Come Away By Yourselves
"Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while." These words of Jesus Christ are an invitation to personal and intimate prayer. The meditations offered in this podcast are intended to help the listener enter into his own prayerful relationship with God. By reflecting on scenes from the Gospel, on other passages from Scripture, and on the insights of saints and spiritual writers, we can strengthen our faith in Jesus and our love for God. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "I have called you my friends." By regular meditation and dialogue with Our Lord in prayer, our life can be transformed into an ever deepening and loving friendship with God.
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Almsgiving (charity) is one of the three traditional practices of Lent. When preaching about almsgiving, Jesus focuses on purity of intention. We should love others for their sake and for the glory of God. St. Paul paints a portrait of the Christian heart in his letter to the Ephesians. Christian charity is especia
Moses encounters God on Mount Horeb in the burning bush. We do so in our Lenten prayer and penance. The time for conversion, for correspondence to Christ"s offer of mercy, is limited. Like the fig tree given just one year more to produce fruit, our life and our Lenten season are passing by. https://comeawaybyyourse
Lent is a time of self-denial. The higher, better part of ourselves strives to deny and to master our lower nature. This interior struggle is a necessary condition for Christian life. In emptying ourselves out, especially of our pride, we invite God to enter in. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
David composes Psalm 51 as an extended act of contrition. This follows his being convicted of his sin by the Prophet Nathan. The "Miserere Psalm" can help us enter into Lent well, focussed on bravely recognizing and humbly repenting of our sinful deeds and state. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
"Spes non confudit" -- with these words from St. Paul, Pope Francis invited the Church to celebrate the Jubilee year of 2025. Living Christian hope, firmly based on God"s love for us, we can become beacons of hope for many others.
Jesus tells us to pray to have the strength "to stand before the Son of Man." When we die we will be judged by God. This is a hard truth but also a truth that saves us. If we ask God for the courage to see ourselves as we really are now, we will be prepared for our death and God"s judgment. Reliance on God"s grace,