Daily Thought from the Saints
"I have been all things unholy; if God can work through me, He can work through anyone."
— St. Francis of Assisi
Daily Scripture Verse
"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ."
Ephesians 2:13
Daily Meditation
"On the whole, God’s love for us is a much safer subject to think about than our love for Him. Nobody can always have devout feelings: and even if we could, feelings are not what God principally cares about. Christian Love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will. If we are trying to do His will we are obeying the commandment, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.’ He will give us feelings of love if He pleases. We cannot create them for ourselves, and we must not demand them as a right. But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him."
— C. S. Lewis
Daily Catholic Wisdom
We do not go to Holy Communion because we are good; we go to become good.
—St. John Bosco
A Prayer from Notre Dame University
Rev. Herbert Yost, C.S.C.
Jesus, you tell us that the ruler of the world has no power over you. Oh, to have that freedom! We are too enslaved by appearances and the expectations of others. It wears down our spirits. Loving God our Father, doing God’s will, and knowing that we are beloved of you and the Father—ah—there is true peace. May we have more of your peace and less of the world’s in our lives. Amen.
The Abbot’s Daily Lectio Divina
Abbot Austin Murphy, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL
John 16:1-4
Reading
Jesus said to his disciples, “I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.“
Meditation
Jesus says this right after telling his disciples to testify to him. It reminds us that, in proclaiming the good news of Christ, we will face rejection and even persecution at times. Jesus says that His disciples will even be labeled as being against God. Just so, when we bear testimony to the good news, we can be mislabeled (e.g., as hateful, divisive, etc.). Jesus tells us this ahead of time, so that we will not be surprised and fall away.
Prayer
Almighty God, help me to bear witness to the good news of your son, and not to be prevented from doing so by people mislabeling me. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Contemplation…