Nothing happens in the world, not even what seems most inexplicable, without being wanted or allowed by You, my God.

Where many people see nothing but coincidence or chance, or even wonder whether they are at the mercy of blind fate, we Christians know that God's fatherly care, his most lovable will, his Providence, is directing everything that happens to us. History is not the result of blind forces or chance; it is the manifestation of our Father God's mercy. God's thoughts are above our thoughts, as Scripture says.

My firm belief that God is caring for me always, helps me to be patient. Things are never as I want them to be, but as God's providence allows; I must accept them gladly, no matter how they appear. If I see God behind everything, I will always be happy and peaceful and never get upset.

I must abandon myself into God's hands like a child who knows that his father always gives him what is best. Sometimes a child is attracted by things that could do him harm; and his father, even though he knows the child is going to be disappointed, has to say no. The child may not understand, but it is for his own good.

 

Only Jesus’ words give meaning and purpose to anyone’s life.

In the beatitudes the Lord gives us a complete picture of himself; each one of the beatitudes is a part of Jesus’ perfection.

By describing himself, he is also describing the attitude that a Christian –an icon of Christ– should have.

Jesus teaches us that the happiness of a person does not depend on what he possesses, what he has, but rather upon what he is.

The happiness that Jesus promises is not conditioned by wealth, health, or having every desire satisfied. It does not depend on the attitude that the others have towards us. It is not conditioned by the events themselves but rather by the way we react to these events.

This is the profound happiness that the Lord promises to his followers.

 

The sanctification of the feasts is not only an observance of a law, but a foundation of the moral life inscribed in the heart of man.

The joy of worshiping God, the joy of the Resurrection of Christ.

Fraternity is beautiful, greeting each other is beautiful, but, more importantly, the Mass makes sacramentally present the Sacrifice of the Cross. It is the encounter with Jesus in the Mass, that gives meaning to our meeting with each other, to our gathering.

We must rediscover and value the participation in the Mass.

“What must the cheerful way that Jesus looked upon people have been like? It must have been the same which shone from the eyes of his Mother who could not contain her joy — and her soul glorified the Lord while she carried Him within her and by her side. Oh, Mother! May we, like you, rejoice to be with Him and to hold Him.” // Furrow, no. 95

 This year, the beginning of the 7 Sundays of St Joseph is Feb 5. The feast of St Joseph, this year falling on Sun, is transferred to March 20, Monday. Then, March 19 is the 7th Sun and March 20, San Jose.

 

United in Christ Jesus, we form a single Body with a single Soul; with one mind, one heart, one feeling, one will, one desire. Nevertheless, we are many organs and members.

To be holy, we need the help of others. Christian life is essentially a meeting of the soul with its Redeemer, but it is also a merging of us all into the one love of Christ. As a result, our struggle to be holy entails the constant effort to stay united, and to help one another through genuine fraternity, the basis of which is the Love of God.

We want to love Christ with our whole heart. But we cannot forget that the more we become "members of one another", "mutually mindful for one another", the closer we shall be united with God and with Christ.

If it ever seems hard for us to draw close to God, we should ask ourselves what effort we are putting into loving and serving others.

As our Lord's arms were wide open on the Cross, so too our hearts should be open to everyone. We don't want to show indifference to anyone; on the contrary, we should always try to see Christ in others.

Illustration: This ancient guilloche border reminds us that each one should be in his place, and still, giving both hands to the neighbor, around Christ, with the apostles.

 

The early Christians, living in the middle of the world, by their actions bore witness to the faith they lived by. Thus, the starting point of any work with souls must also be the apostolate of good example.

Our desire to do apostolate stems from our love of God. We want everyone to draw near to God, to believe in him and love him. But God wants this to be achieved through our deeds, even more than through our words. People will believe your words when they see your good deeds, the way you act.

We attract souls to God through a word said at the right time, a discreet piece of advice, or a friendly conversation..., through what we may call the apostolate of friendship and confidence. But above all, through the example of an upright conduct.

First, good example, which we have a duty to give with a smile, pleasantly. Then, doctrine, in an appropriate way.

 

In the marble sculpture –in Rome– Our Lady is giving a rose to one of her children, below. The rose has thorns because it is real.

I wonder…will her child extend his hand and accept the rose?... and then kiss it?

 

 

Jesus Christ, God-made-Man, has come to bring life, to do good. He sacrifices his life not only for those who love and follow him, but for every single person, even those who despise him and nail him to the Cross.

Our charity seeks to imitate that of Christ. We should love everyone as he did, with a love that is unselfish, patient, and ready to go to any lengths for the good of souls. Ours must be a charity that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things,

God calls all people, of every country, race, and tongue, from the moment he brings them into existence saying: “Be holy as my heavenly Father is holy.” He calls them to a Christian life, a holy life, a chosen life.

Our mission continues the mission which Jesus received from his Father. Christ transmitted it to his Church when he told the Apostles: As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.

Photo: Immaculate Conception, antique Filipino carving in Makiling Conference Center.

 

Today, like every day, is a day of conversion. Let us not wait any longer, let us become like the apostles after the Resurrection, and let us ask for that faith and that love that converted St. Paul so that it may also convert us into light and fire in the midst of the darkness of the world.

Trust in my Father God fills my life with a profound joy, and leads me to an authentic abandonment to divine Providence: omnia in bonum! All is for the best.

Photo: Nuestra Señora del Amor Hermoso (Our Lady of the Fair Love), in the Prelatic church of Opus Dei in Rome.

 

What is spiritual communion and how can I have it?

Spiritual communion is an act of desire with which the believer expresses with his own words or with a previously composed prayer that he wishes to receive the Lord in his heart despite the circumstances that prevent him from receiving him directly in the sacrament.

It can be received by any faithful believer who believes that Jesus is truly present in the consecrated forms, at any time. This includes those who attend Mass without the Eucharistic fast, or without being in a state of grace (those who have not recently received absolution in the sacrament of Confession). This prayer can be included at the end of personal devotions such as the recitation of the Holy Rosary.

The most important thing to receive spiritual communion is to have a sincere longing to receive the Lord in one's heart and to express it through prayer.

Prayer of spiritual communion: “I wish, Lord, to receive you with the purity, humility, and devotion with which your most holy Mother received you, with the spirit and fervor of the saints.”

Children who have not received First Communion but who are aware of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist may use this simple prayer: "Child Jesus, who art in the Host, I want you for me, for me you shall be."

Illustration: Indian rendering of the Last Supper.

 

My desire is to be a good child of God and behave as such. The perfection that interests me is not that of the one who imaginatively pretends to do everything well and to have no defects, but that of one who wishes to live more immersed in the logic of God's love, corresponding to his love constantly.

St. Joseph had been chosen by God so that he would dedicate himself completely to the service of Jesus and the care of Mary; so that his only concern would be to look after the Son of God and the Blessed Virgin. This mission of love led him to put his whole heart into that service. And love, when it is genuine, is total, exclusive, stable, and lasting, an irresistible spur to all forms of heroism.

Among these, to be chaste, according to the circumstances of the state of each person, is not a matter of age but of love. Like St. Joseph, I want to say, “You want it from me, Lord? I also want it.”

 

To spend some time with us, Jesus is willing to go without food, to be at times forgotten, and to remain in a tabernacle regardless of the time.

But, if anyone listens to the Lord's call and decides to follow him unconditionally, a new, marvelous, divine dimension opens up for him, one that fills his entire existence with content and meaning.

 

Baptism transforms us in depth. It enables us to turn to God as his children. It makes us Christians and, in this sense, leads us to see and act according to God, that is, stepping in his footprints. This is what being children of God is all about.

Our faith does not consist merely in conquering weakness but in clinging, in the midst of suffering, to the will of him who suffers out of love for us.

Let us allow the Lord to look at us, in prayer, in the Eucharist, in Confession, in our brothers and sisters, especially in those who feel left behind, those alone. And let us learn to look at him and at everyone as he looks at us.

This is what each of us should do in our own lives: strive to know Christ deeply, to transmit him to as many people as possible, regardless of the fatigue or sacrifice that this may imply.

 

 

 

How good our Lord is! He has sought me out and taught me the way of being effective, by surrendering my life in a simple way, loving every person in God, and sowing peace and joy among friends. Jesus, how very, very good you are! Jesus, Jesus, always be Jesus to me!

If God has so loved me, how should I respond? What should I do for him? What should be the extent, and the measure, of my love?

The measure of my response: not merely fulfilling but surpassing myself.

I know, I am responding properly to God's goodness when I serve him, when I accept his will and let him use me as instrument for working all the wonders he wants to perform in the world.

Mary is the happiest witness to the tide of people running after her Son, seeking light and salvation.

 

This is Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

To be a shepherd is a true and proper way of life: twenty-four hours a day, living with the flock, accompanying them to pasture, sleeping among the sheep, taking care of those who were weakest. In other words, Jesus does not do something for me, but he gives everything to me, he gives his life for me. He teaches me, primarily, with the testimony of his life.

I need to compare myself with the model, with Jesus the Good Shepherd. And I should ask myself: Do I imitate him, drinking from the wells of the Eucharist and prayer, so that my heart is in harmony with his?

When I try to discover Christ in what surrounds me, I am filled with apostolic fruitfulness, perhaps different from what I imagined.

Jesus needs many persons who want to be fishers of men, to serve others, to give their lives like Christ. They are those who hold nothing back.

 

The power of God’s light consists not only in shining, but also in leading those who want to follow Him. We all need to help all those around us to come closer to God, to the Light.

We should consider whether our friends and colleagues are truly spurred on to glorify God when they see the way we act. Can they see the light of Christ in us? Do they feel the urge to improve their own lives, when they realize that we actually practice what we tell them?

We cannot allow Christ's light to lie hidden in us. We must let it shine forth in our behavior in the world's sight as well as in God's. It is not enough just to talk; we must also act. Those who see us will believe our actions more than any speech. They will feel attracted to the kind of life our actions reveal.

 

Facing the demands of the gospel that Jesus preached, we are always in danger of trying to deform this gospel to our own criteria and to our present circumstances.

Lord, make me strong to be able to help you carry the Cross in my ordinary life. I do not want to just “fit in,” yielding to what is considered normal, but rather “to stand out.”

I do not want my interior life to be a mere external fulfillment, but, in the depths of my soul, I am eager to always know what God expects of me.

Certainly, it is necessary to know how to transmit the faith at every time and place with the necessary gift of tongues. But the Word of God is forever.

Lord Jesus, to have you as a companion in my life I need to know you more directly in the Eucharist, in the Gospel and in prayer.

 

 

It all begins with Jesus, who, the Gospel says, “saw a man.” Few people saw Matthew as a man; they knew him as the sinner, the one who was “sitting at the tax booth” (v. 9).

But in the eyes of Jesus, Matthew was a man, with both his miseries and his greatness. Be aware of this, Jesus does not stop at the adjective — Jesus always seeks out the noun.

“This person is a sinner, he’s that kind of person…” these are adjectives; Jesus goes to the person, to the heart, “This is a person, this is a man, this is a woman.” Jesus goes to the subject –the noun– never to the adjective, He leaves aside the adjectives.

And I, how do I look upon others? How often do I see their faults and not their qualities? Their needs? How often do I label people according to what – I guess– they do or what they think?

 

When we, God’s creatures, lose confidence and are afraid, through lack of faith, we hear once again the voice of Isaiah who speaks out in the name of the Lord: “Was my arm too short to deliver you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you? By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert; their fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.”

My faith, that God is my Father, always produces optimism and the certainty of victory. If I were to rely on my own power alone, I would have good reason to be discouraged. Certain obstacles would seem insurmountable, and many of my apostolic targets would appear totally unrealistic. But, I know, if I live by faith, then I know I am not alone when I must face difficulties and when I strive to make my dreams a reality. I say, “God is my light and my strength, whom shall I fear?”

 

 

Two Apostles: Philip and Nathanael. Two specific callings: for the first, directly, “Follow me.”

For the second, Jesus uses his friend, Philip. Personal apostolate.

May we experience the joy of proclaiming Jesus through friendly dealings.

Lord, that all of us in the Church of God may feel responsibility for the entire activity of the Church; each one in his own area of work.

Lord, that each family may strive to make their home a place where the children can hear the sweet voice of Jesus calling them by their name.

 

Christ said to his disciples "Believe me, unless you become like little children again, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."

To become like a child, I must renounce my pride and self-sufficiency, recognizing that I can do nothing by myself. I must realize that I need grace, and the help of God my Father to find my way and keep steady in it. To be little, I must abandon myself as children do, believe as children believe, beg as children beg.

To be like a child, I should not think one thing and do a different thing. Simplicity should lead me to deal with God as a son deals with his Father; to deal with the others with kind and friendly naturalness.

My version of Our Lady of the Good Harvest. Viva el Santo Niño!

 

At all times, Christ continues to challenge man to stand with him or against him. Unfortunately, there are no other positions. And, constantly, I have to decide between, Christ or my selfishness. Christ or my sensuality. Jesus himself spoke of not being able to serve two masters.

I need to be more humble, Lord, to stay close to You, knowing and making your Gospel come alive. You are the only source of holiness; I can and must do nothing outside your will. Fame is of no use to me, nor goods, the only thing that should matter to me is to remain united to your grace in order to carry out the mission that you have entrusted to me.

Lord, increase my faith in you, and cast your divine light upon my daily tasks, so that I can be filled with love and hope, and my efforts can bear fruit. Lord God, you are always the same. It is men and women of faith that you need.

“Come and see,” – you told me – “You will see what I, the Lord, can do with your life, from the moment you begin to walk my path with blind faith, stepping on my footprints. You will see what wonders I can do with a trusting heart.”

 

The Ten Virgins of the parable maintained themselves cheerful and faithful. God has a marvelous reward in store for everyone, for every soul who is trying to love him. It is the reward of eternal happiness in heaven, without any trace of sorrow, bitterness, or sadness.

He has entrusted us with the divine mission of spreading this good news throughout the world, from pole to pole. It is a mission that requires effort, sacrifice, determination, and strength.

It is a true spiritual battle - a battle of peace - that we must fight, because at times people can be blinded by the devil and refuse to accept the truth and the love that saves them. Our war is a beautiful war of peace in which we sow love, forgiveness, understanding and fellowship. If we don't get close to other people, how can we bring them to God?

All our apostolate is based on love and affection, on the charity of Christ. We don't reject anyone. However, when the good of souls is at stake, we must be forceful - finding our strength in the fortitude of Christ - so that we can defend the freedom and rights of God and of his Church, and never yield in what is essential. We must follow the example of our Lord, who taught the commandments of divine law with authority.

Commenting on the parable of the ten virgins, St Josemaría said: “We must keep our lamps lit, as the prudent virgins did. We can't give away our oil, lest our lamps go out. When our faith is in danger, we can't play around. Our first duty is to keep our lamps lit. A charity that yielded in matters of faith would be false, diabolical, deceitful. Fortes in fide: strong in the faith, firm in the faith, as St Peter says. This isn't fanaticism; it's simply living by faith. It's not that we don't love anyone. We would be ready to give in on matters of secondary importance, but we can't give in on matters of faith. We can't give away the oil in our lamps. For then the Bridegroom would come and find that our lamps had gone out.”

Call no man fortunate before his death;

it is by his end that a man will be recognized.

 

May I grow in the awareness that Jesus is the true light that will bring me the happiness I seek in the things of this world. For only Christ alone will fill the longing for happiness that I seek.

May I live each day more in accordance with my condition and vocation, and thank God always, with the testimony of my life, for the marvelous, undeserved privilege of being his favorite child! Yes, each of us is so.

 

Lord, with my hands, I could accomplish my projects.

If I become your hands,

I will accomplish YOUR projects.

 

Jesus, show me your hands, hands of forgiveness and compassion, hands of healing and mercy, hands of anointing and blessing, which impelled you to give yourself into the hands of your brothers. Open to the events and accepting the difficulties you encountered on your way, Lord, you allowed yourself to be chiseled by the Will of God, carrying on your shoulders all the consequences of the Gospel, until you saw your own hands full of love, full of forgiveness: “Look at my hands,” you said to Thomas (Jn 20:27), and you are saying it to each one of us.

Jesus’ wounded hands are stretched out and never cease to offer themselves, so that you may know the love that God has for you and believe in him (cf. 1 Jn 4:16). “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit;” this is the invitation and the program of life that Jesus whispers and wants to offer to you; he wants to mold you like a potter molds a clay vessel (cf. Is 29:16); to put in you the heart of a shepherd, until you share the same sentiments of Christ Jesus (cf. Phil 2:5), until your heart and his Heart beat in unison.

Jesus, help me to give an apostolic meaning to my life, becoming like a pool of clear water, from which a river flows to irrigate the fields, but not like a stagnant pool, a swamp of egoism. Help me to be your hands.

 

Christmas is over; a time that ended with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Many families who still keep the Christmas decorations at home, will be able to keep them in the key of faith with this simple prayer.

"Lord, we thank You for accompanying us to live the Advent and Christmas time.

Now we entrust ourselves to You for the rest of the year."

Lord Jesus,

after decorating our homes with colored lights and various objects that remind us of the joy of your birth,

the time has come to put them away.

And we do so full of hope

that next year,

when we take them out of their boxes again,

they will once again fill our Christmas season

with peace and tenderness.

In the meantime, give us strength and courage

to listen to your Word and live the Sacraments,

and to communicate to all

that You are with us always,

in every time and circumstance.

Through Christ Our Lord. Amen."

 

If the Christian vocation comes first, if the star shines ahead to start us along the path of God's love, it is illogical that we should begin to doubt if it chances to disappear from view. It might happen at certain moments in our interior life – and we are nearly always to blame – that the star disappears, just as it did to the wise kings on their journey.

The Magi did not yield to the temptation of thinking that no one would understand their difficulty. Instead, they asked for advice, trustingly and without worrying whether anyone might be surprised at their inquiries. They had got as far as they had because they had a great supernatural outlook.

But they also displayed a lot of common sense. They did all that was humanly possible to find their way again. It would have been childish at this juncture to abandon their project, and to cause the best hours of their lives, those spent following the star, to be wasted. It would have been unjust, even to themselves, to have returned home simply because they had lost that guiding star. And they were right; for God was at hand.

When they saw the star again, they rejoiced exceedingly, with great joy. They rejoice with that immense joy because they did what they were supposed to do. And they rejoiced because they were certain that they were on their way to the King who had just been born. And this is what you and I are doing now.

Painting by Hugo van der Goes (c. 1430/1440 – 1482) Flemish artist

 

As they neared Jerusalem, the star mysteriously disappeared, leaving the Magi in a quandary. Yet we see no trace of discouragement in them. These were men who were used to overcoming adversity. The long journey would have steeled their resolve, teaching them the value of patience. They may also have realized that God, who had shown them the star, could just as easily hide it.

Whatever the case, the whole of the Gospel narrative transmits a sense of calm. The Magi's serenity is a good lesson to us. Calm in the face of difficulties, faith in our vocation, and common sense, are all factors we need each day. We know very well that when God invites a soul to lead a life fully in accordance with the faith, he does not take in account one’s measure of fortune, nobility, blood, or learning. God's call precedes all our merits ...

Christian vocation comes first; God loves us before we even know how to go toward him, and he places in us the love with which we can correspond to his call. God's fatherly goodness comes out to meet us. Our Lord is not only just; He is much more; He is compassionate and merciful; He does not wait for us to go to him. He takes the initiative, with the unmistakable signs of paternal affection.

 

Yesterday, in the Epiphany, the Magi met a Child, in need to be wrapped in swaddling clothes. His Mother, Our Lady was always there because she gave birth to him. There is a transition, from her most pure womb to this material world; from being still hidden to being visible in the manger.

Today is the Baptism of Our Lord. In his Baptism, the Blessed Trinity declares that he is God, the Son of God, “my Beloved Son…”. Our Lady is not there, because Jesus is God, was God, and will be God forever. He proceeds from the Father, uncreated, not made, consubstantial with the Father. There is no transition from not being to being, but continuity. He, simply, IS.

Two feasts form a single story. The Epiphany tells us that he has a human nature. The Baptism tells us that he is God. God and Man in a single Person.

Let us go to the cave of Bethlehem and, with faith and simplicity, and from the depths of our hearts, let us adore Jesus, promising him that we will always follow his star.

Let us trust that Jesus is the true light that will bring us that happiness we seek in the things of this world. For only Christ alone will fill the longing for happiness that we seek.

 The way to approach Jesus

I AM MOVED BY THIS ANGEL WHO CRAWLS "ON ALL FOURS" TO APPROACH THE NEWBORN JESUS.

A SPIRITUAL BEING WITH PERFECT INTELLIGENCE, LOVE, WILL AND FREEDOM UNDERSTANDS THAT HE CAN ONLY APPROACH THE MYSTERY OF THE INFANT GOD BY CRAWLING ALONG THE WISE PATH OF HUMILITY.

 

 

In the apostle, the features of dedication consist of a grateful dedication of service to the Lord and to his people. This is born of having accepted a totally gratuitous gift: “You belong to me... you belong to them,” the Lord declares; “you are under the protection of my hands, under the protection of my Heart. Stay in the hollow of my hands and give me your heart.”

Prayerful dedication, and the invitation entrusted to feed the flock, silently shape and refine the apostle, amid the crossroads and contradictions that he must face (cf. 1 Pet 1:6-7). Like the Master, the apostle carries on his shoulders the burden of his people. The apostle allows himself to be chiseled by the Will of God.

 

As I contemplate Mary in the stable where Jesus was born, I ask myself: What language did the Holy Virgin use to speak to Jesus? How did Mary speak?

When I observe the scene, I note that Mary does not speak. Mary does not speak, ... she welcomes.

She welcomes the mystery; she is experiencing it with awe, she cherishes everything in her heart, and, above all, she is concerned about the Child whom, as the Gospel says, was “laid in a manger” (cf. Luke 2:16).

This verb “to lay” means to carefully place, and this tells us that the language proper to Mary is maternal: she tenderly takes care of the Child. This is Mary’s greatness.

As the angels celebrate, the shepherds come running and everyone praises God with a loud voice for what has happened, Mary does not speak, she does not entertain her guests explaining everything that had happened to her, she does not steal the show — to us who like to steal the show! — she does not steal the show.

On the contrary, she puts the Child in the center, she lovingly takes care of Him. A poet once wrote that Mary “even knew how to be solemnly mute, […] because she did not want to lose sight of her God.”

What can I learn from her for this year that is dawning? I can say, “My Mother, my Lady, teach me what I need to do this year …”

Mother, teach me to listen to you, to listen to Jesus.

 

"Faced with the greatness of God or with a person who has made up his mind - with a decision both deeply human and profoundly Christian - to live up to the demands of his faith, there are people who find it strange, and; in their surprise, they even get scandalized. It seems they are unable to countenance a way of life which does not fit into their limited earthly horizons. They smirk at the generous actions of those who have heard God's call.

Some people think that our Lord ought to ask their permission before choosing others for his service. Apparently they believe man is not free to say an unequivocal yes or no to this proposal of Love. To people who think that way, the supernatural life of each soul is something secondary. They do believe it has to be reckoned with, but only after petty comforts and human selfishness have been accommodated. If this were the case, what would be left of Christianity? Are the loving but demanding words of Jesus only to be heard? Or are they rather to be heard and put into practice?

Our Lord asks all men to come out to meet him, to become saints. He calls not only the Magi, the wise and powerful. Before that he had sent, not a star, but one of his angels to the shepherds in Bethlehem. Rich or poor, wise or less so, all of us have to foster in our hearts a humble disposition that will allow us to listen to the word of God.” St Josemaria

Lord, right now, I want to meet you, in this prayer.

I really want to seek you, Lord. Drive away all distractions and worries that confuse me.

Help me to have a real personal encounter with your Love.

 

Of all those who saw the star, only the Magi discovered its deep meaning. Promptly, with faith, "Stella duce", led by the star, they set out on the road. What for others was nothing more than a marvel in the sky, for them held a clear-cut message. Undoubtedly God himself opened their eyes. But we can still admire their great faith and their promptness in setting out on their journey.

The wise men did not content themselves with just contemplating the star. They decided to follow it, and that was what really mattered, and called for their effort. They left behind their families, their ease, and their comfort, and set out on their way, carrying their finest possessions.

God reminds us that we belong to him by virtue a new title: that of our specific vocation as Christians. “We need a strong life of faith to appreciate the wonder God’s providence has entrusted to us. We need a faith like that of the Magi, a conviction that neither the desert, nor the storms, nor the quiet of the oases will keep us from reaching our destination in the eternal Bethlehem: our definitive life with God.

“My child, thank God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thank the Blessed Virgin through whom all the graces of heaven reach us, as through a divine channel. Give thanks for the grace of our calling which, next to the faith, is the greatest gift God could have granted a human being.” St Josemaría.

 

Everything dies out, everything passes away. And yet, what I desire is to remain forever. Where can I find what is really permanent?

God has left us free to choose. We can either refuse to carry out his Will or, with the help of his grace, we can surrender to his most lovable wishes. These two alternatives are mutually exclusive. The first is more comfortable, but it does not lead to happiness. As St Josemaría writes: “This is the key to open the door to the kingdom of heaven and enter: He who does the will of my Father, he shall enter!”

As the New Year begins, on the day of his Holy Name, we behold Jesus, suffering with pain, and loving with deeds, even though he is still an infant. He needs no words to ask us to prepare our hearts and put aside everything that does not accord with God's Will and hence hinders our sanctity and our happiness.

Jesus, may my heart be fully converted to You. May You be the only goal of my intentions and the sole object of my affections. May my heart show no hesitation in the face of hardship, but burn ever more ardently, consumed by love for God, and live forever.