Thursday, February 12, 2009

Daily Bread - Feb 12th - Worry

Why Worry?


"Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart." (Philippians 4:6)

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Daily Bread - Feb 11th - Love

Saintly Steps - Not your works!


“You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your mind” (Deuteronomy 6:5).


He has need of our love--He has no need of our works.

He was athirst, but when He said: "Give me to drink,"[6] He, the Creator of the Universe, asked  for the love of His creature. He thirsted for love.

St. Theresa - Teach us to love God!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Daily Bread - Feb 10th - Afraid?

Afraid? Read these...


Psalms 34:4

Matthew 10:28

2 Timothy 1:7

Hebrews 13:5,6

St. Benedict - Pray for us!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Daily Bread - Feb 5th - Power of Prayer

Saintly Steps - Moving more than Mountains!

Jesus answered them, "I tell you with certainty, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you be able to do what has been done to the fig tree, but you will also say to this mountain, 'Be removed and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. (Matthew 21:21)


"Give me a lever and a fulcrum on which to lean it," said Archimedes, "and I will lift the world."

What he could not obtain because his request had only a material end, without reference to God, the Saints have obtained in all its fulness. They lean on God Almighty's power itself and their lever is the prayer that inflames with love's fire. With this lever they have raised the world--with this lever the Saints of the Church Militant still raise it, and will raise it to the end of time.

St. Theresa - Teach us to persevere!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Daily Bread - Feb 4th - Repentance

When Nineveh repented!


So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the LORD'S bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day's walk announcing, "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed," 
when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. .......
 
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out. 
(Jonah 3:3-10)

Monday, February 2, 2009

Daily Bread - Feb 3rd - Salvation of the Family

Saintly Steps - St. Theresa on the Salvation of Loved ones


They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will be saved." (Acts 16:31)


O my Jesus, there is no need to say: "In drawing me, draw also the souls that I love": these words, "Draw me," suffice. When a soul has let herself be taken captive by the inebriating odour of Thy perfumes, she cannot run alone; as a natural consequence of her attraction towards Thee, the souls of all those she loves are drawn in her train.

St. Theresa - Teach us your ways!

Daily Bread - Feb 2nd - Charity

Saintly Steps - St. Theresa on Charity


The practice of charity has not always been so pleasant as I have just pointed out, dear Mother, and to prove it I will recount some of my many struggles.

For a long time my place at meditation was near a Sister who fidgeted continually, either with her Rosary, or something else; possibly, as I am very quick of hearing, I alone heard her, but I cannot tell you how much it tried me. I should have liked to turn round, and by looking at the offender, make her stop the noise; but in my heart I knew that I ought to bear it tranquilly, both for the love of God and to avoid giving pain. So I kept quiet, but the effort cost me so much that sometimes I was bathed in perspiration, and my meditation consisted merely in suffering with patience. After a time I tried to endure it in peace and joy, at least deep down in my soul, and I strove to take actual pleasure
in the disagreeable little noise. Instead of trying not to hear it, which was impossible, I set myself to listen, as though it had been some delightful music, and my meditation--which was not the "prayer of quiet"--was passed in offering this music to Our Lord.

Another time I was working in the laundry, and the Sister opposite, while washing handkerchiefs, repeatedly splashed me with dirty water. My first impulse was to draw back and wipe my face, to show the offender I should be glad if she would behave more quietly; but the next minute I thought how foolish it was to refuse the treasures God offered me so generously, and I refrained from betraying my annoyance. On the contrary, I made such efforts to welcome the shower of dirty water, that at the end of half an hour I had taken quite a fancy to this novel kind of aspersion, and I resolved to come as often as I could to the happy spot where such treasures were freely bestowed.

St. Theresa - Teach us to love!