"Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if He wants anything of you, He will fit you for the work and give you strength."
St. Philip Neri
For Reflection:
Sometimes we lack courage, because our confidence in God is weak. What does St. Philip Neri tell us? To what extent do you believe it? Are you willing to give it a try in what God is asking of you right now?
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"The past must be abandoned to God's mercy, the present to our fidelity, the future to divine providence."
St. Francis de Sales
For Reflection:
How can preoccupation with past transgressions and worry over future possibilities rob us of fidelity to the present moment? How does fidelity to the present moment increase our hope? How does reliance on God's mercy and providence increase our hope?Â
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"We shall steer safely through every storm, as long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed in God."
St. Francis de Sales
For Reflection:
What four qualities does St. Francis de Sales tell us we need to steer with hope through all of life's storms? Which one do I most need to acquire? What are some practical ways I can do so? See the next three Grace Lines for some saintly insights.
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"We know we have souls. But we seldom consider the precious things that can be found in this soul, or who dwells within it, or its high values. Consequently, little effort is made to preserve its beauty. All our attention is taken up with the plainness of the diamond's setting, that is, with these bodies of ours."
St. Teresa of Avila
For Reflection:
What one thing can I specifically do today to preserve the beauty of my soul?
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Most glorious Lord of life that on this day
Didst make Thy triumph over death and sin,
And having harrowed hell didst bring away
Captivity thence captive us to win;
This joyous day, dear Lord, with joy begin
And grant that we, for whom Thou didst die
Being with Thy dear blood clean washed from sin,
May live forever in felicity.
And that Thy love we weighing worthily,
May likewise love Thee for the same again;
And for Thy sake that all like dear didst buy,
With love may one another entertain.
So let us love, dear love, like as we ought,
Love is the lesson which the Lord us taught.
Edmund Spenser (1553- 1598)
For Reflection:
JESUS LIVES! How am I experiencing His life in me on this glorious day?
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I am not moved to love Thee, O my Lord,
By any longing for Thy Promised Land;
Nor by the fear of hell am I unmanned
To cease from my transgressing deed or word.
'Tis Thou Thyself dost move me, -- Thy blood poured
Upon the cross from nailed foot and hand;
And all the wounds that did Thy body brand;
And all Thy shame and bitter death's award.
Yea, to Thy heart am I so deeply stirre
That I would love Thee were no heaven on high, --
That I would fear, were hell a tale absurd!
Such my desire, all questioning grows vain;
Though hope deny me hope I still should sigh,
And as my love is now, it should remain.
Anonymous (16th or 17th C.) Translated from the Spanish by Thomas Walsh
For Reflection:
On this Holy Saturday I enter into the tomb with Jesus. What one area of my life is most in need of resurrection? How is Jesus showing me He wants to bring this part of me "back to life?"
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Jesus:
O Mother dear, didst thou but hear
My plaint of desolation,
Thy tender heart would burst apart
With grief of separation!
I am not stone, yet all alone
I hush My soul's outcrying, --
Alone to tread the wine-press red,
To bear the pain of dying.
My lips are dumb, the night has come;
Ah! Solace I might borrow
Had I but thee to bide with Me
In this wild waste of sorrow.
Mary:
"Gentle moon and start of midnight,
Day's fierce orb, and brooklets fair,
Golden apples born of sunshine,
Precious pearls and jewels rare, --
All things glorious, all things shining,"
Thus the sorrowing Mother spake;
"E'en ye bright, transfigured faces,
Mourn with me for Jesus' sake.
"Sparkle, gleam, and glow no longer:
Only moan and mourn for Him.
Shine not, shine not, weep forever,
Till your thousand eyes are dim;
For the mighty One has fallen,
And my Beautiful is slain;
In the dense wood pierced, my Shepherd, --
Weep ye, weep ye for my pain!
O most oppressed of all oppressed,
Heart of my heart, my all, my Son!
Grief's keenest sword doth pierce my breast:
I die with Thee, my only one!
Alas! The pain is all too great,
Since, living, still I share Thy fate.
"Yes, mine Thou wert to bear and rear
Through life and light, and pain and loss;
And now, ten thousand times more dear,
I yield Thee to the cruel cross!"
Frederick Spee, S. J. (1591-1635) Translated from the German by Mary E. Mannix
For Reflection:
Today I stand at the foot of the Cross with Mary my mother. What pain, sorrow, suffering, trial, contradiction do I yield to the "cruel cross?" How does Mary give me guidance in this surrender?
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"You must open the interior eyes of your soul on this light, on this heaven within you, a vast horizon stretching far beyond the realm of human activity."
St. Vincent Ferrer
For Reflection:
How "open" are my spiritual eyes? What one resolution can I make today to help be more so?
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Submit your favorite quotes, prayers and poems
Be sure to properly attribute the quote and give us your name! We may use YOUR favorite quote, prayer or poem for a future Grace Line!
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"None of us lives as his own master and none of us dies as his own master."
Romans 14:7
For Reflection:
How do the actions of our contemporary society show contempt for this verse from Sacred Scripture? To what extent do I personally do the same?
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"When we were baptized into Christ and clothed ourselves in him, we were transformed into the likeness of the Son of God."
Jerusalem Catecheses
For Reflection:
Of all the people I know, who most images the Son of God to me? How is the "likeness of the Son of God" seen in me?
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