January 29
“Sometimes when I find myself spiritually in dryness so great that I cannot produce a single good thought, I recite very slowly an Our Father or a Hail Mary. These prayers alone console me. They nourish my soul.”
-St. Therese of Lisieux
Liturgically, we’re taking a brief breath in ordinary time. We’ve lived the long wait of Advent, and Christmas has been celebrated and it’s trappings stored away – nativity sets snuggled in attic alcoves and ornaments stacked in garage bins.
January 28
“Leave at the door of the place where you are going to converse with God all extraneous thoughts, saying, with St. Bernard, “O my thoughts, wait here. After prayer we shall speak about other matters.”
-St. Alphonsus Liguori
January 27
"Mothers and sisters most dear to me in Christ: in the first place strive with all your power and zeal to be open. With the help of God, try to receive such good counsel that, led solely by the love of God and an eagerness to save souls, you may fulfill your charge. Only if the responsibilities committed to you are rooted in this twofold charity will they bear beneficial and saving fruit."
-St. Angela Merici, Spiritual Testament
January 26
"As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
It’s time to light up the switchboard on Capitol Hill after Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell announced that the Senate will begin debate on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protect Act on Monday, with a vote to follow sometime next week.
When Carmen Schattner moved from Michigan to upstate Pennsylvania four years ago, she left everything behind – her job, extended family, an active parish life – and suddenly found herself lost and alone in a strange new place. Until one day she heard a voice on the radio telling her “If you want to know why God created you, what it means to be a daughter of God, here’s what you need to do!” Her life would never be the same again.
In this year’s Message for World Communications Day, which falls on May 13, Pope Francis delivers a blistering critique of fake news, equating it to the “snake-tactics” of the devil who used it to fool Eve, and said it’s only purpose is to the “deceive and manipulate the reader.”
Cecile Richards (YouTube)Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
On this feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, we’re reminded that God can convert even the hardest hearts. We can only hope this will be the case with Cecile Richards, CEO of Planned Parenthood, who is planning to step down after 12 years overseeing a company that has cost the life of more than seven million Americans.
January 25
“Meditation is the mother of the love of God, and contemplation is the daughter of the love of God. Contemplation is nothing other than taking delight in the goodness of Him Whom we have learned to know in meditation, and Whom we have learned to love by means of this knowledge.”
-St. Francis de Sales
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