January 31, 2016 - Sunday

The word of the LORD came to me:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you. (Jeremiah 1:4-5 NABRE)

God had a plan for Jeremiah even before he was born. And look at the beautiful way we learn of this. First of all, God spoke to the young man. That is a powerful statement. Also, God formed Jeremiah. Also, he knew Jeremiah even before he formed him! God dedicated Jeremiah to a task. He appointed him, even before he was born to his role in God's service.

Lord God, grant me the gift of attentiveness to your voice. I thank you for creating me, as you did Jeremiah. And while it is difficult to imagine that you knew me and had a plan for me even before I was born, I thank you for my purpose. Please help me to discover my purpose more clearly each day. Help me to walk the path you have appointed for me and to carry out the work to which you dedicated me.


Today, I will seek discernment, listen for God's voice, and consider my purpose in his divine plan.


Saint John Bosco, patron of boys, editors, and youth, pray for us.

January 30, 2016 - Saturday

He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” (Mark 4:39-41 NABRE)

These stories of Jesus are not cute fairy tales made up as entertainment. Nor were they designed to mislead anyone. They represent the collective memory of the witness made by the Apostles of Jesus.

When his friends panicked about their immediate circumstance, Jesus confronted them. This was not some soft comforting scene like a mother calming a hurt child. This was a challenge to their faith, posed immediately after Jesus actually displayed his power over the wind and the water. It is a retelling of some one's actual memory of the event.

Sometimes it is good to remember, specifically, that Jesus, the almighty Son of God, was also a man who lived for a time among us. And it is also good to remember that just his word subdued the storm.

In the storms that surround us, let us challenge ourselves to remain faithful and to trust Jesus.


Today, I will place my trust in Jesus. Jesus, I trust in you.


Saint Hyacintha of Mariscotti, who lived the words of Saint Francis, "Blessed is the servant who would accept correction, accusation, and blame from another as patiently as he would from himself. Blessed is the servant who when he is rebuked quietly agrees, respectfully submits, humbly admits his fault, and willingly makes amends," pray for us.

January 29, 2016 - Friday

Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love;
in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions.
Thoroughly wash away my guilt;
and from my sin cleanse me.
For I know my transgressions;
my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your eyes
So that you are just in your word,
and without reproach in your judgment. (Psalm 51:3-6 NABRE)

We all have our way of distancing ourselves from God's perfection. What we call sin is just that. It is our personal ways of opposing God. And like children, we often do things without really thinking about them, and only afterward look for ways to explain ourselves--to God, to ourselves, and sometimes to others.

When we rationalize our shortcomings, we indulge our pride more than anything else. To admit our faults, we worry, would be worse not better. However, it is in David's humble words that we are given a key to freedom from the slavery of sin. When we turn to our Lord in honest humility, asking for his mercy and even begging for his compassion, he hears and answers us.

And we have the Sacrament of Penance to turn our greatest weaknesses into God's strengths. It is a paradox that can be difficult to understand, but one that makes sense if we simply remember who is the creator and who is created.


Today, I will pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, asking the Lord to by my merciful savior rather than my just judge.


Servant of God Brother Juniper, who St. Francis once described as having, "attained the state of perfect patience because he kept the truth of his low estate constantly in mind, [and] whose supreme desire was to follow Christ on the way of the cross," pray for us.

January 28, 2016 - Thursday

Since you, Lord GOD, are truly God and your words are truth and you have made this generous promise to your servant,
do, then, bless the house of your servant, that it may be in your presence forever—since you, Lord GOD, have promised, and by your blessing the house of your servant shall be blessed forever. (2 Samuel 7:28-29 NABRE)

These are the humble words of king David as he asked God to bless his family as he had been promised. I am struck by the contrast his words present against a modern backdrop of the pride-filled words of our political candidates.

May the hearts of our would-be leaders soften to your truth, Lord, so that they might recognize your sovereign authority over all things, and our collective call to bring your presence into this world each day. May they sense your Spirit, Lord, as they pursue more fully a sense of public service, seeking to raise out of want and poverty those most in need, seeking peace with those who disagree with us, and guiding our national policies by the intent of our founding principles.


Today, I will pray for our current leaders and those vying for elected office.


Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest, Doctor of the Church, and patron of Catholic schools, colleges, schools, and students, pray for us.

January 27, 2016 - Wednesday

These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them.
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. But they have no root; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. (Mark 4:15-19 NABRE)

For each of us familiar with the story of Jesus Christ, there came a moment when we first realized we believed it, or not. We had weighed the evidence--comparing the stories with our own experiences--and landed on a conclusion. We tend to believe it is all our choice. It is not.

In Jesus' own words, as he explained one of his parables to his closest friends, we see there are a number of outside influences on our faith. In all cases, these are harmful influences which rob us of simple faith and the fruitful life it brings.

May we never become so sophisticated and cynical that we dismiss God's truth in favor of a false truth provided by Satan to mislead us. May we never lose our joy when we have to endure difficult times because of our faith. And may we never worry about or desire any worldly thing enough that it blocks our belief in Jesus or diminishes our enthusiasm for sharing our faith with others.


Today, I will pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for an increase in simple witnessing to the countless graces which God gives each of us.


Saint Angela Merici, who once said, "If according to times and needs you should be obliged to make fresh rules and change certain things, do it with prudence and good advice," pray for us.

January 26, 2016 - Tuesday

For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God. (2 Timothy 1:6-8 NABRE)

In their day, the early Christians were seen as malcontents and agitators. They were a small, disruptive group within the Jewish community, itself a small part of the Roman Empire. In today's verse, Saint Paul encourages Timothy, the young administrator of the Christian community they had established at Ephesus.

At times we all need encouragement to stir into flame the gifts God has given us. May we seek the holy Spirit's counsel as we strive for the courage, strength, power, love, self-control, and other graces we need to help others encounter Jesus in a culture that would prefer we cower, ashamed of our faith in Jesus Christ.


Today, I will turn to the Spirit within, left to me by Jesus himself, for direction and courage in my own personal witness to Christ.


Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops, missionaries and companions of Saint Paul, pray for us.

January 25, 2016 - Monday

Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice;
for you will be his witness before all to what you have seen and heard.
Now, why delay? Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away, calling upon his name.’ (Acts 22:14-16 NABRE)

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus--a Roman citizen, a Jewish Pharisee, and a zealous persecutor of the first Christians--on the road to Damascus, was certainly life-changing for the man we now know as Saint Paul, Apostle of Jesus, and author of fourteen books of the New Testament!

In his conversion experience, he was overwhelmed by Jesus and led to Ananias in Damascus who was the one to explain to him what had happened. Ananias also explained to Paul that he was to be a witness to Jesus before all.

May we, each one of us, be overwhelmed by Jesus and led to our personal Ananias, who will help us discern our role as a witness to the great things Jesus has done in our lives.


Today, on this Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle, I will be thankful for the many insights of Paul's writing which we still read continually today.


Saint Paul, Apostle of Jesus Christ, whose writings make up such a substantial part of the New Testament, pray for us.

January 24, 2016 - Sunday

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many.
Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27 NABRE)

Sometimes it is helpful to understand spiritual things in physical terms. Today's passage helps us begin to grasp the spiritual reality that Christ is among us right now. As the faithful, you and I are each a part of his actual spiritual body. By our baptism, we share in his Spirit. By our lives, we make his Spirit visible and alive in our time, in our place. May we each value our special, unique, individual role as a member of the body of Christ.


Today, I will thank the Lord for my role as a member of his body.


Saint Francis de Sales, patron of the deaf, authors, journalist, and writers, pray for us.

January 23, 2016 - Saturday

LORD of hosts,
how long will you smolder in anger
while your people pray?
You have fed them [us]* the bread of tears,
made them drink tears in great measure. (Psalm 80:5-6 NABRE)

*Both the Septuagint and the Vulgate translate this verse in the first person, i.e., “You have fed us the bread of tears.”

Even God's chosen people suffer in this life. The Psalmist, Asaph, it appears, included himself in the suffering people of God. We, likewise, include ourselves. We suffer in tears and we pray for relief. We try to remain faithful often through bitter, unjust pain. And we ask terrible questions of God: How long, Lord, will you stay angry with us despite our prayers?! We know you are angry with us and desire your mercy. We join with Asaph, O God of hosts, asking you to restore us; light up your face and we shall be saved. (Psalm 80:8)


Today, I will join with many others praying for an end to all domestic violence.


Saint Marianne Cope, who ministered generously to those with leprosy in 19th-century Hawaii, pray for us.

January 22, 2016 - Friday

Have mercy on me, God,
have mercy on me.
In you I seek refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I seek refuge
till harm pass by. (Psalm 57:2 NABRE)

Recently, I have become increasingly aware of my own personal, desperate need for God's mercy. How it is by his mercy alone that my life unfolds as it does, how it is by his mercy alone that I know his companionship, how it is by his mercy alone that I find refuge from harm. And most importantly, how it is by his mercy alone that I am able to amend the areas of my life where I fall short of his desires, defined by moments when I treat others badly and honor myself above anything else.

Thank you, Lord God, for your great mercy. During this Jubilee Year of Divine Mercy, I ask that you continue to bless me with undeserved compassion, the grace of insight, and the strength to change myself. May I find new ways to share your compassion with others so they might also come to know your unfathomable Divine Mercy.


Today, on this Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, I will join with all who march for life by fasting and praying the rosary.


Saint Vincent of Zaragossa, whose martyrdom reminds us that by human power alone no one can remain faithful, pray for us.

January 21, 2016 - Thursday

My wanderings you have noted;
are my tears not stored in your flask,
recorded in your book? (Psalm 56:9 NABRE)

Today's verse is a unique saying in the Old Testament. The context suggests that the tears are saved because they are precious; God puts a high value on each of the psalmist’s troubles.*

Lord God, you put a high value on each of my troubles. You take note of all my wanderings and I know you think about me. You have given me your Spirit. I ask you for your continued protection, your generous providence, and your unfathomable mercy so that I might live today as an example of your love and compassion on all I encounter.


Today, I will begin preparation to take up Pope Francis' challenge to live in solidarity with the poor.


Saint Agnes, patroness of girls, pray for us.

January 20, 2016 - Wednesday

David continued: “The same LORD who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul answered David, “Go! the LORD will be with you.” (1 Samuel 17:37 NABRE)

Before confronting Goliath, we are given this glimpse of the young David's total confidence in God's saving power. David trusted God completely with his life. There was no wiggle room here. He had no lukewarm belief. We all know the story, but we don't typically pause to recognize the deeply-held faith which David had in his Lord. And the Lord was faithful to David, delivering him from the hand of Goliath despite impossible odds.

How strong is our faith? When our battles against all kinds of evil appear unwinnable, do we run boldly toward the fight as David did, certain that the Lord is our protection and our strength? Rather than pull back in fear, do we join David in song?

Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle,
my fingers for war;
My safeguard and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me. 

Of course, our battles may or may not be against soldiers and armies. Our battles may unfold in personal ways, even in the arena of our own will, on the battlefield of our own mind. Our battles may be against ourselves, when our physical nature wages war against our spiritual selves. But regardless of the war we fight, when we align ourselves with God and trust in him, we cannot lose, even in defeat according to terms of this world. May our God, the same Lord of David, protect us in battle and be our fortress against the army of evil.


Today, I will run toward my spiritual battles, ignoring the odds, confident in God's protection and strength.


Saint Sebastian, patron of athletes, pray for us.

January 19, 2016 - Tuesday

But the LORD said to Samuel: Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The LORD looks into the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7 NABRE)

In search of the first king of Israel, Samuel was sent by God to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse. And looking at the hearts of the men of the house, Samuel was told by God that David, the youngest, was the one to be anointed king. And Samuel anointed David in the midst of his brothers, and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.

David was as unlikely a candidate to become Israel's king as Jesus was to be the Son of God. And yet, in both cases, human expectations are dashed by God's Divine Will. May we set aside our expectations, plans, and preconceived notions of how things "should" be, in order that we might instead conform our hearts and minds to God's choices in our lives, in our days, in our world. And may we, as David did, praise God in all the circumstances we face.


Today, I will ask Saint Joseph to obtain for me a pure, humble, and charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the Divine Will.


Saint Fabian, martyred in 250 A.D., who Saint Cyprian described as an incomparable man whose glory in death matched the holiness and purity of his life, pray for us.

January 18, 2016 - Monday

Offer praise as your sacrifice to God;
fulfill your vows to the Most High.
Then call on me on the day of distress;
I will rescue you, and you shall honor me.” (Psalm 50:14-15 NABRE)

Psalm 50 describes a covenant lawsuit stating that the sacrifice God really wants is the sacrifice of praise accompanied by genuine obedience. Today's passage is a direct address of God explaining what is required of the faithful.*

For me, praising God is not the difficult part. I look around at the blessings in my life, even the challenges, and I see evidence of God's greatness. And for all of creation, I see cause to give him all praise!

However, obedience is far more challenging. Not that it is so far-fetched to accept that God would expect my obedience, but determining what obedience to God means in my daily life is the greatest challenge I know of.

And so, it is my constant prayer that the holy Spirit of God will instruct me, leading me to act in ways that are in accord with the divine will, and guarding me from all else.


Today, I will offer praise to God as well as my willing obedience to his divine will.


Saint Charles of Sezze, captivated by God’s majesty and great mercy to all of us, pray for us.

January 17, 2016 - Sunday

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

• To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom;
• to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
• to another faith by the same Spirit;
• to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit;
• to another mighty deeds;
• to another prophecy;
• to another discernment of spirits;
• to another varieties of tongues;
• to another interpretation of tongues.

But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NABRE)

Today, I will be grateful for the gifts of the Spirit.


Saint Anthony of Egypt, whose hermit life reminds us of the absoluteness of our break with sin and the totality of our commitment to Christ, pray for us.

January 16, 2016 - Saturday

Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus heard this and said to them [that], “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mark 2:16-17 NABRE)

Jesus was disruptive. He dashed the expectations of his contemporaries. His single mindedness was to live in the Father's will regardless of the reaction of others or the risks to himself. He came in mercy and to give us all the second chance we needed for eternal life. May we learn from his example and take action in the spirit of mercy toward others in need.


Today, I will ask the holy Spirit to lead me along my path within the Father's will and in imitation of the merciful guidance of our savior, Jesus Christ.


Saint Berard and Companions, Franciscan martyrs who proclaimed the gospel, pray for us.

January 15, 2016 - Friday

A great prophet has arisen in our midst, and God has visited his people. (Luke 7:16b NABRE)

This is the reaction of people who witnessed Jesus raise a young man from the dead. Circumstances aside, this was near the beginning of his public ministry, and people recognized him as special, as God's prophet, even more, as God visiting his people!

Lord Jesus, you took pity on this man's widowed mother as she brought him to be buried. Your presence among us as a man makes it easy to forget you are also God, and are not bound by death as we are. Lord, thank you for your compassion for us, for me. Thank you for your great mercy and for your redeeming act of love on the cross of Calvary. Thank you for passing first through death into life so that we may follow you on that same path when it is our time.


Today, I will recall Jesus' power over death itself.


Saint Paul the Hermit, whose life reminds us to respond to God's call on our lives regardless of the outcomes, pray for us.

January 14, 2016 - Thursday

Awake! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Rise up! Do not reject us forever!
Why do you hide your face;
why forget our pain and misery?
For our soul has been humiliated in the dust;
our belly is pressed to the earth.
Rise up, help us!
Redeem us in your mercy. (Psalm 44:24-27 NABRE)

Sometimes it seems God abandons us to tragedy, loss, or suffering.

In Psalm 44, God has abandoned Israel to defeat and humiliation. They struggle with being God’s special people amid divine silence; yet they continue to pray.*

And the words of Jesus on the cross betray the same sense that the Father left him alone. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) Even this was a prayer.

We will always struggle when real pain overwhelms us. Yet the Spirit of God remains with us, within us, at all times, even in the confusion and emptiness of our moments of deepest misery. And we continue to pray.


Today, I will pray that I never experience suffering so great that I forget the real presence of God's Spirit within me.


Saint Gregory Nazianzen, who knew that holiness is always the way of the cross, pray for us.

January 13, 2016 - Wednesday

Blessed the man who sets
his security in the LORD,
who turns not to the arrogant
or to those who stray after falsehood.
You, yes you, O LORD, my God,
have done many wondrous deeds!
And in your plans for us
there is none to equal you.
Should I wish to declare or tell them,
too many are they to recount. (Psalm 40:5-6 NABRE)

This is a great day to read the words of the Psalmist without distraction. Let them speak to you. Let them enter into the particular needs of your heart at this moment. Pray them.


Today, I will recall the many wonderful deeds God has done just for me and how great his plans are for me--even beyond the plans I have for myself!


Saint Hilary, bishop and fourth-century defender of the divinity of Christ, pray for us.

January 12, 2016 - Tuesday

The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
humbles, and also exalts.
He raises the needy from the dust;
from the ash heap lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.
“For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s,
and he has set the world upon them. (1 Samuel 2:7-8 NABRE)

It is so easy to forget what really matters! We live surrounded by affluence and opportunity. We live comfortably. We live with the allures of this world's finest temptations all easily within reach. And we begin to believe we deserve it. We are tempted to believe we've earned it. We are prone to believe we should get credit for our many advantages in life. And we are deceived.

In fact, to God, none of these concerns addresses what is truly important. He is not deceived like us. Imagine it: He owns everything. He needs nothing from us. He created this little world. He sustains this little speck in the cosmos. He even exceeds our understanding of time. Yet in his infinite nature, he loves us. He loves you and he loves me too! His concern is for the poor and the needy. These are the things that matter most to God. They should matter most to us too.

And so why do we chase after what does not matter, while at the same time neglecting what does?


Today, I will examine each thing I chase after, to see if it is worth chasing.


Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, whose life is a reminder to us not to become discouraged when plans we think God must endorse are frustrated, pray for us.

January 11, 2016 - Monday

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15 NABRE)

I am always awestruck when I read these first words of Jesus' public ministry. Keep in mind, John the Baptist (Jesus' cousin) had recently been arrested by Herod the king for having publicly spoken out against his many evil deeds. Yet, Jesus begins his preaching with the instruction to repent, which is the same message that got John into such trouble.

It is worth noting that, Jesus had just spent forty days in the desert confronting the temptations of Satan in preparation for his ministry. Jesus came into Galilee and immediately announced these dramatic things, that it was the time of fulfillment of God's promises, that God's effective rule over his people had begun, and that everyone should change their lives and believe in the gospel. These were not timid words. They were a call to action. They were provocative and upsetting to the comfortable and powerful. However, the words of Jesus were hopeful to the poor and needy.


Today, I will repent, believe in the gospel of God, and seek new ways to be available to others in need.


Blessed William Carter, martyr for your faith, who reminds us that even today our brothers and sisters need encouragement—not always because their lives are at risk as yours was, but because many other factors besiege their faith, pray for us.

January 10, 2016 - Sunday

For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:11-13 NABRE)

Christians are called to be counter-cultural.

Full disclosure: I find this to be very difficult at times. After all, we are always surrounded by the culture in which we live. And so, to constantly, deliberately, and successfully push against its godless philosophies, beliefs, and enticements requires vigilance, perception, and dedication.

Christians keep their hears focused on the Lord.

My observations and experience have demonstrated something like this: When we pray, we are strengthened for the challenge by grace to remain steadfast beyond our own power. When we discipline our thoughts, we increasingly learn to recognize this world's thin veneer of pleasure, power, and wealth which covers the emptiness beneath. And when we praise Jesus, we are sustained in our calling to be light in a dark world, to bring love into a lonely world, and to encounter Jesus in each person we meet.


Today, I will continue to await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ.


Saint Gregory of Nyssa, whose faith is said to have settled deep into your bones, pray for us.

January 9, 2016 - Saturday

And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours. (1 John 5:14-15 NABRE)

Two sides to this. First, there is the great comfort that we can ask God for anything, confident that if it is according to his will, he will give us what we ask for. Second, and the part we perhaps too easily overlook, is that our requests may or may not be according to God's will.

Lord, thank you for your willingness to help me through this life. As I walk my path, there are so many times when I need your help. Grant me the grace to seek what is according to your will. And help me past the desire for those things that are not.


Today, I will take comfort in God's grace as it touches the smallest details of my life.


Saint Adrian of Canterbury, Assistant and Advisor to the Pope, abbot of the monastery of Sts' Peter and Paul in Canterbury, England, who died at the monastery in the year 710, and who became famous for miracles after his death , pray for us.

January 8, 2016 - Friday

The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray. (Luke 5:15-16 NABRE)

Word got out about Jesus curing a man with a skin disease, and in their desire for all sorts of cures, people began to assemble. They came to listen to him, but they also came to have their ailments healed. I can imagine the business bordering on chaos. Crowds of people all around, noise so loud he would have had to raise his voice just to be heard by those closest to him. All that humanity and its nature can bring to such a situation.

And look what Jesus does, he withdrew to deserted places. Clearly, this went on for some time and Jesus made time for prayer in the midst of his busy days. Let us look at our daily routines and see if there are a few times each day when we can insert a little prayer time.


Today, I will make time to pray throughout the day.


Saint Angela of Foligno, whose realization that you were priceless because you were created and loved by God led you to become penitential and charitable to the poor, pray for us.

January 7, 2016 - Thursday

O God, give your judgment to the king;
your justice to the king’s son;
That he may govern your people with justice,
your oppressed with right judgment. (Psalm 72:1 NABRE)

Leadership is more than just being organized and able to manage resources to ever-improving end results. As this wish for the then-prince, Solomon, suggests, leadership is about good judgment and the application of justice in frequently ambiguous circumstances.

Lord, thank you for the great honor of leadership and the chance to speak your wisdom into the moments of each day, however imperfectly I may do that. Show me a little more each day how to use your good judgment in the events I share with those around me, and to consider what just response you would expect of me to each of life's questions.


Today, I will wonder at the many chances we each have for daily leadership.


Saint Raymond of Peñafort, patron of attorneys and lawyers, pray for us.

January 6, 2016 - Wednesday

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:18-19 NABRE)

Christian life is founded on the knowledge of God as love and on his continuing presence that relieves us from fear of judgment. What Christ is gives us confidence, even as we live and love in this world. Yet Christian love is not abstract but lived in the concrete manner of love for one another.*


Today, I will put aside fear and remember the confidence of Christ who loved me first.


Saint André Bessette, who had a lifelong devotion to Saint Joseph, pray for us.

January 5, 2016 - Tuesday

In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.
In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. (1 John 4:9-12 NABRE)

The footnote to today's passage is a beautiful statement about the love God has for us and how we share it:

Love as we share in it testifies to the nature of God and to his presence in our lives. The revelation of the nature of God’s love is found in the free gift of his Son to us, so that we may share life with God and be delivered from our sins. The love we have for one another must be of the same sort: authentic, merciful; this unique Christian love is our proof that we know God and can “see” the invisible God.*

Lord, let me love authentically. Let me show mercy to others rather than judgment. May I share love that reminds us all that you are present in our lives today.


Today, I will recall how deeply the Lord loves us, and hope to share even a small portion of that love with those I encounter.


Saint John Neumann, American saint who took seriously our Lord’s words, “Go and teach all nations,” pray for us.

January 4, 2016 - Monday

Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world. (1 John 4:1-3 NABRE)

We learn in today's passage that deception is possible in spiritual phenomena and may be tested by its relation to Christian doctrine: those who fail to acknowledge Jesus Christ in the flesh are false prophets and belong to the antichrist. Even though these false prophets are well received in the world, the Christian who belongs to God has a greater power in the truth.*


Today, I will seek to recognize false prophets--those who deny that Jesus Christ lived among us as a man.


Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, who became a Catholic after observing belief in the Real Presence, devotion to the Blessed Mother and conviction that the Catholic Church led back to the apostles and to Christ, pray for us.

January 3, 2016 - Sunday

After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:9-11 NABRE)

The magi--wise men from the east--were most likely neither kings nor magicians, but rather of a priestly caste.  Passages from Isaiah (60:6) and Psalms (72:10, 15) have led to the interpretation that they were kings.* Even from his birth, Jesus Christ called to all people and his salvation is for everyone who seeks him out.


Today, on the Epiphany of the Lord, I will remember that God's salvation is meant for all people.


Saint Genevieve, patroness of those enduring disasters, pray for us.

Epiphany

January 2, 2016 - Saturday

Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life. (1 John 2:24-25 NABRE)

We all face doubt along the way. Today's encouragement from Saint John should remind us of how to approach our doubt. When we are challenged in our belief, it is good to go back to basics, to read God's Word, and to remember that even when we don't feel God's presence He is still with us--as close as our next breath.


Today, I will keep in my heart what I "heard from the beginning" even when my faith is challenged.


Saint Basil the Great, bishop, Doctor of the Church, and patron of Russia, pray for us.

January 1, 2016 - Friday

The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace! (Numbers 6:24-26 NABRE)

The Hebrew word Shalom includes the idea of happiness, good health, prosperity, friendship, and general well-being. To use this term as a greeting was to pray for all these things upon the one greeted.*

Lord God, bless and keep us. May we know health, prosperity, friendship, and well-being in the new year.


Today, on this Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, I will pray for peace.


Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.