Sunday Reflection: All Saints Day! You’re Called to Be a Saint
|
Happy All Saints Day! Yesterday we talked Halloween. Today is the real feast, and the readings are all about who the saints are. Here’s the part that matters for you: you’re called to be a saint. First Reading: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24 Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3 Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12a Look at the saints. Augustine had shame. Matthew had shame. Mary Magdalene had shame. They surrendered it and changed. That’s the move. It’s what saints do. They didn’t hide it, and they didn’t let it have the last word. They handed it to Jesus, and He made them clean. Why Catholics turn to the saints Hebrews tells us, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us.” [Hebrews 12:1] Picture a stadium. The saints aren’t spectators who stopped caring. They’ve finished their race, and they’re cheering you on in yours. And we already ask each other for prayers all the time. Scripture says, “The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.” [James 5:16] If a righteous friend on earth can pray for you, how much more the ones who are now standing in God’s presence? In Revelation, the prayers of the holy ones rise before the throne like incense. [Revelation 5:8] Asking a saint to pray for you isn’t replacing Jesus. It’s asking a big brother or sister in the family to pray alongside you to the same Father. That’s also why St. Paul can address ordinary Christians in his letters as saints. [1 Corinthians 1:2] Sainthood was never meant to be for a special few. It’s the plan for all of us, including you. Saints aren’t superheroes. They’re sinners who didn’t quit and persevered in faithfulness. And for the betrayed wife reading this: you are in that great multitude too. “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.” [Matthew 5:4] The Lord sees every tear, and the saints are praying for you. Your pain is not invisible to Him. 2 Practical Tips: To Battle Lust: Name your shame to God today, out loud, the way the saints did. Then pick one saint to be your patron in recovery and ask for his or her prayers every morning. Whoever you choose has been where you are, and they’re part of that cloud cheering you on. To Help Your Wife Heal: Tell her you’re committed to becoming a man whose heart is being cleaned, ask what she needs from you this week, then listen without defending. “I want to be a man you can trust again. What would help you this week?” Don’t demand anything in return. You’re called to be a saint. Today, thank God for the ones who’ve gone before you, then ask them to pray for you. Join Inner Child + Beyond Group here. Remember, "You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!" [Philippians 4:13] —Steve Join a FINALLY FREE! GROUP here. 🎙Listen to the Podcast: Catholics Fight Porn here. Sign up for a Daily 'Boost' TEXT for Motivation here. Book a 20-minute Intro Discovery Call here. Book a 1:1 Session w/Steve here. Read past Newsletters at the BLOG. Donate to CFP to support this work here.
|
CFP
We help men overcome lustful behavior. Subscribe to my newsletter.
The addict brain loves edging. It gets the hit without “technically” acting out. Edging is living on the edge of lust without crossing the line you’ve drawn. A lingering look. A scroll through “harmless” photos. Pictures that are "not porn." A fantasy replayed in your head. You tell yourself it doesn’t count because you didn’t go all the way. Your brain doesn’t care. It still gets the rush. “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire, when it has...
“If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers.” [Psalm 55:12-14] That is why it cuts so deep. A stranger can’t hurt your wife like the man she trusted. Think about verse 14. This is someone who shared sweet fellowship, who walked into church beside her, who prayed next to her,...
You’ve done the hard work of staying sober. You’ve read the books, gone to the meetings, and kept grinding through the urges. And still, the same reactions keep showing up: the anger that comes out of nowhere, the shutting down, the need to escape when things get tense. That’s usually not a sobriety problem. It’s an old-wound problem. And it can be healed. There’s a second hard piece too, and it’s the one many men skip: empathy. Real empathy isn’t saying “I’m sorry” and moving on. It’s the...