17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, the still in abundance, your mercy upon us, and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now, to those that it ever endure. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen
Daily Thought from the Saints
"You are rewarded not according to your work or your time but according to the measure of your love."
— St. Catherine of Siena
Daily Scripture Verse
"When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."
Luke 12:11-12
Daily Meditation
"We are the holy Church. But I do not say ‘we’ as though to indicate only we who are here, you who have just been listening to me. I mean all of us who are here and by the grace of God faithful Christians in this church, that is, in this city; all those in this region, in this province, across the sea, all those in the whole world. Such is the Catholic Church, our true mother, the true spouse of so great a husband."
— St. Augustine
Day by Day with Mary, the Mother of God
The genuine significance of Catholic devotion to Mary is to be seen in the light of the incarnation itself. The church cannot separate the Son and the Mother. Because the church conceives of the incarnation as God’s descent into flesh and into time, and God’s great gift of himself to his creatures, she also believes that the one who was closest to him in this great mystery was the one who participated most perfectly in the gift.
— Thomas Merton
A Prayer from Notre Dame University
Rev. Herb Yost, C.S.C.
Lord Jesus, although the peace and wholeness characteristic of your kingdom is hidden, it can be found. Help us to look beyond the ordinary and everyday things and see how everything comes together to bring us closer to you, each other, and ourselves. Help us take advantage of opportunities to dive more deeply into the beauty of life. Amen.