Daily Thought

  Guard Your Peace Watch yourself with all diligence, lest the enemy steals near and robs you, depriving you of this great treasure, which is inner peace and stillness of soul. The enemy strives to destroy the peace of the soul, because he knows that when the soul is in turmoil it is more easily led to evil. But you must guard your peace.  Lorenzo Scupoli

  These Words Greatly Encouraged Me! When a stranger in an imperfect prison system sees the plight of a prisoner and moves to improve that person’s condition, sometimes simply through kindness, the prisoner feels the most intense gratitude, remembering their dignity. Let us thank God for each of those moments now, where something good occurred because God prompted a consoling action, even in systems badly in need of development. Let us ask for a blessing on all of those people who, though strangers, serve others with kindness. Thank you, God. Those of us who have been foreigners in what felt like hostile lands, know the wonder and the gratitude we felt when someone moved to protect us, feed us, or defend us. We will never forget those moments of care. We thank God for those strangers right now, who helped us or our loved ones when they had nothing to gain. We ask for a blessing on their intentions and their own difficulties and heartbreaks. Thank you God, for all those who helped w...

  Stay With Me Lord (Prayer of St. Pio of Pietrelcina after Communion) Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You. Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often. Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor. Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness. Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will. Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You. Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company. Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You. Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love. Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes; death, judgment, eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not s...

  The Power of God's Grace The slightest cooperation with God's grace can provoke a massive spiritual change. Bishop Robert Barron

  A Simple But Powerful Prayer Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.  St. Thomas Aquinas

  Power In Weakness To be conscious of one's weakness and to trust in God's help is the way to authentic strength and victory. Alice Von Hildebrand

  Go Forth! Jesus sent his disciples forth on mission with this command: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk 16:15-16). To evangelize means to bring the Good News of salvation to others and to let them know that this Good News is a person: Jesus Christ. When I meet him, when I discover how much I am loved by God and saved by God, I begin to feel not only the desire, but also the need to make God known to others. At the beginning of John’s Gospel we see how Andrew, immediately after he met Jesus, ran off to fetch his brother Simon (cf. 1:40-42). Evangelization always begins with an encounter with the Lord Jesus. Those who come to Jesus and have experienced his love, immediately want to share the beauty of the meeting and the joy born of his friendship. The more we know Christ, the more we want to talk about him. The more we speak with Christ, the more we want to speak about him. The more we ...

  Everything Is Grace Everything is a grace, everything is the direct effect of our Father's love - difficulties, contradictions, humiliations, all the soul's miseries, her burdens, her needs - everything, because through them, she learns humility, realizes her weakness. Everything is a grace because everything is God's gift. Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events - to the heart that loves, all is well. St. Therese of Lisieux

  The Amazing Grace of God in Jesus Christ We are the people of life because God, in his unconditional love, has given us the Gospel of life and by this same Gospel we have been transformed and saved. We have been ransomed by the “Author of life” (Acts 3:15) at the price of his precious blood (cf. 1 Cor 6:20; 7:23; 1 Pet 1:19). Through the waters of Baptism we have been made a part of him (cf. Rom 6:4–5; Col 2:12), as branches which draw nourishment and fruitfulness from the one tree (cf. Jn 15:5). Interiorly renewed by the grace of the Spirit, “who is the Lord and giver of life”, we have become a people for life and we are called to act accordingly. We have been sent. For us, being at the service of life is not a boast but rather a duty, born of our awareness of being “God’s own people, that we may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called us out of darkness into his marvellous light” (cf. 1 Pet 2:9). On our journey we are guided and sustained by the law of love: a love which ...

  Do Not Be Afraid! I plead with you--never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.  St. John Paul II

  Keep Alert & Stand Firm In Your Faith "Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous. Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Cor 16:13-14). But what does it mean to be courageous? It means to overcome evil in all its forms. The worst evil is sin, which causes all sorts of suffering and can even lurk within us, negatively affecting our behaviour. And so, while it is right to be committed to the struggle against evil in its public and social manifestations, the first duty of believers is to fight against sin, the root of all the forms of evil which can take root in the human heart, and to resist its enticements with God's help. Be assured that God does not hinder or waste your youth, nor does he disturb your happiness. On the contrary! Far from imposing limitations, God's power gradually brings about the growth of the whole person in body, mind and heart, a deepening of faith and the expansion of your love for yourselves, for your neighbour and for all eart...

  Authenticity & Speech It is better to be silent and be real than to talk and not be real. St. Ignatius of Antioch

  Rooted In Christ Look upon yourself as a tree planted beside the water, which bears its fruit in due season; the more it is shaken by the wind, the deeper it strikes its roots into the ground."  St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

  Let Us Be Mindful of Christ's Love If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend. And I clearly see that if we expect to please him and receive an abundance of his graces, God desires that these graces must come to us from the hands of Christ, through his most sacred humanity, in which God takes delight.   Many, many times I have perceived this through experience. The Lord has told it to me. I have definitely seen that we must enter by this gate if we wish his Sovereign Majesty to reveal to us great and hidden mysteries. A person should desire no other path, even if he is at the summit of contemplation; on this road he walks safely. All blessings come to us through our Lord. He will teach us, for in beholding his life we find that he is the best example.   What more do we desire from such a good friend at our side? Unlike our friends in the wo...

Pray Constantly In The Power of The Holy Spirit We must pray without ceasing, in every occurrence and employment of our lives - that prayer which is rather a habit of lifting up the heart to God as in a constant communication with Him. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

  Be Brave Start being brave about everything. Drive out darkness and spread light. Don’ look at your weaknesses. Realize instead that in Christ crucified you can do everything. St. Catherine of Siena

  The Grace of the Present Moment Do not look back to the past, nor forward to the future. Claim only the present, for it holds God's will. St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

  Called By Name To Happiness God has created all things for good; all things for their greatest good; everything for its own good. What is the good of one is not the good of another; what makes one man happy would make another unhappy. God has determined, unless I interfere with His plan, that I should reach that which will be my greatest happiness. He looks on me individually, He calls me by my name, He knows what I can do, what I can best be, what is my greatest happiness, and He means to give it me. St. John Henry Newman

  Litany of Trust From the belief that I have to earn Your love  Deliver me, Jesus.  From the fear that I am unlovable  Deliver me, Jesus.  From the false security that I have what it takes  Deliver me, Jesus.  From the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute  Deliver me, Jesus.  From all suspicion of Your words and promises  Deliver me, Jesus.  From the rebellion against childlike dependency on You  Deliver me, Jesus.  From refusals and reluctances in accepting Your will  Deliver me, Jesus.  From anxiety about the future  Deliver me, Jesus.  From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past  Deliver me, Jesus.  From restless self-seeking in the present moment  Deliver me, Jesus.  From disbelief in Your love and presence  Deliver me, Jesus.  From the fear of being asked to give more than I have  Deliver me, Jesus.  From the belief that my life h...

  Let Us Have Faith That Banishes All Fear Let us have this faith which banishes all fear. We have besides us, facing us, in us, our Jesus, our God who loves us infinitely, is all-powerful, knows what is best for us, tells us to seek the kingdom and that the rest will be given to us. Blessed Charles de Foucauld

  God Calls & Equips Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if he wants anything of you, He will fit you for the work and give you strength. St. Phillip Neri

  Our Lady of the Rosary The Pope calls the Rosary the “school of Mary.” This does not mean, as those unacquainted with the Rosary may suppose, that Mary is the goal or object of this prayer. On the contrary, the “school of Mary” has for its entire curriculum and focus the person of Jesus Christ. Who spent more time looking upon Jesus than Mary, as she watched her beloved child slowly grow into a strong young man? Who spoke to Jesus more than Mary? Who was present with Him more than anyone else? Who modeled trust and faith in Jesus more than Mary? The Holy Father tells us: “As we contemplate each mystery of her Son’s life, she invites us to do as she did at the Annunciation: to ask humbly the questions which open us to the light, in order to end with the obedience of faith: ‘Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word’ (Lk. 1:38)” (RVM 14). By taking up this Marian prayer, we are, in a sense, transported to Mary’s side, so that like her, we too can...

  Turn Quickly To Prayer MY CHILD, I am the Lord Who gives strength in the day of trouble. Come to Me when all is not well with you. Your tardiness in turning to prayer is the greatest obstacle to heavenly consolation, for before you pray earnestly to Me you first seek many comforts and take pleasure in outward things. Thus, all things are of little profit to you until you realize that I am the one Who saves those who trust in Me, and that outside of Me there is no worth-while help, or any useful counsel or lasting remedy. Thomas à Kempis. (1996). The Imitation of Christ (p. 160). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems.

  Do Unto Others If we truly love our neighbors, we refrain from saying anything prejudicial to them. We support everyone as we would like to be supported. We try to give the example that we would like to receive from others. We excuse and forgive the blunders of others as we would like ours to be forgiven and excused. We rejoice in the happiness of others and are sorrowful in their pains, just as we would like them to respond to us in ours. We graciously help others in their needs both by prayer and actual service because in this way we truly show our good-will and love.  St. Jane de Chantal

  The Joy of Discipleship Jesus promised his disciples three things—that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble. G.K. Chesterton

  The Greatest Friendship Good friends find pleasure in one another's company. Let us know pleasure in the company of our best Friend, a Friend who can do everything for us, a friend who loves us beyond measure. Here in the Blessed Sacrament we can talk to him straight from the heart. We can open our souls to him, tell him what we need, beg him for powerful graces. We are perfectly free to approach the King of the universe with full confidence and without fear. St. Alphonsus Liguori