A Daily Personal Prayer Journal

(The Daily Personal Prayer Journal is a gathering of quotations from various sources, each of which might lead you to a quiet moment of prayer, of a sharing of love between you and God. Choose one and then use it as a springboard into prayer.)

December 6

Daily Thought from the Saints

"To use this life well is the pathway through death to everlasting life."

— St. John Almond

Daily Scripture Verse

"With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones."

Ephesians 6:18

Daily Meditation

"Even if you do not confess, God is not ignorant of the deed, since he knew it before it was committed. Why then do you not speak of it? Does the transgression become heavier by the confession? No, it becomes lighter and less troublesome. And this is why he wants you to confess: not that you should be punished, but that you should be forgiven; not that he may learn your sin—how could that be, since he has seen it?—but that you may learn what favor he bestows. He wishes you to learn the greatness of his grace, so that you may praise him perfectly, that you may be slower to sin, that you may be quicker to virtue. And if you do not confess the greatness of the need, you will not understand the enormous magnitude of his grace."

— St. John Chrysostom

Daily Catholic Wisdom

Children, I beseech you to correct your hearts and thoughts, so that you may be pleasing to God.

- St. Nicholas of Myra - Champion of the Faith

A Prayer

Rev. Thomas McNally, C.S.C.

Lord, you fed the hungry crowd with ample servings of bread and fish. But you gave them other nourishment as well—the beautiful words you spoke and the miracles you worked. Look on us today in need of such nourishment, food for the body and food for the soul. Be with us in our needs. Amen.

The Abbot’s Daily Lectio Divina
Abbot Austin Murphy, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL

Psalm 23:1-2

Reading

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me.

Meditation

If we follow the Lord, we will not want; that is, we will be provided with what we truly need. We need various things for genuine human flourishing, but relative to others some needs are deeper, such as the need for God and the need for integrity (that is, to conduct ourselves uprightly). So, God leads us to meet these needs first, and this gives real (even if not perfect) rest. We must wait in hope for the other needs to be met eventually.

Prayer

Lord, sustain me with Your presence, by staying near to me and by helping me to live in Your ways. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Contemplation…

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("Thoughts from the Saints," Scripture Verse of the Day," and "Daily Meditation" are all taken from "Your Morning Offering" by The Catholic Company. "Daily Catholic Wisdom" is taken from CatholicWisdom.org.  from  The prayer comes from The University of Notre Dame's daily Gospel commentary. "The Abbot's Daily Lectio Divina" is written by Abbot Austin Murphy of St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, IL.)

Father Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M.

A Franciscan Friar and Roman Catholic priest ordained in 1975, Fr. Lawrence has experience as a high school teacher (1970-1974, 1975-1979, 1986-1992), an itinerant preacher (1996-1999), an editor, and administrator. He has served as Executive Secretary (Secretary of the Province) for the Franciscans of the Sacred Heart Province, headquartered in St. Louis, MO (1979-1984), Associate Novice Master (1984-1986), Post-Novitiate Formation (1986-1987), President of the Board of Directors of Mayslake Village, Oak Brook, Illinois (1987-1989), Associate Business Manager of St. Peter's Church, Chicago, IL (1992-1996) and Master of Postulants (1999-2004). From 2007 to 2021, he served as administrator of CUSA - an apostolate of persons with chronic illness and/or disability. 

Fr. Lawrence also has extensive experience as an editor and proof reader. After 20+ years of teaching English in a high school classroom, he has turned his language skills in the direction of publishing and editing. 

Fr. Lawrence also has more than forty years experience of teaching English as a second language to natives of Korea, Mexico, Brazil, Portugal, Austria, Vietnam, and Italy.

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