Advent Meditation: The Daily Gospel with Fr. Philippe, O.P.

Gospel Mt. 11: 16 - 18

Christ will return in glory. He will return victorious, carrying the insights of victory, and we will have only to greet Him as the One who is victorious. And yet it is difficult to to receive the victory of Christ! To receive Christ's victory is to receive the mystery of the Cross fully transformed by glory. The pride of today's humanity -- and we belong to this humanity, therefore we know this pride well -- is such that therefore we would like for man to be the victor! The "good" men, the Pharisees of all times, want it to be themselves who hold the victory, and not Jesus. Actually this is what lies behind the fact of not awaiting Jesus Christ's return: we don't want it to be Him, but rather the Pharisees of every era, those who claim to be good and believe themselves capable of of saving men ("If I were given power, I would be able to save men"), when this is not the case at all ....

Today's culture is not seeking Truth anymore. And a culture that does not seek Truth anymore, that seeks domination, efficacy, that seeks to always go faster and in an always more efficient way, and that only seeks human glory, (not the glory of God) can such a culture be transformed from within? Can we transform it so that man, fruit of this culture, might receive the mystery of Christ which is a mystery of faith, and welcome the mystery of the Child of Bethlehem? Can we ask the wise men of today to act as The Magi, to go and adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament? These Magi saw signs in the sky and were very docile to them, so great was their desire to know Truth.... It is so beautiful see men seeking Truth and for this they did not hesitate to make this trip, this pilgrimage. Today there are still some seeking wisdom. At which door do they knock? Where do they go and knock so they may be told, "Yes, perhaps, He is very close?

~ From the Daily Gospel with Fr. Philippe, OP (Priest, Philosophy Professor, Founder of the Community of St. John) compiled by the Sisters of of St. John, 2007
-

Comments

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated and are published at the blogger's discretion.

Blog Archive

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

The Spirituality and Miracles of St. Clare of Assisi

Image
August 11 is the memorial of St. Clare, one of my favorite saints. She was the first woman to follow the life of radical poverty practiced by St. Francis of Assisi and is the co-founder of the Poor Clares. Although I am not a Franciscan, I have had Franciscan friends, clergy, and spiritual directors instruct me on the beauty of St. Clare's spirituality. I have also learned a great deal from reading about her over the years. Clare and Francis (2007) is a film which depicts the fascinating story of her dramatic conversion and surrender to the will of God. St. Clare is the patron saint of television. She is also the patron of eye disorders, embroiderers, good weather, and telephones. The Contemplative Life The Lady Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1193 and was admired for her great beauty. When she heard Francis of Assisi preach his Lenten homilies at the Church of San Giorgio, she was captivated by his words. At age eighteen, she heard him say: "When the
Read more

Saint Michael de Sanctis: Patron of Cancer Patients

Image
Today is the feast of Saint Michael de Sanctis, also known as St. Michael of the Saints, a Spanish Discalced Trinitarian priest, the patron of cancer patients. Michael Argemir was born on September 29, 1591 at Vic, Catalonia, Spain. At age 6, he told his parents that he planned to become a monk and began modeling his life after Saint Francis of Assisi. Michael’s parents died when he was about ten years old. He then served as an apprentice with a local merchant. During this apprenticeship, he continued his fervent devotion to the Lord, especially to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the age of 12, he joined the Trinitarian Friars at Barcelona, taking his vows at St. Lambert’s monastery in Saragosa four years later.  Shortly afterwards, Michael expressed a desire to join the reformed group of Trinitarians and was given permission to do so. He went to the Novitiate at Madrid and, after studies at Seville and Salamanca, he was ordained a priest. Twice he served as Superior of the hou
Read more

Saint Gerard of Brogne: Patron of Abbots

Image
St. Gerard was born to a noble family in Staves, Belgium, in 895. He descended from a royal line of military men and at first felt a share in this call to arms. He trained for the army and, as a page of the count of Namur, he was sent on a special mission to the French court. There, Gerard realized that he was being called to the monastic life. He stayed in France and joined the Benedictines of St. Denis, abandoning his noble birthright and all his worldly possessions. He spent eleven years in France as a monk before becoming a priest. Following his ordination, he left for Belgium in order to found a new abbey on his own estate of Brogne. He was its abbot for twenty-two years and during that period was instrumental in introducing St. Benedict's Rule into numerous houses in Flanders, Lorraine and Champagne.He became known for his engaging sweetness of temper, his strict observance of the Rule of St. Benedict and for the replacement of lukewarm religious practice with true piety.
Read more