Holy Soldier

                “Dear Lord, what does it take to be a holy soldier? First, it takes humility. A true holy soldier must first be able to admit that he is nothing without You God. He has to come with true poverty of spirit and mind. A humble soldier has nothing to lose and no attachments, nothing holding him back. If he is to fight for You Lord, he must have nothing he sees as coming from him, nothing of his own; all that he has he must recognize as being from You. Then he can fight freely, vigorously, zealously for You and for all that You have given him. He can fight unreservedly and bravely with the tools You have generously given him. The gifts You have given are precision tools created by the master for a specific purpose. Only a truly humble person can accept these first and then use them for Your will and not his own. His humility must also be so pure that it keeps him honest. A humble person won’t lie. He will be able to admit he has nothing and does not seek to improve the impression of himself. A humble person is an honest person, able to admit his poverty and nothingness.

                “Next, a holy soldier needs to know what he is fighting for. He can’t be blind or ignorant. He must be well educated and well-informed about his faith and the Church. He must be a true patriot of the Church. He fights for You and for Your holy bride. He must love the holy Church as You do and he must want to defend the truth that You have given us. To do that, he must know the history and all that You told Your people when You were here on earth.

                “Once a holy soldier has gained a firm knowledge of the faith and all that You taught us, then he can fall more deeply in love with You as part of Your holy bride, the Church, through a life of intense prayer. He must be close to you, very close to you. He must listen to You intently. He must be able to share all his deepest thoughts and concerns with You. He must be able to recognize and discern Your will through his daily prayer which must be intense, uninterrupted and focused. He must be free of distractions and turned completely to You - not the way newlyweds talk to each other, but more like the way a soldier listens to his general before stepping onto the battlefield. His prayer must be that intense and that intimate. The holy soldier must also love and honor Your blessed Mother because it was through her that You chose to be incarnate into this world and it was to her that You gave all humanity as her sons and daughters as You died on the cross.

                “Once the humble soldier has armed himself with knowledge and bathed himself in intense prayer, falling deeply in love with You and Your Mother, he must be very brave to step forward and fight the battle for the salvation of souls no matter how difficult the fight may be. The stakes are high. Success means eternal joy with You dear Lord. Failure means eternal damnation with Satan. It’s that simple. It is more than just life or death; it is eternal life or eternal death. The holy soldier must be filled with courage from You dear Lord. He must truly believe in You, with an unwavering faith to be able to stand courageously and fight. If he succumbs to fear, it is because he doubts You and Your eternal plan for all of us.

                “The holy soldier must also be determined and able to persevere. He must never give up, weaken or worst of all, become apathetic. He must maintain his holy zeal and he must continue to fight tirelessly. He must not seek a vacation or a reprieve; this is not a game, it is war.

                “He must also be very patient. He must be able to wait until You tell him to step forward. He must be patient, trusting that no matter what the battlefield looks like, and no matter who or what appears to be succeeding, that Your will is being done. He must be patient to wait in the fox holes and trenches until You command an advance or a retreat. He cannot be impulsive and he cannot act upon his own accord.

                “Oh dear Lord, do I have what it takes to be a holy soldier? I know You need holy soldiers now more than ever in this current world that wants to put You aside and run things through man alone. Please grant me the graces I need to be humble, honest, well-informed, steeped in prayer, filled with a deep love for You and Your Mother, courageous, determined and able to persevere with great patience. Then and only then can I be an effective holy soldier ready to fight this war.”