Daily Thought For May 16, 2015

-
The Gift of Knowledge

Through the gift of knowledge the Christian who is docile to the Holy Spirit will learn to discern perfectly between what leads to God and what separates from him, in the field of arts, of fashion, and in the world of ideas. Truly he will be able to say that wisdom guided him on straight paths; she showed him the kingdom of God, and gave him knowledge of angels.  The Holy Spirit himself will warn us when what is good and true in itself is in danger of becoming bad by leading us away from our last supernatural end. It could be a disordered desire for material possessions, or an attachment to these goods in a way that does not leave the heart free to serve God. 

 Christians who must sanctify themselves in the middle of the world have a particular need of this gift so as to direct all temporal activities to God, making them a means of holiness and apostolate. Through it a housewife discovers how her work at home is a way to God if it is done with an upright, honest intention and with a desire to please God; a student learns that study is the ordinary way to love God, do apostolate and serve society; for an architect the way to God is through plans and drawings; for a nurse, her care of the sick. We understand that we must love the world and temporal affairs, and come to discover the truth of those words of Blessed Escriva: There is 'something holy', something divine hidden in the most ordinary situations, and it is up to each one of you to discover it. When a Christian carries out with love the most insignificant everyday action, that action overflows with the transcendence of God. That is why I have told you repeatedly, and hammered away once and again at the idea, that the Christian vocation consists in making heroic verse out of the prose of each day.  The epic poetry we men and women write for God is comprised of the ordinary events of the day, the problems and and joys we meet along our way. 
We love the things of earth, but we value them correctly, that is, as God values them. Thus we give the utmost importance to being temples of the Holy Spirit because if God is dwelling in our soul, everything else, no matter how important it may seem, is accidental and transitory, whereas we, in God, stand permanent and firm. We treasure our faith more than material goods and even life itself, and would be ready to abandon all else to preserve it. In the light of this gift we see the value of prayer and mortification and appreciate the importance they have in our life. Thus we would never dream of omitting them. 

 from In Conversation with God by Francis Fernandez Volume 2 pp. 545-546

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Thought For October 23, 2022

-
  Powerful Reflection from The Word Among Us Let’s not get off on the wrong foot with the Pharisee in this parable. He seemed to be doing pretty well spiritually. He was not greedy, dishonest, or adulterous. He fasted twice a week and went so far as to pay tithes on all his income. He prayed at the Temple regularly. That was better than most people. So why did Jesus say he didn’t go home justified? Because the Temple was a place of encounter with God. A holy location where God and his children came together. This Pharisee seemed to be missing that connection with the Lord. Instead of speaking his prayer to God, he prayed “to himself” (Luke 18:11) and itemized his accomplishments. By focusing on his righteous acts, he was not really making himself present to God. He wasn’t inviting God to be present to him either. So he missed the chance to encounter God and receive his mercy and grace. In that sense, the Pharisee left the Temple basically the same way he had entered. The tax collector,
Read more

Daily Thought For May 12, 2016

-
With God Setbacks Become Opportunities EVERY TIME something thwarts your plans or desires, use that as a reminder to communicate with Me. This practice has several benefits. The first is obvious: Talking with Me blesses you and strengthens our relationship. Another benefit is that disappointments, instead of dragging you down, are transformed into opportunities for good. This transformation removes the sting from difficult circumstances, making it possible to be joyful in the midst of adversity.  Begin by practicing this discipline in all the little disappointments of daily life. It is often these minor setbacks that draw you away from My Presence. When you reframe setbacks as opportunities, you find that you gain much more than you have lost. It is only after much training that you can accept major losses in this positive way. But it is possible to attain the perspective of the apostle Paul, who wrote:  Compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus, I consider eve
Read more