A forty-day battle

We all know the desert is a lonely and forsaken place. And the devil chooses the wilderness to come against us, just as he chose to confront Jesus. Things you thought were destroyed come back to attack again. The battle intensifies, often at night when defenses are down and weariness sets in. Yet the wilderness is also the place of spiritual discovery. During Lent we are in the midst of a forty-day battle.

The devil is never to be underestimated, nor given an inch. We need to fight all the more when his attacks come. No matter how tired,immediately counterattack with the Name and power of Jesus Christ, who spent forty days in the wilderness and emerged triumphant. Take no prisoners. The devil plays for keeps. We should, too. Our souls are depending upon it.

Last evenving we hosted over twenty-five high school young men interested in exploring the Marianist way of life. Operation Fiat was held at the Chaminade-Mineola Marianist Community. Evening Prayer began the night followed by dinner and dessert in the Comunity dining room. Brother Kenneth gave a presentation that described the development of his vocation. From the early days of St. Joseph grammar school he mapped out the signs of a religious vocation. "A vocation is all about relationship." And he responded with a "Yes!" 

Pray that the grace of a religious vocation may continue to grow in the hearts and minds of those young men last evening.