Great suffering brings great graces. Those words are etched permanently in my soul. It is those who have walked the path of suffering with Jesus at their side, that those words hold a treasured meaning. I, a sojourner on the path can assent that those words true. I also can encourage you with the blessed assurance that when we are too weary, He carries us.
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April 16
Simon Peter said to him, "Master, where are you going?"
Jesus answered him,
"Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later."
Peter said to him,
"Master, why can I not follow you now?
I will lay down my life for you."
Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me?
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow
before you deny me three times."
-John 13:36-38
Today's Reflection
Have you ever been filled with so much zeal for the Lord that you would do anything for Him? Even die for Him? And then, only minutes later, when things got a little inconvenient, you changed your mind, or even betrayed Him?
The passage above shows us that even the apostle, Peter, who spent three years walking side-by-side with Him, turned his back on Jesus when the going got tough. As we come to the close of Lent and anticipate the Triduum and Easter, let us renew our fervor to stand with the Lord at any cost.
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Meditating on Sacred Scripture has long been recognized as a worthwhile spiritual practice, particularly so during the season of Lent. In this reflection, we’ll focus on four familiar Scriptural scenes from Jesus’ final hours on earth. These vignettes offer an opportunity to reflect and meditate on an exchange of looks between Jesus and one other significant player in the narrative of our salvation.
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Just because most public schools no longer promote Christian spirituality doesn't mean they are "spirituality-free." As this recently received email explains, many schools are merely replacing Christian spirituality with other forms of "spirituality" - including that of the New Age and the occult.
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April 15
"Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
Not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
Until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spreads out the earth with its crops,
Who gives breath to its people
and spirit to those who walk on it:
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness."
-Is 42: 1-7
Today's Reflection
Blessed Holy Week to you and your loved ones!
The passage above is the first of today's mass readings. Take time to ponder it. As you walk these first steps on the journey into the passion, death and resurrection of Our Lord, how will you enter into the intense silence where God speaks? In what ways will you seek to be more receptive to the grace and gift of our salvation?
Pray that Jesus will give you eyes that are opened, a heart that is unfettered from the confinement of sin, and a mind that is free from the darkness and distraction of the world and fully fixed upon Him.
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As Holy Week begins and we celebrate Our's Lord's surrender to the will of His Father, let us ponder the depth of our own surrender to His will by reflecting on the message contained in this beautiful poem.
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April 13
"Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring."
– St. Catherine of Siena
Today's Reflection
Does the finish line of Lent seem far off in the distance? Let us hold each up in prayer. Endure!
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The outrage that ensued after
Twitter inexplicably suspended the
Unplanned movie account on its opening weekend not only boosted the film, but resulted in a U.S. Senatorial subcommittee hearing on Wednesday during which social media execs were grilled on evidence of “one-sided discrimination” against the movie and the pro-life viewpoint in general.
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April 11
“Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.”
St. Francis de Sales
Today's Reflection
Have you fallen on the Lenten journey? Has your cross been too heavy to carry? Today is a great day to be patient with yourself.
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Cyprien and Daphrosa Rugumba in 1992 in the garden of their home in Kigali, Rwanda. (Wikicommons)
A Rwandan couple who raised 10 children while enduring a rocky marriage and political violence that would eventually end their lives, is being considered for sainthood.
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