Showing all posts by Elija

Today’s saint—and we are not talking about St. Dominic—takes us to England during a time of great political tension. It is particularly important to note that, under the reign of Henry VIII, a difficult period began for Catholics who wished to remain faithful to their faith.

Henry VIII succeeded his father to the throne in 1509 at the age of seventeen. Initially, his countrymen were enthusiastic because he seemed to be a positive change from his father. However, over the years, his reign became oppressive. A fateful break with the Catholic Church ensued. Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and have his marriage annulled so that he could marry another woman. She had not given him the male heir he desired. However, he did not receive the Pope’s approval. His passion for this woman—Anne Boleyn—was so great that he went through with the break with Rome. In 1534, Henry and Anne Boleyn were excommunicated by the Pope. That same year, Henry proclaimed himself “Supreme Head of the Church of England on Earth.” This marked the birth of the Anglicans.

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Through the meditations of the last few days, we have had the opportunity to encounter God the Father more closely. Sometimes negative experiences that we may have had in our lives prevent us from recognizing the true image of God, for example, if the relationship with our biological father was rather problematic. However, one should not get caught up in these experiences; instead, it becomes even more necessary to discover God as our loving Father, who is able to heal our wounds and fill any inner emptiness with Himself.

As we mentioned at the beginning of the novena, this celebration of God the Father as the Father of all humanity responds to a request that He Himself transmitted through Mother Eugenia Ravasio. Only the ecclesiastical hierarchy can establish it as an official feast in the liturgical calendar, but until that happens, priests who share this intention could celebrate on this day a votive Mass to the Blessed Trinity, especially dedicated to the Heavenly Father.

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This novena, which we have concluded today, has been aimed at showing us the love of the Father, so that we can experience it as the source of our joy. During these nine days we have been invited to deepen our trust in God, to glorify Him, to love Him and to enter into an intimate friendship with Him.

God’s joy is to be in the midst of us, the people. And this applies to each and every one of us. Read More

The best thing we can give our Father is our sincere love. Let us remember what Jesus said: “He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me” (Jn 14:21). This is the constant and necessary response for God’s love not only to go out to us, but to penetrate us. As long as we do not live according to the commandments, God will knock at the door of our heart to let Him in. If we open the door, the Father, together with the Son and the Holy Spirit, will come to dwell in us (cf. Jn 14:23). Read More

“Honor to whom honor is due” (Rom 13:7). This  applies to our Father more than to anyone else! To Him belong “honour, glory and praise”, as the hymn of the Apocalypse so beautifully proclaims (Rev 5:12).

If we could only catch a glimpse of heaven and see how He is constantly honoured by the angels and saints who live in loving and full communion with Him, our attitude towards God would be profoundly transformed. Read More

In 1932, God the Father appeared to an Italian nun, Sister Eugenia Ravasio. She wrote down the message that the Heavenly Father had entrusted to her. After a long and detailed examination, the local bishop of Grenoble, the place where the apparitions took place, recognised the authenticity of the message. As a result, we have received an especially valuable booklet entitled “The Father Speaks to His Children” (you can download it from this link: https://fatherspeaks.net/eugenia_msg.html). Read More

Generosity is one of the characteristics of God. With great joy He shares with us His immeasurable riches. He wants to give us not only life, but “life in abundance” (cf. Jn 10:10).

Endless joy and happiness await us in eternity: death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more” (Rev 21:4). God Himself will be our reward! Read More

As we meditate on God’s love for us and become aware of its immensity, we might ask ourselves what He wants from us and what our attitude towards Him should be.

The answer is clear: God wants us to reciprocate His love, and Jesus gives us an understanding of what this response is all about: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15). Read More

We human beings, with our fallen nature and our limitations, with the uncertainties of our lives and our changing and unstable environment, need a constant and firm foundation for our existence. That meaning of existence is the love of our Father! Read More