Daily Thought

Important Message From Vatican II Sacred Scripture teaches the human family what the experience of the ages confirms: that while human progress is a great advantage to man, it brings with it a strong temptation. For when the order of values is jumbled and bad is mixed with the good, individuals and groups pay heed solely to their own interests, and not to those of others. Thus it happens that the world ceases to be a place of true brotherhood. In our own day, the magnified power of humanity threatens to destroy the race itself. For a monumental struggle against the powers of darkness pervades the whole history of man. The battle was joined from the very origins of the world and will continue until the last day, as the Lord has attested.(8) Caught in this conflict, man is obliged to wrestle constantly if he is to cling to what is good, nor can he achieve his own integrity without great efforts and the help of God's grace. That is why Christ's Church, trusting in the desi...

Self-Control BE ANGRY, AND YET DO NOT SIN; DO NOT LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOUR ANGER. Although this is a biblical command, anger is treated as taboo in many Christian circles. Repression of this normal, human emotion is neither righteous nor healthy; in fact, it can lead to serious problems. If you fail to recognize your anger, you are likely to let the sun go down on it and take it to bed. This gives the devil an opportunity―a place of entrance into your life. It can also result in various health problems. Therefore, early recognition of these powerful feelings is vital. The command Be angry gives you permission to have such feelings, so you are free to face them openly. You do, however, need to be careful how you express them.  The first step is to bring your anger to Me. I will help you discern whether or not it is legitimate. If it is, then I will help you figure out what to do about it. Anger can be a signal that something is wrong and needs to be addressed. Sometimes, t...

Don't Let People Rob You of God's Joy      Sometimes we are particularly worried about things that are not going well around us, in our community, our family, or our church circle. We are tempted to get discouraged and give up. That is when we have to tell ourselves: whatever happens, whatever mistakes and faults are committed by this person or that, it robs us of exactly nothing. Even though we lived among people who were committing mortal sins from morning till night, that could not prevent us from loving God and serving our neighbor, or deprive us of any spiritual gift, or stop us from tending toward the fullness of love. The world could collapse around us, but it wouldn’t rob us of the possibility of praying, placing all our trust in God, and loving.      That doesn’t mean shutting ourselves in an ivory tower and being indifferent to what is going on around us, or remain passive. When there are problems, we should want them solved, and try to...

The Gift of Faith To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. St. Thomas Aquinas

The Future FORGET THE FORMER THINGS; DO NOT DWELL ON THE PAST. See, I am doing a new thing! I am a God of surprises―infinitely more creative than you can imagine. The universe displays some of My creativity, but there is more-much more. I am making a new heaven and a new earth. Moreover, I am preparing My people―all around the world-to live there with Me in endless ecstasy. Let this eternal perspective strengthen and encourage you.  As you journey along your life-path with Me, refuse to let the past define you or your expectations of what lies ahead. You may feel as if the road you are on is tiresome or even a dead end. That is because you're projecting the past into the future. The roadblock you are straining to see up ahead is really just an illusion. The future is in My hands, and I can do surprising things with it!  Your gravest danger is giving up: ceasing to believe I can still do wondrous new things in you and your world. Your assignment is to keep moving forwa...

God's Faithfulness  I had many friends to help me to fall; but as to rising again, I was so much left to myself, that I wonder now I was not always on the ground. I praise God for His mercy; for it was He only Who stretched out His hand to me. May He be blessed for ever! Amen. St. Teresa of Avila

Powerful Message From Pope Francis In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus promise the disciples: “I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete, to be with you forever” ( Jn  14:16). The first Paraclete is Jesus himself; the  other  is the Holy Spirit. We are not far from where the Holy Spirit descended with power on Jesus of Nazareth after his baptism by John in the River Jordan (cf.  Mt  3:16) and today I will go there. Today’s Gospel, and this place to which, by God’s grace, I have come as a pilgrim, invite us to meditate on the Holy Spirit and on all that he has brought about in Christ and in us. In a word, we can say that the Holy Spirit carries out three actions – he  prepares , he  anoints  and he  sends. At the baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus to  prepare  him for his mission of salvation, the mission of one who is a Servant, humble and meek, ready to share and give himself completely. Ye...

The Gift of Friendshi p Down through the centuries, friendship has been (and still is) a pathway along which many men and women have come close to God and gone to heaven. It is a natural and simple path which eliminates many obstacles and difficulties. Our Lord frequently bears it in mind as a means of letting himself be known. The first few who met him went to tell the good news to the ones they loved. Andrew brought Peter, his brother; Philip, his friend Nathanael; and John probably brought his brother James. This was the way that faith in Christ spread in the early days of Christianity: from brother to brother, from father to son, from slave to master and vice versa, from friend to friend. Friendship is a unique basis for letting Christ be known, because it is the natural medium for communicating feelings, for sharing the joys and sorrows of those who are near us by reason of family, our work or mutual interests. It is characteristic of friendship to ...

Always With Us No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.  PSALM 84:11  Many times, we make the mistake of thinking that Christ's help is needed only for sickrooms or in  times of overwhelming sorrow and suffering. This is not true. Certainly, God is with us in times of distress, and that is a comforting truth. But listen: Jesus wants to be part of every experience and every moment of our  lives.  He went to the wedding at Cana as well as to the  home of Mary and Martha when Lazarus died. He wept with those who wept, and rejoiced with those who rejoiced. Someone has said, "There are just as many stars in the sky at noon as at midnight, although we cannot see them in the sun's glare."  I seriously doubt if we will ever understand our tri als and adversities until we are safely in Heaven. Then when we look back, we are going to be absolutely amazed at how God took care of us and blessed us even in the storms of life. But God...

Growing Old The passing of the years brings its frailties. You may be forced to give up activities that you once enjoyed. Your limbs may not seem as pliable as they used to be. Your memory and your eyesight may refuse to give service. And so the world may cease to be familiar―the world of your family, the world around you, the world you once knew. Even the Church, which you have loved for so long, may seem strange to many of you as she goes forward in this period of renewal. Yet, despite changes and any weaknesses you may feel, you are of great value to all. Society needs you and so does the Church. You may not be able to do as much as before, but what counts above all is what you are. Old age is the crowning point of earthly life, a time to gather in the harvest you have sown. It is a time to give of yourselves to others as never before. Yes, you are needed, and never let anyone tell you that you are not. The Masses you have attended throughout your life, the devout Communions you...

Renewing Our Minds WHATEVER IS TRUE, NOBLE, RIGHT, PURE, LOVELY, ADMIRABLE-THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS. You live in a world where media direct your attention to what is false, degrading, wrong, impure, ugly. Truth has been displaced by "spin" and sensational stories attract advertisers. It is no accident that "true" is the first adjective in this list of excellent qualities. Without truth, there is nothing worth pondering. That is why it's essential to fill your mind with Scripture-developing a biblical worldview.  Even though there is so much brokenness in the world, you can still find much that is excellent or praiseworthy in it. Search for such things as for buried treasure. When you unearth something lovely, meditate on it and praise Me for it. Tell others about such things; help them find beauty and meaning in their lives.  True, noble, admirable things can still be found in many places on earth, but they are most abundantly available in Me. So I urge y...

Sowers of Peace & Joy For twenty centuries he has been saying to us: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you. He wants each of us to proclaim this to the whole world, by the way we live; to the world in which we live, even if at times it may seem rather small.  The life of the first Christians helped many to discover the meaning of their existence. They brought peace to their families and to the society in which they lived. In many inscriptions from that period we find greetings with which they desire peace to others. This peace ― which is from God  ―  will be found on earth as long as there are men and women of good will. A significant part of our apostolate will be bringing serenity and joy to the people around us; the more anxiety and sadness we meet, the more urgent this apostolate of ours will be. Every Christian has the duty to bring peace and joy to his own surroundings on earth. This cheerful crusade of manliness will move even shriveled or rotten he...

Power In The Name of Jesus Don't be surprised by the fiery attacks on your mind. When you struggle to find Me and to live in My Peace, don't let discouragement set in. You are engaged in massive warfare, spiritually speaking. The evil one abhors your closeness to Me, and his demonic underlings are determined to destroy our intimacy. When you find yourself in the thick of battle, call upon My Name: "Jesus, help me!" At that instant, the battle becomes Mine; your role is simply to trust Me as I fight for you.  My Name, properly used, has unlimited Power to bless and protect.  At the end of time, every knee will bow (in heaven, on earth, and under the earth) when My Name is proclaimed. People who have used "Jesus" as a shoddy swear word will fall down in terror on that awesome day. But all those who have drawn near Me through trustingly uttering My Name will be filled with inexpressible and glorious Joy. This is your great hope, as you await My return.  ...

The Burning Love & The Desire To Receive Holy Communion The greatest devotion and ardent love, with all affection and fervor of heart I wish to receive You, O Lord, as many saints and devout persons, most pleasing to You in their holiness of life and most fervent in devotion, desired You in Holy Communion. O my God, everlasting love, my final good, my happiness unending, I long to receive You with as strong a desire and as worthy a reverence as any of  the saints ever had or could have felt, and though I am not worthy to have all these sentiments of devotion, still I offer You the full affection of my heart as if I alone had all those most pleasing and ardent desires. Yet, whatever a God-fearing mind can conceive and desire, I offer in its entirety to You with the greatest reverence and inward affection. I wish to keep nothing for self but to offer to You, willingly and most freely, myself and all that is mine. O Lord God, my Creator and my Redeemer, I long to receive ...

Focus God our Lord would have us look to the Giver and love Him more than His gift, keeping Him always before our eyes, in our hearts, and in our thoughts. St. Ignatius of Loyola

Trusting God With All Our Strength TRUST IN ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND MIND, AND DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. In all your ways acknowledge Me, and I will make your path straight. Such complete and utter confidence in Me has been your goal for years, but you continue to struggle with this. The main culprit is your mind's ravenous appetite for understanding, fueled by a strong desire to feel in control of your life. You want to trust Me wholeheartedly, but you feel stuck. Beloved, your desire to rely on Me wholly is a worthy goal. Now also believe that I am providing training through your life experiences, and that many of the difficulties you encounter are designed to help in this endeavor. Allow Me to do this supernatural work in your heart. The Holy Spirit will help you think trusting thoughts, but He requires your cooperation. Instead of relying on your understanding to help you feel in control, ask My Spirit to control your mind. Then, wait confidently to see r...

Sound Advice From A Great Saint Be slow to speak, and only after having first listened quietly, so that you may understand the meaning, leanings, and wishes of those who do speak. Thus you will better know when to speak and when to be silent. St. Ignatius of Loyola

True Charity & Forgiveness St. Mark managed to forgive and forget because he had a great soul. That is why later on he was such a marvellous instrument of grace. Those who zealously keep a list of grudges show themselves to be very narrow-minded. Such poor wretches are impossible to live with.  True charity neither keeps account of the necessary services it renders all the time, nor takes note of the effronteries it has to put up with. 'Omnia suffert' ― it endures all things. If we lack humility we will tend to draw up our list of small grudges which, despite being small, take away our peace with God, waste a lot of energy and make us incapable of undertaking the great plans Our Lord has in mind each day for those close to him. The heart of the humble person is set on God and is thus filled with joy, becoming, as it were, less vulnerable. It doesn't matter to him what people say or might have said. He forgets immediately, and doesn't give too much considerat...

Wine or Vinegar? Men are like wine - some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age. St. Pope John XXIII

Overcoming The Bondage of Fear FEARFULNESS IS A FORM OF BONDAGE. I died on the cross for you so that you would not be a slave to fear. When I see My children continuing to live in bondage to fear, I am grieved. My sacrifice was not only to provide forgiveness of sins but also to open the way to My Father's heart. Now that you trust Me as Savior, you are the recipient of perfect Love-My Love, Abba's Love. This perfect Love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment (and there is no punishment for My followers).  People are born into the world in spiritual bondage, including bondage to fear. Because you inhabit both a fallen world and a fallen body, it isn't easy to break free from fearfulness. However, the Spirit of adoption can help you in this struggle, enabling you to see yourself as you truly are: a much-loved child of God! The Spirit frees you to cry out, "Abba, Father," believing you are His precious, adopted child. In the presence of a lov...

Trust In God Isaiah 30:15: " ... In quietness and in trust shall be your strength." But how do I know ― if I trust in God  ―  that he won't  let me fall? Everyone else I've ever trusted has let me down.  Padre Pio's assurance: "Fortify yourself with prayer, humility, and unlimited trust in divine help. Abandon yourself as a beloved child of the heavenly Father in his most  loving arms, and do not fear the war waged against you by Satan. He is powerless against the soul that places all its trust I in God alone. He [Satan] will wage war, in so far as he is permitted to do so from above, and God will never permit you to be tempted beyond your strength. "Once again, then, I urge you to have ever-greater confidence in God, for it is written that those who trust in him  will never be forsaken."  "But be quite sure that it is Jesus who loves you. Abandon yourself to his holy actions, and do not fear because Jesus  is with you and is please...

We Are Called To Share Christ In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples (cf. Mt 28:19). All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization, and it would be insufficient to envisage a plan of evangelization to be carried out by professionals while the rest of the faithful would simply be passive recipients. The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are “disciples” and “missionaries”, but rather that we are always “missionary disciples”. If we are not ...

Surrendering Our Loves One To God      ENTRUST YOUR LOVED ONES TO ME. They are much safer with Me than in your clinging hands.       Sometimes you confuse loving others with rescuing them. When a loved one has a problem, you often feel responsible to come up with a solution. Then you plunge headlong into problem-solving mode, as if you're obligated to provide sound advice. I want to help you stop feeling responsible to fix people since that is My role ― not yours.       It is My prerogative to bring about change in people's lives as I choose. You can be part of the process, but remember that I am the Author and Director of the drama. You need to follow My script rather than creating your own. Do not usurp My role in people's lives, no matter how much you long to help them.       When you feel compelled to rescue a loved one, take a good look at the quality of your love. Learn from Me, because I have ...

Worry THE ULTIMATE PROTECTION AGAINST SINKING DURING LIFE'S STORMS IS DEVELOPING YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH ME. You waste a lot of time, however, worrying about storms you can see forming along the horizon of your life. In the past many of the storms you had anticipated veered off in another direction, never reaching you. Although some of them did actually hit, usually they had lost much of their power by the time they got to you. I urge you to switch your focus from difficulties that may come your way to My Presence, which is always with you.  You will never find security by trying to anticipate all the storms that may reach you someday. Remember that I control the atmosphere of your life. Trust Me by relaxing and releasing your concerns into My capable care. It saddens Me to see you obsessing about possible problems rather than bringing these matters to Me. When you find yourself anxiously scanning the horizon of your life, use that as a reminder to seek My Face. You will not fin...

Resisting The Enemy 1 Peter 5:9: "Resist him [the devil], steadfast in your faith .... "  But how can I resist evil when it stalks and tempts me?  Padre Pio's assurance: "Drive away [resist] what the enemy is whispering loudly in your ear when he wants you to believe you are almost on the point of being lost. Despise these evil insinuations and live in peace, for the Lord is with you as never before in your tribulations .... Take heart, then, and don't be afraid, for it is quite certain that the one who fears to be lost will not be lost, and that the one who fights with his eyes fixed on God will cry victory and intone the triumphal hymn. There is nothing to fear, for the heavenly Father has promised us the necessary help to prevent us from being overcome by temptations." "Always despise him (the enemy] and arm yourself  against him with increasing steadfastness of faith, as it is written, 'Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil pro...

God Is the Potter We Are The Clay When a sculptor shapes his sculpture, he does so by removing superfluous parts of clay from a previously amorphous lump. The true beauty of the piece is revealed by taking away those areas that hide what is meant to be. In much the same manner, in our spiritual life, we attempt to remove those parts of our person that prevent a full relationship of love with God. We try to strip away the selfishness and the fear that hinder our ability to live and love as God wills. But this hindrance, just as any other in our lives, can be overcome by God's grace.  from 15 Days of Prayer with Saint Benedict by André Gozier

History & The Search For God All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy. C.S. Lewis ― Mere Christianity