ARCHIVE
2000/12/23
“God has become Man to redeem us”
Marvel at God's magnanimity: he has become Man to redeem us, so that you and I - who are absolutely worthless, admit it! - may come to know him and trust him. (The Forge, 30). 2000/12/22
“Love is shown with deeds”
Make your way to Bethlehem, go up to the Child, rock him in your arms, say warm and tender things to him, press him close to your heart... I am not talking childish nonsense, I am speaking of love! And love is shown with deeds. In the intimacy of your soul, you can indeed hug him tight. (The Forge, 345). 2000/12/21
“We must be humble”
When you feel sometimes - perhaps without reason - that you have been humiliated; when you think your opinion should prevail; when you notice that at every moment your ``self'' keeps cropping up: your this, your that, your something else... convince yourself that you are wasting, killing time, and that what you should be doing is killing your selfishness. (The Forge, 1050). 2000/12/20
“We will always tend to be selfish”
Don't keep on talking about your health, your family name, your career, your work, or your next step... How annoying this can be! It would seem you have forgotten that you don't have anything, that everything is His. (The Forge, 1050). 2000/12/19
“Without Him we can do nothing”
When you feel self love - pride! - stirring within you, making you out to be a superman, it is time to cry out: No! In this way you will savour the joy of the good son of God who goes through life with not a few faults, but doing good. (The Forge, 1054). 2000/12/18
“Don’t let me go”
We should let Jesus know that we are children. And when children are tiny and innocent, what a lot of effort it takes for them to go up one step. They look as though they are wasting their time, but eventually they manage to climb up. Now there is another step. Crawling on their hands and knees, and putting their whole body into it, they score another success one more step. Then they start again. What an effort! There are only a few more steps to go now. But then the toddler stumbles, and whoops! down he goes. With bumps all over and in floods of tears, the poor child sets out and begins to try again. We are just like that, Jesus, when we are on our own. Please take us up in your loving arms, like a big and good Friend of the simple child. Do not leave us until we have reached the top. And then oh then! we will know how to correspond to your Merciful Love, with the daring of young children, telling you, sweet Lord, that after Mary and Joseph, there never has been nor will there ever be a mortal soul and there have been some who have been really crazy who loves you as much as I love you. (The Forge, 346). 2000/12/17
“Let Him make demands on you”
God loves us infinitely more than you love yourself. So let him make demands on you. (The Forge, 813). 2000/12/16
“We are ordinary Christians who lead an ordinary life”
God is not removing you from your environment. He is not taking you away from the world, or from your condition in life, or from your noble human ambitions, or from your professional work... But he wants you to be a saint - right there! (The Forge, 362). 2000/12/15
“We need humility if we are to obey”
When you have to give orders, do not humiliate anyone. Go gently. Respect the intelligence and the will of the one who is obeying. (The Forge, 727). 2000/12/14
“The Lord uses us as torches”
We are children of God, bearers of the only flame that can light up the paths of the earth for souls, of the only brightness which can never be darkened, dimmed or overshadowed. The Lord uses us as torches, to make that light shine out. Much depends on us; if we respond many people will remain in darkness no longer, but will walk instead along paths that lead to eternal life. (The Forge, 1). 
SAINT JOSEMARÍA
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