Elija

THE DARK RAVINES

Elija17th July 202316th July 2023

396th Meditation

“Even were I to walk in a ravine as dark as death I should fear no danger, for you are at my side. Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me” (Ps 23:4).

After having lost Paradise with the fall into sin, life on earth does not always take place in the bright sunshine, as we have certainly all had to experience. We also have to pass through dark glens, which make us fearful. However, Jesus assures us: “In the world you will have hardship, but be courageous: I have conquered the world” (Jn 16:33). Read More

In Biblical Meditations

God first

Elija17th July 202316th July 2023

Mt 10:34-11:1

At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to set son against father, daughter against mother, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law; a person’s enemies will be the members of his own household. ‘No one who prefers father or mother to me is worthy of me. Read More

In Biblical Meditations

The importance of the Word of God

Elija16th July 202316th July 2023

Mt 13:1-23

That same day, Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the shore, and he told them many things in parables. He said, ‘Listen, a sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Read More

In 3 Minutes for God the Father

FREEDOM IN GOD

Elija16th July 202315th July 2023

395th Meditation

“You must not fear as slaves the Father who loves you to the end” (Inner Word).

We can imagine how it feels when we love someone with all our heart and are ready to do everything possible for that person, but he or she is afraid of us and behaves as if being oppressed by us. This hurts and we feel misunderstood! Moreover, a true relationship of love and trust cannot develop in such circumstances. Read More

In Biblical Meditations

St. Bonaventure: the Seraphic Doctor

Elija15th July 202314th July 2023

Eph 3:14-19

‘This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before the Father, from whom every fatherhood, in heaven or on earth, takes its name.

In 3 Minutes for God the Father

SERENITY IN GOD

Elija15th July 202314th July 2023

394th Meditation

“He who strives to conform himself to the truth and does not care so much about how people treat or esteem him, finds his serenity in God” (Blessed Henry Suso).

“Serenity in God” is the great theme of the German mystic Henry Suso. It refers to that profound peace that springs from trust in the goodness of God. Read More

In Biblical Meditations

The sound doctrine

Elija14th July 202313th July 2023

NOTE: In the traditional calendar, St. Bonaventure is celebrated today. We will therefore listen to the reading of his memorial:

2 Tim 4:1-8

Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I charge you, in the name of his appearing and of his kingdom: proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it.

In 3 Minutes for God the Father

THE BELOVED ABODE OF THE FATHER

Elija14th July 202313th July 2023

393rd Meditation

“My God, Trinity whom I adore (…), pacify my soul; make it your heaven, your beloved abode and the place of your repose. May I never leave you alone in it, but may I be there entirely, fully awake in my faith, in adoration, surrendered without reserve to your creative action” (St. Elizabeth of the Trinity). Read More

In 3 Minutes for God the Father

GOD IS THE SAME

Elija13th July 202312th July 2023

392nd Meditation

“Nothing should you consider as an obstacle on the way to the Lord. Do not pay so much attention to whether you are enthusiastic or discouraged. It is part of our condition of exile to change thus from one state of mind to the next. At such times, believe that He never changes, that in His goodness He always bends over you to draw you in and shelter you” (St. Elizabeth of the Trinity). Read More

In Biblical Meditations

The urgency of proclaiming the Gospel

Elija13th July 202312th July 2023

NOTE: Since in recent years I have already meditated on most of the biblical texts of the liturgical calendar, I sometimes have recourse to the readings of the traditional calendar when it comes to passages that are very important to me. The Gospel I have chosen today, taken from the Votive Mass for the Propagation of the Faith, is one of them, since it deals with a very topical theme, as I will point out towards the end of this meditation.