Meditation
DAILY MEDITATION: 'You yourself a sword will pierce'
Today, in the celebration of the feast of our Lady of Sorrows, we hear the most unspeakable words in the mouth of old Simeon: “You yourself a sword will pierce” (Lk 2, 35). From its context, we can assert this declaration does not only concern Jesus Christ's passion, but his missionary work, that will stir up the division of the people of Israel, and therefore, a painful grief in Mary's heart. All along Jesus' public life, the Virgin Mary will experience great sufferings upon seeing Jesus rebuked and threatened with death by the city authorities.
DAILY MEDITATION: 'So that everyone who believes in him might not perish...'
Today, the Gospel is a prophecy, that is, a glance into the mirror of reality that plunges us into its truth, far beyond what our own senses tell us: the Cross, the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ is the Savior's Throne. That is why Jesus asserts, “So must the Son of Man be lifted up” (Jn 3, 14).
DAILY MEDITATION: “Every tree is known by its own fruit”
Today, the Lord surprises us by doing a bit of “advertising” for Himself. Now, I don’t mean to scandalize anyone with that statement. What diminishes great and supernatural realities is our earthly kind of advertising. We tend to look at advertising with suspicion because it often promises the impossible: “Lose five or six pounds in just a few weeks with this miracle product!” or other such “too-good-to-be-true” claims.
Daily Meditation: “He laid his hands on each of them and cured them”
Today, we are facing a great contrast: people out in search of Jesus and Him healing all kinds of “sickness” (starting with Simon's mother-in-law); at the same time, “demons also came out from many, shouting” (Lk 4, 41). That is: on one side, goodness and peace; on the other side, evil and despair.
Daily Meditation: “They were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority”
Today we see how teaching was at the very heart of Jesus’ public mission. But His preaching was very different from that of other teachers, and this is what left the people astonished and amazed. Indeed, even though the Lord had never formally studied (cf. Jn 7, 15), His teaching unsettled and challenged His listeners, because “He spoke with authority” (Lk 4, 32). His words carried the weight of one who knew Himself to be the “Holy One of God.”
Daily Meditation: 'Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.'
Today, “this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing' (Lk 4, 21). With these words, Jesus comments at the synagogue of Nazareth a text from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me” (Lk 4, 18). These words have a meaning that goes beyond the specific historical moment when they were said. The Holy Spirit fully dwells in Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit sends him to believers.
Daily Meditation: “Noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.”
Today, Jesus teaches a masterly lesson: do not choose the best seat: 'When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor” (Lk 14, 8). Jesus knows we like to look for the best places: in official acts, informal gatherings, at home, at the table. He knows our trend to overrate ourselves out of vanity, or worse still, out of a poorly hidden pride. So let us therefore be careful with honors, for “the heart remains chained where it finds the possibility of delight” (Saint Leo the Great).
Daily Meditation: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them”
Today, we contemplate the parable of the talents. Here, we can appreciate something like a change of style in Jesus' message: the announcement of the Kingdom is no longer limited to point out its nearness but to the description of its contents through stories: it is the time of the parables!
Daily Meditation: “John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Today, we remember the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist, the Forerunner of the Messiah. The entire life of John revolves around the Person of Jesus; without Him, the existence and mission of the Baptist would have no meaning.
Daily Meditation: “So too, you also must be prepared”
Today, the Gospel passage speaks to us of the uncertainty of the moment of the Lord's coming: 'You do not know on which day your Lord will come' (Mt 24, 42). If we want him to find us vigilant at the moment of his arrival, we cannot be distracted or fall asleep: we must always be prepared. Jesus gives many examples of this alertness: the one who watches for a thief, the servant who wants to please his master...
Daily Meditation: “'Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites”
Today, as in the days before and the ones that follow, we see Jesus almost beside Himself, condemning attitudes that are incompatible with a life worthy of not only a Christian, but of any human being: “On the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing” (Mt 23, 28). He confirms for us that sincerity, honesty, loyalty, and integrity are virtues not only cherished by God but deeply valued by people as well.
Daily Meditation: “Cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.”
Today we seem to catch Jesus in a foul mood —someone must have really gotten him upset; upset with false religiosity, pompous claims and egoistic piety. He has sensed the lack of love, i.e., “judgment and mercy and fidelity” (Mt 23, 23), behind the superficial actions of trying to fulfill the Law. Jesus embodies all these in his person and ministry. He was justice, mercy and faith. His actions, miracles, healings and pronouncements exuded all these true fundamentals which flowed from his loving heart...
Daily Meditaion: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites...”
Today, once again, the Gospel shows how the goodness of God, who watches over our happiness, is poured out. It tells us clearly what the sources are: truth, goodness, righteousness, justice, love... and all the virtues. It also warns us not to fall into the traps - excesses, lusts, deceptions, in a word, sins - that would prevent us from attaining such happiness.
Daily Meditation: 'Lord, will only a few people be saved?'
Today, the Gospel raises the theme of the salvation of our souls. This is the essence of Christ’s message and the “supreme law of the Church” (in fact, this is stated this way in our Code of Canon Law). The salvation of the soul is a fact insofar as it is a gift from God, but for those of us that have not yet crossed the threshold of death, salvation is still only a possibility. Will you be saved or will you be condemned? That is, will you accept or will you reject God's everlasting offer of love?
DAILY MEDITATION: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;....”
Today, Jesus Christ once again calls us to humility, an invitation to place ourselves in our true place: “Do not be called ‘Rabbi’ (...); call no one on earth your Father (...); do not be called ‘Master” (Mt 23,8-10). Before we claim all these titles, let us give thanks to God for all that we have which we have received from Him.
DAILY MEDITATION: “... You shall love your neighbor as yourself”
Today, a teacher of the law asks Jesus “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” (Mt 22, 36), the most important one is the first commandment. The answer, however, speaks of a first commandment and of a second commandment. Two inseparable rings, which are the very same thing. Inseparable, but a first one and a second one, a golden one and a silver one. The Lord takes us to the depths of Christian catechesis, because “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Mt 22, 40).
DAILY MEDITATION: ““Behold, I have prepared my banquet... and everything is ready; come to the feast”
Today, Jesus’ parable speaks of the banquet of the Kingdom, a recurrent example in his preaching. Specifically, this story has to do with that wedding feast that will be celebrated at the end of time, when the union of Jesus with his Church will be eternal. She is Christ's spouse, who walks in our world, and will finally espouse her Beloved forever and ever. God the Father has prepared that feast and He wants all people to be present. This is why He invites all of us to “come to the feast!” (Mt 22, 4).
DAILY MEDITATION: “The last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Today, God's Word invites us to realize that divine “logic” goes beyond mere human logic. While we, men, calculate (“they thought that they would receive more” (Mt 20, 10)), God —who is a dear Father too—, simply loves (“Are you envious because I am generous?” (Mt 20, 15)). And the measure of love is to have no measure: “I love because I love, I love to love” (St. Bernard).
DAILY MEDITATION: “It will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven...”
Today, we contemplate the reaction provoked by the dialogue of Jesus with the rich young man: “Who then can be saved?” (Mt 19, 25). The words our Lord addressed to the rich young man are very tough and severe, but they are supposed to awaken and surprise our drowsiness. They are not isolated words, to be found here and there in the Gospels: this type of message is repeated twenty times. We must remember it: Jesus warns us of the obstacle riches and wealth represent to enter life...
DAILY MEDITATION: “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
Today, the liturgy of the Word submits to our consideration the famous passage of the rich young man, that young man that did not succeed in reacting to the eye-beaming look Jesus Christ cast at him (cf. Mk 10, 21). Saint John Paul II reminded us that we can recognize in that young man all those that approach Jesus Christ by asking him about the meaning of their own lives: “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” (Mt 19, 16).
DAILY MEDITATION: “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?”
Today we hear shocking statements from the lips of Jesus: 'I have come to set the earth on fire' (Luke 12, 49); 'Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division' (Luke 12, 51). The truth divides in the face of lies; charity in the face of selfishness, justice in the face of injustice...
DAILY MEDITATION: “Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray.”
Today we are given the chance to contemplate a scene that, sadly, feels all too familiar: “Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them” (Mt 19, 13). Jesus has a special love for children; yet we, with the poor reasoning so typical of “grown-ups,” often keep them from coming to Jesus and to the Father: “When they’re older, if they want to, they can choose for themselves…” This is a grave mistake.
DAILY MEDITATION: 'My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;...'
Today, we celebrate the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in body and soul to Heaven. “Today —St. Bernard says— the Virgin, full of glory, is taken up to heaven, showering the celestials beings with joy.” And he will add these nice words: “What a beautiful present the earth is sending to heaven today! With this wonderful gesture of friendship —such as giving and receiving— the human and the divine, the earthly and the heavenly, the humble and the sublime, merge into one.
DAILY MEDITATION: “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?”
Today, asking “if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?” (Mt 18, 21), may mean: —These persons I love so much have their little ways and whims that bother me; day after day, they pester me every five minutes; they do not speak to me... Lord, how long am I supposed to put up with them?
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DAILY MEDITATION: '… Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Today, in this short Gospel passage, the Lord teaches us three important ways of acting—ways that are often neglected.
DAILY MEDITATION: 'It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”
Today, once more, the Gospel reveals God’s heart to us. It demonstrates the emotional reaction of the Father in Heaven, in relation to his children. His most impassionate concern is for the small ones, those who nobody ever pays any attention to; those who do not attain whatever the rest of the world does. We already know that the Father, as the good Father He is, has a preference for the small children.
DAILY MEDITATION: “Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee”
Today, the liturgy offers different possibilities for us to consider. Amongst these we could, perhaps, stop in something implicit throughout the text: Jesus' familiar attitude with his disciples.
DAILY MEDITATION: '... for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect'
Today, the Gospel reminds us and demands from us to always be wide-awake “ the Son of Man will come” (Lk 12, 40). We have to always be on the alert; we have to live in tension, “disconnected”, for we are but pilgrims in a passing world, our true fatherland being in heaven. Our life must go towards there; whether we like it or not, our earthly existence is nothing but our projection towards our definite encounter with the Lord,...
DAILY MEDITATION: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed…”
Today, once more, Jesus teaches us that miracles are measured by the measure of our faith: “Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move” (Mt 17, 20). In fact, as St. Jerome and St. Augustine point out, in working out our saintliness (something clearly exceeding our own forces) we are actually in the process of “moving mountains”.
DAILY MEDITATION: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,...”
Today, the Gospel clearly confronts us with the world... It is absolutely radical in its approach, and it does not allow any half measures: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 16, 24). In many instances, when we are facing suffering generated by ourselves or by others, we can hear: “We have to accept the sufferings God sends us... This is God's will..., or words to that effect”.