Aug 1 Thu - Do I proclaim the Gospel with the testimony of my life?

 

Aug 1 Thu
Do I proclaim the Gospel with the testimony of my life?
The Gospel tells us about Jesus who sends His disciples on the mission "two by two", and recommends something important: to take only what is necessary with them.

Let us pause on this image: the disciples are sent together, and they must take only what is necessary.

We do not proclaim the Gospel alone, no: it is proclaimed together, as a family, and to do this it is important to know how to preserve sobriety. We must know how to be sober in the use of things, sharing resources, capacities, and gifts, and doing without the superfluous. Why? To be free. The superfluous enslaves you.

We should keep what we need to live in a dignified way, and to contribute actively to the apostolate. Then we must be sober in thoughts, and feelings, abandoning our preconceived ideas and attachments, that weigh us down and hinder the journey.

Let us think, for example, of what happens in our families. Are we happy with what is necessary, even with little, to go forward with God's help? Do we share what we have, everyone renouncing something and supporting each other? And this is already an apostolic proclamation because the beauty of Jesus' message is reflected in the reality of our life.

A family that lives in this way creates an environment rich in love, in which all become open to faith and the newness of the Gospel.

If, on the other hand, everyone goes his or her own way, if only material things count, –which are never enough– if one does not listen, if individualism and envy prevail –envy is a poison!– individualism and envy prevail, life becomes difficult, and meeting others becomes an occasion of restlessness, sadness, and discouragement, rather than an occasion of joy.

We should ask ourselves, then: Do I taste the pleasure of proclaiming the Gospel with the testimony of my life? Do I bring, where I live, the joy and light that come from living with the Lord? And to do this, do I commit myself to walking together with others, sharing ideas and skills with them, with an open mind and a generous heart? And finally: Do I know how to cultivate a sober lifestyle that is attentive to the needs of my brothers and sisters? These are questions that we must ask ourselves.

May Mary, Queen of Apostles, help us to be true missionary disciples, in communion and sobriety of life.
Some excerpts from Pope Francis. Pic: Tak Sun Secondary School 德信中學, Hong Kong.

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Jul 31 Wed - How do I determine what I must do?

 

Jul 31 Wed
How do I determine what I must do?
Following Christ can cost us effort. Yet St. Paul assures us that no real evil can come to us, only amazing good because we are predestined, called, justified, and glorified according to the image of Christ. “All things,” even suffering, “work for good for those who love God.”

The kingdom of God, or the salvation Christ has won for us, or Christ himself, is of unsurpassed value. Thus, the most prudent thing is to put it first in one’s life, like the person who finds the treasure buried in the field, or the jeweler who finds a pearl of great price. At the same time, there is an urgency in doing so, because we will all be judged at the end of our lives and either be approved or condemned.

Prudence, or sound decision-making, is the ability to know what to do in any situation and to act on that knowledge. Solomon had enough prudence to ask God for more of it. To obey and to love God’s will is great prudence.
To realize that God will judge me for the good and evil I do in this life is the beginning of prudence if it will move me to repent of the evil and to do good.

Thomas Aquinas identified three steps or activities within prudence. They are counsel, judgment, and decision.

COUNSEL means to reflect on what to do, to think it over, to pray about it, to ask for advice, to use your intellect to try to discover the best thing to do with the time available.
The man who discovered a treasure buried in a field could not ask other people what might be the best to do, so he had to counsel himself.

JUDGMENT means to decide what, among the many possibilities, is best; meaning what will be moral, and also likely to be effective.
The man who found the treasure reasoned that the best course of action was to sell everything he had and buy that field. Very often, God wants us to continue digging, in the place we are, and there –not in another place– we will find the treasure.

DECISION means to take action. Based on what your reason tells you is best; then you tell your will to do it.
The man did sell his worldly possessions and bought that field and so got the treasure.
When it comes to the moral thing to do, prudence guides conscience. “The prudent man determines and directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment” of reason.

Aided by prudence, “we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.” (CCC 1806)

Conscience does not determine what the moral principles are. Those principles are not “invented” but found in the natural law and the divine revealed law.

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Jul 30 Tue - Why Be Catholic?

 

Jul 30 Tue
Why Be Catholic?
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the primary and most apparent reason to be both a Christian and a Catholic. Christ's Resurrection provides undeniable evidence of the truth of the relationship between mankind and God, a truth that He both revealed and accomplished.

Question: How do we know that Christ's teachings are true? Answer: Because He rose from the dead.
Christ Himself argued that we should believe in Him because of the works He performed. His miracles served as proof that He came from God, and thus, His words were true.

The Resurrection guarantees the truth of Christ's words, the authority of the Church, the inspiration of the Scriptures, and the effectiveness of the entire order of grace.

But what about my own personal life, my own existence? St. Paul addressed this question directly when rebuking those who denied the resurrection of the dead:
"For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Cor 15:16-22)

In other words, Christ's Resurrection guarantees our own resurrection, our own personal immortality. We will not only exist as disembodied souls, but as complete human beings, with body and soul united to God. We can gain an understanding of what this means by reflecting on the process of aging. As we grow older, we sometimes look in the mirror and feel surprised. We do not perceive ourselves as "old". We see ourselves as simply ourselves, the same person we were aware of when we first reflected on our existence as children. Not necessarily the young self, but certainly the very same self. We find it strange, even unsettling, that the body can betray this self, this "permanent me", through change, growth, and decay.

In Christ's Resurrection, this "permanent me" is guaranteed to experience eternal life in its fullest form: elevated, free from sin, perfected, and living in boundless love. Yet, always remaining essentially myself.

No other philosophy or religion offers as much, or to put it differently, no other philosophy or religion captures so perfectly what we instinctively understand about ourselves. It captures our uniqueness compared to the rest of nature and the inherently permanent and potentially glorious nature of our own existence. The reason is simple: no other philosopher or theologian can claim a resurrection. When it comes to being Christian and Catholic, this single, solitary, concrete, and miraculous historical fact makes all the difference.

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July 29 Mon - How can I advance in interior life?

 

July 29 Mon
How can I advance in interior life?
A Virtue at a Time. The key to lasting growth is to advance with little steps. A good idea is to pick one of these ten virtues of Mary each week and practice it in everyday situations.

1. Profound Humility. How we can live out this virtue: See yourself as God sees you! Pray the Litany of Humility, accept compliments gracefully and quietly, and don’t be embarrassed to make mistakes in front of others.

2. Lively Faith. Faith is a gift from God. We receive it –we do not manufacture it on our own. To receive this gift, we must seek communion with the Giver. Choose to trust Him and practice receiving His gifts with open hands.

3. Intelligent Obedience. We are called to obey God the best we can, even when we don’t fully understand why He asks for certain things.

4. Life of Prayer. Make time for mental prayer in silence, thanking God, and asking for help to do His Will. Bring Christ into every little thing, offering up all your thoughts, words, actions, joys, and sorrows.

5. Mortification. Make little sacrifices and offer them up for specific intentions. Accept the small irritations, humiliations, and inconveniences of daily life as quietly as you can. Mortify yourself in little things, such as getting up right away when the alarm goes off.

6. Purity. Pray and frequent the Sacraments. Strive to keep your heart and body pure, and your mind clean and focused on worthwhile goals. Seek to purify your intentions. Don’t manipulate others.

7. Ardent Charity. Imitate our Blessed Mother and try to bring those around you closer to Jesus, the true and perfect Lover.

8. Heroic Patience. Unite your little sufferings and contradictions with the sufferings of Our Lord on the Cross, and of Our Lady of Sorrows. Pray for the gift of perseverance.

9. Kindness. Open your heart to the grace of God, and show gratitude for his blessings. Smile and be kind, friendly, and alert to the needs of others, putting them before your own.

10. Divine Wisdom. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, to look at all things with the eyes of Christ and not with your own. Ask Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, to help you.

Remember: Our Blessed Mother is right there, by your side, at every step of your way. Don’t hesitate to ask for her guidance and assistance. Lastly, don’t be afraid to grow in love for Our Lady.

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Jul 28 Sun - Why is Mary the first tabernacle?

 

Jul 28 Sun
Why is Mary the first tabernacle?
In every Mass, as in the Last Supper, through the Eucharistic Prayer, the mystery of transubstantiation takes place. This occurs when the priest says the words of the Consecration.

“Our Lord chose to remain in the Eucharist to strengthen us in our struggle, to nourish us (anyone who works has to eat to replace the energy they use up), to set us on fire with his Love and make us his apostles: to divinize us!"

This same Christ present on the altar started to exist as man by being born of a woman. “When the Divine Child was conceived, Mary’s humanity gave him hands and feet, eyes and ears, and a body with which to suffer. Just as the petals of a rose after a dew close on the dew as if to absorb its energies, so too, Mary as the Mystical Rose closed upon him whom the Old Testament had described as a dew descending upon the earth.”  For nine months, he was cloistered in the virginal womb of Mary; and she passed into him everything that human nature demands for its growth.

The God whom earth and sea and sky
Adore and laud and magnify,
Whose might they own, whose praise they tell,
In Mary’s body deigned to dwell.

O Mother blest! the chosen shrine
Wherein the Architect divine,
Whose hand contains the earth and sky,
Vouchsafed in hidden guise to lie:

Blest in the message Gabriel brought;
Blest in the work the Spirit wrought;
Most blest, to bring to human birth
The long desired of all the earth.

Since the flesh and bones of Mary were not different from those of Jesus, how can the royal dignity of the Son be denied to the Mother? When David was planning the Temple of Jerusalem on a scale of magnificence becoming a God, he said, “This palace is not for man but for Yahweh God.”
How much more reasonable, then, that God adorns Mary with all precious gifts so that she may be a worthy dwelling of his Son: the first tabernacle of Jesus Christ, God and Man.

When finally, she did give him birth, it was as if a great ciborium had opened, and she was holding in her hands the Guest who was also the Host of the world, as if to say, “Behold, this is the lamb of God; behold, this is he who takes away the sins of the world.”

Mary is the creature closest to Jesus. “The piety of the Christian people has always very rightly sensed a profound link between devotion to the Blessed Virgin and worship of the Eucharist. Mary guides the faithful to the Eucharist.”  She teaches us how to deal with her Son when we receive him in Holy Communion.

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Jul 27 Sat - Can I be a Christian in private?

 

Jul 27 Sat
Can I be a Christian in private?
In politics, Catholics cannot live a 'private faith.' Pope Francis recently emphasized the importance of Catholics sharing their faith in the public sphere and combating political polarization by supporting person-centered democracy.

"Let us not be deceived by easy solutions. Instead, let us become passionate about the common good," he urged.

The pope spoke strongly about the value of democracy, encouraging participation rather than partisanship, and comparing ideologies to "seductresses."

"As Catholics, we cannot be content with a marginal or private faith on this horizon," the pope stated. "This means not just being heard, but above all having the courage to propose justice and peace in public debates."

The pontiff explained that democracy is intended to give meaning to everyone's commitment to transforming society. It should pay attention to those who are left out or marginalized in economic processes, and provide space for social solidarity in all its forms.

Democracy should also support the return of a caring ethic for the common good and give significance to the development of the country, understood as an overall improvement in quality of life, collective coexistence, democratic participation, and genuine freedom.

He emphasized the importance of solidarity and subsidiarity and condemned a certain "welfare-ism" attitude that fails to recognize the dignity of people, labeling it as "social hypocrisy."

Solidarity among individuals is necessitated by the fundamental equality of all people who share the same rational nature. Society is not just a collection of individuals; it is strengthened by organic connections among its members, who are called to form a unified family. The interests and concerns of each member should not be alien to the others.

All individuals are destined for the same goal, namely God Himself, as they have been created in the likeness of God, who "made every nation of men who live on all the face of the earth."

Solidarity is also required by the supernatural end to which all human beings are called. God desires humans to attain salvation as members of a society. Therefore, He has established the Church, in which everyone cooperates for the common good. This type of solidarity is expressed in the dogma of the communion of saints.

Alongside the principle of solidarity, the principle of subsidiarity must also be applied. What individuals can achieve through their own initiative should not be taken away and given to the community; it would be unjust to assign to a larger organization what smaller and subordinate ones can do. Hence, the higher association should never destroy or absorb the smaller one.

The supreme authority of the State should, therefore, allow subordinate groups to handle matters and concerns of lesser importance. By doing so, the State can freely and effectively carry out its unique responsibilities, such as directing, monitoring, encouraging, and restraining, as the situation requires and necessity demands.

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Jul 26 Fri - Why do we often make the sign of the Cross?

 

 

Jul 26 Fri
Why do we often make the sign of the Cross?
The sign of the Cross expresses our faith in the mysteries of the Blessed Trinity –Father, Son, and Holy Spirit– and of the crucifixion of the Word Incarnate. It is the briefest act of adoration and faith in these two great mysteries.
 
The sign of the cross also manifests our faith in the indwelling of the Trinity. It reminds us of the connection between these mysteries, and that Jesus is the Way to the Blessed Trinity.
 
We can become intimate with the one God, and with the three divine Persons only through Jesus and his cross; thus, we should be reminded of this fundamental truth by the sign of the Cross. It is the sign of our adoption as children of God; it is our life. ...
 
We profess our faith when we say, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit," many times a day, to the Trinity dwelling within us.
 
“All the graces and gifts that we receive, are given in the Trinity, from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.” St Athanasius
 
The sign of the Cross connects us to the Mass; in it, the Victim is always offered to the Trinity. “As you attend Mass, you will learn to deepen your friendship with each one of the three divine Persons: the Father who begets the Son; the Son, begotten by the Father; the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. When we approach any one of the divine Persons, we approach the one God. And when we come close to all three Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — again, we come into the presence of the one true God.” St Josemaría
 
Besides, in the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lord remains with us as Emmanuel, "God with us." He instituted the Blessed Sacrament as a continuation of the Incarnation, and he is there for the same reasons as when he was on earth: to give glory to God and not only to be with us but also to deepen and foster our union with the Blessed Trinity. By shedding his Precious Blood, he established the indwelling of the Trinity in our souls, both on earth and in heaven, for heaven is a continuation of the life we have lived on earth since baptism.

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Jul 25 Thu - How can I overcome the culture of the provisional?

 

Jul 25 Thu
How can I overcome the culture of the provisional?
– Follow Jesus to pursue a path of life with commitment and dedication.

We must follow Jesus to overcome a prevailing “culture of the provisional” that feeds a lack of commitment and superficiality in taking responsibility.
The faithful should look out for what matters in life and that remains stable over time.

Contemporary society and its prevailing cultural models – the ‘culture of the provisional’ – do not provide a climate conducive to the formation of stable life, or choices with solid bonds, built on the rock of love and responsibility. It only offers the quicksand of emotion.

Such a culture places everything in question and easily breaks the possibility of pursuing any life path that demands commitment and dedication.

This causes superficiality in taking responsibility among young people, because, in the depths of the soul, they see responsibility as something from which we should be free.

Yet the human heart aspires to “great things;” young people should feel the urgency to take courage and pursue their future together with Jesus.

Alone we cannot do it. Faced with the pressure of events and trends, we will not be able to find the right path, and even if we could find it, we would not have enough strength to persevere...

And here comes the invitation of the Lord Jesus: ‘If you want ... follow me.’ He invites us to accompany him on the journey.

Only with Jesus, praying and following him, can each person find clarity of vision and the strength to carry on. He loves us, has chosen us definitively, and has given himself to each of us definitively. He is our defender and brother, and he will be our only judge.

How nice to be able to face the vicissitudes of life in the company of Jesus, to have with us his person and his message! He does not take away autonomy or freedom; on the contrary, he strengthens our fragility, allowing us to be truly free, free to do good, strong to continue doing so, and able to forgive and to ask for forgiveness.

Journeying through life with Jesus does not deny difficulties and problems, but helps us to see them as temporary and conquerable.

Mary always helps us when we are on the way and when we are still searching for it, when we have clear ideas and when we are confused, when prayer comes spontaneously and when the heart is dry.

Mary is the Mother of God, our Mother, and Mother of the Church. Many men and women, young and old have turned to you to say thank you and supplicate a favor. Mary leads us to Jesus, our peace. We have recourse to you, trusting in his help, with courage and hope.

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July 24 Wed - Does God take into account that we are human?

 

July 24 Wed
Does God take into account that we are human?
God takes into consideration our social nature, “At a purely natural level the individual is in no way isolated from life in a community. Every human being is born into a family, and we absorb from our surroundings all the culture and traditions that make for spiritual growth and perfection.”

We owe a great deal, therefore, to society, and in particular to our country, and we are naturally obliged to be grateful; we ought to love our country and hold it in high regard. But for a Christian, this patriotism must be animated by charity.

On the other hand, “Nationalism is a sin. It is a lack of justice towards other nations. And what about patriotism, the love for one's country? That is a virtue, a Christian virtue, and I bless it with both hands. It is important to distinguish well between the two. To save a soul, I would be willing to take any nationality whatever, and yet I won't allow anyone to claim they love my country more than I do. Can you see the difference between love of one's country, which is a noble sentiment, and nationalism? Nationalism is displeasing in the eyes of God because it makes us sin against our duties towards other nations. It is the height of folly, and always ends up harming the Church.” St Josemaría

The Church therefore teaches that “citizens must cultivate a generous and loyal spirit of patriotism, but without being narrow-minded. This means that they will always direct their attention to the good of the whole human family, united by the different ties which bind together races, people, and nations.”

The Second Vatican Council teaches: “In loyalty to their country and faithful fulfillment of their civic obligations, Catholics should feel themselves obliged to promote the true common good. Thus, they should make the weight of their opinion felt so that the civil authority may act with justice and that legislation may conform to moral precepts and the common good.” In contrast, it would be unreasonable to expect everybody to get professionally involved in politics ...

It continues: “The Church, because of her role and competence, is not identified in any way with the political community nor bound to any political system.” We cannot assume that everyone should adopt the same political stance. Such an attitude would diminish the freedom we all have as human beings.

This love for freedom, so much a part also of the spirit of Opus Dei, brings with it the duty to help people respect the opinions of others in all those political and professional matters that the Church has left to their free choice. The Church teaches that Christians “must recognize the legitimacy of different opinions about temporal solutions, and respect citizens, who, even as a group, defend their points of view by honest methods.”
Our Lady appearing to St James, on a pillar, in Saragossa

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Jul 23 Tue - Should I be persistent in prayer?

 

Jul 23 Tue
Should I be persistent in prayer?
Our Lord is ready to give us the good things we ask for, but he wants us to persevere in prayer. How often he has told us this! He gave us examples of it, such as that of the poor widow demanding justice, or the man knocking on his friend's door late at night.

That sort of holy stubbornness in praying for things is something which shines out in the life of the saints. Souls dedicated to God have always done the same thing. St John Chrysostom says: “When I tell someone, ‘Pray to God for that, ask him, beg him,’ they answer, ‘I've already prayed for it once, twice, three, ten, or twenty times, and got nothing.’ Don't stop, my brother, until you get it; petition ends when you receive what you are asking for. Stop praying for it only when you receive it. Better still, don't even stop then. Until you get it, keep on praying for it; and when you have got it, thank God for it.”

One reason for persevering in prayer is that the more we pray, the closer we come to God; and vice versa. “Those who are nearest to God are the first to be heard. That is why you must get close to God and be intent on becoming a saint."

St Thomas says, “Before addressing a man, you need to be acquainted with him, or at least have some common bond. But when you pray to God you become his friend straight away, because your soul is raised up to him, and you adore him in a spirit of truth. And so, your prayer generates friendship, which in turn opens the way to still more confident prayer. Therefore, when we make our petitions to God, persistence is never out of place. In fact, it actually pleases God. We ‘ought always to pray and not lose heart.’ ‘Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you’."

“We need a lot of God's blessings ... Let's ask for them with our whole soul, with all our faith, each telling our Lord lovingly, alone with him in our hearts: ‘Jesus, we want this...’ St Matthew tells us, ‘if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.’ And there are thousands of us, all asking God for the same thing. What massive certainty we should feel!"

“But we must be praying with confidence, in Jesus' name. When you receive him in the Eucharist every day, tell him: ‘Lord, in your name I ask God the Father for...’ and pray for all that we need in order to serve the Church of God better, and work still more for God's glory: the glory of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Trinity, one God.”

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Jul 21 Sun - How can lay people be involved in the mission of the Church?

 

Jul 21 Sun
How can lay people be involved in the mission of the Church?
All members of the people of God are both fundamentally equal and functionally diverse. All baptized individuals, known as the faithful, are equally called to strive for sanctity and share equal dignity in the Church as children of God. They are also equal in both dignity and duties. The call to seek sanctity and engage in apostolate is what unifies them and serves as the basis of their equality.

Therefore, God calls each member of His flock to take on the mission of the Church. Each in his or her own sphere of influence or area of expertise must be a shepherd, responsible for those under their care or whom they have the opportunity to serve.

While some individuals have a specific calling to be pastors, such as bishops and priests, the role of the Church's pastors is not to directly intervene in the political and social organization of society. The Pope and bishops can certainly address the civic issues they observe and establish the moral principles that should guide efforts to solve them. They may also offer practical advice on how to address these issues. Pope Francis exemplifies this approach in his encyclical Laudato si'.

The laity, by virtue of their unique vocation, are tasked with seeking the kingdom of God by actively participating in temporal affairs and aligning them with God's will. They live in the world and are involved in every aspect of earthly work, business, and ordinary social and family life, which comprise their existence.

However, addressing these issues and finding solutions falls within the vocation of the lay faithful, who take their own initiative alongside their fellow citizens. The role of the laity is to infuse temporal realities with Christian commitment, demonstrating their witness and agency for peace and justice. This responsibility applies to individuals at all levels, whether they are national leaders or residents of a neighborhood.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the lay faithful feel like clay in the potter’s hands, trying to accomplish the will of God. They recognize that they are the Church and have a distinct and noble mission entrusted to them by God Himself. They understand that this mission arises from their identity as Christians. Consequently, like all faithful members, lay people have a duty to spread the message of salvation.

In the broadest sense, the social action taken by the laity should always prioritize the common good and align with the teachings of the Gospel and the Church.

The common good encompasses the conditions of social life that allow both social groups and their individual members to achieve personal fulfillment.

For instance, individuals, businesses, civic organizations, and governments can act in pursuit of the common good, seeking to benefit both themselves and others. Conversely, they can act against the common good, prioritizing their own interests at the expense of others or even causing harm to others.

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Jul 20 Sat - Eden was a paradise... what made it a paradise? I wonder.

 

Jul 20 Sat
Eden was a paradise... what made it a paradise? I wonder.
There were two trees in Eden: the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Adam and Eve were to obey, and eat from the one, but abstain from the other.
Note that both trees were together, in the middle of Eden (Gen 2:9).

So, every time they ate from the Tree of Life, they had to face the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and make a conscious choice NOT to eat from it.
This is something very strange to our modern thinking... Namely, that paradise is obedience.

But do not miss the point... First, LISTEN to God; and then, OBEY Him. Obedience TO GOD... Not obedience in general! Not to anyone or for anything.

People often say that ‘seeing is believing’, but the Bible teaches the opposite, that listening is more important than seeing.
We see this in the words of the Shemá prayer. This Prayer ( שמע [sh’-máh]) is the act of faith for the Jews: “Hear [shemá], O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.”
Shemá means ‘to hear’. But it also means to obey and take action. So, one who hears God must be ready to obey Him; and to obey God, you must hear Him.

“The voice of the LORD twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare.” (Psalm 29:9) Creation hears God’s voice, and it is automatically obedient. Taking action in responding to God’s Will is essential; the hearing and responding must go together. Do you want to hear from God today? Embrace the full meaning of shemá hear and obey.

“A sick man is brought to Jesus, who looks at him. Contemplate the scene closely and meditate upon his words: ‘Take heart, my son’. This is what our Lord says to you when you feel the weight of your errors: Have faith. In the first place: faith. And then allow yourself to be carried like the paralytic did: with interior and submissive obedience." St. Josemaría

Eden was a place of abundance, peace, life, and the knowledge of God. Why? Because it was a place of perfect obedience to God...

This is so contrary to our instincts. We imagine that paradise is total liberty, license, autonomy, indulgence... but we fail to see that, left to ourselves, we use these things in ways that diminish, destroy, enslave and kill us.

Rebellion has a terrible cost, whether we want to see the consequences or not.
This is why James calls the law of God, "the perfect law, the law of liberty" and adds that all who submit to it "will be blessed in all [their] doing."

It is obvious that our Creator would know better than anyone what blesses us. Obedience is paradise.
Some excerpts from Martyn Iles

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Jul 19 Fri - Should I Aim Even Higher?

 

Jul 19 Fri
Should I Aim Even Higher?
Someone said: “Maybe we’re talking too much about the Eucharist. We should say, ‘It’s the Body and Blood of Christ. Go to Mass. That’s it’.” True. But I had thirty minutes to fill.

So instead, I said that we should have an incarnational, sacramental, and eucharistic worldview. As God has created the world and reveals Himself to us through His Creation, we can know Him through the visible things of Creation.

Just as in the visible elements of the Eucharist, we are meant to grasp the real presence of Christ, so also, in the visible elements of Creation, we are meant to grasp the real presence of God’s creative Word and Wisdom.

By extension, the wisdom of God becomes incarnate and present in the Scriptures. Thus, we must learn to read both the Book of Nature and the Book of Scripture, for they are not mutually exclusive because both have the one God as their Author.

In one of his earlier sermons, John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote:
“The object of setting up universities is to reunite things which were in the beginning joined together by God, and have been put asunder by man. … It will not satisfy me, to have two independent systems, intellectual and religious, going at once side by side, by a sort of division of labor, and only accidentally brought together. It will not satisfy me, if religion is here and science there. … The intellect and religion should meet in the same place and exemplified in the same persons."

What is especially poignant in this passage is the marriage imagery: the notion that in setting up universities, our goal should be “to reunite things which were, in the beginning, joined together by God and have been put asunder by man.”

Afterward, a friend reminded me of something important: “I don’t like it when we try to sell Catholic education solely on the idea that at Catholic universities, we have faith and teach the virtues. That is fine, but we should be telling students and parents that they should come to a Catholic institution because there, they can get a real education. They can study actual math and physics and biology, not woke math, physics, and biology. They can get real history, not The New York Times version of history. They can study the classics. They can learn to think and reason and evaluate important arguments rather than merely being served up clever post-liberal propaganda.”

Catholic institutions need to “aim higher.” Yes, but they should “Aim highest.” We must continually remind ourselves that the object of our seeking is the highest reality and the source of all goodness and beauty. If that doesn’t fill you with zeal for study, thanksgiving, and love, nothing will.
Some excerpts from Randall Smith. Pic: UCLA University of California.

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Jul 18 Thu - Is it just a man who celebrates the Mass?

 

Jul 18 Thu
Is it just a man who celebrates the Mass?
In the liturgical actions, Christ is the high priest who offers God the glory that is his due, and associates the Church with himself in his action.

We must have a great love for the liturgy, because our whole life should be centered on the Holy Mass, the summit of all the Church's liturgical actions. And it is in the Mass that we can establish a living relationship with the Blessed Trinity, with our Mother the Blessed Virgin, and with the Angels and Saints.

We must put loving attention into everything that refers to the worship of God and the care of the chapel or the oratory and the tabernacle, because Jesus Christ is there, and He is the object of all our love and devotion.

We must achieve union with Christ in the liturgy through personal piety. Without personal piety, and an effort to purify our soul and to draw nearer to Christ, we would stray from the path to holiness, and end up getting bored in the acts of the liturgy as well. Without the necessary inner act of the will, the liturgy would be left soulless and lose much of its effect.

There can never be any opposition between the liturgy and other practices of piety, because they are all directed to the same end: giving glory to God and sanctifying souls.

The human heart asks for these external acts; it needs to express itself in words and gestures. And in their turn, the beauty of the ceremonies, the harmony of the singing, and the solemnity of the liturgical rites, all move our heart to greater love for God.

Even our prayer should be liturgical. In the course of the year the Church presents to us the principal events of Jesus' life. We experience that life as something real and present, because the liturgical year, as Pope Pius the Twelfth taught, ‘is not a cold and lifeless representation of the events of the past, or a simple and bare record of a former age. It is rather Christ himself who is ever living in his Church.’ As we follow the different aspects of his life that are brought before us, we will find new virtues to imitate, and new reasons for gratitude and love.

In the readings and prayers, the liturgy also brings us the echo of Christ's own preaching, and supplies us with a precious reservoir of material on which to draw for our own personal meditation.

The liturgical life and the interior life are inseparable because they depend on one another. It would be a mistake, and a pitfall on the path to holiness, to neglect either of the two.

The prayers and petitions of the liturgy may become a theme for our aspirations throughout the day. And our contact with God in the Mass should be prolonged in visits to the Blessed Sacrament and other acts of piety.

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Jul 17 Wed - What about tattoos?

 

Jul 17 Wed
What about tattoos?
In the past, some people disliked tattoos because they viewed them as defacements, a form of body modification that detracted from natural beauty. Aesthetically, I must admit I agree. The prevalence of tattoos, especially among women, is something I find particularly unattractive.

Aesthetics should not dictate ethics. When considering the permanent and real mutilation that individuals undergo, whether through contraceptive sterilization or gender-based genital mutilation, I am less inclined to criticize tattoos.

Yet, there is another type of permanent marking. The three sacraments. Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders imprint a spiritual "character" on the soul that cannot be erased. Consequently, these three sacraments are unrepeatable.

Furthermore, if I were to have something etched into my body, should it not be a well-considered decision rather than something randomly chosen from a tattoo parlor catalog after consuming excessive amounts of alcohol? If I am going to carry a tattoo on my skin for several decades, should it not express something vital about my identity?

This brings me back to the sacramental characters. Though they are not be visible, they are no less real, effective, or permanent.

Yet, how many Catholics take their sacramental characters as seriously as they do a Mandarin character, such as 和平, which they tattoo on their bodies? Sacramental characters, after all, entail a lifelong role within the Body of Christ: being a child of God, a soldier of Christ, and an alter Christus. For instance, the baptismal character is why a Catholic marriage must be a sacrament, and any attempt to marry outside the Church (without dispensation of form) is no marriage.

Maybe we can draw a parallel from that old tattoo. Although I got it without much contemplation, as it was "a dare" or because my friends were doing it, the 和平 no longer holds any meaning for me. Nevertheless, it has not disappeared; the fading and wrinkling ink remains, even if I no longer attribute the same significance to it as I did in my twenties. Is this not often the case with the sacramental character of Confirmation, for example?

The sacrament intended to complete full incorporation into the Church often becomes the last "sacrament" … until the wedding or the baptism of a first child arises. Moreover, I likely spent more time preparing to receive that character than the average person spends considering a Chinese character tattoo.

Or have I superficially regarded both equally?

Our actions and what society deem "beautiful" often reveal more profound underlying assumptions and values. Could the proliferation of tattoos, which often lose meaning over time, even though they continue to increase in popularity, indicate that many individuals are desperately searching for anything that may provide a sense of permanence and meaning of life?

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Jul 16 Tue - Is Mary the “Mother of God”?

 

Jul 16 Tue
Is Mary the “Mother of God”?
This is what early Christians believed; from a letter by Saint Cyril, bishop of Alexandria in Egypt from 412 to 444 A.D. Thus, written more than 300 years before Islam appeared.

"That anyone could doubt the right of the holy Virgin to be called the Mother of God fills me with astonishment. Surely, she must be the Mother of God, if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, and she gave birth to him!

Our Lord’s disciples may not have used those exact words, but they delivered to us the belief those words enshrine, and this has also been taught to us by the holy fathers.

The distinctive mark of holy Scripture is that it was written to make a double declaration concerning our Savior; namely,
– that he is and has always been God, since he is the Word, Radiance, and Wisdom of the Father; and
– that for our sake in these latter days he took flesh from the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and became man.”

There have been many holy men, free from all sin. Jeremiah was sanctified in his mother’s womb, and John while still in the womb leaped for joy at the voice of Mary, the Mother of God.

The divinely inspired Scriptures affirm that the Word of God was made flesh, that is to say, he was united to a human body endowed with a rational soul. He undertook to help the descendants of Abraham, fashioning a body for himself from a woman and sharing our flesh and blood, to enable us to see in him not only God but also, because of this union, a man like ourselves.

Thus, there are in Him two entities, divinity and humanity. Yet our Lord Jesus Christ is nonetheless one, the one true Son, both God and man; not a deified man on the same footing as those who share the divine nature by grace, but true God who for our sake appeared in human form. We are assured of this by Saint Paul’s declaration: “When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law and to enable us to be adopted as sons."

We should express amazement at the wonders God has worked. Filled with immense joy, we must exclaim with the Church: ‘Mary gave birth to the King whose name is eternal; she united the joy as a Mother with the honor as a Virgin; such as this has never happened before, nor will it happen again.

Mary's divine motherhood is a dogma of our Catholic faith. It was solemnly defined early in the Church's history at the Council of Ephesus, in AD 431.

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Jul 15 Mon - What is spiritual childhood?

 

Jul 15 Mon
What is spiritual childhood?
Simplicity characterizes spiritual childhood. Abandonment, confidence, determination, daring, and happiness are all characteristics of a child's life. There is one characteristic that stands out among all others, one that should never be absent: simplicity.

Simplicity comes naturally to children because they don't know the meaning of mistrust. They know that everything is of interest to their father. They know their father notices everything that concerns them and is sure to make up for their limitations. Therefore, children talk about everything. As St. Jerome says, "A little child doesn't think one thing and say another, and we should be the same; if you didn't have the same innocence and the same purity of intention, you could not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Sincerity is necessary to achieve this kind of simplicity.

Simplicity is the complete opposite of affectation. It is evident in the way we accept our rightful place: if that place happens to be a high position socially, we don't make ourselves feel important, and if it happens to be a modest position, we don't feel humiliated. Our Lord's entire life was one of simplicity, as we see in His years in Nazareth and His journeys with the Apostles.

He once said to the paralytic, "Rise, take up your bed and go home," and the paralytic immediately rose and went home. We must be like children in order to react in such a way: to show our faults to our Lord and allow ourselves to be healed by obeying whatever we are told, promptly.

Simplicity is the transparency of very young children who don't hide anything. "Be small, very small. No older than two years old, three at most. Older children are little rascals who are already trying to deceive their parents with improbable lies. It is because they have the wickedness, the inclination to sin, but they lack the experience of evil, which will teach them the science of sinning, so they can cover up the falsehood of their deceits with an appearance of truth.

“They have lost their simplicity, and simplicity is indispensable to be children before God." St. Josemaría

Simplicity is the natural consequence of a balanced personality, a soul that is not distorted by any unhealthy peculiarities. People are simple when they are fully aware of their faults and don't try to justify themselves with false excuses. They are affected by their shortcomings but don't become excessively upset or scrupulous about them. They also don't overlook them, no matter how small, but rely on the help of grace. Only very young children can act as naturally as this, admitting when they have misbehaved and crying with sorrow when they are scolded, without trying to hide their misdeeds.

“You must feel the urgent necessity to see yourself as small, weak, and bereft of everything. You will then clamber onto the lap of our heavenly Mother, with heartfelt aspirations and loving glances, Marian devotions... which are such a vital part of your filial spirit.
She will watch over you."

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Jul 14 Sun - What is the priest’s identity?

 

Jul 14 Sun
What is the priest’s identity?
All baptized persons can say, “God chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him." Through Baptism and Confirmation all the Christian faithful belong to a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people. By this baptismal priesthood, a sharing in the priesthood of Christ, the faithful take an active part in the celebration of the Sacrifice of the Altar. They sanctify the world through their secular tasks, sharing in the one mission of the Church by means of the different vocations they have received from God. Housewives, for example, sanctify the various aspects of motherhood and related duties; sick people are called to offer up their suffering lovingly to God; each one makes a pleasing offering to God of his daily tasks and circumstances.

From among the faithful, some are called by God, through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, to exercise the ministerial priesthood. This second priesthood builds upon the first one, but they are essentially different. By means of the consecration received in Holy Orders, the priest becomes an instrument of Jesus Christ, to whom he offers his entire being, in order to bring the grace of Redemption to all mankind. He is a man chosen from among men and appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

What then is the priest’s identity? That of Christ. Each one of us Christians can and should be not just any other Christ, but Christ himself. But in the priest, this happens in a direct way, through Holy Orders.

Our Lord, who is present among us in many ways, is so particularly in the person of the priest. Every priest is a great gift of God to the world. He is Jesus who goes about doing good; he brings peace and joy to men’s minds; he is the living instrument of Christ in the world. He offers Our Lord his voice, his hands, his whale being. At Mass, he renews ‘in persona Christi’ the redemptive Sacrifice of Calvary itself.

Jesus identifies himself with the priest in such a way, that it is as if our personality disappears before his, since it is He himself who acts through us. It is Christ that changes the substance of bread and wine into his Body and Blood at Mass. And it is Jesus himself who, in the sacrament of Penance, utters fatherly the words ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ ‘It is He who speaks when the priest when he announces the Word of God. It is Christ himself who cares for the sick, for children and sinners, when he enfolds them with the love and pastoral care of the sacred ministries.

A priest is of more value to mankind than the entire material universe. We must pray constantly for the holiness of priests, helping them and sustaining them with our prayer and our affection. We must see Christ himself in them.

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Jul 13 Sat - Is Mary Co-redeemer?

 

Jul 13 Sat
Is Mary Co-redeemer? We begin with two fundamental ideas. The first is that only God can redeem and save us. Redemption involves the forgiveness of sins and also a relationship with the Blessed Trinity - a grace through which God gives himself to humanity.

The second idea is that God accomplishes our redemption through the Incarnation, specifically through the life of Christ (his passion, death, and resurrection). However, there is room for human cooperation, as Mary demonstrated. "Thus, Mary, the daughter of Adam, Mary, consenting to the word of God, became the Mother of Jesus. Committing herself wholeheartedly and impeded by no sin to God's saving will, she devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the Lord, to the person and work of her Son" (LG 56).

Mary accompanied her Son at the foot of the cross: "the Blessed Virgin advanced in her journey of faith and faithfully remained united with her Son until the cross, following “the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross, where she stood (cf. Lk. 2:19; 51), in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, associated herself with his sacrifice in her mother’s heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim which was born of her” (LG 58).

Furthermore, "in a completely unique way, she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the work of the Savior in restoring supernatural life to souls" (LG 61). Is it legitimate, thus, to say, that Mary is Co-redeemer? In certain contexts, this may be understood well by everyone, but that may not always be the case.

An analogy with the Eucharist can help us grasp the point. The presence of the priest is necessary for the celebration of Holy Mass, and without the priest, the sacramental actualization of Christ's sacrifice cannot take place. However, this does not mean that we cannot also say that the celebration belongs in some way to the entire liturgical assembly and to the Christian people present at the Eucharist, as all those present, by virtue of their common priesthood, collaborate with the ministerial action of the priest.

Similarly, we can say that Christ alone is the Redeemer, while the Church, united with Jesus in the Redemption, also collaborates in this task: the Church is thus co-redeemer. The disciples, too, collaborated with Christ in spreading the Gospel. They not only preached, but also performed miracles in his name. As St. Paul says, they were "God's collaborators" (1 Cor 3:9). This kind of collaboration can be attributed to the Church and rightly to Mary as well.

However, some may misinterpret the use of the title Co-redeemer, thinking that the prefix "co" implies that the Redemption is a joint work of Jesus and Mary. We believe that the Redemption is the work of Christ alone, as only He can accomplish it. In this sense, we should not say that Mary is co-redeemer, as she is not the source or origin from which the Redemption arises.
Some excerpts from Antonio Ducay

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Jul 11 Thu - God took the initiative

 

Jul 11 Thu
God took the initiative.
The Blessed Trinity is the mystery of God himself.
God the Father begets God the Son, and gives him everything He is; God the Father is totally “being for.”
God the Son is totally “being from” the Father.
God the Holy Spirit is essentially the mutual love between the Father and the Son.

God the Father wanted to share his divine life and happiness with men; for this purpose, God the Son became man. During his whole earthly life, Jesus worked to establish a permanent relationship –a covenant– between God and mankind, translating into human terms –as if he were reproducing in a mirror– the Son’s filial relationship with the Father in the Holy Spirit.

In Jesus, we become sons of God through the Holy Spirit; and brothers and sisters among ourselves, in Jesus, through the Holy Spirit.
For these reasons, God took the initiative and created his Church, the family of men enriched with –really sharing in– the love, goodness and beauty of the Blessed Trinity.

The passion, death and resurrection of our Lord constitute what we call the Paschal Mystery, the climax of Jesus’ earthly life. In and through this Paschal Mystery, life in the Holy Spirit is made communicable to us; this Mystery is our entry point into the life of the Trinity as it was established in the covenant.

The fruit of the Paschal Mystery is Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He lives in us to join us together in the Church and to unite us to God. The Paschal Mystery is perpetuated in time and space in and through the life, doctrine and worship of the Church.

The Church communicates to us life in the Spirit.
The Church proclaims the Word of God as handed down by the Apostles, making the Paschal Mystery present as “saving word.”
The Church makes the Paschal Mystery present as “saving action” through the sacraments but more especially through the Eucharist which makes present the Paschal Mystery in the sacrament.

During the Last Super, our Lord anticipated the bloody sacrifice he would accomplish the following day, on the cross, once and for all for the world’s redemption.
A sacrifice is the highest form of adoration. It should have two elements:
– The offering (oblation) of a victim to God in acknowledgment of God’s supreme dominion as the Beginning and End of our entire lives.
– The victim or gift should be destroyed (immolation), or at least partially removed from human use, as an act of submission to the divine majesty. A sacrifice is not only an oblation. While an oblation only offers something to God (as in the case of alms for the cult), a sacrifice also immolates, or somehow destroys, what is offered.

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Jul 10 Wed - How can I have a conversation with God?

 

Jul 10 Wed:
How can I have a conversation with God?
The spiritual formation we receive fosters our personal friendship with Jesus Christ. We must truly be souls of prayer. "Prayer is the basis for all supernatural work. With prayer, we are all-powerful. And if we tried to do without it, we would get nowhere at all." Any mental or vocal prayer, done with love, puts us in direct contact with our God and helps us know Him better and love Him more.

Vocal prayer is one way to connect with God. When we speak to God aloud, using words, we show Him our respect and offer ourselves to Him completely—both our soul and body, spirit and matter. The true meaning of vocal prayer is realized within the context of our personal, one-on-one relationship with God. Our vocal prayer is an outward expression of adoration, an overflow of love.

When we pray aloud, our minds and senses come together. Words and phrases proclaim the glory of our God. Words of praise and supplication ascend to the throne of the Most High. As St. John Chrysostom preached, "you become a member of the angelic choir, a companion to the archangels, singing together with the seraphim... It is not men you are praying to, but God."

We should cherish the set prayers used by the Church. What better prayers could we offer to God than the ones He taught us?

Furthermore, in the unity of Christ's Mystical Body, liturgical prayer becomes the inner prayer of a soul in love. "Your prayer should be liturgical—I would like to see you grow fond of reciting the psalms and prayers from the missal, rather than private or special prayers."

We must pay attention to our vocal prayers. "Slowly. Consider what you are saying, who is saying it, and to whom. For hurried talk, without time for reflection, is just noise, the clatter of tin cans."

Attention is the most crucial aspect of our effort to pray our vocal prayers well.
Let us, therefore, close the doors of our hearts to the enemy and open them only to God. The adversary often slips in using subtle images and distracts our prayers away from God. Then, we have one thing in our heart and another on our lips. It is an insult to allow ourselves to be distracted by profane thoughts when we are praying to God, so that what we are thinking differs from what we are telling God! How can we dare to ask God to hear our prayer if we ourselves are not attentive to what we are saying?

Attentive prayer means keeping our minds focused on the person we are talking to. Then our prayer can be confident, intimate, and filled with the Spirit of sonship, as we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

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Jul 9 Tue - Is Jesus free?

 

Jul 9 Tue
Is Jesus free?
The Gospel (cf. Mk 3:20-35) tells us that Jesus, after beginning His public ministry, faced a twofold reaction: that of his relatives, who were worried and feared He had gone a little mad, and that of the religious authorities, who accused Him of acting under the influence of an evil spirit. In reality, Jesus preached and healed the sick by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And precisely the Spirit made him divinely free, capable of loving and serving without measure or conditioning. Jesus, free. Jesus was free concerning WEALTH: therefore, He left the security of His village, Nazareth, to embrace a poor life full of uncertainties (cf. Mt 6:25-34), freely taking care of the sick and whoever came to ask Him for help, without ever asking for anything in exchange (cf. Mt 10:8).

The gratuitousness of Jesus’ ministry is this. And it is also the gratuitousness of every ministry. He was free concerning POWER: indeed, despite calling many to follow Him, He never obliged anyone to do so, nor did He ever seek out the support of the powerful, but always took the side of the last, teaching His disciples to do likewise, as He had done (cf. Lk 22:25-27).

Finally, Jesus was free of the PURSUIT OF FAME and approval, and so, He never gave up speaking the truth, even at the cost of not being understood (cf. Mk 3:21), of becoming unpopular, even to the point of dying on the cross, not allowing Himself to be intimidated, nor bought, nor corrupted by anything or anyone (cf. Mt 10:28). Jesus was a free man.

He was free in the face of wealth, free in the face of power, free in the face of the pursuit of fame. And this is important for us too. Indeed, if we let ourselves be conditioned by the quest for pleasure, power, money, or consensus, we become slaves to these things. If instead we allow God’s freely-given love to fill us and expand our heart, and if we let it overflow spontaneously, by giving it back to others, with our whole selves, without fear, calculation, or conditioning, then we grow in freedom, and spread its good fragrance around us too.

So, we can ask ourselves: am I a free person? Or do I let myself be imprisoned by the myths of money, power, and success, sacrificing my serenity, and peace, and that of others, to these things? In the places where I live and work, do I spread the fresh air of freedom, sincerity, and simplicity? May the Virgin Mary help us live and love as Jesus taught us, in the freedom of the children of God (cf. Rom 8:15,20-23).
Excerpts from Pope Francis.

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Jul 8 Mon - Can I have a personal relationship with Jesus?

 

Jul 8 Mon
Can I have a personal relationship with Jesus?
Jesus wishes us to pray to God in such a way as to call him Father and to call ourselves sons of God, just as Christ is the Son of God. No one would have dared to claim such a name in prayer, unless he had permitted us to pray this. And so, we must behave as children of God, so that whatever pleasure we take in having God for our Father, He may take the same pleasure in having us as his children.

Thus, we develop a “personal relationship” with Jesus, our Elder brother. But if we limit that relationship between us and Him only to what we’re willing to agree to, we’re not in a personal relationship with Jesus. We’re in a toxic relationship with our own egos, a cocoon we create for our own comfort.

The whole problem can be seen by asking a simple question: Which Jesus are we supposed to have that relationship with, anyway? The Jesus of the Scriptures and Early Church Fathers? The Enlightenment rationalist Jesus (miracles optional)?

We must choose the “todos, todos, todos” of the Faith. Jesus doesn’t (formally) change His teachings, but can discover for us far-reaching implications about the teaching at some future date.

That completeness of the true faith has a parallel in the charity we must live. “Thus, we must love all souls without exception: that is the first conclusion to be drawn when you start reflecting on this virtue.

You must have the right kind of understanding for other people's defects, failings, mistakes and weaknesses. And this understanding will enable you to live together in harmony. Can you see how you are to love all Catholics? Like this! ‘I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you.’ This commandment is still new for lots of people, after all these years. So new, they haven't tried it out yet!"

“It's a pity, but it's absolutely true. How often people who claim to be serving Christ try to get rid of others who are also serving him! They resort to lies, malicious gossip, ambiguity and innuendo, in order to sow confusion ...”

A commandment, yes, “Come all unto me…,” but also, “Strait is the gate.” A Jesus both demanding – leave everything and follow me – and tender, as none of us ever are.

We can think of faith as a precious diamond with many facets. No one of them is one too much. And all the facets are needed to complete the precious stone.

Christianity is not a do-it-yourself hobby. We need to know the real Jesus that the tradition preserves and “take to heart” what he said and did to work out and make it real in our lives.

You and I: Sent. Preaching. Mission. Not merely “walking together,” but going out bearing the Truth, to all nations. That is the Church, her primary reason for being, the full embodiment of the “personal relationship.”

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Jul 7 Sun - How can I persevere in the faith?

Jul 7 Sun
How can I persevere in the faith?
Jesus is the prophet; he reveals the truth to those with whom he speaks and who are willing to listen. His townspeople, in large part, rejected him. They began to demand miracles from him.

We can lose our faith by doing evil. As St. Paul puts it, “By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith.” By conscience, St. Paul means “a right good conscience.”

Today, many lose their faith in God, not because it is difficult to believe in Him, but because they do not live the virtue of chastity.
Recall that the conversion of the heart precedes the enlightenment of the mind. This is because when we sin, we tell ourselves, “It’s not a sin" or “I didn’t sin" or “It was justified." That is a hardness of the heart that causes hardness of the head!

Thus, we must nourish our faith “with the word of God; we must beg the Lord to increase our faith; our faith must be ‘working through charity,’ abounding in hope, and rooted in the faith of the Church.”

We can guard our faith and make it grow by constant spirit of prayer, by reading the Sacred Scriptures; asking God to increase our faith; offering sacrifices and doing good for others; making acts of hope rather than giving into sadness; and by holding to all the doctrines of faith and morals that the Church teaches.

Jesus Christ is the supreme prophet. We share in Christ’s prophetic office because of our baptismal vocation. So, we, too, have the call to witness to the truth by our words and lives.
However, when we begin to embrace our vocation as witnesses to the truth, we will find obstacles. The obstacles are our participation in God’s seeming inability to reach people who are indifferent to him or who reject him.
Christ did not force his townsmen to have faith in him.

Our faith, together with our weakness, reveal to us the mysterious ways of God’s almighty power. This seemingly imperfect faith, lived with humility, moves Jesus to lend us his power. The Virgin Mary is the supreme model of this faith, for she believed that ‘nothing will be impossible with God,’ and was able to magnify the Lord: ‘For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
Our inability makes room for Christ’s ability.

There is also a hidden bonus in our weakness. As St. Paul heard from the Lord, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ The sufferings he had to endure meant that in his flesh he had to complete what was lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His Body, that is, the Church. Thus, our inability and limitations are what make us co-redeemers with Christ. This is why St. Paul was content with “weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints.”

Jul 6 Sat - The 80th birthday of the extraordinarily famous film “Casablanca”

 

Jul 6 Sat
The 80th birthday of the extraordinarily famous film “Casablanca,” starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

“Casablanca" is set in the 1940s, at the height of the war. As a result of World War II, the Moroccan city of Casablanca is an enclave to which people arrive from all over the world fleeing Nazism. While arriving was easy, leaving was much more complicated, especially if the fugitive's name appeared on the Gestapo lists, which put pressure on the French authorities under the command of the corrupt Inspector Renault. In this case, the target of the German secret police is the Czech leader and resistance hero Victor Laszlo, whose only hope is Rick Blaine, owner of Rick's Café and who years earlier had been romantically involved with his now wife, Ilsa Lund. Rick and Ilsa had met in Paris, but the entry of German troops into the French capital separated them.

The solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord seems a curious feast. On the one hand, it is clear that, if Christ rose from the dead, he had to leave us at some point. But should we celebrate Jesus going away and leaving us here alone? Shouldn't it rather be a sad event?

The power of men is limited, but not that of God. That is why the Lord can leave and stay at the same time, as he had already promised that, and now accompanies us in the Eucharist. God does not make vain promises; he goes where man does not succeed despite of his desire.

On July 17, 1942, five days behind schedule, the film crew moved to Warner's Studio No. 1 to shoot the final sequence of the film: the farewell of the main characters, Rick and Ilsa. The problem, incredible as it may seem, is that no one knew at the time what the outcome was going to be.

Four alternative outcomes were thought of: Rick leaves with Ilsa for Lisbon; Ilsa stays with Rick in Casablanca; Rick is killed while helping Laszlo escape; or Laszlo dies at the airport and the two lovers leave together. None of these endings convinced anyone. Then a fifth alternative emerged: Rick sends Ilsa to Laszlo, not out of weakness, but because he understood that her life was with Laszlo; her work with the leader of the Resistance, in need of support and affection, was too important to be sacrificed for a selfish love: the magical idea of detachment for the sake of duty.

Just as Rick sacrifices his preferences, and convinces Ilsa to leave, with the famous phrase: “we will always have Paris." The Lord leaves this earth reminding us that we will always have the Holy Spirit close by, who helps us to fulfill our duty, our vocation. And he remains, invisible, with us in the Blessed Eucharist.  In heaven the Virgin Mary was waiting for her Son to meet Him again, just as she is now waiting for you and me.

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July 5 Fri - The 12 promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary

 

July 5 Fri
The 12 promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.


1. "I will bring peace to your families." Jesus' Heart must reign in the household.

2. "I will console you in your sorrows." Those devoted to the Sacred Heart will find solace, intimately connected to Jesus' heart. It is comforting to know that Jesus is with me.

3. "I will be your safe refuge throughout your life, especially at the hour of death." Jesus encourages us to trust and surrender ourselves to God the Father, even in our final moments. Just as in the Gospel when Jesus said, "It is finished. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit," it is a great lesson in surrendering ourselves to the Father.

4. "I will pour abundant blessings on your endeavors." Those devoted to the Heart of Jesus seek to do things for God's glory rather than their own.

5. "Sinners will find in my Heart the fountain of Mercy." The devil wants people to despair and not hope for forgiveness or a chance to change their lives. However, the Sacred Heart of Jesus assures every person, "I have thought of you for all eternity. I desire your holiness. Today is a day of grace, a day of salvation. Mercy is available for you!"

6. "Lukewarm souls will become fervent." Tepidity, or mediocrity, is a cancer, and we are called to have a strong desire for holiness and to trust that God will guide us on the path to holiness that began with our baptism.

7. "Fervent souls will reach great perfection." We must continue purifying our intentions.

8. "I will grant priests the grace to touch hardened hearts." This is a tremendous gift for priests who, through preaching and their own example, strive to reach the hearts of those who are distant from God. The Sacred Heart assists in presenting the Gospel to the world in an appealing manner.

9. "I will bless the homes where an image of my Heart is exposed and honored." "Enthroning" the Sacred Heart in a home signifies that Christ and His Heart reign over that family. Such an image should not be hidden but displayed prominently where the family gathers.

10. "Those who spread this devotion will have their names written in my Heart, and they will never be erased."

11. "To the souls consecrated to my Heart, I will bestow the necessary graces for their state of life." God desires to assist each person, regardless of who they are.

12. "Through my almighty love, I will grant the grace of final perseverance to all who receive Holy Communion on nine consecutive Fridays. They will not die without my grace." How bold of the Lord to make such a specific and daring promise! Jesus wishes to express gratitude to those who accompany Him on these Fridays as an act of reparation for His suffering in Gethsemane, when He asked His disciples to "stay awake and pray" and found them asleep.

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