“But to those who did accept him, he gave power to become children of God” (J  1:12). 

In our life we receive so many identities: A daughter or son, sister or brother, student, worker, wife or husband, friend, mother or father, patient or doctor, nurse, physician.  Some of them are based on our education and profession, some of them – on our relations, some – on our age and place in society.

Our true identity is based on our faith – “but to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God”. And all our other identities should be rooted in this true one. This is the only way to be a good wife/husband, employe and boss, parent or child. Today we are finishing the year and will start soon a New one. The best way to think about the New Year is not to think about the time wasted, but rather about the opportunities that the New Year brings: for the realization of my true identity.

As children of God we can do more than our limited human capabilities let us.

“But to those who did accept him, he gave power to become children of God” (J  1:12).

“Ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest”.

Why? “His heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like a sheep without a shepherd”.

The couples who suffer from infertility or lost a child during pregnancy know how difficult life is – they are troubled and abandoned. And the worst – there is no one who can tell them why.

God, who is the Creator of life, who gave couples “the extremely important mission of transmitting human life” (HV, 1) has never abandoned them. Neither those suffering from infertility, nor those unable to conceive another child. His heart didn’t change when He went to Heaven.

Today He reminds us to ask the master to send out laborers. You are among them. He touched your hearts and invited you to join His harvest. Through your work He wants to show that He takes care of the troubled couples and that He is near their problems.

Today you have finished the first step and you will soon start helping other couples. This is not only your mission. First of all, this is His. He is the Master, He is the Creator of Life, He is the Redeemer and He is the authority (and has the power) to cure every disease and every illness. Connect your knowledge with prayer and proclaim the Good News – “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand”.

Viva!!!

The sermons in the Basilica can sometimes end with the call “!Viva Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe!: And the whole church shouts thunderously: “!Viva!” Right after that someone shouts  “!Viva Christo Rey!” and the response is also deafening. Those who were at the St. Peter’s  Square in Rome know what I mean – Latin America is not afraid to voice their feelings. I heard those shouts every time I went to the Basilica, so I understand that that’s the way things are there. Where Our Lady is so much loved, there’s also so much love to Her Son – contrary to the fears of many people that worshipping Mary may obscure the concentration on the Christ in the church.

Whenever I think about this dialogue of the two crucified people: the good thief and Jesus, I think about the incredible “today you will be with me in paradise”. TODAY. Not something like “you know well, that in your situation the best I can do is to send you to the ourgatory, where you’ll spend some time, because, you know, you haven’t been living well”… We would send so many people to the purgatory for a looong stay, and full of self-admiration because it’s clear those people merit in fact something else.

And HE said: TODAY, Of course the good thief fulfilled all the conditions to make amends with God, but…

God’s mercy, God’s perspective, Christ the King. Today in the Basilica Christ was crowned as the king of Mexico, and Gos’s presence was so palpable. Where the Mother is loved so much, there’s also great love to Her Son.

Remembering you on this special day

Padre J.

The Sadducees who doubt in the Resurrection have come to my mind who set a trap for Jesus, asking Him about following husbands of one wife.
And I see many Sadducees around me – they try to obscure the image of God with their comments, cynical remarks and ironic behaviour and they try to prove that He doesn’t exist.

But He does not abandon us, He comforts us and gives us faith. Over 2000 ago and today He replies to the Sadducees:

“The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’” (Luke 20: 34-37)

This is Good News. so full of hope, and dignity, for me, for you and for everyone.

Jesus doesn’t want us to become or to remain Sadducees, because that would mean that we’d remain on your own, tragically alone and hopeless.

Dorota

„ The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?”  (Psalm 27: 1)

“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Łk 15, 2)

„ You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? ” (Rz 14:10)

If I believe in God who is a defender and not an accuser and experience Him, such faith is an obligation for me to learn to see those around me with hope and to give them  safe space and time to grow. I am obliged to be patient and to accept them in the way He accepts us  – with understanding and sympathy, without being judgmental and superioriyu. With hope, because He always is hopeful against us.

Basia

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” – we read in today’s Gospel.

For each one of us God has a wonderful plan, full of peace and love. It is also full of invitation to step beyond ourselves and not stand in one place, to trust more. In spite of everything.

But sometimes it happens so that our life becomes very complicated. We do not understand anything any more and we fight against the temptation of resignation, we may tend to fall into scepticism, bitterness and depression.

At such moments it is worth coming with the questions to God, as Mary did and not sticking to our doubts. We may then hear ““The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you”.

It is good to change the change the perspective at the prayer and to have the confidence that beyond all the porblems and difficulties there is always love and grace, thet all things have their sense, that God knows best and He will lead us in a perfect way. We must only believe that “all things are possible with God”.

“But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”” (Judges 6:23)

When I read these words at the beginning of the day, my attitude to many matters and situations changes immediately.

Although I am grown-up, I need such assertions very frequently much as such a sensibility is outdated today. But I need a sense of security, I need a good word, I need a warm relationship.

I wonder how my family feel today. Do I give them this feeling of security in return, do I support them? Not only by thoughts but with concrete words, gestures. Perhaps they need it as well but they are ashamed to talk about them?

Regardless of what it is like, I would like to assure them about it because the Lord has told me about it today and has strengthened me.

Because “with God all things are possible”. (Matthew 19: 26)
Dorota

Again. I’m sure that each of the readers has known such moments in life. The moments when we wonder why we are where we are and why things are the way they are. IYou know, it’s like when you go in the mountains, reach the top and then everything is supposed to be OK. But why can’t you see anything, there’s fog around, and people going down said the views were splendid, your feet hurt although the shoes are not new, it keeps raining, the backpack gives you pin, even though you’ve made many trips with it and everything was fine, etc. Not that you assumed everything would be perfect, certainly not. But not that bad, either!

But who told you that’s gonna be “the way it’s supposed to be”? In fact, we never know what it’s gonna be like. Sometimes the reality comes close to the expactations, and that’s all. What’s left is Hope. The virtue. If He is with us, what can it bother us that things are the way they are and not differently? Maybe it’s better for me this way? I may develop more, I may understand something, I may grow to something. I know, it’s easily said. But these thoughts kepte me alive when things went “wrong” and I Hope that I’ll understand also this time why things are the way they are.

Michał

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household”. (Ephesians 2: 19)

For the Lord even what we think of ourselves is important, how we call ourselves. He knows how these words can lift us up and strengthen us and which words have the opposite effect. He wants us to have a helathy self-confidence built on Him. Therefore He gives us through His wor a beautiful identity: fellow citizens with God’s people and members of His household. He looks at us as His people. He invites us to be His dear and near, members of His household.

When we believe His word and look at Him with His eyes, it alsways lead us to a happier and better “me”.

Basia

For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. (2 Corinthians 1:5)

Dear Reader, if you are the kind of person who always sees the donut not the hole, we’re happy for you! The world needs you so much!!! However, if you don’t belong to that minority group, feel invited to stay with us for the next several lines.

You might have not noticed until now that even in real hardships the Lord is giving you reasons for joy and so many proofs of His concern for you. He’s sending His Angels, often in the person of actual people, who for instance will tell you on the phone: “Where are you? In a shop? is there a mirror anywhere near? Come closer to it. What can you see? A smile? See, that’s not so difficult.”

And yet among many memory disorders, apart from total amnesia, there’s a very dangerous disease of “selective memory”. It chooses from the whole day only the things that went wrong. The dinner was too late. Even though you should be grateful that it took place at all, and you all could gather and have it together (which is not so obvious, if someone in the family is ill or away). 

Of course one should neither ignore real suffering, but try to help it, nor neglect problems that need solution. But optimism brings us closer to God’s view of things. The lives of the most cheerful people I’ve ever met were not all roses. But when they checked the balance of each part of the day, they were always “in the black,”, and not “in the red”. They could notice even the smallest things that worked out well. And they were also able to appreciate other people’s efforts in a similar way.

Margaret