Feb 1 Sat - From Doubting Thomas to Doubting Peter?

 

Feb 1 Sat
From Doubting Thomas to Doubting Peter?
As good Catholics, we should pray for the Pope; and for a succeeding pope.

Ralph Fiennes in the role of a cardinal in the movie ‘Conclave’, declares,
“Over the course of many years of service to our mother, the Church, there is one sin which I have come to fear above all others: certainty.

"Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance.

"Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there were only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery and, therefore, no need for faith.

"Let us pray that God grants us a pope who doubts….” [End of quote]

No, let’s not.

We ought not to pray that God grants us a pope who “doubts” that Catholicism manifests the truth to the world and its destiny, for our healing and salvation. We ought not to pray for a pope who “doubts” that the name of Jesus “is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).”

We ought not to pray for a pope who inverts the roles of Thomas and Peter such that Doubting Thomas becomes Doubting Peter.

Doubt is not the passageway to mystery. In the Christian understanding of the term, a “mystery” is a supernatural reality whose meaning can never be fully grasped intellectually, but which can be confidently grasped in love. Nor is certainty “the deadly enemy of tolerance.”

Ignorance, arrogance, and false belief are the deadly enemies of tolerance. Some of the most intolerant people in the Western world today are those who have abandoned any notion that truth can be known with surety, and who seek to impose their skepticism, relativism, and nihilism on everyone else through the coercive force of the law.

Nor is faith an irrational dive into the unknown, a psychological comfort blanket in a frightening world of doubt. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

And Christian faith is “a living thing,” not because it walks hand in hand with doubt but because it grows, as the grace of God and the use of our God-given intelligence drive us ever more deeply into an encounter with the mystery of God’s creative, redeeming, and sanctifying love. The ‘living parts’ of the world Church today proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, with humility but also with boldness and firm conviction. The ‘dying parts’ of the world Church wring their hands and offer the Gospel of Maybe.

We should certainly pray for a pope who knows his limitations, and who understands that the charism of infallibility does not make him an oracle of wisdom on a myriad of issues. We should certainly pray for a pope who knows his need for sage counsel, who invites respectful criticism and squarely faces his errors of prudential judgment: a pope who does not govern autocratically. We should, above all, pray for a pope who kneels before the divine mystery as revealed in Scripture and Tradition, and who understands that he is the servant of the Deposit of Faith, not its master.

But a pope who doubts? No, thank you. Humility, yes. But doubt? No. A willingness to acknowledge the difficulties that many have in accepting Christ? Yes. But doubt that Jesus Christ is the unique Savior of the world, the One who reveals the full truth about both God and us?

Please God, no.

Excerpts from George Weigel

Jan 31 Fri - As a Christian, should I take care of my health?

 

Jan 31 Fri
As a Christian, should I take care of my health?
We have the duty of looking after our health to serve God. Life is a gift from God, that we want to spend in his service. And the same goes for our health. Thus, good health is something to be appreciated. But at the same time, we should not be over-concerned about our health. And we obey the physician’s indications.

We should use all available means to prevent anyone from becoming physically exhausted due to work or other causes. Such physical exhaustion often leads to a psychological breakdown and saps the vital energy necessary for the interior struggle. God's grace ordinarily counts on our natural strength.

We must look after ourselves in all the ways dictated by common sense. However, we are also called to exercise detachment as to bodily health. If we fulfill the norms of prudence and nevertheless fall ill, then we offer that illness up to God. We must always be ready to bear what He wants, with all patience and joy. In the end, only God gives healing, life, and blessing.

Besides taking care of ourselves we must also ask God for good health. St Augustine writes: “If God knows that it is useful for you, He will grant it to you. If He does not give it to you, it is because it is better for you not to have it."

If God permits an illness - whether prolonged or merely passing - we must accept it and be thankful, because it is a means of purification. As St Gregory the Great says: “Illness shows us our weakness and restores the soul; it purifies it from sins committed in the past and keeps us from sins we could commit. Physical suffering makes us silent and patient, reminds us of our guilt, and draws our attention to all the evil we have done. And so, when we suffer in our body, we have even greater sorrow for our sins. Through the wound of the body, the hidden wound of the heart is purified all the more."

St. Josemaría: “When physical pain can be removed, it should be. There are enough sufferings in life! And when we cannot get rid of it, we offer it up."

“We cannot allow ourselves the luxury of being sick. What I ask of God is that he keeps me in good health until half an hour before I die. There is so much to be done; we need to be fit and well to work for God. That is why you must look after yourselves, so that you die very old, squeezed out like a lemon, accepting God's will as of now."

When we are sick, what a marvelous opportunity it gives us to accept all the care that others offer us, and doing whatever they tell us to do. And what a chance to be grateful for their love. They never hesitate to go out of their way to look after someone who is ill, since they know that a sick person is the treasure of the house.

Illness is another chance to abandon and give ourselves into God’s loving hands.

Video:

Jan 30 Thu - Can some kind of action be always bad?

 

Jan 30 Thu
Can some kind of action be always bad?
In a human act, we must distinguish,
(a) the Object of the Action,
(b) the Intention of the doer, and
(c) other Circumstances and consequences.
Normally, we choose a course of action—a moral object—to achieve an end. Thus, to find if an action is good, we must consider not only the consequences of the act and not only the good intentions but first, the moral object of the act, which is to say: what we are actually doing.

The object of a human act may be good (praying), bad (lying), or indifferent (taking a walk).

Here, though, it is easy to blind ourselves. We try to create “non-moral” categories of acts. A bank robber may justify himself by saying, “I am just putting papers in a bag.” Yet the object of a robbery is not transferring money from one place to another, but its unjust appropriation.

There are concrete acts that are always wrong to choose because their choice entails a moral evil. One may not do evil so that good may result from it. These actions are incapable of being ordered to God because they contradict the good of the person. These are moral objects that the Church calls “intrinsically evil;” they are bad always and per se on account of their very object, without considering the intentions of the doer or the circumstances.

The morality of the object and the intention may not be the same. For example, someone could cheat a client (bad object) to pay his employees’ salaries (good intention), or send a gift (good object) to bribe an official (bad intention).

When the object chosen is in itself indifferent, a good or bad intention makes the action good or bad, respectively.
A good intention makes a good object better. If the object is bad, the action becomes less bad, but never completely good. Thus, it is never licit to do something bad for a good end. “The end does not justify the means.”
A grievously evil intention makes a good object result in a bad action. A bad object becomes a worse action.

Some widespread errors are:
Subjectivism, that reduces morality to the good intentions of the agent, judged by subjective criteria.

A false conception of the Fundamental Option declares, that once the person has chosen the right “fundamental option” or orientation in his life, he would not be accountable for the mortal sins he commits, as long as he does not change his overall attitude.

Consequentialism claims that the morality of an action depends exclusively on the consequences resulting from the choice of action (a technical way of stating that the end can sometimes justify the means).

Proportionalism maintains that the morality of an action can be measured solely by weighing the good effects being sought by the doer and comparing them with the resulting bad effects.

Both, Consequentialism and Proportionalism, maintain that it is impossible to establish a kind of actions that are morally wrong in every circumstance and every culture.

Video: 

Jan 29 Wed - May a member of Opus Dei participate in any association or political group?

 

Jan 29 Wed
May a member of Opus Dei participate in any association or political group?
Ten rules from Saint Josemaría.

In Opus Dei there is room for people of any political option, even the extreme left, but “as long as they defend the values of the Gospel.”

Mariano Fazio, Auxiliary Vicar of Opus Dei, summarizes the thought of the founder of the Work for those who participate in public life.

1. Avoid a “double life,” private and public.
Avoid “lack of coherence between what one believes and what one lives,” which leads to “inconsistencies between natural morality or Christian doctrine and some actions in the social life of Catholics.” Some hardly want to hear of their civic duties.”

2. “Do not remain passive” in the face of secularism, which persecutes the Church, relegating her out of the public life and, preventing her from intervening in education, in culture, and in family life.”

3. Fidelity to the doctrine, and respect for the person.
“We must not confuse intransigence with intemperance, and conciliation with giving up rights or truths that cannot be cheapened...We cannot place error on the same plane as truth, but we must welcome those who are in error with great compassion.”

4. Friendly concession or “yielding in what is open to opinion.” It means “living in continual conversation with our companions, our friends, with all souls who come close to us.”

5. Dealing with those who oppose the Church.
We must “bring our companions closer to what we consider the truth,” even those who hate Jesus Christ. “Those give us great pity, so we must treat them with affection, help them to find faith, drown evil in an abundance of good.”

6. The best service is to give doctrine.
“A great part of the troubles in the world are due to ignorance of Christian principles.

7. “Do not abandon politics in the hands of the enemies of the Church,” leaving political tasks in the hands of those who do not know or do not practice the law of God, or oppose His Holy Church.”

8. Advice for government: Aim at the common good.
“Know how to distribute responsibilities, surround yourselves with learned and morally upright persons and not with mediocre ones, and make decisions by listening to colleagues.

9. Do not comply with laws that are so only in name.
St. Josemaría invites us to “respect valid laws that are in accord with the natural law” and that “recognize and protect the dignity of the human person,” but not to comply with fake laws that are valid in name only.

10. Social justice in the face of atheistic Marxism.
The Christian “cannot remain indifferent in the face of social injustice. If the spiritual life is authentic, it must lead to closeness to those suffering. Otherwise, one would fall into a subjectivist religiosity.”

“If by left we mean welfare for the poor, to satisfy the right to live with a minimum of comfort, to work, to be well cared for if they get sick, to have children and be able to educate them, then I am more to the left than anyone else. Naturally, within the social doctrine of the Church and without compromises with Marxism, atheistic materialism, or anti-Christian class struggle, because in these things we cannot compromise.”

Video:

Jan 28 Tue - Was the resurrection of Christ a historical event?

 

Jan 28 Tue
Was the resurrection of Christ a historical event?

Joe Rogan, in his podcast, has often had on guests to discuss Christianity though always maintaining a strong level of skepticism. He is a fallen-away Catholic who has not been shy about expressing disdain for the Church.

During their conversation, Gibson and Rogan talked about the Shroud of Turin and whether or not Christ rose from the dead.

“I regard the Gospels as history … verifiable history. Some people say, ‘It’s a fairytale, He never existed.’ But He did,” Gibson remarked.

“The resurrection is what is the most difficult for people to swallow. That is the one that requires the most faith,” Rogan replied. “Do you believe that was a real event?”

“Yeah, I do,” Gibson emphatically stated.

Gibson then explained that he was raised as a Catholic but that as he got older, he embraced his faith even more than before by studying but also “through reading and putting things together … and some events in my life.”

Rogan discussed the resurrection with many other guests, including musician Kid Rock and Protestant Wesley Huff in December 2024.

“How do you fact-check someone coming back from the dead?” Rogan asked Huff while admitting that Christ’s teachings have changed the lives of “billions of people.”

Huff cited 1 Corinthians where St. Paul said Christ’s resurrected body was seen by more than 400 people.

During Rogan’s conversation with Rock, he asked, “Do you think there’s a real Jesus? … What makes you so convinced?”

“My faith,” Rock replied.

“I think the concept of Jesus is absolutely amazing,” Rogan responded. “I’m very interested in the idea of Jesus being a real person.”

Kid Rock ended up asking Joe Rogan if he would like to know Jesus.

Then Gibson brought up the Shroud of Turin, which is the cloth that bears the imprint of the Body of Our Lord on it.

“They don’t understand how it was made; which to me is very fascinating because it’s not a paint,” Rogan said. “No one knows what caused the image itself and how that technology could’ve even been around at the time.”

“It wasn’t,” an excited Gibson responded. “An intense light — I mean, thermonuclear light” left a “photographic imprint.”

Gibson then explained that the hairstyle of the image of the man on the Shroud was typical of a Hebrew from the first century, and that he was about six feet tall and had scourges on his crucified body.

“The pollen that they found attached to the cloth was from that region (Middle East), and the weave (of the cloth) is a first-century weave,” he said.

Gibson also revealed to Rogan that Jim Caviezel will again be starring as Jesus Christ in his forthcoming film “The Resurrection of the Christ” which will begin filming in 2026. In remarks about “The Passion of The Christ,” the two took time to admire Caviezel’s portrayal of Our Lord while mentioning that in both of their estimations, the actor played Christ better than any other actor has before or since then.

Video:

Jan 27 Mon - Am I like an instrument in God’s hands?

 

Jan 27 Mon
Am I like an instrument in God’s hands?
The Greek word σκεῦος (skeuos), which in the New Testament refers to an instrument or a vessel, is a good image to express how we, Christians, are in God's hands to accomplish His will.

We are instruments of God. In the Gospel, the disciples are considered instruments in God's hands, destined to carry out His purposes. This highlights the Christian's vocation to be an instrument of God's work in the world.

God unites our fragility (we are earthen vessels) with the strength of his grace. This is a source of hope, for although we are weak and vulnerable, we are also bearers of the “treasure” of the Holy Spirit.

St. Thomas Aquinas affirms that God, as the principal agent, operates through creatures as instruments to carry out His work.
Thus, he declares: ‘The sacraments of the New Law not only signify something but also produce their effect. But they do not produce it by their own power, but because they are instruments that God uses for this purpose.’

This concept resounds deeply in the texts of St. Josemaría, who stresses the importance of being “docile instruments” at God's service so that our life is a channel through which God acts in the world.

The Lord wants us to be his instruments to remind all around us - by living it also - that the call to holiness is universal in concrete terms, and not exclusive to a few, nor to a particular state of life, nor conditioned by the abandonment of the world: that any work, any profession, can be a path to holiness and a means of apostolate.

That is why St. Josemaría advises us: “Do you really want to be a saint? -Fulfill the little duty of each moment: do what you must, and concentrate on what you do.

Our response should be “Lord, help me to be faithful and docile to you, ‘sicut lutum in manu figuli’ - like clay in the hands of the potter. –And so will I not live, but you in me, Love. You will live and work in me.

All this with the humility of an instrument:

Here we are, consummati in unum! In unity of petition and intentions ... with the renewed desire to be effective instruments in his hands ... foster in your hearts the eagerness to transmit, with your prayer, a heartbeat full of strength that reaches every place on earth, to the last corner of the planet where there is a man who generously spends his existence in the service of God and souls. Thus, due to the ineffable reality of the Communion of Saints, we are in solidarity - cooperating - in the task of spreading the truth and peace of the Lord.

So, neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God, who gives the growth.

Together, these approaches invite us to understand our Christian vocation as a call to be active and conscious instruments in God's hands, humbly participating in the marvelous work of redemption.

Video:

Jan 26 Sun - How can I spread the message of the Gospel?

 

Jan 26 Sun
How can I spread the message of the Gospel?
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. We say this of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Word who is spirit and life. All his words, teachings during his public life, the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, his parables, and especially his New Law of Love, are “Spirit and life.”

Spirit means breath, as in the air we breathe in and out, without which we could not live more than a few minutes.

Spirit means the immortal, rational soul which is the principle of our bodily lives.

Spirit also means the Holy Spirit who renews us, making us children of God and heirs of eternal life—not just life now, but life forever.

The Holy Spirit also makes the diversity of believers into the one body of Christ. The Holy Spirit creates the “assembly” of God, the Church. Recall the assembly of Israel under Ezra and Moses. The Hebrew word for “assembly,” קהל (qahal), meaning the congregation of those called by God, is the origin of our word for the Church, Ekklesia.

Once we are gathered, the Redemption is effected, our sins can be forgiven, we can live as children of God, and have eternal life. The reality of living this way is also joyful.

Christ called his message ‘good news’ or ‘glad tidings’. In Greek and later Latin, this was termed ‘Evangelium’ from which we get the word evangelist, meaning a person who spreads the good news. This word or phrase was translated into Old English as gospel which means “good words.”

Today, in this Year of Faith, we have to understand and experience the goodness in these good words of the Gospel. People alive today urgently need to be evangelized, that is, to have the Catholic Faith presented to them authentically and attractively.

Lucky for us, Faith is already attractive in its goodness, truth, and beauty; the gospel is good news or glad tidings.

Our Christian vocation is a sign of God's special love for us. As such, it requires a prompt and generous reply on our part, like that given by the Apostles.

The people today needing evangelization include us, our families and friends, those who were once Catholic but are not any longer, our separated brethren in other Christian denominations, non-Christians, those who are downright hostile to the Faith, and those who have never heard of Christ.

What can we do? Do these things each day, however small they may seem:

- Pray for light. Ask our Lord often, daily, What can I do?

- Pray for others to embrace the faith or return to it. Don’t forget to pray for their temporal needs, too.

- Start getting to know people. Make friends and acquaintances instead of just minding your own business all the time. Talk to people so that you get to know them and they get to know you.

- Perform a spiritual or corporal work of mercy with an apostolic motive. Thus, we shall be following our Founder and Head, who went about doing good.

- Offer your work and whatever sufferings you have to endure this day for the spread of the Faith.

- To top it all, do not be a ‘fake’, offer them the testimony of your life.

Video:

 

Third Sunday Ordinary Time

St. Luke explained the origin of his Gospel. He decided to “investigate . . . accurately anew” all the “events that have been fulfilled among us” according to how the “eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us.” Then he wrote a narrative of those events “in an orderly sequence.”

 

By events, Luke meant Christ's life and the Church's birth.

 

By eyewitnesses, Luke meant the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostles, and the rest of the disciples.

 

By ministers, I think he meant those who handed on what they received. We have received the same deposit of faith.

 

Luke wrote about “events that have been fulfilled,” good news that accomplished what they announced. Christ announced salvation with his words, showed salvation in his miraculous acts or signs, and accomplished our salvation through his Paschal mystery.

 

The Gospel reading moves on to Jesus reading Isaiah in the synagogue about the dawn of the messianic age and the coming of the Messiah, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” In other words, he was saying, “I am the One Isaiah promised you.” He proved he was this man by his marvelous preaching accompanied by miracles.

 

“A year acceptable to the Lord” Jesus began, because God was visiting his people, pouring out his blessings on them: Good news to the poor, liberty to captives, sight to the blind, freedom from oppression, and much more.

 

This year is still going on. Everyone can now come to God and find redemption, if he or she wants. It is up to us to help those around us.

 

Today people urgently need to be evangelized, that is, to have the Catholic Faith presented to them authentically and attractively.

 

Lucky for us, Faith is already attractive in its goodness, truth, and beauty, which is why it is called gospel, good news, or glad tidings.

 

The people needing evangelization include us, our families and friends, those who were once Catholic but are not any longer, our separated brethren in other Christian denominations, non-Christians, those who are downright hostile to the Faith, and those who have never heard of Christ.

 

What can we do? Do one thing each day, however small it seems.

 

- Pray for light. Ask our Lord often, daily, What can I do?

 

- Pray for others to embrace the faith or return to it. Don’t forget to pray for their temporal needs, too.

 

- Start getting to know people. Make friends and acquaintances instead of just minding your own business all the time. Talk to people so that you get to know them and they know you.

 

- Perform a spiritual or corporal work of mercy with an apostolic motive. Our brothers and sisters in the Faith have always been deeply concerned with those in need. In this, they and we are just following our Founder and Head, who went about doing good while he walked the face of the earth.

 

- Offer your work and whatever sufferings you have to endure this day for the spread of the Faith.

Jan 25 Sat - The grace of God converted Paul from a persecutor into an Apostle

 

Jan 25 Sat
The grace of God converted Paul from a persecutor into an Apostle. Paul was a zealous defender of the law of Moses, and in his eyes, the doctrine of Christ was a danger to Judaism. Now he sets out for Damascus, suddenly, a great light from heaven surrounds him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice that told him: “Saul, why do you persecute me?” And he answered: “Who are you, Lord?” And the voice said: “I am Jesus, whom you persecute.”
St Paul will never forget this personal encounter with the risen Christ.

Likewise, the Lord wants to make use of us as instruments, as he made use of St Paul.
And we have to foster our desire for souls.

We must have recourse to persevering prayer and generous mortification so that our Lord grants to his Church the grace of the union of all Christians. St Paul teaches us this: as soon as they helped him to get up from the ground, he left for Damascus and remained three days without being able to see and without eating or drinking. Only after this time of prayer and penance does God command his servant Ananias: “Go, because this is the instrument I have chosen to bear my name to the Gentiles, the kings, and the children of Israel. I will show him all he will have to suffer for my name's sake."

St. Josemaría used to remind us: “Realize that God, when he sets his gaze on us, and gives us the grace to struggle to reach sanctity in the middle of the world, also gives us the obligation to do apostolate. The concern for souls arises as a logical consequence of this election by God: when you discover something good you try to attract others to it. You have to want others to accompany you along the ways of the Lord. If you are going to the forum or the baths, and you come across someone who has nothing to do, you invite him to go with you. Apply this earthly custom to the spiritual sphere, and when you go to God, don't go alone" (St Gregory the Great).

St Paul had to suffer a great deal in his apostolic work, but those sorrows were blessed a thousandfold: those who did not like him, used to say that he was short, slow of speech, cross-eyed... And he felt so great!... With those invisible wounds, he felt like another christ, Christ himself.

“You and I are worth very little. And, nevertheless, we must have a superiority complex."

“Think about why. We can say: ‘Lord I am nothing, I am worth nothing, and I have nothing. We are not worth much, we cannot do much, and we have nothing; but we have the arms of Holy Mary, Mother of Fair Love, we have the arms of our Father God, and therefore we can say with St Paul: ‘I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.’ (Phil 4:13)."

Video:

Jan 24 Fri - Should I take care of myself?

 

Jan 24 Fri
Should I take care of myself?
The Holy Father has insisted on the spiritual care of the priests. This should apply to lay people also:

“For my part, I would like to leave you with a double invitation: Take care of yourself, and take care of others.”

Take care of yourself, because our life is not a “yes” we have pronounced once and for all. We do not live off of the past income with the Lord. On the contrary, the joy of the encounter with Him must be renewed every day. At every moment it is necessary to listen to his voice and decide to follow him, even in times of failure. Get up, look at the Lord, and say with Bp. Alvaro del Portillo, “Thank you. Forgive me. Continue helping me.”

Our life is expressed in the offering of ourselves; but the more a person … gives himself, wears himself out, and works for the Kingdom of God, the more he must take care of himself. If he neglects this aspect, he will also end up neglecting those entrusted to him.

Spaces and moments are needed in which each takes care of himself. And this is not to get a facelift and look more handsome. On the contrary, these spaces and these moments are needed to speak with the Friend, with the Lord, and, above all, with our Mother – please do not stop going to Our Lady – to talk about your own life and how things are going. Also, have a confessor and a friend who knows you, and with whom you can talk and make a good discernment. Do not live on a deserted island.

And this care also includes fraternity. Let us learn to share not only the tiredness and the challenges but also the joy and friendship among us. Let’s not be like two ships passing in the night.

But how about breaking the loneliness and the need to know how to ask for help? In urgent cases, one may have a kind of telephone or person available for extreme cases. Although the idea is good, the problem is that when one is ill, it is so much, that part of the problem is precisely recognizing one’s fragility and asking for help.

When we speak of fragility, we refer to the destructive element that causes the wound.

What elements form part of the “pressure” that attacks the Christian vocation and causes those damages that become wounds?

An important part is neglecting the spiritual life.

As regards the environment and apostolic methods, it is necessary to read them from a place of humility and fragility, to accept personal limitations in a healthier way.

Flee from triumphalism. Be competent, not competitive.
Our work is a long-distance race, more than a sprint. A long-distance race sees the goal in the distance and requires trusting in the march without expecting the immediate result. Running up the mountain carries the risk of slipping or exhausting yourself. And resuming the climb after a fall is more difficult. Let’s walk together.

Video:

Jan 23 Thu - How can I add a flavor to each of my days?

 

Jan 23 Thu
How can I add a flavor to each of my days?
St. Josemaría advised us to dedicate each day of the week to a solid devotion as a help for our presence of God.

Sunday: The Holy Trinity
“Sunday, for example, is good for praising the Trinity: glory to the Father, glory to the Son, glory to the Holy Spirit. I tend to add, and glory to holy Mary. And... a childish thing, of which I'm not ashamed: to St Joseph too..."

Monday: The souls in purgatory
“On Mondays, we can pray for the holy souls in purgatory. There we find souls who are dear to us ... Besides, we see all of them as our friends, our brothers and sisters, since they are almost already crowned with the laurels of heaven, almost enjoying the Love of God: they need a final purification. They're good intermediaries to help us conquer in the little things that make up our normal day of work..."

Tuesday: The Holy Guardian Angels
“And Tuesday? I dedicate it to the Guardian Angels. You can say whatever you want to them, since you're not bound by formulas." They are there to help us fulfill God’s plans.

Wednesday: Saint Joseph
“And Wednesday? It's St Joseph's day." Saint Joseph never fails in his favors.

Thursday: The Holy Eucharist
“On Thursdays, many acts to honor the holy Eucharist: spiritual communions, acts of reparation... Now more than ever, our Lord is offended ..."

Friday: The Passion of the Lord
“On Fridays, ‘Hail, Holy Cross, our only hope!’ And we feel a pang of conscience for complaining about some suffering or other. What is our suffering next to our Lord's? Greet him on the Cross, offer him words of love: I won't flee from you, I'll embrace you. As soon as we embrace the Cross, and love it, there is no longer difficulty, nor dishonor, nor calumny, nor slander, nor sickness, nor anything. Everything becomes agreeable, nothing is burdensome. For the Cross is not yours or mine but Christ's. As I wrote to you many years ago about my poor experience as a priest, which is abundant: then it is he, Christ, who bears the Cross; it no longer weighs on us."

Saturday: The Blessed Virgin Mary
“And Saturday? We go to our heavenly Mother, our Lady!"

St. Josemaría made it clear that there is no obligation to follow this particular path, but he added: “What no one should do is to neglect the presence of God. If a person does not have presence of God, he won't do well: he won't be mortified, won't be spiritual, zealous, or eager to work. On the other hand, by making this effort, we find ourselves conversing with God at every moment of the day: we live as contemplative souls."

St. Josemaría also said: “Place on your desk, [beside the computer], in your room, in your wallet..., a picture of our Lady, and look at it when you begin your work, while you're doing it, and when you finish. She will obtain, I assure you, the strength to turn your task into a loving dialogue with God."

Video:

Jan 22 Wed - Is God my Father?

 

Jan 22 Wed
Is God my Father?
God is our Father: his love is boundless and free.
“In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him," and become his children.

Divine filiation is a mysterious reality that exceeds all the marvels our imagination could dream of. Raised to the order of grace, we have been incorporated into God's family, sharers in the divine nature. What nobler titles could there be to express the dignity of our new condition, now that God has adopted us as his children?

And yet, although this adoption is so marvelous, something about this mystery leaves us even more astonished. It is the extent of God's charity: His infinite, fatherly love for each of us. Without any merit or claim on our part, we are turned from mere creatures into his children.

Only by looking at Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, who became incarnate out of love for us, will we “learn a bit more about what is in the heart of a God who humbles himself, discarding all manifestations of his power and majesty to take the form of a servant. In human terms, we could say that God outdoes himself because He goes much further than He needs to save us. The only way to measure what He does is to say that it cannot be measured; it comes from a madness of love which leads him to take on our flesh and bear the weight of our sins."

“Can we realize that God loves us and not be overcome with love ourselves? We must let these truths of faith fill our souls until they change our lives. God loves us! The Almighty, who made heaven and earth!"

God's limitless love is not a response on his part to whatever poor affection we can show him. God's charity precedes our love. God has loved us first, as a father here on earth loves his small child before that child is even aware of his love.

Because we are His children, our offenses cause him particular hurt: we need to make reparation. But God's love, like human love, asks for a response: it is repaid with love. The infidelities of someone dearly loved, and the cold indifference of a child, make a father's heart suffer much more than any affront from a mere stranger. From us, his beloved children, God is looking for a filial, loving response; for faithful, generous affection. And our lack of love, our ingratitude, wounds God's heart more deeply since the offense comes from such a dearly beloved child.

We have received so much from God that we would like to be contrite and sorry for having failed so often to be good children. We resolve now to keep renewing our sorrow, which springs from love and should be expressed in frequent acts of contrition and sacramental confession, if necessary. If we have made a mistake, small or big, let's run to God! God will not spurn a contrite and humble heart.

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Jan 21 Tue - Are IVF, genetic engineering, and stem cells inconsistent with the Church's moral values?

 

Jan 21 Tue
Are IVF, genetic engineering, and stem cells inconsistent with the Church's moral values?

Marriage is an institution that exists for the sake of love, not merely for biological reproduction. Marital intercourse is -and should be- an interpersonal act, the result of reciprocal betrothed love between the spouses. Love is not a product one makes; it is a gift that one gives, the gift of self. It must be an act of unification of persons, not merely an instrument or means of procreation.

The Catholic Church's moral teachings emphasize the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception and the inherent dignity of every human being. These techniques of artificial insemination are morally unacceptable since they separate procreation from the fully human context of the conjugal act.

The Church strongly opposes IVF due to its implications for the dignity of human life. The process often results in the creation of multiple embryos, many of which are discarded, frozen, or used for research purposes. This practice raises significant ethical concerns, as it treats embryos as mere biological material rather than as human beings with rights.
This process is equivalent to abortion, which is always murder. It is against the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human being.

Furthermore, there is a high rate of embryo loss in IVF (often exceeding 80%) reflecting a utilitarian approach to human life, that is fundamentally at odds with the Church's teaching on the inviolable character of every human being from conception.

Genetic Engineering, the manipulation of the human genome raises profound ethical questions regarding the dignity of the human person.
We cannot adopt a purely pragmatic approach to scientific advancement over ethical considerations. Not anything that “can be done” is “good to be done.”

Eugenics includes unjust measures, such as encouraging individuals deemed particularly "fit" to reproduce, and even marriage prohibitions and forced sterilization of people deemed unfit for reproduction. The potential for eugenics and the commodification of human life (doing what is ‘more comfortable’) are significant concerns, as they could lead to a society that values individual persons based on their genetic traits rather than their inherent worth as human beings.

The use of human embryonic stem cells and the production and use of living human embryos for research purposes is morally illicit, as it violates the right to life of the embryo. It constitutes a grave moral offense, as it treats them as mere objects rather than as persons deserving of respect and protection.

Surrogate motherhood involves bringing a second woman into the marriage relationship and is, therefore, against the property of unity of the natural institution of marriage. It contravenes the right of the child to be conceived, carried in the womb, brought into the world, and brought up by his own parents.

IVF, genetic engineering, and the use of embryonic stem cells are inconsistent with the Church's true moral values.

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Jan 20 Mon - Do I try to seek Jesus when I lose Him?

 

Jan 20 Mon
Do I try to seek Jesus when I lose Him?
As good Israelites, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem every year at the Passover feast. The journey from Nazareth would usually take four days. Jesus was twelve years old.

They would have traveled in one of the many groups, accompanied by neighbors. It would have been a tiring but calm journey.

When the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it. At first, his absence didn't cause them any alarm. Supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances, but all their inquiries proved fruitless.

“Where is Jesus? The Child, my Lady! Where is he? Mary is crying. In vain you and I have run from group to group, from caravan to caravan: no one has seen him. Joseph, after fruitless attempts to keep from crying, cries too... And you... And I."

Sorrow is proportional to love. And love always leads to the desire to recover anything good that has been lost. Thus, love for Christ means being firmly determined to return to him, if we should ever have the misfortune of leaving him.

“If some day you were to lose the way (something I don't desire: I don't want it and it won't happen. I say to Jesus: our Jesus, you have always been the love of our loves, I ask you that we may never stray again from the path; that we may never wander from the path because of difficulties we come up against; that we may never again fail to take up the cross and bear its joyful weight; and that we may never leave this divine path, which is yours).”

“But if some day something of the kind were to happen to us, and we were to lose Jesus, may we be humble enough to recognize our mistake, and may we also be willing to follow once more the path he has marked out for us. It will not happen; but, if it ever were to happen, we all ask you, all of us ask you, for a sense of responsibility; and for the cheerfulness to return to our dedication, our struggle, our victory. Because God doesn't lose battles, and if we unite ourselves to God our Lord, we can return to the right path and continue going forward, triumphantly."

Mary and Joseph, their hearts rent with sorrow, searched the whole caravan for Jesus. And when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.

“The Mother of God, who looked for her Son so anxiously when he was lost through no fault of her own, and experienced such great joy in finding him, will help us retrace our steps and put right whatever may be necessary when, because of our carelessness or our sins, we have been unable to recognize Christ. With her help, we will know the happiness of holding him in our arms once more, and telling him we will never lose him again."

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Jan 19 Sun - In the fullness of time, there came also the fullness of God.

 

Jan 19 Sun
In the fullness of time, there came also the fullness of God.
And today we can see Him as a little Child. St Bernard tells us: “The kindness and love of God our savior for mankind were revealed." Thanks be to God, through whom we receive such abundant consolation in this pilgrimage, this exile, this misery.

Before his humanity appeared, his kindness lay concealed. Of course, it was already in existence, because the mercy of the Lord is from eternity, but how could men know it was so great? It was promised to us but not yet experienced: thus, many did not believe in it. “At various times and in various different ways, God spoke through the prophets, saying I know the plans I have in mind for you: plans for peace, not disaster."

What reply did man make, man who felt pain, and knew nothing of peace?
Now, at last, men believe with their own eyes, because all God’s promises are to be trusted.

Now, peace is no longer promised, but conferred; no longer delayed, but given; no longer predicted, but bestowed. God has sent down to earth a bag bulging with his mercy, a bag that, at his passion, was torn open so that our ransom pours out of it onto us. A small bag, perhaps, but a full one: for it was a small Child that was given to us, but in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead.

For our sake the Word of God became perishable like the grass. Lord, what is man, that you mind him so much, or pay him so much attention?

Let man infer from this how much God cares for him. Let him know from this what God thinks of him, what he feels about him. Man, do not ask about your own sufferings; but about what God suffered. Learn from what he was made for you, how much he appreciates you, so that his kindness may show itself to you from his humanity.

The smaller he makes himself as man, the greater shows his goodness. The more he humbles himself for me, the more I love him. “The goodness and humanity of God our Savior appeared," says St Paul.

And St. Josemaría adds: “I see God lying in a place where only animals dwell, and I exclaim: Jesus, where is your majesty?
My child, have you seen the greatness of God become a child? For his Father is God, and his ministers are the angels. Yet he is here, in a manger, in swaddling clothes ... Such was the sign the shepherds were given. St Paul describes it very well. He says of Christ: emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. Helpless, he cannot defend himself. He is a baby who looks like any ordinary child."

We are moved, as were the shepherds, by the great lesson of humility our Lord teaches us even from the cradle. He came into the world in the utmost silence, unknown to the wise and powerful of this world.

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