“Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” (Mt 24:42)
We know He will come again. This is certain. The question is—when? Our Lord says: “stay awake” because He will come very discreetly, only to those who are able to stay alert. He reminds us: “you … must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” My daily prayers, daily readings and daily Mass enable me to be alert and focused on Him. When He is always in my heart, I will be able to recognize Him—when “the Son of Man will come.”
“In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding and clothed him in a robe of glory.” (Entrance Antiphon)
“May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” (2 Thes 3:16)
Almost every day the media news bring us information about conflicts and wars. Europe, Africa and Asia are in constant danger. We know that only Our Lord himself can give us true “peace at all times and in every way.” We can protect His peace in us also “in every way,” especially in our families by practicing gentleness, respect, gifts of self (do you remember: free, creative and joyful?) and rituals, when we protect time for us to share what we have in our hearts.
“Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word.” (2 Thes 2: 16-17)
“Gesta et verba Dei”—God’s deeds and words—are the way in which God communicates with us. Deeds connected with words help us to understand the deeds, and words help us to understand the message given in deeds (DV, 2). Like the situation when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and asked them: “Do you know what I have done for you?” (J 13: 12) Also in our lives, our “every good deed and word” should be connected to make our lives, vocation and mission very clear.
“The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you…”(2 Tes 1:11-12)
We could be the place of God’s glory. He made us into His temple, worthy of His calling and can “bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith.” All of this with respect to our free will because we are in His image and likeness. We could be… The only thing we need is: “we always pray for you.” We need people of prayer, our true friends, who will take care of us and who will protect us by prayer.
“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.’” (Mt 16:16-18)
Peter’s identity connects him with Jesus, is based on Him and His identity. The more we are connected with Our Lord, the more we understand our unique vocation, our role in this world. It could be as simple as being a married couple or more difficult like being a pope, but it shoulb be always related to Him.
“You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Mt 22:36-40)
Loving God and loving our neighbors aren’t separated. “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments,” teaches us Our Lord. Love should be total, covering all dimensions: the heart, soul and mind. Our Lady, today venerated as a Queen, gives us the perfect example how to love, as a Mother of God and Man.
“At your right stands the queen in robes of gold, finally arrayed.” (Entrance Antiphon)
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Mt 23:12)
Always a difficult subject: does he “exalt himself” or just promotes himself, is he or she humble or pathologically shy… The answer to these questions becomes much easier when we focus on how much we are connected with God while doing something. IF I do it alone—I am in danger of an excessive pride or a false humility, when I’m united with Him—I am protected.
“Here is a wise virgin, from among the number of the prudent, who went forth with lighted lamp to meet Christ.” (Entrance Antiphon)
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Mt 23:12)
Always a difficult subject: does he “exalt himself” or just promotes himself, is he or she humble or pathologically shy… The answer to these questions becomes much easier when we focus on how much we are connected with God while doing something. IF I do it alone—I am in danger of an excessive pride or a false humility, when I’m united with Him—I am protected.
“Here is a wise virgin, from among the number of the prudent, who went forth with lighted lamp to meet Christ.” (Entrance Antiphon)
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Mt 22:36-40)
Loving God and loving our neighbors aren’t separated. “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments,” teaches us Our Lord. Love should be total, covering all dimensions: the heart, soul and mind. Our Lady, today venerated as a Queen, gives us the perfect example how to love, as a Mother of God and Man.
“At your right stands the queen in robes of gold, finally arrayed.” (Entrance Antiphon)
“For I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from all the foreign lands, and bring you back to your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees.” (Ez 36:24-27)
God’s activity and ours: He will take you away; He will gather you; He will bring you back; He will sprinkle clean water and cleanse you; He will give you a new heart and a new spirit; He will take from your body your stony heart and give you a natural heart; He will put His spirit within you and make you live by His statues; ours—observe His decrees. Do you see any disproportion? His main “decree” calls us just to love one another.
“The Good Shepherd has laid down his life for his sheep.” (Communion Antiphon)
