Sep 24 Wed - Is there a vocation to marriage?

 

Sep 24 Wed
Is there a vocation to marriage?
Our Lord has wanted the universal call to holiness to resound with renewed strength in the ears of all Christians. By the Church, thus, through Opus Dei, He makes it clear that all states and upright situations in life are suitable for seeking and finding God. And for those who are called to marriage, their path as well is truly a DIVINE VOCATION.

St. Josemaría wrote: Since most of my children are married, their conjugal love and duties form part of their divine vocation. Opus Dei has been responsible for marriage being considered a divine path, a vocation… How frequently I have seen a couple's eyes light up when, thinking that their noble and clean love was incompatible with dedication to God, they heard me say that "marriage is a divine path on earth!"

We are not afraid of human love, of our parents' holy love, which God utilized to give us life. I bless this love with both hands. I don't allow any of my children to fail to have a great love for the holy sacrament of matrimony. Therefore, we aren't afraid to sing songs about clean, human love, which are ballads of divine love as well.

I ask you to love one another. Always have the eager love you had when you were first engaged. It would be a poor concept of marriage, which is an ideal and a vocation, to think that the joy is over when the difficulties and hard times that life brings begin.

Then is when love is strengthened, when it becomes stronger than death. Suffering and setbacks can never extinguish true love. For sacrifice shared with generosity unites you even more.

Ordinarily, your marriage will be very fruitful. And if God doesn't grant you children, you will dedicate your energies more intensely to the apostolic work, which will bring you a splendid spiritual fruitfulness. Our Lord usually crowns Christian families with children. Always receive them with joy and thanksgiving, because they are God's gift and blessing and a proof of his confidence in you.

The Archbishop of Santiago of Chile shared seven pieces of advice for young couples:

1. Understand life as a gift called to become a gift for others.

2. Your neighbor's garden is not greener than yours. Always be grateful for your own garden with all the good and not-so-good fruits it gives.

3. Live by your principles and according to your faith; otherwise, you will end up modifying your principles according to how you live.

4. Facing difficulties, ask yourself, What would Christ do in my place?

5. Remember that it is impossible to achieve happiness apart from the truth about the commitment you have made.

6. I have met many people who regret not having more children. I have never met anyone who regretted having given too many children to society, to the family, and to the Church.

7. The important things in life happen in humble settings and not in sumptuous ones that dazzle. 

Sep 23 Tue - Dating advice for young Catholic men

 

Sep 23 Tue
Dating advice for young Catholic men

According to my unscientific survey, which I have confirmed with many young Catholic women, here is how you can put yourself ahead of 97 or 98 percent of the rest of the crowd. It comes down to this:

- Get a job.
- Stop depending on your parents for all your material needs. Be self reliant.
- Don’t spend all your time playing video games.
- Don’t surf for porn.
- Don’t swear every other word.
- Don’t be a weird fanatic.
- Have some skill, whether it's working out, fixing things, or something similar.
- Be interested in something other than the one thing you think you know something about.
- Be a gentleman.

That’s it. Nothing expensive. You don’t need James Bond suits or cars. Being a “player” will not interest these women. You don’t need to be a CEO. But you need to show that you have the discipline to get a job and finish a task. You need to be devoted to something other than yourself. And you need to be courageous, willing to take some risks. When people call and need help, you need to be the one who goes.

Some of those things may annoy you. “What’s wrong with video games?” Nothing necessarily. Please don’t tell me: “I know a guy who met his wife playing video games!” I do too. One guy. Someone met his wife in a coffee shop. Drinking more coffee won’t necessarily get you a wife either.

“What’s wrong with swearing? I know women who swear a lot!” Are you dating them?

“Why do I need a job? If you’re asking me that, don’t continue reading. So too, if you say, “Don’t want kids – ever!”

Please understand. You live in a culture that has largely left young men and women systematically unprepared for courtship and marriage. That’s tragic. I wish things were different. But you must play the hand you’ve been dealt.

How about prayer? Do plenty of that.

But remember, wives don’t show up on your doorstep because you put in an order with Amazon. Courting a good woman is a gift and a task. The task is to earn her trust by becoming a person worthy of that trust. That’s also the gift.

I expect some people will be annoyed by this advice. I can hear some guys complain: Don’t women need to hear some of these things and get some advice? Perhaps. But that’s not my job. I’m a guy. That is a job for a wise, older woman who can advise younger girls.

Besides, my one other piece of advice to young men would be this: Don’t try to give advice to young women, and don’t complain about them. This is like when the park ranger tells you not to poke a grizzly bear. It can serve no good purpose. And whatever might make you think it’s a good idea, it’s not. 
Excerpts from Randall Smith

Sep 22 Mon - What is the odor of sanctity?

 

Sep 22 Mon
What is the odor of sanctity?
A Jesuit, who had arrived in what is today the United States and Canada, was in awe of all the new species of animals not present in Europe. One such animal was the skunk.

In 1634, he wrote that there was a “low animal, about the size of a little dog or cat. I mention it here, not on account of its excellence, but to make of it a symbol of sin.” He then concluded by noting its foul smell, which he equated with the smell of sin.

Once, St. Catherine related to her confessor that “the stench of sin” was so overpowering among some of those who came to see her that she could not endure it.

Padre Pio, when hearing Confessions, could smell mortal sin. It is reported that such sins smelled “putrid,” “foul,” like the smell of a “rotting corpse.” Conversely, when penitents made an honest and contrite Confession, Padre Pio would smell flowers. This was a manifestation of the “odor of sanctity,” a sweet fragrance of roses, violets, or jasmine.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the “Little Flower,” is reported to have smelled like roses, especially upon her death. Likewise, the body of Saint Teresa of Ávila emitted a sweet perfume that filled her monastery when she died.

These grace-filled phenomena find their basis in the risen Lord Jesus. When Jesus came to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead, Martha pointed out that, since he had been dead for four days, there would be an odor. If this event had taken place in North America, she might have said that Lazarus would have smelled like a skunk. What Martha forgot is Jesus’ declaration: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and he who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

The raising of Lazarus from the dead was a prophetic anticipation of Jesus’ own death and resurrection. In dying on the Cross, Jesus put death to death, and in rising gloriously from the dead, He brought forth eternal life. The stench, the odor, of sin and death is now cast away by the odor, the fragrance, of everlasting life.

St. Paul declared to the Corinthians:
But thanks be to God, … For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death, to the other a fragrance of life to life. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

Christians should make Christ present among men. They ought to act in such a way that those who know them sense "the fragrance of Christ." Men should be able to recognize the Master in his disciples.

through their preaching and life, spread the fragrance of the living Jesus to all who are being saved. They radiate the aroma of Christ throughout the world and for all time.

Among those on their way to a sinful death, however, this fragrance testifies to their eternal condemnation.

Here, one finds the importance of Purgatory. Those who are in Purgatory are being purged of sin’s skunk-like smell, and they are taking upon themselves the aroma of the living Jesus in whom they will dwell as the Spirit-transformed children of the Father.
Excerpted from Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM

Sep 21 Sun - Who is a just man?

 

Sep 21 Sun
Who is a just man?
One distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward his neighbor

Because of original sin, we want to seek our own advantage to gain pleasure, or wealth. But “right thinking” means to see things the way God does, which begins with recognizing what we owe to others.

With the help of grace, we can grow in the virtue of justice by reforming our thinking and conduct.

We have read about the dishonest servant. Every human being faces the same problem. We want security so as to be free from worry. Can we ever have enough so that we never need fear going without, and can we ever be so secure that no danger can touch us?

There are only two sources of security for most of us. It is either God or wealth. Which one will we be devoted to, primarily?

By “dishonest wealth,” I don’t think Our Lord meant simply wealth gained dishonestly. I believe He meant that wealth may be dishonest, in the sense that we think it promises us secure happiness, but it can’t. This is why He contrasts dishonest wealth with “true wealth” and says that this “true wealth” could be ours.

The “children of this world” are those whose master is money, and they are clever in gaining and keeping wealth, like the unjust steward. The “children of light” are those whose Master is God. We should be clever in reaching and keeping God.

Our Lord tells us that we can achieve this goal of gaining and keeping God by using our wealth wisely: “Make friends with yourselves with dishonest wealth.” In other words, use justly, honestly, and in service whatever worldly goods you have.

But what is justice?
Justice is when we give persons what we owe. A society is just when everyone gives and receives what is owed.

Justice toward God is called the ‘virtue of religion.’ We owe him thanksgiving for blessings received, sorrow for our sins, adoration, and petition for all needs.

There are three kinds of human justice:

Commutative justice refers to the strict obligations that exist between individual persons.

Legal justice concerns what the citizen owes in fairness to the community.

Distributive justice regulates what the authority owes its citizens in proportion to their contributions and needs.

Here are some questions we can ask ourselves in the presence of God:

Am I giving the most important person, God, what I owe him? Do I thank him, say sorry when I do wrong or see the wrong others have done, worship him, and ask him for my needs and the needs of others? Do I obey the precepts of his Church? Do I pray for those in authority?

Am I giving my parents what I owe them? What about my spouse? My children? My employer or employees? My friends and neighbors?

Do I obey the just laws of my city, state, and nation?

Do I work toward greater justice in my community, especially when it comes to those most vulnerable?

What a good thing it would be to identify even one unjust practice of ours and to reform our behavior with God’s help.

Sep 15 Mon - Is it possible to turn one’s work into prayer?

 

Sep 15 Mon
Is it possible to turn one’s work into prayer?

The Second Vatican Council reminds us that all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord, each in his own way, to that perfect holiness whereby the Father himself is perfect. Furthermore, we are taught that: The laity, by their very vocation, seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God.

We live in the world and have professional jobs; it is there that God has called us, and where He wishes us to remain, to seek sanctity and find Him by doing our work with love and a supernatural outlook.
It involves integrating prayer and work: our jobs become the very place for growing in holiness.

God calls all to a loving life of contemplation and dialogue with Him. During our earthly life, however, this contemplation can be ours only imperfectly, "in a mirror, dimly". But it gives us a certain foretaste of happiness here to be continued in the life to come.

The beginning of eternal happiness, which is dialogue with God, should be reflected in our entire lives. “The spirit of the Work, St. Josemaría said, requires us to be contemplatives at work and at rest, on the street, and in family life."

“In every occupation, whatever the task, we can raise our hearts to God. We keep up a loving conversation with our heavenly Father and with the Blessed Virgin, our Mother."
Thus, when we approach our work as a way to love God and fulfill His will, our labor itself becomes an exercise in prayer and love.

“You'll let yourself become absorbed in activity only to divinize it, St. Josemaría said, since with this attitude, the earthly becomes divine, the temporal eternal. Although the earth, which has come forth from God's hands, is beautiful and we love it, our gaze is fixed on heaven. We are not worldly, but we have to love the world; we want to remain in it.

Nor do we separate prayer from action. This way, interior life infuses fresh enthusiasm into our task, perfecting it, ennobling it, making it more worthy and more lovable. It doesn't distance us from our temporal occupations, but rather leads us to be more attentive to them.

Still, we have to put off our former selves and convert our entire being to God. Otherwise, we will hinder the action of God's light and love in our souls.

We come to forget about ourselves and serve others by working seriously to fulfill God's will. Work, therefore, becomes a wonderful means for interior purification and for overcoming our pride and sensuality. Work is also a rich source of mortification, of growth, and perseverance in all the virtues.
 
We want to come to the end of our lives squeezed out like a lemon, unable to give any more, because we have spent ourselves entirely in a complete holocaust, filled with redemptive force. 

Sep 14 Sun - What is the essence of being a Christian?

 

Sep 14 Sun
What is the essence of being a Christian?
To be a Christian means being united to Christ, Christ on the Cross.
To co-redeem with Christ, we have to be united to our Lord on the Cross, and not avoid sacrifices in daily life.

St. Josemaría wrote: “Being a Christian is not simply a way to personal gratification; it implies a mission... Being a Christian is not something secondary; it is a divine reality that takes root deep in our lives. It gives us a clear vision and strengthens our will to act as God wants.

“So, we learn that the Christian's pilgrimage in the world must express itself in continuous service in all kinds of ways, varying with each person's circumstances, but always motivated by love for God and our neighbor.

“Being a Christian means forgetting petty objectives of personal prestige and ambition and even possibly dignified aims, like philanthropy and compassion for the misfortunes of others. It means setting our mind and heart on reaching the fullness of love which Jesus Christ showed by dying for us."

“Let me give you an example of the kind of attitude that develops if one is unable to penetrate this mystery of Jesus. Some people tend to see Christianity as a collection of devout practices, failing to realize the relation between them and the circumstances of ordinary life, including the urgency to meet the needs of other people and remedy injustice.

I would say that anyone who has that attitude has not yet understood the meaning of the Incarnation. The Son of God has taken the body and soul and voice of man; He has shared our fate, even to the extent of experiencing the excruciating anguish of death. Yet perhaps without wanting to, some people regard Christ as a stranger in the world of man."

“Others tend to imagine that to remain human, we need to play down some central aspects of Christian dogma. They act as if the life of prayer, the continual relationship with God, implied fleeing from responsibilities and leaving the world. But they forget that it was none other than Jesus who showed us the extreme to which we should go in love and service. Only if we try to understand the mystery of God's love - a love which went as far as death - will we be able to give ourselves totally to others and not let ourselves be overcome by difficulties or indifference."

The path to becoming a true Christian is that of the Cross. We are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. There is no other way.

Christ, the principal heir, attained the inheritance of glory by his Passion. "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?" We cannot hope to attain the same inheritance more easily. We, too, must reach it through suffering; we must not seek ourselves.

Sep 13 Sat - What should we give, bread or the Word?

 

Sep 13 Sat
What should we give, bread or the Word?
Addressing an assembly of priests, Mother Teresa asked them: “Give us Christ; only Christ; always Christ!” 

In the same line, during a recent “Address to the Participants in the Social Week of Peru,” Pope Leo made some observations well worth noting: “Let us understand that all social action of the Church must have as its center and goal the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, so that, without neglecting the immediate, we always remain aware of the proper and ultimate direction of our service. For if we do not give Christ in His entirety, we will always be giving extremely little.”

That’s already a very useful clarification. But he added: “It is not two loves, but rather one and the same love, that moves us to give both material bread and the bread of the Word that, in turn, by itself, will give rise to hunger for the Bread of Heaven, which only the Church can give, by the mandate and will of Christ, and which no human institution, however well-intentioned it may be, can replace.

This Christocentric vision of our faith is not only the Church’s spiritual life but is indispensable for her charitable work.

The Church’s charitable work is always “extremely little” compared to the real mission of our faith: salvation.

Millions have benefited from the Church's generosity, and this work is invaluable. However, if we truly believe the Nicene Creed, it’s extremely little compared to eternity. The Holy Father’s words should be a call to reexamine how the Church understands her mission in society as a leaven for the common good.

The common good is not just material well-being: food, shelter, jobs, physical and mental health, and so forth. All of this is good and should be part of the mission of the Church as an agent of charity. And yet our eternal destiny is still more relevant. 

To intentionally ignore the salvific purpose of the Church’s work is a failure to advance the Church’s essential mission.

The purpose of the Church is the glorification of God, the continuation of Christ's saving work, thus, the sanctification of humanity, and the establishment of communion with God, first our own, and then to aid others on their own path. 

The Church is not simply an NGO. She is the mystical body of Christ. She gives bread to sustain the body, but, more importantly, she is the source of the Bread of Eternal Life, the Bread of Heaven.

Advocating for religious liberty, for charitable services, social justice, and even the pro-life work of the Church is all extremely little if not tied to the salvific mission of the Church.

I think that the Church’s charitable work and public advocacy must be more explicitly connected to the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ.

For if we do not give Christ in His entirety, we will always be giving extremely little. 

Sep 12 Fri - Should I live a simple, ordinary life?

 

Sep 12 Fri
Should I live a simple, ordinary life?
As that of any Christian, “the spirit of Opus Dei is simple and genuine, based on Sacred Scripture, which is inspired by God, who is infinitely simple and Truth itself." Thus, we must live with sincerity and simplicity, and reject pretense. 

Our dedication should have the naturalness and simplicity of souls who are unconditionally committed to fulfilling God's will. We live amid the world's activities, practicing a profession not as a tactic, but because it is our chosen place in life. Ours is a call to seek the fullness of Christian life where we are, in our work, most likely the same job we had before we decided to follow Jesus closely.

We do not need to go into the world, since we have never left it; there, God called us, and there, we remain. “A man of faith who practices a profession, whether intellectual, technical, or manual, feels himself and is in fact at the same level with others; he is the same as others, with the same rights and obligations, the same desire to improve, the same interest in facing and solving common problems."

“The Catholic living in this way will, through his daily life, give a proof of his faith, hope, and charity: a simple and normal testimony without need of pomp and circumstance.” He will make the Church present in the world, since all Catholics are themselves the Church, members of the People of God.

Look at the naturalness of the early Christians. Our life should be as simple as theirs. Its oddness should be that it is not odd. We strive to live by our faith, without affectation of any kind. Our way of life is open to all.

Above all, our interior life should be simple. Without any pretense, we raise our hearts to God like little children.

In all our dealings with God, we must avoid formality. Piety indeed has its own good manners, especially in the liturgy, but respect and reverence are no reason for coldness or affectation. We put our whole heart into the Norms of piety. St. Josemaría wrote, "I don't like to use the word ‘observance’ when speaking about fulfilling our duties of piety. You already know my criteria for private devotions. If they are long, they should be avoided. And if they are short, they should be few and constant.”

And he urged us to be simple in the way we treat our Lord: Go to the oratory, and say to Jesus: "I abandon myself in your arms.” Leave everything you have - your wretchedness - at his feet. Thus, despite the jumble of things you carry along behind you, you will never lose your peace.

In our ascetical struggle, we need to see ourselves as we really are. We need to accept our own limitations and realize that God sees them all and takes them into account. We should not be dismayed at our weakness, since it leads us to lean humbly in God's hands.

Sep 11 Thu - Why are there several readings in the Mass?

 

Sep 11 Thu
Why are there several readings in the Mass?
The Readings from Scripture are arranged in the following order:
• First Reading
• Responsorial Psalm
• Second Reading (only on Sundays and greater celebrations)
• Gospel Acclamation (Alleluia or another chant)
• Gospel

And after these come the:
• Homily
• Profession of Faith (Creed)
• General Intercessions (Prayer of the Faithful)

These elements develop the liturgy of the word, and with them, the first part of the Mass concludes.

In the readings from the Scripture, God speaks to his people. These readings are explained with the homily. Through the chants, the people make God’s word their own. Through the Profession of Faith, they affirm their adherence to it. Finally, having been nourished by this word, they make their petitions in the general intercessions for the needs of the Church and for the salvation of the whole world.

By following a plan of readings through the year, the treasures of the Bible become fully accessible to the faithful.

If we want to know why there are readings in the Mass, we would have to delve into the most ancient of Christian customs. In fact, we would have to go even beyond them to practices dear to the heart of devout Israel. The service of the Jewish synagogue had such readings from the Law and the Prophets. Have we not seen Jesus reading Isaiah to his fellow Jews? And did not St Paul, while on his missionary journeys, take part in similar readings?

The early Church faithfully preserved this custom. In bygone days, these readings had been chosen by the bishop, who also determined their number and length. When he thought that a lesson had lasted long enough, he stopped the reader by saying, “Deo gratias” (Thanks be to God). Other lessons followed until the bishop saw fit to end them.

At a fairly early date, however, the standard number of lessons was fixed at three: the first from the Old Testament, called “the prophecy;” the second from that part of the New Testament which contains the writings of the apostles (this was called “the apostle” or “the epistle”); and lastly, a reading from the Gospel.

As in other times when people sat around Jesus, we also sit down now to listen to him speaking through the prophets and the apostles. We choose this bodily position because it seems the most fitting for reflection. As good disciples of the Master, we want to listen with peace and serenity, imitating our Blessed Mother, pondering them in our hearts.

If we do our best, the Holy Spirit will give us enough capacity to grasp whatever we may need for our sanctification and mission in life. And even if what we have read does not stay in our memory, the word of God has purified and nourished our souls.

At the end of the reading, the reader reminds us that what we have just heard is God’s word. The people then answer, “Thanks be to God.”

Sep 10 Wed - If necessary, should I be strong enough to make unpopular decisions?

 

Sep 10 Wed
If necessary, should I be strong enough to make unpopular decisions?
Last week, Pope Leo answered the question with the image of the “narrow gate,” which Jesus uses in his answer to someone who asks him if only a few will be saved.

At first glance, this image can make us think: if God is the Father of love and mercy, who always stands with open arms to welcome us, why does Jesus say that the gate of salvation is narrow?

Certainly, the Lord does not want to discourage us. Rather, his words are meant primarily to challenge the presumption of those people who think they are already saved, who perform religious acts, and feel that is all that is needed.  They are not aware that unless they change their hearts, it is not enough to perform religious acts. The Lord does not want worship detached from life. He is not pleased with sacrifices and prayers, unless they lead to greater love for others and justice for our brothers and sisters. For this reason, when such people come before the Lord boasting that they ate and drank with him and heard him teaching in their streets, they will hear him reply: “I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!”

Jesus tells us that it is not enough to profess the faith with words, to eat and drink with him by celebrating the Eucharist, or to have a good knowledge of Christian doctrine. Our faith is authentic when it embraces our whole life, when it becomes the guideline for our decisions, when it makes us people committed to doing what is right and who take risks out of love, even as Jesus did.

Jesus did not choose the easy path of success or power; instead, to save us, He loved us to the point of walking through the “narrow gate” of the Cross. Jesus is the true measure of our faith; He is the gate through which we must pass to be saved by experiencing his love and by working, in our daily lives, to promote justice and peace.

There are times when this involves making difficult and unpopular decisions, resisting our selfish inclinations, placing ourselves at the service of others, and persevering in doing what is right when the logic of evil seems to prevail.

Once we cross that threshold, however, we will discover that life flourishes anew. From that moment on, we will enter into the immense heart of God and the joy of the eternal banquet that he has prepared for us.

Let us ask the Virgin Mary to help us find the courage to pass through the “narrow gate” of the Gospel, so that we may open ourselves with joy to the wide embrace of God our loving Father.

Sep 9 Tue - Should I accept suffering?

 

Sep 9 Tue
Should I accept suffering?
While some people think of Stoicism as a “cult of suffering,” that’s far from true, if you think of “cult” as worship or love of suffering for its own sake. The Stoics were concerned with peace of mind, which called for accepting suffering as part of our “fate” and part of the way we build necessary virtues. They accepted suffering, yet didn’t love to suffer, and that acceptance, they claimed, contributes to one’s peace of mind.

The gods of the Stoics were made of matter, like us. They believed that the suffering we endure is sent or permitted by the gods for our own sake; our mistake comes in thinking it’s an evil, and this destroys our peace.

What Stoicism lacked was an eternal and spiritual meaning to our suffering in this life. With no afterlife, suffering might help us be more virtuous in this life, but it could not lead to spiritual salvation and resurrection of the body.

St. Augustine particularly criticized the Stoics for their approval and even admiration of suicide. Catholic Christianity offered a better way to a true and final peace of mind.

In our day, Stoic resignation appeals to many who, lacking faith, have no hope of the great gifts of Christian surrender. Reading St. Augustine, especially his Confessions and seeing his guilt for his sins later transformed into faith, hope, and love, might help them open themselves to those gifts.

In the City of God, for Augustine, that city consists of the saints in Heaven and those whose earthly pilgrimage is still underway. These are the souls who have turned to God, worshipping and adoring Him.

By contrast, the Earthly City, sometimes called the city of man, is made of those who love themselves and orient their lives and choices accordingly, unconcerned with the divine.

The two cities on earth are intermixed. Earthly political communities – cities – host a mingling of the City of God and the Earthly City.

Thus, in this life, there is no barrier between the two cities, though there is a disconnection between eternity and time. And no political force, not even a Roman emperor, could breach the gap. Only God incarnate could, as He crossed the chasm to us.

Both cities have peace as their aim. The City of God has it in Heaven, and is moving towards it on earth: the final peace. The city of man also wants peace, if only to enjoy the temporal goods it prefers while despising the divine.

We are fortunate, says Augustine, if we live in a time and place where we can enjoy earthly peace.

But all of our attempts at progress will never make the earthly city into the City of God on earth. That making of all things new will only be complete at the end of time, through God’s choice, not our will. And while our efforts to improve our condition and reduce suffering for those around us are essential, our demand for earthly perfection is futile and even dangerous: it is not the end.

Sep 8 Mon - Today we celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin

 Sep 8 Mon
“Today we celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin. It is a good day to live our Marian piety naturally, without doing anything strange. When the birthday of someone in your family comes up, you wish them a happy birthday, right? You try to show them greater affection, don't you? Well, let's begin by doing so. Wish the Mother of God, who is also our Mother, a happy birthday. And our Lady, who is in heaven body and soul, will joyfully welcome our signs of affection."

The Virgin Mary is the most perfect creature who ever came from the hands of God. She is so good, so simple, so delicate, so extraordinarily humble and pure that one cannot help loving her.

Her contemporaries hardly noticed her stay in the world. It is the same with our own lives; there is nothing extraordinary, nothing that attracts attention. But in the eyes of God, the Virgin Mary was unique, and her part in creation was indispensable.

God the Father gave her to us, she gave us the Son, and she gave herself to the Holy Spirit. She gladdens the hearts of her children because she is so loving and has such a maternal heart.

Like the Virgin, however, we also mean something to God, and we have our little part to play in the universe, and each of us in a certain sense is indispensable; each of us is unique.

And perhaps the thought of our Mother in Heaven and her life on earth may help us to emulate her and try to be what she was, the most cooperative of God's creatures that has ever existed.

We must always keep in mind that our life, if it has any purpose at all, derives this purpose from God and from the small part we have to play in creation, the purpose for which we have been created and appropriately gifted.

We know little, it is true, about the life of our Lady, but really, it is not necessary to know much more. Full of grace from the first instant of her conception, the life of the Virgin Mary is both unique and exemplary. There is indeed no other model than Jesus Christ, but it is also true that there has never been any other creature who imitated Him so faithfully and who so exactly reproduced the image of her Son. And if God did not want to give us the Word directly, but by means of the Virgin, surely the best way to imitate Christ is to imitate our Lady.

“We would like to offer our Mother a token of affection, though only the gift of a poor, colorless flower, without fragrance. But she accepts it, she receives it affectionately because she is our Mother, and what a Mother!"

“Mother, today we will feel the gentleness of your hands, the warmth of your Most Sweet Heart, and your protection. And despite the realization that we haven't been good sons, we dare to say: Show us that you are our Mother! Make us be good sons. You who are the Mother of Fair Love, Seat of Wisdom, Handmaid of the Lord: Help your children.”