Tag Archives: Meditation

The jigsaw puzzle of life

Jigsaw puzzle

God has a plan for all of us.

Life can be like a jigsaw puzzle. With each of our actions we put another piece in place and at the end of our life we will see the finished picture, the beautiful work of art God intended for us or the discordant one we have made by our failings. In this meditation we consider:

  • Living our life well is creating a true work of art, practising the art of holiness.
  • God has a plan for each moment of our life and doing what he wants is putting one more piece of the puzzle in its proper place.
  • While each action can seem unimportant in itself, it is very important in the overall picture of our life.
  • If we make a wrong choice, the finished picture will lack the harmony and beauty God wants for us.
  • The dark pieces – sickness, hardship, setbacks – are part of the beauty of God’s design for us.
  • Only at the end of our life will we see the finished picture we have made by our daily actions.

Pearl of great price – our faith

A pearl was a sought after jewel in the time of Christ, hence considered of great value.

Our Lord uses many parables to explain the kingdom of God, among them that of the merchant who finds a pearl of great price and goes and sells all he owns to buy it. For us that pearl is our faith in God, the light that gives meaning to our existence, that shows us the way to happiness both here and hereafter. In this meditation we consider:

  • the importance of faith
  • the different ways we come to faith
  • how to protect our faith from being weakened or lost
  • how to strengthen our faith

Knowing how to love

Jesus blessing the children.

 

St Josemaria Escriva called himself a man who knew how to love. Indeed, his great love for God overflowed into love for his fellow man. We should all be people who know how to love. In this meditation we pray about how:

 

  • We are all called to love God because he loved us first
  • Only if we truly love God will we be able to love our fellow man
  • We can grow in love for God in the same way that St Josemaria did: by spending time with him in prayer in its various forms, in Mass and Holy Communion, reading of Scripture,  spiritual reading, etc.
  • We love God with the same heart with which we love others
  • Our love for others should include our effort to help them draw closer to God

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Stained glass image of Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit, also called the Paraclete, is the third person of the Holy Trinity. One of its more popular symbols is that of a dove.

 

 

 

When we were baptised we received along with sanctifying grace and the infused virtues the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Few people truly understand the important role of the Gifts in the spiritual life. In this meditation we consider:

  • The announcement of the gifts in the prophecy of Isaiah
  • The nature of the gifts and their relationship with the virtues
  • The role of the gifts
  • How we can use each of the Gifts to better advantage in our spiritual life

Messages from Fatima

Our Lady of Fatima appeared to three visionaries 100 years ago

Our Lady of Fatima

 

 

On 13 May 2017 the Church celebrated the centenary of the apparitions of Our Lady to three young children in Fatima, Portugal. In those apparitions Our Lady gave the world important messages, which are as relevant today as they were in 1917. In this meditation we consider some of these messages in order to see how we can put them into practice in our own lives:

 

  • Say the Rosary, everyday if possible
  • Pray for peace
  • Do penance
  • Pray for the conversion of sinners so that they don’t go to hell
  • Foster devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart
  • Strengthen faith in God

Mary our Mother

Mother Mary, St Mary is mother of God, as she is mother of Jesus Christ

Our Mother Mary is mother of God, through her giving birth to our Lord, Jesus Christ.

 

 

As he came to the end of his life on the cross, Jesus entrusted St John, and all of us, into the care of his Mother Mary. Our Lady looks after us and is truly our Mother. In this meditation we consider how:

  • In giving birth to Jesus in Bethlehem Mary became the mother of the whole Mystical Body of the Church
  • At Calvary Mary suffered unspeakably with Jesus for all mankind and this moves her to love us all the more
  • Mary draws sinners to Jesus
  • Mary exercises her motherly role with the apostles and with all of us
  • Mary intercedes for us before Jesus as “supplicating omnipotence”
  • We should take Mary into our own keeping, as St John did, through the various Marian prayers and customs, especially the rosary

The road to Emmaus

The Road to Emmaus is one of the more renowned stories of Jesus's appearing to his disciples after His resurrection.

Jesus walked with two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. The latter did not recognise him until later when he sat with them and broke bread.

 

On the first Easter Sunday, two disciples left Jerusalem discouraged because the one they hoped would redeem Israel had died. On their way to Emmaus, Jesus walked beside them and explained the Scriptures to them. These two in some way represent all of us. We too have our times of trial, of worry, of discouragement, and Jesus seeks us out, even though we do not recognise him. In this meditation we consider how:

 

  • We all have our crosses, our difficulties in life, which can make us discouraged or worried
  • Jesus does not leave us alone but seeks us out and walks beside us
  • We find Jesus in our prayer and in others who are there to help us
  • We too can be there for others who are going through difficult times