Beloved Father, in today’s Gospel we once again encounter—though indirectly—the powers that rebelled against You. We thank You endlessly, for Your Son has freed humanity from their dominion. Still, we eagerly await the moment when light and darkness will be separated once and for all, and when we will never again be attacked by them for all eternity.
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THE FEAR OF THE LORD: A GREAT BLESSING
If people lived with the fear of God, dear heavenly Father, things on this earth would look very different. Everyone would first consider whether their actions align with Your will. That alone would be wonderful. They would also be careful not to harm their neighbor, who, like them, is called to live as a child of God. All Your commandments would be alive within them, as well as the words handed down to us by the Lord, His apostles, and later the Church as the teacher of the nations. The earth would truly be different, and the Kingdom of God could spread. Those in positions of power and responsibility would be especially vigilant, always seeking Your counsel and the counsel of those who fear and love You.
THE LORD FORGIVES WILLINGLY
Beloved Father, through the forgiveness You offer through Your Son Jesus Christ, how You lighten the burdens weighing on nations and individuals, if only they come to You!
How heavy are the burdens that people sometimes carry, to the point that they can hardly move freely! How crushing are the sins that have not been forgiven—how they mark a person’s being and bend them over, even seeking to enslave them forever! Even if they do not realize it or do not want to admit it, their vision is clouded and they hide from You, just as our first parents hid from Your gaze after they had sinned (cf. Gen 3:8).
A PURE HEART IN THE ARMY OF THE LAMB
Having purified our hearts, beloved Father, we can dare even more to undertake great things without neglecting the small ones. Did not St. Paul give good witness to the faith before the great ones of this world (cf. Acts 26)? Did not Elijah and John the Baptist fearlessly denounce the evil deeds of kings (1 Kings 18:17–18; Matthew 14:3–4)? And did not the apostles give courageous witness to Your beloved Son before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:1–20)? Who made them capable of this, if not You? You communicated to them the spirit of fortitude. And that same spirit is what we need today to resist the machinations of evil spirits and of people who, consciously or unconsciously, cooperate with them.
YOUR SEAL ON MY HEART
Dear Father, we have set out on the path to obtain a pure heart. Indeed, You desire to grant it to us, but we must also do our part. After hearing the word of truth and the gospel of life and believing, we long for nothing more than to be sealed with the promised Spirit (cf. Ephesians 1:13).
A PURE HEART
Today, beloved Father, we want to reflect on the pure heart. It must be a heart that belongs to You without reserve, that no longer seeks personal fulfillment, but only to be with You and serve You. It is a heart like that of the Blessed Virgin Mary—a heart that finds happiness in its depths because it has found its home. It no longer seeks anything for itself, nor is it seduced by the things of this world, false hopes, or illusions. It is a heart in which You dwell and have pitched Your tent. Such a heart is infinitely valuable in Your eyes, and You will never abandon it!
“THE CONVERSION OF THE HEART”
Beloved Father, the outcome of the story of Joseph and his brothers shows how You know how to use even the evil that people think and do to carry out Your plan of love. This demonstrates Your omnipotence and gives us hope when we witness so much injustice in the world. Who, if not You, could turn evil into good? Only You!
Thus, we can live and cling to You in the midst of the evil that spreads around us. That does not mean that we have to stop calling “evil” “evil,” but we take away its claim to omnipotence and do not give up. In the end, it will not be evil or the Evil One who triumphs, but the power of Your love. That is certain!
“TRUST IN THE LOVE OF THE FATHER”
Sometimes, beloved Father, it is not easy for us to believe firmly in Your omnipotence when we see so much atrocious injustice in the world and are overcome by the impression that You are not intervening.
Like Your disciples in the Gospel (Lk 9:54), we too would certainly have liked to call down fire from heaven many times to punish those who oppose Your will and to rebuke those who refuse to accept the faith. It is also difficult to witness how many people suffer injustice, often at the hands of a few who do evil.
A FLOWER OF PEACE
“What causes wars among you?” asks the apostle James, and he himself gives the answer: “Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? You fight and wage war” (cf. James 4:1–2).
There are paths to true peace, and James’ words give us a clue. If we want to contribute to the peace that our heavenly Father desires to grant humanity, we must begin with ourselves, restraining the destructive passions that dwell within us. Read More
FIRST THE LORD!
Dear Father, As I wrote down the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath for today’s reflection, I was reminded that You should always come first in everything we do. In the story, You turned her hardship around because she listened to the prophet. In the days of the Old Covenant, the first fruits were brought to You, and today it should be no different. In fact, with the light of the New Testament and the coming of Your Son, we recognize You and Your love even more clearly. May the first and last words of each day be consecrated to You. We are always called to lift our eyes to You, as Your beloved Son did. He glorified You in everything.