Episodes
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Friday 2nd week of Easter "Jn 6:1-15"
Seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?" "There is a lad here..." We don't know the name of the lad. We only know that he had five loaves and two fish and that he gave them all. This anonymous lad gave them (and us) a lesson in how to be generous. What we can give to God is always little, but He multiplies the effect of it. Jesus doesn't 'need' our help, but He wants to need our generosity.It is like a mother who lets a 3-year-old child help her bake a cake: beating the eggs, for instance. She could do it herself, of course (probably quicker and better) but she is teaching and having a great time with her child. And she loves it when Dad comes and the little one says, "We made your favourite cake!" Dad surely knows the child did very little, but he likes the cake all the more for it. When St Josemaría was a young priest and still no one had joined his Work (Opus Dei), he used to meet a beggar-woman next to the church. In those days he was extremely poor. One day he approached her and said, "My daughter, I have no money to give you. All I have, I give it to you," and making the sign of the Cross, he gave her a blessing. Finally he added, "I beg you to offer up what you can for an intention of mine." The intention was his 'Work'. A couple of months later St Josemaría found the woman dying from tuberculosis in a hospital he used to visit. "But how come... what happened to you?" he asked on seeing her. She replied, "Don't you understand, father? You told me: "Offer up what you can". I didn't have anything to offer up... So I offered up my life!" St Josemaría was deeply moved and never forgot the generosity of that woman whom he called 'the first vocation of his future daughters.' Mother, what I can give to Our Lord is very little, but help me to give it all. -
Thursday 2nd week of Easter "Jn 3:31-36"
John the Baptist said to his disciples: "He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks; he who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony; he who receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true." Some people only seem able to view things negatively. One such cynic was walking by the pier watching a man trying to start a boat's engine. Feeling 'obliged' to give his opinion on everything, he commented, "That engine will never start." Immediately the engine made a big noise and started. Not wishing to be proven wrong, he held his ground, "Anyway... it'll probably never stop." All those who belong to the earth are like this fellow. They only see shadows, never lights.He who is "of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks," says St John the Baptist. That person only knows how to utter calamities, complaints, criticism and sarcasm. They see everything dimly, as through very dark shades. But we belong to Heaven, don't we? We were made for happiness, for love, for paradise. And we must bear witness to it. That's what a Christian should be. Wherever a Christian walks by, Jesus is passing by with him and, therefore, there is light.Our conversation and our attitude in life should reflect our supernatural faith. That behaviour will bring others to the realisation that there is more to life than meets the eye; there is a God who loves us so much that He made the world as the anteroom of Heaven. Real Christians overflow with joy. People want to be with them, to stay with them, to converse with them. St Josemaría taught that "happiness in Heaven is for those who know how to be happy on earth." Like Jesus Himself: do you remember how people were looking for Him? Even children loved to be with Him. And children aren't fools: they don't like to be with gloomy people. Let's show the world, with our lives, that we have many reasons to be happy. "How I wish your bearing and conversation [your smile!] were such that, on seeing or hearing you, people would say: This man reads the life of Jesus Christ" (St Josemaría). Holy Mary, Cause of our Joy, pray for us. -
Episodes manquant?
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Wednesday 2nd week of Easter "Jn 3:16-21"
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him...This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For God so loved the world... did you get that?! God loves the world. He always has and always will, for He is its 'Craftsman' (or Crafts-God). As a good artist loves his paintings, God loves His creation. Some people think that the world is bad and takes us away from God. How come, if it's God's gift to us? Genesis states clearly that "God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good." If He Himself said that it's good, who am I to disagree?Men have sometimes masked the beauty of creation with their sins, but that doesn't diminish its value. You can crumple a £20 note and step on it with your dirty shoes; it doesn't lose a penny of its worth. Every artist leaves some trace of himself in his work. Experts can recognise an artist's work without looking at the signature. Have you ever found yourself astounded looking at a beautiful sunrise, a sunset of fire, a magnificent rainbow, gentle waves lapping the seashore, a thin crescent moon hung in a crystal-clear sky, a spectacular waterfall...? God made it for you and He loves it because of you. As a Good Father, He loves to see that you delight in His gifts to you, not for the gift itself, but because He gave it to you; just like a child keeps a pen or a watch for years and cherishes it, because 'my dad gave it to me.'God loves His creation so much that he gave his only Son, to be part of it. Think about it: this world has been walked upon by God. He has worked in it. He has rested His Head on its grass, had His Face stroked by the wind, heard its birds singing... He has looked up to the sky and loved it. He has drunk from its brooks and swum in its lakes. And now He has entrusted this world to me as a stage for my happiness, and I love our world passionately, as a gift from my loving Father. My Mother, Queen of the Universe, help me to give thanks to God for His wonderful creation. -
Tuesday 2nd week of Easter "Jn 3:7b-15"
Jesus said to Nicodemus: 'You must be born anew'...Nicodemus said to him, "How can this be?" Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen...No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." Nicodemus - a doctor of the Law and learned in the Scriptures - was confused. Therefore, he did what we should do in our mental prayer: ask You, Jesus, because You are the only One Who has all the answers. You, Lord, are the only One Who can reveal the Truth that we need to believe because You are the Truth. But You can't get all these things across in just one conversation! You need us to foster a habit of chatting with You. Nicodemus probably met and talked with You on many more occasions because eventually, as we read in the Gospel, when all the others left You during Your Agony and Death on that Good Friday, he was there to stand up for You, to take Your Body and bury It.That is the effect of regular and frequent prayer. And that is also why I need to foster that daily conversation with Jesus. It's like eating healthily: you don't notice striking changes after one meal or one week; but after a time you can tell something has changed, even though you don't remember your meals. Only over time do we come to see its good effect. Likewise, to pray every day can be demanding and many times you will not remember what you chatted with God about the day before... but only by that daily contact with Jesus can He get across what you need to believe and transform you into another Nicodemus: a faithful friend who stands with Him when others have deserted! Let's give Our Lord the great comfort of our daily conversation with Him. "Mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us" (St Teresa of Avila). My Mother Immaculate, teach me to talk to Him as you did then, as you do now. -
Monday 2nd week of Easter "Jn 3:1-8"
Jesus answered to Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." The reference to water and the spirit here becomes the official presentation of the Sacrament of Baptism. St John the Baptist declared, 'I baptise with water,' and the Messiah will baptise 'with the Holy Spirit.' Water, then, is now no longer enough.The Holy Spirit is brought to our attention in a special way during Eastertide. The Risen Jesus is preparing everything to entrust His Church to the care of the Holy Spirit. And now, the Holy Spirit is at work. You don’t see Him, as you don't see the wind, but you see His effects. St John XXIII said: "The saints are the masterpieces of the Holy Spirit." Those who have been baptised with water have the Holy Spirit at work inside them. On Tuesday November 8 1932, St Josemaría's spiritual director told him: "Make friends with the Holy Spirit. Don't speak: listen to him." That was a new discovery. "Until now I knew that the Holy Spirit was dwelling in my soul to sanctify it," St Josemaría wrote later that day, "but I hadn't really grasped this truth about his presence. I feel the Holy Spirit's Love within me, and I want to talk to him, to be his friend, to confide in him. I want to facilitate his work of polishing, uprooting, and enkindling. I wouldn't know how to set about it. He will give me strength. He will do everything, if I so want. And I do want! Divine Guest, Master, Light, Guide, Love, may I make you truly welcome inside me and listen to the lessons you teach me. Make me burn with eagerness for you, make me follow you and love you. Resolution: to 'keep up', without interruption as far as I can, a loving and docile friendship and conversation with the Holy Spirit. Veni Sancte Spiritus!... Come, Holy Spirit!" (St Josemaría).Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, help me to remain faithful to my resolution. -
Easter Friday "Jn 21:1-14"
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any fish?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" There were at least seven of Jesus' disciples in the boat. But only one recognises Him from a distance: the Beloved one. Imagine St John squinting, shielding his eyes from the sun and looking at the Man on the shore when he heard those words, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat." Maybe he thought, 'I have heard that phrase before. That voice reminds me of...' He was still hesitant, but when he saw the amount of fish they caught, the penny dropped. He smiled first, then laughed to himself, like someone who has been tricked for a while, and, full of joy, like a madman - madly in love - he shouted, "It is the Lord!""He was more beloved than all the other Apostles," writes St. Thomas Aquinas, "on account of his purity." And St. Anselm wrote, "God revealed more mysteries to him than to the other Apostles, because he surpassed all in virginal purity." Let's keep our eyes today on that teenager, his look clean, his heart in love: his purity allowed him to recognise Jesus from a distance. Our Lord Himself taught, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Many people are unable to see Jesus, not because He is hidden but because their glasses are dirty; sins blind men, purity gives light.St John was also pure because he was close to Our Lady. Mary, Mother most pure, Mother most chaste, intercede for me to resemble the young St John, to be pure like him and always close to you. "How I would like - you told me - the young apostle, John, to take me into his confidence and give me advice: and encourage me to acquire purity of heart. If you really would like it, tell him so: and you will feel encouraged, and you will receive advice" (St Josemaría). -
Easter Thursday "Lk 24:35-48"
As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you"...And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet...Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." First He showed His Wounds; through those Wounds our sins can be forgiven. But those Wounds can't heal the wounds of your sins if there is no repentance; that is why "repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations."You and I have that mission now: to remind everyone, no matter what sins they have committed, that through His Sacrifice, through those Wounds, Jesus can forgive any sin in Confession; to remind people that there is no sin, no misery that can't be wiped away by His infinite Mercy. In Confession the Wounds of Jesus erase forever the sins that we confess with contrition. But there has to be real contrition, real sorrow for our sins. A boy went to confess: "Father, forgive me for I have stolen £7 to buy chocolates... but for the penance let's say £10." "So, which one is it?" asked the priest, puzzled, "did you take £7 or £10?" "It was £7, father," answered the boy, "but it wasn't enough; I need £3 more!" Obviously he wasn't very sorry for his sin. Remember: if there is no contrition, there is no forgiveness. St John Vianney would hear up to 300 Confessions per day! One day, he started weeping on hearing the Confession of a man who spoke without any sign of sorrow; hearing his sobbing, the penitent asked why he was weeping. The holy Curé of Ars replied, "My friend, I weep because you do not weep.""Turn to Our Lady and ask her - as a token of her love for you - for the gift of contrition. Ask that you may be sorry, with the sorrow of Love, for all your sins and for the sins of all men and women throughout the ages... 'Acts of contrition, the more the better!'" (St Josemaría). -
Easter Wednesday
"Lk 24:13-35"
That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" Jesus said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe..." And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; and he vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?"How naïve you are, Cleopas, you and your friend, trying to explain to Jesus His own story! Walking side-by-side with Jesus... and you couldn't recognise Him. He explained to you the Scriptures that you knew so well but had never fully understood. After that, you had the "breaking of the bread", as they called the Eucharist at the beginning. And then your "eyes were opened." I see the picture now: first, Scripture and homily; secondly, Eucharist and Holy Communion: that was the first Holy Mass after His Death and Resurrection.
Today, Lord, you walk at my side, ready to talk to me even if I don't see or recognise You. Today my heart burns when You explain the Scripture to me in my prayer. I listen to You and I receive You in Mass as well. May I always recognise You at my side; may I always see You, in Mass, as we break the Bread; may You explain to me what I can't understand and may my heart burn also when I talk to You and beg You, Stay with me, Lord!
My Mother, Mary, help me to always stay with Him!
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Easter Tuesday
"Jn 20:11-18"
Mary stood weeping outside the tomb...she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-boni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father."Mary loved Jesus but something prevented her from recognising Him. When she heard her name, spoken by that Voice, with that 'tone', we can imagine how she shuddered with delight. That name she had heard so many times coming from Jesus' Lips, "Mary!"
There are many ways to pronounce a name. Think about the many people who have said your name, always differently: your parents, grandparents, siblings, friends... you could recognise each one of them on the phone just by hearing them say your name. But even the same person (your mother, for instance) could say your name in different tones and modes. You could tell what was coming just by listening to her say your name in the distance.
Jesus didn't need to say anything else to Mary; just her name. Jesus called everyone by their name. All of them remembered well how Jesus pronounced their names: Peter, John, Andrew, James, Nicodemus, Martha... and Our Lady, "Mother", and St Joseph, "father". And you... Can you imagine the sound of Jesus' voice speaking your name? Because He uses it every day to talk to you in your prayer.
"Just like our mother, he calls us by our name, by the name we're fondly called at home, by our nickname. There, in the depths of our soul, he calls us and we just have to answer: Ecce ego quia vocasti me - here I am, for you have called me" (St Josemaría).
My Mother, Handmaid of the Lord, you also use my name when you talk to your Son about me. Help me to always have that answer on my lips: "Here I am, Lord, for you have called me by my name."
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Easter Monday "Mt 28:8-15"
So the women departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Hail!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." They say that the sentence: "Do not be afraid!" can be found in the Bible more than 300 times. Good teachers always repeat the message that they want to get across. And You, Lord, said it many times to Your disciples. So many times that they never forgot the tone of Your voice saying, "Do not be afraid!" But what could Mary Magdalene be afraid of now?! Probably she had one single fear: the fear of losing Jesus again. Have you ever found a little child in a crowd, crying because he or she couldn't find Mum? You saw the mother looking for the child nearby and said to the child, "Look, there she is!" and the tearful child rushed off towards her. Children of God should never be afraid of anything. The disciples were afraid because they had lost Jesus on Good Friday. Their hopes were over, their discouragement stopped them moving forward; fear paralyses. It happens to Christians when, like the little child, they don't feel Jesus' close presence, when they move away from Him by sinning. My God, may I never be afraid of anything except losing You through sin. And if that happens again - for I know very well how weak I am - I beg You to come and search me out as You did these holy women and Your frightened Apostles. O my Jesus, if ever You see me in distress or on the verge of temptation, come and let me hear Your voice again: "Do not be afraid." "I plead with you - never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Do not be afraid... Do not be afraid to become the saints of the new millennium!" (St John Paul II). "Today I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything" (Pope Benedict XVI). My Mother, stay close to this little child of yours that I am. Then I will fear nothing. -
Wesnesday of Holy Week "Mt 26:14-25"
Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver...When it was evening, he sat at table with the twelve disciples; and as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me...The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Is it I, Master?" He said to him, "You have said so." Oh dear! Judas! Judas!! What had happened to him? Where is the Judas who was a chosen Apostle? Where is the man whom Jesus met and told, "Come, follow me"? Judas did follow Our Lord, he heard Him, he saw His miracles, and surely, he loved Jesus for a while. Had he forgotten the days on which he saw wonders and went to sleep smiling, regardless of being exhausted and having to sleep in the open? Judas, someone so privileged! "Many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you saw, and did not see it, and to hear what you heard, and did not hear it".When did Judas start feeling disappointed? When did he start taking for granted those times he spent with Jesus? When did he become inattentive or insensitive to His Words? When did he start thinking about himself and his future, his plans, instead of thinking about what Jesus was telling him? When did he stop praying? When did he stop telling Jesus what was going on in his soul? It was then that Judas started rating Jesus in coins; it was then that his betrayal began. Because that betrayal didn't happen overnight. It was a slow distancing, a slippery slope from which Jesus could have saved him if he had only asked for help...But why didn't he come back to Jesus afterwards? It didn't matter what he had done; Jesus would have forgiven him everything. Why? Why didn't he go to Him - repentant - and kiss Him again but this time out of love and not fear? Judas did know how much Jesus loved him. He could have imagined how much Jesus cried for him! Judas! Why didn't he come back, like Peter and Mary Magdalene and Dimas (the Good Thief) and Paul... and me? If it was too difficult, he could always have asked for Our Lady's help! -
Tuesday of Holy Week
"Jn 13:21-33, 36-38"
Simon Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "Where I am going you cannot follow me now; but you shall follow afterward." Peter said to him, "Lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow, till you have denied me three times.
Oh, Peter! You loved but you were weak. You trusted too much in yourself. You used the sword against the High Priest's guard but trembled before a little servant. Peter, the Rock, Prince of the Apostles, to save your own skin you swore and denied Jesus three times. You could say, 'I was not the only coward that night!' Certainly. Matthew and Mark's Gospels explain that the other disciples also said they would die with Jesus, but all except John took to their heels and abandoned Him.
Your conversion, Peter, comforts me. Because I have also said to Jesus many times that I love Him and I have later turned my back on Him too. At times I thought that I could overcome a vice or would never commit a particular sin again. I have told Jesus often, 'I'll never do that again!' and a little bit later I did it once more. But you, Peter, giving witness to Jesus in front of three thousand, standing before the Sanhedrin defending Jesus, locked in prison many times, persecuted... you comfort me. For you are the same Peter who had denied Jesus three times and had been afraid of a little servant - yet you became the stronghold of Christianity, the Rock!
Your conversion happened at a Look of Our Lord. You, Peter, never forgot those beautiful Eyes of Jesus looking at you with sorrow and disappointment. That Look remained with you for the rest of your life. Those Eyes which saw your own eyes weep with sorrow. Those Eyes which saw you giving witness to Jesus Crucified. Those Eyes saw you hanging on a cross upside down, faithful, firm, strong like a Rock! Those Eyes received you in Heaven with a satisfied and loving smile. Yes, Peter, you failed but your contrition made you greater than ever! Peter, going to Our Lady for consolation as you surely did, help me to learn the lesson: "Lord, You know everything," you know my miseries... but "You know that I love You!" -
Monday of Holy Week "Jn 12:1-11"
Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me." Thank you, Mary of Bethany, for your generosity! Thank you for your example, for loving Jesus so much. Thank you for giving Him joy before His Passion, for pouring on Him all of the perfume and not just a few drops. Thank you for filling the atmosphere with the fragrance of your generosity, the scent of your love.How happy Jesus was in your home, Mary, where He knew you would do anything and give anything to keep Him happy! Thank you for your generosity - for the more you gave, the more you were given. That jar was like your heart: you poured out not just a bit of love but your whole heart. That fragrance was the perfume of your love. Thank you, Mary of Bethany, for teaching me to love Jesus Christ!Thank you, Mary, for not being intimidated by Judas, by anyone, nor even by what others might think of you. Thank you for comforting Jesus, Who would carry the fragrance of that love in His Heart during His last sorrowful week. Thank you for your courage. For there will always be people who think, like Judas, that there is too much wealth in our churches. They forget that these riches are for God. And certainly, they forget the words of Jesus praising Mary. There is not enough gold and silver in the world to hold the Body of Christ as He deserves. And whilst some spend their money on expensive holidays or possessions, we try to dignify the places where Jesus lays.Forget Judas' comment, Mary, for he has vanished; but the aroma of your love will never vanish. Oh, Mary of Bethany, I am a sinner, as you were... will you teach me to be a generous lover of Jesus, as you are? Mary, Mother of Christ, help me to grow in love for your Son. -
Saturday 5th week of Lent
"Jn 11:45-56"
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him; but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council, and said, "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on thus, everyone will believe in him."
When someone doesn't want to believe, he won't believe, in spite of all the miracles he might see. The previous verses of St John explain the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead after being buried for four days in his tomb. Many Jews were there and saw the miracle. As a matter of fact, the miracle couldn't be denied. Therefore, the Gospel says, many people "believed in him." However, some of those who saw the miracle went to inform the Pharisees, who decided to kill Jesus for performing miracles!!! Can you believe it?
This explains the Gospel a few verses later, "the chief priests planned to put Lazarus also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus." So that was it: they were losing people who were following Jesus now. They were ready to kill Jesus, Lazarus and anyone else they needed to kill in order to stop people from believing in Jesus. They did kill Jesus - and after Him they killed many of His followers, beginning with St Stephen. But the more people they killed, the more Christians converted. The truth can't be killed. Like a grain of wheat, it grows and gives fruit when it is dead and buried.
Tomorrow we start Holy Week, a week of intense prayer to be spent with Him. Jesus won't die on the Cross alone this time; you and I will be there. "My Lord and my God, under the loving eyes of our Mother, we are making ready to accompany you along this path of sorrow, which was the price for our redemption. We wish to suffer all that You suffered, to offer you our poor, contrite hearts, because you are innocent, and yet you are going to die for us, who are the only really guilty ones. My Mother, Virgin of sorrows, help me to relive those bitter hours which your Son wished to spend on earth" (St Josemaría.) -
Friday 5th week of Lent "Jn 10:31-42"
The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?" The Jews answered him, "It is not for a good work that we stone you but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God." Jesus answered them... "do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." No matter what miracle or even how many miracles they saw, they would not believe. They were blind because they didn't want to see. They wanted to stone Jesus because being a man, He made himself God, when it was exactly the opposite: being God, He made Himself a man! The truth is that these Pharisees didn't want to believe in Him. Believing in Jesus would entail changing their way of life. This happens sometimes with those who don't want to accept the moral law because it is not 'convenient' for them. They don't want to know the truth – so they can carry on doing what they want. If a driver is stopped by the police for speeding, it is no use him saying, 'sorry officer, I didn't know there was a speed limit'. Like it or not, and whether you know it or not... there is a speed limit. It isn't there to take the fun out of driving; it's there so that everyone can get to their destination safely.An old man thought that his wife was losing her hearing. To check it out he approached her from behind while she was sitting in her lounge chair, and whispered, "Honey, can you hear me?" He got no response. He moved a little closer and repeated softly, "Honey, do you hear me?" No response. Finally he moved right next to her and said, "Honey, can you hear me now?" This time she looked up with surprise in her eyes and replied, "For the third time, Henry, yes, I can hear you!" It was Henry, then, who really had the hearing problem. It was the Pharisees who were deaf, not Jesus who wasn't 'sound'. My Mother, intercede for me so that I may never become blind or deaf to the Will of God. -
. Thursday 5th week of Lent
"Jn 8:51-59"
Jesus said to the Jews: Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he will never see death." The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, 'If any one keeps my word, he will never taste death.' Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you claim to be?"...Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.
Jesus didn't say, 'before Abraham was, I was', but "I AM". Moses had heard God refer to Himself as 'I AM' – and Jews, out of reverence, would thereafter never pronounce that Name. But Jesus not only said it, He said it of Himself! They had heard Him say, "I am the Bread of Life, the Light of the world, the Door, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth and the Life, the true Vine..." but never before had they heard anyone say 'I AM' except God Himself. No wonder they took up stones!
Some people think that Jesus was a good man, a teacher, a prophet, but that He never said He was God. However, it is clear that the Jews understood He did claim to be God. Next Sunday we will revisit His trial before the Sanhedrin. When the High Priest asked Jesus if He was indeed the Son of the Living God, Jesus answered again, "I AM". That was the end of the dialogue. Jesus was sentenced to death for blasphemy, for claiming to be God.
The first Christians understood well that Jesus was God and faced martyrdom for it. St Justin (A.D. 100-165) was a pagan philosopher who converted to Christianity. After his conversion he wrote several books arguing for the divinity of Christ. He was arrested along with four others during the persecution under Marcus Aurelius. When Rusticus - prefect of Rome - asked them to sacrifice to idols, they refused. "If you do not obey," the Prefect said, "you will be tortured without mercy." Justin replied, "That is our desire, to be tortured for Our Lord, Jesus Christ." When asked about his beliefs, Justin proclaimed that Jesus was God and the Son of God. They were all beheaded for their fidelity to these beliefs. Mary, Queen of Martyrs, may I be a true witness to the divinity of your Son. -
Wednesday 5th week of Lent "Jn 8:31-42"
Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin". There is the story of a farmer who found an egg in an eagle's nest. He took it and put it with his chickens. In time an eagle-chick hatched together with the other younglings. This eagle learned the chicken customs: walking through the yard, eating worms... Sometimes he would climb up on to a fence and crash to the ground, crying out, just as chickens do. That yard was his world and he was happy in there.Sinners are like that eagle. They are locked in their vices but they don't know they are imprisoned. They don't know there is a whole world behind the fence and they can pass over that fence because they are meant to fly. But one day, the story goes, the eagle-chick saw a bird soaring through the skies. "Who is that?" he asked. And one of the chickens beside him answered, "It is an eagle that flies majestically, without any effort. But don't look at it any more! Do not look at it, because our life is not like hers; our life is here, in the barnyard."The story can finish in two ways: 1) the eagle spent the rest of his life in the barn learning to cluck and flutter; or else 2) after trying many, many times, one day - a day he would never forget - he managed to fly, soaring up to the skies. Every sinner has those two options: to remain in their sins and defects without trying to overcome them, as if that were their only reality - or to try to fly. There is a truth that they need to know, a truth that will set them free: They are created to soar to the heights!Mary, my Mother, help me to encourage people never to settle for living a mediocre life, to remind them that (with the grace of the Sacraments) they will never "flutter about like a hen, when they can soar to the heights of an eagle" (St Josemaría). -
Tuesday 5th week of Lent
"Jn 8:21-30"
Again he said to them, "I go away, and you will seek me and die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come...You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he." They said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Even what I have told you from the beginning".
Jesus' disciples had been with Him a long time by then. They have heard His Words and seen His miracles. And after all that they are still asking, "Who are You?" We have the special task of praying for those who still don't know Who He is. Many souls are looking for the answer that can give meaning to their lives.
All the saints have had that passion (some call it 'zeal') to reach out to everyone and explain to them who Jesus Christ is, and where He is to be found so that they can go to Him. We also have that apostolic mission, to tell them that Jesus has died for them and that it is, in actual fact, He who is looking for each one of them.
On September 10, 1946, St Teresa of Calcutta felt that Jesus was asking her to take His Love to all the abandoned, the sick and the poor. In order to do that, she had to overcome many difficulties and had to take the final step of leaving her convent walls; but Jesus was in a hurry to reach many souls, and was spurring her on to reach out to those who weren't finding Jesus and didn't know Him yet. Then she heard these words from Him: "You have come to India for me. Are you now afraid to take one more step for me? Has your generosity cooled down? Am I only secondary for you? You did not die for souls; that's why you don't care what happens to them. Your heart was never drowned in sorrow as was my Mother's heart. We both gave ourselves up totally for souls. What about you? ... Will you refuse?"
St Teresa of Calcutta didn't refuse, as you know, and brought Jesus to thousands of those souls. Now, what about you and me? We have a similar mission... will we refuse? Mary, Handmaid of the Lord, you didn't refuse your mission either; help me to be faithful to mine and never refuse it. -
Saturday 4th week of Lent "Jn 7:40-53"
The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!" The Pharisees answered them, "Are you led astray, you also? Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed." There is a joke about an optician testing a lady's eyesight. He asks, "Madam, which letter do you see on the screen?" "A", answers the lady. "Please, concentrate", insists the optician. "Which letter do you see there, madam?" "A", replies the lady again. 'Come on, Madam!' the exasperated optician asks once more, "Try again!" "A", she insists. The optician, totally frustrated, turns around to the screen to point at the letter with his finger and, looking at it, he exclaims, "Gosh! You were right! It's 'A'."Pharisees, like the optician, didn't check before jumping to conclusions. They 'knew better'. Why didn't the Pharisees believe in Jesus? Because they didn't listen to Him. They never bothered to find out about His message. But those officers did listen to Him; and their lives would never be the same. What good was all their 'knowledge' if they couldn't recognise the Truth?Good reading leads to the truth: the life of Jesus and the lives of the saints transform people. Edith Stein was a German philosopher. By her teenage years, she no longer practiced her Jewish faith and considered herself an atheist. She was reading all sorts of books by philosophers and psychologists. In the summer of 1921 she spent several weeks with some friends. One evening, a bit bored, Edith picked up an autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila and couldn't put it down, reading for the whole night. "When I had finished the book," she wrote years later, "I said to myself: This is the truth." St Edith Stein became a Catholic and a Carmelite nun. On 7 August 1942, she was deported to Auschwitz where she died in a gas chamber two days later. It all started with good reading!Holy Mary, our Hope, Seat of Wisdom, pray for me to be always consistent in my spiritual reading. -
Thursday 4th week of Lent "Jn 5:31-47"
Jesus said to the Jews: "You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony which I receive is from man; but I say this that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me." St John the Baptist had told his disciples who Jesus was, calling Him 'the Lamb of God'. Many followed Jesus because of John the Baptist, but when they got to know Him, they didn't need testimony from anyone else: they saw with their own eyes what Jesus did. And it was His works which explained Who He was.Do you remember the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman? She discovered who Jesus was, went back to her village and brought everyone to see Him. When they had met Our Lord they said to her, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world." When they saw Him they understood.We Christians have been given the same task – to give witness to Him with our works. Jesus urged us: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Mt 5:16). People follow 'examples' more than 'words'. With our Christian works we give witness to Him. People know that you are Christian not because of what you say or because you wear an 'I-love-Jesus' T-shirt, but because of how you behave. One day an artist was trying to enter an art gallery. All the artists from his academy had been given a free ticket but he had forgotten his. The booking clerk thought he was lying and asked him to pay for a ticket. Instead, the painter took a piece of paper and started drawing a marvellous portrait of him – to the admiration of the people in the queue and the embarrassment of the clerk. The conclusion was evident: he was an artist. By his works they knew him. In the same way, by our Christian works we will help others to know Jesus. Holy Mary, help me to be recognised as a Christian by my good works! - Montre plus
