February 25

“It is good when a soul loves solitude; it’s a sign that it takes delight in God and enjoys speaking with Him.”

-St. Jane Frances de Chantal

 

For Reflection:

How do I respond to solitude? Do I embrace it or flee from it? What does this tell me about my interior life and my relationship with God?

      (Quote from Graceful Living)

“God said: ‘Why do you never stop asking to taste of My delights, yet you refuse the tribulations?'”

-St. Margaret of Cortona

This is a good question to ask myself. What is my response?

      (Quote from Graceful Living)

Feast of St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr (D. 155)

“Leave me as I am. The one who gives me strength to endure the fire will also give me strength to stay quite still on the pyre, even without the precaution of your nails.”

-St. Polycarp at his martyrdom

How is God giving me the strength of endurance today?

      (Quote from Graceful Living)

      (Quote from Graceful Living)

 Feast of St. Peter Damien, Bishop and Doctor (1007 – 1072)

“In serenity, look forward to the joy that follows sadness. Hope leads you to that joy and love enkindles your zeal.”

-St. Peter Damien

The letter to the Hebrews tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1). How does this help me live out the advice of St. Peter Damien?

      (Quote from Graceful Living)

“He did not say: You will not be troubled; you will not be tempted; you will not be distressed. But He said: You will not be overcome.”

-St. Julian of Norwich

 Dear Lord, So often I feel all but swallowed up by the events of every day life–not to mention those difficult moments of struggle, confusion, and doubt. It is Your grace and Your grace alone that gets me through these moments. Help me to remember that in the midst of every circumstance, You are there. In the midst of every reversal, You are there. In my deepest pain, in my worst distress, in my greatest temptation, You are there. Help me to hold on to this truth, and in You I will overcome. Amen.

      (Quote from Graceful Living)

“For I will only your well-being, and whatever I give, I give it so that you may reach the goal for which I created you.”

-Our Lord to St. Catherine of Siena

It is easy to see God’s hand in the good things of our lives, but it is often a struggle to see it in the difficult. How do these words of Our Lord to St. Catherine of Siena give me deeper insight? In what way does this help me to reexamine past events or a current situation?

      (Quote from Graceful Living)