Feb 1 Sun - Where is happiness?

 

Feb 1 Sun
Where is happiness?
One day, when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the mountain, sat down, and his disciples came to him, and opened his mouth and taught them the beatitudes.

Every one of us desires to be blessed, that is, to be happy and to receive and possess good things.
Many men have tried to seize happiness by using their cleverness and violence, and to pass on whatever they have gained to their children. Those are the “powerful” mentioned in the Gospel.

But as Zephaniah puts it, the Lord prefers human beings who know they are “humble and lowly” and who “take refuge in the name of the Lord.”

Yet “Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man, a ‘humble of heart,’ he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. 
Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him, it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all." (C.S. Lewis)

God’s preferences do not really exclude anyone, because every human being, despite outward appearances, is lowly and in need of God.

“The Beatitudes confront us with decisive choices concerning earthly goods; they purify our hearts to learn what is really important: to love God above all things.”

“The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement—however beneficial it may be—such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love” (CCC).

All bow down before wealth. Wealth is that to which the multitude of men pays an instinctive homage. They measure happiness by wealth, and in turn, wealth is used to measure respectability. It is a homage resulting from a profound conviction that with wealth, he may do all things. Wealth is one idol of the day, and notoriety is a second.

In contrast to society's view of wealth, Jesus tells us that happiness is not tied to one’s wealth, the attitude of others toward us, or events, but that it results from how we react to these.

Building upon this, the Beatitudes teach that happiness really consists in the possession of God. And living them transforms us into persons who are like God.

Jesus asks us, his disciples, to be men of peace and strong, because only the strong ones can become meek. Let us ask the Lord to help us become meek and humble of heart so that we can spread true peace in this generation, which does not possess it.

Jan 31 Sat - Should I avoid serving two masters?

 

Jan 31 Sat
Should I avoid serving two masters?
As Christians, God has placed in our souls a longing for sanctity, an intense, burning desire to become saints, even though we are aware of our many failings.

Thus, He has kindled in our hearts a divine flame which is incompatible with lukewarmness. Lukewarmness is the first step towards coldness and indifference in our dealings with God; it can slowly but surely extinguish the fire which God has lit within us. “The fire of love for God, the reality of our commitment, needs fuel; if it doesn't increase, it will go out."

We shouldn't confuse lukewarmness with spiritual dryness or the disappearance of fervor. Nor is it the same as repeated falls caused by weakness, so long as these are fought against and deeply detested. Lukewarmness arises when the soul, attracted by two opposite goals, tries to satisfy both of them and thus serve two masters. A lukewarm person makes the effort to avoid serious falls, but also wants to enjoy the comforts of an easy life. This situation gives rise to infidelities and carelessness, those little foxes that spoil the vineyards. If not remedied, they end up devastating the soul.

A lukewarm attitude leads a person to say to God: "In this point and in that one – just only in these very few points - I'd prefer not to give what you're asking of me." This is the first sign that the soul is ill, that it already has within itself the seeds of death. It seems not to amount to very much; the wounds are small, and looked at individually, they don't seem important. But when the number of them greatly increases, they put an end to Christian life, and are as lethal as a serious open wound to the chest.

The symptoms of lukewarmness are unmistakable. “You are lukewarm if you carry out lazily and reluctantly the things that have to do with our Lord, if deliberately or shrewdly you look for some way of cutting down your duties, if you think only of yourself and your comfort, if your conversations are idle and vain, if you do not abhor venial sin, if you act from human motives."

We must be vigilant against lukewarmness; it is a formidable enemy of the interior life. 

We must constantly renew the enthusiasm we had when we began to take our Christian life seriously. “Jesus isn't satisfied with 'going halves': He wants the lot!" We cannot bargain with him. We cannot resent having to offer Him anything, no matter how insignificant it might seem. We want to keep on loving God with the same generosity and joy with which we began serving Him, with an ever deeper, firmer, and more faithful love.

“Like a good artist and a faithful lover, we are never satisfied with what we have achieved in the spiritual life, by God's grace. Our spiritual quest, since it is Love, must be a yearning for the Infinite: taste and see that the Lord is good."

Jan 30 Fri - Why do we use Sacred Images?

 

Jan 30 Fri
Why do we use Sacred Images?

A sacred image or liturgical icon primarily represents Christ; it cannot represent God as such, invisible and incomprehensible. The Incarnation of the Son of God, however, has inaugurated a new “economy” of images.

“In other times, God, who did not have a body or figure, could not be represented by an image. But now he has appeared in the flesh, and has lived among men; thus, I can make an image of what I have seen of God … with unveiled face we contemplate the glory of God." (St. John Damascene)

The honor paid to sacred images is a “respectful veneration,” not the adoration due to God alone: Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is.

Christian iconography transcribes the evangelical message, which the Sacred Scripture transmits through words and images. Image and word shed light on each other:

“We conserve all the sacred traditions of the Church… One of them is the use of images. This is in accordance with the evangelical history; we believe that, truly and not merely in appearance, God the Word became flesh." (Third Council of Nicaea)

All the symbols of the liturgical celebration refer to Christ, as do the sacred images of the Most Blessed Mother of God and the saints. They signify, in effect, Christ, who is glorified in them. They manifest the “cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1) that continues participating in the salvation of the world. We are united with them, above all, in the sacramental celebration. Through the icons, man, the image of God, is finally transfigured in his image (cf. Rom 8:29; 1 Jn 3:2):

“Following the divinely inspired teaching of our holy Fathers and the tradition of the Catholic Church (since we acknowledge this tradition to be of the Holy Spirit who dwells in her), we defined with all exactitude and care that the venerable and holy images, as well as the image of the precious and life-giving cross—either painted, in mosaic, or in other suitable material—should be exposed in the holy churches of God, in the sacred vessels and ornaments, in the walls and in frames, in houses and in the roads; this includes the images of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, our Immaculate Lady the holy Mother of God, the holy angels, and all the saints and the just." (Second Council of Nicaea)

“The beauty and color of the images inspire my prayer. It is a feast for my eyes, in the same manner that the sight of the fields inspires my heart to give glory to God.”

The contemplation of the sacred images, united to the meditation of the word of God and the singing of liturgical hymns, forms part of the harmony of the signs of the celebration. Thus, the mystery that is celebrated is engraved in the memory of the heart and then expressed in the new life of the faithful.

Jan 29 Thu - What is the Sanctus of the Mass?

 

Jan 29 Thu
What is the Sanctus of the Mass?
The Sanctus is an Acclamation of the Triune God.

Isaiah testified, I saw the Lord Yahweh seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary, and above him stood seraphs... And they cried out one to another in this way, “Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh Sabaoth. His glory fills the whole earth.”

The Eucharistic Prayer that began with the Preface is now interrupted to allow us to intervene with the Sanctus. We sing with the entire creation that mysterious passage in Isaiah, wherein the prophet tells us of his vision of God. The seraphim were gathered around the throne, extolling the thrice Holy Lord of all creation, when God revealed his mission to the prophet. We add to this acclamation the psalms and hosannas that resounded in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. 

This hymn contains three praises and two petitions:

• We admire the holiness, power, and supreme dominion of God when we say, “Holy, Holy, Holy God of power and might.”

• We praise his glory which shines forth in all creatures, when we say, “Heaven and earth are full of your glory.”

• Then, we exalt Christ by saying, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” While saying this, we invite him to come to our souls with the same affection and devotion with which his Blessed Mother received him at the annunciation.

• The two petitions are: “Hosanna in the highest”; we say it twice, asking for our salvation and everything that leads to it. The first petition is addressed to God, and the second to Christ.

This hymn is placed at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer so that we realize we are involved in a very important business. We are before the throne of His Divine Majesty, entering the Holy of Holies. If until now it was convenient for us to be pure and devout, after this, we should be inflamed with a more ardent love. 

Among the Greeks, the hymn is called the Trisagion: “Holy God, Holy Almighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.” 

Now, let us consider him who triumphed. After the hosannas were silent, Jesus shed tears over Jerusalem. He wept over the lot of people who were to reject the cross and repudiate their vocation. His disciples did not understand, either, the nature of his unending rule. A few branches torn from palms still lay in the streets and were not yet withered when the King was raised up, nailed to the murderers’ cross. “Scandal and madness,” some say; for us, the mystery of the cross is “the power and wisdom of God.”

Is it not true that as soon as you cease to be afraid of the cross, of what people call the cross, when you set your will to accept the will of God, then you find happiness, and all your worries, all your sufferings, physical or moral, pass away?

Truly, the cross of Jesus is gentle and lovable. There, sorrows cease to count; there is only the joy of knowing that He has called us to be co-redeemers with him.

Jan 28 Wed - How can I take better responsibility for my sins?

 

Jan 28 Wed
How can I take better responsibility for my sins? 
God gives each of us a job description, and He requires a nominal rate of return in response to the gifts He lavishes upon us. So, with God’s grace, we till the soil of our souls by confessing our sins and receiving God’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance. Repentance paves the way to virtue. God sends us forth from Mass, and we proclaim the Gospel with lives of virtue.

We need the Gospel to remind us that God punishes us for our unrepentant sins: “That servant who knew his master’s will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating.” We fear the pains of hell, as we should.

Jesus, through the Church, gives us the Sacrament of Penance and facilitates repentance. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Identifying and articulating our sins isn’t easy. Our date with the confessional helps us manifest our repentance with integrity. Distinguishing between perfectly benign emotions, sinful inclinations, and sinful actions takes time and effort. But the confessional, echo chamber of verbal articulation, helps.

The five steps to a good Confession are:

- Examination of Conscience: Recall your sins since your last confession, asking for the grace to see them clearly.
- Sorrow for Sin: Fear of punishment is good, but sorrow motivated by love of God is best.
- Resolve to Avoid Sin: And to avoid the near occasions of sin.
- Confession of Sins: Honestly, without hiding or excusing them.
- Act of Penance: Expression of the desire to repair the harm caused by sin.

We often hear, “I don’t need to go to a priest for Confession because I confess my sins directly to God.” 
Good for you! Many make this claim. But most of us play psychological mind games when it comes to taking responsibility for our sins, and dismiss them with platitudes such as “I had no choice” or “God understands.”

Even Catholics who frequent Confession struggle to develop the habit of identifying and taking responsibility for their sins in the privacy of their hearts. A daily examination of conscience helps, even for those who frequent Confession.

Auricular confession, in contrast, is courageous and liberating. There is no other venue on earth that facilitates the identification and articulation of sins with precision while taking responsibility for them than the Sacrament of Penance protected by the inviolable Seal of Confession. Not psychological therapy, not a lie-detector, not the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous program, not even police interrogations—as valuable as these things are.

Every morning, two questions may help us adorn our lives with the beauty of God’s goodness. 
What can I do today that will make the world a better place because I am alive? 
With God’s grace, will I give more today than I take?

Once, I asked a 95-year-old lady those questions. She replied, “Father, I pray three rosaries every day, including one for you.” She may have added, Checkmate.

Jan 27 Tue - What is the “Ordinary Time” of the Liturgy?

 

Jan 27 Tue
What is the “Ordinary Time” of the Liturgy?

With Christmas behind us and as we now proceed through “Ordinary Time,” we have the opportunity to contemplate the full, extraordinary mystery of God’s descent into human life and our ascent into the divine. One of the clearest depictions of this divine condescension is found in the nighttime conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.

Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the dark of night. Jesus tells him that he must be “born anew” if he wishes to enter into the kingdom of God. To which Nicodemus asks how it is a man can be born again, “Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus explains: “No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.” And that this ascent is imaged in the death on the Cross.

In this brief exchange, Baptism and the Cross are juxtaposed. They illustrate both the ascent into Heaven and the taking on of eternal life. The ascending and descending language that Jesus uses here has two bookends: birth and death on the Cross. In these few lines, the full mystery of our own life in Christ is revealed, since our life in Christ is a mirror of the life of Christ.

That the ascending and descending of Christ is the ladder by which we can become “other christs.”

Jesus Christ’s is his Incarnation, the top rung of the ladder. His life and ministry are the middle rung, and his death and resurrection are the bottom rung. The three-runged ladder can be paired with the classic Byzantine cross, which itself has three bars: one for Jesus’s feet, another for his hands, and the third bearing the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

The ladder of ascent into Heaven is the Cross that we are each called to take up. If the ladder’s bottom step – the lowest bar of the Cross – is his death and resurrection, it’s the first step on our path of ascension into Heaven.

This “death and resurrection” is Baptism and the new birth about which Jesus sought to instruct Nicodemus that night. Thus, St. Paul can say, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?”

Having been reborn into Christ, we now must take on the “mind of Christ,” the middle step. By the sacrament of Confirmation, “the Spirit of truth comes,” and He guides us “into all the truth.” By it we live a life of evangelization, doing apostolate, and being witnesses.

The topmost crosspiece in the ascent is the Word’s becoming flesh, and our participation in the body and blood of Christ, our reception and adoration of the Eucharist. Here we are joined to the Head: because it was God’s will “to recapitulate (to put together) all things in Christ.”

Through the sacraments, His life becomes the very principle of ours. The Christian life is not a formula but a participation in a life: the Life of Jesus Christ. And only through that participation can we, as “other christs,” bear witness to the Truth.

With excerpts from Dominic V. Cassella 

Jan 26 Mon - How can I know about God the Father?

 

Jan 26 Mon
How can I know about God the Father?
As the Church teaches, the Son is begotten by the Father. 
God the Father infinitely knows himself.
The action of the intellect produces a concept, which is a likeness of the known thing, in this case, the Word (or Logos). Being the effect of the intellect, it is different from the intellect itself.
Thus, the Word is:
- God, like the Father, because God’s being and understanding are one and the same;
- eternal, because God knows himself eternally; God’s concept of himself is his real self.
- differing from the Father only because He proceeds from him; and He is the only-begotten Son of God.

God knows himself and loves himself. God the Father, upon knowing himself, engenders the Son, who is a perfect image of the Father. When He loves himself as the Ultimate Good, He loves the Son, and the Son necessarily loves the Father. There is a bond between them, an infinite Love, which is the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. This is a central point of Catholic dogma, solemnly taught by the Church according to the common stance of the Greek and Latin Fathers. Even though the formulas used in the East (a Patre per Filium) and West (ex Patre Filioque) differ, they express the same doctrinal content.

No one can know the Father apart from God’s Word, that is, unless the Son reveals him, and no one can know the Son unless the Father so wills. The Father sends, the Son is sent, and He comes. The Father is beyond our sight and comprehension, but we know him through his Word, who tells us of him. 

In turn, the Father alone knows his Word. And the Lord has revealed both truths. Therefore, the Son reveals the knowledge of the Father by revealing himself. Knowledge of the Father consists in the self-revelation of the Son, for all is revealed through the Word.

The Father’s purpose in revealing the Son was to make himself known to us and so to welcome into eternal rest those who believe in him. To believe in him means to do his will.

Through creation, the Word reveals God the Creator. Through the world, He reveals the Lord who made the world. 

Through the law and the prophets, the Word revealed himself and his Father in the same way, and though all the people equally heard the message, not all equally believed it. Through the Word, made visible and palpable, the Father was revealed, though not all equally believed in him. But all saw the Father in the Son, for the Father of the Son cannot be seen, but the Son of the Father can be seen.

The Son performs everything as a ministry to the Father, from beginning to end, and without the Son, no one can know God. The way to know the Father is the Son.

Thus, there is one God the Father, one Word and Son, and one Spirit, and one salvation for all who believe in him.
With excerpts from the treatise "Against the Heresies" by St Irenaeus

Jan 25 Sun - Did Christ ever call me?

 

Jan 25 Sun
Did Christ ever call me?
As Christians, Christ seeks us out in our work, as He did the Apostles.
Christ could have called his Apostles in other situations, but He sought them out precisely in their work. Opus Dei's spirit “hinges upon ordinary work, professional work carried out in the midst of the world. God's calling gives us a mission: it invites us to share in the unique task of the Church, to bear witness to Christ before our fellow men and so draw all things toward God."

“If you ask me how to discern the Christian call, if you ask me how to recognize it, I will tell you that it is a new vision of life. It is as though a light had been lit within us: a mysterious impulse which drives a person to dedicate his noblest energies to something that, in time, becomes a way of life. This vital force is rather like an avalanche; it is what others call the Christian vocation."

“The calling discloses to us the meaning of our existence. It means being convinced, through faith, of the reason for our life on earth. Our life, the present, past, and future, acquires a new dimension, a depth we did not perceive before. All happenings and events now fall within their true perspective: we understand where God is leading us, and we feel ourselves borne along by this task entrusted to us."

“God draws us from the shadows of our ignorance, our groping through history, and, no matter what our occupation in the world, he calls us with a strong voice, as he once called Peter and Andrew: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Thus, we co-redeem with Christ. God gives everything, and He asks for everything. In choosing us as his instruments, He wants to make use of our whole being, our intellect, our will, and all our faculties. When God chooses people for a special job, He prepares them and endows them with the ability to do it.

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

“Peter and Andrew were at their jobs, as was Matthew in his tax collector's booth. Jesus calls them at their place of work, while they are fishing. Right away, they left their nets and followed him immediately, without thinking twice. Matters of love are not to be thought over too much. Otherwise, they don't get done. I am sure our parents didn't think too much about whether or not they should get married. Otherwise, they would never have gotten married, and we wouldn't be in the world."

God's call is not restricted to a particular period in our life. He chose us in him before the foundation of the world. And so, his invitation to come, follow me, is repeated at every moment of our life.

Let us consider carefully whether we have followed Jesus in the same way: immediately, straight away, leaving our nets behind... And if we haven't, there is still time for us to cut any ties and give ourselves once and for all.

Jan 24 Sat - Is Christian life a set of religious practices?

 

Jan 24 Sat
Is Christian life a set of religious practices?

Christ passes through Jericho and heals. He converts Zacchaeus and heals two blind men in the city of palm trees.
Come closer to Him. Your disposition is very important. But don't stop approaching Him, even if your soul is filled with nothing but curiosity.

If you approach Jesus as He passes by, even if it's just to snoop, you will be healed.

Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they began to shout:
“Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

There was no curiosity, only a need for encounter. That is why when people rebuke them to be quiet, they, far from being moved, shout even louder:

Then Jesus stopped, called them, and said,

“What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, open our eyes!”

Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and instantly they regained their sight. And they followed him along the road.

You see? We have to draw close to Him. Why do you think He instituted the Sacraments? Separated from Christ, we achieve nothing.

Christ passes by and heals diseases of the body and ailments of the soul.

In which category would you include yourself? Are you a man with dirty eyes or rotten flesh? Are you blind or a leper? Are you weighed down by misery?
Well, look. That man, “covered with leprosy,” went to the Lord, fell to his knees, and declared: If you want, Jesus, you can cleanse me! And God, merciful, answers him: I want, be clean!

Christ passes by us and heals the foolish fantasies of those who think of eccentric heroics when it comes to living as Christians. You don't need to withdraw from the world. You only need to live interior life, but you should not associate it with the darkness of temples or the rarefied atmosphere of sacristies.
The life of an ordinary man who has received the Christian vocation is found in the open air, in the middle of the street.

The Founder of Opus Dei encourages us to abandon "the mentality of those who see Christianity as a set of practices or acts of piety, without perceiving its relationship to everyday situations, to the urgency of attending to the needs of others and striving to remedy injustices.
Following Christ does not mean taking refuge in the temple, shrugging our shoulders at the development of society, at the successes or aberrations of individuals and peoples."

There is not a single day in the life of an authentic Christian without concern for one's neighbor.
 
Life is not to be made up of individualistic selfishness: “A man or a society that does not react to suffering and injustice and makes no effort to alleviate them is still distant from the love of Christ's Heart.”

We have been established on Earth to enter into communion with God himself. Jesus has promised us neither temporal comfort nor earthly glory, but the house of God the Father, which awaits us at the end of the road.

Jan 23 Fri - Are we all called to form the Church?

 

Jan 23 Fri
Are we all called to form the Church?

The Gospel today tells us that "Jesus went up to the mountain and called to him those whom He wanted, and they came to him."
Every day, Jesus calls us, and He wants us to be his disciples and to continually affirm our desire to follow Him. We must approach him every day. He has a mission for you every day.

The Lord Jesus “called” the twelve disciples to come together. He calls each one individually. This calling or vocation is always personal. God and me. 

The Gospel provides more detail about the vocation of seven of the disciples, but we can be sure that the journey of the others also began with a personal encounter and conversation with the Lord. A vocation has its stages, which can be clearly seen in Simon, who was called to follow Him twice, and later had this choice confirmed and clarified.

However, in Saint Mark's narrative, the tone of the story suggests that this was not merely an employee briefing before the start of a task. 
What was special about this moment? 
Jesus called them together as a group, the Church, which is a community of people, each of whom has said yes to God.

These twelve received a special mission: to be responsible for the transmission of God's grace through the Word and sacraments. 
Equally, we have all been called to the Church. Jesus wants us to become his family. That is the Church.
Of course, she is also a human institution by the will of the Lord Jesus. He did not divide the disciples into the better and the worse but chose the twelve to go and also appointed the leader, Simon Peter.

The Church is and appears to be an organization because, in this world, that is necessary. Above all, she is the family of God’s children.

The initiative belongs exclusively to the Lord Jesus, and the choice does not depend on the disciples. "He called to himself those He wanted." But "they came to him." They came because they wanted to, and certainly with joy and healthy pride. 

The initiative belongs exclusively to the Lord Jesus, and the choice does not depend on the disciples. "He called to himself those He wanted." But "they came to him." They came because they wanted to, and certainly with joy and healthy pride.

Recently, some have been rejecting this divine invitation. They do not want to be in the Church, sometimes claiming that one can be a disciple of Jesus without belonging to the Church. They believe they don't need to be with the other disciples. Yet Jesus, on the mountain, calls the disciples as a group and wants them to form an organized community.

Every day, Jesus calls us. We are already part of his family, and He will never cast us aside. But He wants us to continually affirm our desire to be His disciples each day. He has a mission for you every day.

Jan 22 Thu - What is the Preface of the Mass?

 

Jan 22 Thu
What is the Preface of the Mass?

The Preface is the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer. During the early years of Christianity, the term "preface" indicated a solemn prayer of thanksgiving offered before a congregation (proffered); it referred to the entire Eucharistic Prayer.
Later on, it referred only to the introduction, and this varied according to the feast celebrated. The rest of the Eucharistic Prayer, called Canon, became fixed in form.

The Preface is essentially an act of thanksgiving in a literary form between prayer and hymn. It seeks to move the faithful to praise and joy. It is rather brief, but substantial in content.

After the Prayer over the Gifts, the priest greets us, “The Lord be with you.”
We answer, “And also with you.”

Then he invites us to set our thoughts on God alone. He stands with uplifted hands as though he would bear our most pressing desires and expectations.

With one voice, we raise our hearts to acclaim the Lord. The priest exhorts us, “Lift up your hearts.” We answer, “We lift them up to the Lord.”
This response befits us as members of the Mystical Body of Christ, for our Head is in heaven.

A fraternal sharing of personal decisions and aspirations is thus established—as if each one felt the need to be strengthened by everybody else’s optimism and daring to climb the mountain, as Moses did, to meet God.

The priest urges us on: “Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.” And we answer, “It is right to give him thanks and praise.”
Not one word of this dialogue has changed ever since the third century. Almost without realizing it, we find ourselves affirming that it is right to give thanks to God always and everywhere, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

An offering in the form of thanksgiving was a mode of prayer frequently used by the early Christians. This fundamental attitude of gratefulness to God is evident, for instance, in the letters of St Paul, which almost always begin with an act of thanksgiving.

In turn, the spirit of thanksgiving for the coming of the Lord, for his passion and death, and for his resurrection and ascension gave shape to the Prefaces of the Roman liturgy. “Thank you...,” we repeat, echoing the priest’s words, so that the delicate flower of gratefulness may really bloom in our hearts.

We end the Preface joining our own voices with those of the hosts of angels. St. Josemaría points out:

I adore and praise with the angels; it is not difficult, because I know that, as I celebrate the holy Mass, they surround me, adoring the Blessed Trinity. And I know that in some way the Blessed Virgin is there, because of her intimate relationship with the most Blessed Trinity and because she is the Mother of Jesus Christ, perfect God and perfect man... In his veins runs the blood of his Mother, the blood that is offered in the sacrifice of redemption, on Calvary and in the Mass.

Jan 21 Wed - Should I follow the eternal Law or Newfangled Things?

 

Jan 21 Wed
Should I follow the eternal Law or Newfangled Things?

Newfangled described a person who was fond of new fashions or ideas. In current usage, the word typically describes anything new, hip, hot, or happening, such as cutting-edge technology or popular slang.

These persons rarely perceive painful happenings as trials sent by God to test our fidelity, and certainly not as chastisement for sin. The New Testament God, they believe, is too loving for that.

St. Augustine argued that God sends trials to the good and the evil alike, not because He is vengeful, but because He has ordained suffering as a means for spiritual growth.

What Newfangled Things (as Any Other Things) do for us, and to us, depend on our attitudes toward them and how we use them. They may well be trials or chastisements – if not for our culture, then for some of us as individuals. A New Thing promised to make our lives better, paradoxically and simultaneously, can destroy them.

To see God is the purpose of our existence. All other things, including the great goods of family, of religious life, of charity, are ordered to this. Self-control, moral correction, and forgiveness are how we are restored to health while on pilgrimage on this earth, as we sigh for our Heavenly Country.

Newfangled Things tend to work in the opposite direction and, therefore, can be dangerous: their shiny allure draws us into them. In our desire for them, we look away from God and His Commandments. So did Adam and Eve before the Tree in Eden.

In pulling us away from God, Newfangled Things do not generate peace, a fruit of the Spirit that allows us to see God. They create anguish in the soul. When anguish reigns, God feels absent, for the anxious, albeit unwittingly, have installed themselves in God’s place.

How can we receive the New Thing of 2026 as a means to grow in faith? We can put Augustine’s Biblical advice into practice.

First, we strictly regulate our exposure to Newfangled Things. When we choose “new things,” we should do so, not merely because they are new, but when they are better. On this, Saint John the Evangelist strikes harder than Augustine: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.” (1 John 2:15-16)

Second, we seek a prudent approach for patiently correcting those in our care who have succumbed to sin. Parents care for children, family members for one another, and friends for friends. These days, unless we have a public role as teacher or pastor, private is the sensible choice.

Third, we practice forgiveness: we forgive those who trespass against us while also asking forgiveness from those whom we have hurt. We need not worry about the world and who has wronged whom: we have no control there. The home and family are what truly matter. For our families to be centers of love, we must forgive our spouses, children, parents, and siblings – and ask for forgiveness, as needed.

With forgiveness comes peace, and with peace we see God. And when we see Him with a heart filled with faith and with love, no Newfangled Thing will be able to drag us from Him.
With excerpts from David G Bonagura, Jr.

Jan 20 Tue - How can I fight anxiety?

 

Jan 20 Tue
How can I fight anxiety?

Voices are telling us that we need something more than how God has created us to be for us to be okay. That is a lie. Our faith tells us that God had us in mind when He created us.

The anxiety that's caused by world relativism and the culture of ‘not enough’ alienates us. It doesn't allow us to live facing what we have in front of us, where God has placed us. Instead, it leads us to seek the next thing that will bring us happiness or joy.

Here are 10 ways to combat anxiety, according to Director Mike Iverson:

1. Begin right where you are
Don’t give in to the falsehood of the ‘if only’ mindset. Do not believe that one must jump through hoops to encounter God. He is always present. If you think that you have to change profession, or buy this thing to find God, you are wrong.

2. Love the one you're with
If you are longing for people who aren’t with you, you’re missing what God has given you in the moment. You may say, ‘I miss everybody. I miss my friends, I miss my parents.’ But by doing that, you're living in a past of regret and not in the blessed present of where God is calling you to work for his glory.

3. Be Grounded
Stop trying to always keep up with the latest trends. Cling to what is sufficient.

4. Realize that God is present here and now
See that God is working with you, and join him here, rather than keeping oneself distracted from his presence.

5. Reduce the voices in your head
There are three main voices in one’s head: God, one’s human internal monologue, and the enemy. Take some dedicated time every day to prayer and then reflect: Is this from God, or is this a suggestion of the enemy? 

6. Live a simple life
In a world filled with numerous gadgets and life hacks, we often rely on the most basic levels of technological complexity to achieve our goals.

7. Reduce financial entanglements
If you don’t have to spend money on stuff, don’t. Do not owe more than you have.

8. Live a life of gratitude
Live a life of gratitude and practice poverty in spirit, recognizing that God is God and that we're creatures called to praise, love, and serve him. By placing our dependence on God as our happiness and practicing gratitude, we will be freer.

9. Slow down
Slow down, and reject the lie in society that the measure of your work output is the measure of your worth. You are a son of God; that is the measure of your worth.

10. Make more time for God
If you're disconnected from the source of happiness and the ultimate remedy for anxiety, which is a relationship with Christ and a relationship with the Trinity, you're going to be more anxious.
Your activity will be truly apostolic only insofar as you permit Christ to work in you, and through you, with his power, with his desire, with his love.

Jan 19 Mon - Do our perceptions shape reality?

 

Jan 19 Mon
Do our perceptions shape reality? or
Do our perceptions help us understand reality?

Let us compare the dogmas of the beer industry with the dogma of Mary, the Mother of God, to help us choose.

In the early 1980s, at the height of Miller Lite's popularity, its slogan—"Less filling! Tastes great!"—was everywhere. The company wasn't just selling beer—it was shaping perceptions, defining social cues, and signaling identity as much as flavor.

Just as marketing shapes our perceptions of beer, it can shape how we understand religion. However, while marketing attempts to shape reality to fit perceptions, authentic religious formation shapes our perceptions to understand reality.

Religious education relies on concise formulations to communicate the precepts of belief. Yet there is a fundamental difference. Their purpose is not to market perceptions, but to understand reality.

It might sound shocking to say that Mary is the Mother of God, Theotokos. From a secular-marketing point of view, it's a terrible optic. Many Protestants instantly assume that Catholics are worshiping Mary as a goddess. That's not true, and the Church does not back down from the dogma. Mary is the mother of Jesus: the Person of Christ, not just His human nature. She gave birth “in the fullness of time” to Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man.

Mary is God's creation, not a goddess, yet she cooperates with the Holy Spirit in bringing the whole Person of Jesus into the world. She is the Mother of God because God chose her for that role, a gift, not a title of divinity.

The dogma allows us to expand the horizons of our faith. At every Mass, Holy Mother Church makes real, sacramentally present Jesus Christ in the Blessed Eucharist. We receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus in Holy Communion. This is not a blurred perception, but an accurate declaration of reality. When author and lapsed Catholic Mary McCarthy once observed that the Eucharist is a nice symbol, Flannery O'Connor immediately responded: "Well, if it's only a symbol, I say to hell with it."

Christianity ultimately resists the marketing logic that places perception before reality. The central message of the faith—the Passion and the Cross—does not appeal to comfort, prestige, or social approval. As St. Paul wrote, "We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.” Unlike beer slogans or political dogmas, this message defies prejudice and refuses to be packaged for easy consumption.

Beer loyalty teaches how easily we adopt unquestioned prejudices; yet faith requires attention beyond superficial signals. Faith demands recognition of truths that continue to unfold and provoke intelligent inquiry, a willingness to follow a path that is often countercultural, and a pursuit of depth over convenience. The marketing of beer shows how persuasion shapes perception. But only faith directs the mind and heart beyond appearances, guiding us to the reality of God’s work and His plan for salvation.

We've heard it said, "Perception is reality." Baloney! The Incarnation of Jesus requires that we perceive the reality of heaven and earth as they are. Catholic dogmas are windows to infinite realities. Perception, purified by faith and reason, helps us understand reality. 
Excerpts from Fr. Jerry Pokorsky

Jan 18 Sun - In the fullness of time, there came also the fullness of God.

 

Jan 18 Sun
In the fullness of time, there came also the fullness of God.
And today we can see Him as a little Child. St Bernard tells us: “The kindness and love of God our Savior for mankind were revealed." Thanks be to God, through whom we receive such abundant consolation in this pilgrimage, this exile, this misery.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jan 17 Sat - Should I be united with other Christians around Jesus?

 

Jan 17 Sat
Should I be united with other Christians around Jesus?

The octave of Christian unity will begin tomorrow: these are days of special petition to the Holy Trinity, in which we ask for the fulfillment of the words of our Lord at the Last Supper: “Holy Father, keep in your name those you have given me, so that all be one as we are one." Urged on by the Holy Spirit, we are getting ready to live the octave in a unity of desires with the entire Church. We do so, full of supernatural hope, because we know that it has to be the Holy Spirit who moves the hearts of all those who believe in Christ and who will bring about the perfect unity of all Christians in the one Church.

Our prayer follows the path marked out by the priestly prayer of Jesus Christ, on the evening of his Passion. When the time had come for him to pass from this world to the Father, our Lord prays for a holy and compact Church with a unity which points up its beauty, for the supreme and highest principle of the unity of the Church is her resemblance with the mystery of the Trinity of Persons, and the Unity of only one God the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit.

Like the Good Shepherd who gives his life for his sheep, Jesus Christ prays for the unity of his flock. For years, He has guided his disciples; He has looked after them one by one, but He knows that the enemy is constantly trying to snatch the sheep and scatter the flock, and his Heart suffers, knowing that many will waver and abandon the sheepfold.

The prayer of Christ also extends to those who have never been counted amongst his followers, those who never even knew about his flock: “I have other sheep that are not of this sheepfold, and I also have to bring them, and they will hear my voice and will form only one flock with one shepherd."

With this octave, the Church wants us to take one more step in identifying our sentiments with those of Jesus. Being well aware of the vicissitudes of the Church throughout history, and conscious of the weakness of the human heart, so easily swayed by error, egoism, discord, and desire for power, our prayer has to be more intense, uniting itself to that of the Good Shepherd: “as you, Father, in me and I in You, that they be united in us..., that they be one as we are one. I in them and You in me, so that they be united as one, and so that the world might know you have sent me and that you have loved them as you have loved me."

Let us offer up our prayer, mortification, and action for this goal: That all may be one! - so that all of us Christians have the same will, the same heart, and the same spirit: and all, very united to the Pope, go to Jesus through Mary.

Jan 16 Fri - How big is God?

 

Jan 16 Fri
How big is God?
Many have likely seen the stunning photos from the James Webb Space Telescope, which show thousands of galaxies. Not just stars, mind you, but galaxies, each of which is filled with trillions of stars. Now imagine those thousands upon thousands of galaxies condensed down into an infinitely dense point the size of – nobody really knows – but let’s say, the size of a baseball. Something like this is the picture we have of the Big Bang theory, which describes the beginning of our universe. It may or may not be what actually happened, but we can conceive of it as a possibility.

I mention the possibility merely as a way of wrapping our minds around what is involved in the Incarnation. The Creator of all those galaxies and every atom and quark in them – the infinite Source of the Being and Goodness of whatever exists – constricted Himself down to the size of a baby – to the size of an embryo.

In Philippians 2:7, Paul says that Christ “emptied himself” of his divinity and took on our humanity. Do we quite understand how radical a claim that is? The Incarnation isn’t like Apollo or Zeus appearing to someone or taking control of a human body for a while. Those “gods” are localized entities, not as vast as the entire universe. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is bigger than the universe itself.

All that is hard enough to get our heads around. Actually, I don’t think we can ever really get our heads around it. We don’t even know what “dark matter” is, or what’s inside a black hole, or why the Higgs Boson does what it does. Whereas God not only knows those things completely, He made them, and they only continue to exist because He is keeping them in existence. The difference between that “mind” and our minds is like the difference between a cherry tomato and the entire galaxy – only now you need to multiply that difference by the biggest number you can think of, and you’d still not be close.

Okay, so now try to get your head around this notion: That God actually loves us. Not only does He take notice of us, like you might notice a moderately interesting pebble at the beach, which would be startling enough. There has to be more interesting stuff to gaze at in the universe than me. There are more interesting things on this desk than me. But God not only notices, He actually loves us.

How do we know that? Why would we think that He even cares?

Christians believe that the evidence for this all-pervading creative love is found in the Incarnation. A God bigger than we can even imagine chooses to become incarnate in an embryo smaller than we can see with the naked eye. It certainly turns everything upside down.

He did so to make us children of so wonderful a Father. Do not forget: anyone who does not realize that he is a child of God is unaware of the deepest truth about himself. 

Excerpts from Randall Smith

Jan 15 Thu - What are the elements of the Eucharistic Prayer?

 

Jan 15 Thu
What are the elements of the Eucharistic Prayer?

The chief elements of the Eucharistic Prayer are:

• Thanksgiving (expressed especially in the Preface): In the name of the entire people of God, the priest praises the Father and gives thanks to him for the whole work of salvation or for some special aspect of it that corresponds to the day, feast, or season.

• Acclamation: Joining with the angels, the congregation sings or recites the Sanctus. This acclamation is an intrinsic part of the Eucharistic Prayer, and all the people join with the priest in singing or reciting it.

• Epiclesis (invocation): In special invocations, the Church implores the power of the Holy Spirit that the gifts offered by human hands be consecrated, that is, become Christ’s body and blood, and that the spotless Victim to be received in Communion be the source of salvation for those who will partake of it.

• Narrative of the Institution and Consecration: In the words and actions of Christ, that sacrifice is celebrated which he himself instituted at the Last Supper, when he offered, under the appearances of bread and wine, his body and blood, gave them to his apostles to eat and drink, and then commanded that they perpetuate and reenact this mystery.

• Anamnesis (memorial): In fulfillment of the command received from Christ through the apostles, the Church keeps his memorial by recalling especially his passion, resurrection, and ascension.

• Oblation: The oblation or offering of the victim is part of a sacrifice. In this memorial, the Church, and in particular the Church here and now assembled, offers the spotless Victim to the Father in the Holy Spirit. The Church intends that the faithful not only offer the Victim but also learn to offer themselves and so to surrender themselves, through Christ the Mediator, to an ever more complete union with the Father and with each other, so that at last God may be all in all.

• Intercessions: The intercessions make it clear that the Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the entire Church and all its members, living and dead, who are called to share in the salvation and redemption purchased by Christ’s body and blood. This part also includes the commemoration of the saints in whose glory we hope to share.

• Final Doxology: The praise of God is expressed in the doxology, to which the people’s acclamation is an assent and a conclusion.

In accordance with the rubrics, the priest selects a Eucharistic Prayer from those found in the Roman Missal or approved by the Apostolic See. The Eucharistic Prayer demands, by its very nature, that the priest say it in virtue of his ordination. The people, for their part, should associate themselves with the priest in faith and in silence, as well as through their parts as prescribed in the course of the Eucharistic Prayer: specifically, the responses in the Preface dialogue, the Sanctus, the acclamation after the consecration, the acclamatory Amen after the final doxology, as well as other acclamations approved by the Conference of Bishops and recognized by the Holy See.

Jan 14 Wed - Do I long to see God?

 

Jan 14 Wed
Do I long to see God?
Man, rise up! Set aside your preoccupations for a moment. Cut yourself off for a time from your turbulent thoughts. Cast aside, now, whatever may be your heavy responsibilities and put off your burdensome business. Make a little space free for God, and rest for a little time in him.

Enter the inner chamber of your mind; shut out all thoughts. Keep only the thought of God, and thoughts that can aid you in seeking him. Close your door and seek him. 
Then, speak now, with your whole heart! Speak now to God, saying, I seek your face; your face, Lord, will I seek.

And come you now, O Lord my God, teach my heart where and how it may seek you, where and how it may find you.

Lord, if you are not here with me, where shall I seek you when you are absent? And if you are everywhere, why do I not see you present? Truly, you dwell in unapproachable light. But where is that unapproachable light, or how shall I come to it? Or who shall lead me to that light and into it, that I may see you in it? Again, by what signs, under what form, shall I seek you? I have never seen you, O Lord, my God; I do not know your face.

What, O most high Lord, shall this man do, your son, but now an exile far from you? What shall your servant do, anxious in his love of you, and cast out far from your presence? He is breathless with desire to see you, and your face is too far from him. He longs to come to you, and your dwelling-place is inaccessible. He is eager to find you, but does not know where. He desires to seek you, and does not know your face.

Lord, you are my God, and you are my Lord, and never have I seen you. You have made me and renewed me, you have given me all the good things that I have, and I have not yet met you. I was created to see you, and I have not yet done the thing for which I was made.

And as for you, Lord, how long? How long, O Lord, do you forget us; how long do you turn your face away from us? When will you look upon us, and hear us? When will you reveal yourself to us and show us your face? When will you come closer to us?

Look upon us, Lord; hear us, enlighten us, reveal yourself to us. Remain with us, that it may be well with us. Without you, everything is so harsh for us. Have compassion on us for our efforts and strivings towards you, since we can do nothing without you.

Teach me to seek you, and reveal yourself to me when I seek you, for I cannot seek you unless you teach me, nor find you unless you reveal yourself. Let me seek you while I long, let me long for you while I seek you. Let me find you by loving you and love you while I keep on finding you.
From the "Proslogion" of St Anselm

Jan 13 Tue - Is our Redemption from evil still being carried out?

 

Jan 13 Tue
Is our Redemption from evil still being carried out?

For centuries, the Chosen People centered its hopes on the coming of the Messiah, the Redeemer. Christ did come, and yet evil remains. He came to free us from evil, but He wants our free cooperation in shaking off its fetters. Therefore, a hope that remains at the purely human level makes no sense.

Christ has not failed, because the teaching of Christ enriches the world today. Yet God has willed that men should be free. It is we men who are unwilling. The Redemption is taking place at this very moment. And you and I are co-redeemers.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. From the time that Jesus took on our human nature, the Father's plan for the redemption of mankind has moved towards its perfect fulfilment. Since He was God, and since any action of his on our behalf was of infinite value, Christ was able to save us, breaking the bonds with which the devil had enslaved us. And since He was man, He could expiate for our sins in his own body: Taking a human nature, He took our sins upon himself. Those sins can no longer cause us to despair. God himself has drawn near to us, and what we were incapable of doing on our own, Christ has done for us.

“Listen to what Jesus tells us in St John's Gospel: For this I was born, for this I came into the world, to give testimony to the truth, to free mankind from the slavery of sin."

If difficulties sometimes make us weary and tempt us to lose hope, let us remember that God, though Lord and architect of the whole world, who created and set in order every single thing that is, was something more than loving towards mankind; He was long-suffering as well. So, He has always been, and is still, and shall ever be: merciful, kind, slow to anger, and true. There is none so good as He. God is always moved to compassion at the sight of our wretchedness. “God has a special love for what is humble in creation. This has consoled me. God looks on me with love when I do what I can. He loves your defects, if you get up after every fall, if you fight, if He sees your goodwill, your efforts. Sanctity is nothing other than struggle, my children."

We need to give Christ a chance to make use of us, to be His word and His work, to share His food and His clothing in the world today. If we do not radiate the light of Christ around us, the sense of the darkness that prevails in the world will increase.

To ensure that our voice reaches Jesus above the noise caused by our many sins, let us go to Mary. God has made her the repository of his Mercy. Through her intercession, we pray: All-powerful God, renew us constantly and free us from our slavery to sin.

Jan 12 Mon - Why do I sometimes feel empty, even though I have done many things?

 

Jan 12 Mon
Why do I sometimes feel empty, even though I have done many things? 

Human life is characterized by a constant movement that drives us to do, to act. Nowadays, speed is required everywhere to achieve optimal results in a wide variety of fields. How does Jesus’ resurrection shed light on this aspect of our experience? When we participate in his victory over death, will we rest?

Faith assures us: yes, true rest is found in God. Entering God’s repose means peace and joy, not mere inactivity.
So, should we just wait, or can this change us right now?

We are absorbed by many activities that do not always leave us satisfied. A lot of our actions have to do with practical, concrete things. We have to assume responsibility for many commitments, solve problems, and face difficulties. Jesus too was involved with people and with life, not sparing himself, but rather giving himself to the end.

Yet we often perceive that too much doing, instead of giving us fulfilment, overwhelms us, takes away our serenity, and prevents us from living to the fullest what is truly important in our lives.

Sometimes, at the end of days full of activities, we feel empty. Why? Because we are not machines, we have a “heart”; indeed, we can say that we are a heart.

The Evangelist Matthew invites us to reflect on the importance of the heart, quoting this beautiful phrase of Jesus: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mt 6:21).

We must reflect on this because in the numerous commitments we continually face, there is an increasing risk of dispersion, sometimes of despair, of meaninglessness, even in apparently successful people.

Instead, when we look at life with the Risen Jesus, we find access to our “restless” heart, yearning for fulfillment. St Augustine writes: “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

Restlessness is the sign that our heart does not move by chance, without a purpose or a destination, but is oriented towards its ultimate destination, the “return home.”

The authentic approach of the heart does not consist in possessing the goods of this world, but in achieving what can fill it; namely, the love of God, or rather, God who is Love.

This treasure, however, can only be found by loving the neighbor. Our neighbor asks us to slow down, to look them in the eye, sometimes to change our plans, perhaps even to change direction.

No one can live without a meaning that goes beyond what passes away. The human heart cannot live without hope, without knowing that it is made for fullness, not for want.

Jesus Christ, with his Incarnation, Passion, Death, and Resurrection, has given us a solid foundation for this hope. In Christ, life will continue to triumph in daily life. This is Christian hope: let us always bless and thank the Lord who has given it to us!
Excerpts from Pope Leo XIV

Jan 11 Sun - How can Jesus be present in the world?

 

Jan 11 Sun
How can Jesus be present in the world?
Last Sunday, 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 the happiness we seek in the things of this world. For only Christ alone will fill the longing for happiness that we seek.

But how can I, wretched as I am, approach Jesus?
Saint Josemaría told us:

“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."

Our Lord shows Himself to us when, with the light of the Holy Spirit, He makes us grasp that He is at our side as we go along our path through life; and He is asking us, as He asked John, to bear witness to him. Each of us must bear witness to Christ. This is what He wants us to do: to get to know him, and then to share with others the saving news that we have found him.

St. Josemaría tells us: “All my children are Christ passing through the world. You are not known. Yet, all over the world, friends and colleagues at work are discovering Christ in your brothers, in you. Afterwards, they too will bring Christ to other hearts and minds. You are Christ passing along the street. But you must walk in his footsteps."
“Now, do you understand the greatness of your mission?"

Jan 10 Sat - What is the mystery of death?

 

Jan 10 Sat
What is the mystery of death?
The mystery of death has always raised profound questions in human beings. The desire for life and eternity that we all feel for ourselves and for the people we love makes us see death as a sentence, as a ‘contradiction.’

For some, death seems to be a kind of taboo, an event that must be kept at a distance; something that must be spoken of in hushed tones, so as not to disturb our sensibilities and peace of mind. Often, for this reason, people even avoid visiting cemeteries.

Is death really the last word on our lives? Only human beings ask themselves this question, because only they know that they must die. But being aware of this does not save them from death; rather, in a certain sense, it "weighs" on them more than on all other living creatures.

Considering this aspect, one might then think that we are paradoxical, unhappy creatures, not only because we die, but also because we are certain that this event will happen, even though we do not know how or when. We are aware of it, and yet powerless.

Death is not opposed to life, but rather is a constitutive part of it, as the passage to eternal life, and it gives us a foretaste, in this time still full of suffering and trials, of the fullness of what will happen after death.

The evangelist Luke seems to capture this foreshadowing of light in the darkness when, at the end of that afternoon, when darkness had enveloped Calvary, he writes: "It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was beginning" (Lk 23:54).

The lights of Saturday, for the first and only time, announce the dawn of the day after Saturday: the new light of the Resurrection. Only this event is capable of illuminating the mystery of death to its depths.

Only the Resurrection is capable of illuminating the mystery of death to its full extent. In this light, and only in this, what our heart desires and hopes becomes true: that death is not the end, but the passage towards full light, towards a happy eternity.

The Risen One has gone before us in the great trial of death, emerging victorious thanks to the power of divine Love. Thus, He has prepared for us the place of eternal rest, the home where we are awaited; He has given us the fullness of life in which there are no longer any shadows and contradictions.

Only in light of Christ’s Resurrection can one be able to call death our “sister,” as St. Francis did, while concluding that waiting for death in the hope of Jesus' Resurrection preserves us from the fear of disappearing forever and prepares us for the joy of life without end.

Praying, understanding what is beneficial for the kingdom of heaven, and letting go of the superfluous things that bind us to ephemeral things is the secret to living authentically, with the awareness that our time on earth prepares us for eternity.
Excerpts from Pope Leo XIV's catechesis.

Jan 9 Fri - Can I fulfill myself within society?

 

Jan 9 Fri
Can I fulfill myself within society?

A well-ordered society requires the presence of three essential relationships:
- man's connection to the world,
- to one another,
- and to God.

A young man approached his pastor to complain about the many mediocre souls he’s forced to keep company with at Mass. “Is there a parish somewhere,” he asks, “where people are actually saints? Would you please direct me to it?”

Suppressing a smile, the kind pastor tells him that, of course, there is such a parish. “Only you must remember,” he advises the young man, “that from the moment you join such a parish, its perfection will be diminished by your membership in it.”

Yes, the story is apocryphal, but that’s not the point. In fact, the perfect Church would be so pure that no human being could be a part of it. Only angels need apply.

Christ's thirst for souls remains as wide as creation itself. His Mystical Body must be no less generous than Him. God’s offer of salvation is extended to all, sinners included. Indeed, to disdain a Church that desires the company of the impure would amount to surrendering the entire sacramental mission of the Church, wiping out whole redemptive possibilities envisioned by Christ, who came to save all that has been created. Civilization, part of the order of creation, is sick and needs to be healed like all things.

Such a strategy will necessarily include, especially, the least morally pleasant people—ourselves. Didn’t Christ come primarily for people like us?

If only those as pure as driven snow are invited to the Church, the Church would be abandoning not only the poor, who are especially in need of grace, but civilization as well, which grace can use to assist the poor in coming home to God.

By the poor, we mean those who are spiritually disadvantaged—people lacking in the stuff of heroism, their souls steeped in mediocrity and sloth.

We must contribute to creating an order in which personal fulfillment is possible, and this should happen in the midst of the world.

Even the most spiritually destitute among us, people whose energies and lives are consumed by material and sensual pursuits, have been called to prayer, however tepid or episodic the effort may be.

A city that does not allow for gainful and honest employment is an inhuman city. This extends to the entire order of interpersonal relations rooted in justice and love; this is man in relation to other men.

Finally, there is the order of adoration, of man in relation to God. Once again, if the city does not make any provision for its citizens to pray, to talk to God, it would be an inhuman city. At the end of the day, therefore, no decent or sane city can remain hostile or indifferent to those things that aim at the perfection of the human personality, which necessarily includes access to God and the salvation He has promised.
With excerpts from Regis Martin

Jan 8 Thu - Why is there a variety of Eucharistic Prayers?

 

Jan 8 Thu
Why is there a variety of Eucharistic Prayers?

The variety of Eucharistic Prayers in the Roman Missal reflects a deliberate development in the Church's liturgical tradition, aimed at enriching the celebration of the Mass, fostering deeper participation by the faithful, and highlighting diverse aspects of the mystery of salvation. Historically rooted in the ancient Roman rite's single Canon, this multiplicity was introduced following the Second Vatican Council to address pastoral needs, avoid monotony, and align more closely with the richness found in Eastern liturgies, all while preserving the essential unity and validity of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

In the Roman rite, the first part of the Eucharistic Prayer, known as the Preface, has acquired many different texts through the centuries. There were twenty Prefaces in the missal at the time of Pope John XXIII. 

The second part of the Eucharistic Prayer, known as the Canon, assumed an unchanging form. By contrast, the oriental liturgies have admitted a certain variety in their Anaphoras. After the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI added three more Eucharistic Prayers, keeping the very venerable Roman Canon.

The First Eucharistic Prayer (or Roman Canon) is called Roman because it originated in Rome at the end of the fourth century. It developed its present form during the pontificate of Gregory the Great in the seventh century and has had no significant changes since then.

It consists of fifteen prayers often described as “tiles in a mosaic.” We may look at all fifteen and see their total effect, or we may go line by line and enjoy each prayer. 

This Eucharistic Prayer may be used on any day. It is particularly fitting on days when there are special texts for the prayers Communicantes…[In union with the whole Church...] and the prayer Hanc igitur… [Father, accept this offering...].

The Second Eucharistic Prayer is the most ancient Anaphora. It follows closely the Anaphora of Saint Hippolytus, written about the year 215. It is vigorous and clear, and has a solid biblical and theological background. Its features make it particularly suitable for weekdays. Although it has its Preface, it may also be used with other Prefaces.

The Third Eucharistic Prayer is rich with overtones of ancient Alexandrian, Byzantine, and Maronite Anaphoras. It expresses the doctrine of the Eucharist as the sacrifice of Christ in an especially clear way. It gives prominence to the Holy Spirit, naming him four times. Its use is particularly suited to Sundays and holidays. It may be said with any Preface.

The Fourth Eucharistic Prayer provides a fuller summary of the history of salvation. It borrows some elements from the Eastern liturgies, and even from the liturgy of the synagogue. It is a profoundly biblical prayer that recounts the main events in the history of salvation and links this history to its center: Christ. This Eucharistic Prayer has a fixed Preface; therefore, it cannot be used when a Mass has its own proper Preface. 

There are other Eucharistic Prayers for special occasions: three Eucharistic Prayers for Masses of children, two for Masses of reconciliation, and the so-called Eucharistic Prayer of the Swiss Synod for Masses of ecclesial gatherings.

Jan 7 Wed - Do Catholics worship the saints?

 

Jan 7 Wed
Do Catholics worship the saints?
We adore the divine Person of Jesus and His human nature, because He is the Son of God. We venerate the martyrs and saints with love and fellowship.

We, the Christian community, assemble to celebrate the memory of the martyrs with ritual solemnity because we seek inspiration to follow their example, share in their merits, and be aided by their prayers. Yet we erect no altars to any of the martyrs, even in the burial chapels where they rest.

No bishop or priest, when celebrating at an altar where these holy bodies lie, has ever said, “Peter, we make this offering to you,” or “Paul, to you,” or “Cyprian, to you.” No, what is offered is always offered to God, who crowned the martyrs. We offer in the chapels where the bodies of those He crowned rest, so that the memories associated with those places will stir our emotions and encourage us to greater love for both the martyrs we can imitate and God, whose grace enables us to do so.

Thus, we venerate the martyrs with the same love and fellowship that we extend to the holy men of God still among us. We sense that the hearts of these latter are just as ready to suffer death for the sake of the Gospel, yet we feel more devotion toward those who have already emerged victorious from the struggle. We honor the country’s heroes, and those who are fighting on the battlefield of this life, but we honor with greater confidence those who have already achieved the victor’s crown and live in heaven.

However, the veneration strictly called “worship,” or latria, which is the special homage belonging only to the divinity, is something we give—and teach others to give—to God alone. The offering of a sacrifice belongs to worship in this sense (that is why those who sacrifice to idols are called idol-worshippers). We neither make nor instruct others to make any such offering to any martyr, holy soul, or angel. If anyone among us falls into this error, he is corrected with sound doctrine and must either mend his ways or be shunned.

The saints themselves forbid anyone to offer them the worship they know is reserved for God, as is clear from the case of Paul and Barnabas. When the Lycaonians were so amazed by their miracles that they wanted to sacrifice to them as gods, the apostles tore their garments, declared that they were not gods, urged the people to believe them, and forbade them to worship them.

Yet the truths we teach are one thing; the abuses thrust upon us are another. There are commandments we are bound to uphold; there are breaches of them we are commanded to correct, but until we correct them, we must, of necessity, tolerate them.
Excerpts from Saint Augustine, year 563.