Dear God, Today

Lord, Change me

Sometimes

The Lord

29/12/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): The mercy of God will always be greater

The mercy of God will always be greater than any sin (MV 3).

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) 29 Décembre 2015

Gratitude

Prayer and meditation

25/12/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): joy, serenity, happiness

When Christ is your friend, you have joy, serenity, happiness.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) December 25, 2015

Poverty is not made by God

24/12/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): He becomes small to help us love

God is in love with us.He becomes small to help us love him in return.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) 24 Décembre 2015

Be mindful

19/12/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): Mercy opens the heart to the hope of an eternal love

Mercy is the path uniting God with man, for it opens the heart to the hope of an eternal love (MV 2).

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) December 19, 2015

When my arms

God's kindness

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.” Mother Teresa

Pope approves Mother Teresa sainthood

Mother Teresa, celebrated for her work with the poor in the Indian city of Kolkata, is expected to be canonised as part of the Pope's Jubilee Year of Mercy.

(http://www.news.va/en/news/blessed-teresa-of-calcutta-to-be-made-a-saint)

Indian among 17 to advance on sainthood track

Father Joseph Vithayathi, one of the founders of the Sisters of the Holy Family congregation, has been declared a venerable, the second in the four-stage canonization process.

On December 14, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate decrees recognizing the heroic virtues of Father Vithayathil and 16 others from various parts of the world.

(http://mattersindia.com/2015/12/indian-among-17-to-advance-on-sainthood-track/)

8/12/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): the Jubilee of Mercy - bring us all closer to God’s goodness and love

May the Jubilee of Mercy bring us all closer to God’s goodness and love!

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) 8 Décembre 2015

14/12/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): to convey the tenderness of Christ to those who are most in need

One goal for each day: to convey the tenderness of Christ to those who are most in need.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) 14 Décembre 2015

Obstáculos

É bom que tenhamos considerado as insídias destes inimigos da alma: a desordem da sensualidade e a leviandade; o desatino da razão que se opõe ao Senhor; a presunção altaneira, esterilizadora do amor a Deus e às criaturas. Todas estas disposições de ânimo são obstáculos certos e o seu poder perturbador é grande.

São Josemaría Escrivá

(http://opusdei.pt/pt-pt/)

Vida interior

Vida interior, em primeiro lugar. Há ainda tão pouca gente que entenda isto! Ao ouvir falar de vida interior, pensa-se logo na obscuridade do templo, quando não no ambiente abafado de algumas sacristias.

São Josemaría Escrivá

(http://opusdei.pt/pt-pt/)

Without God

Sometimes God's blessings

S. João da Cruz, Cântico Espiritual. 3, 2

«Muitos gostariam que Deus
não lhes custasse mais do que falar,
e até isso mal feito,
não querendo fazer por Ele
praticamente nada que lhes dê trabalho.
Alguns nem se mexem do lugar
dos seus gostos e consolações,
pois querem, deste modo,
que o sabor de Deus lhes chegasse à boca e ao coração
sem darem um passo
ou renunciar a qualquer dos seus gostos,
consolações e desejos inúteis.
Enquanto não se decidirem a procurá-l’O,
apesar de muito gritarem por Deus,
nunca O encontrarão.»

(http://orar.carmelitas.pt/)

Serva de Deus Irmã Lúcia de Jesus, Apelos da Mensagem de Fátima, cap. 19

«A base fundamental
da nossa fé
é a humildade;
Cristo ensina-a,
dando-nos o exemplo.»

(http://orar.carmelitas.pt/)

Advento

Começa hoje o tempo do Advento e é bom que tenhamos considerado as insídias destes inimigos da alma: a desordem da sensualidade e a leviandade; o desatino da razão que se opõe ao Senhor; a presunção altaneira, esterilizadora do amor a Deus e às criaturas.

Todas estas disposições de ânimo são obstáculos certos e o seu poder perturbador é grande.

São Josemaría Escrivá

(http://opusdei.pt/pt-pt/)

The Lord

O sentido divino de todas as coisas

Se o mundo saiu das mãos de Deus, se Ele criou o homem à sua imagem e semelhança e lhe deu uma chispa da sua luz, o trabalho da inteligência deve ser – embora seja um trabalho duro – desentranhar o sentido divino que naturalmente já têm todas as coisas. (Cristo que passa, 10)

São Josemaría Escrivá

(http://opusdei.pt/pt-pt/)

Santa Teresa do Menino Jesus, Manuscrito B. 3vº

"à lei do temor sucedeu a lei do Amor"

(http://orar.carmelitas.pt/)

If anyone gives

Let all that you do, be done in Love

Stick to your daily periods of prayer

How is your life of prayer going? In the periods expressly reserved for this rendezvous with our Lord, the heart is broadened, the will is strengthened, the mind, helped by grace, fills the world of human reality with supernatural content. The results come in the form of clear, practical resolutions to improve your conduct, to deal more charitably with all men, to spare no efforts — like good athletes — in this christian struggle of love and peace.

In order to reach sanctity, an ordinary Christian — who is not a religious — has no reason to abandon the world, since that is precisely where he is to find Christ. He needs no external signs, such as a habit or insignias. All the signs of his dedication are internal: a constant presence of God and a spirit of mortification. As a matter of fact, only one thing is necessary, because mortification is nothing more than prayer of the senses. (Christ is passing by, 8-9)

Saint Josemaría

(http://www.opusdei.org.in/en-in/)

The Man may not despise his bodily life (Catechism of the Catholic Church, §364) - Health, Vitamin D

Blood levels of vitamin D are associated with lower incidence of most cancers, heart disease, and dementia. Vitamin D protects against brittle bones and auto-immune diseases and dramatically lowers the incidence of cold and flu. Also “asthma, diabetes, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and cognitive decline.” The RDA of vitamin D is absurdly low, and also inconsistent with the recommended blood levels. Many people have to take thousands of IU daily to get their blood levels into the ‘normal range’ of 30-74 ng/ml, especially in the winter when there is no sun to supplement dietary vitamin D.

 Vitamin D deficiency is a public health concern. Mediated by classical endocrine effects, vitamin D deficiency is causally linked with bone and calcium disorders. Non-endocrine actions of vitamin D are also widely recognised and these effects are mediated by local tissue activation of vitamin D bringing about intracrine effects in non-classical sites. Supported by large volumes of observational studies linking low circulating vitamin D with negative outcomes for many common disease states, there is growing interest that vitamin D may be central to the pathology and outcomes of many common diseases, including cardiovascular, cancer and autoimmune conditions. This article explores the quality of evidence linking vitamin D and various disease outcomes, and furthermore describes some of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of vitamin D action that may help explain some of the incongruity of data observed in observational versus interventional studies of vitamin D supplementation. 

(See more in: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26634683)

Santa Teresa Benedicta da Cruz (Edith Stein), Cartas

«A vontade de Deus
é a nossa santificação.
Se não chegamos a ser santos,
somos culpáveis perante Deus
de não termos realizado o plano
para o qual nos criou.
E isto seguramente não é indiferente.
Tudo nos ajuda a clarificar
o que a vontade de Deus é para nós.» 

(http://orar.carmelitas.pt/)

Edith Theresa Hedwing Stein foi uma filósofa e teóloga alemã. De origem judia, converteu-se posteriormente ao catolicismo, tornando-se carmelita descalça. Segunda mulher a defender uma tese de doutorado em Filosofia na Alemanha, foi discípula e depois assistente de Edmund Husserl, o fundador da fenomenologia. Morreu aos 51 anos, no campo de concentração de Auschwitz-Birkenau em 9 de agosto de 1942. Em 11 de outubro de 1998, foi canonizada pelo papa João Paulo II, como Santa Teresa Benedita da Cruz. (https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Stein)

Advent and Mercy of God

“Mercy, once again, is revealed as a fundamental aspect of Jesus’ mission. This is truly challenging to his hearers, who would draw the line at a formal respect for the law. Jesus, on the other hand, goes beyond the law; the company he keeps with those the law considers sinners makes us realize the depth of his mercy.

“The Apostle Paul makes a similar journey. Prior to meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, he dedicated his life to pursuing the justice of the law with zeal (cf. Phil 3:6). His conversion to Christ led him to turn that vision upside down, to the point that he would write to the Galatians: ‘We have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified’ (2:16).

“Paul’s understanding of justice changes radically. He now places faith first, not justice. Salvation comes not through the observance of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, who in his death and resurrection brings salvation together with a mercy that justifies. God’s justice now becomes the liberating force for those oppressed by slavery to sin and its consequences. God’s justice is his mercy (cf. Ps 51:11-16).”

Pope Francis
Misericordiae Vultus, no. 20

(www.stjosemaria.org)

The Man may not despise his bodily life (Catechism of the Catholic Church, §364) - Health, Metformin

Metformin is a drug that has been used to treat diabetes for long time, but it is only recently that epidemiologists have begun to notice that patients on metformin have lower rates of cancer and heart disease.

(See more in: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26475449)

La colombe de la paix

ELLE EST ARRIVÉE CHEZ MOI, ELLE EST ENTRÉE

NOUS AVONS DIALOGUE ENSEMBLE ET ELLE EST REPARTIE. 

ELLE ARRIVE CHEZ TOI...

                          
en faisant suivre cette image       

la colombe de la paix voyagera de maison en maison,

de foyer en foyer, de bureau en bureau, d'ordinateur à ordinateur..

Notre colombe parcourt le monde entier en emportant nos soucis avec elle.

A luta contra a soberba há-de ser constante

Grande coisa é saber-se nada diante de Deus, porque é assim mesmo (Sulco, 260).

O outro inimigo, escreve S. João, é a concupiscência dos olhos, uma avareza de fundo que nos leva a valorizar apenas o que se pode tocar. Os olhos ficam como que pegados às coisas terrenas e, por isso mesmo, não sabem descobrir as realidades sobrenaturais. Podemos, portanto, socorrer-nos desta expressão da Sagrada Escritura para nos referirmos à avareza dos bens materiais e, além disso, àquela deformação que nos leva a observar o que nos rodeia - os outros, as circunstâncias da nossa vida e do nosso tempo - só com visão humana.

Os olhos da alma embotam-se; a razão crê-se auto-suficiente para compreender todas as coisas, prescindindo de Deus. É uma tentação subtil, que se apoia na dignidade da inteligência, da inteligência que o nosso Pai, Deus, deu ao homem para que O conheça e O ame livremente. Arrastada por essa tentação, a inteligência humana considera-se o centro do universo, entusiasma-se de novo com a falsa promessa da serpente, sereis como deuses, e, enchendo-se de amor por si mesma, volta as costas ao amor de Deus.

(...) A luta contra a soberba há-de ser constante, pois não se disse já, dum modo tão gráfico, que essa paixão só morre um dia depois da morte da pessoa? É a altivez do fariseu, a quem Deus se mostra renitente em justificar por encontrar nele uma barreira de auto-suficiência. É a arrogância que conduz a desprezar os outros homens, a dominá-los, a maltratá-los, porque, onde houver soberba aí haverá também ofensa e desonra. (Cristo que passa, 6).

São Josemaría Escrivá

(http://opusdei.pt/pt-pt/)

29/11/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): Christians are called to witness to the God who is Love

Where there is violence and hatred, Christians are called to witness to the God who is Love.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) November 29, 2015

Paris

O que prescreve o sétimo mandamento?

O sétimo mandamento prescreve o respeito dos bens alheios, mediante a prática da justiça e da caridade, da temperança e da solidariedade. Em particular, exige o respeito das promessas e dos contractos estipulados; a reparação da injustiça cometida e a restituição do mal feito; o respeito pela integridade da criação mediante o uso prudente e moderado dos recursos minerais, vegetais e animais que há no universo, com especial atenção para com as espécies ameaçadas de extinção.

 

(http://www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_po.html)

Happiness

When we pray

Yes, I'm a Christian

My To-do List for today

19/11/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): All human persons are important

All human persons – all of us – are important in God’s eyes.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) November 19, 2015

China’s Catholic Priests put faith in recruitment drive

"Roman Catholics are rapidly increasing in larger cities across China, but efforts to train more priests have been held back by the lack of applicants for seminaries, according to the Shanghai-based China Daily newspaper.

Zou Yunlong, a 32-year-old student at the National Seminary of the Catholic Church in Beijing, told China Daily of the cost of being a Roman Catholic priest, including being forbidden to get married and have children, living and possibly dying alone, and constant readiness to serve his parishioners at any hour of the day for the rest of his life.

“Your parents will lose the person they should rely on in the future,” he said. “It’s a process of constant self-reflection to see if I am fit for the priesthood.”"

(http://mattersindia.com/chinas-catholic-priests-put-faith-in-recruitment-drive/)

Qual é o fim da propriedade privada?

O fim da propriedade privada é a garantia da liberdade e da dignidade de cada uma das pessoas, ajudando-as a satisfazer as necessidades fundamentais próprias daqueles por quem se tem a responsabilidade e dos outros que vivem em necessidade.

 

(http://www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_po.html)

Calma, deixa correr o tempo

Estás intranquilo. – Olha: aconteça o que acontecer na tua vida interior ou no mundo que te rodeia, nunca te esqueças de que a importância dos acontecimentos ou das pessoas é muito relativa. – Calma. Deixa correr o tempo; e, depois, olhando de longe e sem paixão os factos e as pessoas, adquirirás a perspectiva, porás cada coisa no seu lugar e de acordo com o seu verdadeiro tamanho. Se assim fizeres, serás mais justo e evitarás muitas preocupações. (Caminho, 702)

São Josemaría Escrivá

(http://opusdei.pt/pt-pt/)

Eucharistic meet mourns Paris carnage

Cardinal Oswald Gracias invites the delegates to spend a few moments of silence to pray for the victims of the terrorist attack in Paris (Facebook photo)

 

Mumbai: Friday’s carnage in Paris cast a shadow over the ongoing Eucharistic Congress in Goregaon as well.

Archbishop Oswald Cardinal Gracias, of of Bombay  led the 850 delegates in observing a few moments of silence to pray for the victims who perished in the serial attacks.

Later in the evening, a mass pilgrimage was undertaken to the shrine of Our Lady of Vailankanni in Uttan, and here too, the congregation mourned the innocent loss of lives.

(http://mattersindia.com/eucharistic-meet-mourns-paris-carnage/)

All you need

Santo Agostinho - Soberba e humildade

Agarathala diocese witnesses a record gathering

Eucharistic Procession at Agarthala diocese

Agartala 8 Nov, 2015: More than nine thousand faithful from all parts of the state converged at Agartala today to be part of the The 7th Annual Eucharistic Procession, making it a record of sorts in the 19 year old diocese.

(http://mattersindia.com/agarathala-diocese-witness-a-record-gathering-for-eucharistic-procession/)

The quieter you become, the more you can hear

14 - Humildade e gratidão

Pensa sempre que tens e sempre tiveste mais do que mereces.

Baseado no livro “A Prática da Humildade”, de Gioacchino Pecci (Papa Leão XIII), Paulus Editora, 2014, pag 24

13 - Procura sempre o último lugar

Procura sempre o último lugar com a convicção sincera de que, precisamente por ser o último, é o mais adequado para ti. Do mesmo modo, nas necessidades da vida quotidiana, não aspires às coisas mais sofisticadas, preferindo antes as mais simples e modestas.

Baseado no livro “A Prática da Humildade”, de Gioacchino Pecci (Papa Leão XIII), Paulus Editora, 2014, pag 23

Blessings for a lovely day

A Healthy Self-esteem

Developing a strong Christian personality: "If we are to judge ourselves truthfully, we need to acquire self-knowledge. This is not at all an easy job and is in some sense a never-ending learning process."

The light of faith enables us to rightly judge our achievements and failures. The serene acceptance of our own identity shapes our way of being and acting in society. It also fosters self-confidence and lessens fear and shyness, and helps prevent us from acting rashly; it makes it easier for us to be open to others and to new situations while fostering optimism and cheerfulness.

The positive or negative view we have of ourselves depends on self-knowledge and the fulfilment of the goals we each set for ourselves. To a great extent these goals take as their point of departure the role models we choose of men or women we hope to emulate. These models are presented to us in many different ways, for example through the education we receive at home, through the influence of our friends or acquaintances, and through the ideas prevalent in our particular social milieu. And so it is important to define our reference points, for if they are high and noble, they will foster a healthy self-esteem. It is also helpful to be aware of the role models prevalent in our society as a whole, as they can more or less consciously influence our own self-evaluation.

Sometimes we can form a distorted judgment about ourselves by adopting standards of success that can in fact be unrealistic or even harmful: professional success at any price, self-centered sentimental relationships, pleasure-based lifestyles. We might overvalue ourselves after attaining goals that some people seem to appreciate. Or the reverse is also possible: we might undervalue ourselves for not having reached certain goals or because some people don’t seem to appreciate us. These mistaken appraisals are due in large measure to paying too much attention to those who evaluate people exclusively in terms of what they achieve or possess.

To avoid such risks, it is worthwhile asking ourselves what our reference points are in our professional, family and social life and whether these are compatible with a Christian perspective. We also know that, in the end, Christ is the only complete and fully coherent model for our life. Looking at our life in the light of his is the best way to evaluate ourselves, for we know that Jesus is our closest role model, with whom we have a personal and loving relationship.

If we are to judge ourselves truthfully, we need to acquire self-knowledge. This is not at all an easy job and is in some sense a never-ending learning process. If it is impossible for us to even know exactly what our own voice sounds like or what our physical appearance is for others, how much more do we need to admit that we are not the best judges in assessing our own personality traits.

Besides personal reflection, self-knowledge comes from what others teach us about ourselves. This requires learning how to open up to those who can truly help us: what a wonderful means we have in personal spiritual direction! There we receive another person’s advice and consider it in relation to a truly worthwhile ideal for our life. Self-knowledge is also gained by our interaction with those around us, although we have to be on guard against a superficial environment that can hinder self-reflection and make it harder for us to get to know ourselves truly.

Therefore we need to foster personal reflection and ask ourselves how God sees us. Prayer is the best moment for this, since while getting to know God we also get to know ourselves with the help of his light. Among other things, we will seek his help to understand better the comments and advice we receive from others. In some cases, we will see the need to distance ourselves from other people’s judgements that are not very objective or perhaps given thoughtlessly, above all when they judge according to criteria incompatible with God’s will. We need to be selective in who we pay more attention to.

Moreover, since we are all partly responsible for the self-esteem of those around us, we need to do all we can to make sure our words reflect consideration for each person we encounter, seeing each as a child of God. This is especially so if we have a position of authority or guidance over others (a parent-child or teacher-student relationship, etc.), trying to ensure that our advice and suggestions help to reaffirm the conviction of their own worth, even when the need arises to correct with clarity. By doing so, we provide others with the “oxygen,” the hope they need to breathe and grow on their own.

Self-acceptance: God loves us as we are

When we reflect upon our own way of being in God’s light, we are helped to accept ourselves as we are: with our talents and virtues, but also with the defects that we humbly acknowledge. True self-esteem implies recognizing that we are not all equal and that other people may be more intelligent, more musical, more athletic.... We all possess good qualities we can develop, and even more importantly, we are all God’s children. Here lies the key to genuine self-acceptance, the positive sense of the self-esteem we need, rejecting any undue comparisons with others that could lead to sadness.

In the final analysis, we will accept ourselves as we are if we do not lose sight of the fact that God loves us with our limitations, which form part of our path to holiness and are the raw material for our personal struggle. 

Facing success and failure

This supernatural vantage point gives us a better grasp of our own way of being and life story, and enables us to understand its full meaning. Temporal events and achievements are seen in their true perspective, in the light of eternity. Thus, while happy to see we have been successful in some area, we also know that what is truly important is how it has helped us grow in holiness. This is Christian realism, human and supernatural maturity. Just as we should not be carried away by our own success or the praise received from others, neither should we fall into pessimism when facing failure.

At the same time, admitting that external obstacles and our own imperfections limit our achievements helps shape our self-esteem, grounds personal maturity and opens the door to genuine learning. Growing in true knowledge requires recognizing our deficiencies and being ready to glean positive experiences from whatever happens to us. “You say you’ve failed! We never fail. You placed your confidence wholly in God. And you did not neglect any human means. Convince yourself of this truth: your success—this time—was to fail. Give thanks to our Lord, and try again!” (Saint Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, no. 404). We are now ready to set out upon the way of the Cross, which teaches us the paradox of strength in weakness, greatness in poverty, growth in humiliation, with all its extraordinary effectiveness.

Acting with confidence and a readiness to rectify

Self-confidence is more secure when it rests on knowing we are God’s beloved children and not on the certitude of attaining a success that often eludes us. This conviction enables us to accept the risk involved in any decision, to overcome the paralysis of insecurity and to be open to new situations. “A person is prudent not because he never makes a mistake, but because he corrects his errors. He shows his prudence in preferring to miss the mark twenty times rather than give in to an easy-going ‘do nothing’ attitude. He won’t rush into things foolishly or behave with absurd rashness. He will run the risk of his decisions. Fear of failure will not make him give up in his effort to do good.”(Saint Josemaría Escrivá, Friends of God, no. 88).

 

Given our human limitations and our need to grow in self-knowledge, rectifying means a personal enrichment that leads both to an increase in our self-confidence and in our trust in those around us. 

An indispensable virtue

Self-esteem ultimately flourishes under the shelter of humility, “for this is the virtue which helps us to recognize, at one and the same time, both our wretchedness and our greatness.” When this attitude is missing, problems related to self-esteem may easily arise. But when humility is present, it brings with it a realism that enables us to evaluate ourselves correctly. While we are not impeccable, neither are we totally corrupt! We are children of God, and our shortcomings rest on an unimagined dignity.

Humility engenders an interior atmosphere that allows us to know ourselves as we truly are. And it moves us to sincerely seek the support of others and also to lend them ours. In the end, each and every one of us needs God.

(http://opusdei.org.in/en-in/article/a-healthy-self-esteem/)

Cada um é um lugar para os outros

«Não acredito que cada um tenha o seu lugar. Acredito que cada um é um lugar para os outros.» [Daniel Faria, in O Livro do Joaquim]

(http://abrigodossabios-paulo.blogspot.in/)

Ordination of Oskari: de Google a la entrega a Dios

12 - Respeito, reverência, estima, consideração e bondade

Mostra sempre um grande respeito, reverência, estima, consideração e bondade para com os teus superiores, os teus iguais e os teus subordinados. Convence-te de que qualquer desvio a este imperativo apenas é o resultado de uma alma dominada pela soberba.

Baseado no livro “A Prática da Humildade”, de Gioacchino Pecci (Papa Leão XIII), Paulus Editora, 2014, pag 22

Dialogue with all

Join the St. Josemaria Institute in praying through the intercession of St Josemaria for the Holy Father’s intentions for the month of November:

That we may be open to personal encounter and dialogue with all, even those whose convictions differ from our own.  And, that pastors of the Church, with profound love for their flocks, may accompany them and enliven their hope.

(www.stjosemaria.org)

11 - Esforça-te por saber qual é o teu dever

Reprime com toda a energia a curiosidade vã e inútil. Não te afadigues por ver as coisas que o mundo tem por belas, raras e magníficas. Esforça-te pelo contrário por saber qual é o teu dever e aquilo que é benéfico para tua salvação.

Baseado no livro “A Prática da Humildade”, de Gioacchino Pecci (Papa Leão XIII), Paulus Editora, 2014, pag 21

After death you will be welcomed by Love itself

The spirit of penance consists mainly in the fulfillment of the duty of each moment, however costly it may be. (The Way of the Cross, Ninth Station, 5)

Saint Josemaría

(http://www.opusdei.org.in/en-in/)

10 - Foge de tudo o que lembra o espírito mundano

Nas conversas, não te rias dos outros nem os reprendas com palavras e sarcasmos; foge de tudo o que lembra o espírito mundano. Não fales das coisas espirituais em tom magistral ou à maneira de repreensão, a não ser que a isso sejas obrigado pelo teu cargo ou pela caridade. Contenta-te em consultar os que delas entendem e que sabes que te podem dar conselhos oportunos, porque o quereres armar-te em mestre sem necessidade é acrescentar lenha ao fogo que se consome em fumaça de soberba.

Baseado no livro “A Prática da Humildade”, de Gioacchino Pecci (Papa Leão XIII), Paulus Editora, 2014, pag 20

The Pope on Blessed Oscar Romero: his impact is still felt in our time

"Vatican City, 30 October 2015 (VIS) – This morning five hundred pilgrims from El Salvador, in Rome to give thanks for the beatification of the bishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, met with the Holy Father in the Paul VI Hall. The Pope defined the Salvadoran bishop martyr as a “good pastor, full of love for God and close to his brothers who, living the dynamism of the Beatitudes, gave his life in a violent way while celebrating the Eucharist, the supreme sacrifice of love, sealing with his own blood the Gospel that he announced”.

“From the very beginning of the life of the Church, Christians have always believed that the blood of martyrs is a seed for Christians, as Tertullian said. Today too, in a dramatic way, the blood of a great number of Christian martyrs continues to be shed on the field of the world, with the certain hope that will bear fruit in a rich harvest of holiness, justice, reconciliation and love of God. But we must remember that one is not born a martyr. Archbishop Romero remarked, 'We must be willing to die for our faith, even if the Lord does not grant us this honour. ... Giving life does not only mean being assassinated; giving life, having the spirit of martyrdom, means offering it in silence, in prayer, in the honest fulfilment of one's duty; in this silence of everyday life, giving life a little at a time'”.

“Indeed, the martyr is not someone relegated to the past, a beautiful image that adorns our churches and which we recall with a certain nostalgia. No, the martyr is a brother, a sister, who continues to accompany us in the communion of saints and who, united with Christ, does not ignore our earthly pilgrimage, our sufferings, our anxieties. In the recent history of this beloved country, the witness of Msgr. Romero has joined that of the other brothers and sisters … who are a treasure and well-founded hope for the Church and for Salvadoran society. The impact of his commitment can still be felt in our times”.

Just a few weeks before the beginning of the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the example of Msgr. Romero constitutes, for his beloved nation, a “stimulus to a renewed proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to announce it in a way that all people can understand, so that the merciful love of the Divine Saviour enters the heart and the history of this good people. The holy people of God in pilgrimage in El Salvador have a series of difficult tasks ahead of them, which require, as in the rest of the world, an evangelising announcement that allows witness, in the communion of Christ's one Church, of authentic Christian life”.

“On this occasion, I make my own the sentiments of the Blessed Msgr. Romero, who with the well-founded hope longed to see the happy time when the terrible suffering of many of our brothers, due to hate, violence and injustice, would disappear. May the Lord, with a shower of mercy and goodness and a torrent of grace convert all hearts, and may the beautiful homeland He has given you, that bears the name of the Divine Saviour, be transform into a country where all are redeemed and all are brothers, without differences, since we are all one in Christ our Lord”.

The Holy Father concluded with some unscripted remarks. “I wish to add something we are forgetting”, he said. “The martyrdom of Msgr. Romero was not fulfilled at the moment of his death – it was a martyrdom of witness, of prior suffering and prior persecution, up to his death. But even afterwards, following his death – I was a young priest and a witness to this – he was defamed, slandered, his memory despoiled, and his martyrdom continued also for his brethren in the priesthood and in the episcopate. This is not hearsay, but rather things I have heard. Or perhaps it is best to see it thus: a man who continues to be a martyr. After having given his life, he continues to give it by allowing himself to be assailed by all this misunderstanding and slander. This gives me strength. Only God knows the stories of those people who have given their lives, who have died, and continue to be stoned with the hardest stone that exists in the world: language”."

(http://www.news.va/en/news/the-pope-on-blessed-oscar-romero-his-impact-is-sti)