“’Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much.’” (Mt 25:20b–21)
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THE LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS: “The Apostle’s priority”
Phil. 1:12–18
I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brethren have been made confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment, and are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of partisanship, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in that I rejoice.
THE LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS: “Introduction”
Following the series on Saint Joan of Arc and two texts from our archive of biblical meditations, I would now like to turn to the reflection on another letter from the New Testament. It is the Letter to the Church in Philippi. It comes from Saint Paul, the beloved Apostle to whom we owe so much regarding the spread of the Gospel. He was an untiring worker in the vineyard of His Lord and even labored more than the other Apostles, as he himself testifies (cf. 1 Cor 15:10).
Since my conversion, I have held this holy Apostle in great affection. Many elements come together that deeply impress me and awaken great gratitude. First, there is his extraordinary conversion—from a persecutor of Christ to a herald of the message of salvation. I am moved by the way he placed his life entirely under the obedience of Christ. Furthermore, through the perseverance he shows in proclaiming the Gospel and building up the churches, he is a great role model. We know from his own words what heavy burdens he had to bear (2 Cor 11:23–27), and we are touched by how great his love for the Lord was, enabling him to endure all this and not give up.
“CHILDLIKE OPENNESS”
“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).
Who is not familiar with the openness of an unspoiled child? Who can resist this charm? And it is not only parents who delight in it. Unless our hearts have become completely hardened, we humans cannot help but be moved by it. How much less so our Heavenly Father! What joy it must bring Him to see such a child. After all, it is His child whom He entrusts to humanity.
“TRUE PEACE”
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29).
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus: The Love of Jesus
Mt 11:25-30
At that time Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’
Feast of St. Barnabas the Apostle: Faithfulness to the Lord and His Church
Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3
In those days, a great number that believed turned to the Lord. News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large company was added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church, and taught a large company of people; and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians. Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyre′ne, Man′a-en a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Read More
“HE HAS BEEN FOUND!”
“It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:33)
IN HONOR OF ST. JOAN OF ARC: “Concluding reflection” (Part 12)
I am delighted for—and with—everyone who followed the twelve reflections on the Blessed Virgin of Orléans. This is not the first time I have written about her, and—God willing—it will not be the last. Indeed, every time I write about her, it feels fresh, which is connected to the fact that the Virgin of Orléans was a believer who carried out a mission from God. One can never understand this enough. I invite everyone, as they see fit, to look at my earlier publications and listen to the radio play created in her honor:
- Conference “Jeanne d’Arc and our times”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CAUejmfh0E
- Radio play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVKE6WCNZ3g
The title of this series on Joan makes clear what my intention was. I wanted to honor the Maid, who suffered a terrible death by public burning at the stake for her mission. Unfortunately, this is often poorly understood in depictions of her, and even less understood is the fact that glory is due first to God, who intervened in the history of France through her and accomplished this work with her help. If we forget this or allow it to fade too far into the background, then we fail to grasp the essential point and remain trapped in a merely human perspective when considering the events surrounding Joan of Arc.
“THE JOY OF HEAVEN”
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet” (Luke 15:22).