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.