Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. Reflection: The way to the heart very often passes through the mind. Today, throughout the length and breadth of the Church there is need for a new effort of evangelization and catechesis directed to the mind.
- Pope John Paul II
Prayer: God of wisdom, instruct me in Your ways. Help me dedicate myself to learning more about the Faith, so that like St. Thomas Aquinas my mind and heart may
be united in Your love.
Teach the Faith to your children and to your children's children.Reflection: Marriage is a communion of life. It is the home. It is work. It is concern for the children. It is also joy and leisure in common.
- Pope John Paul II
Prayer: O Lord, Sts Timothy and Titus taught the early Church's about the sanctity of family life. May they intercede for the members of my family to make them holy and filled with Your peace.
From: Minute Meditations from the Popes (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)No servants are greater than their master. If they have persecuted Me, they will persecute you also.Reflection: You must understand that faithful service to Christ and His Church will not always earn you the world's praise. On the contrary, you will sometimes receive the same treatment as the Lord: rejection, contempt, and even persecution.
- Pope John Paul II
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.Reflection: There exists a close connection between holiness of life and the promotion of a more human way of life in society, for it is from a converted and reconciled heart that goodness and justice flow in human relations. Time and energy give to the life of the spirit is not time and energy taken away from service.
- Pope John Paul II
Prayer: Call me back to the fountain of your grace, O Lord. Refresh my spirit and give me spiritual energy to share with others.
From: Minute Meditations from the Popes (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)You are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.Reflection: The Spirit of God is the Spirit of life, Who is capable of causing life to burst forth even where everything seemed dead and withered. That is why we can and must have confidence. Not only can we, but we must!
- Pope John Paul II
Prayer: Come, Spirit of Life, inflame my heart with the light of faith and the fire of love.
From: Minute Meditations from the Popes (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
Trust in the Lord with all youyr heart, and do not rely on your own prudence.Reflection: In our attempt to penetrate God's truth we are held within the bonds of ignorance by the weakness of our minds. We comprehend Divine ideas by earnest attention to God's teaching and by obedience to the faith which carries us beyond mere human apprehension.
- St. Hilary
Prayer: All-knowing God, grant me the grace to come to a better understanding of Your truths. Let me not only believe them but also carry them out daily in my life.
[From: Every Day Is A Gift (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)]Those who wish to be My disciples must deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow Me.Reflection: Every Cross that we see in the world becomes a silent reminder for us. The true victory that overcomes hatred in the world is ultimately self-sacrifice, in constant fidelity flowing from the power of love.
- Pope John Paul II
Prayer: Your Cross, Lord Jesus, is a sign of life and an invitation to sacrifice. When I am confronted with selfishness and hate, give me the courage to embrace the Mystery of the Cross. Help me to remember that only love truly conquers.
Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. Reflection: Prayer is the breath of the Mystical Body, tos conversation with God, the expression of its love and its striving toward the Father.
- Pope Paul VI
Prayer: Lord Jesus, as You taught Your disciples to pray, so now teach Your Church to pray. Send Your Spirit into my heart so that I may join my voice to Yours as I give glory to the Father.
From: Minute Meditations from the Popes (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, does not boast, and is not self-seeking.Reflection: Loving is not easy. It presupposes affective maturity, willpower, the capacity for self-control, and an attitude of self-denial and giving. It is necessary to learn how to love. This is an apprenticeship that requires years of commitment.
- Pope John Paul II
Prayer: Lord, You called St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to share her life in charitable service to Your people. Teach me at the same school of love and help me to follow her example of generosity.
From: Minute Meditations from the Popes (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)Reflection: The Old Testament recounts the period of salvation history that slowly prepared for the coming of Christ into the world. It brings into gradually sharper focus the figure of the Woman, Mother of the Redeemer, already foreshadowed in the promise of victory over the serpent.
-Vatican II: The Church, 55
Prayer: O Mary, you were chosen by God to be the Mother of the Redeemer. Protect me always from evil and obtain eternal salvation for me in heaven with you and your Son Jesus.
