September 6
"How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?"
-Romans 10:14
Today’s Reflection:
Many have never heard the Catholic Church teaching that Jesus is really and truly present in the Eucharist -- body, blood, soul and divinity. This includes many Catholics. Who can share this amazing truth with today?
September 5
"Anyone who approaches this august sacrament with special devotion...experiences how great is the value of communing with Christ...for there is nothing more effective for advancing on the road to holiness.
-Pope Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei
Today’s Reflection:
Consider your preparation time before mass? Is it such that you may receive the Holy Eucharist with special devotion? Are you aware that you are in communion with Christ?
September 4
"O God, Who in a wonderful Sacrament hast bequeathed to us the memorial of Thy Passion, Grant we pray that we may so venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy Body and Blood, as to continually experience within us the fruit of Thy Redemption. Amen.”
-Prayer of St. Peter Julian Eymard
Today’s Reflection:
How can you receive the Body and Blood of Christ with greater faith, hope and love?
September 3
"They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in his goodness, raised up again.”
-St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to Smyrnaeans (110 AD)
Today’s Reflection:
Do you think believing in the Real Presence is more our less difficult today than it was for people in the time of St. Ignatius? Why or why not?
September 2
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
-John 6:51
Today’s Reflection:
Many of Jesus's disciples found this teaching so difficult that they left Him. Take time today to read and ponder the entire chapter of John 6. What does it speak to your heart?
September 1
"Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died."
-1 Corinthians 11:23 - 30
Today’s Reflection:
How do we discern the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist? What is St. Paul telling the early Church of Corinth?
August 31
"Jesus prayed, preached and gave us the example of how we should live. But is that all He did to save the world? No, He saved it primarily by His Passion and Death."
-Emil Neubert, SM, STD
Today’s Reflection:
Are you ready to help conquer the world for Christ? Then be prepared to suffer in union with Him. Like Christ and our Blessed Mother, all true apostles have understood the redemptive value of suffering.
August 30
"As a Christian, you are a witness of Christ; therefore give testimony to Him!"
-Emil Neubert, SM, STD
Today’s Reflection:
No one can argue with your own testimony because it's yours. In the Women of Grace Foundational Study we teach participants the short formula, "I was... Jesus did...I am." Think about your life of conversion and compose your testimony so that you can share the reason for your hope, the next time the opportunity presents itself.
August 28
"Pray! Pray! Undertake nothing without prayer!"
-Emil Neubert, SM, STD
Today’s Reflection:
Many a marvelous work for the Lord has crumbled because it was not sustained by prayer. It is the most effective and easiest form of apostolate. Do you pray as if your work, especially your work as a member of the Church Militant, depended on it?
