UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER TO GOD

“I would rather die than revoke what God has made me do” (St. Joan of Arc).

Only those who are deeply united to the Lord and who live in truth can dare to say such words. Joan of Arc spoke them knowing that her life was in danger. She had placed herself completely under the guidance of God, and it was only from Him that she drew her safety. The young Joan had to defend herself against the accusation of witchcraft in an unjust ecclesiastical trial convened by a bishop who collaborated with her enemies. She faced a large number of scholars, most of whom were ready to condemn her.

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IN HIS STRENGTH I WILL DARE AGAIN AND AGAIN

“It is better to be alone with God. His friendship will not fail me, nor His counsel, nor His love. In His strength I will dare and dare and dare until I die” (Saint Joan of Arc).

These words were spoken by Saint Joan of Arc, to whom the Lord entrusted the great mission of leading the legitimate King of France to his coronation and driving the English occupying troops out of her country. She did everything with her eyes fixed on the Father, and God alone was her consolation during the most difficult period of her life, when, while still very young, she was seized by her enemies, who subsequently condemned her to the stake.

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YOUR FATHER SEES IN SECRET

“Your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mt 6:6).

The Lord says these words in connection with His recommendation to pray and give alms in secret.

Our Father is pleased when we do good in secret, without seeking to attract the attention of others. Certainly, there are works that must be done in public so that God may be praised and acknowledged (cf. Mt 5:16). However, the Lord is not referring to these, but to those works that are most fruitful when they are done in secret for God.

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THE TRANSITION TOWARDS OUR FATHER

‘For the just there is no death, but transition’ (St. Athanasius).

How beautiful it would be if we understood this reality better day by day! Indeed, it is like this: if we have centred our life on our Heavenly Father and serve Him with sincerity, death will be the return to our Father’s house, who is waiting for us. And each day that passes in our earthly life brings us closer to eternity.

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GOD’S TRUST IN US

“There is no better measure of love than trust” (Meister Eckhart).

The more we trust God, the more we love Him. We can understand this measure well and use it to examine the state of our love. The same can be said in reverse: the less we trust, the less love has triumphed in us. If there is even mistrust in our heart, it is a sign that our heart is closed and our relationship with our Heavenly Father has darkened.

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THE GIFT OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER

“Raise yourselves to the dignity of children of God” (Message of God the Father to Sister Eugenia Ravasio).

The dignity that the Father gives us does not come from our own efforts. It is simply a gift of His goodness. In another passage of the Message to Sister Eugenia, the Father tells us: “It was He [Jesus] who showed you the ways to perfection. Through Him I adopted you in My infinite love, as real children. Since then I have never called you simply “creatures”, but “children”.

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FRIENDSHIP IN TRUTH

“There can be no friendship between people of opposing moral views” (St Ambrose).

True friendship is based on common values, and these must be in accordance with the truth. Otherwise it would be a kind of comradeship. Friendship is destroyed when one of the friends leaves the common ground. This is especially important in the case of moral values. In friendship one strengthens and supports the other in the common vision of truth and shares the same principles, so such a relationship cannot survive if moral convictions diverge. This is a debt to truth!

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THE PRIMACY OF TRUTH

“If the truth is a scandal, let the scandal be produced and the truth be told” (St Ambrose).

The supreme good of truth can never be sacrificed for the sake of a false unity. In fact, it would only be an apparent unity that could not last. It would be like pretending to live in communion and peace with our Father and at the same time despising His commandments and not striving to keep them. This can be applied to many areas and we would always come to the same conclusion: truth is such a high good that we must submit to it. God Himself is the truth and can never act without it.

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GOD WAITS FOR US IN OUR HEART

“God is always within us; it is we who are seldom at home” (Meister Eckhart).

With what insistence the mystics exhort us to seek the inner life, that is, the life of God in our own soul! It is there that the Holy Trinity has established His dwelling. Our Father is always ready to enter into the most intimate dialogue with us. But, as Meister Eckhart says, we are seldom at home, that is, our thoughts and aspirations are often directed outward, and we are therefore easily carried away by the restlessness of this world.

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