St. Anthony the Abbot Catholic Church

It is obvious that we should have unlimited confidence in God, but that is exactly why the devil tempts us against it, and that is why we need to be reminded that God always hears our prayers. In Scotland in the 1600s, Catholics were persecuted - priests and laity alike had to flee the country or go into hiding to avoid imprisonment or even death.

One day, a bishop there was walking from village to village in the mountains, dressed like a poor farmer to avoid capture. It was winter, and as the sun went down he became lost among the snow-covered hills. Almost exhausted with wandering, he finally saw a dim light in the distance, and made his way toward it. It was a poor cottage on the edge of the woods; he knocked on the door. The family welcomed him, warmed him at their fire, and prepared him some food. He didn't see any crucifix or image of Mary in the house, so he concluded they weren't Catholic. But they were extremely kind and hospitable, and as he ate their simple but good food, they conversed politely and pleasantly.

The bishop noticed that the family seemed sad underneath their good-natured hospitality. He asked about this, and the mother explained that in the back room, on a bed of straw, her father lay dying, but he refused to admit it, and so he was not preparing himself well for death. The visitor offered to speak with him, and he was led to the back room. Sure enough, the old man lay there, feeble and clearly dying. The bishop offered words of sympathy, but the old man seemed to regain strength and said, "No sir, I am not yet going to die. That is impossible."  The disguised bishop asked why he was so sure, and after hemming and hawing, the old man asked quietly if the visitor was Catholic. Assured that he was, the dying man gave this explanation.

I also am a Catholic. From the day of my first Communion until now I have never failed even for a single day to pray to Our Blessed Lady for the grace of not dying without a priest at my bedside to hear my confession and give me the Last Sacraments. "Now sir, do you think that my heavenly Mother will not hear me? Impossible! So I am not going to die till some priest comes to visit me." Tears rolled down the bishop's face as he realized that he was God's faithful answer to this man's humble and confident prayer. God always hears our prayers - if He died for us on Calvary, will He ignore us now?

We cannot have a mature and effective life of prayer without growing in these key areas of confidence in God and humility. All of us desire a mature and effective prayer life - that's one reason we're here right now. All of us should also want to desire to grow in these key areas. There is a way for your prayer life to grow exponentially and does not even require that much from us.  

Cross fit is all the rage in the exercise world. This exercise is a cross-training spiritual workout for growing in Christian virtues: faith, hope, charity, sincerity, courage, justice... you name it. If you dedicate 20 minutes of your time every month to one simple spiritual activity, you are guaranteed a steady and profound growth in your spiritual life. Yes, just 20 minutes every month. 

It sounds too good to be true, but it is true. All we need to do is make a commitment, today, to practice this God-given exercise, and He'll take care of the rest. But it has to be a commitment, a mature decision to give those 20 minutes to God every month, rain or shine, convenient or inconvenient. I can tell you what this spiritual exercise is, but I cannot make the commitment for you. That's up to each one of us individually.

Jesus passionately wants to help us, as He will prove once again during this Mass, just as He wanted to help that leper, but He needs us to give Him the chance, just as the leper did.  What is this secret exercise that will put us on the fast track to spiritual maturity, no matter how much of a mess we are right now?  It is the sacrament of confession. I'll see you there.