Daily Thought

 The Power of Prayer Prayer can truly change your life. For it turns your attention away from yourself and directs your mind and your heart toward the Lord. If we look only at ourselves, with our own limitations and sins, we quickly give way to sadness and discouragement. But if we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord, then our hearts are filled with hope, our minds are washed n the light of truth, and we come to know the fullness of the Gospel with all is promise and life. St. John Paul II

  Love, Sorrow, Fruitfulness One of the most important things in the spiritual life is to understand well the close relationship between love and sacrifice. It is easily understood that love is the basis of perfection, and the soul delights in confirming it. For love marvelously corresponds to something deep that the soul bears in its interior: a vital yearning that is vehement and, in a certain sense, unparalleled. And when we come in contact with what is fleeting and superficial, the emptiness of the affections of earth, we impetuously fling toward divine love. That love is so profound that it reaches to the deepest part of our soul, into regions that mundane affections never touch. It is so perfect that it satisfies forever without ever tiring. It is so enduring that it is immortal and so abiding that nothing and no one can uproot it when it has implanted itself in our heart. Frequently, however, one has an inexact concept of love.… It [the soul] does not understand that in this lif

  Blessings & Lessons Some people come in our life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons.  St. Teresa of Calcutta

  Where Sin Abounds Grace Abounds More All things work together unto good for those who love God, for in the divine hands even hindrances are converted into helps.  But does moral evil, sin, also promote the spiritual welfare of those who love God?  Yes. … What God does on a large scale in history, he does on a small scale in each soul.  One day in heaven we shall understand the important role played in our sanctification by our frailties and our sins.  And even though we regret having offended God, after all, perhaps we should paraphrase the words of the Church: ‘O happy sins of mine that merited so great a Redeemer.’  O truly necessary faults, for our failings humiliate us by revealing to us our nothingness.  This is one of the main purposes for which God permits them. Servant of God Luis Maria Martinez

  No Need For Despair No need for us to despair.  No need for us to be discouraged - no need, if we have understood the tenderness of God’s love. ...Remember that when your heart feels restless, when your heart feels hurt, when your heart feels like breaking - then remember, ‘I am precious to him.  He loves me.  He has called me by my name.  I am his.  He loves me.  God loves me.’   And to prove that love he died on the cross.   St. Teresa of Calcutta

  Two Ways To Wake Up There are two ways of waking up in the morning. One is to say, 'Good morning, God,' and the other is to say, 'Good God, morning'! Servant of God Fulton J. Sheen

  St. Teresa of Calcutta on Discipleship The simplest way of becoming his light is by being kind and loving, thoughtful, and sincere with others: 'By this they will know that you are his disciples.' St. Teresa of Calcutta

  One Day At A Time Let us go in simplicity where merciful Providence leads us, content to see the stone on which we should step without wanting to discover all at once and completely the windings of the road. Blessed Frédéric Ozanam

  The Nativity of Mary ⎼ A Day of Great Joy! “The day of the Nativity of the Mother of God is a day of universal joy because through the Mother of God, the entire human race was renewed, and the sorrow of the first mother, Eve, was transformed into joy.”  Saint John Damascene

  The Invitation To Prayer Lectio Luke 6:12–19 Meditatio “… he spent the night in prayer.…” The image of Jesus alone on the mountain, praying through the night, has filled the consciousness of the Church from apostolic times. In imitation of Jesus, many have spent the night or some part of it in sincere and fervent prayer. What is it about prayer at night that seems so special and intense? Perhaps just the fact that this time is usually spent in a very different way—sleeping—makes keeping vigil in prayer at night seem more serious and determined. In some communities of contemplative religious, members get up during the night for prayer. And in churches that have perpetual adoration, some people prefer the nighttime hours. When you have to make an important decision or have a special prayer need, you may find it beneficial to pray at night. Jesus’ prayer before his choice of the twelve apostles is also an example for us. But if it isn’t feasible to pray in the late hours, you can find o

  Another Great Scripture! “Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God. I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you with my right hand of justice.”  Isaiah 41:10

Jesus Heals The Deafness of the Heart! Dear Brothers and Sisters, buongiorno! The Gospel for today’s liturgy presents Jesus who heals a deaf man with a speech impediment. What is striking about this story is how the Lord performs this prodigious sign. He took the deaf man aside, put his finger into the man’s ears, and touched his tongue with saliva. Then he looked up to heaven, groaned, and said to him: “Ephphatha”, that is, “Be opened!” (cf Mk 7:33-34). In other healings, for infirmities as serious as paralysis or leprosy, Jesus did not do as many things. So why does he do all of this, even though they had only asked him to lay his hands on the sick man (cf. v.32)? Maybe it was because that person’s condition had a particularly symbolic value. The condition of deafness is also a symbol that can say something to all of us. What is this about? Deafness. That man was unable to speak because he could not hear. To heal the cause of his infirmity, Jesus, in fact, placed his fingers first of

  Hope For The Future! See, days are coming—oracle of the LORD—when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. They broke my covenant, though I was their master—oracle of the LORD. But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days—oracle of the LORD. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. They will no longer teach their friends and relatives, “Know the LORD!” Everyone, from least to greatest, shall know me—oracle of the LORD—for I will forgive their iniquity and no longer remember their sin. Jeremiah 31:31-34

  True Discipleship When God created the world, he commanded each tree to bear its own specific fruit (cf. Gn 1:12); and likewise he bids Christians, the living trees of his Church, to bring forth fruits of loyal discipleship, each one according to his circumstances and vocation. A different exercise of discipleship is required of all, and this discipleship must be adapted to the strength, the occupation, and the duties of each individual. I ask you, would it be fitting that a bishop should seek to lead the solitary life of a monk? What if the father of a family were as unconcerned in making material provision for the family’s future as a vowed religious. Or if workers spent all day in church. Would not such practices be exaggerated and impossible to carry out? Yet such a mistake is often made, and the world, which cannot or will not distinguish between real discipleship and the indiscretion of those who consider themselves devout, grumbles and finds fault with a disciple’s life, which

  Depending On Him CLING TO ME AS YOUR LIFELINE. You need My help continually, and I am eager to provide it. Don’t be anxious about your inability to obey My voice perfectly. The most important commandment is to love Me with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Although you can do this only imperfectly, I nonetheless delight in your love—as a mother delights in a crumpled flower brought lovingly by her child. Moreover, I rejoice in your obedience, though it is flawed, and in your desire to obey Me. Instead of worrying about the ways you fall short, focus on doing what you can—out of love for Me. Your awareness of your inadequacy can actually be a blessing: It protects you from self-righteousness. It also trains you to depend on Me more and more.  When you relate to Me as your Lifeline, I am pleased. Since I am your Life, looking to Me for help is the wisest way to live. I created you as a dependent being, and if you don’t cling to Me, you will grasp onto other

  Trust Trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. St. Teresa of Avila