“Thou, o Lord, hast loosed my bonds” (Ps 116:16c).
How infinitely profound is our redemption, how immensely it brings us freedom!
On the contrary, how much sin binds us, how much we are attached to this fleeting life, how often we are captives in ourselves, not daring to place our life completely in God’s hands and thus live it to the full! Read More
Is 63:16b-17.19b; 64:2b-7
After all, you are our Father. If Abraham will not own us, if Israel will not acknowledge us, you, Lord, are our Father, ‘Our Redeemer’ is your name from of old. Why, Lord, do you let us wander from your ways and let our hearts grow too hard to fear you? Return, for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. We have long been like those you do not rule, people who do not bear your name. Oh, that you would tear the heavens open and come down — in your presence the mountains would quake.
“What shall I render to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” (Ps 116:12).
If we were to meditate on these words of the Psalm and try to answer the question posed here, we would realise that it is impossible to repay our Father – not even remotely – for all His immeasurable love and care for us. It is always we who are honoured and blessed by Him! Even if we loved God with all our heart, His love would still be greater.
“Yet, O Lord, thou art our Father” (Is 64:8).
What deep trust is reflected in these words! We will understand them even better if we read them in their full context, as we will do in tomorrow’s daily meditation.
It is the cry of a soul that recognizes its guilt and its waywardness, but does not give up and conquers the Heart of God.
In fact, it is through our trust that we can truly conquer the heart of God. Whatever happens, whatever situation we find ourselves in, we always have access to this way and to this intimacy that is manifested in these words: “Yet, O Lord, thou art our Father”.
Can or will our Father resist this trust? No! With it, we touch the depths of His Heart, where He wants to keep us, to feed us constantly with His inexhaustible love. The more we live in this trust and intimacy, activating it in the concrete situations of our lives, the more the Lord will respond, until we acquire a close and intimate relationship of love, a great light in the midst of an “unbelieving generation” (Mt 17:17) and a dark time.
“Yet, O Lord, thou art our Father”.
We can take this phrase as a companion on our journey, not only in those moments when we confess our deviations and transgressions, as in this passage from the prophet Isaiah, but also in all our efforts to fulfill the task entrusted to us in this world.
Indeed, we often find ourselves with unfinished tasks that we do not have control over and do not feel capable of overcoming. Then we should have recourse to these beautiful words: “Yet, O Lord, thou art our Father”, and I trust that you will bring all things to completion.
This maxim will help us to deepen the naturalness of our relationship with our Father and will give us wings to cooperate confidently in the Kingdom of God.
Lk 21:34-36
“Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened by debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will come upon you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come down on all those living on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to hold your ground before the Son of man”. Read More
“He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Lk 1:49).
We all know these words of the Magnificat, which Mary exclaimed, burning with love. They are words that will last for eternity!
Our Lady’s whole life bears witness to her election by our Heavenly Father. In eternity we will be able to penetrate even more deeply into the mystery of her choice and her “yes” to God’s will. This will be a source of unceasing joy for us! Read More
Lk 21:29-33
Jesus told them a parable, ‘Look at the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you can see for yourselves that summer is now near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near. In truth I tell you, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place. Sky and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Read More
