Feb 14 Sat - How was Our Lady's work as a housewife in Nazareth?

 

Feb 14 Sat
How was Our Lady's work as a housewife in Nazareth?

Look at this painting of Our Lady; the distinctive mark is that she is wearing an apron; I call this painting Our Lady of the Apron. She looks like an ordinary, modest housewife.

Our Mother is looking towards heaven seeking directions in her life, for her decisions, instead of choosing just what is “popular,” “cool,” or “more comfy.”

In seeking God’s Will, she is internally talking to God, praying. Our work should be prayer, contemplation; we must do it in the presence of God.

She is ready to serve because our Christian vocation leads us to serve, following Christ, who did not come to be served but to serve. But not any kind of service, not any kind of work, rather, she's ready to work well as an act of love of God.

She has her hair gathered to be more effective in her work, so nothing will fall from her hair.
“Professional work -and working in the home is also a first-class profession- is a witness to the worth of the human creature; a chance to develop one’s own personality; a bond of union with others; a fund of resources; a way of helping in the improvement of the society we live in, and of promoting the progress of the whole human race…"
- For a Christian, these grand views become even deeper and wider. Because work, which Christ took up as something both redeemed and redeeming, becomes a means, a way of holiness, a specific task which sanctifies and can be sanctified.”

She's carrying the Child Jesus. When we work, in a manner of speaking, we are carrying the Child Jesus with us, because we are doing his work. 

The Child is looking towards heaven, because He, and the Father, with the Holy Spirit, are not separated, but one God. He is always doing the Will of his Father, who sent him. 

He is wrapped in a tallit (טַלִּית), the prayer shawl typical of the Jews, indicating that He belongs to the people of Israel. He is declaring the continuity of the covenant, and that He is the fullness of the New Covenant.

The painting is framed with a thin golden frame; our work, no matter how humble, becomes pure gold in the eyes of God. Thus, we collaborate in God’s work of redemption.

The painting is resting upon a red carpet. Our Lady is hinting to us that we must be like carpets, soft carpets, on which the others may be able to step comfortably.

It means that this service to others should be directed to make their life, and their way to heaven, easier, more pleasant, as an expression of fraternity, because we are all involved in the same journey, as a family, towards heaven.

Feb 13 Fri - What should I choose, what is ‘practical’ or the truth?

 

Feb 13 Fri
What should I choose, what is ‘practical’ or the truth?

Here are 10 principles from Benedict XVI that can help us to navigate our way through any crisis of faith.

1. Truth must precede our practices. 
Truth cannot be established only based on what is ‘practical’, praxis. Sometimes, what looks ‘practical’ is not morally correct. 

2. Truth is not the “middle term” between authority and subjectivity.
It is not enough to mean well and follow our conscience; our conscience can err, and if it does so, we have failed to perceive the truth. 
Truth is above consensus. Mere consensus is no guarantor of the truth.

3. Trust in Scripture.
We must not dismiss the Scriptures on the ground that no one followed Christ around with a tape recorder. On the contrary, we have to trust that the Holy Spirit was active in the composition of the Scriptures.

4. The Eucharist Is Not a Sinner’s Banquet.
We encounter Christ especially through the sacrament of the Eucharist, the very body and blood of Christ. The Eucharist is not a “fellowship meal” or a celebration of the achievements of the local community. 
The Eucharist has a particular relationship to the sacrament of matrimony. Conjugal love is a sacramental sign of Christ’s love for his Church, a love culminating in the Cross.

5. Church Teaching Develops Organically.
The Church cannot develop her teaching by majority opinion. Truth is not discerned by taking opinion polls and searching for a consensus. 
Christian tradition cannot hold as truth today what was heresy yesterday. Also, there must also be an internal coherence among the teachings in different areas of theology.

6. Relationship between Faith and Reason.
Faith and reason need to purify each other. The Catholic tradition represents a synthesis or integration of the two.

7. We must believe in a Creator God.
Since human beings are indeed created by God, they are creatures, not commodities. Moreover, the dignity of the creature is not found in their capacity to choose their own gender but in their having been made in God’s image. The belief in creation is also important for the understanding of our stewardship of creation.

8. Understanding of Synodal authority.
Speaking of the idea of a synodal structure of mixed lay and episcopal membership, Ratzinger declared:
“The idea of the mixed synod as a permanent supreme governing body of the national churches is a chimerical idea in terms of the Tradition of the Church as well as her sacramental structure and her specific goal. Such a synod would lack any legitimacy, and therefore obedience to it has to be decisively and unequivocally denied.”

9. Understanding of Holy Orders
Pope Benedict always defended the practice of a celibate priesthood and the notion of a priest as someone more than a community leader.

10. Understanding of the Petrine Office
The Pope is not the instrument through which one could, so to speak, bring a different Church into existence, but is a protective barrier against arbitrary action.
As such, a pope is not an absolute monarch, but rather like a constitutional monarch whose powers are restrained by a constitution.

Feb 12 Thu - Are the Institution Narrative and Consecration the central points of the Eucharistic Prayer?

 

Feb 12 Thu
Are the Institution Narrative and Consecration the central points of the Eucharistic Prayer?

What mankind has been waiting for through centuries is now going to take place among us. God has arranged everything to happen at its own time and in the most fitting manner. At this moment, we are invited to a greater recollection and devotion. To remind us about this, a little before the Consecration, the server may ring a bell as a signal to the faithful. Depending on local custom, he also rings the bell at the elevation of both the host and the chalice. 

The Consecration is the essential part of the Mass. Only the priest pronounces the words of the Consecration.
The human minister has received, with his ordination, the power to pronounce the great and wonderful prayers of the Consecration, and these will be effective. In truth, he is but the instrument of Christ. “The priest offers the Holy Sacrifice ‘in persona Christi’; this means more than offering ‘in the name of’ or ‘in the place of’ Christ. In persona means in specific sacramental identification with ‘the Eternal High Priest’ who is the author and principal subject of this sacrifice of his, a sacrifice in which, in truth, nobody can take his place.”
 
The priest does not act on his own account. “The priest’s identity consists in being a direct and daily instrument of the saving grace which Christ has won for us.” That is why, “if you ever come across a priest who, apparently, does not seem to live in keeping with the Gospel, do not judge him; let God judge him. Bear also in mind that if he celebrates Mass validly, with the intention of consecrating, our Lord would still come down into his hands, however unworthy they are.”
 
The priest’s own personality is blotted out to clothe himself with the person of the everlasting Priest. It is Jesus Christ himself who, at every Mass, performs the Consecration, while the priest lends him his voice. The priest repeats the words pronounced by Christ, not as he would describe the history of some beautiful event that happened in the past, but as bearing the same effective power Christ attached to them.

After the Consecration, what were bread and wine are no longer bread and wine, although our senses continue to perceive them as such, with all their sensible attributes. But it is now Christ himself–with his body, blood, soul, and divinity–who is there, under the appearances of bread and wine, offering himself to the Father for the redemption of all.

The full work of our redemption is truly and effectively carried out in the Mass, not only in a symbolic manner. “To accomplish so great a work [the work of redemption], Christ is always present in his Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations; He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of his minister, ‘the same one now offering, through the ministry of the priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross,’ but especially under the Eucharistic species.”

Feb 11 Wed - What is Relativism?

 

Feb 11 Wed
What is Relativism?
Relativism is the rejection of objective moral truths, leading to significant consequences for ethical understanding and practice.

Pope Francis highlighted that Relativism, under the guise of tolerance, ultimately allows those in power to define moral values according to their interests, which can result in laws being perceived as arbitrary impositions rather than reflections of objective truth.

The Church emphasizes the existence of objective moral norms that are valid for everyone, countering the notion that morality is merely a subjective result of individual conscience or cultural evolution.

Furthermore, the Church teaches that true freedom is found in submission to truth; a culture that loses sight of this relationship between truth, good, and freedom risks moral disorientation.

Thus, the Church's teachings present a clear opposition to relativism, advocating for recognizing objective moral truths as foundational for genuine human freedom and ethical behavior.

Already, at the beginning of the last century, some proposed that the Church’s doctrinal expression of sacred revelation was stifling and should yield to the fresh formulations of each age.

For some, nowadays, the call to sanctity is displaced by the ‘call to action’. Incidentally, this was the name of an experiment of the late 1970s, that eventually was cast into the landfill of failed experiments.

Christian piety and devotion are replaced by political fervor, and humble submission to the will of God collapses before a careful attention to the Self.

Thus, Relativism reigns supreme. They cast the Church’s doctrinal and spiritual Tradition aside as outdated and harmful. Just as the Jacobins erased history with the adoption of a new calendar, some desire to re-invent Faith, and have the Church’s beginning in the present century.

The problem with Relativism is that in due course, today’s relativism falls victim to tomorrow’s Relativism. When truth disappears, so does the firmness of any position. Even false ones. All are eventually cast into the devouring fires of the Relativist Moloch.
Disingenuously, Rousseau put it succinctly: “Sometimes men must be forced to be free.”

Contrast this with the elegant formulation of the great Thomist Garrigou-Lagrange:

“The Church is intolerant in principle, because she believes, but is tolerant in practice, because she loves. The enemies of the Church are tolerant in principle, because they do not believe; but are intolerant in practice, because they do not love.”

It shouldn’t surprise us that the relativists’ methods are arbitrary and crushing. Since they have long left the bright uplands of virtue and doctrine, their weapons leave behind the delicacy of those instruments that once were the arsenal of Mother Church. They passionately argue that these are a ‘paternalism’ of a dead past.
Closer to the truth, it is one of the most ancient terms for the Church, beginning with St. Cyprian in the third century: “No one can have God as their Father, who does not have the Church as their mother.”

Feb 10 Tue - What is the Tradition of the Church?

 

Feb 10 Tue
What is the Tradition of the Church?

Jesus scolded the Pharisees: “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? Matthew (15:3). These were their human traditions.

Our family traditions change; they are not like heirlooms, which can be handed down in a preserved state from one generation to another. But neither are our traditions like the game of telephone, where the transmission from one to another invariably and irretrievably degrades and jumbles the message as it passes to the next player.

Tradition is less about transmitting certain facts than it is about reverence and veneration of something precious – an inheritance that is precious both in itself and precious because of the one who bestowed it. In the end, the guarantor of tradition is always love.

There is also Tradition (big “T”), which, with Sacred Scripture, constitutes the deposit and source of what we believe: our Faith. The Holy Spirit is the decisive agent and guarantor of this Church’s Tradition.

Our grasp of that Tradition is never static or stale – it grows deeper and richer as it is shared – but it never ceases to be what it always is. Evolving, but always in itself; not in an anarchic manner but within the body of the Church and under her pastors. Its content becomes clearer and finds its application in new circumstances. Love himself guarantees the faithful transmission of that Tradition. Otherwise, it is not The Tradition of the Church, but merely “human traditions.”

Pope Leo recently said that “Ecclesial Tradition branches out throughout history through the Church, which preserves, interprets, and expresses. The Word of God, then, is not fossilized, but rather is a living and organic reality that develops and grows in Tradition. 

Thanks to the Holy Spirit, Tradition understands the Word of God in the richness of its truth and expresses it in the shifting coordinates of history.”

Christianity, both as a communal experience and as a doctrine, is a dynamic reality, in the manner indicated by Jesus himself in the parables of the seed: a living reality that develops thanks to an inner vital force.

Thus, the importance of safeguarding the deposit of faith:
Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the Word of God, committed to the Church, interpreted by the living teaching office of the Church [the Magisterium], whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ.

Any “deposit” imposes on the depositary the duty to preserve its content, which in this case is the Faith, and to transmit it intact.

The “deposit” of the Word of God is still in the hands of the Church today, and all of us. In our various ecclesial circumstances, we must continue to preserve it in its integrity, as a lodestar for our journey through the complexity of history and existence.

Sacred Scripture and Tradition are so linked and joined together that they cannot stand independently, and together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.

Feb 9 Mon - Does the desire for purity of heart improve my prayer?

 

Feb 9 Mon
Does the desire for purity of heart improve my prayer?

If you’ve ever sat down to pray and felt distracted, restless, or “somewhere else,” you’re not unusual. Many of us know what it’s like to want to pray but struggle to bring our full attention to it. We show up physically—but our minds are racing, half-present, half-elsewhere.

What’s often missing isn’t technique but attitude. And one of the most transformative attitudes of prayer—yet one of the most overlooked—is purity of heart.
But what does “Purity of Heart” even mean?

At first glance, “purity of heart” might sound like a lofty biblical phrase, or something reserved for saints. But it isn’t about moral perfection, nor is it restricted to a select few. It means wanting what God wants in the everyday choices of life.

It’s the difference between:
- praying because you should, and praying because you desire communion with God
- offering a quick formula of words, and offering your entire heart
- seeking prayer as a task, and seeking prayer as a relationship.

Purity of heart isn’t a prerequisite we must earn before God will listen; it’s an attitude that transforms prayer from “something I do” into “a meeting with the One I love.”

When we let go of interior clutter—anxiety, pride, distraction—prayer becomes a doorway instead of a duty.

Here are some practical ways to achieve it:

1. Say, “Here I am—open to You, even if I’m distracted.”
Offer what you have. This honest start softens resistance and invites God into the real state of your heart.

2. Purity of heart isn’t about ignoring life’s responsibilities—it’s about noticing what pulls your heart away from God. This awareness will lead you to the right choice.

3. Purity of heart is built by simple, repeated choices—not grand gestures. This might include:

- Pausing briefly to offer your day to God.
- Making the sign of the cross with intention.
- Praying for someone who irritates you.
- Offering a moment of frustration to Christ.

Prayer isn’t perfect. It’s present tense.

Purity of heart isn’t an achievement—it’s an attitude you cooperate with, one moment at a time.

So, if your prayer life feels cluttered, distracting, or distant this year, start with where you are. A heart open to God—even imperfectly—is a heart God can heal, guide, and transform.

Heaven doesn’t wait for perfection.
He joins you in your real journey toward purity—one humble step at a time.

“My secret is a very simple one: I pray. To pray to Christ is to love him.
Thus, you will be able to bring others close to Jesus because it is not possible to engage in direct apostolate without being a soul of prayer. 
We must be aware of our oneness with Christ, as He was aware of his oneness with His Father. Our activity is truly apostolic only insofar as we permit him to work in us, and through us, with his power, with his desire, with his love." (Mo. Teresa)

Feb 8 Sun - How can I be like a torch giving light to all around me?

 

Feb 8 Sun
How can I be like a torch giving light to all around me?

- Having apostolic zeal.
“Its symptoms are: hunger to know the Master; constant concern for souls; perseverance that nothing can shake."

José de la Pisa was 53 years old and had served as lieutenant colonel of Spanish Marines in Lebanon, the Indian Ocean, and the Royal Guard.

He went from the special forces to priest of Opus Dei: “I wanted what is most difficult, where I could help more. In the difficulties and hardships of life, you learn to give to others without reservation, to share and to need nothing but help others."  

"It's been 25 years of military work in the Marine Corps. The toughest thing in the Navy. A quarter of a century in areas of conflict, warring territories and peace missions (from Lebanon to the Indian Ocean) from which he learned some teachings that, he said, will serve him on his new priestly path." 

"You learn to give yourself to others. Military life has allowed me to be in contact with many people who suffer, with people completely uprooted, with refugees, with human beings who have lost everything or who live immersed in hatred. Knowing these realities firsthand allows you to see the people behind them, to realize that everyone, in the end, wants the same, and that we all suffer." 

"In the difficulties and hardships of life, you learn to give yourself to others unreservedly, to share, and to need nothing but to serve others."

"We were deployed in southern Lebanon. It was especially hard to see the kids approach the moving vehicle to ask for water and some food. It was even harder to have to give the order not to do so because if not, we risked that one of those kids could end up under the wheels of our moving vehicles."
Still as a numerary of Opus Dei, de la Pisa was stationed in the Indian Ocean under the command of a special operations team. "We were able to stop a big group of pirates, with a history of murders and excesses that would horrify anyone. When you questioned them, you realized that, just as they had chosen to go out to sea and face the real dangers of drowning, many others in their villages had chosen to seek honest ways of living. In a world where they have nothing, it is very interesting to wonder why some opt for good and others don't," he explains.

"I was lucky enough to study for a year in the United States, at US Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. There, I coincided with 200 other U.S. military personnel and 25 other foreigners. Then we started a social group that looked like a joke: a Spaniard, a Taiwanese, a Tanzanian, an Afghan, and a Malaysian. We were forging a good friendship, and questions always came up… about the Blessed Trinity, or the role of Our Lady... and so many questions and very varied, which they then tried to understand. Their friendship greatly enriched me.

Feb 7 Sat - Is it important to live the virtue of order in my daily life?

 

Feb 7 Sat
Is it important to live the virtue of order in my daily life?

“Virtue without order? Strange virtue!" Saint Josemaría Escrivá emphasized the virtue of order as essential to effective living and spiritual growth, advocating a structured approach to work and daily responsibilities.

Here you have some of his most relevant teachings on the Virtue of Order:

Importance of Planning:
In "The Way," St. Josemaría highlights that without a plan of life, one cannot achieve order. He stresses that having a structured plan allows individuals to manage their time effectively and fulfill their duties in a balanced manner.

Time Management:
He believed that when order is brought into one’s life, time seems to multiply, enabling individuals to dedicate more time to God and their responsibilities. This reflects his view that virtue without order is a strange concept, as order is fundamental to living out virtues effectively.

Balanced Life:
St. Josemaría encouraged a well-structured plan that encompasses all aspects of life, including spiritual, family, professional, and social responsibilities. He taught that achieving balance in these areas is crucial for personal development and fulfilling one’s vocation.

Work as a Gift:
He viewed work as a divine gift and emphasized that all work, regardless of its nature, should be approached with order and dedication. He stated that work done carelessly cannot be sanctified, as it lacks the love that makes any action pleasing to God.

After this, you may say, how can I apply this to my daily life? Consider these Practical Applications:

Daily Plan:
“Without a plan of life, you will never have order." St. Josemaría advised establishing a fixed routine to cultivate the virtue of order. This includes waking up at a consistent time and allocating specific times for prayer, work, and family activities. “If you don't get up at a fixed time, you will never carry out your plan of life."

Avoiding Procrastination:
“Don't put off your work until tomorrow." He warned us against putting off tasks, encouraging us to tackle our responsibilities promptly to maintain order in our lives.

In summary, Saint Josemaría Escriva's teachings on the virtue of order emphasize the necessity of planning, time management, and a balanced approach to life, all of which contribute to a more fulfilling and spiritually enriched existence. By integrating these principles, individuals can enhance their ability to serve God and others through their daily actions.

“When you bring order into your life, your time will multiply, and then you will be able to give God more glory by working more in his service."

If you make daily effort to pray, work conscientiously, and care for others, you will, little by little, become the kind of person God expects you to be. People will believe you because they see you struggle to be authentic and live what you propose to others. Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.

Feb 6 Fri - Where is God when terrible accidents happen?

 

Feb 6 Fri
Where is God when terrible accidents happen?

Frequently, we hear about terrible accidents and casualties. How could God allow this to happen? Where was God? What can be done to restore hope to the victims and their relatives? 

We can answer yes, that God was there. He was also in the ‘good Samaritans' who offered first aid, in the members of the emergency services, in many others. "God's mercy is endless, and his compassion never fails."

Suffering is universal on this earth. No one escapes it, not even animals. Why suffering exists is a mystery: that is, it is only partly intelligible.

We can have faith that God permits suffering to bring about a greater good. Since God is the highest good, He would not allow any evil to exist unless to produce greater good.

Sometimes we can see the good that God brings out of evil; sometimes we cannot.

We can glimpse that somehow suffering and death are the consequences of sin, yet suffering existed on this earth long before the first sin was committed.

We can see how witnessing suffering can unleash compassion and care in us, which makes us more human.

Through our own suffering, we can see that we are vulnerable, and need God and the help of other human beings. Suffering can make us humble and remove our individualistic tendencies.

Some suffering seems fair, as when criminals are punished. But other suffering seems totally unjust, and we feel that God should not permit it, for example, the suffering and death of an innocent child or an innocent child becoming an orphan.

Three points will shed light on the problem: First, in becoming man, God took on our human condition and suffered with us. 
Second, He transformed the meaning of our suffering: it is now part of his work of redemption. 
Third, through his suffering and death, He overcame death and opened the gate of eternal life in heaven to us: He transformed death from a pit into a door, from an end into a beginning.

Regularly, we must take on some correction to make up for our sins and to improve our character. This discipline makes us suffer a little. This suffering is a mortification, that is, a small death, to kill some of our bad qualities, if possible. These practices help us become humble and aware of our need for God. They may also make us more compassionate, because they help us see what others are going through.

The Christian response to another’s suffering is kindness and mercy, and to alleviate that suffering if we can. What are some things we might be able to do to alleviate others’ suffering?
        We can pray for them.
        We can offer their ordeal to God on their behalf.
        We can be with them.
        We can let them talk and listen to them.
        We can do little things for them that please them.
        We can help them in a way they want to be helped.

Feb 5 Thu - Why does the priest invoke the Holy Spirit during the Mass?

 

Feb 5 Thu

Why does the priest invoke the Holy Spirit during the Mass?

The Epiclesis is the invocation to the Holy Spirit in the Eucharistic Prayer where the priest requests God the Father to send the Holy Spirit so that the bread and wine offered may become Christ’s body and blood, and so we may be able to celebrate the Eucharistic mystery, and to make all the effects of the sacrament operative in us.

At the same time, the priest extends his hands, palms downward, over the chalice and host, and traces the sign of the cross over them. With this gesture, he asks God to pour his blessing over the gifts offered and to turn them into his Son’s body and blood.

“Why does the priest ask for what he positively knows will happen at the Consecration?” How many times did Jesus Christ ask for what he well knew would infallibly happen? The priest seems to pray, not so much for the miracle of transubstantiation as for the happy fruits it may produce in our souls.

After the last notes of the Sanctus, the people again fall silent. For it is how man should approach God –in silence.

In the Old Testament, the high priest, carrying the blood of the victims, entered the Holy of Holies alone once a year. Leaving the people behind, he offered a sacrifice to God in an atmosphere of awe and respect for God.

In the early Middle Ages, the priest entered the sanctuary, and curtains were drawn, thus isolating him from the people. To accentuate the importance of this part of the Mass, clerics carrying candles placed themselves on either side of the altar. The people attended these ceremonies kneeling.

The First Eucharistic Prayer acknowledges God the Father as our most merciful Father so that we may deal with him with the confidence of children:

- To you, therefore, most merciful Father,
we make humble prayer and petition
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord:
that you accept
and bless ✠ these gifts, these offerings,
these holy and unblemished sacrifices,

We find the Epiclesis at the beginning of the Second and Third Eucharistic Prayers. 

The Fourth Eucharistic Prayer, which has its own Preface, links it, after the Sanctus, with a narrative of the history of salvation in the form of anamnesis (remembrance). The Epiclesis comes after:

- Therefore, O Lord, we pray:
may this same Holy Spirit
graciously sanctify these offerings,
that they may become
the Body and ✠ Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
for the celebration of this great mystery,
which he himself left us
as an eternal covenant.

How often have we relegated the Holy Spirit to a secondary role! We now promise him we shall be more docile to his sanctifying action. “That means we should be aware of the work of the Holy Spirit all around us, and in our own selves we should recognize the gifts he distributes, the movements and institutions he inspires, the affections and decisions he provokes in our hearts.”

Feb 4 Wed - 8 Powerful Quotes from St. Josemaría Escrivá

 

Feb 4 Wed
8 Powerful Quotes from St. Josemaría Escrivá 

#1 “To be holy isn’t easy, but it isn’t difficult either. To be holy is to be a good Christian, to resemble Christ. The more closely a person resembles Christ, the more Christian he is, the more he belongs to Christ, the holier he is.” (The Forge, 10)

#2 “When you pray, but see nothing, and feel flustered and dry, then the way is this: don’t think of yourself. Instead, turn your eyes to the Passion of Jesus Christ, our redeemer. Be convinced that he is asking each one of us, as he asked those three most intimate Apostles of his in the Garden of Olives, to ‘watch and pray.’” (The Forge, 753)

Prayer is not primarily about feelings; it is a dialogue of love.

#3 “We cannot separate the seed of doctrine from the seed of piety. The only way to inoculate your work of sowing doctrine against the germs of ineffectiveness is by being sincerely devout.” (The Forge, 918)

Religion turns sterile and lifeless when piety does not accompany doctrine.

#4 “There are some people who, when they speak about God or the apostolate, seem to feel the need to apologize. Perhaps it is because they have not discovered the value of human virtues, but, on the other hand, have been greatly deformed spiritually, and are too cowardly.” (Furrow, 37)

#5 “I am going to summarize your clinical history: here I fall, and there I get up. The latter is what matters. So, continue with that interior struggle, even though you go at the pace of the tortoise. Forward! You know well, my son, where you can end up, if you don’t fight: one depth leads to another and another.” (Furrow, 173)

#6 “Look at the set of senseless reasons the enemy gives you for abandoning your prayer. ‘I have no time’—when you are constantly wasting it. ‘This is not for me.’ ‘My heart is dry…’ Prayer is not a question of what you say or feel, but of love. And you love when you try hard to say something to the Lord, even though you might not actually say anything.” (Furrow, 464)

#7 “Here is a thought to help you in difficult moments. ‘The more my faithfulness increases, the better will I be able to contribute to the growth of others in that virtue.’ How good it is to feel supported by each other.” (Furrow, 948)

When God gives us grace, it’s not just for us. 

#8 “What zeal men put into their earthly affairs! Dreaming of honors, striving for riches, bent on sensuality! Men and women, rich and poor, old and middle-aged, and young and even children: all of them alike. When you and I put the same zeal into the affairs of our souls, then we’ll have a living and working faith. And there will be no obstacle that we cannot overcome in our apostolic works.” (The Way, 317)

A recommended daily spiritual practice is an examination of conscience.
We so easily invest ourselves in worldly things—yet where is God? How is He moving and working in our lives? When we devote some time to God, He fills us with his grace.

Feb 3 Tue - How can I know if what I intend to do is good or bad?

 

Feb 3 Tue
How can I know if what I intend to do is good or bad?

Your freedom makes you morally responsible for your choices. When you act deliberately, you become the author of your actions. These freely chosen acts, arising from conscience, hold moral weight.

A human act's morality—its goodness or badness—depends on whether it draws you closer to your ultimate goal, which is God and eternal happiness.

The question in the young man’s conversation with Jesus: “What good must I do to have eternal life?” shows the essential connection between the moral value of an act and man’s final end. Jesus, in his reply, confirms the young man’s conviction: the performance of good acts, commanded by the One who “alone is good,” is the indispensable condition of and the path to eternal happiness; “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

As we see, there is more in goodness than conforming to nature and doing whatever you wish. The good you must choose is related to unfolding your potentials; not only ‘being’ good, but also ‘doing’ good.

To accomplish a good act, you make use of your freedom to pursue an authentic good. This good is established as such by God.

The agreement between the action and the norms of morality must take place at two levels:

- The act itself (the Object) can bring you closer to God.

- You actually ordain it to God (your Intention is right).

Thus, the two elements of action, its ‘Object,’ and your ‘Intention,’ must be good. The ‘Circumstances,’ though accidental, could also be important.

When you choose to do something, your will chooses a course of action—a moral Object—to achieve an end. The Object chosen is the good toward which you deliberately direct yourself. It is what the action by its own nature tends to, independently of your intention. It answers the question: “What are you really doing?” Studying, working, relaxing, or robbing a bank.

What you do must also agree with the norms derived from eternal law: natural law, and legitimate human laws.

These laws must be properly applied to the specific case through a judgment of your reason called conscience.

The purpose you intend (or intention) must also be good (I study to know), even if you are not fully aware of it then.

Circumstances are the accidental moral conditions that contribute to increasing or diminishing the moral goodness or evil of an already existing action. I study despite my headache (increase); I give alms with useless leftovers.

To find out the goodness of an action, you must ascertain that the elements (object and intention), called principles or sources of morality, are good. If one of these is bad, the whole action will be bad; for instance, giving alms (good) to appear generous (bad) would be immoral; equally robbing a bank to build a church.   
You must also consider the circumstances to increase its goodness.

Image: Our Lady of La Vang (Vietnam).