Let us set out with the Magi to experience the beauty of an encounter that can change our lives forever. The solemnity of the Epiphany, which we celebrate this week, speaks to us of an encounter: the one the Magi experienced and the one each of us can experience. “An encounter with Jesus,” Pope Francis points out, “does not hold the Magi back; rather, it gives them a new impulse to return to their country and tell what they have seen and the joy they have experienced. This demonstrates God’s style, his way of revealing himself in history. An experience of God does not paralyze us, but frees us; it does not imprison us, but sets us back on our journey and returns us to the familiar places of our existence. The places are and will remain the same, but after encountering Jesus, we are no longer the same as before.” Let us therefore set out without delay. For only Jesus can give us true peace; only he can enable us, like the Magi, to experience “great joy” (Mt 2:10).
MONDAY, JANUARY 4
Saint Angela of Foligno
Born in Foligno in 1248 into a well-off family, she did not pursue formal studies, but despite her limited knowledge of writing and modest experience of reading, she came to understand Latin perfectly. She herself recounted the errors of her youth, her excesses, and her faults, which must be understood within the context of her later ascetic experience. In 1285, she began the journey of her moral rebirth through a full confession of her sins. Thus began a life of austere penance, living in poverty with regard to possessions, affections, and herself. After her conversion, around 1288, Angela was struck, in less than two years, by the deaths of her husband, children, and mother.
Wounded by grief and encouraged in a dream by Saint Francis, she embarked on the path to perfection. She became a Franciscan tertiary and, during a pilgrimage to Assisi, had extraordinary mystical experiences. Many souls gathered around her, and she left them a spiritual testament: “There is no greater charity on earth than suffering for the sins of others… such love is no longer of the earth, but of heaven. I leave you as an inheritance everything I possess: the life of Christ, poverty, suffering, and contempt.” Let us explore the figure of Saint Angela of Foligno, one of the greatest mystical voices of all time. Let us confidently ask for her intercession.
For further reflection:
• Novena to Saint Angela of Foligno
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6
The Epiphany of the Lord
“We have seen his star rise and have come to worship him” (Mt 2:2). This is what the Magi want to do: worship the Child; this is what we too want to do: “At the beginning of the year, let us rediscover worship as a requirement of faith. If we can kneel before Jesus, we will overcome the temptation to go straight ahead, each along our own path. Worship, in fact, means making an exodus from the greatest slavery: slavery to oneself. Worship means placing the Lord at the center so that we are no longer focused on ourselves. It means putting things in the right order, giving God first place. Worship means placing God’s plans before my time, my rights, and my space. It means accepting the teaching of Scripture: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God’ (Mt 4:10). Your God: to worship is to feel that we belong to one another with God. It means addressing him as ‘you’ in intimacy; it means bringing our life to him, allowing him to enter our lives. It means bringing his consolation down upon the world. Worship means discovering that, in order to pray, it is enough to say: ‘My Lord and my God!’ (Jn 20:28), and to let ourselves be permeated by his tenderness. Worship means meeting Jesus without a list of requests, but with the sole request to be with him. It means discovering that joy and peace grow through praise and thanksgiving. When we worship, we allow Jesus to heal and change us. By worshipping, we give the Lord the opportunity to transform us with his love, to illuminate our darkness, to give us strength in weakness and courage in trials. Worship means going to what is essential.” Let us welcome these words of Pope Francis and rediscover the power of worship. By worshipping, we will discover that Christian life is a love story with God, in which he must be given first place, as a lover does with the person he loves. So it must be for us too: worshippers in love with Jesus, our Bridegroom!
For further reflection:
• Let Us Adore the Most Blessed Sacrament. Vol. 4 Prayers for Advent and Christmas
SUNDAY JANUARY 10
Baptism of the Lord
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord brings the Christmas season to a close, and today we all turn our thoughts to the day of our Baptism. Certain signs can help us remember it, such as the rite of Sunday sprinkling with holy water at the beginning of Mass, or homiletic preaching and catechesis on baptismal themes and symbols. The Fathers of the Church said that Jesus, by descending into the waters of the Jordan, ideally sanctified the waters of all baptismal fonts, from the simplest and most modern, located at the entrance to churches, to those that rise in the glory of the Sacrament and art, near the great cathedrals of past centuries. Jesus himself says: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16:16).
Let us find out the date of our Baptism if we do not remember it. It should become a day to celebrate, a day on which to thank God because through Baptism he made us reborn and gave us the Spirit.
For further reflection:
• “Sulla tua parola” Missal, January-February 2021
“I did not love you as a joke,” Jesus said to Saint Angela of Foligno. Let us hear this phrase as addressed to each of us as well. Yes, Jesus is serious with us. He wants us to live fully and not limit ourselves to merely getting by. Let us respond to his immense love with all that we are so that his will may be fulfilled.
Have a blessed journey!
