The Happy Priest on Overcoming Sloth and Being a Professional Catholic

9/30/2012

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because of laziness, tepidity and apathy?

Here is a challenge for this week. Do you want your life to change? Do you want to achieve progress in your spiritual life? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to get to Heaven?

Take a few moments in order to analyze your good points and your weaknesses. Figure out what is your dominant defect. Develop a plan of action to eradicate that dominant defect from your life and stick to it.

Always make good use of the Sacrament of Confession. This is your best weapon in your fight against personal sin. Develop and be consistent with your daily spiritual life. Do not engage in this battle alone. Ask your spouse for help. Be accountable to each other. One of the purposes of marriage is the good of the spouses. Be accountable to your parish priest. He is trained to help you. Let your parish family be a source of inspiration, motivation and accountability.

Life is a struggle and it always will be.

We need to be excited about Jesus and his Church. We need to be excited about getting to Heaven and bringing others with us. We need to be excited about making this world a better place for everyone. We need to be professional Catholics. This is called personal holiness.

Don't let sloth ruin your chance of living a life filled with joy.

"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where 'the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched'" (Mark 9: 47-49).

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Father James Farfaglia, is a contributing writer for Catholic Online and author of Get Serious! - A Survival Guide for Serious Catholics. You can visit him on the web at www.fatherjames.org.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: sunday homily, homily, homilies, catholic spirituality, father james farfaglia, striving for holiness, living the gospel, sloth, deadly sins, character, fruits of the spirit, universalcall to holiness

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1 - 2 of 2 Comments

jh
7 months ago
I appreciate your concise analysis, Father, and your clear advice.
abey
7 months ago
This can be called as making good use of our mind to nourishing our Spirit, that which is unto God, remembering that the purpose of this life is to the salvation, for again it is by HIS Mercy to the Grace, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the ransom by which we live, in order to achieve it.

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