Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Wednesday, December 30, 2009

I have calmed and stilled my soul..like a weaned child.
- Psalms 131:2

Reflection: Strive to accustom yourself to renounce the things that you have in your heart and the little satisfactions that you desire. This is the secret that enables you to preserve peace of soul.
- St. Francis de Sales

Prayer: God of peace, let me be at peace with myself and my desires. Teach me to put all my trust in You and desire only what You have willed for me.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Tuesday, December 22, 2009

A child is born to us, a son is given us; a dominion rests upon His shoulder.
- Isaiah 9:5

Reflection: In adoring our Savior's birth, it is our origin that we celebrate. Christ's temporal generation is the source of the Christian people, the birth of His Mystical Body. All of us encounter in this Mystery a new birth in Christ.
- St. Leo the Great

Prayer: Heavenly Father, in celebrating the birth of Your Son on earth, let me also celebrate my birth in His Mystical Body. Grant that I may thus be brought closer to You in union with Your only Son.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Monday, December 21, 2009

The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name.
- Luke 1:49

Reflection: While remaining the Mother of our Judge, Mary is a mother to us, full of mercy. She constitutes our protection. She keeps us close to Christ, and she faithfully takes the matter of our salvation into her charge.
- St. Peter Canisius

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have filled Mary with grace and made her a Co-Redeemer with Christ Your Son. Grant that I may have constant recourse to her and attain the salvation she helped win for the world.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Friday, December 18, 2009

We guide our steps by faith, not by what is seen.
- 2 Corinthians 5:7

Reflection: Faith is like a bright ray of sunlight. It enables us to see God in all things as well as all things in God.
- St. Francis de Sales

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to shine the spotlight of Your faith on the world I live in. Grant that I may see You everywhere and serve You in everything.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Thursday, December 17, 2009

My heart and my flesh give a shout of joy for he living God.
- Psalms 84:3

Reflection: Desire to see God, be fearful of losing Him, and find joy in everything that can lead to Him. If you act in this way, you will always live in great peace.
- St. Theresa of Avila

Prayer: Living God, let me desire to see You and make use of everything that leads to You. Grant that I may live in such a way as to gain the blessed vision of You in heaven.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Strive for uprightness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness.
- 1 Timothy 6:11

Reflection: Virtue is a very wonderful thing for us. It is the good of life, the fruit of a clear conscience, and the peace of the innocent.

- St. Ambrose

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to build up virtue in my life. let me realize that by cultivating all the virtues I will attain happiness not only in heaven but also her on earth.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Bread of God is He Who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
- John 6:33

Reflection: All who receive Jesus in Communion are filled with every good. Their temptations are overcome. Their troubles are turned into joys. And their piety finds nourishment.
- St. Anthony of Padua

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to receive You in Communion frequently and with fervor. Grant that all my Communions may enable me to do good, avoid evil, and live always as a dedicated Christian.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Monday, December 14, 2009

Lead a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work.- Col 1:10

Reflection: Strive unceasingly to be pleasing to God and ask Him to accomplish His Will in you. Love Him with all your might; you owe Him a great deal.- St. John of the Cross

Prayer: God of power and might, let me do always the things that are pleasing to You. For You are my Greatest Benefactor and my Sole Good.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Thursday, December 10, 2009

[Jesus] said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch."
- Luke 5:4

Reflection: The bark of Peter laughs at the winds and the waves. She has the Saints as her passengers, the Cross as her mast, the Gospel teachings as her sails, the Angels as her rowers, and God as her pilot.
St. John Chrysostom

Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me to trust Your Church as the Bark of Salvation in this world. Grant that I may work and pray to remain afloat with her amid the storms of life.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Wednesday, December 09, 2009

I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm...I will spew you out of My mouth.
- Revelation 3:15

Reflection: The Word of God moves swiftly. He is not won by the lukewarm nor held fast by the negligent. Be attentive to His message and diligently follow the path God tells you to take. For He is swift in His passing.
- St. Ambrose

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to avoid being lukewarm in my spiritual life. Grant me an ardent faith, hope, and love so that I may be zealous in following You every day.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Tuesday, December 08, 2009

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.
- Luke 10:27

Reflection: Love for Christ pierced Mary's heart in such a way that no part of it was left unkindled. Mary thus fulfilled the first commandment of love in all its fullness and without the slightest imperfection.
- St. Bernard

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to imitate Your immaculate Daughter Mary in her love for You. Grant me the grace to love You as much as I can all my life.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Monday, December 07, 2009

You are a "chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation."
-1 Peter 2:9

Reflection: All the children of the Church are priests. At Baptism they received the anointing that gives them a share in the priesthood. The sacrifice that they must offer to God is completely spiritual--it is themselves.
- St. Ambrose

Prayer: Holy Father, teach me to offer myself to You with all my thoughts, words, and actions. Let me also exercise my "common priesthood" by faithful participation at Mass.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Wednesday, December 02, 2009

I am the companion of all who revere You.
- Psalms 119:63

Reflection: Cultivate the friendship of others. It is the consolation of this life to find someone who is a confidant in the mysteries of our soul. The source of Christian friendship is none other than God.
- St. Augustine

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to seek out truly Christian friends. Let me always be a genuine friend to them, working for their spiritual as well as material good.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Make the most of your opportunity, for these are evil days.
- Ephesians 5:16

Reflection: Let us not allow this holy season of Advent to slip by without spiritual fruit. It is the time of salvation; let us profit from it.
St. Mary Euphrase

Prayer: God of mercy, teach me to live in tune with Your Liturgical Year. Help me to be filled with the sentiments proper to Advent and to prepare fittingly for the renewed birth of Your Son in my heart.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Monday, November 30, 2009

My kingdom does not belong ot this world.
- John 18:36

Reflection: Jesus is King because He governs souls and provides for their eternal salvation. He is King because He leads into His eternal Kingdom all who believe and hope in Him and live in His love.
- St. Augustine

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I acknowledge You as the King of the universe and ask You to exercise upon me all Your rights. Help me to offer You all my actions to obtain that all hearts may acknowledge Your Sacred Kingdom.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Friday, November 27, 2009

Let us pray and implore our Lord to grant us His mercy and protection. - Tobit 8:4

Reflection: There is no holiness without the grace of God. And this grace can be obtained by our prayer.
- St. Pius X

Prayer: God of holiness, pour down upon me all the graces I need to be a true follower of Your Son Jesus. Help me to pray often for Your saving grace.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Tuesday, November 24, 2009

I am the living Bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this Bread will live forever. - John 6:51

Reflection: The Eucharist is the true Catholic standard for recognizing a disciple of Jesus Christ. It is in Holy Communion that we recognize one another.
- St. Peter Eymard

Prayer: Lord Jesus, grant that I may have a surpassing love for the Blessed Eucharist. Help me to be closely united with everyone who receives You in Holy Communion.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Monday, November 23, 2009

Take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day.
- Ephesians 6:13

Reflection: Let us then serve in Christ's army, following His blameless commands with all our might. The great cannot exist without the small, nor the small without the great. They blend together to their mutual advantage.
- St. Clement

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to be a true member of Your spiritual army, which is Your Mystical Body. Let me treat everyone I meet as my associate in Christ and work for our mutual benefit.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Friday, November 20, 2009

If you honor the holy day by not following your accustomed ways or doing your own business...you will find your joy in the Lord. - Isaiah 58:13-14

Reflection: Perfection does not consist in lacerating the body. Rather it consists in curbing our perverse self-will.
- St. Catherine of Siena

Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me to curb my wayward self-will. Instead of subjecting my body to my own whims, may I concentrate on doing Your Will in all things rather than my own.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Monday, November 16, 2009

If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.
- Matthew 19:17

Reflection: The Ten Commandments are completed by the Evangelical Precepts of justice and love. Together these constitute the framework for individual and collective survival.
- Pope John XXIII

Prayer: Lord of eternal life, grant me the grace to follow Your Commandments and Evangelical Precepts of love and justice. Help me to base my earthly life on Your Law and thus enter into eternal life.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Thursday, November 12, 2009

Do not cast me off when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength fails. - Psalms 71:9

Reflection: Do not wait for old age to offer yourself to God. Offer Him the flower of your youth, which will be pleasing to Him and which He will accept with the greatest of love.
- St. Catherine of Siena

Prayer: God of all ages, grant that I may give myself to You at every age of life--youth, adulthood, and old age. Then in my old age continue to take care of me.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Tuesday, November 10, 2009

You shall love the Lord your God...' This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself." - Matthew 22:37-38

Reflection: If we love our neighbor, we automatically love God as well. For it is in the unity of this twofold love that God has constituted the fullness of the Law and the Prophets.
- St. Leo the Great

Prayer: Loving Father, help me to realize that love is the most powerful force in the world. Let me love You and my neighbor because of You.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Monday, November 09, 2009

The temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
- 1 Corinthians 3:17

Reflection: When Christ came, He banished the devil from our hearts, in order to build in them a temple for Himself. Let us then do what we can with His help, so that our evil deeds will not deface that temple.
- St. Caesarius of Arles

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to be a true temple of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Grant me the grace to keep this temple holy and pleasing to You all my days.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Thursday, November 05, 2009

Give to Caesar what is due to Caesar, and give to God what is due to God.
- Matthew 22:21

Reflection: There are no better citizens--whether in peace or in war--than Christians who are mindful of their duty. Such persons must be willing to suffer all things--even death--rather than abandon the cause of God or of the Church.
- Pope Leo XIII

Prayer: Heavenly Father, grant me a love for my country and a desire to help it as a good citizen. At the same time let me remain a faithful member of Your Church and work for her benefit.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Wednesday, November 04, 2009

My heart speaks to You; my face seeks You; Your face, O Lord, do I seek

- Psalms 27:8

Reflection: If a tiny spark of God's love already burns in you, do not expose it to the wind, for it may get blown out. In other words, avoid distractions as much as you can. Stay quiet with God. Do not spend your time in useless chatter.
- Saint Charles Borromeo

Prayer: Almighty God, help me to seek You and speak with You often. Let me strive to avoid outer distractions and concentrate on Your message and Your Will for me.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Monday, November 02, 2009

The souls of the upright are in the hands of God.

- Wisdom 3:1

Reflection: What great power the holy souls in purgatory have over the heart of God! If we realized this fact and averted to all the graces that we can gain through their intercession, these souls would not be so forgotten.
- St. John Vianney

Prayer: God, our Creator and Redeemer, grant to the souls in purgatory the remission of their sins. And may their prayers also be of benefit to me and all my dear ones.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Friday, October 30, 2009

You are light in the Lord...The fruit of light is every kind of goodness.

- Ephesians 5:8-9

Reflection: Goodness has the same relationship to the human heart that a magnet has to iron. Goodness has the power to attract the heart.
- St. Thomas Aquinas

Prayer: God of light, let my heart be ever attracted to goodness rather than to evil. Help me to live as a child of light, devoted to You every day of my life.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.
- Romans 5:5

Reflection: One and the same love embraces both God and neighbor. This love is the Holy Spirit, Who is Divine.
- Saint Anthony of Padua

Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the heart of Your faithful one and enkindle in me the fire of Your love. Divine Guest of my soul, abide in me and grant that I may abide in You.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Monday, October 26, 2009

O children, listen to me; ...Hear instruction and be wise.
- Proverbs 8:32-33

Reflection: Let Mary never be far from your lips and from your heart. Following her, you will never lose your way. Praying to her, you will never sink into despair. Contemplating her, you will never go wrong.
- Saint Bernadine of Siena

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to have continual recourse to Your holy Mother. Grant that she may watch over me as she lovingly watched over You in Your childhood at Nazareth.

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Thursday, October 22, 2009

The Church of the living God [is] the pillar and foundation of the truth.
- 1 Timothy 3:15

Reflection: The Church has the following characteristic qualities. She overcomes when she is attacked. She is understood when she is disputed. And she grows greater when she is abandoned.
- St. Hilary of Poitiers

Prayer: Heavenly Father, let me always cling to Your Church for she is my best contact with You. Grant that I may never depart from this pillar of truth--the prolongation of Your Son Jesus in the world.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Tuesday, October 20, 2009

What do you possess that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you did not?
- 1 Corinthians 4:7

Reflection: The reason why God is such a great Lover of humility is that He is a great Lover of truth. Humility is in fact truth, while pride is nothing but lying.
- Saint Vincent de Paul

Prayer: God of truth, help me to realize that everything I have is from You. Let me show my gratitude by always using it in accord with Your holy Will.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Friday, October 16, 2009

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the Kingdom of Heaven but only the one who does the Will of My Father.
- Matthew 7:21

Reflection: Virtue does not consist in making splendid resolutions. It consists in carrying out those resolutions and producing good fruits.
- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to put all my good resolutions into effect. Grant that I may always bring forth good fruits from my union with God.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Thursday, October 15, 2009

This is how we know we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.
- 1 John 3:20

Reflection: Let nothing disturb you, nothing frigthenyou. Everything passes, but God never changes. Patience obtains everything. Those who possess God lack for nothing. God alone is enough.
- St. Theresa of Avila

Prayer: Heavenly Father, let me remain calm amid all the difficulties of life. Help me to preserve my union with You,which is the one thing necessary in this world.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Monday, October 12, 2009

How deep are the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
- Romans 11:33

Reflection: With heartfelt love let us sing of our Eternal Father's Providence--all-wise, all-powerful, and all-gentle. Oh the depth of the riches, and the wisdom, and the knowledge of God!
- St. Francis de Sales

Prayer: All-provident Father, teach me to trust wholeheartedly in Your loving care. Help me to see that all that takes place is for my ultimate good, no matter how it may appear.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Friday, October 09, 2009

If your brother wrongs you, go and take up the matter with him.
- Matthew 18:15

Reflection: Those who want to work for moral reform in the world must seek the glory of God before everything else. They must wait for God's help in this difficult and necessary undertaking, for He is the source of all good.
- St. John Leonardi

Prayer: Almighty God, help me to work for moral reform in the wold in everything I do. But let me rely on Your grace so that I may effect a reform that is true rather than one that is purely my own.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Thursday, October 08, 2009

May our Lord Jesus Christ...comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Reflection: Jesus knows how to comfort us. So when you are desolate, leave creatures behind. Come to the tabernacle, and you will always find strength and consolation.
- St. Peter Eymard

Prayer: Lord Jesus, let me frequently have recourse to You in the Blessed Sacrament. O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Wednesday, October 07, 2009

The Mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."...His Mother said to the waiters, "Do whatever He tells you."
- John 2:3-5

Reflection: I want to recommend the Rosary to you in a special way. It is a source of profound Christian life. Try to pray it every day alone or with your family. Meditate on those scenes of the life of Jesus and Mary of which the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, [and Luminous] Mysteries remind us.
- Pope John Paul II

Prayer: Lord Jesus, today is the feast of our Lady of the Rosary. May the prayers of Your Holy Mother for the world lead me to pray the Rosary more often and with greater fervor.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Sacrifice or oblation You did not desire, but You have given me ears open to obedience.
- Ps 40:7

Reflection: By your work you show what you love and what you know. When you observe true obedience with prudence and enthusiasm, it is clear that you pick the most delightful and nourishing fruit of Divine Scripture.
- St. Bruno

Prayer: Heavenly Father, let me realize that You guide our lives through legitimate authority in every area. Help me to be obedient to the rules for my state in life and so be obedient to Your Will for me.

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Thursday, October 01, 2009

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
- Luke 14:11

Reflection: The true and only glory is the glory that will last forever. In order to attain it, we do not need to do spectacular deeds. We need merely hide ourselves from the eyes of others and even from ourselves.
- St. Theresa of the Child Jesus

Prayer: God of glory, impress on me the value of humility and as a means of attaining true glory. Help me to be humble myself in my own eyes as well as in the eyes of all.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Wednesday, September 30, 2009

You have not yet resisted unto death in your struggle with sin.
- Heb 12:4

Reflection: Martyrdom does not consist only in dying for one's faith. Martyrdom also consists in serving God with love and purity of heart every day of one's life.
- St. Jerome

Prayer: Dear Lord, let me offer You all my daily struggles against sin and evil. Grant me the strength to resist even to the shedding of blood if it should be required of me.

[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a Virgin.
-Lk 1:26-27

Reflection: Angels take different earthly forms at the bidding of their master, God. They thus reveal themselves to human beings and unveil the Divine Mysteries to them.
-St. John Damascene

Prayer: God of all Wisdom, You direct the ministry of angels and of human beings. Grant that the angels who always minister to You in heaven may defend us during our life on earth.

From: Everyday Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)

There will...be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righeous people who have no need of repentance.
- Lk 15:7

Reflection: Nothing makes God happier than a person's amendment of life, conversion, and salvation. This is why He sent His only Son to this earth.
- St. Gregory Nazianzen

Prayer: Holy God, help me to amend my life constantly and be sincerely converted to You. Let me seek Your interests rather ahn my own and be ever more closely united with you

From: Everyday Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Friday, September 25, 2009

May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith.
-Eph 3:17

Reflection: Bear Christ in heart, mind, and will. Bear Him in you mind by His teaching. Bear Him in your will by your observance of the Law. Bear Him in your heart by the Holy Eucharist.
- Pope Pius XII

Prayer: Heavenly Father, let me be a true bearer of Christ, Your Son, by doing always the things that are pleasing to Him. Help me to bear witness to Him in the world for the salvation of souls

From: Everyday Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Wednesday, September 23, 2009

In this is love...that [God] loved us and sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins.
- 1 Jn 4:10

Reflection: God's love for us has no equal. It infinitely surpasses the love nature has imprinted in the hearts of parents. We can be certain that whatever such a Father sends us is for our good.
- St. Alphonsus Rodriguez

Prayer: Loving Father, let me believe firmly in Your love for me despite all the trials that may come my way. Help me to cling to the thought that You want only what is best for my eternal welfare.

From: Everyday Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Monday, September 21, 2009

The word of the Lord will last forever. That word is the Gospel that has been preached to you.
- 1 Pet 1:25

Reflection: Everything that Christ willed to have us read about His actions and words, He caused to be written down by the Evangelists as if by His own hands. Thus, readers of the Gospels will receive what is told them as if they saw the Lord Himself writing it with His own hand.
- St. Augustine

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to see the Gospels as Your word to me today. Grant me the grace to meditate on it daily and to live my life in accord with its teachings.

From: Everyday Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Friday, September 18, 2009

How slow [you are] to believe all that the Prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into His glory?
- Lk 24:25-26

Reflection: Christ's love and obedience had abased him to the death of the Cross. Therefore, Christ was raised by God to the glory of the Resurrection.
- St. Thomas Aquinas

Prayer: Lord or glory,stamp indelibly on my mind that without the Cross there is no crown. Help me to fashion an eternal crown of glory out of the little crosses that come my way each day.

From: Everyday Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Thursday, September 17, 2009

Make every effort to ensure your salvation.
- Phil 2:12

Reflection: You have been created for the glory of God and your own eternal salvation....This is your goal; this is the center of your life; this is the treasure of your heart. If you reach this goal, you will find happiness. If you fail to reach it, you will find misery.
- St. Robert Bellarmine

Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me to do everything for Your honor and glory. Grant me the grace to work out my salvation with anxious concern each day of my life.

From: Everyday Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
-Mt 6:10

Reflection: We must carry out the Will of God rather than our own. This is what we pledge to do in the "Our Father," which we recite every day. What a travesty it would be if after praying that God's Will be done we should carry out that Will halfheartedly and only because we are obliged to do so!
-St. Cyprian of Carthage

Prayer: Heavenly Father, let me curb my own desires and strive to discover Your Will for me. Help me to do that Will wholeheartedly in all things, for You have my best interests at heart.


From: Everyday Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Standing near the cross of Jesus [was] His Mother.

-Jn 19:25

Reflection: During the entire course of her life, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, never deviated in the slightest from the precepts and examples of her Divine Son. This was true both in the most sweet joys Mary experienced and in the cruel sufferings she underwent, which made her the Queen of Martyrs.

-Pope Pius XII

Prayer: Lord Jesus, in all my sorrows let me imitate the fidelity of Your Mother. And through her intercession grant me Your consolation here and eternal joy in heaven.

From: Everyday Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Monday, September 14, 2009

Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
- Mt 10:38

Reflection: The cross is the greatest gift God could bestow on His Elect on earth. There is nothing so necessary, so beneficial, so sweet, or so glorious as to suffer something for Jesus. If you suffer as you ought, the cross will become a precious yoke that Jesus will carry with you.
- St. Louis Grignion de Montfort

Prayer: Lord Jesus, impress upon me that without the cross on earth there will be no crown in heaven. Help me to bear my cross daily for You as You bore Your Cross for me and all human beings.


From: Everyday Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Friday, September 11, 2009

Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood dwells in Me and I dwell in him.
-Jn 6:56

Reflection: If we were to receive the Most Blessed Sacrament with great faith and ardent love, it would take only one reception for us to become spiritually rich. By the same token, what an incalculable spiritual effect would a large number of such devout Communions have on us!
-St. Theresa of Avila

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to receive You in Communion with ever more faith and love. Let me strive to obtain the greatest spiritual benefits possible from each reception of this Blessed Sacrament.

From: Everyday Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)

Scripture, Reflection and Prayer for Wednesday, September 09, 2009

I see to do not My own Will but the Will of Him Who sent Me.

-Jn 5:30

Reflection: What good is it for you to give God one thing when He asks for something else? Discover what God wants and do it. Your heart will be happier than if your own desire had been fulfilled.

-St. John of the Cross

Prayer: Heavenly Father, let me strive---through constant prayer and careful reflection---to know Your Will for me. Then help me to offer You what You desire rather than what I want.