Live it Out

Blessed Theresa ("Mother" Theresa) of Calcutta said, "Purity is the fruit of prayer." So, pray before you get out of bed in the morning and before you close your eyes at night. Be intentional about your prayer. Don't just rush through prayer in the morning, but plan to wake a little earlier so that you have enough time to start your day with God. Do the same thing at night, talking and listening to Him. Do more than just offer a prayer as you fall asleep. Before you count sheep, have a talk with the Good Shepherd.

Virtue Challenge: Your relationship with God comes first in your life

Reject the counterfeits of lust and fleeting pleasure and build your relationships on the truth you have discovered. Remember these wise words of John Paul II: "Deep within yourself, listen to your conscience which calls you to be pure. ... A home is not warmed by the fire of pleasure which burns quickly like a pile of withered grass. Passing encounters are only a caricature of love; they injure hearts and mock God's plan." Don't allow yourself to be pressured into lowering your standards. Don't cheapen yourself by using others or permitting yourself to be used. Practice purity and reap the rewards of authentic love.

Hopefully, you have people in your life who live out their call to holiness in a bold way. Seek them out and spend time with them. In addition, spend time with the heroes in heaven, such as the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph - models of both marriage and celibacy, as well as humility and love. While you're at it, ask St. John Paul II to pray for you, too. It was his "yes" to God that allowed the Spirit to prompt and instruct him in the concepts that would become the Theology of the Body.

Virtue Challenge: Genuinely excited for another, not jealous or vain

Make a habit of daily prayer for celibates for the Kingdom, whether they live in your city or across the globe. Take the time to ask your parish priest, other priests of your acquaintance, religious sisters or brothers about their own prayer requests. Remember the power of intercessory prayer. And, as you pray for those who are already living a celibate vocation, pray also for all those teens who are studying the Theology of the Body curriculum. Pray that they - and you - would be open to answering the call to celibacy if God calls you.

Virtue Challenge: Maintains balance and order in life

Be faithful to every promise you make, large and small, in all of your relationships - even with people you would rather ignore. Practice may not make you perfect, but it will make you prepared for a life of fidelity to one person, should God call you to marriage.

Frequently reviewing the "Benefits of Pure Living" handout from our final class will also help train your feelings to help you grow in love and faithfulness.

Virtue Challenge: Honest and humble

Reach out in selfless service, beginning with your family; imitate Jesus' love by giving of yourself. Don't give until you feel better: give until it hurts. After all, you are trying to imitate the free, total, faithful, and fruitful love of Christ, which was not fulfilled in the comfort of a hammock. The height of love was demonstrated on the cross. Ask the Lord to give you a generous heart so you can make a gift of yourself to others.

Virtue Challenge: Lives a life of charity and service

The language of your body must correspond to the language of your mouth. If gossip is a habit of yours, ask a friend to help you to stop. Reflect on the wisdom of Scripture: "For one who hates gossip, evil is lessened. Never repeat a conversation, and you will lose nothing at all. With friend or foe do not report it, and unless it would be a sin for you, do not disclose it" (Sir 19:6-8). The language of your mouth and body will flow from the language of your heart. Pray for the grace not to judge the hearts of others.

Virtue Challenge: Doesn’t gossip. Is gentle and respectful.

The more truth you know, the more you can share it with others and help them find freedom. Actually, the more you know, the more God can share through you. Let the curriculum we have studied this year be the beginning of a new area of faith learning. Get some CDs or books on the Theology of the Body and make the subject your own. Take time to learn about what marriage is so that you can explain it to others when they ask questions. Read the Bible for a few minutes each day. Got questions? The Catechism of the Catholic Church has answers. Open your mind and soul up to a whole new world of truth that will set you free.

God turns his loving gaze on you and sees within you the kernel of the best version of yourself - the saint that he is calling you to be. He loves you more than you can imagine, no matter what you've done in the past. If it's pride, sexual sin, selfishness, addiction, self-hatred, or any other sin that binds you, admit it and let the Lord remove this burden from you in Reconciliation. You are beautiful in his sight. Remember the words of Pope John Paul II: "We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son." Jesus offers you hope, healing, and a new life of redemption. Say "yes" to his love!

You are created for love and communion. The members of your family may or may not exemplify these words, but they are still your family.

If your initial reaction to this suggestion is one of hesitation, ask yourself: Am I going to be part of the problem or part of the solution? Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati once said, "I cannot build one family on the ruins of another." If you can learn how to love your family, you will be training yourself to love anybody.

If, on the other hand, you think this is too easy, then ask yourself: What specific thing can I do to live the truth of my love for my family? Is there one person that is more difficult for you? That might be a hint as to where you should focus.