miniZibaldone

  From 2-2-2022 General Audience [D]eepen our understanding of the figure of Saint Joseph. Sometimes even Christianity can fall into forms of devotion that seem to reflect a mentality that is more pagan than Christian. . . . Even when we rely fully on the intercession of a saint, or even more so that of the Virgin Mary, our trust only has value in relation to Christ. As if the path toward this saint or toward Our Lady does not end there, no. Not there, but in relationship with Christ. He is the bond, Christ is the bond that unites us to him and to each other, and which has a specific name: this bond that unites us all, between ourselves and us with Christ, it is the “communion of saints”. . . . What, then, is the “communion of saints”? The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms: “The communion of saints is the Church” (no. 946). See what a beautiful definition this is! “The communion of saints is the Church.” What does this mean? That the Church is reserved for the perfect? No. I...

Unity does not have to do with strategic advantages sought out of mutual self-interest.  From the homily Following Christ’s example, we are called to find the courage needed to abandon rigid opinions and personal interests in the name of the love that bends low and bestows itself, in the name of the humble love that is the blessed oil of the Christian life, the precious spiritual balm that heals, strengthens and sanctifies....  Humble and generous love, not the calculation of benefits, attracts the mercy of the Father, the blessing of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. By praying and “loving one another deeply from the heart” (cf. 1 Pet 1:22), in humility and openness of spirit, we prepare ourselves to receive God’s gift of unity. Let us pursue our journey with determination; indeed, let us race towards our full communion!... Memory, infused with love, becomes capable of setting out on new and unexpected paths, where designs of hatred become projects of r...

The Spirit guides us in new existential situations with a gaze fixed on Jesus and at the same time, open to events and to the future. He helps us to walk in history,  firmly rooted in the Gospel and with a dynamic fidelity to our traditions and customs. From the angelus But the mystery of the Trinity also speaks to us of ourselves, of our relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In fact, through baptism, the Holy  Spirit has placed us in the prayer and the very life of God, who is a communion of love. God is a “family” of three Persons who love each other so much they form a  single thing. This “divine family” is not closed in on itself, but is open. It communicates itself in creation and in history and has entered into the world of men  to call everyone to form part of it. The trinitarian horizon of communion surrounds all of us and stimulates us to live in love and fraternal sharing, certain that  where there is love, there is God. Our b...