Homily to the Catholic Community at the US Navy Base, NSA Naples
On the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
By: Rev. Deacon Ronnie P. Floyd
On Friday the Church Celebrated the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. St. Paul, a man who persecuted the Church Who participated in the murder of St. Steven, and who was on his way to Damasacus to have Christians thrown in jail. On the very day that he meets Jesus on the way… and that moment encounter changes his life.
As we read in Friday’s Gospel, the mission of the Apostles: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature,” becomes Paul’s vocation, despite who he was, just days earlier.
Today, we hear a similar message in the Gospel, this time to Peter and Andrew. Jesus says to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” As Christians we are all called to go out and fish To be a fisher of men,
The Apostles knew a little bit about fishing, as did Jesus,
So this image that Jesus suggests—is not simply a metaphor but a profound analogy of the reality of the Christian life and witness.
Think about where fish live, deep below the surface of the water, far from the light and warmth of the sun. Fish live deep below the water: because they feel secure in the dark, because they are afraid of what exists above the water, because they think they need the water to survive. And the fish are right, they may take a peak above water but if they leave the water they will die. Without Christ, we are the same way. We might occasionally glance at the light, like a fish jumping momentarily above the water but we quickly retreat into the darkness of the world, afraid to enter this new world fully Afraid to die…
I am the Light of the World, says the Lord. The Light and the sun, are of course symbols of warmth, life, goodness ultimately they are symbols of God, and of Jesus Christ.
As Christians, we have been pulled from the waters. If you remember my homily from a few weeks ago: at our baptism we went down into the waters and died with Christ, so that we could be pulled from the waters, a new creation, born to new life—children of the Light
Our response therefore must be to try to save as many:
who remain in the darkness of the world.
Who remain in the land of death and destruction.
We who have receive the gift of God’s Light and allowed it to enlighten our minds and hearts are asked by our God to share that light and joy with those around us.
This doesn’t mean going door to door, bible in hand. No—the early Christians didn’t knock on doors or pound people over the head with the Gospel rather, they made a point of living it. By doing this they made the example of their very life. The bait that others would cautiously approach. And be so attracted too, that they would sample it and once they had nibbled on the bait, they would swallow it whole, hook, line, and sinker
Just as a fish can’t imaging life above water, in the Light, so people, in the darkness of this world, can’t imagine the joy of the Christian life. They can’t stomach the whole thing yet and so we offer them what they can understand: the sweetness of our happiness, peace, and contentment as bait, to catch them, and to draw them, through the painful process of death to self, into the new life—offered by Christ, at his death!
Jesus tells us: He who would save his life, must loose it. Fish pulled from the water, die! BUT SO DID CHRIST! He died in order that he might rise to new life. As Christians we are all called to be fishers of men, but we can’t do this until we embrace the death to self, which we began when we were pulled from the waters of baptism, until our lives become sweet bait for those around us.
-----------
Though we all are called to be fishers of men, today, Jesus calls Peter and Andrew, Paul, and the other Apostles, in a special way.
The vocation to be an Apostle—to be a priest is not a rank, that allows you to wear vestments sit in the place of honor, and preside at the liturgy. It is a vocation that gives you a new identity. An identity that is intimately tied to the identity of Jesus. The priest is called to be the Fisherman par excellence. Like the crusty captain of a charter fishing boat, he is called to steer the ship of the church to good waters, where the fish are plentiful, and to teach and help the other fisherman: to bait their rods with the best bait available; to be disciplined and attentive to the lines; to be aware of and to help each other —to fish well—and so bring in a big catch.
The priest is called to be a Minister of Joy, in the words of Pope Benedict.
Joy, that’s our bait! and that is the Priestly vocation.
And it’s the best bait we could ask for: because everybody wants it!
It doesn’t matter who we were yesterday, if you yourself were a fish, living in darkness: a murder like St. Paul or a coward and liar like St. Peter in the water and blood that flows from Jesus on the Cross
TODAY… Jesus wants to fill our hearts with Joy and Peace and to make us fishermen, after his own heart.
Let’s recommit ourselves today to becoming good fishermen and to praying for and supporting young men, as they consider how God is calling them to fish. Because the world needs more fishermen, more joyful Catholics and more joyful priests
If we had them, can you imagine how many fish we would have in our boat, the Church? The nets would be bursting!
GO OUT AND FISH…
What Recompense can I give to the Lord?
Ordination to the Diaconate
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Call to conversion
Given to the Sisters of the Domus S. Maria del Guadalupe
On the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul
By: Rev. Deacon Ronnie P. Floyd
A professor of mine at Mt. St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg
tells the story of the conversion of Scott Hahn.
After many years of honestly searching for a greater understanding of the Truth as a protestant minister
Scott Hahn discovered the Catholic faith,
and with it the Mass;
and as he recounts in his book the Supper of the Lamb
being an honest intellectual,
and what’s more an authentic human being,
Hahn knew he had to respond to the truth
that he had found in the Catholic Faith.
But being a conservative protestant
And what’s more a protestant minister
This was easier said than done.
Hahn had many relationships and friendships
tied to his identity as a protestant and his role as a pastor
that would change overnight, if he became a Catholic
a Papist, not the least of which was his marriage.
But he knew what he had to do
and so he began to seek instruction,
and he spoke to his wife Kimberly about his discernment.
Kimberly, being a good protestant woman
did what any protestant woman would do in that situation.
She went to speak to a minister,
in this case not her husband but a family friend.
This Pastor told Kimberly that her husbands actions
Provided the moral grounds for a DIVORCE,
And he encouraged this course of action!!
In the end, Kimberly’s love for her husband
Kept her by his side, and eventually ushered her into the Church and with her many others, including the neighboring pastor who is now a professor of Biblical Theology at the Mount and who humbly told me this story.
Hahn’s conversion, like St. Paul’s was not a real conversion. Paul didn’t leave one faith and join another
Rather, it was a fulfillment, a culmination of what was already believed.
Paul, like Hahn, was a lover of the True God, the God of Truth and Love— and both were zealous for the Lord. And so their conversion, was rather an arriving at, and discovery of, a fuller truth.
Each one of us, as Catholic’s have a duty to be zealous for the Lord, in this way.
To passionately long for the Truth; so much so, that we are willing to humbly admit we are wrong, and to radically change our lives—when we are knocked off our horse by the Truth;
I am a Catholic,… as a priest you hear this used a defense of bad behavior so often.
I am a Catholic... so what? Paul was a Jew, a member of the chosen people. Salvation is not found in wearing a name, but in living in the Holy Name.
To Jew and gentile alike, Jesus says, repent and believe in the Gospel. A message which he repeats to us each day!
In Acts we read that Paul went to persecute not Christians, but the followers of the way. This early name of the Christian faith reminds us that our Catholic faith is never a rest stop a place where we come to find refreshment, rather it is a highway to truth, that requires constant forward motion constant effort, to follow the Way, which is Christ
We are pilgrims on this earth, ever seeking to become more like our Savior and God.
When we do this, we encourage others to do it, and by the grace of the bonds of friendship and love, which unite us with others,
We help lead others to the Truth, who might not be able to find it on their own. Or should I say who might not be able to find Him.
Today on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul lets demand greater authenticity, which is to say greater holiness, from ourselves, ingoring the cost of this authenticity, as we approach the symbol of true Love, the Cross of Jesus Christ
and the life changing Sacrament of the Altar.
Today we celebrate the Feast of Paul’s Conversion, but as Catholics, each and every day of our life SHOULD be the feast of OUR conversion.
On the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul
By: Rev. Deacon Ronnie P. Floyd
A professor of mine at Mt. St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg
tells the story of the conversion of Scott Hahn.
After many years of honestly searching for a greater understanding of the Truth as a protestant minister
Scott Hahn discovered the Catholic faith,
and with it the Mass;
and as he recounts in his book the Supper of the Lamb
being an honest intellectual,
and what’s more an authentic human being,
Hahn knew he had to respond to the truth
that he had found in the Catholic Faith.
But being a conservative protestant
And what’s more a protestant minister
This was easier said than done.
Hahn had many relationships and friendships
tied to his identity as a protestant and his role as a pastor
that would change overnight, if he became a Catholic
a Papist, not the least of which was his marriage.
But he knew what he had to do
and so he began to seek instruction,
and he spoke to his wife Kimberly about his discernment.
Kimberly, being a good protestant woman
did what any protestant woman would do in that situation.
She went to speak to a minister,
in this case not her husband but a family friend.
This Pastor told Kimberly that her husbands actions
Provided the moral grounds for a DIVORCE,
And he encouraged this course of action!!
In the end, Kimberly’s love for her husband
Kept her by his side, and eventually ushered her into the Church and with her many others, including the neighboring pastor who is now a professor of Biblical Theology at the Mount and who humbly told me this story.
Hahn’s conversion, like St. Paul’s was not a real conversion. Paul didn’t leave one faith and join another
Rather, it was a fulfillment, a culmination of what was already believed.
Paul, like Hahn, was a lover of the True God, the God of Truth and Love— and both were zealous for the Lord. And so their conversion, was rather an arriving at, and discovery of, a fuller truth.
Each one of us, as Catholic’s have a duty to be zealous for the Lord, in this way.
To passionately long for the Truth; so much so, that we are willing to humbly admit we are wrong, and to radically change our lives—when we are knocked off our horse by the Truth;
I am a Catholic,… as a priest you hear this used a defense of bad behavior so often.
I am a Catholic... so what? Paul was a Jew, a member of the chosen people. Salvation is not found in wearing a name, but in living in the Holy Name.
To Jew and gentile alike, Jesus says, repent and believe in the Gospel. A message which he repeats to us each day!
In Acts we read that Paul went to persecute not Christians, but the followers of the way. This early name of the Christian faith reminds us that our Catholic faith is never a rest stop a place where we come to find refreshment, rather it is a highway to truth, that requires constant forward motion constant effort, to follow the Way, which is Christ
We are pilgrims on this earth, ever seeking to become more like our Savior and God.
When we do this, we encourage others to do it, and by the grace of the bonds of friendship and love, which unite us with others,
We help lead others to the Truth, who might not be able to find it on their own. Or should I say who might not be able to find Him.
Today on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul lets demand greater authenticity, which is to say greater holiness, from ourselves, ingoring the cost of this authenticity, as we approach the symbol of true Love, the Cross of Jesus Christ
and the life changing Sacrament of the Altar.
Today we celebrate the Feast of Paul’s Conversion, but as Catholics, each and every day of our life SHOULD be the feast of OUR conversion.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Request for Prayers and Evaluation
Thank you all for your prayers and emails of support. I had my evaluation this morning and it seemed to go very well. I will not recieve the official approval for another month, but I think things are looking pretty. Good!
God Bless.
God Bless.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Christmas Homilies
As promised here are my texts of the Christmas Homilies I gave over the break. They are my notes, and not necessarily the way the homily ended up being delievered so just remember that they could be significantly worse or better than what the people heard!!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Homily to the Benedictine Convent in Rome
1st Monday in Ordinary Time
Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat?
Why do you grieve? Am I not more to you than ten sons?
Hannah, a pre-figuration of our Blessed Mother
Weeps because she is childless.
She prays to God for a child
Offering sacrifices and supplication
So that she should be fruitful, and not barren
and promising her Child,
who she is sure God will give her
to his service.
My sisters, we too should weep to God for Children
We who are called and who have accepted
the great gift of celibacy
are called to be Mothers and Fathers
to many spiritual sons and daughters.
By our prayers, example, kind words,
and heartfelt love and support
God desires to regenerate the world
And to bring the whole world
to new life in the waters of Baptism
We cannot forget our vocation to spiritual parenthood
Which is so central to religious and priestly identity.
Like you, I a deacon and a student,
live a hidden life here at the seminary
not assigned full-time to any parish
not able to have the interaction with the laity
that I might like or desire.
This has been one of the most difficult aspects
of coming to Rome, for me.
However, I find great comfort
in the example of St. Theresa of Liseaux
who though sequestered from the world
is the Patroness of the Missions.
Even in our relative isolation,
within the wall of the seminary
We must never forget that God hears the cries
of those who call to Him in weakness.
and we must never stop pleading for children
For spiritual sons and daughters
Who like Ss. Peter and Andrew
Will encounter Jesus in some chance moment in their life
And because of the grace won for them by our prayers
Will allow that chance encounter to become
the moment of rebirth into a new life with Christ.
In this life you may never know how many times over
You are a mother
to so many sons and daughters of the Church.
But take faith that God hears
your cries for spiritual fruitfulness
and smiles on them.
By sending the church many sons and daughters
Consecrated to his service—and called to set the world on fire
By their example of holiness.
For the Holy Catholic Church, that she may never cease praying for the gift of new children…
For Pope Benedict that he may be a faithful father and guide to the Church on earth after the model of our Heavenly Father…
That religious and priests everywhere never forget to be good spiritual parents, following first and foremost the model set by St. Theresa of Liseaux…
For a greater response among people to the universal call to holiness, and especially to vocations to spiritual parenthood as a religious or priest…
For the men of the North American College, that they may be strengthened by the prayers of the faithful for their vocations, and for all who are away from seminary or pastoral year or on a leave of absence, that our prayers and the guidance of the Holy Spirit may help to confirm them in their vocation …
Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat?
Why do you grieve? Am I not more to you than ten sons?
Hannah, a pre-figuration of our Blessed Mother
Weeps because she is childless.
She prays to God for a child
Offering sacrifices and supplication
So that she should be fruitful, and not barren
and promising her Child,
who she is sure God will give her
to his service.
My sisters, we too should weep to God for Children
We who are called and who have accepted
the great gift of celibacy
are called to be Mothers and Fathers
to many spiritual sons and daughters.
By our prayers, example, kind words,
and heartfelt love and support
God desires to regenerate the world
And to bring the whole world
to new life in the waters of Baptism
We cannot forget our vocation to spiritual parenthood
Which is so central to religious and priestly identity.
Like you, I a deacon and a student,
live a hidden life here at the seminary
not assigned full-time to any parish
not able to have the interaction with the laity
that I might like or desire.
This has been one of the most difficult aspects
of coming to Rome, for me.
However, I find great comfort
in the example of St. Theresa of Liseaux
who though sequestered from the world
is the Patroness of the Missions.
Even in our relative isolation,
within the wall of the seminary
We must never forget that God hears the cries
of those who call to Him in weakness.
and we must never stop pleading for children
For spiritual sons and daughters
Who like Ss. Peter and Andrew
Will encounter Jesus in some chance moment in their life
And because of the grace won for them by our prayers
Will allow that chance encounter to become
the moment of rebirth into a new life with Christ.
In this life you may never know how many times over
You are a mother
to so many sons and daughters of the Church.
But take faith that God hears
your cries for spiritual fruitfulness
and smiles on them.
By sending the church many sons and daughters
Consecrated to his service—and called to set the world on fire
By their example of holiness.
For the Holy Catholic Church, that she may never cease praying for the gift of new children…
For Pope Benedict that he may be a faithful father and guide to the Church on earth after the model of our Heavenly Father…
That religious and priests everywhere never forget to be good spiritual parents, following first and foremost the model set by St. Theresa of Liseaux…
For a greater response among people to the universal call to holiness, and especially to vocations to spiritual parenthood as a religious or priest…
For the men of the North American College, that they may be strengthened by the prayers of the faithful for their vocations, and for all who are away from seminary or pastoral year or on a leave of absence, that our prayers and the guidance of the Holy Spirit may help to confirm them in their vocation …
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Baptism of the Lord Homily given at NSA Naples Navy Base
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
By: Rev. Deacon Ronnie P. Floyd
Throughout the history of warfare, great military leaders have used two different styles to lead their troops
Some lead from the front, and some from the rear.
Napoleon for instance would set up his headquarters on a high point, like a hilltop or nearby cliff, overlooking the battlefield.
• surrounded by a dozen or so messengers.
• when the battle started, his role was to issue orders by sending messengers to the captains of different units.
His genius was in seeing the overview, and identifying exactly the right time to execute each step of his battle plan. And he inspired awe and respect in his troops because he led them well, even though from a distance, above the sweat and bullets of the battle.
Alexander the Great on the other hand would set up his headquarters right in the middle of the camp.
• The night before a battle he would gather his officers in his tent, and together they would make their battle plan - paying special attention to timing and placement of the cavalry charge.
• Then when the time came to fight, Alexander would mount his horse and actually lead the charge - right in the forefront of his troops, risking his own life along with his soldiers'.
• Alexander inspired not only awe and respect among his followers, but also love.
• His troops knew he was their leader, but they felt that he was also their brother.
(Above example taken from www.epriest.com)
Christ wants to inspire this type of love in our hearts. That's why he became man,
pitching his dwelling among us, taking his place with sinners by his baptism.
Today we celebrate the Lord’s Baptism and along with it our own Baptism.
Most all of us here, especially those born Catholic were Baptized as little Children. And though most of us have seen Baptisms I think today is a good opportunity to think about what exactly Baptism is.
So what is it? Central to Baptism is the natural symbol of water. Baptism is not uniquely Christian, as we read in the Gospel John was Baptizing even before Jesus began his ministry and even some pagan cults baptized.
They baptized because in water people saw a great symbol of metamorphisis and change.
In Baptism we are plunged into water. a symbol of Life and Death:
Life because we need water to live. And death because even today, water, when it comes too slow or too fast, is deadly. Water falling from the sky or flowing in the worlds great rivers and oceans has always been one of the most powerful forces on earth. And I am sure I don’t have to tell sailors how turbulent once peaceful waters can get.
And so since the beginning of time water has always had a eeligious significance to man as a symbol of the ebb and flow of life.
Water is a symbol of the Battle that we call life a battle between good and evil, and between life and death, and so today Jesus enters into the fray, he enters into the waters of Baptism to show us that our God is not just the man with the answers quarterbacking from a heavenly armchair but rather he is Emmanuel, God with us.
He wants to fight right beside us, every step of the way. He leads from his throne in heaven above, inspiring awe and respect. But he also leads from beside us, by his Cross and through his Church,
You see, Baptism is a central symbol of our faith and the key to understanding the whole of Scripture:
In Baptism, Jesus enters the arc with Noah and humanity to ride out the turbulence and destruction of the storms of life with us and to remind us that the destructive power of the waters, also bears the promise of a new beginning, a new life in a world cleansed from evil.
In Baptism, Jesus passes with us through the waters of the Red Sea, with us, leading us from slavery into freedom, and destroying our enemy the devil and all his allies.
In Baptism Jesus travels and dwells with and in us as we wander through the deserts of life, all the while providing us with bread and water.
In Baptism, Jesus unites us all to His Cross, washing us clean in the water that poured from His side and feeding us with His Body and His Blood.
Through his Eucharist, our God is with us In our midst, leading us, as our General, but also as our Brother, our Friend, inspiring love.
Today we end the season of Christmas. But we can’t forget its central mystery
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, we prayered in Advent, and he came! And by his Baptism and Cross he remains with us always Emmanuel, God with us. Through all life’s struggles.
Our Baptism, is our enlistment into the Army of our King a king who loves us and treats us like brothers a king who is in the trenches with us.
Just as the great military leaders who led from the front inspired not only obedience but love so too must we, who bear the name Christian, be not only obedient to His commands, but faithful to Him in Love.
Our Baptism requires a response. It requires discipline and self-sacrifice and trust.
First and foremost we must trust our God. We must trust that He wants only the best for us! This trust can only be learned by getting to know Him by prayer, study, and the witness of others.
When we trust our God, it becomes possible to follow his commands freely and even to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good, out of love for our God and for our neighbor.
Final, Just as the symbol of water reminds us, life is turbulent, life is a battle.
Just as in a battle things can be confusing and communication can be difficult
So in life things can be unclear, this is where discipline comes in.
We need to discipline ourselves to keep the lines of communication open, even in the heat of battle, amidst all the distractions of life so that we receive the right intelligence and the right commands for the right circumstances.
To do this we need to keep our eyes on our Kings Standard, on the Cross because in the cross we are reminded of the fact that our God is with us, where ever we go.
Ultimately, in Baptism we are promised victory. In Hoc Signo Vincit—in this sign, the sign of the Cross we already have won the battle, even before it begins.
By: Rev. Deacon Ronnie P. Floyd
Throughout the history of warfare, great military leaders have used two different styles to lead their troops
Some lead from the front, and some from the rear.
Napoleon for instance would set up his headquarters on a high point, like a hilltop or nearby cliff, overlooking the battlefield.
• surrounded by a dozen or so messengers.
• when the battle started, his role was to issue orders by sending messengers to the captains of different units.
His genius was in seeing the overview, and identifying exactly the right time to execute each step of his battle plan. And he inspired awe and respect in his troops because he led them well, even though from a distance, above the sweat and bullets of the battle.
Alexander the Great on the other hand would set up his headquarters right in the middle of the camp.
• The night before a battle he would gather his officers in his tent, and together they would make their battle plan - paying special attention to timing and placement of the cavalry charge.
• Then when the time came to fight, Alexander would mount his horse and actually lead the charge - right in the forefront of his troops, risking his own life along with his soldiers'.
• Alexander inspired not only awe and respect among his followers, but also love.
• His troops knew he was their leader, but they felt that he was also their brother.
(Above example taken from www.epriest.com)
Christ wants to inspire this type of love in our hearts. That's why he became man,
pitching his dwelling among us, taking his place with sinners by his baptism.
Today we celebrate the Lord’s Baptism and along with it our own Baptism.
Most all of us here, especially those born Catholic were Baptized as little Children. And though most of us have seen Baptisms I think today is a good opportunity to think about what exactly Baptism is.
So what is it? Central to Baptism is the natural symbol of water. Baptism is not uniquely Christian, as we read in the Gospel John was Baptizing even before Jesus began his ministry and even some pagan cults baptized.
They baptized because in water people saw a great symbol of metamorphisis and change.
In Baptism we are plunged into water. a symbol of Life and Death:
Life because we need water to live. And death because even today, water, when it comes too slow or too fast, is deadly. Water falling from the sky or flowing in the worlds great rivers and oceans has always been one of the most powerful forces on earth. And I am sure I don’t have to tell sailors how turbulent once peaceful waters can get.
And so since the beginning of time water has always had a eeligious significance to man as a symbol of the ebb and flow of life.
Water is a symbol of the Battle that we call life a battle between good and evil, and between life and death, and so today Jesus enters into the fray, he enters into the waters of Baptism to show us that our God is not just the man with the answers quarterbacking from a heavenly armchair but rather he is Emmanuel, God with us.
He wants to fight right beside us, every step of the way. He leads from his throne in heaven above, inspiring awe and respect. But he also leads from beside us, by his Cross and through his Church,
You see, Baptism is a central symbol of our faith and the key to understanding the whole of Scripture:
In Baptism, Jesus enters the arc with Noah and humanity to ride out the turbulence and destruction of the storms of life with us and to remind us that the destructive power of the waters, also bears the promise of a new beginning, a new life in a world cleansed from evil.
In Baptism, Jesus passes with us through the waters of the Red Sea, with us, leading us from slavery into freedom, and destroying our enemy the devil and all his allies.
In Baptism Jesus travels and dwells with and in us as we wander through the deserts of life, all the while providing us with bread and water.
In Baptism, Jesus unites us all to His Cross, washing us clean in the water that poured from His side and feeding us with His Body and His Blood.
Through his Eucharist, our God is with us In our midst, leading us, as our General, but also as our Brother, our Friend, inspiring love.
Today we end the season of Christmas. But we can’t forget its central mystery
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, we prayered in Advent, and he came! And by his Baptism and Cross he remains with us always Emmanuel, God with us. Through all life’s struggles.
Our Baptism, is our enlistment into the Army of our King a king who loves us and treats us like brothers a king who is in the trenches with us.
Just as the great military leaders who led from the front inspired not only obedience but love so too must we, who bear the name Christian, be not only obedient to His commands, but faithful to Him in Love.
Our Baptism requires a response. It requires discipline and self-sacrifice and trust.
First and foremost we must trust our God. We must trust that He wants only the best for us! This trust can only be learned by getting to know Him by prayer, study, and the witness of others.
When we trust our God, it becomes possible to follow his commands freely and even to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good, out of love for our God and for our neighbor.
Final, Just as the symbol of water reminds us, life is turbulent, life is a battle.
Just as in a battle things can be confusing and communication can be difficult
So in life things can be unclear, this is where discipline comes in.
We need to discipline ourselves to keep the lines of communication open, even in the heat of battle, amidst all the distractions of life so that we receive the right intelligence and the right commands for the right circumstances.
To do this we need to keep our eyes on our Kings Standard, on the Cross because in the cross we are reminded of the fact that our God is with us, where ever we go.
Ultimately, in Baptism we are promised victory. In Hoc Signo Vincit—in this sign, the sign of the Cross we already have won the battle, even before it begins.
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