Oct 21 Sat - In the rosary we practice vocal prayer

 

Oct 21 Sat
In the rosary we practice vocal prayer. In it, the first is the prayer our divine Redeemer himself pronounced when his disciples asked him, "Lord, teach us to pray." It shows us the way to render God glory, and addresses all the needs of our body and soul. How could the eternal Father refuse to come to our aid when we employ the very words of his Son? We can ask for whatever we want: for an apostolic work, for a friend, for a personal need.

The second prayer begins with the salutes of the archangel Gabriel and of St Elizabeth, and ends with that pious supplication in which we beg our Lady's help now and at the hour of our death.
St Josemaría urges us to "think about what you are saying, who is saying it, and to Whom. Because talking fast, without pausing for reflection, is only noise—the clatter of tin cans."

Though it is true that we always say the same things in the rosary, "don't people in love always say the same things to each other...? Might it not be that you find the rosary monotonous because, instead of pronouncing words like a man, you mumble noises, while your mind is very far from God? Moreover, listen: before each decade we are told the mystery to be 'contemplated.' Have you ever contemplated these mysteries?"

Later, our contemplation of the other mysteries of the rosary should also be something very personal. "An aspiration, or a brief consideration of each mystery is enough. This will give rise to some internal words in our heart: some words from Scripture, an aspiration we know, or anything else that comes to our mind and heart in that moment. It doesn't matter if it's always the same. What's important is that we pray briefly each day about the mysteries of the rosary."

The rosary is a brief but light-filled contemplation of the life of our Lord and our Lady, a contemplation that is always very personal. "We shall hear their family conversation. We shall see the Messiah grow up. We shall admire his thirty years of hidden life. We shall be present at his Passion and Death. We shall be amazed at the glory of his Resurrection. In a word: carried away by Love (the only real love is Love), we shall contemplate each and every moment of the life of Christ."

 

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Oct 20 Fri - Running away from God

 

 

Oct 20 Fri
Running away from God
Open your eyes for a moment and you will see your God in tears. Open your eyes and you will see the utter confusion of this age in which we live. In all the history of humanity has there ever been worse chaos? Men and women, young and old, rich and poor, have all run away from their God.

Perhaps, we may think that only the uncultured and the illiterate are ignorant of the ways and precepts of God. Then we turn to men of influence, men of power: we speak to them of God. Surely, they, at least, will know His commandments.
But they are also running madly from their God. And then in their wild, irrational flight they suddenly stumble against the Cross standing dark and lonely in their path. But they keep on, escaping from this Cross.

Where are they going? They have left God far behind, and now they go about searching for something worth believing in, something to quench their thirst, but they do not know where to look for water.

The earth for them is a hateful place, and heaven is so far off. Where are they going? They seek new gods and new creeds. They try to replace the divinity of God, who is our Father, by adoring His creatures.
The ancient cry of the Holy Spirit is still new: "Two wrongs this people of mine committed; they forsook me, the Fountain of living water, and thereupon they dug cisterns of their own, leaking cisterns, that had no water to give them." Jeremiah 2, 13.

And nowadays these leaking cistern-makers are shaping the destinies of the nations of the earth. They know only hate, nothing of love. The education and formation of the men of tomorrow is in their dirty hands, and they vainly promise order and prosperity.

They speak of a great brotherhood to unite the rich with the poor, masters with their servants, children with their parents, soldiers with statesmen. They speak of this great union which ignores Christ, and laughs at His Church. These vain cistern-makers, in their mad escape from God, tell us of new magic "sacraments" which can give life to rotting skeletons!

And you? Have you too forgotten God? Do you realize that right now you are living and working side by side with saints who are trying to build their lives on a new foundation?
Whatever you may think of yourself as an individual, you must realize that you carry within you the possibility, the seed, of a marvelous human life on which the supernatural life — which is grace — can be firmly based, and which will make of you, not just one more man, but a real son of God with all the strength and courage of our prophets.

 

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Oct 19 Thu - The Presence of Christ in the Mass

 

Oct 19 Thu
The Presence of Christ in the Mass
The Mass contains a great treasure, especially because Christ himself is present in it. His presence is expressed in various ways; four times in the liturgy it is said: "The Lord be with you".

The original “Dominus vobiscum” could have been translated into English, as:
"[May] the Lord be with you", in the subjunctive mode; it points to a desire: hopefully Christ will be more deeply rooted in you.
Or, in the indicative mode, "The Lord is with you", that describes reality.
The Latin language includes both aspects.

(1) At the beginning of Mass: Christ’s presence IN THE ASSEMBLY.

"Where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst." It is a real presence, not merely intentional.

Every baptized person is called to be, together with other Christians –and especially on Sunday– a symbol of a communion that is above our divisions, to such an extent that St. Cyprian says that "the Church is unified in the image of the Trinity".
Every Eucharistic assembly is a local congregation of the universal Church, a sign that manifests her. The Lord is with her. He convokes it. The holy assembly is a foretaste of the heavenly Jerusalem, a figure and proclamation of a hope that will find its fulfillment beyond space and time.

(2) Before the Gospel: Christ’s presence in the proclaimed WORD

Real presence as well. In the liturgical celebration of the word of God, the presence of Christ with the Holy Spirit is affirmed. God the Father, as Irenaeus of Lyons writes, works through his two arms: the Son, and the Spirit.
He who spoke through the prophets is the same one who now speaks through the reader.

(3) In the Preface: Christ’s presence in the CELEBRANT

The Eucharistic prayer is about to begin, the moment when heaven is closest to earth. It is the prayer of Christ and of the Church, in whose bosom the whole work of our redemption is accomplished.
Now, the greeting acts as a wake-up call to help us discover that it is Christ –whom we hear in the voice of the priest– who acts.
With the greeting, the priest is overcome by the mystery that transcends him absolutely. For the community, it is an opportunity to verify whether our hearts are truly raised to participate in the eternal Liturgy of the Jerusalem of heaven.

(4) In the final blessing: Christ is present SENDING US

This last greeting confirms us that we have become what we have taken: christified. The Lord is with us, and now we are ready for our mission: "Glorify God with your lives; you can go in peace".

At the beginning of the Mass, we were "con-vocated" by the Lord; now, we are "sent" to be “the Church” in the middle of the world.

If a simple greeting opens for us unsuspected horizons, what other riches of meaning can we not find in other equally important elements of the Ordinary of the Mass? 

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Oct 18 Wed - Saling with Jesus

 

Oct 18 Wed
The Gospel narrates that Jesus walked at night on the waters of the Lake of Galilee toward his disciples who were crossing the Lake in a boat (cf. Matthew 14:22-33). Why did Jesus do this? Why did he want to walk on the water?

At that time, the seas were thought to be the place of monsters, and evil powers that man was not able to master. Particularly when storms made them turbulent, the oceans were symbols of chaos and recalled the darkness of the underworld.

Now, the disciples found themselves in the middle of the Lake when it was dark. They are afraid of sinking, of being sucked in temptation. And Jesus came, walking on the water, that is, over the powers of evil. He walked on top of the powers of evil and said to His disciples: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid” (v. 27). I put your enemies under my feet” –sinful lifestyles, the devil, the flesh — these are the enemies, our enemies. And Jesus tramples on these enemies for us.

And so, what should we do when we see only darkness, and we feel we are going under? We need to do two things, like the disciples:
•    Invoke, call on Jesus, “Lord, save me!” (v. 30). and
•    Welcome Jesus. As soon as He got into the boat, “the wind ceased” (v. 32). In our moments of darkness, He comes to meet us, asking to welcome him.

How do I react when I am afraid, in difficulties? Do I go ahead alone, with my own strength, or do I call on the Lord with trust? And what is my faith like? Do I believe that Christ is stronger than the waves and winds? But above all: Am I sailing WITH HIM? Do I welcome Him? Do I make room for Him in the boat of my life — never alone, always with Jesus? Do I hand the helm over to Jesus?

In the dark crossings, may Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Star of the Sea, be for us the lighthouse beacon that will lead us to the safe harbor of Jesus.

 

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Oct 17 Tue - Reflections on Psalm 2 (2)

 Oct 17 Tue
Reflections on Psalm 2 (2)
Heaven is committed to carrying out his plan of salvation. This certainty should encourage us to be more faithful, more dedicated, and more generous, every day.
"I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession."
These are his plans. He could, of course, do it without us; but he wants to do it with us; we should be good instruments in his hands. Accordingly, he purifies us, so that we come to realize that everything comes from him and nothing from ourselves. "All the many setbacks we have suffered have never made us lose our joy or our peace for a single moment, because we found how God brings forth sweetness, wonderful honey, from the dry rocks of hardship: He filled them with honey from the rock."

"We must have certain guiding principles to come back to, regularly; to strike fire from them anew. One of them is this: we are not alone, because God exists, and he called me into existence, he holds me in being, and gives me my strength. What's more, he has chosen me out with special love, and if I trust him, he will give me constancy and firmness for my journey, because when he begins something, he completes it; all his works are perfect."

 And so, in any difficulties that may come up, tell the fearful person, if need be, those words of Isaiah: "Say to the fainthearted, take courage and fear not, because our God will always carry us forward."

The work of Redemption "will continue for as long as there are people on earth. Therefore, you and I have to put our whole lives into making sure that the Work never comes to any harm out of lack of vitality or lack of fortitude."

"You have to be balm and strength for other people, you must be ever-conscious of our Lord's words: Without me, apart from me you can do nothing." While our Lord could perfectly well do everything himself, he prefers to make use of us, and even of our shortcomings. "Look at the holy Gospel: our Lord's Apostles were useless, selfish and ignorant. You or I would never have chosen them for the job."

The same is true now, "God chose what is foolish in the world, to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world, to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are."

We look trustingly towards our Lord, confident that we are doing his Work. "Christ is under an obligation to you because of this promise, says St Augustine, and he is true and absolutely faithful."
Image: Paolo Veronese, The Wedding at Cana (1563), fragment.

 

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Oct 16 Mon - Personal responsibility when we face the gift of grace

 

Oct 16 Mon
The Christian virtues are the fibers that make up the wedding garment.
The king went in to see the guests, and noticed a man who was not wearing the wedding garment; and he said to him, "Friend, how did you get in here without wearing a wedding garment?" But he could not answer.

He had to fulfill only one condition: he must wear the simple clean white robe, which was distributed free at the entrance, and which each one placed over the garment he wore. In this way the inner joy and festivity was expressed.

What is the garment that God requires to take part in the wedding feast of his Son?
It is this: the love that proceeds from a pure heart, an upright conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Tim 1:5). This is the wedding garment.”

Thus, we should help people to develop solid virtues, to preserve the enthusiasm of their first encounter with Jesus, and move them to constantly improve. In a word, they must be taught to cultivate a solid Christian life.

"Interior life is like the wedding garment spoken of in the Gospel. The fabric is made up of each of the norms or practices of piety which, like fibers, give strength to the cloth. A garment with a tear is despised, even if the rest is in good condition. If you pray, if you work..., but you are not sacrificed –or the other way around– your interior life is not, so to speak, complete."

"No one is excluded from salvation, if he freely yields to the loving demands of Christ." Outside of Him, there is only desolation and shadows of death.

Being gratuitous, the divine invitation is an urgent and imperative call. The Lord addresses it to all men, imposing only one condition on them: that they clothe themselves with the merits of his Son as with a wedding garment.

Jesus concludes by recalling our personal responsibility when we face the gift of grace. "You know perfectly well the development of the parable. Many are invited but few are chosen (Mt 22:14). All are called, but there are many who do not want to enter the banquet hall, or come without putting on the wedding garment that the Master himself provides."

No one ever lacks the help of Heaven, but everyone must welcome God’s call with a personal response. Let us follow the advice of St. Josemaría: "Have constant recourse to the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God and Mother of humanity: and She will attract, with the gentleness of a Mother, the love of God to the souls you deal with, so that they may decide –within their ordinary work, in their profession– to be witnesses of Jesus Christ."

 

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Oct 15 Sun - Accepting God's call

 

Oct 15 Sun
In the parable, three invitations were sent forth. The first two were given to special invited guests. These “invited guests” refer especially to the people of Israel who were raised in the faith handed down from Moses and the prophets. We should also see in them those who have been raised within the Christian faith today. Those invited refused to come. After the second invitation, some who were invited reacted with indifference, while others reacted with hostility. These responses are common today.

The tone of the parable is compelling. Accepting the King's invitation is not just a private matter for the guests, who might decline the summons according to their personal preferences. It is, certainly, a personal decision, but it affects other people as well. Accepting God’s call is a duty that takes precedence over any other occupation, no matter how important it may seem.

We, as St Josemaría wrote, "must cry out, with all the strength and urgency that may be necessary, lest the scene of the parable be repeated: And they refused the invitation: someone, because he went to his own selfish pursuits, to his own comfort (Mt 22:5): some other, because he became absorbed in his professional task, without knowing how to make of it a divine path on earth – no one taught him; without knowing that work is a very principal part of our divine vocation as a Christian; without realizing that it is precisely in our profession or in our job that the Lord wants us to sanctify ourselves."

"We must teach all men that to be a Christian is something amazing, because the soul of the believer is God's holy temple (cf. 1 Cor 3:17), where the Most Blessed Trinity dwells (cf. Jn 14:23). But, if one wants to attain Christian perfection, it is necessary to fight the battles of the interior life with courage, because the kingdom of God is attained only by effort."

To refuse the King's invitation is a great mistake that will bring many misfortunes to the ungrateful guests and, by imitation, to so many other people.

Thus, this is a call to personal responsibility. "Keep in mind, my son, that you are not just a soul who joins with other souls to do a good thing."
"That is much..., but still, it is little. –You are an Apostle who fulfills an imperative command of Christ."  On our fulfillment of God's Will depends our earthly and eternal happiness, and the happiness of so many other people. "On you and me behaving as God wants – don't forget – many great things depend." 

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Oct 14 Sat - Embracing the Cross

Oct 14 Sat
On Sep 14, The Church commemorates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the recovery of the Holy Cross, which had been placed on Mount Calvary by St. Helena, and preserved in Jerusalem, but then had fallen into the hands of Chosroes, King of the Persians. The precious relic was recovered and returned to Jerusalem by Emperor Heraclius in 629.

Emperor Heraclius was carrying the Cross on his shoulders back to Jerusalem. He was clothed with costly garments and with ornaments of precious stones. But at the entrance to the city a strange incident occurred. Try as hard as he would, he could not go forward. Zacharias, the Bishop of Jerusalem, then said to the astonished monarch: “Consider, O Emperor, that with these triumphal ornaments you are far from resembling Jesus carrying His Cross.” The Emperor then put on a penitential garb and was able to continue the journey.

To follow Christ, we must take up His cross, step on his footprints, and become obedient until death, even if it means death on the cross. We identify with Christ on the Cross and become co-redeemers, sharing in His cross.

We must venerate more and more deeply the mystery of the Cross, to understand life; since the crucified Christ knew both the absolute joy of the beatific vision (He is God), and the full measure of human suffering.

Embracing the cross, we reach to understand that there is no opposition between faith and reason, but that one demands the other. Faith without reason withers into myth and superstition.

The Cross warns reason against a proud self-sufficiency, just as it warns faith against the decay happening once reason is abandoned.
The Cross turns charity into a blazing fire of compassion and self-sacrifice.

"The Cross on your chest? … Very good. But the Cross on your shoulders, the Cross in your flesh, the Cross in your mind. Only then will you live for Christ, with Christ and in Christ; only then will you be an apostle."  St. Josemaría

We make the Sign of the Cross before prayer, which helps to fix our minds and hearts to God. After prayer, we resume our ordinary occupations; we make the Sign of the Cross to go on, close to God.

During trials and temptations, our strength and protection is the Sign of the Cross. At Baptism, we are sealed with the Sign of the Cross, signifying that the Cross has bought us back from the Devil, and that we belong to Christ.

Let us look to the cross frequently, find Mary there, and realize that when we make the Sign of the Cross, –like her– we give our entire self to God — mind, soul, heart, body, will, and thoughts.
 

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Oct 13 Fri - Understanding for people, along with loyalty to God

 

Oct 13 Fri
The spirit which God wants for us consists of
‘holy intransigence’ for error,
together with ‘holy tolerance’ for people.

St. Josemaría: "Some men have also sown cockle, as in the Gospel parable, and propagated false teachings which poison minds and cause rebellion, sometimes even violent rebellion, against Christ and his holy Church."

"Faced with all this, how should a child of God react? Should we ask our Lord, like the sons of thunder, to send fire on earth to consume sinners? Or perhaps lament continually, like a bird of ill omen or a doomsayer?"

"You well know that this is not our spirit because it is not our Lord's: ‘the Son of Man has come to save men's lives, not to destroy them’. I like to translate this verse freely by saying we must drown evil in an abundance of good. Our first obligation is to spread doctrine, while loving all souls."

"You also know my rule of thumb to practice this spirit: holy intransigence for error and holy tolerance for people, who may be mistaken. You need, however, to teach many people to practice this doctrine, because it's not difficult to find those who confuse intransigence with bullheadedness, and tolerance with abdicating rights or compromising the truth."

"We, Christians, do not hold the legacy of Christ's truth as our personal property to dispose of it at whim; rather, it is safeguarded by the Church. It belongs to God, and his Church keeps it, and we have no right to cede, cut back or give way in what is not ours."

We cannot yield in anything that pertains to the deposit of faith entrusted by Christ to the Church, for the simple reason that "it's the truth, and the truth does not admit of compromise. But together with holy intransigence, the spirit of the Work of God asks of you a constant tolerance, which is also holy. Being faithful to the truth, accurate in doctrine, defending the faith, does not mean having a sad attitude, nor should it be accompanied by a desire to destroy those who are mistaken."

"Perhaps some do act in this way, but it can't be our way. We can never be like that poor deranged fellow who, applying Scripture his own way, ‘blessed’ his enemies by calling down upon them fire and brimstone and stormy winds."

"We don't want anyone to be destroyed. Holy intransigence isn't a rude and surly intolerance. Nor is it ‘holy’ unless it is accompanied by holy tolerance."

Let us ask Our Lady to help us sow abundant understanding for people, along with loyalty to God.

 

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Oct 12 Thu - Persevere confidently in prayer.

 

 

Oct 12 Thu
It is believed that the Apostle Saint James was assigned to preach the Gospel in the Roman province of Hispania (Spain). After some time preaching, there were no converts. In Saragossa, by the bank of the river Ebro, he was praying, downcast for the lack of results. Then, Our Lady –still alive presumably in Ephesus– heard his prayer, and appeared to him on a stone pillar, offered him consolation, and promised him that the true Faith will not disappear from that land. Quite so; later on, people of that land brought the seed of the Faith to our shores.

We have to pray even though it may seem that God is not listening to our plea. When our Lord seems to be hiding, and our petition seems to go unanswered, that is the time to cry out more resolutely and urgently, like the Canaanite woman who, faced with the Master's apparent coldness, persisted in her request with the humble reply: “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.”

Humble, confident, constant petition. “Everything has its time. Our Lord knows perfectly well what our needs are, yet he wants us to ask with the same persistence as the people in the Gospel: ‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean;’ Domine, ut videam, ‘Lord, that I may see.’ Ask the same way they did: they asked him for everything. I won't say that man's life should be spent in nothing but asking, for there are times when one sees the need to abandon oneself, and one ceases to ask, but later on, one comes back to it.”

“Nowadays, I ask a lot. I keep on asking. After having abandoned myself in God's hands for years, I now consider it better to ask.”

Our Lord always gives in to those who approach him with the desire to please him. His heart is moved when we place in his hands all our needs, desires, and worries. Before the insistent supplication of the Canaanite woman his apparent initial coldness changes to open admiration. "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.

Christ is always close by, although at times we don't see him. He is continually listening to us, and lovingly watching us, in spite of the fact that we may not "feel" anything.

We ought, therefore, to persevere confidently in our prayer. The more difficulty we experience in obtaining what we desire, the more firmly we must believe that God will grant it to us. “And when we are assaulted by the violent temptation of discouragement, opposition, struggle, tribulation, a new dark night of the soul, the Psalmist places on our lips and in our minds these words: "I am with you in the time of trial."

 

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Oct 11 Wed - Faith.To believe in Jesus is to become a child of God

 

Oct 11 Wed
Faith. To believe in Jesus is to become a child of God. The Second Vatican Council teaches us that “only the light of faith, and meditation on the Word of God, can enable us to find always and everywhere the God ‘in whom we live, and move, and have our being;’ only thus can we seek his Will in everything, see Christ in all, whether acquaintances or strangers, and make sound judgements on the true meaning and value of earthly things.”

Faith gives us the true measure of the things of this earth, of people, and events. Everything makes sense when viewed in the context of the divine plan.

Saint Josemaría says: “There are only two possible ways of living on this earth: either we live a supernatural life, or else an animal life. And a child of God … can only live the life of God, a supernatural life. What does it profit someone to have all the riches of the earth, all the extravagances of a satiated heart, all the aspirations of mind and will? What is it worth if it all comes to an end, if it all crumbles away, if everything in this world is mere stage scenery, if afterwards there is eternity for ever, for ever, for ever?”

Faith, hope and charity grow together. “Let us grow in hope, thereby strengthening our faith which is truly that which gives substance to our hopes, which convinces us of things we cannot see. Let us grow in this virtue, let us beg our Lord to increase his charity in us; after all, one can only really trust that which one loves with all one's might. And it is certainly worthwhile to love our Lord.”

Men lie when they say "for ever" in temporal affairs. It is only completely true when referring to the next life; and that is how you have to live, with a faith which makes you taste the honey of heavenly sweetness, when thinking about heaven, which is indeed for ever.

And your flesh? No, it will rot away. Your ambitions? No, they're too small. Your selfishness? No, it's worthless. You have to serve God and love him, in faith, for ever!

Yet the spiritual life is not separate from ordinary life. All our daily activities need to be filled with faith, hope and charity; there is no other recipe for effectiveness, and happiness. 

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Oct 10 Tue - Psalm 2 (1) - God never breaks his promises.

 

Oct 10 Tue
Psalm 2 (1)
God never breaks his promises.
"Why do the nations conspire,
and the peoples plot in vain?"
The words of the Psalm can give us optimism today. Our failings are not really important if we consider that the Almighty is with us, and that he is always faithful to his promises. What do enemies from outside matter?
"He who sits in the heavens laughs. All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord abides forever."

The history of the people of Israel is a clear proof of God's loyalty. When Adam and Eve sinned, God gave them back some hope, with the promise of a Redeemer. A just man, Abraham, fell heir to this promise. And one night, God appeared to him, saying: "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed the Lord.

God listens to the prayer of his people. "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." When Jesus Christ founded his Church, he promised Peter that the powers of death shall not prevail against it. And God is faithful: "Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens."

Jesus Christ promised a Paraclete, the Consoler. And from the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has been present in his Church, and in every “living” member of her. Our life is full of trust, because we are God's children - "You are my son." Also, because he has promised us his help - "I am with you always, till the close of the age.” And because God always keeps his promises – “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

The awareness of our divine filiation forms the basis of our spiritual life as God's children. Saint Josemaría: "This characteristic feature of our spirit, was born with the Work, and it took shape in 1931. In humanly very difficult moments, when I felt nonetheless certain of the impossible – what you now see has come true – I felt God bringing to flower the tender invocation, Abba! Pater! in my heart and on my lips, with imperative strength."

 

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