“Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding, never forget her, never deviate from my words. Do not desert her, she will keep you safe; love her, she will watch over you.” Proverbs 4:5-6
If the Lord repeatedly asks us to acquire wisdom and understanding, we can imagine how indispensable it must be for our spiritual well-being! He further cautions us never to forget wisdom and to constantly seek the wisdom of the Lord in all our undertakings. Without wisdom, the Lord warns us that we will lose our way and perish.“You are built upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets, and Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:20.
The Lord Jesus was pleased to build His Church on the Rock foundations of Peter’s faith and the deep wisdom of Paul, His Chosen Instrument and trained Master Builder. Let every Christian take care that he neglects not these Holy Apostles, without which all our labour will come to nothing - the one who builds without them builds on sand and straw - his work will be blown away by the winds of change. On the other hand, no storm can overthrow the foundations of faith which are laid on the teachings of these holy Apostles.“It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63.
Every human being in this world seeks to live. Quite often we try to sustain our life only by taking care of our flesh. Jesus lifts our hearts and minds above the flesh, asking us to turn to the Spirit if we are to truly receive life. He then makes His statement even clearer by pointing to us the source of Spirit and Life - the Words He has spoken to us. Let us then, return with renewed zeal to His Words. It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer.“Whenever you eat this bread, then, and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the Lord's death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:26
Every time we participate in the Eucharist, we are participating in more than just a community meal. In the Eucharist, we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus, thereby proclaiming His death. This requires deep reflection and preparation from our side, which is why in the Catholic Church, reception of Holy Communion is often placed in the context of the Holy Mass. May we come to better realize the richness of the Eucharist!"Arise, shine out, for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you." Isaiah 60:1
The Heavenly Jerusalem is the holy city of God. Each one of us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit are her children. The glory of the Lord dawns and shines on this heavenly city and its inhabitants. Darkness covers the world, but as citizens of this heavenly city, we are illuminated by this brightness which increases day by day in glory. "Arise, shine out, for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you." Isaiah 60:1 The Heavenly Jerusalem is the holy city of God. Each one of us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit are her children. The glory of the Lord dawns and shines on this heavenly city and its inhabitants. Darkness covers the world, but as citizens of this heavenly city, we are illuminated by this brightness which increases day by day in glory.“for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must drink no wine, no strong drink; even from his mother's womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit” Luke 1:15
Many of the parents of God’s prophets were carefully chosen and instructed by God Himself so that they would bring their children up according to the mind of God. Today as the Universal Church celebrates the Feast of the birth of John the Baptist, let us ask God for the grace to be holy and faithful formators of the generation yet to come. If we are faithful, our children will be filled with the Spirit even from their mother’s womb and be a source of great joy for the Church of God.“Shoulder my yoke and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29
Every human being has a heavy load to carry from the womb to the tomb. Our gentle and humble Saviour invites us to unload all our burdens on to Him. He reveals His kindness and infinite mercy to us, even though we are ungrateful sinners. He invites men and women of every tribe, race and language to come to Him and learn from Him the virtues of gentleness and humility and so find rest. So therefore, we should never forget the beautiful words of our Lord - “Come to Me!”“For the eyes of Yahweh observe human ways, and survey all human paths.” Proverbs 5:21
One of the most important things for us to know is no thought of ours ever escapes the Lord’s notice. Even the quickest of our thoughts are not quick enough to escape His all-surveying eyes. In front of Him, every secret human thought comes and exposes itself. All our ways lie open before Him. Therefore let us conduct ourselves with humility, repentance and fear, asking His pardons for all our sins, especially those that are hidden and secret.“Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more.” John 15:2
The Lord constantly reminds us the fact that everyone who belongs to Him must bear fruit. If we do not bear fruit, we will be cut down and thrown on the fire - we will find no mercy with God. But if through patient prayer and pondering the Word, we start to produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, the Father being pleased with us will lovingly prune us so that we bear even more.“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed for our sake since Scripture says: Anyone hanged is accursed.” Galatians 3:13
In the Old Testament, it is written that anyone who hangs on a tree is accursed of God. Christ, whose love for humanity was so deep, could not bear to see them condemned to die. He beseeched the Father to set them free and instead willingly took all their sins and their curses on His own self. Humbly carrying the Cross to Calvary and by meekly hanging on it till his death, He set each one of us free from the curse of sin and death.