It is God’s desire to cleanse us of sin today, not to shun us because of it. He has everything in place for us to attain eternal life in Him: saints in Heaven interceding for us, souls in purgatory praying for us, and a monsoon of grace raining upon us.
Personal and family prayer, along with the Sacraments, form the foundation of love upon which family unity is built. Living our faith-filled life now becomes part of the heritage we pass down to our descendants. And as we prepare to enter the holidays, what greater gift can we give than the lived life of grace?
Faith is what keeps us going forward when our heart is frozen in pain. Optimism is just a natural sentiment of the human heart, temporary and deficient. It is supernatural hope from our loving Father that brings forth the wellspring of gifts and graces we seek in life.
In the 5th Joyful mystery of the rosary, upon finding Jesus in the temple, Mary exclaims her anxiousness and sorrow. But she did not let it prevent her from experiencing the fullness of joy in finding Him. Do we?
The Creator of the heavens obeys a carpenter; the God of eternal glory listens to a poor virgin. Has anyone ever witnessed anything comparable to this?
–Saint Anthony of Padua
In our mass readings, Jesus is inviting us to a new way of life in Him, that of life elevated by grace. He wants us to live such that our thinking, our actions, and our activities are transformed by His wisdom and love.