The sacrament of Penance is truly a sacrament of joy, a sacrament of mercy. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture, St John Paul II, Pope Francis and St John Vianney to consider how:
Christ gave the sacrament of penance to the Church on the very evening of his Resurrection
The sacrament corresponds to deep-seated human needs
We obtain many benefits when we go to Confession
We do well to receive the sacrament frequently
We should do all we can to take others to Confession
The Second Vatican Council, using some words of St Josemaria Escriva, called the Mass the centre and root of the interior life. If we make the Mass our centre and root, we will attend it better and we will unite all our acitivities with it. In this meditation we consider how:
Christian influence in today’s society is challenged in many ways.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ sent twelve men out to change the world. They succeeded. Within some 350 years, under the Emperor Theodosius the Roman Empire, that had persecuted the Church for 250 years, declared Christianity its official religion, giving rise to the Holy Roman Empire. Now the Christian influence in society is waning and is under attack. All the baptised are called to bring Christ and his teaching back into society.
In this meditation we consider how:
Christ sent the apostles out to teach all nations and they were very successful
The Christian influence on society is now challenged in many ways
St Josemaria used to say that if you want to be happy, be holy; very happy, very holy; extremely happy, extremely holy. We all want to be happy, and holiness is the answer. But what is holiness, and how can the average person in the world be holy? This meditation sheds light on these questions.