Saint Philip Neri

We pray a simple daily offering and then let Saint Augustine challenge our idea of happiness by contrasting joy in the Lord with joy in the world. We sit with the Good Samaritan as a picture of Christ drawing near, and we end with a clear path from God’s nearness to peace over anxiety. 
• opening prayers and daily offering through the Immaculate Heart of Mary 
• Saint Augustine on choosing joy in the Lord over worldly joy 
• “In him we live and move and have our being” as a cure for feeling far from God 
• the Good Samaritan as Christ becoming our neighbor out of compassion 
• rejoicing in truth and eternity rather than vanity 
• “The Lord is near” as the grounding for “do not be anxious about anything” 
If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publications now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org. 

Transcript

Opening Invocation And Daily Offering

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Saint Philip Neary, priest, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

Saint Augustine On Joy In God

SPEAKER_00 0:37

From a sermon by Saint Augustine, Bishop. The Apostle tells us to rejoice, but in the Lord, not in the world. Whoever wishes to be a friend of this world, says Scripture, will be reckoned an enemy of God. As a man cannot serve two masters, so one cannot rejoice both in the world and in the Lord. Let joy in the Lord prevail, then, until joy in the world is no more. Let joy in the Lord go on increasing, let joy in the world go on decreasing until it is no more. This is said, not because we are not to rejoice while we are in this world, but in order that even while we are still in this world, we may already rejoice in the Lord. You may object, I am in the world. If I rejoice, I certainly rejoice where I am. What is this? Do you mean that because you are in the world you are not in the Lord? Listen again to the Apostle, speaking now to the Athenians. In the Acts of the Apostles he says this of God and the Lord our Creator. In him we live and move and have our being. If he is everywhere, where is he not? Surely this was what he was exhorting us to realize. The Lord is near, do not be anxious about anything. This is a great truth, that he ascended above all the heavens, yet is near to those on earth.

The Good Samaritan And Nearness

SPEAKER_00 2:03

Who is this stranger and neighbor, if not the one who became our neighbor out of compassion? The man lying on the road, left half dead by robbers, the man treated with contempt by the priest and the Levite who passed by, the man approached by the passing Samaritan to take care of him and help him. That man is the whole human race. When the immortal one, the Holy One, was far removed from us because we were mortal and sinners, he came down to us, so that he, the stranger, might become our neighbor. He did not treat us as our sins deserved, for we are now sons of God. How do we show this? The only Son of God died for us, so that he might not remain alone. He who died as the only Son did not want to remain as the only Son, for the only Son of God made many sons of God. He bought brothers for himself by his blood, he made them welcome by being rejected, he ransomed them by being sold, he honored them by being dishonored, he gave them life by being put to death.

Do Not Be Anxious Rejoice

SPEAKER_00 3:07

So, brethren, rejoice in the Lord, not in the world. That is, rejoice in the truth, not in wickedness. Rejoice in the hope of eternity, not in the fading flower of vanity. That is the way to rejoice. Wherever you are on earth, however long you remain on earth, the Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything. Rejoice, brothers. Strive for perfection, encourage one another, live in harmony and peace. And the God of peace and love will be with you. Alleluia. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace through your faith in Him. And the God of peace and love be with you. Alleluia.

Closing Prayers And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 3:57

All that I have and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristaros and purchasing our publications now available on Amazon.com. The Cristuros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristaros can be found at theCristeros.org.