“If the longing to love God seems to you not to be satisfied, or…if it seems to you that you always desire without ever arriving at the possession of perfect love, all this means that your soul must never say it has enough, it means that we cannot and must not stop on the path to divine love and holy perfection. Saint Augustine says very aptly: ‘Our heart is not at rest till it rests in the object of its love.’… The object of this love will only be possessed when we shall see him as he is, not through a veil but face to face, as Saint Paul says (1 Cor 13:12), when we shall know him as we know ourselves, and all this cannot happen until the doors of our prison are opened….” –Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (+ 1968)
Intention: Dear Heavenly Father, I ask You to please bless all my friends and relatives and the people who dislike me with good health, financial stability and uplifting relationships with their friends and family. Please bless them with peace, love, joy, happiness and harmony, and please, when their time comes, give them each a peaceful, easy and happy death, and bring them into heaven to be with you forever and ever.
Thursday: Receive Me
1st Luminous Mystery: The Baptism
of Jesus in the Jordan
Scripture:
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of
the Father, we too might live in newness of life.
—Romans 6:4
Reflection:
In our baptism, we have been plunged into the waters of the
death of Christ, so that we are no longer in the grip of sin, but
are alive in Christ Jesus, as a new human being.
Prayer:
Jesus, as You died and rose again, our gift of eternal life was
realized through You. Our Risen Savior, bring me to everlasting
life as I ask You to receive me. Amen.
Thursday: Aim for Harmony
2nd Luminous Mystery: The Wedding Feast at Cana
Scripture:
Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them
to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take
it to the headwaiter.” So they took it.
—John 2:7–8
Reflection:
In marriage or any other type of human relationship, the key is
not to attain a certain amount of materiality, or a certain level
of comfort, but to have a deep and abiding harmony with each
other. This is the presence of the Holy Spirit at work between
and within each of us.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, encourage me to aim for the harmony that includes
patience and love for others, whether we agree or disagree.
Amen.
Thursday: Fringes of Society
3rd Luminous Mystery: The Proclamation
of the Kingdom of Heaven
Scripture:
Then Jesus straightened up and said to [the woman caught in
adultery], “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned
you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do
I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin any more.”
—John 8:10–11
Reflection:
Jesus brings us the gospel of the love of God for all human
beings, no matter what their race, religion, political affiliation,
financial status, social status or gender. No one is denied the
salvation of God.
Prayer:
Jesus, I understand that I am called to reach out to the fringes of
society with the gospel message of love and forgiveness. Please
show me how I can do this, given my vocation and state in life.
Amen.
Thursday: Becoming Transfigured
4th Luminous Mystery: The Transfiguration
Scripture:
“Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man
will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory
of the Father and of the holy angels. Truly I say to you, there
are some standing here who will not taste death until they see
the kingdom of God.” About eight days after he said this, he
took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his
clothing became dazzling white.
—Luke 9:26–29
Reflection:
We follow in Jesus’s footsteps by becoming transfigured gradually
throughout our lives through the Sacraments. Consuming the
Holy Eucharist, for example, transforms us to be more and more
like Jesus each time we partake of It. Because of this, we will
rise with and through Him, and our bodies will be transformed
into glorified bodies, also.
Prayer:
O Lord, You are Friendship, Unity and Love. In countries
ripped apart by war, bring Your healing balm of peace. Amen.
Thursday: Foretaste of
the Heavenly Banquet
5th Luminous Mystery: The Institution
of the Holy Eucharist
Scripture:
“Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the
Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because
of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike
your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread
will live forever.” These things he said while teaching in the
synagogue in Capernaum.
—John 6:57–59
Reflection:
Each time we partake of the Blessed Sacrament, we have new
life—the mercy and love of Jesus poured out upon us as His
Body and Blood, given for our sake. This new life renews our
lives and helps us to relate better with our brothers and sisters.
Prayer:
Dearest Father, I understand that the reason we call receiving
the Holy Eucharist “receiving Communion” is that, with the
Holy Spirit’s action within us, it is a foretaste of the heavenly
banquet—where we will love God and all our brothers and
sisters, face to face. For their faithfulness, generosity, self-sacrifice
and genuine spirituality, please reward all priests. Amen.
