Daily Thought from the Saints
"Christ Himself is our mouth through which we speak to the Father, our eye through which we see the Father, our right hand through which we offer to the Father. Without His intercession neither we nor all the saints have anything with God."
— St. Ambrose
Daily Scripture Verse
"Bless those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all."
Romans 12:14-18
Daily Meditation
"Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin. I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like. I, Sister Faustina, by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence."
— St. Faustina Kowalska
Daily Catholic Wisdom
When it comes upon me how late I am trying to serve the Church, the obvious answer is, even saints, such as St. Augustine, St. Ignatius, did not begin in earnest till a late age.
—St. John Henry Newman
From a letter collected in the book “Newman: His Life and Spirituality” by Louis Bouyer
Daily Journey with the Pope
“Let us pray for the victims of the terrorist attack in Mogadishu, which killed more than a hundred people, including many children. May God convert the hearts of the violent! And let us pray to the Risen Lord also for those – especially the young – who died in Seoul, as a tragic consequence of a sudden crowd surge… Please, let us not forget martyred Ukraine in our prayer and in our heartache. Let us pray for peace, never tire of doing so!”
Pope Francis
A Prayer
Members of the Holy Cross Novitiate
God of all consolation, your Son told the Pharisee that he should host not the rich and well known, but should instead invite the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Help us to be obedient to that command as well, so that in showing love to those on the margins, we may come to a better understanding of the mystery of your love. May we not be people who crave repayment, but instead make us people of charity and love for all your children wherever they may be. We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Abbot’s Daily Lectio Divina
Abbot Austin Murphy, O.S.B., St. Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL
John 8:31-34
Reading
Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.”
Meditation
Jesus is addressing those who believe in Him, and yet they object to being told that they are still slaves of sin. This shows that believers can fail to acknowledge their bondage to sin. But as believers we must acknowledge that we are still slaves to sin, given that we still commit sins. This allows us to see ourselves rightly as in need of training from Jesus. Being trained by Jesus’ word is, after all, what being His disciple truly means.
Prayer
Divine Master, guard me from thinking in this life that my training in Your righteousness is ever done, but may I see that I have sins still to overcome by means of Your grace and encourage me in the ongoing conversion that is required of Your disciples. In Your Holy Name. Amen.
Contemplation…