This, of course, is the story of man — of all mankind.

Philosophers and men of the most humble lives have all struggled with “why am I here” for century upon century — and many have left behind their written thoughts to teach us that our struggles are nothing new.

Bishop Fulton Sheen said that every human being at one time or another may encounter an inner conflict between the humanity of our bodies and the eternity and spirituality of our souls.

He said that many if not all of us struggle between the seeking of “the pleasures of the flesh” and the sanctity of human life itself.

In fact, Bishop Sheen said that this inner conflict is perfectly normal for man.

Bishop Sheen wrote about and preached on the conflicts many times. But perhaps the best explanation he gives can be found in long-ago taped segments of his TV show “Life is Worth Living.”

This program, less than 30 minutes in its entirety, has been broken into 3 segments each less than 10 minutes long:

Three Greatest Confessions of History (Part 1) – Archbishop Fulton Sheen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfp2GWSOnq0

Three Greatest Confessions of History (Part 2) – Archbishop Fulton Sheen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dH4P05QYBw

Three Greatest Confessions of History (Part 3) – Archbishop Fulton Sheen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1lyXZvYIbs

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St Augustine of Hippo teaches to pray for God to allow our spiritual nature, our ‘good side” if you like, to control our weaknesses (our “evil side” some say).

According to St. Augustine, we need not pray for what we need because God already knows what we need before we even ask.

Instead, we ought to pray, he suggests, to increase our desire for God, and so that we might be able to receive what He is preparing to give us.

Augustine wrote: Noverim te, noverim me: “I would know you [God], I would know myself.”

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He also gave us:

“The deeper our faith, the stronger our hope, the greater our desire, the larger will be our capacity to receive the gift, which is very great indeed. …. The more fervent the desire, the more worthy will be its fruits. When the Apostle tells us: Pray without ceasing (1 Thes 5:16), he means this: Desire unceasingly that life of happiness which is nothing if not eternal, and ask it of him alone who is able to give it.”
(Letter 130)

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St. Augustine of Hippo

Portrait of Augustine  painted by German artist Willy Jakob, circa 1945 – 1949.

The prayers below are widely attributed to Saint Augustine

Prayer to The Holy Spirit

Breathe in me O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.

Prayer for the Indwelling of the Spirit

Holy Spirit, powerful Consoler, sacred Bond of the Father and the Son, Hope of the afflicted, descend into my heart and establish in it your loving dominion. Enkindle in my tepid soul the fire of your Love so that I may be wholly subject to you. We believe that when you dwell in us, you also prepare a dwelling for the Father and the Son. Deign, therefore, to come to me, Consoler of abandoned souls, and Protector of the needy. Help the afflicted, strengthen the weak, and support the wavering. Come and purify me. Let no evil desire take possession of me. You love the humble and resist the proud. Come to me, glory of the living, and hope of the dying. Lead me by your grace that I may always be pleasing to you. Amen.

Prayer on Finding God after a Long Search

Too late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient, O Beauty so new. Too late have I loved you! You were within me but I was outside myself, and there I sought you! In my weakness I ran after the beauty of the things you have made. You were with me, and I was not with you. The things you have made kept me from you – the things which would have no being unless they existed in you! You have called, you have cried, and you have pierced my deafness. You have radiated forth, you have shined out brightly, and you have dispelled my blindness. You have sent forth your fragrance, and I have breathed it in, and I long for you. I have tasted you, and I hunger and thirst for you. You have touched me, and I ardently desire your peace.

Confessions, X, 27, 38

http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/mission/campu
sministry/spirituality/resources/spirituality
/restlesshearts/prayers.html

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Another Old Favorite

God, I offer myself to Thee-
To build with me
and to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self,
that I may better do Thy will.
Take away my difficulties,
that victory over them may bear witness
to those I would help of Thy Power,
Thy Love, and Thy Way of life.
May I do Thy will always!
Thank you, God, Amen!

Today, the Church is filthy rich. They have collected enough money from the members in the name of tithe. Why then the auction? The answer is pretty clear. It is none other then the lust for money. This is demonstrated by the way the offering is collected in the Thanks Giving Service. Every member is to walk to front to subscribe their thanks giving offering.

Throughout the Word we are warned of the dangers of pursuing wealth, yet and still we do it any.  We justify it under stewardship & plans to do things for Christ but could we not locate more practical ways to serve others and serve the Kingdom.  Habakkuk 2:5, tells us that “Wealth is treacherous…”, that is a very strong statement and goes against anything the world would have us to believe. 

How can we stay clear of this temptation? How can we avoid being the greedy?  We have to re-train our minds in the Word.  Make our pursuits of service to God and dying to self.  Honestly seek to please Him.  Seek His guidance.  Better yet, do the opposite of what the world is doing.

What would life be like if we truly relied on God?  What if we all had the same amount of money and our needs where already met?  What would we do?  What would we pursue?  What would be our purpose?  This must have been what the Garden of Eden was like.  Just chill!  Free to just be!  With this in mind, your heart should yearn for the coming of Christ.  Your soul should yearn to save the souls of the lost so they too can join you in the mission to save others. 

Our most intense pursuit should be our seeking after Christ.  When our souls prosper then shall we.

See Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Habakkuk 2:

The lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, are the entangling snares of men; and we find him that led Israel captive, himself led captive by each of these. No more of what we have is to be reckoned ours, than what we come honestly by. Riches are but clay, thick clay; what are gold and silver but white and yellow earth? Those who travel through thick clay, are

hindered and dirtied in their journey; so are those who go through the world in the midst of abundance of wealth. And what fools are those that burden themselves with continual care about it; with a great deal of guilt in getting, saving, and spending it, and with a heavy account which they must give another day! They overload themselves with this thick clay, and so sink themselves down into destruction and perdition. See what will be the end hereof; what is gotten by violence from others,

others shall take away by violence. Covetousness brings disquiet and uneasiness into a family; he that is greedy of gain troubles his own house; what is worse, it brings the curse of God upon all the affairs of it. There is a lawful gain, which, by the blessing of God, may be a comfort to a house; but what is got by fraud and injustice, will bring poverty and ruin upon a family. Yet that is not the worst; Thou hast sinned against thine own soul, hast endangered it. Those who wrong their

neighbours, do much greater wrong to their own souls. If the sinner thinks he has managed his frauds and violence with art and contrivance, the riches and possessions he heaped together will witness against him. There are not greater drudges in the world than those who are slaves to mere worldly pursuits. And what comes of it? They find themselves disappointed of it, and disappointed in it; they will own it is worse than vanity, it is vexation of spirit. By staining and sinking earthly glory,

God manifests and magnifies his own glory, and fills the earth with the knowledge of it, as plentifully as waters cover the sea, which are deep, and spread far and wide. (Hab 2:15-20)