1 Thess 1:5c-10
Brothers: You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit; so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedo′nia and in Acha′ia. Read More
491st Meditation
“Have the courage to be as I have created you and as I want to form you. Then I will live in you and take form in your life” (Inner Word).
It is not uncommon for people to feel pressured by various expectations that others have of them, of how they think they should be. But these ideals, whether of certain people or of society in general, are not necessarily helpful in finding one’s own identity. One may also have created images of how one thinks one should be in the eyes of others. All these expectations can become a great pressure, especially if it is a fictitious identity that does not correspond to the deepest essence of the person. Thus, the person can reach the point of living in the constant tension of having to fulfill an ideal that is not their true identity. This can also happen in the religious sphere. Read More
490th Meditation
“Divine Father, infinite goodness poured out on all peoples, may You be known, honoured and loved by all men!” (Antiphon of the Office to God the Father).
When the peace of our Father descends like dew on the earth and penetrates souls, when people begin to know, honor and love God, they also become receptive to His goodness poured out on all peoples. Read More
Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles
Eph 2:19-22
Brothers: you are no longer aliens or foreign visitors; you are fellow-citizens with the holy people of God and part of God’s household. You are built upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets, and Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone. Every structure knit together in him grows into a holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built up into a dwelling-place of God in the Spirit. Read More
Rom 7:18-25
‘And really, I know of nothing good living in me – in my natural self, that is – for though the will to do what is good is in me, the power to do it is not: the good thing I want to do, I never do; the evil thing which I do not want – that is what I do. But every time I do what I do not want to, then it is not myself acting, but the sin that lives in me. So I find this rule: that for me, where I want to do nothing but good, evil is close at my side.
489th Meditation
“Divine Father, sweet hope of our souls, may You be known, honoured and loved by all men!” (Antiphon of the Office to God the Father)
This antiphon summarizes the great desire expressed by the Father in the message to Mother Eugenia Ravasio. It can become for us an unceasing petition to God, asking Him to lead people to this decisive conclusion. Read More
Rom 6:19-23
I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness for sanctification. When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But then what return did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
488th Meditation
“There must be a total transformation, a complete renewal of the human mind by the Holy Spirit” (Inner Word).
Once we feel secure in the love of our Father and, although we are aware of our limitations, weaknesses and defeats, we regain our freedom in the “ocean of His love”, it is precisely this love that wants to transform us. Indeed, we must not remain children forever, but mature into adulthood and become collaborators in the Kingdom of God. Read More
Rom 6:12-18
‘That is why you must not allow sin to reign over your mortal bodies and make you obey their desires; or give any parts of your bodies over to sin to be used as instruments of evil. Instead, give yourselves to God, as people brought to life from the dead, and give every part of your bodies to God to be instruments of uprightness; and then sin will no longer have any power over you – you are living not under law, but under grace. What is the implication? That we are free to sin, now that we are not under law but under grace? Out of the question! You know well that if you undertake to be somebody’s slave and obey him, you are the slave of him you obey: you can be the slave either of sin which leads to death, or of obedience which leads to saving justice.
487th Meditation
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Mt 22:37).
If we want to follow the loving invitation of our Father and try to center all our thoughts on Him, it is important to keep in our memory the works and the Word of God. When we meditate on the Psalms, for example, we will see that time and again the works of God are praised and admired with wonder and gratitude. If we internalize certain passages of the psalms, they can resonate within us as a “heart prayer,” keeping our souls awake in remembrance of the Lord. We should also turn everything that happens to us and that we see around us into a praise of God. Read More
