For those who would prefer to listen to a meditation on the gospel of the day:
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EVERYTHING COMES FROM OUR FATHER
“When the soul contemplates something beautiful and charming, let it consider how much more beautiful, charming, and good is the One who made it. In this way, it will turn directly toward the One who created everything. If it hears a sweet melody or something else that delights it, let it say, ‘Oh! How lovely must be the voice of the One who will one day call you, and from whom all the grace and harmony of the voice emanate.’” (St. Mechthild of Magdeburg)
“I LET MYSELF BE EASILY FOUND”
“I let Myself be easily found, because I am here and in you” (Inner Word).
The masters of spiritual life remind us again and again that we can find God within ourselves. And this is so because the Lord Himself assured us: “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (Jn 14:23).
Agnes in the wake of the Lamb (Part 1): Bride of Christ
For those who would prefer to listen to a meditation on the gospel of the day:
CARRY ALL PEOPLE IN YOUR HEART
“Carry all people in your heart and bring them to Me.” (Inner Word)
How is it possible to fulfill this word? We need only think of our Heavenly Father. He carries all people in His heart and knows them all by name. Without a doubt, He wants to save them all and lead them home to Himself. To this end, He sent His Son.
In the school of the Fathers of the desert (IV): The Struggle for Purity
During the last three meditations, we developed an indirect advice given to us by St. Anthony Abbot, a wise desert father. In this context, we reflected on the combat in what we hear, speak and look at, and saw how necessary it is to place these important areas of human life under God’s dominion and to defend them against multiple attacks.
“He who sits in the desert and seeks to have a calm heart, has been spared from three combats: that of listening, that of speech and that of sight. He has only one battle left to fight: the battle against impurity”.
So, it now remains for us to deal with the struggle against impurity, which is one of the most difficult combats for man. It does not only refer to impurity on the bodily level; it also refers to disordered inclinations on the spiritual and psychological level. But this time we will focus on the bodily dimension.
HUMILITY IS THE TRUTH
“Humility is the truth; it puts us back in our true place, because, in reality, what are we before God?” (Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini).
Humility is truth and, therefore, awakens us to a real vision of our life. How absurd pride is, which clouds our vision and, over time, blinds us! Just think of the fallen angel, who became intoxicated with his own beauty and, in his delirium, rebelled against our Heavenly Father.
In the school of the Fathers of the desert (III): The combat in what we look at
Let us meditate once more on these words of St. Anthony Abbot:
“He who sits in the desert and seeks to have a calm heart, has been spared from three combats: that of listening, that of speech and that of sight. He has only one battle left to fight: the battle against impurity”.
The last two days, we had reflected on the fight against what we hear and what we speak. Today, we will devote ourselves to the struggle in relation to what we look at.
In the school of the Fathers of the desert (II): The combat in what we speak
In today’s meditation, we continue the theme we had begun yesterday, in memory of Saint Anthony Abbot. Let us listen again to the words of this father of the desert, to continue to describe the combat that we Christians are called to wage:
“He who sits in the desert and seeks to be calm of heart, has been spared from three combats: the combat of listening, the combat of speech and the combat of sight. He has only one battle left to fight: the battle against impurity”.
Yesterday we had reflected on listening; today we will meditate on the combat in speaking. St. Anthony, being in the desert, learned to be silent. But, according to his words, he also cultivated a calmness of heart, by which he means an inner recollection, a peace that grows as we live in trusting dialogue with God and focus totally on Him.
VICTORIOUS LOVE
“Do not despair when others reject or even hate you. Remain in love, as I have always been. Then you may win them over.” (Inner Word)
It is certainly difficult to bear when other people reject us. For we were brought into being out of love by our Heavenly Father, and we were created for love. On this path of love, our lives unfold in true harmony. In a way, the rejection and hatred of others call our very existence into question. And this is even more intense when it comes from people who are close to us or once were close to us.