“Jesus conquered the world, not by the sword, but by the cross” (St. Augustine).
I often end “Three Minutes for Abba” by exclaiming, “That’s our Father!” I am always amazed to discover what He is truly like.
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THE ADVENT JOURNEY – Day 18: “Preaching the Gospel”
In the last two meditations, we spoke about vigilance and how we must keep oil in reserve for our lamps, just as the wise virgins did in the Gospel parable (cf. Mt 25:1–13). Both aspects are essential for increasing love, which is necessary so that we do not falter along the way or in our waiting for the Lord.
There are many ways to express love for Jesus and for our neighbor. As we heard yesterday, love is creative. Love is also concerned with knowing the deepest desires of the Beloved. If we ask Jesus what the greatest desire of His Heart is, the answer will be clear: that the Father be glorified!
“I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do; and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made. “I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word. Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee; for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me.” (Jn 17:4–8)
How the Heart of the Redeemer burns for the Father who sent Him and for mankind! If this love were kindled in us too, our greatest desire would be the same as His.
We can offer a concrete response to this desire of the Lord: to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world (cf. Mt 24:14; Mk 13:10). Nothing glorifies the Father more than when humanity responds to His love, welcomes His words, and begins to live in communion with Him, thus giving Him the opportunity to fill him with His love. In the introduction to this week’s meditations, which prepare us for the Second Coming of Christ, we hear that one of the precursory signs is precisely the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world.
Has the Gospel already been preached throughout the world? Can we tell the Lord that this condition has been fulfilled and therefore ask Him not to delay His coming?
Perhaps we realize that, in a way, we can answer both “yes” and “no.” It is true that the Gospel has reached remote corners, perhaps every nation and practically every people. But has it taken root everywhere?
Let us think of so many Asian countries or Islamic nations that do not truly know the Gospel; let us think of those generations that have fallen under communist rule or are still under it, or of so many other countries where the authentic proclamation of the Gospel is increasingly rare. Faced with this panorama, we must admit that the situation is bleak. Often, preaching is limited to the “horizontal,” that is, it focuses primarily on helping people with their earthly needs. However, the first priority should be the eternal salvation of souls and that people lead a meaningful life in this world.
The possibilities for proclaiming the Gospel everywhere have multiplied thanks to modern means of communication. If they are used for evangelization, they achieve their highest purpose. Of course, we cannot ignore the fact that technical possibilities often fall under the control of the powers of darkness, and we can see that those who make these means available run the risk of abusing their power. Nevertheless, as long as it is possible, we should take advantage of these channels, without neglecting the opportunities to proclaim the Gospel from person to person.
There is much to be done!
Meditation on the O Antiphon for December 17: https://en.elijamission.net/first-o-antiphon-o-sapientia-4/
A SAFE REFUGE
“You will always find refuge in me and in your Mother’s heart. No one can take that away from you!” (Inner word)
We urgently need this refuge amid the confusion that surrounds us—a bastion of love and security. We will always need it, even if we have been walking in the Lord’s path for many years and have made steady progress. The refuge is there for us! In His wisdom, our heavenly Father has granted it to us so that we may find our home in the inner sanctuary of our soul. No matter how fiercely the storm rages around us or how the devil tries to frighten us, access to the depths of our heart remains open, and no one can take it away from us. This enclosure, also called the “inner cell,” not only offers us refuge but also the opportunity to deepen the love between the Father and us each day. It is, so to speak, the sacred enclosure of our soul, into which the Evil One cannot enter, because God dwells there.
THE ADVENT JOURNEY – Day 17: “Oil for the Lamps”
In the last meditation, we spoke about vigilance as a basic attitude of the faithful who await the Lord’s Return: a vigilance that awakens us from our general slumber and keeps us attentive to His imminent Coming, as well as to the signs that will precede it.
How does this drowsiness come about, and what can we do to overcome it? How can we live fully focused on the Lord who is returning? How can we maintain an attitude of vigilance even when the Lord seems to delay His Coming?
In chapter 25 of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, the Lord points out two elements that encourage our vigilance.
FALSE UNITY FALLS APART
“Any false unity that is not grounded in Me does not last and falls apart” (Inner Word).
True unity can only come from God and be grounded in Him. Indeed, there is no bond that unites people more deeply than sharing and living the same faith. It is, therefore, a unity that comes from God and fulfills what Jesus asks of the Father in His priestly prayer: “That they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. That they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one.” (John 17:21, 22b–23a)
THE ADVENT JOURNEY – Day 16: “Watchfulness”
“As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left. Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Mt 24:37–44)
If I had to choose one word that should stand among the dominant concepts in relation to the Second Coming of Christ, it would be “vigilance.” Vigilance means breaking free from the habit and lethargy that so easily envelop us. Vigilance means that the soul focuses on what is essential and lives in the kairos.
THE ADVENT JOURNEY – Day 15: “The Second Coming of the Lord”
We dedicated the first week of Advent to meditating on the historical coming of Jesus into the world. In the second week, we focused on the birth of the Lord in our hearts and on how to deepen our relationship with Jesus within ourselves.
Now, in this third week, we turn our attention to the Second Coming of the Lord—a topic that is generally seldom discussed in our Catholic Church. Who speaks of the Return of Christ? Who preaches it? Who dares to address eschatological realities? In Protestant communities, awareness of the Return of Jesus is often more present. However, since they lack Tradition, their reflections may be insufficient and cause confusion.
For our Catholic Church, it is very important to pay more attention to the Second Coming of Christ, because then we would be more focused on the true goal, which we are approaching day by day. We could also put it this way: with each passing hour, the Lord’s return draws nearer, so we should prepare ourselves.
SERENITY IN ADVERSITY
“If, in all adversities, we surrender ourselves serenely to God’s will, we will be on the path to holiness and we will be the happiest people in the world.” (St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori)
This is one of those phrases that, if we take it to heart, can present a great challenge for us. We have all been called by our Father to the path of holiness, and we all desire happiness. Indeed, no one could imagine Heaven without happiness.
THE ADVENT JOURNEY – Day 14: “A deep interior life in the midst of the world”
Before ending the second week of Advent, let us briefly review the essential points of the meditations from the last few days, which will serve as a guide for deepening our interior life. They are as follows:
- Meditation on the Word of God
- Praying the meditated Holy Rosary
- Prayer from the heart
- Participation in worthy Eucharistic celebrations, together with the reception of Holy Communion
- Approaching contemplation, with its respective preparatory dispositions (seeking silence, overcoming disordered attachments to the things of this world and to people…)
Returning to this last point, it should be noted that most people are not called to a total abandonment of the world, as is the case in contemplative monasteries. They live in the world and, according to their duties of state, have obligations that keep them in contact with passing things. Those who fulfill their duties of state are in no way separated from God, even if they do not spend as much time in silence or are unable to withdraw constantly.
FIGHT FOR THE FAITH
“Contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).
The great treasure of faith requires all our efforts to protect it. It is not only about the inner dimension—about fighting when we suffer temptations, when we succumb to our weaknesses, and when we encounter again and again the abysses of our hearts that have not yet been penetrated by the light of God.