In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here.

That you see me, that you hear me.

I adore you with profound reverence.

I ask your pardon for my sins, and the grace to make this time of prayer fruitful.

My Immaculate Mother, St. Joseph, my Father and Lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

Our topic is perfect for this time of the year.

The title of this meditation is interior struggle, also known as ascetical struggle.

That term ascetical struggle might not be all that familiar because it is not used very often.

And yet it is really, really important because we are involved in an achesis,

very strange Latin word that ultimately means going higher and higher, doing whatever it takes to

to aim high and to reach heaven.

The fact that we combine these two words, ascetical and struggle, but it indicates the fact

that in order to not only aim high but get there, there has to

be a struggle, warfare.

We have to wage an ongoing battle against the enemies of our sanctity, against our pride,

laziness, love of comfort, sensuality, and a whole host of others.

It's so important as we begin this new season to put our struggle within its biggest context,

and that is to take heaven by storm.

The whole point of spending this time of prayer, of pursuing our Christian vocation,

is to take heaven by storm.

You undoubtedly do not remember something that St. John Paul II said in it.

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