March 13

Daily Thought from the Saints

"We are born to love, we live to love, and we will die to love still more."

— St. Joseph Cafasso

Daily Scripture Verse

"If I speak in human and angelic tongues* but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing."

1 Corinthians 13: 1-3

Daily Meditation

"Knock. Persevere in knocking, even to the point of rudeness, if that were possible. There is a way of forcing God and wresting his graces from him, and that way is to ask continually with a firm faith. We must think, with the Gospel: 'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you,' which he then repeats by saying, 'Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened' (Luke 11:9-10). We must, therefore, pray during the day, pray at night, and pray every time we rise. Even though God seems either not to hear us or even to reject us, we must continually knock, expecting all things from God but nevertheless also acting ourselves. We must not only ask as though God must do everything himself; we must also make our own effort to act according to his will and with the help of his grace, as all things are done with his support. We must never forget that it is always God who provides; to think thus is the very foundation of humility."

— Bishop Jacques-Benigne Bossuet

Daily Catholic Wisdom

The saints are God’s water: they go to the lowest and driest places. Do you live in a society, or a situation, that is full of evil? Don’t complain; practice nursing. That’s why He put you there.

—Peter Kreeft
from his book “Practical Theology”

Daily Journey with the Pope

“We need to pray because we need God. Thinking that we need nothing other than ourselves is a dangerous illusion. If the pandemic has heightened the awareness of our own personal and social fragility, may this Lent allow us to experience the consolation provided by faith in God, without whom we cannot stand firm.”

Pope Francis

A Prayer

Rev. Aaron J. Michka, C.S.C.

Heavenly God, we acknowledge that there is much in our lives we do not understand. Like Peter, we do not always know how to respond to the gifts you have given us. At times, we can be overwhelmed by your presence. At other times, we can feel far from your attention and care. Speak to us, then, as you spoke to Peter, James, and John on the day of your Son’s Transfiguration. Guide our eyes and ears so that we might recognize the hidden face of Christ in our midst. Help us to embrace the mystery of our lives and to trust that change and uncertainty can also bring insight and growth, as it did in the lives of the apostles many years ago. We ask this in the name of your chosen and beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.