Daily Thought from the Saints
"Only God knows the good that can come about by reading one good Catholic book."
— St. John Bosco
Daily Scripture Verse
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Daily Meditation
"It almost always happens that interior sentiments of pride precede the commission of grievous sins. Peter was not aware of his own weakness. He preferred himself before others; he trusted in himself as though he were incapable of sinning, boasting that no temptation would separate him from Jesus. He would not even believe the assurance of his Divine Master, that he would deny him thrice. Deceived by this vain confidence in his own strength, he neglects to pray, and to have recourse to God; and God, in His justice, permits him to fall, in punishment of his pride. There is nothing more dangerous than to confide in our own strength, and trust to feelings of fervor. We are full of malice, and capable of committing the most enormous crimes, unless God supports us."
— Fr. Ignatius of the Side of Jesus
Daily Catholic Wisdom
The good Lord does not do things by halves; He always gives what we need. Let us then carry on bravely.
—St. Zelie Martin
A Prayer from Notre Dame University
Prayer - February 24 , 2024
Rev. Jim Lackenmier, C.S.C.
Lord Jesus, These are hard sayings: to forego revenge, to give more than is due, to walk the extra mile, to love my enemy! Help me, Lord Jesus, to embrace them and to become the child of God you call me to be. Amen.
The Abbot’s Daily Lectio Divina
Abbot Austin Murphy, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL
Matthew 5:46
Reading
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same?
Meditation
Jesus speaks here and later about a recompense or reward. If you do good to those who do good to you, what reward is there? There is a reward, namely, a relationship of doing good to each other. That is a blessing, but having beneficial relationships with other human beings is not enough. We need a good relationship with God and that requires doing good not only to those who do good to us, but even to those who hate or harm us.
Prayer
Lord, help me to look beyond the limits of giving good things only to those whose actions deserve it, so that I may seize opportunities to do good to those who do not deserve it, for so You act towards me, giving me good things even though I do not deserve them. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Contemplation…