Memorial of St. Agatha
May the Virgin martyr St. Agatha implore your compassion for us, O Lord, we pray, for she found favor with you by the courage of her martyrdom and the merit of her chastity. 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
"No act is charitable if it is not just."
— St. Bruno
Daily Scripture Verse
"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
1 Corinthians 15:58
Daily Meditation
"Man threw away everything he had—his right to speak freely, his communion with God, his time in Paradise, his unclouded life—and went out naked, like a survivor from a shipwreck. But God received him and immediately clothed him, and taking him by the hand gradually led him to heaven. And yet the shipwreck was quite unforgivable. For this tempest was entirely due, not to the force of the winds, but to the carelessness of the sailor. Yet God did not look at this, but had compassion for such a great disaster. … Why? Because, when no sadness or care or labor or toil or countless waves of desire assaulted our nature, it was overturned and fell. And just as criminals who sail the sea often drill through the ship with a small iron tool, and let the whole sea into the ship from below, so when the devil saw the ship of Adam (by which I mean his soul) filled with many good things, he came and drilled through it with his voice alone, as if it were an iron tool, and stole all his wealth and sank the ship itself. But God made the gain greater than the loss, and brought our nature to the royal throne."
— St. John Chrysostom
Day by Day with Mary, the Mother of God
Mary does not rule us from without, but from within. She does not change us by changing the world around us, but she changes the world around us, by changing our own inner lives.
Thomas Merton
A Prayer from Notre Dame University
Rev. Jim Lies, C.S.C.
Gracious God, you sent the disciples out two by two with little but trust in your word. So too you have sent us—in families, in ministry, in the company of Holy Cross. Remind us that we do not go alone. Give us courage to heal, patience to listen, and hearts that stay rooted in simplicity and love. May the homes and communities we enter feel your presence through us, and may your Spirit guide every step of our journey. Amen.