“How do we get used to the voice of the Shepherd? Choosing a passage from the Bible at random and trying to find a personal message in it, is a practice like taking a lottery ticket, and is practiced around the world. It cancels out the personal process of discernment. The random usage of the Word of God is more likely to satisfy human curiosity. Even the Evil One tempted the Lord using scripture quotes. Since that realization came, I have started a process of discernment of listening to the voice of the Lord in the Scriptures, based on the global values that the Scriptures give us.”
Month: April 2023
The voice of the Good Shepherd
The Good Shepherd’s voice is the only one which can make sense of our entire existence, including our painful past, of our traumatic experiences and of our failures. It is the only voice which opens our present circumstances to a positive future without fear, no matter the challenges in front of us.
Compassion, not condemnation
Christ calls us to show charity to the repentant and guide the sinner back to the ways of the Lord. We must be beacons of mercy and be wise enough to know when a brother or sister is in need of a holy rebuke.
BITE-SIZE THEOLOGY (220): How do we become lords of material creation?
To free ourselves from the slavery of possessions, we must follow the 7th and 10th commandments and empty our hearts of attachments to worldly possessions. Let us be sparing with ourselves and avoid unnecessary expenditure on luxuries, leaving everything in the hands of God.
The Church and the Youth Universe: International Youth Ministry Conference in Manila Focuses on the Need to Accompany the Young
The International Youth Ministry Conference was held at the University of Manila, Philippines, from April 13-15. The event brought together over 700 participants from 30 countries to explore the relationship between the church and young people, the importance of pastoral care, and the ways the laity and the church hierarchy can best serve them. The conference emphasized the need for constant monitoring and attentive accompaniment of young people.
The Sunday Eucharist is the antidote to post-Baptism disillusionment
“When trials and disillusionment occur, no matter whether we are newly baptized or ‘old Catholics’, that is the time to gather in the community, to re-read our life in the light of the Scriptures and to break the bread together. It will take time, but I guarantee that eventually everything will fall into place” writes Fr Paolo Consonni in this Sunday Reflection.
Recognize Him in the Eucharist!
The disciples on the way to Emmaus resemble those of us who expect the spectacular from God. We are cowed down by the evil of the world and fail to recognise that the Messiah accompanies us in the greatest miracle on this journey through life – the Eucharist.
BITE-SIZE THEOLOGY (219): What do I need to keep my heart pure?
Keeping our hearts pure is an ongoing struggle that requires discipline, self-control, and constant reliance on the grace of God. We can achieve purity of heart through prayer, frequent reception of the sacraments, and by cultivating modesty in our interactions with others.
JESUS CHRIST, OUR GOOD SHEPHERD
Following Jesus is not easy, especially in today’s world, where there is a frontal opposition to Christian faith and life. However, with God’s grace and love in us, we can do many good things. If we get lost, Jesus will look for us, find us, and heal us.
The only path to encounter the Risen Christ are His (and our) wounds
Only when we see in Jesus’ wounds the reflection of our own inner wounds, and also the wounds of our brothers and sisters which await to be nursed and tended with the Mercy flowing from the Cross, then healing is possible, and life can have a fresh start. That is the way we concretely experience the Resurrection.