The Means to Renew the Face of the Earth

The Lord said, I have come to light a fire on the earth and how I wish it were blazing. How can priests light the world with the fire of the Holy Spirit and so be instruments in renewing the face of the earth? St. Anthony Claret has this to say:

"The prophet asked the Lord: Emitte Spiritum tuum, et creabuntur, et renovabis faciem terrae. Lord, send your spirit upon your priests, and they, filled with this Holy Spirit, will hasten everywhere, like the apostles, and the face of the earth will be changed completely. For the moral earth does the same thing that the physical earth does: if it is well cultivated it yields abundant fruits, but if it is not cultivated it yield nothing but weeds and thorns. Thus people, if they are well cultivated, produce choice fruits of virtue, but if they are abandoned to themselves, they produce nothing but errors and vices. Hence we must work to form good clergy, who are the laborers in the Lord's fields, and we must ask the good Lord of the harvest to send good laborers to his inheritance.

The means assigned to change the face of the earth promptly and easily are the following:

The 1st means is to form good, virtuous, and well-educated priests, and we have no doubt that this will be achieved if we put into practice the means indicated in the present little work.

The 2nd means are missions, which should be repeated every three years in parishes great and small, lasting for a varying number of days, according to the needs of the people.

The 3rd means is that on all Sundays and Feast days of the year, the pastors should preach or read some talk, and teach Christian doctrine and the way to make mental and vocal prayer.

The 4th means is instructing girls and boys in catechism, morals, and religion. Radical reform must begin with the children.

The 5th means is not to allow boys and girls to receive the Eucharist without making a First Communion, preceded by a preparatory retreat, and followed by enrollment in a confraternity, so that they may continue receiving the sacraments monthly or every 2 or 3 months.

The 6th means is to revive those confraternities that are already established in parishes but have fallen off, and have them fulfill their statutes exactly, beginning with a few good and more fervent souls.

The 7th means is to keep Sundays and Feast days holy, not only because God commands it, but also that they may be devoted to spiritual gatherings, frequenting the sacraments and pious reading, so that everyone may keep God's law and pray.

The 8th means is to strive to spread good books.

The 9th means is to practice the 14 works of charity or mercy.

The 10th means is to exhort those who can do so to attend Mass daily, to say a 3rd part of the Rosary, to direct all they do to the greater glory of God, to suffer all afflictions with patience, to walk always in the presence of God, and to receive the holy Sacraments frequently.

St. Anthony Claret, The Well-Instructed Seminarian, Vol 11, Chap. III, 5.

The Program for a truly Priestly Life

Emerging from our yearly retreat, I am concerned about how to keep the priestly spirituality. St. Anthony Mary Claret has this program for priests which is worth our consideration:

"If you would not extinguish or sadden the spirit and grace you have received in ordination (for by the grace of God you are what you are), if you would not have received the grace of God in vain, and if, finally, you would like to be a good and faithful servant, then you must distribute your time well in a plan of life which you must keep most faithfully. You may use the one which we are going to trace out for you here, or else use some other that may seem better for you.

1. Every year. You will make a spiritual retreat.

2. Every three months. On the Ember Days, you will call to mind your ordination...

3. Every month. You will have a day of recollection, during which you will read your resolutions.

4. Every week. You will receive the Sacrament of Penance.

5. Every day. You will set the hour for rising, after 6 or 7 hours of sleep, and you will be punctual in rising at that time, without allowing yourself to be misled by Satan into committing an act of sloth.

6. You will offer God all the works of the day.

7. You will have an hour, or at least half an hour, of mental prayer.

8. You will celebrate Holy Mass with devotion, preparing yourself in advance and giving thanks afterwards.

9. You will station yourself in the confessional, even when there may be no one waiting to confess; for if they do not come one day, they will come another, seeing that you give them the opportunity.

10. You will recite the lesser Hours with pauses and with devotion.

11, You will occupy yourself by studying the Holy Bible, the Fathers of the Church, moral and ascetical theology, and you will make a special point of reading Rodriguez.

12. You will dine not only with temperance, but also with mortification, saying the blessing before and grace after meals.

13. After dining and resting a while, you will recite Vespers and Compline.

14. Afterwards, you will commit yourself to studying matters proper to your holy ministry.

15. In the afternoon,you will visit the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle, and you will likewise visit Mary most holy at one of her images.

16. You will visit the sick in their homes or in some hospital or charitable establishment.

17. At night you will recite Matins and Lauds attentively and devoutly before some blessed image.

18. You will recite one part of the Holy Rosary with great fervor.

19. You will have light supper or collation, and this will be very good for both body and soul.

20. You will make two examens: a particular examen on some virtue at noon and night, and a general examen which will include everything that occurred during that day.

21. Finally, you will preview the meditation you are to make on the morrow, and then retire. Once you are in bed, you will think of the time for rising next day, and of the meditation you are going to make.

22. Always. You will wear clerical dress.

23. You will walk in the presence of God and make frequent prayers of aspiration. Especially, whenever the clock strikes, you will consider what Jesus suffered at that hour of His Passion, and you will make a spiritual communion.

24. You will love God with all your heart, and in proof of his love you will keep the precepts of God's holy law and the evangelical counsels.

25. You will keep the sacred vestments and vessels very clean and tidy, and the Church in good array, and and see to it that silence and recollection is kept in it.

26. You will strive with possible zeal for the salvation of souls. You will lead the way with good example, practicing the virtues of humility, chastity, meekness, patience, charity and obedience, without grumbling about the dispositions God has made through your prelate.

27. You will be solicitous and tireless in preaching, catechizing, hearing confessions and administering the other Sacraments.

28. In all your works, think on the Last Things. Thus, consider that life is passing by and death is drawing nigh. Hence, never be idle, but always usefully be employed in prayer, study, the obligations of your holy ministry and, if you have time and place for it, in some manual labor.

29. You will arrange your devotions according to the days of the week, so that you may make them with greater fervor.

Sundays will be in honor of the Blessed Trinity.

Mondays, of your guardian angel.

Tuesday, of your Patron Saint.

Wednesdays, on behalf of the poor.

Thursdays, in honor of the Blessed Sacrament.

Fridays, in memory of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, and in prayer for the souls in Purgatory. And you will fast.

Saturdays, in honor of Mary. And you will mortify yourself in some day.

St. Anthony Claret, The Well-Instructed Seminarian vol. II, Chapter III, 5.