288. After the Coming Storm (John 16:1-15)

“It is better to be alone with God. His friendship will not fail me, nor his counsel, nor his love. In his strength, I will dare and dare and dare until I die.”  - St. Joan of Arc John 16:1-15: ‘I have told you all this that your faith may not be shaken. They will expel you from the synagogues, and indeed the hour is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is doing a holy duty for God. They will do these things... Read More

283. The Supreme Gift (John 14:13-21)

“The spiritual building-up of the body of Christ is brought about by love…” - St. Fulgentius of Ruspe John 14:13-21: ‘Whatever you ask for in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me you will keep my commandments. I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you for ever, that Spirit of truth whom... Read More

238. Anchored in Heaven (Luke 24:49-53)

“Let us keep every before our eyes this great thought – everything in this world comes to an end, whether it be prosperity or adversity. Eternity alone never ends.”  - St. Alfonsus Ligouri Luke 24:49-53: ‘And now I am sending down to you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city then, until you are clothed with the power from on high.’ Then he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and lifting up... Read More

284. The Gift of Peace (John 14:22-31)

“In all this he offered his own self, so that when you suffered you would not lose heart, but rather would recognize that you are a man, and would yourself expect to receive what he received from God.”  - St. Hippolytus John 14:22-31: Judas – this was not Judas Iscariot – said to him, ‘Lord, what is all this about? Do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?’ Jesus replied: ‘If anyone loves me... Read More

Aridity – Divine Intimacy

Presence of God - O Lord, help me to be faithful to You, so that the spirit of prayer will not be extinguished in me through my own fault. MEDITATION 1. At the beginning of a more intense spiritual life the soul usually enjoys a sensible fervor which makes spiritual exercises easy and agreeable. Good thoughts, sentiments of love, and outpourings from the heart arise spontaneously. To be recollected and alone with God in... Read More

281. The New Commandment (John 13:21-38)

“But he was not satisfied with giving us all these beautiful things. He went to such lengths to win our love that he gave himself wholly to us. The Eternal Father gave us even his only Son.”  - St. Alphonsus Liguori John 13:21-38: Having said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and declared, ‘I tell you most solemnly, one of you will betray me’. The disciples looked at one another, wondering which he meant. The disciple... Read More

Forsake Not the Discipline

“Forsake not the discipline” These words are reported as among the very first and very last teachings of St. Antony of the Desert by his spiritual son, St. Athanasius.   The Christian life is not something we master – but it does give us everything we need to master ourselves in the new and unrepeatable circumstances each day, each moment, brings.  Every day we must choose to begin to live the Christian... Read More

Nescivi – A Cry of A Heart in Love with God

“Nescivi!”  This is the Latin for what it seems the Shulamite Bride of the Canticle of Canticles sings in 6:12.  The passage is difficult to translate.  One 16th Century Doctor of the Church, Saint John of the Cross, understood it to be the declaration of a lover captivated with thoughts of her Beloved.  The Latin means “I no longer know (anything)” although some modern English translations of... Read More

My Faulty Imagination and the Infinite God

Many times, I unknowingly think about God’s fullness in incomplete terms. I forget just how glorious, rich, and deep His divinity is. Of course, I know that He is so much greater than my heart could ever fathom, but since He appears to us in the New Testament as the Word Made Flesh, He always appears in my mind as Christ in his human likeness, rather than as Lord of all, with both human and divine wills and natures fused... Read More

St. Lucy – Pray for us

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