“Man’s life must change for the better from day to day” (St. Augustine).
When we walk the spiritual path, each day becomes a challenge to grow in love, which, according to Saint Paul, is the greatest of all gifts (1 Cor 13:13). In his Letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle to the Gentiles never tires of praising love in the most glorious terms, concluding with the exhortation: “Make love your aim” (1 Cor 14:1). Read More
Mt 25:14-30
At that time Jesus told his disciples this parable: “For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Read More
“Sin connected with humility is better than virtue without humility” (St Augustine).
At first sight, this may seem a bold statement by the great Augustine. However, we will understand it better if we look at it more closely. Read More
1 Cor 1:17-25
After all, Christ sent me not to baptise, but to preach the gospel; and not by means of wisdom of language, wise words which would make the cross of Christ pointless. The message of the cross is folly for those who are on the way to ruin, but for those of us who are on the road to salvation it is the power of God. As scripture says: I am going to destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of any who understand. Read More
Mk 6:14-29
King Herod had heard about him, since by now his name was well known. Some were saying, ‘John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’ Others said, ‘He is Elijah,’ others again, ‘He is a prophet, like the prophets we used to have.’ But when Herod heard this he said, ‘It is John whose head I cut off; he has risen from the dead.’ Now it was this same Herod who had sent to have John arrested, and had had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife whom he had married. For John had told Herod, ‘It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.’ As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him, but she was not able to do so, because Herod was in awe of John, knowing him to be a good and upright man, and gave him his protection.
“I will once again cast out the net of my love” (Inner Word).
Whoever has been engaged in the prayer of the heart for a long time and practices it regularly, will experience the joy that this prayer really brings to the soul. It becomes easy for us to withdraw into that “inner cell” which has been formed through prayer, precisely at those times when noise gets in the way and we are most exposed to the danger of distraction. But even if our surroundings are not so noisy, we can gladly withdraw to this “inner cell” to be alone with the Lord. With the passing of time, it becomes natural to us. Of course, to get there, we will have to follow the impulses of grace and cultivate interior prayer. Thus, it becomes a good spiritual habit to withdraw to prayer, finding, through it, our home in the Lord. Read More
“Morning by morning the Lord wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught” (Is 50:4).
The prayer of the heart-or Jesus prayer-requires a certain preparation. In this regard, let us listen again to Metropolitan Serafim Joanta:
“The dispositions for the Jesus prayer are, as for any other prayer, the following: To be at peace with one’s neighbor, to be free from excessive worries, a certain disposition of the soul, a quiet place…. No one can pray a pure prayer – that is, a prayer that is not tainted by extraneous thoughts, by external impressions of the senses and memories – as long as he is not at peace with his neighbor. The lack of forgiveness and the presence of discord fill us with negative forces that cloud the heart. The same is true of excessive worry. Read More
“Who among you walks in darkness and has no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God” (cf. Is 50:10b).
The Heavenly Father will sustain us in all of life’s situations, at all times, and wherever we are. Read More
