Veni Sancte Spiritu

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.

We are approaching the Feast of the Pentecost, the celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles (Acts 2:1-11). It was the day the Holy Spirit poured out the splendor of his power upon the apostles, giving them the light of faith, unloosing their timid lips, emboldening their hearts. The apostles broke out of their shells of fear, darkness and weaknesses, and inflamed by the Spirit, spoke in various tongues to proclaim the love of Christ. The prolific spread of Christianity took off from the conversions of that moment.

During these days, we focus our thoughts on the Third Person in the Blessed Trinity. The Holy Spirit is our Lord God, boundless, omnipotent, one with the Father and the Son in substance, divinity and majesty, not made nor created nor generated but proceeds from the Father and the Son (Athanasian Creed). God is Spirit that gives life (Jn 4:24; Jn 6:63). He is Christ’s gift to his followers whom he did not want to leave as orphans (Jn 14:18). In the Holy Spirit the intimate life of the Triune God becomes totally gift, an exchange of mutual love between the divine Persons, and that through the Holy Spirit God exists in the mode of gift (John Paul II, Dominum et Vivicantem), 10).

He has sent the Paraclete (Latin paraclet; Greek παρακλητος ‘call in aid’] to be with us always (Jn 16:17, 14:6). Even Jesus is aware that it is hard to comprehend the Holy Spirit, which “the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it,” and it is known only to believers because it will remain with them and will be in them (Jn 14:17). No one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit who has baptized us into one body (1 Cor 12:3, 13).

God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him (1 Jn 12-13, 16). The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us (Rom 5:5). No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us (1 Jn 4:12-13, 16).

The Holy Spirit dwells within man who loves God (St. Thomas Aquinas), infusing him with gifts which are beyond the perceptions of the senses. “It is the Holy Spirit who, with his inspirations, gives a supernatural tone to our thoughts, desires and actions. It is he who leads us to receive Christ's teaching and to assimilate it in a profound way. It is he who gives us the light by which we perceive our personal calling and the strength to carry out all that God expects of us. If we are docile to the Holy Spirit, the image of Christ will be formed more and more fully in us, and we will be brought closer every day to God the Father. For whoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God (St. Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By, 135).

The gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and counsel influence the actions of the mind, while the gifts of fortitude, piety and holy fear work on the actions of the heart. The graces are imperceptible in their operation but they produce fruits seen in man’s dispositions, attitudes and behavior. The person acts with charity, has patience, at peace with his self and with others, brings joy around him, is gentle, kind and generous, remains faithful, is modest, chaste and pure in heart. All of these are the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23).

The Holy Spirit testifies to Christ, teaches everything and reminds all about what Christ has said (Jn 14:26) and declares the things that are coming (Jn 16:13). The Holy Spirit cleanses us from sins, enlightens our mind, helps and compels us to keep the commandments, strengthens our hope of eternal life, counsels us when we are in doubt and teaches us what is God’s will (St. Thomas Aquinas). He intercedes in our prayers (Rom 8:26). “Holiness is attained with the help of the Holy Spirit, who comes to dwell in our souls, through grace given us by the sacraments and as a result of a constant ascetical struggle” (St. Josemaria Escriva, The Forge, 429). He is our constant protector and defendaer in the small and great battles of our daily life (Christ is Passing By, 130, 131).

It is time to take our Christian life seriously, putting our lives on the line, and to live and act as a Christian should, and carry on the work of holiness which is Christ’s command and which he merited for us through his incarnation and death (cf Christ is Passing By, 129, 130).

“To live according to the Holy Spirit means to live by faith and hope and charity — to allow God to take possession of our lives and to change our hearts, to make us resemble him more and more” (Christ is Passing By, 134).

Doing God's Will

We are familiar with Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” Be proactive. Begin with the end in mind. Put first things first. Think win-win. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Synergize. Sharpen the saw.

Let’s focus on two of these habits. Begin with the end in mind and put first things first. What is the end of your life? What is it that you must put at the top of your priorities?

Christ's aim was to glorify his heavenly Father. All he said and did gave glory to his Father. There is one word that expresses the totality of Christ's mission. Obedience. Obedience to his Father's will was his glory. "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work" (Jn 4:34). Jesus kept his Father's word even when tempted to forgo the cross. He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death— his death on the cross (Phil. 2:8).

Jesus came into this world to set an example for us. He desires that we follow him in giving glory to his Father and that we may share his joy completely (Jn 17:13). For our sake, he consecrated himself, and it is his prayer that we “also may be consecrated in truth” (Jn 17:17).

The scriptural word for consecration comes from the same Hebrew word which means holy or set apart for God. This word also means to be equipped with the qualities of mind and heart and character for such a task or service. Just as Jesus was called by the Father to serve in holiness and truth, so we, too, are called and equipped for the task of serving God in the world as his ambassadors. Our mission in life, then, is to consecrate our lives to God. To offer our lives as a sacrifice that is pleasing to God. Is your life consecrated to God?

Jesus calls each one of us to a life of holiness, without exception – whoever we are, whatever station of life or health we are in, rich or poor, healthy or sick, young or old. Our mission is one and the same. To be with him, and through him, to be with his Father. "You and I belong to Christ's family, for he himself has chosen us before the foundation of the world, to be saints, to be blameless in his sight, for love of him, having predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his Will. We have been chosen gratuitously by Our Lord. His choice of us sets us a clear goal. Our goal is personal sanctity" (Escriva, Friends of God, 2).

The essential idea that Jesus wants to impress upon us is this: Our true happiness comes from God alone. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. We are in this world, but we are not of this world, meaning, nothing in this world can bring us true joy. One saint (St. Basil) said that we should not consider the rich man happy solely because of his riches, the powerful man because of his authority, the strong man because of his health or the learned man because of his great eloquence. All these can be instruments of virtue for those who use them rightly, but in themselves they do not hold the secret of happiness.

Happiness is found in our obedience to God. Jesus asks us to put him first in all our endeavors, to place him in the summit of all our activities. In eating, in drinking, do everything as for God's glory (1 Cor 10:32). "Don't let your life be barren. Be useful. Make yourself felt. Shine forth with the torch of your faith and your love," urges St. Josemaria Escriva (The Way, 1).

Obedience to His command. To love him, to serve him, and to make him known to others. "To be a Christian in the world doesn't mean isolating oneself — on the contrary! It means loving all mankind and burning with a desire to enkindle in everyone the fire of the love of God" (Escriva, The Forge, 375).

Obedience to His will. To make him an integral part of our daily activities, by fulfilling our duties at home and in our office, and by being more self-giving to others with our time and talents.

Obedience to His Church. To receive the sacraments, go to confession, hear Mass especially on Sunday. "Jesus is our model. Let us imitate him. Let us imitate him by serving the Holy Church and all mankind" (Escriva, The Forge, 138).

May the Blessed Mother, who by her “Fiat” showed her total obedience to the Will of God, help us and strengthen us in our efforts to pattern our lives closer to the life of her Son, Jesus Christ, whose glory is our aim and priority.

Good Fruits

The Gospel presents another kind of imagery. Jesus is the vine, the Father is the vine-dresser and we are the branches. By this imagery, Jesus shows the unity and oneness of God with his creation. We have only one life and that is a life with God, and we have only one way to live and that is to live as children of God. Living as children of God is what being holy is all about, for as the root is holy, so are the branches (Rom 11:16). God has chosen us before the foundation of the world to be holy and in order to bear fruit that will last (cf Eph 1:4; Jn 15:16).

Our closeness to Christ is not for him but for us. “For the relation of the branches to the vine is such that they contribute nothing to the vine, but from it derive their own means of life; while that of the vine to the branches is such that it supplies their vital nourishment, and receives nothing from them. And so their having Christ abiding in them, and abiding themselves in Christ, are in both respects advantageous, not to Christ, but to the disciples” (St. Augustine, Tractate 81 [John 15:4-7]). We are God’s co-workers planting in his field and building his kingdom according to the tasks assigned to each of us, and it is God who causes us to grow (cf 1 Cor 3:5-10).

Our life has to stay connected to Jesus, like branches to the vine. “He is the true vine, because the grapes he bears are the truth, the disciples are His branches, and they, also, bring forth the truth as their fruit” (Origen, Commentary on the Gospel of John). For apart from him, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). We can do a lot of things still, but nothing that guarantees for us eternal life if we cut off ourselves from Christ. We become like dry twigs, once branches of the vine; now lying "withered and dead, a perfect image of barrenness: 'separated from me, you can do nothing' " (Escriva, Friends of God, 254).

When the roots of our life are fixed on the vine, we will bear much fruit. “The fruit referred to in this saying is the holiness of a life made fruitful by union with Christ. When we believe in Jesus Christ, partake of his mysteries, and keep his commandments, the Savior himself comes to love, in us, his Father and his brethren, our Father and our brethren. His person becomes, through the Spirit, the living and interior rule of our activity” (CCC, 2074). These are the fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity (Gal 5:22-23; CCC, 1832).

Every tree is known by its fruit (Mt 7:19, 12:23; Lk 6:44). And every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire (Mt 3:10; Lk 3:9). “The branch is suitable only for one of two things, either the vine or the fire: if it is not in the vine, its place will be in the fire; and that it may escape the latter, may it have its place in the vine” (St. Augustine, op cit).

Our role does not stop at bearing fruit. Christ continues to prune us that we may bear more fruit (Jn 15:2). The struggle for holiness continues up to the end. “If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing” (1 Jn 1:9).

What is asked of us then is to be docile, and to allow ourselves to be cleansed, letting the Divine Sculptor chip away the rough edges of our character: our selfishness, vanity, lack of humility, sensuality, envy. Even the events that befall us – illness, setbacks, sufferings – serve to purify and unite us to the Cross of Jesus. “The cutting and pruning hurts. But what richness in your fruits” (Escriva, The Way, 701). The pruning increases our foliage, enabling us “to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God (Col 1:10).

We have all the means of staying close to the vine. Through prayer, we maintain a continuing dialogue with our God. We are pruned by he words he tells us as recorded in the Gospel (Jn 15:3). The Holy Eucharist enables us to experience his living presence within us. The sacrament of confession cleanses us of our sins and gives us the graces to re-start our life along God’s path.

Through us, God's work is multiplied and we become sowers of peace and joy in the environment where we live and among the people we meet in the course of everyday iving. We become bearers of good fruits.

Lamb of God, Good Shepherd

Our faith uses symbolisms, in which people, animals or objects are invested with meaning to help us comprehend truths and ideas.

Two of the symbolisms are the lamb and the shepherd. They symbolize Jesus Christ. He is God’s lamb, the only begotten son of the Father sent into the world so that we might have life through him (Jn 1:14; 1 Jn 4:9). John the Babtist points at Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29, 35). Jesus tells of himself, “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (Jn 10:11, 15).

Lamb of God

A lamb is meek. Jesus is meek. He invites us to come to him, to take his yoke upon him and to learn from him, for he is meek and humble of heart (cf Mt 11:28-30). Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land (Mt 5:5). Meekness is precious in the sight of God (cf 1 Pt 3:4).

A lamb is obedient. Jesus was obedient. “Not as I will, but as you will,” he cried to his Father at Gethsemani (Mt 26:39). He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:8). He asks from us the same filial obedience. Whoever does the will of his heavenly Father is his brother, and sister, and mother (Mt 12:50), and will enter heaven (Mt 7:21).

A lamb is a sacrificial animal. Christ, the one mediator between his Father and the human race, came into the world to serve, that men may have life and have it to the full, giving his life once and for all as a ransom for mankind’s sins, and drawing all men to himself (cf 1 Tim 2:56; Mt 20:28; Jn 10:10; Heb 7:26-27; Jn 12:32).

Christ offered his life once to take away the sins of men. He will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him (Heb 9:28).

Good Shepherd

The shepherd loves his sheep. Jesus Christ loves and cares for his flock. His flock are those who wish to enter into his life by keeping his commandments (cf Mt 19:17). “If you love me keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15). Blessed are those who listen to his word and keep it, for they are his true disciples (Lk 11:28; Jn 8:31). They shall remain in God’s love, never see death but have eternal life (cf Jn 15:10; Jn 8:5; 1Jn 12:25). We are children of God in Jesus Christ and we all belong to him (cf Gal 3:26, 29).

The shepherd is a protector. Jesus Christ protects those who believe in him. “I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture” (Jn 10:9). He will go out in search of any of his sheep that has gone astray, for it is not the will of his Father that any one of his little ones be lost (cf Mt 18:12-14). He has other sheep that do not belong to his fold and they will hear his voice, and he must lead them, so there will only be one flock and one shepherd (Jn 10:16). He protects his sheep from thieves or those who preach not his teaching. Let him be accursed who preaches any other gospel; they are not welcome in his fold (cf cf Gal 1:8; 2 Jn 9-11).

Christ instructed his disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God to the lost sheep (Mt 10:6-7). Jesus after his resurrection commanded Peter. Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep (Jn 21:15-17).

Christ calls upon each of us to be like a lamb obedient to his commandments, and a shepherd to take care of his flock and to seek the lost sheep.

When Christ returns again, he will place his sheep on his right hand, who will inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. His sheep are those who gave food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, welcome to the stranger, clothing to the naked, care to the sick, visit to the prisoner; for whoever has done it to the least of his sisters and brothers, has done it also for him (cf Mt 25:33-40).

And the Lamb will shepherd the sheep and lead them to the springs of life-giving water (cf Rev 7:17).

Tell the others

Easter is the principal feast of the year, festum festorum or the greatest feast (Catholic Encyclopedia) during which we celebrate the great event of the Resurrection, the crowning truth of our faith in Christ (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], 638). By his death, Christ liberates us from sin; by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to a new life that reinstates us in God's grace, "so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" (CCC, 654).

Jesus humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name (Phil 2:8-9). "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn 11:25-26). By rising from the dead, Jesus Christ confirmed his divinity.

Jesus Christ resurrected points to us a new way of conducting our life. St. John in his account of the events of the resurrection tells of Mary Magdalene to whom Jesus showed himself. He dissuaded her from touching him as he had not yet ascended to the Father. “But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he had told her” (Jn 20:11-18).

Tell them, Jesus Christ said to Mary. Tell them,Jesus Christ is saying to us too. Tell them about me.

“Our love for God,” St. Josemaria wrote, “must lead us to offer our day for his glory, to do his work, to divinize all our activities – to fill with God every interstice of the daily canvass of our life. Fill everything with the spirit of Christ, St. Paul tells the Ephesians (Eph 1:10). That is why a Christian should live as Christ lived, making the affections of Christ his own, so that he can exclaim with St. Paul: It is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20)” (Christ is Passing By, 103). Make Christ present among men. Act in such a way that those who know you sense the bonus odor Christi, the sweet fragrance of Christ (Ibid, 105; 2 Col 2:15). The secret to holiness is to follow Christ (Friends of God, 299). We need to let his life show forth in ours in such a way that each Christian is not simply alter Christus another Christ but ipse Christus Christ himself (Ibid., 104)

Make Jesus Christ “as one of your best friends, even more, the best. Then you will see that friendship with Him leads you to open yourselves to others, whom you consider your brothers and sisters, establishing with each one a relation of sincere love, because Jesus Christ is precisely the ‘love of God incarnate’ (Deus caritas est, 12),” Pope Benedict XVI recently told a gathering of university students, faculty and their families (UNIV 2006, 10 April 2006).

Having found Christ, let us communicate the happiness of finding Christ to the others. “Whoever discovers Christ,” continued the Pope, “ends up leading others to Him because no one keeps such a great joy to himself, but rather communicates it. This is the task to which the Lord calls you and this has to be your apostolate of friendship."

Wanted: More laborers in the vineyard

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Mt 9:37; Lk 10:2).

Following Christ means imitating him. Imitating him in his love for his Father and the Father's desire to spread his love to every human being, the only being he created in his likeness.

When Christ lived on earth, he gathered around him people from all walks of life--- apostles, friends and believers -- whom he taught and upon whom he relied to tell others of his teachings. The ground was fertile. Many were struck by his wisdom, which caught the very essence of faith: There is only one God. You shall love the Lord with all your mind, heart, being and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. Love one another as I have loved you. (cf Mt 22:37-39; Lk 10:27; Jn 13:34). Christ lived for a short time, and he knew his work would have to continue beyond his earthly life. He needed more help than he had then. There were too few laborers in his vineyard.

After his resurrection and before he ascended into heaven, he left his apostles and believers with his command. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19-20).

Christ's message has reverberated through the ages. Christianity has fanned out to all the corners of the earth, thanks to the efforts of people who took in their hearts the Lord’s command. We are the inheritors of the faith of our parents and forefathers.

Has our faith made a difference in our life? Is Christ truly present in our daily living? Are we committed to a life of holiness? If our answer is yes, then we must carry on God’s work. We have to show our faith by our actions, sanctifying our work, sanctifying ourselves through our work and sanctifying others through our work (cf Conversations with Monsignor Escriva de Balaguer, 55). Let us each be a Christ within our family, in our office, in all the places we go and to all the people we meet.

Yes, it is a pledge easier made than done. The prevailing environment seems not conducive to fostering Christ's message. Too many are attracted to self-exaltation and worldly pursuits than the giving of self to others and cultivating a holy life. Their sense of sin has been lost, their faith relegated to occasional rituals if not altogether ignored.

It is amidst this environment that we hear once again Christ's call: Spread the Good News. Bring the people to me. “Anyone who has discovered Christ must lead others to him. A great joy cannot be kept to oneself. It has to be passed on” (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, August 21, 2005).

We must do our part then as befits one who calls himself a Christian. Christ is relying upon each one of us to do our share as apostles. Foremost by living his message in our life. And then by telling the world of God’s love, the greatest love the world has known, searching for those who have walked astray and leading them home (cf 1995 World Youth Day Theme Song).

Our Blessed Mother

Throughout the centuries, May has been a month of special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This devotion is shown in many ways. Among them: pilgrimages to places, churches or shrines dedicated to her; the daily recitation of the Holy Rosary; floral offerings; the annual May fiestas in the Philippines. May 13 is the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, and May 31 the feast day of the Visitation.

What explains such special devotion? We do not adore or worship the Blessed Mother. Worship and adoration we reserve to God alone. But we venerate and honor her, in the same way we do to the other saints in heaven.

Our Blessed Mother holds a unique place in the life of Jesus Christ. She has been enriched with special gifts and blessings given to no other human being apart from her Son. From the first moment of her conception she belonged to Christ (Redemptoris Mater, 10), and she was preserved from the stain of the original sin, decreed as the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The angel Gabriel greeted her, “Hail, full of grace.” She is full of grace. Elizabeth greeted her too with the words, “Blessed are you among women.” The election of Mary is wholly exceptional and unique. The fullness of grace announced by the angel means the gift of God himself (Ibid., 9, 12). Mary is "the Mother of the Son of God. As a result she is also the favorite daughter of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of this gift of sublime grace, she far surpasses all other creatures, both in heaven and on earth" (Lumen Gentium, 53). She is the mother of Jesus, the Second Person in the Holy Trinity. She is the Mother of God (Theotokos). It was in her womb that Christ was formed (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 10).

Our Blessed Mother shows us how we should relate to God’s love. First is with faith. Mary believed the angel. “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord," her cousin Elizabeth would add (Lk 1:45). Second is with obedience borne of faith. “May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). Third is with humility. “I am the handmaid of the Lord” (Ibid.)

Our Blessed Mother models for us a personal and human response to God’s call. Hers is a complete entering into a life with God. Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: “She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19; cf. 2:51; Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 11). She is a teacher of the spiritual life for individual Christians. As early as the fourth century, St. Ambrose, speaking to the people, expressed the hope that each of them would have the spirit of Mary in order to glorify God: "May the heart of Mary be in each Christian to proclaim the greatness of the Lord; may her spirit be in everyone to exult in God." But Mary is above all the example of that worship that consists in making one's life an offering to God (Marialis Cultus, 21). She is held up as an example to the faithful for the way in which, in her own particular life, she fully and responsibly accepted the will of God (cf. Lk 1:38), because she heard the word of God and acted on it, and because charity and a spirit of service were the driving force of her actions. She is worthy of imitation because she was the first and the most perfect of Christ's disciples (Ibid., 35).

Hers is a full and totally obedient “yes.” While Jesus was talking to the people, someone approached Him saying, “Your mother and your brethren are just outside; they want to speak to you.” Jesus answered: “Who is my mother?” Who are my brethren? Whoever does the will of my Father is my brother, my sister and my mother.” (Mt 12: 48-50). Mary's "yes" – “May it be done to me according to your word” -- is for all Christians a lesson and example of obedience to the will of the Father, which is the way and means of one's own sanctification (Marialis Cultus, 21).

“Our entire perfection consists in being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ. Hence the most perfect of all devotions is undoubtedly that which conforms, unites and consecrates us most perfectly to Jesus Christ. Now, since Mary is of all creatures the one most conformed to Jesus Christ, it follows that among all devotions that which most consecrates and conforms a soul to our Lord is devotion to Mary, his Holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to her the more will it be consecrated to Jesus Christ”(Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 15).

Mary is the perfect example of motherhood. She cared for her Son. She, together with St. Joseph, provided an environment at home in which Jesus grew in piety and wisdom. She took care of the needs of Jesus. Remember the cloth Jesus wore as he carried his cross. It was seamless and special that the Roman guards did not cut it to pieces but cast lots as to who should own it.

She is a model of prayer. Her Magnificat is directed to the glory of God. The last description of Mary's life in the Gospel presents her as praying. The apostles "joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers" (Acts 1:14).

She is a teacher of the virtues of faith, hope and love; of care and solicitousness (“They have no wine,” she told her Son at Cana); of courage and sacrifice. At the foot of the Cross, she bears the pain of a mother, seeing her son, innocent, crucified and dying; yet she stood there until the death of her Son, and even after the death. Tradition tells us that after Jesus was brought down from the cross, our Blessed Mother held Him in her arms.

Devotion to Mary is devotion to Christ. The ultimate purpose of devotion to the Blessed Virgin is to glorify God and to lead Christians to commit themselves to a life which is in absolute conformity with His will. When the children of the Church unite their voices with the voice of the unknown woman in the Gospel and glorify the Mother of Jesus by saying to Him: "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that you sucked" (Lk. 11:27), they will be led to ponder the Divine Master's serious reply: "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it" (Lk 11:28) While it is true that this reply is in itself lively praise of Mary, it is also an admonition to us to live our lives in accordance with God's commandments. It is also an echo of other words of the Savior: "Not every one who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Mt. 7:21); and again: "You are my friends if you do what I command you" (Jn 15:14; Marialis Cultus, 39).

God is Love

“We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.” These words, taken from the First Letter of John (1 Jn 4:16), are the opening words of Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, God is Love.

God loves man, whom he created in his own image, after his likeness. And God so loved the world that he has given to us his very own Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16). Jesus Christ came into the world for one purpose only: to fulfill the will of his Father. Not my will but yours be done, Jesus cried out at Gethsemani. The will of his Father is that all men live in love -- in love of God and in love of one another. Love is the passport to eternal life.

Our purpose in life should also be the same as Christ’s purpose. We have been created in God’s image, and in that image we ought to live. The mark of the follower of Christ is in the way the follower lives the commandment of love in his or her daily life. God has first loved us. If God so loved us, we also must love one another (cf 1 Jn 4:16). God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Rom 5:8).

This is the commandment of Jesus: “I give you a new commandment: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (Jn 13:34-35). And Jesus tells us how to show this love for him. "If you love me, keep my commandments" (Jn 14: 15). “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another” (Rom 13:8). Further Jesus says: “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him" (Jn 14:21).

Love edifies our life (cf 1 Cor 8:1). Without love, we are nothing (cf 1 Cor 13:2). “If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed” (1Cor 16:22). We are also assured that for those who love God, everything will work for good (cf Rom 8:28). We are talking about the goodness in our life while we are still on earth. And the promise of eternal life.

Be not afraid. Be not afraid to know the truth about ourselves, as the late Pope John Paul II wrote in Crossing the Threshold of Hope (p. 5). We are sinful and we need to be saved from this sinfulness.

Pope Benedict XVI echoes these words in his first homily as the Bishop of Rome: “Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life” (25 April 2005). Do not be afraid to open our hearts to Jesus Christ. Do not be afraid to follow him. We recall the message of the angel who spoke to the women in the morning, when they saw the stone covering the tomb where Jesus was buried rolled back. “Do not be afraid! ... He is not here; he is risen (Mt 28:5-6)”. Jesus is risen, and he gives us peace; he himself is peace (Ibid.).

For this reason the Church repeats insistently: “Christ is risen - Christós anésti. Let the people of the third millennium not be afraid to open their hearts to him. His Gospel totally quenches the thirst for peace and happiness that is found in every human heart. Christ is now alive and he walks with us. What an immense mystery of love! Christus resurrexit, quia Deus caritas est! Alleluia! (Pope Benedict XVI, Urbi et Orbi, Easter 2006).

Just Passing Through

We are caught up in the million and one cares of the day. We tend to forget our place in the scheme of life, the bigger picture. Questions such as where are we going? Where do all that we are doing everyday lead us to? What's our destination? What's the meaning and purpose of our life?

Heaven is where we are going. How are we going to get there? Are we living our day the way we should, in the manner told us by the Good Book? To know where we are now, we need to step back, to retreat, to get our bearings, to check again and again. Through this "retreat" we can better place ourselves, know where we are doing well, things we are saying or thinking or doing that do not square well with what the Lord is asking of us. If we are to be a Christ in the place where we are living, a good question to ask is: what will Jesus do if He were here, if it were not me but Him, right in this situation?

We have to direct our lives in the only right way: to be perfect as the Father is perfect, to strive for holiness, to be better than we are now, to move forward. Difficult, yes. Very difficult, maybe. But impossible, no. We set our own limits if we think now that we couldn't make it, then we are already throwing in the towel even before entering the ring.

We are just passing through in this world. We each have been given our fair share of talents. We can blaze our path--doing our work with the greatest possible excellence, doing our duties of the moment, learning, doing well, spreading goodness around. Or, we can just try to pass by, pampering our senses with all possible pleasures. The choice is ours. We can pass through, born unnoticed and dying unfruitful, or sparkle our life, leaving gifts of kindness every chance we get, becoming an apostle of love. Yes, the choice is ours. It's up to us, really.