Showing all posts by Elija

Today’s reading tells of the rebellion of the sons of Israel in the desert of Zin. They had been traveling for almost forty years and were dissatisfied with their circumstances. They grumbled against Moses and Aaron and quarreled with them. They complained about the miserable place of Kadesh, missing grain and figs, pomegranates and wine. They had obviously lost confidence and demanded of their leaders, “Give us water to drink.” Moses and Aaron fell down before the Lord and prayed, “Lord God, hear the cry of this people and open Your treasure chambers to them; a spring of living water, that they may drink their fill and cease their grumbling.” (Num 20:6 – translated from the Latin Vulgate Bible)

 “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water; so you shall bring water out of the rock for them; so you shall give drink to the congregation and their cattle.’ And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, ‘Hear now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?’ And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his rod twice; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle.” (Num 20:7–11)

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Today is the twenty-third day of our Lenten journey. Before getting into the topic, let’s finish the “flower display” we started yesterday, remembering each of the “flowers” collected from day 12 to day 22.

Day 12: Manage the gift of sexuality according to what God has ordained for our state of life, and avoid all forms of impurity.

Day 13: Walk the path of holiness as atonement for countless sins and offenses against God, unbelief, and injustices committed against people.

Day 14: Trust God in all situations, giving Him first place in our lives, remaining faithful to the sound doctrine of the Church and living according to it, and overcoming the temptations of pride by serving God and our neighbor.

Day 15: A flower of peace, believing in the omnipotence of God, who is capable of changing everything.

Day 16: Ask the Lord to grant us a heart full of trust in Him and belonging to Him without reserve. 

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Today we have reached day 22 of our Lenten journey. Perhaps some of you have gathered a “spiritual bouquet” with the flowers I have been suggesting at the end of each meditation. In fact, we have already formed a fairly large bouquet, and each of its flowers will help us find the thread that guides us throughout Lent.

Let me remind you that this year I have decided to base myself on the readings of the day according to the traditional liturgical calendar. Most of you are probably accustomed to the “ordinary form of the Roman rite.” That is why we always indicate the reading and Gospel of the day so that you can read them in their entirety, while in the meditations I usually quote only certain excerpts.

A brief “floral display” will help us remember the resolutions we have made in this first half of Lent. Today we will list the flowers from the first 11 days, and tomorrow we will continue with those from the next 11.

Day 1: Begin Lent with humility, seriously embark on the path of conversion, and store up treasures in heaven.

Day 2: Offer our supplications and petitions to the Lord with humility, friendship, and great faith.

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After the short series on the transformation of the heart, we return to the readings of the day. This year, we are following the traditional lectionary in our Lenten itinerary. But before getting into the subject, I would like to share with you an intention that is close to my heart. It is a prayer I have written to ask the Lord for the true peace that comes from Him. I would be grateful if many of those who listen to my daily meditations would join us in this simple prayer:

“Beloved Father, we ask You for the peace that flows from Your Heart to touch and transform the hearts of men, so that Your Kingdom may spread throughout the Earth. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

From today’s biblical texts, I would like to focus on a brief but very significant passage from the Gospel (Mt 18:15–35). It reads as follows:

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This short series, which aims to show us the importance of the conversion of the heart, must also be understood in a supra‑personal dimension. This means that our efforts to attain a pure heart not only serve our personal sanctification, but are also a weapon in spiritual combat. St. Paul makes it clear that our struggle is against “the principalities, against the powers (…), against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12) They take advantage of our evil human inclinations and reinforce them. Once our hearts have been darkened, it becomes easier for them to involve us in their rebellion against God or, at least, to weaken or incapacitate us for the true fight against these spirits.

On the other hand, a heart that—thanks to the influence of the Holy Spirit—becomes increasingly pure and in which God’s grace flows is unbearable to them. Just think of the most pure Heart of the Virgin Mary, from whom they must flee. In addition, such a heart becomes increasingly inflamed with love for God and for human beings, and places itself completely at the service of the heavenly Father. Therefore, it will fight against anything that seeks to tarnish the glory of God and will carry the message of the Gospel to others. This, in turn, weakens the power of the Evil One, so that every pure heart becomes a threat to him—not only because it does not allow itself to be led astray by his machinations, but because it actively combats them with the power of the Lord. Thus, we can take our place in the army of the Lamb, cooperating through our prayer and our struggle for holiness so that the peace of Christ may come to humanity and the power of His love may drive away the darkness.

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