November 5
"Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed...
Death is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
-1 Corinthians 15: 51, 52, 55
For Reflection:
Death comes to us all, but we have the promise of the resurrection. As Christians, the overriding priority of our lives should be eternity with God, heaven, both for ourselves and as many souls as we can bring with us.
Is this the focus of your life and if not, what needs to change?
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November 4
"The saints stand around my Son like countless stars, whose glory is not to be compared with any temporal light."
-The Blessed Mother to St. Bridget
For Reflection:
Does this image of being near Jesus in heaven console you?
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November 3
"If God were to make every grain of sand into a new world, all these innumerable spheres would not fill the immensity of heaven."
For Reflection:
Though heaven is incomprehensible to us living in the world, take time this week to ask the Lord to enlighten you to the immensity of
our eternal inheritance.
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November 2
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be."
-John 14:3
For Reflection:
Does it console you to know that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for you and that He desires for you to be with Him for all eternity?
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November 1
"But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him...'"
-1 Corinthians 2:9
For Reflection:
What strikes you most about this passage from sacred scripture? Take time to ponder this heavenly reality.
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October 31
Our Lady’s Rosary
Dear Mother, I bring Thee roses
Because they are so sweet,
But lilies, my favorite flowers
I am placing at Thy feet.
Accept with each Hail Mary
A rose for Thy crown so bright,
Please don't forget the lilies,
The lilies so pure and white.
Let them be a bond of love
And understanding rare,
And send a blessing from above
In answer to my prayer.
Loneliness would be unknown
If more people came to Thee,
With their trials and sorrows
And said their Rosary.
With each Hail Mary, they would find
Their load much lighter grow,
And in humility, kiss the cross
In peace, would onward go.
-Alice W. Sparks
For Reflection:
How has my load been made lighter this past month as I have prayed the Rosary? Am I willing to make the Rosary a daily prayer? Why or why not?
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October 30
“I look to all of you, brothers and sisters of every state of life, to you, Christian families, to you, the sick and elderly, and to you, young people: confidently take up the Rosary once again. Rediscover the Rosary in the light of Scripture, in harmony with the liturgy, and in the context of your daily lives.
May this appeal of mine not go unheard!”
-St. John Paul II
For Reflection:
How will I respond to this urgent appeal of Pope John Paul II?
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October 29
“Into [the Rosary] one may take his whole life – joys and sorrows, men and things, everything – as he would take it to someone whose presence he finds restful, not to find out how he might act with more success,
but to put everything into a proper light.”
-Romano Guardini
For Reflection:
Do I bring the whole of my life to the Rosary when I pray? What is the difference between going to pray searching for an answer and going to prayer seeking wisdom? Which is the greater gift? How can the Rosary help me to attain it?
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October 28
“The immense good which this noble devotion (the Rosary) has done to the world is well known. How many, by its means, have been delivered from sin! How many led to live a holy life! How many to a good death,
and are now saved!”
-St. Alphonsus Liguori
For Reflection:
Do I know anyone who needs to be delivered from serious sin? Who is living a life lacking in holiness? Who is now confronting his or her death? Today, I will use the weapon of the Rosary to fight for them through my prayers.
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October 27
“The family that recites the Rosary together reproduces something of the atmosphere of the household of Nazareth: its members place Jesus at the center; they share his joys and sorrows; they place their needs and their plans in his hands; they draw from him the hope and strength to go on.”
-St. John Paul II
For Reflection:
What about my home and my homelife reflect the household of Nazareth? What about it does not? How can I help my family enter into the mysteries of the Rosary so that Jesus is at the center of all we do and say?
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