Monthly Archives: July 2020

Learning patience

We all have situations in which we find it difficult to be patient. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture and St Josemaria Escriva’s book The Way to consider:

  • How patience is part of the virtue of fortitude
  • How there are degrees of patience
  • How difficulties in life can help sanctify us
  • How love for God is essential to grow in this virtue
  • How we can grow in patience if we consider how patient God is with us

United to the vine

Christ chose his apostles and gave them the mission to go out and bear fruit, fruit that would abide. He warned them that they would be persecuted as he was. After his ascension into heaven they went to the upper room to pray. We too have been sent out, into a very damaged world, and we too need to be very united to the vine of Christ if we are to hold on to our faith and share it with others. In this meditation we consider how:

  • We are united to the vine of Christ through our life of prayer and penance
  • We need a daily plan for our spiritual life just as we do for our bodily life
  • Having a plan gives us order and peace
  • Our plan might include such activities as mental prayer, Holy Mass, spiritual reading, the rosary, reading of Scripture, and a  visit to the Blessed Sacrament.

The wages of sin

The parable of the prodigal son is mercy perosnified.

 

Jesus has loved us “to the end” and we should love him in return, but in spite of our good intentions we all sin. In this meditation we use texts from Scripture,  St Augustine, St John Vianney and St Josemaria Escriva to consider how:

  • We cannot avoid sinning
  • For a sin to be mortal three conditions must be met
  • Mortal sin has serious consequences
  • Venial sins too have great importance
  • We should make a special effort to avoid deliberate sins
  • We can be moved to greater sorrow for our sins by meditating on the Passion of Christ
  • Our sorrow should include the effort to avoid the occasions of sin and to try not to commit the sins again 
  • If we are truly repentant we will experience the joy of the Prodigal Son