Purity Struggles? Angelic Warfare (Fr Penna)

This is the second conversation with Fr Penna on this topic. Angelic Warfare Confraternity, a powerful devotion rooted in the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas and entrusted to the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

These prayers address every dimension of the human person—not only external behavior, but the senses, imagination, memory, intellect, will, and conscience. They show why the struggle for purity is not won by willpower alone, but through grace, prayer, and spiritual warfare.

Transcript

Father Penn, welcome back. It's great to be I'm always happy here. Why is that? Is it because of you and all the gift that Mary gives to us? Including the flies. We have a fly coming around here. That's okay. It's Saskatchewan. Last time we talked about the angelic warfare confront Trinity as a powerful gift of the church to us to live a life of purity. Yes. Uh we gave the overall picture of this devotion last time. and we'll link maybe in the description if a person has missed that video. But today I thought in this devotion in this confront there's 15 prayers that a person says. Would you do you think it would be worthwhile just to walk us through some of them or all of them and and why they are particularly relevant in terms of living purity? Yes, I'd love to do that. And beginning also with a point that Matthew just made when we were discussing beforehand. These prayers are not just for the people of the confraternity. You don't have to be a member of the confraternity to say these prayers. Okay. There you are. That the confraternity takes it to a different level. Okay. Okay. Because it's you're promising that you're going to do this in a very regular way. That's why you don't join clubs that you're not going to participate in. Okay. However, like as I do often in the confessional, I will give prayers from the confraternity to people particularly addressing struggles that they have. The prayers are bookended by two prayers, one by St. Thomas Aquinas and another to St. Thomas Aquinas. And it is the understanding the great rich understanding of the human person and what it means to be a person that by St. Thomas that informs the way in which the prayers are addressed allowing as I think I said before us to anoint by the power of the word of God and by prayer and by the intercession of Mary all those dimensions of us. I experience it as a coming together of a inner focusing of all the things that affect me into the depth of through my senses into my intellectual life and then leads leading me out again to what to living a life in the lord. So there is that kind of movement that happens in the prayers. Okay, let me just I think it's good to just sort of identify in the short form how they move. Okay, first of all, well maybe a little bit more a couple of words. It begins by looking at what our social and cultural environment. We are people that are incarnate in a time. And so the prayers then that uh we make are ones with to open our eyes to this reality that is around us and ask God to anoint it. I think it's really good for us to hear the word of God that is attached to each one of these 15 intercessions. If you do the long form and what it says. So the society we pray for it around us. We pray from ro Romans in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. There we go. This is a journey not of guilt but of victory. Victory. The next thing it goes to our relationships. Okay. And those are the contexts for much of our struggles and much of our in many ways of living a kind of freeing life. Let us pray according to St. Peter, having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren. We pray that the love that is sincere of a good strong heart is wanting the good of the other, not our own pleasure. Yes. not treating them as an object. Yes. And it opens our eyes like we one of the things I guess again about the challenge of we don't realize we're looking at people. These are human beings. They're brothers and sisters. Many of them were baptized, you know. So to see that, how dare I have a relationship of looking in on someone doing something so intimate when I know that's also almost always exploitative. People are making money off of other people. Okay. Then how do I live? And I think this is a very good one. Now I kind of get away with this because it goes, "Dear Jesus, bless our efforts at modesty." Well, here I am in a cassich, right? Can't get more modest than that. Except it's also a look to the kind of things that I might say and the kind of language that I use. But modesty being very attentive to how we bring ourselves into the world. I'll tell you, I'd love weddings. That's a whole thing now. What brides are are wearing more and more. It seems to be less and less. When I was a young priest, I remember once throwing a tablecloth over one group of uh they were not very happy of bridesmaids when they showed up and I went, "Oh dear." You know, anyway, it's also very strange to me because the only person that really gets a good look at the bride during the whole mass or the wedding is the priest cuz we're looking at her and him. He's looking straight ahead and everyone else sees her back. So, I'm going, well, you know, I think sometimes I should have glasses that are like this. I am a human being. Bless our five senses. And now we begin to go from these kind of relationships more into ourselves, our senses. And so we ask for God's blessing upon them. Seek the things that are above. Wow. That isn't just my sensual pleasure that's so easily satisfied nowadays. That's the great thing about technology is it shortens the distance between what you want and what you and achieving it. You can you can just see anything you want and you can order any like you don't have to go hungry.Oop, Boop boop boop, you know, meals on No, it's not meals on wheels. It's basically the same thing is right there at the door. Everything's immediate. Yes. And it just gets us all disconcerted with that. So the senses to our sensuality to our imagination. So sensuality is again in your struggle you have not resisted to the point of shedding your blood. We are struggling against being overcome by our senses. How many people like have everyone has a every house has a cross everyone has a burden and much of them is to do with sensuality because we are human beings who long to eat and the as I said as we said before there's so much available to us that we can become glutton like you can spend in like three hours scrolling if you're I don't do you know Tik Tok I hear you just And all I I sometimes do you find yourself like all of a sudden here you are looking at hoof trimming like that's one of my things I love looking at the the yeah you know it's I I love things to do with farms. I really I my the dream one day would be to retire to a farm. So, I love hook trimming videos and raising and I'm going time that could be spent elsewhere. Yeah. And so many and it's a real it's daydreaming is and but it's not that isn't as good as just the daydreaming of sitting there and thinking because again I'm only daydreaming about what is being I'm only being uh stimulated in my senses to what interests me and it can become gluttonous like food. you can't stop eating. So there is a need for fasting and so sensuality is to be tempered for a virtuous life. So that's right there. Then it goes to a place where the devil can really get into us. That's our imagination.

We have to be careful what we look at because we are what we eat. We are very careful of now become very conscious of what we put into our body. What do we put into our minds? There are certain things that uh I've seen and that I've tasted and that I've heard that I can't that's in that whole pattern of my my way of thinking and imagination and we have to pray that as it does in here that the demons are not able to assert bring them together in different ways. It'll often be that people will tell me that at the most holy moments in their lives at holy places even priests elders and I know it for my own my own self too that the devil will bring together all kinds of images to just get you off and I think that we are we have to be very very careful that's why this prayer and what's the response be renewed in the spirit of your minds keep we may be preserved from fantasies and daydreams that defile us that all impure images may vanish and that we may be protected from all the assaults of the demons from the imagination. Uh we go to memory

as you get older. I find this also with people in confession. They become troubled by things that happen when they are young. Okay? And though I tell them look it has been forgiven unless they purposefully there's a lot of times that people are so ashamed of something and it's usually around something to do with sexuality and often things that very serious things that were they were hurt and abused by someone and they've internalized it. the amazing healing that happens in the confessional. So that you can't just dismiss what comes from people. But the memory brings back these things and the healing of memory is is that possible? Absolutely. And it is that's what we ask for here. Grant that no dark p memories from our past may haunt us. You know, it's really a an important thing to know the forgiveness of God penetrates even to that that we think was so awful that put us on that where we used someone or we were used by someone sexually or stealing from whatever is the dark memories but particularly around our disease. The psalmist says, "Oh Lord, forgive me for the sins of my youth and my foolishness." And the youth and foolishness is strange. As I get older and I listen to older people, it comes back. And I try and with I've actually learning from praying this. I say, "Well, that is now anointed with healing." When you think of that, that's been forgiven. So you remember how much loved you are. Affectives. That's a really interesting point. So that that memory is true. I mean it cannot be true. We were remembering a past our past we've committed a grave sin and now how the truth about is if we've confessed that we've been forgiven and remembering back to that reveals how much we are actually loved because God has forgiven. Yes. that great offense and he and remember it reminds us this is I'm I'm loved.

Can you unpack that that thought again? Yes. Jesus says the one who forgives little is forgiven little loves little. All right. Remember that. So that really you look at the lives of the saints. There are some really big sinners. Mhm. See think of Augustine. He had a particular struggle around purity and it really led him to all different kinds of religious tests and things like that and relationships and so in love late have I loved you oh Lord and all of a sudden all that was the past is flooded when I absolve people you know I use the same words that happens at the consecration you know let pour forth your spirit may the spirit of God was poured into the world for the forgi poured into all the places and all the cracks are now filled. Okay. And I I I really when people come to me to do general confession say I want to make it very clear most of the things that they've said they've already been forgiven but this is a renewal in the power of the mercy of God of all the lingering effects of that memory upon them. And it's lingered and it's renewed and forgiven because the priest says, "May God absolve you from these and all your sins." Even even that. We'll get back to the conversation in just a second. But a question for you. If you've been blessed by this video, you could help us out in a couple very simple ways. Firstly, like and share this video. YouTube is going to see that and then suggest this message out to a larger audience. So that's something simple you could do. Secondly, could you pray for us? We're always in need of grace and we'd greatly appreciate your prayers. And thirdly, if it is possible, consider supporting our mission at cannonjanel.com. Your support allows us to continue producing videos just like the one you're watching. So, thank you so much for the consideration. Now, back to the conversation. What's our next one? Sure. Yes. Well, it goes through affectivity that we have to learn how to temper our desires for pleasures, right? training us to reject things that are just godless. Right? For example, we might get a lot of pleasure out of watching violent movies. You need violent, violent, violent, violent, violent. Poof. That's not so good. Train your train your mind. If you need violence, go and read the lives of the martyrs. You'll get your life full of violence conquered by by by great things. So, be careful about and we ask God to live a way of living devoutly in this age. And our blessed mother is there as a mother to encourage us. Now we turn to our our intellect of the pure. We've moved through the the the dimensions of our uh of our mind to the place of the pure intellect that we might be freed. And here is a really important thing that stands out. May I just read a little bit? Yes. Grant that it may be purged of all false beliefs and all misunder understandings of human sexuality and that the good angels may flood our intellects with thoughts that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and gracious. In our training of our young people to live a life, a human life incarnate, where are the words true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and gracious? See, there is a one of the things about the social reality that becomes part of our way of thinking is and the way that we've been trained is that some very strong false beliefs. I think about this whole uh this whole discussion around gender and sex and all the rest of it. There are all kinds of strange things that come into it. And even in theology, a lot of people who come in and say, and it's always been a temptation in the church, oh, it doesn't matter like what you do sexually because Jesus has, you know, redeemed everything. And don't be caught up with all that sort of G. These are all false false insights. They are not worthy of us. And we have to be really confronting in all of that. And our blessed virgin mother who really taught her son, you know, taught her son how and thereby teaches us how to think. Mary taught her her human son how to think. God used her in that way. We we we have to remember the incarnate he became fully human and so she still does that for us as St. Paul says there's any excellence anything worthy of praise think about these things to fill your minds with good thoughts good ideas and to train yourself to read and approach good things. Can I go back to the imagination? Yeah. just for a moment because this has everything to do with your and this is the wisdom of my father because he's you know he didn't grow up at all with any of this sort of affection uh being affected by but he saw that amongst younger and he said I know the way of healing it pick like good images beautiful images of the saints that's what you want to bring in and the same thing happens here read and expose yourself to the right way of thinking. Our educators today, unfortunately, teach people what to think and then equip them about how to defend what they think rather than to teach them how to think critically, prayerfully, humbly, looking for excellence with an attitude of discovery rather than defensiveness. See in other words the intellect is a really how we form it is absolutely essential in all of this. So the intellect then that becomes the next thing our will. What do so what what prayer are we on? We're on number 11. We're coming to the end. So will will is number 11. Will is number 11. And there we go. And the prayer is help me Lord to say what Mary said yes to you because there will always be a word that comes in our process. Help me to learn to say yes to you in my life so that when I come to places where I'm temp I just say yes. I just I Yeah. Cuz remember that's who God is. The yes to truth. God gives us the power for all of that. Conscience. Yes. Grant that it be be that's number 12. Swift to judge what is chased, swifter to execute it, and preserve it completely from the suggestions of demons which say to us always number one, well, what they really say, they say to us, well, this is easy. It doesn't really matter, you know, it's just natural. I remember once hearing confessions in Italy and so I'm not sort of revealing it there's no possibilities and it was in a place and I I started the person hadn't gone to confession for a long time and I went through as Germans were doing all the commandments you know we got to the sex and he said

these are sexual kind of sins inappropri

Yeah. Yeah. No, it is that. But we are called to something supernatural. Okay. And that's what happens is that word that says it's all natural. But really what's going underneath that suggestion of the evil one in our conscience is that you are unloved, unloving, and unlovable. The word conscience means to know to have wisdom with con another. Who forms your knowledge? Are you doing it with God or are you letting worldly thinking become yours? Because you're doing it with the world that exposes you to the brokenness of the evil one. Woe is your partner in knowing. You're never alone. That's what conscience tells us. So we get into trouble. We say, "Well, I have to follow my conscience indeed." And who in your conscience are you following? That's why the church teaches you have to have a properly formed conscience. You have to walk with God in your conscience because otherwise you're just caught with feelings. That's what the world says. What do you feel? They mix those two. Conscience and feeling. So you see what happens in these prayers. Now this these kind of prayers, this all doesn't happen once. You say, "Oh, father, I'm not going to pray these things. I've been there for a half hour thing." You know what happens often? I don't know, Matthew, if you find this sometimes it you it will this is an issue right now in your life and it will jump out at you one of these things because at this point now having gone into that now the whole context and purpose of this in the last three uh petitions hearts the grace of self-surrender and give us your love. Now, what is this all about? So that we can live in the way that all of our desire to fulfill our desire for pleasure that screams me me, but is really a our way of desperately trying to shut up the voice of the old accuser who accuses us night and day unloved, unlovable, unloving by dissipation of all of that stuff. Now love is set free. Free for what? To not have to put our pleasure in myself first. To live, as I like telling my couples when they get married, to live the Italian way of saying I love you. See, we have a weird word in English. We say I love you. And we're, despite having the largest vocabulary in the world, English is huge. We have very few words about love. Man, I love that coffee. That was a great movie last night. I really loved it. Oh, good lunch the other day. I love my new car. Oh, and I love you, my dear. Same word for all these different things. Now, when you say to your child, I love you, you're not saying love in the same way as loving coffee. That's equivocal ways of doing it, right? And the problem is the way you say it. I love you. It's the wrong way of saying love because the first word there is I in Italian what we say to those who are intimately close to us we can say to but to those like your child your partner your bestest bestest friend you say that's how you say I love you for you I want the good that's how you say I love you no word of anything. This is what I want. I love this. This gives me pleasure. I Yes, it's the self-surrender. And that self-surrender is the way of Jesus's love. And so this whole process then is a way of bringing us back to the great mystery of understanding how equipped we are by the God who became flesh with us. a high priest who is tempted in every way that we have that we can be yet without sin allowing us to approach the mercy seat. And when we pray these prayers, it's once again a way every day of approaching the mercy seat of God. Thanks for asking about this. You're welcome. Um this is this is really amazing because so that covers all the prayers. It really what stands out to me is it really covers all aspects and dimensions of the human person. It really does. And so you're asking God's grace into every area you're asking I'm assuming that after each prayer then you're asking the intercession of the blessed virgin Mary. You say so the short form you just say for social and cultural climate hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed and you just do it. You name it. Look it naming is really important. Jesus always asked the name when you of demons and uh any powers. You know that when you know someone's name, you have power over it. I'm walking down the street and you say, "Hey, father, most intelligent and best looking I've ever seen. I'll stop because I know you're talking about me." No, you know my name, Father Steven, and you okay, you have power over me. Like that's why you you know, you say the name of your child, boom, we Christians are given the name of God. I mean, it's just really quite amazing. But Jesus always asked you want to know the name like when you go for diagnosis. So you name and there is now power and what are you going to do with that? Give it to Mary and it's just it's just this kind of basic sort of gift of pause in the day as you said of all the dimensions of who you are. Well we'll link at the end of this video these prayers so people can pray the long form short form. I'll put it in the description. Uh I'll refer people back now to the previous conversation we had because that kind of gives a greater greater context to what we just talked about. Anything else you want to close with? Yeah. Yeah. A link and I think we'll put it at the bottom to the uh to the confraternity angelic warfare confraternity to go there because everything is available there. uh and just know everybody that's watching that we in the confraternity are praying for you and to download and to pray these prayers for and just allow a little bit of that gift into your life. It doesn't take much time and also be filled with hope. We live in a really antibody time. We don't for all of our talk of stuff, we dislike our humanity. We think it's something that we can put on, take off, remold, refashion. It's God's gift. It's not the playground of the evil one. Because our body right now, for those of us who are baptized, is already the resurrected body that will live for eternity. plunged into the baptismal waters. Our bodies already share in resurrection that will never be taken away from us except that we close that power of the resurrection in any dimension of who we are. And so that's why it's really good to be people who delight in the gift of who we are, who savor the gifts of beauty and goodness and truth, and to live with a kind of joy and freedom like Mary. Okay. Thanks, Father. You're welcome. Thank you, Ken. It's always great to be out here. And thank you, Matthew.

And the flies went Yeah.