Daily Thought from the Saints
"He who carries God in his heart bears heaven with him wherever he goes."
— St. Ignatius of Loyola
Daily Scripture Verse
"To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished and exultant, in the presence of his glory, to the only God, our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power, and authority from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen."
Jude 1:24-25
Daily Meditation
"Little by little, we can make our daily life more and more prayerful, as we are able, over time, to incorporate those suggestions that work with our schedule and that we are ready for spiritually. There is a particular spiritual practice that Francis [de Sales] highly recommends that is possible for all of us: even on those ‘impossible’ days when we are perhaps unable to undertake our normal spiritual practices, we can stay rooted in prayer by constantly addressing brief prayers to the Lord. These can be acts of love, of adoration, of faith, of hope, of petition, or simply saying the name of Jesus—throughout the course of the day. Francis places a very high value on these simple utterances, traditionally called ejaculatory prayers or aspirations."
— Ralph Martin
Daily Catholic Wisdom
For the Word of God is not fettered, not even when all human values lie in the chains of anxiety, and fear, and despondency, and weariness, and habitual compromise.
—Fr. Alfred Delp, S.J.
from the book, “Advent of the Heart: Seasonal Sermons and Prison Writings 1941–1944”
A Prayer
Rev. Thomas McNally, C.S.C.
Lord, how wonderful is the power you manifest in today’s gospel. You not only healed the paralyzed man of his physical infirmity, but you also healed him of his sins by forgiving him. May you heal us of everything that separates us from you and help us to serve you as faithfully as the friends of the paralytic served him by carrying his stretcher and placing it at your feet. Amen.
The Abbot’s Daily Lectio Divina
Abbot Austin Murphy, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL
Isaiah 35:4-6
Reading
Thus says the LORD: Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing.
Meditation
There are different reasons not to fear. One is that there is no danger. Another is that, while there is a danger, you have the strength to withstand it. The latter seems to be the reason here, for the Lord says: “Be strong.” And it seems that God is promising us strength, so that we need not be frightened. For He promises us clear sight and hearing, sturdy limbs, and a joyful tongue. There are real dangers about us, but God gives the strength to overcome them.
Prayer
Lord, give me the strength that prevents fright and that requires faith and confidence in You. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Contemplation…