A Daily Personal Prayer Journal

(The Daily Personal Prayer Journal is a gathering of quotations from various sources, each of which might lead you to a quiet moment of prayer, of a sharing of love between you and God. Choose one and then use it as a springboard into prayer.)

March 18, 2026

Wednesday of the 4th Week in Lent – Commemoration of St. Cyril of Jerusalem

O God, who reward the merits of the just and offer pardon to sinners who do penance, have mercy, we pray, on those who call upon you, that the admission of our guilt may serve to obtain your pardon for our sins. Grant this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

Daily Thought from the Saints

"Pray with great confidence, with confidence based on the goodness and infinite generosity of God and upon the promises of Jesus Christ. God is a spring of living water which flows unceasingly into the hearts of those who pray."

— St. Louis De Montfort

Daily Scripture Verse

"If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing."

1 John 1:9

Daily Meditation

"Many try to fly away from temptations only to fall more deeply into them; for you cannot win a battle by mere flight. It is only by patience and humility that you will be strengthened against the enemy. Those who shun them outwardly and do not pull them out by the roots will make no progress; for temptations will soon return to harass them and they will be in a worse state. It is only gradually—with patience and endurance and with God's grace—that you will overcome temptations sooner than by your own efforts and anxieties . . . Gold is tried by fire and the upright person by temptation. Often we do not know what we can do until temptation shows us what we are . . . This is how temptation is: first we have a thought, followed by strong imaginings, then the pleasure and evil emotions, and finally consent. This is how the enemy gains full admittance, because he was not resisted at the outset. The slower we are to resist, the weaker we daily become and the stronger the enemy is against us."

— Thomas à Kempis

Day by day with Mary, the Mother of God

God willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary play a central part in the mystery of the Incarnation and our redemption. He willed that the salvation of the world should depend on her consent. Mary is the royal way by which the King of Glory descended into the world in order to restore fallen humankind to its destined place in heaven.

—Thomas Merton

A Prayer from Notre Dame University

Rev. Andrew Fritz, C.S.C.

Father in heaven, we stand before you today and ask for the grace to do your will. We await the hour when you will call out to those in the tombs, and for the dead to hear your voice. Breathe new life into us, that we may hear your voice, and act in accordance with your will. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Print

("Thoughts from the Saints," Scripture Verse of the Day," and "Daily Meditation" are all taken from "Your Morning Offering" by The Catholic Company. "Daily Catholic Wisdom" is taken from CatholicWisdom.org.  The prayer comes from The University of Notre Dame's daily Gospel commentary. "

Father Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M.

A Franciscan Friar and Roman Catholic priest ordained in 1975, Fr. Lawrence has experience as a high school teacher (1970-1974, 1975-1979, 1986-1992), an itinerant preacher (1996-1999), an editor, and administrator. He has served as Executive Secretary (Secretary of the Province) for the Franciscans of the Sacred Heart Province, headquartered in St. Louis, MO (1979-1984), Associate Novice Master (1984-1986), Post-Novitiate Formation (1986-1987), President of the Board of Directors of Mayslake Village, Oak Brook, Illinois (1987-1989), Associate Business Manager of St. Peter's Church, Chicago, IL (1992-1996) and Master of Postulants (1999-2004). From 2007 to 2021, he served as administrator of CUSA - an apostolate of persons with chronic illness and/or disability. 

Fr. Lawrence also has extensive experience as an editor and proof reader. After 20+ years of teaching English in a high school classroom, he has turned his language skills in the direction of publishing and editing. 

Fr. Lawrence also has more than forty years experience of teaching English as a second language to natives of Korea, Mexico, Brazil, Portugal, Austria, Vietnam, and Italy.

Terms Of UsePrivacy Statement© 2026 Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld O.F.M.
Back To Top