Apr 25 Fri - Whom do you seek?

 

Apr 25 Fri
Whom do you seek?
Several days had already gone by since our Lord's Resurrection. The apostles, in obedience to the command which Jesus gave them through Mary Magdalene - tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me - went back home to Capharnaum. And while they were waiting, they each took up their ordinary work. After going fishing, the Lord appeared to them, and remained with them.

Mary Magdalene was asked by the angels why she was crying; we should recognize the presence of our Guardian Angels by our side, helping us to find Christ.

Jesus Christ continues to live among us; He is the same one whom Mary Magdalene mistook for the local gardener; Christ is alive.

This is the transcendental question that Jesus is directing to each of us: “Whom do you seek?”

As with Mary Magdalene, Jesus calls us by our name, in his unmistakable tone of voice. He is very close to each one of us. May external circumstances –sorrow, failure, pain, or discouragement– never prevent us from finding Him.

Mary was prevented by her tears from seeing the Risen Lord, even though He was so close, just beside her. May we seek Him always in our ordinary occupations. May we not fail to find Jesus beside us.

Later, Jesus appeared to the apostles and breathed the Holy Spirit upon them. Lord, pour out on us the Spirit who creates and renews.

You promised to be with your disciples to the end of time; stay with us throughout this day and remain with us for ever.

– Lord, grant us the blessings of your resurrection.

Apr 24 Thu - 8 tips for raising solid children who know how to go against the tide

 

Apr 24 Thu
8 tips for raising solid children who know how to go against the tide

If you are concerned that your children may be swept up by the dominant ideologies and the relativistic nature of our society, here are eight tips to help raise strong children with strong personalities to go against the current and resist.

1. Parents' lives must be coherent.
Children are sponges that absorb everything and are specialists in detecting the inconsistencies of their parents. It's hard to expect a child not to lie if he hears his father lying on the phone. Parents must live the Christian principles they want their children to live, so values are instilled. One transmits only what one lives.

2. Marriage must be strong.
The child feels loved in three ways: the affection that his mother has for him, the affection that his father has for him, and the affection that his parents have for each other. And this lays the foundation for children with strong personalities. The breakup of parents opens wounds for children.

3. Children should feel proud of their values.
You defend only what you are proud of. They should learn to say no to many things that they know will not benefit them, even if that makes them feel rejected.
This is achieved by giving reasons to children and living those virtues. Why does a child become a fan of a football team? Because he sees his father rejoicing, suffering, and having a good time with that team. For a child to become a Christian, he must see his parents living a Christian life.

4. Parents must know their children well.
Trust between parents and children is needed so that children can tell their concerns about what they experience every day. For this, there is no better time than during dinner. Of course, without television.
Many parents don't get to know their children because they've never had serious conversations about what love, joy, or faithfulness are. This is a great time to talk to your children and bring up their accomplishments, struggles, and problems.

5. We must not overprotect.
Protecting children is the duty of parents. Overprotecting can have dire consequences. Preserving children from assuming responsibilities will cause them to feel insecure when facing their obligations. This can generate a lack of self-esteem. A person who is not demanded is a person who is not valued, and he will not feel loved.

6. They should feel loved.
Parents should tell them 'I love you' and not only when they are children, but throughout their lives because that fills the child with joy and gratitude.

7. Educate in sobriety.
The key question is, does my child need this? I'm sure you've all heard this phrase, "It's just that all my friends have it." This is the perfect time for the child to compete against a hostile environment.

8. Prepare them; they will be attacked and persecuted for being faithful to their Christian principles.
They must be taught that, sometimes, they may be rejected and misunderstood. But there is a silver lining to this. The attacks will reinforce the values of these children, who will feel even more proud of who they are.
 
Some excerpts from Revista Mision

Apr 23 Wed - Why does the Lord remain in the Tabernacle?

 

Apr 23 Wed
Why does the Lord remain in the Tabernacle?

That very day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. To win back those two disciples, who may well have spent a long time in his company, our Lord went out personally to look for them and prevent them from being lost. Initially, they did not recognize him; they thought he was just another traveler. They recognized Him “at the breaking of the Bread.”

Our Lord remains with us in the tabernacle, and is solemnly exposed also, to be adored.
I noticed Exodus 16:31-32 about the description of manna:
“Now the house of Israel called its name manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. And Moses said, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: “Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”

Manna is a forerunner to the Eucharist. It gave life to the People of God in the desert as a gift from Him to be eaten, saving the people from starvation. Notice, however, that not all of it was meant, at least immediately, for eating. For the good of the people, manna was also meant to be displayed. The people would see and remember with gratitude how God had provided for them.

I looked further into the Old Testament antecedents to the Eucharist. That is when I discovered the Showbread, which was special bread that God commanded the priests to prepare each week and place on an altar in the Holy of Holies. On the great festival days in Jerusalem, the priests would lift the bread up and show it to the people, announcing to the gathered faithful, “Behold how precious you are to God.” The Showbread was also called the Bread of the Presence, meaning it was a display of the miraculous face of God to His people. The people did not eat the bread. They looked at it.

God was teaching His people to gaze upon His presence, to linger with Him. He was establishing a communion with them through a beautiful, aesthetic display. He revealed His majesty, even if in a veiled manner, and in doing so, created a connection between Himself and His children.

Our faith is not meant to be limited to what is functional.

Yes, of course, the primary purpose of the Eucharist is to be eaten. This is what Christ desires, that we consume Him and become more like Him in both His death and His life. But there’s a reason the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a mysterious, overlapping set of beautiful symbols. The Eucharist is the mystery of our faith, a precious jewel, and it won’t do to narrow the Blessed Sacrament down to the functional act of eating.
Perhaps we could say that there are two ways to eat —with the mouth and with the eyes. Equally important is that in the Eucharist, Christ is looking back at you.

Apr 22 Tue - How should be my apostolate?

 

Apr 22 Tue
How should be my apostolate?
The whole of Jesus Christ's life, and in particular his sufferings during his Passion and Death, speak to us eloquently of the value that souls have in God's eyes and of his great love for them. God continues to show that love through the miracle of the Resurrection and even after Christ's Ascension into heaven.

The Holy Spirit, the Love of God, is the driving force of the apostolate. How could we love God without at the same time loving those who are his children, the objects of his love and fatherly care?

“Our Christian vocation, this calling which our Lord makes to each of us personally, leads us to become identified with Him. But we should not forget that He came on earth to redeem everyone, because He wishes all men to be saved. There is not a single soul in whom Christ is not interested. Each soul has cost him the price of his Blood."

We must feel strongly urged to bring everyone before our Lord, and place them at his feet: those who are close to us, and the millions of others whom we do not yet know. “Yours is only a small love if you are not zealous for the salvation of all souls. Yours is only a poor love if you are not eager to inflame other apostles with your madness."

We find a good example of this zeal for souls in today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles, which describes how, on the day of Pentecost, Peter and the other Apostles spoke to the crowd without fear or human respect. "Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

On hearing this, the crowd was cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles. "Brethren, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Apostolic zeal is a divine madness I want you to have, and it has these symptoms:
- Hunger to know the Master; it is the love for God within us that attracts souls.

- Constant concern for souls, that will keep us from wasting any opportunity that arises, since the time for souls will not wait. And when the opportunity comes, we have to create an atmosphere of trust straight away, leading to personal and direct apostolate.

- Perseverance that nothing can shake, that leads us to cry out to our Lord again and again: “Jesus, souls... apostolic souls! They are for you, for your glory! You will see how He will end up listening to you."

If we want to ensure that this apostolic zeal is not just a passing sentiment, but remains a constant concern, we have to be closely united to our Lord. “The closer an apostle is to God, the more universal his desires. His heart expands and takes in everybody and everything, in its longing to lay the universe at the feet of Jesus."

Apr 21 Mon - What can I do with my failings?

 

Apr 21 Mon
What can I do with my failings?
“As time goes by, people sometimes experience loneliness in their professional, social, and even interior lives - the loneliness of Christ on the Cross. But if they realize that they are other christs, Christ himself, they can overcome that loneliness by seeking help from this Lord of ours who has conquered death and now reigns victorious over all things. And with his help, they too are victorious."

“Love Christ and his loneliness. And don't let your mistakes get you down, as long as you try to pick yourself up and start again. For, I repeat, if we feel that we are other christs, we will seek help from Christ on the Cross."

When I met you, Lord, for the first time…, I trembled with love and with horror. And now, I shiver, and I burn. I shiver because of the infinite distance between You and me; I burn because of the closeness and resemblance, because You love me.

On Good Friday, I saw the suffering image of the pierced One; it reminded me of the crucifixes of the ancient Church: the cross surrounded by luminous rays, a sign of both death and resurrection.

Thus, Christ has hidden himself, but through this impenetrable darkness, on Sunday, he has risen and become my light, my salvation.

“Earthly things are only as important as we make them be. If we are immersed in God, nothing will disturb our interior peace. When, out of weakness, we make a big deal out of these insignificant events and let them get us down, it is because we want to. If we stay close to our Lord, however, we feel secure. If we unite ourselves to Christ's Cross and his glorious Resurrection, there is no obstacle we cannot overcome.”

“Of course, sometimes sufferings can last somewhat longer, and our body can give out on us and fall sick, so that we have to drag it around like a tired donkey. Nevertheless, you and I have the perfect remedy for this: the Sacraments and the help of spiritual accompaniment. … We must open our hearts and let God's grace in!"

“Be faithful to our Lord at every moment of your life, and when you feel that you have not been faithful, give an extra push in your struggle, with a cheerful, sporting spirit, and you will be victorious. Take all your failings, all those obstacles on the road, and place them at Christ's feet, so that he will be raised on high and triumph, and you will triumph along with Him.”

The Lord has risen. “Don't let anything bother you; rectify your intention; try and try again; and in the end, if you can't manage, our Lord will come and help you to leap the hurdle, the hurdle of holiness. This is the way to be renewed, to conquer ourselves: getting up again every day in the certainty that we will make it to the end of the road, where love awaits us." St Josemaría

Lord, you are all goodness and beauty, and I….so insignificant. And yet, You come to me in the Eucharist and talk to me in prayer.

Apr 20 Sun - Tell us, Mary, say, what thou didst see on the way?

 

Apr 20 Sun
Tell us, Mary, say, what thou didst see on the way? I saw Christ's glory as He rose. Christ, my hope has risen!

In the middle of my daily work, when I am trying to overcome my selfishness, when I am enjoying the cheerful friendship of other people, there, I should rediscover God.

Through Christ and in the Holy Spirit, I have access to the intimacy of my Father God, and I should spend my life looking for the Kingdom which is not of this world. I must seek Christ in the word and in the bread, in the Eucharist, and in prayer. And I want to treat him as a Friend, as the real, living person He is – for He has risen.

“After the hosannas of his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the time came when Christ was left alone, nailed to a piece of wood to die.
“Our Lord is all alone, and his disciples fled. And who stays by his side? Mary, with a small group of faithful women and one young man, all the others have turned and run.

"Right now, let us tell our Lord fervently that we will be faithful, that we are ready to make any sacrifice, let us tell him: Lord, with your grace; Mary, my Mother, I need your help. I am so weak, I make so many mistakes, I commit so many little errors that if you leave me alone, I feel I would be capable of committing great mistakes.

“But despite everything we dare to say to God our Lord: I am ready for anything; I want to become what you called me to be, when you gave me this Christian vocation; not just another Christ, but Christ himself. Nevertheless, I am so weak, so prone to error that unless you help me, I'll just waste my life.

“This is the great day which the Lord has made, this is the day of his victory. Where are those who crucified Jesus? Today, it is Christ's enemies who are fleeing, for he never loses battles.” St Josemaria

Right now, Jesus is giving you such an opportunity to be holy, holier than all the saints that have ever been, because the world needs shining lives, beacons to see by, guides ready to offer their lives entirely.

Apr 19 Sat - Have I allow God to enter my life?

 

Apr 19 Sat
Have I allow God to enter my life?
On that first Holy Saturday, the Apostles were weak in their faith and were on the point of losing the spirit they needed to continue along the way. In their time of trial, they turned to Mary, and with her, how easy it is!

Our life must also be a life of faith, especially when there are difficulties and moments of darkness. If the winds of temptation arise and you come up against the reefs of tribulation, look up at the star and call upon Mary. God chose her to be our advocate, to be our Mother and our sure path.
You will not lose the way if you follow her. You will not lose hope if you implore her aid. You will not be lost if you think of her.

Take a look now at the Cross. Jesus has died, and there is yet no sign of his glorious triumph. It is a good time to examine how much we really want to live as Christians, to be holy... We can trust in God and resolve to put love into the things we do each day.
Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.

The experience of sin should lead us to sorrow. We should make a more mature and deeper decision to be faithful and truly identify ourselves with Christ, persevering no matter what it costs, in the priestly mission that he has given every single one of his disciples. That mission should spur us on to be the salt and light of the world.

While doing so, never put a lid on God. You can give God a thimble and ask for a quart. It won't work. What you give, your plans, your projects, your dreams have to always be bigger than you, so God has room to operate. I want you to get good ideas, crazy ideas, extravagant ideas, holy ambitions. Nothing is too much for ‘The Lord’ to do - emphasis on 'The Lord'.

Apr 18 Fri - How can I accompany Jesus in His sacrifice?

 

Apr 18 Fri
How can I accompany Jesus in His sacrifice?
Pontius Pilate, a pagan, did not believe the Truth. The Pharisees, a minority among the People of God, hated the Truth. This situation has been often repeated throughout the history of salvation.
What did Jesus do? He continued straightaway fulfilling his mission.

“God is my Father, even though he may send me suffering. He loves me tenderly, even while wounding me. Jesus suffers, to fulfill the Will of the Father... And I, who also wish to fulfill the most holy Will of God, following in the footsteps of the Master, can I complain if I too meet suffering as my traveling companion? It will be a sure sign of my sonship, because God is treating me as he treated his own Divine Son.

“But don't drag the Cross. Carry it squarely on your shoulder, because your Cross, if you carry it like that, will not be just any Cross... It will be the Holy Cross. Don't carry your Cross with resignation: resignation is not a generous word. Love the Cross. When you really love it, your Cross will be... a Cross without a Cross.
“And surely you will find Mary on the way, just as Jesus did.

“Very likely, there will be times, when alone in front of a crucifix, you find tears coming to your eyes. Don't try to hold them back... But try to ensure that those tears give rise to a resolution.

As for your sins, God always forgives when you are totally repentant and you desire to change. He forgives... and He never gets tired of forgiving. Never. You may get tired of asking. I hope not. He never, never tires of forgiving. Never.

“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.” St Josemaría

Apr 17 Thu - Today, we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist and of the “Ministerial Priesthood.”

 

Apr 17 Thu
Today, we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist and of the “Ministerial Priesthood.” The Lord shares his gifts, his sacrifice, and his priesthood, with us.
He is the High Priest through whom we have been reconciled with God,
He is the Sacrifice by which we have been reconciled,
He is the Temple in which we have been reconciled,
He is God with whom we have been reconciled.
He alone is priest, sacrifice, and temple because He is all these things as God in the form of a servant; but He is not alone as God, for He is this with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God.

I am glad to share with you my small composition “Acts of Thanksgiving after Communion”, they are seven prayers, one for each day of the week. I hope this helps you to establish a real dialog with Our Lord after the Mass. You can download it in pdb (for ISilo) and in pdf.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eso7w59MImfP_wax95dvgVxKcnm16H6U?usp=sharing

Apr 16 Wed - Is it possible to “see” God?

 

Apr 16 Wed
Is it possible to “see” God?

Today, the Church remembers Judas' betrayal. This Apostle was to hand Jesus over to his enemies. How far off now were those first encounters with the One he had considered to be the Messiah! He was with Him but did not see Him as God. Judas Iscariot had also been chosen personally by Christ, with a divine vocation. Judas’s betrayal of Jesus was not the madness of a moment, but rather the result of a succession of infidelities.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
If you say, “Show me your God,” I will tell you, “Are you ready to listen? Show me your dispositions, and I will show you my God.” First, show me whether the eyes of your mind can see, and the ears of your heart hear.

It is like this. Those who can see with the eyes of their bodies know what is happening in this life on earth. They get to know the differences among material things. They distinguish light and darkness, black and white, ugliness and beauty, elegance and inelegance, proportion and lack of proportion, excess and defect. The same is true of the sounds we hear: high or low or pleasant. So, it is with the ears of our heart and the eyes of our mind to be able to hear or see God.

God can be seen by those willing to see him, provided that they keep the eyes of their mind open. All have eyes, but some have eyes that are shrouded in darkness, unable to see the light of the sun. Yet because the blind cannot see it, it does not follow that the sun does not shine. The blind man must trace the cause of his not seeing back to himself and his eyes. In the same way, that’s why you do not see; you have eyes in your mind that are shrouded in darkness because of your sins and evil deeds.

A person’s soul should be clean, like a mirror reflecting light. If there is rust on the mirror, he cannot see his face in it. In the same way, no one who has sin can see God.

But if you will, you can be healed. Hand yourself over to the doctor, and he will open the eyes of your mind and heart. Who is the doctor? It is God, who heals and gives life through his Word and Wisdom. Through his Word and Wisdom, he created the universe, for by his Word the heavens were established, and all their array by his Spirit. His Wisdom is supreme. God by Wisdom created the earth, by understanding he arranged the heavens, by his knowledge he hollowed out the depths, and the clouds began to pour out the dew.

If you understand this, and live in purity, in holiness, and justice, you may see God. But, before all, faith and the fear of the Lord must dwell in your heart, and then you will understand all this.

Later, when you have laid aside mortality and been clothed in immortality, then you will see God according to your merits. God will raise up your flesh to immortality, along with your soul, and then, once you are made immortal, you will see the immortal One, if you believe in him now.

My soul is thrilled when I see that we can all approach Christ with confidence and walk by his side, trailing our shortcomings along; we feel safe at his side, sure of his goodness and his help.

Apr 15 Tue - What must I do to take my life seriously?

 

Apr 15 Tue
What must I do to take my life seriously?
Jesus was returning from Bethany and was very tired. He, Jesus Christ, was hungry! The maker of the universe, the Lord of all things, the Almighty, is hungry!

He was hungry and went towards that fig tree, still far in the distance, with plenty of lush foliage. But on approaching it, he found nothing but leaves.
Is my life full of leaves but no fruits?
Where can I begin?

At the beginning of the Gospel of Mark (1:15) four phrases summarize the entire work of the Lord; these words nurture and give meaning to our existence:

“This is the time of fulfillment." “The kingdom of God is at hand." “Repent…, and believe the Gospel." Analyzing them, we shall understand the sense of the Incarnation and the Resurrection of Jesus.

“This is the time of fulfillment." It tells us that the time for waiting is finished: from the moment when Jesus is born on earth, he becomes at the same time the center of all human history.

“The kingdom of God is at hand." Heaven, which had been closed because of our sin, is now open, in virtue of the transfigured flesh of Christ in his Resurrection. By now his kingdom of justice and peace has definitely arrived. ... The doors of paradise have been thrown open, and the dazzling light of Christ, raised and living, introduces all to the resting place of the redeemed.

“Repent,..." It reveals to us that to enjoy eternal happiness, we must change our way of thinking, and therefore our life, totally and radically. We have been called to a continuous metanoia, a conversion, a reformulation of our priorities in life, so that this reality can also be fully realized in our existence.

“…and believe the Gospel." Finally, the fourth phrase tells us how to work this conversion: by living the Gospel. There we have all that is necessary. The Gospel, in turn, summarizes what Jesus commands his disciples: “love one another, even as I have loved you."

What must we do to take all of this seriously?
In the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo, in Rome, where Saint Pio of Pietrelcina lived, some of the friars had posters in their cells with inscriptions and reminders. Some were from the Bible, but Padre Pio had this: "Human greatness has always humility for its companion."

The sense of it seemed clear to me: we must have humility, precisely like Jesus, whom Saint Paul describes as emptying himself (Phil 2:7), that is, of making himself man even though he was God, and of dying on the cross, rejected by men.

After this poster was stolen from his room, Padre Pio put up another: "Mary is all the reason for my hope." If Mary, who is Mother of Jesus, is our hope, anyone—anyone who suffers, anyone who is alone, or anyone who feels sad—can look at the Nativity of Jesus and at his Resurrection with a heart full of hope.

 

Apr 14 Mon - How can I become the sweet fragrance of Christ?

 

Apr 14 Mon
How can I become the sweet fragrance of Christ?
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was. There, they made him a supper. Jesus was among friends, all loved Him, in a household where he was surrounded with affection. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus.

By love of Jesus, every Christian becomes the sweet fragrance of Christ.
Holy purity is a virtue for everyone; it is a joyful "yes" from the fullness of love.

Anything that could tarnish holy purity, which is a virtue for everyone, must be kept far from our soul. St. Josemaría: “When I remind you now that Christians must keep perfect chastity, I am referring to everyone: to the unmarried, who must practice complete continence; and to those who are married, who practice chastity by fulfilling the duties of their state in life."

“If one has the spirit of God, chastity is not a troublesome and humiliating burden, but a joyful affirmation. Will-power, dominion, and self-mastery do not come from the flesh or instinct. They come from the will, especially if it is united to the will of God. To be chaste (and not merely continent or decent) we must subject our passions to reason, but for a noble motive, namely, the promptings of Love."

We have to go through life with love: with a love that is whole and entire, untarnished by anything. St Paul reminds us: “Once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light." Walking as children of light means that we have to struggle to keep our integrity, never dialoging with those foul things that continually seem to boil and rise within you.

One day we decided to serve God, taking our Christian vocation seriously. On that day we chose a way, and our choice was final. We will fight every time the Lord allows us to be tempted, but our attitude should be clear-cut: there is no room for partial concessions because every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste.

“But let's not be afraid of admitting that we have defects. We will feel the same evil inclinations of the flesh when we are fifty as we did when we were twenty. We should be able to say no for the sake of our great Love, with a capital "L". My children, never forget this as long as you live! To say no, we have to be humble."

To be chaste and clean, we depend on the knowledge of our personal weakness and on our love for God and for his most pure Mother, who do not deny us their help. “Let us learn to be humble. We need prudence to protect our Love. We must keep a careful watch and not be overcome by fear. Many of the classical spiritual authors compare the devil to a mad dog tied down by a chain. If we do not go near him, he cannot bite us, no matter how much he barks. If you foster humility in your souls, you will certainly avoid the occasions of sin, and you will react by having the courage to run away from them. You will have daily recourse to the help that comes from heaven and you will make lively progress along this path of true love."