May 1 Fri - Why did God choose Saint Joseph, a worker?

 

May 1 Fri
Why did God choose Saint Joseph, a worker?

Saint Joseph was a conscientious worker. With admirable simplicity, an ancient document from the early Christian era shows that Christians need to work: “If anyone wishes to live amongst you, let him have a job; let him work and thus feed himself. And if he has no job, make provision for him with prudence so that no lazy Christian is in your midst. If he does not want to act in this way, he is a trafficker in Christ. Be on your guard against such people."

A Christian should not be content with keeping himself busy all day long with different activities. He must sanctify everything he does. “If we want to live this way, sanctifying our profession or job, we really must work well, with human and supernatural intensity." This means using our time well, dedicating whatever time may be necessary, and putting to the best use the tools which God has placed in our hands.

The life of Saint Joseph was not spent amongst miracles, but in hard and steady work. “Saint Joseph was not one for easy solutions and little miracles, but a man of perseverance, effort, and, when needed, ingenuity. The Christian knows that God works miracles, that He did them centuries ago, and that He continues doing them now, because 'the Lord's hand is not shortened'. But miracles are a sign of the saving power of God, not a cure for incompetence nor an easy way to avoid effort."

“The 'miracle' which God asks of you is to persevere in your Christian and divine vocation, sanctifying each day's work: the miracle of turning the prose of each day into heroic verse by the love you put into your ordinary work. God waits for you there. He expects you to be a responsible person, with the zeal of an apostle and the competence of a good worker."

Serious work goes united to prayer – Saint Joseph knew how to listen to God, and to talk to Him. He had Him, as a Man, right there, at home, in the workshop. This is prayer.

“Every day we should set aside time especially for speaking with God, but without forgetting that our prayer must be constant, like the beating of our heart: aspirations, acts of love, acts of thanksgiving, acts of reparation, spiritual communions. When we walk along the street, when we close or open a door, when we see a church bell-tower in the distance, when we begin and end our tasks, and while we are carrying them out, we direct everything to God. We are obliged to make a continual prayer of our ordinary life, for we are contemplative souls along all the pathways of the world.”

“Thank you, Father, for conferring on me the passion and courage with which I must fulfill your will, like St. Joseph. I humbly beseech You to increase my faith and my hope.
Lord, I ask that I may not reject your Love, that I may always be close to You as the little hatchlings to the hen. May my freedom be always to choose You." 

Apr 30 Thu - Why do we give peace to one another before Communion?

 

 Apr 30 Thu
Why do we give peace to one another before Communion?

During the Last Supper, our Lord made his disciples aware of the importance of peace, the fruit of charity. Many times, He spoke of unity, of the spirit of service, of humility, of charity. These are virtues and dispositions of the soul that can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace. 

Jesus then made a gesture of profound humility: “He got up from the table, removed his outer garment and, taking a towel, began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel.” 

The Lord’s action and attire were those of a slave. He himself explained the meaning of this act of humility: “If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.” 

We, his disciples, are invited to love and serve others and not be afraid of placing ourselves last. In the Eucharist, the sacrament of love, the Lord gives himself to us in sacrifice. His love impels him to lay down his life for us. We receive from this sacrament the strength to commit ourselves to a life of service and dedication to others, to spread the peace and love of God. 

Humility, charity, and spirit of service are virtues and dispositions of the soul that can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples and, to make this point clear, greeted them, “Peace be with you.” 

The early Christians lived well this point of their spirit. St. Paul bore witness to their charity and unity, at times greeting them with the symbolic kiss of peace. And so, it entered the ancient liturgy. 

Initially, the rite of peace was set before the Offertory. It followed the Prayer of the Faithful and, at that point, could be seen as a sign of love before the gifts were offered. Perhaps, it was placed there in remembrance of this passage in the Gospel: 

If you are bringing your offering to the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering.

Often, the significance of this gesture is not fully understood. Some may think that it is an occasion to give a high-five to friends. Rather, while one is preparing for Communion in an atmosphere of inner recollection, the sign of peace is a way of saying to the person beside you that the peace of Christ, really present on the altar, is also with each of us.

Later, this rite became an obligatory prelude to Communion.

We feel our souls flooded with peace; that is the consequence of our divine filiation and a fraternity well lived, centered in Christ. Men lose their peace when they lack filiation and fraternity. “I realize I am a son of God; if the Lord is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear?”
Pic: Coptic illustration of the Last Supper

Apr 29 Wed - Why should I love the Church?

 

Apr 29 Wed
Why should I love the Church?

Today is the feast of Saint Catherine of Sienna; her life was an outpouring of love and service for the Roman Pontiff. She loved the Church of God and the Roman Pontiff truly and with deeds.

The Church is holy in herself, and holy also in her life, of which all-too-evident tokens are being provided continually by the Spirit of God, because Jesus Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that He might sanctify her... that He might present the Church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that she might be holy and without blemish. 

The Church is holy in her origin: Christ is her holy Founder and head. 
The Church is also holy in her internal principle of life: the Holy Spirit. 
Her aim is holy—namely, God’s glory and man’s sanctification. 
The means that she uses are holy: Christ’s teaching, his moral precepts and counsels, the forms of worship, the sacraments, and the gifts of grace. 
The Church is holy in many of her members, as there have always been, and will always be, saints whose holiness has been proven and proclaimed by the Church.

Our love for the Church and the Roman Pontiff has to be shown in the reality of our prayer, in the joy of our obedience, in the vibrancy of our concrete acts of service. St. Josemaría: “This is the way followed by the Pope, the sweet Christ on earth, the Vice-God, as I like to call him, who says of himself that he is the servant of the servants of God. And if the Supreme Pontiff is a servant, my daughters and sons, it is intolerable for there to be Catholics who do not want to be."

But we cannot forget that, while she is in herself holy, she gathers sinners into her bosom. “The Church, which is divine, is also human, because she is made up of men and we men have defects: All of us men are dust and ashes."

This is a reality that Christian souls have suffered throughout history, and which St Catherine of Siena sorrowfully felt in her heart. No member of the Church on earth is exempt from personal weaknesses. They can all be mistaken in their judgments and err in their behavior. For this reason, the knowledge of the weaknesses that the servants of the Church can have, as St. Josemaría also wrote, “will help you never to get scandalized if you should hear news items of this kind. And it will help you also to grow in love for the Church, the Spouse of Jesus Christ. It will move you, as with the good sons of Noah, to cover over with the cloak of charity and discretion the defects you may observe in persons that form a part of the People of God."

Although we ardently desire all people to be saints, our service to the Church must not be conditioned by the personal sanctity of her members. Our service and our love are directed to the spotless Spouse of Christ. 

Apr 28 Tue - Should I be charitable to everyone?

 

Apr 28 Tue
Should I be charitable to everyone?

Charity embraces everyone, in the right order.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan describes how, about halfway between Jerusalem and Jericho, just beyond the mountains, some robbers came upon a defenseless man who was easy prey. "They stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. A priest and then a Levite passed by; … and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion. The Samaritan didn't placate his conscience with the thought that he owed the wounded man nothing. Rather, he saw himself as indebted to the stranger.

"I cannot love the devil, Saint Josemaría said, but I love all those who are not the devil, everyone without exception. I don't see myself as anyone's enemy. I'm opposed only to the ideas that oppose the faith and morals of Jesus Christ. But we need to understand those who hold these ideas, and pray for them."

Christ taught us to love those who do us harm, to wish everyone well, and to understand even those who fail to understand us. “For Christians, loving means ‘wanting to love’, making up one's mind in Christ to work for the good of souls, without discrimination of any kind; trying to obtain for them, before any other, the greatest good of all, that of knowing Christ and falling in love with him."

"Our Lord spurs us on: ‘Do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute and insult you.’ We might not feel humanly attracted to those who would reject us were we to approach them. But Jesus insists: we must not return evil for evil; we must not waste any opportunities we have of serving them wholeheartedly, even if we find it difficult to do so: we must never cease keeping them in mind in our prayers."

Our charity should be universal and self-sacrificing like the good Samaritan's charity, who did all he could without asking himself who it was he was helping. We too should love in this way, without discrimination of any kind, which would imply small-heartedness. Saint Josemaría helped us with his continual example here. "I welcome everyone, he said. I keep my heart and the doors of our houses always open to everyone, for I couldn't commit the injustice of depriving a single soul of Christ's charity."

Charity expands our hearts to make room for all: "You have enlarged my heart,” sings the Psalm. Charity is a supernatural gift, a work of God, that transcends every human difference. "You have to do things for Christ. It's good for you to have a human heart, but if you do things only for such-and-such a person, that's bad! Though you also do it for that person, do it above all for Christ." 

Apr 27 Mon - What are the priorities in the apostolate of the Church?

 

Apr 27 Mon
What are the priorities in the apostolate of the Church?

In a recent letter, Pope Leo XIV conveyed Easter greetings to the College of Cardinals, with a little bit of business included, together with the prayerful well-wishing and gratitude for their work.

It is, in a certain sense, a program to be followed in relation to the consistory convened for June 2026. In the letter, the Pope acknowledges the importance of centering Christian life on the fundamental tenets of the Faith and promoting a pastoral and missionary conversion to give a new impulse to the evangelization. 

First, he calls for a renewal of faith at the personal level, based on prayer and coherence of life. This perspective challenges the Church at every level. 

On the personal level, Leo says, every baptized person must be aware that they are called to renew their encounter with Christ, moving from a faith merely received to a faith truly lived and experienced. This journey affects the very quality of spiritual life, expressed in the primacy of prayer, in the witness and action that precedes words, and in the coherence between one’s faith and life.

On the community level, he wrote, Now, I wish to focus in particular on what emerged from the groups regarding Evangelii Gaudium, concerning mission and the transmission of the faith.

Communities are to shift from a pastoral approach of maintenance to an attitude of mission. This requires communities to be living agents of the proclamation of the Gospel. 

Leo even gets into specifics on the point: Noting the need to foster “welcoming communities that use accessible language, attentive to the quality of relationships, and are capable of offering places for listening, accompaniment, and healing.”

Thirdly, at the diocesan level, the Pope pointed out, the responsibility of Pastors to resolutely support missionary boldness emerges clearly, ensuring that such boldness is not weighed down or stifled by organizational excesses, but is guided by a discernment that helps us to recognize what is essential.”

“From all this flows a profoundly unified understanding of mission, which is Christ-centered and kerygmatic [based on the fundamental dogmas of the Faith]. A mission that is born of an encounter with Christ that is capable of transforming lives and spreading through attraction rather than conquest.” 

At this diocesan level, there must be, Leo wrote, “an integral mission, holding in balance explicit proclamation, witness, commitment and dialogue, and yielding neither to the temptation of proselytism nor to a merely institutional mentality of preservation or expansion."

“Even when the Church finds herself in a minority,” Leo wrote, “she is called to live with confident courage, as a small flock bringing hope to all, mindful that the aim of mission is not its own survival, but the communication of the love with which God loves the world.”

In sum, there must be, 
- On the personal level, mature faith, prayer, and coherence of life

- On the community level, parishes are to be living agents of the proclamation of the Gospel.

- At the diocesan level, missionary boldness and discernment to recognize what is essential. 

Apr 26 Sun - Should I be docile to the legitimate pastors?

 

Apr 26 Sun
Should I be docile to the legitimate pastors?

Christ is the good shepherd, and we are his sheep.
In this world, there are basically two types of leaders: those who give themselves to others, and those who profit from them.

Among those who make a profit are those leaders who are downright thugs who “steal and slaughter and destroy.”

The thieves and robbers come to take away from us everything we have, including our faith. This perfectly describes the devil and applies to any human being who becomes a predator.

Sheep are docile. They follow and obey a good shepherd and so benefit from him.
Having the virtue of docility means observing, listening to, imitating, and obeying those who know better than we do.

It also means cooperating when someone justly corrects us.

The docile person is humble. He knows he does not know many things and needs a teacher and guide.

The docile person knows there may be others who know his own good better than he does himself.

This is the basic reason why we should listen to teachers, advisors, coaches, guides, and parents.

A docile person avoids the vice of credulity. Credulity means blindly believing what you are told by anyone without reflecting on it. The credulous sheep listens to anyone who passes by and claims to be a shepherd.

The properly docile sheep is prudent enough to run away from a bad shepherd, afraid of how he might harm him.

A docile person also avoids being a know-it-all. A sheep who “knows everything” and so cannot be led or taught is foolish, because in reality, he does not know it all but has cut himself off from help.

A docile person maintains a legitimate doubt about his own biases on debatable matters, especially when those new ideas appear to conflict with Christian values.

We should be docile to our good shepherds, especially the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Always go to our priest brothers. We should do so especially when something in our soul makes us feel ashamed. “You will open wide your heart - a rotten heart, if it is rotten! - sincerely, with a deep desire to be healed. If not, that rottenness would never be cured. If we went to a person who could only treat our wound superficially, it would be because we were cowards. We were not good sheep, because we wanted to hide the truth, to our own harm.” 

“Don't be ashamed of being wretched, if sometimes you are. Don't panic because you find the bad leaven of sin in your heart. Don't be afraid of anything. Be truly faithful! Sincere! Be sincere! Let's have the common sense and the supernatural spirit. In exchange, you will experience greater effectiveness in your life, in the work of your sanctification and the sanctification of so many souls, and the Church."

Now is the time for us to ask ourselves, in the intimacy of our own hearts: Do I go to sacramental Confession punctually? Do I accept this means of personal sanctification with gratitude and in the desire to make good use of it? 

Apr 25 Sat - For a Christian to be an apostle, what does it involve?

 

Apr 25 Sat
For a Christian to be an apostle, what does it involve?

Saint Mark did not belong to the group of the Apostles, but he was a disciple of the first hour. Our Lord places in his apostles’ hearts a pure and generous desire to serve, a true zeal that makes them willing to undertake any sacrifice, working quietly for the Church without seeking any earthly compensation.

Apostles are Christians who know that they are grafted onto Christ, identified with Christ, through Baptism; enabled to fight for Christ, through Confirmation; called to serve God with their activity in the world, to guide others to God, to teach them the truth of the Gospel, and to co-redeem them through their prayer and their expiation.

“It's not a matter of doing our own thing, of fulfilling our personal ambitions. Rather, it's a matter of being useful to Christ, so that He may act; and also, being useful to others, because Christ came not to be served but to serve."

“We have to ask God our Lord to increase our hunger to serve."

Once and for all, we need to get rid of whatever separates us from, or even slightly hinders, our way as apostles. We can never forget that only when apostles are ready to sacrifice their own lives, through continuous self-denial in the service of others for God, will they be truly united to Jesus' work of redemption. Only then can their apostolate be fruitful.

“Far from discouraging us, the difficulties we meet have to spur us on to mature as Christians. We must take his advice to heart: If any man has a mind to come my way, let him renounce self, and take up his cross, and follow me."

“Take a nail, for instance. If you meet no resistance when you hammer it into a wall, what can you expect to hang on it? Likewise, if we do not let God toughen us through sacrifice, we will never become our Lord's instruments. On the other hand, if we decide to accept difficulties gladly and make use of them for the love of God, then in the face of what is difficult and unpleasant, when things are hard and uncomfortable, we will be able to exclaim with the Apostles James and John: Yes, we can!"

Jesus had announced that in the world his followers would have tribulation. And they overcame all kinds of difficulties and dangers to carry out the mission entrusted to them by our Lord.

Without personal sacrifice, there will be no fruit. “The Cross is present in everything, and it comes when one least expects it. But don't forget that normally, the Cross comes when you start to be effective."

Even though we are of the earth, we must allow Jesus to raise us to the level of divine life. Then, we shall have a divine way of thinking: our Faith, and a divine way of loving: our Charity. Let us allow him to transform us, while we correspond to his grace. 

“Let us serve, then, because apostolate consists of nothing else. Through our own efforts, we cannot achieve anything in the supernatural realm; but by allowing ourselves to become God's instruments, we can do everything." 

Apr 24 Fri - How many times is “The Lord be with you” repeated in the Mass?

 

Apr 24 Fri
How many times is “The Lord be with you” repeated in the Mass?

In the Roman Rite, the priest says “The Lord be with you” (Dominus vobiscum) five times:

1. At the start of Mass (Introductory Rites), the priest greets the entire Church with “The Lord be with you.”

The priest declares to us that the Lord is present.
This greeting expresses the mystery of the gathered Church, which is present even when we are just a few persons in the room. We are going to participate and offer to God the Father the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, present here in a real, sacramental manner. 

“When I celebrate Mass with just one person to help me, the people are present also. I feel that there with me are all Catholics, all believers, and also those who do not believe. All God’s creatures are there—the earth and the sea and the sky, and the animals and plants—the whole of creation giving glory to the Lord." Saint Josemaría. 

In this greeting, the ministerial priest’s special relationship with the Holy Spirit is acknowledged by the faithful, “And with your spirit.” 

2. Before the Gospel, the priest (or deacon) uses the same greeting.
By faith we know that when the Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself is speaking to his people, and Christ, present in his own word, is proclaiming the Gospel. 
Besides his Eucharistic presence, “in another very genuine way, Christ is also present in the Church as she preaches. For the Gospel which she proclaims is the word of God, and it is only in the name of Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, and only by his authority and with his help that it is preached, so that there might be ‘one flock resting secure in one shepherd.’

3. Before the Eucharistic Prayer, in the introduction to the Preface, the priest says, “The Lord be with you.” The Church proclaims that Christ is truly present and acting among the people gathered for worship. The greeting is not like casual small talk; it is a liturgical recognition of a real, spiritual “nearness”—Jesus gathers and stays with those who are assembled in his name, and are about to participate in His sacrifice.

4. Before distributing communion, at the breaking of the Bread, the priest says, “The Peace of the Lord be with you always.” It reminds us of the same greeting the Risen Lord gave to the disciples in the Upper Room. Peace is an essential requirement to live our Christian life, and it is our duty as Christians to be sowers of God’s peace in the world.

5. Before the final blessing, the greeting is now made real in its highest sense: The Lord is with us, especially with those who have received Communion. 
The Mass is finished, we are encouraged to return to our ordinary occupations to love and serve the Lord. We serve the Lord while fulfilling our usual norms of piety, resting, or working in the presence of God. In this way, we constantly keep alive those dispositions we had during the Mass. 

Apr 23 Thu - Why do we pray for peace in the Church?

 

Apr 23 Thu
Why do we pray for peace in the Church?
In the Mass, before we share the same spiritual food, we implore peace and unity for the Church and for the whole human family and offer some sign of our love for one another.

Communion is getting closer, and the liturgy becomes ever more intimate. While all the preceding prayers of the Mass were directed to God the Father, now for the first time, the priest addresses himself directly to Jesus Christ. With his hands extended, he prays for peace: 

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles, Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity, in accordance with your will.

When we pronounce our Amen, we must realize that we are asking not only for our personal peace but also for peace for the whole Church. We know that “every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin; and a household divided against itself collapses.”
What a good moment now to rectify, lest the Lord find us at war with one another under the flimsy excuse of serving him better! 

This is a good moment to exert effort and begin to understand the reasons and attitudes of others, no matter how different they may be from ours; to love pluralism in the non-dogmatic issues; to respect the diverse viewpoints in debatable matters. How often do we try to proffer our personal solution, passing it as the Gospel message, but being really just that: one more private opinion? Here is a reminder from the Second Vatican Council: 

People must remember that no one is allowed to appropriate the Church’s authority for their own opinion in these situations. 

With these good dispositions, we receive the priest’s greeting:
The peace of the Lord be with you always.

Then, if the opportunity warrants it, the priest may add:
Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

The priest may give the sign of peace to the ministers but always remains within the sanctuary, so as not to disturb the celebration. The celebrant need not make the sign of peace toward the faithful because he has already done so earlier with the words “The peace of the Lord be with you always.”

The priest gives us the greeting of peace while extending and then joining his hands. 
And also with you, we respond.

“Here is a thought that brings peace and that the Holy Spirit provides ready made for those who seek the will of God: ‘The Lord rules me, and I shall want nothing.’
What can upset a soul who sincerely repeats these words?"

And so, we abandon ourselves completely in God’s will:

An act of complete correspondence to the will of God: Is that what you want, Lord?... Then it’s what I want also!

A determined resolution to fulfill the will of God in the smallest things is the only way we can be truly happy. The relative happiness we can achieve here on earth shall be made complete in heaven. 

Apr 22 Wed - Is it true that Jesus resurrected?

 

Apr 22 Wed
Is it true that Jesus resurrected?
In St. Luke’s Gospel, the evangelist describes how the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. Upon reaching the tomb, they found the stone rolled away. The women were greeted by two men in dazzling garments who spoke to them and informed them that Jesus had been raised.

They then brought word of this to the eleven and the others. After giving us the names of the women—Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James—the evangelist reports that their story seemed like nonsense, and thus were the women not believed. Their story was ignored by all but Peter, who got up and ran to the tomb.

We believe in the Resurrection not because it is a nice, happy ending to the story of Jesus. And neither do we believe in the Risen Lord because we have sympathy for Him. Something much more profound is at issue concerning the reason for the Paschal Mystery.

Jesus did not go to the Cross because He lied. He went to the Cross because of the truth. “I came into the world to testify to the truth.” Jesus made this known to Pilate, right before the crucifixion. Still, it would be a great underestimation on our part if all we did was acknowledge the truth of the death of the Son of Man. It’s in the Resurrection that there is truth, too!  

Saint John Paul II wrote: “The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the supreme exaltation of the fruitfulness and saving power of a freedom lived out in truth.” Pope Benedict XVI writes that it’s not just truth but freedom that is at issue. “Jesus is the lodestar of human freedom. Without him, freedom loses its focus, for without the knowledge of truth, freedom becomes debased, alienated, and reduced to empty caprice. With him, freedom finds itself.”

It is clear from the Gospels that the very first thing the disciples did upon hearing about the Lord’s Resurrection was to tell others that it’s true. For instance, Mary Magdalene went to the brothers right away at Jesus’ behest, after her own encounter with the Risen Christ. Alas, this was just the beginning. Eventually, all the “telling” gave way to Pentecost and a much wider evangelization.

In the course of that evangelization, and as a result of it, men and women have chosen to die rather than compromise the Faith they embraced in their Baptism. We call these men and women martyrs for the Faith. What in the world would ever inspire the martyrs to risk it all—their hopes and aspirations, their reputations, their very lives? In a word, it is the truth.

And, specifically, in what does that truth consist? Well, how about the truth of the sacredness of human life from the moment of conception until natural death? How about the truth of marriage according to the order of creation? And how about the truth of the Catholic Faith itself amid the pluralism of religions in societies today?

Excerpts from Msgr. Robert Batule 

Apr 21 Tue - How can I live the beatitudes?

 

Apr 21 Tue
How can I live the beatitudes?

St. Teresa of Calcutta gives us tips to live them in the midst of our ordinary occupations.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

When you have nothing left but God, you have more than enough to start over. The spiritual poverty of the Western world is far greater than the physical poverty of our people.

2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

When pain and suffering enter your life, remember that pain, sadness, and suffering are nothing more than Jesus' kiss, a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.

3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Humility is the mother of all virtues: purity, charity, and obedience. When we try to be humble, our love becomes real, devoted, and ardent. If you are humble, nothing will disturb you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed, you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint, you will not put yourself on a pedestal.

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

If you judge people, you don't have time to love them, and I'd prefer that you make mistakes with kindness than work miracles without kindness.

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

People are often irrational and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. 
If you're kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. 
If you're honest, people can fool you. Be honest anyway. 
If you find happiness, people might get jealous. Be happy anyway. 
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. 
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. 
You see? In the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

In this life, we can't do great things. We can only do small things with great love.

7. Blessed are those who labor for peace, for they shall be called sons of God.

Peace begins with a smile.

8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mother Teresa was admired by many, but she was also persecuted and constantly criticized for doing her work of evangelization. She was also accused of not doing enough to change things.

She said, " Every abortion is the refusal to receive Jesus. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill each other? Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love each other, but to use any kind of violence to get what they want."

We must speak boldly, without seeking praise and without fear of backlash and persecution, but to tell the truth. 

Apr 20 Mon - Pharisee Asks If It's Normal For Temple Curtain To Suddenly Rip In Half

 

Apr 20 Mon
Pharisee Asks If It's Normal For Temple Curtain To Suddenly Rip In Half

JERUSALEM — A Pharisee by the name of Ahaziah asked his fellow scribes if it was normal for the temple curtain to suddenly and spontaneously rip in half from top to bottom.

The incident occurred on the afternoon of the day of preparation for the Passover, which just so happened to coincide with the execution of a trio of condemned criminals just outside the city.

"Is it, uh, supposed to do that?" asked Ahaziah, staring at the split halves of the massive curtain believed to separate mankind from God's presence. "I haven't been a Pharisee very long, but I sort of had the idea the curtain was supposed to stay put. I'm not sure if four-inch-thick, 60-foot-tall curtains are supposed to just violently split like that. It seems a little strange, is all."

Ahaziah further queried whether anyone knew if earthquakes were common in the region, or if people coming up out of their graves to walk around the city was something that happened frequently.

"Is this out of the ordinary, people getting up out of their own graves?" Ahaziah asked an elder Pharisee, his legs still shaking from the earthquake. "Do they usually do that when we execute a guy for blasphemy? It feels different, at least to me."

At publishing time, Ahaziah had asked if it was typical for three-thousand-pound stones to suddenly move away from a tomb opening.

The above “imaginary” news tells us that, if a person is aware that God has revealed something, he needs some evidence to confirm that it is God who reveals a truth.  

Therefore, we have to know in some way that God is the one speaking. It cannot be known from the content of the revealed truth, since it is not self-evident for us; if it were, it would not be a matter of faith. 

We need some external testimony, similar to the way external signs vouch for the authenticity of a document: a seal, or the signatures of a notary public and some witnesses, even if it can also be confirmed by its content.

It is reasonable to accept a revelation when it meets certain criteria that identify it as such, that is, as something said by God. This is what the First Vatican Council teaches:

For the submission of our faith to be consonant with reason, God has willed that external proofs of his Revelation, namely divine acts and especially miracles and prophecies, should be added to the internal aids given by the Holy Spirit. 

Since these proofs so excellently display God’s omnipotence and limitless knowledge, they constitute the surest signs of divine Revelation, signs that are suitable to everyone’s understanding. Therefore, not only Moses and the prophets but also and preeminently Christ our Lord performed many evident miracles and made clear-cut prophecies. 

Moreover, we read of the Apostles: “But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the preaching by the signs that followed.” 

Apr 19 Sun - What does Kerygma mean?

 

Apr 19 Sun
What does Kerygma mean?

In Acts, Peter says to the Jews in Jerusalem, “Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs.” Saint Luke reports that the two disciples on the road to Emmaus say, “Jesus the Nazarene… was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” Jesus publicly proved he was a great prophet by his sublime teachings and by his miracles.

But prophets can die: in fact, they are usually executed.

Jesus himself teaches the disappointed disciples that He is the one who has redeemed Israel and that doing so was God’s “set plan” from the beginning. It was necessary “that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory.” This plan was foretold in the Jewish scriptures. Now Jesus shows them what was there that they had never seen.

The Greek word kerygma, or preaching, refers to the most fundamental proclamation of the Gospel. It tells us who Jesus Christ is, what He has done for us, and how we should respond.

It is essential and answers the question of why we are followers of Christ.

We have heard the glad tidings that God the Father out of love sent God the Son to become man; and that through his life, death, and resurrection the Son Jesus Christ has redeemed us from sin and death; and that God the Holy Spirit is pouring out graces on us so we can repent and live transformed lives until we enjoy eternal life with the Blessed Trinity and all the saved forever.

The Greek word Didache, or teaching (or catechesis or formation), is the ongoing total formation we need to deepen our understanding of the Gospel and to live it more faithfully.

How do kerygma and catechesis (or Didache) relate? Pope Francis explains: “All Christian formation consists of entering more deeply into the kerygma, which is reflected in and constantly illumines, the work of catechesis.”

This ever-deeper formation is doctrinal (knowing the faith better), scriptural (knowing what God has spoken in his Word), moral (living according to Christian morality and the virtues), sacramental (the basic means by which we receive grace), ascetical (having a personal relationship with Christ through prayer), and communitarian (we are a people, not a collection of individuals).

In sum, we need Christian formation.

It is impossible to do everything at once, but we can begin to do one thing at a time for ourselves and others in our family, parish, or diocese. Here are some ways to become better formed:

- Deepen our knowledge of the doctrine of the faith by attending some classes.
- Read the New Testament a few minutes daily.
- Struggle to obey the moral law as the Church teaches it.
- Work on acquiring a particular virtue, especially the one you need most.
- Frequent the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and regular confession.
- Spend time in prayer each day, talking with Our Lord.
- Be involved with other people in acts of service. 

Apr 18 Sat - Am I obliged to do apostolate?

 

Apr 18 Sat
Am I obliged to do apostolate?
The Lord has risen from the dead, as He foretold. Let there be happiness and rejoicing for He is our King forever. Now that we are filled with Easter joy, the Church wants us to realize that this joy has to be passed on to others.

The Gospel describes how the women left the tomb quickly, filled with fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. The risen Christ Himself meets them and confirms their mission: 'Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.'

Each Christian also must be an apostle who has found Christ and who feels the urgency to spread the kingdom of his love everywhere. “St Paul gave a motto to the Christians at Ephesus: to fill everything with the spirit of Jesus, placing Christ at the center of everything. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself. Through his Incarnation, through his work at Nazareth and his preaching and miracles in the land of Judea and Galilee, through his Death on the Cross, and through his Resurrection, Christ is the center of the universe, the firstborn and Lord of all creation."

“Our task as Christians is to proclaim this kingship of Christ, announcing it through what we say and do. Our Lord wants men and women of his own in all walks of life. Some [the religious] He calls away from society, asking them to give up involvement in the world, so that they remind the rest of us by their example that God exists. To others [the priests], He entrusts the priestly ministry. But He wants the vast majority [the laity] to stay right where they are, in all the earthly occupations in which they work: the factory, the laboratory, the farm, the trades, the streets of the big cities, and the trails of the mountains."

If you are cold and lazy, and are only concerned with yourself and live content with that, and even say in your heart, "What are the others to me? I have enough with my own soul; I only hope to keep it intact for God." Come now! Do you not remember the servant who hid the talent and did not want to trade with it? Was he condemned for losing it, or was it not rather because he did not want to trade with it? Think of this, my brethren, and never rest satisfied.

All our activity must have an apostolic value.
“We must always have a lively desire to give others the joy the Lord puts into our lives. Thus, none of God's children can be at ease if they do not continually feel the hunger for winning new apostles, like their own heartbeat."

Each of us should be like a burning coal, continually setting fire to everything it touches or, at least, raising the spiritual temperature of those around them, leading them to lead a more intense Christian life. We must set all earthly paths aflame with the fire of Christ. 

Apr 17 Fri - Should I care for others?

 

Apr 17 Fri
Should I care for others?
St John relates how the soldiers on Calvary saw that Jesus was already dead; they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers opened his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 

He did not say that the soldier "wounded" or "struck" his side or some similar expression, but rather "opened". Thus, he makes us understand that there the door to life was opened, and from that door poured forth the sacraments of the Church, without which no one enters into true Life.

In the Mass we live again “the drama of Calvary, which I would dare to describe as the first, the original Mass, celebrated by Jesus Christ." 

As He did on the Cross, Christ offers himself to God in the Holy Mass, being both Priest and Victim. One and the same is the Victim, and He who now offers himself through the ministry of the priests is the same who at that time offered himself on the Cross. Only the manner of offering himself is different. On the Cross, Jesus suffered death, with the real shedding of his blood; on the altar, because of the glorified state of his human nature, "death no longer has dominion over him", and so the shedding of Blood is impossible.

As we meditate on the fact that Jesus Christ is immolated for us every day in the Mass, we see very clearly the need to be well prepared to attend this Holy Sacrifice. We should ask for “a living faith in these moments, because we are drawing near to the mystery of Faith, to the Holy Eucharist; because we are about to participate in our Lord's Pasch, which sums up and brings about the mercies of God among men."

The best way to respond to Christ's sacrifice can be summarized in one phrase: “We must give our life for others. That is the only way to live the life of Jesus Christ and to become one and the same thing with him." 

We will share in his life to the degree that we have “a big heart to love God and love others." We should never forget how much God had to suffer for us.

We will learn to love other people by imitating the self-giving of Christ, who loved me and gave himself up for me, “Feel in your souls this blessed fraternity, which comes down to really loving each other, because we are all children of God, washed and purified in his blood and called with an identical Christian vocation."

We must make life pleasanter for others, sacrificing our own legitimate preferences if there is even a chance others might find them slightly off-putting. “When I preach that we have to make ourselves into a soft carpet for the others to walk on, I am not simply being poetic: it has to be a reality! It's hard, as sanctity is hard: but it's also easy, because, I insist, sanctity is within everyone's reach." 

Apr 16 Thu - What do we ask in the Lord’s Prayer?

 

Apr 16 Thu
What do we ask in the Lord’s Prayer?
The Lord wished us to repeat this prayer in God’s sight, to call Him our Father and, as Christ is God’s Son, be called in turn sons of God. None of us would ever have dared to utter this name unless He himself had allowed us to pray in this way, to become members of the big family of the children of God, gathered in Christ by the Holy Spirit. 

“The Lord uses us as torches to make that light shine out. Much depends on us; if we respond, many people will remain in darkness no longer, but will walk instead along paths that lead to eternal life.” 

During the day, we can ponder each of the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. These will give us abundant material for our prayer and meditation. 

Hallowed be Thy name. We ask God that his Name may be made holy in us. We desire to obtain the highest degree of sanctity for all, to give glory to God, and that all may love Him. 

Thy kingdom come. We desire that God may reign in everybody’s will. We ask that we all may happily reach our destination in his kingdom. We, who formerly were slaves in this world, will reign from now on under the dominion of Christ, in accordance with his promise: “Come, O blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom which was prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” 

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We pray that all men serve and obey God on earth as He is served by the angels in heaven, carrying out his will.

Give us this day our daily bread. We ask for whatever is necessary for nourishment, clothing, and other temporal needs; for our daily food, which, for a Christian, is, principally, the body of Christ. Thus, we can understand this petition in a spiritual and a literal sense. For in the divine plan, both senses may help toward our salvation. With Christ’s help, we, who live and abide in him, will never be separated from his body and his grace. 

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive ... We ask God pardon for our sins. No one should complacently think himself innocent, lest his pride may lead to further sin. 

We cannot obtain what we ask unless we do the same for those who trespass against us. We make an act of contrition and of sincere love towards our enemies and all who have caused us any harm. We wholeheartedly love them in the Lord. 

Lead us not into temptation. We ask God to keep us from falling into temptations, for we should not trust our own strength alone. 

Deliver us from evil. We ask for deliverance from the evils that afflict us and may set us away from his fatherly love. We ask to be liberated from the guilt and punishment of sin, from all snares that the devil and the world set up against us. 

To finish, the priest alone develops the last petition of the Lord’s Prayer in the Embolism. He begs, on behalf of all of us, for deliverance from the power of evil: Deliver us, Lord, from every evil… 

Apr 15 Wed - Why do I have to go to confession? Can the Lord forgive my sins directly, in private?

 

Apr 15 Wed
Why do I have to go to confession? Can the Lord forgive my sins directly, in private? 

During a 2011 visit to a prison, Pope Benedict XVI clearly explained why it is necessary to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 

Gianni, an inmate at Rome’s Rebibbia addressed the then-Pope, asking a question that many Catholics have asked themselves at some point:

My name is Gianni. Your Holiness, I was taught that the Lord sees and reads inside us. I wonder why absolution is delegated to priests? If I asked for it on my knees alone in my room, turning to the Lord, would He absolve me? Or would it be another kind of absolution? What would the difference be?

With empathy, Pope Benedict said he understood the prisoner’s doubts.
“First of all, we must keep in mind these two connections everyone has: the vertical one, with God, and the horizontal one, with the community of the Church and humanity."

“Naturally, if you kneel down and, with true love for God, pray that He forgives you, He will forgive you. It has always been the teaching of the Church that if a person, with true repentance — that is, not only to avoid punishment, difficulty, but for love of the good, for love of God — asks for forgiveness, he could be pardoned by God." 

“Thus, if I honestly acknowledge that I have done evil, and if I love goodness, repentance is born within me for not having responded to God’s love. And I ask forgiveness from Him, who is the Good; He gives it to me." 

Benedict XVI went deeper and explained why the act by itself is not enough: “But sin is not only a 'personal', individual thing between myself and God. Sin always also has a social dimension, a horizontal one. With my personal sin, even unaware of it, I have damaged the communion of the Church, I have damaged humanity.”

“This social, horizontal dimension of sin requires that it be absolved also at the level of the human community, by the community of the Church. Thus, this second dimension of sin, which is not only against God but concerns the community too, demands the Sacrament." So, the two dimensions cannot be separated.

“The Sacrament is the great gift in which, through confession, we can free ourselves from sins, and we can really receive forgiveness and full readmission into the community of the Church." 

“And so, the necessary absolution by the priest, the Sacrament, is not an ‘imposition’ on the limits of God’s goodness, but, on the contrary, it is an expression of the goodness of God because He wants to show me, also concretely, that I have received pardon, back in the communion of the Church, and can start anew."

“Thus, hold on to these two dimensions: the vertical one, with God, and the horizontal one, with the community of the Church and humanity."

“The sacramental absolution of the priest is necessary to really absolve me of this link with evil, and to fully reintegrate me into the will of God, into the vision of God, into his Church, and to give me sacramental, almost bodily, certainty." 

He concluded, “I think that we must learn how to understand the Sacrament of Penance in this sense: as a way of finding again, almost physically, the goodness of the Lord, the certainty of reconciliation." 

Apr 14 Tue - What should I do when I commit a mistake?

 

Apr 14 Tue
What should I do when I commit a mistake?
When we make a mistake, we must correct it, always being ready to start anew.

In Bethany, Lazarus fell ill, and his sisters sent word to Jesus saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." 

Yet our Lord stayed two days longer in the place where He was. “This could sometimes happen to us. Lord, see, I am sick. Lord, you died on the Cross out of love for me: come and heal me. 
And it seems as though Jesus does not hear our prayer. Trust, my child, and persevere in calling upon that loving Heart. 
Our Lord understands that we can fall asleep. He wants us to trust in him. No matter what happens, He can bring us back to life."

At other times, Jesus does not wait for us to tell him anything. It is enough for us to be humble and weep over our own wretchedness and the fact that we are made of clay. “Our Lord's mercy is infinite, and He knows all our good desires. And we must do what is usually done to broken clay vessels: the pieces are put back together, and it takes on a special charm once the staples that hold the pieces together are in place. The clay vessel continues to be useful."

“Do not let your past falls, nor the possibility of future mistakes, worry you. Let's abandon ourselves into God's hands."

Two days later, Lord was on his way to Bethany, four days after Lazarus had been buried. Martha was unable to control herself and went to meet Jesus, saying: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

“Have you seen how affectionately and trustingly Christ's friends addressed him? Lazarus' sisters reproached him naturally for his absence. ‘We sent you word! If only you'd been here!’ Don't you feel like saying, ‘Lord Jesus, come and teach me how to treat you in the same friendly, loving way as Martha, Mary, and Lazarus did."

A large stone covered the entrance to the tomb. Lazarus was dead and decaying. The air was foul. “Don't you see? Apparently, there was no more that could be done. How often have I told you that our faithfulness is forged out of the struggle of every moment, with all our wretchedness and errors! Woe betides those who do not fight! They lose their interior life, and it's very difficult to raise a dead person to life. Nevertheless, you have seen how the dead do come back to life when they hear the voice of God: ‘Lazarus, come out.’"

“Lazarus came back to life because he heard God's voice, and he wanted to get out of that state. If he had not wanted to move, he would not have come back to life. And what about you? Do you want to?"

“Always love God. He will never abandon us, even if we seem rotten."

As a man like us, Jesus wept for Lazarus, his friend. As the eternal God, He raised Lazarus from the dead. In his love for us all, he lifts us up to everlasting life. 

Apr 13 Mon - Is the priesthood a right for all Christian Catholics?

 

Apr 13 Mon
Is the priesthood a right for all Christian Catholics?

Some, comparing the Catholic Church with the Anglican Communion, argue that the Church would not have fully "rehabilitated" women. This implies that the Church would have deviated from Christ's intention. It is a Protestant supposition that directly confronts the divine constitution of the Church.

From the Catholic perspective, that hypothesis does not hold up. The Church needs purification in her members, but she has not betrayed her essential constitution. To try to correct the Church according to external categories is to introduce a "hermeneutical rupture" that Benedict XVI has already denounced as "discontinuity and rupture."

The hierarchical structure of the Church is not a later construction or a form of domination. Christ himself instituted a concrete organization by choosing the Twelve and conferring a unique mission on Peter.

"Priesthood is not about sociological domination," the Dominican Divry explains, but about "a service-oriented ministry of sacramental order." To confuse this fact with that of the fundamental equality of all the baptized leads to errors of interpretation. As St Paul reminds us, "there is no longer male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28), which does not eliminate the diversity of functions within the Church.

One of the points where these distortions are most evident is in the interpretation of the female figures. To present the Virgin Mary as a symbol of forced submission is, according to Divry, a clear theological error.

Mary's "fiat" is not passivity, but a decisive act of freedom. The yes of the Virgin commits all humanity to the history of salvation. God does not want slaves. Rather, the relationship between Christ and the Church is based on freedom.

Introducing categories such as "patriarchy" or "equality of functions" transfers to the interior of the Church some socio-political schemes that do not respond to her nature. Thus, the priesthood is presented as a right or a promotion, when in reality "it is not part of the rights of the person," but belongs "to the mystery of Christ and of the Church." The priesthood is not a right, not even for men.

There is a personal diversity of functions within the Church. Yet difference is not inequality. The priest is not “more” Christian (or automatically holier) than the layman. 
The diversity of vocations in the Church does not imply inferiority. The Church fully recognizes the dignity of women and their irreplaceable role in Christian life, but without confusing roles.

We must recall that the mission of figures such as Mary Magdalene – "apostle to the apostles" – is not equivalent to the priestly ministry. These are different areas within the same communion.

The truth is clear: fidelity to the Gospel does not consist in adapting it to the fleeting categories of the time, but in accepting the mystery of the Church in all her depth, where the equality of the baptized coexists with the diversity of vocations.
Excerpts from Fr. Édouard Divry, OP 

Apr 12 Sun - Where can I find peace?

 

Apr 12 Sun
Where can I find peace?
We have Christ, who is our peace and our light.
The Lord appeared to the Apostles and greeted them: PEACE. Jesus destroyed the dividing wall between God and the sinner, and brought us together in himself, thus making peace. He gives us peace, but more importantly, He is our peace, who has made both of us one.

Since Christ is our peace, we shall be really Christians if Christ is seen in our lives because peace reigns in our hearts. Thus, we must not allow conflict to come back to us. God has destroyed sin for our salvation. We must not, then, allow ourselves to give way to sin, for this would place our souls in danger. We must not revive what is truly dead, calling it back to life by our sins.

Since we bear the name of Christ, who is Peace, we too must end up all resentment, so that we may declare with our lives what we believe.

We, too, then, should be reconciled with those who attack us, and also bring together the warring factions within us, so that our flesh may no longer be opposed to the spirit, and the spirit to our flesh. When the mind –that should control the flesh– is subject to the divine law, then we become a new creature, one of peace. When mind and flesh walk in the same direction, we have peace within ourselves.

When we consider that Christ is the true Light, far removed from all falsehood, we realize that our lives too should be lit by the rays of this Sun of justice. These rays are the virtues by which we cast off the works of darkness and behave as one in the light of day. When we refuse to have anything to do with the darkness of evil and do everything in the Light, we ourselves become light, and our works give light to others.

But if we look at Christ, then we shall be free from all that is wicked and impure, both in thought and in deed. We shall prove ourselves worthy to bear Christ’s name, not with words, but in our actions and in our lives.
Thus, fight; do not be disheartened by any failure as long as you have done your best.

If we keep this marvelous supernatural perspective, no suffering in this life will discourage us. On the contrary, we will be filled with optimism, because we are fulfilling a divine mission, united to Christ on the Cross. As St. Josemaría told us, “to find the Cross is to find Christ. And with him there is always joy, even when we are faced with injustice, misunderstanding, or physical suffering. Hence, optimism! Yes, always! Even when things seem to turn out badly, perhaps that is the time to break into a song, with a Gloria, because you have sought refuge in him, and nothing but good can come to you from Him."

Our Mother Mary, who encourages us and assures us of her constant, all-powerful intercession on our behalf. 

Apr 11 Sat - Why are there priests and bishops in the Church?

 

Apr 11 Sat
Why are there priests and bishops in the Church?

All baptized persons (the faithful) are equally called to the fullness of sanctity and apostolate—this call is their unity or principle of equality.

Because of this radical unity of God’s people, all the faithful share in the mission that Christ passed on to his Church. They all share in Christ’s priesthood: the common (or royal) priesthood of all the faithful.

Furthermore, “to shepherd the People of God and to increase its members without cease, Christ the Lord set up in his Church a variety of offices, which aim at the good of the whole body.” In the Church, there is a diversity of ministries sharing in the same mission. Among these, the hierarchical ministry stands on top.

Christ founded the Church. He made it clear that the Church was to be a visible institution with a hierarchical structure. Thus, He prayed to the Father, “and called to him those whom He desired.… And He appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach.”

Thus, the hierarchical dimension is not a later element or an addition to the People of God, but rather has accompanied the community of the redeemed from its very beginning. The Apostles were simultaneously “the seed of the new Israel and the origin of the sacred hierarchy.”

So, the hierarchical structure is not a human construct, something functional merely, but a divine institution destined to perpetuate the mission given by Christ to the Apostles until the end of time. It is Christ’s will for the Church to have a hierarchy—to teach, rule, and sanctify. Christ endowed the hierarchy with the power and mission to teach doctrine, guard the deposit of the faith, govern the life of the Church, and administer the sacraments. This embodies the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood of those who have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

The episcopate, the priesthood, and the diaconate are degrees of the one sacrament of Holy Orders.

The ministerial priest, by the sacred power that he has, forms and rules the priestly people; in the person of Christ, he effects the eucharistic sacrifice and offers it to God in the name of all the people. The faithful indeed, by virtue of their royal priesthood, participate in the offering of the Eucharist. They exercise that priesthood, too, by the reception of the sacraments, prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of a holy life, self-denial, and active charity.

The hierarchy is “a reality born of the charity of Christ, to fulfill, spread, and guarantee the complete and fruitful transmission of the treasure of faith, examples, precepts, and charisms left by Christ to his Church.”

The ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood to develop the baptismal grace of all Christians; it is one of the means by which Christ builds and guides his Church.

“Let us pray to the Lord that He may send to His Church ministers who are ardent with evangelical charity, dedicated to the good of all the baptized, and courageous missionaries in every part of the world.” 

Apr 10 Fri - Should I strip off my religious identity to participate in public life?

 

Apr 10 Fri
Should I strip off my religious identity to participate in public life?

In many countries, there exists the “naked public square,” an anti-democratic standard that requires citizens to strip off their religious identities as the price of admission to public life.

Thus, for the church and state to have good relations, the majority of citizens, who are believers, must disavow their basic identity to participate in political and social life. Religion needs to be hidden from public view. In public life. In schools. On the subway.
And I’m not speaking of ostentatious public displays of religion. Catholics would only go to their rooms, close the door, and pray. If it were so, what could Christians do every Lord’s Day?

Prayer and worship are not just commandments; they are also basic human needs because, actually, there is no such thing as an atheist. Every man is a believer because everybody holds to certain absolute core principles – even, ironically, relativism and atheism – as matters, not of proof, but truisms of faith.

Everyone believes in one’s “Absolute,” in one’s personal “god”. That god may be the true God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or a god like sex, money, or power… or one’s reason. But it is a god with which one identifies and by which one’s life is ordered.

The naked public square does not exclude all believers from the public square, only those adherents of traditional faiths that do not make gods of the goods of this world.  

Contrary to its proclaimed goal of protecting religious liberty by excluding explicit religion from public affairs, it in fact fosters a preferential approach to religion, canonizing the inner option of secularism that pretends not to be a religion.

And, in the end, it promotes people living double lives. It does so by privileging certain identities – secular identities – in the public sphere, while other convictions of one’s identity must remain hidden.

Observant Christians and Jews must engage in some form of spiritual self-mutilation (or at least spiritual hormonal therapy) to conform to the expectations of the ‘naked public square’.  Those beliefs and values are supposed to stay in the closet because they are religious.

Grisez included “authenticity” as a basic human good.  By “authenticity,” he meant that what one held inside and what one showed were the same.

‘Integrity’ unites the various parts within man (reason, will, passions); ‘authenticity’ unites the inner and outer man; ‘friendship’ connects him to his human peers; and ‘religion’ to his God.

Authenticity and religion are, therefore, not optional, “feel-good” things, nor only for believers.  They are basic goods necessary for all human beings to flourish.

Social, cultural, and legal expectations that somehow imagine religion as an “optional extra” best confined to the sacristy are, therefore, fundamentally anti-human and in conflict with genuine human flourishing.  

I’m wondering why we have to conceal so many people’s core identities to be something normal and even desirable.

Perhaps an even more pernicious effect is the idea that persons of faith should live double lives.

Some excerpts from John M. Grondelski
Pic: Eucharistic banquet (detail of an early 3rd century wall painting), Catacombs of Saint Callixtus, Rome 

Apr 9 Thu - Why do we pray the Lord’s Prayer before Communion?

 

Apr 9 Thu
Why do we pray the Lord’s Prayer before Communion?

We approach the very same body and blood of Christ that, by being immolated, restored our friendship with God. Christ’s sacrifice and the paschal meal (communion) are intimately linked. Our Mother the Church encourages us to participate in one and in the other, if we are properly disposed, by receiving our Lord’s body and blood. These will be our nourishment for the journey to our Father’s home. And this is what the Communion Rite is going to do: to prepare our souls to receive our Lord.

In the early Church, the Communion rite was simple. The Eucharistic Prayer (Anaphora) was followed by the Breaking of the Bread, and then by the Lord’s Prayer and Communion. Other prayers and ceremonies were added through the centuries. 

Nowadays, the Communion rite is ordained thus:
- Lord’s Prayer, preceded by the invitation to pray and followed by the embolism and the people’s acclamation.
- Rite of Peace.
- Breaking of the Bread, with the commingling, while the Agnus Dei is said or sung.
- Personal preparation of the priest.
- Invitation to the sacred banquet by showing the host to the faithful.
- Communion of the priest and the faithful.
- Communion song.
- Silent prayer, if opportune.
- Prayer after Communion.

The Lord’s Prayer begins with the priest’s invitation to pray, and all of us continue the prayer with him. The priest raises his hands. No special gesture is indicated for the people during this prayer.

This invitation is a very touching and most ancient formula (one alluded to as early as the fourth century by St Jerome). It states that we should not dare (audemus) to utter what we are about to say, were it not for the express command of our Lord. He taught us to approach God as a son talks to his father. 

The profound religious atmosphere pervading the Canon is increased here with the great reverence rendered to this prayer. We are so miserable, and our minds are so limited, that we do not even know what we should ask of God. Jesus Christ himself deigned to compose this prayer to indicate how we should address God. It is our Savior’s own prayer, and, therefore, the prayer of the Christian. 

In the early Church, the Lord’s Prayer was taught to the catechumens only a few weeks before baptism. Outside the Mass, it was always said in a low voice. It seemed that the faithful recited it before Communion. They brought Communion home on Sundays, kept it there, and received it on ordinary days. Then, it may have been introduced into the Mass. 

Many are the allusions made to this custom in the writings of the Fathers of the Church, and St Augustine regarded it as something well established in his own time.

When teaching us the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus used the Aramaic word Abba. It was how children called their father; the best translation could be Daddy. 
God wants us to deal with him with full confidence, as his little children. This fact nourishes all our prayers; we are children of God. 

Apr 8 Wed - Can I talk to my guardian angel?

 

Apr 8 Wed
Can I talk to my guardian angel?

Like many people, as a child, I prayed the traditional prayer to our guardian angels: “Angel of God, my guardian dear to whom God’s love entrusts me here, ever this day (or night) be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen.”

I still ask my guardian angel at night when I go to bed and, in the morning, when I get up, to watch over and protect me.

We can converse with and be assured of our guardian angel’s protective and guiding presence.

Moreover, we should dispel the romantic and “cute” notion that guardian angels are only relevant for vulnerable children.

Adults are in as much need of their guardian angels – maybe even more so, for their temptations and affairs are often of a more serious nature.

Our guardian angels are therefore present to strengthen, to encourage, and to guide us in living out our respective vocations, whether single, married, religious, or priestly.

The question has been asked: After death, do our guardian angels cease to be with us once we enter into Heaven?

According to Catholic tradition, our guardian angels even remain with us in Heaven and we give praise and glory to the most holy Trinity together – to our heavenly Father who is the ultimate source of life, to the risen Jesus, the Father’s incarnate Son, who is our loving Savior and Lord, and to the Holy Spirit who cleanses us of sin and makes us holy.

At the conclusion of the Preface at Mass, the following is said: “And so, with the Angels and all of the Saints, we declare your (the Father’s) glory, as with one voice we acclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts.

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.”

Thus, when we participate in Mass, all of us on earth join the heavenly angelic liturgy.

The Mass, then, fulfills Isaiah’s heavenly vision:

“I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’”

At Mass, the earth is filled with the glory of God.
Our churches are “jam-packed” with angels, and so, in unison with our guardian angels, we join the seraphim in singing this thrice-holy proclamation of the Trinity’s holiness.

At the end of funeral Masses, just before going to the cemetery, the priest prays: “To you, O Lord, we commend the soul [name], your servant, in the sight of your saints and in the presence of your angels.
May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come to welcome you and take you to the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem.”

Our guardian angel will be among the saints and angels who will lead us (we hope) into the new and everlasting heavenly Jerusalem – rejoicing, knowing that he has accomplished the task God had given him to do – to guard and guide us into happiness.

With excerpts from Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Cap. 

Apr 7 Tue - How can I pursue happiness?

 Apr 7 Tue
How can I pursue happiness?

By controlling your desires. 
In the soul’s coaching and in Confession, we are given guidance to combat our evil inclinations and overcome our weaknesses. However, we will receive God's grace only when we put this advice into practice with faith and obedience.

Our senses are like the doors of the soul. Our spiritual powers are fed by what the senses give them. Therefore, we must guard our senses so as not to admit into our souls anything harmful.

If you slake your senses in whatever pool you meet on the way, you will feel the results: unsettled purpose, scattered attention, dead will, and accelerated concupiscence. Subject yourself once again to a serious plan of life that will make you lead a Christian life. Or you'll never do anything worthwhile. 

We must fight against our passions by having a daily life of piety. If you abandon those means, you will fall. It's a clear symptom: when the energies of someone's soul are habitually weakened, when they are dull or their life is lazy, you can be sure that they already abandoned the fight some time ago; that their hearts are empty of God and filled instead with selfishness, love of comfort, and the flesh ...So feed your soul on God's love. Give God to your heart!

Some want to be humble without being despised. They want to be happy with what they have, but without suffering need. They want to be chaste without mortifying their body ... They fly from any effort. They hoped to win a war by living comfortably at home. Of course, they cannot win in that way.

How are we to keep our hearts and our senses for God alone? By loving the virtue of temperance, that renews us in God, to put aside the pleasures of the body and human praises, and direct all our love to the things of God.

“Temperance is self-mastery. Not everything we experience in our bodies and souls should be given free rein. Nor need to do everything we can do. It is easier to let ourselves be carried away by so-called natural impulses, but this road ends up in sadness and isolation in our own misery."

Some misuse the faculty of generating new life - a great and noble faculty, a participation in God's creative power - and make it a tool for their own selfish ends.

“Temperance does not imply narrowness, but greatness of soul. Life then takes on again shades and tones which self-indulgence had tended to blur. We find ourselves able to care for the needs of others, to share what is ours with everyone, to devote our energies to great causes. There is much more deprivation in the unrestrained heart which abandons self-dominion, only to become enslaved by the first caller who comes along."

The conquerors are those who remain awake and vigilant, those who battle with the enemy, those who regularly mortify themselves. And these people are precisely the happiest. Because you need a heart that is in love, not an easy life, to achieve happiness.

Apr 6 Mon - What does it mean that the Church is a priestly and prophetic people?

 

Apr 6 Mon
What does it mean that the Church is a priestly and prophetic people?  

All Christians must make the faith known, spread Christ’s teaching, and bring all people under the mantle of the Church.
However, there are specific tasks for each segment of the faithful within the common apostolic mission.

The PRIESTLY task of the Church is her task of sanctifying people. Pope Leo XIV explains it:
“The Lord Jesus, through the new and eternal Covenant, has established a kingdom of priests, constituting his disciples as a ‘royal priesthood’. "

“This common priesthood of the faithful (also called baptismal priesthood) is given with Baptism and strengthened in the sacrament of Confirmation. This common mission unites the ordained ministries and the lay faithful." 

The laity are called, as living members, to contribute with all their strength to the building up of the Church and to her continual sanctification. All the lay people, then, have the exalted duty of working for the spread of the divine plan of salvation to all men, of every epoch, and all over the earth. All their works, prayers and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of body and mind, if they are accomplished in the Spirit—indeed even the hardships of life if patiently borne—all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

But mostly, in the celebration of the Eucharist, they offer everything to the Father along with the body of the Lord. In so doing, the laity consecrates the world itself to God.

The holy People of God also participate in the PROPHETIC mission of Christ (also called the office of teaching). 
This prophetic nature is shown in the supernatural appreciation of the faith (sensus fidei) of the whole people of God, whereby his children unfailingly adhere to the faith. 

This sensus fidei “is like a faculty of the whole Church, by which she, in her faith, recognizes the revelation handed down, distinguishing between true and false in matters of faith, and at the same time penetrates it more deeply and applies it more fully in life.” 

To guide the faithful in this growth and to teach the truth, Christ endowed his Church with a living Magisterium. The Church’s Magisterium, even though carried out through human instruments, is not a human magisterium: “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” 

The totality of the faithful possesses a supernatural sense of faith. They are infallible when they unanimously believe that a truth has been revealed by God. Thus, the sense of faith belongs to individual believers not in their own right, but as members of the People of God as a whole.

The laity—part of the Church—also teaches, announcing Christ with their words, the testimony of their lives, and their speech. Thus, they teach their children, relatives, and friends “so that the power of the Gospel may shine out in daily family and social life.”