The Digital Edition. The index, (bottom right of each page) which when clicked on, will return you to this page.

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1 THE C MPASS The Digital Edition This DIGITAL version of the Compass Newsletter allows you to read the INDEX below about features inside. Just click on the page number,and go directly to that page that features that story or report. If you see a story/report that you want to read, just click on that story or report link and be taken DIRECTLY to it. The, (bottom right of each page) which when clicked on, will return you to this page. In order for this digital system to work properly, you must FIRST Download the newsletter to your hard drive, THEN open it. If you open in your as an attachment, the links will not work. Ken P Special Stories - Just click on any link to read the story or report. Grand Knight s Report; Knight and Family of the Month; Chaplains Museum Trip; in Need; St. Valentine of Rome; Prayerful Lent Students Story / Report Links Below Page Links Below Title Page, Council and Assembly Important Dates Page 1 Grand Knight s Letter and Regular Print Index Council Officers, Committees, and Knight and Family of the Month Announcements: Adoration; Birthdays; Good of the Order; Prayers Unity & Fraternity Mass; Assembly 2107 Trip; #8980 Scholarship Program The Story of St. Valentine of Rome Columbus HOPE Report; Help4Kids/Backpack Rpt.; Assembly 2107 News & Corp Commander s Report Students in Need Program -The Need is Great How to have a Good, Prayerful Lent Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10

2 The KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS ST. MICHAEL S COUNCIL #8980 P.O. BOX SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C February 2018 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to: Knights of Columbus St. Michael Council #8980 P.O. Box Surfside Beach, SC T H E The Monthly Newsletter of the Knights of Columbus TO: PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID NON PROFIT ORG MYRTLE BEACH, SC PERMIT #344 VOLUME 33, ISSUE 8 CHARITY + UNITY + FRATERNITY + PATRIOTISM KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL 8980 Events at a Glance Council Events Meeting - Thursday Feb. 1, PM (Officers meet at 5:30 PM) Rosary Night - Thursday, Feb. 15 (Columbus HOPE checks given out at social; more on pg. 7) Assembly Events Assembly 2107 Meeting, Jan. 25, 2018, 7 pm (Officers meet at 6:00 PM) Assembly 2107 Trip to Chaplains Museum, Tue. March 13, 2018 Assembly 2107 Dinner in April. (Info on pg. 8)

3 Our Grand Knight s Report My Brother Knights, To all my Brother Knights I wish you a Happy New year as we finish this first month of the calendar year. I canceled our January Business Meeting and First-Degree Ceremony because of bad weather conditions and unsafe roads. I would like to congratulate our Knight of the Month Don Maher for all he does for our council as well as Family of the Month Ken and Sandy Hein for their work in the council and parish. As we start this new year let us keep in mind our Adoration Chapel is open to all. Please consider joining us in Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration by contacting our Adoration Administrators Bob and Leasa Leewe. What a great way to start off the New Year, especially at a time of a divided world. A well-ordered life is not necessarily a tidy, predictable life nor is it exempt from pressure and stresses. Rather an orderly life is a virtuous life,lived in the real world, virtues are those firm qualities of character, that help us live in a right relationship to GOD, to others and to ourselves. (Faith, Hope and Love) help us to live a right relation to God. I have been asked, What will save the world, I don t know the answer, but my suggestion is to Pray and to echo what Mother Teresa said, Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. I would like to thank all my Brother Knights that helped and chaired the many charitable endeavors that the Knights of Columbus get involved in, our 2017 year was another great year in monies collected for charities as well as items collected and distributed to many needy agency s I will be looking in our next fiscal year for a brother Knight to chair the Magnet program, I am also looking for a Youth Director. These positions will become Available July 1,2018. I would like to thank Brother John Luse who has been running the Magnet program for many years and it has been very lucrative for our council. I would also like to thank Mark Simmons for chairing the Youth Directors position. As this month passes us lets keep in mind the words spoken by Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. When our days become dreary with low clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic mountain of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. May God Bless You and May God Bless our great Country. Anthony Tony Carangelo INDEX OF CONTENTS Announcements: Adoration; Birthdays; Good of the Order; Prayers Unity & Fraternity Mass; Assembly 2107 Trip; #8980 Scholarship Program Story of St. Valentine of Rome Columbus Hope Report; Help 4 Kids/Backpack Buddies Assembly 2107 News & Corps Commander s Report Students in Need Program - need help How to have a good, prayerful Lent Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10

4 Program Director Community Director ST. MICHAEL S COUNCIL #8980 OFFICERS COMMITTEES Publicity Church & Vocation Compass Club Charity Referral Help4Kids/Bkpk Buddies Ways & Means Knights in Need Culinary Advisor Offerings Mentorship Compass Newsletter Coats for Kids Chmn Entertainment Devel. Father Edward Fitzgerald Anthony Carangelo Nick Mateo Thomas J Dellatore Dave Kriebel Bob Leewe Ed Petras John Carpenter Denny Laczo Gil Cushing, PGK-FDD Ken Pankowski Lawrence Simeon Garry Goodwin PGK-PFN Tim McGraw Tim McGraw Bob Leewe Gil Cushing PGK-FDD Denny Laczo PGK-PFN Garry Goodwin PGK-PFN Mike Butryn Ken Pankowski Jim Wood Ken Pankowski & Tom Dellatore # s above Magnets Recruitment Membership Pro-Life Director Youth Director Columbus HOPE Foundation Widows Care Family Director Patriotic Alliance Rep. Beverage Manager Veteran s Affairs Initiation Degree Team Aluminum Cans Golf Committee COMMITTEES Richard Rogers-PFN Michael Barry Garry Goodwin, PGK-PFN Frank Lovas Lawrence Simeon John Olsen Tim McGraw Gil Cushing, PGK-FDD Michael Allen John Luse PGK, PFN Don Maher Rick Fox Don Zaitz Alan Cox Mike Butryn Denny Laczo PGK-PFN Guy Fratini Denny Laczo, PGK-PFN Ken Hein, PGK Don Zaitz Vin Vecchio If a Brother Knight knows of anyone who is sick or in distress, please immediately contact Grand Knight Tony Carangelo at Business Meeting: 7:00 PM First Thursday of the month in PAC Hall (No July Meeting) Officer s Meeting: 5:30 PM First Thursday preceding Business Meeting in PAC Hall. Council Family Rosary 7:00 PM on the Third Thursday - Social in PAC Hall (ALL ARE WELCOME) No Rosary in June, July, August) The Compass Newsletter will not knowingly publish any advertisement or article that is fraudulent, harmful or misleading. The Compass Newsletter reserves the right to reject any advertising or article submitted for publication, or to edit and submission not meeting our standards of acceptance. The advertiser, not The Compass, is solely responsible for the truthful content of that which is submitted for publication. We are not responsible for omitted articles for any reason. Congratulations to: He has been a Knight for 14 years. He was our Grand Knight from He is the one that receives all the RSVP s, makes the guest lists and the seating plans for our dances & parties. He is always there when we need his help. This winter he has also taken on the position of Committee Chair for the Coats for Kids program and he heads up the Scholarship Committee as well. I m happy to present our February Knight of the month to: PGK Scott Jordan Our Family of the Month for February He has been a knight for 8 years. He is a Past Grand Knight, Past District Deputy, and is the current State Community Director and on the board for Columbus HOPE Foundation. He is very active in our council and they are both active members of the parish. In 2016 she received the State Catholicity Award, she is also heavily involved with the Our Lady of South Carolina Shrine, and she takes communion out after 7 am Mass. It is my pleasure to present our February Family of the Month to Gil and Joan Cushing.

5 4. Announcements: Adoration; Birthdays; Good of the Order; Prayers Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration When St. Faustina was praying before Jesus in the Holy Eucharist He showed her a vision. Each time a person entered the chapel and visited Jesus exposed in a monstrance, she saw His Divine Rays of Love and Mercy burst forth and encircle the world and everyone in it with graces and blessings! Through Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Jesus unleashes His rays of healing upon us, our families and the whole world. The St. Michael Adoration Chapel is open to all. Please consider joining us in Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. If you have questions, you may reach us at or at leasalmel@gmail.com. In God s Love, Bob & Leasa Leewe -Adoration Administrators St. Michael Adoration Chapel The Members and Friends of our Council wish the following Brothers a Very Happy Birthday During the Month of February. Don t forget to wish them a Happy Birthday when you see them! 1 Raymond A Schnell; Rev Stanley I Smolenski 16 Domenico Coiro 2 Patrick D Finn 18 Nicholas T Gennarelli, Jr; Joseph G Orlandi 5 Guy Frattini 19 Joseph Saccone 8 William J Masselli 20 David R Marble; Dr Paul E Richardson 9 Walter E Edmonson; Donald E Thornburg Raymond R St Michel 11 Richard M Porter; Christopher P Williams 21 Gerald E Angiolelli; Stephen R Mario 13 John Y Averella; James P Needham 26 John S Kokoska, Jr; John H Luse, PGK 14 Steven J Martin; James M Woods, Jr 27 Mason Luther 15 Preston M Ellis; Thomas E Zegray, PGK Prayer for St. Valentine s Day Almighty and everlasting God, who kindled the flame of Your love in the heart of Your holy martyr Valentine, grant to us, Your humble servants, a like faith and power of love, that we who rejoice in his triumph may profit by his example; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Tess Minnick Michele Rios Ray St. Michel Barbara Brookes Anthony D. Carangelo Kathy Maddon Bob Shoup Sylvia Proctor Joyce Ralston Anna Belle McCauley Kevin Farrell Mark Bertelsen Jeanne Schmader Debbie Witzen Phyllis Petras Kate Buscher Mike Urso Char Kriebel Jack Drust Michael Barry Mark Saraceni

6 5. Unity & Fraternity Mass; Assembly 2107 Trip; #8980 Scholarship Program UNITY FRATERNITY Mass & Breakfast It will soon be time once again for our 4 Annual Unity & Fraternity Mass & Breakfast. This year it will be held on the Presidents Day Weekend, Sunday, February 18, At the 7:00 a.m. Mass, the Men & their Families can sit together in a reserved area after the Knights process in behind our Banner Bearers. Breakfast to follow at the Plantation Pancake House just 3 miles north on Bus. 17N. The owners give St. Michael s parishioners a 20% discount. They have over 70 omelets plus a large menu, and they will seat us as a group. This has been a favorite for a few years, so keep the tradition alive and call Ken Pankowski at or him at: knights.kenpankowski@gmail.com with the number in your group. Let s show our Unity & Fraternity by going to Mass and receiving the Sacraments and ending it with a great breakfast. GRAND STRAND ASSEMBLY #2107 TRIP TO THE CHAPLAINS MUSEUM Assembly #2107 has put together a great day trip to Columbia SC on Tuesday March 13, This day will be complete with a luxury GrayLine Coach from St. Michael parking lot to Columbia where we will visit the Military Museum and the State House. We will then go to Vista Room at the Blue Marlin for a nice lunch. Following lunch we will go to Ft. Jackson and tour the Military Chaplain s Museum. The cost for the day long trip is just $70.00 per person, all inclusive. This is for you, your wife and friends. Checks should be payable to: K of C Assembly #2107. A full flyer will be available at the January meeting. Mark your calendar now and be prepared to sign up at the meeting. March is just two months away, and it will be here before we know it. This invitation is for all members of the Assembly and Council as well as your family and friends. You will want to sign up quickly as the bus only holds 55 people. We are holding this to members and friends of the Assembly and Council. In a week or two we will be opening this up to members of the Parish, so secure you place by signing up now. If you have questions, feel free to call Ken Hein at or Tony McKenzie at Council 8980 Scholarship Program Again this year, the Knights of Columbus Council 8980 will be taking applications for its Annual Scholarship Program. College Scholarships are available to High School Seniors who, along with their families, are registered members of St. Michael s Church. Scholarship application forms can be found in the narthex of the church near the main doors. Entries must be postmarked by Saturday, June 2 and for entries dropped off at the Parish Office, the deadline is Monday, June 4, during business hours. The Reviewing Committee will choose one male and one female and each will receive a $ Scholarship. Questions? Contact Ken Pankowski at (home) (cell) or via at knights.kenpankowski@gmail.com.

7 6. The story of St. Valentine of Rome Saint Valentine, officially known as Saint Valentine of Rome, is a third-century Roman saint widely celebrated on February 14 and commonly associated with "courtly love." Although not much of St. Valentine's life is reliably known, and whether or not the stories involve two different saints by the same name is also not officially decided, it is highly agreed that St. Valentine was martyred and then buried on the Via Flaminia to the north of Rome. In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church removed St. Valentine from the General Roman Calendar, because so little is known about him. However, the church still recognizes him as a saint, listing him in the February 14 spot of Roman Martyrolgy. The legends attributed to the mysterious saint are as inconsistent as the actual identification of the man. One common story about St. Valentine is that in one point of his life, as the former Bishop of Terni, Narnia and Amelia, he was on house arrest with Judge Asterius. While discussing religion and faith with the Judge, Valentine pledged the validity of Jesus. The judge immediately put Valentine and his faith to the test. St. Valentine was presented with the judge's blind daughter and told to restore her sight. If he succeeded, the judge vowed to do anything for Valentine. Placing his hands onto her eyes, Valentine restored the child's vision. Judge Asterius was humbled and obeyed Valentine's requests. Asterius broke all the idols around his house, fasted for three days and became baptized, along with his family and entire 44 member household. The now faithful judge then freed all of his Christian inmates. St. Valentine was later arrested again for continuing to try to convert people to Christianity. He was sent to Rome under the emperor Claudius Gothicus (Claudius II). According to the popular hagiographical identity, and what is believed to be the first representation of St. Valentine, the Nuremberg Chronicle, St. Valentine was a Roman priest martyred during Claudius' reign. The story tells that St. Valentine was imprisoned for marrying Christian couples and aiding Christians being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Both acts were considered serious crimes. A relationship between the saint and emperor began to grow, until Valentine attempted to convince Claudius of Christianity. Claudius became raged and sentenced Valentine to death, commanding him to renounce his faith or be beaten with clubs and beheaded. St. Valentine refused to renounce his faith and Christianity and was executed outside the Flaminian Gate on February 14, 269. However, other tales of St. Valentine's life claim he was executed either in the year 269, 270, 273 or 280. Other depictions of St. Valentine's arrests tell that he secretly married couples so husbands wouldn't have to go to war. Another variation of the legend of St. Valentine says he refused to sacrifice to pagan gods, was imprisoned and while imprisoned he healed the jailer's blind daughter. On the day of his execution, he left the girl a note signed, "Your Valentine." Pope Julius I is said to have built a church near Ponte Mole in his memory, which for a long time gave name to the gate now called Porta del Popolo, formerly, Porta Valetini. The romantic nature of Valentine's Day may have derived during the Middle Ages, when it was believed that birds paired couples in mid-february. According to English 18th-century antiquarians Alban Butler and Francis Douce, Valentine's Day was most likely created to overpower the pagan holiday, Lupercalia. Although the exact origin of the holiday is not widely agreed upon, it is widely recognized as a day for love, devotion and romance. Whoever he was, Valentine did really exist, because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to St. Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom. Fr. John Spratt received a gift from Pope Gregory XVI in 1836 containing a "small vessel tinged" with St. Valentine's blood. This gift now stands placed in Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin, Ireland. Other alleged relics were found in Prague in the Church of St Peter and Paul at Vysehrad; in the parish church of St. Mary's Assumption in Chelmno Poland; at the reliquary of Roquemaure in France; in the Stephansdom in Vienna; in Balzan in Malta and also in Blessed John Duns Scotus' church in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, Scotland. St. Valentine is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travelers, and young people. He is represented in pictures with birds and roses and his feast day is celebrated on February 14.

8 7. Columbus Hope Report; Help4Kids/Backpack Buddies; Knights of Columbus Council 8980 Columbus HOPE Foundation November 2017 Update The 2018 Columbus Hope Foundation drive for the upcoming year is well underway. We have made contact with all of the stores and dates are set with the exception of Kroger and Walmart in Surfside. We ll keep working to set those up or make other arrangements. The necessary paperwork required by the stores will be completed in February as soon as new Certificates of Insurance become available. Captains from 2017 will be receiving their information including rosters for sign ups soon. There are several changes of venue and dates so if there is any conflict please let one of the Chairmen know. We all appreciate what you Captains do and we can t function without you. We are planning a book sale during the summer. If you or if you know anyone that is an avid reader please see if they would donate books to our cause. There will be more information coming next month and information in the bulletin. Wewill need volunteers for this event so please consider helping. Last, the Doo Wop Pasta Dinner is set for October 13th. Brothers Bill Masselli, Tom Dellatore and Joe Lynch have graciously agreed to perform their magic in the kitchen again and Forever Doo Wop is on board and keeping our price the same. Let s start early getting folks interested. As always, we ll need setup and take down volunteers, bartenders and a couple of kitchen workers. Last, I have said several times at meetings how grateful I am for your efforts in After Rosary on February 15th we will be presenting checks to the organizations that benefit from our work. Please come and be a part of what you make happen. May God Continue to Bless St. Michael s Council 8980 and our Special Children K of C Council 8980 Help 4 Kids / Backpack Buddies Wal-Mart Food Drive K of C Council 8980 Help 4 Kids / Backpack Buddies Wal-Mart Food Drive Help 4 Kids Backpack Buddies January Food Drive was conducted on Saturday the Garden City WAL-MART. This charitable project was performed through the efforts of 17 Knights providing 40 Charitable Knight Service Hours. The Charitable Service Hours were performed by the following volunteers: Ed Petras, Rich Rogers, Don Busher, Rick Fox, Scott Tyler, Bob Roddy, Alex Hervieux, Peter Croffey, Dave Kriebel, John Lock, Ken Hamilton, Tim Daley, Vin Vecchio, Tom Stokes, Joe Lynch, and Alan Cox. Thanks and GOD BLESS you all.. There is a food drive scheduled on Feb. 17 th. The signup sheet will be at the February council meeting or you can call or me for your choice of times. Phone # and is amcox1969@aol.com. Next Food Drive 2/17/18Brother Knights, your prayers, dedication and hard work are truly blessings and appreciated. The Hungry Children of Help 4 Kids and Backpack Buddies thank you all!!!

9 8. Grand Strand Assembly #2107 News & Corp Commander s Report FAITHFUL NAVIGATOR: LARRY BERRY FAITHFUL CAPTAIN: JIM ADEE FAITHFUL PILOT: SK GIL CUSHING FAITHFUL ADMIRAL: SK KEN HEIN FAITHFUL OUTER SENTINEL -MICHAEL BARRY FAITHFUL INNER SENTINEL: SK DAVID KENNEDY REGIONAL MARSHAL:SK CHARLES VANDEMARK Brother Sir Knights; ASSEMBLY 2107 OFFICERS 2016 FAITHFUL FRIAR: REV. EDWARD FITZGERALD FAITHFUL COMPTROLLER: SK DAVE KRIEBEL FAITHFUL SCRIBE: SK WALT MEIER FAITHFUL PURSER: SK RAY ST. MICHEL YEAR TRUSTEE: SK JOHN KOKOSKA YEAR TRUSTEE:JOHN AVERELLA YEAR TRUSTEE: SK DENNY LACZO CORP COMMANDER: SK DON MAHER As January draws to a close, I would like to remind everyone that we are starting to plan what charities that our Assembly will be supporting next year. So if you know of any charity that you think our Assembly should look into supporting, please notify one of the officers so that we can look into that particular charity. There are a great many charities out there asking for help, but due to our limited resources we have to be selective. In one case we were asked to donate to a charity, but after looking into them, it was found out that less than 5% of their collections were given to the veterans. The rest was used for salaries, rent, costs, and advertisements. Hopefully, every charity that is selected by our Assembly will give 90% or higher back the the people deserving it. Please put April 7,2018 on your calendar as that is the date we will be having our dinner at he American Legion in Murrells Inlet. We are still waiting for the price but it should be comparable to last years dinner. As soon as the price is established, we will send out s to all. All reservations should go to Dave Kriebel, or myself. We had a great turn out last year, but would like to have more of our members join us in a night of good food and great companionship. Alcohol, wine, beer will be available through the bar as was done last year. By the time you read this message, the Polish dance will be completed and will be deemed a great success. Congratulations to Sir Knights Ken Hein and John Luse for chairing a very successful party. The time they spent on planning and preparing this event is appreciated by everyone in the Council and the Assembly. Also, we will be gearing up for the BIG IRISH Dinner in March, so get out your green and plan on attending this once in a life time event. Remember to be kind to all, since all are carrying some type of burden, also, please pray for our military and first responders. Corps Commander Report for January - by Don Maher THANK YOU GOD BLESS, Larry Berry There is no Honor Guard or Color Guard activity to report on this month.

10 9. Students in Need Program - the Need is Year Round Students in Need Program For Socastee and St. James High Schools These programs are Year Round Catholic Daughters #2356, along with Knights of Columbus Council 8980, are continuing to collect items for Students in Need at our monthly meetings. Last year there were 33 students total; This year there are 21 students List of items to donate is below: Monetary donations Food gift cards e.g., Subway, Wendy s, and Burger King Personal care items, such as basic toiletries (Full size, not travel) Following is an example of how your donations help. Did you know there are a number of Socastee and St. James high school students living on their own without support from parents, either being left behind, living under bridges, in tents in the woods, moving from friends to friends homes? The Catholic Daughters #2356 and Knights of Columbus Council 8980 felt they needed to do something to help these students in our area. Working with guidance counselors there are now 2 programs set up for these students. Along with monetary donations, food gift cards i.e.: Subway, McDonalds, Burger King, etc. Personal care items are collected such as basic toiletries (full-size, not travel). For questions about this program, please contact: John or Carol or Dominic or Diana Falcone The NEED is Real. The NEED is Urgent. You can Help. Will You?

11 10. How to have a good, prayerful Lent. Maybe you want to build prayer into your Lent as well as your daily life, but you don t know how. It seems so hard to sit still for even 15 minutes and pray. Even if you manage it, you re not always sure what to say. Prayer, like anything that is worth doing, is hard. Nevertheless, here are some tips based on the writings of the saints that will help us to pray. 1. Keep it simple Prayer is paradoxical in that the more you say, the more difficult it is to mean what you say. Keep your prayer simple, and mean every word. The Our Father, the perfect prayer, is seven simple petitions. Many of the early monks would even pray by repeating one word or phrase, such as the name of Jesus. If you spent 5 minutes saying Jesus over and over with love, it would be far more profitable than endlessly reading prayers from a prayer book coldly and mindlessly. 2. Just do it The saints tell us that the best way to learn to pray is by praying. A distance runner doesn t begin running full marathons over night. He begins with shorter distances and builds over time. So too with prayer. It doesn t matter if you don t feel like you are accomplishing anything, or how many times you try to pray and fail. It doesn t matter how many distractions you have to fight. We have to keep showing up, day after day or we will never learn to pray. Simply asking like the disciples, Teach us to pray, is a great prayer to start with. 3. Intentional time Monastics through the centuries have had specific hours set aside for prayer. While most of us probably can t pray seven times a day like they do, we should build prayer into our daily routine. If we don t, it s never going to happen. I recommend praying 3 times a day: morning, noon, and night. In the morning, offer your day to God and ask for the graces you need. At noon, renew this offering of your day and ask for help to persevere in virtue. At night, review your day and confess your sins. Ask for forgiveness and give thanks for the blessings you have received. Again, if you aren t intentional about prayer, it is never going to happen. 4. Acknowledge the need A lot of us don t pray because we are self-satisfied. Like the Pharisees of Jesus day, we think we have everything we need, and we view prayer as a favor we pay to God. That s why we don t want to do it. In reality, though, we are like the blind beggar Bartimaeus in the Gospels, completely helpless and needy. Like him, we should recognize our helplessness, and call out, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me! We should examine ourselves and spend some time recognizing our own weaknesses. Not only will this make us more humble, it will inspire us to call for help which is one of the best ways to begin praying. 5. Patience If you re expecting to become a great mystic like St. John of the Cross overnight, you re delusional. Even if you are praying for something specific, like a virtue or a temporal need, God hardly ever answers us immediately. If he did, we d start to think of him as a heavenly vending machine, dispensing our every desire when we press the right buttons. No, God wants us to be patient and persevere in prayer. Like the widow in Scripture who harassed the judge until he granted her desire, harass God in a good way, asking for what you need until you get it. Conclusion Volumes have been written about prayer, and this is just scratching the surface in this article. The point is, prayer isn t optional. You re going to waste your Lent and your life if you aren t praying. Get serious about it and make it a part of your daily life starting this Lent. It s the way to virtue, holiness, and communion with our Heavenly Father.

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