Erie — In order to win the “war within,” Dr. John R. Wood recommends a five-pronged approach, but it starts with three key words.

“Our mission is to serve,” said Dr. Wood of the Findley-Tiffin area in the Diocese of Toledo, an eye doctor and Catholic evangelist and author of the 2012 book “Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Mission.”

Dr. Wood spoke during a Lenten mission March 4-6 at St. Joseph Parish in Erie.

“We use the bywords of ‘inspire, desire and fire.’ Our hope is to inspire people to encounter God — giving them the desire to know Him better and to create a spiritual fire in their hearts, to share the faith with other people.”

His five-step plan was punctuated by musical therapist and acoustical guitarist Cassandra Acree of New Reigel, Ohio.

The first step? “Choose a saint and become a saint,” Dr. Wood said, adding that in the race toward holiness, the opponent is the same: oneself.

While defeating one’s own temptations is key to making progress toward spiritual growth, Dr. Wood stressed that recognizing the enemy’s influence is an important second step.

“The evil one’s tenet is that ‘God is not good,’” Dr. Wood said, describing Satan as living “in a hole of lies” and offering a counterfeit living. One of the main lies of evil includes the fallacy that, “if God really loves you, how could you suffer?”

“The more you know your opponent, the more likely you are to defeat them,” he said.

The third step, he said, is to free oneself from the distractions that tempt us away from God — including unplugging from the complex world of technology if such technology takes the focus off God.

“If modern technology does not give the truth, it does not belong in your home,” Dr. Wood said, warning parents to safeguard their children from the dangers on the Internet.

Everything an individual needs to become a saint is contained in the Catholic faith, Dr. Wood continued. Therefore, for the Church to flourish, people must become invested in their faith — starting with their own parish.

Dr. Wood cited that only 7 percent of Catholics are engaged in their parish outside of Mass, according to Matthew Kelly of the Dynamic Catholic Institute.

“If everyone were as involved in their faith as that 7 percent, a sleeping giant known as the Catholic Church would awaken,” Dr. Wood said.

If Jesus and the sacraments are the “shield” with which Catholics can defend themselves against the devil’s attacks, the final step is to go on the offensive with the “sword” of evangelization, he added.

“Rebuild the culture of life,” Dr. Wood told those gathered. “You have to be the life of the world, and that is what Jesus Christ is calling us to be.”

After Dr. Wood’s presentation, Acree led the congregation in singing praise and worship.

“I have a strong passion and it is to share the faith with others,” Dr. Wood told The Michigan Catholic after the talk. “The Catholic Church is ingenious and it helps us to be better people — including parents, employers and all aspects of life. We want to pass that faith on to others.”

‘Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Mission: 5 Steps to Winning the War Within’

By Dr. John R. Wood

Beacon Publishing (2012)

192 pages

$14.93

Amazon.com