August 18

Daily Thought from the Saints

"Just as in one man there is one soul and one body, yet many members; even so the Catholic Church is one body, having many members. The soul that quickens this body is the Holy Spirit; and therefore in the Creed after confessing our belief in the Holy Spirit, we are bid to believe in the Holy Catholic Church."

— St. Thomas Aquinas

Daily Scripture Verse

"For I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

Luke 21:15-19

Daily Meditation

"There are two loves, the love of God and the love of the world. If the love of the world takes possession of you, there is no way for the love of God to enter into you. Let the love of the world take the second place, and let the love of God dwell in you. Let the better love take over."

— St. Augustine

Daily Catholic Wisdom

God himself has mysteriously unveiled this origin of divine life: the origin is the love of the Father, who generates the word out of love and gives all words to us as a gift of love.

—Adrienne von Speyr
from her book “Man Before God”

A Prayer from Notre Dame University

Rev. Louis DelFra, C.S.C.

Lord, you teach us to hold the covenant of marriage in the highest dignity. Bless all husbands and wives in their promises of love and fidelity to one another. Help all couples experiencing difficulties. Assist all members of your church to support and encourage one another in our vocations. Amen.

The Abbot’s Daily Lectio Divina
Abbot Austin Murphy, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL

Genesis 12:1

Reading

The LORD said to Abram: “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.”

Meditation

God does not say to go forth to a land that I have shown you, but “that I will show you.” The qualities of the promised land, which is God’s kingdom, are not well known when we set out for it. God gradually shows them to us as we, in faith, follow His call. The disclosure of the kingdom’s qualities especially happens when we seek to do God’s will on earth, for then we are beginning already to inhabit His kingdom.

Prayer

Lord, disclose to me what Your kingdom demands and help me to live by those demands, so that I may be worthy of Your kingdom. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Contemplation…