Father Maassen's Message - 06/30/24

Dear Missionary Disciples of Christ,
 

"How often do you check your phone?  I have never counted.  If you check your phone, let's say, once every ten minutes during your 16 waking hours, that would be ....... 96 times a day.  What if you said a prayer each time you checked your phone?   You could always say the “Our Father”. A quicker prayer would be, “Lord Jesus Christ, please have mercy on me, a sinner”. Come Holy Spirit. You could say Jesus loves me. You could pray for someone or something. You could say a Hail Mary. Maybe I am overestimating.  Perhaps you check your phone only 48 times a day. What if you prayed 45 times a day before checking your phone? What if you also prayed before meals, before starting work, before making important decisions, or before going to bed? Prayer can be integrated into every aspect of our lives.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraph 2757, we are reminded, "Pray constantly. It is always possible to pray. It is even a vital necessity. Prayer and Christian life are not just connected; they are inseparable, forming the very fabric of our spiritual community."

 As we read in CCC 2752, "Prayer presupposes an effort, a fight against ourselves and the wiles of the Tempter. The battle of Prayer is inseparable from the necessary spiritual battle to act habitually according to the Spirit of Christ: we pray as we live because we live as we pray." This is not a passive act, but an engaged and committed one."

Father Maassen