August 3
"The state of marriage is one that requires more virtue and constancy than any other. It is a perpetual exercise in mortification."
-St. Francis de Sales
Today's Reflection:
To what extent have I discovered this for myself? How can the virtue of humility help me?
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August 2
"We shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know God; for, beholding His greatness, we realize our own littleness; His purity shows us our foulness; and by meditating upon His humility we find how very far we are from being humble."
-St. Teresa of Avila
Today's Reflection:
According to St. Teresa of Avila, why is meditating on the attributes of God an appropriate way to begin to cultivate the virtue of humility? Where do you most see yourself in the reflection above?
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August 1
"Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance."
-St. Augustine
Today's Reflection:
Consider St. Augustine's statement about humility. Why do you think humility is the foundation of all the other virtues? Why is the appearance of any other virtue merely pretense if humility is lacking?
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July 31
"With Christians, a poetical view of things is a duty. We are bid to color all things with hues of faith, to see a divine meaning in every event."
-Cardinal John Henry Newman
Today's Reflection:
Do I "color all things with hues of faith?" Do I see "a divine meaning in every event?" If I were to do so, how would this encourage the virtue of humility in me? What one situation or circumstance am I presently facing that can give me this opportunity?
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July 30
"Fast from bitterness - feast on forgiveness. Fast from self-concern - feast on compassion for others. Fast from personal anxiety - feast on eternal truth. Fast from anger - feast on patience. Fast from words that destroy - feast on words that build up. Fast from discontent - feast on gratitude. Fast from discouragement - feast on hope."
-Susan Tassone
Today's Reflection:
What "fast" should I engage? What are three practical ways I can employ its antidote today?
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July 29
"Let all acknowledge St. Michael as their protector, and be devout to him, for he cannot despise those who pray to him.... But he guards them through life, directs them on their way, and conducts them to their eternal home."
-St. Lawrence Justinian
Today's Reflection:
It gives me comfort when I realize that the Archangel Michael not only defends and protects souls during this life but also is our special advocate and consoler at the hour of death. He will come to do battle with our enemies on our behalf. I will invoke St Michael daily to lend his assistance at the critical hour of death.
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July 28
"The soul sees what God intended it to be. And the soul sees what obstacles it erected - its selfishness, its cowardice, its shallow satisfactions, its perversions of God's graces and His gifts. All this came between God and the soul in life."
-Susan Tassone
Today's Reflection:
What will I see at the moment of my particular judgment? Will I see that I have created obstacles between my soul and God? What might they be? I pray for the grace to dismantle these obstacles in this life so I will not take them with me to eternal life.
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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?
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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.
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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!
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