Generous in forgiving

September 21, 2014 8:43 am

“Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts; let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.” (IS 55: 7)

Created by God, we are invited to be with Him for eternity. Part of our life (definitively smaller) is here, on earth. It happens that we forget our destiny where we are invited, but God never does. He is always merciful and generous in forgiving—the only way to bring us back on the path to Heaven.

“I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever.” (Entrance Antiphon)

Generous and good heart

September 20, 2014 11:38 am

“… the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.” (Lk 8: 15)

We are invited to protect  “a generous and good heart” in us Only that kind of heart listens carefully to the word, embraces it and bears fruit. We need also perseverance because every fruit requires time to grow.

“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.” (Gospel Acclamation)

Joint venture

September 19, 2014 10:06 am

“Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities… who provided for them out of their resources.” (Lk 8: 1-3)

Our Lord created it as a joint venture, important for “preaching and proclaiming the good news.” The Twelve and women were chosen by Him, cured by Him and invited to serve the Kingdom of God in two different ways. Preaching without resources is like recourses without preaching—they help you to survive but without a bigger perspective for your life.

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

The grace of God

September 18, 2014 11:03 am

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.” (1 Cor 15: 10)

God’s grace assists us in every moment. We are chosen by Him, and His grace helps us to bear fruit. Our identity is based not only on our nature but also on His grace. To understand “what I am” I need a holistic perspective.

“How precious is your mercy, O God! The children of men seek shelter in the shadow of your wings.” (Communion Antiphon)

The greatest is love

September 17, 2014 12:24 pm

“So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13: 13)

A well-known triad: faith, hope and love; the foundation of Christian life. The greatest of these is love because it never fails and never ends. In heaven only love will remain; faith will see and hope will be fulfilled. Whatever we do because of love, we come closer to God, and whenever we try to grow in any attribute of love, we act similar to God.

“It was not you who chose me, says the Lord, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” (Communion Antiphon)

Designated in the Church

September 16, 2014 8:55 am
“Some people God has designated in the Church to be, first, Apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues.” (1 Cor 12: 28)
Every gift is important in the Church; no one is more or less meaningful. During our Programs, every element is so significant: a good lecture is connected with good chairs and acoustics, breaks without cake and aromatic coffee or tea are less effective, and workshops without good administration and assistance dont work. We are connected; we are united because we “were all baptized into one Body.”
“A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.” (Gospel Acclamation)

Take her into your home

September 15, 2014 8:08 am
“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” (Jn 19: 26-27)
This holy dialog with Our Lady and the disciple never ends. Each of us is invited to become Our Lord’s disciple—the disciple “whom he loved”. Whoever takes Our Lady into his home, discovers peace, tenderness and love—the attributes  of Her presence.
“Rejoice when you share in the sufferings of Christ, that you may also rejoice exultantly when his glory is revealed.” (Communion Antiphon)

Lift up your hearts

September 14, 2014 5:00 am

– We lift them up to the Lord.

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (J 3:13-15)

Believers may have eternal life, not thinkers, workers or devotees alone. The believer lifts up the Son of Man in his/her life, so that they can see Him in every moment; not only when they think about God or do something for Him, or pray to Him. The believer receives life every day as a gift and opportunity to have eternal life from Him. The believer looks for every occasion to become closer to Our Lord, to look at Him and to follow Him.

“When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself, says the Lord.” (Communion Antiphon)

The fullness of the heart

September 13, 2014 3:04 pm

“A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Lk 6: 45)

My heart can be a store—a store of goodness or a store of evil. This is my responsibility and my concern, what I will put into my store. From my storage I can produce either good or evil. When my heart is full of God’s words, collected from daily readings, my retreats and meetings with my merciful God in the Sacrament of Reconcilliation, we can produce good much easier.

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him.” (Gospel Acclamation)

To see clearly

September 12, 2014 1:00 pm

“Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.” (Lk 6: 42)

To be able to see clearly “the splinter” in our brother’s eye, we have to remove “the wooden beam” from our own eyes. Only when we are in the habit of making a daily examination of our conscience, can we help our brothers. The best ever help is Our Lady—I can ask her for help to “remove the wooden beam from my eye” and then, ask her to “remove the splinter” from my brother’s eye. She can do it in truth, in a very delicate way, with compassion and tenderness.

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