Tag Archives: evangelisation

Bringing our friends to Christ

A paralytic is lowered through the roof by his friends for Jesus to cure him.

In his Gospel St Luke relates how the friends of a paralytic went to great lengths to take him to Christ, going onto the roof of the house and lowering him down through the opening they had made. We too should do all we can to bring our friends and relatives to Christ. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture, St John Chrysostom and St Josemaria to consider how:

  • Christ wants all to be saved but he needs us to help him
  • For some of our friends and relatives, we are the only one in a position to help them find Christ
  • We can help them in various ways: explaining how important the faith is for us and for them, giving them an article or book to read, inviting them to a talk and, always, praying for them

Lessons from the Transfiguration

Transfiguration by Raphael

The Transfiguration of our Lord

Our Lord’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor can teach us many lessons. In this meditation, we use passages from Scripture to consider some of them:

  • The climbing of the mountain calls to mind the difficulties in our own life in climbing the mountain of holiness
  • Seeing Christ transfigured in his divinity is a reminder that we too will see him transfigured in glory in heaven
  • This should spur us on to lift our thoughts above to the goal of life, especially when we are bogged down in the here and now
  • When Peter says “It is well for us to be here” we are reminded that we should often say the same thing, in good times and in bad
  • When the Father says, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” we should listen to Christ often:  in our prayer, in our conscience throughout the day, in the Scriptures, in Mass…
  • Like the apostles, we should share our faith with the many others who do not know Christ

Jesus and the Samaritan woman

Jesus and the Samaritan woman

Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, a depiction

The encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well teaches us many lessons. In this meditation we use the passage related by St John to consider how:

  • Jesus in his Providence arranged for the meeting to take place so that he could reveal himself to the Samaritan woman
  • Jesus begins his conversation not by preaching but by asking for a drink of water
  • Like the woman, we too have received “the gift of God”, the gift of grace, of faith, of formation, and we should put it to good use
  • The woman speaks to others of Jesus and brings them to him
  • We too should love all souls, of all backgrounds and religions, and help them come to know and love  Jesus

The multiplication of the loaves

When Christ multiplied the loaves and fish to feed a vast throng, he asked the apostles to bring the loaves and fish to him and to distribute them to the people. Today too, he wants to feed the people of our generation, who are hungry for his word, and he needs us to help him. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture and of St Josemaria Escriva to consider how:

  • Like the apostles, we need to be docile in carrying out what Our Lord is asking of us
  • Our Lady, the Handmaid of the Lord, was docile to God and brought the Word of God into the world.
  • We will be more useful in this work if we are very united to Christ through our spiritual life and we are humble
  • We should ask God throughout the day what he is expecting from us
  • If we are docile, God will multiply our efforts, as he did with the apostles