Three Minutes for Abba

“Martyrdom is not only dying for the faith. Martyrdom also consists in serving God with love and purity of heart every day of one’s life.” (St. Jerome) With these words of St. Jerome, we are all invited to undergo—or rather, to carry out—the martyrdom of love every day, if you will. Not only does the […]

“Let us begin a new life every day.” (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross – Edith Stein) What might the saint have meant by this? She likely understood that every day we consciously live with our Heavenly Father is what is known as a kairos. To put it simply, this refers to the hour of

“His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man; but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” (Psalm 147:10–11) It is not man’s natural abilities—often so admired and sometimes even idealized in the world—that bring

“Der Herr hat keine Freude an der Kraft des Pferdes, kein Gefallen am schnellen Lauf des Mannes. Gefallen hat der Herr an denen, die ihn fürchten und ehren, die voll Vertrauen warten auf seine Huld.” (Ps 147,10-11) Es sind nicht die natürlichen Fähigkeiten des Menschen, die in der Welt oft so bewundert, manchmal sogar idealisiert

One of the most beautiful things in this world is when people strive to bring joy to one another. This is something everyone knows, especially when it is free from self‑interest and marked by selflessness. However, the most beautiful thing is when we live for God’s joy—when we entrust our entire lives to our heavenly

“Let it be to me according to your word.” (Lc 1:38) As I conclude this reflection on August 15, I cannot and will not pass by our dear Mother of God, Mary, without thinking of her and writing a few words. How lovingly our Heavenly Father must have looked upon the one He chose to

“Any false unity that is not founded in Me cannot endure and will crumble.” (Inner word) We humans long for unity, and when we find it, great peace enters our souls—first with God, and then with other people. Yet there is one condition for true unity. It can exist only in truth and is therefore

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who practice it.” (Psalm 111:10) We understand the gift of the fear of the Lord as the first of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. When we practice it, our lives take on a clear and unmistakable direction. We examine

“An hour of patience is worth more than several days of fasting” (St. John Vianney) Why is patience so valuable that the Holy Curé of Ars, who led an extraordinarily ascetic life, held it in such high esteem? In a sense, patience involves restraining our entire being, including our mind and feelings. It should not

“When the devil wants to destroy someone, he begins by instilling in that person a great aversion to prayer.” (St. John Vianney) We must always expect resistance to our progress in the spiritual life. Although it can happen on our path of following Christ that a certain aversion to vocal prayer may arise in contemplative