S. Henry| Daily Meditation| Daily Quote by S. Padre Pio| Divine Mercy Reflection
St. Henry
(972-1024)
Ordinary Calendar
As German king and Holy Roman Emperor, Henry was a practical man of affairs. He was energetic in consolidating his rule. He crushed rebellions and feuds. On all sides he had to deal with drawn-out disputes so as to protect his frontiers. This involved him in a number of battles, especially in the south in Italy; he also helped Pope Benedict VIII quell disturbances in Rome. Always his ultimate purpose was to establish a stable peace in Europe.
According to eleventh-century custom, Henry took advantage of his position and appointed as bishops men loyal to him. In his case, however, he avoided the pitfalls of this practice and actually fostered the reform of ecclesiastical and monastic life. He was canonized in 1146.
Comment:
All in all, this saint was a man of his times. From our standpoint, he may have been too quick to do battle and too ready to use power to accomplish reforms. But, granted such limitations, he shows that holiness is possible in a busy secular life. It is in doing our job that we become saints.
Quote:
“We deem it opportune to remind our children of their duty to take an active part in public life and to contribute toward the attainment of the common good of the entire human family as well as to that of their own political community. They should endeavor, therefore, in the light of their Christian faith and led by love, to insure that the various institutions—whether economic, social, cultural or political in purpose—should be such as not to create obstacles, but rather to facilitate or render less arduous man’s perfecting of himself in both the natural order and the supernatural.... Every believer in this world of ours must be a spark of light, a center of love, a vivifying leaven amidst his fellow men. And he will be this all the more perfectly, the more closely he lives in communion with God in the intimacy of his own soul” (Blessed Pope John XXIII, Peace on Earth, 146, 164).
Daily Meditation
Never Enough:
It is essential to really read the Scriptures, especially those stories you have heard so many times before. Love is in the details.
Quote by S. Padre Pio:
Our conversion from ungodliness is such that it can well be said that God revealed His power more fully in our justification than in drawing heaven and earth from nothing, since there is greater contrast between the sinner and grace than there is between nonexistence and existence.
Divine Mercy Reflection
Reflections on Notebook Three: 189-236
We continue now to the third notebook that Saint Faustina filled with messages of Mercy from our Lord. As you enter into this notebook, pause and reflect upon all that you have read so far. Has it changed your perspective on life? Has it changed you? If it has, then continue down that same path and trust that the Lord will continue to do great things in your life. If it has not, reflect upon why!
Sometimes we need more than the words we read. We also need true prayer, deep prayer and what we may call “soaking prayer.” Consider this as you read through the reflections flowing from this notebook and allow the words to not only enter your mind, but to also enter deeper. Read them prayerfully and carefully. Speak to our Lord as Saint Faustina did. Read some more of her actual diary in addition to these reflections and learn from her humble and childlike faith.
The Lord wants to do great things in your life! Open the door, through prayer and reflection, and let Him in!
Reflection 194: Satisfaction in Life
What is it that satisfies you in life? The answers to this question could be quite varied from person to person. One may find satisfaction in work, another in family activities, another in community service, another in wealth and worldly rewards. There are many and varied responses people will give. But the answer shouldn’t be varied. There should be one answer for us all. And that answer is that you find true satisfaction in life by being with your Lord, resting in His Heart and being close to Him. This may make sense to most people in a theoretical way, but in a practical way it may not connect. What does it mean to be “resting in His Heart and being close to Him?” The only way to discover this real and practical meaning is to do it. All the books in the world will not teach you. You must discover His Heart, love His Heart, be alone in His presence, and only then will you discover what true satisfaction is all about (See Diary #1021).
Do you understand, practically and experientially, the total satisfaction in life that comes from living close to the Heart of Christ? When you hear this does it make sense to you? Reflect upon this question today and if you realize that you do not know what it is to know Him this way, then admit that to yourself and begin to seek Him out. If you seek, with your whole heart, you will find. And when you find, you will be eternally grateful you did.
Lord, I want to be one with You. I want to dwell in Your presence and bask in Your Divine Mercy. Help me in my weakness to turn to You with every power of my soul and to encounter Your Divine Essence. I reject all false “satisfactions” in life and turn to You and You alone. My Jesus, my Lord, I trust in You.
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