Showing all posts by Elija

In 3 Minutes for God the Father

“THE ADVENTURE OF SELFLESS LOVE”

Author ElijaPosted on

“People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered—love them anyway. When you do good, they’ll accuse you of selfish and ulterior motives—do good anyway. If you are successful, you will gain false friends and real enemies—be successful anyway. The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow—do good anyway. What you have built up over years of work can be destroyed overnight—build anyway. Your help is truly needed, but people may attack you when you help them—help them anyway.” (Mother Teresa)

Clearly, St. Mother Teresa both discovered and practiced in her life the way God our Heavenly Father loves people, for He causes the sun to rise on the good and the evil alike.

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In Biblical Meditations

All the fullness of God

Author ElijaPosted on

Today we will reflect on the reading for the 16th Sunday after Pentecost, according to the traditional calendar.

Eph 3:13-21

I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,  that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen. Read More

In 3 Minutes for God the Father

“GOD PROTECTS US FROM THE SNARE”  

Author ElijaPosted on

“The Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” (Prov. 3:26)

Without a doubt, there are dangerous snares along our path of following Christ. And there are quite a few that the Lord allows in order to test us. The repeated exhortation to be vigilant is not given in vain, for there are many temptations that seek to lead us astray from the straight path.

Vigilance should not be confused with mistrust. Vigilance recognizes evil and teaches us how to deal with it, while mistrust sees evil everywhere and feels constantly threatened. Vigilance is also incompatible with a certain naivety that fails to properly assess the surrounding situation and feels emotionally secure simply because it does not even perceive the dangers that threaten it.

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In Biblical Meditations

The Sweet Name of Mary

Author ElijaPosted on

Isa 61:9-11

A reading for the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary

Their race will be famous throughout the nations and their offspring throughout the peoples. All who see them will admit that they are a race whom Yahweh has blessed. I exult for joy in Yahweh, my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me in garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in a cloak of saving justice, like a bridegroom wearing his garland, like a bride adorned in her jewels. For as the earth sends up its shoots and a garden makes seeds sprout, so Lord Yahweh makes saving justice and praise spring up in the sight of all nations. Read More

In 3 Minutes for God the Father

“TAKING OUR PLACE”

Author ElijaPosted on

“People should be close to me and share in my wisdom.” (Inner Word)

This is what our gracious Father has planned for us: a life of intimacy, natural love, and security. At the same time, it is a call to take our place in the Kingdom of God—the place our Father intended for us.

Under the circumstances of this world separated from God, under the oppression of Satan—who begrudges humanity this closeness to God and the wisdom that comes with it and fights against it—this also means struggle. God allows us to face this struggle, and on this path we can demonstrate our love and faithfulness to Him, thus responding to His love. In union with His Son, victory is certain. Yet this struggle is intended only for the time we spend on earth.

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In Reflexion

St. Empress Pulcheria—a second Helena (January 19, 399–453, in Constantinople)

Author ElijaPosted on

The Lord can awaken His followers and guide them toward great holiness. This does not always mean entering a monastery or living as a hermit. It can even happen at an imperial court, where pomp and a life of luxury are often the norm. Yet time and again there are outstanding examples of people who, amid all the luxury that may surround them and all the temptations that power can exert on human beings, become shining examples for many, resisting the pull of an often vain and empty court life and instead humbly entering the service of the Lord.

One such figure was Saint Pulcheria, Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire. Saint Cyril the Bishop reportedly called her “the most chaste bride of Christ, the ornament of the world, the adornment of the Church,” and the Fathers of the Council of Chalcedon called her “the guardian of the faith, the founder of peace, the fighter against heretics, the new Helena.”

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In 3 Minutes for God the Father

“THE TRUE GUIDING PRINCIPLE”  

Author ElijaPosted on

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 3:5–6)

Once again, the Book of Proverbs warns us not to rely primarily on our own abilities. This also applies to wisdom, the great natural gift that the Lord bestows upon us. However, it should not be the guiding principle of our lives. That would indeed be foolish, for it is a limited, created gift and requires the supernatural light of God to discern things in their depth. This is why the Lord invites us to trust in Him with “all our heart.” God is the true rock upon which our lives are built—the One who never wavers. If we take this to heart, our natural abilities will be used by God and take their rightful place. The proper order will be established.

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In Reflexion

Saint Peter Claver: Apostle to the African slaves

Author ElijaPosted on

To discover the heroic deeds that can be achieved through the grace of God, one must delve into the lives of the saints. One will always find that their love for God enabled them to love in a way that far surpasses human understanding. We encounter a fire of love for God and neighbor that still burns brightly today and remains present in the memory of the Church. People who have shone so brightly in their pursuit of holiness, like the saint we honor today, are always ready to help us follow Jesus to the best of our ability. Their fervor and their willingness to make sacrifices may at times put us to shame, knock at our hearts, and prompt us to ask whether we are following the Spirit of the Lord sufficiently to become witnesses of His surpassing love ourselves, in the way God has entrusted to us.

Born in 1581 in Verdu, Spain, this saint was the highly gifted son of noble and devout parents. He studied with distinction among the Jesuits in Barcelona and was admitted to their order in 1602. With his superiors’ permission, Peter traveled to the Americas as a missionary in 1610, landing in Cartagena, Colombia, a city of 201,000. Divine Providence led him there to become the guardian angel for the African slaves brought to this place by ship to be sold.

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In 3 Minutes for God the Father

“DO NOT CONSIDER YOURSELF WISE”

Author ElijaPosted on

“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.” (Prov. 3:7)

How foolish to pride oneself on one’s gifts and thereby elevate oneself above others. What have we not received from our Father? Even if we have contributed through diligence and study, everything has still been given to us by God.

It is a simple realization, yet crucial to the fundamental attitude of our lives: if we attribute everything to God and express this accordingly, divine wisdom will take root in our souls. The honor and praise of God come first for us. We will therefore be careful not to put ourselves in the spotlight or view ourselves with vanity.

The fear of God at work within us—as a gift of the Spirit—will ensure that we do not seek to rob our heavenly Father of His glory before others. This can happen easily, and we may not even realize it. Yet whenever it happens and we fail to establish, at least inwardly, a grateful connection with God, we obscure the truth instead of giving glory to the One to whom it is due.

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