Daily Thought

Be Patient When Helping Others You can often help others more by correcting your own faults than theirs. Remember, and you should, because of your own experience, that allowing God to correct your faults is not easy. Be patient with people, wait for God to work with them as He wills. Francis Fenelon

Gratitude Gratitude is not only a response to God in good times - it's ultimately the very will of God in hard times. Gratitude isn't only a celebration when good things happen. It's a declaration that God is good no matter what happens. Ann Voskamp

Go Light Your World! You go to pray; to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat. St. Josemaria Escriva

A Reminder Once again, through myself, the Church, in the words of the well-known declaration Nostra Aetate, 'deplores the hatred, persecutions and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews at any time and by anyone.' I repeat, 'By anyone.' St. John Paul II

Divine Mercy Lectio Luke 13:1–9 Meditatio “… leave it for this year also.…” On April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938). Saint Faustina lived an obscure life in her Polish convent, hidden from the eyes of the world. Yet through this humble sister, God gave the world a message of divine mercy—a message that the world needs now more than ever. In a way, Faustina’s life parallels what Jesus is saying in this parable. He’s telling us to look beneath appearances. To the hasty observer, it might have seemed that the people who were killed by Pilate and by the falling tower in Siloam had been cursed by God.  And the barren fig tree was obviously a lost cause, just some deadwood cluttering up the ground. Why not get rid of it? But Jesus says no, those unfortunate people were no more guilty than anyone else. And God, the Master Gardener, sees the potential of the seemingly lifeless tree. He wants to pour out more fertilizer on it, to coax it to...

Let The Mass Set Our Hearts On Fire! In the Holy Mass a surging current of divine love is transmitted from the Son to the Father through the Holy Spirit. The follower of the Lord participates in this love since he or she is incorporated in Christ. The Christian then extends this love to other people and to all earthly realities, which are thereby sanctified and made into a fitting offering to God. Our apostolate should have its roots in the Mass and should from there draw its efficacy. For the Mass is nothing less than the realization of the Redemption in our time by means of apostolic Christians. Jesus came on earth to redeem everyone, because 'He wished all men to be saved' (1 Tim 2:4). There is not a single soul in whom Christ is not interested. Each soul has cost him the price of his Blood (cf 1 Pet 1:18-19).9 If we truly imitate Our Lord's example we can never be indifferent towards any soul.  from In Conversation with God by Francis Fernandez Volume 5 p.300

Docility To The Holy Spirit God is very generous and does not deny His grace to anyone. Indeed he gives more than what we ask of Him. Faithfulness to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit-that is the shortest route. St. Faustina Kowalska

Avoiding A "Throw Away" Culture A society which discards those who are weak and non-productive risks exaggerating the development of reason, organization, aggression and the desire to dominate. It becomes a society without a heart, without kindness - a rational and sad society, lacking celebration, divided within itself and given to competition, rivalry and, finally, violence. Jean Vanier

Give A Little — Receive A Lot! The slightest cooperation with God's grace can provoke a massive spiritual change. Bishop Robert Barron

A Great Thought On A Foggy Fall Day Let everything in creation draw you to God. Refresh your mind with some innocent recreation and needful rest, if it were only to saunter through the garden or the fields, listening to the sermon preached by the flowers, the trees, the meadows, the sun, the sky, and the whole universe. You will find that they exhort you to love and praise God; that they excite you to extol the greatness of the Sovereign Architect Who has given them their being. St. Paul of the Cross

He Sent Them Two By Two Beloved brothers, our Lord and Savior sometimes gives us instruction by words and sometimes by actions. His very deeds are our commands; and whenever he acts silently he is teaching us what we should do. For example, he sends his disciples out to preach two by two, because the precept of charity is twofold – love of God and of one’s neighbor.   The Lord sends his disciples out to preach in twos in order to teach us silently that whoever fails in charity toward his neighbor should by no means take upon himself the office of preaching.   Rightly is it said that he sent them ahead of him into every city and place where he himself was to go. For the Lord follows after the preachers, because preaching goes ahead to prepare the way, and then when the words of exhortation have gone ahead and established truth in our minds, the Lord comes to live within us. To those who preach Isaiah says: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of ...

Make An Impression For Christ Christianity is not a matter of persuading people of particular ideas, but of inviting them to share in the greatness of Christ. So pray that I may never fall into the trap of impressing people with clever speech, but instead I may learn to speak with humility, desiring only to impress people with Christ himself. St. Ignatius of Antioch

Have Confidence Today Keep your heart in peace and let nothing trouble you, not even your faults. You must humble yourself and amend them peacefully, without being discouraged or cast down, for God's dwelling is in peace. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Two New Saints! Today in Rome, Pope Francis will canonize Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, in addition to Pope Paul VI, who is featured on pages 52–57 of this magazine. Selected as archbishop of San Salvador in 1977, Romero served during a time of intense political turbulence and religious persecution. Through his homilies, radio sermons, and newspaper articles, Romero became the voice of his country’s conscience. Constantly referring to the message of the gospel, he condemned the violence and corruption that plagued his country. Countless threats against his life didn’t deter Romero. In one homily, he said, “You can tell the people that if they succeed in killing me, I forgive and bless those who do it. Hopefully, they will realize they are wasting their time. A bishop will die, but the Church of God, which is the people, will never perish.” On March 24, 1980, as he was saying Mass, a lone gunman stood at the door of the chapel and fired. Romero, who was standing at the...

This Is My Prayer For All Of You Today! May today there be peace within.  May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.  May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.  May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.  May you be content knowing you are a child of God.  Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.  It is there for each and every one of us. St. Teresa of Avila

Letting God Be The Master Artist & Penance Penance means being very charitable at all times towards those around you, starting with the members of your own family. It is to be full of tenderness and kindness towards the suffering, the sick and the infirm. It is to give patient answers to people who are boring and annoying. It means interrupting our work or changing our plans, when circumstances make this necessary, above all when the just and rightful needs of others are involved.  Penance consists in putting up good-humoredly with the thousand and one little pinpricks of each day; in not abandoning your job, although you have momentarily lost the enthusiasm with which you started it; in eating gladly whatever is served, without being fussy.  For parents and, in general, for those whose work involves supervision or teaching, penance is to correct whenever it is necessary. This should be done bearing in mind the type of fault committed and the situation of the person...

A Good Reminder From St. Francis of Assisi Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received - only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage. St. Francis of Assisi

The Radical Call of Discipleship As Jesus begins his final journey to Jerusalem, he is approached by three different would-be followers. Each of them wants to follow him, but their responsibilities and concerns seem to give them pause. In answer to their requests, Jesus makes it clear that following him isn’t always easy. He offered them a reality check so that they could clarify their motivations and decide whether they really wanted to be his disciples. And so he cut below the surface of their words to address their real questions. Notice how each of these people responds to Jesus’ invitation by talking about their life circumstances—a funeral, a family farewell, a concern about housing. Jesus responds not only to what they say on the surface, but also to their deepest motivations, fears, and intentions. One of Jesus’ answers reveals that the person approaching him probably has false expectations of comfort and ease. By another response, he helps a disciple face his unwillingne...

The Work Of Angels In the meantime, the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.  In her liturgy, the Church joins with the angels to adore the thrice-holy God. She invokes their assistance (in the funeral liturgy’s In Paradisum deducant te angeli … [“May the angels lead you into Paradise …”]). Moreover, in the “Cherubic Hymn” of the Byzantine Liturgy, she celebrates the memory of certain angels more particularly (St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the guardian angels).  From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.” Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.  Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed., p. 87). Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference. #334-336

We Are Citizens of Heaven! The world's thy ship and not thy home. St. Thérèse of Lisieux