Daily Thought from the Saints
"Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown. Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You."
— St. Brendan
Daily Scripture Verse
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23
Daily Meditation
"Do not suppose that after advancing the soul to such a state God abandons it so easily that it is light work for the devil to regain it. When His Majesty sees it leaving Him, He feels the loss so keenly that He gives it in many a way a thousand secret warnings which reveal to it the hidden danger. In conclusion, let us strive to make constant progress: we ought to feel great alarm if we do not find ourselves advancing, for without doubt the evil one must be planning to injure us in some way; it is impossible for a soul that has come to this state not to go still farther, for love is never idle. Therefore it is a very bad sign when one comes to a standstill in virtue."
— St. Teresa of Avila
Daily Catholic Wisdom
Do not lay too much store on the favorable judgments of men, for I love thee with a perfect love. I spent My earthly existence in humiliations and scorn and in a hidden life. It was thus that I glorified My Father, laid the foundations of My Church, and remedied the evils of pride. This is the path that thou must follow.
—Rev. Fr. Favre, C.Ss.R.
from his book “Blessed Mary Celeste Crostarosa”
A Prayer from Notre Dame University
Rev. Brad Metz, C.S.C.
All-powerful God, you are near to us and hear us when we pray. Enliven us with your Spirit, the fire of your love. Through our baptism we share in the life of your son, Jesus the Christ. Sustain your life within us by drawing us often to eat his body and drink his blood in the new and everlasting covenant that gives us eternal life. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Abbot’s Daily Lectio Divina
Abbot Austin Murphy, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL
John 6:47-51
Reading
[Jesus said,] “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”
Meditation
Eating is believing. Just as eating entails taking in food and having life from it, so believing entails taking into oneself the communication from God that Jesus Christ is, and having eternal life from Him. This is why eternal life is said to be from believing in Jesus and from eating His Flesh. They are, in a way, the same action. Consuming the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist makes visible the act of believing in Jesus. By this act, Jesus comes into us and gives us life.
Prayer
Jesus, may I have life from believing in You and may my belief in You be strengthened and maintained by receiving You in the Eucharist. Amen.
Contemplation…