Daily Thought from the Saints
"The Holy Bible is like a mirror before our mind's eye. In it we see our inner face. From the Scriptures we can learn our spiritual deformities and beauties. And there too we discover the progress we are making and how far we are from perfection."
— Pope St. Gregory the Great
Daily Scripture Verse
"Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:19
Daily Meditation
"Just as God’s creature, the sun, is one and the same the world over, so also does the Church’s preaching shine everywhere to enlighten all men who want to come to a knowledge of the truth. Now of those who speak with authority in the churches, no preacher however forceful will utter anything different—for no one is above the Master—nor will a less forceful preacher diminish what has been handed down. Since our faith is everywhere the same, no one who can say more augments it, nor can anyone who says less diminish it."
— St. Ignatius of Antioch
Daily Catholic Wisdom
The dead, in fact, really live in God, and through death God’s life is revealed more clearly to us. Since Christ’s death, all eternal life springs from death.
—Adrienne von Speyr
from her book “The Word: A Meditation on the Prologue to Saint John’s Gospel”
Daily Journey with the Pope
“Recounting the events of our life also enables us to grasp important nuances and details, which can reveal themselves to be valuable aids, hitherto concealed. For example, a reading, a service, an encounter, at first sight considered to be of little importance, over time transmit inner peace; they transmit the joy of living and suggest further good initiatives. Stopping and acknowledging this is essential… It is a task of gathering those precious and hidden pearls that the Lord has scattered in our soil.”
Pope Francis
A Prayer
Members of the Holy Cross Novitiate
Christ, before you called the Apostles, you went alone to the mountain to pray to the Father. When we face important decisions, give us the courage to approach our Father as you did. Confident in God’s love for us, we know that God will inspire us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Like Saints Simon and Jude, may we be tireless in our proclamation of your kingdom to all we encounter. We ask in your holy name. Amen.
The Abbot’s Daily Lectio Divina
Abbot Austin Murphy, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL
Hebrews 12:22-24
Reading
No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.
Meditation
To encourage us and strengthen our resolve, the Letter to the Hebrews tells us that we are approaching heavenly things. Our difficulties are part of climbing the mountain of God, in order to reach the heavenly Jerusalem. The Letter thus goes on to note that all creation is in the midst of being shaken, with the result that the flimsy things of this world will fall away, while the things of God—truth, justice, genuine love—will stand firm forever.
Prayer
May the shakiness of things in this life not discourage me, O Lord, but trusting in Your ways may I push on to Your kingdom that does not end. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Contemplation…