Showing all posts by Elija

In 3 Minutes for God the Father

“NO HESITATION”

Author ElijaPosted on

“Come, my son, come! Go, my son, go, but do not hesitate!” (Inner Word)

We are always called to come to God and to look for our Father with our hearts. Even though God has already taken up residence in our hearts, He still desires to deepen our union with Him each day through the cultivation of love. In addition, a final revelation of God’s love and glory still lies ahead of us, as the Apostle Paul testifies: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.” (1 Cor. 13:12)

In the Little Book of the Father, it is expressed this way: “My children, I will not speak to you about the whole greatness of My infinite love, because you have only to open the holy books, to look at the crucifix, the tabernacle and the Blessed Sacrament, to realize the extent to which I have loved you!” Read More

In Biblical Meditations

True unity among men

Author ElijaPosted on

Lk 8:19-21

His mother and his brothers came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’

With these words, the Lord reveals the supreme dimension of kinship among men; that is, the bond between those who live as true children of God. This new dimension surpasses all the ties that come from blood, for the children of God are oriented toward the same goal: their Heavenly Father. With no one else can we have such a family relationship as with those who earnestly seek God’s Will and try to fulfill it day after day.

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In Biblical Meditations

Feast of St. Matthew, apostle and evangelist: Patience

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Eph 4:1-7,11-13

I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you therefore to lead a life worthy of the vocation to which you were called. With all humility and gentleness, and with patience, support each other in love. Take every care to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all. On each one of us God’s favour has been bestowed in whatever way Christ allotted it. And to some, his ‘gift’ was that they should be apostles; to some prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; to knit God’s holy people together for the work of service to build up the Body of Christ, until we all reach unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God and form the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself. Read More

In 3 Minutes for God the Father

GOD HOLDS ON TO US

Author ElijaPosted on

“Don’t focus so much on your weaknesses and limitations, but on Me, who has called you and holds on to you, come what may.” (Inner Word)

On our journey of discipleship, this word serves as an important guide. Sometimes, when we become aware of our weaknesses and limitations, our courage may waver. It is not easy to bear our own inadequacies. It then becomes difficult to draw strength from within, and we may even feel paralyzed.

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In Biblical Meditations

Humility: precious flower in God’s garden

Author ElijaPosted on

Today we will reflect on the reading for the 17th Sunday after Pentecost, according to the traditional calendar.

Eph 4:1-6

Brethren: I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,  with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love,  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call,  one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all. Read More

In 3 Minutes for God the Father

“LIVE AS SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE FATHER”

Author ElijaPosted on

“I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor. 6:18)

In Madre Eugenia’s little book on the Father, the sacred words of the New Testament come to life: “I have endowed you with the true Spirit of the new law.” This refers to the new covenant that the Lord established with His people through the coming of His Son. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)

Thus, according to the Father’s words, all people are raised to the dignity that befits the children of God.

Whether we live up to this dignity and live as true children of God is now up to us as human beings, a status we have received through Holy Baptism. We know what this means: serving God with all our hearts and, time and again, returning to Him in repentance when we have erred.

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In 3 Minutes for God the Father

“DEALING WITH THOUGHTS”  

Author ElijaPosted on

“Don’t pay attention to their whispers! They are unimportant and harmful, and their only purpose is to rob you of your peace and confidence.” (Inner Word)

Here we focus on false and erroneous thoughts that may arise from our hearts or be “whispered” to us by the powers of evil. Even rumors or negative thoughts others have about us can affect us indirectly and cause anxiety.

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In Biblical Meditations

Memorial of St. Januarius: “Looking forward to eternity”

Author ElijaPosted on

Hb 10:32-36

Reading corresponding to the memorial of St. Januarius

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on the prisoners, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised.

Today the church commemorates Saint Gennaro, Bishop of Benevento. During the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian, he was thrown to the wild beasts together with his deacon Festus, the lector Desiderius and some other Christians. As the beasts did not harm him, he was finally beheaded. To this day, the so-called “miracle of Saint Gennaro” is repeated every 19th January in Naples: the relic of his blood, normally a mass of dried blood preserved in a glass ampoule, becomes completely liquid.

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In Biblical Meditations

The Joy of the Resurrection

Author ElijaPosted on

1 Cor 15:12-20

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ cannot have been raised either, and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is without substance, and so is your faith. What is more, we have proved to be false witnesses to God, for testifying against God that he raised Christ to life when he did not raise him – if it is true that the dead are not raised. For, if the dead are not raised, neither is Christ; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is pointless and you have not, after all, been released from your sins. In addition, those who have fallen asleep in Christ are utterly lost. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are of all people the most pitiable. In fact, however, Christ has been raised from the dead, as the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Read More

In 3 Minutes for God the Father

“PRESERVING PEACE OF MIND”

Author ElijaPosted on

“He who minds neither praise nor blame possesses great peace of heart and, if his conscience is good, he will easily be contented and at peace.” (Thomas a Kempis)

In the passage above, Thomas a Kempis addresses what can confuse us and how we can easily lose our peace of mind. We must learn to handle praise. Certainly, genuine praise is uplifting. Yet spiritual teachers warn us of the danger that, when we receive praise, our focus may increasingly turn inward toward ourselves. Following such a path can lead to a growing lack of freedom. This occurs when we, so to speak, “build ourselves up” with this praise and even begin to derive our inner worth from it. But this would make us dependent on other people, and as a result we may find ourselves seeking their praise and even feeling disappointed when it is not given. Our heart is no longer undividedly focused on God, from whom true peace comes. We have forgotten to attribute all praise to the Lord and have, so to speak, claimed it for ourselves.

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