April 7, 2024 Second Sunday of Easter

Salesian Sunday Reflection

Second Sunday of Easter

April 7, 2024

In today’s Gospel the Disciples experience Jesus’ real presence after His Resurrection. He invites us also to believe in His real presence among us. St. Francis de Sales notes:

Through faith God leads us to penetrate, understand and love divine truths that are revealed. An act of faith on our part is choosing to love God and the things of God. When we allow the mysteries of divine revelation to speak to us, our faith is strengthened.

When temptations against faith and the Church arise, do as you do with other temptations. Don’t argue at all with them. Place yourself at Our Savior’s feet. Tell Him that you are His, and want His help, even if you are unable to speak. Temptations against faith are trials like any other, and you must calm yourself. I have seen few people make progress without experiencing trials. So be patient. After the squall, God sends the calm.

Faith is brought to life by holy love. Without a doubt as long as we are in this life, the imperceptible movement of God’s love in us makes us holy. It is the Holy Spirit who pours this divine love into our hearts. As soon as trees are transplanted, their roots spread and are thrust deeply into the earth that nourishes them. Only later, when we see the tree continue to grow, do we notice that their roots are spreading and being nourished by the earth. Similarly, by divine love, a heart can be transplanted from things that are not of God to things of God. If this heart earnestly prays, it will surely continue to reach out and attach itself to God’s goodness that nourishes it.

Vivified by holy love, a living faith serves God. As a faithful servant it does all that it knows and recognizes is pleasing to God. Let us be servants also of God’s love just as the Apostles and early Christians were. In this way we will give witness to Jesus’ presence among us, as a living community of faith, hope and holy love.

(Adapted from the writings of St. Francis de Sales.)

March 31, 2024 Easter Sunday

Salesian Sunday Reflection

Easter Sunday

March 31, 2024

Today we experience and celebrate Jesus’ conquering death. We also celebrate and welcome our newly baptized who now robe themselves in a new life in Jesus Christ. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the power of God’s love as we take off our old garments that led us away from God, and put on the new garment of Jesus Christ:

It is divine love that empowers us to take off the old garments of Adam and put on the new garment of Jesus Christ. It is holy love that causes us to live again in God. Divine love enters the soul to make it happily empty itself of all that is not of God.

Yes, we even must empty ourselves of all our affection for virtue that is agreeable, profitable and honorable to us, and suited to our self-centered loves. Now we clothe ourselves anew with various affections, perhaps the very ones we have given up, because they are agreeable to God, profitable to God’s honor, and destined for God’s glory. This means that we take on the affections suitable to the service of God’s love. Hence, we love our parents, country, home, friends, and things, as God desires us to love them.

God’s love, which is stronger than death, enables us to forsake all things that lead us away from loving divinely. Holy love, magnificent as the resurrection, graces us with glory and honor. Through God’s love, we gladly die to our false self so as to rise anew to our true self in Christ!

Alleluia!

(Adapted from the writings of St. Francis de Sales, especially, Treatise on the Love of God.)

March 24, 2024 Passion/Palm Sunday

Salesian Sunday Reflection

Passion/Palm Sunday

March 24, 2024

In today’s readings we experience Jesus, as the suffering servant who brings God’s love to the human family. St. Francis de Sales reminds us that we are called to be like Jesus:

The most powerful reason for Jesus’ death is to fill the human spirit with God’s love. Out of death has come life, the wondrous paradox, which the world does not understand. Jesus not only died a cruel death to bring God’s love to us, but He also suffered fear, terror, abandonment, and inner depression such as never had and never shall have an equal. He did this so that we too may persevere in pursuing divine love.

Jesus’ human feelings left His entire heart exposed to sorrow and anguish. For this reason He cries out: “My God, why have you forsaken me?” Mount Calvary is the mount of lovers. All love that does not take its origins from the Savior’s passion is foolish and perilous. On Calvary, we can not have life without love. Nor can we have divine love without dying to our false loves. Christian wisdom consists in choosing rightly. Hence we ought to consecrate every moment of our lives to the eternal divine love of Our Savior’s death. This means we need to empty ourselves of all other loves that are destroying us so that we may be filled with God’s eternal love that gives life!

So when injured by others, look often with your inward eyes on Christ Jesus, crucified, forsaken, and overwhelmed by every kind of anguish. Then think of the many people who are incomparably more afflicted than you are and say: “Are not my hardships roses in comparison with those, who without help, assistance, or relief live a continual death under the burden of afflictions infinitely greater than mine? When all things fail us, when our distress is at its height, say the final words of Jesus on the cross: “Into Your hands I commend My Spirit.”

(Adapted from the writings of St. Francis de Sales.)