Today’s Reflection

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…

I ask thee, O God, not for the goods of this world, for pleasures, for honors. Give me, by the merits of thy Passion, O my Jesus, a constant sorrow for my sins. Enlighten me and make me know the vanity of worldly goods and how much you deserve to be loved. Separate me from…

Precisely because our secular milieu offers us so few spiritual disciplines, we have to develop our own. We have, indeed, to fashion our own desert where we can withdraw every day, shake off our compulsions, and dwell in the gentle healing presence of our Lord. Without such a desert we will lose our own soul…

Trials are not only good for us, but necessary for our spiritual growth, especially if endured with the right disposition. During hard times, God helps us see that control is really an illusion. We’re not in charge. Our lives don’t even belong to us. We would cease to exist if the Holy Spirit stopped actively…

Prayer is a gift. It is a gift because Christian prayer is based on our knowing the Lord Jesus Christ and on our having the power of the Holy Spirit that will stir and anoint us, and move through us in prayer. Prayer is based on our being part of the Body of Christ and…

For most people, daily life in the secular world is the place where transformation in Christ is worked out. Like the Pharisee, one can be in religious life and not be transformed. So, what is it that makes the difference between the daily transformed life and the religious untransformed life? It’s the hidden action of…