A Way Back

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To the penitent God provides a way back,
he encourages those who are losing hope
and has chosen for them the lot of truth.

Return to him and give up sin,
pray to the Lord and make your offenses few.
Turn again to the Most High and away from your sin,
hate intensely what he loathes,
and know the justice and judgments of God,

Stand firm in the way set before you,
in prayer to the Most High God.
Who in the nether world can glorify the Most High
in place of the living who offer their praise?

Dwell no longer in the error of the ungodly,
but offer your praise before death.
No more can the dead give praise
than those who have never lived;

You who are alive and well
shall praise and glorify God in his mercies.
How great the mercy of the Lord,
his forgiveness of those who return to him! ~Sirach 17:20-24

To Walk With God

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There is nothing in the world as delightful as a continual walk with God. Only those who have experienced it can comprehend it. And yet I do not recommend that you seek it solely because it is so enjoyable. Do it because of love, and because it is what God wants. If I were a preacher, the one thing that I would preach about more than anything else is the practice of the presence of God. ~Brother Lawrence, excerpt from The Practice of the Presence of God

To Be a Witness

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“To be a witness [for Jesus Christ] does not consist in engaging in propaganda, nor even in stirring people up, but in being a living mystery. It means to live in such a way that one’s life would not make sense if God did not exist.” ~Cardinal Emmanuel Célestin Suhard

(1985) A Carthusian choir monk sits alone, reading in his cell, at St. Hugh's Charterhouse monastery in Sussex, England. Religion News Service file photo by Colin Horsman

Power from on High

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“Let us therefore discover anew the humility and the courage to pray and fast so that power from on high will break down the walls of lies and deceit: the walls which conceal from the sight of so many of our brothers and sisters the evil of practices and laws which are hostile to life. May this same power turn their hearts to resolutions and goals inspired by the civilization of life and love.” ~St. John Paul II

Feb 22: Feast of The Chair of St. Peter

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Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ. ~Matthew 16:13-20

Let us pray: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that no tempests may disturb us, for you have set us fast on the rock of the Apostle Peter’s confession of faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Feb 21: St. Peter Damian

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“[God] pours light into our minds, arouses our desire and gives us strength… As the soul is the life of the body, so the Holy Spirit is the life of our souls.” ~St. Peter Damian: Hermit, Bishop, Doctor of the Church

The Lord Seeks All

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“Where does Jesus send us? There are no borders, no limits: he sends us to everyone. The gospel is for everyone, not just for some. It is not only for those who seem closer to us, more receptive, more welcoming. It is for everyone. Do not be afraid to go and to bring Christ into every area of life, to the fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest away, most indifferent. The Lord seeks all – he wants everyone to feel the warmth of his mercy and his love.” ~Pope Francis; homily for World Youth Day, July 28, 2013