She greeted Elizabeth

May 31, 2018 6:00 am

“Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.” (LK 1: 39-40)

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Two expecting mothers met together and spent three months enjoying the gifts received from Our Lord. Both Elizabeth and Mary recognized the invitation from God and answered with all their hearts. When we see pregnant women, we can always rejoice and give thanks to God, Who again called someone to this world to fulfill His will.

“Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Gospel Acclamation)

Love one another intensely from a pure heart

May 30, 2018 6:00 am

“Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere brotherly love, love one another intensely from a pure heart. You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God, for: ‘All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the field; the grass withers, and the flower wilts; but the word of the Lord remains forever.’” (1 PT 1: 22-25)

Our Lord expects from us that we will love “intensely” and “from a pure heart.” When our hearts are not pure, we are focused on ourselves, more expecting that giving and more demanders than givers. When our hearts don’t love “intensely,” we stop loving whenever finding difficulties, looking for a new, fresh relationship instead of staying close and remaining faithful to the old one. “Love one another intensely from a pure heart” means “to serve” and “to give life.”

“The Son of Man came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Gospel Acclamation)

A hundred times more

May 29, 2018 6:00 am

“Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.” (MK 10: 29-31)

Our gift of selves, given for the sake of our Lord and “for the sake the Gospel,” visible in many different ways (from houses or lands to siblings or parents), will always meet the most generous God, Who gave Himself for us and for our salvation. Whatever we give will be answered “a hundred times more.”

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.” (Gospel Acclamation)

in His great mercy

May 28, 2018 6:00 am

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.” (1 PT 1: 3-5)

We are God’s children, and we received, “by the power of God,” a salvation “that is ready to be revealed in the final time.” Whatever Our Lord did for us, He did it “in His great mercy,” and among many other gifts, we received “a new birth to a living hope.” With hope and faith, enriched by love, we can share with others the new life and love we received from Him.

“Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (Gospel Acclamation)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit

May 27, 2018 6:00 am

“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (MT 28: 18-20)

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity reminds us of our baptism and our identity: we are God’s children, loved unconditionally and invited to be with Him for eternity. Whenever we make a sign of the cross or finish a prayer with a doxology, we always respect the Most Holy Trinity: we respect God, Who created us, God, Who saved us, and God, Who sanctifies us.

“Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come.” (Gospel Acclamation)

The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful

May 26, 2018 6:00 am

“The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. Elijah was a man like us; yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land. Then Elijah prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.” (JAS 5: 16-18)

Prayer is the way that we protect our relationship with God. Just as without having a conversation, without sharing and taking care of each other, we can’t develop friendship, so without prayer we can’t develop a strong and vivid relationship with God. Prayer is more about relationship than just an action.

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.” (Gospel Acclamation)

From the beginning of creation

May 25, 2018 6:00 am

“Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” (MK 10: 5-9)

“From the beginning of creation,” marriage is God’s plan for humankind, not our idea. And from the beginning, marriage has had an enemy who tries to destroy God’s plan. We need to use every possible strategy to protect our marriages, like our strategies from the Programs. Starting with gentleness and respect, we can secure “what God has joined together.”

“Your word, O Lord, is truth; consecrate us in the truth.” (Gospel Acclamation)

A cup of water

May 24, 2018 6:00 am

“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.’” (MK 9: 41)

We are so close to Our Lord’s heart, Who, Himself, is a reward. He expects from us just simple actions, absolutely doable. “A cup of water” is our daily need, and being very humble and simple, connects us to God.

“Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God.” (Gospel Acclamation)

If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that

May 23, 2018 6:00 am

“‘Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town, spend a year there doing business, and make a profit’–you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears. Instead you should say, ‘If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.’” (JAS 4: 13-15)

It is not against planning; it is about planning with respect to God’s will. Our lives have a purpose—to live with God forever; our only desire should be “to do this or that,” which brings us closer to God and to His will. When we recognize God’s will, we should do everything to make the best plans to realize them.

“I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.” (Gospel Acclamation)

Draw near to God

May 22, 2018 6:00 am

“So submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.” (JAS 4: 7-10)

We have two options: to love this world, which means “enmity with God” or to love God, which means “humble yourselves before the Lord” and “draw near to God.” Our Lord is always close to us, always ready to help, to protect us and to lead us; He expects from us only a decision—“submit ourselves to God.”

“May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.” (Gospel Acclamation)