Dear Eleazar, I do so wish that I could tell you where I am.  I am certain that as you backpack across Europe this summer (a generous graduation present, if I might say so – my sister always was one for nice gifts) you will very nearly pass by my doorstep.  Alas! If I mention anything remotely indicating the nature of my imprisonment or the location of my captors, my last and greatest comfort (email) will be taken from me, and I doubt that as yet I am strong enough to endure such torture.  In any case, as you travel (or should I say wander?) around, count on the accompaniment of my prayers. Since one of the objectives in this vernal trek of yours is discerning your next step in life, I will take the opportunity to remind of an important factor: the devil.  Society tries to convince us not only that God is habitually irrelevant, but also that the devil is a mere concoction of the medieval imagination. Nothing could be further from the hard and bitter truth.  To disbelieve in the devil, you would have to disbelieve in Christ himself, since in the Gospels Jesus repeatedly speaks of about Satan, has run-ins with Satan, casts out demon after demon, and never once tries to explain to his benighted followers that the devil does not exist.  As St Paul puts it, “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.” (Ephesians 6:12) Therefore, keep in mind that just because an idea occurs to you, that doesn’t mean that it comes from God.  And just because you feel an attraction to something or someone, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should act on it. And just because you find a good excuse to disobey the quiet urging of your conscience, that doesn’t mean you should accept it. No, my dear nephew, you are not the only one interested in God’s plan for your life; you want to discover and follow it, but the devil wants to lead you down any other path he can find (sometimes he even reluctantly points out paths that are good, as long as it will keep you off the path that is better). Today’s saint can help keep you on your guard.  Elizabeth entered one of the largest German convents of her times when she was just 12 and professed her vows when she was 18.  Her determination to make her life a pleasing offering to God never wavered; even in the face of continual ill health and spiritual torments, she wore a hair shirt (like a very rough undershirt that causes constant and sometimes maddening discomfort) and an iron chain.  During her twenties, God allowed the devil to tempt her in horrible ways. Demons would appear to her, in her cell and elsewhere, and mock, mimic, and threaten her. Satan himself would appear to her in different guises, once as a huge black bull, once as a raging black inferno, once as a herd of grotesque goats.  Perhaps some souls destined for great holiness have at various times been deterred by such attacks, but Elizabeth only increased her fervor, her faith, and her obedience, and God graced her with equally remarkable consolations (ecstasies during Mass and community prayers, visions of scenes from the life of Christ, etc.).   Although the devil may prefer to use different tactics these days, we can rest assured that he is still hard at work, “prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)  After all, his hatred of God and those who love God knows no respite. Don’t be scared – our Lord has conquered death and evil and will be faithful – but do be prudent, making your trip more of a pilgrimage than a party.  And don’t forget to pray. Love, Uncle Eddy

Dear Bess, How’s life on Madison Avenue?  I was glad to hear that you roped such a prestigious summer job/internship (your talents will be shrewdly and fully exploited by those ravenous professionals, but they will also be developed by the rigorous work), but I frowned when I heard how much money you’ll be making.  You need to be careful, my dear pecuniary-inclined niece; you have a tendency to like nice things more than they deserve to be liked. Of course, this gift of appreciating the finer things can be both a blessing and a curse. With it you can be an example of elegance and gentility in a world of vulgar immodesty; the way you dress, dine, and carry yourself can be a kind of billboard for the graciousness and loveliness of God and his Kingdom.  But you could also easily fall prey to vanity, avarice, and intemperance, spending too much money on all the “right” clothes and the “right” accessories, spending too much time with the “right” crowd, and spilling out your natural charm and intelligence on the dry sands of making the right “connections.” Clearly, Christ has an interest in evangelizing Madison Avenue just as much as Main Street, Small Town, USA – maybe even more so, since Madison Avenue has such a powerful influence over what happens on Main Street – and obviously he has put you there to take up the task (you can’t do it alone, though; your first step will need to be finding or “recruiting” some other men and women of the Kingdom), but be aware that he is sending you like a “sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10:16). You may want to keep the example of today’s saint in mind and ask him to be the “patron” of your summer.  At first, it might seem an odd choice. After all, St Bessarion retreated to the deserts of Egypt for an internship with St Anthony and St Macarius, two of the Church’s greatest recluses – so what could he have to do with the teeming throngs of Manhattan?  A lot, I think. He became a paragon of Christian charity and a powerful instrument of God’s love: for the good of poor people he constantly ran across, he performed a slew of miracles, turning salt water fresh, bringing rain in times of draught, walking across the Nile, expelling demons… Wherever he went, he brought lost and hardened souls closer to God.  And the secret to his holiness was detachment.  Instead of hoarding the good things of this world, he used them as springboards, as rungs of a ladder that led him closer and closer to the heart of the God who had created them.  Thus, he never had a fixed place of residence, but wandered barefoot, observing long periods of silence and excruciating fasts. Once he spent forty days standing in prayer amidst a hedge of brambles.  He was determined to use all earthly goods as opportunities to praise and serve God, and never let them capture his heart. So, as you find yourself hobnobbing with the wealthy and beautiful of the world, keeping up a spiritual correspondence with St Bessarion could serve as a kind of secret weapon, a way for you to keep first things first so that you don’t end up losing them altogether. Keep the faith, Uncle Eddy