1. First Sunday of Advent

Meditations no. 1 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

The start of the liturgical year invites us to start again in our interior life.

The new liturgical year begins, my children, with this season of Advent, which is an invitation for us to show great affection towards our Redeemer. Today is a good day for us to start again. Yes, a new start, a new beginning. In my case (and I assume the same thing happens to you), I find myself starting again every day, every hour. Every time I make an act of contrition, I start again.

Ad te, Domine, levavi animam meam: Deus meus, in te confido, non erubescam. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust, let me not be put to shame. Isn’t this trust in God the great strength of Opus Dei? Over the years, this is the way we have prayed, whenever we’ve met with misunderstanding, even gross misunderstanding: non erubescam! (Let me not be put to shame!) But we’re not the only ones to be misunderstood. Every person and every institution suffers in this way. There isn’t a single person who, rightly or wrongly, doesn’t claim to be misunderstood, by a relative, a friend, a neighbour or a colleague. But if they have an upright intention, they will immediately say: Ad te levavi animam meam (to you I lift up my soul). And they will add with the Psalmist: etenim universi, qui te expectant, non confundentur. For none of them that wait on you shall be confounded.

In te confido… Sometimes it’s not just misunderstanding but real hatred on the part of certain people who act for malicious motives. Years ago I couldn’t believe this; now I do. Neque irrideant me inimici mei (let not my enemies exult over me). My child, my beloved child, thank God for placing these words on the Psalmist’s lips. They fill us with steadfast fortitude. Reflect on the times you were disturbed and lost your calm, because you failed to turn to this Lord of yours, Deus tuus, your God, and place your trust in him. Those people will not be able to laugh at you.

Then, in your interior spiritual struggle, and in that other struggle for God’s glory - the struggle to do effective apostolate in the service of God and of souls, in the service of the Church - in all these struggles, have faith, have trust! “But, Father,” you may ask, “what about my sins?” And I reply: “And what about mine?” Ne respicias peccata nostra, sed fidem (look not on our sins, but on our faith). And we will remember those other words of Scripture: Quia tu es, Deus, fortitudo mea (for thou art the God in whom I take refuge). I am no longer afraid, since you, Lord, will look upon my faith rather than my failings, and you are my strength; because these children of mine (I present you all to God) are also my strength. My children are strong, committed, sure, serene, victorious!

But we must also be humble, truly humble. For we know very well that we’re made of clay; and we have some idea - though not a complete idea - of how much pride and sensuality there is in us. Let us discover what it is that gets in the way of our faith, our hope, and our love! Then we’ll be calm. And we’ll begin to have a better idea of what it is to be children of God. And so we’ll be able to take a step forward in this new year, knowing that we are children of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

We know for certain that God has shown us the way to heaven. He has given us, as he gave the prophet, bread baked on hot stones, to help us on our way. The way might be that of a person who is holy, or one who is lukewarm, or (though I dread to think of it), one who is evil. Vias tuas, Domine, demonstra mihi; et semitas tuas edoce me. Make me know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. God has shown us the path to holiness. Would you like to think a bit about all this?

The interior dispositions we need in order to begin again.

Excita, quaesumus, Domine, potentiam tuam, et veni… Stir up your power, we beseech you, O Lord, and come. How well the liturgy, the prayer of the Church, expresses the stuff we are made of. See how it knows our desires, what makes us tick! Excita, Domine, potentiam tuam, et veni. God’s power is coming to us. He is the Deus absconditus, the hidden God, who is passing by, and who does not pass by in vain.

Come, Lord, and make no delay. The Lord will soon be here. Let us prepare the way for him. Perhaps there’s something we haven’t surrendered yet, something that obscures our vision of Christ and diminishes our love. Now is the time to get rid of it. If you wish to see and contemplate God, first try to cleanse your heart and cast out anything that displeases him, says St Augustine. During these days we must examine our consciences more deeply, seeking greater interior purity, a more sensitive spirit. We need to get to the roots of our actions. What are the real reasons for the things I do? Where is my heart? What are my real motives? What do my thoughts, desires and yearnings centre on?

Come, Jesus. Through your protection deliver us from the perils that threaten us by reason of our sins, and save us by your grace. Thank our Lord, who is our protector and deliverer. Don’t fret over whether your faults are big or small Think only of his forgiveness, and how vast it is. Realize that however great your guilt may have been, you can still be grateful, because God was, and always is, ready to forgive.

My child, this beginning of Advent is a good time to make an act of love, to say: “I believe, I hope, I love”. A good time to turn to the Mother of Christ -Mother, Daughter, Spouse of God, our Mother - and ask her to obtain more graces for us from the Holy Trinity: the grace of hope, of love, of contrition - so that whenever there seems to be a strong, searing wind that could dry up the flowers of the soul, it will not wither ours.

And learn to praise the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit Learn to be especially devoted to the Blessed Trinity. I believe in God the Father; I believe in God the Son; I believe in God the Holy Spirit: I believe in the Blessed Trinity. I hope in God the Father; I hope in God the Son; I hope in God the Holy Spirit: I hope in the Blessed Trinity. I love God the Father; I love God the Son; I love God the Holy Spirit: I love the Blessed Trinity. We need to practise this devotion as a supernatural exercise that gives rise to aspirations in our hearts, even though they may not always be expressed in words.

We must decide to overcome, once and for all, any barrier between God and ourselves, going out to meet Christ loyally and sincerely, with a renewed resolve to seek him and him alone. The grace of Advent, this approaching encounter with our Lord, can rid our souls of anything old and worn, and restore to our personal dedication the freshness of youth, and a yearning to be holy.

We need to work on the inside.

We know very well what St Paul tells us today: Fratres: scientes tempus, quia hora est iam nos de somno surgere. (Brethren, you know what hour it is, how it is full time for us to wake from sleep. ) It is high time we were working. We need to work on the inside, building up our soul, and on the outside, building up God’s kingdom. And once again, contrition comes to our lips. Lord, I am sorry for my bad life, my lukewarm life. I am sorry for my shoddy work; my not having loved you, my not having been attentive to you. A disdainful glance from a son to his mother is particularly hurtful; whereas if it is to a stranger it doesn’t matter too much. I am your son. Mea culpa, mea culpa! …

It is time for us to wake from sleep. How supernaturally do you view events? A supernatural attitude may not be obvious on the outside, though it will show in your actions and sometimes even on your face. Take a good deep look inside. Isn’t it true that part of your life has been somewhat asleep, somewhat easy-going? How easily we let ourselves get away with merely fulfilling things, without much love! Let’s do things properly!

Nox praecessit, dies autem appropinquavit (the night is far gone, the day is at hand): abiiciamus ergo opera tenebrarum, et induamur arma lucis. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. St Paul’s words are very strong! Sicut in die honeste ambulemus. (Let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day. ) We are to go through life as apostles, bearing God’s light and his salt. And we should do so naturally, but with such great interior life, so imbued with Opus Dei’s spirit, that we are able to shed light, while avoiding the decay around us; producing the fruit of serenity and joy. And in the midst of tears (because we sometimes shed tears, but that doesn’t matter), we will find joy and peace, gaudium cum pace.

Salt, fire, and light: for souls - for your own soul and for mine. An act of love, of contrition. Mea culpa… I could and should have been an instrument… Thank you, my God. In spite of everything, you have given me great faith, and the grace of my vocation and the grace of perseverance. That’s why in the Mass the Church invites us to say: Dominus dabit benignitatem, et terra nostra dabit fructum suum. (The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. ) God’s blessing is the source of all good fruit. It creates the right climate for us to become saints and to “raise up” other saints, children of his.

Dominus dabit benignitatem… Our Lord expects fruit from us. If we don’t produce it, we’re depriving him of it. However, the fruit we produce mustn’t be stunted and decayed, through our not having truly given ourselves. God gives water, rain, sun and soil. But he expects us to sow, to transplant, to prune. He expects us to watch over the fruit lovingly, and, if need be, keep the birds from eating it.

In ending, let us turn to our Mother and ask her to help us carry out the resolutions we have made.