Come Away By Yourselves

Contemplating the great multitude of saints in heaven, we realize the power of God to change and purify us.  From heaven the saints speak to us of the primacy God should have in our lives.  The purification necessary to be in heaven comes from our acceptance of the cross.  

Contemplative prayer is a great gift from God.  The saints teach us that it brings many blessings with it and even holiness itself.  This gift must be asked for and desired, however, and we must do what we can to foster a truly contemplative lifestyle.  

God's omnipotence is a key aspect of our Faith in Him.  God's infinite power helps explain the other mysteries of our Faith and is revealed especially in the Incarnation by the Archangel Gabriel.  The name "Gabriel" signifies "the strength of God."  Faith truly unlocks God's power on our behalf.   God''s power, however, is not at the mercy of our caprices or our own plans, but is rather always in service of our truest good: our sanctification.  

"This is the will of God for you, your sanctification."  With these words, St. Paul reveals to us the great potential of our Christian life.  St. Josemaria was inspired by God to remind us of this universal vocation.  We should always be confident about taking the next step in our spiritual life.  It is something that God always wants for us.  Holiness is  growth in faith, hope, and charity powered by the access we have to God's grace in prayer and the sacraments.  

After the Rich Young Man goes away sad, Jesus tells his disciples twice that it will be difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God.  The possession of riches comes with the danger of relying on them too much, seeking our happiness in them, falling into a kind of practical idolatry.  The solution to this is detachment or poverty of spirit.   Detachment frees our hearts to love God and others. 

Jesus tells us about two sons.  One does his father's will after saying he wouldn't.  The other says yes to his father but promptly disobeys him.  Jesus, our model, does both: he says yes to the Father's plan and then carries it out.  Loving God's will is essential to our Christian life.  It is Jesus's sole motive and he is our sole model.  St. Josemaria also greatly emphasized this key aspect of holiness.

This Sunday's Gospel portrays God as a generous employer of many workers.  What would it mean to work for God?  Are we grateful for the work and people God has entrusted us with in our Christian life?

Like the apostles themselves, the life of the Christian is a call to be close to Jesus and to go out and spread the Good News.  Holiness and apostolate are two sides to the same divine vocation.   To be an apostle, however, we have to confront various obstacles which would keep us from sharing Christ with others. 

On September 8th we celebrate the Feast of The Nativity of Our Lady.  THis is an opportunity to contemplate her humility and her radical response to God. 

St. Josemaria described the potential of lay holiness in an interesting way.  He said all Christians can and should be "contemplatives in the middle of the world."  Holy Scripture and Church teaching reaffirm this high ideal.  The Christian is intimately united, indeed identified, with Christ himself.