Day by Day with St. John Baptist de La Salle

May 1st

Tempted? Pray

Ask and you shall receive. Since God wants to give us his grace, he has provided us with a sure means to obtain them, namely, prayer.

We are so subject to temptation that as Job says, our life is a constant temptation. This made St. Peter say that the demon, our enemy, like a roaring lion, is always roaming around us seeking endlessly some way to devour us. It is prayer that puts us in a position to resist him.

Jesus Christ even says of the demon of impurity that he cannot be put to flight save by prayer and fasting. He puts prayer before fasting to teach us that although mortification is most necessary to vanquish the unclean spirit, it is even more important for us to arm ourselves with prayer when we are assailed.

When you feel yourself attacked by the tempting spirit,
do not stop praying
until you have driven him completely away.

(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts

-5th Sunday After Easter)

Keep watch, and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Mk 14:38)

May 2nd

St. Athanasius(ca 295-373)

Stand Firm

It is a surprising thing how far the enemies of St. Athanasius carried their anger against him. There were no calumnies, injuries, deceptions, persecutions, evil treatments, and tribulations that the Arians did not try to use in order to destroy him. They accused him of all kinds of crimes, murder, violence, injustice, but all these charges were completely and publicly dismissed in the presence of his accusers who were put to shame because of all their lies.

Be ready to endure
injuries,
outrages and
calumnies
in return for all the good you have tried to do for others. Prepare your heart to accept these trials with love.
(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. (Mt 5:11)

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May 3rd

Saints Philip and James, Apostles

Faith and Zeal

St. James’ great application to prayer reveals itself in the Epistle he wrote, in which he states

·that we should especially ask God for true wisdom and piety,

·that God’s liberality toward us is great,

·that we should pray with faith, and

explains why we do not receive what we ask of God.

When St. Philip was called to the apostleship he immediately showed such great zeal for leading souls to God that he brought Nathanael to Jesus Christ.

It seems that Jesus also gave this saint a special grace, namely that of tenderness and an engaging manner to bring others to know and love Jesus Christ. When several Gentiles were eager to see Jesus, they asked this saint to introduce them to him.

In your work you have a special need for zeal for the salvation of souls. Ask this earnestly of God by the intercession of St. Philip who will help you very much to obtain it.

(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

“Have I been with you all this time, Philip,” said Jesus to him, “and you still do not know me?” (Jn 14:9)

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May 4th

Taste and See

Some fear to receive Communion because they are convinced, falsely, that they obtain no benefit from it, and that it is an abuse to go so often without any profit for the good of their soul. Do they count for nothing the fact that Communion preserves them from mortal sin? This is without doubt a priceless favour which should make you desire to receive Communion every day.

But, you may say, as others do, this sacrament contains the essence of holiness, and demands great holiness in those who receive it so often. To reason in this way is to mistake the effect and purpose of this sacrament for what is merely the preparation. We go to Communion

·to become holy, not

·because we are holy.

If you were to say that you need to be a saint in order to live in community, you would be told that people come to religious life to become saints, not because they are saints.

Is not the union with Jesus Christ capable of making you share in his holiness? This is precisely the reason why you should receive Communion often.
(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Ps 34:8)

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May 5th

The Conversion of St. Augustine(354-430)

I Will - I Won’t

For many years this saint led a very disorderly life. He was not always resisting grace, but he was not consenting to its movements. Now he wanted to change, now again he no longer wanted to change. He himself was surprised to see himself so indecisive.

The day finally arrived when God, having gradually softened St. Augustine’s heart, caused him to hear a voice saying to him clearly, Take and read. Upon opening a book of the Epistles of St. Paul, he was moved and converted by the reading of a single passage. It poured into his heart, he says, like a light that filled it with a deep peace and scattered all the darkness of his doubts.

Have you been thoroughly converted to God?

How often has God made you hear an inner voice loud enough to impress you, but you have not listened to it?

At least say with David, today I wish to begin to belong entirely to God.

(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

But take up the weapons of the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop paying attention to your sinful nature and satisfying its desires. (Rom 13:13-14)

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May 6th

Practise the Virtues

It would have been of little use if the apostles had instructed the first Christians in the essential truths of our religion, if they did not lead them to live the Christian way of life. The apostles were not satisfied with teaching doctrine, but they had a marvellous care to bring the first Christians to practise their religion.

Above everything else, this is what you are obliged to do in your work. In imitation of the apostles you must give an altogether special care that those whom you instruct receive the sacraments, in particular, that they are ready to receive Confirmation in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You must see to it that they go to confession often, after learning how to do this well. You must dispose them to receive their first Communion with holy dispositions and to receive Communion frequently thereafter.

Inspire them also with piety and self-control in church and in the exercises of piety you have them perform in the schools. Instill in them the innocence and humility that Our Lord recommends so strongly in the Gospel. Do not forget to help them acquire gentleness,patience, love and respect for their parents, and all the conduct that is proper to a Christian child.
(Meditations for Time of Retreat)

Are there people among you who are wise and understanding? They are to prove it by their good lives by their good deeds performed with humility and wisdom.
(Jas 3:13)

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May 7th

Too Gentle / Kind

The Other Extreme

At the other extreme, the following are examples of the teachers’ weakness which leads to negligent and lax conduct by the students.

Care is taken by the teacher only about things which are important and which cause disorder, and other less important matters are imperceptibly neglected.

Not enough insistence is placed upon the performance and observance of school practices and those things which constitute the duties of the children.

Children are easily permitted to neglect what has been prescribed.
(Conduct of Schools)

Don’t hesitate to discipline children. (Prov 23:13)

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May 8th

Heaven Is The Prize

Acknowledge that it is indeed, a great advantage for you that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; it is from there that come all the gifts which should enrich and adorn your soul. In fact, it is by virtue of the power over all creatures both in heaven and on earth which Jesus Christ received this day, that he is so generous to his people.

As their head he makes them share in the life of grace, the fullness of which dwells in him, and as your mediator he presents your prayers and good works to God his Father.

He himself prays for you to draw down God’s mercy on you and prevent God from turning his anger on you when you offend him. For Christ’s ascension is your glory, the motive of your hope, and the promise of your happiness.

Lift your mind and heart heavenward,
·because you are destined only for heaven
·and should work only for heaven,
·and because you will not find perfect rest until you are in heaven.
Beg of Christ the grace to be no longer preoccupied with anything except the things of heaven.
(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts

-Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ )

So I run straight towards the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Jesus Christ to the life above. (Phil 3:14)

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May 9th

Seek Him Only

The name Michael tells us that nothing is like unto God. You enjoy something similar to the apparitions of St. Michael in the inspirations God gives you.

The first effect that should be produced in us by the inspirations God gives us is to have an entire detachment from all the things of earth, because they are nothing and God is everything.

Another effect is an interior taste for God. This leads you to seek only God and to give yourselves entirely to him. If there is anything lovable in creatures, it comes only from their relationship with God.

From this day on, let this be your disposition, to desire only God, for our hearts, says St. Augustine, can be at rest only when they rest in God.

·Have you no attachment to anything, so that you can say that you would have no trouble to give it up?

·Is there anything besides what concerns God that matters to you and that touches you?

·Does a sin, for instance, cause you more grief than anything you could suffer?

It is by such indications that you will know if you seek only God and if you seek him in truth.
(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

Set your heart first on the kingdom and justice of God and all these things will also be given to you. (Mt 6:33)

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May 10th

Know, Love and Serve

Jesus Christ predicted to his apostles the persecutions they would have to suffer. The reason the world maltreats and insults the disciples of Jesus Christ is because this world has not known him nor his Father who sent him. Indeed worldly people, as a rule, have no love except for people like themselves, that is for those who enjoy nothing but what caters to their senses. They have only a very imperfect knowledge of God, as they
·do not think about him,
·never speak about him,
·do not willingly hear about him, and
·scarcely every pray to him!

At times you may have to teach children who do not know God because they have been brought up by parents who do not know him themselves. Strive to know God so well through reading and prayer that you may be able to make him known to others, and make him loved by all those to whom you have made him known.
(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Prov 1:7)

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May 11th

Spiritual Medicine

When you find the practice of virtue difficult, you must strive to make it become easy by applying yourself to prayer.

Prayer, says St. Chrysostom, is a divine medicine which

·drives out of our hearts all the malice it finds there and

·fills them with all justice.

This is why, if we wish to deliver ourselves from sin, we cannot do anything better than to devote ourselves to prayer.

In fact, no matter how many sins a person who loves prayer commits, he still has a quick and easy recourse, which is prayer, in order to obtain the grace of repentance and pardon.

Ask God, then, to give you a pure heart that has an aversion for whatever can stain your conscience and make you displeasing to God.
(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

For everyone who asks will receive, and he who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to anyone who knocks. (Lk 11:10)

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May 12th

Self-Control

The mortifications that others make you practise are wonderful opportunities for you to advance in virtue. That is why out of love of God you must conceive a liking for them, especially since they concern the mind only and cause you no bodily discomfort.

On such occasions say within yourself,

“My God, give me the grace to love all that helps me to mortify my mind.”

If you want to become interior, it is a matter of great importance for you to control
your mind and
your eyes.
Without this kind of mortification, it is almost impossible to make progress in virtue.

You are well aware that we should not follow our inclinations or our whims. Acting through whims is acting as an animal rather than as a human being. Among us mortification is held in high honour, so you must look upon it as an inseparable companion.
(Letters)

Those who live as the Spirit tells them to have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants. (Rom 8:5)

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May 13th

Keeping Secrets

You must be particularly circumspect in your words when someone has entrusted you with a secret. It would be very imprudent to reveal it,

·even if you urge the one to whom you repeat the matter to keep it to himself, and

·even if the one who confided the secret to you has not asked you not to mention it to others.

For, as the Wise Man says so correctly, if you reveal the secrets of a friend, you lose all credibility and will soon be unable to find any close friends (Eccl 27:16-17). He considers this fault as being much worse than speaking injuriously to your friend, for, even after harsh words, reconciliation is possible. But if you have been base enough to betray a friend’s secrets, there can remain no hope of reconciliation, and you will try in vain to recover the lost friendship.
(Christian Politeness)

For a wound can be bandaged and an insult forgiven, but if you betray a secret there is no hope. (Eccl 27:21)

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May 14th

St. Matthias, Apostle

Consult - Pray - Choose

This holy disciple was admitted among the number of the apostles only after a common prayer was recited publicly by St. Peter in the name of all the apostles and disciples who were praying together in the same place.

This shows us that in all we do for the glory of God,

·we should undertake nothing without praying,

·to ask God for the light and grace we need

·to succeed in whatever we undertake for him.

In order to choose St. Matthias to take Judas’ place, the apostles were not content to pray; they consulted among themselves in order to decide nothing in this matter except through consultation. They were convinced that if they joined counsel to prayer, God would make known to them his will regarding the choice which they had to make.

This is how God wishes you to act in your own conduct and in your ministry.
(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

You did not choose me; I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit which endures. (Jn 15:16)

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May 15th

Breath of the Spirit

On this day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and on all those who were gathered together with them in the large upper room. He came to bring them a new law, the law of grace and love, and poured himself out upon them like a strong, driving wind.

This wind, the symbol of the Spirit of God, filled the entire house. At that moment the apostles received such an abundance of grace that all Jerusalem was filled with the sound of their voices. They spoke about nothing but the risen Jesus Christ. They had the words of Sacred Scripture constantly on their lips and these words served to guide them in all they did.

They had all fled after seeing Christ die on the cross; they had gone into hiding, afraid of death. But after receiving the Holy Spirit, they came together again and gathered in the same place; there they encouraged each other and urged one another to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ. In such suffering they considered themselves blessed, and rejoiced.

You carry out a work which requires you to touch hearts,
but this you cannot do except by the Spirit of God.
(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts
-Pentecost Sunday)

But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control. There is no law against such things as these. (Gal 5:22)

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May 16th

My Body

We can make an act of faith by considering God in our body as in His temple.

How obliged I am, to keep my body in great purity since it is your temple and since you make your dwelling place in it. Everything in it must reflect the holiness of the one who dwells there, according to what St. Paul says:

“Do you not know that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit?”

I must, therefore, from now on, and in the future, look upon my body as being consecrated and sanctified by your presence and your dwelling in it.

With this in view I will not allow any movement in my body which does not tend toward you and I will have a great control over my senses out of respect for your holy presence.
(Mental Prayer)

The body is not to be used for sexual immorality but to serve the Lord; and the Lord provides for the body. (1 Cor 6:13)

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May 17th

Preserve Innocence

Since children are the most innocent part of the Church, Jesus Christ desires that you fulfill well your task of making them holy. God looks on them with compassion and takes care of them as being
their protector,
their support and
their father,
and it is to you that he entrusts this care. This God of goodness places them in your hands and undertakes to give them everything you ask of him: piety, self-control, purity, the avoidance of companions who could be dangerous to them.

Bad companions are so dangerous, especially in youth, that there is nothing to which you should pay more attention than to prevent those you teach from keeping such company.

Because God knows that of yourself you have neither enough virtue nor enough ability to give all those things to the children, he wants you to ask him for these blessings for them frequently, fervently, and insistently.

(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

Then, he took a child and made him stand in front of them. (Mk 9:36)

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May 18th

Gentleness and Firmness

The Balance

It is easy to recognize what constitutes too much harshness and too much gentleness. Both of these extremes must be avoided if one is to be neither too harsh nor too weak, if one is to be firm in attaining a purpose and gentle in the means of attaining it; and in all to show great charity accompanied by zeal. A teacher must be constant in persevering. However, children must not be permitted to expect impunity, or to do whatever they wish, and the like; gentleness is not proper in such cases.

We must know that gentleness consists in never allowing any harshness or anything whatsoever that savours of anger or passion to appear in reprimands. Instead, being gentle means showing

·the gravity of a father,

·a compassion full of tenderness, and

·a certain ease, which is however, lively and effective.

The teacher who revokes or punishes must make it very clear that such punishment arises from necessity and that it is out of zeal for the common good that it is administered.
(Conduct of Schools)

Avoid both extremes. If you have reverence for God, you will be successful anyway. (Eccl 7:18)

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May 19th

Face Troubles

It is not true that in your vocation suffering goes unrewarded. Every state of life has its own difficulties. You must not be surprised at having to suffer. This is part of the plan of God, who wishes us to gain merit in this way. Make sure, then , that in the future you bear your sufferings with patience.

You must expect to have troubles all your life,
wherever and in
whatever
situation you find yourself.

Always cling to the Cross of Jesus Christ, and never separate yourself from it. Ought we not to suffer in order to win back the paradise we have lost and to avoid the hell we deserve? If you wish to be pleasing to God, offer him your sufferings in union with those of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Letters)

There is cause for joy, then, even though you may, for a time, have to suffer many trials. Thus will your faith be tested, like gold in a furnace. (1 Pet 1:6-7)

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May 20th

St. Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)

Lasting Impressions

From his youth St. Bernardine had such great prudence and self-control that the most disorderly of his fellow students were prudent in his presence and did not dare to speak of anything unbecoming. When they saw him coming from a distance, they said to one another,

“No more of this talk; here comes Bernardine.”

Are you likewise equally self-controlled, not only in the presence of your Brothers, but of your students as well? Does what they observe in you make such an impression on them that it is able to make them behave properly?

There is no one to whom you cannot and should not try to be helpful by the example of your virtues. This was the first way St. Bernardine practised his zeal, and it is also the way you are obliged to preach to everyone.
(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

I will live a pure life in my house, and will never tolerate evil. (Ps 101:3)

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May 21st

Don’t Skip Communion

You know that to receive the sacraments with all the requisite dispositions, you must have deep faith and fervour. Before you confess your sins, be sure to make acts of contrition. Be very careful not to miss the sacrament of penance.

It is this sacrament and the reception of the Eucharist that will support you in your difficulties, and you should regard it as agreat happiness to receive the Eucharist frequently. You should take steps to correct yourself of your faults, but it would be an even greater fault not to receive Communion.

The apathy you experience in prayer and when receiving Holy Communion is due to the fact that

·you don’t apply yourself and

·you don’t think of spiritual matters outside the time of prayer.

Don’t stay away from Communion. You need it.
(Letters)

Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood live in me, and I live in them. (Jn 6:56)

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May 22nd

The Eyes of Faith

Look on everything with the eyes of faith. You must never fail to do this, no matter what the reason.

Viewing thing with the eyes of faith will earn for you in one day

·more good,

·more interior application,

·closer union with God, and

·greater vigilance over yourself

than a month of those penances and austerities to which you are attracted. Believe me, you will see its effect, though perhaps for the present you will not understand it.

The spirit of faith is a sharing in the Spirit of God who dwells in us, which leads us to regulate our conduct in all things by the sentiments and truths that faith teaches us. You should, therefore, be wholly occupied in acquiring it, so that it may be for you a shield against the fiery darts of the devil.
(Letters)

For it is by our faith that we are put right with God. (Rom 10:10)

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May 23rd

The Leap of Faith

With good reason we can call the Holy Trinity the mystery of faith, because nothing but faith can throw light on this mystery.

Faith alone can enable us to know it, though only in a superficial manner; nevertheless, we do know it as far as it can be grasped in this life.

Faith alone keeps our mind fixed on the consideration of this supreme mystery, which is infinitely beyond the range of the human mind.

Faith alone, drawing the mind from the darkness of infidelity, leads it deep into this sacred obscurity in which faith holds us captive.

Other mysteries are accompanied by something tangible that gives our senses and our reason some help, but in this one neither senses nor reason find any assistance.

Ask God, therefore, for a deep faith to believe this sacred mystery. Dedicate yourself entirely to the Holy Trinity, to contribute as far as you will be able to extend its glory over all the earth.

(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts
-Trinity Sunday)

What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts for ever.
(2 Cor 4:18)

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May 24th

Punishment should be Rare

Prevention is Better than Cure

If a school is to be well-regulated and in very good order, punishment must be rare.

To avoid frequent punishment, which is a source of great disorder in a school, it is necessary to note well that it is
silence,
restraint, and
watchfulness
on the part of the teacher that establish and maintain good order in a class. It is not harshness and blows that establish and maintain good order. A constant effort must be made to act with skill and ingenuity to keep students in order while making almost no use of punishment.

(Conduct of Schools)

We do not want you to become lazy, but to be like those who believe, and are patient and so receive what God has promised. (Heb 6:12)

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May 25th

St. Magdalene de Pazzi(1566-1607)

The Living Bread

This saint excelled in her ardent love for God. The great love she had for God led her above all to receive Holy Communion often so great was her desire to unite herself intimately with Jesus Christ. This is why, when she was still too young to receive Communion, she would draw near to her mother and not leave her all day long because of the pleasure she had to be near and to touch a person who had received the precious Body of Jesus Christ.

When she became a religious she chose the Order of Carmelites because the reception of Holy Communion was more commonly practised there than in many other orders.

Do you also make it a point to receive Communion often? Consider this
the greatest advantage and
the greatest happiness
you can enjoy in this world.
(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. (Jn 6:51)

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May 26th

St. Philip Neri(1515-1595)

Two Loves

This saint had a great devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ and to the Blessed Virgin. He could not think or speak of the sufferings of Jesus without weeping, because he considered himself to be the cause. This made him sometimes say that the wound in Christ’s side was very large, but if God did not restrain his hand, he would make it even larger. He also sometimes spent entire nights conversing with the Blessed Virgin.

These two loves,

·for Jesus Christ and

·for the Blessed Virgin,

have, as a rule, been the principal devotions of the greatest saints. St. Bernard and St. Francis found their greatest pleasure meditating on the Passion of Jesus Christ, and they had such a tender devotion to the Blessed Virgin that they chose her as the protectress of their orders.

Consider her in the same way as the protectress of your Institute.
(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break your own heart. (Lk 2:35)

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May 27th

My Soul

We can make an act of faith in the presence of God by considering him in our soul as in His temple.

I believe that you are the treasure of my soul, and that it has the advantage of possessing you since St. Paul assures us that we are the temple of the living God who dwells in us, and that He will converse with us.

It is, therefore,

·in order to make me take pleasure in your conversation that you make your dwelling in my soul,

·in order to make of it a place of delights.

Detach my soul so much from all created things that you may find your delight there. Overwhelm it with your blessings and your graces, so that being fittingly adorned, it may become worthy of receiving you.
(Mental Prayer)

Love the Lord your God, do his will, obey his commandments, be faithful to him, and serve him with all your heart and soul. (Jos 22:5)

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May 28th

Make Communions Count

Quite often, what causes our Communions to fail to have good results is the fact that we receive Communion with considerable venial sins, which we have not confessed.

To receive Communion without confession, for example, after having lied, or murmured against our superior, or after allowing ourselves to yield deliberately to curiosity, or after committing similar faults, shows that we do not have much horror for sin.

In doing this we take little trouble to purify our heart, and we take very lightly sins of this sort, which are nevertheless serious in a person who makes profession of piety.

Do your Communions make you
more recollected,
more charitable,
more patient, and
more self-controlled?
You should see to it that your Communions produce these good results.

(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

To have good fruit you must have a healthy tree. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it bears. (Mt 12:33)

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May 29th

Giving Oneself

At the moment of Holy Communion and during thanksgiving, it is a good suggestion to call to mind what we find most difficult in the service of God, and say to ourselves:

See, Our Lord gives himself entirely to you,
will you not give yourself entirely to him?
And since this difficulty is the only obstacle,
will you not overcome it through love of Jesus?

Doubtless you would not dare to refuse. In this way we should urge ourselves gently to overcome ourselves.

Rest assured that there is no time in life more precious than the moment of Holy Communion and the time immediately following, when you have the happiness of speaking mouth to mouth and heart to heart with Jesus.

(Collection)

I am the bread of life. Those who come to me will never be hungry. (Jn 6:35)

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May 30th

Burning with Zeal

You must not doubt that it is a great gift of God this grace he has given you to be entrusted with the instruction of children, to announce the Gospel to them and to bring them up in the spirit of religion. But in calling you to this holy ministry, God demands that you fulfill it with an ardent zeal for their salvation, because this is the work of God and he curses the one who does his work carelessly.

Let it be clear, then, in all your conduct towards the children who are entrusted to you that you look upon yourselves as ministers of God, carrying out your ministry with love and a sincere and true zeal, accepting with much patience the difficulties you have to suffer.

For this reason, and in this spirit, you must have the love and the glory of God as your single aim in the instruction of these children.

The zeal you are obliged to have in your work must be so active and so alive that you are able to tell the parents of the children entrusted to your care what is said in Scripture: Give us their souls, keep everything else for yourselves, that is, what we have undertaken is to work for the salvation of their souls.
(Meditations for Time of Retreat)

We do not want anyone to find fault with our work, so we try not to put obstacles in anyone’s way. Instead, in everything we do we show that we are God’s servants by patiently enduring troubles, hardships and difficulties. (2 Cor 6: 3-4)

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May 31st

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

When Jesus Visits Us

Let us admire the promptness with which the Blessed Virgin went to visit her cousin St. Elizabeth as soon as she learned the will of God. Her promptness drew down God’s blessings on her visit. We should consider ourselves blessed when we are visited by God through his inspirations.

God urged the Blessed Virgin to go to visit St. Elizabeth because he wished to sanctify John the Baptist by the presence of Jesus Christ, his Son. God also wanted St. John to pay homage to Jesus by leaping for joy at the approach of Christ.

God also wished to give himself to St. Elizabeth in such a way that she would be at once filled with the Holy Spirit and know that Mary was the Mother of God. This made St. Elizabeth realise how great a happiness she enjoyed.

Since you have the honour of being visited

·by God every day in prayer and often

·by Jesus in Holy Communion,

make sure that their visits to you are not useless.

(Meditations for Sundays and Feasts)

Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord’s mother comes to visit me? (Lk 1:43)