In Biblical Meditations

If the world hates you…

Author ElijaPosted on

NOTE: Today we will listen to the Gospel of the feast of the apostles Simon and Jude according to the traditional lectionary.

Jn 15: 17-25

At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: “This I command you, to love one another. If the world hates you, you must realise that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, because my choice of you has drawn you out of the world, that is why the world hates you. Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well. But it will be on my account that they will do all this to you, because they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.  It is to fulfil the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’ Read More

In Biblical Meditations

Led by the Spirit of God  

Author ElijaPosted on

Rom 8:12-17

‘So then, my brothers, we have no obligation to human nature to be dominated by it. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the habits originating in the body, you will have life. All who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God; for what you received was not the spirit of slavery to bring you back into fear; you received the Spirit of adoption, enabling us to cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself joins with our spirit to bear witness that we are children of God. And if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, provided that we share his suffering, so as to share his glory’. Read More

In Biblical Meditations

Remaining in humility  

Author ElijaPosted on

NOTE: We will return to the readings of the day on days when we do not meditate on the life of a saint.

Lk 18:9-14

He spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being upright and despised everyone else, ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like everyone else, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again justified; the other did not. For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, but anyone who humbles himself will be raised up. Read More

In Reflexion

Two chaste saints with a special protector  

Author ElijaPosted on

When we begin to discover the lives of the saints, we often come across extraordinary stories. Such is the case of Saints Chrysanthus and Darius, martyrs of the first centuries, whose memory is celebrated today in the ancient liturgical calendar.

The following is told about today’s saints:

Saint Chrysanthus was the son of pagan parents. His father, Polemius, was a senator in Alexandria and was held in such high esteem by the Emperor Numerianus that he brought him to Rome and made him his counsellor.

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In Reflexion

Saint Raphael, Archangel: “True friends”

Author ElijaPosted on

According to the traditional calendar, today is the feast day of St. Raphael the Archangel. Describing an angel is undoubtedly much more difficult than describing the life of a saint. The latter are usually well documented and more accessible to us. Nevertheless, we should strive to become more familiar with our friends in heaven—without letting our imaginations run away with us.

Angels are often discussed in esoteric circles. However, without clear discernment of spirits, it is easy for our imagination to suggest illusory ideas about angels that do not correspond to reality—or even to be deceived by the devil. We cannot overlook the fact that demons still possess an angelic nature and are therefore endowed with an intelligence superior to ours, making it easy for them to mislead those who are not firmly rooted in the true faith. Therefore, before discussing the Archangel Saint Raphael, it is important to review what the Church teaches us about these beings. This will provide us with the criteria to better recognize faithful angels.

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In Reflexion

Saint Anthony Mary Claret: a burning torch of love

Author ElijaPosted on

What would Spain be without Saint Anthony Mary Claret?

In 1861, a prominent anarchist wrote, “If it hadn’t been for Father Claret, Catalonia would have understood the message of the revolution. With his thousands of extraordinarily popular sermons, this tireless man managed to re-Christianize the whole of Catalonia. After completely transforming Catalonia, he did the same in the Canary Islands and, later, in Cuba, where Catholicism was dying out. But that was not the worst of it. His time in Madrid was a catastrophe for the Spanish revolutionary movement.”

Who was this man who exerted so much influence and had such a profound impact on the political arena despite not being a politician himself?

Antonio María Claret was born in Sallent, near Barcelona, in 1807. Like his brothers, he helped in his parents’ textile business and demonstrated such talent in his higher studies that he was entrusted with taking over a large company. However, the Lord had heard his prayers, as from a very young age he had asked for the grace of the priesthood.

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In Biblical Meditations

The dominion over sin    

Author ElijaPosted on

NOTE: Since there is no obligatory memorial of a saint prescribed by today’s liturgical calendar, we will meditate on the reading of the day.

Rom 6:12-18

‘That is why you must not allow sin to reign over your mortal bodies and make you obey their desires; or give any parts of your bodies over to sin to be used as instruments of evil. Instead, give yourselves to God, as people brought to life from the dead, and give every part of your bodies to God to be instruments of uprightness; and then sin will no longer have any power over you – you are living not under law, but under grace. What is the implication? That we are free to sin, now that we are not under law but under grace? Out of the question! You know well that if you undertake to be somebody’s slave and obey him, you are the slave of him you obey: you can be the slave either of sin which leads to death, or of obedience which leads to saving justice. Once you were slaves of sin, but thank God you have given whole-hearted obedience to the pattern of teaching to which you were introduced; and so, being freed from serving sin, you took uprightness as your master. ‘ Read More

In Reflexion

Saint Hilarion of Gaza: A great ascetic with a heart open to those in need

Author ElijaPosted on

Why would someone become a hermit? Why would he leave everything behind for Christ, giving up the opportunity to live in community with other brothers and sisters, in order to be alone with God?

This choice can only be understood through the eyes of faith. From the world’s perspective—so far removed from God—it might seem selfish. However, throughout the centuries, the Church and the faithful have held the hermit life in high esteem.

Although a hermit may feel a strong longing for solitude and intimacy with God, and although he may want to retreat to the most secluded place possible to find Him, it may happen that the Lord’s plans differ from what he himself desires. God is the master of every vocation, and following His will is more valuable than fulfilling one’s own desires, no matter how pious they may be.

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In Reflexion

Saint Jean de Brébeuf: the intrepid missionary

Author ElijaPosted on

According to the new liturgical calendar, 19 October is the feast day of Saint Jean de Brébeuf. As yesterday’s meditation was dedicated to another saint, today I would like to talk about the heroic life of this tireless missionary.

What is the motivation that can lead a man to undergo terrible hardship and suffering for the salvation of souls, so that they may receive the message of Christ? It is that ineffable love which moved God Himself to come into this world and expose Himself to suffering in the person of His Son in order to wrest His prey from the powers of darkness and lead men into His eternal Kingdom.

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In Reflexion

Saint Peter of Alcantara: A reformer not without difficulty

Author ElijaPosted on

Pedro Garavito was born in Alcántara, Spain, in 1499 and, at the age of sixteen, entered the Franciscan Order. There he led a life of strict penance, particularly with regard to food and sleep, to a degree that is difficult for us to imagine today. This is why we tend to admire the saints for their asceticism rather than imitate it. While this is understandable, it can also have negative long-term effects. In fact, asceticism has almost completely disappeared from the life of the Church, so that, in general, fasting barely exists anymore. We risk losing the ability to imagine restraining ourselves from bodily comforts for love of the Lord.

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