The Lord warns us against angrily calling another “You fool!” (Mt 5:12). But the fact that He calls certain individuals foolish shows that some merit the epithet (cf. Mt 7:26, 23:17, et al.).
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In the spiritual life we have to reckon with a unique “balance of power” between what God can do and what we can do.
Jesus has been invited once again to a dinner. His host has insisted on his coming, eager to offer Him a special reception. But an unexpected event interrupts them.
We are at the beginning of Lent: a time of penance, purification and conversion. It is not an easy program, but then Christianity is not an easy way of life.
Families have the opportunity, as St. Josemaria explained, to “ensure that God is not regarded as a stranger whom we go to see in the church once a week on Sunday.”
“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are…. Beloved, we are God’s children now” (1 Jn 3:1-2).
Sometimes when we hear the Gospel proclaimed at Mass we are so encouraged and consoled that we think: I cannot be lost. Other times we hear it and we might think: How will I ever be saved?
Christian identity begins and ends with childhood—the unique childhood of the children of God.
For many, the first challenge of the day is overcoming our desire to put off the “million pinpricks” ahead. Dedicating yourself to this one spiritual practice lets you start the day with a victory that will most likely pave the way for more.
A reflection on love for the sacred liturgy must begin beneath an old tree.
The St. Josemaria Institute is pleased to share this “spiritual backpack”, offering a curated selection of resources for students, families and teachers to help maintain a happy spiritual life as everyone begins the new school year.
I’d like to have a moment of your time. I’m not asking for myself, but on behalf of the Lord Jesus.
How much is holy poverty a driving force on your path to Christ? For the first disciples of Jesus, as for the Saints of every age, poverty is a privileged way of identifying oneself with the “affections” of Christ.
At the end of His earthly life, our Lord sought to teach His disciples how they would remain united to Him in His absence. They certainly wanted this, as their distress at Jesus’ imminent departure shows.
You’ve begun to live the spiritual life in earnest. You say your daily prayers and make your daily meditation. Is there more?
Perhaps no question comes more frequently to the sincere and devout person trying to live an authentic spiritual life than, “Am I doing it right?” Or, “Am I missing something?”
The fact that God can take away any problem he wishes, or hasten the end of some unpleasantness, might leave us imagining a whole ungainly mess of wasted time in God’s providence that could have been much better spent.
The Gospel of the beatitudes, appointed for the solemnity of All Saints, is God’s prescription for human holiness and happiness (see Mt 5:1-12), but they aren’t things that would naturally be your “first pick.”
The Lord does not remain with us in the Eucharist for His own sake, but to meet our deepest human needs for love and friendship: “Jesus, who has encouraged this feeling of emptiness in us, comes out to meet us” (Christ is Passing By, no. 170).
The Gospel reading for the feast of St Joseph the Worker (Mt 13:54-58), presents us with a couple of pointed questions about Jesus: “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son?”