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Tuesday 1st week of Advent

"Lk 10:21-24"

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

God reveals Himself and the secrets of His Wisdom to whoever He chooses. The 'wise and learned' try to find the truth without God, but... how can you seek the truth without the 'Truth'? History is full of saints who have been very simple, had no university degrees or didn't even know how to write and yet they knew God better and did more for the conversion of the world than many theologians. Children with wisdom and composure that defied the people of their times.

On 13th August 1917 the three shepherds of Fatima were put in prison with common criminals to scare them into revealing the secret that Our Lady commanded them to keep. When one of the prisoners advised the little shepherds to tell the administrator the secret, St Jacinta (who was 8 years old) said, "Never, I'd rather die." And then she took off a medal and asked a prisoner to hang it up for her on a nail in the wall. Kneeling before this medal, they began to pray the rosary. Then the most amazing thing happened: the prisoners, all of them, one by one, knelt down and started praying with them! You can imagine the face of the administrator (who had put the children in prison to frighten them) when they got the whole bunch of criminals to pray the rosary on their knees.

Humility teaches us that there are mysteries that we don't understand. In fact, as St Josemaría used to say, "If God fitted into this poor head of mine, my God would be very small." But even if God doesn't fit into our 'heads', He still fits into the 'hearts' of those who become like little children.

Advent is a special time to grow in spiritual childhood, to contemplate the coming of Our Lord with the eyes of a child. My Mother, during the Novena, help me to be like a child, and to know your Son better every day.

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Friday last week in ordinary time

"Lk 21:29-33"

And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees; as soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."

Jesus often spoke about the Kingdom of God. Some people think that the Kingdom will come at the end of time, but that's not what Jesus referred to. He said that the Kingdom of God was like a mustard seed: it grows slowly, unseen for a long time. He also compared it to someone who scatters seed on the ground and the enemy comes and sows weeds among the wheat (Mt 13).

Jesus said that the Kingdom was like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened (Mt 13:33). We Christians are the leaven that is transforming the world from within. He also compared the Kingdom to a king settling accounts with his servants, to a landowner hiring labourers, to the wise bridesmaids who were ready... The Kingdom of God is already in the world; Jesus is King (don't forget!) and therefore He 'has' a Kingdom.

Often great kingdoms started as a small patch of land and a bunch of people with a strong leader who became their king and together, little by little, they conquered grounds. Gradually some of their enemies quit, others joined their army, while others ran away. Sometimes the king and his army lost ground for a while and were defeated in battle, but the soldiers stood by their king faithfully and eventually recovered the land again.

Don't you see this battle happening within you? Don't you feel Jesus fighting to conquer your heart? Don't you remember that His Kingdom will have no end? The kingdom He is longing to conquer is each and every person's heart. But for Him to conquer my heart I need to fight to control it and then I need to surrender it to the King. Mother, remind me to pray every day, many times: 'Your Kingdom come!' so that my Jesus can conquer my heart, be the only King of it and rule it with His Love.