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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Pay close attention to what you hear.

The closer you listen,

the more understanding you will be given

– and you will receive even more.

To those who listen to my teaching,

more understanding will be given.

But for those who are not listening,

even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”

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– Mark 4:24-25 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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To those who are diligent and fervent

will be given all the things that depend on God;

but to those who have no love or fervour and who do not do what depends on them,

what belongs to God will not be given them

for ‘even what they think they have will be taken away’(Lk 8:18) says the Lord,

not because God takes it away from them,

but because they are incapable of receiving fresh graces. (St. John Chrysostom)

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To those who listen to my teaching,

more understanding will be given.

This is a basic teaching for the interior life of every Christian.

To those who correspond with grace, more grace will be given,

so that they will have even more grace.

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But those

who fail to make the inspirations, motions and help of the Holy Spirit bear fruit

– they will become even poorer.

The interior life always demands progress, prayer,

being ready to receive new graces.

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If you don’t look forward, you go backwards

and we need to be aware of any pride and selfishness on our part,

because they cause us to refuse God’s grace.

St. Augustine warns us: “If you say ‘enough’, you are already dead.”

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The difficulties, temptations, internal and external obstacles we come up against

– they cause us to grow.

The greater the difficulty, the more grace we receive.

If God permits us to experience great temptations or setbacks,

the Lord will give us still greater help to overcome them.

Then all these things that seem to retard our struggle for holiness,

or even make succeeding in it seem impossible,

will become the cause of spiritual progress.

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It is a lack of love, nothing less than lukewarmness,

that causes the soul’s life to fall sick or die.

Only a bad will, a lack of generosity towards God,

can delay or prevent our union with Him.

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Jesus Christ is an inexhaustible source of help, of love, of understanding.

With what intensity and longing do I approach Him?

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O Lord, my God, make me thirst for You more and more.

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… … … … … … … … … … … …… …

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Note: The main source of today’s REFLECTION is the seven-volume work

“In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.