St Josemaria expresses the wish in The Way that we should learn to speak of the holy souls in purgatory as “My good friends the souls in purgatory” (571).
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We should not forget that he came on earth to redeem everyone, because ‘he wishes all men to be saved’. There is not a single soul in whom Christ is not interested. Each soul has cost him the price of his Blood.
This hymn to freedom is echoed in all the mysteries of our Catholic faith. The Blessed Trinity draws the world and man out of nothing, in a free outpouring of love. The Word comes down from Heaven and takes on our flesh, an act which bears the splendid mark of freedom in submission.
All honest human activities can be offered to God, sanctified, and turned into a means and opportunity for apostolate. Work, but also rest, which we need in order to renew our strength so that we can support our families and serve society.
Let us set the scene. I picture Jesus sitting by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, with Capernaum in the backdrop on a somewhat bitter evening.
We are careful about calorie counting, protein intake, omega supplements, as we try to increase one thing and decrease another. It’s easy to be obsessed with the process: we want to see the results, the fruits, of our discipline. Result seeking in the spiritual life, however, can be misplaced…
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).
I want to talk to you about time, that passes so swiftly. I am not going to repeat to you the well-known phrase about one year more being one year less…
Today, once again, I set myself this goal and I also remind you and all mankind: this is God’s Will for us, that we be saints.
To “live” the holy Mass means to pray continually, and to be convinced that, for each one of us, this is a personal meeting with God. We adore him, we praise him, we give thanks to him, we atone for our sins, we are purified, we experience a unity with Christ and with all Christians.
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.
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.).
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.
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.