In this section you can find a daily commentary on the Gospel of the Day.

Wednesday 6 October 2021

Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Word for today
The Gospel of Luke 11:1-4

The four pillars of the universe

First pillar. Anytime, anywhere, incessantly, unconditionally, singing, praising, honoring, exalting the glory and the name of God who abides in the heavens, just as all creation manifests, sings, honors, exalts and blesses the glory and the name of God who abides in the heavens. This is the pillar of gratitude, of incessant, faithful, unconditional thanksgiving as a definite spiritual orientation by man.
Second pillar. All creatures, despite their magnificence, are not self-sufficient, they need food and to receive energy compatible with their metabolism. Even man, the glory of the living God, must never forget that he is not a self-sufficient creature and as such he must feed his body, mind and spirit. Praying for the bread of the body, of the psyche, and of the spirit is a sign of deep and humble awareness of being creatures and of having totally abandoned oneself in God's loving hands.
Third pillar. Learn, practice, develop, and multiply the source of the most powerful electroweak energy in the creation: forgiveness. The forgiveness that one asks God and offers to others is not a perspective or a possibility, but a final choice of the heart and the soul. Occasional forgiveness is not forgiveness, it is justification. Forgiveness is offered always or never. As the hand is formed by the palm and the back, so is forgiveness formed by the forgiveness that is asked of God and our brothers and the forgiveness that is offered to others. There is no other type of forgiveness. And just as it is not possible for a man to lift himself out of the quicksand by pulling his own hair, so it is impossible for him to forgive himself. Forgiveness is asked and offered. Just as the breathing that keeps us alive is composed of two movements: inhalation to collect air and exhalation to eject it, so is the breath of the spirit. It consists in the movement of inhaling forgiveness by the humble and fervid request for forgiveness and the movement of exhalation, the liberating and compassionate offer of forgiveness. Just as it is deadly  to take away one of the two actions with regard to the physical action of breathing because those who do not inhale cannot exhale and those who do not exhale cannot inhale, the same is true for the spiritual breath of forgiveness.
Those who do not know and do not dare to ask God for compassion do not know and cannot even offer it to others. Those who doe not want to offer compassion to others cannot dare to receive compassion from God.  Is it possible to add water to a vessel that is already full? If the vessel of our heart is not emptied continuously and incessantly by pouring forgiveness and compassion for our brothers and sisters who have contracted debts with us, God cannot continually and ceaselessly fill it with His compassion and forgiveness.
The fourth pillar. Satan exists and is the enemy of God and of all of us. Evil is not an abstract entity but an intelligent being who fights against the beauty and harmony of God and of His creatures. Being quietly aware of this reality is to learn to ask God, humbly and trustingly, to be protected from evil. Being aware of this reality helps us to escape  illusion and deception and to predispose ourselves to ask the Lord of life for constant protection from the evil one and from any disharmony. Asking the Father to be delivered from the Evil one is the action of a wise and knowledgeable spirit.
These are the four pillars present in the Our Father.