AI Notes (Click HERE)

Restore The Glory Website
Pints with Aquinas Website

(Romans 8:35-39)

Monk, A Benedictine. In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart--The Journal of a Priest at Prayer (pp. 83-84). (Function). Kindle Edition. 

Young, Sarah. Jesus Lives (pp. 272-273). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. 

                                                                                 St. Faustina (Diary #1485)

On this fourth Sunday of Lent, the Gospel presents us with the figure of Nicodemus (cf. Jn 3:14-21), a Pharisee, “a ruler of the Jews” (Jn 3:1). He saw the signs Jesus performed, he recognized him as a teacher sent by God, and he went to meet him by night, so as not to be seen. The Lord welcomes him, converses with him and reveals to him that he came not to condemn, but to save the world (cf. v. 17). Let us pause to reflect on this: Jesus came not to condemn, but to save. This is beautiful!

Often in the Gospel we see Christ revealing the intentions of the people he meets, at times unmasking their false attitudes, such as with the Pharisees (cf. Mt 23:27-32), or making them reflect on the disorder of their life, as with the Samaritan woman (cf. Jn 4:5-42). There are no secrets before Jesus: he reads them in the heart, in each of our hearts. This ability could be disturbing because, if used badly, it can harm people, exposing them to merciless judgements. Indeed, no one is perfect: we are all sinners, we all make mistakes, and if the Lord were to use his knowledge of our weaknesses to condemn us, no one could be saved.

But it is not like this. Indeed, he does not use them in order to point the finger at us, but to embrace our life, to free us from sins and to save us. Jesus is not interested in putting us on trial or subjecting us to judgement; He wants none of us to be lost. The Lord’s gaze upon every one of us is not a blinding beacon that dazzles us and puts us in difficulty, but rather the gentle glimmer of a friendly lamp, that helps us to see the good in ourselves and to be aware of the evil, so that we may be converted and healed with the support of his grace.

Jesus came not to condemn, but to save the world. Think of us, who very often condemn others; many times, we like to speak badly, to go in search of gossip against others. Let us ask the Lord to give us, all of us, this merciful gaze, to look at others as he looks at us.

May Mary help us to wish the best for one another.

"Mercy Said No" by CeCe Winans

It is prayer which roots us in this truth. It constantly reminds us of the primacy of Christ and, in union with him, the primacy of the interior life and of holiness. When this principle is not respected, is it any wonder that pastoral plans come to nothing and leave us with a disheartening sense of frustration? We then share the experience of the disciples in the Gospel story of the miraculous catch of fish: “We have toiled all night and caught nothing” (Lk 5:5). This is the moment of faith, of prayer, of conversation with God, in order to open our hearts to the tide of grace and allow the word of Christ to pass through us in all its power: Duc in altum! On that occasion, it was Peter who spoke the word of faith: “At your word I will let down the nets” (ibid.). As this millennium begins, allow the Successor of Peter to invite the whole Church to make this act of faith, which expresses itself in a renewed commitment to prayer. (NOVO MILLENNIO INEUNTE #38)

 Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1996), 115.

MY CHILD, I am the Lord Who gives strength in the day of trouble. Come to Me when all is not well with you. Your tardiness in turning to prayer is the greatest obstacle to heavenly consolation, for before you pray earnestly to Me you first seek many comforts and take pleasure in outward things. Thus, all things are of little profit to you until you realize that I am the one Who saves those who trust in Me, and that outside of Me there is no worth-while help, or any useful counsel or lasting remedy.

But now, after the tempest, take courage, grow strong once more in the light of My mercies; for I am near, says the Lord, to restore all things not only to the full but with abundance and above measure. Is anything difficult for Me? Or shall I be as one who promises and does not act? Where is your faith? Stand firm and persevere. Be a man of endurance and courage, and consolation will come to you in due time. Wait for Me; wait—and I will come to heal you.

 Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1996), 160.

Let us be filled again with this joy: where is there a people to whom God is so close as our God is to us? So close that he is one of us, touches me from within. Yes, he enters me in the holy Eucharist. A bewildering thought. On this process, St Bonaventure once used in his communion prayers a formula that shakes, almost frightens, one. He said: my Lord, how did you ever think of entering the dirty latrine of my body? Yes, he enters into our misery, he does it knowingly and in order to penetrate us, to clean us and to renew us, so that, through us, in us, the truth may be in the world and bring salvation. Let us ask the Lord forgiveness for our indifference, for our misery that makes us think only of ourselves, for our selfishness that does not seek the truth but follows habit, and that perhaps often makes Christianity resemble a mere system of habits. Let us ask that he come with power into our souls, that he be present in us and through us — and that in this way joy may be born in us again: God is here, and loves me. He is our salvation! Amen.

I come to you in love, I come to you in warning that you must have greater vigilance at what is happening all around you. I tell My children it is time to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that you are able to discern all that comes in your path. My children, history is all around you while you are also living out Revelation. [1] Take heed, take heed to the Gospel message and live it. 

I have come to nurture and teach you as I am calling all of you to be counted amongst the saints in Heaven by living your life in witness and example. I tell My children that it is a time of reform. Come to the fountain of My Mercy and do not shackle yourself to your past errors, rather, embrace My Love, unite your suffering to Mine, and be My witness in this broken world. It is through your love, forgiveness, and obtaining the graces of heaven that will begin to heal this world. Recognize evil for what it is and do not take hold of it by complying out of fear. Do not allow the enemy to elevate himself through you, rather in greater humility you will defeat all of his deception. Go forth in prayer, go forth in adoration to your Heavenly Father, who through his Son, Jesus, gave you this life, this mission to one day be united with the Trinity for all eternity. Now go forth, for I Am Jesus and My mercy and justice will prevail.