Throughout our Lenten journey, I have mentioned contemplative prayer several times. Even if not everyone gets to experience the various levels of contemplation, it is good to at least know what this form of prayer is all about. In addressing this topic, I will keep in mind that most people who listen to these meditations do not live in a monastery, fully immersed in a contemplative life. I hope that some aspects of this meditation on contemplation will be helpful in making our life and prayer even more receptive to God’s presence.
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THE ANSWER IS MYSELF
“I Myself have placed in the hearts of men the search for Me, and I Myself am the answer” (Inner Word).
Why does man seek?
Because the Father Himself has placed this longing in his heart and, according to the unforgettable words of St. Augustine, “our heart is restless until it rests in You” (Confessions, I, 1).
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 24: “Giving the right place to prophetic messages”
Today we take up again the theme of “private apparitions and revelations”. The latter are the messages received in apparitions or interior allocutions.
Yesterday I emphasized that we should pay attention to them, because – as long as they are authentic – they are guidelines given to us by the Lord, showing us a way and providing us with help in the concrete situation in which we find ourselves, whether at the level of the world or of the Church.
DO NOT PUT YOUR TRUST IN PRINCES
“Do not put your trust in princes,
in any child of Adam, who has no power to save. (…)
How blessed is he who has Jacob’s God to help him,
his hope is in the Lord his God” (Ps 146:3,5).
IN MY HEART IS YOUR HOME
“In my Heart you are at home, always and forever. There you find everything, even in the thickest darkness.”
To feel at home is a deeply rooted longing in man. Home is the place where he can be as he is, where he does not feel threatened, where he knows he is loved, where he finds his place….
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 23: “Listen to the prophets”
Today’s reading, taken from the Book of Jeremiah, reminds us to listen to the prophets. God speaks to us through them, to guide us back to the straight path. We know that, since He sent His own Son into the world, God speaks to us through Himself (Heb 1:1-2) and with the voice of the Church; however, it would be wrong to exclude the prophetic dimension altogether now. The Lord says to Jeremiah:
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 22: “Faithfulness to Tradition”
Let us begin today’s meditation by listening to the Lord’s words to His disciples in today’s Gospel:
“Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. In truth I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved. Therefore, anyone who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5:17-19).
I CANNOT HOLD BACK MY LOVE
“When I look into my Heart, I cannot hold back my love. It always wants to pour itself out on men, to envelop them and to give itself to them”.
How does the fire of love burn in our Father’s Heart, wanting to give itself to us!
This is what divine love is like: it always wants to give itself and never ceases. Certainly, one can close oneself to it. But this cannot diminish, much less extinguish the fire in the Heart of God. Even if we do not allow it to enter our heart so that it can bring us its light and warmth, the fire is not extinguished.
“God is love” (1 Jn 4:8) and possesses in Himself its fullness. It is an unquenchable flame. If God were not like this, He would not be our loving Father.
If we want to become persons full of love, burning with love, then we must draw near to this fire. To the extent that our heart is filled with the love of God – which is the Holy Spirit poured into our hearts (Rom 5:5) – to the extent that it is freed from disordered self-love and from all coldness, it will also become a source of love.
When God dwells in our hearts, illuminating even its innermost recesses, then His fire enkindles us and permeates us, wanting to pour Himself out on men also through us.
In this way, we become people who love and who now have a share in God’s longing for His own. The more we allow ourselves to be moved by His Spirit, the more perseveringly we will carry out the works of God and cast the nets of love.
LENTEN ITINERARY | Day 21: “The grace of the sacraments”
- The Holy Eucharist
In our spiritual journey, the holy sacraments of the Church deserve special attention, in particular the Holy Eucharist. It should be the high point of the Church’s life and belong naturally to our beloved Catholic identity.
TRUST ME UNRESERVEDLY
“Trust in me without reserve” – I heard one day in prayer.
The love of our Father invites us to trust Him unreservedly. There is nothing that God does not know; He knows us better than we know ourselves, He knows our heart:
“Lord, you examine me and know me,
you know when I sit, when I rise,
you understand my thoughts from afar. Read More