Daily Thought from the Saints
"One should not say that it is impossible to reach a virtuous life; but one should say that it is not easy. Nor do those who have reached it find it easy to maintain."
— St. Anthony of the Desert
Daily Scripture Verse
"Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."
Proverbs 30:5
Daily Meditation
"That which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did and suffered for all men, He did and suffered for each one in particular; and He would not have thought it too much to do if it had been a question of saving only a single soul. The salvation of a soul is, then, the price of the blood of God, the price of the death of God, the price of the greatest sacrifice that God, clothed in our human nature, could possibly make! This is incomprehensible! ... It proves that the dignity of a soul is beyond understanding—for God to abase Himself, for God to annihilate Himself, for God to sacrifice Himself, only to save that soul and make it happy forever! ... As for us, who believe humbly and firmly all that God has revealed to us, let us learn, by the contemplation of God upon a Cross, what is the value of our souls. Let us not lose our soul; let us not prostitute it to creatures; and to make sure of our eternal salvation, which cost so much to the Son of God, let us beg of Jesus Christ Himself to take charge of it, to lead us in the right way and guide us always. Such an inestimable treasure runs too great a risk in our own hands. Let us trust it to God and our Savior. Let us make Him the Master of our liberty, which we may so easily abuse, and the abuse of which may bring about such terrible consequences. Once abandoned to the safe and infallible guidance of His grace, we have no more to fear. He loves us too much, He takes too much interest in our salvation, ever to lose the price of His blood and His sufferings."
— Fr. Jean Nicholas Grou
Daily Catholic Wisdom
That is what humility means: self-forgetfulness, not self-laceration; not a low image of yourself, but none; not putting yourself down, but not putting yourself anywhere except in His presence.
—Peter Kreeft
from his book “Wisdom from the Psalms”
Daily Journey with the Pope
" Indeed, to sum up the action of the Church in one word, the specific term “pastoral” is used. And to evaluate our “pastoralness” we need to confront ourselves with the model, confront ourselves with Jesus the Good Shepherd. Above all, we can ask ourselves: do we imitate him, drinking from the wells of prayer so that our heart might be in harmony with his? Intimacy with Him is, as a beautiful volume by Abate Chautard suggested, “the soul of every apostolate”. Jesus himself clearly said to his disciples, Without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). By staying with Jesus, we discover that his pastoral heart always beats for the person who is confused, lost, far away. And ours? How many times do we express our attitude about people who are a bit difficult or with whom we have a bit of difficulty: “But it’s their problem, let them work it out….” But Jesus never said this, never. He himself always went to meet all the marginalized, sinners. He was accused of this – of being with sinners so that he might bring God’s salvation precisely to them."
Pope Francis
A Prayer
Rev. Anthony V. Szakaly, C.S.C.
Good and gracious God, in your Divine Providence, you chose Blessed Basil Moreau to help make you known, loved, and served throughout the world. Supported by his prayers and example, we ask that you make our faith ever stronger so we, too, may transcend our weaknesses and limitations to do great things in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Abbot’s Daily Lectio Divina
Abbot Austin Murphy, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL
Hebrews 8:6-7
Reading
Now our high priest has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second one.
Meditation
The first covenant was good and holy, but it did not sufficiently bring about an interior transformation in the people. As a consequence, the people did not stand in, but rather strayed from, the covenant. Christ our High Priest mediates a new covenant whereby the heart is transformed. To be in covenant with God requires this interior transformation. It is to have a heart that loves God, desires to be with God, and thinks of God.
Prayer
Almighty God, give me a heart that loves You and is always mindful of You. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Contemplation…