“Fortune and misfortune are to the brave as the right hand and the left hand: he makes the most of both” (St. Catherine of Siena).
Showing all posts in 3 Minutes for God the Father
GOD DRAWS US TO HIS HEART
“With everlasting love God has loved us. Therefore, being lifted up above the earth, He has drawn us to His heart, having compassion on us” (Lauds Antiphon of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus).
It is not so easy for us to imagine eternal love because, as human beings, we are so limited. However, there are moments in life that we wish would never end. This can happen to people in love or when God touches us deeply in prayer, making the passage of time seem unimportant. In those moments, the soul says, “I want to stay here forever. I am not looking for anything else.”
“YOUR EYES SHALL GUARD MY WAYS”
“Son, give me your heart, and your eyes shall keep my ways” (Antiphon of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus).
In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord tells us, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8). This promise corresponds to the antiphon we heard today. When we surrender our heart to our Heavenly Father, the eyes of our soul are opened and we begin to see everything around us – even God Himself – in His light. “For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light do we see light” (Psalm 36:9).
“MY DWELLING PLACE IS ALWAYS WITHIN YOU”
“Wherever you are, that is my heaven. Whether you are eating, sleeping, or doing anything else, my dwelling place is always in you.”
“THE HEART OF THE REDEEMER”
“Who shall not return love to Him who thus loves us?
Who of the redeemed shall not love Him,
and choose in that Heart
his eternal abode?”
“THE PRAISE OF GOD IN THE FIRST PLACE”
“Tell me how I can worthily praise you.” — “Praise first the omnipotence of the Father, by virtue of which he acts in the Son and in the Holy Spirit according to his will, and whose immensity is beyond the grasp of any creature in heaven or on earth.” (Vision of St. Mechthild of Hackeborn).
“LET NO ONE SNATCH AWAY OUR JOY!”
“The devil rejoices, above all, when he succeeds in snatching joy from the heart of a servant of God” (St. Francis of Assisi)
“BETTER A HUMBLE SINNER THAN A PROUD PHARISEE”
“I prefer a humble sinner to a proud Pharisee, because with the former I can walk my ways. That is why I allow humiliations and, at times, withdraw my tangible grace” (Interior Word).
MY PLANS ARE FULFILLED
“My plans are fulfilled, opportunely or inopportunely, even through missteps and darkness. No one can stop them; nothing can obscure God’s path” (Inner Word).
Our Father uses all circumstances to carry out His plan of salvation. Due to the resistance of the devil and the foolishness and weakness of man, it is true that God’s will often cannot be fulfilled directly according to His original intention. However, in His providence, our Father knows how to take this into consideration. Without abandoning his goal or changing it in principle, He pursues it through missteps and darkness.
INNER FREEDOM
‘Even if others want to deprive you of your external freedom, no one can ever take away your inner freedom’ (Inner Word).
These words should serve as comfort when our faith is under pressure or even suffers specific persecution. Many Christians have already experienced this situation, and many will still have to live through it. ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’ says the Gospel according to St John (Jn 1:5). And the darkness not only refused to receive the light, but often fought against it with active hostility.