Renungan Harian Katolik

Monday 33rd week in ordinary time "Lk 18:35-43"

As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" This blind man was probably there every day. But that day something caught his attention: a stir in the air, the sound of a chattering crowd approaching. Accustomed to the usual daily movements of pedestrians, he knew something different was afoot and he asked what was going on. There and then he was told that Jesus was passing by. And he didn't need any further explanations. He wasn't going to miss the opportunity of his life. And he didn't miss it. St Augustine once wrote, "Timeo Iesum transeuntem et non revertentem" ['I fear Jesus will pass by and will not come back'.] Jesus has planned from all eternity to encounter each person one day so that they may find Him, but not everyone is ready: some people see Jesus and don't recognise Him. There is a story of a woman who found a letter in her letter box signed by Jesus, saying, "Tomorrow I will visit you." The woman went to buy groceries for a special meal for Jesus and herself, and prepared everything for the next day. As she was waiting, someone knocked at the door. She opened it and was disappointed to find a beggar standing there asking for something to eat. She said that she was waiting for someone else and was ready to dismiss him when it occurred to her to give him her part of the dinner. She kept Jesus' portion and gave him her own. It was getting late when someone knocked at the door again. She opened it expecting to see Jesus but it was a lady with a baby asking for food. After hesitating for a moment and thinking that it was now too late for Jesus to come, she gave the lady and her baby the rest of the dinner. The following morning another note was in her letter box. Signed by Jesus, it read, "Thank you for the dinner yesterday; everything was delicious!" Mary, Mother of God, don't allow me to let Jesus pass by without stopping Him and inviting Him into my life.

Saturday 32nd week in ordinary time "Lk 18:1-8"

Jesus told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Vindicate me against my adversary'...And he added, "will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Faith. It's all a matter of faith. Jesus wants us to "pray and not lose heart", to never give up. God never stops listening to our prayer but He wants us to persist faith-fully until our prayers are answered. He said this in many different ways: "Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name" (Jn 16:23); "Ask, and it will be given you" (Mt 7:7); "every one who asks receives" (Lk 11:10); "whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith" (Mt 21:22). Sometimes Jesus takes His time to answer us because persisting is a proof of our faith. If we pray little we get little. If we pray much, we get much. From the time he was a baby, you could tell he was headed for trouble. He was a rebel all his life. He didn't like study (particularly Greek, he explained later); he had all kinds of problems with chastity, stealing, keeping bad company, telling lies... He wrote many years later that he did this "for the only reason that it was forbidden". And his mother, Monica, suffered with all this and she prayed; she prayed a lot; she prayed for more than 30 years for him without ever giving up, even when she saw her son going off the rails. And her persevering prayer was rewarded. St Monica's son changed his life. You may have heard of him: St Augustine, bishop, Doctor of the Church, one of the most brilliant minds in Christian history; but first of all he was a great saint. St Monica's prayer changed the course of Christianity, since St Augustine brought about the conversion of many thousands throughout history. What would have happened if St Monica had given up? Mary, Comfort of the Afflicted, may I never let up on prayer. (Half way through November you can renew your resolution to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory).

Friday 32nd week in ordinary time "Lk 17:26-37"

Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other left." A paradox is a statement that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a truth. Jesus explains that those who are concerned about their happiness will lose it. If you want to enjoy life, you have to suffer; if you want to win, you have to lose; if you want to live, you have to die. Only those who give themselves to others can really keep their life; only those who use their freedom to serve God become really free. Human beings long for happiness. God created us in such a way that only love makes us happy. Some people forget this and try to achieve happiness in many different ways: money, pleasure, vengeance, hatred, drugs... All those alternatives have something in common: they never satisfy the human heart. Human hearts can't be fooled. As a plane only flies on fuel and you can't make it run on milk, so our heart runs on love and nothing else can make it fly. Saints have always been the happiest people in the world, for they have known how to love God and others the most. Many people still don't understand how St Teresa of Calcutta, who spent her life serving the poor in the slums of that city and undergoing many spiritual hardships, could be happier than all the rich men in the world put together. A man went to hell in a dream and found many miserable people trying to eat their food with very long spoons, so long that they couldn't put them into their mouths and were starving in front of a table covered with food. Then he visited Heaven and saw the exact same scene, except he saw everyone beaming with joy because each person was using the long spoon to feed the person opposite them. A loving concern for the welfare of others meant everyone was fed. By giving everything, everyone received all they wanted. Mary, Queen of All Saints, help me to remember that only by giving everything will I get everything; and only by giving myself to the full will I be fully happy.

Thursday 32nd week in ordinary time "Lk 17:20-25"

"The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you." And he said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, 'Lo, there!' or 'Lo, here!' Do not go, do not follow them...But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation." We are coming close to the end of the liturgical year. During these days the Gospel of the Mass will be reminding us of the Second Coming of Our Lord and describes some of the things that will happen beforehand. One of them is the confusion caused by false prophets. The devil is an expert liar who tries to sow confusion among Jesus' disciples. In a transatlantic sailing race one team employed the strategy of pretending to be their opponents' shore team, sending them misleading information on their radios. The ploy worked, since the other boats naturally followed their instructions and found themselves thoroughly lost. But the following year something very different happened. The teams didn't trust any radio instructions and so chose not to follow any...so they got lost again! The devil does the same: he spends most of his energy sowing disunity and mistrust in the Church, mistrust in the Pope for 'something' he 'is reported' to have said; mistrust in that priest because he did something wrong once, mistrust in that Catholic institution or society because one of its members misbehaved. The devil loves those doubts which he sows abundantly among Christians. But let's keep it clearly in mind, and also spread the word, that we can't fight effectively if we are divided. Our Lord predicted that many people would come and mislead His disciples. That happens every day in some media. But as St John Henry Newman wrote, "Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt." If ever we see difficulties amongst some Christians, we shouldn't distrust the Church. People may make mistakes, but God knows what He is doing. Mary, Mother of the Church, may I be an instrument of unity.

Wednesday 32nd week in ordinary time "Lk 17:11-19"

As Jesus entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. "Show yourselves to the priests." We all have sins and we can all be made clean by going to Jesus. All the saints (except Our Lady) had to be forgiven. All of them had committed sins and needed to ask for forgiveness. And they were all forgiven. Jesus can touch a leper and cure him; He can touch a sinner and make him a saint. And Jesus can decide to do it the way He wants, because He is God. Jesus could have chosen a different way: He could have said: 'Dig a hole, say your sins there and bury them' or 'Go to this wall and tell your sins there'. And yet, a wall doesn't hear, a wall doesn't understand, a wall doesn't console, a wall doesn't encourage, a wall doesn't guide you. But a man can do all that. "Show yourselves to the priests," He says. Many saints went to Confession as often as once a week, like St Josemaría, St Padre Pio, St John Paul II, St Faustina, St Teresa of Calcutta, St Francis and so many others... not because they were saints, but because they were sinners. Thank You, Lord, for the Sacrament of Confession; thank You because You always forgive all sins, and forgive everything completely; thank You for Your priests. "Go to confession to the Blessed Virgin, or to an angel; will they absolve you? No. Will they give you the Body and Blood of Our Lord? No. The Holy Virgin cannot make her Divine Son descend into the Host. You might have two hundred angels there, but they could not absolve you. A priest, however simple he may be, can do it; he can say to you, "Go in peace; I pardon you." Oh, how great is a priest!" (St John Mary Vianney) "Priests have received a power which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels. It was said to them: 'Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose, shall be loosed.'" (St John Chrysostom) I pray through your intercession, Holy Mary, Mother of Priests, that there will be an abundance of priests - of holy priests!

Tuesday 32nd week in ordinary time "Lk 17:7-10"

"Will any one of you, who has a servant ploughing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down at table? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty'." Four young men needed batteries and a cable for their speakers. They went to the store and found what they were looking for, but there wasn't anyone there – no employees, no cashier. After waiting for a while they realised that no one was coming out to help them, so they left the money for their purchase on the counter and left. What happened, it turns out, was that the store was actually closed; the lock on the door had malfunctioned. This incident was recorded by a security camera and broadcast on national news. When the youths were interviewed on TV and asked about it, they said that they 'had just done the right thing'. It's surprising that 'honesty' can be a piece of news! Doing the right thing is our duty. We don't expect something in exchange for every good action that we do, as if we were 'negotiating' with God: I will only do something if God rewards me. We are not God's employees. We are His children. Imagine asking your mum: 'what will you give me if I make my bed?' She could just remind you that it is not 'your' bed, actually: 'I've given you the bed', she could say, 'the linen, the pyjamas, the room and the house; the food you eat, the clothes you wear...and the life you live'. Our mothers deserve our obedience. It's the same with every good action: When you do good, when you help others, you've only done your duty. When you resist temptations to sin, forgive those who offend you, when you are faithful, kind, and compassionate, when you keep all the commandments from one to ten, in all their depth and breadth... you've only done your duty; for Our Father God deserves as much from His Children. Mary, my Mother, help me always to do the right thing just because God deserves it.

Monday 32nd week in ordinary time "Lk 17:1-6"

Jesus said to his disciples, "Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." Fraternal correction' is an obligation of charity: to help someone to be holier by pointing out some mistake or defect they may have. A good athlete always wants to improve. If by changing the length of his stride or by doing a particular exercise, he can run faster, wouldn't he be very grateful to be told about it? In the same way, saints have always been very grateful when they have been corrected. St Josemaría, for instance, was always very grateful when people corrected him and wrote down the corrections to improve. When the Holy See approved the Statutes of Opus Dei, the Vatican didn't agree with allowing the members of the Work to correct the Founder, since (according to traditional custom) "a superior cannot be corrected by his subordinates". But St Josemaría stuck to his guns, arguing that he shouldn't be deprived of the 'work of mercy' which was being corrected by others. Eventually they agreed a compromise: approval was given to his having two guardians or aides who would live close to him, advising and correcting him - Bl Alvaro and Father Javier Echevarría. But in order to be corrected we need to be humble, and that is not easy. One day, St Josemaría confided to a group of young ladies: "Don Alvaro corrected me today. It was hard to accept it. So much so that I went to the oratory for a moment. Once there, I said, 'Lord, Alvaro's right and I'm wrong.' But after a second, I said, 'No, Lord, this time I am right. Alvaro doesn't let me get away with a single thing, and that doesn't seem like affection but cruelty.' And then I said, 'Thank you, Lord, for placing my son Alvaro near me, who is so fond of me that he doesn't let me get away with a single thing!'" Then, deeply moved and full of affection, he turned toward Bl Alvaro, who had been listening in silence, smiled at him, and said, "God bless you, Alvaro, my son!" Mary, Our Lady of Charity, teach me to help others be holy by practising fraternal correction.

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica "Jn 2:13-22"

Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." We are not used to seeing Jesus so upset: making a whip of cords, driving people and animals out of the Temple, pouring out coins and overturning tables...Jesus, who was patient and loving with everyone, including sinners, is angry today because of that lack of respect for God in His own Temple. Today is the anniversary of the dedication of the Basilica of St John Lateran (the Cathedral of the Pope), in 324, and is a good day to reflect on this. Imagine going to the cinema and stuffing yourself with popcorn and fizzy drinks but without actually watching the film! That's what happened when people came to the Temple but didn't care about God. Still today, some can go to church and talk to everyone they meet except to God. Some people forget that the "house of God" is a house of prayer. God is Really Present in our churches, but some people regard the Tabernacle as they would a nice painting or a statue. Jesus once lamented to St. Faustina, "How painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion," He said, "I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. They treat Me as a dead object, whereas My Heart is full of love and mercy. In order that you may know at least some of My pain, imagine the most tender of mothers who has great love for her children, while those children spurn her love. Consider her pain. No one is in a position to console her. This is but a pale image and likeness of My love." Mary, House of Gold, may I always comfort your Son in the Tabernacle, during the Holy Mass, with my presence and my prayer.

Friday 31st week in ordinary time "Lk 16:1-8"

Jesus said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. And he called him and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward'...So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' He said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'...for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light." This corrupt steward didn't feel guilty for having been dishonest. His only concern was not to lose his livelihood. So when it came to getting the approval of others in order to get a new job, he just had to be a bit 'more dishonest'. It didn't worry him that it involved cheating and stealing...Some people don't mind sacrificing the truth for the sake of their own comfort; in order to avoid upsetting people they don't hesitate to hide the truth. When the High Priest asked Jesus if He was the Son of God, Jesus knew what was going to happen to Him if He said the truth. And He still told the truth. Many saints have given their lives defending the truth. Honest people don't bargain with half-truths. It is said that one day, Dionysius I of Syracuse, who thought himself to be a gifted poet, was reading some of his verses to a wise man called Filoxenus. The man criticised his verses and Dionysus sent him to prison. After a few days, trying to give him a second chance, the tyrant asked for Filoxenus to be brought into his presence and read him a few more verses he had composed. The only words of the wise man were addressed to the soldiers, "Please, take me to prison again." St Maximilian Kolbe said, "No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it." God is Truth and we love the Truth. And even if the Truth gets us in trouble, the proverb says, 'honesty is always the best policy.' For the truth is the truth, even if no one believes it. And a lie is a lie, even if everyone believes it. Holy Mary, Mirror of Justice, help me to always stand up for the Truth.

Thursday 31st week in ordinary time "Lk 15:1-10"

The Pharisees and the Scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." So he told them this parable: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? ...I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." The Pharisees were surprised that Jesus "received sinners and ate with them." And not just that: He loved them, He searched them out, He helped them to come back to God, He taught them how to love God... He even died for them. That's one of the things I love most about You, Lord: You never give up on anyone. Fr. O'Malley was asked to attend to a patient in hospital who was dying. He travelled for 30 miles through a severe storm, past flooded streets with trees and power lines falling all around him. The name of the patient was Tom; he was an alcoholic who had been in prison for many years and had no interest in confessing his sins to a priest. Fr O'Malley tried to convince him to go to Confession for a while until the man stopped him, "No priest can convince me. I have done something in my life that God wouldn't want to forgive." The priest insisted that God would love to forgive all sins committed by all sinners. But then Tom told his story: "Thirty-two years, two months and eleven days ago, I was working on the railway. That day the whole crew was drunk. Someone had to go out and push the switch for the train to go northbound. I was so drunk that I pushed the switch in the wrong direction. At 45 miles per hour the freight train slammed into a passenger car at the next crossing and killed a young man, his wife, and their two daughters. I have had to live with that all of my life," Tom explained. There was a moment of silence as Tom's confession of this tragedy hung in the air. After what seemed like an eternity, Fr. O'Malley gently put his hand on Tom's shoulder and said very quietly. "I know God can forgive you, son, because I can. In that car were my mother, my father and my two sisters." Mary, Mother of Mercy! How great is your Son's Love for sinners! How much He loves to forgive all men! Help me, Mother, to spend my life in thanksgiving.

Wednesday 31st week in ordinary time "Lk 14:25-33"

Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them, "If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple ... So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. To follow You, Lord, is demanding. You invite us to be ready to give everything, to bear the cross and to follow You, to be faithful to You come what may, through thick and thin. Those who have decided to follow You closely, my Jesus, should certainly not expect a lot of support from the world. St Charles Borromeo was the Archbishop of Milan. He was the victim of a systematic attack from those who didn't accept the reforms of the Council of Trent. He suffered slanders, insults, threats and was even shot a couple of times. In one of the shootings, the bullet was stopped by the crucifix the bishop was wearing. But the second one was fired at the saint from a distance of four or five metres as he was kneeling at the altar of his chapel. Believing himself mortally wounded, St. Charles calmly finished his prayers and offered his life to God, thanking Him for allowing him to die for His Church. Miraculously he survived. The Lord wanted St. Charles to continue His labours on earth for 15 more years before allowing him to take his just reward in Heaven. In 1857, archaeologists discovered a graffito in Rome from 200 AD scratched into the plaster on a wall near the Palatine Hill. It ridicules a Christian boy called Alexamenos. The blasphemous image mocks the crucifixion of Jesus, representing Him with the head of a donkey. Beneath the cross a text says, "Alexamenos worshipping his god". We don't know who this Alexamenos was, but we know that he was the object of mockery for being a Christian. And we know something else, because in the next chamber archaeologists found another inscription in a different hand reading "Alexamenos fidelis" - Latin for 'Alexamenos is faithful'. Mary, my Mother, make me as faithful as St Charles; as Alexamenos...

Tuesday 31st week in ordinary time "Lk 14:15-24"

Jesus said, "A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for all is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses...Then the householder in anger said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.' And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'" When the banquet was ready, the man sent his servant to let the guests know that it was time to come. He didn't go himself but sent his servants. Nowadays we don't have servants to deliver an invitation to a banquet or party, but people still send out invitations by post or email. It's a matter of courtesy, as well as respect: it allows a guest to choose freely, rather than feel obliged to accept an invitation so as not to appear ungrateful. The parable represents Our Lord's invitation to go to Heaven. And for that invitation He uses servants to tell people that God has invited them to an eternal banquet with Him. It's interesting to consider that the servant fulfilled his duty faithfully and when some declined the invitation he didn't stop. He went to find more guests; and later still, even more. He didn't get discouraged. God continues to need servants who will invite people to the Heavenly banquet. He is asking you and me to go to the "highways and hedges" of the world to bring people to Him. A French priest, Fr. Michel Quoist (1918-1997) imagined Jesus speaking to us like this: "Son", Jesus says, "out of all eternity, I chose you. I need you. I need your hands to continue to bless, I need your lips to continue to speak, I need your body to continue to suffer, I need your heart to continue to love, I need you to continue to save; stay with me". Well, Lord, here I am. You can count on my hands, my lips, my body, my heart; You can count on me to help You save souls! And I also want to finish my prayer today asking for help for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Monday 31st week in ordinary time "Lk 14:12-14"

Jesus said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbours, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." Generosity is giving without expecting anything back. A holy priest explained it very well to an old lady. She wanted to pay him for having brought Holy Communion to her when she was sick. The priest said, "Please, don't. Please don't pay me. Let Jesus pay me instead," and with a smile he added, "He's rich. He pays much more!" Generous people know how to give love, understanding, thanks or material help without ever asking to be loved, understood, thanked or helped themselves. They give and forget that they have given. They never think about what they can get, but about what they can give. And the more they give, the happier they are and the closer God is to them. Those who are generous with others can be generous with God. Love is the reason to give and the reward as well. We give out of love; we give because we love; whatever it is that we give, it's always love that we are giving. The joy of the lover is to love. The joy of the generous giver is to give. They always wonder what else they can give. 'If God gave Himself entirely', they argue, 'why shouldn't I give myself entirely also?' They want to give 'everything' and God will repay them with 'everything'. Bishop Eijo y Garay had an interview with Bl Álvaro before his ordination. Álvaro del Portillo had been one of the most brilliant students in his university; he had great intellectual talents and enormous professional prestige as an engineer. The Bishop asked him, 'But, Álvaro, do you realise that you will lose your "personality"? You will go from being a prestigious engineer to becoming just one more priest'. 'Know, your Excellency,' replied Bl Alvaro, 'that I gave my "personality" to Our Lord many years ago.' He didn't have money or possessions to give, but he could give his career, his prestige, his personality! When you give to God… you just give everything. Mary, Mother Most Generous, teach me to give without counting the cost.

All Saints "Mt 5:1-12a"

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth...Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven." "Rejoice," says Our Lord, "for your reward is great in heaven." Today we celebrate a great feast. It's the feast day of all those who are in Heaven whose names we don't know. Heaven is packed with saints. We know the names and lives of many saints. We know of some Popes, bishops and priests; we know of some virgins and martyrs and some heroic mothers and fathers and girls and boys... but there are millions more that we don't know anything about: teachers, shop assistants, housewives, athletes, gardeners and soldiers, children, teenagers, youngsters and old people, sick and healthy, black and white, tall and short, blonde and ginger... from all countries, from all ages, from all trades, from every walk of life. As a matter of fact in the future this will surely be our own feast day. If we allow God to make us saints, we will celebrate the feast of all saints in Heaven. And there they are, worshipping God, perpetually and completely happy with a joy that we, here on earth, can't even imagine. There we will discover how much love, happiness and joy a human heart can take. There we already have an army of intercessors who watch out for us, supporting, encouraging and helping us with their prayers. When a climber has finally reached the summit of a mountain, the ascent is easier for the remaining roped team that comes behind. From up there, he encourages them, points out the difficulties and warns of the dangers: 'Be careful of those rocks. Watch out!' 'On the right you'll find a place to hang on to'; 'Look ahead!' Saints from Heaven are encouraging us today: 'Come on! You can do it!' Mary, Queen of All Saints, during this month I want to help the Holy Souls get into Heaven from Purgatory with my prayers and sacrifices!

Wednesday 30th week in ordinary time "Lk 13:22-30"

Someone said to Jesus, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us.' He will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!' There you will weep and gnash your teeth" How many times has your mum told you that you should not open the door to strangers? You don't allow a stranger to join you for dinner, use your toilet or spend the night in your house, not even to join your birthday party. Even if the stranger says: 'I am a friend of your friend' or 'We played football together in the park; do you remember?' or 'We ate together at the Smiths' barbecue' or 'I'm also an Arsenal supporter.' To that person you should reply what your mum taught you: 'Sorry, but I don't know you.' In September 2012 a girl organised a party for her 16th birthday. By mistake she left the 'Facebook event invitation' open. On the day of the party up to 600 riot police officers were forced to break up the crowd after more than 3,000 turned up to the party! You see? You open the door for your friends, but you shouldn't for strangers! The same with Jesus. He tells us how some people will come to Him and say 'We ate and drank in your presence... you taught in our streets!' but Jesus will reply: 'Maybe, but I don't know you'. We could update the dialogue saying, 'we were there at Mass most Sundays!' or 'we said grace at meals' or 'I prayed the Angelus in school!' But they would get the same reply: 'Sure, but I don't know you'. Jesus opens the door to His friends. Friends know each other, they talk to each other, they count on each other: they love each other. God wants to be your Friend. And for friendship to grow you need time, dialogue ... prayer! Does Jesus know you well? It depends on what you say in your prayer. It's very important to answer this question honestly: Is Jesus your Friend? Mary, Most Gracious Advocate, help me to be good friends with your Son.

Tuesday 30th week in ordinary time "Lk 13:18-21"

He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches." A mustard seed grows very slowly. During the first months tiny roots are growing but you can't see anything. After a long time a couple of green leaves sprout but you can't really tell if they will be a tree or a weed. Then it's exposed to sun, to heat, to rain, sometimes to snow, freezing temperatures and even drought for a while. But the seed keeps growing steadily if it has water. Something of this sort happens in our friendship with God through our mental prayer. We decide to plant the seed and we devote a daily time to our conversation with God. But over time we see no great difference in our lives. Our defects are the same; our difficulties don't change; our bad inclinations are still there... Then comes the 'rain', 'heat', 'cold', 'drought' and we grow tired. You see difficulties but no improvement. And some people give up, stop 'watering' it with prayer and eventually our friendship with God dries up. It is the same with any task that involves commitment and entails effort. How many people have started piano lessons and now are only able to play the same agonising tune all the time at a ridiculous speed! How many wanted to learn to play the guitar and end up plucking the only monotonous melody they know! People quit because they weren't committed. For them the piano was 'nice' or 'fine' or even 'interesting'; but it was never a 'passion'. Our friendship with God has to be our passion. It grows if we keep watering it with our prayer no matter what. If God sends us rain or sunlight or drought or nice weather it doesn't change our commitment. With His help we won't give up and the seed of our friendship will still grow. Our Lord is faithful and, if we keep praying, He will make our friendship mature. Holy Mary, Mother of God, teach me to pray and help me to never give up.

Sts Simon and Jude, Apostles "Lk 6:12–19"

Jesus went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles; Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Jesus prayed the whole night. He prayed for the new Apostles He was going to call that day. They were going to be given great responsibilities. Jesus had many disciples but only twelve Apostles. He was surrounded by thousands but only these twelve were given special missions. That doesn't mean that the other disciples were just 'second class'. In a family too there are no 'second class' members, but neither do they have the same roles and responsibilities. A football team with 11 players in the same position would never work. When Jesus chose His Twelve, no one came to complain to Him because they hadn't been chosen or because they were better than Peter or joined Him before Matthew... 'NOBODY has a right to be chosen for a particular vocation'. God calls some to be priests, or to a celibate life in the middle of the world, or to be nuns or friars or fathers or mothers… God made them and knows what He made them for. We can, of course, turn down God's proposal and do something else with our talents. Bl Álvaro used an interesting example. Imagine that a chair is free and decides that it doesn't like people sitting on it, so it wants to be a hanger! Upside down and attached to the wall, it insists that 4 coats can be hung on it at a time. Sure, but the carpenter who made it wouldn't approve of the change. If the carpenter wanted a hanger, he could easily make one (with 4 or 16 hooks if necessary); what's more, everyone who saw it would think 'Why is that chair upside-down and hanging on the wall?' We know 'what' it is, regardless of what it thinks it is. You and I have a vocation. We can certainly do different things with our talents and our lives, but the Carpenter knows what He made us for. Mary, Queen of the Apostles, help me to follow your Son where He wants, as St Simon and St Jude did… until the end.

Thursday 29th week in ordinary time "Lk 12:49-53"

"I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptised with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!" The fire of God's Love, like any big fire, spreads on contact: one tree ignites the next one and that sets the next ablaze. A tiny spark can set a whole forest alight. That's what a soul in love with God can do and what Jesus is longing for. But those who want to set the world on fire with the Love of God may have to fight many battles. All saints have had to struggle against the resistance of those who hate that fire because they hate the light: the light of the Gospel. Saints are strong, they are ready for the spiritual battle. As Peter Kreeft says: 'God has made saints out of sinners, but never out of wimps.' St John Paul II is a good example. Karol was born in Wadowice, Poland, on May 18, 1920. His elder sister Olga had died before his birth. His mother died when he was 9. His only brother Edmund also died when he was 12 and eventually his father passed away during WWII when he was 20. He had no family left. The Nazi occupying forces closed his university and young Karol had to work in a quarry and in the Solvay chemical factory for 5 years. During that time, aware of his call to the priesthood, he began studying courses in the clandestine seminary of Krakow. Many of his friends were killed. When he became a priest the communists spied on him. At the age of sixty, an assassin shot him and he nearly died. As an old man, he suffered from an intestinal tumour, a femur fracture and the debilitating Parkinson's disease that rendered him immobile, distorted his physical appearance, and finally took away his ability to speak. It doesn't look like the story of a powerful man. However, he changed the world with the fire of the love of God that he had in his heart. St John Paul inspired many countries in Eastern Europe to turn away from Communism; his zeal for the Gospel took him on apostolic trips all over the world. Neither illnesses, Nazis, communists nor bullets could stop that flame because it's a divine Fire! Saints are not made out of wimps. Mary, Queen of all Saints, help me to be strong and reliable, so that I can serve your Son to spread this divine Fire.

Wednesday 29th week in ordinary time "Lk 12:39-48"

Jesus said to his disciples: "that servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more." This is the same as saying: "Do not compare yourself with anyone else because you are not anyone else". It's a very natural thing. When your mother asks you to clear the table, you check if your brother is also doing something. When you are told to load the dishwasher, you make sure that your sister also has a job to do. And when we do something wrong, we try to excuse ourselves by immediately pointing out others' wrongdoings. Comparisons are often used just to excuse ourselves. Like the boy who was asked by his dad if he had passed the last exam he had taken. "I didn't pass, Dad," said the boy, "but I was top of those who didn't!" What consolation would it be to fail to enter Heaven but be top of the list of those left outside? God doesn't give the same talents to everyone because He doesn't entrust the same mission to everyone. From some individuals He expects more because He gives them more. And you are on the list of the privileged ones. Not many people know that they can talk to God (like you do); not many know what you know about God; not many have had the Christian formation that you have. Some people still don't know what sin is, but you do. For that reason God will demand more from you than from others. The enemy loves it when we compare ourselves to others because that way we are being less demanding on ourselves. Others are not expected to give as much as you are expected to give, because they are not you. This would be like Leo Messi playing football in a school team. Surely you couldn't demand from the other boys what you would expect from him. And if he spent his life playing in that team it would be a waste of his talents. God has given you great talents also. He wants you close to Him. Mary, my Mother, don't allow me to waste my talents, to waste my life!

Tuesday 29th week in ordinary time "Lk 12:35-38"

"Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants!" Have you ever been caught red–handed doing something you were not supposed to do? It's an awkward feeling, isn't it? Do you remember Adam and Eve embarrassed, trying to hide themselves after their sin? 'Awkward historical moment': where could you hide from God? But of course, if we were always doing what we ought to do we wouldn't need a hiding place, would we? This is called 'unity of life'. Unity of life is that feature of lives of the saints which ensured they were always doing the right thing, because they realised that God is always with them. If your mum, your dad, your teacher or priest was there with you, how would you behave? Well, God is there. He is not like a busybody watching you through CCTV cameras all the time to know what you are doing. He is a Father who has an eye on His children because He loves them. If I could remember that God is always at my side, watching what I do, He would surely be proud of me. One day, suddenly, time will be over and we will go to meet Him as we are... as we have been. In the year 79 AD, Pompeii, a roman city in Naples, was buried under 4 to 6 metres of lava and ash in the sudden eruption of Mount Vesuvius. It was so sudden that most of the 11,000 inhabitants had no chance to run away. When the place was discovered in 1599, archaeologists realised that the exact size and position of people, dogs and objects could be recovered just by filling holes they found in the lava with plaster and removing the lava once the plaster set: the sentinel was at his post, a dog wandering in the streets, some people sleeping, a mother protecting her baby. How will God find me at the end of my life? Mary, my Mother, help me to be always ready like a faithful servant.

Monday 29th week in ordinary time "Lk 12:13-21"

Jesus told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." You know how the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt used to be buried surrounded by all their treasures. It only served to ensure that their graves would be plundered and their treasures taken away. "For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?" A man who was travelling to the Middle East went to visit a holy hermit who lived in a cave with nothing other than was necessary. The man, surprised at his poverty, exclaimed, "Where is your furniture?" The wise hermit answered, "And where is yours?" "But", replied the traveller, "I am on a journey. I don't intend to live here!" "So am I," answered the holy man, "just on my way to Heaven. I don't intend to live on earth for ever!" Everyone has an ambition. As Mother Angelica explained once, some people don't spare any effort to become a banker or a physicist; they would devote their whole lives to being able to add letters like MD, PhD, MBA, at the end of their names. Some people will do anything to gain honours, esteem, fame or money... But all our titles, diplomas, qualifications and credentials will be useless to get into Heaven. The only worthwhile ambition is to add 'St' before our names: to become saints. To become St Thomas, St Charles, St Catherine, St John Capistrano, St ... (fill the gap with your name). We should spare no effort to attain it, because that will be the only achievement that will last for ever! Mary, my Mother, help me make it my great ambition to gather a great treasure in Heaven by loving God on earth.

St Luke, Evangelist "Lk 10:1-9"

After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest." These 72 disciples couldn't be more different from one another. They weren't a set of apostles in uniforms with written speeches to be read in a particular tone of voice, all in the same way. They were all different and had different talents, different accents, different ways of expressing themselves. They were not an army of clones or robots because God needs free and genuine disciples, not impersonators. St Paul explains that God called some to be "apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers..." St Luke was a physician. He wasn't a skilful rhetorical speaker or a wise Scripture scholar. He was a faithful companion of St Paul on his trips, absorbing his teachings on their missionary journeys. There is something he was good at: writing. He was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write his Gospel and the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. He researched the life and preaching of Our Lord, carefully interviewing witnesses who were still living and collating all the necessary material. Almost half of the content of his Gospel is not to be found in the other Gospels. To him we owe, for instance, the account of Jesus' Infancy that he probably gathered from Our Lady. Luke had that talent: he could write very elegant Greek. God didn't need two St Pauls or two St Peters to spread the Gospel; He needed one Paul and one Peter, and one Luke... and one you. He needs people with different talents but who put their gifts at the service of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel has to be spread throughout the world. Some will use pulpits, others can use websites, blogs, social media, radio stations, music, poems, novels, articles, paintings, films... There are so many different ways! You have your talents as well: what can you do? Mary, Mother of the Evangelists, help me to put all my talents at the disposal of the Holy Spirit so that He can spread the Gospel effectively everywhere.

Thursday 28th week in ordinary time "Lk 11:47-54" "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering." These 'lawyers' shouldn't be confused with modern-day solicitors or barristers. They were called 'lawyers' because they were in charge of teaching the 'Law of Moses'. They studied the Bible and knew everything about it; but apparently they weren't practising it or teaching it properly to the people. They knew the Scripture but they didn't know God. They read the Bible but didn't know Its Author. They spoke about God but they never spoke with God. If they had spent less time talking about God and more time talking to God they would have recognised Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah they were expecting. They weren't men of prayer. St Teresa of Avila is a good teacher of prayer. She became a nun at the age of 20. For more than 20 years she lived in the Monastery but didn't pray properly. She certainly said prayers… but didn't have a personal dialogue with God. Visitors often popped into the monastery, distracting her from her duties and maintaining frivolous and vain conversations. One day she saw a picture of Jesus scourged and wearing the crown of thorns; she felt sorry for her waste of time, for not loving Jesus as she should. Teresa fell on her knees in tears and implored Jesus to change her life. And Jesus heard her prayer. Those dialogues with God changed her life and she changed the world. Fully in love with God, she wrote remarkable teachings on prayer and how to talk to God. "For prayer," she said, "is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God." She taught that all that was needed was for people to look upon Jesus as He is represented in the Gospel, and to talk to Him: "This friendly conversation will not be much thinking but much loving, not many words but rather a relaxed conversation with moments of silence as there must be between friends." Holy Mary, Mother of God, teach me to talk to your Son as friends do!

Wednesday 28th week in ordinary time "Lk 11:42-46"

"But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places." The tithe was a requirement of the Law in which all Israelites were to give 10% of everything they earned and grew to the temple. Pharisees were very diligent about paying that. They didn't have any problem 'doing' or 'giving' things. Their problem was that they had neglected "justice and the love of God." Apparently they thought that God could be satisfied with things. They didn't consider that God doesn't need 10% of anything because He OWNS everything already. God is not an employer. God didn't create men to "work for Him". God created us to LOVE Him. God doesn't want our things. He wants our hearts. The only 'gift' with which we can satisfy Him is 'love'. You remember the story of Cain and Abel. The Book of Genesis says that "Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions." But God loved Abel's offering and rejected Cain's. Why? Certainly it has nothing to do with God not liking vegetables or preferring meat. It wasn't the thing that was offered. It was the love with which it was offered. Maybe Cain was just fulfilling his duty. But Abel loved God and wanted to offer Him the best he could. When we go to Mass, say our prayers, work and study or we offer up some sacrifice, we need to make sure that we aren't just fulfilling our duty: we are loving God. Kissing your grandma, for example, can be just a duty (grandchildren are supposed to kiss grandmas) or a real act of affection. Think of a bride asking her groom: 'Do you love me?' and the newly-married man, distracted, looking at his phone, waving a hand and replying, 'Yeah, yeah, whatever!' Mary, my Mother, help me to put my heart into everything that I do for God, to do everything for the right intention; teach me, Mother, to love God with everything I am and everything I do.

Tuesday 28th week in ordinary time "Lk 11:37-41" A Pharisee asked him to dine with him; so he went in and sat at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you." How quick that Pharisee was to judge Jesus! How quick some people are to jump to conclusions, just because someone else doesn't seem to live up to their standards. The Pharisee had invited Jesus to dine with him, and was already judging Jesus before the dinner had even started. He thought Jesus was neglecting the tradition of the elders by not washing His Hands, when in fact it was he, the Pharisee, who had failed to live charity by judging and condemning Jesus in his mind. An old lady who had been mugged was behind the two-way mirror contemplating a few suspects in the police line-up. Police officer: "Madam, can you identify the man who robbed you?" Granny: "Most certainly." Police: "Are you sure?" Granny: "Absolutely. It was the small guy dressed in red." Police: "That's... that's a fire extinguisher, madam." Granny: "Really? Well, now, you make me doubt..." Moments before, the old lady had been most certain that the fire extinguisher should go to prison. Like the Pharisee and the old lady, many people are absolutely certain of their judgements... and yet, on many occasions they are wrong. Jesus was very clear: "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned" (Lk 6:37). The problem with this sin against charity is that it is an 'internal sin'. No one sees it, but it damages us as does any other sin. And because it's not seen, many people don't fight against it. It's not totally invisible, though, because those who have this critical spirit are like Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol: a miserable grouch who is never happy with anyone or anything. Mary, Our Lady of Charity, help me to love people and not waste time judging them.

Monday 28th week in ordinary time "Lk 11:29-32" When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation...The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here." Sometimes in our prayer we can think what it would be like to travel back in time and be able to hear Jesus 2,000 years ago preaching in Jerusalem; to see Him healing people, walk with Him along the roads of Judea, spend time chatting with Him. Wouldn't it be great? Well the fact is that many people heard Him, saw Him and walked and talked with Him and yet they didn't want to be His disciples. They saw the Son of God made man but that was not enough for them – they wanted a sign! Someone said that mediocrity could be defined as being in front of 'greatness' and not recognising it. Those contemporaries of Our Lord stood before the greatness of the Son of God and many didn't realise it. Or maybe they realised at the beginning but later they got used to Him, took His miracles and Words for granted... Too bad to get used to having God in the midst of us. Lucy, a four-year-old girl, went for the first time to her grandparents' country house. At night, when everything was dark outside, she suddenly came running in from the garden, stormed into the lounge where the grown-ups were having coffee and started shouting to her mum, "Come! Come, mum!" and pulling her hand, the girl urged her to stand up and follow her out to the garden. Mum rushed out behind the child, fearing that something was wrong. Once in the garden, Lucy pointed at the sky with her little finger: "Look!" There, the startling sight of millions of blinking stars covering the whole sky had the child dumbstruck; and the mum as well. Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, with your help, may I never get used to having your Son in the Tabernacle and being able to see Him, talk to Him... eat Him! There is Someone greater than Jonah there.

Saturday 27th week in ordinary time "Lk 11:27-28"

As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!" But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" The most beautiful thing ever said of Our Lady was what Jesus said of her: she was always ready to hear the Word of God, to keep it and follow it. It was in prayer that Mary heard the Word of God, His Will for her; there she got the grace she needed to carry it out. 'Prayer': the best way to make decisions in our lives. "Never make a decision without stopping to consider the matter in the presence of God," said St Josemaría; a very sound piece of advice. During our life we will have to make decisions about many issues: reading, good use of time, studies, family, friends, career. God made us for happiness, for greatness - and He knows how to get it. Our paths are all different and personal, so we need to discover the Will of God for us. We need to ask for light to see His Will. We need to want to hear His Word: We need to pray, to talk to God. The Russian author, Gorki, tells the story of a thinker who decided to rest for a few days in a monastery. His name was written on the door of his room. At night he couldn't sleep and decided to take a stroll through the impressive cloister. When he came back he discovered that there wasn't enough light to find his room; all the doors around the cloister looked alike; all had names on them but he couldn't read them. He didn't want to wake the monks so he spent the night wandering along the huge, dark corridor. With the first light of dawn he at last saw the door of his room and realised that he had passed in front of it a hundred times that night without recognising it. Like the man in the story, we need light to see which door to open. And that light comes with prayer. We need to be souls of prayer. Not just souls who say prayers, but souls who pray, who have a personal conversation with God. Mary, Virgin most Faithful, as Jesus blessed you for hearing His Word and for keeping It, you can be my Teacher of prayer. I want to talk to God like you did in your Home in Nazareth, like you do now in Heaven. Mary, teach me to pray.

Friday 27th week in ordinary time "Lk 11:15-26"

Jesus said to the Jews: "If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Be-elzebul...But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armour in which he trusted, and divides his spoil. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters." Lucifer (which means 'morning star') was one of the top angels in glory, wisdom and power. But he thought he could fight against God and, obviously, he was wrong. Then he decided to fight against the children of God. Such a powerful angel against humans was a very one-sided war. He thought he was like the strong man of the parable, fully armed and with his goods undisturbed. But if the devil thought that he could overcome men, he was wrong again, because God became a man and that 'stronger Man' defeated him. There is a tale of a few ants that were having a banquet over the skin of an elephant while the elephant was sleeping. Suddenly, the elephant got up and with a quick shake sent them off. All but one. One ant found itself hanging on to a hair under the elephant's mouth. From the ground the other ants started calling up to him, "Come on! Don't give up! It's almost yours. Smother it with your bare hands!" The devil has less chance of defeating God than that ant had of smothering the elephant... If we are united to Christ we are safe. And precisely for that reason the enemy will always try to separate us from Him. You see? The enemy thought he could fight against us, and indeed we are no match for him, but he trembles at the Name of Jesus, he trembles at the name of Our Lady, and "he trembles and flees at the sight of your Guardian Angel", as St John Bosco taught. Do you see the whole picture? A good Christian is shielded behind Jesus, Our Lady, St Joseph (who is called "Terror of the demons"), St Michael the Archangel, your Guardian Angel... It is certainly a one-sided battle: the enemy has no chance. Mary, Queen of Angels, let me be always shielded by you.

Wednesday 27th week in ordinary time "Lk 11:1-4"

He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation." When we speak to a particular person amongst a group of people we pronounce their name; a mother at table with several of her children will say, '_Mike, how was your day?_' or '_Sarah, how was your exam?_' Our Lord's lesson is very clear: when you talk to God, say "_Father_". We are to talk to God as children to their father. How simple is that?! Even a baby can do it! Ever since that day no human being can say, honestly: '_I don't know how to pray_.' It would be like saying, '_I don't know how to talk to my father or my mother_.' Who taught you to talk to your mum and dad? Have you ever seen an advertisement: "_Now you can learn to talk to your dad. With our method, even you can!_"? Nonsense. You may not know how to talk in public or how to address the Pope or the King, but you certainly know how to talk to your dad. You don't need an appointment to talk to him (neither with your Father God). You don't need to introduce yourself or to be introduced. You don't need a special vocabulary to talk to your mother; you do it in your 'mother tongue' (as with your Father). You don't need long speeches. Think of a baby: sometimes just a word will do. The baby says '_wa-ha_' and mum gives him water. Sometimes you don't even need words. When there is good mutual knowledge, a gesture, a look can communicate enough. Your Father God loves those conversations. He loves your prayer, your words, your requests, your complaints, your apologies, your looks, your visits, your time... He loves you so much! So, don't say that you don't know how to pray. That doesn't wash. "_You say that you don't know how to pray? Put yourself in the presence of God, and once you have said, 'Lord, I don't know how to pray!' rest assured that you have begun to do so_" (St Josemaría). Mary, Master of prayer, teach me to talk to my Father God.

Wednesday 27th week in ordinary time "Lk 11:1-4" He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation." When we speak to a particular person amongst a group of people we pronounce their name; a mother at table with several of her children will say, '_Mike, how was your day?_' or '_Sarah, how was your exam?_' Our Lord's lesson is very clear: when you talk to God, say "_Father_". We are to talk to God as children to their father. How simple is that?! Even a baby can do it! Ever since that day no human being can say, honestly: '_I don't know how to pray_.' It would be like saying, '_I don't know how to talk to my father or my mother_.' Who taught you to talk to your mum and dad? Have you ever seen an advertisement: "_Now you can learn to talk to your dad. With our method, even you can!_"? Nonsense. You may not know how to talk in public or how to address the Pope or the King, but you certainly know how to talk to your dad. You don't need an appointment to talk to him (neither with your Father God). You don't need to introduce yourself or to be introduced. You don't need a special vocabulary to talk to your mother; you do it in your 'mother tongue' (as with your Father). You don't need long speeches. Think of a baby: sometimes just a word will do. The baby says '_wa-ha_' and mum gives him water. Sometimes you don't even need words. When there is good mutual knowledge, a gesture, a look can communicate enough. Your Father God loves those conversations. He loves your prayer, your words, your requests, your complaints, your apologies, your looks, your visits, your time... He loves you so much! So, don't say that you don't know how to pray. That doesn't wash. "_You say that you don't know how to pray? Put yourself in the presence of God, and once you have said, 'Lord, I don't know how to pray!' rest assured that you have begun to do so_" (St Josemaría). Mary, Master of prayer, teach me to talk to my Father God.

Tuesday 27th week in ordinary time "Lk 10:38-42" A woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her." You, Lord, knew that house very well. Bethany was the place where You could rest and be among friends. That day there were more guests in the house than usual and You were teaching them. But Martha was a bit anxious: so many people, so much to do, people sitting on the floor, plates and cups and food all over the place... In actual fact, she was doing something good and even necessary. But You praised Mary – the one who apparently wasn't doing anything – and not Martha. Serving You is a good thing. But Martha was missing something better. The choice was not between a 'good' thing and a 'bad' thing, but between a 'good thing'... and a 'better' one. To listen to You is the best we can do 'for You'. It would have been better for Martha to prepare everything in advance and so, when You arrived, she could spend the rest of the evening just listening to You and enjoying Your presence: in prayer. When we go to church something of this sort can happen. Some people can't see the wood for the trees. A priest asked some First Holy Communion children, "What do you like most about the church?" "The songs," said one. "Your stories in the homily" said another. "The beautiful pictures, that lovely chapel, the flowers, praying together..." added the others. A little girl finished the brainstorming session with the one word the priest was waiting for: "Jesus!" Some people, like Martha, could miss a conversation with God when going to church, getting distracted with all the other things that surround God. Let's not miss the point. Let's not miss God. Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus and my Mother, how many hours you spent listening to your Son... teach me to do the same!.

Monday 27th week in ordinary time "Lk 10:25-37"

A lawyer asked Jesus, "who is my neighbour?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'" The story of Jesus explains perfectly who 'my neighbour' is. We find it easier to feel compassion for those people we see in the news, in a far distant country, than for those who live next door to us, or even under the same roof. It's easier to give way to a stranger in the street than to our sister at home; to give up our seat to someone we don't know on the train than to help our mother at home... Who's your neighbour? Look around: They are! Don't you see them? A woman explained a lesson her dad taught her. One night at dinner her mother placed a plate of jam and a piece of extremely burnt toast on the table. The girl waited to see if her dad was going to say something. But he just ate his toast and asked his daughter about her day. The girl heard her mum apologising and never forgot her dad's reply: "Sweetie, I love burnt pieces of toast." Later that night, she went to say good night to her dad and, joking, she asked him if he really liked burnt pieces of toast. He put his arm around her shoulder and said: "Your mum put in a very long day at work today and she was very tired and still made dinner for us. Besides, burnt toast never hurt anyone but a harsh or careless word can!" Who is your neighbour? Look around; be attentive and you will see your neighbour in the person sitting in front of you at breakfast, on the train, in class, at sports, in the streets... Be alert, for God notices how you treat His children! Mary, my Mother, teach me to love my 'neighbour' as you do, for they are your children too.

Friday 26th week in ordinary time "Lk 10:13-16"

"Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Beth-saida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable in the judgement for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Caperna-um, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades." It is hard to hear these words from You, Our Merciful Lord. It doesn't quite sound like You. I understand that it is not You who want to condemn them; it was they who didn't want to be saved. It wasn't You, Lord, who didn't knock at their door; it was them who didn't open. You want to save everyone but some stubborn sinners refuse to be saved. As St Augustine put it: "God who created you without you, will not save you without you." These people were free to accept You, and freely decided to reject You. It's not sin but the obstinacy of sin that condemns people. It is the insanity of remaining in our sin and not wanting to make amends. This insanity could be named 'insinnity': the obstinacy of remaining in our sins. Our mission, in order to save souls, is to encourage those sinners to keep trying to fight against their sins and to atone for them. We are all sinners. The only difference is that some sinners keep fighting and some others have given up. Discouragement is the devil's great speciality. The enemy spends his energy trying to convince us to give up: 'You will never get rid of these sins' he suggests in your ear. 'This is too hard for you', 'There is no point in going to Confession: you will need to confess the same sin again in no time...' Sound familiar? A medical doctor was giving a lesson to his students. They entered a ward crowded with patients and he asked: "Which one of these do you think should receive attention first? Who do you think is in the worst state?" After they had given their different opinions, he gave the right answer: "Do you see that man with flies on his face? If he has given up shooing the flies away, it's because he has given up on himself." We have this mission among our friends and relatives today, to assist those sinners who have given up and encourage them. Mary, my Mother - their Mother - Refuge of sinners, 'help me to help them'.

Thursday 26th week in ordinary time "Lk 10:1-12"

After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest." Jesus sent His disciples to every town and place that He Himself was about to visit. Our Lord would go and He would meet them. They would see Him, hear His preaching and even talk to Him. But before that, His disciples had to prepare the people of those towns and places. They had to communicate the Good News: 'Jesus was about to come!' Just like His disciples, we have to prepare our friends for their encounter with Our Lord. Be aware that our mission is not to 'convert' people. God does that when He meets everyone at some point during their lives. But before that encounter, He sends His disciples (you and me) to prepare those souls He is planning to meet personally. A young lad was down in the dumps. After spending lots of time trying to get his friend close to God, this friend of his told him plainly, "Listen, we are best friends, but I will never get close to your God. I will never believe in Him." Discouraged, the young boy went to chat with the priest. With a smile, the priest reassured him with words he could never forget, "Your friend will never get close to God. God will get close to him. Your friend will never find God. God will find him. Your friend doesn't need to believe in God. God believes in him. He died on the Cross for him and will not forget to meet him one day." And laying his hand on the boy's shoulder, the priest added, "The time you spend with him is never wasted. The prayers you say for him are always heard. Your conversations will never be forgotten. Your efforts will never be lost. Your seed will give fruit. You don't give up for God will never give up on him." Those words became prophetic a few years later, when his friend decided to change his life and go to the Sacraments. God has sent us to prepare our friends for their meeting with Christ. We don't know when it will happen. But it certainly will happen. Mary, Queen of the Apostles, give me that determination I need to never give up in my apostolate.

The Holy Guardian Angels "Mt 18:1-5, 10"

Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven." A good father will never send his child alone on a dangerous road with threatening robbers on the prowl. On our way to Heaven we are threatened by the devil and Our Lord, the Best of Fathers, won't allow us to walk on our own. Think about it: Such a majestic, beautiful and powerful creature has been assigned only to me; I don't share my Guardian with anyone else. He is no 'second-hand' Angel. He waited for millions of years until I was born and is now faithfully at my side fulfilling this mission: leading me to Heaven. St Josemaría saw God's providence in the fact that Opus Dei was born on the feast of the Guardian Angels. He recommended keeping up a daily conversation with our Guardian Angel, asking him for help many times during the day and greeting other people's Angels as well. One day, he received the visit of his very good friend archbishop Marcelino Olaechea, accompanied by his secretary. St Josemaría greeted him and then asked him playfully, "Marcelino, let's see if you can guess - whom did I greet first?" The archbishop replied, "You greeted me first." "No," St Josemaría said, "I greeted the VIP first." Archbishop Olaechea, understandably perplexed, replied, "But of the two of us, my secretary and me, I am the 'VIP'." Then the saint explained, "No, the VIP is your Guardian Angel." Let's be good friends with the Guardian Angels of our relatives and friends. St John Vianney suggested that if we find it difficult to pray, we should "hide behind our good Angel and charge him to pray in our stead." A little girl preparing for her First Holy Communion gave the priest a wonderful lesson: "Since I'm so little" she explained, "I ask my Guardian Angel during the Mass to fly to the Altar and kiss Jesus on my behalf." Mary, Queen of Angels, help me to keep my Guardian Angel busy the whole time. My Guardian Angel, intercede for me!

Tuesday 26th week in ordinary time "Lk 9:51-56"

Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him; but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village. Those people wouldn't receive Jesus because they didn't like any pilgrim who was heading for Jerusalem. That wasn't nice. No wonder James and John felt offended and resentful towards them. Our Lord rebuked them and went on to another place. He didn't dwell on the offence or say anything against those people. In fact, He was planning to give His Life for them as well. But their time had not yet come. Resentment, animosity and rancour are all at odds with Christianity. "What a great gift the Lord has given us in teaching us to forgive!" Pope Francis tells us. Resentment is like an infection in our hearts. It damages our soul and prevents us from finding peace. On the contrary, when we show forgiveness, we help the offender to reconsider what they did. Around the year 1929, a worker covered in lime got on a tram and approached a young priest, St Josemaría, who was dressed in his cassock. Taking advantage of the tram's rough movements, the worker intentionally bumped into him and stained his cassock amidst the smiles and silence of some passengers who had witnessed the scene. St Josemaría turned and, with a smile full of affection, told the worker, "My son, let us finish this," and gave him a hug, dirtying his cassock completely. As St Josemaría put it, we should 'drown evil in an abundance of good'. Thus Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him. And today, in the midst of Christian persecution, we still have the same answer for those who do us any evil. We pray for those who kill Christians, those who insult us, threaten us, ridicule us, laugh at us - and we love them. They show what they have in their hearts, and we, with God's Grace, show them what we have in ours. Mary, Help of Christians, help me always to repay evil with good.

Monday 26th week in ordinary time "Lk 9:46-50"

John answered, "Master, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he does not follow with us." But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him; for he that is not against you is for you." The Apostles found a man casting out demons in the Name of Jesus but didn't know him. So they decided to tell him that he wasn't allowed to use the Name of Jesus because they hadn't seen Jesus giving him permission to do so. 'You are not one of us,' they may have thought. 'So you shouldn't do what we do'. But Jesus said to them, "Do not forbid him; for he that is not against you is for you." The Apostles had received from Jesus power to cast out demons and they thought that no one else had received that power. But they were wrong. God can give His grace, His power and His mission to whoever He chooses without consulting the Apostles. The Apostles knew what God had given to them but they didn't know what He had given to others or what He asked of others. Everyone who works for God... works for good. Many saints have been victims of what can be called 'persecution by good people.' Some Christians couldn't understand them, their teaching or their graces and tried to stop them. St Paul wasn't accepted by many Christians for a long while. St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross were also persecuted by 'good' Christians because of their writings; St Pio of Pietrelcina was regarded with suspicion for his stigmata; St Charles Borromeo was shot for promoting the reforms of Council of Trent; St Josemaría was persecuted for his apostolic zeal; St Alphonse Liguori, St Joan of Lestonnac and St Joseph Calasanz, among others, were expelled from the institutions they had founded by their own followers. St Josemaría used to say that Christians should "never blow out any candle that has been lit for Jesus Christ," no matter who lights it. Everyone who works for God is on our side. We do what we have been asked and pray that each person in turn will do whatever the Lord asks of them. Mary, House of Gold, may all Christians and their apostolates be united in one single House as one Family.

Saturday 25th week in ordinary time "Lk 9:43b-45"

But while they were all marvelling at everything he did, he said to his disciples, "Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men." But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying. The Apostles were afraid to ask Jesus about His Passion and we can understand why. It's not pleasant to talk about the suffering and death of those you love. And they loved Jesus as much as we do (or even more). They "did not understand this saying", the Gospel tells us. They could not understand why Jesus insisted so many times on such a gloomy thought. But Jesus was adamant that they should keep it in mind, and for that reason He says, "Let these words sink into your ears" - as if saying 'don't you ever forget this'. It could well be that the Apostles were afraid of the Cross. That's wrong. The only people who have reason to fear the Cross are the devil and his followers, because the Cross is now the instrument of our salvation. Today I ask You, Lord, that I may never feel afraid of the Cross or of suffering because the Cross is an instrument of salvation. It hurts; it certainly does. A dentist may conduct painful procedures in order to deal with tooth decay or an infection. You don't go to the dentist to suffer, but to have your dental problems solved. It may involve pain, but that is part of the process of healing. A person who avoids the dentist for fear of suffering will suffer even more when his tooth gets infected. On 7th February 1945 the Communist soldiers arrived at the Franciscan Monastery in Siroki Brijeg. They said, "God is dead, there is no Pope, no Church, no need of you", and asked them to remove their habits. The Franciscans refused. One angry soldier took the Crucifix and threw it on the floor. He said, "you can now choose either life or death." Each of the Franciscans knelt down, embraced the Crucifix and said, "You are my God and my All." The thirty Franciscans were all killed and their bodies burned. They are known as the Thirty Franciscan Martyrs of Siroki Brijeg. Mary, Queen of Martyrs, may I never be afraid of the Cross, for it is there that I find your Son.

Friday 25th week in ordinary time "Lk 9:18-22"

Now it happened that as he was praying alone the disciples were with him; and he asked them, "Who do the people say that I am?" And they answered, "John the Baptist; but others say, Elijah; and others, that one of the old prophets has risen." And he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered, "The Christ of God." Many people had different opinions about Jesus because each one had a different relationship with Him. The entire Gospels give us an accurate description of Jesus written by God Himself. And yet different readers can see Jesus in different ways. For that reason the Holy Spirit comes to assist us when we read the Gospel so that we know Jesus, the 'real' Jesus Christ that walked on earth two thousand years ago and not just an "opinion" of Jesus. The Apostles transmitted what they saw. Then the early Christians transmitted what they heard from the Apostles. Some of those things were put in writing and became the New Testament. Some other things were never written, just transmitted from generation to generation. That's what we call Tradition. Tradition allows us to understand the Gospels appropriately and know the 'Real Jesus' rather than my 'opinion' about Jesus. In 1865 missionary priests were allowed to go to Japan after more than 250 years of prohibition and persecution of Christians. Some people who lived in Urakami (a village near Nagasaki) received a French priest, Bernard Thadee Petitjean, and confessed to him that their families had kept the 'Kirishitan' (Christian) faith all that time without priests. But they wanted to ask three questions: 1) Where is your wife? "I have no wife," said the priest; 2) Do you have a Mother in Heaven? "The Virgin Mary is my Mother," he replied; and 3) Do you follow a bishop dressed in white? "Yes, I follow the Pope." They were satisfied with the answers, explaining that three centuries before, the priests told them that other priests would come one day and, in order to make sure that they were the successors of the Apostles, those questions had to be asked. Mary, Mother of the Church, help me to read the Gospel with the same Spirit with which it was written; to see Jesus as you, Mother, saw Him.

Thursday 25th week in ordinary time "Lk 9:7-9"

Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen. Herod said, "John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?" And he sought to see him. If Herod sought to see Jesus… why didn't he go to Him? Everybody knew where to find Jesus. As king of Judea, Herod had everything he could wish for; what would a powerful and rich king want from a poor Rabbi who had nothing except a few disciples? The fact is that the tetrarch's house was full of things but his heart was empty; and as Pope Francis says, "The emptier a person's heart is, the more he or she needs things to buy, own and consume." We are attracted by God like iron to a magnet, and nothing on earth will stop that attraction. God made us to be happy, and the only real and complete happiness can be found in Him: "You made us, Lord, for Yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in You" (St. Augustine). Trying to satisfy our longing for happiness with things is like scratching itchy skin; it may relieve the discomfort for a few seconds, but the burning feeling eventually only gets worse. God wants to fill your heart up with His Love, but if a heart is full of 'junk' there is no room in it for God's Love. A young boy explained his conversion in an interview. When he was young his parents and grandparents had given him everything he wanted and more - tablet, smartphone, video games; he explained that he "had more gadgets in his room than the NASA research centre." But he wasn't happy. For his birthday, not knowing what to give him (since he had everything already), a family friend bought him a good edition of the Gospels. He was amused at the idea but he decided to read it, out of curiosity. There he found Jesus Christ, and was so fascinated by His Life and Death... that he changed his life and is now studying to become a priest. "I was looking for Him," he said, "but I didn't know it; I was trying to find God but I had so much junk in front of me that I couldn't see Him!" Mary, my Mother, "may I seek Jesus, may I find Jesus, may I love Jesus." (St Josemaría)

Wednesday 25th week in ordinary time "Lk 9:1-6"

And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal. And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Jesus gave them power and taught them to rely on nothing else. So they were to take nothing for the journey, "no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money..." In order to spread the Good News, Saints (like the Apostles) were to rely on nothing else but grace, the power given by the Holy Spirit to those who want to become His apostles. One day St Josemaría went to see Manuel Valdes, a young medical student who was in bed with a painful throat infection. Sitting at his bedside, St Josemaría began explaining to him the importance of the new apostolate he was planning to do with his help, to reach out to many university students. Listening to him, the patient was wondering how the priest planned to do all that. Since he was unable to speak, he took a piece of paper and wrote, "But...what about the means?" St Josemaría took that same piece of paper and wrote, "They are the ones that Peter and Paul had, and Dominic and Francis, and Ignatius and Xavier: the Crucifix and the Gospel. Are they insufficient for you?" Do you see? In order to spread the Word you just need the Word. The Holy Spirit needs instruments, you and me. But we need no more instruments than the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. When St Josemaría sent people to start the apostolic work in a foreign country he used say to them, "My children, I'm sorry I can't give you any material help. I give you the best I have: a crucifix, a picture of Our Lady and my blessing." Nothing else is needed but the apostolic zeal that the Paraclete places in the hearts of His apostles. Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, Queen of the Apostles, help me to grow in apostolic zeal and to trust in the means that God sends me.

Tuesday 25th week in ordinary time "Lk 8:19-21"

Then his mother and his brethren came to him, but they could not reach him for the crowd. And he was told, "Your mother and your brethren are standing outside, desiring to see you." But he said to them, "My mother and my brethren are those who hear the word of God and do it." Again Jesus reminds His disciples that to listen is not enough. Some people had no problem listening to Jesus. Their difficulty was in doing what Jesus said. The Pharisees, for example, listened to the reading of the Bible and very often we find them listening to Jesus' preaching. You can listen to the Word of God as you listen to the rain falling. But it's not just about listening, it's about acting. Jesus Christ doesn't need spectators, but actors. Our Lady was following Jesus and listening to Him. Apparently, that day there were so many people that His Mother had to wait outside. Someone mentioned Our Lady to Jesus and He used her example to teach a lesson: Mary listened to God's Word but she also did God's Will. When we pray we come to 'listen' to Him and to 'do' what He tells us to do. Do I want to DO what Jesus wants? When I pray, do I tell Jesus that He can count on me for whatever He wants me to do? It's very comfortable to listen but not necessarily want to DO anything. The 'audience' of a movie never changes the script. We have to be ready to give everything to God. There is the story of a hen and a pig who lived together on a farm. The hen suggested giving the farmer a surprise. "Why don't we give him something special for breakfast today?" she asked. "We could give him fried eggs and bacon." But the pig wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea. "It's not fair," said the pig. "You only lay the eggs, but I have to commit my life for his breakfast!" And the pig was right. The hen only had to co-operate with laying eggs; the pig, however, had to die to produce the bacon. Some Christians are happy co-operating, giving some time or some things to God, but not their lives. They are spectators but they are not willing to give their lives in the fulfilment of the Will of God. Mary, Virgin Most Faithful, teach me to listen and to obey the Word of your Son.

Monday 25th week in ordinary time "Lk 8:16-18"

"No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away." When we illuminate a room that has been dimly lit for a while, we discover dust and cobwebs that have been accumulating there. The inhabitants of that room may not like to know that they've been living in such a place, but that doesn't change the truth: the dust and cobwebs are real. St John Paul II wrote an encyclical called 'The Splendour of Truth', because when truth shines it gives light. When we share the Truth of the Gospel we are giving light. "I am the Truth," said Jesus. And the brightness of this Truth can't be hidden. Someone compared the truth to a lion. A lion doesn't need to be defended. It just needs to be unleashed. It can defend itself. There is an 'urban legend' about the encounter of a battleship with another vessel. This is the transcript of the radio conversation… Battleship: "Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision." Voice from the other side: "I recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision." Battleship: "This is the Captain of an aircraft carrier. I repeat, divert your course." Voice: "Hi, Captain, this is Frank. I repeat, you divert your course." Battleship: "This is the Captain. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers and numerous support vessels. I demand that you change your course, or countermeasures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship." Voice: "Well Captain. I'm here alone with my dog... surprised to see your fleet heading straight for my lighthouse. Your call." Truth gives light, like the lighthouse. And it stands firm, founded on solid ground: God Himself. Like the sun, it can't be hidden. It can't be put out. It can't be shaken. It prevails. The splendour of God's Truth gives light to every soul. Christians give light wherever they are. Mary, Lady of Light, help me to share this Light with those around me.

Friday 24th week in ordinary time "Lk 8:1-3"

Jesus went on through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means How much You, Lord, must have loved these women! They were always serving You, Jesus, in all You needed; making sure that You didn't lack anything. They spent their time and money on You. In actual fact, being God, You could have gone without any help; couldn't You? You are God. But You wanted to eat and to drink what they provided and to sleep in the houses to which You were invited. For some reason, Jesus, You like to be given things instead of taking them. And these women [notice: all of them women!] were generous enough not just to give You what You needed but to follow You to make sure that You always had what was needed; You lived on earth as if obliged to depend upon generous people. You are now in the Tabernacle and that also obliges You to depend on us. Saints have always been generous with everything that related to You. Even when they were poor, they didn't spare anything to give You the best. St John Vianney is a good example of this. He was very poor. He always used to eat just three or four boiled potatoes a day. He slept on the floor and had only one cassock... He was very austere with himself. But when it came to spending money on You, Lord, in the Blessed Sacrament, he didn't calculate. He was famous in the markets of Lyon for always purchasing the best materials for his church. When they offered him different materials he would say: "This is not good enough for God, I need the best!" Also St Francis of Assisi, known for his poverty, wanted to send brothers throughout the world with precious chalices and ciboria for the Eucharist. At times, we may not be able to provide money, but we can always serve Jesus in many other ways with devotion and affection, like these women of the Gospel. Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, make me generous with your Son in the Tabernacle. May He never be lacking anything I can provide.

Thursday 24th week in ordinary time "Lk 7:36-50"

A woman of the city, who was a sinner...brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment...Jesus said to the Pharisee, "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, to whom he forgave more." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." I love Your forgiveness, my Jesus. I love it because I am a sinner as well. The more sins You forgive me, the more I love You. I love it that there is no sin that You won't forgive. I love it that there is no human 'misery' that can exceed Your Divine Mercy. I love reminding all sinners that You are looking for them more than they are looking for You. I give You thanks for Your Mercy, for You are more willing to forgive us than we are willing to be forgiven; and I beg You for millions of souls to be reconciled with You this year. There is a crucifix in St Eulalia's parish in Majorca given by Pope Innocent to King James I. It's called the 'Christ of the miracles'. The story is told that a man who had led a very sinful life decided to change and went to Confession. This crucifix was hanging in front of the confessional – a silent witness to the man's Confession. But when the priest heard his sins he was scandalized and thought that he couldn't grant the man absolution. The poor sinner left the church, devastated. But a young man found him in tears at the gates of the church, approached him and said, "Go back; try again!" The man hesitated but the young fellow insisted so he gave in and went back to the confessional. The priest was surprised to see him back and was about to send him away for a second time when suddenly the right hand of the Christ on that Crucifix came away from the nail. Showing the priest the scar from the nail, Jesus said to him, "Give him absolution. Look how much it has cost me!" Mary, Refuge of sinners, help me to be always grateful for your Son's Mercy; help me to remind everyone that Jesus has already paid for their sins, and so they just have to come to the confessional to 'cash in' forgiveness.

Wednesday 24th week in ordinary time "Lk 7:31-35"

"To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, 'We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.' For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine; and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of man has come eating and drinking; and you say, 'Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by all her children." That was a children's game in the time of Jesus. Some children would play music and others had to react appropriately. They had to adapt their dancing to the rhythm of the music that was played. This was Jesus' complaint against people who didn't react to His preaching. They didn't react to the teachings of St John the Baptist either. No one was good enough for such people. John the Baptist? 'Ah, well', they may have thought, 'too bizarre, dressed in camel skins and eating locusts and wild honey'. Jesus? 'Too rustic, just a carpenter, you know'... They had a mental picture of the 'perfect prophet' they would follow, and no one could match that imaginary picture. Some live in that imaginary world where things and people never meet their expectations, and that serves them as an excuse not to listen to them. They don't want to complicate their lives by following Jesus. God sends everyone the help that they need, which may not be the help that they expect. Some don't pray because they don't feel anything special when they pray. They have a mental picture of what prayer should feel like but they don't feel it! So they quit. And they even blame God for it because He doesn't 'give' them prayer. The truth is that in our prayer God is the Master and He plays the music He wants us to dance to. We need to ask God to teach us to pray as He wants us to pray and not as we would love to pray. I've no excuse for not reacting to God's promptings; no excuse for saying, 'I can't pray in this situation.' Because I don't pray for my sake and my feelings, but for God's sake. Mary, my Mother, Master of Prayer, teach me to pray.

I Pray

Monday 24th week in ordinary time "Lk 7:1-10"

A centurion had a slave who was dear to him, who was sick and at the point of death. When he heard of Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his slave...And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed." We use these words during the Holy Mass before we receive Holy Communion: "Lord, I am not worthy." St John Vianney explained that if Jesus had taken into account our 'worthiness', He would never have instituted the Eucharist. But He took into account only His love for us. Ordinarily we can only receive Him once a day but our desire would be to receive Him many times. According to St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Alphonsus Liguori, the value of a spiritual communion can be as great as Holy Communion itself. It depends, obviously, on the internal dispositions. If God can unite Himself to souls with a piece of bread, would it not be possible for Him to do the same with a strong desire? St. Teresa of Jesus wrote: "When you do not receive communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you." St. John Vianney taught, "If we are deprived of Sacramental Communion, let us replace it by spiritual communion, which we can make every moment...when we cannot go to the church, let us turn towards the tabernacle; no wall can shut us out from the good God." In 1975 the Communist Army took control of Vietnam, sending numerous bishops and priests to prison. Many disappeared, leaving no trace. A prisoner described what he found once in a cell he was moved to. It had been used by a priest who disappeared. On the wall, with a loose stone, the priest had drawn a huge Host and a Chalice. Presumably, unable to say Mass, he had spent a long time there in 'adoration', longing for the Eucharist. Lord, I know I'm not worthy, but I wish to receive You "with the purity, humility and devotion with which your most holy Mother - my Mother - received you, with the spirit and fervour of the saints."

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross "Jn 3:13-17"

No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. On one occasion, when the people of Israel were in the desert, they faced the curse of a multitude of snakes which bit and killed many of the Israelites. They prayed to the Lord and He ordered Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole. Those who looked at it were healed from the poison of the serpents. The Holy Cross of Our Lord has real healing power. Such a simple sign means a lot to us. Every crucifix reminds us of God's Love for each one of us. Every crucifix is like a label with the price of our ransom paid by Jesus with His Blood. Lovers carry with them a picture of their beloved. A father has in his wallet a picture of his wife and children. Good Christians should also carry a crucifix in their pockets. The crucifix is an effective weapon against the poison of the enemy. The devil has been described as a roaring lion to be feared. But in the presence of a crucifix, the lion becomes a tame cat. In times of difficulty, in times of temptation or when we suffer setbacks of any kind, having a crucifix at hand which we can kiss or caress becomes the most valuable instrument. To kiss the crucifix is a great act of love and can also be a great act of contrition. One day St Josemaría went to assist a man who was dying in hospital. He was a gipsy who had been a great sinner. After his Confession, when St Josemaría gave him his crucifix to kiss, that contrite gipsy started to shout, and no one could stop him, "I can't kiss Our Lord with this filthy, rotten mouth of mine!" St Josemaría was moved by that act of contrition and answered him, "But listen: very soon you are going to embrace him and give him a big kiss, in Heaven!" Mary, Mother of Sorrows, teach me to meditate on the Cross and keep me always close to your Son, close to you, on Calvary. (Good advice from St Josemaría: get a pocket crucifix and carry it with you always.)

Friday 23rd week in ordinary time "Lk 6:39-42"

He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? ...Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye. How easily we see defects in others! How difficult it is to see our own mistakes! How ready we are to correct others and help them to improve! How slow we are to accept our own failures and amend them! We are sometimes like the boy who failed his maths exam. He gave the report to his dad who obviously wasn't happy at all: "This can’t be: it's unacceptable!" the dad said, "It deserves severe punishment!" "You are quite right, dad," replied the boy, "it DOES deserve SEVERE PUNISHMENT! I couldn't agree more. And... I know where the teacher lives!" Some people don't know themselves or their defects but are, nevertheless, always ready to correct others about anything. They are 'professional critics' who always analyse everyone except themselves. The story is told of a nit–picking arts professor who was guiding his students around an art gallery. He was criticising all the portraits they were finding: the style was poor, the model inappropriate, the colours messed up... The man stopped in front of a full-length portrait of an old man. He smiled in disdain and started criticising it: "What a ridiculous lanky fellow! Look at the disproportion of the big nose and ears in a small head; do you see the slovenly clothes and lack of taste..." Someone interrupted him, "Professor! This is not a portrait, sir... it's a mirror!" St Augustine said that we often see in others the reflection of our own defects. We need to examine ourselves to spot our faults and try to correct them. Once we strive to correct our own mistakes we won't get annoyed with the shortcomings of others and we will be able to help them improve... Mary, my Mother, help me to see those aspects that God wants me to change and obtain for me from Heaven the grace I need to change them.

Thursday 23rd week in ordinary time "Lk 6:27-38"

"But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also...And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them...Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you...For the measure you give will be the measure you get back." Many people are convinced that the "golden rule" is 'don't do to others what you wouldn't like to be done to you.' And so, if you don't like people poking a finger in your eye, you don't poke a finger in their eye; if you don't like people calling you names... you don't call them names; if you don't like people using your stuff without permission, you don't use their things without permission either... fair enough! But that is not the 'Golden Rule.' Because Jesus didn't say, 'Don't do to them what you don't like to be done to you.' He said instead, "And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them." He didn't speak about things to avoid doing to others, but about things to do to others. And in order to live the Golden Rule we need to keep our eyes open to the needs of others. Then we will see what many don't see: that people need each other. St John Henry Newman described a gentleman as someone who "has his eyes on all his company," who pays attention to the needs of others and is always ready to help. A mother was talking with a young priest about one of her children: "He doesn't need to be told to do anything. Whenever he sees something he can do he doesn't hesitate for a second to do it. He lets me rest." Apparently, when that child was around, his entire family was at ease. That could be good food for prayer, couldn't it? Am I the kind of child, brother, sister, student or friend who lets people rest? Do people like to be around me? Do I live the Golden Rule? Mary, Mother of Fair Love, with your intercession, may I become the kind of person who makes people feel at ease, one of those I would love to have always around me.

Wednesday 23rd week in ordinary time "Lk 6:20-26" Jesus lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. "Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. "Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh. "Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets." I can see You, Lord, explaining to Your disciples that they were blessed when they were poor or suffered hunger, blessed for weeping and for being hated and excluded on Your account. You explained that being poor and hungry, hated and persecuted is a sign of being 'with' You and of being 'like' You... And to be with You, my Jesus, is itself a blessing. The example of St. Peter Claver can help us to pray. He was a Spanish Jesuit priest. While studying in Majorca, he decided to go to the Indies and save 'millions of perishing souls.' In 1610, he landed at Cartagena (Colombia), which received 10,000 slaves every year. He dedicated himself to serving the slaves and fighting for the abolition of the slave trade. In his time the great majority of people thought slavery to be a good and profitable thing for society so only a few opposed it. Fewer still stood up for those slaves whom St Peter saw as the 'people of the beatitudes': rejected, abused, hungry... Boarding the slave ships as they entered the harbour, he would hurry to serve them, care for the sick and catechise them as well; it is estimated that he personally baptised around 300,000 people. We Christians are called to persevere and never give up in defending the innocent victims of injustice, even when everyone thinks the opposite (think about abortion, for instance). Today St Peter is a universal hero but in his time he was a revolutionary. Pope Francis is calling us today to be rebels against injustice and to defend those outcasts of society who are the present-day 'men of the beatitudes'. Let's ask Our Lady, Mother of Mercy, to help us to be merciful as Pope Francis is asking us to be.

Tuesday 23rd week in ordinary time "Lk 6:12-19"

He went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles; Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor If Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him... why didn't He choose someone else?' The truth is that when Jesus called him, Judas must have had a beautiful soul. He was a fine young man, full of energy, practising his faith sincerely. Don't forget that Judas was able to leave everything to follow Jesus. He was a generous young lad. One day he was entrusted with carrying the money bag, paying the expenses of the group and giving money to the poor. There wasn't much money in that bag, anyway. But that clinking of the coins in his pocket started one day to bother him. Maybe one day he took just one little copper to quench his thirst with a glass of wine. Another day two coppers for a bite… never anything big, no. But venial sins make the sinner weaker and blinder. He still loved Jesus... within limits. One day they offered him thirty pieces of silver if he led them to Jesus. All would be fine - he thought - Jesus will escape as He always has done before. Thus, repeated venial sins made it so easy for Judas to justify his evil doings. We can also betray Our Lord if we don't fight against venial sins and defects: swearing, gossiping, laziness, procrastination, wasting time, vanity in front of the mirror, sarcasm, cheating... On one occasion St John Paul II was meeting a Bishop who got carried away and suddenly used a rude word. A bit embarrassed, the Bishop immediately apologised. But after a short while another swear word came out. He apologised again, "Sorry, Holy Father. I'm like that when I get carried away." St John Paul II didn't hesitate and replied, "If you are like that, then... change!" There is no excuse. We can always change and overcome our defects. It's necessary to struggle against venial sin to avoid having to struggle with mortal sins. Mary, my Mother, help me to abhor venial sin.

Monday 23rd week in ordinary time "Lk 6:6-11"

On another sabbath, when he entered the synagogue and taught, a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come and stand here." And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?" The man didn't ask for the miracle but Jesus saw him and reacted as the scribes and Pharisees expected Him to. When it comes to people in need, Jesus is very predictable: He is always ready to help. The scribes and Pharisees didn't care at all about that man. They were obsessed with the things that 'could not' be done and forgot to do the things that 'should' be done. They were the 'omissions men'. Some people are like them: they haven't hurt anyone, but they just couldn't care less. It is not what they do that condemns them; it is what they don't do. Just like the man in the Gospel, many people today are in need also. They need money, sometimes. But more often it is another kind of help that they need: attention, affection, advice, understanding, or even a simple smile... On September 2nd 1827 a humble French lady was travelling from Milan to Lyon with her family. She was pregnant and gravely sick when she knocked at the door of a parish. Given her state, the priest took her to the hospital but she wasn't admitted because she was a foreigner. He tried other hospices but no one wanted to help. After a long agony, the lady died in his arms. There and then, he understood the need of such people: the helpless, the destitute, orphans, mentally ill people... And he started housing and caring for them all. That priest became St Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo. Today there are hospices of St Cottolengo all around the world. And it all started with the sad story of a lady whom no one wanted to help... Mary, Mother of Mercy, teach me to see the needs of others, as you did at the wedding feast in Cana, and to be always ready to help those in need.

sumber : In Conversation With God

Friday 22nd week in ordinary time "Lk 5:33-39" Jesus told them a parable: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins'." In the old days they didn't store wine in bottles which were far too expensive. They used containers made of animal skin, particularly convenient for transportation, as they could be carried easily, were lightweight, and would occupy less and less space as the liquid was consumed. However, wineskins had to be treated with care, since the leather became worn over time and could easily rupture, especially if filled with unfermented ('new') wine. Over the years, the Pharisees had begun resisting more and more any 'new' approach to Divine Revelation to the one they already held. They thought they 'knew' everything and therefore they expected nothing 'new'. But Jesus came to preach the Good 'News' and the Pharisees weren't ready to receive it, like old wineskins that can't retain new wine: they leaked, they broke and they spilled everything. Nowadays, some people (like the Pharisees) aren't ready to receive the Word of God. Jesus wants to speak to them and change their lives but they are not receptive. They don't want to know. They don't like anything new. They are comfortable as they are. They may even pray; they come, tell their story and leave; but they don't listen to God. Like the tale of a lady who was praying about her vocation; maybe God wanted her to become a nun, but she wasn't very keen on the idea. She would go to the chapel and pray in front of a statue of Our Lady holding Baby Jesus, and repeat again and again, "Should I become a nun or a wife?" One day the Baby Jesus opened His mouth and replied, "A nun, my dear." And the unhappy lady, a bit upset, replied, "Be quiet, Child! I'm talking to Your Mother..." She obviously didn't want to know. Mary, my Mother, may I learn from you to listen to God and to do what He wants me to do.

Wednesday 22nd week in ordinary time "Lk 4:38-44"

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them...And when it was day he departed and went into a lonely place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them; but he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose." What a wonderful day! The sunset found Jesus attending to hundreds of people queuing to be healed at the door of St Peter's house in Capernaum. The weary Apostles were happy to help the people, organising lines and calming down the anxious crowd which was pressing in around Jesus. The evening came and there He was... still laying His hands "on every one of them." And when the sun rose, exhausted as He was after a long day and a long night, Jesus left for a lonely place to pray. But people didn't want Him to leave. Maybe even the Apostles preferred to stay there: the mob was coming to Him, 'why should they go'? Yes, probably it was lovely and more comfortable to be at Peter's house. But Jesus wasn't content with serving only those who sought Him. His Will was to go "to the other cities also" and seek more souls. We, like Jesus, can't be content with just helping those around us. Jesus told us to go "to the whole world," not to stay with the same souls and in the same place. We have to search souls out and get out of our comfort zone to bring them to Christ. One day the Bishop of Madrid, Leopoldo Eijo y Garay (1878-1963), was told of a dying person in hospital who didn't want to go to Confession. In order to put off the nun who was insisting that he should receive the sacrament, he said that his sins were so many that he would need to confess them to a bishop. As soon as the bishop heard about it he took a taxi and went to the hospital straightaway. You can imagine the face of that sick person when the bishop entered the room and said with a smile, "Let's get down to business. Where do we start?" Mary, Queen of the Universe, bury deep in my heart the sentiment that where souls are concerned, nothing is too much trouble. Everyone is worth all the Blood of Jesus.

Tuesday 22nd week in ordinary time "Lk 4:31-37"

A man who had the spirit of an unclean demon cried out with a loud voice, "Ah! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." Your Word, Jesus, has authority and power. It can rebuke every evil. That unclean spirit had maybe bound that poor man for many years and everyone had failed to cast it out. Perhaps that devil was at ease there until he met You face to face. And that was the end of it! The power of Your Word! At times the enemy tries to convince me that I will always be lazy or proud or selfish... But I know that's not true. You, Lord, can heal my miseries in one go. Son of one of the wealthiest noble families in England, Philip Howard (1557-1595) could afford any pleasure he liked - and he liked them all. At court he was a notorious playboy, gambler and fop. In 1581, he went to the Tower of London to hear a debate between several Anglican ministers and a prisoner, the Jesuit priest St. Edmund Campion. Although the ministers were armed with books and assistants, Father Campion was alone and had only his memory to rely on, yet he did so well in the debate that the government cancelled it before a verdict was rendered. Inspired by Father Campion, Howard was reconciled with his wife and they both returned to the Catholic faith. When they tried to leave the country secretly for the Continent, where they could practice Catholicism freely, they were stopped and Howard was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He died there 10 years later. The power of the Word of God changed him in one go. God's Word can cast out my bad tendencies, my laziness and love of comfort, and help me to start anew; I should never forget that You can do everything. Mary, my Mother, help me to prepare for the new academic year so that over the next few months I become, with the Grace of your Son, the person He wants me to be.

Monday 22nd week in ordinary time "Lk 4:16-30"

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah...And he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing"...When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. But passing through the midst of them he went away. Jesus came to preach the Good News but they didn't like what they heard or they didn't like Him. The fact is that something had got into them. When we don't like what we hear, for example our neighbour's music, we can shut the windows or go for a walk but we don't try to throw the neighbour off a cliff (even if we are tempted to think about it...) Sometimes people react in that way. You want to offer them help or share your faith and they go 'up the wall.' When Jesus was a baby Simeon said that He would be a "sign of contradiction" and that the "hearts of many would be revealed" (Lk 2:35). And some hearts turn violently against the truth of the Gospel. Just like in the life of Jesus, many saints have had to fight against a similar violent persecution. But Jesus didn't answer back or panic. The Gospel says that "passing through the midst of them He went away." And saints and all Christianity will always do the same thing, 'pass through' the midst of those who do not want to hear us, without answering back, without panicking, and 'go away' to try in another place. "The truth that sets us free cannot be kept to ourselves; it calls for testimony, it begs to be heard. In our own time, the price to be paid for fidelity to the Gospel is no longer being hanged, drawn and quartered but it often involves being dismissed out of hand, ridiculed or parodied. And yet, the Church cannot withdraw from the task of proclaiming Christ and his Gospel" (Pope Benedict XVI). Mary, Queen of the Apostles, with your help, may I never waver when having to witness to the Truth.

Saturday 21st week in ordinary time "Mt 25:14-30"

"A man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability…But he who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'" The man who received one talent "was afraid," and thus, he did nothing. He was afraid to risk and lose. Fear paralyses people. What really offended the master of the parable wasn't that he didn't get more talents, but that he didn't even try! God is a Father. No father or mother on earth could ever be disappointed if they saw their children trying their best. All that God asks His children is to try hard. God will help us provided that we try our best. Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted an old friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity, the little boy decided to explore the concert hall. He went through a door marked 'No Admittance', found a piano and started practising there. When the mother returned to her seat, the child was missing. As the curtains parted and the spotlights focused on the stage, she saw in horror her child sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.' Suddenly, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't stop. That's it. Keep it up. Give me your best." Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began a melodic bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, adding a running 'obbligato'. Together, the old master and the child transformed what could have been an embarrassing situation into a wonderful symphony. That's what Our Father God does with our efforts. We just need to keep playing the best we can, without giving up, and He transforms our efforts into a masterpiece. There is no fear. We can't disappoint Our Father if we try our best. Our Lady will encourage us to try to give our best, however little it seems to be.

Friday 21st week in ordinary time "Mt 25:1-13"

Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps...And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' The maidens formed part of the wedding procession and everyone was expected to carry his or her own torch. It was imprudent not to bring everything necessary for the ceremonies knowing that Jewish weddings could last several days. But the reaction of the bridegroom seems a bit excessive: he left them outside. At the end of the day all ten of them had brought lamps, all of them turned up at the wedding, all of them waited for the bridegroom, all of them fell asleep. It was just a small difference: five of them didn't bring oil. If it were a test they may have scored 75% or 80%. But this is an 'all-or-nothing' test, like a marathon: you get your medal if you cross the finishing line. You won't get 'half a medal' if you complete only half of the race. In the book of Revelation Our Lord complains about those who were neither cold nor hot in relation to God, just lukewarm. "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth" (Rev 3:16). This harsh language shows us how much lukewarmness displeases Our Lord. A lukewarm person gives a lot but never 'too much'. However, as St Thérèse of Lisieux said, "You cannot be half a saint; you must be a whole saint or no saint at all." It's the personal decision that matters. Imagine that a girl asked her fiancé if he would love her always and he replied, 'Well, always, always...? I mean ... would 4 days a week be fine?' or 'What about Monday to Friday?' or 'Maybe every day from 9 am to 6 pm?' That wouldn't do. But sometimes we can feel tempted to do the same with God. Remember: "Love God with ALL your heart" doesn't leave room for negotiation. Mary, my Mother, help me to give God everything, without bargaining.

The Passion of St John the Baptist "Mk 6:17-29"

Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; because he had married her. For John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly. It's surprising that Herod was glad to hear St John reprimanding him, isn't it? He was putting the truth across. But that can be done in many ways. The truth doesn't have to be harsh, cruel or rude. We tend to imagine St John shouting at Herod for his immoral life but that couldn't be the case if the king "heard him gladly" as we read in the Gospel. It's interesting also to see that St John did take the trouble to admonish Herod. For most of the Jews Herod was a 'hopeless case'. Why bother to yell at such a wicked king? Because everyone can change. Great sinners have become great saints. In the film 'Batman Begins' (2005), Bruce Wayne had done many wrong things in the past. His loyal butler, Alfred, wants to encourage him with a lesson his father gave to him: "Why do we fall, sir?" asks Alfred. And he himself gives the answer: "So that we can learn to pick ourselves up." Bruce smiles at his faithful butler and asks, "You still haven't given up on me?" And Alfred's reply also comes with a smile: "Never!" Just like the faithful Alfred, God never gives up on anyone. Doctor Bernard Nathanson was responsible for over 75,000 abortions; a 'hopeless case'. But God touched his heart one day when he saw a group of pro-life people praying for him and for the unborn children. He thought about what he was doing and changed radically. He became the most well-known pro-life supporter and converted to Catholicism. He died at the age of 84, having spent the rest of his life defending the unborn, speaking the truth boldly - like the Baptist - and changing and saving many lives. Many would have given up on him... but not God. God had a great plan for him. Holy Mary, Refuge of sinners, help me to speak the truth with courage and with love, without giving up.

Wednesday 21st week in ordinary time "Mt 23:27-32"

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. When You, Lord, denounced the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, You mentioned the things that they were doing: they fasted (twice a week, actually), they gave a tenth of all their possessions (not bad)... The problem was not the things they did – as each of them was very good. The problem, says the Gospel, was 'within', because they would do that to "outwardly appear righteous to men." Their intention is what made them hypocrites. They didn't give alms for the sake of the poor but to be seen and admired. Everything they did was to make people think they were holy men. But what we read about You, Lord, is quite different. We find often in the Gospel that You asked people not to say anything about Your miracles. When You prayed, You'd go to a lonely place. You didn't show off Your virtues because You didn't do things in order to be known, recognised, praised or admired. Virtue is usually very silent. A man and his son were walking on a cobblestone pavement when they heard a horse and cart coming. Over the noise of the horse's hooves they heard the clattering of the cart. The father said: 'That cart is empty'. When the cart came into view the boy saw that his dad was right. 'How did you know it was empty?' asked the boy. 'When a cart is very noisy it's always empty', replied the wise father, 'when it's heavily loaded there is not much clattering'. The same happens with the lives of the Pharisees: much clattering, but empty lives. But those saints who are 'heavily loaded' with virtue are discreet and silent. The life of Our Lady and that of St Joseph, were lives full of virtue and for that reason, really silent. Mary, my Mother, St Joseph, my father and lord, help me to avoid the clattering of those who only want to attract attention and to be praised; help me to rectify my intention and to do everything only for the Glory of God.

Tuesday 21st week in ordinary time "Mt 23:23-26" "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. You blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean." Jesus reproaches the guile and hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They were only worried about what people saw or thought about them. They were masters of 'deception', of disguise, of making everyone think well of them. They made life difficult for everyone with their impositions, but didn't care about the law of God. They thought they could fool people but they couldn't fool God. Saints have never been worried about what people thought about them. Their only concern was about what God thought about them. And so they never lost their peace when others said or did all kinds of things against them - as Jesus himself said would happen. On the contrary, saints were always at ease, for they knew that doing the Will of God often clashes with doing the will of people. In August 1642 two soldiers escorted an eighty-six-year-old priest along Bianchi Street to the prisons of the Inquisition. His name was Joseph of Calasanz, founder of the Religious Order of the Piarists. He had been arrested suddenly on a false accusation - with no time even to take his hat with him. He walked, stooped and shaky, but very calm. So calm that during the interrogation he fell asleep! Eventually he was removed from the Institution he had founded and died soon afterwards. Fortunately, a few years later everything was put right: the slander was revealed, the Piarists became a religious order and he became Saint Joseph of Calasanz. Mary, my Mother, help me to live detached from the opinion of others; and only be concerned about what my Father God thinks of me.

Monday 21st week in ordinary time "Mt 23:13-22" "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves." Our Lord showed infinite compassion towards all kinds of sinners. He could forgive every sin. But here was a group of sinners with whom He was very harsh. Dealing with hypocrites, Jesus pulled no punches. Isn't God Merciful with every sinner? Why was He so severe with hypocrites? For one single reason: they didn't consider themselves sinners. God can forgive every sinner as long as they recognise their sins. Like an alcoholic, they can only solve the problem when they realise they have a problem. When little St Josemaría felt embarrassed trying new clothes, his mother used to tell him, "Josemaría, you should only be ashamed of sinning." There is no shame in confessing our sins. There is a story of a priest who found a devil messing around among the people waiting in the queue of his confessional. The priest asked him, "What are you doing here, you wretch?" "I took from them their shame of sinning," the evil spirit replied, "now I'm giving it back to them, so that they feel ashamed of confessing." A teacher had had a terrible year with a particular class. He'd kept a record of all the misdemeanours - more than 200! Towards the end of the year he was reading the list of offences and thinking about a proportionate punishment for the pupils. Suddenly a thought struck him. Next to every incident of misbehaviour was a name. There was not a single record without the name of the offender next to it. Then he realised that every time he asked, "Who did this?" someone always admitted the offence. Every single time! Not even once did the responsible pupil remain silent or blame someone else. 'They were rascals,' the teacher thought, but 'honest rascals.' How could he punish them? In the same way, God always forgives those who admit their guilt with sorrow. Holy Mary, Refuge of Sinners, help me to be always sorry for my sins and never delay my confession.

St Bartholomew, Apostle "Jn 1:45-51" Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"...Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" We know little about Philip's friend, Nathanael, or Bartholomew ('son of Tolmai') as he was later known, but Jesus gave him a great compliment: in him there was no "guile." There was no deception in him. Jesus could see right away that he was forthright, honest, open, plainspoken, straightforward, upfront, earnest, unpretentious. Jesus loved that and appointed him an Apostle. Nathanael found it difficult to believe that the Messiah could come from Nazareth but, once he saw Him, he accepted it plainly. We need to cultivate human virtues. They are the foundation on which supernatural virtues rest. Grace builds on top of virtue. It can't build anything if there are no human virtues. As Peter Kreeft said, "Great saints have often been made out of great sinners, but not one was ever made out of a wimp." They may have had faults, but they also had virtues. Saul of Tarsus was a zealous man. He wasn't a coward or a lukewarm Jew. He was studious, diligent, brave... but he was wrong to be persecuting Christians. However as soon as he realized he was wrong, he had the honesty to change his ways. Saints follow the truth, even if that means changing their minds or complicating their lives. God 'counted on' the zeal of Saul, transforming it into a great instrument for evangelisation - just as he counted on the loyalty of Peter, the boldness of James and John, the obedience of Abraham, the firmness of Moses, the tenacity of Francis of Assisi, the humility of John Vianney... the honesty of Nathanael. God also counts on our virtue to pour His grace into our souls and change the world. Mary, my Mother, you possess all the virtues. Help me learn from you so that God can build with His grace on top of my virtuous life.

Friday 20th week in ordinary time "Mt 22:34-40"

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." Jesus answered with two commandments that are in fact one: Love. The only important thing is to love God and to love others for God's sake. Like a good teacher who wants to get across the message, Jesus repeated this in many ways to make sure they got it. St Jerome (347-420 AD) explains that when St John the Apostle was a very old man he had to be carried in the arms of his disciples (no one had invented wheelchairs yet). When preaching he would repeat, 'Little children, love one another!' After a time, the wearied disciples asked him why he always said that. 'It is the Lord's command,' was his reply; 'do that and it's enough!' Some special people demand more charity than others and usually need it more: the sick, the lonely, people who suffer... Remember Jesus' words: "as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me". Saints have always seen Jesus in all suffering people. In the XVI century St Camillus de Lellis left everything to devote himself to the service of his masters (as he called the sick). When other nurses felt nauseous attending to a sick patient, they used to say: "This one is for Camillus." If someone came to tell him that an important person was looking for him, he would respond: 'Tell him to be patient; I'm busy with our Lord Jesus Christ." Let's give our time and attention to those demanding persons, like the nun who was taking care of a sick Sister. After a long time she found it very hard to assist her. One day she decided to go to the Abbess and ask if she could be relieved. As she passed by the chapel she heard the sweet Voice of Jesus saying: 'My child, will you now leave me?' She burst into tears and answered: 'Never, my love', and back she went to her task with the sick Sister. Mary, Mother of Fair Love, teach me to love others and care for them as you would, since they are all your children.

The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary "Lk 1:26-38" The angel Gabriel said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." Hail, Holy Queen! Mother of Mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope! Hail, Mother of the King of Kings, Queen of Angels, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles, Queen of the Universe, Queen Mother... my Mother! What will you not do for your children? In the old days the mother of the king was called the Queen Mother. She would sit on the king's right, trusted as a confidante and advisor. The mother of King Solomon, for instance, assumed that role and when people wanted something from the king, they would ask her to intercede before Solomon (1 Kgs 2:19). The Queen Mother has a real power of intercession for her children. She cares about us and spends her time in Heaven telling God good things about us. A ten-year-old boy who was a paralytic went to Lourdes to pray for a miracle. During Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament he was in his wheelchair close to the aisle where the procession was passing by. Staring at Jesus in the monstrance and pointing upwards with his index finger, the boy said in a loud voice, "If you don't heal me I'll tell Your Mother!" At the end of the ceremony when the monstrance passed by the boy, again, the priest was surprised to hear the same prayer: "Sure I will... I'll tell Your Mother!" But he was all the more surprised when suddenly, to the amazement of the whole congregation, the boy stood up - completely healed. What good mother is there who wouldn't listen to her child in need? My Mother, Queen of all Saints, Queen of the Family, Queen of Peace! I love you, because you always listen to your children and the King of Kings always listens to you.

Wednesday 20th week in ordinary time "Mt 20:1-16"

For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard...And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing...He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' And when evening came...those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. They were idle because they didn't have any work. That morning those people thought, 'If by the end of the day I can get one denarius, I will be happy.' They found an employer who offered them work and promised to pay them a denarius. And that's what they got. But they weren't happy. They would have been happy if they hadn't seen the others getting the same money. They lost their happiness because they started comparing and judging the others... The world is full of these sorts of ungrateful people whose happiness depends not on what they get, but on getting more than others. They are like children unwrapping Christmas presents who, instead of being happy with what they have got, they look at what the others have got and check if they've got more or less than them. Comparisons steal joy. When you compare, you transform everything into a competition. And you always risk being the loser. Today Jesus refers to those who will go to Heaven even if they convert after a long sinful life; the same Heaven as those who have been good Christians their entire lives. The fellows in the parable thought they deserved their denarius: Eternal Life. But eternal happiness is an undeserved 'gift'. Imagine that you organise your birthday party and one of your friends says to you, 'Don't invite many... so each one of us will have more cake!' Would you have a party with three friends just for that mean reason? No. You would probably just leave that selfish guy out of it. Heaven is a great party and God is like the 'cake'. We can never run out of God in Heaven. There is plenty for everyone! Our joy, on the contrary, would be to share that 'cake' with many people we love. Holy Mary, Queen of the Apostles, help me to bring many souls to the Party.

Tuesday 20th week in ordinary time "Mt 19:23-30" Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Some people's only ambition is to possess more things. That's all they live for and all they spend their lives doing. This temptation has always existed and it has always destroyed people. Greed is the disordered love of riches, and often takes the form of consumerism. Advertising companies spend billions feeding our appetites for things to buy, even if we don't need them. It's as if 'he who dies with the most toys wins.' Our life is made rich not by the amount of things we have, but by what we have in our heart. Hearts were created to love persons, not things. If you put things into it, it gets corrupted. The bait that the enemy uses to catch men is, many times, greed. African hunters have a clever way of trapping monkeys. The trap has a hole just big enough for a monkey's hand to pass through. Inside they leave an orange. The monkey slips its hand through the small hole, grasps the orange, and tries to pull it through the hole. Of course, the orange won't come out; it's too big for the hole. But the monkey never thinks about dropping the orange. As long as it keeps its fist wrapped around the orange, the monkey is trapped. The same happens to those rich people who have their hearts attached to things: toys, smartphones, gadgets, clothes... That heart, wrapped up in many things, will never pass through the narrow gate of Heaven. They may remind us of Gollum, that unhappy creature in 'The Lord of the Rings' who lives obsessed with his "precious." Do you remember? As a miserable slave of the ring, he ends up dragged down into the fire by that 'treasure'. Holy Mary, my Mother, help me to live always detached from things; to have my heart attached only to God, my Lord.

Monday 20th week in ordinary time "Mt 19:16-22"

And behold, one came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?"...If you would enter life, keep the commandments..." The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. "He went away sorrowful" writes St Matthew, who saw the scene with his own eyes. That boy had everything that was needed. When Jesus asked Him to keep the commandments, he wasn't satisfied. He was more ambitious than that. 'I do that already,' he said, 'what else can I do?' He was good but wanted to be perfect! He wanted to move forward in generosity with God. He wanted to do more. We are all born with great desires. We are born for greatness. Jesus loved the fellow's answer and saw a man who could do so much! 'Well,' Jesus explained, 'if you want to be perfect... you can still do one more thing.' Imagine the expectation of the boy after that sentence - he came to find out exactly that: 'what else can I do?' and it seems that he was ready to do whatever it took to be more generous with God. If you knew that the only obstacle between you and happiness were easy to remove, wouldn't you like to know exactly how to remove it? So the young lad was told, 'Your possessions are the only obstacle. Get rid of them and it's done!' But he didn't expect that. He had probably imagined many things Jesus could ask for, but he didn't expect that one. He had a sort of 'clause', as if saying to Jesus, 'You can ask me anything... except this'. Some people, like this fellow, are ready to give God 'some things' but not 'everything'. It's not good to bargain with God, to want to save something for ourselves. To 'buy' God you need to pay your very last penny. A little sick child got a tiny young rabbit; the child was delighted with it, and when he was praying with his mother he said, "Jesus, I offer You my eyes, my ears, my tongue, my heart, in a word, my whole being"; he had a moment of remorse and added, "well, except my little rabbit." Mary, my Mother, help me to give God everything, including any 'little rabbit' I might have saved for myself.

Saturday 19th week in ordinary time "Mt 19:13-15"

Children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people; but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." And he laid his hands on them and went away. Children sometimes look forward to growing up and becoming independent. But Jesus wants us to become children and remain dependent on the Father. He doesn't want us to lose our 'innocence' because innocent children don't hesitate to ask their parents for whatever they need. They rely on their mum and dad for everything, big or small. They never forget that they are children, or who their father is. They know they can do nothing important but 'mum and dad' can do everything. They're never afraid because they know that their parents are there for them. St Thérèse of Lisieux explained her 'Little Way' to get close to God with these words: "We no longer have to take the trouble of climbing stairs because an elevator has replaced these. I wanted to find an elevator which would raise me to Jesus, for I am too small to climb the rough stairway of perfection. I searched, then, in the Scriptures and I read these words: "Let the children come to me." I felt I had found what I was looking for... The elevator which must raise me to heaven is Your arms, O Jesus! And for this I had no need to grow up, but rather I had to remain little and become this more and more." And St Josemaría teaches, "My friend, if you want to be great, become little. To be little it is necessary to believe as children believe, to love as children love, to give yourself up as children give themselves up... to pray as children pray." Quino, an Argentinian caricaturist, has a funny sketch in which a little boy, called Guille, is in his father's arms. It is cloudy but the child wants to see the sun, so he asks Daddy to bring it to him. The father smiles and replies, "But that's impossible! How can I bring you the sun?" "You can't?" little Guille asks his dad. Then, disappointed, he pushes his father's face away and says, "Kindly put me down, sir." (As if saying 'I don't know you anymore'). God never disappoints. He can bring the sun - and does so every day - to His children. Mary, my Mother, help me to become a trustful child.

The Assumption of Our Lady "Lk 1:39-56" And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts." Indeed God has done "great things" for you, Most Beautiful Mother! He has given you what He never gave anyone else. You are the Humble Woman who can humiliate the mighty Lucifer. The devil was created so powerful but now, poor thing, he trembles at the mere sound of your Name. You are the Humble Handmaid of the Lord now, together with your Son and like Him, with your body and soul in Heaven. A lady was dying in the East End of London. Over her bed there hung a beautiful picture of Our Lady. The young doctor attending to her wasn't Christian. With no intended malice, just out of simple ignorance, he asked, "Well, madam, who is the film star over the bed?" "Film star?" she said. "That's the Virgin Mother." "Virgin and Mother?" repeated the doctor, perplexed. "Why, there never was such a Mother!" "Ah, doctor," she replied, "there never was such a Son!" That's why God did "great things for her." She had to be the Mother of God and that's 'quite something'. And if she is good enough for Jesus... she is good enough for us. We look at you today, my Mother, enthroned beside your Son, surrounded by all the angels and saints who are dazzled by your beauty. There you are in Heaven, body and soul, to help your children. I imagine you looking at me: what child of yours would not go to you for help? What would you not do for your children? There was a dramatic representation of the Passion of Jesus in a little town. The character of Judas, after his betrayal, was reciting his role: "Where can I go? Everything is lost now!" A little girl exclaimed in a loud voice from the back, "Fool! Fool! Go to Mary!" Of course! Where else could we go, my Mother, if we ever lost sight of your Son? May I never be a fool; may I always go to you!

Wednesday 19th week in ordinary time "Mt 18:15-20"

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. God, as a loving Father, corrects His children because He loves them and wants them to improve. And to make sure that His children get the corrections, He asked brothers to correct each other. This practice is called fraternal correction and has been a tradition in the Church since the very beginning. Everyone needs corrections because we are not saints but we want to be. And everyone means everyone. Among the recommendations given by St Paul to the Christians at Corinth is to "exhort one another"; and he gave a good example of it. The Apostles had had the first Ecumenical Council and decided that the converts to Christianity who did not belong to the Jewish tradition didn't have to follow Jewish customs, like eating meat with traces of blood in it. St Peter and St Paul were having lunch in Antioch-on-the-Orontes. We don't know the menu, but they may have served, among other things, roasted rabbit, pork steak and eel from Orontes (the river crossing Antioch). St Peter was surrounded by Christians; some of them were Jews who had come with him, along with gentiles who lived there in Antioch. Then St Peter was unsure whether or not he should follow the Jewish tradition and have only the salad and the fruit, not to disappoint them. St Barnabas saw it... and did the same. The Christians from Antioch were a bit offended by this behaviour. But St Paul put his foot down and didn't hesitate to correct St Peter himself. St Peter could have protested: 'I'm the prince of the Apostles!' or 'Look who's talking, you stoned St Stephen!' But he was humble instead and accepted the correction. He wasn't perfect, but he wanted to be. Mary, my Mother, you can teach me to be humble and accept all the corrections that will help me become better.

Tuesday 19th week in ordinary time "Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14" The disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me." The disciples were discussing how to be greater. Jesus gave them the clue: humility makes us great. As St John of the Cross explains, "To be taken with love for a soul, God does not look on its greatness, but the greatness of its humility." That's what He saw in Mary. Humility is necessary for holiness. St Augustine wrote that the way to God is, "in the first place, humility; in the second place, humility; in the third place, humility..." Only humble souls know how to serve God. If we don't serve God we are good for nothing. The greatest saints have been the most humble ones, those who have been good instruments of God: Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist... On February 18th 1988, Blessed Alvaro went to Boston. As soon as he arrived there, he went to St Joseph's cemetery to visit the tomb of the Servant of God Fr Joseph Muzquiz who had been ordained with him and whom he loved dearly. But Blessed Alvaro was not accustomed to the tombs in the United States. At the gravesite, a bit confused, he asked, "But... where is he buried?" "Right underneath you, Father," they told him. Blessed Alvaro smiled and said, "Just like in every moment of his life, a foundation!" We too are called by God to be humble 'foundations'. In fact, St Josemaría used to teach that, in order to serve others, we should put our hearts on the floor as soft carpets for others to walk on. Not everyone has to struggle in every single virtue, but every single person (with the exception of Jesus and Mary) needs to struggle with pride. If you have time for a little bit of 'homework', you can take to your prayer Point 263 of St Josemaría's book Furrow; it will give you ideas for your examination of conscience. Holy Mary, Handmaid of the Lord, help me to become a soft carpet for others, a humble instrument in the Hands of God.

Monday 19th week in ordinary time "Mt 17:22-27"

The collectors of the half-shekel tax went up to Peter and said, "Does not your teacher pay the tax?" He said, "Yes." And when he came home, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from others?" And when he said, "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. However, not to give offence to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel; take that and give it to them for me and for yourself." Everyone was asked to pay half a shekel for the support of the Temple. When they came to Peter and asked him if Jesus paid the tax, Peter didn't say, 'Oh, let me ask Him!' or 'Well, yes, sometimes He does...' St Peter knew Jesus and didn't hesitate for a second; he said 'Yes', Jesus pays taxes. Maybe he was unsure about how Jesus was going to pay, but he didn't doubt that Jesus would pay. Strictly speaking, God didn't have to pay taxes for His Temple, so why did He? As He says, "not to give offence to them." In other words, not to give bad example. When Jesus went to be baptised by St John, the Baptist was a bit confused; why would the Messiah want to be baptised by me? And Jesus gave a similar answer: let's give an example that people will follow. Many times Jesus did things He wasn't obliged to do, to give us good example. Jesus could have avoided paying taxes, as we can sneak on to the train without paying or illegally download programmes, films and songs... but He gave us a good example that we should follow. In 2010 two 8-year-old boys found a bag on a bus containing more than 15,000 dollars in cash. Immediately they went to the police to find the owners. A police officer, teasing, said to them, "You could have kept the money!" One of the boys said, "We wish! But it is not ours." "But no one would know", replied the officer. To which the other boy answered, "God would! And the owner would. And we would as well..." The right thing is the right thing even if nobody is looking at us. Let us ask Our Lady, Mirror of Justice, to intercede for us so that we may follow the example of her Son and practise the virtue of justice, even if only God sees.

St Lawrence, deacon and martyr "Jn 12:24-26"

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honour him. In order to give fruit, a seed needs to die and be buried. The disciples of Jesus never forget that the life which really matters is eternal life, Life, with a capital letter. Jesus is reminding us to get our priorities straight and to know where we are going. It's very frustrating for Jesus' enemies that the more Christians they kill... the more Christians appear! The Church has never grown faster than in times of persecution. The more seed that dies and is buried, the more fruit it gives. The Romans were frustrated when they threw Christians to the beasts in the arena of the Coliseum and heard them singing psalms. The 'Acts of the Martyrs' are descriptions of their trials and deaths. They usually describe martyrs as serene and glad to be found worthy to shed their blood for Christ. St Lawrence was one of the seven deacons serving Pope Sixtus II and he was in charge of the treasury. Emperor Valerian arrested the Pope and his deacons. He killed them all except Lawrence, who was commanded to turn over the riches of the Church. So he asked for three days to gather everything together. In that time he sold and gave everything to the poor; on the third day he went to the Prefect accompanied by all the poor and sick people he could gather and said to him, "This is the Church's treasure!" The Prefect wasn't impressed. Feeling fooled, he decided on a special death for him and ordered that he should be grilled to death. St. Lawrence showed his cheerfulness right to the end. It's said that while he was being grilled he told his torturers humorously, "You can turn me over now; I'm done on this side." Mary, Queen of Martyrs, help me to always have the courage to defend my faith with joy. And if God's enemies insist, they will have to flip me over again and again... because with your help I will never give up.

Friday 18th week in ordinary time "Mt 16:24-28" Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?" Everyone yearns for happiness. People strive to acquire what they think will make them happy. But some get their priorities wrong and set their hearts on false ambitions: getting into this or that university, getting this degree, getting that job, getting this salary or just getting the iPhone X Plus...! Today Jesus wants you to ask yourself: 'What is the most important investment I can make with my life?' Some have more interest in getting into university than getting into Heaven, are more concerned about becoming a lawyer than becoming a saint, and put more effort into getting a life than getting a 'Life', an eternal One. The most important investment you can make is giving everything to God. It's a win-win situation. It's like a roulette wheel that, instead of having 2 colours (red and black) and 37 figures, it has the figure 'red 1' in all the sections. There is no way you can lose. You wouldn't bet only one pound and keep all the rest of your money for later. Would you not rather put everything on 'red 1'? To become a saint you have to invest everything you have, everything you are, as St Thérèse of Lisieux put it, "You cannot be half a saint. You must be a whole saint or no saint at all." Loss and gain: you give everything to God (and therefore you lose it for a while) and then He can give you the prize. St Teresa of Avila said that "those who risk all for God will find that they have both lost all and gained all." On the inside cover of a secondary school Bible it was written: "Dear Jesus, that's it. No more messing around. From now on, I'm all in. Love, Anna." From now on, no more delay - the sooner I give, the sooner I will be given, and then I won't have to regret, as St Augustine did, all the time I have wasted: "Late have I loved You, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new. Late have I loved You!" Mary, my Mother, help me to follow your example and give everything to God.

Thursday 18th week in ordinary time "Mt 16:13-23" Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men." Striking words of Our Lord. Literally a couple of verses before, in the same Gospel, Jesus was saying to Peter: "you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Jesus was going to give Peter the keys of the kingdom, but first he had to learn a lesson about gaining souls for God: 'No pain, no gain.' Suffering is a means of paying for souls. Today we can consider the life of St John Mary Vianney as a clear example of this. When he was appointed to look after Ars, a village with just over 350 inhabitants, he prayed, "Lord, grant me the conversion of my parish; I am willing to suffer whatever You wish, for my entire life." He certainly suffered. To all the sufferings of his life, scorn, physical ailments - especially when he was old - poverty and persecution, he added his own mortifications. He made the resolution never to enjoy the fragrance of a flower, never to taste fruit nor to drink, even only a few drops of water, during the height of the summer heat. He would not brush away a fly that annoyed him. When on his knees he would not rest his elbows on the kneeling bench. He never showed any dislike. He mortified his curiosity: thus he never expressed so much as a wish to see the recently invented railway which passed by Ars at a distance of a few kilometres. One meal sufficed him for the whole day. He normally ate only a little black bread and one or two potatoes boiled in water. During an exorcism a demon once lamented that hell had lost 80,000 souls due to St John Vianney's prayers and sacrifices alone. Not because of his words... but his prayers and sacrifice. That's the secret of the apostle: to save souls we have to suffer for them. Mary, Queen of the Apostles, help me to be generous in sacrifice.

Wednesday 18th week in ordinary time "Mt 15:21-28"

Behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word...But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly. Sometimes it looks like Jesus is not planning to perform miracles. His first answer is not very encouraging. You remember the wedding at Cana. Our Lady came interceding for the newlyweds and Jesus didn't seem interested in doing anything, but... did Mary stop interceding and go away? No, she didn't. The mother in today's Gospel knew that Jesus could heal her daughter. Her request didn't work the first time: Jesus "did not answer her a word." Did she stop begging? No, she didn't. Was Jesus listening? He certainly was. Did she get what she wanted? Yes, she eventually did. How? By insisting! God loves our perseverance. When do we stop? We don't stop. We ask until we get; and then we give thanks without ceasing. That's how we prove that we have faith. If you believe that Jesus can do that, you don't stop asking Him until you get it. St Monica is one of the best examples of perseverance in prayer. Like the Canaanite woman, she asked a favour for her child, who was also "severely possessed by a demon" of lust and lack of faith. Her son Augustine didn't show any sign of conversion for years. Did Monica stop? Can a mother stop interceding for her child? No. Not Our Lady, not the Canaanite lady, not St Monica... No. St Monica had spent 30 years praying for her pagan husband and knew about perseverance. Her husband died a Christian. The conversion of her child took 31 years, but he didn't just become a Christian; he became a bishop, a most prominent Christian philosopher, the apologist of his time, a great saint, a Doctor of the Church... he could have been just one more pagan philosopher if St Monica had given up after 2 years, or 20, or even 30! Mary, my Mother, don't ever allow me to give up on prayer.

The Transfiguration of the Lord "Mk 9:2-10"

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain...and he was transfigured before them, and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." On Mount Tabor, Peter, James and John saw Jesus as they had never seen Him before. They were awe-inspired by this vision and surely, if they had had an iPhone there, they would have taken several selfies to put on Insta with the title 'Awesome!' They wouldn't want to forget Jesus as radiant as He was then. So much so that Peter, filled with consolation, said, "Lord, it is well that we are here." Those same three Apostles also saw Jesus in Gethsemane, but in a very different fashion. Jesus was suffering indescribable moral pain, sweating blood as He thought about His Passion. The same Jesus, but not as they would love to remember Him. On Mount Tabor they didn't want to leave. In the Garden of Gethsemane they didn't want to stay. So when Jesus was arrested they all fled. Friends are meant to be friends always, for better or for worse. You, Lord, are also searching for friends who will stick with you through thick and thin; friends who are reliable, constant; friends who would go with You to Mount Calvary as well as to Mount Tabor; friends, Lord, that You can count on whether it's Tabor or Calvary, sunny or rainy, cold or hot, whether they are tired or energized. We all have ups and downs. We have days when we find it easy to pray and others when it is a struggle; days when everything seems tiresome, when we don't feel like praying, when we don't fancy going to Mass or saying the Rosary. Those are the moments when we prove that we are real friends of God. Holy Mary, my Mother, help me understand that "it is well" for me to be with Jesus anywhere, anytime, no matter what; help me to be constant in accompanying Him with my prayer even when it becomes harder.

Monday 18th week in ordinary time "Mt 14:13-21" Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." I love to see You, my Jesus, always 'on call'. You had left for a lonely place, but souls came searching for You anyway. I imagine You exhausted, trying to rest, and Your disciples protecting You from the people, saying 'Come on! Leave Him alone for a while, for goodness' sake! He hasn't slept for ages. He needs to rest as well.' But You looked upon each person that had come; You knew how much they had searched for You; You, Lord, knew what they needed better than they did and You always had compassion on them. I want to imitate You, Lord, and be always on call when souls need me. I can't give in to tiredness and put things off because we will never know for sure if we will have another opportunity to help someone. To be a good Christian 24/7, always on duty, is very demanding. It's exhausting! But it fills us with true joy. For the salvation of souls and in order to relieve people's suffering we should be ready to do anything, anytime. There is not a second to waste! Bl Alvaro del Portillo once told how he went one day to visit St John Paul II at a rather late hour of the evening. While he was awaiting the Pope's arrival, he heard the Holy Father's steps approaching down the corridor, sounding as though he was dragging his feet. Obviously, the Pope was very fatigued. Bl Alvaro exclaimed: "Holy Father, how tired you are!" The Pope looked at him and, with a firm and friendly voice, replied: "If I were not tired at this hour of the day, it would be a sign that I hadn't fulfilled my duty." We will have a whole eternity to rest, but only a few years to save souls... Mary, my Mother, don't let me waste even a second of my life; help me to serve your Son and all souls!

Saturday 17th week in ordinary time "Mt 14:1-12"

Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison, for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; because John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. John spoke up. He could have kept silent and saved his life. 'Anyway', he could have thought, 'is Herod going to change by any chance, just because I tell him off?' There are martyrs who have given their lives for the sacrament of the Eucharist; others, for being priests. St John the Baptist is the martyr of marriage. He didn't say, 'In my opinion, it's probably not such a good idea for you to have your brother's wife'. Rather, he said things straight. And it didn't matter that it was the king he was speaking to. St John Fisher and St Thomas More acted in the same way with another king. Martyrs never compromised the truth, not even to save their lives. We have to call a spade a spade; and a sin a sin. We have to be witnesses to the truth even when we face difficulties. In defending the truth, like St John the Baptist, Christians have to follow the words of Jesus: "have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be known...everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in Heaven" (Mt 10:26). Roma Ligocka tells a story of an incident that happened in communist Poland when she was a young girl during a summer camp. One day they were all singing songs together and at one point the leader started a revolutionary song that was offensive to God. Suddenly one of the girls, in tears, stood up petrified. "Why don't you sing with us?" asked the leader. "I do not sing against God," she answered in a small but firm voice. Silence. The camp leader intoned a new song. No one spoke anymore about it. But Ligocka explains how something had changed; something that shook her convictions and expanded her horizons. That night she discovered that "there are people who have the courage to stand up and say 'No'." My Mother, Queen of Martyrs, give me the courage to stand up for the truth.

Friday 17th week in ordinary time "Mt 13:54-58" Coming to his own country Jesus taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?" And they took offense at him. For these people, wisdom was something you achieved in rabbis' schools. At the age of 12, Jesus had astonished those who were in the Temple by His wisdom and questions. And many saints in the history of Christianity have had the same effect. Because the common sense of saints is the Holy Spirit's gift of Wisdom. St John Mary Vianney is a good example of a wise soul. He struggled during his years in the seminary because he didn't have enough intellectual capacity for the studies. Once ordained, he had to wait several months before receiving the authority to hear confessions because, as they reported, 'He lacked sufficient knowledge for the office.' As soon as he was granted permission, the 'ignorant' priest was soon visited from all over France by bishops, priests and thousands of religious and lay people seeking his advice. One fine day an atheist came to try and prove to everyone that the Curé of Ars was an ignorant peasant and his superstition (our Faith) was nonsense. He came to him in the presence of other people in the sacristy and said, "Father, I haven't come for Confession; I've come to argue." "I don't know how to argue," replied the saint. "But if you need some consolation, you can kneel here." "But, Father," the man insisted sarcastically, "I told you that I don't believe in God or in priests and, therefore, in Confession. It's all nonsense." "I see," answered the holy priest. "An eight-year-old boy, with his catechism, knows more than you. I thought I was ignorant. You know even less. Let me explain it to you." By the end of the sentence the man was on his knees. A few minutes later, converted, he was praying in tears in front of the Tabernacle. When they asked St John Vianney where he got all his wisdom, he answered that it wasn't 'his'; he "borrowed it from the Holy Spirit." Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, help me to obtain the divine Gift of Wisdom.

Thursday 17th week in ordinary time "Mt 13:47-53"

"The kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth...Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." The Church works like a huge net, thrown into the sea and gathering all kinds of fish. She was entrusted to fishermen and they were commanded to go and catch 'all' men. They were not asked to select but to go, like a net, gathering all they could: just and sinners, wise and ignorant, Jews and gentiles, free men and slaves, rich and poor, powerful and weak... Everyone! The Church is not the Church of the rich, or the Church of the poor, but the Church of all mankind. Everyone has a soul that needs to be saved and brought back to Jesus. The apostle can't be fussy when selecting the people he wants to bring to the shore where Jesus is waiting. The commandment was clear: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation..." to "everyone." The mission of the disciples of Jesus is to save all men, not to judge them. As St Teresa said, if we waste our time judging them we "don't have time to love them." Christians are like the fibres woven into the net of the Church: all united to one another, we collect souls for God. Together, we are the net. Once St Mother Teresa received a letter from a man who wrote that, on the preceding afternoon, he planned to commit suicide. Then, quite by accident, he came across a biography of Mother Teresa. Bored and with nothing else to do, he started to read it. As he read, he gradually began to discover a new interest in life and, as he finished it, he decided to begin life anew. The Christian example of that woman, until then unknown to him, brought him back to God. Holy Mary, Mother of the Church, may I also be an instrument to 'catch' souls for your Son.

Wednesday 17th week in ordinary time "Mt 13:44-46"

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it." Vocation is the treasure that Jesus talks about, the precious pearl. God has made us for a definite purpose. He has a mission for all of us. But the treasure is hidden and we have to find it. And the process of finding it takes time. It is like searching for Jesus in the dark of night amongst a crowd. Slowly the dawn brings a bit of light and we can distinguish better. At some point we have a hunch: He is there. It has to be Him. But we are still not sure. The sun rises little by little and at some stage we start being sure: it's Him! Then, with the light of the sun, everything makes sense. Nothing has changed but everything has changed. The crowd is the same, Jesus was there all the time... but now I see Him. Vocation is that: when everything makes sense at last. Have you ever seen the colonnade in Saint Peter's Square? It consists of four series of columns which seem like a forest of trees planted there by chance. But there are two points, marked on the ground with a circle, from where everything makes sense. From there, the four series of columns seem to align themselves and become a single column. The alignment of those columns is a symbol of what vocation brings to our lives. At first, everything is in confusion, until we find the 'spot' where everything that surrounds us falls into place. That spot is our vocation. And that is why it is worthwhile to give everything to get it... because everything is 'nothing' without it. Our Lord explains that the man, "in his joy...goes and sells all that he has" to get it. And if we make that leap of faith, if we give everything in order to follow Him, we can say to Him, 'Here you are, Lord! Everything that I am, everything that I have, everything that I can do... I put everything at Your Feet to become what You want me to be, to go where You want me to go, to do what You want me to do and fulfil my mission, the one You thought up for me before the creation of the world.' Mary, my Mother, make my prayer come true!

Tuesday 17th week in ordinary time "Mt 13:36-43"

His disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil." Our Lord was explaining the parable of the weeds. A man had sown good seed, but whilst he was sleeping "his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat." So when the plants sprouted, the weeds appeared also. In our world today the weeds live with the wheat as well, the good with the evil, and Our Lord wants it to be so. Why? For just one single reason: for our own good. We benefit from that struggle against evil. We may not understand it; but that's because we are not God. A child was raising silkworms. When the butterflies started to break out of their cocoons and start flying, he saw that one of them was struggling for a long time to open the cocoon. It struggled for more than a day until he decided to help it. And with his fingers, he opened the cocoon and released the butterfly. The result was that the butterfly could never fly because it didn't have to fight like the others to open the cocoon. That struggle would have given strength to its wings in order to fly. But if you take away the fight... you take away the capacity to fly. All saints have encountered difficulties but it was only when they faced them and fought hard that they became the saints that we know. Saints, like heroes, can't be such unless they experience difficulties. In the fire of tribulation saints were forged. Diocletian's and Nero's persecutions produced thousands of martyrs. The wars and persecutions of the 20th century have provided more martyrs than all the previous 20 centuries put together. Holiness has always blossomed amongst difficulties and persecutions... why should it be different for you and me? But we haven't been left alone. God is with us. Mary, my Mother, Help of Christians, help me to grow in holiness in the middle of the difficulties that your Son has allowed me to undergo.

St Martha, Mary and Lazarus "Jn 11:19-27" When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus loved Martha, her sister Mary and her brother Lazarus. He was always welcome in their home. Bethany was a place where Jesus felt at ease. The Gospel explains how, after the death of Lazarus, Jesus went to Bethany and Martha ran to meet Him. And with all the familiarity of a good friend, she complains about Him being too late. She was absolutely certain that if Jesus had been there He could have saved Lazarus. That confidence is the fruit of a personal relationship with Jesus in our prayer. "Have you seen the affection and confidence with which Christ's friends treat him? In a completely natural way the sisters of Lazarus 'blame' Jesus for being away: 'We told you! If only you'd been here!' Speak to him with calm confidence: 'Teach us to treat you with the loving friendliness of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, as the first twelve treated you'" (St Josemaría). Martha, Mary and Lazarus are a good example of what real friendship with Jesus means. If we failed to have a personal relationship with Jesus, real friendship, including real dialogues with Him… we would be wasting our lives. Jesus Christ didn't come to the world just to make tables and chairs… He came to make friends. Don't you see? He is begging for your friendship. But, in my prayer, how should I address Him? Exactly as you do your best friend. Sometimes we have time to chat for a while. Those delightful conversations help a friendship to grow. At other times we can only say to Him, 'I have something to tell You, but not now… I'll call you later!' And so, you prepare your next time of prayer. Now and then there's only time for a short 'WhatsApp': 'I'm in a pickle right now. Need help!' Sometimes just a smile at Him is all you can manage. Good friends have their ways of communicating with each other. And Jesus loves all those details of affection! May Martha teach us the lesson. May Our Lady help us to become true friends of God.

Saturday 16th week in ordinary time "Mt 13:24-30" "A man sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said, 'No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.'" Why is there so much evil in the world? The answer is given by Jesus, the "enemy has done this." Then, why doesn't God pull it out? Because since the sin of our First Parents, good and evil grow together. You can't pull out evil without risking the removal of goodness too, because they are intertwined. The best things in life are a mixture of good and suffering. The way to happiness is paved with difficulties. Why does your father take you to the dentist if he knows that you are going to suffer? Because the result will be a great improvement in your teeth. Why does God allow us to suffer? For the very same reason. Lovers suffer. Parents suffer for their children and spouses for their beloved and friends for their friends because they love. We can't do what Buttercup in the film 'The Princess Bride' did: she chose not to love so that she didn't have to suffer any more. A heart that doesn't love is already 'dead'. A heart that doesn't beat for anyone doesn't beat at all. But love gives power to persevere, to savour the bitter with the sweet. Saints are saints because they never gave up. St Teresa of Avila explained that those who want to be saints "must have a great and very determined determination to persevere until reaching the end, come what may, happen what may, whatever work is involved, whatever criticism arises, whether they arrive or whether they die on the road, or even if they don't have courage for the trials that are met, or if the whole world collapses." And St Josemaría wrote, "What is the secret of perseverance? Love. Fall in Love, and you will not leave Him." Mary, Virgin Most Faithful, help me to persevere.

Friday 16th week in ordinary time "Mt 13:18-23"

Hear then the parable of the sower...what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. A good farmer knows that the secret of the harvest is not the seed so much as the soil. The soil has to be prepared for the seed. Very good seed won't sprout if the soil isn't ready for it. In fact, part of the seed in the parable doesn't get the chance to sprout because it didn't land on soil. We are advised to take care of our heart, to watch our diet, to exercise, and adults have to undergo cardiovascular screening periodically. But there is another heart, our 'spiritual heart', which we have to take care of as well. That heart is the soil which the seed of the Word of God is looking forward to lying on. When we go to pray with the Gospel, we need to prepare our hearts for it. If you try to pray straight after watching 'The Lord of the Rings', you risk spending your prayer thinking about Frodo and Gandalf and not talking much to God. To do the prayer fruitfully you need to prepare it well, so that when you read the Word of God, your heart has the right soil it needs to sprout. Let's prepare our hearts for God during the day. It's like tuning a musical instrument to be able to play with someone else. To 'play' with God you need to have your heart in tune. If you are out of tune (through sin) you can tune it again with a good act of contrition. Everything during the day can help or hinder tuning your heart: your work, your rest, your conversations, your acts of charity, your acts of service... even the music you listen to can help or hinder you. When those things do not help you to pray, you are like the seed in the parable, living among thorns... If they told you that you were going to speak to the Pope, would you not prepare that conversation? And to speak with God, should you not prepare your prayer during the day? Mary, Teacher of Prayer, teach me to prepare myself for that daily dialogue with God.

St James, Apostle "Mt 20:20-28" Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." To drink from the same cup was a sign of trust and intimacy. Good friends would drink from the same cup. And the meaning was not just to share drink, but to share destiny. If the cup was poisoned, they were both poisoned. If someone was able to drink from his friend's same cup, it meant that he was ready to go with him faithfully and follow the same fate. We don't know many things about St James. But we do know one important feature of his character: he was fiercely loyal. When You, my Jesus, asked him and St John if they were able to drink Your cup, they didn't hesitate. In Latin the response is just one word: "Possumus!" - "We can." The beautiful lesson of loyalty here is that they didn't know what the cup might contain... and they didn't care. They said 'Yes' to whatever might come, as long as they could be with You. You, Lord, had promised them persecutions... never mind: Possumus! They might have to go to preach the Gospel far away from home... they couldn't care less: Possumus! They might end up dying at the hands of persecutors... but it didn't matter to them at all as long as they could be with You: Possumus! Eventually St John did accompany You, Lord, beside the Cross, but James didn't. He failed! He told You that he would always be with You, but when You needed him most he didn't come. Yet failures aren't a problem when there is repentance and love. And James did love You. He was the first Apostle killed for Your Name (Acts 12:2); so he fulfilled his promise in the end. Holy Mary, Virgin Most Faithful, help me to be always ready to say 'Yes' to your Son unconditionally... to whatever, whenever, wherever, however, as long as I can always stay with Him.

Wednesday 16th week in ordinary time "Mt 13:1-9" Jesus said: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear." "He who has ears, let him hear." Jesus said that many times. He wasn't talking about the actual visible ears but about hearing God's voice, understanding His Word and following It. For Jesus, 'hearing' and 'obeying' God's voice come together. The seed is His Word. Some hear It but soon forget about It or the thorns of sin 'choke them' and never give fruit. To give fruit we need the courage to hear Him and do what He wants. Reason moved Kimberly Hahn, a Presbyterian mother, to become a Catholic, but her heart resisted with all its might. One day her father asked her: "Kimberly, do you pray the prayer I say every day? Do you say: "Lord, I will go where you want me to go, I will do what you want me to do, I will say what you want me to say, and I will give up what you want me to give up?" She explained that she didn't dare to say it for fear of having to become a Catholic. "Kimberly" he replied, "You do not tell the Lord where you want or do not want to go … If you cannot recite this prayer, then ask God for the grace to say it, until you finally have the strength to say it out loud. Open your heart to him: you can trust Him." For 30 days she prayed: 'Lord, give me the grace to say this prayer.' Finally she managed to say it and everything changed. "My heart was thumping" she writes, "Now I was free to study and understand, to begin to examine things once again, but this time, with a sense of joy. Very well, Lord, I have realised that these were not the plans for my life, but that Your plans are better for me. What do You want to do with my heart? In my life? In our family?" It is then that the seed can start to give fruit. Let us ask Our Mother to be able to say that prayer, to listen to God's voice and obey His Will.

Tuesday 16th week in ordinary time "Mt 12:46-50" While Jesus was still speaking, his mother and his brethren stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?" And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brethren! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother." How lovely to find Mary following Jesus and imagine her listening to Him, paying attention to His every word, story, gesture and smile; as a thirsty soul drinking in every word that came from His Lips, smiling to herself on hearing that Voice that she knew so well. She had her eyes on Him every time she had the chance. Even when Jesus was talking to someone else in the distance, she couldn't help looking at her Son and recalling so many conversations with Him. Have you ever found your mum staring at you with a curious gaze when you are doing something? And when you discover her looking at you, you frown and ask a bit restless, 'What are you looking at?' And your mum replies, smiling, 'You take after your father more now' or 'You are growing up so quickly' or 'A penny for your thoughts...', or even 'Do you need anything?' We call that 'love' - Mother's love! Love leads to 'contemplation' and if we are to love Jesus like Mary, we ought to look at Him like His Mother. Mary, Mother of Jesus and my Mother, teach me to look at your Son, to follow Him everywhere, to listen attentively to Him, to contemplate Him during my prayer, during my day, during my work, during my life. I want to love Jesus, your Son, as you do and to be always with Him as you are... And always and in everything to do the Will of my Father, as Jesus' Mother and brethren do. Mary, My Mother, help me to look at Jesus with your eyes; to see Him as you see Him and to love Him as you love Him. "The contemplation of Christ has a remarkable model in Mary. In a unique way the face of the Son belongs to Mary. It was in her womb that Christ was formed, receiving from her a human resemblance which points to an even greater spiritual closeness. No one has ever devoted himself to the contemplation of the face of Christ as faithfully as Mary." (St John Paul II)

St Mary Magdalene "Jn 20:1-2,11-18" Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb... she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" St Mary Magdalene is an important saint. Pope Francis has raised her memorial to the dignity of a liturgical Feast, like one more Apostle. We know a few things about her. St Luke records that she was a notorious sinner but she came to weep at His feet. And that was the turning point of her life, because Jesus brought her innocence back to her when He said, "her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much." Throughout history, great sinners have become great saints. Not because their sins were unimportant, but because they "loved much." Be certain of this: your sins are not a hindrance to your holiness. They weren't to St Peter, St Paul, St Matthew, St Augustine, St Dimas (the 'Good' thief), St Thomas Becket… and so many thousands of saints. Sins are not a hindrance but an opportunity for holiness. No matter how many or how awful our sins are, nor how rotten and putrid our miseries, once they are forgiven in the Sacrament of Confession, they become a first class manure for the tree of sanctity. With the water of our love and the rays of God's grace, the tree of our sanctity will grow and give much fruit. How much Mary loved her Master! She wept out of repentance at His feet one day. She wept again at the entrance of the tomb, looking for Jesus even after His death. A week before that day she was pouring her best perfume on the tired feet of Jesus. And when most of His disciples abandoned Him on Good Friday, she was next to Our Lady at the feet of Jesus once more, now nailed to the Cross. God could easily forgive those sins because He could easily feel her deep love. Mary, Mother of Mercy, may I always come back to your Son. May I learn from Mary to repent and to love; may I be able to hear Jesus' voice one day saying that my sins have been forgiven... 'because I've loved much.'

Saturday 15th week in ordinary time "Mt 12:14-21"

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against him, how to destroy him. Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all, and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved...He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will any one hear his voice in the streets; he will not break a bruised reed or quench a smouldering wick, till he brings justice to victory." Jesus withdrew from there, and when He had healed 'them all', He ordered them not to say anything. It looks like He was playing hide and seek! Some people wonder why God is not more visible, easier to find... But that is the prophecy: "He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will any one hear his voice in the streets". Pope Benedict XVI told the rabbinical story of Jehel, a little boy, who comes running into the room of his grandfather, the famous Rabbi Baruch. Big tears are rolling down his cheeks. And he cries, "My friend has totally given up on me. He is very unfair and very mean to me." "Well, could you explain this a little more?" asks the master. "We were playing hide and seek," answers the little boy. "I was hiding so well that he could not find me. But then he simply gave up and went home. Isn't that mean?" You see? The most exciting hiding place has lost its excitement because his friend stops searching for him. The rabbi caresses the boy's face, himself with tears in his eyes. And he says, "Yes, this is not nice. But look, it is the same way with God. He is in hiding, and we do not seek him. Just imagine! God is hiding, and we people do not even look for him." God is in hiding. He waits for us to set out in search of Him: "May you seek Christ; may you find Christ; may you love Christ" (St Josemaría). That's what we do when we pray with the Gospel and help other people search for Him in the Gospel, because we can be sure that as soon as they find Him and listen to His Word, they will definitely love Him... St Josemaría taught that "we always go, and return, to Jesus through Mary." The best way to find the Son is to search for Him with the Mother. She knows perfectly where to find Him.

Friday 15th week in ordinary time "Mt 12:1-8"

At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath." He said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him? ...For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath." The Pharisees (they seem to always hunt in a pack) were obsessed with the things that 'could not' be done, but had no concern about the ones that 'should' be done. The seventh day of the week was meant to be especially devoted to God, but for them it was a day to 'avoid doing things'. Instead of doing things for God, it was a day to do nothing at all. But we know that the only really important thing on Sundays is the Holy Mass. Yet some may excuse themselves from going to Mass because it's their birthday - but then they should go to Mass and thank God for it! Or because some relatives come to visit - then bring them along to thank God for your family! Everything that we can enjoy on Sundays has been provided by Him, so how could we justify enjoying ourselves on Sunday... while leaving Him out of it? It would be like asking a friend to organise your party and, when everyone and everything is ready, kicking him out! In the year 304 AD, a group of 49 Christians were found guilty of having illegally celebrated Sunday worship at Abitinae, a Roman town in Africa. The priest Saturninus was interrogated and he held firm even under torture. His example was followed by all the others, both men and women, including four children. One of them, Emeritus, declared that they had met in his house. When he was asked why he had violated the emperor's law, he replied, "Sine Dominico non possumus" - without the Lord we cannot live, meaning the Holy Eucharist that the emperor had declared illegal, but in which they had chosen to participate even at the cost of being tortured and sentenced to death. Holy Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, help me never to haggle over my attendance and punctuality at Holy Mass.

Thursday 15th week in ordinary time "Mt 11:28-30"

Jesus said: "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." You, Lord, know about burdens. You probably also had some clients asking for 'urgent' jobs; You may have seen St Joseph being mistreated by some unreasonable client who didn't want to pay what he had agreed; maybe You saw him in distress when he had to pay taxes to the tax-collector who was demanding too much; perhaps You also saw Your Mother counting pennies to calculate whether she could buy some special food for Your Birthday; You probably suffered because of friends who started leading a bad life or neighbours who were suffering the loss of children. You, Lord, know human burdens. You didn't just give us a tip to cope with them or a pat on the back to encourage us to carry them. You gave YOURSELF! You, my Jesus, want 'me' and 'my burden', so that it won't be my burden anymore, but ours: Yours and mine. "Come to me!" You said. That's a command. Like a mother to her child when he tries to do something on his own: 'Ask for help!' A yoke was a wooden crosspiece fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plough or cart that they pulled. Yokes were never made to balance. They were always made heavier on one side than the other. In that way, they would put a weak bullock alongside a strong bullock; the light end would rest on the weak ox, the heavier end on the stronger one. That's why the yoke is easy and the burden is light, because the Lord's yoke is made after the same pattern, and the heavy end is upon His shoulder. On one occasion, St Josemaría had a very crucial meeting. A young student, José María González Barredo, commented to him, "Father, you have a critical meeting in half an hour, and still, you are so much at ease!" Immediately St Josemaría replied quite simply, "And why should I be anxious? I am a son of God now... and in half an hour." Mary, my Mother, Comforter of the afflicted, always remind me to share my burden with your Son, so that it stops being mine and becomes ours.

Wednesday 15th week in ordinary time "Mt 11:25-27"

Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. St Therese of Lisieux explained: "Our Lord needs from us neither great deeds nor profound thoughts. Neither intelligence nor talents. He cherishes simplicity." Sometimes people with great intellectual talents are unable to understand You, Lord. Many people attended Your sermons. Some, like Scribes and Pharisees, were wise; they had studied the Scriptures and knew by heart many of the prophecies. They "understood" all Your words. But they didn't get it. The great and the powerful of Your time, Jesus, didn't follow You, but some fishermen, publicans and a few illiterate men and women did. Simple saints have turned the world upside down; their memory is alive still, while powerful men, kings, emperors and thinkers have been buried and long forgotten. The virtue of simplicity allows God to do His part. Simplicity prevents saints from pretending that they are someone they are not; it allows them to be seen by men as they are seen by God. They listen to God, and God listens to them. St Josemaría met a holy woman called Enriqueta, who was mentally ill. The only thing she could do was pray. There was at the time a very anti-Catholic newspaper; so St Josemaría asked Enriqueta to pray for that newspaper to close down. In a few months, without any explanation, the newspaper went bankrupt and closed forever. St Josemaría was sure that the simplicity of Enriqueta was more powerful than the newspaper's editors. Simplicity and humility attract Our Lord's gaze. The most simple and humble of all was a Woman of Nazareth. She had all the talents that anyone could think of. Yet, she caught the attention of God when she considered herself the "handmaid of the Lord." To her everything was revealed. God liked her simplicity so much that He made her His Mother... and yours and mine. May she help us to take after her in this virtue as well.

Tuesday 15th week in ordinary time "Mt 11:20-24" Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you." Jesus had been preaching and performing miracles in those cities, but they would not repent. He had gone all the way to Chorazin and Bethsaida to teach them about the Mercy of God and the possibility of helping them to repent and restart a new life, but not many were willing to change. Their problem wasn't that they had done bad things (we all have). They probably had grown used to their sins and didn't have any interest in changing. A family went to the circus. As they arrived early at the show they went to see the animals that were due to perform. Among them was a massive elephant. The boy was surprised that the elephant was tied to a small pole with a thin rope. He asked the handler why the elephant never escaped. "Oh boy, it did try!" answered the man. "When elephants are little they are tied to the pole. They try for a long time to escape with all their might but, since they are still babies, they can't. Eventually they give up. Elephants have a good memory. They never forget that it was impossible. So they never try again!" It happens sometimes with sinners. They get used to their sins and eventually consider it impossible to change. In a way, it is true that it is 'impossible' for them to change... but "with God nothing will be impossible" (Lk 1:37). Chorazin, Bethsaida, Sodom, Gomorra, Tyre or Sidon, or Judas or Peter or Saul or Augustine or you or me... all of us can change for the better. We are all sinners called to be saints. We all have sins to regret and grace to accept. We can all stay, like the elephant, tied to our miseries and sins, wallowing in the mud of our temptations, or else we can cut off our ties with the help of God and break free to fly high, to Heaven! Just as Jesus went to those places, so He always comes to help sinners to repent. Quite rightly, St Augustine wrote, "there is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future." Mary, Refuge of Sinners, pray for us!