Tag Archives: Pope St John Paul II

Sacrament of joy

 

The parable of the prodigal son is mercy perosnified.

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

 

 

Holy Mass, centre and root of the interior life

Pope St John Paul II saying mass

 

 

 

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:

  • The Mass is the sacrifice of Calvary made present on the altar
  • It is the Church’s most powerful prayer and we can unite our own intentions with those of the Mass
  • The Mass is the centre of all the sacraments and we can strive to make it the centre of our day and the focal point of  all our activities
  • As the root of the interior life the Mass strengthens our faith by anchoring us firmly in Jesus Christ
  • Through the root of the Mass we receive nourishment for our soul through the prayers, readings and especially Holy Communion
  • We should strive to be truly Eucharistic souls

The art of holiness

Our Lord Jesus Christ with the the children.

St Paul says that God chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy in his presence. In this meditation we consider how:

  • Our Lord’s calling us his friends demands that we should love him and strive to be more like him.
  • The effort to be more Christlike is the struggle for holiness
  • We were made in the image and likeness of God but our sins tarnish that image
  • The work of forming ourselves is like that of the artist – it is the art of holiness
  • St John Paul II and St Gregory of Nyssa speak of the struggle for holiness as similar to the work of the artist
  • St John Chrysostom, like the Second Vatican Council centuries later, says that all are called holiness

Rechristianising society

City street image

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
  • The Second Vatican Council called all the baptised to help rechristianise society
  • We should not be daunted by the immensity of the task
  • St John Paul II called upon the youth to improve their world
  • We begin by growing in holiness ourselves
  • There are many things each of us can do to make a difference
  • Our Lady, Help of Christians, is our advocate in this task

Meditation on marriage, a covenant of love

With marriage under attack in many ways, in this meditation we consider:

  • God’s plan for marriage
  • The importance of marriage and the family for society
  • Eros and agape, the two principal forms of love
  • The call to holiness in marriage
  • Ways of growing in love

Meditation: Holiness is for everyone

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.