Vanity not only distances us from God: it makes us look ridiculous.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) October 31, 2015Pope Francis
Saturday, 31 October 2015
31/10/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): Vanity distances us from God and makes us look ridiculous
Friday, 30 October 2015
Look at things with a supernatural perspective
There is a remedy for those anxieties of yours. Be patient, have
rectitude of intention and look at things with a supernatural
perspective. (Furrow, 853)
Let us try, therefore, never to lose our supernatural outlook.
Let us see the hand of God in everything that happens to us: both in
pleasant and unpleasant things, in times of consolation and in times of
sorrow, as in the death of someone we love. (Friends of God, 247)
Saint Josemaría
Thursday, 29 October 2015
7 - O reino do amor-próprio, esse terreno abominável onde se aninham e crescem desmedidamente o orgulho e a presunção
Não penses que adquirirás a humildade sem as práticas que a ela estão ligadas: os actos de mansidão, de paciência, de obediência, de mortificação, de ódio a ti mesmo, de renúncia ao teu sentimento e às tuas opiniões, de arrependimento dos teus pecados, etc. porque somente estas armas poderão vencer em ti o reino do amor-próprio, esse terreno abominável de onde brotam todos os vícios e onde se aninham e crescem desmedidamente o teu orgulho e a tua presunção.
Baseado no livro “A Prática da Humildade”, de Gioacchino Pecci (Papa Leão XIII), Paulus Editora, 2014, pag 17
Baseado no livro “A Prática da Humildade”, de Gioacchino Pecci (Papa Leão XIII), Paulus Editora, 2014, pag 17
Wednesday, 28 October 2015
How many obstacles vanish…
The majority of people who have personal problems ``have them'' because they selfishly think about themselves. (The Forge, 310)
Most of the obstacles to our happiness come from our pride, which may be hidden to a greater or less degree. We had thought we were worth a great deal and had a lot of exceptional qualities; then, when others didn't agree, we felt humiliated. This is a good time to pray and to correct our mistaken attitude. We can be sure it is never too late to change our course. But it's wise to start changing it as soon as possible. (Friends of God, 249)
Most of the obstacles to our happiness come from our pride, which may be hidden to a greater or less degree. We had thought we were worth a great deal and had a lot of exceptional qualities; then, when others didn't agree, we felt humiliated. This is a good time to pray and to correct our mistaken attitude. We can be sure it is never too late to change our course. But it's wise to start changing it as soon as possible. (Friends of God, 249)
Saint Josemaría
Tuesday, 27 October 2015
Venerável Pe. Maria-Eugénio do Menino Jesus, Acreditai na Loucura do Amor que está em Deus, p. 32
O amor de Deus é infinito;
Ele encontra a Sua alegria
em Se dar.
A grande felicidade de Deus
é a de dar o Seu amor.
(http://orar.carmelitas.pt/)
Ele encontra a Sua alegria
em Se dar.
A grande felicidade de Deus
é a de dar o Seu amor.
(http://orar.carmelitas.pt/)
Nunca perder de vista o sobrenatural
Um remédio contra essas tuas inquietações: ter paciência, rectidão de intenção e olhar as coisas com perspectiva sobrenatural. (Sulco, 853)
São Josemaría Escrivá
27/10/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): Parents, “waste time” with your children is one of the most important things that you can do each day
Parents, can you “waste time” with your children? It is one of the most important things that you can do each day.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) October 27, 2015Monday, 26 October 2015
Something great and new: Love
It is in the simplicity of your ordinary work, in the monotonous details of each day, that you have to find the secret, which is hidden from so many, of something great and new: Love.
Saint Josemaría
Santa Maria de Jesus Crucificado, Elevações Espirituais, 57
Senhor,
Peço-te a Tua graça
para que vele
sobre as minhas moções interiores,
e saiba acolher, dialogar,
perdoar, amar,
ajudar.
(http://orar.carmelitas.pt/)
Peço-te a Tua graça
para que vele
sobre as minhas moções interiores,
e saiba acolher, dialogar,
perdoar, amar,
ajudar.
(http://orar.carmelitas.pt/)
Oração constante, de manhã à noite
Este é o comportamento certo: oração constante, de manhã à noite e da noite até de manhã. Quando tudo sai com facilidade: obrigado, meu Deus! Quando chega um momento difícil: Senhor, não me abandones! A verdadeira oração, a que absorve todo o indivíduo, não a favorece tanto a solidão do deserto como o recolhimento interior.
São Josemaría Escrivá
Mass at Santa Marta, 22/10/2015 - One step each day
As an athlete must train every day to
achieve his goals, so too the life of a Christian is to be marked by a constant
effort, a “daily task” of making room for God, to “open the door” to the gift
of salvific grace. Pope Francis offered a reflection marked by Pauline thought
during the Mass he celebrated at Santa Marta on Thursday morning, 22 October.
The underlying theme was that of conversion.
Sunday, 25 October 2015
The Man may not despise his bodily life (Catechism of the Catholic Church, §364) - Health, If olive oil is high in fat, why is it considered healthy?
The main type of fat found in all kinds of olive oil is
monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). MUFAs are actually considered a
healthy dietary fat. If your diet replaces saturated and trans fats with
unsaturated fats such as MUFAs and polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), you
may gain certain health benefits.
MUFAs and PUFAs may help lower your risk of heart disease by
improving related risk factors. For instance, MUFAs have been found to
lower your total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
levels. MUFAs may also help normalize blood clotting. And some research
shows that MUFAs may also benefit insulin levels and blood sugar
control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes.
But even healthier fats like olive oil are high in calories, so use
them only in moderation. Choose MUFA-rich foods such as olive oil in
place of other fatty foods — particularly butter and stick margarine —
not in addition to them. And remember that you can't make unhealthy
foods healthier simply by adding olive oil to them.
Saturday, 24 October 2015
24/10/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): Economic development needs to have a human face
Economic development needs to have a human face, so that no one will be excluded.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) 24 Octobre 2015
Em que condições existe o direito à propriedade privada?
O direito à
propriedade privada existe se ela for adquirida ou recebida de modo justo e
desde que seja respeitado o destino universal dos bens para a satisfação das
necessidades fundamentais de todos os homens.
Friday, 23 October 2015
22/10/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): In the poor we see the face of Christ
In the poor, we see the face of Christ who for our sake became poor.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) 22 Octobre 2015Thursday, 22 October 2015
Qual é a vontade de Deus? A vontade de Deus é o Amor.
O nosso único dever é o Amor. E, quando a
gente diz: «Seja feita a vossa vontade», sabe de antemão que isso significa
«Seja cumprido, actualizado, redesenhado o Amor.»
José Tolentino Mendonça, in Pai-nosso que estais na terra
Monday, 19 October 2015
Sunday, 18 October 2015
Beata Maria Josefina de Jesus Crucificado, Diário II, pg. 97
Senhor,
que eu feche as minhas portas interiores
a todo o ressentimento,
maledicência,
incompreensão.
Que não me deixe afectar excessivamente
pelo que é menos bom,
mas que as portas do meu coração
se abram de par em par
para deixar sair atitudes de perdão,
de bondade e de amor
para com todos.
Senhor, não quero que nenhum fio
me ate às criaturas ou a qualquer coisa da terra.
Deixa-me ficar no entanto, Senhor,
os fios da piedade,
da caridade,
da compaixão,
e da bondade.
(http://orar.carmelitas.pt/)
Amar com todo o coração a pobreza
Se estamos perto de Cristo e seguimos as suas pegadas, temos de amar com todo o coração a pobreza, o desprendimento dos bens terrenos, as privações. (Forja, 997)
São Josemaría Escrivá
Saturday, 17 October 2015
Queres deveras ser santo?
Queres deveras ser santo? – Cumpre o pequeno dever de cada momento faz o que deves e está no que fazes. (Caminho, 815)
São Josemaría Escrivá
Wednesday, 14 October 2015
13/10/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): Without solidarity, our faith is dead
Let us learn solidarity. Without solidarity, our faith is dead.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) 13 Octobre 2015
Tuesday, 13 October 2015
God in the breathing
The word "spirit" has its etymological root from the Latin "spiritus" which means "breath".
The man is an indivisible unity of body, mind and spirit, and the latter has as its physical basis the breathing.
Breathing is a "wind" or "breath of life" that God breathed into man's nostrils at Creation (Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.").
Breathing is a divine "wind" that accompanies the man in his earthly life. In ancient times, the breath and what it carried (the sound, the voice, the word, the name) contained life. In Christianity it is said that God breathed into the clay to generate the man.
The attention to the breath is mostly a reunion with God, a reunion with our physical base that sustains our spiritual life.
In difficult times, the re-encounter with breathing is a kind of a reunion with God. And when the breath is shallow, careless and fast we can also say that, somehow, so also is our relationship with God. Perhaps because breathing is shallow, careless and fast when we are inattentive and fast surface with our neighbors.
Saturday, 10 October 2015
Deus na respiração
A palavra "espírito" tem sua raiz etimológica do Latim "spiritus" que significa "respiração" ou "sopro".
O homem é uma unidade indivisível de corpo, mente e espírito, e este último, tem como base física a respiração. A respiração é um "vento" ou "fôlego de vida" soprado por Deus nas narinas do homem na Criação (Génesis 2:7). A respiração é um "vento" divino destinado a acompanhar o Homem na sua vida terrena.
Na Antiguidade, o sopro e o que ele portava (o som, a voz, a palavra, o
nome) continha a vida. No crstianismo diz-se que Deus soprou
o barro para gerar o Homem.
A atenção à respiração é sobretudo um reencontro com Deus, é um reencontro com a nossa base fìsica que sustenta a nossa vida espiritual.
Em momentos mais difíceis, o reencontro com a respiração é uma espécie de um reencontro com Deus. E quando a respiração é superficial, desatenta e rápida também podemos dizer que, de algum modo, também assim é a nossa relação com Deus. Talvez também porque a respiração é superficial, desatenta e rápida quando somos superficiais desatentos e rápidos com o nosso próximo.
The Man may not despise his bodily life (Catechism of the Catholic Church, §364) - Health, Dieters: Don't Replace Saturated Fats With Processed Carbs
TUESDAY,
Sept. 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) - When trimming saturated fat from
your diet, subbing in whole-grain foods helps your heart, but turning to
white bread doesn't, a new study shows.
"This is very important stuff," said Dr. Robert Vogel, a cardiologist at the University of Colorado, Denver, who wrote a commentary accompanying the published study. "If you substitute high-quality carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, then lives are saved. It's that simple."
"Folks don't just spontaneously drop a few hundred calories of saturated fat out of their diets without replacing them with something else," explained study first co-author Adela Hruby, a research fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. "The 'something else' makes a difference to their health."
The researchers found that when the men and women replaced 5 percent of their saturated fat calories with healthier polyunsaturated fats, such as those found in nuts, the risk for coronary heart disease dropped by 25 percent.
Replacement with monounsaturated fats such as olive oil dropped risk by 15 percent, and replacement with whole-grain carbs was linked with a 9 percent decrease in heart disease risk.
But subbing in processed carbs such as white bread or white rice for saturated fat had no effect on risk for heart disease.
This lack of effect means that saturated fat, found in animal products like butter and red meat, looks neutral for heart disease only when it's compared to eating refined carbs and sugar instead. Compared to other options, though, it's the non-heart-healthy choice.
The findings also mean that consumers should get rid of saturated fat, said Michelle Cardel, a spokesperson for the Obesity Society and an assistant professor in the department of health outcomes and policy at the University of Florida, in Gainesville.
"Rather than trying to add more healthy fat into your diet, the focus should be on replacing saturated fats with healthy fats," Cardel said. "You can replace them with foods high in healthy fats, including fatty fish like salmon, avocados, nuts and seeds."
Vogel has some very specific advice for the health-conscious consumer. "If you insist on meat, eat lean meat," he said. "Poultry would be better than [red] meat, white meat poultry would be better than dark meat, and fish would be better than poultry."
When it comes to carbs, said Vogel, check the nutrition labels for two key features of whole grains. "A whole grain is something where the first ingredient says 'whole grain,' not the third or the fifth, but the first," he said. The second feature is that the whole-grain food contains at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. He added, "5 grams would be better, 7 would be better still."
Foods with healthier polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, such as walnuts, salmon and olive oil have been a part of other delicious dietary patterns, like the Mediterranean diet, for decades, maybe even centuries.
Vogel said that people don't need to retrain their taste buds to eat healthier - "they have to retrain their brains."
"This is very important stuff," said Dr. Robert Vogel, a cardiologist at the University of Colorado, Denver, who wrote a commentary accompanying the published study. "If you substitute high-quality carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, then lives are saved. It's that simple."
"Folks don't just spontaneously drop a few hundred calories of saturated fat out of their diets without replacing them with something else," explained study first co-author Adela Hruby, a research fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. "The 'something else' makes a difference to their health."
The researchers found that when the men and women replaced 5 percent of their saturated fat calories with healthier polyunsaturated fats, such as those found in nuts, the risk for coronary heart disease dropped by 25 percent.
Replacement with monounsaturated fats such as olive oil dropped risk by 15 percent, and replacement with whole-grain carbs was linked with a 9 percent decrease in heart disease risk.
But subbing in processed carbs such as white bread or white rice for saturated fat had no effect on risk for heart disease.
This lack of effect means that saturated fat, found in animal products like butter and red meat, looks neutral for heart disease only when it's compared to eating refined carbs and sugar instead. Compared to other options, though, it's the non-heart-healthy choice.
The findings also mean that consumers should get rid of saturated fat, said Michelle Cardel, a spokesperson for the Obesity Society and an assistant professor in the department of health outcomes and policy at the University of Florida, in Gainesville.
"Rather than trying to add more healthy fat into your diet, the focus should be on replacing saturated fats with healthy fats," Cardel said. "You can replace them with foods high in healthy fats, including fatty fish like salmon, avocados, nuts and seeds."
Vogel has some very specific advice for the health-conscious consumer. "If you insist on meat, eat lean meat," he said. "Poultry would be better than [red] meat, white meat poultry would be better than dark meat, and fish would be better than poultry."
When it comes to carbs, said Vogel, check the nutrition labels for two key features of whole grains. "A whole grain is something where the first ingredient says 'whole grain,' not the third or the fifth, but the first," he said. The second feature is that the whole-grain food contains at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. He added, "5 grams would be better, 7 would be better still."
Foods with healthier polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, such as walnuts, salmon and olive oil have been a part of other delicious dietary patterns, like the Mediterranean diet, for decades, maybe even centuries.
Vogel said that people don't need to retrain their taste buds to eat healthier - "they have to retrain their brains."
The Man may not despise his bodily life (Catechism of the Catholic Church, §364) - Health, More Evidence High-Fiber, Mediterranean Diet Is Good for You
TUESDAY, Sept. 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) - Numerous studies have extolled the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet. Now, research suggests the regimen may also boost levels of beneficial fatty acids. These so-called "short chain fatty acids" are produced by bacteria in the intestine during fermentation of insoluble fiber from fruits, vegetables and legumes. The fatty acids are believed to provide a number of health benefits, including a lower risk of diabetes, heart disease and inflammatory diseases, an Italian team reports in the Sept. 29 issue of the journal Gut.
The study found higher levels of short chain fatty acids in vegans, vegetarians and those who closely followed a Mediterranean diet. The diet includes large amounts of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and cereals; moderately high amounts of fish; low levels of saturated fat, red meat and diary products; and some alcohol.These findings suggest that eating a high-fiber diet does appear to boost their levels, Ercolini's team said.
"Multiple studies have shown the benefits of the Mediterranean diet," noted one U.S. expert, cardiologist Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum. The study also showed that vegans or vegetarians had relatively low levels of a compound called trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), which has been linked to heart disease. Among non-vegetarians, people who adhered to the Mediterranean diet also had relatively low TMAO levels, the researchers said. The take-away message from this study is to use animal-based proteins only as condiments.
(https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_154880.html)
(https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_154880.html)
Beata Isabel da Trindade, Carta 50. A Margarida Gollot. 1901
Senhor,
quero calar para Te escutar.
No silêncio cheio da Tua presença
encontro-Te e adoro, na fé,
o Teu mistério de amor pelos homens.
Quantas maravilhas extraordinárias do Teu amor
posso contemplar e penetrar
no silêncio, onde falas!
Dá-me a graça de abrir espaços de oração
e dar-me tempo para me encontrar na Tua Presença
que tem tanto para me dar.
(http://orar.carmelitas.pt/)
Friday, 9 October 2015
Thursday, 8 October 2015
Tuesday, 6 October 2015
Voto de pobreza - que sentido?
"O que significam os votos de castidade e obediência?
A primeira ideia,
e que me parece ser a mais fundamental, é a consciência que a consagração não
se faz com um valor em si, mas a uma Pessoa. Não fazemos voto de pobreza, pela
pobreza, mas pelo desejo de viver uma vida como a de Jesus. Não se trata de
outro tipo de pobreza, senão a de Cristo pobre e humilde!
Se não se
entender isto, o voto de pobreza pode quase ser ofensivo. Como pode alguém
querer viver pobre? Não deveríamos nós querer terminar com a pobreza?
E queremos!
Mas do que estou
a falar é de outro tipo de pobreza. Trata-se de uma pobreza voluntária que gera
total disponibilidade para servir o mundo de um modo gratuito, lembrando a todo
o momento como também o Amor de Deus por cada um é gratuito. A ausência de
seguranças próprias, de bens materiais, a procura de um estilo de vida simples,
quer ser uma ajuda para um modo de vida alegre e hospitaleiro para com cada
pessoa que vem ao nosso encontro. Abdica-se de ter qualquer coisa própria, de
modo a que tudo o que se tenha seja em função e para servir os outros.
O voto de pobreza
é igualmente afirmação de uma vida confiada na providência divina. Quando Jesus
envia os discípulos, dá-lhe indicação para que «não leveis nada para o caminho,
nem cajado, nem alforge, nem pão, nem dinheiro, nem tenhais duas túnicas» [Lc
9,3], pois a nossa confiança não está neste mundo.
Resumindo, o voto
de pobreza, no meu entendimento, é a manifestação de uma vida totalmente livre
para amar cada um na sua diversidade, que serve gratuitamente sem procurar
qualquer recompensa e com uma confiança total em Deus, tornando-nos assim mais
disponíveis para os outros."
Monday, 5 October 2015
Sunday, 4 October 2015
Just as tenderness turns love into action worship turns wonder into love
The world is full of problems and worry
is one of the least helpful responses. Worry spins its wheels and
wastes energy on fear. Worry never makes us generous but often
suspicious or even cruel. Wonder is nice. Wonder helps us to pay
attention to things. But worship is active – praise, reverence, and
service. Worship changes things.
Just as tenderness turns love into action worship turns wonder into
love. Worship is work. And the world needs our worship. Not merely
because God wants for praise, reverence, and service but, more than
anything, because the children of God are drowning, tearing each other
apart, burying one another in shame and violence. When we don’t commit
ourselves to the work of worship (praise, reverence, and service) or
when we worship things unworthy of it (riches, honor, and pride) we turn
away from love and toward destruction. We must learn to worship lest
our wonder turn to fear and our worry turn to reality.
Perhaps nothing so marks the Christian
worldview as an absence of worry, a confidence and freedom in the face
of all things, even death, because of the promises of God. Because of
our share in the faith, hope, and love of Christ we can embrace the
leper, we can welcome the stranger, we can love the enemy. Moreover, we
can do these difficult things joyfully because in doing them we are
worshiping Christ and in worship we are free from worry.
Que diz o sétimo mandamento?
Ele enuncia o
destino, a distribuição universal e a propriedade privada dos bens, e ainda o
respeito das pessoas, dos seus bens e da integridade da criação. A Igreja
encontra fundada neste mandamento também a sua doutrina social, que compreende
o recto agir na actividade económica e na vida social e política, o direito e o
dever do trabalho humano, a justiça e a solidariedade entre as nações, o amor
aos pobres.
Como meditar
Para meditar, tem que aprender a ficar quieto. A meditação é a perfeita quietude de corpo e espírito. A quietude de corpo, alcançamo-la sentando-nos quietos. Por isso, quando começar a meditar, guarde uns minutinhos para assumir uma postura confortável. A única regra essencial é a de manter a coluna o mais direita possível. A primeira coisa a aprender é a ficar completamente quieto. Os seus olhos devem ficar fechados de forma suave.
De seguida, a quietude do espírito. O caminho para essa quietude é dizer, silenciosamente, nas profundezas do seu espírito, uma palavra ou uma curta frase e repeti-la continuamente, fielmente. A palavra que eu recomendo que use é a palavra aramaica maranatha. Diga-a como quatro sílabas com igual intensidade: ma-ra-na-tha. Diga-a em silêncio; não mexa os lábios, mas recite-a, interiormente. Recite a sua palavra do princípio ao fim. Deixe de lado os seus pensamentos, ideias e imaginação. Não prossiga os seus pensamentos. Não utilize qualquer outra palavra que não seja a sua única palavra. Faça-a, simplesmente, soar; diga-a nas profundezas do seu espírito e escute-a. Concentre-se nela com toda a atenção: ma-ra-na-tha. É tudo o que tem que fazer.
John Main OSB, in "Simplicidade Radical"
De seguida, a quietude do espírito. O caminho para essa quietude é dizer, silenciosamente, nas profundezas do seu espírito, uma palavra ou uma curta frase e repeti-la continuamente, fielmente. A palavra que eu recomendo que use é a palavra aramaica maranatha. Diga-a como quatro sílabas com igual intensidade: ma-ra-na-tha. Diga-a em silêncio; não mexa os lábios, mas recite-a, interiormente. Recite a sua palavra do princípio ao fim. Deixe de lado os seus pensamentos, ideias e imaginação. Não prossiga os seus pensamentos. Não utilize qualquer outra palavra que não seja a sua única palavra. Faça-a, simplesmente, soar; diga-a nas profundezas do seu espírito e escute-a. Concentre-se nela com toda a atenção: ma-ra-na-tha. É tudo o que tem que fazer.
John Main OSB, in "Simplicidade Radical"
Saturday, 3 October 2015
3/10/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): Faith is given to be joyfully shared
The faith is not a gift just for me. Faith is given to be joyfully shared.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) October 3, 2015Some ways you can practice meditation on your own, whenever you choose: read and reflect
Many people report that they benefit from reading poems or sacred texts, and taking a few moments to quietly reflect on their meaning. You also can listen to sacred music, spoken words or any music you find relaxing or inspiring.
Some ways you can practice meditation on your own, whenever you choose: engage in prayer
Prayer is the best known and most widely practiced example of meditation. Spoken and written prayers are found in most faith traditions. You can pray using your own words or read prayers written by others.
Friday, 2 October 2015
1/10/2015 Pope Francis (@Pontifex): Our life is not a pointless wandering
Our life is not a pointless wandering. We have a sure goal: the house of the Father.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) 1 Octobre 2015
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