Beginning in Baptism

We only reach and participate in beatitude with God’s help. — Echoing the Mystery 

Faith 

“God opens our minds to understand His truth and our souls to abide with Him in love.” —Wisdom 3:9  

Plunged into the Trinitarian Communion in Baptism, prayer is our living relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Through it, we become accustomed to living with God (Echoing the Mystery 61:1).  

A couple of weeks ago, I referenced a quote by St. Catherine of Siena, “All the way to heaven is heaven,” and noted how she lived with the “eyes of faith” focused on heaven. All of us are called to live with this same certainty and conviction. In fact, it began the moment we were baptized “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The grace of Baptism draws us into the life of the Blessed Trinity, whereby we are a new creature. Our state of original sin (gracelessness) no longer exists as we now live in God’s grace, His life.  

To sustain our relationship with God, we must communicate with Him, who is the source of love, truth, and goodness. He sustains us with His grace—His very life, but we must actively do our part to cultivate this relationship.  

This means becoming accustomed to living with God in prayer. It is no different than any other relationship we may have, as a relationship does not exist without communication. In fact, it flourishes with meaningful and continual communication.  

As we begin these days of the Lenten Season, try to be more conscious of your time spent in prayer. Are you rattling off vocal prayer, or are you conversing with the living God from your heart?

Spot the Virtue 

While the living of perseverance may require a lot of determination, the ultimate purpose is to do all things in Christ who strengthens us. This attitude elevates the living of this virtue to a supernatural level, enabling us to practice it heroically, especially in extreme moments of suffering and difficulty.  

An essential aspect of teaching and living perseverance is knowing we are not alone and have the support of others. When people give us meaningful feedback, it lifts our spirit and confidence. This means showing up for little and big moments and recognizing young people for what they have done, not by showering them with praise but by intentionally recognizing how they have persevered and overcome difficulty. The modern culture calls this “grit.” 

     Name: Robert, I noticed you stayed after practice to improve your shot.  

     Explain: I know you’ve been working hard to make those 3-point shots and your perseverance paid off.    

     Express: Persevering shows your determination to work hard so you  can be a great asset to the team. 

Spot this virtue in one person this week. 

Prayer 

Make an effort to say your vocal prayers from the heart.