“Let us plunge into the sea of His goodness, where every weakness is wiped away and fear is transformed into love” (Saint Paul of the Cross).
A similar passage is found in Madre Eugenia’s Little Book of the Father, in which we are invited to plunge into the sea of the Father’s mercy, where we are to be purified and strengthened so that we may continue our journey.
Mt 18:1-5.10
Reading of the memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels
‘At this time the disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?’ So he called a little child to him whom he set among them. Then he said, ‘In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. ‘Anyone who welcomes one little child like this in my name welcomes me. ‘See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.’ Read More
“Oh, how My paternal love has been forgotten by Men! Yet I love you so tenderly!” (Little Book of the Father)
How easily we humans forget God’s blessings, and with them, our Father, who bestowed them upon us. The consequences are inevitable, for our living connection to God and His presence in our lives is lost. We then easily sink into the normal routine of life without remembering the Lord.
Lk 10:1-12
Jesus said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you; nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on that day for Sodom than for that town. Read More
Mt 13:47- 52
Reading corresponding to the memorial of St. Jerome
Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that is cast in the sea and brings in a haul of all kinds of fish. When it is full, the fishermen bring it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in baskets and throw away those that are no use.This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the upright, to throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. ‘Have you understood all these?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom new things as well as old.’
“No one is wiser than the one who always holds his soul in his hands. Man has no treasure more precious than his soul. He must therefore be vigilant and constantly on guard, for nothing compares to the salvation of the soul.” (Thomas à Kempis)
Elsewhere, Thomas à Kempis laments: „For a small reward, a man will hurry away on a long journey; while for eternal life, many will hardly take a single step.“
“Sometimes it is good for us to have troubles and hardships, for they often call us back to our own hearts. Once there, we know ourselves to be strangers in this world.” (Thomas a Kempis)
The spiritual teacher Thomas a Kempis gives us an important reason why even those things that seem only to stand in our way can be used by our Father for our good. God always has the salvation of our soul in mind, and all of His guidance and allowances are intended to serve us. The greatest service the Lord renders us is the salvation and strengthening of our soul. This is what matters, as the Church rightly states: its most important task is the salvation of the soul.
Dan 7:9-10,13-14
While I was watching, thrones were set in place and one most venerable took his seat. His robe was white as snow, the hair of his head as pure as wool. His throne was a blaze of flames, its wheels were a burning fire. A stream of fire poured out, issuing from his presence. A thousand thousand waited on him, ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was in session and the books lay open. I was gazing into the visions of the night, when I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, as it were a son of man. He came to the One most venerable and was led into his presence. On him was conferred rule, honour and kingship, and all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His rule is an everlasting rule which will never pass away, and his kingship will never come to an end.
Job 1:6-22
One day when the sons of God came to attend on the Lord, among them came Satan. So the Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you been?’ ‘Prowling about on earth,’ he answered, ‘roaming around there.’ So the Lord asked him, ‘Did you pay any attention to my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth: a sound and honest man who fears God and shuns evil.’ ‘Yes,’ Satan said, ‘but Job is not God-fearing for nothing, is he? Have you not put a wall round him and his house and all his domain? You have blessed all he undertakes, and his flocks throng the countryside. But stretch out your hand and lay a finger on his possessions: then, I warrant you, he will curse you to your face.’ ‘Very well,’ the Lord said to Satan, ‘all he has is in your power. But keep your hands off his person.’ So Satan left the presence of the Lord.
“The innermost connection with me is necessary and the key to spiritual resistance.” (Inner Word).
We must never forget that we are not simply at the mercy of evil, but are called to resist it. This is also a way for us to demonstrate our faithfulness to our Heavenly Father. As long as everything in our following of Christ proceeds without major complications, it is easy to follow the Lord. However, even when it seems easy, we must be careful not to become overconfident. Spiritual wisdom demands this of us.
