Christmas

"Peace to men!" That all may walk to the manger, as the shepherds and the Magi, in search of Jesus... And may Mary, who today "nobis edidit Salvatorem" (has given us the Saviour), be proclaimed blessed by every generation.

Holiness

Authentic holines is only and always gospel holiness. Those who have a true spirit of poverty acquire more easily the spirit of prayer and the desire for heaven.

Gospel

Pray that the Gospel be read and meditated upon by individuals because it is especially here that recollection helps in penetrating well the divine thought and for the heart, to give birth to resolutions.

Advent

Advent is preparation for Christmas. Come Christmas, Jesus will open to men His school: school of truth, school of sanctity, school of love. All of us need this Master who for us makes Himself way, truth and life.

Mission Sunday

The Day of the Missions has this purpose: that the Gospel may reach every nation, every individual, every family and may inspire the laws, the school, the editions. That it may become therefore the rule for every man and for all mankind.

Guardian Angel

Have a deep and tender devotion to the Guardian Angels. They will teach you the supreme wisdom of seeking God's kingdom in all things such that you will have constant nostalgia for their homeland.

Guardian Angel

When a young man is fervent in his soul and spirit, he can be very sure to have special protection from Mary in his life. He will have special assistance from his guardian angel and particular communications from Jesjs. His mind will be more enlightened, his will stronger and his heart more bent towards God.

Glory to God and Peace to men

Jesus came to earth with this program, and this program He passed on to us: to glorify God and to bring peace to men, that is, to bring them the truth, justice and grace. This means being apostles.

Sacred Heart of Jesus

St. John remarks that to hasten death the solders broke the legs of the two thieves who were crucified with Jesus. "But when they came to Jesus, they saw that He was already dead, so they did not break His legs. One of the soldiers, however, plunged his spear into Jesus' side, and at once blood and water poured out" (Jn 19:33-34).

The Lord changed this act of offence by His enemies into an instrument of grace for all. They wanted to insult Jesus to the extreme, but Jesus wanted to give us the greatest proof of love, opening to us the way to heaven.

By faith and humility, we can find our way to the Heart of Jesus better than the steel spear has done.

The Heart of Jesus is humble and welcomes all those who are small, poor and humble. To them He opens His Heart.

The Heart of Jesus is all goodness and mercy; it beckons all to Him: let us have confidence in Him.

The Body and Blood of Christ

Four are the purposes of the institution of the Eucharist:

To adore Jesus present in this sacrament,
To thank Him for all the gifts, especially for the institution of the Eucharist,
To satisfy and make reparation for all the forgetfulness, coldness, ingratitude towards and sacrileges against the Eucharist,
To pray that the Holy Mass, Communion, Visit to the most Holy Sacrament be held in great honour by all.

In the gospel, Jesus promised this Sacrament. "For my flesh is the real food; my blood is the real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I in him. The living Father sent me, and because of Him I live also. In the same way whoever eats me will live because of me. This, then, is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread that your ancestors ate, but then later died. The one who eats this bread will live for ever."

Let the Total Person Proclaim the Lord

Lord,
That I see with Your eyes.
Taht I speak with Your tongue.
That I hear only through Your ears.
That I enjoy only what You relish.
That my hands be Yours.
That my feet be Your footprints.
That I pray Your prayers.
That I treat others as You treat them.
That I celebrate as You immolate Yourself.
That I may be in You and You in me to such an extent that I disappear.

Grant that my tongue may be used to sing to God for all the time, my heart may be used to love Him, that I, the most misearable and wretched, may be used to proclaim: "I am the Good Shepherd" and "I want mercy".

To the Most Holy Trinity

Divine Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
present and active in the Church
and in the depths of my soul,
I adore You,
I thank You,
I love You!
And through the hands of Mary most Holy, my Mother,
I offer, give and consecrate myself entirely to You for life and for eternity.

To You, Heavenly Father,
I offer, give and consecrate myself as Your son/daughter.

To You, Jesus Master,
I offer, give and consecrate myself as your brother/sister and disciple.

To You, Holy Spirit,
I offer, give and consecrate myself as "a living temple"
to be consecrated and sanctified.

Mary, Mother of the Church and my Mother,
who dwells in the presence of the Blessed Trinity,
teach me to live, through the liturgy and the sacraments,
in ever more intimate union with the three divine Persons,
so that my whole life may be
a "glory to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit."
Amen.

Purity

Purity is not the first virtue, but it is called the beautiful virtue because one who possesses it is also humble, charitable, believing, etc.

Understood as chastity, purity means to be pure of every thought, sentiment, word, or action against the beautiful virtue.

La Purezza

La purezza non è la prima virtù, ma è chiamata la bella virtù, perché chi ha la purezza è anche umile, ha la carità, la fede, ecc.

La purezza, presa come castità, è l'essere mondi da ogni peccato di pensiero, sentimenti, parole, azioni contro la bella virtù. Le suore sono le seguaci della Madonna, la prima nel mondo che practicò la verginità, ispirata dallo Spirito Santo.

Spirito Santo

Discende lo Spirito Santo sopra Maria SS. e gli Apostoli, ed essi rimangono illuminati; e in essi "vive" un'anima nuova, un nuovo coraggio; sentirono la responsibilità e l'universalità del loro apostolato, la responsabilità delle anime, la santità che si consegue nell'apostolato stesso.

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit descends on Mary Most Holy and on the Apostles and they become enlightened; they receive a new soul and a new courage; they felt the responsibility and universality of their apostolate, their responsibility for souls and the sanctity that is achieved in the apostolate itself.

Feast of Mary Queen of the Apostles

The feast of the Queen of the Apostles was established on the first Saturday after the Ascension by the Sacred Congregation of Rites at the request of the Pallotine Fathers. Mary initiated her mission as Queen of Apostles in the Cenacle. She gathered the Apostles together, she comforted them, and assisted them in prayer. Together with them she hoped, desired and prayed; with them her petitions were heeded and she received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

The Gift of Wisdom

The Holy Spirit gives us 12 fruits, listed by St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians and infuses in the soul the 7 gifts. The soul truly possessed by the Holy Spirit thinks, operates, prays and speaks in Jesus Christ; and almost makes the voice and language of Jesus Christ.

The devotion to the Holy Spirit will obtain for us heavenly wisdom, the taste of the things of God.

Il Dono Della Sapienza

Lo Spirito Santo ci dona i dodici frutti elencati da san Paolo nella lettera ai Galati e infonde nell'anima i sette doni. L'anima veramente posseduta dallo Spirito Santo pensa, opera, prega, parla in Gesù Cristo; e quasi si fa voce e lingua di Gesù Cristo.

La devozione allo Spirito Santo ci otterrà la Sapienza celeste, il gusto delle cose di Dio.

Il Dono Del Timore di Dio

Il dono del timore di Dio ci allontana dal peccato e ci induce a rispettare la giustizia di Dio, la sua maestà e la sua bontà; a comprendere e ad eseguire la sua volontà con spirito soprannaturale. Ci allontana dal peccato e ci apre l'accesso alla divina maestà, alla divina bontà: ci apre la porta per avvicinarci a Gesù, a Maria nostra Madre.

Il Timor di Dio deve allontanarci dal peccato in avvenire, con una volontà ferma di fuggire le occasioni e di prendere i mezzi. Non scherziamo e non inganniamo noi stessi in queste cose! Se non si adoperano i mezzi, i buoni desideri saranno inefficaci.

The Gift of the Fear of God

The gift of the fear of God keeps us far from sin and leads us to respect the justice of God, His majesty and His goodness; as well as to understand and execute His will with supernatural spirit.

Go Light Your World

Il Dono della Pietà

Il dono della pietà mette nell'anima nostra l'inclinazione, la facilità ad onorare ed amare Dio come nostro Padre e a rimettere in Lui ogni nostra confidenza filiale. Quindi il dono della pietà è qualche cosa di più che la semplice virtù della religione: è come l'anima della stessa religione e delle stesse practiche devote che noi dobbiamo fare.

Nella pietà noi amiamo il Signore come nostro Padre e amiamo i figli di Dio come nostri fratelli.

Sentire la bontà del Padre; sentirci figli docili, affezionati a questo Padre.

The Gift of Piety

The gift of piety puts in our soul the inclination and the ease to honour and love God as our Father and to submit to Him all our filial confidence.

Il Dono della Scienza

Il dono della scienza è una luce soprannaturale dello Spirito Santo, la quale ci mostra come la verità di fede è degna di essere creduta, di essere accettata anche per motivi ricavati dall'ordine naturale, e ci porta a sollevarci dalle cose della terra verso Dio, il cielo.

Le creature, anche mute, parlano a chi ha il dono della Scienza. Il fiorellino che si apre al mattino, l'uccello che canta, il mare immenso, le montagne imponenti e tutto quello che si svolge e si è svolto nella storia: tutto ci parla di Dio, di quel Dio sapientissimo il quale si è proposto, creando, di manifestare quello che egli è, perché la creazione è una rivelazione, e beato chi sa leggere nel libro della creazione.

Gift of Knowledge

The gift of knowledge is a supernatural light of the Holy Spirit that shows us how the truth of faith is worth believing and accepting even for motives taken from the natural order, and leads us to lift ourselves from earthly things to God, to heaven.

Il Dono della Fortezza

Il dono della fortezza è una virtù permanente che lo Spirito Santo comunica alla nostra volontà per vincere gli ostacoli che ci allontanerebbero dalla practica della virtù. Esso investe specialmente la nostra volontà e la rende robusta per operare il bene.

The Gift of Fortitude

The gift of fortitude is a permanent virtue that the Holy Spirit communicates to our will to overcome the obstacles that would move us away from the practice of virtue. It especially invests our will and makes it strong to do good.

Il Dono del Consiglio

Il dono del consiglio è un lume dello Spirito Santo con il quale l'intelligenza pratica vede e guida nei casi particolari ciò che bisogna fare e i mezzi che bisogna usare... Questo dono, giorno per giorno, ci deve illuminare a scegliere ciò che piace a Dio e a lasciare ciò che dispiace a Dio.

The Gift of Counsel

The gift of counsel is a light of the Holy Spirit by which the practical intelligence sees and guides in particular cases what must be done and the means that must be used... From day to day this gift must enlighten us to choose what pleases God and to set aside what displeases Him.

The Gift of Intellect

The gift of intellect enlightens us by radiating a brilliant, penetrating and extraordinary light on the meaning of the revealed truths and giving us the certainty of the true sense of the word of God.

I DONI DELLO SPIRITO SANTO

Il dono dell'intelletto ci illumina spargendo una luce viva, penetrante, straordinaria sul significato delle verità rivelate e dandoci la certezza del vero senso della parola di Dio.

Thoughts

Let your thoughts be elevated! Thoughts about God! Thoughts about things that are the fulfillment of God's will... Let your mind be busy with holy things, things that refer to God's will.

Pensieri

Pensieri elevati! Pensieri a Dio! Pensieri alle cose che sono il compimento della volontà di Dio... La mente sia occupata in cose sante, di volontà di Dio.

Prayer an Expression of our love for God

True piety takes hold of the entire being and leads it to love God. It is the fulfilment of the first commandment: "Love the Lord with the mind, heart and will".

The soul that unites itself to God has but one aspiration: love!

All the prayers of such a person are an expression of love, even if there are requests for temporal goods; these are made only if they lead to the glory of God. At the root of all one's prayers there is but one request: love!

If one adores, it is for love,

If one gives thanks, it is for love,

Asking pardon for sins is also out of love.

Pensa il Bene

God Dwells in Us and We in God

Day by day our participation in the life of God and of Jesus Christ becomes more and more abundant: God lives in us and we in God. God lives in us in the unity of nature and in the Trinity of Persons.

And God is at His creative best, gifting us with a supernatural organism which perfects the natural one, rendering us capable of living a life similar, though not equal, to His, a God-like life.

He works in our total being and in all our faculties, and on a divine impulse, He makes us His cooperators. In this way, the day is filled with merits: we live in Him, He in us.

Jesus Christ lives in us not only as God, but also as God-man: He is the head of the mystical body. We are His members. From Him we receive dynamism and life.

Let us walk with the suffering Christ

Jesus, Divine Master:

Let Your unchanging patience be mine,
May Your crown of thorns obtain for me humility of heart,
Your scourging be my purity and mortification,
Your agony be a model for mine,
the wounds on Your feet guide all my steps,
the foolishness of Your cross gain me true wisdom.
Your resurrection make my resurrection glorious,
and may I be crucified totally with You, and in everything may Your will be done in me.
May Your merits be mine and Your virtues be for me way, strength, mercy and eternal life!
(from Blessed James Alberione's personal notebook, 1933)

Think Positively

The sure method is the positive method. Overcome evil with good (St. Paul). Nurture thoughts of truth, order, justice towards God, neighbour, self; towards the past, present and future.

A mind filled with the good has no place for the evil; just as to empty a bottle of air, fill it with water.

To remove darkness from a room the use of broom and dustpan achieve nothing. Instead, light a lamp and darkness vanishes instantly.

Control the Mind

Ideas lead to action. This is a natural law working in us, for or against us. Ideas are the beginning of all actions, external and internal. Control of mind is a fundamental necessity. The mind can never be free of its travelling companion: the thoughts. It is the thoughts that make demands and dominates.

External factors can have some influence, but they are by themselves amoral. Man's life is above all intellectual. One's most intimate friends are one's thoughts.

The very same thing brings harm to some and benefits to others: for example temptations, sufferings and misfortunes. It all depends on one's thoughts. The same pain leads one to despair while for another it may be an occasion for renewal and joy.

Ideas influence judgement, judgement arouses feelings, feelings determine internal and external actions. The greatest battles are fought in the mind. Here all our energies have to be concentrated.

The Cross and penance

Lent introduces us to the devotion to the crucified Christ. The Divine Master from the cross teaches us more by example than by words. He is truly the Master because the other masters only teach, but Jesus, besides teaching, goes before us giving us example.

Lent should lead us to the practice of penance. It has four aspects:

First: to become conscious of the evil done;

Second: to review our life and sins and to consider ourselves to be sinners, though forgiven;

Third: to make sincere resolutions to avoid faults and dangerous occasions that we can and should avoid;

Fourth: be willing to make reparation.

Reparation, for example, to make fervent communions in the place of cold communions;

making reparation for dissipation with greater recollection;

making reparation for sin above all with the practice of charity.

Festa della Cattedra di S. Pietro, apostolo

Abbiamo da pregare che la parola del Papa sia ricevuta con l'animo, con lo spirito, con la docilità, con la semplicità di un bambino. Per credere ci vuole umiltà. Ora, il secolo nostro è tanto pieno di orgolio. Ed ecco perché contraddice o, almeno, non ascolta, non riceva la parola del vicario di Gesù Cristo.

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

We need to pray so that the word of the Pope may be received with the attitude, the spirit, the docility and the simplicity of a child. In order to believe, humility is needed. Now, our century is so full of pride. That's why it contradicts or at least does not listen to and receive the words of the Vicar of Jesus Christ.

Will-power and prayer for progress

When we come to settle accounts with God and with others year after year, we must find ourselves to have advanced a little, to have made some progress.

Progress means walking, taking some steps. To take steps we need our feet. Now the two feet we need to move and make progress are first, the will, second, prayer.

Will means to be resolute, to be determined, to have the disposition to give all the energies and strength of the heart.

Good will is shown when one makes efforts to correct oneself, to subdue pride, to curb ambition; to control the feelings of the heart.

In this spirit one seeks counsel, requests for correction from those one lives with, asks for help, especially to point out the way to progress.

Sanctify the Present Moment

The past is past, what has been, has been, we cannot change it, we can only be grateful for the graces received and be humble and sorry for the lack of correspondence to grace. Therefore let us balance our accounts by means of penance and confession.

The future is not in our hands. We don't even know if we would be alive to see the evening of today.

Truly what we have is the present moment. Sanctify the present moment. And the sactification of the present moment is this: to make resolution for the future.

At this moment what the Lord expects from us is that we make resoluations, which are acts of love of God. It can happen that we may fail to be faithful to them. Nevertheless the acts of love have been made. If they are strong and if we are able to put them into practice, certainly so much the better. In that case there is an increase of merit. However, a desire to do good, a desire to love God is already a meritorious act.

Christ Perfects the Human Person

Jesus Christ is the divine and the unique Master. Firstly, because He is Truth itself, the essential and eternal Truth; He is the Word that the Father generated in eternity. Secondly, He is the Way and Life. In Christ, the human person has the greatest and supernatural development.

The Christian life is destined to the vision of God in heaven: in the vision of love and joy. Faith obtains the vision; believe to see. "Without faith it is impossible to please God."

The nobility of the human person comes from his intelligence by which he is the image and likeness of God. Man gives his greatest homage to God by subduing his mind and using it wisely to know Him and the things at the service of the Lord.

The Master wants the Whole of a Person

Jesus wants to live in us! Our being, so to say, has to disappear, that is, our thoughts have to disappear so that His thoughts may become ours

Jesus should live in our mind. Our desires and feelings have to disappear because Jesus wants to replace them with His and implant His heart in us. Our entire will has to disappear, all our evil tendencies, all our actions that are too human, because Jesus wants to put His will in us.

In these three things consists the true love of God. It is an illusion to think that only few sentiments of the heart will do. Everything is needed:

* The mind of Jesus Christ
* the will of Jesus Christ.

The Master is the Way to Perfection

The great need of a person is to make a gift of one's total self to the Lord. Without realising, we keep too many things for ourselves.

We make loud declarations of love. But when self-love rears its head, one realises clearly that God is not yet the absolute Master of our hearts.

Even on a good day we do many things for ourselves rather than for Jesus Christ.

The fact that the actions we perform are good may give us the illusion; but there is a big gap between performing good deeds and performing meritorious acts; often self-will, some secret ambitions, our selfish motives, etc., poison the holy things we do.

Only that which is done for the Lord will be rewarded by the Lord.

Jesus is Way, Truth and Life

A person following Jesus Christ gives God perfect worship:

of the mind: faith;

of the will: submission;

of the heart: love.

Know, serve and love God.

a) God is Way, Truth and Life in Himself.

b) Wanting to manifest His glory and to make others participate in His bliss, He presented Himself as the Way, Truth and the Life.

c) That is, in His Son He made and makes four manifestations: in creation, in revelation, in the Church and in heaven.

d) Thus Jesus must be considered Master, Way, Truth and Life.

From the act of creation to glorification in heaven there is only one straight line, a unique style, one plan of action.


Jesus is the unique Master, perfect and eternal: both by title and by nature.

Know Jesus ever Better

As Way, Truth and Life, Jesus is the unique Master, as the Gospel says.

Unique Master, because He teaches us with His sublime doctrine.

Unique Master, because He precedes us with His example.

Unique Master, because He gives us grace, both to believe the doctrine and to act, to follow and imitate Him.

There cannot be another Master who gives and confers grace, that is the supernatural life. Besides, there is no other Master who gives a doctrine which is His own.