The Victor's Crown

One step

Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/] --- One Step No matter how daunting the road ahead looks — personally, professionally, or spiritually — all we have to do is focus on the current moment. This is especially true for the spiritual life. Let's be honest: most of us are a long way from being saints. It can feel like standing at the base of a mountain, trying to see the peak through the clouds. The gap between where we are and where we need to be seems infinite. And in many ways it is — because without God's help, we can't reach that peak. But our job is simple. Show up in this moment. Don't get caught up in what needs to happen tomorrow, or next week, or a year from now. Just think about what needs to happen right now. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So take a step. Then another. And another. If we misstep — and we will — that's fine. Redirect and keep moving. Lean on prayer, the Eucharist, and Confession to find the way forward. "Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil." (Matthew 6:34) Let us pray. Lord, help us to trust You with tomorrow and give our whole selves to this moment. One step at a time, keep us moving toward You. In Jesus' name. Amen. Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us. Get full access to The Victor's Crown at www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Set us free

Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/] --- Set us free Before we receive the Eucharist at Mass, we profess the Mystery of Faith. "Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free." Think about that: You have set us free. Freedom is part of our everyday lives. We talk about it in our country's history and in our current political climate — freedom of speech, religion, and press, opportunity, equality. All of that matters. But that's not what we're talking about at Mass when we say Christ has set us free. It's much bigger than that. Christ died and rose to save us — setting us free from sin and death. Two of the greatest evils we face. And we cannot escape them on our own. There is no other path to freedom from sin and death except through Him. So let's sit with that today. Do we see ourselves as imprisoned by sin and death? Do we recognize our need for a Savior? Are we calling upon Him — or are we still squandering in sin? Let us pray. Lord Jesus, thank You for setting us free. Help us to live as people who believe it. In Your name. Amen. Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us. Get full access to The Victor's Crown at www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

What we desire

Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/] --- What we desire We've all heard the expression: we want what we can't have. Sometimes that's simply something out of reach. But other times, we end up wanting what we shouldn't have — something bad for us, or even morally wrong. There are degrees to this. We can desire something good, something attainable, something unattainable, something harmful, something sinful. The object of our desire matters enormously. And so does the question of where we're directing all of that focus and energy. One way to examine this is through the lens of temperance — one of the four cardinal virtues. "Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable." (CCC 1809) We have to take an honest look at what we desire. Not just our actions, but our desires themselves. Because even if an unhealthy desire hasn't led to harmful action yet, it's still doing damage. It's cancerous for the soul. Where are we directing our desire? That's worth sitting with today. Let us pray. Lord, purify our desires. Help us to want what is good, what is true, what is honorable — and give us the strength to turn away from what is not. In Jesus' name. Amen. Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us. Get full access to The Victor's Crown at www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Shallows

Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/] --- The Shallows “You should choose to enter not immediately into the ocean depths, but rather through small streams, for one should reach more difficult matters by going through the easier ones first.” Saint Thomas Aquinas gave this advice to a pupil who was inquiring about methods of study. As for study, the problem for many of us is not that we immediately jump into the deep end, but that study simply isn’t a part of our lives. We might be years (or even decades) out of school and the habit of learning has fallen by the wayside. However, we’ve been given a tremendous gift in our intellectual power, so let’s not bury it in the sand, but grow and nurture that power through study. St. Thomas’ advice also applies to how we approach the spiritual life. Oftentimes in our spiritual lives, we’ve witnessed and experienced two different sentiments. Either we feel on fire for the faith and want to do every devotion known to man, or we feel dry and struggle to keep up with the basics. In both cases, we can heed Aquinas’ words: enter through the shallow end. Start small. Keep in mind though that in study and faith, we don’t want to stay in the shallows. Our goal is to eventually wade out into the depths, both intellectually and spiritually. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, You call us to Yourself. You call us into the shallows and into the depths. Walk with us. Help us. Guide us. In Jesus' name, amen. Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us. Get full access to The Victor's Crown at www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Who am I

Get the written version in your email inbox every morning by subscribing for free at TheVictorsCrown.com [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/] --- Who am I At every Mass, we encounter the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. We literally receive our Lord and Savior every Sunday.  In response to this profound truth, we ask: “Who am I? Lord, who am I to receive you?” It’s a valid response, because frankly, we are not worthy to receive HIm. We’re fallen and sinful creatures. But, it’s only by humbly acknowledging our littleness and our wretchedness that we see the path leading upwards.  Magnanimity, greatness of soul, is only possible through humility. By knowing our proper place, we recognize that we are not worthy and we are in dire need of help. We cannot lift ourselves up by our bootstraps. We cannot attain greatness by our own power.  At every Mass, the One who came to raise us up, the One who came so that we may have life, the One who came to show us the way, waits for us. And, we need Him. Our greatness comes through only Him. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we can do nothing without You, without your Son, without Your grace, without Your gifts, without Your sacraments, without the Eucharist. Help us to know our place so that we may always turn to You, to be with You. In Jesus' name, Amen. Get full access to The Victor's Crown at www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe [https://www.thevictorscrown.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]