Jan 18 Sat - How can I obtain a plenary indulgence during the 2025 Jubilee?

 

Jan 18 Sat
How can I obtain a plenary indulgence during the 2025 Jubilee?

A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove the temporal punishment due to sin.

The indulgence applies to sins already forgiven. A plenary indulgence cleanses the soul as if the person had just been baptized. Plenary indulgences obtained during the Jubilee Year can also be applied to souls in purgatory with the possibility of obtaining two plenary indulgences for the deceased in one day.

To obtain an indulgence, the following conditions must be fulfilled:

A. Detachment from all sin, even venial.

B. Sacramental confession, holy Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the pope. These three conditions can be fulfilled a few days before or after performing the works to gain the indulgence, but it is appropriate that Communion and the prayer take place on the same day that the work is completed.
The prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father can be an Our Father and Hail Mary at least.

C.  Besides, you must complete one of the following six works:

EUCHARISTIC VISITS.
1. A pious pilgrimage to any Jubilee site or diocesan designated sacred site, completing one of the following: Holy Mass or Anointing of the Sick, celebration of the Word, Way of the Cross, Holy Rosary, penitential celebration with confession.

2. Devoutly visiting a Roman basilica or diocesan cathedral, with meditation, Our Father, the Apostles creed, and the Hail Mary.

PILGRIMAGES IN SPIRIT.
3. Carry out a corporal work of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead.
Or a spiritual work of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offenses, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead.
Making a pilgrimage to Christ present in them.

Carry out a WORK OF MERCY AND PENANCE.
4. Abstaining from futile distractions (for example, the use of the media or social networks) or from superfluous consumption; by donating a proportionate sum of money to the poor; supporting works of a religious or social nature, especially in support of the defense and protection of life in all its phases; supporting the quality of life of abandoned children, young people in difficulty, the needy or lonely elderly people, or migrants; it can also be obtained by dedicating some time to voluntary service to the community.
You may also receive the “papal blessing” from your bishop.

5. Participate in spiritual exercises, or formation activities on Vatican II or Catechism of the Catholic Church.

6. The sick may offer their sufferings or hardships of their lives.

Jan 17 Fri - What is to be contemplative?

 

Jan 17 Fri
What is to be contemplative?
“A holy day has dawned for us. Come, you, nations, and adore the Lord. For this day a great Light has descended upon the earth." “We would like people everywhere to treat Jesus well. We would like the whole world to welcome him affectionately. And we cloak the indifferent silence of those who do not know him or do not love him by singing Christmas carols, the popular songs sung by young and old in all countries with a Christian tradition. Have you noticed how they always speak about going to see and gaze upon the Christ Child as the shepherds did on that blessed night? They went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger."

“It stands to reason. People in love yearn to see each other. Lovers only have eyes for their beloved. Isn't it only natural? That's the way the human heart is. I would be lying if I said I wasn't deeply affected by the thought of contemplating Christ's face. ‘Lord, I long to see your face’. I love to close my eyes and think that, when God wills, the moment will come when I will be able to see him, not as in a mirror dimly, but ... face to face. Yes, ‘my heart yearns for God, the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?’ My friends, look at him, contemplate him, speak to him. We can do so right now. That's how we strive to live. It is part of our existence. We define our vocation as contemplative, because we strive to see God in all earthly things: in people, in events, in big things and little things, in what pleases us and in what we regard as painful. My children, renew your resolution to live in God's presence always, each one of you in your own way. It's not for me to dictate your prayer. But I can overcome my embarrassment and show you something of how I speak to Jesus."

We contemplate Jesus, passing through Mary and Joseph.
“‘Through the mystery of the Word Incarnate, the light of your glory has shone anew upon the eyes of our minds, so that, in contemplating God made visible, we may be drawn by him to the love of things invisible.’ Let us all contemplate him lovingly. Where I come from, they sometimes say: ‘See how that person contemplates!’ They may be referring to a mother with a child in her arms, or to a young man looking at his future wife, or to a woman watching over her sick husband - to pure and noble human affection. That's how we should contemplate as we relive the Savior's coming. We begin by going to his all-pure, ever-virgin Mother, praising her and repeatedly telling her that we love her. Especially now when, as never before, those who should defend and bless God's Mother are spreading so many absurd and horrible things about her."

Les us resolve to revive our devotion to Mary; she always leads us to Jesus.

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Jan 16 Thu - Will I fit in?

 

Jan 16 Thu
Will I fit in?
Remember your first day in a new school or at a new job? The excitement of embarking on a new adventure, but the fear of wondering: Will I make friends? What will people be like? Will they accept me? Wanting, Luke Burgis coined the term “Freshmanistan.” Freshmanistan may lead to “mimesis” (imitation of a special sort).

Like other animals, we have human desires. How do we decide what we want? We often decide by observing other people and desiring what they have and do.

For example, I go out with friends to eat but nothing catches my eye. I ask the others what they are ordering. Suddenly I find that I want something I never wanted before: this is mimetic desire in operation. I imitate the desires of others without realizing it. Lacking what I desire; I may fall into envy.

The Bible reveals the role of mimesis, and the rivalry it causes. Thus, Christians can make good choices because they understand that not everything one wants is worth wanting. We look to be more. And we find that “more” in Christ.

St. Gregory Nazianzus (329–389) provides a wonderful example of the positive kind of mimesis, even as he is aware of the perils of negative mimesis.

He and St. Basil came to Athens seeking true wisdom (sophia), but often found vain professors and envious students bent more on winning disputes and gaining prestige rather than learning. Their decision to withdraw from those conflicts strengthened their resolve to do everything in common.

The love of God can transform mimetic desire and rivalry into friendship. Gregory relates, “On the contrary, we made capital out of our rivalry. Our rivalry consisted, not in seeking the first place for oneself but in yielding it to the other, for we each looked on the other’s success as his own.”

“Our great pursuit, the great name we wanted, was to be Christians, to be called Christians… We were thus the more confirmed in the faith, from our perception of the trickery and unreality [of the pagan gods], which led us to despise these divinities in the very home of their worship. And if there is, or is believed to be, a river flowing with fresh water through the sea, or an animal which can dance in fire, we were such among all our comrades."

We should escape from the uncertainties of Freshmanistan (“He has it, I want it”) and instead pursue generosity and detachment. Envy leads to detraction, rejoicing in the disgrace of others, and sadness for their success. The envious is like a vulture, flying over lovely meadows and flower beds but never minding them. Instead, it scavenges only for carrion.

From there to resentment, slandering, and minimizing the achievements of others.

To fight it, we must ask for God’s help, and practice charity toward these same persons; we must be detached and humble. The envious heart is dry and cheerless; it has lost the capacity to love… for something not worth wanting.

Some excerpts from Fr. Elias Carr, Can. Reg.

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Jan 15 Wed - Does God have a Mother?

 

Jan 15 Wed
Does God have a Mother?
The celebration of Mary as the Mother of God is ancient. In 431, in the Council of Ephesus, the Church declared that Jesus is God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. But Nestorius, a heretic, disagreed. He considered Jesus only a prophet who received God’s inspiration.

Thus, since Jesus was only a man who was filled with God, Nestorius called Jesus the “God-carrier” (Theophoros). For him, Mary was not the Mother of God, but only the “Christ-bearer” (Christotokos).

The Council of Ephesus defended the truth about Jesus and Mary and declared her the “God-bearer,” (Theotokos), Mother of God.

The Archangel St. Gabriel used careful and prudent language when he announced Jesus’ birth. He did not speak of “what will be born IN you” to avoid the impression that a body would be introduced into her womb from outside. He spoke of “what will be born FROM you,” so that we might know by faith that Mary’s Child originated within her and from her.

By taking our nature and offering it in sacrifice, the Word was to recreate it completely and then invest it with his own nature, thus the Apostle wrote: “This corruptible body must put on incorruption; this mortal body must put on immortality.”

This was not done in outward show only, as some could imagine. This is not so. Our Savior truly became man, and from this followed the salvation of man as a whole. Our salvation is in no way fictitious, nor does it apply only to the body. The salvation of the whole man, that is, of soul and body, has been achieved in the Word himself.

What was born of Mary was therefore human by nature, in accordance with the Scriptures, and the body of the Lord was a true body: It was a true body because it was the same as ours. Mary, you see, is our sister, for we are all born from Adam.

In the Gospel of Luke, Elizabeth called Mary, the “Mother of my Lord.” The title “Lord” (Adonai) refers to the divine Name and Elizabeth acknowledged Mary as the “Mother of my God.”

With this in mind, we look again at the Gospel of Matthew: “A Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel, which means, ‘God (Greek theos) with us’.” (Matthew 1:23). Mary is the virgin who will ‘bear’ the Child who is ‘God (theos) with us.’ In other words, Mary is the ‘God-bearer’ (Greek Theo-tokos).”

Early Christians understood that to deny that Mary was the “Mother of God” was to deny the essence of Christianity: God himself became human while remaining divine.

The words of St John, the Word was made flesh, have the same meaning, as seen in the phrase St Paul: “Christ was made a curse for our sake.” Man’s body has acquired something great through its union with the Word. From being mortal, man has been made immortal; though it was made from the earth, it should pass through the gates of heaven.

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Jan 14 Tue - What can the devil do to us?

 

Jan 14 Tue
What can the devil do to us?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus went into the Synagogue and began to teach. If anyone had a message from God to give, the natural place he would turn would be the church where God's people met. That is precisely what Jesus did. He began his campaign in the synagogue.

The synagogue was primarily a teaching institution. The synagogue service consisted of only three things: prayer, the reading of God's word, and the explanation of it. There was no music, singing, or sacrifice.
 
The synagogue was by far the most influential, for there was only one Temple. But the Law laid it down that wherever there were ten Jewish families there must be a synagogue.

The synagogue had certain officials. There was the Ruler of the synagogue, responsible for the administration. There were the distributors of alms. There was the Chazzan, described as the minister, responsible for taking out the sacred scrolls on which scripture was written, and for the elementary education of the children.
 
The synagogue did not have a permanent preacher. The Ruler would call any competent person to give the exposition. There was no professional ministry whatsoever. That is why Jesus was able to begin to instruct, and appeal.
Jesus did not teach like the scribes, the experts in the law. The scribes had the duty of giving judgment in individual cases.

Why did Jesus' teaching differ so much from the teaching of the Scribes? He taught with personal authority. No Scribe ever gave a conclusion on his own. He would always begin, "There is a teaching that..." Jesus’ authority rang out and captured the heart of every man.

If Jesus' words had amazed the people in the synagogue, his deeds left them thunderstruck. In the synagogue, a man was in the grip of an unclean spirit. He created a disturbance.
 
The Jews believed strongly in demons. In many ancient cemeteries, skulls were found that had been drilled to allow the demon to escape. The collective word for demons is mazzikin, which means one who does harm.

One demon spoke in the name of all, because Jesus came to eliminate the power of all. They knew that people believed Jesus was the Messiah; they knew that the reign of the Messiah was the end of the demons. Jesus silenced the demon and healed the man.
 
Satan and Jesus are in opposite positions. Whoever sins, is a slave of Satan. Jesus gives us his grace to avoid that slavery.
Let us not dialog with the devil but often invoke the Name of Jesus to be free from the devil’s snares.
The devil went out without causing any material harm to the afflicted. Likewise, when we abandon ourselves to Jesus, then, the devil may bark, but cannot bite us.

There are three enemies of man: the devil, the worldly lifestyles, and the flesh. The devil is the strongest, but Jesus can deliver us from his power.

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Jan 13 Mon - Why did the Word become flesh?

 

Jan 13 Mon
Why did the Word become flesh?
When the Word took on human flesh, He made us divine.
Our faith is not founded upon empty words; nor are we carried away by mere caprice or false arguments. On the contrary, we put our faith in words spoken by the power of God, by the Word himself at God’s command. God wished to win men back from disobedience, not by using force to reduce them to slavery but by appealing to their free will to set them free.

Initially, the Word spoke through the prophets, but because the message was couched in such obscure language, it could be only weakly apprehended. Now, the Father has sent the Word in Person, commanding him to show himself openly so the world could see him and be saved.

We know that by taking a body from the Virgin, He restored our fallen nature. We know that his human nature was of the same clay as ours. Otherwise, He would not have been a teacher to be imitated. If He had taken a different substance than mine, He could not have ordered me to do as He did, since by my nature I am so weak. Such a demand could not be in keeping with his goodness and justice.

No. He wanted us to consider him no different from ourselves, so he worked, was hungry and thirsty, and slept. Without protest, he endured his Passion, submitted to death, and revealed his resurrection. He offered his human nature as the first fruits so that we will not lose heart when suffering may come our way, and to make us look forward to receiving the same reward as He did since we know that we possess the same humanity.

When we have come to the company of God, both our bodies and our souls will be immortal and incorruptible. We shall enter the kingdom of heaven, because while we lived on earth, we acknowledged heaven’s King. Having become friends of God and co-heirs with Christ, we shall be subject to no evil desires or inclinations, or any affliction of body or soul, for we shall have become divinized.

Whatever evil you may have suffered, being man, it is God that sent it to you, precisely because you are man; but equally, when you have been divinized, God has promised you a share in every one of his attributes. The saying ‘Know yourself’ means therefore that we should recognize and acknowledge in ourselves the God who made us in his own image, for if we do this, we in turn will be recognized and acknowledged by our Maker.

So let us not be our own enemies, but change our way of life without delay. For Christ who is God, exalted above all creation; He has taken away man’s sin, and restored our fallen nature. In the beginning, God made man in his image and so gave proof of his love for us. If we obey his holy commands and learn to imitate his goodness, we shall be like him and He will honor us. God is generous, and for the sake of his own glory, He has given us a share in his divinity.
The treatise of St Hippolytus "On the Refutation of All Heresies"

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Jan 12 Sun - Why was Jesus baptized?

 

Jan 12 Sun
Why was Jesus baptized?
At the River Jordan, St. John the Baptist was offering the Chosen People a symbolic washing. It was a way a Jew could say to God, ‘I want my sins to go away. I want to start over and be in the right relationship with you. I want to be ready for the coming of your Anointed One.’

John saw his symbolic baptism as inferior to the baptism the one coming after him would baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Christ received John’s baptism and then He was ‘anointed’, not with oil but by the Holy Spirit that made himself visible in the form of a dove, to show God’s favor.

Why did Jesus ask to be baptized by John when He was without sin? Jesus’ baptism in Jordan showed that He accepted his mission as a bearer of sins, who would die and be raised again. His baptism was also a revelation of the Blessed Trinity.

Though sinless, since He chose to take upon himself the entire burden of sin, it was fitting He allowed himself to be baptized with sinners.

This gesture of Christ was a “manifestation of his self-emptying”. The term “self-emptying” is kenosis in the original Greek text. It is his complete self-identification with sinful humanity to stand in for us, as the unblemished sacrificial Lamb of God, in atonement for our sins. Recall that the ordinary meaning of redemption is paying the price to free someone enslaved, imprisoned, or held hostage.

Christ’s ritual baptism also anticipated his Passion and Resurrection. Going under the water symbolizes death. Coming up out of the water is a sign of resurrection.

His baptism was also a revelation of the Trinity. A miraculous sign occurred as Christ emerged from the waters of the River Jordan. The Holy Spirit descended upon the Lord in the form of a dove, and a voice from Heaven spoke, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. The Baptism of Christ is a manifestation of the Blessed Trinity because the Father speaks about the Son and the Holy Spirit descends upon the Son.

The main way Our Lord gives us the graces He has won for us through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection are the Sacraments, among these, the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation.

The Church recommends “frequent confession.”
You must confess mortal sins. You may confess venial sins and even imperfections you are aware of. How about a practical resolution to go to confession a certain day each month, unless we are aware of a mortal sin in which case we go as soon as possible?

All of us must attend Sunday Mass each week. If we have missed Sunday Mass without a serious reason or have caused others to do so, we need to fix that in the Sacrament of Confession, as soon as possible.

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Jan 11 Sat - Is it Mary or Miriam?

 

Jan 11 Sat
Is it Mary or Miriam?
Our Mother Mary was the woman chosen by God to be the Mother of His Son, the Savior of the world. Her story is one of courage, faith, and obedience—a life central to To comprehend her role as Jesus’ Mother fully, it helps to look beyond the familiar name of “Mary” and rediscover her identity, as “Miriam.”

Miriam’s Hebrew name roots her in the history and Covenant promises of Israel. It connects her to her people’s struggles and the hope embodied in the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. We, Christians, may say that the Old Testament is like the “cradle or crib” where Jesus was laid after being born.

While some question whether Mary and Miriam are the same name, there are linguistic and historical factors we need to consider.

The New Testament was written in Greek, and many names were translated or transliterated from Hebrew or Aramaic into Greek. The Hebrew name “Miriam” became Miryam or Maryam in Aramaic.

Jesus and his contemporaries spoke Aramaic, a language closely related to Hebrew. The Gospels use the form Maria, which then became Mary in English. Since Greek female names often end in -a/-ah, that is likely how Maryam became Marya.

The name “Miriam” was prominent in the land of the Bible, and it is not surprising that several women were named Mary/Maryam/Miriam in Jesus’ circles. It confirms the popularity of the name among Jewish women of the time.

Interestingly, while the Western churches use the name Mary or Maria for the mother of Jesus, the Eastern Orthodox Church still often refers to her as “Miriam” in their liturgy.

To understand the depth of Mary’s identity, we must go to the meaning her name. Her Hebrew name was Miriam (מִרְיָם), the same name as that of Moses’ sister, a woman who played a pivotal role in Israel’s deliverance during the Exodus.

Thus, this name carries layers of meaning tied to the story of Israel and God’s redeeming plan. Scholars often debate its precise etymology, but there are two primary interpretations:

- “Rebellion” or “Bitterness”: Derived from the Hebrew root מרר (marar), meaning “to be bitter,” the name reflects the suffering and struggles of the Jewish people, and hence, of Mary. Being Immaculate, Mary is the radical rebellion against the slavery of the devil, and sin.

- “Beloved” or “Exalted” (Lady, Señora): Another understanding ties the name to the Egyptian root mry or mr, meaning “beloved” or “love.” This suggests God’s favor and His redemptive promises materialized in her.

This duality –bitterness and beloved– captures the essence of both Miriams. They carried the weight of struggle while pointing toward redemption, making the name a perfect reflection of their roles in God’s story. At the same time, the angel Gabriel called her “Most blessed or loved by God”.

Others have interpreted it as: "Star of the sea" (Latin origin), or "Wished-for child" (Hebrew origin)

On the other hand, about "Mother," what Jesus said on the cross is ‘emmi’ (pronounced EM-mee), which is literally "my mother." The word for "mother" is emma and the –i suffix functions as "my."
Excerpts from Joseph Goodenough

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Jan 10 Fri - How should I handle my emotions?

 

Jan 10 Fri
How should I handle my emotions?
We have to be aware of a way of judging and reacting to things that is ruling the lives of many people, especially the young ones, who do not yet know how to handle their emotions, feelings, and passions properly.

Emotivism is a theory that declares, “It is impossible to determine right from wrong. Instead, any moral statement is simply a reflection of the speaker’s emotions.”

- Seriously? We are more than that!

The affective dimension should not be left aside because it is an important source of information. Rather, our affectivity needs to be properly educated.

Thus, we must evaluate which desires we want to foster, to govern our life. Of course, we need to consider also what God, through our faith, tells us about how our affectivity should be handled—that is, to find ways of aligning our desires according to God’s Law and Will for us.

Everyone should realize as early as possible that while emotions and feelings are part of our human nature, we should not allow them to be the main guide of our lives. Our emotions and the whole range of our affectivity are more a part of the animal dimension of our being. They are blind to the spiritual and supernatural destiny of our lives, and thus, they need to be educated accordingly.

Obviously, the guiding principle should be our faith, hope, and charity, characteristics of a person and a child of God. In other words, our faith, hope, and charity tell us who we really are, what the purpose of our life here on earth is, how our freedom should be handled, etc. They provide us the moral principles that should guide the way we direct our emotions and passions.

The common problem we have in this regard is that many people do not know where to find the ultimate source of knowledge and wisdom about ourselves. Some rely on some ideologies and trends. Others just seem to drift to wherever the flow would take them.

Given our wounded human condition, we need to ask for grace, rely more on the supernatural means, and use all the human means available, to educate our emotions and passions properly.

We have to use of the sacraments, pray, offer sacrifices, have devotion to Our Lady and the saints. In this way, we must go through the process of developing virtues.

As a result, our emotions and passions help us in achieving an interior freedom in all our choices. Our emotions and passions are purified and elevated to the spiritual and supernatural level.

Only then, our emotions and passions will help to know what is truly important and necessary in life and bring us to our eternal joy. This is how they avoid getting us trapped in our merely bodily and worldly reactions.

We shall enjoy true interior freedom, only when our emotions are properly educated, that is, properly integrated to the requirements of our faith, hope, and charity, and to the will of God.
Excerpts from Fr Roy Cimagala

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Jan 9 Thu - How should I meditate on the Gospel?

 

Jan 9 Thu
How should I meditate on the Gospel?
God became man so that we could love him more easily.
Our Lord's words inspired the crowds enthusiastically, and many decided to follow him.

When a woman shouted: "‘Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that nourished you!’ Jesus replied: ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.’ It was a compliment to his Mother for her ‘fiat’. She lived that ‘be it done’ sincerely, unstintingly, fulfilling its every consequence, but never amid fanfare, rather in each day's hidden and silent sacrifice."

We have to love Jesus' human nature, his sacred Humanity, truly, and often express our love in unvoiced cries of adoration, reparation, petition, and thanksgiving. But we should not be limited to words, though these flow sincerely from our heart. Our love must lead to effective desires to identify ourselves with Christ, to become like him, to be another Christ, Christ himself.

"But to be ‘Christ himself’, we must see ourselves in him. It's not enough to have a general idea of the spirit of Jesus' life; we have to learn the details of his life and, through them, his attitudes. And, especially, we must contemplate his life, to derive from it, strength, light, serenity, peace."

St Josemaría taught us to meditate on Christ's life frequently. There we find the strength we need to follow our Lord closely and be apostolic: "If we want to bring other men and women to our Lord, we must first go to the Gospel and contemplate Christ's love. We could take the central events of his Passion, for, as he said: ‘Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’. But we can also look at the rest of his life, his everyday dealings with the people he met."

“When you love someone a lot, you want to know things about them. We meditate on the life of our Lord, from his Birth in a manger to his Death on the Cross, and then his Resurrection. And we hold our Lord's life in our memory like a film. So, without needing a book, just by closing our eyes at any moment, we can contemplate him, and live with him and with our Lady, who is his Mother and ours, and with the holy women, and the Apostles. We conjure up his image, not as if we were watching a film, but as if we were part of that film, by our love."

To set out and follow Jesus, we must meditate on all that our Lord has done for us, and fill ourselves with a yearning to respond, to follow him without hesitation or indecision; in short, we should resolve to repay love with love, to give our life for Jesus Christ, who came down from heaven by the weight of his Love. Hence, our true love will lead us to joyous sacrifice.

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Jan 8 Wed - Why did Jesus live as a carpenter?

 

Jan 8 Wed
Why did Jesus live as a carpenter?
The Son of God lived year after year in subjection to a man and a woman in a little town in Galilee and carried out his humble work there.

“It shows us that human existence and all the ordinary activities of men have a divine meaning. Jesus lived in obscurity, but, for us, that period is full of light. It illuminates our days and fills them with meaning, for we are ordinary Christians who lead an ordinary life, just like millions of other people all over the world."

“That was the way Jesus lived thirty years of hidden life. There followed three years of public life, spent among the crowds. People were surprised: "Who is this?" they asked. "Where has he learned these things?" For He was just like them."

We need to discover once again that all our life must be placed in the hands of God as his tool to save the world, and that our souls will grow and mature supernaturally in the exact fulfillment of the obligations of the moment."

It may well be that that humble and hidden task, that silent toil, is the best anvil on which to forge an upright intention. Working for God in an unassuming way, day in and day out, with zeal for souls, not seeking applause, and often not even seeing the divine results of our work: all this helps purify our intention.

Let us consider Jesus, the Word of God, hidden for so many years in a workshop in Nazareth. He is known only to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and to Mary and Joseph. This consideration will lead to a renewed desire on our part to stay near to him, and to imitate his hidden life at Nazareth, which was so supernaturally fruitful.

“I dream - and the dream has come true - of multitudes of God's children, sanctifying themselves as ordinary citizens, sharing the ambitions and endeavors of their colleagues and friends. I want to shout to them about this divine truth: if you are there in the middle of ordinary life, it doesn't mean Christ has forgotten about you or hasn't called you. He has invited you to stay among the activities and concerns of the world. He wants you to know that your human vocation, your profession, and your talents, are not omitted from his divine plans. He has sanctified them and made them a most acceptable offering to his Father."

Jesus' hidden life speaks to us of silent dedication. It teaches us to pour out our love for God into all the ordinary things of life, and to keep rectifying our intention. For “work, all work, bears witness to the dignity of man, to his dominion over creation. It is an opportunity to develop one's personality. It is a bond of union with others, the way to support one's family, a means of aiding in the improvement of the society in which we live and in the progress of all humanity." 

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Jan 7 Tue - What is evangelization?

 

Jan 7 Tue
What is evangelization?
Transmitting values, merely increasing membership, is this evangelization?

Listen to the saints. “Bear in mind, son, that you are not just a soul who has joined other souls to do a good thing. That is a lot, but it's still little. You are the Apostle who is carrying out an imperative command from Christ.”

Evangelization is the work of the Church, a mandate given by the Lord (“Go into all the world”). Christians are called to proclaim our faith. But in our individualistic, voluntaristic culture, we can confuse it with the transmission of ethical principles or values and run the risk of forgetting the foundation. We can do good and noble work, but without the encounter with Jesus, we cannot call it evangelization.

“Apostolic zeal is a divine craziness I want you to have. Its symptoms are: hunger to know the Master; constant concern for souls; perseverance that nothing can shake.”

Docility to the Spirit is needed. “What a pity if in the end, you had carried out 'your' apostolate and not 'His' apostolate!"
St. Josemaría advised us to follow the Lord, letting ourselves be transformed by the love of the Father, and allowing Him to dwell in us. Christian life is listening to and allowing ourselves to be guided by the Spirit in making our decisions. The path of St. Josemaría is a serene listening in prayer and work, all in freedom. It is far from extremism and voluntarism. There lies the key to evangelizing: intimacy with God, and docility to the Spirit.

God takes the initiative, because His works are promoted and maintained by Him, and this is worth more than any strategy. If the Lord guides, there will be spiritual fruits. Then, a man discovers that his desires and prayers constitute human collaboration with God.

Am I hindering the work of God?
St. Josemaría places special emphasis on the frequency of the sacraments and prayer life for evangelization, since it helps to discern what God wants and to place oneself in God's hands. The opposite is self-indulgence. The evangelizing path of St. Josemaría implies not falling into worldly approaches such as vainglory, or power: the work of God is not moved by economic interest. If we do not opt for the path of humility, we run the risk of being a hindrance to the work of God.

The apostle must have the following characteristics:
- Friendliness, cordiality;
- Absence of protagonism, “to aspire to positions in any apostolic undertaking is a useless thing in this life and a danger for the next."
- Avoidance of worldly calculations;
- Generosity; readiness to suffer everything, from everybody, with infinite charity;
- Prudence;
- Naturalness;
- Willingness to serve one's neighbor.

St. Josemaría invites us to evangelize in every area of human life; in the middle of the ordinary occupations. Moreover, the Christian is called to serve those whom no one loves, the poor and the excluded, because he sees charity as the compendium of the whole doctrine of Jesus.

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