The legacy of St. Francis de Sales

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Ps 37:3-4,5-6,30-31

Put your trust in the Lord and do right, make your home in the land and live secure. Make the Lord your joy and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit your destiny to the Lord, be confident in him, and he will act, making your uprightness clear as daylight, and the justice of your cause as the noon. Wisdom comes from the lips of the upright, and his tongue speaks what is right; the law of his God is in his heart, his foot will never slip.  Read More

Blessed Henry Suso’s advice for the spiritual life

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Today we are celebrating the memory of Blessed Henry Suso, who is perhaps less well known in the universal Church than in the German-speaking countries. He is a reliable spiritual teacher, and we know how much we are in need of spiritual teachers in these times, which unfortunately are becoming more and more scarce. Therefore, it becomes all the more important to let speak and listen to those teachers who have been given to the Church and who are part of her incorruptible treasure. Let us listen, then, to one of Blessed Henry Suso’s phrases for today’s meditation:

“A serene man must not occupy himself at all times with what he still lacks; rather, he must ask himself what else he could do without.” Read More

FAMILIARITY WITH GOD

220th Meditation

“I created you in My image, so that you should find nothing strange when you talk on familiar terms with your Father, your Creator and your God. For you have become the children of My fatherly and divine love through My merciful goodness” (Father’s Message to Sister Eugenia Ravasio).

The close contact with our Divine Father is a source of constant joy for us human beings, and indeed it is an essential part of our life; moreover, it is our life. Read More

The true unity

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1 Cor 1:10-13,17

Brothers, I urge you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, not to have factions among yourselves but all to be in agreement in what you profess; so that you are perfectly united in your beliefs and judgements. From what Chloe’s people have been telling me about you, brothers, it is clear that there are serious differences among you. Read More

DIVINE REWARD

219th Meditation

“We serve a great and exalted king, who pays His servants not with regal or imperial, but with divine reward” (St. Arnold Janssen).

Kings and emperors can only repay our services with worldly rewards, with things which they can dispose of, but which are fleeting. What they can offer us is only a share in their earthly power or honour. God, on the other hand, repays each of our services with divine reward, making us partakers of His immortality, of His imperishable being. Read More

“THE CHRISTIAN IS BORN TO FIGHT” (POPE LEO XIII)

218th Meditation

“The fiercer the battle, the surer the victory, with God’s help” (Pope Leo XIII).

Day by day and at different levels, the Father makes us fight this battle. For the duration of our pilgrimage towards the glorious vision of God in eternity, the battle is our constant companion. Blessed are those who engage in it and take their place in the “army of the Lamb”! Read More

TRUE JOY

217th Meditation

“The only reason to be afraid to surrender your whole life to God is to believe that your own project is better” (Esther Maria Magnis).

The author of this sentence describes very well what might prevent us from abandoning ourselves completely to our Heavenly Father. Indeed, there can be no reason, neither of our understanding nor of faith and love, that could discourage us from entrusting ourselves to our loving Father. What, then, makes us hesitate to follow His invitation, as befits love and truth? Read More