Daily Thought

Rise Up People Of God - The Anointing Of The Holy Spirit Awaits Us! The person who desires to become a sign must be dedicated to sacrifice, even as the aged Simeon prophesied of Jesus: "This child ... will be a sign of contradiction."  The person who wants to be a sign will share in the destiny of the Virgin Mary: "And a sword will pierce your soul!"  A sign must be steady and bold, luminous and watchful, indifferent to opinions,  well rooted and unshakeable,  capable of facing storms and long nights, trials and dangers.  And if the Lord chooses you to become a sign in this present time, will you accept or refuse?  Moses and Elijah wanted to escape, but God's grace came upon them and these powerful men had to submit, for the Spirit of God was working in them.  from Prayers of Hope — Words of Courage   by Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan p. 27

A Very Wise Quote For Some Of The Tensions We Are Facing “There are two kinds of ‘atheism’: the atheism of the right, which professes to love God and ignores neighbor; and the atheism of the left, which professes to love neighbor and ignores God.”   Archbishop Fulton Sheen 

The "Doctor of Grace" reflects on the Goodness & Consolation of God Urged to reflect upon myself, I entered under your guidance the innermost places of my being; but only because you had become my helper was I able to do so. I entered, then, and with the vision of my spirit, such as it was, I saw the incommutable light far above my spiritual ken and transcending my mind: not this common light which every carnal eye can see, nor any light of the same order; but greater, as though this common light were shining much more powerfully, far more brightly, and so extensively as to fill the universe. The light I saw was not the common light at all, but something different, utterly different, from all those things. Nor was it higher than my mind in the sense that oil floats on water or the sky is above the earth; it was exalted because this very light made me, and I was below it because by it I was made. Anyone who knows truth knows this light.   O eternal Truth, true Love, a...

We Are All "Living" Stones Precious In God's Sight Also with us today, Jesus wishes to continue to build His Church, this house with solid foundation but where cracks aren’t lacking, and which has continuous need of being repaired, always. The Church is always in need of being reformed, repaired. We certainly don’t feel like rocks, but only like small stones. However, no small stone is useless, rather, in Jesus’ hands it becomes precious, because He gathers it, looks at it with great tenderness, works on it with His Spirit, and puts it in the right place, which He has always thought of and where it can be more useful to the entire edifice. Each one of us is a small stone, but in Jesus’ hands we participate in the building of the Church. And all of us, in as much as small, have been made “living stones, ” because when Jesus takes the stone in His hand, He makes it His, He makes it alive, full of life, full of life by the Holy Spirit, full of life from His love, and th...

Against Rash Judgments Our souls may lose their peace and even disturb other people's, if we are always criticizing trivial actions - which often are not real defects at all, but we construe them wrongly through our ignorance of their motives. St. Teresa of Avila

Can I Get An Amen?  With Christ as the center of your life, you will never be disappointed. Pope Francis

One Reason I Enjoy Retreats & Spiritual Conferences When large numbers of people share their joy in common, the happiness of each is greater because each adds fuel to the other's flame. St. Augustine

"Take Courage, It Is I; Do Not Be Afraid" Lectio Matthew 14:22–33 Meditatio “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” As I pray with this Gospel account, I contemplate each part of it, entering into the story as if I too were with Peter and the other disciples in their boat. As they set off, the wind begins to rise, rocking their boat. In the heart of the night, as the wind tosses the disciples’ boat, Jesus comes “toward them walking on the sea.” I sense the fear that comes upon Peter and the disciples, but Jesus comforts and strengthens them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Jesus does not scold Peter for his fear, but simply calls to him, “Come,” thus inviting him to a deeper trust in Jesus and in his word. Peter leaves the security of his boat to follow Jesus. But when Peter takes his gaze off Jesus and looks around at the waves, seeing how strong the wind is, he starts to sink. But even in the midst of his panic and fear, Peter again turns his atten...

The Struggle In Every Moment Love leads to communion,  and communion allows everyone to move forward in harmony. Communion is not a happiness passively enjoyed,  but it struggles to maintain a fraternal spirit and to open the doors of this fraternity  to all people.  By nature, love propagates itself;  it is contagious, communicates to others, and draws everyone toward communion.  I must engrave this maxim within myself:  "Communion is the struggle of every moment." A moment's neglect can destroy it;  a mere trifle suffices,  a single thought without charity,  an obstinately maintained prejudice, a harmful attachment,  an erroneous direction,  a personal ambition or interest,  an action done for myself and not for the Lord, returning to a bad habit already abandoned, the desire for personal satisfaction  that overrides what is pleasing to the Lord.  Help me, Lord, to examine myself in this way...

Prayer & Forgiveness Work Together Forgiving the men who killed my parents and brother was a process, a journey into deeper and deeper prayer. Immaculée Ilibagiza

Living Stones In God's Holy Temple The Holy Spirit, in the variety of his gifts, unites us and enables us to contribute to the building up of the Church in holiness. In this great work, each of us has a part to play; each of us, as a "living stone", is needed for the growth and the beauty of God's holy temple. Let us ask the Lord to help us to take an ever more active part in the Church's life and mission, guided by the Holy Spirit and with Jesus as our cornerstone. Pope Francis

Faithful In The Present Moment We must be faithful to the present moment or we will frustrate the plan of God for our lives. Venerable Solanus Casey

If More People Believed This The World Would Be Very Different Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay small acts of kindness and love. J.R. Tolkien

Increase Our Faith Lectio Matthew 13:54–58 Meditatio “… their lack of faith.” This Gospel scene presents Jesus to us after he has traveled around Galilee gaining fame and popularity by teaching with authority and performing mighty deeds. Jesus might have hoped for a warm, supportive welcome from the people of his hometown, who had known him since his youth. But any hope of comfort or sympathy quickly disappears when he is faced with their suspicious questions and lack of faith. What is this lack of faith? What exactly are they lacking? What is it that his neighbors cannot believe? Could it be that they are stuck in their own narrow ideas of God? Are they so convinced that they know how God should reveal himself that when God does reveal himself in a concrete, visible way in Jesus, they can’t recognize him? Perhaps they haven’t lived in a relationship with God. To be “in relationship” with someone means that the parties continually reveal themselves to each other. It wo...

Nothing Is Impossible Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up: there are no situations which God cannot change, there is no sin which he cannot forgive if only we open ourselves to him. Pope Francis

Overcoming Evil With Good When we have to reply to anyone who has insulted  us, we should be careful to do it always with gentleness. A soft answer extinguishes the fire of wrath. St. Alphonsus Liguori