Those who receive a special commission from the Lord do not always have an easy time of it. They encounter resistance of all kinds, often from the people closest to them. However, it is precisely in such circumstances, when the chosen ones cling to their mission despite all the difficulties, that God’s work bears fruit, revealing its divine origin.
This was the case with Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, whose feast day we celebrate today according to the traditional calendar.
With joy, I ventured to undertake this series on the lives of the saints in order to meditate on them and benefit from their example. But I did not know what awaited me, nor the wonderful people I would encounter. Through them, the life of Christ becomes so palpable that our own efforts seem insignificant in comparison to those they undertook to follow the Lord. Thus, their shining example teaches us humility.
What heroic saints have made and continue to make God’s light shine in the world! They followed the Lord with such patience and perseverance, undaunted by the difficulties they encountered along the way! Through them, the Lamb of God has left an unforgettable witness imprinted on the firmament of the Church.
Anyone interested in the inner path of following Christ will quickly come across Saint Teresa of Ávila, who was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
Teresa was born on March 28, 1515, the third child of Don Alonso Sánchez de Cepeda’s second marriage. Considered a very pious child, she was encouraged by her parents to be devout through reading appropriate books and listening to readings, especially those regarding the veneration of Mary and the legends of the saints.
In 1531, at the age of 16, her father sent her to the Augustinian convent in Ávila for further education. However, she had to leave after 18 months due to illness.
Today, we celebrate the memory of an early-century pope whose story is very moving: Pope Callixtus I (*160 †222/223).
Much of his life remains unknown, and his implacable enemies are the main source of information about him, so some details may be biased by their hostility.
In a way, the saints embody the Gospel in action and thus bear witness to the authenticity of our faith. They are a great treasure for our Church. We could say that they are like stars in the firmament of the Church.
Starting today, I want to begin a short series talking about the saint of the day and others whom I would like to introduce. I hope that, through their examples, each of these meditations will strengthen us in following Christ. After a brief biography, I will share some reflections on their legacy.
Those who prefer to follow the meditation on the day’s reading or Gospel will find the respective link at the end of each text.
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Lk 17:11-19
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then said Jesus, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 1And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
Lk 11:27-28
While Jesus was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
According to the traditional calendar, today we celebrated the Feast of the Motherhood of Mary. Throughout the centuries, the Church has held in high esteem the special vocation of the Mother of God and has rightly dedicated a special feast to her divine motherhood.
Lk 11:14-26
Jesus was driving out a devil and it was dumb; and it happened that when the devil had gone out the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed. But some of them said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he drives devils out.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Any kingdom which is divided against itself is heading for ruin, and house collapses against house. So, too, with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom last? – since you claim that it is through Beelzebul that I drive devils out. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I drive devils out, through whom do your own sons drive them out? They shall be your judges, then. But if it is through the finger of God that I drive devils out, then the kingdom of God has indeed caught you unawares.
Mal 3:13-18
“Your words have been stout against me, says the Lord. Yet you say, ‘How have we spoken against thee?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the good of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? Henceforth we deem the arrogant blessed; evildoers not only prosper but when they put God to the test they escape.’” Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another; the Lord heeded and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and thought on his name. “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. Read More
Lk 11:1-4
He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.”
The Lord’s Prayer, prayed today wherever Christians are present in the world, gives us a unique access to God and unites us as children of the same Father.
