Meditation

We are given to contemplate a scene that, unfortunately, is a very real one now-a-days: "Little children were brought to Jesus that He might lay his hands on them with a prayer. But the disciples scolded those who brought them" (Mt 19, 13). 

In taking marriage back to God's original plan, Jesus underlines four things relevant to why only one man and one woman can be joined in marriage...

Patience is a Christian virtue because is a part of the message from the Kingdom of Heaven, and it is forged on the experience we all have defects.

In this brief evangelic fragment, the Lord teaches us three frequently ignored but important ways to proceed.

The Church —through the liturgy of the Eucharist celebrating the feast of St. Lawrence, the roman martyr— reminds us that "there exists a testimony of coherence that all Christians must be willing to give, even at the cost of great sacrifice and suffering" (Saint John Paul II).
 

Our interior life must be centered in Christ, in his love for us, in his dying on the Cross for me, in his constant search of our heart. In one meeting with the youth, in Spain, saint John Paul II expressed it very well, when he said, out loud: "Look at Him!".

In the Gospel we listen to the Lord inviting us to join Him: ‘You who are burdened and overwhelmed, come to me and I will make you rest’". Let us welcome the Word of the Gospel that every day brings us nearer to Jesus;...

Once more, Jesus teaches us that miracles are measured by the measure of our faith: "I say to you: if only you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could tell that mountain to move from here to there, and the mountain would obey" (Mt 17, 20). 

Today we celebrate the solemnity of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Mount Tabor, like Mount Sinai, is the place of the proximity to God. It is the prominent space, regarding our daily existence, where we can breathe the pure air of the Creation.

Jesus proclaims Peter very fortunate for his rightful faith declaration: "Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’. Jesus replied ‘It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you but my Father in heaven’" (Mt 16,16-17). 

Faith is not a privilege of a few, nor is it the property of those who thing they are so good or of those who have ever been good, and have this social or ecclesial label.

We shall not look at Jesus sleeping on he boat while it sinks, nor rebuking the winds and the waves with a single word, so his disciples may be amazed (cf. Mt 8,23-27). But, today's action is no less disconcerting, whether for his first disciples or for us.

A popular saying goes: "He who does not count on God, does not know how to count". And it is true, the disciples did not know —neither do we— how to count for they forgot, as we often forget, the most important part of the addition: God himself is always amongst us.
 

The Church, mother and teacher, teaches us that the Holy Eucharist is a "sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us" (II Vatican Council).
 

Our liturgy proposes us to contemplate an injustice: the beheading of St. John the Baptist; and, at the same time, to discover in God's Word the need of a clear and concrete testimony of our faith to fill out the world with hope.

In his previous comment St. John Chrysostom adds: "Please look at the Master's kindness: He does not punish them for not listening to him but He tells them sweetly: ‘The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family’" (Mt 13, 57)".

We, —no matter how busy we may be, at times, by so many things— must also listen to our Lord reminding us that "only one thing is needed" (Lk 10, 42): esteem and saintliness. They should be our aim, the horizon we must never lose sight of amidst our daily chores.

In his first preaching, Jesus speaks of the Kingdom as of a hidden treasure, the finding of which causes the finder a great joy and impels him to buy the field to be able to enjoy it forever: "and so happy is he, that he goes and sells everything he has, in order to buy that field" (Mt 13, 44).

Through the parable of the weeds and the wheat, the Church urges us to ponder over the coexistence of good and evil. Good and evil within our heart; good and evil we may spot on others, good and evil we can see in the world, all around us.

The yeast is invisible, but if it weren't present the dough would not rise. Such is the way for life lived as a Christian, the life of grace: you don't see it externally; it doesn't make a sound, but… if one lets it introduce itself in one's heart, divine grace nourishes the seed and converts people from sinners to saints.

"Lord, You who lets us participate in the miracle of the Eucharist: I ask you not to hide, that you live with us, that we may see you, that we may touch you, that we may feel you, that we may be always at your side, that you be the King of our lives and of our work" (Saint Josemaría).

The Gospel invites us not to grant any credit to the “pure”, to overcome the existing aspects of puritanism and bigotry of the Christian community. In all collectivities, no matter how healthy they are meant to be, it is easy to find this kind of attitude. 

The success of the crop does not depend upon our human strategies or upon our marketing techniques, but upon God's initiative of salvation “rich in mercy” and upon the efficiency of the Holy Spirit, that can transform our lives so we can bear the delicious fruits of charity and of contagious joy.
 

Let us tell the Lord: —Jesus, make my friendship with you so strong and profound that, as Mary of Magdala, we know how to recognize you in my life.
 

Jesus —in Matthew's Gospel— starts introducing us into the mysteries of the Kingdom, in that particular way that He likes to use by means of parables.
 

But, who was ever more willing to abide by God's will than Mary? "‘I am the Lord's servant’, Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said’" (Lk 1, 38). This is why, St. Augustine says that Mary, first accepted God's word with a spirit of obedience and, only afterwards, she conceived it in her womb for the Incarnation.
 

As Pope Francis reminded us, "The Lord is patient with us! He never tires of starting over again each time we fall ". That is why, despite our faults and incitements, the Lord welcomes us with open arms to start all over again.

Saint Peter Julian Eymard recommended that one should rest with Jesus after receiving Holy Communion. He warned of the danger of filling thanksgiving after Communion with many memorised words. 
 

It is kind of funny: Jesus invites us to cast off our burden, while He is offering us another one: his yoke, with the promise, however, that it is a soft and light one. He wants to show us that we cannot go around the world without any burden upon us. We are to carry some kind of load, anyway.
 

"It is mercy I want, not sacrifice" (Mt 12, 7). Let us repeat it many times to engrave it on our heart: God, who is rich in mercy, wants us to be merciful. "How close God is of he who confess his mercy! Yes; God is not far from those contrite at heart" (St. Augustine).