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Download PDF 1 Tess 3:12–4:2 ”Brethren, may the Lord increase and enrich your love for each other and for all, so that it matches ours for you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with […]

Download PDF Lk 21:34-36 ”Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened by debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will come upon you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come down on all those living on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the

Download PDF  Since in the last few days we have been focusing on the virtue of fortitude – which we were able to conclude with the life of St Catherine of Alexandria, who is a true example of courage – today I would like to “catch up” with Wednesday’s reading, which seems very significant to

Download PDF Today we celebrate the memorial of St Catherine of Alexandria, who lived between the 3rd and 4th century. In her life the words of Jesus that we heard in yesterday’s Gospel apply perfectly: “Make up your minds not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom

Lk 21:12-19 Jesus said to the crowd: ‘But before all this happens, you will be seized and persecuted; you will be handed over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought before kings and governors for the sake of my name-and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Make up your minds not to

In yesterday’s meditation, we had heard that, according to St John of the Cross, when one makes the decision to follow Christ more intensely, the Devil tries to prevent the decisive step by instilling fear, distracting us and tempting us in various ways. Not infrequently the obstacles can come from people who are close to

We had reflected on the virtue of fortitude in context with the readings from the book of Maccabees; those courageous men and women of the People of Israel. I also pointed out that we need this virtue for our Christian witness in the world, which, in an extreme case, can go as far as martyrdom.

Jn 18:33-37 ‘Pilate went back into the Praetorium and called Jesus to him and asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others said it to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the

Fortitude – which is considered as one of the four cardinal virtues – is part of the basic equipment of a soldier. If he does not become courageous, he cannot be counted on in the toughest battles, for fear would take hold of him, so that the situation would become dangerous for all his comrades.

The readings of the last few days presented us with impressive examples of faith, faithfulness and fortitude. I have therefore decided to dedicate some meditations to the cardinal virtue of fortitude. In these times of turmoil, it is particularly important to aspire to and practice this virtue, in order to be able to resist the