The Catholic Defender: AIM HIGH

Our acronym for f-a-i-t-h are focus, aim, intensity, truth, and heart. Our next Friday show (8/13/2021) will focus on the need to AIM High reaching for the gold. As an athlete most of my life, I never had the concept that we expect to lose. Our practice and development was always preparing that we would place our aim to win our division, to win our district, and ultimately go all state. We never planned to go last.

The same is true in my military experience. When I enlisted in the United States Army in 1984, America was still in a Cold War threat with Russia, the Soviet Union. Our aim was to defend America against that threat so it was important that our training prepared us to win. Our aim was high in all areas from physical conditioning, weapons, leadership, so many branches we have to be on top of our game. If we ever downgrade our aim keeping America free, that would be dangerous. There are dark forces in America that wants to see us loose site of our aim.

Consider what St. Paul wrote the Philippians about aiming high, "Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus." This is a lifetime quest, we must maintain our resolve to reach our aim for Heaven.

St. Paul would have been a great inspirational teacher today especially with his promotion that we aim high. He wrote the Colossians "Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ." Notice how St. Paul is encouraging us to weather the storms now because if we hold fast, if we aim high, what a great inheritance awaits us.

The Lord is not simply waiting on the side line through all of our challenges, Jesus is right there with you giving you strength. St. Paul told the Philippians, "I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me." Apparently, the people of the Philippians needed much encouragement. That leads to a very important question. Do you need this kind of encouragement?

St. James, the author of the Epistle of James in the New Testament realized that St. Paul was speaking so much about aiming high, well, St. James added his perspective on the subject writing, "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does." We are called to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

The challenge is coming from everywhere. Just watching the Olympics I am amazed how much the Homosexual acceptance is today in your face. Our opposition is not because we are mean, not at all, but the world is opening up to serious mortal sin and people are being conditioned in this acceptance. Talk about aiming low. Our goal should be leading ourselves and our families to Salvation in Heaven. As it was in the day of Noah so shall it be when the Son of Man returns. The Virgin Mary warned at Fatima (1917) that more souls go to hell because of the sins of the flesh than any other reason. Unfortunately, today, powerful people are ignoring the warning.

This is why we must aim high because if we do not, we can fall just like the world doomed to destruction will be. The great Saints of the early centuries wanted to live in our times because of the opportunities of grace God is wanting to grant. Aim high so that even though we are in the world, we do not have to go down with it.

A story to consider:

There was once a man who had nothing for his family to eat. He had

an old shotgun and three bullets. So, he decided that he would go

out and kill something to eat (he had all he needed) for dinner.

As he went down the road, he saw a rabbit and he shot at the rabbit

and missed it. Then he saw a squirrel and fired a shot at the squirrel

and missed it. As he went further, he saw a wild turkey in the tree

and he had only one bullet, but a voice came to him and said "pray

first, aim high and stay focused."

However, at the same time, he saw a deer which was a better kill. He

brought the gun down and aimed at the deer. But, then he saw a rattle

snake between his legs about to bite him - so he naturally brought the