Daily Thought from the Saints
"I will attempt day by day to break my will into pieces. I want to do God’s Holy Will, not my own."
— St. Gabriel Possenti
Daily Scripture Verse
"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Isaiah 53:4-6
Daily Meditation
"God sees you in secret. Know that he sees into your very depths, infinitely farther than you do yourself. Make a simple, lively act of faith in his presence. Christian soul, place yourself entirely under his gaze. He is very near. He is present, for he gives being and motion to all things. Yet you must believe more; you must believe with a lively faith that he is present to you by giving you all of your good thoughts from within, as holding in his hand the source from which they come, and not only the good thoughts, but also whatever good desires, good resolutions, and every good act of the will, from its very first beginning and birth to its final perfection. Believe, too, that he is in the souls of the just, and that he makes his dwelling there within, according to these words of the Lord: 'We will come to him and make our home with him' (John 14:23). He is there in a stable and permanent way: he makes his home there. Desire that he should be in you in this way. Offer yourself to him as his dwelling and temple. Now come out, and with the same faith that enables you to see him within you, look upon him in Heaven, where he manifests himself to his beloved. It is there that he awaits you. Run. Fly. Break your chains; break all the bonds that tie you down to flesh and blood. O God, when shall I see you? When will I have that pure heart that enables you to be seen, in yourself, outside of yourself, everywhere? O Light that enlightens the world! O Life that gives life to all the living! O Truth that feeds us all! O Good that satisfies us all! O Love that binds all together! I praise you, my heavenly Father, who sees me in secret."
— Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
Daily Catholic Wisdom
At certain times in my life, when I said I was happy, I couldn’t think of it without trembling because it’s certain and proven by experience that happiness is not on earth. No, happiness can’t be found here below, and it’s a bad sign when all goes well. In His wisdom, God wanted it this way to make us remember that the world is not our true home.
—St. Zelie Martin
A Prayer from Notre Dame University
Rev. Andrew Gawrych, C.S.C.
Lord, you know all too well that it is so easy for us to hold on to resentments and live with anger even at the slightest offenses. Help us to forgive and reconcile with each other so that we may come to know and accept your mercy in our lives and extend that same mercy to others. Amen.
The Abbot’s Daily Lectio Divina
Abbot Austin Murphy, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL
Ezekiel 18:26-28
Reading
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins which he committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Meditation
The phrases “must die” and “surely live” indicate necessary consequences. Doing evil necessarily brings spiritual death. Acting virtuously necessarily means spiritual life. These are necessary truths, for they stem from the objective nature of things. Spiritual life is from God and God is unchangeably righteous. Thus, we can only be in union with God, so as to receive spiritual life, when we live in righteousness and avoid evil.
Prayer
Lord, protect me from trying to change what cannot be changed, but help me to change myself, so that I may be closer to You and have true life from You. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Contemplation…