October 4

Homily for the Solemnity of St. Francis of Assisi

Daily Thought from the Saints

"You change your life by changing your heart."

— St. Benedict of Nursia

Daily Scripture Verse

"He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.""

Mark 16:15-16

Daily Meditation

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."

— C. S. Lewis

Daily Catholic Wisdom

The idea that contemplation could be at one’s personal disposal and available on demand is an obvious misconception. The only proper expectation is that the soul’s yearning to love God has come from God and cannot be fruitless.

—Fr. Donald Haggerty
from his book “The Contemplative Hunger”

A Prayer

Rev. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C.

Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, you invite us to commit to you, each according to our capacity. Help us to embrace the opportunity to commit to you with all our hearts. Grant us the trust needed to follow you unreservedly that we may set all fear aside and enter into your joy. Amen.

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

Luke 9:57-58

Reading

As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."

Meditation

Jesus implies that just as He has nowhere to rest His head, so to those who follow Him will lack rest. That is, in this life we will not find the perfect rest. So, if life is hard and not restful, that is to be expected. It was for Jesus. We are living for the life to come. And when we hope for the next life, and live in such a way as to attain it, that brings even now a certain peace and rest that, while not complete, are enough to sustain us.

Prayer

Almighty God, give me the peace of mind and soul that I need to continue on the journey to everlasting life with You. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Contemplation…