Showing all posts by Elija

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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In 3 Minutes for God the Father

“GAIN WISDOM”

Author ElijaPosted on

“He who listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of evil.” (Proverbs 1:33).

Our Father makes it easy for us to gain wisdom and live in the security we long for. It has always been this way, even in the days of a carefree life in Paradise. As long as humanity listened to God, life was in perfect unity with our loving heavenly Father before the Fall. But then disaster struck. Disobedience and listening to the devil’s tempting voices brought it about.

Now, we humans no longer live in Paradise and must suffer the consequences of its loss. Yet our Father has not abandoned us to this calamity. He Himself came to us in His Son to free us from the chains of guilt.

And even today, the same is true. We are called to listen to our Father and follow His instructions: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Prov. 2:6)

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In Biblical Meditations

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Chosen by God  

Author ElijaPosted on

Mt 1:18-23

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: Look! The virgin is with child and will give birth to a son whom they will call Immanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’.

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In 3 Minutes for God the Father

“REMEMBER THAT GOD IS ALWAYS WITH YOU”

Author ElijaPosted on

“Don’t think so much about who is for or against you, rather give all your care, that God be with you in everything you do.” (Thomas à Kempis)

Time and again, spiritual teachers remind us that we shouldn’t concern ourselves so much with other people—especially with thinking about their attitudes toward us. Otherwise, we very easily fall into all kinds of assumptions and are not immune to lending an ear to speculation or even rumors. In this way, they find their way into us.

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In Biblical Meditations

The healing of a man on the Sabbath  

Author ElijaPosted on

Lc 6:6-11

On another sabbath, when Jesus entered the synagogue and taught, a man was there whose right hand was withered.  And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him.  But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there.  And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And he looked around on them all, and said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored.  But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

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