LOSS OF THE SACRED

“The Church is losing the memory of the sacred, which it had cultivated with such care for so many centuries” (Inner Word).

One of the dangers of modernist trends and all kinds of innovations in the Holy Church is the growing loss of the sense of the sacred and the transcendent. This memory fades when proper gestures of reverence are neglected, and when it is believed that, to be considerate of Christians of other denominations, one must avoid anything that might scandalize them rather than explain it to them.

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THE ADVENT JOURNEY – Day 10: “The Word of God”

Internalizing our faith is one of the decisive elements for God’s grace to unfold abundantly in our lives.

Faith must be internalized so that it consists of more than just outward gestures and actions—not to detract from the importance and value of the latter—but is also deeply rooted in our hearts. In this way, we forge a rich interior life in union with God, an interior life that is always present and growing.

God offers us various ways of internalization.

First, we must assimilate the Word of God more deeply. Scripture says of Mary that she pondered the Word in her heart (cf. Lk 2:19). To do so, we must read the Word of God daily. It is our spiritual nourishment that enlightens our understanding and illuminates our hearts (Psalm 119:105).

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NIGHT EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE  

“Each day has its own mission. At Compline, examine whether you have fulfilled it” (Inner Word).

Certainly, these words are addressed primarily to those who live according to the spiritual order of monasteries or religious communities. However, they are also fruitful and applicable to anyone who desires to lead a serious spiritual life and walk each day hand in hand with the Lord.

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THE ADVENT JOURNEY – Day 9: “The Holy Rosary”

On this day, when we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, it is very appropriate to talk about the Holy Rosary, a classic Christian meditation closely associated with the Virgin Mary.

In fact, she carried the Lord in her womb and in her heart. If we want Jesus to be born more deeply in our hearts, she, being our spiritual Mother, will gladly help us. What pleases her most is that we listen to her Son and allow Him to dwell in our hearts. Her joy is to see Jesus taking shape in our lives. What mother would not want her child to receive the respect, love, and attention He deserves? How much more does this apply to the Mother of God, whose Son brings us salvation!

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THE ADVENT JOURNEY – Day 8: “The birth of Jesus in our Hearts”  

When reflecting on Advent, we can speak of three comings of the Lord:

  1. His historical coming, when He was born in Bethlehem;
  2. His birth in our hearts;
  3. His glorious coming at the End of Time.

In this second week of Advent, we will reflect on the second of these: the presence of Jesus in our hearts. Indeed, it is essential that He also dwell in our hearts, for this is how our inner transformation takes place. Letting Jesus into our hearts means giving Him shelter, making room for God’s love in our souls.

We also experience this in our human relationships: when someone occupies a place in our hearts, it means they have become part of our lives, that we are also part of theirs, and that we think of them with love and gratitude. In a way, that person is present in us, even if we are not in constant contact.

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TIMES OF TRIAL  

“Do not be discouraged if someone rejects or hates you. Remain in love as I always did. Perhaps, in this way, you can win their hearts.” (Inner Word)

On our journey, we may encounter people who reject us or even hate us. If we remain faithful in increasingly anti-Christian times, this can happen very easily—especially if we are unwilling to make concessions regarding faith and morals and stand firm in our convictions. These are moments of trial in which we can demonstrate our love for God, but also moments in which, with God’s grace, we can rise above ourselves.

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THE ADVENT JOURNEY – Day 7: “The birth of the Lord is near”

“But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Gal 4:4–5)

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to the Virgin Mary in Nazareth, and this was a decisive moment in the history of salvation. In His love, God chose from among His people the person to whom He would entrust His own Son. She was a woman who, as we know with certainty thanks to the dogma of the Catholic Church, was preserved by God from original sin.

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I WILL EMBRACE YOU FROM THE CROSS

“Contemplate attentively with the eyes of your spirit how I hang from the cross, with My arms outstretched so that I can embrace you every time you come to Me” (Dionysius the Carthusian).

There, on the cross of His Son, the Father revealed to us the depth of His love. The Redeemer’s invitation, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28), comes from the depths of the Father’s heart and makes us understand that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).

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THE ADVENT JOURNEY – Day 6: Bethlehem in the Light of the Prophecies

God keeps alive the longing for salvation in His people.

The tragedy of experiencing one’s own sin, the shortcomings of life, the longing for fulfillment, the longing for the life God intended for us—in short, the longing for God Himself… In the face of all this, the prophets come to remind us: He who will save Israel and the nations will come!

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in travail has brought forth; then the rest of his brethren shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And this shall be peace.” (Micah 5:2–5a)

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