“Drive away the grumbler. He does not act at My behest. Therefore pay no attention to him” (Inner Word).
The “grumbler” alludes to those spirits that try to disturb us on our path of following Christ. They influence our feelings and thoughts, trying to take over and disturb us in various ways.
Jn 15:26-16:4
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: When the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning. I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them. Read More
1 Jn 4:7-10
Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. Read More
“Truth claims its right, for without it neither my love nor my mercy can be understood” (Inner word).
Acts 16:1-10
From there he went to Derbe, and then on to Lystra, where there was a disciple called Timothy, whose mother was Jewish and had become a believer; but his father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him, and Paul, who wanted to have him as a travelling companion, had him circumcised. This was on account of the Jews in the locality where everyone knew his father was a Greek.
“He has made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (Rev 1:6).
Jn 14:6-14
Gospel on the Feast of the Apostles Philip and James
Jesus said: I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him. Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? ‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, so how can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? What I say to you I do not speak of my own accord: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works.
“You, my saints, have faced the struggle in the world; but I will give you the reward of your labors” (Antiphon in memory of Saints Odon, Mayolus, Odilo and Hugo, Monastic Diurnal).
The struggle is inevitable, and if we fight it in the right way, a great reward awaits us that only God can give.
Also in the message to Mother Eugenia, God the Father speaks of the reward we will receive if we fulfill His desire:
“And to you who will work for My glory and commit yourselves to making Me known, honoured and loved, I give the assurance that your reward will be great, because I will count everything, even the smallest effort you make, and I will reward you a hundredfold in eternity”.
This too is a battle, for the words of the Prologue of St. John continue to be fulfilled: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn 1:5).
It is always a time of battle, with the goal that the love of God will finally overcome all darkness: a battle within our soul, a battle against the powers of darkness, a battle against the seduction of this world, a battle to restrain our sensual appetites, a battle for evangelization, for perseverance in prayer, for the fulfillment of our daily duties.
But there are signs that the battle is becoming more and more fierce. It is directed against the impiety, the apostasy and the forgetfulness of God that we see in many parts of the world and which often goes hand in hand with a rebellion against the Christian faith.
In His message, God the Father responds to this alienation with an “offensive of love”. The martyrs remind us of the extent to which we can love our Father, even beyond our own lives. Total surrender is required of us. And the great reward that awaits us is intimate communion with God in eternity. There is nothing more certain or joyful!
Acts 15:7-21
After a long discussion, Peter stood up and addressed them. ‘My brothers,’ he said, ‘you know perfectly well that in the early days God made his choice among you: the gentiles were to learn the good news from me and so become believers. And God, who can read everyone’s heart, showed his approval of them by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as he had to us. God made no distinction between them and us, since he purified their hearts by faith.
“Hear, O daughter, consider, and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house; and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him” (Ps 45:10-11).
