A Newsletter for Radio Maria USA—National Volume 9 Number 3
March, 2016
The Cross is the Way to the Resurrection of Our Lord Dear Friends: During Lent, in this Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Church asks us to surrender to Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving and the reading of the Word of God. In prayer it is very appropriate to meditate on the Passion of Our Lord. Of course this practice is not just restricted to Lent but to every day of the year. St. Alphonsus de Liguori, wrote in his work Meditations on the Passion of Jesus Christ: "He who desires", says St. Bonaventure, "to go on advancing from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, should meditate continually on the Passion of Jesus." And he adds "there is no practice more profitable for the entire sanctification of the soul than the frequent meditation of the sufferings of Jesus Christ." Lent reminds us what Our Lord had suffered for our sake in His great mercy for us. The 40 days of Lent recall the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert as he was tempted by the devil. “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.” (Mt. 4:1-2) Just with this passage the Lord teaches to reject temptation. “The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread. He said in reply, it is written: ‘One does not live by
bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’” (Mt. 4:3-4) Our life is far more dependent on the will of God than on material food. We are to have confidence in God with filial trust, and not to be easily enticed by the vanity of the devil, the world or the flesh. Only God can give real happiness and blessings. Jesus teaches the way of humiliation rather than of triumphs. The ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made was that of the Cross in obedience to the Father to save us from our sins. He took our place on the cross. Meditating on the great love made by Jesus in his passion and death, we recognize how much He has loved us to save us from eternal damnation. We are to deny ourselves by dying to sin and repent. We are invited to make acts of penances and mortification in expiation of our sins and those of others. We can experience God’s Mercy in Confession that prepares us to receive worthily the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. As we are in our Heartwarming Campaign, I am asking those of you who have not committed your-
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selves yet, for your generous and sacrificial donation. Because of the costs of keeping our Radio, I ask for your support, our devoted listeners, to help raise at least $80,000. As you know, Radio Maria lives only thanks to the support and generosity of its listeners, like you. Call us now at 888408-0201 to pledge your donation. You may pledge by phone, or visit our web site: www.radiomaria.us and donate online. Thank you in advance for helping Our Lady to help us. With great hope and joy, in union with Our Lady, we know that the Passion and Death of Our Lord on the Cross led to His Resurrection. With the staff and volunteers of Radio Maria, I wish you a Joyful and Blessed Easter to you and your loved ones. Blessings,
Fr. John Tino
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