Showing all posts in January 2023

214th Meditation 

“Without trials God’s providence is not seen, and you cannot obtain boldness before God, nor learn the wisdom of the Spirit, nor can divine longing be established in you” (Isaac of Syria).

Temptation, suffering and persecution are some of the most difficult lessons in our journey of following the Lord. It is not easy for us to reconcile them with the tender love of our Father, even though we know that it always enfolds us and has been assured to us in so many ways. Who would willingly choose to carry such a cross? Read More

213th Meditation 

“Someone says to me: ‘I seek to understand in order to believe’. I reply: ‘Believe in order to understand’.” (St. Augustine).

Not everything is accessible to our understanding. Particularly faith is revealed to us first of all through the supernatural light of the Holy Spirit, rather than through the efforts of reason. Our intellect needs divine light in order to penetrate more deeply into the mysteries of faith. In this context, we are reminded of the words that Jesus, filled with joy in the Holy Spirit, exclaimed: “I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children” (Lk 10:21). Read More

212th Meditation 

“Go forward calmly into the dark future. Know that in this dark night you walk at the hand of a loving God” (St. Arnold Janssen).

These words give us clear direction. Whatever may be and no matter what happens, the hand of our loving God will not let go of us. In this certainty we must be grounded, without being tempted to focus too much on the darkness of the present time and that which may yet come, for then we would already be absorbed by it. Read More

211th Meditation 

“He who strives to conform himself to the truth and is not so much concerned about how people treat or esteem him, finds his serenity in God” (Blessed Henry Suso).

These words help us to overcome the human respects we often still have. Indeed, it will not please our Father if, instead of keeping our eyes fixed on Him, we are too preoccupied with what people think or say. How we lose our freedom when our soul is constantly busy with the real or supposed judgement of people! Read More

210th Meditation

“We gain more in a single day by trials which come to us from God and our neighbor, than we would in ten years by penances and other exercises, which we take up of ourselves” (St. Teresa of Avila).

Let us pay close attention to what a teacher of the spiritual life says, because her advice will help us to better understand God’s ways for us and we will be able to draw the appropriate conclusions for our following of the Lord. Read More