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December 14, 2004
A Plan for Life: Excerpt from Scripture and Catholic Tradition
Just wanted to point everyone in the direction of Scripture and Catholic Tradition - a blog by Dr. Philip Blosser. He recently posted correspondence between himself and a lapsed Catholic. His approach and thought in the letters is excellent. Here’s an excerpt:
There is so much falsehood about Opus Dei floating around these days, particularly as a result of that marvellously engaging but satanically misleading book by Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code. But one thing I will always treasure from my involvement with Opus Dei is the Plan of Life they provide [see one description here]. We would never undertake a mundane venture-- such as a trip or the building of a house-- without a plan. But most of us rush headlong through life without any sort of plan for our lives. Our ultimate purpose in life is one thing and one thing only: to get ourselves to heaven. Yet what sort of plan have we for getting there. Instead, we drift ... and then wonder why we are unhappy, confused, and distant from the shore.Every day we should engage in at least 15 minutes of spiritually edifying reading, by which I don't mean anything New Agey or some secularized version of Christianity like Thomas More might provide. I mean reading that strengthens one's understanding of Church teaching, that builds one's desire to lead a disciplined life, that shows how to do this, and so forth. Most of Opus Dei literature is focused on the virtues, because without the cultivation of basic virtues, such as humility, we can't begin to expect to appropriate some of the most important kinds of knowledge. Scheler understood this principle, at least, when he pointed out how love (far from being "blind") actually opens our eyes to values in those we love (to which others who don't love them remain blind)!
Second--to continue to pick out several more items from the plan--in addition to 15 minutes of spiritual reading daily, we should pray daily at regular times. We should pray upon waking, at noon, and before retiring at night. And some of these should be set prayers, such as the Angelus, which it recommends at noon, or at 3:00pm, or the Rosary.
Third, we should meditate at least 15 minutes a day, by which I don't mean the mind-emptying form of meditation found in Zen Buddhism and other Eastern forms of mysticism, but rather a focusing of the mind upon Christ, an imaginative picturing of Him in some of the scenes the Gospels opens up for us, as well as upon aspects of our own relatedness to Him and to the saints. St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, used to hesitate briefly before passing through every door, because he would mentally allow his own guardian angel to pass through the door ahead of him-- not a bad excercise to remind us of the unseen reality all about us.
Fourth, we should make an examination of conscience every evening before retiring, in which we take inventory of how well we have stuck to the Plan of Life for that day, as well as any sins of commission or omission we have been guilty of that day. This way we will find that we have something concrete to confess by the end of the week, whether it's mortal or merely venial.
Fifth, we should assist at (go to) Mass whenever at all possible throughout the week as well as on the weekends.
Sixth, we should seek to sanctify ourselves and our work and all we do by practicing the presence of Christ throughout every moment of every day. Having a crucifix with you may facilitate this end.
Seventh, we should seek to sanctify others through our work. As they say:
Sow a thought, reap an act;
Sow an act, reap a habit;
Sow a habit, reap a character;
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
Those are excellent suggestions for all of us – and the rest of the letters are as good. It takes a few minutes to read the entire post, but I highly recommend it – especially if you have friends or family members that have gotten away from the Church.
By the way, Scripture and Catholic Tradition is an excellent blog, particularly for those who engage in apologetic activities. Dr. Blosser really knows his stuff. I recommend reading it regularly.
God bless,
Jay
Posted by HolyFamily at December 14, 2004 3:20 PM
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Comments
Wow! You weren't kidding. That is a great blog and a great bunch of letters, although I only had a chance to scan over them for a few minutes. I definitely will be heading back over to read them in depth. Thanks!
Posted by: Julie d. at December 15, 2004 4:03 PM
