Feast of Sts. Timothy and Titus
"As for you, be steady and self-possessed; put up with hardship, perform your work as an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
For Reflection:
How can I fulfill my ministry of evangelization today in at least one way?
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Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul
"I am content with weakness, with mistreatment, with distress, with persecutions, and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:10
Dear St. Paul,
I wish I could say that I am content with weakness, mistreatment, distress, persecution, and difficulties, but that is not the case. All too often I complain at the least struggle or trial. Pray for me that I obtain the grace I need to endure all things for the sake of Christ. Help me to see that when I am most powerless, Christ can be all in all of me if I surrender my suffering to Him. May the strength of Christ fill me and may I embrace the cross with valor and conviction. Amen
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 Feast of St. Francis de Sales,
Bishop and Doctor
(1567 - 1622)
"Our business is to love what God would have done. He wills our vocation as it is. Let us love that and not trifle away our time hankering after other people's vocations."
St. Francis de Sales
For Reflection:
How can "hankering after other people's vocations" lead me to be discontented with what God has chosen for me? How does it deprive me of grace? In what ways can it lead me into sin?
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"You are not a saint because you keep the rules and are blameless; you are a saint if you live in the real world, going out and loving the real people God has put into your life."
Sister Wendy Beckett
For Reflection:
According to Sister Wendy, how might I be saint-like today?
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Feast of St. Vincent,
Deacon and Martyr
"Against Christ's army the world arrays a twofold battleline. It offers temptation to lead us astray; it strikes terror into us to break our spirit. At both of these approaches, Christ rushes to our aid, and the Christian is not conquered."
St. Augustine on St. Vincent
For Reflection:
What is the twofold battleline that I am currently engaging? What grace can I name that Christ is bringing me so that I am not conquered?
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These are certainly unprecedented times. One only need to watch the evening news to see that the world seems to be quickly spiraling out of control. That is why the
March for Life is an event of such great hope. It is the powerful witness of hundreds of thousands of pro-life individuals from varying faith backgrounds marching together to give a voice to the voiceless unborn children and their parents who have been wounded by abortion.
Those who March are the white (as opposed to red) martyrs of this generation. Though they may not be called to shed their blood, they are called to walk in a spirit of self-sacrifice and like the martyrs, draw upon the virtue of fortitude. It is fortitude which propels the soul to act in spite of fear or discomfort. It is fortitude that gives the soldier the strength to enter into the battle. It is fortitude which enables one to lay down their life for a friend. As St. Therese of Lisieux reminds us: it doesn’t’ matter if we
have courage – as long as we
act like we do.
So on this January 22nd, which marks the 38th anniversary of the
March for Life and the devastating Roe vs. Wade decision, we call upon God to bestow upon those who will march, a double portion of His strength and fortitude. We are in solidarity with you, our dear brothers and sisters in Christ and are grateful for the hope that you bring into this very fallen world.
"O Lord God of hosts, You said in your Gospel , 'I am not come to bring peace but the sword'; provide me with desire to fight for Your glory, but I beseech You, strengthen my courage. Then with holy King David I can exclaim: 'You alone are my shield, O God; it is You who prepare my hands for war.'
"O my Jesus, I will fight for You as long as I live, and love will be my sword. My weakness should never discourage me; when in the morning I feel no courage or strength for the practice of virtue, I must look upon this state as a grace, for You teach me that it is the very moment to put the axe to the root of the tree, counting only on Your help."
"What merit would there be in fighting only when I feel courage? What does it matter even if I have none, provide that I act as if I had? " (St. Therese of Lisieaux quote from Divine Intimacy, page 839)
Addition resources:
Preparing for the March for Life by CatholicVote.org.
March for Life official website and schedule of events
EWTN March for Life programming
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Feast of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
"I will be his who first chose me for himself."
St. Agnes at her martyrdom
For Reflection:
God has chosen me for Himself just as He chose St. Agnes. Am I willing to choose Him first in all things? What one choice is He asking me to make today? What is my response?
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Feast of St. Sebastian, Martyr
"If there are many persecutions, there are many testings; where there are many crowns of victory, there are many trials of strength. It is then to your advantage if there are many persecutors; among many persecutions you may more easily find a path to victory."
St. Ambrose on Martyrdom
For Reflection:
What "path to victory" have I found in past persecutions? How does this help me seek the path to victory in my current trial?
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"Let us not look too far or too high, but right in front of ourselves, right next to ourselves. The good to be done is perhaps there."
Elisabeth Leseur
For Reflection:
What "good to be done" today is right in front of me, right next to me? I commit to getting on with it.
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"Just as a woman's body is designed for mothering and nourishing, so a woman's soul and mind will be drawn to work demanding spiritual maternity, even if she never bears a child."
Anne Roche Muggeridge
For Reflection:
To what is my soul and mind drawn and how does it reflect my natural feminine instinct of spiritual maternity? To whom can I be spiritual mother today?
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These are certainly unprecedented times. One only need to watch the evening news to see that the world seems to be quickly spiraling out of control. That is why the March for Life is an event of such great hope. It is the powerful witness of hundreds of thousands of pro-life individuals from varying faith backgrounds marching together to give a voice to the voiceless unborn children and their parents who have been wounded by abortion.
Those who March are the white (as opposed to red) martyrs of this generation. Though they may not be called to shed their blood, they are called to walk in a spirit of self-sacrifice and like the martyrs, draw upon the virtue of fortitude. It is fortitude which propels the soul to act in spite of fear or discomfort. It is fortitude that gives the soldier the strength to enter into the battle. It is fortitude which enables one to lay down their life for a friend. As St. Therese of Lisieux reminds us: it doesn’t’ matter if we have courage – as long as we act like we do.
So on this January 22nd, which marks the 38th anniversary of the March for Life and the devastating Roe vs. Wade decision, we call upon God to bestow upon those who will march, a double portion of His strength and fortitude. We are in solidarity with you, our dear brothers and sisters in Christ and are grateful for the hope that you bring into this very fallen world.
