Showing all posts in 3 Minutes for God the Father

“How wonderful heaven must be, that God undertakes such a meticulous purification of souls!” (Catherine of Siena)

These words come to us from St. Catherine of Siena, who would know, for she was deeply united with our Lord and was elevated to the rank of Doctor of the Church.

She approaches the topic of necessary purification before death in the right way, with an eye toward eternity. In order to enter the glory of Heaven, we must be completely purified—nothing of the filth of sin and its consequences can or should be taken into the Kingdom of Eternal Love.

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“Martyrdom is not only dying for the faith. Martyrdom also consists in serving God with love and purity of heart every day of one’s life.” (St. Jerome)

With these words of St. Jerome, we are all invited to undergo—or rather, to carry out—the martyrdom of love every day, if you will. Not only does the highly esteemed martyrdom of blood for the holy faith shine with a bright light, but so does the hidden life in Christ, which we call the path to holiness. This holds true even when no one takes notice, for our heavenly Father sees our efforts very clearly, supports them, and inspires them with His grace.

It is a path that requires perseverance and constant encouragement when we recognize the limits of our capacity for love. Recognizing them is helpful, but dwelling on disappointment is wrong.

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“Let us begin a new life every day.” (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross – Edith Stein)

What might the saint have meant by this?

She likely understood that every day we consciously live with our Heavenly Father is what is known as a kairos. To put it simply, this refers to the hour of grace that we are to seize.

After all, there are quite a few moments in life when we get the impression that we’d like to start a new life. Maybe things have slipped out of our control, and we repent and want to start anew. Or maybe we’ve finally made a long‑overdue decision. Or maybe we have overcome something that has held us back for a long time.

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“His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man; but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” (Psalm 147:10–11)

It is not man’s natural abilities—often so admired and sometimes even idealized in the world—that bring joy to our Father. They are merely tools and derive their true value only from the purpose for which they are used. What good is great intelligence in the eyes of the Lord if it is not used for good?

Time and again, people are tempted to define their worth based on things that merely add to their lives and do not constitute what is essential. This temptation can even penetrate the Church, and it is not uncommon for people to adopt worldly standards instead of applying the standards that God uses. We are very familiar with these standards from the Holy Scriptures. Today’s passage is a good example.

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One of the most beautiful things in this world is when people strive to bring joy to one another. This is something everyone knows, especially when it is free from self‑interest and marked by selflessness.

However, the most beautiful thing is when we live for God’s joy—when we entrust our entire lives to our heavenly Father simply because we love Him and respond to His love. This brings a certain bliss to earth because our lives point beyond ourselves to the One who is our joy, whose joy we are becoming more and more.

In Madre Eugenia’s Little Book of the Father, the heavenly Father immediately draws our attention to the source of His joy. He says, “My joy consists in being known and loved by my children—that is, by all present and future humanity.”

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“Let it be to me according to your word.” (Lc 1:38)

As I conclude this reflection on August 15, I cannot and will not pass by our dear Mother of God, Mary, without thinking of her and writing a few words.

How lovingly our Heavenly Father must have looked upon the one He chose to be the mother of His Son—a holy and pure virgin! As we know from the teaching of the Church, she was exempt from original sin (the Immaculate Conception), just like the woman in Paradise whom we know as Eve.

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“Any false unity that is not founded in Me cannot endure and will crumble.” (Inner word)

We humans long for unity, and when we find it, great peace enters our souls—first with God, and then with other people.

Yet there is one condition for true unity. It can exist only in truth and is therefore founded on God Himself. Certainly, there are many interest groups and various forms of associations. But these are only peripheral in nature and therefore cannot reach the depth that true unity embodies.

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“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who practice it.” (Psalm 111:10)

We understand the gift of the fear of the Lord as the first of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. When we practice it, our lives take on a clear and unmistakable direction. We examine our actions in the presence of God to see whether they might offend our Heavenly Father. This is a profound turning point in life, and thus the healing power of the Holy Spirit can unfold radiantly in our souls. At first, this gift may be accompanied more by a holy fear of doing even the slightest thing that might displease God. The memory of what might happen as a consequence if we stray from the path is also very vivid.

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“An hour of patience is worth more than several days of fasting” (St. John Vianney)

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“When the devil wants to destroy someone, he begins by instilling in that person a great aversion to prayer.” (St. John Vianney)

We must always expect resistance to our progress in the spiritual life. Although it can happen on our path of following Christ that a certain aversion to vocal prayer may arise in contemplative souls, this aversion is not directed against prayer itself but rather points to the need to seek more silent prayer and contemplation.

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