Sophia Institute Press: Everyday Meditations

There have been many converts to the Catholic faith through the centuries. Some of them have made bigger splashes than others, and their ripples can still be seen in the great Catholic pond. Scott Hahn, for example, is one of the big reasons I and so many others are Catholic today. Works of other notable converts are more truly appreciated after someone has converted. I refer, today, specifically to Blessed John Henry Newman. Blessed John Henry Newman converted in 1845, was ordained a Catholic priest in 1846, and became a Cardinal in 1879. This was truly a meteoric, yet deserved, rise through the Catholic Church for a former Anglican. Today, I would like to recommend you a work of his to read entitled Everyday Meditations.

Everyday Meditations is a collection of fifty meditations that range in length from two to four pages each. Topics include God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary, Sin, the Eucharist, etc. The book is arranged in such a way that similar topics are grouped together and thus you can build on your understanding of each topic by reading and reflecting on the same topic for several sessions in a row. However, you do not have to read this book in order. If you wanted to meditate on Good Friday, you could read the meditation "The Power of the Cross." If you want to express your love for God, but don't have the words, then try, "An Act of Love."

I generally try to pick a section in the book that I view as my favorite part. With this book, however, that is an impossible task, as each meditation will speak to different people in different ways. The message that I obtain from a meditation might not be the same message you obtain. In fact, the message that you obtain on your first reading of a particular meditation might be different on your next reflection of it. That is the beauty of works such as these. They lend themselves to being read and re-read. I will share with you a quote from one meditation that spoke to me though. With this brief quote, I hope to show you how simple, yet profound each meditation is. From "The Passion of Our Lord," Cardinal John Henry Newman writes:

"O tormented heart, it was love and sorrow and fear that broke you. It was the sight of human sin, it was the sense of it, the feeling of it laid on you; it was zeal for the glory of God, horror at seeing sin so near you, a sickening, stifling, feeling at its pollution, the deep shame and disgust and abhorrence and revolt it inspired, keen pity for the souls whom it has drawn headlong into hell – all these feelings together you allowed to rush upon you. You submitted yourself to their powers, and  they were your death. That strong heart; that all-noble, all generous, all-tender, all-pure heart was slain by sin."

With only fifty meditations in this 5-star book, one could use this book in a number of ways. The easiest way would be to start from the beginning and read one per day. You would certainly gain a lot of wisdom and appreciation for all aspects of your faith. I, however, would like to suggest a better way to use this book. Find a chapel that has Eucharistic Adoration, and spend thirty minutes to one hour per week there. Bring this book with you every time, and read one meditation per week. In front of our Lord, reflect on that meditation, and make the meditation your focus through the week, especially when life tries to weigh you down. If you make it the whole year, you will finish the book with a few weeks to spare, and you would also be spiritually richer for it.

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Sophia Institute Press: The Sign of the Cross

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." These words roll off every Catholic's tongue so frequently that we often forget the significance of what we are saying. Sometimes we make the Sign of the Cross at Mass so haphazardly that we look like a coach on the first base line at a Major League Baseball game. Worst of all, sometimes we don't even make the Sign of the Cross because we are afraid we will bring unwanted attention and judgment upon ourselves. All of these are bad, and I am ashamed to admit that I have been guilty of each transgression at various points in my life. It is time we reconnect with this most ancient of prayers and discover the power behind these fifteen words.

St. Francis de Sales' little treatise entitled The Sign of the Cross begins by explaining how to make the sign of the Cross. It may seem like a no-brainer at first, but I'd bet that very few Catholics know why we make the Sign of the Cross the way we do. To summarize St. Francis de Sales, we use our right hand, because it is "the more worthy of the two." With our right hand, we use either three fingers to represent the Trinity or five fingers to represent Jesus' five wounds. We begin the prayer by placing our right hand on our forehead to acknowledge that God the Father is the one from whom all things originate. Next, we move our hand down to our stomach as a sign that Jesus proceeded from the Father. Lastly, we cross ourselves from left shoulder to right shoulder to show that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son and that He is the bond of love between Father and Son. Let that information sink in, and reflect on it going forward each time you make the Sign of the Cross.

The rest of this book deals with the origins, history, uses, and benefits of the Sign of the Cross. For example, did you know that in early times the Sign of the Cross was made on the forehead? It eventually evolved to its present form, but early Christians put the Sign on their forehead both as a profession of faith and an invocation of God's assistance in every aspect of their lives. The most fascinating chapter to me was entitled "A Defense against Demons." In this chapter, St. Francis de Sales quotes various Church Fathers, from St. Athanasius to St. John Chrysostom, all of whom speak about the power of the Sign of the Cross over Satan and his minions. It is truly a simple but powerful weapon that so many fail to realize they possess. So, in the words of Origen, "Let us rejoice, my beloved friends, and lift holy hands to heaven in the form of the Cross; when the demons see us armed in this way they will be crushed."

If you are looking for a simple way to deepen your prayer life, then pick up a copy of The Sign of the Cross. You will gain a wealth of spiritual benefits from reading this book, but you must not stop there. You must then act upon what you have read. Slow down when crossing yourself. Think about each word as you say it. Also, start using the Sign of the Cross in every aspect of your life! You don't have to just use it at the beginning and ending of formal prayer. You can use it when starting and ending a task at work. By doing this, you will make your entire day a prayer to God. These fifteen words can transform your life, if you only let them.

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