‘It is not the beginning that is rewarded, but perseverance’ (Saint Catherine of Siena).
There is a very powerful proverb that says, ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions.’ It is a serious warning not to falter on the good path that has been taken or that one wishes to take. Sacred Scripture also gives us similar admonitions, with different formulations. It is always a matter of exhorting us to perseverance and constancy on the path of God.
Rom 2:3-11
Do you suppose, O man, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. Read More
‘Cultivate an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit so that all shadows in your life may vanish and He may guide you without hindrance’ (Inner Word).
What is our contribution to true peace, given that we have no external means to achieve it? True peace will only come when we live in harmony with God, because the root of discord comes from separation from God, that is, from sin.
“Without God’s grace, I could do nothing” (Saint Joan of Arc).
Saint Joan of Arc expresses a fundamental truth in a very simple way. She knows that she depends on God for everything. However, this dependence does not have the negative connotation we usually associate with this term when we refer to a situation that deprives us of our freedom.
Having meditated on the entire Gospel of Saint John and the Acts of the Apostles, and after turning our attention to the Holy Spirit in the context of Pentecost, I would like to focus on Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans over the next few weeks.
Of all his epistles, this is the most complete and is also known as the ‘Testament of Saint Paul’. We will not read the entire text, but only the most important passages that lend themselves to commentary.
I take this opportunity to recommend that you read this letter of Saint Paul in its entirety and thus put into practice the advice to read the Holy Scriptures daily, which is so beneficial.
“To live in love is to sail forever, spreading seeds of joy and peace in hearts” (Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus).
Saint Thérèse refers here to the work of the Holy Spirit through His seven gifts. When these are active in a soul, it begins to sail like a boat, as described so beautifully in ‘The Little Flower’. Before, the person had to row with their own strength, even though driven by the Holy Spirit. But now, under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit, her journey becomes easier.
If the gift of understanding enables us to penetrate the divine mysteries, the gift of wisdom grants us a “delightful” knowledge of God. “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” -exclaims the psalmist (Ps 34:8). First he invites us to taste, and only then to see.
The gift of wisdom gives us an experience of the heart, it allows us a glimpse of God’s love through the heart. That is why we say that it is a “spiritual tasting” of divine love.
“The Spirit explores the depths of everything, even the depths of God” (1 Cor 2:10)
While the gift of knowledge helps us to withdraw from the attraction of creatures, recognising in an inner sight their nothingness (inasmuch as they were created out of nothing), and makes us realise that all life and beauty proceed from God; the gift of understanding helps us to penetrate the mystery of God with the light of the Holy Spirit Himself.
Our understanding is not capable of penetrating the divine mysteries with the help of faith alone, even if we hold fast to the revealed truths. For faith is, on the one hand, a great light, but, on the other hand, it is still dark. It is a light in that it conveys to us the truth about God and about all that we need for the path of following Christ. But it does not allow us to penetrate into the mystery of God himself, nor to understand his Being from within. The knowledge of God remains somehow obscure. St. Paul directs our gaze to eternity, where we will see God face to face:
‘I have often heard it said in retreats and on other occasions that an innocent soul never loves God as much as a repentant soul. How I long to prove that this is not true!’ (Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus).
