July 16, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Beginning today, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Catholic apologists and a priest are leading the “Peace Through Strength” challenge to prepare more than 40,000 faithful physically, mentally, and spiritually for the 54-day novena that begins on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption.
“Powerful, diabolical forces are stopping at nothing to throw everything they have at whatever is good, holy and Godly in our society,” Father Richard Heilman, one of the organizers, wrote about this new campaign. “They are doing everything possible to teardown the moral fabric of our society, seeking the ruin of our souls and the souls of our loved ones.”
Therefore, Heilman is partnering with Battle Ready’s Doug Barry, Sam Guzman of “The Catholic Gentleman,” and Major Jeff Heller to prepare Catholics to be strong spiritually and completely at peace before the now-annual 54-day novena begins. It ends on October 7, the Feast of the Holy Rosary, with nationwide rosary rallies. The campaign will consist of blog posts and videos on how Catholics can grow spiritually, physically, and mentally.
“Applied to our nation’s desire to avoid war, President Ronald Reagan famously stated, ‘We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.’ Yet, this is all too true when we apply it to our own spiritual lives,” wrote Heilman. “God wants to walk with you in verdant pastures of tranquil repose and beside restful waters. Yes! God wants you to be happy and at ‘peace.’”
“But, how do we get to this place of peace?” he asked. “God has revealed the prescription in so many ways that all boil down to: ‘When you are well-connected with Me and supernaturally strong, you will find peace.’ Moreover, if you are supernaturally strong – ‘grace shields up!’ – and ready for anything, the devil and his minions are less apt to disturb your peace. Yes, ‘Peace Through Strength.’”
“Powerful, diabolical forces are stopping at nothing to throw everything they have at whatever is good, holy and Godly in our society.”
This challenge will make Catholics “better soldiers for Christ – body, mind, and soul,” said Barry, the hardy straightforward apologist who will focus on helping people be more disciplined about exercise and what they eat during this campaign. Those three entities “work wonderfully in concert with one another to do the will of God in our world.”
“Laziness is probably the number one reason” why people avoid exercising, healthy eating, and prayer, Barry said in a motivational video for day one of the challenge.
“We need to care for the body, the mind and the soul,” he told LifeSiteNews. “We need to exercise the physical part of who we are, the intellectual part of who we are and the spiritual part of who we are. Many people do not take these three areas of their life seriously. Some focus on one or two but not all three. God gave us the body, mind and soul. When we care for them we are better prepared to do the will of God and we are better Christians for our own sake and for others.”
“Some people will focus on caring for one or two of these but not all three,” said Barry. “That's like one or two legs of a tripod not doing their job.”
“‘I’m Going In’ is the battle cry of every warrior who accepts the challenge of putting their very life on the line in battle,” wrote Heilman, who frequently notes that Christian life is a battle. “But, when it comes to spiritual warfare, I must know that ‘I’m going in’ with the strength of supernatural power!”
Quoting Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Heilman encouraged the faithful to “fight for holiness” by praying the rosary and receiving the Sacraments.
“In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI said, ‘The real problem at this moment of our history is that God is disappearing from the human horizon and, with the dimming of the light which comes from God, humanity is losing its bearings, with increasingly evident destructive effects,’” the priest recalled. “We all see this; we know this is going on. What is needed is warrior[-]minded individuals – God loving, God fearing, Rosary praying, Sacrament receiving Catholics who have the courage to step in the fight; to engage the battle; to say ‘I’m Going In!’”
Those interested can sign up for daily “Peace Through Strength” reflections here. Participants are encouraged to pray a Morning Offering each day, avail themselves of the Sacraments and frequent Confession, fast, pray the rosary, wear the brown scapular, go to Eucharistic Adoration, and practice other traditional Catholic devotions.