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Friday 5th week of Easter
"Jn 15:12-17"
Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends...No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another.Freedom is a really important part of friendship. You aren't given your friends, you choose them. Jesus chooses His friends as well. And your name is written on the list of His friends. But friendship is like a delicate plant, a bonsai, for instance. You need to take care of it every day; you need at least to put it in the light and water it; in particular seasons plants require more attention (pruning, feeding...) and friends also demand more dedication.
Friends sometimes argue; they may fall out, but they always make up, with humility, after asking for forgiveness and recognising their mistake. That's what we do in Confession when we fail our Friend Jesus Christ. Disagreement isn't the main enemy of friendship; the main enemy of friendship is forgetfulness. If you forget your plant and neglect it... the plant dies. The same could happen to our friendship with Jesus. Let us put a special effort into checking that relationship: Am I being the friend that He wants? Can He find me when He needs me? Do I talk to Him, listen to Him? Do I give Him my time?
"This very moment I may, if I desire, become the friend of God," taught St Augustine. I do desire! You chose me, Lord, to be Your friend, and You made it possible by giving Your Life for me on the Cross. For that reason, I choose You as my best Friend; I want to grow in friendship with You every day, to be with You. Help me not to forget You ever.
Holy Mary, my Mother, ask your Son to treat our friendship like a delicate plant: that He may water it with our daily conversation, feed it with Holy Communion, repair it with Confession. May I abide in His Love to keep our friendship exposed to the rays of the Divine Sun.
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Thursday 5th week of Easter
"Jn 15:9-11"
Jesus said to his disciples: "abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."Have you ever felt happy... very, very happy? Can you imagine what it means for our joy to be "full"? No, you can't. Because human beings still don't know how 'full' the human heart can be. If we 'abide' in the Love of God, we will be filled with His joy. He will 'share' His joy with us. If we are united with Him, like branches to the vine, we will absorb His sap and receive the 'fruit of joy' - the joy that all saints had. Could you ever imagine a sad saint? No. It would be like a square circle... Nonsense!
Charles IX, King of France, once asked the poet Torquato Tasso, "Who do you think is the happiest person?" "God, most certainly," said Tasso. "Bah! I know that; I mean among men" replied the king. "The happiest man?," replied Tasso, "he who is closer to God." Like the vine and the branches: Jesus can share His joy if we are united to Him, if we 'abide in His Love'.
When she was a child, St Thérèse of Lisieux was upset to learn that not all souls enjoy the same joy in heaven. Her sister Pauline told her to get her thimble and her father's water tumbler and fill them with water. She asked Thérèse which was fuller. But neither was fuller than the other; one simply contained more because it was bigger. That was it! Each soul is filled to its brim and can hold no more; each, being full of God, is completely happy. But saints had bigger hearts, and so, more of Jesus' joy.
"Let anyone who comes to you go away feeling better and happier. Everyone should see goodness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile. Joy shows from the eyes. It appears when we speak and walk. It cannot be kept closed inside us. It reacts outside. Joy is very infectious" (St Teresa of Calcutta).
Holy Mary, Cause of our Joy, intercede for me to enlarge my heart, so that it can be filled with your Son's joy which I can then spread to those around me.
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Wednesday 5th week of Easter
"Jn 15:1-8"
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser...If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.If you remain in Him and His words abide in you then you can "ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you." This sounds like a great promise, doesn't it? "Whatever" shall be "done for you." And because we have a vested interest in this promise, we should remain in Him. To abide in Him is to be always united, as a branch to the trunk. We also need to make sure that His words abide in us; the Word of the Gospel that we meditate on every day. Ask Him now to help you keep His Word in you.
But the promise "it shall be done for you" obviously doesn't mean that God is like a shop assistant who has to give us 'anything' we fancy; for you know that we can ask for things that would do us no good. It can also happen that God may delay granting your wish. St Augustine explains that He sometimes delays answering our prayers to increase our 'desire' for what we pray for and so that we really value what he has given us when it finally comes. Therefore we need to insist when we ask and be appreciative when we receive.
And then, of course, some things are more important to pray for than others. Joyce Kilmer, a soldier in WWII, wrote from the battle fields to a priest asking for prayers. That is nothing new. The amazing thing is what he asked for. He didn't ask that his life might be spared, that he might soon get back safely to his loved ones or that his family would be fine... no. He said in his letter, "Pray for me, Father, that I may love God more and that I may be unceasingly conscious of Him. That is the greatest wish I have." This is one of the best things to ask for; you can do it now.
We can pray today for that same love for God: Holy Mary, My Mother, intercede for me so that "I may love God more and that I may be unceasingly conscious of Him". May that always be my "greatest wish."
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Tuesday 5th week of Easter
"Jn 14:27-31a"
Jesus said to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father."Jesus prepared His disciples for His Ascension: He will go to Heaven, but they shouldn't be afraid. Christians have no reason whatsoever to be anxious, because He didn't leave us by ourselves. The Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, is in charge now. And when you work for God and with God, there is nothing that can shake your 'spirit'.
One day a journalist asked Pope St John XXIII if he could sleep well at night with all the worries and anxieties of having to lead the Church. He explained that he had problems at the beginning, until one night he told himself, "John, why don't you sleep? Is it you or the Holy Spirit who governs the Church? The Holy Spirit, right? Well then, what are you worried about? Go to sleep, John!" Since then, he said, "I've been able to sleep like a log."
When Bl Alvaro del Portillo was dying, the doctor who was assisting him was very upset. Bl Alvaro took his hand and calmed him down. Many remember how his face and his look always filled those around him with peace. On one occasion someone who worked with him was very anxious about the economic situation they were in. He thought that Bl Alvaro didn't understand it well and said to him, "Don Alvaro, if this continues you could end up in prison." Bl Alvaro replied with serenity, "If that ever happens, remember to bring me plenty of paper and the type-writer. I can work from there... no problem."
Peace is a common feature of all saints; when you are with them you feel at peace. Their own peace 'infects' everyone around them. Our worries and anxieties have to be seen in perspective. When you have a speck of dust on your glasses you see it as a huge stain obstructing your vision. But in reality it is a tiny speck. Mother, Our Lady of Peace, bring peace to the world; bring this fruit of the Holy Spirit into my soul so that I can become, wherever I am, a source of peace for everyone.
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Monday 5th week of Easter
"Jn 14:21-26"
"He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?"This same question has been asked many times in history: Why does Jesus reveal Himself to only some people? Why am I a Christian and my neighbour is not? Why doesn't God manifest Himself to everyone? The Apostles had been chosen by Jesus to spend more time with Him. He taught them all they had to know and then, sent them to preach to the 'whole world'. And so, like the links of a chain, all the others depended on them.
God has created every human being to love Him and be happy. Everyone in the depths of their heart longs for happiness, goodness and beauty. They long for God. And God plans to meet everyone. However, why don't they find Him? Maybe because they are not in the habit of listening to their hearts for that longing. That's where you and I have work to do.
Have you ever swum in cold water and accidentally cut or bruised your skin without noticing it? Eventually, someone may have drawn your attention to it or you went out of the water and saw the blood but felt no pain. The reason is that cold numbs your skin's sensitivity. In the same way, the absence of God in the world, the coldness of the spiritual life, can have this effect in people's souls. They feel no longing for God because they feel nothing at all. The continuous rumble and racket, the ceaseless rush and activity, numbs their souls and makes them oblivious to the fact that their souls are bleeding for God, for true happiness.
When those people get out of the water, out of themselves, they get a bit warmer and gradually begin to feel the wound. Then they will want to go to the Doctor. The mission of Christians is, in the words of St Josemaría, to strive to 'raise the spiritual temperature' so that people will feel the loss of God and will want to search Him out. Mary, my Mother, may I raise the spiritual temperature around me, with my Christian life, to help everyone feel their need of God.
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Saturday 4th week of Easter
"Jn 14:7-14"
"If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him. Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip?"It sounds like a reproach, doesn't it? I have been with you all this time, "and yet you do not know me". How often this happens with Our Lord! St John Mary Vianney told the story of St Alexis, the only son of a rich Roman senator, who left everything to follow God and, in disguise, he travelled to Syria in the East and lived in great poverty near a Church of Our Lady. After seventeen years, he became a famous holy man there, which was the last thing he wanted, so he ran away and ended up, one day, begging at his parents' home. His parents used to do great works of mercy for the poor. Whilst helping hundreds of other poor people, they assisted him as well; but they did not recognise him. They let him stay in a corner under the stairs, where Alexis lived for seventeen more years, until he died. On the day he died, his own mother was taking care of his dead body when she recognised that it was her son who had lived for years under the stairs in her own palace. Tradition says that she exclaimed in tears, "O my son! Too late have I known thee!"
Commenting on the story, St John Mary Vianney said, "The soul leaving this life will at last see Him, whom she possessed in the Eucharist so many times, and at the sight of the consolations, beauties and riches that she had ignored, she will likewise cry out: "O Jesus! O my Life! O my Treasure! O my Love! Too late have I known Thee!"
Saints could recognise Jesus in the Eucharist from the very beginning of the history of Christianity: "I hunger for the bread of God, the flesh of Jesus Christ...I long to drink of his blood, the gift of unending love," said St Ignatius of Antioch in the first century. Let's adore Him with the Angels who stand in His presence, constantly glorifying Him: before the Divine Host there is always an angelic host in adoration. Mary, my Mother, Jesus received His Body from you. Help me to recognise Him in every Tabernacle of the world.
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Friday 4th week of Easter
"Jn 14:1-6"
Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way where I am going. Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.""Let not your hearts be troubled" doesn't mean that there won't be troubles. Our Lord also warned about them a couple of chapters later in the same Gospel: "In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (Jn 16:33). Leave your troubles aside. Don't let them touch your heart. 'Sounds nice', someone might think, 'but how do I do that?' The answer is given by Jesus: "Believe in God." Faith!
You see? Gaudium cum pace [joy and peace], are fruits of the Holy Spirit. You don't get fruits directly from nothing. They come from trees or plants. From the tree of the virtue of Faith we get the 'fruits' of peace and joy. If we believe in God, we trust Him. If we trust, then we have peace and joy. You find these virtues together in the lives of the saints. They were in love and, therefore, happy. "May God protect me from gloomy saints," prayed St Teresa of Avila.
A four-year-old girl had a new baby brother. On the day he was born she was told that he was a "Gift from Heaven". But the sister found it a bit annoying that the baby was crying all the time. A few days later, seeing the baby crying again, she asked her mum, "Mum, is it true that the baby came from Heaven?" "Of course, sweetheart," replied her mother. "No wonder Jesus threw him out!" Even if it wasn't the true reason, it fits with the definition of Heaven that gloomy people aren't found there. Saints had many troubles and tribulations, but they never allowed these to affect them. It doesn't mean that they went around with a 'selfie grin' all the time. They just "believed in God", trusted Him.
Holy Mary, Cause of our Joy, pray for me that I may never lose my peace and cheerfulness.
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Thursday 4th week of Easter
"Jn 13:16-20"
After he had washed the feet of his disciples, Jesus said to them: "Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of you all; I know whom I have chosen; it is that the scripture may be fulfilled.""I know whom I have chosen." You, Lord, knew those you had chosen. You knew them better than they knew themselves. You taught Your Apostles and gave them example, and they learned from You, the Master. You have chosen me as well, for some definite mission in life. And it reassures me to remember that You know me very well, and You know what You made me for.
You, Lord, are like a film director who is trying to find the perfect actor for a perfect role in a particular screenplay. Film directors have to go through catalogues of actors until they find someone who fits the description of the character they need. In the end they find someone who may be, more or less, suitable for the job, though he or she is rarely perfect.
The difference between the film director looking for actors and You, Lord, is that You don't look for them - You make them! And therefore, You make each one perfect for the role that they have to do: 'You know whom You have chosen' and 'what You have chosen them for'. St John Henry Newman expressed it in his prayer: "God knows me and calls me by my name. God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. He has not created me for naught."
I too am made perfect for my role, my mission in life. And I want to do with my life exactly what You, Lord, think is best, for You know me better than I know myself. You know what I can do, Lord, and also what I can't. You, my God, will never ask me for more than I can give... but You will never ask me for less either.
My Mother, Handmaid of the Lord, intercede for me before your Son for the grace I need to fulfil my mission; to be able to say with you all the days of my life, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done unto me according to your word."
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St Matthias, Apostle
"Jn 15:9-17"
"Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends...No longer do I call you servants...but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide."Matthias was chosen to replace Judas. For a while, Judas was Jesus' friend, but eventually he betrayed Our Lord. "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter," says Sacred Scripture, "he that has found one has found a treasure" (Sirach 6:14). We need friends and so does God; loyal friends, strong friends, who are ready to do anything for their friends; just as Jesus did: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends". He then concluded, "You are my friends." Judas didn't accept the 'friend request'. Matthias did.
A little girl named Liza was suffering from a rare disease. Her only chance of recovery was a blood transfusion from her five-year-old brother, who had the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to the little boy, and asked him if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. They saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liza." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled seeing the colour returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "When will I start to die?" Being so young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to give her all his blood. And he was ready to do it because he loved!
"You are my friend," Jesus says. And He could add 'I have poured out all my Blood for you. And now, what kind of friend of mine are you?' Maybe I am not as good a friend as I should be. Am I there when You need me, Lord, at Mass, in my prayer...? Maybe, sometimes, I'm not the most faithful friend, certainly not the most grateful... Mary, my Mother, help me to be a true friend of your Son, through thick and thin, even ready to die for Him if necessary, just as He did for me.
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Tuesday 4th week of Easter "Jn 10:22-30"
The Jews gathered round him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep." The problem wasn't that Jesus didn't speak plainly enough. The problem was that the Pharisees weren't ready to listen. Some people ask Jesus questions but don't want to hear His reply. They may say, 'If God wants me to do this or that... He can tell me plainly!' He does; but they don't get it because they are not ready to listen. A radio station can emit music, but if you don't tune in to the station you won't be able to hear it.It was winter, 1917. A 15-year-old boy was walking through the little town of Logroño (Spain), early in the morning. He stared at the spectacle of the snow-covered town. Then something caught his attention that changed his whole life: some footprints of bare feet in the snow. He followed their trail until he caught up with the Carmelite friar whose feet had made the prints. The boy was dumbfounded. He couldn't stop considering those people in the world, like that man, who are able to make great sacrifices for God and for others. 'What about me?' he thought, 'Am I not going to be able to offer him anything?' That was the beginning of his vocation... and a life of sanctity which led this young lad to become St Josemaría, as he is known today.How many other people saw those same footprints that morning? Did they react as Josemaría did? He was ready to listen to the voice of God, because he was tuned in; he was starting to be a soul of prayer. And he continued to listen to God's voice throughout his life until the end of his days, trying to do the Will of God in everything. "Blessed are those who hear the word of God," said Our Lord, "and obey it!" (Lk 11:28)Those were the words of Jesus when someone mentioned His Mother, for that is precisely what she did. She was always in tune with God. She listened to Him... and obeyed. Mother, teach me to listen and obey always, just as you did. -
Thursday 3rd week of Easter "Jn 6:44-51"
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh." "I am the bread of life." We never have enough of the Eucharist for we can't ever have enough of God. He is that Bread that we ask for many times a day, "Give us this day our daily bread." This is the fuel of the saints. To go up to Heaven we need the Bread that came down from Heaven. Remember E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial pointing to the sky and saying "Home"? Well, he was right. Our home is up there, and to climb up there our 'rocket' runs on the Eucharist.In the same way that E.T. managed to get a device to "phone home", persecuted Christians have found the most amazing resources to be able to receive the Eucharist. In nearly two thousand years the Sacramental Jesus has been in all kinds of places: cathedrals and dungeons, basilicas and caves... The daily Bread can reach everywhere when needed. A Latvian Bishop, Boleslas Sloskans (1893-1981), was arrested soon after his episcopal ordination, jailed in seventeen Soviet prisons, deported to Siberia and exiled for over thirty years. With other priests, prisoners also in the Solovki Archipelago, they used a glass for a chalice and the lid of a tin can for a paten. The bread was provided by the jailers. The wine was made from raisins soaked in water. They celebrated Mass at night, in secret. In the morning, in the convoy going to work, Bishop Sloskans distributed the consecrated Hosts to the Catholics, under the utmost secrecy. He hid the remaining Hosts under the roots of a tree, wrapped in a piece of cloth so that those who had not received Communion could do so during the day.Living in such difficult conditions (hard labour, insufficient food and all sorts of inhuman deprivations and treatment) they survived - as the bishop pointed out - thanks to that "daily Bread." Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, may I never get used to receiving Jesus in this daily Bread. -
Wednesday 3rd week of Easter "Jn 6:35-40"
Jesus said to them, "All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." The Father has entrusted Jesus with a mission: that He "should lose nothing of all that the Father has given Him". Not a single soul should be lost. All are destined to rise with Him at the end of time. Jesus Himself says, "him who comes to me I will not cast out"; no one who comes to Him... but they need to come. Yet, some don't come to Him; some even run away from Him when He wants to bring them close to Him. They want to be saved, but not badly. They want to go to Heaven, but 'kind of' or 'more-or-less'. They lack determination. They pray as St Augustine did when he was young. Although he had no desire to renounce his life of misery and sin, he knew that he had to change. He explains in his Confessions how he would pray: "Lord, give me chastity and continence, but not yet." Our Lord needed him for an important mission. Many souls depended on Augustine and his fulfilling the Will of the Father, so God granted him the grace of conversion when he was 31 years old. After his conversion he worked hard to serve God. He made up for his delay in bringing himself to do the Will of God. Nevertheless, when he looked back at his early life and thought about how much he made Jesus wait until he followed Him, he wrote this lovely prayer: "Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside. You were with me, but I was not with you. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace."Holy Mary, our Hope, may I never make God wait for me to fulfil His Will. -
q Wednesday 3rd week of Easter "Jn 6:35-40"
Jesus said to them, "All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." The Father has entrusted Jesus with a mission: that He "should lose nothing of all that the Father has given Him". Not a single soul should be lost. All are destined to rise with Him at the end of time. Jesus Himself says, "him who comes to me I will not cast out"; no one who comes to Him... but they need to come. Yet, some don't come to Him; some even run away from Him when He wants to bring them close to Him. They want to be saved, but not badly. They want to go to Heaven, but 'kind of' or 'more-or-less'. They lack determination. They pray as St Augustine did when he was young. Although he had no desire to renounce his life of misery and sin, he knew that he had to change. He explains in his Confessions how he would pray: "Lord, give me chastity and continence, but not yet." Our Lord needed him for an important mission. Many souls depended on Augustine and his fulfilling the Will of the Father, so God granted him the grace of conversion when he was 31 years old. After his conversion he worked hard to serve God. He made up for his delay in bringing himself to do the Will of God. Nevertheless, when he looked back at his early life and thought about how much he made Jesus wait until he followed Him, he wrote this lovely prayer: "Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside. You were with me, but I was not with you. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace."Holy Mary, our Hope, may I never make God wait for me to fulfil His Will. -
Monday 3rd week of Easter "Jn 6:22-29"
When the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Caperna-um, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life." This happened right after the multiplication of the loaves and fish. These people came after Jesus again but maybe not for the right reason. They ate delicious loaves and fish for free and, perhaps, just wanted some more! So Jesus invited them not to look for ordinary bread, but for the Bread of Heaven: the Eucharist. That is the content of the whole sixth chapter of St John.At the end of this chapter we read that "many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him." We can recognise people like that today: they follow Him when it is easy, when it isn't demanding, when they need something, but not when Jesus is crucified, not when He asks for help, for their time, for their presence in the Holy Mass or before the Tabernacle, for their time of prayer... Those are not 'real' friends of Jesus. They are like 'friends' who turn up to a birthday party without a present and disappear before it is time to clear up. It's like a one-way friendship: there is no 'give and take'. They take but don't give. In the summer of 1921 three boys discovered Red Army soldiers breaking into the church of Petrograd, near Finland. They resolved to "shield the dear, loving Jesus" and entered the church, greeting the soldiers. When the soldiers threatened to shoot they replied that they "would not suffer their dear Jesus to be insulted." Two boys were killed. The third boy blocked the altar steps with his body and was brutally beaten. Before he died, though, he managed to tell the people of the village what had happened: Jesus had appeared on the altar steps and blessed the two dead boys. The soldiers screamed that the church was haunted and fled. The third boy died radiant, saying, "We have shielded Jesus." My Mother, may I learn from you to shield Jesus in the Eucharist with my prayer and love. -
Sts Philip and James, Apostles "Jn 14:6-14"
Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me."...Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?...he who believes in me will also do the works that I do...Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it." First Thomas asked a question and Jesus answered. Then Philip asked another question and Jesus replied. How vivid and pleasant must have been those dialogues with Jesus where they could talk about whatever they wanted! In those conversations the Apostles learned from Jesus, solved their dilemmas, grew in faith, had the best times of their lives and gave Jesus the comfort of their friendship. Surely there were nice comments, encouraging anecdotes from one, jokes from another, songs from their various hometowns... How much Jesus loved those get-togethers! That's what prayer is: a vivid and pleasant dialogue with God. Those dialogues transformed them into the Apostles that Jesus needed, able to do the works that Jesus did with the power to ask anything in the Name of Jesus and obtain it. Because for those who pray, who are friends with Jesus, He does anything.Philip took a long time to realise who Jesus was. When Jesus asked him to feed the multitude, Philip replied, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little". Actually five loaves and two fish did the job. James (The Lesser) was a relative of Jesus (probably son of Jesus' aunt Mary of Cleopas). He knew Jesus before He became a public figure. It took him a while to understand who He really was. But those long conversations with Our Lord opened his mind. He eventually became bishop of Jerusalem and was stoned to death for his faith in Jesus. Our daily dialogue with Jesus will also transform us into modern apostles; we will grow in faith and do the works that He does. Holy Mary, Queen of the Apostles, pray for us. -
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. -
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. - Daha fazla göster
