For as you judge

July 27
“For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”
-Matthew 7:2- 3″
Today’s Reflection:
In the particular judgment, I will be judged in the same way I pass judgment on others. What do I think is the difference between “judging” in the scriptural sense and making healthy conclusions based on the behavior and example of others?
  

If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
DONATE

Read the rest…

Every unguarded word

July 26
“I assure you, on judgment day people be held accountable for every unguarded word they speak.”
-Matthew 12:36
Today’s Reflection:
Ouch! How many unguarded or idle words have I spoken in my life? How many did I speak yesterday? How many have I spoken already today? Lord, put a sentinel at my mouth and a guard around my lips that I may hold my tongue when it ought to be held. Amen.
  

If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
DONATE

Read the rest…

I look forward

July 25
“I look forward, not to what lies ahead of me in this life and will surely pass away, but to my eternal goal. I am intent upon this one purpose, not distracted by other aims, and with this goal in view I press on, eager for the prize, God’s heavenly summons. Then I shall listen to the sound of Your praises and gaze at Your beauty ever-present, never future, never past. But now my years are but sighs. You, O Lord, are my only solace. You, my Father, are eternal. But I am divided between time gone by and time to come, and its course is a mystery to me. My thoughts, the intimate life of my soul, are torn this way and that in the havoc of change. And so it will be until I am purified and melted by the fire of Your love and fused into one with You.”
– Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
Today’s Reflection:
St Augustine seems to be in a good place reading this quote until the last three sentences and I realize as I read his thoughts, I am nearing these same ideas – will the thoughts of my soul be torn this way and that in the “havoc of change” as I near death, until I am purified and melted by the fire of God’s love? Is it anxiety for the time to pass quickly or fear of the unknown? This brings to mind his other quote: ““You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.” Lord, help me to be at peace with your will and have the grace of a happy death. St. Augustine and St. Joseph, pray for me!
  

If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
DONATE

Read the rest…

Jesus died for everyone

July 24
“God wants that everyone be saved; no one is predestined to go to hell; Jesus died for everyone; and everyone is given sufficient grace for salvation.”
-Gabriele Amorth
Today’s Reflection:
How reassuring are these words! God desires my salvation, has sent His Son so it can be acquired, and is giving me the graces I need to attain it! What grace for salvation is He offering me today?
(Hint: What prompting of the Holy Spirit am I experiencing – the need for confession, a way to help a friend or loved one, an act of charity or almsgiving, etc.)
  

If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
DONATE

Read the rest…

The evening of life

July 23
“At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love.”
– St. John of the Cross
Today’s Reflection:
How much do I love God? What about my life reflects the reality of my love? Where does selfishness, lack of forgiveness & personal sin hold me bound?
  

If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
DONATE

Read the rest…

Every single thing

July 22
“At the particular judgment, the soul will be judged about every single thing –
its thoughts, words, deeds, and omissions.”
-Cardinal Gasparri
Today’s Reflection:
How would my thoughts, words, deeds, and omissions stack up today? Would they show a love of God and neighbor? Why or why not? In light of all this, what interior dispositions need to be converted?
  

If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
DONATE

Read the rest…

Then the judgment

July 21
“It is appointed for men to die once and then the judgment.”
-Hebrews 9:27
For Reflection:
Our culture is awash with many false ideas about death. One is the concept of reincarnation. How does this scripture passage refute this idea? This verse also talks about “the judgment.” What do I think this means? On what will I be judged? How would that go if it were to happen today?
  

If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
DONATE

Read the rest…

Heaven and hell

July 20
“If so many people believe in heaven and hell while also believing that this life will determine which destination will be theirs, why don’t we see more
evidence of that belief?
-Regis J. Flaherty
For Reflection:
What do I believe about heaven and hell? Does my life show evidence of that belief?
  

If you enjoy Daily Gracelines, please prayerfully consider making a donation to support and sustain our apostolate so that we may continue to provide this and all of our resources designed to nourish and grow your Catholic faith.
DONATE

Read the rest…

The souls of the just

November 30

“God formed man to be imperishable;
the image of his own nature he made them.
But by the envy of the Devil, death entered the world,
and they who are in his possession experience it.

But the souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.”

-1 Wisdom 2:23–3:9

 

For Reflection:

One of the most hopeful passages in scripture: “But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.”

No matter the trials and reversals you may be currently experiencing or that may lie ahead, know that you are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch you.

 

Today you will be with me in Paradise

November 29

“Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

-Luke 23:43

 

For Reflection:

Jesus Christ has conquered death. We, His followers, hold onto the hope that through our baptism and life of faith, we too will conquer death in the end.