April 16
Simon Peter said to him, "Master, where are you going?"
Jesus answered him,
"Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later."
Peter said to him,
"Master, why can I not follow you now?
I will lay down my life for you."
Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me?
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow
before you deny me three times."
-John 13:36-38
Today's Reflection
Have you ever been filled with so much zeal for the Lord that you would do anything for Him? Even die for Him? And then, only minutes later, when things got a little inconvenient, you changed your mind, or even betrayed Him?
The passage above shows us that even the apostle, Peter, who spent three years walking side-by-side with Him, turned his back on Jesus when the going got tough. As we come to the close of Lent and anticipate the Triduum and Easter, let us renew our fervor to stand with the Lord at any cost.
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April 15
"Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
Not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
Until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spreads out the earth with its crops,
Who gives breath to its people
and spirit to those who walk on it:
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness."
-Is 42: 1-7
Today's Reflection
Blessed Holy Week to you and your loved ones!
The passage above is the first of today's mass readings. Take time to ponder it. As you walk these first steps on the journey into the passion, death and resurrection of Our Lord, how will you enter into the intense silence where God speaks? In what ways will you seek to be more receptive to the grace and gift of our salvation?
Pray that Jesus will give you eyes that are opened, a heart that is unfettered from the confinement of sin, and a mind that is free from the darkness and distraction of the world and fully fixed upon Him.
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April 13
"Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring."
– St. Catherine of Siena
Today's Reflection
Does the finish line of Lent seem far off in the distance? Let us hold each up in prayer. Endure!
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April 11
“Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.”
St. Francis de Sales
Today's Reflection
Have you fallen on the Lenten journey? Has your cross been too heavy to carry? Today is a great day to be patient with yourself.
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April 10
"Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt."
-Pope Francis
Today's Reflection
What have your Lenten sacrifices cost you thus far? Could you do more? As we enter into Holy Week, prayerfully consider Pope Francis's reflection and ask Our Lord how you can make the best of the remainder of Lent.
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April 9
"And He said to all: If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow Me"
- Luke 9:23
Today's Reflection
What is your cross today? Take it up!
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April 8
"Nothing, how little so ever it be, if it is suffered for God's sake,
can pass without merit in the sight of God."
-Thomas a Kempis
Today's Reflection
We are not all called to do great things, but we can all do small things with great love. This is wisdom that is part of our heritage from St. Teresa of Calcutta. Today, when those small annoyances inevitably occur, remember that you can suffer them with love for God and perhaps your little cross can be of great merit for the redemption of mankind.
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April 6
"Show me your hands. Do they have scars from giving? Show me your feet. Are they wounded in service? Show me your heart. Have you left a place for divine love?"
-Ven. Fulton Sheen
Today's Reflection
These words of Fulton Sheen cut to the quick. How much do we really give for the Lord? Are we just scratching the surface of where He wants us to be? Take time to ponder how you can step deeper into charity and love.
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April 5
“It is better not to fast and be thereby humbled, than to fast and
to be self-satisfied therewith.”
-Pascal: Pensees (17th century)
Today's Reflection
We must always be on the lookout for wrong intentions. They can creep into everything we do, even spiritual exercises. Take a moment today to renew your intentions for this Lent and remember to do so from time to time throughout this holy season.
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April 4
“Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.”
St. Francis de Sales
Today's Reflection
Perhaps your Lent hasn't gone so well. Maybe you've really slacked off on your commitments to the Lord. Today is a great day to be patient with yourself and begin again. Every day is a new day to begin again.
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