What Joy We Give to God

A spirit of penance keeps us from becoming too attached to the vast imaginative blueprints we have made for our future projects, where we have already foreseen our master strokes and brilliant successes. What joy we give to God when we are happy to lay aside our third‑rate painting efforts and let him put in the features and colours of his choice! ~St. Josemaria Escriva

The Perennial Source of the Spiritual Life

“I would like so much for all Christians to be able to comprehend ‘the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ’ through the diligent reading of the Word of God, for the sacred text is the nourishment of the soul and the pure and perennial source of the spiritual life of all of us.” ~Pope Francis

I Was a Prisoner

“When Christ said, ‘I was a prisoner and you visited me,’ He made no distinction between the guilty and the innocent.” ~St. John Paul II

Imperfection

Purging the soul is a lifetime effort. There is no reason to be upset by our imperfections, for perfection is nothing more than fighting against them. How can we resist them unless we see them? How can we overcome them unless we face them? ~St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life

Sunday of the Second Week of Lent

“At his Transfiguration Christ showed his disciples the splendor of his beauty, to which he will shape and color those who are his: ‘He will reform our lowness configured to the body of his glory.'” ~Saint Thomas Aquinas

At the Transfiguration, Father, You showed
Jesus in glory, a glimpse of what His disciples
would see in His risen life.

Bless us in our humanity,
with an awareness of Your presence,
leading us to share in Your divine life
even in our daily struggle.

Help us during this time of our Lenten sojourn to deepen
our knowledge of the Law and the Prophets,
channels of Your grace throughout history,
and signposts for our journey.
Amen.

Suffering

“Suffering is not an infallible indication of growth, it can just as easily indicate neuroses. We must be careful not to cast a mystical garb over indigestion.” ~Sr. Ruth Burrows

The Sin That Needs No Effort

“I am slothful when I feel that the total demands and promises of God are not for me and therefore I do not hold myself responsible in failing to meet them.” ~Sr. Ruth Burrows

Un-forgiveness is a Heavy Load

To forgive another person from the heart is an act of liberation. We set that person free from the negative bonds that exist between us. We say, “I no longer hold your offense against you.” . . . We also free ourselves from the burden of being the “offended one.” As long as we do not forgive those who have wounded us, we carry them with us, or, worse, pull them as a heavy load. The Great temptation is to cling in anger to our enemies and then define ourselves as being offended and wounded by them. Forgiveness, therefore, liberates not only the other but also ourselves. ~Fr. Henri J.M. Nouwen, Bread For The Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith

The Garden of Gethsemane

The garden of Gethsemane is quite often–perhaps most often–the place where we meet God; more rarely do we meet God on the mountain called Tabor where the Transfiguration of Jesus occurred. Darkness and coldness are part of the spiritual life. Every hermit knows that, and so do all who try to take prayer seriously. Love is tested by absence, and desire for God is awakened as much in periods of trial as in moments of spiritual ease. That is why so many do not persevere in prayer. ~Cardinal Basil Hume; The Mystery of the Cross

Live Lent with Intention

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How often have I lived through these weeks without paying much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being aware of it? But how can I ever really celebrate Easter without observing Lent? How can I rejoice fully in your Resurrection when I have avoided participating in your death?

Yes, Lord, I have to die—with you, through you, and in you—and thus become ready to recognize you when you appear to me in your Resurrection. There is so much in me that needs to die: false attachments, greed and anger, impatience and stinginess…. I see clearly now how little I have died with you, really gone your way and been faithful to it. O Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again. Amen. ~Fr. Henri J.M. Nouwen; A Cry for mercy: Prayers from the Genesee