News - May 2017

Remember, God does not pay us for results, but for effort.

Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? Luke 1:43

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit when she heard Mary’s greeting and the Spirit revealed to this holy woman that standing before her was the Mother of God. We can be sure that the Mother of God will be sent by God to visit the community of believers everywhere and strengthen them by her presence and prayer. If we have the Holy Spirit, we will discern her presence in our midst and our hearts too will echo the same sentiments of unworthiness that Elizabeth felt in the presence of Mary, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen.”

If your were more handsome and richer than all others, and even if you could work wonders, such as putting demons to flight, all these things are hurtful to you, and none really belongs to you, and you cannot glory in any of them.

“The greater you are, the more humbly you should behave, and then you will find favour with the Lord.” Sirach 3:18

Humility is not an easy virtue. Our natural tendency is to grow in pride as we grow in greatness. But the Lord gives us the measure to become truly great: the more we are exalted, the more humble we should become. This requires us to grow more in the knowledge of God’s mercy towards us and in the knowledge of our nothingness. Let us work hard to grow in humility.

The more you devote yourself to study of the sacred utterances, the richer will be your understanding of them, just as the more the soil is tilled, the richer the harvest.

“Yahweh, you yourself are my lamp, my God lights up my darkness.” Psalms 18:28.

For the Psalmist, the Lord was his lamp, shining forth with all power and brightness. The Divine brightness scattered the darkness of the intellect, and with holy and wise counsels and teachings, soon led both the Psalmist and the large congregation into holiness and truth. In our turn, let us too make the Lord our lamp, and accord His Word the highest level of recognition in our lives.

If you want to meet a merciful judge, be merciful before he comes. Forgive if someone has offended you; give away the possessions of which you have in abundance.

Humility is the queen of all virtues. I consider all occasions to humble myself as a great fortune.

“Lord , I love the beauty of your house and the place where your glory dwells.” Psalm 26:8

The Psalmist tasted the indescribable sweetness of the Lord’s love, so pure and so faithful. Having experienced God and His tremendous love, he had but one desire: to seek and do what would bring joy to God. How precious did the house of God appear to the Psalmist! In God’s Holy Temple he often beheld very closely the glory of the Lord, the vision of which lifted his mind far above any earthly care or preoccupation.

Many people mistake the work for the vocation. The vocation is not the work. The vocation is to belong to Jesus.

“Take pity on me, God, take pity on me, for in you I take refuge, in the shadow of your wings I take refuge, until the destruction is past.” Psalm 57:1

If we knew the Lord as closely as the Psalmist did, we too would not hesitate to run to Him in times of distress, or call to Him whenever troubles would threaten to overwhelm us. Jesus reveals to us about His great desire is to gather each one of us under His wings to protect and shield us until the cruel havoc that the Devil wreaks passes us by. Like the Psalmist, let us run to that that He may shield us under His wings on the day of trouble.

We cannot live without hope. We have to have some purpose in life, some meaning to our existence. We have to aspire to something. Without hope, we begin to die.

“Wisdom comes from the lips of the upright, and his tongue speaks what is right; the law of his God is in his heart, his foot will never slip.” Psalms 37:30-31

Because he has resolved to walk according to the Law of the Lord, the person who meditates on God’s Law grows upright in purpose and learning. The Law of the Lord moulds his heart; his gracious thoughts find acceptance in God’s sight. Wisdom springs up from the depths of his soul, illuminating his mind and his words and rendering their fruit a sacrifice pleasing to the Most High. His feet follow the footsteps of Jesus his Master, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

“And they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the feast had all been used, and the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.” John 2:3

The Mother of Jesus was amongst the first to notice that the wine had run out. She immediately knew where to turn to. Full of faith in Her Son, she makes known to Him the sad plight of the groom’s party. Quite often, even in our own lives, the Blessed Virgin is much quicker to notice our needs than we ourselves are ever capable of, and she makes them known to Her Son in order that He may rectify them, How blessed are the Christians who have recourse to the Help of the Blessed Virgin!

You say you see no reason why we should pray to the Saints since God can hear us and help us. I ask, do you have any need to ask any physician to help your fever, or to heal your sore leg? For God can hear and help you as well as the best of doctors.

“Love uprightness you who are rulers on earth, be properly disposed towards the Lord and seek Him in simplicity of heart.” Wisdom 1:1

God commissioned human beings to fill the earth and to subdue it. When God addresses us as rulers, He wishes to remind us about the charge He has laid upon us, to rule - that is conduct the affairs of the spirit, soul and body which has been placed under our control in uprightness. Uprightness makes our rule well-founded; injustice makes it collapse. Let us therefore love what is upright and hate what is evil. Let us take great care to prepare our hearts, thoughts and dispositions aright with humility, simplicity and modesty because it is by means of our heart and our thoughts which proceed from it that we either rise or fall in God’s presence.

The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.

Two works of mercy set a man free: forgive and you will be forgiven, and give and you will receive.

Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us... If a man wants to be always in God’s company, he must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us.

Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.