F. Stika ‘ Watch and pray’

Satan despises the practice of making a daily examination of conscience, for it serves to punish him

“Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”

— James 4:7-8

Knowing one’s weaknesses . During the deadliest war in American history—the Civil War—smuggling along the dividing lines of the North and South grew into a large criminal enterprise offering many lucrative opportunities to profit off of the war.

One day, a riverboat captain was approached by a man and offered a large sum of Confederate money if he would transport a large load of contraband. When the captain quickly but politely refused, a larger amount was offered, but this time it was in Union dollars.

The captain briefly paused, but again politely refused the offer. Sensing the captain might be weakening, the man offered an even larger sum, but this time in gold. At this offer, the riverboat captain quickly drew his pistol and pointed it at his tempter and said, “Get away from me—you’re getting too close to my price.”

What we value most . It is said that everyone has a price. Perhaps. But like the riverboat captain, there is wisdom in knowing what it is so as to better guard against falling into sin, particularly mortal sin—that which we choose to sell our life of grace in Christ for. For Judas, it was 30 pieces of silver.

But since all of us are subject to temptation, we must be steadfast to “watch and pray” with Christ, to participate in His watchfulness against the tempter’s deceit and tactics (Matthew 26:15, 41). God’s warning, tragically ignored by Cain, are words we must always remember: “Sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master” (Genesis 4:7).

Interior battle . There’s something of a civil war that rages within each of us. It is the spiritual struggle between good and evil, light and darkness. And St. Paul clearly explains the nature of this struggle, reminding us that “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). In reflecting upon the mystery of iniquity, the Second Vatican Council observed that:

The whole of human history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so Our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding ourselves in the midst of the battlefield, we have to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to ourselves, and aided by God's grace, that each of us succeeds in achieving our own inner integrity.

Know thy enemy . Though worded somewhat differently in past centuries, Hollywood can be given some credit for a rare nugget of truth worth repeating: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist” (from “The Usual Suspects,” 1995).

And if there is no devil, it easily follows that sin is only what we decide it should be. As Pope Pius XII observed 75 years ago, “The evil of this civilization is the loss of the sense of sin.” But as Dr. Peter Kreeft stresses, “All sin is from Hell…. All evil is from Hell. Where else could it be from? ( Back to Virtue , 95).

Know thyself . Behind every temptation, at its very core, we find its author—Satan— who knows our weaknesses better than we do. And because he does, he works hard to exploit them whenever he can, particularly when we neglect our prayer.

Bishop Stika’s schedule of Masses and public events

These are some of Bishop Stika’s upcoming public appointments: n Saturday, March 4, 8:05 a.m.: Scout Mass and breakfast at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus n Saturday, March 4, 5 p.m.: Confirmation Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Knoxville n Saturday, March 11, 2 p.m.: Mass for Men's Conference at St. Dominic Church in Kingsport n Sunday, March 12, 9 a.m.: Mass at St. Joseph Church in Norris n Monday, March 13-Tuesday, March 14: Gathering for international priests at Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton n Sunday, March 19: Bishop Stika celebrates the 14th anniversary of his episcopal ordination n Tuesday, March 21: Tennessee Catholic Conference quarterly meeting at the Pastoral Center in Nashville n Wednesday, March 22: Catholic Day on the Hill, state legislature in Nashville ■

This is why it is so important to know our weaknesses and to be vigilant “with” Christ our strength. And an indispensable way to acquire this essential spiritual self-knowledge is by making a daily examination of conscience—an “examen.”

Daily examen . Satan hates when we make a good examination of conscience each day. Why? Very simply, because it helps to expose our faults. And like his “greatest trick,” Satan doesn’t want us to recognize the gravity of our sins and to ask for God’s mercy and help.

The examen reveals to us where we have echoed Satan’s Non serviam to God—“I will not serve”—in choosing to sin in our selfishness instead of dying to ourselves for love of God and neighbor. And the longer we go without exposing our faults to God’s mercy, the more we allow the garbage of selfishness and sin to build up within us.

Garbage trucks for the soul . Among the various gates of ancient Jerusalem, one was particularly important—the “Dung gate” (Nehemiah 3:14). And like all cities, garbage must be frequently collected and taken out of the city to be buried or burned. Otherwise, it will rot, attract rats and foul insects, and become a breeding ground for deadly diseases.

Making a daily examen with a good act of contrition is like collecting up the trash and taking it to the garbage truck. But if our sin is mortal, we need the deep cleansing of sacramental confession. And the daily examen should also increase our desire for frequent confession and the sacramental grace it provides.

Five simple steps . While there are various ways to make a daily examination of conscience, St. Ignatius popularized five easy steps in his “Spiritual Exercises” that provide us the essential framework:

1. Recall and give God thanks for the day’s blessings;

2. Ask God for the grace to know your sins and to purify your heart’s desire of what is sinful;

Bishop continued on page A12

Diocese of Knoxville Easter celebrations

Lent is underway in the Diocese of Knoxville following Ash Wednesday Masses on Feb. 22.

As the Lenten season leads the Catholic faithful to Easter, it is important to know the upcoming liturgical celebrations that mark the beginning of Eastertide.

n Holy Week: April 3-9.

n Chrism Mass: Tuesday, April 4, 6:30 p.m., Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

n Holy Thursday: April 6.

n Good Friday: April 7.

n Easter Vigil: Saturday, April 8, at dusk.

n Easter Sunday: April 9. ■