Understanding the value of the cross is different than accepting and bearing it. We also need fortitude. When we let Jesus guide us, He will give this to us. Difficulties dishearten too many who do all they can to avoid hardships because they don’t have enough confidence in our blessed Lord and His provisions. God...
“Our Lord does not so much look at the greatness of our actions, or even at their difficulty, as at the love with which we do them.” -Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower of Jesus +1897 As Palm Sunday nears and the holiest of days set to begin, keep in mind that everything we...
“Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38). Jesus refers to our sufferings as a crossbecause the word “cross” signifies the instrument He used to bring about our salvation. He wants out difficulties to be elevating and sanctifying, not defeating. Think firstof the daily annoyances and...
Patienceis the virtue which makes us accept for love of God everything that is displeasing to our nature without allowing ourselves to be depressed by the sadness which easily comes over us when we meet with disagreeable things. We learn to practice patience by setting our sights squarely on Jesus Who is the perfectly patient...
Jesus is the remedy for all our ailments – every last one of them. Look to Him. Simply express your desire to see Him where you are and however you are. Then, fully expect to recognize Him. “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (John 12:32).
In yesterday’s Gospel, a woman is brought to Jesus by Pharisees and scribes who haven’t the slightest concern for her (John 8:1-11). They want only to use her to bring down Jesus. Shameful. They had tried to arrest Jesus earlier (7:44). They desperately seek a reason to haul Him away, willing even to exploit one...
Virtue doesn’t happen with sporadic bursts of effort, but it comes about through steady commitment. Keep seeking to be helped by divine grace every single day. Finish Lent strong.
As the holiest of days nears, remember that pious actions cannot be divorced from daily living. When properly practiced prayergrafts us to Jesus like branches are joined with the vine (cf. John 15). Of course, it is not our doing, but God’s making it so with us, drawing us to Himself more completely. It is...
Resist the lure to settle in with sin. Make every effort to overcome missing the mark, no matter how badly missed and how often. Refuse to accept failures that separate us form God and others. Never excuse them as part of who we are or that we’ve tried and failed to many times. Persevere in...
As Holy Week and Easter draw closer, so do forgiveness, mercy, compassion and a superabundance of grace. Dare to follow Jesus to Jerusalem, to Calvary and to the Cross. Seek to make Jesus’ way you own route.
