Way - Truth - Life

Grace: To know Him - and love Him
Scripture: John 14:1-6

"We read the Gospel eager to know our Lord just a his disciples knew him, to observe his reactions, his behavior, his words; to see him full of compassion at the sight of so many people in need; to see him tired after a long day's journey; impressed by the faith of a mother or of a centurion; patient with the defects of his most faithful followers; we also contemplate his habitual closeness to his Father, the trusting way he turns to Him, in his nights of prayer, in his ceaseless love for all...

If we meditate on the Gospel we will find peace. Power came forth from him and healed them all, St. Luke tells us on one occasion. That power continues coming forth from Jesus each time we have contact with him and his words, which last eternally...The Gospel allows us to become fully immersed in the mystery of Jesus...'Don't go astray in the mist and the fog, but rather listen to the voice of the shepherd. Fall back on holy Scripture, there you will find the delight of your heart; you will find nothing there that will harm or poison you; rich is the food you will find there.' (St. Augustine)
--taken from In Conversation with God, vol. 2, pp 455-8

Blessed are you if you do it

Grace: of humilty - to begin again
Scripture: Acts 13:13-25 and John 13:16-20

"Go forth from the quiet of contemplation and courageously bear witness to my truth." (God to St. Catherine of Siena - quoted in Magnificat, p. 364)

"God loves us as we are, with our defects too, when we struggle to overcome them, and he counts on time and grace to change us...
Those who zealously keep a list of grudges show themselves to be very narrow-minded. Such poor wretches are impossible to live with. True charity neither keeps account of the necessary services it renders all the time, nor takes note of the effonteries it has to put up with. 'Omnia suffert' - it endures all things.
If we lack humility we will tend to draw up our list of small grudges which, despite being small, take away our peace with God, waste a lot of energy and make us incapable of undertaking the great plans Our Lord has in mind each day for those close to him. The heart of the humble person is set on God and is thus filled with joy, becoming as it were, less vulnerable. It doesn't matter to him what people say or might have said. He forgets immediately, and doesn't give too much consideration to the humiliations which every man or woman experiences in one way or another in the course of their daily lives.

Such simplicity and humility, not getting complicated when pride suggests our reputation is being maligned, leaving aside possible grudges, gives us the ability to begin again when we have been cowardly or have failed. We see Mark take up his work immediately again with Barnabus after the cowardice and fatigue of the first journey -- ready this time to be unconditionally faithful" --from In Conversation with God, vol. 2 p. 450

Light in the Darkness

Grace: That we may not remain in darkness
Scripture: John 12:44-50

"Eternal Wisdom alone enlightens every man that comes into this world. He alone came from heaven to teach the secrets of God. We have no real teacher except the incarnate Wisdom, whose name is Jesus Christ. He alone brings all the works of God to perfection... If anyone desires to possess a deep, holy, and special knowledge of the treasures of grace and nature, and not merely dry, common, and superficial knowledge, he must make every effort to acquire Wisdom. Without him, man is nothing in the sight of God, no matter how learned he may appear in the eyes of men..." -- St Louis de Montfort, quoted in Magnificat, April 2010, p. 348.

They shall never perish

Grace: To put our trust in Him
Scripture: John 10:22-30

"God's love is strong, faithful is his care. In the protecting love of our Good Shepherd, we glimpse the immense enfolding love of God our Father. Let us fear no evil but put our trust in him. How can we doubt his power or his love in the shadow of the cross standing empty on the mountain of the Lord?" -- from Magnificat, Apri 2010 p. 337.

Holiness

Grace: To thirst for God
Scriptures: Ps 42-43 and John 10:1-10

"Desire for holiness is real when we fulfill our acts of piety with refinement, not omitting them or delaying them for any reason whatever, refusing to be led by our moods and feelings, because the soul truly in love with God never fails through laziness to do all in its power to seek God's Son, the Beloved. And having done all it could it is still not satisfied as it thinks it has done nothing."
--from In Conversation With God, vol 2, p. 432 (quoting St John of the Cross)

Knowing His voice

Grace: To hear His voice and follow
Scripture: John 10: 27-30

The Lord knows His sheep. They hear His voice and follow Him. It does not say that they understand what He says, only that He speaks, and they follow. Knowing His voice must be at a deeper level than the conscious mind - perhaps in the heart where St. Ignatius instructs us to be attentive to the stirrings in order to discern.

Spirit and Life

Grace: To see ourselves in the mirror of His word
Scripture: John 6:60-69

From The Cloud of Unknowing:

God's word, written or spoken, is like a mirror. Reason is your spiritual eye and conscience your spiritual reflection. And just as you use a mirror to detect a blemish in your physical appearance - and without a mirror or someone to tell you where the blemish is you would not discover it --so it is spiritually. Without reading or hearing God's word, a man who is spiritually blind on account of habitual sin is simply unable to see the foul stain on his conscience.

When a person discovers in a mirror - or learns from another - that his face is dirty he goes immediately to the well and washes it clean. Likewise when a man of good will sees himself as reflected by the Scriptures or the preaching of others and realizes that his conscience is defiled he also goes immediately to be cleansed. If it is a particular evil deed he notices, then the well he must seek is the Church and the water he must apply is confession according to the custom of the Church. But if it is the blind root and tendency to sin he sees, then the well he must seek is the all-merciful God and the water he must apply is prayer with all that this implies.

So I want you to understand clearly that for beginners and those a little advanced in contemplation, reading or hearing the word of God must precede pondering it, and without time given to serious reflection there will be no genuine prayer."

This is the meditation in Magnificat for today. It is well worth reflection.

True Bread from Heaven

Grace: To receive His life
Scripture: John 6:30-35

"We long for the spirit that makes us beg, 'Give us this bread always.'" -- from Magnificat, April 2010, p. 248

"Look upon your risen Lord, and the very thought of how he rose from the sepulcher will gladden you...He was like one emerging from a battle in which he had gained a great kingdom, all of which he desires you to have, and with it, himself." -- St Teresa of Jesus, quoted in Magnificat, p. 244.

Lord, give us the desires of our hearts.

The food that endures

Grace: To believe in the one He sent
Scripture: John 6:22-29

"To be a disciple means to follow the Master. He ascended the hill of the cross and transformed it into the seat of glory, a holy place. Risen, he invites us to leave behind all worthless desires and seek him in holiness, that is, in love, not for the signs and wonders he can do but for the life he gives." -- from Magnificat, April 2010, p. 235.

Follow Me

Grace: To feed His sheep
Scripture: John 21:1-19

"In the face of Peter's triple denial of him, the risen Jesus three times asks Peter 'Do you love me?' No degree of personal evil or sin can eradicate from Peter's heart the awareness of this ineradicable fact: Peter does love Jesus. Peter was made for this love which no measure of wickedness or infidelity can abate. When Peter tells the Sanhedrin, 'We must obey God rather than men,' he means that he must obey this infallible truth that rules and directs his heart. The 'honor and glory and blessing' that the slain Lamb is worthy to receive is this confidence in his love when all we see in ourselves is misery and betrayal." --from Magnificat, April 2010, p. 225

It is I. Do not be afraid.

Grace: To stay close to Him in the storms
Scripture: John 6:16-21

"It could seem on some occasions of greater or less duration that Christ is not there, as if He had abandoned us or did not hear our prayer. But He is never the one who abandons. The Lord looks on those who revere him, to rescue their souls from death.(Ps 32)

If we remain close to Our Lord in personal prayer and the Sacraments, we will be able to do everything. With Him the storms - interior and exterior - are converted into occasions for increasing our faith and hope and charity and fortitude. With the passage of time we may come to understand the meaning of these difficulties.

We will emerge from all the trials, temptations and tribulations through which we have to pass if we are close to Christ, more purified, with more humility, and with more love of God. And we shall always be able to count on the help of Our Mother in Heaven." --from In Conversation With God, vol.2, p.378-9

He will do the rest

Grace: To do what I can
Reading: John 6:1-15

"But the Apostles do what they can: they find five loaves and two fish. They have no other means, and there were five thousand men - too many for what was available... Our Lord wants us to avoid thinking that the solution lies in human effort alone; and He also wants us to avoid passivity, which under the pretext of total abandonment in the hands of God, converts hope into a disguised spiritual laziness." -- from In Conversation With God, vol 2, p. 368.

Total Surrender

Grace: Total surrender
Scripture: John 3:31-36

"Surrender, then, all things to God and in him you shall find all things more abundantly. So shall you rid yourself once and for all of that wretched retrospection, fear, perturbation, and anxiety: all the torments...to which those calculating souls are condemned who would love God only out of love for themselves and who seek their salvation and perfection less to please God and to glorify him than to serve their own interest and eternal welfare.
...The noble words Jesus Christ has addressed to various saintly souls are relevant here:'...Think of me and I will think of you: make my glory your concern and leave me to make your welfare and eternal happiness my concern.'" --Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade, SJ (from Magnificat, April 2010 p. 162-3)

Look to Him

Reading: John 3:16-21
Grace: The grace to trust in Him.

This is what Our Lord asks from us: to love Him without any conditions, without waiting for more favorable situations, in the ordinary things of everyday and, if He should so permit, in more difficult and extraordinary circumstances.
In Conversation with God, Vol 2,page 360.

Imagination in prayer

Grace: To mingle with His disciples and learn from Him
Scripture: John 3:7b-15

"Make it a habit to mingle frequently with the characters who appear in the New Testament. Capture the flavor of those moving scenes where the Master performs works that are both divine and human, and tells us, with human and divine touches, the wonderful story of his pardon for us and his enduring Love for his children...
...My advice is that, in your prayer, you actually take part in the different scenes of the Gospel, as one more among the people present. First of all, imagine the scene or mystery you have chosen to help you recollect your thoughts and meditate. Next, apply your mind, concentrating on the particular aspect of the Master's life you are considering - his merciful Heart, his humility, his purity, the way he fulfills his Father's Will. Tell him then what happens to you in these matters, how things are with you, what is going on in your soul. Be attentive, because he may want to point something out to you, and you will experience suggestions deep in your soul, realising certain things and feeling his gentle reprimands." --(from In Conversation With God, vol. 2, p. 347-8, quoting St. Jose Escriva in Friends of God.)

Amen, amen, I say to you...

Grace: To live in union with Jesus
Reading: John 3:1-8

"I want this Easter-time to become both more 'interior' and more 'exterior', however paradoxical that may seem. I want to live in a more complete, intimate union with God. I want prayer to be the foundation of my spiritual life, my surest means of ministry, my best form of charity; my suffering, with my usual voluntary mortifications, will also be the means I will use for doing some good for others and drawing near to the heart of God.

But exteriorly I will become, through God's grace, more gentle, more loving, engaged always and exclusively with others, their pleasure, their good, and above all, their spiritual well being." -- Elisabeth Leseur, quoted in Magnificat, April 2010, p. 127

My Lord and my God

Grace: A deeper share in the mystery of Christ
Scripture: John 20: 19-31

On the eighth day, St Thomas encountered God's mercy. The Lord wants us to believe in Him - and He will do whatever it takes for our conversion.

“I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who trust in My mercy”, Jesus said to St. Faustina

"Our Lord is asking for a Feast of His mercy to bring attention to the outpouring of the ocean of graces, and to His promise of the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment, to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion.
Those who have been celebrating the octave of Easter in this way, as the Feast of Mercy, have experienced the desired effect of the Second Vatican Council for the liturgical year renewal - a deeper share in the mystery of Christ." -- Robert R. Allard, Director, Apostles of Divine Mercy (from www.divinemercysunday.com)

They had not believed...

Theme: Rejoice! Christ is risen from the dead!
Grace: To believe in the resurrection
Scripture: Mark 16:9-15

"Without personal holiness apostolate is impossible; the leaven becomes a useless lump. We will simply become absorbed by the pagan atmosphere that we often find surrounding people who perhaps were formerly good Christians." --from In Conversation With God, vol.2 p. 334

It is the Lord!

Theme: Rejoice! Christ is risen from the dead!
Grace: To know Him
Scripture: John 21:1-14

"The real tragedy for a Christian starts when he can no longer see Jesus in his life; when because of lukewarmness or sin or pride, the horizon becomes clouded over; when things are done as if Jesus were not by his side, as if the Lord had never risen from the dead.

We should pray a lot to Our Lady asking her to help us discover Our Lord in the midst of all the events of our lives; so that we may be able to say very often, It is the Lord! And this, too, whether it be a case of suffering or of joy, whatever the circumstances. By Christ's side, always near him, we will be apostles in the middle of the world, in all circumstances and situations." --from In Conversation With God, vol. 2 p. 325

Peace be with you

Grace: To experience the peace of the Risen Christ
Scripture: Luke 24:35-48

"Let us never fear to approach him who seks us out with a love which no power on eanth cab weaken or destroy." -- from Magnificat, April 2010, p. 71

And their eyes were opened...

Theme: Rejoice! Christ is risen from the dead!
Grace: To see Jesus in the breaking of the Bread
Scripture: Luke 24:30-35

"All human beings yearn for life to the full. We are truly blessed who have been given food from heaven and the water of life in the Easter sacraments of baptism and Eucharist. Let us pray always to know Christ through these signs of his redemptive presence in our midst." -- from Magnificat, April 2010, p. 61

Stay with me, Jesus

Theme: Rejoice! Christ is risen from the dead!
Grace: To recognize Him in the breaking of the Bread
Scripture: Luke 24:13-29

"At the last moment, when the glory of the Lord is revealed, every knee shall bow." --Dr. Scott Hahn, on Signs of Life, EWTN April 5, 2010

Let us choose to bow before Him now, even though our sight is weak and we only behold Him dimly. Reading His Word prepares the heart to believe -- so He can open our eyes to the presence of the Truth.

His Victory is Ours

Theme: Rejoice! Christ is Risen from the dead.
Grace: To rejoice whole heartedly in Christ's victory over death
Scripture: Matthew 28:8-15

“Easter does not work magic. Just as the Israelites found the desert awaiting them on the far side of the Red Sea, so the Church, after the resurrection, always finds history filled with joy and hope, grief and anguish. And yet, this history is changed, it is marked by a new and eternal covenant, it is truly open to the future. For this reason, saved by hope, let us continue our pilgrimage, bearing in our hearts the song that is ancient and yet ever new: ‘Let us sing to the Lord: glorious his triumph!’" Pope Benedict XVI, on Easter Sunday

"In the battle between death and life, Christ is the Victor! And his victory is ours!" Magnificat, April, 2010, p. 45

Resurrexit sicut dixit

Theme: He is risen! He has conquered!
Grace: To rejoice with Him
Reading: John 20:1-9

Alleluia! He did what we couldn't.

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels! Exult, all creation around God's throne! Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Do you reject Satan?

And all his works?

And all his empty promises?

Do you believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth?

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was born of the Virgin Mary,
was crucified, died, and was buried,
rose from the dead,
and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?

Do you believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting?

Waiting

Theme: Entering into Jesus' suffering and death
Grace: To trust
Reading: Luke 23:44-56

Let a person humbly await God's guidance, abandoning himself in all peacefulness and in total detachment in the divine influence, whenever and however it may come to him. This will be all that God requires of him - that he stand before him meekly and as a poor sinner, and await in entire self denial the working of divine grace in his soul. A man who thus passively yields himself up to God's hidden operations of grace, him will the power of the Almighty Father visit, and the light of the only begotten son will shine within him, and the infinite love of the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, will be poured out upon him, and the heavens will rain down on him a dew of divine sweetness, and the earth and all creatures will minister to his happiness...

The more God leaves a person in natural desolation spirit, the stronger does he establish him in supernatural grace. The more a person is tried by natural feelings of dread and of anguish - as long as these are not quite intolerable - the more do these very sufferings become an element of security in his spiritual life by nourishing holy humility. They hold him back from ruin' they are like a stout wall built up between him and the danger of losing all the graces that have been granted him. These trials hinder him from rashness and over-security. May God's eternal love, overflowing and ever faithful, thus be given to us. -- Fr. John Tauler, O.P. (1361) (in Magnificat, Holy Week edition p. 168-9)

Death where is your sting

Theme: Entering into Jesus' suffering and death
Grace: To die with Him so as to live with Him
Reading: Luke 23:39-49

True love receives all things that come from the Beloved-prosperity, adversity, even chastisement-with the same evenness of soul, since they are His Will...Death cannot be bitter to the soul that loves, for in it she finds all the sweetness and delight of love...She thinks of death as her friend and bridegroom, at the thought of it she rejoices as she would over the thought of her betrothal and marriage, and she longs for that day and that hour of her death.
~taken from The Way of the Cross with the Carmelite Saints, pg 14.

Behold I stand at the door and knock

Theme: Entering into Jesus' suffering and death
Grace: To be one with Him through the Mass
Reading: Luke 23:26-38

"When it is a question of the first conversion, from incredulity to faith, or from sin to grace, Christ is outside and knocks on the walls of the heart to come in; when it is a question of successive conversions, from a state of grace to a higher state, from lukewarmness to fervor, the opposite happens: Christ is within and knocks on the walls of the heart to go out!

In baptism we received the Spirit of Christ; it remains in us as in His temple, as long as it is not chased away by mortal sin. But it can happen that this Spirit ends up being imprisoned and walled up by the heart of stone that is formed around it. It does not have the possibility to expand and permeate the faculties, actions and feelings of the person.

Christ is not imprisoned in an armor-plate but, so to speak, in guarded liberty. He is free to move but within very precise limits. This happens when He is made to tacitly understand what He can and cannot ask us. Prayer yes, but not if it compromises sleep, rest; obedience yes, but only if it does not abuse our willingness; chastity yes, but not to the point of depriving us of some relaxing entertainment, even if daring; in sum, the use of half measures.

It was contemplation of the Christ of the Passion that gave St. Theresa the decisive push that made her the saint and mystic we know."
--(from Fr. Cantalamessa in his third Lenten sermon)