469th Meditation
“As far as trust is concerned, it is enough to know one’s weaknesses and tell the Lord that we want to put all our trust in Him. The measure of Divine Providence in us is the trust we place in it. Let us abandon ourselves unreservedly to this holy Providence and remain in its arms like a child in its mother’s womb!” (Letter of St. Francis de Sales to St. Jeanne de Chantal). Read More
468th Meditation
“And you, My children, who have lost the faith and live in the darkness, raise your eyes, you will see shining rays coming to illuminate you” (The Father’s message to Sister Eugenia Ravasio).
The situation of those who have lost their faith is one of great need. Let us think, for example, of a religious or a priest who has abandoned his vocation. Perhaps he started well, trying to serve his Lord with great fervour. But then temptations came and he ended up falling into them. The more he fell, the less he was able to resist – and perhaps no longer wanted to. So love grew colder and colder, and darkness spread. And this darkness weighs especially heavily on those who were once close to the Lord. How difficult it is for them to return! Read More
467th Meditation
“Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Mt 12:50).
With these words, Jesus makes us understand in what the deepest unity between God and humanity consists.
Certainly, we are all called to live as children of God and to love and respect one another. But this fraternity can only be fully realized when we fulfill the condition that Jesus mentions by striving with all our will and with all our heart to do the Will of our Father. Then the closest bond with the Son of God is formed and we become “one spirit” with Him. And not only with Him, but with all the believers here on earth and with the whole heavenly family whose joy it is to always do the Father’s Will. Read More
466th Meditation
“I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes” (Mt 11:25).
In these words of Jesus we can perceive how much He rejoices in the wisdom of His Father. If we praise the Father for His wisdom as we come to know and love Him more and more each day, how much more will our Lord do so! As His beloved Son, He understands the Heavenly Father on another level. He knows the glory of the Father in all its fullness, without the limitations that we human beings have. Read More
465th Meditation
Having meditated in detail on each part of the praise of God the Father in the Hymn to the Blessed Trinity, we now wish to conclude this series by praying this praise in its entirety:
All praise to you Eternal Father, Holy God, living and all-powerful.
You have no equal, and nothing compares with the works You have created. Read More
464th Meditation
“But at the end of time You sent Your Son – our Lord Jesus Christ – and You required of Yourself the sacrifice that Abraham was not made to offer. You gave Your only begotten Son for the life of the whole world, so that Your people and all the peoples of the earth might find their salvation in Him” (Hymn of Praise to the Most Holy Trinity). Read More
463rd Meditation
“In Your goodness, You sent the prophets to bring them back to the right path, but how often did Your people not listen to their words, but persecuted and killed those whom You sent!” (Praise of the Blessed Trinity).
Our Father did everything to lead His people on the path of salvation. But again and again, the history of Israel shows how they strayed. It was difficult for them to be different from the surrounding nations. Read More
462nd Meditation
“There [in the Promised Land] You would have had them led by judges, but they, wanting to be like other peoples, preferred to have kings. So You gave them kings, but they often did what displeased You” (Praise of the Blessed Trinity).
The drama surrounding the people of Israel was not over. After Joshua’s death, the Israelites turned away from the Lord and served the Baals. They followed the gods of the surrounding peoples (Judg 2:11-12). As a rebuke, the Lord delivered them into the hands of the robbers and the enemies around them (v. 14). They were no longer victorious in the wars and fell into great misery. Read More
461st Meditation
“But again and again Your people rebelled against You. And so they were made to wander through the desert for forty years – until You brought them into the Promised Land, by the hands of Your servant Joshua” (Praise of the Blessed Trinity).
The Covenant sealed between God and His people did not guarantee that all the Israelites would henceforth be free from confusion and sin, and that, trusting in God, they would from then on take the straight path and be guided docilely by the Lord towards the Promised Land. Read More
460th Meditation
“You then brought Your people out of Egypt with a strong hand and led them into the wilderness with signs and wonders. On the mountain You revealed to Your servant Moses the commandments that had been obscured in the hearts of the peoples” (Praise of the Blessed Trinity).
The darkness into which human beings had plunged since the fall into sin made it necessary for our Father to isolate His people from the pagan nations in order to teach them the way to true life. Read More
