"There are three traps of Satan, that steel joy and peace: one, regretting about the past, two, fear for the future, three, ingratitude for the present. "St. Anthony of the Desert

What are the remedies against these traps? Instead of regretting about the past, we need to ask God for the grace to learn from the mistakes of the past. Instead of fearing for the future, we need to entrust our future to God, whose plans are for our good. Instead of being ungrateful for the present, embrace the grace of the present moment with gratitude. God  lives neither in the past nor the future, only in the present. The past is gone, the future is not yet, the present is the only now we have. It is where we will find God.

 "Don't think about the good you have done, but about the good you are still failing to do." Blessed Edward Poppe

We all fall short of what God desires of us. We sometimes are comforted by reflecting on the good things we have accomplished over this short time of life. These deeds go before us. But there are so many more that we  are not doing that we could do. We cannot do everything. But are we doing what God is calling us to do? There is always the more. But what is the more that God is asking of us can only be discerned through prayer and openness to God. Each of us is different and each of us has a different calling. I am not called to do what someone is called to do. I am called by God to do what he wants me to do and to do it in love.

“If you know how quickly people would forget you after you died, you wouldn’t try to please anyone but God” St. John Chrysostom

This is a sobering but true thought. We spend so much time pleasing others with very little lasting results. On the other hand, how much time do we spend pleasing t.he Lord, who is more deserving because of all he has done for us? If people forget us after we die, that is normal. But we definitely do not want God to say, “I do not know you,” or not to remember us. The attitude of Peter before the religious leaders of Israel needs to be ours. “Whom should we obey? God or you.” His answer was spoken without hesitation. “We will obey God.” Doing the will of God and pleasing the Lord should be our goal in life before anything else

"A talkative, over-curious, and restless person is like an oven which is open and exposed on all sides, and which keeps no heat; you will never enjoy the sweetness of a quiet prayer unless you shut your mind to all worldly desires and temporal affairs.” St. Bruno

It is so hard to quieten our minds at times, especially when we come before the Lord in prayer. And yet without an attentive presence, our prayer will be mere words. It may help to spend the first part of our time before the Lord uniting ourselves with the angels and saints praising, glorifying and thanking God for his many blessings. If the distractions persist, then briefly talk to the Lord about these thoughts and concerns. Then try to focus on him in silence, contemplating his gracious love. Whether or not we hear anything is not important. We are there for him.

 "The Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life's different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship, but to keep her on her course."  St. Boniface

This is the role of the Holy Spirit. When the Church is attacked externally by distorted teachings or internally by human sin, the wind of the Spirit keeps the Bark of Peter steady and firm. As the Spirit of Truth, the Advocate enables the Church to discern the true doctrine from erroneous speculations. This has been part of the history of the Church over the centuries. As the Spirit of holiness, the Spirit raises up reformers within the community of believers to recall the Bride of Christ to its original mission of witness as the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church. As Jesus said: the gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church. This is our faith

Let it be understood that those who are not found living as He taught are not Christian- even though they profess with the lips the teaching of Christ. St Justin

A true Christian is one who lives consciously as Jesus taught. A true Christian is one, who in fact is in union with God in thought, word and deed. On the other hand, a pseudo Christian is one, who externally goes through the motions, but internally is far from the Lord. Just as Jesus had many disciples following him at different times, not all were committed. A true Christian is both in name and life-style. It is the difference between the wheat and the weed. Both may look the same externally, but are radically different. Jesus will honor real Christians in the end. The rest, who are in name only, he will not know.

Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, nevertheless they give up their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it, and then it's gone. But to surrender what you are, and live without belief - that's more terrible than dying - more terrible than dying young. St Joan of arc

What are you willing to give your life for? Power, prestige, wealth, pleasure, honor, etc? To this Jesus said: “What does it profit one to gain the whole world, but lose one’s soul?” What is the treasure of great price that Jesus spoke of? Faith in Jesus Christ that leads to everlasting life. Nothing else can measure up to this. Everything else is rubbish, here today and gone tomorrow. But a life lived in faith in Jesus will allow us to break through the darkness of death into the light and life of eternal glory.