Today is the feast day for Saint Nicholas of Flüe. One of his prayers is quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 226, with reference to Mt 5:29-30; 16:24-26) My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you. My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me […]
One prayer of thanksgiving when things go badly is worth a thousand when things go well. — St. John of the Cross
Jesus said: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Without the Way, there is no going. Without the Truth, there is no knowing. Without the Life, there is no living. I am the Way which you ought to follow, The Truth which you ought to believe, The Life which you to hope for. […]
As I rise from sleep, I thank You, O Holy Trinity, for through Your great goodness and patience You have not been angry with me, an idler and sinner, nor have You destroyed me with mine iniquities, but has shown Your usual love for mankind; and when I was prostrate in despair, You have raised […]
I was asked by my principal to do the prayer for the first of our teacher meetings this week. She requested that it be connected to the theme for the school year, which happens to be an emphasis on the school’s mission statement. Fortunately we have a very good mission statement. In fact, the mission […]
The following poem/prayer is by Fr. J. Michael Sparough, S.J. It originally appeared in the journal Presence, Vol. 1, Number 1, January, 1995. My spiritual director read it to me about two months ago from the book, A Retreat with Our Lady, Dominic and Ignatius. This poem/prayer hits the very center of everything for me. […]
O Lord Jesus, Your words to your Father were born out of your silence. Lead me into this silence, so that my words may be spoken in your name and thus be fruitful. It is so hard to be silent, silent with my mouth, but even more, silent with my heart. There is so much […]
From Br. Joseph — What is a person? Classical Christian theology and philosophy defines a person as one who has the ability to know, to love, and to choose (to will). This is the image of God in which we are made. (The angels, our spiritual kinsmen, are also persons made in the image of […]
Because of you, I changed the deepest prayer in my heart for the grace to see through your eyes.
Yesterday evening, I was reading this certain book by a particular author who was opening windows and doors for me to paths of insights into metaphysics, mysticism, the mystery of God, etc., when all of a sudden, in one paragraph, red flags and klaxon sirens went off in warning. My stomach knotted up, my pulse […]
This prayer comes from my parish’s lenten penance service the other night. In its own way, it is a form of nightly examen. I might just try to adopt this as part of my routine. I am not dust of the earth that has no father or mother. I am not like the beast of […]
A stanza from “Southern Cross” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash: When you see the Southern Cross for the first time, You understand now why you came this way, ‘Cause the truth you might be runnin’ from is so small, But it’s as big as the promise, the promise of a coming day. Reminds me of […]
From Br. Joseph — Here is a simple prayer to start each day during Lent. As with all prayer, liturgy, worship, and spiritual reading, it is to draw us deeper into relationship with God, our Father. Father, I call upon You to be with me. I invite You into my heart, into my […]
From Br. Joseph — All is gift. Even your next breath is gift if you think about. Everything involves a choice, especially how we spend our time. Is it our time or God’s time? Here is a reflection/prayer on time from Michael Quoist: I went out, Lord. People were coming and going, Walking and running. […]
O God, as once the good angels humbled themselves to adore You appearing before them as a man, may man humbly adore You appearing before us as bread. — from a prayer card [via]
We so often pray from a sense of need. In Scripture, Your son Jesus always prayed from a sense of Your abundance. And so Father, we too pray in Your abundance. Father, please bless all of the children born this year, their parents and siblings, and their future friends. May they all be drawn into […]
Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. — Saint Thomas Aquinas
What do you want of me, Lord? Where do you want me to serve you? Where can I sing your praises? I am your song. Jesus, Jesus, you are my Lord. Jesus, Jesus, you are the way. I hear you call my name, Lord, and I am moved within me. Your Spirit stirs […]
All men complain that they haven’t enough time. They look at their lives from too human a point of view. There is always time to do what God wants us to do, but we must put ourselves completely into each moment that he offers us. I went out, Lord. People were coming and going, Walking […]
A prayer I wrote for our all-school retreat. We are called. But who calls us? And why? How? What? When? Where? These are all good questions, but— of all of these, the most important is who? In the name of… On the thin border, between faith and doubt—walks Christ— calling all to trust. Father, you […]
From Br. Joseph — A preeminent theologian of the 20th century was once asked near the end of a long and distinguished career what was the most significant discovery or idea that greatly impacted his life. The great theologian’s response was simple and to the point, “God loves me.” There are many ways to describe […]
O infinite Trinity, We sing of your glory in this daily prayer, Because through Christ you have made us sons And our hearts your dwelling place. Eternal, beyond time, The fountain of the life that never dies, Creation returns to you In a never-ending stream of love. We sing to you, O Immense One, In […]
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux asked Jesus what was His greatest unrecorded suffering. The Lord answered, “I had on My Shoulder, while I bore My Cross on the Way of Sorrows, a grievous Wound, which was more painful than the others, and which is not recorded by men.” Saint Bernard composed this prayer: O Loving Jesus, […]
Love can wait to give; lust can’t wait to get. Christopher West was on Life on the Rock last night to answer questions related to Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Someone asked if he had any prayers to resist sexual temptation. I liked his response because it opens the door to a […]
It has been well over a year, maybe two, since I started wearing a wearing a small crucifix on a chain around my next. I wanted it close to my heart, so I wore it underneath my shirt. Sometime after Christmas, I added a St. Benedict’s medal to the chain. (Technically, it is referred to […]