Today we have reached the eleventh day of our Lenten itinerary, which prepares us throughout these forty days for the great Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord. Today we will continue to develop the theme of the fight against vices. But before we get into the subject, a brief reminder of the stages we have travelled so far on our journey:
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DO NOT STAGNATE
“I consider it impossible that love should be content to stagnate in the same place” (St. Teresa of Avila).
Surely we are all familiar with St. Paul’s wonderful “Hymn to Love,” which concludes: “Love never ends” (1 Cor 13:8).
St. Teresa’s words are in perfect harmony with this conclusion: love cannot remain stagnant in one place. Love drives us forward (cf. 2 Cor 5:14). It is the creative power of our Father that never ceases. Without causing the slightest anxiety, it penetrates our souls, builds there its holy temple, and never tires of completing its work of redemption and sanctification.
We know that if we allow ourselves to be moved by our Father’s love and respond to it with all our heart, it becomes a fire that never goes out. In contemplation, we can and should enjoy this love and rest in it to the extent that our Father grants us this joy during our earthly life. At the same time, the fire of love sets us going again, not allowing us to stagnate and live only for ourselves.
Let us think of a person in whom love for God has been awakened. Day after day he will try to deepen this love and cooperate with the creative, redeeming and healing work of our Father. God’s love urges us to seek all people. In the message to Mother Eugenia Ravasio, our Father shows us again and again how love moves Him to do everything for the salvation of humanity.
And because this is so, the Holy Spirit, who is love poured into our hearts and who is also the great evangelizer, will not allow us to stop, but will always exhort us to walk with Him. The more the fire of love is kindled in us, the more we will be able to make these words of St. Francis de Sales a reality:
“The Holy Spirit does not tolerate procrastination; He demands a prompt response to His motions”.
FINAL NOTE: Since we are now on a missionary journey in Brazil and Argentina, we will have recourse during this time to meditations from the past. God willing, I will be able to write new reflections after Easter.
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 10: “The struggle against gluttony”
Yesterday we reflected on the passage of the purification of the Temple, and then applied it to our “inner temple,” which also requires purification.
At the beginning of our “Lenten itinerary” I quoted the prayer of St. Nicholas of Flüe, the first part of which said, “My Lord and my God, detach me from everything that distances me from You.” This affirmation synthesizes the so-called “purgative way” in the spiritual journey.
ALL THINGS WORK FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE GOD
“For those who love God, He works all things for good. Even their misdeeds and errors God turns into good for them” (St. Augustine of Hippo).
THE CAPTAIN
A little boy was standing on the shore of a large lake, waving his arms to a ship that was already in full sail. A man came up to him and said, “Don’t be silly! Do you think the ship will change course just because you call it?” But sure enough, the ship turned toward the shore, docked, and took the boy aboard. As the boy climbed aboard, he said to the man, “No, sir, I’m not silly! The captain is my father.”
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 9: “The Purification of the Temple”
Having heard in yesterday’s reading how the “wrath of the Lord” because of the wickedness of the City of Nineveh was appeased by the penitence of its inhabitants, so that the punishment did not fall on them, it is fitting that today we meditate on the passage of the purification of the Temple (Mt 21:12-13), which was the Gospel of the Traditional Mass two days ago.
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 8: “The Conversion of Nineveh”
Following the lectionary of the Novus Ordo, today’s reading tells us the story of Jonah and the city of Nineveh (Jn 3:1-10). Its inhabitants were converted and consequently exempted from the punishment that would have befallen them.
Let us take this passage of Holy Scripture to heart during our Lenten journey and try to bring it up to date.
WE WILL BE AMAZED
“Most people have no idea what God could make of them if only they would place themselves at His disposal” (St. Ignatius of Loyola).
THE PALACE OF THE GREAT KING
“If I had understood then, as I do now, how this great King really dwells within this little palace of my soul, I should not have left Him alone so often” (St. Teresa of Avila).
St. Teresa arrives at an essential conclusion, which we should also immediately adhere to. In fact, this reality applies to every soul in a state of grace. The Blessed Trinity dwells in it and makes it His temple. If we accept the constant invitation of the Great King, His indwelling will become a constant source of life in us. In the depths of our soul we will listen attentively to our Father, we will dialog with Him, we will cultivate love…. Read More
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 7: “The Word of God is our light”
In both the Traditional Rite and the Novus Ordo today’s reading proclaims this passage from the Prophet Isaiah about the Word of God:
“As the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return before having watered the earth, fertilising it and making it germinate to provide seed for the sower and food to eat, so it is with the word that goes from my mouth: it will not return to me unfulfilled or before having carried out my good pleasure and having achieved what it was sent to do” (Is 55:10-11).