To follow Jesus is to take up our cross each day.  Pain, sadness, fear and suffering were all a part of Christ's life and essential to his redemptive love for us.  To follow Jesus in love is therefore also to share in his suffering.  Our faith helps us to find meaning and solace in our most difficult trials. 

Jesus is the "light of the world" who gives us the "light of life."  Christian life is a process of continual identification with Christ.  The effort to do this is not just behavioral modification but, perhaps more fundamentally, intellectual conversion.  To convert is to see things as Christ does, to come to have "the mind of Christ" as St. Paul puts it.  This is our defense against the "wiles of the devil" and a key to sharing in Christ's love.    

Jesus gives us very clear advice on how to deal with worries and anxieties.  His advice is to replace worry with trust.  This replacement therapy is something we can practice first of all in our mental prayer. 

The Psalms and other Bible passages are full of encouraging claims about who and what God is for us.  The Lord is our rock, our stronghold, our inheritance  ...  Faith makes these claims come to life.  To be all that he wants to be for us, we must try to let God be our one and true God, whom we love with all of our soul, all of our heart and all of our mind.

On the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, we reflect on St. Peter's love for Jesus.  Compatible with his weaknesses, Peter is a model of perseverance, closeness to Christ, and the love sorrow of contrition. 

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Jesus describes his sacred and merciful heart as meek and humble.   More than anger and disappointment at our sins, Jesus feels compassion for us in our waywardness.  In the Sacred Heart of Jesus we especially see the goodness of God towards sinners.  This makes God approachable in Jesus and keeps us from the mistake of trying to be good without him. 

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The Feat of Corpus Christi highlights the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  What a great mystery of confidence, consolation and closeness.  Knowing that Jesus is truly present should change our way of thinking about him and of relating to him.  Above all in communion, the real presence brings us into vital contact with Our Lord. 

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The Trinity is the deepest mystery of our Faith, revealing to us the secrets of God's inner life.  This mystery transmits to us God's transcendence, his intimacy with us, and the importance of charity in the Christian life.

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The conditions for the fruitful reception of the Holy Spirit seem to be obedience, prayer and unity.  The "tongues of fire" which descends on the Apostles lead them and us  to the "gift of tongues" in proclaiming the Gospel.  The gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit are ours for the taking!

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On the last day of May, we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation. Elizabeth's response to Mary's greeting reveals a beautiful chain of presence, words and responsiveness.  Her compliments to Mary on her motherhood and her confidence in God are closely connected.  By imitating one of them we also participate spiritually in the other.  

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