Dear Friends,
This week, we are reproducing (from www.olmc.church) the third of our three-part series on growth. The previous two articles treated:
1. Mission: God has called you to be a part of his light-bearing mission. We are made to bring God’s love to life in the world, and we can make this happen by trusting and following Jesus.
2. A simple plan of life is the good scaffolding we need to give ourselves entirely to God and his purposes. Implementing the five essential pillars of Christian Discipleship - Sunday Mass, Monthly Confession, Daily Prayer, Serving, and Giving - will see us well on our way to growth in our relationship with God.
This week, we look a little more closely at those five pillars. You’ll see why we consider them essential practices. If you want to explore on your own, go to the website www.olmc.church and click on the heading for GROW.
Here at the parish we are well equipped to help you grow. Know of my prayers for you as you learn to live Jesus’ way of life, and don’t hesitate to reach out to me for the support and strength you need as we walk this way together.
Christ’s peace,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ
www.olmc.church/grow
The roofs, gutters, and grading - the 90% solution - of Christian life are Sunday Mass, Monthly Confession, Daily Prayer, Serving, and Giving. Just a word on each:
Sunday Mass: From the earliest days of the Church until now, Sunday - as the day on which Jesus rose from the dead - has been marked out by all Christians as a day of central significance. We keep this day not simply in memory of what Jesus has done for us: The Eucharist allows us to share, here and now, in Jesus’ death-conquering love, which is the fuel of Christian life.
(see CCC, 2168-95)
Monthly Confession: Sharing that he goes to Confession every 15 or so days, Pope Francis described himself as “a sinner whom the Lord looked upon with mercy” (Credere, Dec. 2, 2015). The sacrament of Penance restores us to intimate friendship with God and reconciles us with the Church. In short, it makes us fit for our mission, to light up the world with the love of God. Frequent confession of our everyday faults helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ, and progress in the life of the Spirit.
(see CCC, 1422-98)
Daily Prayer: Prayer is how God enkindles our hearts and keeps the fire of his love burning within us. We are called to pray at all times, but this is only possible if we pray at specific times. The almost universal testimony of the saints (the Church’s spiritual masters) is that we need to pray for at least 30 uninterrupted minutes a day.
(see CCC, 2558-865)
Serving: As Jesus makes him known to us, God is recklessly-give-awayness. Growth in the image of God, then, means that we become recklessly-give-awayers. To be Christian is to live as people - both individually and together - who are ever ready to respond to God’s call to give ourselves away without counting the cost.
Giving: All Christian disciplines are about making God and his priorities the very center of our lives. Perhaps nothing does this more practically than tithing - giving God the first 10% of our income. Growth in giving to the tithe and beyond is sure to spur on spiritual health. For more, check out olmc.church/give
These five basic habits are not the only important practices for Christian living, but with these essential pillars in place we are primed for spiritual growth.
It can be a challenge to integrate good spiritual practices into your life. Our team of Spiritual Mentors is expertly equipped to help you put a plan of life in place that will help you flourish in your relationship with God.