This requires constant vigilant discernment (1 Peter 5) to spot all sin and evil as they sprout and uproot it (1 Thess. 5). The main point here is simply to be whomever God sees you as, be the one whom God created, as if you could be anything else. Stop fighting uselessly (1 Cor. 9). Tackle some real angels for once.
Never lose sight of the Spirit (Luke 15). Instead of small little saccades, the eyes of the heart have that long look of the skillful tracker, always alert for signs of Spirit/Wind (John 3). Stillness and inner quiet are essential (1 Kings 19). Blaring trumpets, crashing gongs and clanging cymbals are not useful. Instead fix the eyes of the heart upon the Spirit and pursue it - keep looking, don't dare lose sight of the Spirit (Luke 15).
To bring the cup of Salvation to the world requires unmediated creative spontaneity (Romans 8). Be especially wary of routines and habits - they will impede you. Choose a mode of life which increases their availability to those who need them – physically, mentally, and spiritually. Let them choose to stay put in their communities and be visible – so all can see where shelter is to be found.
Be fearless (James 4). Show heroic faith through abstinence from sinful desires (1 Peter 2). If you exercise a mustard seed's worth of restraint you will be able to remove mountains of sin from your life. Why then do you so often fail, and even more often are tripped up by the same things? Because you have no faith. Fearlessly face your sin. Engage but do not indulge.
Let go of whatever you use to protect yourself (Psalm 27). There is nothing to fear, for the Lord himself will watch over you. Be poor in spirit and know that all that happens is from the Lord. You should constantly meditate on the story of Nehemiah, and memorize his prayer (1.5-11).
Your life is one of rebirth (Matthew 18). The only way to catch the Spirit is to be born again - a baby and naked and defenseless.
Give your chalicer success today
By granting me favor
In the presence of all I meet.
