Daily Thought from the Saints
"For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray—that too is mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy."
— St. Faustina Kowalska
Daily Scripture Verse
"A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks."
Luke 6:45
Daily Meditation
"We will never be free of trials and temptations as long as our earthly life lasts. For Job has said: 'Is not the life of human beings on earth a drudgery?' (Job 7:1). Therefore, we should always be on our guard against temptations, always praying that our enemy, the devil, 'who never sleeps but constantly looks for someone to devour.' (1 Pet 5:8), will not catch us off guard. No one in this world is so perfect or holy as not to have temptations sometimes. We can never be entirely free from them. Sometimes these temptations can be very severe and troublesome, but if we resist them, they will be very useful to us; for by experiencing them we are humbled, cleansed, and instructed. All the Saints endured tribulations and temptations and profited by them, while those who did not resist and overcome them fell away and were lost. There is no place so holy or remote where you will not meet with temptation, nor is there anyone completely free from it in this life; for in our body we bear the wounds of sin—the weakness of our human nature in which we are born."
— Thomas á Kempis
Daily Catholic Wisdom
As the mother knows the needs better than the babe, so the Blessed Mother understands our cries and worries and knows them better than we know ourselves.
—Ven. Fulton Sheen
from his book “The World’s First Love”
A Prayer from Notre Dame University
Rev. Brad Metz, C.S.C.
All-powerful and ever living God, your Son, Jesus Christ, taught us to not be afraid of pain and suffering. As we face this world’s uncertainties and challenges, send your Spirit to sustain, nourish, and fortify us for wherever life takes us. Help us to remain faithful in good times and bad until we see you again and rejoice in your presence forever. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Abbot’s Daily Lectio Divina
Abbot Austin Murphy, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL
Colossians 3:1-5
Reading
If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.
Meditation
This is a very important programmatic statement for the Christian life. Our striving should be ordered to Christ above. In everything we do, say, and think, we should aim for attaining God in heaven. It's not that we never think of things on earth, but we are not to think of them as the final goal in life. No, the final goal is life with God. And how can we live for that goal if we do not seek what is above and do not think often of Christ in heaven?
Prayer
Lord, when I think of the things on earth, may my thoughts not become fixed and stuck on them. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Contemplation…