Subjects for Daily meditation...
Keeping Yourself on the Narrow Road
Remember, Christian soul, that thou hast this day and every day of thy life--
God to glorify,
Jesus to imitate,
The angels and saints to invoke,
A soul to save,
A body to mortify,
Sins to expiate,
Virtues to acquire,
Hell to avoid,
Heaven to gain,
Eternity to prepare for,
Time to profit by,
Neighbors to edify,
The world to despise,
Devils to combat,
Passions to subdue,
Death perhaps to suffer,
And judgment to undergo.
Keeping Yourself on the Narrow Road
Remember, Christian soul, that thou hast this day and every day of thy life--
God to glorify,
Jesus to imitate,
The angels and saints to invoke,
A soul to save,
A body to mortify,
Sins to expiate,
Virtues to acquire,
Hell to avoid,
Heaven to gain,
Eternity to prepare for,
Time to profit by,
Neighbors to edify,
The world to despise,
Devils to combat,
Passions to subdue,
Death perhaps to suffer,
And judgment to undergo.
From the eternal counsel of God and by divine institution, Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, founded the Holy Catholic Church, appointing her as the sole guardian and teacher of the faith. Established upon the Apostles and sustained by His unfailing promise, she has remained steadfast for nearly two thousand years, preserving intact the doctrine entrusted to her by her Divine Founder.
Through every age, amid persecutions, errors, and the changing winds of the world, the Church has held her course without deviation, maintaining the purity of her teaching and the dignity of her sacred tradition. She stands today, as she has always stood, a visible and indefectible beacon of beauty, truth, and light, guiding souls along the narrow path ordained by Christ Himself, who is God. Do you think it possible that man could get it better than God Himself? I think not. It is an absolute absurdity to think so!
Yet many souls in our own age have become confused, not because the Church founded by Christ has failed, but because the image presented before the world has become clouded by scandal, division, error, and competing voices. Countless people judge the Holy Catholic Church only through the lens of mainstream institutions, media portrayals, public controversies, or the failures of individual men, mistaking these for the Church herself. How many Protestant denominations and counterfeit claimants are there, and how many more are to come before the end of the world?
Powerful worldly interests, since the dawn of time, have sought to infiltrate the visible structures of the Church, influencing institutions, administrations, and public perceptions from within. What many now recognize as "the Catholic Church" is, in large measure, the outward appearance of an institution whose visible expression has been profoundly compromised by human corruption. Yet this must never be confused with the Church founded by Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church is without stain or spot.
Our Lord Himself warned of a time when genuine faith would become exceedingly rare. He asked, "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). This solemn question reminds every generation that widespread unbelief and spiritual confusion were foreseen by Christ Himself. The existence of darkness does not signify the failure of God; rather, it reveals the fulfillment of His warning that many would fall away and that truth would be eclipsed by deception. "Vatican Council Two, a diabolical council which has absolutely no validity or jurisdiction."
Sacred Scripture also teaches that the devil is "a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). His weapons have always been deception, confusion, and counterfeit appearances. His ultimate objective is not merely to corrupt institutions or divide nations, but to separate souls from God and lead them away from the path of salvation to Hell. Every deception, no matter how subtle, serves that singular purpose.
If the enemy of mankind desires to draw souls away from Christ, what greater triumph could there be than to persuade countless people to despise, ridicule, or reject the very Church that Christ established as the guardian of His truth? By fixing the world's attention upon scandals, failures, and the sins of men, many never look beyond the broken exterior to discover the divine reality that Christ Himself promised would never fail.
Thus, what should inspire reverence is often met with suspicion, and what was given as a light to the nations is, in the minds of many, obscured by confusion and contempt. The diabolical attacks and plans launched against the Church throughout the centuries would stagger the human mind. The only way the mainstream could take attention away from this was by thwarting and twisting history, since the wealthy are often the ones who write the history books.
Yet Christ did not leave His faithful without hope. He declared, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20). Even if the faithful should become few, Christ remains present among those who sincerely believe, worship Him in truth, and remain steadfast in the true catholic faith handed down by the Apostles. The strength of His Church has never depended upon worldly numbers, wealth, or public approval, but upon His abiding presence and His unfailing promises.
The Holy Catholic Church herself cannot be destroyed, nor can the witness of the countless martyrs who gave their lives for Christ and His Church, for she was established by Christ, who is true God and true Man, and His promise cannot fail. Remember that no man dies for a lie. Men may corrupt offices, infiltrate buildings, misuse authority, desecrate sacred places, or distort what is presented to the world, but they cannot overthrow the Church in her divine essence.
The Church is immovable, a force that will remain until the end of the world. Stone buildings may be profaned, institutions may be weakened, and the outward shell may bear the marks of corruption, yet the Mystical Body of Christ remains untouched by the designs of men. The Church is one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic. These are the four marks that identify her. If any one of these marks should fall, get out immediately and do not look back. You have one life, one soul, and one chance. You will not be coming back again to do a better job because, once out of time, the test is over. You will be transfixed for all eternity.
Therefore, those who sincerely seek truth must look beyond appearances and judge the Church according to her divine constitution, her uninterrupted apostolic tradition, and the perennial faith handed down through the centuries. Only then can one behold the Church, not as the world presents her, but as Christ Himself established her—ever living, ever holy in her divine origin, and forever calling mankind to the fullness of truth and salvation.
So, brothers and sisters, get down on your knees and ask the one true God to reveal Himself to you. Remember that faith is a gift and that graces are not dealt out all at once. We have to earn them. We have to walk the path and climb the mountain to reach the pinnacle, the summit. We have to put blinkers on our eyes, abandon the world and the flesh, and cultivate a holy contempt for the passing things of this world...
Through every age, amid persecutions, errors, and the changing winds of the world, the Church has held her course without deviation, maintaining the purity of her teaching and the dignity of her sacred tradition. She stands today, as she has always stood, a visible and indefectible beacon of beauty, truth, and light, guiding souls along the narrow path ordained by Christ Himself, who is God. Do you think it possible that man could get it better than God Himself? I think not. It is an absolute absurdity to think so!
Yet many souls in our own age have become confused, not because the Church founded by Christ has failed, but because the image presented before the world has become clouded by scandal, division, error, and competing voices. Countless people judge the Holy Catholic Church only through the lens of mainstream institutions, media portrayals, public controversies, or the failures of individual men, mistaking these for the Church herself. How many Protestant denominations and counterfeit claimants are there, and how many more are to come before the end of the world?
Powerful worldly interests, since the dawn of time, have sought to infiltrate the visible structures of the Church, influencing institutions, administrations, and public perceptions from within. What many now recognize as "the Catholic Church" is, in large measure, the outward appearance of an institution whose visible expression has been profoundly compromised by human corruption. Yet this must never be confused with the Church founded by Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church is without stain or spot.
Our Lord Himself warned of a time when genuine faith would become exceedingly rare. He asked, "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). This solemn question reminds every generation that widespread unbelief and spiritual confusion were foreseen by Christ Himself. The existence of darkness does not signify the failure of God; rather, it reveals the fulfillment of His warning that many would fall away and that truth would be eclipsed by deception. "Vatican Council Two, a diabolical council which has absolutely no validity or jurisdiction."
Sacred Scripture also teaches that the devil is "a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). His weapons have always been deception, confusion, and counterfeit appearances. His ultimate objective is not merely to corrupt institutions or divide nations, but to separate souls from God and lead them away from the path of salvation to Hell. Every deception, no matter how subtle, serves that singular purpose.
If the enemy of mankind desires to draw souls away from Christ, what greater triumph could there be than to persuade countless people to despise, ridicule, or reject the very Church that Christ established as the guardian of His truth? By fixing the world's attention upon scandals, failures, and the sins of men, many never look beyond the broken exterior to discover the divine reality that Christ Himself promised would never fail.
Thus, what should inspire reverence is often met with suspicion, and what was given as a light to the nations is, in the minds of many, obscured by confusion and contempt. The diabolical attacks and plans launched against the Church throughout the centuries would stagger the human mind. The only way the mainstream could take attention away from this was by thwarting and twisting history, since the wealthy are often the ones who write the history books.
Yet Christ did not leave His faithful without hope. He declared, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20). Even if the faithful should become few, Christ remains present among those who sincerely believe, worship Him in truth, and remain steadfast in the true catholic faith handed down by the Apostles. The strength of His Church has never depended upon worldly numbers, wealth, or public approval, but upon His abiding presence and His unfailing promises.
The Holy Catholic Church herself cannot be destroyed, nor can the witness of the countless martyrs who gave their lives for Christ and His Church, for she was established by Christ, who is true God and true Man, and His promise cannot fail. Remember that no man dies for a lie. Men may corrupt offices, infiltrate buildings, misuse authority, desecrate sacred places, or distort what is presented to the world, but they cannot overthrow the Church in her divine essence.
The Church is immovable, a force that will remain until the end of the world. Stone buildings may be profaned, institutions may be weakened, and the outward shell may bear the marks of corruption, yet the Mystical Body of Christ remains untouched by the designs of men. The Church is one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic. These are the four marks that identify her. If any one of these marks should fall, get out immediately and do not look back. You have one life, one soul, and one chance. You will not be coming back again to do a better job because, once out of time, the test is over. You will be transfixed for all eternity.
Therefore, those who sincerely seek truth must look beyond appearances and judge the Church according to her divine constitution, her uninterrupted apostolic tradition, and the perennial faith handed down through the centuries. Only then can one behold the Church, not as the world presents her, but as Christ Himself established her—ever living, ever holy in her divine origin, and forever calling mankind to the fullness of truth and salvation.
So, brothers and sisters, get down on your knees and ask the one true God to reveal Himself to you. Remember that faith is a gift and that graces are not dealt out all at once. We have to earn them. We have to walk the path and climb the mountain to reach the pinnacle, the summit. We have to put blinkers on our eyes, abandon the world and the flesh, and cultivate a holy contempt for the passing things of this world...
