Today’s Reflection

Look at the trees of the forest. See how sturdy and beautiful they are, how tall they grow, and how smooth is their bark. Yet when we plant a garden, we prefer other kinds of trees, such as pomegranate and olive trees. This is because we want trees that bear fruit. We are the trees…

Jesus on the cross said these beautiful and sad words, “I am thirsty” (John 19:28). Since then, throughout the ages, all of humanity has echoed these words . . .Now, O God, with all my heart, I say the sorrowful words, “I am thirsty.” I am thirsty for the peace you alone give, which transforms…

Most of Christ’s earthly life was hidden. He was hidden in his mother’s womb, he was hidden in Egypt and in Nazareth. During his public life he was hidden often, when he fled into ‘a mountain to pray.’ During the forty days of his risen life, again and again he disappeared and hid himself from…

On the night before his death, Jesus said to his apostles: In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again. . . We are living in this short time, a time indeed full of sadness and sorrow. To live this short time in…

Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity established one of their religious houses in the city of Rome. There they ministered to the shut-ins and the poor in the area. On one occasion, the Sisters visited an elderly man who was in great need. They cleaned his house and cooked for him. He watched the…

John Paul II’s words to the world, “Do not be afraid,” echo the words of Jesus. These words reveal something of the Pope’s awareness of the precariousness of life and the need for a compass, which is the Lord . . .Our lives are small. It was Moses to whom God spoke, from a small…

Joy does not depend on acclaim, advancement, promotion, recognition, fame, prestige, or power. Joy can never come from without. It can only come from the Lord who plants it deep within us. If our joy is contingent upon affirmation, success or career, it is planted in sand and will never endure. Actually, our joy should…

What we are trying to do is to realize that, while we are on earth, faith places us in the heat of battle. We are in a permanent struggle, a constant choice between Jesus Christ and that which in the world, remains hostile to God. This struggle is to accomplish within ourselves the Church’s own…

It is in time that I am able to do good to my neighbor, that I am able to love and help him. . . It is only along the path of my passing days that I am able to meet the suffering soul and to give a word of comfort and hope. Time is…

Little by little we are able to hear the still, small voice in the hurricane, the earthquake, or the fire. God is hidden in difficulties. If we can find him there, we will never lose him. Without difficulties, we do not know the power of God’s mercy and the incredible destiny he has for each…