Daily Thought

Everything For God's Glory Health is God's great gift, and we must spend it entirely for Him. Our eyes should see only for God, our feet walk only for Him, our hands labor for Him alone; in short, our entire body should serve God while we still have the time. Then, when He shall take our health and we shall near our last day, our conscience will not reproach us for having misused it. St. John Bosco

Not By Heroic Deeds I strive for the greatest perfection possible in order to be useful to the Church .... I have come to understand how great an influence I have on other souls, not by any heroic deeds, as these are striking  in themselves, but by small actions like a movement of the hand, a look, and many other things too numerous to mention, which have an effect on and reflect in the souls of others, ... (Diary, 1475)  Reflection   Every hive needs worker bees. Not glamorous or heroic, just insects that, day after day, get the job done. That venture out, gather pollen, and return with it. "Saving" souls can sound both glamorous and heroic. "Touching" souls ... is what most of us are called to do. Day after day. A look of kindness. A word of support. A silent prayer.  Prayer   I want to get better at thinking small, Lord. At thinking local. At seeing those who walk among me so hungry for the look, the word, or the prayer that will transform the...

Deeper Life In The Holy Spirit Let us never hesitate to ask for the help of the divine Physician, any more than we should hesitate to go to earthly physicians. "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for you are my praise" (Jer 17: 14).  Dr. Bob Sawyer, M.D., is a retired ear, nose, and throat specialist in Baltimore. He had been used by God to heal on a natural level for decades, but he did not realize the supernatural power that was also available to him in Christ. A few years ago, he began praying for more grace to overflow in his life. He recounts:  I'd been asking the Lord to make his presence in me palpable to the people around me, that even when I step on an elevator they would somehow sense God. Not that they would be drawn to me, but that they would simply become more aware of God. One morning the chief nurse in surgery came and said, "There's a nurse friend of mine who has a brain tumor. Would you mind praying wit...

Encouraging Words      “It is enough for you to be with Me.  This is all I ask of you.  I do not ask for elevated thoughts, or for emotional outpourings, or for nicely constructed phrases.  I ask only that you stay with Me.  I need your company even now, just as I needed the company of Peter, James, and John in Gethsemane.  They slept on, it is true, but I knew they were there, and their mere presence was a consolation to My agonizing Heart. You are afraid of distractions, of daydreams, and of foolish thoughts; these do not offend Me because they are no more than flies buzzing in the background. I am absorbed by your presence before Me.  Does it shock you that I should say such a thing?  But I am absorbed by you: My eyes rest upon you; My Heart is all yours; I am listening intently to you; and all My attention is focused on you when you come seeking Me.  Believe that I am totally absorbed by you, and soon you will be totally...

Finding More Joy At the end of this Eucharistic celebration, I invite you to join me in praying the Angelus. This prayer takes its name from the Angel’s message to Mary: “Rejoice . . . the Lord is with you”. Soon, in the Christmas liturgy, you will hear those other words of joy which announced the birth of Jesus: “Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by all the people”. I have said before on another occasion: “In a true sense, joy is the keynote of the Christian message". As I said then, my wish is that the Christian message may bring joy to all who open their hearts to it: “joy to children, joy to parents, joy to families and to friends, joy to workers and scholars, joy to the sick and to the elderly, joy to all humanity”. I now add: “joy - deep and lasting joy - to the people of Australia”. 2. Faith is our source of joy We believe in a God who created us so that we might enjoy human happiness - in some measure on earth, in its fullness in heaven. We ...

Experiencing Divine Peace THE PEACE THAT I GIVE YOU transcends your intellect. When most of your mental energy goes into efforts to figure things out, you are unable to receive this glorious gift. I look into your mind and see thoughts spinning round and round: going nowhere, accomplishing nothing. All the while, My Peace hovers over you, searching for a place to land.  Be still in My Presence, inviting Me to control your thoughts. Let My Light soak into your mind and heart, until you are aglow with My very Being. This is the most effective way to receive My Peace.  Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. -2 THESSALONIANS 3:16  "Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you." -JOB 22:21  from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young p.158

Divine Mercy & Patience      The Lord gave me an occasion to practice patience through a particular person with whom I have to carry out a certain task. She is slower than anyone I have ever seen. One has to arm oneself with great patience to listen to her tedious talk (Diary 1376) Reflection  It's comforting to read about someone who drove a saint a little crazy. The offender means no ... offense ... but sometimes a person just rubs us the wrong way. It doesn't mean we're bad, just human. As all saints are. It means we have to work on being more patient.  As all saints did.  Prayer  From slow workers and tedious talkers, Lord, deliver us! On the other hand, I should thank You for those excellent opportunities to hone my skills in being patient.  Jesus, I trust in You.  from Day By Day With Saint Faustina 365 Reflections by Susan Tassone p. 138

Growing In Freedom EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS IS A GIFT FROM GOD. Yet oftentimes we look to the things and creatures created by God for a satisfaction and fulfillment that only God Himself can provide. When the soul wraps itself around the things and the people of this world, looking for a satisfaction or fulfillment that only God can give, it produces a distortion in itself, and in others as well. Many spiritual writers call the process of unwinding this possessive, self-centered, clinging, and disordered seeking of things and persons “detachment.” The goal of the process of detachment is not to stop loving the things and people of this world, but, quite to the contrary, to love them even more truly in God, under the reign of Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Things and people become even more beautiful and delightful when we see them in this light. There are almost always painful dimensions to this process of “letting go” in order to love more, but it’s the pain of true healin...

Welcoming Those Who Are "Shipwrecked" Dear Brothers and Sisters:  In our continuing catechesis on the Acts of the Apostles, we see the Gospel preached not only on land but also at sea, as Paul, now a prisoner, is taken by ship to Rome. From Crete, Paul warns the crew of the risk of further travel, yet they carry on into a near fatal storm. Paul encourages all on board not to be afraid, and recounts how an angel has told him that they will arrive in Rome. In this way, Jesus’ promise that his disciples would become his witnesses “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8) would be fulfilled. Landing on Malta, the travellers experience “unusual kindness” from the people of that place, but hazards too, as Paul is bitten by a viper. He himself is unharmed, and during his stay on the island he heals many of the sick. Paul’s sea voyage, full of peril and salvation, can serve as a symbol of God’s providential care for us through our passage from death to life in the waters of bapti...

Watch Over Us Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch or weep tonight, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend your sick ones, O Lord Jesus Christ; rest your weary ones; bless your dying ones; soothe your suffering ones; pity your afflicted ones; shield your joyous ones; and all for your love's sake. Amen. St. Augustine 

Staying Strong In Our "Aim at Faith" Having reached the end of his life, Saint Paul asks his disciple Timothy to “aim at faith” (2 Tim 2:22) with the same constancy as when he was a boy (cf. 2 Tim 3:15). We hear this invitation directed to each of us, that none of us grow lazy in the faith. It is the lifelong companion that makes it possible to perceive, ever anew, the marvels that God works for us. Intent on gathering the signs of the times in the present of history, faith commits every one of us to become a living sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in the world. What the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people enlightened in mind and heart by the word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life, life without end. “That the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph” (2 Th 3:1): may this Year of Faith make our relationship with Christ the Lord increasingly firm, since only in...

Be A Powerhouse of Grace The sun penetrates crystal and makes it more dazzling. In the same way, the sanctifying Spirit indwells in souls and makes them more radiant. They become like so many powerhouses beaming grace and love around them. St. Basil the Great