From the manger in Bethlehem, the infant Jesus has much to teach us. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture to consider seven of his lessons, which are all important for our spiritual life:
Everyone wants to be a better person. But what do we mean by this? Who is the standard, the model? It is obviously Christ himself, perfect man as well as perfect God. In this meditation we use texts from Scripture to consider the humanity of Christ and some of the many virtues we can learn by contemplating it, among them:
Holy Week should be holy not only in its name and in the events we commemorate, but in the way we live it. In this meditation we consider the numerous lessons we can learn from this week and how we can put them into practice. We will consider:
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
Jesus’ passion and death teach us many lessons. In this meditation we use texts from Scripture and St Thomas Aquinas to consider some of the many virtues Christ teaches us from the Cross:
Through Baptism we become members of the Mystical Body of Christ. We become one with him. He lives in us and we live in him. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture, St John Eudes, St Josemaria Escriva and St John Paul II to consider how:
We can ask Jesus to let us see with his eyes, hear with his ears, love with his heart and think with his mind
We should act in such a way as to make Christ present to those around us
We can grow in union with Christ through reading and meditating on the Gospels, receiving him well in Holy Communion, acting as he would act in our situation, and struggling to overcome the defects which obscure his image in us
In the lead-up to Christmas, the liturgy reminds us repeatedly of the important role of St John the Baptist, the precursor of Jesus in preparing the people to receive him. In this meditation we consider:
The similarities between the annunciations by the archangel Gabriel to Zechariah and Mary of the birth of a child
The importance of John’s role as the last and greatest prophet to announce the way of the Lord
John’s virtues of detachment from comforts and humility that make him so efficacious in carrying out his role
John’s efficacy in announcing Christ to two of his own disciples: John the Evangelist and Andrew
Our own mission of making Christ known to the people of our day
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.
When the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in the Annunciation, he invited her to welcome the Son of God into her womb and into the world. She said yes and our redemption was at hand. In this meditation we ponder this great event as related by St Luke and consider that:
Because of the original sin of our first parents, mankind was in need of redemption and only God could bring it about.
God asked Mary ‘s consent so that our Redeemer could take flesh in her womb
Because Mary was a virgin her son would be truly the Son of God
Everyone loves Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. In this meditation we use the Catechism of the Catholic Churchand texts of St Josemaria to pray about why God became man and the consequences this has for us. According to the Catechism, God became man for four reasons: