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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

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– Matthew 11:28-30 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Our Lord proposes Himself as a model of meekness and humility

– virtues and dispositions of the heart which always go together.

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If we follow Jesus and listen to Him,

He will win our trust through the meekness of His heart, always so welcoming and understanding.

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Jesus is gentle and humble, which is why we can go to Him in all simplicity,

and even try to imitate Him.

There, in His most lovable Heart, we will find shelter and rest…and peace.

Our Lord told us to learn from Him

and a true Christian is perforce one who embraces the Christ-like virtue of meekness.

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If we look closely at Jesus

we will see how patient He is with the defects of His disciples,

and how unweariedly He repeats the same teaching over and over again,

explaining it in detail,

so that His slow-minded and easily-distracted friends can master His saving doctrine.

He never loses patience with their obtuseness and failure to grasp His meaning.

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The way to cure our bad temper, impatience and failure to be warm and understanding,

is therefore to imitate Jesus in His meekness.

This calm and welcoming spirit will be born and develop in us

in exact proportion to our efforts to remember the constant presence of God

and to think about Our Lord Jesus’ life.

To contemplate Jesus will especially help us not to be arrogant,

and not to lose our temper when things go wrong.

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QUOTE…

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“The peace of our spirit does not depend on the good nature and kindness of other people.

Our neighbours’ good nature and kindness are in no way subject to our control of opinion.

That would be absurd.

The tranquillity of our heart depends on ourselves.

The ability to avoid anger, with all its ridiculous effects,

has to come from within ourselves and not be dependent on the nature of other people.

The power to overcome the evil in our character

must not depend on some perfection outside us, but on our own virtue.”

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– Cassian

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, Lamb of God, make me more like You!

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[*] Today’s reflection is sourced from the seven-volume work “In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.