These Are The Primary Scriptures That Inspired Me To Become a Prayer Warrior
Luke 7: 1-10
When he had come to the end of all he wanted the people to hear, he went into Capernaum. 2 A centurion there had a servant, a favorite of his, who was sick and near death. 3 Having heard about Jesus he sent some Jewish elders to him to ask him to come and heal his servant.4 When they came to Jesus they pleaded earnestly with him saying, ‘He deserves this of you, 5 because he is well disposed towards our people; he built us our synagogue himself.’ 6 So Jesus went with them, and was not very far from the house when the centurion sent word to him by some friends to say to him, ‘Sir, do not put yourself to any trouble because I am not worthy to have you under my roof; 7 and that is why I did not presume to come to you myself; let my boy be cured by your giving the word. 8 For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man, “Go,” and he goes; to another, “Come here,” and he comes; to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’ 9 When Jesus heard these words he was astonished at him and, turning round, said to the crowd following him, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found faith as great as this.’ 10 And when the messengers got back to the house they found the servant in perfect health.
Luke 6: 27-4527 ‘But I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. 29 To anyone who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek as well; to anyone who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from someone who takes it. 31 Treat others as you would like people to treat you. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit can you expect? For even sinners do that much. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to get money back, what credit can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. 35 Instead, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 ‘Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. 37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap; because the standard you use will be the standard used for you.’ 39 He also told them a parable, ‘Can one blind person guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit? 40 Disciple is not superior to teacher; but fully trained disciple will be like teacher. 41 Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the great log in your own? 42 How can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me take out that splinter in your eye,” when you cannot see the great log in your own? Hypocrite! Take the log out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take out the splinter in your brother’s eyes. 43 ‘There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. 44 Every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles. 45 Good people draw what is good from the store of goodness in their hearts; bad people draw what is bad from the store of badness. For the words of the mouth flow out of what fills the heart.
Your spiritual journey may be as convoluted as mine.
You are on your own unique path created by God to help you fulfill the mission He has specifically designed for you.
All the ups and down, pain and pleasures and failures and triumphs are an integral part of the sanctification process. Often, you learn more from your mistakes and sins that when everything is going great.
In the most recent Why Catholic program, our group decided to say the rosary at the end. Our hosts bought just about every pamphlet available about the rosary so we could all be on the same page. A few days before , God had put it on my heart the desire to start praying the four mysteries of the rosary daily. When I read the 15 promises of the Blessed Virgin, I was thrilled, ecstatic and overjoyed.
God is so good. If I had started saying four rosaries after reading the promises, it would have seemed self-serving.
One of my greatest joys after reading the promises was the realization both my mom and dad made it to Heaven. They were diligent Prayer Warriors who said the rosary daily.
“Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.” Mom and dad both received Extreme Unction at least 3 times each during their final days. Also, they were gave their confessions and consumed the Holy Eucharist before they died.
I still cherish both their rosaries and pray with them daily. I feel their spiritual presence every time I pray those precious beads. I remember with gratitude the blessed hands, souls and spirits that prayed for 30 years for God to bring me home, back to the Catholic Church.
Even after going to Catholic elementary and high school I was tempted by the cares of the world to escape my faith. With hormones raging, my total focus was on sex, getting laid as soon as possible. Most of my other friends were no longer virgins. I was anxious to prove my sexual prowess also.
I made the mistake of going to the University of California at La Jolla where you were required to take multiple courses lumped into the category called “Humanities.” These courses were thinly veiled attempts to brainwash vulnerable students into becoming young socialists and communists that rebelled against parents, religion and capitalism.
We were told often, “The pig must die. Capitalism must be destroyed. The new world order must be created. Kill your parents because they are capitalistic pigs.”
Rock and Roll and mind-expanding drugs were the catalysts to my transition into the supposedly brave new world of total individual autonomy. Like Adam and Eve I chose to become a god in my own universe. There were no laws or right or wrong. Total hedonism was encouraged, no matter how deviant or bizarre.
God says, “Sin is enjoyable for a season.”
The teachers said the reason I was unhappy, depressed and insecure was because I was not indulging in the total fulfillment of my senses, especially sex with multiple partners.Wow! That sounded really appealing. I wanted some of that.
The big problem was finding willing female partners who had bought into the same line of BS.
Unfortunately, being your typical black, horn-rimmed glasses wearing, nerd with a big nose, gigantic ears and zero social skills, immediate sexual gratification with the opposite sex was a long distant fantasy. Gorgeous girls with pretty faces, awesome bodies were scarfed up by the handsome upper-class guys with money, style and hot cars. Nerds with horn-rimmed glasses, pen pocket protectors and prominent slide rules were radioactive, not to be approached under any circumstances.
For many of us, the Flower Power Generation was a farce. There was very little free love, mostly sexual self-gratification heighten by pot and LSD.
With the advent of Playboy, Penthouse and Hustler Magazines, there was no dearth of graphic pornography needed to fuel wild, self-gratifying masturbatory fantasies. The marijuana and psychedelics transformed a life that sucked into a reality where lies and fantasies flourished.
In this corrupted world view, total self-love was revered as the ultimate statement of personal freedom. Religious laws and principles were considered out-dated and repressive…preventing you from experiencing life to the fullest. It was the creation of the “ME GENERATION.”
After ten years of sex, drugs and rock and roll, God had mercy on my soul. I experienced the true meaning of the scripture, “There is a way that seems right unto man but the ends there are the ways of death.”
I realized there was no true happiness or fulfillment through drugs, sex and rock and roll. The temporary satisfaction in the pleasures of the flesh morphed into a deep dark, deadly hole were suicidal depression was my only friend. No amount of drugs could plug the hole in my heart only a true relationship with God could fill.
Before I committing suicide, something I had been contemplating for months in my drugged-out state, as I fell asleep one night, I spontaneously started saying the Our Father and Hail Mary. I believe this was a result of my mom and dad, grandparents and aunts and uncles praying rosaries for me for many years.
By God’s grace I was able to accept the free gift of eternal life and became a “born again Christian.” Unfortunately, I did not remember the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Too many drugs had erased the spiritual truths taught in elementary and high school. Lost was the beauty and wisdom of the oral tradition, the Magisterium, (“teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church“) and the wisdom of spiritual Doctors of the Western Church, Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, Saint Jerome, and Pope Gregory and Eastern Church, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Athanasius of Alexandria.
A personal relationship with Jesus, “the Bible alone” and the indwelling of Holy Spirit did transform my life. But there was something missing.
Even though the Holy Scriptures came alive through diligent bible study and prayers, I missed the spiritual quickening created by the consumption of the real Body and Blood Of Jesus Christ through transubstantiation. Ordinary bread and wine did not have same powerful spiritual impact.
Still, I loved God’s word and began to revile my Catholic upbringing. I even told my mom and dad they were going to hell because they were followers of the “Whore of Babylon.”
Thankfully, the Blessed Trinity had mercy on me.
God allowed me to grow in grace and faith. My unique spiritual path progressed from being a “born again Christian” to a reformed “Calvinist”. When my small, independent church imploded over the leadership’s disagreement about the importance of love and the law, I tried a conservative Protestant church.
After many hours of prayer and beseeching God, revealed the goal of my spiritual exodus…the Catholic Church.
After 30 years I finally returned home to the Catholic Church, just like the prodigal son. It required 2 years of intense scriptural analysis of the Church’s teachings. I hungrily studied the oral traditions, the Matisterium and the writings of the Doctors of the Church to discover the truth of God’s entire word contained in the scriptural proofs and historical teachings of the Church.
What a relief that for over 2000 years, the descendants of Peter and the apostles through apostolic tradition had studied and answered conclusively all the misconceptions I had come to believe while outside the Catholic Church. Returning back to the safe, secure womb of the Catholic Church was the greatest joy of my life.
It allowed me the privilege and joy of worshiping in unity with my mom and dad during the most difficult time of my life. I took care of them 24-7 for many years after they suffered catastrophic illnesses within three months of each other. The power of the Holy Eucharist allowed my to provide loving care for the final years of their lives.
Now, I understand the rosary is the most powerful personal weapon we can employ to win the spiritual battles swirling around us in the War for Souls . Once we are clothed in the Full Armor of God, praying all four mysteries daily gives us the strength and courage to be true Catholic Prayer Warriors who petition God endlessly for the salvation of those souls who would be lost with out the fervent prayers of the faithful .
As you begin your pathway to becoming a strong Prayer Warrior, start off with saying one Our Father and Hail Mary morning and night. Then as your faith grows and you receive more grace pray a different mystery every day. Gradually you will get to the point where you are praying the full gospel of Jesus’s life, remembered through the decades of the four mysteries.
It is an awesome experience to pray daily. You will quickly begin to experience the transformational power of the Holy Spirit in your life and those you come in contact with.
When you add daily communion with the rosaries, you become a Temple of the Holy Spirit and the Trinity. The presence of God within you transforms the lives of your loved ones in your life in miraculous ways.