July 31, 2016 - Sunday

Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly:

• immorality,
• impurity,
• passion,
• evil desire,
• and the greed that is idolatry. 

But now you must put them all away:

• anger,
• fury,
• malice,
• slander,
• and obscene language out of your mouths.
• Stop lying to one another. (Colossians 3:2-5,7-9A NABRE)

Here, I have taken the liberty of listing these earthly challenges which Saint Paul mentions in his letter to the congregation at Colossae. Rather than comment on them, today is a day to reflect on the challenge which most distracts me from thinking of what is above.


Today, I will reflect on my own thoughts, words, and actions that lead me away from a strong relationship with God.


Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, author of the Spiritual Exercises used to bring people closer to the Lord, pray for us.

July 30, 2016 - Saturday

As for me, I am in your hands; do with me what is good and right in your eyes.
But you should certainly know that by putting me to death, you bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city and its inhabitants. For in truth it was the LORD who sent me to you, to speak all these words for you to hear.”
Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve a death sentence; it is in the name of the LORD, our God, that he speaks to us.” (Jeremiah 26:14-16 NABRE)

Who has real authority? The leaders and the people who intended to put Jeremiah to death discovered that they did not have real authority. The prophet had shared with them God's desire that they change, turn away from their evil ways, and begin again to follow the law. He also shared God's intention to destroy Jerusalem if they did not change. His words insulted them, made them angry. And they aimed their anger at Jeremiah.

Fortunately, some who had both restraint and respected voices turned the people's anger and resentment to awareness of the truth of Jeremiah's claim, his instruction, and his authority. His words, as unpopular as they were, came from the Lord. And so, what he said, as unsettling as it was, was true. And his life was spared.


Today, I will listen for the truth of things, even when it is unpopular.


Saint Peter Chrysologus, who had a fierce loyalty to the Church's teaching and its authority, pray for us.

July 29, 2016 - Friday

For it is on your account I bear insult,
that disgrace covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my kindred,
a stranger to my mother’s children.
Because zeal for your house has consumed me,
I am scorned by those who scorn you.

But I will pray to you, LORD,
at a favorable time.
God, in your abundant kindness, answer me
with your sure deliverance. (Psalm 69:8-10, 14) NABRE)

People of faith are counter-cultural.

Ironically, when we grow in our understanding of our faith, we find ourselves confronted by our choices. We struggle with making decisions that require us to choose unpopular options rather than blowing along with the prevailing wind of popular opinion. We find ourselves negotiating with our own consciences, looking for loopholes and ways around doing what is right. And then we see the worst of ourselves as we rationalize, explain away (if only to ourselves), and justify choices that favor what we know is wrong, but which for endless reasons, are simpler and often more pleasurable to make.

Now, with that said, being counter-cultural, we also set ourselves up for external resistance. In our more righteous or enlightened moments, when we make decisions that align with our consciences, we find ourselves opposing what most people in the culture are saying and doing. We put ourselves in the unenviable position of facing insults, exclusion, and even scorn.

It is difficult to stand in the face of the ridicule, hatred, and violence that faithful choices provoke. We do, however, have some consolation in God's kindness. The Psalmist refers to this abundant kindness in today's passage. Jesus refers to it when he says, "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way." (Luke 6:22-23)


Today, on this Memorial of Saint Martha, I will joyfully ask God to answer my prayers.


Saint Martha, patron of waiters, waitresses, and housewives, pray for us.

July 28, 2016 - Thursday

Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel. (Jeremiah 18:6B NABRE)

The lesson of the potter is that God has the power to destroy or restore, changing his plans accordingly as these nations disobey him or fulfill his will.*

Since the time of Jesus, I don't know that God has been intervening in history in the direct ways described in the books of the Old Testament. But I do know that he does get involved in history, and it is his plan for all things which moves us forward through time. The little evidences of his hand on my own life serve as evidence of his presence and direction.


Today, I will remember that God is in control and his plan for all things is in progress.


Saint Martha, patron of waiters, waitresses, and housewives, pray for us.

Source: http://www.123rf.com/

July 27, 2016 - Wednesday

I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. (John 15:15 NABRE)

In the Old Testament, Moses, Joshua, and David were called “servants” or “slaves of Yahweh;” only Abraham was called a “friend of God.”*

And to us, his friends, Jesus describes the Kingdom of God this way: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it." (Matthew 13:45-46) 

What immeasureable value! And yet, we can find the kingdom as the merchant does. We have access to it, but we need to seek it. We can only encounter it after we begin looking for it, and that requires a change of heart.

Though seeking will be satisfied, we are not promised comfort and success. No. Even those to whom God reveals himself struggle in this life. Consider Jeremiah, a prophet of the Lord, who at one point cried out, "Woe to me, my mother, that you gave me birth!" (Jeremiah 15:10) Or King David, who had to constantly remember God's protection because he was surrounded by many enemies, who said, "For you are my fortress, my refuge in time of trouble." (Psalm 59:18)

In this life we struggle. Yet, when we seek the Lord, we catch a glimpse of his kingdom. And when that happens, everything changes! Let's be friends with Jesus.


Today, I will change my heart and seek God's kingdom.


Blessed Antonio Lucci, Eighteenth-Century bishop and theologian who encouraged gospel living and dedicated your small income to works of education and charity, pray for us.

July 26, 2016 - Tuesday

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear. (Matthew 13:43 NABRE)

If we can only remember that we are spirit with a physical attribute, it changes things. We are family and we share the same Father. He is our Father and he wants us to seek him despite the discomforts of this physical world which limit us so desperately.

We have a promise that if we do seek him, things to come will be without such discomforts. All of the pains of this world will be cast off and we will know only the joy of God's presence. The peace of being fully with our Father, and our brother, Jesus. We will have no need for consolation, or hope, or faith. We will be immersed in our full family life, the one which we have only a small glimpse of in this life.

And yet, even in this life family is above all else. It is a foretaste of what we will come to know. Family is supported by love which covers over the many shortcomings we have as people. In families, we learn to forgive one another. We learn to share and sacrifice. We learn to create peace and to be encouraging. And we learn all this about family because one generation shares its values with the next.


Today, on this Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I will look forward to a new day in the fullness of family life that we can know only in God's presence.


Saint Joachim and Anne, parents of Mary and grandparents of Jesus, pray for us.

July 25, 2016 - Monday

But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. (Matthew 20:26-27 NABRE)

Greatness in the kingdom is not lordly power but humble service.* This idea had not yet become clear to the Apostles when Jesus made this radical statement, but it is an idea that would begin to make sense to them after his resurrection.

Lord Jesus, during your earthly life, you set an example for us to follow. Help me, with the aid of your Spirit, to be a servant to others. Just as James and John had to learn that authority was an opportunity to serve others, help me to learn this same thing. May each day bring me closer to you so that I might find ever bigger ways to serve others in your name.


Today, I will consider the gift of greater service that comes with greater authority.


Saint James, Apostle, patron of laborers, pray for us.

July 24, 2016 - Sunday

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15 NABRE)

Remember today that because we call God "Father" we are brothers and sisters. Though brothers and sisters have complicated relationships, they have love between them. And so today, let's remember we are brothers and sisters to one another, regardless of our many differences. And let us speak to and act toward each other with the full love and confidence that only family can.


Today, I will look at each of my brothers and sisters, to recognize the Sprit of Jesus in each of them.


Saint Sharbel Makhluf, whose life points us to God and invites us to cooperate generously with God's grace, pray for us.

July 23, 2016 - Saturday

My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and flesh cry out
for the living God.
As the sparrow finds a home
and the swallow a nest to settle her young,
My home is by your altars,
LORD of hosts, my king and my God! (Psalm 84:3-4 NABRE)

The Psalm expresses the sentiments of pilgrims eager to enjoy the divine presence. The desire of a restless bird for a secure home is an image of the desire of a pilgrim for the secure house of God.*

Remembering that each of us is a spiritual creature with a physical dimension, we see the Psalmist sing about his soul yearning for what he knows will satisfy his deepest needs, to be with God.

As spiritual creatures, we are able to experience some measure of relationship with God in this life, as we await a full relationship with him in the next. Because the very Spirit of God makes his home within us, we become like the sparrow who has found its nest.


Today, I will look to see Jesus in every person I encounter.


Saint Bridget, who saw no contradiction between mystical experience and secular activity, pray for us.

July 22, 2016 - Friday

He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. (2 Corinthians 5:15-16 NABRE)

The death of Christ produces a whole new order and a new mode of perception. We should strive to perceive the spiritual nature of others, not their physical nature. The natural mode of perception, characterized as “fleshly,” is replaced by a mode of perception proper to the Spirit.*

In the predawn hours of the third day after his crucifixion, Mary Magdalene was the first to encounter the risen Jesus. She was the first to experience him alive despite his certain death. Jesus, who overcame death itself, in his rising, offers us hope. The great promise of his resurrection is that life is more than what we know physically, and that we can participate in this fullness of life with him, in God's presence, for eternity.

Perhaps we can change our perception because of what he did. Perhaps we can begin to see others, not as physical creatures with a spiritual dimension, but as spiritual creatures with a physical dimension.


Today, I will continue to see Jesus in each person I meet.


Saint Mary Magdalene, patron of penitents and perfumers, pray for us.

July 21, 2016 - Thursday

How precious is your mercy, O God! (Psalm 36:8 NABRE)

When you look at someone, what do you see? What do you look for? I imagine that when God looks at us, he sees far more than we do. I imagine that is because, in part, he looks for more than we do.

Jesus said, "whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40) In other words, he reminds us that when we serve the needs of those who suffer, we minister to the Lord himself.*

God sees the divine in each of us. He recognizes his own. Shouldn't we strive to do the same? Let's look at each other differently. Let's see Christ in each other. Let's use the spiritual lens God offers us to see with perfect clarity the value and dignity and purpose of each person we encounter today. For it is in this way we come to see the invisible. It is in this way we begin to grasp the unfathomable. And it is only in this way we can begin to share in the giving and receiving of God's precious mercy.

Let us see Jesus in each other.


Today, I will pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.


Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, who had a constant devotion to Scripture coupled with great sensitivity to the needs of people, pray for us.

July 20, 2016 - Wednesday

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)

Jeremiah had a destiny before his birth.* Other prophets, who lived many hundreds of years apart, describe the same insight. Isaiah puts it this way:

Hear me, coastlands,
listen, distant peoples.
Before birth the LORD called me,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. (Isaiah 49:1)

And here is how Luke describes John the Baptist:

He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb,
and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. (Luke 1:15c-16)

Saint Paul, who was a sworn enemy of the first Christians describes it like this:

But when [God], who from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult flesh and blood nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days. (Galatians 1:15-18)

And perhaps most famously, here is how King David expresses his awareness of God's life-giving creativity:

You formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, because I am wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works!
My very self you know.
My bones are not hidden from you,
When I was being made in secret,
fashioned in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw me unformed;
in your book all are written down;
my days were shaped, before one came to be. (Psalm 139:14-16)

Purpose.

We each have a unique purpose. It is ours even before we are born! There is much to be written about destiny and also about recognizing the dignity and wholeness of human life from the moment of conception, but today, I am meditating on the simple but overwhelming idea that each of us is born with an already-planned, God-ordained purpose.

Lord, thank you for establishing my purpose for me even before I was born. My life's work has been to live out this purpose, first unknowingly then by choice. Not even aware of it, I began many years ago by seeking out my purpose.

Lord, you have blessed me by answering my prayers for guidance, direction, and insight. And your answers always lead me to live such that I give praise and glory to you by all I do, think, and say. And I am blessed by opportunities to express this purpose each moment, every day you give me. 

Lord God, thank you for a way to talk directly with you through prayer. Thank you for your Word. Thank you for your Spirit. Thank you for the unity of all things in you. And thank you especially for your son, Jesus, whose knew his purpose and lived it perfectly. 

May I live today with an even greater focus on your will, a diminished sense of my own, and the courage to accept the circumstances I will encounter supported by your grace.


Today, like yesterday, I will look to see Jesus in the face of every single person I encounter.


Saint Apollinaris, whose witness can help us make the often-small sacrifices that following Jesus today may require, pray for us.

July 19, 2016 - Tuesday

But he said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matthew 12:48-50 NABRE)

Jesus calls us family!

When we do the will of the Father, we become his family. Think about family for just a minute right now,, so many memories, emotions, and stories and each of our human families is different. We have different values and beliefs. We have different rituals and routines. But all families share one trait, that uniquely intimate knowledge of one another born of time spent together.

With Jesus, we are all one family. We can know him as a brother.

And so, during this time of deep unrest in our country, perhaps we can each make a difference if we look at each other as a true brother or sister. Perhaps we can restrain the anger and judgment that wash over us, the self-righteousness that drowns us. If we look at each other as family, aware of our common brother, Jesus, maybe we can focus on removing logs from our own eyes rather than splinters from our siblings' because that is what our brother asks us to do.


Today, I will look to see Jesus in every single person I encounter.


Saint Mary MacKillop, who said, "Have courage no matter what your crosses are," pray for us.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_MacKillop

July 18, 2016 - Monday

You have been told, O mortal, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do justice and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8 NABRE)

To do justice refers to human behavior in relationship to others. To love goodness refers to the kind of love and concern which is at the heart of the covenant between the Lord and Israel; it is persistently faithful. To walk humbly with your God means to listen carefully to the revealed will of God.*


Today, I will meditate on how I may demonstrate justice, stay faithful, and to listen to God's Word.


Saint Camillus de Lellis, patron of hospitals and nurses, pray for us.

July 17, 2016 - Sunday

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 NABRE)

One of my favorite lessons. Simple and direct. We don't "need" much. Listening to Jesus speak is better than anxiety and worry over many things of this life.


Today, I will spend time with Jesus' words.


Saint Francis Solano, who lived an exemplary life himself, and urged his contemporaries to make their lives worthy of their baptism, pray for us.

July 16, 2016 - Saturday

Why, LORD, do you stand afar
and pay no heed in times of trouble?
Arrogant scoundrels pursue the poor;
they trap them by their cunning schemes.
The wicked even boast of their greed;
these robbers curse and scorn the LORD.
In their insolence the wicked boast:
“God does not care; there is no God.”
Yet their affairs always succeed;
they ignore your judgment on high;
they sneer at all who oppose them. (Psalm 10:1-5 NABRE)

Psalm 10 paints a bleak picture. It's one I cannot help comparing to our many news headlines in recent days. There is such discord among us. We have set ourselves against one another at all levels, by race and gender, by religion and political view. And worse, I have noticed what seems like a rise in intolerance, anger, and bitterness among individuals with petty disagreements. It is like we are experiencing a national epidemic of discontent.

But when we read on, Psalm 10 offers us a bright ray of hope because the Lord has not left us alone!

But you do see;
you take note of misery and sorrow;
you take the matter in hand.
To you the helpless can entrust their cause;
you are the defender of orphans. (Psalm 10:14)

You listen, LORD, to the needs of the poor;
you strengthen their heart and incline your ear.
You win justice for the orphaned and oppressed;
no one on earth will cause terror again. (Psalm 10:17-18)

Let us be people of hope, encouragement, and action in the face of trouble, suffering, and indifference.


Today, I will remember that "the Lord is king forever" and he does listen and respond to "to the needs of the poor" through me.


Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who reminds us of the gospel call to prayer and penance, pray for us.

July 15, 2016 - Friday

Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah:
Go, tell Hezekiah: Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Now I will add fifteen years to your life.
I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; I will be a shield to this city. (Isaiah 38:4-6 NABRE)

Nothing is impossible with God!

Hezekiah was the king of Judah and he was near death. Sennacherib, the powerful king of Assyria, was threatening to capture Jerusalem and all of Judah. The situation looked hopeless.

And despite Hezekiah's imperfect human problems, his trust in the Lord brought the response we read in today's passage.


Today, I will trust in the Lord in the face of all dangers, remembering nothing is impossible with God.


Saint Bonaventure, Franciscan, theologian, bishop, and doctor of the Church, pray for us.

July 14, 2016 - Thursday

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Matthew 11:28-30 NABRE)

Jesus' reference to those who labor and are burdened is a direct reference to those burdened by the law as expounded by the scribes and Pharisees (see Matthew 23:4).*

In place of the yoke of the law, complicated by scribal interpretation, Jesus invites the burdened to take the yoke of obedience to his word, under which they will find rest.*

An interesting side note: These verses are peculiar to Matthew and are similar to Ben Sirach’s invitation to learn wisdom and submit to her yoke (see Sirach 51:23, 26).*


Today, I will seek rest in Jesus' burden.


Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, who said: “I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus," pray for us.

July 13, 2016 - Wednesday

At that time Jesus said in reply, “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. (Matthew 11:25 NABRE)

While the wise and the learned, the scribes and Pharisees, have rejected Jesus’ preaching and the significance of his mighty deeds, the childlike have accepted them. Acceptance depends upon the Father’s revelation, but this is granted to those who are open to receive it and refused to the arrogant.*

I think this point is so important, and yet--for me anyway--has always been so difficult to keep clear in my mind.

Salvation becomes possible when we open our hearts to Jesus' words.

Each one of us is promised that with an open heart, God will reveal to us--within us--the truth of Jesus' teachings so that we may accept them.


Today, I will open my heart to Jesus' words.


Saint Henry, who shows us that holiness is possible in a busy secular life, pray for us.

July 12, 2016 - Tuesday

Then he began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. (Matthew 11:20-21 NABRE)

Jesus expresses disapproval toward Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, three towns in which he had performed many of his miracles. How is it, he must have wondered, people can be in the very presence of the Lord, witness his power over this physical world, and still not turn our hearts back to him? Imagine it, these towns were blessed as witnesses to Jesus' miracles yet he tells them Tyre and Sidon (two pagan cities denounced for their wickedness in the Old Testament)* will be better off on Judgment Day.

Perhaps we can learn from the examples of those towns who remained unwilling to turn their hearts to God. Perhaps we can adjust our perspective enough to see that we are not above all things but that God is; and that he asks us to turn to him with humble and contrite hearts.


Today, I will seek to spend time in the Lord's presence with a penitent heart.


Saints John Jones and John Wall, two friars who were martyred in England in the 16th and 17th centuries for refusing to deny your faith, pray for us.

Source: http://bibleatlas.org/

July 11, 2016 - Monday

Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil;
learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.
Come now, let us set things right,
says the LORD:
Though your sins be like scarlet,
they may become white as snow;
Though they be red like crimson,
they may become white as wool. (Isaiah 1:16-18 NABRE)

Speaking truth to power. That was Isaiah.

While there is much historical context and cultural difference, the folks to whom Isaiah addressed these words of indictment were not too different from us.

Are you comfortable with yourself, as I am? Are you satisfied in your life? These are good things, but be on guard. Take a close look at your heart. Approach the sensitive parts and challenge yourself to be honest about anything you should probably change.

Lord help me to see myself as you see me. Help me recognize the ways I allow this world to lure me away from you and your will, the ways I allow this world to fool me into a false sense of understanding of what is right and good, and the ways I allow this world to seduce me with its fleeting pleasures and contentments. Lord Jesus, by your Spirit, lead me willingly along the path you set for my life so that the pull of this world withers a little more each day.


Today, I will ask the Holy Spirit to lead me to change my scarlet to white.


Saint Benedict, Abbot and patron of Europe, those with kidney disease and poisoning, and school children, pray for us.

July 10, 2016 - Sunday

But here I am miserable and in pain;
let your saving help protect me, God,
That I may praise God’s name in song
and glorify it with thanksgiving. (Psalm 69:30-31 NABRE)

How perfectly these words sum up our struggles in this life! In the most general terms, David links our personal suffering--whatever it is--to God's help. In his song (Psalm 69:33-35), he reminds us that God hears and answers all those in need. And he always turns us to praise and thanksgiving. May we begin with these, confident that God knows and responds to our every need.


Today, I will thank God for each moment.


Saint Veronica Jiuliani, whose desire to be like Christ crucified was answered with the stigmata, pray for us.

July 9, 2016 - Saturday

Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5 NABRE)

Have you ever been star-struck? When we encounter someone who excels in any walk of life, part of our experience can include becoming filled with a sense of our own inadequacy.

Today's verse follows an encounter in which Isaiah had a life-changing and dramatic vision of the Lord. Isaiah, suddenly fully aware of God's infinite and eternal majesty, and by contrast his own insignificance, became terrified.

Isaiah was a prophet who preached about 740 years before Christ's birth. Living in a time when his people had largely turned their attention away from the Lord, Isaiah was keenly aware of the shattering consequences of their attitude and behavior.

An interesting side note: There are two root words from which the verb "doomed" in today's verse could be derived; one means “to perish, be doomed,” the other “to become silent,” and given Isaiah’s delight in puns and double entendre, he probably intended to sound both notes. “I am doomed!” is suggested by the popular belief that to see God would lead to one’s death; “I am struck silent!” is suggested by the emphasis on the lips, and such silence is attested elsewhere as the appropriate response to the vision of the Lord in the Temple.*


Today, I will seek a healthy "fear" of the Lord, aware of his greatness and my own need of his mercy.


Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions, 120 martyrs in China who died between 1648 and 1930, pray for us.

July 8, 2016 - Friday

Assyria will not save us,
nor will we mount horses;d
We will never again say, ‘Our god,’
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion. (Hosea 14:4 NABRE)

The prophet Hosea preached his message about 750 years before Christ was born. He began the Old Testament tradition of describing the relation between the Lord and Israel in terms of marriage. The New Testament uses the marriage imagery to describe the union between Christ and the Church. For Hosea, marriage is a symbol of the covenant between the Lord and Israel. Hosea speaks about the first love, the short period of Israel’s loyalty in the desert, which was then followed by a long history of unfaithfulness lasting until his day. Hosea accuses Israel of three crimes in particular. Instead of putting their trust in the Lord alone, the people break the covenant: (1) by counting on their own military strength, (2) by making treaties with foreign powers (Assyria and Egypt), and (3) by running after the Baals, the gods of fertility. Israel thus forgets that the Lord is its strength, its covenant partner, and giver of fertility.*

The good intentions stated in today's verse are a promise by the people of Israel to reverse its sins: no more reliance on “Assyria,” i.e., on foreign alliances, on “horses,” i.e., on human power, and on idolatry. Israel will trust in the Lord alone.*


Today, I will remember that the Lord is my strength and the source of all I need.


Saint Gregory Grassi and Companions, martyred during the Boxer Uprising of 1900, pray for us.

July 7, 2016 - Thursday

LORD God of hosts, restore us;
light up your face and we shall be saved. (Psalm 80:20 NABRE)

When life challenges us, isn't it something special to know that God is so close? May he restore us in this new day.


Today, I will ask the Lord to be with all who seek salvation.


Blessed Emanuel Ruiz and Companions, martyred in Syria in 1860 for refusing to renounce your faith and become Muslims, pray for us.

July 6, 2016 - Wednesday

Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. (Matthew 10:1 NABRE)

Jesus drew his followers into his mission. He sent them to proclaim the arrival of God's kingdom.

Today's passage is from a section of Matthew's gospel which deals with the mission now to be undertaken by the disciples, but the perspective broadens and includes the missionary activity of the church during our own times.*

Matthew has no story of Jesus’ choosing the Twelve, he assumes that the group is known to the reader. The number probably is meant to recall the twelve tribes of Israel and implies Jesus’ authority to call all Israel into the kingdom.*

Lord Jesus, you sent out your disciples to the people of Israel to call them back to relationship with you. In the same manner you sent out your apostle Paul to the gentiles to proclaim your good news. And today, you send out those of us who follow you to all the people we encounter, to continue sharing the promises of hope and enternal life with you. Help me, by your Spirit, to do this with my days and to remain focused on this purpose throughout my life.


Today, I will pray for those who have lost their sense of God's presence in their lives.


Saint Maria Goretti, patron of Catholic youth, teenagers, girls, and youth, pray for us.

July 5, 2016 - Tuesday

Our God is in heaven
and does whatever he wills.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands. (Psalm 115:3-4 NABRE)

Do I recognize there is one God who created all things?

How does that affect my daily life? Do I seek the Lord even for a short time, or do I spend all my time keeping busy, chasing the responsibilities, pleasures, or distractions of this life?

Jesus once said, "I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me," (John 10:14)


Today, I will put aside my idols, carve out a few quiet minutes for the Lord right now, and welcome any sign of His presence throughout the day.


Saint Anthony Zaccaria, whose holiness moved many to reform their lives, pray for us.

July 4, 2016 - Monday

Every day I will bless you;
I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and worthy of much praise,
whose grandeur is beyond understanding.
One generation praises your deeds to the next
and proclaims your mighty works.
They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory,
tell of your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 145:2-5 NABRE)

For Americans, today is Independence Day. It is a day to remember the sacrifices of many who have come before us to provide us with the freedoms we enjoy. It is a day to recommit ourselves to the important work of ensuring the dignity and cherished liberty of each person in our nation.

Today, American Catholics conclude the Fortnight for Freedom, a two-week event intended to raise awareness about and encourage action to stop the current political threats to religious freedom which we now face. May we join in the prayer of our bishops and recall the greatness of God, the founding values of our nation, and the importance of religious tolerance:

Almighty God, Father of all nations,
For freedom you have set us free in Christ Jesus (Gal 5:1).
We praise and bless you for the gift of religious liberty,
the foundation of human rights, justice, and the common good.
Grant to our leaders the wisdom to protect and promote our liberties;
By your grace may we have the courage to defend them, for ourselves and for all those who live in this blessed land.
We ask this through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, our patroness,
and in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
with whom you live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen


Today, I will be mindful of God's wonderful deeds.


Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, peacemaker, pray for us.

July 3, 2016 - Sunday

Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;
let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. (Colossians 3:15A, 16A NABRE)

When you are out driving, hiking, walking around town, or out sailing on a boat, how do you navigate from place to place? How do you keep yourself from becoming lost? Do you use a GPS, a paper map, a compass? Do you remember landmarks or use the stars or the sun? In the end, what really matters is that you have a way to get home safely.

Today's passage from Colossians 3 contains two statements that are a powerful pair of navigational tools for living a Christ-centered life. They offer deep confirmation and guidance as we navigate the paths of our lives. They offer us indicators that we will be able to find our way home safely.

Think about it. When you are in the turmoil of decision, how do you know when you've made the right choice? Paul gives us two ways to discern how our decision aligns with God's will for our lives. If our choice produces in our hearts that sense of the peace of Christ (which I describe as an overwhelming physical feeling of calm confidence), we are on the right track. If our decision aligns with what we know from God's Word, we get double confirmation.


Today, I will read the word of Christ and allow his peace into my heart.


Saint Thomas the Apostle, patron of architects, construction workers, and cooks, pray for us.

Source: http://globaloceanrace.com/

July 2, 2016 - Saturday

I will listen for what God, the LORD, has to say;
surely he will speak of peace
To his people and to his faithful.
May they not turn to foolishness!
Near indeed is his salvation for those who fear him;
glory will dwell in our land. (Psalm 85:9-10 NABRE)

Lord God, speak to me of peace and draw me near to your salvation. Increase my faith so that by your Spirit I may turn from foolishness and remember that you are the one perfect Lord, creator of all things, who is holy, mighty, and immortal.


Today, I will listen for what God has to say.


Saint Oliver Plunkett, Irish Archbishop martyred in London in July 1681, pray for us.

July 1, 2016 - Friday

Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land:
“When will the new moon be over,” you ask,
“that we may sell our grain,
And the sabbath,
that we may open the grain-bins?
We will diminish the ephah,
add to the shekel,
and fix our scales for cheating! (Amos 8:4-5 NABRE)

Amos’s message stands as one of the most powerful voices ever to challenge hypocrisy and injustice. He is a prophet of divine judgment, and the sovereignty of the Lord in nature and history dominates his thought. Amos was a sheep breeder of Tekoa in Judah, who delivered his oracles in the Northern Kingdom during the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II (786–746 B.C.).*

Lord God, I thank you for the many blessings in my life. In our very prosperous times, please grant me the grace to humbly see myself as a steward of your gifts, and as such, wise in the handling of them. Guard me from the temptation to cheat and steal in a desire for material goods. Open my eyes to my own weaknesses. And lead me humbly away from occasions of greed.

Lord, lead me to moments of generosity: Times when I might "re-gift" your many material blessings, but more urgently, times when I might share the true wealth that comes from faith in you. Wealth that is the fruit of your Spirit: Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.


Today, I will look to experience and share with others fruit of the Holy Spirit.


Saint Junipero Serra, Eighteenth-Century missionary to Native Americans, pray for us.