“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Is 12:3).
These words of the prophet convey to us the consolation that our Heavenly Father promises to His faithful people. They are taken from the so‑called “Song of Thanksgiving of the Rescued.” The fountains of salvation are overflowing.
We continue yesterday’s reflection on the virtue of chastity.
In an age marked by constant sensory overload, everyone must be extremely vigilant in order to protect the virtue of chastity—both externally and internally.
Scripture reminds us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit:
“Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor 6:20)
We glorify God in our bodies when we live in chastity and serve God in this way.
“Be at peace! God loves you. If only the world could see the beauty of a soul in a state of grace! All sinners and unbelievers would convert on the spot.” (Padre Pio)
What would sinners and unbelievers see? They would surely see the incredible love with which God created and redeemed humanity, and how this love is revealed in a soul living in a state of grace. It would certainly be a light overflowing onto mankind, opening eyes.
The Catholic Church knows many saints and honors them in its feasts. I have decided to remember some lesser‑known saints. Today’s saint came from a noble family in France and was consecrated bishop of Lodève on February 4, 949. He served as bishop for 57 years and devoted himself entirely to the sanctification of his flock. He opposed vice, abolished abuses, and established the reign of godliness everywhere. His all‑embracing love always showed him ways to meet the needs of the sick and the poor in his diocese. Moved by the love he had for consecrated persons, he founded the monastery of St. Salvator, restored several others, and led all spiritual communities to discipline and order. He also did great good for churches and hospitals. God confirmed the people’s belief in His holiness through miracles performed at the tomb of His faithful servant. Around the year 1127, his body was exhumed and remained intact until 1572, when the Huguenots threw it into the fire.
“Everything that is given to us in this life is only for our use and is given to us on loan.” (St. Catherine of Siena)
1 Kgs 11:4-13
When Solomon grew old his wives swayed his heart to other gods; and his heart was not wholly with Yahweh his God as his father David’s had been. Solomon became a follower of Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and of Milcom, the Ammonite abomination. He did what was displeasing to Yahweh, and was not a wholehearted follower of Yahweh, as his father David had been. Then it was that Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mountain to the east of Jerusalem, and to Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who offered incense and sacrifice to their gods. Yahweh was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from Yahweh, God of Israel, who had twice appeared to him and had forbidden him to follow other gods; but he did not carry out Yahweh’s order. Yahweh therefore said to Solomon, ‘Since you have behaved like this and have not kept my covenant or the laws which I laid down for you, I shall tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. For your father David’s sake, however, I shall not do this during your lifetime, but shall tear it out of your son’s hands. Even so, I shall not tear the whole kingdom from him. For the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen, I shall leave your son one tribe.’ Read More
Rev 11:19;12:1,10
God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Read More
“What status one has in this life is unimportant. In truth, we are only what we are in the eyes of God.” (St. Francis de Sales)
These are words meant to lead us into freedom—the freedom our Father has given us. How vain it is to rely on external things as though they determined our worth as persons! What dependencies we fall into when, instead of looking to God and letting Him determine our worth, we seek the praise of the world and adopt its standards. This applies to the religious sphere as well.
“Remain faithful and attentive to me even in the smallest things. This will strengthen your power!” (Interior word)
Lk 10:38-42
‘In the course of their journey he came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha, who was distracted with all the serving, came to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me. ‘But the Lord answered, ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said, ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her.’
