The words of Saint Benedict come to mind. I was very fortunate to travel twice to Italy, once with my paternal grandparents in 1983, and once with my mother/father in law/husband in 2003. We were on a beautiful pilgrimage inside Monte Cassino. I have in my possession a Saint Benedict Crucifix. It is known that Saint Benedict made the sign of the cross against the assaults of the demon narrated by Saint Gregorio, Benedict XIV established the design of this medal. On one side it carries the image of St. Benedict holding a cross in his hand and on the other side there is a larger cross with Latin Initials. Due to the fact that the cross is represented here is an essential element of the medal, it is called the medal crucifix of Saint Benedict. On the back there is a cup from which a serpent is escaping (a recollection of the poisoned wine from which he miraculously escaped on the left we have a crow taking away the poisoned bread). Unerneath, we can read the words from the Holy Mount Cassino 1880. On the two sides around the image he defends us in our death with his presence, on the front medal across is represented which carries several inscriptions in the arms, the explantion of which follows: The Cross of Holy Father Benedict. May The Holy Cross Be My Light. Let The Devil Not Be My Leader. Get Behind Me Satan. Don't Persuade Me Of Wicked Things. What You Are Showing Me Is Bad. Drink Your Poison Yourself. We can learn alot from Saint Benedict. If we truly want to live a joyous life, a prayerful life, a eucharistic life, a peaceful life, we need to get serious about our relationship with Christ. A Joyous Life comes out of my desire to live daily in Christ Jesus. A Prayerful Life continues when I desire to experience Christ more deeply when I set aside time time every day to be silent in his holy presence. The adoration chapel is a great place to meet Him again for the first time! A Eucharistic Life feeds me and my soul for the duration of my earthly journey and a Peaceful Life endures with Christ living within me. Because I desire placing Christ as an integral part of my life the moment my eyes open and my feet touch the floor. We have choices, very important choices to make that are going to pave the way for our future and our eternal destiny. We must be reminded of that, and take seriously, how we want our soul to endure through infinity with our creator. I am very excited to share this with you, hopefully your mind is open and ready to receive this reality. And if we are not ready just yet to embrace this greatest of all mysteries, we can pray to God our almighty Father to help give to us the grace, the hope, to endure, through the unknown and the mysterious, trusting the final outcome to him, with us doing our small part, by saying yes Lord and making every effort to live a good life, God can work with us when we are in that place, when we surrender our free will and align ours completely with HIS, it is then we die to sin and all sinful tendencies. Christ steps in and does a miraculous work in us--- unlike any experience seen by us in our lifetime! We many never be nailed/ hung on a cross to die, the brutal way that our precious Lord was, but we can hang up our sins to dry if we so choose, by dying to our old self, so a new self can be born. If we truly want to stop sinning, and an eternity with Christ means everything to your souls salvation, take that solemn promise directly to Christ and begin again your best life forever in HIM. You have my prayers to count on everyday for this your beautiful intention in living out your best life in Christ! And as Father Patrick Francis O Doherty has said, "It Is God That Makes You Holy".
