THE BOND OF LOVE WITH GOD

“The bond of love is stronger than the tie with which nature has so strongly bound parents to their children” (St. Bernard of Clairvaux).

No doubt St Bernard, the great lover of God, was referring to the bond of love with God. And since this link is stronger than that of blood, it is possible to leave one’s family behind when it comes to responding to one’s vocation and to dedicate oneself entirely to the bond of love with God. Indeed, this bond is indestructible and bears the greatest fruit. It also creates new bonds between those who have put God first and nothing before the love of the Heavenly Father.

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MEDITATIONS FOR LENT: “Introduction to discretion”  

A clarification for all those who listen to my daily meditations and have accompanied us on this journey through the Gospel of John up to the moment when Pilate, the Roman procurator, yielded to the pressure of Jesus’ enemies and handed Him over to be crucified: as I mentioned in yesterday’s meditation, since the subsequent passages would have led directly to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of the Lord, I have decided to postpone them until they coincide with the events we commemorate in the liturgical seasons that are approaching.

The series on the Gospel of John has been a very fruitful journey with the Lord, one that has brought great joy and gratitude for all that He has done to glorify His beloved Father and for our salvation. His holy words and instructions to the disciples and to all those who listened with open hearts left a deep impression.

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THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN (Jn 19:13-16): “We have no king but Caesar”      

When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, and in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

This is the hour of the ultimate betrayal of the Lord who came to redeem humanity. It is a betrayal of God and man, for how can the creature loved by God kill its Creator?

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A FREE SOUL

“Love transforms souls and sets them free” (Saint Bernard of Clairvaux).

This is the extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit who has been poured into our hearts and brings about their transformation. We know His seven gifts, which serve our sanctification.

Indeed, it is love that makes us receptive to all that God wants to give us, because “God is love” (1 Jn 4:16b).

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LOVE GOD WITHOUT MEASURE

“Shall I tell you why and how we should love God? In a word, the reason for loving God is simply God Himself, and the measure is to love Him without measure” (St Bernard of Clairvaux).

St Bernard hit the nail on the head! Surely we could find countless reasons why we should love God, and we would never finish listing them. But they all boil down to the fact that we love God simply because He is God, and we love our Father for who He is. As we discover this more and more, we will cry out from the depths of our hearts: “O God, I thank you for being our Father and for being as you are”.

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THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN (Jn 19:1-12): “Pilate wants to free Jesus”      

Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe; they came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again, and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no crime in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no crime in him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he has made himself the Son of God.”

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THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN (Jn 18:25-40): “The true King”  

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “Are not you also one of his disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a kinsman of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it; and at once the cock crowed.Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was early. They themselves did not enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered him, “If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have handed him over.” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.” This was to fulfil the word which Jesus had spoken to show by what death he was to die.

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THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN (Jn 18:12-24): “The right attitude towards religious authorities”      

So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him. First they led him to Annas; for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had given counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. As this disciple was known to the high priest, he entered the court of the high priest along with Jesus, while Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the maid who kept the door, and brought Peter in. The maid who kept the door said to Peter, “Are not you also one of this man’s disciples?” He said, “I am not.” Now the servants[a] and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves; Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

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THE VIGILANCE OF GOD

“He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence” (Ps 91:3).

Although we are undoubtedly safe under the wings of our Father and Jesus watches over His own, as the Gospel of John assures us (17:12), our life is still surrounded by dangers. Not for nothing does Scripture warn us that “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). Therefore, we must be vigilant in every way, lest we fall into the snares and traps that the enemy of our souls sets around us. But as we know, it is not only the devil who puts us in danger, but also our flesh and the world. Therefore, we must restrain our desires lest we fall into addictions, and remain vigilant lest we succumb to the seductive pleasures and vanities of this world.

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