Daily Thought from the Saints
"To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement."
— St. Augustine of Hippo
Daily Scripture Verse
"He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.""
Matthew 22:37-40
Daily Meditation
"They who are bent on sensible sweetness, labor also under another very great imperfection: excessive weakness and remissness on the rugged road of the cross; for the soul that is given to sweetness naturally sets its face against all the pain of self-denial. They labor under many other imperfections, which have their origin here, of which our Lord will heal them in due time, through temptations, aridities and trials, elements of the dark night."
— St. John of the Cross
Daily Catholic Wisdom
Let go of your plans. The first hour of the morning belongs to God. Tackle the day’s work that he charges you with, and He will give you the power to accomplish it.
—St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (St. Edith Stein)
Daily Journey with the Pope
“This Thursday, we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. To her intercession let us entrust our prayer for peace, especially for the tortured Ukrainian people.”
Pope Francis
A Prayer
Rev. Thomas McNally, C.S.C.
Lord, how wonderful is the power you manifest in today’s gospel. You not only healed the paralyzed man of his physical infirmity, you also healed him of his sins by forgiving him. May you heal us of everything that separates us from you and help us to serve you as faithfully as the friends of the paralytic served him by carrying his stretcher and placing it at your feet. Amen.
The Abbot’s Daily Lectio Divina
Abbot Austin Murphy, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL
Isaiah 35:4-6
Reading
Thus says the LORD: Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing.
Meditation
There are different reasons not to fear. One is that there is no danger. Another is that, while there is a danger, you have the strength to withstand it. The latter seems to be the reason here, for the Lord says: “Be strong.” And it seems that God is promising us strength, so that we need not be frightened. For He promises us clear sight and hearing, sturdy limbs, and a joyful tongue. There are real dangers about us, but God gives the strength to overcome them.
Prayer
Lord, give me the strength that prevents fright and that requires faith and confidence in You. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Contemplation…