Daily Thought

  Love Is The Most Important Thing Let us not tire of preaching love; it is the force that will overcome the world. St. Oscar Romero

  Stay Awake! Lectio Matthew 24:42–51 Meditatio “Stay awake!” The Greek word translated as “stay awake” indicates a constant vigil. Monks of the Eastern tradition would keep vigil through the night in prayer, standing toward the rising sun, in a gesture symbolic of the stance all creatures should have as we await the final return of the Son of God. We are more familiar with vigils at the bedside of the sick or dying. We keep vigil with others, comforting them with our presence, awaiting a turn for the better or a dying person’s last breath. We are all too familiar with waiting, but sometimes our waiting is not like watching in constant vigil. We wait for conflicts to end or babies to be born. We wait for pay increases, good weather, or Christmas to arrive. We wait in checkout lines, restaurants, to receive the Eucharist. We spend much of our life waiting. And the waiting often frustrates and annoys us, breaks our hearts, or leads to boredom. Today’s Gospel might seem distant to us with

  St. Bartholomew ST. BARTHOLOMEW was one of the twelve who were called to the Apostolate by our Blessed Lord Himself. Several learned interpreters of the Holy Scripture take this Apostle to have been the same as Nathaniel, a native of Cana, in Galilee, a doctor in the Jewish law, and one of the seventy-two disciples of Christ, to whom he was conducted by St. Philip, and whose innocence and simplicity of heart deserved to be celebrated with the highest eulogium by the divine mouth of our Redeemer. He is mentioned among the disciples who were met together in prayer after Christ’s ascension, and he received the Holy Ghost with the rest. Being eminently qualified by the Divine Grace to discharge the functions of an apostle, he carried the Gospel through the most barbarous countries of the East, penetrating into the remoter Indies. He then returned again into the northwest part of Asia, and met St. Philip at Hierapolis, in Phrygia, Hence he travelled into Lycaonia, where he instructed the

  More Than Conquerors If you are faithful you will be able to count yourself a conqueror. Even though you may lose some battles in your life, you will not know defeat. You can be sure that there is no such thing as failure if you act with purity of intention and with a desire to fulfill the Will of God. And then, whether you win or lose, you will always triumph in the end, because you will have carried out your work with Love.  St. Josemaría Escrivá (The Forge, 199)

 Advice to a Son from His Father, St. Stephen of Hungary King Saint Stephen of Hungary from Admonitions to His Son, Emeric My dearest son, if you desire to honor the royal crown, I advise, I counsel, I urge you above all  things to maintain the Catholic and apostolic faith with such diligence and care that you may be an  example for all those placed under you by God and that all the clergy may rightly call you a man of  true Christian profession. Failing to do this, you may be sure that you will not be called a Christian  or a son of the Church. Indeed, in the royal palace after the faith itself, the Church holds second  place, first propagated as she was by our head, Christ; then transplanted, firmly constituted and  spread through the whole world by his members, the apostles and holy fathers. And though she  always produced fresh offspring, nevertheless in certain places she is regarded as ancient. However, dearest son, even now in our kingdom the Church is proclaimed as young and ne

  The Pains of Love If you love, you will suffer. The only way to protect yourself against suffering is to protect yourself against love - and that is the greatest suffering of all, loneliness. Peter Kreeft

Great Advice From Our Saint of the Day   Let go of your plans. The first hour of your morning belongs to God. Tackle the day's work that he charges you with, and he will give you the power to accomplish it. St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)

  Trusting In God ⏤ Overcoming Worry Worry is a weakness from which very few of us are entirely free. We must be on guard against this most insidious enemy of our peace of soul. Instead let us foster confidence in God, and thank Him ahead of time for whatever he chooses to send us. Blessed Solanus Casey (1870-1957)

  Even Crows? When we see a beautiful object, a beautiful garden, or a beautiful flower, let us think that there we behold a ray of the infinite beauty of God, who has given existence to that object. St. Alphonsus Liguori