Solemnity of the Annunciation: “A great love story”

Lk 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favor! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.

Read More

I WILL COME VERY CLOSE TO YOU

“My presence among you is like the sun on the earth. If you are well disposed to receive Me, I will come very close to you, enter into you, light you up and warm you with My infinite love” (The Father’s message to Sister Eugenia Ravasio).

On a natural level, the sun gives us light and warmth, awakening us to life. It is a wonderful gift from God. The Father uses this example to compare it with His presence and His work in our midst. Read More

Draw near to the living stone

We will listen to yesterday’s reading from the traditional calendar:

1 Pe 2:1-10

So put away all malice and all guile and insincerity and envy and all slander. Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation; for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God’s sight chosen and precious; and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  Read More

The obligation to bear witness

Acts 4:13-21

They were astonished at the fearlessness shown by Peter and John, considering that they were uneducated laymen; and they recognised them as associates of Jesus; but when they saw the man who had been cured standing by their side, they could find no answer. So they ordered them to stand outside while the Sanhedrin had a private discussion. Read More

The missionary mandate

We will listen to the gospel corresponding to this day according to the traditional calendar:

Mt 28:16-20

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

Read More

GOD’S WORK OF ART

“The more I know You, the more I love You. The more I come to know You, the more kindly You reveal Yourself. Oh, what an unfathomable, perfect and pure treasure you are” (Blessed Henry Suso).

In these words a loving soul is revealed to us. Henry Suso is a German mystic († 1366), one of those saints who speak from their inner experience with our Father, one of those souls who have tasted the sweet fragrance of divine love and lived in intimate union with God.

But this experience is not reserved for a few privileged souls, but God wants to enter into this relationship of love with each one of us. We need to taste and see how good the Lord is (Ps 34:9), to experience how His love seeks us and wants to draw us to Himself.

When we begin to feel at home in this love, we discover how loving God is; with what tenderness, gentleness and at the same time firmness He shapes our soul, molding it according to the face of His Son. How great is His joy when we become more and more like the image in which He created us (Gen 1:27)! How our Father rejoices in His children!

When, thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit, we have become more and more obedient to His will, when the most serious distortions and disfigurements caused by sin have been healed in our being, when our stubborn self-will has yielded to the gentle voice of the Spirit, when our vanities have become a nuisance to us and pride has revealed its nothingness, our Father begins to complete His work of art with the greatest tenderness and care.

His love has already conquered our heart, and now He begins to work to make it like His heart. We begin to perceive God’s presence so lovingly that we cannot and will not deny Him anything. And every response of love increases the love until it reigns over us without restraint.

The necessity of instruction

We will listen the reading for this day again according to the traditional calendar:

Acts 8:26-40

But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert road.  And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship  and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.  

Read More

STAY WITH ME; I GUIDE YOU

“Stay with me; I love you! – Stay with me; I keep you! – Stay with me; I guide you; I am your Father” (inner word).

Once again we are invited to stay with our Father. He wants to take the reins of our life. To be under His guidance means to concretely follow His indications in daily life, to find the “golden thread” and thus to act according to His plan in the most intimate union with Him.

Read More