MONDAY, JANUARY 25
Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle

“I give thanks to him who has made me strong, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me trustworthy and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. But I was shown mercy because I acted out of ignorance, in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me, together with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” Thus wrote Saint Paul in the First Letter to Timothy (1:12-14). A zealous Jew with a fiery temperament, Saul was one of the most determined opponents of the Christians. The journey he undertook to Damascus was intended precisely to expose and imprison the followers of the new faith. It was around the year 36, and Luke tells us that “as he traveled and was nearing Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ He replied, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting!’” He compared this experience of Christ on the road to Damascus with the Easter experience of the Twelve and with the splendor of the first light of creation; it would become the center of his oral and written preaching. In his letter to Timothy he writes: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost. But for that reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all his patience, making me an example for those who would come to believe in him for eternal life” (1 Tm 1:15b-16).
On the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, the week of prayer for Christian unity also concludes. We can sum up the experience of this week in the invitation not to devote ourselves exclusively to our communities, but to open ourselves to the good of everyone, to God’s universal gaze, who became incarnate to embrace the entire human race and died and rose again for the salvation of all. If, through his grace, we assimilate his vision, we can overcome our divisions.

For further reflection:
• “On Your Word” Missal January-February 2021
• Fratelli tutti

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27
Beginning of the novena to the Venerable Tecla Merlo

The Venerable Tecla Merlo, cofounder and first superior general of the Daughters of Saint Paul, was a simple and forthright woman, wise and creative, decidedly modern, sensitive to the signs of the times and attentive to God’s will. Her distinguishing traits were humility, faith and great trust in God. She used to say: “The Lord does not give you what you ask for, but what you believe.” And again: “We must pray with perseverance without hesitating in our hearts, with the certainty that we will be given what we ask for. That is faith! We must believe. Let us remain calm; the Lord always answers us: either he gives us what we ask for or other graces that are more useful to us.”
Let us rediscover this extraordinary figure and invoke her intercession with complete trust and hope.

For further reflection:
• Trust in God. Novena to the Venerable Sister Tecla Merlo

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29
Beginning of the novena to the martyrs of Široki Brijeg

“We are religious, consecrated, and cannot abandon our habit” was the response of the Franciscan friars of Široki Brijeg to the threats and blasphemies of the communist partisans who were trying to persuade them to abandon their religious habit; an angry soldier took the cross and threw the crucifix onto the floor. “There,” he said, “now you can choose life or death.” Each of them knelt down, embraced and kissed Jesus; holding the cross to his chest, each one said, like Saint Francis: “You are my God, my All.” The friars went to their deaths praying and singing the litanies of Our Lady.

Let us learn more about their inspiring story and recite the novena, trusting in their intercession.

For further reflection:
• The Novena to the Martyrs of Široki Brijeg
• Guide for the Pilgrim of Medjugorje

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30
Beginning of the novena to Blessed Mother Speranza

“The Lord loves all souls with the same intensity; he loves even more those souls who, although full of faults, strive and struggle to be as he wants them to be; even the most perverse, abandoned, and miserable person is loved by him with immense tenderness.” These are the words of Blessed Mother Speranza, who in Collevalenza fulfilled the dream of a shrine and two congregations dedicated to Merciful Love, proclaiming that God is a Father who loves and forgives each of his children.
Let us commit ourselves to reciting the novena to Mother Speranza: each day, we will have the opportunity to reflect on her extraordinary message: God is a Father who loves; God is a Father who forgives.

For further reflection:
• Novena to Merciful Love
• With Open Arms

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30
Beginning of the novena to Saint Josephine Bakhita

“In our time, when the frenzied pursuit of power, money, and pleasure causes so much distrust, violence, and loneliness, Sister Bakhita is given back to us by the Lord as a universal sister, so that she may reveal to us the secret of the truest happiness: the Beatitudes.” Saint John Paul II expressed himself in these words in the homily for the beatification of Mother Josephine Bakhita, whose life seems to have come from a novel. A native of Sudan, she was kidnapped at the age of 7 and sold several times in the slave market, experiencing unspeakable physical and moral suffering. Having become a nun, she spent fifty years carrying out humble and simple tasks, which she offered generously. The reputation of her holiness, attested by more than one miracle, immediately gave rise to a heartfelt and widespread devotion. It was Saint John Paul II who enrolled her among the saints on October 1, 2000. Let us invoke her intercession with great faith.

For further reflection:
• Praying and living the Word with Saint Josephine Bakhita (AVAILABLE FROM FEBRUARY 3)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 31
Saint John Bosco

«I study for you, I work for you, I live for you, and for you I am even willing to give my life», Don Giovanni Bosco (1815-1888) said to the young. He was their great apostle, father, and guide to salvation. He was only 9 years old when he saw in a dream, in the meadow near his home, a group of boys fighting amid shouts and blasphemies. Horrified, he rushed at them, beating them, when suddenly Jesus appeared to him: «You must make friends with them through kindness and charity, not by beating them». Then, near Jesus, he saw Our Lady, who took him by the hand and invited him to look at the field where, in place of the mischievous boys from before, there was a great multitude of ferocious animals: «This is the field in which you must work. Grow humble, strong, and robust, and what you will now see happen to these animals, you must do with my children». He looked again, and in place of the ferocious animals, many lambs appeared, celebrating Jesus and his Mother.The educational principle that inspired his work was loving-kindness; he pointed out that it was not enough to love the young, they had to perceive that they were loved. And he emphasized: «In certain very serious moments, a prayerful recommendation to God, an act of humility before him, is more beneficial than a storm of words, which, while doing nothing but harm to those who hear them, bring no benefit to those who deserve them. Remember that education is a matter of the heart, and that God alone is its master, and we will not be able to accomplish anything unless God teaches us its art and places its keys in our hands. Let us strive to make ourselves loved, to instill a sense of duty and holy fear of God, and we will see, with marvelous ease, the doors of so many hearts open and unite with us to sing the praises and blessings of him who chose to become our model, our way, and our example in everything, but especially in the education of the young».

Let us look to his example when we feel the difficulty of educating our children, drawing inspiration from his words.

For further reflection:
• Don Bosco
• Pray, pray, pray. Expanded Edition
• Pray, pray, pray