Day 31 - "Seize Christ!"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

St. Augustine wrote a beautiful Commentary on the Gospel for today, and his words struck a chord in my heart, coming to the end of our journey in this week of seeking "Knowledge of Christ":

...“Then they tried to seize him.” If only they had seized him! But by faith and intellect, not so as to mock and put him to death! At this very moment, as I speak to you..., all of us, both you and I, are wanting to seize Christ. To 'seize', what does that mean? You have 'seized' when you have understood. But Christ's enemies were looking for something different. You have seized in order to possess but they wanted to seize him in order to get rid of him. And because this was how they wanted to seize him, what does Jesus do? “He escaped from their power.” They were unable to seize him because they did not have the hands of faith... We truly seize Christ if our minds grasp the Word.

How important it is for us always to "remain in His Word" (John 8 :31) in order to be His true disciples; in order to know Him! Our minds need to grasp all that He says He is, in order that we may walk as He walked. May the Holy Spirit guide us into the complete truth and may Our Lady ever intercede for us.

O Jesus living in Mary,
Come and live in Thy servants,
In the spirit of Thy holiness,
In the fullness of Thy might,
In the truth of Thy virtues,
In the perfection of Thy ways,
In the communion of Thy mysteries;
Subdue every hostile power
In Thy spirit, for the glory of the Father. Amen.

Prayers and suggested reading for today are [HERE](http://totalconsecration.ageofmary.com/preparation-31.html)