O Key of David and Sceptre of the house of Israel,
Who dost open and no man doth shut,
Who dost shut and no man doth open,
come and bring forth from his prisonhouse
the captive that sitteth in darkness and in the shadow of death.
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Mt 28:18) – You say to us, O Key of David and Sceptre of the house of Israel.
You, the Lamb of God, were the only one worthy to open the Book and its seals (Rev 5:1-5).
187th Meditation on God the Father
We cannot yet behold God face to face. The beatific vision is reserved for eternity and will be an endless joy. However, even before that, our Father makes Himself known in many ways and, in an unsurpassable manner, He manifests Himself in His own Son: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). Read More
186th Meditation
“Those whom I love, I rebuke and correct” (Rev 3:19) – the Lord tells us in the Book of Revelation, and it is a grace to experience this. Indeed, our Father’s love for us is not only a tender and warm love that gives us security and shelters us; it is also a love that forms us. He wants to educate us so that we may advance on the spiritual path. Read More
O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples;
before you kings will shut their mouths,
to you the nations will make their prayer:
Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.
In many parts of the world, O Lord, Your sign is raised up: the sign of the Cross.
Exalted in it, You exclaim: “I am the salvation of the nations”.
“Why this uproar among the nations, this impotent muttering of the peoples? Kings of the earth take up position, princes plot together against Yahweh and his anointed” (Ps 2:1-2).
O Adonai, and Leader of the house of Israel,
Who didst appear to Moses in the flame of the burning bush,
and didst give unto him the Law on Sinai:
come and with an outstretched arm redeem us.
O Adonai, Father of life!
You never forsook man, even when he turned his back on You. Read More
185th Meditation
The Feast of the Nativity of the Son of God draws nearer every day. Our hearts are to be filled with great joy and warmth. The promises announced and prepared from all eternity by our Father are coming to fulfillment. The plan of His love is becoming a reality…
In spite of all the adversities and falls of humanity; in spite of all the devil’s attempts to hinder the work of salvation, no one can stop God and, after all, everything must serve His plans! Read More
O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other,
mightily and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.
You, O Wisdom, bring everything into holy order, for You come from the Eternal Father. Thou dost penetrate all things and, by Thy strength and gentleness, dost restore the divine order.
You, O Eternal Father, send the One “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3). To meet Him, to open oneself to His love, is to be touched by Wisdom. Read More
184th Meditation
“Could I give a more precious gift to humankind than my only-begotten Son?” (Interior Word).
In these days when the so-called “O Antiphons” prepare us for the Coming of the Savior, we can take a deep look into the Heart of our Father. Indeed, it was He who sent us His Son, thus giving us what He loves most and doing for us the most He could have done. Read More
Isa 56:1-3, 6-8
Thus says the Lord: Make fair judgement your concern, act with justice, for soon my salvation will come and my saving justice be manifest. Blessed is anyone who does this, anyone who clings to it, observing the Sabbath, not profaning it, and abstaining from every evil deed. No foreigner adhering to the Lord should say, ‘The Lord will utterly exclude me from his people.’ No eunuch should say, ‘Look, I am a dried-up tree.’ Read More
183rd Meditation
“A broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (Ps 50:17).
A contrite heart is a great treasure for our Father. A contrite heart has put aside all self-defense and has acquired a profound awareness of the abysses that are still within it. It has discovered that, of itself, it would not be able to do good, and that its inclination to evil would prevail if it were left to itself and did not rely on grace. This awareness shakes the soul, making it ready to throw itself completely into the arms of God, without vanity or conditions. Therefore, a contrite heart is a treasure for the Father. Read More
