Category: Inspiration Daily

I suspect that if St. Mother Teresa commanded a mountain to be taken up and cast in the sea, the mountain would waste no time to get going. Such was the faith of this amazing woman. 

I learned about her flying novena when I led a small group of women through Fr. Timothy Gaitley’s 33 Days to Marian Consecration. It seems this novena – called a flying novena because she prayed the Memorare nine times in a row instead of nine days or nine hours in a row – was one of the more efficacious weapons in her spiritual arsenal. So great was her faith that she chased the ninth Memorare with a tenth of thanksgiving for the answered request. I can imagine her tiny self next to a giant mountain, praying the ten Memorares and the mountain getting up and dashing off to the sea.

I have experienced the power of the flying novena often and I consider it the prayer that is always answered. I have learned that it is good to have this unwavering and childlike trust in God’s providence. It’s not presumptuous – it’s faith. Our heavenly Father is a generous God who loves to answer our prayers. We just need to believe that. We hear it from Jesus himself in today’s Gospel:

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will.” 

How could we ever doubt? Whether it is St. Mother Teresa’s flying novena or a prayer from your heart, believe. Believe that God your Father desires to give you what you ask for. Believe in his generosity and faithfulness. 

Pope Francis once said that God never tires of forgiving us, it is we who get tired of asking for forgiveness. I believe that God also never tires of giving to us; it is we who get tired of asking. The next time something weighs heavily on your heart, try a flying novena and don’t forget to include the tenth Memorare in thanksgiving for your answered prayer. 

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen. 

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Sospecho que si Santa Madre Teresa ordenara que se tomara una montaña y se arrojara al mar, la montaña no perdería tiempo en ponerse en marcha. Tal era la fe de esta mujer asombrosa.

Me enteré de su novena volada cuando dirigí un pequeño grupo de mujeres por el libro “Los 33 Días Hacia un Glorioso Amanecer” por el Padre Timothy Gaitley. Parece que esta novena, llamada novena volada porque la Madre Teresa rezaba el Memorare nueve veces seguidas en lugar de nueve días o nueve horas seguidas, era una de las armas más eficaces de su arsenal espiritual. Tan grande fue su fe que después del noveno Memorare lo rezó una décima vez en acción de gracias por la petición atendida. Puedo imaginarla junto a una montaña gigante, rezando los diez Memorares y la montaña levantándose y corriendo hacia el mar.

He experimentado a menudo el poder de la novena volada y la considero la oración que siempre recibe respuesta. He aprendido que es bueno tener esta confianza inquebrantable e infantil en la providencia de Dios. No es presunción, es fe. Nuestro Padre celestial es un Dios generoso que quiere contestar nuestras oraciones. Sólo tenemos que creerlo. Lo escuchamos del mismo Jesús en el Evangelio de hoy:

“Cualquier cosa que pidan en la oración, crean ustedes que ya se la han concedido, y la obtendrán.”

¿Cómo podríamos dudar? Ya sea la novena volada de Santa Madre Teresa o una oración de tu corazón, cree. Cree que Dios tu Padre desea darte lo que pides. Cree en su generosidad y fidelidad.

El Papa Francisco dijo una vez que Dios nunca se cansa de perdonarnos, somos nosotros los que nos cansamos de pedir perdón. Yo creo que Dios también nunca se cansa de darnos; somos nosotros los que nos cansamos de preguntar. La próxima vez que algo te pesa mucho en el corazón, intenta una novena volada y no te olvides de incluir el décimo Memorare en acción de gracias por la respuesta a tu oración.

Acordaos, oh piadosísima Virgen María, que jamás se ha oído decir que ninguno de los que hayan acudido a tu protección, implorando tu asistencia y reclamando tu socorro, haya sido abandonado de ti. Animado con esta confianza, a ti también acudo, oh Madre, Virgen de las vírgenes, y aunque gimiendo bajo el peso de mis pecados, me atrevo a comparecer ante tu presencia soberana. No deseches mis humildes súplicas, oh Madre del Verbo divino, antes bien, escúchalas y acógelas benignamente. Amén.

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When the disciples are tasked with feeding five thousand men across from the Sea of Galilee, they are understandably dumbfounded: How can they feed so large a crowd with no food of their own, not much money, and five barley loaves and two fish? Yet, they do not bat an eye when Jesus tells them to prepare the crowd for a meal. Instead of relying on their own intuition and arguing with Jesus about the absurdity of feeding over five thousand people with such a small amount of food, they simply do what He says, knowing that He will provide for His people.

The disciples understand our Gospel acclamation, that “one does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). They have no idea how to approach the situation, but they have learned to trust in Jesus’ direction, even for matters of physical survival. His direction is better than anything they could come up with, even if it seems absurd at the time.

This outlook complements that of the psalmist, whose sole aim is to dwell in the house of the Lord rather than in other, more familiar places. And in our First Reading, we see Gamaliel saying something similar: “If [the gospel message] comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5:39). He does not want to resist something that might come from God, even if he does not understand it.

Gamaliel, the psalmist, and the disciples see the point of remaining fixed on God, trusting in His direction even when it is difficult. They know that if God ordains something, guiding it with His hand, it cannot fail. If He gives direction, it will not be followed in vain. To dwell in His house is better than all else.

This is a profound trust that we need to adopt in our own lives. There is a subtle self-reliance that creeps in when we spend too much time seeking security by our own efforts alone. We plan far ahead, without consulting God concerning what He wants for our lives and for our loved ones. Inevitably, our best laid plans fail, and we make new ones, which fare no better. If we are not used to consulting God and trusting that He truly has things under control, we rely on worldly methods to maintain security, prestige, and wealth, so that we can have everything necessary for a good and peaceful life. Seeking easy steps to success, we look to social media and popular wisdom to solve our problems. If these solutions are divorced from spirituality, they never bring us the peace and security we seek.

Ultimately, we need to trust in what God has already told us through readings such as these. Even and especially when things look confusing and hopeless, God is in control. We must listen to Him and seek His will in these moments through prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and spiritual direction, trusting in what He tells us, even if we cannot understand the reasons for it. We cannot expect to fully understand the ways of God, but that does not mean that they are inferior to the ways we can come up with on our own. Dwelling in His house is the goal, and His direction and protection are best for us in all situations.

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Cuando los discípulos tienen la tarea de alimentar a cinco mil hombres al otro lado del Mar de Galilea, se quedan estupefactos: ¿Cómo pueden alimentar a una multitud tan grande sin comida propia, sin mucho dinero, cinco panes de cebada y dos peces? Sin embargo, no se inmutan cuando Jesús les dice que preparen a la multitud para una comida. En lugar de confiar en su propia intuición y discutir con Jesús acerca de lo absurdo de alimentar a más de cinco mil personas con una cantidad tan pequeña de comida, simplemente hacen lo que les manda, sabiendo que proveerá para Su pueblo.

Los discípulos entienden nuestra aclamación evangélica, que “No sólo de pan vive el hombre, sino también de toda palabra que sale de la boca de Dios.” (Mt 4,4). No tienen idea de cómo abordar la situación, pero han aprendido a confiar en la dirección de Jesús, incluso en cuestiones de supervivencia física. Su orientación es mejor que cualquier cosa que se les haya ocurrido, incluso si parece absurdo en ese momento.

Esta perspectiva complementa la del salmista, cuyo único objetivo es morar en la casa del Señor y no en otros lugares más familiares. Y en nuestra Primera Lectura, vemos a Gamaliel diciendo algo similar: “si lo que se proponen y están haciendo es de origen humano, se acabará por sí mismo. Pero si es cosa de Dios, no podrán ustedes deshacerlo. No se expongan a luchar contra Dios” (Hechos 5:39). No quiere resistirse a algo que podría venir de Dios, aunque no lo entienda.

Gamaliel, el salmista y los discípulos ven el punto de mantenerse fijos en Dios, confiando en Su orientación incluso cuando sea difícil. Saben que si Dios ordena algo, guiándolo con Su mano, no puede fallar. Si orienta a alguien, sus indicaciones no serán seguidas en vano. Morar en Su casa es mejor que cualquier otra cosa.

Esta es una confianza profunda que necesitamos adoptar en nuestras propias vidas. Hay una autosuficiencia sutil que se cuela cuando pasamos demasiado tiempo buscando seguridad solo con nuestros propios esfuerzos. Planeamos con mucha anticipación, sin consultar a Dios sobre lo que quiere para nuestra vida y la de nuestros seres queridos. Inevitablemente, nuestros planes fallan y creamos otros nuevos, y no nos va mejor. Si no estamos acostumbrados a consultar a Dios y confiar en que realmente tiene las cosas bajo su control, nos apoyamos en métodos mundanos para mantener la seguridad, el prestigio y la riqueza, para que podamos tener todo lo necesario para una vida buena y pacífica. Buscando pasos fáciles hacia el éxito, recurrimos a las redes sociales y la sabiduría popular para resolver nuestros problemas. Si estas soluciones están separadas de la espiritualidad, nunca nos traerán la paz y la seguridad que buscamos.

En última instancia, debemos confiar en lo que Dios ya nos ha dicho a través de las escrituras, como las lecturas de hoy. Incluso y especialmente cuando las cosas parecen confusas y sin esperanza, Dios tiene todo bajo control. Debemos escucharlo y buscar su voluntad en estos momentos a través de la oración, la Escritura, los sacramentos y la dirección espiritual, confiando en lo que nos dice, aunque no podamos entender las razones. No podemos esperar comprender completamente los caminos de Dios, pero eso no significa que sean inferiores a los caminos que podemos encontrar por nuestra cuenta. Morar en Su casa es la meta, y Su orientación y su protección son lo mejor para nosotros en todas las situaciones.

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“When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.”

The Apostles were so convicted by their experience of Jesus Christ, that they continued to tell his story even when those in power wanted to put them to death. Let that sink in for a moment. They wanted them put to death. And the Apostles did not stop. 

We live in a time when we are taught not to discuss religion and politics. We have witnessed people shamed and brought down for standing up for their convictions. It is a time of “political correctness” and “cancel culture”. 

This hits home hard for me. It is hard for me to even write these words. I am ashamed to admit that there have been times in my life when I have not brought up my faith because I was afraid it would make for an uncomfortable dinner conversation. I have neglected to share the grace I have received, because I wasn’t sure how the person would react, they might think I was weird or worse. I had a job once where I was cautioned to tuck in my crucifix because I was around people who didn’t like Catholics and I complied. No one has threatened my life, but there have definitely been times when I didn’t tell the story of Jesus Christ and the wonders he has worked. For that I am ashamed. 

A personal encounter with Jesus Christ has the ability to transform us. A personal encounter with Jesus Christ is able to take us outside of ourselves and move us into meaningful encounters with others. It is our mission to go out into the world and tell the story of Jesus Christ and his mercy. We are not to tell it once and then go back home, we are to tell the story over and over. More than that, we are to live the story. We are to live in such a way that mercy is our hallmark; where telling others how much they are loved is part of just who we are and how we operate. 

So I will take comfort from John’s words in the Gospel. “He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” As I bend my will to conform more and more to God’s will, I can trust that God will not ration his gift of the Spirit so that each day I can start anew and along with the Psalmist “bless the Lord at all times.” Even when it feels uncomfortable. 

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