Pastors, Priests, Ministers and Pastoral Caregivers can all face burnout. It is human nature to burnout if over worked, or bombarded with other needs.  It is important to also care for oneself and ensure enough sleep, rest and spiritual retreat is given.  It is also important to identify signs of burnout and how to properly deal with it.  God’s grace can go a long way but our human bodies need an occasional spiritual and physical retreat.

The article, “Pastoral Burnout and Spiritual Direction” by Kelly Edmiston looks at how pastors can identify burnout and deal with it.  She states,

“I spent years ministering out of an empty tank. As a car can only coast on fumes for so long, I was puttering out. And this puttering took years. In this season of “puttering”, I embraced a “fake it until you make it” philosophy in the name of being “faithful” to the calling on my life. But the truth was, it no longer felt like a calling. It felt like a burden. I know now that I was suffering from pastoral burnout.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Pastors need time to heal.  They also need their own spiritual advisors to help guide them through it.

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Whenever evil, plague, war, death and disaster befall society, various reactions emerge spiritually within the community; From the secular atheist, a cynical mocking of the all good God; From the doubting faithful, a existential dilemma of faith and reason; From the faithful, a twofold reaction, one of faith supplied with reason and prayer, and the other, fueled with a faith devoid of reason and careless actions.

The primary and first question deals with evil and a good God.  The cynical atheist will mock the faithful for believing in a God that allows disaster and plague to befall creation.   The atheist will offer a false two fold conclusion that either God is not all good to permit evil, or not all powerful to prevent it.   What is being ignored is the fundamental fact that humanity through its own choice lives in a fallen world.  Free will chooses evil, not God.   The price of being autonomous is evil.  It is something that God in his all omniscient mind found well worth the price of evil.   The price for His sentient life forms to choose good or evil.

This choice of free will plays a key role why evil exists.   God did not create evil nor does He will it, nor does he not have the ability to control it.  God permits it for a greater cause, humanity’s autonomy and overall eternal life outside the temporal world.   While this does not address the day to day hardships of disaster and plague, it does illuminate a path beyond this valley of tears.

In Christianity, God does not abandon His creation.  Instead, God Himself, takes upon human nature, binding to His Divinity the the Person-hood of Jesus Christ.  Jesus accepts the cold of the temporal world and opens Himself to the pains of disaster and plague.  Jesus allows Himself to be the sacrifice for all sin and bears its ugly face, but before that, He also endured the pains of this world and the suffering of loss, grief, death and tragedy.

Christianity presents an excellent answer to the problem of evil.  It presents a God, who does not watch from a distant throne, but one who enters into the human condition and suffers with His creation as an act of free will and love.

While this question will not answer the disbelief of an atheist it at least answers the supposed riddle of a good God and evil.  God is clearly good and His reason for permitting evil is clearly understood.

The doubting faithful represent the second response to spirituality and disaster and plague.  The doubting faithful question why God permits them to suffer.  Some may understand the theological response listed above, while others may not, but the doubting faithful, begin to doubt God Himself, His existence, and even their own faith.  When plague or disaster strikes humanity, they wonder if God is there or if even God can hear their prayers.

They doubt the value of prayer.  They begin to doubt if God can perform a miracle and save others from disaster.   They question their prayer’s worth.  Why pray if God will not act?  The doubting faithful see prayer as a contract not a covenant.  If prayer is not answered, then either God is not there or their prayer is insufficient.  This leads to a poor understanding of suffering and grief in Christian spirituality.

Prayer when offered as petition definitely has a request but when the end of that request becomes the only driving spiritual force then the prayer is open to only one’s will and not God’s will.   One should pray with the fervent attitude of deliverance, but if that physical deliverance does not come, one should not doubt God’s presence or one’s lack of  one’s own spirituality.  Instead, prayer while seeking one’s desired end, should also seek God’s end. It may seek conclusion but must be open to a conclusion that is not what one desires.  Prayer must seek God’s presence to help carry one through grief, disaster and plague, whether cure or deliverance is given or not.

If a prayer is not answered according to one’s will, it does not mean God cannot perform miracles, or that God does not care, but it means that God has a different path and will than one’s own.  One must instead believe that God knows best despite the suffering.  One must instead, imitate Christ, who accepted the Father’s will even if it meant His own death.  One may rejoice in the miracles that can occur, but if they do not, one must rejoice silently in God’s plan, no matter how painful or confusing it may be.

Ultimately, the spiritually doubtful, must re-evaluate their own spiritual life and the true essence of prayer, if they wish to understand why God answers and not answers some prayers.

Finally, in disaster and plague, one can see the two responses from the faithful whose faith is not suppressed but strengthened in times of chaos.   The first response is one of prayer and reason.  The second, is a prayer and faith devoid of reason and careless action.

The first response is the response of the church faithful.  It understands the theology of good and evil, one’s role in it and the role God plays in answering prayer.  The faithful pray in covenant with God, knowing that God will always be present physically and spiritually in their lives.  The faithful believe miracles can happen but are also prepared to suffer and offer suffering through Christ to God the Father.  They are willing to prayer but are also equally willing to carry their cross.

The second response though is devoid of reason.  It challenges reason and in many ways tests God.   Like those who handle serpents as a testimony of faith, these individuals will disregard precautions in time of plague in the name of faith.  They will congregate together in Jesus name despite a contagious virus and will question the faith of others for believing bad things can happen.   While the bible and church history is full of stories of God preserving individuals from illness or disaster, there are also equally many stories of disaster.

While it is possible that during reception of communion that Christ would preserve a person from a contagious virus, it is also possible that the virus still could infect.  This is based on multiple issues regarding the person’s spiritual state but also the will of God.  It is unadvised to tempt God unless God Himself has appeared to oneself.  To boldly take dangerous actions within the spiritual community is not only unsafe and illogical but also not Christ centered.

In some cases, one has seen saints survive disease in care of others, while in other cases, history has witnessed saints who have died for those they cared for.   Hence, acts of faith against logic and reason cannot be presumed to be immune to natural consequences.   Yes, God can miraculously prevent the transmission of a virus during Communion, but it does not necessarily happen.  This is why in times of plague, the Church while optimistic, always errors on the side of caution.  Services, masses and gatherings are closed during times of plague because the Church does not wish to tempt God.  This is not a lack of faith.  If God so chose to command faith, He would, but if He does not, following reason and safety in no way invalidates faith.

Instead, God expects obedience.  Obedience to ecclesiastical and civil authority over one’s own ideas.

Hence, prayer and reason is the proper response to any disaster or plague.  It is measured with faith and believes in miracles but it is also measured with reason and obedient to authority in time of crisis and disaster.  Prayer in times of crisis is not a useless endeavor but carries great merit and can produce great things, but ultimately is tied to the will of God and not one’s own will.  It is a prayer of covenant and not contract that seeks to imitate Christ.

Bad things can happen to the most devout, even in one’s most deepest prayer, so one should not take heart that one’s prayer was not answered. Instead, one should understand that like Christ, miracles can occur, but when they do not,  one must be ready to suffer like one’s Master.   Christ suffered, He grieved and He offered His will to the Father.  Christians and followers of Christ are asked to accept no less.  The world denounced Christ and Christians can expect no less than their Master.

During disaster and plague, pray, pray and pray more.  Expect great things but also expect suffering if it is God’s will, but know no matter the outcome, Christ will be with the suffering in this fallen world.

If you would like to learn more about Christian Counseling Training, then please review the certification program offered through AIHCP.  The program is online and independent study and offers a four year certification for qualified professionals.

The redemption by Christ is referred to in Theology as Soteriology.  Jesus’ death on the cross was the ultimate and perfect sacrifice which gave humanity a second change and a rebirth.  It opened the founts of heaven once again.  The blood of Christ energized the channels of grace to humanity. It reconnected the life of humanity with the Creator.

The historical incident, where the perfect man represented humanity as its high Priest, as a perfect sacrifice, being God as well, allowed humanity to repay the infinite debt of the sin of Adam.  Where Adam said no, Christ said yes.  Jesus hence offered reparation for our sins and brought humanity salvation.

The article, “5 Ways the Death of Jesus Saves You” by Lesli White looks at how the death of Jesus plays a pivotal role in our salvation.  She states,

“To be saved, or born again is to accept the plan of salvation that Jesus offers us. In order to understand salvation, it’s imperative that we understand the death and resurrection of Christ which points to our salvation. The son of God was made human, and during His earthly life, he lived a perfect life, and died not because He wanted to but because we needed salvation”

To read the entire article, please click here

Hence the sacrifice of Christ was a necessity.  A sacrifice was needed.  One that was perfect and offered atonement for the infinite debt of sin.  Only a person could represent the offending party, but only a God could cover the infinite price.  The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity becoming man, or as scripture says, the Word became Flesh was the moment in history when God and man became unified in one person.  Two natures that existed in perfect harmony.

Through the Incarnation, humanity was open to redemption.  It is through Christ, and his mother Mary’s yes, that Adam and Eve’s curse was removed from the human race.  Through the fonts of Baptism which are fueled through the Blood of Christ, original sin would be removed from the world one person at a time.  Through one’s faith realized through Baptism, all are born again in Christ and put on Christ.

If you would like to learn more about theology or would like to learn how to become a Christian Counselor, then please review our Christian Counseling Training program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.

Materialistic society is always seeking for more or the very best and always concerned who has more or who has less.   This type of behavior is contrary to the Gospel and Christian values.

In the parable of the workers and their wage, Christ referred to a generous employer who paid a number of employees for a fair day’s work.  The project not nearing completion by mid-day required more work, so he hired additional workers to finish the job.   Upon payment, the initial workers harbored resentment to the employer for paying the fellow employees who worked only half the day the same wage.

This parable points to how people naturally are always looking at what others receive instead of being thankful for what they have or possess.  The natural inclination to want more or be envious of others possessions is a fruit of the society of materialism.

Materialism seeks to enhance one’s life without gratitude or spiritual enhancement and instead makes objects man’s final end.   This can only lead to disaster in a fallen world, where objects are far from infinite and can be stolen or taken away at any moment.

This false philosophy of materialism that seeks the object as the end itself fails to quest man’s search for complete happiness because it places man’s hope in false idols that cannot satisfy man’s deeper needs.   It also induces a misery upon those who prescribe to it.  Always looking what another person possesses or seeking more and more is quite a compulsive waste of energy that can only lead one down a path of unhappiness.

Christ, in his parable, rebuked the workers who complained to their employer about his kindness and generosity to others.  He reminded the disciples that people must be content with what they possess and be thankful for it to God.

Materialism eliminates any chance to be content or thankful in this life.  Its empty promises of possession never can fill the needs that drive man, but only diverts man from his true purpose and end with God.  When one seeks false ends of illusion, one will never find true happiness but only find despair and misery

If you would like to learn more about Christian Counseling training or would like to become a certified Christian Counselor, then please review our program and see if it matches your academic or professional needs.

Log onto Facebook at any given time and the odds are you’ll see at least one baby picture. What might surprise Christians however, is how these pictures are helping to fight abortion.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.crosswalk.com

Education is the key in this fight against genocide.  When mothers or fathers discover the fetus is a baby but in the womb, it becomes harder to kill.  Dehumanizing people is the best way to ease a conscience to kill–this is what the abortionist movement has done.  This article shows how FB gives us the ability to share life and show images of these unborn babies.

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Christian Counseling Training: The Virtue of Purity and the Teenage Years

“Blessed are the Pure of Heart for they shall see God” proclaims Christ.   This statement speaks volumes about the importance of the virtue of purity and its role in our spiritual salvation.   It is not a footnote or minor point for Christians to disregard as insignificant to our spiritual salvation but an essential part of our spiritual life.   Society would like to diminish the importance of this virtue as outdated to the times or unnecessary as long as one is kind to others, but the necessity of this virtue is unquestioned.   At Fatima, Our Lady told the children that many souls go to Hell due to the sins of the flesh.

This is not to scare you, or drive fear into your heart for the sins of the flesh are many and diverse.   We need to approach them carefully and understand their particular role in a teen’s life.  In some cases, a priest may not even classify a particular objectively sinful action as deadly to the soul due to subjective issue within the agent.   Hormones, confusion, ignorance and curiosity can occur during the initial teen or High school years of both girls and boys.   What would be considered as objectively sinful can have greatly reduced culpability in many teens.   This is why it is critical for loving and caring parental guidance during the puberty years; a hand that approaches delicate matters with instruction but also leniency.

I understand with the current issues within the Church, the awkward nature of confession regarding sins of the flesh for both the priest and the minor. These issues should be approached with delicacy.   This is why it is pertinent for young teens to find a trusted spiritual adviser who will not lead them astray, but give them concrete guidance regarding the sins of the flesh and the protection of purity.

With these things said, I would like to illuminate the beauty of purity through the story of St. Philomena but also approach a few delicate issues that teens may be facing regarding their own virginity or purity and how St Philomena can be a protectress to their purity.

Who Was St Philomena?

St Philomena was a teen herself!   She was a young girl who at an early age decided to offer her virginity and purity to Christ.  This was a difficult decision in the days of the early Christians.  Like our society today, purity was seen as something unnecessary.  Roman and Greek culture was saturated with sexual vices.   The threat to purity was everywhere.    From the theatre to the bathhouse, Rome and Greece was filled with not just natural sins of the flesh but an abundance of unnatural and heinous sinful actions.

Surrounded by this storm, the delicate flower of Philomena flourished.  She was an example of purity to her community and family.   She was a rare specimen for her age, must like many of us today who stand against the secular media and its glorification of lustful actions.

Do you feel it is difficult to remain pure in our society of today?   Does the constant barrage of sexual images online, on television, and in your community break down your spiritual immune system?   With raging hormones and a natural attraction to the opposite sex, these images can be confusing.   Attraction is not the sin here.  It is natural to find an image of a woman to be attractive for a boy, or an image of a man to be attractive to a girl.   This is not a sin.  However, to indulge oneself into this image or engage in like behavior as seen on television is a sin.   This is far from easy and to think it was easy for Philomena simply because she was a saint is a huge oversight.

Philomena was a young woman.  She was changing and experiencing the same desires and feelings all young people eventually experience.  She had to learn to curb these new feelings and control her emotions.  She was not free from sin or temptation and had to rely on the graces of God to protect her virtue of purity.   Undoubtedly, many nights she prayed for grace to overcome temptation.

The sins of the flesh are powerful because they correlate with our body’s natural instincts; instincts that God gave us!   These instincts are not evil in themselves but are part of who we are.   It is the devil, the great deceiver, who wishes to confuse and mislead us regarding these instincts.   He attempted to confuse Philomena, as he has attempted to confuse me or you.

Since the sins of the flesh are so powerful because they connect to our human nature, we have to learn to control them.  This of course is easier said than done!   The sin of Adam has severed our control of our passions.  Our intellect many times struggles to maintain a healthy control over our sexual urges.   This is why it is essential, we pray for purity from the Holy Spirit and beg for guidance from Mary, or St Philomena.

These urges and desires are good and healthy but if misused can be used to the delight of the evil one who wishes to mar and destroy anything good created by God.   Hence control of these emotions and desires is a critical part of the virtue of purity.   Discipline, sacrifice and control are essential atoms within the virtue of purity.

While Philomena’s virtue of purity was an initial gift to her, we cannot assume its growth and enhancement came without her consent and discipline.   Purity must be safeguarded because of its correlation with our sexual appetites.   Once we give in to an illicit thought or action, we potentially open the flood gates and weaken our spiritual immune system.

Those who find themselves captive to the sins of impurity have a difficult time escaping its grasp.  Good Christians who seek to escape it must go through intense temptations beyond anything initially experienced.  The taste of sex is strong and addictive and the devil knows how to play us against our own senses and instincts.

Many souls who pursue purity but have tasted the sexual sins fall victim not to isolated failures but repetitive falls.  Since the sins of impurity are so tied to our senses, they quickly translate from an isolated incident to a habit.   These habits are extremely hard to break and the person enslaved to these vices requires much spiritual guidance and patience.   There is no doubt, our loving Lord is patient with those who yearn to escape the sins of the flesh, but how many do not even seek to escape these sins?  How many exist in indifference or acceptance to these disordered actions?

As one erodes one’s good and certain conscience, the sins of the flesh become stronger and the voice of one’s conscience weakens to a quiet whisper.   The battle to resist becomes less and the desire becomes more.   Soon, to silence the conscience once and for all, some souls may even adopt heretical ideals that applaud sensual deviations and find no error in them.

St. Philomena never allowed the initial floodgates to open.   She hopes you do not either.   She will intercede to Christ for the perseverance of your purity.  She will also aid you if you have fallen and are in need of regaining control of your sexual appetite.

Are you willing to ask for help to preserve this wonderful gift of purity?   St Philomena went to an early death to preserve her purity and God asks much less from you.  God simply asks to try and pray for assistance when temptation arises.    Some temptations may be stronger, sometimes you may feel alone, but God is strengthening you with the individual abilities to cope and overcome impure adversity.

Philomena’s struggles led to a horrible martyr’s death at the hands of the Roman Emperor himself.  Philomena’s beauty was unparalleled and many men desired her.  Upon a trip from Greece to Rome, the Emperor had spoken to her father, a statesman, regarding the beauty of his daughter.  He requested that her father hand her over to him.  The father, not a Christian, was over joyed to have such imperial favor and immediately agreed, but Philomena who had given herself to Christ would not partake in the impure and sensuous desires of the Emperor.

She refused any of the Emperor’s impure advances.  The Emperor was enraged that his sexual desires were not fulfilled and had her beaten and imprisoned.   Yet Philomena remained in her cell.  Through the grace of God, the virtue of purity was strong within her delicate soul, that not even the sexual advances of an Emperor could sway her conviction.   Not even the numerous promises of wealth and luxury promised by the Emperor could persuade her to abandon her God.

It is easy to think these temptations did not stir in her soul, but what would you think if a powerful individual with wealth and riches wished to give you the world?  Not only wealth, but every pleasure affordable?  Yet, due to some characteristic which separates the saints from the mundane, heroic virtue manifested itself; a virtue so extreme and heroic that it reflected the goodness of God and his grace that filled Philomena.

The Emperor’s impure obsession with Philomena grew and with his obsession also grew his hate.  Lucifer through the Emperor sought to destroy the virtue of purity within Philomena and continued his assault on her.   The Emperor pushed to extremes continued to have Philomena beaten, only to discover the next day that her bruises had vanished.   Our Lord, according to tradition, had sent the angels to administer to his daughter.

Pushed by insanity, the Emperor had Philomena ordered to be executed, yet on two separate occasions, Philomena’s martyrdom was delayed by miraculous events.   God chose to use the purity of Philomena as an example to many and He sought to show the world the goodness of Philomena.   On the first occasion, arrows were shot at Philomena, but to the disbelief and astonishment of many, they reversed flow and struck the very archers who fired them.   The second occasion, Philomena was cast into the Tiber river with an anchor tied around her waist, but yet again to the astonishment of the guards, she was lifted from the river by angels.  Many souls converted to Christianity that day.

Incensed more than ever, the Emperor demanded that Philomena be beheaded.   It was on that day, that Philomena was finally given reprieve from her torments and as a pure heart, allowed to see the splendor of her Spiritual Groom.

What are you willing to do to preserve your purity and virginity?  God may not ask us to die a martyr’s death but He does ask us to live a pure life.  St Philomena lived a pure life and is an excellent example to follow.   We can emulate St Philomena by chasing away impure thoughts, remaining close to our Lady and always focusing on Christ.  We can also wear the red chord of Philomena.  This red chord ties around one’s waist and reminds one of the necessity of purity.

St Philomena, pray for us

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Mark Moran, MA