Jun 20 Sat - Should I be optimistic in my Christian life?

 

Jun 20 Sat

Should I be optimistic in my Christian life?

On the road, going up to Jerusalem, Jesus said to the sons of Zebedee, "Are you able to drink the chalice that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" And they said to him, "We can!"

We can! “We should feel encouraged at the sight of the many weaknesses and defects of the Apostles. Like them, we tend to be very human in our outlook; like them, we can be selfish and lukewarm; and like them, we also need to be corrected and purified." 

When we experience any weakness in ourselves or in others, we shouldn't be surprised. Let us remember all those who, despite their undeniable failings, persevered and carried the word of God to all nations and became saints, and let us resolve to keep on fighting. What counts is our perseverance.

By relying on God's power, we can overcome all our weaknesses.
Along the road of our life, a journey of love, we are often confronted with the stark reality of our weakness. 

The path to God is not a succession of effortless steps, nor is it ordinarily a straight line of uniform progress. To scale a mountain, a straight line is not usually the best route. In the interior life, God often prefers to lead souls along winding paths, trails that lead up and down, and at times even seem to go backwards, although in reality they are taking us nearer the summit. So, we shouldn't be surprised to find, with the passing years, that defects we thought we had overcome start cropping up again, or that there are new fronts to fight on.

St. Josemaría: “I am already old, and I still have many failings; so, you have the right to have a few failings as well. What matters is that we struggle to overcome them. At times, it's good for us to notice them. If we didn't, we would become proud, and pride separates us from God. But if we face up to them, we will have no other recourse than to be humble.” 

“If your faults make you more humble, they are a road to sanctity. In a Christian's life, everything must be for God, even personal weaknesses; our Lord understands them."

We can always surmount our weaknesses because God himself is fighting at our side. He only asks us to be courageous and determined, never being satisfied with what we have achieved, and going to him again and again, confidently. If we cooperate, we will win, since we are assured of God's strength.

This reliance on God's strength gives us confidence and the certainty that we will achieve our goal of holiness. 

And so, we go forward, with more affection, with more joy, more confidence, and more strength - the strength God gives us. We should never lose heart, but rather start anew, again and again, always relying on God's might. 

If we rest on Christ's Heart, as St John did at the Last Supper, there will be no weakness that can make us waver. 

Jun 19 Fri - Can our human dignity be re-defined?

 

Jun 19 Fri
Can our human dignity be re-defined?

Human dignity, in Catholic teaching, is the essential, irreducible worth of every human person, grounded in the fact that each person is created in the image of God and called to communion with Him—so that a person is a “someone,” not merely a “something.”

Ontological dignity is that which corresponds to the person "by the mere fact of existing", and "subsists beyond all circumstances". Beyond all circumstances: it can also be assumed, beyond the criteria of our time. Rome wrote an entire document to prevent dignity from being redefined, and two years later, some propose to redefine it in a journalistic after-dinner conversation, as if recommending updating the furniture.

Hopefully, "redefining dignity with the criteria of our time" may mean only finding new words for an old truth, translating into the language of the present a content that is not touched, refreshing pastoral intervention without altering dogma. 
I would subscribe to this hypothesis. 

Contemporary anthropological relativism dissolves the family, renames abortion as a right, and euthanasia as compassion, and decrees that sex is a feeling.

They disguise their intentions with a whole rhetoric of concord: to overcome polarization, to bet on the common good, to seek common ground, to speak better of ourselves. Who could oppose it? 

And yet it is precisely under that music of good feelings that smuggling travels safely, because no one searches the luggage of those who smile. We are invited not to tense, and those who notice the problem are automatically aligned with the tense. We are asked to meet, and to point out a doctrinal imprecision suddenly seems an act of hostility. 

This is how the device works: an uncomfortable truth is reclassified as bad manners, and a theological objection as a lack of the spirit of dialogue. Chesterton, who saw all this coming when he was still a child, wrote that there would come a time when we would have to draw the sword to prove that trees are green. We are in that time, except that now drawing the sword is considered, in itself, a form of tension.

Raise your gaze: the motto of the Pope’s trip to Spain. A good motto; I hope it does not become, for some, an invitation never to go into the details, which is where the devil dwells, and also, sometimes, the truth. 

Human dignity is not better contemplated from above, in the abstract, redefined according to the taste of the century. We must recognize human dignity down below, in the concrete migrant person, in the concrete unborn, and in the concrete elderly, whom human dignity protects, not because public opinion has decided it, but because it was already there, though the world, our world, as usual, has arrived late to the truth.

Still, people can diminish their dignity by not obeying their conscience. Catholic moral teaching also highlights that people can also flourish in dignity in the practical sense, because dignity is accomplished by seeking truth, obeying conscience, resisting sin, practicing virtue, and repenting.

Pic: Abraham and Isaac. 

Jun 18 Thu - How is the ceremony of Communion in the Mass?

 

Jun 18 Thu

How is the ceremony of Communion in the Mass?

In the Mass, before taking Communion, the priest genuflects. Taking the host, he raises it slightly over the paten, showing it to the faithful. He says aloud,

- Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

This invitation to share in the sacred meal contains almost the same words John the Baptist used when he pointed out the presence of the Lord among men to John and Andrew.

Together with the priest, we continue with the same words of the centurion at Capernaum to confess our unworthiness:

-  Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

With gratitude, we declare our wonder before this great gift of God. With confidence, we ask our Lord to prepare our poor hearts. We desire to have the centurion's faith, humility, and simplicity, at least to make our Lord as happy as he was in that incident.

After taking Communion under both species, the priest takes the paten or ciborium and goes to the communicants, who usually approach in procession. He raises the consecrated host slightly and shows it to each one, saying, "The body of Christ." The communicants reply, "Amen," and, holding the Communion plate under their chin, receive the sacrament either on the tongue or, where this is customary and if the communicant so chooses, in the hand. 

As soon as the communicant receives the host, he or she consumes it entirely. The faithful are not permitted to take the consecrated bread or the sacred chalice themselves, nor to hand them from one to another. The faithful receive Communion kneeling or standing if approved by the Bishops' Conference.

During the priest's and the faithful's reception of the sacrament, the Communion song is sung. Its function is to express the communicants' union in spirit through the unity of their voices, to give evidence of the joy in their hearts, and to make the procession for the reception of Christ's body a more complete act of the community.

The song begins when the priest takes Communion and continues for as long as it seems appropriate while the faithful receive Christ’s body. However, the Communion song should end in good time whenever a hymn follows Communion.

If there is no singing, the Communion Antiphon in the missal is recited either by the people, by some of them, or by a reader. Otherwise, the priest himself says it after receiving Communion and before he gives Communion to the faithful.

The Church has always required the faithful to show respect and reverence for the Eucharist at the moment of receiving it. The Church's prescription and the evidence of the early Fathers make this abundantly clear. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (ca. AD 315 ‑ 386), instructing the newly baptized, writes, "Come forward also to the chalice of his blood, not reaching out with your hands, but bowing and in an attitude of worship and reverence."

And St. Augustine exhorts, "Let not one eat the body of Christ without first adoring it."

Jun 17 Wed - How can I answer a non-Catholic about fundamental questions of the faith?

 

Jun 17 Wed

How can I answer a non-Catholic about fundamental questions of the faith?

We, Catholics, are often asked tough questions about our Catholic faith and its relationship to the Bible. Here are some of the most asked questions and the answers that should help you and your questioner.

1. Are you saved?

Anyone can have some assurance that they are in God’s good graces. The apostle John states that “you may know that you have eternal life” (1 Jn 5:13 – see also Jn 5:24). But this “assurance” has to be understood in the light of John’s other teachings in the same book: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 Jn 5:3 – see also 1 Jn 2:3-6). Likewise, St. Paul does not regard salvation as a one-time event, but as a lifetime goal to be pursued, one that can be lost: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12 – see also 1 Cor 9:27, 10:12; Gal 5:1, 4; Phil 3:11-14; 1 Tim 4:1, 5:15).

2. If you died tonight, would you go to heaven?

Catholics have an assurance of salvation if they are faithful and keep God’s commandments (1 Jn 2:3).

3. Why do you worship wafers?

Catholics do not worship wafers; they worship Jesus. 
A consecrated host (that looks like a wafer) at a Catholic Mass is the true Body and Blood of Christ, real, sacramentally present. 
In the Gospel of John (6:51-56), Jesus states repeatedly that “he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (6:54). St. Paul agrees and writes that those taking Communion “in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Cor 11:27 – see also 1 Cor 10:16). 
Moreover, in the Last Supper passages (Mt 26:26-28; Mk 14:22-24; Lk 22:19-20), nothing suggests a metaphorical or symbolic interpretation. The Last Supper was the Jewish feast of Passover. This involved a sacrificial lamb, and Jesus referred to His imminent suffering (Lk 22:15-16, 18, 21-22). John the Baptist had already called Him the “Lamb of God” (Jn 1:29).

4. Why do you worship Mary?

Catholics do not worship Mary; that would be idolatry. We venerate her because she is the Mother of God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

5. Why do you confess your sins to a priest?

Jesus Christ gave to His disciples – and by extension, to priests – the power not only to “release” sins (that is, forgive in God’s name), but also to “bind”: “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loosen on earth shall be loosened in heaven” (Mt 18:18 – see also Mt 16:19). Thus, the Church must know what sins to forgive… or retain. How? The human way: listening to the speaker.

6. Why do you pray for the dead?

The Bible teaches the excellence of prayers for the dead in 2 Maccabees (12:40, 42, 44-45). The apostle Paul also appears to be praying for a dead person, Onesiphorus, in 2 Timothy (1:16-18).

7. Why do you pray to idols (statues)?

No real Catholic has ever worshiped a statue (it is idolatry). If we cherish the memory of mere political heroes with statues, and that of war heroes with monuments, similarly, we may honor and venerate saints, not worship them (1 Pet 2:17 – see also Rom 12:10; Heb 12:22-23). 

Jun 16 Tue - Should I keep on insisting in my prayer of petition?

 

Jun 16 Tue

Should I keep on insisting in my prayer of petition?

We must consider Jesus' final recommendation to his disciples when he left them. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

We need to pray, lifting our hearts to God. He is watching us from heaven. We should ask him for everything we need. The Lord is infinite wisdom; He knows exactly what we need to become saints and apostles.
But God wants to be requested. He wants to be coerced. He wants to be won over by a certain persistent begging ... Be diligent, therefore, in prayer. Be constant in petition, and never cease asking.

“Our Lord knows perfectly well what our needs are, yet He wants us to ask with the same persistence as the people in the Gospel: Lord, if you will, you can make me clean; Lord, that I may see. 
Ask the same way they did: they asked him for everything. I won't say that man's life should be spent in nothing but asking, for there are times when one sees the need to abandon oneself and one ceases to ask, but later on one comes back to it."

“I am moved by seeing how trustingly the people closest to our Lord treated him. Do you remember that Gospel passage? Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, Jesus said, and Martha and Mary couldn't forgive him for delaying. They said: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 
How confidently, how affectionately they talk to him! Prayer leads to that sort of familiarity!"

It is not enough to ask. We must be persevering in our petition, so that the constancy of our petitions obtains what our merits alone cannot. This was the case of the man in the parable who went to a neighbor's house to ask him for bread, with a poor sense of timing but with dogged persistence. Jesus Christ says: Because of his importunity, he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 

“Ask, seek, and call out. Prayer, prayer, prayer! That is the way...
“Everything good comes from our Lord God, whose most loving Providence banks on our asking him time and again, with perseverance, for what we need. Besides, as we pray, we acknowledge how small and insufficient we are: alone, we can't do anything! … We have to pray a lot and abandon ourselves to the arms of our Father God. We have to ask stubbornly and persistently!"

St John Chrysostom writes: If somebody tells me that he has requested once, twice, three times, ten times, twenty times, and still has not received anything, I will answer: do not stop, my brother, until you have received it. Petition ends with the reception of the gift. Stop when you have received it. Rather, do not stop even then, but continue still. And once you have received it, give thanks for it. 

Jun 15 Mon - How can I be serene amid difficulties?

 

Jun 15 Mon
How can I be serene amid difficulties?

We, too, are threatened by the wrong kind of sadness, which can arise from suffering, sickness, setbacks, and especially the weight of our own shortcomings. 

The sense of being children of God gives us serenity.
The serenity that God gives us does not mean closing our eyes to reality. It means viewing it with optimism, trusting in the help of our Father in heaven.

Thus, we will never be stifled by the sadness that kills, which leads the imagination to wander aimlessly, mulling over memories, conjuring up fantasies, seeking after consolations, and perhaps even complaining inwardly about our work, our ascetical struggle, or our dedication.

The sadness that sometimes leads us to neglect one thing after another results in slowness and indolence. It will disappear when the Holy Spirit shows us once and for all that in everything God works for good with those who love him and who are called according to his purpose. 

The Holy Spirit will teach us to put interior zeal into the things we do, without losing our peace of mind and without giving in to the temptation to despair, because “difficulties and setbacks disappear as soon as we go to God in prayer. Let us speak with Jesus humbly and frankly, confidently, and then light will appear, and with it, peace, serenity, and joy."

That is the first gift we hope for from the Holy Spirit: that our personal contribution to the task God asks of us may be joyful. This is the difference between us and those who do not know God; the latter complain and grumble in adversity, whereas for us, adversities do not lead us away from virtue but rather confirm us in it, as St Cyprian says.

Let us meditate on some very consoling words from St. Josemaría: “Everything may collapse and fail. Events may turn out contrary to what is expected, and great misfortune may come. But nothing is gained by being disconcerted. 

Furthermore, remember the confident prayer of the prophet: ‘The Lord is my judge, the Lord gives me his laws, the Lord is my king; it is He who will save me.’ Say it devoutly every day, so that your behavior may align with the designs of Providence, which governs us for our own good."

Omnia in bonum! This certainly will encourage us to redouble our efforts, especially in the task of our sanctification, and the Holy Spirit will help us understand that pride is at the root of every inhibition. Behind an apparently motiveless reluctance to work, we discover human disappointment, the impossibility of asserting our own personality or criteria—in other words, vanity. 

Likewise, when obedience becomes difficult, it is often not the difficulty of what is actually commanded, but the fact of having to yield and being nothing more than God's instrument. Lastly, behind pessimistic sorrow for our own faults, there may lie the humiliation we have suffered over them.

Once we have discovered all this, we will go straight to God to remedy the situation. 

Jun 14 Sun - How did Jesus empower me?

 

Jun 14 Sun

How did Jesus empower me?

Christ gave the apostles the gospel for free, and they must give it to others for free as well.

However, it was not free for Our Lord. 
YOU cost Him a lot.

Giving the gospel to others was not free for the apostles either. It cost them a lot.

Christ and the apostles gave, and the Christian gives 100% to the gospel. This means we subordinate everything we do to God’s will.

Each of us, apostles, must:
- Like a prophet, tell the truth. Each must live and speak the moral law and adhere to and spread the truths of our Catholic faith.
- Like a priest, offer our lives, our work, our sufferings to God. 
- Like a ruler, with God’s help, rule ourselves, and, with Christ as our model, serve others.  

Thus, once empowered, we must help others to go to heaven by our good example.

“If you learn how to serve others, how well they themselves will learn to serve! How thoughtful you will become, and help others to be so! For you will teach by example, which is how one ought to teach.” 

“Afterwards, when you've helped them with your witness, you can give them the doctrine, the theory. Each of us has to be another Christ, Christ Himself, since Jesus Christ began to do and to teach.”  

“In the wars of old, in moments of danger, it was the general who carried the flag, and the others followed. Give an example!" St. Josemaría.

We will be responsible if we strive to be on the front line, in the thick of things. We should carry out our work with the others in mind, helping them to be effective. 

First of all, we should be careful not to hold up whatever has to pass through our hands. We finish our work as well as possible to help those who will continue it. We leave notes of experience, so that whoever replaces us can begin where we left off; we're glad to see others carry out our work more effectively; we teach those with us how to work well... and countless other details that a responsible person easily discovers.

“The Christian is the salt and light of the world, not because he conquers or triumphs, but because he bears witness to God's love. And he won't be salt if he can't give flavor. Nor will he be light if he doesn't bear witness to Jesus through his example and word, if he loses sight of the purpose of his life."

Let’s examine our conscience to see whether the example of our life is convincing to those alongside us. And as we know that such help depends very directly on the consistency of our whole life, “we must beg our Lord, through his Mother who is our Mother too, to increase his love in us, to grant us a taste of the sweetness of his presence. Only then will we attain the fullest freedom: the freedom of not wanting ever to abandon, for all eternity, the object of our love." 

Jun 13 Sat - Should I foster good sentiments in my heart?

 

Jun 13 Sat

Should I foster good sentiments in my heart?

The Church gives us a particularly lovable feast to celebrate today: the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to encourage us to trust in our Blessed Lady at all times. Let us then, with confidence, come closer to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

She is a fount of grace and mercy, a Mother who can give her children the grace they need for their journey at every stage of life.

During his life on earth, our Lord taught us that the good man out of his good treasure brings forth good. Our Lady's heart is filled to overflowing with love for God; it is the home of the Holy Spirit, and is moved by the very sentiments that move Christ's own Heart. 

From her heart, then, comes a flood of mercy and forgiveness. We read, “I am the Mother of Fair Love, of fear, of wisdom, and of holy hope. In me is all grace for the way and the truth, in me is all hope of life and virtue. Come to me, all you who desire me, and fill yourselves with my fruits. For my spirit is sweeter than honey, my inheritance sweeter than the honeycomb.”

From Mary’s heart, says St Bernardine of Siena, “as from a furnace, does the Virgin bring forth good words, aflame with divine love, and thoughts of glowing hot charity. From a jar full of good wine, only good wine can be poured; from a furnace, only a raging fire can issue; so too, from Christ's Mother, nothing can come but sentiments of radiant love for God.”

No matter how many of us there are, our Lady loves each of us as a mother loves her only child. And “so if we find there have been times when we failed to be gentle and kind towards this good Mother of ours, we should feel sorry. I ask you now, as I ask myself, how are we honoring her?"

We need to be constantly attentive to keep our hearts free of attachments, but we have learnt not to trust ourselves. Therefore, we run to be with our Lady, close to her Immaculate Heart, so that her love can burn up our hearts and purify us of any disordered affection there may still be in our lives. 

“Get accustomed to entrusting your poor heart to the Sweet and Immaculate Heart of Mary, so that she may purify it from so much dross, and lead it to the most Sacred and Most Merciful Heart of Jesus."

We can resolve now to ask our Lady for help in breaking any shackle, once and for all. Her motherly love will fill our hearts to the point where our affection, wholly placed in our Lord, is the same as hers. We will give up whatever is necessary to make room in our heart for a deep, vibrant love as the fruit of greater self-giving, and we will be filled with peace, serenity, and joy. 

Jun 12 Fri - Does Jesus love me?

 

Jun 12 Fri
Does Jesus love me?

Christ's heart, pierced by a spear, speaks to us of God's immense love for everyone.

St. Josemaría: "Jesus on the Cross, with his heart overflowing with love for us, is such an eloquent testimony of the value of people and things that words are inadequate. Human beings, their happiness and their lives, are so important that the very Son of God gave his life to redeem, cleanse, and raise them up."

"Who will not love this heart so wounded? Who will not return love for love? Who will not embrace a heart so pure? We, who are made of flesh, will repay love with love. We will embrace our wounded one, whose hands and feet ungodly men have nailed; we will cling to his side and to his heart. Let us beg him to keep our heart firmly bound by his love and to wound it with a lance, for it is still hard and impenitent."

"These are thoughts, affections, and conversations that souls in love with Jesus have offered him from the beginning. But if we are to understand this language, if we are to know the truth about the heart of man, Christ's heart, and the love of God, we need both faith and humility. We need the faith and humility that prompted St Augustine to write: You made us for yourself, O Lord, and restless will our hearts be until they rest in you."

“Living in Christ's Heart, closely united with him, means we become a dwelling-place for God. 'He who loves me will be loved by my Father', our Lord told us. And Christ and the Father in the Holy Spirit come to the soul and make their home there."

"Even if we give only a little thought to these basic ideas, our whole attitude will improve. We become hungry for God, and we make the words of the Psalm our own: O God, thou art my God, I seek thee; my soul thirsts for thee. My flesh faints for thee as in a dry and weary land where no water is."

"And Jesus, who has encouraged these desires in us, comes to meet us and says: If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He offers us his heart, so that we can find both rest and strength there. If we accept his invitation, we will see that his words are true. And our hunger and thirst will increase to the point where we truly desire God to inhabit our soul and never to withdraw his light and warmth from us."

"I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! We have approached the fire of God's love. Let us allow that fire to burn our lives. Let us feed the desire to spread that divine fire throughout the world by making it known to all those around us. They, too, can experience the peace of Christ and find happiness there. A Christian who lives united to Christ's heart can have no goals but these: peace in society, peace in the Church, peace in his own soul, the peace of God that will reach its climax when his kingdom comes." 

Jun 11 Thu - What is the Liturgy?

 

Jun 11 Thu

What is the Liturgy?

The Pope recently began a new series of catecheses focused on the Liturgy.

“The Council Fathers sought not only to undertake a reform of the rites, but to lead the Church to contemplate and deepen that living bond which constitutes and unites her: the mystery of Christ. Indeed, the liturgy touches the very heart of this mystery: it is at once the space, the time, and the context in which the Church receives her very life from Christ."

Liturgy is the priestly action of Jesus Christ, continued in and by the Church under the direction of the Holy Spirit. In the Liturgy, the Holy Spirit brings about his work of salvation through effective signs, thus giving both a perfect reverence to God and salvation to mankind.

The concept of Liturgy includes:
• The worship of God, blessing him for all his gifts,
• The presence of Christ, He is the Priest in the liturgical action,
• The action of the Holy Spirit in the Church’s Liturgy,
• The history of salvation that is continued and brought about through effective signs in the Liturgy,
• The sanctification of mankind is realized through the liturgical action.

The Liturgy is a work of the Blessed Trinity:
• God the Father is the origin and end of the Liturgy.
• The glorified Christ is present in the earthly Liturgy of the Church of the apostles, which participates in the heavenly Liturgy.
• God the Holy Spirit brings about the mystery of Christ in the Church’s Liturgy.

“In the liturgy, ‘the work of our redemption is accomplished’, which makes us a chosen lineage, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people whom God has acquired for Himself."

“The passion, death, resurrection and glorification of Christ is made sacramentally present to us precisely in the liturgy, so that every time we take part in the assembly gathered ‘in his name’ (cf. Mt 18:20) we are immersed in this Mystery."

“In celebrating the Eucharist, the Church ‘receives the Body of the Lord and becomes what she receives’: she becomes the Body of Christ, ‘a dwelling place of God in the Spirit’ (Eph 2:22). This is the ‘work of our redemption’, which conforms us to Christ and builds us up in communion."

“This also means that it is called to unfold in a tangible way throughout daily life, in an ethical and spiritual dynamic, so that the liturgy celebrated is translated into life and demands a faithful existence, capable of making concrete what has been experienced in the celebration: it is in this way that our life becomes a ‘living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God’, fulfilling our ‘spiritual worship’ (Rom 12:1)."

“In this way, ‘the Liturgy daily builds up those who are within into a holy temple of the Lord’ (SC, 2), and forms an open community, welcoming to all. Indeed, it is inhabited by the Holy Spirit, it introduces us into the life of Christ, it makes us His Body, and, in all its dimensions, it represents a sign of the unity of the entire human race in Christ. As Pope Francis said, ‘the world still does not know it, but everyone is invited to the supper of the wedding of the Lamb (Rev 19:9)’"

“Dear friends, let us allow ourselves to be shaped inwardly by the rites, symbols, gestures, and above all, the living presence of Christ in the Liturgy."

Illustration: This chalice is a piece of Romanesque art donated by Queen Urraca of Zamora (1033-1101), daughter of the king Fernando of León. 

Jun 10 Wed - Can the heart be a path to reach God?

 

Jun 10 Wed
Can the heart be a path to reach God?

We do not possess a rationality (an intelligence) that must be completed (separately) with sensitivity, but rather our feelings must be intelligent in and of themselves. We must “educate” our feelings.

The real danger is to reduce faith to emotions; this leads many to “become consumers of experiences and insatiable seekers of spiritual gratification.”

As Christians, we need to “rediscover the importance of feelings and to integrate them, without undermining reason, into the Christian life.”

The Church, as a good Mother, teaches us that while emotions and feelings may initially impress a person and lead them to conversion, they can also become an obstacle to spiritual growth. 

The early Christians did not have a method, but they did have a means. It was their way of life that stirred those who approached them. Their authentic witness drew people in and moved the hearts of those who interacted with them.

Feelings are good for evangelization to the extent that they are not a method for evangelizing, but the fruit of a real-life witness. Otherwise, we may think that a “believer” is someone who believes something, just anything.
 
“Some claim that what ultimately matters is not so much what one believes as the fact of believing, and the seriousness and intensity with which one does so… This is not the thinking of the New Testament… Faith lies in its content.” 

We receive our first lessons about love and affection during the first five or six years of our lives, and always within the context of our family. It is there that the image a person forms of a God who is Love is largely shaped. Thus, the family, the domestic Church, is the natural setting for discussing affection on the journey of faith.

We have all been called to love passionately (God, others, the world…), but rather than the intensity, loving passionately is to love with the Passion of Christ as our reference point. And the Passion of Christ, the Cross of Christ, is anything but sentiment. It is a true story of Love, which led Him to die for us. It is sacrifice, not intensity, that is the touchstone of authentic love.

Digital media cannot convey such love. Thus, many young people cannot cope with frustration, for example. And we find the proliferation of addictions, the rise in suicide among young people, the emotional emptiness that pornography causes in many young hearts, the irrational logic of euthanasia…

Feelings alone will not gain us a comprehensive understanding of the Faith.

For Benedict XVI, the greatest freedom of the human being consists in the capacity to make definitive decisions. But few definitive decisions can be made on a foundation as unstable as feelings. One need only think, in the case of marriage, of the fear of commitment or the ease of breaking ties that dominates so many young people.

St. Josemaría clarifies: “What is the secret of perseverance? Love. Fall in love, and you will not leave Him.” 

And Blessed Álvaro del Portillo declares that it can also be read the other way around: “Do not leave Him, and you will fall in love.” 
Quotes from Doctrinal Note ‘Cor ad Cor Loquitur.’ Excerpts from Antonio Schlatter Navarro. 

Jun 9 Tue - Will Jesus forgive my sin?

 

Jun 9 Tue

Will Jesus forgive my sin?

After Jesus’ arrest in the garden, Peter followed him but remained outside the House of Caiaphas.

He had denied knowing his Lord, and in doing so, he set aside the deeper meaning of his life.  

By then, Jesus had already suffered much. A woman once more began to tell the bystanders, "This man is one of them.” Peter again denied it.

Later on, feeling cornered, Peter began to curse and swear. Even though his Galilean accent was giving him away, he said, "I do not know the man."
He was beside himself. In the silence of the night, the cock crowed for the second time.

Probably, Jesus was being led along one of the upper walkways that overlooked the courtyard. The Lord turned and looked at Peter, and Peter almost did not recognize his Master after the blows and mistreatment. 

Then Peter recognized Jesus. He would never forget it. Their eyes met for a moment, and Peter was overwhelmed. At that moment, he understood the seriousness of his sin.

There were many other people in the courtyard, but Jesus looked only at him. As on other occasions, Peter felt drawn by Jesus' look like a magnet of infinite mercy. It was just like that day when he could not resist the authority and charm of Jesus' gaze, which inspired his vocation.

There was another time when Jesus' look made Peter tremble after he had protested against Jesus' path leading to the cross. Yet he had never before seen an expression like the one he now saw on the face of Jesus—those eyes full of sorrow yet tenderness.

Jesus' look seemed to say, "Simon, I have prayed for you." It was an encouraging, merciful look that made Peter feel understood and forgiven.

That brief moment was decisive for Peter's life. He recalled his Master's words, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times." The disciple went out and wept bitterly.

Peter's denial was narrated by all four Gospels, instead of leaving it out. But the benefit of Peter's example of repentance and humility for the first Christians and everyone else far outweighed other considerations.

“If one falls, one must get up at once. With God's help, which will never be lacking if the proper means are used, one must seek to arrive at repentance as quickly as possible, to be humbly sincere, and to make amends so that the momentary failure is transformed into a great victory for Jesus Christ."

Contrition gives the soul special strength, restores hope, and brings those who have fallen to forget themselves and approach God anew. In an act of deeper love, contrition tests the determination of the interior life and always draws down upon itself God's mercy.

“When you seek to draw close to our Lord, remember that He is always very close to you, that He is in you: The kingdom of God is within you. You will find Him in your heart."

Our Lord would have no problem building His Church upon a man who denied Him in a moment of weakness. God always uses weak instruments, provided they repent, to carry out his greatest undertaking, which is the salvation of the human race. 

Jun 8 Mon - Which comes first, God loving me, or I fulfilling the Commandments?

 

Jun 8 Mon
Which comes first, God loving me, or I fulfilling the Commandments? 

Does God begin to love me when I fulfill the Commandments?

Pope Leo XIV answers:

In the Gospel, we hear some of the words Jesus addressed to his disciples during the Last Supper. As He turns the bread and wine into a living expression of his love, Christ says: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” 

This statement frees us from the misconception that we are loved because we keep the commandments, as if our uprightness were a prerequisite for God’s love. On the contrary, God’s love came first and is the basis for our uprightness. 

We truly keep the commandments according to God’s will when we recognize his love for us, just as Christ revealed it to the world. Jesus’ words are therefore an invitation to enter into a relationship, not a blackmail or a suspicious ultimatum. 

This is why the Lord commands us to love one another as He has loved us: Jesus’ love begets love within us. Christ himself is the standard, the measure of true love: the love that is faithful forever, pure and unconditional. The love that knows no “buts” or “maybes,” the love that gives of itself without seeking to possess, the love that gives life without taking anything in return. 

Since God loved us first, we too can love, and when we truly love God, we can truly love one another. It is like life itself: just as only those who have received life can live, so too, only those who have been loved can love. The Lord’s commandments are therefore a way of life that heals us from false loves. They are a spiritual lifestyle, the path towards salvation.

Precisely because He loves us, the Lord does not leave us alone in life’s trials; He promises us the Paraclete, that is, the Advocate, the “Spirit of truth.”

“The world cannot receive” the Spirit, as long as it persists in evil, oppressing the poor, excluding the weak, and killing the innocent. 

On the other hand, those who respond to Jesus’ love will find in the Holy Spirit an ally who will never fail them: “You know him,” says Jesus, “for He dwells with you, and will be in you.” We can therefore bear witness to God, who is love, always and everywhere. Love is not an idea of the human mind, but the reality of divine life, through which all things were created out of nothing and redeemed from death. 

By offering us true and eternal love, Jesus shares with us his identity as the beloved Son: “I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” 

This communion of life defeats the Devil — the Paraclete’s adversary. In fact, while the Holy Spirit is the power of truth, the Devil is the “father of lies,” who seeks to set humanity against God and people against one another: the very opposite of what Jesus does by saving us from evil and uniting us as a people of brothers and sisters in the Church. 

Jun 7 Sun - Why do we celebrate this feast of the Body and Blood of Christ?

 

Jun 7 Sun 

Why do we celebrate this feast of the Body and Blood of Christ?

The words of the Entrance Antiphon remind us: God has fed them with the finest wheat and given them their fill of honey from the rock.

God fed manna to the people of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness. This was an image and symbol of the pilgrim Church and of each individual who journeys towards his or her definitive homeland, Heaven. That food given in the desert of Sinai is a figure of the true food, the Holy Eucharist. This is the sacrament of the human pilgrimage. Precisely because of this, the annual feast of the Eucharist that the Church celebrates today contains within its liturgy so many references to the pilgrimage of the people of the Covenant in their wanderings through the wilderness. Moses often reminded the Israelites of this wonderful deed that God had performed for his People: Do not then forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Today is a day of thanksgiving and of joy because God wants to remain with us to feed us and to strengthen us, so that we may never feel alone. The Holy Eucharist is the food for the long journey of our days on Earth towards the goal of true Life. Jesus accompanies us and strengthens us here in this world, where our life is like a shadow compared to the reality that awaits us. Earthly food is a pale image of the food we receive in Holy Communion; it is a completely new reality.

Although we celebrate this feast only once a year, the Church proclaims this most happy truth every day: Jesus gives Himself to us daily as our food, and He remains in our Tabernacles to be for us the strength and the hope of a new life, a life without end and limit. It is a mystery that is ever alive and ever new.

Thank you, Lord, for remaining with us. What would have become of us without you? Where would we have gone to restore our strength and to ask for consolation? From the Tabernacle, how easy you make the way for us!

The Corpus Christi procession makes Christ present in towns and cities throughout the world. But his presence cannot be limited to only one day, like a sound you hear and then forget. It should remind us that we have to discover Our Lord in our ordinary everyday activities. Side by side with this solemn procession, there is the simple, silent procession of the ordinary life of each Christian. Each Christian is a man among men, who, by a great blessing, has received the faith and the divine commission to act so that he renews the message of Our Lord on earth.

Let us ask Our Lord, then, to make us devoted to the Blessed Eucharist, so that our relationship with him brings forth joy and serenity and a desire for justice. Thus, we will make it easier for others to recognize Christ; we will put Christ at the center of all human activities. And Jesus’ promise will be fulfilled: ‘When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself’ (John 12:32). 

Jun 6 Sat - What should come first, nature or man?

 

Jun 6 Sat
What should come first, nature or man?

One of the most significant aspects of ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ lies not only in what it says, but also in what has ceased to occupy the center of the Pope’s discourse. After years in which ecological issues had become almost the overarching framework for interpreting social, economic, cultural, and even spiritual life, Leo XIV’s first encyclical shifts the focus to another, more fundamental concern: the crisis of humanity.

It is not that ecology is disappearing. 
The encyclical retains that concern about technology that has become an autonomous power, about an economy detached from all moral limits, and about a globalization capable of homogenizing peoples, desires, and behaviors. But the symbolic focus has shifted.

The encyclical is centered on the care of the human person. And that change is no small matter.

The ultimate root of the problem no longer lies in humanity’s relationship with the environment, but in humanity’s understanding of itself. The ecological, economic, or technological crisis would be the consequence of a prior crisis: the obscuring of the truth about the human person.
That is where the real shift lies.

The encyclical does not begin by asking what humanity is doing to nature, but rather what humanity is doing to itself. It does not focus primarily on the damage caused to the planet, but on the danger of the human person being reduced to a piece of data, a function, an algorithm, an object of manipulation, or raw material available for technical redesign.

This explains the tone of the document. Instead of the ecological vocabulary that -sustainability, common home, climate debt, energy transition, biodiversity, environmental peripheries- Leo XIV returns to a language that is more directly anthropological and theological: human nature, truth, limits, inner freedom, Incarnation, Babel, grace, vulnerability, technocracy, transhumanism.
The difference is not merely stylistic. It is doctrinal and pastoral.

In recent years, Catholicism spoke of climate, sustainability, integral development, biodiversity, and ecological transition with such intensity that, at times, more distinctly Christian categories were pushed into the background. 
Sin, grace, truth, human nature, redemption, and eternal life were frequently displaced by a moral framework far more recognizable to global elites than to the Church’s doctrinal tradition.
Magnifica Humanitas appears to correct this drift without needing to state it explicitly.

Leo XIV does not abandon concern for creation, but he ceases to make it the narrative axis of everything. The ecological issue is integrated into a broader reflection on man, technology, and civilization. Creation continues to have value, but the focus returns to the human creature, made in the image of God and called not to fabricate itself, but to receive, safeguard, and elevate its own nature.

In the face of that promise, the Pope’s response is not ecological, but Christological. 
Christianity affirms that God himself has entered history by taking on the human condition, not by despising it.

The Church once again reminds us that there can be no true defense of creation unless we first defend humanity. 
And there can be no true defense of humanity if we forget that its greatness does not stem from technology, but from the fact that it was created in the image of God and called to a life of grace. 

Jun 5 Fri - Can a person become a priest just for a couple of years?

 

Jun 5 Fri
Can a person become a priest just for a couple of years?

Christ, we read in the Epistle to the Hebrews, "holds his priesthood permanently, because He continues forever. Consequently, He is able for all time to save those who draw near to God, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

The priesthood of Christ is one and unique; it becomes present through the ministerial priesthood. Yet “Only Christ is the true priest; the others are his ministers.”

There are two ways of participating in the one priesthood of Christ:
- The common priesthood of the faithful, which is conferred through Baptism and Confirmation.
- The ministerial priesthood of the ordained minister, which is at the service of the common priesthood of the faithful.

Holy Orders is the sacrament that confers the spiritual power and the grace that is needed to fulfill the ecclesiastical functions properly:

- The Eucharist.
- The forgiveness of sins.
- The preaching of the faith, the administration of the sacraments, and government in all that refers to faith and the sacraments. 

In this sacrament, the subject receives a special configuration to Christ, as Head of the Mystical Body, called the character. This enables him to participate in Christ’s priesthood in a unique way. The sacrament imprints an indelible (permanent) sacramental character on the soul.

The character cannot be repeated or conferred temporarily. 

It is true that someone validly ordained can, for a just reason, be discharged from the obligations and functions linked to ordination, or can be forbidden to exercise them; but he cannot become a layman again in the strict sense.
This “Forever” also matches the Church’s mission.

What if a priest is unworthy?
- Since it is ultimately Christ who acts and effects salvation through the ordained minister, the unworthiness of the latter does not prevent Christ from acting. Christ’s spiritual power in the sacrament (his grace and other effects) is comparable to light: those to be enlightened receive it in its purity; even if it passes through defiled places, light is not defiled.

In the Latin Church, the sacrament of Holy Orders for the priesthood is normally conferred only on candidates who are ready to embrace celibacy freely, and who publicly manifest their intention of staying celibate for the love of God's kingdom and the service of men.

This measure is particularly convenient, as celibacy allows a greater surrender to Christ, a closer imitation of his example, and greater availability for the service of the Church and all souls. Further, it offers an eschatological witness by showing the reality of eternal life, “for in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage.”

Thus,
“Do not be afraid. Do not be alarmed or surprised. Do not allow yourself to be overcome by false prudence.
The call to fulfil God’s will - this goes for vocation too - is sudden, as it was for the Apostles: a meeting with Christ and his call is followed…
- None of them doubted. Meeting Christ and following him were one and the same." 

Jun 4 Thu - How is the immediate preparation for communion in the Mass Liturgy?

 

 Jun 4 Thu
How is the immediate preparation for communion in the Mass Liturgy?

Our Mother the Church offers us two prayers of preparation for the Lord's coming into our bodies. These prayers date from about the tenth century. They are full of fervor, rather subjective in tone, and suited for private piety, as they are intended for the personal preparation of the priest who recites them.

In the first prayer, the priest begs Christ, Son of the living God, to grant salvation to his servant and to deliver him from all his sins and from every evil.

In the other, the priest declares his own unworthiness and his confidence in Christ's mercy. He asks that the reception of the Eucharist may work not to his condemnation but to his own good.

The priest's personal preparation also allows us to prepare ourselves in silence, not with the noise of words, but with an abundance of acts of love. We feel unworthy as the moment to receive our Lord approaches. But we decide to go on because we know he wants to remain in the consecrated species as our nourishment and the remedy for our weaknesses.

We should never dare to receive the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin. To do so is a sacrilegious abuse of God's mercy. Only a shallow and false love, based on mere sentimentality, can bring us to such a detestable course of action. This mistreatment of the sacrament is a grave offense against God.

St Paul's warning on this issue is quite clear:
"Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be behaving unworthily towards the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone is to recollect himself before eating this bread and drinking this cup, because a person who eats and drinks without recognizing the body is eating and drinking his own condemnation."

And Pope John Paul II warns us:
"Quite frequently, many participating in the Eucharistic assembly go to Communion; sometimes, there has not been due care to approach the sacrament of penance to purify one's conscience. This can mean that those approaching the Lord's table find nothing on their conscience, according to the objective law of God, to keep them from this sublime and joyful act of being sacramentally united with Christ.

Behind this, there could be the mistaken idea that the Mass is only a banquet in which one shares by receiving the body of Christ to manifest, above all else, fraternal communion."

Therefore, we cannot –and should not– receive our Lord with a soul stained by sin. If we realize we have committed a serious sin, even if we feel contrite, we cannot receive the Holy Eucharist without sacramental confession.

It is not only that penance leads to the Eucharist, but that the Eucharist also leads to penance. For when we realize who we receive in Eucharistic Communion, a sense of unworthiness springs up almost spontaneously, along with sorrow for our sins and an interior need for purification.

Jun 3 Wed - Do I owe service and sacrifices to God?

 

Jun 3 Wed
Do I owe service and sacrifices to God?

People have always felt the need to offer sacrifices to God, since man's need to show his reverence towards God in deeds is born of the dictates of natural reason. We are ordained by nature to serve God and worship him with adoration, love, and praise. This is the supernatural virtue of religion that binds us to the one Almighty God.

The Christian has still greater reason to worship God, because, as well as being the all-powerful Lord and Creator, God is our Father, who has wanted to make us sharers in his very life. And as his children, we have to adore him supernaturally, moved by God's own love. We must also seek God's glory in all our actions. Today it is all the more urgent to do so, since “there are people who try to desecrate everything, seeking to convert whatever is in itself sacred, even the very priesthood, into something profane. We want to bring all things to God, each according to its nature: what God has made sacred is sacred."

Ever since Christ died on the Cross for us, our worship should be offered to God through Jesus Christ, mainly in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Saint Josemaría used to comment that, for me, everything seems too little when it is for the Lord. We want to offer him the very best. “Generously give the Lord that young heart you have, that beautiful, splendid life: give your life to him. Make yours the sacrifice of Abel, not that of Cain. Abel gave him the best of his flock." What pleases God most is a clean life, a life entirely dedicated to him, a life of love. “That is why we want to offer our life, our generous dedication, in reparation for our own sins; for the sins of all men, our brothers; for the sins committed at all times, and for those that will be committed until the end of time. Above all, for the Catholics, for God's chosen ones who do not respond, those who betray the special love God our Lord has bestowed on them."

Absolutely everything has to be for God; we offer him the very deepest recesses of our mind and will, our whole being. He receives our offering: it goes up to his throne like incense, united to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. “We each make the consecratio mundi, the consecration of the world, through our personal dedication to the Lord's service and, through him, to the service of all souls without exception, in the practice of our own job or duty, in the middle of the world, which we love, each in our own state."

Let us give up our lives cheerfully. “If you think that your talents, your personality, your qualities are being wasted; that you're not allowed to take full advantage of them. -Meditate well on these words of a spiritual writer: ‘The incense offered to God is not wasted. Our Lord is more honored by the immolation of your talents than by their vain use.’" 

Jun 2 Tue - How does God answer our requests?

 

Jun 2 Tue
How does God answer our requests?

From blessing to protection: How to interpret the three "Yeses" of Divine Love.

On the path of faith, we often imagine God as a great manager of requests. However, the spiritual theology of the great Doctors of the Church reveals that God does not respond automatically like an algorithm, but like a good Father. His language unfolds in three movements that, although sometimes mysterious, always seek the fullness of the human being.

1. The “Yes” that blesses: The grace of consonance.

When man’s desire aligns with God’s plan, His “Yes” appears as a door that swings wide open. It is not merely a reward for effort, but an active blessing. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a blessing is a divine action that gives us life and whose source is the Father.

- Impact: This “Yes” confirms us in our vocation and gives us the joy of ripe fruit.
- Attitude: It is received with gratitude and humility, remembering that every perfect gift comes from above.

2. The waiting that strengthens: The crucible of hope.

At times, the answer seems to remain unresolved. This is not divine oversight; it is a lesson for us to grow. Saint Ignatius of Loyola taught that in times of desolation or waiting, the soul expands.

Sometimes God’s silence is his greatest gift. Waiting fulfills vital functions in the architecture of the spirit; you must:

- Purify the intention: Ask yourself if you are seeking God or God’s consolations.
- Develop patience: A cardinal virtue that allows us to possess ourselves to give ourselves to others.
- Increase the desire: As Saint Augustine said, God delays what He does not want to give soon so that you learn to desire more strongly.

3. The “No” that protects: The invisible hand of the Shepherd

Perhaps the most difficult answer to process is the negative one. However, from an analytical and faith-based perspective, God’s “No” is, in reality, a “Yes” to something greater or a protection against a present evil we cannot see.

“Lord, do not give me what I want, but what you know is good for me.”

God, possessing an eternal vision (beyond linear time), protects us from our own shortsightedness. A “No” today can be the safeguard of our peace tomorrow. It is the manifestation of Preventive Mercy: He closes doors that lead to dead ends, even if at the time the deadbolt seems unjust.

Conclusion: Intelligent Trust

Understanding that God blesses, strengthens, and protects us is a transition from a childlike faith to a mature and constructive one. The spiritual life is not about convincing God to do our will, but about aligning our will with His. At the end of the day, we discover that even in His silences and refusals, God is actively working for our holiness.

In His will is our peace.

Pic:  Pantocrator (Almighty God) mosaic. Some excerpts from Miguel Morales Gabriel 

Jun 1 Mon - Is everything that comes to an end in my life a defeat?

 

Jun 1 Mon
Is everything that comes to an end in my life a defeat?

Pope Leo XIV sent a heartfelt letter, filled with tenderness, understanding, and valuable guidance, to an 18-year-old, Pietro, who had expressed his fears about the uncertainty of his future and the new chapter he was about to begin at university, saying it left him feeling "very confused."

Specifically, he fears losing the friendships he has formed in high school and not knowing what path God has in store for him. 
He dreams of “building and bringing to reality the project of a family united in the love of Christ.”

Dearest Pietro,
I read your letter with emotion. In it, I recognize the heart of a young man who is not satisfied and who takes his life seriously. I would like you to consider, first of all, one thing above all else: "You are loved by Jesus."

Not in an abstract way, but personally, as you are today, with your questions and your dreams, your fears, and your desires.

This love precedes you and will always accompany you; it does not depend on the choices you make or the paths you take. Jesus knows well the experience of friendship. He called his disciples friends, shared the bread and the journey with them, and was a friend of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. 

Jesus lived true and authentic bonds to the point of experiencing the pain of detachment and betrayal. For this reason, Jesus would be the first to understand your fear of losing the friendships you've made in these years.

Not everything will remain the same for you, but what has been authentic is not lost; indeed, true love does not dissolve; it remains forever; it matures even when it changes form and circumstances.

The desires of your heart, not the fleeting ones that melt like snow in the sun, but those that endure over time, will make you feel a deep peace and direct you towards a good choice: the gift of yourself and a shared life. From this, discernment is born.

Don't be in a hurry to understand everything right away. Time is a patient teacher and heals wounds.

Daily prayer, even simple and sparse in words, listening to the Word of God, the celebration of the sacraments, and the advice of wise people will help you to recognize which bonds to preserve and make grow, and which ones, without judgment, to cut off. 

Not everything that ends is a defeat: sometimes it is just a necessary step toward growth. Your dream of a family founded in the love of Christ is also a precious gift for the Church; nurture it with confidence. 
The Lord does not disappoint the desires that He Himself has kindled in your heart.

The restlessness you tell me about is not a negative sign. It is often where God works deeply. It is like the land that the farmer has tilled and is ready to receive a new seed.

I invite you to listen to Him sincerely, and I assure you of my prayers. I ask for you the grace of inner peace, confidence, and a clear outlook on your life. I entrust you to Mary, who, as a young woman, learned to trust despite having kept in her heart questions greater than herself. 

May 31 Sun - How can I imitate the Blessed Trinity?

 

May 31 Sun
How can I imitate the Blessed Trinity?

The Blessed Trinity is the central truth of our Christian life. It must be possible to live this truth. 

God is a social being: three Divine Persons in relationship with one another.

We are also social beings, always in relationships with others: as family members, as members of a school community, as friends, as spouses or parents, and as members of various civic associations and the Church.

In God, each of the three Persons is co-equal.

However, in human relationships, there is often inequality. In some relationships, we are dependent on others, like a child is on a parent. 
In others, we and the other depend on each other, as in a friendship.
In yet others, the other is dependent on us, for example, when a teacher instructs a student.

With sacramental grace, we can live all these human relationships as communions of love, imitating God’s inner life.

The best understanding of the inner life of God we have is from Christ. Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God’s love, and He has shown us that the essence of this love is the gift of self.

How does this apply to us?
Vatican II gives us the answer: “Man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for himself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.”

It is easy to see how sacrificial love applies when others depend on us. It may be hard to make the sacrifice, yet when we do so, we love as God loves.

But what about when we are the dependent ones?

Even when we depend on others, we can still give ourselves.

- Some examples include obeying the just authority of those on whom we depend, such as following a doctor's orders;
- Offering up the difficult situation, as in patiently waiting when we are hungry;
- Being cooperative and cheerful when seeking technical support over the phone, and so on.

When we accept the consequences of being in a dependent position, we also have a chance to imitate Our Lord when He was a child, during His forty days in the wilderness, and while enduring His Passion.

So, whenever we give ourselves to another person out of love, we are being like the Blessed Trinity.

However, we also have the terrible freedom to be selfish. Every selfish act is not only the opposite of human love; it is also the opposite of the life of the Blessed Trinity.

No one on earth likes to be around a purely selfish person. We can't stand people like that. (Even selfish people dislike other selfish individuals.) This helps us see how such behavior could exclude one from the Beatific Vision.

Remember, to be a follower of Christ means to make an effort to live accordingly, to mend our ways.

The love of God the Father flows to us through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit draws Christians together in fellowship. This is why we can encourage one another, agree with one another, and live in peace with one another. 

May 30 Sat - How can I make the best use of my freedom?

 

May 30 Sat
How can I make the best use of my freedom?

St. Josemaría: “God is a jealous lover. He is not satisfied if we come to meet him with conditions. He longs for us to give ourselves completely, without keeping dark corners in our hearts, where the joy and happiness of grace and the supernatural gifts cannot reach. Perhaps you are thinking, If I say 'yes' to this exclusive Love, might I not lose my freedom?"

“Each one of us has at some time or other experienced that serving Christ our Lord involves suffering and hardship; to deny this would imply that we had not yet found God. A soul in love knows, however, that when such suffering comes, it is only a fleeting impression; the soul soon finds that the yoke is easy and the burden light, because Jesus is carrying it upon his shoulders as he embraced the wood of the Cross when our eternal happiness was at stake." 

“But some people do not understand. They rebel against the Creator, in a sad, petty, impotent rebellion, and they blindly repeat the futile complaint recorded in the Psalms: Let us break away from their bondage, rid ourselves of their toils. They shrink from the hardship of fulfilling their daily task with heroic silence and naturalness, without show or complaint. They have not realized that even when God's will seems painful and its demands wounding, it coincides perfectly with our freedom, which is only to be found in God and his plans."

“Such people barricade themselves behind their freedom. ‘My freedom! My freedom!’ they cry. They have their freedom, but they don't use it. They look at it, they set it up, a clay idol for their petty minds to worship. Is this freedom? What use is this treasure to them, if there is no commitment guiding their whole life?" 

“Such behavior goes against their very dignity and nobility as human beings. They are left aimless, with no clear path to guide their footsteps on this earth. You and I have met such people. They then let themselves be carried away by childish vanity, by selfish conceit, by sensuality."

“Their freedom turns out to be barren, or produces fruits which, even humanly speaking, are ridiculous. A person who does not choose, with complete freedom, an upright code of conduct, sooner or later ends up being manipulated by others. He will lead a lazy, parasitic existence, at the mercy of what others decide. He will let himself be blown here and there by any wind whatsoever, and it will always be others who make up his mind for him. These are waterless clouds, carried hither and thither by the winds, autumn trees that bear no fruit, doubly dead and rootless, even though they may try to disguise their lack of character, courage, and honesty behind a smokescreen of constant chatter and excuses."

Self-giving is the exercise of our freedom. We give more glory to God by offering him our best talents than by making vain use of them. 

“Love is incompatible with boredom or apathy. To love means to renew our dedication every day, with loving deeds of service."

Pic: San Fernando, a man of sincere faith, committed to justice, and selfless service to others, who showed courage even in difficult times. 

May 29 Fri - What should I do when I feel sad?

 

May 29 Fri
What should I do when I feel sad?

If we are united to God, the joy of our life, nothing should make us sad. St John Chrysostom asks: “What could perturb a saint? Death? No! For he desires it as a prize. Insults? No! For Christ taught us to bear them: Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you. Illnesses? Not those either. What then could upset a saint? Nothing. In this world, even joy usually ends in sadness. But for those who live their lives according to Christ, even troubles are turned into joy."

Whatever happens, omnia in bonum! Everything works together for the good. God wants it to happen or at least allows it to happen. He sometimes even permits us to make mistakes and experience our own weakness, to draw forth good from it, to set us still more on fire with his love, and make us more sincerely humble. 

“Joy is a consequence of divine filiation. It comes from our awareness that we are loved by our Father God, who always welcomes us, helps us, and forgives us."

Sadness causes grave harm to the soul because it is the fruit of pride, just as joy is the consequence of the love of God. 

Cast aside sadness. Do you not realize that it is worse than any other state of mind? It is that which most discourages and rebuffs the Holy Spirit. A happy person works well, enjoys good things, and pleases God. But a sad person always acts badly.

Sadness is a great ally of the enemy. A person who is sad is in a near occasion of sin. If this grave danger should ever attack our souls, we must examine ourselves, ask for light, and look for the cause. “Happiness is a consequence of self-surrender."

At the bottom of sadness, we often find the dregs of selfishness and personal concerns. “You are not happy because you make everything revolve around yourself as if you were always the center: you have a stomachache, or you are tired, or they have said this or that...
Have you ever tried thinking about Him, and through Him, about others?"

If we are tempted to be sad, the first remedy is prayer. “You ask me to suggest a cure for your sadness. I will give you a prescription from an expert adviser, the Apostle St James: Is any of you sad? Are you sad, my son - Pray! Try it, and you will see."

Talking and listening to God will bring life back to our souls. Then, with the supernatural outlook of faith, hope, love, and desires for atonement, we will see that we only have reasons for being happy. We will resolve to remove the obstacles that separate us from the Lord, the God of our joy. Once more, we will happily serve our brothers and sisters and all people. “Our service must be carried out joyfully. Wherever there is a child of God, there must be the cheerfulness that comes from interior peace. When we have the spirit of Christ, we will do everything that we do joyfully." 

May 28 Thu - What does “Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest” mean?

 

May 28 Thu
What does “Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest” mean?

“Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest” means that Jesus is the one priest who offers the perfect sacrifice and continues to intercede for us forever, fulfilling and surpassing the priesthood of the Old Covenant.

Christ’s priesthood is foretold as “forever,” and Psalm 110 is explicit: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

What does “high priest” mean?

In Scripture, a high priest is someone appointed “to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.” 
So, when the Church calls Jesus “High Priest,” it means that Jesus truly represents us before God and acts for our reconciliation—not by repeating flawed sacrifices, but by offering what is perfect: His own sacrifice on the Cross.

What does “eternal” add?

In the Letter to the Hebrews, Christ is described as a high priest who enters into the heavenly sanctuary “once for all,” securing an “eternal redemption.” 

Hebrews also ties the Eternal High Priest to the nature of his offering. Christ enters the heavenly sanctuary “once for all,” and does so with his own blood, which results in “eternal redemption” for all of us.

This directly answers the problem; while the Old Covenant required repeated sacrifices, Christ does not need to offer daily sacrifices—He offered himself “once for all.”

In Catholic understanding, the Eucharist is intelligible only when we consider that Christ’s priesthood is ongoing—the priesthood of Jesus is not something that ended when He died and rose; it is exercised permanently. 

What does make Jesus “our” Eternal High Priest?

The Catechism states that Christ himself is “the eternal high priest of the New Covenant,” and that (through the ordained priest’s ministry) He is the One who offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. 

Also, Christ is not only a priest in the past: after entering heaven, He “always lives to make intercession” for those who draw near to God through him. 

John Paul II summarizes this intercession and priestly action in heavenly glory: Jesus is eternally consecrated and from there intercedes for us as our Mediator. 

How are the “Eternal High Priest” and the Mass related?

Catholic doctrine holds together two truths:
- Christ’s sacrifice is truly one and completed (not repeated), 
- Yet it is really made present sacramentally in every Mass, because the eternal High Priest is acting. 

That implies that the Eucharistic liturgy is understood as taking place in the context of Christ’s heavenly worship and intercession—not as a circumstantial, purely horizontal religious gathering.

The Church also teaches that in the Eucharist, we are not watching a merely symbolic remembrance. The Mass makes present the sacrifice of the Cross—it does not multiply it or treat it as something new. 

So “Eternal High Priest” connects directly to worship: Christ is the principal actor, and the Church’s liturgy participates in his one, permanent priesthood. 

In short, the title means that Jesus is the unique priest who offered the perfect sacrifice once for all and continues forever to intercede for you before God the Father—a sacrifice especially made present in the Eucharist. 

May 27 Wed - What are the keys to overcoming temptation and growing in holiness?

 

May 27 Wed
What are the keys to overcoming temptation and growing in holiness?

In the lives of many people, the path to holiness is marked by intense temptations. Far from weakening them, these struggles must become the very place where their faith is purified and strengthened. Holiness does not consist in the absence of temptations, but in remaining faithful in the midst of them.

One point must be clear: victory is achieved through the Cross. Inspired by Christ, one understands that suffering, accepted with love, is not a defeat, but a source of grace. Trials, interior or external, far from being an obstacle, become an opportunity for union with Jesus. Thus, one learns to see in pain a path of transformation, to the point of finding consolation in difficulties, understood as a participation in the life of Christ.

Another fundamental principle is: one must not engage in dialogue with the enemy.
“Do not enter into dialogue with temptation. Allow me to repeat it: have the courage to run away and the moral strength not to dally with your weakness or wonder how far you can go. Break off, with no concessions!"

Temptation often presents itself through subtle reasoning that seeks to confuse us and weaken. Therefore, the response is not to debate, but to firmly reject it and trust fully in God. Trust in the power of the Lord and not in your own strength.

One must not abandon the spiritual life when one experiences weakness or discouragement.

“After the initial enthusiasm, there began the doubts, hesitations, and fears. You are worried about your studies, your family, your financial situation, and, above all, the thought that you are not up to it, that perhaps you are of no use, that you lack experience in life."

“I will give you a sure means of overcoming such fears - temptations coming from the devil or from your lack of generosity! Despise them: remove those recollections from your memory. The Master already preached this unequivocally twenty centuries ago: ‘Don’t look back…’"

In the face of temptation or failure, the way forward is not to retreat, but to intensify prayer, sacrifice, and trust in God. This advice counters the temptation to give up when one feels fragile, reminding us that faithfulness in small things is key on the path to holiness.

One must realize God’s presence in the midst of trial. He is always in one’s heart, silently sustaining us. Even when God seems absent, His presence acts in the innermost depths of the soul, giving strength to resist and overcome.

Holiness is a path of struggle and love. Far from an idealized vision, holiness is a demanding path, marked by struggle as well as by grace. Thus, one must not lose heart in the face of difficulties, but discover in them an opportunity to grow in love and fidelity to God. This lesson must remain alive: victory does not lie in the absence of battles, but in remaining steadfast in Christ in the midst of them. 

May 26 Tue - Do I have “obligations” in my life?

 

May 26 Tue
Do I have “obligations” in my life?

Before becoming Pope, John Paul II wrote about one’s personal experience of obligation. We all feel “obliged” at some point in life to someone or something. What significance, what meaning, does that experience have?

We all realize that there are things we should do and things we should not. Additionally, some of the things we should do, we don't, while those we shouldn't do, we do.

This is so because man is not the author of moral norms. If that were true, Wojtyła argues, man could dismiss his self-imposed rules.
But we also have the experience that our sense of OBLIGATION endures even when we engage in (vain) self-dispensation. That suggests we are not the source of those moral norms or the sense of obligation flowing from them.

The sense of obligation, he observes, is not a time- and culture-conditioned phenomenon unique to some people. Any honest person must admit that all human beings at some point realize “I ought to do that,” even when they really don’t want to, even when they confess that they cannot avoid it.

The sense of an obligation not created by me challenges all claims of “rights” to “define meaning, the universe, and human life.” It therefore calls into question every assumption of self-made morality, “autonomous ethics,” or subjective “self-definition.”

A deeper reckoning of this would save us from the laws and cultural expectations that flow from those slogans. It is a matter of examining a basic and common experience: “I ought.”

The nagging persistence of the sense of “obligation,” despite our attempts to talk ourselves out of it, leads to another experience: RESPONSIBILITY. If, in good faith, I find I really can’t rationalize that obligation away, and I still feel accountable to its demands, it means I have a responsibility towards it.
It's a responsibility not of my making because—like the obligation—if it really were just my own doing, I could get rid of it. But I can't.

I sense that responsibility comes not from me but from the obligation, and that it keeps me accountable.

Responsibility, then, is not just a self-assumed yoke, the mark of the morally “mature” person. Even when I don’t accept them, I realize there are “obligations” that hold me accountable. Responsibility, then, is not just a matter of my choice.

But what is the value of guilt?  Contrary to current assumptions, “guilt can be good.” That’s not to say it’s good if it’s paralyzing or obsessive, but not every manifestation of guilt is bad.

Failing my responsibility by betraying my obligation reveals an accountability I have to the good, independent of my preferences.

In traditional Catholic terms, it is the CONSCIENCE, a source of moral guidance before we act and of judgment after we act.  Conscience is a healthy sense of recognition of failings for which I bear an obligation.  It is healthy because it acknowledges that first principles lie outside my sovereign will: “good is to be done, and evil avoided.”