Today we have reached the eleventh day of our Lenten itinerary, which prepares us throughout these forty days for the great Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord. Today we will continue to develop the theme of the fight against vices. Read More
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THANK THE FATHER WITH JOY
260th Meditation
When we begin to give heartfelt thanks to our Father, we go deeper and deeper into the reality of our existence. We discover more and more how much He has given us. Everything that we often take for granted, becomes from this perspective a reason for us to thank the Father unceasingly and joyfully, and enables us to grow in the awareness of His love for us. Read More
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 10: The struggle against gluttony
Yesterday we reflected on the passage of the purification of the Temple, and then applied it to our “inner temple,” which also requires purification.
At the beginning of our “Lenten itinerary” I quoted the prayer of St. Nicholas of Flüe, the first part of which said, “My Lord and my God, detach me from everything that distances me from You.” This affirmation synthesizes the so-called “purgative way” in the spiritual journey. Read More
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 9: The Purification of the Temple
Having heard in yesterday’s reading how the “wrath of the Lord” because of the wickedness of the City of Nineveh was appeased by the penitence of its inhabitants, so that the punishment did not fall on them, it is fitting that today we meditate on the passage of the purification of the Temple (Mt 21:12-13), which was the Gospel of the Traditional Mass two days ago. Read More
THE LONG-SUFFERING OF THE FATHER
259th Meditation
“The Lord is tenderness and pity, slow to anger, full of faithful love” (Ps 145:8).
One of the wonderful qualities of our Father is His long-suffering. He waits patiently for us. Again and again He offers people the possibility of conversion, and He fights until the last moment to save them. Read More
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 8: The Conversion of Nineveh
Following the lectionary of the Novus Ordo, today’s reading tells us the story of Jonah and the city of Nineveh (Jn 3:1-10). Its inhabitants were converted and consequently exempted from the punishment that would have befallen them.
Let us take this passage of Holy Scripture to heart during our Lenten journey and try to bring it up to date. Read More
THE FEAR OF THE LORD
258th Meditation
“Come, my children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Ps 34:11) – the psalmist tells us, and the Book of Proverbs stresses, “The first principle of wisdom is the fear of the Lord” (Prov 9:10).
We know the fear of God as one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. It teaches us a great gentleness in our relationship with God, which will later also have an effect on our relationship with our neighbour. Read More
THOSE WHO LOOK TO HIM ARE RADIANT
257th Meditation
“Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed” (Ps 34:4).
When we always try to raise our eyes to the Father, our whole life is illuminated and transfigured by His light. Life becomes transparent, because when we live consciously under the gaze of our Father, nothing impure can resist. St. Benedict urged his monks to live always in the awareness of God’s presence. Read More
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 7: “The Word of God is our light”
In both the Traditional Rite and the Novus Ordo today’s reading proclaims this passage from the Prophet Isaiah about the Word of God:
“As the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return before having watered the earth, fertilising it and making it germinate to provide seed for the sower and food to eat, so it is with the word that goes from my mouth: it will not return to me unfulfilled or before having carried out my good pleasure and having achieved what it was sent to do” (Is 55:10-11). Read More
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 6: Shepherds for the sheep
The reading read today at the Traditional Mass (Ez 34:11-16) is preceded by the Lord’s accusation against the shepherds of Israel: “For lack of a shepherd they have been scattered, to become the prey of all the wild animals; they have been scattered.” (v. 5). There were no shepherds left to tend the flock. Those who had been appointed only shepherded themselves (v. 8). Read More