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Archive for the ‘01 Daily Meditations’ Category

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“The only possible measure for the love of God is to love without measure”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2012/02/28 at 9:11 AM

You fulfill a demanding plan of life: you rise early, you pray, you frequent the sacraments, you work or study a lot, you are sober and mortified, but you are aware that something is missing. Consider this in your conversation with God: since holiness, or the struggle to achieve it, is the fullness of charity, you must look again at your love of God and your love of others for his sake. Then you may discover, hidden in your soul, great defects that you have not even been fighting against. You may not be a good son, a good brother, a good companion, a good friend, a good colleague. And, if you love your “holiness” in a disordered manner, you are envious. You sacrifice yourself in many small personal details, and so you are attached to yourself, to your own person. Deep down you do not live for God or for others, but only for yourself. (Furrow, 739)

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches his divine command of charity to all who are ready to listen with an open mind. At the end, by way of summary, he says, ‘Love your enemies, and do good to them, and lend to them, without any hope of return; then your reward will be a rich one, and you will be children of the most High, generous like him towards the thankless and unjust. Be merciful, then, as your Father is merciful.’

Mercy is more than simply being compassionate. Mercy is the overflow of charity, which brings with it also an overflow of justice. Mercy means keeping one’s heart totally alive, throbbing in a way that is both human and divine, with a love that is strong, self‑sacrificing and generous. Here is what St Paul has to say about charity in his hymn to this virtue, ‘Charity is patient, is kind; charity feels no envy; charity is never perverse or proud, never insolent; does not claim its rights, cannot be provoked, does not brood over an injury; takes no pleasure in wrong‑doing, but rejoices at the victory of truth; sustains, believes, hopes, endures, to the last.’ (Friends of God, 232)

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“It’s not enough to be good; you need to show it”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2012/02/21 at 9:11 AM

It’s not enough to be good; you need to show it. What would you say of a rose bush which produced only thorns? (Furrow, 735)

You understood the meaning of friendship when you began to feel that you were like the shepherd of a little flock which you had left abandoned, but were now trying to gather together again, taking it upon yourself to serve each one of them. (Furrow, 730)

You cannot just be passive. You have to become a real friend of your friends. You can help them first with the example of your behavior and then with your advice and with the influence that a close friendship provides. (Furrow, 731)

Meditate upon this carefully and act accordingly: people who think you are unpleasant will stop thinking that when they realize that you really like them. It is up to you. (Furrow, 734)

You consider yourself a friend because you say nothing bad. That is true, but I see in you no sign of giving good example or service. This kind make the worst friends. (Furrow, 740)

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“The way to cut short all the evils is to pray”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2012/02/21 at 9:11 AM
The way to cut short all the evils we suffer is to pray. (The Forge, 76)

Remember that prayer does not consist in making pretty speeches, or high‑sounding or consoling phrases. Prayer, at times, will be a glance at a picture of Our Lord or of his Mother; sometimes a petition, expressed in words; or offering good works, and the fruits of faithfulness. We have to be like a guard on sentry duty at the gate of God Our Lord: that’s what prayer is. Or like a small dog that lies down at his master’s feet. Do not mind telling him: Lord, here I am, like a faithful dog; or better still like a little donkey, which will not kick the one who loves him. (The Forge, 73)

Your prayer cannot stop at mere words. It has to lead to deeds and practical consequences. (The Forge, 75)

Heroism, sanctity, daring, require a constant spiritual preparation. You can only ever give to others what you already have. And in order to give God to them you yourself need to get to know him, to live his Life, to serve him. (The Forge, 78

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“To pray is to talk with God. But about what?”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2012/02/15 at 9:11 AM
You write: ‘To pray is to talk with God. But about what?’ About what? About Him, about yourself: joys, sorrows, successes and failures, noble ambitions, daily worries, weaknesses! And acts of thanksgiving and petitions: and Love and reparation. In a word: to get to know him and to get to know yourself: ‘to get acquainted!’ (The Way, 91)

“A prayer to my living God.” If God is life for us, we should not be surprised to realize that our very existence as Christians must be interwoven with prayer. But don’t imagine that prayer is an action to be carried out and then forgotten. The just man “delights in the law of the Lord, and meditates on his law day and night.” “Through the night I meditate on you” and “my prayer comes to you like incense in the evening” [1]. Our whole day can be a time for prayer — from night to morning and from morning to night. In fact, as holy Scripture reminds us, even our sleep should be a prayer.

Our life of prayer should also be based on some moments that are dedicated exclusively to our conversation with God, moments of silent dialogue, before the tabernacle if possible, in order to thank our Lord for having waited for us — so often alone — for twenty centuries. This heart‑to‑heart dialogue with God is mental prayer, in which the whole soul takes part; intelligence, imagination, memory and will are all involved. It is a meditation that helps to give supernatural value to our poor human life, with all its normal, everyday occurrences.

Thanks to these moments of meditation and to our vocal prayer and aspirations, we will be able to turn our whole day into a continuous praise of God, in a natural way and without any outward display. Just as people in love are always thinking about each other, we will be aware of God’s presence. And all our actions, down to the most insignificant, will be filled with spiritual effectiveness.

This is why, as a Christian sets out on his way of uninterrupted dealing with our Lord, his interior life grows and becomes strong and secure. And he is led to engage in the demanding yet attractive struggle to fulfill completely the will of God. (Christ is passing by, 119)

[1] Cf Ps 140:2

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“He listens to us and answers us”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2012/02/14 at 9:11 AM

And in my meditation a fire shall flame out.’ That is why you go to pray: to become a bonfire, a living flame giving heat and light. So, when you are not able to go on, when you feel that your fire is dying out, if you cannot throw on it sweet- smelling logs, throw on the branches and twigs of short vocal prayers and ejaculations, to keep the bonfire burning. And you will not have wasted your time. (The Way, 91)

If we truly want to unburden our hearts, and are honest and sincere about it, we seek the advice of those who love and understand us: our father or mother, wife or husband, our brother or friend. Even though often what we want isn’t so much to listen as to express our feelings and say what has happened to us, a dialogue has already begun. Let us begin to do the same with God; we can be quite sure he listens to us and answers us. Let us pay attention to him and open up our soul in humble conversation, telling him in confidence everything that is on our mind and in our heart: our joys, sorrows, hopes, annoyances, successes, failures, even the most trivial happenings in our day. We will discover that our Heavenly Father is interested in everything about us…

In this way, almost without realizing it, we will go forward at God’s pace, taking strong and vigorous strides. We will come to sense deep in our hearts that when we are close to Our Lord we are able to find joy in suffering, self‑denial and sorrow. What a great source of strength it is for a son of God to know that he is so close to his Father! This is why, my Lord and Father, no matter what happens, I stand firm and secure with you, because you are my rock and my strength [1]. (Friends of God, 245-246)

[1] cf 2 Kings 22:2

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No Greater Love

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2012/02/01 at 9:11 AM

“Since you have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities”

Whatever you do, even if you help somebody cross the road, you do it to Jesus. Even giving some­body a glass of water, you do it to Jesus (Mt 25,35). Such a simple little teaching, but it is more and more important. We must not be afraid to proclaim Christ’s love and to love as He loved. In the work we have to do it does not matter how small and humble it may be, make it Christ’s love in action.

However beautiful the work is, be detached from it, even ready to give it up. The work is not yours. The talents God has given you are not yours; they have been given to you for your use, for the glory of God. Be great and use everything in you for the good Master.

What have we to learn? To be meek and humble (Mt 11,29); if we are meek and humble, we will learn to pray. If we learn to pray, we will belong to Jesus. If we belong to Jesus, we will learn to believe, and if we believe we will learn to love, and if we love we will learn to serve.  Mother Teresa

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“We have to pray at all times, from morning to night”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2012/02/01 at 12:00 AM

True prayer which absorbs the whole individual benefits not so much from the solitude of the desert as from interior recollection. (Furrow, 460)

As for me, as long as I have strength to breathe, I will continue to preach that it is vitally necessary that we be souls of prayer at all times, at every opportunity and in the most varied of circumstances, because God never abandons us. It is not a proper Christian attitude to look upon friendship with God only as a last resort. Do we think it normal to ignore or neglect the people we love? Obviously not! Those we love figure constantly in our conversations, desires and thoughts. We hold them ever present. So it should be with God.

When we seek Our Lord in this way, our whole day becomes one intimate and trusting conversation with him. I have said and written this so many times, but I don’t mind saying it again, because Our Lord has shown us by his example that this is exactly what we have to do: we have to pray at all times, from morning to night and from night to morning. When everything goes well: ‘Thank you, my God!’ If we are having a hard time, ‘Lord, do not abandon me!’ Then this God of ours, who is ‘meek and humble of heart’ [1] will not ignore our petitions or remain indifferent. For he himself has told us, ‘Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened for you’ [2]. (Friends of God, 247)

[1] Matt 11:29

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“We have to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2012/01/24 at 9:11 AM

I advised you to read the New Testament and to enter into each scene and take part in it, as one more of the characters. The minutes you spend in this way each day enable you to incarnate the Gospel, reflect it in your life and help others to reflect it. (Furrow, 672)

To be Christ himself, we must see ourselves in him. It’s not enough to have a general idea of the spirit of Jesus’ life; we have to learn the details of his life and, through them, his attitudes. And, especially, we must contemplate his life, to derive from it strength, light, serenity, peace.

When you love someone, you want to know all about his life and character, so as to become like him. That is why we have to meditate on the life of Jesus, from his birth in a stable right up to his death and resurrection. In the early years of my life as a priest, I used to give people presents of copies of the Gospel and books about the life of Jesus. For we do need to know it well, to have it in our heart and mind, so that at any time, without any book, we can close our eyes and contemplate his life, watching it like a movie. In this way the words and actions of our Lord will come to mind in all the different circumstances of our life. (Christ is passing by, 107)

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“Sanctifying one’s work is no fantastic dream”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2012/01/24 at 9:11 AM

Sanctifying one’s work is no fantastic dream, but the mission of every Christian – yours and mine. That is what that lathe-worker had discovered, when he said: “I am overwhelmed with happiness when I think how true it is that while I am working at the lathe and singing – singing all the time, on the outside and on the inside – I can become a saint. How good God is!” (Furrow, 517)

During the time that God has granted you in this world, make up your mind in earnest to do something worthwhile; time is pressing and the mission of men – and women – on earth is most noble, heroic and glorious when it enkindles shrunken and dried-up hearts with the fire of Christ. It is worthwhile taking peace and happiness to others through a strong and joyful crusade. (Furrow, 613)

You sometimes allow the bad side of your character to come out, and it has shown itself, on more than one occasion, in an absurd harshness. At other times, you do not bother to prepare your heart and your head so that they may be a worthy dwelling for the Most Holy Trinity. And you invariably end up by remaining rather distant from Jesus, whom you know so little. Going on like this, you will never have interior life. (Furrow, 651)

Personal sanctity is a remedy for everything. That is why the saints have been full of peace, of fortitude, of joy, of security. (Furrow, 653)

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“Examine yourself: slowly, courageously”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2012/01/17 at 6:02 PM

Examination of conscience: a daily task. Book-keeping is never neglected by anyone in business. And is there any business worth more than the business of eternal life? (The Way, 235)

Examine yourself: slowly, courageously. Is it not true that your bad humour and your gloominess, both without cause–without apparent cause–are due to your lack of determination in breaking the subtle but real snares laid for you–cunningly and attractively–by your concupiscence? (The Way, 237)

Always end your examination with an act of Love–of Love-sorrow: for yourself, for all the sins of men. And consider the fatherly care of God in removing the obstacles in your way lest you stumble. (The Way, 246)

There is an enemy of the interior life which is both little and silly. Unfortunately, it can be very effective. It is the neglect of effort in one’s examination of conscience. (The Forge, 109)

Don’t wait until you are old to start becoming a saint. That would be a great mistake. Begin right now, in earnest, cheerfully and joyfully, by fulfilling the duties of your work and of your everyday life. Don’t wait until you are old to become a saint. Because ‑‑I insist ‑‑ apart from its being a great mistake, you never know whether you will live as long as that. (The Forge, 113)