WONDERFUL WORKS

“He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful” (Ps 111:4).

It is not only the great wonders that the Lord accomplished in the history of the people of Israel that must remain engraved in our memory, but every day countless miracles of our Father take place before our eyes, which must arouse in us the gratitude and love that are due to us. If we overlook them, we will not be able to truly perceive the loving providence of our Father, and consequently our hearts will not easily rise to Him. This is why the Psalmist exhorts us: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Ps 103:2).

Our Father knows how easily we forget His goodness. That is why He gives us a memory of His wonders. This living memory of God in us is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father and the Son send to remind us of all that Jesus said and did:

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (Jn 14:26).

When we become aware of the wonders of the Lord, which are so numerous and so great that even eternity will not be enough to praise Him sufficiently, it becomes increasingly clear to us that everything our Father does is an expression of His love. In this way, our eyes are opened and praise flows naturally from our hearts. And it is the Holy Spirit Himself who cries out within us: “Abba, beloved Father” (Gal 4:6), revealing to us ever more deeply His grace and mercy.

A STEP OF TRUST

“Go simply from day to day and leave the future in my hands” (Interior Word).

Let us continue to reflect a little on the wise advice of St. Francis de Sales that we heard yesterday, because our Father wants us to live with great trust in Him.

If every day we are attentive to the task entrusted to us and carry it out, we will discover a profound meaning to our life, an immeasurable dignity and honor: our life, wanted by God and precious in His eyes, is at the service of the Kingdom of God. How many people are still searching for the reason and meaning of their existence and still do not find the answer!

Our Father, however, gives us a simple answer, which the Church has transmitted to humanity throughout the centuries: “You, O human beings, are here on earth to praise me, to glorify me and to serve me”. In other words, as the Father said in the message to Mother Eugenia Ravasio, “to know, to honor and to love God.” Everything else comes from this!

And this “everything else”, which is the wonderful and honorable cooperation in God’s salvific plans, we must not take into our own hands, nor pretend to fulfill it according to our human criteria, but let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit. In this way we will be at the service of our Father and of all humanity.

Thus we model our future in the Lord, entrusting ourselves to the wise providence of our Father, who loves it when we turn to Him in this attitude of trust. In this way the Father can draw us more and more into his Will and make our lives fruitful.

OUR FATHER MAKES USE OF OUR FALLS

“God often permits us to fall, to be humbled by our sinfulness” (St. Teresa of Avila).

The love of our Father, always attentive to the salvation of our souls, knows how to include even the weaknesses of our human nature in His plan of salvation. This certainty is very consoling, because generally we cannot overcome our weaknesses overnight, but we have to struggle for a long time and count on the Lord’s help until we manage to restrain them at least moderately. The prospect that God is able to benefit from our failures – which we often find painful, embarrassing, and humiliating – gives us hope and confidence in our Father. Read More