Thought for the Day – 21 July – Gospel Reading

Thought for the Day – 21 July – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Gospel Reading

“It is not enough to read and to meditate on the Gospel.
We should do so with the correct dispossition, which are three in number.
In the first place, we should read the Gospel with the recollection of one who prays, “Prayer must often interrupt reading,” says St Bonaventure.
Now and again, while we are reading, we should lift our minds to God and ask Him to enlighten us and to inspire us, towards greater fervour.

Heavenly truths cannot be penetrated or understood without the light of grace which comes from on high.
“I am the way and the truth and the life,” Jesus said, “no-one comes to the Father but through me,” (Jn 14:6).
The Gospel, therefore, cannot be read like any other book.
It is the word of supernatural life, which cannot be infused into our souls, except by grace, for which we should pray humbly and with fervour.

In the second place, we should read slowly and reflectively.
“Read with the heart and not with the eyes,” writes Bossuet.
“Profit by that which you understand, adore that which you don’t.”

In the Gospel, there is always something which is applicable to ourselves and to the particular circumstances in which we find ourselves.
The Saints found there, their own particular road to sanctity, to which they had been called; from our reflective and devout study of the sacred pages, we also shall find what Jesus wants, in a particular way, from us!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/24/thought-for-the-day-24-april-gospel-reading/